She is the first left-hander to play for the country and she wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Smriti Mandhana

Annesha Ghosh in Perth26-Feb-2020Murshida Khatun, the only left-hander to play for Bangladesh women, wanted to fulfill two dreams on Monday night. The first of those – to represent her country in a world tournament – came true and she struck an impressive 26-ball 30 against India at the WACA. The other, deferred by a viral fever that ruled India batter Smriti Mandhana out of the match, was realised the following morning at the Perth Airport.”I always had a feeling that’s the only thing I might end up doing if I ever met her: just take a selfie. [That alone means a lot to me],” Khatun, sporting glasses like an early avatar of Mandhana, tells ESPNcricinfo. “I was too nervous to utter a word when I met her, let alone tell her she is my hero… you know that kind of thing that happens with everything jumbling in your head when you first meet your idol after waiting for ages?”Khatun was naturally right-handed. But she took to batting left-handed after watching her older brother. Just like Mandhana. Here’s another connection. Khatun’s desire to step up to the big stage dates back to a milestone in Mandhana’s own career.As she watched the India batter compile her maiden World Cup hundred against West Indies in the 2017 ODI World Cup, Khatun, 17 at the time, did a self-appraisal of just “how hard and diligently” she needed to work on her batting to be able to represent Bangladesh.That [picture] alone is means a lot to me – Murshida Khatun on her idol Smriti Mandhana•Murshida Khatun”I grew up watching Tamim [Iqbal] , because aside from Bangladesh men’s [games], there was not much of other cricket to be watched,” Khatun, who is known by her moniker ‘Happy’, says. “But that hundred from Smriti Mandhana – her technique, her confidence on an English pitch – was just so refreshing to see. Especially as a left-hander, I loved how she stayed there [till the end] to win India the game.”Within a year of that World Cup match, Khatun would go on to make her debut for Bangladesh. Since then she has played 12 international matches but the “biggest and most fascinating” one of them played out before a record 5280-crowd at the WACA on Monday.”I got a bit nervous when I arrived at the stadium,” Khatun recalls. “There was so much noise, so many media people and also because it was my first game against India. But I told myself, ‘This is where you need to bat, this is where you need to perform. None of this is going to go away, so just calm down and get a partnership going.'”After Khatun lost her opening partner seven balls into the match, she strung a 39-run second-wicket stand with Sanjida Islam to get Bangladesh off to a brisk start but fell to pacer Arundhati Reddy lofting the ball to mid-off in the eighth over.

They would keep telling my (mother) that it’s unbecoming of a girl to play sport… But that never deterred me from sneaking out of the house every evening to go watch my [male] cousins play

“I like Smriti Mandhana’s pull and lofted cover drive a lot,” Khatun says. “I like playing the cover drive [along the ground] myself, but have been working on lofting the shots better – mid-on, mid-off, and power-hitting. It’s something Anju [Jain] ma’am [the Bangladesh head coach] and Devika ma’am [Palshikar, the assistant coach] have been working on specifically in my game.”Also, spin. That’s another area I am trying to getting better in. I enjoy pace on the bat, so playing Shikha Pandey [the medium-pacer] wasn’t difficult, but the variations of Arundhati [also a quick bowler] (sister) troubled me a little.”A native of Khulna’s Kushtia district, home to Habibul Bashar and Anamul Haque, Khatun concedes being one of the few left-handed batters on the Bangladesh domestic circuit has helped push her case for selection at the international level.”But she’s got her own strengths, too,” Palshikar, herself a former India cricketer, says. “She may be lacking in exposure and experience at the moment, but she’s hard-working enough to offset that a little bit.”She is focused, patient, and can keep the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos when the boundaries dry up, so Anju made sure we always kept her in the side in the past year. Only if she didn’t do well in three-four games, then only we rested her. Otherwise, her 20-30 runs, too, are quite crucial for us. Besides, she’s keen on rectifying errors and rectifying errors.”Murshida Khatun gets low to slog-sweep•ICC via GettyKhatun attributes her “wanting to stay longer at the crease” to a “painstakingly-cultivated passion for the game” ever since her days as a gully cricketer. Even the criticism from relatives and people in my neighbourhood for doing “something so audaciously boy-like” only spurred her onward.”They would keep telling my (mother) that it’s unbecoming of a girl to play sport. To do so on top of that wearing T-shirt, or pants, or shirts was like an assault on the Bangladeshi standards of morality,” Khatun says. “But that never deterred me from sneaking out of the house every evening to go watch my [male] cousins play.”I used to go stand in one corner of the field and observe how they would drive or defend. Sometimes I’d even go down the steps of a pond nearby to fetch the ball in the hope that, in return, they would let me stay and watch their cricket. I worked that hard to just the game, understand it better.”As her fascination for batting grew, a 12-year-old Khatun pleaded with her father to enroll her at a girl’s cricket academy. But the dearth of visibility and information around the women’s game meant her father could not find a coaching centre even though he had been supportive of his daughter’s wishes.

There was so much noise, so many media people… But I told myself, ‘This is where you need to bat, this is where you need to perform. None of this is going to go away’Khatun on her first World Cup game

In about a year, a Dhaka-based cousin working in the media suggested Khatun apply for admission at the Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protishthan (BKSP), the country’s premier sports institute that only started accepting female cricketers since 2007. Although Khatun admits to being “far from being familiar with the rules of the game or all the fielding positions”, her batting had impressed the coaches enough during a month-long camp that she got into the BKSP in 2013.A move up to the Bangladesh Women’s Premier League followed, with intermittent appearances in the Best XI, but a “satisfactory performance, with a decent number of runs”, Khatun says, came only a year later leading to a maiden call-up for a month-long national camp. A drop in form between late 2014 and the close of 2016 meant an international debut wouldn’t arrive till May 2018.” I felt intimidated by [Shabnim] Ismail’s pace,” Khatun says about the limited-overs tour of South Africa, where she made a combined seven runs in three ODIs and one in her only T20I. “Ismail is one of the best and quickest bowlers I have faced. But thankfully, that fear has gone away since that tour.”Murshida Khatun strides out to bat•ICC via GettyAlthough Khatun has only 55 runs in five ODIs and 132 runs in seven T20Is in a near-two-year international career, head coach Jain, who formerly captained and coached India, believes the young batter has made good strides in the recent past towards playing with more purpose.”During the South Africa Emerging tour [in July last year], she looked quite good and more comfortable playing in South Africa [than her debut series] and since then there has been no looking back for her,” Jain says. “We knew we had to get her into our squad [for the T20 World Cup]. In the last six months, her shot-selection, fitness and range has improved – she’s added cuts and sweeps [to her arsenal].”But her standout stroke, according to Palshikar, whose tenure as assistant coach with the Indian side in 2014 coincided with the early days of Mandhana’s international career, is the cover drive. “I see glimpses of a younger, rookie Smriti in Happy,” Palshikar says, smiling. “I have watched Smriti at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] camps as well, so I think there are many similarities between Happy’s inside-out [shot] and the cover drive in particular, which she plays quite beautifully, look similar to Smriti’s.”

Sometimes I’d even go down the steps of a pond nearby to fetch the ball in the hope that, in return, they would let me stay and watch their cricket. I worked that hard to just watch the gameKhatun on following her cousins around as a kid

Like Palshikar, Jain believes Khatun’s inclusion in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup squad boosts their hopes of accomplishing a goal they had set out to achieve at the previous edition of the tournament in 2018: “To improve our rankings, so we don’t have to play the Qualifiers.” Making the semi-finals will be crucial to that end.”We’ve been looking for a left-hander for some time now,” Jain adds. “Devika and I are about to complete two years [with the team], but we haven’t found many. With Happy coming in at the top, we have more options rotating the line-up as per the requirements of the innings; we get more flexibility. Plus, she’s shown more consistency than some of our [other] openers. And you know how troubling a consistent left-hander in the opening position can be for bowlers…”Khatun’s idol, the leading run-scorer in women’s limited-overs cricket since 2018, is testament to Jain’s claim.

da gbg bet： Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Sunderland are in talks with OGC Nice over a deal to sign Polish goalkeeper Marcin Bulka this summer.

da bet vitoria： The Black Cats are interested in a swoop for the former Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper to bolster Regis Le Bris’ squad, as he would come in as competition for Anthony Patterson.

If they can sign the Ligue 1 star, the Premier League side will also need to bolster the defence in front of him, but Chris Mepham is unlikely to be a part of that.

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported earlier this month that a move back to the Championship is more likely than a permanent return to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland eyeing up new centre-back

Whilst a deal for the Bournemouth central defender seems unlikely, given Bailey’s report, the Black Cats reportedly have their eye on another centre-back option.

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According to the Sunderland Echo, Sunderland are eyeing up Lyon defender Duje Caleta-Car as a potential signing to bolster their squad before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Croatia international – who is valued at £6m, according to Football Transfers, has been transfer-listed by the French club, despite starting 17 of his 19 appearances in the league this season.

It adds that Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2 following a financial audit, which could provide Black Cats with further encouragement in their pursuit of Caleta-Car, but that they are set to appeal that decision.

Why Sunderland should sign Duje Caleta-Car

The newly-promoted side should pursue a deal to sign the Croatian giant this summer because he could come in as an upgrade on Mepham, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland will need strong defenders to protect their goal, which could be guarded by Bulka, as they battle against relegation next season, and the Lyon titan’s performances in Ligue 1 suggest that he would offer more to the team than the Wales international would.

Caleta-Car, whose former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl claimed he has a “big presence” on the pitch, also caught the eye for his country recently, winning seven of his nine duels and making eight clearances combined in a 7-0 win over Gibraltar and a 5-1 win over Czechia.

Stats

Caleta-Car (24/25 Ligue 1)

Mepham (23/24 Premier League)

Appearances

19

10

Tackle + interceptions per game

2.0

1.9

Clearances per game

5.1

2.9

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.5x

Blocks per game

0.2

0.0

Ground duel success rate

44%

37%

Aerial duel success rate

75%

60%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Croatian star’s defensive performances in Ligue 1 this season were simply better than what Mepham produced in his last season in the Premier League.

These statistics suggest that Caleta-Car would be far more dominant defensively, particularly in aerial battles, whilst also making more interventions, with tackles, interceptions, clearances, and blocks, each game to stop attackers from troubling the goal.

The Lyon defender would also arrive with Premier League experience under his belt. He started nine matches for Southampton in the 2022/23 campaign, winning 57% of his duels and making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Caleta-Car – who transfer insider Dean Jones lauded for having “major quality” – was not available enough to make a telling contribution to their season, though, and they were relegated from the top-flight that term.

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However, his form for Lyon since returning to France suggests that he does have the quality to be an impressive performer in a major European league, particularly in comparison to Mepham.

Therefore, Sunderland should pursue a deal to sign the Croatia international after a move for Bulka this summer to improve their defensive options, whilst removing any need to bring Mepham back on a permanent transfer.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank, in particular, will have been delighted with Saturday’s 2-0 win over his former club Brentford in the Premier League.

Goals from Richarlison, signed for £60m, and Xavi Simons, signed for £52m, secured all three points for the Lilywhites, as two of their most-expensive signings start to show their quality.

An expensive signing who is not offering too much to the team at the moment, though, is £47.5m addition Brennan Johnson, who was an unused substitute against Brentford.

Why Brennan Johnson has not been a waste of money for Spurs

The Wales international has not scored in the Premier League since August, with four goals in all competitions this season, and has not been used off the bench in two of the last three matches, per Sofascore.

Signed for £47.5m from Nottingham Forest in 2023, Johnson does not currently look like good value for money, given his struggles this term, but he has not been a waste of money on the evidence of his overall time at the club so far.

The 24-year-old attacker has delivered 27 goals and 18 assists in 104 games for the Lilywhites, per Transfermarkt, including the winner in the Europa League final last season.

You could argue that his winning goal in that final was worth the £47.5m on its own because of the memories that it created, as the club’s first trophy in 17 years.

Meanwhile, there is another expensive signing in the Spurs squad who should be sold, as he has been a bigger flop than Johnson and has yet to justify his price tag.

The Spurs player who should be sold in January

Dominic Solanke has been out with an ankle injury since August, with no return date given by Frank, but he should be ruthlessly sold in the January transfer window.

Spurs splashed a club-record transfer fee of £65m to sign the English striker from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024, and his performances on the pitch have not reflected that huge outlay.

For a 27-year-old, now 28, who was brought in as a Premier League-proven star in the prime years of his career, Solanke has not offered enough in front of goal to suggest that he has been worth the money, with just nine league goals for the club to date, per Sofascore.

In April, pundit Micah Richards claimed that the £65m signing had “been a disappointment all season” in the 2024/25 campaign, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you look at his statistics, notably costing them around £4m per goal so far.

Appearances

27

13

xG

10.97

5.58

Goals

9

5

Big chances missed

12

4

Minutes per goal

245

161

As you can see in the table above, Solanke underperformed against his xG in both the Premier League and the Europa League last term, missing more ‘big chances’ than he scored goals in the former.

Johnson, meanwhile, hit double figures for goals with 11 Premier League strikes for the Lilywhites, which means that he has scored four more league goals for Spurs than Solanke since the start of last season, per Sofascore.

This shows that the Welshman, who plays on the wing rather than as a striker, has been more productive than the ex-Bournemouth man in the Premier League, whilst also being more impactful overall, given his trophy-clinching goal.

Solanke has simply not done enough on the pitch since signing for the club to prove that the Lilywhites were right to splash £65m on him, which is why they should cut their losses and cash in on him in January.

His current injury issues only add further fuel to the fire because Spurs now do not know if they can rely on him to be fit and available, whilst they also do not know if they can rely on him to be efficient in front of goal as their number nine.

Richarlison’s return of six goals and two assists in nine Premier League starts so far this season, per Sofascore, also suggests that Solanke will not be the first-choice number nine when he is back fit.

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That is further reason for the club to cash in on the big-money flop in January to invest in a new signing in that position, as the Englishman’s move to North London has not worked out so far.

Manchester United hit their lowest ebb last season, but Ruben Amorim has a vision and is convinced that the only way from here is up.

Amorim clearly wants to restructure his frontline, so as to turn a corner. Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha has already completed a £62.5m move to the Theatre of Dreams, and right-sided forward Bryan Mbeumo is in talks to follow.

However, replacing the much-maligned Rasmus Hojlund could be the crowning moment of United’s transfer window, with a new number nine desperately needed to front the team.

Hojlund has been hung up to dry somewhat, only scoring four goals across 32 Premier League matches in 2024/25, but then also missing just six big chances, as per Sofascore, so his problems lie in finding opportunities, rather than letting them go begging.

The 22-year-old Dane has been touted for a return to Italy this summer, two years on from his £72m move from Atalanta to Manchester. United, then, would need to find a replacement.

Man United open talks for new striker

As per a Spanish report, Manchester United have made their first move in an effort to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike this summer, having established contacts with the Bundesliga outfit. Liverpool and Chelsea are already thick in the race.

Ekitike, 22, is one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe right now, and with United’s move for Viktor Gyokeres having hit a roadblock, this may be a stunning acquisition for the Premier League giants.

The sticking point? Die Roten would quite like to bank €100m (£84m) for the sale of their star striker, so the Red Devils will need to weigh up how to make this work.

Why Man United should sign Hugo Ekitike

Ekitike might be young, but he’s demonstrated over the past year an aptitude that places him right alongside the best forwards in Europe. Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson has hailed him as “one of the best strikers out there” while he’s also been described as the “next Mbappe” by journalist Graeme Bailey.

Across all competitions in 2024/25, the Frenchman scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists for his teammates, proving himself not only to be a first-class shooter but also a dynamic forward capable of linking play together.

With Amorim’s attacking system likely to see Cunha and potentially Mbeumo flank him, this could be the perfect way to add colour to the team, certainly providing an upgrade on Hojlund.

Rasmus Hojlund vs Hugo Ekitike (24/25)
Stats (per 90)	Hojlund	Ekitike
Goals	0.30	0.51
Assists	0.06	0.29
Shots taken	1.65	3.74
Shot-creating actions	2.07	3.50
Touches (att pen)	3.78	6.73
Pass completion	76.9%	75.3%
Progressive passes	0.96	1.95
Progressive carries	1.20	3.04
Successful take-ons	0.33	1.90
Ball recoveries	1.71	2.75
Data via FBref

As you can see, Ekitike is simply far superior to the Red Devils’ focal frontman, dwarfing him in regard to creative underlying numbers.

Moreover, Ekitike has actually demonstrated an even more clinical conversion rate than his beleaguered positional peer, scoring 16 goals in the Bundesliga last term and only missing 15 big chances, as per Sofascore.

His movements and intelligence denote his suitability as the frontman at a prestigious club like Man United, who will rise again after such struggles in recent years.

Flanked by Cunha and Mbeumo, Amorim would have created a robust and balanced front three by placing Ekitike at the front and centre.

Unfortunately for Hojlund, there may be no route back after his struggles, and change, for sure, will be a good thing heading into the new campaign.

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It has already been a summer of great change at Ibrox for Glasgow Rangers, with Russell Martin arriving as the new head coach and a new ownership group taking over.

Kevin Thelwell has also joined as the club’s new sporting director, whilst technical director Nils Koppen has moved on, and the changes may not be finished there.

There is also set to be some movement around the playing squad as Martin and Thelwell look to build a team that can compete for the Scottish Premiership title next season.

One player who is set to arrive at Ibrox in short order is Bournemouth full-back Max Aarons, who is due to join the Light Blues on a season-long loan from the Premier League outfit.

The former Norwich City star, who trained with Martin during their time together in Norfolk, will come in to provide competition for the starting right-back berth.

It will be interesting to see what the signing of Aarons will mean for club captain James Tavernier, who has been the first-choice right-back at Ibrox for ten seasons.

What the future may hold for James Tavernier

The 33-year-old star has one year left on his deal in Glasgow and said towards the end of this season that he is “settled” and is not looking beyond next summer yet.

This does not suggest that the English veteran is in a rush to move on from Ibrox during the current summer transfer window, after links to Trabzonspor and Al-Ettifaq last year.

Instead of pushing Tavernier out of the door with a year left on his contract, Martin should aim to keep hold of the defender to utilise his leadership skills whilst reducing his importance on the pitch.

The signing of Aarons could allow the skipper to explore the potential of being a centre-back option for Rangers moving forward, after five appearances in that position in the 2024/25 campaign.

Clearances

9

12

Interceptions

0

1

Tackles

1

2

Dribbled past

0x

0x

Ground duels won

2/3

2/2

As you can see in the table above, Tavernier caught the eye as a centre-back over two legs against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, as the Gers made their way through to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

This suggests that the potential is there for the experienced star to continue his career at Ibrox as a centre-back if he can continue to deliver impressive performances in that new role.

Whilst there is potential for Tavernier to reinvent himself to prolong his time in Glasgow, there is one Rangers defender who should be moved on this summer.

Rangers flop set for talks with Russell Martin

According to journalist Scott Burns, Dutch central defender Robin Propper is set to hold “talks” with Martin over his future at the club before the end of this week.

The reporter adds that the 31-year-old flop is due to return to pre-season training with the Light Blues this week, as they ramp up preparations for their Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos next month.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Burns also reveals that FC Twente are keen to sign the centre-back this summer, one year after they sold him to the Scottish Premiership giants ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Propper is now set to talk with Martin over a potential move away from Ibrox this week, and it remains to be seen what the manager’s thoughts on the situation are.

Given his performances in his debut season in Scotland and the fact that there is a club interested in signing him permanently, in FC Twente, the Light Blues head coach must allow the centre-back to leave Glasgow in the coming weeks.

Why Rangers should sell Robin Propper

The Dutch dud must go before Tavernier is moved on from Ibrox because the captain has more potential to be a useful player for Martin in the 2025/26 campaign, and potentially beyond that.

As aforementioned, the English ace has ten years of experience at Ibrox as the first-choice right-back and has the potential to reinvent himself as a centre-back, which means that he could provide value in multiple positions.

Being the club captain, Tavernier also brings leadership to the team and that can be valuable to Martin whether he is in the team or on the bench, as he is a big voice in the dressing room and commands respect.

Propper, meanwhile, does not have that element in his favour and does not have the positional versatility in his favour either, as he has only played as a centre-back for the Light Blues.

Former Gers ace Derek Ferguson noted that the defender was “struggling” with the physicality and intensity of Scottish football, as he was dribbled past 11 times in 22 starts in the Premiership.

Propper also struggled with the physicality involved in playing on the European stage for the Light Blues, as evidenced by his performances in the Europa League.

Appearances

10

Clean sheets

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.8

Dribbled past

4x

Ground duel success rate

45%

Aerial duel success rate

44%

As you can see in the table above, the experienced defender was dominated in duels on the deck and in the air in the competition, which shows that opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical contests.

These statistics and the criticism of his physicality in the Premiership suggest that Propper is simply not cut out to be a centre-back for Rangers as he is not suited to the style of football in Scotland.

At the age of 31, the Dutchman is not a young player with time on his side to develop and improve that part of his game, which is why the Light Blues must look to part ways with him this summer, especially before they look to move on from Tavernier.

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In fact, the captain’s foray into the centre-back position could result in him taking Propper’s place in the squad as an option in that area of the pitch for Martin next term.

India put on their best batting show and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament

S Sudarshanan09-Oct-2024On a slightly cooler evening in Dubai, with semi-final qualification hopes in the balance, India brought their A-game to the fore to thrash Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2024. They put on their best batting show – perhaps the best among all teams in the tournament so far – and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament.Batting first, India rode on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur to post 172 for 3, the highest total in this T20 World Cup. They then skittled Sri Lanka out for 90 to register an 82-run win, India’s biggest in T20 World Cups, with Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana picking up three wickets apiece. As a result of their massive win, their net run rate (NRR) jumped to 0.576, better than Pakistan’s and only behind Australia’s. This is notable as their NRR had taken a beating following the 58-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match.Shafali, Mandhana remind us what India missedBefore Wednesday, India’s opening stands against Pakistan and New Zealand were 18 and 11 respectively. In a tournament where batting first seemed to give teams an advantage, India batted second in both their matches. India got to bat first after Harmanpreet won her first toss and the openers set about their task steadily.Sri Lanka pressed their spinners into service and both Shafali Verma and Mandhana found it tough to break free. Shafali took the aerial route for India’s first four in the third over and did so again in the fourth and the fifth. She was on 24 off 20 in the fifth over; at that point Mandhana was on 6 off 10. But in a pattern different from the previous game, she was not being impatient or trying too hard.Smriti Mandhana was rapid after the first six overs•Associated PressMandhana finally got going with a smack over the left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari’s head as India ended the powerplay on 41 for 0. She also slogged another left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera for a six over wide long-on in the next year to signal the gear change. India managed to hit at least one four in each over between the third and the ninth. Chamari Athapaththu kept India guessing by giving her bowlers one-over spells till the 13th over, by then Mandhana overtook Shafali to get to a fourth T20 World Cup half-century.Harmanpreet says hello from No. 3It took a run-out to end India’s opening partnership at 98, their third-highest in T20 World Cups, when Athapaththu and Ama Kanchana – brought in for Hasini Perera – combined to catch Mandhana short on 50. On the very next ball, Athapaththu had Shafali miscuing a heave to cover. That over meant Athapaththu ended the one-spell strategy and bowled a second over in the spell – the 13th and the 15th overs.Having batted at No. 4 against Pakistan, Harmanpreet came in at No. 3 and was soon joined by Jemimah Rodrigues before she even faced a ball. Few batters in the Indian line-up are at ease against spin than Rodrigues. She used the sweep to first put Ranaweera away and then moved in her crease to pull Athapaththu to the deep square leg boundary.At the other end, Harmanpreet hit Kumari for a four and a six to ensure the openers’ platform did not go to waste. Rodrigues soon fell for 16 off 10 – she was given a life at 13 when Kavisha Dilhari dropped a dolly at deep midwicket – but played a vital role in injecting momentum after two quick wickets.By then, Harmanpreet, with a cushion of a long batting line-up to follow, cut loose. She first paddled Kanchana past short fine leg before hitting two fours to spoil Athapaththu’s figures. Ranaweera could not hang on to a powerful hit at cover when Harmanpreet was on 22. She hit Kanchana and Prabodhani for two fours each in the last two overs to bring up only her third half-century in T20Is since the 2023 T20 World Cup. That blitz – 52 not out off just 27 balls – helped India take 46 off the last four overs, the most by any team in this T20 World Cup.Renuka Singh struck twice in the powerplay to dent Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesShe had retired hurt against Pakistan due to a neck injury, and had come for the toss with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck but was termed fit for this game. However, she did not take the field in the chase, with Mandhana captaining the team.Sri Lanka slide in chaseHeading into the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka had the most wins since April last year and their win-loss ratio was better than that of India and Australia. Because they had hunted down 166 to win their maiden Asia Cup title, it would have been a tad premature to write them off in the 173-run chase in Dubai. But India were on the money from the word go, and never let them even get a sniff.An athletic effort from Radha Yadav, substitute for Harmanpreet, on the second ball of the chase set the tone. She ran back to her right from backward point and dived full length to catch a miscue from Vishmi Gunaratne. Mandhana then handed the new ball to Shreyanka Patil at the other end, ahead of Deepti Sharma. Patil responded by pushing one slightly quicker and getting it to spin away, enticing a defensive, hard-handed poke from Athapaththu to gather the edge to slip. When Renuka Singh had Harshitha Samarawickrama, the star of the Asia Cup final, feather an outside edge in the third over, the challenge was almost quelled.Legspinner Asha then joined the party in the middle overs, picking up three wickets using the sharp spin available to undo the batters. Her biggest wicket was that of Anushka Sanjeewani, who was the enforcer in the 37-run fourth-wicket with Dilhari. After floating a few up to the batter, Asha pulled the length ball to deceive the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper, with Richa Ghosh stumping her. Asha and Reddy, the Player of the Match against Pakistan, struck regularly through the middle overs. Both finished with identical figures of 3 for 19, Reddy’s efforts creditworthy after she was taken for 12 in her first over. For the third game in a row, Sri Lanka finished with a double-digit total in this competition.It was an outing that raised India’s hopes of a semi-final qualification, with their last league game against Australia on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

da fezbet： Matías Rojas foi a principal contratação do Corinthians para 2023, mas o paraguaio que vem crescendo de produção e sendo decisivo para o Timão é Romero, autor do gol da vitória contra o Cuiabá, pelo Brasileirão.

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da spicy bet： + Acompanhe o dia dos atletas brasileiros no Pan-Americano de Santiago

Desde sua estreia, o novo camisa 10 do Timão ainda não balançou as redes e conseguiu apenas duas assistências. No mesmo período, Romero recuperou a confiança e soma dois gols e duas assistências.

+ PRU! Aposte R$100 e leve mais de R$670 com Richarlison e Tottenham na Premier League

+ Sextou em Sampa! Aposte R$100 e receba R$539 com combinada dos paulistas na Série B!

Mano Menezes vê a oscilação de Rojas como natural, e apontou a adaptação ao futebol brasileiro como principal entrave para ele ainda não ter deslanchado com a camisa do Corinthians. Ainda, as lesões sofridas pelo camisa 10 atrapalharam o desenvolvimento do meia-atacante no Brasil.

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– Já dirigi um número bastante grande de jogadores estrangeiros recém-chegados no futebol brasileiro, é normal uma dificuldade para adaptação. Nosso trabalho é diferente, nossa frequência de jogos é diferente. Estamos trabalhando para ambientá-lo o mais rápido possível – disse Mano após o empate com o América-MG.

O posicionamento de Romero e Rojas também ajuda a entender o momento dos paraguaios no Corinthians. O camisa 11 foi deslocado para o lado esquerdo do ataque e vem superando expectativas na nova posição. Já o camisa 10 não tem rendido o esperado no lado direito do ataque, e Mano pode usar Rojas mais centralizado, explorando os chutes de longa distância, principal característica do meia-atacante.

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– Vai ter que retomar essa confiança. Se ele tenta chutes da intermediária, como tentou hoje, é porque está acostumado e faz isso bem, senão não tentaria. Vamos retomar essa confiança, adaptá-lo o mais rápido possível, para que ele possa render e ajudar a equipe – destacou Mano Menezes após o jogo contra o Coelho.

+ Veja tabela e simule os resultados do Brasileirão

Além da confiança de Mano Menezes, Rojas aposta no bom relacionamento com Romero para acelerar a adaptação ao futebol brasileiro. Os paraguaios possuem um vínculo forte e são amigos fora de campo.

كشف أحمد عبد الرؤوف المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، عن لاعبي دكة البدلاء أمام زيسكو الزامبي، في دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية. 

ويستضيف الزمالك نظيره زيسكو في الجولة الأولى لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، في التاسعة مساء اليوم، الأحد، على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع.. تشكيل الزمالك أمام زيسكو يونايتد في الكونفدرالية.. الجزيري وبيزيرا يقودان الهجوم

ويتواجد الزمالك على رأس المجموعة الرابعة ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، والتي تضم معه أندية المصري وكايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي وزيسكو يونايتد الزامبي.

وشهدت قائمة بدلاء الزمالك، تواجد عبد اللاه السعيد صانع ألعاب الفريق، بالإضافة إلى الأنجولي شيكو بانزا بعد عودته إلى القاهرة وتغيبه عن الفريق الأيام الماضية.  بدلاء الزمالك أمام زيسكو في الكونفدرالية 

محمد صبحي وبارون أوشينج ومحمود جهاد وعبد الحميد معالي وعبد الله السعيد وآدم كايد وشيكو بانزا وعدي الدباغ وعمرو ناصر.

The New Zealand fast bowler on juggling his cricket and café side-hustle, his love for coffee, and his team-mates who are the worst cooks

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu25-Nov-2021You’ve opened your own cafe at Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.
Me and my fiancée, Sarah Reid, got the opportunity at the Sports Park from our old physio who used to work with the Central Stags. So we wanted to deliver healthy delicious food and just good coffee with our motto, “Power to perform”. So that was our point of difference.You named your café 13th Stag and you also use No. 13 on your jersey. Is 13 a special number for you?
My birthday is on October 13, so it has always been special to me. From there to here, it sort of came together.You’ve worked as a barista during the off season. How did coffee turn into a major passion for you?
I’ve always loved coffee and understanding how coffee beans are formed and how best to use them for different blends of coffee. I’ve got the opportunity now and I’ve always wanted to run a café and we’ve been going for two years. It has become a part of our lives now and it has been awesome to see it grow day by day.What’s the most popular breakfast dish at 13th Stag?
Probably, the avo feta smash – avocado with poached eggs – but the most common dish in Hawke’s Bay is Eggs Benedict; people love that in New Zealand.Can you recall any celebrations with your team-mates at the café after winning a game?
I get to see them every day because there are gyms there and we train there. No real celebrations there, but it was good when we had the TV going when New Zealand won the World Test Championship over in England, which was pretty special. We had a good crowd in the café having breakfast, so it was pretty cool to see.How do you juggle between running a café and playing cricket for Central Districts and New Zealand?
I play till about March for the Central Stags and over the last few years I’ve been part of the New Zealand winter squad… so we’ve trained throughout.It has needed balance. Obviously, my partner, Sarah, has had to do a lot of work on it while I’m away playing cricket, but when I’m back, I can work for the last four months. So I’ve been getting up early in the day and working and training in the afternoon. All the facilities are there at the Sports Park, so I can do the training and also work for a few hours at the café.What’s your favourite style of coffee?
I only drink long blacks, so no special ingredient to it – just hot water and a double shot of coffee.Mitchell Santner is also really fond of coffee. Are there any other team-mates of yours who are as big on coffee?
Sants is probably the biggest in talking about coffee and understanding it. He loves it, but everyone in the New Zealand team and even at Central Stags loves going out for coffee. Most guys are into it, but maybe not crazy enough to start a café while still playing cricket ().Which team-mate puts in the most requests for coffee?
As I said, the Central Districts boys are in every day. I can’t pick who is the best customer, but Doug Bracewell hangs around quite a lot and he’s a pretty good customer.

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