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Allrounder’s 27-ball fifty ensures series win with Hope’s century in his 100th ODI going in vain for West Indies

Himanshu Agrawal24-Jul-2022Axar Patel smashed India’s second-fastest ODI fifty against West Indies, leading the way in a collective batting effort in a big chase as India overhauled West Indies’ 311 in the second ODI in Port of Spain. Shai Hope’s hundred in his 100th ODI and Nicholas Pooran’s attacking 74 went in vain, as West Indies lost the match – and with it, the series – despite dominating the majority of their defence.Shreyas Iyer (63) and Sanju Samson (54) also hit half-centuries, but Axar’s unbeaten 64 off just 35 balls turned the tables in the last ten overs.India needed 100 to win from 60 balls with five wickets in hand, and Axar and Hooda were at the crease. Hooda fell for 33 with 56 to get off 36, leaving Axar and Shardul Thakur to complete the job. By then, Axar had already clobbered three sixes. More were on the way.The turning point arrived when 48 was required off the last five overs. Though he dismissed Thakur, Alzarri Joseph conceded 16 – including two above-waist full-toss no-balls – in the 46th, and West Indies missed running No. 10 Avesh Khan out off the last ball. Next over, Axar slammed two fours and Avesh added one more off Romario Shepherd. Suddenly the equation was 19 off 18.Avesh wouldn’t go without collecting his share of runs even though he had earlier leaked 54 in six overs on ODI debut. He hit ten off 12 balls, asking Axar to wipe out the last eight runs in the company of Mohammed Siraj. Axar, in red-hot touch, got a full toss from Kyle Mayers, which he sent flying over the bowler’s head to finish things off with two balls to go.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe chase was set up by a firm start from Shubman Gill, and then a 99-run stand between Iyer and Samson. Gill made up for his partner Shikhar Dhawan’s struggles with a serene 43 off 49 balls. But when he and Suryakumar Yadav fell in the space of 11 balls, India were 79 for 3 in the 18th over.Samson got to his maiden ODI fifty – his knock of 54 off 51 balls included three fours and three sixes – and was at his best when clearing the long-off boundary by lofting the spinners, high elbows and all in full display. Iyer, on the other hand, had had a sedate start, managing only 19 off his first 33 deliveries. That is when he broke free to finish with 63 off 71 balls, cutting, pulling and lifting for boundaries.The fact that India had as many as 312 to chase was down to Hope and Pooran’s fourth-wicket stand of 117, 74 of which came off Pooran’s bat. Hope got 115 – his third triple-figure score in 11 ODI innings.Having taken 124 balls to get to 94, Hope swung back-to-back sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal in the 45th over to get to his landmark and cap an expensive day for Chahal, of whom he took all three of his sixes. Chahal finished with 1 for 69 in nine overs.But it was not just Hope who took a liking to Chahal; Pooran too bashed three sixes – including two in the 39th over – off him. Their partnership, just short of a-run-a-ball, gradually took the momentum away from India, who had struck twice in quick succession after an aggressive start by West Indies.Shai Hope hit a century in his 100th ODI•Associated PressThrough Hope and his opening partner Mayers, the hosts had put on 71 in the first ten overs – their joint-highest score in the period in ODIs since 2020. By the time Hooda broke through, pouching a simple return-catch from Mayers off the first ball of the tenth over, the pair had already smashed ten fours and a six. Mayers led the way in that stand, hitting 39 off 23 balls, as Avesh took the biggest beating.Mayers timed and placed the ball equally well, and thrashed it around too. Once West Indies lost two wickets for three runs, Pooran took over the attacking role.On 11 off his first 26 balls, he hit the first of his six sixes when he went hard and flat over long-off in the 32nd over; three overs later, he skipped down to send Chahal sailing back over his head. While sixes were hit off Axar and Avesh as well, Hope kept the scoreboard ticking at the other end.Hope’s innings was one of three parts: he started with 22 off 21 balls, then got 73 from his next 103 deliveries, and hit 20 off his next 11 balls. It all added up to carry West Indies firmly towards the 300-run mark. He produced impressive drives and punches – and a poke through deep third for four – to start the day with Mayers, accumulated singles and ran well along with Pooran, and went for the slogs in the end after Pooran fell in the 44th over.Cameos from Shamarh Brooks, Rovman Powell and Shepherd helped West Indies’ cause. Brooks got going the moment Mayers fell, and scored 35 off 36; Powell and Shepherd provided the finishing touches.But eventually, the day belonged to Axar and Co despite the heroics of Pooran and Hope, especially the latter, who got to both his fifty and hundred with a six, in Virender Sehwag fashion, even as he played a more anchor-ish role.

Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Arsenal are all reportedly keen on Wolfsburg loanee Mohamed Amoura.

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Amoura in demand after impressive seasonsPremier League clubs on forwardHas been likened to Riyad MahrezFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Amoura has attracted interest from the English sides after an impressive season in the Bundesliga, according to . The striker, who is on loan at Wolfsburg from Union Saint-Gilloise, has 10 goals and eight assists in 24 Bundesliga outings and has bagged braces against both RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich.

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Amoura is valued at around €35 to €40 million (£29m to £34m) and has been previously described as "the next Riyad Mahrez" by . The 24-year-old is known for his speed, pressing and explosiveness and only Michael Olise, Florian Wirtz and Omar Marmoush have provided most interests that Amoura in the Bundesliga this season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Amoura was in action for Algeria over the international break and scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifying win over Mozambique.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR AMOURA

Amoura will aim to continue his fine form for Wolfsburg in the final months of the season as the Bundesliga side aim to finish the season with European qualification. If he does continue to impress he may not lack for offers this summer.

Leicester City are now well-placed to sign a “very exciting” player who wants to leave his current club this January, according to a report.

Difficult period for Leicester

If Leicester fans weren’t already concerned about relegation from the Premier League, they could well be after their upcoming fixtures, as they have a difficult run of fixtures on the horizon over the next few weeks.

Leicester’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Liverpool (a)

December 26th

Manchester City (h)

December 29th

Aston Villa (a)

January 4th

Crystal Palace (h)

January 15th

Fulham (h)

January 18th

As such, the Foxes could be perilously close or even inside the bottom three over the next few weeks, meaning Ruud van Nistelrooy may feel he has to strengthen his squad in the upcoming transfer window.

The manager is believed to have identified two key positions which need strengthening in January, namely striker and centre-back, but there may now be an opportunity to sign a player who operates in a different area of the pitch.

Leicester could now re-sign Cesare Casadei

According to a report from SportMediaset, Chelsea are now willing to sell Cesare Casadei, amid a lack of game time at Stamford Bridge, and there is confirmed to have been interest from a number of Serie A sides.

Mozna, Bologna and Lazio have all been in contact over a deal for Casadei, with Fabrizio Romano previously confirming that Serie A is his most likely destination in the January transfer window.

However, there is now a problem for the Italian clubs, as the Blues are unwilling to sanction a departure for a fee of less than £30m, which is more than they are willing to spend.

The asking price is believed to have scared away the potential suitors, which is where Leicester come in, with the report claiming that he could return to the King Power Stadium.

With Romano confirming the 21-year-old wants to leave his current club this January, the door has potentially been opened for a move back to his former club.

Related Leicester City lining up double January transfer move for Van Nistelrooy

It could be the key to their Premier League survival.

Posts ByBen Browning Dec 24, 2024

The Italian made 22 Championship appearances for the Foxes during his previous stint with the club, although only eight of those came as a starter, as there was major competition for the starting spots in midfield.

However, there were promising signs from the youngster during his short spell at the King Power Stadium, most famously netting a late winner against Cardiff City on his debut:

Lauded as a “very exciting” player after scoring a remarkable goal for Chelsea U21s, the starlet is also impressive defensively, ranking in the 80th percentile for interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

Although Casadei didn’t set the world alight during his previous spell with Leicester, he was a solid enough player, and a loan move until the end of the season would be a low-risk signing for Van Nistelrooy.

Chelsea and Enzo Maresca are concerned one of their rising stars is on the brink of injury having been picked to represent his country in the upcoming international break.

Palmer sparks Chelsea concern

Mercurial midfielder Cole Palmer sparked widespread concern among the Chelsea fanbase in the build up to their 1-1 draw with Arsenal after suffering a knee injury in their win over Manchester United the week before.

Chelsea star was nearly sold under Poch, now he's become undroppable

Chelsea ace was nearly axed under Pochettino, and now he’s a Maresca favourite

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Connor Holden

Nov 11, 2024

The Englishman, who is key to the Blues’ early season success, was caught on the knee by a reckless Lisandro Martinez challenge and was a major doubt for Chelsea’s home tie with the Gunners. However, he was named in the starting XI and played the full 90 minutes as his side held their out-of-form London rivals to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a stunning effort from Pedro Neto.

But that concern returned after the final whistle, when Palmer was spotted limping out of Stamford Bridge, casting doubt on his availability for Lee Carsley’s England squad, though Maresca moved fast to allay those fears.

“He is painful now but it doesn’t look something important,” the Blues boss explained.

Now, there is another member of the Chelsea squad that is causing Maresca concern ahead of the international break.

Chelsea defender set for tests

That comes as a report from France suggests that Maresca and Chelsea were concerned that Wesley Fofana would pick up another injury should he head on international duty with France, as he looks to keep his prize defender fit amid injury concerns. Fofana suffered consecutive knee issues upon his arrival at Chelsea from Leicester City, but has managed to leave that behind him this season, and has emerged as a key part of Chelsea’s backline.

Nonetheless, Maresca has been careful with the defender, leaving him out of the Conference League squad and minimising his gametime as much as possible, with reports suggesting he has agreed to play him just once a week until 2025.

Despite this, it has been claimed that Fofana, who played 90 minutes against Arsenal, ended the game with “knee inflammation”, which has rung alarm bells in west London.

Indeed, “Enzo Maresca’s side want the player to undergo tests this morning [Monday] in London”, and it has now been confirmed that Fofana will play no part in France’s upcoming internationals, with Inter defender Benjamin Pavard called up as his replacement.

Of course, this will come as good news for Chelsea fans, provided that it is indeed only inflammation, and they will be keen to see Fofana avoid any further unnecessary injuries after such a long spell on the sidelines.

He will have plenty of time to recover, with Chelsea’s next game not for almost two weeks when they visit his former side Leicester City, a reunion which he will be hoping to be fit for.

Mithali Raj and batting coach Shiv Sunder Das say as much after failed chase against New Zealand; Das also explains thinking behind dropping Shafali Verma

Annesha Ghosh10-Mar-2022

India captain Mithali Raj and batting coach Shiv Sunder Das have pointed to a need for better returns from their top order if they are to “go deep” in the 2022 ODI World Cup. Speaking after India’s botched chase against New Zealand in Hamilton, Das said he believes India can achieve this, given their “batting firepower”.”We thought it was chaseable but provided we had the top order going,” Raj said at her post-match interview after India, chasing 261, were bowled out for 198 in the 47th over. “But back-to-back wickets put a lot of pressure because we didn’t have batter who can take it deep.”India’s 62-run defeat was the second time their weaknesses as a batting unit were exposed. In their opening win against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, lower-order cameos from Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar bailed India out. Against a tactically dominant New Zealand, No. 5 Harmanpreet Kaur’s 71 off 63 seemed an exercise in futility as the required run rate swelled to over seven by the 20th-over mark. To make matters worse, the opposition kept chipping away with intermittent strikes.In both matches, India’s powerplay scoring was a concern. They made 33 for 1 against Pakistan and even fewer against New Zealand: 26 for 2, their lowest since 2017 across 17 ODIs where overs were not reduced. “The top order has to fire,” Das said after the match. “We have the batting firepower to go deep in the tournament.”Tweaking the make-up of their top three didn’t significantly improve their overall performance. World Cup debutant Yastika Bhatia came in for the run-parched Shafali Verma but even then India were scratchy up top.”She got a fair chance for the last seven-eight games and we thought we could [give her] a bit of break,” Das said, when asked about Verma’s exclusion. “She is a talented batter and I hope in this break she gets going and hopefully she comes back stronger in the [next] few games.”Harmanpreet Kaur’s big hits from No. 5 were all but futile after the meandering start to the chase•ICC via Getty Images

The inclusion of Bhatia, who hadn’t opened in ODIs before, and a reluctance to promote any right-handers up to partner Mandhana meant India stacked three left-handers in their top order, with Deepti Sharma retaining her No. 3 spot.”Looking at the top order, once we get going in the first 10-15 overs, we can put up a good score on the board,” Das said, when asked about the lack of variety in the top three. “If you see our top order, I think it’s an experienced top order. With Smriti batting in the top order, we thought we could get some runs from the top order, but maybe we have to think about this decision in the next game.”Bhatia has been one of India’s better performers with the bat leading up to the World Cup, and scored 58 and 42 in the tournament’s warm-ups. But she struggled to get going in the face of tight fields and tighter lines from the in-sync New Zealand. Having scratched her way to 28 off 58, a leading edge off Lea Tahuhu caused Bhatia’s undoing in the 20th over.”You have to give credit to the New Zealand bowlers [for] the way they bowled to her,” Das said. “What we have seen in the practice matches and the [earlier] matches, she is a really good bat and she has the strokes. As top-order batsman, as an opener, she did well and we thought like, no, she would come good. She has played only one game [in the World Cup]. I hope she comes good in the next matches.”India’s struggle wasn’t limited to just the quicks, who shared seven wickets among themselves, with Tahuhu claiming 10-2-17-3. Against offspinner Frances Mackay, who gave away just seven runs from her four overs in the powerplay, they seemed far from comfortable rotating the strike, let alone scoring boundaries. And when the in-form wristspinning allrounder Amelia Kerr joined the party in the 26th over, India’s struggle to read her variations was evident.”We played a whole series against New Zealand and picked up a few variations of her during the matches and we saw a lot of reviews,” Das said about Kerr’s googly, which accounted for Richa Ghosh – a first-ball duck – and tested several others. “I think it’s just a matter of picking the right line and right length. In the few games we played [against New Zealand], she bowled really well to our batters.”Thursday’s result meant India, runners-up at the 2017 ODI World Cup, slumped to the fifth spot on a closely contested table. Undefeated Australia, New Zealand – who now have two wins from three matches – West Indies and South Africa are ahead of them. India play their next game on Saturday, against West Indies, while New Zealand lock horns in a trans-Tasman face-off, against Australia, on Sunday.

Liverpool are chomping at the bit. Domestic action resumes this weekend and Arne Slot’s side travel to bottom-placed Southampton with hopes of maintaining (or extending) their five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League.

Anfield’s halls are inscribed with the success of so many years, and Slot will be desperate to add his mark to the club’s storied history – he’s certainly in a good position to do so.

24/25

9

1

1

21

6

1st (28)

23/24

7

3

1

24

10

3rd (24)

22/23

4

5

2

23

12

8th (17)

21/22

6

4

1

31

11

4th (22)

20/21

7

3

1

26

17

2nd (24)

However, Liverpool resisted spending freely this summer, only bringing in the injury-prone Federico Chiesa, and there is now a sense that the winter market could be used to consolidate the promising position. A cynic might say that there is still something lacking in midfield.

Liverpool eyeing new midfielder

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool have retained their interest in Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, though Arsenal are also keen on signing the Spaniard.

The 25-year-old opted to remain in Basque Country despite Liverpool’s vested interest this summer, but there is seemingly hope that he will be tempted to reconsider in 2025.

Valued at £50m, this obviously wouldn’t be a cheap deal to engineer, but he truly could complete Slot’s engine room and ensure that silverware can be claimed across a range of competitions, for a number of years.

Martin Zubimendi could be Slot's own Xabi Alonso

Zubimendi has been described as one of “the best centre midfielders in the world” by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who masterminded his nation’s Euro 2024 triumph this summer.

Sociedad, who are eighth in La Liga and 25th in the 36-team Europa League group phase, have been patchy this season, but that’s in no part down to Zubimendi, who has possibly been his side’s best player, forging complete performances from the middle of the park.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 9% of centre-midfielders in La Liga this season for progressive passes (7.28) per 90, which is more than Ryan Gravenberch (5.55), and Alexis Mac Allister (5.44)

This suggests that the Spain international would serve that deep-sitting, play-building role better than Liverpool’s existing options, allowing Gravenberch to break up and recycle play and Mac Allister to operate in a freer midfield position.

He’s also an accomplished defensive outlet, winning a whopping 65% of his duels in the Spanish top flight this season, averaging 5.6 per game, as per Sofascore.

If Liverpool were to sign Zubimendi, it could be a transfer reminiscent of the deal struck to sign Xabi Alonso way back when. Alonso joined Liverpool from Sociedad in 2004 and went on to win the Champions League and FA Cup alongside Steven Gerrard, forging a historic partnership before signing for Real Madrid for £30m in 2009.

Alonso, now manager of Bayer Leverkusen, played 210 matches for the Reds and dazzled with his breadth of passing qualities, vision and cerebral approach to his craft working wonders for Rafa Benitez’s side.

Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonson remarked that there is “no doubt that Zubimendi is world-class” last season, and given that he’s sustained and perhaps even developed his level since, it seems he would be a credit to Liverpool’s first team.

Who knows, his roundedness and intelligence in midfield might even see him become Slot’s own version of Alonso, arriving to lift the team toward the most illustrious of heights.

100% duels won: Liverpool star dropped a monster 8/10 for his country

Ben Doak and Andy Robertson starred for Scotland, but this Liverpool talent took the cake.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 19, 2024

Over the last two seasons Arsenal have been nothing short of exceptional in pursuit of the Premier League title.

They have gone toe to toe with Manchester City and thrived. In 2022/23, it was five points separating the two, last term it was just two points separating them. However, in 2024/25, it’s looking like the margin could be even bigger.

The Gunners have certainly not had things all their own way this season. Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba have seen red while Martin Odegaard has missed a lengthy period through injury. The same magic, the same sparkle that has been there over the last 24 months is not apparent now.

That has never been more apparent than during their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday. St James’ Park is never an easy place to go but Arsenal have ridden out tough circumstances in 2024. This was a worrying performance, therefore.

It lacked character, it lacked fight, it lacked passion, it lacked creativity. In all, it was an insipid display from a team allegedly challenging for the title. Sadly for those in the away end on Sunday, their title dream may be as good as done already. That certainly wasn’t in the script, was it?

What went wrong at Newcastle for Arsenal

Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and admit when a team has scored a good goal against you. That’s what happened on Saturday lunchtime. Anthony Gordon raced down the right and swung in an inch-perfect cross that Arsenal-linked Alexandre Isak headed home.

That was arguably the finest chance either side had in the match and it was one that decided things.

The biggest frustration for supporters will no doubt be the tactics, or lack thereof, that Mikel Arteta employed in the north east this weekend.

On paper, it was a team that was good enough to win the game but tactically it was a horrible performance. Trossard and Kai Havertz crisscrossed between playing as the central striker and the attacking midfielder but that didn’t work.

Havertz needed to be on the shoulder of the Toon defence but had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt, winning just two of his ten duels and giving away three fouls.

There was also a lack of impetus on the left-hand side. Gabriel Martinelli got very little change from Newcastle right-back Tino Livramento who won all four of his ground duels and two of his three aerial duels.

In truth, the game was crying out for Ethan Nwaneri but even when he was introduced, it was too little too late. Without Odegaard, Arsenal lack so much creativity and that was evidenced in Trossard’s shoddy display at St James’.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Trossard's performance in numbers

Last season the little Belgian was excellent in Arsenal colours. Only Bukayo Saka scored more goals than the former Brighton man but he has struggled to replicate a similar level of performance this time around.

Some degree of context must be applied. He’s not been playing on his favoured left-hand side and has been trying to make up for Odegaard’s absence. Sadly, it just hasn’t happened for him.

Trossard has only scored twice in 12 outings this term and it did not get much better for him on Saturday afternoon.

Trossard vs Newcastle

Minutes played

71

Touches

37

Accurate passes

17/22 (77%)

Shots

2

Dribble success

0/2

Crosses

0

Key passes

0

Ground duels won

2/9

Aerial duels won

0/1

Fouls

1

Possession lost

12x

Clearances

1

Interceptions

0

Tackles

0

Dribbled past

3x

Stats via Sofascore.

Hauled off with 20 minutes to go, the 29-year-old left the pitch having done very little to get his side back into the encounter, registering fewer passes (17) than even goalkeeper David Raya (18), managed.

He was notably poor in the first half, squandering possession with ease on all too many occasions. One moment came towards the end of the opening 45 minutes where he attempted to play a ball into Saka who had acres of space on the edge of the area but it was awfully overhit.

That was one of 12 times that Trossard gave away the ball in what was a desperately poor performance. To make matters worse, he failed to produce a single key pass and had two shots, one of which was dragged wide in the opening minutes of the match.

As GOAL reporter Gill Clark put it, he ‘gave the ball away far too many times in a sloppy showing’, thus warranting a 4/10 match rating for his efforts.

So, when Arsenal face Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, the Belgium international must be reduced to a place on the bench. Now is the time to give Nwaneri a go instead.

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Says her reading of the game makes her a top contender for full-time captaincy after the 2022 ODI World Cup

Shashank Kishore11-Oct-2021

India have to “address some future roles for leadership”, perhaps after the 50-over World Cup in March-April. When they do, it’s possible Smriti Mandhana will become a top contender to take over the leadership.While no timeframe has been set, head coach Ramesh Powar insists a chat will have to be had “at some stage” after the event where India will be gunning for their maiden World Cup title. As things stand, Mithali Raj captains in the longer formats while Harmanpreet Kaur remains T20I captain. Mandhana, deputy to Harmanpreet in T20Is, however, was the vice-captain throughout the multi-format series in Australia in Harmanpreet’s injury-enforced absence from the three-ODI leg and the standalone pink-ball Test.”See at some point we have to address some future roles for the leadership,” Powar said after the third T20I against Australia on Sunday. “There are some talks around it. We will take it after the World Cup, and we will decide exactly what [needs to be]. We are not going to hurry it up, we will give it good thought and then will we decide what’s happening.”Within the set-up, however, Mandhana is as such part of the leadership group as a senior player, even if she may not be full-time captain. Her reading of the game and the experience of playing around the world, Powar believes, is invaluable.”We are looking at her (Mandhana) as a leader as always,” Powar said of her role. “She has been the vice-captain and at some point, she will lead this side. I don’t know the format now; BCCI, the selectors and me will get together and decide the next course of action.”Seniority has also brought about a slight shift in her main role – batting. While Mandhana’s power game and the ability to provide fast starts has undergone a transformation in recent years, the coaching staff have impressed upon her the need to occupy the crease and bat longer, like she did in the second ODI where she held the innings together to make 86. The emergence of a dasher in Shafali Verma, Mandhana’s opening partner across formats, may have helped make this change to a certain extent.”She has been very expressive in her batting for the last two-three years,” Powar clarified, when asked of an imminent captaincy switch after the World Cup. “Let’s not make it spicy. We want her to change in the sense if you’ve seen her batting, she is trying to spend a lot of time in the middle, that is the strategy. We want her to spend a lot of time in the middle. It’s just a change of role for her.”As such, Powar’s ringing endorsement of Mandhana’s credentials follows former head coach WV Raman’s. The former India batter, who was in charge of the team until March this year, is convinced the 25-year-old, who is now into her eighth year in international cricket, is ready.”Captaincy has got nothing to do with age, but I am convinced that Mandhana can be the captain [after the 50-over World Cup],” Raman had said during a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports India last week. “She is a good reader of the game and has already played few years of cricket. It can be a good time and giving captaincy to a younger cricketer means they can lead the side for a stretch for some years.”Mandhana has had a consistent run of form in the multi-format series, hitting a chart-topping tally of 352 runs across seven innings. The left-hand batter, who has in the past been a stand-in for Harmanpreet in T20Is, hit the high notes during the pink-ball Test, where she struck 127, her maiden Test ton, in what was India’s first-ever day-night Test.Related

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“Smriti has been a consistent performer for us. A patch will come where a player will not score runs but as a unit, as a core team, we back our players like Smriti Mandhana,” Powar said. “We knew she will come good in this tour. She is a character who, if challenged, will come out good. We never thought of anything, we just wanted her to spend some time in the middle and which she did.”The way she batted in [the] Test match was amazing, something which all of us take a lot of pride in. Playing pink-ball Test under lights for the first time after losing toss toss on a wicket that was, she scored a hundred. It makes a huge impact on the young generation because she inspires a lot of our current team players, and it makes a huge difference to all of us.”Mandhana will extend her stay in Australia, along with seven other Indian team-mates, having signed up with defending champions Sydney Thunder for the WBBL starting October 14. This will be her third stint in the competition after previously playing for Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes. In July-August, Mandhana was part of Southern Brave for the inaugural Hundred in the UK.”Smriti is there, if she gets more consistency, there’s nothing like it,” Powar said. “That’s what we addressed after the first ODI and she has applied herself. After one season, you will see a different Smriti. She has been playing around the world. She plays WBBL, she plays (the) Hundred, she gets a lot of game time and that makes a lot of difference because we don’t get that many matches in India.”

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho would prefer a move to Chelsea instead of Napoli, despite the Italian club's advances, per a new report.

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• Garnacho wants Chelsea move
• Napoli have made a bid
• Blues yet to match it

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per Gaston Edul, who works for TyC Sports, Garnacho is nearing a move away from United. Napoli are said to be interested in a deal to secure the 20-year-old's services this month. To that end, they have tabled a bid worth around €45 million (£38m/$47m) but the offer has not yet been accepted.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Now it has emerged that Garnacho actually prefers a move to Chelsea, who have also been heavily linked. His agent was spotted at Stamford Bridge during Chelsea's clash with Wolves, amid talk of a potential £60m ($74m) bid from the west Londoners. Garnacho would, per the report, like to remain in England.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Garnacho has scored eight goals and laid on five assists in all competitions this season. He has been limited to just 11 Premier League starts, however, and has not registered a goal contribution in the top-flight since November 10.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The report claims that Garnacho's future is likely to be settled this month. Whether he moves to Italy or London is up to him, but for now, he will remain focused on matters at United, who face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Arsenal might have won heading into the October international break, but Mikel Arteta’s side didn’t make it easy for themselves against a spirited Southampton side who remain second-bottom in the Premier League table.

Cameron Archer stunned the hosts before the hour mark by putting winless Southampton ahead, but Arsenal’s resolve rose swiftly to the fore as Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli turned the tide.

There was one man in particular who deserved the plaudits above his peers. Bukayo Saka proved that he is very much a part of Europe’s elite players with another statement showing against the Saints.

Bukayo Saka's performance v Southampton

Saka’s goal and two assists have taken his seasonal tally up to ten goal contributions from as many matches, and his talismanic aura could hold sway as the Gunners look to chase down the Premier League title.

Bukayo Saka’s Performance v Southampton

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

90

Goals

1

Assists

2

Touches

72

Accurate passes

35/39 (90%)

Key passes

7

Dribbles (completed)

2 (0)

Tackles

1

Total duels (won)

13 (3)

Stats via Sofascore

It was an efficient display. Though, perhaps that is cutting it a little short: Saka produced a masterclass in playmaking to keep his side apace with Manchester City and just a single point behind first-placed Liverpool – with the Reds coming to the Emirates later this month.

The England international was the fulcrum of all that was good for the hosts, turning the game on its head and ensuring that his strikers were effectively served before turning to get his own name on the scoresheet to seal the victory.

It’s a good thing that the England international was in top form because not all of his peers were. Indeed, Gabriel Jesus flattered to deceive in north London, and must now be dropped.

Gabriel Jesus must now be dropped

Jesus has endured a tough start to the season, only playing 19 minutes of football across four cameos in the Premier League before Arteta handed him a role from the opening against Southampton. The centre-forward was hooked on the hour mark with the scores level, which says it all.

As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old mustered up only three wayward shots and completed nine passes. His 20 touches accentuated the marginal role that he played, with even shot-stopper David Raya taking more – 27 in total – despite the visitors having struggled for purchase in their attacking third, holding 41% of possession.

Football.london’s Kaya Kaynak was not impressed either. He branded Jesus with a 5/10 match rating after failing to play his part. Jesus was handed a glorious opportunity to stake his claim, and candidly, he did anything but.

He wrote: “Given the chance to impress up top and struggled to really grab it. Movement in the box did not trouble Southampton and didn’t manage an effort on target in the game. Looks a little low on confidence right now.”

With Martinelli and Leandro Trossard both starting the fixture on the bench, it’s clear that there are plenty of options to make Arsenal purr that do not call for Jesus’ starting presence.

It’s a harsh truth, but Arteta’s system simply isn’t at its zenith with the Brazilian at the spearhead, and with everything on the line this season, tough calls are needed.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 4, 2024