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George Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardGeorge Bailey lifted Middlesex with a rapid half-century•Getty ImagesGeorge Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs.Overseas star Bailey was brilliantly partnered by John Simpson in a perfectly paced fourth wicket stand of 114. Ryan Higgins then took 5 for 13 – having only taken his maiden T20 wicket on Thursday evening – to make sure Hampshire’s chase never got going and give Middlesex back-to-back wins in the competition.Middlesex, after winning the toss and batting, were guided to 182 thanks in the main to a well-paced partnership between Bailey and Simpson.Dawid Malan, on the back of a record, unbeaten 185 for England Lions, was caught and bowled by Ryan McLaren. England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan fell soon after with Liam Dawson taking the catch at mid-on, before Paul Stirling was bowled by Brad Wheal to end the Powerplay 40 for 3.But that kick-started the mammoth stand between Bailey and Simpson, who never looked in trouble, never appeared to need to play the big shots.Former Australia T20 captain Bailey, following a match-winning 55 in the London derby on Thursday night, was the first to reach fifty, from 38 balls. Wicketkeeper Simpson quickly followed to the milestone in a slightly quicker 32 deliveries, helped by a trio of maximums.The partnership stretched from the seventh over to the 19th, when Simpson picked out Joe Weatherley on the midwicket rope. James Franklin and former Hampshire man Bailey, who passed his previous best Twenty20 score of 71, both departed before the close – Middlesex scoring 181 for 6.In a reply which never got going, Adam Wheater struggled to time the ball and his tortured spell was ended when he skied one to Malan, Tom Alsop copied his fellow opener’s style four balls later.Hampshire captain Sean Ervine and England international Dawson ticked along with a promising 40 stand in five overs. But the hosts were stunted again when Dawson chipped to Lions teammate Malan at short extra cover before Shahid Afridi teed up to James Fuller at deep square leg.Ervine was progressing nicely with a rapid 36 before Higgins’ slower ball pegged his middle stump back. Morgan managed to keep himself inside the boundary to hold on to Weatherley’s slog and the steady flow of wickets continued next ball when McLaren reverse swept to Bailey, off Higgins.Lewis McManus nicked off, Brad Taylor mistimed to short third man and Wheal was castled, with Hampshire losing their final five wickets in just 25 balls.

Sussex returned to winning ways in the NatWest T20 Blast after an impressive comeback by their bowlers set up a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Hove

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2016
ScorecardPaul Stirling’s 52 wasn’t enough for Middlesex•Getty ImagesSussex returned to winning ways in the NatWest T20 Blast after an impressive comeback by their bowlers set up a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Hove.Middlesex looked on course for a commanding score when they reached 71 for 1 in the sixth over with Paul Stirling in full flow.Stirling thrashed 52 off just 24 balls but after he departed in the seventh over Middlesex completely lost momentum.Seven of their batsmen scored between 2 and 6 as they were bowled out for 146 after losing nine wickets for 75 in 12 overs.There were still 14 balls of their innings unused and on a slow but true pitch Sussex had to take few risks as they sauntered to their target with ten balls to spare. Sussex’s fourth victory, which came after they hadn’t won in four, lifted them above Middlesex into third place in the South Group.The control Sussex had at the end was in sharp contrast to the opening overs as Stirling flayed their bowlers, hitting Tymal Mills for two sixes as well as eight fours. He reached his half-century in the fourth over, having put on 33 for the first wicket with skipper Dawid Malan.But Sussex began to drag it back in the sixth over when Nuwan Kulasekara yorked John Simpson (6) and then left-arm spinner Danny Briggs had Stirling caught behind trying to force off the back foot.It was a good night for Sussex’s slow bowlers, who sent down ten overs between them.Briggs and leg-spinner Will Beer had combined figures of 5 for 47 with Briggs also picking up Nick Gubbins (32), when he mis-timed a pull, and Ryan Higgins (4), to a sharp return catch, off successive deliveries.Beer claimed the important wicket of George Bailey, who was making his Middlesex debut, when he bowled the Australian through the gate before removing the dangerous James Franklin (5).Mills was expensive during Stirling’s onslaught ahead of what he hopes will be an England debut in next week’s T20 international against Sri Lanka, but he finished with 2 for 34.Middlesex’s hopes were briefly revived when Harry Podmore had Sussex skipper Luke Wright (23) caught behind off his first ball in the ninth over, Wright having earlier put on 46 with Phil Salt (27) for the second wicket.But Ross Taylor (33 not out) and Matt Machan (41 not out) didn’t need to take any risks and simply ticked over and put away the bad deliveries as they added an undefeated 74 in 62 balls.

New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly requested that the Blues sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer.

On Sunday, Sky Sports reported that Chelsea have agreed a deal with Pochettino to become the club's new manager.

Frank Lampard became the club's interim boss after Graham Potter was fired but the board will now hope that the managerial turbulence that has rocked the club in the last year is finally over.

Pochettino will get straight to work building his Chelsea side and it appears he might raid his former side to get things started.

What are Chelsea's transfer plans for this summer?

According to one Spanish news outlet, Todd Boehly "is willing to invest" further into this Chelsea side and will work with Pochettino to take the Blues back to the top of English football.

The report from Spain claims the former Spurs boss has requested that Hojbjerg joins the club this summer as plans are put in place to improve the Chelsea midfield. The 27-year-old has been hailed a "warrior" by some in the media and it's no surprise that Pochettino would want to work with him again.

It's suggested that part of why he is of interest to the Stamford Bridge outfit is that he is physically imposing, has Premier League experience and is technically astute. It will be interesting to see how kindly Spurs chairman Daniel Levy takes to the news that Pochettino wants to poach Hojbjerg.

Would Hojbjerg be a good signing for Chelsea?

There is no doubt that Hojbjerg is a good player but he isn't a necessity for Chelsea. After signing Enzo Fernandez for £106.8m, it seems unlikely that the Blues will prioritise signing another deep-lying midfielder before addressing other concerns in the squad.

If a new midfielder is what Pochettino wants, it would be wiser to target a box-to-box midfielder especially if both Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount leave the club as speculated.

Given Pochettino's preferred style of play, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he wants Mount to stay at the club although his head may have already been turned by the recent reports linking him with a potential move to Liverpool.

After spending so much money on transfers since buying the club, Boehly must be careful that the signings made this summer are the right ones.

If Chelsea struggle again last season, the pressure will increase on all involved at Stamford Bridge.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2016Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Warner had opted to bat in Bangalore and helped his team put up 208 for 7 with his ninth half-century of the tournament, which they won for the first time in their fourth season.”We knew we had to get 200 against these guys, they have a phenomenal batting line-up,” Warner said. “We knew we had to win three games to win this tournament. To come here and beat Bangalore in front of this crowd, we were true underdogs. But we executed our skills, we batted well, bowled well, and fielded well. For us, the key was team effort all the way. [Time to put my feet up] for 24 hours and then I’m off to the Caribbean. But the guys will well and truly celebrate this and it’s time to have a beer.”[It’s a] fantastic team achievement and for me personally it’s overwhelming. To lead this side and the support these players gave me to lead by example and me pulling my weight with the runs…Obviously all the other guys doing their job. But look, it’s been fantastic, it’s been a hard journey for the last two years. From my experience as captain, the credit goes to all the guys.”You need to get a lot of individual players to step up, players need to gel together and get the combinations right. For us the key was to try and emulate with our fielding, that part towards the end here.”Warner did not hesitate to praise the efforts and form of his counterpart, Virat Kohli, who scored 54 off 35 and was part of a rapid opening stand of 114 in 10.3 overs with Chris Gayle, before quick wickets dented Royal Challengers’ chase and they never recovered.”What a leader, Virat Kohli,” Warner said. “I can’t take it away from him. He set the benchmark for all batsmen this tournament and they are a fantastic team.”Kohli, on the other hand, was aggrieved after the eight-run loss and even though he ended as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, a half-century in the final was not enough.”We are really proud of the way we played as a team,” Kohli said. “I mentioned before the finals this was for the people of Bangalore. We wanted to do it for them because of the continuous support we have had. Even when we had the worst of seasons, they have come out to support us. I feel gutted that we were not able to cross the line for them. All the guys have been wanting to cross the line, we reached the finals twice and once in Champions League as well.”We were walking around thanking the crowd and Dan [Daniel Vettori] mentioned to me, ‘we got 200 and we lost.’ So that felt a bit weird that we were short by eight runs. We knew one big partnership would set the tone for us but me and AB [de Villiers] getting out quickly was a big blow. I knew I had things under control and we could achieved the target had I stayed with AB a little longer. They got a bit of luck and then they capitalized, that’s why they are the champion side.”Why Sunrisers won was because they have a strong bowling attack. I knew I was hitting the ball well and I just wanted to keep contributing. If you try to do things for your team, you end up doing special things along the way. That’s a lesson for me as a batsman and everyone around the world. I surprised myself there [with four hundreds in the tournament] little bit, to be honest. I opened the innings as well, we have to consider that someone batting at No. 3 or 4 will not be able to get as many runs so I don’t take these things for granted.”It (orange cap) is a nice incentive with the way we have gone about this season but it doesn’t feel really nice to be at the other side of the result. As a personal achievement this is very special knowing that we have eight teams with world-class batsmen. It feels nice to have scored more than anyone else more importantly so that we reached the finals and it gives me more pleasure than it would have otherwise.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a crucial role once again in the end overs and bowled accurate yorkers, which he said are the key in T20s to stem the flow of runs. “I just had to keep myself composed in the end,” he said. “I knew if I would get it right, they wouldn’t be able to score runs. That’s the demand of this game…If you get the yorkers right it’s the best way to stop the runs in the death overs. Warner just said to keep my yorkers right, he asked me to keep myself composed.”Shikhar Dhawan, Warner’s opening partner admitted that even though their batting order didn’t fire at the beginning of the tournament, the side gained more balance once they started posting better totals. “It has been a great season for me and the team,” he said. “Davey led from the front from the first game and hats off to him. It has been a great journey. I feel our team is balanced. Initially we didn’t click as a batting unit then as the tournament went ahead, we started putting more runs on the board. The way [Ben] Cutting has got into the side and he played just two or three matches, but has performed really well.”

Glasgow Rangers could face a mass exodus of first team players this summer, with seven in total all seeing their contracts expire at the end of the current campaign.

Players such as Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Filip Helander will all be expected to depart; however, Michael Beale may try and convince Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack to remain at Ibrox, with the latter being one of the key members of the squad.

The Scot has been one of the better players this term, with his passing ability in the middle of the pitch a key strength, across 22 Premiership matches, he has averaged a 91% pass success rate while taking 58.6 touches per game.

Another key facet of his game is his defensive solidity and the 31-year-old loses possession only 6.6 times per game while making 1.3 tackles and 0.6 interceptions each match, suggesting he is an important cog in the midfield.

Losing him would be a major blow and although that will happen sooner rather than later, Beale can still get another season or two out of him.

The Englishman will be looking towards the future however and the Light Blues have recently been linked with Liverpool youngster Leighton Clarkson according to Football Insider.

Could Rangers sign Leighton Clarkson this summer?

The 21-year-old has spent the current season in the Premiership, turning out for Aberdeen and Beale will know all about his qualities having coached him at youth level when he worked at the Anfield side.

He has shone for the Dons this term, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.14/10 and he was one of the standout performers in their recent 2-0 win over Rangers last month, Aberdeen’s first at home against the Glasgow side in seven years.

During that performance, Clarkson made three key passes, grabbed an assist, created one big chance, and made a staggering six tackles throughout the tie, nullifying Rangers across the midfield area.

His defensive metrics have actually been better than Jack’s this term, as the youngster has made two tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game and in terms of going forward, the Liverpool starlet offers a much more creative output than Jack.

Clarkson has registered seven assists, made 1.5 key passes per game and created seven big chances, with the Scot grabbing only two assists, 1.2 key passes per match and has created just two big chances, proving that not only would Clarkson be the ideal heir for Jack if he were to replace him, his statistics from this season show he could be an improvement.

Liverpool assistant Pep Ljinders waxed lyrical about Clarkson when he was just 17, claiming the player could “dictate play” and “speed up the tempo of the positional play” and there is no doubt he has a bright future in the game.

With the transfer window just around the corner, Beale should be making his move sooner rather than later.

The West Indies Cricket Board has signed a new agreement with telecom sponsor Digicel for the next four years

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2016The West Indies Cricket Board has signed a new agreement with telecom sponsor Digicel for the next four years. Along with the men’s team, Digicel will also sponsor the women’s and the Under-19 teams this time.In addition, Digicel will help the Caribbean islands develop their coaching clinics to find and nurture players for the future. In a move to further develop the longer format in West Indies, the mobile phone network provider will also help the WICB broadcast the Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Competition, their domestic first-class competition, later this year.”The new partnership meets a number of our strategic commercial goals, and we are delighted to be continuing our long association with Digicel,” Michael Muirhead, WICB’s chief executive officer said. “This new era sees an expanded level of support for all of our teams and a focus on growing the next wave of Caribbean cricket champions in all formats.”John Delves, chief commercial officer at Digicel Group, said: “The stunning recent successes of the men, women’s and U19s teams have once again broadened the appeal of the game and excited new audiences. We are delighted to be involved now with all of the WICB teams and particularly pleased to be partnering on the coaching clinics which will help to nurture future champions from the Caribbean.”Despite ongoing issues with the WICB, West Indies have already won three ICC titles this year – the Under-19 World Cup, the men’s World T20 and the women’s World T20.

Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka's performances could potentially save Erik Ten Hag money in the transfer market this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Manchester United?

Wan-Bissaka has enjoyed a resurgence at Manchester United this term and has racked up 28 appearances in all competitions, registering a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

According to The Daily Mail, Leicester City and England playmaker James Maddison recently praised the defender for his defensive abilities, stating: "[Aaron Wan Bissaka] is ridiculously good at one-v-one defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him."

In January, The Manchester Evening News reported that Wan-Bissaka could've be set for a move away from Old Trafford; however, a spate of consistent performances have given him some credit in the bank as the Red Devils seek a top-four finish and more silverware between now and the end of the season.

Manchester United have also been linked with strengthening their right-back options in the summer, with Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong said to be a target in the summer, as per Sky Sports.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Wan-Bissaka's good form could lead Manchester United to keep him for the foreseeable future and help to save them some financial expenditure.

Jones told FFC: "He's definitely confident in his own ability and he always has been. I think he's always hoped that he would get opportunities to prove that he could have a longer career at United. We obviously know that United are looking at right-back as a potential spot to strengthen in the summer, but if Wan-Bissaka can convince them that he can do a good enough job, then maybe they can save some money in that area, too."

Should Manchester United look to keep hold of Aaron Wan-Bissaka?

It wouldn't be a bad idea for Manchester United to keep a hold of Wan-Bissaka, at least as a rotational squad option to supplement their depth at right-back.

WhoScored shows that the £50 million ace has won an average of two challenges per match this campaign for the Red Devils across all competitions, demonstrating his propensity to nip in and win back possession for his side efficiently.

Wan-Bissaka has also carried out 32 progressive ball carries for Manchester United this term, showing that he can also drive with purpose and contribute to offensive passages of play from the right flank, as per FBRef.

Manchester United will assess their transfer plans in the summer, meaning Wan-Bissaka will be keen to continue to produce solid displays between now and the end of this term in the hope he is part of Ten Hag's plans in 2023/24.

It’s been a season of reflection for Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have followed on less promisingly from their 10th place finish last year to sitting in 14th currently as the 2022/23 Premier League campaign comes to a close later this month.

There have been lots of talking points for Wolves, as a squad bursting with talent has underperformed in a climate of changing managers and playing styles.

There’s no denying the influx of quality that Nuno Espirito Santo introduced to Wolverhampton from Portugal, however the Portuguese manager missed a trick in not developing one particular star into the system.

Pedro Goncalves signed for Wolves from Valencia U19 to join the clubs’ academy with the hope to blossom into a Premier League starter.

His aspirations were cut short as he returned to his home country two years later, having made just one appearance for the first team in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield Wednesday during his stay.

The winger was sold to Famalicao for peanuts in 2019, where he was shortly after snatched by Sporting Lisbon for around £5m, and the rest is painful viewing for Wolves.

What could have been for Pedro Goncalves at Wolves?

The 24-year-old has broken onto the European scene in dramatic fashion, showing those in the Midlands what they’re missing in a player that has had an outstanding season.

Playing as both a left-winger and central midfielder, the "astonishing" Goncalves – as lauded by The Times' Henry Winter – has scored 20 goals and provided 12 assists in 47 appearances for Sporting this season in all competitions.

To put such goal scoring form into context, his former club have found the net just 29 times themselves in the Premier League so far this campaign. Now flaunting a release clause of €80m (£70m), Wolves are left with a nightmare of what could have been had the Chaves-born star had time to flourish at the club.

The versatile attacker has flexed his ability against English opposition three times this season already, sparking the conversation as to what he could’ve added to the Premier League.

He was the talk of the tie as Sporting knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League, assisting in the first leg and scoring a wonder goal at the Emirates back in March. Prior to his Europa League involvement, the 24-year-old featured in the Champions League, where he assisted against Tottenham Hotspur.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but not so much for Wolves who let an overly encouraging young talent slip from their grasp.

During his time in the Midlands, the Portuguese attacker spent his time with the club’s development squad, where he was managed by Rob Edwards. Edwards spoke to Sky Sports earlier this season on Goncalves’ rise in Europe, admitting that the budding star’s success did “not come as a surprise” to him following their time together in England.

Coming towards the end of the season, it has become more evident as to what the youngster could’ve given Wolves, however, the outcome has seen a talent that suffered a confidence denting move find his potential on the biggest stages in Europe.

Leeds United have reportedly been boosted in their efforts to sign Paris Saint-Germain youngster El Chadaille Bitshiabu in the summer transfer window.

Who is PSG's Bitshiabu?

The 17-year-old is seen as a huge prospect currently, standing out as arguably one of the best centre-backs in France in his age group. Despite his tender years, he has already made 16 appearances for an incredibly talented PSG side – one that features the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, among others.

This season, Bitshiabu has played ten times in Ligue 1, helping his team edge towards another league title, but his future remains unclear. Leeds, set to be led by the 49ers group this summer, have been linked with a move for the teenager recently, as the board look to bring in young talent to build their long-term project, and they aren't alone in showing an interest.

Fellow Premier League rivals Fulham are also believed to be in the conversation, and with the player's current deal expiring next year, PSG may feel that they should sell this summer, should there be no path for him into their star-studded first-team.

Will Leeds sign Bitshiabu this summer?

According to reports in France [via Sport Witness], PSG "aren't opposed" to selling Bitshiabu and would be willing to let him leave for as little as €15m (£13.2m) this summer. That is seen as affordable for both Leeds and Fulham, who will no doubt be boosted by the news. Eintracht Frankfurt's interest is also noted however, with the Bundesliga side very keen on snapping him up as part of their search for young talent.

Planning for the future and signing top prospects is something that Leeds should always be looking to do, which is why Bitshiabu – already sponsored by Nike – has to remain a target this summer. This update is a clear boost for the Whites, suggesting they could sign the PSG starlet for what looks like a fair amount, even though he remains so young.

This is someone who has already been capped at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level for France – he has 18 appearances at international youth team level in total – at a time when the country is producing so many talented defenders, whether it be Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba or Dayot Upamecano, to name just a few.

Staying in the Premier League is likely to be the only chance Leeds have of signing Bitshiabu, whose true market value has multipled by 14 times in the past 18 months, so that should be used as extra motivation to remain in the top flight.

Leeds United fell to a second successive heavy defeat on Monday night, as they were thrashed 6-1 by Liverpool at Elland Road to increase their relegation fears.

Shipping 11 goals in their last two games now means that Javi Gracia's side officially have the worst defence in the division and with just seven games to go, the Yorkshire outfit must improve at the back if they are going to avoid a return to the Championship.

Fingers were naturally pointed at Leeds' defence after they were carved open again and again on Monday night against a seemingly revitalised Liverpool side, and it was arguably Rasmus Kristensen who was the worst performer in the embarrassing defeat.

How did Kristensen perform against Liverpool?

As per Sofascore, the Danish defender would earn a woeful 5.3 rating for his performance at Elland Road, which was the joint worst of any outfield player to feature in the game.

The right-back position has been a problem all season for Leeds and after Luke Ayling was culpable against Crystal Palace last time out, Kristensen was given the nod to start but found himself tormented throughout by the Liverpool attackers.

Three of Liverpool's goals on the night would come down Kristensen's side, with the 25-year-old failing to track the runs of Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota for the second and third, with Yorkshire Post writer Leon Wobschall lamenting his "appalling" defending, before he was left in the dust by Andrew Robertson who crossed for the fourth.

During the game, the defender, who earns £40k-per-week, was dribbled past three times and won just six of his 14 duels, which suggests that the Liverpool attackers well and truly had the better of him, as he has only been dribbled past 1.1 times on average in the Premier League this season.

Kristensen's passing was also disastrous throughout, as he completed just 19/36 passes with a success rate of 53%, which again is significantly worse than his average of 64.8% in the top flight.

All six of the summer signing's crosses and long balls would fail to find their mark, and he was guilty of giving the ball away a remarkable 24 times, which just invited the pressure from Liverpool and was clearly a factor in them dominating proceedings on Monday night.

Since signing from Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth £10m last summer, Kristensen has done little to justify Jesse Marsch's decision to bring him in, and it would be a surprise if he was trusted again by Gracia in the remaining fixtures after another horror show against Liverpool.