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Aston Villa are now winless in their last four games in all competitions after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Club Brugge on Wednesday night.

This was Villa’s first loss in the Champions League this season, and it will be a result that stings for Unai Emery’s men, owing to the comical nature of Brugge’s winner.

Tyrone Mings was front and centre of the Belgian side’s laughable goal in the contest, with the experienced 31-year-old lackadasically scooping the ball up after an Emiliano Martinez goal-kick, only for the referee to point to the penalty spot.

Mings' performance in numbers

It was a huge lapse in concentration from the Villa number five, who would have just been glad to be back out on the pitch getting more minutes after a serious injury layoff, away from the incident at hand.

Still, Mings’ moment of madness ultimately cost his side the game, with his entire display going down as one to forget.

Away from this freak incident, Mings struggled across the 66 minutes he was present on the Brugge turf, with only one duel being won from five attempted sticking out as a sorry statistic from his hour or so on the pitch.

Pau Torres will hope he is reinstated into Emery’s main XI for the next game Villa play away at Liverpool this coming weekend, as the West Midlands side aim to put this dire 1-0 defeat behind them as quickly as possible.

Whilst Mings’ performance stole all of the headlines for all of the wrong reasons, he wasn’t the only notable underperformer on the night, as Morgan Rogers also failed to impress out in Belgium.

Rogers' performance in numbers

Rogers was a bright spark for Villa the match before this sobering Champions League loss, with the ex-Manchester City youngster bagging his side’s only goal of the game in a demoralising 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League action.

The 22-year-old midfielder couldn’t raise any brief smiles in a similar manner away in Brugge, however, as Rogers failed to ever get going for his side on their European travels, with a drab 1-0 loss the unwanted final outcome.

Looking at the table above, Rogers was nowhere near his best against Nicky Hayen’s hosts, with only 29 touches mustered up amongst other worrying numbers.

Even Martinez in-between the sticks managed to register more touches at a hefty 46, as Rogers simply let the game pass him by far too often.

Alongside a meagre 26 touches, the out-of-sorts Villa number 27 also failed to notch up a single on-target effort at Simon Mignolet’s goal, as well as only managing one successful dribble and one successful duel, as Brugge celebrated their big win come full-time whilst Rogers and Co trudged off the pitch downbeat.

Goal journalist Harry Sherlock would give the 22-year-old a low 4/10 match rating ater the game consequently, labelling his display as ‘bitterly disappointing’ when contrasted with his usually electric displays for Emery’s men.

Villa are deep into a sticky patch of form now after last night’s defeat, with Emery wanting a major response when his Villans side travel to Liverpool next, in what could end up being another defeat for his despondent side.

Aston Villa had a star on loan who then became a "world-class" £50m ace

Aston Villa did not see the best version of the ace, who was then worth £50m.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 5, 2024

Since India’s line-up comes with a reputation for piling it on, South Africa want everyone firing, and Faf du Plessis is the batsman who needs igniting

Firdose Moonda in Melbourne20-Feb-2015A South African, an Australian and a cricket pitch. You think you know where this is going, right? Wrong.The protagonists were eye to eye but only for as long as it took for Michael Hussey to adjust the grill of Faf du Plessis’ helmet. The South African No. 3 may not let many Australians get that close to his face but Hussey is different.For much of the tail end of a lengthy training session – South Africa’s third in as many days – Hussey gave du Plessis throwdowns. “Start on a good length and then we can do a bit more,” du Plessis instructed. After a few deliveries, Hussey noticed something. He stopped delivering the ball, approached du Plessis, rearranged the helmet and then seemed to explain something about du Plessis’ head falling away as he stepped into his stroke.Those little things are what Hussey is there for as South Africa prepare for a crunch clash with India where they expect the battle lines to be drawn on batting prowess. Since India’s line-up comes with a reputation for piling it on, South Africa want everyone firing and du Plessis is the batsman who needs igniting.He last scored a century 13 innings ago, in the triangular tournament in Zimbabwe and although he has managed three half-centuries since then, he had a particularly poor tour of Australia last November. He scored just 97 runs across the five matches and was out to short balls three times, a delivery which rose off a length once and a slower ball delivered by Pat Cummins in the final game. His struggles seem to be in shot selection and that was what Hussey appeared to be assisting him with.But there would have been other things Hussey would have been talking to du Plessis about too. The Australian media have dubbed Hussey South Africa’s “anti-choking” coach, whose calm demeanour and patience they hope will rub off on a team which has proved pliable under pressure in the past. Du Plessis is one of the men who have cracked before, notably at the 2011 World Cup where he was involved in the on-filed scuffle and run-out which saw South Africa’s quarter-final chase unravel and even though he has matured much since then, he has not been tested under similar heat.If anyone has the advice which will cool him down, it will be Hussey. The duo are IPL team-mates whose relationship developed from competition for the same spot and has blossomed into a friendship celebrated with wine, appreciative tweets and now, net sessions.When Hussey was unavailable for Chennai Super Kings for the first half of the 2012 season because of international commitments, du Plessis was asked to replace him at the top of the order. He exceeded expectations and struck three fifties in 12 innings which caught the eye of even the South African selectors who saw the sense in deploying du Plessis higher up the order. It took time before the No. 3 spot become permanently available in both Tests and ODIs but in that time, du Plessis established himself, both at the IPL and as international cricketer.He made his Test debut in Adelaide and on the eve of the match, Hussey presented him with a bottle of some of his country’s best. Du Plessis may have thought he’d have to use it for drowning sorrows after Australia posted a towering 550, of which Hussey contributed a century. Instead, du Plessis drank the wine in celebration of his own maiden century and a saved Test.Later that summer, Hussey retired from Test cricket and du Plessis posted this: “Mike Hussey = Mr Cricket. Enough said.” His respect for his IPL team-mate was obvious, especially over the past three days in Melbourne.Hussey spent a lot of the first session he had with the team at St Kilda Cricket Club chatting with du Plessis and a significant part of the third working with him. Should it to translate into a big score come Sunday, South Africa will have another reason to eye a trophy come March 29. And the jibe about the South African, the Australian and the cricket pitch may be made a lot more times.

Coach pleased with “attacking mindset” after 8-0 sweep of ODI and T20I series in Caribbean

Alan Gardner23-Dec-2022Jon Lewis believes England’s clean sweep of their tour of the West Indies, on which they won eight internationals out of eight, showcased the team’s new “attacking mindset” – but said the real test would come when they are asked to stick to their approach in high-pressure moments, such as at the forthcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.Lewis, who took over as head coach last month, spoke before his first assignment about encouraging a more positive style of play, and was rewarded with a series of emphatic displays, as England won the ODI series 3-0 followed by a 5-0 result in the T20Is.They began with a bang, racking up 307 for 7 in the first ODI in Antigua, followed by scores of 260 and 256 – their three highest ODI totals in the Caribbean. They also made three of their four highest T20I scores in region, and finished the tour by dismissing West Indies for 43 – their lowest total in T20Is – on the way to an eight-wicket win completed inside the powerplay.Related

• Lewis: 'You don't coach gender, you coach people'

• Capsey suffers broken collarbone in fielding accident

• Dean and Bell sparkle again as England go 4-0 up

• Knight implores administrators to invest in women's internationals to counter franchise threat

• West Indies slump to record T20I low as England complete 5-0 sweep

“The thing I’ve been most pleased about is the way the girls have attacked their cricket and the mindset they’ve tried to adapt to,” Lewis said. “I’ve talked to a lot of them over the course of the tour and you can hear loud and clear the way they’re thinking and the way they’re trying to go about their business. That’s the most pleasing thing for me, the shift that they’ve made in terms of how they’ve tried to approach cricket, in terms of putting bowlers under pressure and taking wickets at every opportunity and also working really hard in the field.”I think regardless of the actual results in the games, the way that we’ve been able to attack our cricket and try and play the way that we want to play as a group has been really, really pleasing.”England were rarely pushed during the tour, with victories by 16 and 17 runs in the second and third T20Is respectively the closest West Indies came to halting their momentum, and Lewis was able to rotate his players in a bid to find out more about them just six weeks out from the World Cup.”Whilst the challenge of this tour hasn’t been as great as we would have probably liked, there’s still been some pressure moments in games where people stood up and took responsibility to do the job. There’s obviously greater challenges ahead of us. There’s some really good teams out there in women’s cricket. It’ll be exciting to see how they how they cope with those pressures.”I said I was more than happy to lose games on this tour as long as we shifted the way we wanted to play. And that’s the thing I’m most pleased about, the way that we’ve approached cricket, the attacking mindset they’ve taken into the games. I feel like it’s a real shift from what I’ve watched in the past and the times I think they’ve played safe. But there’s been a real shift in the in the group in the way they’re talking and the way they’re trying to grow their game.”With England expected to name their World Cup squad next month, there were impressive performances from the likes of Charlie Dean – whose 18 wickets across formats made her the most-successful bowled on tour – and Lauren Bell. Injuries to Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp were less welcome, but Lewis suggested that Capsey could still return from a broken collarbone in time to be selected.”I’m getting some really positive noises actually, which is a bit of a surprise to me once I’d heard what she’d done,” he said. “I didn’t realise that those injuries could heal as quickly as they can. So there’s some really positive noises coming out but she’s still got quite a way to go to make sure that she’s going to be fit and available for a World Cup. I think probably the hardest thing for her will be when she starts hitting the ground again, diving. So that’s probably just building her confidence in the work that’s been done on her collarbone. But as far as I know, from all the information I’ve got from the medical staff, she’s progressing really well.”As for England’s chances of pushing Australia, winners of the last three global limited-overs tournaments in women’s cricket, in South Africa in February, Lewis suggested that the group needed to stand up in “close moments” if they were going to achieve the success that has eluded them since the 2017 World Cup.”I would say that the biggest challenge ahead of us is maintaining our confidence and belief in the way we’re going to play,” he said. “So when the pressure ramps up, when you get bigger games, you are put under more pressure by the opposition – then the ability to hold on to the belief and trust that the way that we’re trying to play our cricket will work. So that’s I think our biggest challenge, but that will only come with time, and probably wins and losses. Just opportunities to put themselves under more pressure in moments and games, and show how talented they actually are.”It’s really it’s interesting to think about how to judge this tour. Did West Indies play like they did because of how we played or were West Indies in that position prior to the tour anyway. What part did we play on the way West Indies played? You would like to think the pressure that we put on them made them worse. This team’s done stuff in the West Indies that no other England team has done, broken a lot of records while they’ve been out here. There’s [been] contributions from individuals that they haven’t done before. So it’s whether or not we can we can just maintain that belief and confidence in in how we want to go about business.”

The young fullback carries on his family's sporting legacy with a memorable first goal for Orlando City SC.

• Freeman nets first MLS goal in 4-2 win over Toronto FC
• 20-year-old homegrown player makes first MLS start
• Orlando City SC faces New York City FC next in the league

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  Alex Freeman, the 20-year-old son of former NFL receiver Antonio Freeman, scored his first Major League Soccer goal in Orlando City SC's 4-2 victory over Toronto FC on March 1. The young fullback, making his first MLS start since signing as a homegrown player in 2022, doubled Orlando's lead in the 35th minute with a well-placed shot. The goal had head coach Oscar Pareja excited at the American’s future and he believes that the 20-year-old can become one of the best full-backs he has seen.

  “It’s great news. Not just for Orlando City and our academy and the people who have developed him during his years, the coaches and family, but Alex [Freeman] today. He just demonstrated one more time something we see in the training ground, and it is that he’s ready,” Pareja said. “It is that he can become one of the best fullbacks in this country. I don’t have any doubt about that. Now scoring goals shows me that he’s not timid on playing this game for his age. I’m very pleased and very happy for Alex and I think Orlando has a bright future in that position with him.”

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  Alex Freeman, a homegrown defender for Orlando City SC, was signed in February 2022 and has been part of Orlando's supplemental roster. He made his debut for the club in the 2023 season but played a total of only 10 minutes in the 2023 and 2024 combined. However, so far, things have changed in the 2025 season as Freeman has made a significant breakthrough, featuring in two matches so far. He played 34 minutes as a substitute in the season opener against Philadelphia Union, which ended in a 4-2 loss. His first start came in the second match against Toronto FC, where he played the full 90 minutes and even scored his first MLS goal for the club in a 4-2 win.

  “I mean, it's a dream. I couldn't think of anything better – first start, first goal. Obviously, I'm going to be in there, making runs in behind and trying to get on goal. Then, the ball just came, and when I scored, I didn't even know what to do. I was just running around like an animal so yeah it just means the world, especially that my family could be there as well," Freeman said about his goal.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The win over Toronto FC pushes Orlando City SC slightly up the table as they now sit in sixth place on the Eastern Conference table, three points behind leaders Philadelphia Union. The Lions go on the road next with back-to-back away games against New York City FC at the Yankee Stadium on March 9 and then the New York Red Bulls at the Sports Illustrated stadium on March 16.

Warner will be able to apply to a three-person review panel to have his lifetime leadership ban modified

Alex Malcolm21-Nov-2022David Warner can now formally apply to have his lifetime leadership ban modified after Cricket Australia’s board amended its code of conduct policy.Warner was previously unable to hold a captaincy position in Australian cricket after being handed a lifetime ban as a result of 2018’s ball-tampering scandal and under the previous code of conduct, players do not have the right to have a sanction reviewed once it has been accepted.But the CA board requested a code of conduct review at the October board meeting to be conducted by CA’s head of integrity Jacqui Partridge.CA released a statement on Monday outlining that the recommendations of that review have been accepted and granted formal approval, with Warner now able to apply to have his ban modified.Related

• Warner – 'I'm not a criminal. You should get the right of an appeal'

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• Warner's captaincy ban step nearer to being overturned

“Under the changes, players and support staff can now apply to have long-term sanctions modified,” the statement said.”Any applications will be considered by a three-person Review Panel, comprising independent Code of Conduct Commissioners, which must be satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist to justify modifying a sanction.”These circumstances and considerations will include whether the subject of the sanction has demonstrated genuine remorse; the subject’s conduct and behaviour since the imposition of the sanction; whether rehabilitation programs have been completed undertaken (if applicable) and the length of time that has passed since the sanction was imposed and whether sufficient time has passed to allow for reform or rehabilitation.”The code of conduct states this process: ‘Acknowledges that Players and Player Support Personnel are capable of genuine reform or rehabilitation and is intended to provide the Player or Player Support Personnel with an opportunity to resume their previously held positions or responsibilities in specific circumstances.'”The hearing of an application is not an appeal, or a review of the original sanction imposed.”Warner, 36, has been keen on returning to a leadership role having captained in the IPL since his CA leadership ban. He spoke recently about being keen to help Sydney Thunder in a leadership capacity on his return to the BBL.Warner also hinted that he was keen to play international cricket through until the 2024 T20 World Cup, with Australia likely to need a new T20I captain for that tournament.

The relationship between Phil Parkinson and Paul Mullin is 'not right' after a 'crazy' omission of the striker, according to a former Wrexham star.

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• Mullin hasn't featured since January
• Can't even make the bench
• Former star claims it's 'crazy'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Club hero Mullin has not featured for the Red Dragons since January 28, not even making the bench for five consecutive matches. The striker has scored 110 goals in 171 matches for the club on their rise from non-league to League One, and former midfielder Waynne Phillips is not impressed by Parkinson's decision to repeatedly leave him out.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham signed two strikers in January as they attempt to hunt down Wycombe and win automatic promotion from League One this season. Jay Rodriguez arrived from Burnley and Sam Smith came in from Reading, while Steven Fletcher and Jack Marriott are being preferred to Mullin on the substitutes' bench.

• WHAT PHILLIPS SAID

  Phillips, who played for Wrexham in two spells between 1989-98 and 1999-2003, said: "For me there's something not right – to not have Paul Mullin in and around the squad seems a little bit crazy. But Phil Parkinson is the manager. He has done particularly well for Wrexham over the last two or three seasons and you have to accept that he is the man who picks the side."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Mullin has been Wrexham's superhero under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney but it appears they are aiming to win promotion without him. Parkinson's side head to Mansfield on Saturday sitting five points behind Wycombe, with leaders Birmingham likely uncatchable.

It’s been an interesting start to the Premier League season for Everton this year.

Sean Dyche’s side have picked up nine points in as many games, and while there have been some woeful collapses along the way, things are starting to look up, as demonstrated by last night’s hard-fought draw.

The Toffees were not anywhere near their best and, on another day, may well have lost, but as Dyche sides have so often in the past, they just about stayed in the contest and got their rewards with a late equaliser.

They’re not going to fire the Merseysiders to a European place or anything like that, but the club’s attackers are more than good enough to keep them out of a drawn-out relegation scrap, and as last night showed, they may now have their own Jhon Duran-esque secret weapon.

Everton's most important attackers

Okay, so before we get to this new secret weapon, let’s look at a couple of Everton’s most important attackers, starting with the incredible Dwight McNeil.

It’s been an interesting couple of years for the 24-year-old following his £20m move from Burnley, as in his first two campaigns with the club, he could only muster up a mediocre return of ten goals and ten assists in 80 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every four games.

However, this season has seen the Rochdale-born dynamo explode, and in his 11 appearances so far, he’s scored four goals and provided three assists, meaning his average has shot up to a goal involvement every 1.57 games, and making his injury-induced-substitution against the Cottagers particularly worrying.

Now, when it comes to the club’s second most important attacker at present, there are two players fans might put forward: Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Illiman Ndiaye. So far, the former has scored two goals and provided one assist in nine centre-forward appearances, totalling 767 minutes, while the latter has scored three goals in 11 appearances, mainly off the left, totalling 825 minutes.

So, when it comes to picking between the pair, the Englishman has a slightly better return of a goal involvement every 255 minutes to the Frenchman’s average of one every 275 minutes, but has so from an area that should see him in more positions to score and assist goals.

Either way, both Calvert-Lewin and Ndiaye are undeniably crucial to Dyche’s starting lineup, and now it looks like one of their fellow attackers could have a vital role to play off the bench, akin to Aston Villa’s Duran.

Why Beto could become Everton's Duran

Yes, the attacker we are talking about is none other than last summer’s £30m man Beto, and no, before the pitchforks come out, we are not trying to say that the Portuguese ace is as good, nor as promising as Duran, that would be ever so slightly reactionary.

Instead, we are merely suggesting that, based on how he has been used by Dyche, the manager’s preference to start Calvert-Lewin ahead of him, and the impact he had last night, he could be used similarly to the Villa ace as a super-sub.

Now, while the Colombian international has been rightfully grabbing headlines all season for his brilliant displays, most of them have come off the bench, and with Ollie Watkins leading the line, it’ll likely stay that way.

For example, of his 13 appearances for Unai Emery’s side, only two have been starts, and of the seven goals he has scored, only two have come in games he’s started, highlighting that his biggest strength at the moment is being an impact player.

This same tactic could be Beto’s route back into the team as well, as despite coming on for just nine minutes against Fulham, he was the one to head home the equaliser, and given the “powerful” striker’s 6 foot 4 height, as dubbed by Dyche, he could develop into a mightily effective impact player.

The manager could turn to him in moments like last night to come on and use his physical presence to disrupt opposing defenders, and even if he’ll likely never prove as prolific as Duran, he could become a go-to option off the bench for Dyche, just like the Colombian is for Emery.

Dyche must finally drop Everton ace with fewer touches than Pickford

Dyche must finally drop Everton forward with fewer touches than Pickford

By
Dan Emery

Oct 27, 2024

Ruben Amorim "gets anxious" watching Manchester United as the manager rues lack of control after narrow win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.

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• Man Utd return to winning ways after Ipswich draw
• Amorim's first victory at Old Trafford
• Manager gets nervous watching his team

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Amorim secured his first win as United manager with a thrilling 3-2 triumph over Bodo/Glimt on his Old Trafford debut. Alejandro Garnacho gave the hosts a quick lead and Rasmus Hojlund scored twice either side of the break to fire the Red Devils into 12th position in the standings. Despite the victory, the Portuguese coach was far from satisfied with what he saw on the pitch and insisted that his troops must be more consistent.

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  WHAT AMORIM SAID

  When asked about his feelings on the game, Amorim told "Like a real ride. We started well, but then suffered two goals in two transitions. I like the way the players tried to play our game. Sometimes we won the ball and have had problems in the past giving the ball away too much – the mindset is keeping the ball. They are really trying and I think we deserved the win."

  The former Sporting CP boss confessed to feeling anxious before matches due to the unpredictable nature of his team’s performances.

  "I get anxious because I don't know what will happen, you don't control nothing at the moment – we are trying to see different things," he said.

  "I don't know the players and we have not worked a lot together. We go to the game excited, but at the same time you are nervous because you don't know how the game will go."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hojlund has now scored eight goals in major European competitions for Manchester United. This remarkable tally places him behind only Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney, who each netted nine goals before turning 22.

  "I felt Rasmus Hojlund was dead," Amorim added afterwards, alluding to the player's exhaustion from his relentless pressing and movement throughout the match.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  While the win over Bodo/Glimt provided a much-needed boost, Amorim’s candid admission of his anxiety highlights the challenges he faces at Manchester United. With Everton looming on the horizon, the focus now shifts to building consistency and fitness as Amorim seeks to stabilize his team in the coming weeks.

Australia, who have dominated Sri Lanka completely both home and away in the last decade, start clear favourites in the Test series beginning in Hobart

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan13-Dec-2012Such has been Australia’s record in head-to-head contests that it is virtually impossible to expect Sri Lanka to pose a serious challenge in the three-Test series beginning in Hobart. Although Sri Lanka lost both Tests on their last tour of Australia in 2007-08, they put up a serious fight in the second Test before going down by 96 runs. Australia have been the only team to regularly win in Sri Lanka too – in their last two series in Sri Lanka, Australia won 3-0 and 1-0. Following the retirement of top players, Australia have had to work much harder for their success but are still a force to reckon with at home, Since 2007, they have lost three home series (twice to South Africa and once against England) but have a 11-1 record at home against major subcontinent teams (excludes Bangladesh).Sri Lanka have struggled both home and away in the last two years following Muttiah Muralitharan’s exit. Since 2010, Sri Lanka have lost one and drawn four home series with their only triumph coming against Pakistan earlier this year. Sri Lanka, who are yet to win a single Test in two countries (Australia and India), will draw confidence from their performance in last year’s Boxing Day Test in Durban when they went on to register their first win in South Africa.In the SSC Test in 1992, Australia completed a remarkable turnaround after conceding a 291-run lead in the first innings. Ever since that win, Australia have gone on to lose only a single Test in Sri Lanka (in 1999). The matches played in Australia have virtually been a no-contest. Sri Lanka have managed to draw only one Test (Cairns in 2004) and have gone on to lose six. While most non subcontinent teams have had problems dealing with the conditions in Sri Lanka, Australia have had no such issues. In their last two series in Sri Lanka (2004 and 2011), Australia have gone on to win four Tests and draw two. Perhaps, Australia’s most remarkable achievement came in the 2004 series when they won each of the three Tests despite conceding the lead on all occasions. Their win-loss ratio of 11.00 (Tests since 1990) against Sri Lanka is the best among all head-to-head contests (excluding Bangladesh games).

In the 2004 series, which was dominated by Shane Warne’s successful return to cricket following his ban, Australia conceded leads of 161 and 91 runs in the first two Tests in Galle and Kandy but managed to turn the matches around with impressive batting displays in the second innings. Sri Lanka, who lost the series 3-0, averaged 28.75 while the visitors averaged 35.68. The average difference (difference between batting averages of Australia and Sri Lanka) was higher in the subsequent series in Australia. In the 2004 series in Australia, the hosts dominated the contests and scored four more centuries than Sri Lanka. However, the average difference (89.28) was the highest by far in the 2007 series in Australia which the hosts won 2-0. Apart from Kumar Sangakkara, who played an outstanding innings of 192 in Hobart, no other Sri Lankan batsman looked comfortable in the conditions in Australia. The 2011 series in Sri Lanka was also dominated by Australia, who won 1-0. The visitors won a low-scoring first Test in Galle by 125 runs and dominated the drawn second Test in Pallekele where Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh scored centuries. Not only did Australia score more centuries in the 2011 series, they also ended with a much higher batting average than the hosts (average difference 7.23).

Hussey was outstanding in the last series played between the two teams in 2011 scoring 95 in the first Test and centuries in the second and third Tests. He has been virtually untroubled by both Sri Lankan pace bowlers and spinners averaging 121 and 99.75 against them respectively while scoring at a fair clip. Michael Clarke, who became the first player to score four double-centuries in a calendar year, averages 62.33 and 81 against the fast bowlers and spinners. Phillip Hughes, who is likely to play at No.3 following Ricky Ponting’s retirement, has been comfortable against pace (average 57.00) but has struggled against spinners (average 29.33 with three dismissals).Sangakkara, the top run-getter in Sri Lanka’s previous series in Australia, has an average of 45 against both fast bowlers and spinners. However, he has managed a much higher scoring rate (3.89) against the slower bowlers and has been dismissed four fewer times. Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, has found the going tough against Australian pace bowlers falling 14 times (average 24.71). In contrast, he has looked very comfortable against spinners averaging 102 (three dismissals). Tillakaratne Dilshan, who averages just 29.28 in eight Tests against Australia, has fallen nine times to fast bowlers (average 26.44) and five times to spinners (31.00).

Australia shockingly lost the Hobart Test against New Zealand on a surface designed to suit the pace bowlers. The batting average in Hobart is highest in the first innings(41.21) but falls to 27.22 in the second innings. The corresponding numbers in the third and fourth innings are 36.62 and 29.90. In Melbourne, the averages in each of the four innings are below 35 with the lowest coming in the fourth innings (23.75). Sydney, the venue for the third Test, has been an excellent batting wicket in the second innings (average 48.25). However, the average falls to 33.57 and 26.88 in the third and fourth innings. Spinners have been quite effective in Hobart picking up 34 wickets (average 36.26) while pace bowlers have picked up 90 wickets at 33.00. While fast bowlers have completely dominated the stats at the MCG picking up 177 wickets at 27.74, spinners have managed just 50 wickets at 41.44. Spinners have picked up a significant percentage of the wickets in Sydney but have a higher average (39.12) as compared to the pace bowlers (34.77).

Chelsea have reached an agreement to let a £98 million player go, alongside their widely reported deal to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, but there is one key issue holding up the move.

Chelsea agree £34 million deal with Atletico to sell Gallagher

A multitude of reliable media outlets, including renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, have claimed that Chelsea are ready to sell Gallagher to Atletico for around £34 million after shaking hands with the La Liga side.

Chelsea now handed Osimhen discount in talks over Lukaku swap deal

The west Londoners have learned a new price tag.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 1, 2024

This comes after Diego Simeone's men opened discussions over the 24-year-old very recently. Atletico started talks to sign Gallagher from Chelsea last week, according to some reports, and it has not taken long for the Spaniards to find the middle ground in a potential deal.

The England star, who enjoyed a fine 2023/2024 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, becoming a mainstay player and one of their most important squad members, was rewarded for his excellent form with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.

Gallagher started 37 Premier League games last season, scoring five goals and assisting his teammates on seven other occasions, but his contract expires next year and Todd Boehly risks losing the dynamic midfielder for nothing in 2025.

The Cobham academy graduate's sale would count as pure profit when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules as well, meaning Chelsea chiefs are faced with making the unpopular decision to sell Gallagher this summer while they still can.

The Stamford Bridge side have attempted to tie the former Crystal Palace loanee down with a new two-year contract, which included the option of a third year, and would've put him in line with Chelsea's top earners in midfield.

However, Gallagher snubbed this proposal, and it is believed both Chelsea and Atletico are waiting on his final decision after both clubs found an agreement on his £34 million transfer fee.

"Understand Conor Gallagher turned down a new three year (2+1) contract extension at Chelsea today as well as in early June," wrote journalist Ben Jacobs on X earlier this week.

"Wages offered comparable to the highest earners in Chelsea's midfield. As reported, Chelsea have agreed a package with Atletico Madrid in excess of €40m including add-ons and will support a move to Spain if that's Gallagher's preference.

"No terms agreed yet. Aston Villa also had a club-record bid accepted for Gallagher in June but he decided to stay. Chelsea would prefer to sell Gallagher abroad than to a Premier League rival and the Atletico offer accepted is well below the one made by Villa."

As Chelsea wait on Gallagher, it is now believed they've agreed to sell another player to Aston Villa in a surprise development.

Chelsea agree to sell Lukaku to Aston Villa, but key issue stalls deal

Wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku is the subject of serious interest from Napoli, as the Serie A side speak with Chelsea over a deal for him with Victor Osimhen heading the other way (David Ornstein).

However, this hasn't stopped Villa from attempting to hijack Antonio Conte's move. According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, via TUTTOmercatoWEB, Villa reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Lukaku this week, but there's a key issue, as the Belgian only wants to reunite with Conte in Naples.

Chelsea want the 31-year-old, who cost £98 million to re-sign from Inter Milan in 2021, to accept a move to the Midlands – but Lukaku has set his sights on a return to the Italian top flight instead.

Called a "complete" striker by Leonardo Bonucci, Lukaku's best goalscoring seasons have come during his stints in Serie A. He even guided Inter to a Scudetto triumph during the 2020/2021 season under Conte, scoring 24 and bagging a further 11 assists in the league alone.