Chelsea and Arsenal's Women's Super League meeting at Stamford Bridge was delayed for half an hour on Friday due to a rather bizarre kit clash.
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Joe Denly and Sean Dickson both it hundreds and to make matters worse for Warwickshire Keith Barker ran foul of the umpires
ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2018
ScorecardSecond-innings centuries by Sean Dickson and Joe Denly helped Kent to build a potentially game-defining lead of 431 runs as the hosts closed on day two of their top-of-the-table Specsavers County Championship clash with Warwickshire on an impressive 359 for 6.Kent’s position is especially strong because Keith Barker has been forced out of the attack by the umpires after two warnings for running on the pitch.In a complete volte face to the opening day when 20 wickets fell, Kent’s third-wicket pairing found batting at The Nevill in Tunbridge Wells a pleasurable pastime once the shine went off the new ball and the wind and sunshine took effect in helping to harden the top surface.Earlier, opener Daniel Bell-Drummond had succumbed cheaply to Keith Barker – the clear pick of Warwickshire’s attack first time around with 5 for 32. Barker saw two worthy leg before decisions turned aside before running one across the right-hander and enticing him to nick one to the keeper.Barker also accounted for in-form Heino Kuhn, moving one back in through the air to snare the former Proteas Test opener flush in front to bring acting captain Denly and Dickson together.The pair, who had notched Kent’s only other championship centuries of the summer at Bristol during the previous round of matches, combined to add 208 trouble-free runs and set a Kent third-wicket record against Warwickshire, surpassing the 186 made by Bill Ashdown and Les Ames at Edgbaston in 1934.Jeetan Patel, the Warwickshire captain might have made life tougher for the pair by posting a third man when something like 25 per cent of their runs came through the gap, but instead they were allowed to bat through the middle session unfettered.Patel made amends by removing both soon after tea with his off-spinners. Dickson’s 229-ball stay for 133 ended when he played across a quicker ball to depart lbw. Then, turning one in from well outside off, he won an ambitious lbw shout that ended Denley’s 88-ball stay for a polished 119.Patel mystified some pundits later on by delaying taking the second new ball for five overs before finally throwing the new cherry to Keith Barker, comfortably his most potent threat in taking five for 32 in Kent’s first innings.When Barker did get the new ball he quickly removed Darren Stevens, following one outside off to be caught behind, before trapping Rouse leg before with a full in-swinger.With Kent six down and already leading by 410 runs, Barker blotted his copybook by running on the pitch for the second time to be taken out of the attack by umpire Steve O’Shaughnessy.With Barker out of their attack, Kent rookie Zak Crawley reached an eye-catching 47 through to stumps to deepen Warwickshire’s parlous position.The visitors will know they will have to bat superbly to save this game, let alone win it.
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Manjrekar: Afghanistan batting’s defensive technique needs most attention
Afghanistan brought out their best in the final session once again, but the game had swung so far out of their reach that the second day of their first Test proved to be the last one.Purely on numbers it was a colossal defeat, by an innings and 262 runs, and the flattening reality of being bowled out twice in a day – only India and Zimbabwe had suffered that before – will take a while to get over. At different points in the day, Afghanistan were done in by different bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja got the last piece of the pie, finishing the second innings with 4 for 17.Their first innings of 109 lasted a session, between lunch and tea, and their second innings of 103 did not last much longer. India needed only 66.3 overs to take 20 wickets and complete their first ever two-day Test win.The flailing effort was best signified by how Afghanistan lost their three most experienced batsmen in the first innings: in complete surrender.Mohammad Shahzad’s innings was a race to the finish the moment it began. His first boundary came off the outside edge, his second off the inside edge, and the odd ball that hit the middle was often one he was trying to leave. After all that and several attempts to tap and run, he chose to take on Hardik Pandya at point and was promptly run-out at the non-striker’s end in the fourth over. Asghar Stanikzai came in at No. 6 and lasted 14 deliveries before stabbing ambitiously at a loopy R Ashwin offbreak without getting his foot forward. He almost fell over as the ball knocked the top of middle stump.Mohammed Nabi, the top-scorer in the first innings, looked okay for his 24 at No. 7 before miscuing a slog and being the ninth man out. The only solid batting effort by a visiting player came from left-hander Hashmatullah Shahidi, who battled 88 balls for an unbeaten 36 in the second innings.Hashmatullah Shahidi showed great heart during his resistance lower down the order•BCCI
Scattered all around these efforts were batsmen rooted to the crease in anxiety against a vastly experienced bowling attack. Unlike their opposition’s debutant seamers, India’s fast bowlers sustained both a predominantly full length and near-140kph speeds in getting all three of their first-innings wickets either bowled or lbw. They stuck to the plan in the second innings as well. Umesh Yadav brought the flair, moving the new ball considerably in both innings, and Ishant Sharma looked content playing workhorse.It was Ashwin, however, who accelerated Afghanistan’s downfall and eventual folding-up before tea. At that point, given the extended final session ahead, perhaps only the probability of a follow-on was higher than that of Afghanistan being bowled out a second time.Earlier in the day, Pandya snuck in a breezy and mature innings. India didn’t have as subdued a session as they did at the end of day one, striking at more than four an over despite the four wickets they lost in stretching the overnight score of 347 to 474. Pandya was patient against Yamin Ahmadzai, who impressed with his lengths once again. He wasn’t rewarded with the new ball, however, with Rashid Khan bowling predominantly from the other end. Pandya saw through this phase before opening up.His go-to defence mechanism against pace bowling – walking across into the off side – which didn’t quite work out in South Africa was a lot more effective against the late-120 kph pace of Wafadar. And while Pandya did eventually cramp himself against the 18-year-old, it wasn’t before he had swatted the bowler into the leg side several times from various lengths, in control every time but one – and even on that occasion, deep square leg gifted him four overthrows. When the line wasn’t straight, Pandya also managed to pick up boundaries through the off side. He got out looking to accelerate but what the Indian dressing room would have particularly liked was the uncomplicated, organised manner in which he managed an innings with a 75-plus strike rate during his 94-ball 71.
The new regime and not being captain anymore has brought him liberation and, perhaps, self-discovery
Osman Samiuddin06-Jul-2022Joe Root got England underway on the fifth morning at Edgbaston with a little nudge off his thighs to square leg for a single. It was almost exactly the shot with which he began England’s final day in the chase at Lord’s against New Zealand earlier this summer. It is a trademark Joe Root shot.He has an entire family of back-cuts, from the angled-bat dab down fine to the more vertical open-faced glides square and everything in between: these are all trademark Joe Root shots.The Joe Root off-drives are a trademarked range, housing the bog-standard drive through extra cover, leaning lithely into the shot, the square-driving on one knee or going straighter, body and bat moving into the ball with the practised ease of a dancer.Related
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The clips he works through midwicket – also a Joe Root trademark. The pull shot: trademarked; the back-foot punch, on his toes, as elegant as a yoga pose; the little drop to the off for a quick single; these are all shots that are identifiably Joe Root’s but if so many shots are identifiably Joe Root’s, then can any one shot be truly his? And if not, where does that leave us?With the best batter in the world at this moment.One sense that is common with great batters in their very best periods, as with Root now, is that every great innings acquires this inevitability. Of course, they scored a hundred and of course, they did it the way they did it, the way they always do it. It’s them, that’s what they do. After a time, pitches, bowlers, situations, and even results can become irrelevant.Or rather than an inevitability, is this what it must be like to see (rather than hear) an echo? Every subsequent great innings is the echo of an original great innings the batter has played, except unlike with sound, there’s no loss of vividness.With Root, most innings drive home the universal observation about his batting, that the first time you look up at the scoreboard after he has come in, he is already on 20-something and nobody is quite sure how he got there (hint: those trademarked shots).But the reality for most batters has always been that the first part of any innings is the most difficult time. They are lining up actions, making sense of the surface, getting their body aligned, making sure the feet are light, the arms loose and a central equilibrium holding it together. They are trying to tune themselves out from the outside noise but also tuning themselves to the task at hand.There’s no standout metric that illustrates the point of Root’s starts – the best one is that his dismissal rate in the first 20 balls (among batters who’ve played at least 100 innings since Root’s debut) is the sixth lowest. Even the caveat that he has played a lot in England, where top-order batting is basically about negotiating the early dismissal, doesn’t save this from being underwhelming. But that only speaks to a broader point about Root, because by the time you’ve read the last two paragraphs, he’s already on 23.
With Root, most innings drive home the universal observation about his batting, that the first time you look up at the scoreboard after he has come in, he is already on 20-something
For all that England’s batting has been this summer – and aside from being astonishingly successful, it’s still not clear precisely what it is – it has been underpinned by the presence of Root. He is the one who was there when none of this was there, and he’ll be the one still there when all this isn’t. That he has bookended the wild last few weeks with fourth-innings hundreds in a big chase is perfect.And the Edgbaston hundred was every bit as significant as Lord’s hundred. England had lost three wickets in two runs in a matter of minutes, Virat Kohli was all over them and India were threatening to recreate The Oval. Lose Lord’s and who knows whether this happens. Lose this and face the questions, or at least the smirking reminders that against the best attacks, this isn’t going to work.Root’s response was to lead England as he was always meant to: with bat. In the first 15 overs of the stand with Jonny Bairstow, a period in which the game was at its tightest, Root took 60% of the strike. That might not appear a very lopsided proportion but imagine the strong temptation to let Bairstow take over and really barrel his way into that target?Instead, Root gamed it out. Enough singles to not let the score stagnate (but not so many that anyone noticed he was already on 20-something), keep out what you can, put away what you can. Jasprit Bumrah got too straight, away to the midwicket fence; Mohammad Shami gave him a fraction on length, dabbed through backward point. Root survived a tight lbw shout, next ball he shuffled out – another trademark – and clipped Shami through midwicket.From the other end, Ravindra Jadeja was gaining control. Post tea, he had figures of 6-2-9-0 into his spell, drying up England’s runs from over the wicket. Root had reverse-swept twice to try to break the stranglehold, without success. In the seventh over of Jadeja’s spell, he finally paddle-swept him twice, each for four; in his next, he swept him conventionally for another. Boom, Bumrah and Shami seen off, now Jadeja; by the next over, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur were bowling.He can be a rock star too•PA Photos/Getty ImagesThis wasn’t what England had done previously; this was Root doing what he does. He referred to conversations in the dressing room about recognising moments when the pressure had to be absorbed, before ruthlessly turning it around – a bit of nuance not often talked about over these Tests.Once that period broke open, the inevitability crept back in: of a Root ton and more improbably of another big England chase. On the final morning, Root got through the 90s with, in order, a glide off the face through third man, a clip off his pads and a late, late dab so fine it bounced in front of and then over second slip – all for four. If Root were to sleepwalk his way through the 90s, this is the route he would take as he knows it so well.Eventually, England chased down the total in a much more calculated and less bludgeoning way than at Trent Bridge and Headingley. They were more inevitable about it and at the centre was Root.All that said, it has been a fascinating summer in the career of Joe Root. He feels like a kid again and because he has never knowingly not looked like a kid, the youthfulness is assumed to be in his batting. The new regime yes, no captaincy also yes. Together it has brought liberation. His strike rate has always been healthy but this summer, he has been striking at 19 runs more per 100 balls.Also, perhaps, self-discovery. At Trent Bridge, he played shots that are unusual for him in Tests and urged a rewriting of the coaching manual. After Edgbaston, he half-joked he was caught between the grounding of the old Yorkshire way of orthodox batting and the entreaties of his captain to be a rock star. But he has clearly been re-thinking, or rather re-assessing, more seriously the contours of Test batting.”It’s scripted out how you need to play in Test cricket,” he said when asked about dealing with the stifling orthodoxy around the format. “Sometimes being unpredictable is very difficult to bowl at. Sometimes the gaps are bigger, and you know where the ball is going to be because of generally how sides bowl for long periods of time. There have been occasions this summer I might have played some unusual shots. But they’ve felt like pretty low-risk options in the moment.”It’s not as if no one has ever come upon this truth before. Virender Sehwag, as just one, understood this from the moment he started playing. In Root’s case, it could even be argued he has returned to it, given his once burgeoning white-ball game. Remember that, unlike his great contemporaries, he rarely gets to exhibit his (still considerable) white-ball skills anymore.He has played seven ODI innings since becoming a world champion three years ago; he hasn’t played a T20 outside the Blast in over three years. The absence has steadily dimmed the cachet and robbed him of a global, all-format sheen (while, by contrast, Steven Smith and Kane Williamson faced off in the last T20 World Cup final). If nothing else, this summer has been a righting of that.
Leeds United have now held direct “conversations” with an “unplayable” striker over a potential summer move to Elland Road, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed.
Leeds eyeing new striker after Nmecha
The 49ers Enterprises and Leeds have already added one centre-forward to their ranks this summer, having sealed the signing of Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer, but they remain keen on bringing in another striker, with the 49ers ready to splash the cash.
That is despite the fact Daniel Farke already has Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford on the books, with the former finishing as the Championship’s top scorer last season, picking up a total of 19 goals and seven assists in 46 outings.
Bamford, on the other hand, has entered the final 12 months of his contract, with the striker also previously admitting he would consider making a move to the MLS one day, saying: “It is something that I would be open to, yeah. We [Bamford and his family] just don’t know when yet.”
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As such, it would make sense for the Whites to bring another striker through the door, and they have now made an approach to sign another former England international for free, according to Bailey.
Speaking to Leeds United News, the journalist confirmed that direct talks have been held with former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, saying: “Leeds have had conversations with Dom Calvert-Lewin.
“He’s considering his options and Leeds are certainly one of them, there has been talks. Callum Wilson as well, but Leeds have held talks for Calvert-Lewin but he’s not close to signing or anything like that.”
As the centre-forward is now without a club after leaving Everton, he will be available on a free transfer this summer, although his wage demands could be high, having raked in a whopping £100k-a-week at Goodison Park.
"Unplayable" Calvert-Lewin is Premier League proven
With Leeds looking to avoid the drop in their first season back in the top flight, it makes sense to bring in players who are proven in the Premier League, and the ex-Everton striker certainly fits the bill in that regard.
The 28-year-old has amassed a total of 57 goals and 18 assists in the Premier League, with his most prolific season coming in 2020/21, netting 16 times in 33 games. During his senior career, Calvert-Lewin has scored 89 goals for club and country.
Pundit Tony Cascarino has also singled out the Englishman for high praise, describing him as “unplayable”, while also adding: “His leap is phenomenal, the best in the Premier League and he leads the line well, holding up the ball and running channels.”
That said, Calvert-Lewin is well-known to have struggled with injuries throughout his career, so it would be a risk for Leeds to make a move, especially with Bamford already on the books, with the 31-year-old also well-known to be extremely injury-prone.
Newcastle United's owners are ready to complete the signing of an "incredible" defender with bags of "charisma", according to a new transfer update.
Newcastle January transfer links
The Magpies have had a disastrous time of things in the injury department all season long, with an almost unfathomable string of fitness issues affecting so many players. Not only has it meant that Eddie Howe has been without numerous important individuals in both the Premier League and the Champions League, but it has also led to other available figures playing too much football and looking fatigued.
For that reason, it could now be that Howe looks to make some key signings during the January transfer window, with defensive additions potentially at the forefront of the manager's thoughts, especially with Sven Botman unavailable for so much of the campaign.
Dan Burn is another player who has been out for a large chunk of action in 2023/24 to date, so while centre-back is one area to focus on, left-back reinforcements could arrive, too. Crystal Palace and England ace Marc Guehi has been seen as an option for the Newcastle, with a bid possibly arriving at some point soon, while Sporting CP's Goncalo Inacio, who can play in both positions, has also been mooted as a target.
Newcastle readying bid for Andrea Cambiaso
According to Tutto Juve [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are keen on signing Juventus left-back Andrea Cambiaso, and have even set aside a fixed sum they are willing to use to get the deal done.
Aston Villa and Fulham are also believed to be in the mix to snap up the 23-year-old, so it won't necessarily be easy for the Magpies to get their man. Newcastle and their fellow Premier League rivals are "willing to spend" €15m (£13m) on Cambiaso, although Juve are not keen on the idea of allowing him to leave at this point in his career.
The left-back could be a brilliant signing by the Magpies if they do manage to get a deal over the line in the January window, with Italy legend Mauro Tassotti once saying of him:
"I was immediately struck by Andrea’s ability to play both left and right. And above all his ability to kick with both feet. I haven’t yet understood whether he is right or left-footed. In this sense, he is similar to Paolo Maldini who however was much more powerful from a physical standpoint, had incredible charisma and was also very strong defensively, so much so that he ended his career as a centre-back."
Cambiaso could be a similarly strong option to Burn, possessing his all-round expertise that has shone throughout this season in Serie A to date, while he can also play on the right flank, offering similar versatility to that of Tino Livramento.
Appearances
14
Tackles per game
1.1
Aerial duels wins per game
0.5
Goal contributions
3
Pass completion rate
88.1%
Newcastle desperately need some fresh legs ahead of the second half of the season – failure to bring in new faces could be fatal to their top four hopes – and the Juve man is someone who ticks so many boxes.
As things start coming together for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, with glimpses of what may come in their 2-2 draw against Arsenal, you can't help but notice that the Blues are still missing a couple of pieces to the puzzle that could unlock their route back among Europe's elite. They've got the manager they wanted. They got their defensive midfielder in the form of Moises Caicedo, and they kept hold of Levi Colwill in their backline. What they failed to arguably find, however, was an out-and-out goalscorer.
For all the money they spent throughout the summer transfer window, Chelsea did not solve their striker problem, leaving them to go again in the January transfer window. And that could lead them to a certain Bundesliga star.
Chelsea transfer news
Chelsea's need for a striker is no secret in the Premier League, especially after Nicolas Jackson's early-season form, which has seen him find the back of the net just three times in 10 games. Whilst the eventual return of Christopher Nkunku may help to solve Pochettino's crisis up top, the Blues may well look to the transfer market to put an end to their dilemma once and for all.
The latest Benjamin Sesko transfer news suggests that he's on their shortlist, too. According to reporter Simon Phillips, Chelsea are still scouting the RB Leipzig forward as a back-up option, in case deals for either Victor Osimhen or Ivan Toney fail to come to fruition, be it in January or next summer's transfer window.
Chelsea have, of course, done business with Leipzig before, buying and then selling Timo Werner from and to the Bundesliga side, before also landing Nkunku from them last summer. With a relationship already in place, a deal for Sesko could turn out to be fairly routine if Chelsea meet whatever asking price Leipzig demand.
Benjamin Sesko's stats
Sesko has struggled to get into the Leipzig side at times this season, making just two Bundesliga starts in eight games. It's a surprise that he has failed to break into Marco Rose's side, though, given that he has scored twice in just 198 minutes played in the current campaign, which is almost an average of a goal a game. Sesko's stats have been more impressive than Chelsea's Jackson, too, as per FBref.
Player
Goals Per 90
Expected Goals
Goal Creating Actions Per 90
Benjamin Sesko
0.91
0.9
0.90
Nicolas Jackson
0.31
4.1
0.16
It comes as little surprise that Sesko has earned plenty of praise over the years, including from journalist Maxi Angelo, who posted on X back in 2022: "Benjamin Šeško has really showcased why top clubs in Europe wants him this summer against Liverpool tonight. Incredible strength and size. Nice technique and smart movements. One goal to his name in the first half too. Very impressive, especially for being 19."
With that said, as Chelsea continue to search for a striker, Sesko could quickly become an ideal option. When given the chance at Leipzig this season, he has had success in front of goal, making the rest of his season all the more interesting.
The England management are keeping an open mind as to Stokes’ availability, should his court case in Bristol be adjourned
George Dobell01-Aug-2018England have not given up hope that Ben Stokes could be available for the second Test starting at Lord’s on August 9.Stokes is due in court in Bristol on August 6 – the day after the Edgbaston Test is scheduled to finish – to face a charge of affray with the case scheduled to last somewhere between five and seven days.But the England management are keeping an open mind as to Stokes’ availability, should the case be adjourned for any reason. If that were to happen on the first or second day of the trial, the England camp have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo they would consider his involvement in the Test at Lord’s.Replacing Stokes, as England found during the Ashes, is desperately difficult. While the England management are expecting a drier surface at Lord’s that could well see Moeen Ali drafted back into the side as a second spinner, they would prefer him to play alongside Stokes, rather than instead of him.A case can be adjourned for many reasons including illness, the admission of new evidence or a change in the charge. While it remains likely the case will go ahead as originally envisaged – certainly the Stokes camp has no plans to call for an adjournment – the England camp are keen to find a way to accommodate Stokes if he becomes available.
Manchester United have rarely got things in the transfer market in the last decade or so, with the likes of Angel di Maria, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Sanchez all failing to make the required impact at Old Trafford. The arrival of Erik ten Hag looked likely to change things, however.
The Dutchman has seen arrivals such as Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane enjoy great success, with both signings playing a key part in United's impressive campaign last time out, which saw them win the Carabao Cup, and qualify for the Champions League.
There's not much Ten Hag could do about the players that he inherited, though, with the task of improving struggling stars a difficult one from the off. Now, having fallen out with one of those stars in the form of Jadon Sancho, a surprise club has emerged in the race to sign the frozen out winger.
What's the latest Jadon Sancho transfer news?
Sancho looked destined for greatness at Borussia Dortmund, with 50 goals and 64 assists in just 137 appearances for the Bundesliga giants to earn a move to Manchester United for a reported £73m.
Since that move to Old Trafford, however, the England international has been a shadow of the player who lit up the Bundesliga for Dortmund. Now, a player once destined for greatness, is one who looks likely to forever face the question of what went so disastrously wrong?
After falling out with Ten Hag, and being dropped from the Manchester United squad as a result, Sancho could now get the fresh start he so desperately needs, with a surprise club emerging.
According to Sport in Spain, Barcelona are interested in making a potential loan move for Sancho in January, with United keen to get the winger off their books come the winter transfer window, given that he earns a reported £350k per week at Old Trafford.
The report states that Xavi is "attentive" to the situation, and Barcelona are waiting to see what happens with the Red Devils' outcast in the coming months.
Should Barcelona sign Jadon Sancho?
At his best, Sancho is a player capable of hitting double figures in goals and assists for the season. It could just be a case of somehow helping him rediscover the confidence to perform at such levels.
It would be a relatively risk-free deal for Barcelona in January, too, given that they would be pursuing a loan deal for the former Dortmund man, rather than anything permanent in January.
If they can help Sancho get back to his top form, then Xavi will have someone at his disposal who has earned the highest praise in the past, including from Harry Kane, who told Sky Sports after the Barcelona target's England debut: "He's great. Big congrats to him for his debut. I thought he came on and made an impact as well. He's been great in training and he has just got to keep working hard and playing games and I'm sure he will have a very bright future."
With that said, Sancho is certainly one to keep an eye on when the January transfer window comes around, particularly if Barcelona push on for his signature.
The allrounder has changed domestic teams, leaving Auckland, following on from a change in address
ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2018
Getty Images
Allrounder Colin de Grandhomme will turn out for Norther Districts in the 2018-19 New Zealand domestic season. His decision to leave Auckland, whom he has represented since 2007, follows on from a change of address. Moving house to Tauranga means playing for Northern Districts would be logistically easier.”I have a lot of respect for Auckland Cricket and want to thank the team and the staff for everything they’ve done for me over the years,” de Grandhomme said, according to a New Zealand Cricket press release. “It was a hard decision, but I’m looking forward to representing Northern Districts in a big season ahead.”De Grandhomme is just done with IPL 2018, where he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. In nine games for RCB, he scored 131 runs at 26.20 and a strike rate of 155.95, and picked up two wickets.