Just over a month from the start of the tournament, England’s settled line-up suddenly looks in disrepair

Andrew Miller26-Apr-2019

Fears…

Alex Hales
Where to begin with Hales’ latest bout of career self-harm? Having finally turned a corner after his role in the Bristol fracas, his plaintive statement last month, that he didn’t want to make “mediocre decisions” anymore, has already aged spectacularly badly. He was never likely to be a first-choice in the World Cup XI, thanks as much to the quality of the men around him as his own decision-making, but a 21-day drugs ban in the final countdown to the tournament has undoubtedly jeopardised even that squad berth. Assuming he is retained in the final cut on May 23, will he be in the right state of mind – let alone form – to be the super-sub that England are bound to have to call upon in the course of an arduous six-week tournament?Jason Roy
The holder of England’s record ODI score – 180 against Australia at Melbourne in 2017-18 – Roy is such a shoo-in for England’s first-choice World Cup XI that much of the pre-season talk has centred around his potential for a Test debut during the Ashes in August. But he hasn’t taken the field for Surrey’s last two Royal London matches after suffering a back spasm against Gloucestershire. Surrey’s coach, Michael Di Venuto, insisted he will be back up and running before long, but his vulnerability just goes to show how vital that squad depth will be.Eoin Morgan
No major concerns surrounding England’s captain, although his early-season form – including some rare red-ball outings – hasn’t been quite as rambunctious as his international displays had been in the preceding few months. Morgan did, however, miss Middlesex’s victory over Surrey in the London derby on Thursday after complaining of sore shins.Sam Billings
The nearly man of England’s white-ball squad, Billings seemed at last to have shown his worth in slamming a matchwinning 87 from 47 balls in England’s final T20I against West Indies in March – and his selection for next week’s Ireland ODI was an indication that he was at the head of the waiting list should a squad vacancy crop up. Instead, on the same day of Hales’ self-sabotage, Billings was himself ruled out for three to five months, effectively the entire season, after dislocating his shoulder within minutes of taking the field for Kent against Glamorgan.

Hopes…

Ben Foakes in action for Surrey•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow
The undoubted good news story in the England squad. His IPL debut was an unmitigated triumph – his partnership with former , David Warner, was a revelation, and he will link up with the England squad in Cardiff on Saturday with a haul of 445 runs at a strike rate of 157 – second only to Warner for the whole competition – and with his confidence as sky-high as it has ever been in an England career that has often been conducted against a mildly paranoid backdrop of point-proving.James Vince
From the very margins of England recognition to the brink of a World Cup berth in the space of two breaking news stories. Not that Vince would have been paying much attention to the updates on Billings’ injury lay-off, or Hales’ travails. He was too busy racking up a monstrous 190 from 154 for Hampshire against Gloucestershire at the Ageas Bowl, an innings laced with the sort of power, poise and beauty that has made his supporters sigh for years. It’s not impossible that he has timed his run to perfection.Ben Foakes
Another unlikely beneficiary of others’ misfortune. Even Foakes’ county coach, di Venuto, recognises that his man lacks the raw power of his England rivals, and it’s probably the need for someone to wear the gloves in the absence of Bairstow, Jos Buttler and now the luckless Billings, that has earned him his opportunity against Ireland and Pakistan next week. But, he has scotched expectations once already in his England career with the manner of his Test batting in Sri Lanka before Christmas, and he will be going to Ireland on the back of three consecutive Royal London half-centuries.Joe Root
England’s Test captain and ODI linchpin is reassuringly fit, and although he has not been involved in the Royal London Cup, he began with scores of 73, 130 not out and 94 in two Championship outings for Yorkshire. The selectors will be praying he doesn’t walk under a ladder any time over the next few weeks.

New Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as “the world's greatest celebrity”, insisting his influence stretches far beyond football.

Jesus joins Al-Nassr after Pioli exitGushes over Ronaldo's massive influenceBlasts Portugal for underplaying CR7's legacyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jesus recently admitted that the Portuguese superstar was the primary reason he accepted the Al-Nassr job, having taken over this summer after leaving Al-Hilal. This time, he went on to express his deep admiration for the 40-year-old, criticising Portugal for not fully appreciating the forward’s legacy. He described Ronaldo as “the world’s greatest human figure” and “the world’s greatest celebrity,” insisting his influence extends far beyond the football pitch.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT JORGE JESUS SAID

In a candid appearance on RTP’s , Jesus delivered a passionate tribute to the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star, saying: “It's a sporting challenge. Ronaldo is different, even in biological age, which is why he's 40 and still playing. We both think very much alike outside of football. I'm 70, but I don't feel it in my psychological and physical life. Ronaldo is a global figure. We don't know how to value Ronaldo in Portugal. He's the world's greatest human figure. He's the world's greatest celebrity. He's far beyond the world of football."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Jesus' arrival marks a reset moment for Al-Nassr after a frustrating season that ended without silverware and a semi-final AFC Champions League exit to Kawasaki Frontale. The club is banking on his relationship with Ronaldo to lead a revival. Ronaldo was the Saudi Pro League's top scorer with 25 goals as Al-Nassr finished 13 points behind champions Al-Ittihad and five behind Al-Hilal.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR AL-NASSR?

With Ronaldo’s leadership central to the project, Al-Nassr may look to bolster their squad further in the summer to match Jesus' ambitions. The club’s goal will be to win back the Saudi Pro League title and make a deeper run in continental competition.

Still reeling from their failure to qualify for the Champions League, Aston Villa have instantly set their sights on summer upgrades which could reportedly include a defender who has won it all in English football.

Aston Villa may still face PSR consequences

It’s fair to say that Aston Villa went all in on Champions League qualification, knowing that failure would have its consequences – that failure simply couldn’t be an option. So, the reaction when Manchester United sealed a shock victory on the final day after Morgan Rogers’ goal had controversially been disallowed was always going to be strong.

Villa slammed the decision, which they feel cost them their Champions League place, citing that a more experienced referee should have been in charge of such an important game, rather than 35-year-old Thomas Bramall.

Whether the blame truly lies with Bramall or Villa, themselves, for missing out on a place in the top five is not the question those in the Midlands should be answering, however. Instead, they should turn their focus towards how they’re going to navigate their way past increasing profit and sustainability concerns.

Already, the likes of Emiliano Martinez have been linked with moves away from Villa Park in a shock exit which is becoming more and more of a possibility. The Argentine is undoubtedly one of Unai Emery’s key men, but could be shown the door as they look to balance their books this summer.

Perhaps in a defiant attempt to welcome upgrades even in the face of PSR concerns, Aston Villa could still welcome fresh faces in the coming months. The likes of Lucas Chevalier is one name on their reported shortlist to replace Martinez, whilst those in the Midlands have also seemingly set their sights on signing a Premier League champion at a bargain price this summer.

Aston Villa informed about Joe Gomez deal

According to Empire of The Kop, Aston Villa have now been informed about Joe Gomez’s situation at Liverpool and are one of eight Premier League clubs currently keeping an eye on the defender who will be allowed to leave Anfield this summer.

The veteran centre-back, who can also play as a left and right-back, will reportedly cost any potential suitor just €30m (£25m) in the coming months in what is a bargain deal for such an experienced player. After becoming a two-time Premier League winner in recent months too, Gomez himself is reportedly open to an Anfield exit in pursuit of a starting place elsewhere.

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Whilst the 28-year-old has endured his fair share of injury problems, there’s a reason why he’s Liverpool’s longest-serving first-team player and Arne Slot recognised his quality earlier in the season, telling reporters: “Joe is patient in a good way, he always makes sure he is ready whenever the club or his teammates need him, and that is special when it comes to his mentality because not many players can do this for so many years that he has done this.”

If Aston Villa want to get back into the Champions League next season, then to say they could do a lot worse than signing a defender who’s won the competition would be a major understatement.

Former India batter Venugopal Rao will be their new director of cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Oct-20246:12

Making sense of the musical chairs in DC’s ownership structure

Former India batter Hemang Badani will take over as the new head coach at Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025. Along with Badani, DC have also appointed former India batter Venugopal Rao as the director of cricket.While Badani replaces Ricky Ponting, who amicably parted ways recently after seven seasons as head coach, Rao takes over the role performed in the past few years by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Both appointments are part of the decision taken by the DC ownership to overhaul the coaching staff and the overall running structure of the franchise which has never won the IPL. The franchise has also decided not to renew the contract with Pravin Amre, who served as assistant coach and talent scout since 2014.”With the mega auction around the corner, my job, in collaboration with the rest of our coaching staff, is cut out,” Badani said in a franchise release. “I can’t wait to get started.”ESPNcricinfo has learnt the recruitment drive to bolster the coaching bench will continue with more assistant coaches and mentor to be appointed.As part of the restructuring, the co-owners of DC – the GMR Group and JSW Sports – will swap the operational leadership roles every two years for their teams in the IPL and the WPL; it means the GMR Group will take over the men’s team for the next two seasons and JSW Sports the women’s team for 2025 and 2026. Consequently, Ganguly will take over as director of cricket in the WPL for the next two seasons. Ganguly will switch back to the IPL from 2027 when JSW Sports will be back in charge. In a media statement on Thursday, the franchise said “key decisions like auctions, captaincy, player release and retentions of both teams will be made by the Delhi Capitals’ board, and will be decided mutually by senior leadership of both groups.”Why Hemang Badani?
While the appointment of Badani, who played four Tests and 40 ODIs, is expected to arouse curiosity, the former Tamil Nadu captain has been a successful coach in the domestic T20 circuit. After being part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squads in the initial few years, Badani was the head coach at Chepauk Super Gillies, who have won four TNPL titles, one of which was shared. With them, Badani played a key role in the development of young players like R Sai Kishore, the current Tamil Nadu captain.That experience played a role in Badani joining the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coaching staff in IPL 2022. He also has coaching experience in overseas T20 leagues: with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in 2023, when they won the inaugural SA20 title, and with Jaffna Kings, who won the most recent season of the Lanka Premier League. He was the head coach at Dubai Capitals (also owned by GMR Group) who finished runners-up in the ILT20 this January.Rao, who played 16 ODIs between 2005 and 2006, was part of Deccan Chargers’ IPL – winning squad in 2009 and has also been part of Dubai Capitals, first as mentor in the inaugural season and then as director of cricket.

Manchester United restored some sense of pride on the final day of the Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen, who scored from the spot, both got on the scoresheet to secure three points for the Red Devils after their disappointment in Bilbao.

Ruben Amorim delivered his speech to the supporters inside the ground after the full-time whistle and stated that Manchester United can overcome any situation and that they will strive to bring success back to the club next term.

United ended the 2024/25 campaign with no trophies added to the cabinet, and they will be without European football next season, which could also be seen as a potential positive to ease their schedule and allow them to focus on domestic success.

In order to get the club competing at the top of the table again, though, Amorim will need to be backed by the board to improve his squad, as the current players have simply not delivered enough on the pitch.

One player who should be replaced, as a regular starter at the very least, is centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund, who has not done enough to suggest that he can be relied on.

Why Manchester United need to replace Rasmus Hojlund

The Danish marksman arrived from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 in a deal that was reported to be worth up to £72m, which immediately put high expectations on the striker.

However, Hojlund had only scored nine goals in the Serie A during the 2022/23 campaign and arrived at Old Trafford as a young striker with the potential to improve, rather than a ready-made star who was likely to hit the ground running.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old attacker has not kicked on in the way that the club would have hoped for when they decided to splash a significant amount of money on his services two years ago.

Appearances

30

32

xG

7.64

5.24

Goals

10

4

Minutes per goal

217

506

Big chances created

0

4

Assists

2

0

As you can see in the table above, Hojlund had a fairly decent first year in the Premier League with a return of ten goals in 30 games, but he has regressed throughout his United career to date, scoring just four times in the league this season.

A return of four league goals and zero assists in 32 appearances is simply not good enough. Not good enough for the Red Devils, and not good enough for a striker who was signed for £72m two years ago.

This is why Amorim must look to replace Hojlund as a starter, either with a player in the squad or by dipping into the summer transfer window. However, one player who may not come in to replace him is reported target Viktor Gyokeres.

Why Man Utd may not sign Viktor Gyokeres

Despite working with the United boss at Sporting, the Sweden international may not be a realistic target for the Premier League giants this summer after they failed to secure European football.

Prior to the Europa League final, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested that moves for Victor Osimhen and Gyokeres could be taken off the table by a failure to land a Champions League place due to financial limitations.

Chalkboard

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

The reporter said: “He loves Gyokeres and Gyokeres loves Amorim, for sure. But for Man Utd we say it for [Victor] Osimhen and for Gyokeres too – it depends on the budget, how much they can invest, how much they can spend and what happens with European football.”

Sporting’s star number nine has been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal, who will both be in the Champions League next season, which could make it incredibly difficult for United to outbid them or convince the striker to pick a move to Old Trafford over playing European football.

Failing to sign Gyokeres would be a shame, given that the 26-year-old star has scored 96 goals and provided 28 assists in 101 matches for Sporting, but Amorim could forget about Hojlund and the former Coventry City ace by unleashing Kobbie Mainoo in a new role.

The new role Kobbie Mainoo should play for Man Utd

Whilst this may sound like a crazy idea at face value, playing a central midfielder up front as an alternative to signing a striker with 96 goals in 101 games, it is a tactical move that could make sense for United in the short-term.

Teams have been successful in the past without having a natural number nine who scored 20-plus goals. Roberto Firmino, for example, only scored more than 12 Premier League goals in one of his seasons at Liverpool, and they won the title and the Champions League during his time there.

The Brazil international was so effective for Jurgen Klopp because he brought technical quality and ingenuity in a false nine role, which was perfectly complemented by having two inside forwards, in Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, who could deliver goals on a regular basis.

Mainoo, who was described as a “generational talent” by Hojlund, is a technically excellent footballer who can offer similar qualities to Firmino in that role, and United are reportedly closing in on Matheus Cunha, who would be perfect to play alongside the England international as part of a Klopp’s Liverpool-esque front three.

Appearances

33

25

Starts

29

19

xG

8.63

0.77

Goals

15

0

Big chances created

13

4

Assists

6

0

As you can see in the table above, the Wolves star has the goalscoring and creative quality to be a terrific addition as one of the number ten options behind the striker, which could make him the Salah or Mane to Mainoo’s Firmino.

Whilst the United star’s haul of zero goals and four ‘big chances’ created may not immediately catch the eye, he did create those chances in just 19 starts whilst mainly playing as a central midfielder, and the star showcased his composure and quality in the box against Lyon int the Europa League.

Mainoo scored three goals from just 0.89 xG in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, which suggests that he does have the potential to finish chances efficiently, and he would have more opportunities to find the back of the net whilst playing as a false nine.

Therefore, United could forget about Hojlund and Gyokeres by unleashing the academy graduate in a new role next season, utilising his technical quality and intelligence to combine with the goalscoring quality that Cunha and Bruno Fernandes can provide behind him.

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This could be a cost-effective, short-term, solution to Amorim’s Hojlund problem, due to the financial blow of missing out on Europe, and save the club from having to spend money on a less-than-ideal striker alternative to their big targets, which could set them up to go big on a new number nine next year if they work their way back into European football.

تحدث روبين سيليس، المدرب المساعد السابق لـ ييس توروب بكوبنهاجن الدنماركي، عن مدرب الأهلي الجديد بعد التعاقد مع فريق القلعة الحمراء في منصب المدير الفني.

وقال سيليس في حوار لقناة “الأهلي”: “توروب مدرب يتمتع بسمعة كبيرة على المستوى الأوروبي، عندما عملنا معا في نادي كوبنهاجن الدنماركي، استطاع أن يجري تغيرات كبيرة في عقلية الفريق”.

وتابع: “مدرب كبير وهادئ وأعاد الفريق إلى الانتصارات، فيما يتعلق بالعمل الذي قدمه توروب عندما وصل إلى أوجسبورج الألماني قدم عملاً كبيرًا”.

طالع| ملامح طريقته وقرار حاسم.. ماذا دار في مران الأهلي الأول تحت قيادة ييس توروب؟

وكشف: “توروب مدير فني يمتلك عقلية وفكرة واضحة في اللعب، قائد يستطيع يدير الفريق بشكل كبير، شخصية قوية ويستطيع أن يدير مجموعة من اللاعبين الكبار، بكل هذه المقومات اختيار توروب لكي يكون مع الأهلي هو اختيار موفق”.

وأكمل: “توروب يمتلك إمكانيات فنية كبيرة، يلعب بطرق لعب متعددة في الدنمارك، يحب يركز أكثر على التمركز في عمق الملعب، قادر على تغيير طريقة اللعب داخل الملعب عندما تكون الكرة معك، هو مدرب مرن تكتيكًيا كما نقول”.

واختتم: “إذا كان يدرب فريق بحجم الأهلي فأعتقد سيكون له أفضلية كبيرة في المباريات، وله رؤية وأعتقد سيحقق نتائج كبيرة، تحدثت مع توروب قبل أسابيع من تولي مقاليد الأمور في الأهلي من خلال بعض المحادثات لقد بعث لي بخبر أنه سيتولى تدريب الأهلي، تفاجأت بهذه الخطوة لأنه عمل طوال مسيرته في أوروبا، هو مدرب يحب التحديات الكبيرة والجديدة، وأعتقد أن سيحقق نجاحًا مع الأهلي الفريق الكبير بنسبة 100%”.

Liverpool won hearts and minds with their Premier League title victory and could now be on the verge of ratifying one of the summer’s most exciting deals.

Liverpool make an instant impact in the summer window

The dust has started to settle on Liverpool claiming a second top-flight title of the modern era. Still, there have already been significant developments at Anfield in the early part of the summer window.

Jeremie Frimpong arrived to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold on Merseyside, and that only appears to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential movement in both directions.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has confirmed that Liverpool have £250 million to spend if they so wish without any threat of FFP involvement, which has paved the way for some exciting deals to occur over the next few months.

“Liverpool are in an excellent financial position. They didn’t spend very much in the 24-25 season, and they have the benefits of Champions League football next season. If they spent £250m, that would not be a problem.”

Liverpool transfer targets in pictures

Arne Slot made minimal changes last summer, but he has now identified Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon as a top target at Anfield, even if he will cost around £80 million to lure from the North East.

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Finding themselves in the perfect position to kick on, Liverpool will be aware that their rivals are also tooling up with some intriguing signings, setting the scene for a brilliant Premier League title fight next term.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the Reds are on the verge of completing a landmark deal ahead of the new campaign coming into focus.

Romano: Liverpool agree deal to sign Florian Wirtz

Taking to social media platform X, Romano revealed that Liverpool have now agreed a deal in principle to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and he will now head to England for his medical.

With personal terms and other formalities already agreed, it is understood that the Germany international will join for a fee of around £127 million, inclusive of add-ons.

Compared to Lionel Messi by Gerhard Struber, Wirtz registered 16 goals and 15 assists across 46 appearances in all competitions last term, and Reds journalist Paul Gorst said he will be a “statement signing”.

Notably, he earns around £73,300 at Bayer Leverkusen, a figure that will be expected to increase exponentially once his switch to Anfield is officially confirmed.

Weeks of overwhelming speculation surrounding Wirtz have become the early story of the window. Nevertheless, he now appears set to link up with Slot in a deal that will reverberate around the world.

Sanjiv Goenka, the Lucknow Super Giants owner, did not give much away about his team’s retention plans and captain KL Rahul’s future with the franchise, but admitted that the upcoming mega auction will mean the team “resets” in some aspects ahead of IPL 2025.Speaking to the media in Kolkata alongside newly unveiled mentor Zaheer Khan, Goenka said LSG’s retention decisions will not be made with a short-term view.”All decisions are medium-term and need to be thought of carefully,” he said. “When you have a mega auction you are bound to have a reset. But you try and maintain as much of the core as possible. The coach Justin Langer continues, [support staff] Lance Klusener and Jonty Rhodes will also be there. So it is a question of improving and going further from where you are now.”Rahul, the LSG captain since the team’s first IPL in 2022, was in Kolkata this week and met Goenka. Goenka did not get into the details of their conversation, but called Rahul “family”.”I have been meeting KL on and off regularly over the last three years,” Goenka said. “Frankly I am surprised this meeting is getting a lot of attention [in the media]. He is integral [to LSG]. He has been here since the inception. For me personally and for [my son] Shashwat [Goenka, who is also involved in running LSG], he is like family.”After two playoff appearances in IPL 2022 and 2023, LSG missed the playoffs for the first time in the 2024 season, finishing seventh on the table because of a poor net run rate. It was the first time the franchise did not have the services of mentor Gautam Gambhir, who had moved to Kolkata Knight Riders. In the coming season, Goenka believes Zaheer’s presence “will do wonders” for the team.”Beginning of a new relationship. Zaheer has impressed me as a player, coach and strategist,” Goenka said. “His hunger for success is something that attracted me to bring him into the LSG franchise.Zaheer Khan was formally named Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor on Wednesday•Sreshth Shah/ESPNcricinfo

“A couple of weeks ago, I realised he wasn’t with any cricket franchise. I called him up. We spoke. He agreed. And he’s here. It’s as short and as quick as it gets. We are very excited to have him on board.”Zaheer, who had been associated with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022 as director of cricket and head of global development, said he will serve in a similar role at LSG. He said he was particularly impressed with the “building blocks” put together by a “young franchise in only three years”, and felt that he shared the owners’ vision.”Yes it happened exactly in the same words how Mr Goenka explained. We got on a call and realised we have a similar stance on many topics about cricket,” Zaheer said. “We discussed the direction, the culture, the brand the team wants to play. The building blocks are already in place. It’s a relatively young franchise but it doesn’t seem like that. Reaching playoffs in this fiercely competitive league isn’t easy and [seeing their progress] gives me confidence.””It is a team game, so I will be serving the team in every capacity possible, and yes, it includes bowling. If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?” he said with a smile. “When you see LSG, their journey is only three years but they are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The building blocks are in place and we need to take them forward. Decision-making will be something we’ll work on, since it is something that can differentiate teams.”As it stands, LSG’s roster includes Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Naveen-ul-Haq and Devdutt Padikkal, among others. The teams are expected to know the IPL’s retention rules in early September, after which they will decide on whom to retain, possibly with a late-November deadline, before the mega auction leading into IPL 2025.

Perry hits 65 in chase but can’t prevent Phoenix’s 12th consecutive women’s Hundred defeat

ECB Media27-Jul-2024Meg Lanning won the battle of the Australians at Lord’s, scoring her first half-century in the Hundred as London Spirit overcame Birmingham Phoenix, despite Ellyse Perry’s innings of 65 in reply.The 16,641 crowd – the fifth-highest in the history of the women’s Hundred – were treated to a competitive affair in the sunshine, momentum shifting this way and that as the big names on both sides took it in turns to stand up and be counted.Phoenix – off the back of 11 consecutive defeats in the Hundred – looked set to spring a surprise and take it deep, and perhaps even pull off a memorable upset, but the required run-rate got away from them and three late wickets for Sarah Glenn sealed the deal for Heather Knight’s side, who have now won two from two this season.”It felt like it got a bit more tricky as it went on,” Lanning said. “Birmingham Phoenix took the pace off a little bit, and the wicket was pretty conducive to that, so it felt like it was a bit more difficult than we had thought but it ended up a competitive total.”With the ball it was about bowling pretty straight at the stumps and taking pace off the ball. We thought Phoenix used that really well so we wanted to do that right from the start, and we were able to hold our nerve when Devine and Perry were going. We just had to hold our nerve and we knew a chance would come.”Earlier, Spirit – wearing a special shirt to mark their partnership with Transport for London – set off like a train. Lanning, Georgia Redmayne and Cordelia Griffith all found the boundary with regularity. Griffith’s consecutive sixes off Emily Arlott, one whipped into the Mound Stand with no shortage of flair, a particular highlight.Off the back of her winning half-century at Utilita Bowl on Wednesday, England captain Knight added to her side’s momentum and ultimately Phoenix would have been happy to restrict Spirit to 147 for 9, with a bigger total looking likely earlier in the innings.The smart money would likely have been on Spirit to defend their total with relative ease but Perry and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine jangled a few nerves with their partnership of 89, especially when Devine dispatched Sarah Glenn for two sixes over the leg-side.The equation with 20 balls left was 40 runs required for Phoenix, but the boundaries dried up and Glenn’s last set of five ensured London Spirit ended day five of the Hundred top of the table with a 100% win record.

Key players, squads, schedule and salaries – all your questions answered in one place

Sruthi Ravindranath03-Nov-20208:20

Women’s T20 Challenge: A stage for young Indian talent to shine

When and where will the Women’s T20 challenge take place?This tournament, like previous editions, will take place during the IPL playoffs. The three teams – Supernovas, Velocity and Trailblazers – are set to play three matches between November 4 and 9 in Sharjah, with the final scheduled on November 9 at the same venue. Three matches start at 7.30 IST (6pm local time). The only day game will be the second one, which will begin at 3.30pm IST (2pm local time), on November 5. Like the eight IPL franchises, the women’s contingent also underwent a mandatory six-day quarantine at the team hotel in addition to being tested at regular intervals. They were allowed to train only after that.Why is this year’s edition important?Though short, this tournament is significant for women’s cricket. The T20 World Cup earlier this year was a huge success and was expected to have a knock-on effect for the women’s game around the globe. Last year’s T20 Challenge was in Jaipur and had a good crowd turnout. However, the coronavirus pandemic meant everything came to a standstill. The India Women’s team hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup final against Australia on March 8, and it increasingly began to look like the players wouldn’t have any top-flight cricket for the remainder of the year. This tournament, then, could be one of the few competitive games they play.For the longest time, it was also unclear if the tournament was on until the BCCI confirmed the squads in October. This could have probably been a bigger event – the BCCI said in February it would involve four teams – had it not been for the pandemic. Mithali Raj, one of the three captains, welcomed the tournament, despite its clash with Australia’s WBBL, calling it a “relief”.The T20 Challenge is a platform for talented players to make a mark and spend time with non-India internationals. Teenager Shafali Verma was among the brightest players in last year’s tournament; it got her a maiden T20I call-up for the series against South Africa later that year and she has continued to impress since.Smriti Mandhana goes for the big one•BCCIA title sponsorFor the first time ever, the tournament will have an exclusive sponsor, with Jio bagging the rights. Getting a title sponsor could hint at the BCCI possibly exploring the branding potential of the tournament. If successful, it could mean bigger things to come.How does the clash with the WBBL affect the T20 Challenge?The WBBL, which began on October 25, features several of the game’s top players from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; all of them will miss the WT20 Challenger. Players from Australia – the largest overseas contingent in the one-off exhibition match in 2018 – and South Africa had missed the 2019 edition too. However, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka and England players will feature this season. Seven of the 12 overseas players will feature in the tournament for the first time.What are the three teams like, how do they stack up against each other? Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj will once again lead the three teams – Trailblazers, Supernovas and Velocity.Two-time champions Supernovas have a strong Indian batting line-up led by Kaur, with Jemimah Rodrigues, who was Player of the Series in 2019, offspinner Anuja Patil and wicketkeeper-batter Taniya Bhatia. Their spinners Poonam Yadav and Radha Yadav are among the top 10 in the T20 bowling charts. Their overseas contingent has Sri Lankan captain Chamari Atapattu and former captain Shashikala Siriwardene, experienced West Indies seam bowler Shekera Selman and the South Africa quick Ayabonga Khaka.Supernovas squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues (vice-capt), Chamari Atapattu, Priya Punia, Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shashikala Siriwardene, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayushi Soni, Ayabonga Khaka, Muskan Malik
Coach: Mamatha MabenLast year’s runners-up Velocity are a mix of youth and experience. Captain Raj aside, they have the likes of middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy, wicketkeeper-batter Sushma Verma and pace-bowling allrounder Shikha Pandey, all India caps. They will team up with South Africa’s Sune Luus, New Zealand’s Leigh Kasperek, England’s Danni Wyatt and Bangladesh’s Jahanara Alam. The uncapped Meghna Joshi has been named a replacement for India pacer Mansi Joshi, who had tested positive for Covid-19. They also have Verma and 21-year-old uncapped offspinner Sushree Dibyadarshini.Velocity squad: Mithali Raj (capt), Veda Krishnamurthy (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Sushma Verma (wk), Ekta Bisht, Shikha Pandey, Devika Vaidya, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Manali Dakshini, Leigh Kasperek, Danielle Wyatt, Sune Luus, Jahanara Alam, M Anagha, Meghna Singh
Coach: Suman SharmaMandhana’s Trailblazers have England’s Sophie Ecclestone, the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler, West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun, and India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami in their ranks. They also have Thailand batter Nattakan Chantam, who made an impression with her strokeplay during her team’s maiden T20 World Cup appearance in Australia earlier this year. The Indian contingent includes allrounder Deepti Sharma, opener Punam Raut and youngsters Harleen Deol and Richa Ghosh.Trailblazers squad: Smriti Mandhana (capt), Deepti Sharma (vice-capt), Punam Raut, Richa Ghosh, D Hemalatha, Nuzhat Parween (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Jhulan Goswami, Simran Bahadur, Salma Khatun, Sophie Ecclestone, Nattakan Chantam, Deandra Dottin, Kashvee Gautam
Coach: Nandita AdhiyaShafali Verma clubs one to the off side•BCCIWhat is the schedule of matches?Supernovas vs Velocity, November 4
Velocity vs Trailblazers, November 5
Trailblazers vs Supernovas, November 7
Final, November 9The second game is the only one which takes place on an IPL match day, with the first Qualifier set to take place on November 5 between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals. That is why this will be the only day game in the Women’s T20 Challenge.Who are the uncapped India players to look out for?Kashvee Gautam (Trailblazers): The 17-year-old Chandigarh pacer made headlines after she picked up all ten wickets – including a hat-trick – in an innings in the Women’s U-19 One-Day Trophy earlier this year. Having done well in U-19 and U-23 tournaments before, this is her first appearance in the T20 Challenge.Ayushi Soni (Supernovas): The 20-year-old Delhi allrounder captained a successful India B side at the U-23 Challenger Trophy last year.Sushree Dibyadarshini (Velocity): The offspinner made a mark on her T20 Challenge debut last year when she snuffed out West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor in her second over and finished with figures of 3-1-14-1. The 23-year-old features regularly for India A.Can we expect big scores?The Sharjah pitch was a batting paradise for teams in the first half of IPL 2020, which saw totals in excess of 200. However, there was a marked slowing down of the surface as the tournament went on.How much are the players being paid?ESPNcricinfo understands that the match fee of a section of overseas players is estimated to be around USD 2500 per player per game, and a daily allowance of around INR 5000 INR (USD 67 approx.). All Indians, uncapped or otherwise, were understood to have been paid a base amount of at least INR 1 lakh last year as match fee, but the numbers for this year are not known.