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Bangladesh’s spinners did their job, setting up a modest chase, but no batter apart from Nigar Sultana came good

Srinidhi Ramanujam11-Jul-2023

Deepti Sharma turned in an inspired bowling show, returning 3 for 12•BCCI

Bangladesh lost their last five wickets in the space of eight deliveries to fall eight short of India’s 95, giving India an unbeatable 2-0 series lead in the T20I series being played in Dhaka.Deepti Sharma and Minnu Mani spun a web around Bangladesh, with the two offspinners combining for five wickets, before Shafali Verma bowled an excellent last over with the game still in the balance.India escaped the blushes after posting only 95 for 8, their lowest total in T20Is against Bangladesh.In the chase, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana threatened to take the game away from India, with a responsible 55-ball 38, but was dismissed in the penultimate over with the team needing ten off eight balls.Shafali then picked up three wickets in the final over – which also featured a run-out – to finish the game.Overall, there were 35 overs of spin bowled in the match – the joint-second-highest in a women’s T20I, and 16 wickets fell to spinners.Fahima Khatun was outstanding on the day, returning 2 for 16 from her four overs•Raton Gomes/BCB

India made to toil for runsWhen Harmanpreet Kaur decided to bat first, she conceded that the team was looking to post 150 and defend it with spin, with the game being played on the same track as the first T20I. However, from having an opening stand of 33 in just 4.1 overs, India suffered a batting collapse and then huffed and puffed to 95 for 8.Varma started aggressively, hitting three fours in a row off pacer Marufa Akther – the only seamer used by Banglades. Then just when Smriti Mandhana seemed to get going, with a four each in the fourth and fifth overs, she fell to Nahida Akther’s slow left-arm spin, missing the length looking for a slog sweep. One down became three down in the final over of the powerplay when offspinner Sultana Khatun dismissed Shafali and Harmanpreet in two successive balls. She then picked up the wicket of Harleen Deol to end with 3 for 21. Fahima Khatun, meanwhile, returned 2 for 16.India toiled for runs throughout the game – there was not a single boundary from overs six to 13 – with Bangladesh spinners utilising their familiarity of conditions to tie the visitors down. Jemimah Rodrigues and Deol consumed 21 balls each to increase the tempo but couldn’t reach double digits. Amanjot Kaur, at No.8, notched up two boundaries in her 17-ball 14 to somewhat lift India.Bangladesh, on the other hand, were also excellent in the field, evident when Shorna Akther took a low running catch to remove Yastika Bhatia and then when Sobana Mostary back-pedaled to take a stunning catch to send Amanjot back.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nigar’s resistance and India’s spin showOn a ‘spin to win’ surface, Harmanpreet used five spinners, including part-timers Rodrigues and Shafali to exert pressure. Overall, India bowled 19 overs of spin, with Pooja Vastrakar bowling just the solitary over. Minnu, playing her second international game, bowled four overs on the trot, including a maiden to finish with outstanding figures of 2 for 9. She removed opener Shamima Sultana in the second over of the chase, with a full delivery outside off stump, inducing a top edge to short fine leg. Ritu Moni became her second victim when she trapped her lbw, in the eighth.With the experienced Deepti operating too, India kept a lid on Bangladesh with regular wickets. Deepti scalped two and conceded just eight runs from her first three overs before taking the big wicket of Nigar in her final over.Barring Nigar, Bangladesh struggled to find runs easily. Nigar was calculative in her innings, to just rotate the strike and keep the scorecard ticking. Having lost four early wickets, she stitched a crucial 34-run partnership with Shorna and then put on 22 runs with Nahida for the fifth and sixth wicket, respectively. With 14 needed off 12 and five wickets in hand, Bangladesh were still in the game.But then came Deepti. After getting two lives – a catch was dropped, and a stumping chance was missed – Nigar was stumped by Yastika when she charged down the track and missed. When the equation came down to ten from six, Bangladesh fell like a pack of cards, losing four wickets in the 20th to hand India the series.

Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan are also likely to be retained by the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Oct-20245:23

IPL 2025 retentions: Shami a risky retention for Gujarat Titans?

Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.While the amounts for each player are not yet known, GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. If they pay more than INR 51 crore to retain five players, then the higher amount will be deducted from their purse.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Gill and Rashid were picked by GT before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. While Rashid got INR 15 crore (USD 1.807 million approx. then), Gill got INR 8 crore (USD 963,000 approx. then). While Rashid remains their lead bowling allrounder, Gill was given the GT captaincy for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.Related

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IPL retention: How many players can a team keep? And at what cost?

While the retention of 23-year-old Sudharsan ahead Mohammed Shami and David Miller might be a surprise, GT believe the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu is a long-term player who can perform a key role in the top order. Sudharsan, who was bought for INR 20 lakhs in 2022, was sixth highest run-maker in IPL 2024 with 527 runs with an average of nearly 48 and strike rate of 141. He is considered as a potential future Test player too by India’s selectors and the team management lead by Gautam Gambhir. It is learned Sudharsan was discussed as a candidate for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Tewatia and Shahrukh, both uncapped allrounders, were among the most expensive buys for GT and have been retained for their power-hitting ability in the lower-middle order. Tewatia, who was bought for INR 9 crore ($1.084 million approx. then) in 2022, has played several impactful knocks as a finisher and has been a key sounding board for GT’s leadership group with his knowledge the domestic Indian players. Shahrukh, who is also a part-time offspinner, is among the strongest hitters in domestic cricket and was bought in 2024 auction for INR 7.4 crore ($891,000 approx. then).

The NBA superstar's gesture saw Dynamo played decked out in his new signature shoe ahead of their Matchday 27 contest

• Solar Orange colorway pays homage to Dynamo
• Each player received personalized pairs
• The special edition shoes officially release on July 26

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• WHAT HAPPENED

  NBA superstar James Harden arranged for his yet-to-be-released adidas Harden Vol 9 "Dynamo" signature shoes to be delivered to the Houston Dynamo squad on Saturday. The LA Clippers guard, who spent nine seasons with the Houston Rockets, provided the specially designed footwear to each team member ahead of the shoes' public release. The colorway directly references the Houston Dynamo's iconic orange kits, creating a tangible connection between Harden's basketball legacy in the city and its professional soccer team.

  Harden himself is a co-owner of both the Dynamo and the NWSL side, the Houston Dash.

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• WHAT THE HOUSTON DYNAMO POSTED

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The collaboration between Harden and the Houston Dynamo represents the NBA star's ongoing connection to the city where he became a household name, despite now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, while keeping his ownership with the program alive and well, too.

  The Solar Orange sneakers feature Core Black adidas stripes and Collegiate Purple accents on the outsole pivot points, offering a similar colorway to that of the Dynamo and Dash brands.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The Adidas Harden Vol 9 "Dynamo" colorway will officially release to the public on July 26. The Dynamo, meanwhile, take on Tigres in the Leagues Cup on Tuesday.

MatériaMais Notícias

da aposte e ganhe： Depois de um acesso e um título estadual, o técnico Léo Condé está de saída do Ceará. A queda para a Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro acabou pesando na decisão de não renovar com o treinador, que tinha vínculo somente até este ano.

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da esport bet： ➡️ Tudo sobre o Vovô agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Ceará

Condé chegou ao Ceará em junho de 2024, tendo contrato até o fim daquela temporada. O Alvinegro estava na Série B e buscava o acesso à elite do futebol nacional, o que se concretizou na última rodada do campeonato.

Em 2025, o treinador foi campeão estadual com o Vovô diante do rival Fortaleza. Após as quedas na terceira fase da Copa do Brasil e na semifinal da Copa do Nordeste, restava ao clube a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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➡️ Análise: irregularidade causa um cruel rebaixamento para o Ceará

Em uma campanha marcada pela irregularidade, o Ceará não conseguiu se afastar efetivamente do Z4. Com a derrota para o Palmeiras e os demais resultados, o time foi rebaixado. A rodada final foi, portanto, a úica do clube na zona de rebaixamento.

A passagem de Léo Condé no Alvinegro durou 83 jogos. Foram 37 vitórias, 17 empates e 29 derrotas, com 103 gols marcados e 78 sofridos.

➡️ Ceará amarga rebaixamento e descumpre duas metas no ano

Ceará descumpre duas metas de 2025

Com o rebaixamento, o Ceará descumpriu a última meta esportiva que restava para a temporada 2025. Anteriormente, os objetivos foram alcançados em duas das outras três.

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Nas metas, anunciadas no fim do ano passado, a previsão era de título no Campeonato Cearense. Tal fato se concretizou, visto que a equipe superou o rival Fortaleza na decisão e ficou com o bicampeonato.

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BrasileirãoCearáFutebol Nacional

Stumps Seven balls after bringing the light meter out for the first time on day two, the umpires pulled the plug on the day’s play because of bad light. If that was somewhat abrupt, a third-umpire decision that took its time coming added drama to what turned out to be the last delivery of the day.Mahmudul Hasan Joy, on 38, decided to skip out of the crease to Dane Piedt, and missed the ball with his wild swing. The ball bounced a fair bit, and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne collected it in front of his right shoulder and whipped the bails off. The TV umpire saw multiple replays and concluded Mahmudul was not out – the bat was behind the line but in the air, but it seemed to have lifted after being grounded once. Verreynne’s expression showed how tight it was.Related

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The day belonged to Verreynne, who hit his second Test century in the afternoon session. That, combined with Wiaan Mulder’s maiden half-century and Piedt’s resistance from No. 10, took South Africa to 308 despite them being 108 for 6 at one stage. And with a cushion of a 202-run first-innings lead, Kagiso Rabada struck twice early in the second innings to have Bangladesh at 4 for 2, before a fightback from Mahmudul, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim.Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque fell for single-digit scores within the first four overs for the second time in as many days, as Rabada extracted plenty of pace and bounce with the new ball. His wickets came off back-of-a-length deliveries. In the third over, he got one to nip into Shadman, who inside-edged to short leg, where Tony de Zorzi took a sharp catch to his left. Three balls later, Mominul went defending but got an outside edge to third slip, where Mulder went low to grab a dipping ball.Mahmudul and Shanto added 55 to rebuild briefly, before Keshav Maharaj trapped Shanto in front. Maharaj got a full delivery to turn in from outside off, and Shanto, who had opened his stance up in looking to defend, was struck on his back leg, which was dragging towards off.Mushfiqur then hit an entertaining 31 off 26 deliveries in an unbroken stand of 42 with Mahmudul to ensure there was no further damage, although Bangladesh still ended the day 101 runs behind South Africa.Hasan Mahmud took two wickets in the first session•BCB

The advantage South Africa enjoyed was down to Verreynne. He swept every other ball that came his way, and when he finally missed one, he was stumped by Litton Das. That ended South Africa’s innings at 308 but by then, Verreynne had raced to his hundred. He took just 144 balls to score 114, becoming only the third wicketkeeper-batter from his country to get a Test hundred in Asia. Fittingly, the landmark came off a paddle sweep off Taijul Islam in the 86th over.Both Verreynne’s sixes were pumped once he was past the three-figure mark: one a slog-sweep off the wicketless Nayeem Hasan, and the other a pull off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Just before that, Mehidy had broken a frustrating ninth-wicket stand of 66. Piedt, who batted solidly, nudged and pushed his way to 32 before he was trapped in front off the 87th delivery he had faced. It turned in and he was given out on field. Piedt reviewed, and it returned an umpire’s call. And immediately after Verreynne’s second six, Mehidy slowed the ball down to have him stumped.Earlier, the overnight pair of Verreynne and Mulder took their seventh-wicket to 119. The pitch seemed to have settled nicely for batting on the second morning, with no apparent turn available for Taijul. Verreynne particularly looked assured against Hasan Mahmud, who had started the day alongside Taijul, nudging the pacer past mid-on for three, and clipping and driving him for boundaries.Wiaan Mulder made 54, his highest Test score•AFP/Getty Images

Taijul then had Mulder poking, only for the outside edge to fall short of slip. That had as much to do with Mulder playing with soft hands as the slowness of the surface. Mulder and Verreynne adjusted to the pitch, and calmly did the job against the spin of Taijul and Nayeem.Both batters used the sweep and the reverse sweep to great effect despite Nayeem turning the ball in appreciably on occasion. That was down to them taking a good stride forward to get to the pitch of the deliveries, and playing their shots with confidence. They played 38 sweeps – or reverse sweeps – against spin on the second morning, and got 59 runs off them, including seven boundaries and a six.Bangladesh posted a man close in at square leg to prevent the batters from earning easy runs from the sweep, and yet Verreynne got to his half-century when he drilled one to the man there. Mulder then got to his half-century at the start of the 64th over, when he cut Nayeem for four behind point.Shanto had brought Mahmud back into the attack, and he struck back-to-back blows. First, he pitched on a back-of-a-length outside off, the ball holding its line. Mulder went for the punch, but edged to wide slip. Next ball, Mahmud went much fuller, reversing the ball into Maharaj and beating his defence to uproot off stump.But Piedt, who was in next, not only denied Mahmud a hat-trick, but also annoyed Bangladesh no end.

For only the second time in T20s, a team went with four left-arm seamers in their XI, but the strategy worked wonders for Namibia

Deivarayan Muthu28-Oct-20212:43

Borren: Bit of technical frailty at the start from Scotland

The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi is cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. However, there was an air of excitement around the first match of Wednesday’s double-header, with Bangladesh facing pre-tournament favourites and holders of the 50-over world title England. The food joints were buzzing, as were the merchandise stalls, on a hot afternoon. Bangladesh fans even broke into jigs at the little picket fence enclosures on the grass banks when opener Liton Das cracked back-to-back fours.Once England smashed Bangladesh, though, a huge chunk of the crowd dispersed, missing a rip-roaring opening sequence from Namibia left-arm quick Ruben Trumpelmann later in the evening. The 23-year-old struck three times against Scotland in the first over, thrilling a handful of Namibia supporters who had stayed back to watch their side keep their World Cup dream alive.Related

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• Albie Morkel: 'Cricket was a dying sport in Namibia, but people have started watching again'

• Namibia keep dream World Cup run going

• The T20 World Cup is a lottery because the format favours upsets

It all started when Trumpelmann swerved one in sharply from over the wicket, tucked up George Munsey and had him chopping on for a first-ball duck. Trumpelmann let out a primeval roar, with his team-mates and the Namibia fans rallying around him.Trumpelmann then thumped out a hard length and angled it away from the right-handed Callum McLeod, having him feathering behind for a duck as well. Richie Berrington, who was captaining Scotland in the injury-enforced absence of Kyle Coetzer, was then pinned lbw by a full, fast inswinger. Bang. Bang. Bang. Trumpelmann roared once again and moments later wicketkeeper Zane Green jumped onto his back.This was only the fourth time in 1371 T20Is that a bowler had taken three wickets in the first over of a men’s T20I innings. Sure, Trumpelmann has a big inswinger, but it is his high-arm action and ability to skid the ball off the pitch that makes life more difficult for batters in these UAE conditions.ESPNcricinfo LtdTrumpelmann’s 3-0-11-3 helped Namibia restrict Scotland to 22 for 4 by the end of the powerplay. The damage proved irreparable despite Michael Leask’s 27-ball 44 from No.6. When Trumpelmann came back for the 15th over, he showed his range: bowling from wide of the crease, bowling cutters into the pitch and capping his spell with a wide yorker that squeezed underneath Chris Greaves’ bat.Scotland’s attack struck back to run Namibia close in a slim chance of 110, but it was Trumpelmann’s tone-setting spell that headlined the evening. It couldn’t have been any better and JJ Smit, who sealed victory with an unbeaten 32 off 23 balls, agreed with it at the post-match press conference.”That was something special – to take three wickets in the opening over,” Smit said. “We had them on the back foot from the first over. We can’t ask for more and we enjoyed that (laughs).”

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Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of Namibia vs Scotland is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Trumpelmann was born in Durban, grew up in Pretoria, and worked his way up age-group cricket at the Northerns. Albie Morkel, the former South Africa allrounder and current Namibia assistant coach, then convinced him to make a career for himself at Namibia. Trumpelmann’s father was born in Windhoek, which makes him eligible to play for Namibia, but that shift amid Covid-19 was tricky.”Yeah, I think it’s his father that is from Namibia. He actually took a while to get his Namibian passport,” Smit said. “Rocking up and down, he came to Namibia to get his passport and Covid happened and he was stuck there for eight months. So, yeah, but he finally got it and he can play for us. So, we enjoy it and we enjoy having him in the team.”Smit also spoke highly of Morkel’s contribution towards Namibia’s progress. “Albie’s contribution has been massive and brings that calmness to the team,” he said. “Our coach [Pierre de Bruyn] is a bit fiery and spicy. Albie is cool and calm like you can remember from the IPL and South African days. He’s experienced and just his calmness… I keep saying calm, but he’s really calm. He makes a lot of jokes and keeps us all involved.”When Smit was applying the finishing touches to the chase, every run drew cheers from the Namibian fans in the crowd. What’s the team’s message to them?”We’re so thankful for them. It cost them a lot of money to be here,” Smit said. “So, we are thankful and they mean the world to us and even the support back home. All the messages everyday… my phone doesn’t stop, so I don’t want to be in Ruben’s shoes tonight (laughs).”Namibia are playing their first-ever major tournament, but they are not here to make up the numbers, Smit insisted. Having won three successive matches against Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland, they believe that they can go deep into the tournament. They will next run into Afghanistan at the same venue on October 31.”I think if we qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup, there’s going to be a massive uproar in the cricket world,” Smit said. ” Like we know we can, it’s possible; we’re here at the Super 12s, and we’re enjoying it. We all believe we’re going to be here. For the next game, it’s just playing their spin well and their seamers. I don’t think we should just focus on their spinners – obviously they have three of the best spinners in the world – but the seamers are also highly ranked and come with a bit of pace.”Smit had also done his bit with the ball, as did fellow left-armers Jan Frylink and Bernard Scholtz. Michael van Lingen also pitched in with one over. It’s very rare that a team has four left-arm seamers in their XI at any level of cricket. So rare that only once before Wednesday has a team had four left-arm seamers bowling in a T20 innings – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz for Northern vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2020. Were Scotland caught napping by the pack of left-armers?”Look, I think they bowled extremely well upfront, ” Berrington said. “A first over like that makes it pretty hard to recover. Showed a lot of faith in the middle overs there, just unfortunate we couldn’t get enough runs on the board to give a chance in the second innings.”Left turned out to be perfectly right for Trumpelmann and co.

With Jaka Bijol already set to arrive from Udinese to hand Leeds United their second signing of the summer, the 49ers are now reportedly prepared to commence a bidding war to welcome an impressive teenage talent who’s been compared to N’Golo Kante.

Leeds set to sign Bijol as summer business ramps up

Whilst Leeds fans are currently being made to wait for the official announcement, an agreement has reportedly been struck to make Bijol a Leeds player and his unveiling now seems only a matter of time. The central defender is set to join Lukas Nmecha on what is a growing list of incomings at Elland Road this summer.

Away from the Serie A defender, the Whites have also been linked with moves for the likes of Douglas Luiz from Juventus and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hugo Bueno to replace the departing Junior Firpo.

Luiz instantly stands out as someone who would be an impressive signing. Whilst things haven’t worked out at Juventus, the Brazilian more than proved his worth in the Premier League with Aston Villa and could now be on his way back to English football courtesy of Leeds.

Meanwhile, Bueno’s arrival would also be important in its own right. With Firpo set to depart as a free agent this summer, Daniel Farke must welcome a fresh left-back option and Bueno would offer the German exactly that.

After enjoying an impressive season on loan at Feyenoord, the Spaniard could finally be ready to make his mark on the Premier League once again, even if away from Wolves.

It’s at Leeds that the 22-year-old could be joined by another young talent amid reports that the 49ers are ready to chase the signature of a midfield gem who’s received Kante comparisons.

Leeds prepared for bidding war to sign Atangana

According to GiveMeSport, the 49ers and Leeds are now prepared to launch a bidding war to sign Valentin Atangana from Reims this summer. The French side were relegated from Ligue 1 last season and the 19-year-old could now be available at an affordable price.

Leeds aren’t alone in the race to secure the midfielder’s signature, however, with Everton, Crystal Palace, Burnley and West Ham United all also eyeing summer swoops to sign Atangana.

A better signing than Muniz: Leeds prepare move for "clinical" £17m star

Leeds United appear to making moves for other strikers other than Rodrigo Muniz.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 20, 2025

The amount of interest in the young Frenchman should come as no surprise. Described as the next N’Golo Kante by French media, Atangana started 33 of Reims’ 34 Ligue 1 games last season and was a rare standout in what was otherwise a campaign to forget for the relegated French side.

Described as a “fantastic modern holding midfielder” by scout Jacek Kulig, Atangana is someone that Leeds should go all out for this summer.

Earlier in the day, Hilton Cartwright returned to bat having dashed off the previous evening for the birth of his child

Tristan Lavalette22-Oct-2024Josh Inglis continued his outstanding start to the Sheffield Shield season with another century before Western Australia’s attack tore into Tasmania late on day three at the WACA to close in on victory.After Inglis’ 101 helped WA to a 55-run first innings lead, recruit Brody Couch starred with three wickets to leave Tasmania in ruins at 135 for 9. There were echoes of last season’s final when Tasmania disintegrated late on day four, but they hung on before bad light ended play early.With a lead of just 80 runs, Tasmania are facing an inevitable defeat in a disappointment after they had restricted WA’s lead. But their fightback was short-lived after Couch removed opener Jake Weatherald in his first over.Much like during his impressive performance in Tasmania’s first innings, when he claimed 3 for 33 from 17 overs, Couch reached speeds of 142 kph and also picked up the wickets of Charlie Wakim and Brad Hope.Allrounder Aaron Hardie enjoyed his first wicket of the Shield season when he removed Jake Doran with a superb delivery that angled across and caught the edge of the left-hander’s bat.Having bowled just six overs in Tasmania’s first innings, Hardie is building up his bowling loads as he works his way back from a quad injury that ruled him out of the season opener against Queensland.Touted as a potential like-for-like replacement for injured Test allrounder Cameron Green, Hardie bowled lively short spells either side of tea to finish with 1 for 12 from six overs.Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli chipped in with the late wickets of Mitch Owen and Kieran Elliott as WA gained a stranglehold over a match that had ebbed and flowed over the opening couple of days.The start of the day’s play was delayed by 45 minutes due to light showers in what might be the last drops of rain seen in Perth for several months with oppressive heat imminent.WA eyed a sizeable first-innings lead as allrounder Cooper Connolly rolled to his third half-century from his first five innings in First Class cricket. After a watchful start, Inglis rediscovered his supreme touch from late on day two and cruised to his century following on from a rapid ton against Queensland.Inglis is arguably the in-form batter in the country, but does not appear to be in the Test frame given incumbent wicketkeeper Alex Carey is firmly entrenched. Such is his commanding form, Inglis could become a bolter to play as a specialist batter.But he fell shortly after his ton when he nicked off to allrounder Beau Webster, who led Tasmania’s rally having in his previous over claimed Connolly for 55.There had been uncertainty over whether Hilton Cartwright would bat after he dashed out of the ground at tea on day two with his wife in labour. She gave birth to a boy in the wee hours of the morning, but Cartwright shrugged off undoubted exhaustion to continue on from his unbeaten 52 after getting permission from the match referee and Tasmania to resume his innings.Cartwright was understandably scratchy and added 13 runs until he holed out off quick Riley Meredith. WA’s bid for a big lead evaporated, but it appears they are still headed for a comfortable victory after another vintage effort from their outstanding attack.

After submitting a fresh bid to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United have already reportedly turned their focus towards their next top target.

Newcastle "optimistic" after fresh Elanga bid

Having seen their first offer turned down for the Swede, it always seemed possible that Newcastle could return with a second attempt to sign Elanga. And soon enough, that has proved to be the case with reports now suggesting that the Magpies have submitted a second bid worth around £55m to sign the Swede.

Now reportedly optimistic that they’ll reach an agreement with Forest, Newcastle could be about to kickstart their summer business by adding the final part to what could be a scintillating front three alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.

Minutes

2,501

2,756

2,434

Goals

6

23

6

Assists

11

6

5

Successful Take-ons

25

42

38

One of the quickest trios that the Premier League is likely to see next season, Newcastle could yet retain their Champions League place and more in the next 12 months.

Nottingham Forest will be well aware of the quality that they will be losing if Elanga completes a summer switch to Newcastle, with Nuno Espirito Santo full of praise for his winger throughout the last campaign.

When asked about Elanga after the Swede scored an incredible solo goal against Manchester United in April, the Forest boss told reporters: “He’s a special boy and he gives this team his speed. He does it by himself and we are delighted.”

PIF believe 22-cap international will join Newcastle as £55m bid submitted

They could get their man at long last…

ByTom Cunningham Jul 4, 2025

That said, Elanga is unlikely to be the last through the door this summer. If reports are anything to go by, Newcastle and PIF have already turned their focus towards another top target even as negotiations continue over the winger’s signature.

Newcastle now prioritising Scalvini deal

According to The Times’ Martin Hardy, Newcastle are now prioritising a deal to sign Giorgio Scalvini from Atalanta once their deal to welcome Elanga is completed this summer. The 6’4 defender is reportedly valued at just £30m and is now among the Magpies’ top targets as they look to add another centre-back to their ranks.

Dubbed a “magnificent” centre-back alongside countryman Riccardo Calafiori in the 2023/24 season by scout Jacek Kulig, Scalvini could now join the Arsenal man in the Premier League.

Since the 23/24 campaign, the towering Italian has only pushed on and could hand Newcastle a bargain deal at just £30m. Given that Fabian Schar is now 33 years old too, it should be seen as a very real possibility that 21-year-old Scalvini could break into Eddie Howe’s best side if he completes a summer move.

Alongside Elanga and James Trafford, the Atalanta defender would make it three impressive signings for the Magpies in a summer which initially looked destined to be full of frustration.

Poor you. Haven’t heard of the Hundred then?

Alan Gardner16-Aug-2021The Hundred is here, bat slung casually over one shoulder, proudly wearing a cricket:team t-shirt and with its official merch snapback turned to face the other way – very much a “How do you do, fellow kids?” kind of vibe. And don’t worry, if you had any doubts about whether cricket could be considered a cool sport, they’ve now been fully dispelled.The game’s fourth format (although it’s technically recorded as T20 – more on that later) has arrived to take the world of sports entertainment by storm. “Not a fan of cricket? That’s okay! We’re not that bothered about it ourselves. Look, we’ve got fireworks and a band! Plus a DJ… We’re all about the choons!” If you turn up during the afternoon, it’s basically just a kids’ party with some human billboards promoting snack foods in the background. Of course, it then descends into something more like a kegger once the grown-ups have indulged on their fruit juice for a few hours…Still, are we not entertained? (Don’t answer that unless you’re a nine-year-old with a guileless smile.) The take-no-prisoners approach has been most evident on the TV broadcasts, which tries to sex up and dumb down at the same time – and remember this is still cricket we’re talking about, a sport which is both too clever by half and about as sexy as a librarian in galoshes. (It’s fine if that’s your thing, we’re not here to judge.)Related

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Obviously a bit of flannel for a new enterprise is to be expected – in the early days of the Light Roller, we liked to describe ourselves as “like the Briefing, but funny” – but some of the Hundred’s coverage would make the editor of wince. Kass Naidoo, brought in to anchor Sky’s coverage, seems a very personable sort, but her habit of standing in front of an empty stand while hailing the “great crowd today” is bold, to say the least. You suspect even Prof Pangloss might recommend toning it down.Meanwhile, a cavalcade of former players have picked out choice spots on the bandwagon – and some are noticeably more objective than others. The astonishment with which Andrew Flintoff greeted a decent crowd for Old Trafford’s first fixture would suggest he’d never even been to a T20 Blast game, never mind played in several (including bringing out the Freddie-as-Jesus pose to rapturous applause at Finals Day a few years back). Kevin Pietersen, too, seems ready to lose the run of himself every time he steps into the pod. But maybe he’s just excited at being back in the ECB’s good books.And the product itself? Well, if you think of it as 20 five-ball overs with one or two quirky playing conditions and a real fetish for timekeeping, it all looks suspiciously like T20. Which, you may have noticed, was already quite successful. But then some clever folk thought New Coke was a good idea too.

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To Bangladesh. Which is not a phrase you hear Australians utter very often. And perhaps that’s understandable, what with the gulf between the sides, the inevitable mismatches, lop-sided scorelines, and so on. Anyway, after the conclusion of Bangladesh’s 4-1 win in the T20Is, reports emerged that Justin Langer was involved in a “heated confrontation” with a staffer from cricket.com.au, after Cricket Australia’s media arm posted a video showing the home team celebrating enthusiastically, while being politely applauded by the visitors. But what was it that got Langer in such a stew? Was Australia’s coach perhaps hoping that, with the series not being broadcast back home, people might not find out about the result? Maybe he felt the humility being displayed by the Australians fell short of “elite”? Either way, as the wags on Twitter have pointed out, if you don’t want people to laugh at the fact you got thrashed by Bangladesh, you should try not getting thrashed by Bangladesh in the first place.

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To Bangladesh… at some unspecified date in the future. That is what’s been agreed between the ECB and the BCB, after they announced that England’s limited-overs tour scheduled for later in the year was postponed. Is it a coincidence that this removes a clash with the IPL, meaning England’s players will now be able to participate in the rearranged second half of the tournament? Or maybe someone at the ECB simply spotted the aforementioned footage on cricket.com.au? We’ll let you be the judge.