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The U.S. wants to be one of the world's top teams, and they got a close look at what that looks like on Saturday

The opportunity was there for the taking. The U.S. men's national team were up a goal and moving towards halftime, having largely gone toe-to-toe with a giant in Germany. It was a bright start headlined by a stunning Christian Pulisic finish. The USMNT were, deservedly, ahead.

But that's the thing about teams like Germany: all they need is one moment to turn games. It's what happened on Saturday as the U.S. conceded just before the half and, Germany, to their credit, never looked back.

That's what good teams do: they seize chances and don't look back. It's something the USMNT is still learning, and Saturday will be another harsh lesson in just how far there is to go.

For years, the USMNT have been talking about wanting to be an international power, about wanting to be a team that's respected on a bigger stage. Well, they got a close look at a powerhouse on Saturday, and they were given a reality check that showed them that they still have much to learn.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Pratt & Whitney Stadium…

• WINNER: Christian Pulisic

  If Pulisic was brimming with confidence before this match, he'll be feeling even better after it.

  The 25-year-old's goal was a stunner, no doubt. A fantastic run and an even better finish from the USMNT star, who scored a superstar-worthy goal. At the time, the USMNT were going at Germany, and the strike felt like it could be the start of something.

  It wasn't. Germany turned it on from that moment and never really looked back, but that shouldn't diminish the fact that Pulisic, on his own, was pretty damn good in this match.

  For years, the U.S. has waited to see what Pulisic could look like when riding a bit of confidence from the club level. His goal on Saturday gave a glimpse into what that look like, and the U.S. will be hoping that continues for a long, long time.

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  LOSER: Chris Richards

  Chris Richards may very well be the USMNT's centerback of the future, but he was unable to make the most of his opportunity to really solidify his place as the USMNT's centerback of the here and now.

  Richards has been fantastic for the USMNT this year and had earned this chance to prove himself against higher-tier competition. Against Germany, though, he looked like a player struggling to get minutes in the Premier League at the moment.

  Richards was somewhat exposed as he struggled to cope with a different level of attackers, but that's not a knock against him. Germany are, in fact, a very good team, but it was clear that their attackers were too much for the Crystal Palace defender.

  Richards will go back to the drawing board after this one as he still finds himself in a very competitive centerback race. There will be more opportunities for him to lock up a starting spot before the Copa America, but he didn't do anything of the sort on Saturday afternoon.

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  WINNER: Tyler Adams

  It's not often a player's stock rises when he isn't in camp, but this match showed exactly why the USMNT needs Tyler Adams.

  Without that dedicated No.6 in the XI, the USMNT was exposed by Germany, particularly on the first goal. Adams would never have allowed Germany to waltz around on top of the box like that, and he would have been instrumental in organizing the team around him as the game wore on and Germany's pressure continued.

  The USMNT's big issue is that, as things stand, Adams is irreplaceable. They have yet to truly find a Plan B, even if there are a few in this camp that could benefit from a chance to earn a spot as his understudy.

  Playing Gio Reyna as a No. 10 will work in some games, but Germany are too good of a team for that to work against. This match cried out for Adams, and, unfortunately for the USMNT, he wasn't there.

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  LOSER: Sergino Dest and Joe Scally

  It was not a good day for the USMNT fullbacks.

  We'll start with Dest, who had the most highs and lows out of the two in a somewhat typical performance as he started the match inverted at left-back.

  The attacking output was there. The defending? Not so much. Dest was burned by Leroy Sane on the first goal and held Niclas Fullkrug on for the second. For all the good he did getting forward, and there was plenty of good, Dest's defensive issues were once again exposed by a good team.

  "To me, it's not so much about Sergino," Berhalter said. "It's about just not pinning them in well enough and then opening up the field or losing the ball too quickly and now he has to go back. We want him getting forward, we want him being aggressive, but when you lose the ball quickly, there's a lot of distance now to travel backwards."

  Scally, meanwhile, struggled too much on the ball in his big chance at right-back. His passes were nowhere near good enough and he turned the ball way too much, which, ultimately, comes back to kill you against a team like Germany.

The club has built quite a foundation with three massive signings, but those signings will need complementary pieces to let them thrive.

Inter Miami have spent the last few weeks assembling the Barcelona All-Stars. David Beckham's side is collecting Camp Nou icons like Infinity Stones. The club's got three now – Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – if they can add Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta, they may just snap the rest of MLS out of existence.

It's an exciting prospect, of course. The players the club has signed and may sign in the weeks to come are players that have played, and won, at the highest level. They're some of the best at their respective positions in a generation. How could they not thrive in MLS?

Building a winning team isn't that simple, though. MLS is no longer a retirement league and, even when it was, the league was tough to those that treated it like it was. Several of the game's greats have struggled once arriving in North America, overwhelmed by the pace of play, travel, weather and more.

That's not to say that Inter Miami's new superheroes will struggle too. They're great players with great mindsets that appear to be arriving in MLS with the best of intentions. However, Miami's path to success may not really be determined by Messi, Busquets and Alba, but rather the pieces they put around them. This club is in last place in the Eastern Conference, after all. There's so much work to be done from top to bottom.

Miami have made the big signings – and boy, have they been big – but how they go about uplifting the rest of their squad will ultimately define this team over the next few years.

GettyA general history lesson

MLS has had a long list of stars arrive since Beckham broke the mold back in 2007. Players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, David Villa and Robbie Keane have dominated the league, showing why they were top stars during their time in Europe.

Others, though, have struggled, particularly in Busquets' position in midfield. Players like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo – all icons of the game – had rough experiences after arriving in MLS at the ends of their careers.

NYCFC, who signed Villa, Lampard and Pirlo for their inaugural season, learned their lessons quickly. With Lampard and Pirlo together in midfield, the club had no legs in the center of the park. Defensively, Lampard and Pirlo simply couldn't keep up, with the former often injured, and NYCFC's midfield unit looked like a glorified traffic cone because of it.

Gerrard, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with the pace of play in the league, admitting the whole experience was tougher than he expected.

“It’s a lot better than I initially thought,” Gerrard told Eurosport International. “A lot of people talk about the MLS, about the level, but for me a lot of them are wrong. Until you come here and sample it yourself, you see how strong it is and how fit and professional the players are.

"Every single game is a different challenge. On the road, you come up against places and teams where it is very hot and very humid. Some teams play on astroturf. So, each game is very tricky and very difficult."

He added: “If people think they can come here just to have a holiday and retire, they are wrong, because they won’t perform well and they won’t do their team justice. I have had to come here and work hard and get fit, to make sure that I keep performing to play well.”

AdvertisementGettyModern times

Much has changed since Gerrard, Lampard and Pirlo left the league. MLS has only gotten younger, better and faster.

The average age of players in MLS is about 26 years old, with La Liga's being about 27. Homegrown players are popping up all over MLS, while the Designated Player rule is now often being used to target young, high-upside rising stars.

Players like Miguel Almiron, Taty Castellanos and Jhon Duran have been signed and solid for late transfer fees. Homegrown stars like Alphonso Davies, Ricardo Pepi, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson are playing at a top level in Europe, too. Jesus Ferreira, Thiago Almada and Riqui Puig, meanwhile, are all young stars dominating in the here and now.

The league has rapidly evolved from a retirement league to a talent developer, with the league finding a new place in the global marketplace thanks to the rise of young stars like those named.

That's not to say there hasn't been a place for veteran stars. This isn't an absolute by any stretch. Familiar faces like Xherdan Shaqiri, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, Lorenzo Insigne and Christian Benteke are in the league, after all. At the end of the day, there are different approaches to roster building and team construction, leaving a place for teams to add strong, veteran leadership in the form of older stars.

None of those named, though, are Messi, Busquets or Alba. That trio is as decorated as it comes. Still, all three will face some challenges in Miami.

Getty ImagesA look at Messi

MLS is one of the few leagues in modern soccer that still plays with a good ole' fashioned No. 10. The league is littered with them, many of them Argentinian. Luciano Acosta, Emmanuel Reynoso and Sebastian Driussi are all excellent. Carles Gil and Lucas Zelarayan do unthinkable things from an attacking midfield position.

Messi is undoubtedly better than all of those mentioned above. None of those players are even close to the World Cup winner. Messi is, obviously, a different level of player, one that just won everything in Qatar and could take home the Ballon d'Or.

On the field, Messi should, generally, be just fine. It remains to be seen if Tata Martino plays him as a winger or centrally but, either way, he'll have license to drift. He'll have to deal with some physicality from the lesser-talented players he'll be facing, but it's nothing he hasn't dealt with before while playing for Argentina, PSG and Barcelona.

Still, Miami could run into the problems PSG faces often throughout Messi's run. With Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar leading the attack, the club got zero pressing from its front three. Argentina's team, meanwhile, was built around Messi, famously giving him a "bodyguard" in Rodrigo de Paul who would do the running for him.

That'll be key to getting the most of Messi: surrounding him with players who can run. And that leads us to Busquets…

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Getty ImagesIs Busquets the right fit?

There's no doubting Busquets quality. He's perhaps the most underrated player of his generation. As No.6s go, there are few who can go toe-to-toe with the ex-Barcelona man. There is that famous quote from Vicente del Bosque explaining his magic: "You watch the game, you do not see Busquets. You watch Busquets, you see the whole game."

The big problem, though, is that Busquets' big moments with Del Bosque came at the 2010 World Cup. In the years since, Busquets has been incredible, but time comes for us all.

Busquets is now 35 and very much on the tail end of his career. He was never known as an elite athlete, which makes his decline significantly more manageable. He was known, though, as an elite thinker, which is what has always drawn him to the brightest minds the game has to offer. That footballing intelligence won't abandon him anytime soon.

Still, there are some things you can't think your way out of. Busquets' talents can only go so far, especially with Messi offering so little defensively ahead of him. Miami will need runners if they are to survive against the athletes that tend to populate MLS midfields, and Busquets isn't that.

There are ways to counteract that. The Chicago Fire turned Bastian Schweinsteiger into a centerback in his final years, allowing him to still dictate play while hiding his lack of pace. Could that be the best way to get the most out of Busquets, maybe as the middle player in a back three? Maybe.

As a No.6, though, Busquets will face challenges, although those challenges could be made easier depending on who is played next to him. He'll need a pitbull on his side, for sure.

If Miami can get that right, though, there's no doubt what Busquets can do to impact a game. The good work he does may not be noticeable but, if Miami leave him exposed without the right pieces next to him, his decline over the coming years could be there for all to see.

Glenn Maxwell has been fined by Australia’s team leadership group for his criticism of Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig03-Dec-2016

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has criticised Glenn Maxwell and the team leadership group have fined him an undisclosed amount for comments deemed disrespectful to the team’s gloveman and Victoria captain Matthew Wade.In what Smith clearly hoped would be the end of an unseemly episode that began when ESPNcricinfo reported Maxwell had tried to leave the Bushrangers for New South Wales outside the approved window to do so, he explained that he had told Maxwell and the team as a whole that more respect had to be shown for each other. Smith also declined to confirm whether Maxwell would be playing on Sunday, stating only that he was “available for selection”.”Everyone was disappointed in his comments, I’ve expressed that to him myself and spoke to the team,” Smith said on Saturday ahead of the first Chappell-Hadlee ODI. “One of our values is respect, having respect for your team-mates, your opposition, your fans, your media.”I thought what he said was very disrespectful to a team-mate and his Victorian captain. The leadership group got together and we decided to fine Glenn, we thought that was sufficient punishment, so we’ve gone down that path. I was disappointed with the comments that he made.”Maxwell had stated that it was “painful” batting behind Wade in the Victorian Shield batting order, among sundry other comments about his uncertain role in the state team and his ambitions to return to the Test team. “Wadey was pretty disappointed as well like all the other players,” Smith said. “I talk about a respect for your team-mates and particularly the captain of your state, and he was disappointed.”[Maxwell] was a little bit shattered with what he said. I don’t think he thought the words came out the way they actually did, but we’ve moved on from that now, we’ve fined him and expressed our disappointment, but moving on and trying to focus on this game tomorrow.”Smith is believed to have been one of the players Maxwell canvassed about moving to NSW during the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour earlier in the year, but he was not interested in re-opening the discussion on Saturday. “I’m not really concerned with that right now,” Smith said. “It’s about getting through this season, and if things happen like that at the end of the season we’ll deal with that then.”Maxwell’s sanction did not meet with universal approval. Notably he was supported in his words by Mitchell Johnson, who has been a critic of punitive action against players since he was one of the four players suspended from a Test match in India three years ago – something the coach Darren Lehmann also criticised at the time.Turning his attention to New Zealand, Smith said the combination of cagey experience and pace-filled youth in the visitors’ bowling line-up would have to be watched closely. “They’ve got some quality players in their line-up, a lot of the time they bat around Kane Williamson, he’s the glue in their middle order,” he said.”They’ve got some dangerous players up top in Guptill or Latham if he plays up top. They’ve got some experience in their bowling line-up in Southee and Boult and some pace in this young fella I’ve heard about, Ferguson. They’re a quality team and we’re going to have to be at our best.”One figure Smith is eager to command once more is the fast man Pat Cummins, making his latest return to the team amid a string of injuries. “He bowled pretty quick in the nets yesterday, he bowled beautifully in the Matador Cup at the start of the season, and he’s got that x-factor about him,” Smith said. “He bowls with great pace and good aggression and I think he’ll complement the other quicks really well and hopefully have an impact in this series.”

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada became the first player to scoop six awards at CSA’s annual dinner, including the coveted South African cricketer of the year prize, surpassing AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, who had previously won five each. Not only is Rabada the only player to notch up that many awards, but he is also the youngest to win the main prize. The only major award Rabada did not win was the T20 cricketer of the year, which went to legspinner Imran Tahir.

Award winners

• Cricketer of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• Test cricketer of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• ODI cricketer of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• T20 Player of the year: Imran Tahir

• Players’ Player of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• Fans Player of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• T20 delivery of the year: Kagiso Rabada

• International newcomer of the year: Stephen Cook

• Women’s cricketer of the year: Dane van Niekerk

• First-class cricketer of the season: Heino Kuhn

• One-day cup cricketer of the season: Alviro Petersen

• Twenty-over player of the season: Albie Morkel

• Domestic players’ player of the season: Heino Kuhn

• Domestic newcomer of the year: Nicky van den Burgh

• Africa T20 Cup player of the year: Lungi Ngidi

• Coach of the year: Rob Walter

• CSA Fair Play award: Cobras

• SACA MVP: Dwaine Pretorius

In his first full international season, the 2015-16 summer, which was a largely underwhelming period for South Africa’s men’s team, Rabada racked up the second-best match figures by a South African in Test and ODI cricket. His 13 for 144 against England at Centurion in January has only been bettered by Makhaya Ntini, who took 13 for 132 in Port of Spain in 2005, while Rabada’s 6 for 16 on ODI debut against Bangladesh in July last year, a performance which also included a hat-trick, was only surpassed by Imran Tahir, who took 7 for 45 against West Indies in June 2015.That Rabada managed all of this in a time when South Africa were also without two of their experienced seamers – Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander were both injured for large parts of the previous summer – only added to Rabada’s achievement. “With injuries to our main fast bowlers during this past year, he has had to step up and lead the attack. How brilliantly has he done that,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA CEO said.Rabada’s performance also earned the players’ and fans choice awards. He shared speckles of the limelight with Tahir, whose 16 T20 wickets this year put him on top of the South African pile in the format, and batsman Stephen Cook. Despite only playing one international in the 2015-16 season, a Test against England, Cook won the international newcomer of the year award for his century on debut in the only Test South Africa won in the season.”This may not have been the best year for the Proteas in a team sense but there have been some great individual performances, especially from newcomers to the side,” Lograt said. “Temba Bavuma and Stephen Cook, who are other award winners this evening plus Quinton de Kock have all recorded their maiden Test centuries.”Bavuma won a sponsor award for his performance but de Kock went empty-handed, despite being the leading run-scorer in the domestic twenty-over competition. Albie Morkel, who led Titans to victory in that competition, was named T20 player of the year. Titans also had two other winners. Heino Kuhn, who became the sixth South African to score more than 1,000 runs in a first-class season, won the first-class award and outgoing coach Rob Walter, who will take over at Otago Volts, from September, was named coach of the year.The only trophy Titans did not win last season was the one-day cup, which Lions claimed. The leading run-scorer in that campaign Alviro Petersen was awarded in that category.

ScorecardDale Steyn collected 3 for 22•Getty Images

A four-wicket haul for Michael Hogan and Dale Steyn’s first three wickets for Glamorgan allowed their team to set up a simple victory against visitors Hampshire.Dismissed for just 141 off 18.3 overs the Hampshire total was chased down by Glamorgan with relative ease. A second successive T20 fifty from Aneurin Donald allowed Glamorgan to reach the victory target with 23 balls remaining as a lively Cardiff crowd cheered their side home.Having bowled just one over in Wednesday’s defeat to Essex, Hogan was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers as the Hampshire batsmen struggled to get him away. Steyn returned at the end of the Hampshire innings to claim the wickets of Gareth Berg, Gareth Andrew and Tino Best but it was Hogan that ripped the heart of the visitor’s batting. Coming on first change he dismissed both openers, including the dangerous James Vince who looked well set when he was bowled by Hogan for 27.The Hampshire total could have been a lot less if not for the late order hitting of Shahid Afridi. Coming to the crease with his 93 for 5 in the 13th over, Afridi made 32 from 20 balls before he too fell Hogan, well caught at long-off by Colin Ingram.The top-scorer in the Hampshire innings was Adam Wheater who offered some stability after the big names at the top of the order failed. His innings of 39 off 26 balls looked like it was going to be the base around which a competitive total could be built but when he was stumped off the bowling of Dean Cosker it left too much for the lower order to do.Hampshire would have been hopeful of mounting a defence of this total when they reduced Glamorgan to 9 for 2 in 2.1 overs. Despite the loss of both David Lloyd and Jacques Rudolph they did not slow up. Having made his first T20 half-century against Essex on Wednesday, Donald made it two in two with 55 runs from 27 balls. But he was lucky to make it that far; he top-edged a ball from Best that landed between three fielders and then he hit the same bowler straight to Darren Sammy at midwicket when on 34 and the West Indies T20 captain dropped an easy chance.Donald shared an excellent stand with Colin Ingram worth 94 from just 54 balls which finished the game as a content. Ingram departed soon after Donald to leave two new batsmen at the crease, but by then the required rate was down to just over four an over. Even the loss of Graham Wagg for just two runs was not enough for Hampshire to claw their way back into the contest, with Chris Cooke seeing the home side the victory.

It wasn’t quite a ‘Malcolm Devon’ moment, when in 1989 Ted Dexter, then England’s chairman of selectors, got into a muddle over the fast bowler’s name, but there was some uncertainty as Trevor Bayliss met England’s latest pace bowler, Jake Ball for the fi

Andrew McGlashan13-May-2016It wasn’t quite a “Malcolm Devon” moment, when in 1989 Ted Dexter, then England’s chairman of selectors, got into a muddle over the fast bowler’s name, but there was some uncertainty as coach Trevor Bayliss met England’s latest pace bowler, Jake Ball, for the first time.The England Test squad were amassing for fitness sessions at the national academy when, in the fairly unglamorous location of a Loughborough corridor, they greeted each other.”I bumped into him in a corridor in my Notts gear and shook his hand and I don’t think he quite knew who I was,” he said. “I passed him, went up and got my England kit and he said ‘it’s Jake isn’t it?’ It wasn’t how I planned it to go but we then had a nice chat and he told me to carry on what I’m doing for Notts and see where it take you. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it goes.”Earlier this week, Ball said it would be “unbelievable” to earn an England call-up – despite the hype that had built during the early rounds of Championship matches which meant it felt inevitable – and he admitted to being taken aback when James Whitaker gave him the news.”I had just had a chocolate tart from the Lord’s lunch which I nearly chucked up over James Whitaker,” he said. “Words can’t describe the emotions I was going through. When I went back up to the dressing room all the lads knew what had been going on and everything went quiet when I walked in and they were all delighted for me. It was a special moment.”Ball’s opportunity has come, in part, due to injuries to Mark Wood – who he has known for a long time and played a lot of second XI cricket with – and Mark Footitt, but with returns of 19 wickets at 21.15 so far this season he would have been pushing for recognition even with others available. It is quite a rise for a bowler for who 2015 was his first substantial Championship campaign.”If you speak to most players they say it comes round quicker than you expect,” Ball said. “Things snowball and get out of hand and that is what happened this year. If you told me at start of the year I would be in the team for the first Test I would have laughed but said ‘yeah, okay then.’ I am just trying to soak it all in and enjoy every minute.”Although Bayliss may not have been sure who his newest recruit was, there was not a complete ‘new-school’ feeling for Ball as the squad convened. His brief England Under-19 career in 2010 came in a side that included Joe Root, and the only one of the squad he has not played with or against is captain Alastair Cook – although he decided the first day together as a full England group was not the time to remind Root of the first-baller against him in the recent Championship match.”I didn’t want to dent his confidence before the coming series,” he joked. “It was nice get him out and that’s when you start to realise where you are as a bowler. I’m sure I’ll bring it up over the next few weeks.”Though Ball may yet have to wait a little longer for the that first cap – it is between him and Steven Finn for the final pace-bowling slot – he added that the overall experience of the match against Yorkshire, which was televised and included 14 internationals, added to his belief that he was ready for the top level.”I think going into it, having had the start against Surrey and Manchester and the media hype was starting to snowball. I felt not under pressure but I wanted to put my best performance in, in front of the Sky cameras, in front of all the pundits and a lot of media attention with Root and [Stuart] Broad playing. When it came to bowling, to put that performance in gave me a hell of a lot of confidence and it went on from there.”I feel my game is at a place where it has never been before and I’m really comfortable with the way I go about my game and how I prepare. I still have a way to go but in terms of confidence and what I could offer the team, yeah, I feel ready to go.”

West Ham United are expected to move on from manager David Moyes before the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign.

Will West Ham sack Moyes?

There are now just 12 games remaining in West Ham's Premier League campaign as they find themselves battling at the wrong end of the table.

However, with the international break now nearing its conclusion, the Hammers have stuck with their 59-year-old manager for the time being.

There have been reports throughout the campaign that the Scottish manager's time at the London Stadium was under significant threat amid their poor form.

And speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, journalist Toby Cudworth has suggested that the Hammers will have moved on from Moyes by the time the next campaign begins:

"[David] Sullivan felt that if there was anybody who was going to get West Ham out of the mess that they're in, it was probably David Moyes, and that's why he's not been sacked to this point.

"However, it is our understanding that at the end of the season, come what may – even if West Ham are relegated or if West Ham stay in the Premier League – David Moyes is not going to be continuing at West Ham."

Should West Ham stick with Moyes?

It now feels as if the potential opportunity to move on from Moyes this season has passed with the international break the perfect time for a club to assess their situation.

That was seen in north London as Tottenham Hotspur made the decision to relieve Antonio Conte of his duties with 10 games left in their season.

However, up to now, the Lilywhites are yet to bring in his permanent replacement with Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason set to take charge until the end of the campaign.

And that carries significant risks with neither coach bearing much experience as a first-team manager throughout their careers.

This was potentially part of the Hammers' thinking over the last week-and-a-half with their situation being a lot more precarious than that of Spurs given their league position.

The results under Moyes have not been great this season with the comparison between this campaign and last season showing a lot to be concerned about.

However, if there was no favourable option out there on the market for West Ham, then sacking Moyes could've posed a huge risk as they look to maintain their Premier League status.

On paper, West Ham would appear to have one of the stronger squads amid the bottom nine sides and certainly one of the most experienced managers.

And with this in mind, sticking with Moyes could see the 59-year-old rely on his experience to pull the Hammers out of danger with a couple of wins potentially taking them up to 12th spot in the table.

There is a lot at stake for West Ham in the final weeks of the season, however, it does feel like a small run of good form could be enough to drag them out of danger.

Newcastle United have sealed their first Premier League victory since mid-January and Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the improved attacking presence his team provided in the moments that mattered this evening.

The Magpies brought their Champions League dreams back to life by snatching all three points from Wolverhampton Wanderers as they have moved into fifth and sit just four points behind Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand on their positional rivals for the top four spot.

Despite having less possession at St James’ Park today (42%), Newcastle had far more shots on goals (19 v 7), created more big chances (3 v 1) and completed more successful dribbles (13 v 11) all an attribute to the impressive attacking performance Howe’s side put on in front of the home support.

Howe made two incredible changes to his starting XI with Joe Willock and Alexander Isak completely transforming the pace of play and attacking threat throughout their displays, a far cry from the lethargic and uninspiring performances seen of late from the Magpies.

Isak finally got his opportunity to replace Callum Wilson in the centre-forward role and didn’t disappoint when he found the back of the net in the 26th minute to give Newcastle the lead.

A miscommunication between Kieran Trippier and Nick Pope cost the home side their lead in the second half when Hwang Hee-Chan took advantage of the blunder with an equaliser in the 70th minute, however, super sub Miguel Almiron saved the day just nine minutes later to secure the victory on Tyneside.

Whilst Isak’s impact was undoubtedly a huge part of Newcastle’s redemption, running the Wolves defence ragged particularly in the first half, it was the opportunity given to Willock due to Joelinton’s suspension that put the side in a comfortable position against their opponents.

How did Willock perform vs Wolves?

The 23-year-old midfielder has been rarely seen in recent games with only 63 minutes of action in the last four ahead of today’s clash but there is no doubt that Willock would have given his manager a headache worth having when putting together his team sheet next week.

Over his 90-minute performance, the former Arsenal ace proved to be an all-action asset in the middle of the park.

Indeed, he registered the pivotal assist for Almiron’s winning goal, stabbing the ball into the path of the Paraguayan who duly slotted past Jose Sa.

During his 49 touches, the midfielder completed 21 accurate passes, of which two were key, and won six duels.

In completing four dribbles, winning two tackles and an interception too, it was a fitting performance with Joelinton missing. The Magpies needed a combative willing presence and that’s precisely what they got from the 23-year-old.

Newcastle United correspondent Thomas Hammond took to Twitter to heap praise on Willock for his outstanding display:

“Joe Willock btw, unreal, so important to how we play and put on a show today.”

Indeed, the £80k-per-week rising star may have been selected based on Joelinton’s absence, however, Willock has definitely proved to Howe just how valuable and influential he can be in the centre of the pitch and has surely done enough to earn more game-time over the remaining 13 fixtures.

Before Morne Morkel celebrates a wicket, he looks up at the big screen to double check that he has not overstepped. Before he celebrated his 300th Test wicket, he may have double checked with a little more trepidation.But when Morkel saw that his foot was behind the line and Shaun Marsh had nicked off, he celebrated with more gusto than usual. Animated air punches and screams of delight were followed by a group hug with his team-mates and some personal time to acknowledge the crowd.He had done it. Morkel had reached 300.”It’s a special feeling, especially because I am the world record holder for the most [wickets off] no-balls,” Morkel joked afterwards. “When I got the first one, I had to turn around and see if it was a legal delivery. And then second one and third one. To reach it is something I have worked hard on for a long time and to get it at this amazing venue made it even better. It meant quite a lot to get that wicket. I have really worked hard. I wasn’t blessed with natural talent to run up and hit a length. For me, over the 12 years it’s been a lot of hard work. To get that was an achievement, I was proud of myself to get that milestone.”Morkel could have had 315 Test wickets to his name to date, but the 14 missing from his record were taken off no-balls and he has now found a way to laugh them off. But only now that he has reached the 300 mark in what is his penultimate Test.Before this series began, Morkel announced his retirement at its end and by midway through the contest, he may have thought his career was over already. He was left out of the second Test at St George’s Park after a relatively indifferent performance in the first match at Kingsmead. His replacement, Lungi Ngidi, bowled well and was set to play at Newlands before a toe niggle kept him out and gave Morkel the chance for what could be a final hurrah.”You think about those sorts of things, especially with Lungi and the guys bowling so well. Luckily for me, I got an opportunity with Lungi picking up a small niggle and I knew it was my Test match to do it,” Morkel said. “I put in a lot of hard work over the week, especially in PE. I sat down for hours and analysed my Durban spells and things I needed to improve on and worked hard.”Morne Morkel removed Steven Smith in the third over after lunch•AFP

Morkel’s challenge has always been to get his lengths right because he tends to err on the shorter side, given his height. At Newlands, where he found extra bounce from the Wynberg End, that length worked and for once, Morkel could just be himself. “Of late, the Newlands wicket, there is a little bit of extra bounce.There was a little bit of extra bounce on a fifth stump line. It was my game plan to run in and hit an area quite hard and trying to get some extra bounce and there were one or two cracks as well,” he said.That bounce and those cracks have led Morkel to believe that the strip will become more difficult to bat on as the match goes on and that with a lead of around 60, South Africa can look to apply pressure on Australia. But first they need one more wicket and though Morkel has 301 to celebrate, it’s the scalp he still needs to get that he is most concerned about.”The main thing for me is to stay in the moment. There’s still a second innings, a Test match to be won and still one more in Jo’burg and that’s my focus. I want to be part of this team to beat Australia for the first time in South Africa. That’s my goal,” he said.And it is his last goal as an international cricketer. Winning a World Cup is not something Morkel has given himself the opportunity to experience, because he is leaving the stage before then. Winning a Test Championship is also not something he will do, though his recent form and fitness suggest he could keep playing. “My body is still feeling great. Mentally I am still feeling fantastic. I am still feeling good. I can still play for a coupe of years. But it was a family decision. I’ve made that call, once you’ve made your mind up, you can’t really turn back on your decision. I’d rather go out on a high now than having a few average games and the love is gone.”Right now, the appreciation for Morkel is everywhere, especially on the big screen.On day one, it regularly showed images of Morkel’s long-time team-mate Dale Steyn sitting at Newlands, wearing Morkel’s one-day shirt with the number 65 on it, supporting it. “That’s very special. To see a team-mate that has been beside me for so long supporting me was amazing,” Morkel said.On day two, it showed Morkel’s wife, Roz Kelly, and their two-year old son, Arias, applauding his achievements.For the next three days, it will show many others, sending Morkel off with warm hearts. And it will also show some replays of Morkel and the line, which he will keep double checking if he thinks he can add to his tally.

England quick Anya Shrubsole has become the first woman to feature on the cover of

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2018

Following a landmark year for the women’s game, in which the most high-profile Women’s World Cup ever was won by England in a thrilling climax in front of a packed house at Lord’s, 2018 has begun with another ground-breaking accolade. Anya Shrubsole, whose six-wicket haul led England to victory over India in the final, has become the first woman to feature on the cover of .Wisden

Shrubsole is pictured in the familiar primrose hues of the Almanack, holding the Women’s World Cup aloft at Lord’s. Her spell of five wickets in 22 balls had ripped the trophy from India’s hands, as England held on for a nine-run win amid scenes of high drama.It was seen as a watershed moment for the sport, following the advent of professional contracts and increased profile of competitions such as the Kia Super League and Women’s Big Bash League. Lawrence Booth, editor of , said that Shrubsole was the standout candidate to be showcased on the 2018 edition, which will be published in April.”The choice of Anya Shrubsole as Wisden’s cover star for 2018 was reassuringly easy,” Booth said. “She’d bowled the spell that won England the World Cup, so in my mind it was going to take something pretty extraordinary to topple her from the perch. And the fact that she wasn’t a token pick was important.”Women’s cricket underwent a revolution in 2017, so if we weren’t going to reflect that with a photo of an English cricketer brandishing a global trophy, we might as well have given up and said cricket is for men only and always will be. The old-school pick might have been Steve Smith, but cricket has moved beyond that now. Anya was thrilled when I told her, and to judge by the instant reaction on Twitter this morning a lot of people are thrilled on her behalf.”In a similar move, has chosen to put two members of the India side who made it to the Women’s World Cup final – a high-fiving Sushma Verma and Shikha Pandey – on the cover of its 2018 edition.The tradition of putting a photo on the sleeve of the Almanack only began in 2003, with Virat Kohli last year’s cover star. In 2009, Claire Taylor became the first female to be named one of ‘s Five Cricketers of the Year, awarded for performances during the preceding English summer. A number of players from the side led by Heather Knight, including Shrubsole and star allrounder Nat Sciver, are potential recipients in 2018.