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Plays from the second ODI between India and Australia in Brisbane

Melinda Farrell15-Jan-2016The TrendsetterThere was widespread mirth at George Bailey’s choice of a wide-brimmed canary hat in the first ODI. The man himself referred to it, with tongue in cheek reverence in the post-match press conference, as the Coloured Floppy. While it may never reach the status of the Baggy Green, the Coloured Floppy is catching on. Bailey’s teammates, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch ditched their caps in favour of the sun-smart option. While the likes of Greg Chappell, Mark Waugh, Michael Bevan and Terry Alderman also wore wide-brimmed hats, the great Richie Richardson was brave enough to bat in one and, therefore, remains the undisputed Floppy king.The Run Out: Part 1Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli provided the backbone for India’s innings in the first ODI in Perth and they hardly played a false shot as they looked to be heading for another big partnership. But, just as they appeared to be in full control, Kohli pulled to fine leg. However, a hint of hesitation in his push for a second run proved costly. Kane Richardson fired the ball straight into the gloves of Matthew Wade and Kohli’s sprawling dive left him a foot short of the crease.The DRS square upIn game one, India’s spurning of the DRS cost them the valuable wicket of George Bailey. This time around it saved them the valuable scalp of Rohit. Joel Paris served up a fine delivery that shaped away outside off stump and drew a faint edge from a prodding Rohit. A confident appeal from the entire Australian team was turned down and subsequent replays revealed a sharp spike on Snicko. Rohit was on 89 and went on to make 124. Paris was denied his second international wicket.The Run Out: Part 2From the moment of his let off, Rohit – in magnificent form – looked certain to carry his bat and pass 150 in back-to-back matches. In the end he was undone by his own eagerness and a touch of bad luck. Rohit was at the non-striker’s end when Ajinkya Rahane drove straight back to the bowler, James Faulkner, who just managed to get a touch on the ball. It shaved the stumps and Rohit, backing up, was left stranded with a wonderful innings cut short.The Dropsies Shaun Marsh was living dangerously. The opener, on 19, didn’t quite get hold of a Jadeja ball and sent a lofted drive straight to Ishant Sharma at long-on. Running in, Ishant attempted to take the catch at midriff height with fingers pointed down only to spill a relatively simple chance. The groans of the crowd were repeated in the following over when Rahane, fielding in the slips, couldn’t snaffle a far more difficult chance. Marsh, on 22 this time, flashing hard and edging R Ashwin over Rahane’s head.The SurvivorMarsh, showing cat-like survival skills, lived on through two more incredibly difficult chances. One off a beautiful flat pull shot that was heading to the rope before a flying Barinder Sran somehow got hands to the ball. Then another put down in the slips, this time a diving Manish Pandey unable to grasp an outside edge off Ishant Sharma.

Stats highlights from the first day’s play of the first Test in Dunedin between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

Bharath Seervi10-Dec-20152 Number of instances of New Zealand making 400 or more on the opening day of a Test, before their 409 for 8 today. They scored 452 for 9 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2005-06 and 429 for 7 against Sri Lanka in Christchurch in 2014-15. Also the run rate of 4.54 the end of the day is their fifth-highest in the first innings of a Test.40 Consecutive Test innings Martin Guptill went without a century, before his knock today. His last hundred was 109 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2011-12. Between these two centuries, he made eight fifties with a best of 97 against West Indies in North Sound in 2012. In the same period he made seven hundreds in 64 ODI innings.1997 The last time a New Zealand opener made 150 or more in the first innings of a Test, before Guptill’s 156 in this match. Bryan Young scored 267 not out against the same opposition in the same city, but at a different ground, Carisbrook. Overall, it is the fifth instance for New Zealand, and all have been against Asian teams – three against India and two against Sri Lanka.5 Number of New Zealand players who have taken more innings to reach 2000 Test runs than Guptill’s 70 – Daniel Vettori (96), Richard Hadlee (91), Adam Parore (83), Ken Rutherford (79) and Chris Cairns (73). Guptill became the 26th New Zealand player to reach this milestone and the joint sixth-slowest with John R Reid. His average of 30.37 is the fifth-lowest among all the New Zealand players with 2000 or more runs.173 The partnership between Kane Williamson and Guptill, New Zealand’s highest for the second wicket against Sri Lanka in Tests. It bettered the one between Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson at the P Sara Oval in Colombo in 2003-04 by one run.13 Number of scores of 85 or more for Williamson in international matches this year, which is the joint-most by a batsman in a calendar year with Aravinda de Silva (1997), Sachin Tendulkar (1998), Tillakaratne Dilshan (2009) and Hashim Amla (2010). It was Williamson’s 19th score of 50 or more in international matches this year in 42 innings, the second-most behind Joe Root who has 20 such scores in 45 innings. Williamson is already the leading run-getter in international matches this year.15 Consecutive Tests in New Zealand in which the team winning the toss opted to field first, including Sri Lanka in this Test. The last time any team batted first here was New Zealand against Pakistan in Wellington in 2010-11.98 Tests played by Brendon McCullum, without missing any since his debut. He equals AB de Villiers’ record of playing the most consecutive Tests from debut.19 Number of sixes hit by McCullum in Tests against Sri Lanka, the most by a batsman against them, bettering Navjot Sidhu’s 18 sixes. Sri Lanka is also the opposition against whom McCullum has hit the most sixes: he has 18 against England. His Test strike rate of 78.67 against Sri Lanka is the second-highest among all batsmen who have faced 500 or more balls against them.

Paul Pogba admits that his relationship with ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was “like boyfriend and girlfriend”, as they squabbled regularly.

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• Frenchman returned to Old Trafford in 2016
• Record-breaking deal done by Portuguese coach
• Did not always see eye-to-eye in England

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  French midfielder Pogba became the most expensive player in world football when completing an £89 million ($116m) transfer to Old Trafford in 2016. It was Mourinho, fresh from taking on the Red Devils’ managerial reins, that put that deal in place.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pogba, who had left United as a free agent in 2012 and headed to Juventus, enjoyed a productive debut campaign on his return to England as Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League trophies were lifted. He was, however, to butt heads with fiery Portuguese coach Mourinho.

• WHAT POGBA SAID

  Mourinho was sacked in December 2018, with Pogba telling the of why his relationship with the demanding tactician was not always smooth sailing: “Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend, we were breaking up and making up all the time. It started great, he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him and he convinced me to come back.

  “I don’t know why it turned into a nightmare and us fighting. Because I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t start the fight. We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him. If I see him tomorrow it’s a big hug! But one day we will have to sit down together and discuss it.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Pogba was critical of Mourinho’s supposedly conservative tactics, with it suggested in 2021 that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss treats players like they “don’t exist”. World Cup winner Pogba – who is now back at Juve – has been discussing his career after seeing a four-year doping ban reduced to 18 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It could be a long summer transfer window at Everton, who are already reportedly eyeing a move to sign a midfielder who could replace Amadou Onana, should the Belgian decide to leave Goodison Park in the coming months.

Everton transfer news

In an ideal world, Everton wouldn't need to sell players of Onana's quality, but without the completion of a takeover and concerns over even more FFP sanctions, the Belgium international is reportedly a player they are willing to sacrifice in a big-money sale with the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain interested in his signature.

Everton struck gold on "top-class" signing who's worth more than Phillips

He’s catapulted himself into a key player under Sean Dyche this season.

By
Ethan Lamb

May 29, 2024

The sale would follow Sean Dyche's earlier prediction, having admitted to The Guardian at the start of May: "If the [777] takeover doesn’t ­happen, or a takeover, then it will probably be juggling dust, not sand.

"Because who knows then? You are having to self-generate ­everything then, I would imagine, because it’s not like there is a pile of cash anywhere so you’ve got to self-generate. And if you self-­generate, how do you get in what you are ­losing? If­ ­someone leaves, how do you get the next one in who is as good as the one leaving? There is no time for development [of young players] because this club hasn’t got time for that.”

With that said, if Everton do sell Onana, they'll still need a replacement and reports suggest that they've lined one up in the form of a former Premier League loanee. According to TuttoJuve, Everton are eyeing a move to sign Weston McKennie alongside interest from both Newcastle United and Aston Villa in a deal that would be worth between €20m and €25m (£17m and £21m) this summer.

Whether Everton will be able to afford such a fee remains to be seen, however, in what sums up their struggles once and for all ahead of a difficult few months.

"Incredible" McKennie isn't without his risks

Whatever Everton spend this summer, they must make sure that every deal makes a significant enough impact to prove worthwhile, and after McKennie's failed stint on loan at Leeds United last season, he's a risk they must weigh up. Goodison Park saw the American and the rest of his Leeds teammates fall short in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park in the last campaign in a crucial result in the relegation battle, but he has since bounced back at Juventus.

Whilst Onana's ability off the ball is better, McKennie's creative output and ball-carrying ability would hand Everton an added dynamic alongside the similar Abdoulaye Doucoure.

What's more, even whilst at Leeds, McKennie earned plenty of praise, including from former manager Jesse Marsch, who said via Leeds Live: "He's got incredible flexibility and can play almost any position on the pitch and I've seen that. He's aggressive, he's confident and he has quality.

"At Schalke they played a little bit similar to the things that I like to do, so now even sitting and talking to him about what we think his role will be, he's pretty clear on how to integrate himself. Training over the past week, he's been outstanding."

Harry Kane has revealed his desire to keep both Bayern and Tottenham fans happy led to his goalscoring display against Arsenal last season.

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• Bayern faced Arsenal home and away
• German club drew in London and won in Munich
• Kane scored at the Emirates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kane scored at the Emirates in the Champions League quarter-finals last season as Bayern beat Arsenal over two legs. The England captain netted from the penalty spot in the 2-2 draw in London, and played as Bayern won 1-0 at the Allianz Arena, thanks to Joshua Kimmich's header.

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  Now, a documentary produced by Bayern shows Kane explaining his motivation for the fixture beforehand, and he insisted he had to keep both Spurs and Bayern fans happy by putting the Gunners to the sword. Kane actually has a remarkable record against Arsenal, and has scored eight goals and laid on six assists in 21 clashes with the club.

• WHAT KANE SAID

  Speaking in Bayern's documentary, titled 'Chasing Wembley', Kane said: "Arsenal are having a really good season, they're a really good team, so it'll be a tough game. Of course, for me personally, it'll be a special game for many reasons. Of course, it puts the pressure on because it's not only Bayern Munich fans I'm trying to keep happy. I need to try and keep the Tottenham fans happy as well!"

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bayern, who are currently unbeaten at the top of the Bundesliga, play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Kane will hope to bounce back after a dismal performance in his side's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Champions League in midweek.

Journalist Christian Falk has provided a significant update regarding Manchester United's interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko this summer.

Man Utd links to Sesko

Rasmus Hojlund has had an up-and-down first season in a Red Devils shirt, showing clear signs of vast potential but also still looking like a raw young player who shouldn't be leading the line every week in the Premier League.

For that reason, it could be that United target another striker once the summer transfer window opens, in order to ease the burden on the Norwegian, who has scored 15 goals in 41 appearances to date.

Sesko has emerged as a strong choice to head to the Red Devils in the coming months, being linked with a move to United and being considered one of Europe's most impressive young attackers currently.

The 20-year-old's agent has even been seen at Old Trafford recently, and the constant rumours suggest that he is a genuine target this summer.

Bundesliga journalist shares new update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that Manchester United are on the chase for Sesko, despite his release clause increasing, revealing it is the Red Devils and Arsenal who are "particularly interested":

"Benjamin Sesko is the hottest Bundesliga stock in England at the moment. Arsenal FC and Manchester United are particularly interested in the striker. In Leipzig they say: Sesko is physically even stronger than Erling Haaland (Manchester City). Both strikers were trained at Red Bull Salzburg. Like Haaland, Sesko also demanded an exit clause for a move to the Bundesliga.

"This clause amounted to €50m. But due to his strong performances and many appearances, the clause has now been increased to €75m for this summer. Arsenal and United now know what they have to put on the table for Sesko. Sesko’s advisor has already appeared in the stands at a United game. That’s part of his game. He has also had his picture taken in the stands at an AC Milan game. Milan are also interested in Sesko."

Sesko should be seen as a leading option to add to United's attack in the summer window, and while he is also young like Hojlund, having both in the squad would allow them to take the pressure off each other, as well as provide healthy competition for one another.

The Slovenia international has so much potential as a player – Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell has heaped praise on him: "Benjamin Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6'4") is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile."

At 21 and 20 years of age respectively, Hojlund and Sesko could represent the long-term future of United's attack, and while both are still learning as players, the thought of having them both as options is a mouthwatering prospect.

Carlo Ancelotti provided a promising update on Kylian Mbappe's thigh injury ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Lille.

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• Mbappe got injured against Alaves
• Was expected to be back in late October
• Could get some minutes against Lille

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The French forward, who suffered a thigh injury during Real's 3-2 victory over Alaves in La Liga, was initially expected to miss up to three weeks of action. However, in an encouraging turn of events, Mbappe has been included in the squad for the upcoming midweek European clash after making a rapid recovery.

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  Ancelotti confirmed that a final decision regarding Mbappe's participation would be made after assessing his performance in training. The forward completed Tuesday’s session successfully, but Ancelotti stressed that Madrid would exercise caution and not rush the player back into action unnecessarily.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  “Mbappe has recovered well, very quickly,” Ancelotti told reporters. “Only yesterday he trained individually. He didn’t stop for long and he hasn’t lost his condition. Today (Tuesday) he will train the whole training session. We will make the most appropriate decision today, bearing in mind that we are not going to take any risks.

  “He has had an overload. They’re talking about (a) grade I (hamstring injury). In the old days, it was an overload. With the new technology, he’s fine. He’s here to play. We’re not going to take any risks. Obviously, if there is no risk, he will play from the first minute.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Interestingly, Lille is also the club where his younger brother, Ethan Mbappe, plies his trade. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old Ethan is sidelined for several weeks with a muscle injury, delaying any potential opportunity for the two brothers to face off on the pitch.

Michael Olise and Harry Kane starred as Bayern Munich ran riot against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

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• Olise netted a brace
• Kane broke Sancho's record
• Bayern score win 5-0

• TELL ME MORE

  Bayern Munich were dealt a major injury setback moments before kick-off as Manuel Neuer felt some discomfort in his thigh during warm-up. Vincent Kompany immediately replaced the veteran goalkeeper with Sven Ulreich in the starting lineup.

  The visitors broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through Olise's strike, who converted a simple tap-in from Kane's assist. Nine minutes later, the former Crystal Palace star set up Jamal Musiala after a brilliant solo effort inside the Werder Bremen penalty box. Olise cut in from the right side and then dribbled past three defenders before squaring the ball towards Musiala in front of goal and the German doubled the team's lead.

  Kane got his name on the scoresheet within 12 minutes from the start of the second half as he scored a milestone goal from Olise's assist. The forward became the highest-scoring English player in the league's history, surpassing Jadon Sancho's tally of 40 goals.

  In the next eight minutes, Olise completed his brace while Gnabry netted a fifth goal as Kompany's side registered their 20th goal across all competitions in the past seven days, taking their overall tally to 29 goals after just six matches into the 2024-25 season.

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  THE MVP

  New Bayern signing Olise stole the show with a double and a couple of assists as he spearheaded the team's dominant performance. The 22-year-old has taken German football by storm having already scored five times in six appearances across all competitions.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  Bremen's defenders had a forgetful outing on Saturday as they were unable to contain the lethal Bayern attackers who have now scored 20 goals in the last seven days. The backline looked clueless, especially in the second half where they got toyed by the Kane-led attack.

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  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  With four consecutive wins in the Bundesliga, Kompany's men will be next seen in action against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in a league clash on September 28.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact to sign a £56 million star this summer, coming after claims that manager Ange Postecoglou thinks he'd fit in "seamlessly" at Spurs.

Attackers eyed with Spurs ready to back Postecoglou this summer

A report by The Times this week claimed Postecoglou is set to be backed by Tottenham in the transfer market this summer, with the same source also stating that they want to bring in a new forward, centre-back and midfielder.

Reply received as Tottenham make offer for "special" £47,000-per-week ace

The Lilywhites have moved quickly.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 9, 2024

This comes after the Lilywhites head coach admitted that his club need to implement serious change, as he hints that many players could also be moved on and the journey is "not for everyone".

"We need change. Change has to happen," Postecoglou said on the future at Spurs.

"You can’t want to alter your course and expect the same people are going to be on that. It’s just not going to happen. We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about.

"It’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey. It’s not for the want of trying. It’s just that we’re going to play a certain way, we’re going to train a certain way and we’re going to have a certain mindset. And that’s not for everyone."

Postecoglou also makes a Spurs comparison to Arsenal and Liverpool, who both looked almost unrecognisable from the teams they were when they started to have success in the Premier League.

Going by Tottenham's disappointing end to 2023/2024, despite such a promising start, it's evident that they need to reinforce key areas. Technical director Johan Lange is believed to have his eyes on new attackers for Spurs, and one interesting player they've been linked with is RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo.

The Spaniard, who's racked up four goals and five assists in 21 Bundesliga appearances this term, has a glowing reputation and pundit Paul Robinson has praised Spurs for targeting Olmo.

“I think he’s a good player and has attracted a lot of Premier League interest," said Robinson to Tottenham News.

"If Tottenham are in for players like that, that can only be a good thing. You can’t question the Spurs recruitment."

Tottenham make contact to sign Olmo who Ange thinks is perfect

According to a report by Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness this week, Tottenham are one of the clubs who've already been in contact over signing Olmo – who is thought of as a potential bargain despite being valued at around £56 million.

Interestingly, Postecoglou is also a huge fan of Olmo, and believes he'd fit "seamlessly" into his Spurs system – as per GiveMeSport.

Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus wants to delay Neymar's return from injury until January so he can register all of his foreign players in the squad.

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• Neymar dealing with long-term knee injury
• Recently suffered setback
• Al-Hilal keen to delay return until January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar's ACL injury has meant very few Saudi Pro League fans have been able to see him play since the Brazilian joined Al-Hilal just over a year ago. Now, the 32-year-old may be sidelined until January with head coach Jorge Jesus keen to register all of his foreign players, which according to , he can just about do if he does not include Neymar.

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  The SPL allow each team to have eight foreign player slots, but Al-Hilal have nine including the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star. But with Neymar not expected to return to training until November, he is only likely going to be able to play two or three games before the winter break in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Jesus would prefer to register summer signing Renan Lodi instead, and revisit the issue in January when his star forward is fully back up to speed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar has missed over 50 games for Al-Hilal since signing a mega deal with the club. The 128-cap Brazil international made just three SPL appearances in 2023-24 before picking up the catastrophic knee injury.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR AND AL-HILAL?

  Al-Hilal comfortably claimed the league title last term, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr by 14 points. They have started the new campaign well too, picking up six points from six. Even without Neymar, they remain the team to beat in Saudi Arabia.