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No team before New Zealand has won a Test by over 300 runs after losing the previous Test in the same series by over 300 runs

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Dec-2024423 – New Zealand’s victory margin of 423 runs in Hamilton is their joint-highest by runs in Test cricket. They won by the same margin runs against Sri Lanka in 2018 in Christchurch after setting a target of 660 runs.1 – New Zealand is the first team to win by a margin of over 300 runs after losing the previous Test in the series by over 300 runs – they lost the second Test of the series against England by 323 runs in Wellington.This has never happened before.England beat Australia by 322 runs in the first match of the 1936-37 Ashes before Australia returned the favour with a 365-run win in the third Test.Related

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Twice before has a team won consecutive Tests in a series by over 300 runs.South Africa beat Australia by 307 and 323 runs in consecutive matches in the 1970 home series and did the same in the home series in 2018 with victories by 322 and 492 runs.10 – New Zealand have played ten Tests at Seddon Park since their previous defeat there, in 2012 against South Africa. They have won eight out of these ten, while the other two ended in draws.1 – England is the first team to lose by a margin of 400-plus runs twice in a calendar year – they suffered a 434-run defeat against India in February in Rajkot.Six of the 15 instances of wins by 400-plus runs in Tests have come against England.13 – Men to have scored 40-plus runs and taken three or more wickets in both innings of a Test match, including Mitchell Santner in Hamilton. He is the first player to achieve this feat in men’s Test cricket since Daniel Vettori against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2008.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1925 – Runs by Joe Root in Tests against New Zealand, the most by any batter, surpassing Javed Miandad’s tally of 1919. Root also has the most runs by a batter in Tests against India, with 2846.Root is only the second player to be the leading run-scorer against two different teams. Kumar Sangakkara is the top-scorer in Tests against both Pakistan (2911) and Bangladesh (1816).1006 – Root’s runs in New Zealand in Tests, making him the first visiting player to score over 1000 Test runs in the country. Root also has the most 50-plus scores in New Zealand by a visiting player – he has done it eight times.27 – Test wickets for Santner in 2024, making it the joint-most wickets by a New Zealand spinner in a calendar year since Vettori took 54 in 2008. Vettori also took 27 wickets in Tests in 2009.7 – Hauls of four or more wickets by New Zealand spinners in Tests in 2024. Santner and Ajaz Patel each took three, while Glenn Phillips contributed one. This tally is the second highest for New Zealand’s spinners in a calendar year, behind the nine they recorded in 2008, of which eight were by Vettori.

The Serie A club have launched a breathtaking new kit and have called on their brand new signing to feature as the poster boy

Genoa have just released their first-ever jersey in black colours, which will be used as the club’s third kit for the 2024-25 season. An unprecedented uniform in the club's history, the simple design with black as the predominant colour also features gold details.

To unveil the third kit, Genoa brought back “The Golden Dark Side of Genova” project, a campaign that began last season when the club released its gold kit.

The project celebrates the new third jersey and the urban fabric and cultural diversity of the city which can be heard in the soundtrack “Genovarabe” by trap group Helmi Sa7bi. They are part of the professionals from the world of music and photography who have elevated the overall production of this campaign.

Features of the new shirt include the various silhouettes of the Grifone – the main figure in Genoa's logo – spread all over the shirt. “DALL’INIZIO, PER SEMPRE” (FROM THE BEGINNING AND FOREVER) can be read on the collar, a tribute to the identity and history of the oldest club in Italy.

A symbol of identity, inclusion, and pride for the city of Genoa: the third kit represents the commitment of Genoa CFC to promote the fusion of cultures and languages, the connection with the territory, and the extraordinary liveliness of the indigenous music movement.

Empower Sports MARIO ONLY SMILES WHEN HE WANTS TOAdvertisementEmpower Sports AS GOOD OFF THE PITCH AS ON ITEmpower Sports THE GRIFONE IS EVERYWHEREEmpower SportsKAPPA HAVE GOT IT ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON

This summer is a crucial one for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United if they are to make a return to Champions League football for the 2024/25 campaign.

The Magpies have built a brilliant foundation with a very competitive squad for the Premier League, but injuries have decimated the squad during the previous season, restricting the club to a seventh-placed finish and missing out on any European football.

Fixture congestion undoubtedly contributed to Newcastle’s bloated injury list, with the lack of squad depth being highlighted at multiple points during the season.

New additions are desperately needed at St James’ Park during the off-season, bolstering Howe’s squad, matching his and the Saudi PIF’s ambitions to become one of the best clubs in world football.

The defensive unit is in need of investment, with Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles both out until the turn of the year following their respective ACL injuries.

Lloyd Kelly has already moved to Tyneside on a free transfer from fellow Premier League side Bournemouth, but he could be joined by one other player who’s caught the eye in recent months.

Newcastle reignite interest in defensive talent

According to A Bola via Sport Witness, Newcastle are back in contact over a move to sign Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande following previous interest in his signature.

The Ivorian has excelled in Portugal last campaign, starting on 26 occasions and scoring two goals – a record that has put the Magpies back on red alert.

It’s previously been stated that Diomande has an €80m (£69m) release clause, but the latest update from Portugal confirms that Sporting are potentially open to letting him depart for €60m (£50m) – an absolute bargain for a player of his talent and potential.

Fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Arsenal have previously been credited with an interest in the Ivorian, but Howe must prioritise a move for the youngster this summer, with the talent having all the qualities to be the perfect partner for Botman upon his return from injury.

Why Diomande could be the perfect partner for Botman

Botman has been an excellent addition to Howe’s side since his £32m move from Lille a couple of years ago, but he’s desperately been lacking a partner at the heart of Newcastle’s defence.

Whilst he may be an expensive signing, Diomande, who’s previously been dubbed as “one of the most exciting CB prospects” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he would certainly improve the backline whilst also potentially being a better addition than the Dutchman.

The defender averaged 1.7 tackles per 90 last season, as per FBref, also winning two aerials per game, demonstrating his excellent defensive ability despite his tender age.

Despite his successes off the ball, the 20-year-old has also excelled with the ball at his feet, averaging a whopping 5.2 progressive passes per 90 – a tally that ranks him in the top 8% of centre-backs in Portugal. This would allow the Magpies to transition into a more possession-based side next season should he arrive at St James’ Park.

Games

26

Passes per 90

74

Pass completion

92%

Tackles

1.7

Progressive passes

5.2

Successful take-ons

0.4

Progressive carries

0.9

Diomande is also capable of dribbling the ball out from the back, averaging 0.9 progressive carries per 90, with his excellent ball-playing skills providing a new dimension to Howe’s defence that it’s desperately been lacking.

His ability is there for all to see and Howe's side now desperately need to push in the race for his signature to avoid missing out on one of Europe's top young talents – with the aim of establishing a long-term partnership with Botman.

Whilst Diomande may cost the club nearly double what they paid for Botman, it would be a worthwhile investment, with the Ivorian having the talent to star at the back alongside the 24-year-old for Newcastle for many years to come.

What Newcastle's starting XI could look like after £128m spending spree

The Magpies will be looking to reclaim a European spot in 2024/25.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 9, 2024

Lee Carsley has explained his hugely bold England line-up for the Nations League clash with Greece.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Carsley picks hugely ambitious attacking teamCole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden all startJude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon also playFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

England play Greece on Wednesday evening in the Nations League and interim manager Carsley picked a hugely bold starting XI. In that team, he has picked Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, and Anthony Gordon, with the only holding midfielder seemingly being Declan Rice.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Carsley has explained that the thinking behind the line-up is for fluidity in the forward line, with most of England's attacking players on the pitch, barring Harry Kane, who is injured. As a result of his absence, the new boss has chosen to experiment with a false nine system.

WHAT CARSLEY SAID

Carsley told ITV: "It's given us the chance to try something, to be creative with the system and with, hopefully, the way that we play. We've got to give Greece the respect they deserve, we talk about how exciting and creative we can be, it's important that we also match them physically."

Asked if the system was the same as one he used for the U21s, he replied: "It's a little bit different. Anthony would be a different profile to Jude in the way that he played that role but what we have got with the players on the pitch is a lot of flexibility. You may see a lot of changes tonight."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

This weekend, England travel to Helsinki to play Finland in their next Nations League clash. They will aim to head off in fine form.

He’s the country’s third Test captain in as many seasons, and his main task is to rebuild the team

Firdose Moonda05-Mar-2021Dean Elgar will be South Africa’s third Test captain in as many seasons but his task is the same as the pair that have gone before him: to rebuild the South African team.Faf du Plessis had to do it in 2016, when AB de Villiers went on sabbatical, and injuries kept Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel out of significant parts of the season. Quinton de Kock had to do it in 2020-21, amid administrative turmoil, a pandemic and a team for whom losing had become a habit. They both had some impact – du Plessis won home and away series against Australia and de Kock oversaw South Africa’s first series win in two years – but they also both had enough of leading.du Plessis gave up the role after a dip in form during a period of racial tension last season while de Kock has been relieved of the job after a tough Test series, personally and collectively, in Pakistan. In both cases, it was obvious that captaining had become a had-to-do, not a want-to-do, often prefaced by the word reluctant. Elgar, new to the job which is doubtless informing his early perspective, is the opposite. “It’s going to be tough, and something that you have to be willing to do. Otherwise I don’t think you should be put in this position,” he said. “I am fortunate to be put in this position and that the hard work I have put in behind the scenes has been noticed.”The desire to lead seems to be at least part of the secret of what makes a good captain. For du Plessis, initially, it made him a better batsman but when results went south, retirements mounted up, and rhetoric in the country was polarised, he stood down. For de Kock, the extra responsibility coupled with the restrictions of living in biosecure environments, always appeared too much. His form suffered, his on-field decisions were iffy, and he appeared out of his depth in interactions with the media.Related

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Even for Elgar, his first dalliance, as a stand-in for du Plessis at Lord’s in 2017, did not go well and he was only too happy to hand an imaginary armband back when du Plessis returned from paternity leave. But things have changed. “I’ve played a few more games since then and learnt a lot more about what Test cricket and how a team operates behind the scenes,” Elgar said. “I have been part of the leadership group for a couple of seasons now. Then, I was a young guy just sitting there. Deer in the headlights. I’d like to think I have established experience since then.”Not just any experience. Elgar’s 67 Tests make him the most experienced player in the current group, now that du Plessis has retired and taken with him the last link to the class of 2012, that won the Test mace. Though du Plessis was not a playing member of the team that won in England, he travelled with the squad and made his debut in the next series in Australia, where Elgar was also given his first opportunity. They were both rookies in a team that was top of the rankings, where they stayed for another three years, it’s Elgar’s task to get them back there.

“I’m still going to be the same guy. I’m still going to have pretty straightforward, open and honest conversations with my team-mates, with the management, with the media”– Dean Elgar

“It’s going to be a serious challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to. I feel if we get a few things in place we can definitely take the Proteas brand back to where we were a few years ago. That will be my biggest goal,” he said. “We owe it to the game to carry on moving it forward. We’ve got a long line of young, exciting players who’ve been breaking down doors in domestic cricket to try and get a foot in this squad. It’s good to have fresh blood around. We aren’t at the level of experience we were a couple of years ago, but we do have a couple of experienced players in the squad. I’m going to rely on them to help me through this journey.”Temba Bavuma, Elgar’s vice-captain and new white-ball captain, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and de Kock are all part of the new senior core and that there are only five names in that mix says a lot about the amount of work South Africa’s Test team needs to do. There are places up for grabs and roles to be secured and Elgar hopes the installation of a permanent Test captain can begin the process of settling on a squad. “The players and potential players deserve someone to come in and give them more clarity and more reassurance and stability. That’s going to be on my agenda box-ticking as a leader, to try and get a bit of stability to the squad and try and establish an easier process coming in,” he said.Although he wouldn’t be drawn into which areas he thinks needs solidifying because South Africa have no confirmed Test fixtures in the foreseeable future. “I don’t want to rush into anything now and give a headline saying, ‘Elgar thinks the batting is poor.’ I think there are areas for us to work on but I am not going to clarify anything now because we have time,” he said.And as that time passes, the South African Test team can be guaranteed of one thing, that in Elgar they will always have a leader who speaks his mind, even when he tells them things they don’t want to hear. “I’m still going to be the same guy. I’m still going to have pretty straightforward, open and honest conversations with my team-mates, with the management, with the media,” he said.

There is no home advantage, no ready replacements for underperforming batters and the pace battery isn’t what it used to be. Is there hope?

Danyal Rasool28-Aug-2024Of course Pakistan should have been able to find a way to beat Bangladesh at home in the first Test, but that would only have papered over the cracks. They may yet level the series next week, and paper over at least some of them. Cheap momentary thrills and short memories often serve as an acceptable substitute for good policy in Pakistan cricket; it has only been too happy to market itself as the most entertaining, least predictable side. Nasser Hussain’s immortal proclamation of Pakistan cricket at its best being “one minute up, next minute down” may as well be Pakistan’s motto at this point; a rollercoaster ride, after all, may end up in the same place, but it is much more memorable than the buggy that takes you around the theme park.You might just be tempted to write off Pakistan’s first ever Test defeat against Bangladesh as one of those routine downward swings. Perhaps Pakistan’s defeat to USA at the T20 World Cup, and the failure to chase 120 against India, were a couple more of those. Maybe the defeat to Afghanistan and the thrashing against an enfeebled England that saw them exit the ODI World Cup at the earliest hurdle could also be attributed to those pendular swings.But, as Pakistan hurtle towards earth in the cheery belief the upswing is on its way, have they checked the parachute that pulls them back up is still there? In Test cricket at home, the foundation of any elite cricket side, Pakistan have forgotten what it takes to win entirely. The defeat to Bangladesh extended their winless run in their own backyard to nine Tests and three-and-a-half years. They don’t know how to prepare a pitch to their advantage, and seemingly don’t even know what team to play to get the best use of the surface that’s actually there.Related

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It is easy to call for an overhaul of the whole side or, as PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi somewhat tastelessly put it on Monday, to “slit the throats” of players who weren’t performing. Sticking to that operative theme, he had earlier been attributed as saying the Pakistan team needed “surgery” after their first-round exit at the T20 World Cup. By now, though, the high of the bombast was replaced by the sobriety of reality as he admitted there was nothing coming through the feeder system to replace the players who were struggling, acknowledging the somewhat obvious point that bringing through players who weren’t as good as the current ones would be unlikely to yield positive results.Pakistan fans have grown up on fairytales about how its chaotic, frenetic system managed to bring talent through simply because the country was brimming with it. It allowed them to be profligate with players in the belief new ones would just turn up to replace them. Fast bowlers, in particular, were handled like a spoilt rich child might treat their latest toy. Even if it breaks, they’ll simply get a new one.It also meant, more crucially, that the domestic structure was left to the whims and expediencies of political self-interest. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier domestic red-ball competition in Pakistan, has been tweaked and overhauled more times than anyone recalls. It has been bloated to accommodate departments, and shrunk to get rid of them. The pitches at all major centres in the country have often been overused, and prepared according to the whims of the day – green tops some seasons, rank turners in others.Bangladesh showed in Rawalpindi they read the conditions much better than the hosts•Associated PressIt is unsurprising, then, that, under the burden of the beating the domestic structure has taken, the system has finally begun to creak. Since Yasir Shah’s prominence has faded, Pakistan have raided the domestic system for a spinner of that ilk, and come up comprehensively empty-handed. Since December 2019 – when Test cricket returned to Pakistan – eight Asian spinners have taken over 50 Test wickets, three each from India and Sri Lanka, and two from Bangladesh, with Noman Ali’s 47 as good as it gets for Pakistan. Pakistan’s best averaging spinner at home in this time is Abrar Ahmed at 33.64; 12 spinners from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka can better that in this period.Couple that with pressing issues in the current team, and the bind Pakistan’s Test side are in begins to appear intractable. A loss of faith in Babar Azam’s captaincy ability saw them turn to Shan Masood. Pakistan captains lack authority because power, by its very structure, is consolidated at board level, but Masood’s struggle to score big runs since taking on the armband has only exacerbated those concerns.Babar’s own nosedive during this time is rather more alarming, while Abdullah Shafique, viewed as the most talented Pakistan top-order batter of his generation, averages just 27 in his last 19 innings, with 201 of his 513 runs coming in one innings. In last season’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq were among the top three scorers, with no batter under the age of 25 in the top five. Twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Hurraira, who has been a consistent performer at that level in the past, is part of the squad, and may be expected to fill in, but with a domestic system as feeble as Pakistan’s how he copes with that step up is anybody’s guess.At this point, in desperate search of good news, the chatter is magnetically drawn to Pakistan’s fast bowling. When things get too dark, they keep the lights on in Pakistan cricket, so why don’t we talk about how that limitless supply of precocious talent should tide Pakistan over in tough times?Well, let’s. Ever since the days of Azhar Ali’s captaincy, when he spoke of how Yasir’s role in the Pakistan side would have to change as Test cricket returned home and catered more to fast bowling, Pakistan have tried to brand themselves as the home of pace-friendly pitches in Asia. It worked for a while, when a 16-year-old Naseem Shah famously took a hat-trick in Rawalpindi’s twilight, or during an absorbing Test series against South Africa where seamers from both sides were prolific.Shaheen Shah Afridi is not the bowler he used to be•AFP/Getty ImagesBut since Australia arrived on Pakistani shores in 2022, no nation has proved more inhospitable to fast bowling. Among all teams participating in the World Test Championship, seam bowlers in Pakistan average nearly five runs per wicket more than in any other country, getting a batter out for every 40.59 runs they concede. It prompted Naseem during the first Test to vent his frustrations at Pakistan’s inability to produce pitches that helped seamers; in his first Test innings since a long-term injury, he and his fast bowling counterparts sent down 117.3 overs.Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi, the jewel in Pakistan’s all-format pace-bowling crown, is now a shadow of his former self, especially in the longest format. Repetitive injuries have limited him to just nine Test matches since 2022, with his average pace rarely touching the 140km/h mark that was so routine in his earlier career. Even while his Australian counterparts made hay on pace-friendly surfaces in Perth and Melbourne, he averaged over 41 for his eight wickets, taking 2 for 96 in an equally indifferent showing last week.Add to that Haris Rauf’s reluctance to play the longer format, and Ihsanullah and Mohammad Hasnain’s persistent injury problems. Pakistan have instead turned to the medium fast pace of Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali, unlikely to get much purchase on the lifeless pitches Pakistan seem to offer at present. With little by way of genuine red-ball quicks coming through, a quick fix appears elusive.It brings us to the nub of the problem: Pakistan’s defeat last week was only surprising in that it illustrated how quickly the rot has taken hold, and how far it has spread. Treating it as a shock understates the depth of a problem Pakistan perhaps haven’t yet even begun to acknowledge. There may indeed be no short-term fixes, but the PCB hasn’t exactly provided evidence they are working towards a long-term solution either. While there may be light at the end of the tunnel, it is hard to know, in the pitch black, if Pakistan are even walking towards it.