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ScorecardIf Kent were under any illusions about the difficulty of their run chase at Bristol, they were shattered within nine balls. Joe Denly, regularly acclaimed with five hundreds bagged across all formats this season, pushed forward to the left-arm spinner Graeme van Buuren, the ball gripped and turned to hit off stump. Their target of 185 seemed a speck on the horizon.To trim that target to six to win from the last ball was a redoubtable effort in an excellent game, but it was to no avail. Kent’s No. 10 Mitch Claydon swung wildly enough for the bat to escape his grasp, but the ball passed by harmlessly and Gloucestershire claimed a five-run win. Kent are fancied in the South Group, Gloucestershire are not, but both counties now have two wins in three.You have to hand it to Gloucestershire. Benny Howell, their great innovator, has a hamstring injury, and Andrew Tye, who was the leading wicket-taker in the IPL, has been held back a while by Cricket Australia for workload reasons, and was limited to talking on the boundary edge about how a secret new delivery was in production.Such talk was once limited to Shane Warne, the great legspinner, who was so full of bluff about his repertoire that he might easily have claimed a new variation that detoured twice through the burger fan while playing the tune of Advance Australia Fair. Now, in T20, quick bowlers claim the same.

Talking T20 Podcast

This week Dan Norcross is joined by David Hopps to debate world records feats in the Vitality Blast from Ed Pollock, Joe Denly and (nearly) Dan Christian and still finds time to discuss carrots with Isabelle Westbury.
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The slow, grippy wicket was succour for Gloucestershire’s unsung medium-pacers against a highly-rated batting line-up. Heino Kuhn held the innings together for 44 from 33 balls until he chipped back Noema-Barnett’s knuckle ball – the first delivery he had bowled, at a man well set. Ryan Higgins cut his pace to 60mph and was obligingly slapped to deep cover; Higgins struck again when Alex Blake chipped weakly to short extra.Carlos Brathwaite, the man who once struck Ben Stokes for three successive sixes in the last over to win a World Twenty20 title, managed two in five balls, bowled as he pushed forward to Matt Taylor with great sobriety.The angriest exit, though, came from Sam Billings, as he seeks to make the transition from dressing room attendant to exhilarating cricketer. He looked attuned to the task, his first 10 balls bringing 24, including three imperious sixes, then Tom Smith, another left-arm spinner, held one back, Billings swung and missed and stalked from the field, swinging his fist in self-admonishment. Kent lacked the decisive innings.Gloucestershire’s victory was just about secured when Higgins – with 30 needed from 14 balls – stopped Sean Dickson’s return drive, swivelled and throw the stumps down at the non-striker’s end. Nineteen were needed off the last over, but Higgins began with a wide then conceded two leg-side boundaries to Adam Milne. Dickson was run out by Jack Taylor’s throw from long on from the penultimate ball, meaning that Claydon – not Dickson, was charged with attempting the last-ball six.Tension for the last ball? Not when half the country had been ridiculously nervous all day over the approaching World Cup semi-final in Moscow. More the sort of day for someone to tell Higgins: “Look, it’s not penalties, mate. Get it won.” And so he did.On an old, ugly surface, Gloucestershire had batted ugly to good effect. Kieran Noema-Barnett (31 from 15 balls) and Jack Taylor (42 not out from 23) are hardly the most stylish batsman in the land, but Noema-Barnett slugged it down the ground, Taylor hauled through midwicket and an innings that might have faltered from 82 for 4 at midway instead came to rest with a challenging total on the board.Denly’s leg spin has also found unparalleled success this season – two more victims as Michael Klinger confidently deposited him to long-on and Ian Cockbain was bowled pulling – but surprisingly Imran Qayyum’s slow left arm was seen for only one over. Kent got a bonus wicket when Gareth Roderick was lbw to Calum Haggett, trying to switch hit a yorker, not the greatest shot selection admittedly, but the ball struck him well outside the line.It was a strange afternoon, the Blast at its least atmospheric (watch out for its detractors using this one as anti-marketing video). It had been brought forward to a 3pm start because of England’s presence in the World Cup semi-final at 7pm and the crowd was sparse at the Brightside Ground – appropriately named for the Gloucestershire treasurer because looking on the bright side was necessary on a day like this.Joe Root, England’s Test captain, had said that he was more nervous about the football than playing cricket, knowing that an entire nation would nod wisely rather than berate him for not concentrating on the task in hand. Gloucestershire’s win was all done and dusted in slightly less than three hours, leaving time not just for the match but the build-up. These days it can take IPL nearer to four. Perhaps the best thing India can do to remember how to quicken their T20 overrate is to improve their football?

Improving relationships between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) should be a priority for the governing body’s next chief executive, according to the former captain and CA Board director Mark Taylor.Speaking for the first time since James Sutherland’s resignation as CEO after a tenure of more than 17 years, Taylor said that the leadership change was an opportunity for CA to refresh, and pointed to a better and more productive relationship with the players and their association as critical to the future.Last year’s pay dispute between the ACA and CA, as it sought to end the fixed revenue percentage model at the core of all collective agreements between the parties since 1998, created distance between CA and the national team that proved unhelpful when the behaviour of Steven Smith’s team deteriorated on the tour of South Africa, culminating in the Newlands ball tampering scandal. That event took place a matter of weeks after Sutherland and CA had warned the team that higher standards of behaviour were expected than those seen in the first Test of the series at Durban.

‘Sutherland harshly judged’

Mark Taylor believes Australia’s Newlands ball tampering disgrace and last year’s pay dispute were two issues that should not be allowed to cloud the achievements of the the chief executive James Sutherland’s long stint at the top. “I think James’ tenure has been outstanding to be totally honest,” Taylor said. “Seventeen years as CEO and you think back to 2001 where cricket was then to where it is today, and people generally try to harp on negatives, but you look at the growth in the game both in numbers and where the game is at, the profile of the game I think James has done a great job.
“The disappointing thing is that James standing down is something that’s been in the pipeline for those of us within Cricket Australia for quite a while, over a year now. It’s very hard to get that timing absolutely right because issues come up all the time and often you get judged on the issue of the day, which is obviously what happened in Cape Town and reviews and all these sorts of things.
“That’s one incident that unfortunately mars what’s been a great era of Australian cricket and James has been at the helm of that. I look back at all the things he’s brought to cricket, the amount of people playing, women’s cricket, day/night cricket, Big Bash Leagues, a lot of things in the game have gone forward over 17 years of James’ tenure. Unfortunately a lot of people focus on a couple of issues that I don’t think James had a lot of say over in recent times.”

“I think that’s a fair comment,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo when asked whether CA and the national team needed to form a stronger relationship. “I think you’ve only got to see the MoU stuff last year, which in the end I think has worked out well for both sides. But we got there with too much head-banging.”I think if there was a better relationship, full stop, we could have got to the same conclusion without a lot of angst. That’s one area that both sides can improve, Cricket Australia and the players and the Australian Cricketers Association. I think if we get that better, that’ll be good for cricket right throughout Australia.”Taylor’s words will provide food for thought to many, given that CA’s lead MoU negotiator Kevin Roberts is widely favoured to assume Sutherland’s post. Roberts was unsuccessful in pushing a hard line with the ACA, allowing the nation’s best players to fall out of contract and ultimately be sidelined from negotiations as Sutherland entered the fray to broker a compromise a matter of weeks before a Test tour of Bangladesh was threatened.At the same, time the chairman David Peever, who with Roberts was seen as a major driver of the Board’s adversarial industrial relations strategy, was endorsed to serve another three-year term, something Taylor said had been unavoidable due to the fact that Sutherland’s departure called for some measure of stability at the top.”David’s got the unanimous support of the Board, he had that when we made the decision a few months ago and he still has it today,” Taylor said. “There is a lot going on in the game of cricket at the moment, we’ve lost three players through an incident in Cape Town, they’ve lost a coach, we’re now losing a CEO, John Warn leaving Cricket NSW [chairmanship], there is a lot of change going on.”So it’s good to have some stability at the same time. I think David will bring that to CA and sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. There’ll be new people coming in, as we’ve seen with Justin Langer as coach, we’ll have a new CEO at some stage over the next year to bring in some different ideas, thinking and processes, and I think it’ll be a good refresh for the game.”That’ll be all post the reviews that are coming out in a couple of months’ time. So it is a turbulent time – an interesting time for the game but a refreshing time for the game. Sutherland standing down was something [that] those of us in the inner sanctum knew was going to happen last year, so we knew there was change afoot. But when you have an incident like we did in Cape Town, you can’t just say ‘oh well things will change in the future’, because people don’t believe you.”The dual reviews currently being undertaken – one into the whole of Cricket Australia, another more specifically the men’s national team – are set to provide the incoming chief executive with a roadmap for how to take the organisation forward. “We knew there was going to be a refresh of Australian cricket and I think in a way these reviews will certainly help us do that, focus our minds on how we refresh Australian cricket,” Taylor said. “I know there’s been a desire from some people to try to link James’ exit with what has gone on in the last three months, and really they’re not related.”A lot of the big deals have been done, and now I think whoever does come in, be it he or she, will also have an independent document or documents to help them work out where we need to improve. Cricket Australia have had their hand up for a while to say ‘let’s get a body in to work out where we can improve, what areas we need to work on’ and I think these will be great documents for he or she to have to start a new era of Australian cricket.”After the Nine Network lost the rights to broadcast cricket in Australia for the first time in 40 years, Taylor has re-signed for another three years with the broadcaster to continue working as a commentator and digital contributor. Nine retain the rights to next year’s Ashes tour and also ICC global tournaments, including the 2019 World Cup and the World Twenty20, hosted by Australia in 2020. On Saturday night, Taylor will sit alongside the banished David Warner in the studio for the second ODI between Australia and England.”As soon as we unfortunately lost the rights, they were very keen to grab hold of me and keep me because they want to keep some teeth in the game I think – contact with the game they’ve broadcast for 40 years,” he said. “I’m delighted they’ve offered me the job and I was more than happy to stay – I’ve been there for 20-odd years now and looking forward to the next three.”I’m sure David will have his opinions on how the team is going to go and what have you, but how much he talks about yesteryear and a few months ago will be up to David. I suspect it’ll be more looking forward to how the side’s going now and how David’s going to approach trying to get back into the side in a year’s time.”I’ve had lunch with Smithy [Steve Smith] in recent times as I’ve done for a few years. If I know David, he’ll obviously still be disappointed, saddened by what happened but he rebounds pretty quick, David, and I think he’ll be very much looking forward to next year. If I know David at all I’m sure he’ll be pretty perky and more so looking forward than looking back.”

It would be sensible not to judge Peter George on the basis of this one performance, but after coming through when his team needed him most, he’ll certainly feel less of an outsider

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2010Two other Australian cricketers have dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in their debut Test. One, Cameron White, will probably not play Test cricket again. The second, Peter Siddle, has to start from scratch, after a back injury that’s kept him out for nearly a year and forced him to remodel his action. Peter George, as awkward as the ugly duckling when first thrown the ball, will hope that he has better luck after showing signs that he has a big role to play in Australian cricket’s future.After the skittish start, the coltish-looking George finished with an impressive return of 2 for 48 from 21 overs. It’s unlikely that George will be waxing eloquent to his grandchildren about the wicket of Zaheer Khan, but it’ll be hard to stop him talking about the first scalp: a swinging delivery that induced an inside edge from a bat that had appeared to be a feet few wide until then.”I definitely wasn’t giving up hope,” he said after the day’s play. “It just came down to patience. We had to keep plugging away and trusting in the plans we had. To get Sachin was just great … a shock. I was elated.” When asked how his team-mates had responded, he grinned. “Most of it was just ‘congratulations’ and ‘well done’. Just relief from most of the guys to see the back of Sachin after a lot of hard work.”After just 19 first-class games, he admitted that it had taken him a while to find his Test-match feet. “I’ve felt a lot more comfortable each day,” he said. “I had a bit of a nervous start. Today, there was a bit of swing in the air and it made me feel more a part of the game.”My first over the day before was especially nervous. I hadn’t really experienced something like that. I definitely calmed down [during] my next spell back. This morning, I felt comfortable. I could run in and do my own thing, without worrying too much about trying too hard.”A raucous crowd was part of the learning experience and for a young man asked to bowl his first over to Sehwag, it was nearly too much. “The crowd was something I’ve never experienced,” he said. “When Sachin brought up his 14,000th Test run, it was an unbelievable experience … all those screaming Indian fans going nuts. It was quite deafening to be out in the middle and it’s something I’ll always remember. To make my Test debut in front of such a crowd is special for me.”He was responsible for a couple of humorous moments too, with the super-slow bouncer that had both batsmen and team-mates staring in disbelief. “I told a few of the boys about that the night before [the game] and they looked at me like: ‘what’s he talking about?'” he said a smile. “So I bowled it and went: ‘there you go’. On a wicket like that, without too much bounce, I thought it was an opportunity to try it and see what happens.”Australia were on the rack on Monday morning, with the Indians leading by eight runs and five wickets still to take. Tendulkar’s wicket changed the game completely, with the tail offering next to no resistance. But with the pitch now playing tricks and Australia poised to set a target of 200 or more, George was confident that a series-levelling win wasn’t beyond his team.”It looks like the wicket is getting harder to bat on. We’ll try and make as many as we can in the morning and we’ll be confident of defending that.”We learnt a lot from the last game and how we played. We did a lot of things right. A narrow defeat like that can be a learning experience, and hopefully we can turn it around this game.”Had he been a more seasoned pro or more of an extrovert, he would probably have scoffed at the suggestion that he might be the next Glenn McGrath. But as it was, the question just prompted another half-smile and a soft-spoken answer. “To be compared to McGrath is a great honour for me,” he said. “If my bowling action’s similar, it’s because I watched him as a child, growing up. Kids generally resemble their favourite cricketers in the way they bat or bowl, so there’s a fair bit of McGrath in my action. If I do half as well as he did in his career, I’ll be a very happy man.”McGrath finished with 3 for 142 in his debut Test, and no one marked his card for greatness. It would be sensible not to judge George on the basis of this one performance, but after coming through when his team needed him most, he’ll certainly feel less of an outsider, going into a final day when Australia has the chance to pull off one of its greatest-ever victories.

Reaching the summit is one challenge, staying there is something entirely different

Andrew McGlashan in Durban30-Dec-2009Reaching the summit is one challenge, staying there is something entirely different. When South Africa took Australia’s crown as the No. 1 Test team in the world, they seemed to have the makings of a side to hold that spot. A strong-willed captain, a mighty batting order, a great allrounder and a fearsome strike bowler.They couldn’t do much to prevent the mace being handed over to India at the start of this month as they hadn’t played Test cricket for eight months, but after an innings-and-98-run thrashing at Durban, they look anything but world-leaders. It’s the nature of the defeat that is causing the greatest alarm. South Africa have always been beatable, but they rarely get hammered.Overcoming Australia on their home soil proved such a pinnacle for Graeme Smith’s team. It was the fruition of two years’ building and followed a victory in Pakistan, a draw away to India then an historic series win in England. Each of those achievements was memorable in its own right, but when Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla knocked off the runs at the MCG that was the moment a generation (and more) had waited for. Since then, alas, there has been a steady slide.Defeat in a dead rubber at Sydney could be excused – particularly as it came with just 10 balls of the match remaining – but the loss of the return series in South Africa was a real shock to the system. Questions were asked about how the team had prepared, while familiar differences of opinion emerged between the captain and the selectors.The eight-month hiatus from Tests allowed that particular dust-cloud to settle, but South Africa’s performances in limited-overs cricket also suffered. After a crushing defeat in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20, they flopped at home in the Champions Trophy, with a first-round exit, and went on to lose the one-day series against England. Now this innings defeat at Durban has ensured that a year that began with so much promise has turned into one to forget.Mark Boucher troops off as South Africa’s last hope departs•Getty Images”We have to honest with ourselves and look in the mirror. We represent a lot of people’s hopes in South Africa and just weren’t good enough,” Smith said of his team’s capitulation. “We haven’t played the same amount of Tests as we did in 2008, but 2009 really hasn’t lived up to the hype we managed to build last year, and that’s disappointing.”As a team we reached a point and haven’t been able to go to the next level. That’s something we need to address as a team and maybe as a leadership group. From a coaching perspective we need to look at why we haven’t been able to take the next step, and that’s something hopefully we can reassess in 2010 and make it a better year.”The similarities between South Africa’s post-Australia blues and England’s post-2005 Ashes hangover are stark. Under Michael Vaughan, England reached their zenith during that memorable summer and seemingly had a team to dominate for years to come. But it wasn’t to be. They just couldn’t reach those levels of intensity again for consistent periods. The could be becoming true for South Africa.Injuries, too, played a part, perhaps more so in England’s case but the recent problems for Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis haven’t helped the hosts. Then there’s the loss of form and confidence. Steve Harmison was never the same after 2005, while Makhaya Ntini is now a shadow of his former self.And what of the coaches? Duncan Fletcher backed his players to the hilt until it got too much during the 2006-07 Ashes drubbing, when the performances were indefensible and relationships reached breaking point, not least between Fletcher and his captain, Andrew Flintoff. Things are not as dire for Mickey Arthur, but the warning signs are there. He has the utmost faith in his players and his game plans – however, sometimes the call to change becomes too loud to resist.Smith, though, is cautious of knee-jerk reactions. “We’ve had one collapse and as disappointing as that is, I don’t think it’s a call to make massive changes,” he said. “It’s disappointing when it does happen, it never looks good, but generally the top six have been solid even in this series. Maybe we got a little tentative and didn’t commit to our shots as well as have.”The guys have got good records. It’s always important to have these wake-up calls, but disappointing when it does happen. In this series the guys have batted well and handled conditions well, even in the first innings here, 340 was a good effort but we have to go away and improve.”However, his support of Ntini sounded less fulsome than in the days leading up to this Test when he had made it clear there was never a chance of him being omitted despite Friedel de Wet’s impressive debut at Centurion. Former players have been critical of the decision, and public opinion may even be swaying against Ntini.”Makhaya would be the first one to put his hand up and say he’s disappointed with the way he has bowled,” Smith said. “He comes with a lot of experience and has performed well over a period of time. We have given him all the support we can from behind the scenes and he is an important cog in the line-up. We need to look at all those aspects going into Cape Town and see what we can do.”We’ve got a crucial Test starting out the year and we need to make those decisions and move forward pretty quickly. We can turn it all around in a few days time.”Newlands is a stronghold for South Africa and their three previous Tests against England since admission have been crushing victories, including two by an innings. The difference, though, is that on each of those occasions they have entered the New Year Test on the back of a draw, not a confidence-sapping defeat. The force is against them and they will have to dig deep. Smith will be glad there’s only one day of 2009 remaining.

They say never judge a book by its cover. The same should apply to cricket pitches

Andrew McGlashan at Centurion16-Dec-2009They say never judge a book by its cover. The same should apply to cricket pitches. Centurion Park’s surface was certainly green when the toss took place, if not quite the peasouper it had been during the airing it received on Tuesday. What actually happened off the surface, however, was far less colourful.Andrew Strauss’s decision to stick South Africa in certainly wasn’t up there with Nasser Hussain’s aberration at Brisbane in 2002 when he asked Australia to bat and watched them rampage to 364 for 2 on the first day. Compared to that indignity, 262 for 4 is vindication in the extreme, but Strauss wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t now having a few second thoughts – especially given that Graham Onions went lame during the afternoon session.A captain’s ideas clearly haven’t gone to plan when your spinner becomes the key bowler after the opposition have been inserted, and when – midway through the second session of the match – a medium-pacer is in action with the keeper standing up to the stumps, as was the case when Paul Collingwood started his spell in the 48th over. For a variety of reasons, Strauss was left juggling limited options, although Graeme Swann’s unbroken 24-over spell at least ensured he wasn’t facing the same sort of nightmares that confronted Hussain when he lost the services of Simon Jones in that debacle at the Gabba.Had Strauss been swayed by the pitch he saw on the previous day? The team selection suggested as much, given that England preferred Ian Bell at No. 6 ahead of Luke Wright, and didn’t give a moment’s thought to the out-and-out attacking route of picking Ryan Sidebottom and promoting Stuart Broad at No. 7. The oddity, though, was not in the team selection but in what followed. Having picked a batting-heavy line-up, Strauss then didn’t trust them to do the job by setting a first-innings score. Instead he gambled on his three-man pace attack having one of those days that captains dream of.Add into the mix that South Africa lost their premier strike bowler, Dale Steyn, moments before the toss, and it adds weight to the theory that Strauss’s call was premeditated – and wrong. It is dangerous to be swayed by what happens in the opposition ranks, but sometimes events make a compelling case for a reaction. With Jacques Kallis unable to bowl and Steyn ruled out, it was a chance to make South Africa labour in the hot sun. Instead, that became England’s tough task.”Having seen the wicket yesterday and this morning, we were well within our rights and justified to bowl first,” Swann insisted. “Certainly the stats on this ground [four wins against three defeats from 10 teams bowling first] seemed to back up the fact that bowling first can be very lucrative here.”Had a couple of the balls that kept low early on – especially from Graham Onions – cannoned into the pads or flicked the bail, we could be sitting here in a very different situation. We could have had them seven- or eight-down, or even bowled them out.”England had a chance with the new ball and didn’t take it. Broad, despite his third-ball removal of Graeme Smith, didn’t make the batsmen play enough and varied his length too often. His economical figures – he went for little more than two an over – disguise the lack of threat that he posed.To make matters worse, Onions, the pick of quicks, had to leave the field with a calf strain, albeit he returned late in the day for a brief burst. After a disrupted build-up, further injuries were the last thing Strauss needed, but it is the risk he was running with the formation he chose. This was also one of the hottest days of the tour which, coming on the back of a damp build-up, meant it wasn’t much of a surprise that the players felt the strain.So it was left to the joker in England’s pack to come to the rescue. It is amazing to think that it was only a year ago, in Chennai, that Swann made his Test debut. Then, as now, he struck in his first over with the memorable double blow of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid. On this occasion he did for Ashwell Prince with his second ball, drawing him into a drive that ended up at slip.Swann faced a counter-attack from Kallis which left him with the early figures of 3-0-24-1, but he soon remedied his economy rate with subtle changes of pace and flight. There wasn’t much turn off the pitch for him so he had to use his brain instead. He also had to retain his composure after missing out on a caught-behind decision against AB de Villiers – a let-off so blatant, in Swann’s opinion, that he called for an almost-instant review. To his credit, he that frustration behind him, and soon nabbed de Villiers shortly before tea.An offspinner should not be the stand-out bowler on a presumed greentop. Still, Swann bowled more than a quarter of England’s overs, and thanks to his efforts, South Africa’s run-rate hovered around three an over for the day, well below the current average in a fast-scoring era.”As that last session went on, perhaps we lost a bit of the initiative,” Swann said. “But at the end of play, I think we’re fairly happy that they haven’t really got away from us. Ideally, seven or eight wickets would have been the order of the day having bowled first. But I think we’ve stuck to our guns on a very good pitch. We didn’t bowl badly at any point, and the fact we haven’t gone at more than three an over is a positive.”It’s still far too early to make a final judgment on England’s tactics, but they have left themselves an uphill task and will need to pile on the runs when it’s their turn to bat. In truth, they should probably have been doing that today.

England’s win will send a message to the other boards that investment does pay off. Women are traditionally keen students of the game and often to be elite athletes requires a good deal of career sacrifice and understanding employers

Jenny Roesler in Sydney22-Mar-2009

	The contracts have allowed England women to play as much international cricket as they needed © Getty Images

Charlotte Edwards doesn’t have to work five days a week. Nor do Katherine Brunt and Jenny Gunn, among others in the England side. Around a year ago, contracts were handed to the England women, allowing them to focus on their cricket-life-work balance, with the ultimate aim the World Cup final.And now they are world champions, having brought up their side’s third title, and their only one away from home. While the deals are not the sole reason for the side’s dominance and consistency of 17 wins on the run, the investment, backed by the ECB with broader financial support in top-class coaches for example, has strengthened the England side immeasurably.It was also their first win since 1993, back when women’s cricket had a very different complexion. A largely amateur game, it is only in recent times that the game has begun to be heavily invested in.Now, England’s win will send a message to the other boards that investment does pay off. Women are traditionally keen students of the game and often to be elite athletes requires a good deal of career sacrifice and understanding employers. Good bosses can be hard to find and one wonders whether the credit crunch may reduce those numbers further with employers keen to squeeze every last drop out of workers as profits fall.Australia’s women are the latest recipients of deals, with extra financial assistance announced a month or so after England’s – and a recent further boost. Their absence from the final is a shame in that respect, and for the fact that greater home crowds could be expected at the North Sydney Oval for the final. But the end of Australian dominance can be no bad thing to shake up the game.India are another side who receive good assistance and had they reached the final then great support would have come from home, with lots of people tuning into internet coverage or satellite TV.However, neither Australia nor India fully deserve to be there given their overall performance of the World Cup, while nobody would argue that about New Zealand. Coming from a population of 4.5million, the New Zealand women have typically excelled in producing quality cricket throughout the tournament and had they lifted the trophy it would also be merited.New Zealand’s administrators were pioneering last decade when, in 1992, they became the first board to take their women under their wing. The advantage to New Zealand cricket was seen instantly. A strong unit found its way into the World Cup final in 1993 and 1997, and won it in 2000.At the moment, New Zealand are still more than cutting it with the other big girls, but there must be a fear that a gap could open up without more support. They have found vocal support from as far away as Afghanistan, where their troops have been following them.

	In a battle of immense pressure, England’s superior experience allowed the players to hold their nerve when it really mattered. The present is glittering with their new silver and gold trophy and the future looks even brighter

While their captain Haidee Tiffen says it’s not a priority for now – and the New Zealand Cricket board has provided plenty of support in other ways – further financial assistance for the women could help keep them at the top of their game.Winning captain Edwards has publicly acknowledged the role that increased funding has had to play in England’s dominance, not least because it allows for extra cricket. With her team-mates taking time off from work whenever they need to – because that work is within cricket, so they have the most understanding employers of all – England have been able to play as much international cricket as they have needed. Their players have also been able to winter in Australia.In a battle of immense pressure, England’s superior experience allowed the players to hold their nerve when it really mattered. The present is glittering with their new silver and gold trophy and the future looks even brighter. The next tournament is the World Twenty20 on home soil and, while it is a different form of the game, already they are looking good.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has enjoyed a number of huge successes in the transfer market over the years throughout his time at Anfield.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Alisson were all signed by the German head coach and went on to become influential players for the club, with some of them remaining key figures to date.

Who are Klopp's most expensive Liverpool signings?

Klopp has not been afraid to splash the cash when provided the chance to do so by FSG and has struck gold a number of times since his move to the club in 2015.

Virgil van Dijk

£73.8m

Darwin Nunez

£69.7m

Dominik Szoboszlai

£61m

Alisson

£54.5m

Naby Keita

£52.3m

Whilst it is easy to focus on the big-money signings who caught the eye and became stars for the club, Klopp also played a blinder with the bargain signing and then sale of winger Xherdan Shaqiri.

He was a solid and reliable performer for the Reds during his spell at Anfield and the German boss went on to sell him at the perfect time before his market value plummeted.

How much did Liverpool pay for Shaqiri?

The Reds reportedly splashed out a fee of £13.5m to sign the Switzerland international from Stoke City in the summer of 2018 after they activated a relegation clause in his contract with the Potters, who dropped down to the Championship that year.

Klopp described it as a "perfect" move and a no-brainer for the club as the talented forward had already proven his quality at Premier League level. Coincidentally, he'd also proven himself to be a little like one former Red. After scoring at Euro 2018, just a month before his move, one football writer Andrew Beasley said: "That Shaqiri goal reeks of Suárez against Everton at the Kop end in 2014."

The Swiss joined Stoke from Italian giants Inter in the summer of 2015 and enjoyed an impressive few years at the club with 15 goals and 15 assists in 92 appearances in all competitions.

His most productive season in a Potters shirt came during the 2017/18 campaign as he contributed with eight goals and seven assists in 36 Premier League starts.

The Switzerland forward averaged a phenomenal Sofascore rating of 7.24 which happened to be the highest score within the squad, ahead of second-placed Kurt Zouma's 7.07.

Shaqiri was unfortunate to end the season with only seven assists as the left-footed winger created a whopping 14 'big chances' for his teammates and provided 2.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore, 1.2 more per match than any other Stoke player with more than one league appearance.

That sublime form came after the ex-Bayern Munich prospect produced four goals and two assists in 21 Premier League starts during the 2016/17 campaign. In that time, he created five 'big chances' and delivered two key passes per outing.

These statistics show that Liverpool were bringing in a player who had already proven himself to be an effective forward in the top-flight of English football for a relatively low fee.

How many goals did Shaqiri score for Liverpool?

The Switzerland star racked up eight goals in 63 appearances in all competitions for the Reds in three seasons with the club before his exit in 2021.

Shaqiri, who joined as a back-up to the likes of Mane and Salah, caught the eye when called upon by the ex-Dortmund head coach throughout his first season on Merseyside.

The talented attacker scored six goals and provided three assists in 11 Premier League starts for the Reds, which worked out as an average of one goal contribution every 1.2 starts. Evidently, he was a reliable option for Liverpool to bring in when one of the frontline options needed a rest or missed a game through injury or suspension.

Only Roberto Firmino, Mane, and Salah scored more league goals for Liverpool than Shaqiri during the 2018/18 campaign, illustrating how impactful he was in spite of his limited game time on the pitch.

He also provided two assists in two Champions League starts for the club that season as Klopp's side went on to win the competition with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

However, Shaqiri then struggled even more for minutes on the pitch over the next two years as he managed seven Premier League starts in his final two campaigns at Anfield, in which time he chipped in with one goal and two assists.

Where is Xherdan Shaqiri now?

Liverpool ended up playing a blinder with the Swiss gem as they opted to sell him to Lyon in the summer of 2021 after his lack of game time. Since then, his value has plummeted, suggesting a sale was made at precisely the right time.

Football Transfers rated his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at €11.2m (£9.8m) in December of 2021, shortly after his move to France.

Shaqiri only played 16 matches for the Ligue 1 outfit and contributed with two goals and three assists before a move to MLS side Chicago Fire in 2022.

He has racked up 12 goals and 11 assists in 59 appearances for the American team to date and has scored three goals and produced three assists in 26 MLS outings in 2023 so far.

At the time of writing (25/09/2023), FootballTransfers has his xTV at €2.9m (£2.5m), meaning that his market value has dropped by a staggering 74% in just two years since his move from Liverpool.

Klopp clearly made a terrific decision to cash in on Shaqiri when he did as the 31-year-old has struggled to get back to his best and currently finds himself playing outside of Europe's major leagues with a decreasing market value.

Liverpool picked him up for a fairly cheap price and enjoyed his talents throughout the 2018/19 season and, although they may be disappointed with how the next two years went, have now been able to watch on as he has struggled since moving on from Anfield.

The track at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was rated below-average after the Sri Lanka Test in February, fetching it one demerit point, and the BCB had appealed that decision

Mohammad Isam16-Mar-2018The ICC has upheld its decision to impose one demerit point on the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka for a below-average pitch produced for the second Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in February.ICC’s general manager (cricket) Geoff Allardice and cricket committee chairman Anil Kumble concluded that match referee David Boon’s rating was correct, after the BCB had appealed the sanctions.The BCB’s appeal was reportedly centered on the argument that the pitch wasn’t a departure from the usual surfaces in Dhaka, given the weather and conditions at that time of the year.Boon had reported that the “pitch had uneven bounce throughout the match and inconsistent turn”. The Test was over an hour after lunch on the third day, with Sri Lanka winning by 215 runs. Thirty of the 40 wickets to fall in the match went to spinners; Bangladesh lasted all of 75.1 overs.According to the ICC’s revised pitch and outfield monitoring process, introduced on January 4 this year, demerit points will remain active for a rolling five-year period. When a venue accumulates five demerit points (or crosses that threshold), it will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months. A venue will be suspended from staging any international cricket for 24 months when it reaches the threshold of 10 demerit points.Last September, the ICC had rated the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s outfield “poor” after the first Bangladesh-Australia Test.The good news for the BCB is that the Mirpur outfield has become far better since then, while the pitches have played well during the ongoing Dhaka Premier League List-A competition.

Leeds United are back in the big time, and deservedly so, shaking off their Wembley heartbreak to secure the Championship title last time out – reaching 100 points in the process.

Another year in the second tier may suggest that Daniel Farke’s side are now better prepared to make the step up to the Premier League, although is that really the case?

The team that came so close in 2024 was blessed with the dazzling duo of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville, for instance, the former having contributed 16 assists in total that season, while the latter man registered 21 goals for the Yorkshire side.

With both men having since flown the nest, question marks remain surrounding Farke’s current attacking crop. Indeed, Brenden Aaronson provided just four goal involvements during his previous Premier League stint, with Daniel James registering one fewer while on loan at Fulham during that 2022/23 campaign.

Those prior woes don’t necessarily mean that Leeds’ attacking unit will flounder again next term, although it is evident that more firepower is needed before the window is out. As it is, reports appear to suggest that the Elland Road side are working to find a solution to that problem.

Latest on Leeds' search for a forward

The Whites have so far only bolstered their attacking ranks with the free transfer addition of Wolfsburg’s Lukas Nmecha, albeit with reports earlier this week outlining that contact had been made regarding a move for Juventus’ £12m utility man, Timothy Weah.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Whether the United States international ends up at Elland Road remains to be seen, however, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano outlining that Ligue 1 side Marseille are also engaging in talks amid a potential move for the 25-year-old.

Elsewhere, meanwhile, French outlet Foot Mercato have noted that Leeds are among a quintet of clubs who are keen on signing Borussia Monchengladbach forward, Franck Honorat, with Farke and co said to be showing ‘strong interest’ in the Frenchman.

As per the report, the likes of Nice and Freiburg are also keeping a close eye on the 28-year-old, while both Valencia and Stade Rennais are also said to have entered the frame, with Honorat previously lining up for Brest in Ligue 1.

Valued at £11m by Football Transfers, the experienced talent has spent the last two seasons in Germany, although a fresh start could be on the horizon. Might it be worth Leeds taking a punt?

Why Honorat could be Farke's new Rutter

The signing of an exciting and versatile French talent from the Bundesliga – ring any bells?

Of course, Leeds forked out a club-record fee of £35.5m to prise the aforementioned Rutter from Hoffenheim in January 2023, with the former France U21 international shaking off a quiet first six months in Yorkshire to emerge as a real shining light under Farke’s watch.

In all, the 23-year-old registered 26 goals and assists in just 66 games prior to his £40m switch to Brighton last summer, having been the creative hub in the side in 2023/24, having created 22 ‘big chances’ in total in the second tier.

While at 28, Honorat isn’t exactly a ‘prospect’, he has been described as “one to watch” this summer by journalist Santi Aouna, having showcased his own creative flair for Gladbach in recent seasons.

Indeed, in just 56 games for the German side, the in-demand forward – who, like Rutter, can operate centrally or on the flanks – has already registered 22 assists, alongside chipping in with ten goals, having been a revelation since his 2023 switch from France.

Games (starts)

32 (28)

19 (18)

Goals

3

4

Assists

9

7

Big chances created

19

12

Key passes*

2.8

2.7

Pass accuracy*

74%

76%

Successful dribbles*

0.7

0.6

Total duels won*

2.4

2.3

Possession lost*

15.1

13.3

As for last term, in particular, Honorat notably provided seven assists and created 12 ‘big chances’ in the Bundesliga, having boasted a stellar average of 2.7 key passes per game from his 19 appearances. For comparison, Rutter averaged 1.9 in that regard during 2023/24.

Had it not been for injury, the Gladbach man could well have even improved upon that return of goal involvements, albeit while still standing out as an exceptional ball carrier, after ranking in the top 15% of wingers and attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga for progressive carries per 90.

That is a trait that is no doubt shared with his compatriot, with Rutter’s dribbling prowess evidenced by the fact that he ranked in the top 4% of his peers for successful take-ons per 90 in 2023/24.

Like Rutter, Honorat may not exactly be a household name at present, but he could prove to be Farke’s next playmaking magician at Elland Road, if a deal can be struck.

Yes, competition for his signature is fierce, but that can only be a good sign…

Better signing than Krstovic: Leeds considering bid for £21m striker

Leeds are considering a move for a star who would be even better than Nikola Krstovic.

5 ByDan Emery Jul 4, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur have already signed Mathys Tel in a £30 million deal from Bayern Munich, but they’re by no means done there, as new manager Thomas Frank seeks to bring in another wide player.

Tottenham plan bid for "top" £60m attacker after talks in the last week

Spurs have reached out to him.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 25, 2025

Spurs face the very real prospect of losing Son Heung-min this summer after 10 years of faithful service, with chairman Daniel Levy poised to demand around £50 million for the Lilywhites legend as he looks to make a significant sale.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Time will tell whether any interested sides are willing to pay that amount for a 32-year-old with just one year left on his contract, but in the meantime, Spurs are very much in the market for a potential replacement, with Timo Werner also returning to parent club RB Leipzig.

Technical director Johan Lange and the Spurs recruitment team have been linked with a host of top wide players, including the likes of Man City outcast Jack Grealish, Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Southampton sensation Tyler Dibling, Lazio’s Gustav Isaken and West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus.

Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is also reliably believed to be a top target for Tottenham, while Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is a name to be regularly mentioned over the last fortnight.

The Cameroonian is fresh off the back of a productive campaign under Frank, where he bagged 20 goals in all competitions, and reports claim that Tottenham held talks over signing Mbeumo as they looked to compete with Man United.

However, since then, United have submitted an improved £60 million bid for the forward, and they’re believed to be closing in on a deal for him as things stand.

Tottenham match Bryan Mbeumo offer

Interestingly, according to former Brentford manager Martin Allen, Tottenham have “matched” the £60 million proposal for Mbeumo.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Allen claims that Levy and co are ready to pay that price, but the wages on offer at United mean that the African is still far more likely to join United as things stand.

“From what I’ve been told, Tottenham have matched the offer of Manchester United of £60million,” said Allen.

“However, the wages available at Manchester United, I’m led to believe, is £240k-a-week, Tottenham won’t pay that. The player will go where the biggest salary is.

“I know Thomas Frank is a big supporter of Mbeumo, but I think he’ll end up going to United.

“At £60m and £240k-a-week, it’s as good as a done deal.“

Both United and the Bees apparently remain in talks over add-ons, which could take the deal to around £63 million (Standard Sport). The negotiations are at a crucial stage, but given the sometimes-wacky nature of football transfers these days, you can never definitively rule out a late Spurs hijack until the paperwork is signed.