Sir Alex Ferguson has been spotted in attendance at Wrexham's clash with Peterborough United in League One one Saturday.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
da 888casino： You know things are going pretty bad when for the first time in his entire career, Bruno Fernandes gets sent for an early bath.
da dobrowin： It just about summed up the opening month and a bit of the new season for Manchester United, who surprise surprise, are getting no better under Erik ten Hag.
INEOS kept the faith with the Dutchman over the summer but they are yet to be vindicated by that decision with the Red Devils sat in 12th place with a goal difference of minus three. It’s grim reading for what is a historic institution. We dread to think what Sir Alex Ferguson makes of it all.
What supporters would give to see the glory days of Fergie brought back to Old Trafford. Sadly, they are some way off rediscovering that level of performance.
It’s a chaotic mess and Ten Hag doesn’t seem to be able to find a remedy to drag them from what feels like rock bottom. They will have to navigate the next few weeks without their captain too.
Bruno Fernandes' season in numbers
The Portuguese has been a wonderful servant to this great football club. During his time in Manchester to date, Fernandes has scored an impressive 79 goals and supplied 70 assists. He has been a marvel in the red shirt.
Sadly, this season his performance levels have dropped. The 30-year-old is yet to find the net and has only registered three assists in all competitions, only one of which has come in the Premier League.
To make matters worse, he was given a red card in the dismal 3-0 defeat to Spurs on Sunday, slipping and catching James Maddison with his studs. It was a harsh sending off but it ultimately summed up his lack of influence so far this term.
In the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace last weekend he gave the ball away a staggering 34 times and failed to hit a single shot on target. It didn’t get much better in their Europa League clash with FC Twente either where the Portugal international created just one goal-scoring chance, lost possession 19 times and completed just 75% of his passes.
Fernandes vs Crystal Palace
Stat
Number
Touches
113
Passes completed
60/83
Pass accuracy
72%
Number of times possession lost
34
Ground duels won
7/9
Tackles won
4/4
Key passes
2
Stats from Sofascore
Sunday’s awful display, meanwhile, saw a pass completion rate of just 74% while he didn’t win a single duel either.
It might not be the worst idea for him to sit out the next few games, then. He will be suspended for three matches which gives the likes of Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen a chance to prove themselves.
They could also look at bringing in some more young players like Toby Collyer and Dan Gore. However, they are not of a similar ilk. Isak Hansen-Aaroen is, however, but he’s already left the club.
What happened to Isak Hansen-Aaroen
It’s unlikely that the decision-makers at United will be losing too much sleep over seeing the Norwegian walk away last January.
Hansen-Aaroen wanted game time, he wanted first-team football and the Red Devils could not deliver that. So, he was off on his merry way to Werder Bremen in Germany, signing for a fee of around just £200k.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
Why is this a loss? Well, Hansen-Aaroen would be a pretty handy replacement for Fernandes in the here and now. He wouldn’t do any worse than the current crop, that’s for sure.
After all, his playmaking abilities have already been compared to a fellow countryman and one of the finest in the Premier League.
A former teammate of his at Tromso, Yttergård Jenssen, is one name who has rushed to praise the youngster. “He has some skills that are completely raw. He’s so playful with the ball. And the way he moves on a football field… There’s something artistic about it. He is a bit reminiscent of Martin Ødegaard.”
Fine praise indeed for a player who is still only 20. The young Norwegian has featured just three times for Bremen since moving but his numbers at youth level speak for themselves.
He left Carrington having registered ten official assists at youth level alongside eight goals. They’re not jaw-dropping numbers by any means but the fact he’s left and immediately playing senior team football in a major European league suggests he’d have something to offer this current United side.
Sadly, they will never quite know whether he’d have made the grade or not at Old Trafford.
Man Utd must drop 4/10 star who Neville thought was "awful"
Manchester United resemble a sinking ship under Erik ten Hag’s stewardship.
ByMatt Dawson Sep 30, 2024
Australia captain Pat Cummins believes his side’s rare series win in Asia has reaffirmed that their normal blueprint for success can translate abroad and will give them a major confidence boost ahead of tours of Sri Lanka and India.Australia completed a 1-0 series victory over Pakistan after claiming the third Test in Lahore thanks to five wickets from Nathan Lyon on the final day and three from Cummins, who was named player of the match after bagging eight wickets across both innings.Related
'The boys absolutely love him' – Pat Cummins praises interim coach Andrew McDonald
Babar Azam: 'Soft dismissals the reason we lost'
Lyon five-for, Cummins take Australia to 1-0 series win
Azhar rues batters not converting half-centuries 'into 150s and 170s'
Pakistan's worst collapse, and a new Asian high for Australia's quicks
Usman Khawaja was named player of the series for his superb performance with the bat over three Tests compiling 496 runs at 165.33, with two hundreds and two nineties, including 91 and 104 not out in Lahore.But the contributions of Australia’s fast bowlers – Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green – who combined to take 23 of Australia’s 41 wickets for the series, on slow pitches that were supposed to nullify their influence, proved that their normal method of attacking with pace bowling can succeed in Asia.”It’s probably potentially not as spinning conditions here as we might get in Sri Lanka,” Cummins said after the match. “But I think in the past Asian tours that I’ve been on, there’s a lot of talk when we leave Australia that we’ve got to change everything about our game to succeed over here.”This is a good lesson that the basics of batting or bowling that make you a good player in Australia can hold up over here. If anything, I think it’s reaffirmed that our games will hold up.”Cummins felt that his playing group could take a lot of confidence into the two-Test tour in Sri Lanka in July, particularly after some of his younger members such as Green and Alex Carey had made meaningful contributions towards just the third series victory by an Australian Test team in Pakistan.”The amount of confidence we’ll get out of winning over here, not just as a team but so many individuals,” Cummins said. “Every individual had their moment and has shown that their game stands up to Asian conditions. So it’s huge for Sri Lanka later in the year, India next year. That’s awesome.”Cummins said he was immensely satisfied after becoming the first Australian captain to win a series in Asia since Michael Clarke in 2011. It was the first overseas series victory by any Australian team since New Zealand in 2016. Their best results in the interim had been drawn series in Bangladesh in 2017 and England in 2019. Australia had not travelled overseas for a Test tour since the 2019 Ashes series.”Everyone’s just totally elated,” Cummins said. “Winning overseas just doesn’t happen very often. It’s been a real toil for the last 25-30 days. We knew it was going to be totally different to normal life in Australia, under different conditions. And to come away with a series is hugely satisfying.”The team won’t get much time to celebrate together. Cummins, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will head home for a break, with Cummins, Warner, and Hazlewood then heading to the IPL soon after. The ODI and T20I squad members will remain in Lahore for the limited-overs series which begins with the first ODI on Tuesday.
Plays of the day from the IPL game between Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils in Pune
Siddhartha Talya19-May-2013The catch
Virender Sehwag isn’t the swiftest on the field, but has pulled off some really good catches in his career. The one that immediately comes to mind is catching Simon Katich at fine leg in Adelaide in 2004. Today, he was made to dive again and he did it well, stretching full length as he ran to snap one from Aaron Finch and plucked it inches from the ground at square leg.The innovation
It seems Raiphi Gomez has been taking lessons from AB de Villiers. Facing his first ball today, which incidentally was the last of the Pune Warriors innings, he reverse-paddled Siddarth Kaul to the third-man boundary, switching at the last moment to place the ball past the keeper. Everyone was caught unawares, chiefly the bowler who had a look of disbelief.The drop
David Warner has had a poor IPL by his standards, and he was tentative at the start of his innings today as well. In the second over of the chase, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tempting delivery outside off that Warner edged as he tried to drive, only to be given a reprieve by Finch at slip. It was an excellent effort, though, as he dived full length to his right and almost caught hold of it with his right hand but it slipped through his fingers.The downfall
Mahela Jayawardene was well set and appeared to be anchoring Daredevils’ chase until he faced Ali Murtaza. First, he yorked himself to a full delivery from Murtuza and was fortunate not to be stumped as Robin Uthappa failed to collect. However, next ball, he chased a really wide delivery and sliced the easiest of catches to point, when he could have earned a wide had he let it be.The blow
Remember that game between India and Namibia in the 2003 World Cup, when Sachin Tendulkar smashed one back past the bowler, just to miss umpire Aleem Dar who was in the firing line? Umesh Yadav, however, thrashed one straight back at Simon Taufel today, in the final over of the game. It caught Taufel smack on the shoulder, but the umpire didn’t show any pain. He smiled at Umesh, who smiled back and held up his hand; tempers didn’t flare, though it has happened this tournament when batsmen have been at the receiving end of a wrong decision.
The smile on Kasper Schmeichel’s face said it all, Celtic – and Parkhead – is a special place, not least on Champions League nights.
To think that anyone – even in pursuit of their own dreams – would wish to move on from such surroundings is hard to fathom, with the grass certainly not always greener for those who opt to depart.
You only have to look at the Old Firm’s three record sales to see that life outside of the green and white can prove rather grey, with former hero Kieran Tierney now a forgotten man at Arsenal after five injury-ravaged years in London, while Matt O’Riley’s time on the south coast has also started in a similar vein, after the Denmark international limped off less than ten minutes into his Brighton and Hove Albion debut.
As for Portuguese wizard, Jota, the winger’s £25m exit to Saudi Arabia went down like a lead balloon, with the 25-year-old now on the books at Ligue 1 side Rennes, after making just 25 appearances for Al-Ittihad in total.
It’s been a sad situation for a player who dazzled in Glasgow with 54 goals and assists in just 83 games, with Hoops supporters no doubt praying that a return to the club may be in store before too long – not least due to the woes of the man who was meant to replace him.
Celtic's 'next Jota'
The departure of the former Benfica starlet in the summer of 2023 no doubt left a sizeable void for returning manager, Brendan Rodgers, with the fleet-footed star having been a real creative outlet on the flanks under former boss, Ange Postecoglou.
In need of a suitable successor in that left-wing berth, the champions fended off rival interest from Old Firm foes, Rangers, for the signing of Honduran international, Luis Palma, who joined from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki for around £3.5m.
On the face of it, the new man’s debut season in Scottish football looked to have been something of a success, as he ended the term with ten goals and ten assists to his name in all competitions.
That included notable efforts against both Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord in the Champions League, with many – including one podcaster – suggesting that he could well be the heir to Jota’s throne. He was even lauded for a “Jota-esque dink” by journalist John McGinley to set up O’Riley during the 4-1 thrashing of Hearts back in October.
Like all good things, however, such form was quickly curtailed by the turn of the year, with Palma’s place in the squad, let alone the starting lineup, now looking perilous.
Palma's form in 2024
Following a lightning start at Celtic Park, the new year brought with it a real change in fortunes for the wideman, as he provided just two goal involvements in the league from January until May.
Amid the resurgence of a certain James Forrest, Palma quickly tumbled down the pecking order as the season progressed, notably failing to even make it on the field during the Scottish Cup final triumph over Rangers.
Those woes have continued into the new campaign, in truth, with Rodgers tending to favour a wing pairing of Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn thus far, with Forrest the first-choice reserve.
Four appearances in 2024/25 to date have yielded no goals or assists for the forgotten man, with the £6k-per-week asset having particularly struggled during the recent clash at home to Championship side, Falkirk.
19/09/2023 vs vs Feyenoord
GK – Joe Hart
RB – Alistair Johnston
CB – Gustaf Lagerbielke
CB – Liam Scales
LB – Greg Taylor
CDM – Callum McGregor
CM – Matt O’Riley
CM – Reo Hatate
RW – Luis Palma
ST – Kyogo Furuhashi
LW – Daizen Maeda
The 16-cap international was hooked on the hour mark with the hosts having been trailing at the time, with Football Scotland’s Blair Meikle awarding him a measly 4/10 match rating, while writing that he ‘really didn’t stake a claim for more game time’, amid what was a ‘poor afternoon’.
Having also only featured in two of the club’s five league games this season, it would appear that Rodgers’ faith in the player has significantly dwindled, with it looking as if a January exit may well be an inevitability.
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
Once promising to be the man who could ease the loss of Jota, Palma is now on a steep decline, with work to be done to change his situation over the coming months.
It’s fair to say that, on reflection, the next Jota he is not…
Sold for £10m: Celtic struck gold with star who's now worth millions less
The Hoops hit the jackpot by cashing in on the defender when they did.
ByDan Emery Sep 23, 2024
Australia need to rejig their middle order if Head isn’t available for the Galle Test
Andrew McGlashan23-Jun-2022Glenn Maxwell has been added to Australia’s Test squad ahead of the opening match against Sri Lanka in Galle after Travis Head joined a lengthy injury list with a hamstring strain which has ruled him out of the final ODI.It means the prospect of Maxwell playing his first Test since 2017, against Bangladesh in Chattogram, and his first first-class match since 2019 if he is included for the game next Wednesday. All seven of his Tests have come on the subcontinent with a top score of 104 against India in Ranchi.Before the tour, national George Bailey kept the door open for Maxwell’s return. He has been in good touch during the ODIs with a match-winning unbeaten 80 in the opening game followed by 30 and 33.”We know Glenn has had some red-ball success in these types of conditions and we’re looking forward to him getting back and playing a good block of cricket through the T20s and one-day cricket,” Bailey said. “If he shoots the lights out or anyone else does particularly well, there’s always going to be opportunities.”Earlier in the trip, Maxwell said he understood why he was not part of the Test squad but had not given up hope of getting another chance”A guy that hasn’t played any first-class cricket would be a random pick,” he told . “I know it’s specific to my skillset and the way I play slow bowling, especially in these conditions, that might have been something to sway them.”But I think the way they’ve shown faith in their current squad is brilliant. It’s nice that the door’s not closed but I also thought it was nice that they showed faith in that squad.”Head sustained his injury late in the fourth match and has just six days to recover before the first Test in Galle. GPS data showed that Head had run 26km in the field across the third and fourth matches of the series. The strain is said to be on the minor side, but if he is not available for the opening game next Wednesday, it would require Australia to rejig their middle order.Related
Australia could play Maxwell at No. 8 in second Test
Glenn Maxwell's Test return: 'So nice to get the tap on the shoulder and have the faith I can do a job'
Starc won't risk Test chances by making quick return in Sri Lanka
Warning signs for Australia ahead of litmus test against spin in Galle
Maxwell has been called up ahead of any of the Australia A batters who have been taking part in the four-day matches against Sri Lanka which includes Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw and Nic Maddinson.However, three spinners from the A squad – Jon Holland, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy – will remain in Sri Lanka with the Test squad to assist with preparations and to further their development. Kuhnemann has already been part of the ODI squad following Ashton Agar’s side injury and if Australia opt for three spinners during the Tests there could be further chance for promotion.Holland, 35, who has played four Tests, was a late addition to the Australia A squad after Kuhuemann was brought across to the one-day set-up.Travis Head has just six days to recover before the first Test in Galle•Getty Images
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc also continues to be unavailable due to the stitching in his finger which he cut on the spike of his boot in the first T20I while Steven Smith, who has been nursing a quad strain, is unlikely to be risked ahead of the Tests.”[It’s a] bit more of a precaution,” Aaron Finch said of Head. “Especially, where he fields in the outfield, he does quite a lot of kilometres and the ground is quite heavy. Not sure what he’s looking like for the Test matches. Just one more to add to the list at the moment. Starcy is still not right with his finger. Where it is, the stitching is still not quite 100% healed. Without being able to bowl without tape on, he’ll be out as well.”Australia have endured a lengthy casualty list during the white-ball leg of the tour. Sean Abbott (broken finger) was ruled out before the matches began to be followed by Marsh who has since recovered from a calf strain, Kane Richardson (hamstring), Marcus Stoinis (side), and Agar (side) along with Starc and Smith.Reflecting on the ODI series, which Sri Lanka secured with their four-run victory two days ago, Finch picked out the fact Australia had not been able to build a big partnership to take them deep into the innings with plenty of wickets in hand as a deciding factor. They have fielded a long batting order in the last two matches with Cameron Green at No. 8.”Anytime we’ve started to get any momentum in the game, we lose a wicket and in these conditions, once you lose one, they go back-to-back pretty quick,” he said. “Think, just maximising that main partnership where you can get to the 40th over maybe three down, has hindered us a bit.”After Friday’s final ODI, Australia’s next 50-over cricket will be the series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand starting at home in late August. Unlike these matches against Sri Lanka, those contests will carry World Cup Super League points. There remains uncertainty whether their other home series, against South Africa in January, will go ahead after CSA requested for it to be moved, so they can launch their new T20 league.
MatériaMais Notícias
da realsbet： Na Arena Fonte Nova, o Bahia entra em campo para encarar a Ponte Preta pela Série B e tenta manter o ótimo retrospecto dentro de casa.
– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B
Até o momento, nos três jogos que disputou como mandante, a equipe venceu seus rivais e deu um salto na classificação.
Além dos triunfos obtidos, o time de Salvador não sofreu nenhum gol dentro da Arena Fonte Nova.
Confira abaixo os resultados:
Bahia 2 x 0 Cruzeiro
Bahia 1 x 0 Sampaio Correa
Bahia 4 x 0 Londrina
RelacionadasFortalezaPablo Vojvoda cita ’emocional’ para exaltar vitória do FortalezaFortaleza19/05/2022FlamengoZagueiro treina com o grupo e pode reforçar o Flamengo contra o GoiásFlamengo19/05/2022PalmeirasRelembre as contratações do Palmeiras na ‘Era Anderson Barros’Palmeiras19/05/2022
Pundit Carlton Palmer has been reacting to rumours of Crystal Palace eyeing up another Eberechi Eze-like signing in 2025.
Crystal Palace summer signings
Eagles chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman were busy in the summer transfer window at Selhurst Park, making eight new signings ahead of Oliver Glasner’s first full season in charge.
Crystal Palace summer signings
From
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal
€29.70m
Maxence Lacroix
Wolfsburg
€18m
Ismaila Sarr
Marseille
€15m
Chadi Riad
Real Betis
€15m
Daichi Kamada
Lazio
Free transfer
Louie Moulden
Wolves
Free transfer
Trevoh Chalobah
Chelsea
Loan transfer
Matt Turner
Nottingham Forest
Loan transfer
Crystal Palace fees received
To
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Michael Olise
Bayern Munich
€53m
Joachim Andersen
Fulham
€29.5m
Sam Johnstone
Wolves
€11.9m
Jordan Ayew
Leicester City
€5.9m
Scott Banks
FC St. Pauli
€400,000
As can be seen, Palace actually received more than they spent after cashing in on Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen, however, they have appeared to bolster the squad with players who have Premier League experience in Eddie Nketiah, Ismaila Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah.
More new additions could be on the way in 2025, though, with reliable reporter Alan Nixon recently claiming that Crystal Palace are interested in signing Millwall attacker Romain Esse.
The 19-year-old has progressed through the Lions’ academy in recent years and has now made 48 senior appearances at The Den, scoring on four occasions, two of which have come during the current campaign.
Palmer reacts as Palace eye move for Esse
Talking to Football League World, Palmer gave his thoughts after hearing of Palace’s interest in Esse. He labelled the Millwall teenager as “technically very good”, “direct”, “versatile” and “pacey”, sighting Palace’s move for Eze when it comes to signing Championship gems and developing them.
“Crystal Palace are the latest Premier League club to be monitoring the situation on Millwall’s talented frontman Romaine Esse. He’s naturally a right-winger but can play anywhere across the front, he’s had an excellent start to the season which is causing Premier League clubs to look at the talented 19-year-old.
“Palace have a habit of signing and developing good young players, look at Eze and Michael Olise and they buy these players, develop them and sell them on for big money.
“If he’s sold, Millwall would get a sell-on clause and that would be vital. Obviously when you develop young players, it’s good to see when they come through – especially the likes of Esse, who has came through the youth academy and worked his way up the ranks.
“He’s shown ability throughout his earlier [youth] career, he’s a very important part of Millwall’s first team squad, he’s technically very good and he’s a versatile player. He’s very direct and pacey.”
Parish & Freedman want Crystal Palace to beat Man Utd to signing of 18 y/o
The Eagles are looking to get one over on Manchester United…
1 ByTom Cunningham Sep 20, 2024
Palmer clearly likes what he has seen in Esse, so who knows, a move to Selhurst Park from Millwall could be just what he needs at this stage of his career, making a January or summer deal in 2025 one to watch.
Shami’s participation will depend on clearance from the BCCI
ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2022
Wriddhiman Saha had missed the Ranji Trophy league stage due to “personal reasons”•BCCI
Three months after opting out of the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 league stage, Wriddhiman Saha has returned to the Bengal squad ahead of the quarter-final against Jharkhand in Bengaluru from June 6.The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) also named fast bowler Mohammed Shami in the squad. However, his participation will need a clearance from the BCCI and head coach Rahul Dravid taking his workload management into account. The squad will be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran.However, it was 37-year-old Saha whose comeback is a big talking point, given he skipped the league stage citing “personal reasons”. That decision came on the back of Saha being left out of India’s Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka. After that selection meeting, it came to light that he had been told by head coach Dravid that he may not be in the scheme of things going forward.Related
Wriddhiman Saha: 'Being indirectly told to retire'
Pujara, Rahane, Ishant, Saha dropped for Sri Lanka Tests
Saha opts out of Bengal's Ranji squad for personal reasons
Saha has been in scintillating form in the ongoing IPL, scoring 281 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of 123.24 with three 50-plus scores, including one Player of the match performance.Saha aside, the squad has second wicketkeeper in young Abhishek Porel, who impressed in his absence. There was no place for veteran wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami, who continued to be left out of the squad. Goswami is currently in England playing club cricket.The squad also includes Shami’s younger brother Mohammed Kaif and left-arm spinner Ankit Mishra, who bowled well at the Under-25 level. He is the third left-arm spinner after Shahbaz Ahmed and Pradipta Pramanik.Experienced medium pacer Nilkantha Das was also included and so was opener Sudip Gharami, despite a season of non-performance. Junior state sports minister Manoj Tiwary was also a part of the squad.Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Mohammed Shami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhishek Raman, Writtick Chatterjee, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Koushik Ghosh, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Pradipta Pramanik, Karan Lal, Nilkantha Das, Sudip Gharami, Abhishek Porel, Mohammed Kaif, Ankit Mishra
But she isn’t assured of a place in Australia’s starting XI with Meg Lanning likely to choose between her and a spinner at Basin Reserve
AAP14-Mar-2022Fresh from a stunning 3 for 22 that destroyed the New Zealand top order and led Australia to a third win on the spin, teenage quick Darcie Brown is keyed up for the next World Cup outing, against West Indies on Tuesday.Brown was ruthless against New Zealand on Sunday, taking the wickets of Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr and Frances Mackay in a match-defining spell. Her favourite wicket was that of Kerr, who she had caught in the slips courtesy an athletic leap from Beth Mooney. “Moons’ catch was pretty special. It was a pretty big screamer and the girls were up and about,” Brown said of the moment.Related
Tahlia McGrath: 2017 World Cup defeat to India 'reshaped our values'
Gardner beats Covid after-effects in match-winning show
Wellington marks Australia comeback with tribute to Warne
Brown’s last wicket left New Zealand 35 for 5 and Australia eventually scripted to a 141-run win – their second-biggest-ever win margin in ODIs over New Zealand.It was a fine return from Brown, especially given her poor none for 40 off six overs against England that led to her sitting out Australia’s win over Pakistan.”During the Pakistan match, I had a bit of a bowl, a bit of a trundle with Ben Sawyer, our bowling coach,” she said. “He helped me with a few tips and cues to bowl to try and go a bit fuller, and, I guess, swing it a bit more… that put me in good stead for that New Zealand match.”And her team-mates were glowing in their reviews. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Darce bowl that well,” Ash Gardner said, while Ellyse Perry said Brown did “amazingly well”.Even Brown was surprised. “I felt like I was in pretty good control with the ball. I don’t usually feel like that,” she said. “It’s probably up there with how I felt with control and rhythm and, I guess, pace.”
“I want to play every single game. But with the path of young fast bowlers there’s been a fair few injuries. When management say I need a rest you’ve just got to trust them and know it’s in your best interest”Darcie Brown
Next up are West Indies, who have beaten New Zealand and England, but arrive at Basin Reserve off a big loss to India.”It’d be an awesome challenge. We played against them in a practice match, and [Deandra Dottin] whacked me around a little bit,” she said.However, Brown’s selection isn’t assured, given her age – 19 – and the riches available to captain Meg Lanning. Against New Zealand, the skipper made the tough call to leave out the world’s No. 1-ranked ODI bowler Jess Jonassen in favour of pace.”We had a really tough selection… JJ missed out and she’s a world-class bowler, and has done extremely well for us for a long time,” Lanning said. “We felt that extra pace option was the way to go. It worked today but on another day it might not.”Brown said she would understand whichever way the call went. “I want to play every single game,” she said. “But with the path of young fast bowlers there’s been a fair few injuries. When management say I need a rest you’ve just got to trust them and know it’s in your best interest.”