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A reprimand for damaging the pitch compounded Ajmal Shahzad’s disappointing 2011 but he is ready to put in the hard graft as Yorkshire seek promotion

David Hopps31-Mar-2012Ajmal Shahzad wants to put a horrific 2011 behind him as part of a Yorkshire side aiming to make a quick return to Division One of the Championship.As well as feeling the fury that met Yorkshire’s relegation, Shahzad’s position on the fringes of the England side disappeared as his bowling deteriorated amid the struggle to combat a long-standing ankle injury first suffered on England’s 2010-11 Ashes tour.To make matters worse, his personal reputation also suffered as he was found guilty of a pitch-scuffing incident at Edgbaston. By the end of the season, with only 25 Championship wickets to his name at 41 runs apiece, one of county cricket’s most ebullient figures cast a forlorn figure.Shahzad was severely reprimanded and fined £750 ($1,200) by an ECB disciplinary panel for scuffing the pitch in a late-season match at Edgbaston, an impromptu act that summed up the frustrations of a season in which Yorkshire’s reputation as the brightest young side in the country collapsed and Shahzad also fell out of form and favour.One ankle operation later, he shakes his head in embarrassment at the memory. “It was just a stupid error by me,” he said. “I went to Lord’s for the hearing and I could see from the footage it was just incredibly stupid what I did. There wasn’t even any point in doing it.”It’s not the way I want to play my game. I don’t want to be seen as a cheat, or a pitch-damager. We were hoping to win that game; we needed to win it to stay up. It didn’t really go the way we wanted it to go. Emotions and actions kind of just built up.”What I did was stupid. But I have been reprimanded and been given the penalty for that. It’s one mistake I’ve made in an eight- or nine-year career so far. It’s out of the blue for me, and I definitely would never do anything like it again. It was just a random, stupid act.”Shahzad suffered for trying to play through his ankle pain with the help of two injections. His bowling action suffered, he lost his ability to swing the ball and he tried to compensate by quickening his pace. Yorkshire grumbled, without much justification, that he had lost focus and, as relegation became a reality, the chairman Colin Graves also had him on his hit list when he accused some players of turning in “unacceptable” performances.”I played a bit more than half the season with a dodgy ankle,” Shahzad said. “I was in a lot of pain, but just kept playing through it because I wanted to put my performances in for Yorkshire. In hindsight, I could have probably taken that time away and got it checked out. If I’d had it looked at during the season, had surgery then, it would have kept me out for that summer. I had the surgery in October and it feels good now.”Injury kept Shahzad out of England’s winter squads, but he could not wait to pack his suitcase when he was invited to Dubai as net fodder for England during their one-day series against Pakistan and he played in all but one of Yorkshire’s pre-season games in Barbados.”It was just a nice feeling to be in and around the England team,” he said. “It’s been a year or two since I’ve felt that – enjoying their victories in the one-dayers and seeing again what kind of level I need to be at to get back into the squad if the opportunity comes.”I feel as if I’m starting at the beginning again. Last season was tough. I tried to adapt the way I bowl to compensate for my ankle injury. I shouldn’t have done that. But I was trying to get through a season, and minimise the pain.

“Last season was tough – I tried to adapt the way I bowl to compensate for my ankle injury but I shouldn’t have”Ajmal Shahzad

“Then there were instances where I probably tried to bowl a little bit too fast, change a little bit of my action to compensate for my ankle. But now I feel consistent with my action, my run-up, my landing – and that’s come about with having my ankle pain-free.”I’m 26, coming near to my peak and I want to keep progressing. I don’t want to stagnate, I want to achieve the best I possibly can.Graves’ financial support has kept Yorkshire alive for several seasons, so he had quite literally earned his right to say his piece, but when he labelled the performances of some Yorkshire players on the day they went down as “a disgrace”, it caused shockwaves throughout the county.”There were some harsh words spoken,” Shahzad said, “but at the end of the day, the stats are there for everybody to see. I’ve got my reasons for why it was so tough personally. If they didn’t think I was fit to play then I shouldn’t have been on the pitch.”There were a few people, including myself, who did get a bit of a shock at the end of last season by a few words that were spoken by the owner of the club. That’s the nature of the game. We’ve just got to crack on with what we do. We try our best every time we get on the pitch. There’s not a point when we get on the pitch and think ‘Oh, today’s not the day for us’ or ‘I don’t really feel it’.”This is my job. I’m a fast bowler, who bats – and I go on to that pitch every day trying to take wickets and bowl as quick as I possibly can, and bowl well. I’m at the end of a three-year contract with Yorkshire. We’ve got some serious players in the squad. My personal ambition is to do well this season, and hope to get another contract offer from Yorkshire – and put some hard graft in.”Edited by Alan Gardner

Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali impress for Pakistan in warm-up game

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2021A visibly tired Rassie van der Dussen pushed his limits and pulled off a stunning last-over win for South Africa in their warm-up game against Pakistan. South Africa needed 19 to win in the last over, bowled by Hasan Ali, and van der Dussen started the over off with a six, before returning to strike and hitting the last two balls for four to seal a win as well as complete a 51-ball century. At the other end was David Miller, who also hit a six in the last over as Hasan conceded 22.van der Dussen was in as early as the third over, when Imad Wasim dismissed both openers and the chase looked tall. But on a good batting surface, he kept South Africa’s scoring rate healthy as he put together a 107-run stand for the third wicket with captain Temba Bavuma, who struggled for rhythm during a 42-ball 46. But that partnership came only off 12 overs, despite Pakistan managing to bowl plenty of dot balls in the middle overs. That was down to van der Dussen’s ability to find and clear the boundaries at regular intervals – in all, he hit ten fours and four sixes – and that eventually left South Africa enough wickets to go big at the end. They needed 74 from the last six overs, and Heinrich Klaasen played a part with an eight-ball 14 from No. 5.Pakistan had the upper hand, with South Africa needing 47 off the last three, but 18 and 22-run overs on either side of Shaheen Afridi’s ten-run 19th over proved costly.Earlier in the evening, after winning the toss, South Africa opened the bowling with Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada, who kept the scoring down in the powerplay. Rabada managed to get Babar Azam cheaply with a yorker, while Anrich Nortje closed the powerplay off with Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket.But that was the only phase of the bowling innings that South Africa would manage to control, as Fakhar Zaman showed off the six-hitting ability that lifted him from the reserves into the main squad last week. Fakhar hit five sixes and two fours on his way to 52 off 28 balls before retiring out as Pakistan managed to score 120 off their last ten overs.Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik batted at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively, with the former scrapping through a 14-ball 13, while the latter got deep in the innings before falling for 28 off 28 balls. It was Asif Ali, however, who turned the course at the end of the innings with a belligerent 32 off 18 from No. 6.In all, Pakistan managed to hit 11 sixes as South Africa produced an average bowling display with the exception of Maharaj, Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. Tabraiz Shamsi bowled only four balls before sitting out the remainder of the match as a precaution due to a tight groin. South Africa’s medical staff said he would be assessed overnight and steps will be taken as required.

The transfer window is in full swing, and like most other sides in the Premier League, Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of exciting stars.

The first significant saga of the window for Mikel Arteta's side was Benjamin Sesko, but following his decision to sign a new deal with RB Leipzig, attention has shifted towards a possible £76m move for Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swedish international looks like an incredibly talented player, but the fee needed to get him out of Lisbon is undoubtedly steep and, based on recent reports, Edu Gaspar and Co may be about to nab another prolific forward for far less.

Arsenal's striker search

According to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are one of several teams "still involved" in the battle to land Serhou Guirassy's signature this summer.

According to the German, Borussia Dortmund appear to be at the front of the queue, but the Gunners, Chelsea, and AC Milan are all still fighting to sign the VfB Stuttgart ace.

While the outside interest is less than ideal, the fact that the Guinean international's contract has a release clause worth just £15 million is good news, and according to Plettenberg, the forward's future will be sorted in the coming days.

While it may be a challenge to outmanoeuvre Dortmund, the prospect of acquiring a prolific forward at a bargain price is certainly enticing, especially considering the potential £61m savings compared to signing Gyokeres.

How Guirassy compares to Gyokeres

So, if Arsenal find themselves in the enviable position of having a choice between Guirassy and Gyokeres this summer, which player should they opt to sign?

From a pure output perspective, the choice between the pair is not as straightforward as it may seem. For instance, in his 50 appearances last season, the Sporting star demonstrated his prowess by scoring an impressive 43 goals and providing 15 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 0.86 games – a remarkable feat.

On the other hand, the Stuttgart star's performance was no less commendable. He scored 30 goals and provided three assists in 30 appearances, resulting in a goal involvement every 0.90 games.

So, while the Guinean was slightly less effective, the difference is so marginal that it's difficult to draw definitive conclusions from their output alone.Therefore, it's worth investigating what's going on under the hood and comparing the pair's underlying numbers from last season.

Interestingly, when doing this, it's the "insane" Bundesliga star, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out looking the far more impressive player.

For example, the "outrageous" goal machine, as dubbed by journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor, comes out on top in the majority of relevant metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals and assists, actual non-penalty goals, progressive passes, shots, goals per shot, shots on target, goals per shot on target, passing accuracy, and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, Arsenal would likely see their attack improve with either striker in the team next season. Still, when Gyokeres is set to cost £61m more and has just had knee surgery, it does feel like signing Guirassy might be the smarter play here, especially if bringing in the Guinean allows the club to spend big on other targets to really turn the squad into one capable of finally dethroning Manchester City.

Starring at the Euros: Arsenal could sign Martinelli 2.0 for £47m

The incredible talent would be unreal for the Gunners.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 23, 2024

Thunder captain opts to stay with her family after the birth of her son, with border restrictions making it too difficult for her to join the team

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2021Sydney Thunder captain Rachael Haynes has withdrawn from the entire WBBL due to a combination of injury, border closures, and parental leave, barring a change in quarantine arrangements for people leaving New South Wales.Haynes suffered a hamstring injury during the third ODI between Australia and India in Mackay last month and was ruled out of the remainder of the series including the day-night Test and the three T20 internationals.Related

• Pay increase for Australia's female domestic players

• WBBL previews: the squads, signings and players to watch

• WBBL's India influx and strong South Africa contingent

She returned to New South Wales to be with her partner Leah Poulton as she gave birth to their son Hugo. Haynes had always planned to miss the early part of the WBBL to be with her family, however, New South Wales residents still aren’t permitted to leave the state without doing 14 days hard hotel quarantine due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the state. Players from New South Wales and Victoria have had to do 14 days quarantine prior to the start of the tournament in Tasmania this week.With the entire WBBL to be played in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland, Haynes has made the decision to miss the tournament unless there are changes to the fixture or the border conditions.”I understand the schedule needed to be rejigged due to the ongoing border closures,” Haynes said. “However, the fact it means Sydney Thunder will be on the road for the entire duration of the WBBL – along with the mandatory 14 days in quarantine – left me with no alternative but to make myself unavailable.”However, as I told the squad, I will be back if there are changes to the current border restrictions of the tournament structure.”Haynes said she will continue to rehab her hamstring with the aim of being able to play later in the tournament in the unlikely event of the state borders opening up.”As much as I want to be with the team, leaving Leah and Hugo at this stage for such a long period wouldn’t be fair on us as a family,” Haynes said. “I’ve spoken to all the players and staff, and they’ve been extremely supportive of my decision.”It just shows that in matters of the heart, the heart wins. However, I am doing my hamstring rehabilitation with the intention that I can put myself forward to play, but it would be much later in the season and contingent on state borders opening up.”

Oleksandr Zinchenko has revealed Arsenal's rivalry with Manchester City spilled into the off-season after a curt text exchange with Bernardo Silva.

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• Arsenal have growing rivalry with Man City
• Zinchenko says that spilled into off-season
• Reveals curt text exchange with Silva

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In the Ukraine international's new book 'Believe', he revealed a string of text messages he received from former City team-mate Silva when they were both in France for their respective summer holidays. After asking where he could train, the Portuguese sent a frosty reply saying he should "stay at home."

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• Getty
  

  WHAT OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO SAID

  The Arsenal left-back revealed: “We need to learn from their [City's] consistency and their attitude, even on our holidays. In the off-season, I went to the south of France. I saw on Instagram that Bernardo Silva was there as well. I texted him, asking if he knew a pitch to do some exercises.

  “He wrote back saying, ‘For what, do you need a pitch?’ I replied, ‘I need to run’. He wrote back, ‘Run? For what? You’re going to try to win the Premier League again? Forget about it. Stay at home.' I bumped into their Belgian winger, Jeremy Doku, a few days later and showed him the chat. He was laughing his head off. We’ve been pushing each other for two seasons already. That experience will make us stronger.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Arsenal have twice been pipped to the Premier League title by City in the last two seasons, despite being in, seemingly, winnable positions. The two teams played out a heated 2-2 draw at the Etihad in September and even managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta may not be as close as they once were as a result of this competition. And this battle will rage on this season, too.

• Getty/GOAL
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Zinchenko's Arsenal, who sit third in the Premier League table, host early pacesetters Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday, whereas second-placed City entertain lowly Southampton a day prior.

One of the most distinguished players in all of ODI cricket has bid farewell

Valkerie Baynes26-Oct-2025

Sophie Devine ended an ODI career that lasted 19 years and four days•ICC/Getty Images

Sophie Devine’s clenched jaw couldn’t stop the tears as she stood on the field ahead of an ODI listening to the New Zealand anthem wrap up for one last time.The fact that her team sent her off without mounting a contest, let alone a fairytale victory against England, and instead exited the World Cup with barely a whimper doesn’t take away from a decorated career.”Everyone wishes that they could finish on a high, but it doesn’t happen very often at all,” Devine said. “I am still so proud and so grateful for everything that this group has given me, and in my whole career. One day, one game doesn’t define that.”I’ve just got so much love that I’ll be really keen just to sit with my team-mates and support staff and just reflect on what’s been a pretty cool ride.”Related

• Allrounder for all seasons – Sophie Devine's ODI career in numbers

• 'It sucks' – Devine emotional about World Cup exit

• England finish second with a big win as Devine bids farewell

Enjoying the ride formed part of Devine’s reasoning behind announcing before the tournament that she would retire from ODIs immediately after New Zealand’s campaign ended.And while it ended in an eight-wicket defeat as her side were bowled out for just 168 inside 39 overs and with Amy Jones striking back-to-back fours off Devine to bring up the winning runs in an unbeaten 86, she reflected on that last passage of play with trademark deadpan humour.”Jones could have at least patted one back to me and given me another wicket,” Devine said, having removed Heather Knight lbw for 33 in her previous over. “Heather just walked away, I appreciate that.”Today was always going to end at some stage, I guess it’s probably fitting that it happened off my bowling. I got pumped for four, so a bit of a reality check for me just to send me on my way. But cricket, yeah, cricket doesn’t owe you anything.”The truth is, cricket owes Devine a lot.Sophie Devine finished the World Cup as NZ’s highest run-getter•Getty ImagesOne of the sport’s great servants, Devine ends her ODI career after 159 matches as one of only three players in the world – alongside Stafanie Taylor of West Indies and Australia’s Ellyse Perry – to score more than 4,000 runs and take more than 100 wickets in the format.After 19 years and four days, she is New Zealand’s second-longest serving player in ODIs behind great friend Suzie Bates, at 19 years and 236 days and counting. It could have been longer for Devine, had she not paused her career for two years in 2011-12 to represent New Zealand in hockey.Having also played 146 T20Is Devine passed 300 international appearances at this tournament. Her team-mates marked the occasion by presenting her with a necklace made from the pounamu green stone unique to New Zealand which she wore for the toss and anthems in Visakhapatnam on Sunday to “share a little bit of Aotearoa (New Zealand) with the rest of the world”.Devine has also been a forthright advocate for mental health awareness through words and actions, taking breaks from the game in recent years to prioritise her wellbeing, and for living with Type 1 Diabetes, which she regularly has to manage on-field, including at this World Cup.Devine plans to continue playing T20 internationals, having relinquished the captaincy in that format after she and her team-mates lifted the world title last year.Whether she travels to England to defend that crown in mid-2026 remains to be seen but the bigger question is, how will New Zealand move on without her?1:51

Devine reflects on the T20 World Cup win in 2024

Although Bates, who at 38 is two years Devine’s senior, has made no announcements on her future, a time without both stalwarts is a reality the White Ferns have had to consider while it is still too early to gauge the legacy of their T20I success in attracting new players to the game.More than 18 months ago, and more than six months before their T20 World Cup triumph, Devine lamented the lack of depth coming through New Zealand cricket on ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. But in the lead-up to this game, the picture was a little brighter.”I am really excited and it’s taken a lot of time,” Devine said last week of New Zealand’s emerging talent. “That’s something that we’ve got to be realistic about, is these things don’t happen overnight.”We’re not like India; we don’t have one billion people to be able to call upon. We’re literally a small country at the bottom the world with five million people and unfortunately cricket isn’t, at the moment, the number one sport. We’re always going to be fighting for the attention of youngsters coming through.”But the opportunities – and that’s what’s really exciting as a selling point to any youngsters in New Zealand at the moment and that’s not just girls, it’s boys as well – it’s that the opportunities that cricket presents to you should be really attractive.”We’re starting to see it now as the depth is starting to grow and it’s going to be a continual process. Just because we’ve brought a few young players through doesn’t mean it’s job done. There’s still lots of work to do in terms of our domestic structure, in terms of our contracting system providing opportunities.”ESPNcricinfo LtdAs New Zealand faced up to the looming prospect of life beyond Devine and Bates, there was faint encouragement from a World Cup campaign which yielded just one win, against Bangladesh, and was hit by two washouts.Brooke Halliday was inside the batting top-10 for the tournament after New Zealand’s final match with 227 at 45.40, including scores of 69 against Bangladesh and 81 against India. At 29 she has good years ahead of her while Georgia Plimmer, the 21-year-old opener, was their best batter against England, with 43.That said, Devine was their leading run-scorer for the tournament with 289 at an average of 57.80, striking at 85.25 and with a century in the opening match, against Australia. Meanwhile, Lea Tahuhu, the 35-year-old seamer, was their leading wicket-taker with 10 at 15.70 and an economy rate of 4.61.While she hasn’t enjoyed her best tournament, allrounder Amelia Kerr was the star of the T20 World Cup and at 25 years of age with 172 international caps already, she is the perfect bridge between generations within the team.That makes Kerr the obvious choice to take over as long-term captain with Bates having assumed the T20 role over the past year, although New Zealand are yet to announce whether she will take over from Devine in ODIs as well.Sophie Devine with her potential successor Amelia Kerr ahead of the World Cup match against England•Getty Images”I’m in a really nice position with having the experience but also having youth on my side,” Kerr said ahead of this World Cup. “I’m in a position where I can relate to all players in the team.”But for me, I don’t think you need a title to lead and I just want to help my team-mates believe in their ability and encourage them to do what they do well and that doesn’t change whether I’ve got a title next to my name or not.”Ben Sawyer, New Zealand’s head coach, was reluctant ahead of Devine’s swansong to name her possible successor.”We’ve identified players that we think could, I guess for want of a better phrase, make up a bit of a leadership group and we’ve spoken to who we think will captain the team,” he said before turning his attention back to Devine.”It’s just been an absolute honour and a privilege to work alongside her. I know in my early days of WBBL, she was always a player that I probably thought it’d be cool to be in the same team as her. I’ve been lucky enough with a couple of franchises and saw her work there, but it’s really in this New Zealand environment where I think she’s at her most comfortable.”She leads this team so well. Everything about this team, the culture, the values that they have on and off the field, I feel from when I stepped in here, they came from Soph. I’m certain that people before her did the same, but from my experience, she’s the one who’s driven this team and it’s up to now some younger players to pick that up and run with it.”Devine also received the appreciation of her opponents as she reluctantly accepted a guard of honour formed by the England and New Zealand squads as she walked from the field.”Having made my announcement so early, everyone knows about it and they probably want to recognise it, whereas I would’ve just liked to have gone under the radar and gone about my business like any other day,” Devine said.Only this wasn’t any other day. It was a special day in a special career – one that, sadly, we won’t see again.

Aston Villa are currently circumventing the snapping jaws of the Premier League's profit and sustainability (PSR) rules but are making headway as the transfer of Douglas Luiz to Juventus edges toward completion, bringing in Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior as part of the package.

Unai Emery has masterminded an incredible rise at Villa Park but has his work cut out this summer, juggling financial sticking points with the need to style his team ahead of a multi-layered forthcoming campaign, where Premier League football will bounce against the desire to impress on Europe's major stage.

With last season's top-four finish rolling out the carpet for a place in the Champions League, Villa will hope to make some purposeful signings, with one already internally in the works.

Aston Villa transfer news

With Villa fighting to align themselves on the right side of the PSR line before the June 30 deadline, deals are unlikely to be completed this month. But expect the Champions League-qualified side to pounce when free to do so.

Emery hopes to strengthen a range of positions, with left-back a priority. As per Football Insider, the Spaniard is hoping to sign Chelsea's Ian Maatsen to solve that problem, with the full-back enjoying an excellent loan spell with Borussia Dortmund in 2024.

Maatsen, aged 22, has a £35m release clause in his Blues contract that has dissuaded Dortmund from moving for his signature. Villa, too, have reservations about accepting such a figure but are holding daily discussions to determine whether to advance their interest.

Ian Maatsen's 23/24 season in numbers

Maatsen spent the 2022/23 campaign in the Championship with Vincent Kompany's Burnley, enjoying a tremendous breakthrough year as he won the title and was hailed for his "dangerous" qualities by manager Peter van der Veen.

Returning to Chelsea one year ago, Maatsen played a part in Mauricio Pochettino's sole season at the Stamford Bridge helm but featured only 15 times in all competitions, starting just once in the Premier League, before being loaned out in January.

It has been his stint as a Borussia Dortmund loanee that has truly highlighted his quality and suggested that he can flourish in a prominent position at the height of the continental game, for years to come.

As per Sofascore, Maatsen only featured 16 times in the Bundesliga but scored two goals, provided two assists and completed 89% of his passes.

Once praised for his "exceptional" quality by former Coventry City teammate Simon Moore, Maatsen would be a credit to Villa's starting line-up, potentially even benefitting one of the club's best-performing stars.

Why Villa should sign Ian Maatsen

Called up to the Netherlands squad for the ongoing Euro 2024, Maatsen is fast on the rise, with his exploits since leaving Chelsea in January showcasing the value in forging a career path that will see him playing regular football.

As per FBref, the former Yellow Wall loanee ranked among the top 20% of Bundesliga full-backs last season for goals scored, the top 6% for pass completion and passes attempted, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90.

Technically sound and athletic, he would make a marked impact on Aston Villa's fluency and build-up play, potentially even providing a constant outlet for Ollie Watkins.

Watkins, granted, is principally a striker, but he's been found on the wing more than a few times at Villa and with strikers such as Tammy Abraham being coveted for a transfer, Maatsen could indeed be the perfect new teammate.

The Netherlands international's heatmap in the Bundesliga seared through the page, with his 4.9 ball recoveries per game emphasising the impressive ground-covering style.

Maatsen's regular through balls – he ranked among the top 9% in the Bundesliga – and balls into the final third, again, top 9%, suggest that he possesses the enterprise and dynamics to supplement Watkins with the kind of frequency that will see the England international stands a good chance of emulating his remarkable campaign.

Watkins has been a steady shooter for Villa since signing from Brentford in a club-record £33m deal in 2020. But last term, he eclipsed expectations, racking up an extraordinary tally of 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.

To boot, Watkins could actually repay the favour. He ranks among the top 3% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90. Maatsen loves a goal and could be fed by the Three Lions star's creative style.

With one of Alex Moreno or Lucas Digne departing a strong possibility for the Lions this summer, Maatsen is understandably at the top of the shopping list, offering something different while boasting skills to align with the fundamentals of Emery's system.

In fairness, £35m would be a little steep for the 22-year-old, but given that Maatsen is about to enter the penultimate year of his Stamford Bridge contract, Enzo Maresca and Co may well be convinced to whittle that tag down, should Villa turn internal discussions toward Stamford Bridge.

What Aston Villa’s starting XI could look like after £105m spending spree

Aston Villa will be looking to build on their momentous 23/24 campaign, having qualified for the Champions League.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 6, 2024

Ballon d'Or winner Rodri told Lamine Yamal that he will win the individual accolade in the future after the Barcelona star won the Kopa Trophy.

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• Rodri picks out Yamal in winner's speech
• Yamal wins Best Young Player of the Year award
• Pair won Euro 2024 together with Spain

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City star Rodri won the historic Ballon d'Or prize on Monday evening, officially being voted as the best player in world football, beating out Real Madrid trio Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and runner-up Vinicius Junior. Yamal, by comparison, won the Kopa Trophy at the ceremony, as the 17-year-old wonderkid was voted the best young player on the planet.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  During Rodri's victory speech, the Spaniard called attention to Yamal, and addressed him directly, telling him that he will eventually win the Ballon d'Or if he keeps improving. The teenager has been in unbelievable form for Barca this season, scoring six goals and laying on seven assists in 14 games, including a strike in the weekend's 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid in El Clasico.

• WHAT RODRI SAID

  Rodri said: "Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d'Or very soon. I'm convinced of it. Keep it up, keep working hard, you'll get there."

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Rodri is currently sidelined for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury. Yamal will next be in action when Barcelona play Espanyol on Sunday in La Liga.

The opener struck 11 sixes in a memorable display on a poor night for Knight Riders

Andrew McGlashan12-Sep-2021St Kitts and Nevis Patriots surged into the CPL semi-finals with a commanding run chase over Trinbago Knight Riders on the back of Evin Lewis’ thrilling 51-ball century.Lewis, who was dropped on 29 in what was a poor bowling and fielding display from Knight Riders, plundered 11 sixes in a fantastic innings – the last of which over fine leg took him to three figures in what became the final over the match. It was his fifth T20 hundred and first since January 2019.The result left Knight Riders second in the table, one of three teams on 10 points, heading into the final round of matches on Sunday and any of those teams could be in danger from Jamaica Tallawahs on eight points.Offspinner Jon-Russ Jaggesar had struck crucial blows during Knight Riders’ innings including two in two balls to remove Colin Munro and Kieron Pollard just when they were looking to cut loose. Sunil Narine boosted the total with four sixes in his 18-ball 33, but the chase was soon put into context.Chris Gayle, opening for the first time in the competition after Devon Thomas took a blow to his knee in the field, was dropped at deep point by Darren Bravo in the third over and by the time he edged behind to the final ball of the Powerplay Patriots had 67 on the board with the sixth over from Ali Khan costing 22.Only Narine gave Knight Riders any element of control with the ball and Patriots knew they were so far ahead of the game they could play him out. Pollard brought himself on and should have had Lewis first ball but Akeal Hosein spilled the chance and though he then removed Thomas the over went for 20.That was followed by Hosein’s night not getting any better when he was taken for 18 in the next and the required rate was well under a run-a-ball before the midway mark of the chase, leaving Lewis to add the memorable finishing touches.Knight Riders had made a sluggish start with the bat; 12 had come from the opening over but by the end of the Powerplay they were 28 for 2 with Naseem Shah’s first two overs costing just five.Munro and Bravo rebuilt and upped the tempo before Jaggesar pushed one through Bravo when he missed a pull. The 15th over really dented Knight Riders when Munro was superbly caught at deep midwicket and Pollard edged behind first ball where substitute keeper Joshua Da Silva held on with a juggle.Narine struck two of his first three deliveries straight for six but the 17th over from Dominic Drakes (two runs) and the last from Naseem (eight runs) kept a lid on the scoring rate.

For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers bowled poorer lengths than England’s. But they regrouped quickly to script a turnaround

Sidharth Monga01-Aug-2025

Prasidh Krishna returned his best figures in Test cricket•Getty Images

“Have you ever felt nothing good was ever gonna happen to you?”At lunch on day two at The Oval, some of the younger players in the India team would have felt the way Chris Moltisanti did when he uttered this immortal line in . Chris is easily frustrated by circumstances, impatient to move up in the North Jersey mafia hierarchy, and even tries his hand at writing a movie script.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been an incredible learning curve for this young India team, a tour where they have had reason to believe that they haven’t been rewarded proportionately for their efforts. The situation at lunch on day two was India 2-1 behind in the series, 224 plays 109 for 1 in 16 overs, and yet another selection looking to blow in their face with just three fast bowlers in the side.Related

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For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers had bowled poorer lengths than England’s, hit off the good areas by the sensational and skilful opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. One more session of it, and the series would have been gone. India badly needed a Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri to say, as he did in response to the aforementioned question: “Yeah. So what?”Paulie is one of the most ruthless and trusted henchmen of the mob boss Tony Soprano. He is as psychopathic as the other wise guys but he is not given to feeling pity for himself. He is one of the more stoic wise guys. At The Oval, it had to be one or all of the India fast bowlers to step up and say “so what”. We will get up again and do the work. We will do the right things again. So what if the results haven’t gone our way?Mohammed Siraj is a good fit as Paulie. Never to be Tony Soprano, not even of the fast-bowling group, but happy to do the hard work and step up when needed. Sometimes Siraj even reckons he is proud of being given the responsibility and does better when he is, but he knows he is not quite his “Jassi “. He didn’t start off well, bowling ordinary lines with the new ball, conceding 31 in his first four overs, which is why he had to watch Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna start off this crucial session.3:42

‘A workhorse, a man to have in the team’

Akash Deep had not had a great start himself. He had troubled Duckett, was all over him, hit him in the box, and nearly had him three times in his second over, but a reverse-pull for a six from Duckett completely rattled him. The next time Duckett charged at him, Akash Deep lost his length completely and was dismissively cut away. Duckett was almost telling him – twice in one over – that he was not quick enough. That he could leave the crease early and still have time to cut him if he changed the length.This was Bazball at its best, and India were on the back foot. The height difference between Crawley and Duckett meant India were getting cut and driven from the same lengths, which weren’t necessarily big errors. Prasidh looked the best of the three, but never forget that he was coming off the ignominy of having to sit out at Old Trafford for a bowler straight off the flight.It was this beleaguered trio that needed to say “so what” and get on with it. A session of 6 for 106 was as emphatic a “so what” as any. Being the wise guys, they needed to wise up a little first, which they did among themselves. Take your pick on who Silvio and Bobby – two of Soprano’s other lieutenants – are but this was a chat they needed to have to lift each other up. Prasidh said the three got into a corner and decided what had happened had happened. He said they needed to reassure each other, help each other when they veered off lines and lengths, and also “show some body language”.Mohammed Siraj celebrates after dismissing Ollie Pope•Getty ImagesThey knew they had – as a human reaction – started to bowl hard lengths as if in the middle overs of an ODI, but that was not going to help them. Immediately, they started bowling better lengths for this pitch: one with appreciable seam movement available. India have generally stayed on 6-8m for most of the series, but here they started hitting 5-6m more often: 13.4% of the times as opposed to 7.2% in the first session. So even when they pulled it back in reaction to aggression, they were still on the good length.As a result, they not only kept the edges and the stumps in play – thanks to the seam movement – but also gave the ball a chance to swing. Even though high-seam deliveries went down, their average swing went up, which created the combination India needed. Results were not instant, Crawley resumed just as merrily, but even though he didn’t start bowling, Siraj at mid-on was always reassuring his bowlers they were on the right track.Prasidh said it was challenging to keep bowling good balls when the batters played as well as Duckett and Crawley did, but they needed reassurance from each other that if they bowled well, “it was a matter of time”.1:45

Prasidh: I’ve been picked to do a job

Time, though, was not on their side. There were just three of them on a pitch that needed fast bowling the most. Bringing spin on would ease all the pressure. This is where Akash Deep, who took just one wicket, played a big role. He started the session with a five-over spell, had time off for just three overs, and then pitched in with a six-over spell from the other end. All the while clutching his shoulder and stretching it because of a niggle. These were not just any spells; they were 5-0-16-0 and 6-0-18-0 with plenty of questions asked.At the other end, the only fast bowler left standing after playing all Tests, Siraj pulled in a shift: 8-0-35-3. He pulled out the lethal combination of outswing and wobble-seam. He dragged Joe Root across with outswing before bowling the lbw ball with the wobble seam. As a true disciple of Jasprit Bumrah, in his first 12 overs, Siraj bowled only one ball fuller than 5m: the near-yorker to get Jacob Bethell out.It was then time for Prasidh to take over from Akash Deep and show off his wobble-seam ball. He has been bowling it for a while now, increasing the frequency of it as his trust in it had grown, but he also perhaps produced his first wicket with the way the wobble-seam ball is intended: to nip back in and trap the batter in front, Jamie Overton in this case.Good things now started to happen to the wise guys. The rain break came at just the right time to allow them to stay fresh and limit the damage Harry Brook could cause in the company of the tail. If you are just watching from the outside and thought the series was over at lunch, you are probably reacting like Silvio, a nod to if ever there was one: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”