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Amazon Warriors fell short of going undefeated in the tournament as Carter’s 26-ball fifty set up Tridents for victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Oct-2019When the New England Patriots defeated the New York Giants 38-35 to end the 2007 NFL regular season, they became the first American Football team to go undefeated since the league expanded to a 16-game format. But the game exposed vulnerabilities that gave the Giants a blueprint to beat the Patriots in their rematch in Super Bowl XLII 17-14.Last Sunday, Guyana Amazon Warriors defeated Barbados Tridents to take their CPL record unbeaten streak to 11 matches by posting 218 for 3 behind Brandon King’s record century. What was lost in the shuffle of that match was that the Tridents actually made a serious fist of the chase, ending on 188 with Jonathan Carter top scoring to make 49 off 26, as some vulnerabilities started to appear.Bucking the T20 trend of teams opting to chase, the Tridents’ success through much of CPL 2019 has been in defending totals. Given a chance to bat first in the CPL final at Brian Lara Academy, Carter produced a stirring roundhouse kidney punch that stopped the Amazon Warriors in their tracks. Unable to dance around the ring, the Amazon Warriors’ chase was floored by a collective effort from Jason Holder’s bowling unit, as the Tridents produced a stunning upset to claim their second CPL title, and first since 2014, by knocking off the Warriors to thwart their undefeated title bid and hand them a fifth CPL final loss.Running amokHaving to go without their second-highest scorer JP Duminy, who sat out with a hamstring injury picked up in Thursday’s win over Trinbago Knight Riders, the Tridents got off to a solid start to reach 76 for 3 in the first ten overs. But after Shai Hope fell in the 12th over, the innings went haywire with Shakib Al Hasan involved in a pair of run-outs.The first came four balls after Hope’s wicket as Holder flicked to deep midwicket. Shakib hared down three strides ahead of Holder for the first run and was already a quarter of the way back for a second before Holder had turned at the non-striker’s end. Keemo Paul had covered the ground well to field and relay to Nicholas Pooran over the striker’s stumps as Holder came back reluctantly in response to Shakib and wound up being out by a foot.Shakib created an identical situation with Carter two overs later after the latter drove out to extra cover. Once again, Shakib was three steps ahead and started coming back for a second run, Carter was slow getting out of the crease after striking the ball and wasn’t interested in the second, but he made his decision too late for Shakib. This time Paul’s throw dragged Pooran well away from the stumps but Shakib had given up and the keeper’s throw from five yards away was true, leaving the score 108 for 6 with 31 balls left.Upset the apple Cart(er)Against Trinbago Knight Riders on Thursday, Ashley Nurse and Raymon Reifer plundered 43 off the last two overs to salvage a floundering innings and get up to 160 on a traditionally low-scoring ground. On this occasion, it was Nurse and Carter who resurrected the Tridents in the closing overs.Carter took the lead with a trio of fabulous straight drives for six before another over midwicket. The bulk of that came in the 19th over off Paul, who leaked 17 as momentum swung sharply towards the Tridents. Nurse then took his swipes at Romario Shepherd in the 20th with a six and four to start the final over before Carter struck a two to bring up a 26-ball half-century as the Tridents ended with 63 off the last 31 balls to post a total that looked like it was well above par based on past evidence.USA 3, rest of CPL 2Coming into the final, Shoaib Malik had only been dismissed four times in 11 innings. Two of those came at the hands of the Knight Riders fast bowler Ali Khan and the Tridents legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr, the only two Americans playing in the tournament. Walsh Jr added Shoaib to his list for a second time on Saturday night to cap his season with a tournament-best 22 wickets in just nine matches.After Raymon Reifer had set back the Amazon Warriors in the Powerplay with the wickets of Chandrapaul Hemraj and Shimron Hetmyer, Shoaib came to the middle but was not his usual fluent self. After reaching 4 off 10 balls, he got a half-tracker from Walsh Jr that should have gone for six but failed to get the elevation, a microcosm of his lack of rhythm on the night as he picked out Reifer at deep midwicket. It put Walsh Jr on the path to ensure an American would raise the CPL trophy for the second year in a row after Khan with the Knight Riders in 2018.King dethronedThe Warriors were still in with a chance of overhauling the target as long as the tournament’s leading scorer was at the crease. Brandon King was looking sharp but struggled for support at the other end, which caused him to lose patience. On the last ball of the 11th over, King charged impetuously at Nurse and turned a full ball into a yorker, playing over the top as it slid past leg stump for a simple stumping by Hope.Another relative half-tracker claimed a big scalp for the second time in the chase as Pooran toe-slapped one from Nurse to Alex Hales at long-on. Harry Gurney and Reifer then continued to whittle through the middle order until 41 were required off 12 balls. Paul holed out to long-on off Gurney in the 19th and with 33 needed off the last over, Reifer mathematically clinched it by having Chris Green skying a leading edge to the keeper, giving him the best bowling figures ever in a CPL final.With their backs against the wall playing a de-facto elimination match in their penultimate round-robin game of the season against St Lucia Zouks, the Tridents stormed back to life and, by the end, they had snuffed out the Amazon Warriors’ fairytale season with a Cinderella finish of their own.

UAE go level on points with Canada and Oman at the top, while Nigeria slide to their fourth loss in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2019After losing their previous game against Jersey, UAE returned to the winning ways when they rode on an excellent bowling performance and opener Zawar Farid’s quick half-century to put it past Nigeria at Abu Dhabi’s Tolerance Oval in a Group B match of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers.The win, UAE’s third in five games, put them level on points at the top of the table with Canada and Oman, but both of them have played fewer games than the home side and have a better net run rate. For Nigeria, meanwhile, it was a fourth loss in as many matches.The day started with Ahmed Raza winning the toss and asking Nigeria to bat, and it was slow going for the batting side for the most part. Openers Sulaimon Runsewe and Daniel Ajekun found it tough to score early on, and were both dismissed by the end of the third over with just two runs on the board. Leke Oyede, the No. 3, didn’t have it any easier as he managed only four runs off 18 deliveries when Raza accounted for him.At that stage, Nigeria were 22 for 3 after 7.2 overs, but it did get better for them with Chimezie Onwuzulike and Sesan Adedeji, who batted through the rest of the overs while adding 89 runs together. Onwuzulike ended with an unbeaten 46 in 42 balls and Adedeji 51 not out in 48 balls. For UAE, left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed ended with remarkable numbers – 4-2-6-0 – while Junaid Siddique and Raza returned identical figures of 1 for 15 from their four overs.Rohan Mustafa and Farid gave UAE a good start in response, the two adding 35 runs before Mustafa was dismissed by Chima Akachukwu for an eight-ball 14 in the fifth over. Farid, the dominant partner in that stand, continued in the same vein with Chirag Suri as his partner, the two adding 43 runs for the second wicket in which Suri’s contribution was just eight runs. Farid fell to the medium pace of Daniel Gim for a 35-ball 55, and Suri fell soon after to offspinner Sylvester Okpe. Neither Waheed Ahmed nor Mohammad Boota lasted for long, but the target was meagre enough for UAE to canter past it in 12.3 overs, helping their net run rate significantly.UAE next play Canada on Sunday, while Nigeria take on Ireland a day before.

When Leeds signed Djed Spence on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, the initial plan was for him to stay at Elland Road for the entirety of the season. However, early in the January transfer window, the decision was taken to cut the loan short and send him back to North London early.

Manager Daniel Farke appeared to hint that disciplinary concerns were at play when asked about the matter in a press conference, implying that he'd fallen short of "expectations" when it came to "professionalism" and "workload". While he may feel that parting with Spence will be good for the atmosphere within the camp in that respect, he does still need to find a replacement at full-back for the remainder of the campaign to ensure he's not caught short.

It appears that Neco Williams at Nottingham Forest has been identified as a potential solution. Williams made his first-team breakthrough at Liverpool, but after a six-month spell on loan at Fulham in the first half of 2022, he made a permanent switch to Forest for around £17m.

He's racked up 49 games for the club so far, including 13 this season, and was finding game time hard to come by before Steve Cooper was sacked. Williams started just three Premier League games, and appeared in eight, under his compatriot, but has been involved in all three of Nuno's matches, starting one.

Phil Hay update on Neco Williams interest

Speaking on The Square Ball Podcast, journalist Phil Hay says "a few people have been telling" him that Leeds "like" Williams, but he stressed that it would be a tricky deal to execute. That's because, right now, it doesn't look like "there is any scope for Forest letting him out", with Williams seemingly "well in the plans of Nuno".

Williams may well have grown frustrated with his lack of opportunities so far this season, and that may mean he's open to the possibility of dropping down a tier to play more regularly. To further smooth things over on the player side, Leeds already have a relationship with his agents, who represent Crysencio Summerville. The challenge comes in convincing Forest.

Williams would be perfect for Leeds

Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold has called Williams an "amazing talent" who "will have a bright future no matter what", and perhaps the best demonstration of that came when he got a taste of the Championship with Fulham. As the table below shows, he ranked inside the league's top six defenders (minimum ten games played) for completed dribbles, accurate final-third passes, accurate crosses and shots per game

He was a potent offensive threat in the full-back positions and someone who's also capable of the spectacular – one of his four direct goal contributions for the Cottagers was a goal-of-the-month nominated strike against Swansea.

This, then, would be a perfect signing for promotion-chasing Leeds given that Williams has proven how effective he can be in the second tier. They may, however, have to see how things pan out for Williams over the course of this month, and hope for a late change of heart from his club.

Co-owner Ryan Reynolds could only watch on as Wrexham lost again, succumbing to their third loss of the season as Queens Park Rangers beat them 3-1 on Saturday. Phil Parkinson was critical of his side despite pointing out a few positives. Indeed, the head coach lamented the team's disorganization in defense and believes the backline can do much better.

• Wrexham's third loss in opening five Championship games

  Wrexham's woeful start to life in the Championship continued with another setback, as Reynolds watched from the stands while QPR secured a 3-1 win at the Racecourse Ground. Parkinson, who might be feeling considerable pressure after three losses in five games, explained why his team have only managed to earn four points in the league so far.

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  Wrexham are Championship's biggest summer spenders but fighting relegation

  The Red Dragons came to the Championship on the back of three successive, record-breaking promotions. To say that their rise in English football has been meteoric would be an understatement. Over the summer, Reynolds' team splashed £33 million (€38m/$44m), recruiting as many as 13 players. However, after five games, Wrexham are languishing in 21st position on the Championship table, one spot and two points above the relegation zone. Adapting to the second tier was never going to be a cakewalk, but things are looking more arduous than expected, considering they were the biggest spenders in the Championship.

• Parkinson emphasises Wrexham's own mistakes

  Speaking to reporters after the loss, Parkinson said: "We've changed the squad around completely. There was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn't go completely as you'd want it. We've got to work this week on the training pitch to put on a performance like we showed at Millwall two weeks ago [when Wrexham won 2-0].

  "The previous home games, we looked like we can create chances and score. But the goals we conceded – on one hand, you'll say they were clinical but when we analyse them all, we'll know we could have done better.

  "I thought we started the game well and then we had a scrappy period with some mistakes on the ball. The goal really typified that period. We had to clear our lines quicker and be braver in the key moments to keep the ball out of the net. The third goal was just a real killer for us, it knocked the stuffing out of us."

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  Up next: Norwich City challenge awaits

  The Welsh outfit will be desperate to turn the tables amid an injury crisis, as they prepare to take on Norwich City in their upcoming Championship clash on Saturday, September 20. 

Sitting nine points clear of the relegation zone and in the comforts of mid-table in the Premier League, Fulham are gradually re-establishing themselves as a consistent Premier League side, much to the credit of Marco Silva. When the Cottagers lost Aleksandar Mitrovic in the summer transfer window, it was easy to assume that they'd struggle, but Silva has got former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez firing on all cylinders once again to hand his side a major boost.

Now, with the January transfer window open, Fulham could make further improvements. And that could include winning the race to sign an in-demand midfielder ahead of Premier League rivals this month.

Fulham transfer news

Fulham's last result – a 2-1 win over Arsenal – sums up the progress that they've made since returning to England's top flight. The London club's best moments this season came back-to-back when they scored ten goals in two games as they smashed West Ham United and Nottingham Forest 5-0. They are results that Silva will want to see his side replicate on a more consistent basis, however, and the transfer window this month could play a major part in that, especially if they sign one particular target.

According to Ben Jacobs, Fulham are optimistic about signing Andre from Fluminense, who have become resigned to losing the midfielder after he verbally agreed terms with the London club.

Given that Liverpool were also reportedly interested in Andre in the build-up to the winter window, it would be some coup for Fulham to land the Brazilian in the coming weeks.

"Monster" Andre is better on the ball than Palhinha

If you cast your minds back to the summer transfer window, Joao Palhinha was reportedly steps away from completing a move to Bayern Munich when things fell through. If the Cottagers lost the midfielder, then they could have been stuck for potential replacements at the worst time possible. Andre can ensure that fears over finding a Palhinha alternative come to an end, however, with the Brazilian even better than the Portugal international in some ways. Andre's stats show that he could be the perfect upgrade at the heart of Silva's midfield.

It's no shock, given the numbers, that Fernando Campos had nothing but good things to say about Andre. The journalist posted on X: "Pressure and playing with the confidence of someone who knows they are different. Get out of the way and make the team work. André Trindade is the best midfielder in the country and is a monster of a player."

In what could be one of the smartest deals of the January window, Fulham could land themselves an improvement at the heart of midfield for Silva to take things up a level at Craven Cottage.

The BCB wants to avoid visa-related difficulties because of the current situation

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2019The Bangladesh Cricket Board will not send its women team’s Indian support staff members – head coach Anju Jain, assistant coach Devika Palshikar and trainer Kavita Pandey – to Pakistan for a tour featuring ODIs and T20Is. The BCB wanted to avoid potential visa-related difficulties given the current political tensions between India and Pakistan. The three India nationals will instead be in charge of the Bangladesh women’s A team during their home series against India A that begins on October 4.”There will be a lot of formalities because of the current situation, which is what we wanted to avoid. We have two women’s series concurrent, so they will be in charge of the Bangladesh women’s A side,” chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said.The senior women’s team will depart from Dhaka on October 23 and are scheduled to play two T20Is and three ODIs from 26 October to 4 November, all to be hosted in Lahore. This is yet another step towards bringing international cricket back in Pakistan after the 2009 terrorist attack. Earlier this year, Karachi had hosted West Indies women for three T20Is, while Sri Lanka men’s team is currently in Pakistan for three ODIs and as many T20Is.Meanwhile, India A will play three one-day matches and as many T20s in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, with the tour concluding on October 14.Dipu Roy Chowdhury, who coached the women’s side between 2009 and 2012, will be the interim head coach of the senior women’s team, while Emdadul Haque will be the assistant coach. Anwar Hossain Monir is the trainer and Javed Omar will be the team manager.

Lauryn Goodman has revealed that her son Kairo dreams of following in the footsteps of father Kyle Walker by becoming a professional footballer.

• Walker fathered two children with Goodman
• Eldest eager to follow in his sporting footsteps
• Relocation outside of England being considered

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Love Island contestant Goodman is mother to two children that were born outside of Walker’s marriage to long-term partner Annie Kilner. Serious strain on that relationship has led to England international Walker having little to do with Kairo and Kinara.

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• THE GOSSIP

  Kairo is, however, fully aware of who his father is and what he does for a living. Goodman has attended Three Lions fixtures at major international tournaments. Her son is hoping to grace such a stage at some point in the future.

• WHAT GOODMAN SAID

  Goodman told after enjoying a month-long sunshine break in Spain: “Kairo wants to be a footballer when he’s older. He is football crazy. Everything is football from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep. He’s had a football camp here in Spain, which has been exciting for him. It’s full-on, but really special.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  It remains to be seen whether said dream is chased in England or abroad, with Goodman admitting that she is still mulling over a family move. She added: “I’ve always felt a pull towards living abroad and Kairo is always asking to move to Dubai – he absolutely loves it there. But as a parent I have to make thoughtful decisions, and I always put my children’s best interests first.”

Amad Diallo has admitted he would be happy to stay at Manchester United for the rest of his career after being quizzed on his future plans.

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• Amad impressing in pre-season
• Would like to spend whole career at Man Utd
• Current contract expires next summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Amad is heading into the final year of his current contract at Man Utd, though the club do have an option to extend that by a year. The winger has starred in pre-season, earning praise from his manager for his performance against Rangers after scoring a 2-0 win for the Red Devils. The youngster has also impressed on the training ground as he stakes a claim for a starting spot in 2024-25.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amad missed the majority of last season with a knee injury but still popped up with some memorable moments, notably scoring the winner in an epic FA Cup quarter-final win over bitter rivals Liverpool. The 22-year-old may be heading towards the end of his current deal but has now made it clear he's eager to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.

• WHAT AMAD SAID

  Amad was asked about his future during Manchester United's pre-season tour and offered up the following response. He told reporters: "I'm very happy here. I think everyone is happy with me because I smile with everyone, good energy. Why not stay here all my life?

  "It was not easy for me to get an injury in pre-season last season. I was out a long time but the most important thing was to come back stronger, to help the team and in the end I was happy with my contribution. I forgot the past and now I'm thinking about the present.

  "I am so motivated to start the season, I'm so excited, I believe in the manager. Last season, I know didn't play a lot but this season is going to be a good season for everyone and I'm so motivated to start the season."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD

  United have planned new contract talks with Amad and have already snubbed a £30 million ($38m) offer for the forward this summer. The youngster will be hoping to continue to catch the eye in pre-season and force his way into Erik ten Hag's starting XI for the 2024-25 campaign. However, he will face plenty of competition for a place in the team from the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.

Second suffered an injury that will require immediate surgery while training with the South Africa A squad

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2019While preparing in the hopes of playing his first Test match later this year, South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second has injured himself and will require surgery to get better. As a result, the 30-year old, who was one of the new faces in the squad to play a three-Test series against India in October, has now been replaced by Heinrich Klaasen, a like for like swap.A CSA press release made the news public on Saturday, although it did not mention any details of Second’s injury, only stating that it happened while he was with the South Africa A squad that is due to play India A in both limited-overs and four-day cricket later this month.”Klaasen is part of the one-day squad for the South Africa A tour and he will now be added to the squad in Second’s place for the four-day series that will assist his preparation for the Proteas Test series,” Corrie van Zyl, CSA acting director of cricket, said.Second had a decent tour of India with the A squad in 2018, showing he could replicate his domestic form at higher levels as well. Klaasen too is seen as a promising recruit. He made his ODI and T20I debut in February 2018 and was particularly good during the home limited-overs series against India when he led South Africa to victory during a rain-hit Pink ODI in Johannesburg. He is yet to play Test cricket but his first-class career – 65 matches for 3946 runs at an average of 45 – suggests he is a useful force in the middle order.

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has provided an update on the fitness of Patrick Bamford ahead of the final Premier League game of the season. 

The lowdown: Final day showdown

The Whites head into the last day of the 2021/22 campaign with their top-flight status on the line at Brentford.

As things stand Jesse Marsch’s side sit within the relegation zone in 18th position and must pick up a positive result in London and hope Burnley cannot match their outcome to avoid the drop.

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Ahead of the match and after what has been a gruelling season with injuries to key players, there has been some positive news…

The latest: Last-minute meeting

Having been present at Thorp Arch for Marsch’s final press conference of the campaign, Hay relayed the important pre-match fitness news surrounding Bamford on Twitter, as the player is set to hold a meeting on Saturday to make a last-minute decision.

He shared the manager’s comments: “In training he’s looked quite good. He feels very different to how he did six weeks ago.”

The Athletic journalist added: “At the moment, Marsch feels like using Bamford wouldn’t be a risk to him. But they’ll have another meeting about it tomorrow (Saturday).”

The verdict: Welcome boost

Adding Bamford – who was praised in 2020 for his ‘superb’ form by talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent – to the match-day squad for this crucial match is an undoubted and much needed positive for Leeds as the Yorkshire giants attempt to get out of their plight at the last possible opportunity.

Last term, the 28-year-old netted 17 goals and provided eight assists whilst appearing in all 38 Premier League games. Compare that to this season, where the England striker has only managed five direct goal contributions in ten senior appearances across all competitions, and it’s not hard to understand the side’s struggles in front of goal.

After missing the last seven fixtures through a foot injury it seems unlikely Bamford will be called upon from the outset by Marsch, however, having the option to bring a once-capped England international from the bench is a luxury Leeds cannot afford to pass up in their current predicament.

In other news: Orta now eyeing transfer move for exciting winger even if Leeds are in the Championship.