Christian Pulisic has revealed the secret weapon behind his awesome debut season at AC Milan: team-mate Rafael Leao.
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The Chennai Super Kings batsman struck form after a lean season and lauded Dhoni’s support at the crease against Delhi Capitals
Sruthi Ravindranath in Chennai02-May-20195:56
Important to rotate strike and play smartly in Chennai – Raina
Nearly all the accolades, on social media and on commentary, after Wednesday’s match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals were reserved for MS Dhoni. The 80-run Super Kings win had it all, when it came to Dhoni: smart captaincy moves, the now-familiar boundary hitting at the death and the blink-and-you-miss-it stumpings. He was named Player of the Match. But he did not steal all the thunder this time. Two old Super Kings hands delivered after a long wait. Suresh Raina scored a well-crafted 37-ball 59 and Ravindra Jadeja’s abilities were on full display, too: a 10-ball 25, returns of 3 for 9 and athleticism on the field.At Super Kings’ den at Chepauk, it is Raina who is the crowd’s favourite after Dhoni, the to Dhoni’s . The cheers Dhoni gets at Chepauk are unmatched, but the only other player who gets close is Raina. He is the highest run-scorer for Super Kings and has consistently been among the top run-getters in nearly every season. This year, however, things have been quite different. Before the match against Capitals, Raina had made 247 runs in 12 games, with one half-century. In the two matches he captained, he looked out of sorts and fell cheaply. Under his captaincy, they lost their first home game of the season.Moreover, there have been questions on the Super Kings’ performances without Dhoni. They have been heavily reliant on their captain, who has done the bulk of the scoring this season. Raina, his deputy, stepped in as captain for two matches but was unsuccessful and there were doubts on whether Raina was feeling the heat without Dhoni.BCCIOn Wednesday, Raina addressed these questions with the bat, and later, at the press conference.”I think I’ve done well for Gujarat Lions as well as a few games for India,” Raina said after the match. “Losing him [Dhoni] as a captain is not an issue, losing him as a batter is always difficult for us.”That’s what happened in those games we lost. He gives us a lot of freedom to play and when he enters, he creates pressure on the opposition. I’ve done well as a captain but I didn’t perform with the bat in those two games. When he’s not there in the team you see the difference. He’s done very well as a captain and a mentor. You’ll probably see me more next season when he says, ‘Okay, I’m done but now you look after.'”So has Dhoni given him any hint about the forthcoming season? “No, it’s not about the hint. It’s as long as he wants to play. You know how he is,” Raina said.And how does Dhoni’s captaincy affect Raina?”See, I’ve played for India under his captaincy, he knows my game, he knows how to plan in the middle overs. He tells me what to do there. He always gives the right sort of advice. Today I told him I felt confident against left-arm spinners, because [Amit] Mishra was bowling really well and he wasn’t giving me any flight with the ball, so I thought let’s take a chance and hit a couple of boundaries. I then told Dhoni ‘I’m going to go hard at him [left-arm spinner J Suchith] because I feel more confident’. He lets you play freely but at the same time gives advice about certain things, which is good to follow.”At the end of 10 overs against Capitals, Super Kings had 53 on the board and had lost Shane Watson for a duck. The Capitals’ spinners were taking control on a slow Chepauk surface but Raina began to change the tempo of the innings, by hitting J Suchith and Chris Morris for boundaries. Once Raina fell, Jadeja joined Dhoni at the crease, and his elevation to No. 5 seemed like another tactical move given Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav’s dip in form. That move paid off as the duo added 43 off 3.4 overs, and helped Super Kings amass 77 runs off the last overs to finish on 179.BCCI”My plan was to just play through the Powerplay,” Raina said. “They have a few spinners and good-quality fast bowlers. That was the plan, just to stick and rotate the strike. That’s what I was telling Faf too: ‘No need to block the ball. If you’re not getting it, just be in positive intent.’ That’s how he hit two sixes. I think it’s important to play smart cricket in Chennai. After every six overs, the game changes.”Super Kings’ concerns aren’t limited to Rayudu and Jadhav’s form. Openers Watson and Faf du Plessis also have just one half-century to their name. Raina believed this was due to the tough home conditions, with turning tracks in play at Chepauk since the start of the IPL.”Last year we played in two different venues. We played in Pune, where the climate was good, and now in Chennai. In Chennai, you need a lot of character especially when it comes to fitness. Mentally, your character has to be up all the time. You need to constantly rotate the strike. If you have wickets in hand you can always score those extra 30-40 runs and that’s what we did [against Capitals].”The weather has played a key role for us. Take Watson for instance, he played very well for us last year. This year here [in Chennai] he’s been getting good starts but has not been able to convert. But we’ve been bowling really well. This is the best bowling line-up we’ve been having for the last couple of years.”
With core of the team already in place, chairman of selectors MSK Prasad says the plan is to try out a few more players before the World Cup
Nagraj Gollapudi15-Feb-20197:51
Manjrekar: End of the road for Karthik in ODIs
The probability of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul making the Indian World Cup squad inched closer to reality after both players were named for both the T20I and ODI series at home against Australia. Also making a comeback were Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah after the selectors allowed them to take a break recently to manage their workload.Kohli, who was rested for the final five matches of the New Zealand tour – two ODIs and three T20Is – will lead a full-strength team against Australia when the series starts with the T20Is on February 24 and 27. The two teams will then play five ODIs between March 2 and 13.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Ahead of the selection meeting, which took place in Mumbai on Friday, the key question for MSK Prasad’s panel was whether to pick Pant, who has played just three ODIs, despite the player having the strong backing of both cricketing pundits and fans. Prasad told ESPNcricinfo recently that the wicketkeeper was “undoubtedly” a part of the 20-member pool shortlisted for the World Cup because of his “phenomenal” form over the past ten months.An explosive batsman from Delhi, with big scores in both IPL and Ranji Trophy cricket, Pant’s stocks have grown since his performances on India A’s tour of England last year. He made his Test debut at Trent Bridge in 2018 and scored 114 in the second innings of the series at The Oval, and then cracked 159 not out against Australia in the New Year’s Test in Sydney, innings that stood out for his composure as much as his strokeplay. The selectors opted to give the 20-year old a break during the limited-overs series in Australia and New Zealand, where Dinesh Karthik played the back-up for MS Dhoni.Karthik does not feature in the home series against Australia. He had been part of India’s limited-overs squads since the England tour last year and had done well as the team’s finisher. But does his exclusion now mean he’s out of World Cup contention? Prasad did not think so.”Prior to this we had two series in New Zealand and Australia, that is where Karthik was chosen,” he explained. “Because Rishabh played four Test matches, so we wanted him to get a good break. He had a 20 days’ break. Then he played a couple of one-day matches against England Lions, in which he did extremely well. Then we sent him to the T20 matches (in New Zealand). So we want to give him a few ODIs also before taking a final call.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Prasad also said that both the selectors and Kohli, who attended the meeting over tele-conference, felt Pant, being a left-handed batsman, offered the chance of a left-right combination in the middle order, something India have not had since Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina fell out of reckoning.Rahul was the other key player the selectors had to take a call on. His form has been poor over the last 12 months and then he was suspended by the BCCI – along with Hardik Pandya – for his comments on an Indian talk show recently. The 26-year-old top-order batsman has since returned to action, scoring back-to-back 80s for India A against England Lions recently and now has the opportunity to prove his credentials once again at international level.Another interesting selection is that of Tamil Nadu allrounder Vijay Shankar, who made his ODI debut in Melbourne in January. With Ravindra Jadeja and Khaleel Ahmed not picked for this Australia series, it is possible India’s selectors and team management think they don’t need a fourth specialist fast bowler for the World Cup.Kohli has frequently stressed how teams like England score massive totals because they have allrounders even at No. 8 and 9 and so can keep going hard at the ball no matter the match situation. India seem to be going that route as well with the inclusions of Vijay, Hardik and Kedar Jadhav.Since replacing the then suspended Hardik midway through the ODI series in Australia, Vijay has batted at No. 3 in T20Is and also helped India recover from 18 for 4 on a seaming pitch in Hamilton to ultimately win that 50-over game.”Vijay Shankar’s performance in the recent series [in New Zealand] has really changed a bit of the dynamics,” Prasad said. “He brings in that double impact to the side, which is good enough. That’s why we have included him and we’ll see how he performs in the next few matches.”The selectors named two ODI squads for the series against Australia but there was only one difference between them. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is part of the T20I team, has been rested for the first two ODIs and in his place Siddarth Kaul has been picked. He essentially replaces Rajasthan left-arm seamer Khaleel, who has been part of India’s limited-over set-up since making his debut in the Asia Cup last year.Meanwhile, Punjab legspinner Mayank Markande, who made headlines for Mumbai Indians in the last IPL, has been included as a back-up spinner in the T20I squad after the selectors were impressed with his form against England Lions. Earlier in the day, Markande had helped India A win the second unofficial Test in three days with a five-for. Markande took the place of Kuldeep Yadav, who has been rested for the T20I leg after the long tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Dinamo Zagreb are going to extreme lengths to try and re-sign former player Luka Modric from Real Madrid.
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Dinamo try to lure Modric back to clubUse Spanish paper to call for his returnCroat struggling for game time at MadridWHAT HAPPENED?
Dinamo took out a page in the Saturday edition of Spanish publication Marca to call for Modric to rejoin the club this summer. They also made reference to this on a post on X, formerly Twitter, as they stepped up their efforts to sign the 38-year-old.
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Modric is out of contract at Madrid this summer and his minutes have been limited this season, starting just 12 times in La Liga so far. Modric began his career at Zagreb before signing for Tottenham in 2008 so a move does make sense as a potential swansong. Whether it happens remains to be seen.
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Modric, who joined Madrid in 2012 and has since made 522 appearances for the Spanish giants, will hope to feature in Los Blancos' heavyweight Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City on Tuesday in the first of two legs.
Sri Lanka’s big hitter admits he’s falling short of his potential at the top of the order
Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele17-Oct-2018With the top order contributing runs for the first time in four matches, it’s the middle order that failed Sri Lanka in the shortened third ODI against England. So said Niroshan Dickwella, the batsman who had given Sri Lanka their fast start, hitting 36 off 25 balls to set the team on course to a score of 58 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay.Just after the 12-over mark, however, Sri Lanka’s innings started to wobble. They lost Sadeera Samarawickrama to an Adil Rashid full toss, the batsman top-edging what should have been a straightforward sweep to the short fine leg fielder. Next ball, Thisara Perera attempted to launch the first delivery he faced into the next galaxy, and managed only to top-edge it into the deep. When Dhananjaya de Silva fell at the start of the 16th over, Sri Lanka had lost three wickets for 18 runs.Eventually, due in part to a laboured 34 off 42 balls from Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka mustered only 150 for 9 from their 21 overs – a total that always seemed light on a night when the bowlers struggled to grip the ball.”We got a good start but we were 20-25 runs short,” Dickwella said. “After being 92 for 2, it was 92 for 4 suddenly. That was the main turning point. If Thisara could have batted five overs at that time, we would have ended up with a score closer to 190. You can’t win a 21-over match with only 150 on the board. The ball was also wet because of the rain. If we had made 175, it could have been a winning score.”Sri Lanka’s batting has been consistently modest since the start of 2017, in which they’ve now lost 32 games out of the 42 they have played. They had lost four top-order wickets inside the Powerplay in the second ODI, essentially surrendering the game in that period. Now, in this match, batsmen further down the order have failed to make an impact, with Thisara and de Silva producing three runs off 11 balls between them.”In the last couple of matches we didn’t get a big partnership from the top order,” Dickwella said. “This time we got that, but the middle order failed. That’s been happening for a while. When the top order scores, the middle order fails and vice versa. To get the optimal score, we need to click together.”Though on this occasion, Dickwella was perhaps justified in attacking relentlessly as the match had turned into a virtual T20, he has been guilty of being wasteful with his wicket after he has made a promising start. He had reached double figures in five of his seven previous innings, but had only once made a half-century. It’s a shortcoming he admits to.”I can’t be satisfied with my performance. A lot of times I get 30 or 40, but only about one in five games do I go on to get 70 or 80. Today was a shortened game so it’s different. Once I got 30 I tried to keep going at the same tempo, because we had wickets in hand. But overall when you look at my one-day cricket, even though I’ve got starts, I haven’t capitalised and turned them into big innings.”
The fast bowler is flying home to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin the team in India after her funeral
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2018Kemar Roach will return to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin West Indies’ squad in India after her funeral. This means the fast bowler is likely to miss West Indies’ two-day tour match against the Board President’s XI in Vadodara. The match begins on September 29, and is West Indies’ only warm-up match before their two-Test series against India, which begins in Rajkot on October 4.Roach, as a result, could go into the first Test without any recent long-format match practice; his last red-ball match was the first Test against Bangladesh in Antigua in the first week of July. He took five wickets in the first innings of that Test match, but also picked up a hamstring injury and was rested for the second Test in Jamaica.Since then, Roach’s only top-level cricket has been a pair of T20 games for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League in August.The 30-year-old Roach is the most experienced of the five fast bowlers in West Indies’ squad, having played 48 Tests since his debut in 2009. Shannon Gabriel (37 Tests) and Jason Holder (34) are the two other senior quicks, with Keemo Paul having played just the one Test so far and Sherman Lewis – who replaced the injured Alzarri Joseph – yet to make his debut.
With Selection Sunday only a few weeks away, is here to highlight two Top-25 matchups that bettors should target on Saturday. We have a superb ACC battle between No. 11 Florida State and North Carolina, as well as an SEC showdown between No. 25 Tennessee and Auburn. Both games have already received attention from sharp bettors in Las Vegas.
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2016After Voges chipped a return catch to Rangana Herath, Mitchell Marsh and Smith added 43 as Australia chipped away at the target•Associated PressHowever, Sri Lanka’s spinners struck thrice just before lunch to leave Australia tottering at 141 for 7 at the break•Associated PressPeter Nevill and Steve O’Keefe, batting with a hamstring injury, resisted with a four-run stand off 178 balls•AFPHerath’s nagging accuracy, though, was too good for Australia. Before the tea break, he picked up the last wicket to finish with match figures of 9 for 103•AFPSri Lanka won by 106 runs – just their second Test win against Australia – to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series•Associated Press
Arsenal were 1-0 up when Kai Havertz was gifted an easy chance yards out with the goal at his mercy. For those into stats, it was a chance worth 0.77 xG. In simpler terms, he should have scored. He did not.
Here we go again, thought Arsenal fans. It was a moment that showed why the Gunners should have already brought in a new centre forward during the winter window.
That said, by the end of the game, any talk surrounding a new striker had been forgotten about. Mikel Arteta’s men had won 5-1.
It was a ridiculous scoreline for those of an Arsenal persuasion. City have been well below par this term but this was still the Premier League champions at the Emirates on Sunday. They were in the game for three-quarters of the match but were blown away in the final 30 minutes.
Erling Haaland had equalised but just 30-odd seconds later they were behind again through Thomas Partey’s deflected strike.
Myles Lewis-Skelly made it three, Havertz eventually got his goal and then Ethan Nwaneri made it two in time with a wonderful late strike.
Arsenal's best performers against Man City
Havertz will no doubt receive stick for his dire miss in the first half but he contributed in a huge way come full time.
It was the German who registered the assist for Martin Odegaard’s opener and Arsenal’s fourth, scored by the £65m man, was brilliantly taken, cutting inside and then firing past Stefan Ortega.
Declan Rice – who registered two assists – was also immense and took home Sky Sports’ Player of the Match award.
Teenager Lewis-Skelly also deserved the award, truth be told, for an immense performance.
Against Manchester City at the Etihad last year, Haaland could be heard asking who on earth the 18-year-old was. Well, he certainly knows now.
The young left-back has made an incredible impact since coming into the team and saved the best performance of his embryonic career for Sunday afternoon.
He bullied City and his goal was simply superb. Cutting inside onto his weaker right foot, he danced into the area and unleashed a shot that found the far corner via the glove of Ortega.
His celebration summed up the personality, the arrogance, the confidence of this young man. He sat on the Emirates turf and performed Haaland’s celebration. Lewis-Skelly, who? The Norwegian won’t forget him in a hurry now.
While the Hale End sensation shone, another came off the bench and demonstrated why he’s set to save Arsenal’s owners, KSE, a fair whack in the transfer window.
Performance in Numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.
Ethan Nwaneri's cameo against Man City in numbers
If you thought Lewis-Skelly was special then check out Nwaneri. Aged 17, the young attacker is already establishing himself as one of the most frightening teenagers in European football and is proving why he could be the perfect understudy to the injured Bukayo Saka.
The Englishman suffered a cruel hamstring injury at the back end of 2024 and it looked as though the Gunners would need to spend in the January window. Indeed, they still do need to find a striker from somewhere.
However, the idea of signing a new winger may be parked after Nwaneri’s staggering rise to stardom in the last few months.
Minutes played
10
Touches
11
Accurate passes
4/4
Key passes
1
Crosses
2
Shots
1
Successful dribbles
2/2
Duels won
2/4
Possession lost
3x
His goal against Girona, cutting inside onto his left foot in the Champions League in midweek, was truly special and he did something similar off the bench against City.
Rice found the teen on the right and once more, he cut inside and unleashed a delicious curling effort into the far corner.
He was only given the final ten minutes but showcased in that time, and against Girona a few days ago, why he’s going to become a star very very quickly.
Saka is a huge miss to this Arsenal team but in Nwaneri, they have found a talent capable of demonstrating similar traits.
He’s comfortable at receiving the ball to feet, he can spin past a player, he’s creative and he can score goals. Arteta may not need a new winger after all…
Amazing Watkins alternative: Arsenal plot weekend bid for £54m striker
Arsenal are searching for Ollie Watkins alternatives after a bid was rejected.
ByMatt Dawson Feb 2, 2025
After London rivals Crystal Palace brought them back down to earth to inflict the second defeat in three games for new manager Graham Potter, West Ham United have reportedly turned their attention towards handing him his first signing.
West Ham transfer news
On paper, West Ham looked like a side ready to step things up in a new era in the summer. They enjoyed a fairly successful transfer window, welcoming impressive coups such as Jean-Clair Todibo and Niclas Fullkrug whilst appointing Julen Lopetegui as David Moyes’ replacement. But that’s where things went wrong.
West Ham readying offer to 169-goal striker after Graham Potter request
The Hammers boss is scouring for a new number nine.
ByEmilio Galantini Jan 17, 2025
From the off, the Spaniard never quite seemed like the right appointment, and as disappointing results began to arrive, it even started to look like a move full of unambition from those at the London Stadium. So in truth, his dismissal always seemed inevitable, with the responsibility now sent the way of Potter to turn things around.
Doing that is easier said than done, and there’s no doubt that the Hammers should once again return to the transfer market and hand their new manager some reinforcements of his own, which could include an England international.
According to TalkSport, West Ham are now lining up a move to sign Angel Gomes in what could quickly be among the bargains of the summer if the Hammers swoop in to secure his signature as a free agent at the end of the season ahead of a number of interested parties in England.
The Lille star has some unfinished business in the Premier League after leaving Manchester United and discovering his best form in France. Now, he could get the chance to come back and haunt his former club.
"Impressive" Gomes has earned Premier League return
After returning to the radar of many English clubs courtesy of a shock call-up to the England squad last year, Gomes has now done more than enough to deserve a shot at Premier League redemption – and West Ham could be an ideal destination. Next to the more physical Tomas Soucek, Gomes’ technical prowess could thrive at the London Stadium.
Dubbed “impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the midfielder is still just 24 years old and on the verge of the peak of his powers, making this summer’s bargain opportunity one that West Ham simply cannot miss out on.
When the summer arrives and Potter truly gets the chance to mark his own stamp on the current West Ham side, he should turn towards the former Manchester United man as one of his first signings.