Pakistan’s batting struggled again against the discipline of the home attack

Tristan Lavalette18-Jan-2023Quick Darcie Brown led a disciplined attack then fellow teenagerPhoebe Litchfield hit another half-century as Australia thrashed Pakistan at the Allan Border Field to wrap up the three-match women’s ODI series.Electing to bat in Brisbane’s sunny conditions, Pakistan struggled to fire in a must-win game two after losing the series opener by eight wickets in a rain-affected contest reduced to 40 overs per side. They were bowled out for just 125 after 43 overs with Brown snaring three wickets to lead a well-balanced attack.In reply, Australia powered to an effortless 10-wicket victory inside 20 overs with impressive 19-year-old Litchfield smashing 67 off 61 balls and Beth Mooney finishing 57 not out.Coming off her 78 not out on ODI debut, Litchfield struggled early against probing bowling from quick Fatima Sana before getting off the mark in style with a sweet cover drive.She was dominant from there and played mostly orthodox, but unleashed several scoop shots to showcase her range of strokes.Having made just one run in the series opener, Mooney was keen to make amends and started in style with a boundary off the first ball. She didn’t need to take risks and toyed with Pakistan’s struggling bowlers.Mooney was mostly overshadowed by Litchfield, who played with a maturity beyond her years to become the first Australian women’s batter to compile consecutive half-centuries in their first two ODIs.It was a major disappointment for Pakistan, who are still seeking an elusive victory against all-conquering Australia in any format.The series will conclude at North Sydney Oval on Saturday before a trio of T20Is to wrap up Pakistan’s first bilateral series in Australia since 2014.It was an improved performance from Australia’s quicks, who were notably wayward in the opening game in a push for extra swing.Seamer Kim Garth made her ODI debut for Australia and replaced Megan Schutt, who has a niggle with her knee and is being managed ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.Garth opened the attack and bowled a maiden first up in an exceptional start. She continued to bowl a back of a length and found late swing during a tidy five-over spell during the first powerplay. Garth finished wicketless, but conceded just 13 runs from eight overs. She played 34 ODIs for Ireland from 2010-2018 before moving to Australia seeking full-time opportunities.Pakistan were unable to build partnerships with a number of their batters failing to capitalise on starts much like in game one.After opener Sidra Ameen fell in the second over, Muneeba Ali started slowly and had a reprieve when Litchfield dropped a chance at second slip before hitting Brown for a couple of powerful boundaries.Moving around the crease trying to disrupt the bowlers, Muneeba’s aggressive approach backfired when she miss-hit spinner Ash Gardner to cover point.Pakistan’s bid for a competitive total nosedived when skipper Bismah Maroof was trapped lbw to seamer Annabel Sutherland for 21.The burden again fell on veteran Nida Dar, who top-scored for Pakistan in game one with a half-century, and she had a reprieve on 16 when Brown dropped a return catch. But Dar’s luck ended on 24 when she was run out at the non-striker’s end after a touch from Garth in her follow through deflected onto the stumps.Pakistan fell away as their barren run against Australia continued.

After officially parting ways with Gary O’Neil following a late 2-1 defeat against relegation rivals Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly eyeing a potential replacement who is currently enjoying a six-game winning run.

Wolves sack Gary O'Neil

Many believed that West Ham United would be O’Neil’s final game in a battle against fellow under-pressure manager Julen Lopetegui. But even after another damning defeat, Wolves backed their manager and reiterated that he would receive the reinforcements that he so desperately needed in the January transfer window. One week later, however, defeat against Ipswich has proved to be a step too far and O’Neil has been shown the door.

Releasing a statement after sacking O’Neil, chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his effort, dedication and hard work during his time at the club, and we wish him and his team the best of luck for the future.”

Sat four points adrift of Premier League safety and in the middle of a packed festive period of fixtures, the Midlands club must find their replacement as soon as possible and they must get their next appointment right.

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Emilio Galantini

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On that front, names such as David Moyes and more recently Vitor Pereira have been mentioned, with David Ornstein going as far to suggest that the Midlands club are working on a deal to appoint the Al-Shabab manager. But the former Fenerbahce boss isn’t the only one stealing the headlines.

According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Wolves are now eyeing John Eustace to replace O’Neil following his impressive run of form in charge of Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, with the reliable reporter calling him one to watch.

The Blackburn boss has guided his side to six wins in a row and has taken them within five points of an automatic promotion place as a result. Taking them from a relegation battle to playoff contention, Eustace is a manager on the rise.

"Solid" Eustace lacks Premier League experience

Whilst Eustace deserves plenty of plaudits for his time in charge of Birmingham City, which came to an abrupt end in a decision that they would go onto regret, and now at Blackburn Rovers, Wolves are in no position to take a risk. Experience should be what they are looking for rather than what would be the unknown in the Premier League.

The likes of Moyes stand out as a far more assured appointment and one that is more likely to steady the ship at the Molineux. Eustace, meanwhile, does not have the experience to offer such a guarantee. Instead, the Blackburn boss could be an option to turn towards if Wolves manage to maintain their Premier League place and start fresh in the summer.

HLTCO is among those to have praised Eustace after he was controversially sacked by Birmingham, who suffered relegation as a result of dismissing their manager, having described the job he was doing at the time as “solid”.

Of course, it was Eustace who had the last laugh and whilst Birmingham sit in League One, he could receive the biggest job of his managerial career so far if Wolves come calling in the next week or so.

MatériaMais Notícias

da heads bet： Com os principais campeonatos do país entrando na reta final, alguns times não possuem mais calendário em 2022 e, com isso, começam a planejar o início da próxima temporada.

Por conta da realização da Copa do Mundo, os torneios acabarão um pouco antes do que o normal, mas isso não traz tranquilidade para as comissões técnicas, já que os estaduais, de acordo com o calendário divulgado pela CBF, começam no dia 15 de janeiro.

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da premier bet： >Casa de apostas ‘crava’ Palmeiras campeão brasileiro

Por outro lado, entre os grandes paulistas que lutam pelo G8, essa antecipação pode favorecer a preparação para a pré-Libertadores. Em 2019, quando o São Paulo foi eliminado pelo Talleres, o clube do Morumbi jogou apenas cinco partidas no campeonato estadual antes de viajar para a Argentina. Em 2023, os brasileiros terão dez datas antes de disputar as fases iniciais da Copa Libertadores.

Nos últimos anos, graças ao número excessivo de jogos, atletas da base também vem ganhando mais espaço, principalmente durante as primeiras rodadas dos torneios regionais. Na estreia do Paulistão de 2022, os quatro grandes do estado relacionaram 34 profissionais com menos de 23 anos. Deste grupo, dez começaram jogando como titular.

– É um período excelente para o processo de maturação dos jovens no profissional. Além de muitos estarem com o preparo físico apurado, já que grande parte dos jogadores também estão disputando a Copa São Paulo, os estaduais também possuem um nível de competitividade um pouco mais baixo para as equipes grandes, o que garante uma tranquilidade maior para testes na time, proporcionando um espaço ainda maior para essa ascensão de categoria – conta Junior Chávare, especialista em categorias de base com passagens por São Paulo, Atlético-MG e Grêmio.

Um dos estaduais mais fortes do país, o Paulistão 2023 terá nove equipes que disputam as duas principais divisões do futebol nacional. O regulamento ainda não foi anunciado, mas a expectativa é que a competição mantenha a fórmula dos últimos anos, com dois classificados em cada chave.

Adalberto Baptista, gestor do Botafogo-SP, equipe que conquistou a vaga da Série C para a Série B do Brasileirão, comentou sobre a importância de uma boa preparação no estadual para a sequência da temporada.

– O Paulistão é extremamente complicado, mais da metade das equipes disputam as Séries A e B, o que eleva o nível técnico ainda mais. Teremos um espaço maior para preparação, mas não podemos pensar que o elenco já estará fechado em janeiro. Temos um intervalo para adquirir mais peças para nos ajudar a fazer uma campanha segura na Série B e, se tudo caminhar como imaginamos, lutar por uma vaga na elite nos próximos anos – comenta o executivo.

Do outro lado da moeda, Portuguesa, Água Santa e São Bento começam a competição na luta por uma vaga na Série D de 2024. A Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF) direciona três vagas para a Série D, mas isso não dá a garantia para o trio, já que Inter de Limeira, Ferroviária e Santo André, três equipes classificadas para a quarta divisão no ano que vem, também lutam por um espaço no calendário nacional caso não consigam o acesso à Série C.

– Neste processo de reestruturação, nosso principal objetivo é nos consolidar novamente nas primeiras divisões. Após oito anos, voltaremos a disputar a Série A1, o que significa um aporte maior da televisão, aumento na receita com patrocinadores e a realização de clássicos no Canindé. Apesar da competitividade, o caminho para a Série D fica um pouco mais curto, já que teremos um campeonato à parte com os times que lutam pelo mesmo objetivo – afirma Antonio Castanheira, presidente da Portuguesa.

Plays of the day from the second ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur09-Nov-2015The slip
After Chamu Chibhabha edged a four and tonked a six in the third over, Regis Chakabva went to the other extreme and nearly got out playing a defensive stroke. In an attempt to keep out a quick Mashrafe Mortaza delivery, the bat slipped out of his hand and swung back towards his stumps and fell only inches short.The imaginary header
Mushfiqur Rahim’s attempt at going inside-out against Graeme Cremer only caught the outside half of his bat and skimmed to Luke Jongwe at short third-man. It was a good catch, which Mushfiqur believed might not happen. After completing the shot, he was following the ball and jumped high, like a striker preparing to head one into net, willing the ball to go over Jongwe’s grasp. But the fielder held on it, and Bangladesh continued to stutter.The encore gone wrong
In his first ODI since the 2015 World Cup, Imrul Kayes went after the Zimbabwe bowlers at every opportunity. He blasted three sixes over midwicket and the fourth was a straight hit off Sean Williams in the 32nd over. The next delivery, a full-toss, met the same treatment except Kayes lofted it straight down long-off’s throat. Williams had a few things to say, but Kayes was too shocked to listen and kept looking at his bat as he left the field.The extra reachCraig Ervine took two catches in two consecutive overs in the latter stages of the Bangladesh innings. The first one, to dismiss Nasir, showed off his presence of mind. It was hit hard and though Ervine did not have to move much, he was on the edge of the midwicket boundary and just about kept his balance. His next opportunity came six balls later, this time at extra cover, when he stretched to his right to interfere with another powerful stroke and left Arafat Sunny walking back to the hut.

Everton are now pushing to sign a £83m midfielder this month, but they are set to face competition for his signature from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Everton eyeing new midfielders for Moyes

Back in December, it was reported that two of Sean Dyche’s main aims in the January transfer window were to bring in a new right-back and winger, meaning they are still likely to be considered priority positions under the helm of new manager David Moyes.

However, the Toffees clearly feel signing a new central midfielder could aid their survival chances this season, as they are now in talks over a deal for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jakub Moder, who has found game time difficult to come by for the Seagulls.

Newcastle Untied’s Sean Langstaff has also been identified as a January target, with the 27-year-old now in line to become Moyes’ first signing.

The Merseyside club have been looking at midfielders since the summer, and at one point they were targeting Palmeiras’ Ricardo Rios, but the Colombian ultimately ended up remaining in Brazil.

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Eddie Howe once said he has a “really nice way of linking play”.

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Now, however, there has been a development in Everton’s pursuit of Rios, with Caught Offside reporting they are pushing hard to get a deal over the line in the January transfer window.

It is unclear how much Palmeiras would be looking to receive for the 24-year-old, but there is a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract, so he is unlikely to come cheap, especially considering he has just put pen to paper on a new deal.

Interest from elsewhere could also drive the midfielder’s price up, with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest also in the running for his signature, having been impressed with his consistency in the Brazilian Serie A.

What Rios could offer Everton

Scout Ben Mattinson has previously given an overview of what type of player the Colombia international is.

Back in the summer, Mattinson also explained that the central midfielder has “sky high potential”, but wasn’t ready for a big move due to a lack of experience.

However, the former Flamengo man continued to impress last season, being ranked as the fifth-best performing player in the Palmeiras squad by WhoScored, and he places in the 89th percentile for tackles per 90 over the past year, compared to his positional peers in similar leagues.

It would be a risk to sign Rios, given that he is unproven outside Brazil, but his performances last season indicate it could be a gamble worth taking assuming that release clause number is whittled down, as Moyes looks to steer Everton to safety.

Ousmane Dembele has expressed his love for playing at Paris Saint-Germain while comparing it to his time alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

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Dembele plays with Messi at BarcelonaFrenchman flying with current side PSGWinger asked to compare the two teamsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The France international was asked about PSG's place in his club history, comparing it to Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. While he called Messi the "greatest player of all time", he could not bring himself to say which team was better.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DEMBELE SAID

He told reporters: "I don't know if this PSG is the best team I've played for, because I played at Barça with Lionel Messi, who for me is the greatest player of all time. But it's one of the teams where I have the most fun."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

During Dembele's spell at Barcelona (2017-2023), they won three La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana twice – but never won the Champions League. PSG are one of the favourites to become champions of Europe this season so perhaps this question should be asked at the end of the campaign.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Dembele will hope to fire PSG into the semi-finals of the Champions League when they travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday for the second leg of their quarter-final tie. PSG lead 3-1 from the first leg, with the winners set to face Arsenal or Real Madrid in the last four.

Birmingham maintain winning start as bumper Bank Holiday crowd sees lopsided contest

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2023

Birmingham 99 for three (Davies 51*, Yates 30) beat Lancashire Lightning 98 (Briggs 4-15, Mousley 4-13) by seven wicketsBirmingham Bears extended their 100 per cent start to the Vitality Blast and ended Lancashire Lightning’s with a commanding seven-wicket victory in front of a sun-soaked 11,243 crowd at Edgbaston.After choosing to bat, Lightning tumbled all out for 98 after losing their last seven wickets for 36 runs in 35 balls. They were spun to destruction as Danny Briggs took four for 15, Dan Mousley three for 13 and Jake Lintott two for 24. Only Steven Croft (22, 13 balls) passed 20 for the visitors.Lightning desperately needed to strike early when the Bears replied but openers Alex Davies (51 not out, 39 balls – his maiden Blast fifty for the Bears) and Rob Yates (30, 24 balls) added an untroubled 50 by the seventh over to set up a victory stroll. The Bears reached 99 for three with 34 balls to spare.”We didn’t really sense that this was going to be a game for the slow bowlers but we talk about being adaptable because so much depends on who can adapt quickest,” Mousley said. “Maxy got the early wicket and then we thought, ‘okay. it’s going to offer a bit of assistance to the spinners’ and we took advantage of that.”I love bowling and playing away in the ILT20 last winter I just learned as much as I could by bowling to some of the best players in the world. It made me realise that I am actually okay at it and I have brought that confidence back here.”With Phil Salt ruled out by a back spasm, Josh Bohannon came into the Lightning side to open the batting but perished fourth ball, bowled through a mow at Glenn Maxwell. Luke Wells, scorer of a match-winning 66 against Derbyshire Falcons on this ground nine days earlier, fell in the next over to a superb return catch, clutched centimetres from the ground, by Mousley.Croft bashed 18 from four balls from Henry Brookes to get the innings going momentarily but the bowler gained his revenge when he was waiting at square leg to accept a catch when Croft lifted a sweep at Mousley. That was 62 for three and from that point the Lightning fell in a heap in the face of fine spin bowling backed up by brilliant fielding.Mousley switched ends to bowl the dangerous Liam Livingstone first ball back. Chris Benjamin took a stinging slip catch to prevent Colin de Grandhomme damaging his former team. Mousley made a steepling catch at long off from Daryl Mitchell look simple and Rob Yates took a blinder at extra cover to oust Luke Wood.Wood was the second of Briggs’ four victims as he plucked off the tail with three wickets in four balls and Lightning committed the heinous T20 crime of leaving 31 balls unused.Faced with such a meagre target. Yates allowed himself the Blast luxury of a leave, first ball, and the Bears openers killed the game dead with a stand 50 of in 39 balls. Yates top-edged a sweep at Matt Parkinson to short fine leg and Maxwell’s home debut knock yielded only two from three balls before he missed an attempt to carve Hartley through the off side, but it was already game over.Sam Hain reached the crease facing one of the less exerting equations he has faced over the years – 37 needed from 74 balls with eight wickets in hand. He was soon bowled by Wells’ third ball but Davies advanced smoothly to his 16th Blast half-century and the captain eased his side home to the jubilation of most in the big crowd, though you got the feeling a fair few of them would have swapped the cakewalk for a more gripping contest in perfect Bank Holiday weather.With three wins from four, Lancashire’s head coach, Glen Chapple, was philosophical. “We lost three wickets to very good catches and throw in a bit of bad luck and before you know it you’re six down. We’re not going to dwell on it, we’re just going to crack on.”