Shai Hope’s blistering 88 powered Tridents to 185, before Reifer snared five wickets, including three in his last over, as Barbados opened their CPL campaign with a win

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Aug-2018Raymon Reifer prepares to bowl•Randy Brookes/CPL T20/Getty ImagesAfter missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, Barbados Tridents got their CPL 2018 campaign off to a winning start by easily defending the highest-ever CPL total made in Guyana, in a 30-run win over the Amazon Warriors. At a ground where the average first-innings score in the CPL has been 126, Tridents overcame a shaky start of 11 for 2 to post 185 for 4, following a brilliant 88 off 45 balls by Shai Hope, before Raymon Reifer’s five-wicket haul derailed the Amazon Warriors chase.Tri-dented in the PowerplayTridents’ opening combo of Martin Guptill and Dwayne Smith were both dismissed in the first two overs, and there was little to indicate that a record total was imminent. Rayad Emrit emulated his Trinidad pal Dwayne Bravo’s incredible effort 24 hours earlier, with a one-handed catch to claim Guptill at mid-off. Smith fell at the end of the next over, driving Chris Green’s offspin to extra cover, and Tridents were reduced to 11 for 2 in two overs.Hope-ful partnershipHope and Steven Smith came together to steer the Tridents back into the match with a 105-run stand for the third wicket. Smith played the classy shots early, including a delightful straight drive off Green for four, to keep the scoreboard moving. However, the partnership could have been halved had Hope been runout on 31, with the score 64 for 2, in the last ball of the ninth over. Smith turned down a run to backward point as Hope hared from the non-striker’s end, but Sherfane Rutherford’s rushed throw missed the stumps after Hope had given up getting back in.The 24-year-old turned belligerent at the end of the 11th over, heaving Imran Tahir against the turn over long-on and straight down the ground for consecutive sixes. It spurred Smith to come out of his shell at the start of the 12th over, guiding a pair of cuts behind point for four off Keemo Paul, as Tridents produced 20 runs in a four-ball sequence across the two overs. Hope ended the 12th over by gliding two to third man to bring up a 30-ball half-century. He then took Sohail Tanvir apart for two sixes over long-on and a four through extra cover in the 13th over to bring up the 100-run partnership, putting Tridents in a commanding position with seven overs left.Pooran powerThe departure of Smith, who played around a straight ball from Tahir, allowed Hope to take the innings into high gear with Nicholas Pooran. Hope’s six assault continued off Paul in the 18th, driving over the extra cover boundary for the shot of the innings. But he fell two balls later, just 12 short of what would have been his maiden CPL ton.Pooran took the opportunity to remind everyone of his devastating ball-striking ability by swatting 21 runs off the final over, bowled by Paul, to put the chase out of reach for the host side. He began with a flat six over long-off, before collecting a scampered two. The third ball was smashed magnificently into the second-tier over long-off, and nearly landed on the roof. It took him to 38, six more than his best innings from a lackluster 2017 campaign. A helicopter whip for six over long-on two balls later showed Pooran’s style to match his strength, and he finished unbeaten on 45 off 27 balls.Reifer madnessDespite the fall of Chadwick Walton at the end of the second over, the Warriors had progressed confidently to reach 40 for 1 in the fifth over of the chase, when Reifer started to ruin the host side’s pursuit with his canny left-arm medium pace. Extra bounce resulted in a top-edged pull by Luke Ronchi that landed in Ashley Nurse’s hands at midwicket, before Shimron Hetmyer fell next ball, yanking Reifer to one of the two men out on the boundary during the Powerplay, Guptill covering good ground at deep midwicket to put Reifer on a hat-trick.Rutherford joined captain Shoaib Malik for an 84-run stand as Warriors kept themselves in the hunt. Legspinner Imran Khan didn’t bowl a single over on the night, with dew making it difficult for spinners to grip the ball. But Tridents captain Jason Holder’s gamble to bring back Nurse to bowl offspin in the 16th over paid off. One ball after Malik smashed him for six over long-on, the Guyana captain misjudged the length while trying to guide Nurse with an open face to third man, and wound up chopping onto his stumps for 38.As the required run rate continued to climb following Malik’s departure, Reifer exploited the breach with three wickets in the 19th to kill off the chase. With 39 required off the last two overs to win, Green scythed a Reifer full toss behind point for four, but perished off the next ball, with a tame drive to Holder at extra cover. Jason Mohammed sliced Reifer to the cover sweeper two balls later, before a slower bouncer next ball to Rutherford resulted in a gloved catch to Pooran to put Reifer on a hat-trick for the second time in the night. Reifer once again didn’t get the hat-trick, Paul this time punching a full toss down the ground for a single, but the efforts were enough to bag the Man-of-the-Match award.

James McClean has slammed the “embarrassing” celebrations of “wally” Jean Belehouan following Wrexham’s disappointing defeat to Tranmere.

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• Red Dragons came unstuck on home soil
• Local rivals revelled in their success
• Irishman stuck on sidelines serving a ban

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons saw their bid for automatic promotion out of League Two suffer another untimely blow when slipping to a 1-0 derby date reversal at the hands of local rivals from the Wirral. Tranmere are still clinging to hopes of staging a late surge into the play-off places, leading to them celebrating wildly at SToK Racecourse.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tempers threatened to boil over at the final whistle, as players from both sides tangled on the field at full-time, with Rovers defender Belehouan firing up the travelling support despite failing to make it onto the field across 90 minutes of intriguing fourth-tier action.

• WHAT MCCLEAN SAID

  McClean was another that saw no game time, as he serves a suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards, and the Irishman has called out Belehouan for celebrating as if Tranmere had won the league. He posted on Instagram: “Absolute wally, not sure what’s more embarrassing, him giving it large whilst being an unused sub during the game or the fact that he was an unused sub for them.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham remain third in the League Two standings, level on points with second-placed Stockport and five adrift of leaders Mansfield, but only goal difference is keeping them above MK Dons while Barrow in sixth are only six points adrift of Phil Parkinson’s side with eight games left to take in.

When MS Dhoni’s India arrived at Southampton in 2014, the visitors’ dressing room was brimming with confidence and belief. India were leading 1-0 in the five-match Test series going into the third match. The lead had come at Lord’s in the second Test, a memorable result for India: Ajinkya Rahane cracked a century; Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma grabbed career-best figures in an innings; and Lord’s was entranced by Ravindra Jadeja’s cavalier half-century, which he celebrated with a sword dance.England captain Alastair Cook’s career was on the line when he went to toss at the Ageas Bowl. Early on he edged Pankaj Singh. Unfortunately for India, Jadeja spilled an easy catch in the slips. The story after that is well known: Cook scored a gritty 95, England won that Test and the next two. India were wounded.Four years on, India have returned to Southampton. Although Joe Root’s England lead the series 2-1, Virat Kohli’s India feel they have the momentum after a crushing victory at Trent Bridge achieved with a collective effort similar to that Lord’s win in 2014. And Kohli believes India hold the edge with two Tests to go.That belief comes from the way India have adapted and learned from situations. At Edgbaston and Lord’s all the batsmen, barring Kohli, failed to show any application to survive the conditions and England’s bowling plans. Their slip fielders frustrated the fast bowlers by spilling catches.But at Trent Bridge the openers wiped the sheen off the Dukes ball, the partnerships prospered, the fast bowlers dominated, the debutant wicketkeeper and the slips held onto the catches nicely and the captain continued with his good form with the bat. India entered Nottingham with a series defeat a realistic possibility. They left Nottingham with a series-levelling victory in Southampton a realistic possibility.Kohli picked out the one crucial difference between the India side of 2014 and now is how the players have seized the situation in a match.”Last time around I can’t really pinpoint as to what we did wrong or maybe England played much better than us,” he said. “We probably didn’t have the experience to capitalise on the lead is how I see things four years down the line. Right now we understand that we are in a very exciting position to have gained momentum at the right time in the series, and to have played like that when 2-0 down when everyone thought that it is going to be a clean sweep or we are going to be rolled over. But we understood how we are playing and how we have been playing for the last few months and it was just about capitalising on the big moments during the Test match.”The other significant difference between the two India teams is the current fast bowling attack. Ishant Sharma has bowled and behaved as the captain of the attack. Mohammed Shami has built the pressure with high pace and fuller lengths. Jasprit Bumrah, in his first match of the series, created angles that bamboozled England. Hardik Pandya, too, stepped up his pace and displayed his bowling smartness, wrapping up England’s middle order in a spell of 29 balls in the first innings at Trent Bridge. India’s fast men now have a grip over the England batsmen.”They’ve been bowling well as a unit which is the most exciting thing for me as a captain and for the whole team,” Kohli said. “Be it a spell or bowling in a partnership, we feel happy when we are at the ground, at slips or even outside. It gives us happiness when we see our bowlers rushing the opposite batsmen. The game remains in balance and doesn’t shift completely to one side. We don’t think we are at a disadvantage when it comes to pace bowling. We think we are equal to any team in the world and if we play well, we can win anywhere.”Despite the self-confidence Kohli was well aware that India still can lose the series if they let their focus slip so they cannot afford to sit back now. “As cricketers we understand when the Test match goes away from you and we spoke about recognising that and making sure that we are relentless and ruthless in terms of capitalising on those important moments which we did in Nottingham.”But also to understand that we will have to do that two more times for us to achieve the goal that we want to. And not be satisfied with one victory, because if Nottingham was hard work this is going to be even harder. England would want to come back strongly. We understand that and we will have to be even better with what we did in Nottingham to be able to get results our way.”

TNT Sports pundit and Man United legend Rio Ferdinand has suggested that he's completely changed his mind on one transformed Arsenal player.

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It was a night to forget for the Gunners on Tuesday with Ligue 1 side RC Lens overcoming them Mikel Arteta's side on matchday two of the Champions League group stage. Goals from Adrien Thomassson and last summer's in-demand striker Elye Wahi cancelled out an early opener from Gabriel Jesus; bringing the north Londoners right back down to Earth after their 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth last weekend.

The Premier League title hopefuls arguably failed to seize proper control of the match and allowed Lens to fight their way back into the contest, with Arteta praising the home side but also criticising Arsenal's poor finishing on a night to take lessons from.

"They are a really good side, exceptional opponent," said Arteta.

"We took the lead and then in one action they managed to score. We had a big chance straight after the break. In many occasions we attacked the space – but it was [decided] in the boxes. We missed some big chances and didn't defend well enough for their goals. Mistakes happen in football and they will continue to be there somehow but the difference was made in both boxes. You have to put the ball in the back of the net and defend well. It was a big night for us. We weren't able to take the result we wanted but we were able to learn."

It's now back to the drawing board for Arsenal and Arteta, who must bounce back quickly this weekend as they gear up for a highly-anticipated clash against title rivals Man City on Sunday.

Arsenal's star players

While Tuesday evening was one to forget for supporters, they're still in good stead domestically – remaining unbeaten over their opening seven top flight matches despite, at times, not playing at their imperious attacking best. Arsenal's latest league win over Bournemouth, though, showcased some of the club's undoubted attacking flair as goals from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, summer signing Kai Havertz and Ben White capped off a 4-0 hammering.

There is clearly potential for Arsenal to go and challenge yet again for the domestic crown this season after spending north of £200 million on fresh faces in the summer transfer window. TNT Sport's Ferdinand, speaking on his YouTube channel this week, reserved special praise for one man who has seemingly transformed thus far.

Odegaard, who has scored three goals and bagged an assist over seven league matches, has "got bigger" in an Arsenal jersey after being handed the captain's armband, according to Ferdinand.

“I love him. I like the way he plays. He’s an artist the way he plays off the left foot as well. Left footers always just look a bit different,” he explained.

“There’s pressure in that as well, being the captain. That’s why I questioned Odegaard. Has he got the personality? Will he be able to deal with all of the pressure that comes with being the captain of a big club like Arsenal? So young as well. But you have to say, since the armband went on him, I think he’s got bigger.”

Weston McKennie is now one of Juventus' most important players but, back in the summer, he wasn't even valued enough to have a parking spot!

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Berhalter praises McKennie's resilienceJuve star lost parking spotMidfielder in CONCACAF Nations League squadGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

McKennie headed into the Serie A season on the outside looking in, having failed to impress during his loan spell at Leeds United last season. He returned in the summer and looked set to move on, having been left out of parts of preseason as he awaited a transfer.

It never came to be, with McKennie desperate to prove himself at Juve, and his resiliency has paid off. He's done all of that and more, having emerged as one of the top midfielders not just at Juve, but in Serie A altogether.

However, there was never truly a plan in Italy for him, so much so that the club had not even handed him simple player privileges.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT BERHALTER SAID

"We can't say enough about Weston and his growth over these last years," Berhalter said. "If you think about this, Western was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn't have a locker and he didn't have a parking spot. Most players would say, 'Okay, I'm done, I'm leaving this club, it's not for me', but Weston said, 'I'm going to dig in and I'm going to prove that I belong'.

"He's done not only that, not only does he belong, but he's proven to be one of the best players at Juventus this year and one of the top midfielders in Serie A. It shows his mentality and his growth as a person and it shows that he's able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. I think that's a marker of a really good player."

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Gregg Berhalter revealed that, upon his return to the Bianconeri, McKennie's parking spot and player-issued locker had been removed. The Italitan side were pushing for his removal so much so that they acted as if he didn't even exist to a point! However, his performances are showing just how far he has come over the last few months as he's built himself into a player that is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Old Lady.

Now, ahead of a massive international break, he's being touted for a big, big role.

McKennie will be a key player for the U.S. in the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League, which begins with a semifinal match against Jamaica on March 21. With Tyler Adams still not fully fit, the USMNT midfield will be in focus, with McKennie a locked-in starter with that group.

Whoever is played alongside him, McKennie will be expected to bring his good form with him stateside as he looks to use his confidence from Juventus to lead the U.S. to a third consecutive Nations League final.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MCKENNIE?

Before joining up with the USMNT for that CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, McKennie first has some business to take care of with Juventus. The Old Lady are set to play host to Genoa this weekend in their final match before the international break.

Alastair Cook says that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the forthcoming Oval Test knowing that he managed to dredge every ounce out of his ability.Cook, who will retire after an England record 161 Test appearances, said that his decision to stand down had come during a six-month period in which he felt that he had mislaid the mental edge that had carried him to more than 12,000 Test runs over a 12-year career.”It’s hard to put it into words, but over the last six months, there’ve been signs in my mind that this was going to happen,” Cook told reporters at The Oval. “I told Rooty [Joe Root] before the game [at the Ageas Bowl], then told Trevor [Bayliss] during the game.””For me, I’ve always had that mental edge, I’ve always been mentally incredibly tough, and that edge had gone,” he added. “That stuff which I’d found easy before was just wasn’t quite there, and for me that was the biggest sign.”Asked if he had considered asking for a sabbatical to reassess his game after an extraordinary 158 Test appearances in a row, Cook insisted that burn-out was not the issue that he had been contending with, in spite of averaging less than 20 in nine Tests in 2018.”It did cross my mind briefly, as the decision became clear in my mind, but if you are looking over the last two or three years, I haven’t played a huge amounts of games, and I’ve never felt that getting on another plane has been the struggle. You can have six months off and come back, but I still don’t think it would have been there.”You ask people about [retirement] along the way, and they said that when you know, you know. And for me that was so true.”The rest of the team was informed of his decision the aftermath of England’s 60-run victory over India at the Ageas Bowl, a result which ensured a series win against the No.1 Test team and allowed Cook to go public with his decision ahead of a dead rubber in the final match.”In this day and age, it’s very hard to keep anything quiet,” he said. “If it was 2-2 I would have had to keep my mouth shut. But when you do media and are asked questions, it’s hard to constantly lie, to be brutally honest.”I was a couple of beers in and I needed to be, otherwise I’d have cried more than I actually did,” he added. “But I managed to hold it together. At the end of the game, I just said it might be good news for some, but sad for others, but it’s time. I’ve done my bit and, if picked, the next game will be my last game. That was all I said.There was a bit of silence, then Mo said something, and we got on with it and had a nice evening in the changing room.”The confirmation of Cook’s impending retirement was then announced on Monday morning, leading to a wealth of tributes across the cricket media.”It’s a bit surreal,” Cook added. “One of my friends rang to check I was still alive, because everyone had been talking as if I’ve died. It’s obviously nice to hear so many nice words said about you. For the last couple of days I’ve been back at home and hadn’t seen much of it, until I let myself have a look last night.”The eulogies were richly deserved, given how much Cook had given to England’s cause in the course of his record-breaking Test career. Inevitably, he picked out his central role in England’s victories in Australia in 2010-11 and India in 2012-13 as his finest hours.”You can’t really look past those two away series,” he said. “That was the best I could play, and in my career as a whole, I can look back and say I became the best player I could have become. That means quite a lot to me. I’ve never been the most talented cricketer, and I don’t pretend I was, but I definitely got everything out of my ability.”Cook admitted that his lowest ebb had come in the midst of the 2014 summer, when England lost first to Sri Lanka and then went 1-0 down against India, and all against the backdrop of the sacking of Kevin Pietersen, a situation that Cook admitted he wished had been handled differently.”The KP affair was a tough year, absolutely no doubt about that,” he said. “The fallout of that wasn’t good for English cricket or for me, but I was involved in that decision without being the bloke that made the final decision.”I think that’s when it was real tough but I didn’t throw the towel in,” he added. “I still believe I was the best man for the job and the right man to be England captain at that time. I could have taken the easy option and thrown the towel in, but I didn’t, and the team got the reward with the Ashes in 2015.”Asked if he was the last of a dying breed of Test specialists, Cook replied: “I think naturally kids are going to be more attracted by the razzmatazz of T20. I’ve seen it in the youngsters in the Essex team, their attacking game is better than their defensive game, and that is fact.”I’m not sure I’m the last of a dying breed but there are cricketers of my ilk who are naturally suited to the red ball rather than white ball. The kids have the diet of T20. We played T20 when we were younger, but we still built an innings in the first five overs, rather than whack it over the keepers’ head third ball.”As for his ambitions for the final Test of his career, Cook added: “It would be fantastic [to bow out on a high], but it would be great for England to win most importantly – 4-1 sounds better than 3-2. If I can play a good innings, that would be fantastic.”

France U21 manager Thierry Henry has called on former Chelsea target Rayan Cherki to rediscover his best after handing him a international call up

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Originally omitted Lyon attacking midfielder from squadBrought into the side due to injuries elsewhereTurned in star showing after initial snubWHAT HAPPENED?

Henry backed Cherki to rediscover his best form after a difficult run at Lyon that has seen his stock drop this season. The midfielder was highly sought after last January, and even on the periphery of the France senior side. But Henry dropped him ahead of the March break – only bringing him in due to shortages elsewhere.

AdvertisementWHAT THIERRY HENRY SAID

In a press conference, Henry insisted that Cherki needs to return to form: "He should have been annoyed for the last three months, shouldn’t he?” joked Henry when he explained his selection choices in a press conference on Monday. "He has woken up. That’s good. Not seeing his name on the list should have annoyed him. He needs to show consistency because there is a huge difference between sometimes showing character and showing character all the time."

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The 20-year-old seems to have reacted to his sub, scoring his first goal of the season against Toulouse over the weekend. After his performance, Henry asserted that Cherki can still be one of the best in the world: "I’m not talking about his quality, because I have never seen a player in history who dribbles as quickly as him, with both feet. But he made a thunderous debut, very young and to not be starting matches today, that means what it means."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHERKI?

The attacking midfielder will hope to crack the XI for Henry's side as they take on the Ivory Coast and United States this month. After that, he is set to return to France, where he will hope to make an impact for a recovering Lyon side – who are now 10th in Ligue 1.

Leeds United could be set to sign a new defender in January, and a fresh report has revealed that it would cost the club nothing to bring him to Elland Road.

Where are Leeds in the Championship table?

In the Championship this season, Daniel Farke’s side have won five, drawn four and lost just two of their opening 11 games, meaning that they currently find themselves fifth in the league table. Here is how that first group of matches has played out so far:

Ipswich Town (4-3)

Cardiff City (2-2)

Birmingham City (1-0)

Millwall (3-0)

West Brom (1-1)

Southampton (3-1)

Watford (3-0)

Sheffield Wednesday (0-0)

QPR (1-0)

Hull City (0-0)

Bristol City (2-1)

The Whites have 17 squad members across all age levels away on international duty at this moment in time, including the likes of Liam Cooper with Scotland, Glen Kamara with Finland and the trio of Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Dan James with Wales (Yorkshire Evening Post), and the break from domestic action has allowed chiefs to start assessing their options ahead of the upcoming window.

In West Yorkshire, Philadelphia Union’s left-back Kai Wagner has been highlighted as a potential candidate, but it’s not the first time that he’s been linked with a move to the club, having attracted interest from the hierarchy at the start of the year, when a deal failed to come to fruition before the deadline.

The German, however, will be out of contract at the end of December, meaning that he will become a free agent on the market (Philadelphia Union contracts), and having established himself as Jim Curtin’s best-performing player so far this season with a match rating of 7.34 (as per WhoScored – Philadelphia Union statistics), the 26-year-old won’t be short of a potential suitor in England.

Kai Wagner transfer update

According to The Athletic (via CaughtOffside), which shared a transfer update on Kai Wagner, Philadelphia's defender “could be heading” to Leeds in January.

The Whites target is “set to leave” his side upon the expiration of his deal at the end of the calendar year, and Elland Road has been touted as a serious potential destination.

How good is Kai Wagner?

According to his former teammate Aurelien Collin, Wagner is a “fighter” for his desire to get stuck in – something he’s shown by winning 39 out of his 60 tackles made so far this season, which is a higher rate than any of his teammates (FBref – Philadelphia Union statistics), but he’s also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch.

The Geislingen native, who is naturally left-footed, has racked up 50 goal involvements (42 assists and eight goals) since the start of his career, so he has a history of making runs down the wing and creating chances for himself and his teammates in the final third (Transfermarkt – Wagner statistics).

Finally, Wagner shares the same agent, Feel Soccer GMBH, as Ilia Gruev, so this existing connection that his representative has to the club could give the 49ers a small advantage should they indeed decide to make yet another attempt for their long-term target in January.

With Christmas approaching, there are still two winless teams in Europe's 'Big 5' leagues. That one of them is Wolves is arguably unsurprising. The Fosun International-owned Premier League club sold two of their best players during the summer and squandered the proceeds on sub-standard signings. However, the fact that Fiorentina have yet to win a single game in Serie A is shocking.

Even if we ignore the fact that the Viola were one of the seven sisters of Italian football during the club's heyday, they finished sixth last season – above current table-toppers AC Milan. The expectation was that Fiorentina would be even more competitive in Raffaele Palladino's second year at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Palladino, though, quit at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, his replacement, Stefano Pioli, has already been sacked and results have yet to improve under new coach Paolo Vanoli. Consequently, the situation in Florence has turned toxic, with some players and their families being subjected to death threats.

So, what on earth is going on at Fiorentina? And do they have any hope of avoiding relegation to Serie B? GOAL breaks it all down below…

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  From an extension to sacked in three weeks

  On May 7, Fiorentina revealed that Palladino's contract with the club had been extended for an extra year until 2027. The news did not come as a surprise. Fiorentina were in the semi-finals of the Conference League and on course to qualify for the same competition via Serie A.

  Less than three weeks later, though, Palladino was gone, having parted company with the club by "mutual consent" – despite leading the Viola to their best league finish for nine years.

  While it was true that not all of the supporters had been convinced by the 41-year-old and his style of football, an alleged falling-out with sporting director Daniele Prade was believed to be the real reason for his unexpected exit.

  "I see football as a puzzle; all the pieces have to fit together to work," Palladino explained in an interview with the in September. "I'm proud of the work we did in Florence, but the conditions for moving forward together were no longer there. The ideas and visions were too different."

  Although he refused to get into specifics, it was abundantly obvious that Palladino had not wanted to walk away. Doing so clearly hurt him. But his departure also hit the players hard too.

  Palladino had formed a strong bond with his team and his appointment had proven a godsend for the likes of Moise Kean, who had hit a career-high 25 goals in all competitions across the 2024-25 season, while Manchester United outcast David de Gea had also got back to his brilliant best during a remarkable run of form in Florence that sparked giddy talk of a title challenge this time last year.

  As a result, the squad was stunned by Palladino's dramatic U-turn. "I have to say, the video calls and messages from the guys made me cry," the Neapolitan admitted. "I've experienced some great moments with them, and some very difficult ones, so something special was created. In fact, we still keep in touch today."

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• 'Get the f*ck out!'

  By time of Palladino's interview, it was already clear that Pioli didn't have anything like the same rapport with the players, with Fiorentina having picked up just two points from his first four games in charge.

  Europe provided some relief, with the Viola winning their first two matches in the Conference League, against Sigma Olomouc and Rapid Wien, but they continued to struggle horribly in Serie A.

  The  majority of the fans' fury focused on Daniele Prade rather than Pioli and his ever-changing system, with stickers being placed in and around the Artemio Franchi featuring images of the sporting director's face on the body of a pig, accompanied by the word 'Vattene' ('Leave').

  The club's ultras had wanted him out for a long time, too, as they saw him as "the symbol of a sporting failure that has gone on for years".

  Enraged by the sale of top players (most painfully to hated rivals Juventus), a controversial logo change and an alleged lack of engagement with the club's staunchest supporters, The had actually called for Prade to follow Palladino out of the club back in June.

  "Prade: All roads lead to Rome… Take one and get the f*ck out!" read one banner hung outside the club's training ground.

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  Prade & Pioli pay price for rotten results

  In Prade's defence, he repeatedly insisted that he – and not Pioli – was responsible for Fiorentina's worst start to a Serie A season for more than 50 years, not least because relatively expensive signings such as Roberto Piccoli hadn't worked out at all.

  "If there is anyone who can get us out of this situation, it is Stefano Pioli," Prade told after the 2-1 defeat at AC Milan on October 19. "The rest is my fault, the protests from the fans are against me, and it is because the club put the strategy in my hands.

  "There were also other elements that haven’t helped: our stadium is a building site and we cannot have all our fans there, while we have three tournaments to play in. I feel bad for the fans, for the President (Rocco Commisso), and the coach. If there is anyone who should be fired or resign, it is me."

  There was an air of inevitability, then, about Prade's decision to step down on November 1 – the day before a vital relegation battle with fellow strugglers Lecce. However, his exit didn't alleviate any of the tension at the Artemio Franchi. On the contrary, it only intensified after a 1-0 loss that prompted a media blackout from the club before Pioli was eventually put out of his misery two days later with Fiorentina bottom of the league with just four points to their name.

  Despite initial reports that the Viola considered re-hiring Palladino – that weren't denied by director Alessandro Ferrari – they ultimately turned to former Torino coach Paolo Vanoli to try to save their season.

  "I'm proud to be back in Florence," the ex-Italy international said, "a city where I've already played and know what it means to win here." Unfortunately for Fiorentina, he seems to have forgotten how to win there – at least in Serie A.

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• Dzeko calls out fans on lack of support

  Vanoli has already become the first Fiorentina coach since Ottavio Bianchi 23 years ago to fail to win any of their first four league games. Things had actually started reasonably well, with back-to-back draws away to Genoa and at home to Juve. However, after a dismal 1-0 loss to AEK Athens in the Conference League, veteran striker Edin Dzeko took aim at the negative atmosphere inside the Artemio Franchi.

  "You can say that we suck, that we don’t deserve to wear the shirt, that’s all fine, no problem," the Bosnian summer signing told . "However, if we are playing at home, then we need the fans to help us, not jeer at every misplaced pass.

  "We’ve got to get out of this situation together, this is not right. If you need to jeer, do it after the final whistle, but during the match we need your support. It’s all true, we are not playing well, but we still need your help.

  "We can’t seem to string two or three passes together, and that is not normal for a team like ours. The moment a player makes a mistake, the jeers start coming down, so then the next time he will feel anxious and perhaps not try to risk the pass, or he doesn’t want the ball at his feet. It all becomes more difficult.

  "We need more support from the stands. I understand it’s difficult at the moment, and the stadium situation is a bit strange (certain sections of the Artemio Franchi remain closed due to ongoing construction work), but we've got to have more support when we are playing at home. Otherwise, the negative energy just keeps spiralling."

  Dzeko's impassioned plea upset some supporters and led to the extraordinary sight of the striker grabbing a megaphone after the 2-0 loss to Atalanta three days later to address the away end at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.

After he was substituted out of the rest of the game, Aaron Finch and the Marsh brothers made fifties to shore up the Australians

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2018
AFPMatt Renshaw suffered a blow to the helmet while fielding at short leg and was subsequently substituted out of Australia’s four-day warm-up fixture against Pakistan A in Dubai. Pakistan A agreed to the visitors replacing Renshaw with Marnus Labuschagne for the rest of the match.”He’s okay. Obviously a pretty heavy knock to the head there but he’s been with the medical staff all afternoon,” Aaron Finch said of Renshaw’s condition. “He seems to be in really good spirits and is confident that his headaches are subsiding pretty quickly.”That was perhaps the only blip for the Australians on day two. After dismissing Pakistan A for 278 from an overnight 247 for 6, they trimmed their deficit to 71 at stumps, for the loss of only two wickets, thanks to half-centuries from opener Finch and the Marsh brothers. Finch, who has been pencilled in for a Test debut in Dubai, dominated an 82-run partnership for the first wicket with 54 off 91 balls, including seven fours. The stand ended when left-arm seamer Waqas Maqsood had Finch caught behind in the 31st over. Eleven overs later, Usman Khawaja, the other opener, fell to Iftikhar Ahmed for 36 off 131 balls. Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh then got together and raised fifties in an unbroken 103-run stand to boost their side to 207 for 2 at stumps.Wahab Riaz, who is part of Pakistan’s Test squad, went wicketless in 12 overs.Earlier, Nathan Lyon, who had claimed five wickets on day one, added three more to his tally to end with 8 for 103. Abid Ali, meanwhile, added only two to his overnight 83 before Lyon had him caught by wicketkeeper Paine in the 96th over.Mitchell Starc picked up his first wicket in competitive cricket since March 2018, when he dismissed Wahab for 12 off 4 balls. In all, the Australians needed only 7.1 overs on day two to bowl out the hosts.