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Looking to continue their push towards the top half, Crystal Palace have now been boosted by the availability of Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah and one other star who could return against Everton.

Crystal Palace injury news

The Eagles have rediscovered their best form under Oliver Glasner and are pushing towards the top half. On a run of one defeat in their last nine games in all competitions, those at Selhurst Park will certainly be in a confident mood ahead of what once looked destined to be a relegation six-pointer between themselves and Everton.

A key part of that recent run has, of course, been the form of Jean-Philippe Mateta who has shaken off any early season struggles in front of goal to steal plenty of headlines in South London.

The arrival of Everton won’t present Palace with a simple task this weekend, however. After all, the Toffees just quite literally battled their way to a last-gasp point against Liverpool in the final-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Recent injury news has certainly provided the Eagles with plenty of hope though.

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By
Dominic Lund

Feb 13, 2025

As revealed by Glasner, Ismaila Sarr could now return from injury against Everton alongside Eze and Nketiah to hand Palace the ultimate triple boost. Missing his side’s FA Cup victory over Doncaster, the winger will be keen to return and instantly add to the four goals that he already has to his name this season.

When asked for an injury update, Glasner told reporters: “Fortunately no new issues and all three [Eze, Nketiah, Sarr] are back and available for tomorrow.”

With fixtures coming thick and fast, Palace couldn’t have asked for much better news on the injury front, handing them every chance of continuing their excellent form.

"Direct" Sarr must rediscover early season form

Since getting his Crystal Palace career off to a solid start with four goals and one assist in his first 17 Premier League games, Sarr has struggled to steal the same headlines, with his last goal involvement coming through an assist against Leicester City midway through January.

With Palace’s frontline all back together and Mateta firing on all cylinders, however, the former Watford man should have ample opportunity to improve his output and pay Glasner back for his praise a few months ago.

The Austrian told reporters when asked about Sarr in December: “Ismaila is more of a direct runner with a lot of pace. We knew if we get him into the right areas in the right moment he will get chances to score goals.

“I don’t think it was his best performance. He had fantastic performances in other games. He was always a very positive impact at the beginning of the season as a substitute, so he could have six or seven assists as well. Sometimes we missed the chances.”

As Everton prepare to arrive, Sarr could yet receive the chance to return with a bang and fire Palace to yet another victory in what has been a fine run of form.

Centurion Gareth Roderick and Ed Pollock batted through sizeable chunks of the final day to thwart Derbyshire’s push for their first LV=Insurance County Championship victory of the campaign at New Road.Roderick battled away for five-and-a-quarter hours to make 123 in only his second match since being promoted to open the innings alongside Jake Libby.Pollock played an out of character knock based on determined defence rather than his free-flowing stroke play to make 56 off 189 balls spanning nearly four hours.Their efforts were largely responsible for defying the Derbyshire attack and only four wickets fell in the entire day.Roderick has batted predominantly in the middle order since establishing himself in the keeper-batter role last summer in contrast to his eight seasons with Gloucestershire in the upper echelons of the order.But he was moved up to number three for the home game against Leicestershire and a second innings knock of 59 spanning five hours helped seal victory on a difficult pitch.He then opened in the last Championship match against Sussex at Hove and had featured in three half-century partnerships with Libby before this marathon knock.Roderick had spoken of his need to turn promising starts into major contributions and this was a top quality effort mixing aggression with stubborn defence.Pollock has dropped down into the middle-order in Championship and T20 cricket after a shortage of runs.But here he got his head down from ball one in support of Roderick and blunted the Derbyshire attack.It took him 120 balls before he sliced Leus du Plooy down to third man for his first boundary but eating up time and deliveries was the prime consideration.Derbyshire’s winless run was extended to 10 games but they can take great heart from a performance achieved without their front line attack of Saranga Lakmal, Sam Conners and Zak Chappell while Ben Aitchison was unable to bowl in the second innings because of injury.Worcestershire reached 105 for 1 on the opening day but were then second best for the remainder of the game until the defiance by Roderick and Pollock on the final day.Derbyshire showed more discipline with the ball and greater application with the bat in the first innings.Three of their batters, du Plooy, Wayne Madsen and Anuj Dal, all reached three figures and they achieved their highest ever score against Worcestershire.The home side will reflect on poor bowling performance, with the exception of evergreen Joe Leach, and slipshod fielding and Madsen, du Plooy and Dal were all survived dropped catches.Worcestershire resumed on 70 for 2 against a Derbyshire attack which was a bowler light after Ben Aitchison had suffered hip and back problems earlier in the game.Roderick was full of attacking intent and clipped the first delivery of the day from Conor McKerr through mid wicket for four.The keeper-batter completed a 69-ball half-century with a similar shot at Anuj Dal’s expense for his eighth boundary.Debutant Rehaan Edavalath scrapped away for 62 balls but after making 15 he drove hard at Nick Potts and nicked to Wayne Madsen who held onto a low chance at first slip.Roderick continued to score freely but Adam Hose managed only a single before he attempted to drive spinner Alex Thomson and was bowled through the gate.Pollock survived a confident appeal when on two for a legside catch by keeper Brooke Guest off Luis Reece.Roderick swept Thomson for four to move into the 90s and then his 16th boundary – a steer to third man off Reece – took him to an excellent hundred from 155 balls.Pollock played an innings out of character with his free-flowing style and scored only five runs from the first 100 balls he faced.But it was an invaluable effort in the context of Worcestershire attempting to thwart Derbyshire’s victory push.Derbyshire rotated their bowlers and set unorthodox and imaginative fielders in an attempt to make a decisive breakthrough.They finally had something to celebrate after the Roderick-Pollock stand of 63 had spanned 38 overs when the latter on 123 pushed forward to Thomson and was caught at short leg.But Matthew Waite (17 not out from 97 balls) also proved a stubborn line of defence after joining Pollock in the middle.Pollock gradually accelerated and, after eight overs were lost to rain, drove Dal through the covers to for his 10th four to reach his half century from 181 balls.But he played a shot out of keeping with the remainder of his innings on 56 when he aimed a leg side blow at Reece and was caught by Dal over his shoulder running back to cover

Leeds United want to expand Elland Road and make it the seventh-largest stadium in England with the city council are set to meet over plans.

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• Leeds plan Elland Road expansion
• Could become England's seventh-largest stadium
• City council to meet on Wednesday

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Leeds are celebrating promotion back to the Premier League after their place in the Championship's top two was secured on Monday, with Daniel Farke's side winning 6-0 against Stoke City and then second-place Burnley beating third-place Sheffield United 2-1.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With the Whites can look ahead to next season back in the top flight, they have started working on their expansion plan for Elland Road. Per the , Leeds plan to expand their home ground from 38,000 to 56,500 seats, which would make it the seventh-largest football stadium in England. The report adds that the executive board of Leeds City Council are set to meet to discuss the expansion plans on Wednesday.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Leeds are expected to hold an open-top bus parade to celebrate their achievement in the coming days. Farke has confirmed that he is looking forward to the celebrations as he told reporters: "I just want beer after beer and champagne after champagne right now and don't bother me with football, we'll speak about it in a few days."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LEEDS?

  The newly promoted club will play their penultimate Championship game on April 28 against Bristol City at Elland Road. They are still fighting with Burnley for the title.

Ellyse Perry and Sarah Bryce led Sixers’ chase but the lower order fell away with Strikers’ legspinners to the fore

Andrew McGlashan29-Oct-2024Bridget Patterson was involved in a nasty incident while wicketkeeping during Adelaide Strikers’ victory over Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval where Amanda-Jade Wellington produced a key all-round display.In the fourth over of Sixers’ chase Patterson took a ball in the face from a 119kph delivery by Darcie Brown which pitched in front of her and kicked up, striking near the right eye. Patterson stayed on the ground with a physio and doctor quickly onto the field and after a few minutes was able to walk off. She remained at the venue for remainder of the game and will be further assessed in the coming days.”It was a nasty injury,” Strikers coach Luke Williams said after the match. “Obviously we were all worried about her, but it looks like she’s escaped major injury. It certainly was nasty at the time with the cut.”Patterson had earlier played a key role with the bat as Strikers’ middle-order produced a powerful counterattack to enable the visitors to claim the first win of their title defence.In reply, Ellyse Perry dominated the early stages of the chase with a 26-ball fifty then Sarah Bryce impressed again with 62 off 44 balls but when she fell to Megan Schutt the innings faded swiftly in a collapse of 6 for 18. Legspinners Wellington and Anesu Mushangwe were superb in the closing overs with the former comfortably defending 14 off the last.Patterson, Wellington and Orla Prendergast combined to make 123 between them off 92 balls with 32 runs coming off the two power surge overs. Wellington, inparticular, cut loose inside the restrictions with two sixes and three fours off Ash Gardner and Lauren Cheatle to finish with 40 off 16.Those contributions enabled Strikers to recover from 51 for 4 in the seventh over after Cheatle had made early inroads before Perry held onto a stinging return catch – with a juggle – to claim Laura Wolvaardt.Perry and Bryce added 80 in 50 balls for the second wicket with Perry lacing 11 boundaries although she was dropped at long-on on 17. The impressive, and quick, Brown removed Perry when she top-edged a short ball to fine leg and Sixers suffered another huge blow when Gardner fell for a five-ball duck.But Bryce and 19-year-old Elsa Hunter, on her WBBL debut, put on 53 off 35 balls to bring the target in sight aided by some poor catching from Strikers but they couldn’t finish the job for a Sixers side stretched to the limits by injury.

The top order had the experience to bail out their inexperienced attack, but they instead went down in abject fashion

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Mar-2023Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Dinesh Chandimal have all been on four Test tours to New Zealand (this one included). Kusal Mendis has been there three times. Dhananjaya de Silva twice. By now, they’ve sat through days worth of meetings and analysis on how to bat in New Zealand, pored through many hours of footage of the opposition, discussed leaving on length at length, and – such are this team’s predilections – likely become family friends with Nandos staff across the country.The attack has the excuse of inexperience. They have not toured New Zealand anywhere near as much, have a much more complicated history with injuries, and anyway are treated with borderline disdain at home, where pitches frequently make them comedic props in the spin bowlers’ dramatic production. And while New Zealand have had a difficult World Test Championship cycle, their batting order is studded with an all-time superstar in Kane Williamson, a reliable hand in Tom Latham, and batters who have made very bright starts to what promise to be long careers in Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Blundell.Their bowling? Well, you’ve kinda gotta maybe say that they were a more daunting proposition in the bad old days when Trent Boult and Tim Southee curved the ball snarl viciously from either end, before Neil Wagner summoned bouncers from the depths of hell in the peak Wagnerball era.Related

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If one didn’t nick you off swinging it one way, the other would get you lbw swinging it the other. And if you survived all of that, the other guy would jam your fingers against the bat with a ball that rocketed off the pitch, his team-mates gathering around to kindly check on you as you writhed around in pain, knowing your tour was over.It is almost to be expected that Sri Lanka’s attack had as poor a first innings as they did in Wellington. On day one, they were battling a near-gale. On top of which, New Zealand’s best batter was incandescent. And there was also the debutant wicketkeeper, who missed a vital catch (he missed a straightforward one off Henry Nicholls on the first evening).

“Their bowling inexperience had made a victory almost impossible, but on day three, batting incompetence sent Sri Lanka nosediving towards defeat”

But for Sri Lanka’s batters to have as poor a day three as this? Just a single 50-plus partnership, and all out for 164, in testing, but not unplayable batting conditions? Their bowling inexperience had made a victory almost impossible, but on day three, batting incompetence sent Sri Lanka nosediving towards defeat.Across that first innings, Sri Lanka made what might be termed rookie mistakes. Late on day two, Mendis saw a short, wide delivery, and failed to hit it far enough away from Conway, who dived spectacularly to his left to intercept it. Mendis has been at the ground for a number of otherworldly New Zealand catches. When they are feeling themselves, this is what New Zealand do.Then, the next day, Mathews fished at one he shouldn’t have. Chandimal charged offspinner Michael Bracewell and went through with his doomed heave to legside when he might have played defensively when he realised he wasn’t getting to the pitch of the ball. Dhananjaya de Silva ran at Bracewell also, and chipped him softly to the catcher at midwicket – perhaps the softest dismissal of the day. Karunaratne played much better than his team-mates, reaching 50 twice in one day. But then he failed to make a century out of either one, holing out twice in the deep, with no need to fall this way in the second innings.Sri Lanka are now faced with an almost impossible climb. They are 303 runs behind, with eight wickets in hand. New Zealand’s bowlers have bowled almost 110 overs in succession, so there is hope the visitors can subject them to further fatigue, batting a wicketless first session out first thing on Monday, then clawing back the lead in the afternoon. It would not be the first time Mathews and Mendis have put on a big stand at the Basin Reserve.But Sri Lanka once again require a second-innings miracle to make something out of this game. The top order had the experience to bail out their inexperienced attack. Instead, in the first innings, they went down in abject fashion.

While last season wasn’t exactly the most enjoyable of campaigns for Arsenal fans, 25/26 is looking like it could be one to remember.

Just keeping their star players fit and available would be massive in the Gunners’ hunt for a Premier League title, but the board appear to be going all out in the transfer window to ensure Mikel Arteta has the best chance of success.

Martin Zubimendi is already through the door for a cool £60m, Noni Madueke has passed his medical, Christian Mosquera is set for his, and some real depth has been added to the squad with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard.

That’s not all, though, as Andrea Berta looks to have finally secured the club a leading number nine in Viktor Gyokeres, and if reports are to be believed, he could soon sign another attacker who’s just as exciting.

Arsenal target attacker as exciting as Gyokeres

While there was quite a lot of work that had to be done to improve and reinforce the squad this summer, there is no denying that a new striker was priority number one for Arsenal.

Transfer Focus

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After all, Arteta’s outfit produced the best defence in the league last season, but just the third-best attack, and a distant third at that.

So, it’s undoubtedly excellent news that, after weeks of speculation, the club appear to be on the brink of agreeing a deal for Gyokeres, one that will cost them an upfront fee of around £55m.

The Swedish marksman, who scored 54 goals in 52 games last season, will be a hugely exciting addition to the North Londoners’ squad, but he might not be the only one.

At least that is according to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, who on the latest episode of the Latte Firm podcast confirmed that “Arsenal are very interested in Rodrygo.”

The journalist revealed that the Gunners have “spoken to the relevant parties connected to the player” and, in good news, have received “positive feedback” that he would be open to the move.

However, to get their man, the North Londoners would have to pay up to £80m, but even then, Rodrygo would be worth it, and as exciting a signing as Gyokeres.

Why Rodrygo would be as exciting a signing as Gyokeres

The first thing to note is that, no, Rodrygo has not been anywhere near as prolific as Gyokeres has been over the last two years, but that’s an unfair comparison to make, given his position and the competitions he’s been playing in.

Moreover, the 24-year-old has still been a dangerous outlet for Real Madrid, as, since the start of the 2023/2024 campaign, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

In other words, the former Santos gem is still able to average a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is undoubtedly impressive.

Appearances

51

54

Minutes

3707′

3452′

Goals

17

14

Assists

9

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.46

Minutes per Goal Involvement

142.57′

138.08′

Additionally, he has done so while primarily playing out of his preferred left-wing position, and while he’d likely move back there at the Emirates, the fact that he’s so accomplished playing off the right or up top is another reason he’d be a tremendously exciting signing.

Finally, while there are some questions over how the Sporting CP star will cope in the biggest of games due to his relative lack of experience playing in truly elite competition, there are no such concerns when it comes to the Brazilian.

Since moving to Madrid, he has won everything there is to win, including two La Liga titles and two Champions League titles.

Moreover, he’s not just been a passenger for those victories, as he has a stellar record when it comes to Europe’s top competition, scoring 25 goals and providing 14 assists in 64 games.

Ultimately, Gyokeres’ absurd goal tally makes him a seriously exciting signing for Arsenal, but Rodrygo’s record and experience would make him equally so.

He'd be a dream for Gyokeres: Arsenal close in on signing £68m "superstar"

Arsenal are looking to conclude more business after agreeing a deal for Viktor Gyokeres.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 15, 2025

After already making their first approach for his signature, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly been handed the green light to push on and sign a talented 17-goal striker this summer.

Nottingham Forest plotting South American swoop

If recent rumours are anything to go by then Nottingham Forest’s recruitment team certainly has a soft spot for South American talents. Having already watched the likes of Murillo thrive at the City Ground, Evangelos Marinakis is set to welcome at least three more Brazilian talents this summer amid reports that Forest have agreed a deal to sign Igor Jesus, Jair Cunha and Cuiabano from Botafogo.

Just how much of an instant impact all three players make remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that they are all talented in their own right. That said, the standout remains Jesus.

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By
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The young striker has looked ready for a move into European football for some time and the City Ground could be the perfect environment for his goalscoring prowess to thrive alongside a South American contingent.

Given that all three players are currently at the Club World Cup with Botafogo, the big question for Forest will be whether they can complete their triple swoop in time for them to feature at the start of next season.

The Tricky Trees have just discovered where they’ll be and when in the Premier League season, with the visit of Brentford awaiting on the opening day in August. It’s then that Nuno Espirito Santo could have the aforementioned trio available and potentially one more Brazilian talent at his disposal.

Nottingham Forest receive green light for Romulo move

Having already made their first approach and established contact over a potential deal, those in the Midlands could now take their next step towards another South American star. According to CNN Turk, as relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have now received the green light to sign Romulo Cardoso by the forward himself, who wants to complete a move to the Premier League.

At 23 years old, Romulo has already made his mark on European football with as many as 17 goals and 10 assists in just 33 appearances in Turkey last season. Now, he could be set to complete the biggest move of his career.

Nottingham Forest join race for £85m star who’s starred at Club World Cup

He’s a man in demand…

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 18, 2025

The striker spot is certainly up for grabs at Nottingham Forest too. As impressive as Chris Wood has been – scoring 20 Premier League goals last season – there’s no denying that he’ll be past the peak of his powers sooner rather than later at 33 years old. And that’s why Romelo’s arrival would prove to be so important this summer.

Newcastle United are confident that they will keep Alexander Isak in the squad this summer, but a new striker is being chased all the same.

Eddie Howe wants more firepower in the attacking third, with Callum Wilson ageing and out of contract, and William Osula, 21, drifting through his maiden year as a Magpie.

Well, The Telegraph understand talks with Brighton & Hove Albion are on the brink of kicking off for the transfer of Joao Pedro, who is valued at £60m and who the Seagulls are willing to sell this summer.

Newcastle open talks for sought-after star

Pedro, 23, is proven in the Premier League and has the dynamic faculties to complement Isak, rather than outright replace him. However, there may be an even bigger fish Howe could add to the Tyneside pond.

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Newcastle have held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, putting their name in the hat as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all tussle for the striker’s signature.

Ekitike might be the talk of the town, but it doesn’t seem like any suitor would be willing to meet the Bundesliga club’s €100m (£85m) valuation of the 22-year-old. Saying that, the player’s entourage have informed the relevant parties that a reduced figure may yet be agreed.

Newcastle agreed an initial £26m deal to sign Ekitike when he was at Stade de Reims way back in 2022, but he rejected their interest when Paris Saint-Germain came calling.

What Hugo Ekitike would bring to Newcastle

Newcastle might have felt the force of Ekitike’s rejection in the past, but he was a teenager who had been presented with a proposal to remain in his homeland with the cream of Ligue 1’s crop.

PSG didn’t work out for him, only scoring four times across 33 senior showings before being rehoused in Germany with Frankfurt, but it’s here where the striker has found his feet, with his first full campaign at the club ending with 22 goals and 12 assists across all competitions.

His displays have actually led analyst Ben Mattinson to praise him as “one of the best strikers out there.”

As far as Pedro’s concerned, Ekitike is the superior player, and if Bailey’s on the money (quite literally) with his claims that Frankfurt’s £85m demands might be slashed, putting every effort into convincing the Frenchman feels like a no-brainer.

Goals scored

0.53

0.46

Assists

0.28

0.28

Shots taken

4.00

1.94

Shot-creating actions

3.55

3.33

Touches (att pen)

6.88

5.64

Progressive passes

1.86

3.60

Progressive carries

3.27

3.05

Successful take-ons

1.83

1.34

Ball recoveries

3.06

2.73

Tackles + interceptions

0.81

1.16

As you can see, the two forwards are matched up rather well, but Ekitike clearly has the edge, outperforming his South American counterpart across most relevant metrics.

Indeed, should you strip away Pedro’s penalties in the Premier League last season, he would rank among the bottom 21% of the division’s forwards for goals scored per 90.

Oh, Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard has praised the Brighton man’s “magical” ability on the ball, but Ekitike might just be ‘Europe’s most elegant striker’, so say the Bundesliga, in any case.

But the proof is in the pudding, and Frankfurt’s number nine passes the eye test, all right. There’s a certain lightness to his dribbling, with an underlying creativity that would see him hit the ground running on English pitches, in Howe’s system.

Pedro is a talented footballer, but Ekitike is simply that bit better, and Newcastle have got to aim for the stars as they go from strength to strength.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig believes Ekitike “could reach world-class striker levels.” Pedro is a talented guy, but is the same scale of potential also applicable to him?

This is a tough case, with Frankfurt proving stubborn in their appraisal of the striker and rival interest against top-drawer outfits making PIF’s task difficult.

But just imagine if they pull it off; it would remind the footballing world that there’s a new superpower on the block.

Schar upgrade: Newcastle among favourites to sign "unbelievable" £40m star

Newcastle will be looking to improve their defence this summer

ByRoss Kilvington Jun 16, 2025

Kerr wasn’t given run-out because the ball was deemed dead, but questions around the incident remain

Shashank Kishore04-Oct-2024There was confusion, and no little anger, as India were at the centre of an umpiring controversy during their women’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Dubai on Friday, which India lost by 58 runs.They felt they had a legitimate wicket – a run-out of Amelia Kerr – but it wasn’t to be, with the umpires deciding the ball was dead when the dismissal was effected.The appeal for the run-out came after Kerr was caught short of her ground while attempting a second run at the end of the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. Having hit the ball towards long-off off the last ball of Deepti Sharma’s over, Kerr and Sophie Devine took a single, and didn’t seem to have any plans to push for the second. Deepti asked the umpire to hand her cap back to her and was been given it.However, with Harmanpreet Kaur, the fielder, collecting the ball and ambling in with it in her hands, Kerr and Devine tried pinching a second. Harmanpreet fired the ball in, Richa Ghosh collected it, and broke the stumps with Kerr short of her crease.The umpires – Anna Harris and Jacqueline Williams – decided the ball was dead, and anything that came after, the dismissal in this case, would not count as having occurred with the ball “in play”. Section 20.1.2 of the dead-ball law says: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”For that moment when the bowler collected her cap and the batters seemed happy with just the single, it is reasonable for the umpire to deem the ball dead. However, the umpires omitted to send the batters back to their respective ends. Kerr should have been back on strike for the start of the next over, but it was Devine who took strike against Renuka Singh and nudged a single. Kerr was out off the following delivery when she hit the ball to Pooja Vastrakar at extra cover, to be dismissed for 13 off 22 balls.Related

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Before that, though, play was held up for over seven minutes, with India head coach Amol Muzumdar visibly upset at the ruling, engaging in an animated chat with the fourth umpire, while Kerr was near the boundary before being called back.Speaking after the game, Jemimah Rodrigues said, “I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti, but, I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia went for it, which showed that the over was not called out yet. And we all thought that, okay, we got that run-out.”What if that run-out wouldn’t happen? Would they give us a two for that. So I think, honestly, that’s not in our control at the end. We respect the decision of the umpire and we were okay with that. But yeah, it’s a bit harsh when Amelia herself walked out because she knew she was out.”Devine, who was batting alongside Kerr, explained she hadn’t heard the umpire call the over and they were trying to pinch a second run. “My understanding is that the ball is dead when the umpire calls ‘over’ and I didn’t hear the umpire call ‘over’,” she said. It was an interesting one, and I guess it broke a little bit of momentum and maybe stalled them [India] a bit.”That’s part of cricket. Interpretation is going to be slightly different. We were always trying to pinch runs here and there because you never know when one run is going to change things. The umpires have a job to do and we respect that, and I sometimes push the boundaries a little bit.””We know how important Amelia’s wicket was, at that moment it felt a little [like] why didn’t it go in our favour,” Rodrigues said. “But, at the same time, I think we did what we can.”We spoke to the umpire. Then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. So I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that. And we got her out pretty soon. So that works for us.”

Pakistan’s cool kids may take the limelight but an innocuous-looking 30-year-old was their star seamer

Danyal Rasool06-Aug-2020It’s just a fact of life it is harder to get excited about Mohammad Abbas than it is Shaheen Afridi or Naseem Shah. Abbas is 30, but alongside the 20-year old Afridi and 17-year old Naseem, looks positively middle-aged. His somewhat-bored frown and world-weary countenance, combined with a gait that’s more shuffle than stride, could make you mistake him for one of those desi uncles you actively avoid trying to sit next to at stuffy dinner parties you never wanted to be at.Put the cricket whites on him, though, a brand new red ball in his hand and wave the sun away, and this apparently unremarkable man undergoes a metamorphosis that would be Kafkaesque if it wasn’t free of any existential despair. Abbas the bowler doesn’t sulk about being overlooked. He’s well aware he isn’t able to compete with the cool kids for social media traction or YouTube clips. He doesn’t exist to enthrall, but to be appreciated.For there are no bells and whistles to Mohamad Abbas. He can’t bat to save his life, as it took Jofra Archer one ball to demonstrate. He’s not a gun fielder like Shadab Khan is, for example, and he isn’t the most engaging at press conferences. He won’t head too many marketing campaigns, you won’t find his face plastered across billboards in Pakistan, and if you ever spot him having a late night drink anywhere, it’s probably nothing stronger than a hot chocolate.ALSO READ: Masood 156 sets stage before Pakistan seamers tear things upBut as the curtain began to fall on Pakistan’s innings, the stars began to align for Afridi and Naseem’s sidekick. Quietly, imperceptibly, the sun, which had peered out from behind the clouds, almost as a reward for Shan Masood’s epic resilience, disappeared back behind, and as the skies above Old Trafford turned grey, Abbas felt the transformation happening. Never mind everybody still thought Afridi was the one to watch out for – and if you were Rory Burns, he certainly was – but the first over from Abbas was an unassumingly devastating reminder why this ostensibly harmless dibbly-dobbler opened the bowling ahead of the most explosive teenage fast bowler in world cricket.He spent an entire over getting the ball to hold its line outside off stump to Dom Sibley; if anything, the occasional one seamed away. Half an over in, the young English batsman wondered what all the fuss was about, and worked him dismissively behind square for two. Two balls later, he got one past the slip cordon, and even if he wasn’t entirely in control, he had taken six off this supposedly metronomically accurate bowler’s first over. Result.First ball next over, Abbas pulled his line back. You can’t afford to do that at his pace, and Sibley clipped him to midwicket for another two. But then Abbas sprung the trap, pitching it up, and bringing it back off the seam so sharply the bat may well have been at the other Old Trafford, so wide was the gap when the ball clattered into the pads. That first over didn’t look so innocuous after all.If that left you salivating, you were in luck, because this was just the appetiser. Ben Stokes thought he had spotted the mistake the inexperienced Sibley was making, and made a point to stand half a metre outside his crease, almost finishing his shots in the danger area. That approach has troubled Abbas in the past, especially in Australia, where, forced to pull his lengths back, he struggled.Mohammad Abbas produced a jaffa to bowl Ben Stokes for a duck•Getty ImagesAbbas isn’t half the bowler when the stumps are out of the equation: 41 of his 77 Test wickets have involved trapping the batsman in front or knocking back his stumps. Unless Mohammad Rizwan was willing to keep up to the stumps in what was only the fourth over of the innings, it appeared Abbas wouldn’t be the man to threaten Stokes, especially with the Englishman coming into this series in the batting form of his career.Abbas had decided, though, he wouldn’t back down. Of the six balls he bowled to Stokes, just one was pitched back of a length; the others were all fuller as he probed for a weakness. It was the most absorbing ten minutes of the entire Test, as a world-renowned World Cup-winning superstar tried to stand his ground against an understated medium-fast bowler. Rizwan wasn’t coming up. It was all down to Abbas.He didn’t need anyone else. As Stokes charged at him again, Abbas banged the ball in on a length, his exquisite control over the seam allowing it to shape ever so slightly away. As Stokes drove instinctively, the bat hit fresh air. The ball had gone past, and the next thing you saw was the bails flying out from behind. Abbas had found a gap Stokes didn’t believe existed. Joe Root’s face, a picture of admiring disbelief, was perhaps the only compliment worthy of the delivery.Half an hour later, the attention had drifted away from Abbas once again. Everyone began to get restless, eager to catch a glimpse of the much-hyped Naseem Shah. Abbas would bowl a few more overs from his end while the world paid attention to the other one. You barely noticed him dropping out of the attack as Yasir Shah came in.Abbas took his cap from the umpire, and went off to field somewhere on the boundary. The sun had come back out, and the cool kids had stolen the limelight once more.