Neymar has contradicted Carlo Ancelotti’s explanation for his Brazil absence, claiming that snub has “nothing to do with my physical condition”.
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MatériaMais Notícias
O São Paulo realizou o treinamento desta quarta-feira (22) em duas etapas. A primeira, no período da manhã. A segunda, na parte da tarde. No CT da Barra Funda, o foco principal foram atividades táticas.
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Na intertemporada, que está acontecendo após a eliminação da equipe nas quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista, já era esperado que acontecessem uma sequência de treinamentos com duas etapas – pensando nas estreias da Copa Sul-Americana e do Campeonato Brasileiro no próximo mês.
Conmebol divulga ranking dos 32 clubes que estão na Libertadores 2023
Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista
Pela manhã, o técnico Rogério Ceni promoveu um coletivo de 11 contra 11, com ajustes e variações de peças. Na parte da tarde, houve mais um trabalho de posicionamento e movimentação na linha defensiva. No final, os atletas fizeram atividades de finalização.
Nesta quinta-feira (23), o São Paulo volta a trabalhar da mesma forma. O LANCE! adiantou que o Tricoloragendou o primeiro jogo-treino da intertemporada. A equipeo fará nesta segunda-feira (27).
O adversário será o Coritiba. O jogo-treino acontecerá às 10h (de Brasília), no CT da Barra Funda. Este será o primeiro compromisso do time após a eliminação no Estadual.
Lionel Messi could play his last ever World Cup qualifier in Argentina against Venezuela but has been warned the visitors will not make life easy.
Argentina to host Venezuela in World Cup qualifyingSet to be special game for MessiVenezuela boss aims to spoil the partyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Messi is set to return to action with Argentina over the international break in what could be an emotional affair. The 38-year-old is still yet to confirm when he will finally hang up his boots but it's widely expected that La Albiceleste's next home game will be his last World Cup qualifier on home soil.
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Argentina are due to play Venezuela in Buenos Aires, with Messi having already admitted: "It's going to be a very, very special match for me because it's the last qualifying match. I don't know if there will be friendlies or more matches after [Venezuela], but it is a very special match, so my family will be there with me: my wife, my children, my parents, my siblings."
Venezuela boss Fernando Batista is also well aware of the weight of the occasion but insists he is determined to spoil the party as his team go for all three points in a bid to boost their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 tournament.
WHAT BATISTA SAID
He told reporters: "We'll face the best team in the world. We knew privately that this could be Leo's last official match in the qualifiers in Argentina. In any case, beyond him, we're seeing the strength of a coach (Lionel Scaloni) who makes the structure work when one person leaves or another comes in. My idea is always to think about the opponent's goal; if you try to defend, it's going to go wrong in the long run. I don't know how many coaches have planned how to counter Messi. We're going to try. I'm here to ruin Messipalooza, in a good way. We respect what's possible, but we're playing for qualification or the playoffs."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Venezuela currently sit in seventh place in the standings with 18 points. Batista's side are four points off Colombia in sixth with two games left to play. The top six teams all qualify, while the team finishing in seventh will enter the intercontinental play-offs. Argentina have already booked their place at next year's tournament.
Vitinha reflected on his “dream season” at PSG and set his sights on climbing high in the Ballon d’Or race alongside Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.
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Who is ready to graduate to the national team before next year’s tournament?
Danyal Rasool26-Mar-2018What separates the PSL from other T20 competitions in Pakistan is the glittering array of international stars it attracts to Pakistan. Luke Ronchi’s seemingly invincible form was one of the running themes of the 2018 PSL, playing no small part in helping his side Islamabad United win the coveted title for the second time in three years. Shane Watson, another household name across the world, too, brought the best he had to offer to this year’s PSL, scoring 319 runs at an average of over 35 and a strike-rate of over 135. Aside from that, we had Kumar Sangakarra’s early-season form, Anton Devicich’s late-season explosiveness, and of course, the delightfully gregarious Darren Sammy, without whom it feels no PSL would be complete.But it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the PSL is the best platform for Pakistan’s domestic cricketers to launch their careers. While attendance and eyeballs for the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class competition, and other local tournaments is negligible, this is one domestic tournament that rivals viewership for any international cricket Pakistan play. It’s a platform that players like Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz, among a handful of others, have used especially effectively to catapult themselves to the international side.Here, we take a look at four Pakistan cricketers who might have performed well enough to earn their maiden international cap before next year’s PSL.Hussain TalatHussain Talat was earmarked as an exciting talent as early as last year’s PSL, when, in one of the only games he played, he stroked an irresistible 39-ball 56. It isn’t so much about the runs as it is about the elegance with which he gets them. The left-hander possesses an array of shots that clearly signal natural talent more than modifications through hard work. He has built on that this year, scoring 201 runs at 33.50 and a strike rate of 131.37, including several useful cameos that have led to close wins for Islamabad United.He began the season with a mature, nerveless unbeaten 48 to take Islamabad home in a tight, low-scoring contest against Multan Sultans. He then played an important part in Islamabad securing a tie against Lahore Qalandars by smashing 33 off 21 balls. Islamabad eventually secured a win in the Super Over. It was a turning point in Islamabad’s season as they went on a tear after that, winning seven of their next eight games en route to the title. The paucity of genuine batting talent to come through Pakistan’s domestic system makes Talat all the more exciting, and his handy medium-fast bowling makes him an even more well-rounded candidate to put on a green shirt.Asif Ali is congratulated by Luke Rochi upon catching Kumar Sangakkara•PCB/PSLAsif AliGiven the strength of their domestic players, it’s no wonder that Islamabad won the title. Though in no way similar to Talat, Asif Ali is just as useful in his own way, with a gift for that four-leaved clover as far as Pakistan is concerned: power-hitting. It’s no rocket science that Pakistan’s ability to regularly compete at the T20 and ODI levels with the more modern teams has to do with their inability to produce big, powerful hitters. Enter Asif Ali. The 26-year old right-hander scored 213 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 169.04; only Luke Ronchi had a better strike rate among players who scored more than 160 runs in the tournament. Misbah-ul-Haq showed great faith in Asif when he sent him out with Andre Russell to bat in the Super Over, where Asif’s six over long-on was pivotal to the win.Asif hasn’t looked back since, a 24-ball 45 against Peshawar Zalmi particularly standing out for the clean striking. What will overshadow all those knocks, though, is the cameo in the final, when Islamabad began to stutter horribly under pressure. After a first-ball reprieve, he struck Hasan Ali for three sixes in a row to take Islamabad to the brink of the title, and ended up with 26 off six balls, at a strike-rate of 433.33. With numbers like those, Pakistan may find a place for him before next year’s PSL, at least in the T20I side.Shaheen Shah AfridiBy far the most ambitious inclusion on this list is the 17-year old left-arm Lahore Qalandars fast bowler. But whether or not it happens this year, Shaheen Afridi’s career trajectory seems inevitably to be taking him towards international cricket. He took a nine-wicket haul in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last year, and before that, toured Australia with the Under-16 side. But it was a game against Multan in this year’s PSL that may well be remembered as the launching pad of an illustrious career. Coming in to bowl in the later overs, Afridi was the catalyst for a remarkable Multan collapse, with Shoaib Malik’s side losing nine wickets for 22 runs. Afridi’s own figures read 3.4-1-4-5.Shaheen Afridi was in rip-roaring form against Multan Sultans•PCB/PSLA tall, broad-shouldered young man, Afridi looks to have the physical attributes required of a fast bowler, and his control and pace at this age make him an exciting prospect, if he’s managed well and is able to avoid injuries. Mickey Arthur spoke glowingly about him in a press conference last week, drawing comparisons with Mitchell Starc, which suggests the coach’s keen interest in shepherding him to the national team at some stage. After all, it’s not like a 17-year old left-arm fast bowler has never played for Pakistan, is it?Hasan KhanAnother player, who, like Talat, has been gaining admirers since last year’s PSL, is Quetta Gladiators allrounder Hasan Khan. The then 18-year old Hasan took nine wickets at an economy rate of 6.97 with his left-arm spin in PSL 2017, impressing with his control, consistency and confidence. This year, while he managed just six wickets, the economy rate was even better at 6.67. Still a teenager, Hasan looks to have a big personality that is capable of handling the pressure and rigour of international cricket. He is the captain of Pakistan’s U-19 side, a position once held by Sarfraz Ahmed, now the national team captain in all three formats.Those might be big shoes to fill for the baby-faced Hasan, but he impressed with his temperament when he smashed Kieron Pollard for six off the penultimate ball to seal a two-wicket win for Quetta against Multan. It’s a moment that would have given him a taste of the big occasion, and his abundant talent should, if managed properly, give him several opportunities to fulfill it, even on the international stage.
They have made each of the two finals so far, driven by a strong core of domestic talent and led by Pakistan’s all-format captain Sarfraz Ahmed
Umar Farooq20-Feb-2018
Quetta Gladiators are not a star-studded team, but they have emerged as the most successful one in the PSL’s short history. They have made each of the two finals so far, driven by a strong core of domestic talent and led by Pakistan’s all-format captain Sarfraz Ahmed. Not bad for the franchise that costs the least out of the six playing the tournament. In fact, Quetta were favourites to win last year having beaten the team they would meet in the final, Peshawar Zalmi, in the play-offs. But many of their in-form overseas players did not travel to Lahore and a depleted side was soundly beaten.
Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Kevin Pietersen, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nawaz, Anwar Ali, Mahmudullah, Umar Amin, Mir Hamza, Asad Shafiq, Shane Watson, Rahat Ali, Rameez Raja jnr, Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Hassan Khan, Jason Roy, Rashid Khan, Azam Khan, Faraz Ahmed Khan, Jofra Archer
Best XI: 1. Asad Shafiq 2. Shane Watson 3. Kevin Pietersen 4. Rilee Rossouw 5. Sarfraz Ahmed (capt) 6. Umar Amin 7. Mohammad Nawaz 8. Jofra Archer 9. Mir Hamza 10. Anwar Ali 11. Hasan Khan
Coaching staff: Moin Khan (head coach), Sir Vivian Richards (batting coach/mentor), Abdul Razzaq (bowling coach), Julien Fountain (fielding coach), Rashid Qureshi (trainer), Usman Ghani (physio), Shakir Khilji (analyst), Azam Khan (manager)
Quetta have retained Sarfraz, Kevin Pietersen and Rilee Rossouw, the three pillars of their batting line-up. They have also placed faith in left-arm seamer Mir Hamza, batsman Umar Amin and allrounder Anwar Ali, even though he had a mediocre season in 2016.Their highest run-scorer Ahmed Shehzad has been shipped off; he will now play for Multan Sultans. Umar Gul is gone. Mohammad Nabi is gone. Zulfiqar Babar and Tymal Mills are no longer on their roster either. The only player that Quetta gave up and bought back was Carlos Brathwaite, and he ended up having to be replaced. The West Indian allrounder will be busy playing the World Cup qualifiers in March and so Quetta invested in seamer Jofra Archer, who was among the players of the tournament in the BBL 2017-18.Rashid Khan adds to their bowling strength as well, but the legspin sensation and the only Afghanistan player picked up in the PSL draft will not be available for the entire season. The same applies with Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah. Shane Watson, who has played 15 matches across two seasons, is their Platinum player.
With Pietersen, Watson and Rossouw, Quetta can blow teams away with their top order alone. In Sarfraz, they have a shrewd and capable captain. And the variety in their bowling line-up, which includes the left-arm-spinning Pakistan Under-19 captain Hasan Khan, will prove handy as well.Rilee Rossouw guides the ball to fine leg•Getty Images
It’s a good thing Quetta have good options at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 because there doesn’t appear to be enough firepower lower down. They have quality spinners in Rashid and Mohammad Nawaz but Sharjah is usually known to help fast bowlers, putting extra onus on Archer to adapt to UAE conditions.
Pietersen, who intends to retire by the end of the year, is set for his final stint with Quetta. He has been an integral part of the team, scoring 456 runs in 18 matches at a strike-rate of 140.74. His unbeaten 88 off 42 balls against Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah was nothing short of a classic. Can the 37-year old maintain his lofty standards in his PSL swansong?
Saad Ali recently rose to prominence, becoming the leading run-scorer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class competition. The 24-year-old left-hander tallied 957 at 68.35 for United Bank Limited with three hundreds and three fifties. He is relatively new to T20 cricket but his List A record – 1448 runs at an average of 48 and a strike-rate of 84 – reflects his ability to adjust to shorter formats.Quetta’s emerging player from the previous season, Hasan Khan, continues to develop in 2018. He led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup in February and his skill as a left-arm spinner is considerable. He took 2 for 10 on PSL debut, helping his team defend a total of 136 in spectacular fashion.
The Mumbai Indians captain said he would continue batting at No. 4 to help bring stability to the middle order, much like he did with a match-winning 94 against RCB
Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai18-Apr-20184:19
Left-right combination did the trick – Rohit
If Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat at No. 4 after Mumbai Indians’ first two games was to play the anchor role in the middle order, it seemed to have flopped as soon as their innings started against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Umesh Yadav’s two swinging deliveries removed Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan for golden ducks, and the captain was effectively opening the batting again.Rohit had avoided the temptation to open in the interest of his franchise, even though he had blasted a 35-ball century batting at the top for India a mere four months ago. And mere weeks before the start of the IPL, he scored two consecutive half-centuries as opener and led India to a tri-series title.Still, he decided to move down two places to add more depth in the Mumbai middle order and set a stage for Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers in the slog overs. And if Rohit had to pick an opposition at Wankhede Stadium to get going and finally register Mumbai’s first win, he would have picked Royal Challengers with his eyes shut.Even before his knock of 94, Rohit’s best average against an existing IPL team at Wankhede was against Royal Challengers – 50.50. His strike-rate against them – 144.28 – on this ground was second only to his figures against Kings XI Punjab (145.91). In the last four meetings between Mumbai and Royal Challengers at Wankhede, Rohit ended up the top-scorer three times – in 2014, 2016 and 2017 – batted until the last over twice and won the Man-of-the-Match awards thrice. If the stars had to align for Rohit this season, you didn’t have to look for an astrologer to know it would happen on Tuesday night.A team score of 0 for 2 only meant he had to be cautious for the first few overs but his original plan of consolidating and then unleashing was still on.”The reason I came down the order was that the few guys who are new, Surya has played before, but Ishan is playing for the franchise for the first time and I want him to go out there and bat freely because he’s that kind of a player,” Rohit said. “You need to give him that freedom. And Surya as well, we want him to go up the order and bat freely. Myself, Krunal, Hardik, Pollard, we can take the pressure and make sure that the team gets into a good position all the time. Again, it can happen and sometimes it can’t. I think this is the ideal combination for us.Rohit Sharma plays a picture perfect-drive•BCCI”When I went to bat, there was a lot happening on the pitch [and] because it was little on the softer side, shot-making wasn’t easy. Obviously, the idea was to build partnerships. If you are looking to post a decent target, partnerships are important and the only talk we had was to make things difficult for their bowlers with the left-right combination that we have by batting as long as possible.”If Rohit takes his time to build innings, he had a partner who goes on the attack from ball one. “With Evin Lewis batting, anything can happen, he’s a great striker of the ball, and anything in his area, he is going to smash. That allowed me to take my time which was very, very crucial and we always wanted the set batsman to bat as long as possible and it was the perfect platform for me to do that.”The way Rohit and Lewis (65 off 42) combined as a left-right pair to unsettle the spinners Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal was a spectacle in itself. Virat Kohli bowled Sundar before Chahal, in the fourth over, probably keeping Lewis’ record against offspin in mind: strike-rate of 128 compared to his career strike-rate of 146, and 19 dismissals in 51 innings. But Rohit hit a flat first delivery from Sundar through the covers for four before Lewis collected two more boundaries later in the over.When Chahal was introduced, and Rohit was not great against legspinners last IPL season, he simply kept giving strike to Lewis and the left-hander smashed three sixes in 10 balls. That meant neither of RCB’s spinners completed his quota of overs, and they ended with combined figures of 5-0-64-0.”You have to put pressure on the bowlers whether it’s spinners or fast bowlers,” Rohit said. “We never had any discussion about which bowler we want to target because we had the left-right combination going all the way through. So, when an offspinner is bowling, right-handers are most likely to take chances and when legspinners are bowling, left-handers will take most of the chances so that happens everywhere. Whoever their strike bowler was, we always had an idea that we want to take the charge and put the pressure on them.”And Rohit did that to play a typical Rohit innings, scoring 40 runs off his first 30 balls, before laying into the quick bowlers in the last six overs of the innings. He faced only four dots in that period and belted four fours and three sixes; his strike-rate shot up from 133 to 181.With a settled line-up now, Rohit said he will continue to bat in the middle order as it suited his game and would also allow the new top order to “plan accordingly” for the coming games.”I don’t think right now we are looking to change anything. It’s important to give the guys comfort because they should know where they are batting for next few games. You can’t chop and change so many [times], it’s not a good idea and for the team as well. They should know where they are batting and they can plan accordingly. If you’re changing too much, it doesn’t help anyone. For me it’s important to understand that and let that message go across.”And on Tuesday, the message went across to the other team too, not just to his own team-mates.
Strong showing in Tests gives visitors hopes of springing a surprise in opening fixture
Madushka Balasuriya23-Mar-2023
Matt Henry is back in black for New Zealand•Getty Images
Big picture: Test thrills augur wellDespite the eventual 2-0 scoreline in favour of the hosts, it’s safe to say Sri Lanka might have surprised a fair few folks that tuned into the Tests in Christchurch and Wellington – okay, maybe not so much the latter, but certainly over the course of that epic first Test.In that game, the visitors, in pursuit of an unlikely World Test Championship berth, ran the defending WTC champions as close as pretty much anyone could have imagined. And in the process garnered some well-deserved respect from the wider cricketing world.That, though, was the Sri Lankan red-ball side, one propelled not through individual exceptionalism but an almost New Zealand-esque sense of collectivism. And while their white-ball outings have also seen a marked improvement in recent times, culminating in a memorable Asia Cup T20 victory last year, their ODI unit has largely underwhelmed.Since the start of the ODI World Cup Super League, Sri Lanka have lost away to West Indies, Bangladesh and England, while their home record has been marginally better, losing to India, beating South Africa and, most recently, drawing against Afghanistan.The ODI side’s nadir was arguably reached earlier this year during a 3-0 drubbing in India – a particularly tough pill to swallow in a World Cup year in the same country, especially as the T20I series that preceded had seen them take the hosts to series decider. While any silver linings in Sri Lanka’s recent one-day history might seem like wizard-level straw-clutching, the record will nevertheless also show a 3-2 series win at home to Australia last year – so, yeah, there is that.Which brings us to the present, where for Sri Lanka to have any hopes of automatic qualification for the World Cup later this year they need to complete a whitewash of New Zealand in the week or so ahead – and even then, they’re heavily dependent on South Africa fluffing their lines in a series against Netherlands.What they might have going for them is that the hosts won’t exactly be at full strength. With World Cup qualification secured, and conditions in India unlikely to be anything like what the likes of Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton have to offer, New Zealand have given clearance for no less than nine ODI regulars to play in the IPL.Sri Lanka meanwhile have a relatively settled unit and, save for the absence of Dushmantha Chameera, will likely be able to put out their strongest XI. On paper at least they look the stronger side.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand: WWWWW
Sri Lanka: LLLWLIn the spotlight: Matt Henry and Angelo MathewsWith 65 ODIs to his name, in terms of experience Matt Henry comfortably eclipses the combined match tally of Blair Tickner (9), Henry Shipley (3) and the uncapped Ben Lister – New Zealand’s other seam bowling options for this series – while even the addition of Daryll Mitchell (19) to the list doesn’t help all that much. Lockie Ferguson’s 53 caps certainly would have evened the scales, but even without his recently picked-up hamstring strain, he was due to play only the first ODI before jetting off to the IPL. Henry is coming in on the back of an excellent Test outing against Sri Lanka, and if this youthful New Zealand outfit are to maintain their excellent home record, Henry will have a key role to play in it.Angelo Mathews hasn’t turned out for a Sri Lankan white-ball side since March 2021, and for much of that time a recall could have been categorised under hopeful at best. But if T20 cricket is a young man’s game, well, ODI cricket might still have room for some greying heads, even if Mathews’s recall at 35 in a World Cup year certainly does scream ‘last dance’. An average of 41.67 and nearly 6,000 runs, of course, is nothing to be scoffed at – not to mention his most recent LPL stint where he played the role of finisher in impressive fashion. Sri Lanka will need him to call on all of that vast experience if they are to have any chance at securing automatic qualification.Pitch and conditions: Bright conditions in prospectEden Park hasn’t had much ODI cricket of late, but the last two games have seen 300-plus chased down and 273 defended. The pitch has also been known to aid spin. Weather is expected to be nice and sunny.Team news: Bowes and Ravindra to debutOn the eve of the match, New Zealand captain Tom Latham announced that Chad Bowes and Rachin Ravindra would make their ODI debuts. He said, however, that the team hadn’t yet finalised their full XI, and would make a decision on the bowling attack keeping workloads in mind.New Zealand (probable) XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Chad Bowes, 3 Will Young, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Blair Tickner/Ben Lister, 9 Henry Shipley/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish SodhiMost of Sri Lanka’s XI picks itself but a few key areas remain up for grabs. At the top of the order Nuwanidu Fernando is the likely option alongside Pathum Nissanka. Then with five seamers in the squad, Sri Lanka certainly have options, with allrounder Chamika Karunaratne also able come in if Sri Lanka want an additional batter lower down.Sri Lanka (probable) XI: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Nuwanidu Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya De Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Maheesh Theekshana/Matheesha PathiranaStats and triviaSri Lanka last won an ODI series in New Zealand in 2001 (4-1). Since then they’ve won six of 23 completed ODIs in New Zealand.Angelo Mathews needs 165 runs to score 6,000 ODI runs. He will become the ninth Sri Lankan to do so.Since the 2019 World Cup New Zealand have won seven of 10 ODI series home and away.March 24, GMT 0330 The preview was updated with the news that Bowes and Ravindra would debut for New Zealand.
Just when the ODI format was back to being maligned for its lack of entertainment, South Africa and England showed there was plenty of life in 50-over cricket with a belter in Bloemfontein. An undulating encounter was eventually taken by the Proteas, who rallied in the second half of the first of this three-match series to triumph by 27 runs.Having posted 298 for 7 batting first, they found themselves almost out of the game when England’s openers put on 146 for the first wicket in 19.2 overs. Jason Roy’s 113 looked to have cancelled out Rassie van der Dussen’s 111 earlier in the piece. But Sisanda Magala’s 3 for 46 reeled the visitors back before speed demon Anrich Nortje’s 4 for 62 knocked them down to claim a famous victory.Nortje could have had a maiden five-wicket haul had he not overstepped when Adil Rashid flapped a short ball to first slip. Nevertheless, victory puts South Africa that little bit closer to this year’s 50-over World Cup, with one out of five must-wins to confirm their place in the competition sealed in emphatic fashion.Roy’s hundred in pursuit of a target of 299 had nourishing qualities beyond what looked to be a certain result in his team’s favour. The Surrey opener’s form had been waning, across a lean spell in both limited-overs codes, which led to an axing on the eve of England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign.Coming into this series and his 111th ODI, the previous 14 white-ball innings for his country had produced an average of 16.9. Mixed in with averages of 8.50 for Oval Invincibles and 12.50 for Paarl Royals in The Hundred and SA20 respectively, the conversation had shifted from poor form to wondering if the 32-year-old was a spent force.Therefore you could understand the outpouring of emotion – part relief, part fury – when he swivel-pulled Nortje for four to move to three figures, becoming only the fourth to register 11 one-day hundreds. The 14 boundaries up to then – three of them sixes – reflected a return to the form that made him such a key part of England’s white-ball revolution leading into the 2019 World Cup success.Jason Roy lets out a roar after reaching a 79-ball hundred•Getty Images
Alas, it was from Roy’s demise that things began to turn back the way of the Proteas. England required 104 from 20.5 overs, with skipper Jos Buttler set at the crease. But when he fell to a sharp leg cutter for 36 and David Willey was caught off a top edge – both to Nortje – the game had flipped. Sam Curran was nicked off by Kagiso Rabada before Nortje returned to remove Jofra Archer for his final wicket.It was left to Tabraiz Shamsi to complete the victory with a caught-and-bowled two deliveries into his sixth over. That in itself typified the turnaround – the left-arm wrist spinner had been destroyed for 55 in his first five.South Africa’s 298 for 7 looked a par score at the time, and just about proved as much. A second century against England for van der Dussen, supplemented by 53 from David Miller seemed to have them well set at the halfway stage. Yet the innings had a whiff of failing to launch at points.An opening stand of 61 between Quinton de Kock and skipper Temba Bavuma, who had won the toss, contributed to a Powerplay of 75 for 1 – higher than England’s 56 in the first 10 overs of their chase. They were then 171 for 3 in the 31st over with Heinrich Klassen looking to make hay, only to fall leg-before to Adil Rashid.Even with the twin spin threats of Rashid and Moeen Ali applying the brakes with pace off the ball, van der Dussen and Miller found themselves with license to swing in the final throes. However, after Archer’s ninth over, the 47th overall, was carted for 20, only 18 were managed from as many deliveries to the end, thanks to some exemplary death bowling from Curran who accounted for both established batters.Any jeopardy as far as the result was concerned had almost halved by the time Malan skied a delivery off seamer Magala, playing just his fourth ODI and first since January 2022. England’s openers had already picked off 146 in the 20th over, with 153 remaining from 30.3 when No. 3 Ben Duckett arrived to the crease in his first appearance in the format since November 2016.Tension ramped up once Duckett was caught behind for 3 – Nortje’s first – and Harry Brook bagged a duck on ODI debut for Magala’s second. All in, the top-order collapse was 3 for 6 across 12 balls.Sisanda Magala dented England’s progress with key wickets•Getty Images
By that stage, Roy had 85 from 64: what tentativeness there was at the start of his knock, with skews and the odd reach, had been replaced by towering heaves and crisp drives. Liberated by the comfort brought by a first half-century in eight innings since his unbeaten 101 against Netherlands last June, he continued to assert himself.It should have been a match-winning knock, but South Africa’s bowlers rallied superbly, particularly Magala who had the unenviable task of starting his spell in the 18th over, during the height of the opening carnage. Along with his accuracy which produced an economy rate of 5.11, his slippery bouncer proved incisive for his return.By contrast, it was a chastening return for Archer after 678 days out of the international fray. England’s 2019 Super Over hero conceded 81 from his 10 overs, but did at least pick up a dismissal when Wayne Parnell struck him to backward point.Archer’s participation after two years of battling stress fractures of the elbow and back was a boost in itself. That England threw away victory is far more of a concern for Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott to consider.
A first-half goal from the forward and a great clearance from the centre-back saw the team from north London claim their first silverware since 2008
Tottenham brought a glorious end to a miserable season on Wednesday as they claimed the Europa League title with a 1-0 win in a scrappy final against Manchester United in Bilbao. Spurs claimed a first trophy in 17 years in inglorious fashion with Brennan Johnson working it over the line in the first half, and Ange Postecoglou's men held on to beat Ruben Amorim's side to the trophy and a spot in next season's Champions League.
After a promising start to the all-Premier League clash, the action died down as the game took on the quality expected of a tie between teams sat 16th and 17th in the English top-flight.
It was sparked back into life in predictably scrappy fashion in the 43rd minute when Pape Sarr sent the ball towards Johnson close to the United goal. His presence ruffled Luke Shaw, who failed to deal with it and the attacker helped it beyond Andre Onana.
Neither team could build any momentum in a stop-start second half, but United were given a great chance when Guglielmo Vicario spilled the ball, seeing it fly to Rasmus Hojlund. The striker's looping header looked destined to hit the net, but for an acrobatic clearance from Micky van de Ven.
The danger grew for Postecoglou's men when Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench for United for the last 20 minutes as the young winger was an immediate danger up against Pedro Porro, but even he was soon brought down to the game's level as Spurs held on and proved Postecoglou right – he always win trophies in his second season.
GOAL rates Tottenham's players from Estadio San Mames…
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Guglielmo Vicario (7/10):
A few shaky moments, including almost gifting Hojlund an equaliser, but kept out a few shots before making a tremendous stop from Shaw at the end.
Pedro Porro (6/10):
Produced a decent cross early on but struggled against Garnacho as soon as the winger came on.
Cristian Romero (7/10):
Strong in the air and quick to clear the danger when it fell to him.
Micky van de Ven (7/10):
A spectacular clearance to keep Spurs level in the second half.
Destiny Udogie (5/10):
Had a torrid time up against Amad for the most part, but stopped him in the box with an important challenge to spark a counter-attack.
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Pape Matar Sarr (7/10):
Whipped in the dangerous ball to create the goal and had a good game overall.
Yves Bissouma (6/10):
Fought hard to win everything for most of the game, but faded away after a silly booking.
Rodrigo Bentancur (6/10):
Cut out a couple of United attacks and was good with his passing.
Getty Images SportAttack
Brennan Johnson (7/10):
Didn't show much grace with the goal but got it over the line.
Dominic Solanke (4/10):
Useful as a target in the air but gave the ball away too often.
Richarlison (6/10):
Posed a threat from the beginning as he saw a shot and a cross blocked. Put in a proper defensive shift, too.
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Son Heung-min (5/10):
Replaced the injured Richarlison with 25 minutes left, but United soon took charge of the game and he struggled to cause any problems.
Kevin Danso (6/10):
Made a great defensive header late on.
Archie Gray (N/A):
A very late introduction.
Djed Spence (N/A):
Only on for stoppage time.
Ange Postecoglou (8/10):
It wasn't beautiful, but it was enough. His team did well to prevent United from making clear chances to deliver success after a rough season for him and his squad.