All posts by h716a5.icu

Chelsea are approaching the all-important run-in, with nine Premier League games left to play for Enzo Maresca’s side, as they look to regain their top form when it matters most and secure UEFA Champions League football. This would be the Blues’ first time back in the competition after missing out the last two years.

This will also be mixed in with their UEFA Conference League run, currently in the quarter-finals of that competition, set to face Legia Warszawa in a two-legged tie on April 10th and April 17th.

03/04/2025

Tottenham (H)

06/04/2025

Brentford (A)

13/04/2025

Ipswich (H)

20/04/2025

Fulham (A)

26/04/2025

Everton (H)

04/05/2025

Liverpool (H)

10/05/2025

Newcastle (A)

18/05/2025

Manchester United (H)

25/05/2025

Nottingham Forest (A)

18 days since their last game, Chelsea will take on Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, starting their bid for that top four spot, as they currently sit 4th on 49 points, just one point ahead of Manchester City in 5th. But this run-in isn’t just important for the club itself, as one player in particular will be playing for his future at the club.

Jadon Sancho's last chance

Some breaking news over the international break was around Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho loan deal, a move they made in the summer to acquire the English winger from Manchester United on a loan with an obligation to buy.

However, it has been revealed this week that the 25-year-old forward could be sent back to Manchester United if Chelsea decide to pay a £5m compensation fee, in order to get out of their obligation to buy for around £25m.

Therefore, this final stretch in an attempt to qualify for Champions League football will be even more important, as Sancho’s form in that time could determine whether he is at the club next season or not. The Blues could be regretting one of their summer sales, who has played a mixture of roles on the left-hand side this season, finding some fine form over in France.

Chelsea's superb regret

Chelsea made plenty of sales in the summer, one of which saw Diego Moreira move to sister club Strasbourg, for a fee of around £1.7m, as Maresca ditched him from the squad.

The 20-year-old has made 28 appearances for the French outfit this season, scoring once, providing six assists and totaling 2,221 minutes played.

The Portuguese left-sided player has been used in a multitude of positions by manager Liam Rosenior, starting as a left-back 11 times, as a left-midfielder/left-winger 11 times, and even through the middle twice and on the right twice, showing his versatility.

Goals

0.04

0.10

0.14

Assists

0.24

0.31

0.08

xAG

0.26

0.20

0.07

Progressive Carries

3.46

5.22

1.16

Progressive Passes

2.91

4.47

3.60

Shots Total

1.06

1.09

0.64

Key Passes

1.03

1.82

0.56

Shot-Creating Actions

2.35

3.52

1.48

Tackles + Interceptions

2.70

0.63

2.76

Ball Recoveries

4.91

4.84

4.12

When looking at Moreira’s underlying metrics, and comparing him to both Chelsea’s left-back, Marc Cucurella, and left-winger, Sancho, you can see the creativity he could offer from both areas, whilst also fitting the man-to-man pressing scheme, making tackles and interceptions, whilst also having the most ball recoveries among the trio.

Jacek Kulig has praised the amazing form of Moreira playing for Strasbourg this season, labeling the youngster as “superb”. The 20-year-old star could have been an excellent depth piece for the Blues, being able to play as an overlapping fullback in the absence of Cucurella, whilst also being a natural winger through the youth ranks, making him an option to replace Sancho on the left, who has been out of form for some time now.

On the bright side, Moreira has developed nicely being a part of this young and expansive Strasbourg project, growing as a player. Chelsea are said to have a buy-back clause which was inserted into the deal when he was sold in the summer, so one day he could return to play a role for the Blues.

As it stands, though, Maresca messed up by brutally ditching him from Stamford Bridge last year because he could have been the Italian’s own hybrid of Cucurella and Sancho’s best qualities down the left flank.

He joins the national men’s set-up after four seasons at the Johannesburg-based Lions team, where he won five titles

Firdose Moonda12-May-2023Three days after securing automatic qualification to the 2023 World Cup, South Africa are filling up their backroom staff ahead of the tournament. Wandile Gwavu has been named white-ball fielding coach and will work under Rob Walter, who was appointed earlier in the year, and alongside batting coach JP Duminy.A permanent bowling coach is yet to be identified after Rory Kleinveldt did the job in an interim capacity last summer.Gwavu joins the national men’s set-up after four seasons at the Johannesburg-based Lions team, where he won five titles. He has also worked with the Jozi Stars in the now defunct Mzansi Super League and with the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. In addition, he been involved with South Africa’s Under-19 and A sides.”He brings a wealth of experience at the highest level in South African cricket with a coaching career that speaks volumes,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of cricket said. “With the fine margins and the ever-increasing stakes in 50-over and T20 cricket, fielding has become a critical part of any successful team and we strongly believe Wandile’s expertise will help the Proteas maintain their strong tradition of fielding excellence across both formats.”Gwavu replaces Justin Ontong, who was part of Mark Boucher’s coaching staff and is understood to have applied for the vacant position at Paarl, where Duminy was head coach. Both Paarl and the Lions are now searching for new head coaches ahead of the 2023/24 season. Gwavu’s first assignment with the team will be the white-ball series against Australia which starts on August 30 and includes three T20Is and five ODIs.

The 19-year-old becomes the youngest since Ricky Ponting to score two centuries in a Shield game

AAP10-Oct-2024Sam Konstas has continued to flag his strong potential as a superstar of the future, writing his name alongside Ricky Ponting in the history books with another Sheffield Shield century.The teenage opener put New South Wales in control of their clash with South Australia at Cricket Central in Sydney, compiling 105 from 225 balls after making 152 in a breakout first innings.The hosts declared at 282 for 6 late on day three, with South Australia 7 for 1 chasing 389 runs for victory on day four after Nathan Lyon struck early to dismiss Conor McInerney without scoring.Earlier, 19-year-old Konstas became the youngest player since Ponting to record two centuries in the same Shield game. Australia’s most successful Test captain achieved the feat as an 18-year-old playing for Tasmania against Western Australia in 1992-93.Konstas is the third youngest to do so in Shield history behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Konstas beat Sir Donald Bradman who first achieved the feat as a 20-year-old.”Obviously very special,” Konstas said of the feat. “But hopefully we get the job done tomorrow and keep doing our basics well.”Konstas was given an extra life by Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who dropped a sitter before the teenager got off the mark on day three.Having also missed a stumping in the first innings, Carey saved face with a diving catch that dismissed Nic Maddinson and continued the opener’s meagre start to his second stint at NSW.But Konstas nevertheless made the visitors pay. He brought up his half-century off Lloyd Pope in the 37th over with a four that rushed past extra cover so fast that Jordan Buckingham needed to jump to avoid the fence as he chased the ball past the boundary.South Australia managed to slow Konstas down after tea as batting partners fell around him.”They had different plans, they were bowling a wider line,” Konstas said. “I had to be a bit ruthless and cop my medicine a bit.”But the teenager finally brought his century up as the final hour of play approached, smacking a six over deep midwicket from Ben Manenti’s bowling.South Australia finally removed him, with McInerney sprinting to long-on to catch him off Pope.Earlier, Lyon continued an impressive lead-in to the Test summer, finishing his first Shield innings of the summer with a five-for.Lyon ripped through the South Australian tail to ensure they were back in the sheds inside the first hour on day three, all out for 260.Nathan McAndrew skied Lyon to deep square leg before Pope nicked off two balls later and set the stage for NSW to extend their lead, which was already 106 runs at the innings break.Lyon expects to play two more matches for NSW ahead of the five-match Test series against India that begins in Perth late next month.

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has come up with three core values the club must abide by, while taking inspiration from Roy Keane & Eric Cantona.

Berrada issues three key Man Utd core valuesKeane and Cantona invoked as examplesBig season lies ahead for the Red DevilsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Athletic, Berrada addressed club staff to mark the start of the season and issued three core values to underpin their work: "Badge, bravery, and spirit." He reportedly said that bravery came down to staying resilient in hard times, that nobody is bigger than the badge, and club legends Cantona and Keane were used as examples of players with uncompromising, combustible spirit.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

All three of these core values may be tested this season as Ruben Amorim's team tries to bounce back from a difficult 2024/25 campaign where they finished the season trophyless and 15th in the Premier League. They have spent more than £200 million ($271.6m) on players this summer, so expectations will be high to have a successful season in 2025/26.

DID YOU KNOW?

In Berrada's talk to United staff on Monday, he also reportedly urged them to show the same spirit that Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy had when rebuilding the Red Devils in the wake of the Munich air disaster. A 'rousing' video capturing the club's heritage also accompanied his speech.

GettyWHAT NEXT?

United, whose staff were given metal water bottles with 'Badge, Bravery, Spirit' on them, begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday at home to old adversary Arsenal. They then travel to Fulham the following weekend.

And what’s the lowest number of bowlers who took all 20 wickets in a Test between them?

Steven Lynch04-Jul-2023In the Lord’s Test England’s new-ball pair had a combined age of more than 78 years. Was this a record? asked Jeremy Lambton from England
England’s opening bowlers in the gripping second Ashes Test at Lord’s were Jimmy Anderson, who’s nearly 41, and 37-year-old Stuart Broad. In terms of combined age they were the oldest pair to take the new ball in a Test since 1951, when the South Africans Eric Rowan (41) and Dudley Nourse (40) did it in the second innings at Lord’s. Rowan and Nourse were really batters – neither ever took a Test wicket – who had a trundle because England needed just 16 to win.The only England new-ball pair with a higher combined age was Gubby Allen (45) and Harold Butler (34) against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1947-48. This is actually the highest instance of all with two supposedly fast bowlers: there are two older new-ball pairs, both involving the venerable Australia left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger. “Dainty” was 46 when he made his debut against England in Brisbane in 1928-29; in the second innings he took the new ball with fellow spinner Clarrie Grimmett (36). Two years later, against West Indies in Sydney in 1930-31, Ironmonger – by now 48 – opened in the second innings with medium-pacer Ron Oxenham, who was 39; their combined age was around 88½ years.These instances are taken from ESPNcricinfo’s database. But Charles Davis, the distinguished Australian statistician who has re-scored many early Test matches from the original scorebooks, warns: “There are many cases of incorrect second-innings bowling order in the ‘received’ scorecards for older Tests. Both the instances mentioned about Ironmonger are actually incorrect: in the fifth Test of 1930-31, Oxenham opened with Stan McCabe in the second innings, while in Brisbane in 1928-29, Grimmett and Stork Hendry opened in the second innings. Ironmonger and Oxenham did open the bowling in Melbourne in 1930-31, but in different innings.Where does Ben Stokes fit in the list of the highest scores in the fourth innings of a Test? asked Martin Steele from England
Ben Stokes’s valiant 155 at Lord’s was the 27th time a batter has reached 150 in the fourth innings of a Test.Only 21 of those innings were higher than 155, and just four were for England, whose highest remains Bill Edrich’s 219 in the timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1938-39. Highest of all is George Headley’s 223 for West Indies against England in another drawn timeless Test, in Kingston in 1929-30. (Both these games had to be left unfinished as the England teams needed to catch their boat home.)Of those 27 scores of 150 or more, 13 came in wins (the highest was Gordon Greenidge’s 214 not out for West Indies vs England at Lord’s in 1984), nine in draws, and five (including Stokes’) could not prevent defeat – the highest in vain was Nathan Astle’s 222 for New Zealand vs England in Christchurch in 2001-02.Stokes was the first to score 150 in the fourth innings of a Test from as low as No. 6 in the batting order. Adam Gilchrist hit 149 not out from No. 7 for Australia against Pakistan, in Hobart in 1999-2000. The previous-best from No. 6, before Stokes’ innings, was Asad Shafiq’s 137 for Pakistan vs Australia in Brisbane in 2016-17.Six Australian bowlers took wickets in England’s first innings at Lord’s. How unusual is this? asked Kasey Anderson from Australia
England’s first innings at Lord’s provided the seventh instance in the Ashes of six different Australian bowlers taking at least a wicket each. It was, however, their first such instance in the Ashes for more than 60 years, since Sydney 1962-63.England have done it eight times, and also have the only case of seven men taking a wicket in an Ashes innings, in Melbourne in 1897-98. In all Tests, there are three further instances of seven, and over 100 cases of six.Tony Lock takes a catch off Jim Laker in the Test where the two spinners took all 20 wickets – between them – Laker 19, Lock one•PA PhotosWhat’s the lowest number of players involved in taking all 20 wickets of an opposition in a Test? I am guessing one answer at least involves Jim Laker. And what’s the number for an entire Test match? asked Ashwin from India (not that one, I don’t think!)
The Old Trafford Ashes Test of 1956 – when Jim Laker took 19 wickets and Tony Lock one – is one of six Tests in which just two bowlers shared all 20 opposition wickets. It happened to Australia again a few months later, in Karachi, when Fazal Mahmood took 13 wickets for Pakistan and Khan Mohammad seven.The only instance since then was at Lord’s in 1972, when the Australian debutant Bob Massie took 16 of England’s wickets, and Dennis Lillee claimed the other four. The earlier instances were by Australia against England in Melbourne in 1901-02 (Monty Noble took 13 and Hugh Trumble seven), England vs Australia at Edgbaston in 1909 (Colin Blythe 11, George Hirst nine), and South Africa against England in Johannesburg in 1909-10 (Bert Vogler 12, Aubrey Faulkner eight).There are two Tests in which just six bowlers shared all 40 wickets: England vs South Africa at Headingley in 1998, and Sri Lanka vs Australia in Kandy in 2003-04. Only five bowlers took wickets in the 1901-02 Melbourne match mentioned above, but one batter was run-out.Who was the first man to score 42 in the second innings of his 24th Test? asked Sudarshan Narayanan Poondi via Facebook
This one made me smile, as I think it’s a variation on those old jokes about cricket statisticians pointing out things that had never happened before at Lord’s on a wet Tuesday afternoon. But it did make me wonder whether anyone had ever done this – and it turns out four people have.The first to score 42 in the second innings of his 24th Test match was the allrounder Charles Kelleway, in the course of Australia’s innings defeat against England in Melbourne in 1924-25. He was followed in 1971-72 by Bruce Taylor, who made 42 not out to help New Zealand force a draw against West Indies in Port-of-Spain.This exclusive band was boosted in the current century by Chris Gayle, for West Indies against India in Mumbai in 2002-03, and Martin Guptill, for New Zealand vs West Indies in Kingston in 2012.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Glasgow Rangers are not messing around in the summer transfer window. They have already made several moves in an attempt to bolster Russell Martin’s first-team squad.

Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, and Emmanuel Fernandez had all already arrived through the door at Ibrox before the signing of Thelo Aasgaard was made official.

The Norway international has joined Rangers from south of the border in a permanent deal that is reported to be worth around £3.5m.

Aasgaard, as a player who has predominantly been deployed as an attacking midfielder or off the left flank in his career, could be viewed as their replacement for Ianis Hagi, who left the club on a free transfer this summer.

There are still attacking reinforcements to come for the Light Blues, though, as they have yet to replace Vaclav Cerny, who recently returned to Wolfsburg.

The Czechia international spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Ibrox, gracing the right flank each week, and they will need to replace the quality he provided in the final third.

Why Rangers must replace Vaclav Cerny

You only have to take a brief glance at the kind of numbers Cerny put up during his time at Rangers to know that the club were dealt a big blow when his loan deal expired.

The left-footed star produced 18 goals and nine assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the right wing.

12 of those goals and four of those assists for the Light Blues came in the Scottish Premiership, as he showcased his ability to make a big impact on a regular basis in the top-flight.

Cerny was also unlucky to only end the season with four assists to his name in the division, as his teammates let him down too many times with their wasteful finishes.

Goals

12

Top 6%

xG

9.03

Top 6%

xG on target

11.03

Top 6%

Assists

4

Top 25%

xA

8.41

Top 1%

Chances created

81

Top 1%

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star racked up an eye-catching 8.41 xA tally, the most of any winger in the league, but was only rewarded with four assists.

Overall, these statistics show that it will take a lot to find a quality replacement for Cerny, because he delivered goals and created chances at an exceptional rate for the Gers last season.

However, Rangers are now reportedly eyeing up a potential deal for a winger who could come in as a perfect replacement for the Czechia international.

Rangers pursuing new winger deal

According to reports in Brazil, as relayed by the Daily Record, Rangers are pursuing a deal to sign Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Weslley Patati this summer.

It is claimed that the Light Blues are one of a number of teams interested in the winger, though, as AZ Alkmaar, Al Wahda, Al Ain, and Girona are also keen on signing him, which shows that there is plenty of competition for his signature.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Unnamed teams from the Premier League and the Championship in England are also keeping tabs on his situation, adding even more potential suitors to the list.

Maccabi Tel Aviv have already rejected £3.5m offers from several clubs, including AZ, and are said to be looking for a fee within the region of £9m for the 21-year-old attacker.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Scottish giants are prepared to pay the £9m that may be required to bring the Brazilian dynamo to Ibrox before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Why Rangers should sign Weslley Patati

The Light Blues should push to bring the left-footed star to Glasgow in the coming weeks, whether it is for that fee or potentially a reduced one if they can lower it in negotiations, because he could be a perfect replacement for Cerny.

As a left-footed forward who predominantly plays on the right, although he can also play off the left wing, Patati could be a dream signing to take the Czechia international’s place in the starting XI.

Like Cerny, Patati is a winger who likes to cut in on his left foot from the right flank to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis, using his ability on the ball to constantly make things happen in the final third.

Analyst Kai Watson claimed that the forward is “so good with the ball at his feet that he’s difficult to stop”, which is backed up by his impressive statistics for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2024/25 campaign.

Appearances

30

33

Goals

12

12

Big chances missed

6

6

Big chances created

17

6

Key passes per game

1.4

2.5

Assists

6

4

Dribbles completed per game

1.7

1.4

As you can see in the table above, Patati caught the eye with his contributions as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the right wing, just as Cerny did.

He scored as many goals as Cerny did at league level, with the same level of efficiency in ‘big chances’, whilst also creating a whopping 11 more ‘big chances’ for his teammates.

This suggests that the potential is there for the Brazilian starlet to come in as a potential upgrade, whilst offering a similar stylistic option to the Gers, on the wing, because of his goalscoring pedigree and his consistency as a creative threat.

Of course, he has yet to prove himself in the Premiership, and it remains to be seen if he can adapt to Scottish football, but the 21-year-old ace appears to have all the tools available to be a real success at Ibrox as a replacement for Cerny.

A better signing than Djiga: Rangers exploring move for "lethal" £5m star

Rangers find out how much it will take to sign one of their main targets

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 6, 2025

Therefore, the Gers should push hard to win the race for his signature, amid fierce competition, because the goals and assists he has the potential to deliver from the right wing could make supporters forget all about the Wolfsburg loanee.

Barcelona's preparations for their La Liga title defence have been thrown into disarray by off-field problems, with Hansi Flick expressing his unease.

Flick "not happy" with failure to register new playersRashford and Garcia ineligible for La Liga openerBarca in race against time to resolve the issueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Flick has admitted he is "not happy" with the club's ongoing player registration issues, which have left summer signings Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia unregistered ahead of Saturday's La Liga opener. Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the German coach acknowledged the difficult situation but stated that he retains trust in the club to find a resolution.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The registration saga is a familiar problem for Barcelona, who have battled La Liga's stringent financial regulations for several seasons. The club's inability to officially register its new players overshadows the start of their title defence and places pressure on the board's financial management. The issue is compounded by an injury to star striker Robert Lewandowski, as his high-profile replacement, Rashford, remains ineligible to play.

This is the second consecutive year that Barcelona have been unable to register all of their players before the opening weekend of the season. Flick himself referenced the recurring issue in his press conference, stating, "The same thing happened last season."

WHAT HANSI FLICK SAID

Speaking on the registration issue, Flick said, "This is the situation, it's not something I'm happy about, but I trust the club. We have to wait until tomorrow. The same thing happened last season. We have to focus on what we can do. As for the rest, I trust the club."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

The club's administration is now in a race against time to complete the necessary registrations to allow Rashford and Garcia to feature against Mallorca. 

A day on from his silky hundred against Bangladesh, the India allrounder explains how he approaches batting and bowling differently

Alagappan Muthu20-Sep-20241:15

Ashwin: ‘Jadeja and I enjoying each other’s success more than ever before’

Allrounders often tend to draw from doing well in one discipline to do well in the other but there is perhaps a chance that R Ashwin’s primary skill might have held back his secondary one.”Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game,” Ashwin said after the second day of the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh. “One is done consciously. The other one is done subconsciously. So, for me, to compartmentalise both has taken its own due.”He scored 113 off 133 balls that helped the hosts post 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then ran through Bangladesh, knocking them over for 149 and taking almost complete control of the proceedings.Related

Spotlight on off-colour Shakib amid injury murmurs

Indian bowling attack's signature skill

Bumrah, Jadeja back Bangladesh into a corner on 17-wicket day

In all conditions, Ashwin + Chepauk = magic

Ashwin walked in at 144 for 6 and immediately put what he has learned over a long career into practice: that with the bat in hand, he needs to be an entirely different person from the one who has gone on to become one of the greatest spinners in history.”At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there [to bat] the only thing I wanted to do was to settle down my game. The mind can play tricks because I am a bowler who plays on 12, 18, 24 balls ahead when I am sequencing it. As a batter, I shouldn’t do that. I just use my experience when I get in. So, now it’s more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it.”This was Ashwin’s second successive century at his home ground, Chepauk, following on from a 106 against England in similar circumstances in 2021. He wasn’t quite able to pick which one he liked better.”I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game”•BCCI”Both. [The England Test] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I was a little here and there. I went to Australia and came back here. That was different and I enjoyed it. I think my batting has come along a lot better since that particular game. I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game. I worked on how I can play fast bowling and all that sort of stuff. I’m glad it’s coming out nicely.”Ashwin does this – pushing himself even at 38 with 500 wickets already in the bag – for a very simple reason.”Happiness. You want to be good. You excel. You feel happy at the end of the day. It drives me towards that. Every time I do well, it leaves me in a good, happy state of mind. That’s what you get on this journey for. You want to do well. You want to excel on the global stage. People are watching you and you feel happy about it.”There was a time, though, when Ashwin couldn’t find a way to play his cricket with this kind of freedom. “I was critical of myself earlier but not much now because I have already put so much pressure on myself. Not only did I put myself under pressure, but there was pressure from outside too. I used to find happiness in answering my critics with my performance, or in the press conference. But that’s not the case now. The most important thing for me these days is to enjoy my game, by staying in the moment, by playing my cricket with a smile on my face. Four-five years ago, I made a promise to myself, with great difficulty, that I would not respond to anyone from then on and would play for my own happiness. And I have maintained that to date.”As is often the case with his bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for the course of a match-turning 199-run seventh-wicket stand.”You don’t plan for such things. Jaddu is one cricketer who has evolved so nicely. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. Keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out. I wish I could be him but I am glad I am myself. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight into how [much] better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have done some special things. We really value one another at this stage. Both of us are enjoying each other’s success more than ever before.”

Powerhouse player has had to overcome a lot to get a spot in the team and has started to show just how good she can be

Valkerie Baynes16-Feb-2023Grace Harris doesn’t do things by halves.Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka’s captain and opener, announced a hint of the danger she could pose for Australia as she stepped to the pitch of Ashleigh Gardner’s delivery in the slot, dropped to one knee and clubbed it over cow corner for six. But when Ellyse Perry entered the attack in the fifth over and Athapaththu went aerial, back over the bowler’s head, in steamed Harris with a full-power sprint from mid-on, launching herself forwards and plucking the ball from the mid-air at full stretch for what could take some beating for catch of the tournament.Then Harris took not one but two wickets in an over to reduce Sri Lanka to 69 for 3. The first, from a delivery floated on a length outside off stump, drew Harshitha Samarawickrama into an attempted slog as the ball gripped and spun past the outside edge, into the waiting gloves of Alyssa Healy who completed the stumping.Harris runs back to her mark faster than she steps into her delivery stride to release her offbreaks and so it was when she tossed another length ball up on middle and off-stump and Oshadi Ranasinghe skied the ball to Tahlia McGrath at long-on.Related

India need everything to click to make it past favourites Australia

A splash of Grace Harris

'It's about maximising the opportunities' – Grace Harris thrives in her second coming

Lanning: Harris has added 'another dimension' to Australia's T20 batting line-up

Spinners, Healy, Mooney take Australia closer to semi-final

“I’m actually pretty sure it was Tahlia McGrath’s catch and Grace called her out of it and wanted to take a hanger, but full credit to her for hanging on to it,” a smiling Healy said of Harris’ screamer. “That’s sort of a key moment to get a key batter in that instance. She was loving herself sick out there in the field watching the replay, but it’s nice to have a character like that on the field.”It was only the second time Harris had bowled in a T20I since returning to the Australian team at the start of 2022 after an absence of more than five years. Called up to Australia’s Ashes squad after Beth Mooney broke her jaw, her appearance in the only T20I of the series not to be washed out was her first for her country since November 2016.She was in Australia’s squad for the 2016 T20 World Cup but, shortly before the she was due to fly to India, she was diagnosed with a 13cm blood clot in her leg and was unable to fly. She travelled to Sri Lanka later that year and played one ODI there before a handful at home to South Africa, but from there opportunities petered out.

If you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minuteAlyssa Healy on Grace Harris

Naturally powerful with the bat, she honed her game and returned for the Ashes. A combination of bad weather and exceptionally good batting further up the Australian order meant that by the time she reached the Commonwealth Games, she was five matches into her comeback yet hadn’t faced a ball. Nor had she bowled with Australia’s spin stocks boasting the likes of Gardner, Jess Jonassen and Alana King, which had also meant she didn’t play at the ODI World Cup despite being in the squad.But then, with a belligerent 20-ball knock of 37 in a half-century stand with Gardner which rescued Australia in the opening match of their gold medal campaign against India, Harris announced herself.”Unbelievably resilient, Grace is,” Healy said. “Our group’s changed a lot as well and I’m really proud of Grace coming back into our group and everyone just embracing who Grace is and letting Grace be Grace out there on the field and also off the park as well. She’s an unbelievable character and if you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minute.Healy on Mooney: It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else•ICC via Getty Images”She’s a great person to have around our side not just for her personality, but for her skills. She’s unbelievably damaging with the bat in hand. We haven’t quite seen that just yet, but I guess that’s something exciting probably heading into the back end of this tournament.”A career-best 64 not out against India in December signalled Harris was in good touch ahead of this tournament, and she bowled for Australia in the second T20I against Pakistan in Hobart, incidentally picking up the wicket of opener Muneeba Ali, who became the first Pakistan Women’s player to score a century in a T20I on Wednesday in Cape Town.”She has the ability to hit any length over the boundary and I think that is super impressive in our game,” Healy said of Harris. “The women’s game has come along quite a lot over the last few years.”It’s become more dynamic, it’s become more athletic, it’s become more powerful but a player like Grace has been around for a long time and I think the way that she just trusts her game now… And she thinks about the game a lot more and knows the shots that she wants to play and the shots that she’s going to be able to clear the boundary with to certain bowlers, that work that she’s done behind the scenes has allowed her to come out and be this incredibly powerful player.”She’s that type of player in our middle order that when we’re a little bit behind or we need 12 an over she’s the perfect person to step out there and break the game wide open which is exactly what you want. So she’s a true asset to everyone.”Harris’ turn with the ball and in the field somewhat overshadowed Megan Schutt’s four wickets at the death – three in the final over. And it was Healy who was awarded Player of the Match for her three stumpings and unbeaten half-century alongside Beth Mooney, who broke a lean run with the bat at the tournament.”It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else,” Healy said of Mooney. “She’s been hitting the ball really well in the nets and it just hasn’t quite been clicking on the field. I thought she played really well today and hopefully that gives her confidence moving forward.”If that happens and Mooney goes onwards and upwards, it may be longer before we see any fireworks with the bat from Harris. But the Australians won’t complain.

UEFA are considering transforming the annual Super Cup fixture into a four-team tournament that could be staged outside of Europe as early as next season.

UEFA keen to make Super Cup tournamentUS and Middle East could hostWould mirror Spanish Super Cup Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Currently contested between the Champions League and Europa League winners, the UEFA Super Cup may soon see its format doubled. According to reports, a proposal is on the table to include four teams, likely adding other European competition winners into the mix, and stage the matches abroad. The change could see the curtain-raiser relocated to major venues in the United States or Middle East in an attempt to tap into growing global interest and boost broadcasting revenue.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

This year’s match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham is taking place in Udine at the 25,000-capacity Stadio Friuli – the first time Italy has hosted the fixture. However, the venue was the only bidder, highlighting a potential lack of enthusiasm among European cities. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has already said that playing top European club games in the US is "possible", while Spain’s four-team Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020.

DID YOU KNOW?

The UEFA Super Cup was first played in 1973 between Ajax and AC Milan, with the Dutch side winning 6-1 on aggregate. Until 1998, the fixture was contested over two legs before switching to a single neutral venue.

AFPWHAT NEXT?

A decision on the format is expected ahead of the next media rights bidding round. If approved, the expanded Super Cup could debut before the 2026-27 season, potentially marking the first time the event is staged outside Europe.