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The captain Callum Ferguson led South Australia to their first win of this Matador Cup campaign, scoring an unbeaten 73 as the Redbacks gained a bonus point against New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016
ScorecardAlex Carey’s 43 helped South Australia to a strong start•Getty ImagesThe captain Callum Ferguson led South Australia to their first win of this Matador Cup campaign, scoring an unbeaten 73 as the Redbacks gained a bonus point against New South Wales. Chasing 209 for victory after New South Wales were bowled out for 208, South Australia reached their target with ease in the 40th over.While Ferguson was named Man of the Match, plenty of attention was on the South Australia batsman Tom Cooper, who the previous day had appeared at the inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes. Cooper scored a valuable 47 in the South Australia chase before becoming one of three wickets claimed by Doug Bollinger, who had also appeared at the inquest.But the Redbacks were always on target for victory after a brisk 72-run opening stand between Alex Carey (43) and Jake Weatherald (37). The primary question became whether South Australia would gain a bonus point by winning inside 40 overs, a goal which they achieved with four balls to spare.New South Wales had been bowled out in the 49th over, having never really gained any significant momentum during their innings. Ed Cowan top scored with 50 and Nic Maddinson made 36, but their 77-run second-wicket stand was the only fifty partnership of the innings.South Australia’s inexperienced bowling line-up kept the Blues in check, with fast bowler Wes Agar collecting 3 for 38 from nine overs, medium pacer Cameron Valente 3 for 40 from 9.3, and left-arm spinner Tom Andrews 2 for 49 from nine. The offspinner Michael Cormack was thrown in the deep end on debut, asked to bowl the first over of the game, and finished with 1 for 42 from 10 overs.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football in typical fashion after he snapped back at rival fans for booing him in his goodbye speech.

Why is Ibrahimovic retiring?

The AC Milan forward is finally hanging up his boots at the tender age of 41, having scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United, Ajax and both Milan teams, while also winning league titles in four different countries.

Ibrahimovic has played only four matches in Serie A this season due to fitness struggles and his injuries are a big reason why he won’t have his contract renewed, with AC Milan confirming as much before this week’s game against Verona (via ESPN).

Despite not being able to feature much this term, he helped bring the Scudetto to San Siro in 2021/22 when he netted eight goals and claimed three assists in 23 games.

Having not been fit enough to play any part in the final game of the Serie A season this weekend, he still was in attendance and took to the pitch after the game to deliver an emotional speech.

However, as caught in footage shared on Twitter, the Verona fans were more than happy to boo him.

In typical Ibra fashion, he quickly quipped back: “Keep booing. This is the biggest moment in your year seeing me”.

As quoted by Sempre Milan, the rest of his speech was pretty emotional as he even shed a tear or two, saying: “I can’t breathe but it’s fine. So many memories and so many emotions here. The first time I arrived at Milan you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.”

He also added: “I want to thank the fans. You received me with open arms, you made me feel at home, I will be a Milanista for life. The time has come to say goodbye to football, not to you. See you around if you’re lucky, forza Milan and goodbye.”

After seeing the footage of those brutal comments he made to the Verona crowd, supporters on social media flocked to Twitter to have their say.

Here are some of the best reactions…

The compliments just kept rolling in…

Ben Duckett, the Northamptonshire left hander who has been included in England’s one-day and Test squads, has been named the Cricket Writers’ Club (CWC) Young Player of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2016Ben Duckett, the Northamptonshire left-hander who has been included in England’s one-day and Test squads, has been named the Cricket Writers’ Club (CWC) Young Player of the Year.Duckett, 21, enjoyed a prolific 2016 season for his county and England Lions. In July, he struck a blistering 220 not out off 131 balls, including 29 fours and six sixes for the Lions in a one-day game against Sri Lanka A, but his highest score of the summer was an unbeaten 282 in the County Championship against Sussex.His tally of 1,338 runs in the County Championship included four hundreds, while he also helped Northamptonshire win the Twenty20 Blast.First presented in 1950, and one of the oldest such honours in cricket, the award, which by tradition is won just once in a career, is restricted to England-qualified players under the age of 23 on May 1. Previous winners of the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Player of the Year award have amassed more than 2,500 Test caps between them. Duckett is the first Northamptonshire player to receive the award since former England batsman Rob Bailey, now an international umpire, in 1984.The County Championship Player of the Year award, presented in association with William Hill, was won by Durham’s Keaton Jennings. The 24-year-old was the leading run-scorer in the competition with 1,548 runs at an average of 64.50 with seven hundreds, including a double century against Yorkshire and another when he carried his bat against Surrey. His career-best 88 in the final was also the highest score during T20 finals day. Jennings is the fifth recipient of an award first presented in 2012.Charlotte Edwards, the former England captain, was named the first winner of the CWC women’s award. She led England to the final of the World T20 in India and finished as England’s leading run scorer, and the tournament’s second highest scorer overall, only to be removed from the England captaincy in a controversial move as team management sought a fresh start.That decision prompted Edwards to retire from international cricket after more than 300 senior matches for her country but she still enjoyed a hugely successful domestic season. Edwards captained three sides to a unique treble in leading Kent to the 50-over County Championship title, the T20 title, and the Southern Vipers to victory in the inaugural T20 Super League.The Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year award went to Scyld Berry for Cricket: The Game of Life, and the Peter Smith award for the promotion of cricket to the public went to Mike Selvey, the former cricket correspondent of . All the trophies were presented during the course of the Club’s Annual Lunch – which marks the 70th anniversary of the club – at London’s Merchant Taylors’ Hall on Tuesday.

Inter Miami manager Phil Neville has delivered an extraordinary press conference after his son was booed after coming on as a substitute during the club’s most recent defeat and has since been sacked.

What did Phil Neville say about his son?

Having just won just two of their last 13 games, David Beckham’s MLS franchise team haven’t really been enjoying the best spell of form of late. As a result, they sit last in the division, having tasted defeat in ten of 15 matches so far.

The latest blow came this week when a single goal from Tom Barlow was enough to see New York Red Bulls pick up all three points away from home, despite later having a man sent off.

During the game, with ten minutes to go, Neville opted to bring his son Harvey on but this seemed to enrage the Miami home crowd as they booed loudly and jeered every time he touched the ball.

In reaction to that lack of support for his son, 46-year-old Neville came out swinging in his most recent press conference, telling his own fans to hurl abuse at him but never to waiver in support for the club’s younger players.

Speaking to the press (via Football Daily), he said: “I’ve been at this football club for two and a half years, I’ve been really lucky with the support that I’ve had from everybody, from top to bottom and from in the stands. So [for] that, I feel really fortunate.

“And I would say to the supporters… it sounds a little bit bullish, but please just come for me. You know, support the team, support the young boys, the young boys are going to be there.

“You think about the young boys on the pitch at the end given everything, that’s what this football club is going to be built around. Those young players, this academy is going to be the foundation of this football club.

“Don’t kill one of our own, don’t knock one of our own. Just come for me. You know, if you’re unhappy, hit the manager. Don’t go for one of my boys, don’t go for one of my young kids because that hurts. That’s personal.”

Why does Harvey Neville play for Inter Miami?

Harvey made his debut at the end of the previous season and has now made ten MLS outings so far this term, starting just two games – while he first signed a two-year deal with the club last August.

Perhaps, some fans are unhappy because they think this is a show of nepotism from Miami’s manager. In fairness to that theory, his son has only ever played for any other senior side, while he also played for the Valencia and Manchester United youth teams – where Phil coached in the past too.

It’s hard enough to win over the home crowd if you keep losing home games. If you then go and bring your own unestablished son onto the pitch, it’s hardly going to help the situation.

All in all, it’s no great shock that Beckham got involved as his former teammate was fired. The former England captain released a statement.

He said: “When we appointed Phil we knew he would give Inter Miami his all and I have watched him work incredibly hard and with real commitment towards the ambitions we set out for the club.

“He and his family embraced Miami and he has devoted himself to the drive to bring success to the city and to our fans. Phil has made a real contribution to the culture of our club with his qualities as a leader and knowledge as a coach.

“Sometimes in this game we have to make the toughest decisions and sadly we feel the time is right to make a change. I want to personally thank Phil for his hard work, his passion for our club and for his integrity as a person.”

Manchester United are reportedly keen on making a move for Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams during the summer transfer window as Erik ten Hag aims to strengthen his squad.

What’s the latest on Tyler Adams to Manchester United?

According to Football Insider, Leeds have no chance of keeping Adams at the club next season if they are relegated from the Premier League, with Man United aiming to swoop should that happen.

He is considered to be one of the few players who could command a sizeable fee, which without the broadcasting money from the Premier League, could be vital over the coming summer.

However, the £55k-per-week midfielder still has four years left on his current deal and Ten Hag will likely need to offer a significant amount in order to sign the player.

Could Man United sign Tyler Adams this summer?

Anything is possible, and with Leeds looking likely for the drop, they surely won't stand in his way of moving on in order to play in the top flight.

A move for the American could be bad news for Fred, as the American could eventually become a mainstay in the United midfield and reduce his playing opportunities next term.

Fred has started just 11 times in the Premier League this term, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.77/10, and while the 30-year-old has even declared this campaign as “a good season for myself”, with just one year left on his current deal, Ten Hag could see the upcoming transfer window as a chance to move him on and raise funds.

Adams would be a wonderful signing, especially considering his displays for a poor Leeds side. He currently ranks as their best performer out of players who have made more than ten appearances with a rating of 6.98/10 via Sofascore, while also ranking first for accurate passes per game (45.5), second for tackles per game (3.7) and fourth for interceptions per game (1.5), underlining just how crucial he has been defensively for the club this season.

Indeed, the 24-year-old is one of the finest midfielders on the continent for his defensive contributions, ranking in the top 2% across Europe’s big five leagues over the past year for tackles per 90 (3.27) and the top 3% for blocks per 90 (two), further demonstrating his ability to screen the defence, which suggests he could add some solidity to United’s midfield.

Having shone for the USA during the 2022 World Cup, Alexi Lalas dubbed him a “monster” and this international pedigree will certainly stand him in good stead if he joined a club as prestigious as United.

So Adams may well improve his game at Old Trafford, though it could be bad news for Fred if he did make the move across the M62.

Sri Lanka Cricket will invite Muttiah Muralitharan to present awards at the conclusion of the ongoing series against Australia, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Aug-2016Sri Lanka Cricket will invite Muttiah Muralitharan to present awards at the conclusion of the ongoing series against Australia, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said. The move is ostensibly an attempt to repair the board’s relationship with Muralitharan, following the war of words between the two parties that preceded the series.”I have asked the secretary Mohan de Silva to invite Murali to give away the awards on the last day of the final Test match,” Sumathipala told . “Murali is welcome to witness the entire Test. At least we want him to remain present on the last day of the match on August 17, or on the day if the Test finishes early.” The third match of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy begins at SSC on Saturday.Tempers had flared ahead of the series when Murali took on a ten-day consulting role with Australia, which ended just prior to the first match. Sumathipala had originally said he was not opposed to Murali’s consulting with Australia, but later suggested that the spinner had made an ethical breach by working in opposition to Sri Lanka, citing in particular the trials he had endured regarding his action, in Australia. Murali had then slammed the board for, among other things, its treatment of local coaches.Now, however, there is an appetite to patch up the relationship and move on.

Leeds United made contact with Mauricio Pochettino over a stunning move to Elland Road, according to Guillem Balague.

What’s Balague had to say about Leeds and Pochettino?

The Whites are currently on their fourth head coach of the season in Sam Allardyce, following on from Jesse Marsch, Michael Skubala and Javi Gracia.

Leeds find themselves in real danger of relegation from the Premier League and have just two games remaining to get out of the bottom three in what has been another disappointing campaign in Yorkshire.

After sacking Marsch back in February, it took Leeds a number of weeks to bring in a new manager, and it appears as if Pochettino, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July, was on the radar.

Balague was speaking about Pochettino in a column for the BBC ahead of his proposed move to Stamford Bridge.

He stated that Leeds, along with Aston Villa, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica, Nice, Nottingham Forest, Sevilla and Villarreal all got in contact over moves for the 51-year-old. Pochettino wasn’t short of offers and even initially turned down Chelsea until he was offered more control by Todd Boehly.

Never likely…

Pochettino looks set to return to the dugout ahead of the 2023/24 season at Chelsea, and you could argue that Leeds were dreaming when thinking he may be tempted to make the move to Elland Road.

The Argentine, who plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation, is close to 600 games as a manager and has been used to European football with Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.

Hailed as “world-class” in the media, Pochettino has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Real Madrid, a job he was reportedly holding out for. However, it looks as if he will move to Chelsea, who appear to be building for the future with a €1bn+ valued playing squad, as per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, Leeds appear to be a side heading in the opposite direction and could find themselves in the second tier next season, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise to hear they were unsuccessful after contacting Pochettino, presumably earlier in the year.

It will be interesting to see who Leeds target in the summer to replace their current interim head coach, but relegation over the coming weeks could change those plans drastically, with Feyenoord’s Arne Slot thought to be a target after leading his side to the Eredivisie title.

Jason Roy plundered a 51-ball hundred but it was not enough to earn Surrey a quarter-final

Tim Wigmore29-Jul-2016
ScorecardTo be at The Oval on Friday night, with a sell-out of close to 25,000 enraptured by the brilliant brutality of Jason Roy, it seemed incongruous to consider that England’s domestic T20 is a tournament deemed to be in need of a rapid overhaul.No county does T20 better than Surrey. This typically boisterous crowd took Surrey’s total attendance for their seven home T20s to over 140,000, and the revenue these games have raised to over £4 million: both figures are records. On this night the crowd’s only gripe was the rain at Chelmsford, which eliminated Surrey, but, as they belted out renditions of in between the Icelandic football clap, no one seemed remotely perturbed.Whatever the future of English domestic T20, it will be all the better if it involves plenty more innings like this from Roy. While the blared out, Roy’s thunderous hitting was again the rhythm of the night at The Oval.In this mood, Roy has the swagger of a villain in a Western, brazenly bestriding his turf, ready to shoot down anyone with the effrontery to challenge him. Or so it seemed as he greeted James Tredwell’s offspin with a huge straight six then, as if insulted by how easy it had all been, promptly launched the bowler over wide long-on, the longest boundary.When Roy thrashed a full toss down the ground to bring up his fourth T20 century, off 51 balls, he removed his helmet, giving off the air of a gladiator appreciating the crowd’s acclaim.For all its destruction, this was an innings defined by far more than raw power. There was impudent improvisation too – reverse-scooping Darren Stevens over short third man for four, or waltzing across his stumps to lift the ball over the keeper. There was also ample evidence of Roy’s maturity as a batsman, the brain to go with his brawn. He scored off all but nine of the 62 deliveries he faced, a dot-ball percentage of just 14.5%. To put that into context, 40% of deliveries in the World T20 were dots.With Roy in this mood Aaron Finch, the world’s second-ranked T20I batsman, was relegated to the status of B-list support act; on most nights the violence underpinning Finch’s 79 would have been befitting something rather more. If the two did not quite break the records they threatened to – they fell five runs short of the English record partnership for any wicket and 14 short of the all-time record opening stand in T20 cricket – their 187 did break Kent.When Gareth Batty fired a delivery down the leg side after seeing Sam Billings giving him the charge, and Roy claimed Stevens, diving at full length after running in from the extra cover boundary, soon after, Surrey’s cruise to victory was assured.Yet it had all come too late to secure qualification for the quarter-finals. For the second consecutive season Surrey’s financial clout had failed to yield progress beyond the group stages.”We’ve put on an absolute spectacle tonight and showed what we’re capable of,” a downcast Roy said. “That’s the most disappointing thing – there were some crucial game we should have won, but we didn’t show that grit and determination.”At a time when the teams who take part in England’s elite T20 competition face being determined by ground size rather than on-field performance, some would see Surrey’s failure as a reminder of the need to keep the principle of meritocracy at the heart of the domestic English game.The debate will rumble on, long after the last remnants of spilled beer have been cleaned from The Oval’s stands.

Chelsea 'shouldn't be too far away' from announcing Mauricio Pochettino as manager and he could help to accelerate the development of the Blues' young talent, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Mauricio Pochettino?

As per Football Insider, Chelsea are going to announce their new boss by the end of this week and Pochettino is 'expected to land the role' at Stamford Bridge.

The report states that discussions have reached the 'final stages' with just minor issues to iron out, such as the makeup of his backroom staff as the Argentinian edges closer to a return to management.

According to The Daily Mail, Pochettino already has plans in place to strengthen key positions and is believed to want a new goalkeeper, midfielder and striker in the forthcoming transfer window.

He is also keen to trim the squad where appropriate in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations while also giving Chelsea some balance in the squad heading into 2022/23.

On the pitch, things look to have got slightly better for the Blues following a torrid nine-match winless run, as they dispatched Bournemouth 3-1 at the Vitality Stadium last weekend in the Premier League, as per BBC Sport.

Benoit Badiashile was among the scorers in Chelsea's triumph on the South Coast and journalist Jones told Football FanCast that he thinks Pochettino's prospective arrival could help the likes of the central defender and others to develop at Stamford Bridge.

Jones told FFC: "I mean, obviously, we were waiting for the news of the appointment now of Pochettino and it shouldn't be too far away and once that appointment is made, Chelsea fans can start to become more excited about talent like Badiashile and what they'll get from him."

Who else could be winners under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea?

Conor Gallagher has been in decent form for Chelsea recently, netting twice in his last four matches, as per Transfermarkt, including a header against Bournemouth last weekend.

The Epsom-born midfielder has shouldered the responsibility of breaking between the lines well in the last few weeks at Stamford Bridge and could be looked at by Pochettino as someone to shape his midfield around, given his endeavour, age and profile.

Mykhailo Mudryk and Levi Colwill could also be players central to the Pochettino project. Speaking on Twitter, journalist Rob Pratley has recently claimed: "I understand 2 of the main points Pochettino has impressed the club on is his roadmap for Levi Colwill and Mykhailo Mudryk. The former is viewed as an integral core of the defence, whilst Pochettino has expressed his belief the latter can become an extremely effective goalscorer."

Chelsea have a lot of groundwork to do this summer to get back to pushing for major honours in west London, making pre-season an important time for all involved as they aim to head into 2023/24 in the right frame of mind.

Joe Root produced a seamless 93 from 106 balls and Jos Buttler made 70 from 45 balls as England wrapped up victory by 122 runs for a 3-0 series win

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Jul-2016England 324 for 7 (Root 93, Buttler 70, Vince 51) beat Sri Lanka 202 (Chandimal 53, Willey 4-34) by 122 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJoe Root’s 93 set up a 122-run win for England•PA PhotosEngland’s start was swift, their middle overs lively, and their finish was efficient. In response to an imposing total of 324, their visitors stuttered at the outset, lost wickets through the middle, and arrived at a limp finish. Sri Lanka’s 122-run defeat was an apt reflection of the chasm between the quality of the teams on display this series, which England have sewn up 3-0.Joe Root produced a seamless 93 from 106 balls to underpin his team’s dynamic innings, but it was arguably Jos Buttler who played the most electric knock within it. He set off with a four to fine leg, collected quick runs into the outfield for a while, then after facing 25 deliveries, let fly with the boundaries. There were shovels over the shoulder, searing cuts, crunching drives and a six over long off, all executed with a powerful bottom hand. His tally was 70 off 45. James Vince had also hit a half-century at the top of the innings.Erratic seam bowling at either end of the innings had helped England to their imposing total. Most hopes of Sri Lanka running that score down then dissipated in the first 22 overs, after which they were 107 for 5. Dinesh Chandimal made his fourth consecutive fifty as the wickets fell around him, before David Willey wiped out the tail to finish with four wickets for himself. Sri Lanka were all out for 202, and never in the course of their chase, did they appear to have the measure of their target.In England’s innings, Danushka Gunathilaka’s part-time offspin claimed three wickets for 48 from his full quota of overs, but it was debutant left-arm seamer Chaminda Bandara’s 1 for 83 which was the more definitive set of figures. Bandara was wayward at the outset while the other seam bowlers failed to pose a consistent threat, and costly at the death when everyone was going for runs. Nuwan Pradeep was also expensive again, giving away more than seven an over, as he attempts to come to grips closing out an innings.England had purred into motion with a cover-driven boundary from Jason Roy’s bat, third ball. Though play was soon left suspended for about 25 minutes by a passing shower, the hosts’ tempo rarely wavered over the following three-and-a-half hours. Bandara bowled overs that cost 11 and 14 in the Powerplay, while more experienced bowlers delivered more disciplined, but hardly miserly, spells. By the tenth over, only seven boundaries had been struck in all, yet 66 runs had been gathered. The green tinge on the pitch, which had put both captains in the mood to bowl first, offered only modest sideways movement. The overhead cloud made for only the slightest swing.The dismissal of Roy came somewhat against the run of play – caught on the midwicket boundary off Suranga Lakmal for a run-a-ball 34. Root, the next batsman, sent his first ball skipping through the covers for four, and Vince continued his pretty progress alongside the new man, the pair flitting efficiently between their wickets until Vince reached his first international fifty, off 54 balls. He was soon out charging Gunathilaka, who pulled his length back and slipped a ball past Vince’s advance, but neither that wicket, nor the next one, really dented England’s rate of progress. Halfway through the innings, the hosts were 138 for 3.With a confident Gunathilaka proving so successful, Mathews banked on spin through the middle overs. Jonny Bairstow was occasionally tested by it during his 21 off 28, but Root’s mastery of the single prevented Sri Lanka from making substantial headway. This steady beat of ones and twos was occasionally enlivened by the crash of cymbals: the reverse-paddle for four off the exceptionally part-time bowling of Kusal Mendis, the clatter through the covers at the end of the 38th over.Buttler twice hit Pradeep for consecutive fours, and thwacked a six off Lakmal in the 44th over, as he scored 45 runs from the last 20 balls he faced. It was he who propelled England’s run rate past six, and though he was out in the 48th over to give Bandara his first international wicket, had laid the groundwork for a fast finish. Thirty-three runs were hit off the last three overs.When the chase got under way an inability to pierce the lively infield drew a fatal mistake from Kusal Perera, not for the first time in the series. He was out lbw to Willey at the end of the fourth over. Mendis and Gunathilaka attempted to build the platform Sri Lanka required, before committing another of Sri Lanka’s most common mistakes through the series: attempting to come back for a second run in the 14th over, Mendis was caught short by Bairstow’s throw.From 66 for 2, the match slipped quickly. Gunathilaka was lbw to Liam Plunkett for 48. Mathews had his stumps splayed by a yorker from the same bowler. Upul Tharanga was bowled first delivery by Adil Rashid, and Dasun Shanaka was stumped off him, some time later. When Seekkuge Prasanna was caught at fine leg by a diving Willey, Sri Lanka had crumbled to 170 for 7 in the 35th over. A brittle tail didn’t hang around long.