England coach Thomas Tuchel believes there is no reason why his team cannot replicate the success of the women's and under-21 sides and win a trophy.

Coach doesn't feel pressure after women's & U21 triumphsSenior team haven't won a trophy in 60 yearsTuchel believes successes can be 'good omen'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

England's U21 side won a second consecutive European Championship this summer while Sarina Wiegman's side successfully defended their women's Euros title in thrilling fashion. It means that the senior team is the only side that has not won a major trophy within the last decade, with the U17s and U20s each winning the World Cup.

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"No. If it is something then it is a good omen and I was so happy for Sarina [Wiegman] and Lee [Carsley] because they made it and they made an extraordinary effort and a huge success with back-to-back victories," Tuchel said. "It is possible [to win a trophy with England], there is no curse on English teams and it is a good omen and we will do our very best to follow their example."

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The senior team lost the last two European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate but Tuchel believes they can be inspired by the achievements of the women's and U21 teams and go all the way at the 2026 World Cup. And he does not think that those triumphs have put more pressure on his team.

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The Three Lions will be looking to continue their 100 percent start to their World Cup qualifying campaign when they host Andorra on Saturday before visiting Serbia on Tuesday. And Tuchel is feeling upbeat about the fixtures despite making an underwhelming start to life in the job since succeeding Southgate.

MatériaMais Notícias

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Enfático, Bauermann reclamou sobre a postura da torcida do clube boliviano e exigiu uma punição para a equipe adversária.

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The RCB captain slowed down despite a rising asking rate, but he was doing it to keep his team’s net run-rate up

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-20181:36

Coach’s Diary: RCB can’t rely on just Kohli and de Villiers

Is Umesh smashing it or getting smashed? Within minutes of the match beginning, Umesh Yadav was trending on Twitter. He had taken two wickets off the first two balls. This is the third time this IPL Umesh has taken wickets in quick succession. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he struck twice in his first nine balls, and against Kings XI Punjab, he took three in his second over. He also managed to keep the batsmen quiet early in those spells, and in this game, he had figures of 2 for 8 after two overs.So how come Umesh’s economy rate this IPL is 9.06? Because after those sensational starts, he falls off, equally dramatically. These are his economy-rates broken down: 3.75 in the first over, 7.6 in the second, 8.67 in the third and 15.75 in the fourth. Against Mumbai Indians, he conceded 28 off his final two overs to finish with 2 for 36.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy was Chahal v Rohit delayed? Rohit Sharma’s record against legspin is poor. He’s been out to them 22 times in T20s and strikes at just 110 against them. So why did Yuzvendra Chahal only come on in the ninth over when the Mumbai captain walked out in the first? Probably because of the guy at the other end. Evin Lewis smacks legspin at a strike rate of 191.Look at what happened when Chahal did bowl. Rohit got off strike and watched from the other end as Lewis hammered three sixes off Chahal’s first 10 balls. In the end, Chahal, Royal Challengers’ most consistent bowler of the past few seasons, didn’t even finish his quota of four overs. The dynamic could get teams thinking about deliberately having batsmen who have contrasting strengths and weaknesses at the wicket together so the bowling captain doesn’t know whom to bring on.Is millionaire Woakes out of favour?Royal Challengers picked Corey Anderson over Brendon McCullum to get a sixth bowling option. But few would have expected him to bowl his full quota of overs while Chris Woakes, Washington Sundar and Chahal didn’t complete theirs. The decision not to bowl Woakes out was a particularly curious one. He bowled his first two overs in the Powerplay and went for 16 and was then only brought on in the 19th over.Woakes was Royal Challengers’ most expensive buy in the auction, at INR 7.4 crore (USD 1.16 million approx). The decision to bring him on so late despite Mumbai scoring quickly off the other bowlers was either a miscalculation or a sign that Kohli has lost faith in him.Sarfaraz fails againA few eyebrows were raised when Royal Challengers retained the uncapped Sarfaraz Khan ahead of the 2018 season. After all, Kohli did say he needed to get a lot fitter before he could play consistently for RCB. Well, he has now become a regular part of the team, but after three innings, he has managed only 11 runs and has also eaten up too many dots. Against Knight Riders, he took 10 balls to make six runs and against Mumbai, with the required rate at 15.43 when he came to the crease, he took six balls to make five. That released the trolls on social media, though it may have been a case of finding a scapegoat for the whole team’s failure.Was Kohli batting for the not-out?When his team is chasing 214, you don’t expect to see Kohli batting on 40 at a strike rate of 111.11 in the 13th over. But, as he explained after the game, the RCB captain had given up on the chase, as too many wickets had fallen, and was trying to ensure they didn’t fall too far behind on net run-rate. In 10 completed seasons of the IPL, teams have missed making the final four because of net run-rate as much as four times. So clearly Kohli knows what he’s talking about.He started quickly, racing to 18 off 11 balls, but once Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers fell in the same over, he knuckled down and tried to avoid a huge loss. He got going again towards the end and finished with a healthy strike rate of 148.38. With Royal Challengers reaching 167, they stayed ahead of bottom-dwellers Delhi Daredevils on the points table.Getty ImagesThe young legspinner Mayank Markande also played a part in keeping Kohli quiet, conceding just 15 runs off 14 balls, including five dots. And it wasn’t like Kohli was just blocking him. He played just one defensive stroke, but could not find the gaps with his drives and cuts as Markande showed off his variations and accuracy.Is batting first the new bowling first?Teams batting second won nine of the first 10 matches this season. But just as everyone was thinking here was the secret to winning the IPL, the team batting first has now won four games in a row.This is partly down to the law of averages. While fielding first is statistically advantageous in T20s, numbers suggest it is only slightly so (3429 wins and 3228 losses). In the IPL, the gap is slightly bigger – 354 wins and 286 losses. So you have, approximately, a 10% better chance of winning if you field first.There could be a few other reasons the last four games have gone to the team batting first. There was no dew in Mumbai for the Mumbai v Royal Challengers game, and there wasn’t much in Mohali for the Kings XI v Chennai Super Kings game. This has allowed spinners to have greater impact in the second innings. Also, in all four games, the team batting first put up a big total against sides that don’t have strong middle orders, which made chasing difficult.

In a performance that consolidates Qalandars’ credentials as the favourites to retain this title, United were swept aside by 119 runs

Danyal Rasool09-Mar-2023

</bIf Lahore Qalandars' thrashing of Islamabad United the first time these sides met this season read like an aberration, Qalandars gave them another one, just for good measure. In an imperious performance that consolidates their credentials as the favourites to retain this title, United were swept aside with disdain in Rawalpindi by 119 runs. It is the heaviest defeat inflicted on any side in PSL history.Fakhar Zaman's 115 in the first innings set them up for an imposing total – 226 is the Qalandars' second-highest score. But after Quetta Gladiators chased down an even bigger score the previous night, a chase felt very realistic. This is where Qalandars' bowlers shone, running riot through Islamabad's storied batting line-up and skittling them out for 107. In the end, Fakhar's individual score was higher than Islamabad's collected final tally, another PSL first.After 240 hadn't proved enough for Peshawar Zalmi the previous night, Lahore's decision to bat first was intrepid, but showed the faith they place in their bowlers, even on a surface like this. The start was wobbly, though, with Abdullah Shafique squeezed down leg in the first over. Crucially, Asif Ali dropped Fakhar Zaman when he was on one, and even as early as that in the game, it was a sliding doors moment.After a tight couple of overs, Fakhar walloped Fazalhaq Farooqi for three boundaries, before plundering 16 in Faheem Ashraf's first over. Despite Kamran Ghulam struggling for rhythm at the other end, he only needed to keep turning the strike over, and Fakhar was happy to do the damage. By the end of the powerplay, Lahore were up to 65.But they knew they needed a huge score against a batting line-up like United's, and they kept going. Fakhar took apart Shadab Khan in a seminal moment of the contest, while Ghulam came to life against Mubasir Khan. And Fakhar continued the onslaught against the United captain in a passage of play where 49 runs came off 14 balls, and the run rate ballooned.Zaman Khan checks on Rahmanullah Gurbaz•PCB

United nailed the Qalandars down after Mohammad Wasim dismissed Ghulam, and briefly even threatened to keep the target around 200. But once Fakhar survived an extremely narrow lbw call – with HawkEye deeming a delivery crashing into the stumps to have pitched fractionally outside leg – he was rejuvenated once more. Alongside Sam Billings, he smashed Wasim for 20 runs in the 16th over, and thereafter United’s death bowling fell apart. He brought up the hundred in that over, and in a blizzard of boundaries Lahore helped themselves to 72 in the final five.The notion almost seems quaint now, but on a Pindi surface that has helped batters out to the extent it has this week, the game wasn’t over then. After seeing off Shaheen Afridi’s first over respectfully, the United machine began to whirr, taking 27 runs off the two following overs.It was Zaman Khan who broke the game open for the Qalandars with the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who he’d tormented through the over, before finally putting him out of his misery with a short ball. A full delivery shaping away drew the curtain on Colin Munro’s innings, and from thereon it was the Rashid Khan show.Shadab Khan struck one six off him before the Afghan hit back, a top edge removing the United captain cheaply once more. The wickets were falling in clumps now; David Wiese soon got rid of Alex Hales as he miscued a slice right at the keeper. Islamabad United’s own keeper, and middle order talisman Azam Khan, was unavailable following a finger injury he’d picked up in the first innings. In this kind of form, those are big shoes to fill, with the lower middle order hopelessly ill-equipped for the task against bowling of this quality.That skill was crystallised in a glorious Rashid delivery to Mubasir Khan, drifting in around middle and whooshing past the outside edge to trim the outside of off stump. Faheem Ashraf was trapped dead in front, and by now an Islamabad mauling was inevitable. Rashid made it four wickets by cleaning up Asif Ali, and finishing with 4-21 on a surface every other batter had found to be a paradise.Haris Rauf wrapped up the game with the final two wickets in a chastening evening at home for Islamabad to seal a top-two spot for his side. Both of these sides will go through to the playoffs, but on current evidence, the gap between them is a chasm.

Just like a more high-profile surface several thousands of kilometres away, the pitch at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo offered plenty of turn as early as the first session on day one, and West Indies’ left-armer Gudakesh Motie used the assistance to run through Zimbabwe with figures of 7 for 37. By stumps, the visitors had already taken a first-innings lead.Zimbabwe were shot out for just 115 in the 41st over, having lost eight wickets for 41 runs. Innocent Kaia top-scored with 38 and Donald Tiripano’s unbeaten 23 helped drag the hosts past 100.The day had begun with West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel extracting considerable bounce at high speed from the slow surface, but that quickly made way for Motie’s left-arm spin troubling the batters out of the rough.Motie had conceded 16 runs in his first four overs, but eventually accounted for the last seven Zimbabwe wickets. His first victim was Milton Shumba inside-edging to short leg, after the left-hander skipped down to defend a ball turning into him. Two overs later, the slow turn away from the right-hander Tafadzwa Tsiga had him ballooning a catch to point. And in the 27th over, Craig Ervine was trapped in front when he missed an attempted sweep.When Wellington Masakadza inside-edged Motie to leg slip in the 29th over, Zimbabwe were 81 for 7, and he completed his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket by dismissing Brandon Mavuta. Perhaps trying to take the attack to the bowler, Mavuta tried to loft a flighted delivery that dipped around off stump. He got an outside edge that bounced off wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva’s pads towards slip, where Jermaine Blackwood caught it on the second attempt.Motie bowled all his 14.5 overs unchanged; his spell interrupted by only the lunch break.In their reply, West Indies lost captain Kraigg Brathwaite in the eighth over – also to the left-arm spin of Wellington Masakadza – but Raymon Reifer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul added 73 for the second wicket. Despite losing Chanderpaul for 36 – top-edging legspinner Mavuta to short fine leg – West Indies were well placed at 117 for 2 when a mix-up with Blackwood cost Reifer his wicket shortly after bringing up his half-century.The visitors also lost Blackwood to Mavuta before stumps, and finished the day on 133 for 4, leading by 18 runs.

Wout Weghorst has hit the headlines after taking a swipe at a camera following Ajax's incredible Eredivisie title collapse.

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Ajax lost title with one game to goPSV retain crown at rivals' expenseWeghorst lashed out in fury after hearing newsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ajax conceded a 99th-minute equaliser to FC Groningen on Wednesday, forfeiting their advantage over PSV at the top of the Eredivisie and putting the title in the grasp of their rivals. It meant Weghorst, Jordan Henderson and Co. needed to beat FC Twente on the final day – which they did – but hope PSV dropped points to Sparta Rotterdam. As the news filtered through that PSV were champions, Weghorst could not contain his anger as a cameraperson approached him for a close-up post-match.

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The Dutchman's anger is understandable considering the circumstances in which Ajax ceded the title. Their recent form has left fans stunned, winning just one of their final games and eventually missing out on the crown by a single point having held a nine-point lead at one stage.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WEGHORST AND AJAX?

Ajax have not won the Eredivisie since 2022 and must regroup ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Weghorst will likely be part of the squad for next season, with his contract running until 2026.

Phil Parkinson is being tipped to be awarded the Freedom of the Borough by Wrexham after guiding the club into the Championship.

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• Wrexham seal third straight promotion
• Parkinson hailed for his work as manager
• Could be recommended for honour

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham's success has already seen owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney handed the Freedom of the Borough. That honour could also soon be bestowed on manager Parkinson. The Wrexham boss has guided the team from the National League to the Championship, and his work may be about to be recognised.

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  According to Wrexham.com, the Executive Board will consider recommending Parkinson is granted the honour for his role in the club's recent success. Recommendations are then considered at a later meeting and need a two-thirds majority – from the 56 councillors – to go through.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Councillor Mark Pritchard said: “In 2022 the council granted freedom of the county borough to the club’s owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. It now seems fitting to have a similar discussion about granting the same honour to Phil Parkinson, as he’s done an incredible job in taking the team from National League to Championship football over the past three seasons. What the club has achieved is phenomenal – not just in terms of success on the pitch, but also in terms of the knock-on effect for the city as a whole. It’s given Wrexham renewed confidence.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Parkinson is currently enjoying a well-deserved break after another promotion-winning season with Wrexham. While the players have jetted off to Las Vegas, Parkinson has admitted he won't be heading to Sin City and will instead by turning off his phone and enjoying a relaxing break instead.

Matt Henry will be back for the second Test against England, as hosts seek to level the series after defeat in Mount Maunganui

Deivarayan Muthu21-Feb-2023New Zealand allrounder Daryl Mitchell rues the “small moments” that slipped away from their grasp in the first Test in Mount Maunganui, but insists that there isn’t a gulf between his team and England.”If you looked into that third innings, I think we had them six down for 230-240 – I’m not sure of the exact numbers – but if we had taken a couple of quick wickets, the game could have been a lot different,” Mitchell said after arriving in Wellington for the second Test.”So, for us, it’s actually not too far away. It’s sticking true to who we are as Kiwis and Blackcaps, and what’s worked for us for a number of years now. Yeah, we are missing a couple of small moments now, which is disappointing, but we also know that’s the nature of Test cricket, and it’s not always going to go your way, and it can be a bloody hard game at times. But we also know we are not too far away.”Related

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One of those small moments was New Zealand allowing England get away to 374 in their second innings after they were 237 for 6. England’s innings had threatened to spiral out of control when Joe Root fell to the reverse sweep for the second time in the Test at the stroke of tea on day three. But a composed half-century from Ben Foakes, and swift cameos from captain Ben Stokes and No. 9 Ollie Robinson powered England that far.Stuart Broad then tore through New Zealand’s top order under the Mount Maunganui floodlights to put the fourth-innings chase of 394 well beyond the hosts’ reach.New Zealand coach Gary Stead lamented New Zealand’s inability to throw the sucker-punch during that passage of play, which changed the mood and tempo of the game.”I thought there were times through this Test we did that really, really well,” Stead said. “I think in that second innings when they were 230 [237] for 6, if we could’ve bowled them out in the next hour, then we bat [for] a good period of time in the daylight as well with the softer ball. They are the little variables that affected us in this Test match, but looking forward to the challenge that’s ahead because we know that’s a big challenge.”Matt Henry is in, and Jacob Duffy is out for the second Test at the Basin Reserve•Getty ImagesNew Zealand suffered a big blow ahead of the Wellington Test, with Kyle Jamieson ruled out for another three to four months with a suspected recurrence of a back injury. So far, they have also resisted the urge to recall Trent Boult, who has handed back his New Zealand central contract, with Stead backing the current group to bounce back against England.”They [England] are obviously playing very, very good cricket,” Stead said. “I think they’ve won 10-11 of their last 12 Tests, and they’re on a bit of a roll and playing with some real confidence. I don’t think it’s unfair to say we’re probably lacking a little bit of that confidence at the moment because you don’t get the results.”But I can assure you that the faith is still with the group of these guys. We believe that these are our best cricketers, and we’re going to put everything behind them to make sure we can go out there in Wellington and really some throw punches back at England as well.”

“The Basin always has a great crowd, and playing against England… the style of cricket they’ve been playing is an exciting one to watch”Matt Henry is looking forward to return to action

New Zealand, however, will be boosted by the return of Matt Henry, who has linked up with the squad after his partner Holly gave birth to their daughter last week. Henry is set to directly slot into the XI at the Basin Reserve in place of either Scott Kuggeleijn or Blair Tickner.”He’s obviously a seasoned bowler in international cricket now,” Mitchell said of Henry. “It’s awesome that he has just had the birth of his little girl, and I know he’ll be excited to come and join this group and hopefully take some wickets, which will be awesome. And yeah, I’m sure he’ll be pretty proud to do that with his little girl watching on TV.”Matty is my domestic team-mate at Canterbury as well, so it’s always nice having him in this group. He’s a fierce competitor, he will keep running in for you, he’ll do the job. Look forward to having him back. I think we will all do our job and see what happens.”Reserve seamer Jacob Duffy and legspinner Ish Sodhi have been released from the Test squad for the four-day Plunket Shield competition that will resume this week.Henry looking forward to ‘taking it’ to England in WellingtonHenry is the top wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield this season, with 23 strikes in three games at an average of 11.69. But injury sidelined him from the ODIs in Pakistan and India. Having been passed fit, Henry is now looking forward to returning to action in front of a sell-out crowd at the Basin Reserve.”Not ideal with the injury – torn knee and everything,” Henry said. “So, it has been a bit of a rehab for the last few weeks. But it has been good; kind of ones of those ones where you look forward to playing some cricket. No better place to do it than the Basin.”Always well-supported here in Wellington. The Basin always has a great crowd and to hear it sold out for the first three days is amazing, and playing against England… the style of cricket they’ve been playing is an exciting one to watch as well. It has been cool to watch them play in that first game, and I’m sure everyone has learnt a lot from that first game as well and look forward to taking it to them come Friday.”The weather could play spoilsport in Wellington, with showers and strong winds predicted on the first day.

Pakistan is pondering resting captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the T20I series against Afghanistan later this month, as well as the series against New Zealand that follows. ESPNcricinfo understands the workload management of top players was a major point of discussion in a recent selection committee meeting, as they look ahead to a World Cup year as well as an Asia Cup before it.Each player’s workload was assessed in terms of matches played over the last two years, with the trio of Babar, Rizwan and Haris Rauf highlighted. Since January 2021, Rizwan has played 150 matches across formats (international and domestic cricket) – the most after Rashid Khan’s 157 – while Babar has played 127 and Rauf 125.It was suggested in the meeting that Pakistan consider resting players from the upcoming three T20Is against Afghanistan in Sharjah, as well as the five T20Is* against New Zealand that follow at home.Related

• Babar, Rizwan, Afridi, Fakhar and Haris rested for T20Is against Afghanistan

• Decision on Asia Cup venue postponed to March 2023

• Misbah on PCB rehiring Arthur: 'Slap on Pakistan cricket'

• PCB invites department teams to return to domestic cricket

With the next T20 World Cup more than a year away, the selection committee might look to bring in some newer faces for these series. Other than playing Afghanistan and New Zealand before the Asia Cup and the World Cup, Pakistan also play two away Tests in Sri Lanka in the middle of the year.However, the prospect of resting Babar will be a tricky one given that his all-format captaincy came under scrutiny during a difficult home season. While Shadab Khan is being looked at as a long-term vice-captain, the PCB is keen to explore other leadership options too, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, who ESPNcricinfo understands was consulted about the role.Afridi’s captaincy experience is limited to 22 T20s since he started leading Lahore Qalandars at the last PSL. In his very first season in charge, though, Afridi led Qalandars to the title, and has carried them into the playoffs this season too. He is also at the moment coming back from a knee injury that disrupted the last half-year, forcing him to miss the home series against England and New Zealand.The appointing of a captain doesn’t come under the selection committee in any case – that remains the board head’s prerogative.The captaincy question first came up in January, when the PCB had reviewed the national team’s structure after a disappointing home season in 2022-23. The new PCB management, headed by Najam Sethi, had then indicated their willingness to signal to players and coaches that they will “challenge the status quo if necessary”, and split the Pakistan captaincy across formats.And so these upcoming series are seen as a prime opportunity for the selection committee to install their suggested rotation policy. They are set to name the squad to face Afghanistan on Monday, and among the younger players to potentially feature are Saim Ayub, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir and Azam Khan. Imad Wasim, who last played for Pakistan in November 2021, is also in line for a call-up.*.

Her 30-ball 51 helped them score 162 before Kerr and Matthews spun a web around Giants.

Shashank Kishore14-Mar-2023

A little over a year ago, Harmanpreet Kaur felt as if pressure was gnawing at her from all sides. Her form had dipped, and what she brushed aside as a bad patch just wouldn’t end.Covid-19 and its after-effects that led to women’s cricket in the country coming to a standstill had also made matters worse. And when Harmanpreet found herself challenged upon resumption, she “went into a shell”.That’s when she sought out a sports psychologist to clear her mind and free herself up to be the fearless batter she was known to be, instead of playing with an inherent fear.Twelve months later, Harmanpreet is raising the bar and revelling in the freedom she seems to have given herself. It’s also the kind of freedom that comes with knowing she leads a group of highly skilled match-winners at Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women’s Premier League.On Thursday, like it has been all tournament, Harmanpreet was there for her team when they needed her. Mumbai had just lost Yastika Bhatia to a run out after a mix-up with her captain. At 84 for 3 in the 13th over, Mumbai needed an injection of momentum.And Harmanpreet’s knock did just that. Even if it wasn’t quite the showstopper, it had enough punch to help deliver a fifth straight win that has guaranteed Mumbai a playoff berth. For the record, they’re the only unbeaten team even as the competition has veered past the halfway mark.Harmanpreet had a massive role to play in ensuring they built on a solid foundation laid by Yastika and Nat Sciver-Brunt courtesy their 74-run stand after Hayley Matthews fell for a three-ball duck in the first over after Gujarat Giants elected to field.Harmanpreet Kaur has notched up three half-centuries so far in WPL 2023•BCCI

Her 51 off 30 balls had all the typical elements: the high backlift, the ferocious sweeps, deft touches and strong bottom hand. These helped her reel off seven fours and two sixes, both off Annabel Sutherland in the penultimate over.The first was a powerful heave over square leg off a high full toss, and the second a fine concoction of wrist work and timing as she stood deep in her crease and converted a yorker-length delivery into a half-volley that she whipped over the ropes.Before that, it was about her smarts. Harmanpreet peppered the very boundaries bowlers were dreading when they attempted to bowl wide outside off in an attempt to bowl outside her arc.She was able to do so by standing on middle-stump and then shuffling across to get close to the line and let her instincts take over. Then when she had the bowlers second-guessing, she outfoxed them by dabbing or cutting similar deliveries behind square on the off side.When in full flow, Harmanpreet can hit similar deliveries to different arcs. That’s pressure enough for the bowlers, even if they’re as skilled and experienced as Ashleigh Gardner, who in the final over found herself walloped to the leg-side boundary despite having three fielders patrolling the deep.The second ball of the final over was full on middle-and-off which Harmanpreet slog-swept into the gap between wide long-on and deep midwicket. Anticipating another shuffle to play a similar shot, Gardner tossed it up wider, only to see the ball scythed over extra cover as Harmanpreet raised a 29-ball half-century in the final over of the innings. It was her second straight fifty-plus score and third overall in the season.It helped Mumbai post 162, which seemed like 200 on a surface where their crafty spinners came into their own.Amelia Kerr, with her plethora of googlies and flippers, and Matthews, with her tactful use of angles and drift, ran riot. They picked up 4 for 38 between them in a passage of play that had Giants reeling at 57 for 6 by the 12th over. From there on, there was no way back for the Giants.In winning, Mumbai also became the first team in the WPL to successfully defend a score under 200.Mumbai celebrated, as did Royal Challengers Bangalore, who can still sneak through if the stars align, which, of course, begins with them winning each of their remaining three games.