Roma forward Mattias Soule has opened up about his relationship with Italian coach Massimiliano Allegri during their time together at Juventus. Soule admitted that while Allegri gives freedom in attacking areas, he reacts strongly to tactical mistakes. The attacker also shared an anecdote in which Allegri, as a disciplinary measure, insisted that he cut his long hair.

Soule's experience with Allegri

Soule made his senior debut at Juventus under Allegri in 2021 but was unable to break into the coach's starting XI, making 21 appearances under him across three seasons before he was loaned to Frosinone. He has since left to join Serie A rivals Roma, but reflected on his time with the current AC Milan boss with an interesting anecdote.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSoule's words on Allegri

In an interview with , Soule recalled an anecdote where Allegri disciplined him by asking him to cut his hair after he had dyed it blonde, saying: “At Juventus I had grown my hair long and dyed it blonde. The next day he told me I had to cut it or I might not show up again. I was little, and as soon as training was over, I immediately ran to the barber.”

Soule also remembered how strongly Allegri reacted to tactical mistakes, adding: “Allegri always kept me in mind, even though I didn't play much. He gives you complete freedom in attack, but if you make tactical mistakes, he goes crazy. Di Francesco and Gasperini are similar; they pay maximum attention to defence.”

Words of gratitude for Ranieni

Soule joined Roma from Juventus in 2024. While he had a difficult start to his Roma career under Daniele De Rossi, he flourished under Claudio Ranieri, scoring five goals and providing five assists in the 2024-25 season. Ranieri was named caretaker manager and was the club’s third coach in the 2024-25 season following the sackings of De Rossi and Ivan Juric. Ranieri steadied a Roma side languishing in 16th place when he took over and guided them to fifth in the table by the end of the season before stepping down and moving into a role in the club’s management.

Soule praised Ranieri for instilling confidence in him after a poor start to the campaign, saying: “I feel a lot of confidence, which I started to feel with Ranieri. Thanks to him, I've regained my calm; it was crucial. He'd see me in training and when I had the ball at my feet, he'd say: 'Do another pass…' He took me aside and told me to keep it simple. He gave me peace of mind and confidence.

“Playing as a full-back has helped me understand different situations.”

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AFPSoule's upcoming challenge and Champions League

The 22-year-old will hope to maintain his red-hot start to the season and help Roma secure a top-four finish to qualify for the Champions League. Roma will host Inter on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash.

The new BCB president Aminul Islam wishes to play a “quick T20 innings” in his limited time as the board chief, by using his vast coaching experience. Aminul had to take leave from working as an ICC development manager in Melbourne as he was elected as the 17th BCB chief by the rest of the board of directors during a meeting at the headquarters in Dhaka on Friday.Aminul, the former Bangladesh captain who is also Bangladesh’s first Test centurion, takes over from Faruque Ahmed, who was removed from the role after the country’s sports ministry cancelled his directorship late on Thursday evening. Aminul was reportedly contacted by the sports ministry last month when they offered him a position at the BCB, which ESPNcricinfo understands is for a limited time, mainly to oversee the next board elections. Aminul didn’t comment on the duration of his role, but said that he wants to use his time to raise the standard of Bangladesh cricket.”I have been elected as the BCB president, but it’s not for three months,” Aminul said. “As you know that I have worked in the ICC, where I learned a lot of things in management. They willingly told me to work for my country, so I am thankful to them. I don’t have any deal with the ICC that I will be away for two or three months. I will work here (as BCB president) based on my need. There’s no time frame.Related

• Faruque Ahmed removed as BCB president

• Aminul Islam elected new BCB president

“Tests are of five days, ODIs are seven hours. I am here to play a quick T20 innings. One that you will remember. I want to make the statement that cricket is for everyone.”Aminul said that his vast work experience of working with top cricketing nations and with the Associate and Affiliate teams will be useful in his effort to take cricket far and wide in Bangladesh. He reminded that decentralisation of cricket was one of Bangladesh’s first promises to the ICC when they got the Full Membership in 2000.”My skillset is a package,” he said. “I have worked in places like India and Pakistan, as well as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. I want to bring my experience from the Associate world [to the BCB], to do things like decentralisation of Bangladesh cricket. I will try to bring a young guy from a village to mainstream cricket with the confidence and belief.”Our first priority is to spread cricket around the country. It was our promise to the ICC when we got the Test status in 2000. We will have regional cricket bodies. The framework is ready, and we will discuss it at the board. We will have countrywide robust coaching system. We will try to bring competitiveness in every level of cricket to bring natural, raw talent.”Aminul further said at the press conference that he will work with the other board directors. His predecessor Faruque was reportedly instructed by the government high-ups to not engage the BCB directors, who were holdovers from the older Nazmul Hassan era.”I don’t have to work as hard [as a coach], but I will have to give directions,” he said. “I will have the help of the experienced directors. I will know more about cricket in Bangladesh, not just Bangladesh cricket. We are a team. I want to use everyone’s energy and experience to go forward. I believe that a cricket nation does well when it works together.”Aminul also said the board will investigate financial misappropriations that took place in the past, stressing on the need to have a chief financial officer. “We want to appoint a CFO, and keep our financial transactions as transparent as possible. BCB’s earning is for cricket; it is for the boy or girl who will be born after ten years. We want to use our funds in a better way. End of the day, we will definitely investigate [financial misappropriations],” Aminul said.

Glasgow Rangers finally got their first win of the season in the Scottish Premiership to alleviate some of the pressure on head coach Russell Martin.

The Light Blues had failed to win any of their first five matches in the division, their worst start to a league campaign in 47 years, but finally got three points on the board on Sunday.

Max Aarons scored in the 94th minute to win the match for the Ibrox giants after coming off the bench to strike, scoring his first goal for the club since his loan move in the summer.

How Max Aarons won the game for Rangers

The former England U21 international popped up with a crucial goal that was desperately needed, because the Grs were staring down the face of six games without a win to start the season.

As heard in the clip above, Martin needed a goal from that corner and that is exactly what he got when Aarons evaded his marker to smash home a brilliant finish on the spin.

It was a goal that a striker would have been proud of. The way he moved to get away from his marker and then the finish to find the bottom corner was textbook centre-forward play, but it came from a right-back.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Whilst Aarons was the player who scored the winner, it may have been Nicolas Raskin who just saved Martin’s job at Ibrox with his performance against Livingston.

How Nicolas Raskin may have saved Russell Martin's job

Ironically, after being left out of the matchday squad for games against Celtic and Hearts by the manager, the Belgium international may have saved his job by heavily contributing to the 2-1 win for the Light Blues.

Martin is under a lot of pressure from some supporters, who protested against him before during the recent League Cup win over Hibernian, due to the nature of the results and performances this season.

A sixth game without a league win, after losing 1-0 to Genk on Thursday night, could have put the manager’s position into major doubt, at least from the outside looking in, which is why beating Livingston feels like a big moment for Martin.

It was a win that was largely orchestrated by the quality of Raskin in the middle of the park, because he showcased his ability in and out of possession throughout the game.

Minutes

90

Pass accuracy

88%

Key passes

3

Big chances created

1

Penalties won

1

Duels won

8/14

Dribbled past

0x

As you can see in the table above, the former Standard Liege star won the majority of his defensive duels and was not dribbled past a single time, which shows that he was incredibly reliable and solid defensively.

On top of that, Raskin won the penalty that James Tavernier missed in the first half and created three chances for his teammates in total, the last of which was his excellent delivery from the corner that Aarons scored from.

The 23-year-old star, who earned an 8/10 player rating from IbroxNews, never stopped running from the first whistle to the last, closing down opposition players, making unselfish runs to stretch the game, bursting beyond his man to spark attacks.

It was a terrific performance that was full of energy, grit, determination, and quality. Things that the team’s overall performances this season have been lacking.

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If Martin keeps his job and goes on to be a success at Ibrox, he may have Raskin to thank for his match-winning performance in midfield against Livingston in this game.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians tenta juntar os cacos após a dolorosa eliminação diante do São Paulo na semifinal da Copa do Brasil, e a partida deste sábado (19), contra o Cruzeiro, pode representar uma guinada na temporada do Timão no Brasileirão.

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+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

Durante todo o primeiro turno do Brasileirão, o Corinthians flertou contra o rebaixamento, inclusive ficando algumas rodadas no Z4. Uma vitória diante da Raposa não vai colocar o Alvinegro na parte de cima da tabela, mas deixará a equipe mais perto do G6 do que a “zona da confusão”. Há a possibilidade do Timão abrir oito pontos do Z4 e ficar cinco do G6.

Vanderlei Luxemburgo vem batendo na tecla que o foco do clube é buscar uma vaga na Libertadores através do Campeonato Brasileiro, e o discurso foi repetido pelo presidente Duílio Monteiro Alves após a derrota no Majestoso.

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Contudo, Luxa decidiu poupar seis titulares para o duelo contra o Cruzeiro: Gil, Murillo, Fábio Santos, Maycon, Renato Augusto e Yuri Alberto.

+ Veja tabela e simule os jogos do Timão no Brasileirão

TABU

Além da oportunidade de se aproximar do “pelotão de cima” no Brasileirão, uma vitória contra o Cruzeiro representaria o fim de um longo tabu diante dos mineiros.

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O Timão não vence um jogo oficial como visitante diante da Raposa desde 2015. A vitória veio no Brasileirão daquele ano, com gol de Romero.

Desde então, foram quatro derrotas e dois empates quando o Corinthians enfrentou o Cruzeiro como visitante.

Glasgow Rangers chiefs Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell must work alongside the owners to find a new head coach to lead the Ibrox giants into a new era.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh and Vice-Chairman Paraag Marathe penned an open letter to supporters on Monday that explained that they will be heavily involved in finding the next manager, which shows that they are not hiding away and allowing others to be solely responsible for it.

A change was made in the dugout at Ibrox after the previous manager only won five of his 17 matches in charge of the Glasgow-based outfit, conceding 24 goals in that time.

German manager is keen on taking the Rangers job

The Light Blues bosses have two weeks to identify their new head coach because of the October international break, with their next game coming against Dundee United the Saturday after next.

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According to the Daily Record, Steven Gerrard has doubts about a return to Ibrox because of the quality of the squad and his desire to take some time away from management.

The same report, though, adds that former Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl would be keen on taking the Rangers job if offered the chance to get back into management.

It states that the German tactician and former Everton boss Sean Dyche would both be interested in landing the role, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Gers are keen on either of them.

Why Danny Rohl could be the next Steven Gerrard

Rangers took a big gamble when they appointed Gerrard in 2018 because he had only coached at youth team level, with Liverpool, and had not won anything as a senior manager.

However, he had a plethora of experience at the very top level of the game, as a player for Liverpool and then in an elite coaching environment at Liverpool’s academy, which helped him to instill a winning mentality that led to winning the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership title.

Rohl, whose work with Sheffield Wednesday was hailed as “outstanding” by reporter Phil Buckingham, could follow in Gerrard’s footsteps as another relatively unproven manager who has plenty of experience in elite environments.

The 36-year-old tactician, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation (Transfermarkt), steered the Owls clear of relegation in both of his seasons at the helm in Yorkshire, but it is his posts before becoming a first-team manager that may attract Rangers to him.

Danny Rohl’s coaching career

Team

Role

Matches

Sheffield Wednesday

Manager

89

Germany national team

Assistant manager

25

Bayern Munich

Assistant manager

101

Southampton

Assistant manager

24

RB Leipzig

Assistant manager

83

RB Leipzig

Video analyst

15

RB Leipzig U17s

Assistant manager

29

Via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Rohl has worked for Bayern Munich, Germany, and RB Leipzig, which means that he has worked at some top clubs and one of the best footballing nations in the world.

Like Gerrard, he would arrive at Ibrox with a knowledge of how to win at an elite level, having been at Bayern, a winning machine, for over 100 matches as an assistant.

Rohl’s exceptional experiences as a coach in multiple elite environments have prepared him for management, as illustrated by Jack Hunt’s insight into his fantastic coaching ability during his time with Sheffield Wednesday.

The German head coach may not be a flashy or big-name appointment that is likely to excite supporters, given his lack of experience in senior management, but his overall career in the game and his impressive stint with the Owls suggest that he could be an excellent option.

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Gerrard is, inarguably, the best Rangers manager in modern history, the only one to win a title since they returned to the Premiership, and Rohl could follow in his footsteps when you consider his coaching career.

The tour consists of a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth one-day series and two multi-day matches in June-July

Sreshth Shah22-May-2025

Ayush Mhatre has gained experience playing first-class cricket for Mumbai in the 2024-25 season•PTI

Ayush Mhatre, the 17-year-old teenager who had a sparkling first-class debut with Mumbai and with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, will captain the India Under-19 team that will travel to England for a multi-format tour in June-July 2025. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old from Bihar and Rajasthan Royals opener, is also part of the 16-member squad.The tour will see India Under-19 play England Under-19 in a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth one-day series and two multi-day matches. Wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu, from Mumbai, will be the vice-captain.Vihaan Malhotra from Punjab, who has opened the batting with Suryavanshi in the past, is also part of the squad. Others to represent India U-19 previously are wicketkeeper-batter Harvansh Pangalia of Saurashtra, Bengal seamer Yudhajit Guha, Kerala legspinner Mohamed Enaan and Punjab offspinner Anmoljeet Singh.Enaan was the highest wicket-taker (16) in the two Youth Tests against Australia U19 while Anmoljeet (nine) was second. Pangalia struck a century – 117 – in that series too.Khilan Patel, the allrounder from Gujarat who was Player of the Series in the Cooch Behar Trophy – the domestic Under-19 four-dayer tournament – on the back of his left-arm spin bowling and batting has earned a call-up too. The others in the squad are Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Pranav Raghavendra and Aditya Rana.The standby players are Naman Pushpak, D Deepesh, Vedant Trivedi, Vikalp Tiwari and wicketkeeper Alankrith Rapole. The squad was selected by the Junior Cricket Committee, which is currently led by Thilak Naidu.India Under-19s warm-up game will be played on June 24 at Loughborough University. The five-match youth ODIs will be played across Hove, Northampton and Worcester between June 27 and July 7. The first multi-day contest starts on July 15 in Beckenham and the second multi-day contest will be played at Chelmsford starting July 20.Age wise, all the players in this squad are eligible for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year. Since the previous edition of the Under-19 World Cup, this will be the third engagement for the Under-19 side, having hosted Australia Under-19 at home in 2024, followed by the U-19 Asia Cup where they finished runner-up last year.India U-19 squad: Ayush Mhatre (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (vice-capt, wk), Harvansh Pangalia (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohamed Enaan, Aditya Rana, Anmoljeet Singh

It feels like it’s a bit late to say the wheels have come off for West Ham United.

The Hammers were knocked out of the League Cup in the second round and have lost four of their five Premier League games, by a combined score of 5-13.

It felt like it was more a matter of when, rather than if, Graham Potter was replaced in the London Stadium dugout.

Lo and behold, despite being put in front of the press on Friday afternoon ahead of their clash with Everton on Monday, he was given the boot on Saturday morning.

Nuno Santo was quickly announced as his replacement but with only a couple of days of training before the clash with the Toffees, it will be interesting to see if the Portuguese makes many widespread changes.

James Ward-Prowse could be one player who drops out as Nuno chases a debut win.

Why Ward-Prowse has to be dropped

West Ham spent around £30m to bring Ward-Prowse to the London Stadium in the summer of 2023, and considering he was sent on an unsuccessful short-term loan to Nottingham Forest last year, it’s been a failure of a move.

However, while the fans were desperate for Potter to drop the former Southampton star from the lineup, he continued to persist with the Englishman, something that arguably played a hand in his sacking.

The 11-capped Englishman has had a brilliant career in the top-flight, and there was a point at which his deadball abilities made him a genuine threat for the Saints, but those days are long gone.

Instead, the 30-year-old is now more of a hindrance in the middle of the park than anything else, unable to offer much in attack and not being anywhere near mobile enough to help out in defence.

We saw this duel problem on full display against Crystal Palace, as even though he took 61 touches and completed 41 passes, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.25.

Minutes

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

61

Accurate Passes

41/48 (85%)

Crosses (Accurate)

5 (1)

Shots on Target

0

Ground Duels (Won)

6 (1)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (0)

Lost Possession

14

Fouls

3

Dribbled Past

2

On top of that, he lost five out of six ground duels, all three aerial duels, was dribbled past twice, lost possession 14 times and gave away three fouls.

It was a horror show, and one that should see him nowhere near the starting lineup for quite some time, especially as West Ham have a new midfielder who could come in and surely do a better job.

West Ham's ideal Ward-Prowse replacement

While there are a few options Nuno could go with on Monday evening, he has to start Soungoutou Magassa in place of Ward-Prowse.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former AS Monaco ace is certainly still young and somewhat inexperienced compared to the Englishman, but he deserves a chance to show the fans what he can do tonight.

More importantly, though, he offers something the former Saints star no longer can: dynamism and quality.

According to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the 21-year-old is blessed with a combination of “pure athleticism” and an ability to “spray passes wide out to the wings” because his “passing range is top.”

Moreover, Mattinson has claimed that “defensively there’s a high potential” in the youngster, which is borne out in his underlying numbers.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Ligue 1 last season for dribblers tackled, tackles plus interceptions, and ball recoveries, as well as the top 5% for tackles won and more, all per 90 minutes.

He also put up some promising attacking numbers as well, ranking in the top 9% for successful take-on percentage and the top 17% for passes into the final third, also per 90.

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

2.37

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

2.20

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

4.04

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.97

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

7.90

Top 1%

Tackles

4.13

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.84

Top 4%

Tackles Won

2.20

Top 5%

Successful Take-On %

65.2%

Top 9%

Touches (Mid 3rd)

45.57

Top 12%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.53

Top 16%

Passes into Final Third

5.88

Top 17%

Switches

0.61

Top 17%

Aerials Won

1.14

Top 12%

In short, while he is nowhere near the finished product, the “elegant” Frenchman, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, already appears to be a better player than Ward-Prowse.

Therefore, for Nuno to elevate the chances of claiming all three points, he should drop the 30-year-old and start Magassa.

Over recent years, Tottenham Hotspur have been lucky enough to have multiple top-level strikers on their books, subsequently giving the fanbase numerous incredible memories.

Harry Kane undoubtedly tops that list, scoring 280 times for the Lilywhites – cementing himself as the highest goalscorer in their history, taking the record off the late Jimmy Greaves.

However, other players haven’t been as impressive, with Roberto Soldado struggling to produce the goods during his own stint in the first team in North London.

The Spaniard joined the club back in the summer of 2013, costing a whopping £26m – a figure that was a club record during those years under Daniel Levy.

However, he only scored 16 times in his 76 appearances for the club, leaving two years later for a measly £10m and losing £16m on their previous investment.

This summer, current boss Thomas Frank has made a move to land his own centre-forward, but the player will undoubtedly be hoping to have a similar impact to the former rather than the latter.

What Spurs can expect from Kolo Muani

In a summer transfer window littered with multiple £50m+ additions, Spurs also made various loan deals to help make an immediate improvement to the current squad.

Joao Palhinha was added to the midfield department earlier in the transfer window, joining on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

However, on deadline day, Frank’s side also clinched the signing of PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan – despite huge rumours linking him with a return to Juventus.

The 26-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at the Serie A outfit, netting 10 goals in just 22 appearances – subsequently getting his career back on track.

He joined PSG in a £76m deal back in 2023, but only scored 11 times in two seasons, before falling down the pecking order – leading to his temporary spells away from the Ligue 1 outfit.

However, he’s showcased in his recent spell in Italy that he’s capable of thriving with regular minutes, registering 70 goals in the professional game over the last five years.

The former Spurs player who’s outscored Kolo Muani

As previously mentioned, the centre-forward position has been a troubled one for Spurs since Kane departed in 2023, with record-signing Dominic Solanke struggling with his fitness since his own move in 2024.

The Lilywhites forked out £65m for his signature, but he’s only managed 16 goals for the club to date – with injuries halting his progress in North London.

The Englishman has been restricted to just 31 minutes of Premier League action so far in 2025/26, opening the door for Kolo Muani to stake his claim for a regular starting role.

However, former strikers at Spurs have also struggled to match the expectations put upon them, given the stature of the club – none more so than Vincent Janssen.

He joined the club in a £18.6m deal from AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2016, with such a move generating excitement after the Dutchman ended the previous year as the Eredivisie’s top scorer.

During his first campaign in England, the striker only managed to net six goals – only two of which were in the Premier League – ultimately struggling to match the expectations he arrived with.

Janssen would subsequently be sent out on loan to Turkish side Fenerbahce, a move that would spell the end of his stint with the Lilywhites – only making three appearances upon his return to the club.

The stats & finances of Vincent Janssen’s Spurs career
Statistics	Tally
Transfer Fee	£18.6m
Wages	£2.75m
Total	£21.3m
Appearances	42
Cost per appearance	£507k
Goals	6
Cost per goal	£3.5m
Assists	4
Cost per assist	£5.3m
Goal involvements	10
Cost per goal involvement	£2.1m
Stats via Transfermarkt & Capology

Such failures in England led to former striker Gary Lineker dubbing the Dutchman as “ a poor man’s Roberto Soldado” – a damning statement given the Spaniard’s own failures in North London.

However, in recent years, the 31-year-old has recaptured his best form away from England – now plying his trade for Belgian side Royal Antwerp, helping his current employers qualify for the Champions League.

He registered 13 goals across all competitions in 2024/25, subsequently outscoring new addition Kolo Muani (12) – highlighting his impressive form after his failed stint in the Premier League.

There’s no denying that the hierarchy made the right call in allowing Janssen to depart the club, with his transfer certainly one to forget given his lack of tangible impact.

However, Kolo Muani will be hoping to not emulate his disappointing spell in North London, undoubtedly wanting to hit the ground running in the clash against West Ham United on Saturday night.

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Former England opener’s 54-ball blitz set 147 but the hosts eased home with 13 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-May-2025

Tom Abell celebrates after getting his side over the line•Getty Images

Somerset 147 for 5 (Smeed 35, Abell 29*, Majid 2-26) beat Surrey 146 for 9 (Roy 92, Henry 3-21) by five wicketsSomerset continued to hold sway over Surrey, beating their arch rivals by five wickets in an entertaining Vitality Blast curtain-raiser at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.Looking to avenge their defeat to the Cider county in last season’s semi-final, the Londoners were on the receiving end of a strong batting and bowling display as Somerset gave their short format campaign lift-off in front of a raucous sell-out crowd.Put into bat, Surrey lost wickets at regular intervals and were indebted to Jason Roy, who smashed a brilliant 92 from 54 balls, smiting six fours and seven sixes in a whirlwind knock that served to carry his side to 146 for 9. Otherwise, Somerset’s bowlers called the shots, overseas stars Matt Henry and Riley Meredith claiming 3 for 21 and 3 for 26 respectively to keep their rivals in check.Will Smeed scored 35, hit four fours and a six and shared in stands of 45 and 44 with Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore for the first and second wickets respectively, while Tom Abell contributed an assured unbeaten 29 and Ben Green a quickfire 23 not out as the home side reached their target with 13 balls to spare.Somerset boast a formidable seam bowling attack and Henry made an immediate impact from the River end, inducing Dom Sibley to chip to mid-on in the second over. Demonstrating clever variation, Craig Overton then sent down a maiden to apply further pressure.If Ollie Pope was becalmed, Roy made amends, hoisting Overton over mid-wicket for a huge six to break the shackles and then playing a back-foot force through the covers to afford the innings overdue impetus. Henry checked Surrey progress in the sixth, Pope directing a top edge to short mid-wicket and departing for a 12-ball five as the powerplay yielded an underwhelming 30 for 2.But Roy remains a potent force and he overcame a diffident start to stage a restorative stand with Sam Curran, who adopted the role of chief support in helping advance the score to 66 for 2 at halfway. Now at his fluent best, Roy went to a 31-ball 50, pulling a Meredith bouncer high over square leg for his third six of an increasingly authoritative innings.The third wicket stand was worth 57 when Curran tried his luck against Green and holed out to Thomas Rew at deep mid-wicket for 22 with the score 85 for 3 in the thirteenth. Unconstrained by his captain’s demise, Roy helped himself to sixes at the expense of Goldsworthy and Gregory as he powered towards three figures.He enjoyed a slice of good fortune on 71, holing out to backward square, only to be reprieved when Gregory was adjudged to have over-stepped. Gregory persisted and had Laurie Evans held at long-on later in the same over as Surrey slipped to 107 for 4. Overton again demonstrated safe hands to dismiss Tom Curran for nine, Henry returning at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion end to further reduce Surrey to 119 for 5.Meredith removed Ollie Sykes, pouched on the deep mid-wicket boundary and Green had Chris Jordan caught at long-on. But the indefatigable Roy responded by twice lofting Green over mid-wicket for six to move into the nineties. He was eight runs short of a hundred when he hit Meredith high into the air and holed out to mid-off in the final over.If Somerset’s batsmen needed reassurance, Smeed and Banton provided it in an opening stand of 45 in six overs to afford the reply solid foundations. Squared up by Sam Curran, Banton skied a catch to backward point and fell for 23, but Smeed immediately picked up the cudgels, greeting Yousef Majid’s slow left arm with an imposing six over fine leg to keep the scoreboard moving.Tom Kohler-Cadmore matched Smeed blow for blow, pulling Nathan Smith for a majestic six over square leg and helping himself to a trio of fours in a violent 10-ball knock of 23, adding 44 in 3.3 overs for the second wicket before losing off stump to Tom Curran.Sam Curran bowled Smeed for a 29-ball 35 in the next over, at which point Somerset were 98 for 3, requiring a further 49 to win at less than a run a ball. Rew’s debut lasted five balls, the youngster held at long-on off the bowling of Yousef, who then removed Gregory to reduce the home side to 112 for 5 in the fourteenth and give Surrey a glimmer of hope.Abell and Green calmed any nerves, these two batting sensibly in an unbroken sixth wicket alliance of 35 to see their side over the line. Green finished with a flourish, taking Jordan for a six and four in the seventeenth over on his way to 23 not out from 16 balls.

With Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed unavailable due to injury for Bangladesh’s T20I series against Pakistan starting Wednesday, their head coach Phil Simmons expects the rest of the pace attack to step up.Taskin is suffering from an ankle injury that has kept him out of competitive cricket for the last two months, while Mustafizur picked up a thumb injury in his last IPL 2025 game for Delhi Capitals last week.”You miss your senior seamers,” Simmons said on the sidelines of Bangladesh’s training session in Lahore on Monday evening. “As we saw, how Fizz (Mustafizur) was bowling in the IPL then. We will miss him. It is also a chance for somebody to take his place in this series. Let’s hope one of the bowlers decide that he wants to fill in for Fizz in this series. Our bowling is usually our stronger suit in this format. But having two senior bowlers, Taskin and Fizz, out, then it balances off.”Bangladesh’s selectors have called up Khaled Ahmed to replace Mustafizur, although they didn’t pick a replacement for Nahid Rana who has opted out of the tour due to personal reasons. Apart from Khaled, Bangladesh have Tanzim Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam in the squad. They’ve also added Mehidy Hasan Miraz to replace the injured Soumya Sarkar, in a bid to bolster their bowling attack.Related

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Simmons said that the team mood is upbeat despite the 2-1 defeat against UAE and expects the side to bounce back in Lahore to win the three-match series.”It was difficult to lose the series in UAE, but then sometimes that lifts you up. Our morale has been great, so we are hopeful (the result in UAE) will lift us up,” he said. “I think there’s always a great chance of winning the series. People keep saying Pakistan are not playing well. Again, it is about what happens on the day. We have a good chance of winning the series here. We are working hard very hard to try to improve in all aspects. Hopefully we get better in this series.”Simmons also welcomed new fast-bowling coach Shaun Tait into the setup. Tait joined the side in Lahore for his first assignment after being given the appointment for two years. Simmons said that he will get a fair understanding of how the Pakistan players performed in the PSL as both Tait and Mushtaq Ahmed, Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, worked in the tournament with Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, respectively.”I think he [Tait] will be brilliant not just for the bowlers, but for the team in general. We will assess the situation here. Mushy was in the PSL right through so we will get information from him and make our decisions,” Simmons added.Despite the loss of experienced players in the fast-bowling front, Bangladesh are still banking on their seamers to bring them a good result in Pakistan. They struggled against the UAE big-hitters last week, struggling to grip the ball in the Sharjah dew. The onus will now be on Shoriful as he is the senior among the bowling group and looked to be among the better Bangladesh seamers in the UAE.Bangladesh play the first match against Pakistan on May 28, followed by matches on May 30 and June 1. All matches will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium.