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Fast bowler claims England made all the running at Edgbaston and will come harder at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2023

Ollie Robinson has stepped up his war of words with Australia’s cricket establishment by claiming it is the visitors who will have to change their ways to keep up with England’s Bazballers in the second Test at Lord’s, despite Australia having taken the series lead with their two-wicket win at Edgbaston this week.Writing in his new column for Wisden.com, Robinson said he was surprised by Australia’s unwillingness “to go toe-to-toe with us”, adding that Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, had told the team in his post-match address that they had made all the running in the game and that “it feels like we’ve won, lads”.”He just said, “Lads, I’m immensely proud of the efforts that you’ve put in, we’ve made the game what it was,” Robinson related. “We were so close to pulling off an unbelievable victory. We played all the cricket in the game. If it wasn’t for us, the Australians wouldn’t have even had a chance to win.”Robinson added: “We’re trying to create memories and be that team that everyone still speaks about in 20-30 years’ time. We’ve entertained the world, and we’ve put the Aussies on the back foot. For him to say that after a loss is quite significant for us.”Robinson’s comments come after his run-in with Usman Khawaja during the Edgbaston Test, in which he had told him “f**k off, you f***ing prick” after bowling him for 141 in the first innings, before James Anderson had to pull him away from another confrontation during his second-innings 65.Those incidents, and Robinson’s mid-match remark that he “doesn’t care” what people think of his on-field attitude, drew an angry retort from Australia’s former opening bat, Matthew Hayden, who described him as a “forgettable cricketer”, and suggested that his opinions were not in keeping with his talents.Related

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“He’s a fast bowler that is bowling 124kph nude nuts and he’s got a mouth from the south,” Hayden told SEN Radio in Australia. “Someone like him, you can just go, ‘Brother, I’m coming at ya’. Davey Warner can do that, right. He can just say, ‘You’re bowling 120′.”Hayden’s former captain, Ricky Ponting – whom Robinson had referenced as an example of a previous Ashes sledger – also took aim at his comments.”This England cricket team hasn’t played against Australia, and they’ll find out pretty quickly what playing Ashes cricket and playing against a good Australian cricket team is all about,” Ponting said on an ICC podcast. “And if Robinson hasn’t learned that already after last week, then he’s a slow learner.”On the Khawaja incident, Robinson told Wisden.com: “I didn’t realise the Ussie send-off was such a big thing until I got off the pitch to find my phone blowing up with mates texting me and it all going off.””I just got caught up in the moment,” he added. “I was desperate for a wicket; I hadn’t bowled that well in the first innings. Obviously Ussie was the big wicket, he was playing beautifully. It was nothing against Ussie, it was just one of those things, I got caught up in the moment and let myself go.”It was certainly an interesting week for me, taking Broady’s mantle as Australia’s public enemy number one!” Robinson added, referencing a tweet from Fox Cricket that described him as the “No.1 villain”.Broad – whose refusal to walk in the Trent Bridge Test in 2013 was the major flashpoint of that year’s Ashes action – responded to the same tweet, saying: “No1 Villain?! I can’t have lost that tag already can I?! Disappointing.”Looking ahead to next week’s second Test at Lord’s, Robinson added that England “know what’s at stake” but promised that “you’re going to see us come harder and harder” in their bid to turn around the scoreline and win the Ashes for the first time since 2015.”It’s not just the game and the result on the line, but also the faith that we’re asking the English public to have in us for playing in this new way,” he added. “I have faith in this team that, even if we went 2-0 down, we could still win 3-2, because of the style of cricket that we’re playing.”

Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh gave KKR a chance after SRH put up the biggest total of the season so far, but they fell well short in the end

Hemant Brar14-Apr-20232:28

Moody: Brook is a sensational talent in all formats

Harry Brook put behind a string of low scores with an unbeaten 55-ball 100 that included imperious hitting against pace and calculated strike rotation against spin. Aiden Markram was equally destructive, scoring 50 off 26 balls, as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 228 for 4, the highest total of IPL 2023 so far.In response, Kolkata Knight Riders were 96 for 5 in the 11th over and in need of a miracle for the third game in a row. Nitish Rana’s 41-ball 75 kept their hopes alive, and with 58 required from the last three overs, they had Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur – their miracle-makers from the previous two games – in the middle. Rinku fought hard with an unbeaten 58 off 31 but this time, it wasn’t to be.Brook shows his classComing into this game, Brook had 29 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 74.35. But one felt it was only a matter of time before he stepped up. On Friday, he started by hitting the first ball of the innings, bowled by Umesh Yadav, through the covers for four. He picked up two more fours in the over, pulling and scooping the bowler with little fuss.Against Lockie Ferguson, he exposed his stumps and dispatched a slow full toss to the cover boundary. He used the same strategy in Umesh’s next over with even better returns – two back-to-back sixes. Thanks to Brook, Sunrisers raced to 43 for no loss in three overs.Russell’s double-strikeAndre Russell hadn’t bowled this season so far, but it took him just one ball to make an impact. While Brook seemed unstoppable, Mayank Agarwal was struggling. Russell ended his agony by having him caught at short third for 9 off 13 balls. Rahul Tripathi hit a couple of fours but ended up top-edging a pull on the last ball of the over, giving Russell his second wicket.Aiden Markram took out his big strokes when Harry Brook slowed down•Associated Press

Markram takes overIn their spinners, Knight Riders found a way to keep Brook quiet. In the first six overs of the innings, Brook had smashed five fours and two sixes. In the next eight – seven of which were bowled by the spinners – he didn’t find a single boundary, and instead focused on rotating the strike.That, though, didn’t mean Knight Riders could breathe easy. Markram took the baton and ransacked 42 off 22 balls against the spinners. He was severe on Suyash Sharma, in particular, taking him for two sixes and a four in the 12th over of the innings. In the next over, he hit successive balls from Varun Chakravarthy for a four and a six, the second shot bringing up his half-century off 25 balls. He tried to go big on the next ball as well but holed out at deep midwicket.Brook brings up his hundredIn the 15th over, Knight Riders re-introduced seam in the form of Ferguson. And Brook was back hitting boundaries, sending the bowler for four fours and a six in a 23-run over. Abhishek Sharma, meanwhile, took over Markram’s role and looted 32 off 16 against spin. He didn’t even spare Sunil Narine, hitting him for a four and a six in the 17th over. Those were the only two boundaries Narine conceded in his 4-0-28-0. Abhishek faced just one ball of pace, and was out on that.Brook kept picking up the occasional boundary, and moved to 95 off 52 with one over left. He was tiring by then but found just enough energy to hobble a couple of twos and a single to bring up his hundred.1:59

Did KKR get their plan for Narine’s overs wrong?

Knight Riders start poorlyBhuvneshwar Kumar dealt Knight Riders an early blow when Rahmanullah Gurbaz sliced the third ball of the chase to deep third. In the fourth over, Marco Jansen dented them further by removing Venkatesh Iyer and Narine off successive deliveries. Iyer, who came in as Impact Player for Suyash, hit a couple of boundaries before miscuing one to Markram at mid-on. Narine was cramped for room and was also taken at mid-on, leaving Knight Riders 20 for 3.Nitish Rana’s counter-attackIt looked like Knight Riders would surrender without a fight, but their captain Rana resuscitated the chase. In the sixth over, he hit Umran Malik for 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 6. Not every shot came off the middle of the bat, but the 28-run over helped Knight Riders end the powerplay on a solid 62 for 3.N Jagadeesan gave Rana good support with his 36 off 21 before Mayank Markande had him caught at deep midwicket. Russell, who had walked off twice during the first innings with cramps, didn’t last long either, holing out in the legspinner’s next over.At that stage, Knight Riders needed 133 in 9.5 overs. Rana and Rinku kept the fight on, adding 69 in 6.2 overs for the sixth wicket. The pair was also helped by some lapses in the field – both Rana and Rinku were dropped once each, and later, Thakur was dropped twice.With 70 needed from 23 balls, Rana got two full tosses in a row from T Natarajan. He smashed the first one for a six but ended up hitting the second to sweeper cover, where Washington Sundar held on to the chance.Rinku hit three fours off Natarajan in the 19th over to reduce the equation to 32 needed off six, but as Rana himself said after the game, miracles don’t happen every game.

Liverpool have never struggled for stylish attacking players. The Anfield side’s long and storied history is paved with the toil of so many free-scoring forwards.

From Ian Rush to Robbie Fowler to Luis Suarez to Mohamed Salah, the Reds have been treated to some of the very best. Salah is the current superstar, scoring against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening to take his bloated tally to 237 – with 106 assists besides – across 383 Liverpool appearances.

1.

Ian Rush

653

339

2.

Roger Hunt

464

271

3.

Mohamed Salah

383

237

4.

Billy Liddell

489

203

5.

Steven Gerrard

710

186

Described as a “Premier League legend” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher earlier in the 2024/25 campaign, the Egyptian is supercharging Arne Slot’s campaign, chasing down titles across all four fronts.

Slot wields a dynamic and talented strikeforce, but Salah is the cream of the crop. Conversely, Darwin Nunez is still struggling to live up to the club-record price tag,

Darwin Nunez's season in numbers

Liverpool signed Nunez before the 2022/23 season for a record fee rising to £85m, but he has failed to provide Anfield with the attacking edge that they needed.

Luckily, it hasn’t detracted from the overall success of Liverpool’s frontline, but with just six goals across all competitions this season and confirmed interest from Saudi Arabian suitors throughout the January transfer window, time may well be running out for the Uruguay international to leave an indelible mark on English football.

He’s flattered to deceive for much of his Premier League career. As per Sofascore, Nunez has missed a staggering 50 big chances in the division since signing for Liverpool, having only scored 24 goals.

But the durability. The commitment to the cause. Nunez blanked against Spurs as Liverpool stepped into the Carabao Cup final but he was highly effective, bringing it all together and dancing in the face of adversity.

He’s got a part to play, alright. However, when taking Nunez’s exorbitant transfer fee into account, it would take a brazen supporter to argue that he’s lived up to his predecessor’s plate at number nine.

24/25

31 (16)

6

5

23/24

54 (33)

18

13

22/23

42 (26)

15

4

Roberto Firmino – like Nunez, in a sense – was never the most prolific of centre-forwards, but he was in his own stratosphere when it came to magic and influence, the linchpin that made Jurgen Klopp’s team fire at full throttle.

The 33-year-old’s into his second year in the Saudi Pro League, but he’s still got it.

How Bobby Firmino has got on since leaving Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp was once asked what advice he would give to someone seeking to build a great team. His response? “Built it around Bobby Firmino.”

Sadio Mane and the inevitable Salah operated as first-class assassins, but Firmino was the cement, the connector. Liverpool’s attacking conduit blended silky movement and passing with one of the sharpest minds in the game to establish an incredible level of offensive fluency. It bred hordes of silverware.

Klopp didn’t actually bring Firmino to Merseyside himself, the former Brazil international joining from German club Hoffenheim in a £29m deal back in June 2015, months before Brendan Rodgers’ dismissal and the ensuing whirlwind of events that would change Liverpool’s direction.

Mane once hailed Firmino as a “special player” but that scarcely scratches the surface of a truly unique skill set. The Brazilian’s name is etched into the club’s history book.

He left Anfield at the end of his contract in July 2023, leaving for £0, and has since plied his trade with Al-Ahli, captaining the Gulf-based side.

He might be at the twilight end of his distinguished career, but Firmino is still proving himself as an effective forward, having posted nine goals and five assists for Al-Ahli this season, comfortably ahead of Nunez’s six-goal and five-assist haul under Slot’s wing.

You might say that the forward is playing in a league of inferior quality to that of the Premier League, but he was hardly a liability for Liverpool as he bowed out, scoring 11 goals and adding four assists from merely 13 top-flight starts in 2022/23.

This is a potent level that wasn’t always on show from the Brazilian maestro, but he didn’t neglect the nuts and bolts of his skill set, also ranking among the top 1% of Premier League forwards that year for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 13% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for ball recoveries and the top 16% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.

With Nunez still lacking that keen edge and overall style that would see him live up to the lofty price tag and provide Slot’s team with Salah-rivalling quality, it’s somewhat frustrating that Liverpool failed to renew the striker’s contract way back when.

Was the reported £85m outlay really necessary? Have Liverpool received bang for their buck? Firmino, while earning a pretty at £179k per week on Merseyside, was matchless in his dynamic and creative forward role.

Given that Luis Diaz, a natural left winger, has been routinely preferred to Nunez at number nine this season, you have to wonder whether Liverpool would have been better off retaining his services and allowing him to jockey with the younger and more athletic Colombian, especially with Cody Gakpo also brought into the mix and now performing so well.

One thing’s for sure: Firmino is comfortably at the table of Liverpool’s great forward players, every bit as important as the most clinical Salah throughout the bulk of Klopp’s illustrious reign.

He’s outscoring Nunez this season, and while, yes, it’s in Saudi, you wouldn’t bet against him clinching a higher tally were he a valued member of Slot’s squad this season.

Slot has found Liverpool's new Salah who's having an "extraordinary season"

Liverpool brushed Tottenham aside to set up a Carabao Cup final tie with Newcastle.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Feb 7, 2025

A Tottenham Hotspur player who has been described as a “nuisance” now looks set to leave the club at the end of the season, according to a new transfer update.

Latest Tottenham news

Spurs are preparing for their trip to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday evening, as they look to go all the way in the competition this season. There has been an improvement in form by Ange Postecoglou’s side in recent weeks, but the 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City in the Premier League acted as a reality check.

In terms of Spurs-related transfer news ahead of the summer transfer window, Lamine Camara has been linked with a move to north London. The 21-year-old midfielder is currently plying his trade at Monaco in Ligue 1 and could have a bright future in the game.

Ferran Torres has also emerged as a rumoured option for the Premier League side ahead of next season, as they battle rivals Arsenal for his signature. The Spaniard has struggled for playing time at Barcelona and could return to England this summer, having previously played for City.

Meanwhile, Antoine Semenyo has enjoyed an impressive season for Bournemouth, standing out as arguably their most influential attacking player, and Spurs reportedly see him as a strong target to bring in and boost their attack.

"Nuisance" Tottenham player set to leave

According to a new report from The Mirror, Tottenham won’t make Timo Werner’s loan move permanent this summer, opting not to sign him for £8.5m.

Those close to the German “anticipate that he will be returning to Leipzig this summer before later considering his options”, bringing an end to his time in north London in the process.

It makes complete sense for Spurs to move the £165,000-a-week Werner on in the summer, even though Roy Keane has actually praised him in the past, saying:

“He’s a nuisance to play against, isn’t he, Werner. There’s question marks about his end product and whatever, his final pass. But he does affect games, he is a threat. I think probably wide [is his best role]. I don’t think he enjoys it so much when his back’s to play, and his hold up play. But when he’s in these wide positions, he is effective.”

The brutal truth is that Werner has been nowhere near good enough to warrant Spurs signing him on a permanent basis, having failed to score in 18 Premier League appearances this season, offering a consistent lack of end product.

Not only that, but Postecoglou openly questioned the Germany international’s commitment earlier in the campaign, saying his performance in the 1-1 draw away to Rangers was “not acceptable”.

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Some Tottenham players have really let themselves down this season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 2, 2025

For that reason, there is every chance that the Spurs boss knew at that point that he didn’t see Werner as an important part of his plans, and unless he ends the season strongly, he will leave with a negative reputation at the club.

The batter limped off in the 15th over of Sri Lanka’s innings, after pulling up as he chased a ball to the boundary

Andrew McGlashan05-Nov-2022

Dawid Malan could be doubtful for England’s T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday after picking up a groin injury while fielding against Australia at the SCG.Malan limped off in the 15th over after pulling up as he chased a ball to the boundary. He was padded up to bat as England collapsed in the latter part of their chase, but he continued to slip down the order and was eventually not needed.England have four days before their semi-final, which is likely to be against India, offering them one more day than the teams who will meet at the SCG on Wednesday. However, at this stage, it seems unlikely that Malan will be able to recover in time.”He was obviously a bit sore coming off the ground,” Adil Rashid said. “Hopefully he’ll be good. We don’t know actually what’s happening yet.”Phil Salt, who is yet to play in the tournament with Alex Hales preferred as Jos Buttler’s opening partner, is the spare batter in the squad. England’s three travelling reserves are Luke Wood, Richard Gleeson and Liam Dawson, so they do not offer like-for-like batting cover. Although Salt has opened in his most recent T20I innings he has batted in other positions.If Malan is ruled out of the tournament, it will be a tight turnaround to call someone up from outside of the squad given the travel time to Australia, although England’s ODI players who are part of the series against Australia that follows the World Cup are due to arrive during the week. James Vince, Jason Roy and Sam Billings are in that squad.England have previously had to make one change to their squad with Tymal Mills replacing Reece Topley who injured his ankle stepping on a boundary marker before the warm-up game against Pakistan in Brisbane. They have so far named the same XI throughout the tournament.Malan was in good form leading into the World Cup but has had a limited impact at the event with a best of 35 off 37 balls in the defeat against Ireland.Should England have to rejig their batting order for the semi-final, the role of Ben Stokes could become more significant. He effectively took Malan’s spot at No. 3 in the chase against Sri Lanka and had perhaps his best T20I innings for England, guiding them home in a tense finish, although the required rate was rarely above a run-a-ball.The semi-final will be England’s first game in Adelaide for the tournament, so it will bring with it the need to adjust to its dimensions, which are longer straight and shorter square of the wicket. India, their likely opponents barring upsets on Sunday, faced Bangladesh there during the group stage.

PGMOL chief Howard Webb claimed James Tarkowski should have been sent off for his horror challenge on Alexis Mac Allister in the Merseyside derby.

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Webb claimed Tarkowski should have been sent offMade horror challenge on Mac AllisterLiverpool beat Everton 1-0Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The PGMOL boss admitted that it should have been a straight red card for Everton captain Turkowski for his horror challenge on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the Merseyside derby earlier this month. The on-field referee, Sam Barrott, awarded a foul and showed a yellow card to Tarkowski. VAR Paul Tierney then reviewed the incident for a potential red card, but he concluded that the Toffees skipper had won the ball first and that the subsequent contact was unavoidable. Tierney and AVAR Adam Nunn approved the on-field decision of a yellow card.

AdvertisementWHAT HOWARD WEBB SAID

Speaking on Match Officials Mic'd Up, Webb said: "This is a red-card challenge. It’s an error by the officials not to send Tarkowski off. From the outset with this show, we’ve committed to showing good examples of VAR use and also where we don't use it in the right way, and this was one of those examples.

"The referee recognises on the field that Tarkowski plays the ball and feels that the way he does so is reckless. The VAR then checks that on-field decision of a yellow card and puts too much focus on the fact that Tarkowski plays the ball."But Tarkowski makes a choice to play the ball in that way. Players have to consider their opponent’s safety, even when playing the ball. Tarkowski lunges into the challenge using excessive force and endangers Mac Allister’s safety. It should have been a red card."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After the game, Turkowski admitted that it was a poor challenge and that he had apologised to the Argentine. He had told the reporters, "It's not a great challenge. I spoke to him and I apologised because it's not a great tackle. When the ball fell between us, I thought he was just going to come and I was expecting a big old-school 50-50 tackle but he just pulled out the tackle and as I lunged in I followed through and caught him pretty high so I've apologised to him and he's accepted it. Yeah, not a great one from me."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Arne Slot's side could seal their record-equalling 20th English top-flight this Sunday as they host a struggling Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

The allrounder, who is unavailable for the T20Is against New Zealand, is playing for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2022With two more high-profile T20 leagues coming up, top West Indian players are set to be in great demand, and the situation has all the makings of a fresh scrap between the players and the team management, and, by extension, the cricket board. It might have begun already.On Wednesday, Phil Simmons, the head coach of the West Indies men’s team, and Desmond Haynes, the lead selector, had expressed their disappointment at the lack of clarity over the unavailability of certain players, including Andre Russell.Related

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West Indies need consistency and knowing how to play situations

“It hurts,” Simmons said. “There’s no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don’t think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent West Indies, you will make yourself available.”Russell has now offered a somewhat cryptic social-media response to these comments, putting up an Instagram post with a screenshot of ESPNcricinfo’s news piece with Simmons’ quote in the headline, and this comment: “I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!!!”Russell hasn’t turned out for West Indies since the 2021 T20 World Cup. He isn’t part of their squad for the ongoing three-match T20I series against New Zealand – Haynes said “he is unavailable because he hasn’t made himself available” – but is playing for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred. He was also part of the list of overseas players unveiled by the UAE’s ILT20, which begins in January next year.Sunil Narine is also at the Hundred. His last appearance for West Indies was in a T20I in August 2019. Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas have not appeared for their fitness tests, according to Haynes, though Lewis has signed a deal with Jaffna Kings in the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League. Fabian Allen has pulled out for personal reasons.

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