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“It was good for my confidence to spend time in the middle, and put in a good performance early in the season”

04-Apr-20220:59

Jos Buttler: Samson is pretty level-headed irrespective of we are winning or losing

Fresh from a match-winning hundred in Rajasthan Royals’ second match of IPL 2022, against Mumbai Indians, Jos Buttler is in no mood to slow down.”It was good for my confidence to spend time in the middle [against Mumbai], put in a good performance early in the season, and that, hopefully, can give me the confidence to take into the rest of the season,” he said ahead of Royals’ next game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore.There is a certain method in Buttler’s madness, which makes him one of the top batters in the T20 format. It was visible against Mumbai: the first 14 balls of his innings yielded just 12 runs as he got a look and feel of the surface; once he did, Buttler teed off.”Powerplays are always a time that you are trying to look to score,” he said. “I think initially you are trying to understand the conditions, maybe in the first and second over, and then try and take advantage of the fielding restrictions.”Buttler targeted the fourth over of the innings, bowled by Basil Thampi, smashing him for three sixes and two fours, collecting 26 runs in the process. That was all the momentum he needed as he lay into the Mumbai bowlers.”At certain times in T20 cricket, you are always looking for that one over that you can really target and go for, and that was when I decided I had to try and be really aggressive,” Buttler said. “I had been a bit quiet up until that point in the powerplay. So I wanted to try and make use of it and try to attack.”I certainly felt like that gave me some good momentum into my innings.”Against Mumbai, Buttler scored a 68-ball 100 to lead his side to 193 for 8, and the bowlers then did their bit as Royals recorded their second win of the season in as many games.But how about back-to-back centuries? Only five batters have scored two or more centuries in an IPL season, and Shikhar Dhawan is the only one to hit back-to-back ones, a feat he achieved in 2021.”I hope so,” Buttler said when asked the question. “Every game you want to do that, but I just want to contribute.”

Southampton are rock bottom of the Premier League currently and look to be sinking straight back to the Championship in a sorry fashion.

Indeed, the depressed Saints find themselves on just five points at the very foot of the difficult division with only one win next to their name and an alarming 12 defeats tallied up.

Looking back, Russell Martin must wonder if the transfer window in the summer could have been approached differently, with various new faces at St. Mary’s failing to settle.

Southampton's 2024 summer transfer window

Not every purchase can be written off as an outright failure, with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Taylor Harwood-Bellis standing out in defence for their side, even in spite of their lowly position in the league standings.

Ramsdale has been calm and collected when playing out from the back while Harwood-Bellis’ form has been rewarded with an England debut, a match he just so happened to score in too.

Moreover, the relegation-threatened Saints bringing in the likes of foreign imports Mateus Fernandes and Yukinari Sugawara as transfer gambles have worked somewhat too, with the promising Portuguese midfielder in particular standing out, who is now up to 14 first-team appearances in the Premier League.

Of course, other risks such as bringing in Ben Brereton-Diaz haven’t paid off at all, as the ex-Blackburn Rovers star continues to misfire up top in his new kit with zero goals registered from ten top-flight appearances.

There have also been buys that have underwhelmed to date, with Flynn Downes falling into his category after penning a permanent Saints deal in the summer.

The former West Ham United face was key in the centre of the park for Martin’s men during their unbelievable promotion journey – having been a silky operator with a stunning 93% pass accuracy averaged per Championship clash – but he hasn’t been as noticeably bright for his South Coast side as they battle against the drop.

It likely hasn’t helped the 25-year-old’s situation that he has lacked a consistent partner centrally, with Southampton now left to just curse the fact one ex-Saints star isn’t around to line up next to Downes to give the basement club a sterner figure in the middle.

Former Southampton star perfect for Downes

Southampton supporters would have been rightfully aggrieved when Oriel Romeu walked away from St. Mary’s in the summer of 2022, having been a loyal servant to the Saints for seven whole years after signing for £5m.

In that time, Romeu would notch up a mightily impressive 256 appearances in total, with eight goals and six assists coming his way, alongside praise from ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel in 2017 that boldly compared his game as a holding midfielder to that of Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

Alongside always putting in above-average performances – much like the Frenchman was renowned for at Stamford Bridge – Romeu was also capable of firing home a stunning strike from nothing like the one below against West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton would grow to rely on their “fantastic” number 6, as he was once labelled by Ralph Hassenhuttl when he was manager on the South Coast, to deliver top displays week in week out, with his exit two years ago then understandably hurting.

Games played

36

Goals scored

2

Assists

2

Big chances created

4

Touches*

58.6

Accurate passes*

38.1 (82%)

Total duels won*

5.5

Looking at the above table from his swansong season in England, it’s evident that Romeu would complement the likes of Downes well if he was still on the books, with the Spaniard equally as calm and composed on the ball as the ex-West Ham man whilst also offering more grit and bite with 5.5 duels won on average.

He hasn’t relented since leaving Southampton either, with Romeu going on to be a hit in his native country for Girona with 11 first-team appearances under his belt this season in La Liga, after also donning a Barcelona strip briefly.

Whilst Romeu gets to enjoy the glitz and glamour of the Champions League with his current employers, Downes will be hoping he can guide his team to safety somehow, with that task looking more and more tricky as defeats begin to stack up.

Archer axed for £25m signing in Southampton's dream XI after January

Southampton could well be busy this January transfer window as Russell Martin adds in a whole host of new players.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 23, 2024

He was reported by umpires in the BBL, where he played five games for Sydney Thunder

Umar Farooq18-Jan-2022

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain is set to undergo a test on his bowling action on Tuesday, after it was reported by umpires in the Big Bash League. Hasnain has just finished a productive five-game stint with Sydney Thunder but will now undergo the test at the ICC-accredited biomechanics laboratory in Lahore.The 21-year-old, who once bowled a 155kph delivery in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), made a strong impact in his debut season at the BBL. He came in as a replacement for English quick Saqib Mahmood, and took 3 for 20 in Thunder’s 28-run win over Adelaide Strikers, his debut.In a statement, Cricket Australia confirmed it was during that first appearance that he was reported by the umpires. He played another four matches in the competition.In his last game against Sydney Sixers, Moises Henriques was heard on the stump mic saying “nice throw mate” to Hasnain, after he bowled him a bouncer. Hasnain didn’t pick up a wicket in that game though he was economical (4-0-22-0), as Sixers won the match by 60 runs. In the five games he played, Hasnain conceded runs at just 6.00 per over while taking seven wickets at average of 15.71.Hasnain was due to undergo a test on his action on January 19 in Australia, but because he was due to return to Pakistan at the end of his stint and because there is an ICC-accredited testing facility in Lahore, it was decided he would get tested there.The test comes at a crucial time for Hasnain, given that the PSL’s seventh season is due to begin in less than ten days in Karachi and Hasnain is an important part of the Quetta Gladiators squad. If the test finds his action to be legal, he will continue playing as usual. But if he is found to have an illegal action, he will be suspended from bowling in international cricket and domestic events around the world until he corrects his action.Under clause 11.5 of the ICC’s regulations and protocols surrounding illegal actions, the PCB – as Hasnain’s national cricket federation – can permit him to bowl in their domestic events. Hasnain could be allowed to bowl in the PSL, though in the past they have not permitted bowlers with suspect actions to bowl in the league.In any case, he is allowed to bowl until the results of his testing come out, which could take up to 14 days. That means, in theory, he could be fine to bowl in the opening games of the PSL.As the initial report was made during a BBL match, CA will review and verify the report provided by the PCB’s testing facility.

Three-fors from Qais Ahmed and Brody Couch seal comfortable victory for Melbourne Stars

Tristan Lavalette27-Dec-2021A record partnership between Joe Clarke and Hilton Cartwright plundered Brisbane Heat as Melbourne Stars bounced back to form with a crucial 20-run victory at the Gabba.The red-hot batters combined for a fourth-wicket partnership of 151 runs off just 82 balls in 13 overs of carnage. Clarke (85 off 44) and Cartwright (79 off 44) inflicted particular misery on Heat quick Liam Guthrie, who conceded the most runs in BBL history to finish with figures of 2 for 70 off four overs.Chasing a massive 208, Chris Lynn (57 off 34) and Ben Duckett (54 off 35) produced similar fireworks but for not nearly long enough as Heat fell short.Stars (3-3) arrested a two-game losing streak while Heat (2-4) slipped down the ladder.Cartwright and Clarke devastate HeatFew could have envisioned Stars smashing their third highest BBL score after they slumped to 3 for 16 in the third over, including the key wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell.The team was in danger of being bundled out but English import Clarke was not perturbed by the predicament and effectively counterattacked.He was soon matched by Cartwright as they smashed their way out of trouble and never let up in a purple patch that yielded as many as 13 sixes. Perhaps the most impressive of them was Clarke’s astonishing ramp off James Bazley in the 12th over as the duo traded blows.They hit almost every shot imaginable to crush Heat’s spirit and at one point were eying the BBL record total of 5 for 232 set by Sydney Thunder last season. But the pyrotechnics finally ended when Cartwright holed out in the 15th over and then Andre Russell fell for a second ball duck in his final game of the season. Stars’ total still proved more than enough although a hamstring injury to Clarke, who did not take his place behind the stumps during Heat’s innings, will be cause for concern.Guthrie creates unwanted recordHeat have long been known as a hot and cold team. A new leadership duo of captain Jimmy Peirson and coach Wade Seccombe was hoped to bring composure to the side but it’s clearly still a work in progress.After such a bright start, Heat crumbled under the onslaught from Clarke and Cartwright, particularly a completely rattled Guthrie, who bowled six wides and a no ball. The former Scorchers bowler was struggling to land them properly in tough viewing and he seemingly received little encouragement from his team-mates.Guthrie cut a lonely figure but ended his infamous spell on a rare high when a low full toss was mis-hit by Cartwright allowing Heat to at least finish well.But the damage had been done.Lynn and Duckett provide brief hopeHeat had to swing lustily but they lost Max Bryant and Tom Cooper in Brody Couch’s opening over of the innings. All eyes were then on Lynn, who has failed to get going this season, but he was merely a spectator watching the remarkable strokeplay from Duckett.The left-hander outdid himself in the fifth over against Qais Ahmad with a switch-hit flayed over extra cover and into the crowd. Australia great Adam Gilchrist – no stranger to hitting jaw-dropping shots in his career – labelled it one of the best shots he had ever seen on the broadcast.Lynn, uncharacteristically, played a support role though he put the foot down with a huge six in the seventh over against Couch. The pair needed to somewhat replicate the earlier fireworks of Clarke and Cartwright but Duckett fell in the power surge shortly after registering his half-century with a six.The burden was on Lynn who immediately responded with consecutive sixes to keep Heat at the required run-rate. But he fell in the 13th over to a well-judged catch by an ice-cool Russell to deflate Heat’s chase.Stars impress under pressureMuch like Heat earlier, Stars were similarly under pressure at various points with Duckett’s switch-hitting prowess negating spinners Qais and Adam Zampa. They also had to contend with Lynn who was in vintage touch to ignite the home fans.But unlike Heat, Stars didn’t lose their nerve with experienced duo Russell and Nathan Coulter-Nile bowling calmly across the eighth and ninth overs to halt Heat’s surge. Coulter-Nile then grabbed the key wicket of Duckett before Qais ran through Heat’s middle-order.Maxwell marshalled his troops with aplomb in a well-rounded victory that might prove a springboard for the erratic Stars.

With the three-match series in the bag, Pakistan are likely to continue tinkering with their starting XI for Monday’s fixture in Dhaka

Danyal Rasool21-Nov-2021Big picturePakistan aren’t renowned for learning from their mistakes quickly, but over the weekend, this side righted one wrong from six years ago. In 2015, days after the World Cup ended, Pakistan went to Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series and a solitary T20I. Undercooked, perhaps even unmotivated, they found themselves flayed by the home side, who ultimately sent Saeed Ajmal into international retirement. In 2021, with Pakistan having to turn up in Bangladesh again to play a limited-overs series just five days after another World Cup concluded, they have shown none of the hangovers from 2015, taking the most efficient path to a series win.That renders the third game a dead rubber in what is already a relatively low-profile series, but Pakistan’s rise in the format has meant a fair bit of jostling for places in the starting XI. With Mohammad Hafeez returning to the fray and a slew of fast bowlers and power hitters waiting in the wings, any opportunity for this side is an opportunity to impress given the next T20 World Cup is less than a year away. That means every match, even dead rubbers, remain important as teams continue to work their combinations out, though it’s probably worth noting conditions in Bangladesh might as well be on a different planet to what Australia will have in store.Related

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The home side are in freefall and it might have some way to run yet. Series wins against Australia and New Zealand before the T20 World Cup turned out to be completely irrelevant when it came to performances at the tournament, with Bangladesh failing to win a single Super 12s game, while the two sides they vanquished on home soil competed in the final. Returning to familiar comforts against Pakistan, too, hasn’t given them any respite, and two fairly indifferent performances, despite the return of a raucous crowd, see them playing for pride on Monday.There’s a whiff of the unsettled behind-the-scenes as well. The board came in for criticism after Bangladesh’s shoddy showing at the T20 World Cup, and when senior player Mushfiqur Rahim was rested – ostensibly injured – for this series, he came out and stated, unequivocally, that he was fit to play. The absence of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal for different reasons has exposed Bangladesh’s lack of depth, and in these circumstances, playing a resurgent Pakistan simply comes at a bad time for them.Form guideBangladesh: LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan: WWLWW
In the spotlightIf Bangladesh were hoping to unearth someone new in Tamim and Soumya Sarkar’s absence, the openers in this series have only illustrated how heavily Bangladesh rely on those senior players. Both games have seen the hosts on the back foot from the outset, Mohammad Naim and Saif Hassan struggling to take advantage of the field restrictions. Across the two games, the openers have scored a combined four runs in 20 deliveries, allowing Pakistan to take high-impact top order wickets cheaply while using up precious powerplay time in the process. It isn’t as if they’re batting when they would rather not, given Bangladesh won both tosses and chose to put runs on the board. They cannot afford to let Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers run roughshod over them for a third successive game.In a crowded field of Pakistan fast bowlers, Mohammad Wasim has found a way to shine. Having warmed the bench for the entirety of the T20 World Cup, Wasim was brought in for Bangladesh, arguably the most challenging place for an express pace bowler to make their mark. He has been Pakistan’s best bowler in the series so far, following up figures of 2 for 24 in the first game with 3-0-9-1 to hamstring Bangladesh’s innings on Saturday. With competition for places hotting up ahead of a home series against West Indies and a visit from Australia looming early next year, a player like Wasim, who generally finds himself on the fringes, needs to take every opportunity to shine, dead rubber or otherwise.Mushfiqur Rahim’s absence has led to some off-field drama in the Bangladesh camp•Getty ImagesTeam newsBangladesh announced late on Saturday that pace bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi and batter Parvez Hossain Emon were added to their squad for the third game. Both players are yet to make their T20I debuts.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Yasir Ali, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Aminul Islam/Kamrul Islam Rabbi, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin AhmedPakistan have tinkered with their line-up in the first two games, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that continue. Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi each got a rest, so Haris Rauf could be in line for the same in the final game. Shoaib Malik will miss the game due to the illness of his child and will depart for Dubai before the match.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Khushdil Shah, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Mohammad Wasim, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Shaheen AfridiPitch and conditionsThe pitches in Dhaka were what we’ve come to expect from Bangladesh, and the two-paced nature and lack of bounce kept scores low in the first two games. The weather should not play spoilsport.Stats and trivia Bangladesh last lost a home T20I series in December 2018, when West Indies beat them 2-1. They won the last three home bilateral series before the ongoing one Shoaib Malik is 77 runs away from becoming the third Pakistan batter inside a month to reach 2500 T20I runs. Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam got to the landmark at the T20 World Cup in the UAE

The captain admitted conditions were a challenge for Ireland as they fell for 101

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Oct-2021Ireland have to win their match against Namibia on Friday, to qualify for the Super 12s. But if they do, their batters will need to quickly adapt to facing the kind of skiddy pace they struggled with against Sri Lanka.On Wednesday, Ireland were visibly troubled by Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara, both of whom frequently clocked speeds in excess of 145kph. On the UAE’s pitches, which don’t offer a lot of bounce to begin with, and seem to skid on when the ball gets a little bit of evening dew on it, those two bowlers were especially tough to face, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie said.Ireland lost three wickets and scored only 38 runs across Chameera and Kumara’s combined seven overs.”We don’t get wickets like this and we don’t get pace like that too often like that at home,” Balbirnie said. “But the more we go up the levels – and if we go well on Friday, looking ahead to next week – it’s only going to get quicker. They were quite skiddy, the bowlers. They bowled good short balls. But that’s what you expect at the international level and you’ve got to find ways to cope.”Related

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If Ireland win against Namibia on Friday, they will likely be in Group 2, where their batters will face the attacks of India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. Although Ireland are not accustomed to playing bowling at high speeds on the lower UAE decks, that is not a challenge they will balk at.”Look, we’re perfectly capable of playing that kind of bowling. I’m not saying we’re not,” Balbirnie said. “We played some of the quickest bowlers in the summer back home – against South Africa – and we did pretty well. It’s slightly different out here. It’s skiddier than what we’re used to. Particularly under lights it skids on.”But I love that challenge, and a lot of our batters do, to get out there and having the ball zinging past your head – that’s the battle we want to be in. We’re not going to be able to change that over the course of the week if we do qualify. But we’ve just got to back our skills and take it head on and not back away from it. That’s a mental thing, rather than a technical thing. But we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. We’ve got a big game on Friday.”Sri Lanka are through to the Super 12s following their 70-run win. Balbirnie was Ireland’s top-scorer with 41 off 39, as they attempted a target of 172.”Our batting just didn’t get going at all,” he said. “We couldn’t get any momentum. I scored forty-odd, and it took me quite a few balls, and I certainly found it tricky enough. Sri Lanka are a good team. They deserve to go through. We’ll be eyeing up the second spot.”

After earning a well-fought 1-1 draw against the Premier League champions, Newcastle United will now be forced to assess the fitness of one player who was forced off against the Citizens.

Newcastle injury news

The Magpies earned the respect of Pep Guardiola after they battled from behind to eventually gain a point against Manchester City, courtesy of Anthony Gordon’s penalty. It was, of course, rather fitting that Gordon was the man who was left wheeling away in celebration after Newcastle fans shared their love for the winger with a pre-match display in reaction to reports that he’s penned a new deal at the club.

The big news in the build-up was the toe injury to Alexander Isak, who was absent against the Citizens in a major blow for Eddie Howe. The Magpies’ latest update on the Swede didn’t exactly hand those at St James’ Park a positive boost ahead of their midweek clash.

Howe told reporters, as relayed by the Northern Echo: “He [Isak] definitely won’t feature on Tuesday. Let’s see how he looks for Everton, and of course there’s an international period coming up after that and he’s an international player, so we’ll see the implications of all that.”

Saved by Hall: Howe must immediately drop 6/10 Newcastle star

He didn’t offer much against Man City in the Premier League…

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 29, 2024

The forward may not be the only one missing from Newcastle’s next game. Howe confirmed that Newcastle will need to assess Kieran Trippier after the right-back was forced off against Manchester City. Whilst the Magpies are hopeful given that he was forced off through cramp, they are yet to be 100% sure and now face a nervous wait.

Performing more accurate passes than any of his teammates despite going off injured, Trippier proved his value in the game against Manchester City, during which he also made one last-man challenge and won all bar one of his aerial duels (as per Sofascore), and will now be looking to kick on if he manages to avoid an ill-timed injury blow.

"Brilliant" Trippier still important at Newcastle

Given how they’ve struggled for defensive depth in the past, keeping hold of Trippier should prove to be a vital decision for Newcastle. The experienced right-back may not be in his prime these days, but he is still capable of stepping in for the big moments as proved against Manchester City in a game that saw the Magpies hold on and secure a well-earned point.

Howe has always been well aware of Trippier’s quality too, saying after the full-back assisted three goals in a four-game run last season (via Metro): “It is a brilliant stat for a full-back, he is a guy who will play a lot of creative passes before a goal happens. He has been fundamental to how we work – his leadership skills behind the scenes have been second to none.”

In line to potentially miss the AFC Wimbledon game, Trippier will hope to feature against Everton in the Premier League next weekend, as he aims for a third consecutive start in England’s top flight ahead of Tino Livramento at 34 years old.

Bayern Munich are desperate to try and tie down star man Jamal Musiala to a new contract amid interest from Liverpool, according to reports, with Arne Slot’s side ready to rival Manchester City for the forward’s signature.

Slot's strong start at Anfield

Though bizzarely overlooked for the Premier League’s manager of the month award, it was a perfect August for Arne Slot in his new role as Liverpool boss. He oversaw three wins from three, scoring seven goals without reply in the process as his side blew away Manchester United after wins against Brentford and newly promoted Ipswich Town.

One of just two sides (the other being Manchester City) to have taken maximum points from the first three games, the Dutchman appears to have rejuvenated a stale-looking Liverpool side even without much summer business, and is finding a way to get the best out of the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the former of whom struggled under Jürgen Klopp in his final season.

Though there will undoubtedly be bumps in the road across the course of the season, but it has been a sensational start from the former Feyenoord coach.

Liverpool now register interest in "wonderful" Real Madrid target for Slot

He’s a future star.

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 13, 2024

But the prospect of personnel problems continues to loom amid the contracts of key trio Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk all coming to an end in 2025, something that Slot has done his best to avoid being dragged into.

“It’s again the boring answer you are going to get from me as long as there is no news. We don’t talk about contract situations here”, Slot explained. “Is it a distraction? No, it isn’t because I’m fully focused on the individuals and the team.

“They are part of the team and I’m trying to work with them in the best possible way to get the best out of them. It’s not a distraction for me at all.”

But should any of their stars leave, Liverpool may feel the need to make a marquee signing to replace them, leaving Bayern Munich on red alert.

Bayern keen to tie down Musiala amid Premier League interest

That comes as Caught Offside report that Liverpool are showing “increasing interest” in Bayern Munich talent Jamal Musiala, who is down to the final two years of his contract in Bavaria. The Germany international has emerged as a world-class talent at the Allianz Arena, and Bayern are “confident” of keeping him at the club under fresh terms before his current deal comes to an end, but as of yet have made little progress.

Should they fail to do so there will be no shortage of interest in his services, and the report claims that both Manchester City and Liverpool are among his suitors.

His massive talent comes with a similarly massive fee, with Bayern ready to demand a record £150m for his services should they become resigned to his exit, though both Liverpool and City have shown previously that money is no problem should the right player become available, and neither side spent heavily in the 2024 summer window.

European giants PSG and Real Madrid would also likely be interested, but with the star-studded line up already at the Santiago Bernabeu and Jude Bellingham in Musiala’s role, a move to the Spanish capital may be difficult.

While at present it seems likely that Musiala remains at the Allianz Arena, Liverpool are positioning themselves towards the head of the queue should he change his mind.

Captain Tamim Iqbal’s knee injury remains a concern for Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam19-Jul-2021

Big pictureZimbabwe would be hoping they can take away at least 10 points from the ODI series against Bangladesh, while the visitors wouldn’t want to slip up like they did against Sri Lanka in May. This is a critical time in the ICC ODI Super League for both teams with bigger challenges coming up later in the year.Shakib Al Hasan has so far been Bangladesh’s MVP, with a five-wicket haul in the first ODI and an unbeaten 96 in the second. He adapted excellently on Sunday, particularly during the last 20 overs when Bangladesh looked out of the contest.Shakib’s innings, however, papered over the broadening cracks in Bangladesh’s batting order. Tamim Iqbal’s knee injury is a concern while Liton Das, who scored a century in the first ODI, has only recently found some runs in white-ball cricket. Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain have been sub-par this year, exacerbating Bangladesh’s problems without Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle order. Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Saifuddin had to put out the fire in both ODIs in Harare.At least one part of Bangladesh’s plan – to have one of the top-order batters playing for the majority of the innings – is working.Zimbabwe doesn’t have too many experienced players like Shakib or Mahmudullah to bail them out repeatedly, but they would still feel encouraged by how Wessley Madhevere performed during Sunday’s ODI. Sent in the middle order, Madhevere batted with freedom, going after Taskin Ahmed, while also tackling spin well. He has now scored a fifty in each of his three ODI series since his debut last year. Madhevere is also a sharp fielder, illustrated by his catch at point, and a tidy, accurate offbreak bowler.The home side would again hope that their batters don’t throw away good starts, like in the second game. Brendan Taylor was unlucky, but Regis Chakabva and Dion Myers have to make bigger contributions in the third game. Openers Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Tadiwanashe Marumani must at least bat out the first few overs.Form guideBangladesh WWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)Zimbabwe LLWLLIn the spotlightSikandar Raza provided Zimbabwe with a much-needed all-round option in the second ODI. He chipped in with a handy 30 before delivering six overs of his offspin with the wicket of Afif Hossain. He even dived to his left to take a sharp catch to dismiss Tamim Iqbal.Shoriful Islam’s four-wicket haul in the second ODI was the big performance he needed since making his international debut earlier this year. Islam got rewards for bowling a more consistent line and length.Team newsIqbal looked to be bothered with his knee during the last game, which could be of concern for the team management.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mosaddek Hossain, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Shoriful IslamZimbabwe’s improved performance in the second ODI could allow them to stick to the same XI.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, 2 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 3 Regis Chakabva (wk), 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Dion Myers, 6 Wessley Madhevere, 7 Sikandar Raza, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Blessing Muzarabani, 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Richard NgaravaPitch and conditionsThe pitch was on the slower side in the previous game, but it will still have some help for the seamers in the first hour, before flattening out for the rest of the day. The weather is expected to be mostly cold and dry.Stats and trivia Bangladesh have defeated Zimbabwe in 18 ODIs in a row. Tendai Chatara needs four more wickets to become the sixth Zimbabwean to take 100 ODI wickets. Mahmudullah is expected to play his 200th ODI on Tuesday. Only four others from Bangladesh have played more: Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.Quotes”Our captain Tamim Iqbal is playing with an injury as the [World Cup] Super League points are involved. We are not taking Zimbabwe lightly as they are playing in home conditions. We are paying extra attention, being more focused. If our process is right, we will win 3-0.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras encerrou sua preparação para final da Libertadores nesta sexta-feira e depois do treino Raphael Veiga falou com a TV oficial do clube sobre esse clima de decisão que o elenco tem vivido desde a saída de São Paulo, com apoio da torcida. Além disso, o camisa 23 comentou a possibilidade de ser “Rei da América” e as impressões que teve ao reconhecer o palco da decisão.

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Torcedor do Verdão desde pequeno, Veiga sabe o que é estar do outro lado e o sentimento que cada um daquele grupo apaixonado tem vivido nesses últimos dias. Para ele, foi uma linda festa que o elenco quer poder retribuir.

– É lógico que, quando a gente sai, igual foi quarta-feira, vem para cá e vê toda aquela festa, eu, particularmente, me sinto do outro lado porque eu já vivi isso. É um momento especial, onde dá para ver a gente dentro do ônibus, o que cada um sente, imagina, enfim, a dedicação de cada um saindo do trabalho para estar ali com a gente. Foi um linda festa, e nós, jogadores, vamos dar o máximo para retribuir o que fizeram – afirmou o meia.

Antes do treino, na tarde desta sexta-feira, a delegação do Palmeiras foi até o Estádio Centenário para reconhecer o gramado da decisão da Libertadores. Veiga, que não havia jogado por lá ainda, pesquisou na internet o que encontraria e garantiu que, pessoalmente, a impressão é das melhores.

-É um estádio que, quando falaram que seria este, procurei na internet e já achei muito bonito, mas hoje, quando cheguei lá, vi que era muito mais bonito do eu que tinha visto. Campo impecável, vestiário, tudo… Acho que é um estádio legal para a gente conquistar a segunda Libertadores consecutiva.

Para poder levar o segundo título seguido da competição, o Verdão precisará bater um adversário fortíssimo, o qual não vence há mais de quatro anos. Veiga, porém, destacou que se trata de um jogo à parte e que o grupo palmeirense está concentrado em cada detalhe para poder vencer.

– Jogar contra o Flamengo é sempre muito difícil, sabemos que a equipe deles tem bons jogadores, jogadores muito decisivos, mas a final é um jogo à parte, detalhes definem a partida. Acho que, acima de tudo, estamos muito concentrados em cada detalhe e ser intenso, isso é o principal.

Por vim, o meia alviverde comentou a possibilidade de sair de campo como o melhor jogador desta edição da Copa Libertadores. Apesar de admitir que não é o prêmio mais importante, Veiga acredita que será uma motivação a mais.

-Com certeza, é algo que motiva, não é o mais importante, que é ganhar, mas motiva, estava até ontem conversando sobre com o Weverton. É um reconhecimento. E, querendo ou não, não podemos achar normal isso. Quando vi que estávamos entre os seis da América do Sul, temos que ser gratos, porque é muita gente que joga futebol, e ser reconhecido assim é algo muito grande para a minha carreira – finalizou.