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If Sheffield Wednesday break the bank and make yet another signing this summer transfer window, the number of incomings through the door at Hillsborough will rise to double digits.

Wednesday's ninth capture of the busy transfer window saw Nathaniel Chalobah enter the building on a free transfer, as the Owls look to add strength in depth all over the pitch, ahead of what many in South Yorkshire will be anticipating as a positive season to come.

Away from signing the former West Bromwich Albion midfielder, however, Wednesday are setting their sights on more new recruits up top, with one target even formerly playing alongside Chalobah at youth level.

Wednesday looking at ex Chelsea striker

Football journalist Mike McGrath is now reporting that the Owls have fielded a bid for Ike Ugbo to return on a permanent basis, but other clubs are also noted to be having a look at the 25-year-old forward.

McGrath states that there is interest from other second-tier sides and even from the Premier League, but Chalobah signing on the dotted in South Yorkshire could spur Ugbo into wanting to rejoin his former loan employers even more.

Chalobah revealed after signing for Wednesday that the current Troyes man was in conversation with the 29-year-old about the potential switch and could have played a role in the former Watford midfielder choosing Hillsborough as his next onward destination.

What Ugbo would offer Wednesday

Playing a pivotal part in Wednesday unbelievably surviving the drop last season away from chatting with Chalobah, Ugbo's apparent glowing words about the club to Chalobah surely means he'd be revelling in the idea of a reunion soon, particularly if the Owls are on the up and not looking at another campaign stuck in the relegation mire.

The former Chelsea youngster would end up netting seven goals from 19 games when loaned out to Wednesday last season, popping up with crucial strikes along the way, to help make Danny Rohl's dream of keeping the Owls afloat a reality.

The South Yorkshire titans are arguably crying out for more reinforcements up top as well, owing to the fact the experienced Lee Gregory was released this summer, alongside the youthfulness of the other options available to Rohl in Bailey Cadamarteri who is only 19 years of age and new recruit McNeill who is just 20.

Ugbo

271

84

Cadamarteri

30

7

McNeill

119

53

Michael Smith

539

148

With Michael Smith also actively on the lookout for a new club to call his own after failing to move away in January, Ugbo's added firepower – summarised above – will be very much needed if he does move back to England.

Ugbo's 11 goals last season in Championship action, with four strikes coming his way when on the books at Cardiff City earlier in the campaign, came about from just 9.88 xG being accumulated, with the 25-year-old only needing an average of 19.5 touches per game too in order leave his lasting mark.

The £15.5k-per-week striker – as per Capology – certainly lived up to his billing from football journalist Ben Steiner in 2022 of being a "threat", starring in front of goal for the Owls with Ugbo knocking on the door of a starting spot in the Canada international side.

Whilst Ugbo would offer more goals, Chalobah would also allow Wednesday to forget about the absence of Will Vaulks in the middle of the park, with the pair looking forward to potentially playing alongside each other again, after they both began their football educations at Stamford Bridge.

Chalobah could be the man who ensures Ugbo sees more of the ball in attack. It's unlikely given the former's position on the pitch that they'd be playing too many combinations but his ability to break up the play could put Wednesday and Ugbo on their way to earning more chances in front of goal.

If he did return, it really would be another cherry on the top of the Wednesday cake, as excitement builds in the air as to what the Owls could be capable of next season if everything goes according to plan.

Imagine him & McNeill: Sheffield Wednesday could sign "magic" winger

Sheffield Wednesday will look to sign even more explosive attacking talents this summer.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 11, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

O grito do Internacional no último domingo foi de alívio. Após um jogo equilibrado contra o Fortaleza, o Colorado arrancou um triunfo nos acréscimos graças a gol de Edenílson.

+ Veja no aplicativo do LANCE! o resultado dos jogos da rodada

O placar foi exaltado pelo grupo de atletas e, principalmente a comissão técnica. Na coletiva de imprensa, o técnico Diego Aguirre valorizou a força de vontade do seu time, que lutou até o fim.

– O resultado é o mais importante. Obviamente que temos que encontrar os caminhos para conseguir a vitória. Hoje temos que valorizar muito a vitória. Enfrentamos o Fortaleza, um dos melhores times do Brasil. A vitória vale muito. É mais um jogo que não sofremos gols, fomos competitivos. No final do jogo fomos procurar a vitória e conseguimos. Temos que trabalhar, coisas a melhorar. Quando se enfrenta um bom time, é normal que se sofra e tenha momentos de dificuldade. Pudemos superar isso e estou muito feliz – afirmou.

Com o triunfo, o Internacional chegou aos 29 pontos, um a menos que o Corinthians, o sexto colocado.

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Shohidul Islam overcomes personal grief to hold nerve with the ball in tournament’s final over

Mohammad Isam18-Dec-2020Gemcon Khulna did justice to their favourites tag by winning the 2020 Bangabandhu T20 Cup, prevailing in a five-run win over Gazi Group Chattogram, one of the most dominant sides through the league phase of the competition. Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 70 took Khulna to a competitive 155 for 7 before he marshalled his troops and kept faith in his young bowlers to come good at the death.For the last over, he handed the ball to Shohidul Islam, who had lost his father on Sunday. Shohidul went to his Narayanganj home and returned to do a three-day quarantine after testing negative for Covid-19, before he got the nod to be officially available for the final. Shohidul picked up two wickets in the last over off which 16 was needed. He gave away 10 runs as Chattogram’s drop in run rate in the middle overs cost them dearly in the end.Tournament awards

Player of the Tournament – Mustafizur Rahman
Player of the Final – Mahmudullah
Best Batsman – Liton Das
Best Bowler – Mustafizur Rahman
Special Performance Award – Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Parvez Hossain Emon, Shoriful Islam, and Robiul Islam Robi

Shykat Ali kept Chattogram in the game until his dismissal in the final over with his maiden T20 fifty. He brought down the chase within their reach with his four sixes in his 45-ball knock but had little support at the other end. Their only substantial partnership was the 45 between Shykat and Shamsur Rahman for the fourth wicket, after Liton Das, Chattogram’s best batsman of the tournament, looked sluggish after a blow to his thigh.Apart from Shohidul’s two wickets, Shuvagata Hom, Al-Amin Hossain and Hasan Mahmud took one wicket each. Khulna’s fielding, too, was mostly on the money, especially around the boundary line where Shamim Hossain saved important runs in the death overs.When they batted, however, Mahmudullah had to bring out a one-man show after the rest of the Khulna line-up unravelled around him. He arrived at the crease in the seventh over when Zakir Hasan holed out at deep midwicket. Already, Nahidul Islam had consumed Jahurul Islam and Imrul Kayes during the Powerplay.Mahmudullah and Ariful Haque put together 40 runs for the fourth wicket to get them out of a jam, before Hom and Mahmudullah added another 34 runs, for the fifth wicket. But once Shamim was run out in the 17th over, following a terrible mix-up, it was left to the Khulna captain to take them past the 150-mark.Key to this was him batting till the last over as Chattogram captain Mohammad Mithun dished out Soumya Sarkar’s military medium pace. Mahmudullah smashed a six and two fours in a 17-run last over, which ultimately became crucial for both sides. Also missing from the final was Khulna’s premier allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who missed the game following a bereavement in his family.

Leeds United are currently preparing for a second straight season in the Championship after they fell short of achieving promotion this season. The Whites made it all the way to the play-off final at Wembley last month only to lose 1-0 to Southampton, thanks to a first-half goal from Adam Armstrong.

Daniel Farke and his team must now navigate the summer transfer window, which officially opened for business on Friday, to end it with a squad that is capable of fighting for promotion once again.

It has already been reported that the Yorkshire-based outfit are unlikely to bring Connor Roberts back from Burnley however, as the recently relegated side may not want to strengthen a rival, whilst Alfie Gilchrist from Chelsea has been linked as a target in that position as well.

Leeds United's interest in Championship star

According to Leeds Live, the Whites are eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Sunderland right-back Trai Hume, as Farke seemingly targets a deal for the defender. The report claims that the Northern Ireland international is a transfer target for the club this summer as they look to bolster their defensive options ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Central midfielder Archie Gray spent the majority of this season deputising at right-back and could move back to his preferred position if Leeds can strike a deal for Hume, or another full-back, over the coming weeks or months.

LeedsLive add that they are set to fight multiple Premier League sides to land the Black Cats star, who has attracted attention from a host of clubs with his performances in the Championship.

The outlet names Leicester City, Aston Villa and Bournemouth as three of the other English teams eyeing him up, alongside Italian outfit Napoli.

This suggests that there is plenty of competition to land his signature before the end of the summer transfer window, whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Sunderland are prepared to cash in on him.

Why Hume could be a good Roberts alternative

With a second deal for Roberts reportedly being unlikely, Hume could be snapped up as a fantastic alternative to the Wales international ahead of next season. The £3k-per-week defender, who was once described as "outstanding" by journalist Josh Bunting, is a proven Championship performer who could come in and hit the ground running at Elland Road.

Roberts only started two league games for Leeds during the second half of this term but did feature regularly in the division for Burnley during the 2022/23 campaign as they won the title.

Championship	Trai Hume – 23/24	Connor Roberts – 22/23
Appearances	46	43
Assists	1	6
Big chances created	4	0
Tackles per game	3.3	1.1
Interceptions per game	1.4	0.6
Duel success rate	58%	56%

As you can see in the table above, Hume's displays on the pitch for the Black Cats this season were more impressive than the Welsh ace's were for the Clarets in their title-winning year. Despite ending with five fewer assists, the Northern Irish whiz created four more 'big chances' for his teammates, whilst winning possession back through tackles and interceptions significantly more frequently.

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Therefore, the potential is there for the 22-year-old ace to be a fantastic alternative to Roberts due to the quality he could provide at both ends of the pitch.

Franchises’ petition “misdirected and was liable to be dismissed”, says PCB’s legal counsel

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2020The PCB was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision of the six PSL franchises to seek legal action in a bid to get the financial model of the T20 league changed. The board’s counsel told Lahore High Court that the franchises’ writ petition “was misdirected and was liable to be dismissed” as the proper mechanism for resolving any dispute between the PCB and the franchises is “through initiation of arbitration”.The franchise owners approached the court with the claim that the PSL has made the PCB richer while the franchises have run into losses every season, and asked in the petition for the court to direct the PCB to “formally redress the grievances of all franchises” and “revise the model of PSL in accordance with its statutory mandate and make it financially viable”.The PCB’s legal team was in court on Friday, present before Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi, and “received notices for hearing in respect of the Writ Petition filed by the six franchise owners, fixed today as an Urgent Petition”, according to a PCB statement.Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB’s counsel, objected to the “maintainability” of the petition, pointing to the dispute resolution protocols, and informed the judge “that the PCB had twice this week invited the franchise owners to meet and discuss the financial model for HBL Pakistan Super League with a view towards redressing grievances in good faith”.

The PCB remains committed to working with its partners, but in this matter, it is surprised and disappointed that despite its offers to engage in discussions over the financial model and whilst being aware of the appropriate forum for dispute resolution, the franchisees approached the Honourable High CourtPCB statement

The franchises, meanwhile, have contended that they have met with the PCB on more than one occasion to discuss the matter, but nothing concrete has emerged from those interactions. The issue reared its head when the board was late in distributing the franchises’ share of the revenue generated during the 2019 PSL. This led to all six owners refusing to submit their bank guarantees, a key part of the petition.”The PCB remains committed to working with its partners, but in this matter, it is surprised and disappointed that despite its offers to engage in discussions over the financial model and whilst being aware of the appropriate forum for dispute resolution, the franchisees approached the Honourable High Court,” the PCB statement said. “The PCB looks forward to addressing all queries and legal-objections before the Honourable Court and then to find solutions that are practicable and acceptable to all parties involved.”The PCB will submit its written comments by September 30, the next date of the hearing, on the court’s instructions.Seeking redressal in court is a culmination of long-running frustration for the franchises about the league’s financial model. Franchises have argued for tax exemptions, a better distribution of gate money and better exchange rate terms. No franchise has broken even in the first four full seasons of the league, and the addition of an extra franchise – the Multan Sultans – has lessened everyone’s share from the central pool the PCB has set up for revenue.The PCB has insisted that once the league moves back to Pakistan properly then not only will the franchises be able to move towards breaking even but it will also generate “higher economic activity in the country”. This season – the league’s fifth – was the first to be fully played in Pakistan, but it was hit by the Covid-19 crisis. Four matches of the playoffs could not be played and have been rescheduled for November behind closed doors.

Celtic ended their 2023/24 campaign in style as they lifted the SFA Cup at Hampden Park after a dramatic 1-0 win over their closest rivals last month.

Adam Idah scored a 90th-minute winner for the Glasgow giants to secure a second trophy of the season for the Bhoys, after they had already won the Scottish Premiership title.

Brendan Rodgers, therefore, won a domestic double in his first year back in the dugout, after he re-joined for a second spell at the club last summer.

The Northern Irish head coach will now be looking ahead to next season and thinking about what he can do in the summer transfer window to improve his squad and ensure that they are competing for more trophies next term.

Whilst he could dip into the transfer market to add fresh players to his group, the ex-Leicester boss is also reportedly interested in keeping hold of one player who just spent the year on loan with his team at Parkhead.

Celtic in talks to make loan deal permanent

According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are in talks with Benfica over the possibility of signing central midfielder Paulo Bernardo on a permanent basis.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of around £6m but they are hoping to renegotiate with the Portuguese side.

It states that talks are progressing well between the two teams and that the Bhoys are now confident that they are close to striking an agreement to sign the Portugal U21 international ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Daily Record adds that Celtic are prepared to offer more add-ons and a sell-on fee as part of the deal to avoid paying £6m up front as per the original agreement as part of the loan deal.

It also reveals that Bernardo would like to remain at Parkhead beyond this summer and wants his parent club to sanction a deal for him to return to Glasgow.

However, the report does not detail exactly how much the Hoops are hoping to pay for him as part of the renegotiated deal or how much of a sell-on percentage they are willing to give Benfica.

Celtic could now be set to land Jota 2.0 for themselves by sealing a move to land Bernardo on a permanent deal, as another Benfica loanee signing permanently after an initial loan.

The masterclass Celtic played with Jota

Ange Postecolou swooped to sign the Portuguese winger on loan from Benfica in the summer of 2021 and he hit the ground running with a phenomenal first season in Scotland.

The electric forward produced 20 goals and assists combined in 29 appearances in the Premiership for the Scottish side, as you can see in the table below.

Appearances

29

Sofascore rating

7.56

Goals

10

Assists

10

Big chances created

17

Key passes per game

2.0

Celtic then signed him on a permanent deal for £6.5m in the summer of 2022 and agreed to give Benfica a 'significant' sell-on percentage of any future sale.

Jota followed up on his impressive debut campaign in Scotland with a tremendous return of 11 goals and 11 assists in 26 league starts during the 2022/23 season.

These statistics show that the 25-year-old magician was a constant threat to opposition defences across his two years at Parkhead, both as a loan and permanent player for the Hoops.

He proved himself during his loan spell and then continued his sensational form in the following term after Celtic opted to sign him for £6.5m, and those two deals turned out to be a masterclass from Postecoglou and the club.

In the summer of 2023, Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad swooped in to sign Jota, who ended his Bhoys career with 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 games in all competitions, for a staggering fee of £25m – a huge profit on the £6.5m they paid Benfica to sign him a year earlier.

Although, £7.5m of that went to the Portuguese side due to the 30% sell-on clause they had in their deal, which meant that the Hoops pocketed £17.5m – an £11.5m profit on their initial outlay on the forward.

Celtic could now look to repeat that masterclass by securing a permanent deal for Bernardo, who could go on to be Jota 2.0 for the Scottish giants if he can build on his first year at Paradise.

Why Paulo Bernardo could be Jota 2.0

The 22-year-old maestro is a young talent who has the potential to improve and develop with more game time after a promising first season with the club.

He did not immediately hit the ground running as a regular starter like Jota but did show glimpses of his quality in the middle of the park throughout the campaign.

Appearances

22

Starts

11

Goals

3

Assists

3

Big chances created

4

Duel success rate

49%

As you can see in the table above, Bernardo chipped in with six direct goal contributions in just 11 starts in the Premiership, despite playing in a central midfield position.

He also displayed some of his defensive prowess in his six appearances in the group stages of the Champions League, ranking within the top 20% of his positional peers or higher in the tournament for interceptions (1.44), blocks (2.31), and aerial duels won (1.15) per 90 respectively.

Bernardo, who U23 scout Antonio Mango lauded as a technically "gifted" star, has the quality to excel in and out of possession, as shown by his statistics in the Premiership and the Champions League.

However, his lack of starts suggests that consistency is an issue for him at this moment in time and that is something that could come with more experience on the pitch, given that he is only 22 right now.

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Celtic could sign him permanently this summer and look to develop him further over the coming seasons to unlock his full potential as a central midfielder who can defend brilliantly whilst also being able to contribute in the final third on a regular basis.

If they can do that and then attract interest from other clubs then they could unearth Jota 2.0 by cashing in on another Benfica loanee signed permanently before being sold for a profit.

Veteran Darren Stevens bagged five wickets to help clinch his side’s three-day, innings-and-25-run win over Sussex after a record-breaking display of Kent batting that featured double-hundreds by Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning.In near ideal batting conditions at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Stevens, now 44, revealed all his bowling wiles to bag 5 for 50 as the visitors succumbed in their second innings for 173 inside 46.1 overs to lose with six overs and a day to spare on another glorious Canterbury day.Needing almost 200 to make Kent bat again, the visitors lost four wickets in 22.1 overs through to tea after Kent had declared their mammoth first innings on 530 for one. A pugnacious half-century off 68-balls by Harry Finch stemmed the flow of wickets from one end at the start of the evening session, but ageless allrounder Stevens continued his canny spell to bag the 27th five-wicket haul of his first-class career.The Sussex reply had started badly when Salt fell to Harry Podmore’s fourth ball of the innings without scoring. A floating away-swinger that Salt could not resist, it flew off an outside edge to second slip where Leaming held a spectacular diving overhead catch.Having been dropped in the cordon off Stevens when on 17, Tom Haines departed lbw without addition in Stevens’ next over when pushing outside the line of an inswinger. Stevens struck again in his next over having Tom Clark caught behind without scoring after edging a wild slash wide outside off stump. Sussex skipper Ben Brown fell in the tea over, leg before when attempting to work through the leg side to leave Stevens with 3 for 22 at the interval.Soon after resumption, Delray Rawlins clipped a six over backward square leg against Stevens, but the bowler soon had his revenge by running one through the left-hander’s gate to clip the top of off stump. Stevens produced another beauty that pitched on middle and moved away off the seam to pluck out left-handed George Garton’s off stump allowing Stevens to rest with figures of 5 for 50 from 15 overs.Two overs later, Jack Carson pushed at a Podmore legcutter to be caught low in the gully and Finch fell for a gritty 66 when he failed to get on top of an off-drive and picked out Sam Billings diving low at extra cover.Tim Groenewald had Henry Crocombe caught behind on the drive and last man Mitch Claydon skied to the keeper as Kent banked 24 points for their first Bob Willis Trophy win. Sussex travelled south with only three points for their troubles.Earlier, Kent’s Leaning and Cox smashed unbeaten career-best double-centuries in an unbroken club record first-class stand worth 423 spread over 95 overs. Teenager Cox broke numerous records during his 345-ball stay with 27 fours and three sixes for 238 not out, while Leaning joined him with 220 not out from 308 balls and 29 boundaries in a shade under 6.5 hours.The declaration after 120 overs, a regulation in the new competition, came shortly after 2pm with Kent on 530 for 1 for a first-innings lead of 198. Yet it was hardly soon enough for a shattered Sussex attack who had toiled for eight hours for one wicket, that of Daniel Bell-Drummond for 43.Jack Leaning and Jordan Cox pose in front of the scoreboard•Getty Images

Resuming on their healthy overnight score of 338 for 1 and a first-innings lead of six, Kent’s second-wicket pair continued to churn out the runs.Leaming, who was dropped by Tom Haines at long leg when on 19 after a top-edged hook against Stuart Meaker, made Sussex pay by reaching his 150 from 232 balls with 22 fours. He had already comfortably eclipsed his previous best first-class score of 123 set for Yorkshire against Somerset at Taunton in 2014.Cox then posted his maiden double-hundred in first-class cricket. By scampering a single to point off George Garton he reached the landmark off 311 balls with 25 fours and three sixes. The 19-year-old went on to notch Kent’s highest individual innings against Sussex, beating Neil Taylor’s 203 not out set at Hove in 1991 and then became the county’s highest maiden century-maker beating the 57-year-old record of 211 made by David Nicholls against Derbyshire at Folkestone in 1963.The records continued to tumble when Leaning moved to his maiden double-century with a five. Sprinting a single to midwicket, Leaning saw Jack Carson’s throw deflect off the non-striker’s end stumps and away to the boundary. Leaning’s 200 came in 351 minutes off 289 balls and with 29 fours.By lunch the pair had sailed past Kent’s highest first-class partnership record against any county of 382 set by Sean Dickson and Joe Denly for the second wicket against Northamptonshire at Beckenham in 2017. They had also beaten the 131-year-old Kent record for any wicket in matches against Sussex of 249 by fourth-wicket partners George Hearne and Francis Marchant at Gravesend in 1889.Indeed, Kent’s total of 530 for 1 became the fourth highest single-wicket score in global first-class cricket history behind the world record of 561 for one held by Karachi Whites batting in the Patrons Trophy against Quetta at the Karachi Stadium in 1977.The greatest pity was of course that, because of Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, no supporters were here to witness any of it.

A behind-the-scenes documentary of Manchester United may be in the works following Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS's partial takeover of the club.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Man Utd recording behind-the-scenes footage
• Ratcliffe keeping a video diary at Old Trafford
• Has hired journalist to write a book

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ratcliffe has been keeping a video diary since his group took control of the club's football operations, reports, while the club's own cameras have been catching goings on behind closed doors. The report says the club could turn out a documentary series, but have not sold the rights to streaming services, as Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham have done recently.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since INEOS's arrival, United ended last season in eighth place – their worst ever Premier League finish – and have endured a rocky start to the current campaign after handing Erik ten Hag a new contract. The Red Devils won their first game against Fulham, but have since been beaten by Brighton and Liverpool, sparking calls for the club to sack the Dutchman.

  As well as bringing in a new CEO and sporting director, United spent big to strengthen Ten Hag's squad, bringing in the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro over the summer.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  While it remains unclear if a documentary will ever be released, there will at least be a book on United's development since the partial takeover, as Ratcliffe has brought in Matt Dickinson, chief sports writer, to record the events going on at the club.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

  Ratcliffe will hope that the many changes his team have made will help turn results around amid their worrying performances. The Red Devils will attempt to bounce back in their next game against Southampton on September 14.

Hayley Jensen equaled her career-best to help pull Sri Lanka from a brisk start

Report by Andrew McGlashan22-Feb-2020

Sophie Devine continued her magnificent form•ICC

Sophie Devine wants to lead by example as New Zealand captain it was no surprise that she was unbeaten to marshal her team to a victory that stretched them for stages. In the end, though, the margin was comfortable with 14 balls to spare as Sri Lanka’s lack of power with the bat beyond Chamari Atapattu again hurt them.However, it was Sri Lanka who made the early running and they were 51 without loss after the powerplay with New Zealand a little untidy and getting a touch nervous that the target could be troublesome. Amelia Kerr made the first breakthrough, then it was Hayley Jensen who played the key role by equalling her career-best, the pair taking 5 for 37 in eight overs as Sri Lanka’s second 10 overs brought just 52 runs.Devine, who is in the form of her life, was dropped on 18 but while she anchored the innings – shelving the full-on aggression seen recently – it was Maddy Green who seized the moment to put New Zealand ahead of the rate with a perfectly paced middle-order innings.Atapattu applies pressureNew Zealand nearly broke through in the opening over but Green could not quite cling on to a chance at point to remove Hasini Perera that would have been an early contender for catch of the tournament. Overall, though, in the early exchanges Lea Tahuhu bowled a touch too short on a surface offering enticing carry. Atapattu, who enjoys batting in Australia after two hundreds on the tour late last year, collected a couple of early boundaries. Jess Kerr’s first over cost 13 with the aid of five wides and four byes – Rachel Priest was untidy behind the stumps – and Atapattu signed off the powerplay with a magnificent lofted cover drive for six. New Zealand knew they were in a contest.Power fades awayThe theme of Sri Lanka’s batting is what is there beyond Atapattu, especially when it comes to scoring at the rate required in T20Is. It wasn’t quite a lone hand here – Perera played nicely in the opening stand of 60, showing inventiveness to scoop over fine leg, although the strike-rate was 71 and Harshitha Madavi scored at a run-a-ball – but there remained a stark contrast. Once Atapattu fell, jabbing a full delivery off the toe of the bat back to Tahahu, New Zealand claimed full control on the innings. Outside of Atapattu’s five fours and two sixes there were only three further fours and a late six for Madavi. In fact, from when the opening stand was broken the remaining 12.2 overs brought 67 for 7. Jensen was key to this with a fine spell of wicket-to-wicket medium pace and clever use of cross-seamers, including two wickets in two balls in the 15th over.Contrasting powerplaysThere wasn’t a blazing start from New Zealand against some accurate Sri Lanka bowling. The first three overs brought just 10 before Devine slotted away a couple of boundaries against Achini Kulasuriya, but in the fifth over Priest was found short, beaten by Madavi’s direct hit, from a poor piece of running which continued her below par evening. After six overs, New Zealand were 25 for 1, half of what Sri Lanka had, and they had to make sure they did not leave themselves too much to do.Fielding hurts Sri LankaIf Sri Lanka wanted to secure a first-ever victory over New Zealand they had to hold their chances, but both Devine and Suzie Bates were dropped. Bates’ came before she had scored and got a thick edge to slip where Madavi spilled it. Devine’s key reprieve came two overs later when she tried to break the shackles down the ground, Ana Kanchana unable to steady herself under the catch at long-on. Still, at the halfway mark New Zealand had not quite broken the back of the chase and then Bates drove a catch to cover against young spinner Kavisha Dilhari. However, Dilhari’s second over is where the game took its major shift as 14 came off it including a free hit – after a front-foot no-ball called under the new system by the TV umpire – was flicked over midwicket by Green, who batted superbly to take the pressure off Devine. With the target close, Devine was dropped again at deep midwicket which highlight one of the major differences of the night.

A fresh update has emerged from the camp of Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez after reports that Arsenal had bid for his services over the weekend.

Arsenal back on track against Wolves

After a pair of damaging results saw Arsenal lose control of the Premier League title race and drop out of Europe at the quarter-final stages, Mikel Arteta's side got back to winning ways courtesy of a 2-0 win over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.

It is a result that lifts them back to the top of the Premier League as things stand, with Liverpool behind them on goal difference and Manchester City trailing by a point but with a game in hand on both clubs.

Arsenal could fetch a £173m fee by selling their "monster" talent

The Arsenal star is the joint-second highest valued player in England.

ByTom Lever Apr 21, 2024

The Gunners face Chelsea next at the Emirates Stadium before a trip across north London to take on Tottenham over the weekend, with the Gunners likely needing to take three points from both London derbies to still be in consideration for the title come the end of the weekend.

There are still areas of improvement needed though, with Arteta's side clearly still lacking a spark in central midfield and also a reliable goalscoring striker. As it stands, only Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard have reached double figures this season for goals, with no one breaching the 20 goal mark yet.

Arsenal's top goalscorers

Player

Goals 23/24

Bukayo Saka

18

Leandro Trossard

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Kai Havertz

10

Gabriel Jesus

8

Gabriel Martinelli

8

Despite being the highest scorers in the competition, there is a feeling that Arsenal need more, and they have been credited with an interest in Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez.

The Mexican has enjoyed a fine campaign to date, scoring 24 times and grabbing 7 assists in 40 outings for his side in all competitions. On Friday, it was reported that Arsenal were one of many sides pushing to sign the 23-year-old, and there were even rumours that Arsenal had made a bid for his services.

Gimenez to Arsenal update

Now, a fresh update has emerged on the status of Arsenal's interest in the £29k-a-week Gimenez, and it appears to be just that for now. As per Mexican outlet Azteca Deportes [Via Sport Witness], an "internal Feyenoord source" has relayed to them that no bid has been forthcoming from any party, with the Gunners part of a trio of sides keen on signing Gimenez.

Atletico Madrid and Juventus are also keeping a close eye, but again have not made an offer and there has been "no formal approach" for the striker from any of the three clubs in question.

It remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal's interest firms up into something more serious in the coming weeks and months, but he would certainly solve a problem the Gunners seem to have in central areas, and is reportedly available at a bargain price of just £40m this summer, which would allow plenty of scope to rebuild the squad elsewhere too.