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Brendon McCullum has said that Jimmy Neesham can become a “real weapon” for New Zealand at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2014Brendon McCullum has said that Jimmy Neesham can become a “real weapon” for New Zealand at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket. The allrounder will open the batting in the first T20 against West Indies. The opportunity has come about with New Zealand choosing not to fly in reinforcements for the tour-ending two T20s after the Tests, and could make it easier to include both allrounders Neesham and Corey Anderson in the side’s future limited-overs plans.”One of the real positives out of this is being able to give guys who may not have had some of the opportunities they are going to get otherwise,” McCullum said. “Jimmy Neesham at the top, I am excited to see how he goes. He has got the game to succeed at the top of the order in the short version of cricket. I don’t want to see him focus on that in Test cricket because he has made a great start in the role he is in but short version I think he can be a real weapon for us at the top and allows us to balance our attack nicely as well and get both allrounders into the line-up.”New Zealand’s coach Mike Hesson echoed the same sentiments. “He’s a power player. He’s a guy that can hit the ball from ball one and can play seam and spin equally well. He’s got the attributes, so we’ll give him a good opportunity.”Jimmy Neesham has been in fine form on the West Indies tour•Associated PressNew Zealand secured a hard-fought Test series win with a relatively inexperienced XI. McCullum was looking forward to seeing more young players taking up their opportunity. “Ish Sodhi will make his debut tomorrow and the wicket looks like it should favour his sort of bowling so hopefully he will perform well and we will continue to build the depths and strengths of our short-version team.”I must admit it is a little bit hard to refocus somewhat on two T20 games at the end of the tour but we have some high standards that we try and live by and this will be a good test of whether we can remain consistent with our traits and characteristics that we want to be known for in a different format in a challenging situation.”We will wait and see. You never really know. In T20 you can prepare as well as you possibly can and things don’t go your way so with a bit of luck I think we have got the team that can win these next two games.”McCullum said New Zealand were up against a “formidable” T20 team. “Very good team, even without Chris Gayle in their ranks. The guys opening the batting are two proven T20 players so they have got a lot of power throughout their batting line-up… Sunil Narine leading their attack with the mystery he brings as well as Samuel Badree.”They are a formidable team and they are going to be a tough proposition for us but even though we haven’t got some of our better T20 players here, a lot of our guys have played a lot of domestic T20 cricket so hopefully we feel well and are able to finish the tour on a high note.”

Nadir Shah, the banned Bangladesh umpire, has submitted a mercy plea to the BCB to lower the number of years of his suspension

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2013Nadir Shah, the banned Bangladesh umpire, has submitted a mercy plea to the BCB to reduce the term of his suspension. He was given a 10-year ban after a BCB investigation found him guilty of corruption after a Indian TV channel’s sting operation in 2012.”I have submitted a mercy letter addressing the board president [Nazmul Hassan], and it [has been] received by the [acting] CEO [Nizamuddin Ahmed],” Shah said. “I have asked to lift the ban that the cricket board has issued against me as I have already [served] a year of [it]. I am hoping that the board will minimise the punishment. If the board cuts the punishment from 10 years to 2 or 3 years, I can make a comeback as an umpire again.”The sting claimed to have “exposed” several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. The undercover reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.Shah, who officiated in 40 ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals, was the only umpire to have met the undercover reporters in person. The other umpires operated through internet-based video chats.Shah had said at the time that he went along with the undercover reporters’ plan because he had felt “threatened” by the people he met at a Delhi hotel. He maintained that stand in public, though he did admit his mistake to the BCB investigation committee.

The former Australia allrounder Tom Moody has been named as Hyderabad Sun Risers’ coach, at a function where the franchises new logo was also unveiled

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2012Tom Moody, the former Sri Lanka coach and Australia allrounder, has been appointed coach of the Hyderabad IPL franchise, which was bought over by the Sun TV network in October. Former national selection chief Kris Srikkanth will be its mentor and VVS Laxman its mentor-ambassador.The team’s logo was also unveiled at a ceremony in Hyderabad, held two days after the franchise was christened Hyderabad Sunrisers. While both Moody and Srikkanth, the Chennai Super Kings brand ambassador for the first three IPL seasons, were in attendance, Laxman skipped it due to the death of a close relative.”This is a proud moment for us as we unveil our new name and logo and we are sure that the team will be successful in the forthcoming season of IPL 2013,” Moody said. “We are keenly looking forward to it and our game will stand testimony to the competition we will give to other teams.”Moody has plenty of coaching experience. He was in charge of the Sri Lankan national team for two years culminating in their run to the World Cup final in 2007, and also oversaw Kings XI Punjab in the first two seasons of the IPL. He has also had coaching stints at Worcestershire and his home state of Western Australia. Moody worked closely with Kumar Sangakkara, who is expected to lead Sunrisers in the next IPL season, during his time at Sri Lanka and Kings XI.The team also includes Dale Steyn, the premier fast bowler, and Srikkanth believes that with the current core group and few additions before the the next season, Sunrisers would be able to regroup.”We are very keen on [Ambati] Rayudu. He is a brilliant cricketer. He has been in the ‘A’ team for the last two years,” Srikkanth said. “If he comes into auction, it is very good. Same with the case of Dwayne Smith, who is released by Pune Warrior. The Pakistan players may come into auction. Indian cricketers who made their debut, will come into auction. We know what kind of combination we need for the new season. We want couple of good all-rounders.”List of 20 players retained by Sunrisers: Indian: Abhishek Jhunjunwala, Akash Bhandari, Akshath Reddy, Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Bharat Chipli, Biplab Samantray, Shikhar Dhawan, Veer Pratap Singh, Parthiv Patel, Ashish Reddy, DB Ravi Teja, Ishant Sharma.Foreign players: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Cameron White, Dale Steyn, Chris Lynn, Jean-Paul Duminy, Juan Theron.

Nathan Lyon backed James Pattinson, who, on the umpire’s review, had overstepped when Brendon McCullum was caught brilliantly by Mitchell Marsh on 39

Brydon Coverdale in Christchurch20-Feb-20161:38

‘Unfortunately no-balls are part of our game’ – Lyon

Twice in one innings at the MCG in December, James Pattinson appeared to have dismissed West Indies batsman Carlos Brathwaite, only to have the umpires retrospectively call him for no-balls. Brathwaite scored a fifty, but Pattinson’s errors did not prove too costly in the match. His latest transgression cost far more runs, and could yet be a significant moment in determining the outcome of this Test.Brendon McCullum was on 39 when he cut hard at Pattinson and was brilliantly caught by Mitchell Marsh at gully, but umpire Richard Kettleborough told McCullum to wait while the no-ball was checked. Replays confirmed Pattinson had failed to get his heel behind the crease, McCullum went on to break the record for the fastest Test hundred and finished with 145, and New Zealand posted 370 on a pitch that should have helped the fast bowlers.”No-balls are a part of the game, we all know that,” Australian spinner Nathan Lyon said. “I know it’s easy for you guys to sit here and say get your foot behind the front line, but you’ve got to play in front of a full crowd, there’s a lot of adrenaline going. James Pattinson was just trying to do his best for his country. We’re going to be right behind James and he has got a big role to do for us in the second innings.”The reprieve for McCullum was the stroke of luck that New Zealand seemed due after they were wrongly denied the wicket of Adam Voges on the first day in Wellington, when he was bowled by a Doug Bracewell no-ball that should not have been called. It took Australia more than 15 overs after that to break the partnership between McCullum and Corey Anderson – and those overs cost more than 150 runs.”I don’t think our heads dropped, I think a lot of momentum swung their way,” Lyon said. “And credit to Corey and Brendon, they ran with it. They played a lot of shots and as I keep saying, they rode their luck – both of them. But as I said before, I think we actually toiled quite hard and stuck with it.”One of the more surprising statistics about McCullum’s innings was that it was almost entirely against pace bowlers – he crunched 54 from 22 balls off Josh Hazlewood, and punished Marsh with 37 off 18, while also scoring freely against Jackson Bird and Pattinson. But McCullum faced only one ball from Lyon, who was not introduced by Steven Smith until the 35th over, when McCullum was already into the 80s.”When someone is on like that, you want to challenge yourself, especially as a spinner,” Lyon said. “You want to challenge yourself against the best strikers in the business. It would have been a great challenge. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance there. He was on today. Hopefully I’ll get the chance in the second dig to take his wicket.”Pretty good striking, pretty amazing striking really. He has been a credit to the game of cricket the way he has conducted himself for New Zealand for a long period of time, so to see him come out there, that was pretty amazing. He rode his luck and that’s the way he has played cricket. I’m pretty sure it’s the way that he’d want to go down in his career: a person that took the game on.”

Alastair Cook and Andy Flower insisted their tactics had been “vindicated” after England won the second Test against New Zealand by 247 runs to clinch a 2-0 series victory.

George Dobell28-May-2013Alastair Cook and Andy Flower insisted their tactics had been “vindicated” after England won the second Test against New Zealand by 247 runs to clinch a 2-0 series victory.While Cook admitted he endured some nervous moments waiting for the rain to clear, he also defended his decision not to enforce the follow-on and to delay his declaration until after lunch on day four. By then England had a lead of 467 and meteorologists were warning that the fifth day could be severely curtailed by rain.So it proved, too, with only 45 minutes possible before lunch and play not resuming until 3pm. But it was long enough for England to claim the final four wickets they required to secure victory.”The result definitely vindicates the decision,” Cook said. “There is absolutely no doubt about that at all. To win by 250 runs is a good win and in just over three days cricket effectively, it is an outstanding performance. You are judged as a captain on results. In this game we have won by 250 runs.”I would not say it was a sleepless night but we were praying for an opportunity to get enough time to go out there and win the game. Clearly, I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was look out the window. We knew rain was about but we thought there would be a few windows of opportunity.”While there was much to celebrate for England – the form and fitness of Graeme Swann, the hostility of Steven Finn and the batting of Joe Root and Cook – one or two areas of concern remain.The form of Nick Compton, 39 runs in four innings this series, was a disappointment and debate over his position will continue. With Kevin Pietersen back in training and likely to return to the middle order for the Ashes, moving Root to open is one option that is sure to be discussed in the coming weeks.Neither Cook nor Flower would commit to Compton’s selection for the Ashes, but Cook did admit that changing such “an important position” ahead of such high-profile games would constitute “a risk”.”He’s struggled in these few Tests, certainly,” Flower added. “The Ashes is quite a long way away. Let’s allow the dust to settle on this series. Then we’ll chat about the line-up and the conditions and the opposition.”He’s got to go away, get back into form and score some heavy runs for Somerset. He goes back into a couple of one-day games. Hopefully the one-day games will be good for him. He can go out and enjoy hitting the ball. That will be the catalyst for him going into the first-class game feeling confident.”

“He’s been really dedicated and disciplined in his rehabilitation and he seems in better physical condition than he has been for a while”Andy Flower on Graeme Swann

Flower, in particular, appeared to take exception to the line of questioning from some media following the game. Talking to the BBC, he said: “I thought it was a very good performance by our side. We won by over 200 runs. Cook scored another hundred. He has 25 Test hundreds; more than Viv Richards or Greg Chappell. Swann is back in form and his elbow has come through surgery recently. The two young Yorkshire guys have had a great game. Finn on a flat deck has bowled outstandingly well. Those are all things that I’d prefer to focus on than some of the negative things you mention.”But both Cook and Flower admitted there were some areas where England could have performed a little better. While Cook referred to criticism of Trott’s sedate progress on the third evening, 11 in 69 balls despite England beginning their second innings with a lead of 180, as “nit-picking”, Flower accepted that “he could have been more urgent”.”We had a great example of running between the wickets and the right sort of balance between defence and attack and urgency from the two young Yorkshire guys in the first innings,” Flower said. “They batted beautifully. Trott could have learned a little from those two. But the following morning he put us in a great position to win the game.”Flower and Cook justified the decision not to enforce the follow-on, believing the wicket would only deteriorate as the match progressed. “We chose to bat again and get well ahead of them,” Flower agreed. “We thought we would have enough time on a wearing pitch to take the last 10 wickets and that’s how it proved.”The start of the final day was noticeable for Flower remonstrating with the groundstaff to remove the covers more quickly.”I shouldn’t be out there doing the officials’ job,” Flower said. “It wasn’t raining so I’m not sure why the covers weren’t being removed. I don’t understand why it took so long to get the game started, regardless of the position that we were in. The officials have a responsibility to get the game going when conditions suit and it wasn’t raining. The lack of activity was baffling.”But in general, Flower was in the mood to celebrate the encouraging performances of Swann and the two young local batsmen, Root and Jonny Bairstow.”Swann bowled superbly in the first innings; the ball came out of his hand absolutely beautifully,” Flower said. “I didn’t actually think he bowled as well in the second innings. I don’t think he was quite comfortable with the ball. But he still took 6 for 90 and turned the match our way. I’m very encouraged by the way he’s bowling and very happy for him that his elbow has come through surgery as well as it has. He’s been really dedicated and disciplined in the way he’s rehabilitated his elbow and he seems in better physical condition than he has been for a while.”Root looks an excellent cricketer. His decision making in the middle; his balance has been excellent so far. It was great to see him get a hundred on his home ground and it was nice to see the enthusiasm and passion the Yorkshire supporters showed Joe.”It was also great to see Bairstow bat with him. I know how happy Jonny was for Joe to get that 100, which was really nice to see. They are both good young men. Very different characters. But hopefully they will both have very successful England careers.”

Cricket Australia has come up with a novel plan to improve the team’s performance on Indian soil: import some of their own

Brydon Coverdale04-Jun-2014Cricket Australia has come up with a novel plan to improve the team’s performance on Indian soil: import some of their own. Their 4-0 thrashing in India last year continued a recent trend of failures in sub-continental conditions and since they last toured Bangladesh in 2006, Australia have played 13 Tests in Asia for only one win, when they defeated Sri Lanka in Galle in 2011.Their home clean-sweep in the Ashes helped propel Michael Clarke’s men back up to No.1 in the Test rankings but staying there will require finding ways to win away from home. To that end, Cricket Australia intends to import soil from India and install Asian-style practice pitches at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, perhaps in the middle of a greyhound track nearby.Australia’s next Test series is in the UAE against Pakistan later this year and against an attack likely to include challenging spinners such as Saeed Ajmal, the batsmen will hardly have an easy time of it. Their struggles in turning conditions in Bangladesh for the World T20 earlier this year only highlighted the issue of handling quality spin.”Our toughest challenge the last few years has been having success away from home,” Clarke told reporters in Brisbane, where the Australians are at a training camp ahead of their tours of Zimbabwe and the UAE later this year. “We didn’t play well in India. I don’t know, but I am guessing the wickets in Dubai will be similar.”I am guessing they will prepare wickets that spin and they will have two or three spinners in those teams. We have to find a way to get better. That is one of our great challenges as a Test team.”The Indian-style pitches in Brisbane will not be installed in time to prepare Clarke’s men for their series against Pakistan, but Cricket Australia’s general manager of team performance Pat Howard hoped they would be ready by the end of the coming summer. An indoor spinning surface is already part of the setup at the National Cricket Centre, but such outdoor pitches would provide a unique opportunity for batsmen ahead of subcontinental tours.”A third of all our matches are in the subcontinent, so you’ve got to be able to deal with it,” Howard said. “While we do practise here against spin … we know it’s not as real as being there. We’re never going to make it exactly the same, but we’re going to try to get as close as we can.”The subcontinent [pitch] idea has been around for a long time and we’re very much trying to make this a place where in the middle of winter guys can get themselves ready and prepared. Some players in our system are fantastic at using their feet and playing against spin, but our collective experience has got to get better.”

Jesse Ryder has his sights set on a place at the top of New Zealand’s batting order when the one-day squad for the series against West Indies is named on Thursday

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2013Jesse Ryder has his sights set on a place at the top of New Zealand’s batting order when the one-day squad for the series against West Indies is named on Thursday.Ryder has not played at international level since February 2012 when he was dropped for disciplinary issues during the one-day series against South Africa. He has since had to serve a six-month suspension for taking a banned stimulant, a period which coincided with his recovery from the serious assault he suffered in Christchurch earlier this year.Since returning to domestic cricket for Otago, following a move away from Wellington, he has scored 454 runs at 64.85 in four Plunket Shield matches. There has been understandable caution about Ryder’s return to the New Zealand fold, but he trained with the squad recently and now feels ready to dip his toe in the water again and has had a few conversations with coach Mike Hesson and national selector Bruce Edgar.”I feel that I’m probably in the best form that I’ve been in for a long time,” Ryder told LiveSport radio. “The confidence is there and it’s just a matter of getting my chance back in that side.”I’m not too sure what they are thinking but they are happy with the way I’m going so hopefully I can push for that West Indies one-day team.””I started opening and it would be nice to get back in to that opening spot,” he added. “But first and foremost I have got to push for a place in that side. The boys are playing well and if I can keep scoring runs and push for a place then I’ll be happy.”Brendon McCullum said Ryder’s domestic form had made a compelling case for his recall. “I’m obviously a big fan of Jesse,” he said. “His move to Otago was the right move at the right time and he’s doing a great job run scoring runs which is the only currency we deal in. If he finds himself back in the environment then we know he will have earned it.”Ryder has played 39 ODIs and scored 1100 runs at 34.37 with two hundreds; his average opening the batting in 24 innings is 32.60 while his career-best 107 came at No. 3 against Pakistan.He is one of a number of top-order batsmen in contention for a place in the 13-man squad including Tom Latham and the fit-again Martin Guptill. In the bowling department Doug Bracewell won’t be considered after suffering an adductor injury training with the Test squad in Hamilton on Tuesday.

A 114-ball 103 from Robin Uthappa helped India A beat New Zealand A by six wickets in the first unofficial ODI in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRobin Uthappa and Unmukt Chand put on 178 for the opening wicket in 30 overs•BCCIRobin Uthappa has endured five frustrating years on the sidelines since marking his international debut with a match-winning 86 against England back in April 2006 – the highest score by an Indian debutant in ODIs. He was part of the India team that lifted the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007. But a slump in form in 2008 led to him being dropped and ever since, Uthappa has been on ODI exile.On Sunday, he made a strong statement of intent with an all-round performance that guided India A to a comprehensive six-wicket win over New Zealand A in the first unofficial ODI in Visakhapatnam. Uthappa took four catches, and then struck a 114-ball 103 to set India A on their way to an easy victory. Uthappa put on 178 for the opening wicket in 30 overs with his captain Unmukt Chand, who cracked 94 off 88 after twin failures in the unofficial Tests.Uthappa got off the mark in rather fortuitous circumstances with an inside edge off Adam Milne that raced behind for four. But he soon settled in, and displayed the same confidence and flair which he had shown for India between 2006 and 2008.Uthappa made expert use of his wrists, attacking loose deliveries and sensibly rotating the strike. He reached his fifty in the 18th over by opening the face of the blade and picking the gap between point and cover for his seventh four. Uthappa showed increasing aggression as the innings wore on, executing the pull to devastating effect. He dispatched Matt Henry for two sixes and hit another one off Milne to reach his century in 110 balls.Chand smashed nine fours and six sixes, pulling repeatedly with power, and looked to be heading towards a well-deserved century, but departed for 94 after holing out to Tom Latham at deep midwicket.Uthappa carried on, and added another 48 with Aditya Tare, but eventually flicked one to Colin Munro at fine leg. Two more wickets fell in quick succession, but with just 23 more needed, India A remained comfortable. Kedar Jadhav hit the winning runs as India A overhauled the target with 5.5 overs remaining.It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing for the hosts at first, after a 70-run eighth-wicket partnership between Ish Sodhi and Daryl Mitchell propelled New Zealand A to a competitive 257. The visitors, choosing to bat, got off to a solid, but unhurried start, as the openers Anton Devcich and Luke Ronchi added 36. But Uthappa got the breakthrough, diving wide to his left to take a blinder to send back Ronchi off Shrikant Wagh in the ninth over.Devcich, Latham and Carl Cachopa all made useful contributions, but wickets at regular intervals from Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashok Menaria and Rahul Sharma, who each finished with three scalps, left New Zealand A precariously placed at 183 for 7. Mitchell counter-attacked with a 62-ball 51, but was overshadowed by Chand and Uthappa’s match-winning blitz.

Barcelona have confirmed that Gavi has suffered an ACL injury, with the teenage midfielder preparing to undergo surgery.

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Teenager forced off in tearsWill require an operationSeason likely to be overWHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old was forced from the field in tears on Sunday when representing Spain in their Euro 2024 qualifier with Georgia. It quickly became apparent that serious damage had been done, with the Barca starlet now facing a long road to recovery.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There is every chance that Gavi’s 2023-24 campaign has been brought to a close after being forced onto the sidelines and under the knife. Barca have not put a timescale on his recovery as yet, but he will be missing for several months.

WHAT THEY SAID

Barcelona have said in a statement on the club’s : “Tests carried out on Monday morning on the first team player Gavi have shown that he has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and an associated injury to the lateral meniscus. The player will have surgery in the coming days after which a new medical update will be released. Gavi was injured on international duty for Spain in the final game of the team's European Championship qualifying group against Georgia. The Barca midfielder was forced off after just 26 minutes of the encounter.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Gavi has taken in 111 appearances for Barcelona since stepping out of their famed La Masia academy system. He has seven senior goals to his name at club level, along with 27 international caps, and is tied to a contract through to 2026 that includes a €1 billion (£876m/$1.bn) release clause.

David Moyes' side won a first major European trophy since 1965 by beating La Viola 2-1 in Prague thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Jarrod Bowen

A week after Roma and Sevilla's toxic clash in Budapest came an even uglier spectacle in Prague, with West Ham beating Fiorentina in a Europa Conference League final completely overshadowed by the shocking behaviour of both clubs' fans.

There were arrests before the game, while Cristiano Biraghi was left bloodied during it, after being hit by a plastic beer cup thrown from the West Ham end. Just like last Wednesday's Europa League final, the fallout from this final will not be pretty.

At least the game in Hungary had produced the right victor, with the far more attack-minded Sevilla prevailing on penalties. In Czech Republic, West Ham came out on top despite being outplayed for the majority of the game.

Ultimately, though, Fiorentina could only have themselves to blame for failing to seal the deal. The handball decision that went against Biraghi may have been harsh, but they should have gone on to win the match after deservedly drawing level through Giacomo Bonaventura.

As it was, they conceded a late winner to Jarrod Bowen, who sparked wild scenes of celebrations in front of the same supporters who had split Biraghi open during the first half.

GOAL runs through the winners and losers from another European final that left a bitter taste in the mouth…

Getty ImagesWINNER: Jarrod Bowen

Just like West Ham, Bowen's not had a particularly good season overall. Let's not forget, he was being linked with Liverpool after an excellent 2021-22 campaign. There has been no such talk this summer. Yet Bowen remains a very dangerous winger, as he proved in such decisive fashion in Prague.

It was he who forced the penalty from which West Ham opened the scoring and, far more importantly, it was he who won the cup with a left-footed finish after the most perfectly timed run in behind the Fiorentina defence in the 90th minute.

So, it's been one hell of a finish to the season for Bowen. He had twins with Dani Dyer, the daughter of actor and die-hard West Ham fan, Danny, a few weeks ago and now he's delivered the Conference League trophy – fair to say he's just become a Hammers legend for life!

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Luka Jovic

There was a time when Luka Jovic looked like he was going to become one of the best strikers in the world. Real Madrid didn't buy him on a whim, after all. They paid €60m for the Serb in the summer of 2019, after Jovic had lit up the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, and scored 27 times in all competitions.

Sad to say, he's now looking like something of a one-season wonder. We've seen flashes of quality since he brought his Madrid nightmare to an end in January of last year by joining Fiorentina, initially on loan. But it was actually a shock that he started the final ahead of Arthur Cabral, who has not only scored more goals this season, but also worked far harder.

In that context, it was not in the least bit surprising to see Jovic hauled off at half-time in Prague. He may have had a goal disallowed in injury-time at the end of the first half, but he had contributed absolutely nothing to the cause in the preceding 45 minutes and was one of the main reasons why Fiorentina had failed to turn their possession into actual chances.

Getty ImagesWINNER: David Moyes

The sight of David Moyes joyously jumping up and down on the pitch should have brought a smile to the face of every neutral. Seriously, who could begrudge the Scot his first European honour? Beppe Bergomi pointed out that "West Ham are not a team that really plays football" but Moyes won't care. He's been through so much – even just this season alone, with his job in doubt after a dreadful campaign in which West Ham flirted with relegation.

It's still by no means certain that he will still be at the helm next season, of course. He could yet be sacked, which is why he's presently being linked with the current vacancy at Celtic. However, no matter what happens next, he's now got a major trophy to his name.

Just under a decade after being humiliatingly sacked only seven months into his dream job at Manchester United, Moyes' reputation as a good manager has finally been restored.

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LOSER: Diving

Because there's so much on the line, finals bring out the best in players – but also the worst. They will essentially do whatever it takes to win, and while that can mean putting one's body on the line for the good of the team, it also often results in the most shameful displays of simulation you're ever likely to see.

Honestly, it seemed highly unlikely that anyone in Prague could 'better' Lorenzo Pellegrini's dive in Budapest last week, with the Roma ace throwing himself to the ground roughly 10 minutes after deliberately making contact with an opponent's outstretched leg. Therefore, enormous credit must go to Said Benrahma for a dive so poor, so obvious, so stupid (he was actually in a shooting position at the time) and so absurd, that it actually provoked laughter among the commentary team on .

It's a serious problem, though, and one that the game's lawmakers remain mystifyingly reluctant to resolve. Because the solution is still obvious: don't let them away with just booking; make simulation a red-card offence.

And if any offences are missed by referees during games – which often happens because most divers are far more skilled than Benrahma – the culprits should be hit with retrospective bans. At this stage, it's the only way to rid 'The Beautiful Game' of one of its ugliest issues.