Former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez believes Pedri and Lamine Yamal are the two 'difference makers' under Hansi Flick.
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كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن تفاصيل جديدة بخصوص أزمة اللاعب أحمد سيد زيزو مع نادي الزمالك، مؤكدًا استمرار التصعيد بين الطرفين خلال الفترة الحالية.
وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الإثنين: “مُنتظر إن زيزو لن يحضر جلسة التحقيق، وكان لم يحضر الجلستين الماضيتين، وسيتم تحديد موعد جلسة ثالثة، والنادي سيرسل للاعب خطابا رسميا بعلم الوصول لكي يحضر”.
وأضاف: “بعد ذلك الأمر سيتم رفعه لاتحاد الكرة، وفي نفس الوقت زيزو يُقدم شكوى في اتحاد الكرة، وللأسف الشديد دخلنا في شكاوى نحن في غنى عنها لو طبقنا الأمور باحتراف سواء من جهة اللاعب أو النادي”.
وواصل شوبير حديثه قائلاً: “النادي من حقه أن يحصل على حقه، واللاعب من وجهة نظره له حق، وكل طرف من حقه أن يبحث عن حقه”.
طالع أيضًا | الزمالك يتعاقد مع شركة تأمين على اللاعبين ضد الإصابات
وفي سياق آخر، تطرق شوبير للحديث عن مستجدات فرع نادي الزمالك الجديد في مدينة 6 أكتوبر، مشيرًا إلى أنه يمثل خطوة مهمة نحو زيادة الموارد المالية للنادي.
وقال: “موضوع الفرع الجديد لنادي الزمالك عمل انتعاشة كبيرة، لأن الزمالك بدأ من الآن تأجير المحلات والمولات والمشاريع الاستثمارية في الفرع الجديد، وسيعملون بقوة لكي يظهر هذا الفرع، وستكون هناك مصادر دخل غير تقليدية، وهناك رجل أعمال، اسم جديد غير الأسماء المعتادة، سيكون له دور كبير في هذا الأمر”.
وتابع: “الزمالك سيعقد مؤتمرًا صحفيًا لكي يُعلن تفاصيل فرع أكتوبر، وهذا ما كنا ننادي به منذ زمن، أنت تمتلك أرضًا ولا تعمل فيها منذ سنوات طويلة، وكنا ننصح ببدء العمل ولكن لم يكن أحد ينصت لنا، لكنه الآن بدأ رسميًا التعاقد مع بنوك وبعض الشركات الكبرى لتأجير مساحات في نادي الزمالك بفرع أكتوبر، لأن الفرع سينفذ بشكل استثماري”.
واختتم شوبير تصريحاته قائلاً: “لا يوجد استاد الزمالك الآن، وأتمنى أن يكون هناك استاد للنادي في الفترة القادمة، لكنه ليس في القريب العاجل إطلاقًا، التركيز الآن منصب على ظهور الفرع الجديد”.
Yet again in the Scottish Premiership, it looks to be Celtic’s title to lose following what has been another imperious start to the campaign, with Brendan Rodgers’ side still unbeaten in the top flight following Wednesday’s win over Aberdeen.
The Dons had been the only side to take points off the Old Firm giants this season, although, at the end of another hard-fought contest, it was the Hoops who claimed the victory at Pittodrie, thus widening their gap at the summit.
Reo Hatate’s late strike – which was beautifully teed up by substitute Greg Taylor – sealed a 1-0 win on the road for the Glasgow outfit, ensuring their lead now rests at seven points with a game in hand on their closest rivals.
Rangers, meanwhile, remain 11 points behind amid what has been a dismal domestic season for Philippe Clement and co.
Despite that healthy advantage, there is no room for complacency for the champions, with Rodgers likely to be somewhat concerned by the displays of a few key individuals, including young Alex Valle.
There’s certainly been a lot to like about the Barcelona loanee since his arrival at Parkhead over the summer, with the 20-year-old full-back already chalking up four assists from just 12 appearances in all competitions.
The former Levante ace was particularly impressive off the bench during the 1-1 draw with Club Brugge a week ago, having teed up Daizen Maeda’s equaliser just minutes after entering the fray.
Now looking like being Celtic’s new loan superstar – in the mould of Jota – the aim will now be for the youngster to achieve consistency under Rodgers’ watch, having been taught something of a lesson on Wednesday night.
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Up against the lively Duk, Valle struggled to assert himself down the left flank, having notably been caught out early on by a lofted ball over the top which allowed his opposite number to get an attempt on goal.
In all, the promising Spaniard won just three of his 11 total duels and lost possession on 16 occasions from just 55 touches, having also failed to complete any of his five dribble attempts, as per Sofascore.
Having also picked up an undoubtedly soft yellow card just after the 30-minute mark, the defender was then replaced at the break, with the arrival of Taylor ultimately paying dividends due to his involvement in Hatate’s decisive effort.
A bad day at the office for Valle then, although he certainly wasn’t alone in failing to deliver for the visitors, with one first-team star having arguably been worse on the day…
The caveat to this is that Kyogo Furuhashi is not a striker who seeks to get involved in the build-up, offering a pure poaching presence, rather than that Harry Kane-like playmaking style.
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Kyogo’s record at Celtic by coach |
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|---|---|---|
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Stat |
Ange Postecoglou |
Brendan Rodgers |
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Games |
83 |
69 |
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Starts |
71 |
57 |
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Goals |
54 |
26 |
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Assists |
10 |
8 |
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Yellow cards |
6 |
2 |
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Minutes per goal |
100 |
177 |
|
Minutes played |
5383 |
4589 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
That is all well and good, not least when the Japanese star is finding the back of the net – having scored 80 goals in 151 games for the club to date – yet when the goals aren’t forthcoming, it leaves little to fall back on. Valle may be a young kid learning his trade, yet Furuhashi is an experienced figure who should well be offering much more.
Indeed, the former Vissel Kobe man averages just 13.2 touches per game in the Premiership in 2024/25, having only registered 11 touches at Pittodrie, before being hooked just after the hour mark.
Having been rested for the weekend win over Ross County, the 29-year-old hardly made the most of that well-earned break amid his limp showing against the Dons, having also lost the ball on six occasions, while recording a pass accuracy rate of just 56%.
With the Hoops’ number eight also failing to win a single duel, while not even registering a single attempt on goal, it was a frankly anonymous display in attack, with the introduction of Adam Idah providing a far more effective focal point in the closing stages – as indicated below.
There is now perhaps a real decision to make over who should be Rodgers’ leading marksman moving forward, with Idah having scored eight times across all fronts this season, while Kyogo has just seven strikes to his name.
Equally, there may be a case to be made that the 6 foot 3 Idah represents a better fit for these battling away trips, emulating the role that Giorgos Giakoumakis often used to take on under Ange Postecoglou.
It is encouraging, at least, that Rodgers does have two quality options to choose from, with that depth of firepower set to be needed to maintain this rampant title charge.
159 touches, 100% duels won: Celtic colossus was even better than Hatate
The Celtic titan was the real hero for Brendan Rodgers against Aberdeen.
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By
Dan Emery
Dec 5, 2024
The NBA All-Star and Atlanta native was seen wearing Five Stripes gear ahead of the Timberwolves’ game against the Charlotte Hornets
The duo rescued Mumbai from 44 for 3 in Ahmedabad
Edited PTI version17-Feb-2022
File photo: Ajinkya Rahane scored his 36th first-class hundred•AFP/Getty Images
His Test career under scrutiny, India batter Ajinkya Rahane compiled a much-needed century to keep himself in India reckoning while guiding Mumbai to 263 for 3 against Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy opener on Thursday in Ahmedabad.Choosing to bat, Mumbai were also boosted by Sarfaraz Khan’s unbeaten 121 off 219 balls on the first day of their Elite Group D match.The focus was, however, firmly on Rahane who ended the day on an unbeaten 108 from 250 deliveries.Rahane, who had a mediocre Test series against South Africa recently, got to his century in 212 balls, hitting 14 fours and two sixes along the way. He had managed just 136 runs in six innings in India’s 1-2 defeat in the Test series in South Africa earlier this year.With the Test series against Sri Lanka set to be played from March 4 after the T20Is starting on February 24, this century will provide the confidence that he needs and could ensure that he retains his place in the Indian team.Another struggling senior India batter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who is playing against Rahane in this match, will also look to get a big knock in the game to ensure the national selectors retain him for the series against Sri Lanka.With new-ball bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya operating well, Mumbai found themselves in trouble early on, losing openers Aakarshit Gomel (8) and Prithvi Shaw (1) with just 22 runs on the board.First-change Chirag Jani had No. 3 Sachin Yadav trapped in front as Mumbai slipped to 44 for 3.However, Saurashtra failed to make any more inroads after that as Rahane and Sarfaraz added 219 runs for the fourth wicket to put their side in a comfortable position at stumps.Rahane took his time before starting to play freely and got to his 36th first-class hundred.He got to 99 with a big six against left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, before getting to the century with a single.Rahane’s 479 Test runs in 2021 came at an average of 20.82, leading to his sacking from the vice-captain’s post for the tour of South Africa.
A recent WNCL match in Canberra had a well-grassed pitch and there is much interest in the Test surface
Andrew McGlashan25-Jan-2022Tall quick bowler Stella Campbell has been called into Australia’s Test squad in Canberra for the injured Tayla Vlaeminck as the home side deliberate on the best balance for their attack as they hunt the 20 wickets that could seal the Ashes.Australia hold a 4-2 lead in the multi-format series following an opening victory and then two washouts in the T20Is in Adelaide. Victory in the Test would come with four points that would mean the Ashes were regained before the ODI series.Vlaeminck was ruled out of this series and the upcoming ODI World Cup with a stress fracture in her right foot – the same injury which kept her out of the 2020 T20 World Cup – and the selectors have gone for the closest like-for-like replacement in Campbell who made her Test debut against India earlier in the season.Related
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Notably, Campbell took 7 for 25 in a WNCL match at Manuka Oval earlier this month on a surface that was well grassed and there is much interest in what the pitch will be like come Thursday. After the rain in Adelaide there is the chance of further disruption during the four-day Test which would make it a challenge to force a result amid continued calls from players to add a fifth day.”It’s going to be pretty interesting what wicket we have for the first day… think there might be a little bit in it for the bowlers if that 50-over game is anything to go by,” allrounder Ashleigh Gardner said. “When we played ACT down here for New South Wales, Stella was almost unplayable and to have her back into the Test squad is really exciting. The confidence she can take out of that match going into this match it’s really exciting. Hopefully if she does play she can replicate that.”England bolster pace options
England have added uncapped 21-year-old seamer Lauren Bell to their squad for the Ashes Test in Canberra.
Bell took 3 for 35 in an intrasquad warm-up match against England at the start of the tour and followed that with 3 for 17 in the first T20 against Australia A.
“Lauren bowled really well throughout the English summer and she’s continued that good form over here on Australian wickets,” head coach Lisa Keightley said. “She gives us another option to consider for selection going into the Test match.”
Rachael Haynes was captain of New South Wales when Campbell took her seven wickets. “Having seen first-hand the damage she did against ACT and the wicket…she’d definitely come into calculations,” she said during the T20I series. “Particularly in red-ball cricket, where your ability to take wickets is obviously fundamental to winning.”Australia had a surfeit of bowling options in their Test against India on the Gold Coast in October and while some of those warranted their place as batters, it occasionally looked as though Meg Lanning had too many options to choose from.Stella Campbell bowling on Test debut•Getty ImagesThe balance of the side for this match is still be confirmed but if Beth Mooney has recovered from her broken jaw (and signs were looking promising on Tuesday) there will likely be an extra batter in this game with Haynes, who missed the India Test through injury, available again. On the flip side, along with the absence of Vlaeminck, Australia will also be without key spinners Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux. Legspinner Alana King could be in line for a Test debut depending on conditions.”Having lots of bowlers there’s plenty of variety,” Gardner said. “Guess that’s the best thing about this team, pretty much everyone can bowl. Sometimes that’s a good and bad thing having so many different options for Meg to choose from, potentially sometimes her not knowing who to go to and use those attacking options. [But] having plenty of options is definitely not a bad thing”You’ve got play those bowlers and batters who will be matchwinners. Maybe in the past we haven’t had bowlers who are really attacking, or bowling those attacking lines for as long as possible. Not playing a lot of Test cricket, it’s hard to know how to go into it. All the chats we’ve had have been about taking those wickets. Sometimes in T20 cricket it’s trying to reduce the runs whereas in Tests you need to take 20 wickets.”
Silverwood says seam duo are “fit and ready to go” ahead of Adelaide’s pink-ball fixture
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2021Stuart Broad and James Anderson are in line for selection in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, with England head coach Chris Silverwood declaring that the pair are “fit and ready to go”.The omission of the vastly experienced seam-bowling duo from the series opener at the Gabba raised eyebrows even before Australia romped to a nine-wicket victory inside four days, and selection was a predictable focus of the post-match wash-up.And while he did not confirm any selections for the day-night Test starting on Thursday, Silverwood backed Broad’s assertion earlier in the day that they would be well prepared, having started training with the pink ball in the Brisbane nets as soon as their omission from the first Test was apparent.Related
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“Jimmy will be fit and ready to go for the second Test, as will Stuart,” Silverwood said on Sunday ahead of the team’s planned departure from Brisbane on Monday. “They are available. Certainly, from an experience point of view, with the bowlers we’ve got heaps of experience so I’m happy with that.”The guys have already been training with the pink ball behind the scenes. And what we have got is a very skilful set of bowlers. We have talent and we still have two of the best up our sleeve as well.”The decision to leave Anderson out of the first Test emerged on the eve of the match, with the ECB saying it was not injury related but aimed at managing him ahead of the day-night fixture in Adelaide. Broad’s omission was more of a surprise on match-day morning when England opted for spinner Jack Leach instead, a call which came in for more criticism after Leach’s return of 1 for 102 in 13 overs.Broad, who hasn’t played since tearing his calf in August, wrote in his Mail On Sunday column that he believed he would only have been chosen in a five-man seam attack at the Gabba. While disappointed, he believed it would be inappropriate to “kick up a stink” over his non-selection, having publicly questioned his omission for the first Test against West Indies in Southampton in July 2020.”Stuart has been great, to be honest,” Silverwood said. “Obviously he was disappointed not to be playing but he understood that this is a long series.”Everybody will put their hand up to do the hard work out there and he is ready to do that now. We had good conversations with Stuart before any decisions were made and he was 100 per cent on board.”I’ve not told anyone they are playing yet. We will have some sore bodies from this Test and we’ll make decisions from there.”Australia also have some decisions to make at the selection table with Josh Hazlewood flying to Sydney nursing a side strain, although Cricket Australia have said he hasn’t been ruled out of the Adelaide Test yet. David Warner is also being monitored for a rib injury after being struck by a Ben Stokes short ball in Brisbane.Silverwood said his team were looking ahead, rather than dwelling on their disappointing showing in the first Test, which was characterised by twin batting collapses and some sloppy fielding.”We had a good chat in the dressing-room after,” he said. “There are obvious areas we need to improve on, such as holding our catches and building big partnerships.”Obviously they were hurting, but there is belief they can win this series. We have been in this position before. We have gone 1-0 down and then bounced back. We have the players here that can match the Australians. The confidence is there that we can compete with Australia, and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
Manchester United and Ruben Amorim are interested in signing an £84 million youngster from the new manager’s former club, according to a new report.
The Red Devils have two games remaining under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy before Amorim arrives as manager next week. The first priority for the Portuguese will be to get to grips with his new squad and get some positive results on the board, but transfer plans are being made.
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Van Nistelrooy will obviously not become the new United manager, but the Dutchman has made it clear that he would like to continue in his assistant role. This will be a decision that is probably made between him and Amorim as they meet each other next week, but the United players are keen for van Nistelrooy to remain at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Amorim’s arrival at United could be Marcus Rashford’s last chance of rescuing his career at the club. That is because United are considering the sale of Rashford as they remain concerned about his performances. The Englishman has struggled for form last season and this season, and now Amorim will be tasked with a “last-gasp assessment” of the winger.
The Red Devils could already have his replacement in mind as they are keeping tabs on Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior as he continues talks over a new contract at the Spanish giants. But Amorim and United also have their eye on another player who could replace Rashford, and it is someone the Portuguese knows well.
Amorim behind Man Utd's pursuit of Geovany Quenda
According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United are interested in signing Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda and Amorim is keen to bring him to Manchester. The 17-year-old joined Sporting’s academy in 2015 but didn’t make his first team debut until this season.
Quenda can operate mainly on the right-hand side, but he also has the ability to play central as well as on the left. That could make him the perfect long-term replacement for Rashford, whose future at Old Trafford looks in doubt.
The 17-year-old is considered one of Sporting’s hottest prospects, and his performances this season have caught the attention of United, as well as Manchester City and Liverpool. The Red Devils even had scouts in place to watch Quenda in Sporting’s recent game against Famalicao, where he scored, and they were also present against Sturm Graz in the Champions League, but he only played six minutes.
Apps
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Goals
2
Assists
1
United will not be able to buy Quenda until April at the earliest, as he is only 17 and will have to wait until he turns 18 before he can move. Therefore, a transfer would have to wait until the summer.
The winger has a €100 million release clause in his contract, which is roughly £84 million, and this is said to be considered too high, but Sporting are very reluctant to allow Quenda to leave, and with them not willing to accept anything less, it puts United out of a move right now.
Chelsea are now prepared to make a “significant” bid for one Barcelona star, with head coach Enzo Maresca looking to shore up one key area of his squad.
Chelsea and Barcelona's potential transfer dealings
In the last week, reports have claimed that Barca and Chelsea could be involved in a few transfer dealings – as we slowly approach the winter window.
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Indeed, it is believed the La Liga heavyweights are very keen to strengthen their options in the middle of the park – leading to their interest in a trio of Chelsea players including Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia and even Enzo Fernandez.
Journalist Simon Phillips wrote on his Substack that Barca have made contact with Chukwuemeka’s representatives ahead of January, with the 20-year-old up for sale. Barca are also keen on Lavia, but Chelsea and Maresca have adopted a very firm ‘not for sale’ stance – meaning they’re not interested in conducting any business with the Catalans over their promising young midfield ace.
Newcastle (home)
October 27
Man United (away)
November 3
Arsenal (home)
November 10
Leicester City (home)
November 23
Aston Villa (home)
December 1
Fernandez is on Barca’s radar as well, but there is little to report on that right now, other than them being admirers of the Argentine. In any case, a deal for Chukwuemeka to head to the Camp Nou looks like a real possibility.
While Hansi Flick’s side eye up a winter move for the ex-Aston Villa midfielder, Chelsea are in the market for centre-backs and could look to South American options to bolster Maresca’s defence.
“Chelsea will be looking to bring in a new centre back or two in the next couple of transfer windows,” wrote Phillips again earlier this month (via Substack).
“And there is a real possibility of seeing a new one arrive in the January window should an opportunity present itself.
“SPTC sources understand that Chelsea are doing a lot of shopping and scouting in the South American region this season, taking a look at a number of centre backs. Not only in that region though, but players who have come from that region.
“Chelsea scouts have been stationed in a number of South American countries already from last season, but there is a real focus in the Brazilian Serie A this season as they also keep a watchful eye on the progress of pending new Chelsea player Estevao Willian.”
Taking this into account, links to Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo could hold real weight.
Chelsea prepared to make a "significant" offer for Araujo
According to a Spanish media report, Chelsea are prepared to make a “significant” offer for Araujo, with the Uruguay international’s deal expiring in 2026 and no new contract signed as things stand.
Araujo is valued at around £83 million, but if he doesn’t pen fresh terms, Barca may have to come down considerably from this price tag in the next few windows. Man United are also believed to be monitoring his situation in Spain, and they’re willing to make a sizable bid as well.
Barcelona legend Carles Puyol certainly rates Araujo highly, saying of him last year: “He’s in extraordinary condition. I’ll stick with what they’ve told me, because I don’t know him personally, but he’s very professional, humble, he always gives his best in training and matches and that’s where his performance is.
“Right now, if he’s not the best central defender in the world, he’s among the top three. He’s young, he still has room for improvement and I think we have a very good central defender at Barcelona for many years to come.”
Stand-in captain hits 20-ball fifty after Phoenix bowlers succeed in dragging back Superchargers
Matt Roller17-Aug-2021Liam Livingstone’s six-hitting blitz led Birmingham Phoenix into Saturday’s Hundred final at Lord’s after a remarkable comeback with the ball set up a cruise to victory against Northern Superchargers at Headingley.Phoenix needed to win – or tie – to guarantee they would finish top of the group stage and qualify automatically for the final, and when Chris Lynn and Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit 65 off the 25-ball Powerplay, their chances of doing so looked slim.But their three pace-off options – Livingstone, Imran Tahir, and the self-proclaimed “fast spinner” Benny Howell – returned 5 for 61 between them in 60 balls, and Adam Milne’s death-bowling masterclass meant Superchargers limped to 143, with Kohler-Cadmore starved of strike towards the end of his 71.Related
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Livingstone then smoked the fastest fifty of the competition to date, off 20 balls, to break the back of the chase inside the Powerplay. His 92 not out was the joint-highest score of the Hundred, alongside Jemimah Rodrigues in Superchargers women’s opening game, and his 10 sixes were the most in an individual innings.Phoenix look set to welcome Moeen Ali back into their side for the final, with an update on his availability expected shortly, and included Tom Abell for the first time this season following his hamstring injury. Few pundits backed them at the start of the competition but their ultra-attacking strategy with the bat and their canny bowling attack have seen them top the group with six wins out of eight.Phoenix will play the winners of Friday’s eliminator at The Oval, between Southern Brave and Trent Rockets. Superchargers were already eliminated, and missed Adam Lyth and Harry Brook, both of whom tested positive for Covid-19 last week. They finish fifth in the men’s table.Pepsi’s fizzy pop
Phoenix’s cruise to victory looked a long way off when they were under the pump in the Powerplay, with Chris Lynn and Tom ‘Pepsi’ Kohler-Cadmore swinging for the hills and treating Pat Brown and Dillon Pennington with utter contempt. Kohler-Cadmore, left out earlier in the season, hit two sixes and a four off Pennington’s first set of five, while Lynn got after Milne in his second set.But it was Brown’s first – and only – set that went the distance. Brown is a canny slower-ball specialist whose quicker ball is clocked at around 87mph/140kph, but Kohler-Cadmore set himself for the variations and swung him for three sixes and two fours, taking 26 off the last five balls of the Powerplay – the second most-expensive set of the tournament.Spin to win
Howell and Tahir dragged things back when the field spread, finding some purchase from the pitch as the ball stuck in the surface. Livingstone, standing in for Moeen, brought himself on after 50 balls and it proved to be a turning point. He struck with his fourth ball, Lynn flashing an outside edge to short third, and after David Willey whacked him over long-on for six, Livingstone tossed the next ball up and caught a skier off his own bowling.Howell conceded a single boundary when Jordan Thompson swung him over long-off for six, but he picked out Allen on the rope three balls later. Kohler-Cadmore was stranded at the wrong end, Livingstone rattling through his final 10 balls in a row for nine runs and the dismissal of Dane Vilas, and Milne bowled 10 on the bounce at the death, conceding only seven as he nailed his yorkers at above 90mph/145kph.Livingstone tees off
Howell described the pitch as a “Powerplay wicket” at the interval, by which he meant that it was by far the best time to score runs with the field up. Phoenix lost a wicket early on, Will Smeed dragging on for a first-baller, but Livingstone and Allen were never likely to consolidate.Liam Livingstone swings for the hills•Getty ImagesLivingstone pulled his fourth ball, from Callum Parkinson, for six over deep backward square leg and stayed in fifth gear for most of his innings. He hit Parkinson for two more vicious straight sixes in his next set of five, and when he swung three Willey balls out of four into the stands on the leg side, the required rate was down at 1.13 runs per ball by the end of the Powerplay.Allen toyed with Adil Rashid in his second set of five, swiping him back over his head for two fours and a six, and Ben Raine was the next lamb to the slaughter as Phoenix’s batters traded sixes. Parkinson returned to have Allen stumped but Abell ticked over then watched from the non-striker’s end as Livingstone scooped and drove Matt Fisher down the ground, then let out a scream of delight when he pulled his tenth six over square leg to seal their final berth.Livingstone was Phoenix’s first pick in the initial draft for the Hundred and has more than vindicated their faith in him over the last month. “I’ve felt a little bit more pressure since Mo’s gone away,” he said afterwards. “We’ve got a young, fearless line-up and we’ve seen some great talent coming through. We’ve proved a lot of people wrong in this competition.”Leading Phoenix into the final is the latest landmark in what has been a remarkable summer for Livingstone after his T20I exploits for England against Pakistan. “I don’t think I’ve seen an England batter burst on the scene quite like this since Kevin Pietersen,” Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports. “In white-ball cricket, we have found another one. This guy can hit a seriously big ball.”