The South Korean might be a wonderful fit for LAFC, but manager Steve Cherundolo would need to get his system straight

It won't seem right to see Son Heung-Min wearing another color that isn't the Lilywhite of Tottenham Hotspur. Sure, this is a South Korean, who spent seven years at two different clubs before moving to Spurs as a 23-year-old. But no other player has been so closely associated with the rollercoaster ride that is Tottenham than Son.

He arrived at the club in 2015, and formed an electric partnership with Harry Kane – one that somehow, cruelly, didn't finish with any silverware. But as others came and went, Son stayed. He outlasted Kane, Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweild, Jan Vertonghen and Dele Ali.

He was coached by seven different managers and lasted a decade in North London. And when he lifted the Europa League trophy a few months ago, it felt like his forever home had been found. Surely, Son had to retire here, right? Age gracefully, chip in here and there, and then walk away? 

Apparently not. Son has made the highest profile move in MLS this year, with LAFC paying $26 million to secure his services. If he had to go, it seems a good fit. Los Angeles is a lovely place to live, and such is the culture of the club and the willingness to spend of the ownership that he could spend at least the next 18 months fighting for titles. LAFC are certainly a playoff team, and an MLS Cup is within reach. 

Still, what seems to be a perfect move might not be so simple. Son is a wonderful footballer who will make any team, in pretty much any league, at any level, immediately better. But LAFC will have to get their tactics right to get the most out of a league record signing – and ensure that they bring in Son, the MVP candidate, rather than Son the overpaid role player. 

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  Fitting in with the style

  First it's worth looking at the football Steve Cherundolo and LAFC already like to play. Olivier Giroud was their last big-money signing from Europe, and he was a remarkably bad fit for the Black and Gold. The manager never quite figured him out. At first, they tried to slow down to serve Giroud's aging legs. Then Giroud did what Giroud does very well, and missed a load of chances.

  Eventually, the manager scrapped it altogether and asked a youthful, quick, team to play with youth and quickness. Giroud couldn't keep up. It was a disaster, and LAFC, in all honesty, deserve some credit for saving face. 

  But now, they could have someone far more threatening. There is no point remotely thinking about comparing the two players. Giroud is a No .9, through and through. Son is a rapid winger, best used when starting on the left and making jagged runs inside onto his right foot.

  But he can also play on the right, or even through the middle as part of a front two.  He has played in teams, historically, who have pressed high, run for 90 minutes, and hit on the break. MLS is chaotic and transitional. LAFC like that kind of chaos. 

  There are tactical minutiea but the broader picture here is that Son is not only well equipped for a system like Cherundolo's, but also immensely familiar with it. Early signs, then, are good. 

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  A Premier League legend?

  What seems to have been forgotten in the chaos of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club over the last 18 months is just how good Son is. He scored double-digit goals in eight of his 10 seasons in the Premier League, and had to play second fiddle to Harry Kane in all but two of those. In 2021-22, he split the Golden Boot with Mo Salah, finding the net 23 times. He can assist, too, and has tallied more than five in the league in each one of his seasons in England. 

  On an international stage, Son is even better. He has played at three World Cups, and led Korea to the 2018 Asia Games gold medal. Only one player has scored more goals for his country, and with just 10 goals between them, it is likely that Son will surpass that mark. Add in the fact that he captains the side, and Son is certainly the finest footballer Korea has ever produced.

  He's also, more broadly, culturally significant. There is an unfortunate stereotype around Asian footballers that still persists in segments of soccer discourse. Players are praised for being "hardworking", "diligent", and "illustrious." For one, Ji Sung Park, a wonderfully technical footballer who became a personal favorite of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, was relegated to just being "a good runner" in the eyes of the English media.

  Liverpool's Wataru Endo is a cultured defensive midfielder. He tends to get more plaudits for his work rate. Son shatters that stereotype to bits. He's an excellent dribbler, an impossible one-on-one matchup, and a bit of a showman in his own right. Son makes football look fun. 

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  Son's tactical versatility

  Son's appeal is, indeed, in his versatility. Ask him to play anywhere across the front line, and he will do it to a good level. For Spurs, he operated on either wing, and through the middle.

  When the team got really groovy under Mauricio Pochettino, Son drifted from side to side, and made runs in behind from all sorts of chaotic angles – with Kane dropping deep to feed him the ball and Dele Ali serving as a Thomas-Muller-lite Raumdeuter in between. 

  Look through his goal catalogue and you will see a bit of everything. There are long-range strikes, amazing runs, deft flicks and acrobatic scissor kicks. He has every type of finish in his locker – and off both feet.

  But there are still some absolutes here. As Son has aged, and worked under different managers, he has become far more efficient. These days he hangs around off the shoulder of the last defender, functioning as an inside forward who likes to cut onto his right foot. Yes, he can still go onto his left and beat a man around the outside, but Son, in his most efficient form, is a player in the mold of Salah or even Thierry Henry. 

  He can, in a pinch, play on the right. But he is not a width-holding touchline winger that this LAFC side might need. 

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  Denis Bouanga, striking options, and who plays on the right

  And therein lies the problem. LAFC have an array of attacking talent, but the right wing position is under question. 

  Denis Bouanga is certainly a top-five player in MLS, and among the best attacking presences in the league. But there is an issue in his positional versatility – or lack thereof. Bouanga, to a fault, is a left winger. Of Bouanga's 31 appearances in all competitions this season, 29 have come on the left. Those have yielded 18 goals and seven assists.

  Through the middle, he has scored just once – without registering an assist. 

  Look at his MLS career, and much the same picture forms. Last season, 43 of his 46 appearances came on the left. All but two of his 44 goal contributions came from that position. The year before he showed a little more versatility, but was still markedly less effective when playing through the middle or off the right wing.

  There was sparse speculations that Bouanga could leave – with Club America reportedly interested in securing his services. But there doesn't seem to be much behind that other than whispers and agent talk. He's not going anywhere.

  Meanwhile, LAFC's other attacking options are a little more patchy. Nathan Ordaz has offered promise, but is still young, and not particularly clinical. Jeremy Ebobisse is more of a steady reserve option. David Martinez might be a long-term solution, and showed flashes of quality at right wing, but he's also 19, and questions about his long-term readiness for the spot are entirely valid.

  The most obvious solution, then, would be to play Son on the right, with Ordaz through the middle and Bouanga on the left. There is also a world in which Martinez starts on the right, Son could play through the center and Ordaz comes off the bench. Either way, Cherundolo would have to show some serious tactical chops to get it all working. 

Visitors make most of batting day after poignant tribute to Josh Baker

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2024

A Gareth Roderick century left Worcestershire in a commanding position after day one of their Vitality County Championship with Kent at Canterbury.The visitors were 308 for 5 at stumps, with Roderick hitting 117 from 281 balls, after the former Kent 2nd XI player Kashif Ali had given them a platform with 72. Adam Hose was unbeaten on 50 at stumps, reaching his half-century with a single off Nathan Gilchrist in the final over of the day.Matt Parkinson took 2 for 79, but it was largely a torpid day in the field for Kent, who struggled to make anything happen on a benign pitch until Joey Evison claimed late two wickets to end the day with figures of 2 for 39.The day began in sombre fashion, with an emotive minute’s applause for Worcestershire’s Josh Baker, who died last week at the age of just 20. Both teams wore black armbands and the flags flew at half mast over the Frank Woolley Stand.A crowd of over 1000 made the most of the first genuinely warm day of the season at the Spitfire Ground and to no one’s surprise the visitors chose to bat after winning the toss.Players took part a minute’s applause in memory of Josh Baker•Getty Images

Kent’s new overseas signing Beyers Swanepoel generated some early swing, but the hosts’ only victim during the morning session was Jake Libby, who had looked lively on his way to 19 until he was lbw to a Wes Agar delivery so plumb he turned and walked off before the umpire even had time to raise his finger.It was 94 for 1 at lunch and although Kent weren’t bowling badly, Roderick and Kashif looked largely untroubled. They put on 136 for the second wicket, until the latter began to look jittery against Parkinson, eventually nicking him to keeper Harry Finch.Brett D’Oliveira got a start, but having almost nicked Parkinson to Daniel Bell-Drummond at the start of the 61st over he went a couple of deliveries later, snared by the Kent captain at first slip for 18.It was 210 for 3 at tea, but if the D’Oliveira wicket had briefly revived Kent’s hopes, they faded during the evening as Hose joined Roderick for a partnership of 102 that seriously dented home morale.Roderick drove Agar through cow corner to reach 100 but Evison belatedly gave a dwindling number of home supporters something to smile about when he sent his off stump cart-wheeling, before getting the night-watcher Joe Leach lbw for 1 at the end of the penultimate over.

Need to adapt techniques in full glare of international spotlight makes team a work in progress

Valkerie Baynes26-May-2024England’s pursuit of the perfect ODI performance must wait until their final fixture against Pakistan at least, after their second match was washed out.A heavy storm which forced Sunday’s abandonment at Taunton after just 6.5 overs means Pakistan must wait until the last match of their tour at Chelmsford on Wednesday for another chance to level the series. With Pakistan all but out of the race to qualify directly for next year’s 50-over World Cup, it may be the best they can hope for, along with more match experience. England, meanwhile, can go undefeated if they win there, having swept the T20Is 3-0 and secured what Knight branded a “scrappy” 37-run victory in the first 50-over match.”We just want to put in a good performance,” Knight said. “I think probably we haven’t done that so far … well, I don’t think we’ve done it in our last few ODIs, to be honest. So yeah, you’re striving for that perfect performance aren’t you, and trying to put all facets of the game together. We want to finish this leg of the summer really well.”But Knight also revealed there’s more at stake for England’s players, namely trying out new things in the glare of the international spotlight.Seamer Lauren Bell, who was rested from the Taunton match in favour of Lauren Filer, has been experimenting with changes to her action during games, while Sophia Dunkley, who was recalled to the ODI side for the final two matches against Pakistan, told ESPNcricinfo in December that she had made some technical changes, a process Knight said had continued heading into the winter tour of New Zealand where Dunkley ultimately lost her spot amid a prolonged lean spell.Dunkley was listed on the team sheet at No. 12 in Taunton, having made a century, a fifty and an unbeaten 48 for South East Stars in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Related

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“The amount of work that she did, around not just her technical stuff, but around her mental side of things and having a bit of a pre-ball routine, there’s no doubt that those things would pay off eventually, they just didn’t pay off for her in New Zealand,” Knight said. “It has been really great to see Dunks going away and getting runs, that’s exactly what we wanted her to do.”Lauren Bell is tweaking something technically with her bowling and she’s doing it in games, which is a really hard thing to do and it can affect your output a little bit as well. But the girls are really good at seeing it as long-term progress and in order to be it in the future you have to kind of do it in the here and now.”Knight added that learning on the hop was a growing facet of the women’s game amid an increasingly busy schedule, which culminates this year in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh followed by the 2025 ODI event in India.”With the amount of cricket we now play, there’s not huge blocks where you can go and really hone your game and improve those things technically, so it’s important that we keep trying to move forward as cricketers, and then sometimes you do have to do it in games,” she said. “That’s really a tricky thing to do and I think it’s really brave thing to do, and it’s a philosophy of us as a group that we want to keep moving forward. To do that sometimes you might have to maybe go backwards little bit, to then make a huge leap forward.”Knight was pleased with what little her bowlers were able to do on Sunday. Kate Cross sent down one maiden and conceded 11 runs from her 3.5 overs while quick Filer had a catch put down by Sophie Ecclestone at slip off Sidra Amin, as well as a further half-chance at point off Sadaf Shamas, and was 0 for 18 from her three overs. Shamas edged another off Filer which just eluded Knight at second slip and Nat Sciver-Brunt also missed a shy at the stumps in a bid to run out Sidra.”As a bowling unit, I think the girls were quite disappointed with the other day, it was a little bit scrappy and not quite up to our best,” Knight said of the first ODI in Derby, where England were unable to take the final wicket to bowl Pakistan out. “We had some really good conversations about trying to put it right today. I thought the control that Kate showed and then Lauren at the other end just making things happen, it felt like there was a lot going on. With a few chances, we felt like we should have had a couple of on the board.”

John Simpson and Cheteshwar Pujara completed centuries on a day when Sussex re-wrote their record books not once but twice as they continued to dominate this Vitality County Championship clash with hosts Middlesex at Lord’s.Simpson, who made 10 centuries in 15 years with the Seaxes, got the second of his short tenure as Sussex skipper, eventually making 167 while Pujara posted 129 in a score of 554 for 9 that eclipsed their previous best against the hosts of 550 for 9 at Hove in 1980.Simpson and Pujara shared a stand of 223 for the fifth wicket to erase the previous best against Middlesex of 216 by Kepler Wessels and Colin Wells in that same match 34 years ago.Middlesex for whom Ethan Bamber took 3 for 114, lost Mark Stoneman early in their reply, but Sam Robson, unbeaten on 40 and Max Holden saw them through to stumps at 62 for 1 without further alarm. They will require a further 343 on day three to avoid the follow-on.Resuming on 295 for 4, Sussex were obviously conscious of head coach Paul Farbrace’s words at close the night before about not undoing the good work of day one as Pujara and Simpson adopted a cautious approach, so much so, only eight runs came in the first 10 overs.Pujara, in the last game of his latest stint at Hove, 91 not out overnight, took 43 minutes to add to his score, though in truth he never looked ruffled by his lack of progress.The Indian Test veteran won the race to 100, pulling a short ball from Henry Brookes to the fence behind square, but with three overs to go until the 110-over cut-off for bonus points, the visitors were still some way short of 350.The fact they got there was down to Simpson, who skated through the 90s with a trio of boundaries, two back past the bowler and a third caressed deliciously through extra cover to take him to his 12th first-class century. Even so, Sussex needed a no-ball from Brookes off what should have been the final ball of the 110th to glean the third batting bonus-point.The efforts of Wessels and Wells were consigned to history shortly before lunch, but the stand ended within four balls of the resumption, Pujara hitting a full toss from Nathan Fernandes straight into the hands of Stoneman at mid-wicket.If we were expecting a full-on push towards a declaration it didn’t materialise in an afternoon which meandered along with a distinct lack of tempo.Fynn Hudson-Prentice tried to press the go button only to get too far leg-side of a long-hop from Luke Hollman and feather it through to Jack Davies.As Middlesex adopted a defensive pose in the field, daring Sussex to force the pace, Simpson, who survived playing a Hollman delivery into his helmet, continued his steady accumulation to pass 150.He fell to almost his first attempt at something unorthodox, Bamber pegging back his leg stump after he missed an attempted scoop.Danny Lamb tried nothing as extravagant in a painstaking 49 before chipping one back to the persevering Hollman an act which finally provoked a declaration.Middlesex dragged tired bodies and minds off the field and the suspicion was that England seamer Ollie Robinson – who’d made a sprightly unbeaten 22 – and Division Two’s leading wicket taker at the start of the round, Jayden Seales, would prove to be a tricky prospect in the 19 overs that remained. Robinson, under pressure for his Test place against West Indies in July, didn’t wait long to make his case.The seamer, bowling from the Pavilion End beat the outside edge of Stoneman’s bat four times in one over before getting the nick in his next to send the former England opener packing for four.

MatériaMais Notícias

A goleada por 4 a 0 do Corinthians sobre oZumbi-AL foi o primeiro e único jogo de Guilherme Biro nesta edição da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. O meia foi chamado às pressas pelo técnico Ramon Menezes para representar a Seleção Brasileira noSul-Americano Sub-20. O Timão liberou o atleta, tido como uma das joias do Terrão, para o torneio.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians estreia na Copinha com goleada diante do Zumbi-ALCorinthians03/01/2023Lance! BizCampeonato Paulista Feminino teve inovações na transmissão; Federação repercute evoluçãoLance! Biz03/01/2023CorinthiansCorinthians anuncia novos patrocinadores para a disputa da CopinhaCorinthians03/01/2023

+ Confira quem sai, quem fica e as movimentações do Timão no mercado

O Campeonato Sul-Americano será disputado na Colômbia, entre os dias 19 de janeiro e 12 de fevereiro, e a Copa São Paulo será finalizada no final de janeiro.

O atleta de 18 anos foi titular contra o Zumbi-AL e saiu após o intervalo. Após o término da partida, Biro não escondeu a felicidade com a convocação e ressaltou que mesmo na Colômbia, irá torcer pelo título dos companheiros. O clube alvinegro é o maior campeão da Copa São Paulo, com 10 taças, e não vence desde 2017.

+ Veja todas as movimentações do futebol brasileiro na nova ferramenta de mercado do LANCE!

– É uma convocação muito importante para mim e para a minha carreira, fiquei muito feliz. Queria estar aqui com os meninos, mas, como disse, é importante para a minha carreira estar indo para lá, estou muito feliz e contente. Que eu possa fazer uma boa competição lá. Vou continuar torcendo para os meninos fazerem uma boa competição aqui e sair com o título – afirmou Biro ao Sportv.

O atleta de 18 ganhou sua primeira chance no profissional na última temporada, quando o então técnico do clube, Vítor Pereira, o colocou como titular na derrota por 4 a 0 contra o Fluminense no primeiro turno do Brasileirão. Antes, ele era figura constante nos treinos da equipe principal no CT Joaquim Grava.

+ Veja tabela e simule os jogos do Paulistão 2023

Biro possui vínculo com o Corinthians até o final do ano, e o clube trabalha nos bastidores para acertar uma renovação contratual com o jovem de 18 anos.

O Timãozinho volta a campo na Copinha nesta sexta-feira (6), às 21h45, contra oFast-AM, na Fonte Luminosa, em Araraquara. O time treinado por Danilo lidera o Grupo 12 da competição com três pontos.

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Serie A will introduce an automatic 25 per cent salary cut for players relegated to Serie B, under a new agreement starting this year.

New rule slashes wages by 25 per cent after relegationReduction reversed upon promotion back to Serie AMeasure aims to ease financial strain after dropFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has approved a new rule under which Serie A players’ salaries will automatically be reduced by 25% if their club is relegated to Serie B. This change forms part of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement signed between Lega Serie A and the Italian Players' Association (AIC). The rule will apply to all contracts signed after September 2, 2025.

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For years, Serie A clubs have pushed for contractual flexibility to manage financial losses following relegation, especially due to reduced TV revenue. Until now, teams relied on selling players or terminating contracts to cut costs. This structural change provides an automatic mechanism for wage adjustment while allowing exceptions if clubs and players negotiate alternative terms. The rule is designed to make the system more sustainable and fair for both parties.

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The new rule, Article 5.2, paragraph 7 of the Serie A players' collective bargaining agreement, says: "In the event of a team's relegation to Serie B, the fixed salary is automatically reduced by 25%, without, however, the recalculated salary being allowed to fall below the minimum limit set, depending on the player's age group, by the Serie A players' collective bargaining agreement. The reduction referred to in this paragraph takes effect from the season immediately following the one in which the relegation occurs and remains in effect for any subsequent seasons, except in the case of a new promotion to Serie A, which will result in the original salary level being restored, any agreements to the contrary in individual contracts are in any case reserved." This means clubs and players can negotiate a salary based on the competition the club is or will be involved in. "That varies depending on the championship and/or international competition in which the club participates or will participate."

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WHAT SERIE A SAID

“This agreement represents a significant step forward for our football system,” said Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli. "It is a historic agreement, both for its content and the method used to reach it: a process of constructive dialogue, developed over time with a spirit of responsibility and a shared vision. This result confirms how institutional dialogue and collaboration between Lega and AIC are essential tools for addressing the challenges of modern football with balance and foresight." 

He added: "Our goal, as Lega Serie A, is to contribute to an increasingly solid, fair, and sustainable system, in which the needs of clubs and players can be reconciled in the shared interest of protecting and growing the sport."

AIC President Umberto Calcagno shared a similar view, stating: "The new agreement is the result of constructive dialogue between the parties, with a view to safeguarding the interests of the entire system."

تحدث فريدي آدو، لاعب كرة القدم الأمريكي عن لامين يامال لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة وقدم له بعض النصائح التي تجعله يتحمل الضغوطات والأضواء المسلطة عليه في سن صغير.

ويعتبر آدو، واحدًا من ألمع المواهب الذين ظهروا في القرن الجديد وأطلقت عليه وسائل الإعلام “بيليه الجديد” لمهارته الفذة لكن سرعان ما هبط مستواه سريعًا وفقد بريقه بسبب الضغوطات التي تعرض لها في سن صغير.

وفي ضوء ذلك، قال آدو عن لامين يامال في تصريحات لمجلة “فور فور تو”: “هناك أوجه تشابه بيننا، لأنه حظى بإشادة واسعة في سن مبكر، وأصبح معروفًا عالميًا في هذه المرحلة، لعبتُ كجناح أحيانًا على اليمين، وأحيانًا على اليسار، وغالبًا في الوسط كصانع ألعاب لكن أسلوب اللعب متشابه بيننا”.

وأكمل: “إنه ماهر للغاية، يتقدم من الجانب الأيمن ويقطع الكرة ويسدد ببراعة، قدمه اليسرى رائعة، إنه أكثر براعة مني بكثير عندما كنت في مثل سنه، لقد اندمج بشكل كامل مع المنتخب الإسباني ويُقدم أداءً ممتازًا، وهو لاعب أساسي ويعتبر من أفضل لاعبي الفريق”.

وأضاف: “يلعب في أحد أكبر أندية العالم، نشأ في أكاديمية الشباب هناك، ولعب في هذه الأكاديمية وهو يعرفها جيدًا، إنه مرتاح هناك، لذلك سارت الأمور على ما يرام، إن كون المرء نجمًا مراهقًا يجلب معه ضغوطًا فريدة من نوعها”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ديمبلي: ميسي مُلهمي الأعظم.. وقدم لي هذه النصيحة لتحقيق أحلامي

واستطرد: “من الواضح أن كل العيون عليه طوال الوقت، وهذا أمر صعب، صعب حقًا، بالنسبة لي شخصيًا، لا يُمكنني أن أكون مجرد طفل عادي، وهذا الكلام صادر من شخص في أمريكا، كرة القدم ليست الرياضة الأهم هنا”.

وقدم نصيحة لنجم برشلونة وقال: “نصيحتي له هي أن يُركز على عمله، ويتدرب ويركز على مهنته فقط، لأنه سيواجه الكثير من الأمور المشتتة، أنا متأكد من وجودها الآن، رأيتُ بعض الأخبار في الصحف عن وجوده مع امرأة أكبر منه سنًا بكثير في إجازة، والجميع يتحدث عن ذلك، كل صغيرة وكبيرة يفعلها ستكون محل حديث”.

وأتبع: “إذا كنت ستذهب في إجازة مع امرأة أكبر سنًا، فتأكد من أن والدتك هي الشخص الوحيد الذي ستذهب معه لأنه في هذه المرحلة، مهما فعلت، الحديث عنه سيزداد وسيسبب الكثير من التشتيت، لذلك لا تريد أن يصبح هذا هو كل ما يدور حولك كلاعب، لا تريد ذلك أردت التركيز على الملعب”.

وأتم: “عندما كنت صغيرًا، ارتكبت الكثير من الأخطاء، كنتُ أقضي وقتًا مع بعض الأصدقاء، فالتقط أحدهم صورة لي في حفلة أو ما شابه، وأصبح الأمر قضية كبيرة، لم أكن أعتقد ذلك لكنه أصبح قضية كبيرة، ثم تصبح الرواية أنك لا تركز على لعبتك، وأنك فقط هنا تقضي وقتك مع أصدقائك وتحتفل”.

Jamie Smith’s brilliant 98 not out from only 111 balls, and a 139-run fourth wicket stand with Ben Foakes, propelled champions Surrey into a strong position at the halfway stage against Warwickshire in the Kia Oval sunshine.But three wickets in three overs with the second new ball by Craig Miles, who finished the day with superb figures of 5 for 43, pegged Surrey back to 327 for 6 in reply to Warwickshire’s 343, gave the visitors a toehold in this Vitality County Championship match themselves.Miles bowled Foakes for 52 with a ball that kept low – not for the first time in the game – and then followed that up by pinning Dan Lawrence leg-before for three and, three balls later, having nightwatchman Kemar Roach magnificently held low and left-handed by a diving Rob Yates at second slip.Smith remained unbeaten, however, with some imperious strokes so far bringing him two sixes and 14 fours, and in addition to Cameron Steel, not out on four at stumps, Surrey have all-rounders Jordan Clark and Sean Abbott still to bat as they bid to turn a slender 16-run deficit into a potentially match-defining first innings lead on day three.The late drama involving Miles also included him rolling his right ankle in celebration at Roach’s wicket, with what was his final ball at the end of the day’s penultimate over, and limping immediately from the field for treatment.Ollie Pope, meanwhile, is still searching for his first sizeable score of the season after contributing a middling 44 to Surrey’s first innings.With openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns making 64 and 40 respectively, Surrey batted solidly throughout the day – until that late loss of three wickets – in their attempt to establish a significant lead and put pressure on their opponents in the remainder of this game.But England batsman Pope is enduring a lean run of form with only 79 runs from four innings to date in this season’s championship, and 198 from 12 first-class knocks overall since his majestic 196 at Hyderabad in last winter’s opening Test against India.Here, coming in after Burns hit Will Rhodes’ medium pace to backward point in the 28th over – and after the Surrey captain had put on 88 in two hours with Sibley – Pope initially overcame an edgy start to cruise towards what would have been a confidence-boosting half-century.But, with tea approaching, Pope aimed a loose drive at a ball from Miles that shaped away just enough to catch the edge and fly straight to Yates stationed in a solitary widish slip position.Pope thumped his bat in disappointment, yet it was further reward for paceman Miles in a controlled eight-over afternoon spell of two for 24 that had earlier also brought him Sibley’s scalp, bowled off stump by one that kept a little low to beat the opener’s back-foot defensive stroke.After tea, however, Smith and Foakes seemed like they were wrenching the match away from Warwickshire in an increasingly aggressive and well-judged 31-over partnership.Smith had off-driven the last ball of the afternoon session, from Miles, for his first boundary and there were more glorious strokes to follow from the 23-year-old as he reached his fifty from 65 balls. Foakes, meanwhile, was busy at the crease while also straight-driving Ollie Hannon-Dalby classily for one of his own fours.Warwickshire captain Rhodes, giving himself a second spell, was crashed to the offside ropes as Smith took a couple of strides down the pitch to hit the ball at the top of the bounce. Soon after, Smith took two more sweetly-struck fours off Rhodes in the same over through extra cover and mid on.Later, there was a pull for six off Jacob Bethell’s left arm spin, following a lofted four over mid on against the same bowler, a sublime extra cover four off Ed Barnard’s fast-medium and also a powerfully-driven six and four off successive Barnard deliveries.The day started with Warwickshire, on 318 for 8 overnight, seeing 28-year-old all-rounder Barnard quickly score the four runs he needed to complete a deserved sixth first-class hundred – and his first for the club since leaving Worcestershire at the start of last year.Dan Worrall, however, luckless on day one, produced an off-cutter to clip the top of Miles’ off stump as he decided to shoulder arms on 29, a creditable innings by the No 10 in a stand with Barnard of 66.And Barnard, on 108 from 179 balls and attempting to hit out for a third batting bonus point, then skewed Lawrence’s off spin to cover in the next over to end both his own superlative knock and Warwickshire’s first innings.

India’s dominance continued in Sylhet as they went 4-0 up in the five-match series

Srinidhi Ramanujam06-May-2024Harmanpreet Kaur and India’s spinners combined to hand the visitors a comfortable 56-run win against Bangladesh in the rain-hit fourth T20I. India’s dominance continued in Sylhet as they went 4-0 ahead in the five-match series.Harmanpreet, playing her 300th international game, top-scored with a brisk 39 to lift the visitors to a competitive 122 for 6 in 14 overs after being asked to bat on a cloudy day. Chasing a revised DLS target of 125, Bangladesh lost a flurry of wickets to post 66 for 7. S Asha – India’s oldest debutant in women’s T20Is at 33 – and Deepti Sharma starred with two wickets each.Bangladesh made three changes from the XI that played the third game, but were never in the chase on a sluggish surface. After Deepti handed the first breakthrough for India with the wicket of Murshida Khatun in the fourth over, she went on to dismiss Dilhara Akter (21 off 25). Rubya Haider (13 off 17) was also run out after a mix-up with captain Nigar Sultana in the eighth over.Asha’s maiden wicket was the prized scalp of Sultana, who couldn’t read a googly on the stumps and ended up being trapped lbw. The legspinner added one more wicket when she dismissed Shorna Akter, having the batter mistime a slog-sweep only to be caught by Richa Ghosh off a leading edge. Asha finished her quota of three overs with figures of 2 for 18.Bangladesh’s batting collapse continued to haunt them in the series as they slid from 38 for 1 to 47 for 6 to lose the plot and the game.India lost Shafali Verma early for a four-ball 2 in the second over. D Hemalatha played a cameo of 22 off 14, hitting two fours and as many sixes, which included two powerful lofted drives over extra cover. However, her stay was cut short by the young fast bowler Marufa Akther who trapped her lbw with an inswinger. India reached 48 for 2 in 5.5 overs before rain halted the game for an hour.Once the play resumed, Smriti Mandhana got going to make an 18-ball 22 but was bowled by Rabeya Khan. But India did not slow down, thanks to Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh.The duo put on 44 runs off just 28 balls for the fourth wicket. Harmanpreet picked up pace after Mandhana’s dismissal as she went from 10 off 8 to 39 off 26 balls, hitting five fours. Ghosh played a 15-ball 24 and hit three fours and a six as India accumulated 52 runs in the last five overs. Though several shots were coming off edges, India scored quickly to put up a solid target in 14 overs.India will be eying a series sweep when they take on the field for the final game on May 9.

Armando Broja has left Chelsea and completed a permanent transfer to Burnley for a reported £20 million fee. The 23-year-old Albania striker has penned a five-year deal with the Clarets, following Lesley Ugochukwu in making the switch from Stamford Bridge to Turf Moor this week as Burnley prepare for their return to the Premier League.

• Broja signs five-year deal with Burnley
• Chelsea academy sales pass £250m mark
• Clarets spend £55m on two Chelsea players

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Burnley have confirmed the signing of Broja from Chelsea. The striker, who made 38 appearances for the Blues over the years, struggled to nail down a regular spot and spent time on loan at several clubs. He now joins Burnley on a long-term five-year deal ahead of the new Premier League season.

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  WHAT BROJA SAID

  Speaking to Burnley club media, Broja said: “I am really excited to be here as a Burnley player.

  “It’s a really positive time to be joining this club ahead of the start of the new Premier League season. I can’t wait to get going!”

  “I’m feeling good, I’m ready and I’m excited about the challenge of playing for this club.

  “I can already feel the support from the Burnley fans – I can tell you all that I will be giving my all every time I pull on the famous Claret shirt.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Broja’s departure means Chelsea have now made over £250m in academy player sales since 2022. The sales are part of a deliberate strategy to meet Profit and Sustainability Rules, with homegrown players offering maximum financial return. Burnley alone have contributed over £55m to that total this summer, also securing Ugochukwu in a separate deal.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BROJA?

  The 23-year-old is expected to join up with his new Burnley team-mates immediately and could feature in Scott Parker’s Clarets' Premier League season opener. Chelsea, meanwhile, will continue trimming their squad as they reshape under Enzo Maresca. Burnley fans will hope Broja delivers goals to help boost their top-flight campaign.