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رد قائد بايرن ميونخ، توماس مولر، على أنباء انضمامه إلى نادي إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، وذلك خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وارتبط اللاعب الألماني بالرحيل عن صفوف بايرن ميونخ خلال الفترة الحالية من الموسم، حيث سينتهي عقده مع البافاري خلال الأيام القليلة القادمة.

ويشارك مولر مع بايرن ميونخ في منافسات كأس العالم 2025 والتي تقام بالولايات المتحدة، وعقب إنتهاء البطولة سيرحل اللاعب عن ناديه الألماني.

وقد تكون مباراة بايرن ميونخ وفلامنجو، الأحد، في دور الستة عشر لكأس العالم للأندية هي الأخيرة لمولر بقميص الفريق البافاري.

اقرأ ايضاً.. كلوب يشن هجومًا عنيفًا على كأس العالم للأندية: الفائز بها سيكون أسوأ بطل على الإطلاق

وقال مولر في تصريحات لـ “DAZN”: “في الأساس، لا أمانع اللعب مع ميسي، لكنني لا أتواصل مباشرة مع ميامي في الوقت الحالي”.

وأضاف: “بالنظر إلى حالتي البدنية الحالية، أود الاستمرار في اللعب لأن كرة القدم هي ببساطة لعبة ممتعة، لكن ربما سأعتزل بالفعل. كل شيء ممكن، وأنا لا أشعر بالقلق بشأن ذلك”.

Liverpool have three Premier League Player of the Season nominations while a surprise name has appeared in the manager's category.

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Salah, Van Dijk & Gravenberch get nominatedForest have two up for awardSlot leads candidates for manager prizeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool’s remarkable league campaign has been reflected in the Premier League’s end-of-season accolades, with three of their standout performers earning nominations for the Player of the Season award. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch are among the eight-man shortlist following their instrumental roles in guiding the Merseyside club to their 20th top-flight title.

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Dutch centre-back Van Dijk has been an ever-present figure in the backline, playing every league match and contributing to 14 clean sheets as he anchors what has been one of the division’s most reliable defences. Meanwhile, Salah’s attacking output has once again proven indispensable. The Egyptian international has delivered a stunning 46 goal involvements – 28 goals and 18 assists – making him the league’s most productive player in front of goal this season.

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Nottingham Forest are the only other club to boast multiple nominees in the Player of the Season category. Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood have both made the shortlist following standout seasons for the Midlands club. Gibbs-White’s dynamic midfield play has caught the eye, while striker Wood is enjoying a career-best Premier League campaign, having netted 20 goals in 34 appearances.

Other notable contenders include Alexander Isak of Newcastle, who sits second in the scoring charts with 23 goals, and Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford, whose tally of 18 goals and seven assists places him third for overall goal contributions. Arsenal’s midfield engine, Declan Rice, rounds off the list, having delivered a consistent and commanding presence throughout the campaign.

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AFPMANAGER OF THE SEASON NOMINATIONS

In the managerial category, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has emerged as a surprise nominee. Pereira took the reins in December with the club languishing in 19th place. Since then, he has masterminded a dramatic turnaround, collecting 10 wins and two draws in just 18 games to secure the club’s top-flight status. Wolves now sit comfortably in 14th place.

Liverpool’s Arne Slot, having steered his team to the title in his debut Premier League season, is a clear frontrunner for the award. Eddie Howe of Newcastle and Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo also make the shortlist, with both clubs still in the race for Champions League qualification as the season nears its end. Thomas Frank of Brentford is the final name on the list, having guided the Bees to what looks set to be their best-ever league finish of eighth.

Chucky scored a brace this past weekend in the 5–0 win over FC Dallas.

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• The forward hasn’t played for Mexico since March 2024
• He has 70 caps with
• Lozano has recorded four goals and four assists in MLS

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Injuries and dips in form have affected the career of Hirving "Chucky" Lozano, one of Mexico’s biggest football idols in recent years, but at 29 years old and with a fresh start in MLS, he has his sights firmly set on returning to He's firmly focused on being one of the 23 players selected by Mexico manager Javier Aguirre for the 2026 World Cup.

  This past weekend, the forward gave a clear display of his quality in the latest round of MLS action, playing a key role in San Diego FC’s 5–0 win over FC Dallas, where he scored a brace.

  “I’m always trying to contribute to the team. Regarding the national team, as I’ve said before, I’m available and would be very happy to return. I just have to keep working to be in the best shape possible,” he told Fox Sports.

  Yet, in order to reach that goal, Lozano must be considered for the Gold Cup and then see what happens in a Mexico squad that, at the moment, seems to have their greatest strength in the attacking line.

  The Mexican forward now has four goals and four assists in eight matches with San Diego FC – impressive numbers considering he already missed three games due to a muscle injury.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lozano’s last match with was on March 24, 2024, in the CONCACAF Nations League Final against the United States, which Mexico lost 2–0. Jaime Lozano was the head coach at the time, and Mexico conceded the title. After leaving Napoli, where he never truly secured a starting role, Lozano returned to PSV in 2023 – the club where he had starred from 2017 to 2019 before moving to Italy.

  However, in his second stint, he also struggled to find consistency, which led to his gradual exclusion from the Mexico in favor of players who were getting more opportunities, such as Raúl Jiménez, Santiago Giménez, Julián Quiñones, and rising stars like César Huerta and Roberto Alvarado.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Since arriving in MLS, Lozano has become a key figure in helping San Diego FC reach fourth place in the Western Conference. After scoring two goals in the first half, Lozano became the fifth player in MLS history to record at least four goals and four assists in his first eight games with an expansion club during its debut season.

  That same night, Lozano also became just the fourth player in MLS history to tally at least two goals and two assists in a single match for an expansion team in its inaugural season. The last player to achieve this feat was Carlos Vela on Oct. 12, 2018.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SAN DIEGO FC?

  The team coached by Mikey Varas is looking to establish itself among the top spots in the Western Conference as they visit St. Louis City SC this Saturday in search of their sixth win of the regular season.

West Ham United are increasingly likely to lodge a January offer for a player who once cost nine figures, as we now enter the last few days of this winter transfer window and co-chair David Sullivan maintains the club’s pursuit of a new signing.

West Ham targeting new forward before deadline day

As things stand, despite West Ham agreeing personal terms with Brian Brobbey (talkSPORT), the east Londoners have yet to reach a club-to-club agreement with Ajax – prompting them to move on to other attacking targets.

£34m forward receives West Ham offer with transfer likelihood revealed

The Euro 2024 attacker appears to be a top target for Graham Potter’s side.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 28, 2025

Graham Potter’s side, according to reports, haven’t been sky in submitting late bids for alternative strikers.

Galatasaray hitman Baris Yilmaz was subject to an offer from West Ham recently, as per some Turkish media sources, but their advances were snubbed by the Süper Lig champions who appear determined to keep hold of their star attacker.

“Barış Alper Yılmaz received an offer from West Ham United, Galatasaray did not put the offer on their agenda,” said journalist Mehmet Ozcan to Haber Sarikirmizi.

“He is expected to finish the season at Galatasaray. As far as I understand, Barış Alper will be facilitated at the end of the season.”

Meanwhile, there is also a belief that West Ham had an approach rebuffed for PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi, so it appears Sullivan and the Irons recruitment team are starting to make serious moves as they seek a fresh forward option before February 3rd.

Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio are both sidelined with long-term injuries, leaving Potter with just Danny Ings to choose from in terms of a natural number nine, with West Ham also among the English top flight’s lowest-scoring sides.

Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson is reliably claimed to be a top striker target for the east Londoners, amid credible reports that he could be allowed to leave on loan.

West Ham likely to make last-gasp January bid for Evan Ferguson

Claret & Hugh writer, Sean Whetstone, says that West Ham are “likely” to make a last-gasp January window bid for Ferguson, with the Republic of Ireland international now close to returning from injury.

“West Ham are likely to make a late bid loan for Evan Ferguson in the last few days of the transfer window which closes next Monday with Brighton now entertaining offers for their striker,” said Whetstone on X.

“A straight loan deal would be dependent on competing offers from other Premier League clubs and the 20-year-old being declared fit to play immediately. The forward is on the verge of returning from a recurring ankle injury which has kept him out since Christmas.”

This comes alongside other reports that Ferguson is willing to join West Ham and the club are in contact with Brighton, so it appears his potential move to the Londojn Stadium is heating up.

Given Brighton once valued him at around £100 million, Ferguson has been viewed as a forward with serious potential in recent seasons, and perhaps he could get going again with a temporary switch to West Ham as he possibly looks to reunite with Potter.

Celtic could still look to sign an “amazing” player who they made an offer for in the January transfer window, according to the individual himself.

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Things continue to go extremely smoothly for the Hoops this season, with Saturday’s 5-0 win over Raith Rovers at Parkhead seeing them cruise into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Celtic ended up having a quiet time of things in the January window, even though Brendan Rodgers was pushing hard to complete the signing of Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, following the surprise exit of star attacker Kyogo Furuhashi.

In the end, the 22-year-old stayed put at his current club for the time being, but it remains to be seen if the Hoops will go back in for him at the end of the season.

While Rodgers has built a squad capable of fighting on all fronts this season, there is no question that new faces could be needed in the summer, in order to bring a freshness to the squad. Now, a potential target has emerged – one who may even have arrived at Celtic by now if his situation was different.

Celtic made offer for 23 y/o forward in January

Speaking Gazet van Antwerpen [via Sport Witness], Michel-Ange Balikwisha claimed that Celtic attempted to sign him in January, while also not ruling out a summer move:

“Celtic’s offer this winter was concrete, but I didn’t want to leave injured. Celtic’s interest was specific, but I chose to stay. I didn’t think leaving with an injury was ideal. Then I’d rather take good care of myself, to be ready for the play-offs. We will see further in the summer window.”

It makes complete sense why Balikwisha didn’t want to leave in January, given his injury situation, but it is encouraging that he hints at a move still coming to fruition in the near future.

The 23-year-old is a young winger who should only improve in the coming years, and analyst Ben Mattinson has spoken highly of the Royal Antwerp ace, describing him as “amazing”.

Primarily a left winger, Balikwisha can also excel on the right and in a central attacking role, with the Antwerp man capped for Belgium across five different age groups.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s international stats

Caps

Goals

Belgium Under-21s

10

1

Belgium Under-19s

3

0

Belgium Under-18s

1

0

Belgium Under-17s

5

1

Belgium Under-16s

4

1

A tally of 25 goals in 128 appearances for his current club is a solid return, and Celtic should be eyeing him up as a primary target when the summer window opens.

Related Worth more than Maeda: Celtic hit gold with a star whose value soared £5.5m

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Posts 2 ByDan Emery Feb 9, 2025

England captain says Hales the “obvious pick” as injury replacement for Jonny Bairstow

Matt Roller15-Sep-2022Alex Hales’ success in Australia made him “the obvious pick” to replace the injured Jonny Bairstow in England’s T20 World Cup according to Jos Buttler, who suggested that Hales is “a different person” after three-and-a-half years out of international cricket.Hales was back in England training gear for the first time since a camp before the 2019 World Cup when he arrived in Pakistan, carrying a dartboard as part of his hand luggage as he prepared to spend three weeks in close company with team-mates old and new under tight security conditions in Karachi and Lahore.Thursday marked exactly two weeks since he had spoken to Buttler on the phone about his continued exclusion from the England set-up after learning that he would not be part of the squads for the Pakistan tour or the World Cup that were due to be announced.Related

'Stuff dreams are made of' – Hales delighted with half-century on England return

Alex Hales: 'I thought my chance would never come again'

Hales gets England recall as Bairstow's T20 World Cup replacement

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Hussey, Saker appointed to England's World Cup coaching staff

But Bairstow’s ankle injury – suffered while slipping at Pannal Golf Club near Harrogate while Rob Key, England’s managing director, was telling the press he would open with Buttler at the World Cup – opened the door for Hales’ recall and, after discussions with senior players over the following days, the interim selection panel made a unanimous decision to bring Hales back into the fold.”Initially, we thought the best option was Jonny at the top of the order as that’s arguably his best position in T20 cricket,” Buttler explained in Karachi on Thursday, speaking to the touring media after his official arrival press conference. “But with his freak injury, it presented an opportunity for someone to come in.”It was literally as Keysy was telling you the news that he was going to open and speaking up his credentials [that Bairstow was injured]. As soon as he’d finished speaking to you guys, I had a message saying that Jonny had hurt his leg. I was hoping it wasn’t as bad as it turned out to be. He’s obviously had such a brilliant summer, so we’ll miss him greatly, but the opportunity is then given to someone else.”I spoke to lots of the senior players to make sure that no-one would have any issues with Alex being back in the team if we wanted to select him. No one had any issues. He’s obviously been in excellent form. We know what a talented player he is and he’s gained a lot of experience as well since the last time he played for England.”He’s played for a lot of franchises and had great success out here at the PSL. Looking ahead to the World Cup, his Big Bash record is fantastic [1857 runs, 33.16 average, 151.34 strike rate]. Australia is a place that he’s done well, and so he seemed the obvious pick.”Hales was dramatically axed from England’s squad for the 2019 World Cup a month before the tournament after a suspension for recreational drug use came to light, prompting Eoin Morgan to accuse him of showing a “complete disregard” for team values. He has not played for England since.But Morgan’s retirement from international cricket in June seemed to open the door for Hales to return, which came to fruition when his recall was confirmed while he was holidaying in South Africa last week.”He did message me to ask whether it would be possible to have a chat about why he’d not been selected,” Buttler said. “I spoke to him then: we had a good chat, and I explained the reasons he didn’t get the nod. Of course, he was disappointed with that… that’s exactly right, and how it should be. Very quickly, though, things changed and it became obvious there was going to be someone from the next pool of players picked as a replacement.”There’s been a lot of water under the bridge, I think. It’s been a long time and I’m sure Alex is a different person. He spent time out of the team and it’s great that he’s performed well and forced his way back in. We look forward to seeing him perform in an England shirt again.”Alex Hales is back in the England fold•Getty ImagesOn his discussions with senior players, Buttler added: “I think that was important. It’s no secret that when Alex got left out of the 2019 World Cup squad, Eoin did a similar kind of thing. He spoke to many of the senior players, all of the coaching staff and as a team I think it’s important that you give ownership to other guys and gather opinions.”I just wanted to double check. I had my own view, but I wanted to just make sure that everyone was on the same page. Everyone was, so that’s great. I’m just looking forward to having him back in and around the group. It won’t be long until Moeen Ali is taking the mick out of him again and all will be well.”Buttler also backed Jason Roy, a high-profile omission from England’s winter squads, to get back to his best as “one of the most intimidating batsmen to bowl at in the world” and confirmed that he still sees him as “my first choice 50-over opener”.”It was a really difficult phone call,” he said. “But one of the important things that I said to him was ‘it doesn’t mean it’s the end – it’s not terminal’. We know what a brilliant player he is when he’s on song… we spoke about a plan for him to get back to that point.”Buttler’s own role in the early stages of the tour will be limited by the calf injury he sustained during the Hundred, but he said felt it was important for him to be a part of England’s first trip to Pakistan since 2005. “Whether fit to play the games or not, I felt there would be a lot of value in me being here,” he said.”[I will] take it as I see it and very slowly build it up. It’s an injury that’s not bad, but one that has a risk of recurrence. You don’t want to push it too soon, especially with what we have ahead: we still have games in Australia and warm-up games so there’s no desperate need to get as fit as possible.”If I was available for the last couple, that would be the best-case scenario at the minute. It might come earlier that that; it might not at all. The picture will become clearer in a week or so. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Manchester City have now officially opened talks to sign a “wonderful” striker this month, according to a recent report.

Man City starting to turn the corner

Man City went on an almost incomprehensible poor run of form after Rodri was ruled out with an ACL injury, but there are signs they have started to turn the corner, having won their last two Premier League games on the spin.

Erling Haaland has also started to return to form, netting twice in the comfortable 4-1 victory against West Ham United last time out, but City’s current league standing suggests the Norwegian is in need of some support in attack.

The Sky Blues sanctioned Julian Alvarez’s departure back in the summer, with the Argentine joining La Liga side Atletico Madrid, and they are yet to bring in a suitable replacement for the forward.

Man City in talks to sign "future legend" who could be their next Gvardiol

Manchester City are in talks to sign a new central defender.

By
Ben Gray

Jan 7, 2025

Now, however, it appears as though Pep Guardiola has identified a striker who could make up for what his side has lost in the way of attacking contributions since Alvarez exited the Etihad Stadium. According to a report from Football Insider, Man City have now held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush, with a view to completing a deal in the January transfer window.

Guardiola is keen to strengthen his midfield and attack this month, and City are now actively working on a deal to sign Marmoush, although Frankfurt have no intention of letting him leave and the reports of City already agreeing a deal for Marmoush were wide of the mark.

The report makes it clear the Premier League champions will have to pay a big-money fee to get a deal done this winter, and reports from elsewhere have detailed that a £67m offer may be necessary to tempt the German side into a sale.

Man City in need of new attacking options

Although Haaland has started to rediscover his form in recent weeks, City’s poor run of form over the past couple of months highlighted the need to bring in new attacking options, who can be relied upon when the Norway international isn’t at his best.

Marmoush could fit the bill, having scored 18 goals in all competitions for Frankfurt this season, including 13 in the league, displaying his versatility by appearing at centre-forward, left-wing and in attacking midfield.

Since first making his Bundesliga breakthrough for Wolfsburg in the 2019-20 season, the “wonderful” 25-year-old has been showing clear signs of improvement, and this season has been by far his most prolific to date.

Having already eclipsed last season’s Bundesliga goal tally this term, it is evident the forward is now entering his prime, making signing him an attractive proposition for City.

The only issue is the price tag, as although Marmoush has been prolific in front of goal over the past two seasons, a £67m price tag still seems too high, as he is yet to prove himself in the Champions League.

Kent opener makes two centuries in a match for first time

Paul Edwards29-Jun-2022

When two of the possible results of a first-class match have been virtually ruled out after little more than four of the game’s 12 sessions, the course of the contest is correspondingly limited. Barring unlikely declarations, Surrey’s rapid amassment of 673 by two o’clock on Monday ensured they would neither lose nor tie this game and attention rapidly shifted to the question of whether Kent could save it. It took over 48 hours to answer that question but few of those at The Oval over the past three days were made tired by waiting. The patience of Peter May Boys is rather greater than that of their eponymous inspiration when he was asked damn-fool questions by hacks.Daniel Bell-Drummond’s forbearance cannot be doubted either, especially so after a match in which he scored two centuries for the first time in his career and took his total of first-class runs this season to 700 at an average of 77.77. Kent’s No3 was at the wicket for all but six minutes of this day’s play and batted for eight hours 40 minutes in the whole contest. That is 14 minutes longer than it took Surrey to pile up their colossal first-innings score but Bell-Drummond’s brief was different and he fulfilled it outstandingly well. It was only fitting at 5.50 this evening that the first hand Rory Burns shook was that of the cricketer who had been principally responsible for denying his side their victory.The draw will not satisfy Surrey, of course, but after a round of matches in which Hampshire lost and Lancashire drew, their lead at the top of Division One has been extended from three to 16 points. It is a decent return from a game in which they were deprived of the services of Jamie Overton and Reece Topley by international calls and Jordan Clark by a side injury. That trio have taken 52 wickets this season, yet their absence has only stressed the deep resources – and pockets – of a county that can call on Sam Curran and Dan Worrall, a pair who took three of the four wickets to fall on this final day.Kent will point to the injury problems that have bedevilled them since the start of the season and their gritstone achievement in drawing this game was admirable, especially when one considers the brutalities visited upon their attack by Curran and Will Jacks. Even on a true pitch where Surrey’s lack of a slow left-armer was noticeable, it takes mental strength to face down an enormous score and that quality was shown once again by Bell-Drummond who strolled out to bat after only 11 balls of the morning.By then there had already been an entertaining overture to our day’s cricket when a late start at 11.50 was delayed for a few minutes by a further squallette of rain. The Kent openers considered the umpires’ removal of the bails licenced them to skedaddle up the dressing-room steps whereas Surrey’s players stayed on the field and waited with the umpires for the monsoon to abate. After less time than it takes to play “Teenage Kicks” (that’s a song, not a video game) the officials waved the batsmen back out but we still lost another over from our initial ration of 83, so Joe Denly and Ben Compton probably considered their departure worth it.The pair were, though, considerably less chuffed twenty minutes later when they had both been given out leg before wicket and the match had been plunged neck-deep in the hazard. Compton was the first to go when he played around his front dog to Curran, and three overs later, Denly’s pleasing 69 was ended when he was beaten for pace and smacked on the back pad by Dan Worrall.That was the first of perhaps three passages of play in which Kent’s batting might have dissolved on this final day but Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning put on 107 either side of lunch before the Kent skipper had his off stump knocked out by a fine ball from Curran which swung in late. Jordan Cox then played the flimsiest innings of the day, his 40-minute 27 being ended after tea when he pulled Gus Atkinson straight to Curran at deep square leg. At that point Kent were 266 for 4 and the last hour had not yet started. However, any talk of late drama was hushed by Bell-Drummond and Ollie Robinson, who had added 95 when Burns called off his mastiffs. In truth, the draw had seemed certain for perhaps 20 minutes and the Surrey skipper confirmed that impression by bowling the last over. A game that had been marked by mountainous achievement and great skill ended on a note of slight farce but we are rarely the worse for a little silliness.

Perfect day at perfect ground, as Madsen seals chase after Masood makes 98

Paul Edwards14-Jun-2022

You really should come to Queen’s Park, you know. I can’t promise you a game such as we have enjoyed over these three days; a game which saw Derbyshire inflict a first Championship defeat on Middlesex and move themselves up to third place in Division Two; a game that ended with a guttural, flat-vowelled roar from the pavilion as Luis Reece completed a win that will always look more facile than it was.But the outgrounds always seem to conjure something precious and you might think it’s a reward for the volunteer labour expended in putting the matches on in the first place. Nor can I promise you a contest as enthralling as this, whose outcome only became clear on this third evening when Shan Masood made 98 and Wayne Madsen’s unbeaten 49 ensured that Derbyshire would suffer no jitters en route to their first victory over Middlesex at Chesterfield since 1965, when Brian Jackson took eight wickets and the home side were five down when chasing a paltry 34.No, I can guarantee none of these things should you come to Chesterfield…But there are beeches and copper beeches, there are oaks and weeping ash and liquidambar and ancient yews; there is an old mulberry tree near one of the two bandstands, and there is a lake, and across the road there is Parkside Café, which rivals Wickets in Taunton as the best nosebag on the circuit.And while you are eating your cobs and drinking your coffee, you can look again at the sweet chestnut and the sycamores and marvel at the trees’ fellowship and think of the consolation offered by conifers that stay green when the rest of their world is grey and the cricket ground is sleeping. And when you look beyond or above the trees, you will see buildings that have summat about them, like the six-columned town hall or the Church of St Mary and All Saints; yes, the one with the spire that’s gone in the fetlock. You see, you know the place already. Look up the route, now, before the magic fades.There is cricket, too, and there are times, like today, when it becomes the sole focus for those sitting in this greatly blessed world. Only when Derbyshire needed fewer than ten to win did the spectators began to drift slowly away and very few left properly until the game was done. They recalled their team had collapsed in a heap on Monday and they knew it was less than seven hours since the match was utterly in the hazard..Middlesex began the morning with a lead of 117 and seven wickets in hand as they sought a target beyond Derbyshire’s capabilities. Mark Stoneman and Ethan Bamber added another 23 runs in half an hour before Stoneman gloved a lifter from Anuj Dal to Brooke Guest and trooped off through the warm, dandelion-seeded air. Bamber fell to Dal as well but not before he had got on one knee and swept Mark Watt into the avenue of limes, where a fellow gave not a fig for his years and reached up to stop the ball.The lead was 179 when Bamber drove fatally to Sam Conners at point and it had been extended by only 13 more where John Simpson called Max Holden for a single and seemed to receive a tentative ‘yes’, followed by a mighty ‘no’. Simpson was run out by 20 yards; indeed when the bails were removed, he was near enough to give Holden a mighty kick up the arse, which is a course of action he may have contemplated. Unembarrassed, Holden hit Alex Thomson for a six over long on but was brilliantly caught by Billy Godleman running from mid-off to cover when he attempted to repeat the trick.We had lunch with Middlesex on 189 for 7. I walked out to the middle and wondered if this was how Fanshawe felt in M R James’ “A View from a Hill” when he sees the glorious spire of Fulnaker Abbey through Baxter’s binoculars, only to find it was a vision from the past. Reassurance was provided by an unlikely source: “From the Lake End, Mark Watt” boomed the chap on the public address.I drifted uncertainly back to the present and, almost on the instant, Luke Hollman was caught by Masood off Reece. The lead was 212 and no one thought it enough against a batting side that included the Pakistani. Give or take, it would have to do, though. Only six more runs had been added by the time Middlesex were bowled out and one admired the medium-pace bowling of Reece and Dal, each of whom took three wickets.Derbyshire’s pursuit of 219 began disastrously but could have been bum-numbingly awful. In the fourth over, Godleman was sent back when he called Masood for a mirage-single and Holden’s throw beat the Derbyshire skipper by around 11 yards. Next over, Masood nicked Roland-Jones to first slip where Stevie Eskinazi, possibly put off by Simpson, shelled the thing. The game settled again and the folk under the limes lost themselves in the struggle.Derbyshire got to tea on 89 for 2, the second batter dismissed being Guest, who was caught behind off Murtagh for 10. On the resumption, Masood got inside the line and drove Roland-Jones wide of mid-on; two overs later he nodded appreciatively when utterly beaten but resumed more normal service by cover-driving Hollman twice in the same over. The ball was changed at the end of the 30th over, which is normally a sign the shape of the game does not suit the fielding side. Ten minutes later, Masood cut Roland-Jones hard to gully where Sam Robson dropped the chance. Had not the Derbyshire’s supporters recalled their side’s first innings hours previously, they would have begun to believe this great thing was possible.Masood had batted beautifully but not faultlessly. Nevertheless, he was two short of a century and nine shy of his thousand first-class runs for the season when he cut Bamber to gully, where Robson clutched the thing. Derbyshire still needed 74 at this point but Leus du Plooy chose the fast lane to glory, whacking Bamber and Roland-Jones for sixes before nicking Tim Murtagh to Robbie White at slip.If Reece felt any nerves, he concealed them perfectly. The Middlesex cricketers, who had hardly celebrated their late successes with much joy, became reconciled to defeat. A few minutes later, players and spectators were shaking hands, saying their farewells and looking ruefully at their sunburn. One day, I hope you will be able to join them. Indeed, I hope beyond dreaming that you will get the chance, not least because if you do, it will probably mean that Chesterfield and so much else that is precious about our game has been saved. Evenings like this encourage the hope it might be so.

Allrounder knew before the season began that he might be used up the order in IPL 2022

Shashank Kishore12-May-20223:29

Were Rajasthan Royals right to send Ashwin at No. 3?

Rajasthan Royals have gone in with clear plans for every game. Play six batters, five bowlers and an allrounder. Everything is smooth if they have a good start, but if there’s an early wicket, they push R Ashwin up at No. 3 to extend their batting line-up and ensure their finishers don’t go in too early and as a result run the risk of being out too soon.While the merits of those plans are clear to see, they have also resulted in someone like Devdutt Padikkal batting down the order, a slight deviation from his original role of an opener. Royals, it appears, are fine with that compromise. On Wednesday, Ashwin was promoted to No. 3, and while he started slowly, he made up for it by taking the attack to Axar Patel and racing to 21 off 13 and then 26 off 19. The plan was to continue attacking, but Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wicket in the ninth over, against the run of play, meant Ashwin had to look to bat through, which he did to bring up his maiden IPL fifty.”No, there’s no license that has been given,” Ashwin said when asked if he was sent in as a pinch hitter. “Starting from the season, it was communicated properly to me that I’d be used up the order. We had a few practice games as well where I opened, and I’ve kind of enjoyed it. I have worked a lot on my batting, so it’s nice to see whatever it’s been worked on translates on the field. Pretty good feel about the knock today, nevertheless it didn’t come in a winning cause.”Related

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Have Royals looked at certain opposition and thought Ashwin up the order against them would work better against them?”No specific plans [like that], ” he said. “It’s just to keep good intent, keep [his] mental preparation. I’ve been in good batting rhythm before the season. I’ve worked on my weight transfer forward, I’ve made some technical switches, have looked to increase scoring options, some changes to my bat swing. Hopefully, I can keep taking it forward.”Royals got to 107 for 2 in 14 overs but made only 53 off the last six. This was down to the “tacky” nature of the DY Patil surface, where playing shots from get go was proving to be increasingly difficult.”Today the pitch wasn’t quite the easiest so there was communication around that,” Ashwin said. “Obviously, the communication to keep going out to play for a few more overs and set it up keeps coming in. More often than not, if you find yourself hitting the 100-run mark by the 13th over, you end up getting to 180, that’s generally the kind of algorithm that works.”Today again we hit the 100-mark on a quite tough pitch while batting first, I think just maybe 15-20 short at the end but like I said you never really know unless both sides have played. We’ve made a good fist of these sorts of low-scoring games in the past but today, the wickets, catches – nothing really went our way in the second half. It was not our day.”Shimron Hetmyer’s absence may have also played a role in Royals shaking up their batting order. The 25-year old West Indian has been among the best finishers this season, but that role had to be taken up by someone else against Capitals. Sanju Samson took responsibility and it seemed the right move given he strikes at 192 in the death but he fell in the first ball of the 17th over, forcing Royals to recalibrate again.”Hetmyer has gone back home for the birth of his child and Rassie came in place of him,” Ashwin said. “Obviously Hetty has been giving us a good finish towards the end in most of the games. A finisher is always worth his weight in gold.”I thought even the toss was crucial today because the wicket was a touch tacky, and obviously had we had a bit of luck and taken our catches, the game may have taken a different course. At the back end of the tournament, there’s always pressure. Hopefully, we can turn it on and string a couple of wins together.”The loss puts Royals in a tricky position. While one more win may help secure a playoff berth, they probably need another to entertain thoughts of finishing in the top-two.