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After being dumped from the Test squad, he responded with 80 in seam-friendly conditions to set up Victoria’s slim victory

The Report by Daniel Brettig16-Sep-2018
Getty ImagesOn an opening day of the Australian domestic season so early it could only have been played in far north Queensland, its new possibilities were exemplified by the displays of Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson as the bulwarks of a Victorian innings that proved just stout enough to see off Queensland in seam and swing-friendly conditions.For Maxwell, it wasn’t quite the hundred that he has been told he must make in far more frequent fashion to make it into Justin Langer’s preferred Australian teams, but plenty noted it was almost worth three of the 30-plus scores that have apparently become a key metric in determining a batsman’s ability to avert collapses.That is exactly what Maxwell and Maddinson, in his first game for Victoria after becoming unwanted by New South Wales, were confronted with at 4 for 66, and their stand of 121 was critical to lifting the state to an ultimately sufficient 240 in Townsville. While Mark Steketee pouched four wickets for Queensland, the Australia paceman Billy Stanlake was expensive, and was also fortunate when Cameron White was able to get a glove to an accidental beamer that may otherwise have caused grievous injury.At the end of a week in which he was discarded from the Test squad, Maxwell spoke happily of making runs, bailing out his team and ultimately winning – a sensation he noted had been somewhat missing from his experience of 2018 so far. He also contended that if he is to return to international cricket in the longer formats, he would first have to let go of his earlier visions of a key role in the UAE against Pakistan in the absences of the banned Steven Smith and David Warner.”I’m not thinking about that right now, that’s gone at the moment and no point dwelling on it and talking about it, my job right now is to make runs and play well for Victoria,” Maxwell said. “If I can contribute to wins like today, have some success and sing the song together, they’re special moments. I feel like I haven’t won a lot of games this year. In Delhi we had a pretty average tournament, with the English one dayers we got pumped and lost the tri-series final [in Zimbabwe] as well. Hasn’t been much success, I think we lost three of our four practice games as well. So nice to win a game and start the tournament off well.”From the position the game was in I think coming out at three-for in the Powerplay and the ball was nipping around, doing all sorts out there, it was nice to get through that, put on a partnership with Maddo and give us something to bowl at. I think you’re always wary of when it seams in the morning that it’s going to flatten out in the arvo. Luckily enough it still seamed about for them [batting] and we were able to get enough wickets to really drive the game. So it was nice to get some runs and start the tournament off well.”You don’t need extra determination playing for your state and with your mates that’s for sure, it was good fun to get out there and I’ve got a lot of really good mates out here so it’s fun to be up in Townsville.”Getty ImagesQueensland’s innings mirrored Victoria’s in its struggles against the new and moving ball, particularly in the hands of the young allrounder Will Sutherland, who Maxwell likened to the similarly rangy John Hastings in his height, bounce, late movement and accuracy. Also of interest was the flighted leg spin of Tom O’Connell, who returned a very creditable 2 for 42 on his state debut, including the key wicket of another Test team discard Joe Burns just as he and Mitchell Swepson threatened a rearguard.”Will Sutherland was outstanding, Tom O’Connell a very confident young legspinner and handy with the bat as well,” Maxwell said. “We’ve got some really good young guys … it’s going to be a collective effort from our squad to try and win this tournament, we’re going to need everyone to stand up at some stage and it was great for the guys to stand up, a couple of guys on debut, Maddo played really well today, so to have guys stand up in the first game has been really good.”[Sutherland] is a star, a very good young player. Very similar in the John Hastings mould, big tall guy, moves the ball around, hits a great length and hits the seam. Makes it difficult for batters if you’re getting that movement off the wicket and pressuring their defence all the time, which is ideal. He’s just got a really level head about him so hopefully if he doesn’t run himself out we’ll see him with the bat as well he’s got some really good skills there.”The Bulls captain Chris Lynn, playing his first domestic limited-overs match in five years, was caught at cover by Maxwell for a duck when he tried to power Sutherland through the off side as Queensland wickets fell in a new-ball clump. Chris Tremain, another man who could consider himself unfortunate to be missing out on the Pakistan series, maintained his habit of regular wickets. He claimed three, including the final two Queenslanders, just as they appeared capable of salvaging victory.

Emma Hayes has warned that there is no room for complacency in the Chelsea squad ahead of their Women's Champions League clash against Ajax.

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Hayes remains cautious ahead of the Ajax clashChelsea players are not complacentWill meet Arsenal on Sunday in FA Women's League Cup finalWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea have one foot in the Women's Champions League semi-final as they thrashed Ajax 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash last week. However, manager Hayes has explained how fear has been a motivating factor for her team ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge and that there is no room for complacency in the squad.

AdvertisementWHAT EMMA HAYES SAID

Speaking to reporters ahead of the crucial encounter on Wednesday, Hayes said: "The fear of not being in the semi-final is for us as big a driver as the desire to win the game. In fact, it's more. There is no one in our dressing room that will take tomorrow's game lightly or think for one minute, just because we're winning 3-0, that the game is over.

"That would be a mistake. It all starts in your head. When a team has nothing to lose, 3-0 down, they play with freedom, they play in a different way, they express themselves and they're often their most dangerous. So for sure, we don't take tomorrow lightly."

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The Blues have two big games on their hands this week as they are set to take on Arsenal in the final of the FA Women's League Cup on Sunday. When asked if the manager would be rotating her squad against Ajax while keeping in mind the all-important match against the Gunners, Hayes added: "I’m not thinking about Sunday, I am only thinking about tomorrow. We know Ajax are going to come out and be aggressive. We're expecting that as they have to. We're prepared for the aggression and their learnings [from the first leg]. They’re a good side and it's important for us to keep all of our focus and attention on tomorrow."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The west London side are set to miss Swedish defender Nathalie Bjorn for the Ajax clash due to an injury, as confirmed by the manager. Should Chelsea progress as expected, they will face either Barcelona or Brann in the semi-finals of the women's Champions League.

Mason Mount has intentionally avoided doing interviews at Manchester United as he does not want to be grilled about his transfer from Chelsea.

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Mount joined Man Utd from ChelseaMidfielder has avoided the mediaSaid to still be sensitive about transferWHAT HAPPENED?

The midfielder made a £60 million ($76m) transfer from Chelsea to Old Trafford last July and has endured a rough debut season, with injury limiting him to only 14 appearances in all competitions so far in 2023-24.

AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION

Mount has rarely been seen in the media throughout his debut season and reports he has intentionally avoided doing interviews with the press. Mount's departure from Chelsea is "still too raw" and it seems the England international would rather avoid talking about it. However, there is a general "acceptance" at United that Mount will have to speak out on his exit from the west London club soon.

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It was reported last month that Mount's reasons for leaving Stamford Bridge to join United were not purely down to football, and that it remains a sensitive subject for him. After coming off the bench to score on his first Premier League appearance since November, though, he will hope to feature more prominently until the end of the season to boost his standing in Erik ten Hag's squad.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MOUNT?

Many eyes will be on Mount on Thursday if he makes the starting XI for his team's first trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea since he made the summer switch. United are sixth in the table heading into the game, while Chelsea sit 12th.

Tottenham Hotspur's impressive season under Ange Postecoglou took a big hit in a chaotic Premier League defeat against Chelsea on Monday night, with the loss of pole position compounded by injuries and red cards.

Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie's dismissals will affect the Spurs squad in the short-term but the ankle knock to James Maddison – arguably the most influential player in the Premier League this season – and the hamstring problem Micky van de Ven has picked up could prove to be far more detrimental.

Despite the loss to Chelsea, Postecoglou repudiated the notion that something as trivial as a two-man disadvantage would stifle the attack-centric core. "It's who we are, mate." Simple statement. Emphatic declaration. Spurs lost, but won over many supporters who bore witness to the new mentality.

While the emphasis will be on targetting defensive reinforcements to combat the likely and lengthy absence of Van de Ven, who has been so impressive since joining from Wolfsburg for £43m in the summer, Postecoglou's Tottenham side is steeped in offensive swagger, and will look to bolster the frontline.

Heung-min Son is thriving as the club's centre-forward following the summer sale of Harry Kane – with eight goals already this season – while £13m signing Alejo Veliz is expected to grow into his skin as the understudy over the coming years.

Out wide, while there is quality, Spurs will be eager to improve on the existing options, and Sporting CP's Marcus Edwards could be the perfect option.

Tottenham transfer news – Marcus Edwards

According to Portuguese outlet Correio de Manha, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is interested in bringing Edwards back to the club after his transfer to Vitoria in 2019, when he was 20 years old.

Once compared to Lionel Messi by former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Edwards is believed to hold a €60m (£52m) release clause in his contract, but the Lilywhites could secure his signature on a cut-price fee, owing to a contract clause that would facilitate a £34m deal.

With free-spending London rivals Chelsea also intrigued by the proposition of signing the talented forward, Postecoglou will need to work quickly if his side is to welcome a compelling new option.

Marcus Edwards' style of play

Predominantly utilised on the right flank, Edwards is both electric-paced and quick-witted, with TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves remarking that "he leaves people for dead. Technically he’s fantastic. The young man has so much ability with the ball at his feet, makes it look easy."

Strengths

Weaknesses

Crossing

Aerial duels

Key passes

Concentration

Passing

Dribbling

*Sourced via WhoScored

Deadly and diminutive, Edwards has been simply exceptional in Liga Portugal and earned a £7m transfer to Sporting in January 2022, having plundered 20 goals and 14 assists across 96 outings for Vitoria.

As per FBref, Edwards ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Liga Portugal for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 10% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

Effectively, such metrics do not only underscore his prolific creativity but highlight his effectiveness in progression and driving up the touchline and into the danger area.

Capable of affecting play from deep too, Edwards boasts an underrated talent in his distribution, and would improve Spurs' existing attacking options through a blend of such qualities.

Kane, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and a supreme ball-player, has actually failed to match Edwards' 5.23 shot-creating actions per game over the past year, averaging 3.09 per match himself.

Marcus Edwards' statistics this season

Excelling during the 2023/24 campaign thus far, Edwards, now aged 24, has posted three goals and assists apiece over 14 appearances across all competitions after such resounding success last term.

Last year, the Englishman enjoyed a sensational season and scored 12 goals and supplied 14 assists from 51 matches – with Kane only providing five assists by contrast – scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Champions League group phase, perhaps fuelled by a desire to make his former club rue their loss.

As per Sofascore, the £23k-per-week gem has indeed been in fine fettle this term, scoring two goals and supplying two more across just seven starting appearances, creating a whopping eight big chances, producing an average of 3.0 key passes and 3.1 ball recoveries per game and completing 79% of his passes from his offensive role.

In comparison, Kane has created 'only' seven big chances in the Bundesliga this season, but then, in fairness, the England international has also racked up five assists and is performing at a rather disrespectful level.

It does evidence Edwards' skill in supplementation, however, and Postecoglou would be wise to forge ahead with a deal in 2024, especially given that he could potentially secure his services for a bargain fee.

How Marcus Edwards compares to Dejan Kulusevski

Edwards is indeed competent across a number of positions, but he would likely be used as competition for Dejan Kulusevski on the right wing, with Postecoglou perhaps lacking alternative options to the dynamic Swede.

Kulusevski has been impressive this season and has started all 11 of Tottenham's top-flight fixtures, scoring three goals – a return that has already surpassed last year's total of two strikes from 37 games, which led to pundit Glen Murray remarking that he had been "blowing hot and cold."

Having completed a permanent transfer to Tottenham in the summer after 18 months on loan, the £110k-per-week wideman ranks among the top 22% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 30% for successful take-ons per 90.

While he has only scored at a rate of 0.14 per game over the past 12 months, Kulusevski is scoring at a rate of 0.28 per outing during 2023/24 so far, and his energy and exuberance has been pivotal – picked to start every match under Postecoglou, surely that speaks for itself?

But, of course, perhaps there is a lack of competition and one would assume that were Edwards plying his trade down the N17 the Lilywhites' team selection on the right wing might've been a bit more divergent.

Kulusevski is completing 80% of his passes in the Premier League, averaging 2.1 key passes and 4.2 ball recoveries per game and proving to be a marauding menace for Spurs' opponents.

There are certainly similarities between Edwards and his Tottenham counterpart, and given Postecoglou's preference to preserve his team's fluidity by a sustained skeleton, it might be a good move to bring Edwards back home, slotting into the system like the lost piece of a puzzle.

The 32-year old opener picked up the injury while preparing for a first-class game this week and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2018Martin Guptill had to be withdrawn from New Zealand’s ODI and T20I squads to face Pakistan later this month owing to a left calf strain. The 32-year old opener picked up the injury while preparing for a first-class game with Auckland this week and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks.New Zealand face Pakistan across three T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests starting from October 31. Guptill was named in both white-ball squads and has long been one of the team’s senior players, providing fast starts at the top of the order. He made a 49-ball hundred against Australia in a T20I at Eden Park in February.”Unfortunately for Martin it will take him some time to get over this injury,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “And, with a long summer ahead, we need to make sure we minimise the risk of him repeating it.”The tour of the UAE will be Gary Stead’s first as head coach of the New Zealand team. They are already missing a first-choice pick in Mitchell Santner, who is still recuperating from a long-term knee injury. Central Stags left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel was brought into the Test side as his replacement, while Ish Sodhi will shoulder the burden during the ODI and T20I leg of the tour.New Zealand’s A team are set to arrive in the UAE in early October to play a few matches and, based on performance, two members from that squad were meant to be drafted into the senior team. Now, with Guptill unavailable, another spot has opened up.”Gary Stead and I will work through the possible replacement options,” Larsen said. “We now have three spots to fill in the T20 and one-day squads.”

Liverpool just need to win in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon to move into first place for the first time this season, the sticking point being that that contest is against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The Reds have been excellent this season having fallen by the wayside last year, and Jurgen Klopp could now establish a lead against the seemingly indomitable force that is Pep Guardiola's City.

The hosts have not lost on home territory against Liverpool in the English top flight since November 2015, which was mere weeks into Klopp's tenure, but the match tomorrow afternoon will be compelling, and either side could prevail.

Long-term absentees Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Andy Robertson all remain sidelined for the visitors, but Liverpool will be galvanised by a host of players' return to fitness this week.

With multiple players not back in contention, Football FanCast predicts the Liverpool line-up at the Etihad, with four changes expected from the side that powered past Brentford…

1 GK – Alisson Becker

There's no doubt that Alisson will start between the sticks for the toughest fixture of the Premier League season. What is there to say? He's slick and progressive, commanding and vigilant; the Brazilian is arguably the best shot-stopper in world football. His performance may well shape the narrative.

2 RB – Trent Alexander-Arnold

The 2022/23 season was not enjoyable for Liverpool and especially so for Trent Alexander-Arnold, though it did initiate his tactical tweak as an inverted, hybrid midfielder in possession.

The England international's defensive skills will be tested against Jeremy Doku, one of the division's most frightening dribblers, but his creativity could unlock City's defence in a flash.

3 CB – Joe Gomez

Joe Gomez's redemption arc has been joyful. The 26-year-old was not doing very well last year and was even branded as "finished" by podcaster Graeme Kelly after a shocking performance against Southampton in the season finale.

Liverpool could bully Haaland by unleashing £85k-p/w "nightmare"

Jurgen Klopp’s side face the onerous Lunchtime trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City tomorrow.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 24, 2023

Versatile and reliable this term, Gomez has been used across a range of roles and will be integral in stuffing Erling Haaland's attempts on goal, boasting pace and physicality to stifle the Norwegian.

4 CB – Virgil van Dijk

They said he was past his sell-by date… Virgil van Dijk has rekindled his former imperiousness since donning the captain's armband in the summer and has been proclaimed to be "back to his brilliant best" by The Athletic's James Pearce.

Statistics (per game)

#

Apps

10

Assists

2

Clean sheets

3

Pass completion

92%

Key passes

0.6

Tackles

1.3

Ball recoveries

4.7

Clearances

5.3

Total duels won

6.6 (80%)

*Sourced via WhoScored

As the graph portrays, he's been superlative, and this rich vein of form could be City's undoing. True, he will possibly be faced against his toughest test as skipper, but the Dutchman will be confident that he can inspire a positive result.

5 LB – Kostas Tsimikas

With Robertson stuck in the medical room, Kostas Tsimikas will start his fourth Premier League match from five possible fixtures.

The Greek ace has been under fire this season but did bag two assists last time out against the Bees. That pinpoint creativity would be nice tomorrow.

6 DM – Alexis Mac Allister

When Liverpool signed Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion for £35m in the summer, it was universally agreed to be a bargain.

The Argentine 2022 World Cup winner has been deployed in the unnatural holding midfield position this season as Liverpool don't actually have a starring No. 6.

He'll play there against City, and the red half of Merseyside will hope that this immensely talented phenom will produce a good performance.

7 CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

Signed from RB Leipzig for £60m in the summer, Dominik Szoboszlai has won the hearts of the Liverpool faithful. All-encompassing in his midfield work; creative, ambitious, unflinching, tenacious, inspiring. He has it all.

Recharging the Anfield side's midfield after such a lifeless year was daunting, but the Hungary captain has been sensational, having completed 88% of his passes in the Premier League and averaged 2.3 key passes, 1.2 tackles and a whopping 7.3 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

8 CM – Curtis Jones

Ryan Gravenberch may well be fit again but Klopp will probably opt for the industrious Curtis Jones in the centre of the park, with the homegrown star having last played in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur in September, where he was contentiously sent off.

Remarking to have been "flying" this season prior to that dismissal – which has been over for several weeks; Jones has been injured of late – by Pearce, Jones ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, as per FBref.

His supreme crispness in possession will be paramount tomorrow, with Manchester City not too shabby with their ability to retain possession and suffocate opposition.

9 RW – Mohamed Salah

If Liverpool secure the goods, then you wouldn't bet against Mohamed Salah playing a key part, with the 31-year-old Egyptian having posted ten goals and four assists from just 12 matches in the Premier League this season.

One of the division's greatest-ever players, Salah has scored six goals from his past eight league encounters against the Citizens, could he be the catalyst on a momentous, season-defining afternoon for his club?

10 LW – Luis Diaz

Luis Diaz's Liverpool career has been marred by injury and the recent high-profile family situation, but he is an incredible player and will likely receive the nod ahead of the "lethal" Diogo Jota on the left wing, as the Portuguese was called by writer Leanne Prescott.

The 5 foot 10 Jota has scored eight goals across all competitions this season but does not boast the raw pace and power of his Colombian counterpart, who can stretch and frazzle the hosts down the left channel.

Bayern striker Harry Kane was "surprised" to be yellow carded for an elbow on Gabriel, who he feels was lucky not concede a penalty for Arsenal.

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Kane booked for elbow on GabrielHe was "surprised" by yellow"Stonewall penalty" for defender's handballWHAT HAPPENED?

In a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates between Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, there were several flash points outside of the goals. One was Kane's reckless elbow on Gabriel that resulted in a yellow card, and another was the defender's handball in a bizarre incident where he picked up the ball following David Raya's goal kick, but no penalty was awarded. The England captain felt both decisions were "strange".

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Kane, who scored Bayern's second from the spot in the first half, might have thought a yellow was harsh but former Premier League referee Keith Hackett felt he was lucky to avoid a red card. As for the penalty incident, his annoyance was nothing compared to that of his manager, Thomas Tuchel.

WHAT KANE SAID

Speaking in the mixed zone after the game, Kane said on his booking: "It was strange, I'm not really sure, it was 50-50, he gave that one as a foul and I'm surprised it was a yellow card but it is what it is. Decisions sometimes go your way."

He added on the Gabriel handball that went unpunished: "It was a stonewall penalty and I don't know why the ref didn't give it. It would have been strange. But the ref blew the whistle, he passed it, he picked it up, it would have been childlike but that's not our problem. The rules are the rules and maybe they should have had one, we should have had one, and it's 2-2 and level for next week."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KANE, BAYERN AND ARSENAL?

Bayern and Arsenal will meet again next Wednesday for the second leg of their quarter final at the Allianz Arena. Kane will be looking to inflict further pain on his old club Spurs' greatest rivals by adding to his 15 strikes against the Gunners.

Queensland lost an early wicket in reply and will face Australia’s Test attack on the second day

Alex Malcolm16-Nov-2018Moises Henriques scored a stunning 152 in a lone hand for New South Wales on the opening day of the Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland in Canberra.Henriques entered at 2 for 43 in the 15th over after his captain Peter Nevill had won the toss and elected to bat. He smashed 20 fours and a six in 178 balls before falling caught and bowled to Mark Steketee.He was the eighth man out with the score at 274, having scored 152 out of the 231 that were scored while he was at the crease. Nevill was the next highest contributor with just 29.It was Henriques eighth first-class century. He has been particularly savage on the Bulls this year after scoring 134 not out against them in the JLT Cup.Steketee did the bulk of the damage for the Bulls with 4 for 38 as the Blues tail fell apart slumping from 4 for 263 to be all out for 279.Test hopeful Joe Burns was done no favours in the Bulls reply. He was given out caught behind trying to pull a delivery from Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over. Replays suggested he missed the ball by some margin.Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne got to stumps unscathed and will face the likely first Test attack of Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon on day two.

USMNT star Brenden Aaronson has revealed that he is open to joining Bundesliga side Union Berlin on a permanent transfer from Leeds United.

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Aaronson ready to stay at Union BerlinKeeping an eye on Leeds promotion bidJoined German club on season-long loanGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Aaronson joined the German club on loan after spending just one season at Leeds United. He completed the move after Leeds got relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season. The youngster had initially found it hard to adjust to the new conditions and found himself on the fringes of the first team at Union, but has turned things around recently, starting in the club's last three matches.

AdvertisementWHAT BRENDEN AARONSON SAID

In a chat with , Aaronson revealed that he is enjoying his time in the Bundesliga and is open to the possibility of joining Union on a permanent transfer ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

The United States men's national team forward said: "I can see myself remaining here. The club is amazing. it’s not up to me at the end of the day but I have so much respect for Union, the way it has been built, the staff, it’s an amazing family club and they’ve done an amazing job. For me, it’s (about) making the right decision in the summer, evaluating the year and going from there. Staying is an option but I can’t say much more."

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The 23-year-old also said that he is still closely watching Leeds' matches as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League. Daniel Farke's side are sat third in the Championship table after 41 games, with Leicester and Ipswich currently occupying the automatic promotion spots, and a 2-1 defeat against Coventry last time out came as a major blow to their hopes of bouncing straight back into the top-flight.

Aaronson added: "I’ve been paying close attention to Leeds, I know a lot of the guys, I get on with a lot of them, they are good guys. I’ve been paying attention because they’ve been having a fantastic season so it’s been great to watch. They just need to keep pushing because they’ve got good things coming their way at the end of the season."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BRENDEN AARONSON?

The U.S. international will be next seen in action on Friday as his club take on Augsburg in an important Bundesliga fixture. Union are down in 13th in the Bundesliga and lost their last game 1-0 against current leaders Bayer Leverkusen, but are still six points clear of the relegation places.

South Africa didn’t find any more answers to their batting woes in the final group game, but they found a relatively big win to close their tournament

The Report by Varun Shetty19-Nov-2018It was the same old story for Bangladesh as their bowlers strangled South Africa and restricted them to 109, but their batting couldn’t stretch the score past 80 for the fourth time this tournament. Thirty runs was a relatively huge win for South Africa, who didn’t leave the tournament with any more answers about their struggles with the bat than they had before the game began.South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk on…

The atmosphere in St Lucia on Sunday: “I think it was brilliant. And I heard the game [between West Indies and England] was sold out. To get in there and see the atmosphere… 10,000 really excited fans, each and every person has rhythm, it’s quite exciting to see. The women’s game deserves a fan base like that. I hope the whole world saw how much fun the fans had tonight, and all credit to two very good sides that put up a very good show for them.”
On having a standalone Women’s World T20: “I think we need to create our own brand. As women cricketers, we can’t shy behind the men anymore because I think that’s where people make the mistake of comparing women’s cricket to men’s cricket. And our skill is just as good in our own right. So we need to shy away from being labelled, I guess, the same as the men, because I think that’s when people get their expectations all mixed up. I think it’s the way to go and hopefully it will stay.”

South Africa left out Laura Wolvaardt in favour of Sune Luus, which meant Dane van Niekerk was pushed up to a more natural role as opener. She joined Lizelle Lee who had her best outing of the tournament, hitting three fours as the new opening pair struck at more than eight per over. That was until she called for a single at short-third man and was run out sliding the back of the bat into the floor with a dive. This meant that despite having crossed the crease, the curve of the bat meant it wasn’t grounded. It was somewhat unfortunate, but it was yet another run-out for South Africa in a tournament marked by them. This was further emphasised later on with Mignon du Preez’s run-out in the 18th over, which was purely her own doing and cost South Africa runs at the end of the innings.In the middle, they were kept quiet by a very disciplined spin attack that pulled Bangladesh back from a Powerplay in which they had conceded 48. Van Niekerk was forced into a shell, and Marizanne Kapp was stunningly caught at deep midwicket by Fargana Hoque, diving to her left. From there, a series of ordinary shots against straight balls translated into a massive collapse and slowdown. Niekerk, Luus, Chloe Tryon, and Masabata Klaas were all bowled with the ball sneaking between bat and pad. Salma Khatun and Khadija Kubra were often the bowlers inflicting such damage.Dane van Niekerk clobbers one into the leg side•Getty ImagesNeither team had incentive as far as progressing in the tournament was concerned, but at the halfway stage, Bangladesh had opened up one prospect – if they had chased 110 down in about 13 overs, they would have finished above South Africa on the table and sealed direct qualification to the next edition of the tournament.But that was never in the plan, it turned out, as they prodded through another unproductive batting Powerplay, making 13 for 1 in the first six overs. The boundary shots, it seemed, was limited to the sweep, which meant they had to wait till the eighth over to pick up their first four. But even with a largely spin-heavy attack through the middle overs, South Africa didn’t face too much by way of aggression. Bangladesh seemed resigned to the fate that they didn’t have sufficient big-hitters in the squad and the required rate had seemed too steep for them before even the halfway mark. Hoque and Rumana Ahmed batted nearly eight overs for their fourth-wicket stand of 27. It was the most significant one of the innings, and the underlying theme of the chase.