Fifties to James Rew, Craig Overton only prolong the inevitable for Somerset

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2023

Jordan Clark claimed four wickets as Surrey strengthened their position at the top of the First Division table with a comprehensive LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Somerset inside three days at Taunton.The hosts began their second innings at the start of play trailing by 198 runs and were bowled out for 226, Clark taking 4 for 36 to help set up a ten-wicket victory.James Rew contributed 55, becoming the first player in Division One to pass 1,000 runs for the season at the age of 19, while Craig Overton smacked five sixes in a defiant 70 not out. But Surrey were left to make only 29 and reached their target in 8.3 overs.Somerset took only three points from the match after two brittle batting efforts, while their opponents claimed 22 to maintain a healthy lead over nearest challengers Essex.Related

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With only four balls bowled, the morning session was interrupted by rain. When play resumed at 12.10pm, any hope Somerset had of getting back into the game disappeared with some abject top-order batting.Sean Dickson had already survived a chance to third slip when in the same Clark over, the fourth of the innings, he edged to first slip where Dom Sibley made no mistake.Four overs later, Tom Lammonby swished at a wide delivery from Clark, which he might have left and Will Jacks held a low two-handed catch.It was 23 for 3 when George Bartlett shouldered arms to a Clark delivery that crashed into his pads on off stump and fell lbw.With only five runs added, Kohler-Cadmore directed a sharp catch off Dan Worrall to Jamie Overton at backward point.Clark finished his opening spell with figures of 3 for 15 from six overs. But Tom Abell put a blameless pitch in perspective with sound shot selection and by lunch, which was taken at 46 for 4, the Somerset skipper had struck four boundaries in moving to 27.Rew, who had taken 32 balls to get off the mark in the first innings, again displayed a patience lacking in more experienced team-mates and had yet to open his account, having faced ten deliveries.The afternoon session saw Rew and Abell progress their partnership to 64 with few alarms, the prolific teenager reaching a four-figure run tally for the summer when moving to 21 with a single to cover off Worrall.But Clark returned at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End to pin Abell leg before for 46 with a yorker and at 92 for 5 Somerset still required 106 to make Surrey bat again.Kasey Aldridge edged a short, wide ball from Tom Lawes to third slip where Jacks took an excellent diving catch as his side continued to gift wickets with injudicious strokes.An exception was Rew, content to accumulate quietly without resorting to big shots until, with his score on 31, he effortlessly lifted a ball from Lawes over deep backward square for six.Ben Green was caught behind looking to drive a full-length delivery from Jamie Overton to make it 130 for 7 before Rew went to fifty for the seventh time this season, off 96 balls, with four fours and a six.The unflappable young wicketkeeper, who doesn’t turn 20 until January, had turned five of his previous half-centuries into hundreds, with a top score of 221 against Hampshire at Taunton.At tea, Somerset were 139 for 7, still trailing by 59. They had added just six runs when Rew, perhaps feeling he was running out of partners, top-edged a pull shot off Gus Atkinson and skied a catch to fine leg. He had faced 106 balls in another mature contribution.The end looked nigh as Atkinson quickly followed up by sending back Matt Henry, lbw to a yorker. But Craig Overton had other ideas, launching a savage attack with powerful pulls and drives that saw him take 20 off an Atkinson over and dominate a last wicket stand of 77 in 13 overs with Shoaib Bashir.It merely prevented the inevitable and Surrey wrapped up victory at just before 6.15pm with openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley completing the job.

As the great Sir Alex Ferguson once stated, ‘attack wins you games, defence wins you titles’. For where Manchester United are right now, titles are a pipe dream – they simply need to get winning.

For momentum to be built then under the new Ruben Amorim regime, the Portuguese coach needs to be handed the appropriate attacking tools, having inherited a youthful and inconsistent forward line upon his arrival late last year.

As it stands, the Red Devils’ top scorer in all competitions is Bruno Fernandes, with 16 goals. The Portuguese playmaker – who has been operated in a deep-lying role under Amorim – also leads the way in the Premier League for United, with eight goals on that front.

The 30-year-old skipper also ended last season as the club’s top scorer in the top flight, alongside Rasmus Hojlund, with just ten league goals. Not since United’s last title-winning campaign – where Robin van Persie fired in 26 times – has a player reached the 20-goal mark in the league at Old Trafford.

Season

Player

Goals

2024/25*

Bruno Fernandes

8

2023/24

Bruno Fernandes & Rasmus Hojlund

10

2022/23

Marcus Rashford

17

2021/22

Cristiano Ronaldo

18

2020/21

Bruno Fernandes

18

2019/20

Marcus Rashford & Anthony Martial

17

2018/19

Paul Pogba

13

2017/18

Romelu Lukaku

16

2016/17

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

17

2015/16

Anthony Martial

11

2014/15

Wayne Rooney

12

2013/14

Wayne Rooney

17

2012/13

Robin van Persie

26

Therein lies the crux of the problem, and with Hojlund and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring just 14 goals between them in all competitions in 2024/25 to date, a new centre-forward must surely be a priority ahead of next season…

Latest on Man Utd's search for striker

The decision to splash out on £64m man Hojlund and £36.5m man Zirkzee had seemingly been with an eye on looking to the future, with the club having abandoned the previous approach of short-term, veteran signings.

Indeed, United had acquired a raft of temporary solutions in the form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst – only a then 24-year-old Romelu Lukaku seemingly bucks the trend in the post-Ferguson era.

With that in mind, the time has come for the Red Devils to finally acquire a centre-forward at the peak of their powers, having seemingly opted against moving for Erik ten Hag’s first-choice target, Harry Kane, back in the summer of 2023.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri, that lengthy wait could well be coming to an end, with United having been handed an opening to sign Napoli sensation, Victor Osimhen.

As per Tavolieri, the Nigerian marksman – who is currently on loan at Galatasaray – has been put on the market by the Serie A side, ahead of the summer, with the Red Devils said to have followed the 26-year-old ‘closely’ across ‘several seasons’.

The report states that the Old Trafford side could ‘take advantage’ of this opportunity to finally pounce, with Osimhen perhaps representing the answer to Amorim’s prayers.

How United could sign their next Ruud van Nistelrooy

With Lukaku only lasting two seasons – and with Robin van Persie failing to maintain his prolific first-term form – it could be argued that United haven’t had a truly reliable or consistent number nine since the days of Ruud van Nistelrooy. Indeed, Dimitar Berbatov was never truly the main man, excluding a Golden Boot-winning 2010/11 season.

As for Van Nistlerooy, the prolific Dutchman was an instant hit following his belated arrival to Ferguson’s ranks in 2001, with both parties having been made to wait after the then-PSV Eindhoven star had seen an initial move collapse a year earlier, due to an ACL injury.

The £19m man – who was 25 by the time he made his Premier League debut against Fulham – shook off any injury fears by going on to score 150 goals in just 219 games for the club in all competitions, including 95 goals in just 150 top-flight outings.

United had signed a player entering his prime who had proven himself already in Holland, with 77 goals in 90 games for PSV, with the same scenario potentially set to occur with regard to Osimhen.

Like Van Nistelrooy, the in-demand striker has had injury concerns in the past, although those should certainly not hold United back from making a move, not least when he has scored 26 goals in 30 games in Turkey this term.

In 253 career games, the one-time Lille man has already scored 140 times at senior level, again emulating Van Nistelrooy in representing a proven, ready-made centre-forward option. Like with the Netherlands star, his lack of prior Premier League experience should not be too much of a concern.

At 26, Osimhen – who is only slightly older than the current Leicester City boss was when he made the move of his own – would represent both a player for the present and the future. A player with room still left to grow, yet while having already delivered elsewhere on a consistent basis.

Much like the then-British-record capture of Van Nistelrooy, it would take a pretty penny to prise Osimhen from Naples, considering his £62m release clause, although for arguably the “best striker on the market” – as per Statman Dave – he’d certainly be worth the investment.

Indeed, at a time when United can no longer wait for the likes of Hojlund, Zirkzee or even young Chido Obi to find their feet, Osimhen could finally be the striker to come in and hit the ground running – just as ‘Ruud’ did all those years ago.

Huge Hojlund upgrade: Man Utd favourites to sign "the hottest CF in Europe"

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ByAngus Sinclair Mar 24, 2025

Australian veteran will act as a player-coach for Victoria in the 2023-24 season

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2023

Peter Siddle has left Somerset after sustaining an injury to his hand which has ruled him out of the remainder of his stint with the club as an overseas player.Siddle, 38, fractured a finger while attempting to take a catch off his bowling during Somerset’s T20 Blast defeat to Hampshire last month and the injury will not heal before the end of his contract later this month.Somerset, who will play Nottinghamshire in the Blast quarter-finals on Friday night after topping the South Group, have signed Ish Sodhi as a replacement for the Blast. Sodhi has already played twice, taking four wickets, at the end of the group stage.Related

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Siddle in, Holland out amid Victoria changes

Siddle will return to Victoria from Tasmania in the Australian summer in a player-coach role but said: “My playing days are slowly dying down.”He told the Somerset website: “Although I still want to play a bit, I’m aware that’s slowly coming to an end. I’ll move into doing a bit of coaching, but whether or not I want to do that in the long term, I don’t know.”I think my days of signing long deals over the summer are behind me, but if I come back to England and play, it will be as a replacement to cover someone for a short stint. Who knows?”If Somerset sign Matt Henry again next year and he ends up missing a month during his stint then maybe I might be able to dust off my boots and pull a kit back on. You never say never. I may have a game or two left in me for the club, but as things stand, I’m pretty sure my county cricket days are done.”Siddle has spent two seasons with Somerset, taking 43 County Championship wickets as well as 24 in the Blast. “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the club and I’m definitely going to miss it,” he said.

Former Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris opened up on Ange Postecoglou's sacking and took a subtle dig at the clubs officials.

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Lloris hailed PostecoglouPointed fingers at club officials Will be in action for LAFC against Chelsea on Monday Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Spurs parted ways with Postecoglou after the Australian manager helped the club end their trophy drought and win the Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final. The victory in Bilbao meant that the North London side secured a place in the Champions League next season despite finishing 17th on the points table. Tottenham icon Lloris hailed Postecoglou's achievement at the club as he shared his opinion on the club sacking the head coach just days after winning an important European title.

AdvertisementWHAT HUGO LLORIS SAID

When asked about Postecoglou's sacking, the World Cup-winning Frenchman said: "No, nothing surprises me in football. But at the same time, it is hard to say something because I am on the other side. I don't know what happened inside the club so it really hard for me to judge. If they made this decision, it is because they believe there is another option which is better for the future of the club.

"What Ange Postecoglou did was just remarkable. He brought this Europa League trophy, he brought a lot of joy to the Spurs community, a lot of pride as well and we all have to be thankful for that. I am not here to discuss about the choice [of Tottenham's new head coach]. He is a well-respected coach. He did an amazing job with Brentford. Now, like every coach, when you arrive in a new club, there is a new environment which you have to embrace. But if the club decided to appoint him, it is probably because they decide it is the best for the future."

AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He added, "They had a really hard season. They had a lot of injuries as well that affected the team and performances and I think in the second part of the season, it looks like they decided to go all-in for the Europa League. They made it and you just have to congratulate them because it is another way to go to the Champions League. At the end of the day, I don't know if you finish 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th and if you get a chance to win a trophy, on the other hand, it is just an amazing achievement.

"I was part of a really competitive team for many years and the target was to reach the top four but at which price? We could not find a way to win a cup, a League Cup or even a Europa League cup, but we managed to go and get the top four for many years. I don't know, it is all about the optics of the club."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HUGO LLORIS?

Lloris will be next seen in action on Monday as MLS side LAFC take on Chelsea in their opening Club World Cup match.

Liverpool are expected to enter the summer transfer window with attacking intent, bolstering Arne Slot’s talented squad with high-quality additions across the park.

While fans eagerly await news of forwards to strengthen a somewhat lopsided frontline, the realm of full-back is sure to receive focused attention too. And interestingly, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, it’s left-back that will receive the biggest facelift in spite of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s expected move to Real Madrid.

Milos Kerkez is the name on everyone’s lips, but Liverpool aren’t a team to place all their eggs in one basket, and may well have found the perfect alternative.

Liverpool transfer news

Kerkez, 21, is expected to leave Bournemouth this summer, with reputable sources like Fabrizio Romano suggesting Liverpool are among the favourites to complete a deal.

However, Kerkez isn’t the only exciting talent on the market. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool have joined the race to sign Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso.

Riddled with monetary issues, Juventus are ready to hold a fire sale as they try to avoid financial sanctions and Cambiaso is among those listed.

A top player, the Old Lady will field enquiries worth €60m (£50m), with Manchester City and Bayern Munich also interested.

Kerkez, meanwhile, is understood hold a lesser value, around £40m.

Why Andrea Cambiaso may be better than Kerkez

Cambiaso has completed 74 matches, notching 14 goal involvements, for Juventus since joining from Serie A rivals Genoa in 2022.

Physically gifted and endowed with the pace and potency down the flank to serve strongly as an all-encompassing wide defender, Cambiaso may well be a better, more refined pick for Slot’s Liverpool than Kerkez.

No disrespect to the Hungarian, who would mark an upgrade on both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, but Juventus simply have one of the best in the business, who has shone despite his side’s struggles this year under the recently dismissed Thiago Motta.

In fairness, there’s not the greatest deal of statistical difference between the two players, but deeper diving reveals Cambiaso to be among the most balanced attacking full-backs in the game.

Indeed, the 25-year-old has even been singled out for his “world-class vision” by journalist Zach Lowy. He might be on the wrong side, but this would certainly help to ameliorate Alexander-Arnold’s looming departure.

As per FBref, Cambiaso actually ranks among the top 12% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for pass completion and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, emphasising his athleticism and creative flair.

That’s not to say Kerkez isn’t a holder of such virtues himself, but if we refresh ourselves with the table above, he’s not yet as refined or relentless as the Italy international.

With so much upheaval set to take place at Anfield this summer, Liverpool may do well to welcome Cambiaso to the ranks. He won’t come cheap, but there are scant few superior options across Europe who could make the marked improvement on Slot’s already-thriving team.

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Angus Sinclair

Mar 25, 2025

Glasgow Rangers ended last week with a bang, with Barry Ferguson securing their first victory at Parkhead since October 2020.

The 3-2 win over Celtic saw the Ibrox side dominate the first half, going two goals ahead before they were pegged back in the second and it looked as though a draw was going to be a fair result.

Step forward Hamza Igamane. The striker was brought on with less than ten minutes to go and promptly scored the winner with a stunning effort that no goalkeeper in the world would have saved.

It was a marvellous display by the team, especially James Tavernier, who inspired his teammates.

James Tavernier’s game in numbers vs Celtic

The captain produced an excellent performance against Fenerbahçe in midweek. Given his record against Celtic at Parkhead prior to the game – just two wins since he joined in 2015 – not much was expected on Sunday.

The right-back shone, however, making four key passes throughout the match, creating one big chance and providing an assist.

Defensively, he won 50% of his ground duels, made two tackles and three interceptions, and proved the doubters wrong.

Accurate passes

Carter-Vickers (90)

Tackles

Raskin (4)

Shots on target

Raskin, Maeda, Hatate (2)

Ground duels won

Raskin and Maeda (7)

Key passes

Tavernier (4)

Despite a productive few days, Tavernier might not even be at the club next season, especially depending on who becomes the new manager.

If Tavernier does move on at the end of the season, the club have an ideal replacement as captain staring them in the face…

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The next perfect captain for Rangers

Nico Raskin has been one of the few bright sparks this season for the Light Blues in what has been an underwhelming campaign to say the least.

Arriving with massive potential in January 2023, the Belgian midfielder took a year or so to find his bearings, but his displays since coming back into the team after injury have been nothing short of sensational.

Against Celtic, Raskin opened the scoring with a header after just four minutes, while he won seven of his 12 ground duels contested, succeeded with 100% of his dribbles and made four tackles during the match.

He was everywhere, and the midfielder was praised heavily by journalist Scott Bradley following the match, who said: “Nico Raskin has been a different animal since Barry Ferguson came in. He’s truly tapped into his potential. Big future ahead for the lad.”

A big future indeed. Last week, Raskin even received his first ever call up to the Belgian national side ahead of the Nations League double header against Ukraine.

Raskin could further boost his reputation with big performances against the Ukrainians, which would certainly see his market value increase.

Tavernier has spent the last six years as captain of the Gers, but if the new manager is looking to change things ahead of 2025/26, then Raskin certainly appears up for the job. That’s a certainty.

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ByDan Emery Mar 16, 2025

Spain boss Luis de La Fuente has hit out at Lamine Yamal's critics, lamenting Spanish football's "self-destructive" tendencies.

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• De La Fuente: "We have to be cautious"
• Yamal had a quiet Nations League Final
• Teenager came in for criticism

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  De La Fuente was responding to criticism levied at his team after their penalty shootout loss to Portugal in last Sunday's Europa League final. Yamal had a relatively quiet night by his own lofty standards, as he was expertly marshalled by Portuguese left back Nuno Mendes. GOAL gave the PSG star a 9/10 for his performance.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Some of the backlash directed at Yamal has bordered on the bizarre. For example, Real Madrid legend Guti took aim at the 17-year-old's decision to wear his hat backwards in a press conference. Such comments compelled De La Fuente to warn the Spanish football public to fight their "self-destructive" instinct of building up new stars, only to cut them down through the media and their criticism.

• WHAT DE LA FUENTE SAID

  As per quotes published by Mundo Deportivo, De La Fuente: "Lamine Yamal? In Spain, we’re very self-destructive – we go from praising someone to the heavens to rejecting them over a single mistake.

  “Life’s about balance. Not getting carried away in success or sinking in failure. We have to be cautious.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LAMINE YAMAL?

  The criticism seems to have minimal effect on the prodigious young winner. The 17-year-old continues to antagonise his naysayers, posting enigmatic messages from his post-season break. Whether he chooses to use the digs as fuel, or he chooses to ignore them, it seems Yamal does not let the opinions of outsiders affect his mentality.

ذكرت تقارير صحفية في الساعات الماضية، أن إنتر ميلان مهتم بتعزيز مركز حراسة المرمى من نادي برشلونة، استعدادًا للموسم المقبل.

ويواجه مارك أندريه تير شتيجن حارس مرمى برشلونة، مستقبلًا غامضًا، خاصة بعد تعاقد البلوجرانا مع خوان جارسيا حارس مرمى إسبانيول.

اقرأ أيضاً.. برشلونة يحسم موقفه النهائي من التعاقد مع دومفريس

ووفقاً لما أكده صحفي “سكاي سبورت”، فابريزيو رومانو، فإنه لا يوجد أي تواصل بين إنتر ميلان وبرشلونة، بشأن مارك أندريه تير شتيجن.

وبخلاف عدم وجود تواصل بين إنتر ميلان وبرشلونة، نفى رومانو أيضًا وجود أي محادثات بين ممثلي حارس المرمى الألماني والنادي الإيطالي.

وكان تير شتيجن قد غاب عن موسم برشلونة، حيث اعتمد المدرب الألماني هانز فليك على تشيزني بديلاً له، وعاد الألماني ليحرس مرمى البارسا في المباريات الأخيرة من الليجا، بعد أن نجح الفريق الكتالوني في حسم اللقب لصالحه.

وقد تكون فرصة مارك تير شتيجن في الظهور بشكل أساسي، لحراسة مرمى برشلونة الموسم المقبل، صعبة، بعد انضمام خوان جارسيا وقرب تمديد عقد البولندي تشيزني.

ولا يزال يتبقى في عقد مارك تير شتيجن مع برشلونة ثلاث سنوات مقبلة، حيث ينتهي عقد الحارس الألماني في 30 يونيو من عام 2028.

Trip to Taunton and Dunkley’s birthday cake helps team to process disappointment of Ashes loss

Andrew Miller17-Jul-2023Nat Sciver-Brunt believes that England’s women have “exceeded the public’s expectations” throughout a gripping tussle with Australia, adding that a bus trip to Taunton and a slice of Sophia Dunkley’s birthday cake had helped the team to process their mixed emotions after her own outstanding innings of 111 not out from 99 balls had fallen agonisingly short of salvaging their Ashes hopes in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl.It was Sciver-Brunt’s third unbeaten hundred in the space of four ODIs against Australia, and just like those previous efforts – including her formidable 148 not out in the World Cup final in Christchurch last year – she finished on the losing side, as Australia’s ruthless winning machine found just enough resolve to close out another tense encounter.”What a game we had,” Sciver-Brunt said on the eve of the series finale in Taunton, where England’s aim will be to square the Ashes points battle at eight apiece, while securing a notable sweep of the white-ball legs, following their 2-1 win in the T20Is earlier this month.Related

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“I’m not really sure how to respond to it, because obviously when you get a good score and you end up on the losing side, it’s a bit of a weird feeling,” she added. “Obviously, we were pretty disappointed as a side to get so close and not quite be able to do it, and not being able to retake the Ashes is another layer of that.”But we’ve recognised that, and had conversations about that after the game, and we’re really trying to focus on tomorrow’s game, because to potentially get another series win against them would be huge.”Asked what the team had done to process their frustrations, after coming so close to their fourth win on the bounce against an Australian team that, prior to this campaign, hadn’t lost a single international fixture since September 2021, Sciver-Brunt responded: “Well, we went on a bus to Taunton. So had plenty of time to think about it.”We put some music on and just tried to enjoy the moment a little bit,” she added. “It was Sophia’s birthday as well, so we had a little cake on the bus and didn’t want anyone to dwell on things too much, because we’ve obviously got an important game tomorrow.”It’s all about pride really, and knowing that what we’ve done in this series so far has been quite successful. We’ve been positive with the bat, and always looked for wickets with the ball, so our mindset doesn’t change too much from that. But it’s about making sure that we’re in a good place tomorrow, where we’ve parked our feelings about yesterday, and using that ODI series win potentially as a motivator.”Sciver-Brunt ‘was in the moment’ throughout her nerveless century•PA Photos/Getty ImagesSpeaking in the immediate aftermath of the second ODI, Australia’s player-of-the-match Alana King insisted that she didn’t see the gap between the teams “closing anytime soon”, despite acknowledging that England had pushed her side close in each of their three victories across the multi-format series.Sciver-Brunt, however, took a different view. While she acknowledged that Australia were more versed in the art of victory, she was adamant that England are closing fast on a team that has swept all before it for the past five years.”I’d say that we’re not that far apart, really,” she said. “So long as we keep our intent and the way that we play, there’s not too much of a gap.”When the pressure moments are on, they’ve probably still got the edge on us a little bit. We’ve obviously got over the line in some close games, but probably not done it as convincingly as we’d like to.”But we’re still on that learning curve, so I guess we’re not at the end of our journey with that. We’re still looking to improve and looking to fine-tune things a little bit as well. It’s been back and forth, two highly competitive teams going at each other in all formats.”Given that a solitary boundary separated the teams at the end of the second ODI, arguably the key moment of the contest came in the final over of Australia’s innings, when Georgia Wareham clubbed Lauren Bell for three sixes and two fours in a momentum-seizing over that cost 26 runs. Sciver-Brunt, however, refused to single out her team-mate out for explicit blame.”That’s one moment isn’t it? We missed a few chances in the field in our bowling innings as well. Out of 600 balls, it can’t really come down to one or two in the whole day. Little moments always lead up to it, don’t they? Suddenly, five [to win] might become two or three off the last ball. But there’s obviously places where we could have done better as a side and executed our skill a bit better.”On a personal level, however, Sciver-Brunt could hardly be in a better technical or temperamental space. Like Ben Stokes in his two stand-out innings of the men’s Ashes, Sciver-Brunt’s performance was notable for an absence of fear, and a relentless focus on an end-goal that proved, on this occasion, to be just out of her reach.”Yesterday while I was playing, I looked up at the scoreboard and I was suddenly on 40,” she said. “I was just in the moment. It all seemed to pass me by until probably the last 10-12 overs when I really needed to switch on to the scoreboard a little bit more. In high-pressure moments, that’s where we want to be able to perform and be at our best. So I was happy, in that context, to be able to put a performance on like that in such a big moment.”Sciver-Brunt credited the influence of England’s coach, Jon Lewis, for changing her mindset in the big moments, and encouraging the squad as a whole to redefine their definition of success. And after a series that has been played in front of packed and enthusiastic crowds, with another sell-out at Taunton anticipated for Tuesday, she added that there’s plenty more pride to play for, even with the Ashes themselves out of reach.”I think we’ve exceeded the public’s expectations,” she said. “Testing ourselves against the best team in the world, in big-pressure moments, in sold-out crowds in the biggest Ashes series we’ve had. We want to win games for England but, for us, it’s about how we want to play, and using that to inspire and entertain the nation and people who want to watch.”For the series to be drawn on points, it would bring some pride to our performances and the way that we’ve gone about things. We’ve already got that at the moment, through the amount of people that have come to watch us and are really excited about our games. But yeah, another series win would certainly have a nice ring to it.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Vítor Pereira tem contrato com o Corinthians até o fim desta temporada. E mesmo com o clube em disputa no Campeonato Brasileiro, onde está na quarta colocação, e envolvido na semifinal da Copa do Brasil, há a expectativa entre os corintianos sobre a continuidade, ou não, do treinador no ano que vem.

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+112 anos do Timão: relembre 12 momentos marcantes na história do Corinthians

Duílio reforçou que só conversará sobre renovação no fim da temporada, muito por conta de uma postura do treinador português. No entanto, o presidente corintiano negou que haja problemas familiares ou externos, de modo geral, que jogam contra uma continuidade do técnico.

– Continua a mesma coisa. É até bom falar aqui, pois nos últimos dias saíram muitas coisas, culpando a esposa, a família, e isso não existe. Já deixamos bem claro, ele e eu, que a forma dele de trabalhar é esperar a temporada acabar para fazer uma avaliação. Se as duas partes estiverem satisfeitas, a gente renova. Não terminou a temporada, não existe um culpado de ele ficar ou não, até porque a gente não sabe se ele vai ficar ou não. Tudo no seu tempo, agora é reta final, e assim que a temporada acabar a gente senta para definir o futuro – falou o presidente corintiano.

E mesmo sem a certeza de que VP seguirá comandando o Time do Povo, Duílio tem confiado a condução do projeto, até mesmo visando o ano de 2023.

– Ele é uma pessoa incrível, um treinador de primeira linha. Tudo que tem sido feito é pensando no futuro do clube, independente do treinador que estiver –como foi na chegada do Fausto Vera, por exemplo. Ele tem essa preocupação, a gente conversa muito disso, que precisamos fazer o melhor para o clube independentemente de ele continuar ou não. Foi assim na compra do Giovane, na do Fausto. A gente divide tudo com ele, e a experiência dele nos ajuda na sequência independente de quem for treinar o time – pontuou Duílio.

+ Confira a tabela do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

É um desejo de Duílio que o contrato seja renovado. A relação entre o presidente e o treinador é muito boa, a ponto do mandatário corintiano ter oferecido a extensão do vínculo mesmo após uma derrota do Timão no clássico contra o Palmeiras, no último dia 13 de agosto.

RENOVAÇÕES DE ATLETAS

O Corinthians conta com três jogadores em fim de contrato: o lateral-esquerdo Fábio Santos, o volante Xavier e o meia Ramiro.

Do trio, Duílio garantiu apenas que conversa pela extensão contratual de Fábio. Já os demais, ele aguardará uma avaliação da comissão técnica.

– Com Fábio Santos, sim. A gente já se conhece há muitos anos, é um cara sensacional e vem fazendo grandes jogos. Então, a intenção é renovar mais um ano e ir de ano a ano. Enquanto ele tiver condições de fazer grandes jogos, vamos seguir. Em relação aos outros, ainda não conversamos. Passa muito por quem será o treinador, se o Vítor vai renovar ou não. A gente espera essas definições, mas faltam dois meses, em novembro o campeonato acaba, e aí teremos bastante tempo para começar a definir essas coisas – pontuou Duílio.

O presidente corintiano lamentou não ter conseguido uma peça de reposição para o meia Willian, que deixou o clube há três semanas e acertou com o Fulham, da Inglaterra. Ainda assim, o saldo do cartola sob a condução corintiana no mercado foi positivo.

– De última hora não tivemos condições de encontrar uma reposição para o Willian, até pelo prazo, mas de resto trouxemos o Balbuena, Fausto, Yuri Alberto. Foi muito boa (a janela). Temos um time forte, que vem melhorando a cada jogo, e esperamos ter bons resultados neste final de temporada: a semifinal da Copa do Brasil e, no Brasileiro, pouco se fala, mas o Corinthians é o único time que está no G4 desde a primeira rodada. Nunca foi favorito, não era para estar lá, mas estamos lá, já na metade do segundo turno – destacou Duílio.

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