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Essex’s bowlers struggled to make inroads on a cold, overcast day as Hampshire reached 303 for 4, with Northeast six runs shy of a century

Valkerie Baynes at the Ageas Bowl05-Apr-2019The sight of Rilee Rossouw cutting loose against Essex’s bowlers while team-mate Sam Northeast anchored the innings gave Hampshire a bright start to the County Championship season, despite the gloomy conditions.A small but appreciative quorum of onlookers braved the frigid temperatures and overcast skies at the Ageas Bowl, their numbers possibly boosted by fans of Liverpool FC – whose players were staying in the adjoining hotel – killing time ahead of the evening’s Premier League match against Southampton.They were warmly rewarded with a top-class display from Hampshire’s batsmen, highlighted by Rossouw’s fireworks and Northeast’s thoughtfully compiled innings while further enhanced by neat cameos from captain James Vince and last-minute import Aiden Markram.Essex may have been left ruing their decision to put the hosts in after an uncontested toss with play starting 20 minutes late due to poor light. With the help of the floodlights and a slightly brightening sky, the Hampshire batsmen got on with their job in impressive fashion.Vince’s move up the order to open, partly to cover for the retired Jimmy Adams but also to give himself the best chance of breaking back into the England Test team, was an unspectacular success in its infancy. He batted with trademark ease to reach 40 off 68 deliveries before Ravi Bopara had him out lbw in his second over on the stroke of lunch.Markram had been in the country for less than 72 hours, having flown in on Tuesday night as a late overseas signing to replace Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne. But he found his feet immediately to score an eye-catching half-century.Markram, who recently played his way back into the South African limited-overs set-up after some prolific run-scoring at domestic level, brought up his fifty with a sweet straight drive off Sam Cook. He went on to reach 63, including nine fours before Matt Quinn had him caught behind by Dan Lawrence, filling in behind the stumps for Adam Wheater, who had left the field with an injured hand.Hampshire’s first-team manager, Adrian Birrell, was pleased with Markram’s showing.”He’s only had one hit here outside since arriving, it’s been raining the rest of the time, so from having one outdoor net, he’s in form,” Birrell said. “He’s played well in South Africa but coming over here is a different game. I thought he applied himself very well and came up with good plans.”Markram’s dismissal brought another South African to the crease in Kolpak player Rossouw and he took off at an impressive clip. By tea he had added 45 off 41 deliveries.After the break, Rossouw took a liking to compatriot offspinner Simon Harmer, smacking him for two sixes in three balls, and another a while later as he moved to 76 off 66 balls. It was Harmer to whom Rossouw holed out off the bowling of Jamie Porter in a small consolation for Essex, but his knock, which included four sixes and 10 fours all up, was damaging.All the while, Northeast went about his business, although he was by no means slow and was not to be outdone on strokeplay either, carving out 12 fours and a six of his own on his way to 94 off 153 balls when bad like halted play for the day late in the evening session.”We need a guy to anchor the innings and he was that today,” Birrell said of Northeast. “I was just disappointed we couldn’t have a few more overs so he could get to his hundred but a very good day overall and we ain’t finished yet.”Joe Weatherley was the only batsman not to make the most of his time in the middle, caught by third slip Tom Westley off the bowling of Quinn for 13 early in the day. But there was no argument that Hampshire weren’t on top at the close.

Crystal Palace and USMNT star Chris Richards has been honoured with a Community Champion award at the PFA's end-of-season ceremony.

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• PFA awards honoured community champions
• Richards' work in local area recognised
• USMNT international enjoying life in London

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The versatile centre back and defensive midfielder has established himself in the Crystal Palace first team this season after arriving from Bayern Munich in 2022. And off the pitch, he's had a major impact in south London generally, working closely with the Palace For Life Foundation throughout his time at the club. At the annual PFA awards, he's been honoured for that work.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Each year, the PFA pays tribute to players who have gone above and beyond for their club’s local communities, and Richards certainly fits that description. He's consistently shown up for community events since joining Palace, contributing to the club's efforts to maintain strong roots in the local area.

• WHAT RICHARDS SAID

  Richards regularly turns up at Palace for Life events and has also attended a Black History Month workshop at a school near Selhurst Park. Asked about his community work, Richards said: “It’s a good experience to be around the kids and I just feel like I’m at home. It’s good to be a role model and set a good example for them."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRYSTAL PALACE?

  Things have been going well for Richards on the pitch, too. For the 10th consecutive season, Crystal Palace have secured a comfortable mid-table Premier League finish after accumulating over 40 points. They finish the season with a home fixture against Aston Villa, but first up they must navigate a tricky trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية عن موقف مارتين زوبيميندي لاعب ريال سوسيداد، من ترك صفوف فريقه والانتقال إلى إنجلترا، بعد أنباء اهتمام ليفربول بضمه.

وأفادت الصحف البريطانية، أن ليفربول حدد مارتين زوبيميندي كهدف له خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

ويسعى ليفربول لتعزيز صفوفه هذا الصيف تحت قيادة آرني سلوت، حيث لم يبرم النادي أي صفقة بعد منذ بداية سوق الانتقالات الصيفي.

ليفربول على استعداد لدفع الشرط الجزائي في عقد زوبيميندي مع ريال سوسيداد، والذي يقدر بـ60 مليون يورو.

وبحسب ما أفادت “ريليفو” الإسبانية، يعد الرحيل خيارًا مثيرًا للاهتمام لزوبيمندي، وأيضًا إلى نادٍ بمكانة ليفربول.

وأشار التقرير إلى أن زوبيميندي سيرحب بالرحيل إلى إنجلترا، وإذا قام ليفربول بتفعيل الشرط الجزائي، فسيكون منفتحًا على الموافقة والانتقال للفريق. 

The Australia wicketkeeper batsman won her third successive Player of the Match award as the team cruised to the Women’s World T20 semi-finals

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018Now that Australia are through to the semi-finals of the Women’s World T20, and have a few days off, they’ve planned a round of golf and intend to go through with it even though they’ve been warned that there might be anacondas lurking. And why wouldn’t they, with Alyssa Healy looking practically indestructible.The 28-year-old wicketkeeper began by smashing the tournament’s fastest fifty and has now helped seal her team’s progress into the knockouts with 53 off 38 balls against New Zealand. Along the way, she picked up her third successive Player of the Match award. No wonder former Australia batsman Mel Jones quipped, “I’d back Alyssa Healy against the anacondas, the way her form’s been at the moment.”Alyssa Healy’s continued her hot streak in T20Is•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Megan Schutt, for one, is pleased she’s back on the same side as Healy. “I’ve been on the receiving end of it a few times in Big Bash, but to see it so consistently out here at an Australian level is really pleasing,” she said. “I know she’s bloody worked hard in the off-season. We had a chance to be in our home states and actually have a pre-season. And she’s showing how much that actually helps to just kind of take some time and really work hard and come out and play that kind of cricket.”NZ captain Amy Satterthwaite on…

Younger players needing to step up
To be honest, it’s probably some of the senior players as well. I think Suzie’s [Bates] batted outstanding. And Katey [Martin] had some good little outstanding innings and Sophie [Devine] and myself have not scored any runs in the tournament. We can’t be winning games if we’re not stepping up in situations like this. We want to try and get a bit more out of the youngsters, but the senior players, some of us really need to step it up.
The gulf developing between Australia and New Zealand
It’s definitely not a nice feeling. I think especially when I’ve been playing for so long and throughout my career we’ve been really competitive with Australia. So to feel like we’re probably slipping a little bit, yes, certainly is frustrating. But we’ve got to keep having the belief that we can win on our day.
Depth in the team
I think we’ve got glimpses of it. You’ve seen likes of Amelia Kerr come in at times in the last sort of 12 to 18 months and really slot in nicely and perform brilliantly.
Certainly the odd player there, but it’s probably something we’ve got to keep building. You’ve seen the likes of Australia and England with the competitions that they’ve brought in, that have started to probably grow their depths even more and we’ve got to keep addressing it in our country.

Schutt was excellent herself, picking up three wickets to help defend a total of 153. But it took a while for her to get into rhythm. “Look, after the five wides at the start I was a little bit worried it could have been a bad day again.”She’d conceded 30 runs in her four overs against Ireland before this. “I was feeling okay. Just you feel let down a little bit, kind of, after a match like that. But at the end of the day we won. Had we lost and I had lost us the game, I would have been pretty bummed. It’s cricket, those games happen.”A large part of Schutt’s success as a fast bowler comes from her variations. “For me slower balls and back of the hands and that sort of stuff is what I love to bowl. And here it grips a little bit more and there’s be some pretty big turn out there for myself. I love playing on wickets like this.”But she takes care not to experiment too much. “I’m probably not going to bowl a risky ball if they need a boundary off that kind of ball. But I don’t know; it’s just what I feel when I’m out there.”Schutt was pleased that she and her team were able to do so well against a strong side like New Zealand. They picked up three wickets within the Powerplay and even managed to keep a lid on Suzie Bates, even as she threatened to cut loose. “I think it was a really good challenge for us and something that we probably needed. But I think it’s moments like that where you just need to take a deep breath. I think that’s what we did out there and probably would have panicked maybe 12, 18 months ago, but it’s something we worked on and it was nice to see it out there today.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O tom da entrevista coletiva de Renato Portaluppi após a vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o São Paulo pela semifinal da Copa do Brasil foi de reconhecimento aos esforços de seus comandados. Principalmente, quando tratou de suas solicitações na questão tática e de empenho para marcar o adversário.

Para ele, os jogadores tiveram plena compreensão de qual era a movimentação e até mesmo o espírito que ele gostaria de ver na equipe. Algo, aliás, que acabou premiado com a vitória em vantagem para o confronto decisivo no Morumbi na próxima quarta-feira (30) que também foi valorizada:

RelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Veja o gol da vitória do Grêmio sobre o São PauloVídeo23/12/2020GrêmioDiego Souza comenta lance do único gol do jogo: ‘Oportunismo’Grêmio23/12/2020Copa do BrasilGrêmio suporta pressão, bate o São Paulo e sai na frente na semifinalCopa do Brasil23/12/2020

+CONFIRA A TABELA DA COPA DO BRASIL

– Sabíamos que seria difícil, como foi. Diniz faz um excelente trabalho. O São Paulo é líder e não à toa. Mas precisávamos competir. A mentalidade foi outra. O grupo se comportou bem. O que pedi na parte tática foi efetuado. Qualquer vantagem, não importa o tamanho, é bem-vinda.

A escalação de Thaciano, até então pouco esperada dentre as “prévias” disponíveis, também foi elemento que recebeu uma atenção especial do técnico gremista:

– Uma estratégia minha. Estudamos bem o São Paulo, que joga com quatro, cinco no meio de campo. Sou pago para pensar. A estratégia foi colocar o Thaciano ali. Ele nos ajuda bastante. O São Paulo não teve superioridade. Nos ajudou bastante, combateu. Ninguém conhece melhor os jogadores que o treinador. Foi a estratégia que deu certo.

Gio Reyna sent out a rallying cry after leading the USMNT to the CONCACAF Nations League final with his match-winning performance against Jamaica.

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USMNT progress to Nations League finalReyna the difference-maker off the benchWinger sends rousing message on InstagramGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States men's side found themselves a goal down and at serious risk of elimination, before Reyna came on at half time and helped change the contest. Once Miles Robinson's late deflected effort sent the match to extra time Reyna came into his own, laying on two assists for the in-form Haji Wright and secure a 3-1 victory. The current Nottingham Forest man celebrated that win after full-time as he looks ahead to Sunday's final against Mexico.

AdvertisementWHAT REYNA SAID

The Borussia Dortmund loanee wrote in a post: "Stuck with it until the end! All focus on Sunday."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Reyna can't have been surprised at starting that semifinal on the bench, given he has amassed less than 40 minutes of football at Forest since joining on loan in January. His contributions may make Berhalter think twice about benching him for the final, though, as the USMNT coach was widely criticised for several calls on Thursday. At club level, Reyna will hope his efforts were seen by manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who has thus far sacrificed the American's game time amid a need for immediate results.

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WHAT NEXT FOR REYNA?

The four point-deduction for Forest earlier this week will not have helped Reyna's cause, as Espirito Santo cannot offer him the bedding-in process required as his side chase Premier League survival. The best chance for Reyna will be to perform well in Sunday's final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium, where the USMNT are aiming for for a second successive Nations League crown.

South Africa have lost nine of the 12 completed matches since the T20 World Cup last year while Sri Lanka registered first series wins against them as well as England

Firdose Moonda04-Apr-2024Chamari Athapaththu had not got to fifty in her last 11 T20 innings. She had not even reached double figures in her last five. So when she walked out to bat with Sri Lanka chasing 156 to win a series against South Africa for the first time ever and then saw her opening partner and match-winner from the previous game Vishmi Gunaratne dismissed for 1, you could say she was under some serious pressure. And that is just the way she likes it.”I love the pressure. Without pressure I can’t perform,” Athapaththu said at the post-match press conference. “And I know how to handle the pressure.”And there’s no arguing with that.Athapaththu scored 73 off 46 balls, including five sixes and shared a 97-run second wicket stand with Harshitha Samarawickrama to put Sri Lanka on track for a historic victory. But she did not take them all the way there. She was dismissed in the 13th over, with 54 runs still to get, and she had to watch a middle-order wobble before Samarawickrama hit the winning runs. Then, Athapaththu could wear what she knows looks best on her: that signature smile.Related

• Wolvaardt's maiden T20I hundred sets up thumping South Africa win

• Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari help Sri Lanka draw level against South Africa

• Wolvaardt overcomes self-doubt to lead her country

• Athapaththu, Samarawickrama star in Sri Lanka's historic series win over South Africa

“I always smile, that’s my style,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t play really good cricket, sometimes we lose, sometimes as a captain I don’t perform but I keep smiling and focus on the next game. I just want to play my natural game. I don’t want to take too much pressure on my shoulders. Just keep smiling. Keep playing.”Over the last eight months under Athapaththu’s captaincy, Sri Lanka earned a series win in England, reached the final of the Asian Games in China and have now beaten T20 World Cup finalists South Africa in their own backyard. Though she remains the leader in name and by performance, Sri Lanka are starting to achieve success through some of their younger stars.”As a captain, I am really proud of my girls. I am really happy with the youngsters, especially Vishmi and Kavisha (Dilhari) and how they batted and handled pressure in the second game,” Athapaththu said. “I also enjoyed today with Harshita. She is really young as well. The youngsters have played really good cricket in the last two games.”Vishmi Gunaratne scored her first T20I fifty and helped Sri Lanka to a win in the second game•Sri Lanka CricketGunaratne, 18, was playing in her 26th T20I when she scored her first fifty in the format and batted Sri Lanka to a series-levelling win on Saturday. She had Dilhari, who is 23 with 47 caps to her name, at the other end in that chase. Samarawickrama, 25, was unbeaten on 54 when the series was won in East London on Wednesday. Athapaththu’s point about the depth Sri Lanka are creating through their younger players bodes well for the future but they need to qualify to play in the next T20 World Cup.Later this month, Sri Lanka’s campaign to participate in the tournament will take place in Abu Dhabi, where they have been clubbed with Thailand, Scotland, Uganda and USA in Group A. They have to top the group to claim one of two spots available for the T20 World Cup which, on current form, seems likely. And Athapaththu is confident: “I don’t have any pressure on me because the other players are playing good cricket.”.Her counterpart, Laura Wolvaardt, cannot say the same. South Africa have lost nine of their last 12 completed matches since the T20 World Cup final last year and their batting fortunes are heavily dependent on her.Wolvaardt’s century in the first T20I, her first in this format, helped South Africa post their second-highest total in T20Is and record their biggest win over Sri Lanka. But Wolvaardt missed the second game with illness and though Anneke Bosch was a handy replacement at the top of the order and scored fifty, South Africa lost 7 for 47 as the middle-order collapsed. In the end, they could only post 137 for 8.Laura Wolvaardt celebrates her maiden T20I hundred•Getty ImagesSimilarly, in the third match, South Africa lost three wickets for 46 runs in the space of 44 balls. Though Nadine de Klerk put some of their issues down to “trying a few things and testing the depth of our squad,” the experienced players underperformed. Sune Luus, who scored a total of 22 runs in three innings, has not scored a half-century in her last 11 international innings across all formats and has not got past 20 in her last eight T20I knocks. Tazmin Brits only got into double figures once in the series, Chloe Tryon scored three runs in two innings and de Klerk herself is still finding her feet as a finisher.”That is a skill that I need to nail so hopefully, I can just get better and try and figure out how I’m going to be really destructive at the back-end especially with the wickets being a bit lower and slower and with the World Cup being in Bangladesh.”She also said South Africa’s approach to spin as well as their fielding needed to improve but cautioned against panicking about their preparedness for the tournament.”I won’t really say it’s a concern. This was a great opportunity to give the chance to some of our younger players,” she said. “But you also don’t want to go to a World Cup having really struggled in the T20 format. I really hope that we can take a lot of learnings and a lot of positives from these couple of games and keep finding ways to try and win games of cricket especially in the T20 format.”For now, the focus shifts to the longer white-ball game. South Africa and Sri Lanka will play three ODIs as part of the Women’s Championship, which determines qualification for the 50-over World Cup from next week. South Africa are currently second on the points table and Sri Lanka are eighth.

We take a look at the teams vying for promotion in our Division Two preview

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2022DerbyshireLast season: 5th in Division Three
Head of cricket: Mickey Arthur
Captain: Billy Godleman
Overseas: Suranga Lakmal, Shan Masood, Dustin Melton
Ins: Alex Thomson (Warwickshire)
Outs: Matt Critchley (Essex), Fynn Hudson-Prentice (Sussex), Harvey Hosein (retired), Nils Priestley (released)Perennially in the doldrums, Derbyshire confront the new season with fresh impetus after the arrival of Mickey Arthur, whose unmatched pedigree as an international coach – he has overseen operations with South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to varying degrees of success – should raise the bar in the east midlands. Arthur’s contacts book has already come in handy, with Pakistan opener Shan Masood signing for the summer and Suranga Lakmal, the veteran Sri Lanka seamer, opting to retire from international competition in exchange for two-year contract as Derbyshire’s attack leader.Derbyshire only won one Championship fixture in 2021, and had to wait until the final round of the season to achieve that – although a nine-wicket victory at Hove did lift them above their opponents and away from bottom of the pile. The departures of Matt Critchley (Derbyshire’s leading run-scorer) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, as well as Harvey Hosein’s enforced retirement, means a significant hit to the playing squad but there is a strong core to the batting, led by Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen, and a clutch of young seamers who could provide strong support for Lakmal.Arthur, by his own admission, wants “to win every game we play” and suggested that Championship success would mean being in the hunt for promotion – a feat Derbyshire last achieved on Madsen’s watch a decade ago.One to watch: Ben Aitchison, a 22-year-old seamer, played all but one of Derbyshire’s Championship games in 2021, finishing as their leading wicket-taker with 34 at 23.29. Tall and able to hold a disciplined line and length, his immaculate figures of 6 for 28 from 16 overs against Durham might have helped set up a rare win had the game not been ruined by rain. Regrettably, he will miss the start of the season with a “spinal bone injury”.Diversity action: Almost 40% of the non-executive directors on Derbyshire’s board are now either female or from BAME backgrounds. There has been an increase in support for women’s cricket. The club also provides coaching in primary schools, as well as helping to distribute meals in deprived areas. Players and off-field staff have all attended tailored EDI training sessions by the club’s HR & safeguarding director. Alan GardnerBet365: 14/1Chris Rushworth continues to lead the line for Durham•Getty ImagesDurhamLast season: 3rd in Division Two
Director of cricket: Marcus North
Head coach: James Franklin
Captain: Scott Borthwick
Overseas: Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham
Ins: George Drissell
Outs: Cameron Steel (Surrey), Paul van Meekeren (Gloucestershire), Stuart Poynter (released)Related

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Durham’s head of cricket, Marcus North, has overseen an impressive stabilising of the county’s fortunes, which many observers feel can be hammered home with promotion this season in what would end a six-year exile since they were relegated by edict of the ECB as part of a financial bail-out. Whether North would be around to see it is not certain because he regularly appears on shortlists as the next ECB managing director.If Notts are understandably short-priced favorites to win Division Two, Durham appear to be the next best bet. Their ambition is illustrated by the addition of a second overseas batter in in Keegan Petersen, whose stature increased when he led the run-making charts in South Africa’s three-Test series against India earlier this year. They might even have the rare pleasure of Ben Stokes playing Championship cricket, though he will not be available for the early weeks as he awaits the results of a knee scan. Stokes has shunned the IPL this year, following his release by Rajasthan Royals, to concentrate on getting his game right for England’s summer Test schedule and it will be intriguing if this signals a slight shift in the priorities of some England players as they are pulled in more directions that body and mind can survive. Stokes has not played a Championship innings since 2018 so Durham supporters have good reason to consider his impending return with a sense of wonder.Spin bowling rarely figures at Durham, so the onus is on a traditionally strong seam attack to do its stuff. But the Chris Rushworth production line is 36 years old this summer and Brydon Carsen’s cartilage injury while training with England Lions means he won’t return until May. Those remaining should be able to pick up the slack, although a reassertion of Paul Coughlin’s talents would also would be nicely timed.One to watch: David Bedingham has British grandparents on both sides of his family, a UK passport, and has completed three of his five years to qualify for permanent residence and, with it, England qualification. Nobody looked more assured than Bedingham in the first half of last season and a first-class average of 49.18 suggests that around the time of his 30th birthday he could join the production line of South African-born middle-order batters to bolster homegrown talent.Diversity action: Durham, along with Somerset, are one of two counties with no homegrown minority-ethnic player or coach. They are currently advertising for two independent new Board members (unpaid) to “broaden cricket’s loyal base and make the game more representative and accessible”. David HoppsBet365: 5/1Glamorgan’s Kiran Carlson pulls on his way to a century•Getty ImagesGlamorganLast season: 6th, Division Two
Director of Cricket: Mark Wallace
Coach: Matthew Maynard
Captain:David Lloyd
Overseas players: Colin Ingram, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser
Ins: Eddie Byrom (Somerset), James Harris (Middlesex), Sam Northeast (Hampshire)
Outs: Roman Walker (Leicestershire), Nick Selman (released)By his own voracious standards, Marnus Labuschagne let things slip in Pakistan last month, on some of the friendliest batting surfaces in the world. Perhaps a return to the green, green grass of Cardiff will help to concentrate his mind? Certainly it’s debatable whether any of his No.1-ranked achievements could have happened but for stint at Glamorgan in 2019, in which he racked up 1,114 runs in ten matches ahead of his concussion-substitute recall in that summer’s Ashes.Glamorgan’s batting had its moments in 2021, particularly in the early-season conference phase of the Championship, although their eventual sixth-place finish in Division Two didn’t entirely reflect the team’s progress – that was better expressed by their Royal London Cup victory. But the signing of Sam Northeast is quite a coup, and provides another wise old head to balance a middle-order in which Kiran Carlson, with three centuries and a lively 88 in front of Sky’s cameras, produced a breakthrough season.One to watch: It seems an eternity since James Harris burst to prominence as a bustling 16-year-old seamer at Glamorgan, with the world apparently at his feet. After an up-and-down decade at Middlesex, culminating in a loan stint last summer, he’s now permanently back at the county where he cut his teeth, and at the age of 31 he’s got plenty life in his game yet – and professional wisdom in abundance, as shown by his chairmanship of the PCA.Diversity action: With Kiran Carlson and Prem Sisodiya installed as the first Welsh-born cricketers of Asian heritage to play first-team matches for Glamorgan, the club finally has visible representation for the established two-thirds British-Asians who make up the Cardiff Midweek Cricket League. After Mohsin Arif, a former player, last year accused the club of preferential treatment for white players, two British Asian directors have been appointed to the club’s board. A working group has also been set up to improve the club’s connections with minority ethnic communities. Andrew MillerBet365: 5/1Callum Parkinson has enjoyed under-the-radar success at Leicestershire•Getty ImagesLeicestershireLast season: 4th in Div 3
Head coach: Paul Nixon
Captain: Colin Ackermann
Overseas: Beuran Hendricks, Wiaan Mulder
Ins: Roman Walker (Glamorgan), Tom Scriven (Hampshire)
Outs: Dieter Klein (released)There were clear signs of progress for Leicestershire in the early stages of last season, as they fought hard in a tough initial conference to finish 12 points behind Surrey, a club of incomparable wealth and resources. But despite the positivity coming from the Grace Road hierarchy for much of the summer, the bottom line was another disappointing finish, third-from-bottom in Division Three.Several batters made strides last summer. Lewis Hill led the way, returning a career-best 944 runs, while Harry Swindells and Sam Evans kicked on and Hassan Azad showed glimpses of his best after a quiet couple of years. Marcus Harris, who hit three Championship hundreds in eight appearances last summer, turned down a contract extension to move to Gloucestershire but they have brought in two South Africans with excellent first-class records for 2022 in Beuran Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder. Both will reduce the seam-bowling attack’s dependence on Chris Wright, who turns 37 this summer but was a key performer last term.One to watch: Simon Harmer was the only spinner to take more Championship wickets than Callum Parkinson last summer, and Leicestershire’s vice-captain maintained a slightly better strike rate in doing so, admittedly playing the final month of the season in a lower division. Parkinson flies under the radar compared to his twin brother Matt, bowling quick, flat left-arm darts, but is a steady performer who can hold up an end on a flat pitch and attack on a helpful one.Diversity action: Mehmooda Duke quit as chair over the winter, alleging that she had been “rolled out as a poster girl” by the ECB as one of two non-white county chairs. The club are hiring a new community and EDI director but have been criticised for inaction in recent weeks after a club cricketer told the that he was “silenced” for crticising team-mates who blacked up for a fancy-dress party. The squad has started to reflect the diversity of the city in recent seasons. Matt RollerBet365: 20/1MiddlesexLast season: 2nd, Division Three
Head of Men’s Cricket: Alan Coleman
Coach: Richard Johnson
Captain: Peter Handscomb
Overseas players: Peter Handscomb, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Ins:
Mark Stoneman (Surrey)
Outs: Steven Finn (Sussex), Nick Gubbins (Hampshire), James Harris (Glamorgan)Something had to change at Middlesex after a dire season in 2021 … and within the club’s management structures, pretty much everything has. Angus Fraser departed in mid-season as the club’s longstanding director of cricket, Stuart Law followed suit in October after three underwhelming years as head coach, and with Alan Coleman installed as the newly designated head of men’s cricket, it’s over to Richard Johnson to usher in the new regime, after a three-year sojourn south of the river.Middlesex’s most fundamental aim is promotion. The speed and trajectory of their decline after winning the County Championship in 2016 was startling, but the listlessness of their subsequent attempts to regroup have been revealing. On paper, they have long boasted a stable of fast bowlers that most squads would covet – but Steven Finn and James Harris have now moved on, and with Toby Roland-Jones forever vying with injury since his title-sealing hat-trick, it’s Tim Murtagh – ever-green into his 41st year – who remains the senior statesman. However, the arrival of Shaheen Shah Afridi could be the spark to take the new generation – Ethan Bamber and Blake Cullen in particular – to the next level.But where will Middlesex’s runs come from? That has been the common refrain in recent seasons. Peter Handscomb, the captain, owes his club plenty after a fraught 2021 in which he never recovered from a horrific opening run, while Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman – now eight and four years removed from their respective Test dalliances – will be among the many England-qualified openers who believe it’s all up for grabs ahead of the New Zealand series in June.One to watch: Shaheen is pure box-office, and his availability – international commitments excepting – across formats for the 2022 season is potentially one of the most exciting county signings in recent history. He went toe-to-toe with Australia on some merciless decks in Pakistan last month, and provides a star quality that arguably will not be matched even at the Hundred this summer.Diversity action: Mike O’Farrell, Middlesex’s chairman, dropped a clanger at the DCMS hearings in January with his statement that Black people prefer football and Asians focus on education – precisely the sort of outdated tropes that proper EDI initiatives are designed to eliminate. However, the club’s EDI committee, co-chaired by Ankit Shah, has been busy in the winter, including with a role in the interviewing process for the new head coach. Middlesex will also have a big part to play in embedding the newly nationwide ACE programme into its London Boroughs. AMBet365: 9/2Stuart Broad will be vying for an England comeback during the early months of the season•Getty ImagesNottinghamshireLast season: 3rd in Division One
Director of cricket: Mick Newell
Head coach: Peter Moores
Captain: Steven Mullaney
Overseas: James Pattinson, Dane Paterson
Ins:
Outs: Ben Compton (Kent), Peter Trego (retired), Tom Barber (released)Nottinghamshire feel justifiably aggrieved that they are starting the season in Division Two after they showed clear signs of progress last summer and will start as strong favourites to win the title. Their batting line-up includes three players who will be mentioned as contenders for Test selection – Haseeb Hameed, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke – while Ben Slater is among the country’s more consistent openers and was their leading run-scorer last summer.Stuart Broad will miss the start of their campaign but should play at least three or four early-season games while Dane Paterson and James Pattinson will be supported by Luke Fletcher, Joey Evison, Zak Chappell and Brett Hutton, with Liam Patterson-White acting as their main spinner. They are expecting teams to prepare slow, low pitches to negate the strength of their seam attack away from home but will be tough to beat on lively surfaces at Trent Bridge.One to watch: Lyndon James, the 23-year-old allrounder, was labelled “one of the best prospects in the country” in Broad’s newspaper column last week. A tall, seam-bowling allrounder and a product of the Notts academy, he is yet to deliver the numbers to back that description up but five Championship fifties last summer hinted at his promise and he appears primed for a breakthrough season.Diversity action: The club launched an investigation into Alex Hales’ historic conduct after Azeem Rafiq alleged that he had named his dog “Kevin” because it was a derogatory term used in the England dressing room to describe non-white people. Hales denied the allegation and apologised after a photo emerged of his blackface costume at a fancy dress party. Kunwar Bansil, who was one of the members of Yorkshire’s coaching staff sacked by Lord Kamlesh Patel, has joined the club as a physio. MRBet365: 13/10SussexLast season: 6th in Division Three
Championship coach: Ian Salisbury
Captain: Tom Haines
Overseas: Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Rizwan (April-June)
Ins: Steven Finn (Middlesex), Fynn Hudson-Prentice (Derbyshire), Tom Alsop (loan), George Burrows (Lancashire)
Outs: Phil Salt (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Ben Brown (Hampshire), Mitch Claydon, Stuart Meaker (both retired), Stiaan van Zyl, Aaron Thomason (both released)One win in 14 matches pretty much summed up Sussex’s Championship season, albeit there were mitigating factors in their first wooden spoon since 1997. Ollie Robinson, whose 13-wicket match haul sealed victory over Glamorgan during the conference stage, only played six times as England came calling, while Jofra Archer was barely seen due to ongoing elbow problems. Travis Head made 183 runs in 11 innings during a miserable overseas stint that was curtailed by Australia’s quarantine rules, and the club ended up fielding 26 players – including nine first-class debutants and as many teenagers – during a summer of hard knocks down at Hove.Amidst it all, Ben Brown was stood down as captain, and subsequently asked to be released from a contract that had two years left to run. As well as being Sussex’s first-choice wicketkeeper Brown also topped the club averages in 2021, with 976 runs at 51.36. The rebuilding work had already begun, though, with allrounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice brought back from Derbyshire, and Steven Finn switching Lord’s for the south coast. Cheteshwar Pujara (when his visa comes through) and Mohammad Rizwan will bring further international class to a young dressing room, while the loan signing of Tom Alsop should increase competition for top-order spots. Tom Haines, meanwhile, takes on the captaincy at 23, looking to back up a breakthrough summer in which he finished as the most-prolific run-scorer in the country.One to watch: Two 16-year-olds caught the eye last summer, as part of Sussex’s influx of academy products. Archie Lenham’s legspin will likely come to the fore once again in the Blast, so it’s over to his St Bede’s schoolmate Dan Ibrahim in the longer format. On debut at Headingley in June, Ibrahim became the youngest player to score a half-century in the history of the Championship, and he fell six runs short of setting the three-figure record later in the season. Also bowls handy seam-up.Diversity action: More than 100 staff, players and coaches have so far taken part in EDI educational workshops delivered by Sussex this year. An equality subcommittee has been established on the board, and the club has also arranged for external speakers to come in and address the players on “racial bias and issues in sport”.AGDanial Ibrahim is the youngest cricketer to make a half-century in the 131-year history of the County Championship•Getty ImagesBet365: 20/1WorcestershireLast season: 3rd in Division Three
Head coach: Alex Gidman
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Overseas: Azhar Ali
Ins: Ed Pollock (Warwickshire), Ben Gibbon, Taylor Cornall (Lancashire)
Outs: Ross Whiteley (Hampshire), Daryl Mitchell (retired), Alex Milton (released)Brett D’Oliveira becomes the first member of the D’Oliveira dynasty to be officially appointed as county captain after Joe Leach stepped down from the role at the end of last season following five years in charge. His father, Damian, and grandfather, Basil, amassed more than 30 seasons between them at New Road, and Brett first ran around the outfield as a child, but his coach, Alex Gidman, has been quick to point out that it was his tactical acumen that stood out when he deputised for Leach for part of last season.If Leach epitomised perseverance, D’Oliveira might need to add a spot of magic to protect Worcestershire from a difficult season. So often a yo-yo side, their 2021 performance (only Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Sussex below them) suggests another difficult season, especially since Daryl Mitchell, a batting mainstay, has retired. Leach, now 31, needs to focus on his own game. So much rests again with Jake Libby, maker of 1000 runs last season. Azhar Ali, the overseas pro, is 37 and did not shine at Somerset. Ed Pollock, formerly a top-order gambler at Warwickshire, briefly the fastest global batter in T20, has apparently been brought in to play in all three formats, which should challenge the mettle of the coaches and perhaps his own mindset. Will Josh Tongue or Pat Brown be fit enough to bolster the seam attack? Will Moeen Ali ever play red ball? Unless an excellent academy is about to deliver another gem or two, the yo-yo could need some restringing before another promotion challenge is feasible.One to watch: Which brings us to Jack Haynes. At 21, he possesses a first-class average of 32 and has hit two hundreds in pre-season as an opening batter, including one against a decent Warwickshire attack, a match in which he skippered. He could be about to be presented with the biggest challenge of his career.Diversity action: Four of Worcestershire’s 10 board members are women, but in a predominantly white catchment area, minority-ethnic progress is harder to find. The chair, Fanos Hira, asserted earlier this year that the days of “cognac-swigging, cigar-smoking Hufty-Dufties are long gone” and has called for a coordinated response from ECB and the counties. DHBet365: 8/1

The Afghanistan director of cricket talks about getting used to a prosthetic leg after an emergency amputation and looking forward to getting back to Kabul

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Jul-2020″Surgeon spoke to me at 7.30am. By 20 to eight, I told him: ‘Let’s get it done,'” Andy Moles says. “By 12.30pm, I was wheeled down to the operation theatre. And I woke up between 4 and 4.30 and the amputation had been done.”Moles talks about the events of April 4 in a matter-of-fact way from Cape Town, where he lives with his partner Megan when he is not in Kabul, serving as the director of cricket and chairman of selectors for Afghanistan. From early in the year he was regularly in touch with his surgeon to deal with an infection in his left little toe. While Moles was in India with the Afghanistan team at the start of the year, the team doctor had been nursing the wound, but it did not get better. Moles, who is diabetic, did not want to take chances.The diagnosis in Cape Town revealed the little toe had been infected with a “superbug”, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). A person usually gets infected with MRSA in hospitals but can also get it by touching or sharing clothing with someone who has it, or by touching objects on which the bug might reside. Moles has no idea how he caught it. The infection was aggressive and he was admitted to Cape Town’s Mediclinic Louis Leipoldt hospital in late March. Soon after, his left toe was amputated to stop the infection spreading, but the move did not work.While Moles agrees that the day of his surgery was the toughest of his life, it was “just something that had to be dealt with.”They had tried to cut away the dead flesh for two weeks, but the infection was resistant to antibiotics and it was getting worse and worse. The options were trying to cut away the infected flesh and try to flush out the bacteria. But whilst it was spreading there was a danger of septicaemia, which would have meant either I could have lost the whole leg or, even worse, my life. So with those options, it was a simple decision: either to risk my life or to lose the leg below my knee.”It was traumatic. When you are told you are going to lose your left foot, it comes as a shock.”Moles is planning to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, which paid for his prosthetic leg•Andy MolesUnderstanding that he did not really have an alternative and that many in the world could not even afford to get treatment, Moles decided to stay positive and “tackle it head on”. He says he was “knocked out by painkillers” for nearly a day and slept for over 24 hours after the operation.”I went into the operation knowing what’s going to happen. The surgeon was excellent. He explained everything that would happen and what the process would be after the operation. As soon as I woke, once I had got over the first 24 hours of grogginess and pain, it was just a case of moving on. My biggest fear was to make sure there was no infection to the wound.”How difficult was it for his family to come to terms with?”They all were shocked,” Moles says. “My sons [one in China and the other in the UK] first didn’t how to approach it – whether to joke with me or feel sorry. I just told them, ‘It is what it is.’ You just have to get on with it. We just face this challenge together.”About a month after the surgery, having used a wheelchair or crutches to move around, Moles was fitted for his prosthetic leg, which he has named Jake. He has been practising walking on it for the past month with the help of crutches.ALSO READ: Jarrod Kimber: In the classroom with Andy Moles (2015)“It obviously feels a bit different. When you wear a brand new pair of shoes, you have a new sole. Similarly, my stump [left leg] is inside the prosthetic leg. When I am walking, I have to just gain the confidence and that will come as I walk more and more.”This week Moles has had pain in his left knee, which doctors have told him is due to “wear and tear” from his playing sport in the past. He plans to take cortisone injections to start walking on the prosthetic again.Depending on how sore the leg is, he walks anywhere between 100 and 400 metres a day. He intends to walk an aggregate of ten kilometres before or during the second Test between England and West Indies in Manchester, with the aim of walking the final kilometre unaided if he can. He is using the 10k challenge to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust in the UK, which paid for his prosthetic.”They have been very supportive to me. [They have paid] for this new leg that I’ve got, which is around £10,000. Also, they have given me a lot of support on the mental-health front to make sure I am fine.”Moles has created a Just Giving page and donations made there will go to the trust. “I am using this challenge to get myself up and mobile, but also hopefully [looking to] use it as an inspiration to other people, so that they can get over difficulties in their life. And also use it to raise funds for this great charity that looks after first-class cricketers in England that have fallen on difficult times.”Moles is looking forward to returning to Kabul to work with the Afghanistan players once the pandemic situation eases up•Mark Nolan/ICC/Getty ImagesIn 2014 when Moles took over as Afghanistan’s head coach, he knew it was going to be the most challenging assignment of his career. He had earned his badge as a solid and dependable batsman at Warwickshire, and had served as head coach for New Zealand, Kenya and Scotland after retirement.The thrill of working in a land of untapped cricketing talent drew him to Afghanistan. Even a warning from his brother, who works in counter-terrorism, to not work in a country considered one of the most dangerous in the world did not dissuade him. In Kabul, even when he only travels between the hotel and the Afghanistan Cricket Board office, Moles sees the ravages of war, including people living without limbs.”None of us know what is in store in our future. I would have never thought I would walk on a prosthetic, but there you are. I have got to make the best of the situation that I find myself in.”Lutfullah Stanikzai, the ACB chief executive, says that Moles has been brave to stay and work for the last five years in a country that hardly gets any overseas visitors.”He is a very courageous guy. That is what is important.”Moles has been integral to the development of the region’s cricket, especially young talent, and he is well respected by the players. In 2018, he was the coach when Afghanistan reached the U-19 World Cup semi-finals, and last year he was the interim head coach when they won a Test in Bangladesh.”His disability actually has not been a problem for us,” Stanikzai says. “We haven’t considered that as part of him not being able to do his job well. It is his experience, expertise, knowledge and understanding of Afghan cricket that matter to us. He is a very passionate guy. We as the administration have tried to retain him for as long as we can. He has been a good member of our [management] team.”Moles is looking forward to cricket restarting after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has given him time to recuperate. “I am lucky there has been no cricket going, so I have been able to rest at home. But I am looking forward to getting back to Kabul, seeing the players and plotting fixtures and camps.”Cricket remains the same. I haven’t got my brain cut. I haven’t lost my vision or mobility or tactical awareness. It is just a case of: I have got half a leg. That’s it. That’s all it is. I still have to assist and help many players and teams be the best they can be. That’s my role as a coach.”It is a new challenge. So far as work is concerned, it is all the same. The main work at the moment is basically ensuring cricket restarts in the country and make sure everybody is safe and looking after themselves.”

يستهل فريق بيراميدز مشواره في بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية بمواجهة قوية أمام نظيره البنك الأهلي، في المواجهة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات البطولة المحلية.

وتقام المباراة بين بيراميدز والبنك الأهلي، على أرضية استاد السلام، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات للمسابقة في الموسم الحالي 2025-2026.​

وقررت إدارة نادي بيراميدز منح الفرصة لقطاع الناشئين بالنادي وخوض مباريات النسخة الجديدة من بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر بفريق الشباب بالنادي.

بيراميدز يتخذ قرارًا جديدًا بسبب مباريات كأس عاصمة مصر

بيراميدز يقع في المجموعة الثانية في كأس عاصمة مصر رفقة أندية البنك الأهلي وبتروجيت والجونة ومودرن سبورت والإسماعيلي ووادي دجلة موعد مباراة بيراميدز والبنك الأهلي اليوم في كأس الرابطة

وتقام مباراة بيراميدز والبنك الأهلي اليوم الثلاثاء 9 ديسمبر 2025، في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والتاسعة مساء بتوقيت السعودية. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز والبنك الأهلي اليوم في كأس الرابطة

وتذاع المباراة بين بيراميدز والبنك الأهلي في كأس الرابطة عبر قناة أون سبورتس2.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا