“We are trying to get him here as soon as possible once we have the clearance from NCA” – Rohit Sharma
Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2022Suryakumar Yadav is set to miss to Mumbai Indians’ opening match of the IPL, which will be against Delhi Capitals on March 27. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the 31-year-old, who picked up a hairline fracture on his thumb on February 22 in the final match of the T20 series against West Indies, is yet to be released by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he has been in rehab for the past few weeks.”Surya is at NCA at the moment. He is recovering well. He’ll be here soon. I can’t give his availability right now, whether he will be available for the first game or not. But, yeah, we are trying to get him here as soon as possible once we have the clearance from NCA,” Mumbai’s captain Rohit Sharma said.Suryakumar’s absence is a significant loss for Mumbai, who have no other specialist Indian international in their batting order apart from captain Rohit Sharma and the biggest buy of the February auction Ishan Kishan.Since he was bought in 2019, Suryakumar has played a pivotal role as a top-order batter for Mumbai. While the five-time champions failed to make the knockouts last season, Suryakumar continued to flourish. He was their second-leading run-scorer with a tally of 317 at a strike rate of 143.43 and an average of 22. With his ability to float around the batting order, and, importantly accelerate from the time he arrives to the crease, Suryakumar has become a key batter for both Mumbai and India.It is likely that Mumbai will be forced to consider the pair of cousins – Ramandeep Singh and Anmolpreet Singh – to replace Suryakumar while he is unavailable. Uncapped Hyderabad batter Tilak Varma is favourite to play at No. 3.
Washington Sundar has been ruled out of India’s three-match T20I series against West Indies, which begins in Kolkata on Wednesday. According to a BCCI release, the spin-bowling allrounder suffered a hamstring strain while fielding during the third ODI in Ahmedabad on Friday.Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav has been named as Washington’s replacement in India’s squad.The hamstring strain is the latest in a series of injuries and illnesses that have hounded Washington over the last few months. First, he was forced to miss the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE after suffering a finger injury. He returned to domestic action during the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, helping Tamil Nadu reach the final, but a bout of Covid-19 kept him waiting for his international comeback, ruling him out of the ODI leg of India’s tour of South Africa in January this year.Washington finally returned to India colours during the ODIs against West Indies, playing all three games and showing promise with both ball and bat. He picked up four wickets at 18.75, while conceding just 4.16 runs per over, and he also contributed scores of 24 and 33 in his two outings with the bat.Just when he seemed to be back in the thick of things, however, injury has struck once more.As a specialist bowler, Kuldeep isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Washington; the batting ability of seamers Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel, however, should still allow India to pick an XI without compromising on their batting depth.India squad for T20I series: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav.
ESPNcricinfo understands that the Afghanistan camp had wanted re-tests done as they suspected false positives
Mohammad Isam16-Feb-2022
File photo: The Afghanistan squad arrived in Bangladesh well ahead of the scheduled limited-overs series to prepare•ICC via Getty
The several members of Afghanistan’s touring party who had tested positive for Covid-19 in Sylhet yesterday, all returned negative results when re-tested today. This was confirmed by an ACB official.ESPNcricinfo understands that the Afghanistan camp had wanted re-tests done as they suspected false positives, and so the re-tests were conducted ahead of the completion of the 48 hours of isolation – which would have ended late today – they were asked to undergo. They will resume training for the limited-overs series against Bangladesh tomorrow in Sylhet.The squad and support staff had arrived in Dhaka on February 12, with everyone testing negative before flying out, and left for Sylhet the following day. They have since been training in Sylhet, as they prepare for three ODIs scheduled to begin in Chattogram on February 23.Having arrived in Bangladesh well before the series to have a training camp and acclimatise, they are currently in the country on their own terms, and will enter the BCB’s bio-bubble only on February 19.The BCB, who had extended its support to the visitors after the news of the positive tests, will heave a huge sigh of relief as the large number of cases would have forced a change in the schedule. The series is an important one for both teams, as it is part of the ICC’s ODI Super League. The games are set for February 23, 25 and 28 in Chattogram, before the teams move to Dhaka for two T20Is in early March.
أكد محمود فتح الله مدافع منتخب مصر الأسبق، أن انتقال أحمد سيد زيزو إلى صفوف الأهلي يعتبر هدية من نادي الزمالك.
وقال محمود فتح الله في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة ام بي سي مصر2: “عقد اللاعب ينتهي يجب أن يكون لديك أولويات كإدارة، الإدارة عليها جزء كبير من اللوم، زيزو قيمة فنية كبيرة جدًا وأريد أن يجدد للنادي أو يكون هناك بديل 350 مليون جنيه مقابل بيع زيزو”.
طالع | سيد عبد الحفيظ: صفقة زيزو كنت أتمناها شخصيًا.. ولاعب يليق بـ الأهلي
وأكمل: “لا توجد مشكلة، الزمالك لا يقف على أي لاعب، ولكن الموسم الجديد يبدأ ولم تستفيد بأي جنيه من زيزو، هذا بالنسبة لي ضربة قوية جدًا، وزيزو قيمة كبيرة جدًا وآخر 5 سنوات هو اللاعب الأفضل في الزمالك ومصر”.
وواصل: “زيزو هدية ببلاش للنادي الأهلي، زيزو لو كان لعب خارج مصر كان المجلس سيتعرض للهجوم بعض الشيء والأمر ينتهي، ولكن لاعب بقيمة زيزو، يرحل للنادي المنافس بدون أي استفادة مادية، هذا صعب”.
وأوضح: “أراها هذا العام فقط ثاني هدية غالية جدًا، الهدية الأولى انسحاب الأهلي من مباراة الزمالك ويعطي الدوري هدية لبيراميدز، وثاني هدية الزمالك يعطي لاعبًا للأهلي بقيمة زيزو”.
Em situações opostas na tabela, Corinthians e Ponte Preta se enfrentam no próximo sábado (12), às 18h30 na Neo Química Arena, em duelo válido pela décima primeira rodada do Campeonato Paulista.
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> GALERIA – Veja o retrospecto do Timão no Paulistão desde o novo formato
O Timão, mandante do confronto, não só está classificado para às quartas de final do Paulistão, como garantiu o primeiro lugar do Grupo A, pois não pode ser ultrapassado por Inter de Limeira, Água Santa e Guarani.
Dessa forma, é possível que o técnico Vítor Pereira escale uma equipe alternativa, com jogadores que vem recebendo menos oportunidades, e quem sabe alguns garotos, já que o time do Parque São Jorge inscreveu sete atletas da base para a lista B do estadual.
Do outro lado, a Ponte Preta vive um drama no Paulistão. Com apenas oito pontos em 10 jogos, a Macaca precisa da vitória na Neo Química Arena para fugir da zona do rebaixamento, pois ocupa o penúltimo lugar na tabela.
Contudo, o técnicoHélio dos Anjos não poderá contar comLéo Santos, Igor Formiga, Matheus Jesus e Fessin, já que os quatro atletas estão emprestados pelo Corinthians e, por questões contratuais, não podem enfrentar o clube.
> TABELA – Confira e simule os próximos jogos do Corinthians no Paulistão
CORINTHIANS X PONTE PRETA Local: Neo Química Arena, São Paulo (SP) Data/Horário:12/03/2022, às 18h30 Árbitro:Luiz Flávio de Oliveira-SP Assistentes:Daniel Paulo Ziolli-SP e Anderson José de Moraes Coelho-SP VAR: Jose Claudio Rocha Filho Onde acompanhar: Premiere, Paulistão Play, Youtube do Paulistão e em Tempo Real na parceria LANCE!/Voz do Esporte
CORINTHIANS Cássio; Fagner, João Victor, Gil e Lucas Piton; Du Queiroz, Willian (Gustavo Silva) Renato Augusto,Paulinho e Giuliano (Adson); Róger Guedes. Técnico: Vítor Pereira.
Desfalques:Matheus Donelli (pancada na panturrilha direita); Fábio Santos (dores na região lombar), Bruno Melo (lesão no músculo posterior da coxa esquerda)e Xavier(lesão no músculo posterior da coxa esquerda)
PONTE PRETA Ygor Vinhas, Norberto, Thiago Oliveira, Fabrício e Guilherme Santos (Kevin ou Jean Carlos); Marcos Júnior (André Luiz), Léo Naldi, Matheus Anjos e João Pedro (Niltinho); Lucca e Ribamar. Técnico:Hélio dos Anjos
Desfalques:Léo Santos, Igor Formiga, Matheus Jesus e Fessin (questões contratuais com o Corinthians)
Chelsea have become known over the years for their Cobham Academy, which has produced a catalogue of elite-level talents who have either made a huge impact on the first team or made the club a huge profit.
Within Enzo Maresca’s current squad, their academy success can be seen in the form of defender Levi Colwill, who has enjoyed a huge rise in recent years.
The 21-year-old has spent various years out on loan, before becoming a crucial player under the Italian in 2024/25, missing just one minute of Premier League action so far this campaign.
As a result of his excellent progress, he’s become a regular in the England setup under Lee Carsley in recent months, being named in all three squads during the ongoing season.
There’s no denying that centre-back wouldn’t be at the current performance level if it wasn’t for his successful loan spells elsewhere, with his first leap in England’s top-flight coming in 2022/23.
Chelsea’s transfer window in the summer of 2022
Colwill left on a season-long loan to join Brighton and Hove Albion after his previous season on loan at Huddersfield Town the year prior, as they lost in the play-off final against Nottingham Forest.
Jake Clarke-Salter is another defender who had huge expectations on his shoulders after coming through the academy, but ultimately he never made the impact many expected him to as a youngster.
Crystal Palace linked Jake Clarke-Salter in action for QPR.
The now 27-year-old only featured twice for his boyhood club, before leaving on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, joining Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers at the end of his contract.
The aforementioned window allowed for the departures of two high-earning players who, unfortunately, were unable to match the expectations many placed on their shoulders upon their respective moves to Stamford Bridge.
Ross Barkley left after a three-and-a-half year stint in West London, with Danny Drinkwater spending five years at the Blues after joining in a £35m deal from Leicester City after their Premier League triumph back in 2015/16.
However, such a window also saw the departure of a talent who many expected to become a top-level star but was unable to make such an impact due to constant injury troubles.
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The former Chelsea star who’s now unemployed at 28
Belgian winger Charly Musonda joined Chelsea as a 15-year-old back in the summer of 2012, the same window as compatriot Eden Hazard, but the pair couldn’t have developed further apart after their respective spells at the Bridge.
The former Lille ace spent seven years in the capital, racking up over 350 appearances and scoring over 100 goals before leaving to join Real Madrid for £130m in the summer of 2019.
However, the same can’t be said for Musonda, who was once seen as a generational talent given his time in the academy but was unfortunately unable to replicate such a feat in the first team.
Sadly, the attacker would only feature seven times, scoring just a solitary goal against Nottingham Forest back in the Carabao Cup back in September 2017.
Injuries played a huge part in his lack of game time, being sent on various stints to Vitesse and Celtic before eventually being released by the Blues in the summer of 2022 as a 25-year-old.
Chelsea U21
52
12
6
Real Betis
24
1
3
Levante
19
0
0
Anorthosis
11
0
1
Chelsea U18
10
1
0
Celtic
8
0
1
Chelsea
7
1
2
Vitesse
4
0
0
Musonda has since had short stints at Spanish side Levante, whilst also featuring for Cypriot outfit Anorthosis during the 2023/24 campaign, before subsequently being released back in September.
To this day, the now 28-year-old remains a free agent, with his career in Europe all but over given his decline over the past couple of years – such a sad sight to see given his promise as a youngster.
He’s just another case of a youngster who’s been unable to match his potential during his academy days, with the pressure placed on his shoulders as a teenager undoubtedly playing a huge part in his lack of development.
Chelsea must regret losing Palmer-esque star who left after just 2 weeks
Chelsea let go of an academy gem after just a few weeks in the Cobham academy.
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, each season seems to throw up a host of memorable games that supporters simply won’t forget.
Think Liverpool v Newcastle United in 1996, or Newcastle v Arsenal in 2011. Portsmouth v Reading in 2007 and Manchester United’s titanic derby clash with Manchester City in 2009 can also lay claim to being some of the most exciting games in the history of the top flight.
In terms of the biggest wins in the history of the competition, several teams have won by either an eight or nine-goal margin, clicking into top gear effortlessly.
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In this list, Football FanCast takes a look at the 11 biggest wins in Premier League history.
Rank
Match
Date
Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth
August 2022
Man Utd 9-0 Southampton
February 2021
Southampton 0-9 Leicester
October 2019
Man Utd 9-0 Ipswich
March 1995
Sheff Utd 0-8 Newcastle
September 2023
Man City 8-0 Watford
September 2019
Southampton 8-0 Sunderland
October 2014
Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa
December 2012
Chelsea 8-0 Wigan
May 2010
Tottenham 9-1 Wigan
November 2009
Newcastle 8-0 Sheff Wed
September 1999
11 Newcastle 8-0 Sheff Wed, September 1999 Sir Bobby Robson starts St James' Park tenure with thumping win
After a poor start to the season under Ruud Gullit led to the Dutchman’s sacking, Sir Bobby Robson was a popular choice for his replacement as Newcastle United boss – and his first home game couldn’t have gone any better.
Sheffield Wednesday were the opponents and the Magpies raced into a four-goal lead by the interval. Another four efforts in the second half saw them record a stunning 8-0 win.
Shearer became the first Newcastle player to score five goals in a single top-flight match as the game kickstarted the Robson era.
Date
19th September 1999
Venue
St James’ Park
Goalscorers
Hughes, Shearer (5), Dyer, Speed
10 Tottenham 9-1 Wigan, November 2009 Spurs run riot against Wigan at White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur secured their biggest top-flight victory by smashing nine goals past a shell-shocked Wigan Athletic side.
Surprisingly, the home side led just 1-0 at the break, but they soon started scoring for fun. Jermain Defoe scored five second-half goals, becoming the first player to net five in a Premier League game since Shearer in 1999, while the likes of David Bentley, Niko Kranjcar and Aaron Lennon also got involved.
This was the first time since 1995 that a team had scored nine goals in a top-flight fixture, and it was one for the Spurs fans to look back on fondly.
9 Chelsea 8-0 Wigan, May 2010 Blues seal Premier League title with final-day thrashing
Chelsea and Man United headed into the final day of the 2009/10 season in contention to win the title. The Blues needed a win to reclaim the title they had last won in 2006, and when Nicolas Anelka scored after just six minutes, the floodgates were opened.
Over the next 84 minutes, Chelsea scored seven more goals to wrap up a stunning 8-0 win over Wigan. The empathic victory also saw them net 103 times in the top flight that term, a new record.
It was the second time Wigan had conceded eight or more goals in the Premier League that term following their mauling at the hands of Spurs.
Date
9th May 2010
Venue
Stamford Bridge
Goalscorers
Anelka (2), Lampard, Kalou, Drogba (3), A. Cole
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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 2, 2024 8 Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa, December 2012 The Blues continued their resurgence under Rafa Benitez
Chelsea’s 8-0 win over Aston Villa marked the second time the club had scored eight goals in the Premier League, with seven different players getting on the scoresheet this time around.
Rafael Benitez had taken over from the sacked Roberto Di Matteo, enjoying a solid start to life in west London.
Villa were hardly in bad form, defeating Liverpool a week before, but they conceded three goals in the first half. Frank Lampard netted the fourth on his 500th start in the top flight, before two goals from Ramires, a penalty by Oscar and a wonderful solo effort by Eden Hazard wrapped up the massive win.
The Blues didn’t win the league that season, although Benitez did lead the club to the Europa League title.
7 Southampton 8-0 Sunderland, October 2014 Saints record their biggest-ever Premier League win
Southampton became just the fifth team in Premier League history to score eight goals in a single game, sending Sunderland packing after a rout at St Mary’s.
The thrashing began after Santiago Vergini scored a comical own goal, with his attempted clearance flying into the back of the net. Two more goals before half-time practically secured all three points, but it was the second 45 in which the home side came alive.
Sunderland scored another two own goals, while strikes from Graziano Pelle, Dušan Tadić and Victor Wanyama sealed the record win.
6 Man City 8-0 Watford, September 2019 Citizens race clear of Hornets in record time
In May 2019, Manchester City faced Watford in the FA Cup final, winning 6-0 to complete a domestic treble during the 2018/19 campaign.
It couldn’t get any worse for Watford, could it? A few months later, the same teams met in the Premier League, with City sealing another win – and by an even bigger margin.
The home side scored five goals in the opening 18 minutes, running riot against the Hornets. Three more goals were added before the end of the game, which represented the highest margin of victory for Pep Guardiola in the Premier League.
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ByLuke Randall May 31, 2024 5 Sheff Utd 0-8 Newcastle, September 2023 Magpies score eight once again in the Premier League
kieran-trippier-bruno-guimaraes-newcastle-opinion
Nearly 14 years to the day since the Magpies scored eight against Wednesday, they repeated the trick against their Sheffield rivals to equal their highest-ever Premier League win.
Incredibly, eight different scorers got the goals to hand the Toon victory. The result proved that Sheffield United simply couldn’t hack it in the top flight, and they were subsequently relegated at the end of the campaign.
The result means Newcastle are the only team to inflict 8-0 defeats on two teams from the same city.
4 Man Utd 9-0 Ipswich, March 1995 Fergie's boys make history in record victory
Chasing a Premier League and FA Cup double for the second season in a row, Sir Alex Ferguson went into the clash against Ipswich needing three points to maintain Manchester United’s title challenge.
What followed next was Premier League history. Missing Eric Cantona, the Old Trafford side were relying on January signing Andy Cole. He duly delivered against the Tractor Boys, scoring five goals – the first player to do so since the inception of the Premier League three years earlier.
Despite the record win, Fergie’s men finished the season empty-handed, losing the league title to Blackburn Rovers and the FA Cup final to Everton.
3 Southampton 0-9 Leicester, October 2019 Foxes smash nine goals past hapless Saints
James Maddison
Only Manchester United and Spurs had scored nine goals in a Premier League game, but Leicester City joined the club in 2019.
Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez scored three goals each against a Southampton team who looked lost at sea that evening, who had to play 80 minutes with just ten men following Ryan Bertrand’s sending-off.
The club were slowly improving under Brendan Rodgers and would go on to secure a fifth-place finish by the end of the season. While they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, that night against the Saints was one of his standout moments in charge of the club.
2 Man Utd 9-0 Southampton, February 2021 United become first team to hit nine twice
Just over 15 months after losing to Leicester 9-0, Southampton slumped to the same margin of defeat against Man Utd.
Similar to the loss to the Foxes, the Saints had a player sent off early, which gave United momentum straight away, scoring four first-half goals to wrap up the three points.
The second half saw the Red Devils score another five goals as Jan Bednarek saw red for the visitors during the second half in what was a miserable evening for the south coast side.
Newcastle are now considering making a mega-money move in January to hand Eddie Howe reinforcements for the second half of the season, according to a fresh report.
Newcastle have money to spend
A frustrating summer for Newcastle United saw them fail with several bids to sign Marc Guehi, a proposed move which dominated much of their transfer window. Though they signed Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer at the beginning of the summer window, it was expected that Howe’s side would add another Premier League level centre-back to their ranks, something that they ultimately failed to do, while Kelly has had a bit part role at St James’ Park so far.
That has seen them start the season in sluggish fashion, with a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in their most recent outing leaving the Magpies 11th in the Premier League, four points outside the top four and a return to Champions League football.
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To bolster their chances of a return to elite European football, Newcastle may well have to strengthen in January, and they certainly have the finances to do so after their public chase of Guehi saw them willing to pay £65m for the Crystal Palace defender.
Howe himself hinted at changes coming in January, admitting that he wanted a “freshness” to his squad. “I think freshness is important in a squad, I won’t sit here and deny that”, he explained.
“There needs to be a certain element of trading in and out to keep the group dynamic new. A new dynamic and a new team always has to form every season.”
Now, they could reportedly be ready to use their Guehi funds to sign a different defender in the winter window.
Newcastle considering move for £66m maestro
That is according to a fresh report in Portugal, which claims that the Magpies are keen to sign Benfica talent Tomas Araujo in January. According to A Bola [Via Sport Witness], Eddie Howe’s side “are considering a move to sign the Portugal international in January” in what would prove a costly move.
The Magpies are not the only side to be interested in the young defender, with Chelsea “in love” with the teenager and Manchester United also reportedly keeping tabs on his situation.
His performances for Benfica have drawn widespread acclaim, and he was dubbed “potentially one of the best CBs” by football scouting account DanielScouting on X, who added: “He’s a technical maestro. His turns, dribbling, manipulation, & passing make you think he’s a CM,” and claimed he is already an “elite player”.
Tomas Araujo
Lloyd Kelly
Appearances
9
8
Pass Accuracy
86.6%
81.7%
Tackles and interceptions per 90
3.26
1.82
Fouls per 90
0.67
1.21
Yellow Cards
0
2
The report adds that Benfica do not want to sell the defender, and are readying talks to try and persuade him to agree a new deal with an increased release clause. However, until they do so, he will be available provided any side meets that €80m (£66m) clause. There is no hope of any flexibility on that fee, it is claimed, as Benfica “consider him ‘non-negotiable’ and have ruled out a transfer in the winter market, unless his clause his activated”.
There’s a cutting on the press box wall at Chelmsford with a certain timeless quality. “Cook for England” states the back page of the Essex Chronicle from November 10, 2005, after the most promising opener in the country received the first of his international call-ups – as injury cover for Michael Vaughan on that winter’s tour of Pakistan.Seventeen years, 64 first-class centuries, and one knighthood later, those words could now be framed as a question (“Cook for England?”), a demand (“Cook for England!”), or a plea (“Cook for England, pretty please? With sugar on top?”). For here, at the start of his 20th season of first-class cricket, was 266 balls-worth of further evidence – stretched over six hours of unflappable application – that the man who stepped down from Test duty as a national record-breaker remains as dryly addicted to run-making as ever.Nick Browne also made a century, it should be noted – at a quicker lick, and with the more eye-catching flourishes too, particularly when leaning through a series of compact straight drives. But while he and Alastair Cook were in harness, ticking along at 2.7 an over in a 220-run opening stand, there was little for Kent’s fielders to do but chase leather in exchange for warmth on a bitingly blustery day, and rue the early optimism that had persuaded their skipper, Ollie Robinson, to bowl first after winning the toss.For this was April … the alternative narrative. The one in which county cricket’s livid green seamers are lifeless with permafrost, and where icy cross-winds buffet the bowlers to such an extent that an extra five overs could have been factored in through aborted run-ups. In fact, those watching on the ECB’s (somewhat bouncy) live stream might have thought they had tuned back into Big Jet TV by mistake, and when Matt Quinn bailed out three times in an over, some might have figured that watching Jumbo Jets cock up their approach would be rather more fun in this weather.Related
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Joshua de Caires shows his pedigree as Middlesex make strong start
“Me and Cooky batting isn’t going to bring the crowds to county cricket,” Browne joked afterwards. “It was a good day for concentration.”And yet, the first part of that statement wasn’t strictly true. Despite the disconcerting rattle of the floodlights on their wobbly gantries, and the prospect of the sponsor’s tarpaulin breaking its moorings on the roof of the midwicket pavilion, a very healthy crowd – upwards of 1200 of county cricket’s hardiest – braved the chill and embraced the intermittent shafts of spring sunshine to welcome home a long-lost format.For Essex haven’t had much of a chance to cement their red-ball mastery in recent seasons. The Bob Willis Trophy was more than just a consolation prize when Covid struck in 2020, but last year’s Division Two “title” was greeted with the disdain of a Champions League runner-up flinging their medal into the crowd. This, however, is more like it. Essex are back to the top flight that has been in suspended animation since their 2019 title was won, and notwithstanding Kent’s four-wicket rally with the new ball, they’ve opened their account with a statement of intent.And yet, the pandemic did have one significant side effect. It is almost certainly the reason why Cook is still here at all, rather than tending to his new-born lambs or further sharpening those incisors as a media pundit, as he begins to discover that his wisdom is more likely to be heard when it is delivered with conviction.”It’s been a bit of a stop-start three years, hasn’t it?” Cook said earlier in the week at Essex’s media day. “I never planned to do three years. But then Covid came along and it didn’t feel right, and then last year was a conference system and again it didn’t feel right. It’s a big commitment to do it with what goes on in the other parts of my life, but I genuinely enjoy turning up, and when you feel you can be competitive you might as well carry on.”And so here he was, to the fore once more – that familiar angular stance, like a sculpture made of coathangers, pressing forward, rocking back, chopping hard and nudging off his hip like … well, like a county opener nudging the England selectors, ideally, but, beyond any equivocation, that ship has sailed.Nick Browne brings up his half-century for Essex•Andrew Miller
And alongside him for 82 overs, his friend and acolyte Browne – and who’s to say that he can’t do some nudging of his own, given the Test team’s open-book status, and the clear run of opportunities between now and the New Zealand series in June.Browne’s approach – tall, left-handed, risk-averse – is not dissimilar to Cook’s, albeit rather more smoothed at the corners, and between them they gave Kent’s toiling attack not a sniff until two loose drives at the Aussie import Jackson Bird – a bowler who must be sick of the sight of Cook in particular. The last time they met, on a Melbourne featherbed in December 2017, Cook walked away with 244, and Bird never played Test cricket again.Up until that point, both men had produced chanceless knocks – although the look on Darren Stevens’ face after a lively lbw shout against Cook maybe begged to differ. County cricket’s elder statesman toiled to no avail for 14 typically economical overs, albeit eight of his 28 runs were served up in the space of his first four balls, as he twice offered Browne too much width for his favoured cut. Thereafter he knuckled down like the old pro that he literally is, confirming – much like Cook, in fact – that hunger remains the defining factor when gearing up for the season-long grind.Cook found fewer freebies to help kickstart his innings – he made just seven runs in the first hour, but then more than doubled his output in two balls as Quinn strayed onto the leg side, and that rapacious ability to pounce on mistakes surged back into view. By lunch, he had made 34, with Browne already past a 109-ball fifty, but Cook picked up his tempo as Kent’s optimism waned in the mid-afternoon, and as he fairly sprinted into the 80s it seemed for a moment he would win the race to the century. But another of Browne’s compact punches down the ground soon settled that score.A penny for Dan Lawrence’s thoughts as he watched this attritional masterclass playing out for the bulk of the day’s three sessions. His own England endeavours haven’t warranted any press-box cuttings just yet, but he’s the man in possession as the Test season approaches, and on the season’s eve, he had made it clear he planned to pick Cook’s brain in particular, to a bid to unlock the mental side of his burgeoning career.Alas for Lawrence, Cook denied him the chance for some on-field tutelage, by settling instead for a “do as I say not as I do” moment of practical demonstration, as he lost his shape and his concentration, four balls after knocking his landmark single off his hip, and snicked an edge through to Robinson. Lawrence had time in his 21-ball stay to flick Matt Milnes through fine leg for four, but had reached just 7 when he shouldered arms to an inducker from Quinn, and was sent on his way lbw. It was a very similar demise to his final-day duck in Grenada, in fact – and quite conceivably betrayed a surfeit of risk-aversion, as he over-thinks the transition required to make his starts count in red-ball cricket. But then again, blaming the white-ball game for such matters is a “big cop-out that a lot of journalists use”, so what would I know?Essex’s day was not without blemish, off the field either. The day began with a well-meaning but amorphous “moment of reflection”, with both teams lined up on the boundary’s edge to contemplate everything from Shane Warne’s death, to the war in Ukraine … to the contents of an Essex racism report that is rumoured to be close to seeing the light of day, but also seems to be at the centre of a row every bit as divisive as the one that has beset Yorkshire all winter long. Among the first-day attendees was Essex’s ex-chairman, John Faragher, who declined the club’s request that he lie low following his resignation for allegedly using racial language in a board meeting. However this one ends, it’s unlikely to end quietly.Ultimately, all such matters belong on a spectrum of incidents that inform English cricket’s ongoing cultural revolution. The ground announcer’s amusingly self-conscious attempts to say “batter” instead of “batsman” was another reminder that habits, once ingrained, are hard to amend overnight. For better and very much for worse, the County Championship remains a bastion for doing things the old-fashioned way.
Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba gave a passionate speech to the home fans after his side earned a narrow 1-0 win over reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The former Manchester United and Juventus star finally made his return to competitive football this month, having joined Monaco on a free transfer in the summer. Now back in the action, Pogba is already displaying what he can bring to his new club.
Pogba makes rallying call
Monaco took all three points against PSG on Saturday to blow the Ligue 1 title race wide open. The hosts edged out a narrow victory, despite playing with ten men for the closing stages of the game, thanks to Takumi Minamino's winner. The Japanese international fired Aleksandr Golovin's cross into the bottom corner from just inside the penalty area to put Monaco in the lead with just 22 minutes of normal time remaining.
Monaco then had to stay strong and show remarkable character to cling on to a precious victory over PSG when Thilo Kehrer was given his marching orders with ten minutes left on the clock. The German was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Ibrahim Mbaye.
Pogba was brought on in the 86th minute, adding an old head to a side desperate to see off a barrage of PSG attacks. The Frenchman helped close the game out and, having made his home debut for the side, made a speech to the fans after the game.
He said: “Today is an important day. Today we won, but the next match is what matters. We are already working to achieve that. We keep moving forward together. We never give up. Thank you.”
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Ligue 1 title race opens up
The victory for Monaco ensured that the top six sides in the French top division are separated by just eight points. Pogba’s team moved to sixth in the table on 23 points, trailing Stade Rennais by just one point in the spot above them.
The story is far more interesting higher up in the table though, with RC Lens becoming the new leaders following their 2-1 victory over Angers on Sunday. Lens are one point above PSG, who have 30 points from 14 games.
Marseille are chasing the top two clubs and Roberto De Zerbi’s men will be gutted to have blown a chance to go top on Saturday. Despite goals from Igor Paixao and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg putting the Italian coach’s team ahead against Toulouse, the visitors scored a 92nd-minute equaliser to steal a point away from their southern France neighbours.
Lille sit amongst the rest in fourth, three points clear of Monaco, but five points off the top. They earned a late, narrow 1-0 victory away to Le Havre on Sunday, even with ten men after Ayyoub Bouaddi’s red card.
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Pogba influence to grow
Pogba could have a chance to make his first start for his new club next Friday. Monaco travel to Stade Brestois looking to keep applying pressure to those above them in Ligue 1.