Category Uncategorized

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2015Moeen Ali played some handsome strokes on his way to 30•Getty ImagesBut a familiar foe was soon back to finish things off as Mitchell Johnson picked up Mark Wood and Moeen with consecutive deliveries. Michael Clarke, playing his final Test match, enforced the follow-on for the first time.•Getty ImagesAdam Lyth was soon on his way after falling to a fine delivery from Peter Siddle, and left the field with the look of a man who knew his time was up•Getty ImagesAnd a curious innings from Ian Bell was ended by a Clarke catch at slip off Mitchell Marsh•Getty ImagesJoe Root top-edged a hook off Mitchell Johnson to fine-leg to leave England in trouble•Getty ImagesMeanwhile, at the other end, Alastair Cook was doing plenty of this•PA PhotosJonny Bairstow looked somewhat shaky, but sent this drive just beyond Johnson’s reach•Getty Images…before prodding meekly to short leg, although replays showed it hit Adam Voges’ grille•Getty ImagesFour balls later, Ben Stokes was on his way and a three-day Test was on the cards•Getty ImagesBut Cook and Jos Buttler dug in for 25 overs•Getty ImagesIn the day’s penultimate over, however, Cook edged Steve Smith to short leg for 85 and leave Australia in touching distance of victory•Getty Images

It’s hard to remain a loyal Bangladesh fan when the team continues to disappoint

Nishat Rahman29-Mar-2014Choice of game
After watching the first game of this World Twenty20, between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, I bought tickets for this game because I had faith that Bangladesh would make it to the Super 10s.Key performer
Anamul Haque was the key performer for Bangladesh. He hit two fours in the first over, which went for 13 runs. He then added 46 runs with captain Mushfiqur Rahim. Mahmudullah also played well, scoring 32 off 23 balls.For India, Rohit Sharma hit 56 off 44 balls and his century-stand with Virat Kohli gave them the win.Thing I’d have changed about the match
I would have sent Ziaur Rahman to bat at No. 4 since he is known to be a hard hitter. Bangladesh may have ended up with a few more runs if he had been sent to bat earlier. But he was out for a first-ball duck at No. 8.I would have also wanted to do something about Bangladesh’s disappointing fielding. Many catches were dropped and boundaries were not saved. They also threw their wickets away.Shot of the day
Anamul’s six over extra cover off Mohammed Shami in the 11th over was a treat to watch.Crowd meter
The stands are always packed in limited-overs matches in Mirpur. More than 25,000 spectators were cheering for the home team. Every Bangladesh boundary was greeted with thousands of roars. The last six of the Bangladesh innings landed nearer our stand.ODI v Twenty20
I prefer ODIs since teams have a chance to fight back from a losing position, which is tough to do in T20s.Overall
The match was frustrating and disappointing for Bangladesh fans. But I’m sure the team will overcome the problems and come back in next match.Marks out of 10
10

Both teams are in transition, but while Australia have a solid recent record, India need a series win to confirm they can compete against top sides

Sharda Ugra21-Feb-2013The India v Australia rivalry, all heat, dust, noise and light is a terrific thing. What is often forgotten is that it is a very modern marvel, sort of like the mobile phone. While technological innovation is not its parent, the intensity and frequency of India v Australia does not stem from any rich, historical tradition, like the Ashes or India v Pakistan.India v Australia in loop arose from administrative foresight. Until the institution of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1996-97, India and Australia had played 50 Tests in 47 years. Since then, including the forthcoming series it will be 36 Tests in 17 years.Once Jolimont wised up to the fact that TV rights earnings around Indian cricket were about to send cash registers into overdrive, India and Australia formed a friendship which, even if hardly beautiful on a few occasions, has remained most fruitful.For that though, a generation of cricketers must be thanked. They happened, in curious synchronicity, to be among the greatest cricketers produced by either country. Chart toppers in the record books, significant figures in their nation’s cricketing history, cavaliers and round heads, wizards and workmen, aristocrats and rogues. Who created, out of an economic prophesy, a 21st century sporting rivalry that has transfixed millions.When Michael Clarke and MS Dhoni walk out to toss on Friday in Chennai, they know that their dressing rooms are now titan-less. A smattering of figures remain on either side but without the combined force of the entire cast, the teams stand weakened.Yet, this is neither tragedy nor disaster, merely cricket’s natural order moving on its natural course. It is why this ’13 series (ouch, not the most fortuitous of numbers) contains two sub-plots: a tussle between teams in transition and the attempt by a new generation to renew and re-energise the rivalry.While India and Australia will essentially be running into each other over the next few weeks, as teams they cannot be considered to be on the same plane. Australia would like to think they are on their way up and India must show the world that at least they have solid footing on their own ground. Winning will be the only proof for India. The only doomsday for Australia would be a complete wipe-out. Like we said, not on the same plane.Of these two “teams in transition,” one has had a recent series record that reads 0-4, 2-0, 0-4, 2-0, 1-2, ten defeats in 17 Tests. In their last five series, the other’s record reads, 1-1, 4-0, 2-0, 0-1, 3-0, two defeats in 15 Tests. One of the two is transitioning fine, the other suffering from frequent palpitations.Two days before the Chennai Test, Australia threw down all their cards, naming their eleven and talking about attacking India’s under-pressure spinners. India’s wagons were tightly circled but even Sunil Gavaskar was jokingly heard at the Pataudi Memorial lecture calling for some extra slices of luck for the Indians. “As they need it a bit more than the Australians do. The Australians have been winning while the Indians have not.”Along with luck, the least India need is a calamity-proof plan because in terms of the experience and quality at their disposal at the moment, Australia are far from an all-bases-covered England. India’s plans against England included not offering them any spinners in practice matches and calling for a fizzing turner in Mumbai. It was the kind of message whose messengers ask to be shot.Some common sense against Australia. The first two practice matches had spinners causing a minor flutter through the Australian ranks, even though their best batsman and its team’s central figure, captain Clarke, played no part in either.What works in India’s favour is the fact that the series is being played in the latter half of the home season, where the wickets are far more tired and worn than they were when England came touring.The return of Harbhajan Singh into this series is totemic. He has been, for a while now, India v Australia on two legs. His selection though has been made in the hope that along with him, his prime form will return too.In an Indian dressing room environment of excess ‘cool’ even in repeated defeat, it must be remembered Harbhajan can be the most obvious heat-generator in the series. Yet, Australia’s new batsmen carry no baggage vis-a-vis Harbhajan and understand that the first two Tests is the most chance he is going to get. If playing three spinners on the go does not work in Chennai or Hyderabad, one will surely have to be jettisoned in time for Mohali.Harbhajan will need a stack of wickets to stick around, particularly given that the Indian selectors are constantly under instructions to pursue a ‘youth policy’ (the reason behind ignoring Wasim Jaffer from the two Tests).As much as the role of the Indian spinners has been spotlighted, the response of India’s batsmen to Australia’s medium pacers will tell us more. The use of swing with pure pace even on knee-nuzzler Indian wickets hurries and rattles batsmen, particularly the less assured. The last four-man pace attack to win a Test series in India was South Africa 2000: with a combination of Donald, Pollock, Kallis with Cronje/Klusener/Hayward and Nicky Boje in support.As Siddle, Pattinson, Starc and Henriques try to bear up to the load of bowling in India, they will
reveal much about India’s batting too.It is not about finding out whether Virender Sehwag and his new glasses have it in them to put in a few more years opening for India (it would be nice to know, though). Or whether Sachin Tendulkar can produce an innings of final remembrance in what could well be his last Test series in India.Seasons in the not so distant future are not going to contain Tendulkar and Sehwag. The series against Australia will prove as to whether they will contain the names that crowd the playing eleven today. Like Cheteshwar Pujara’s capability to play spin is not in doubt, but his instinctive and beloved pull shot against the quick men will get another working over. The answer that will be sought from Virat Kohli is not about his ability to play the flamboyant drives over extra cover, but whether he is capable of reining himself in.On the Australian side, they are energised by David Warner opening the innings, but Phil Hughes, slotted in the No. 3, averages under 37 after 20 Tests. Ed Cowan enjoyed a decent turn out in the three-day match versus India-A, but is still on the look-out for a career-defining series. What the rivalry needs – and indeed is ideally set up for – is a fresh new name to drive it.At its epic height, India versus Australia has always ended up representative of ‘all or nothing’ for both sides. This time things appear slightly more even-tempered. But maybe this is merely before the first ball is bowled.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Sidharth Monga24-Apr-2011The combination
Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have been through a lot playing for India. Ask any Aussie about that. On Sunday night, though, they were on opposite sides. In a Twenty20 game. Amiss. Just wrong.An interaction came in earnest when VVS Laxman initiated a single after an edge from Mahela Jayawardene rolled towards Dravid at slip. Turned out, Laxman had overestimated himself, and was yards short when Dravid’s underarm throw broke the stumps. In another world, the correct world, they would have batted together, and would never have needed quick singles.The return
To say Rajasthan Royals have missed Johan Botha, out with a hairline fracture on his finger, would be an understatement. They couldn’t get him back soon enough. And he came back with immediate impact. The first ball he bowled turned in sharply across Jayawardene, hit the bottom of the thigh pad, and took the stumps. We’ve been expecting you, Mr Botha.The bad blood
Rajasthan Royals and Shane Warne would have reason to feel they had put Ravindra Jadeja on the map, although those who follow domestic cricket might disagree. “Rockstar,” Warne used to call him, but that was only for the first two seasons. Before the third, Jadeja allegedly tried to find himself a new team, and was consequently banned. Both parties lost. When Jadeja came out to bat on Sunday, there was nothing to suggest old wounds would be opened. No sledging, no verbals to welcome him. However, Warne was to bowl the first ball to him. Late in his delivery stride, he changed the grip, and let rip a bouncer. Jadeja ducked under it. Warne gave him a long, cold stare. “Lethal,” said the big screen. Welcome back, Jaddu.The Victorian
The other set of team-mates that came face to face was Warne and Brad Hodge. The battle of the Victorians, though, lasted only four deliveries. Warne was putting some serious revolutions on the ball, getting some dip and landing it on a length, around middle and leg. Hodge couldn’t do much with the first. To the second he tried to go back, but the ball hurried onto him. The third Hodge swept well for two. Then the inconsistent bounce played up as Hodge went back to punch a shortish delivery through the covers, only for the ball to rise shin high, take the inside edge, and disturb the stumps.The six
It was no surprise that on this slow and low pitch, with occasional uneven bounce, the first six of the match took 29.2 overs coming. Who should be the man to hit it, though? Rahul Sharad Dravid, with a slog-sweep over long-on. Who’da thunk it?The what-goes-around-comes-around moment
Dravid might have run an ambitious Laxman out in Kochi’s innings, but during the chase he showed he was getting on himself too. After playing beautifully for his 44, Dravid cut to third man and initiated the second, only to find out that he wasn’t swift enough for it and needed a dive to save his wicket. The dive wasn’t a-coming.

Cricketers who have received knighthoods

Martin Williamson15-Jun-2007

Arise Sir Garry … Sobers is knighted by the Queen in Barbados in February 1975 © Cricinfo
The knighthood awarded to Ian Botham means that he joins a distinguished list of players, administrators and authors connected with the game who have received such an honour.Until recently, most knighthoods have come near the end of players’ lives, and until Don Bradman was awarded his CBE in 1949, it was the domain of the administrator. A further barrier was broken down in 1953 when Jack Hobbs, by then 70, became the first professional to be knighted, followed three years later by Len Hutton. Since then, with the exception of Gubby Allen in 1986, it’s been professional players who have ruled the roost.Most have to wait until they have hung up their boots. The first exception was the Rajkumar of Vizianagram, known as Sir Vijaya Ananda, or more simply Vizzy. He was knighted on June 15, 1936. It was a memorable month for him as 12 days later he made his Test debut as India’s captain at Lord’s. The fairytale ended there. An indifferent player, his captaincy owed more to his breeding and immense wealth and he undermined his team to such an extent that he was effectively ostracised from the game on his return home.Bradman’s Test career was over when he was made a Knight Batchelor on January 1, 1949 but he played two more first-class games as Sir Donald. He is the only Australian to be knighted, although it is reported that his predecessor as captain, Bill Woodfull, turned it down.In 1990 Richard Hadlee was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours on June 16 and five days later played for New Zealand in the Lord’s Test. However, like Bradman, he had not actually had his knighthood conferred on him while a player.The first person to be specifically honoured for services to the game was Francis Lacey, a fair cricketer but a powerful administrator and for 28 years the secretary of MCC. At least he had played the game.He was followed by the most anonymous name on the list, and one who had not played the game to any degree – Frederick Toone. His award was for fostering relations between “the Dominions and the Mother Country”. He had managed the MCC tours of Australia in 1920-21, 1924-25 and 1928-29. Sadly, he enjoyed the prestige for less than 14 months, dying in 1930.Arthur Mailey dryly noted that “the last bowler to be knighted was Sir Francis Drake”, and he was right until 1996 when Alec Bedser became the 16th cricket-related person but the first bowler to be knighted. Some pointed out that Gubby Allen was a bowler, but he was a good rather than outstanding player and was recognised for his administrative work.Neville Cardus was knighted for his services to journalism, not only for his cricket reports in the Manchester Guardian and his books, but also for his writing on music.Learie Constantine was knighted in 1962, primarily for his services as a barrister, politician and diplomat, and seven years later was made a life peer. Colin Cowdrey, knighted in 1992, was elevated to the peerage (Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge) five years later and remains the only peer created on the basis of his services to cricket. Lord Botham of Taunton is still some way off.People awarded knighthoods for services to cricketSir Francis Lacey, 1926
Sir Frederick Toone, 1929
Sir Vijaya Ananda (The Rajkumar of Vizianagram), 1936
Sir Pelham Warner, 1937
Sir Donald Bradman, 1949
Sir Henry Leveson-Gower, 1953
Sir Jack Hobbs, 1953
Sir Leonard Hutton, 1956
Sir Learie Constantine, 1962
Sir Frank Worrell, 1964
Sir Neville Cardus, 1967
Sir Garfield Sobers, 1975
Sir George Allen, 1986
Sir Richard Hadlee, 1990
Sir Colin Cowdrey, 1992
Sir Clyde Walcott, 1994
Sir Everton Weekes, 1995
Sir Alec Bedser, 1997
Sir Conrad Hunte, 1998
Sir Vivian Richards, 1999
Sir Ian Botham, 2007

England stutter at the death before Bangladesh batters showcase newfound aggression

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2023″New Bangladesh” took down England in the first T20I in Chattogram, gunning down the 157-run chase in impressive fashion. The new-look side that had one player returning after eight years, one after two years and a debutant, beat the world champions by six wickets, with two overs in hand. It is very rare to see such a performance in T20Is from Bangladesh.After Hasan Mahmud led with stingy death overs – England scored only 21 runs in the last four overs – the batters did what they are expected to do in a T20 chase: bat with purpose. But this was missing for so long in the Bangladeshi batting approach. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar, the player returning to the side after eight years, struck early boundaries, before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy kept up the pressure with a fast partnership.Shanto made his third fifty in his last four innings, before falling for 51. Captain Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain then scored the remaining runs, an unbroken 46-run stand in 5.4 overs to complete the chase. Shakib remained unbeaten on 34, clattering six fours in his 24-ball stay. Afif made 15 with two fours, one of them a classic cover drive.But it was not all plain-sailing for Bangladesh. England got off to a great start, reaching 80 in the first ten overs.Buttler leads powerful start
England fired off 51 for no loss in the Powerplay. Phil Salt struck five boundaries including a six in his 35-ball 38 but it was Buttler who was more punishing. He brought out all his T20 specials including the splayed-leg hoick over long-on and the slightly more open cover drive. Buttler also got his boundaries with the reverse-sweep and the back-foot punch, underlining his authority and quality as a T20 star. He finished with eight boundaries, half of them sixes, in his 42-ball stay.Both Buttler and Salt were dropped in the sixth over. First, Nasum Ahmed dropped a return chance off Salt on 20, before Shakib dropped a sitter at mid-on with Buttler on 19. Salt though wasn’t too happy with his dismissal when UltraEdge picked up an under-edge in the tenth over. Dawid Malan fell shortly afterward, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib.Hasan triggers collapse
Buttler still was going great guns, adding 47 runs with Ben Duckett for the third wicket. But when Mustafizur Rahman removed the left-handed Duckett for 20 off 13 balls, England still had four overs in hand to put up a big total. Instead, Hasan bowled two mean overs at the death to bring Bangladesh back into the contest.Hasan removed Buttler the ball after Duckett got out, before he dismssed Sam Curran for 6 in his next over, both to catches in the deep. Taskin bowled a strong final over, giving away just nine runs as England finished on 156 for 6. A tally of 21 runs in the last four overs was England’s second-lowest in this phase of a T20I innings.A rare Powerplay boost
It is quite unusual for Bangladesh to outscore the opposition in the powerplay, but that’s exactly what happened in Chattogram. The home side raced to 54 for 2, to beat England’s powerplay by three runs. The visitors didn’t lose a wicket but T20 sides often don’t bother about losing two wickets in the fielding restrictions.Litton and Talukdar combined six boundaries in the first three overs before the latter missed Adil Rashid’s googly in the fourth over. Shanto survived a lbw appeal in his second ball, before hitting Rashid for a boundary. Litton fell in the next over, but debutant Hridoy ensured Bangladesh finished big in the Powerplay with two more fours.Shanto, Hridoy bring their Strikers’ gameShanto and Hridoy added 65 runs in just 6.3 overs, reminiscent of their recent exploits in the BPL, playing for Sylhet Strikers. Shanto was the tournament’s highest run-getter, while Hridoy got his senior call-ups for his BPL performance. They played aggressively during this fourth wicket stand against England, something that Bangladesh has missed in the middle-overs from their middle-order for a very long time.Hridoy slog-swept Rashid for a six, before falling for a 17-ball 24, but the innings aided Shanto at the other end. The left-hander drove the ball gleefully, particularly against Mark Wood, taking him for four consecutive boundaries in the seventh over. Shanto steadied himself in the next six overs, before Wood burst one through him. But Shanto’s 51 off 30 balls, and his stand with Hridoy, left an easier equation for the home side.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dois problemas a menos para o técnico Rogério Ceni no São Paulo. O zagueiro Alan Franco e o meia Rodrigo Nestor, até então dúvidas, treinaram normalmente com o restante do elenco tricolorna tarde desta terça-feira (14), no CT da Barra Funda, e devem jogar contra a Inter de Limeira às 21h35 (de Brasília) de quarta-feira (15), no Morumbi, pelo Campeonato Paulista.

Com a liberação dos dois atletas, o Tricolor ainda assim acumula 14 desfalques para o duelo contra o rival alvinegro do Interior.

RelacionadasFutebol LatinoEx-Boca Juniors, De Rossi é demitido em primeira experiência como técnicoFutebol Latino14/02/2023CruzeiroWesley Gasolina, do Cruzeiro, sofre grave lesão no joelho e terá que passar por cirurgiaCruzeiro14/02/2023ListasBarcelona mira joia do Palmeiras, Internacional avança por volante e centroavante… O Dia do Mercado!Listas14/02/2023

+ Pato treina no São Paulo: listamos 10 jogadores brasileiros famosos que estão sem time

Nas atividades desta tarde, Ceni comandou um trabalho técnico, com intensa troca de passes e movimentação em espaço curto, e na sequência uma atividade de posicionamento com ajustes táticos. No fim, alguns atletas ensaiaram pênaltis.

O zagueiro Alan Franco, que deixou o clássico contra o Santos no intervalo com dores musculares, treinou com o grupo, assim como o meia Nestor, desfalque na partida por conta de uma contratura no adutor esquerdo.

O zagueiro Arboleda (tendinite no joelho direito) correu no campo pela primeira vez sob a supervisão dos fisioterapeutas. Ao lado dele estavam o lateral-direito Rafinha (entorse no tornozelo esquerdo), que iniciou esta etapa de sua recuperação ontem, e o zagueiro Diego Costa (cirurgia no joelho esquerdo), que já vem há alguns dias com corridas no campo sob a supervisão da fisioterapia.

Em transição com a preparação física estão o atacante Caio Matheus (cirurgia no joelho direito) e o lateral-direito Igor Vinícius (pubalgia).

Nenhum dos cinco, contudo, ainda tem condições de entrar em campo na quarta.

Para suprir as muitas deficiências do plantel, Ceni antecipou que o lateral-esquerdo Patryck, titular da Seleção Brasileira sub-20 campeã do Sul-Americano da categoria no domingo (12), volta ao Brasil na terça-feira (14) já para treinar entre os profissionais na Barra Funda. O jogador teve apenas uma chance no principal, no empate em 2 a 2 com o Fluminense, ano passado, no Morumbi, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, quando acabou substituído no intervalo.

Para o duelo ante a Inter, Patryck está fora dos planos. O jogador esteve no CT, mas não realizou atividades no campo. O escolhido para substituir Welington deverá mesmo ser Caio, contratado exatamente para essa função por empréstimo junto ao Flu.

Na lateral-direita, sem Orejuela e Igor Vinícius, Nathan também beliscará uma oportunidade nos 11 iniciais após ter o empréstimo com o Coritiba encerrado para que voltasse ao Morumbi.

Se o plano de Ceni era o de poupar peças e girar o elenco ante a Inter, os desfalques mandaram às favas os planos do treinador, que deve repetir a escalação contra o Santos do meio-campo para a frente com exceção de Luciano. O camisa 10 levou o terceiro cartão amarelo e cumpre suspensão. Pedrinho e Marcos Paulo disputam a vaga.

O São Paulo deverá jogar com Rafael; Nathan, Beraldo, (Alan Franco e Caio; Méndez, Pablo Maia (Nestor) e Galoppo; Pedrinho (Marcos Paulo), Calleri e Wellington Rato.

O Tricolor se manteve na liderança do Grupo B no Paulistão, com 14 pontos em oito jogos.

> Confira jogos, classificação e simule os resultados do Paulistão-23

The league is also planning to expand from the current six teams to 10 in the coming seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2024Major League Cricket (MLC), the season-old T20 tournament in the USA, has become the second Associate-run franchise competition to acquire List A status from the ICC, following on from the UAE’s ILT20 earlier this year.The status means that MLC will now be recognised as an official T20 league, with tournament playing records now counted as official format statistics. “We are really excited for the news as it’s a recognition of the standard and high quality of players taking part in the tournament,” tournament director Justin Geale told ESPNcricinfo. “By awarding MLC List A status for the upcoming season, it assists to acknowledge the strength and growing stature of the tournament and ultimately will help to enhance the credibility of the sport in the USA on a global scale.”The most important part for me though is it ensures the performances of some of the world’s best players alongside their peers are adequately reflected in their career statistics.”Really thankful to the ICC for taking the time to look at it as cricket in the USA doesn’t always fit into a template. We are an Associate nation and proud of that, one with a unique opportunity in front of us. It’s our hope that on the back of the upcoming World Cup and a successful season we can continue to build a platform for the sport to grow and ultimately succeed in the USA.”The 2024 edition of MLC will start on July 5, a week after the T20 World Cup ends on June 29 in Bridgetown. The T20 World Cup begins, however, in Dallas, USA on June 1, in what is an important season in the game’s continuing efforts to crack the US market.The , which reported on the awarding of List A status on Monday, also revealed MLC’s plans to expand from the current six teams to 10 over the next few years, jumping from 19 games in 2023 to 34 by 2025. Twenty-five games have already been scheduled for this season.”It was always intended to be a 10-team league,” MLC’s chief executive, Vijay Srinivasan, told the . “Studies show that we are a big enough country, with a big enough demographic to support 10 teams, so that’s our plan. We had 19 games in our first season, will have 25 in our second. I think we want to get to 34 next year, and just gradually keep expanding.”Srinivasan said they wanted the league, which clashes with the Hundred in 2024, to start in early June in 2025.”Ultimately for us, our ideal calendar is to start much earlier, in the late spring or early summer,” Srinivasan said. “With the Indian Premier League ending in late May, I think our sweet spot would be to start in early June, which is when we have the school holidays in the US, and go into July. That’s how we would like to establish our window.”An early June start avoids a clash with the Hundred’s July-August window, but it could mean an overlap with the T20 Blast. This scheduling clash became a major talking point in the last English summer when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to play in the MLC and went on to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as that of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won their third IPL title on Sunday.Last year, MLC ended two days before the start of the Hundred, though this time there will be an overlap of six days between the two leagues, with the MLC ending on July 28 and the Hundred starting on July 23. As a result, as many as half of the overseas players in the Hundred could arrive in the UK late after the MLC ends. Twelve out of the 24 overseas players under contract in the men’s Hundred have already been announced as signings or retentions in MLC and more could follow before the tournament starts.Four of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, KKR, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.The first season ran from July 13 to 31 with 15 group-stage games followed by four playoff matches, and ended with MI New York lifting the trophy under the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran. The second season will be played across the same two grounds which hosted the first season – the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and the Church Street Park Stadium in Morrisville.

Scott McTominay has said winning the Scudetto is the highlight of his career so far after he inspired Napoli to Serie A glory in his debut season.

• McTominay a Serie A winner
• Said it was best moment of his career
• Outstanding first season with Napoli

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking in an interview with , McTominay reflected on his first season in Italy and what it meant to him to become a Serie A champion. He said it was the highlight of his career so far, trumping the FA Cup and EFL Cup trophies he won with former club United. The 28-year-old arrived in a deal worth a reported £25.7 million (€29.6m/$34.5m) last summer and stood out for his new club, winning the Serie A Player of the Year award.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There is a growing belief that scrutinised United players need to step away from the club to revive their careers elsewhere. McTominay is often cited as a prime example and the player is evidently in agreement that his career has reached new heights since he arrived in Naples, where he hit a career-high 13 goals in his first season.

• WHAT MCTOMINAY SAID

  McTominay said: "Settling into Serie A was made very easy by coach [Antonio] Conte and my team-mates, who have been fantastic with me from the very first moment I arrived."

  On Serie A title glory, he said: “It was the best moment of my career. I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better. I did an interview four months ago and told the Neapolitans I wanted to bring them the league title, and through hard work – we did it. The target was very important, but now we have to focus on the new season and we have to do it again. Great teams and great players are always hungrier and I will do my best for this team. We have a lot of matches this year and a great group."

  Speaking about Napoli's open-top bus parade, he added: "It was amazing – I didn’t expect anything like that! All the support was incredible, to be honest. Billy and I sat at home afterwards, took a breath, and just said ‘Wow!’ The credit for the Scudetto goes to the team, to the coach of course, but above all to the fans, they were the 12th man all season long. They were there in good times and bad. Even when we had tough moments, they helped us."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MCTOMINAY?

  The Scotland midfielder will soon begin his second season with Napoli and will get to compete in the Champions League in addition to challenging for a second Scudetto. United may continue to regret selling him, though the move seemed like the right decision for both player and club at the time.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras empatou dois jogos consecutivamente no Brasileirão-2022 (1 a 1 com o Atlético-GO e 0 a 0 com o São Paulo) e viu sua vantagem para o segundo colocado, o Internacional, diminuir de 12 para oito pontos, restando seis rodadas para o término da competição. Para ser campeão, sem depender dos critérios de desempate, o Verdão precisa fazer 11 dos 18 pontos possíveis.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasO Palmeiras queria, mas não conseguiu estabelecer a marca histórica em clássicos paulistas, no BrasileirãoPalmeiras17/10/2022PalmeirasANÁLISE: Palmeiras se mantém favorito ao título, mas precisa recuperar ‘cabeça fria’ em reta finalPalmeiras16/10/2022PalmeirasWeverton explica dificuldades encontradas pelo Palmeiras em clássico: ‘Cozinharam o jogo’Palmeiras16/10/2022

> Relembre a invencibilidade do Palmeiras fora de casa no Brasileirão

> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

Com duas vitórias nos últimos dois jogos, o Colorado gaúcho manteve sua pontuação máxima em 78, ou seja, se vencer todos os próximos seis jogos, o Inter fará mais 18 pontos, e os somará aos 60 que já tem. Dessa forma, o Alviverde tem a necessidade de fazer, no mínimo, 79 pontos. Se fizer 78, empataria em pontos e no número de vitórias, dependendo de outros critérios, como saldo de gols e gols marcados.

Ou seja, 79 é a pontuação segura, que garante o título em qualquer cenário. Como o Palmeiras tem 68 pontos neste momento, é preciso somar 11 para atingir sua meta para ser campeão brasileiro.

Assim como nas rodadas anteriores, bastam quatro vitórias para o Verdão levantar a taça, o que significaria somar 12 pontos. Mas ainda assim, seria possível levar o título com três vitórias e dois empates nesses próximos seis jogos, que levariam aos 11 pontos necessários.

O Palmeiras, nesse sentido, precisaria de um aproveitamento de 61,1% dos pontos em disputa, ficando um pouco mais complicado do que estava antes dos dois empates, cujo índice estava na casa dos 54%, ou seja, pouco mais da metade dos pontos possíveis.

Nessa conta, o Verdão somente poderia ser campeão a partir da 34ª rodada, quando enfrenta o Athletico-PR, fora de casa. Para isso, seria necessário que o Internacional não vencesse seus dois jogos (Coritiba e Ceará) e o Alviverde vencesse os seus (Avaí e Furacão). Nesse cenário, o time de Abel Ferreira chegaria a 74 pontos e o Inter apenas poderia chegar entre 72 e 74 pontos, e perderia no número de vitórias. O Corinthians também precisaria não vencer um dos jogos.

Agenda do Palmeiras nas seis rodadas finais:

22/10 (sábado) – Palmeiras x Avaí – Allianz Parque
25/10 (terça-feira) – Athletico-PR x Palmeiras – Arena da Baixada
2/11 (quarta-feira) – Palmeiras x Fortaleza – Allianz Parque
6/11 (domingo) – Cuiabá x Palmeiras – Arena Pantanal
9/11 (quarta-feira) – Palmeiras x América-MG – Allianz Parque
13/11 (domingo) – Internacional x Palmeiras – Beira-Rio