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Gloucestershire 246 for 8 (Dent 92, van Buuren 60) v Worcestershire Resilient Worcestershire staged a startling recovery to peg back neighbours and Central Group rivals Gloucestershire on the opening day of an eventful Bob Willis Trophy match at the Bristol County Ground.Chris Dent won the toss and top-scored with 92, while Graeme van Buuren made a swashbuckling 60 as Gloucestershire reached 205 for 2 to take the game by the scruff of the neck.But Worcestershire’s bowlers stuck to their task magnificently and Charlie Morris inspired a late fightback, claiming three victims in 18 balls to spark a slide in which the hosts surrendered six wickets for 38 runs in 18 overs, finishing the day on 246 for 8.Leg spinner Brett D’Oliveira and seamer Josh Tongue weighed in with two wickets apiece, while Joe Leach got in on the act as Worcestershire displayed character aplenty to bounce back in style.Playing his first competitive innings since leading his side to promotion to Division One of the County Championship 10 months earlier, Bristolian Dent was unfazed by Covid-19 restrictions and the absence of spectators, batting for four-and-a-half hours, facing 184 balls, accruing 9 fours and sharing in stands of 127 and 55 with van Buuren and George Hankins for the second and third wickets respectively.While fellow opener Miles Hammond threw caution to the wind and perished for 14 at the hands of Tongue, caught at the wicket via an inside edge in the 12th over, Gloucestershire’s captain was a model of circumspection, refusing to take risks against the new-ball bowlers Morris and Leach.When Dent finally opened his shoulders and plundered three boundaries in one over at the expense of D’Oliveira shortly before the lunch interval, it signalled a change of gear. Aided and abetted by a growing number of bad balls from Worcestershire’s ring-rusty change bowlers, the Bristolian made up ground on the dashing van Buuren and was first to reach 50.The second-wicket pair advanced their partnership to three figures in just 31 overs as runs continued to flow in the afternoon sunshine. Having survived a top-edged pull off D’Oliveira that fell between three converging fielders at mid-wicket when on 27, van Buuren made good his escape to post a 115-ball 50. The South African raised his bat to acknowledge a smattering of applause from residents in nearby flats and his team-mates on the pavilion balcony in an otherwise deserted ground.Van Buuren had scored 60 from 138 balls and accrued eight boundaries when leg spinner D’Oliveira lured him onto the front foot and yorked him with a flighted ball that dipped suddenly before clipping the top of the bails. D’Oliveira then halted Dent’s hitherto serene progress by bowling him through the gate, while Hankins, having performed the hard yards in reaching 30, chopped the ball onto his stumps to present Morris with a deserved wicket.Jack Taylor came and went without scoring, edging a Tongue delivery behind, while Morris accounted for Ryan Higgins and Tom Price in the same over as Gloucestershire’s middle and lower order folded. Leach had David Payne caught at the wicket and the home side were thereafter indebted to Gareth Roderick and Josh Shaw, who held out when it looked as though the hosts might be dismissed before the close.And all this after the strangest of days had earlier commenced with players from both sides observing a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for the victims of Covid-19 and then taking the knee to register their support for inclusivity in cricket.

Derbyshire 9 for 0 trail Nottinghamshire 324 (Hameed 68, Patel 63, Nash 59) by 315 runs Nottinghamshire recovered from an all-too-familiar batting collapse to regain the initiative on the opening day of the Bob Willis Trophy match against Derbyshire at Trent Bridge.Haseeb Hameed marked his first game for his new county with 68, sharing an opening stand of 111 with Chris Nash who made 59 but Derbyshire reduced them to 160 for 6 before Samit Patel with 63 from 70 balls inspired a fightback.Notts’ last four wickets added 164 to lift the total to 324 with South African left-arm paceman Michael Cohen taking 3 for 47 on debut and in reply, Derbyshire negotiated four overs to close on 9 without loss.The North Group match began after a minute’s silence was observed for those affected by Covid 19 with players and officials then taking a knee to promote inclusivity in the game.Once play was underway, Nash and Hameed made fairly serene progress which must have made Billy Godleman question his decision to bowl first.His seamers were too inconsistent in line and length to apply any sustained pressure although Derbyshire were convinced they had Hameed caught behind off Sam Connors on four.Hameed played and missed several times and got away with a top-edged pull but he became more assured and three fours in a Fynn Hudson-Prentice over showed his confidence was returning.After his struggles at Lancashire, this is an important move for the England opener and he reached a maiden first-class 50 for his new county with a cover-driven four off Ben Aitchison.But by then, familiar cracks were appearing with Nash lbw to Connors and Ben Duckett caught low down at second slip to give Aitchison his maiden first-class wicket.Derbyshire had declined to use Cohen before lunch and when he finally came into the attack, he struck in his second over when Joe Clarke edged a loose drive behind.Reece was Derbyshire’s leading wicket-taker in the championship last season and his reintroduction from the Pavilion End caused the middle order to implode spectacularly.Hameed was lbw playing forward and two balls later, Steven Mullaney was well caught in the gully before Peter Trego’s first innings for his new county ended with an edge off Cohen.The sight of Patel coming in at No.8 was a reminder that Derbyshire still had work to do to wrap up the innings and the all-rounder engineered a recovery that took his team to respectability and three batting points.After Tom Moores was caught behind off Hudson-Prentice, Patel dominated an eighth-wicket stand with back-foot drives and cuts punishing the bowlers when they strayed in direction.Cohen was dispatched for three consecutive fours but he had the last word by extracting some extra bounce and movement to have Patel caught at slip.But the momentum had swung again and Jake Ball tucked into Matt Critchley, driving him over the long off boundary and then swatting him over extra cover for a second six.Joey Evison posted the 300 with another six off Critchley over cover and although spinner Matthew McKiernan brought an end to the late entertainment in successive overs, the day ended as it began with Notts on top.

“A great opportunity to maybe bring a New Zealand team into the Big Bash or use New Zealand players as local players”

Andrew McGlashan05-May-2020Brendon McCullum has called for greater New Zealand involvement in the Big Bash League later this year if the availability of overseas players – and international cricket overall – remains restricted by the Covid-19 pandemic.There are positive signs that the Australian season could take shape somewhat as scheduled – there even remains hope that the men’s T20 World Cup could be played in October – with every effort being made to enable to the lucrative series against India to survive. Cricket Australia has started conversations with the federal government about what protocols would need to be in place to allow international teams to visit later in the year.While there remain plenty of hurdles to cross before full-fledged international sport can take place, there has already been progress in links between Australia and New Zealand resuming with the Warriors rugby team arriving in Tamworth, New South Wales at the weekend to prepare for the resumption of the NRL later this month and there are talks at the government level about a travel “bubble” between the two countries.”If there is a shortage of international cricket what an opportunity for the Big Bash, which if we are being honest has probably just tailed off a little bit of late, what a great opportunity to really morph that back into Australia sporting fans’ eyes,” McCullum, who had eight seasons with the Brisbane Heat, told . “And I think what a great opportunity to maybe bring a New Zealand team into the Big Bash or use New Zealand players as local players because there may be a distinct lack of overseas players.”A little bit of creative thinking. It may be just for one season but we have to prepare for the long-term if you are going to grow the game there may be some value.”However, if New Zealand’s international players are not playing in December and January – they are due to have a visit by Pakistan – NZC would likely see it as a chance to have them available for the T20 Super Smash, which usually runs concurrently with the first part of the Big Bash from mid-December.One of the contingency plans in place should next season be disrupted is the potential for Australia and New Zealand to play each other if movement between those two countries is more feasible than broader international travel. There are two ODIs left to play from the curtailed series in March plus three T20Is that were due to be hosted in New Zealand.The Big Bash will mark its tenth anniversary in the 2020-21 season and, before the pandemic, had commissioned a review by David Barham, the television executive who was central to the BBL’s rise while at Channel 10, into what could be done to revitalise the competition. The most intriguing suggestion out of the review was the prospect of four-innings T20 matches in an attempt to ensure contests are alive for longer.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em partida válida pela quarta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro 2021, o Palmeiras superou o Juventude por 3 a 0, no Estádio Alfredo Jaconi, em Caxias do Sul.William Matheus (contra),Deyverson e Breno Lopes marcaram os gols da partida.

Veja o ranking dos treinadores mais longevos da Série A do Brasileirão

No próximo domingo (20), às 11h, o Verdão, que chegou aos sete pontos, recebe o América-MG no Allianz Parque, enquanto o Papo, que soma dois pontos e ainda não venceu no Campeonato Brasileiro, enfrenta o Sport no Alfredo Jaconi, às 20h30.

COMEÇO MORNO EM CAXIAS

A primeira finalização do jogo foi do Palmeiras. Com 2 minutos, Raphael Veiga arriscou de fora da área, e a bola foi ao lado do gol.

Após o susto inicial, o Juventude organizou seu posicionamento defensivo e conseguiu equilibrar a posse de bola nos 15 minutos iniciais. Mas novamente o Verdão chegou com perigo.

Deyverson recebeu dentro da área, girou em cima do zagueiro e bateu, para a defesa de Marcelo Carné.

BRUXA SOLTA NO ALFREDO JACONI

Ao longo do primeiro tempo, os dois treinadores foram forçados a realizar alterações em seus times. Do lado dos mandantes,Alyson sentiu um desconforto muscular, e foi substituído porWilliam Matheus.

Já Abel Ferreira optou por colocar Zé Rafael no lugar do lesionado Luan, recuando Felipe Melo para o zaga palmeirense.

A primeira etapa terminou com o Juventude negando espaços ao Palmeiras, que tocava a bola mas não conseguia causar perigo aos gaúchos.

VEJA TABELA E SIMULE AS PRÓXIMAS RODADAS DO BRASILEIRÃO

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BOLA PARADA DECISIVA

+ Conheça o novo aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

TantoMarquinhos Santos como Abel Ferreira decidiram não fazer alterações após o intervalo. Os primeiros minutos da segunda etapa seguiram a mesma pegada do primeiro tempo: Papo se defendendo bem, e o Verdão com dificuldades para criar.

Se com a bola rolando, o Palmeiras mão ameaçava, a situação era diferente em bolas paradas. Aos 9 minutos, Gustavo Scarpa cobrou escanteio. Renan disputou comWilliam Matheus no alto, e o atleta do Juventude cabeceou contra a própria rede, abrindo o placar para os visitantes.

DEYVERSON VOLTA COM TUDO

Após o gol sofrido, o Juventude ensaiou uma reação. Em contra-ataque, Chico deu ótimo passe para Elton. Ele tentou tocar por baixo, Jaílson evitou o gol.

Mas o Verdão, que cresceu após o gol, ampliou a vantagem. Gustavo Scarpa deu cruzamento açucarado para Deyverson. Livre, o centroavante cabeceou com estilo no canto do gol. Esse foi o primeiro gol do camisa 16 após retornar ao clube paulista.

GAÚCHOS NA BRONCA COM A ARBITRAGEM

Mesmo com dois gols de desvantagem, o Papo chegou a balançar a rede após cobrança de escanteio. No entanto, a arbitragem flagrou uma falta em Jaílson, e anulou o tento dos gaúchos.

A equipe da casa teve nova chance, aos 36 minutos. Rafael Forster aproveitou falta cobrada e testou firme, obrigando Jaílson a fazer difícil defesa.

LEI DO EX EM CAXIAS

Se o Juventude tentava, mas não conseguia marcar, o Palmeiras cresceu de produção no segundo tempo e chegou ao terceiro gol. Gustavo Scarpa rolou para Breno Lopes. O ex-jogador do Papo pegou de primeira, de fora da área, fazendo um bonito gol contra sua ex-equipe, sacramentando o placar.

FICHA TÉCNICA – Juventude 0 x 3 Palmeiras
Data: 16 de Junho de 2021, quarta-feira
Horário: 21h30 (horário de Brasília)
Local: Estádio Alfredo Jaconi, em Caxias do Sul/RS.
Árbitro: Marielson Alves Silva – AB/BA
Assistentes: Alessandro Álvaro Rocha de Matos – FIFA/BA e Elicarlos Franco de Oliveira – AB/BA
VAR: Rodrigo D’alonso Ferreira – AB/SC, Alex dos Santos – AB/SC e Sergio Cristiano Nascimento – CBF/RJ
Público/renda: Portões Fechados
Cartões amarelos:Marcos Rocha, Gabriel Menino e Breno Lopes (PAL)
Cartões vermelhos:
Gols: William Matheus (contra) (9’/2ºT) (0-1); Deyverson (44’/2ºT) (0-2) e Breno Lopes(41’/2ºT) (0-3)

JUVENTUDE: Marcelo Carné; Michel Macedo, Vitor Mendes, Rafael Forster e Alyson (William Matheus, 14/1ºT); Elton, Guilherme Castilho e Chico (Paulinho Boia, 23/2ºT); Capixaba (Fernando Pacheco, 23/2ºT), Wescley(Bruninho, 41/2ºT) e Marcos Vinicios(Matheus Peixoto, 23/2ºT)Técnico:Marquinhos Santos

PALMEIRAS: Jailson; Mayke, Luan (Zé Rafael, 25/1ºT), Renan e Victor Luis; Felipe Melo, Gustavo Scarpa e Raphael Veiga;Gabriel Menino (Mayke, 28/2ºT), Deyverson eWillian(Breno Lopes, 28/2ºT)Técnico: Abel Ferreira

Coach says South Africa must believe that chasing 466 in two days is not impossible

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers26-Jan-2020Mark Boucher knew taking the job of South Africa head coach would be “very tough”, but would not be drawn into whether the situation in the country’s cricket is worse than he anticipated. Instead, he says his efforts are fully focused on putting in the work that will lead to the team’s improvement in the long term, which he warned will take time.”I always knew it was going to be very tough. We’ve got a lot of hard work to do,” Boucher said. “We’ve set up different processes in the near future to up-skill the guys. It is tough times but we’ve got the attitude in the dressing room that we want to try and get back to where we should be and we understand it’s going to take a lot of hard work, but that’s what we are prepared to do. It’s been a tough and dark period for us over the last couple of weeks but the efforts are still there, as we saw in the field today. I thought the guys tried really hard.”South Africa’s second-innings effort in the field was considerably better than their first, in which they conceded 400, including a last-wicket partnership of 82, and set puzzling fields. Today, they bowled to clear plans and struck regularly, even without Vernon Philander who only managed nine deliveries before sustaining a hamstring tear. Beuran Hendricks followed Anrich Nortje with a maiden five-wicket haul and England were bowled out for 248.Had it not been for England’s massive first-innings lead, South Africa would have been fairly pleased with their efforts. However, they now face a near-impossible task, a record chase of 466 with a batting line-up that has not crossed 300 in this series. Boucher has put the onus on top six, particularly those who have not been in form, to step up.”We are still not scoring the runs we need to, especially with regards to the top six, which is putting us under pressure” Boucher said. “In order to win a Test match, you need to go out there and score runs and that’s where we are suffering at the moment. If you look at the amount of time we’ve got in the game, we’ve still got to look at going for a win. It’s quite a few runs to chase down – it’s never been done before – but we’ve got to hold on to some sort of positivity. And also the fact that quite a few of our batters are due as well. It’s going to be tough but we will give it a go.”Among those who are in the spotlight is captain Faf du Plessis, who has gone ten innings without a half-century. He was stood down from the ODI captaincy last week and is due to meet acting director of cricket Graeme Smith after this series to discuss his future. In what could be du Plessis’ final Test innings, Boucher hopes he can draw inspiration from a sensational one-handed catch, with which he dismissed Joe Root to end the England second innings.ALSO READ: Imagine there’s no Kolpak, it’s easy if you try…”He is under pressure from a weight of runs as well, from captaincy, all that stuff,” Boucher said. “The players back him in the dressing room. It’s nice to see him take that catch towards the end of the day. Hopefully it will lift his spirits. He will go out there and fight. He understands that he is the leader and he wants to do well and lead from the front. Hopefully there is something big around the corner for Faf. The whole scene is set for him to come in under pressure and score big runs and hopefully get us close to winning a Test match.”As improbable as it seems, Boucher has to entertain the possibility that, if South Africa bat for two days, they could win the game. And statistically speaking, scoring over 400 is not a completely crazy thing to consider doing here. In 2013, South Africa finished eight runs short of a target of 458 against India, in an innings that featured a du Plessis century. All that’s required is to get through the new ball and hope for a captain’s knock.”I don’t think there is any opportunity to second-guess yourself,” Boucher said. “We just need to get off to a good start and allow ourselves to maybe put a bit of pressure on the bowling line-up. I’d like to see us take it deep into the last day. If that’s the case, the English bowlers would have spent a lot of time on their feet and that’s maybe when we can throw that punch to try and win the game, but there’s a lot of hard work that needs to go in before that.”It’s a new-ball wicket. It did go around for 30-odd overs, when it does get a bit softer batting gets a bit easier and stroke-making becomes easier. Its difficult for a bowling side to keep the run rate down. There are ways and means to go about getting 450 and we need to try and do that.”

Whilst the attention of much of the Arsenal fanbase will be on the Premier League title race and upcoming Champions League quarter-finals, it appears that negotiations to keep a star player at the club have ground to a halt.

Arsenal braced for busy summer

Stan Kroenke looks set to give heavy backing to Mikel Arteta in the transfer market as the Gunners look to consolidate their recent successes. The big money spent on the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz looks set to continue as Arsenal look to build a squad capable of challenging the likes of Man City and Liverpool.

Arsenal's "world-class" general has made himself as undroppable as Odegaard

The brilliant international has been sensational for the Gunners this season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 23, 2024

The most prominent link ahead of the summer has been Arsenal's interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The 28-year-old has scored four goals in ten Premier League appearances since returning from a long-term suspension. Also on the Gunners' radar have been midfield reinforcements, with Arsenal reportedly interested in moves for Weston McKennie and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.

With the middle of the park an area of the pitch that Arsenal are eager to strengthen, reports of a midfielder edging closer to leaving the club may come as a shock to the Gunners faithful.

Arsenal stop talks over new deal for Jorginho

As relayed by Sport Witness, the Italian press is claiming that negotiations over a new deal for Arsenal midfielder Jorginho have come to a stop. The Italian midfielder had supposedly been offered a new deal until 2025 with a club option of a further year, with his current contract set to expire this summer.

Jorginho-martinelli-arsenal

The outlet states that "having officially started talks to renew the player’s contract, it’s claimed Arsenal have ‘suddenly stopped’ negotiations," with no clear reason as to why. This development will be music to the ears of Juventus, who have held a long-standing interest in the former Napoli man and are reportedly "waiting for the right moment to present a proposal for the player".

Jorginho has become a surprise success in north Londonm with the 32-year-old joining the Gunners in a £12m move from rivals Chelsea. After being deemed 'too old' for the Premier League by the Blues, the Italian has become a vital part of Arteta's side as they push for the Premier League title.

As a result of Thomas Partey's struggles with injury this season, Jorginho has often been required to step up for his side and start games, a duty he has fulfilled with aplomb. Particular highlights from this campaign have been the midfielder's performances against Liverpool and Newcastle, both of which saw the Italian earn the Man of the Match award.

Speaking after the Newcastle win back in February, Arteta was quick to praise Jorginho, telling the press:

"He’s a top player, especially when the opponents have certain behaviours or [a] certain setup. The way I can imagine the game, he is going to have a big impact. He is certainly [world-class]."

Currently on a reasonably modest £110,000-per-week salary, it should not be a question of finances when it comes to renewing the Italian's deal. Overall, failing to tie Jorginho down to a new contract would see them lose out on an experienced head still capable of putting in quality performances.

Only 18.1 overs were possible on a wet day in Sydney

The Report by Andrew McGlashan03-Nov-2019Australia 0 for 41 v Pakistan 5 for 107 (Babar 59*) No resultAustralia’s winning run in T20Is was halted by the Sydney weather when they were on track to take the opening match against Pakistan which had already been truncated by rain.Chasing a revised 119 in 15 overs, after Pakistan’s innings was interrupted after 12.4 overs, Aaron Finch laid into Mohammad Irfan’s second over which cost 26 runs – including two sixes and a no-ball that went for four – and put them well ahead in the chase, with the wicketless par score after five overs being 33.However, with 11 balls still needed to reach the five-over mark and constitute a match the rain returned. At the other end to Finch, David Warner didn’t need to do much more than watch as he finished on 2 off 4 deliveries which extended his run of being unbeaten in T20Is.The bright spot for Pakistan was new captain Babar Azam – the No. 1-ranked T20I batsman – who was head and shoulders above his team-mates with 59 off 38 balls but he was the only visiting batsman to find some fluency.Babar Azam watches one race away•Getty ImagesAfter Finch opted to bowl, Mitchell Starc handed Australia an excellent start as he had Fakhar Zaman caught at point with his second delivery and when Haris Sohail played a poor stroke, carving high into the air on the off side, Pakistan were 2 for 10 in the second over.Azam and Mohammad Rizwan rebuilt and after the Powerplay Pakistan were a touch more sturdy on 2 for 38 without having put Australia under pressure other than when Rizwan skipped down the pitch at Adam Zampa, who was introduced in the fourth over, and sent him for four and six in consecutive deliveries.However, that was about the best of Rizwan’s innings as he struggled to move through the gears, and was troubled by the pace of Pat Cummins, failing to score a run-a-ball against anyone other than Zampa before picking out long-on against Ashton Agar.When the rain arrived Pakistan were 3 for 88 off 12.4 overs and on resumption managed 19 runs off the remaining 14 deliveries with Kane Richardson conceding just seven from an excellent 14th over that included the wicket of Asif Ali and an edged four from Azam that took him to his fifty.Azam will need greater support from his team-mates when the series moves to Canberra for the second match on Tuesday.

Sean Williams’ fifty had made it seem like the game was Zimbabwe’s but Janak Prakash and Sidhant Singh sprung a surprise nobody expected

The Report by Sreshth Shah29-Sep-2019

Amjad Mahboob, the Singapore captain, celebrates the wicket of Brian Chari•Singapore Cricket Association

When Tony Munyonga cut teenager Sidhant Singh for only a single in the game’s final ball at the Indian Association Ground in Singapore, history was made as the home side beat a Full Member nation for the first time in international cricket.In a rain-hit 18-overs-a-side contest, Zimbabwe fell four short of the 182-run target despite Sean Williams’ 66, to lose their first game of the tri-nation series that now sees both teams (and the other side Nepal) tied on two points each.Singapore’s captain Amjad Mahboob was understandably proud of his team at the presentation: “I just spoke to my boys, ‘Just do your best, just fight until the last ball; just don’t care about the result and just give your best and see the result came in our favour’. Yesterday we lost. Yesterday I didn’t play [against Nepal who won the game by nine wickets]. Just today, I came and I told the boys pre-game that to play to our potential. To not be scared. We are a young side and it’s a great feeling to beat a Test nation. We are very happy.”It seemed victory was Zimbabwe’s when Williams was at the crease. He had struck five sixes and as many fours in his 35-ball stay, but fell in the 16th over with Zimbabwe still 19 away from the target. Only four down, they were still favourites to cross the line with Ryan Burl and Richmond Mutumbami in the middle, but a double-wicket over from medium-pacer Janak Prakash – which cost only seven runs – turned the scales in Singapore’s favour.With the big-hitting Burl gone and Zimbabwe’s lower order suddenly exposed, Mahboob brought back fast bowler Sidhant for the game’s final over, and he delivered, conceding only five when Zimbabwe needed ten.”I’ve been around for a while now and getting myself that close and not finishing the job is very disappointing for me and I take that to heart,” Williams said. “Obviously because I’m a leader of the side and I’ve got to be the one that stands up and finishing the job.”Zimbabwe’s innings was given an early impetus by their opener Regis Chakabva, who struck 48 in 19 balls. Chakabva was brutal, in particular, on Vinoth Baskaran, taking 18 runs in just one over. That put Zimbabwe ahead of the net run-rate early and with No. 3 Williams for company, they added 41 for the second wicket. Williams switched to big-hitting mode against Tim David, whacking him for 24 runs in the 12th over. And yet, somehow, Singapore stayed in the game with three tight overs that saw both set batsmen dismissed. Thereafter, it was a matter of holding their nerve, which they did, conceding only one boundary in the final two overs to complete a remarkable win.That Singapore made 181 for 9 was courtesy their wicketkeeper-batsman Manpreet Singh and allrounder David. Both struck 41 each, in 23 and 24 deliveries respectively, to lift Singapore to a challenging total. Singapore had earlier added over 60 in the Powerplay thanks to their openers Rohan Rangarajan (39) and Surendran Chandramohan (23) but Burl’s two wickets in his opening spell pegged Singapore’s progress back in the middle overs.It was then that David and Manpreet added a quickfire 38 for the fourth wicket, and when the former was dismissed in the 13th over, the latter hit the accelerator. Singapore added 59 off the last five overs, and that late burst, eventually, was the difference between the two sides.Williams, though, felt the game slipped away from Zimbabwe a little after that. “We lost Tino Mutombodzi there,” Williams said. “We were actually planning on going in that [14th] over. That could’ve been a turning point in the game and then we just lost a clutter of wickets again. Obviously having Timycen [Maruma] injured early on in the game wasn’t great for us. But, look, these things happen. The outfield and the weather conditions happen and we’ve got to deal with that and come up with some better plans and better mental conditions to win the game.”

Xabi Alonso is a name that many fans are starting to hear more and more nowadays, as his Bayer Leverkusen side continue to defy expectations over in Germany, having gone unbeaten in the Bundesliga after 20 games.

And with the recent news of Jürgen Klopp announcing his departure from Liverpool at the end of the current campaign, a lot of rumours have started to circulate involving the former Reds midfielder.

Football FanCast has decided to take a deeper dive into his accomplishments, personal life and what made him the man he is today.

Who is Xabi Alonso?

Xabier Alonso Olano is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

Alonso was born on 25th November 1981 in Tolosa, Spain, making him 42 years of age.

He made a name for himself as a midfield enforcer, mainly in his time at Liverpool and Real Madrid. He ended his career with 18 trophies to his name, which included one World Cup, two Champions Leagues, two European Championships, three German and one Spanish league titles, two UEFA Super Cups, one German Cup winners' medal, one FA Cup, two Copas del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, one German Super Cup and a Community Shield.

Xabi Alonso's salary at Bayer Leverkusen

When Xabi Alonso extended his contract with Bayer Leverkusen until August 2026, he is thought to have received a huge pay rise. According to German outlet Bild, the former Spain international now earns up to €6m (£5.12m) a year.

Just to put this into perspective, he would be the sixth-highest-paid manager in the Premier League.

Xabi Alonso's net worth

Of course, no one can put an exact number on Xabi Alonso's net worth apart from the man himself. However, Celebrity Net Worth claims that the Bayer Leverkusen boss is worth around $20m (£15.9m).

The majority of his money will have been earned during his trophy-laden playing career, with clubs like Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Real Madrid no doubt paying a high premium in terms of his wages. If you add his current managerial wages as well as any investments and side projects he may have, then you could say his net worth may even be more than that figure above.

Xabi Alonso's wife

The Spaniard is married to Nagore Aranburu.

There's a bit of a romance story involving the pair as they met all the way back during Alonso's youth days at Real Sociedad.

Nagore has had a number of jobs, working as a model, actor, fashion designer, and as many Liverpool fans will remember, a receptionist.

There is a rather comical story of when she worked as a hotel receptionist in Liverpool, where Peter Crouch later admitted he had fallen in love with her. Little did he know that it was Alonso's wife, which was later relayed to him by Jamie Carragher.

Xabi Alonso's squad number at Liverpool

Xabi Alonso famously wore the number 14 shirt throughout his time at Liverpool, and it's safe to say it served him well.

In terms of other clubs, it varied, but he has a clear favourite.

Liverpool, Real Madrid & Bayern Munich

14

Bayern Munich

3

Real Madrid

22

Real Sociedad

4

Real Sociedad

28

SD Eibar

26

Real Sociedad

31

Xabi Alonso to Liverpool rumours

If the bookies are anything to go by, Alonso looks like the man to take the reins from Jürgen Klopp, as he's currently priced at 1/2 at Sky Bet to land the Anfield job this summer.

And the current noise around Liverpool is that the Spaniard has been pushed forward as a strong candidate to replace the German, which isn't really a surprise given how well Bayer Leverkusen are doing this season and his obvious links to Merseyside.

Xabi Alonso's retirement

Xabi Alonso announced his retirement on his social media back in March 2017 at the age of 35, with an iconic post that stated; 'Lived it. Loved it. Farewell, beautiful game.'

The 375,000 likes that the post received shows just how appreciated he was and how much he did for the game.

Xabi Alonso's stats as a player

Xabi Alonso made a whopping 695 appearances throughout this career, which spanned across five professional clubs. He managed to accumulate 43 goals and 69 assists across his career.

The three most notable teams were Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but he did also play for Real Sociedad and Eibar.

Real Madrid

236

6

31

Liverpool

210

18

20

Real Sociedad

124

10

6

Bayern Munich

117

9

12

Eibar

8

0

0

Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen managerial record

Xabi Alonso has set things alight this season at Bayer Leverkusen. The German club are currently 30 games unbeaten in all competitions and are sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga table.

The Spaniard has been in charge of 67 games in Leverkusen, losing just 10 times, drawing 14 and winning 43, which gives him a points-per-match total of 2.13.

67

43

14

10

2.13

Xabi Alonso's formation and tactics at Bayer Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso's favourite formation is 3-4-2-1, which has brought him huge success in Germany this term.

Everyone knows their roles. The centre of the pitch is packed with bodies, leaving room for the pacey wide-men to advance. Goals can come from anywhere in Alonso's sides, with his wing-backs and two more attacking midfielders playing huge roles.

The wide-men play high when in possession, but when the ball is lost, they pull back to around the halfway line.

One key to any Alonso side is having potent finishers throughout the side, which has been evident as Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick, Amine Adli, Nathan Tella, Jonas Hofmann, Florian Wirtz, Adam Hlozek, Jonathan Tah, Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong have all contributed to a combined 76 goals so far this season, and we're only 30 games in.

Victor Boniface

23

16

8

Alejandro Grimaldo

29

9

11

Florian Wirtz

28

8

15

Jeremie Frimpong

26

7

10

Jonas Hofmann

28

7

9

World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho has cleared up the confusion regarding supposed criticism that he aimed at the Brazil national team.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Selecao preparing for major tournament
• National hero is backing their cause
• Has highlighted harsh words of others

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Selecao and Barcelona legend stunned the footballing world when posting a social media message that read: “That's it folks, I've had enough. This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian soccer. It's getting hard to find the spirit to watch the games. This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority. I've been following football since I was a kid, long before I thought about becoming a player, and I've never seen a situation as bad as this. Lack of love for the shirt, lack of grit and the most important of all: football. I'll repeat, our performance has been one of the worst things I've ever seen. Such a shame. I therefore declare my resignation. I will not watch any CONMEBOL Copa America game, nor celebrate any victory.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Brazil’s Copa America class of 2024, who are readying themselves for another major tournament, were among those to be left shocked by the apparent tirade, with current Barca forward Raphinha saying: “I was surprised and I don't agree with his statement.”

• WHAT RONALDINHO SAID

  Ronaldinho has, however, revealed on his personal Instagram account that he was merely highlighting the harsh words of fellow countrymen. He has said: “I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. And I'd never say those things you see… Actually, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments that I saw on the internet. Imagine listening to these messages before you play? Nope, motivation goes down…fan support makes a huge difference to the player. I know what I'm talking about. Guys what our boys need is support at this time. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field. That's why I joined Rexona in this movement to encourage the Cheer That Doesn't Quit. We are asking everyone to send message of support and confidence in CONMEBOL Copa America. Let's all give magical support of the Brazilian fan.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Ronaldinho scored 33 goals for Brazil through 99 appearances, helping them to a World Cup triumph in 2022. He is now watching on from afar as Dorival Junior’s squad prepare to open a quest for continental glory against Costa Rica on June 24.