Chelsea are already looking towards the summer transfer window, as they look to bring another disappointing season to a close.

Chelsea still struggling on and off the pitch

Mauricio Pochettino's side conceded two goals for the fifth consecutive Premier League game on Sunday, as a late Oli McBurnie goal saw them held to a 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane by 20th placed Sheffield United.

Perhaps even more worrying than the result was the performance itself, with Sheffield United racking up more shots on target and more expected goals than the once-regular trophy winners. Speaking after the game, even Pochettino admitted that his side didn't deserve to win.

"When you concede in the last few minutes, always we feel very disappointed and frustrated because we should win the game in this moment," the Blues boss explained after the game.

'"f you analyse the game, even though we had the control and possession, we didn’t create enough or show the capacity to be solid, strong, and not concede goals. That is the most painful situation."

Despite the disappointment, the Blues are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and sitting ninth in the Premier League, with an outside chance of ending the campaign in a Europa League or UEFA Conference League spot for next season.

Premier League race for Europe

Position

Team

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goal difference

Points

6th

Manchester United

31

15

4

12

-1

49

7th

West Ham United

32

13

9

10

-4

48

8th

Newcastle United

31

14

5

12

13

47

9th

Chelsea

30

12

8

10

3

44

But come the summer their job doesn't get any easier. They are expected to need to raise around £100m profit from player sales before they can invest further in the playing squad, which is likely to see the likes of Conor Gallagher and Ian Maatsen depart permanently.

With that in mind, they will need to be creative this summer in order to land their targets, and reports suggest that they are ready to do just that.

Chelsea readying huge swap deal for goalscoring star

Now, it has been reported that Chelsea are trying to put together a player plus cash deal for Napoli star Victor Osimhen this summer. The Nigerian is high on the wishlist of several top clubs, with Paris Saint Germain and Arsenal both thought to be following him and Osimhen likely to leave this summer.

Chelsea ready to offer Reece James in swap deal for Real Madrid star

The Blues are already planning for the summer.

ByCharlie Smith Apr 8, 2024

One major stumbling block is the price though; he is believed to have a release clause in his current deal in Naples, with that fee sitting at 130m euros (£110m), something that will likely prove an obstacle to plenty of interested parties.

As a result, Team Talk claim that Chelsea have offered a compromise. In fact, they had already offered a deal involving Romelu Lukaku to Napoli, but that was turned down. Now, they are ready to add on-loan striker Armando Broja into the mix, though it is added that Napoli are keen to try and sell Osimhen rather than entertain any swap deals.

With Broja struggling to even get minutes at Fulham, the deal seems very unlikely to be successful, but it offers a clear insight into Chelsea's plan of attack for the upcoming summer transfer window.

There is no escaping that this has been another dismal season for Chelsea Football Club.

Mauricio Pochettino has struggled to create a winning team out of his incredibly talented but young squad, and as a result, he has seriously struggled in the Premier League.

That said, there have been a couple of bright spots in the Blues' campaign, notably their Cup runs and the emergence of Cole Palmer.

The young Englishman has been a revelation in west London this year, although a former Chelsea ace is outscoring him away from England.

Cole Palmer's performance this season

Since completing his £42.5m move from Manchester City in the summer, Palmer has been a man-possessed for the Blues and looks every bit the superstar Todd Boehly and Co were hoping he'd be.

1

Cole Palmer

14

12

2

Nicolas Jackson

12

4

3

Raheem Sterling

8

10

4

Enzo Fernández

7

3

5

Mykhaylo Mudryk

6

3

In just 34 games for the Pensioners, the Wythenshawe-born gem has scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists, meaning that in his first full season of regular first-team football, the former City prospect is averaging a goal involvement every 1.3 games, which is simply remarkable.

He isn't scoring meaningless goals in 3-0 drubbings or consolation goals in defeats, either; he's having a material impact on essential matches.

For example, he scored the opening goal in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal, netted twice in their 3-2 away win over Luton Town, found the equaliser at home against City, and, most recently in the league, scored and assisted against Newcastle United.

His impact at Stamford Bridge has been undeniable, and as talent scout Jacek Kulig argues, he's already become one of the team's key "leaders" at just 21, so it's quite surprising that a former Chelsea striker is currently outscoring him away from London.

Michy Batshuayi's performances after leaving Chelsea

Yes, the former Chelsea ace in question is Belgium international Michy Batshuayi, who, after spending six years bouncing between the Bridge and various loan clubs, secured a permanent move away to Turkish Süper Lig outfit Fenerbahçe in September 2022 for a fee of around €3.5m, or £3m.

In his first season with Sari Kanaryalar, the Brussels-born forward had to contend with three separate injuries that saw him miss 12 games and spend 54 days on the sidelines, which could be long enough to disrupt and ruin many players' entire campaign, but not for the former Chelsea man.

Despite playing just 32 games throughout the year, the 6 foot 1 marksman still managed to score 20 goals, provide two assists, and play a key role in Fenerbahçe's Turkish Cup triumph.

Appearances

32

36

Goals

20

21

Assists

2

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.68

0.66

So, in his first year with the Turkish giants, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.45 games and lifted a major trophy, making his £3m price tag look like a steal.

Fortunately, the "deadly" marksman, as journalist Josh Bunting dubbed him, has remained injury-free this season and has already scored 21 goals and provided three assists in 36 appearances, alongside getting some kickboxing practice (video below), it would seem.

Ultimately, Chelsea's decision to sell Batshuayi in 2022 might have made sense at the time, but given how well he has performed for one of the biggest clubs in Turkey, it would've been interesting to see what Pochettino could've got out of him.

MatériaMais Notícias

“Bobeou? Gorneou!”: essa era uma frase dita por muitos botafoguenses em 2015 e 2016, fazendo alusão a um bordão de Renan Gorne, então camisa 9 do time sub-20. Neste domingo, o atacante estará no lado oposto do Botafogo: ele é do Remo, adversário do Glorioso pela 3ª rodada da Série B, em partida disputada no Estádio Raulino de Oliveira.

+ Campeões desde o sub-13, trio de ouro do Botafogo pode consolidar sucesso na base com a Copa do Brasil sub-20

Gorne é apenas uma das partes de um Remo marcado pela ofensividade. A equipe comandada por Paulo Bonamigo marcou 34 gols em 19 partidas na temporada 2021 – média de 1,7 tento por duelo – e não tem medo de ir para cima, como explica Mateus Miranda, setorista do Leão Azul:

– O Remo joga no 4-3-3 que varia para o 4-1-4-1. É um time que tem uma característica muito ofensivo, é um estilo de jogo propositivo, os dois laterais avançam ao mesmo tempo. É um time que faz gols em quase todos. Em 2021, o Remo chegou a fazer gols em 25 jogos seguidos, mas essa sequência foi quebrada no jogo de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil contra o Atlético-MG – afirmou, em entrevista ao LANCE!.

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Se há destaque para o ataque, a parte defensiva já traz dores de cabeça. O Remo levou 19 gols na temporada – um por jogo disputado, se for calculado em média – e tem nas bolas alçadas pelo alto a principal preocupação diante dos adversários. A equipe, portanto, não é equilibrada.

– O principal ponto fraco do Remo é a defesa, principalmente as bolas aéreas. Na era Paulo Bonamigo, que assumiu na Série C do ano passado, o time sofreu muitos gols assim. Muitas bolas alçadas na área, seja com bola rolando ou na bola parada. O time tem dificuldade em se defender, correr para trás. O principal desafio dele é estabelecer o equilíbrio entre o aspecto ofensivo e defensivo da equipe – completou.

Assim como o Botafogo, o Remo iniciou a Série B com uma vitória e um empate nas duas primeiras rodadas disputadas. Os quatro pontos conquistados vieram de uma igualdade em 2 a 2 com o CRB e um triunfo por 1 a 0 sobre o Brasil de Pelotas. Na Copa do Brasil, a equipe foi eliminada pelo Atlético-MG na última quinta-feira, na terceira fase da competição.

– O Botafogo precisa ficar de olho no volante Lucas Siqueira. É um dos jogadores mais regulares do time e dá para dizer que é também um dos pontos de equilíbrio do Remo desde a temporada passada. Ele aparece muito dentro da área adversária, tanto que fez dois gols na abertura da Série B contra o CRB, e o Remo explora muito isso – alertou.

BOBEOU?
Será a primeira vez que Renan Gorne jogará contra o Botafogo, clube que o revelou. O atacante foi campeão brasileiro sub-20 em 2016 sendo o artilheiro da equipe comandada por Eduardo Barroca.

Havia certa esperança da torcida que o jogador tivesse sequência e oportunidades no time principal, mas Gorne acumulou empréstimos e não fez muita coisa na equipe profissional do Alvinegro. Ele assinou com o Remo no começo da temporada 2021.

No Leão Azul, acumulou altos e baixos, mas chega para a partida contra o Alvinegro em uma boa fase, tendo participações em gols nos últimos dois jogos da equipe na Série B. Na temporada, ele tem cinco gols – vice-artilheiro do Remo – e duas assistências em 18 partidas.

– O Renan Gorne começou a temporada como titular e fazendo gols no Paraense, mas teve uma queda de produção e chegou a perder a vaga para o Edson Cariús. Ele conseguiu recuperar essa posição e nessa Série B participou de dois dos três gols do Remo, com uma assistência e um gol. Apesar de hoje ser titular, nem sempre esteve nessa condição e ainda busca se afirmar na equipe e também com o torcedor do Remo – explicou Mateus.

وصلت بعثة منتخب مصر للناشئين مواليد 2008 بقيادة أحمد الكاس، منذ قليل إلى المغرب من أجل المشاركة في تصفيات شمال إفريقيا.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق تصفيات شمال إفريقيا للناشئين تحت 17 سنة بدولة المغرب في الفترة من 11 إلى 23 نوفمبر المقبلين.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع المغرب، ثم يواجه الجزائر، ويخوض ثالث مبارياته أمام تونس، ثم يختتم التصفيات بمواجهة ليبيا.

طالع.. خاص | اتحاد الكرة يكشف تفاصيل أزمة التسنين في منتخب مصر 2008

ويترأس البعثة إيهاب الكومي عضو مجلس إدارة الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، ويضم الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر 2008 كلا من أحمد الكاس مديرا فنيا، ووليد مهدي مديرا للمنتخب، ومحمد إبراهيم مدربا عاما، ورامي عادل مدربا مساعدا، وأحمد فوزي مدربا للحراس، والدكتور علاء الجوهري مدربا للأحمال.

يذكر أن الآونة الأخيرة، شهدت أزمة في منتخب مصر مواليد 2008 مع مواليد 2009 أيضًا، في توزير بعض أعمار اللاعبين، قرر اتحاد الكرة إيقاف اللاعبين الذين ثبت ضدهم التوزير في إعمارهم.

Harry Kane has a new “coach” as he returns to training before heading back to Bayern Munich and taking in more bids for elusive major silverware.

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Missed out on silverware at club levelSuffered final heartache at Euro 2024Preparing to rejoin Bayern's ranksGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific striker ended the 2023-24 campaign empty-handed with club and country. A transfer from Tottenham to Germany failed to break that duck – as Bayern missed out on the Bundesliga title and Champions League crown – before then suffering Euro 2024 final heartache with England.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane did hit 44 goals last season – landing the European Golden Shoe and a share of the Golden Boot at another European Championship – but his career-long wait for collective trophies continues. The intention is to end that barren run in 2024-25.

DID YOU KNOW?

An extended break has been taken in after international duty, but Kane is preparing to rejoin Bayern’s ranks. He has been working on a personal training programme, with son Louis on hand to keep an eye on his progress.

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WHAT NEXT?

Bayern are currently in South Korea for a friendly date with Kane’s former employers at Spurs. They will open the new season with a DFB-Pokal clash against Ulm on August 16, before starting another bid for Bundesliga title glory on August 25 away at Wolfsburg.

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.”

Everton's bid for Premier League survival took yet another twist on Monday afternoon after the club found out they would be deducted another two points for their PSR breaches.

The commission found that the Toffees had breached the allowed £105m losses over three years, by £16.6m, with the club hit with a second deduction in a single season, taking their tally to eight points this campaign.

The club's financial situation has been a concern for several months now, with Sean Dyche's side suffering as a result of multiple off-the-field issues – which has undone the majority of their hard work.

Despite all the troubles, the Toffees still sit two points clear of the dreaded relegation zone with a game in hand, with their Premier League future still in their own hands.

After multiple points deductions, you would expect the club to operate in a normal manner given the punishments they've received.

However, Dyche's side may be forced to sell one or two key assets to prevent the club from any further potential PSR breaches, with outgoings expected to be the priority this summer.

That being said, here's a look at three players Everton may have to sell to ease any PSR worries this summer…

1 Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a difficult season for the Toffees this campaign despite his recent form in front of goal.

The former Sheffield United forward, who joined Everton back in the summer of 2016, has managed five goals in 27 appearances in the Premier League this campaign, with two of his five coming in his last two outings against Burnley and Newcastle United.

He's looked like a shadow of his former self in recent months, with the 27-year-old failing to replicate his form from the 2020/21 season where he found the net on 16 separate occasions.

Calvert-Lewin has also struggled with injuries during his time at Goodison Park, with the forward missing over 180 days of action since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

However, despite his injury problems and his lack of goals under Dyche in recent seasons, the club have slapped a £40m price tag on the striker's head should any club be interested in the forward.

The 27-year-old's contract expires in June next year, with the £40m ludicrous given his goalscoring and injury records coupled with his contract length.

Undoubtedly, the club should look to move the striker on, given the fact he's also earning around £100k-per-week, as per Capology. His wages alone would see the club save £5.2m next year, with any fee received for the striker a bonus, as the club will definitely make a profit on their £1.5m investment from eight years ago.

2 Amadou Onana

A player who has had numerous links away from Goodison Park since his arrival is talented young midfielder Amadou Onana.

The Belgian joined the Toffees from French side Lille for a fee in the region of £33m back in August 2022 as the club fended off keen interest from fellow Premier League side West Ham United for his signature.

However, nearly two years on from his arrival at Goodison Park, Onana has gone on to make 66 appearances for the club in all competitions, with the 22-year-old cementing himself as a first-team regular under Dyche.

In the Premier League this season, he's featured 24 times, with the Belgian a key figure as the club fight to maintain their ever-present top-flight status despite the various points deductions.

Onana's form for Everton hasn't gone unnoticed this campaign, with Football Insider confirming the youngster is "likely" to depart Goodison Park this summer, with the club keen to make a profit on the fee they paid for the midfielder.

The Toffees are set to demand between £50-60m to lure the youngster away from the club, with the likes of West Ham and Arsenal potentially set to reignite their interest after previous attempts to sign the Belgian.

3 Jarrad Branthwaite

The final player the club may have to sell to ease PSR worries is talented centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old has impressed at the club this season, earning a first call-up to the England senior squad under Gareth Southgate for the recent international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

After joining the Toffees for £1m from Carlisle United back in 2020, young Branthwaite has excelled under Dyche during his first campaign as a regular starter.

The "magnificent" talent, as described by Alan Shearer, has featured 28 times for Everton in the Premier League this season, scoring his second and third goals for the club in the encounters against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion.

It's no surprise that his brilliant form for the strugglers has caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in England and Europe.

Erik ten Hag's Manchester United side have been the side most strongly linked with a move for the 20-year-old, with Everton demanding a fee of at least £75m to part ways with Branthwaite.

However, despite the rumoured interest, the youngster has pledged his future to the club, admitting that he's fully focused on his long-term future with the Toffees.

Speaking after the 1-0 victory over Burnley at the weekend, he said: “You have just got to block it all out. I think if you focus on the outside stuff, you get distracted from what you need to do on the pitch.

“For me now, until the end of the season, I am just focused on winning games for Everton Football Club.”

The club undoubtedly have to sell players this summer to comply with the Premier League's strict PSR and FFP rules to avoid any potential further punishments.

Out of the three, the club must try their best to keep hold of Onana and Branthwaite and prioritise a move for Calvert-Lewin, given the fact the 27-year-old only has one year left on his current deal at the club.

It will be an anxious summer for all Evertonians, with the club still yet to secure their Premier League status and potentially facing the prospect of losing their talented youngsters whilst playing in the Championship.

Related Everton were bled dry by the "worst signing of the Moshiri era" for 4 years

He only featured a handful of times for the Toffees.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Apr 7, 2024

Julian Alvarez has insisted he did not say "anything bad" after Pep Guardiola's blunt response on the Manchester City forward's future.

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• Alvarez suggested he'd consider Man City future
• Guardiola gave blunt response to those remarks
• Argentine insists he didn't say "anything bad"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The striker, who has been linked with a City exit this summer, said he needed to reflect on his future after admitting it wasn't "pleasant" to be left out of some "important games" last season. That led manager Guardiola to give a somewhat cutting response, with the Spaniard saying, "Think about it". Now, the 24-year-old has responded while he is representing Argentina at the Paris Olympics.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT JULIAN ALVAREZ SAID

  He told : "I heard what Guardiola said. I don't have much to say about it. I never said anything bad. I just said that I was going to think about it like I do every season to make an analysis of what happened last season, a projection of what may come. I always say that I am comfortable and happy at City, which is a great club. So I didn't say anything bad."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Alvarez joined City in January 2022 for a fee in the region of £14 million ($18m) and while he has scored 36 goals in 103 games, the former River Plate star has had to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland in attack. Incidentally, whenever a player has crossed Guardiola in his managerial career, they tend to head for the exit. It remains to be seen what will happen to the forward, who reportedly has a price tag of £77m ($98.8m).

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Alvarez has helped his Argentina side reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics, where they will face hosts France on August 2. It is not yet certain if he will be a City player when the new season begins in just over two weeks.

Melbourne Stars survived an almighty scare that rivalled their BBL final collapse last season to beat Sydney Thunder by three wickets and move to the top of the BBL table.Half-centuries by player of the match Nick Larkin and Marcus Stoinis put the Stars on the brink of a comfortable win as they needed just 20 from 23 balls with nine wickets in hand. But they lost 6 for 19 in a 20-ball stretch that revived memories of their famous collapse to lose last season’s final against the Melbourne Renegades. Chris Morris, Daniel Sams, and Nathan McAndrew bagged two wickets each in four overs of mayhem before Adam Zampa calmly hit the winning run with two balls to spare.Nick Larkin made his maiden BBL half-century•Getty Images

Earlier, Haris Rauf made an incredible return to the BBL, taking 3 for 24 in another rapid spell to help restrict the Thunder to just 7 for 142. Having missed the Stars’ last two matches due to Dale Steyn’s availability, he was allowed to play because of a minor quad injury to the Stars’ second overseas player Sandeep Lamichhane, and he tore through the Thunder line-up. He backed up a masterful move from captain Glenn Maxwell, who opted to bowl himself in the powerplay and was rewarded with the wickets of Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja. Alex Ross held the innings together with a composed 40 off 32 balls but it wasn’t enough.Maxwell magicMaxwell has only bowled twice in the powerplay in this BBL and both have been match-shaping spells. He opened the bowling and quickly surmised that round-arm quicker balls at the stumps would be most effective on the low, slow surface. The Thunder openers failed to adjust. Both Hales and Khawaja were clean-bowled swiping across the line. The two blows in Maxwell’s first two overs gave him the chance to rotate his quicks at the other end. The Thunder slumped to their worst powerplay of the tournament as Callum Ferguson and Matt Gilkes were forced to rebuild. Gilkes did tax Maxwell, though, as he pushed his luck with a third over, taking him for two boundaries to push the score to 2 for 36 in six.Rauf lets ripSydney Showground is usually a spin-friendly surface but with the exception of Maxwell’s first two overs, where a lack of turn undid the two openers, spin was easier to play than express pace. Rauf and Steyn proved a deadly combination in the middle overs. Rauf’s extra pace accounted for Ferguson as he tried to angle an uppercut to third man but it carried all the way to the fielder. Both men should have had lbws, with Gilkes and Ross given not out when they were trapped plumb in front. The TV broadcasters’ ball-tracking confirmed both decisions should have been out but there is no DRS in the BBL.Ross was able to use his reprieve to make an excellent 40 off 32. He targeted the spin of Zampa launching two sixes and a four. Rauf returned late and smashed the stumps twice in the 18th over with 147kph thunderbolts to remove both Sams and Ross. But Rauf got his last over slightly wrong and Arjun Nair found the boundary twice to finish with 17 not out off 11 balls to push the total to 7 for 142. The Stars were sloppy in the field, dropping two catches and missing three run-out chances.Haris Rauf celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Larkin learns the lessonNic Maddinson failed to learn from the mistakes of Hales and Khawaja, and was bowled trying to pull a length ball from Sams in the opening over, a wicket-maiden. But Larkin and Stoinis did learn from their opponents. They played smartly in the powerplay, opting to play with vertical bats and waiting for bowlers to err rather than searching to create bad balls. The Stars only made 38 runs in the powerplay but they had two set batsmen while the Thunder tried five different bowlers. Larkin had been left out of the Stars’ first three games and got a first-ball duck in the win over the Hobart Hurricanes. But he may have settled his place in the line-up for the remainder of the tournament with a classy half-century. He struck just three boundaries in his first 30 balls but then launched two fours and six in eight deliveries, targeting the spin of Chris Green, to accelerate to his first BBL half-century and bring the required rate down under a run-a-ball. He allowed Stoinis to cruise to 50 untroubled at the other end as the Stars needed just 20 from 23 balls.Maxwell and mayhem and deja vuThe demons of last year’s final remain fresh in the mind and in the blink of an eye the Stars lost 6 for 19 to almost give the game away. Larkin and Stoinis holed out in the same over from Morris trying to kill the game off quickly. Maxwell was caught behind in the next over from Sams, having nearly fallen in the same manner first ball, and Ben Dunk was clean bowled first ball by an outstanding offcutter slower ball that gripped and ripped through the gate. Peter Handscomb should have been run-out twice as panic set in. Nathan Coulter-Nile took the Stars to the brink with a calming boundary but then chipped Nathan McAndrew to mid-on with just one run to win in the final over. Clint Hinchliffe was pinned plumb lbw next ball trying to heave the winning runs across the line. Zampa thwarted the hat-trick ball by knocking it to the leg side for the winning run.

Assistant coach believes he can have “massive impact” working in partnership with Mark Boucher

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth14-Jan-2020

South Africa’s assistant coach, Enoch Nkwe, who carried the title of team director until a month ago, has acknowledged that being moved sideways was difficult but provided reassurance that he is not the victim of a whitewash and has been able to hold his own.Nkwe took South Africa to India in September-October last year and was set to take the reins for the England series this summer. But, a major overhaul 10 days before the first Test saw Mark Boucher installed as head coach and Nkwe effectively demoted amid an outcry at perceived racial discrimination. Given South Africa’s history, it’s not difficult to understand why it was badly received in some quarters.Against the backdrop of financial and administrative crises, Thabang Moroe, a black African CEO, was suspended and replaced by Jacques Faul, who is white. Almost immediately, Graeme Smith was appointed director of cricket, Boucher was named coach, and Jacques Kallis was hired as a batting consultant. All three are white. Nkwe, the first black African national men’s head coach, was offered a lesser role. He accepted, despite how it looked.ALSO READ: ‘Wouldn’t be surprised if he takes over after Faf’ – Nkwe on Bavuma”It wasn’t an easy call to make but when I met with Jacques Faul and Bouch and Graeme, it was pretty clear and they were very realistic in terms of what has happened, and the type of support [they wanted]. They showed a lot of care,” Nkwe said. “I’m not going to beat around the bush — it’s been a challenge, especially when it all unfolded. But I believe I’m mature enough to deal with the situation. By the time we got to the [training] camp I felt very strong and confident I can make a massive impact in a different role.”Given the limited time the new backroom staff had between the end of the Mzansi Super League on December 16 and the start of the Test series on Boxing Day, they decided to hold an intense training camp in Pretoria. That’s where Nkwe and Boucher began to work together and Nkwe quickly realised that he would be treated as an equal.”Boucher has given me the platform to make a difference in the team, to contribute as much as possible; whether it’s in team routines or in training,” Nkwe said. “We’ve worked closely together. I’m enjoying the partnership. Yes, there’s different energies and different minds. But there hasn’t been a hierarchy. We all pull in the same direction. He’s very relaxed. As much as he’s intense when it comes to business time — just like any other coach — he cares a lot about the team.”The adjectives Nkwe uses to describe the new coaching staff extend specifically to Smith and transformation. The Smith/Faul administration has been accused of neglecting the need for change, especially after the Test team fielded only four players of colour in the first two matches. South Africa’s target for the national men’s team is six players of colour, including at least two black Africans, calculated on average over the course of a season. Though this number can be made up in future fixtures, at a politically sensitive time in cricket, the missed target sticks out.Nkwe addressed transformation directly and emphasised it remains a key part of South Africa’s game plan.”It’s not something that has been ignored,” Nkwe said. “We’ve also got to take care of the mental aspect of players. We are really working hard behind the scenes to build a strong pool of players to come through. We’ve looked at the high-performance system to make sure that we can produce and make sure we are a well transformed team in the future, a true rainbow nation. And there’s no doubt that’s going to happen in the very near future.”I have had a small chat with Graeme and he is fully behind it. People maybe might not see it but he really cares and he has put in a lot of processes and a lot of plans behind the scenes to make sure that in the near future, there are no questions on that topic.”No questions is unlikely, especially because of South Africa’s complex history and the recent crisis in cricket, which transpired alongside an agenda of Africanisation. Under Moroe, CSA was a transformed organisation with people of colour in senior positions. Nkwe was one of them, despite his promotion being seen as premature.Not only was Nkwe handed the toughest away tour around, in going to India, but he had had only one summer as a full-time franchise coach to his name before that. Though he won three out of four trophies on offer, it was still early days. Consider that Boucher was about to begin his fourth season as a franchise coach for the Titans, and had collected five trophies along the way, to gauge the extent of experience that a national promotion calls for. Still, Nkwe believes the India tour only adds to his knowledge.”I wanted the team to go and win,” he said. “Yes, there were a lot of questions around my experience. I knew it was going to be a massive task, and that could only do me good as a coach going into those conditions. The only thing I could take away from there was experience, and I know that if I’m still involved when we go back to India in four years’ time, I’ll do things differently. We’ll have good players in place to execute our skills better, compete better and look to win the series. I’m comfortable and happy that I went there to gain that sort of experience.”For now, Nkwe is focused on the next three years, which will take him and South Africa to the 2023 World Cup. The long-term plan is that he will take over from Boucher at the end of the tournament and though it is something Nkwe is aiming for, he wants to take the focus off himself and onto the bigger picture. “For me, it’s always been about the country. It’s never been about me. I am here to coach human beings, I am here to coach cricketers to get better.”