All posts by h716a5.icu

Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr have now submitted an offer for a Manchester United star who is not wanted under head coach Ruben Amorim, according to a recent report.

Amorim confident Bruno Fernandes will have help this season

The Red Devils started their tour of the USA in an excellent manner, as they put in a strong display to earn a 2-1 win over West Ham United in what was their first of three games in the Premier League summer series.

United had captain fantastic Bruno Fernandes to thank for the victory, as the Portugal international netted in the opening five minutes from the penalty spot after a foul on Ayden Heaven. Then, Fernandes doubled their lead through a wonderful curled effort from outside the box to claim their first win of preseason 2025.

Fernandes has been heavily relied upon by United to be their creative force, but Amorim is now confident the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will help the attacking midfielder in the upcoming campaign.

“He will have more help this season.

Sesko 2.0: Man Utd make £50m CF who's "like original Ronaldo" a top target

Benjamin Sesko looks to be heading elsewhere, although Manchester United may have a perfect alternative lined up

1 ByRobbie Walls Jul 27, 2025

“It’s impossible to play all the positions. Last year, I felt sometimes I pushed him back to have more possession in the build-up, and then we missed Bruno near the box. Cunha and Bryan have different characteristics.”

Al-Nassr submit bid to sign £52m Man Utd forward

As Amorim looks to gel Cunha and Mbeumo into the United team, the Red Devils have now been presented an opportunity to sell a player who is no longer needed. According to Foot Mercato, Al-Nassr have made an offer to sign Antony from Manchester United.

The report states that it is unknown how much Al-Nassr have offered, but United are holding out for a fee of €60 million for the Brazil international, which is roughly £52 million. Antony is under contract at Old Trafford until 2027, but he spent the second half of last season on loan at La Liga side Real Betis.

The 25-year-old, who earns a weekly wage of £200,000 at United, scored nine goals and recorded five assists in 26 games for Real Betis, but that form has done nothing to earn him a chance under Amorim. In fact, it was well publicised at the start of the summer transfer window that United are looking to sell Antony alongside other players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, who has now joined Barcelona.

Apps

17

Starts

15

Goals

5

xG

2.87

Shots per game

2.5

Chance conversion

12%

Assists

2

Big chances created

8

Key passes per game

2.2

Antony has been at United since the summer of 2022, when he joined for a hefty price tag from Ajax, as former manager Erik ten Hag wanted to link up with the winger once again. However, the Brazilian failed to make the same impact as he did in the Netherlands, as he scored just 12 goals over three seasons.

His new contract will extend up to the 2021 T20 World Cup in India

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-20192:09

‘Ravi Shastri was the unanimous choice’ – Kapil Dev

Ravi Shastri will remain head coach of the senior India men’s team, with his new contract extending up to the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) spent much of Friday interviewing five candidates for head coach, with a sixth – Phil Simmons – pulling out of the race earlier in the day. The CAC rated the candidates on five separate categories – coaching philosophy, experience, achievements, communication, and “knowledge of modern coaching tools” – and Shastri emerged the winner.The three members of the CAC – former India captain Kapil Dev, former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad and former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy – agreed “unanimously” to retain Shastri’s services, Kapil announced, with Mike Hesson, the former New Zealand and Kings XI Punjab coach, and Tom Moody, the former Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad coach, coming a close second and third respectively.Ravi Shastri’s coaching CV•ESPNcricinfo LtdApart from Shastri, Hesson and Moody, the CAC also interviewed Robin Singh, who has coached at four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians and was formerly India’s fielding coach, and Lalchand Rajput, India’s manager during their victorious World T20 campaign in 2007 and more recently coach of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Hesson, Robin and Rajput made their presentations to the CAC in person, while Moody and Shastri – who is with the India team in the West Indies – appeared via teleconference.The interviews for the remainder of India’s backroom staff will commence next week, tentatively from August 19-22. India’s senior selection panel, led by MSK Prasad, was supposed to pick the head coach’s support staff, as per the BCCI’s new constitution, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the CAC wanted to have a say, and expressed its interest and wrote to the BCCI requesting to be involved in the process.The contracts of Shastri and his earlier support staff were meant to expire at the end of the 2019 World Cup, but they were given a 45-day extension keeping in mind the ongoing West Indies tour. Ahead of the team’s departure for the Caribbean, India captain Virat Kohli made a public announcement that he would prefer if Shastri were to continue as head coach.When Shastri was appointed in July 2017, the CAC at the time – comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – had consulted Kohli during the selection process. This time, the CAC did not seek Kohli’s opinion on the matter.”Absolutely not,” Kapil said, when asked if the CAC had been in touch with Kohli before it made its pick. “If we had asked him, we would have had to ask the whole team their opinion too.”The previous CAC had also tried to sort out the differences between Kohli and Anil Kumble, who had stepped down as head coach in fractious circumstances before Shastri’s 2017 appointment. It subsequently emerged that Kohli had refused to budge in that instance, which eventually resulted in Kumble opting to walk away.Shastri first joined India’s backroom staff as team director during the 2014 tour of England, and remained director in the absence of a head coach, when Duncan Fletcher’s tenure ended after the 2015 World Cup. Shastri was out of the set-up when Kumble became head coach in June 2016, but returned as head coach after Kumble’s resignation.Since then, Shastri has overseen Test match wins in South Africa and England, and a maiden Test series win in Australia, in 2017-18. Under Shastri, India most recently reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in the UK, topping the round-robin phase of the tournament before exiting with a loss to New Zealand.

28 wins, 89 points – a record that would have seen Arsenal win the Premier League title in 15 previous seasons, as well as finish joint-top in a further five.

That is a reminder of the levels that Mikel Arteta's side reached in 2023/24, although that remarkable run will count for nothing if it is not built on next term, with quality recruitment needed to help bridge that minute gap with rampant champions, Manchester City.

Talk is already rife that the Gunners have their eyes fixed on a new centre-forward signing in the form of RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, although the Slovenian sensation may not be the only exciting, young attacker to arrive at the Emirates in the near future.

Arsenal in the race for Eredivisie star

According to Het Belang van Limburg – via Sport Witness – the north Londoners and rivals Liverpool are said to be among the clubs who have made an approach for PSV Eindhoven star, Johan Bakayoko, with German giants Bayern Munich also in the mix.

Having previously turned down the likes of Brentford and Burnley last year, the 21-year-old could finally be on his way to England if Arsenal get their way, with the Belgian having caught the eye since making his first-team debut in 2022.

As per the report, there have been claims that the wing wizard could be available for a fee of around €50m (£43m), representing a cheaper alternative to another reported Gunners target, in the form of Crystal Palace's £60m ace, Michael Olise.

How Bakayoko compares to Olise and Saka

The suggestion at present is that Arteta and co are keeping an eye on the in-demand Olise this summer, with the 22-year-old courting attention from a raft of top-flight clubs after contributing 16 goals and assists in just 19 games this season for the Eagles.

If the Emirates outfit do wish to consider a possible rival or alternative to the former Reading man, then they should look no further than Bakayoko, with the PSV dynamo also able to offer that creative, clinical spark from the right flank.

A left-footer like Olise, the youngster is a real "handful for defenders" – in the words of broadcaster Jack Collins – having bettered the Palace man's return with 12 goals and nine assists in the Eredivisie this season.

With 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions in total, the wideman now boasts a haul of 40 goal involvements in just 85 games for his current side – remarkably similar to Olise's 41 goals and assists in 90 games at Selhurst Park.

A worthy option in place of Olise, the suggestion is that Bakayoko could also potentially even threaten Bukayo Saka's regular role on the right flank, with data analyst Ben Mattinson noting that he would represent "genuine competition for Saka" in that wide berth.

Also described as the right-winger with the "profile most similar" to the England international, in the words of Mattinson, Bakayoko compares favourably to Saka with regards to his ball retention, dribbling prowess and ability to beat a man – as indicated below.

Stat (per 90)

Saka

Bakayoko

Non-penalty goals

0.35

0.43

Assists

0.32

0.32

Shot-creating actions

5.52

5.20

Pass completion

75.7%

81.5%

Progressive passes

3.66

3.50

Progressive carries

4.85

7.11

Successful take-ons

1.46

3.29

Touches in attacking penalty area

7.86

6.35

Tackles

2.03

1.19

Interceptions

0.42

0.32

Of course, operating in the Premier League is a different kettle of fish to the Dutch top flight – as the likes of Antony have found out at Manchester United – yet it seemingly bodes well for the impact that the ten-cap Belgium international could make under Arteta.

With no real obvious competitor to Saka at present in the senior ranks, signing someone to keep the Hale End hero on his toes – and afford him the chance to be rested on occasion – could work a treat.

Arsenal could land Martinelli upgrade in "unstoppable" £80m Sesko partner

The incredible attacker could be transformational in North London.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 1, 2024

Alisha Lehmann shared photographs on social media of her visit to the famous Hollywood Sign while on tour in Los Angeles.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Lehmann visited the Hollywood SignCurrently in LA after holidaying in Miami and OrlandoWill support Douglas Luiz at Copa America 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The Aston Villa and Switzerland midfielder visited the famous Hollywood Sign in LA as she continues to enjoy her summer break in the US. She is visiting the North American nation to support her boyfriend Douglas Luiz who is all set to be in action for Brazil at Copa America 2024.

AdvertisementWHAT ALISHA LEHMANN SAID

On Instagram, Lehmann shared a couple of photographs of herself at the Hollywood sign and wrote in the caption, "If you wanna know, it took me 2 hours to get there."

Getty/InstagramTHE GOSSIP

After seeing domestic and international come to a close for the 2023/24 season, the 25-year-old, along with Luiz, jetted off to the US. She had earlier visited Miami and Orlando before heading to LA. Lehmann is expected to be in attendance at SoFi Stadium on Tuesday as the Selecao play their first Copa America match against Costa Rica.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ALISHA LEHMANN?

With Douglas Luiz linked with a move to Juventus this summer, Lehmann is also reportedly pushing for a transfer from the Villans that will see her switch bases from Aston to Turin.

In a summer full of frustration for Newcastle United, things could be about to get even worse with reports now suggesting that PIF could yet help deal them a major blow.

Howe delivers verdict on "difficult" summer

Those at St James’ Park have had plenty of ambition without reward so far this summer. Whilst they deserve praise for the signing of Anthony Elanga, other targets have come and gone elsewhere in what has become the frustrating trend of their transfer window.

The latest to do so looks set to be Hugo Ekitike. Although reports suggested that Newcastle had already submitted an opening bid for the Frenchman with a second on the way, Liverpool soon swooped in to steal a march on the Magpies. With concerns that the Reds would instead turn towards Alexander Isak if they missed out on the Frankfurt star, Newcastle dropped out of the race for his signature.

Eddie Howe, like all involved at St James’ Park, will be incredibly disappointed by how the summer transfer window has gone so far. He told reporters when asked about Newcastle’s business: “It was a difficult summer (to switch off) with everything going on behind the scenes.

“Obviously losing Paul (Mitchell) and all of the dynamics changing within (the club). The Sporting Director role is such a pivotal role at the club, so there was a lot (of work) to pick up.

“There has been a lot of work, transfer-wise, for very little incoming action, although we are delighted to get Anthony Elanga in, who has done very well in training so far. But a lot more work (is needed) behind the scenes in preparation for the new season.”

More clinical than Ekitike: Howe plotting Newcastle move to sign £75m+ star

Losing out on Ekitike could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

2 ByTom Cunningham Jul 19, 2025

After calling for more work to be done, Howe may not exactly get his wish, however. In fact, reports are now suggesting that PIF could even play a part in dealing Newcastle their biggest blow yet.

Saudi giants plotting shock Isak move

According to Sky’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Al-Hilal are now plotting a shock move to sign Isak from Newcastle this summer in what would see PIF work on a deal between two of their majority owned clubs. Led by Simone Inzaghi, the Saudi market is said to be “heating up” with Al-Hilal “considering a massive offer to convince both the club and the player.”

It’s an unexpected twist, to say the least, but the Magpies could now reportedly lose out to the rich owners that they entrusted with keeping the Swede in the first place.

Despite the fact that PIF own a majority stake in both clubs, there would reportedly be no issue regarding the regulations if Al-Hilal did sign Isak this summer. Having lost out on Ekitike to fend off any interest from Liverpool in Isak, it would now be the summer’s most shocking turn if the forward moved to the Saudi Pro League courtesy of PIF.

There’s no doubt that the Magpies would be losing one of, if not the, best striker in the Premier League or perhaps world football, who earned plenty of praise from Gary Neville last season.

The Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit said after Newcastle defeated the Red Devils: “You could really see the quality of his play and his movement tonight.

“He’s absolutely fantastic and he’s improving all the time. We know he can score goals, we know he can run, but also his hold-up play and his link with others has got better and better since he’s been at Newcastle.”

Mikel Arteta has admitted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping to power Arsenal’s Premier League title bid. The Gunners are looking to land a first top-flight crown since the fabled ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04, with their Spanish head coach prepared to use all of the tools available to him. He has, however, urged caution when leaning on technology for assistance.

Unique methods: Arteta seeking marginal gains

Arteta has become renowned for his somewhat unique take on coaching, with an Amazon Prime documentary series lifting the lid on his occasionally bizarre methods of motivation – which once included playing crowd noise in training sessions. He is always seeking marginal gains.

In the modern era, that means taking advantage of the many sources of advice that are available. AI services are on hand to answer questions and simplify masses of data, with Arteta conceding that he is among those to have explored potential benefits there.

AdvertisementGettyFormer Arsenal Women's boss uses ChatGPT

Former Arsenal women’s team coach Laura Harvey, who now works with the Seattle Reign in NWSL, recently told the of ChatGPT influencing her tactical decisions: “One day in the offseason, I was writing things into ChatGPT like, ‘What is Seattle Reign’s identity?’ And it would spurt it out. And I was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s true or not’. “And then like, ‘what do you need to do to be successful in the NWSL?’ Like really broad questions.

“And then I put in, ‘What formation should you play to beat NWSL teams?’ And it spurted out every team in the league and what formation you should play. And for two teams — I’m not going to say who they are because they’ll know — it went, ‘You should play a back five.’ So I did. No joke, that’s why I did it.

“It was early in the season and I said to the coaching staff, I’m not joking this is what I did. And they were like, ‘huh, interesting’. We researched it, we did a deep dive on it, we thought about how we could play it. And we went for it, and we liked it. It worked. We won the game. It didn’t tell you how to play it or what to do in it or any of that stuff. It was just like ‘this is what we would say to do’. And I was like, ‘alright’. And that was what spurred me to look into it. So then I really looked into it.”

How Arteta is using AI at Arsenal

Quizzed on whether he is treading a similar path, Arteta said of using AI to evaluate performances and identify areas of improvement: “It’s a tool that is super powerful if you use it in the right way and you ask the right questions. It’s in use already for many things and many processes that can help not just a team but an organisation as well. It will improve and it will give us good insight, or things at least to think about. I’m not an expert but it’s a valuable tool.

“We have developed certain things that in our opinion can help us to understand ourselves better and evaluate what we do and what we can improve. And then we will explore using it in many other areas of the club.”

He added on tech tools being unable to replicate the skills required to deal with players on a personal level: “If it’s reliable, it can help us [for injuries], for sure but always without losing the sensitivity and feeling and following your gut. We are dealing with human beings and that’s an aspect that, so far, it is not able to replace.

“With the stats, it is about how do I interpret those stats and how reliable they are? You can get very confused, very annoyed, immediately. But this data means nothing, because you have to analyse. What is the methodology of that? And if you don’t understand that, and you just look at the data, then you can have a big problem.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

gettyNorth London derby & Kane: Arsenal fixtures

Arsenal have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, but dropped two in the latest outing after being held to a dramatic 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

With another international break being reached, the Gunners will be back in action on November 23 when playing host to arch-rivals Tottenham in the north London derby – before then tackling Harry Kane and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The visitors need to win at the Khettarama on Saturday if they are to force the ODI series into a decider

Madushka Balasuriya04-Jul-2025Big picture: SL will look to guard against complacencyThe only way from here is up. Just a bad day at the office. A freak occurrence. The only important result is the next one.These are probably some of the self-soothing platitudes those in the Bangladesh camp might be telling themselves after their calamitous display with the bat in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. Seven wickets for five runs, from 100 for 1 to 105 for 8 – a simple fact that there is no hiding from. But for that self-soothing to truly take effect, they might need to pick themselves off the mat, take a cold and hard look at their performance, and maybe understand that there was more good than bad.Or rather, understand that on most days, the bad will never be quite . After all, they had restricted a fairly robust Sri Lanka batting line-up to just 244 – a score that needed yet another rescue act from captain cool Charith Asalanka to attain, and one that seemed at least 40 runs below par. Then with the bat, Tanzid Hasan, during his 61-ball 62, made the surface look what it was: a bit sticky but any demons firmly in slumber.Related

'Asalanka has been key alongside me' – Jayasuriya on SL's rise up ODI rankings

Tanzid Hasan wants Bangladesh batters to 'bat long and deep'

Bangladesh sink after 7 for 5 collapse, Asalanka century

Khettarama bites back as Bangladesh unravel

Taskin on Bangladesh's 7 for 5 collapse: 'We panicked a bit'

In truth, this was simply something that happens in sport every once so often, where one team performs at a level well above average, and another plunges to new depths of mediocrity; Sri Lanka were electric in the field, while some Bangladesh batters missed straight deliveries. That is the barebones reality.So while Bangladesh might do well not to dwell too much on their performance, Sri Lanka would do similarly well not to get carried away. The emphatic nature of the end result obscured some less-than-illustrious batting from the top order, while their bowling – particularly from the seamers – lacked the menace and tenacity of their Bangladesh counterparts.Sri Lanka may also wonder why the promised seamer- and-batter-friendly surface in Colombo never transpired. They had stacked their side with three seamers, but by the end of the game, both of Kamindu Mendis’ arms were getting more of a workout than any of Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando or Eshan Malinga.Bangladesh, too, had opted for three seamers, and it will be interesting to see if both sides persevere with that strategy. But in any eventuality, a reversion to the mean for one – or both – of these sides, might mean that the second ODI on Saturday might just end up being the close contest the first had promised for long periods, before veering off the rails so dramatically.Jaker Ali took on Sri Lanka’s bowling in the first game•AFP/Getty ImagesRecent formSri Lanka WWWWL
Bangladesh LLLLLLIn the spotlight: Kamindu Mendis and Jaker AliOn the fourth ball Kamindu Mendis faced in the first ODI on Wednesday, he looked to drive Taskin Ahmed on the up, only to end up chipping a simple catch to mid-off. Fast forward a few hours, and off the fourth delivery he bowled, Kamindu snuck one through Towhid Hridoy’s defences before proceeding to grab two more wickets to instigate Bangladesh’s collapse. Those three wickets also came courtesy both arms, and considering the action he was imparting on the ball, it seems Kamindu has been working on his bowling a little more as of late. In a format where versatility is so crucial, Kamindu’s increasing ability to impact in every area of the game could prove invaluable.During his knock of 51 from 64 balls, with just the tail for company, Jaker Ali may have, for a fleeting moment, thought about achieving an impossible chase. In the end, he fell short, but for the hour or so that he was out in the middle, Sri Lanka – despite being so close to victory – couldn’t rest easy. But in taking on the bowling as comfortably as he did, Jaker once again showcased his ability to take hold of a game regardless of match state. For Bangladesh, the goal now should be to give him a platform to not just pull the side out of the mire, but also propel their innings to the types of totals modern ODIs demand.Dunith Wellalage could come in for Milan Rathnayake in the second ODI•AFP/Getty ImagesTeam newsSri Lanka are likely to go with same XI, though Dunith Wellalage could come in for Milan Rathnayake if the pitch looks to support spin similar to the first game.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Nishan Madushka, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Milan Rathnayake/Dunith Wellalage, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Eshan Malinga, 11 Asitha FernandoRishad Hossain missed the first ODI with fever, and could be back in contention. If so, he might replace Tanvir Islam, who seemed to be struggling with his calf.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Litton Das (wk), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanvir Islam/Rishad Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsPeriods of rain are anticipated across the day, so we could expect some stoppages. As for the pitch, after an early period where Bangladesh’s seamers prospered in the first ODI, by the end, it had begun to revert to a more traditional Khettarama surface – though it was still far from being unplayable. However, there seems to be a concerted effort to make surfaces more batting-friendly, so batting first could once more seem to the play.Among active players, Taskin Ahmed has the most wickets in ODIs between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh•Associated PressStats and trivia Of Asalanka’s five ODI hundreds, four have required him to come out to bat inside the first 15 overs. Sri Lanka have never lost to Bangladesh in 11 ODIs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Wanindu Hasaranga is one run away from 1000 in ODIs. Whenever he scores that, he’ll become the 11th Sri Lankan to achieve the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the format, having got to the latter landmark in the first ODI. Taskin Ahmed’s 26 wickets are the most by an active bowler in ODIs between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. That is also the third-highest after Lasith Malinga (27) and Muthiah Muralidaran (31).Quote”We were building a good partnership. We were a bit unfortunate because they took a brilliant catch, and then the run-out happened. That was a turning point. If we could have added 30-40 more runs, the match would have been much easier.”

South African leads way to down Surrey and keep Lightning in Finals Day contention

ECB Reporters Network15-Aug-2019Mignon du Preez struck a majestic unbeaten half century as Loughborough Lightning crushed hosts Surrey Stars by seven wickets at Guildford.The former South African captain made 70 off just 41 balls, sharing an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 92 with Georgia Adams, meaning Lightning made short work of a below par target of 121.Earlier, Surrey Stars had struggled to muster 120, their efforts strangled by tight bowling from Hayley Matthews and Kathryn Bryce in particular.Jenny Gunn, standing in for Georgia Elwiss as Loughborough skipper won the toss and chose to field, and the decision initially looked questionable as Lizelle Lee launched four boundaries off the second over bowled by Tara Norris to give the Stars some early impetus.Bryony Smith attempted to follow suit, hitting the game’s first six off Gunn, but skied the next ball to Chaman Attapattu at cover.Lee was given a life when she pulled a short one from Hayley Matthews behind square, the ball going through the hands of Glenn and away to the boundary, but fears it would be a costly were erased later in the over when Matthews lured Lee down the pitch and she was expertly stumped by Amy Jones.Marizanne Kapp and Stars’ skipper Nat Sciver attempted a rebuild, the former striking a six which just cleared mid-on. However, in attempting to repeat the shot in the next over, the South African all-rounder picked out Norris on the fence.With the pitch slow and Gunn rotating her bowlers cleverly, even the usually free-scoring Sciver struggled to get the ball away, eating up 27 balls for 23.Frustration ultimately got the better of her as she missed an ugly heave to cow corner off Matthews and over-balanced, giving Jones her second stumping of the day.Thereafter, only Dane van Niekerk, who hit a huge six into the car park, briefly broke the shackles as Stars limped to 120-7.The hosts needed early wickets and Mady Villiers delivered when Matthews hoisted her into the hands of Kapp at deep mid-wicket with just eight on the board.Kapp was in the action again next over ball in hand, though the wicket of Jones owed much to a stunning catch from Lee, who flung herself full length at point to take the ball inches from the ground, and when Aylish Cranstone clung on to a top edge from Attapattu off Van Niekerk, Lightning were wobbling at 31 for 3.Their hopes appeared to rest on the duo of du Preez and Georgia Adams and the former struck four early boundaries as 50 came up in the eighth over.The former South African skipper punished both Laura Marsh and Sciver as runs came quickly helped by several fumbes in the field from Stars. Adams caught the mood, sweeping Villiers to the fence to raise the fifty partnership in just 38 balls.Du Preez raced to 50 in just 33 balls courtesy of her ninth four and three more followed as Lightning romped home with 31 balls to spare.

Memphis Depay hit out at criticism over his new look as he claimed his girlfriend adores his appearance.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Depay hits out at criticsSporting a new look on the fieldNetherlands beat Iceland 4-0WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Manchester United and Barcelona forward played an important role in the Netherlands' 4-0 win over Iceland in their final international friendly on Monday ahead of Euro 2024. Depay had found the back of the net in the game but his goal was ruled out due to a handball.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 30-year-old's new on-field look, where he was seen sporting a headband, has been a subject of criticism among a section of fans in the Netherlands. On Monday, however, he defended his new appearance while speaking to the press after the game.

WHAT MEMPHIS DEPAY SAID

Speaking to reporters, Depay said: "The previous match I made twenty minutes of time for the press in the mixed zone. And I haven't had any questions about it. Who cares? Who cares? It looks great on me and helps me sweat.

"My girlfriend likes that sweatband. Amazing, right? It's a new look and I feel good about it. I'm already thinking about what colour I'm going to wear in Germany."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR NETHERLANDS?

After registering back-to-back thumping wins over Canada and Iceland respectively, Ronald Koeman's side will begin their Euro 2024 journey in Germany on Sunday against Poland.

After taking 7 for 22 in the last ODI between the sides, Australian all-rounder says the stage is set for an exciting Test

Valkerie Baynes17-Jul-2019Having had a full week to reflect on her remarkable bowling feats in the third ODI against England, allrounder Ellyse Perry was as humble as she had been while receiving the Player of Match award in front of her team-mates and – very humbled – rivals two Sunday evenings ago in Canterbury.Perhaps it was the fact she was still surrounded by her fellow Australian players on the team bus as they made the journey to Taunton for the Ashes Test starting on Thursday, perhaps there was something in the fact it sounded like she had just been awoken from a nap when she picked up the phone. But a modest, understated, team-first attitude seems simply to be Perry’s style.”I think it did come out of the blue, to be honest,” Perry said of her career-best 7 for 22 which routed England, bowled out for 75, and sealed a 3-0 ODI series victory, worth six Ashes points. It was also the the best ODI bowling performance ever by an Australian woman.Ellyse Perry picked 7 for 22, the best by an Australian woman in ODIs•Getty ImagesShe credited Australia bowling coach Ben Sawyer, who is also head coach of Perry’s WBBL side Sydney Sixers, with helping her – and, of course, her fellow bowlers – since he joined the national team last September.”I’ve been really fortunate to work with Ben Sawyer for a number of years now and we just always try to keep developing and progressing things as a bowling unit,” Perry said. “For whatever reason the other day it was just my day and it went my way and I guess you have those days every now and then when you play. It was just one of those ones that I can’t really explain but it was nice.”Perry had another one of those days the last time Australia played England in a Test. Her unbeaten 213 in the drawn match at North Sydney Oval in November 2017, is the third-highest in a Test innings by any woman.An elite athlete, Perry takes a keen interest in many sports, having gone to watch Roger Federer play Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic against David Goffin in the Wimbledon quarter-finals and kept tabs on the FIFA Women’s World Cup, having made 18 appearances for Australia’s national team, the Matildas, in her previous career as a football player.”It feels like a long, long time ago now but I certainly, like anyone else, absolutely love the Matildas and enjoy following their progress and how they’re going,” Perry said. “But personally I think football feels like a whole other career ago, I guess. With England making it to the semi-finals there was a lot of buzz over here. It was really big news and I kept a bit of an eye on it.”But back to cricket, and the team. Perry, who has played all of her seven career Tests against England, expects the hosts to come out firing, given they must win the match to keep alive any hope of wrenching the Ashes from Australia.”The situation has set up a really exciting Test match because I know as a team we’re really eager to play an exciting, enjoyable brand of cricket to watch and part of that is trying to push for a result and be successful in the Test match,” Perry said. “England are in a position now where they need to win the Test match, so from that point of view, it means there’s going to be some really great cricket played.”England are an incredibly capable side with a number of very, very good players. I know they’ve been disappointed with how they’ve performed in the series so far but I think we’re all incredibly wary of them and what they’re capable of doing and given the pressure that they’re under to be aggressive and play well and win this match coming up it’s going to be a really good fight for us.”