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GOAL looks at five players that still have USMNT hopes with the World Cup around the corner.

There always seems to be some sort of surprise when World Cup rosters are announced.

From shocking omissions to risky inclusions, the U.S. men's national team has seen its share of World Cup controversy. Who can forget Julian Green's rise from anonymous to World Cup star, or the fact that it perhaps came at the expense of Landon Donovan?

As the USMNT prepares for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there could still be some surprises. With squads expanded to 26, Gregg Berhalter will have more roster flexibility than any of his predecessors.

Could he use that flexibility to take a big swing with a surprise September omission? Could he bring in a hot hand to replace an out-of-form regular? Could a familiar face make a late surge?

Here's a look at five players who could force their way into the World Cup squad after being left out of September camp:

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  Jordan Pefok

  The first and most obvious one.

  It could certainly be argued that Pefok was the big winner of the camp despite not being called in to play against Japan and Saudi Arabia. As his competitors floundered, Pefok was able to watch on knowing that his club form could be enough to lift him into the squad.

  So far, his club form has been spectacular. He's scoring goals for Union Berlin, who are right at the top of the Bundesliga. That's a level that no other USMNT striker is playing at right now.

  Will that be enough to get him into the squad? Well, it probably should, even if he isn't the perfect fit for Berhalter's system. Worst case, Pefok is a good change of pace for when the USMNT needs a goal because, at least for his club, he's proved he can get them.

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  Tim Ream

  Given what we saw from Aaron Long during this past window, is it smart to write Tim Ream off?

  Ream has, for all intents and purposes, been written off for much of the past year. The veteran defender doesn't quite fit with this young USMNT group, and his lack of mobility makes him a less-than-ideal partner for Walker Zimmerman.

  But, like Pefok, can you really deny the level that Ream is playing at? He's been a rock for Fulham for years, including during the early stages of the Premier League this season.

  Ream brings leadership, experience and a bit more quality on the ball than any other healthy defender in the pool right now. He may be older, yes, but, if you're choosing the best center backs, Ream might have to be on that list considering the level he is playing at week in, week out for his club.

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  Brandon Vazquez

  Could Brandon Vazquez's first cap really come at a World Cup?

  Going by purely goalscoring form, Berhalter should at least consider it. He's got 16 goals so far this season, after all, for a surging FC Cincinnati team.

  Ricardo Pepi, meanwhile, has scored once in the last year. Josh Sargent has started well this season, but spent basically all of last season not scoring goals. Ferreira has been great for his club, but generally wasteful with the USMNT, even if he does fit the system better than anyone else in the pool.

  Even so, Vazquez faces an uphill battle, simply because he's never been on the field for the USMNT. Throwing him to the wolves at a World Cup would be a big ask, even if he was brought in as a third striker.

  That said, stranger things have happened, and goals solve most problems.

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  James Sands

  The Rangers defender/midfielder seems to be on the outside looking in.

  He wasn't called up in September and is seemingly way down the depth chart at center back, the position he's most likely to play with the U.S.

  He's had some growing pains with Rangers, notably against Ajax in the Champions League, but the former NYCFC star is playing at a high level with the Scottish giants. He's not super fast and he's certainly not very experienced against top teams at the international level.

  But Sands is also a unique player in this player pool as he has a different kind of game than any of his competitors. He can play center back in a back two or three and can operate as a No. 6 as well.

  If Plan A, the 4-3-3, isn't working, it would be nice to have a Plan B, and Sands is a player who can turn Plan B into a reality.

  Still, the fact that Erik Palmer-Brown and Mark McKenzie were both called in ahead of him is a worrying sign that says Sands' hopes are pretty much over.

Yuvraj Singh, Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Karthik, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma and Kevin Pietersen are some of the big names released by their IPL franchises as the deadline for the first trading window closed on Thursday. A total of 101 players were retained, while 61 were let go by the six franchises.Yuvraj (INR 16 crores) and Mathews (INR 7.5 crores), who played for Delhi Daredevils, and Karthik (INR 10.5 crores), who was with Royal Challengers Bangalore, were the three most expensive buys at the IPL auction last year. All of them were dropped going into the new season.Yuvraj, who recently earned a recall into the Indian Twenty20 squad for the three-match series in Australia after a hiatus of close to two years, was anything but the catalyst Dardevils hoped for as they finished seventh in 2015. He scored 248 runs from 13 innings and averaged below 20, and bowled bowled only nine overs in the tournament as well. Mathews, too, proved a failure, tallying a mere 144 runs in 11 matches in which he bagged just seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.20.Karthik lasted just one season at Royal Challengers after he managed a paltry 141 runs at an average of 12.81 in 11 innings. His inability to bolster the lower-middle order worked against Karthik, who has played for close to a handful of franchises so far.Among the overseas players Pietersen and Steyn were left out by Sunrisers. Pietersen was bought at his base price of INR 2 crore but a shoulder injury kept the former England batsman out of the tournament. Aaron Finch, the top-ranked batsman in T20Is, was also released. He had played only three matches Mumbai Indians before he hurt his hamstring and was ruled out of the tournament last year.Kings XI Punjab released the recently retired Virender Sehwag, and George Bailey, who captained them in 2015.Sunil Narine, who has been suspended from bowling by the ICC, has been retained by Kolkata Knight Riders. He is still No. 1 in the ICC ODI and T20I rankings for bowlers. But they did not keep KC Cariappa, the mystery spinner who became the highest paid uncapped player from the 2015 auction.Maharashtra and India batsman Kedar Jadhav was the solitary trade after Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him from Delhi Daredevils for an undisclosed amount.The six franchises along with two new teams – Pune and Rajkot – will take part in the player auction, scheduled for February 6 in Bangalore. The second trading window will be open for the eight teams after the auction and will last till the beginning of the IPL. The ninth season of the IPL would be played between April 9 and May 23.

Stuart Broad warns England not to let their focus slip when they return to Test action against Pakistan in the UAE next month

Andrew Miller15-Sep-2015Stuart Broad has hailed this summer’s victory over Australia as “the most special Ashes win I’ve been involved with”, but says that England know from bitter previous experience not to let their focus slip when they return to Test action against Pakistan in the UAE next month.Broad, whose career-best haul of 8 for 15 on the first morning at Trent Bridge was the defining moment of the summer, is one of four survivors from the England team that travelled to the Emirates in January 2012 as the No.1-ranked Test team in the world, but finished up on the wrong end of a 3-0 whitewash.Despite competing with the ball on that trip, with Broad himself topping the averages with 13 wickets at 20.46, England struggled with the bat in each of the three Tests, being dismissed for fewer than 200 in four of their six innings. In the second Test in Abu Dhabi, they were set 145 for a series-levelling victory but were shot out for 72 by Pakistan’s spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.”[It’s a] really tough [challenge],” Broad told ESPNcricinfo. “But we have got guys of experience who have toured there before. Myself, Jimmy [Anderson], Belly, Cooky, we know the challenges we’ll face there, we know we’ll have to spend long times in the field to create pressure to take wickets and bat a long time.”In addition to winning the Ashes, England have won plaudits this summer for the approach they have taken to their cricket, with a new positive attitude reaping dividends across all three formats.Nevertheless, England’s Test record remains erratic, with four defeats in their last nine outings against West Indies, New Zealand and Australia. In particular, the nature of their two crushing defeats in the Ashes – on the slower, less seam-friendly surfaces at Lord’s and The Oval – doesn’t bode well for the challenges to come.”The biggest skill as an international cricketer is adapting to conditions,” said Broad. “Not every wicket you can go out and play hugely positively on.”I’ve not played at Sharjah [the venue for the third Test], but the wickets in Dubai and [Abu Dhabi] offered a tiny bit of seam but very slowly so we just bowled really straight.”But as a batting unit I remember we just got bowled and lbw a huge amount, which is not what you’d expect from world-class players. So that’s something we’ll have to learn from as a batting unit, to make sure we are playing straight, and look to get big runs because that’s what will determine the UAE trip, big runs on the board.”Broad is mindful of England’s tendency in recent years of following notable series wins with disappointing follow-ups – a pattern that was set in motion with a 2-0 defeat against Pakistan in 2005 following the euphoria of that summer’s Ashes, and continued two winters ago with the 5-0 whitewash that followed straight on from England’s successful home campaign against Australia in 2013.However, he believes that the current England team is at a different stage of its development to previous outfits, and credits Andrew Strauss, the team director, with instilling a new ethic that will help them to retain their focus throughout a tough winter that also includes a Test series against South Africa in December and January.”I think when Straussy came into the job, he had a long-term vision,” said Broad. “Obviously we had a huge goal to win the Ashes this summer but it’s further than that. We want to be a team that the fans enjoy watching, our style of cricket has changed, we are playing a style that people will want to tune in and watch and come to the ground and see.”We want a style of play that will take us a long way with the fans but also get us to the top of the world, and I think we are developing that. Obviously our inconsistencies have been well documented – win, lose, win, lose – but that keeps you on your toes and makes you want to improve when you are training.””There’s a huge goal this winter,” he added. “I’ve not been involved in a Test series win against South Africa, and we got beaten heavily in the UAE last time. There are a lot of goals and a lot of motivation for a lot of success this winter, and when you have a young squad and guys who are desperate to succeed, you can take the team a long way.”Broad, who was not involved in the one-day series against Australia, has been enjoying a rare period of down-time since the Ashes, with a chance to reflect on a remarkable summer in which England’s success was closely linked to his personal achievement. His 21 wickets at 20.90 enabled him to become only the fifth England bowler to claim 300 in Tests.”It was extra special because we weren’t expected to win,” said Broad. “Australia came into the series with such form and dominated the World Cup. If you read all the newspapers and saw all the predictions before it started it was Australia, Australia, Australia.”It was a whole team effort, a group of guys who threw themselves in the series. That’s why it felt so special. We have an end goal to be the best in the world in Test match cricket. That might be a few years away but we know we have the talent in changing room to reach that.”

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed incoming tours from India and New Zealand this winter, though the team’s proposed trip to Pakistan next month is “still to be confirmed” amid security concerns.Zimbabwe have been invited to play five ODIs in Pakistan and become the first Test team to tour the country since 2009, but ESPNcricinfo has learned that some Zimbabwe players are hesitant to make the trip.With a sparse international calendar, ZC is hopeful of scheduling as much cricket as possible. The board is in talks with Ireland, and has also accepted an offer to play in the Africa T20 Cup in South Africa, against provincial teams Namibia and Kenya in September, but before that, they are trying to convince their own team to travel to Pakistan. ZC mooted the possibility of hosting Pakistan later in the year as a way to create a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.”We are in discussions with Pakistan for a potential reciprocal tour possibly in August or September,” Alistair Campbell, the managing director of ZC, said, without going into the details of next month’s trip. Instead, he jumped to July to “confirm that India and New Zealand are coming as part of the FTP bilaterally signed by the respective boards.”The BCCI has confirmed India will travel to Zimbabwe for three ODIs, which Campbell said would take place in the first half of July. Although short, the visit by India is significant because it will provide a debt-steeped ZC with much-needed finances to tide themselves over. The last time India toured Zimbabwe was in 2013 and it allowed ZC to pay overdue player salaries.New Zealand are scheduled to visit Zimbabwe for two weeks between July 28 and August 10, before they head to South Africa. The short time-frame means it is likely that tour will also only include limited-overs cricket and no Tests, which Zimbabwe may have to wait until November to play.Campbell revealed Zimbabwe are also in talks to go to Bangladesh “possibly in November and December”, roughly the same time they toured the country last year. At the end of 2014, Zimbabwe were blanked in all formats in Bangladesh, prompting changes which saw Dav Whatmore appointed coach and Campbell return to the fold. Going back there would enable Zimbabwe to measure their progress.By then, Zimbabwe will be able to call on strike bowler Tendai Chatara, who has been ruled out of action for six months after suffering a fracture in his left leg while playing soccer. Chatara was Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker at the World Cup and has shown promise in the longer format too, but he may miss out on much of their mid-year cricket.Zimbabwe will also be without Brendan Taylor, who effectively retired from international cricket at the World Cup to pursue a Kolpak career. But there is some good news for Zimbabwe, too. Legspinner Graeme Cremer, who quit cricket for golf last year, has returned to training, and opening batsman Tino Mawoyo is also back in the fold after spending last season battling injury.

In a late move Sri Lanka have sought to replace injured left-arm spinner Rangana Herath with 22-year old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, ahead of the quarter-final against South Africa on Wednesday

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Mar-2015In a late move Sri Lanka have replaced injured left-arm spinner Rangana Herath with uncapped 22-year old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal in their squad ahead of the quarter-final against South Africa on Wednesday. The ICC approval for the replacement came about two hours before the toss in Sydney, but even before that team manager Michael de Zoysa said Kaushal “could and should be in contention” for the match.Sri Lanka had given Herath as much time as possible to recover from the cut he sustained to his spinning finger against England on March 1. However, he was not able to bowl more than two overs in the nets on Tuesday, and is expected to be unfit for another week. Though Herath cannot be reinstated in the squad if Kaushal replaces him, he will stay with the team while he recovers in case a vacancy arises through injury to another player.”He could come back in if someone else gets injured,” de Zoysa said. “You never know, these things keep happening to our team.”Herath’s exit from the squad is a significant blow to an attack that has relied on his control during the middle overs. However, Kaushal has been training with the squad in Australia for more than a week, effectively as cover for Herath. Though he is a relative unknown at international level, Kaushal has carved out an exceptional domestic record in his three seasons at senior level. In 29 List A matches, he has 49 wickets at 18.34. He has also been in impressive form in the past few weeks, claiming 47 wickets at 18.82 in the Premier League tournament – Sri Lanka’s first-class competition.On Tuesday, the eve of the match, Angelo Mathews had said Kaushal’s inclusion for the quarter-final was “an option” for Sri Lanka, but they also have legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna and offspinner Sachithra Senanayake in the squad. However, it would appear strange that Sri Lanka would enter a third specialist spinner into the squad unless he has a chance of playing, given batsman Kithuruwan Vithanage is also traveling with the squad, and could have been drafted in for Herath.Herath is the fifth Sri Lanka player to sustain an injury and be replaced from the original squad. Seamer Dhammika Prasad, batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, and legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis had all been forced out through injury during the campaign. Herath played four matches in the tournament.0120 GMT The story was updated to reflect the ICC’s approval of Tharindu Kaushal as Rangana Herath’s replacement

Attention finally turned to cricket in Australia, as the touring Indians resumed their preparations for the Test by bowling out Cricket Australia XI for 243 on pleasant sunny day in their final two-day tour game at the Glenelg Oval in Adelaide

The Report by Sidharth Monga in Adelaide04-Dec-2014
Scorecard The scoreboard displayed a tribute to Phillip Hughes•Cricket AustraliaAttention finally turned to cricket in Australia, as the touring Indians resumed their preparations for the Test by bowling out Cricket Australia XI for 243 on pleasant sunny day in their final two-day tour game at the Glenelg Oval in Adelaide. Varun Aaron was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, the first of them in his first over, but the usual Indian problem of too many no-balls – nine on this day – in practice games and uncertainty around the slip cordon stayed with the visitors. India’s batsmen didn’t have the best day either: Shikhar Dhawan bagged a golden duck, Virat Kohli should have too, M Vijay was dropped on 5, and Cheteshwar Pujara added only 10 after being dropped on 12.The CA XI agreed to bat first, most likely because three Indian batsmen – Kohli, Vijay and Rohit Sharma – who had gone to Phillip Hughes’ funeral in Macksville were due to reach the venue only after lunch. Hughes was given more touching tributes as all the Indians put their bats out against the picket fence, and both the teams observed a minute’s silence before the game got underway. All players and umpires wore black armbands. In Kohli’s absence, Ishant Sharma led the Indians.The start was anything but quiet, though. In the first over itself, Ryan Carters edged Mohammed Shami through to second slip. In the next, Ashton Turner played Aaron on to his leg stump. This is not a first-class game, which means India could have used any number of bowlers, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and R Ashwin did not bowl. India instead went with pace and aggression. Shami, Aaron and Umesh Yadav were the first three bowlers used by Ishant, and none of them held back with the bouncers.All of India’s quicks used the bouncers liberally, almost as if they wanted to get any reservations about bowling the bouncers out of their system before they went into the Test, which begins on December 9 at the Adelaide Oval. Later during the day, Kohli applauded from the sidelines when Aaron hit Seb Gotch with a bouncer. Earlier, too, Alex Keath recieved treatment on a finger that received a blow from a short ball. However, it was a short-of-a-length delivery from Shami that brought the Indians their next wicket, with Matthew Short chasing and edging through to Wriddhiman Saha to make it 3 for 34.Jordan Silk, though, responded by attacking the bowling, and took CA XI to lunch without any further damage. There was attractive stroke-play involved. He was good on the cut against the quicks, and didn’t let the legspinner Karn Sharma settle into a rhythm. The first two overs from Karn went for two fours and a six, through mid-on, over mid-off and back over his head. His 71-run stand with Keath came to an end when extra bounce from Aaron caught Silk’s glove on its way through to the cordon, just after lunch.Keath and Jake Doran then played loose shots against Karn, followed by another played-on dismissal for Aaron. By now the three batsmen had made their way to the ground, and Indians kept rotating the fielders on the park so that all the batsmen could get a hit in the adjoining nets too. Saha swapped gloves with Naman Ojha when he went to the nets. Unless MS Dhoni has recovered miraculously from his finger injury, Saha is expected to keep at the Adelaide Oval, incidentally where he last played a Test.The slips kept rotating too. It began with Pujara, Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane. When Pujara needed to go under the lid, Ravindra Jadeja replaced him at first slip. Suresh Raina later replaced Rahane at third slip. Vijay had a stint too. Even Kohli fielded in the slips during the second session. Slip catching was one of India’s problem areas in England, and they wouldn’t want to see more missed chances and drop in confidence for the bowlers. Raina is not a likely starter as a Test batsman, but he showed his worth in the slips when he dived to his right at third slip, and took a one-handed catch to end CA XI’s innings.Slips remained the focus in the Indians’ innings too as Turner kept reprieving the Indians. The first wicket, though, had nothing to do with the slips. Dhawan was a tad unfortunate when he whipped a leg-stump half-volley, and found square leg with precision. Soon, though, Vijay pushed at a wide one, and Turner grassed a comfortable catch at first slip. Immediately after, Pujara was nearly caught and bowled by Josh Lalor.Lalor was a relieved man when Pujara poked at a wide delivery, giving Turner a catch to his right. The next ball should have brought Lalor a wicket with Kohli cutting loosely, but Turner didn’t accept what was a much easier offering than the one he took a ball earlier. Vijay and Kohli saw the Indians through to the stumps, but didn’t always look at their best. Vijay even flayed at the last ball of the day, but was lucky he did not edge it.

Liverpool target Mason Mount will decide on his future at Chelsea in the 'next few weeks' as speculation continues to swirl over his future, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

As per Football Insider, Chelsea will elect to sell Mount this summer if he doesn't agree a new contract at Stamford Bridge despite prospective manager Mauricio Pochettino's efforts.

Pochettino will not have control of the 'financial package' offered to Mount as the Blues try to tie down the £80k-a-week ace to an extension to his deal that is set to run out in 2024. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are all said to be keen on offering the England international an escape route from Chelsea in the off-season.

The Sun report that relations between Chelsea and the player have deteriorated, with a source telling the outlet: “It feels like it is too late now for Mason. Pochettino is good but he can’t work miracles. If he had been brought in when Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel in September then maybe it would be a different story. But in ten months there hasn’t been any resolution and other clubs want him. Good luck to Poch and Mason but we’re not hopeful.”

Liverpool are known to be in the market for reinforcements in the middle of the park in the forthcoming window and have also confirmed that quartet Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave on free transfers upon the expiration of their deals at Anfield.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that Mount will decide on his future at Chelsea sooner rather than later.

Jacobs told FFC: "Mason Mount is still there as well and I think that there's a very high likelihood that in the next few weeks, that situation becomes clearer. Chelsea haven't moved again, after the parties were far apart in their valuation, and always said they wouldn't do so until the end of the season, which is why the next few weeks are key. They haven't given up on keeping Mount, but there's not been a huge amount of optimism since the point when Mason Mount rejected more than one offer. In that window Liverpool, and even some other Premier League clubs have had the opportunity to pitch to Mount and the Liverpool pitch is just a little bit clearer in terms of pathways."

Would Mason Mount be a good addition to the Liverpool midfield?

Mount, who has previously been hailed as a "superstar" by Rob Guest, is an established Premier League midfielder and has become an important player for Chelsea over the years, racking up 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances for his boyhood club, as per Transfermarkt.

This season, FBRef note that the Englishman has still been productive in being able to lay on opportunities for his teammates, managing to successfully complete 83 shot-creating actions.

WhoScored also details that Mount has had an average of 1.4 shots per patch in the Premier League this term, demonstrating his eye for goal from the middle of the park.

Liverpool have a midfield in need of surgery this summer and Mount could be a quality signing at Anfield if they can force a deal over the line for his services.

When two of English football's great rivals met on August 28, 2011, nobody could have expected what followed

Wayne Rooney bangs in a hat-trick. Ashley Young owns the top right corner. Arsenal smashed. Manchester United and Old Trafford in dreamland. No one will ever forget the day Sir Alex Ferguson humbled his long-time rival Arsene Wenger in one of the most remarkable games in Premier League history.

An 8-2 win on August 28, 2011 stunned the Gunners and the rest of United's title rivals – coming just three games into the season and sending out a resounding statement of intent.

Ferguson's team was in a state of evolution as he began to disband his last great side: the Champions League-winners of 2008.

No Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez. Paul Scholes had retired, Ryan Giggs was getting older, and absent from the starting line-up on the day were Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick.

This was a glimpse into the future. A look at Ferguson's work-in-progress – even on the back of a title-winning campaign the previous season.

On this day, they looked every bit like champions again. Manchester City would have other ideas, of course. Aguerooooo! and all that.

But for 90 minutes at Old Trafford, United were absolutely unstoppable…

GettyGK: David de Gea

A young goalkeeper relatively unknown to English football fans had only just signed for United, embarking on the daunting challenge of filling the void left by Edwin van der Sar.

He would go on to struggle badly in his first season, losing his place to Anders Lindegaard midway through the campaign. But he would later establish himself as one of the finest keepers of his generation and is still United's undisputed No1.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Chris Smalling

Deployed at right-back on the day, Smalling was still establishing himself at United after a £10m ($12.2m) move from Fulham the previous year.

Never truly fulfilled his potential at Old Trafford and not helped by the number of managerial changes since the retirement of Ferguson.

Famously called 'Mike' by Louis van Gaal, he has rebuilt his reputation and career in Italy with Roma under another former United boss, Jose Mourinho.

Getty ImagesCB: Phil Jones

Ferguson was convinced he had recruited a future great from Blackburn Rovers in Phil Jones, who could play centre-back, full-back and in midfield.

United's plan was for him to establish himself in the heart of defence as Ferguson started to look beyond Ferdinand and Vidic.

At the end of Fergie's final season the following year, he declared Jones as having the potential to become the greatest player in the club's history.

Injuries and the lack of Ferguson's guidance contributed to his career being derailed but he's still at the club to this day, though United are ready to sell him this summer.

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Getty ImagesCB: Jonny Evans

Another part of Ferguson's plan to overhaul his defence – along with Jones and Smalling – Evans was seen as the future.

While Gerard Pique was allowed return to Barcelona over doubts about his suitability to the Premier League, Evans was seen as a real contender to force his way into the first team.

By Ferguson's final season, he had begun to break up the Vidic-Ferdinand partnership.

Sold by Van Gaal in 2015, it is a decision still questioned by fans.

Former opening bat takes first step into coaching following retirement this summer

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2025

Nick Browne, Essex’s former opening batter, has taken his first step into a post-playing career by joining the club’s women’s set-up as assistant coach and batting lead.Browne, 34, announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 County Championship season, having amassed nearly 10,000 runs across all formats, including 22 centuries and a best of 255 against Derbyshire in 2016.His appointment follows that of Stephen Parry, the former left-arm spinner, who was last week announced as Essex Women’s new head coach, following the departure of Andy Tennant earlier this year. Cath Dalton, the club’s former academy coach, has also been named as seam-bowling lead to complete the squad’s overhaul, after a disappointing maiden season as a Tier 1 women’s team last year.Browne said: “I am really enthusiastic at this new challenge and chapter. I spent some time with Essex Women during the summer and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so to be offered the role full-time is really exciting.”Following my retirement at the end of the season, I was determined to get into coaching and share some of the knowledge I have gained over the years.”To be given this role by the club is extremely fortunate and I want to thank everyone involved in trusting me as I embark on the next stage of my career.”The group we have here is very talented and I hope that I can help deliver success for the Essex Women in the short and long term.”Chris Silverwood, Essex’s director of cricket, said: “Nick was the perfect fit to take on the role as Essex Women’s assistant coach and batting lead and we are really happy that he has agreed terms to his new role at the club.”Throughout his playing career Nick displayed a tremendous amount of professionalism and dedication to his game and Essex Cricket. His professionalism, calm leadership, and deep understanding of the game makes him a more than ideal mentor for our Women’s team.”Nick will offer the ability to develop players both technically and mentally and I have every confidence that his influence, alongside Stephen Parry, will elevate our group of Essex Women cricketers and inspire them to reach new heights.”

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-20161:03

Sri Lanka seek revenge in T20s

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot.Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that Henry would stand in for Southee even in the T20s.”Tim was feeling really fresh after coming back from a break for the first two ODIs, so it’s certainly disappointing for him that this has happened now,” Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, said. “Tim’s obviously a key member of our team and been a strong performer for us in all three formats, so he’s a big loss.”We haven’t set a date for his return at this point, but will continue to monitor him and work to get him back to full fitness as quickly as possible.”Incidentally, that Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June, as he had been rested for the limited-overs tour to Africa in August. Southee suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches, in Perth and Adelaide.He was also rested for the first two ODIs of the Sri Lanka series, in Christchurch, and in his absence, Henry, Southee’s replacement, went on to take four-wicket hauls in both games.