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‘Myth to say T20 cricket is for youngsters’

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Aug-20202:47

Dwayne Bravo: ‘Feels like I’m turning 27’

Dwayne Bravo believes “40 is the new 30”. Bravo, who became the first bowler to 500 wickets in T20 cricket this week, also stressed that it was a “myth” to believe T20 cricket was meant only for the youth, saying a player should be judged by performances and not age.”Yeah, 40 is the new 30,” Bravo told ESPNcricinfo this week. “Anyone who challenges or questions our age – I don’t think anyone of us, our performance has dipped or dropped because of our age. As a matter of fact, most of us even perform just as good or even better. Age is just a number. Don’t judge a player by his age, but judge him by his performance and his ability to continue to play.”Bravo, 36, is part of the band of senior players that have not only been part of teams that are serial title winners, but has also been among the most valuable players across both global tournaments as well as domestic T20 franchise leagues.The “us” he refers to above includes the likes of MS Dhoni (39), Chris Gayle (40), Shane Watson (39), Imran Tahir (41), Shoaib Malik (38) and Lasith Malinga who turns 38 on Friday. Along with Bravo all these men continue to be match-winners and magnets for young players to seek guidance.ALSO READ – Bravo @ 500: A T20 bowling phenomSome of these players might not turn up for every match, but they remain a potential threat for the opposition as Malinga proved in the 2019 IPL final, which Mumbai Indians won against Chennai Super Kings, the franchise that Bravo plays for. Incidentally, Bravo’s IPL team-mate Tahir, at 40, was the highest wicket-taker last season, winning the purple cap.”It’s a myth, yes,” Bravo said when asked if the widely held belief that T20 cricket is meant for youngsters was not correct. “You can’t beat experience. And the knowledge that we have for the game – I was the part of the every single T20 tournament around the world and I contribute to my team. Apart from being the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, along with [Kieron] Pollard, Andre Russell, myself – we also win most titles as well.”Dwayne Bravo is one of the most sought-after T20 players in the world•SBOTOPIn January, while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, Gayle said he would like to play as long as possible and did not rule out turning up when he would be 45. That there is substance in Bravo’s comments was proven by 48-year old Mumbai legspinner Pravin Tambe who made headlines on Wednesday by becoming the first Indian to play in the CPL. Tambe is part of the Trinbago Knight Riders side, which also includes Bravo.Bravo will turn 37 this October. Last December, he had revoked his retirement to play T20Is for West Indies after the current team management, led by head coach Phil Simmons and Kieron Pollard asked him to mentor young bowlers. Pre-pandemic Bravo would have been optimistic about playing in the T20 World Cup, which was originally scheduled for October-November in Australia, but that tournament has now been postponed to the same window in 2021 in India.Bravo still remained hopeful and confident because of one reason. “I always pride myself on being fit, cricket-fit especially,” he said. “As people say, I am ageing well. I am turning 37 but it is like I am turning 27. I am still feeling good about myself and my body. Let’s see how the rest of the year pans out and hopefully 2021 is a better year worldwide for everybody and things can get back to normal and then [I will] take the decision.”After playing in the CPL, Bravo will travel to the UAE in September to join the Super Kings in IPL, which will be played between September 19 and November 10. Bravo has won the IPL twice with the Super Kings and remains one of their most important bowlers, especially in the middle and death overs.Bravo is also one of the only two bowlers to have won the purple cap twice in the IPL along with Bhuvnewshar Kumar who won it back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. Bravo had won it in 2013 and 2015. In 2014, when he missed major chunk of IPL due to injury, Super Kings’ captain Dhoni said Bravo’s absence hurt the balance of the team and eventually their title chances.More recently in the 2019 IPL, Bravo picked up 11 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 8 01 and strike rate of 22. Asked if wining the Most Valuable Player award in IPL, a feat he has not achieved, was a desire, Bravo said he had different goals.”I am not interested [in] the Most Valuable Player [award] in the IPL. I am interested in being able to contribute to my team Chennai Super Kings’ success. Being as someone who bat at No. 7 and bowl near the death [and] back-end of the innings, it is hard to be the MVP. These are things I don’t set up myself to t be. I want to be a player that contributes with bat and ball and in the field for his team to win cricket games. I’ve been fortunate to be one of the two-time purple cap winner. And that’s good enough.”

The Cape Town Blitz fast bowler is keeping up with his food and exercise regimen during the lockdown while dreaming of an international debut

Firdose Moonda13-Apr-2020When fast bowler Sisanda Magala was included in South Africa’s ODI squad in January this year, the call-up was conditional on him passing the fitness test. He failed the test ahead of all three ODIs.Over the course of 12 white-ball internationals, six each against England and Australia, squad updates continued to include the caveat that Magala would only be capped if he met fitness requirements, and team sheets confirmed that he did not.Having such an intensely personal battle made public every few days would have affected most people. Not Magala.”Processes were discussed behind closed doors and I knew what I needed to do,” the 29-year-old said. “I saw it as having an opportunity to learn from guys.”The processes were part of a Cricket South Africa conditioning camp that Magala attended in January with three others with question marks over their fitness – Jon-Jon Smuts, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi.Smuts, who lives with diabetes, was withdrawn from the T20 leg of South Africa’s tour to India in September for fitness reasons; Ngidi spent a month injured after hurting his hamstring in the Mzansi Super League (MSL); and Shamsi needed more intense training ahead of a season where he would replace Imran Tahir as the front-line limited-overs spinner.Shamsi described the camp as an “awareness exercise and not a boot camp”, but even so, the emphasis was clear: if the four wanted to play for South Africa, they had to shape up. They each had individual guidelines, and Magala’s zoomed in on his diet.”There was a big focus on food portions, on what and when to eat, and also on recovery and sleep. I’ve cut out a lot of sugar and processed carbs. Luckily I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. It’s more about acids, so things like Coke,” he said. “I eat a lot of veggies, some meat, like chicken or fish, and drink a lot of water. As simple as it sounds, that’s a big thing.”Even under ordinary circumstances, such a strict eating plan would be difficult to follow, but it’s tougher in these unusual times, where the Covid-19 pandemic has confined millions of people to their homes.Magala and the rest of South Africa are currently in the middle of a 21-day nationwide lockdown. Outdoor exercise is forbidden and Magala, who lives in Port Elizabeth, does not have a home gym like some of his team-mates, but he’s making do.

“I’ve cut out a lot of sugar and processed carbs. And I eat a lot of veggies, some meat, like chicken or fish, and drink a lot of water”

“I’ve got bar bells, and I do body weight exercises and shuttles in the yard,” he said. “It’s not easy, but I’ve got the right mindset. It’s all up to me. It’s my responsibility to stick to it.”My goals were set in January and I am weighing myself every week. I go through a few phases of running very well some days and then not so well on others, so I am working on the consistency. But I am almost there.”When he gets there, he wants to aim for the T20 World Cup, which he says has been on his mind since last year. It’s a lofty but entirely achieveable goal for Magala, who has been steadily making his name as a death-bowling specialist.”Three years ago Colin Ingram told me he wanted me to bowl death at the Warriors. He wanted me to have ownership of the pressure, so I watched a lot of videos of Charl Langeveldt and Alfonso Thomas and tried to mimic what they do. And I am very specific in my skills, so when I do a lot of practice and bowling on my own, I try to put myself under pressure.”It paid off. He took 14 wickets in the 2018-19 One-Day Cup and 13 in 2019-20.In the most recent MSL tournament, Magala finished sixth on the bowling charts, winning games for the Cape Town Blitz by defending 20 off the last over against Durban Heat and 21 against the Tshwane Spartans.Magala also started to take a somewhat philosophical approach to this role. “When you are bowling at the back end, you can either win or lose the match. It’s your strength against the batsman’s and you have to back yourself and have confidence in your skill. It is a great opportunity to win the game and a bitter pill to swallow if you lose. I’ve probably won more games than I have lost, but the ones I have lost have been a great learning opportunity.”Magala grew up in Uitenhage, a town in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, also home to fellow fast bowler Anrich Nortje, his Cape Town Blitz team-mate. The two went to two of the area’s best known schools, Nortje to Brandwag and Magala to Muir College, where he also played rugby. When, in Grade 10, he tore ligaments in his ankle while playing rugby, Magala decided to concentrate solely on cricket.At the MSL, Magala also played alongside Dale Steyn, with whom he has “developed a great relationship”. “Just being on the same field as Dale Steyn pumps me up,” Magala said. “He also offered great advice and always told me to be calm and clever.”Steyn was also among the first to celebrate Magala’s call-up on Twitter, and Magala hopes the senior bowler will soon be celebrating his international debut as well, although he won’t be taking any diet advice from Steyn, who is notorious for his love of burgers and Coca-Cola. “Definitely not,” Magala said. “But we talk about all the other things.”Things like maybe the T20 World Cup, which Steyn is available for, and where Magala could make his first big impact. “South Africa have a very good attack with lots of variety. Everyone is different and I think I could play a role there.”I’ve already seen the intensity of international cricket is higher and I am going to be ready.”

Cricket Ireland has officially confirmed a first men’s tour of Pakistan in August and September next year. The series, which will see Ireland and Pakistan play three T20Is and three ODIs, was a part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), scheduled for September 2025.The release makes no detailed mention of dates and venues, or any other specifics concerning the schedule of the tour. It follows in the wake of Ireland Women touring Pakistan, who also played three ODIs and three T20Is, in November 2022.The decision was finalised after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Cricket Ireland chair Brain MacNeice. The PCB initially put out a statement appearing to confirm Ireland would also play a Test series in Pakistan, one that was not part of the FTP.”Chairman Cricket Ireland said that the Irish team would visit Pakistan next year in August-September for a Test series and would also review the possibility of a women’s team tour to Pakistan soon,” the PCB statement said.When ESPNcricinfo contacted the PCB for further details, the PCB denied that any such Test series had officially been in agreement, despite the board’s own statement ostensibly confirming it. A Cricket Ireland spokesperson said that details of the tour’s fixture list would be discussed by the two boards in future.Hours after the PCB release, Cricket Ireland put out an official statement on their own website relating to Naqvi’s meeting with MacNeice. In “wide ranging discussions”, it merely confirmed that the two boards “were able to agree a men’s tour next year – this will be yet another historic first, coming after the tour to Pakistan by our senior women in 2022.”The Pakistan men’s side is currently in Ireland taking part in a three-match T20I series. The sides split the first two games 1-1, with the series decider on Tuesday.

A duck for R Ashwin at No.3? He was just keeping his promise of being unpredictable this IPL

Srinath Sripath08-May-2018Ashwin keeps his promise

You’ll not be able to predict my next move. All players you think are going to open will play in the middle order and all the middle-order batsmen will open.

Ahead of this season, R Ashwin promised to be a funky captain, and while many of his moves this IPL have already been out-of-the-box, his decision to promote himself to No. 3 in the batting order outdid them all. Chris Gayle’s second single-digit score of the season and Mayank Agarwal’s exclusion from the starting XI would ideally have meant a promotion for Karun Nair or the incoming Akshdeep Nath. However, it was Ashwin who walked in at one drop to face K Gowtham.Ashwin has opened the batting in the IPL once before and come in to bat as high as No. 4, both times in low-scoring, successful chases. This time, a two-ball duck was all he could manage, done in by a conventional offbreak from Gowtham. Ashwin’s Powerplay batting in the IPL does not make for good reading: 12 runs off 26 balls, 20 of them dots. Two of these three times, he has been dismissed within the first over without doing much. Ashwin’s move came after Rajasthan Royals had also done the same, by promoting Gowtham to No. 3, where he only managed 8 off 6 balls.ESPNcricinfo LtdHow slow was Jos Buttler after the Powerplay?

Jos Buttler innings:

first 43 runs: 20 balls
next 39 runs: 38 ballshttps://t.co/hp2ffwIShf #RRvKXIP #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/Nd1UJRkE2o

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 8, 2018

Why Royals took so long to ask Jos Buttler to open is anyone’s guess, but his innings against Kings XI was another example of how his rollicking starts in the first six overs have given way to sedate middle-overs phases. Buttler has scored nearly 65% of all his IPL runs in boundaries, and once the fielding restrictions are over, his strike rate drops from 164.9 to 116.7. ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, our new metrics for T20 cricket, indicate he consistently scores slower than the batsman at the other end, and much lesser than the overall innings run rate in the middle overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdAgainst Kings XI, Buttler’s slowdown wasn’t compensated for by any acceleration from the other end, with no fours or sixes coming from his partners for 42 balls between overs 7 and 13. His dismissal in the 17th over didn’t help matters either, and with Gowtham already out, Royals managed only 26 runs for four wickets off the last 22 balls.How much more can KL Rahul do?
No side has been dependent on a single batsman this IPL as much as Kings XI have been on KL Rahul. After ten innings, he is the top scorer in IPL 2018 with 471 runs, having scored 29% of his team’s total runs so far, at a staggering average of 58.87. After ten games, Kings XI’s middle-order batsmen (Nos. 3-6), however, average an abysmal 19.43 runs per dismissal, the lowest among all teams, with only one fifty from a cumulative 36 innings.Against the same bowling attack on Sunday, Rahul had chased down a similar total, waiting till the end overs to accelerate after a sluggish start. In Jaipur, on a bigger ground, Kings XI batsmen only managed eight fours and one six till the end of the 18th over, with a number of them getting out trying to play release shots. On Tuesday, Rahul managed to hit a surfeit of boundaries towards the end, but by then it was way too late to catch up.ESPNcricinfo LtdDoes Jofra Archer have the most effective yorker in the business?
Archer’s yorkers have been far more productive than any other bowler this season so far, snaffling four wickets from 16 balls, at an economy rate of 3.75. No other bowler in the competition has managed more than one wicket, and his accuracy was on view at the death, again, on Tuesday, even while up against Rahul. His 17th over, which went for just four runs, swung the game decisively in favour of the Royals.While measuring accuracy of yorkers, one trend that often goes unnoticed is how frequently bowlers miss yorker lengths and go for runs off full-tosses and half-volleys. A closer look at Archer’s record shows that he lands over 63% of his intended yorkers on target, which is a higher rate than even Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In his short career so far, he has picked up eight wickets off 47 successful yorkers at an economy rate of 2.94 – numbers superior to more accomplished T20 stars. A side strain might have initially kept him out of the tournament this season, meaning he’d debut only in Royals’ seventh game, but if they make it to the playoffs somehow, they will have his bowling to thank.

Chris Gayle surpassed AB de Villiers to become the leading six-hitter in World Cup history

Bharath Seervi31-May-20191:09

A tale of Pakistan’s (low) World Cup totals

218- Margin of defeat for Pakistan in terms of balls remaining in their Word Cup opener against West Indies. This is their biggest defeat in World Cup history. In fact, in ODI cricket, they have suffered only one bigger defeat, which also came against West Indies, in Cape Town in 1993.ESPNcricinfo LtdWatch on Hotstar (India only): Oshane Thomas’ red-hot spell105- Pakistan’s total, which is their second lowest in World Cups. Their lowest was 74 against England in 1992 World Cup. However, Pakistan shook that off and went on to lift the trophy in 1992, despite getting bowled out for 74 once and losing by 10 wickets in their first match against West Indies.ALSO READ: Thomas and Russell make short work of Pakistan1996- The last time, before Friday, West Indies had bowled out an opposition among the first eight full-member teams for a score of 105 or fewer. They had bundled out Sri Lanka for 102 in Brisbane in the Benson & Hedges World Series in 1996.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7- Wickets lost by Pakistan batsmen to short or short-of-a-good length deliveries. They scored 55 off 68 such balls. Of the 130 balls bowled by the West Indies bowlers, 68 were short or short-of-a-good length, which is 52% of the total balls delivered. Jason Holder (3 wickets), Andre Russell (2), Sheldon Cottrell (1) and Oshane Thomas (1) picked up the seven wickets with such deliveries. Thomas picked three more wickets by hitting other lengths.11- Number of consecutive defeats for Pakistan in completed ODIs. They lost four ODIs to England, five to Australia and one to South Africa before heading into the World Cup. This is their longest losing streak in ODIs. The previous worst was 10 losses in a row between October 1987 and March 1988.40- Sixes for Chris Gayle in the World Cup – the most among all batsmen. He was tied with AB de Villiers on 37 sixes at the start of this game. Gayle had hit 26 sixes in the 2015 World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6- Number of consecutive fifty-plus scores for Gayle in ODIs with his 50 in this match. It is the joint second-longest streak in the history of ODIs. Only Javed Miandad’s nine 50-plus scores in a row in 1987 is longer. In his last six innings, Gayle has scored 547 runs and has hit 47 sixes.

MatériaMais Notícias

da apostaganha： O Botafogo decidiu se movimentar neste fim de janela e demonstrou interesse na contratação deMatías Rojas, meia-atacante do Racing.O jogador pode não ser muito conhecido pelos torcedores brasileiros, mas tem ganhado cada vez mais fama no futebol argentino.

O atleta vem sendo um dos protagonistas do Racing nas últimas temporadas e possui credenciais para ser titular do Glorioso. O paraguaio tem 27 anos e construiu boa parte da carreira na Argentina.

+São Paulo reencontra Tigre; Botafogo enfrentará altitude: veja os grupos da Copa Sul-Americana

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da bet7k： +Luís Castro reconhece irregularidade do Botafogo: ‘Não é normal’

HISTÓRICO DA CARREIRA

Matías Rojas começou nas categorias de base doCerro Porteño. Após ganhar espaço e se destacar no profissional, foi emprestado ao Lanús, mas não conseguiu obter uma sequência positiva de jogos e retornou para equipe paraguaia.

A volta do meia-atacante ao Cerro não durou muito tempo. Depois de algumas semanas no Paraguai, ele foi emprestado aoDefensa y Justicia. O jogador marcou um gol na estreia e atraiu olhares dos dirigentes do Racing, que decidiram comprá-lo em definitivo.

O atleta chegou ao clube em maio de 2019 e se transformou rapidamente em um dos protagonistas da equipe argentina. As boas atuações fizeram com que ele fosse convocado para disputar jogos pela Seleção Paraguaia nos últimos anos.

CARACTERÍSTICAS DO JOGADOR

Matías Rojas é canhoto, participa da construção das jogadas e também gosta de chegar na frente para finalizar. Uma de suas principais características é aparecer pelo lado direito, driblar para dentro e chutar de fora da área. A bola parada também é uma arma forte do jogador.

O paraguaio pode atuar como meia armador, aberto pela ponta direita ou até mesmo como um segundo atacante. O atleta gosta de realizar dribles curtos, possui qualidade no passe e tem muita potência no chute.

+Torcedores do Botafogo protestam contra John Textor e Luís Castro na semifinal da Taça Rio

BOTAFOGO NA BRIGA

Os dirigentes alvinegros formalizaram uma proposta de pré-contrato e querem adquiri-lo sem custos de transferência, mas não descartam investir na contratação do jogador.Matías Rojas tem vínculo no Racing até junho deste ano e não descarta uma vinda ao futebol brasileiro.

Multan Sultans believed to be considering Olly Stone as replacement

Danyal Rasool12-Feb-2024

Multan Sultans have been dealt a dual blow, with injuries to fast bowlers Reece Topley and Ihsanullah ruling them out of the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League. While Ihsanullah has a long-standing elbow injury and his unavailability was expected, Topley’s absence was announced on Sunday by Sultans owner Ali Tareen.”[Topley] hasn’t received his NOC [no-objection certificate from England] and is out of the PSL,” Tareen tweeted.Topley hasn’t played in the PSL before, but had a full T20 workload through the winter, playing 12 games in the SA20 with Durban Super Giants, finishing ninth on the tournament wickets chart. He is also scheduled to play the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore.ESPNcricinfo understands his injury is not serious enough to imperil his participation in the IPL, and pulling him out of the PSL was a decision taken out of an abundance of caution with a T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean in June.It is understood Sultans wanted to replace Topley with South African quick Nandre Burger – who also had a stellar season in the SA20 – but was told by Cricket South Africa he wouldn’t be granted an NOC. They are believed to be considering Olly Stone, who played in the SA20 and the ILT20 recently, as well as Sri Lankan seamer Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera, however, injured his left quadriceps on Sunday and will be missing the rest of the white-ball series against Afghanistan. The extent of his injury is currently unknown.The PSL starts on Sunday, February 17. The Sultans have reached the final in each of the last two seasons, falling short at the hands of Lahore Qalandars each time.

Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2024Legspinners Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce starred on the traditional pace-friendly Optus Stadium surface as Adelaide Strikers ended Perth Scorchers’ historic bid for a hat-trick of BBL titles with an upset victory in the knockout final.Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday, with the winner to meet Sydney Sixers in the final at the SCG.It was a remarkable turnaround for Strikers, who were in big trouble at 48 for 4 before a hard-hitting 56 off 32 balls from Jake Weatherald ignited a comeback.Strikers then superbly defended 155 for 7 with Boyce and Pope combining for seven wickets, including stars Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis, to stun Scorchers.It was a shock exit for Scorchers, who had a late-season fadeout after losing to Sixers in a last-ball defeat that cost them second spot and the double chance.Scorchers and Western Australia had swept all six domestic titles over the last two seasons. But they could not stop red-hot Strikers, who defied the absences of ILT20-bound Chris Lynn, Adam Hose and allrounder Jamie Overton.After being sent in, Strikers’ hopes of setting a big target rested with skipper Matthew Short who was coming off scoring the most-ever runs in a 10-game regular season. He had also blasted Scorchers for a pair of 70s during the season. But it was his namesake D’Arcy Short who came out blazing before falling to a brilliant return catch from left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff.Matthew Short looked in ominous form when he whacked a short delivery from speedster Lance Morris to the boundary. Something special was needed to dismiss Short cheaply and veteran seamer Andrew Tye stepped up with a gem of an inswinging yorker that rattled the stumps.Strikers were seemingly shaken by the dismissal with Thomas Kelly struggling to score in the overs before drinks. In an inspired move, Hardie reverted to left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly who hadn’t bowled in Scorchers’ last three matches.Connolly justified the faith by dismissing Kelly before Hardie brilliantly ran out Harry Nielsen with a direct throw from mid-on to leave Strikers in ruins at 48 for 4.Jake Weatherald counter-attacked with a quick fifty•Getty Images

Veteran Weatherald has grabbed his opportunities since being a late-season inclusion and dominated after drinks. He used his feet superbly against left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, whose home struggles continued in contrast to his miserly bowling on slower surfaces on the east coast.Weatherald raced to his half-century in 30 balls, but fell shortly after when he failed to execute a reverse scoop against Hardie, who then dismissed James Bazley to put Scorchers well on top.But their death bowling woes against Sixers reared with Strikers smashing 45 runs off the last five overs. Ben Manenti, who in recent seasons has been a thorn to Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, and Henry Thornton effectively threw the bat as Strikers finished with a competitive total.Strikers’ strong attack sensed an opportunity against a revamped Scorchers opening partnership of Sam Fanning and Marcus Harris, who were both late-season signings.Debutant Fanning started with a fearless approach to continually bludgeon through the offside. Fanning, 23, made a duck against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield in his only innings in domestic cricket this season. But he had entered with a century in local grade cricket and carried over that form with an assault on the new-ball, where he cracked two sixes off left-arm seamer David Payne in the fourth over.Fanning overshadowed Harris, who played sedately in his first innings since being overlooked for Australia’s Test team. It appeared like a fairytale was unfolding until Fanning holed out in the fifth over after scoring 31 of Scorchers’ first 38 runs.But it triggered a collapse of 4 for 10 capped by Hardie being clean bowled by Pope, who bowled well in tandem with Boyce in the middle overs.The pressure fell on Inglis, who plays aggressively against spin but he succumbed to a rampant Boyce as Scorchers crashed to 70 for 5 in the 12th over.Boyce was pumped up and Strikers were further buoyed when skipper Short took a spectacular diving return catch to dismiss Nick Hobson. Strikers were on fire as Bazley took a tough juggling catch on the boundary to snare Connolly to leave Scorchers’ faithful stunned and quickly heading for the exit.

Bayern Munich have taken their interest in Rafael Leao up a notch, holding direct talks with the AC Milan star’s entourage.

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Bayern hold direct talks with Leao’s agentsAC Milan demand massive transfer feeGerman champions won't rush negotiationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Bayern held talks with Leao’s camp as they seek a new left-sided winger. The Portuguese forward is open to the move but Milan's valuation, reportedly above €100 million (£84m/$114m), could make this deal a complex one.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After parting ways with club legend Thomas Muller and facing uncertainty over Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane, Bayern are prioritising wide reinforcements. According to , a face-to-face meeting between Bayern and Leao’s representatives recently took place in Munich. While the 25-year-old Portugal international is reportedly open to the idea of joining the Bundesliga champions, Milan are reluctant to sell.

DID YOU KNOW?

Leao had 12 goals and nine assists in the 2024-25 campaign and reportedly has a €175m (£148m/ $199m) release clause at Milan, one of the highest for any Serie A player.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

With the Club World Cup approaching, Vincent Kompany's side are not expected to rush negotiations. They are unlikely to meet that figure and may explore alternative targets such as Cody Gakpo, Kaoru Mitoma or Eberechi Eze. Nevertheless, Leao remains high on their wishlist, offering the kind of explosiveness, creativity and physical presence that Die Roten want on the left flank to complement Michael Olise on the right.

Enzo Maresca claimed he is not to be blamed for Cole Palmer's dip in form as the Chelsea boss admitted that the Blues talisman is "worried".

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• Palmer has drawn a blank in the last 16 games
• Maresca thinks the problem is "mental"
• English star desperate to end goal drought vs Everton

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer has had a sensational debut season with Chelsea, but is now going through a rough patch. He has drawn a blank in his last 16 appearances for the Blues, and the pressure is mounting on the forward to deliver the goods. Things are even more complicated since he has not faced such an extended dip in form at West London since his £40 million ($53.2m) transfer from Manchester City.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, Maresca was quick to dismiss suggestions that Chelsea’s tactical setup was to blame for Palmer’s struggles. Speaking ahead of their clash with Everton, the Italian manager stressed that the issues were more psychological than tactics or quality.

• WHAT MARESCA SAID

  Before facing Everton, Maresca told reporters: “For sure, it’s mental. I don’t think it’s tactical, I don’t think it’s technical, because Cole is still the same player who scored this season with us. The style of football we play is the same one. The manager is the same one. The club is the same one. So nothing changes around Cole and Cole doesn’t change. It’s just mentally at this moment. For sure, you can see that he is a little worried because he wants to help the team.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  While it was almost inevitable that Palmer would find it hard to maintain the extraordinary levels he displayed during his first 18 months in top-flight football with Chelsea, the extent of the drop-off has still become a major talking point. Despite the challenges, Palmer will have a golden opportunity to rediscover his scoring touch this Saturday against Everton – the very same side he famously scored four goals against in a 6-0 rout a year ago.