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England spinner claims 4 for 12 to cement dominance set in motion by Kestevan’s 77 from 60 balls

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-May-2025

A star-studded Lancashire Thunder side made history as they claimed the first silverware of women’s cricket’s new era, overcoming fellow Tier One side Surrey with a 32-run victory at the inaugural Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup Final in Taunton.Lancashire appeared to be in pole position at the halfway stage of the match, scoring 172 for 6 from their 20 overs. Opening duo Emma Lamb and Tilly Kesteven put on 48 from the powerplay, hitting eight fours in the process. A brief rain delay at the start of the seventh over failed to halt their momentum, as the pair went on to add 38 runs by the end of the tenth over, reaching 86 for 0. Tilly Corteen-Coleman then provided much-needed relief for Surrey, breaking the 86-run partnership with the wicket of Lamb for 27 (25).As the sun broke through the clouds, young star Kesteven was the shining light for Thunder, scoring 77 from 60, including fourteen fours before being bowled by Kalea Moore. Following her dismissal, the runs kept flowing, as Thunder scored 49 from their last five overs. Moore prevented further damage in the final over of the innings, taking the wickets of Morris and Ecclestone to end as the pick of Surrey’s bowlers, with figures of 4 for 27.With a daunting 172-run chase, Surrey openers Bryony Smith and Kira Chathli got off to a positive start, scoring 17 off the opening two overs. However, after hitting England International Kate Cross for two sixes, Chathli was bowled for 21 from 8. The story was similar for captain Bryony Smith, after hitting pacer Grace Potts for four consecutive fours, an uncontrolled drive saw her caught at mid-off by Cross for 25 from 17.A further flurry of runs for Surrey again led to wickets for Lancashire as, after a productive ninth over off the bowling of Sophie Morris which produced 13 runs including a six off the bat of Franklin, Thunder responded as Ecclestone took the wickets of Scholfield and Jones in consecutive balls to end the tenth over.Despite late contributions from Phoebe Franklin (41 from 36) and Moore (22 not out from 27) Lancashire absorbed the pressure to restrict Surrey’s run rate, helped by their consistently tight fielding. England duo Sophie Ecclestone (4 for 12 from four overs) and Kate Cross (2 for 27 from four) ended as the pick of their bowlers as Lancashire completed a comfortable 32-run victory.Thunder’s victory under the floodlights in Taunton makes them the last team standing of the 37 that entered the inaugural Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup, an “FA Cup” style knock-out tournament created by the ECB to allow all three tiers of the domestic women’s game to compete with one another.”I feel quite emotional,” Ellie Threlkeld, Lancashire’s captain, said. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming. I’ve never really won any silverware and it’s really nice to get over the line and take some silverware back! I’m so pleased.”On Ecclestone’s key role, she added: “I feel like obviously she’s the best in the world, isn’t she, and I think she’s proved that today on multiple occasions. It’s amazing to have her on your side. She can bowl at any stage of the game and is so reliable.”Bryony Smith, Surrey’s captain, was disappointed with the result but proud of the spirit that her team had shown, especially given how many absentees they had due to England’s ongoing T20I series with West Indies.”We’ve got a lot of fight,” she said. “We’ve obviously lost four or five players to England, and we’ve still put on 200+ twice in this competition. We’ll obviously get a few players back! We’ll keep losing them, but don’t write us off even if you’ve got however many runs you’ve got, we don’t care! We’re coming for you!”

MatériaMais Notícias

A ‘novela mexicana’ entre Suárez e Grêmio teve mais um capítulo nesta sexta-feira e triste para a torcida do Tricolor, já que o contrato teve o seu fim antecipado para dezembro de 2023.

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Inicialmente, o uruguaio tinha acordo até o fim da próxima temporada, mas a sua vontade de falar mais alto levou a melhor no braço de ferro com a diretoria.

Internamente, o convívio entre as partes não é dos melhores e Suárez forçou a barra para deixar o clube e atuar nos Estados Unidos ao lado de Messi.

Sem sucesso nas negociações, o centroavante desistiu de discutir nos bastidores e acatou a sua permanência no Tricolor.

Números 

Desde a sua chegada, Suárez disputou 32 jogos, anotou 16 gols e faturou o título do campeonato gaúcho.

Teenager Ayush Mhatre scored 32 off 15 balls on IPL debut

Sidharth Monga20-Apr-20255:39

Pujara: Hardik is evolving as a captain also

Mumbai Indians (MI) restricted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to 176 in an innings that largely remained intent-less at the Wankhede. In the last match on this pitch, RCB scored 221 and had to work hard to defend it. That CSK got to a respectable total was down to Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja targeting certain pockets of the innings, and the 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre’s eye-catching debut.Ashwani Kumar and Trent Boult went for 85 runs in six overs between them. The other 14 overs, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner, produced just 91 runs. There was a 27-ball period in the middle overs when not only was a boundary not hit, but there was not even an attempt made to hit one. Then, even after Dube broke free with a 30-ball fifty, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja presented plum match-ups to Bumrah and Santner, who went through overs 17 and 18 without a boundary.Dhoni’s dismissal in the 19th over to Bumrah resulted in the return of Boult for the final over – otherwise MI could have bowled Santner – and Jadeja could finally get a couple of big hits in to reach his half-century and unfurl the sword celebration.Hardik Pandya, MI’s leading wicket-taker this IPL, bowled only two overs for only 13 runs. He could have perhaps bowled at least one of the overs bowled by Ashwani and Boult. However, this was the only blemish on a night of excellent planning and execution for MI, which began with Deepak Chahar bowling four overs in a row at the top and ending with the wicket of Mhatre with a slower legcutter after the debutant had given CSK the only impetus in the powerplay for 32 off 15.Santner then tied down Shaik Rasheed and Jadeja before the arrival of Dube meant he was taken off with two left-hand batters at the wicket. Especially when one ofn them was Dube, whose slow start again underlined the lack of batting power in the CSK line-up.

يستأنف ليفربول مشاركته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز موسم 2025-2026 بلقاء بيرنلي يوم الأحد المقبل، خارج ملعبه، في الجولة الرابعة من منافسات المسابقة.

وكان ليفربول قد افتتح موسمه بشكل قوي بتحقيق ثلاث انتصارات متتالية ضد بورنموث برباعية لهدفين، وضد نيوكاسل يونايتد بثلاث أهداف لهدفين وضد آرسنال بهدف نظيف في الدوري الإنجليزي.

ونشر “الموقع الرسمي لنادي ليفربول” أن المهاجم السويدي ألكسندر إيزاك قد أكمل أول جلسة تدريبية كلاعب في الفريق.

اقرأ أيضاً.. سيميوني يفضل لاعب أتلتيكو مدريد على محمد صلاح

وكان المهاجم السويدي قد شارك في أولى دقائقه هذا الموسم في مباراة منتخب السويد ضد كوسوفو، في إطار تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026 يوم الاثنين.

Alexander Isak’s first day in training 🤩⚽️ pic.twitter.com/peYjToGtRb — Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 10, 2025

وكان إيزاك قد التحق بمركز تدريبات ليفربول في مركز “أكسا” لأول مرة منذ انضمامه من صفوف نيوكاسل يونايتد في اليوم الأخير من سوق الانتقالات الصيفية.

جدير بالذكر أن ليفربول قد أعلن عن تعاقده في وقت سابق مع المهاجم السويدي ألكسندر إيزاك في صفقة بلغت قيمتها 125 مليون جنيه إسترليني ليرتفع إنفاق ليفربول في الصيف إلى قرابة 500 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وسجل إيزاك الموسم الماضي مع نيوكاسل يونايتد 23 هدفاً في الدوري الإنجليزي ليقود الفريق للتأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا، إلى جانب تسجيله ضد ليفربول ليساهم في فوز فريقه بكأس الرابطة.

Liverpool are “clearly ahead” of rivals Chelsea in the race to sign a “magnificent” player in the summer transfer window.

Kerkez to join Liverpool this week

The Reds have now officially signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a British-record £116m move, in a piece of business that has made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice.

There is unlikely to be a bigger signing made this summer, with Wirtz considered one of the world’s top attacking players, but Liverpool are not expected to be done there, still planning on adding fresh faces to the squad.

It looks as though Milos Kerkez will be the next name through the door at Anfield in the coming days, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming over the weekend that a minor issue has been ironed out and that he could be unveiled as soon as Tuesday.

David Ornstein of The Athletic has gone one better, however, saying that a medical is now expected to be done on Monday after flying into the UK, with the deal set to be worth £40m for the Bournemouth left-back.

Liverpool leading race to sign "magnificent" ace

Now, reliable Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri [via Sport Witness] has said that Liverpool are “clearly ahead” of Chelsea and others in the battle to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana this summer.

He states that the Reds’ head of recruitment, Barry Hunter, admires the 20-year-old and has him at the top of his list of summer targets. The Premier League champions will need to sell Federico Chiesa first, though, and Fofana could possibly cost as much as £60m.

Fofana could be a brilliant long-term signing for Liverpool, with scout Jacek Kulig describing him as a “magnificent” prospect last year.

At just 20 years of age, the young Belgian has already bagged 22 goal contributions (15 goals and seven assists) in 62 appearances for Lyon, also winning one cap for Belgium at senior level, and those numbers should only improve as he matures as a player.

Predominantly a left-sided attacking player, it seems slightly strange that Liverpool would push so hard for Fofana, though, especially as Chiesa is right-sided in general.

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Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo appear to be staying put, so it would arguably only make sense for the Reds to sign the Lyon ace if one of them moves on, or if Arne Slot sees him as a backup option to Mohamed Salah on the right. But his talent is undeniable, so the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is exciting.

“We are getting used to home conditions… even though they are home conditions, we don’t have much experience here,” says Harmanpreet of playing at Chepauk

Sruthi Ravindranath27-Jun-2024

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes playing in Chennai is a “great opportunity” for the side to get used to the conditions, given it could be one of the venues for the Women’s ODI World Cup next year.India’s women’s team last played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk in a Quadrangular series in 2007. They last played a women’s Test here in 1976, and the ground hasn’t hosted any women’s T20Is yet. Since the end of 2022, all women’s internationals in India have either been in Navi Mumbai or Mumbai, till the ODI-leg of the South Africa series was hosted in Bengaluru last week. Following the one-off Test against South Africa starting on Friday in Chennai, India will also be playing three T20Is against them at the same venue.”As a team, it’s a great opportunity for us,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the Test. “We are getting used to home conditions… even though they are home conditions, we don’t have much experience here. But I think this series will definitely give us a lot of confidence to see how the wicket is going to behave and what combinations we can look for [for the World Cup]. Before the World Cup, with [about] one year left, I think as a team we are taking this opportunity with both hands whenever we are playing home series. It’s a great opportunity to see how the wickets are and how we can improve our skills.”Related

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This will be India’s third Test in seven months. They played back-to-back Tests against England and Australia in December 2023, posting massive wins in both matches. Harmanpreet says playing those two matches has helped the side get rid of “overthinking” while playing in a format.Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur take part in close-catching drills•PTI

“In the long format you have to be there [in the middle] for four days. But if you think like that as a player you can overthink. The last time [we played a Test] we only thought about winning the sessions and that really helped us. This time also we will focus on each session. The best thing about Test cricket is you have time to come back. If you lose one session, you always have time to [make up for] things.”That’s the key point which our support staff told us: ‘just focus on each and every session and if you can [break it] down to two to two-and-a-half hours, think about how you’re going to perform as a player’. I think that really helps, [rather] than thinking that it’s a 100 overs [roughly per day] game which makes you overthink. Those little points really helped us win the last two Tests and we just want to continue [to apply] those.”India will be relying on head coach Amol Muzumdar’s red-ball experience heading into the Test, Harmanpreet said. Muzumdar, who played 171 first-class matches in a 20-year-long career, has also played two red-ball matches at Chepauk.”I didn’t have much experience in Test cricket when I got to captain those two Tests,” Harmanpreet said. “Amol sir help me. He has played lot of Test [red-ball] cricket and he has a lot of experience. With his experience, he has helped me with things like how to take decisions on the field. I do have a bit of an idea now.”We don’t have much idea about how Chennai wicket is going to play. We have only seen when the men were playing but women’s cricket is totally different… the pace, the way we bowl and bat, I think we’ll know that only once we take the field tomorrow, see how the pitch behaves and take decisions. The experienced support staff are definitely going to help us.”

Derby County face Blackburn Rovers in the race to sign a versatile midfielder with the same agent as Craig Forsyth, according to a new report.

Forsyth signs new Derby contract as Eustace targets attackers

Earlier this week, Derby announced that experienced defender Forsyth has signed a new two-year contract to remain with the Rams. The left-back’s contract was set to expire at the end of this month, but John Eustace, who was a teammate of Forsyth’s during his playing career, has decided to keep the 36-year-old at the club until 2027.

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Forsyth played 39 times for the Rams in the Championship last season, as they avoided relegation to League One. In those appearances, the defender managed to score an impressive three goals and grab four assists. This latest contract will see Forsyth extend his football career to 20 years, and this contract will also see Derby support him in getting his coaching qualifications.

As Eustace decides to keep valuable experience in his defence, in a fan forum held at Pride Park, the Derby boss has revealed that signing new attackers is a priority for the club this summer, given their lack of goals last season.

Eustace said, via BBC Sport: “I’d love to play a back four, some exciting attacking wingers and two good strikers.”

This comes as the Rams have agreed a deal with Luton Town to sign striker Carlton Morris, who is set to undergo his medical once he returns from holiday.

Derby face Blackburn in race to sign Russell

The arrivals at Pride Park don’t look to be stopping there, as according to Football League World, Derby are keen on signing midfielder Jon Russell from League One side Barnsley.

It isn’t just the Rams looking at the 24-year-old however; Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United and Stoke City are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation ahead of a potential move.

Russell, who is a former Chelsea academy graduate, has been with the Tykes since January 2023, when he joined from Huddersfield Town.

The Jamaica international has been a key contributor for Barnsley in his two full seasons at the club – he played 31 times during the 2023/24 League One season, as Barnsley reached the play-offs. He then bettered that last term, as he played 40 times in the league, scoring an impressive 11 goals, as well as grabbing two assists.

Jon Russell’s 24/25 League One stats

Apps

40

Starts

34

Goals

11

Chance conversion

19%

Assists

2

Touches per game

38.9

Key passes per game

0.8

Big chances created

4

Duels per game (won)

4.0 (50%)

This report doesn’t claim how much the League One side would want for Russell, but given his contract expires next summer, Barnsley may have to consider cashing in on the midfielder now, before he leaves for nothing.

In further good news for Derby, they may hold an advantage in this race, as Russell, who can play in a defensive role as well as an advanced role in midfield, has the same representatives, Two Touch Agency, as Derby defender Forsyth, who they have of course recently concluded positive talks with.

With no chance of dew, their spinners and their swing bowlers can really shine

Sidharth Monga19-Jun-20241:55

Flower: Afghanistan’s openers should attack India

The punchline when day-night cricket first started was “big boys play in the night”. Nearly five decades later, at a T20 World Cup, the big boys from India are playing all their games in the morning. Afghanistan come into this crucial Super Eight match having played all their four league matches in the night. That, though, is not a disadvantage. In fact, their coach Jonathan Trott said they prefer playing in the morning. They quite fancy themselves as the big boys.”I think day games actually suit us better,” Trott said. “So, quite excited to play India in a day game. Obviously, they’re a very, very good side in the day. Obviously one of the favourites and with being favourites obviously it has added pressure for India, and hopefully we can come in obviously perceived as underdogs but in my mind very much not underdogs and fully prepared and ready for the battle that confronts us tomorrow, which I’m very excited about.”Part of the reason Afghanistan fancy themselves during the day is their bowling attack. Their spinners are world-class, and in Fazalhaq Farooqi, they have a swing bowler in the mould of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. These are exactly the kind of bowlers that can do without any threat of dew.Related

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“I think when you’ve got the spinners with the experience of T20 cricket, like we have, I think you would obviously say that’s one of our strengths, but yet one of our seamers is a leading wicket-taker in the tournament,” Trott said. “We’ve seen, certainly over the last couple of years, a more rounded side with regards to the ball and on conditions. So, if it swings and seams, we can take wickets; if it spins, hopefully, we can take wickets as well.”However, Trott did say the spinners can’t relax just because there won’t be dew. “If it’s going to spin, it’ll probably help us,” Trott said. “If it doesn’t spin, we’ve got to bowl well as spinners. Spinners can’t just rely on spin to be able to take wickets and pressure. So that goes for both sides, I’m sure. And India have got some good spinners themselves. So, it’s going to be a good contest.”Afghanistan might be surprise entrants into the Super Eight, having come through ahead of New Zealand, but they command respect from their opponents. “If you just look at their squad,” India’s coach Rahul Dravid said, “they might not have a lot of international experience as in the other formats of the game, but a lot of their players do play in a lot of T20 leagues, more than in fact some of our players do. They are sort of well-travelled cricketers, especially in the T20 circuit, T20 league, a lot of them. They are very prominent members of their IPL teams, other teams as well. So, certainly in this format they are not a team to be taken lightly. They are deservedly in the Super Eight, and we will not treat them any differently than any other team that we expect to play in the Super Eight.”

Wrexham will no doubt be a busy club this summer as they attempt to tweak their personnel to fit into their fresh Championship surroundings.

The Red Dragons finally got the ball running with their first pick-up recently, with second-tier goal machine Ryan Hardie leaving Plymouth Argyle behind for a new adventure in Wales.

The now former Pilgrims number nine has an impressive 22 Championship strikes next to his name from 77 appearances at the level, with a hefty ten of those coming just last campaign, even as Argyle heartbreakingly slipped down to League One.

He will get more chances to strut his stuff in the EFL’s elite league with Phil Parkinson’s men, however, with this already bumper goal tally hopefully rising even more at the Racehorse Ground.

Hardie's reputation as a goal machine

The lethal Scotsman ended up being one of the very few select players to come out of Plymouth’s relegation season with their heads still held high.

Even if his individual season didn’t turn out to be that memorable, he still will have departed Home Park this summer as a modern icon of the club.

In total, Hardie bagged a colossal 74 goals from 248 appearances in Devon, with Wrexham excited to see what heights the 28-year-old can soar to as one of their main marksmen after promotion.

After all, with Paul Mullin rumoured to be off, the Red Dragons needed to bolster up top. But, the attacking signings might not be done just yet, as another statement deal involving a Championship regular could be in the offing to help Hardie become even more potent.

The "vital" star who could make Hardie even better

Whilst Hardie’s goal tally last season was seriously impressive, he might well have been hampered by the situation he found himself in at the foot of the second tier.

Wrexham will be aiming not to get sucked into any similar battles against the drop, and with potential signings such as Barry Bannan entering the door, no such dog-fights should be on the agenda.

On the contrary, Bannan’s potential arrival on the scene could have Wrexham dreaming of back-to-back promotions, with a report from football journalist Alan Nixon earlier this month talking up the prospect of the skilful 35-year-old midfielder swapping Hillsborough for pastures new in North Wales.

Of course, the Owls wouldn’t just let their long-standing servant leave so easily, but the Red Dragons have already poached one Championship superstar in Hardie, with Bannan perhaps the next to link up with Parkinson’s men to enhance the ex-Plymouth striker’s output.

Bannan’s career numbers in the Championship vs Hardie’s

Stat

Bannan

Hardie

Games played

374

77

Goals scored

18

22

Assists

51

7

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Evidently a legend of the EFL now, even as he reaches the twilight years of his career, Hardie’s fellow compatriot continues to deliver the goods in terms of goals and assists in the taxing division, as seen in nine of his 69 overall goal contributions in the Championship coming in 2024/25 for Danny Rohl’s men.

Creating eight big chances along the way too, Bannan would be desperate to slot straight into his new Wrexham side and be as classy, with Hardie equally champing at the bit to line up alongside such illustrious company to try up his second-tier goal haul.

There has been talk to suggest that the much-loved figure at Hillsborough could opt to sign a new Owls deal before the month is out, with former Wednesday boss Darren Moore once labelling the diminutive ace as “vital” to the team’s cause.

But, if the clock continues to tick away and a deal isn’t struck, Wrexham will feel quietly confident that they could win his services for zilch, with Hardie potentially going on to be an even more effective goal machine partnered next to Bannan.

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Nottingham Forest’s plans for the transfer window suffered a dent after Nuno Espírito Santo’s side lost out in the race for Champions League qualification, instead settling for Conference League place, but Evangelos Marinakis and co appear determined to bolster the squad.

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According to an in-depth analysis of the club’s transfer plans by Telegraph reporter John Percy, Forest are targeting at least five new signings this summer as they seek to build off what was a very promising 2024/2025 overall.

Marinakis and co are extremely eager to back Nuno in the market, with the Telegraph reporting they’ll aim to recruit players who are valued around the £20-30 million mark.

Nottingham Forest’s rumoured transfer targets this summer

Target

Current club

Position

Taty Castellanos

Lazio

Striker

Jarell Quansah

Liverpool

Centre-back

Martin Baturina

Dinamo Zagreb

Attacking midfield

Adrien Truffert

Rennes

Left-back

James McAtee

Man City

Attacking midfield

While Forest are not under any pressure to sell players to appease PSR, with their balance sheet described as being in a “healthy state” (John Percy), star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White could still be sold amid links to Man City.

Gibbs-White’s sale could fetch at least £70 million for Forest, which would go a long way to improving Nuno’s first-team in other areas, and the manager has already confirmed that City Ground officials will be working to recruit fresh blood ahead of next term.

“People in the club are dealing with next season, not us as coaching staff,” said Nuno when asked about Forest’s plans for the summer.

“This moment requires everything that you have for the responsibilities ahead of us. The recruitment staff and scouting team will be working on that and there will be the right moment to speak and sit down.”

Defensively, Forest are keen to bring in a left-back to assist this season’s breakout star Neco Williams (The Telegraph), and the addition of another centre-back cannot be ruled out either.

Nottingham Forest make offer for Botafogo defender Jair

According to South American news outlet GE Globo and their reporter Jessica Maldonado, Botafago defender Jair Cunha is attracting serious interest from Forest.

Nuno’s side have already submitted a proposal for their striker, Igor Jesus, and they’re now pursuing his central defensive teammate.

The outlet reports that Nottingham Forest have made an offer to sign Jair, and while they cannot disclose the amount, it comes in at above £11.5 million – which is the amount Botafogo paid Santos to sign the 20-year-old back in February.

As the Brazilian club reportedly evaluate this bid, it is worth noting that Jair has drawn comparisons to Liverpool legend Virgil van Dijk, and he’s described by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig as a “complete, dominant, and elegant central defender”.

He’s also able to play as both a right and left centre-back as part of a four-man defensive line, with Jair towering over most of his teammates at 6 foot 3.

The Brazilian is highly-rated and could come as an excellent back-up option behind the likes of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic.