واصل فريق النادي الأهلي مشواره في الدوري المصري الممتاز، بتحقيق فوز جديد، اليوم السبت، على كهرباء الإسماعيلي في الجولة العاشرة.
وتمكن الأهلي من الفوز برباعية مقابل هدفين، على كهرباء الإسماعيلية، على ملعب المقاولون العرب، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الممتاز.
بهذا الفوز رفع الأهلي رصيده إلى 18 نقطة، ليحتل بها المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز بالتساوي مع الزمالك والمصري البورسعيدي اللذان يمتلكان نفس الرصيد من النقاط في صدارة الترتيب.
وأحرز أهداف الأهلي أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية كل من، أحمد نبيل كوكا وياسين مرعي ومحمد شريف والمغربي أشرف بن شرقي، بينما أحرز هدفي كهرباء الإسماعيلية، أوناجم وعصام الفيومي.
من المقرر، أن يلعب الأهلي مباراته القادمة، في بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، حيث يستهل مشواره بمواجهة فريق إيجل نوار من بوروندي، ضمن منافسات ذهاب دور الـ 32 من البطولة القارية. موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة أمام إيجل نوار البوروندي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا
يواجه الأهلي في مباراته المقبلة فريق إيجل نوار، في إطار مباراة الذهاب من دور الـ 32 من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا في بورندي، أحد أيام 17، 18، 19 من شهر أكتوبر الجاري.
G Trisha, Shabnam Shakil and Sonam Yadav, members of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning team in January 2023, are all part of India’s squad for the women’s Under-19 Asia Cup that will be held in Malaysia later this month.Their presence in the squad, a majority of which will also play in the second edition of the women’s Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February, confirms a key internal decision by the BCCI to not have a cap on Under-19 World Cup appearances for women players, as part of their development.This is a ruling that was particularly in focus in 2016 when Rahul Dravid, the former India captain, announced during his tenure as head of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) that eligible players can participate in only one men’s Under-19 World Cup to ensure they don’t stagnate, while also allowing a fresh crop of players come through every two years.The squad is led by Niki Prasad, who captained India B to a title win in the tri-series against South Africa Under-19s and India A in Pune on Thursday. Prasad polished off a chase of 143 with an unbeaten 49 after it was set up by batter G Kamalini, who top-scored with an unbeaten 79.Kamalini, who plays for Tamil Nadu, is also part of the India Under-19 squad and is expected to open the batting. Kamalini is part of the long list of 120 players who will come up for bidding at the WPL auction.India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan and Nepal. Group B comprises of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and hosts Malaysia. India open their campaign against Pakistan on December 15, before playing Nepal on December 17. They will potentially play five games should they make the final, which will be held on December 22.Squad: Niki Prasad (Captain), Sanika Chalke (Vice-captain), G Trisha, Kamalini G (WK), Bhavika Ahire (WK), Ishawari Awasare, Mithila Vinod, Joshitha VJ, Sonam Yadav, Parunika Sisodiya, Kesari Drithi, Aayushi Shukla, Anandita Kishor, MD Shabnam, Nandhana SStand-by: Hurley Gala, Happy Kumari, G Kavya Sree, Gayatri Survase
By the time the transfer window shuts on 1 September, how many new signings will Rangers have made?
To date, Russell Martin has made seven additions to his squad since being unveiled as the 20th permanent manager in Rangers’ history, with many more forecast to follow.
Now, could the club be about to break their modern-day transfer record to sign a “special talent”?
Rangers' search for a new winger
Earlier this week, on Tuesday night, the Martin era began with a crucial 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos in a Champions League qualifier at Ibrox.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It was the Greek side who dominated the first half, Jack Butland pulling off a string of impressive saves, before teenager Findlay Curtis lashed home the opener shortly after the interval, with substitute Djeidi Gassama then doing similar 12 minutes from time.
Thus, the Light Blues will take a decent, if not unassailable, advantage to Athens next Wednesday, looking to rubber stamp their spot in the third qualifying round, where Servette are likely to await, after their 1-0 victory over Viktoria Plzeň on the road.
Before that crucial second leg at the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium, could supporters also have a new signing to get excited about?
Well, as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Rangers have ‘made an offer’ to Crystal Palace as they seek to sign winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. That proposal was rejected by the Eagles, although negotiations remain ‘ongoing’.
Ornstein outlines that the offer was an initial loan, but containing an obligation to buy, which could be worth as much as £10m, should certain performance criteria be met.
This would make the 22-year-old the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, behind only Tore André Flo, who joined in 2000, surpassing Ryan Kent’s post-liquidation record.
Despite that initial rejection, Rangers’ pursuit continues, albeit while needing to act fast given that there is ‘interest from elsewhere’, so will Rak-Sakyi soon swap Selhurst for Ibrox?
How Jesurun Rak-Sakyi would improve Rangers
Having been released by Chelsea as a 17-year-old, Rak-Sakyi then joined Crystal Palace, actually making his senior debut against his former club at Stamford Bridge in August 2021.
In total, he’s appeared just ten times for the Eagles, seven of which have been as a substitute, but has impressed during two loan spells.
First, he spent the 2022/23 campaign nine miles across South London at Charlton Athletic, scoring 15 goals in 43 EFL League One appearances, with then-manager Dean Holden labelling him a “fantastic young player”, describing him as “humble, calm and composed”, believing “he has a real chance of going to the top level”.
rak-sakyi-crystal-palace
Then, he was loaned out again last season, this time to Sheffield United, really bursting onto the scene at Bramall Lane, scoring seven times in the EFL Championship as the Blades reached the play-off final, heartbreakingly beaten by Sunderland at Wembley.
Edward Walker of the Matchday Man called him a “truly special talent”, while Matt Woosnam of The Athletic praised his dribbling ability and ‘eagerness to learn’, with Nizaar Kinsella of Goal impressed by his ‘technical ability’, forecasting he could go to the very top.
Elsewhere, Adam Oxley of BBC Sport notes that he enjoyed an ‘excellent season’ at Sheffield United, predominantly deployed on the right flank, allowing him to cut inside on his left foot, highlighting his ‘pace and trickery’ as well as his penalty box threat.
Well, right-wing is certainly a position of need at Rangers, underlined by the fact Kieran Dowell, who was shipped out on loan to Birmingham City last season, started in that spot against Panathinaikos.
Last season, Václav Černý was one of the club’s star players, occupying that position, with the table below emphasising the Czech international’s importance.
Václav Černý statistics at Rangers
Statistics
Černý
Rangers rank
Minutes
3,933
5th
Goals
18
2nd
Assists
9
3rd
European goals
6
1st
Big chances created
9
4th
Shots
136
1st
Shot-creating actions
42
1st
Progressive carries
40
1st
Average SofaScore rating
7.40
2nd
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, Sofascore and FBref.com
As the table outlines, Černý was, arguably, Rangers’ most important attacking player last season, scoring six times as part of their run to the Europa League quarter-finals; only Bruno Fernandes, Kasper Waarst Høgh and Ayoub El Kaabi bagged more in the competition.
Nevertheless, Černý will not be returning to Govan following his loan spell from Wolfsburg, so could Rak-Sakyi be the replacement they are searching for?
Well, let’s assess his statistics in the EFL Championship last season to answer that question.
As the table outlines, despite featuring in less than 42% of Sheffield United’s regular season minutes, Rak-Sakyi ranks generally very highly for all attacking metrics, most notably when it comes to dribbling, namely take-ons and progressive carries.
Thus, it is clear that the 22-year-old is a serious talent, and one that could be exactly what Rangers are searching for.
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Australia captain Alyssa Healy says there will be no experimentation with their side as they plan to put out their best XI in the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand, who are hoping to bounce back from the nightmare tour of England as both sides prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup.Australia’s women have not played an international series since the start of April where they experimented quite a bit with their XI during the tour of Bangladesh including opening with Grace Harris in one game and batting Georgia Wareham at No.3 while Healy herself was listed at No.10.But on the eve of the opening match of the series in Mackay, which is being used by both sides as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup that begins on October 3 in the UAE, Healy said Australia were planning to field a full-strength side across the three games.Related
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“I think when you look at our side as a whole, we’ve been pretty settled in the T20 game for a long period of time,” Healy said on Wednesday.”I guess Bangladesh was a good opportunity for us to try a few things that are just in case, what-if scenarios, if some of our key players go down, who can fill those roles. But I think for us now, having some consistency around our XI leading into a World Cup, you still use all 15 players I find in a World Cup to win it, but everyone knows their roles.”I think we’re in a good place in that regard.”We’re going to get very different conditions here to what we’re going to get in Dubai so it’s just about us playing our best XI at every opportunity and putting some things in place, knowing that we do have a World Cup at the back of our mind.”Healy did admit there is some temptation to unleash Australia’s dual pace threat of Darcie Brown and Tayla Vlaeminck given the two have never played together at international level due to their respective injury issues.Healy said it was an exciting prospect to pair two of the world’s fastest female quicks together in the same attack but it would cause some other selection headaches in regards to the balance of the side.Darcie Brown is ready to return from injury•Getty Images
“Hugely excited to have Darcie and Tay in the same squad at the same time and available to play,” Healy said. “It creates some dilemmas for us, but at the same time, it’s really exciting. And the thought that, whether we play them at the same time as well, having that option is huge for us.”It’s great to see Darc back. She’s a ball of energy around our group, and I think she’s excited to be here, which makes it even better.”Healy’s vow that Australia would field their strongest outfit did not perturb New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine but she conceded it would be a great test for her team coming off a tour of England in June and July where they lost eight straight matches including five T20Is. They have lost seven T20Is in a row dating back to a home series against England in March and nine of 10 this year.”We certainly took plenty of learnings away from that, and we’ve had a number of camps where we’ve addressed, I think, where we went wrong and where we need to look moving forward,” Devine said.”I think it’s really important for this group that we stay positive, that we know that we’ve worked incredibly hard, not just these last couple of months, but leading into that as well. And just because we didn’t have the results we wanted from that series, that we’re still a good cricket team.”Rosemary Mair is set to be unleashed against Australia•Getty Images
Devine was keen to unleash a returning pace bowler of her own with Rosemary Mair named in the World Cup squad after missing the England tour with a back injury.”Rocco’s worked incredibly hard,” Devine said. “She’s obviously had a pretty frustrating injury the last couple of months. But she’s someone that can bring real pace and bounce to the side. I think she’s someone that attacks the stumps, which we really like in terms of not only here in Australia, but also over in UAE as well.”So we’re really looking forward to seeing what she can do. She obviously hasn’t played too much the last couple of years, so she’s a little bit of an unknown to a few players. So we’ll certainly be looking for her to have an impact, but just to have her in amongst the group, I think she’s someone that absolutely loves cricket. It’s been great to have Rosemary back.”Both captains were pleased with the ICC’s announcement that the tournament prize money has been raised substantially to match the men’s prize fund at the T20 World Cup.”Really cool,” Healy said. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for the women’s game to be recognized in that regard, and I think it’s a great step forward in the game itself.”
Celtic are reportedly closing in on the signing of Albirex Niigata centre-back Hayato Inamura to bolster their options at the heart of the defence ahead of next season.
The 23-year-old defender, who can also operate as a left-back when needed, is set to undergo a medical this week before being unveiled as a new signing.
Brendan Rodgers already has Auston Trusty and Liam Scales as first-team options in the left-sided centre-back role, though, and Kieran Tierney as the first-choice left-back.
Liam Scales in action for Celtic.
This means that Inamura, who has started 15 games in the J1 League this year, could come in as a back-up option initially, with a view to developing into a key performer in the future.
Celtic sign new striker
As well as closing in on a move for Inamura, the Scottish Premiership champions have already completed a deal to sign a new centre-forward.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Celtic have officially confirmed the arrival of Callum Osmand from Premier League side Fulham, as his contract with the Premier League team is due to expire this week.
The 19-year-old star has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Scottish giants, and is now set to compete with Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah for a place in the side next season.
Osmand did not make a single senior appearance for Fulham during his time with the Cottagers, but did rack up an impressive haul of 20 goals in 35 matches at U21 level.
Harley Mills in action for Peterborough United.
Celtic could land an even more exciting than both Osmand and Inamura, though, if they swoop to sign Peterborough United full-back Harley Mills.
Why Celtic should sign Harley Mills
With both Osmand and Inamura, the Hoops are clearly looking to pad out their squad depth with promising young players who can start as back-ups, but with the potential for them to develop into stars.
They must follow that trend by pursuing a deal for Mills, whom they reportedly made an approach for earlier this summer, as he could be an excellent addition to the team.
The 19-year-old left-back, who scored a “jaw-dropping” free-kick in the EFL Trophy final, would come in with more first-team experience than Osmand, who has not played a single senior game to date, having played 20 times for Peterborough to date.
He would also arrive with a more exciting profile than Inamura, who is a central defender who has scored one goal and provided one assist in his senior career in Japan, as a left-back who can provide quality in the final third.
Appearances
6
Sofascore rating
7.25
Goals
2
Key passes per game
1.2
Big chances created
1
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.2
Duel success rate
67%
As you can see in the table above, Mills produced fantastic performances for the Posh on their run to winning the EFL Trophy in the 2024/25 campaign, with 3 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in six matches, whilst winning the majority of his duels.
These statistics suggest that the teenage talent could be a left-back who can provide quality at the top end of the pitch whilst also being solid and reliable defensively, as an exciting understudy to Tierney.
Therefore, Mills could be a great addition to the squad as depth at the back for Rodgers, whilst having the potential to replace the Scotland international in the future.
Based on his performances for Peterborough at senior level, delivering in the biggest stadium in England, he would arrive with more proven quality in than Inamura and Osmand, which could make him a more exciting signing for the club if they decide to swoop for him.
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Already impressed by his performance at the Club World Cup, Ruben Amorim could now reportedly urge INEOS to sign a midfield star for Manchester United who has a release clause worth a hefty £85m.
Man Utd discover brutal first 5 Premier League games
As the transfer window rumbles on, the big talking point this week has come away from potential incomings and to next season’s Premier League fixtures. Officially announced Wednesday morning, Manchester United have now discovered their fate alongside the rest of their rivals and, for the Red Devils, that fate may well be a start full of frustration.
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On paper, Amorim’s side have the toughest Premier League start, but that could quickly turn into a positive if they manage to navigate what would be an excellent start.
The pressure will certainly be on Amorim to finally get the best out of his side too. INEOS have already backed him by signing Matheus Cunha and it looks as though they’re likely to do the same by signing Bryan Mbuemo. But even then, the incomings may be far from over.
The likes of Hugo Ekitike have also found themselves in the headlines as of late. The Eintracht Frankfurt striker has been linked with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United already this summer and he could yet have a crucial decision to make.
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Manchester United appear to be making moves towards a new centre-forward this summer.
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Whilst Frankfurt value the Frenchman at around €100m (£85m), recent reports have claimed that United are open to finding a way past this price tag by offering Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund in a player-plus-cash swap deal.
Landing Ekitike for a cheaper transfer fee could then open the door for another fresh face and this time a midfielder who is already impressing on the big stage this summer.
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ByCharlie Smith Jun 13, 2025 Amorim could urge Man Utd to sign Richard Rios
According to GiveMeSport, Amorim could now urge Manchester United chiefs to sign Richard Rios this summer after being left impressed by his Club World Cup form. The Red Devils have already sent scouts to watch the Palmeiras midfielder and are continuing to track his progress ahead of a potential move in the coming months.
The deal, like Ekitike, Cunha and Mbeumo, won’t come cheap, however, amid reports that Rios has a release clause worth as much as £85m in his current Palmeiras deal.
A player who analyst Ben Mattinson described as a “ball-carrying machine” in 2023, Rios has only improved ever since and is now ready for the European move that Manchester United could offer him this summer.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is personally keen on the north Londoners signing a star alternative to club captain Martin Odegaard this summer, and one who has been scoring for fun on the continent this season.
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The arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta has dominated headlines since it was announced in late March.
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Berta, following 12 successful years working with Atlético Madrid, is set to have a key influence when it comes to Arsenal’s recruitment plans, but there have already been some reports of rifts between the Italian and Arteta.
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)
Money on new signings
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
One example of this is their reported Arsenal dispute over whether to move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, but Arteta is adamant that the pair will have a productive working relationship.
“Very good, they’re two very completely different personalities, characters and backgrounds,” said Arteta on the difference between Berta and Edu.
“But he’s someone who’s very driven and very clear in his ideas, vision and how we want to achieve it, and very supportive of everything that’s been done here, with a lot of people who have contributed massively to the position that we are today as a club.
“The squad that we have, the players and the staff that we have, and he’s ready to add value and make us better. That’s the reason why we’ve chosen him to be here with us.”
When asked if the manager and Berta are working on the same page when it comes to Arsenal transfers, Arteta replied: “On what we have to do, yes.”
The Gunners boss will have his own ideas on how to improve his squad, and he is set to work in tandem with Berta ahead of a hopefully more fruitful Premier League title challenge next season.
Mikel Arteta keen on signing Oihan Sancet for Arsenal
According to reports from Spain, Athletic Bilbao’s attacking midfield sensation, Oihan Sancet, is attracting the tactician’s personal attention.
The Spaniard has marked himself out as one of Ernesto Valverde’s standout stars, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, and Arsenal are one of a few teams apparently looking at him as a serious option.
It is now believed that Arteta is personally keen on an Arsenal move for Sancet, who could leave Bilbao for the value of his £67 million release clause, and views the 25-year-old as an “ideal link” between his midfield and forward line.
Man United and Aston Villa are also interested in a move for the Spain midfielder, so a move to the Premier League appears to be an option.
Given Sancet’s exceptional form, not to mention reports they could lose Nico Williams this summer, we believe Bilbao will be highly unlikely to let Sancet leave for much less than the value of his clause.
Liverpool fell to just their second Premier League defeat of the season this afternoon, losing 3-2 to Marco Silva’s European-chasing Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Alexis Mac Allister put Arne Slot’s side ahead after just a quarter of an hour but would trail 3-1 at the break after goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz.
Luis Diaz pulled a goal back in the second half, but it was too little too late, as the Reds squandered an opportunity to move one step closer to title glory in 2024/25.
They still sit 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with just seven games to go this campaign, still sitting in pole position to end their four-season drought for a league triumph.
It certainly was an afternoon to forget on the banks of the River Thames, with numerous players failing to deliver like they have done on so many occasions – undoubtedly contributing to the loss.
Liverpool’s poor performers against Fulham
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has been a superb replacement for Alisson in his absence this season, but his showing today was one of his worst of the season.
The Irish international had a goals prevented xG of -1.22 whilst also conceding three times – the most he has in any game throughout the current campaign.
As for star man Mohamed Salah, he blanked for the second game in a row after failing to make an impact in the Merseyside derby against Everton in midweek.
The winger registered just 49 touches, missing one big chance and failing to complete any of his attempted dribbles – once again unable to have an impact in the final third.
However, despite the Egyptian’s lack of positive impact in the capital, one other Reds player failed to deliver, with Slot needing to drop him from his starting eleven next weekend.
The Liverpool player who was worse than Salah against Fulham
Ahead of the game, Slot decided to make just one change from the team that beat their local rivals on Wednesday night, with Cody Gakpo coming in to replace Diaz.
Such a decision proved that the Dutchman had faith in the side to claim another victory, but were unable to do so, falling way behind the high levels they have set for themselves.
Liverpool managerArneSlotbefore the match
Diogo Jota scored the winner against the Toffees, but failed to have any form of positive impact this afternoon, with the manager desperately needing to drop the Portuguese international from his side.
The 28-year-old featured for 67 minutes against the Cottagers, missing a big chance and only completing two passes, showcasing how poor he was when the ball fell his way.
He also notched just 22 touches, an average of one every three minutes, and lost the ball 100% of the time he tried to take on an opponent, unable to repeat his heroics from midweek.
Out of his 22 touches, he lost possession 13 times, meaning he gifted the ball away with 60% of his touches – with Slot needing to hand increased minutes to the likes of Darwin Núñez and Federico Chiesa.
Minutes played
67
Touches
22
Passes completed
2
Dribbles completed
0/1
Possession lost
13x
Big chances missed
1
Shots taken
1
As a result of his dismal showing, he was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Jack Mceachen, further highlighting how poor he was during the defeat.
Given his inability to take advantage of his starting position, Slot has to drop him from the side, with Jota simply not at the level required for a side at the top of the Premier League.
The summer could pose an interesting challenge for the manager, deciding whether to stick or twist, potentially ending his stint at Anfield after his inability to impress.
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Arne Slot’s side are expecting to be busy in the summer transfer market.
Championship-winning coach returns to Chelmsford after eventful eight years on international circuit
Andrew Miller18-Feb-2025Chris Silverwood has been on a journey. “Just a little one!” he admits, as he sits – appropriately enough – on board a cruise ship in the Thames, to discuss the circumstances of his return to Essex after eight eventful years on the international circuit.They say never go back. And yet, despite his high-profile stints with England and Sri Lanka in the interim, in many ways it is as if “Spoons” never entirely left the club at which he made his name as a head coach.When he relinquished his role at the end of 2017, having in the space of two seasons guided Essex back to the top flight and then to their first County Championship title in 25 years, Silverwood bequeathed to his then-deputy Anthony McGrath a self-sustaining squad that would land a memorable double in 2019, then the Bob Willis Trophy in the Covid summer of 2020.Even now, with Surrey having flexed their muscles on the way to three Championships in a row, Essex remain one of the country’s pre-eminent red-ball outfits, with top-four finishes in each of their last three campaigns. Certain key figures have moved on, notably the retired Alastair Cook and the golden child of that first stint, Dan Lawrence. But Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, whom Silverwood blooded in that 2017 title run-in, remain as stalwarts of an ever-potent seam attack, alongside other key senior pros such as Tom Westley, Nick Browne and Simon Harmer.Related
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Silverwood makes Essex return as director of cricket
Essex appoint Dan Feist as chief executive
“I’m really proud,” Silverwood says, as he reflects on the extent to which the structures he put in place have held up for the best part of a decade. “Ever since I left, I’ve never stopped following, but I think I’ve been away long enough to come back and see things with fresh eyes.”Mags continued to drive what we put in place, and we have punched above our weight. What we have to do now is make sure we can continue to do that for many years to come. There’s still that senior core there, which is great, but equally, there’s a lot of fresh faces for me to work alongside as well and help bring through. So I think from that perspective, it’s very exciting.”For all the familiarity he brings, it’s an older and wiser Silverwood who will be taking guard for his second innings at the club. It was a “no-brainer” to come back – “You say I’m a proud Yorkshireman but Essex is home” – and with two of his boys already in the player pathway, he has an additional investment in the club’s coaching structures.But he’s seen some sights in his time away. His stint with England was famously ill-starred, and collapsed in ignominy on the Covid-blighted 2021-22 Ashes tour, where his own ten-day isolation during the Sydney Test epitomised the helplessness that engulfed his regime. And though he leapt almost immediately into the vacant Sri Lanka role for a two-year tenure, his fortunes in that role were similarly mixed. Though he was credited for a welcome uptick in the country’s fast-bowling stocks, two poor World Cup campaigns, including a group-stage exit at the 2024 T20 version last June, sealed his fate.”There’s always things you’re going to look back on and say, we could have done that differently,” Silverwood says. “But at the time, you do things for what you think are the right reasons, and you learn from them. So I don’t hold any animosity or any grudges, or anything like that. You put it down to experience. Has it helped me grow as a person? Yes. Has it helped me grow as a coach? Definitely.”It’s easily forgotten now, given how it all ended, quite how much optimism had abounded in the early months of Silverwood’s tenure. “It all started so well, didn’t it?” he acknowledges, looking back on an upbeat tour of South Africa in 2019-20, in which many of the seeds of the subsequent Bazball revolution were sown.
“It’s not just a case of supplying cricketers for Essex, it’s about over-supplying. We don’t have the money to compete with the big Test grounds but what we can do is match them from a development point of view. That’s something that Essex is historically very good at”
England bounced back from a first-Test defeat at Centurion to win three on the bounce, with Ben Stokes’ command performance at Cape Town leading the way, and a host of young players – Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and the now-forgotten Dom Sibley among them – all thriving in a nurturing environment that, within months, would be wrecked by the bio-secure strictures of Covid.”You could sit there and say, ‘what if?’ until the cows come home,” Silverwood adds. “At the end of the day, it’s pointless. But there were some good times in there as well. The South Africa trip was superb, some of the youngsters did really well and have obviously gone on and achieved what they have. I’ve still got friends in that dressing-room and I enjoy seeing them do well personally as well. I’m still an England fan.”Silverwood also acknowledges that he took on too much in his England role, specifically the national selector duties during Covid which, he admits, he would now avoid if he had his time again. Such over-reach wasn’t a problem in his Sri Lanka stint, however, which he says made him a more versatile coach, and more accepting of short-term wins when wholesale change was hard to come by.”I was a resident of Colombo for two-and-a-bit years, learning how to survive, operate and be successful in a different culture, which was a whole new big adventure for me,” he says. “I know how things work in England, but out there I was on my own, which was a bit of a blessing, because it forced me to dive into their culture and live it.”He credits his assistant coach, Naveed Nawaz, for getting many of his messages across – “at least until they got used to my accent!” – but despite some notable highs, including an innings win over Australia in Galle, and a gratifying victory over England at the 2023 World Cup, Silverwood accepts that his personal development during his Sri Lanka stint was perhaps more profound than that of the overall team.”Off the back of England, to get straight back on the horse again, so to speak, did me a world of good,” he says. “It was about learning that there’s many ways of doing things. We all love structure, but sometimes it’s all right to operate on the outside of that as well, because you can still get things done.Silverwood led Essex to the 2017 Championship title in his first spell at the club•Getty Images”It’s about knowing which battles to fight, and learning how to navigate someone else’s landscape,” he adds. “It’s always been part of my philosophy to find solutions – it’s what I started encouraging these guys to do when I first came into Essex – but I suppose it taught me to look in different areas, because you accept that some things are just not going to happen, or some things will happen slowly. So I suppose I worry about that a lot less now.”And now he’s bringing all that learning back to Essex, in time for a 2025 season that promises to be fascinating for all manner of different reasons.The recent Hundred sale has consolidated the sense that county cricket is now permanently split between the “have” and “have not” clubs, and seeing as London rivals Surrey and MCC, landlords at Lord’s, emerged as the biggest winners in that process, Essex have – on the face of it – many more reasons to question how their humble Chelmsford base can possibly keep them level-pegging with their noisy neighbours.And yet, Essex’s relevance in the grander scheme of English cricket received a huge boost last April, when they were unveiled as one of the eight inaugural Tier 1 clubs in the reconvened women’s professional set-up. Quite apart from the merits of the club’s well-tailored bid, which includes a commitment to hosting women’s home games at Chelmsford and a groundbreaking tie-in with the sports science department at the University of Essex, it was a vote of confidence in the club’s proven ability to harness and cultivate local talent – a trait that Silverwood’s original tenure set in stone.”It’s not just a head coach role now,” he adds. “It’s a DOC [director of cricket], so you’re making decisions for what’s best for the club, and how do we build a legacy that will keep them successful for a long time coming?”It’s not just a case of supplying cricketers for Essex, it’s about over-supplying. We don’t have the money to compete with the big Test grounds like Surrey, but what we can do is match them from a development point of view, and that’s something that Essex is historically very good at.”I want to see Essex boys and girls playing for Essex and going on to play for England. That is ultimately the dream, but if some of them go on and play for other counties, that’s great as well. It’s just making sure that we are tapping into our footprint within the community, whether it be into East Anglia or the Essex area, into East London, or wherever it may be, that we spread far and wide.”
The opener’s unbeaten 81 propelled New Zealand to the tournament’s highest score so far
Firdose Moonda18-Feb-2023From carding the two lowest totals at this T20 World Cup – and their own second and fourth lowest score overall – New Zealand went on to post the tournament’s highest score in their resounding comeback win over Bangladesh.They were a batting line-up transformed from the one that was shot out for 76 and then 67 thanks largely to their experienced opener, Suzie Bates, who was dismissed for two ducks in the first two matches but scored an unbeaten 81 against Bangladesh. Truth be told, she was pleased to just get one run.Related
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“I joked in the bus today about having one goal in the game and that was getting off the mark,” Bates said, laughing after the game. “So when I got off the mark on the first ball I looked up to the dugout and it was a nice feeling.”Bates spent a significant amount of time in the nets on Thursday’s optional training session, working more on the feeling of being out in the middle than her technique. “As soon as I hit the first ball, I was like ‘oh these are nice nets’. It was good pace and bounce, so that helped after two low scores,” she said. “I just wanted to bat and bat and we had lots of young bowlers running in. I was just getting in the zone of just batting in the nets, knowing that I wanted to spend time out in the middle.”Bates batted through New Zealand’s innings and found her timing early on when she drove Marufa Akter wide of mid-on and also beat the deep midwicket fielder. She went on to tease fielders at long-on, deep midwicket again and fine leg as she found gaps and drilled the ball through them. Importantly, she also stayed away from the cross-batted shots that had been her undoing in the previous games and concentrated on “playing straight for longer”, which worked well on a pitch with more pace and bounce than New Zealand got in Paarl.”It felt like you got value for shots, so it allowed me to just stand still and play my natural game,” Bates said. “A lesson is that that’s probably when I’m at my best. [In] the first two games, I was taking the high risk early or playing across the line. That’s not when I’m at my best. It was nice to talk about that as a batting group and me leading from the front after a tough start.”Suzie Bates was just happy to get off the mark after two consecutive ducks•Getty ImagesThe conversations came after both Bates and captain Sophie Devine were left “pretty distraught” with their back-to-back defeats and “sort of tried to get together to work out how we were going to move forward as leaders of this team”.While they knew “some of our young girls just take it all in their stride”, Bates admitted that she and Devine are among those who “take it a bit harder” because they know how much is expected of them given their experience. It’s also that experience that led them to formulate a plan to go back to their own game ahead of this match against Bangladesh.”Yesterday, Dean Brownlie, the batting coach, showed us some footage of the Bangladesh bowlers but then we kind of stopped that and said ‘okay how do we want to play? And when are we at our best?’ And that was almost that bully mentality that we’re strong girls and hitting hard and straight down the ground, early in our innings, is how we all play at our best. So we just talked about what we were going to do,” Bates said.It worked for Bernadine Bezuidenhout, who opened the batting with Bates and was outscoring her in the initial phase, and for Maddy Green, who finished unbeaten on 44 off 20 balls but Devine, batting at No.4, went scoreless for the second time. Still, Bates credited her with being the fulcrum of the turnaround.”It’s been really hard for her but it’s amazing that she’s actually playing. She had a stress fracture in her foot, so for her to do the hard work to get here is kind of unbelievable but then she’s not been able to perform. She’s had such limited cricket so it’s sort of understandable,” Bates said. “She picked herself back up as a leader. The energy around the group when we started training was brilliant.”Suzie Bates and Maddy Green propelled New Zealand•ICC/Getty ImagesDevine’s dry sense of humour may also have helped New Zealand not take themselves too seriously as they entered their third group match, even with the knowledge that anything less than a big win would guarantee them an early flight home. After New Zealand’s second defeat, Devine joked that they would have to score around 8,000 runs and skittle Bangladesh and Sri Lanka out for 20 to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, but the situation is not that dire. Their 71-run win has improved their net run rate from -4.3 to -.1.5, which is still worse than Sri Lanka’s -0.19 but not by all that much.If South Africa lose to Australia and beat Bangladesh, and New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by a big enough margin, they may be able to sneak into the knockouts and back to the ground that Bates said is in her “top three” in the world – Cape Town.”Coming here to train and just looking up at the mountains, it’s absolutely stunning and gives you perspective. You sort of take a moment. And you’re like, how lucky are we that we get to play in these beautiful places,” she said. “We’d love to play again here but unfortunately the schedule doesn’t allow.”Then she realised that it could. “Oh yeah, the semi-final, sorry! Yeah we’re still in it.”