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The Premier League is just over two weeks away, and while Tottenham Hotspur have looked good so far in pre-season, they still need to strengthen to ensure Ange Postecoglou can lead them up the table this year.

The club have been linked to a plethora of talented players this summer, from Eberechi Eze to Jonathan David, but at the moment, the only signings Daniel Levy and Co have made have been Archie Gray and Yang Min-Hyeok.

However, that could be about to change, as recent reports have revealed that the club are making progress towards signing an incredibly talented attacker who has been compared to Dejan Kulusevski in the past.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Pedro Neto and have 'intensified their efforts' to secure his services this summer.

The report claims that the Lilywhites have now held further talks with the winger, who remains high on Postecoglou's wish list this summer.

A potential fee for the £50k-per-week star is not mentioned in the story, but previous reports from this month indicate that he could cost as much as £50m to £60m.

From a purely financial perspective, that might be too high a fee for Spurs to stomach, but considering how talented Neto is, maybe Levy and Co should splash the cash a little bit on this one – his comparison to Kulusevski is just a nice bonus.

Why Neto would be a great signing and his comparison to Kulusevski

Okay, so before we look at Neto's impressive output and why he'd be so good for Spurs, let's first examine this comparison to the Lilywhites' Swedish international and where it came from.

Well, aside from their obvious positional similarity, this comparison stems from FBref, which compared all attacking midfielders and wingers in the 2022/23 Premier League season, created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and concluded that Kulusevski was the most similar to the Wolves ace in the entire competition that year.

The way they came to this conclusion is by looking at their underlying numbers and then comparing how closely they rank in several key metrics, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, passing accuracy, crosses into the penalty area, through balls, goal-creating actions, tackles won, clearances and carries, all per 90.

However, while it's a nice bonus and interesting to think about, Levy and Co are obviously not going to base their decision to sign the Portuguese star soley on his similarity to the former Juventus ace. Instead, they'll focus on his impressive form last season.

For example, in just 24 appearances for the Old Gold, the Viana do Castelo-born "monster", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, found the back of the net on three occasions and provided 11 assists for his teammates, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.71 games.

Moreover, this haul of 14 goals and assists would have made the 24-year-old the fourth most productive Spurs player last season, despite the lack of games he played. This brings us to the one significant drawback in signing him: his fitness, or lack thereof.

Across the entirety of last season, the former Lazio winger missed 23 games for club and country, and while that is certainly something to consider, the upside of him moving to Tottenham is that, with the brilliant wide talent already at Postecoglou's disposal, he may well get more time to rest, thus minimising his injury risk.

Contact made: Spurs move for Udogie 2.0 in "exciting" £17m sensation

The impressive youngster could follow in the full-back’s steps.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 1, 2024

Ultimately, Neto is an undeniably talented player who could light up the Premier League with the Lilywhites, and while his fee and injury history are significant, so is the potential upside. Therefore, the North Londoners should push ahead and bring him to N17 this summer, as it may just be a gamble that pays off.

Half-centuries from Marizanne Kapp and Fargana Hoque go in vain in their respective matches

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2022South Africa will head into the World Cup on the back of two losses in their warm-up games. After going down to India, they were handed a comprehensive six-wicket defeat to England in Lincoln on Wednesday.Heather Knight opted to bowl in a clash reduced to 35-overs-a-side, and South Africa let themselves down with the bat, slumping to 138 for 9 as Anya Shrubsole and Sophie Ecclestone picked five for 41 between them. In reply, England lost four wickets, but knocked off the runs in just 26.3 overs.Laura Wolvaardt, fresh off a 95-ball 83 against India, fell for a duck. Tazmin Brits, her opening partner, struggled to get going, making a 44-ball 13 as a follow-up to her duck against India.Shrubsole, Ecclestone, Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross were all among the wickets as the South African failed to get momentum at any stage. It was only a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket, between Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon, that gave South Africa some respectability.The two got together at the fall of Brits’ wicket, and while they didn’t set the game alight, they chipped away. Tryon fell for 27, but Kapp carried on till she became the ninth batter out, for a 60-ball 52, with five fours.Stopping England short was always going to be a tall ask for South Africa, but Ayabonga Khaka gave them a great start with the ball, taking out Lauren Winfield-Hill and Heather Knight cheaply. But a 33-run stand between Tammy Beaumont, who scored 35, and Nat Sciver, who scored 33 before retiring hurt, put England in the box seat.By the time they were done, the target was just a few hits away, and Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley finished off the job.Fatima Sana gestures to the camera after returning a four-wicket haul•AFP/Getty Images

In an even contest, Pakistan edged Bangladesh with a seven-run (DLS) win in Lincoln, Fargana Hoque’s 95-ball 71 ending up being second-best to Fatima Sana’s 4 for 47 on the day.After keeping Pakistan to 199 for 7 in 42 overs, Bangladesh had a revised target of 202, and gave it a good tilt, mainly courtesy Hoque. Sana did the initial damage, reducing Bangladesh to 29 for 2, but Hoque and captain Nigar Sultana fought back with a 42-run stand.That, and the 49 runs Hoque and an enterprisingRumana Ahmed added for the fourth wicket, gave Bangladesh a good shot at overhauling the target, but there wasn’t much support for Hoque as Sana came back to pick up two more wickets, including that of Hoque, and Bangladesh were bowled out seven runs short with four balls remaining in the chase.Earlier, good hands in the middle order from Javeria Khan (44) and captain Bismah Maroof (32), and lower down from Aliya Riaz and Sana meant that Pakistan put up a total that was eventually enough for them.Before any of them came into the picture, though, it was the Fariha Trisna show, as the left-arm medium-pacer sent back the Pakistan top three of Nahida Khan, Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali with just 38 on the board by the tenth over.But the senior pros, Javeria and Maroof, took control after that with a 73-run stand in 15-and-a-half overs. Riaz and Sana then provided the innings with some muscle towards the end with a 66-run stand for the seventh wicket, the runs coming in good time, in 12 overs. That, in the end, made the different in a weather-affected game.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in Colombo

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo07-Oct-2012The red herring
Sri Lanka’s figures read 3-1-2-1 after three overs of the final. Only one of the two runs had come off the bat, and it was not Chris Gayle’s; he had faced seven deliveries for no runs. Had the scoreboard not been there to scream the truth, no one would have believed it was actually happening.The audacity
Marlon Samuels might as well have been batting at a different venue than the Premadasa, considering he swung six sixes compared to the one the rest of the team managed. The first one was almost as unbelievable as West Indies’ score at the start. A ball after Lasith Malinga had nearly got through Dwayne Bravo’s defence with a sharp yorker, Samuels made room outside leg stump to a full delivery and sent it rocketing high over deep midwicket.The silence
First ball of his spell, and the seventh ball of Sri Lanka’s chase, Ravi Rampaul ripped one into Tillakaratne Dilshan just short of a length. Even as Dilshan shaped up to defend, the ball changed direction alarmingly, and straightened away from the bat to uproot the off stump. Rampaul moved his finger to his lips, as the crowd promptly fell silent.The unlucky moment
The reverse-strokes, reverse-sweeps, reverse-paddles, reverse-pulls, had worked wonderfully for Mahela Jayawardene during the semi-final against Pakistan as he expertly sized up what would suit the difficult pitch. In the final, his attempted reverse-pull off Sunil Narine only lobbed up to backward point.The short-lived resistance
For one over, Nuwan Kulasekara gave the packed Premadasa hope and its voice back. With 66 needed off five overs and three wickets remaining, the crowd had fallen silent. He slogged Rampaul twice over midwicket, cut him behind point and for good measure, thick-edged him past a diving third man. Twenty-two runs came off the over, and Premadasa believed once again, if only for one over.The celebration
When Samuels dismissed Ajantha Mendis, the ninth Sri Lanka wicket to fall, some West Indies fielders rushed to him, and started brushing him all over his body. It appeared as if they were trying to dust Samuels’ clothes. The scene continued for several seconds before they broke away laughing.

Pakistan have also named five reserves – including Yasir Shah and Naseem Shah – for the Tests, which are set to begin in Rawalpindi from March 4

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2022Pakistan have called up right-arm quick Haris Rauf, while opening batter Shan Masood, who played a Test in January 2021, has been recalled in the 16-member squad for the three home Tests against Australia. Offspinner Bilal Asif, who was part of the squad for the series against Bangladesh, has been dropped.Rauf, who has played ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan but is uncapped in the longest format, was earlier called up for the Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2021 but did not debut. Masood meanwhile replaces Abid Ali, who is currently in rehabilitation after being diagnosed with a heart condition in December last year.Pakistan have also named five reserves – Yasir Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah and Kamran Ghulam – for the Tests, which are set to begin in Rawalpindi from March 4.According to a PCB release, the players named in the Test squad who are not involved in the ongoing season of PSL will assemble in National Stadium in Karachi on February 16 for a training camp.”We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary,” chief selector Muhammad Wasim said. “This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.”These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side.”The second and the third Tests are scheduled to be played in Karachi from March 12 and in Lahore on March 21 respectively.Pakistan squad: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood
Reserves: Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah

Mikel Arteta backed Arsenal star Bukayo Saka to reach his idol Cristiano Ronaldo's levels in the future.

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• Arsenal's Saka idolises Ronaldo
• Arteta backed Saka to reach Ronaldo's levels
• Gunners face rivals Man Utd on Wednesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Saka is in red-hot form at the moment, having contributed with seven goals and assists in Arsenal's last three matches across all competitions. In their latest outing against West Ham in the Premier League last weekend, the England star scored one goal and provided two assists to help his side register a 5-2 win at London Stadium.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gunners boss Arteta has heaped praise on the England international as he hoped that the 23-year-old winger would emulate the success of Al-Nassr star and Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo, whom Saka idolises. The Spanish manager further advised the player to imbibe qualities like the mentality, skills and work ethic of the ex-Manchester United star.

• WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the 42-year-old coach said: "To look is always good! And probably, the way Cristiano started his career and when he joined Manchester United, nobody probably expected in the first few seasons [he would] be able to do that.

  "But again, it was about his mentality, his work ethic, how he developed his skill, his chemistry with his team and to play in a team that has the capacity as well to be dominant. That is very, very important. I think B has got that context and if he is aiming for that, I think it is a positive thing."

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BUKAYO SAKA?

  Saka will aim to continue his terrific run of form in the midweek as the north London outfit take on rivals Manchester United in a crucial Premier League encounter on Wednesday night at Emirates Stadium.

Following his £60m move to Newcastle United back in the summer of 2022, striker Alexander Isak has excelled at St James’ Park, proving to be worth every penny of his huge transfer fee.

The Swedish international has scored 35 Premier League goals in his 67 appearances for the Magpies, finishing as the club’s top scorer in both of his seasons on Tyneside.

His excellent form hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea wanting to prise Eddie Howe’s star man away from Newcastle this summer, but the Magpies are demanding a fee well over the £100m mark.

Isak’s goals have undoubtedly helped propel Newcastle to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, but the club are still looking to sign another option in forward areas.

Callum Wilson has struggled with his fitness in recent months, failing to make an impact on Howe’s squad, with the Magpies boss wanting another player who could replace the Englishman and form a partnership with Isak in 2024/25.

Newcastle want £40m talent this summer

According to journalist James Nursey, Newcastle are in the race to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, but face strong interest from other Premier League sides for his signature.

The 20-year-old also has interest from Chelsea and West Ham United, with the latter making three bids already this summer in their attempts to sign a new centre-forward.

Nursey also claims that Unai Emery’s side are holding out for £40m during the transfer window, with the Colombian forward wanting a move away from Villa Park to gain valuable first-team minutes to aid his progression in the Premier League.

Newcastle’s interest in Duran comes after their long-standing admiration for another attacking talent, with the Villa youngster undoubtedly a better option for Eddie Howe’s side.

Why Duran would be a better option than Calvert-Lewin

In recent months, the Magpies have been constantly touted with a move for Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as the Toffees look to bolster their PSR position.

The 27-year-old scored seven times in 32 Premier League appearances for Sean Dyche’s outfit, but his side have previously demanded £40m to prise him away from Goodison Park this summer.

Their interest in Calvert-Lewin has dropped in recent times, with the Magpies undoubtedly making the right decision in pursuing a move for the Villa talisman over the Everton number nine.

When comparing the duo on FBref, it’s evident that Duran would be a better option, producing some superior numbers despite featuring for significantly fewer minutes than Calvert-Lewin.

The “phenomenal” Colombian, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, may have scored four fewer goals than the Englishman last season, but he averaged a much higher goal per 90 record in the Premier League.

He’s also averaged more shots per 90, whilst winning a higher percentage of aerial battles, providing a great option for Howe’s side in various different aspects at the top end of the pitch.

Duran’s first full season in England’s top flight has been a successful one, scoring some crucial goals for Villa in a campaign where they secured a Champions League spot against all the odds, just like Newcastle did back in 2022/23.

Whilst he may be an expensive addition, especially as a potential backup, his move to Tyneside could allow Howe to slightly alter his current system to form a brilliant partnership with Swedish international Isak, utilising his "weapon" of a left foot – as hailed by Kulig.

With Calvert-Lewin also being linked with a move for a similar fee, the Magpies would be making a huge mistake should they look to sign him over Duran, with the Colombian able to build on his impressive campaign and potentially improve further under Howe’s watchful eye at St James’ Park.

Newcastle make approach for "mentality monster" who'd make Isak unplayable

Talks have been held as Eddie Howe considers a swoop.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 20, 2024

BCCI president Ganguly had said the board asked Virat Kohli to reconsider stepping down as T20I captain, before Kohli said it was not so

Edited PTI copy16-Dec-2021Sunil Gavaskar feels BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the best person to clear the air on Virat Kohli’s statement that he was not asked by the Indian board to reconsider his decision to quit the T20I captaincy. Ganguly, though, refused to make any comment. “No statement, no press conference,” he told TV reporters later in the day. “We will deal with it. Leave it to BCCI.”Days after Kohli had stepped down as captain, Ganguly had said the BCCI had asked him to reconsider the decision. Kohli contradicted Ganguly’s statement during his press conference on Wednesday, ahead of the team’s departure for South Africa.Related

• Chetan Sharma: Everyone asked Virat Kohli 'to reconsider' stepping down as T20I captain

• Kohli: Told I won't be ODI captain 90 mins before SA Test squad

• Hamstring injury rules Rohit Sharma out of South Africa Tests

• Kohli: 'No problem at all between me and Rohit'

• Ganguly: 'Had requested Virat not to step down as T20I captain'

“I think it [Kohli’s comment] actually doesn’t bring the BCCI into the picture. I think it’s the individual who has to be asked where he got the impression he had conveyed such a message to Kohli. So, that’s the only thing,” Gavaskar, the former India captain, told .”Yes, he [Ganguly] is the BCCI president and surely he should be asked why there is this discrepancy. He is probably the best person to ask about the discrepancy in what you seem to have to say and what the Indian captain has said.”Virat Kohli walks out of Johannesburg airport•AFP/Getty Images

Following his announcement on the T20I captaincy, Kohli was also removed as ODI captain earlier this month. Kohli said during his press conference that his removal from ODI captaincy happened 90 minutes before the team’s selection for the South Africa tour. Gavaskar felt there was nothing wrong on the part of selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma on that count.”What is the controversy here. As long as the chairman of selectors had told him clearly that we are not considering you for ODI captaincy now, that’s perfectly fine. It is the selectors who have complete authority in selection committee meetings. The captain is just a co-opted non-voting member,” Gavaskar said. “As long as it’s not something that he [Kohli] has not found out from the media or as it happened in the past that the commander of a passenger flight announced it. I think he has been told by the chairman of the selection committee that he is not going to be the captain, I think that is absolutely okay.”I don’t know what these people wanted to do. As long as there has been communication between the chairman of selection committee and him, it’s the decent thing to do.”Gavaskar said that the BCCI needed to communicate more clearly – and publicly – on big selection decisions in future, to avoid such issues. “Yes, it always helps to have a clear line of communication so that there is no speculation. So from now, from what has happened, there should be a clear line of communication and the chairman of the selection committee can come down and say why [someone] has been picked and why [someone] has not been picked.”Sometimes, even if that is not needed, a press release is also good enough. A good press release giving all the reasons makes life a lot easier.”‘It is not good to point fingers’ – Kapil Dev
Former India captain Kapil Dev, meanwhile, said the current Test captain and board president contradicting each other in public was “not a good thing”. Instead, he said, the focus should be on big tour of South Africa that is coming up. “It is not good to point fingers on anybody at this point in time. The South Africa tour is coming and please pay attention to the tour,” Kapil told when asked about Kohli’s remarks.”I would say board president is board president but yes the Indian cricket team captain is also a big thing. But talking badly about each other in public, I don’t think it is a good thing, whether it is Sourav or Kohli.”

Sheffield Wednesday have now finally confirmed the capture of former Manchester United striker Charlie McNeill, with that free transfer purchase going down as the club's eighth purchase of a busy transfer window already.

Danny Rohl and Co will want to sign even more top talents ahead of the new Championship season kicking off though, knowing they don't want to be anywhere near the relegation zone again next campaign.

The popular German boss occupying the Hillsborough hot seat could turn to a familiar face to partner McNeill in South Yorkshire, therefore, in another shrewd free agent swoop.

Sheffield Wednesday going back in for former loanee

Sheffield Star report that despite McNeill signing, it doesn't mean a deal for Ike Ugbo to return is dead in the water, with the former Wednesday loanee rumoured to be returning on a permanent deal.

Yet, if Ugbo is still being eyed up by the Owls, this could well mean there's a possibility that Wednesday are still keen to bring back Ian Poveda. Journalist Darren Witcoop speculated in June that Rohl and Co did want the South American winger to come back.

What Poveda could offer Wednesday

McNeill would love to play alongside both of these gems if even more deals can get done this window, with Poveda potentially even partnering the 20-year-old down the right flank if signed, feeding the youthful goal machine with a whole host of chances in the process.

Wednesday supporters will be purring at the idea of the Colombian winger returning also, but he is being watched by the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Luton Town and Cardiff as well reportedly.

Those packed into Hillsborough last campaign saw glimpses of his immense ability in the midst of a tense relegation battle, before Poveda found himself on the sidelines towards the back end of his short loan stint from Leeds United.

The enigmatic South American forward would only manage to line up for the Owls ten times in total last season, but one standout display against Plymouth Argyle to start March certainly caught the attention of fans of the South Yorkshire side.

During the slender 1-0 victory, Poveda would end up completing three successful dribbles as an attacking option constantly wanting to bomb forward, alongside winning seven duels and firing three efforts on the Pilgrims' goal to further reinforce this livewire tag.

Lining up seven times for Leeds too, before being released, the numbers from the table above will make for some initial encouraging reading, especially if Poveda can kick into gear and star over a full campaign for Wednesday.

In contrast, Anthony Musaba – who ended up being a solid starter under Rohl down the right flank – won less total duels on average last season at 2.9 won per game, with Poveda's tenacity and bite down the wings potentially attractive to the German.

Daniel Farke even suggested that Poveda possesses a "touch of magic" when things weren't all going his way at Elland Road, with the 24-year-old being gifted some rare appearances for the Whites as a result.

Formerly a star at youth level for Leeds and Manchester City, Poveda will understand the struggles McNeill has also faced in senior football to date, which has seen the ex-Red Devils youngster only score three senior goals when chucked out on loan.

Yet, the South American – who is tricky and creative – could be exactly what McNeill needs to find his goalscoring edge at Wednesday.

The youngster has scored 46 goals at youth level and together with Poveda, will finally hope to replicate those numbers in his new home.

Sheffield Wednesday could sign Musaba rival who's a "driving force"

Danny Rohl could keep Anthony Musaba on his toes at Sheffield Wednesday with this new signing.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jul 8, 2024

Ignored by the IPL franchises last year, the aggressive batsman hopes his ton in the first match will help him build momentum for the rest of the season

Amol Karhadkar in Pune09-Nov-2012Just before lunch, when Harshad Khadiwale and Sangram Atitkar were frustrating a star-studded Uttar Pradesh bowling line-up at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on what was Maharashtra’s opening day of the Ranji Trophy season, Kedar Jadhav, who was effectively used as a lower middle-order player last season, strolled into the stands to greet some of his friends.With Nikhil Paradkar padded up to bat at No. 4 and the Khadiwale-Atitkar stand going strong, Jadhav was in no hurry. However, 40 minutes into the second session, newly-appointed head coach Dermot Reeve ordered Jadhav to pad up and announced the aggressive batsman would walk in next if and when a wicket fell.The ploy did wonders as not only did 27-year-old Jadhav upped the ante on his arrival at the wicket, by the end of the day’s play, he had raised his third first-class century to put Maharashtra in firm control at 339 for 3.With Jadhav and Ankit Bawne, who got a reprieve from wicketkeeper Amir Khan off Imtiaz Ahmed moments after opening his account, sharing an unbroken 152-run stand for the fourth wicket in just over two hours, it looks like Uttar Pradesh batsmen will have to bat out of their skins in order to gain three points from the game.Half an hour after Jadhav replaced Khadiwale, who scored 68, at the crease, he lost Atitkar, who was strolling towards a ton. Both the set batsmen saw their off stump uprooted by the consistent Bhuvneshwar Kumar, easily the pick of the UP bowlers.But both Jadhav and Bawne waged an assault on the UP bowlers after the tea break. Jadhav, especially, was unstoppable as he plundered 89 runs in the last session. And had he not got cautious against the second new ball, which was taken after 84 overs, he could well have scored a century in a session.The milestone came with just four balls remaining in the day when Jadhav drove Kumar straight down the ground to run his second successive brace and burst into celebrations. Not only did he justify his promotion in the batting order, but he made a point to many of the Indian Premier League franchise owners for having ignored him last year.After scoring a Man of the Match-winning 29-ball fifty on his IPL debut – for Delhi Daredevils against Royal Challengers Bangalore – in 2010, Jadhav featured for now-disbanded Kochi Tuskers Kerala the following year. But even after accumulating more than 500 runs in the Ranji Trophy last season, no franchise approached him. Not only did Jadhav let the phase pass by but he put his head down to continue scoring big in the domestic one-dayers played after the deadline for signing players for the IPL was over.As a result, Jadhav had plenty to gain from the innings. “First and foremost, I have helped the team snatch the advantage on the first day,” Jadhav said . “And from a personal perspective, I think it would boost my confidence and show everyone that I can do it in different situations.”For almost half a decade now, Jadhav has been considered as a talented batsman. But he hopes that this knock, and the rest of the season, will help turn him into a stand-out batsman. “I am trying to be more disciplined, punctual to be precise. More often than not, I find it difficult to make it on time even for practice sessions,” Jadhav said. “Even when it came to scoring big ahead of the IPL, it came late last year after the deadline was over. So I hope now that I have got the timing right, I hope to be consistent and sustain the momentum for the rest of the season.”If he lives by his words, then Maharashtra would not only find it easier to remain in Group B by the end of the season but also would hope to be promoted to Group A come next year.

Bunny Shaw was struck by an object after scoring the opening goal in Man City's Champions League win over Hammarby, forcing a UEFA investigation.

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• Shaw scored both goals in 2-1 win
• She was hit by object following animated celebrations
• Shaw received a yellow card for her celebrations

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After opening the scoring on the half-hour mark, Shaw ran over to the Hammarby supporters with her arms held out wide, prompting anger among the home fans. Such was their outrage, an unidentified object was thrown towards her and made contact with the Jamaican striker.

  Surprisingly, Shaw was shown a yellow card for her celebration as her actions were deemed to have incited rage deliberately. Shaw later scored a blockbuster from distance to win the game 2-1 for her side, in the process becoming Man City's record goal-scorer in the Women's Champions League. UEFA have now opened an investigation into incident, according to the , with Hammarby set to be punished should they be found at fault.

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• WHAT UEFA AND ALEX GREENWOOD SAID

  In a statement concerning the investigation, UEFA said: "Proceedings have been opened against Hammarby IF for throwing of objects (Article 16(2)(b) of the Disciplinary Regulations)."

  It added: "Manchester City player Khadija Shaw received a yellow card following her goal presentation for unsporting conduct."

  In a response to a post on X by broadcasting company DAZN, which stated that Shaw received 'stick' for her 'antagonising' behaviour towards the home fans, City's Alex Greenwood made a small amendment, replying: "Correction. Travel to Stockholm, score a big goal. Celebrates her goal. Gets objects thrown at her."

• Getty/GOAL
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Bunny Shaw scored 21 goals in just 18 appearances in the WSL for Manchester City last season, and with her goal on Thursday night she became City's leading scorer in the Champions League, boasting a total of seven goals in nine appearances in the competition.

• WHAT NEXT FOR SHAW AND MAN CITY?

  Thankfully, the missile did not appear to injure Shaw, who bounced back in the second half with a stunning goal. City will be thankful there was no lasting damage, as with the congested Christmas period coming up, they will need all of their squad depth to come through the schedule unscathed.

  With Chelsea two points ahead at the top of the WSL table with a game in hand, and star winger Lauren Hemp out after having knee surgery, Shaw will need to play a big part in ensuring the City don't suffer from any slip-ups in the coming month.