da betway： O meia-atacante Guilherme Soares, de 16 anos, é o novo reforço para as categorias de base do Bahia. Ele chega ao Tricolor após se destacar no Campeonato Paulista Sub-17, neste ano, ao defender a camisa do Botafogo-SP, com contrato definitivo de três anos.
RelacionadasBotafogoNa Arábia Saudita, Luís Castro vai superar Abel Ferreira e SampaoliBotafogo30/06/2023FluminenseFluminense se aproxima de contratar atacante colombianoFluminense30/06/2023São PauloEscalação do São Paulo: Calleri deve desfalcar a equipe contra o FluminenseSão Paulo30/06/2023
da fezbet： Natural de Rio das Ostras, Região dos Lagos do Rio de Janeiro, Guilherme iniciou no futebol nas categorias de base do Macaé. Após chamar a atenção pela boa qualidade técnica, agilidade e a finalização precisa, o meia-atacante se transferiu para o Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto. Com números positivos, ele reforça o Bahia e espera crescer dentro das quatro linhas.
– Estou feliz com essa grande oportunidade de estar jogando num dos maiores clubes do Brasil. Vou me dedicar bastante, buscar sempre melhorar em campo e poder realizar um grande trabalho. Espero conquistar o meu espaço, títulos e grandes triunfos para o clube – projetou Guilherme, que fez questão de destacar o ponto principal que o fez optar pelo Esquadrão:
– Entre as propostas apresentadas, a que mais me chamou a atenção foi justamente a do clube. Junto aos meus representantes, da Pantera Sport, escolhemos o Bahia por conta do seu projeto e pelo novo momento vivido através da SAF – complementou o meia-atacante.
Guilherme vem se preparando para a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-17, que terá início em julho. O Bahia está no Grupo B ao lado do Atlético-GO, Cruzeiro, Fortaleza, Goiás, Grêmio, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo e Athletico-PR, adversário da estreia. A partida será no dia 5, às 15h, no Estádio de Pituaçu, em Salvador.
da betsson： It has been a long and rather dismal campaign for Arsenal this season.
da cassino： Mikel Arteta’s side have once again failed to claim the Premier League title, although instead of just losing out to Manchester City, they have fallen miles short of Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Going into the final game of the season, the North Londoners are 12 points off the Reds and, perhaps even more worryingly, have scored 18 fewer goals.
Arsenal manager MikelArtetalooks dejected after the match
This evident weakness in the Gunners’ attack is something the board are clearly aiming to deal with in the summer, as reports have linked them to a whole host of incredibly talented players, including Nico Williams.
However, even with his lofty price tag, one of Arsenal’s own stars is worth millions more.
Why Arsenal want to sign Williams Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
Arsenal have been credited with an intense interest in Williams for the best part of a year now, and according to reports from earlier this month, he remains a ‘top priority’ ahead of the summer transfer window.
Athletic Bilbao'sNicoWilliamscelebrates scoring their third goal
The story confirms that the North Londoners will need to activate the release clause in his contract to bring him to the club, which stands at a cool £48m.
With that said, then, what is it about the young winger that has made him such a firm target for the Premier League runners-up?
First and foremost, he’s a direct left-winger who can both score and create goals with relative ease.
For example, in 37 appearances for the Athletic Bilbao last season, the Pamplona-born dynamo scored eight goals and provided 18 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games.
Spain'sNicoWilliamsin action with Netherlands' Jeremie Frimpong and Donyell Male
He’s not been quite as sensationally effective this season, but he’s still been a useful outlet, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists in 44 games, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.44 games.
On top of his raw output, he has also shown an ability to deal with the biggest games.
He opened the scoring for Spain in their European Championships Final triumph against England last summer and also provided an assist in the final of last season’s Copa de Rey, which Bilbao won.
In all, it would be fair to say that Williams more than justifies the price tag Arsenal would have to pay for him, although if he does join the club, he’d have to hit the ground running to see his valuation match that of one of his new teammates.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Williams
To tell the truth, there are actually several players who are worth more than Williams in the Arsenal squad, but in this case, we are talking about one of the club’s breakout stars from this season: Ethan Nwaneri.
Yes, even though this year has been the teenager’s first proper taste of regular first-team football, he’s been so impressive that his valuation has skyrocketed.
For example, Football Transfers now value the 18-year-old at a whopping €74.3, which is about £63m, or around £15m more than the fee the Gunners have to pay to sign Williams.
Now, this might all sound rather absurd to some of you, but there are some reasons for this, chief among them being the fact that the often “unplayable” gem, as dubbed by Jack Wilshere, has already scored nine goals and provided two assists in 36 appearances, totalling 1303 minutes this season.
In other words, the Hale Ender is currently averaging a goal involvement every 3.27 games, or more importantly, every 118.45 minutes, which is undeniably brilliant.
Moreover, given how he’s adapted to senior football so seemingly, there is no telling what his ceiling may be.
With that said, how does he stack up with the Bilbao gem when we compare their underlying numbers from this season?
Nwaneri vs Williams
Statistics
Nwaneri
Williams
Non-Penalty G+As
0.66
0.47
Progressive Passes
3.30
3.19
Progressive Carries
4.84
5.31
Goals per Shot
0.18
0.10
Goals per Shot on Target
0.50
0.26
Passing Accuracy
80.2%
70.7%
Key Passes
1.32
1.83
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.43
1.31
Passes into the Final Third
1.76
1.08
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.66
0.38
Shot-Creating Actions
2.41
5.12
Successful Take-Ons
3.52
2.96
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Season
Well, it might surprise some people to find out that overall, it’s the youngster who comes out on top, as in the majority of relevant metrics, he does better.
The metrics include, but are not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, goals per shot and shot on target, passes into the penalty area and final third, crosses into the penalty area, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Williams this summer, as he looks like he could add some much-needed dynamism to their left-hand side.
Still, in Nwaneri, the club already have another young talent who could further establish himself in the first-team next season.
Best CF since Auba: Arsenal look set to sign £55m "monster" next week
The sensational striker will be a game-changer for Arsenal.
Lancashire bowled out for 204 with no one making fifty, Surrey reply at 83 without loss
ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024Rocky Flintoff made a creditable 32 on debut, as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer at the age of 16 years and 137 days, but it was champions Surrey who ruthlessly took first-day honours at the Kia Oval.Put in, Lancashire were bowled out for 204 inside 59 overs, with no one making it to 50, and Surrey then replied with 83 for no wicket before bad light ended play 15.4 overs early. Skipper Rory Burns was 44 not out, including straight driving George Balderson’s medium pace for successive fours, and Dom Sibley unbeaten on 37.Jordan Clark (4 for 57) and Dan Worrall (3 for 31) continued their fine red-ball seasons by spearheading a five-pronged seam attack in which Conor McKerr also took two wickets and Sam Curran one in what was, for both, their first Vitality County Championship appearance of the summer.Matty Hurst, with 46 from 64 balls, played Lancashire’s best and most assertive innings, while Balderson’s 33 and Josh Bohannon’s 26 were other worthy efforts in seam-friendly overhead and pitch conditions.But most eyes were on Flintoff, who made 167 runs in seven Metro Bank One-Day Cup innings after becoming his county’s youngest player in any format last month, and who came in at 33 for 2 in the 11th over after both Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings had fallen to the new ball.Wells went in the fourth over for 9, dragging an attempted off drive into his stumps against Clark, while Jennings looked aggrieved to be given out leg-before for 12, pushing forward to an inswinger from Worrall.Off the mark first ball, clipping Worrall confidently for two off his pads, young Flintoff was soon living up to his reputation as one of the best players of his age to emerge in recent decades – on a day when most 16-year-olds around the country were more concerned about getting their GCSE results.Uncannily like his father Andrew in build and mannerisms – the former England captain and television celebrity was watching proudly from a hospitality box – the young Flintoff saw off Worrall’s fine opening spell of 7-3-9-1 and helped Bohannon to add 40 for Lancashire’s third wicket in tough, overcast conditions.He did have some moments of good fortune, being dropped at third slip on 13 when he edged Tom Lawes and later also flailing a returning Worrall just over the cordon for four as lunch approached, but otherwise he looked comfortable at the crease and mature beyond his years as Lancashire reached lunch on 98 for 3.Bohannon had gone by then, chopping on to McKerr for 26, and unfortunately for Flintoff he sliced a drive at the first ball after lunch, and his 64th – from Clark – and saw Sai Sudharsan dive forward at backward point to scoop up a brilliant catch.Jordan Clark celebrates a wicket•Getty Images for Surrey CCC
Hurst played some superb shots but was dropped by Clark from a skier on 45 before McKerr dived to his right to hold a magnificent low catch at leg slip in Curran’s next over and from 155 for 4 the Lancashire first innings fizzled out as Worrall, McKerr and Clark combined to overpower the tail.Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, on his Championship debut, played one memorable cover drive before optimistically jumping down the pitch to swing at Worrall and edge behind while Balderson, playing defensively, nicked the same bowler to first slip.McKerr’s pace and lift did for Tom Hartley, caught at the wicket for 5, and only some defiance from Tom Aspinwall – who hooked McKerr for six and extra cover drove him for four in a bright 23 not out – took Lancashire past 200 before they lost both Josh Boyden, who lifted a simple catch to mid off on 5, and Will Williams, caught behind, from successive deliveries from Clark.
It was remarkably just over six years ago that Marcus Rashford enjoyed one of the greatest moments of his Manchester United career, with the Englishman rifling home from the penalty spot to send Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The United academy graduate had been the undoing of Paris Saint-Germain with that last-gasp spot-kick, while he also netted again in the Parc des Princes during the 2020/21 campaign, to clinch another famous win for Solskjaer and co.
Something about the Ligue 1 side appears to bring the best out of the 27-year-old, it would seem, with the in-form forward having again been electric when facing off with the Parisien outfit – albeit this time in Aston Villa colours.
The Red Devils outcast put in a simply masterful display through the middle for Unai Emery’s side, having notably produced a breathtaking assist for Villa’s third of the night as the hosts flipped the encounter on its head. In truth, it was vintage Rashford.
Frustratingly for the Villans, they could not complete the comeback after bravely crashing out, while for those back in Manchester, such a fine individual display may have Ruben Amorim thinking twice over his decision to exile the £300k-per-week marksman.
But would a return to Old Trafford really be in the best interest of all parties this summer?
Why Rashford still needs to be sold this summer
As far as Rashford is concerned, the decision to make the move to Villa Park back in February could hardly have gone better, with the Midlands side also still in the mix for a top five finish in the Premier League, while having also reached the last four of the FA Cup.
The polarising sensation has been central to Emery’s plans in recent months, with the assist for Ezri Konsa last night taking his total tally to nine goal involvements in just 15 appearances since making the move. Jesse Lingard at West Ham United anyone?
Free from the shackles and the scrutiny of being a Manchester United player, Rashford has looked reborn in claret and blue, with Tuesday night seeing him create four big chances in total – more than any other player on the pitch.
That display backed up Emery’s decision to once again select his loan star ahead of compatriot, Ollie Watkins, in the centre-forward berth, with the Villans boasting attacking depth that Amorim can only dream of – not least with Joshua Zirkzee now sidelined with injury.
Speaking on Amazon Prime, United legend Wayne Rooney suggested that he would “love” to see Rashford back playing for the Red Devils next season, while also claiming that the player himself “wants” to be back at the Theatre of Dreams.
That said, it was only in December that the England international outlined his desire for a “new challenge” after being given the cold shoulder by Amorim, with it difficult to see any form of reconciliation occurring ahead of next season.
Indeed, having found his groove at Villa, why would Rashford risk enduring another stop-start campaign back at his parent club – not least considering three of the last four seasons have been rather underwhelming for him in a United shirt.
Rashford’s last five Man Utd seasons (all comps)
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2024/25*
24
7
3
2023/24
43
8
6
2022/23
56
30
11
2021/22
32
5
2
2020/21
57
21
18
*Not including record at Villa
Stats via Transfermarkt
As for the club itself, the chance to rake in a £40m fee from Villa – a deal that would represent pure profit – is no doubt difficult to turn down, with it perhaps best for everyone that a permanent separation occurs this summer.
That said, even if Amorim and co do change their mind, at least they have only opted to loan out Rashford thus far, with the option of a homecoming still on the table. The same can’t be said for everyone that INEOS have let go…
Man Utd may have made a bigger mistake than Rashford
It appears to be a growing theme that players who have left Old Trafford have gone on to shine elsewhere, albeit with the club having largely been correct in moving those players on.
Indeed, in the case of Anthony Elanga, the Swedish speedster had scored just four goals in 55 games for United prior to departing for Nottingham Forest. David de Gea, meanwhile, was public enemy number one for his mistake in the FA Cup final, before being allowed to leave for nothing.
Equally, the likes of Antony and Jadon Sancho – now on loan at Real Betis and Chelsea – had hardly pulled up any trees following their £86m and £73m arrivals, respectively, with the pair netting just 24 goals between them in 179 games.
Antony’s Man Utd record vs selected wingers (past and present)
Player
Games
Goals
Assists
Total G/A
Antony
96
12
5
17
Anthony Elanga
55
4
4
8
Amad
57
12
10
22
Jadon Sancho
83
12
6
18
Alejandro Garnacho
135
25
20
45
Dan James
74
9
9
18
Angel Di Maria
34
4
12
16
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
63
13
11
24
Memphis Depay
53
7
6
13
Stats via Transfermarkt
Even Rashford had endured a miserable 18 months after scoring just 15 goals for United following the start of the 2023/24 campaign, with few of a Red Devils persuasion having contested with any of those exits at the time.
In the case of Scott McTominay, however, it may well be a different story, with the Scotland star having actually been one of Erik ten Hag’s key men last term, before sealing a £25m move to Napoli over the summer.
Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries in action with Napoli's Scott McTominay
Indeed, the 28-year-old was the Dutchman’s rescue act having repeatedly delivered the goods in an attacking sense, with the rampaging midfielder – who notably netted a brace at the death against Brentford – ending the season with ten goals to his name in all competitions.
The joint third-highest scorer for United in the end in 2023/24, McTominay appeared to be thriving in an advanced midfield berth, albeit with the desire to meet PSR regulations – and the pursuit of fellow midfielder, Manuel Ugarte – leading to INEOS deciding to cash in.
Scott McTominay
Ten Hag has since admitted that he “didn’t want” to sell the 6 foot 4 giant, yet was almost “forced” into agreeing to the decision due to the club’s financial constraints.
As it is, McTominay has gone on to dazzle in Naples in 2024/25 to date, with the midfield “monster” – as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson – notably netting twice last time out to keep Antonio Conte’s side in title contention.
Those latest strikes – both of which were assisted by Romelu Lukaku, no less – showcased just what the Lancaster-born hero is all about. Indeed, for his first of the night, McTominay charged from deep before curling home from outside the area. For his second, the ex-Red Devil expertly headed home after towering above the Empoli defence.
The emerging Naples sensation now has eight Serie A goals to his name this season, with only Bruno Fernandes able to match that tally for league goals back in Manchester.
McTominay is then picking up where he left off last term, with INEOS having made a rare move for United by selling a player who was actually in form – unlike the exiled Rashford.
With the Red Devils now in the midst of their worst-ever Premier League campaign, that bold call doesn’t appear to have aged well…
Forget Bayindir & Heaton: Man Utd could unleash "superb" Onana replacement
Man Utd’s goalkeeping woes continued on Sunday afternoon, with a solution needing to be found…
Leicestershire rolled aside for 88 in one-sided encounter at Grace Road
ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2024
Ed Barnard was in the wickets to enhance his allround reputation•Getty Images
Warwickshire made it two wins out of two in the Metrobank One Day Cup with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.Bears’ skipper Ed Barnard, who made a big century and took two wickets in his side’s first game against Essex at Chelmsford, continued his outstanding form in the competition by taking four quick wickets, including that of India Test star Ajinkya Rahane, after putting the Foxes in to bat, reducing the home side to 40 for 4.Craig Miles picked up three wickets, and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Will Rhodes and Jake Lintott one apiece as Leicestershire subsided to 88 all out in just 25.4 overs.Although former Warwickshire player Chris Wright then took two quick wickets when the visitors began their reply, Rhodes and teenager Hamza Shaikh put together an unbeaten partnership of 85 to steer their side home with 32.4 overs in hand.Both sides came into the match having won their opening fixture, Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire against Essex. While Leicestershire were unchanged, however, Warwickshire gave starts to Kai Smith, the teenage wicketkeeper fit again after six weeks out with a broken hand, and another 18-year-old in spinner Taz Ali. On a fine day Leicestershire’s supporters turned out in good number in anticipation of the second appearance of Rahane, whose 71 off 60 balls against Notts had left many searching for superlatives.Warwickshire supporters made the journey from the West Midlands in the hope of seeing for a third consecutive century from Barnard, who had followed his 143 in the warm-up match against Staffordshire with an unbeaten 173 against Essex. In that respect they were to be disappointed, but it was the only disappointment they were to suffer on what became a near perfect afternoon for their side.Barnard chose to bowl first after winning the toss, but can hardly have anticipated what would follow, on the same pitch on which Leicestershire had scored 369 for 6 against Notts. The first five overs were relatively uneventful, albeit Foxes opener Harry Swindells played and missed at several outswingers, but fellow opener Sol Budinger appeared untroubled, hitting three crisp boundaries. There was movement off the seam though, particularly for Barnard, and soon after bringing one back to bowl the struggling Swindells, found the edge of Budinger’s bat with a fine delivery which left the left-hander.Opposite number Hill was his third victim, edging a lifting delivery to the wicket-keeper, but his fourth wicket, the key one of Rahane, had an element of fortune about it, coming off a low leg side full toss which the batsman tried to help down to long leg only to turn the bat too soon. The ball struck the back of the bat and looped gently back to the grateful if slightly startled bowler.Leicestershire’s second overseas batsman, Peter Handscomb, also went caught and bowled, in his case chipping a full straight delivery straight back to Rhodes for a duck. The procession continued, Liam Trevaskis edging a delivery pushed across him from Hannon-Dalby low to Rhodes at slip, before a stand of 34 between Ben Cox and Ben Mike gave Leicestershire’s disbelieving supporters faint hope of posting some sort of score.The hopes were quickly and decisively extinguished as Cox chipped a simple catch to midwicket, Mike top-edged an ambitious pull for Ali, running back from mid-on, to take a good catch, a catch made to look ordinary when Rhodes took a really fine diving catch at slip off Jake Lintott to see the back of Scriven.Wright was last to go, bowled off the inside edge, but the seamer at least enjoyed some measure of revenge, trimming Barnard’s bails with a beauty and then winning a leg before decision against Theo Wylie to reduce the Bears to 7 for 2. Thereafter however Rhodes and Shaikh played with increasing comfort to see their side over the line in double-quick time.
Match abandoned without a ball bowledSri Lanka vs NepalSri Lanka and Nepal came to Lauderhill searching for their first wins, hoping to put their T20 World Cup 2024 on track. However, incessant rain, heavy enough to trigger flash-flood alerts for local residents, left both teams splitting one point apiece. That means Sri Lanka are almost certainly out of Super Eight contention while Nepal’s chances of qualification also take a hit. South Africa, currently Group D toppers, were confirmed a place in the Super Eight.For Sri Lanka to now qualify, they first need the Bangladesh vs Netherlands fixture on June 13 in Kingstown to be a washout, then they need to defeat Netherlands in their last group game on June 16. They also need South Africa to beat Nepal by a big margin on June 14, and then for Nepal to beat Bangladesh by a small margin on June 16.
Nepal could still qualify if they manage big wins against South Africa and Bangladesh in their last two games, and if Netherlands don’t win both their remaining matches.However, the Lauderhill weather now puts upcoming games at the venue under the scanner. The venue is set to host three Group A games – USA vs Ireland on June 14, Canada vs India on June 15 and Ireland vs Pakistan on June 16 with rain forecast through the week.
طالب أشرف صبحي، وزير الشباب والرياضة، لاعبي منتخب مصر للشباب، بتقديم أداء قوي خلال مباراة نيوزيلندا، التي تقام مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، في منافسات بطولة كأس العالم تحت 20 عامًا.
ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع نيوزيلندا، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس العالم للشباب المقامة في تشيلي.
وقال وزير الرياضة عبر لقاء عبر تقنية الكونفرانس مع لاعبي المنتخب، قبل ساعات من مباراتهم المهمة أمام نيوزيلندا، حثهم فيه على ضرورة القتال في الملعب وتقديم أداء يليق باسم ومكانة مصر الكروية، التي سبق لها إحراز برونزية كأس العالم للشباب”.
طالع | تشكيل منتخب مصر المتوقع أمام نيوزيلندا اليوم في كأس العالم للشباب
وتابع: ” عليكم العمل بجد لتشريف الكرة المصرية، لا توجد أي معوقات لتحقيق حلم الجماهير بالتواجد القوي في المعترك العالمي”.
ومن جانبه، حرص حمادة الشربيني، عضو مجلس إدارة الاتحاد ورئيس البعثة في تشيلي، والكابتن أسامة نبيه المدير الفني، وكاباكا قائد المنتخب، وجميع أفراد البعثة على توجيه الشكر للوزير، مؤكدين أنهم سيبذلون قصارى جهدهم من أجل إسعاد الجماهير
وكان منتخب مصر للشباب تعرض للهزيمة في الجولة الأولى أمام اليابان، بهدفين دون رد، في إطار مواجهات دور المجموعات لـ كأس العالم.
ويتواجد منتخب مصر للشباب في المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم، بجانب اليابان ونيوزيلندا وتشيلي.
Ever since he’s had surgery to correct a growth in his left eye, the New Zealand batsman’s game has hit the stratosphere
Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jan-2019There may be no point asking if you know who owns second-best ODI batting average since the last World Cup, because of course you have read the headline, and seen the photo above. But would you have known that? Could you have guessed it? Ross Taylor slides low.
Watch New Zealand v India LIVE on ESPN+
Readers from the US can watch the upcoming New Zealand v India series LIVE here, on ESPN+
Too old to claim membership among batting’s “Fab Four”, and too embedded in New Zealand’s Nice Guys Collective (TM) to trumpet his own successes, Taylor has quietly put together one of the most impressive ODI records over the last four years. In doing so he has not only reinvented his own limited-overs batting, he has also surmounted a substantial medical obstacle.We will get to the growth in Taylor’s game, as well as the growth in his eye and the surgery that has helped transform him into one of the best ODI batsmen on the planet. But first, let us establish his credentials.Since the 2015 World Cup, only Virat Kohli (on his way to being the greatest one-day batsman) has had a better average than Taylor. Although others – especially openers – have had better strike rates, almost no one has been more consistent. In the 12 innings leading up to this India series, Taylor has been dismissed for less than 50 only twice. One-thirty-seven, 90, 54, 86*, 80, 181* – so read his six most-recent scores.
Although it would seem that Kane Williamson – who hit five consecutive half-centuries the last time these two teams met in New Zealand – was the key figure in New Zealand’s top order, Taylor has actually left Williamson in the dust since the last World Cup. Taylor’s average of 69.72 is more than 21 runs better than Williamson’s in the same period.What’s more, it is Taylor who is most likely to strike up a big partnership with one of the other senior batsmen in any ODI innings. In the list containing the top 15 partnerships (by average) since the last World Cup, Taylor’s name appears three times – Tom Latham, Williamson and Martin Guptill being the men with whom he has put up the most productive stands. Taylor has been especially effective alongside Latham – a fact Taylor puts down to the ease with which Latham settles into an innings.”Tom is great to bat with, and we have a right-left hand combination, which quite often goes really well,” Taylor says. “At the start of his innings, especially against slow bowlers, Tom can manipulate the field really well. Quite often how you start the partnership can dictate a lot of how much pressure you’re put under.”Only Kohli appears as often as Taylor on this list; Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane are his preferred partners.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo how has Taylor orchestrated his ODI advance? Until the end of the 2015 World Cup, Taylor was a good ODI batsman with an average in the low forties. Yet since then, he has quickly become a world-beater, rising to No. 3 on the rankings (behind Kohli and Rohit). Part of that improvement is down to experience, he says.”You play a couple of hundred games, you’ve worked out your game a little bit. I find that I don’t over-complicate things too much. I just try to relax before I go out to bat and just try to sum up the situation as soon as possible and as quick as possible once I get out there. Maybe in the past you have a pre-conceived idea on how the wicket’s going to play, or how you should play once you’re out there. And then you get out there and it’s totally different.”This can only part of the story, however, because while experience might lead a player to gradual progress, Taylor’s leap towards the stratosphere demands a more immediate cause. Around 2010, Taylor had become aware that there was a growth in his left eye – called a pterygium – but it was not until late 2015 that he paid it much heed. Immediately after having an optometrist inspect it, and picking up prescription eye drops, Taylor struck 290 in a Test in Perth. The previous week, in Brisbane, he said he “couldn’t really see the ball”, and had picked up scores of 0 and 26.After managing the pterygium for a year, Taylor finally had it surgically removed at the end of 2016, and his ODI form has been exceptional ever since. He has averaged 60.50 and 91.28 across the past two calendar years. He had also averaged 81.6 across five Tests in the year after having the growth removed, even if he would go on to have a more modest 2018.”The eye operation’s probably played a bit of a part in reading spinners out of the hand,” Taylor says. “I was never a fan of day-night games before that. I hated batting under lights. I always found spinners and people who bowled change of pace quite hard to pick up because of my eye. Since then I’ve been able to see it.”Two weeks after the operation, I had throwdowns with the trainer, and I saw the ball swing from the hand. I thought: ‘Geez, I haven’t been able to see that for a while!’ I don’t know when I started not seeing the ball as well as I used to. All I do know is that felt I was always playing very late at the start of my innings. I just felt like I was a nervous starter anyway, but I felt like I was lining the ball up and just missing. It’s a strange feeling as a batsman – when you’re in good positions and you end up not hitting the ball. I probably should have had the operation years ago.”Taylor’s point about picking spinners is illustrated beautifully by the data. Although he had played spin relatively well in the four years leading up to the operation, his average against spin has skyrocketed to 112. His average against wristspinners, who tend to be particularly hard to pick, has gone up by over 70% post-surgery. In comparison, his average against seamers has only slightly improved, which means that the majority of Taylor’s ODI advances over the past few years, have been against spin – something he faces plenty of, in the middle overs, batting at No. 4.
In addition to merely seeing the ball better, Taylor has also re-cast himself as a different sort of ODI batsman. Once renowned for his bruising hits to midwicket, and his punishing cuts, Taylor has substantially reined in his boundary-hitting over the past few years, focusing instead on accumulation. Where in the first half of his career – until the end of 2012 – Taylor had scored 48.24% of his runs via boundaries, he has scored only 38.53% of his runs via boundaries since the last World Cup. This has suited his team, and the new ODI landscape nicely. With batsmen generally better able to score rapidly at the end of an innings – thanks to the two new balls staying harder and easier to hit – New Zealand have often sought to conserve wickets through the middle overs, in order to explode more spectacularly at the death.”Trying to get to that 40-over mark is one of the most important parts of your job,” he says. “If you’re scoring boundaries it’s either a result of poor bowling or you’re taking a risk. If we want wickets in hand you’re better off not taking those risks.”What’s most impressive about Taylor’s transformation into an accumulator, is that he has not only become a more reliable batsman, he has actually his strike rate slightly while doing so. Globally, strike rates have also climbed, of course, but Taylor’s new consistency has certainly not come at the expense of moving the scoreboard along. In fact, since the start of 2018, no batsman has a lower dot ball percentage than Taylor.”There are areas I’ve been thinking about over the last little while: rotating the strike, dabs down to third man, soft hands and a lot of the touch shots probably come into my game a little bit more now than they used to,” he says. “I play spin a little bit differently as well. At the start of my career I used my feet a little bit more to spin. Now, I back myself to use the depth of the crease.”
If there is one weakness in Taylor’s ODI batting at present, it’s his scoring rate in the final 10 overs of an ODI innings. Where the likes Kohli, Rohit, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler all have strike rates of over 140 through that period (Rohit’s is a stunning 199), Taylor goes at only 131. But this is nitpicking. And that stat only stands out, because by many other measures, Taylor is second only to Kohli as planet cricket heads into a World Cup year.
The left-arm pace bowler has earned his first national call-up ahead of a possible England tour
Andrew McGlashan23-Jul-2020The postponed men’s 2020 T20 World Cup is an unfortunate outcome of the chaos in the sporting world created by Covid-19, but for a player like Daniel Sams it could yet work in his favour with the chance of another Big Bash season to push his claims.Sams, the 27-year-old left-armer who plays for the Sydney Thunder and New South Wales, was one of three uncapped players named in Australia’s enlarged 26-man training squad ahead of a potential tour to England in September.He earned his call-up on the back of a prolific BBL last season where he claimed 30 wickets for the Thunder – comfortably ahead of the next-best haul of 22. The BBL’s recent expansion to a full home-and-away season makes record hauls of wickets and runs somewhat skewed, but Sams’ success is put in further context by the fact that only four players have ever taken more wickets in a T20 league anywhere.ALSO READ: Australia’s limited-overs squad: hopes of a recall, and an eye to the futureWhether he makes the final cut for the England trip which will include three T20Is – should that tour get confirmed as is expected – will be decided in the next few weeks when the squad is trimmed to 18-20 players but even if he doesn’t make it, Sams knows he’s firmly in the mix and has the next BBL season up his sleeve.Daniel Sams has been compelling with his left-arm pace•Getty Images and Cricket Australia”It doesn’t hurt me, put it that way,” he told ESPNcricinfo of the extra year he now has in hand. “It gives me more opportunity to put performances on the board. If I can have another good BBL, it pushes my case forward a bit more so probably does advantage me a little bit more.”The chance to play international cricket in the next couple of months is something that took Sams by surprise when he received the phone call from national selector Trevor Hohns while he was on a week off from New South Wales training.T20 has been his dominant format so far with just 11 one-day and five first-class matches under his belt. He began with the Sydney Sixers in 2017-18 as an injury replacement, taking what remains a career-best 4 for 14 on debut, before switching to local rivals the Thunder where the last two seasons have brought 45 wickets.”My biggest goal is to get to the Australian team, however that looks, and at the moment that looks like white-ball,” he said. “That isn’t to say I don’t want to get there with red ball, that could be a little bit away, but I want to play for Australia so am trying to take this opportunity as far as can.”Learning how to stay “level” in the middle has been a key part of his development and before last season, he started focusing a lot more on the mental side of the game which he believes has been a significant help.”I’ve always done a little bit of it, but I really started to get into it at the start of last season,” he said. “Working on mindfulness and awareness, being aware of what your body is feeling whether that’s at home or on the cricket field and they need two runs to win off the last ball. If you can be aware of what’s going with your own body, you are aware if there’s tension and you may not perform.
“I’d like to say more times than not I’m in control of what’s going on with me, because I can’t control other things, but there’s definitely times where the situation can get the better of you. That was something I was feeling with the ball in BBL last season, it didn’t matter if I got hit for six or got a wicket that confidence stayed level which helped me focus on the next situation.”Sams’ success with the ball last season was in stark contrast to his batting where he made just 55 runs in 15 innings. However, he has taken that as another experience to learn from and views himself as a genuine allrounder. In his last competitive innings in March he made 80 in a four-day game against the England Lions.”The confidence and control I had with the ball was really good but with the bat in hand the situation overtook me,” he said. “I can have these two different feelings in one game by doing two different things. I’m not necessarily putting any more focus on my batting than my bowling or vice versa, it’s just been a lot of mental work on control when I’m batting.”He also thinks back to a conversation three years ago when he made his first-class debut, which was for Canterbury in the Plunket Shield as an overseas player before he was left out for an allrounder called Ben Stokes during his international suspension.Sams averaged 40.16 with the bat and 31.00 with the ball during a three-match stint and words from Gary Stead, who was then the Canterbury head coach and is now in charge of New Zealand, have always stayed with him.”He just said I don’t care about the situation, whatever happens happens, I just want you to bat the way that you think you need to in this situation so we can win the game,” Sams recalled. “I’d never had a conversation with a coach like that before, basically freeing me up to do whatever I thought needed to be done. I was able to go out there and get 80-odd and we ended up winning the game. That conversation has stuck with me, whenever I’m free and relaxed is when I’m playing I’m best.”
Emma Lamb’s unbeaten 44 toppled a meek target of 110 with 31 balls to spare
ECB Reporters Network19-May-2024Lancashire Thunder began their Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over ‘Roses’ rivals Northern Diamonds at a sun-soaked Emirates Old Trafford.Excellent bowling figures from Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris and Kate Cross ensured the visitors stuttered their way to 109 for 5 from their 20 overs with only Emma Marlow (47*) showing anything like the resistance needed to post a decent total.Thunder showed no mercy in reply as they reached the target in the 15th over thanks mainly to Emma Lamb, who hit a dominant unbeaten 44 with four boundaries and 30 not out from Seren Smale.Diamonds were immediately on the back foot when Leah Dobson skied a Gaur delivery to Morris for seven in the second over with Lauren Winfield-Hill departing just five balls later when she hit Cross to Alisa Lister at mid on for two.10 for two quickly became 19 for three when Hollie Armitage was trapped in front by Phoebe Graham for three, although the Diamonds skipper couldn’t hide her disgust at the decision as she walked off the field.A semblance of a recovery was triggered by Sterre Kalis, who hit the first boundaries of the day, and put on 32 for the fourth wicket with Marlow before she was caught at long on by Cross off Morris for 16.The emphasis was now on Marlow, and once Phoebe Turner was run out following a mix up for four, she finally found a partner in Katherine Fraser as the sixth wicket pair steered Diamonds to something approaching respectability as they put on 42 unbeaten runs.The very modest target of 110 always looked achievable by the hosts, especially with an in-form Lamb at the top of the order, and Thunder duly got off to a flyer, despite Morris being unlucky to have been given out lbw for six from a Katie Levick delivery she clearly hit.The powerplay finished with Thunder 56 for 1 and already more than halfway to the win with Lamb and Georgia Voll with their foot on the throttle.Voll’s run out for 19 following a bad call stopped the momentum momentarily. But the in-coming Smale’s energy and quick running between the wickets ensured the pace didn’t let up as Thunder closed in on the target before reaching it with 31 balls to spare to secure a bonus point win.