Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has penned an emotional tribute to Toni Kroos after his Real Madrid team-mate announced he'll retire after Euro 2024.

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• Kroos to hang up his boots after Euro 2024
• Midfielder has enjoyed trophy-laden career
• Bellingham sends message to Real Madrid team-mate

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kroos has announced he will call time on his phenomenal footballing career after this summer's Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. The midfielder will go down as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation after starring for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and the German national team during his career. Kroos has won league titles in Spain and Germany, the 2014 World Cup and lifted the European Cup on five separate occasions.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bellingham joined Kroos at Real Madrid in the summer from Borussia Dortmund and has already collected silverware alongside his team-mate after Los Blancos were crowned La Liga champions. The England international has made it clear just how much he has enjoyed playing alongside the veteran at the Santiago Bernabeu in a touching post on social media.

• WHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

  Bellingham wrote on Instagram: "One year was not enough. Thank you for everything you have given to the game, it’s been an absolute pleasure to enjoy your football and personality as a fan and even more so as a teammate. Still some more work to do this season but wish you all the best for whatever is next for you and your family. LEGEND! 🐐8️⃣🤍"

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kroos has won the Champions League on five occasions – in the history of the European Cup/UCL, only Paco Gento (six times) has won it more often, with the German able to equal the record this year

Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has confirmed that he will take over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool coach.

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Slot confirms takeover from KloppFeyenoord send emotional tributeKlopp to leave Liverpool after nine yearsWHAT HAPPENED?

Earlier this year, Klopp announced that he would be leaving Liverpool after nine seasons at the helm of the club. The Merseyside club had initially targeted Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, however, after he decided to remain with Die Werkself for another season, Liverpool shifted their focus towards Slot and have already signed a contract with the Dutchman to take over a coach this summer. Feyenoord also posted an emotional tribute to the departing coach ahead of their final match of the season.

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Speaking with the media, Slot said [via ESPN]: "I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year.

"Until now I was not thinking about this being the build up to my last match, but that starts coming now. At the beginning of the week you are thinking about training and those kind of things. But the feeling gets stronger now. That is why I'm a little bit late now [for the news conference], because I wanted to say goodbye to some people personally and take time for them, more then just shaking hands.

"So yeah, the feeling grows. I understand that good results help, but it is very nice to feel that people really are thinking it's a pity that I'm leaving. You can say that with words, but you can feel it if people truly think that way. That does mean a lot to me."

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Slot has been compared with Klopp in terms of his playing style and bringing the Dutchman over to Anfield will cost Liverpool close to £13m ($16m) to be paid as compensation to Feyenoord as per reports. The 45-year-old won the Eredivisie last season with the club and ended this season in second place behind title winners PSV.

WHAT NEXT FOR SLOT?

The Dutchman will lead Feyenoord at De Kuip on May 19 for the last time as they take on Excelsior before Slot says his goodbyes to the Feyenoord faithful.

MS Dhoni lauds his bowling unit for bouncing back to keep Kings XI on the field for long enough to ensure a top-two finish for Super Kings

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-20193:00

‘We were off on a number of fronts’ – Fleming

KL Rahul’s assault up front and Nicholas Pooran’s slam-banging later on in Kings XI Punjab’s successful chase of Chennai Super Kings’ 170 for 5 was difficult on their “nerves and anxieties”, Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming admitted after the game.They were the first of the teams to qualify for the IPL 2019 playoffs, and a win in Mohali on Sunday afternoon would have ensured a top-of-the-table finish for Super Kings. But, after being pegged back at the close of their innings – they added just 16 runs in the last two overs – and Rahul’s 19-ball half-century made them rework their priorities. If not a straight win, Kings XI had to be kept on the field for 14.3 overs or more – that would ensure a top-two finish for sure, and two bites of the cherry as far as qualification for the tournament final was concerned. They managed that, Kings XI finally getting to the target in 18 overs.”Overall, it was a very good batting effort from their side, but still, we did whatever we could, we tried to manoeuvre our bowlers, it didn’t work a lot. (But) if you can’t really win a game, the next thing you try to do is to make sure the opposition get the number of runs in the most number of overs,” MS Dhoni, the Super Kings captain, said on the official broadcast. “We were able to do that, and quite happy with the way we bowled. Yes, we went for runs, but still we bowled well.”That’s something as a leader you have to keep in mind,” he went on, when asked about the 14.2-over factor. “It’s not like you go into a game thinking 14.2 overs is what we are looking at. You want to win the game but, at the same time, if the opposition gets the kind of start it got in this particular game, it’s very important to quickly reassess and adapt as to what’s the next best thing that we need to do.”I think the bowlers did well. I think the first seven overs we were down quite a bit, but after that also it needed some hard work from the bowlers to make sure they don’t get the number of runs in 14 or 14.2 overs, and at that point of time, it seemed as if they will be able to if they push hard. So I think credit needs to go to the bowlers to bowl the last eight or nine overs how they did.”For a while, when Faf du Plessis (96 in 55 balls) and Suresh Raina (53 in 38) looked like they would take Super Kings to a total in excess of 180. Sam Curran, however, sent Raina back in the 17th over and, after R Ashwin bowled a four-run over, Curran came back to concede just 11 runs in the 19th, while also bowling du Plessis. Mohammed Shami finished an impressive spell by giving away just five runs and picking up two wickets in the last over.Super Kings ensured a top-two finish despite the loss•BCCI

That gave Kings XI the momentum going into the break, and once Rahul – partnered by an unusually sedate Chris Gayle – scored 68 in the Powerplay, Super Kings were well and truly under the cosh. The fours and sixes were flowing, but Harbhajan Singh, after conceding 41 runs in his first two overs, came back to pick up three wickets to calm the Super Kings nerves, and ensured the victory charge was delayed for long enough.”It’s a difficult day, because on the one hand you have an eye on the equations that you need. We ran as well as we could in the last four overs, they bowled well, and it stopped our momentum for 185-190. And when we fielded, we were aware that we had 14.2 overs to defend,” Fleming reflected. “We’ve played a number of these games, and they are difficult, they do mess with your mind, and we were off on a number of fronts. But we hung tight and the first job for us today was to secure one of two spots, and we’ve done that.”But all’s well that ends well – as far as the league stage is concerned at least – and it’s over to tougher battles ahead, starting with the first qualifier in the home comforts of Chepauk.”Their batting in the first six to eight-ten overs was great, and it was difficult on our nerves and anxieties. But we hung tough and did enough towards the end to just sneak through. It’s job done, but it was a performance we’ll just flush away. I don’t think we’ll over-analyse this one,” Fleming said. “We did what we had to do and now we look forward to going back to Chennai. It’s familiar. Regroup. And, like I said, we won’t over-emphasise on our performance here, although Faf was great with the bat.”But we go back to Chennai now and our concentration will be on recovering from a day’s cricket and a long flight tomorrow.”Fleming also suggested that, apart from finding a replacement for the injured Kedar Jadhav, the XI will largely be the same.”It ebbs and flow throughout the tournament. We can still get better on all facets. Bowling-wise, it’s been our strength, somewhat surprisingly, throughout the tournament,” he said. “We’re now getting into one-off games, and we’re going to back these players right through to the end.”So it’s about recovery and just making sure the options and executive are as good as can be. We have drifted a bit in the last couple of games with a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of being near the top of the table. But that’s over now, and we can focus on the one-off game in Chennai and go wherever we need to go after that.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are being backed to invest “heavily” at Wrexham, with there no need to be “careful” until reaching the Championship.

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• Red Dragons have bounced into League One
• Need to reinforce in order to be competitive
• Hollywood co-chairmen make funds available

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons are hoping to take that step up in the not too distant future – preferably in 2025 – but for now they are readying themselves for life in League One. Back-to-back promotions have lifted the Welsh outfit into the third tier of English football for the first time in 20 years.

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  WHAT FINANCE EXPERT SAID

  Reynolds and McElhenney have bankrolled a meteoric rise for Wrexham, with their every move being caught on camera by an award-winning documentary, and football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has told of why more cash can be splashed in 2024: “I think if you look at where we’re at right now, and you’ve seen what Wrexham have done already, I think it’s likely that they’ll continue to invest. And as I say, you know, they’ve got big aspirations. So it’s when you get into the Championship that you have to be a little bit more careful. But I’d certainly see them pushing again this year.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Plumley added on why the Red Dragons are free to spend in League One, with the confirmation of a July general election likely to postpone the implementation of an independent regulator in English football: “There is the election and the independent regulator in the background as well and that will take time to see what that looks like from a regulation point of view in the detail. But even given the way the current [regulations] are at the minute, it’s still likely that Wrexham, as an example, will spend and we’ve seen Stockport do it as well haven’t we in the last couple of years. There is a soft salary cap in League One, it’s something called a Salary Cost Management Protocol but it’s based on wages to turnover ratio. Sixty per cent recommended but not enforced so, theoretically, Wrexham could still spend heavily in League One before you’ve got to look at ‘if you get to the Championship, then you’ve got to conform with profit and sustainability regs'.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham are in the process of drawing up recruitment plans for the next transfer window. Phil Parkinson has made it clear that he wants to further bolster his ranks, with reinforcements required in order to compete with more established clubs in League One.

Only two players – Sana Mir and Nida Dar – feature in the top bracket, with Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan demoted to the second grade

Umar Farooq25-Jun-2019The PCB has brought down the number of centrally contracted women cricketers from 17 to 10 in a bid to increase remuneration for those in the new retainers, and also, it says, in recognition of a small national pool of players. A condensed list has left Sana Mir and Nida Dar in the ‘A’ category, while Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan have been demoted to category ‘B’ and the fourth level, ‘D’, has been removed altogether.The trade-off for the reduction, however, is that the compensations are now higher. All three categories – A, B and C – come with higher pay now: a hike of 20%, 18.5% and 18% respectively. In addition, the length of each contract – hitherto always six months – has been increased to a year, starting from July 1. For the first time in 12 years, daily allowances have also increased – in training camps they have been doubled, making it Rs 2000 (approx. $13), as well as on foreign tours, going from $50 to $100. Travel upgrades for tours have also been introduced so that the team will now be traveling business class. All women cricketers will now also earn a match fee for each game of domestic cricket.The contracted players

Category A: Nida Dar and Sana Mir
Category B: Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Sidra Ameen and Sidra Nawaz
Category C: Diana Baig and Nahida Khan

“The announcement of the new central contracts is a great story for the women’s game in Pakistan and indicates the exciting times that lie ahead for cricketers in the country,” Urooj Mumtaz, chief selector for the women’s team, said. “The women cricketers have shown tremendous improvement recently and this is reflected in the central contracts being offered to them, which are reward-and incentive-based.”With more international cricket scheduled over the coming months, this will motivate the girls to continue to perform strongly. Apart from the enhanced central contracts, we have also introduced incentives for the players in domestic cricket, who will now earn Rs 10,000 [approx. $64] per match. This is a small step in making women’s cricket more professional and inspiring young women cricketers to take up the sport with a realistic opportunity to represent the country.”Meanwhile, PCB managing director Wasim Khan stressed that the changes reflected the respect and importance the board have for women cricketers. “The enhanced new central contracts form a key part of the vision to enhance the profile of women’s cricket and our aim to strive towards a fairer system,” he said in a statement. “As a responsible and professional organisation, we remain committed to investing in the growth and development of women’s cricket. We want to strengthen the women’s and girls’ game at all levels so that our national team can continue to go from strength to strength.”That said, it’s worth noting that Pakistan recently won an ODI series against West Indies for the first time under Bismah’s captaincy – in February 2019 in Dubai – and subsequently drew the series in South Africa. Bismah’s form with the bat hasn’t been great in this period, but Javeria has been one of the stars, scoring 212 runs in nine innings in the past year, second only to Sidra Ameen’s 241. Their demotion, therefore, does strike as odd.Pakistan are currently fifth on the ICC Women’s Championship table, and have a top-four finish, which will help them qualify directly for the 2021 Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand, very much in their sights. Their next assignment is against India.

Australia Test captain Tim Paine says he is not a man of faith but admits he has prayed more than once in recent times for a fully fit James Pattinson ahead of the Ashes series in England.While Australia’s ODI side is about to begin their World Cup defence in England, Paine is on the other side of the world quietly preparing to plot England’s downfall in the Ashes series which follows in August.”I’m not a religious man but I have said a few prayers when I’ve gone to bed at night in the last couple of months to make sure he’s fit because I think he can clearly add a lot to our Test match team,” Paine said in Melbourne on Thursday.”I think the England guys have seen him bowl a lot in county cricket in the last couple of years. At times he’s been quite devastating and I think that will be at the back of their minds. I think at times in this Ashes series, if he’s fully fit, he’s going to be a real weapon for us.”Pattinson is in England currently as well, on a stint with Nottinghamshire which is due to end on June 15 when he joins the Australia A one-day team for five 50-over games and three four-day games in the UK that will take place during the World Cup and prior to the Ashes, although those could well change.Pattinson has not played since Nottinghamshire’s Royal London 50-over Cup match against Northamptonshire on May 6 due to a niggling side strain, missing Notts’ semi-final loss to Somerset and two four-day county championship fixtures in the meantime, but he is close to making a return. understands that Pattinson met with Australia coach Justin Langer in Southampton last week to map out a plan over the coming months, which is likely to include more four-day cricket for Nottinghamshire before the Australia A four-day matches in July.Pattinson played his last Test for Australia in February 2016, a full 20 months before Paine was even reinstated as Australia’s Test match wicketkeeper following a seven-year absence.Pattinson hasn’t played a Test in England since the 2013 Ashes series but a successful spine surgery after years of repeated stress fractures has helped him back to the cusp of Test cricket following a sensational finish to the Sheffield Shield season for Victoria.James Pattinson picked up seven wickets in the match•Getty Images

Paine was also enthused by the news that Josh Hazlewood was in career-best shape following his World Cup selection snub.”I think he was a bit stung,” Paine said. “He’s got a pretty good case, his numbers in one-day cricket are outstanding. He’s a World Cup winner. I must admit when I’ve seen him speak about missing out, I think he is a bit dirty.”I’ve seen some footage and some numbers on his fitness in the last three or four weeks, he’s in the best condition he’s ever been in and I think he’s going to be cherry ripe come the first Ashes Test which is going to be really exciting for us.”Paine believes Hazlewood is primed for a big Ashes campaign after taking just 16 wickets in the unsuccessful 2015 series when much was expected of him.”I think Josh knows himself, he was the one who brought it up. He said he didn’t handle it well and I’m sure he’s learnt a hell of a lot,” Paine said. “He’s a hell of a bowler and he’s now had four more years of international cricket and I’m sure he knows exactly what he needs to fix to improve how he went in the last Ashes [in England].”Paine himself has enjoyed a lengthy break having not played since Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield season ended late March. He will captain the Australia A four-day squad in England but that does not commence until July 3. Next week, Paine will head to Brisbane with all members of the two Australia A squads taking part in a training camp with the exception of those, like Pattinson, who are currently in England.

Bayern Munich have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Burnley manager Vincent Kompany as they look to replace Thomas Tuchel with the Belgian.

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Bayern in advanced negotiations with Kompany Looks set to join the Bavarian giants In talks with Burnely for a potential transfer fee WHAT HAPPENED?

The managerial search began in earnest after Bayern Munich announced in February that Thomas Tuchel would be departing the Allianz Arena this summer. The departure of Tuchel, coupled with unsuccessful negotiations with candidates such as Xabi Alonso and Ralf Rangnick, left Bayern in a challenging position and have now been forced to turn their attention to Kompany – who failed to prevent Burnley from going down to the Championship after a horrific Premier League campaign.

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According to, the verbal agreement between Bayern and Kompany is now in place, and official negotiations with Burnley have commenced. While a formal deal has yet to be finalized, the parties are reportedly optimistic about the potential for Kompany to take on this significant new role. However, any potential transfer would involve a fee as the former Manchester City star is contracted to the Clarets until 2028.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kompany's tenure with the Lancashire club was a mixed bag after managing Anderlecht in Belgium. Despite the setback of Burnley's relegation this season, he demonstrated his managerial acumen by guiding the club to a commanding performance in the Sky Bet Championship in 2022-23, where they amassed 101 points and secured promotion to the top flight.

(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KOMPANY?

The task ahead for Kompany, should he finalize the move to Bayern, is substantial. The Bavarian club, known for its high expectations and competitive standards, will look to the former Premier League legend to instill a winning mentality after a trophyless season. The transition will require Kompany to adapt quickly to the demands and pressures of managing one of Europe’s top clubs, a significant leap from his previous managerial experiences – as Harry Kane and Co will be eager to witness a new leadership that can harness their potential and return the club to its customary position of dominance in both domestic and European competitions.

It is already nigh on impossible to see how England can claim the 20 wickets required to win the match and stay in the series

The Report by Andrew Miller18-Jul-2019

Australia Women 265 for 3 (Perry 84*, Haynes 54*) v England WomenIs it too soon to say that Australia have retained the Ashes? Technically, yes, but such was the ease with which a succession of their batsmen mastered the opening day of the one-off Test in Taunton, it is already nigh on impossible to see how England can claim the 20 wickets required to win the match and stay in the series … unless, of course, the pitch starts ragging like a Ciderabad bad’un, in which case the 265 runs that Australia already have on the board will surely prove decisive.Trailing 6-0 on points after losing all three of the recent ODIs, Heather Knight’s team needed nothing less than the four points available for this Test to keep their hopes alive going into next week’s T20s. And they appeared to have thrown in their lot with Taunton’s reputation as a spinner’s paradise, omitting their Test-specialist seamer Kate Cross for the left-arm debutant Kirstie Gordon, with Sophie Ecclestone and Laura Marsh completing a three-prong spin attack.But then Knight lost the toss, and the chance to bowl last on a used surface, and by the close of a one-sided first day, everything that could go wrong for England had gone wrong. Four of Australia’s top five posted half-centuries, including Ellyse Perry, who picked up the same indomitable form she had shown in her last Test innings – 213 not out at North Sydney Oval in the 2017-18 Ashes – to reach the close on 84 not out, making a new record aggregate of 297 consecutive runs for a women’s Test batsman.Furthermore, England’s focus and threat was fundamentally undermined by two key injuries in the course of the day – first when Ecclestone, their attack-leading left-arm spinner, was forced to leave the field midway through her third over, having bruised her shoulder badly while diving in vain for a catch in the outfield.Though she returned to the attack after lunch, and bowled creditably in picking up the big wicket of Meg Lanning for 57, the moment had already been lost for England, who were pushed emphatically on to the defensive by an impressive morning onslaught from Alyssa Healy, whose 58 from 81 balls included 12 fours, four of which came in the space of nine balls from a lacklustre Anya Shrubsole. Her opening spell offered hooping swing but far too much width, and she was not called upon again until the 60th over, by which time the ‘roos had truly bolted.England’s other big concern centred on the fitness of their one in-form batsman, Tammy Beaumont. Though she had barely flinched at short leg after being cracked a savage blow on the left thumb by a full-blooded Healy pull, she had left the field by the close of play and was due to go for an X-ray. Her absence at the top of the order would be incalculable: in the ODIs, Beaumont’s 114 from 115 balls in the second match at Leicester provided the team’s one moment of batting dominance. Aside from her, only Nat Sciver has so much as passed fifty in three innings.For a side that so desperately needed to set the agenda, it was a passive performance from England throughout the first day. With two fifties in the ODIs, Healy was in the mood to dominate from the outset, and her effortless gap-finding left England with few answers, in spite of the odd hint of dramatic turn, including Ecclestone’s first delivery, which exploded past Healy’s off stump in the 12th over.But having over-stretched at midwicket in a futile attempt to intercept another flicked four from Healy, Ecclestone was left in tears after jarring her shoulder as she hit the turf, and having served up a leg-stump half-tracker that was pulled ruthlessly for four, she left the field mid-over, handing the senior spin duties to Gordon – one of two England Test debutants alongside Amy Jones.Gordon settled quickly in the circumstances – though not before Healy had cashed in on a brace of nervy full-tosses to race to a 61-ball fifty, her first in Tests. And, having found her pace and length for the conditions, Gordon struck a vital blow in the final ten minutes before lunch, sliding one past Healy’s back pad and into her stumps to pick up a notable maiden Test wicket in her sixth over.Gordon’s day could and should have got even better in her very next over. Sensing an opportunity to turn the screw at 95 for 2 with two batsmen playing for the interval, Knight posted herself in Lanning’s eyeline at short cover, but then dropped a dolly of a checked drive, with Australia’s most accomplished cricketer on 26.It was a grim moment for the skipper, and though Lanning did occasionally get bogged down by the spinners, she didn’t offer another sniff in pressing onto her half-century. On 57, however, Ecclestone – patched up in the dressing-room and restored to the attack – served up the ball of the day, a cunning slider that slipped under an attempted cut and into Lanning’s off stump.But Perry by this stage was deep into her innings and utterly serene. Her commitment to the front foot in defence, but ability to rock back deep into her crease to attack, offered England no quarter as they probed in vain for a weakness. Their best hope, in fact, came at the other end, where the left-handed Rachael Haynes initially found the footholes hard to combat, at least until she took the initiative with her own footwork, dancing down the track to Gordon and lofting her with the spin over wide long-on for four.By the close, England had surrendered all pretence of the initiative, as Perry closed in on her second Test century in a fourth-wicket stand of 105. It’s going to take something extraordinary to turn this game around, and England – on today’s subdued evidence – don’t look capable of producing it.

While recovering from his side strain, the allrounder put in extra work on his batting with Ricky Ponting

Melinda Farrell21-Jun-2019Marcus Stoinis feared his World Cup was over when he suffered the side strain which kept him out of Australia’s team for two matches. Stoinis returned to the side and took two wickets in the 48-run win against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge and also contributed an unbeaten 17 with the bat.Australia flew Mitchell Marsh, who was already heading to England for an Australia A tour, over early as cover while Stoinis’ fitness was assessed and he admitted he feared the worst when he felt the pain in his side while bowling in Australia’s group match against India.”Your mind goes there,” said Stoinis. “But I think once everything sort of settled you knew it was going to be alright. My initial thought when I did it in the second over was ‘oh no, I’m out of the World Cup’.”The last couple of weeks have been so exciting and a bit of a roller coaster. I was a bit down in the dumps after I hurt myself. And again now I’m back in the team and able to do my thing.”ALSO READ: New David Warner, same old wheelhouseHis absence forced changes to Australia’s batting and bowling line-ups against Pakistan and Sri Lanka which threatened to upset the balance of the side, although they were successful in the two matches he sat out. But Stoinis said, while the initial prognosis was unclear, he had to recover sufficiently by the game against Bangladesh to stay in the squad.”We didn’t put a time on it. The support staff did a really good job with that and not over reacting. At least going into this game, this was the deadline. I spent a bit of time with [David Beakley], the physio, and the doc. We were just doing some exercises on the side. A lot of icing at night. There’s not much you can do outside of ice and get on the [resistance band] to get the muscle moving, really.”Stoinis added he was generally able to bowl at full pace against Bangladesh and was confident he could get through his allocated overs.”It’s different bowling in the nets and once the adrenaline gets going in the game. It’s different bowling four overs compared to eight or 10. We weren’t real sure but I was always confident.”Before he was back bowling at training, Stoinis continued to work on his batting in the nets and had a lengthy one-on-one session with Ricky Ponting feeding a bowling machine the day before his return to the side.”If I could have one person in the world if I could have picked them when I was young to be coaching me in my batting, it would have been Ricky Ponting,” he said. “He is an absolute legend, he’s got a lot of knowledge about the game, so we have just been speaking about where he thinks I can go to the next level with my batting and that sort of thing. It’s more just an open discussion, raising points, problem solving as we go. Coming up with different ideas.”Australia now head to London to prepare for their match against England at Lord’s on Tuesday and Stoinis is keen to test his bowling mettle against England’s formidable middle order.”Yeah, it’s going to be a good challenge. Hopefully I can nail some yorkers and bowl some good slower balls because we’ll have to come up with some plans.”Stoinis pointed to Australia’s recent ODI record stretching back to their tours of India and Pakistan as reasons for confidence against England and insisted Australia’s record against them in recent years – they have won just four out of sixteen since the last World Cup and have been defeated in their past six encounters – counted for little in this tournament.”Everyone has been working towards this for a long time,” said Stoinis. “We’ve got two of the best players in the world who have come back into our side. We’re doing things at the right time.”

ESPNcricinfo understands that McDonald has been given the role after eight candidates were shortlisted for the position

George Dobell25-Jun-2019Andrew McDonald is set to be named as the head coach of the Birmingham-based team in The Hundred, Birmingham Phoenix.While earlier reports had suggested that Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, was frontrunner for the job, ESPNcricinfo understands that McDonald has been given the role after eight candidates were shortlisted for the position. Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand allrounder, will be his assistant.McDonald, a seam-bowling allrounder who was good enough to play four Tests for Australia, is only 38 but has quickly made a name for himself as a coach. As well as leading Victoria to two Sheffield Shield titles, he has coached them to victory in the one-day domestic title and Melbourne Renegades to their first BBL title in the 2018-19 season. He has also held coaching roles in the IPL (he has been bowling coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore) and in county cricket, where he led a revival of Leicestershire from a low base.The appointment of Vettori as his deputy is, perhaps, more of a surprise. He has experienced relatively unsuccessful spells as a T20 coach at Middlesex, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Brisbane Heat, though Birmingham will hope his skills are more suited to the assistant role.Bayliss was linked to the role after Paul Farbrace, his deputy at international level with Sri Lanka and England, was appointed asdirector of cricket at Warwickshire. It is understood that Worcestershire, the other club involved as part of the Birmingham-based team, were keen to ensure a proper process took place before any appointment was made, however, and at the end of thatprocess, McDonald and Vettori will be appointed.