Lancashire legspinner Parkinson has suffered a stress fracture of his back

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2018England fast bowler Liam Plunkett has been signed by Melbourne Stars as a replacement for legspinner Matt Parkinson who has been ruled out of the BBL with a back injury.Parkinson, who plays for Lancashire, had been withdrawn from the England Lions tour of the UAE after scans showed up a stress fracture and he has not recovered enough to take up his Stars deal.Plunkett is a key member of England’s white-ball sides and will share overseas duties with Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. The Stars have also signed Dwayne Bravo for the duration of the tournament.Plunkett’s next international commitment is likely to be England’s one-day series against West Indies which starts on February 20. There is a warm-up match scheduled for February 18, the day after the BBL final, so depending on how far the Stars progress in the tournament his availability could be restricted in the closing stages.Melbourne Stars squad Michael Beer, Jackson Bird, Scott Boland, Liam Bowe, Dwayne Bravo, Jackson Coleman, Travis Dean, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Evan Gulbis, Peter Handscomb, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Merlo, Liam Plunkett, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa

The USMNT will have welcomed news that Josh Sargent is finally back to “normal” after receiving “proper treatment” on his injury issues.

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Ankle problems held forward backMissed out on Nations League gloryPositive fitness news for club & countryWHAT HAPPENED?

The 24-year-old forward sat out four months of action early in the 2023-24 campaign after being forced to undergo ankle surgery. He suffered another fitness setback during the March international break that prevented him from linking up with his country and savouring CONCACAF Nations League glory.

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That enforced rest did, however, work in Sargent’s favour as he was able to work his way back to peak physical condition. He has been in stunning form for club side Norwich of late, hitting a personal-best 14 goals for the season, and will be looking to net in a 10th successive home game when taking in a derby date with arch-rivals Ipswich on Saturday.

WHAT WAGNER SAID ABOUT SARGENT

Ahead of that contest, Canaries boss David Wagner has said when delivering an update on Sargent’s fitness: “Two full 90s in four days is a big step for him. He hasn't done this in recent months, to be fair, without any issues. Last week he was able to follow the full regime without any issues. Physically you will get fatigued as a player, but he recovered well and now we’d like to push him for the next game.

"Hopefully our season continues quite long; for the maximum it can be. And for this obviously his fitness will be crucial. To be fair in this (last) international break, we were not really able to work him. He had to rest and recover his ankle. But obviously it was possible to give him proper treatment. That was beneficial for his ankle because it looks like now is able to tolerate the normal workload and the normal routine, which he was not able to tolerate in recent months.”

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While Norwich are hoping to see Sargent fire them into the Championship play-offs, earning a shot at promotion to the Premier League along the way, the USMNT will be pleased to hear that the in-form frontman is in top shape heading towards a Copa America tournament on home soil this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain are “much more of a team” without Lionel Messi and Neymar, claims the club’s former manager Luis Fernandez.

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• French giants acquired superstar performers
• Argentina & Brazil internationals have moved on
• Back in the hunt for Champions League glory

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  With money no object at Parc des Princes, PSG set about assembling a super team that included some of the finest players to have ever graced a football field. That process started in the summer of 2017 when luring Brazil international Neymar away from Barcelona for €222 million (£190m/$241m).

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  He was joined in the French capital by Kylian Mbappe – who is now the club’s all-time leading goalscorer – while eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was acquired in 2021. While PSG enjoyed plenty of domestic success with that trio on their books, Champions League glory proved elusive.

• WHAT FERNANDEZ SAID

  They are back in the hunt for that crown this season, with Messi and Neymar having moved on to MLS and the Saudi Pro League respectively, and Fernandez has told of the club’s class of 2024: “For me if, if PSG had had the Messi from five years ago, when he was at Barca, I would surely say that it was better with Messi and Neymar, but this PSG is much more of a team. Neymar arrived with Mbappe, but injuries and other problems never allowed him to show his talent. With him PSG reached the Champions League final in the year of Covid. So, they were together for 20 days and that was good for the group. It is not good to give so much freedom to players. Luis Enrique doesn't give it. He had Messi, Neymar, [Luis] Suarez at Barca and he knows how to treat these stars. Obviously, Messi and Neymar have a lot of talent, but the difference is made by the coach. Luis Enrique can change a star in the 60th minute, like he has done with Mbappe, the others did not do it.”

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  Luis Enrique’s “demands” are considered to have made PSG a more formidable proposition than they were when Messi and Neymar were given freedom to do what they wanted on the pitch, with the most ambitious of outfits readying themselves for the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final clash with Barcelona on Wednesday.

Warriors’ all-West Indian top five propelled their side to 140 for 3, and the Shahid Afridi-led Pakhtoons fell decisively short despite Andre Fletcher’s fireworks

The Report by Barny Read in Sharjah02-Dec-2018Northern Warriors sealed T10 League glory in Sharjah on Sunday night, thanks to a 22-run win over Pakhtoons.The Warriors had Rovman Powell (61*) and Andre Russell (38) to thank with the bat while Chris Green (2-11) and Hardus Viljoen (2-24) starred with the ball to deny Shahid Afridi, his thousands of fans, and the Pakhtoons a first T10 title.A public holiday celebrating the UAE’s 47th National Day and free entry to the north stand of the ground made for a packed Sharjah stadium in full party mode.Some Afridi stardust guaranteed a stream of yellow-clad Pakthoons supporters too, the man who has been Sharjah’s main draw for over two decades once again showing his pulling power.The result was a stadium swarming with fans both inside and out as hundreds sprawled across the roads surrounding the ground. And while a roaring crowd welcomed the two protagonists for the showpiece, many more chose the road’s partitions as a vantage point with their eyes fixed on the big screen that broadcasts back out to the stadium’s surrounds.Inside the ground, both teams were more than worthy finalists having topped their respective groups in the opening stage of the tournament and then finished at the top two in the final league table.They had avoided each other until Saturday’s first eliminator, which saw Pakhtoons advance to the final with a 13-run victory that meant the Warriors had to see off Bengal Tigers in the final qualifying match.Darren Sammy’s men duly obliged to set up Sunday’s showdown between the league’s most dominant teams.And having been put into bat by Afridi, the Warriors knew they were up against it considering just seven out of the previous 28 games had been won by the team batting first.But the side’s entirely West Indian top five made a more than competitive 140 for 3 from their ten overs with Powell’s unbeaten 61 from just 25 balls providing the bulk of the ammunition.Powell’s innings included eight fours and four sixes and the right-hander was ably supported by Russell (38 off 12) and Sammy (14* from 9).This year’s tournament has frequently seen individual moments turn games on their head and at the interval, Russell’s destruction of England all-rounder Liam Dawson looked like it could have been the defining over of the game as the Warriors man took Dawson for 27 in the sixth over.It left Pakhtoons with the task of making the highest successful chase ever across T10’s two seasons if they were to lift the trophy.Andre Fletcher – who has been superb throughout the T10 League – got his side off to the perfect start in reply and by the halfway stage, on 62 for 1, Pakhtoons were well on course. Fletcher departed just two balls later with 37 which, despite bringing hero of the hour Afridi to the crease, was a major setback.South African offspinner Green was the man to remove Fletcher and his two-over spell looked just as pivotal as Russell’s demolition of Dawson earlier on. It proved to be the case, despite Afridi (17) briefly threatening to send Sharjah into delirium with a rescue act that was abruptly ended by the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Viljoen.Those same fans that earlier flooded the entrances in their droves in the hope of seeing Afridi lift the trophy, headed for the exits in similar volume with the writing on the wall.Pakhtoons would go on to fall significantly short as Northern Warriors became the second T10 League champions following on from the rebranded Kerala Knights’ inaugural triumph.

Having watched Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque bat for close to two days after they had Bangladesh on the ropes at 26 for 3, Zimbabwe have been given a thorough lesson in how to apply themselves on a pitch that has occasionally offered something for the bowlers.”Our batters can learn a thing or two from him [Mushfiqur], from how he applied himself on that pitch,” said Shepherd Makunura, Zimbabwe’s fielding coach. “Earlier on, especially in the first session, the ball did quite a bit, but he batted quite well.”Mominul’s counterattacking ton and Mushfiqur’s watchful double allowed Bangladesh to seize control of the game after Zimbabwe’s early inroads. But Makunura presented a brave face when asked about what must have been a frustrating experience for the visitors.”That’s part of cricket,” he said. “Things like that will always happen. You do get a few wickets early on, but in Test cricket there’s bound to be partnerships along the way. The way the Bangladesh batters applied themselves, they set themselves up for the other batters coming in.”One of those other batters was Mehidy Hasan, who made an attacking, unbeaten 68 at No. 9 to extend Bangladesh to a total of 522. “Coming in to a set batter like Mushfiqur made it a little easier for him, and the stage was set for a good partnership,” Makunura said of Mehidy’s knock. “They did bat quite well, the two of them.”Helpful in Bangladesh’s recovery were Zimbabwe’s lapses in the field. They dropped Mominul three times during his 161, and also offered Mushfiqur a second life in the fourth over on Monday, when an inside edge ricocheted off his thigh and wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva put the chance down.”It’s always frustrating,” Makunura said of the drops, “But it’s part of the game. You catch some, you drop some, and it’s part of the game. We have to take it in our stride, and move on from there.”Zimbabwe were made to pay for their mistakes in the field, and their bowling attack struggled to maintain the consistency that had helped set up their win in Sylhet. Fast bowler Tendai Chatara was stretched off with a suspected Grade 2 tear on his left quadriceps muscle, and though Kyle Jarvis stuck to his lines to take 5 for 71 in his absence, he was given precious little support by Zimbabwe’s spin attack, who went wicketless.”I don’t think the guys were complacent,” Makunura said. “We spoke in our change rooms earlier on this was an opportunity for us to win an away Test series, which we haven’t done in a long time. I don’t think we bowled well enough, but I wouldn’t put that down to complacency. We didn’t bowl as well as we should have, but we also must give credit to the Bangladesh batters.”Makunura remained hopeful that Zimbabwe could learn from Mominul and Mushfiqur’s example and bat themselves back into the game, pointing to the first session of the third day as being crucial to their mission.”I think the game is still evenly poised, although Bangladesh batted quite well,” he said. “It’s all going to depend on how well we bat tomorrow, especially the first session. If we can negotiate the first session, we can make life a little easier for ourselves. It’s going to take a lot of batting for us.”

Fakhar Zaman, who was nursing an injured knee before the tour, batted for the tourists before stumps on the first day in Benoni

The Report by Liam Brickhill19-Dec-2018

The touring Pakistanis eased into the first playing day in South Africa, against a young but talented CSA Invitation XI riding on captain Marques Ackerman’s hundred to declare at 318 for 7 in Benoni. There was a wicket apiece for Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali, while Faheem Ashraf picked up two and Azhar Ali’s part-time legbreaks yielded 2 for 19.With Pakistan sweating on the match fitness of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Abbas, neither bowled a ball on the fist day. Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman is also not quite at 100%, having aggravated a knee injury picked up in October, but he came out to bat in Pakistan’s innings, suggesting he may have completed his rehabilitation sooner than expected. He and Imam-ul-Haq successfully negotiated the 18 balls bowled in Pakistan’s innings before stumps.In the absence of Shadab and Abbas, the four-pronged pace attack of Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan and Faheem was given a good workout, all bowling between 12 and 16 overs each. They went about their work watched by around a hundred spectators at the ground.Led by the 22-year-old Ackerman, the Invitation XI team are all 25 or under, but there is certainly talent within their youthful ranks. Opening batsman Joshua Richards narrowly missed out on a hundred the day before his 20th birthday, scoring 98, but Ackerman went to his own century in the 85th over of the day, declaring the innings immediately after he raised his ton by punching Amir through extra cover for his 14th four.With scores of 100, 118, 132, 1, 4* and 145 leading up to this game, Richards was within touching distance of his fifth hundred in seven innings when he fell against the run of play earlier. Richards and Neil Brand had collected 87 runs in an opening stand that stretched to 26 overs before Brand was trapped in front of his stumps for 38 by Amir.Having perhaps bowled a little within themselves in the morning session, Pakistan’s quicks operated with a little more vim after lunch, and Tshepang Dithole was caught behind off Faheem soon after the interval. Matthew Breetzke, who was named South Africa Under-19 Cricketer of the Year at CSA’s annual awards in June, added a breezy 24 from 28 deliveries with three fours and a six before he aimed a wild swipe at Haris Sohail’s left-arm spin and was caught off a top edge at short third man.Ackerman and Richards then came together to add 38 for the fourth wicket, and with Richards closing in on his ton, Azhar was brought on for a twirl. His first delivery caught Richards by surprise, an attempted cut resulting only in an edge that was snaffled by Asad Shafiq.While Pakistan struck repeatedly at the other end, Hasan disturbing Onke Nyaku’s stumps and Faheem quickly repeating the treatment against Rivaldo Moonsamy, Ackerman marched on to his hundred. He got to the mark from the 132nd delivery he faced, prompting the declaration before Imam and Fakhar ended the first day without further drama.

Jesse Lingard has had a difficult start to life in Korea, but he received a warm welcome from Seoul FC fans on his return to the touchline.

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• Spell in Korea blighted by injury
• Returned to sidelines after surgery
• Seoul fans went wild for ex-Utd star

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lingard has only made three appearances for the K-League side so far, most recently being forced onto the sidelines after having surgery for a knee injury. After completing the procedure, he was filmed walking along the touchline earlier this week, where it seemed that FC Seoul fans were still extremely excited by his presence at their club.

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  Lingard joined Seoul in February but has struggled to make his mark so far, with his coach even questioning his role in the team at one point. The former United midfielder seems determined to make things work in Korea, though. A recent Instagram post read: "Sometimes you end up in places you never thought you'd be in, to develop strength you never thought you had." He'll hope the latest injury setback is just another strength-building exercise.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In March, Lingard suffered yet another blow when his manager Kim Gi-dong came out with some jaw-dropping quotes about the 31-year-old midfielder. "I've been thinking a lot about removing Jesse," said Kim. "I don't think a player who doesn't run for a few minutes is a football player. If he doesn't fight, and doesn't run better than the player who runs for 90 minutes?"

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and South Africa fast bowler Duanne Olivier were also big gainers

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2019Cheteshwar Pujara’s tally of 521 runs in the four Tests in Australia, his best-ever returns on an overseas tour, has vaulted him to third spot in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen. His runs were crucial in India’s historic 2-1 series win that extended their run at the top of the team standings, while Australia remained fifth despite losing a point.Pujara struck his overseas best of 193 in the drawn fourth Test in Sydney, to follow centuries in Adelaide and Melbourne, and was named Player of the Series. Elsewhere, Rishabh Pant, who also brought up his best Test score of 159 not out in Sydney, was another big gainer, jumping 21 spots to vault into the top 20. No Indian wicketkeeper has been ranked higher in the batting rankings than Pant, who now sits at No. 17.Pant’s aggregate of 673 points are the highest-ever by an Indian wicketkeeper. MS Dhoni, who retired from Tests in December 2014, held the previous highest rating points (662), and his highest ranking was No. 19. Pant was India’s second-highest run scorer in the series with 350 runs. In addition, he also collected 20 dismissals.In the first Test in Adelaide, Pant took 11 catches to equal the world record for most catches by a wicketkeeper in a Test. He eclipsed the all-time India record of 10 catches by Wriddhiman Saha, and drew level with England wicketkeeper Jack Russell and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja gained one place to be listed fifth among bowlers, even as he surpassed West Indies captain Jason Holder to climb to second place among allrounders. Jadeja played only the final two Tests, picking seven wickets in addition to a counter-attacking half-century in Sydney.A few South Africa players also moved up the rankings table, having taken an unassailable lead in the three-match series, with victories in the first two Tests in Centurion and Cape Town. Opening batsman Aiden Markram moved back into the top 10 after scoring 78 in South Africa’ eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the Cape Town Test. He slotted in at No. 10, while team-mate Temba Bavuma moved into the top 30 for the first time.Among the bowlers, Vernon Philander has gained one position to reach third place while Duanne Olivier, who picked 16 wickets in two Tests, continued his surge to move up to 32nd place from 36th.

Plans are being considered to add a statue of the fast bowler alongside that of Garry Sobers

George Dobell in Barbados24-Jan-2019

Plans are being considered to add a statue of Wes Hall outside the Kensington Oval in Barbados.Hall, now aged 81, enjoyed an excellent career as a fast bowler with West Indies before becoming a respected administrator. He also served as a minister for tourism and sport in the Barbados government and qualified as an ordained minister. He remains hugely popular in Barbados and has a stand named after him and his opening partner, Charlie Griffith, at the ground.As a player, his career highlights include the first Test hat-trick by a West Indies player – against Pakistan in 1959 – and a leading part in a maiden series victory over Australia in 1964-65. He also bowled the final over in the tied-Test at Brisbane in 1961 and helped West Indies to victory over England in 1963. Desmond Haynes recently named him among his best-ever Barbados XI.There is already a statue of Garry Sobers on the approach to Kensington Oval. Originally unveiled in Wildey, a few kilometres outside of Bridgetown, in 2002, it was moved to the ground ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007. The plan is for the statue of Hall to complement that of Sobers, which has become something of a tourist attraction in its own right.Meanwhile, CWI has estimated that the economic impact of hosting this Test is worth up to US$40m to the Barbadian economy. With thousands of England supporters combining some cricket with their beach holidays, the hotels and restaurants of Barbados are currently thriving.”We commissioned an independent report a few years ago that said the economic impact of an England tour was approximately US$5 million a day,” Jonny Grave, the CWI chief executive, told the newspaper in Barbados. “I think there are more England fans here than the previous tour; we’re up to 7000, at least, here just for the cricket.”And I think [more] people probably would have been here in the masses if it wasn’t the hotel accommodation and flight availability. Most of the hotel rooms are full and overflowing, which is fantastic.”With this game and the two one-day internationals to come, we’re looking at probably almost conservatively US$30 million, US$40 million worth of economic impact, which is brilliant and not just for Barbados but also the millions of people back in the United Kingdom watching the cricket who have never come here on holiday or think they need to get back here on holiday.”

How the game played outOn the tournament’s first night in Sylhet, the Sixers laid a massive egg in front of their home fans as they were bowled out for the second lowest total of BPL 2019 to set up a lopsided victory for Comilla Victorians.Sixers never recovered from a limp Powerplay in which they were reduced to 16 for 5 thanks to a triple-wicket over from spinner Mahedi Hasan. Wahab Riaz then wiped out the tail with a series of full and straight deliveries in an innings that lasted just 14.5 overs.But for Victorians, the memory of being bowled out for 63 three matches earlier seemed fresh in their minds as they pursued the target in conservative fashion. The visitors crawled through their own Powerplay at 24 for 2 before inching their way to victory.Turning points-David Warner was the second wicket in the Mahedi sequence, playing well inside the line of a ball that straightened a fraction to be bowled. Atif Hossain overcompensated next ball playing outside the line of one that went straight on to put Mahedi on a hat-trick.-After Mahedi’s three-wicket over, Nicholas Pooran was given out lbw on a ball from Mohammad Saifuddin that appeared to be pitching outside leg, but DRS was not available for this match.-Victorians looked shaky at 15 for 2 in the chase when Imrul Kayes slashed Sohail Tanvir to Al-Amin Hossain at third man, but a chance was spilled over the rope for six. Kayes and Shamsur Rahman settled thereafter in an unbeaten 59-run stand to close out the match.Star of the day Mahedi suffocated the Sixers from the start and never allowed them to get into the match. He bowled Andre Fletcher with an offspinner’s classic dipping and turning to beat the West Indian through the gate to get things going, then terrorised a trio of lefties as they struggled to adjust to his angle around the wicket.The big missNo DRS. For the first match day of the tournament, the lack of technology hurt the hosts very badly. Not only was Pooran’s lbw decision almost certain to be overturned, but Sabbir Rahman was the victim of another dubious lbw appeal missing a sweep to Liam Dawson on a ball that may have been sliding down leg.Where the teams standVictorians move up to a tie for second place with Chittagong Vikings on six points, two behind Dhaka Dynamites who are first with eight points, though Victorians have a better net run rate than Vikings. Sylhet are in last place, even with Khulna Titans on two points but with a worse net run rate.