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Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Al-Nassr against Al-Khaleej despite only serving one match of a two-game ban.

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Ronald handed two-match ban for red cardMissed game against Al-FeihaBut has now returned to starting XIWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo was hit with a two-match ban after being sent off for a vicious elbow against Al-Hilal. The Portuguese superstar was forced onto the sidelines last time out as Al-Nassr beat Al-Feiha 3-1. However, he is back in the starting XI for Saturday's Saudi Pro League game against Al-Khaleej.

AdvertisementTHE EXPLANATION

Ronaldo has been able to return to action ahead of schedule after Al-Nassr won an appeal against his two-match ban. The Saudi side were able to reduce his suspension to just one game, according to Saudi Arabian soccer journalist, Aymen Al Tamimi.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID SAID

Aymen Al Tamimi posted on X: "Legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation was confirmed on Saturday. Whoever is still waiting for any decision in his mind, let him continue to wait and dream. The legend’s statement to the committee was regular, legal and evidence-based. The situation was witnessed by everyone and does not amount to any punishment."

WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO

Ronaldo's return will be a boost as he remains vital to Al-Nassr and has been in superb form recently. The Portugal international was even handed the Saudi Pro League Player of the Month award before kick-off.

New Zealand captain impressed with Bangladesh’s counter-attack against the short-ball barrage, expects tough scrap in the second Test

Mohammad Isam in Hamilton03-Mar-20192:09

‘We were just trying to stick with our plans’ – Williamson

New Zealand faced their first challenge since Bangladesh’s arrival on their shores about three weeks ago in the Hamilton Test. They still won by an innings and 52 runs with a day to spare, but the fact that the visitors pushed back for much of the fourth day was a sign their celebrated bowling attack can be challenged.New Zealand are No. 2 in the Test rankings, but were put under pressure in their own backyard while employing their tried-and-tested tactics at Seddon Park. Although Trent Boult finished with a five-for in the second innings, he would be a little peeved at conceding runs at 4.39 over 28 overs. Tim Southee was similarly treated by the Bangladesh batsmen, while Neil Wagner’s bouncer barrage didn’t reap the expected rewards.Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah batted well for long periods in Bangladesh’s second innings, particularly the latter two, whose fifth-wicket stand lasted 54.3 overs in which they scored at a clip of 4.31 per over.New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who was adjudged Man of the Match for the second double-century of his Test career, agreed that the visitors had done quite well against their short-ball plan, mainly from Neil Wagner who at times went overboard with his intensity when unable to pick a wicket.

Coming back today with Bangladesh having more freshness, we knew it was going to be a big workload for the bowlersKANE WILLIAMSON

“I think it was a massive challenge for all the bowlers today,” Williamson said. “We were hopeful of wickets late in the evening yesterday, which was nice. But coming back today with Bangladesh having more freshness, we knew it was going to be a big workload for the bowlers. They were just trying to stick with plans for a long period, and perhaps force an error.”[Wagner] is a little bit freakish with his engine because he can bowl for long periods of time. I don’t think any plan is sustainable forever. Bangladesh were brilliant [with] how they adapted with that tactic. It didn’t work very well for us today so we did had to go back to stop their quick scoring.”As for their lone frontline spinner, Todd Astle, he went wicketless in his 20 overs in the game. Williamson said that given the limited opportunity he got, Astle hadn’t done badly, as he looked to threaten the left-handers when pitching the ball in the rough.”He had limited opportunity in this game but when he did come on to bowl, I thought he was threatening particularly out of the rough to the left-handers,” Williamson said.”We were not far away from the second new ball, which was important for the seamers. He was always next in line to roll his arm over whenever we got a breakthrough. He is a great team man and played a role with the ball today as well.”Williamson said that he expected to have it tougher in the next contest in Wellington, seeing how Bangladesh fought back in the second innings in Hamilton. “I thought the fight today was as tough as Test cricket gets,” he said. “Yes, it was nice to be a long way ahead of the game but today was really tough Test cricket. It is what we expect and we know Wellington is going to be another tough match.”

Chelsea match-winner Erin Cuthbert has begged fans to bring their "biggest support" to the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.

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Cuthbert scored the winner in historic victoryChelsea take 1-0 lead back to LondonCuthbert pleads with fans to bring their A-gamesWHAT HAPPENED?

Cuthbert scored the only goal of the game as Emma Hayes' side beat Barcelona away from home, becoming the first team to do so in five years. Barca were denied a penalty in the second half, despite one being awarded for handball, as VAR intervened, and the Blues now have 90 minutes standing between them and a historic Champions League final.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Cuthbert credited the fans' support for taking them over the line on Saturday as the Blues held on, and she is well aware that such energy must be matched in the return leg next weekend. The winners of the tie will play the winners of the semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon.

WHAT CUTHBERT SAID

Cuthbert said: "Hi everyone, just want to say thank you to all the Blues from home, from the stadium, your support was amazing, it really got us through, we felt it. It's a really great result but it's only half way so please, please, please, we need you at Stamford Bridge. Bring your biggest support!"

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Chelsea have a week to prepare for the return leg as they bid to win their first ever Champions League trophy. They were runners-up in 2020/21, losing 4-0 in the final to Barca.

Rory Burns’ dismissal from the first ball of the third day threatened to disrupt a morning of recuperation for England’s specialist seamers

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019The dismissal of Rory Burns from the first delivery of day three in St Lucia may have been a particularly unpleasant shock for England’s bowlers.That’s because the three specialist seamers, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood, had been given a couple of hours off at the start of the day. With many players having their families with them at present, they were given the chance to get up a little later, take a more leisurely breakfast, and enjoy some down time before reporting for duty.While it is not an unusual policy – squad members not involved in the playing XI are routinely given days away from the ground on a rotational basis and the fast bowlers, in particular, are sometimes given a late start after a day’s bowling – it is, perhaps, a little surprising in the context of this tour.England have not reached 300 in the series – this is their sixth and final innings – and have twice been bowled out in roughly the length of a session, losing all 10 wickets in 21.3 overs in Barbados, and 30.1 in Antigua.However, with England’s team hotel little more than 10 minutes from the ground in St Lucia, and the players in close contact with the action, they can be recalled quickly as required. And having helped dismiss West Indies cheaply on day two, led by Wood’s maiden Test five-for, you might say they had earned a rest while their batting colleagues attempted to build on a 142-run overnight lead.England are, after all, embarking on a year of great significance, with the World Cup and Ashes to come. With the series in the Caribbean already lost, some thoughtful man-management may bear fruit down the line.

ICC’s amnesty period currently on, during which it hopes to gather evidence which may further its investigations in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jan-2019The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has seen a “number of people” use the 15-day amnesty period for reporting corruption-related conduct in Sri Lanka, according to ACU chief Alex Marshall.With ten days still go to in the amnesty period, during which the ACU hopes to gather evidence with which it may further its investigations in Sri Lanka, Marshall has once again urged those with information about corruption to come forward. While under normal circumstances, failure to report a corrupt approach may result in a ban, punishments for failure to report have been suspended under the amnesty.”We are approaching the end of the first week of our 15-day amnesty to participants who have previously failed to report any information concerning corrupt conduct in Sri Lankan cricket,” Marshall said in a statement. “I am encouraged by the number of people that have come forward and the new information we’re receiving as a result. This intelligence is assisting our ongoing and wide-ranging investigations in Sri Lanka as well us enabling us to continue to develop a comprehensive picture of the situation there.”I would urge any more players or participants who have any information concerning corrupt conduct to come forward over the next week and share it with us in the strictest of confidence without any fear of repercussions.”The ICC has already charged three former Sri Lanka players, including Sanath Jayasuriya and Nuwan Zoysa, under the ant-corruption code.

Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Kadeisha Buchanan were all on the scoresheet for the reigning champions as they responded to Sunday's FA Cup exit

Chelsea will go into their huge Women's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on a high after goals from Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Kadeisha Buchanan saw the Blues beat Aston Villa 3-0 to return to the top of the Women's Super League table.

It was always going to be tough for Villa to get a result on Wednesday, but that difficult task quickly became near-impossible when goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off for handball with less than four minutes played. Sjoeke Nusken was alert to a sloppy pass and her first-time shot caused Leat to panic and dive to save, despite being well out of her box.

It took less than 15 minutes for Chelsea to take advantage, Niamh Charles' cross and Beever-Jones' clever finish capping a nice team move, and it was two before the break when Hamano met Ashley Lawrence's delivery at the back post for her first goal for the club.

The Blues added to that lead just past the hour when Kadeisha Buchanan converted Catarina Macario's corner, and that sealed a win which took the reigning champions back to the top of the table and saw them bounce back from two cup defeats in quick succession ahead of Saturday's huge European tie.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow…

Goalkeeper & Defence

Hannah Hampton (6/10):

Had one real save to make at the end of the game and handled the situation well to preserve her clean sheet.

Ashley Lawrence (7/10):

Got forward well. Showed great strength before delivering the teasing ball for Hamano's goal.

Kadeisha Buchanan (8/10):

Held down the fort when Carter got forward and did some good defending from the front when further up the pitch, too. Great header to make it three.

Jess Carter (7/10):

Sensed opportunities to join the attack and took them, her driving runs from defence causing Villa another issue.

Niamh Charles (7/10):

Was a great outlet down the left all night and whipped in the cross which Beever-Jones turned into the opening goal.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Sophie Ingle (7/10):

Kept everything ticking over nicely from the base of the midfield, with her pass to Kirby in the build-up to the first goal a particular highlight.

Sjoeke Nusken (7/10):

Read play well all night, most notably to pounce on Corsie's poor pass and produce the shot that led to Leat's sending off. Should've had a goal or two with the positions she got herself in.

Fran Kirby (8/10):

Most of what Chelsea did well went through her. Classy display.

GettyAttack

Aggie Beever-Jones (8/10):

Really clever finish to break the deadlock. Set the tone for another strong display in which she caused Villa problems.

Catarina Macario (8/10):

So much to like about this performance on her first start for the club. Positioning, movement off the ball and how she contributed to the build-up play was all superb, while her consistently good set-pieces got her an assist.

Maika Hamano (8/10):

A livewire on the left, linking up well with Charles to really test Villa's right-hand side. Deserved her goal and showed good instincts to get it.

GettySubs & Manager

Guro Reiten (6/10):

Replaced Charles in an unfamiliar left-back role before the hour but didn't create a weak link. Supported the attack while also doing her defensive duties well.

Mayra Ramirez (6/10):

Had 20 minutes or so to make an impact and had some bright moments without adding to the score.

Erin Cuthbert (6/10):

On at the same time as Ramirez and was immediately looking to make things happen, ensuring there was no drop in energy.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (N/A):

On for the final few minutes.

Emma Hayes (8/10):

Her rotation allowed some players to rest ahead of the Barca clash, it gave others well-earned starts and, above all, got her team the win they needed.

Along with sister Shaiza, Sharmeen had gone about getting women’s cricket in Pakistan officially recognised in the mid ’90s

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2018Sharmeen Khan, one of two sisters all but responsible for the birth of the modern women’s game in Pakistan, has died. Reports suggest that Sharmeen, 46, died of pneumonia.Sharmeen played two Tests – Pakistan’s women’s team has only ever played three – and 26 ODIs between 1997 and 2002, opening the bowling with her right-arm pace and batting in the lower-middle order. Sharmeen, along with her elder sister Shaiza, played in Pakistan women’s first ODI, in Christchurch in 1997.But far more than her playing record, Sharmeen’s role as a fiery advocate of the women’s game in Pakistan in the mid-90s is her legacy. A year before that first ODI the two sisters had helped secure ICC membership for Pakistan women all on their own. It had not been easy, the sisters fighting off various conservative forces within the country, as well as administrative indifference. Those years were marked by various legal battles involving the control of the women’s game – in Pakistan women’s cricket dates back to the 1970s.Such was their influence, the sisters had Pakistan’s earliest tours in that era bankrolled by their father’s business – training camps would be conducted by Sharmeen and Shaiza often at their sprawling residence in Karachi. The sisters set up the Pakistan Women’s Cricket Control Association (PWCCA). This body was recognised by various PCB chiefs and was aligned with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) in the days before the women’s game came under the administration of the ICC.Once that did happen, and the women’s game in Pakistan came under PCB control, Shaiza and Sharmeen were edged out of the scene, though not without a legal fight.Shaiza was the more dominant presence, much more vocal with her opinions and also the more gifted player of the two. But both sisters were recognised internationally – among their proudest achievements were representing the MCC when the club opened membership to women for the first time in 1999. And both Shaiza and Sharmeen, along with Kiran Baluch, were given lifetime MCC membership in 2003, in recognition of their pioneering roles in Pakistan.

Carlo Ancelotti hoped his team would head to Manchester City with a lead, but backed Real Madrid to win the second leg of their European tie.

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Real Madrid surrendered early lead against CityLate Federico Valverde volley salvaged 3-3 drawSecond leg at the Etihad set for next WednesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

Los Blancos played out a memorable 3-3 draw with Man City at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. Ancelotti's side fought back to overturn an early deficit, but then squandered a lead, and were forced to settle for a draw at home.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The game served as a stark contrast to the same tie played 11 months ago. In that fixture, the two sides gave up little, and played out a cagey 1-1 affair. Man City eventually comfortably won the second leg en route to a first Champions League title in the club's history.

WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

In a post-match press conference Ancelotti begrudgingly accepted the result: "What I wanted was to take a small advantage, but we have to be satisfied. We have competed and if we do so also in the second leg we can go through."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

The two sides will meet again next week in the second leg of the tie. Before that, both have domestic fixtures to worry about. Los Blancos play Mallorca, while Pep Guardiola's side host Luton.

Victoria had a handy lead by the close thanks to a calm half-century by Cameron White

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2018Chris Tremain’s third five-wicket haul of the Sheffield Shield season helped Victoria dismantle Tasmania on day one of the clash at Bellerive in Hobart.After being sent in to bat by Victorian captain Peter Handscomb, the Tigers were bowled out for 81 in just 29.5 overs.Tremain picked up three of the first four wickets of the innings trapping Alex Doolan in front, getting Jordan Silk caught at point with a sliced drive and finding Beau Webster’s outside edge to leave the home side 4 for 34.James Pattinson and Scott Boland also got in on the act. Pattinson picked up three scalps of his own in a brisk five-over spell while Boland claimed Jake Doran and the crucial scalp of Matthew Wade.Tremain returned to claim the last two wickets of the innings including Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine.Victoria were in early trouble at 2 for 21 in reply after Travis Dean was run out and Handscomb nicked a superb delivery from Gurinder Sandhu. Marcus Harris failed to capitalise on a start edging an attempted cut off Riley Meredith.Cameron White steadied with a calming half-century. His patient 63 from 121 balls featured just five boundaries but put Victoria in control. He got good support from Seb Gotch who remained 23 not out at close and will look to build a significant lead early on day two with the help of Victoria’s lower order.

Phil Foden revealed his success mantra after reaching his best goalscoring season with Manchester City with a stunning hat-trick against Aston Villa.

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City trounced Villa 4-1Foden emerged as the MVP with a hat-trickDiscussed the secret behind his red-hot formWHAT HAPPENED?

In a scintillating display of skill and determination, the 23-year-old England international netted three time to catapult City to a commanding 4-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium against Unai Emery's troops. Reflecting on his remarkable achievement, Foden attributed his success to a dedicated focus on improving his positioning and exploiting scoring opportunities.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT FODEN SAID

Speaking to after the match, Foden said: "Yeah, definitely. I always now try and arrive in the box and I think that’s why the goals are happening: you get at least five a season by arriving in the box late. So I’ve been working on all aspects on my game. I’ve still a lot to improve on and I’m still growing in that position.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Foden's versatility and adaptability have been instrumental to City's success this season. Operating predominantly in a central role in the absence of Kevin de Bruyne, Foden has flourished while contributing significantly to the team's attacking prowess. His ability to orchestrate play and dictate the tempo of the game has elevated him to one of the cornerstones of the Guardiola project at Etihad.

“I seem to have some really technical players in the pockets and I think out wide I can do that job but I prefer in the middle,” he said. “I think this year I’m growing into the game. The manager spoke on rhythm and slowing the game down and I think I’m showing that as well. He said before, ‘you’ll grow into that position’ because before I was just going so quick, attacking every action, and I think now I’m getting the balance just right.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

Foden opened his account on the night with a free-kick that went through Villa's wall, which was the first set-piece goal of his career. However, the midfielder revealed that he hardly practises them in training and that he actually robbed Julian Alvarez of his attempt.

“I don’t actually practise them. I don’t even know why I took that one,” he said. “Julian (Alvarez) was on them. I just felt confident at the time and said ‘Julian do you mind me having this one’ and it paid off in the end.”