da betobet： After agreeing a deal to sign Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer, Aston Villa have now reportedly made an offer to sign a Serie A champion who is tempted to complete a move to the Midlands.

Aston Villa set to sign Redmond

da blaze casino： Kicking off their summer business as early as possible, the Villans are reportedly set to sign Redmond from Feyenoord when his current contract comes to an end at the end of the month. At just 18 years old, the Dutchman very much reflects the future of Aston Villa’s frontline and could provide Unai Emery with a replacement for Jhon Duran that he has needed at times.

When it comes to first-team experience, the young forward has already received a taste of Eredivisie action at Feyenoord and even featured in the Champions League last season. Now, Redmond will be keen to add some Premier League experience to a portfolio that only looks likely to grow more and more impressive as the years go on.

Despite their PSR concerns, Redmond could yet be the first of a few fresh faces in the Midlands if reports are anything to go by. Recent rumours have mentioned names such as Jack Grealish in recent weeks and there’s no doubt that his return would cause quite the stir.

Having been shown the door at Manchester City, Grealish could yet complete a sensational Villa comeback and one that would need to see him get fans back onside as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, away from Grealish, the Villans have also reportedly submitted an offer to sign a Serie A champion this summer.

Aston Villa submit offer to sign Rrahmani

According to Il Mattino, as relayed by CalcioNapoli, Aston Villa have now submitted an offer to sign Amir Rrahmani from Napoli this summer and whilst he is not desperate to leave the Italian club, he is reportedly tempted by the offer from the Midlands.

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Villa aren’t alone in their pursuit, however, with Tottenham Hotspur also reportedly chasing a deal to sign the experienced centre-back. And that interest should come as no surprise. The 31-year-old enjoyed an excellent campaign as part of Napoli’s Serie A-winning side, starting in all 38 games, and has done more than enough to attract impressive admirers.

League stats per 90 24/25 (via FBref)

Amir Rrahmani

Pau Torres

Starts

38

23

Progressive Passes

4.97

4.33

Tackles Won

0.82

0.67

Ball Recoveries

3.57

2.77

Given how highly those in the Midlands rate Pau Torres, the fact that Rrahmani outperformed the Spaniard in several areas proves just how impressive an addition he would be.

A deal may be easier said than done, however, especially if Antonio Conte has his say. The Napoli boss was full of praise for his defender last season, describing him as “hardworking” and like a “solider” in his title-winning side.

Pakistan captain had left team after her father’s death, Diana replaced by Najiha Alvi

Firdose Moonda12-Oct-2024

Fatima Sana’s return lends more depth to both the batting and bowling departments•ICC/Getty Images

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana will return to the UAE on Sunday to play in her team’s must-win T20 World Cup match against New Zealand on Monday.Sana left the team on Thursday after news of the passing of her father and was not available for Friday’s match against Australia, which Pakistan lost by nine wickets.Pakistan remain in contention for the knockouts but need to beat New Zealand by a substantial margin on Monday, and hope other results go their way. If India beat Australia out Sunday, Pakistan will not be able to reach the semis.Sana was missed on Friday, where Pakistan were also without senior seamer Diana Baig, who on Saturday was replaced in the squad by Najiha Alvi after failing to recover from a right calf muscle injury she suffered during their first match of the tournament, against Sri Lanka on October 3.Diana Baig walked off injured after bowling one ball•ICC/Getty Images

Najiha, a 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has played 12 ODIs and eight T20Is, scoring 14 runs across her four innings in the shortest format. She last played at international level during Pakistan’s tour of England in May, scoring 26 not out and 6 in her two ODI innings there. Prior to that, she played in both home white-ball series against West Indies.Against Australia, Pakistan’s batting, in particular, misfired as only Aliya Riaz scored more than 20, and they were bowled out for the lowest total so far in the tournament, 82.Though Sana, who was named captain of the side in August, has been batting as low as No.7 in the two matches she has played so far, she was up at No.5 in the lead-up, and holds Pakistan’s highest individual score at this event: 30. She has also opened the bowling and is Pakistan’s second-highest wicket-taker with four strikes from two matches and has their lowest economy rate of 4.82.Related

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Opening batter Muneeba Ali led in Sana’s absence and faced questions over the batting collapse, which she responded to gamely. “We accept as a batting group that this is the third match and we have not adapted to the conditions really well. We will have to step up the batting for the next match,” she said at the post-match press conference. “As a batting group, we will have to sit and think how we can increase our scoring areas and what approach we should take in the next match.”Earlier in the tournament, Sana was questioned over why she is not batting higher and maintained it was a “team decision.” When Muneeba was asked whether the coach had been making decisions unilaterally, she rejected that assumption and explained that the team remained a work in progress.”The management and coach discuss and we all mutually decide. We need help too. We’re young,” Muneeba said. “If we talk about Fatima, she is also young in her internationals. I have also led for the first time. We need help and management is for this purpose. But collectively, decisions are planned before the match and things are decided mutually.”

Chelsea are now “really looking” at signing a “new name” in the market who was reliably believed to have agreed terms on a switch to Arsenal last year, but the move to their London rivals ultimately fell through.

Chelsea's transfer plans amid chase for Premier League top five

Enzo Maresca’s sole attention right now centres around Chelsea’s bid to seal a top five Premier League finish this weekend, and the result of this is set to have a profound effect on BlueCo’s plans for next season.

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Chelsea play Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, with Nuno Espirito’s men also firmly in contention for Champions League qualification, so it is quite simply a must-win game for both sides.

3. Man City

68

4. Newcastle

66

5. Chelsea

66

6. Aston Villa

66

7. Nottingham Forest

65

A draw would gift Aston Villa an opportunity to go above them both, so there is absolutely no room for error, and a place in Europe’s most prestigious competition will be crucial when it comes to determining Chelsea’s transfer plans for this summer.

Competing in the Champions League would not only hand Chelsea a major pull when it comes to attracting the continent’s most high-profile players and their desired targets, but it would also gift the Blues a major financial windfall via revenue to help get those stars through the door.

The west Londoners are looking to bring in a centre-back, winger and striker, while funds generated through Europe and player sales may also allow Chelsea to go for a left-back, second central defender, versatile attacking player and a new goalkeeper (Simon Phillips).

Some doubts have surrounded both Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez throughout 2024/2025, leading to Chelsea reportedly expressing an interest in Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, among others.

A shot-stopper is still believed to be on the agenda of Stamford Bridge officials heading into June 1, and they’ve now got a fresh target under consideration.

Chelsea "really looking" at signing Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia

According to journalist Simon Phillips, Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia has made his way onto Chelsea’s shortlist, following two excellent seasons at the La Liga side.

“A new name added to Chelsea’s shortlist, and one we are really looking at, is Joan Garcia from Espanyol,” wrote the reporter, via his Substack.

“The 24-year-old has been linked with Newcastle and Arsenal for a summer move, but you can add Chelsea to his list of potential suitors now as well. The rumoured fee of £25m to sign him this summer is appealing to all interested clubs.”

Interestingly, Fabrizio Romano reported last summer that Garcia agreed terms on a move to Arsenal, but his switch to the Emirates eventually collapsed, and it would appear that Chelsea could try to succeed where Mikel Arteta failed.

The 24-year-old is already making quite a name for himself in Spain, with Football Analyst Ben Mattinson calling him an “exciting” keeper with a great physical profile. Garcia would also fit the mould of a good-value, young signing with a potentially high ceiling, and Chelsea are widely known for targeting that kind of player, especially since the takeover.

This one could definitely be one to watch as we fast approach what will be a busy summer for the club.

Manchester City now want to sign a “world-class” £67m full-back, and he could join alongside Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, according to a report.

City making progress in Ait-Nouri pursuit

Man City have set their sights on signing a new left-back this summer, with Pep Guardiola perhaps not overly convinced by Josko Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly, and there has been a recent update in their pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ait-Nouri.

Indeed, reliable reporter David Ornstein has now revealed that City “expect” to complete a deal for the Algerian this summer, although there is still work to be done before they are able to strike an agreement with their Premier League rivals.

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Ait-Nouri’s arrival would leave Guardiola fairly well-stocked at left-back, given that Gvardiol and O’Reilly featured in that area regularly throughout the 2024-25 campaign, but a new report has suggested the manager could be keen to bring in another full-back who can play on both flanks.

According to GiveMeSport, Man City now want to sign Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso, with the Italian being shortlisted by Guardiola, who has also personally requested the defender in the past.

It could be difficult to agree a deal for Cambiaso, with his current employers making it tricky to enter talks, but the full-back, who was valued at £67m back in the January transfer window, remains of interest to the Blues.

Guardiola’s side are confident about sealing the arrival of Ait-Nouri, but the Juventus star could join regardless of whether they complete a deal for the Wolves man, given he can play in a back four or five on both sides of the defence.

Cambiaso putting in "world-class" performances for Juventus

The 25-year-old is particularly impressive in an attacking sense, as highlighted by his dribbling ability, which is important for City, considering they are likely to be the main aggressors in the majority of the Premier League games they play next season.

Journalist Zach Lowy has also been left particularly enamoured by the Italy international’s ability to create chances for his teammates in the past, singling him out for praise last April.

That said, with Gvardiol and O’Reilly already on the books, and the move for Ait-Nouri seemingly advancing well, there are doubts over whether the full-back would be a necessary signing for Man City.

£67m is a huge asking price for any player, and it may be wise to invest the money into other areas of the squad, perhaps between the sticks, having been keen on signing an Ederson replacement for quite some time, and City have a number of options in mind.

Goalkeeper

Current club

Potential cost

Gianluigi Donnarumma

PSG

£25m+

Joan Garcia

Espanyol

£21m

Diogo Costa

FC Porto

£51m

Senne Lammens

Royal Antwerp

£21m

With some luck in the form of Hales’ self-inflicted absence and Morgan’s backing, Roy has manufactured England’s magic formula

George Dobell at Lord's 13-Jul-2019It tells you something about Jason Roy’s confidence right now that his ears prick up when he hears nobody has hit a six over the Lord’s Pavilion since 1899. “Oh, really?” he asks. “Let’s try to get an opportunity tomorrow (Sunday).”While England cricketers of an earlier vintage might have viewed a World Cup final with stifling trepidation – Phil Defreitas, for example, admitted “the occasion got to me” in the 1987 final – Roy talks of “excited energy” and eyes an opportunity to star on the biggest stage of all.And why wouldn’t he be confident? He is averaging 75.27 in ODI cricket this year. Perhaps even more remarkably, his strike-rate in that period is 119.13. He has made three centuries and six half-centuries from the 11 innings he has played.It’s no coincidence that England have won eight of the last nine ODIs in which Roy has batted. He has passed 50 in all eight of those victories and scored two centuries. Equally, it is telling that England lost both the World Cup matches that he missed through injury – against Australia and Sri Lanka – and that they lost the only game in which he has failed this summer; he made eight in the defeat against Pakistan.Only four times in his career – and not at all since January 2017 – have England failed to win once he has made 50. And he has passed that landmark 27 times. He is fast developing a reputation as one of the most dangerous batsmen in a team studded with them.

“I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have.”Roy explains his semi-final anger

Just ask Australia. His assault on their bowlers – and on Steve Smith, in particular, who was plundered for three successive sixes – was brutal and served to “deflate” their entire side, as Roy sees it. He thought, for a moment, one of the sixes he hit off Smith was going to sail over the Edgbaston Pavilion – nobody has done that since the ground was redeveloped.”It was a case of staking a claim,” he says. “One big over at that stage was going to deflate them. I said to myself before the start of the game if a spinner comes on from that end and it’s full, it’s got to go. I thought it was going over. Can I hit a bigger six? Absolutely not.”That ‘staking a claim’ was perhaps more relevant in his batting against Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. If Australia were to defend their total of 223, they surely needed that pair to dominate. But whereas an earlier generation of England openers would have reacted with anxiety inducing caution in such a situation, Roy decided to ensure it was the bowlers feeling the anxiety.Twice in Starc’s second over he thrashed him through the covers; in his third he flicked him off his legs for six. By the time he had bowled five overs, he had conceded 50. When Lyon came on, his first ball was driven back over his head. He was given no time to settle and no chance build any pressure.Roy’s success is all the remarkable for the contrast with his form in England’s previous global ODI campaign. After a grim run of form that saw him endured six single-figure scores in eight ODIs innings (and fail to pass 20 in nine), he was dropped during the 2017 Champions Trophy. Had it not been for Alex Hales’ self-inflicted absence, it is not impossible he may have struggled for a recall.”It does feel like another world,” Roy says of his change of fortune. “I feel like a completely different person; a completely different player. I had played some good cricket leading up to that tournament, but I got dropped, came back stronger and now I’m in a World Cup final. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”And what has he done differently?”I think I’ve just trusted my training a bit more,” he says. “I’ve not worried too much about the outcome. I’ve just got my processes in order. I’ve started well and played some good cricket.”Getty ImagesThere’s no doubt that playing with Jonny Bairstow has helped. As Eoin Morgan has pointed out previously, they manage to take the pressure off one another by scoring at a rate that allows the other to go through fallow periods. And, so destructive have they been, they can make bowling attacks wilt under the onslaught. They have made century stands in the last four ODIs in which they have opened together with strike-rates in stark contrast to England’s openers in the 1979 final: Geoff Boycott and Mike Brearley put on 129, which sounds great, but they took 38 overs to do it, which doesn’t.”It’s about playing off each other,” Roy explains. “So one guy might be struggling or we both might be going guns blazing. But it’s a case of telling him, ‘mate, it’s alright.’ Like that India game at Edgbaston, where Jonny made that hundred: he felt terrible for the first 20 balls. I told him, ‘mate, relax, you’re a gun, you’ll come out the other side. Keep that intensity to the spinners and don’t go internal.’ And he ended up banging it out of the park.”The influence of his captain is important, too. Morgan has backed Roy, on good days and bad, and encouraged him to continue to take the aggressive approach. So even after barren runs of form – not least in his debut series against New Zealand where he failed to reach 40 in five innings – Morgan made it clear he was part of England’s future plans.”He’s unbelievable,” Roy says of Morgan. “As you’ve seen on the pitch, he’s a very cool customer, very methodical and very good with his emotions. It doesn’t matter what the state of the game is. It doesn’t matter what someone’s done to him. He’s able to look forward and look past that. He looks for the best in everyone. He’s a great man-manager and a good friend of mine as well. He’s a good guy.”He admits his reaction to his dismissal in Edgbaston was over the top, but insist there were extenuating circumstances. In short, he thought Bairstow’s leg before dismissal had only been given on the basis of ‘umpire’s call’ so believed England had retained their review; a belief reinforced when the umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, incorrectly signalled for that review. As it was, there was no review and, once Dharmasena’s finger had gone up, he had to go. Even though he knew he was nowhere near the ball.”I actually got it wrong,” he says, “I spoke to Kumar and said I thought we had the review – I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have. But it’s professional sport. I was on course for a century. Emotions run high.”England will need to control those emotions on Sunday. They will have to find the balance between allowing their natural positivity to flow without becoming over excited and reckless. It is, arguably at least, the biggest games in the careers of all involved. It is, arguably, the biggest match in which England have been involved for many, many years. Cricket in England needs this.”We’re dealing with it pretty well,” he says. “We went into the tournament as No. 1 and with a lot of expectation on our shoulders but it doesn’t affect any of us in the changing-room. It doesn’t matter what the outside noise is saying, the white noise as we call it. We’ve just got to go out and perform. We’re weirdly pretty relaxed. We’re in a very good place with our cricket.”Indeed they are. New Zealand are a fine side and can certainly win this match. But if they are to do so, they will surely have to dismiss Roy early.

Vice-captain underlines change of approach with hosts hoping to engineer Pindi turner

Danyal Rasool22-Oct-2024There is little secret about Pakistan’s ambitions for the pitch by now. Before the second Test reached its inevitable conclusion, Aleem Dar and Aqib Javed were already on their way to Rawalpindi to oversee work on the pitch for the final Test. At the post-match press conference in Multan, Shan Masood said he’d like the surface to take turn. Two days later, giant heaters, the sort usually seen in Pakistan for open air winter wedding events, were positioned on the edges of the strip, with windbreakers encircling it for maximum efficiency. Industrial-sized fans accompanied them.None of this has gone unnoticed by an England side who appeared largely out-of-ideas for how to combat Pakistan’s spinners on a turning track in Multan. Harry Brook told a press conference he believed the Pindi surface had been “raked” by groundstaff to speed up the deterioration process that brings spinners into games early. Shortly after, England announced a playing XI featuring just one specialist seamer in Gus Atkinson, with legspinner Rehan Ahmed coming in.Pakistan have needed to adopt extreme measures to increase the odds of a turning track, because, unlike in Multan, they are attempting to make the surface behave against its nature. Unlike in Multan, there isn’t a used surface available, as was the case when Pakistan decided to recycle the same strip as the first Test for the next game. Masood said he had “never seen it take turn” in Pindi, and his vice-captain, Saud Shakeel, echoed that, while saying he was hopeful this time would be different.Related

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“If you look at the difference between Multan and Pindi, there’s a difference of climate,” Shakeel said. “Multan is warmer than Pindi, Multan is warmer and more humid compared to Pindi. Pindi favours fast bowlers slightly and has more bounce, compared to Multan. The groundsman prepares according to that, and I think that’s what causes the changes in the pitch.”But the way the pitch looks and the success we got in the second Test, we’ll try for a similar kind of pitch that favours us and helps us win this game.”Since returning from the UAE, Pakistan have agonised over how best to use home advantage. In the first couple of years, the wisdom was to shift sharply from their tactics in the UAE, reverting to seam-friendly pitches they believed would be easier to prepare. It coincided with a young crop of fast bowlers, primarily Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, coming up. Early encouragement, such as a Naseem five-for against Sri Lanka and a hat-trick against Bangladesh, followed up by a two-Test series win over South Africa where Afridi took five wickets on a decisive final day in Pindi, appeared to vindicate that tactic.However, since Pakistan deliberately neutered a surface in Pindi ahead of a Test against Australia, seam-friendly pitches vanished overnight. Pakistan went on an 11-match winless run at home, their joint longest, losing seven of those games. That streak was only broken on a crumbling track in Multan last week.It appears, for now, to have led to a sharp volte-face in the PCB’s thinking. “We should look at pitches for series to series and match to match. And we’ve come to realise this quite late,” Shakeel said. “If you want to prepare for SENA [series in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia], you can do it during practice and first-class cricket. If there’s first-class cricket before South Africa, we could prepare those kinds of pitches there. But we should prepare pitches and conditions series-by-series, and according to the opposition.”Our comeback in the second game gave us a really good morale boost. A win is always very helpful in creating a positive atmosphere. We’ll try to give spinners an advantage once more because they struggled with that in the second Test.”Pakistan opted not to name their XI on Tuesday, as England have done, preferring a longer look at the surface. Legspinner Zahid Mahmood was ineffective despite helpful conditions in Multan, bowling only six overs all match, potentially raising the chances slightly of playing a specialist seamer.Ultimately, with England having named three spinners, that appears unlikely. “I can’t say at the moment, because we haven’t discussed this,” Shakeel said. “If there’s a spinning pitch, we may go with three spinners again.”

Shreyanka has fractured the fourth finger on her left hand

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2024Shreyanka Patil has been ruled out of the women’s Asia Cup after picking up an injury to her left hand. A press release from the Asian Cricket Council on Saturday said the 21-year old India offspinner “sustained a fracture to the fourth finger of her left hand.”Shreyanka took a full part in the team’s only game of the tournament so far, against Pakistan on Friday, bowling 3.2 overs and picking up 2 for 14. She was not needed to bat with India wrapping up the win in 14.2 overs and with seven wickets to spare. Tanuja Kanwar, the uncapped 26-year-old left-arm spinner who plays for Gujarat Giants in the WPL and Railways in domestic cricket, has been called up as replacement.Shreyanka made her debut for India in December 2023 on the back of impressive performances in the WPL. This year, she went on to become champion with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a season where she took 13 wickets – the most by any bowler – at an average of 12.07 and an economy rate of 7.30. Shreyanka has played 12 T20Is for India and has gone wicketless in only two of those games. She’s also represented her country in three ODIs.Kanwar, born in Himachal Pradesh, also made a big splash in the WPL. She was bought by the Giants in 2023 for INR 50 lakh. A week before that auction she had starred with 3 for 26 for Railways in the One Day Trophy final to finish the tournament with 18 wickets while averaging 11.16 and conceding just 2.43 runs an over. Kanwar finished the 2024 WPL season with 10 wickets from eight matches at an average of 20.70 and an economy rate of 7.13. She is known for a variation where she bowls her left-arm spin from well behind the popping crease.India’s next match at the women’s Asia Cup is on Sunday against the UAE in Dambulla.

Kusal Mendis is in outstanding form, Pathum Nissanka has had fantastic outings, Avishka Fernando has been spectacular, and Kusal Perera has made a strong comeback. On top of which, Kamindu Mendis seems in good touch too.This is all on based on Lanka Premier League (LPL) performances, that new Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka regards as the gold standard in T20 cricket on the island.The LPL concluded only on Sunday, with Asalanka’s Jaffna Kings side taking home the trophy. Top order batters flourished in that competition. Asalanka has suggested that Kamindu – who also bowled with both arms during the LPL – has sewn up the No. 4 spot, having hit 287 runs at a strike rate of 157 through the tournament.Related

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But then there are still four batters vying for the top three spots. As Asalanka said: “There are four openers in the squad, and the way I’m thinking three of them will make up the top three. One of them will have to miss out.”Those four:

Kusal Mendis, who hit 329 runs at a strike rate of 150, and can keep wicket.

Pathum Nissanka, who hit 333 at strike rate of 153.

Avishka Fernando, who smoked 374 at a strike rate of 163.

Kusal Perera, who had the best strike rate of the four – 169. He made 296 runs, but in fewer innings than the others.These are stats worth thinking on before the two back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, because Sri Lanka’s new captain is keen on using the LPL as a marker of T20 ability.”If you look at the LPL, it’s the No. 1 tournament we have to make decisions like this,” Asalanka said. “More than domestic T20s, the LPL is at a much higher level. As a captain, I think if you perform at the LPL you should get a good chance at playing in the national team.”Asalanka has been a captain since age-group level, whether for his school Richmond College, or Sri Lanka Under 19, and most recently the winning LPL franchise. He suggested his style of leadership is based around man-management.”From under 15 level I’ve captained teams, and there’ s been a lot of change since then. That’s what I tell my team members too – we can’t be at the same place we’ve always been at. From day to day you have to improve and that’s how you become a good player or a good captain. I’ve played under many captains, and I’ve tried to absorb as many of their good traits into my captaincy and into my life as possible.”What I really want is to get 100% out of my players, and to create a positive environment for them. We have a lot of talented cricketers, but what’s important is to get the most out of them and have them win matches. I’ve told them to play freely and when we’ve given them plans, to go out there and execute them without fear. That’s what you can expect from me as a captain.”

India have the bowling attack to be dominant in half the world and competitive in the other half

Sidharth Monga08-Mar-2021While the Test specialists of this Indian side have said the World Test Championship (WTC) is like a World Cup to them, the team’s captain and coach have been disdainful of it, especially the change in the points system and cancellation of some series, both forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.The root of the gripe is that the change in qualification criteria – based now on percentage of points contested as opposed to absolute points won – and a further postponement of Australia’s tour of South Africa made India’s road to the final tougher. This new system now assumes that New Zealand would have won 70% of the points on the tour of Bangladesh too, and Australia’s tours of Bangladesh and South Africa are worth 69.2% of the total points up for grabs.Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri are fierce competitors so it is understandable they were not happy with what Shastri described as the “shifting goal posts”, but it is arguable these changes made their qualification difficult. New Zealand could well have beaten Bangladesh by the same 2-0 margin that a severely-depleted West Indies side attained recently, and gone past India. For Australia, the tours of Bangladesh and South Africa stood cancelled. It is not unimaginable for Australia to beat the current South Africa side comprehensively anywhere or beating Bangladesh in Bangladesh and thus go past India.Related

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The Indian team leadership’s gripe with “shifting goalposts” and the WTC being relevant only to those teams who are not motivated to play Test cricket betrays a lack of understanding of the bigger picture or even an awareness of the privilege of having the means to be able to prioritise Test cricket the way India do.And yet, even if India had missed out on the final with New Zealand and Australia doing well in the tours that now stand cancelled, it can be said with fair certainty India would still have been the best Test team of this WTC cycle. They have been the best Test team in the world for quite a while longer than that.If India had failed to make the final, it would have had to do with the schedule they got. At a time when – barring recent exceptions – home Test wins have almost been a given, India’s WTC cycle featured relatively easier home series and two really tough away tours, of New Zealand and Australia. Within five days of play in New Zealand, India lost out on 120 possible points, which hurt their campaign. They compensated for it with their stupendous series win in Australia.That is perhaps why India express their dissatisfaction: they know they have been the best team in the world, they have beaten Australia in Australia in successive series, and yet their participation in the WTC final came down to a last series during which the world turned on them for the pitches they rolled out. India’s digs at the WTC might be questionable, but their Test supremacy isn’t.Two of the biggest factors in India’s recent rise are the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah and the resurrection of Ishant Sharma•AFPSince the start of the home Test series against South Africa in 2015-16, India hold a win-loss ratio of 3.2 in Tests; no other side comes remotely close. At home they have been near unbeatable, losing just two Tests out of 25 in the same period, but you could still question them and argue that it was just a finetuning of what sides before them used to do. But factor this: in close to six years, India have been blanked in only one away tour, a win-loss ratio of 1.3, which is superior to every team.The single-biggest contributing factor to India’s ascent has been the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah, the resurrection of Ishant Sharma and the refining of Mohammed Shami. Over the last few months we have seen the scary bench strength. At home, Umesh Yadav makes it a choice of two fast bowlers out of five. In conditions that aid seam bowling, Mohammed Siraj is as good a fourth bowler as you can get in the world today. What is taken for granted is two spinners in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who have legit claims to spots in an all-time India XI. Then they have Axar Patel, who made sure a player of the quality of Jadeja was not missed at home.Because India have this bowling strength, they have been competitive in all conditions except in New Zealand, where swing works more than seam and where you often lose a series by the time you have acclimatised to the conditions. India’s five toughest tours in this period have been the ones to New Zealand, South Africa and England, and two to Australia. Except for the New Zealand tour, India’s bowlers have competed on each tour.ESPNcricinfo LtdLook at the control numbers. India have been close enough to the hosts in terms of uncertainty created in batsmen’s response in each of these tours barring South Africa. If you are that close, you allow luck to help you. By comparison, India drew 17.9% false shots when they played at home against South Africa, who could draw only 12.6%. When New Zealand got thrashed in Australia, they drew only 12.1% false responses as against Australia’s 19%.In England in 2018, India drew more false responses from the England batsmen, which is probably why pundits felt the 4-1 win flattered England. It was said if a few things had gone India’s way here and there, they might even have won the series. That is exactly what happened in Australia in 2020-21 where Australia actually created more pressure with the ball but India were close enough to them to make that accompanying luck translate into a series win. This is the best you can hope for in an era when utter dominance – the kind West Indies and Australia enjoyed in their legendary runs – is near-impossible to attain.No other side in recent times comes this close to competing so well on their bogey tours. New Zealand, the other finalists, got completely blanked in Australia and in India. Australia, who can consider themselves unfortunate to not be in the final, have had horror tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa.All this while, at home, India have let an opposition come close to their numbers only once – Australia in 2016-17 – a dominance that can be put down to more than one exceptional spin bowler, a luxury no other team can replicate even if they can become India’s equals or even better at times with pace bowling. Barring a couple of series, India have been competitive in every series for close to six years, but at home, in Sri Lanka and in the West Indies, they have been routing the opposition as a matter of routine. Australia and New Zealand, however, have both had reverses at home: New Zealand against Australia and South Africa, and Australia against India and South Africa. It shows in how well India have done in their most-recent series against all opposition.ESPNcricinfo LtdBarring the post-pandemic course correction, this has also been an era of toss playing a big role in deciding the outcome of the matches. That’s because quite a few sides are evenly matched in most conditions in the world. India and New Zealand have been excessively dominant at home so the toss has mattered a little less, but in most other matches the toss has played a crucial part. In these times, India have lost only one match – home or away – after winning the toss. It’s a win-loss ratio of 22 after winning the toss; next-best is New Zealand’s 3.5. Perhaps more impressive is India’s win-loss ratio of 1.5 after losing the toss; only other side in credit there is England.Despite such clear dominance, with some luck – say, Jofra Archer being fit for the second Ahmedabad Test and playing instead of Dom Bess – England would have made it extremely difficult for India to be in the final. That wouldn’t have changed a thing about who the best Test side in the world at the moment is. It is India because they have the bowling attack to be dominant in half the world and competitive in the other half.Identifying the best Test team in the world is not really the purpose of the WTC. The WTC strives to provide some context and relevance to sides who are not fortunate enough to play as much Test cricket as the Big Three do. It is the ICC’s attempt to prevent Test cricket from becoming this elite three-team affair. It makes New Zealand a part of the conversation even though most of their series are two-match long and they play half as many Tests as England do. That will inspire Sri Lanka and Pakistan and West Indies.The final will still be a mouth-watering contest. You would back India against New Zealand in most conditions outside New Zealand and the first half of the English summer. It is when the ball swings in the air that New Zealand hold an edge. A midsummer final in England might give New Zealand that opportunity to make it anybody’s Test, but even if India lose, it will not change a thing about who the best Test team in the world is. Not as long as Siraj is only the fourth-best quick and Patel the third-best spinner in the Indian squad.

MatériaMais Notícias

da imperador bet： Estêvão, joia da base do Palmeiras de apenas 16 anos, é mais um jovem do Verdão cobiçado por gigantes da Europa. Andre Cury, empresário do jogador, revelou que altas propostas já foram feitas pelo atacante e ainda o comparou a Messi, afirmando que há características em comum entre o craque argentino e a joia alviverde.

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da fezbet： + O erro que o Palmeiras não pode repetir se quiser passar pelo Atlético-MG

– Sim (pode sair), já há ofertas. Muito alto, aliás, mas não estamos falando desse assunto porque ele ainda é muito jovem. Ele tem 16 anos, categoria 2007. Acho que depois do Mundial Sub-17 ele vai fechar com alguém. Talvez Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City… com um dos grandes se fará (uma negociação). Ele vai ser um grande jogador – disse Andre Cury, em entrevista ao diário AS, da Espanha.

– Ele é muito parecido com Leo (Messi). Ele tem força nas bolas paradas, também é canhoto. É muito parecido. Fisicamente não porque é mais alto, é negro, mas há coisas que lembram o Messi.

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O jovem, apelidado de “Messinho”, atua pelo time sub-20 e assinou o seu primeiro contrato profissional com o Verdão em abril, quando completou 16 anos. O agente revelou que Estêvão chegou a ser oferecido ao Atlético de Madrid-ESP, mas a negociação pelo o que ele chamou de “Bola de Ouro” não avançou.

– Nesse jogo que essa pessoa foi, o Estevão jogava na categoria dele, no sub-15, mas não podia jogar na categoria dele porque fez quatro gols, três bolas acertaram a trave… Com esse jogo essa pessoa ficou maluca, mas desapareceu. Ele voltou para Madrid e nunca mais ligou. O que vou fazer? Não vou ligar de novo para ser recusado. Ofereci a Bola de Ouro ao Atlético de Madrid e eles me ignoraram. Eles vão lá, olham, gostam e nada – concluiu o empresário.

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+ João Martins recebe punição do STJD por fala sobre o ‘sistema’ e vai desfalcar o Palmeiras

Estêvão está no Palmeiras desde 2021. O atacante foi integrado à equipe sub-17 com apenas 15 anos e acabou se destacando. Com isso, foi promovido para o sub-20, categoria em que conquistou a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, a Copinha, de 2023. O seu contrato profissional tem vínculo de três anos.

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