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Wolverhampton Wanderers are struggling to get results this term, having won only twice in the Premier League so far.

This means Gary O’Neil is under severe pressure. Depending on their results over the next few weeks, might he be sacked before the start of 2025? As the Old Gold will do anything to preserve their top-flight status.

Indeed, a few managers have recently been linked with the managerial job at Molineux, but a new name has recently cropped up who could be an interesting appointment…

Wolves make Championship manager their top target

According to reports in Italy (via Birmingham World), Wolves are considering an approach for West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan.

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The report goes on to state that the Championship boss is the main target to take over from O’Neil should these poor results persist.

Given the rivalry between the two sides, this move could cause plenty of controversy, but it appears that the Old Gold are willing to do anything to remain in the Premier League.

He could even turn out to be their own Enzo Maresca, with Corberan compared to the Italian with regards to his managerial style.

Carlos Corberan could be Wolves’ own Maresca

Maresca has enjoyed a spell in the Midlands before, taking Leicester City back to the Premier League last term as they claimed the Championship title.

This enticed Chelsea to make him their new boss, and he is enjoying an impressive start to life at Stamford Bridge. At the time of writing, the Blues are second in the table while topping the Europa Conference League table with four wins from four.

According to the Athletic, Corberan and Maresca have various similarities, such as being obsessed with the game, a link to Pep Guardiola and success during the early years of their careers at U23 level.

As Maresca stepped out of Gaurdiola’s shadow, Corberan did likewise under Marcelo Bielsa, as he spent time coaching Leeds United U23s.

Carlos Corberan’s managerial stats

Club

Date appointed

Games in charge

Points per game

West Bromwich Albion

October 25, 2022

103

1.58

Olympiacos

August 1, 2022

11

1.45

Huddersfield

July 23, 2020

102

1.41

Via Transfermarkt

The 41-year-old prefers to use a 4-2-3-1 system, which could work wonders for the current group of Wolves players. One lone striker who is supported by an attacking midfielder and two effective wingers.

“I love to illuminate the game,” said Corberan in 2022. “Try to control games with the ball, try to keep the ball all the time, try to dominate.”

Now, imagine how good Wolves could be under his management, with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Joao Gomes and Hwang Hee-Chan trying to dominate games via his tactical system.

Hailed as an “elite” coach by scout Petar Petrov, Corberan led West Brom away from relegation to a ninth-place finish in 2022/23 before securing a playoff berth last term.

The club failed to achieve promotion, but hopes are high that they can finish in the top six again this season. Will Corberan be there to oversee this, however? Or will Wolves be his home in the next few weeks?

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Dec 5, 2024

James Tavernier is having a season to forget. The Rangers captain has been one of the club’s star performers in recent seasons, especially last year when he scored a hugely impressive 24 goals and provided a further 12 assists in all competitions.

This term, however, he’s managed just two and five respectively in 24 games, while his performances have also come under heavy criticism.

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 17, 2024

After the Gers were thrashed 4-1 by Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in the Europa League back in October, Tavernier was given a 2/10 rating for his performance by Rangers News. The 32-year-old has also recently been linked with a possible move away from Ibrox, with clubs in Turkey reportedly circling.

Clement wants Kasanwirjo

Against Lyon, Tavernier was dragged off after an hour and replaced by Neraysho Kasanwirjo, who is spending the season on-loan at Ibrox from Eredivisie side Feyenoord.

The 22-year-old has also featured on 11 other occasions this term, mostly as a substitute, though he is now set to miss the remainder of the campaign through injury. Kasanwirjo suffered a knock to his knee while playing for the Netherlands Under-21s against England earlier this month. He’s since undergone surgery and is not expected to feature again this term.

Despite this, Rangers boss Philippe Clement is still keen on completing a permanent move for the Dutchman, according to Mail Online. The publication claims that Rangers see Kasanwirjo as a long-term replacement for Tavernier, having displaced him from the starting line-up on multiple occasions before succumbing to injury. Rangers retain an option to buy Kasanwirjo, who is valued at £1.5 million, at the end of the season.

Kasanwirjo "disappointed"

After Rangers’ 1-0 win over St Johnstone in Scottish Premiership at the weekend, Clement opened up about Kasanwirjo’s injury.

“Nana’s operation was good, but he will be at least out for four to six months. So we cannot count on him, so we will see at the end of the season how things go,” said the Belgian boss.

Clement said that Rangers have an agreement with Feyenoord that will see Kasanwirjo return to his home country to undergo his rehabilitation, but that he won’t lose contact with the defender.

“I stay in touch with Nana, who was really disappointed not to continue the work he’s been doing, because he loves the club, he loves the dressing room, even loves the staff – that doesn’t happen so much,” he explained. “So we will see at the end of the season how it will be with him, but we cannot count on him in the next couple of months.”

Kasanwirjo has previously been described as “solid” by BBC Sportscene pundit Marvin Bartley, who said of the former Groningen star: “He came into the team and did very well, he can definitely gallop and wants to play the ball forward when he can and he’s also technically very good.”

فتح مسؤولو النادي الأهلي خط مفاوضات مع نادي دينامو بوخارست الروماني لاستعارة نجم منتخب مصر لكرة اليد، علي زين، خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وعلم بطولات أن النادي الأهلي يستهدف تعزيز صفوف الفريق في بطولتي كأس السوبر الإفريقي وكأس الكؤوس الإفريقية لكرة اليد.

ووفقًا لمصادر داخل النادي، تم الاتفاق مع اللاعب خلال تواجده في القاهرة مؤخرًا على المشاركة مع الأهلي في هاتين البطولتين. ​

محمد الشناوي: مواجهة الهلال بمثابة نهائي.. والشغف لا يتوقف في الأهلي

تأتي هذه الخطوة في إطار سعي الأهلي لتعزيز صفوف فريق كرة اليد استعدادًا للاستحقاقات القارية المقبلة، خاصة أن النادي يستضيف البطولتين في شهر مايو المقبل.

وأسفرت قرعة بطولة كأس الكؤوس الإفريقية عن وقوع الأهلي في المجموعة الثانية إلى جانب فرق كيركوس الإثيوبي، فاب الكاميروني، رجاء أغادير المغربي، وسبورتنج المصري. ​ 

علي زين، البالغ من العمر 34 عامًا، يُعَدّ من أبرز لاعبي كرة اليد المصريين، حيث بدأ مسيرته الاحترافية في نادي الشارقة الإماراتي، قبل أن ينتقل إلى أوروبا عبر بوابة نادي إيكس إن بروفنس الفرنسي.

الجدير بالذكر، أنه في عام 2021، انضم علي زين إلى صفوف برشلونة الإسباني، حيث ساهم في تحقيق الفريق للقب دوري أبطال أوروبا، وفي يونيو 2022، أعلن نادي دينامو بوخارست الروماني تعاقده مع اللاعب لمدة عامين حتى 2024.

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia Nenê expôs sua bronca com a conduta da arbitragem na partida na qual o Vasco foi derrotado para o Flamengo, por 2 a 1, neste domingo (6). Na saída do gramado, o camisa 10 queixou-se.

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-Vocês viram, acho que o árbitro foi muito parcial. Sempre umas coisinhas que, na dúvida, para a gente não tem, para o outro lado tem. É difícil… Na hora ali do segundo gol (do Flamengo, marcado por Arrascaeta), todo mundo viu que foi falta no Andrey. É complicado – declarou, em entrevista ao PPV do Carioca.

Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW

Em seguida, o meia cruz-maltino avaliou a atuação da equipe no duelo no Nilton Santos.

-A gente jogou muito bem hoje, o time estava realmente concentrado, focado, jogamos melhor em muitos momentos do jogo. O time está de parabéns pela melhorar, pela dedicação. Fico realmente frustrado pelo resultado e pelo que aconteceu, com a omissão do árbitro. É o futebol… – disse.

Os jogadores do Vasco cercaram o árbitro Rafael Martins de Sá ao final da partida.

Com a sua terceira derrota em clássicos, o Vasco segue com 19 pontos e não terá a vantagem do empate nos confrontos da semifinal.Além disto, os cruz-maltinos podem ser ultrapassados pelo Botafogo que, com 16 pontos, vão a campo nesta segunda-feira (7), contra o Volta Redonda.

O Vasco encerra sua participação na primeira fase no dia 13, contra o Resende, em São Januário.

Allrounder slams 175* to set up declaration, and then joins the wicket-takers’ party to push Sri Lanka on the back foot

Karthik Krishnaswamy05-Mar-2022

India’s bowlers brought all their quality to bear on a pitch just beginning to offer turn and variable bounce to bag a fifth of the wickets they need to win the Mohali Test, after Ravindra Jadeja made an unbeaten 175, the highest score by an Indian No. 7, to help them post a formidable first-innings total.Jadeja and R Ashwin would make a serious impact with the ball in the final session of the day, picking up three of the four Sri Lankan wickets to fall. Well before that, though, they put on a smooth, untroubled century stand to snuff out any hope Sri Lanka may have had when day two began with India 357 for 6. Jadeja then added an unbroken 103 with Mohammed Shami for the ninth wicket, their runs coming at more than a run a ball against a flagging attack and a ragged pack of fielders, before India declared.Rohit Sharma called his batters in with Jadeja 25 runs from a double-hundred; while he didn’t get a chance to add that feat to his two first-class triples, the timing of the declaration gave India a full, extended session to bowl at Sri Lanka. They squeezed 43 overs of pace, spin and testing gameplans into that time, and at stumps, Sri Lanka were four down and a massive 466 runs adrift of India’s first-innings total.India used four bowlers within the first 10 overs, throwing almost all their weapons at Sri Lanka’s openers and testing the surface for everything it could potentially offer when the ball was still new and hard. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 19th over, in a most familiar manner.Lahiru Thirimanne had faced 36 pressure-packed balls from Ashwin to Dimuth Karunaratne’s six, and he had been kept constantly on guard by the offspinner’s changes of pace and trajectory. He had already been beaten a couple of times on the outside edge, but ball 37 turned less than Thirimanne expected as he pressed forward to defend, and slid past his inside edge to have him lbw.Jadeja, the last of India’s five bowlers to be introduced, replaced Ashwin after a 10-over spell, and immediately had Karunaratne in strife with sharp turn from the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump. Having had an lbw appeal turned down off his first ball, Jadeja had one upheld off his second, with the ball ripping in to beat the inside edge as Karunaratne shuffled nervously across his stumps.Karunaratne had looked fluent through most of his innings, timing the ball crisply off his pads when given the opportunity, and using his feet well against the spinners. But there wasn’t a lot he could have done about the wicket ball. Angelo Mathews’ stay at the crease was similar; he hit a four and a six when Jadeja overpitched, and moved to 22 before Jasprit Bumrah squared him up and hit his back pad with a ball that defied the pitch to straighten sharply off the seam. Given out on a 50-50 lbw call, a review returned umpire’s call verdicts on both impact and where the ball was projected to hit the stumps.Bumrah could have had another wicket in his previous over, when he sneaked a brilliantly disguised slower off-cutter through Pathum Nissanka’s attempted drive, but the third umpire had caught him overstepping. Even apart from those two deliveries, this spell from Bumrah was breathtaking, combining pace, pinpoint short balls, and a hint of reverse-swing when he went full.Ashwin returned late in the day for one last spell, and he struck immediately, though on this occasion it was an indiscretion from the batter that led to his downfall, Dhananjaya de Silva becoming the fourth man out lbw in the innings while attempting a risky sweep off the line of the stumps.Ashwin had figures of 13-6-21-2 at stumps, a terrific finish to a day he had begun with an innings that harked back to his early years in Test cricket, full of effortless drives through the off side and the V. Sri Lanka set defensive fields right from the start of the day, with sweepers on both boundaries, but he still scored his 61 runs at a strike rate of 74.39.Jadeja receded into the background for most of his partnership with Ashwin, but after the latter’s dismissal – which was immediately followed by that of Jayant Yadav, the only India batter to not get into double figures – he switched gears effortlessly. Having been on 105 off 173 balls at the time of Jayant’s dismissal, Jadeja clattered 70 runs off his next 54 balls. Having kept it hidden all through the first half of his innings, he brought out the lofted drive, and hit three straight sixes off Lasith Embuldeniya and de Silva.Over recent years, Jadeja has lifted both his white-ball hitting and his Test-match crease occupation to new heights, while largely keeping the two sides of his batting personality strictly compartmentalised. Here was one occasion when he could let one bleed into the other.Shami, usually happy to slog at everything, blocked stubbornly at his end, and contributed no runs to the first 50 runs of his partnership with Jadeja. Sri Lanka’s bowling and fielding wilted after this point, and at one point Vishwa Fernando fumbled the ball and let Shami escape when both batters were stranded at the same end. That image summed up Sri Lanka’s position in this Test match.

Ipswich Town are now among the clubs chasing a potential new forward in January, but they will have to compete with a relegation rival to land him, according to a fresh report.

Ipswich sinking towards the Championship

Ipswich once again demonstrated their inability to hold onto a lead in the Premier League against Bournemouth. 1-0 up until the 87th minute, Kieran McKenna’s side conceded twice to fall to a 2-1 defeat in front of heartbroken Ipswich fans, leaving them in the relegation zone and still without a home win to their name this season.

Their sole win, away at Tottenham, has been combined with six draws to leave them on nine points, but they sit four points adrift of safety already and are threatening to be cut adrift unless they are able to string together a series of results in their upcoming games.

Ipswich’s next five Premier League games

Wolverhampton Wanderers (Away)

Newcastle United (Home)

Arsenal (Away)

Chelsea (Home)

Fulham (Away)

“We deserved more from the game today but it’s a disappointing week. The margins are really small for us getting that win and the jump to getting more points isn’t a huge one,” McKenna explained after the most recent loss.

“I thought it was a good performance with some outstanding performances. We weren’t giving away too much and we were getting stronger but it’s a poor moment on the first goal and then you’re vulnerable. They had five fresh subs on the pitch and momentum.”

January brings with it the transfer window, and it is likely to be a busy one for Ipswich as they look to try and continue building a squad capable of revival in the second half of the season, and now they may have identified an early target.

Ipswich want new forward

That is according to reports in Spain, which identify Ipswich Town as one of three clubs battling to sign Ryan Kent. The former Rangers winger is a free agent following a mutual termination of his contract with Fenerbahce, and has long been linked with a move to the top flight.

According to the report, the 28-year-old is seen by Ipswich as “a key piece to strengthen their attack”, and with Kent available on a free transfer it is a relatively low risk move.

Though he struggled in Turkey, Kent enjoyed the best part of his career in Scotland, with former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard dubbing him a “sensational” player who is “very dangerous” after he scooped a Player of the Month award back in 2021.

“Ryan Kent has been top class and hasn’t let any noise affect him, he is scoring goals and looking very dangerous. He is really taking it to opposition teams and he’s settled and enjoying his football”, Gerrard explained.

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The winger would also offer something that the Tractor Boys lost with Chiedozie Ogbene’s injury; raw pace. The former Luton Town had been clocked as the fastest player in the Premier League last season, while Ryan Kent has become widely renowned for his speed on the wing, something that Ipswich are currently lacking under McKenna in Ogbene’s absence.

However, to land the Englishman Ipswich will have to fight off relegation rivals Crystal Palace, currently a place and four points above them, who are also credited with an interest in the wide man, while fellow newly promoted Leicester City are also among his admirers having lost Abdul Fatawu to a long term knee injury.

أعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” رسميًا، تفاصيل مباراة الذهاب بين بيراميدز وأورلاندو بايرتس الجنوب إفريقي، ضمن منافسات الدور نصف النهائي من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا لموسم 2024-2025.

ويستعد بيراميدز لخوض مواجهة قوية ومرتقبة أمام أورلاندو، في صدام يُعد من أبرز محطات النسخة الحالية من البطولة، خاصة بعد الأداء اللافت للنادي المصري الذي يشارك لأول مرة في نصف نهائي المسابقة الأهم على مستوى الأندية في القارة السمراء.

وتأتي هذه المواجهة في توقيت حاسم لفريق بيراميدز، الذي يأمل في تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية خارج الديار، تُعزز من فرصه في التأهل إلى نهائي دوري الأبطال، وكتابة فصل جديد في تاريخ مشاركاته القارية. موعد مباراة بيراميدز وأورلاندو بايرتس في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن تُقام مباراة الذهاب يوم السبت 19 أبريل الجاري، في تمام الساعة السادسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب “سوكر سيتي” الشهير بمدينة جوهانسبرج، والذي يُعد من أكبر وأعرق الملاعب في جنوب إفريقيا.

طالع أيضًا | بسبب تجاهل الرابطة.. بيراميدز يدرس قرارًا جديدًا بشأن كأس عاصمة مصر حكم مباراة بيراميدز وأورلاندو بايرتس في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

واختار كاف طاقم تحكيم بقيادة الحكم البوروندي باسيفيك ندابيهاوينمانا لإدارة اللقاء، ويعاونه كل من نوها بانجورا من السنغال كمساعد أول، وإيريك أورليتش من بنين كمساعد ثانٍ، بينما سيكون الحكم الرابع هو أدالبيرت ضيوف من السنغال.

وفيما يخص المراقبة الفنية والتنظيمية للمباراة، عيّن كاف فيليب موكوشي من ليسوتو كمراقب للمباراة، وكريسبين أجيدوسو من بنين لمراقبة طاقم التحكيم، وتيتوس كواميني من ناميبيا منسقًا عامًا، بينما يتولى بوريتي مباثا من جنوب إفريقيا مهمة التنسيق الإعلامي.

كما تم تعيين ديكسون أوكيلو من أوغندا منسقًا أمنيًا للمباراة، بينما يقود غرفة تقنية الفيديو (VAR) الحكم السنغالي عبسى سي، ويعاونه جبريل كامارا من السنغال.

ويتولى توليبو جيلين من مالاوي مهمة مساعد المنسق العام، فيما تم تكليف ميلودي ديويلوبو من جنوب إفريقيا بالإشراف على البث التلفزيوني.

MatériaMais Notícias

No próximo domingo, o Athletico entra em campo para encarar o Londrina e precisa vencer o Tubarão se quiser uma vaga na semifinal do Campeonato Paranaense.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE A DO BRASILEIRÃO

No primeiro encontro, o Londrina foi mais feliz no estádio do Café e venceu o adversário por 1 a 0. Com isso, o Athletico precisa vencer por dois gols de diferença na Arena da Baixada.

Carrasco

Apesar de não ser um placar elástico e, possível de reverter, o Athletico tem encontrado dificuldade quando encara o Londrina nesta temporada. Além do revés por 1 a 0 na ida da semifinal, o Furacão empatou por 1 a 1 na fase de classificação.

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The allrounder’s ability to counterattack with the bat was sorely missed in Lahore

Danyal Rasool23-Mar-2022They were five wickets down, and there was little to worry about. In Alex Carey and Cameron Green, Australia had a wicketkeeper coming off a fine 93 in the last game and a generational all-round talent together at the crease. Naseem Shah might have been at his quickest, meanest best, but there was only so long he could keep up in these unforgivingly hot conditions. Besides, Australia might have lost five batters, but the idea that Pakistan were into the tail was exceedingly premature.And so it proved. Green scored 79, Carey 67, and all notions of a quick collapse were dismissed. They put on 391, a first-innings score that’s never resulted in an Australian Test defeat against Pakistan, and the hosts were left to grind once more.Related

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc inspire Pakistan collapse of 7 for 20

Cummins and Starc finally blow the house down

Stats – Pakistan's worst collapse

Pakistan were five wickets down, and the sickening panic engulfing the Gaddafi Stadium felt fully justified. It’s Pakistan Day, a national holiday, and so for a Test held from Monday to Friday, today inevitably drew the biggest crowd. Today, when the sun disappeared behind a blanket of clouds and a fresh evening breeze began to blow just as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins began their merciless assault on Pakistan’s lower order.Pakistan had an allrounder who, until as recently as the Karachi Test, boasted a superior batting average to Green’s, but Faheem Ashraf wasn’t out there. So, when Starc blew through Fawad Alam’s and Mohammad Rizwan’s defences in quick succession, the squinting crowd saw Sajid Khan shuffling out to join Babar Azam in the middle. Sajid might have a first-class hundred, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy don’t often face bowlers of Cummins’ pace and accuracy.It wasn’t a fair fight in the fading light. Ashraf would watch from the dugout as the second half of this lopsided Pakistan side collapsed on itself. While Australia’s last five added 211 to their first-innings total, Pakistan’s fell for four runs – the worst five-wicket collapse in their Test history. It left Australia with a 123-run lead; that Carey-Green partnership had put together 135 on its own.Which takes us back to the first morning, and the audible exclamations of surprise when Pakistan’s team sheet came out. It wasn’t so much that Naseem had been included but who he’d edged out into the XI. The merit of a selection decision cannot be assessed taking only the incoming player’s performance into account, but also what the side may lose in the value of the player who makes way.Faheem Ashraf has provided Pakistan’s Test side with a lot of balance. So why wasn’t he picked for this game?•AFP/Getty Images

Ever since Ashraf became a feature in the Pakistan Test side, after a couple of years out in the cold for reasons that never felt quite justified, his blend of nippy seam bowling and counterattacking lower-order batting has given Pakistan a balancing option no other player in the country provides. His contributions in either department – not to mention what he offers in the field – haven’t just been theoretical; there is yet to be a Test match where Ashraf hasn’t made a notable contribution to his side.And yet it’s this Test in Lahore, which Ashraf isn’t a part of, that advanced the case for his indispensability more than any runs or wickets he could chip in with. It showed what happens when Pakistan fudge an XI. The inclusion of the extra batter, the option Pakistan went with in Rawalpindi, left them hamstrung in the bowling department. And while they reaped the benefits of the extra bowler across the first two days in Lahore, it left them vulnerable to the sort of carnage Australia inflicted in that fateful final hour.There will be the usual scepticism around Ashraf’s ability to survive pace bowling of the class of Cummins and Starc, but then again, even Babar was visibly struggling when Australia’s two spearheads pushed past the ramparts after two sessions of laying siege to Pakistan’s batting line-up. That was the other aspect to the drama of that final hour, the asphyxiating hold Australia held over Pakistan even while the wickets didn’t come. It might have looked somnambulant, but the effect it had was stifling.Australia have conceded 2.78 runs per innings in Test cricket since 2020, making them comfortably the most economical side in world cricket. But this innings saw them take that parsimony to another level, allowing just 2.29 across 116.4 overs. Babar aside, no Pakistan batter managed a strike rate above 37.50, and Starc and Cummins’ combined figures read 44.4-14-89-9. A mere 69 and 68 runs were scored across the first two sessions. The wickets might only have fallen at the end, but Australia’s foot never left Pakistani throats all day.Of course all that might have proved too hot for Ashraf to handle, too, but that only further underscored the value of having him out there instead of the hapless Sajid. The unique threat Ashraf poses with the bat means any runs he made would have broken the shackles, a department where his pedigree outmatches those of his team-mates. South Africa don’t exactly possess a toothless fast-bowling attack either, but on a spicier pitch in Karachi, an attack comprising Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi was flayed for an 84-ball 64 as Pakistan took a commanding first-innings lead to set up a seven-wicket win. The following Test, an unbeaten first-innings 78 helped Pakistan obtain a 71-run first-innings lead, and a 95-run win. The idea it would have made little difference to have Ashraf out there instead of Sajid feels a touch far-fetched.Only the most miserable curmudgeon would refuse to enjoy the magically joyful display that young fast-bowling talent Naseem put on over the first two days, but the sacrifice required to make that happen mustn’t be forgotten. You don’t get to max out your credit cards while shielding yourself from the implications, and Ashraf’s exclusion left this Pakistan side in debt. In the lengthening shadows and the dimming sky, Starc and Cummins ensured that debt was paid tonight.

Batter follows his innings-rescuing 101* with an effortless 130

ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2022

Nick Gubbins scored twin centuries in an LV= Insurance County Championship match for the first time in his career as Hampshire set Lancashire 351 to win at the Ageas Bowl.Left-handed batter Gubbins followed his innings-rescuing 101 not out with an effortless 130 to give Hampshire a hefty lead on a pitch which had previously benefited the bowlers.He joined forces with Ben Brown, who scored a high-quality 72, to put on 144 for the fifth wicket to grind down Lancashire.Hampshire were eventually bowled out for 344, with the visitors reaching nine in six wicketless overs by close.Gubbins broke through in Middlesex’s championship-winning season in 2016, where he clattered 1,409 Division One runs, including four centuries (a double against Lancashire among them). At that point, a Test career seemed a formality.Related

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However, those expectations played on his mind, his average nose-dived to 25 the following season and talk of international call-ups dried up. A change of scenery to Hampshire last summer has seen a fresh blossoming with 769 runs in 2021 followed by a profitable spell in Zimbabwe over the winter. He already has 364 runs in the 2022 Championship.That kind of form tends to turn heads, especially with a new Test captain and managing director looking at ways to stamp a freshness to the squad. Scoring a pair of centuries against England’s premium fast bowler won’t do any harm of upgrading from 27 England Lions appearances, either.He spoke in 2019 about how he had matured and grown after the purple-patch pressures: “I like to think I’ve become better at dealing with things in life generally, be it talk of England or the boiler going in the house.” Those life lessons were put into action on the first morning when he was in the middle of Hampshire collapsing to 40 for 5. Then, his unbeaten 101 kept Hampshire in the game.Today, his century was more about putting his side in a position to win. This was a better day for batting. The skies were blue and the ball was already 36 overs old. The caveat being James Anderson and his relentless control. His first six-over spell of the day saw four maidens and Liam Dawson’s wicket. He eventually recorded 3 for 36.Gubbins was largely anonymous in his slow run-building, although he burst into life with two eye-catching cover drives. The first punishing a rare piece of width offered by Anderson, the latter taking him to a 120-ball fifty.Gubbins and Brown are two recent signings under-pinning Hampshire’s chase for a first title since 1974; hungry having been unwanted by previous counties but with the records of the finest county players. They grew the lead in a risk-free fashion, making the most of an unresponsive ageing ball, totting up 144 runs together in the lazy spring afternoon sun.Gubbins’ big moment came when he pushed Hasan Ali through the covers and for a second the emotion appeared to swell as he gently punched the air with his head bowed, tapped his bat on the floor three times before turning around and almost collapsing into a hug with Brown. Only then did he take off his helmet and raise his bat to the dressing room for the 13th ton of his first-class career.Brown reached 72 before the second new ball pinned him plumb in front, with Felix Organ following him back shortly after when not offering a shot to George Balderson. The lead passed 300 before Gubbins was finally dismissed after 231 runs and 515 deliveries in the match when Danny Lamb trapped him on the crease. Keith Barker chipped in with 40 before scything to cover, James Fuller was bowled and Muhammad Abbas holed out to long-on to complete the innings.