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Match facts

July 20, 2017
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)

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A week ago, when India went down to Australia by eight wickets, the odds in favour of the two teams facing each other a second time this World Cup were seemingly low. While Australia had sealed a semi-final berth at a canter, India’s fate was to be decided by a knock-out tie against New Zealand. In what turned out to be their most comprehensive victory in the tournament, a century from captain Mithali Raj, coupled with Veda Krishnamurthy’s 45-ball 70, marshalled India to their fourth semi-final appearance in ten editions and their first since 2005, when they finished runners-up.The volatility of India’s performances has had a lot to do with their openers. Smriti Mandhana, who got India’s campaign off to a flying start with a 90 and a hundred in consecutive games, hasn’t been able to score in excess of 15 in the four subsequent games. Punam Raut, too, has made two substantial scores – 86 against England and 106 against Australia – while not scoring a fifty in her other five innings. But the one factor that has remained constant for India is Raj’s resilience. While her strike rate hasn’t been the most enviable, Raj’s partnerships with Raut, Harmanpreet Kaur, Krishnamurthy and Deepti Sharma have been vital to India’s totals, as have been her 356 runs at an average of 50.85, that contributed to her becoming the first Indian to score 1000 runs in the World Cup.For Australia, though, consistency of the top order led to the side’s six wins out of seven games. With one century and four fifties between them, the left-handed opening pair of Beth Mooney and Nicole Bolton has not only negated the shenanigans of the new ball but also laid the foundation for the other batsmen to capitalise on thereafter. That they bat as deep as No.9 has given Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry the freedom to play with abandon.Equally instrumental to Australia’s fortunes has been the variety and efficacy of their spin troika – Jess Jonassen, Ashleigh Gardner and Kristen Beams – who have taken 27 wickets between them, while conceding less than four an over each. Despite the spectre of uncertainty around the protracted pay talks with their board, Australia’s performance on the field has been near-perfect, with their batting and bowling complementing each other perfectly even when they have been without Lanning.

Form guide

Australia WWLWW (completed matches, most recent first)
India WLLWW

In the spotlight

Through their seven league matches, Australia’s brooding confidence as defending champions translated, almost seamlessly, into their incarnation as practical frontrunners to win the World Cup. Much of that transition has, unsurprisingly, coincided, with Ellyse Perry‘s imperious run of form – on Saturday, she became the only batsman to make five successive ODI half-centuries on three separate occasions. Perry’s 58-ball 55 against South Africa was one of 20 fifties in her last 31 ODI innings. That run of form has earned her a career-best No. 3 spot among batsmen in the latest ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings. Her World Cup tally of 366 runs from seven innings is the second-highest in the tournament, and her returns with the ball – nine wickets and an economy rate of 4.62 – have helped her leapfrog West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor to become the top-ranked allrounder in the world for the third time in her career.Rajeshwari Gayakwad came in to bowl, for the first time in the tournament, in the 12th over of New Zealand’s chase. Even though the scorecard read 34 for 3, Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite were still at the crease. By her fifth over, Gayakwad had dismissed both, and halfway into her eighth, she had wrapped up career-best returns, the best bowling figures in this tournament, and India’s semi-final spot. Gayakwad was Raj’s trump card against New Zealand, and will remain so against Australia. Unlike fellow left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, whom she replaced in the side, Gayakwad bowls with genuine loop and guile, and could hold the key to slowing Australia down. When India last defeated Australia, in Hobart last year, Gayakwad bowled an important spell, taking two wickets including that of Lanning.Meg Lanning averages 109.33 in this Women’s World Cup•Getty Images

Team news

Lanning’s troublesome shoulder forced her to sit out a second game in the tournament during Australia’s last league match, against South Africa on Saturday. She was, however, seen taking throwdowns, albeit with a heavily strapped shoulder, as the team got its first training session underway in the County Ground. Chances of her not slotting back into the XI, and as captain, for the knockout clash are, therefore, slim.Despite Lanning’s inclusion, Australia may consider retaining stand-in captain Rachael Haynes, who has featured in only two games so far. Against South Africa, Haynes’ left-arm medium-pace accounted for two top-order wickets off the only two overs she has bowled since the 2013 World Cup. With two golden ducks and one half-century in her last four innings, Elyse Villani’s expensive part-time medium pace may not be enough for her to merit a selection ahead of fellow allrounder Haynes.Australia (possible) 1 Beth Mooney, 2 Nicole Bolton, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Elyse Villani, 6 Alex Blackwell , 7 Alyssa Healy (wk), 8 Ashleigh Gardner, 9 Jess Jonassen,10 Megan Schutt, 11 Kristen BeamsGiven the nature of the individual performances in their last group game, it is unlikely India will tweak their playing combination.India (possible) 1 Smriti Mandhana , 2 Punam Raut, 3 Mithali Raj (capt), 4 Harmanpreet Kaur, 5 Veda Krishnamurthy, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Shikha Pandey, 8 Sushma Verma, 9 Jhulan Goswami, 10 Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Poonam Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Mithali Raj considers Derby India’s “home ground” and for good reason. They won each of their four round-robin fixtures at the venue, including the tournament opener against England and the semi-final qualification match against New Zealand. Australia, however, will be playing here for the first time in this World Cup.India’s undefeated run at the venue has largely been due to the spinners, who have capitalised on the two-paced nature of the pitch to take 24 out of India’s 33 wickets here.

Stats and trivia

• Perry’s average of 91.50 is second only to Lanning’s 109.33 in this World Cup.
• Three Australian bowlers – left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen, legspinner Kristen Beams and medium-pacer Megan Schutt – feature in the top ten on the wicket charts. India, on the contrary, have none.
• Among the India batsmen, Krishnamurthy boasts the best strike-rate, 110.86, trailed by Mandhana’s 95.76.
• Legspinner Poonam Yadav’s economy rate of 3.45 is the best among bowlers in the tournament who have sent down 20 overs or more. Jonassen’s 3.61 is the second-best.
• India have won only eight out of their 42 contests against Australia, the most recent win coming in 2016, steered by half-centuries from Raj and Mandhana and a three-for from Shikha Pandey.

Quotes

“I’m very impressed with the way India have played this tournament, from the very beginning in their match against England. They were very proactive as a team and I think they have a more aggressive approach to their batting”.
“To win against them requires us to give more than we have so far, against Australia it is important that we are the best we can be as players”.

Arsenal's stellar summer window seems set to continue, as a new name has emerged for Mikel Arteta to consider…

What's the latest on Goncalo Inacio to Arsenal?

Having tied up a move for Kai Havertz, and progressing on deals for both Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, it is now Spanish publication AS who are suggesting that Edu's latest transfer exploit will come in the form of Goncalo Inacio.

The Sporting CP centre-back has shone in his homeland of late, with the report detailing that the Gunners hold a serious interest in the 21-year-old titan.

However, his exit will not come cheap, with the Portuguese club expected to demand around €45m (£39m) in one full payment.

How good is Goncalo Inacio?

The team that Arteta is building in north London seems to now be reaching its final form, as a squad littered with players supremely confident in possession and perfectly aligned with his philosophy. William Saliba has taken to English football with ease after a string of loan spells, whilst the acquisition of Oleksandr Zinchenko helped knit the philosophy together perfectly, to outline just two examples.

Now, in Inacio, the Spaniard could add a truly outstanding centre-back into the fold, who has emerged as one of Europe's paramount ball-playing defenders.

In fact, when compared to other centre backs across the continent, he ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 7% for pass completion and the top 3% for progressive carries per 90, via FBref.

This youngster underpins a new generation of defenders, yet standing at 6 foot 1 boasts the physicality to dominate too. After all, he did maintain 1.4 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game in the Liga Portugal last term, with the tactical analysis page Premier League Panel describing him as a "leader" with "immense recovery speed" earlier in June.

To pair this excellence with another signing in that mould could underpin Arsenal's back line for the next decade, as Timber closes in on his move to north London.

He also shines in these previously mentioned ball-playing attributes, yet his fleet-footed nature has often seen him progress into midfield as an inverted full-back.

Perhaps with Inacio punching high-quality progressive balls into the Dutchman, he could then exert his creative influences higher up the pitch, with this youthful combination sure to star for the foreseeable future.

After all, the 22-year-old also ranks in the top 1% of defenders in the next eight best leagues (outside of the top five) for progressive passes and carries per 90, as well as the top 4% for progressive passes received per 90.

He accepts the ball so willingly, and then has the quality to turn defence into attack in an instant. The presence of such a technically-gifted asset behind him would facilitate an increased number of opportunities to get on the ball and form a destructive unit.

With versatility in bucketloads and quality that belies their youth, this could be a double swoop that builds the platform for unlimited future success for Edu and Arteta.

Chelsea continue to take things “very slowly” with Mykhailo Mudryk despite having spent £89 million ($109m) on the Ukrainian winger back in January.

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Big money spent in winter windowForward still waiting on first goalBlues have full faith in his abilityWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues had hoped to see the jet-heeled forward become an immediate success at Stamford Bridge, with rival interest from Arsenal having been fended off in order to put a big-money transfer deal in place.

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Mudryk has, however, struggled for form throughout his time in English football – with the 22-year-old still waiting on his first competitive goal. Mauricio Pochettino has full faith in the youngster, as he brings different qualities to his young squad, but admits that an adapation process will take time.

WHAT THEY SAID

Pochettino has said of bringing out the best in Mudryk, who arrived in the Premier League from Shakhtar Donetsk: “The life of these guys, when they are so young, (it) changed. You pay big money, big change form where they came. Also it’s not about to arrive and to perform when you are young. It’s about to adapt, it’s about to help them to settle. Then the most difficult thing is to understand what these guys need to settle and to feel comfortable and to express their talent. If you ask me about Misha, he’s a very talented player of course, but you need to go with him very slowly. Cultural and everything is completely different to Latin people, from different countries or part of the world. He’s now trying to be more open, to adapt and be more involved in every situation, not only on the field but outside also. I think he’s doing a massive effort to try to integrate himself and to understand better what it means to play like a team. He’s unique. I can’t find a player to say he is similar, I can’t remember one. It’s a good challenge for him, and it’s a good challenge for us.”

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Mudryk has started Chelsea’s last three games, as they search for a collective spark in an underwhelming start to the 2023-24 campaign, and the Blues will be back in action on Monday when taking in a derby date with west London neighbours Fulham.

Matt Turner is heading out of Arsenal on the back of a Community Shield win, with a deal reportedly agreed with Nottingham Forest.

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American keeper in Community Shield squadHas made only seven appearances for GunnersReady to take on a new challenge at the City GroundWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international was among the substitutes at Wembley Stadium on Sunday as the Gunners got their hands on a trophy. Aaron Ramsdale played the full 90 minutes against Manchester City – playing a key role in a penalty shootout success – but Turner still got his hands on a winners’ medal.

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That looks like being his final act in north London, with reporting that a transfer to Nottingham Forest is now in place. Turner is set to undergo a medical at the City Ground on Monday, with the 29-year-old shot-stopper leaving Emirates Stadium after 12 months that delivered seven appearances.

AND WHAT'S MORE

Former USMNT star Eric Wynalda has told of Turner’s imminent move: "I think Nottingham Forest would be a good move for Matt Turner, especially if David Raya does end up at Arsenal. Forest are a Premier League club with ambitious plans, and they would be able to offer Turner regular playing time. He would also be joining a team with a strong American contingent, including his USMNT team-mate Ethan Horvath. Turner is a talented goalkeeper who has shown his quality at both the club and international level. He is a good shot-stopper with good reflexes and distribution skills. He is also a vocal leader who would be a good fit for Forest's young and developing team. If Turner does move to Forest, he will be looking to establish himself as the club's number one goalkeeper. He will have competition from Horvath, but I think he has the potential to be the first-choice keeper. Forest are a team on the rise, and Turner could be a key part of their success in the years to come."

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While Forest are closing in on Turner, they also remain keen on Manchester United keeper Dean Henderson. He spent time on loan with the Reds last season and would be expected to be first choice in Steve Cooper’s plans once fully recovered from injury – meaning that Turner may be restricted to a back-up role once again.

On a day that Alastair Cook scored his fifth Test century in India, the most by a visiting batsman, he came desperately close to registering an unlikely Test win, but was defied by his opposite number Virat Kohli

The Report by Sidharth Monga13-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:29

Compton: England walk away with psychological advantage

On a day that Alastair Cook scored his fifth Test century in India, the most by a visiting batsman, he came desperately close to registering an unlikely Test win, but his opposite number Virat Kohli and R Ashwin saw India through with a 14.2-over partnership after England needed six wickets in 25.2 of the minimum of 49 overs they had given themselves to win the Test in. As England bowled their overs quickly and got 52.3 of them in, Kohli, digging in, having a go at the team mascot for returning the ball too soon, casting rueful glances at his departing partners, hitting boundaries to eat up time, rescued India when they nearly threw it away through no experience of batting when to save Tests.As much as Kohli’s resistance, the lower-order runs in the first innings and some tight bowling at times, India could thank umpire Chris Gaffaney’s interpretation that Ashwin was playing a shot when his bat would be hidden behind the pad and about a foot wide of the line of the ball. It arguably earned India nine overs.Ashwin went on to survive 53 balls to go with Kohli’s 98 to finish a Test that he will count as a good one despite taking only three wickets in the whole match. England, though, will consider it as a moral victory. Ashwin had to bowl 61 overs for third of those wickets after he had struck with the last ball of the first session of the Test. His match figures of 3 for 230 were keeping in with his overall average of 53.4 against England.On the final day, Ashwin felt the need to bowl with a changed action, getting more side-on, rocking back on the right foot, which resulted in more pace and more rip, but all that it got him was economical figures. He conceded 31 runs in 13.3 overs, which might have had a part to play in the slightly conservative declaration: the asking rate for India was over six an over.Having come so close in the end, England will wonder if they could have declared earlier – when the asking rate reached five perhaps – but only those who have worked extremely hard to get into lead will know the risks involved in giving a chance to an opposition that had won 12 last home Tests not affected by weather. They would have also taken into the equation the pitch, which was turning square in the end but when England batted it did so from the rough and not from the centre, which is what concerns most batsmen.Adil Rashid look threatening in the final session•Associated PressThere will be those criticising the pitch, but they will do well to look at the number of missed chances that rose to 11 with Zafar Ansari dropping a tough chance from M Vijay and Stuart Broad shelling a dolly from Cheteshwar Pujara. Any of those wickets, coming at the back of Gautam Gambhir’s duck, would have opened the Test up. Staying unbeaten would have helped Gambhir’s case on a day that KL Rahul returned to first-class cricket. As he looks to revive his Test career, Gambhir did himself no favours by giving second slip catching practice after having played all around a straight delivery in the first innings.Vijay and Pujara then calmed India’s nerves for a bit before they got into an unusual drive fest against the spin of Ansari. Vijay had lofted him down the ground beautifully in the first innings, but this time got too close to one and failed to get the elevation. Drilled back at Ansar, this half chance hit the index finger of the right hand and popped out. The next offering, in the 11th over, went to Broad at point at about one-fifth the pace but popped out again.By the time Pujara got out lbw to Rashid’s legbreak that hit him in front of middle, which should mean that on a fifth-day pitch this had to be pitched outside leg, England had lost 5.4 valuable overs. Pujara’s partner, Vijay, didn’t help matters by looking away as opposed to being alert to a possible review.This was just before tea. Soon after the break, Vijay was done in by Rashid’s drift; playing at a delivery that pitched outside leg and came back to take his inside edge for a bat-pad catch. Ajinkya Rahane saw a short ball, shaped up to pull and exposed his stumps, and then ended up looking to cut as this Moeen Ali offbreak cramped him up. He was bowled off the pads, and you wondered if India – not the best at batting out draws – would mess this up too.Either not trusting their defensive games or mindful of bouncing balls going to hand if they defended, Kohli and Ashwin too kept playing their shots. Except in one particular over when Ashwin exploited the umpires’ leniency towards batsmen pretending to play at balls. On three occasions he was hit on the front pad well in front of and straight of the bat. On all three occasion, Gaffaney ruled not-out because he reckoned Ashwin played those balls. As much was confirmed when England challenged the middle call.The DRS playing conditions have no room for the third umpire to overrule the on-field umpire on whether the batsman played a shot or not. Gaffaney told third umpire Rod Tucker Ashwin had offered his bat in his opinion. The replays returned an umpire’s call here, but the other two were hitting the stumps flush.Finally, though, India’s need to attack got the better of them and Ashwin drove Ansari to short cover after having hit three fours in an Ansari over. India still had a minimum of 10 overs to survive. Wriddhiman Saha came out charging at the spinners, and was applauded by Kohli when he lofted one over mid-on. The charge got him soon as he offered a return catch to Rashid. This brought back memories of Adelaide when India had come close to an improbable target, but lost in a collapse triggered by Saha’s forays down the wicket.Kohli, though, stayed firm as the Test grew tenser in the last 10 overs. England tried everything. They brought all the fielders in, their reserve fielders sat the edge of the boundary to save time should India hit boundaries. One such boundary, hit by Ravindra Jadeja, bisected the two reserve fielders, but was returned promptly by Dharamveer, a specially abled man who travels to India matches and is allowed to watch from the boundary edge. Kohli let his annoyance known.Kohli saved the match in his own way. He used his wrists to keep the ball down but kept driving hard at balls. In he 46th over, it nearly got him out as he looked to whip a sharp offbreak to midwicket. The ball, fortunately for him, fell straight of forward short leg. In his own way, Jadeja kept hitting boundaries with Rashid spinning the ball into him, and ended up with 32 off 33.England will still be happy they pushed India after their batsmen had made the pitch and the bowling look easy. Cook became only the fourth visiting batsman to score 1000 runs in India, Haseeb Hameed registered the highest score for an England teenager but fell 18 short of what would have an emotional debut century in front of his family, and the promoted Ben Stokes scored a run-a-ball 29 to facilitate the declaration, but as it turned out England didn’t have enough time in the end.

Liverpool are in advanced negotiations for Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, as Jurgen Klopp is closing in on the first step of an extensive rebuild.

What’s the latest on Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool?

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are closing in on a deal for the 24-year-old, who is described as one of their “priority targets” alongside Mason Mount.

The journalist had previously tweeted that the Merseyside outfit were close to full agreement on personal terms with the player and club just waiting to finalise the final details.

It has been revealed that there’s no fixed clause in his current contract, but it has been suggested it could take more than £70m for the move to happen.

Why should Liverpool sign Alexis Mac Allister?

The £50k-per-week gem has been on the south coast since 2019, but in the last year, he has deservedly enjoyed a phenomenal rise in prominence and popularity.

He has made 39 appearances in all competitions and registered 15 goal involvements for the Seagulls this campaign and has been an integral component of a side that secured Europa League qualification thanks to a 1-1 draw with recently crowned Premier League champions Manchester City yesterday evening.

The 16-cap international, whose current contract expires in 2025, has received this vast admiration thanks to his indispensable role in his nation’s World Cup triumph last year having played in six of the seven tournament games for the eventual winners.

The Argentine provided for Ángel Di María in his team’s second goal in the final against France, to become immortalised in his country’s folklore.

From a deep-lying playmaker role, Mac Allister has been in impeccable form – showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 19% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, the highest 17% for shot-creating actions per 90, and the best 16% for successful take-ons per 90.

He represents an upgrade to Naby Keita, who is to depart Liverpool this summer after five years at the club.

Previously labelled as the "complete midfielder" by Jurgen Klopp, the former RB Leipzig man, but his time in England has been blighted by injury and inconsistency.

As per The Athletic, the Reds have played 277 competitive matches since his arrival, but he’s only featured in 129 of them, which equates to 47%.

This season, he has only made eight top-flight outings for Liverpool and has shockingly registered just the 25th-highest rating within the whole squad, according to WhoScored.

Compared to Liverpool's priority target, he also ranks poorly, as he sat inside the top 41% of Premier League players last term for successful take-ons, demonstrating he is dispossessed easily and lacks composure.

Meanwhile, Mac Allister, who has been hailed as a "magician" by Danny Welbeck, embodies reliability and consistency and would be a welcome replacement for Keita at Anfield.

Lancashire’s two England Lions men took the honours as the NatWest T20 Blast holders finally showed some of last season’s prowess in a four-run win against Durham at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardSaqib Mahmood (centre) struck three times to stifle Durham’s chase•ICC

Lancashire’s two England Lions men took the honours as the NatWest T20 Blast holders finally showed some of last season’s prowess in a four-run win against Durham at Chester-le-Street.Liam Livingstone made an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls to lift Lancashire’s total to 176 for 3 and Durham were on target until Saqib Mahmood struck timber three times in four balls.They were revived by an unbroken stand of 48 in 3.5 overs between Paul Coughlin and Keaton Jennings, but when Coughlin needed to hit the last ball from Nathan Buck for six it landed ten yards short at long-on.Durham finished on 172 for 5, virtually ending their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals, a target already looking beyond Lancashire when they arrived in bottom place in the North Group.After being put in, Lancashire worked the ball into spaces as they ticked along to 88 for 1 after 12 overs before doubling the score in the remaining eight. The only six was a powerful straight drive by Livingstone, who used the ramp shot to hit four fours.Chris Rushworth’s first 11 balls cost one one run, plus four byes, which proved costly in the end. Alviro Petersen guided his first two fours deftly to third man before left-hander Luis Reece was struck on the helmet, prompting a delay while a new one was sent for. But in the next over Reece drove at Coughlin and edged behind.With only two runs coming off that over, Lancashire were 36 at the end of the Powerplay.Karl Brown opened up on the return of Usman Arshad for the 13th over, taking 15 off the first four balls before Petersen drove well wide of off stump and edged behind for 42.Brown departed in the next over for 41, lbw trying to sweep Scott Borthwick, but Livingstone and Croft upped the momentum.Durham’s top T20 scorer, Phil Mustard, made only 8 before skying Jordan Clark to wicketkeeper Tom Moores.Mark Stoneman smashed Clark for two big sixes wide of long-on in the sixth over but when Croft, the third of Lancashire’s three spinners, brought himself on for the tenth over Stoneman was bowled for 36 when trying to hit a straight ball over midwicket.Calum MacLeod offered Durham’s best chance of victory as he made 45 off 31 balls. But when stepped back to hit Mahmood through the off side he was yorked and the same fate befell Ryan Pringle and Gordon Muchall.Coughlin hit Mahmood for a big six as the 19th over brought 16 runs, but the youngster still finished with 3 for 31 and Durham had left themselves too much to do.

Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club will host its first Test in almost five years when New Zealand tour Zimbabwe in July-August 2016. The venue is scheduled to host both Tests on the tour, which start on July 28 and August 6 respectively.The last Test played at the Queens Sports Club was also between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, in November 2011, and was a thriller which New Zealand won by 34 runs.Since then, Harare Sports Club has been the preferred venue for Zimbabwe’s home Tests, mostly because of financial considerations. With most of Zimbabwe’s players based in Harare and most international flights landing in Harare, accommodation and transport costs are minimised by staging matches there.In 2013, Bangladesh were due to play a Test in Bulawayo after their Harare fixture but, in a cost-cutting measure, the second game was staged in Harare as well. Moreover, at the time, Queens Sports Club was understood to have been so poorly maintained that it would not have been ready to host a Test.The ground has since hosted 17 ODIs, including matches against Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan and South Africa, and four T20s. It will also host the second of two four-day games between South Africa A and Zimbabwe A prior to the New Zealand tour.New Zealand are due to spend a significant part of the next two months in southern Africa. They are holding a camp in Johannesburg from July 11, before traveling to Zimbabwe on July 20. They will play a three-day warm-up match and two Tests there as well as two Tests in South Africa.

Victoria fast bowler Scott Boland and Western Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft have both taken home trophies at their state award ceremonies to cap off a summer in which they both made their international debut for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2016Victoria fast bowler Scott Boland and Western Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft have both taken home trophies at their state award ceremonies to cap off a summer in which they both made their international debut for Australia.In Melbourne, Boland received the Bill Lawry Medal as Victoria’s best Sheffield Shield player in a season in which they won the title. Boland collected 33 wickets at 20.93 in the Shield campaign and was rewarded with a debut in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams in January, having been also been part of the Test squad earlier in the summer.Spinner Jon Holland was handed the Dean Jones Medal as Victoria’s best Matador Cup player in a campaign that brought him 14 wickets at 17.85. The Melbourne Renegades BBL player of the Season was Dwayne Bravo, while Kevin Pietersen was named the BBL Player of the Season for the Melbourne Stars.

Meg Lanning won the Sharon Tredrea Award and also took home the Melbourne Stars WBBL Player of the Season title, while Molly Strano was the Player of the Season for the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.In Perth, opening batsman Bancroft claimed the Laurie Sawle Medal as Western Australia’s Player of the Year in a season that brought him 732 runs at 45.75 in the Sheffield Shield. Bancroft was named in Australia’s Test squad to tour Bangladesh at the start of the summer but the cancellation of that trip meant he had to wait until a T20 against India in January to make his Australia debut.Bancroft also piled up 335 runs at 55.83 in the Matador Cup, but it was Shaun Marsh who was named WA’s one-day player of the year for his 390 runs at 65.00. Fast bowler Michael Hogan, with 37 wickets at 24.64 for the Warriors in his last season before his retirement from Australian first-class cricket, was named WA’s Sheffield Shield Player of the Year.David Willey was the recipient of the Simon Katich Medal as the Perth Scorchers’ BBL Player of the Year. Nicole Bolton picked up the Zoe Goss Medal as the best women’s player for Western Australia, while the WBBL Perth Scorchers award went to Katherine Brunt.In Hobart, Ben Dunk was honoured for a season in which he led all Sheffield Shield run scorers by being handed the Ricky Ponting Medal as Tasmania’s player of the season. Dunk also collected the Jack Simmons Medal as limited overs players of the hear, while Jackson Bird claimed the David Boon Medal as winner of the Shield award.Dan Christian was garlanded with the Hobart Hurricanes MVP for his all-round displays in the BBL, and Heather Knight was recognised as the best Hurricane in the inaugural WBBL. Veronica Pyke was named the best WNCL cricketer for the Tasmania Roar.

Aston Villa are currently 12 points clear of the relegation zone and appear set to retain their Premier League status for the fourth straight season since their promotion back to the top flight in 2019.

The Villans spent three years down in the Championship following their relegation at the end of the 2015/16 campaign and endured some difficult times in the second tier before Dean Smith led the side to play-off glory in 2018/19.

One signing the club ultimately had a howler with during that period was former Bristol City centre-forward Jonathan Kodjia, who arrived at Villa Park for a then-Championship record fee of £15m.

What happened to Jonathan Kodjia?

Roberto Di Matteo was the club’s manager at the time and hailed the striker as a “proven” goalscorer, with the gem having struck 18 times in 45 Championship matches for the Robins in the 2015/16 campaign.

The Ivorian enjoyed a terrific first season in the Midlands as he plundered 19 goals in 36 outings in the division but the 6 foot 3 attacker was unable to carry this form over into the subsequent years.

Kodjia managed ten league goals in the next three seasons – nine of which came in the 2018/19 Championship campaign – and the forward failed to score in any of his six Premier League appearances.

Ex-Villa attacker Darren Bent stated that the Ivory Coast man was “way too inconsistent” and that he did not show enough during his time in the top division, which is backed up by the aforementioned statistics.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith decided to part ways with the striker midway through the club’s return to the Premier League as Qatari side Al-Gharafa SC signed him for an undisclosed fee in January 2020.

The striker has since moved on to Umm Salal SC in Qatar – joining them last summer on a free transfer – and has scored five goals in 13 outings for his new club.

At the age of 33, the veteran is not plying his trade in a major European league and his decline since the end of his first term at Villa has been disappointing to see.

The dud’s poor form and failure to make the step up to the Premier League, despite joining the Villans for a Championship record fee, is why Di Matteo had a blunder when it came to signing him in 2016.

Despite heading toward the end of his career, Kodjia has only played six matches in one of Europe’s top five leagues with the marksman very much having failed to live up to the price Villa splashed out for his services.