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Wellington toppled Central Districts by five wickets in a closely-fought third preliminary final to set up a final date against Canterbury on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2017
ScorecardMichael Papps put behind a string of low scores to score a half-century and take Wellington into the final•Getty ImagesAfter falling short by 27 runs against Canterbury in the first preliminary final, Wellington did not squander their second chance as they toppled Central Districts by five wickets in the third preliminary final at the Basin Reserve to set up a final against Canterbury on Saturday. Medium pacer Anurag Verma’s 4 for 49 helped bowl out Central Districts for 247, and opening batsman Michael Papps scored 80 to help Wellington scale down the target with three balls to spare.Like Papps, George Worker shone opening the innings for Central Districts. Worker strung together a century stand with captain Will Young (57 off 60 balls) to lift his team to 176 for 2. But Central Districts slid thereafter, losing five wickets for 29 runs, including that of Worker for 85. They were shored up by Josh Clarkson’s rapid 42, off 33 balls, with four fours and two sixes.Wellington showcased their batting strength in the chase. Barring Scott Borthwick, who was caught in the sixth over for 1, all their batsmen made contributions. Papps was supported by captain Hamish Marshall (37), Tom Blundell (21) and Michael Pollard (24).Papps’ wicket was the last Central Districts would take, when he was stumped off left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. At that point, Wellington still needed 58 with just 47 balls and five wickets remaining. Luke Woodcock slammed an unbeaten 41 off 35 balls with four fours and two sixes, while Matt Taylor raced to an unbeaten 31 off 29 balls to seal a tense chase in the final over.Blair Tickner and Kieran Noema-Barnett took two wickets each, although the latter was expensive, leaking 59 runs in 10 overs. Patel finished with 1 for 52.

Vlatko Andonovski has some tough decisions to make with his XI, but it may be worthwhile to let the teenage forward loose early in the tournament

On a good day, it's really, really hard to predict what Vlatko Andonovski is going to do with the United States women's national team line up. Throughout the course of this cycle, Andonovski has often chopped and changed, experimenting plenty as he looked to nail down a first-choice XI. At this point, we don't even really know what that is, simply because we haven't really gotten to see it.

And that's on a good day. Friday's World Cup opener against Vietnam, meanwhile, is a weird one. It's the start of a major tournament, sure, but also a game against, on paper, the USWNT's weakest opponent. If there was a chance for Andonovski to really throw in a curveball, this is the game.

Part of that is due to injuries. Rose Lavelle, Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe aren't 100 percent fit, although only the first two are the contenders to start. The other part of it is due to squad rotation, as Andonovski could very well look to, at least initially, rest some key players while looking ahead to tougher games against the Netherlands and Portugal.

So how does he handle that balancing act? GOAL takes a look at how the USWNT should line up on Friday against Vietnam…

Getty ImagesGK: Alyssa Naeher

One of the few players in this XI that is pretty immune from rotation. Naeher is the starter and, barring injury, we'll almost certainly see her play every minute this tournament.

Well, certainly. Casey Murphy or Aubrey Kingsbury could conceivably challenge her for that spot if her form isn't where it should be but, realistically, this isn't the time for goalkeeper drama. Give Naeher the start and let her warm-up for the tougher games ahead.

AdvertisementGettyLB: Crystal Dunn

Could we finally see the great Dunn midfield move in this game? Maybe! Will we? Probably not! Andonovski has shied away from using Dunn in that position all cycle, so it would be pretty wild to see it happen now, even with Lavelle's injury issues.

Instead, we'll likely see Dunn provide some attacking thrust on the left against a team that should have few options to stop her.

GettyCB: Naomi Girma

Even if Andonovski wanted to rotate at center-back, it's not like he has many options. Girma and Alana Cook are the only two central defenders in the squad, which means there really won't be many opportunities to rest those two throughout.

You could see someone like Emily Sonnett or Ertz start centrally, but it's probably more valuable to get Girma on the field so she can shake out any potential World Cup nerves.

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CB: Alana Cook

Ditto from above. Andonovski will almost certainly want Cook to get a taste of the World Cup in a game where she likely won't be challenged too much. Let her walk out, hear the anthem, make a few plays and then, maybe, take her or Girma out if he wants to save their legs for the rest of the group stage.

India A’s spinners, led by Yuzvendra Chahal, took eight wickets between them to lead the side’s 57-run win over Australia A in the final of the Quadrangular A-team one-day series in Mackay

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2016
Scorecard1:18

‘Dravid helped us be calm’ – Mandeep

India A’s spinners, led by Yuzvendra Chahal, took eight wickets between them to lead the side’s 57-run win over Australia A in the final of the Quadrangular A-team one-day series in Mackay. Chasing 267, Australia A lost all but two of their set batsmen to spinners, eventually folding for 209. Earlier, Mandeep Singh’s 95 and Manish Pandey’s 61 had guided India to 4 for 266. This is also India A’s third successive win over Australia A in the final of an A-team tournament, with the previous wins coming in July 2014 and August 2015.Australia A began their chase promisingly with a 31-run partnership between openers Cameron Bancroft and Kurtis Patterson before the latter was bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni in the seventh over. A 51-run partnership for the second wicket between Bancroft and Nic Maddinson further strengthened Australia A’s chase but India A fought back through wickets from Karun Nair, whose part-time offspin accounted for both batsmen. Despite a few quiet overs in the middle, Australia A captain Peter Handscomb and Alex Ross kept the asking rate in sight during their brisk 77-run stand, until Kulkarni got the breakthrough with Ross’ wicket.Chahal and Axar Patel wrapped things up quickly after that. Axar’s left-arm spin dismissed Handscomb for a top-score of 43 in the 39th over, and Chahal took four of the next five wickets to seal a win by the 45th over. Australia A’s last six wickets fell for only 26 runs.India A had a quiet start after losing Nair in the second over but recovered through a string of half-century partnerships. Mandeep was part of two of those partnerships, with Shreyas Iyer (41) and Pandey, during his 108-ball stay. The opener struck 11 fours in his second successive fifty before he was out caught behind off Joe Mennie, five short of what would have been his fourth List A century.India A scored only five boundaries in the last 15 overs but still scored 100 runs, steered along by Pandey with help from Kedar Jadhav who chipped in with 25 off 33. Pandey, the India A captain, who has been in good form through the tournament, surpassed David Miller on the series run charts with his 61, ending with a tally of 359 runs in seven innings, including two centuries.The lack of boundaries, Mandeep said after the game, was largely due to the slow outfield. The resulting difficulty in run-scoring, he said, made his knock of 95 one of his best so far. “More than the wicket, I think it was the ground. I knew that I had to run hard on this ground, take a lot of twos and threes. I think I probably did that, that’s why I got success,” he said. “Definitely it was very hard, because in India you get a lot of boundaries, so definitely it was one of my harder innings, but I enjoyed it.”

Sunderland's impressive season came to a disappointing end on Tuesday night as they fell 2-0 against Luton Town in the playoff semi-final second leg.

Having won 2-1 at the Stadium of Light last week, Tony Mowbray's side looked to be in a strong position against the Hatters and would have been hoping to make it to Wembley, where they would have been one match away from securing back-to-back promotions.

What happened in Luton vs Sunderland?

Unfortunately for the Black Cats, that dream wouldn't become a reality as the aggregate score was levelled at 2-2 within ten minutes as Gabriel Osho smashed home from a corner.

Mowbray's side were trailing on aggregate before half-time as centre-back Tom Lockyer headed in Alfie Doughty's wicked delivery, with injuries in defence leaving Sunderland exposed in the air against a physically dominant Luton side.

It was always going to be tough for Sunderland given that the likes of Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth and Ross Stewart were all absent from the matchday squad.

This forced Mowbray to play both Lynden Gooch and Patrick Roberts as full-backs at Kenilworth Road, despite them being short tricky wingers, and this certainly backfired against Rob Edwards' giant Luton side.

How did Roberts play against Luton?

As per Sofascore, the former Manchester City man would earn a shocking 6.2/10 rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any player to start the game from both sides.

It is perhaps harsh to judge the 26-year-old given he was playing in an unfamiliar position, but it wasn't just his defending which let the Black Cats down on Tuesday night.

Mowbray will have selected Roberts on the right in the hope that he could attack and link up with Amad Diallo, so it was perhaps no surprise that the slight winger struggled against Doughty down the left, as he was dribbled past three times and won just eight of 26 duels during the 90 minutes.

However, his performance going forward was a real letdown and arguably a major factor in Sunderland's failure to find the goal which could have taken the game to extra time or taken the north-east club to Wembley.

The English winger lost the ball on a remarkable 23 occasions against Luton, as just one of his five crosses and none of his three long balls found a teammate.

Roberts is certainly known for his dribbling ability but tried to do it far too often at Kenilworth Road, succeeding with just four of his 12 attempts on the night, although he did nearly score a wonder goal after beating a number of Luton defenders on a mazy run.

With Sunderland struggling to create chances late on, the right-winger engineered the space for three shots but put every single one off target, when a pass would have perhaps been the better option.

His greediness was disappointing on a night when Sunderland needed to be at their best as a team to get through, and his underwhelming performance was no doubt one major factor in the 2-0 defeat.

The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, and Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, batsman Darren Bravo, allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, legspinner Devendra Bishoo, and wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30, which is four days after the tri-series final in Barbados. They can remain with their franchises until July 11, ten days before West Indies’ first Test against India in Antigua.WICB announced a confirmation of the India tour last December, but they released the full itinerary only last week. A possible clash of dates with the CPL had been one of the main reasons for the delay.According to the WICB policy, the head coach and the national selectors had final say in determining whether their players would be free to participate in the CPL. It is understood that head coach Phil Simmons had no objections with his men playing the tournament’s initial stages, provided they returned in time to prepare for the four Tests against India, which are the only Tests in West Indies’ home season.Damien O’Donohoe, the CPL chief executive, welcomed the WICB’s decision and said that the players’ availability would would be a “tremendous boost”.”Our thanks to the West Indies Cricket Board, coach and chairman of selection committee for facilitating the release of the players for the opening weeks of the CPL,” he said. “It’s a tremendous boost for the competition and I have no doubt that each of the players will be motivated to add great value to their squads.”Ramdin, who is part of the onging tri-series against South Africa and Australia, was announced as the replacement for injured fast bowler Fidel Edwards, for St Lucia Zouks. Edwards had suffered a fractured ankle in the lead up to the final day of Hampshire’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley in April.

Everton have had another difficult season in the Premier League and Sean Dyche has been tasked with the challenge to secure survival from relegation over the remaining fixtures.

The Toffees have only avoided a drop into the bottom three by goal difference following their defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend, however, there has been promising signs that Dyche could be the manager to lead them to safety.

The former Burnley boss has picked up 11 points from his first ten games in charge at Goodison Park, which is an incredible achievement given the form the squad were in when he inherited the burden from Frank Lampard.

Indeed, there is still a long way to go for the Merseysiders before they are comfortable in retaining their Premier League status with just eight games left to repair the damage already done at Goodison, however, should the manager save Everton at the end of the campaign, there will need to be serious recruitment done in the summer.

Whilst finding the perfect striker will be a key focus for the Everton hierarchy, it will also be important to clear out the players in the squad who are either not providing the squad with the quality needed to comfortably compete in the top flight or just not contributing at all.

The very first of Lampard's transfer disasters that Dyche should seek to repair is that of Portuguese left-back Ruben Vinagre, who has become a forgotten man for many at Goodison Park.

Will Everton permanently sign Ruben Vinagre?

There is no doubt that there are several players that will need to be moved on from the blue side of Merseyside this summer with Dele Alli, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes springing to mind, but there is a very telling decision made by Dyche clearly demonstrating that Vinagre is not in his plans whatsoever.

Mykolenko missed out on the Nottingham Forest clash through illness, and the Everton boss leaned on centre-back Ben Godfrey to take the starting spot in the left-back position, which has further raised questions about the point of Vinagre even being at the club and not being selected to compete for the position with his Ukrainian teammate.

Everton correspondent for the Liverpool Echo, Joe Thomas, raised a point about Vinagre's absence ahead of the Forest clash:

"Penny for Ruben Vinagre's thoughts as Vitalii Mykolenko misses out through illness and Ben Godfrey starts ahead of him. Not saying it is the wrong call, but that is a loan move that gets increasingly baffling as the season goes on."

In fact, the 24-year-old full-back has only made four appearances since his arrival on a season-long loan last summer, with just 204 minutes tallied up in all competitions and just 24 minutes in the Premier League so far.

With that being said, it would make no sense for Everton to trigger their £17m option to buy this summer as the money would be better invested in other areas of the pitch that are in desperate need of improvement.

While Manchester United still have plenty left to play for between now and the end of the season, manager Erik ten Hag will already likely have one thought on just how his squad will shape up heading into next season, with key decisions needing to be made to continue the recent progress under the Dutchman.

One notable area that does appear in need of addressing is the midfield ranks, with the Red Devils currently having something of an ageing pool in that department, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Fred all in their thirties.

There is seemingly an urgency to find a more youthful, long-term replacement for the latter man, in particular, with the diminutive Brazilian – who has been at the club since 2018 – reportedly one of those who could be moved on this summer.

The 30-year-old currently has just over a year to run on his existing deal after the club recently triggered a 12-month extension, albeit with it seemingly unlikely that a long-term contract will be in the works, with the former Shakhtar Donetsk man having been a polarising figure during his time at Old Trafford.

Branded "not good enough" by club legend Roy Keane earlier in the campaign, the relentless gem does still have his merits, however, having been hailed as a "mosquito" by Ten Hag for his pest-like, all-action style in the Europa League triumph over Barcelona.

As such, if Fred is to move on any time soon, the former Ajax boss will be looking to find a suitable successor for the 32-cap machine in the centre of the park, with promising youngster Charlie Savage one such candidate for the role.

How is Charlie Savage getting on at Forest Green?

The 19-year-old – who is the son of one-time United academy graduate, Robbie Savage – is currently shining out on loan at League One side, Forest Green Rovers, having joined the club in January on a temporary deal until the end of the season.

The Wales youth international – who recently turned down a call-up from his nation's U21 set-up in order to focus on his club side – notably scored his first senior goal in the defeat to Bristol Rovers earlier this month, with that having been just reward for his fine start to life under manager, Duncan Ferguson.

Much like Fred the 'mosquito', Savage is also seemingly "full of energy and enthusiasm" – according to Ferguson – with that showcased by the fact that he has averaged 1.2 interceptions and 0.7 tackles from his six league outings this season, while the current United man has averaged 0.7 and 1.6 for the same two metrics, respectively.

A left-footed midfield asset – much like Fred – the teenager was previously given the chance to shine under the watchful eye of Ten Hag during the Red Devils' pre-season tour, notably leaving club legend Bryan Robson "impressed" due to his impact on the trip.

Having also done "really well" in the friendly win over Liverpool in Bangkok – as per treble-winner Andy Cole – the Leicester-born maestro certainly made a positive impression, with Ten Hag himself reportedly having been left 'surprised' by the 6-foot gem's ability.

While that did not lead to game time at senior level earlier in the campaign, Savage previously earned his debut alongside friend and midfield colleague Zidane Iqbal in the Champions League back in December 2021, with the pair likely to be hoping to build on that brief taste of first-team football moving forward.

Although it would be a notable step up for the playmaker to rise from playing in England's third tier to establishing himself at the Theatre of Dreams, the possible departure of Fred could give the teen gem the opportunity to stake his claim for a first-team berth next season.

Manchester United’s hectic run of February fixtures continues away to Barcelona in the Europa League this evening, with the Red Devils set to return to the venue of one of the greatest nights in their history – Camp Nou.

While there may not be quite the glamour of that fabled triumph over Bayern Munich in ’99 – with United now competing in the continent’s second-tier competition – tonight’s clash still promises a potentially mouthwatering feast of football, with Erik ten Hag’s resurgent side facing off against the runaway leaders in La Liga.

With it already set to be a stern challenge to pick up a positive result in Catalonia, the Old Trafford outfit have the further headache of being without a number of key figures, with the likes of Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial and Antony all missing through injury, while both Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer are ruled out through suspension.

How will Man United line up against Barcelona?

With those selection issues in mind, Football FanCast predicts that Ten Hag will make three changes from the side that claimed victory over Leeds United last time out, with notable alterations set to take place defensively.

Ahead of long-serving stalwart David De Gea – who recently brought up 400 Premier League appearances –  will likely be a centre-back pairing of Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw, with club captain and defensive “liability” – as per writer Zach Lowy – Harry Maguire set to make way.

With Shaw’s move into the centre set to see Tyrell Malacia remain at left-back, the other full-back berth could well be taken up by £50m “monster” Aaron Wan-Bissaka – as once lauded by CBS Sports reporter Aaron West – with the Englishman’s defensive strength potentially set to be required.

The biggest positive for the former Ajax boss will be the return of influential midfielder Casemiro, amid his current league suspension, with the Brazilian rock set to be supported by compatriot Fred and playmaking gem, Bruno Fernandes.

As for the forward line, the absence of both Antony and Martial should ensure that there are no alterations from the win at Elland Road, with teenage starlet Alejandro Garnacho likely to offer a game-changing presence off the bench once again.

Liverpool were linked with a move for Real Madrid star Federico Valverde this summer, and a new update has given Reds fans hope of one day luring the midfielder to the Premier League.

Where did Real Madrid find Federico Valverde?

Back in 2016, Real Madrid signed Valverde from boyhood team Penarol in Montevideo. Having been promoted from the youth set-up to the first team two years later, as per Transfermarkt, he’s since gone on to make a total of 208 senior appearances in the Spanish capital.

Carlo Ancelotti’s central midfielder still has another four years remaining on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped FSG and Jurgen Klopp from highlighting him as a potential candidate to bring to Merseyside.

The Secret Scout reported that the Reds submitted an enquiry for the 25-year-old last month alongside his teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, having failed to secure the services of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia who both ended up joining Chelsea, and it wasn’t long before they took their initial interest one step further.

Spanish outlets claimed that FSG then tabled a €60m (£51.8m) offer for the Uruguay international, and whilst a deal failed to come to fruition before September 1st, it sounds like there is reason to believe something could happen in the future.

Are Liverpool signing Federico Valverde?

According to reports in Spain (via Football365), Valverde “half regrets having made this decision” to stay at Real Madrid and believes that the best thing he could have done would have been to have “packed his bags”.

The La Liga star has a “feeling of being secondary” and knows that he “needs more prominence” after saying “no” to joining Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United over the summer.

The Los Blancos veteran has “already noticed” that he won’t be a regular starter this season, so there’s a possibility that he could look to seal an exit in January.

How many goals has Federico Valverde scored?

In La Liga during the 2022/23 campaign, Valverde posted 11 contributions (seven goals and four assists) in 34 games which is an impressive return for a central midfielder, form which has seen labelled a “monster” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The Montevideo native has also recorded 11 shots so far this season which is the second-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef, not to mention that he’s extremely calm and composed on the ball averaging a 90.7% pass success rate.

Furthermore, Madrid’s £133k-per-week earner, who has the versatility to operate in eight different positions over the midfield and attack, will know what it takes to compete and be successful having secured ten pieces of silverware since the start of his career, so he will possess the same winning mentality of the current squad who are already at Kirkby.

Finally, Valverde shares the same agent, Wasserman, as both Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones, so should the hierarchy attempt to make a second move for their target in the new year, the existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give them a small advantage in getting a deal over the line in 2024.

West Ham United have invested the £105m recouped from the mammoth sale of Declan Rice in an intelligent manner.

James Ward-Prowse, who joined from Southampton for £30m, registered two assists on his debut in a 3-1 win against Chelsea at the London Stadium.

Whilst the £35.4m signing of Edson Alvarez looks to be another shrewd acquisition due to his strong defensive capabilities.

However, the Irons are yet to add any attackers to the squad, despite Gianluca Scamacca returning to Italy after an underwhelming season in England.

Rumours are now viciously circulating around potential forward options…

What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?

According to Sacha Tavolieri, West Ham are interested in Genk’s Mike Tresor.

But, before any deal advances, the Hammers must first settle and finalise Lucas Paqueta’s uncertain future.

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

Nevertheless, the east Londoners are keen to make progress from next week and be will in touch with Genk in due course.

Other reports have suggested that the Belgian whiz could be available for around €20m (£17m).

Would Mike Tresor be a good signing for West Ham?

Last season, the 24-year-old dynamo was thrown into European prominence thanks to a scintillating term with Genk – across 42 appearances, he scored eight times and crafted 24 assists.

This astonishing form meant that Tresor was named Belgian Pro League Player of the Season, whilst also breaking the assist record.

As a result, it was announced that the left-winger was in his nation’s squad for upcoming European qualifiers against Austria and Estiona back in June 2023.

Following his incredible numbers and achievements, talent scout Jacek Kulig described the joyous technician as “sensational” and he looks ready to make the next step in his career.

The jump from Belgian football to the Premier League is insurmountable, but a player of Tresor’s productivity, technique, and flair could provide some healthy and much-needed competition for Said Benrahma.

In a short space of time, the Algerian winger can dazzle and infuriate, but he is undoubtedly one of the club’s most important players.

Last season, Benrahma made 52 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers, the second-highest in the squad, to underline his valuable nature under David Moyes.

However, the tricky winger continues to massively divide opinion.

On one hand, Joe Cole has described him as “unplayable” and someone he has “always been a fan of” due to his natural “ability” – this is mainly down to wonderful dribbling as he ranks within the best 22% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

But, he is equally frustrating, with the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg labelling the former Brentford livewire as “underwhelming” who suffers from a “constant lack of discipline and focus.”

Although Benrahma ended last campaign as the club’s joint-top scorer with six goals, Steinberg felt this was misleading as the majority were penalties and his assists were just simple passes for stunning, long-range efforts from his teammates.

Therefore, the arrival of Tresor could be the perfect antidote to eradicate Benrahma’s inconsistencies, whilst also proving to be a pivotal piece of squad depth.

This will be vital for West Ham, who face a third-consecutive season of European football, whilst also trying to build upon a disappointing 14th-place finish in the Premier League last term.