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In the absence of a number of key players, including regular captain Imad Wasim, Karachi went down by five wickets

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu15-Mar-2020

How the game played out
Shane Watson and Khurram Manzoor punched fifties in an 118-run partnership off a mere 65 balls – Quetta Gladiators’ highest stand this season – but it wasn’t enough for them to sneak into the semi-finals. Believe it or not, they needed 151 in 3.2 overs to displace Peshawar Zalmi from the fourth spot. In the end, they chased down the target in 16.2 overs to exit the tournament with only crumbs of comfort.Karachi Kings, who had sealed their semi-finals berth on Saturday, had rested a number of key players, including regular captain Imad Wasim. Umad Asif, Chris Jordan, and Mohammad Amir also were handed breaks and the fringe players sprayed the ball around, but Karachi will be buoyed by Cameron Delport’s return to form. The South African was on 18 off 21 balls at one point, but he finished with 62 off 44 balls – his first half-century of PSL 2020.Hello again, Naseem
Returning to the scene of his memorable spell against Sri Lanka in the longest format, after recovering from an ankle sprain, the 17-year old struck with his second ball. He cranked it up to 145.5kph and hit the off stump of Sharjeel Khan for a duck. He also zipped a few back-of-a-length deliveries across stand-in captain Babar Azam, as did Sohail Khan.Sohail was rewarded when Iftikhar Ahmed holed out to midwicket as Karachi dawdled to 36 for 2 in the powerplay.Delport and Walton tee off
Azam may be the No.1 T20I batsman, but even he couldn’t get the Quetta bowlers away. After eating up 15 dots, he sliced Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed to long-off for a 32-ball 34. However, after a scratchy start, Delport found his groove and showed his range. He was particularly severe on Ahmed, taking 22 off 16 balls from him. But the most stunning shot came off seamer Sohail. Delport picked a slower legcutter from off stump and reverse-swatted it away behind point for four. Chadwick Walton also played a fine hand, scoring 26 off 20 balls.Their late blows were central to Karachi touching 150.The hare and the tortoise
Left-arm seamer Waqas Maqsood had Ahmed Shehzad nicking off second ball of the chase, but Manzoor, playing his first match of the tournament, unleashed a flurry of boundaries in the powerplay. All up, he claimed eight of the 11 boundaries Quetta had struck in the first six overs.Watson then laid into Arshad Iqbal, creaming him for two sixes and a four in the four in the ninth over, and nearly outscored Manzoor during their stand. In the next over, both batsmen got to the fifties. During the process, Watson became the top six-hitter in the history of the PSL. Then, from 118 for 1, Quetta slid to 139 for 5, but Azam Khan and Mohammad Nawaz hauled them home.Where the teams stand
Karachi will face Lahore Qalandars in the second semi-final in Lahore on Tuesday while Quetta will go back wondering what might have been had they got their act together much earlier.

When the umpires walked out at 1pm local for an inspection, they were welcomed with a shower, and that forced them to abandon the game

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2019
Match abandoned without a ball bowledThe second game of MSL 2019, between hosts Durban Heat and visitors Tshwane Spartans, was called off even without a toss due to rain and then a wet outfield.The contest, that was set to have AB de Villiers facing off against Alex Hales, was called off at 1.10pm local, forty minutes after the scheduled time for toss. When the umpires walked out at 1pm local for an inspection, they were welcomed with a shower, and that forced them to abandon the game altogether.There were always doubts over the game after overnight rain hit Durban over the past 24 hours. But the hope of a match arose after the rain stopped in the afternoon. Unfortunately for the teams, the combination of a wet outfield together with a second spell of rain ended all hopes of a contest.According to weather reports, Durban is expected to receive more rain in the days to follow, although the next game – Heat v Paarl Rocks – at Kingsmead is on November 15. For Spartans, their next game is on November 13, when they host Nelson Mandela Bay Giants at Centurion.

Despite playing in Lucknow for the first time, the Afghanistan coach is fancying his team’s chances

Saurabh Somani in Lucknow 26-Nov-2019″Six months back I could have told you about Afghanistan. Now I am with West Indies.” – Phil Simmons.Whatever insights West Indies’ coach had about the team he had coached from December 2017 till the end of the 2019 World Cup was clearly not meant for publication. If you had asked him about the insights he had into the opposition in December 2017, he could have given the same answer with the team names inter-changed.Simmons’ record as coach has been excellent, but in spite of that, his first stint with West Indies had not ended well. Not due to the lack of results – they won the T20 World Cup under him – but due to what the WICB termed ‘differences in culture and strategic approach’, and what the rest of the world called a colossal management blunder.With a new management in place at the board, Simmons’ expertise was sought again, and he gladly accepted the role. While he stopped short of saying he had ‘unfinished business’ with West Indies, he does want to stop the wheel turning the way it has. The occasional peaks notwithstanding, the story that was written most often in the last two decades on Caribbean cricket was of West Indies’ decline.On Wednesday, there is the opportunity to take another step towards that when West Indies face Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.Technically, this is an ‘away’ game for West Indies and ‘home’ for Afghanistan. But it’s not as simple as that. Afghanistan have moved to this ground just a month ago from Dehradun, their erstwhile home ground, and are as (un)familiar with it as West Indies are. The only time Lucknow has hosted a Test before this one was 25 years back, when the Ekana Stadium wasn’t even a concept, and Afghanistan had as much chance of playing Test cricket as Belgium.”I was very happy when they moved from Dehradun to here for this series,” Simmons said. “Because they would have known everything about Dehradun. And now, it’s (like a) neutral venue, so it makes it even for us.”Afghanistan have in their corner the knowledge that they turned around the last series played at this venue, albeit in a vastly different format. Down 1-0 in the T20Is after having lost 3-0 in the ODIs, they stormed back to win 2-1. Simmons acknowledged that Afghanistan were a “difficult” opponent, but felt that at three-Tests old only, inexperience would be a factor.”Their format is T20, they’ve done well over the last two-three years in T20 cricket, so they were always going to fight back in that one,” Simmons said. “They’ve had three Tests, and did well to win in Bangladesh, but it’s still a learning phase for them and hopefully we can capitalise on that.”The Afghanistan players walk off the field•BCB

For Afghanistan coach Lance Klusener, the Test was all about focussing on his team’s strengths and not worrying too much about what West Indies would throw at them.”There’s no hiding the fact that our strength is spin. We’ve got three of the best spin bowlers in the world,” Klusener said, adding that the pitches were “receptive to spin”.”We’ll just have small goals and plans as to how we want to go about things. It’s a learning process as well. But in saying that, we want to be as positive as we can,” Klusener said. “Batting is about scoring runs – whether it’s Test cricket, one-day cricket or T20 cricket. It’s just how you go about. That’s the challenge for us, finding the balance between attacking an defending.”We can take a lot of confidence out of the way we played in the practice game. And they’re coming off a Test win in Bangladesh. So there’s a lot of good things to look forward to. I guess our challenge is runs. If we can put enough runs on the board over the course of the Test match, we’re going to be difficult to beat.”There appears to a widening gap between those at the top of the Test tree and those below it, according to Klusener, but as he pointed out, both teams in this contest fell on the same side of that divide.”We just saw that there’s quite a big rift between the lower teams that are not getting enough Test cricket to your Indias, Australias and Englands,” Klusener said. “There’s quite a big gap but it’s a learning curve for us. We’re going to have to toughen up a little bit, get stuck in and front up. We’re certainly looking forward to this Test match, there’s a lot of history playing against the West Indies as well.”There was a hint of a challenge in the way Klusener spoke of ‘history’ between the two teams. They’ve played seven T20Is, with West Indies winning four to Afghanistan’s three. West Indies are ahead 5-3 in ODIs, but before the one-dayers on this tour, they were 2-3.Test cricket though, is a a sporting animal unlike any other and Afghanistan’s inexperience will be a factor. It could have been offset to some extent with home advantage. But the surface aside – which could still play a decisive role – there’s not much ‘home’ advantage in playing at a new venue, facing a team whose coach knows you inside out.

da casino： Aston Villa's season is threatening to fizzle out as they are struck by fixture congestion and injury woes, with Unai Emery's side now looking less than certain for Champions League football next season.

Villa hit by another defensive injury

da dobrowin： The Villans were handed a major boost just last week when it emerged that Tyrone Mings was making good progress in returning from his knee injury suffered at the beginning of the campaign, though he is not expected to feature before the end of the Premier League season.

Versatile defender Ezri Konsa is also on the treatment table, and is facing at least another fortnight out, while Jhon Duran is another key piece of squad depth out of action through injury.

And now they have another problem at centre-back, with Diego Carlos suffering an injury during a training session. Emery later confirmed that it was a hamstring issue and that the Brazilian would be sidelined for between three and four weeks with the injury.

It is yet another issue for the midlands outfit to contend with, having lost Boubacar Kamara to a season-ending knee injury in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United a fortnight ago and with Emiliano Buendia having missed the entire season to date with the same issue.

Related Aston Villa’s 7/10 star was the real hero over Watkins v Fulham

Aston Villa picked up an impressive win over Fulham yesterday.

Posts ByTom Lever Feb 18, 2024

Now, Villa journalist and writer Ty Bracey has had his say on the fallout from Carlos' absence. Speaking to Aston Villa News, he revealed that though it is 'another blow' for Emery, there are alternatives within the squad.

Villa stuttering at crucial point

Injuries are not helping Villa's situation, and the return of European football could see them tested once more. Emery's side were clear favourites for a top 5 spot before Christmas, but have won just three games out of their last seven across all competitions since the turn of the year.

Player

Injury

Return date

Tyrone Mings

Knee

Next season

Boubacar Kamara

Knee

Next season

Emiliano Buendia

Knee

Next season

Ezri Konsa

Knee

March

Diego Carlos

Hamstring

March

Jhon Duran

Unknown

March

Defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League has seen the Red Devils close the gap in the race for European football, and as it stands, all of Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are separated by just five points, though it remains the Midlands outfit leading the way.

They also await their fate in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League draw, which takes place on Friday, February 23rd, and which the Villans will feel that they have an excellent chance of winning with Emery at the helm.

However, with a smaller squad keeping everyone in peak condition for both competitions will become increasingly difficult, and with tricky Premier League games against Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal all to come, it could ultimately prove a step too far for the injury-hit squad.

Of course, the season will still be considered a major success for Villa even if they miss out on Champions League football, with Emery having overseen a major change of fortunes at the club after taking over from Steven Gerrard 18 months ago. Should they add a European trophy too, it would be the best season in living memory for plenty of Villa fans.

Everton are eyeing up a move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher in the summer transfer window as Frank Lampard looks to utilise his connections at the west London club.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, the Toffees are looking at signing the 22-year-old ahead of next season, having excelled whilst on loan at Crystal Palace during the 2021/22 campaign.

Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, Thomas Tuchel will reportedly look to include Gallagher in his pre-season plans at Chelsea, although this might not translate to a first-team berth, with Lampard remaining on red alert for news of any opportunity to bring the midfielder to Everton.

Lampard could love to sign Gallagher

Everton retained their Premier League status with a stunning comeback win over Gallagher’s Palace on Thursday night, but this still won’t be enough to satiate the frustration of supporters after a dreadful campaign.

Lampard will seriously need to re-evaluate the playing squad and look to improve the spine of the team ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Signing Gallagher would be a bold but wise move, as Lampard could build the Everton side around the England international given his tender years and burgeoning talent.

In all competitions this term, the 22-year-old has scored eight times (including a wonder strike against the Toffees in December) and provided five assists as Palace have had a solid start to life under Patrick Vieira.

Gallagher’s stats for this season on loan at Selhurst Park are excellent. Compared with positional peers in the big five European leagues, he ranks in the 96th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area (3.06 per 90), the 97th percentile for non-penalty goals (0.25), and the 91st percentile for pressures (24.51).

These figures clearly show that, despite his young age, he is performing at an incredible level across several aspects of his game, and his presence in the Everton midfield could only be a good thing for the Toffees.

Having been dubbed “outrageous” earlier in the season, it’s no wonder the midfielder has gone on to make his England debut over the past six months.

With only Richarlison at Everton scoring more goals this season (10) than Gallagher, Lampard should be planning to make the Chelsea man his first signing of the summer.

Indeed, with the 22-year-old citing the current Toffees manager as his boyhood idol, and with the 43-year-old knowing what the youngster can do from his own time in charge at Stamford Bridge, Lampard might love to reunite with Gallagher at Goodison Park if at all possible.

AND in other news, Forget Richarlison: Everton “nightmare” with 17 duels won was their real star against Palace

The Australia coach wants his players to not be satisfied with one win, and arrive at Lord’s with the same hunger they displayed at Edgbaston

Daniel Brettig at Lord's12-Aug-2019

Amid his usual thoughts and theories about Australia’s next assignment at Lord’s, Justin Langer had a fairly simple one for England’s high-profile reinforcement: Hello Jofra Archer, welcome to the meat grinder of Test cricket.There is something relentless about the way Australia have planned their Ashes blueprint, having brought with them the deepest battery of fast bowlers ever to set foot on these shores, committed to batting time in the middle, and bowling to lines and plans that emphasise cutting down the scoring and boundary rates as much as searching for wickets.Enormous hype has been attached to the entry of Archer into the series for England, perhaps rightly so given his outsized talents and easy speed off an ambling run up, allied to a line from close to the stumps. But the challenge for Archer, as Langer emphasised, would be to back up that pace and quality in spell after spell, having not played a single first-class match this year.Archer’s only red-ball game since last summer was for Sussex’s second XI, in which he claimed six cheap wickets and showcased the skills that have made him a near automatic selection for England since he qualified – he took eight wickets against Middlesex last year in his only first-class fixture at Lord’s to date. Archer’s pace will provide a point of difference against Steven Smith’s formidable reserves of concentration and co-ordination, but as Langer pointed out, it will also be asking a lot of someone new to Test cricket to dominate right away.”I’m really curious about how Archer is going to go. He’s played one red-ball game in 11 months. He’s a very skilled bowler and a great athlete. But Test cricket is very different to white-ball cricket,” Langer said. “Like we’ve talked about a long time, we’ve got to keep wearing him down, and get him back into his second or third and fourth spells. Just curious how he’s going to go, like you are with all fast bowlers.”The strategy for England the way they play, is we have to be very disciplined. I think going back to 2004 in India, we hadn’t beaten for years, Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] was the captain, our strategy was so disciplined. You remember that series, and that was the difference in the end. Kasper [Michael Kasprowicz], [Jason] Gillespie and [Glenn} McGrath and they were so disciplined. I just think we haven’t won here for 20 years, and that’s a good strategy you can learn from the past. That strategy is going to be important as well.”We’ve got to be as good at the back end as we are at the front. It’s easy to be good at the front end and that’s what I said after Edgbaston, we’re not here to win the Edgbaston Test, we’re here to win the Ashes. We have got to make sure we manage it and plan it well so we are as good in the fifth Test as we are in the second Test.”Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting both believe they have never seen an Australian team as happy as this one•Getty Images

Smith, David Warner and captain Tim Paine joined the bowlers for an optional net session on Sunday, as all attempted to groove their games. Langer said that while Smith and Warner continued to face a considerable amount of unwanted attention, the key to their success in the remainder of the series was to turn up for Lord’s with as much hunger and focus as at Edgbaston.”He slept the last few days, which was good,” Langer said of Smith. “Dave Warner didn’t have a big first Test but he had a huge World Cup and IPL, so he is getting his energy back as well. So when those two are clear and have energy, it’s obviously a big advantage for us.”They’re still copping a bit. I thought it’s what we expected since we have been here. The boys are handling it well. Davey’s humour at Edgbaston was nice. He’s handling it as well as anyone. Steve Smith came in and showed with his batting how he’s handling it. I keep saying this: There’s nothing you can do about that, just keep smiling and keep concentrating on what you’ve got to concentrate on and it is what it is.”We talk about humility as one of our values. Like I keep going back, we did not come here to win the Edgbaston Test, we’ve not come here to get a hundred at Lord’s. We’ve come here to win the Ashes, to be the leading run-scorer in the Ashes, and if you do that it helps us win the Ashes; to be the leading wicket-taker in the whole Ashes and not just have a good Test. Everyone’s got to contribute. That’s why we are deliberately recognising that, ‘ok we won the first Test match that’s great, but now we’ve got to win the second Test’. So all our efforts will go into that.”Langer did not venture to Worcester for Australia’s tour match, instead spending time in London and regathering his many thoughts. He noted that Cameron Bancroft had dropped a couple of catches in the game, and said he had planned to spend time with the junior opening batsman to help him re-set his goals after having made it back from the Newlands scandal exile into the Test team.”He dropped a couple of catches, he is probably just trying a bit hard at the moment,” Langer said. “It was one of the challenges for James Pattinson actually, he set himself to play back in the Australian team, he set himself to play Ashes cricket. He’s ticked both of them off and now he’s going to have to re-set his goals, and a lot of young people don’t do that well.”They go ‘I’ve done it now’ and they forget to re-set. I’ve spoken to Patto about it and I’ll say the same thing to Cameron Bancroft. He’s come back in and now he’s trying too hard, he’s achieved that goal, he thought it might have taken a lot longer, He just has to re-set his goals, clear his mind and just relax a bit, he’ll be fine.”Some guidance could also be taken from Langer’s own experience as a young batsman at Lord’s playing the first of his many seasons as an overseas player in 1998. In his first county match at the home of cricket, Langer fell cheaply in the first innings as he came to grips with the Lord’s slope. “The very first time I played here, Somerset versus Middlesex, I think Andy Caddick [Kevin Shine] got me out with one that definitely came back in to me (off the slope), he was bowling from the Media Centre End. I’d heard about it, but until you actually get out there and feel it, by the end of it you realise there was a slope. But it’s that little wake-up call and you adapt to it. Hopefully our guys will do that.”How quickly did Langer adapt? In the second innings, he scored an unbeaten 233, duly described by the late Peter Roebuck: “Langer’s footwork was precise, his fitness impressive, his judgment unwavering and his placements superb during 533 minutes at the crease. He was a man in harmony with his surroundings. It was a most compelling contribution.”

da dobrowin： Aston Villa are enjoying a fantastic campaign and could be able to improve their prospects of a lofty finish in the Premier League table after it emerged that they are now keen on a teen sensation, according to a report.

Aston Villa looking for January reinforcements

da brdice： Positivity is the main overriding feeling at Aston Villa as they continue to sustain their consistent form in the Premier League under Unai Emery, which the Spaniard will hope to continue by bringing in further reinforcements in January.

According to Football Transfers, the Villans are in the market for options on the flanks this month and they are now said to have made approaches for Galatasaray man Wilfried Zaha and Lazio's Brazilian star Felipe Anderson.

Related All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

Posts ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

The outlet claim that Emery is a huge admirer of Zaha and tried to bring him to the Emirates Stadium in 2018 when he was in charge of Arsenal; nevertheless, the Ivory Coast international is happy in Turkey and isn't expected to move on this month.

Roma playmaker Paulo Dybala is the talk of European football right now due to his low release clause of about €13 million (£11.2m) that is set to expire on January 15th, and reports in Italy, via Birmingham Live, indicate that the Villans have spoken to his entourage over a potential move to Villa Park.

Nevertheless, one man who won't be coming to join Aston Villa this window is Dybala's teammate Leonardo Spinazzolla, as confirmed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Now, there is cause for excitement in the West Midlands after latest reports, which suggest that Aston Villa are keen on one of Europe's finest rising stars this month.

Aston Villa keen on Roony Bardghji

According to HITC, Aston Villa are among a clutch of sides keen on Copenhagen sensation Roony Bardghji and contact is believed to have taken place over the availability of the Sweden international. His current employers would demand at least £20 million before considering a sale, though they would prefer to keep him for the rest of the season.

Roony Bardghji key statistics – (Sofascore)

Shots per game

1.5

Chance conversion

28%

Big chances created

2

Key passes per game

1.2

Team of the week inclusions

1

Average match rating

7.21/10

The outlet claim that Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford, Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Napoli are also showing interest in the 18-year-old, who has burst onto the scene this term and spent time in England over Christmas, where his future was discussed with intermediares.

Labelled "superb" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Kuwait City-born winger has shown a clinical edge in front of goal this term, registering 11 strikes in 30 appearances across all competitions (Bardghji statistics – Transfermarkt).

Chelsea and Manchester United have previously been linked with a swoop for the youngster, indicating that there will be a tense battle for his services over the course of the next few weeks. Aston Villa are clearly in the hunt for a winger though and could make a major statement by fending off competition to bring Bardghji to Villa Park.

Willey claims four wickets, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth post fifties in Yorkshire victory

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2019Yorkshire lifted themselves off bottom spot in the North Group with a landslide 80-run victory over Northamptonshire in a Vitality Blast dead rubber at Headingley, with ex-Steelback David Willey starring with four new-ball wickets.Both sides went into their penultimate fixture of 2019 with no chance of qualifying for next week’s quarter-finals. The Vikings were bottom of the table with two wins from 12 games and the Steelbacks two places higher with three wins from the same number of fixtureBut Yorkshire amassed 187 for 7 thanks to fifties for openers Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth, who made 51 and 50 respectively, and then a breezy 38 off 16 balls from Harry Brook, who later took four catches – a joint Yorkshire record in a T20 fixture.In reply, former Northants Blast winner Willey struck four times in his first three overs, at a cost of only 11 runs, leaving the Steelbacks 43 for 5 after six. That was game over as they later slipped to 107 all out in 18 overs and Willey finished with 4 for 18.Having won the toss, Yorkshire’s innings could be split into three parts.They flew out of the blocks as captain Kohler-Cadmore and Lyth shared 88 of 91 for one in the first 10 overs. They then both fell the ball after reaching their fifties.Northants dragged things back as the hosts reached the 15-over mark at 122 for 3.Experienced left-arm spinner Graeme White was excellent in removing Lyth and former team-mate Willey, who both offered leg-side catches.Then, the Vikings regained their momentum as Brook, back in the side having made way following a run of low scores, found his range to help pick up 65 off the last five overs. He mixed power with invention, pulling South African Dwaine Pretorius for six and ramping him for four next ball in the 16th over. He also smashed Rob Keogh’s off-spin for a huge straight six into the upper reaches of the new Emerald Stand.Northants captain Josh Cobb used eight bowlers, with Keogh and Pakistani seamer Faheem Ashraf also claiming two wickets apiece.The visitors then got off to a flying start in their chase, with Richard Levi hitting the first three balls of the innings from Lyth for four before planting the fifth ball over mid-wicket for six into the Western Terrace, the same stand Ben Stokes peppered in Sunday’s Ashes heist. But he slapped Willey straight to mid-wicket with the first ball of the second over.Tim Bresnan bowled Adam Rossington with the first ball of the third and Willey struck again with the first ball of the fourth when he had Cobb caught at deep backward square-leg before getting Pretorius brilliantly caught by Will Fraine running back from point later in the over.Alex Wakely then holed out to deep square-leg off Willey, ending a miserable Powerplay at 43 for 5, before Bresnan struck again in the sixth to get Ashraf caught at mid-on with only two runs added to the total.South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled Keogh early in the eleventh over as the score slipped to 68 for 7 before off-spinner Jack Shutt had White and Nathan Buck caught at long-off by Brook.Tom Sole played a lone hand for 41 not out before Lyth had Blessing Muzarabani caught behind to wrap things up.

The Red Devils have more than a few players at the tournament in Germany. Here's how you can follow each of their stars at Euro 2024

With a total of eight players competing at the European Championship in Germany this summer, Manchester United are well represented at the major international tournament.

Indeed, the likes of Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund are among the Red Devils stars who will be present at Euro 2024 and each will be fighting for glory with their respective national teams.

Here, GOAL shows how you can follow each of the Old Trafford heroes present at Euro 2024.

Getty Scott McTominay | Scotland | Group A

Midfielder Scott McTominay is looking to help Scotland progress past the group stage of a major competition for the first time in the nation's history.

Fresh off a season in which he played 43 times for Erik ten Hag's United, the 27-year-old is expected to be a key figure for Steve Clarke's team, having shaken off a slight injury concern heading into Euro 2024.

With 49 caps to his name, he is one of Scotland's more senior players and will be kicking off the tournament with a headline showdown against hosts Germany in the opening game at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 14.

The Tartan Army then travel to Koln to face Switzerland at the Koln Stadium on June 19, followed by a trip to the Stuttgart Arena on June 23, where they will take on Hungary in the final game of Group A.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesRasmus Hojlund | Denmark | Group C

After a promising debut season at Old Trafford, Rasmus Hojlund will spearhead the Denmark attack as they look to improve on their third-place finish at Euro 2020.

The 21-year-old has just 14 caps to his name and has scored an impressive seven times. Amazingly, all seven of those goals came across his eight Euro 2024 qualifying matches.

The Danes will be hoping the striker can carry that form into the final tournament in Germany, where they start with a match against Slovenia at Stuttgart Arena on June 16, followed by a rematch of their Euro 2020 semi-final against England in Frankfurt. They then round off Group C with a meeting with Serbia in Munich.

(C)Getty ImagesChristian Eriksen | Denmark | Group C

At 32 years old, Christian Eriksen has made a whopping 130 appearances for Denmark's senior team – Simon Kjaer, 35, is the only member of the squad with more caps than the midfielder, having featured 135 times.

Eriksen remains an important figure for the Nordic nation, having scored a goal and set-up another to mastermind a 2-1 win against Scandinavian rivals Sweden in their Euro 2024 warm-up on June 5.

He is expected to line up in the attacking midfield role when they kick off their campaign in Stuttgart and will hope to put in solid displays in Frankfurt and Munich, too, as the Danes aim to progress beyond the group stage again.

Getty ImagesLuke Shaw | England | Group C

Luke Shaw endured an injury-disrupted campaign with United, managing 15 appearances in all competitions. The 28-year-old, has, however, made England boss Gareth Southgate's final squad for the Euros, and is in contention to play a part in the group stages.

England are short of options at left-back and have opted to play natural right-back Kieran Trippier in Shaw's position in recent friendlies, so Southgate will undoubtedly be eager to have the United defender back in action soon.

Indeed, with the full-back having taken part in the Three Lions' first training session in Germany, fans will be hoping he may even be available for the trip to the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen for their opening game against Serbia. Otherwise, they will be desperate to have him in the starting XI when they meet Denmark in Frankfurt on June 20, or at least the June 25 match against Slovenia in Koln.

The Australia wicketkeeper-batsman maintained his prolific current run by clouting 114 against the England Lions on the day of the World Cup final at Lord’s

Daniel Brettig15-Jul-2019An Australian squad of 16 for the looming Ashes series, rather than the traditional number of 17, may well play into the hands of Matthew Wade as the selectors look for a utility reserve batsman and back-up wicketkeeper to face England over five Tests.The selection chairman Trevor Hohns has flagged 16 as the number for the final squad, which is to be pared down from the 25 players to assemble in Southampton later this week for a final warm-up match that will conclude with the naming of the group to play the Tests.Wade, who has battered all bowling attacks he has faced in a prolific past 12 months, maintained his run by clouting 114 against the England Lions on the day of the extraordinary World Cup final at Lord’s, in a stand worth 219 with Travis Head. With the national captain Tim Paine taking the gloves for the Tests, Wade’s strong case as a batsman and back-up wicketkeeping skills in the event of a late injury are firming his case for inclusion.”I think I can do both roles,” Wade said in Canterbury. “I’ve played 22 Test matches; they’ve all been as wicketkeeper. So, I think if I manage to get a spot on the tour as that dual role and if anything happens to Tim, I feel I can stand in and catch them if they need me to.”And vice versa, I’m playing more as a bat at the moment as well. Coming here I thought my opportunity would be in that dual role if they wanted to take some extra bowlers or allrounders or what have you. I’m not sure if that’s the case but I feel I can do both if I’m needed.”The 17th spot has customarily gone to a back-up wicketkeeper, a role Wade himself filled in 2013, before Peter Nevill replaced Brad Haddin midway through the 2015 series. In 2009, Graham Manou played his one and only Test at Birmingham when Haddin was injured, while others such as Wade Seccombe, Darren Berry, Tim Zoehrer and Ray Phillips have all filled the role in the past. While the ODI vice-captain Alex Carey enjoyed an outstanding World Cup, his first-class record is modest when lined up against that of the more experienced Wade.”I wasn’t aware [of a 16-man squad] but that might be a good thing if they are looking to take 16, then they’re probably looking for someone to bat and keep,” Wade said. “I feel like I can do that, so fingers crossed I get the tap on the shoulder. If not I’m comfortable with where my game is at and comfortable with what I’ve done on this tour.”The century at Canterbury confirmed that Wade is both extremely well grooved into his style and rhythm of batting – taking his time early in getting to 15 from 47 balls – before taking command against the strongest attack the Australians have encountered on tour so far. He also spoke warmly of Head’s innings, noting how the South Australian captain had curtailed his common tendency of flailing the bat outside the off stump.”Traditionally, over my career, that’s the way I’ve played,” he said. “[I] give myself a pretty good chance to assess the wicket – that slope took a little bit more time than what I thought it would take to get used to – and then, as I went on, my innings certainly flourished a little bit more – runs-wise – but I tend to start like that in first-class cricket anyway.”I think the ball just did a little bit later than what we’re used to, especially early. They pitched a couple up to me and I went to drive and missed them by a little bit, so it was more just getting used to that and adjusting. I bat on off stump anyway, but some of the lefties that came off found it a lot easier batting towards the off stump and then giving themselves a better line up of where their off stump is.”[Head] played the ball really late, he didn’t go too hard outside off stump. He’s done a lot of work there, but over his whole innings, he looked like he played the ball really late, let it come down to him and hit a lot of balls on the square, which over Heady’s career he probably hasn’t hit a lot there. He probably goes down the ground and through gully, so it looks like he’s done a heap of work there and it’s paying off for sure.”Another impressive aspect of Wade’s innings was that his tour had been interrupted by a late call-up to join the Australian squad ahead of their semi-final against England in Birmingham, where he witnessed a heavy defeat and then travelled once more to rejoin the red-ball group in Canterbury.”I thought it was a reward that I was really happy to get,” Wade said. “I’ve gone away from my young family to come here and try and push for selection for World Cup and Ashes, and I suppose it was a little reward for the sacrifices that I’ve made and runs I’ve put on the board over the last 12 months.”