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Middlesex coast to chase of 256 as visitors left light at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Aug-2025Middlesex 256 for 5 (Robson 89, Cracknell 79) beat Sussex 255 for 9 (Carson 73, Hudson-Prentice 58) by five wicketsSam Robson and Joe Cracknell shared a blistering stand of 144 in 111 balls as Middlesex sped to victory over Sussex in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Lord’s.Robson, in his benefit year with the Seaxes struck a run a ball 89, with 14 fours and a six, while Cracknell also cleared the ropes and hit 12 boundaries in his 78 as the hosts chased down a target of 256 with 25 balls to spare, despite 3 for 48 for Henry Crocombe.Earlier, Sussex’s total of 255-9 was built around half centuries from Jack Carson (73 from 58) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (58 in 73). Noah Cornwell returned 3-50 while 18-year-old Jamie Feldman, making his List-A debut took a wicket with his second ball on route to figures of 2-36.Middlesex seized the initiative early thanks to Toby Roland-Jones’ double strike, Tom Haines caught at mid-on before Danial Ibrahim was trapped in front.Hudson-Prentice’s innings got off to a bizarre start when a quick single saw a shy at the stumps which hit the non-striker Tom Clark, the ricochet carrying the ball to the fence.The all-rounder almost played on to a ball from Cornwell, swatting the ball away from danger, but a lovely off-drive soon had him motoring, a Roland-Jones delivery nonchalantly flicked over the short boundary for six.Feldman then made a dramatic entrance, having Clark caught by skipper Ben Geddes and he struck for a second time to cut short Sussex skipper John Simpson’s breezy 22.Hudson-Prentice passed 50 in 61 balls, sharing a stand of 52 with Oli Carter before being superbly caught by Jack Davies and when Cornwell ended Carter’s promising innings three runs later the visitors were 152-6.The fact they batted out their overs was down almost entirely to Carson’s splendid innings. The all-rounder ruthlessly exploited the short boundary, endangering occupants of the Mound Stand on four occasions as he sprinted to 50 at more than a run a ball before finally perishing caught at cover in the penultimate over.By then Feldman had unfurled another party piece, brilliantly running out Danny Lamb with a direct hit.Middlesex lost De Caires lbw to Ari Karvelas early in the chase, but Robson and Cracknell responded with a boundary blitz, the former clubbing one from Hudson-Prentice over the ropes as well as creaming several fours effortlessly through the covers.Carson relieved the quicks only to be swept twice to the ropes by Cracknell, who followed that by dispatching one from Crocombe into the stands as 93 came from the powerplay.Cracknell’s ninth four took him to 50 in 33 balls and Robson’s half-century took only three more as the pair forged on.The Durham University graduate took a liking to the spin of Archie Lennon too, cutting successive balls behind square, and it needed Lamb to end his revelry courtesy of Haines’s catch on the square leg fence.While Robson became more circumspect, Geddes picked up the baton, clearing the ropes and driving Lamb to the cover fence, reaching 30 before Crocombe pegged back his off stump.When Robson followed him to the pavilion seven balls later courtesy of a magnificent diving catch by Lamb at mid-on there were jitters in the home dressing-room.Davies cleared the ropes only to perish to the next ball and with the visitors employing three slips runs slowed to a trickle.Hollman though steadied the ship with a mature unbeaten 30 to see the hosts over the line.

Australia’s Test players are going to have a rare uninterrupted two-week window to play in the BBL 2025-26 season following the home Ashes series, fostering hopes within Cricket Australia (CA) that the upcoming season could be one of the best ever following the fixture announcement on Thursday.The BBL season will begin on December 14 with Perth Scorchers hosting Sydney Sixers, three days before the start of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide between Australia and England. The 40-game regular season will run until January 18 before the finals are played from January 20 to 25, with the tournament ending on the Sunday night before the Australia Day public holiday on January 26.Full BBL fixture listThe fifth Ashes Test in Sydney runs from January 4 to January 8, meaning Australia’s Test players will theoretically be available for the last ten days of the regular season. It is more likely that only select batters will be available following a gruelling five-Test series. But there remains a hope from the BBL that some of the bowlers and allrounders may play as part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February. However, CA’s high performance team and the players themselves will have the final say on their availability.Related

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Nonetheless, it is a significant improvement on the last three years, when Australia had Test assignments in late January and early February, which did not allow Test players to play many matches in the competition. Head of the BBL leagues, Alistair Dobson, was optimistic that this could be one of the best BBL seasons ever.”We earmarked this season from a while back,” Dobson said. “Anything we do around international summer is huge. But then to have a good, clear run of nights available from mid-December through to the end of January, where we can play the BBL every night, is one that adds up to a pretty strong season for us.”Inevitably, at other times, there are things that don’t allow that, whether it’s different scheduling of Test matches, whether it’s the Australian team having content at the end of the summer, which might restrict potentially availability of some of our Test players and Australian players. So all those things in the mix this year give us confidence this is as good a year as we’ve had almost ever.”The schedule has been designed to give every team a home game in the last week of the season, with the hope that the Test players will be able to play for their clubs at home in that week as well as in the finals. Nathan Lyon looks likely to play his first game for Melbourne Renegades in that period after being contracted for the previous two years without playing a game.But a number of other Test players are currently uncontracted, including the three fast bowlers in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Travis Head is also uncontracted after not playing a game for Adelaide Strikers, while Cameron Green has not played in the BBL since January 2020.”It’ll ultimately come down to an individual case by case basis with players of how they’ve gone through the summer and what their recovery is like, and their availability,” Dobson said. “But certainly we see a great opportunity there for a number of them to come and play the back end of the season and through the finals, so hopefully that’s a way to finish off a big season.”Pat Cummins is currently uncontracted in the BBL•Getty Images

The league wasn’t tempted to move the season back one more week to give those players a chance to play more games and also allow for some of the overseas players like Sam Curran to play more games after the ILT20, which finishes on January 5.”I think our season has found a nice spot where it is for now. In terms of that school holiday finish, we work really closely with our broadcasters and our clubs to find a window there that works for everyone,” Dobson said. “I think we’ve found a good rhythm in the past couple of seasons, particularly around finishing around the long weekend that was always our footprint that we set down from day one, and we think with the players that we picked up in the draft from around the world, shows that there’s still lots of interest and excitement about coming and playing in the BBL.”Once again, the BBL has opted not to play games on Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day (December 25) and will not play a game on Australia Day (January 26). Dobson said the prospect of a game on Christmas Day continues to be discussed and said it could still happen in the future.”Never say never,” he said. “I think it’s one of the ones where each year, when we sit down to lay out how the season might look. We consider it, and ultimately, the interest and the demand from our key stakeholders probably isn’t there right now, whether that’s broadcasters or clubs to push into that particular day, albeit it’s discussed regularly.”Dobson also wasn’t concerned about the prospect of three games being played at Marvel Stadium after the surface was substandard during last year’s BBL. Renegades will host three games at the venue, including a Melbourne derby, but their first two matches will be played in Geelong.

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Em seu último GreNal com a camisa do Grêmio, Suárez até marcou após cobrança de falta na segunda etapa, mas não conseguiu evitar o resultado negativo. Na tarde deste domingo (8), no Beira-Rio, o Tricolor Gaúcho foi derrotado pelo Internacional por 3 a 2, e perdeu forças na já complicada missão de brigar pelo título do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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+ Transforme sua paixão pelo futebol em profissão. Descubra o caminho com o curso Gestor de Futebol!

Em entrevista, o atacante uruguaio criticou a postura do time nos minutos iniciais do clássico, cobrou concentração dos companheiros e comentou as chances de título da equipe na competição nacional.

– Faltou concentração. Neste tipo de jogo tem que começar focado. Demos de presente para eles (Internacional) os primeiros 15 20 minutos do GreNal. Nesse tipo de jogo se paga muito caro. Procuro sempre fazer o melhor para ajudar o time, mas hoje não foi possível. Se quisermos ter a mínima chance de brigar pelo título, temos que ganhar este tipo de jogo. Agora é descansar, focar no próximo jogo para procurar ficar na zona dos quatro primeiros – comentou o atacante.

Com o resultado, o Tricolor permaneceu com os mesmos 44 pontos e se manteve na terceira colocação, graças aos tropeços de Palmeiras e Fluminense na rodada, mas viu a distância para o líder Botafogo subir para onze pontos.

Por conta da data Fifa, o Grêmio ficará dez dias sem disputar partidas oficiais. A equipe volta a campo contra o Athletico, na quarta-feira (18), em sua arena, às 19h (de Brasília).

Jude Bellingham could face a potential ban after being caught making an X-rated gesture during Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clasico. The English midfielder was the match-winner at the Bernabeu, but his celebration has once again sparked controversy after cameras appeared to capture him repeating the same gesture that landed him in trouble at Euro 2024.

Bellingham makes lewd gesture after winning Clasico for Real Madrid

Bellingham played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s 2-1 triumph over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, contributing both a goal and an assist in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season in La Liga. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for Madrid, only for Fermin Lopez to level for Barcelona before Bellingham struck just before half-time to restore Los Blancos’ lead — one that ultimately proved decisive.

However, celebrations took an unexpected turn when the England international was caught on camera making a lewd gesture, pointing toward his crotch while sticking out his tongue in front of supporters. The incident quickly spread across social media, drawing comparisons to the same gesture Bellingham made at Euro 2024 after scoring for England against Slovakia, for which UEFA issued him a £25,000 fine and a suspended one-match ban.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReal Madrid and Barcelona players clash in heated Clasico

The gesture has once again placed Bellingham in an uncomfortable spotlight, overshadowing an otherwise stellar performance that helped Real Madrid extend their lead at the top of La Liga to five points. The match itself was a heated affair, with tempers flaring late on as Andriy Lunin was sent off in stoppage time amid a scuffle involving multiple players. La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are expected to review the footage to determine whether Bellingham’s actions warrant disciplinary action, though a decision may depend on how seriously the governing bodies interpret his intent.

If sanctioned, Bellingham could face a fine or even a short suspension, a setback that Real Madrid can ill afford as they prepare for a demanding run of fixtures. Head coach Xabi Alonso, who has praised the midfielder’s resurgence since the international break, will be keen to keep one of his most influential players available. Speaking after the match, Alonso said: “He’s had three very good games. We knew before the last break that he needed time and minutes to get going, and he’s done better than we expected. Jude is all about feeling, communicating, and connecting. That’s why he’s had some very good games.”

Bale got away with a similar gesture in 2019

This is not the first time a Real Madrid player has become embroiled in controversy for a similar act. Back in 2019, Gareth Bale made the infamous “corte de mangas” gesture toward Atletico Madrid fans — a motion considered deeply offensive in Spain — yet he escaped punishment from the authorities. That precedent could provide some comfort to Bellingham, who will hope that the Spanish FA takes a lenient view. The midfielder’s previous incident at Euro 2024, however, may not work in his favour, even though UEFA’s jurisdiction does not extend to La Liga matches.

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick landed himself in hot water last week after being shown a second yellow card for making a gesture during a win over Girona. Flick also picked up a one-match ban and was suspended from the touchline for El Clasico. All eyes will now be trained on whether La Liga manage to clamp down on Bellingham’s X-rated gesture with similar vigour, while a lack of action could very well reiterate a dig made by Lamine Yamal before the Clasico, a sentiment shared heavily by fans of other La Liga teams through the last few seasons.

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AFPCould Bellingham be banned for Valencia clash?

Bellingham will now await any formal word from the league authorities regarding potential punishment, but as of now, no official statement has been released. If history is any indicator, a review process could take several days, with Real Madrid’s legal team likely to argue that the gesture was made in jest or misinterpreted by cameras. Even if he avoids a ban, the incident is likely to be discussed heavily in the Spanish media over the coming days, reigniting debates that have raged in the last few weeks.

In the meantime, the 22-year-old remains focused on maintaining his fine form for Madrid, who are entering a critical phase of the season. After being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s most recent England squad, Bellingham will hope that his club displays — rather than his on-field antics — become the talking point ahead of the Three Lions’ upcoming fixtures against Serbia and Albania.

Manchester United have endured a dismal time on the pitch as of late, as seen by their unacceptable 15th-place finish in the Premier League back in 2024/25.

The hierarchy’s answer to such a year was to splash yet more cash in the transfer window, with Ruben Amorim handed over £200m to make the additions he desired.

The recent window has now seen the Red Devils hierarchy spend upwards of £800m since the summer of 2022, with the club only having an FA Cup and Carabao Cup to show for it.

After the first six games of the new campaign, the club have once again failed to deliver, currently sitting in a measly 15th place once again – with Amorim’s side losing nine of their last 15 league matches.

Big money additions like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have all been added to the squad, but the £200m trio have so far only notched two top-flight goals between them.

Big-money additions don’t necessarily equal immediate success, but one of their previous mammoth additions has proven his worth over the last few years.

Why Bruno has been United’s talisman in recent years

Given the failures of United on the pitch last season, it no doubt made it hugely tricky for any player to produce their best performance levels to help get the side out of trouble.

However, it didn’t stop Bruno Fernandes from thriving for the Red Devils, with the midfielder producing one of the best campaigns of his professional career.

The Portuguese international ended 2024/25 with a total of 37 combined goals and assists, by far and away the most of any player in the first-team squad.

However, despite his impressive form last year, the 30-year-old has struggled to match such heights in the opening weeks of the new campaign – only being able to score twice in his first six outings.

He’s usually been Mr Reliable from the penalty spot during his five-year spell at Old Trafford, but he’s already racked up two misses from the spot – with the most recent costing Amorim’s side a point against Brentford.

Bruno, who’s the manager’s captain of choice, is still a phenomenal talent, but it’s clear that he’s lacking huge amounts of confidence at present – along with the rest of the first team squad.

However, the same can’t be said for one former player, who has managed to take his career to the next level after departing the Red Devils a number of years ago.

The former United star who’s outperforming Bruno

Players leaving United and furthering their careers is nothing new to the fanbase, with numerous talents reaching the next level in their development after departing.

Anthony Elanga is arguably the biggest example in recent years, leaving in a £15m transfer to join Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023 after emerging through the ranks at Old Trafford.

The Swede managed 82 appearances at the City Ground, scoring 11 and registering 21 assists – before completing a big-money move to join Newcastle United this summer.

He cost a fee in the region of £60m, with the Red Devils selling him for a quarter of the price he generated for Evangelos Marinakis’ side during the off-season.

However, he’s not alone in such an aspect, with Brazilian star Andreas Pereira another talent who has managed to thrive with regular minutes away from the Theatre of Dreams.

He spent nearly a decade as a Red Devil, racking up 75 senior appearances in the process, but many of which were off the substitutes bench – leading to limited first-team action.

As a result, he left in a £10m deal to join Fulham in the summer of 2022, spending three years at Craven Cottage and finally thriving in England’s top-flight.

The 29-year-old racked up 10 goals and 19 assists in his 110 outings for Marco Silva’s men, leading to one analyst labelling the Brazilian international as “sensational”.

However, Pereira has once again been on the move this summer, leaving the Cottagers and joining Brazilian outfit Palmeiras – allowing him to return to his homeland.

He may have only played four games for his new club, but it has not stopped him from having an immediate impact – already scoring twice and registering a further assist.

Andreas Pereira – stats for Palmeiras (25/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

4

Goals & assists

3

Chances created

2.8

Cross accuracy

80%

Aerials won

1.2

Interceptions made

1.3

Recoveries made

4.8

Shots taken

1.4

Stats via FotMob

Such a tally of three goal contributions is higher than that of Fernandes, with the Portuguese international missing the chance to outperform him with his two penalty misses.

Given the issues United have had in the middle of the park over recent months, there’s no reason as to why Pereira wouldn’t have been able to play a key role had he not been sold.

However, his story at the Red Devils will always finish with a what if, given his bargain departure a few years ago – with the Brazilian yet another player who got away from their grasp far too soon.

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تحرك نادي ريال مدريد بشكل مفاجئ حول قضة إقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني بمدينة ميامي في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

ووافق الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم ”يويفا”على إقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال هذا العام في ميامي بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، لتكون هذه هي أول مباراة دوري تُلعب خارج البلاد.

وتبقى فقط موافقة الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم ”فيفا” على مقترح إقامة هذه المباراة في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، ليصبح الأمر رسميًا.

اقرأ أيضًا | لابورتا يعلن تصرف برشلونة النهائي بشأن طرد فليك.. ويتجاهل كورتوا

وكان الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” قد أعلن موافقته على إقامة مباراة فياريال وبرشلونة خارج إسبانيا، والتي ستُقام في 20 ديسمبر بشكل استثنائي.

وقدم ريال مدريد شكوى رسمية إلى المجلس الأعلى للرياضة الإسبانية ليعبر عن معارضته الشديدة للمباراة المقرر إقامتها في ميامي بين فياريال وبرشلونة.

وفقًا لصحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، فإنه بعد تلقي شكوى ريال مدريد، طلبت اللجنة العليا للرياضة من الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم معلومات دقيقة حول الأسباب التي تدعم قرار رابطة الدوري الإسباني بإقامة المباراة خارج إسبانيا، ومن ثم طلب الاتحاد الاطلاع على الوثيقة المكتوبة من أجل الرد.

وسبق أن أصدر نادي ريال مدريد بيانًا معارضًا لفكرة إقامة مباراة برشلونة وفياريال في ميامي، عندما كان الأمر في بدايته، قبل إصدار الموافقة من جانب يويفا.

خطف فريق الشباب تعادلاً ثمينًا من مضيفه الأهلي بنتيجة 1-1، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما مساء الجمعة، ضمن منافسات الدوري السعودي.

والتقى الشباب مع الأهلي، على ملعب الإنماء بجدة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة، من مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين موسم 2025-2026.

نجح الأهلي في التقدم مبكرًا عند الدقيقة 15 عبر المهاجم الإنجليزي إيفان توني، الذي ترجم ركلة جزاء حصل عليها بنفسه بعد تعرضه للإعاقة من المدافع سعد بالعبيد.

طالع.. فيديو | الاتحاد يتعادل مع الفيحاء في الدوري السعودي.. وبنزيما يهدر ركلة جزاء

وفي الشوط الثاني، واصل الأهلي بحثه عن تعزيز النتيجة، لكن تماسك دفاع الشباب وتألق حارسه مارسيلو جروهي حرم الأهلي من زيادة الفارق.

ونجح الشباب في تسجيل هدف التعادل في الدقيقة 87 عن طريق جوش براونهيل مستغلًا مرتدة للفريق.

ورفع الأهلي رصيده إلى 9 نقاط في المركز الخامس من جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري السعودي، بينما الشباب رفع رصيده إلى 5 نقاط في المركز الـ12.

Aston Villa have had a fairly quiet summer transfer window, signing just one prominent first-team player, Evann Guessand from Nice, who cost around £30m.

They have sold a few players, too, with Jacob Ramsey being the notable exit. The boyhood Villa star moved up north to join Newcastle United.

They were recently on the cusp of losing another midfielder, one of Unai Emery’s key men in the centre of the park. Belgian star Youri Tielemans had interest from Saudi side Al-Ittihad, according to reports, but turned down the offer to remain at Villa Park.

With the transfer window set to slam shut on Monday, Villa could now turn their attention to incomings, as they look to strengthen Emery’s squad.

Aston Villa's transfer plans in the final days

It will be interesting to see what business the Villans do as the end of the transfer window approaches.

Emery’s side seem to want a new midfielder, with Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United one player who they’re showing interest in signing.

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They are said to have joined the race to sign another midfielder with Premier League experience, too.

That’s according to reports in Spain, via Sport Witness, who suggest that the West Midlands side are said to be interested in signing Atletico Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher.

They are thought to have ‘money in the bag’ this summer, and could well send an offer to Diego Simeone’s side ‘in the coming hours’.

However, they will face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, with the Hammers also showing interest. As for the price, Gallagher could be available for around £34m this summer.

Why Gallagher would be a good signing

Gallagher is a player who has reams of Premier League experience and would have no trouble slotting into the midfield at Villa Park, in that sense.

He has impressed in the Spanish capital for Simone’s side, where his “relentless” nature, as Statman Dave put it, has served him well.

Last term, the 25-year-old, who was born in Epsom, played 50 times for the La Liga giants, mainly operating as a number eight, but also playing as a left midfielder.

He bagged four goals, including one against rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League, and assisted six.

But it is that English top-flight experience which might make him such an appealing option for Emery and Villa.

Gallagher has played 136 times in the Premier League for Chelsea, Palace and West Brom, having loan spells at the latter two. He has 31 goal involvements to his name.

It could well be the case that, if Villa do sign Gallagher this summer, he could become Emery’s new Tielemans.

Of course, it seems like the Belgian will remain at Villa Park this summer, which is key for the club given his importance in Claret and Blue.

Last season, the former Anderlecht star played 50 times, with 36 of those coming in the Premier League and 12 in the Champions League.

He chipped in with five goals and ten assists, often operating as a deep-lying playmaker sitting in front of the back four, but also playing further forward.

Indeed, there are comparisons which can be made between the two players. Gallagher is also a versatile option in midfield, as he showed for Chelsea. The Cobham graduate featured as a number six, a number eight and in attacking midfield for his boyhood club.

There are also similar underlying statistics when looking at numbers from 2022/23, when Tielemans was at Leicester City and Gallagher was plying his trade at Stamford Bridge.

The England international’s impressive passing range was on show, given that he averaged 5.83 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to Tielemans’ tally of 6.96 each game.

Gallagher vs Tielemans – 22/23 PL

Stat (per 90)

Gallagher

Tielemans

Progressive passes

5.83

6.96

Key passes

1.17

1.15

Progressive carries

2.22

1.35

Tackles and interceptions

3.83

3.62

Ball recoveries

5.17

7.5

Stats from FBref

Emery would surely love to have another version of Tielemans in midfield. Gallagher offers ball progression and threat in the opposition box, as well as tenacity off the ball. Between them, the duo could be a deadly midfield pivot.

A fee of £52m is a huge investment at this stage of the window, but might be a smart move for Villa if they are looking to improve their midfield options.

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Even as the Perth Test was coming to a close, some of Australia’s reserves had begun training for the day-night Test in Adelaide. That might come in handy now, especially for Scott Boland, as he contended with the first day of the practice game between the Prime Minister’s XI and the Indians struggling to get underway. Boland, who got the call about Josh Hazlewood’s side strain “a couple of days ago”, is favourite to make the XI in Adelaide next Friday and play his first Test since the early part of the Ashes in July 2023.”Obviously I haven’t played a heap of cricket in the start of this season, but I feel like I’ve played enough cricket to feel like I’m in a really good spot,” he said on Saturday afternoon. “My body’s feeling really good now. I had a couple of niggles that were a little bit sore, but knee and foot are feeling really good and I’m confident how the ball’s coming out.”Our last net session in Perth was for me and Josh Inglis, we went pink ball for quite a few overs. So getting it in the hand then and then obviously the overs we can get in probably tomorrow by the look of this weather will be valuable as well. Then Adelaide on Monday, then just a normal prep before a game. So have a good bowl two days before the game and then just prepare to play.”Related

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• Race to the WTC final: India back on top after Perth win

• Undercooked Australia lose the plot in Perth

Australia’s defeat in Perth has set off alarms on the outside – their top-order batters folded pretty quickly in both innings and the bowling was unable to stop India from piling on the runs the second time around. While Boland admitted a need to go back to the drawing board, he said they wouldn’t be making wholesale changes.”There’s definitely not panic stations in our change rooms,” he said. “There’s obviously going to be some chats around individual performances and everyone wants to perform really well every game they play. But yeah, it’s like, we’ve lost one game. It’s not toys out of the cot, I don’t think.”We’ve spoken as a team about our plans for all the different Indian batters. I won’t tell you those, but we’ve got pretty set plans. They might have a little bit of a tweak after the guys have seen them again from Perth, because obviously [Yashasvi] Jaiswal batted really well there. KL Rahul batted well in the second dig as well and really digged in. So we’ll probably have a chat over the next week and our plans might slightly change, but I’m pretty confident what we did in the first games was good.”There was also a suggestion that the workload Australia’s bowlers had to get through made a difference in the outcome of the Perth Test. “I think our bowlers bowled really well as well,” Boland said. “Maybe the only difference was that the Indian bowlers got a really nice long break between their first innings and second innings where our break wasn’t as long.”

‘Probably thought maybe the opportunity had passed’

The last 15 months have been frustrating for Boland, kept on standby for Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood all through the summer, and then suffering an injury in the winter, which cut his county cricket stint at Durham down from four months to just one day.There aren’t many teams that are unable to fit in a fast bowler capable of holding a line and length all day long. Boland averages 20.34 from ten Test matches – but those ten Test matches are only a fraction of what Australia have played (31) in the time since his debut in December 2021.”Obviously those guys [the big three Australia quicks] have been so resilient, they don’t miss too many and no one must give up their spot at any stage,” Boland said. “And they’re so dominant, so last summer they weren’t bowling a heap of overs, but we’re still able to win most of those games.”So yeah, I probably thought maybe the opportunity had passed, but I’ve worked really hard in the off-season to get my body in a spot where I’m confident that if I get another chance I’ll be able to perform it for Australia again.”I just knew if I put the conversations I had with Ron [Andrew McDonald, the head coach] and George [Bailey, the chief selector] over the pre-season – when I was rehabbing a lot was to try and get my body in the right spot – that I didn’t want to rush anything and then re-injure something and then push my return to play back date a while. So we took it pretty slow with my rehab.”Boland’s run-in to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy included a Sheffield Shield game, where he took 3 for 104, and the Australia A vs India A game, where he took 1 for 87 across two innings.”Played the second game for Victoria and then I’ve missed a couple and then played the ‘A’ game. So I’ve had a pretty good prep and then now it’s just about building up, getting the intensity up in this game here and then in the night sessions as well before Adelaide.”

Pink-ball rhythms

Boland’s primary skill – getting the ball to nip off the seam – lends itself to pink-ball cricket, especially when conditions start to turn really helpful as day goes to night. He averages 13.71 from two day-night Tests.”Usually there can be two different games in the one game,” he said. “You can bowl during the day when the sun’s out and it doesn’t do a whole lot, and then you get to the night session and the ball starts moving around a bit. So I think it’s just for the bowlers, we just communicate really well together about what the ball is doing and how the pitch is playing and then just sort of flicking between those modes as quick as you can.”Strategy can sometimes be shaped by the pink ball as well. “I feel like the teams that bat first can sort of time when they want to bowl, if they bat really well on their first day, because if you get a newish ball at night, it can be pretty lethal,” Boland said. “If batters are coming in, they’ve batted through the daytime, they get through to the night session. I think it’s been a couple of instances where the ball hasn’t dominated the bat. I think maybe last year at the Gabba [against West Indies] we took the new ball and didn’t get as many wickets as what we would have hoped in that night session.”But now back to Adelaide, I think they produce a really good cricket wicket that really suits the pink ball and helps it last a bit longer because it does get a little bit softer after 30, 40 overs compared to a red ball.”

Paris Saint-Germain have been accused of manipulation as ex-international Christophe Dugarry slammed the club's reaction to Ousmane Dembele's injury.

• PSG furious at FFF after injuries to Dembele and Doue
• Dugarry sides with France boss Didier Deschamps
• Ex-French international blames PSG for the duo's injuries

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former France forward and 1998 World Cup winner Dugarry has come to his ex-captain, and current national team boss, Didier Deschamps' defence amid the feud between PSG and the French Football Federation (FFF). PSG have expressed their disappointment after the injuries to their players Dembele and Desire Doue, throwing the blame on Deschamps and his coaching staff. On the contrary, Dugarry believes it was PSG who didn't manage the duo's minutes wisely.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  France's 2-0 win over Ukraine came at a heavy cost, as Dembele suffered a hamstring injury just 30 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, while Doue sustained a calf issue. The Ballon d'Or frontrunner is expected to miss six weeks, while Doue will be out of action for around four weeks. 

  Per journalist Fabrice Hawkins, PSG were absolutely furious over the injuries to Dembele and Doue, which the Champions League holders referred to as "serious and avoidable." The Ligue 1 giants have accused the French setup of ignoring their warnings about the winger's medical condition, according to In a pre-match press conference over the weekend, Deschamps addressed the situation and tried to calm the chaos brewing behind the scenes.

• WHAT CHRISTOPHE DUGARRY SAID

  Speaking on with former player Jerome Rothen, Dugarry said: "I'm 100% behind the Federation and behind Didier Deschamps.

  "We've known that Dembele has been fragile for several years. Now he's injured, it's just bad luck. If PSG can explain to me and make me believe that Ousmane Dembele never played for Paris when he had too much muscular work, I don't believe it for a single second.

  "The manipulation PSG is trying to implement is scandalous; it's disrespectful to the national team and Didier Deschamps. PSG is solely responsible for Dembele's work overload. 

  "I understand PSG's disappointment, but the national team is above all else. The coach chooses the players no matter what. [PSG] already have their noses in the LFP (governing body that overlooks French leagues), they also want to have it in the FFF and decide what will happen at the Federation? When I see President Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] alongside Gianni Infantino, explaining to us that the Club World Cup is a good thing…"

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE?

  France will hope to make it two wins out of two during the ongoing international break as they prepare to host Iceland at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.