حقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، الفوز على حرس الحدود في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز بثلاثية مقابل هدفين.
وأقيمت مباراة الزمالك وحرس الحدود على أرضية استاد القاهرة، في الجولة الثامنة من الدوري المصري.
طالع.. مدرب هامبورج السابق: الزمالك فاوضني.. وأريد العمل في مصر
أحرز زيزو الهدف الأول للزمالك، بعد تدرج رائع بالكرة وتمريرات سحرية من محمد شحاتة إلى عمر جابر ومنه إلى زيزو، ليسجل وسط حراسة دفاع الحدود في الدقيقة 12.
وتعادل محمد أشرف روقا لحرس الحدود عن طريق ركلة جزاء نجح في تنفيذها بالدقيقة 25، احتسبها حكم اللقاء ضد أحمد فتوح بداعي لمس الكرة بيده.
وأضاف مصطفى شلبي الهدف الثاني لـ الزمالك في الدقيقة 36 من عمر اللقاء مستغلًا جملة رائعة وتمريرة محمد شحاتة المتقنة لينفرد بالمرمى ويسدد في الشباك.
ونجح زيزو في تسجل هدف الزمالك الثالث عن طريق ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة السادسة من الوقت بدل الضائع للشوط الأول، سددها بقوة على يمين حارس الحدود.
وجاء هدف حرس الحدود الثاني في الدقيقة 86 من عمر المباراة عن طريق ركلة جزاء سددها محمود ممدوح بنجاح على يمين محمد عواد.
ورفع الزمالك رصيده إلى 17 نقطة في المركز الثاني من جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري خلف الأهلي المتصدر برصيد 18 نقطة، بينما تجمد رصيد حرس الحدود عند 6 نقاط في المركز السادس عشر. أهداف مباراة الزمالك وحرس الحدود في الدوري المصري
AC Milan could consider bringing back fan favourite Brahim Diaz to Italy amid his struggle for minutes at Santiago Bernabeu.
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Milan eyeing move Diaz
Struggling for minutes under Ancelotti
Serie A side face Juventus on Saturday
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WHAT HAPPENED?
After spending three memorable seasons on loan at San Siro, Diaz headed back to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023. Upon his return to Santiago Bernabeu, the Spaniard had a successful campaign in the 2023-24 season having recorded 12 goals and nine assists in 44 appearances as Los Blancos bagged Champions League and La Liga titles. However, in the 2024-25 campaign, Diaz has struggled for minutes and has started in just two La Liga matches.
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Per , Milan are monitoring Diaz's situation at the Spanish capital and might consider bringing their ex-player back to the club. The Rossoneri, however, are in no hurry to complete a transfer for the 25-year-old. Under Paulo Fonseca's tutelage, Milan's attack of Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze has performed consistently in the current season, although, they might consider bringing in a cover for the trio.
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In the three years he spent in Milan, Diaz appeared in 124 matches across all competitions for the club where he scored 18 times and was integral part of the team that lifted Serie A title in the 2021-22 season.
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WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?
Fonseca's side will be back in action after the international break on Saturday as they take on Juventus in a mega Serie A clash at San Siro.
Na noite deste sábado, Flamengo e Fortaleza medem forças na Arena Castelão, às 19h, em partida válida pela 25ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. O duelo marca um encontro entre duas equipes que brigam diretamente pelo título. Ambas estão no G4 com 39 pontos conquistados, mas o Rubro-Negro tem três jogos a menos do que o Leão do Pici.
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>Fla acertou a renovação da Geração 85; veja a situação contratual do elenco
O time cearense vinha de um momento ruim no Brasileirão, mas venceu o Fluminense no Maracanã na última rodada e vem animado para o confronto deste sábado. O desfalque será Marcelo Benevenuto, que recebeu o terceiro cartão amarelo contra o Tricolor.
Já os cariocas devem contar com os retornos de Diego Alves e Filipe Luís para o confronto. O goleiro apresentou um quadro gripal antes da partida contra o Red Bull Bragantino e virou desfalque de última hora na rodada passada. Já o lateral foi preservado, mas estará de volta contra o Fortaleza.
FICHA TÉCNICA Fortaleza x Flamengo
Data e horário: 09/10/2021, às 19h Local: Arena Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE) Árbitro:Felipe Fernandes de Lima (MG) Assistentes:Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira (MG) eFernanda Nândrea Gomes Antunes (FIFA-MG) Quarto árbitro:Luiz César de Oliveira Magalhães (CE) VAR:Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira (VAR-FIFA/MG) Onde assistir: Premiere e tempo real pelo LANCE!
> Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro
PROVÁVEIS TIMES
FORTALEZA (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda) Felipe Alves; Tinga, Jackson e Titi; Felipe, Ederson, Yago Pikachu, Lucas Crispim e Lucas Lima; David e Robson.
Suspenso: Marcelo Benevenuto Pendurados: Titi, Igor Torres, Robson, Matheus Vargas, Matheus Jussa, Ronald e Felipe Alves Fora: –
FLAMENGO (Técnico: Renato Gaúcho) Diego Alves; Matheuzinho, Rodrigo Caio, Léo Pereira e Filipe Luís; Willian Arão, Thiago Maia, Andreas Pereira e Vitinho; Bruno Henrique e Pedro.
Suspenso: – Pendurados: Bruno Henrique, Diego, Vitinho Fora: Arrascaeta, David Luiz, Diego, Everton Ribeiro, Gabigol e Isla
With pre-season now in full swing, the cogs are beginning to turn at Manchester United on the transfer front, with the new INEOS regime looking to make a statement in a bid to improve upon last season's mixed bag of a campaign.
The latest indication is that a deal for Bologna and Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee is all but done, with the 23-year-old set to sign on the dotted line after helping to guide the Serie A side to Champions League qualification last term, having netted 12 goals in all competitions.
That impending deal for the Dutchman looks set to be merely the start of a busy summer for the Red Devils amid parallel interest in the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, with further moves also seemingly in the pipeline…
Man Utd ready bid for Premier League talent
According to Football Insider, the Old Trafford outfit are readying an offer for former loanee, Sergio Reguilon, with the Spaniard set to be available for a cut-price fee amid his lowly standing at parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
As per the report, the 27-year-old – who spent the first half of 2023/24 in Erik ten Hag's squad – could command a fee of just £10m this summer, having initially been signed for close to £32m back in 2020.
Manchester United's loan defender Sergio Reguilon.
The piece adds that while Chelsea's Ben Chilwell is also an option for Ten Hag and co at left-back, amid the injury woes of Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, a return for Reguilon is seen as a more 'straightforward' target for INEOS.
How Man Utd can get the best out of Sancho
It is fair to say that the former Real Madrid man didn't pull up too many trees during his six-month stay in Manchester last season, restricted to just 12 appearances in all competitions after being brought in as injury cover on deadline day.
That lack of impact – which saw the defender fail to register a goal or an assist – wasn't helped by injury issues of his own, however, with it difficult to judge the full-back too greatly on that temporary, short-term spell.
What Reguilon did subsequently showcase in the latter half of the campaign at Brentford is the quality that he can bring in the final third, ending the season with four assists, while having created six 'big chances' and averaged 1.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.
Stat
Reguilon
Shaw
Games
25
12
Goals
0
0
Assists
4
0
Big chances created
6
1
Key passes per game
1.1
1.1
Pass accuracy
76%
86%
Tackles & interceptions per game
3.1
1.4
Balls recovered per game
3.8
4.9
Successful dribbles per game
0.6
0.6
Dribbled past per game
1
0.5
Total duels won
57%
47%
Possession lost per game
11.8
11.8
That attacking intent from the "quality" talent – as hailed by pundit Noel Whelan – could well be one way to get the best out of the high profile figure of Jadon Sancho, with the Englishman's lengthy exile coming to an end on Friday amid his shock return to training.
Following a public spat with Ten Hag back in September, the 24-year-old – who spent the second half of the season back at Borussia Dortmund – has been out in the cold, epitomising a relatively meagre spell at United in which he has contributed just 18 goals and assists in 82 games.
Now back in the first-team fold, there are still lingering suggestions that a permanent departure lies in store, yet if Sancho is to remain, he could look to cement a place for himself on the left flank – challenging friend and colleague Marcus Rashford after the latter man's limp return of just eight goals last term.
Jadon Sancho in action for Man United in the Premier League.
What Sancho needs, however, is to 'move in co-ordination with an overlapping full-back' – as The Athletic wrote back in 2022 – with the former Manchester City product lacking that 'explosive burst of pace' needed to bypass a defender
Speed is one thing which Reguilon offers in abundance – as indicated below – hence the way in which he could repeatedly bomb forward alongside Sancho, giving the winger the distraction and space that he needs to wreak havoc. That is unlikely to come from the right flank, where Diogo Dalot regularly seeks to invert.
As the £73m man showcased back in Germany in recent months – notably claiming the Man of the Match award in the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain – there is still a player in there waiting to be unlocked, having notably chalked up 120 goal involvements in just 158 games across his two spells at Dortmund.
With the backing of a relentless attacking presence like Reguilon, there may remain a route to success for Sancho at United, although only time will tell if he and Ten Hag have truly put their differences aside.
Man Utd moving to sign £60m "superstar" who'd make Zirkzee unplayable
INEOS are cooking up a storm at the Theatre of Dreams this summer…
West Ham United could make the “signing of the summer” with a £33m deal for one target, according to former player Frank McAvennie.
West Ham transfer rumours
The Hammers have been looking to make their fourth summer signing for weeks now, with winger Luis Guilherme, experienced goalkeeper Wes Foderingham and centre-back Max Kilman already through the London Stadium door. Technical director Tim Steidten and new manager Julen Lopetegui haven’t had much luck, though, with moves for a number of targets falling through.
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ByCharlie Smith Jul 30, 2024
However, they appear to be making progress on a deal for Manchester United right-back Aaron-Wan Bissaka, with talks thought to be at an advanced stage for the 26-year-old.
The right-back has said “yes” to West Ham in a deal that could be worth up to £20m, whereas Borussia Dortmund forward Niclas Fullkrug appears to be a concrete target in attack, with talks now advancing over a transfer.
With the focus now currently on Wan-Bissaka and Fullkrug, there has also been speculation about former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, currently at Al-Ittihad.
The Hammers had been in talks over a deal and even had an opening offer turned down by the Saudi Pro League side, with reports earlier this month suggesting that West Ham could return with an improved £33m bid for the Frenchman, and that prospect has got McAvennie very excited.
West Ham move for Kante would be "signing of the summer" – McAvennie
Talking to West Ham Zone in the last 48 hours regarding the possibility of Kante moving to West Ham, McAvennie described the midfielder as a “wonderful talent” who was “outstanding” at Euro 2024 and also said it “would be the signing of the summer”.
“Brilliant. It would be the best signing I’ve seen the club do for a while. I like him – he’s the kind of player we need. He just stops everything, it’d be great for West Ham.
“Kante for £33million? Bring him in. He’s a wonderful talent. At the Euros, he was outstanding, even despite playing in Saudi. It would be a dream for me. I’ve never seen him let down Chelsea or France. It would be the signing of the summer if we got him.”
The 33-year-old has plenty of experience in England with Leicester City and Chelsea and has made 227 appearances in the Premier League, lifting the league title in 2015/16 and 2016/17. He has been with Al-Ittihad for just over 12 months now, on £400,000-a-week, playing 44 games for his current employers, scoring four times and registering six assists.
It could be one to keep an eye on in the final weeks of the window, but for now, West Ham’s focus could be on finalising deals for Wan-Bissaka and Fullkrug.
The BBL’s two most successful clubs meet in their fourth final and their three most recent meetings point to a fascinating match-up
Alex Malcolm05-Feb-2021Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers are historically the two powerhouses of the BBL. The teams will meet on Saturday night for the fourth time in BBL finals and the fourth time this season. The Scorchers are chasing a record fourth title while the Sixers are hoping for back-to-back trophies to draw level with the Scorchers on three overall.But more relevant to Saturday night is the three most recent meetings this season and specifically the last two. The Scorchers humbled the Sixers in Perth earlier in the season but the Perth Stadium surface is a completely different prospect to the SCG. There has not been a single BBL game played at the venue this season due to Covid-19 although there were two high-scoring T20Is between Australia and India.The two most recent meetings between the sides occurred in Canberra with the Sixers claiming both with relatively comfortable chases. Here are the key points that could decide the Final.Josh Philippe is one of a host of in-form top-order players on show in the final•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
To bowl or not to bowlThe bat flip could be vital again. Firstly, there is rain forecast for Saturday night which could give an advantage to the chasing team although the Sixers won last year’s rain-affected final batting first. Dew isn’t normally a factor in Sydney but a wet ball might be. Ashton Turner admitted on Friday that he got the toss decision horribly wrong in the Qualifier as the dew played a big part in the Sixers’ winning chase. However, the Scorchers trademark is to bat first and defend. The Sixers love to chase and are the best chasing team in the BBL by far. The SCG is also a chasing ground. In the last three years, the chasing side has won seven of 12 matches at the SCG with the average first innings score being just 156. If Turner wins the toss, he will have a dilemma on his hands, whereas Moises Henriques will be unlikely to hesitate in choosing to bowl first.Related
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Josh Philippe and James Vince vs Jhye Richardson and Jason BehrendorffThis is a mouthwatering match-up on both sides. The Sixers batting Powerplay could well decide the match. It virtually has done in the last three meetings. In the first face-off at Perth Stadium, the Scorchers’ new-ball duo came out on top. Jason Behrendorff bagged Josh Philippe and Jhye Richardson claimed James Vince to leave the Sixers 2 for 10 chasing 184 and they lost handsomely.The Sixers duo exacted their revenge twice in Canberra with Philippe making 84 in the home-and-away win and Vince’s 98 not out in the Qualifier to each claim Player of the Match honours. The match-ups are as clear as day. Philippe has scored 37 off 20 balls against Richardson for one dismissal, while Vince has scored just 31 off 30 against BBL’s leading wicket-taker. The opposite is true for Behrendorff. Vince has a better career record against left-arm quicks, with a high strike-rate and average. He has also scored 29 off 16 without being dismissed against Behrendorff, although Behrendorff did knock him over with a peach in the 2019 World Cup. Philippe has enormous trouble against left-arm quicks with his strike-rate dipping to just 6.25 per over, and it dips to 5.47 against Behrendorff. The Scorchers pair will think long and hard about the lines and lengths they bowl to the inform Sixers duo having strayed far too straight in previous encounters.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Surge mentalityThe two sides have been among the best Surge batting teams in the competition and possess some of the most destructive Surge batsmen. The league scoring rate in the Surge has been 10.23. The Sixers have four players, Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, James Vince, and Moises Henriques who exceed the league average with Silk and Christian among the most prolific Surge players this season. The Scorchers have three in Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner, and Josh Inglis.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Turner and Inglis clattered 34 off Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis in the Qualifier while Marsh scored 28 on his own in the Surge against Brisbane Heat. The question for both teams will be the bowling match-ups to the bevy of hitters on both sides. The Scorchers have been the best bowling team in the Surge with Richardson and Andrew Tye doing the job almost exclusively all year with both going at less than 9.58 runs per over. The Sixers have been the worst Surge bowling side in the BBL taking just seven wickets for the season and conceding 13.45 per over. Statistically, their best Surge bowlers are Jake Ball (three wickets at an economy rate of 10.66), who may not make the final Sixers’ XI but could be an X-Factor, and Carlos Brathwaite (two wickets at 12). The Sixers will need to choose their options wisely.Spin to winCuriously, both sides will likely play the final with just one specialist spinner. Fawad Ahmed has been the lone hand all season for the Scorchers with Ashton Agar out injured. The Sixers have used two spinners at times but settled on Steve O’Keefe as the sole spinner in the Qualifier with the other 16 overs being bowled by pace bowlers.The Scorchers haven’t got a strong record against spin, particularly legspin, but the Sixers resisted the urge to pick Lloyd Pope in the Qualifier and will likely avoid doing so in the final after Liam Livingstone’s assault on the Heat’s two legspinners in the Challenger. But spin traditionally has been more effective at the SCG in the last three seasons with spinners taking 50 wickets at an economy rate of 7.44. The quicks have taken 84 wickets but conceded 8.20.O’Keefe and Ahmed may hold the key for their respective sides. O’Keefe has choked the Scorchers’ top order in recent meetings. There is a case to made for Turner to face as many balls as possible of O’Keefe as he has scored 45 runs off 25 balls against him in six career meetings. But O’Keefe will likely bowl in the first 10 overs, and therefore Livingstone and Inglis will be the best match-ups. Both score at more than 10 an over against O’Keefe but both have fallen to him. Ahmed hasn’t been a wicket-taker against the Sixers this season, with just three, but he has been able to hold the run-rate somewhat. He’s conceded 79 runs in 60 balls in the three meetings with only one six being struck off him. Vince and Philippe will look to attack him but would need to be careful not to expose the middle order to him.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened up on his disastrous relationship with Mikel Arteta as he shed light on his tumultuous Arsenal exit.
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Aubameyang had the armband at ArsenalSuffered a breakdown in relationship with ArtetaWas eventually offloaded to Barcelona in January 2022Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Aubameyang found himself at odds with Arteta over repeated disciplinary issues. The striker's punctuality became a source of perpetual tension between the two, with Arteta growing increasingly frustrated over the striker's behaviour.
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The deteriorating relationship eventually led to a mutual agreement for Aubameyang to leave Arsenal. In 2022, he signed with Barcelona on a free transfer, a move that ended his stint at Emirates Stadium on a bitter note.
WHAT AUBAMEYANG SAID
In a chat with the podcast, Aubameyang looked back on his departure and acknowledged his responsibility in the events that unfolded.
"I arrived late to a training session because I had an accident on the way to Colney (the club's sports city)," he narrated. "Arteta did not choose me to play against Tottenham. Then he came to my house after the game and we had a frank conversation. It was respectful of him."
Aubameyang emphasised that his intentions were never to disrupt the harmony at the club and added: "I never wanted to hurt Arteta or the club with my behaviour. I share the responsibility for what I've done. I felt hurt and it's a shame I couldn't continue being part of this project."
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DID YOU KNOW?
The tipping point came when Aubameyang returned late to London after visiting his ailing mother.
"My mother suffered a stroke and I delayed my return because I took her to her medical appointments," he revealed. "When I arrived, Arteta finished his meeting. He grabbed me and shouted: 'You've betrayed me. You can't do this with everything we're going through.'"
Everton have made a host of signings this summer as Sean Dyche seeks to improve his squad, but despite selling Amadou Onana to Aston Villa in a £50m package, a replacement has yet to be added to the fold.
Tim Iroegbunam joined the Goodison Park side in a £9m transfer last month in a cross-player transaction with the Villans that saw Lewis Dobbin head in the other direction, but the 21-year-old earned just one start under Unai Emery in the Premier League last season.
Aston Villa's Tim Iroegbunam in action for an England youth side.
More is needed in the engine room, and luckily, moves are being made to sign an exciting new player to complete the set.
Everton transfer news
According to a report from Caught Offside earlier this week, Everton have been in contact with the representatives of Habib Diarra, with the 20-year-old midfielder having enjoyed a terrific season with Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
Habib Diarra in action for Strasbourg
Valued at about €35m (£29m) by the Ligue 1 side, it remains to be seen whether the Merseysiders can meet the fee, though Onana's departure could see the dream realised.
What Habib Diarra would bring to Everton
Diarra has been described as a player with "enormous skills in progression" by one Italian football writer – who had taken note following links to Napoli – and indeed offers the kind of athletic skillset that could prove to be a real asset for Dyche's Blues.
Still in the fledgling phase of his promising career, Diarra has enjoyed two seasons in the thick of the action with Strasbourg and started 28 Ligue 1 matches last year, impressing throughout.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 17% of central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his burgeoning ball-carrying quality.
Habib Diarra: Ligue 1 Stats (23/24)
Statistics
#
Matches played
31
Matches started
28
Goals
3
Assists
1
Pass completion
86%
Tackles per game
1.0
Ball recoveries per game
3.6
Dribbles per game
1.1
Duels won per game
3.8
Stats via Sofascore
He also completed 61% of his above-listed dribbles last term, highlighting a sharp, accurate ability that could be used to penetrate Premier League backlines with emphatic effect.
More versatile than Onana, Diarra doesn't offer the same kind of tough-tackling expertise that has led the Belgian sensation to be hailed as a "monster duel-winner" by analyst Raj Chohan, but his rounded arsenal could complement the defensive qualities of Idrissa Gueye at the base of the midfield spectacularly.
Amadou Onana for Everton
His graceful style could prove to be an upgrade that would define Everton's engine room with a greater sense of roundedness; after all, Onana wasn't exactly a mainstay within Dyche's set-up, benched on eight occasions throughout the top-flight campaign.
A beast in the making, the 5 foot 11 talent could be the perfect addition to an Everton side that has exhibited stability and coherence (on the pitch, at least), pumping in some extra dynamism to ensure that the Toffees don't get stuck this year.
Bad news for Beto: Everton battling to land £42k-p/w "monster"
He’s previously been touted with a move to Goodison Park.
Captain also praises Jason Roy’s innings in straightforward run chase
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2021Eoin Morgan praised his bowlers for setting up England’s comprehensive victory in their T20I series opener by restricting India to a total that proved impossible to defend.The pace trio of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Jordan made life difficult for India’s batsmen, who managed just 124 for 7 from their 20 overs – having been 22 for 3 after the Powerplay – despite a fighting 67 off 48 balls from Shreyas Iyer. Archer claimed 3 for 23 from his four overs, his best T20I figures.Before the series, Chris Silverwood, England’s coach, had played down concerns about the quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad, saying they were “the same for both sides”. But speaking after England’s eight-wicket victory with 27 balls to spare, Morgan raised questions over the standard of the nets.”The wicket was as expected. [It] was better than the net facilities that we’ve had here, so that was a huge positive for us,” Morgan said in the post-match presentation. “But the plans were very basic: hit a good length, straight, we didn’t have to go to plan B and C very often, which is always a good sign when the bowling unit does that.”One of Jof’s strengths is that he can bowl really fast, amongst others, but Mark Wood’s super strength is that he can bowl fast. It’s hard to do the whole time but when he bowls like he did tonight it’s very good entertainment but also it’s great to have him in your side.”Our bowling unit, similar to our batting unit, there’s a lot of competition for places. There’s guys on the sideline today that could easily have got a call in that XI – Reece Topley, Tom Curran – today, so we’re trying to cover all departments, particularly when we’re put under pressure or under the pump.”Today the guys were so good that they almost didn’t allow that to happen. Throughout the series there will be continuous challenges and we will be up against it a lot of the time, so it’s important for those moments to produce your best.”Jason Roy and Jos Buttler set off England’s pursuit well with a 72-run partnership. Roy top-scored for the visitors, one shy of his half-century, having come into the match without reaching 25 in his previous 10 international innings going back to February 2020 and amid talk of Alex Hales possibly returning to the England fold, at least in a training capacity to begin with, after a strong BBL season.”There’s a huge amount of competition for places within the squad and even outside the squad,” Morgan said. “So it’s always nice, you know, there’s huge support in the changing room for anybody that scores runs and does well and when Jason scores runs and does well in the fashion that he plays, it really does gee the boys up.”Related
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Kohli: Didn't know what we had to do on that pitch
While it was pace and bounce that went a long way towards delivering England victory on Friday, Roy said he had been working hard on facing spin in the nets.”[It was] better than a slap in the face. I’ll take 49 at the start of the day and I’ll take a comfortable victory like that as well,” Roy said. “For us to come out and bowl like we did and field like we did in our first game was incredible to see and will hold us in good stead for the rest of the series.”I’ve done a lot of practice, especially against Adil Rashid in the nets. He’s helped me a lot to learn about my game, learn my strengths.”Morgan also said there was no hangover among his side’s multi-format players following England’s tough 3-1 Test series defeat, which ended at the same venue less than a week ago.”It’s a completely different format of the game and there’s a complete distinction between the formats as well,” Morgan said. “We’ve been on tours before where possibly the white-ball guys have played for us and we’ve not played well and it’s not lingered into the Test matches.”Likewise, the other way around, and particularly in big series, like the Ashes, for instance, we’ve come out of the back of it and learned from it and equally when we’ve won at home in the Tests we’ve used that as confidence coming into the white-ball series.”
Bowl to contain at the start and cash in once the ball starts to misbehave under lights. Bat freely during the day, and take a fresh guard and bat as if opening the innings when the lights come on. That’s what the experience of playing the day-night Test in Kolkata has taught Virat Kohli. He expects spinners and fast bowlers to both be in play even though the conditions underfoot are expected to assist spin bowling.Related
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“The pink ball does tend to swing a lot more than the normal red ball that we play with,” Kohli said on the eve of the Ahmedabad Test. “We experienced that in the one match that we played in 2019 against Bangladesh. It is much more challenging to play the new pink ball regardless of the pitch you are playing on. Especially in the evening, say, as a batting team you are starting your innings in the evening under lights, then that one-and-a-half hours is very challenging. Yes, spin will come in for sure, but I don’t think the new ball and the fast bowlers can be ignored. The pink ball does bring them into the game till the ball is nice and shiny. Something we are very well aware of, and we are preparing accordingly.”Kohli said the first session of the day was the easiest to bat in. “Last time we experienced that the first session is probably the nicest to bat,” Kohli said. “When the sun is out and the ball doesn’t do much. But when it starts to get dark, especially during that twilight period, it gets very tricky. The light changes. It is difficult to sight the ball. Then under lights it is like playing the first session in the morning in a normal Test match. The ball does tend to swing a lot. I think it is a reversal of roles and something you need to adjust to quite quickly as a batsman. Even though you might be quite set in the afternoon, you have to really take guard again and start from the scratch in the evening. And understand that you probably have to be more disciplined than you were in the day.”Similarly with the bowlers. The plan in the afternoon was to bowl a nice and consistent line and length, and then in the evening when the situation allowed us to, we attacked a lot more. I think the same kind of template will be useful in this game as well.”Virat Kohli punches one away•BCCI
The day-night Test, though, has bigger implications. If India lose it, or the next, they can’t make it to the World Test Championship final. A day previously, Ishant Sharma spoke of how much that final meant to him, that as far as he, a one-format specialist, was concerned, it was the World Cup for him, and that it was imperative that he help India make the final. Kohli doesn’t want to think that far ahead.”You can’t play for those kind of reasons [the qualification permutations],” Kohli said. “We are not looking to win one and draw one. We are looking to win both. For us these are two games of cricket, and the only thing we are focused on. What it does afterwards is a conversation for later. That is a reality not present right now. In the present moment we are preparing for tomorrow, ready for the grind for five days, wanting to win a Test match for India and then move on to the next one.”One day at a time is something we have followed for years now. There is no point running far ahead into the future where you have no idea what’s going to happen. We are going to focus on what we can do as individuals in the present moment and let other people think of scenarios and what if and what if not.”Nor is Kohli carrying any scars from India’s previous day-night Test, where they played excellent cricket for two days before being blown away in one session in which they were bowled out for 36. Similarly, England were bowled out for 58 in their previous day-night outing. Kohli said all that won’t matter in Ahmedabad.”Both are bizarre experiences for two quality sides,” Kohli said. “If you ask England the same question that do you think you could be bowled out for 50 again, their answer will be no. Because you understand that on particular day, things are meant to happen a certain way and whatever you try to do, it is out of your control and nothing seems to go right. Exactly what happened to us in Adelaide.”Barring that 45 minutes of bad cricket, we dominated that Test as well. We are confident of how we play the pink ball. Even in Australia, where the pitches were assisting their seamers, they were under the pump throughout the game. We understand that quite well. From the outside, things are not as detailed or as explained about what happens in the change room. But you understand exactly what went wrong that day and you brush it aside, which the team did beautifully in the Melbourne Test. These are experiences. Not a mental scar. Not a hindrance. Something you learn from and move ahead.”