Extra-time hero scores less than 90 seconds after coming off the bench in thrilling win

Jonathan Rowe scored a stunning winner off the bench as England U21s won the European Championship for the second time in a row with a 3-2 extra-time victory over a strong Germany side, who had fought back from 2-0 down.

Rowe was introduced at the beginning of extra time and took less than 90 seconds to make the game's telling contribution with a perfectly-placed stooping header from Tyler Morton's whipped delivery from the right. Lee Carsley has now won two successive Euros tournaments in charge of the Three Lions of the future following success in 2023, and his introduction of Rowe proved inspired.

England had taken the lead in the fifth minute through Harvey Elliott, before Omari Hutchinson deservedly doubled the advantage. But Germany came back fighting to level the score at 2-2, and may even have won it in the dying embers of normal time.

The Young Lions begun the biggest match of most of their international careers so far at a sprint, taking an early lead after just five minutes. Who else but semi-final hero Elliott, who finished with the composure of a young man playing on the top of his game after Hutchinson's initial shot had been well saved. When the loose ball fell to Elliott off a German foot, there would only be one conclusion.

England ran riot throughout the first half, James McAtee the chief creator as Lee Carsley's side looked to take the game away from the Germans. Germany beat England in the group stages of this tournament, but it was the Three Lions who dominated the first half. McAtee twice flashed the ball across the face of goal to no avail, but would create the game's second goal in the 24th minute. With Jay Stansfield and Elliott involved in the build-up, McAtee slipped in Hutchinson, who fired through the legs of Noah Atubolu.

England looked like the only side in the game until momentum shifted in a moment in first-half stoppage time. Nelson Weiper rose highest to head home his fourth goal of the tournament and the Germans came out for the second half a different team. Elliot Anderson and substitute Tyler Morton made key defensive contributions to prevent an equalising goal, but the resistance was broken when Paul Nebel found the top corner from just inside the box on 61 minutes.

The final half-hour of normal time became increasingly tense, as both sides knew glory was at their fingertips but did not want to make the mistake which would throw it all away. Germany came inches from winning the game in stoppage time. Charlie Cresswell made a game-saving tackle in the box, before the ball fell to Nebel – whose deflected strike rebounded off the crossbar. The final, therefore, went to extra time.

Rowe made the crucial difference and England threw their bodies on the line to a man. Merlin Rohl hit the bar for a second time in the final moments, but England had done it. European champions once again.

GOAL rates England U21's players from Tehelne Pole Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

James Beadle (6/10):

Got a hand to both Germany goals but had little chance with either of them. The 20-year-old had few other saves to make but looked a commanding presence in goal.

Tino Livramento (7/10):

Got up and down the pitch tirelessly and barely put a foot wrong from right-back.

Charlie Cresswell (8/10):

Faced with the difficult task of dealing with Woltemade, he rose to the occasion and limited him to few opportunities before making a crucial tackle in second-half stoppage time. Played a role in Hutchinson's goal with a lofted ball up to Stansfield, and celebrated like he had scored after a final 122nd-minute block.

Jarell Quansah (7/10):

The future Bayer Leverkusen man drove forward from defence with purpose, while remaining as solid as ever defensively.

Jack Hinshelwood (6/10):

Classy and intelligent on the ball. Primarily a right-footed midfielder by trade, his ability to put in a shift at left-back in a final underlines his quality.

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Harvey Elliott (7/10):

Arguably England's outstanding player of the tournament, Elliott got the Three Lions on their way with a typically assured finish, his fifth of the tournament. Has shown throughout just why he is a target of several Premier League clubs this summer. Tired towards the end of the 90 and was taken off ahead of extra time.

Elliot Anderson (8/10):

Drove through midfield at will, while doing the dirty work to keep Germany out at the other end. An all-action performance in a big game.

Alex Scott (6/10):

Composed on the ball in a strong first-half showing, unfortunately saw his evening over in the 44th minute after Eric Martel's challenge. The Bournemouth man cut a frustrated figure after he was unable to run off the injury, and took out Woltenmade to earn a booking before making his exit.

Omari Hutchinson (8/10):

Looked electric down the left from the first minute. Deservedly got his goal and created endless opportunities, particularly in the first half.

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James McAtee (8/10):

The captain was outstanding, creating chances at will from just behind Stansfield while making sure to do his defensive work for the team.

Jay Stansfield (5/10):

Played a role in the second goal, but was quiet otherwise. Couldn't do enough to sniff out a couple of good opportunities around the six yard box, while his unfortunate deflection took Germany's equaliser beyond Beadle and he was dragged off moments later.

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Tyler Morton (8/10):

An outstanding performance after his introduction for Scott. Beaten to the header by Weiper for his goal, but more than made up for it with a wicked Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque delivery to Rowe and sound defensive work from midfield.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy (7/10):

Played with an abundance of energy after his introduction following Germany's equaliser. Had a decent chance in normal time but could only hit it straight at the goalkeeper.

Jonathan Rowe (8/10):

A decisive substitute appearance. To score in any final is impressive, to do it seconds after coming on is astronomical.

Ethan Nwaneri (5/10):

It was not the game-changing impact hoped of by Nwaneri, but that did not matter as Rowe made the telling impact instead.

CJ Egan-Riley (6/10):

Came on for his first minutes of the tournament in extra time and had his role to play at the back as England held out.

Samuel Iling-Junior (5/10):

Another extra-time introduction, Iling-Junior worked hard for his team after coming on alongside Egan-Riley.

Lee Carsley (8/10):

Drilled his young side well throughout the tournament and made crucial substitutions on the night, none more so than the perfectly-timed introduction of Rowe.

At one stage Sandhu had 5 for 9 as he ran through the New Zealand A top order

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2023

The inexperienced head of Ashton Turner helped guide Australia A to victory in a the first one-dayer in Mackay after Gurinder Sandhu had run through New Zealand A with a five-wicket haul.Sandhu had been on a hat-trick after claiming Dean Foxcroft and Tom Bruce in his first over then later in the innings found himself with 5 for 9 after removing top-scorer Nick Kelly.New Zealand A, who won the four-day series 2-0, could only managed 169 after being put in to bat in conditions that offered the quicks some assistance but in turn caused problems for the Australia A top order.Related

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After a brisk start between Caleb Jewell and Ben McDermott, Michael Rae claimed three quick wickets and when Matt Renshaw watched a ball trickle into leg stump the home side were 68 for 4.But Turner, who was recently part of the Australia T20I squad in South Africa, brought some calmness while Ollie Davies briefly counterattacked before lofting to mid-off.Australia A captain Will Sutherland, playing as a batter only following the stress facture he picked up late last season, joined in an unbroken stand of 65 to secure victory with Turner bringing up a 57-ball half-centurySandhu had earlier made his mark as he took out the majority of the New Zealand A top order. Foxcroft was caught at point, Bruce edged behind, Leo Carter was taken at first slip and Josh Clarkson trapped in front at which point Sandhu had 4 for 1.His five-wicket haul came during a second spell when Kelly, who had tried to repair the innings with a half-century, was neatly caught by Josh Philippe.

Tottenham have switched their attention to Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze after Manchester United upped their bid for Bryan Mbeumo.

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• Tottenham consider Eze transfer
• England international has starred for Palace
• Man Utd increase bid for Mbeumo

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham believe Palace talisman Eze would be interested in a move to north London, according to . Spurs have been linked with Brentford's Mbeumo, who worked under incoming manager Thomas Frank at the Gtech Community Stadium, but United recently increased their bid for the Cameroon international, which could blow Frank's new side out of the water.

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  Tottenham are said to have discussed making Eze a 'statement signing' for Frank, who has already seen winger Mathys Tel arrive permanently following his loan from Bayern Munich. However, the England international could set the Lilywhites back as much as £68m if they were to pay his release clause.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Eze ended the 2024-25 season in remarkable form. The 26-year-old finished the campaign with a run of nine goals in 13 matches, including a brace in the 2-0 win at Tottenham and the winner in the FA Cup final.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR EZE?

  Eze, who had already been tipped to replace Son Heung-min at Tottenham, will be back at Palace soon for pre-season if no transfer away from Selhurst Park materialises. The Eagles currently have friendlies scheduled against Bromley and Crawley, while there will be another chance for silverware in the Community Shield against Liverpool in August.

Find out a bit more about the young batter who has taken over from AB de Villiers

Andrew McGlashan08-Oct-2023Half-centuries as a 17-year-oldFraser-McGurk made an instant impression on his first-class and one-day debuts for Victoria in 2019 when, aged 17, he hit half-centuries in both the Sheffield Shield and One-day Cup in the space of six days. However, they would remain his only half-centuries until this remarkable century against Tasmania.A difficult Under-19 World CupHe was part of Australia’s squad for the 2020 edition of the U-19 World Cup in South Africa, but he was forced home early after being scratched in the face by a monkey at a nature reserve. “I guess it serves me right for getting too close to the animal enclosure. That’s a lesson learned,” he said.A player to watchIn mid-2020, he was included in ESPNcricinfo’s 20 players to watch for the 2020s. His then Victoria coach Chris Rogers said: “You look at him and you think, ‘Well, you’ve got everything you need, it’s just whether you make good decisions down the track.’ Sometimes he’ll leave a few runs out in the middle, and as a coach you can get a little bit frustrated, but then he’ll just do something magical and play an innings that is exceptional. When he has his good days, they’re just incredible.”A struggle for consistencyAs Fraser-McGurk’s overall numbers would suggest, the early stages of his professional career haven’t been easy. Neither has he amassed huge runs at grade level, although did make for 2nd XI hundreds for Victoria. Two seasons after that half-century on debut, he helped guide Victoria to victory in a low-scoring Shield match at the SCG. But he would only make two Shield appearances in the 2021-22 season and none last summer. In the one-day game he would occasionally show flashes of his talent but, again, lost his place in the format before moving to South Australia ahead of 2023-24 campaign.In the BBL he remains part of the Melbourne Renegades squad. He will be looking to turn around a poor T20 record where he currently averages just 13.28 with a strike-rate of 103.33 after 25 matches.Didn’t he go viral during the BBL?Yes, he did. Twice. Fraser-McGurk is known as a terrific fielder and in 2021 pulled off a stunning boundary catch in the 2021-22 season when he leapt to catch Jake Weatherald’s slog sweep at Marvel Stadium. “He tried to sweep a few of them and I thought I was in the game,” he said. “Sort of reminds me of Ben Stokes in the World Cup.”

Happy 20th birthday to Jake Fraser-McGurk!

Was this the catch of the summer?pic.twitter.com/Fz3MlBdaOx

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 11, 2022

Then he did it again the following season with another stunning catch against Hobart Hurricanes. “I thought that was going a long way back, we have seen him do it before, he’s as athletic as anyone in the world,” Brett Lee said on commentary. “He is quickly becoming one of Australia’s great fielders, he has taken some screamers, look at how relaxed he was.”

Netherlands allrounder Bas de Leede is clear about his team’s targets at the World Cup.For starters, they aren’t thinking of themselves as Associates. They want to play as equals with the big boys. For de Leede, there’s no bigger motivation than that.”We want to make the semi-finals,” he announced ahead of their first game against Pakistan in Hyderabad. It may seem a fanciful dream to many, considering Netherlands haven’t played an ODI since the World Cup Qualifiers in June.They arrived in India late September for two warm-up games against Karnataka, and the nature of pitches proved a challenge. In the first game, they slumped to 3 for 8, before making 114 in pursuit of 266. In the second, they made 295 and lost by one wicket.Netherlands had both their World Cup warm-ups against Australia and India washed out; and Mitchell Starc blew away their top order in the little play that was possible. It was a reminder of what they can expect when they face Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.Related

• Can Netherlands bring high-flying New Zealand back down to earth?

• Live Report – Netherlands vs Pakistan, World Cup 2023

• Men in orange: how Netherlands grew a big-team mentality

• Father and son at World Cups: the different journeys of Tim and Bas de Leede

• Pakistan brace for Netherlands challenge amid form, injury and off-field concerns

Several first-choice players had missed Netherlands’ glorious run at the World Cup Qualifiers to honour their English county contracts. De Leede was among those who made it to Zimbabwe thanks to Durham making letting him go play.”We obviously don’t get to play together as a team very often because guys are spread out,” he said. “But I think the learnings we can take from Karnataka was, first of all, it was nice to play together as a team and try and adapt to Indian conditions.”Obviously, it’s one thing training in Indian conditions, but then another thing going out and playing and seeing what it’s like in a game. Then you know lack of game time. It was a shame that the warm-up games got rained off. But I think in the nets, we try and replicate game scenarios and try and be as competitive as we can when bowling to each other, when facing each other.”Does the prospect of playing Full Member teams seem intimidating? Not quite. De Leede spoke of how Netherlands ran Pakistan close over three ODIs in Rotterdam last August.In the first match of that series, Netherlands nearly chased down Pakistan’s 314 but fell 16 short. In the third ODI, having restricted Pakistan to 206, they were 108 for 3 before collapsing to lose by nine runs.Bas de Leede played an important role in Netherlands qualifying for the World Cup•Albert Perez/ICC/Getty Images

“I think the experience of the whole Super League, having played against bigger nations, was fantastic for us,” de Leede said. “And obviously, Pakistan, having played them last year in Rotterdam in three ODIs, it’ll be nice to sort of be familiar with the team and the players and stuff, having played them before.”I think that will help us a little bit. But obviously, you know, they’ve evolved. They’ve gotten better. They’ve got different skills now as well, even with Shaheen [Afridi] coming back, who didn’t play that series.”Twice during the press conference, de Leede was asked to be “realistic” in terms of setting expectations.”We want to make the semi-finals,” he said both times. “If we want to get there, we’ve got to win four or five games. So, we’d have to take down one of the big teams. But that’s (semi-finals) our main target. And if we get there, we play our best cricket. Amazing. But if we play our best cricket and we don’t get there, I reckon we can still be proud of ourselves.”How will they approach their quest to make the final four? Play with a nothing-to-lose approach or set high goals and try to get there?”I think probably a mixture of both,” he said. “I don’t think any of the teams have got anything to lose. They’ve got something to gain, which is winning the World Cup. I think for us, obviously it’s special being back for the first time since 2011, but we’ve set our goal high which is making the semi-final. I don’t think if we don’t make it, we’re a failure or anything like that.”I think if we don’t make it, but we have played our best cricket, we can still be proud of ourselves. But by setting the goal to make the semi-final, I think we can probably do more than what people expect from us.”

The USMNT star's career started with a Guatemalan cameo almost 10 years ago

"I've put on the U.S. jersey a few times with the youth national teams," Christian Pulisic said, "but if I do get the chance to put it on and go run out there for the men's national team, obviously there's probably no greater feeling in the world."

Those were the words of a young attacking midfielder, spoken less than 24 hours before his national team debut on March 29, 2016, against Guatemala. At the time, there was real excitement surrounding the American. U.S. players had competed in Europe before. Some had even won trophies. But none had broken into Borussia Dortmund’s first team and made an impression under a manager as respected as Jürgen Klopp. Pulisic was different. He was the next big thing – and everyone kind of knew it.

And at the age of just 17 years and 193 days, he became the youngest national team player to represent the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier when he entered the pitch in what turned out to be a comfortable 4-0 win.

And what was a pretty routine 10-minute cameo in a game that had long been decided when he entered the fray now stands as a seminal moment in U.S. soccer history – the day when one of the best to ever wear the U.S. kit stepped on a pitch for the first time. And ahead of the U.S.'s Gold Cup semifinal matchup with Guatemala, GOAL looks back at that day, almost 10 years on…

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pulisic wasn't supposed to be in the squad ahead of that March international break. Both he and Graham Zusi were late additions after Fabian Johnson and Matt Besler dropped out of the squad. Besler's omission was due to a concussion sustained in training the week before. Had he not clashed heads in practice, Pulisic might not have been there at all.

  Regardless, there was certainly reason for Pulisic's inclusion. The USMNT needed a creative attacking presence in that side. And although Pulisic was still young, there was still a sense that he could contribute.

  In the 81st minute, he replaced Zusi and jogged out onto the field wearing the No. 11 kit. It was hardly a revolutionary appearance. He played just 10 minutes, touched the ball only a handful of times, and was basically there to rest some older legs and help see things out for the U.S.

  It was a timely win for the Americans, though, who put Guatemala to the sword, 4-0, just three days after losing to the same side away from home and throwing their World Cup qualification hopes into jeopardy (not for the first time that cycle). The U.S. would ultimately not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but would rebound by making the 2022 tournament.

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  WHY IT MATTERED

  Of course, this was something of the start of an era. International debuts are rarely seismic events in isolation. Very few sprint onto the pitch, score a winning goal, or set the world alight – least of all 17-year-olds in a nothing game. What it did do, though, was set the table for things to come. Pulisic established himself on the side reasonably quickly. He scored in his third appearance, bagging in a 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia two months later.

  He did it again in September, notching a brace against Saint Vincent in another World Cup qualifier. In 2016, he was named the USMNT Young Player of the Year. More success followed. By 2017, he was a fully established international. By 2018, he was the face of the USMNT for good. It is often forgotten how important Pulisic was so soon, but he remains, to this day, the youngest player to ever captain the U.S. All of that success, all of those individual moments, can be traced back to that one 10-minute cameo.

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  FROM THOSE WHO WERE THERE

  Klinsmann praised Pulisic for his efforts after the game and promised that there would be more to come from the young attacker:

  "He's a very promising talent, there is no doubt about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made that appearance in the senior national team program," Klinsmann told . "We won't overshoot him with expectations because he's in an environment where they [Dortmund] keep him grounded, where they keep him developing."

  Pulisic, too, weighed in.

  "It's been a dream of mine to play for my country, and today I got to make that come true so it's just an honor. I'm just going to keep moving forward from this," he said in a postmatch press conference.

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  WHAT CAME NEXT

  Immense success – at least to some degree. Pulisic may be mired in controversy at the moment, but it is admittedly difficult to question his commitment to the U.S. side over the course of the last nine years. The attacking midfielder has appeared 78 times and has found the net on 32 occasions for his country. At this rate, barring any major injury, he will be one of the most capped players in the USMNT's history.

  Pulisic will likely be back in the side this fall and will lead the U.S. onto the pitch in a home World Cup in 12 months.

England have had an abysmal World Cup 2023 so far, losing four out of five games, the last of these a thrashing at Sri Lanka’s hands, but thanks to the format of the tournament – where each of the 10 teams play the other nine before the semis – they have a shot at making the top four. In fact, if they win their remaining four matches – a tall order admittedly, given their abject performances so far – and if other results go their way, they could even finish third with 10 points.Here is one permutation to illustrate how that could happen:

• New Zealand lose their remaining four matches and stay on eight.
• India win three of their four games, losing only to England, while South Africa beat all teams except India. Then, India (16) and South Africa (14) will take the top two spots.
• Australia beat New Zealand but lose their other matches, while Afghanistan beat Netherlands and Australia. Then both Australia and Afghanistan will finish on eight.
• Sri Lanka beat New Zealand and Afghanistan, while Pakistan beat Bangladesh and New Zealand. Then Sri Lanka and Pakistan will finish on eight too.
• England’s 10 points will be enough for third place in this scenario, with five teams on eight fighting for the fourth spot.

Does that mean that Pakistan will remain in contention even if they lose to South Africa tomorrow?
It does. Pakistan currently have four points from five games, and if they lose on Friday, they too can only get up to 10 points. In fact, in the set of scenarios described above, if the result is reversed in the England vs Pakistan match on November 11 (the last league match for both teams), then Pakistan will take third spot on 10, while England will be one of five teams fighting for the fourth place on eight points.What about India? Will they be guaranteed qualification if they beat England on Sunday?
A win on Sunday will maintain India’s spotless record in the tournament, and take their points tally to 12 from six matches. However, while the above example illustrates how eight might be enough for qualification, it’s also possible that 12 might not be sufficient. If India lose their remaining games and stay on 12, it’s possible for five other teams to join them there. It’ll then come down to net run rates.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Marcos Leonardo está, definitivamente, fazendo um grande ano. Em sua primeira temporada como titular do Peixe, o Menino da Vila está fazendo valer o número que carrega e é o grande artilheiro entre os atletas novos do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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Entre todos os jogadores considerados “sub-23”, o artilheiro é quem mais marcou: foram 11 gols no torneio nacional em 28 partidas. Em toda a temporada, ele balançou as redes 19 vezes. Ele também acumulou dois passes para gols pelo Santos.

Após o confronto contra o Atlético-MG, na Vila, o garoto recebeu algumas críticas. Ainda na primeira etapa, o Peixe criou diversas chances, mas não aproveitou. O atacante Marcos Leonardo chegou a ter duas oportunidades claras, mas perdeu.

Mesmo assim, o atacante marcou de pênalti nos minutos finais. Já no duelo contra o Juventude, na Vila, Marcos Leonardo marcou um bonito gol de cobertura após receber passe de Ed Carlos. Ao final do jogador, em entrevista ao SporTV, ele comemorou.

– A gente sabia das dificuldades do jogo, ainda mais vindo de derrotas. Foi difícil pra mim, difícil pra todo mundo, mas futebol é isso. Não dá pra lamentar. Nada melhor do que um dia após o outro e hoje saímos com a vitória – disse Marcos Leonardo.

Em 2022, o atacante ainda pode cumprir mais uma meta: Marcos Leonardo só não balançou as redes contra dois clubes da Série A do Brasileirão: Palmeiras e Avaí. Contra a equipe de São Paulo, não há confrontos mais neste ano. Já no duelo contra o Leão, há oportunidade no dia 5 de novembro, na Arena Barueri.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a Dutch legend from his playing days at Arsenal and Barcelona and a successful manager in his own right, has been added to Liverpool’s coaching ranks. The former Netherlands international joins manager Arne Slot’s technical team, stepping into the position left vacant after John Heitinga’s recent appointment as Ajax’s head coach.

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Hetinga left Anfield to take charge at AjaxSlot recommended the appointment of Van BronckhorstXavi Valero returns as goalkeeping coachFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The appointment of Van Bronckhorst is believed to be a decision led directly by Slot, who is putting together his handpicked coaching team for the 2025-26 season. Before moving into coaching, Van Bronckhorst enjoyed a highly-decorated playing career. He wore the jerseys of top European sides including Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal, and Barcelona.

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Van Bronckhorst transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2010, initially serving as assistant coach at Feyenoord. He took over as head coach in 2015 and led the team to Eredivisie glory in 2016–17, along with two KNVB Cup wins. His career then took him to China with Guangzhou R&F, followed by a successful stint at Rangers, where he guided the Scottish side to a domestic cup win and a place in the Europa League final during the 2021–22 season. His most recent role was at Turkish club Besiktas, which he left in late 2024.

DID YOU KNOW?

Though he won’t be taking on the formal title of assistant manager, that remains with Slot’s long-time collaborator, Sipke Hulshoff, Van Bronckhorst is expected to play a pivotal role within the coaching unit. Interestingly, Van Bronckhorst had previously spent time gaining additional coaching experience through the City Football Group, which included work alongside Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

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Liverpool have also confirmed another major addition to their backroom staff, with Xavi Valero returning as the club’s new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching. Valero spent seven years with West Ham United before rejoining the Reds. His previous stint at Anfield began in 2007 under Rafael Benitez, and he continued to follow the Spanish manager across top European clubs including Inter, Chelsea, Napoli, and Real Madrid.

She comfortably set a new mark for an individual score and also broke the record for sixes in an innings

Andrew McGlashan22-Oct-2023

A day after a new low total was set in the WBBL, Grace Harris tore up the record books with the highest individual score in the tournament’s history with a brutal 136 not out off 59 balls against Perth Scorchers at North Sydney Oval.Harris, who was recently left out of Australia’s T20I side against West Indies, reached her third WBBL hundred from 48 balls. She also set a new record with 11 sixes, overtaking the previous mark of ten set by Ash Gardner, at the same ground, against Melbourne Stars in 2017.”I don’t know if I could top that,” she said. “I always find North Sydney to be a great ground for a batter, the wickets are quite nice and true surfaces. The boundary here, I back myself in to clear it if I give it a good swing. Might have got a bit of inspiration from Hayley Matthews recently…on what she did, she did tear our Aussie bowling attack apart.”One of those sixes came during an extraordinary passage of play where she had called for a new bat, but carried on using the one she wanted replaced then crunched the next ball for six as the handle ripped off from the blade. Having replaced the bat, for good measure she also sent the next delivery from Piepa Cleary over the ropes. “Thought it [the handle] just clicked a little bit and didn’t want to be given nicked off as the ball went past and I didn’t hit the ball,” she said. “When I faced up, I thought it’s probably hanging on, when they get that looser handle they are at their best, they are pinging. Thought I’d still hit it for six, they’d been going miles today…it went for six, so paid off for me then.”Scorchers had made early inroads when Chloe Ainsworth, who struck twice in her opening over on debut against Hobart Hurricanes, found herself on a hat-trick in the fourth over.To add to the context of Harris’ ferocious display, she had been 9 off eight balls at the end of the four-over powerplay before she took the attack to Australia team-mate Alana King with three sixes in her first two overs.She and Mignon du Preez added 91 off 47 balls for the third wicket. Harris then dominated a stand of 51 with Bess Heath as she took advantage of the favourable boundaries and some poor Scorchers bowling. Of the 37 runs added with Mikayla Hinkley, Harris contributed 32 off 10 balls.Heat’s eventual total was the second highest in WBBL history.Scorchers made a brave attempt early in their mammoth chase, led by Beth Mooney’s 25-ball fifty, and on the comparison were ahead of Heat at stages.Heat also lost Nicola Hancock from their attack after consecutive beamers against Sophie Devine, but they were able to regather themselves with Courtney Sippel coming to the fore.Devine, who came in at No. 3, couldn’t quite get going before picking out deep square leg and Sippel made it three wickets in the 10th to all-but end the contest when she claimed a return catch to remove Maddy Darke and had then had Mooney slicing to short third.To cap the records, the final overall tally of 408 runs in the match was also a new tournament record.