MCC in running to host first women’s international since 2017
Matt Roller26-Jan-2022
England celebrate after their famous victory at Lord’s in 2017•AFP
England could play their first international women’s fixture at Lord’s since the 2017 World Cup final this summer.England’s fixture list for the 2022 home season is yet to be confirmed but ESPNcricinfo understands that MCC have bid for a game to be staged at Lord’s as part of a wider commitment to hosting more women’s cricket at the ground.Lord’s hosted a women’s ODI every year from 2008-14 but has only staged one in the last eight years, the sold-out World Cup final in 2017 which England won by nine runs thanks to Anya Shrubsole’s six-wicket haul.The MCC published an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plan for 2022-23 this week, including a commitment to “enable more players, members and staff from a variety of backgrounds to be part of MCC” and a pledge to “drive increased women’s and girls’ attendance and engagement” through a marketing campaign if the bid for an international fixture is successful.”MCC is committed to growing and supporting the women’s game, which plays a central role in our cricket strategy,” a spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “We are working closely with the ECB to be able to bring international women’s cricket back to Lord’s on an annual basis, giving more opportunities for women’s players to play at the Home of Cricket.”The ECB have already confirmed that the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final will be held at Lord’s on September 25, while London Spirit’s 2022 fixtures in the Hundred are expected to be announced on Thursday.Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket, started her tenure as MCC president in October and stated her intention to host more women’s fixtures at the ground.England have only played one home fixture at a men’s Test ground – a 2018 ODI at Headingley – since the 2017 World Cup. There has been much discussion within the women’s game about the merits of staging England fixtures at grounds of different sizes, but following record-breaking attendances in the inaugural season of the Hundred, there appears to be growing confidence that ticket sales would be strong enough to support some fixtures moving to larger venues.England are already guaranteed to play at least three – and up to five – games at a major stadium next summer, with the Commonwealth Games due to be staged at Edgbaston from July 29-August 7. South Africa are set to tour before that tournament, with another bilateral series likely to follow the Hundred in September.
Ruben Amorim claimed his first win as Manchester United boss on Thursday night as the Red Devils claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford.
Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho put the hosts ahead within the first minute of the game before a quick-fire double from the visitors turned the game on its head.
However, a double from striker Rasmus Hojlund was enough to secure victory, claiming their second successive Europa League win in a row.
The new boss rotated his squad from his opening match in charge against Ipswich Town last weekend, giving other players an opportunity to stake their claim for a regular starting role during his tenure.
Amorim made six changes to his starting XI, with a number of the players coming into the side taking their chance to impress with both hands.
United’s star performers from Bodo/Glimt clash
Centre-back Lisandro Martínez missed the outing last Sunday after his recent injury issues but was fit enough to start and feature for an hour during the Europa League victory last night.
The 26-year-old looked rusty in the early stages, arguably being out of position for the visitor’s second goal, but his all-round display was one to be proud of – producing some simply phenomenal numbers in the process.
Martinez completed 79 passes during his minutes on the field, achieving a 100% pass completion rate – the highest of any player on either side.
He also won 100% of the tackles he entered, whilst coming out on top in both of the two ground duels contested – with United fans having a real reason to be excited by the defender during Amorim’s spell in charge.
Manuel Ugarte is a player the 39-year-old manager knows well after his time playing under him at Sporting CP before his eventual transfer to PSG.
Last night, he was handed the opportunity to stake his claim, impressing throughout, registering the assist for Hojlund’s second goal of the encounter.
The Uruguayan also won five duels and four tackles, offering that defensive solidity within the centre of the park that the Red Devils have often lacked over the last couple of years.
However, it was one other first-team star who caught the eye the most, looking to be a phenomenal pickup and a talent who could become a key figure under the new management.
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The Man United player who now looks undroppable
Defender Noussair Mazraoui has featured in various roles since his £12.8m move to the North West over the summer from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Given the injury issues within the defensive unit, the Moroccan has been forced to operate in either an unnatural left-back position or sometimes his favoured right-side role.
However, in the last two games since Amorim’s appointment, he’s been utilised in a right centre-back role as part of the back three – looking right at home as seen last night.
The 27-year-old featured for the entirety of the contest for the second successive game, highlighting his importance to the new United manager.
He managed a whopping total of 139 touches, whilst completing 114 passes – the most of any player – looking comfortable in building from the back and playing into forward areas.
Mazraoui’s stats against Bodo/Glimt
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
90
Touches
139
Passes completed
114/120 (95%)
Passes into final third
21
Crosses
1/1
Duels won
6/7
Total tackles
5
Dribbles completed
1/2 (50%)
Stats via Sofascore
Mazraoui also managed to win six duels and five tackles, restricting the opposition to limited opportunities down his side of the pitch – with the role now his to lose after another impressive outing.
As a result, the defender was handed an 8/10 match rating by The Express’ Charlie Gordon, an indication as to how much he caught the eye whilst featuring in an unfamiliar position.
His recent outings have been nothing short of sensational, undoubtedly looking like the club’s best addition for the summer transfer window – especially for just £12.8m.
Mazraoui will be hoping he can continue his excellent run during the early stages of the new era at Old Trafford when they face Everton on Sunday afternoon.
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Ruben Amorim already appears to be eyeing up new additions for Manchester United.
أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، هانز فليك، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة بوروسيا دورتموند في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024/2025.
وتقام مباراة برشلونة وبوروسيا دورتموند اليوم، الأربعاء، بتمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “منتجويك”.
وشهدت قائمة برشلونة عن وجود القوة الضاربة مع استدعاء إينيجو مارتينيز العائد من جديد من الإصابة.
Um dos destaques do Novorizontino na Série C do ano passado, o lateral-direito Felipe Rodrigues precisou interromper o bom ano, que inclusive terminou com o acesso à Série B, por conta de uma ruptura no tendão de Aquiles sofrida no dia 15 de agosto.
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Agora, quase sete meses passados desde o ocorrido, o lateral conta como passou desde a lesão até o retorno aos treinamentos. Para ele, o fator primordial para o motivar no processo de recuperação foi o nascimento do seu filho.
– Foi um momento muito difícil para mim porque nunca tive uma lesão tão séria igual a essa. No começo foi difícil, estava cabisbaixo e muito desanimado, mas graças a Deus e a minha família consegui suportar bem. E para alegrar a minha vida nasceu o meu filho nesse período. Ele foi o principal motivo para eu dar uma virada de chave no processo – disse Felipe.
Felipe Rodrigues elogiou o trabalho do departamento médico durante a sua recuperação. Segundo ele, no início chegou até a pensar que não poderia mais andar normalmente, por não conseguir colocar o pé lesionado no chão, mas a confiança passada por toda a equipe foi fundamental para ele evoluir no tratamento.
– O suporte dos profissionais do clube foi essencial para minha volta. O começo da fisioterapia foi bem complicado porque eu não podia colocar o pé no chão. Passava mil coisas na minha cabeça, cheguei a achar até que não iria mais conseguir andar. Daí os profissionais foram me explicando qual seria o processo e dia após dia eu fui vendo evolução no tratamento. Hoje, graças a Deus já treino com o grupo, mas ainda estou aprimorando a parte física por ter ficado muito tempo parado. Então hoje posso dizer que já estou recuperado da lesão, mas ainda no processo para ficar 100% e retomar a normalidade – comentou.
Recuperando a forma física, o próximo passo é conseguir voltar a figurar entre os relacionados para uma partida. Felipe não nega que a expectativa para voltar a sentir o nervosismo que antecede aos jogos é alta.
– A expectativa (para voltar a jogar) é enorme. Não vejo a hora de poder voltar a jogar uma partida oficial e sentir de novo aquele friozinho na barriga antes da partida (risos). Não tenho dúvida de que será um dos dias mais felizes e importantes da minha vida – finalizou.
Lance Klusener rejoins support staff as batting coach; Lalchand Rajput retained as head coach
ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2022
Craig Ervine has led Zimbabwe in 15 internationals so far•Sportsfile via Getty Images
Craig Ervine has been confirmed as Zimbabwe’s full-time white-ball captain while Sean Williams has been retained as Test captain. Ervine had captained Zimbabwe in an interim capacity during their limited-overs series in Ireland and Scotland last year and in Sri Lanka earlier this year.Regis Chakabva will be the vice-captain of the side across formats.Former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener has rejoined Zimbabwe’s support staff, which will be led by head coach Lalchand Rajput, who has been retained. Klusener has been reappointed as the side’s batting coach, a role that he initially performed from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, he took over as Afghanistan’s head coach before he and the ACB mutually agreed to part ways in November 2021. Klusener’s most recent assignment was at Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) is in the process of finalising the appointment of a bowling coach and a fitness trainer for the men’s side. The board also confirmed that Mary-Anne Musonda and Josephine Nkomo would continue as captain and vice-captain of the Zimbabwe women’s team.
“We didn’t quite find an answer [to Australia’s batting],” says England captain Heather Knight
Vishal Dikshit03-Apr-2022
Meg Lanning poses with the World Cup trophy•Getty Images
Australia “deserved a victory today” to lift their seventh World Cup title, after being “extremely consistent over a long period of time”, captain Meg Lanning has said. Australia were unbeaten throughout the tournament and have had a phenomenal run in ODIs since the 2017 World Cup, winning 40 out of 42 games for a win-loss ratio of 20. The next best is South Africa’s 2.75 (33 wins and 12 losses in 51 games) in that period.Australia had an unmatchable run through the league stage, barely going close to a loss in a World Cup full of close finishes. After a one-sided semi-final against West Indies, they were mostly ahead of England while defending a massive 356 in the final on Sunday and eventually won by 71 runs to lift the trophy, for the first time since 2013.”I think we have been extremely consistent over a long period of time, it’s been a massive build-up to this tournament,” Lanning said at the post-match presentation. “It’s been a long time coming. We felt like we have waited a hell of a long time. To come out and perform so well through the tournament, to be honest, it’s pretty amazing and I think we deserved a victory today.”Australia were especially dominant with the bat. Alyssa Healy flattened England with a career-best 170, off just 138 balls, and along with Rachael Haynes compiled another century stand. The duo also led the run charts for the tournament.”Healy’s knock was incredible,” Lanning said. “To do it in a World Cup final, I am probably not surprised, to be fair she’s done it before as well. To be able to come out and play so well, to play those shots she was playing was ridiculous and just to put the bowlers under pressure at the back-end was really important and she set the base really nice. We’ve spoken as a batting group about being patient upfront and building a partnership to get to explode at the back-end, and that’s what happened today.”Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes got Australia off to a strong start once again•Getty Images
Lanning was full of praise for her younger team-mates as well, especially legspinner Alana King and fast bowler Darcie Brown. King made her ODI debut only two months ago and was the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia with a tally of 12, just behind Jess Jonassen’s 13, whereas Brown’s speed gave Australia’s attack another dimension to add to Megan Schutt’s swing early on. Brown played six of Australia’s nine games for six wickets.”We came over with a squad mentality, we knew we had to have a number of different people contributing, which we’ve had throughout the tournament and it’s just been so great to see the team evolve over the tournament,” Lanning said. “We’ve had some young players come in and perform really well and make an impact straightaway which has been great for the team and for the more experienced players to keep pushing them to get better. Off the field, we’ve had great support from coaching staff to get us to this point as well.”Tay [Tayla Vlaeminck), Wolf [Georgia Wareham] and Soph [Sophie Molineux], big shoutout to you guys,” Lanning said of the three injured players who were back home. “There’s some good depth within our squad, we’ve seen Alana King and Darcie Brown come in and dominate and really lift the team, to be honest. It’s important to have some depth there. Injuries are unfortunately part of the sport and we’ve been able to cover that this time around.”Lanning said she was nervous almost throughout the final, particularly when Nat Sciver scored another century in the chase – just like in the league stage – but she ran out of partners in the end.”I was [nervous] the whole way through , especially when Nat Sciver went there,” Lanning said. “She’s an incredible player, played a really special innings today and would have been a match-winning one on any other day. We know England would come hard at us, we expected a contest today and got one.”Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross wear a dejected look after England’s loss•AFP/Getty Images
England captain Heather Knight showered praise on Sciver as well but said her team needed to learn from the way Australia build big partnerships to take the game away from oppositions.”I guess we didn’t quite find an answer [to Australia’s batting],” Knight said. “It was an amazing wicket, and if we had kept them to just about 300, probably par, we were in with a good chance of chasing it down.”Remarkable, absolutely unbelievable from Nat. The skill against spin, against seam, scoring all around the ground and unfortunately we couldn’t have someone stay with her. With the runs on the board we had to take a few more risks and unfortunately we couldn’t have a big partnership, something Australia do outstandingly and we can learn from how they have that big partnership in a ruthless way and they really take the game away from the opposition.”Knight was still “super proud” of her team for turning their campaign around in dramatic fashion after starting the tournament with three straight losses, before they won five on the trot, including the semi-final against South Africa.”Massively, super proud of the group, given how we managed to turn things around,” she said. “The fact that we’ve shown that character and resilience to turn it around and be within a shot of winning the World Cup. Unfortunately, one win was too many for us.”
Glasgow Rangers were unable to defend their crown in the League Cup final at Hampden Park against their closest rivals on Sunday afternoon.
The Light Blues were beaten 5-4 on penalties after a back-and-forth match at the national stadium that had plenty of twists and turns throughout.
It was Philippe Clement’s side that took the lead in the game, as Albania international Nedim Bajrami found the back of the net on the rebound after Hamza Igamane’s initial shot was saved.
However, goals from Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda put Celtic 2-1 up in the second half, before Mohamed Diomande bundled in from close range to make it 2-2.
The Hoops may have thought that they had sealed the win when Nicolas Kuhn swept the ball into the back of the net from Arne Engels’ cutback in the 87th minute, only for Danilo to head home from close range a minute later to send the game to extra-time.
Rangers battled throughout extra-time to take the match to penalties and were ultimately let down by Ridvan Yilmaz, who was the only player to miss from the spot.
Ridvan Yilmaz's performance against Celtic
The Turkey international has rarely been seen on the pitch for the Gers this season, with two starts in the Scottish Premiership and one start in the Europa League,
Perhaps his lack of match action across all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign contributed to his performance at Hampden Park on Sunday because the full-back looked way off the pace after his introduction in place of Jefte.
Glasgow World handed the former Besiktas star a dismal player rating of 4/10 and cited his big miss from open play, blazing over the bar, and his miss from the penalty spot as the reasons for that poor rating.
Rangers defender Ridvan Yilmaz.
However, it was not only his lacklustre ball striking that let him down against Celtic, as his involvement in the third goal for the Hoops in the final left a lot to be desired.
Yilmaz, with no pressure to do so, completely overcommitted to a sliding interception on the halfway line, with Ianis Hagi and Nicolas Raskin already ahead of him, and allowed Kuhn and Engels to race clear on the right almost unchallenged.
That meant that Kuhn could carry the ball down the right flank under no pressure before sliding a pass down the outside of Robin Propper for the Belgian midfielder to cross back to the German to find the back of the net.
The Rangers defender, therefore, cost the team with his play in and out of possession in the cup final, which is why he was one of the worst performers on the pitch.
Clement must, now, consider ruthlessly binning Yilmaz in the January transfer window after interest from Besiktas in re-signing him in the summer, as he has become second-fiddle to Jefte and his cup final disappointment suggests that that is unlikely to change any time soon.
Jefte
Yilmaz is not the only player who should be brutally binned by the Belgian head coach, though, as central defender Propper also endured another tough afternoon in a Light Blues shirt.
Robin Propper's performance against Celtic
The summer signing from FC Twente did not enjoy his best match for Rangers in the cup final failure on Sunday, as his work on and off the ball left plenty to be desired.
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Glasgow World handed him a dismal player rating of 4/10, on par with Yilmaz, and wrote that he looked ‘nervous’ in possession, whilst struggling to deal with the pace of the likes of Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Propper was questionable for all three of Celtic’s goals. He was, perhaps, unfortunate for the first one as Taylor’s effort from distance deflected off his boot and into the back of the net, although the Dutchman could have made himself bigger to avoid such a cruel deflection.
The former Eredivisie titan’s lack of pace was on show for the second goal as he failed to help out his centre-back partner Leon Balogun, after the Nigerian’s mistake allowed Maeda to race clear – and past Propper – to score the second.
Propper was then left isolated by Yilmaz’s poor decision on the halfway line for the third goal and got caught between two minds, retreating to defend the box or getting out to challenge Engels, and ended up doing nothing to prevent Kuhn from scoring.
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ByRoss Kilvington Dec 8, 2024 Why Robin Propper must be binned
Whilst it may be a bit premature to cash in on the centre-back, given he only joined in the summer, Clement must brutally bin him from the starting line-up and consider his options in that position in the January transfer window.
Propper was brought in to replace Rangers veteran Connor Goldson in the summer and has yet to live up to the Englishman’s legacy at Ibrox so far.
The 31-year-old flop has only featured in nine Premiership matches this season and has been an unused substitute in the last two league outings, as John Souttar – who is now sidelined through injury – and Balogun were preferred ahead of him.
Premiership
Robin Propper (24/25)
Connor Goldson (23/24)
Appearances
9
30
Dribbled past per game
0.6x
0.2x
Ground duel success rate
58%
73%
Aerial duel success rate
59%
67%
Fouls committed per game
1.1
0.7
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Propper has been far less dominant than Goldson was in his position in the 2023/24 campaign, winning a lower percentage of his duels on the ground and in the air.
Opposition players have also found it far too easy to get the better of him in dribbles, as he has been dribbled past far more often than the English colossus was.
These statistics suggest that Rangers have not adequately replaced Goldson, yet, and that is why Clement should bin the Dutch dud and look to land an upgrade on him in January.
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Whether or not that includes selling him or not, Propper must be dropped from the starting XI in the second half of the season because his performances, including his failure in the cup final, have not been good enough.
اكتمل عدد المنتخبات الإفريقية المتأهلة إلى كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا المقرر إقامته في قطر، وذلك بعد انتهاء مواجهتي أوغندا وجامبيا، ومصر وأنجولا.
ومن المقرر أن تُقام بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا في قطر، خلال الفترة من 3 إلى 27 نوفمبر.
ولم يخسر منتخب مصر، فرصته في الصعود إلى بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، رغم تعرضه للهزيمة وتوديعه بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، لكنه نافس في الملحق المؤهل إلى كأس العالم، بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث.
طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | منتخب مصر يفوز على أنجولا ويحسم تأهله إلى كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا
منتخب مصر واجه أنجولا، في المباراة الفاصلة المؤهلة إلى نهائيات بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، ونجح في الفوز بهدفين مقابل هدف، ليحجز مقعده في بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين.
ونجح منتخب المغرب في الفوز على تنزانيا بثلاثية نظيفة ليحتل المركز الأول في مجموعته، فيما حلت زامبيا في المركز الثاني خلفه بفوزها على أوغندا بنتيجة 2-1.
فيما تأهلت أوغندا للعب الملحق، وتمكن من الفوز على جامبيا بهدفين مقابل هدف، كما استطاع منتخب جنوب إفريقيا التأهل رفقة بوركينا فاسو، المتأهل بالفعل، بنتيجة 2-0 في مباراته الأخيرة بالمجموعة الثانية. المنتخبات المتأهلة إلى كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا
Além da disputa no banco de reservas, envolvendo Abel Ferreira e Vítor Pereira, o clássico entre Palmeiras e Corinthians, que será disputado nesta quinta-feira (17), às 20h30, no Allianz Parque, pela sexta rodada do Campeonato Paulista, também terá o duelo individual entre dois dos grandes meias do futebol brasileiro na atualidade: Raphael Veiga, do Verdão, e Renato Augusto, do Timão.
>Só pode escolher um! Hoje, Raphael Veiga ou Renato Augusto? Redação do LANCE! opina
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Em comum, ambos são os cérebros da criação das suas equipes e nomes observados pela comissão técnica da Seleção Brasileira para a Copa do Mundo do Qatar, que será realizada neste ano, entre os meses de novembro e dezembro.
> TABELA – Confira e simule os próximos jogos do Paulistão
O nome da dupla circula com mais força entre a comissão técnica de Tite desde o fim do ano passado, quando o Brasil confirmou a sua classificação para o Mundial ao vencer a Colômbia, em São Paulo, na Neo Química Arena, por 1 a 0.
Veiga é um jogador observado pela crescente no Palmeiras, onde aos poucos se tornou protagonista e hoje tem papel de destaque, já Renato Augusto sempre foi uma espécie de ‘pupilo’ de Tite, desde a primeira passagem do meia pelo clube do Parque São Jorge, onde foi o pilar de títulos como o Paulistão e a Recopa Sul-Americana de 2013 e, principalmente, o Brasileirão de 2015., comandado pelo atual técnico da Seleção Brasileira, que à época dirigia o Timão.
Nos arredores da CBF há quem diga que o ‘Seo Adenor’ viu com animação o retorno de Renato ao futebol brasileiro no segundo semestre de 2021, pois sempre quis contar com o camisa 8 corintiano na sua lista final no Qatar. Mas o treinador também entendia que a idade do jogador, atualmente com 34 anos, atrelado ao atleta estar atuando na China jogava contra ele em relação a outros atletas monitorados e convocados com maior frequência nesse ciclo de Copa.
Quando a volta de Renato ao Brasil foi confirmada, a comissão da Seleção Brasileira ainda manteve a cautela, no pensamento de aguardar parar ver se a partir física do meia teria evolução em relação a que tinha na China, mesmo que quando foi convocado para a última Copa do Mundo, Renato Augusto ainda jogava pelo Beijing Guoan.
Desde que voltou ao Timão, Renato Augusto esteve em 30 dos 32 jogos do clube, sendo 24 como titular, tendo marcado seis gols e dado duas assistências. Nesta temporada, até aqui, o camisa 8 só ficou fora de um jogo, contra o Santo André, no ABC Paulista, pela segunda rodada do Paulistão.
Esses números, o vigor físico demonstrado por Renato a proximidade do jogador com Tite, que poderia levá-lo como uma espécie de liderança técnica e ‘homem de confiança’ colocam Renato em ótimas condições de um retorno à Seleção Brasileira após quatro anos.
No caso de Raphael Veiga, o que tem impressionado Tite e a sua comissão é a forma com que o jogador chegou como coadjuvante no clube, em 2017, tendo até mesmo sido emprestado para o Athletico-PR no ano seguinte, e se tornou de forma discreta um dos principais jogadores da equipe.
O treinador da Seleção costuma dividir os jogadores de destaque em listas de maturação, onde alguns jogadores que se destacam aparece para serem observados, mas outros que já possuem certa constância passam para um estágio mais próximo de convocação. E nesta segunda lista é onde justamente está Raphael.
É de consenso, até mesmo entre as pessoas que transitam na Seleção, que passou da hora do meia palmeirense ter uma chance, até mesmo Tite sabe disso, mas a proximidade da Copa e a necessidade de se ter uma ideia de grupo estando cada vez mais perto do início do Mundial atrapalha as pretensões de testar o camisa 23 do Verdão, que no ano passado esteve em 54 das 72 partidas do Palmeiras, sendo 49 como titular, marcando 18 gols, o artilheiro o elenco palmeirense no ano passado, e dando quatro assistências.
Mesmo sendo mais novo e esteja em boa fase durante mais tempo, a impressão é que Raphael Veiga estaria atrás de Renato Augusto em uma possível brecha nas listas da Seleção Brasileira que antecedem a convocação final para a Copa do Qatar. A experiência com a Amarelinha e a proximidade em ideias táticas e técnicas com o treinador deve pesar em um possível ‘par ou ímpar’ de Tite com esses dois jogadores.
Enquanto não estarão na Seleção, pelo menos na convocação dos dois últimos jogos das Eliminatórias, contra Chile e Bolívia, nos próximos dias 24 e 29 de março, Raphael Veiga e Renato Augusto medem forças pelos seus clubes em Dérbi que não vale nada em termos de classificação, já que ambos os times já estão na próxima fase do Estadual, mas que, ainda assim, abrirá os clássicos entre Corinthians e Palmeiras em 2022, sendo o primeiro com capacidade total permitido no estádio desde o início da pandemia do novo coronavírus, em 2020.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf knocked the top of the visitor’s batting
Danyal Rasool02-Apr-2022
Haris Rauf celebrates after setting up and dismissing Aaron Finch•AFP/Getty Images
After a month of Australia making Pakistan work for every run, wicket and win, here was the exception to the rule. In a rare lacklustre performance, Australia found themselves blown away by a dominant performance as they were crushed by nine wickets to seal a 2-1 series win.It came courtesy of a fiery fast bowling performance, and an unbeaten 190-run partnership between Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq. Pakistan had put Australia in to bat, skittling them out inside 42 overs for 210 before making light work of that target on a featherbed of a surface, with Imam and Babar making an unexperienced Australian bowling attack look particularly toothless. An undefeated 105 by Babar, his second consecutive hundred, and an unbeaten 89 from Imam helped Pakistan canter to a nine-wicket win with 73 balls to spare.Australia knew it was coming, and yet there seemed no way to stop it. A sensational – and yet by now, almost predictable – first over from Shaheen Shah Afridi got rid of Travis Head, dealing Australia a blow that left them groggy throughout the innings, and Haris Rauf removed Aaron Finch before Australia were off the mark.Magicians tend not to perform their tricks too often, but repetition doesn’t make Afridi any less inscrutable. It was a full toss that did for Head first up, but with the moving in the air, there was little the batter could do to prevent it crashing into off stump.Finch has struggled this series, and it showed in the way he tried to tackle Rauf, playing listlessly across the line and finding himself trapped plumb in front. Australia were yet to put a run on the board, and the discipline of Pakistan’s pace bowlers meant they couldn’t get off to the brisk start that characterised their first two innings. Rauf coaxed an edge out of Marnus Labuschagne early, and the normally fluid Ben McDermott got bogged down, managing just 14 in his first 34 balls.Australia looked to be rebuilding with a 53-run stand, but Zahid Mahmood drew a leading edge from Marcus Stoinis as Imam took a sharp catch, before Mohammad Wasim ended McDermott’s innings of attrition. A handy rearguard from Alex Carey and Cameron Green followed, with the batters capitalising on a drop in intensity from the hosts. The field spread out and easy singles are available, and with the frontline fast bowlers out of the attack, Australia were steadily rebuilding as they pushed towards a competitive total. Carey brought up a 55-ball half century two balls after a glorious six over cover drive off Wasim, and for the first time, Pakistan were on the back foot.Babar Azam punches down the ground•PCB
That ended soon after, though, when a bit of reverse swing did for Green as he heaved wildly across the line. It opened the floodgates, and four wickets fell for 18 runs as Rauf and Afridi returned to chip in. But in an entertaining six-over passage of play, Sean Abbott threw caution to the wind, swinging for the fences just about every delivery, riding his luck and further antagonising an increasingly irate Afridi. He managed the strike expertly; Adam Zampa never even got off the mark through the partnership, and by the time he chipped one to short third off Rauf, he’d scored a 40-ball 49. With the target set at 211, Abbott had given himself and his fellow bowlers something to work with.But two days out from a match that saw 348 prove inadequate, any hope Australia harboured of a series win hinged on early wickets, and several of them. It was in that department where Australia’s absences were really felt tonight. Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Ellis and Abbott simply don’t possess the qualities of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and especially Mitchell Starc to blast out an opposition, not least a top order as settled as Pakistan’s is right now.Fakhar Zaman fell for a brisk 17, but with the asking rate hovering around four, the match situation was primed for the more sedate and assured Babar and Imam. Babar being put down at short midwicket on 1 felt like a significant moment in the game, but Australia’s sloppiness in the early overs meant it didn’t come as much of a surprise. A couple of boundaries in the ninth over composed the Pakistan captain, and once that partnership established a foothold, any Australian optimism quickly fizzled out.What followed was a cavalcade of class from the two highest runscorers this series. They appeared to rotate the strike and find the boundaries at will against spin and seam alike. Imam skipped down the wicket to smash Zampa to cow corner, before Babar caressed boundaries off Green off the next two balls either side of the wicket as the target and asking rate shrunk by the over. At last, it looked like a contest between a full-strength home side and a depleted touring party stretched particularly thin.Babar was the more proactive partner, and got a 16th ODI hundred before the game was won, as the two old friends performed a little jig mid-run to celebrate. Imam, meanwhile, would be denied the chance for a third successive hundred simply because Pakistan ran out of runs to chase, and capped a sensational series by knocking off the winning runs, skipping down the wicket to send Labuschagne down the ground.On a tour where Australia have been blown away by Pakistan’s hospitality, tonight was the night the generosity finally ran out.