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Everton suffered defeat at Goodison Park in midweek, Aston Villa spoiling David Moyes’ exciting return to the dugout. It was a hard-fought Premier League contest and the hosts will have taken solace from their aggression and commitment.

But Moyes will surely know the weight of the task on his shoulders, with the Toffees lacking the main elements of attacking success and desperately in need of some fresh inspiration this month.

The January transfer window does present a fantastic opportunity to bolster the ranks, and with Armando Broja’s ankle injury meaning he will likely be recalled to Stamford Bridge, Everton are ready to sign a new centre-forward.

Everton eyeing new centre-forward

Spanish sources have issued a remarkable revelation that Everton are in the running to sign Barcelona striker Vitor Roque, who is currently on loan with La Liga side Real Betis.

Betis are hesitant as to forking out for a permanent deal for the 19-year-old, but with La Blaugrana eager to cash in, Everton could steal ahead and tempt the teenager with Premier League football.

It feels like there are multiple variables that could inhibit Everton in their pursuit of a deal, but stranger things have happened and the Blues desperately need something new at number nine.

What Vitor Roque would bring to Everton

A powerful forward with a keen-edged strike on goal, Roque has the perfect skill set to thrive at the front of Moyes’ Everton ship. Cut from the traditional striker’s cloth with some modern conversions, the Brazilian might not be the best ball player in the game but he’s been praised for his “special” qualities by former Atletico Madrid star Diego.

Roque’s fledgling career at Barcelona didn’t work out, sure, but he’s still one of the most talented young strikers across Europe and would be a credit to Moyes’ team, fronting a unit that would cherish his quality as a standout member.

Matches (starts)

16 (12)

Goals

4

Assists

0

Shots (on target)*

2.4 (1.1)

Pass completion

73%

Key passes*

0.6

Dribbles completed*

0.4

Total duels (won)*

2.8 (34%)

There’s plenty to be worked on, but Roque has hit a degree of prolificness after a tough start to life in Spain, and could now take his career to the next level with Everton, starring as the focal frontman.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin might be the club’s no. 1 man up front this season, but given that he’s out of contract in the summer and currently suffering from a 16-game barren run in the Premier League, there’s every reason for Moyes to freshen things up.

Roque’s not just a target man either, ranking among the top 17% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries (2.04) and the top 10% for interceptions (0.40), as per FBref, emphasising the athleticism and energy that would charge Everton’s system.

FBref also record that he has a statistical likeness to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, who has recently extended his contract in the Premier League to 2034, the highest-paid footballer on English shores.

Haaland is of course the gold standard when it comes to centre-forwards competing across the globe, having absurdly scored 111 goals across 126 City appearances, notably winning the treble in 2022/23.

Like Roque, Haaland is a menacing striker who imposes himself on defenders with strong loping runs and powerful finishes, hailed by Pep Guardiola for his “unique” personality both on and off the field.

Roque runs more than his Norwegian peer, who ranks among the bottom 31% of positional peers for progressive carries (0.97) per 90, so the Everton target might actually have the upper hand in that regard.

But with one of the deadliest presences around, why shouldn’t Moyes move to strengthen his Everton side with a player endowed with similar properties? It could be a game-changer as the Blues fight to turn their fortunes around over the coming months.

Concrete interest: Moyes chasing his next Lingard masterclass at Everton

Everton are ready to make an exciting signing this month.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 17, 2025

Primary among them is the top three of Dhawan, Kohli and Rohit himself, which faltered more often than it did not

Shashank Kishore18-Jul-2022Rohit Sharma isn’t too worried yet, but does think the form of India’s top-order batters is “something we need to look into”.Shikhar Dhawan finished with scores of 1, 9 and 31* in the three ODIs in England, while Virat Kohli aggregated just 46 runs in those games, along with the 11 and 1 he made in two T20Is. Rohit himself made scores of 0 and 17 after opening the ODI series with an unbeaten 76 in a ten-wicket win.Related

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“Not really,” he said if it was a concern. “But we do understand that it is something we need to look into. To be honest, the wicket [at Old Trafford] didn’t have much. We played some not-so-good shots and that’s what cost us wickets. But I still back those guys to come out good because they have done it for a long time. I’ve got nothing more to say since I understand the quality they bring to the team.”Despite the lack of runs at the top, India won the series 2-1.After the canter in the first ODI, India were 29 for 3 in pursuit of 247 in the second. In the series decider, they slipped to 38 for 3 by the ninth over in their chase of 260. While Dhawan was out driving to point on Sunday, Rohit nicked to slip and Kohli was caught behind, in near-identical fashion to his dismissal in the second ODI at Lord’s.On Sunday, a 133-run stand for the fifth wicket, at better than a run-a-ball, between Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant helped India overcome that stutter to win by five wickets. While Hardik made 71, Pant was unbeaten on 125 – his maiden ODI century – when the winning runs were hit.

“Obviously, moving forward there are a lot of things we need to improve as a group, but quite pleased with the effort from the boys in the entire white-ball leg”Rohit Sharma

“[We were] quite pleased chasing 260 – it was a good pitch, but we knew it won’t be easy if we lost wickets early,” Rohit said. “We didn’t want it to happen, but if you look at the positive side, a lot of these guys haven’t batted a long period in the middle overs, and we got to see that from Rishabh and Hardik. Both of them were clinical with the bat – at no point did we feel they were panicking. They backed themselves, played great cricketing shots, which was good to see.”It meant a second straight series win for Rohit as full-time ODI captain since being elevated to the role last November.”Very pleased,” Rohit said of the series outcome. “We came here wanting to achieve something as a group in white-ball cricket, and I thought we achieved a fair bit. Obviously, moving forward there are a lot of things we need to improve as a group, but quite pleased with the effort from the boys in the entire white-ball leg.”We were here last time, and we were beaten, I remember that. It is not an easy place to come and win games, but the way we played the entire white-ball leg was fantastic. It’s something we wanted to do for a long period of time, to finally come and achieve was a great effort from the entire unit.”Yuzvendra Chahal had an excellent tour, picking up seven wickets in the ODIs at an economy rate of 5.35•Getty ImagesRohit was effusive in his praise for Hardik, who returned as an allrounder to the ODI set-up after more than a year. He finished with six wickets in three matches, including a career-best of 4 for 24 at Old Trafford on Sunday, to go with his contributions with the bat: 29 in 44 balls and 71 in 55 balls.There were also good words for Yuzvendra Chahal, who underlined his significance to India’s white-ball plans again, after being left out of last year’s T20 World Cup. He finished the ODI series with seven wickets in three games, at an economy rate of just 5.35.”He is a critical member for us,” Rohit said. “He has got so much experience, bowling in all sorts of white-ball formats. It was very unfortunate that he missed the last T20 World Cup, but I’m pleased with how he has come back after the World Cup and gone from strength to strength.”Hardik as well, he used the dimensions of the ground pretty well. One side of the boundary was pretty long, he kept bowling those bouncers and got the rewards for it as well. I’m very pleased for him.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Horas após protestos em frente ao Ninho do Urubu, onde o time de Paulo Sousa finalizou a preparação para a estreia no Campeonato Brasileiro, contra o Atlético-GO, neste sábado, o Flamengo divulgou a lista de relacionados para o confronto fora de casa, na tarde desta sexta-feira. A volta de Arrascaeta é o destaque.

RelacionadasFlamengoBraz crítica Rodinei, do Flamengo, por ir à festa na madrugada: ‘Tinha que estar em casa vendo Pantanal’Flamengo08/04/2022FlamengoSantos conta bastidores da saída do Athletico-PR e exalta o Flamengo: ‘Camisa que dispensa comentários’Flamengo08/04/2022Flamengo‘Preparado para tudo’: Ayrton Lucas é apresentado pelo Flamengo no NinhoFlamengo08/04/2022

O uruguaio havia relatado dores no tornozelo esquerdo e, por isso, foi baixa na estreia do Fla na Libertadores. Já Vitinho, Isla e Fabrício Bruno permanecem como baixas, ainda em recuperação de suas respectivas lesões.

O trio ainda sem condições se junta a Rodrigo Caio, Pablo e Ayrton Lucas como desfalques do Flamengo. Por falar no ala, ele foi apresentado nesta tarde, na sala de imprensa do CT, ao lado goleiro Santos, este sim à disposição de Paulo Sousa para amanhã.

O jogo entre Flamengo e Atlético-GO será realizado às 19h deste sábado, no Estádio Antônio Accioly, pela primeira rodada do Brasileirão.

CONFIRA A LISTA DE RELACIONADOS:
​
Andreas Pereira
Bruno Henrique
David Luiz
De Arrascaeta
Diego
Diego Alves
Everton Riberio
Filipe Luís
Gabi
Gustavo Henrique
Hugo
João Gomes
Lázaro
Léo Pereira
Marinho
Matheus França
Matheuzinho
Pedro
Renê
Rodinei
Santos
Thiago Maia
Willian Arão

Confira os relacionados do Mengão para a estreia no @Brasileirao. #VamosFlamengo pic.twitter.com/BSI9yWsSsU

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) April 8, 2022

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has been accused of lying after claiming La Liga does not protect Los Blancos in between their games.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ancelotti slammed La Liga for lack of protection
• Madrid only had 66 hours rest after UCL win
• League officials accused Los Blancos boss of lying

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Madrid have certainly had a busy week. The Spanish champions secured a dramatic win on penalties over rivals Atletico in the Champions League on Wednesday night, before taking on Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday evening. Ancelotti had some strong words for the decision-makers in the division, suggesting La Liga do not protect his team after being afforded just 66 hours between the games.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ancelotti said he asked twice for the date and time of the Villarreal game to be changed, but that claim has been disputed by La Liga. Reports from Marca say there was no official request from the club, and that the current Spanish rules to allow at least 48 hours between games has been fulfilled.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  FIFA's guidelines say there should be a minimum of 72 hours between games, rather than La Liga's full two days.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Luckily for Madrid, that was the last time they will play within such a short space. However, rivals Barcelona will be placed in the same predicament when they return from the international break due to their involvement in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Tom Abell raised his bat to the Somerset dressing room then breathed a sigh of relief. His unbeaten hundred against Surrey at the Kia Oval was an overdue return to form and an innings that offered his side some reassurance after a miserable run with the bat dating back to the end of last season.Somerset’s totals this season have made for grim reading: 180, 135, 109 and 154. Since the start of the divisional phase of last year’s Championship, they had passed 200 only twice in 12 completed innings and lost six games in a row for the first time since the 1960s. They have played on some challenging pitches, but the statistics are grisly enough to make even England’s top order wince.Abell has worn the look of a wartime leader throughout that run, fronting up with his brow furrowed as the local media demanded answers after each collapse. His own form had disintegrated: across his previous 14 first-class innings, including two for the England Lions against Australia A, he had managed only 109 runs at 7.79.After the drought came a deluge: Abell surpassed that tally in a day in the south London sun, whipping Surrey’s seamers through midwicket when they attacked his stumps and driving elegantly through extra cover if they strayed too wide. When he walked off at the close, he had 121 of Somerset’s 283 for 6, a scoreline which vindicated his decision to bat first on a green, but slowish pitch.Abell had looked in complete control until he reached the 90s, when his poise briefly deserted him. On 95, he edged Jordan Clark just short of gully; on 97, he watched Ollie Pope fling himself to his right at second slip but fail to cling onto a thick outside edge; on 99, he heard Ben Foakes and Reece Topley plead for a leg-side strangle, then saw Martin Saggers shake his head.When he tucked Topley off his pads to reach 100, Abell acknowledged the applause from his team-mates, embraced Josh Davey, and took a deep breath that exuded reassurance rather than rapture. This was only his second first-class hundred since August 2020, and served as a reminder of his quality, to himself more than anyone.”I’ve obviously been in a pretty tough place for the last couple of weeks, really,” he said at the close. “I was desperate, particularly as captain, to lead from the front with my batting and I’ve not been satisfied with my performances.”I’ve been batting, really searching for something. I felt like I’ve not been in a great place with my batting so the main emotion was just relief, to be honest. I appreciate the love from the boys as well up there. It meant a lot to me.”Related

• James Vince in fine touch with breezy hundred to give Hampshire the upper hand at Kent

• Forgotten man Sam Curran has 'itchy feet' but is happy to bide his time

• Ben Compton's Kent breakthrough offers hope to late developers

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• Daniel Bell-Drummond hints at red-ball revival to dominate day for Kent

Abell has been discussed in some quarters as a left-field candidate for England’s Test captaincy, a suggestion which has mainly served to highlight the paucity of options. His recent run of form underlines the obvious problem with handing the role to someone who is not sure of their place – how could anyone survive the scrutiny that would fall on their batting as well as their leadership? – but his leadership credentials are obvious and he has served Somerset with distinction.The thought emerged when he was compiling a 103-run stand for the fourth wicket with James Hildreth that these might be the two outstanding uncapped batters of their respective generations. Hildreth’s dismissal, when he slapped the final delivery with the old ball – a wide, non-turning offbreak from Will Jacks – to backward point for a flashy 54, perhaps underlined why the selectors have never called.That was the first of three wickets in 22 balls, a sequence which brought Surrey back into the game after a day of hard graft: Clark had Steven Davies caught behind, looking to drive his second ball to the cover boundary, while Topley, the pick of the attack, was rewarded with a cheap wicket of his own as Craig Overton cut a short ball to point.Sam Curran, returning to professional cricket after an absence of more than six months that saw him miss the T20 World Cup, the Ashes, two Caribbean tours and the ongoing IPL, was limited to 10 overs, with an abundance of caution over his comeback after a stress fracture in his lower back. He bowled tightly, probing in the off-stump channel, but went wicketless.Curran was one of six seamers – including Ryan Patel’s medium pace – that Surrey used on the first day, as they went in without a specialist spinner for the third consecutive game. The fact that Gareth Batty, the erstwhile president of the Spinners’ Union, is their head coach makes the decision particularly intriguing; Daniel Moriarty and Amar Virdi have bowled 54 wicketless overs between them for the second XI this week, but must feel disheartened about the make-up of this attack.

There wasn’t much to speak of following the first Test in Rawalpindi, apart from the playing surface around which a dull draw began to take shape as early as the second day. Just 14 wickets fell across five days with the pitch never quite breaking up as Pakistan might have hoped. The match referee Ranjan Madugalle rated the pitch “below average” and one demerit point was handed out to the venue. PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, somewhat unusually, released a video statement, all but admitting the pitch had been neutralised because of the unavailability of Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali.So it was perhaps natural that Babar Azam would be peppered with questions about the surface, and whether Pakistan were a touch too wary of Australia. And as expected, the Pakistan captain pushed back hard against the notion.Related

• Rawalpindi pitch gets 'below average' rating from ICC match referee

• Imam: 'When we go to Australia, they don't make pitches consulting us'

• Ramiz: Rawalpindi draw 'wasn't a good advertisement for Test cricket'

• Swepson in line for Karachi debut as Aus ponder two-pronged spin attack

• Why did Pakistan sedate Rawalpindi, their liveliest Test pitch?

“We’re not frightened of Australia,” he insisted. “The conditions are the same for both teams, and the World Test Championship points are very crucial. As a captain, I wanted us to win. The way our side dominated, we had batters score 150-plus and [bowlers] get wickets. So there’s nothing to panic about. We dominated. We didn’t get a result, unfortunately, but that’s not in our hands. If all the overs that were lost due to rain were played, maybe we’d have a different result.”But while mystery shrouded the nature of the strip in use in Rawalpindi, there appears to be much more congruity about the characteristics of the wicket in Karachi. Australian captain Pat Cummins said the wicket looked drier, and Karachi’s historical friendliness towards spinners has seen the visitors drop Josh Hazlewood and hand legspinner Mitchell Swepson his debut. Babar admitted Pakistan didn’t know much about the Queenslander yet.”I haven’t seen much of him,” he said. “We’ll watch videos of him and plan accordingly. We’ve started practice here; it’s quite hot and the conditions are different. We have momentum with us; we dominated the first Test and had great individual and team performances. The batters batted well, the bowlers took ten wickets, and Nauman six. The overall team performance was good and we’re trying to take that momentum into this game.”Just like Imam-ul-Haq on Thursday, Babar too defended the Rawalpindi pitch. “The conditions here are not as they are in Australia,” he said. “Every venue has different conditions that we utilise. You can’t just produce bouncy wickets or ‘Australia-style’ wickets; that’s not possible. We’ll go by our strength and try and win the match that way. Test match situations and pitches are different to ODIs; matches have to last five days. Later on, the spinners will get help.”The pitch looks like a sporting wicket. There’s lots of talk about how the pitch should have been. Whatever the kind of wicket, you must put in the effort to score runs and take wickets. In Australia, we have the world’s best team here, and performing against them is very difficult; they give you a tough time. The way the team performed and worked hard has been heartening. You need patience, and I think our side showed a lot of patience.”For Australia, four batters got to half-centuries in the first Test, but all of them fell short of the three-figure mark; Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne were dismissed three and ten runs shy. Cummins said Australia had spoken about the need to capitalise once the batters were set, but defended his bowlers’ performance, despite the visitors managing only four wickets in 239 overs.”We spoke about that [batters’ performances] after the game. There are some really good positives from the batting group to get high 400s but over here, if you get yourself in, you’ve to capitalise. Even last week if we are being really critical, we might have missed a chance where we could have got a good lead ahead and had a chance to bowl on day five with a bit of a lead. They’ve been working hard the last couple of days of training. We think this wicket will provide a couple more questions and they are up for it.”We didn’t get as many wickets as we would have liked but never let the run rate slip, on past tours of the subcontinent we have. We never lost control of the game. As a Test match, it was an absolute outlier, so [we will] put it behind us and come here where we’ll probably get closer to the conditions we would expect in a subcontinent Test. I expect this wicket to break up a little bit more.”

Ruben Amorim now wants Manchester United to sign a new striker, and has earmarked a “world-class” alternative to Viktor Gyokeres as the potential man to fit the bill at Old Trafford, according to a shock report.

Manchester United need a striker

Despite having bought a striker in each of the last two summer transfer windows, Manchester United are in desperate need of a new no.9. So far, they have managed just 12 goals in 11 Premier League games, the joint fourth worst in the division alongside newly promoted Ipswich Town.

Of those goals, Rasmus Hojlund has managed just one, while summer addition Joshua Zirkzee also has just one to his name, coming on his debut against Fulham on the opening night of the season.

The lack of chances created for strikers is certainly a problem that Amorim will have to tackle upon his arrival at Old Trafford, but United continue to lack a good striker capable of taking them back towards the European spots, with both Hojlund and Zirkzee long-term projects who the club cannot afford to waste too much time on.

Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund: not up to the job

Stats (PL 24/25)

Rasmus Hojlund

Joshua Zirkzee

Appearances

7

11

Goals

1

1

Shots on target per 90

0.65

1.24

Expected goals

1.1

2.6

Shot creating actions per 90

2.38

3.11

Aerial duel % won

20.8%

36.7%

Clearly then, a new striker at Old Trafford is a must, with a reliable goalscorer key to their chances of moving up the division and neither Hojlund nor Zirkzee having proved themselves that during their limited time in Manchester. Now, one report has put forward an audacious option for the Red Devils.

Manchester United linked with shock move for big name striker

With Amorim having joined the club from Sporting CP, and in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres free to leave in the summer after his price dropped to just £63m, all logic points towards the Red Devils moving to sign the Swedish forward at the end of the campaign.

However, one report in Spain claims that Amorim has instead identified England captain and last season’s Bundesliga top goalscorer Harry Kane as the man he wants to bring to Old Trafford, with Manchester United having “made the English international one of their priorities to strengthen their attack”.

Of course, the Red Devils had long been linked with Kane during his time at Tottenham, but he ultimately opted to move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, and has thrived in Bavaria.

As it stands, the England record goalscorer has grabbed 61 goals in 61 games for Vincent Kompany’s side, as well as managing 21 assists. Now 31-years-old, he is in the twilight of his career and unlikely to be a long-term solution to Manchester United’s problems given the price tag it would require to prize him out of Bayern Munich, providing Kane even wanted to return to England.

Add to that Kane’s £400,000 a week salary at Bayern, and a move looks even more unlikely, with the whole endeavour likely to cost hundreds of millions to even try and complete.

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ByBen Browning Nov 15, 2024

Of course, Kane remains a top striker, as some at Manchester United know all too well; England teammate and Red Devils defender Harry Maguire labelled him “world class” just last year.

“He’s a magnificent, world-class player. He proves it year after year”, Maguire explained back in September.

However, a deal looks almost certain not to happen, and with other cheaper strikers on the market, that may well be to United’s benefit.

The PCB had terminated its cable-distribution deal and suspended the broadcasting deal with PTV Sports, which was expected to earn them US$ 200 million over three years

Umar Farooq23-Nov-2021A sessions court in Lahore has issued a stay order to prevent the PCB from suspending its deal with the state-owned broadcaster PTV.The PCB had signed a three-year broadcast deal in 2020 with PTV, as well as an agreement with I-Media Communications Services, to ensure the PCB’s broadcast content is not redistributed illegally by cable operators. The official signing of the deal had taken place in the presence of Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief.But last week the PCB terminated its cable-distribution deal and suspended the broadcasting deal with PTV Sports, deals from which, on signing them, the PCB said were expected to fetch them US$ 200 million over three years. The PCB also opened a new tender inviting bids for new media rights for home internationals for the upcoming series against West Indies and Australia. That process will have to be put on hold for now until the dispute is sorted.At heart is the nature of the arrangement. The deal allowed PTV to broadcast all Pakistan’s home bilateral commitments as well as all domestic cricket, though the PCB held on to the production rights. The deal with I-Media Communications Services was meant to ensure that the distribution of cricket content would only be done through licensed cable operators, and the value of the content would be protected against potential illegal distribution.The expected earnings from this deal would come from advertising revenue and also, for the first time in Pakistan, distribution revenue from the cable operators – the equivalent of revenues that broadcasters make from subscriptions – through I-Media. That revenue is important in countries such as England, Australia and, increasingly, India but has been non-existent in Pakistan due to the nature of the industry.It is believed to be on the basis of non-compliance on payments from the I-Media contract that the PCB has gone to court. In its plea before judge Talat Mahmood, PTV said that it “had been honouring” the terms of the deal at every stage. PCB, however, had suspended the deal with both parties because of the supposed non-compliance when it came to implementing the Digital Pakistan policy (one part of which is regulating the illegal cable operator business).PTV also claim that PCB had never addressed any grievances to PTV’s managing director, as the contract stipulated – ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB wrote directly to the Information Minister – who oversees the state-owned PTV – when required.The broadcast deal was signed in the face of a shrinking broadcast market, more so after the Covid-19 pandemic. It ended a long-running broadcast relationship with Ten Sports. International rights for PCB’s home series were sold separately to various channels around the world.Pakistan has few local sports broadcasters to choose from though recently, the ARY Group has launched an HD sports channel called A-Sports, which covered the T20 World Cup and is presently broadcasting the Abu Dhabi T10 league. PTV, however, broadcasts its content on standard definition, which the PCB wants to change to HD.Neither PTV or PCB chose to speak on the matter when contacted.

England Lions batter tees off with unbeaten 51 from 19 to take centre stage

Aadam Patel22-Nov-2021In a match which featured established internationals like Eoin Morgan, Mohammad Hafeez and Andre Russell, it was instead the uncapped Tom Kohler-Cadmore who was the man to watch with a blistering unbeaten 51 off 19 to seal an emphatic win for Deccan Gladiators over Delhi Bulls.Alongside Tom Banton (44 off 21), another among an array of English batting talent, the pair put on 100 in 39 deliveries to drive their side home in front of England’s white-ball captain, Morgan.For Dwayne Bravo and Delhi Bulls, it was a first defeat in the Abu Dhabi T10. Despite becoming the first team to get bowled out this season, they still managed to set a challenging target of 113 for Gladiators.Kohler-Cadmore went into the chase on the back of scores of 6 and 7 and he attributed his match-winning knock, which included three fours and five sixes, to a conversation he had earlier in the day with Mushtaq Ahmed, the Gladiators coach.”I had a great chat with Mushy today, he just gave me a shed load of confidence and told me to trust myself from ball one and that’s exactly what I did,” Kohler-Cadmore said.After the opening pair navigated the initial two overs of the powerplay with relative comfort, Bravo turned to another England man, Adil Rashid, in the hope of making a breakthrough. Kohler-Cadmore instead had other ideas.Related

Moores vs Russell in Abu Dhabi T10: 'I knew I was gonna lose'

Danny Briggs' last-ball six maintains Team Abu Dhabi's 100% start

How better to make a statement than to take one of England’s most prized assets for 25 runs in an over, with Morgan given a front-row seat to witness the onslaught?Rashid was smashed for four consecutive sixes by Kohler-Cadmore: three wonderful shots over midwicket and one straight back over the bowler’s head. By the end of the third over, the Gladiators were 53 without loss and had almost halved the target. It was as emphatic a statement as you could make.”I’ve faced Rash a lot in the nets, especially back home, so it was only going one way or the other,” Kohler-Cadmore said. “Either he was gonna get me out or I was gonna get him. Thankfully, it went my way.”The chance to get one over his Yorkshire team-mate was certainly sweet, but Kohler-Cadmore was still full of praise for Rashid. “For me, to be able to learn and play with someone like him – because he’s world-class and he shows it every time he performs, especially in an England shirt – it’s awesome to learn from someone as good as him,” he said.T10 is a format of the game that doesn’t allow for any time to settle in and Kohler-Cadmore underlined how that helped his approach. “It’s probably the simplest format because your intent is to hit every ball for six anyway. Even when someone like Rash deceives you, you’re still swinging in this format, so you might get an inside edge or an outside edge and get lucky. In fact, it’s quite a simple game as opposed to when it’s longer, it’s perhaps slightly harder.”As he and Banton continued their assault at the Zayed Cricket Ground, the television crew decided that it would be a good time to interview Andy Flower, the coach of the Delhi Bulls. “He’s a beautiful batter and he’s great to watch, just maybe not so much when you’re on the other side,” Flower said of Kohler-Cadmore’s assault.In 2019, it was Flower who informed Kohler-Cadmore that he had been stood down from England Lions duty after details of misogynistic WhasApp conversations emerged at the rape trial of Alex Hepburn. The Yorkshire batter was indefinitely suspended from all England-related selection and subsequently fined.He was remorseful and apologetic for his actions and it is fair to say he has made strides forward since then, not least by volunteering to speak at a PCA rookie camp where around 50 newly signed professional cricketers heard his tale as part of an induction into the game.Suspension served, an England cap is still something that has evaded Kohler-Cadmore till now. He toured with the Lions in Australia in early 2020 and was part of England’s 55-man training squad last summer. And he has spent the past year representing Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers, as well as Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL and starring in the T10.The hunger is undoubtedly still there and innings like this can only help when knocking on the door of an England white-ball setup that is notoriously tricky to break into.A quarter of the way into the tournament, the Abu Dhabi T10 is turning into a bit of a show for the English talent out in the UAE. Team Abu Dhabi, led by Liam Livingstone are yet to taste defeat, with Livingstone unsurprisingly hitting more sixes than anyone else thus far, and a devastating 63 not out off 28 from Phil Salt secured their fourth win out of four against the Chennai Braves.On Sunday, a rescue act from Jamie Overton and Danny Briggs got them over the line in a thriller, before Will Jacks and Benny Howell smashed 72 in four overs to give the Bangla Tigers their first win. Morgan himself took Bulls home with 26 off 12 later in the day.Tymal Mills was also back in action, making his first appearance since a thigh injury ended his involvement in the T20 World Cup, and he impressed with figures of 2 for 12 for Gladiators – which included the scalp of Morgan – before Kohler-Cadmore got to work.

Takes over from Richard Gould in sign of thawing relations between ECB and Surrey

George Dobell23-Sep-2021Steve Elworthy, the ECB director of events who was widely credited for salvaging England’s 2020 home season during the Covid-19 outbreak, has been appointed as the new chief executive at Surrey.Elworthy, the former South Africa seamer who played in four Tests and 39 ODIs, including the 1999 World Cup, will take over from Surrey’s interim CEO, Charlie Hodgson, in January, following the departure earlier this year of Richard Gould, who has since taken on an equivalent role at Bristol City FC.”I have been incredibly lucky to have worked closely with Surrey CCC over the years, especially when hosting major global cricket tournaments,” Elworthy said. “Surrey is the biggest club in the country and to be offered the opportunity to work with Richard Thompson and the Board, the Surrey team and players is a huge honour.”Having played at The Oval when representing South Africa in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, I am looking forward to getting back to cricket and working with the women’s and men’s teams. Cricket, on and off the field, has been part of my life since I can remember, and its values and comradery have helped shape my drive to keep this amazing sport healthy and vibrant – I am truly excited about the opportunities ahead.”The move is an eyecatching one, given that Elworthy’s most recent role at the ECB was to oversee the final arrangements for this year’s inaugural season of the Hundred – a tournament which Surrey’s previous regime had strongly opposed, not least given the success that the Kia Oval has enjoyed in staging regular T20 Blast sell-outs in recent years.However, the inaugural season of the Hundred proved a qualified success, in particular thanks to the heightened profile of the women’s competition, which was launched at The Oval with a stand-alone fixture between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals. The Invincibles went on to lift the women’s trophy in the final at Lord’s, and Elworthy’s appointment may be seen as an attempt to forge closer ties between the ECB and English cricket’s richest club.Related

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Elworthy’s CV includes his role as Managing Director of the 2019 World Cup – a tournament won by England – while he has previously overseen seven ICC World Events across two countries, including the 2009 World T20 in England. He served three years as the ECB Director of Marketing and Communications, and is also a former Commercial Director for Cricket South Africa. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for his services to cricket, but also holds other non-executive posts in sports such as netball, basketball and cycling.Thompson, Surrey’s chair, added: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Steve Elworthy to the Surrey family. His reputation and achievements in cricket go before him and I have no doubt of the positive impact and difference he will make for Surrey County Cricket Club and The Kia Oval.”The Club has only had two Chief Executives in the past 25 years and continuity has been a huge part of our success. This year we have produced more England players than we have for a generation, attracted a record number of Members, opened the incredible new Galadari Stand and continued to develop a hotel adjacent to the ground.”Surrey CCC is in great shape and remains very ambitious for future success – on and off the field. I have no doubt Steve is well very equipped to help the club fulfil its full potential.”Hodgson, whose main priority in his interim role has been to steer Surrey through the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, is understood to be disappointed at missing out on the full-time position. However, the club are keen to retain his commercial acumen, with Thompson praising his efforts in balancing the books in unprecedented circumstances.”I would also like to play tribute to our Interim Chief Executive, Charlie Hodgson,” Thompson said. “He has done an outstanding job over one of the most challenging seasons I can ever remember. The club owes a debt to Charlie’s commitment and hard work for the club I know he loves dearly.”