Lauryn Goodman is open to getting married as she wants a "consistent father figure” for her children – with Kyle Walker absent after two affairs.
Walker fathered two children outside of marriageStrained relationship endured with former mistressGoodman eager to forge a more settled family unitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Outside of his marriage to long-term partner Annie Kilner, England international Walker has fathered two children with former Love Island contestant Goodman – a son, who dreams of becoming a footballer, and a daughter.
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Walker, who is now on the books of Burnley after severing ties with Manchester City, has little to do with his children that were born outside of wedlock. He provides financial support, but is not on hand to help out with any parenting duties.
WHAT GOODMAN SAID
Goodman has steered clear of relationships after becoming caught up in an extramarital storm, but did appear on Celebs Go Dating in 2024 and is ruling nothing out. She told when asked if she would like to meet a special someone: “I’m actually open to it now. My head is clear. I’d love to intentionally date, but I’m not in any rush. If it comes, it comes.”
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Pushed on whether a true love story could one day lead to her walking down the aisle, Goodman added: “Yes, absolutely. I’ve been hurt so much in the past and up until now I’ve just focused on being a solid foundation for my children. But now, I’d love to meet someone special – not just for me, but for the kids too. I think they deserve a consistent father figure, and I’d love that for them.”
On April 3, the BCCI will sell the media rights for international bilateral cricket in India for the next five years (2018-23) through an online auction
Nagraj Gollapudi02-Apr-2018ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat is an e-auction? In an e-auction, bids are filed by companies through an online portal. Unlike a close-bid auction process, which the BCCI followed till now, in an e-auction, potential companies file incremental bids till the competitors drop out. The highest bidder left gets awarded the ownership of the rights.Why did the BCCI opt for an e-auction?The main reason the CoA-led BCCI opted for the e-auction was to erase all doubts of possible rigging, something the closed-bid auction was vulnerable to according to many critics. They called the closed-bid auction defective because it had the potential to provide gains for vested interests where rival companies could ramp up the bids to help. An e-auction ensures more transparency, fairness and a competitive-price discovering model resulting in fetching the maximum price.How many companies have entered the fray?Six global companies have bought the bid document. They are: Star India, Sony Pictures Network India, Facebook, Google, Reliance Jio and Yupp TV. On April 3, the BCCI will evaluate the technical and financial feasibility of all six companies before the actual bidding process starts at 2pm IST.Yearwise break-up of matches
What is the contract period for these rights??The BCCI’s bid-document was for home internationals for men and women as well domestic matches to be played in India between April 15, 2018 and March 31, 2023.How many categories are there?There are three categories on sale. First, the Indian television rights cum rest of the world digital rights (GTVRD). The second, digital rights for the Indian subcontinent (ID) alone, and thirdly, the global consolidated rights (GCR) comprising the television rights for the Indian subcontinent, rest of the world and the worldwide digital rights.The reason behind dividing the rights into the three categories was, unlike the IPL where there is global interest, and during bilateral series, it narrows down to a limited territory restricted to the team playing India.What is the base price for these categories?There are two different base prices or per-match-values (PMV): one solely for the 2018-19 season and then for the rest of the four-year period. The reason for this split in pricing is because the ICC’s new global FTP would start after the 2019 World Cup.For the 2018-19 season, the the per-match-value for the GTVRD is INR 35 crore, INR 8 crore for ID and INR 43 crore for GCR. For the 2019-23 period, the per-match-value for the GTVRD package is priced at INR 33 crore, INR 7 crore for ID, and INR 40 crore for GCR.What is the value of the incremental bids?All three packages have different values for the incremental bids. For GTVRD, it will be INR 20 crore per bid whereas for ID it would INR 5 crore. The increment for GCRs would be INR 25 crore.How will the e-auction work?The highest bids across all three categories will be flashed live simultaneously on screen. The potential bidders will need to file the highest amount they would want to pay (per season) along with the break-up for the category they want to contest. The names of the bidders will not be revealed so as to ensure rivals cannot bump up prices.How many international matches will the winner get to broadcast?The BCCI has listed a total of 102 matches, which will form part of the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) from June 2018 to March 2023. During this period India will host 22 Tests, 45 ODIs and 35 T20s against nine opponents barring Pakistan and Ireland.The marquee series in this period will be the five-Test series against England in late 2021 and the four-Test series against Australia in early 2023.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, Charlotte Edwards, Jhulan Goswami, Amelia Kerr and Co react after Mumbai Indians become WPL champions
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2023
Harmanpreet Kaur poses with the WPL trophy•BCCI
Harmanpreet Kaur: It was a great experience for all of us, we were waiting for this moment for so many years. I think everybody enjoyed in our dressing room.[On her personal experience] It feels like a dream, I think not only for me but for everyone here, even for the crowd also. So many people were asking us, “When the WPL is going to come?” And today that day is here and I’m so happy and so proud that our team did so well. When you have such a long batting line-up, you just need to go there and express [yourself] and that’s what we have been talking [about] in the dressing room. I’m really happy that everybody took the responsibility and they did whatever we discussed.Staying positive was the biggest key for us. And think we were a little lucky today, a lot of full tosses, but everything went in our favour. I think that’s what you need whenever you go and play. It’s a special moment for all of us, and I have been waiting for this moment for a long, long time, and today I can feel how one feels after winning [a trophy], and I think I should give credit to all the support staff and everyone. It was a great experience for me. Looking forward to the next year now.We just talked about how positive we were in the dressing room and we just keep talking about how we needed to go about. The way we discussed whatever the planning we executed really well and that is the reason we are standing here today.Nat Sciver-Brunt: [On her knock] It was very special. I am glad I was able to stick it out when the pressure was on and to be there at the end was really special.Amelia Kerr and Nat Sciver-Brunt sealed a tense chase•BCCI
[On her partnership with Harmanpreet and Kerr] I was finding it quite tough and Harman was sweeping her way to a good total so she took the pressure off me, and Amelia did as well when she came in. I knew if I was there at the end, we would be able to get over the line. The last three or four overs, we came gave away too many boundaries than we would have liked to. That made the game interesting.[On winning the title] It means everything. At the start of the competition, I didn’t really know what to expect and to come together with a very special group of girls at the Mumbai Indians, it is really special to be standing here.Hayley Matthews: It is crazy. Obviously coming to this tournament, the first of many. So to be part of history is so exciting. We have been through a lot of ups and downs throughout the tournament, so just happy that we finally made it to the end of the road. Just to be able to create history and bring it home in very first year means a lot.[On her favourite wicket] I reckon wickets are wickets, but I gave Amelia [Kerr] a bit of tease about how I got her in New Zealand, and the fact that I was pretty happy with that – through the gate. But no, happy to get the win at the end of the day. Obviously, the wicket assisted me a little bit today when I was bowling. So glad we got over the line today and I was able to contribute to another team win.Amelia Kerr: It helps when you’re going out and Nat Sciver is there to hit the winning runs. These moments, I guess that’s what you train for, that’s what you work hard for. You want to step up in those moments, and just keeping it simple and going back to your best shot and best gameplan and kind of ignoring everything else. It’s nice that it came off today. So pleasing to get there with an amazing franchise and a group of amazing people.[On playing in front of a packed stadium] You just get into the zone and you are so focused on what you need to do. In between the balls you hear the crowd, and while sitting on the sidelines, and you are like ‘wow, this is amazing’. Playing in front of those many people is incredible. But as soon as that ball is bowled, you have to focus and be in the zone.Charlotte Edwards, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co are all smiles after the win•BCCI
[On head coach Charlotte Edwards] Charlotte, Lottie, she is an absolute legend. She is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with. She has got a wealth of knowledge and just sitting back and talking cricket with her, you learn so much. She has taken teams to finals and it hasn’t come off. So to do that for her today, the amount of effort she puts in is outstanding. It’s pretty emotional and pleasing to see her, a good person and a brilliant coach, get that reward.Charlotte Edwards, head coach: I am a little bit over the moon. To win this title the first time around, it is up there as one of my greatest moments in cricket. It’s been an unbelievable group, they’ve stuck together, they have gelled brilliantly, and some strong friendships have built through this tournament, and it has been amazing to be around.We gave them yesterday off because they were tired. They don’t forget how to play cricket. It was important they rested. We had a team meeting yesterday where we looked at the Delhi team. And then today, we kept it very relaxed. When we are on, we are on. When are off, we had some enjoyable times together. I think you can probably say they played for one another. Harman has been outstanding as a captain, I am so pleased for her tonight. It’s been a wonderful experience.Jhulan Goswami, mentor and bowling coach: [On wickets off full tosses] Well, you cannot plan all those things, but honestly speaking all credit goes to the bowlers. And thanks to Lottie, the way she handled the entire team as a leader it was an amazing experience for me. This was my first assignment as a coach. So thanks to Lottie, the support staff, and the entire team – the way they always believed and kept that faith. And as well as the girls – they put in everything and believed that we would be able to do our best whatever the opportunity comes.Mumbai Indians players pose with the trophy•Getty Images
[On Harmanpreet Kaur finally lifting a title] Many times she has gone through these situations and has not been able to cross that hurdle. But this time, the first day met, we said this time you have to cross that hurdle, and she was so determined, she was so focused. And you could see when she was batting, she was taking that responsibility, and making sure all the girls were in the right space.We tried to have a lot of communication among ourselves, and at the same time, she was there to take the charge whenever needed. I think the way she handled this team from day one is amazing. And they came here straightaway after a tournament [T20 World Cup]. Not even once during a session she said she was tried. From the first day she said she wanted to be there all the time, take all the responsibility and make sure we finish at the top.Yastika Bhatia: It’s enormous. I just can’t explain in words, I am so happy right now to be on the winning side. Just very, very happy and proud of the team. We were pretty relaxed yesterday, we just tried to focus on the small, small things we wanted to execute. So we were just concentrating on our plans.Saika Ishaque: I am so happy I am not even able to explain it. The dream has come true. I didn’t change my plan much. I was like even if I don’t get wickets, I will just focus on bowling dot balls, and that’s what I did. So if plan A and plan B don’t work, plan C was to bowl dots, and [Issy] Wongy’s plan C was to take wickets off full tosses .
Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the series against England, and faces another extended period on the sidelines after a recurrence of his back stress fracture, while Matt Henry will also miss the first Test.Jamieson, 28, had been in line to play at least one of the upcoming Tests having not feature in international cricket since June when he initially picked up the back injury in England.However, scans ahead of the opening match in Mount Maunganui have revealed another fracture and Jamieson will return to Christchurch for further assessment.Related
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Jamieson, who has recently played in the Super Smash and played for the New Zealand XI in the two-day warm-up against England in Hamilton, is not currently experiencing pain but faces an uncertain timeframe.”It’s really gutting for Kyle to have this happen after he’d put so much hard work in to getting himself back on the park,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “Since the injury in June we’ve certainly taken a cautious approach to managing his return with regular monitoring by our medical staff which has included scans.”While Kyle’s not feeling any pain, the evidence is pretty clear he has a stress-fracture and so he’ll return to Christchurch today and have a CT scan on Friday before we decide on the next steps.”Jamieson has made an outstanding start to his Test career with 72 wickets at 19.45 from 16 Tests.New Zealand considered recalling Trent Boult•ILT20
Stead also revealed an SOS to Trent Boult was discussed but selectors opted against calling upon the left-arm quick. Boult is no longer a contracted player after New Zealand Cricket agreed to release him from his deal in August, allowing him to pursue T20 franchise options and spend more time with his family.The 33-year-old, who has 78 Test caps and taken 317 wickets at 27.49, missed the two-Test series in Pakistan and had been playing in the ILT20 for MI Emirates. He is now back at home in Mount Maunganui, just a 20-minute drive from the Bay Oval.”We have spoken to Trent Boult recently and it has been decided since he gave up his contract that we will give priority to the locally contracted players and we have done that on this occasion,” confirmed Stead.”It does not mean we have ruled Trent out from anything in the future. There will be ongoing discussion and we’re not sure what the landscape of the cricket world will look like in six months. It might change again.”Meanwhile, New Zealand will also be without Henry for the opening match as he awaits the birth of his first child. Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn, both uncapped at Test level, have been called into the squad. They join captain Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Blair Tickner as the pace-bowling options.
Stead defends Kuggeleijn selection
Kuggeleijn’s inclusion is likely to prove controversial, especially if selected in the XI for Thursday’s day-night opener. He was tried and found not guilty of rape in February 2017, following a trial at Hamilton District Court.He made his international debut during a tour of Ireland in May the same year, playing two ODIs, and the Northern Districts allrounder has since played 18 T20Is. The first three of those came in New Zealand at the start of 2019 and prompted protests in the stands, ranging from #MeToo signs to others promoting sexual consent.Stead defended the decision to pick Kuggeleijn, who averages 32.52 with the ball and 27.72 with the bat in first-class cricket. “That’s not my job, I guess, to do that,” he responded when asked of the moral issues around the matter.”I get given the players I can choose from and we have gone with a resilient character, from a bowling point of view, and he is a guy when you lose two key bowlers, you look around and ask who are the guys who can a job for us internationally and he is one who can.”It is a rebuilding stage for us and you are tested with your depth when you lose two players on the eve of the Test match. Scott and Jacob are both resilient and offer something different. I would be surprised if one of them does not debut in this Test match.”New Zealand’s preparations for the first Test have also been hit by the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle causing delays to some players arriving.Tom Blundell, who recently welcomed his second child will also link up with the side on Tuesday, along with Henry Nicholls who had his original flight from Christchurch on Monday cancelled.
Marseille’s transfer stance on Mason Greenwood has been revealed, with the ex-Manchester United forward linked with a return to England.
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Forward left Old Trafford in 2024
Registered 20 goals during debut season in France
Has been linked with teams across Europe
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The 23-year-old severed ties with the Red Devils on a permanent basis in the summer of 2024, having spent the previous season on loan at Spanish side Getafe – where he was named Player of the Year.
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Greenwood moved to Stade Velodrome for £27 million ($36m), but has seen his asking price continue to rise over the course of a productive debut campaign in France. He has reached the 20-goal mark this season.
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There has been talk of imminent approaches from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, while a couple of Premier League clubs have been credited with interest in the supposedly homesick one-cap England international – who is preparing to switch international allegiance to Jamaica.
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His value to the cause at Marseille would be expected to make him untouchable, as he remains under contract until 2029, but that may not be the case. Questions of his attitude have been asked throughout the 2024-25 campaign, leading to the odd spell on the bench being taken in, and claims that Marseille would “consider a sale if a very interesting offer arrives”.
This will allow teams to pick their best XIs and impact player based on whether they are batting or bowling
Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2023Captains in IPL 2023 will walk out for the toss with two different team sheets, and hand in their final XIs the toss. That is one of the significant tweaks to the IPL’s playing conditions, which will soon be shared with the teams. The change, the IPL said in an internal note listing the various changes to playing conditions, would allow franchises to pick their best XIs based on whether they end up batting or bowling, the appropriate impact player included.”Currently the captains have to exchange the teams before the toss,” the note, seen by ESPNcricinfo, said. “This has been changed to exchange of teams immediately post the toss, to enable teams to choose the best XI depending on whether they are batting or bowling first. It will also assist the teams to plan for the impact player.”The IPL becomes the second T20 franchise league after the SA20 to allow teams to announce their XIs after the toss. In the SA20, which staged its inaugural season earlier this year, teams put 13 names on the team sheets initially before announcing their final XIs after the toss. Graeme Smith, the SA20 tournament director, had said then that the move was designed to “lessen the impact of the toss” and allow a level-playing field based on the conditions. The numbers at the end of the SA20 season were pretty even: out of the 33 matches, teams winning the toss won 15 times and lost 16 (two no results).Related
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The IPL has adopted a similar thought process now, with another key factor being neutralising the effect of dew somewhat – dew has traditionally had a big impact at some venues in India, with teams bowling second adversely impacted.The numbers from 2019 – the previous time the IPL was played in India in a home-and-away format – illustrate that teams winning the toss went on to win more often than not: across 60 games, teams won 34 and lost 23 after winning the toss (not including Super Overs and no results).While the toss will still matter, with the new rule it should not be a case of “win toss, win match” in certain conditions, with teams allowed to tweak their teams accordingly. For example, if a team that wanted to bat and then defend a total on a slow track in turning conditions is forced to bowl first, it can play an extra spinner in the starting XI, and then replace a specialist bowler with a batter in the second innings to help with the run chase.Other tweaks to the IPL playing conditions Over-rate penalty of only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle for every over not completed in the allocated time. Unfair movement of the wicketkeeper will result in a dead ball and five penalty runs. Unfair movement by a fielder will result in a dead ball and five penalty runs.
AC Milan are set for a change in guard in the managerial position, with ex-Juventus boss Thiago Motta the latest to be linked with the job.
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Milan looking for a new manager this summerClub to part ways with Sergio ConceicaoMotta the latest to enter the race for the jobFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, former Juventus head coach Motta has been the latest name to be linked with the AC Milan job next season. Sergio Conceicao is set to depart just six months after taking charge of the club, following a string of disappointing results, with the club looking to find a suitable long-term successor to revive their fortunes.
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Motta earned a reputation as one of the finest young managers in the world after guiding Bologna to a fifth-place finish in the Serie A in 2023-24, and subsequently a spot in the Champions League. He was appointed by Juventus last summer, but was fired in March after just 42 games in charge. Now unemployed, the Italian becomes the latest manager to join the list of candidates being eyed by Milan to replace Conceicao.
DID YOU KNOW?
Motta is not the only manager to be tipped to take over at Milan this summer. Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi is reportedly keen on a return to Italy and has caught the eye of the Rossoneri, while Antonio Conte has also been rumoured to leave Napoli and join Milan. Current Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano is another name on their radar.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?
Milan will play their final Serie A game of the season this weekend in hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. They will clash against bottom-placed Monza on Saturday, May 24.
Quinton de Kock has also linked up with Super Giants but who will make way for him?
Hemant Brar06-Apr-20234:47
Moody: Stick with Mayers and bat him at No. 3
Big pictureKyle Mayers was part of Lucknow Super Giants’ squad in IPL 2022 but didn’t get a game. Had Quinton de Kock not been on national duty, Mayers wouldn’t have started this season either. But now he has two swashbuckling half-centuries in two games to give Super Giants a happy headache.With de Kock available and having smashed a 44-ball 100 against West Indies recently, do Super Giants drop Mayers? That will be sacrilegious. If they play both, who sacrifices the opening slot? Plus, who misses out in that case – Nicholas Pooran or Marcus Stoinis? Pooran made useful contributions in both games, while Stoinis gives them an extra bowling option, even though he is yet to bowl this IPL.After starting their campaign with a win at home, Super Giants went down to Chennai Super Kings in their next match. Now that they are back in Lucknow, can they return to winning ways?Sunrisers Hyderabad too are coming off a defeat; they were thrashed by Rajasthan Royals in their opening game. But there are plenty of reasons for Sunrisers to put that hammering behind them, the biggest being the availability of their South African players.Related
Kyle Mayers had one shot, and he didn't let it slip
For the Royals game, they were without their captain Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen. Now that the trio has joined the squad, they have all eight overseas players to pick from. And like de Kock, all three carry excellent form with them.Team newsBoth teams get reinforcements with their South African players who were part of the Netherlands series available now. Apart from Super Giants’ Mohsin Khan, there are no known injury concerns.Toss and Impact Player strategyLucknow Super Giants With de Kock a shoo-in, Stoinis may have to miss out. When it comes to Impact Player, Super Giants could start with Ayush Badoni if they are batting first. Jaydev Unadkat or Yash Thakur could replace him in the second innings. Vice versa if they are bowling first.Probable bat-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mark WoodProbable bowl-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Avesh Khan, 9 Jaydev Unadkat/Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mark WoodAiden Markram will take over the captaincy from Bhuvneshwar Kumar•BCCI
Sunrisers Hyderabad Given Klaasen’s recent form, and that he is a regular wicketkeeper, he could replace Glenn Phillips in the starting XI. Jansen may have to wait for his turn, though.Abdul Samad and Kartik Tyagi could be Sunrisers’ Impact Player pair.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T NatarajanProbable bowl-first XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Adil Rashid, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umran Malik, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Kartik TyagiStats that matter Since the start of the last IPL, Super Giants have won eight out of nine games when batting first. But when it comes to chasing, they have won only two out of eight. Mayers’ strike rate against pace is 149.54. But against spin, it drops down to 103.15. Pooran has a great strike rate against both pace and spin, but Adil Rashid has been able to keep him quiet. In 36 balls to Pooran, he has conceded just 31 runs while getting him out twice. Since the start of 2022, Mark Wood has picked up a wicket every eighth ball.Pitch and conditionsTeams batting first have fared slightly better at this venue, with 17 wins and 14 defeats from 31 T20s. When it comes to bowling, spinners (6.49) have been more frugal than fast bowlers (7.87).
When Sophie Devine was growing up, she was a great drag flicker who netted penalty corners for fun in Wellington. The thrust she would impart on the ball, while picking trajectories at will, would send it screaming to different corners of the net. It was an early sign of her sporting potential.Growing up in a multi-sport country that rewarded additional skillsets in the form of academic credits had her also take up cricket. And nearly a decade-and-a-half later, much of this brutality and early promise that was on display on the hockey field continues to mesmerise fans the world over at cricket grounds, too.If you watched Devine’s savagery on Saturday night, chances are you’d be the first to endorse it’s time to rid the women’s game of 48-metre boundaries with immediate effect. She wasn’t just clearing them, she was tonking them into the top tiers or onto the adjacent tennis courts, some 90 metres away.The crowd, who’d come out hoping for some fireworks, the photographers who were trying to get that perfect picture, the umpires who were at striking distance, the poor bowlers – they were all left in awe. Sixes kept flying as fast as Mumbai’s taxis do along Marine Drive.Devine hit an astounding nine fours and eight sixes in her 36-ball 99. She holed out to mid-off going for her ninth six and had to be drag herself back after falling agonisingly short of WPL’s first century. Everybody in the ground stood up to applaud her. Her shell-shocked opponents were short of words as Sneh Rana later put it. Royal Challengers Bangalore are still a long way away from qualifying for the play-offs, but they’re still alive.Gujarat Giants, having set a formidable 189 to win, will perhaps look back and say it was just one of those nights, but their bowling line-up looked flaky all night and had few answers to Devine. Ashleigh Gardner was the first one caught in the storm. Having brought in to unsettle Smriti Mandhana, who had been out five times to offspin this WPL, she conceded 24 off her first over as Devine took her for a sequence of 0, 6, 4, 4, 6, 4 to set the tone for Royal Challengers’s reply. They waltzed to 77 for 0 in the powerplay.Devine raised her half-century off just 20 balls and then took her innings into orbit. Once Giants realised pace on the ball wasn’t working, they tried to slow it down. Devine, who spoke of “being in a zone”, wasn’t going to die wondering. Enter her quick feet and long levers and the ball was repeatedly tossed into the club house. The pose that she held while following the trajectory of the ball told you how much she enjoyed it.It wasn’t just Devine who enjoyed it, though.Sophie Devine missed her maiden WPL century by a run•BCCI
“There are few people who can do what she did tonight, but she’s been doing it consistently for years and what she did tonight was special,” Ellyse Perry told Sports 18 after the match. “To be fair, that last shot where she got out typifies Sophie. It’s not about runs for her but playing for the team.”To be going for a big shot on 99 when cover was open for a single, it speaks volumes to her character as a person. It was a special chase led by Sophie, it was fun to be a part of and it has kept us in the competition. I don’t know if Sophie can express to us what she is capable of. She’s got the quickest hands and has a good stable base where she gets her power from.”That stablility stems from her trusting her technique and not basing her game on second-guessing what’s coming. Much of it is instinctive; she derives that confidence from her innate ability to have different options for similar deliveries. She can club a length ball through midwicket and flat bat a similar delivery over the bowler’s head for six. It’s this range that she accesses that makes her a dangerous proposition, more so on surfaces with good bounce and carry.”Sometimes the best thing for me is I don’t have game plan,” Devine said as she tried to breakdown the events later. “When you’re chasing 180-190, you have to go hard. When I got a couple away, I thought it was time, it was a combination of freedom and determination to stay in since I’ve thrown my wicket away a couple of times.”Cricket can be so fickle. I’ve been struggling for six to nine months, if I have to be completely honest. To have some freedom on these wickets was good. It’s also been good to trust myself and free my hands up. Our batting coach RX Murali challenged me to bat a long time, so it was nice to score some runs tonight.”The “some runs” may have well delivered a blockbuster that will be etched in WPL folklore. The knock came at a time when you thought it would have been hard to top Laura Wolvaardt’s surgical precision and Gardner’s monstrous six-hitting.”I’m so used to hearing chants for Perry and Mandhana, and was feeling a bit left out,” Devine chuckled. “To hear your name and experience this atmosphere, it will stay with me for a very long time.”This much is certain. Devine isn’t going to be the only one to remember this knock for long. And Mandhana wasn’t the only one yearning for popcorn while enjoying the Sophie Devine show.
Carey’s form a cause for concern for the visitors as his batting average slips under 30
Alex Malcolm02-Mar-20241:18
Lyon: ‘Phillips has been talking to me nearly every morning about spin bowling’
The last time Nathan Lyon top-scored in a Test innings Australia was bowled out for 47 and lost the match.Lyon said he would not have any cheeky words with Australia’s batters after top-scoring with 41 as the visitors collapsed for 164 at the Basin Reserve and bring New Zealand back into the game from a vulnerable position.”No. That’s the second time I’ve done it in my career,” Lyon said. “And let’s hope it’s the last.”But there is a case to be made that some soul-searching should be done among Australia’s batting group. It is not the style of this team to have stern words with each other, or even introspect. They are not the anti-negativity evangelists that England’s Bazballers are, but they are relatively pragmatic about their failures.Lyon said that some of the batters would be disappointed with their dismissals in the second innings as Glenn Phillips, with a total of 11 Test scalps and 51 first-class scalps from 53 matches prior to this game, took five of Australia’s top seven to become the first New Zealand spinner to take a five-wicket haul at home in 16 years.”I dare say so,” Lyon said. “But I’ll never criticise our batters the way they go about it because they’ve been exceptional for a number of years now. But then you’ve got to give credit to the bowlers and this is my big thing. Bowlers are actually there to bowl good balls. And it’s not always the batters’ fault getting out and bowlers are allowed to come up with plans and execute and take wickets. No doubt there will be some frustration in there.”Glenn Phillips prised out Travis Head to start a collapse•AFP/Getty Images
Phillips did bowl some good balls. The one to remove Cameron Green was a beauty. But his four other scalps, while well-planned and well-executed, required Australia’s batters to get sucked into the obvious traps that were laid out.And one after the other, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey did just that.The first three have plenty of credits in the bank. But Carey is a cause for concern. His form with the bat is more alarming than the raw numbers. His Test batting average has slipped under 30 but it is the manner of his dismissals and the lack of a clear method to his batting that would be concerning Australia’s selectors the most.It was the second time in the match that he holed out to cover, and it was made worse that he nearly holed out twice before his dismissal to the two catching covers in place.He had scored half-centuries in his most recent first-class match for South Australia and in his last Test for Australia. But even those two innings ended in brainless fashion. Against Queensland, having cruised to 90, he premeditated to lap scoop Mark Steketee from way wide of the off stump and was caught behind.Nathan Lyon picked up the wickets of Tom Latham and Kane Williamson before stumps•Getty Images
In his last Test, after making an excellent momentum-shifting 65, he holed out to deep square leg, falling straight into a clear trap that was set for him.It is not the first time Australia’s thoughtless batting has left them vulnerable this summer. They remain in a strong position but much rests on the shoulders of Lyon and the bowlers.”If we do our job and put pressure on the guys for long periods of time, I’m confident that the bowlers in that change room will create more than seven chances,” Lyon said.He was a threat again in the evening session, picking up Tom Latham and Kane Williamson. He revealed that he felt like he had found a vulnerability in Williamson’s game by getting him caught at leg slip but did not elaborate on exactly what it was.”My biggest weapon and it’s no secret is my bounce all around the world,” Lyon said. “So I’ll continue to try and put some over spin on the ball and try and get the bounce and try and hit the stickers on the bat and challenge the guys’ defence on the crease. I’ve got a fair understanding of what their plan is going to be. So it’s a good opportunity for me tonight to reset some goals and reset some plans and we’ll go from there.”