Belgium are on their way to the knock-out stages of the World Cup after a dominant win over Tunisia, but football fans were not impressed with the performance of Celtic’s Dedryck Boyata.
The 27-year-old defender has been labelled as his side’s weak link so far in the tournament, especially after the clash with the Africans on Saturday.
England fans in particular appear to think he is someone who should be targeted ahead of the clash between the countries this Thursday.
The Hoops man has started both Belgium’s matches so far, part of a back three that includes Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. Injuries to the likes of Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen have ensured his selection.
Boyata has generally performed strongly for Celtic over the last two seasons, although high profile errors have led to criticism from some sections of the support.
With just a year left on his contract, there’s also been recent reports he could be on the move this summer, with Lazio credited with an interest.
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Onlookers took to Twitter on Saturday to share their thoughts on his Belgium performance…
Harry Kane played 180 minutes and Dele Alli 168 minutes for Tottenham Hotspur across the course of their 1-0 win against Arsenal in latest edition of the north London derby at Wembley, and their spirited 2-2 draw against Juventus in Turin in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Following those exertions Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to only name the key duo on the substitutes’ bench when his team faced League One outfit Rochdale in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Spotland on Sunday.
The Argentine boss certainly would have been aware that it could prove to be a difficult match even though Keith Hill’s men currently lie at the bottom of England’s third tier, and with his side being taken to a replay by League Two club Newport County in the previous round.
However, Pochettino has a big squad full of quality players and he was willing to give those an opportunity to impress against Rochdale, while giving Kane and Alli a breather ahead of what is going to be a crucial end to the campaign.
The 45-year-old also wouldn’t have wanted a replay and another extra fixture, and with plenty of international experience in the starting XI with the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Victor Wanyama, Lucas Moura, Moussa Sissoko, Son Heung-Min and Fernando Llorente, he wouldn’t have been wrong to expect a routine victory.
Despite the absence of Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen, Alli and Kane from the line-up, no one could accuse Pochettino of taking their League One opponents lightly in a competition that is renowned for shock upsets.
Some of those players that had an opportunity to impress failed to do so however – especially in the first half – and they found themselves 1-0 down at the break thanks to Ian Henderson’s goal on the stroke of half-time.
They did find a little more rhythm in the second half and quickly took control of proceedings, with January signing Lucas netting his first Tottenham goal when he latched on to Moussa Sissoko’s pass through the middle before confidently finishing past Josh Lillis.
Spurs failed to make another breakthrough in the next part of the match and with 19 minutes left on the clock, Pochettino decided to introduce Alli in place of Lucas, while Kane followed five minutes later as he replaced Llorente following another sub-standard display from the Spaniard.
It didn’t take long for the duo to make an impact, and when Alli was brought down in the area Kane smashed home the penalty kick two minutes from time to give the visitors what looked like a ticket through to the quarter-finals.
However, Rochdale weren’t finished there and Steven Davies’ last-gasp strike saw Rochdale grab a deserved draw, and a dream replay at Wembley.
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While it was clear that Tottenham should have done better throughout the 90 minutes and should have been able to hold on once they took the lead in the 88th minute, Pochettino was criticised by some supporters on Twitter for not starting Kane and Alli from the start, wrapping the game up early and then taking them off in the second half.
Football of course doesn’t always work out like that however, and there would have been huge furore from those same supporters if Kane or Alli had picked up a serious injury against the League One outfit.
Pochettino got it right and it was some of those players that were given an opportunity in the XI that let themselves and the club down, rather than the failure to start the talismanic pair.
While having another match to play is certainly inconvenient given Spurs ambitions to finish in the top four and progress as far as they can in the latter stages of the Champions League, it is not a disaster and with the England duo once again on the substitutes’ bench for the replay against Rochdale at Wembley, they should have more than enough to see off the League One strugglers and set up a quarter-final tie with either Swansea City or Sheffield Wednesday.
With the FFP sanctioning on Manchester City, Manuel Pellegrini will need to make very smart choices in selecting his upcoming signings during the transfer window. They cannot make unnecessary buys unless they really need them and will look add players who can make an immediate impact.
City have a very star-studded side with a lot of friendly competition for places, but is lacking any real stable partnership in the back line. Vincent Kompany is the only centre-back who will be selected week in week out as the club will need to search for a permanent fix.
We take a look at SIX players that can make and instant impact upon joining the club in order to help them retain the league trophy as well as battle it out in Europe.
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Isco
Name: Isco
Age: 22
Position: Attacking Midfield
Nationality: Spain
Club: Real Madrid
Price: £25 – £30 million
Although Manchester City already have a star-studded midfield, the addition of Isco could give Manuel Pellegrini’s squad extra depth in their bids to challenge for more trophies, especially the Champions League.
The fact that Real Madrid will need to balance their books since their signing of James Rodriguez, they could allow the likes of Isco to leave the club for a much cheaper price than expected. His bid for first time football could be another factor pushing him towards a La Liga exit.
Eliaquim Mangala
Name: Eliaquim Mangala
Age: 23
Position: Centre-Back
Nationality: France
Club: FC Porto
Price: £20 – £25 million
Manchester City have their fair share of right and left backs, but somehow lack adequate cover in central defence. Although they have one of the best centre-backs in the English Premier League with Vincent Kompany, they don’t have somehow who is capable of creating a long term partnership with him.
Mangala is somebody who has been impressive over the past season and could easily step into the physicality of the league as he could use Kompany as his role model. Manuel Pellegrini should consider added him into his defence if he wants to avoid any last minute season defying injuries.
Paul Pogba
Name: Paul Pogba
Age: 21
Position: Central Midfield
Nationality: France
Club: Juventus
Price: £40 – £45 million
Paul Pogba recently won the award for best young player at the World Cup and if that isn’t enough to show just how good it is, then nothing will sway you. Having him in the squad will be seen as an instant boost in quality as he won’t need too much time to adapt to the English game.
Having been let go from Manchester United, Pogba could want the chance to hit back at his former employers to show just how big a mistake they made when they considered him to not be good enough to play for United. Since he already made a few Red Devils appearances in the past, he would already know how the game is played.
Diego Godin
Name: Diego Godin
Age: 28
Position: Centre-Back
Nationality: Uruguay
Club: Atletico Madrid
Price: £20 – £25 million
Diego Godin is another centre-back that could easily step into the Manchester City defensive role and make an instant impact with his vast experience for club and country. Having been part of the Atletico Madrid that boast the best La Liga defensive record as well as winning the entire league proves that he is an amazing player.
As a defender he even managed to net seven goals the previous season, only with a vital headed goal for the Uruguayan national team that defeated Italy 1-0 at the World Cup. His aerial presence both in attack and defence is a huge asset to whichever team can acquire his services.
Mats Hummels
Name: Mats Hummels
Age: 25
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Position: Centre-Back
Nationality: Germany
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Price: £25 – £30 million
Mats Hummels made himself one of the world’s best centre-backs with his display at the World Cup as he showcased his talents both defensively and in the attack. He managed to net two goals in Brazil, the most important one being the all important header against France that ended the match at 1-0.
Although being heavily linked with league rivals Manchester United, any concrete deal isn’t in negotiations leaving a possibility he could consider a switch elsewhere. Hummels is someone who can surely form a long-term partnership with club captain Vincent Kompany.
Raphael Varane
Name: Raphael Varane
Age: 21
Position: Centre-Back
Nationality: France
Club: Real Madrid
Price: £25 – £30 million
Dubbed as one of the best young centre-backs in the world, Manchester City should really consider making a move for Raphael Varane. Although only 21, he has a stable role at Real Madrid as well as for the French national team where he continues to impress. If they ever want to find a suitable replacement for Vincent Kompany, then this is as close as they will get.
Latest rumours suggest that Varane is still considering his options and he is still waiting for a new contract offer which will see him triple his current salary so that he can be more in par with other Real Madrid stars. Should talks of a new deal be put on hold, Manuel Pellegrini may want to find a way lure him away from Spain.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that discussions regarding Danny Simpson’s new contract have been suspended until the new year.
The right-back is a key part of the Premier League side’s defensive unit, but with his current deal due to expire at the end of the campaign, there are serious doubts about his long-term future.
However, Pardew revealed that Simpson’s plans rely heavily on the club’s fortunes in the January transfer market:
“Danny will have to wait and see what happens in the window,” He is quoted as saying by ESPN.
“The club has most players on long-term contracts and Danny is the exception to that.”
The 25-year-old has allegedly turned down a £25,000-per-week deal to extend his stay at the club, leading many to believe that ‘The Toon’ may look for a replacement during the winter.
It’s been rumoured the club may make another approach for Lille’s Mathieu Debuchy during January as a replacement. Pardew actively pursued the Frenchman during the summer, but was unable to conclude a deal despite the player openly wanting to move to St. James’ Park.
If Simpson does find himself forced out, the likes of Aston Villa and Fulham have been suggested as potential interested parties.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Pardew believes that Simpson is a useful member of his squad:
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“He is underrated by our fanbase, but his defensive work is important,
The Australia legspinner will play his 100th game in the format at Trent Bridge
Andrew McGlashan17-Sep-2024Adam Zampa admits the ODI game faces an uncertain future, but he believes the format remains a priority for young players coming through despite the congested calendar and increasing amounts of franchise cricket.Zampa will play his 100th ODI in the opening match against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday having established himself as Australia’s most important white-ball bowler. He reiterated how, for him, international cricket will always mean more than franchise T20 and, although not putting a definitive timeline on his career, has his sights set on winning “many more” World Cups.Related
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A survey earlier this year by the World Cricketers Association (formally FICA) showed that the gap was closing in terms of which men’s World Cup title was viewed as the most important, with now just 50% saying the ODI version and 35% picking the T20 edition.”There’s been a lot of questions about the ODI format and what that looks [like] going forward,” he said. “In terms of playing for Australia and that drive, I think every young guy coming through still thinks that’s the be-all and end-all.””There’s obviously those other opportunities in terms of franchise cricket and that’s good,” Zampa said. “There’s been a lot said about how it’s a saturated market but all these different competitions give other guys opportunities, whether it’s guys who have just played a little bit of BBL or a bit of Blast, there’s opportunities to go and improve yourself at different franchise levels, even if they are going on at the same time which seems to be the case at the moment.Adam Zampa was Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup•Getty Images
“But feels like playing for your country is still the priority. I agree with you, don’t know what it’s going to look like in the next few years, particularly with this format, but I feel like ODI cricket’s still a really good format, I still enjoy playing it and think a lot of young guys coming through still see it as a good opportunity to play for your country.”Zampa, who is without doubt Australia’s second-greatest white-ball spinner after Shane Warne, was their leading wicket-taker in both their 2021 T20 World Cup title success (13 wickets) and the 2023 ODI World Cup (23 wickets). Australia have come up short at the last two T20 World Cups in 2022 and 2024 but Zampa will again be key in the 2026 edition in India and Sri Lanka.”The feeling of playing for your country and still winning for your country beats playing franchise cricket and winning franchise cricket,” he said. “I experienced the Hundred, it was great, I loved playing it, and winning at the end is a bonus but it hits different when you play for your country, when you win World Cups. Still got that drive to win many more.”Zampa will have his wife, Harriet, and baby boy present at the 100th ODI along with his parents. “It means a lot to me,” he said. “I never thought I’d play this much for Australia.”
Pakistan A rode on Tayyab’s century to post 352 before Muqeem’s three-wicket burst broke India A’s back in Colombo
Shashank Kishore23-Jul-2023Tayyab Tahir, a seasoned 29-year-old batter, and Sufiyan Muqeem, a rookie left-arm wristspinner, combined to help Pakistan A beat India A and defend their ACC Men’s Emerging Cup crown in Colombo.Tayyab, for whom it has already been a dream year, added another chapter to his 2023 fairytale. He started with a dazzling half-century on PSL debut for Karachi Kings in February and made his T20I debut against Afghanistan in March. Four months on, he struck an aggressive 71-ball 108 to power Pakistan A to 352 for 8 after they were sent in to bat by Yash Dhull, on what he felt was a dry surface.Then, with India A’s chase in the balance, Muqeem, who made his List A debut earlier in the tournament, made a telling contribution with his ripping wrong’uns from the over-the-wicket angle. That he mixed it up with sharp legbreaks added to India A’s challenge and they folded for 224 in 40 overs.That the game fizzled out towards the end was because Muqeem prised out the massive scalps of Abhishek Sharma, India’s top scorer with 61, and Dhull, for 39, to crack open the game in Pakistan’s favour. Muqeem finished with figures of 3 for 66 in his ten overs, thriving on support from fellow spinners Mubasir Khan and Mehran Mumtaz.The Pakistan team management did not play Muqeem in the league game against India, possibly to shield him from the batters’ view. In the grand finale, they were caught unawares by a supremely talented spinner who made heads turn with his control and guile, seldom taking the defensive route, not even when he was under attack early on by Abhishek.Pakistan A players celebrate after winning the Emerging Cup•SLC
India’s lower order hung around to try and defy the bowlers in a late effort to take the game deep, but at 194 for 8, they were merely delaying the inevitable. Mohammad Wasim fittingly finished the game off with a searing yorker to send Yuvrajsinh Dodiya’s stumps.The win would be all the more satisfying for Pakistan, not least because they were handed a pounding by India A in the league fixture. Tayyab, who like Muqeem did not play in that game, walked in at 146 for 2 in the 22nd over after openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub put together an aggressive century stand to lay down the marker.But he soon saw Omair Yousuf and Qasim Akram fall off successive deliveries to Riyan Parag’s right-arm everything in the 28th over. Then in the 29th, when Mohammad Haris, the captain, was trapped lbw by Nishant Sindhu’s left-arm spin, Pakistan A had lost 3 for 4 in ten deliveries.At 187 for 5, India A had just found their footing and were beginning to tighten the screws courtesy their spinners. This is when Tayyab decided he wasn’t going to let the game drift. At the first sign of the Indians switching off, he cashed in. What began as a burst of aggression turned into a full-blown counterattack.Tayyab had a slice of luck when he was dropped on 51 in the 37th over when Rajvardhan Hangargekar circled around a ball he misjudged at the long-on boundary. That was the only blemish in a knock where he showcased oodles of maturity in manipulating the fields, milking runs, throwing bowlers off their lengths and also playing some cheeky reverse paddles, all without making it look like he was taking risks.He was superbly supported by Mubasir, who occupied the crease to help the lower order rally. Without their 126-run seventh-wicket stand, Pakistan A may have been bundled out for a much smaller score.Abhishek Sharma’s 51-ball 61 was not enough to get India A close•Asian Cricket Council
India A’s chase began on a sprightly note as Abhishek and Sai Sudharsan played authentic shots and matched each other stroke for stroke in an enterprising first ten overs. Sudharsan’s wristwork was particularly impressive as he whipped and worked the ball to different parts of the leg side with ease, but his undoing was an Arshad Iqbal short ball that he couldn’t quite get out of the way of, top-edging a pull to the wicketkeeper to break a 64-run opening stand.Nikin Jose was a tad unfortunate to be given out caught behind when replays confirmed the ball had brushed his right hip on the way through to the wicketkeeper. Dhull steadied the innings but found no support once Abhishek was out playing an uppish cut to Muqeem.Pakistan A profited from having the crafty Mubasir operate from the other end and he struck with the big wicket of Sindhu, who was promoted up the order. Mubasir got the ball to dip on Sindhu, who popped a return catch. When Dhruv Jurel and Parag followed suit, the end was nigh.
Yorkshire lose last five wickets cheaply before Essex comfortably bat out the day
ECB Reporters Network08-May-2022Alastair Cook recorded a century in both innings for the first time in his illustrious career as Essex and Yorkshire fought out a sluggish LV= Insurance County Championship draw. Cook, England’s leading Test run-scorer and a veteran of 19 years at first-class level, had never previously reached three figures twice in a match – but he rectified that omission on his career record with an unbeaten 102 in the dying embers of this Chelmsford stalemate.Any outside prospect of a positive result evaporated on the final morning as Yorkshire – needing to build quickly on their overnight advantage of 22 – lost their last five wickets for 39 and were dismissed for 465. That left Cook, who had scored 107 first time around, and opening partner Nick Browne under little pressure in their second innings and the pair eased comfortably past the deficit with an unbroken partnership of 167 before the captains agreed a draw at 4.50pm.Resuming on 425 for 5, fast scoring appeared to be a necessity for the White Rose – but they displayed little attacking intent, garnering only three runs from the first six overs of the day.Dawid Malan’s hopes of converting his 87 into a century disappeared when he clipped his first ball of the morning, a Shane Snater half-volley, into the hands of square leg, while Harry Brook showed none of the fluency that had already brought him a hundred. Brook eventually fell for 123, caught behind wafting at a short delivery from Sam Cook, who was also unlucky not to claim the wicket of Harry Duke when he struck off stump – yet the bail refused to budge.Cook had to be content with figures of 3 for 78, while Snater finished off the innings with his third by having Dom Bess caught behind, leaving Essex with a deficit of 62 and half an hour to negotiate before lunch.They might have gone in a wicket down, with Jordan Thompson finding the edge of Cook’s bat in his third over but Duke, diving across in front of the slips, was unable to cling onto a difficult catch.After that, the former England captain looked completely in command and, while Browne’s progress was more sedate, he gave only one chance en route to his 50 not out, a stumping opportunity off Adam Lyth that Duke failed to execute. It was Cook who took centre stage and he brought up his 72nd first-class hundred from 178 deliveries, pulling a long hop from Joe Root to the fence shortly before stumps were drawn.
They absorbed all the pressure from the spinners and finished off the game in calculated manner
Sidharth Monga06-Nov-20202:33
Gautam Gambhir: RCB didn’t deserve to qualify for the playoffs
Two Test captains saw a jittery Sunrisers Hyderabad chase of 132 through, and their shirts and hair had sweat to show for it. Brought into the side after they failed to chase 127 against the Kings XI Punjab, Kane Williamson and Jason Holder absorbed all the pressure from the spinners on a turning pitch, saw the asking rate of eight when they came together nudge 10, but finished off the game in calculated manner with two balls to go. This was the Sunrisers’ fourth straight win in a must-win game, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s fifth straight loss after an excellent start to their season. The Sunrisers set up a virtual semi-final with the Delhi Capitals for the right to play the Mumbai Indians in the final.Having recovered successfully from the injuries during the season to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Marsh and Vijay Shankar, the Sunrisers were now missing the man significantly responsible for their comeback, Wriddhiman Saha. The Royal Challengers had to contend with their talisman Chris Morris’ absence, out with a quad injury. They made wholesale changes, punting on two legspinners and also getting Moeen Ali and Aaron Finch in.On a pitch that offered both seam and spin, the bowlers from both sides were on top of their games. Eventually, only AB de Villiers and Williamson rose above the conditions, and they had to score their runs without taking risks because they didn’t have batting cover behind them.If Sandeep doesn’t get you, Jason willSandeep Sharma came into the match with nine wickets in the powerplay this IPL, and Jason Holder none. Opening for the first time this IPL – perhaps he wanted to try it sooner but his side couldn’t seal the playoff spot befire their last match – Virat Kohli was watchful in the first over, keen not to fall to Sharma an eighth time. Holder, though, got a glove from him down the leg side with his extra bounce. He then cramped up Devdutt Padikkal on the pull, making it a third Padikkal dismissal to a short ball this IPL. Padikkal has scored just 46 off 50 such balls.AB plays himself in, others play themselves outIn as early as the fourth over, de Villiers had no choice but to eschew any risk. He would go 20 balls before hitting his first boundary and reaching a run a ball. It was imperative that Finch take the pressure off, but life at the pitch was a struggle for him. He struggled to adjust to the pace of the surface, and was stifled by the accuracy of the Sunrisers bowlers. The first 10 overs featured just four boundaries, the joint-fewest in the tournament, all off the bat of Finch.Just as he looked like he might be turning a corner with a big six off Rashid Khan, Finch holed out to deep cover with Shahbaz Nadeem defeating him with a wide one as he backed away early. Ali walked out with a red carpet of a free hit rolled out for him, but he patted it to extra cover and ran himself out thanks to a Khan direct hit. The Royal Challengers were 62 for 4 in 10.4 overs.AB masterclass loomsBetween the Sunrisers and a facile chase stood the genius of de Villiers. Having scored 20 off 22 so far, with one edged boundary, de Villiers was just entering the genius phase of the innings. Without taking risks – he couldn’t afford to – de Villiers still managed to score 36 off the next 21 balls he faced. However, the Sunrisers were excellent against the others – Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar – bowling 19 balls to them without a boundary. The Royal Challengers were 111 for 5 in 17 overs.AB de Villiers – feeling the weight of single-handedly carrying RCB?•BCCI
The Natarajan masterclassThere was still time for de Villiers to do damage. Teams know he can still win matches even from here, especially when he is 40-plus balls into an innings. T Natarajan then had an unenviable task to bowl overs 18 and 20. He has had an unenviable task all season, bowling the really difficult overs for his side. He came into the playoffs with 14 wickets to his name, 10 in the death overs. In the 18th he made it 12. Sundar was regulation, timing a chip too well and getting caught at deep cover.The next one was one for the ages. A cross-seam yorker, dipping and beating the master and ripping the middle stump out of the ground. This just brought the total crashing down with just 20 runs coming off the last three.Warner is sent offMohammed Siraj removed Saha’s replacement, Shreevats Goswami, in the first over, but David Warner and Manish Pandey staged a recovery after playing themselves in against the seaming ball. Pandey broke free first, and in the final powerplay over, Warner, too, cut Siraj for two boundaries. Then he survived an appeal for caught behind. Or so he thought. The Royal Challengers took the matter upstairs. Replays showed this delivery pass the bat and pad at the same time, and there was a spike on UltraEdge. In a decision bound to cause controversy, the third umpire felt it was conclusive enough for him to overturn the on-field call. The Sunrisers 43 for 2 in 5.4 overs.The spin choke is onThat Warner wicket was huge not only because of Sunrisers’ middle-overs troubles, but because of the Royal Challengers’ attack composition. Warner feasts on legspin: he averages 61 and goes at 9.1 an over against legspin. Now they could unleash both their legspinners at right-hand batsmen. Pandey soon fell to the pressure created. Fourteen bowls of legspin for seven runs later, he played an ambitious late-cut and toe-ended to de Villiers. Priyam Garg faced 14 balls of legspin for seven runs himself. Then tried to drive over cover but holed out to the boundary rider. Six overs, 20 runs, two wickets.Test captains come togetherWith 64 required off the last eight overs, came together Williamson and Holder, two of the calmest players in international cricket, two players used to carrying their sides with them. They kept picking the singles, not worrying about the rising asking rate. Kohli had to eventually take the legspinners off. With 59 required off 38, Williamson tried to hit his first boundary, slog-sweeping Sundar as he overpitched. That took him to 19 off 25.Back came the legspinners. Back came the boundary drought. Back it went to 41 off 25. Out came the slog sweep again as Chahal overpitched this time. Williamson reached a run-a-ball 32 with this. Now Kohli had to go to pace. The dew began to play its part too. Navdeep Saini and Siraj took the high-risk route of bowling yorkers with both third man and fine leg up. While it provided them cover down the ground, a deft batsman such as Williamson kept finding the boundaries and twos behind square to never let the asking rate go past nine. And Holder then killed it off with two fours in the last over. The 65-run partnership comprised just two sixes and five fours.
“There’s a little bit of cricket left in this old body” says Paine, who admits he has “a couple” of regrets about the defeat at The Oval
Matt Roller15-Sep-2019Tim Paine says he has “unfinished business” as Australia’s Test captain after defeat at The Oval allowed England to draw the Ashes series, and that he has “a little bit of cricket left” in his body.Despite Matthew Wade’s counter-attacking innings of 117 – which Paine surprisingly described as “one of the great Ashes hundreds” – Australia fell to a 135-run defeat after failing to chase 399 in their fourth innings, and their celebrations were notably muted.While they celebrated as usual with champagne when the urn was presented, Justin Langer looked on with a scowl, and Paine admitted that defeat had put “a bit of a dampener” on their achievements in the series.ALSO READ: Paine train’s uncertain final destination“There’s some mixed emotions,” Paine told Sky. “But I think from where this group has come from, to come to England and retain the Ashes is still a huge deal. It hasn’t been done for 20 years, so we’ve got a lot to be proud of.”I think we’ve got some improvement, some learning to do, and that’s a great thing for us.”About his own future, Paine denied that there was a feeling that retaining the urn represented an “endgame” for him.”I didn’t see it as a beginning, or see it as an option all that long ago. As I said before this Test match, I’m loving the job I’ve got at the moment. I feel like there’s a little bit of unfinished business with this team and where we’re heading.”I feel like I’ve got a little bit of cricket left in this old body, but I’m not looking too far down the track to when exactly that is.”Paine said that he had “a couple” of regrets about the Oval Test, but conceded that England had “outplayed” his side over the course of the four days.Paine became only the second Australian captain to lose an Ashes Test in England after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, after Ricky Ponting did so at Edgbaston in 2005, and joked that he is “always 50:50″ before the toss.”I can’t read a pitch that well,” he said. “We’re trying to get to the stage where the toss isn’t that important to us. You’ve got to win games of cricket when you lose a toss, and whether you bat or bowl first is a bit irrelevant.”The stats do not particularly back Paine’s claims up. Since 1997, Australia have lost the toss 16 times in Tests in England, and won only three of those games, drawing three more and losing ten; out of the 20 games in which they have won the toss, they have won ten, drawn five and lost five.Paine also bemoaned Australia’s inability to take their chances on the first day.”I feel a bit sorry for our bowlers,” he said. “They were fantastic all series, created plenty of chances on day one and we just didn’t back them up. England got ahead of the game, and then they took it away from us.”
Leigh Kasperek takes five wickets to finish campaign on a high at Grace Road
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2018New Zealand 224 for 6 (Devine 117*) beat England 219 (Jones 78, Beaumont 53, Kasperek 5-39) by four wickets
ScorecardA brilliant century from Sophie Devine secured New Zealand a consolation victory in the third and final ODI at Grace Road, as England were outgunned in a low-scoring contest, after a five-wicket haul from the spinner Leigh Kasperek had derailed their ambitions of a clean sweep.Devine made light of the early loss of her new opening partner, Jess Watkin, as well as a steady drip of mid-innings wickets, to steer her side to a four-wicket victory with 117 not out from 116 balls, sealing the deal with a massive six over square leg. Alongside her at the end of an intermittently anxious chase was the 17-year-old Amelia Kerr, whose mature 12 not out completed a memorable campaign that of course had earlier included a world-record 232 not out against Ireland.After winning the toss and batting first, England might have had ambitions of 300-plus while Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones were in harness. The pair compiled their second century stand of the summer, inside the first 20 overs, as New Zealand’s seamers were once again neutered as they ploughed a wide line and relied on errors that did not materialise.Pace off the ball, however, would prove to be a different challenge for England, and having reached 104 for no loss, they proceeded to lose all ten of their wickets for a further 115, with no-one outside of the openers managing more than Danni Wyatt’s 18 from 22 balls.The wrecker of the innings was Kasperek, who had Beaumont caught behind, somewhat carelessly, on the reverse sweep for 53, before adding the scalp of Lauren Winfield for 5 soon afterwards. Winfield, back in the side as Sarah Taylor took a break, holed out to deep midwicket where Maddy Green took a fine low catch.Jones, looking good for her elusive maiden ODI hundred, once again gave her innings away when she charged at Watkin to be stumped for 78, while Hayley Jensen produced a superb spell of full-length inswingers, bowling Heather Knight with a slower ball.Nat Sciver was then unluckily run out at the non-striker’s end, as Kasperek brushed her fingers on a straight drive from Wyatt, and England’s usual turbo-charged finish petered out. Kasperek deservedly bagged the final two wickets to complete her maiden five-wicket haul.In reply, Katherine Brunt pinned Watkin lbw for a duck in her first over to lift England’s spirits, but Devine was not to be put off her game. She rattled along at more than a run a ball to break the back of the chase in partnership with the steadfast Green, who rather surprisingly galloped down the track straight after the drinks break to be bowled for 23 from 52 balls.Suzie Bates, lurking down the order for a change, came and went cheaply for once, as Laura Marsh bowled her for 1. But Devine eased past her fifty from 54 balls, then brought up her hundred from 101 with a drive back past the bowler.England’s spinners lacked their usual impact, but even with Ecclestone off the boil, her team weren’t quite finished. When Brunt returned to bowl Amy Satterthwaite for 25 and overtake Jenny Gunn as England’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs, there was a chance of a late twist. However, Katey Martin provided sturdy support until she ran herself out for 23, and thereafter Devine would not be denied.