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Poonam Raut and Jhulan Goswami were the stars in India Green Women’s victory against India Blue Women in the final of the Challenger Trophy in Ahmedabad

Cricinfo staff05-Jan-2010ScorecardStroke-filled innings from Poonam Raut and Priyanka Roy were followed up by a solid bowling performance headed by Jhulan Goswami and Soniya Dabir to ensure that India Green Women turned the tables on India Blue Women to win the Women’s Challenger Trophy in Ahmedabad. Asked to bat first, India Green recovered strongly from the early dismissal of Sulakshana Naik. The recovery was initiated by Raut (42) and Roy (30) who struck five fours each and added 51 runs in 46 balls. India Blues came back well through Lalita Sharma and Reema Malhotra who picked two wickets each in the middle overs. Despite their efforts, the India Blues needed to chase 126 to lift the trophy, the highest target set in the series.Their efforts could not take flight, thanks to Goswami’s frugal and incisive spell. She breached the defences of opener Anagha Deshpande in her first spell to stunt the momentum despite Shikha Pandey conceding 24 in her first two overs. Harmanpreet Kaur and Dabir complemented Goswami’s effort and stifled the run-scoring in the middle overs. Panic set in, resulting in two run outs including that of top-scorer Varsha Chaudhary for 28 to scupper India Blues’ hopes. Goswami returned to round off her fine spell with a wicket in the last over.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has found a new gear under Marco Silva this season but Nikola Vlasic’s form at CSKA Moscow suggests that he could be the man to eventually step into the Iceland international’s shoes.

Sigurdsson has been released of the manacles which restricted him under Sam Allardyce last season and Everton are reaping the rewards. A return of nine goals and three assists from 24 Premier League appearances is just reward for his fine performances, while his link-up play has been at the heart of Everton’s best performances under the Portuguese manager.

However, if Everton want to improve then no player should be considered untouchable. The very best sides are those which demand constant improvement throughout the squad, with competition for places often serving as the best way to guarantee that desired progression.

With that said, Sigurdsson may well be looking over his shoulder now that Vlasic is beginning to thrive with CSKA Moscow. The creative midfielder is showing signs that he can dethrone the Iceland international and become the next coveted playmaker to operate in the hole.

Indeed, Vlasic has already scored seven goals and provided four assists this season, including a memorable winner against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

At just 21-year-old Vlasic is showing the level of promise which Silva will naturally want to see from the player he offloaded temporarily in the summer, and his return in 2019 could signal the beginning of a glowing career on Merseyside.

Boasting a similar level of creative instinct, technical prowess and ability to influence the game in the final-third, the Croatia international could yet blossom into the next Sigurdsson-esque figure at Goodison Park despite his slow start in English football after completing his transfer from Hajduk Split in 2017.

Vlasic’s return in the summer will effectively represent a new signing for Silva.

Everton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Highlights from the IPL fixture between Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers at the Brabourne Stadium

Cricinfo staff04-Apr-2010
Kieron Pollard take a bow, Jonty Rhodes is up on his feet•Indian Premier LeaguePushing the performance up
Bowlers usually limber up for the spells by stretching their limbs. But Rahul Sharma decided to get in some push-ups before he was thrown the ball by Adam Gilchrist. Even if it was an unusual way to get loose, it seemed to have worked for Rahul, as he trapped Sachin Tendulkar in his first over and set off on a solo victory-ride. It was not the first time Tendulkar has fallen to an unkown player – Piyush Chawla and Vinay Kumar are notable names that burst into promimence after picking his valuable wicket.Gibbs in limbo
Herschelle Gibbs has had an average IPL with the bat, but today even his fielding was not up to the mark. First, he had to contend with bad bounce in the opening over of the Mumbai innings, and ended up giving two extra runs to Shikar Dhawan. Then, standing at long on, he was in two minds about intercepting a lofted drive from the same batsman, and a late attempt only resulted in the ball kissing his outstretched hands before sailing over the ropes for a six.Cheer up, love
Ambati Rayudu picked an innocuous delivery from Andrew Symonds and lofted it handsomely over deep midwicket. Initially, it seemed the ball would sail deep into the stands, instead it landed in the pit where a group of Deccan Chargers’ cheerleaders were having a happy breather with little knowledge of the white orb landing in their midst. Nice style by Rayudu to say “hello ladies”.Pollard makes Jonty smile
Rohit Sharma hit back a length ball from Kieron Pollard so hard that, barely a fraction of a second had passed before the ball whizzed to the bowler’s left. But the big Trinidadian, mid-way into the follow-through, bent low to finish off the catch in neat fashion. Pollard has a good reputation as a fielder, and this was the first time he showcased his abilities in the IPL. Even the Mumbai Indian’s fielding coach, Jonty Rhodes, arguably the greatest fielder off all-time, stood up to applaud the effort.

The combination of a greenish pitch and indiscipline were the key factors in Bangladesh being bowled out for a modest 231 by Essex at Chelmsford

Cricinfo staff14-May-2010
Scorecard
The combination of a greenish pitch and indiscipline were the key factors in Bangladesh being bowled out for a modest 231 by Essex at Chelmsford. In complete contrast to the friendly batting conditions they experienced in their recent match against Surrey at The Oval, the tourists were made to fight hard for runs.Jahural Islam, a century maker at the Oval, was quickly made aware of the pitch’s capacity to help bowlers who employed a full length. He was still seeking to get off the mark when a delivery from Maurice Chambers cut back prodigiously to uproot the leg stump.And before the 50 was raised Tony Palladino produced deliveries that moved enough to send the off stump out of the ground to get rid of Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique. The best and most positive batting came from Mohammad Ashraful, whose innings of 58 contained a series of well executed square cuts and drives among his 12 boundaries.But just when he seemed destined for a substantial contribution he fell victim to a wild swing against Max Osborne to provide Adam Wheater with a simple catch. Soon afterwards Mahmudullah was also guilty of a loose shot to cover point having played himself in, his dismissal coming at a time when Bangladesh needed him to show greater restraint.A last wicket stand of 35 during which Shahadat Hossain dispatched fast bowler Michael Comber for three sixes earned the tourists respectability. Chambers ended the fireworks by bowling Hossain for 33 to finish with figures of four wickets for 32 runs from 15.4 overs.The fast bowler was by far the most impressive of those used by Essex, whose side was captained by Grant Flower and included just three players who appeared in the County Championship Division One match against Kent which finished 24 hours earlier.Palladino’s three wickets came at a cost of 91 from 23 overs while Comber and Osborne, another youngster making his first-class debut, conceded 104 between them in 21 overs. But the bowlers were hardly helped by fielding lapses as three catches, two of them far from difficult, were put down.Robiul Islam was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers when Essex replied, finding the edge to have Billy Godleman caught at second slip before Jaik Mickleburgh edged to the wicketkeeper when chasing a delivery he need not have played. He also had John Maunders dropped at deep square leg, the opener going on to close on 54 out of a total of 83 for 2. His innings contained two pulled sixes at the expense of Shafiul Islam.

Mary Earps is on England's bench for the first time in over a year, as Sarina Wiegman opts for a change in goal for the Lionesses' game with Austria.

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Earps on England bench for Austria clashFirst time out of starting XI in over a yearChelsea star Hampton wins third cap insteadWHAT HAPPENED?

It's not often that Wiegman rotates her goalkeepers but she has done exactly that for England's first match of 2024, rewarding Chelsea shot-stopper Hannah Hampton for her good form at club level by granting her just her third start for the Lionesses in Friday's friendly.

AdvertisementWHAT WIEGMAN SAID

Speaking to about the decision to play Hampton over Earps, Wiegman said: "This is an opportunity to show herself. She has done well at Chelsea. We know Mary is our No.1 goalkeeper but we need to have an option when something is happening with Mary, [to know] Hannah is ready to go. I think she can show that tonight."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

England take on Austria and Italy in the February international break in what will be their only friendlies all year, with the rest of their matches to be qualifiers for the 2025 European Championships. It's the perfect time for Wiegman to try out new things and get a look at different players, then, with Maya Le Tissier and Esme Morgan also in Friday's starting XI alongside Grace Clinton, who will make her senior debut for the Lionesses.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Earps' well-earned rest snaps a 17-game streak when it comes to England starts, with the Manchester United star having kept six clean sheets in that time. The last time she was on the bench was for the Lionesses' Arnold Clark Cup meeting with Italy on February 19, 2023.

Ian Blackwell took a career-best 7 for 52 with his left-arm spin as Durham secured a 19-run victory against Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2012
ScorecardIan Blackwell took a career-best 7 for 52 with his left-arm spin as Durham secured a 19-run victory against Australia A. The visitors were well placed on 99 without loss chasing 224 but after Ruel Braithwaite made the initial breakthroughs Blackwell, following his crucial innings on the second day, worked his way through the middle order.The openers, Ed Cowan and Liam Davis, resumed with a half-century stand already to their name and made good progress for nine overs until Cowan fell to Braithwaite who then quickly removed Michael Klinger for a duck.Blackwell, who played one Test for England in 2006, then started to make his impression by dislodging Peter Forrest but the key breakthrough came in his next over when Davis, who had made 62, was trapped lbw. Before this game Blackwell had only played second XI cricket since May, yet soon had three wickets to his name when Tom Cooper was caught behind for a duck.George Bailey and Tim Paine momentarily steadied the chase but Blackwell then jolted the innings again with two wickets in two balls. Firstly Bailey was caught by Ben Stokes at slip and Nathan Coulter-Nile was taken at short leg. Mitchell Starc hit the hat-trick ball for four but was bowled from the next delivery he faced against Blackwell, whose seventh wicket was that of Jon Holland.The last-wicket pair, Paine and Alister McDermott, edged Australia A towards their target but the last ball of Mitchell Claydon’s first over back in the attack ended the game when McDermott picked out deep cover.This was Australia A’s last warm-up match before their two-match series against England Lions which begins on August 7 at Old Trafford.

A transfer claim has been made on Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley, regarding a potential move to Newcastle United.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that his name has been mentioned to him several times, with the midfielder currently out of the picture at Stamford Bridge. The reporter has said that he could be a player the Magpies, who have been linked with the Englishman, are set to target in January.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“Ross Barkley’s a name that keeps getting mentioned to me. Obviously he’s pretty much surplus to requirements at Chelsea, he’s well down the pecking order. He was out on loan at Villa last year. Other clubs are interested also in Barkley but he might be somebody that Newcastle could possibly move for.”

Exciting

This update will surely be exciting for Newcastle fans as it indicates that there is a chance the midfielder will be pursued by the club in January. Barkley could be a great signing for Eddie Howe’s side and be a player the supporters can get excited about watching due to his experience in England.

The 28-year-old is a proven Premier League performer but has only made one start in the division this season under Thomas Tuchel. This could, as O’Rourke suggests, open the door for the Magpies to swoop in and secure a deal for his services.

Toon legend Alan Shearer lauded the £100k-per-week gem last season and claimed that he can be a ‘match-winner. He told The BBC:

“Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

This is high praise from a man who knows what he is talking about when it comes to the Premier League, further highlighting Barkley’s ability at this level. He could come in and be able to hit the ground running with his pre-existing knowledge of the English top-flight.

The ex-Everton man has over 200 appearances in the division under his belt. He has 28 goals and 31 assists to date, showing that he has the quality to arrive at St. James’ Park and make an impact in midfield, which is why fans will be excited by this update from O’Rourke.

AND in other news, Howe could solve key NUFC issue by landing “tough-minded” beast who always “delivers”…

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed Marquinhos' injury, which will rule the defender out of next week's Champions League clash with Newcastle.

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Marquinhos injured with BrazilHas a "small" hamstring issueWill be out for close to 10 daysWHAT HAPPENED?

The centre-back had to be replaced by Nino at half-time after he complained of muscle discomfort during Brazil's recent 1-0 defeat to Argentina in an ill-tempered 2026 World Cup qualifier. Marquinhos had admitted after the match that he felt a "strain on his hamstring" which forced him to come off. The defender returned to Paris on Thursday and after undergoing further tests the extent of the injury was ascertained.

AdvertisementWHAT PSG SAID ABOUT MARQUINHOS

PSG put out a statement that read: "Victim of a small injury to his right hamstring, Marquinhos will remain in treatment for 10 days."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

PSG find themselves in a spot of bother as they face Monaco at Parc des Princes on Friday night before hosting Newcastle on Tuesday evening. They will also miss Warren Zaire-Emery with an ankle injury and the midfielder is not expected to be back until 2024. However, Presnel Kimpembe has been training with the group and is nearing recovery which should relieve manager Luis Enrique.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

PSG can hardly afford to drop their guard against Monaco as Adi Hutter's men are just three points behind the league leaders and have the potential to cause an upset in Paris. Whereas, the Magpies will be out to get a win to revive their European fortunes after two consecutive defeats. Eddie Howe knows that another loss could virtually put them out of contention for a spot in the knockouts and will be eager to repeat their heroics on foreign soil after they beat the Parisians 4-1 at St. James Park earlier in the season.

The Dutch made it to the quarter-finals in Qatar but with plenty of talent coming through, they could do even better in four years' time.

After failing to qualify in 2018, the Netherlands made a strong return to the World Cup stage under Louis van Gaal, reaching the quarter-finals before losing on penalties to Argentina in one of the tournament's most dramatic matches.

Van Gaal brought together a squad that paired some experienced heads with some vibrant young talents, and leaves the team in a good place as he steps aside to let Ronald Koeman take over ahead of the European Championship in 2024.

Koeman, of course, knows a lot of the current squad from his previous stint in charge and given he enjoyed decent success with the Oranje before leaving to join Barcelona, there is confidence that Dutch football is on its way back up after a disappointing second half of the 2010s.

But while the Euros are next on the agenda, it's hard not to look ahead to the next World Cup, which takes place in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

How many of the current Netherlands players will still be in and around the team, and who might have played for the last time on the game's grandest stage?

GOAL has tried to answer those questions and more by selecting the team we think the Netherlands will put out in 2026…

Getty ImagesGK: Justin Bijlow

Louis van Gaal sprung a surprise by picking the previously uncapped Andries Noppert to start between the sticks in Qatar, and he certainly did nothing to suggest that was the wrong call.

However, Noppert will be 32 when the next World Cup kicks-off, and although age shouldn't represent a barrier to the continuation of his international career, we are instead opting for Bijlow, who was also in the 2022 squad and is four years Noppert's junior.

Feyenoord goalkeeper Bijlow already has six caps to his name and we expect him to add plenty more to that tally over the next three-and-a-half years.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesCB: Jurrien Timber

Surprisingly left out of the Netherlands' opener in Qatar, Timber quickly re-established himself in the starting line-up and promises to be a fixture of the team for years to come.

The Ajax centre-back is only 21, and even if the Oranje switch to a back four under incoming coach Ronald Koeman, Timber should be confident of keeping his place.

Getty ImagesCB: Matthijs de Ligt

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: Virgil van Dijk will be 34 by the time the 2026 World Cup begins, meaning he could easily continue in his role as the leader of the Dutch defence if his body holds up.

However, we're going to lean towards the younger man and plump for De Ligt, who will still only be 26.

The Bayern Munich star has not fared well at major tournaments so far in his career after earning himself a red card as the Dutch crashed out of Euro 2020 in the last 16, before being dropped after a poor performance against Senegal in Qatar.

De Ligt is too talented, though, to fade into the background, and there is a realistic chance he replaces Van Dijk as national team captain at some stage in the near future.

Others who could push for selection before the next World Cup include Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven and Ajax's 16-year-old revelation Jorell Hato, who has already captained the Dutch giants' Under-19s side.

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Getty ImagesCB: Sven Botman

Botman is a little unlucky that he is emerging at a time when the Netherlands is rich in talented centre-backs, but it should not be long before he finally makes his international breakthrough.

A strong performer for Newcastle this season, the ex-Lille man is currently behind Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij in the pecking order but, at just 22, he definitely has time on his side.

Ake, meanwhile, will be 31 by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks-off, while De Vrij will be 34 and, more than likely, out of the picture.

Retiring an iconic player's shirt number is quite common practice Italy, but not so much Spain – and Goal has rounded up the most memorable instances

GettyBobby Moore | West Ham | #8The West Ham legend had his number at the London side retired, having captained the club for 10 years. Moore was also captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all-time.AdvertisementGetty ImagesAC Milan | Paolo Maldini | #3Technically, the shirt isn't retired. AC Milan made the decision to retire the number following the Italy legend's final game, but Maldini has allowed for his sons to inherit the number three should either of them play for the club.Getty ImagesEmiliano Sala | Nantes | #9The Argentine had his shirt number at Ligue 1 side Nantes retired after he died tragically in a plane crash in January 2019.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesDiego Maradona | Napoli | #10The Argentina icon is one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the pitch, and had a glittering seven-year career at Napoli where he won numerous titles and awards.