Asalanka is standing in for the suspended Wanindu Hasaranga

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2024Charith Asalanka will stand in as Sri Lanka captain in place of the suspended Wanindu Hasaranga for the first two of three T20Is against Bangladesh starting March 4 in Sylhet. Asalanka, the designated vice-captain, will be leading Sri Lanka for the first time.Sri Lanka have brought in opening batter Avishka Fernando in place of Pathum Nissanka, who is recovering from the injury he sustained during the series against Afghanistan recently. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who last played a T20I in February 2022, has been recalled too.Hasaranga, who was suspended for two T20Is by the ICC following his run-in with umpire Lyndon Hannibal in the third T20I against Afghanistan on February 21, will be returning as captain for the final T20I on March 9.Related

Kusal Perera ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is with respiratory infection

Shakib out of Bangladesh's white-ball squads against SL

Hasaranga suspended for two T20Is for outburst against umpire

Fernando came into the squad largely on the back of good ODI form. In the series against Afghanistan, he had hit 91 off 66 balls and a run-a-ball 88 in two of the three games. He last played a T20I in January last year, and has been an inconsistent presence in Sri Lanka’s squad owing to a combination of fitness and form. However, Sri Lanka’s new set of selectors appear to want to reintegrate him into the top teams.Vandersay, meanwhile, last played a T20I two years ago. He is there essentially as cover for Hasaranga in the matches for which Hasaranga is suspended. Akila Dananjaya and Maheesh Theekshana are the other frontline spinners in the squad.The first T20I is scheduled for March 4. The whole series will be played in Sylhet.Sri Lanka T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (capt for last game), Charith Asalanka (capt for first two games), Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay

Tottenham have announced the season-long loan signing of Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich.

• Palhinha joins Tottenham on loan
• Spurs have £26m buy option
• Could be end of Bayern career

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Spurs have secured the services of the former Fulham midfielder for the 2025-26 campaign, plus they have an option to sign the 30-year-old permanently next summer for a reported £26m ($34.5m). The Portugal international is back in the Premier League after just one full season on Bayern's books.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT BAYERN SAID

  Bayern board member for sport, Max Eberl, said they have found the "best solution" for Palhinha after not getting as much game time as he would have wanted last term.

  He told the club's website: "João Palhinha, unfortunately, didn’t get the game time he hoped for at FC Bayern last season. We’ve found the best solution for all sides with Tottenham Hotspur. João can have a whole season at top European level there. We wish him all the best for the year ahead."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Palhinha joined Bayern just over a year ago for a fee worth up to £47.4m ($63m) but the experienced midfielder is back in the Premier League after failing to make his mark at the Bundesliga outfit. He made 25 appearances in all competitions last season but just 10 of those were starts as he struggled to tie down a regular spot in Vincent Kompany's side. Despite that, he is still a quality operator and should add more solidity to Spurs' midfield.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  The former Sporting CP man could even face his parent club Bayern when Tottenham take on the Bavarian outfit in a pre-season friendly at the Allianz Arena on Thursday. This fixture will also see Spurs icon Harry Kane and summer signing Mathys Tel cross paths again. 

Ahead of this week's midsummer matchup, GOAL looks at the all-time best players from past MLS All-Star Games

The 29th edition of the MLS All-Star Game arrives Wednesday night. Top MLS players will host the Liga MX All-Stars at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Dating back to 1996, the ASG has showcased the best players in the league – and some of the world's best – in multiple formats, ranging from intra-league matches to games against European powerhouses such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Who have been the best from MLS to play in the summer series?

From superstars such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry to stalwarts such as Darlington Nagbe and Chad Marshall, GOAL looks at the MLS All-Star All-Time XI.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportGoalkeeper

Matt Turner: Although Turner only played in one ASG, it was more than memorable for the now-established U.S. international. In the 2021 game, Turner came on in the 60th minute and kept a clean sheet in regulation, sending the match to a penalty shootout.

Turner came up huge, saving attempts from both Rogelio Funes Mori and Salvador Reyes, while watching Erik Lira's penalty launch over the bar as the MLS All-Stars won 3-2 in the shootout. He was named MVP and made MLS history.

AdvertisementImagnDefenders

Walker Zimmerman: Zimmerman, one of two active players on this list, has been one of the most consistent defenders MLS has ever seen. The 32-year-old is a four-time All-Star, having been elected in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In each of those seasons, as well as 2020, he was named to the MLS Best XI, and was named MLS Defender of the Year in '20 and '21, as well.

Eddie Pope: Pope is one of the great defenders of the game, even if modern-day fans might not know much about him. For anyone familiar with his game, they'll know that he is widely considered one of the best defenders in MLS history. He was a five-time MLS All-Star, from 1997-2000 and in 2002. He's since been inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Chad Marshall: A genuine defensive monster, Marshall was a four-time All-Star – in 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015 – and played crucial roles in victories over Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur in back-to-back ASG appearances. He went on to be named MLS Defender of the Year in '09 and '14 as well, capping off two remarkable campaigns.

Getty Images SportMidfielders

Darlington Nagbe: You see Nagbe's name, and you don't need stats, numbers, or justifications for his inclusion. Just nod, agree, and read on. Surprisingly, Nagbe was only a three-time All-Star. He was a fan vote selection in 2016 and a commissioner's pick in both 2022 and 2024.

Carlos Valderamma: A five-time ASG selection from the first installment in 1996 through 2000, Valderamma was the epitome of brilliance in MLS's early years. In both the '96 and '97 All-Star Games, he was named MVP, guiding the East All-Stars to victories. Valderamma still holds the single-season record for the most assists with 26.

Ricardo Kaka: Named MVP of the 2015 ASG after securing a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Kaka etched his name into MLS history, an historic performance from the former Ballon d'Or winner. He was a three-time MLS All-Star selection, named to the team in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Dwayne De Rosario: A seven-time selection, De Rosario is a player of legend in MLS. From 2006-2012, he was named to seven consecutive All-Star rosters, and in his 2006 debut, he was named MVP after he scored the game-winner in a narrow 1-0 victory over Chelsea FC.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportForwards

Thierry Henry: Henry was named to the ASG four times, from 2011-2014, representing the New York Red Bulls. The former Barcelona and Arsenal ace never scored in the ASG, but helped them to major victories over Chelsea in 2012 and Bayern Munich in 2014. At a time when MLS needed a world-renowned star to be the face of the All-Stars against world heavyweights, Henry more than delivered.

Landon Donovan: Donovan was selected to the MLS All-Star team not once, not twice but… 13 times. Yeah, you read that right. From 2001-2014, he was selected every year, but missed out in 2006 due to a hamstring injury. In 2001, he scored four goals for the West in a thrilling 6-6 draw against the East, earning MVP honors. Then, in 2014, he was once again named MVP as he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich. In terms of star power at an ASG, Donovan was man.

David Beckham: Beckham, MLS's first bona fide international superstar, was named to the ASG in 2008, 2011, and 2012 as a representative of the LA Galaxy. In 2008, he recorded an assist as MLS defeated West Ham United 3-2, and in 2012, he recorded another crucial assist as MLS defeated Chelsea 3-2. Although he was only selected three times, he directly contributed to two major victories over European opposition.

LSG rise to fourth spot on the table with two wins in three games, while RCB are just one off the bottom after third defeat in four games

Deivarayan Muthu02-Apr-2024

Mayank Yadav set the speed gun on fire once again and ripped out Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green on his way to figures of 4-0-14-3 as Lucknow Super Giants successfully defended 181 to hand Royal Challengers Bengaluru their second successive defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.It was Quinton de Kock who laid the base for LSG’s victory with his second successive half-century. KL Rahul returned to action as their captain but he could only manage 20 off 14 balls. But Nicholas Pooran, who had captained LSG in their last game against Punjab Kings, clicked into a higher gear, smashing an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls to drag his team past 180 on a two-paced pitch.The back-of-the-hand slower balls from Reece Topley and Yash Dayal were sticking in the surface, but Mayank doesn’t do slow. He repeatedly breached 150kph – and even cranked it up to a season-high 156.7kph – to shut down RCB’s chase.Quinton de Kock has reasserted his authority at the top this IPL with back-to-back half-centuries•BCCI

De Kock dashes out of the blocksDe Kock had started the last IPL season on the bench as Kyle Mayers was preferred ahead of him. De Kock was then removed as Durban’s Super Giants captain ahead of SA20 2024, which followed. In the SA20, he got only two innings as an opener, but he has now reasserted his authority at the top this IPL with back-to-back half-centuries.When Topley, de Kock’s team-mate in the SA20, offered him width, he stayed leg side of the ball and crunched him through the covers. Mohammed Siraj didn’t offer de Kock as much width, but when he erred on height and bowled at the thigh, de Kock picked him over square leg. De Kock claimed 32 of the 54 runs LSG scored in the powerplay for the loss of Rahul.De Kock could have been dismissed for 32 in the next over, but Maxwell dropped him. He added 49 to his tally before Topley eventually had him holing out to long-off for 81 off 56 balls.Maxwell impresses with the ballOn a night when RCB’s specialist spinner Mayank Dagar bowled just two overs for 23 runs, Maxwell stepped up with 4-0-23-2, including 12 dots. He fronted up to bowl two overs in the powerplay, where he had Rahul caught at extra-cover with a hard-length delivery.He then returned after the powerplay to remove another right-hander – Marcus Stoinis (24 in 15) – by hiding the ball away from his reach. Maxwell also won his match-up against de Kock, keeping him to four off eight balls. That Maxwell, with four strikes, is RCB’s highest wicket-taker this season after four games shines the spotlight on the inefficiency of the frontline bowlers.Pooran tees offPooran had a slow start: he was on eight off ten balls at one point. He then smote five sixes off the last two overs to silence a capacity crowd at the Chinnaswamy. The pick of the lot was the shanked six off a 110.4kph slower ball from Topley that landed on the roof the stadium.The margin for error is wafer-thin against elite power-hitters like Pooran. When Topley missed his wider yorkers marginally, Pooran scythed him for a brace of sixes at point and put LSG back on top.M Siddharth dismissed Virat Kohli early in big chase•BCCI

Siddharth arrives in the IPLM Siddharth, the Tamil Nadu fingerspinner, was born in Chennai and then grew up in Jakarta in Indonesia. He moved back to Chennai along with his family to become a professional cricketer. He wanted to become the next Irfan Pathan, but the coaches at his academy noted that he didn’t have enough pace to become a fast bowler.So, Siddharth switched to left-arm spin, but he continues to the new ball. That’s his calling card in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. LSG’s team management had so much faith in him that they backed him to bowl with the new ball against Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis on the night.After darting inswingers at speeds north of 110kph, Siddharth slowed his pace down, found grip, and drew a leading edge from Kohli. In the next over, du Plessis was run-out, leaving RCB at 42 for 2 in the sixth over.Mayank’s rocketsMaxwell managed to evade the first bouncer from Mayank, but when he dug one in and got it to climb towards Maxwell’s ribs at 151kph, the batter was rushed into flapping a catch to mid-on to leave for a duck.Then, in his next over, Mayank nailed the top of Green’s off stump with another scorching delivery. The reading on the speed gun was 146.2kph but the belated response from Green suggested that it might have been a lot quicker than that.Green was bred on the pacy, bouncy tracks in Perth, but an Indian rookie, only playing his 12th T20 game, made the international allrounder look like a rookie. Green simply stayed leg side of the ball and wafted at it. Mayank wheeled away in celebration and there would be no stopping him.He proceeded to bounce out Rajat Patidar for 29 off 21 balls. RCB needed 79 off 34 balls at that point and though Mahipal Lomror hit 33 off 13 balls, the chase was always beyond RCB’s reach.Mayank didn’t get a single game at LSG over the past two seasons, largely because of injuries. He has now become the first player in IPL history to win two Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two matches.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um dos heróis do Bahia no acesso para a primeira divisão do Brasileirão, o volante Rezende está ansioso pela chegada da temporada de 2023. Estreante na elite do futebol brasileiro, o jogador, nascido no Rio de Janeiro, fala de sua expectativa para a disputa da maior competição nacional.

– Lutamos muito para levar o Bahia até a Série A e é natural que a vontade de jogá-la seja grande. Temos outros campeonatos importantes para disputar, é bom lembrar, claro. Mas atuar nos principais estádios do país e enfrentar as maiores equipes será a realização de um sonho – disse.

RelacionadasFora de CampoVeja as maiores loucuras dos influenciadores brasileiros na Copa do Mundo do QatarFora de Campo01/12/2022Alemanha‘Não vencemos o Japão, então merecemos ir para a casa’, diz jogador da Alemanha após adeus na CopaAlemanha01/12/2022Fora de CampoSaiu? Casimiro dá veredito sobre lance polêmico em Japão x Espanha, na Copa do MundoFora de Campo01/12/2022

O Bahia jogará também o Campeonato Baiano, a Copa do Nordeste e a Copa do Brasil. Rezende não prioriza nenhum torneio e destaca que a grandeza do clube é reconhecida pelos atletas do elenco.

– Entrando ou não como favorito, na visão dos outros, temos que fazer o máximo que pudermos em prol do Bahia. Quem vem defender essa camisa, aprende a respeitar a sua grandeza – definiu.

Barcelona have officially announced their decision to strip Marc-Andre ter Stegen of the armband, with Ronald Araujo named the new captain for now.

Barca confirm Ter Stegen is no longer the captainAraujo takes up the responsibility in the interimCatalans and Ter Stegen embroiled in tense injury dispute Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona have officially announced their decision to strip Ter Stegen of the captain's armband, with Araujo, the vice-captain, appointed as the new captain until the matter is resolved. Barca's decision comes in light of Ter Stegen's unwillingness to co-operate with the club by signing the injury consent form, which would allow them to register new signings.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ter Stegen’s recent lower back surgery and subsequent three-month recovery announcement caught Barcelona by surprise, as the club had been unaware of his plans to disclose the timeline independently. Barcelona had intended to issue a joint statement citing a longer absence of four to five months, which would have enabled them to use 80 per cent of his salary to register new players. Although Barca reported a four-month layoff to La Liga and requested Ter Stegen’s consent to submit medical documents, the goalkeeper reportedly cut off communication and refused to sign. As a result, La Liga refused to consider Barca's reports that the custodian would be out for more than three months. The club initiated disciplinary action and cancelled a scheduled meeting with the German international.

WHAT BARCELONA SAID

The La Liga champions posted an official statement on their website, which read: "FC Barcelona hereby announces that, following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-André ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the Sporting Direction and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain. During this period, the duties of first captain will be assumed by the current vice-captain, Ronald Araujo."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA

Hansi Flick's side will aim to focus on on-field matters amid the feud between the club and Ter Stegen. The Blaugrana will take on Italian side Como, managed by ex-Barca midfielder Cesc Fabregas, in the Joan Gamper Trophy game on Sunday, August 10, before kicking off their league title defence away at Mallorca on August 16.

Any hope of an exciting climax to the last day of the Vitality County Championship encounter between Lancashire and Warwickshire was dashed by the rain after only 75 minutes of play was possible at Emirates Old Trafford as the game finished in a draw.Poor weather had dominated proceedings throughout the encounter. But with the visitors 96 for 3 overnight, leading by 231, all results were still possible in Manchester given Lancashire’s brittle batting order this season and Warwickshire’s desire to chase a first win of the campaign.But as heavy showers swept across the ground throughout the morning both sets of players were thwarted with repeated pitch inspections coming and going without any chance of play.Eventually, a break in the weather saw the game resume at 3:15pm with a generous Warwickshire declaration giving Lancashire the opportunity to embark on a desperate run chase with 44 overs still scheduled.Luke Wells quickly departed in the second over, pulling Michael Rae straight to Jake Lintott on the square leg boundary. But then, for a brief time, the hosts looked as if they could pull off something special.Keaton Jennings slapped three boundaries but was bowled comprehensively by Jacob Bethell when attempting a reverse sweep that ended with the Lancashire skipper lying on his backside and out for 18. Josh Bohannon upper cut Rae for six before he skied the same bowler to Alex Davies at mid on for a ten-ball 15.An almost identical shot saw George Bell hand Rae his third wicket leaving Tom Bruce and Matty Hurst at the crease. The pair put on 43 runs before the rain came for a final decisive time at 4:30pm, leaving the New Zealander unbeaten on 31 and the young wicketkeeper 15 not out as Lancashire closed on 89 for 4 off the 15 overs possible.Lancashire claimed 11 points from the game, taking them off the bottom of Division One, while Warwickshire took 12, leaving them seventh.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na última terça-feira, o Palmeiras entrou em campo duas vezes para jogos-treinos no Allianz Parque. Foram os dois últimos testes do elenco durante esta pré-temporada e o encerramento não poderia ser melhor: mais duas vitórias para a conta. Ao todo, o Verdão fechou uma série de cinco amistosos com 100% de aproveitamento e 16 gols marcados. O foco agora é na estreia do Paulistão-2023.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui

Os dois últimos jogos-treinos do Alviverde foram contra o Audax, na parte da manhã, e contra o Monte Azul, na parte da tarde. Em ambos, Abel Ferreira conseguiu rodar bem o elenco e fazer os testes que gostaria. No primeiro, vitória por 3 a 0, com gols de Dudu, Kuscevic e Gabriel Menino. No segundo, vitória por 4 a 0, com gols de Rony (duas vezes), Gustavo Garcia e Flaco López.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras tem candidatos a comprar Danilo, mas ingleses despontam como favoritosPalmeiras10/01/2023VídeoVÍDEO: Assista aos gols do Palmeiras na goleada sobre o Monte Azul em jogo-treinoVídeo10/01/2023PalmeirasCom dois gols de Rony, Palmeiras goleia o Monte Azul no segundo jogo-treino do diaPalmeiras10/01/2023

Anteriormente, o Palmeiras já havia feito outros três jogos-treinos. O que abriu a série, no dia 5 de janeiro, foi contra o Suzano, na Academia de Futebol. Naquela oportunidade, que marcou o retorno de Abel das férias, vitória alviverde por 3 a 1, com gols de Bruno Tabata, Dudu e Rafael Navarro.

> Veja as principais transferências no Mercado da Bola do LANCE!

No último sábado (7), foi a vez de mais uma rodada dupla de jogos-treinos do Verdão. O primeiro contra o São José, com vitória por 3 a 1 (gols de Dudu, Atuesta e Breno Lopes) e o segundo contra o Desportivo Brasil, com outra vitória por 3 a 1 (gols de Flaco López, Merentiel e Danilo).

Sendo assim, o Palmeiras fez cinco jogos-treinos com cinco vitórias, resultando em 100% de aproveitamento. Ao todo, foram 16 gols marcados (mais de três por jogo) e apenas três sofridos. O artilheiro dessa série de testes foi Dudu, que marcou três vezes, seguido por Flaco López e Rony, com dois gols cada um. Tabata, Navarro, Atuesta, Breno Lopes, Merentiel, Danilo, Kuscevic, Gabriel Menino e Garcia entraram na lista de goleadores balançando a rede uma vez.

>Confira até quando vai o contrato dos jogadores do elenco do Palmeiras

Finalizados os amistosos de pré-temporada, o Verdão entra de cabeça na preparação para a estreia no Paulistão-2023, que será neste sábado, às 18h30, diante do São Bento, no Allianz Parque. A partir da manhã desta quarta-feira, o elenco passa a treinar em apenas um período na Academia de Futebol, todos os dias (quarta, quinta e sexta) às 10h. Falta pouco para o início oficial de 2023.

continua após a publicidade

A fifth successive win lifted RCB to fifth on the points table

S Sudarshanan12-May-20243:43

Aaron: ‘Patidar has a free-flowing bat swing’

A fifth successive win not only kept Royal Challengers Bengaluru in contention for a playoffs spot but also lifted them to fifth spot on the points table, just above Delhi Capitals who have the same points as RCB but an inferior net run rate.The M Chinnaswamy had gone all quiet when RCB lost Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli inside four overs. It seemed their batting troubles from the start of the season had come back to haunt them. Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar put to rest any such worries with a counter-attacking partnership, but the DC bowlers struck back with a near-perfect death-overs show to restrict RCB to 187 for 9.With the Bengaluru crowd firmly behind them, the RCB bowlers had their tails up. They reduced DC to 30 for 4, which included the massive wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was run out at the non-striker’s end after a straight drive from Shai Hope deflected off Yash Dayal’s fingers onto the stumps.The Kohli-Ishant duel lights up the startIn his 250th IPL outing, Kohli had a relatively easy opponent first up: Ishant Sharma, against whom he had scored 93 off 67 balls without being dismissed. He kept out a sharp inswinger on the first ball of the match and then pulled one over square leg for a six on the last ball of the opening over.Ishant Sharma had the last laugh in his duel against Virat Kohli•BCCI

In Ishant’s next over, he hit a four – via an outside edge – and a crisply-timed no-look shot over wide long-on for a six off successive balls before nicking one behind to the wicketkeeper. With a 13-ball 27, Kohli made his intent clear but failed to do justice to the Midas touch he seemed to be in.Patidar and Jacks make DC payBefore Sunday, Patidar had been dismissed by pace in eight of his 11 outings in IPL 2024. But here, he raced to 15 off eight balls with the help of three fours in a Mukesh Kumar over. When Axar Patel, the stand-in captain for DC, brought himself on in the sixth over, Patidar duly slogged him over deep midwicket. He also tore into Kuldeep Yadav, bashing him straight over his head.At the other end, Jacks also hit Kuldeep for a six in each of his first two overs as RCB put the dismissals of their openers behind them. Thanks to the assault from Patidar and Jacks, RCB scored 49 in the four overs after the powerplay. In the process, Patidar brought up his fourth half-century in his last five innings, and his first in Bengaluru this season. That the fielders missed four chances in 11 balls, including two dropped catches in a Kuldeep over, did not help DC.DC fight back through Khaleel, SalamDC brought Rasikh Salam on in the 11th over and he could have dismissed Patidar first ball but Axar failed to hang on at cover. But Salam exacted revenge in his next over with a hard-length ball. Patidar looked to force it over the off side off the front foot but ended up miscuing it towards cover, where Axar moved to his right to pouch that. That brought curtains to his 88-run stand with Jacks, who fell soon after to Kuldeep.Khaleel Ahmed came away with 4-0-31-2•BCCI

But Mahipal Lomror and Cameron Green combined to take 22 off Kuldeep’s final over, the 17th of the innings, to raise RCB’s hopes. Khaleel Ahmed, who was taken for 23 in his first two overs, struck twice in three balls in the 18th over to dismiss Lomror and Dinesh Karthik. He finished with figures of 2 for 31 from his four overs. Salam got rid of Swapnil Singh and returned 2 for 23 from his three. DC conceded only 40 in the last four overs, and picked up five wickets, to keep RCB under 200 on a surface where the ball was gripping.Axar fights a lone battleFraser-McGurk played true to his form and struck left-arm spinner Swapnil for a massive six over wide long-off to get going. Among those who have faced at least 30 balls of spin in IPL 2024, no batter strikes it higher than Fraser-McGurk’s 262.85. But a lucky break for RCB meant the DC opener walked back cheaply.This was after David Warner, back in the side after missing four matches, was out for 1 off two. Dayal had bounced out Abishek Porel cheaply. It was only the second time this season that RCB picked up four wickets inside the powerplay – earlier, they had done so against Sunrisers Hyderabad.In the middle overs, RCB seamers had a clear plan of hitting the good length and denying the batters room to free their arms. Between overs eight and 11, they bowled 16 deliveries on either good length or just short of it, and gave away just 15 runs off them.Only Axar, leading for the first time in the IPL, managed to offer some resistance with his second half-century of the season. He bookended Jacks’ only over with sixes to bring up his fifty off 30 balls. But long before he top-edged Dayal over backward point, where du Plessis back-tracked and took a tumbling catch, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Mohammad Abbas grabs four wicket but home side fashion recovery from 50 for 6

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2024Allrounder Lyndon James finished on 92 not out after leading a Nottinghamshire recovery from 50 for 6 as they closed on 212 for 9 on day one of their Vitality County Championship match against Hampshire at Trent BridgeMohammad Abbas, who took 15 wickets in the two matches between these counties last season, was the scourge of Nottinghamshire again with 4 for 36 – but Hampshire may yet rue their dropped catches as they look for a first win of their Division One campaign.James, eight away from a first hundred since September 2022, was dropped on 23 and 32 as Hampshire’s slip fielders suffered a day of contrasting fortunes, holding all three chances offered in the morning session but putting down three in the afternoon and another after tea.Hampshire have an excellent record against Nottinghamshire, winning eight of their last 11 matches, including both of last year’s encounters.Nottinghamshire, who fielded the same XI that beat Lancashire to break their duck for the season last week, found themselves two down before they had scored a run as Abbas struck in the second and third overs of a new-ball spell in which he did not concede a run until his 35th delivery.Abbas, who was missing last week due to illness, had Ben Slater caught behind with a ball that nipped away late and dismissed Will Young with one that squared up the New Zealander and took the shoulder of the bat, looping to backward point.The Pakistan international took a breather after only six overs but there was scant respite for the home side, who were 17 for 3 when Joe Clarke edged to third slip off Kyle Abbott and 37 for 4 when left-armer Keith Barker – making his first appearance of the season – found some extra bounce from the Stuart Broad End and had Haseeb Hameed caught behind, a first dismissal in four innings for the Nottinghamshire captain.On a green-tinged pitch of somewhat mottled appearance, Hampshire’s decision to bowl first on winning the toss looked the right one.James Fuller got in on the act by uprooting Tom Moores’s leg stump with a big inswinger before Abbas returned to grab a third scalp as Jack Haynes slashed at a ball outside off stump and was caught at first slip by a tumbling Tom Prest, whose non-appearance after lunch suggested he had injured himself in the process.If 50 for 6 wasn’t bad enough, it should have been worse still for Nottinghamshire, yet the sharpness in the field that had characterised the morning session for Hampshire deserted them after lunch.The scoreboard will say that Harrison and James fashioned a recovery in adding 69 but their partnership should have ended on 31 when Michael Neser, fielding as sub in place of Prest at first slip, let one slip through his hands when Harrison was on 9. Barker, the unlucky bowler, suffered again in his next over when James Vince, at third slip, spilled another chance when James was on 23.James had another let-off on 32 when Fletcha Middleton put him down at second slip off Fuller in what was the easiest of the three chances.In the event, it took the introduction of Liam Dawson’s left-arm spin to part the seventh-wicket pair when Harrison was bowled by a ball that skidded through low.Another opportunity went begging after tea as Olly Stone was put down on 9 off Abbas, Vince again the culprit at third slip, the Hampshire captain copping a nasty blow around the base of his left thumb in the attempt. He was able to continue, but only with the aid of strapping and painkillers.After surviving his two scares, James dug in to reach his second half-century of the season off 135 balls with his fifth boundary, finding some dogged support from Stone, with whom he added another 59 before a slip catch finally stuck, Dawson at second just about getting his fingers under a nick offered by Stone as Abbas, with the second new ball, took his fourth, before the day closed with Dillon Pennington leg before to Abbott.Nick Gubbins is missing from the Hampshire line-up after becoming a father for the first time earlier this week.