Lautaro Martinez etched his name in the Argentina history books following his cameo against Venezuela.

Martinez enters the history booksOvertakes Maradona as Argentina's fifth-highest scorerInter star struck after coming on as a substituteFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Martinez became one of Argentina's top five scorers of all time when he came off the bench to score in Argentina's comfortable 3-0 win over Venezuela in the World Cup qualifiers, putting behindthe disappointment of Inter's defeat to Udinese in the best possible way. The former River Plate sensation scored the second goal, but more importantly, he surpassed the legendary Diego Maradona's goal tally with the Albiceleste.

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His goal wasn't just any goal. Coming on in the 74th minute and scoring just two minutes later, Martinez overtook Maradona's goal tally for Argentina. The Napoli icon scored 32 goals for the national team. Martinez, with his goal against Venezuela, now has 33 goals in 71 appearances.

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Since making his debut in 2018, Martinez has proved to be a clinical finisher for Argentina. He has lifted three titles with the national team — two Copa America titles (2021 and 2024) and the 2022 World Cup, not to mention the 2022 Finalissima. He also won the Golden Boot at the 2024 Copa America for scoring five goals. Martinez now needs three more goals to overtake Hernan Crespo's tally of 35 goals, and nine more goals to surpass the 41 goals scored by Sergio Aguero.

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El Toro will be hoping to continue his purple patch for his country when they visit Ecuador next Wednesday. Martinez has scored 12 goals in his last 17 caps for Argentina. 

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras treinou na tarde desta terça-feira (11), na Academia de Futebol, e seguiu a preparação para a estreia na Copa do Brasil contra o Tombense-MG, nesta quarta-feira (12), às 20h, no Allianz Parque, pelo jogo de ida da terceira fase da competição nacional. O time terá baixas para o jogo.

> Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui

O elenco realizou atividades técnicas de cruzamentos e finalizações, seguido de um trabalho recreativo. Foi apenas o segundo treino antes da partida. Como de costume em jogos em casa na parte da noite, a comissão técnica deve promover uma movimentação na manhã desta quarta.

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Bruno Tabata, recuperando-se de lesão na coxa esquerda, continua em processo de transição física. O meio-campista participou do aquecimento com o elenco e, na sequência, fez atividades à parte com profissionais do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. Ele é o mais próxima a retornar entre os lesionados. Raphael Veiga, Rony, Piquerez, Mayke e Atuesta estão no departamento médico.

No caso do atacante Artur, recém-contratado, sua ausência se dá por conta de sua participação na Copa do Brasil defendendo o Bragantino. Ele atuou por dois jogos com a camisa de seu ex-clube e não pode jogar por outro time na competição. Sendo assim, é mais um desfalque para Abel Ferreira.

>Palmeiras x Tombense: 26 mil ingressos já vendidos; saiba como comprar

Um provável Palmeiras para enfrentar o Tombense é: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo e Vanderlan; Fabinho , Zé Rafael e Gabriel Menino; Dudu, Breno Lopes e Endrick.

As partidas pela terceira fase da Copa do Brasil serão as primeiras entre Palmeiras e Tombense na história. O Verdão venceu todos os seus jogos de estreia pela competição desde 2003: foram 17 triunfos, com 34 gols marcados e apenas seis gols sofridos. No total, são 24 vitórias em 27 estreias, além de dois empates e uma derrota. Alviverde foi campeão em 1998, 2012, 2015 e 2020.

MatériaMais Notícias

A diretoria do Corinthians entende que as principais missões para esta janela de transferências foram cumpridas. As contratações de um zagueiro e um meio-campista ofensivo eram tratadas como prioridades para o Timão no período. A aquisição de um volante também era vista como fundamental, mas o encaixe do garoto Gabriel Moscardo no time titular corintiano minimizou a necessidade. Agora, com mais cinco dias para fazer negócios, o clube alvinegro tenta atender um desejo do técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo: a contratação de um lateral-esquerdo.

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Nos últimos dias, o departamento de futebol corintiano abriu conversas por dois atletas da posição: Alan Rodríguez e Paulinho. O primeiro é paraguaio e atualmente defende o Rosario Central, da Argentina. Já o segundo é brasileiro e atua pelo Midtjylland, da Dinamarca.

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Nas duas ocasiões, os nomes foram trazidos ao Corinthians através de empresários e interessaram pelo baixo impacto que teriam na folha salarial do clube. Alan recebe algo em torno dos R$ 100 mil mensais, enquanto Paulinho ganha pouco menos de R$ 200 mil por mês. O entendimento corintiano é que, ainda que fosse feita uma proposta com aumento do salário, ele ficaria dentro do ‘piso’ do clube.

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No caso de Alan Rodríguez, também agradou o fato do atleta ser jovem, 23 anos, e ter potencial de revenda em futuro. Essa virtude, por sua vez, já não se encontra em Paulinho, que é mais velho, 28 anos, e tem uma carreira mais modesta até aqui, com passagens por equipes de menor expressão no Brasil, como Santo André, Boa Esporte e Bahia, antes de ir para o futebol dinamarquês.

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A informação inicial do interesse corintiano por Rodríguez foi publicada inicialmente pelo jornalista Samir Carvalho. Já a situação envolvendo Paulinho foi noticiada primeiro pelo ‘ge’. Ambas foram confirmadas pelo Lance!.

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A contratação dos dois jogadores, no entanto, teve o mesmo entrave: a pedida dos clubes. O Rosario quer 2,5 milhões de dólares (R$ 11,8 milhões, na cotação atual) por Alan Rodríguez, enquanto o Midtjylland deseja receber, pelo menos, 2 milhões de euros (R$ 10,4 milhões) por Paulinho.

No caso do lateral brasileiro, que atua na Dinamarca, o negócio está praticamente descartado. O Corinthians não pagará mais do que 500 mil euros (R$ 2,6 milhões, na cotação atual) pelo jogador, quantia inferior até mesmo à primeira ‘oferta’ apresentada, ainda que de maneira informal, que foi de 300 mil euros (R$ 1,5 milhão).

Já sobre Rodríguez, ainda há uma tentativa de atingir um valor agradável para as duas partes. A direção corintiana sabe que a alta pedida dos argentinos tem a ver com o fato do jogador ter comprado o lateral recentemente, no início do ano, do Cerro Porteño, do Paraguai. O Rosario Central pagou 750 mil dólares (R$ 3,5 milhões, na cotação atual) aos paraguaios pela contratação do jogador.

O Timão está disposto a pagar até o dobro da quantia investida pelo Rosario, o que significaria 1,5 milhão de dólares (R$ 7,1 milhões), muito por conta do potencial de revenda no futuro. As boas informações em relação ao nível técnico do atleta também chamaram bastante a atenção do departamento de futebol corintiano. No entanto, o valor pedido pela equipe da Argentina por Alan, que ultrapassa o triplo do investimento feito por eles, é considerado inviável ao Corinthians.

Luxemburgo deseja a contratação de um lateral-esquerdo, pois teme a condição física em que Fábio Santos chegará na reta final da temporada. A aposentadoria do atleta, que estava quase certa no fim do ano, está sendo repensada pelo profissional, justamente por conta da condição de titular em que ele se encontra neste momento. Uma renovação por mais um ano não é descartada.

Matheus Bidu, contratado para a posição no início do ano, esboçou durante um período da temporada que abraçaria a vaga, mas entrou em queda técnica e hoje é reserva no setor. Luxa não sente grande confiança no atleta para períodos decisivos e, por isso, gostaria de ter mais uma opção na lateral.

Gudakesh Motie spun West Indies to a 1-0 series win as they wrapped up the second Test against Zimbabwe by an innings and four runs.Motie, playing his third Test, returned figures of 7 for 37 and 6 for 62 as West Indies won the match convincingly inside three days, despite rain wiping out large durations on the second and third days. His figures of 13 for 99 are also the best in a Test match by a West Indies spinner, as he went past Sonny Ramadhin’s 11 for 152 against England in 1950.Despite good performances by Victor Nyauchi, Innocent Kaia and captain Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe succumbed to a big defeat, with their batting line-up faltering in the absence of Gary Ballance, who missed the game due to a migraine headache.Related

• Motie gives Zimbabwe a scare but debutant Tsiga helps salvage draw

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Play started late on day three due to a wet outfield and once it did, Nyauchi made an instant impact, getting Jason Holder to nick off with the first delivery of the day.Motie, the other overnight batter, soon became Nyauchi’s fifth victim as he found deep midwicket with a pull as West Indies added just two runs to their total, taking a 177-run lead. It was Nyauchi’s first five-wicket haul in Tests.For the second time in the match, Kaia was off the blocks quickly, hitting three fine strokes for boundaries in the first two overs. But Alzarri Joseph gave West Indies the first breakthrough in the third over as Tanunurwa Makoni edged behind, looking to play an expansive drive.Then, the first bowling change brought a wicket, with Chamu Chibhabha chopping on off Holder’s bowling in the seventh over.Kaia, Zimbabwe’s best batter in the first innings, continued to chip away at West Indies’ lead, even hitting Holder for three consecutive boundaries.Ervine held down one end as Kaia scored 30 of the 41 runs that they made for the third wicket.When Motie came out to bowl, Kaia immediately started attacking him with the sweep, but looked less in control than he was against the pacers. Kaia and Ervine saw Zimbabwe reach lunch at 46 for 2. In the third over after lunch, Kaia finally fell to the sweep, as he got a thin top edge that Joshua Da Silva held on to after a small juggling act.Innocent Kaia got off to strong starts but failed to convert them•AP

He fell seven runs short of a half-century, after being dismissed for 38 in the first innings.Ervine then shed his defensive approach to keep the scoreboard ticking, even as Motie castled Milton Shumba and Tafadzwa Tsiga in quick succession to complete his first Test 10-wicket haul.Gabriel further dented Zimbabwe’s ambitions when he got one to sneak under Donald Tiripano’s bat to uproot the off-stump.Ervine then brought up his half-century off 73 deliveries with a reverse-sweep off Motie.Motie soon struck again as Wellington Masakadza gifted a simple catch to forward short leg as he came out of the crease to defend.West Indies would have hoped to wrap things up quickly, but Ervine and Brandon Mavuta held firm to see Zimbabwe reach 158 for 7 at tea, with the deficit whittled down to 19 runs.Zimbabwe then took seven off the first over after tea, bowled by Joseph, to bring the deficit down to 11 runs. But Chase had Mavuta caught at forward short leg with the first ball of the next over to give West Indies another opening.Motie came back into the attack immediately and was quick to wrap the game up.He trapped Ervine lbw for 72 – Zimbabwe’s highest score in the match – as he played back to a length ball that spun in and stayed low before getting the ball to spin past an advancing Nyauchi for Da Silva to complete a simple stumping.

Match referee Chris Broad noted how the fifth ball of the match threw up a puff of dust and kept deteriorating further

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-20233:27

Chopra: If every Test lasts only two-and-a-half days, there is a problem

The pitch at Indore used for third Test between India and Australia has been rated “poor” by the ICC with Holkar Stadium handed three demerit points.The Test ended midway through the first session of the third day with Australia winning by nine wickets in a game dominated by the spinners.”The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start,” ICC match referee Chris Broad said.”The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”

The ICC rates a pitch as poor if any of the following criteria apply

The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match

The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match

The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match

The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball

The pitch displays excessive moisture making its playing characteristics unpredictable, or excessive dryness leading to the surface to deteriorate.

BCCI now have 14 days if they wish to appeal against the sanction. A venue will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months if it accumulates five or more demerit points over a five-year rolling period.Indore was given short notice about hosting the third match of the Border-Gavaskar series. Originally it was supposed to take place in Dharamsala, but the outfield is not yet up to par after it was relaid. The BCCI announced the shifting of the venue on February 13, about two weeks before the scheduled start of the game on March 1.India prefer playing their home Tests in conditions that take turn right from day one. That certainly was the case at Holkar stadium when the home team having won the toss and opting to bat slipped to 84 for 7 in just the first session. At the lunch interval, India coach Rahul Dravid was seen inspecting the pitch with the curator in tow.The captain, though, though minced no words when talking about the 22 yards. “Honestly speaking, these are the kind of pitches we want to play on,” Rohit Sharma said. “This is our strength, so when you’re playing at your home, you always play to your strength, not worry about what people outside are talking about.”Steven Smith observes the Indore pitch ahead of the Test match•Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith didn’t mind the conditions either. “I personally really enjoy playing on these kind of wickets,” he said. “I prefer this than just a genuine flat wicket that goes five days and can be boring in stages. There’s always something happening on these wickets. You’ve got to really work hard for your runs. But it’s showed that the guys can do it. Guys can do it, you’ve got to work hard for them and you need some luck. With this one, whether it might have been a little bit too extreme, potentially from the first ball. I’m not really entirely sure, but it was still another enjoyable.”But in terms of a balance between bat and ball, the uneven degree of both turn and bounce led to only two scores of fifty or more in the entire Test match. India’s total of 109 was their sixth-lowest in a first innings at home. Australia, in their first innings, suffered a collapse of 6 for 11. Spin was responsible for all but five of the 31 wickets that fell and there were, in total, 16 single-digit scores by the time the game ended on the third morning.The last time a pitch in India was rated poor was in 2017, the Pune Test where Australia beat India on a similarly spiteful turner. Broad was the one who handed out that sanction as well.Nagpur and Delhi, the venues for the first two Tests of this tour in 2023, produced surfaces which were rated “average” by match referee Andy Pycroft.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been banned from driving for two years after racking up a series of speeding offences in his luxury cars.

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• Fofana banned and fined for speeding
• Racked up offences in powerful supercars
• Future at Chelsea currently in doubt

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Fofana has been hit with a driving ban after committing eight offences and racking up a total of 47 points on his license for speeding, according to the . The Chelsea star was caught speeding in his white Rolls Royce Cullinan, a blue 4.0 litre Audi and his Lamborghini Urus. Several of the offences were on his route to and from Chelsea's training ground at Cobham which is a 50mph zone. He was caught speending at 77mph, 68mph, 90mph, 88mph and 67mph on five separate occasions.

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  Fofana admitted all the offences and was also fined a total of £5,328, plus a £2,131 victim surcharge and £110 costs at Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court. The defender had previously been disqualified for six months in January 2023 and was involved in car crash involving Eastenders star Dean Gaffney that left the actor with a broken collarbone in December 2022.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Bench Chairman John Soones said: "The minimum disqualification today is twelve months, but we take into account the fact he is a habitual speeder, with access to powerful motorcars, who speeds at nearly double the speed limit."

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• TELL ME MORE

  Fofana's lawyer, Imogen Cox, told the court: "Mr Fofana means no disrespect by not attending court today. He clearly faces a disqualification and knows he is going to be disqualified and I asked him to not drive after 9.30am today. He has a significant gap on his driving record where he is not committing offences,' added the lawyer, referring to one in 2022 and one in 2023 before this latest batch. He was doing more driving miles and he accepts he disregarded the rules of the road and he asks me to apologise on his behalf. There is no 'exceptional hardship' argument put forward by Mr Fofana. He knows he is going to be off the road for at least twelve months. He earns in excess of the one thousand pounds a week maximum we use for these offences and he realises he is likely to receive the maximum fine. He is a young man that plays football for a living and he works extremely hard, training and has foolishly not complied with the rules of the road."

Hosts Tasmania were reduced to 6 for 74 at one stage, with Charlie Stobo ending with three wickets for the visitors

AAP22-Feb-2023Western Australia have moved closer to guaranteeing their spot in the Sheffield Shield final after a dominant day two with bat and ball against Tasmania in Hobart. WA took wickets with regularity to dismiss Tasmania for just 169 in just over two sessions at the Bellerive Oval on Wednesday.Boasting of a 131-run first innings lead, the visitors then extended the margin to 223 by reaching 1 for 92 at stumps. The Shield’s top run-getter Cameron Bancroft turned around a rare failure on day one by posting an unbeaten 50. Fellow opener Sam Whiteman was the only wicket to fall – dismissed by Nathan Ellis – with Teague Wyllie ending the day on 10 not out.Bancroft also enjoyed a remarkable day in the field, taking five catches at first slip as he equalled the competition record for a non-wicketkeeper.Leaders WA had six wicket-takers in a strong all-round performance, with Charlie Stobo’s 3 for 45 topping the bowling figures.Tasmania’s top order had few answers to the persistent accuracy of Joel Paris (2 for 41) and Matthew Kelly (2 for 30), and faced disaster at 6 for 74. Jordan Silk (45) and Beau Webster (52) lifted the home side past the follow-on, but Tasmania’s last four wickets added just 17.With four wins from seven outings, WA will shore up a ticket to next month’s final with victory in Hobart.

Massimiliano Allegri's prediction came true after Arne Slot started Federico Chiesa in a central role during Liverpool's 3-2 loss against Brighton.

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Chiesa started his first Premier League game for LiverpoolAllegri prediction for Chiesa comes trueItalian winger looked sharp against Brighton after a dismal debut season Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In 2021, when Allegri was coaching Juventus, he made a statement about how he imagined Chiesa's progression over the coming years, focusing on what needed to be done to get the best out of the former Juve winger. This evaluation recently came true after Chiesa started his first game for Liverpool during their 3-2 loss to Brighton over the weekend, with Reds head coach Arne Slot seemingly following Allegri's advice from the past.

AdvertisementWHAT MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI SAID

Allegri's prediction about Chiesa's progression is downright scary as it landed exactly as he predicted. In 2021, the Italian manager said (as quoted by Football Italia), "I told Federico my evaluation, which is that he can play as a centre-forward or a support striker."

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Chiesa joined Liverpool in the previous summer transfer window. The Italy international burst onto the scene due to his devastating impact as a winger for both Italy and his former employers, Juventus. In limited minutes this season, which has been hampered due to struggles with fitness, Slot preferred to use Chiesa on the flanks, before starting him in a more central role against Brighton. Following the game, Slot expressed how happy he was with the 27-year-old's performance.

“I think the big quality Federico has is scoring goals, so the more you get him minutes around the box, the bigger chances he has to score a goal,” Slot said after the Brighton game.

“He got a good chance before Mo [Salah] had his big chance. Mo assisted Federico for him to have an open shot from 18 yards. It was a good chance for Federico because he’s such a great finisher.

“I think he did even more than what I expected from him. If you haven’t played throughout the season, and then playing Brighton away which is a very good team. For him to be out for so long and play a game like this is more than I could expect.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR FEDERICO CHIESA?

Despite the disappointing start to the Premier League, hindered with injuries which kept the Italian out for four months, Slot confirmed that Chiesa is still in his plans for the 2025-26 campaign, given he stays fit in the coming season. Having impressed Slot in his previous game, Chiesa can hope to find one more start before the end of the season, when the champions take on FA Cup winners Crystal Palace on Sunday, May 25.

He is set to leave India on May 5 and will miss at least three of Gujarat Titans’ matches in the ongoing IPL

Matt Roller21-Apr-2023

Josh Little has been included in a full-strength Ireland squad for May’s ODI series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford, a series they must win 3-0 to qualify automatically for the 50-over World Cup at South Africa’s expense.Little, the left-arm seamer, became the first active Ireland international to play in the IPL earlier this month, representing defending champions Gujarat Titans, and is expected to miss at least three of their upcoming fixtures.Little is due to leave India after Titans’ fixture against Rajasthan Royals on May 5, and will miss their games against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to play against Bangladesh.ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Ireland’s intention is for Little to feature in all three matches, even if they suffer a defeat that would rule them out of contention for automatic World Cup qualification and render the final games of the series dead-rubbers.Little is centrally contracted by Cricket Ireland, but his captain Andy Balbirnie admitted recently that the INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx.) he will pick up from his IPL contract “could take five, six, or even more years to earn while playing for Ireland.”He was granted leave to miss the recent tour to Bangladesh and the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka in order to play in the IPL, but his availability for international cricket remains a matter of ongoing discussion between him, his representatives and the national board.Mustafizur Rahman (Delhi Capitals) and Litton Das (Kolkata Knight Riders) are also due to miss around 10 days of the IPL due to their involvement in the series, having been named in Bangladesh’s squad earlier this month.Ireland’s squad also includes Craig Young, who has missed the vast majority of the 2022-23 winter due to injury but made a return in last month’s T20I series in Bangladesh. Barry McCarthy, however, misses out due to a knee injury.PJ Moor, who made his Test debut for Ireland in Bangladesh last month, has been named captain of an Ireland Wolves side that will play a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against the same opposition on May 5.Ireland squad to play Bangladesh: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.Fixtures: May 9 – 1st ODI, May 12 – 2nd ODI, May 14 – 3rd ODI (all fixtures at Chelmsford).

In the first two games of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), the team batting first scored more than 200 and the chasing side failed to challenge the total. On Sunday night, Grace Harris bucked the trend to help deliver the tournament its first proper thriller.Harris starred for UP Warriorz with the kind of devastating knock that has brought her back to the top level and made her a mainstay in the Australian team. A day after going down by 143 runs to Mumbai Indians and losing their captain Beth Mooney to injury, Gujarat Giants recovered from 76 for 4 in ten overs to put up 169 for 6. Then they had Warriorz down at 105 for 7, but not out. With 65 needed off 26 balls, Harris stole Warriorz a win out of nowhere.Related

• Gujarat couldn't obtain medical clearance for Dottin

• WPL and IPL: Players can review wides and no-balls using DRS

• How USA's Tara Norris came to make history in the WPL

Harris predominantly targeted the leg side but was also happy to go down the ground or over the covers, and even played a lap shot as she clobbered 59 off 26 deliveries.But the win didn’t come without its fair share of drama, which peaked in the final over of the game bowled by Annabel Sutherland, and it centred on the new provision that allows teams to use DRS for wide and no-ball decisions.Giants tried to get a wide overturned on review after the first legal ball and failed. Two balls later, the TV umpire upheld Harris’ review for a delivery that was not called a wide on the field. It was a marginal call leading to an equation that could have been 6 off 2 balls, but became 5 off 3.By then, the crowd was entirely in Harris’ corner, and when the wide was awarded, there were loud cheers all around. There were cheers in the UP Warriorz dugout, too, though captain Alyssa Healy said later that it was a lucky break for her team.”What a bizarre rule that’s been brought into WPL but it paid off tonight for us,” Healy said at the press conference after the game. “It felt very dirty cheering a wide. I think our dugout felt a little bit dirty about cheering an opposition wide but, at the end of the day, it helped us, the review system. I guess that’s what it’s there for.””Hopefully it doesn’t come down to the last over a lot so it has to be used. Tonight it fell in our favour but in two nights’ time, it might go in someone else’s favour.”3:15

Player reviews for wides and no-balls: yay or nay?

While the wide was being reviewed, Healy was gesturing to Harris, who was in the zone, from the dugout.”I was just trying to tell her to calm down. She was obviously very excited, in the moment. More than anything, I didn’t want her to get in trouble by the umpires,” Healy said. “I was just trying to keep her calm, keep her in the moment and focus on getting the job done and she did just that.”Harris walked out when Deepti Sharma fell, and having faced just two deliveries, saw Kim Garth dismiss half-centurion Kiran Navgire and Simran Shaikh off consecutive deliveries to complete her five-wicket haul.Just seven deliveries, and Harris was on her way, hitting her first boundary. But two balls after she hit her second, Devika Vaidya fell to Sutherland. With Sophie Ecclestone for company, Harris let loose, hitting left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar for a six off the last ball of the 17th over. When she returned to the strike in the next over, she took down Garth, Gujarat’s best bowler on the night, for three consecutive boundaries.”I can tell you I’ve not seen anyone hit the ball like Grace Harris,” Garth said after the match. “When we were with Australia in the nets, nobody wants to bowl to her because you just have balls flying back at you.”Only one boundary came in the next over – a six from Ecclestone – and left Warriorz needing 19 off the last over. Harris ensured it was achieved.1:27

Knight: Being able to have the option of reviewing wides is a good thing

“A very special cricketer, Grace. I think you saw Grace’s personality out there on the field,” Healy said. “I think she batted through the whole innings in the sidelines, before she even went out there. That’s exactly why she’s in our side, to do something as special as that.””I started poorly and I thought I was fluffing around,” Harris said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award on the official broadcast. “You need to get the conditions of the wicket and I was thankful that Sophie also motored along.”I knew what I wanted to do. I was getting antsy when there were so many breaks in the DRS. I was able to compose myself, but I was psyched to get to bat and score. I love batting with freedom. The coach [Jon Lewis] is supportive and tells me to be free.”Earlier in the day, Giants had put in a much-improved batting display, with Harleen Deol anchoring the innings. She made 46 off 32 deliveries and found support from Ashleigh Gardner (25 off 19) and D Hemalatha (21* off 13). The highlight for Deol was when she hit Vaidya for four consecutive boundaries in the 17th over.Giants had a great start to their defence as well, as Garth took three wickets in her second over to leave UP stuttering at 20 for 3. With Garth generating some away swing, which led to Healy getting a leading edge back to the bowler and Shweta Sehrawat slicing the ball to short third, stand-in captain Sneh Rana brought in a slip for Tahlia McGrath. The move paid immediate dividends as McGrath edged her first legal delivery to Hemalatha at first slip.Navgire and Deepti put on 66 runs for the fourth wicket, with Navgire going on to score a half-century off 40 deliveries. In the same over – the 12th – Mansi Joshi knocked Deepti over with one that tailed back into the left-hander.Garth came back into the attack immediately and had Navgire gloving a short ball behind to Sushma Verma and she then castled Simran Shaikh with a yorker. When Sutherland had Vaidya caught at mid-on in the 16th over, it looked like the end of the contest. It turned out to be a new beginning.