All posts by h716a5.icu

Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck half-centuries each to carry Afghanistan to 188 for 6 in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup. Hong Kong had their moments, their spinners in particular harnessing slow conditions well enough to frustrate their more pedigreed opponents. But the gulf in class eventually showed as Yasin Murtaza’s side dropped catches and committed misfields to hurt their own chances.Sediqullah has brought up each of this three T20I fifties in his last four innings, and as well as he looked out in the middle, standing tall at the crease and largely coping with the lack of pace, he benefited from three missed chances. A man who could’ve been dismissed in the very first over in the end batted through to finish on 73 off 52.Murtaza was involved in all three lives Sediqullah got – twice dropping the catch himself and once having to watch it go down off his own bowling. He did the best he could to make up for it, the three Hong Kong spinners giving the ball such little pace but so much air that this game looked straight out of the 90s. As such, the more modern day T20 batter wasn’t able to adjust. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah picked up 3 for 75 in 11 overs.However, the arrival of pace in the 17th over changed the game with Atal and Omarzai targeting Ayush Shukla. Afghanistan scored 69 runs in the last four overs with Omarzai raising his first T20I half-century. From the simple clear-the-front-leg slog to the cheeky ramp past the keeper, the Afghanistan allrounder has shown impressive range on a difficult batting pitch and finished with a strike rate of 252.38.Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase.

Neymar and his father are set to to acquire the Pele brand through their company NR Sports. Neymar returned to Santos at the start of January having left the Brazilian side for La Liga giants Barcelona in 2013, where he'd go on to win La Liga and the Champions League. And the Brazil star is prepared to continue Pele's legacy as the player and his father acquire the brand rights.

Neymar set to acquire Pele 'brand' for €15.5m

Pele was on the Santos books between 1956 and 1974, where he excelled for the Brazilian powerhouse. Indeed, the Brazil icon scored 643 goals in 659 outings for Santos before spending three seasons with the New York Cosmos and ultimately retiring in 1977.

Pele is considered to be one of the best footballers of all time with Neymar and his father expected to continue his legacy when they announce a deal to acquire his brand rights later this week. According to UOL, an official agreement worth a reported €15.5m (£14m/$18m) is expected on Wednesday, November 19 to mark the anniversary of Pele's 1,000th career goal.

The Pele brand previously belonged to American company Sport 10 and relied primarily on appearances at events. However, the brand has been underutilised since Pele's tragic passing in 2022 at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failure, a complication of colon cancer, which was initially diagnosed in 2021.

AdvertisementAFPSantos star out to revive Pele's image

As a result of the acquisition, NR Sports will be able to use Pele's image and name, license for merchandise, and acquire historical footage as they look to revive and globalise the image of the former Brazil star. Pele's family still attend Santos games, with Neymar recently paying to renovate the box still occupied by the former's loved ones at the Vila Belmiro, which includes new seats, a remodelled bathroom, glass paneling, and air conditioning.

Neymar has looked to continue his compatriot's legacy by adorning the famous number 10 shirt once worn by Pele for both Santos and Brazil. However, Neymar's return to Santos has been plagued by injuries, meaning the former Barcelona and PSG star has only made 13 league starts for the Peixe.

Santos are also enduring a difficult domestic season and they head into the final knockings of the 2025 Brasileirao just one point and one place above the relegation zone. They did, though, claim a 1-0 win over Palmeiras at the weekend as Benjamin Rollheiser netted in second half injury time to claim a priceless three points.

Neymar issued Brazil ultimatum

Neymar has also been issued an ultimatum by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti. The Selecao were underwhelming in CONMEBOL qualifying as they booked their 2026 World Cup spot in a bid to land a record-extending sixth World Cup, and their first since 2002.

Earlier this month, Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti said: "Neymar is on the list of players who can go to the World Cup. He has six months to make the final list."

The 33-year-old returned to the Brazil squad back in March having last featured for the national team in October 2023, when he suffered a knee injury in action against Uruguay. And Ancelotti has made it clear that any decision for Neymar to return to the Brazil squad will be down to his physical condition after years of setbacks and fitness issues.

"Neymar has recovered, but he needs to show performance. When the Brazilian league ends he'll have some vacation time, and then he must show his quality and physical condition again," the Italian added.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images SportNeymar set for January transfer?

One way for Neymar to maintain his fitness is to secure a January switch, with a transfer away from Santos mooted. Neymar's current deal runs until the end of the year, and Fabrizio Romano has hinted that the Brazilian trickster could be on the move again in the New Year.

"Neymar is trying to help, but don't forget that Neymar could eventually be available as a free agent from the beginning of January," Romano said. "So an interesting situation to follow because Neymar could consider a move in the January transfer window. Now Neymar wants to be 100 per cent focused on his priority, so to help Santos avoid relegation and to do his best for his club.

"In this moment Neymar is not having any advanced negotiation, but some calls have started to understand the situation of Neymar. When there is a player of his level available on the market, it is obviously an opportunity. Okay, maybe Neymar is not in the best physical condition now, Neymar is coming from an injury, he had several injuries recently. But now he’s back, he's fit, he’s trying to help Santos.

"He's trying to find his best condition, and so keep an eye on Neymar because he could be one of the names to watch for the January transfer window on a free transfer, and so that could be an interesting situation to follow."

Aston Villa defender Matty Cash has been hailed for his incredible defensive form after shutting down Bournemouth winger

Antoine Semenyo on Sunday.

Villa cruised to a fourth straight home Premier League victory, brushing Bournemouth aside 4-0 at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s side had only scored nine goals in the league coming into the match but put their goalscoring woes to bed to dispatch Andoni Iraola’s below-par Cherries with ease.

Emiliano Buendia’s sublime free-kick put them on track for a fifth win from six before Amadou Onana’s cracker from range doubled their lead. Villa had to withstand a spell of Bournemouth pressure but Emiliano Martinez produced a string of fine saves to keep their lead intact, including a one-handed stop to deny Semenyo from the penalty spot after Morgan Rogers handled the ball.

Villa then made the match safe as substitutes Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen struck to wrap up victory and deliver a first four-goal haul of the campaign. During the game, though he didn’t get onto the scoresheet, one Villa player had a stellar performance.

Cash shone in dominant win over Bournemouth

Writing on X, Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic was full of praise for Cash, touching on his contributions over the 2025/26 season which rank him amongst the best defenders in the English top flight.

Cash, along with his Villa teammates, endured a slow start to the current campaign, far from a norm under Emery’s tenure at Villa Park. Picking up their first win of the season only in late September against Bologna, Villa have since lost just two of their last 10 matches, a run to which Cash has been a major contributor.

Interceptions per Game

0.8

Tackles per Game

1.6

Clearances per Game

2.8

Blocked Shots per Game

0.7

Errors Leading to Goals

0

(All stats are from SofaScore)

In what has been a thunderous start to the season for Bournemouth, Semenyo has shone as one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Premier League. As Tanswell noted, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola wanted the Ghanian international to be charging at Lucas Digne rather than Cash, given his form.

Semenyo was limited to a quiet game in a thrashing win, with Cash maintaining the exceptional standards he has had across the campaign as Villa look to, once again, qualify for European football under Emery.

Villa exploring deal for exciting striker

Sixth-wicket stand of 111 leads response to Derbyshire’s 377

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025 Northamptonshire 265 for 5 (Broad 64*, Bartlett 60*) trail Derbyshire 377 (Andersson 105, Procter 71*, Chahal 6-118) by 112 runsGeorge Bartlett and Justin Broad shared an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 111 to lead the Northamptonshire recovery in response to Derbyshire’s total of 377 at Wantage Road.Bartlett equalled his season’s best of 60 not out, made in the opening round of the Rothesay County Championship, while Broad struck an unbeaten 64 as the pair batted through the evening session, having joined forces at 154 for five.Northamptonshire captain Luke Procter anchored his side’s innings with a gritty 71 at the top of the order before becoming one of a trio of departures in quick succession prior to tea.Earlier, Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up the final two Derbyshire wickets to register figures of six for 118, his best in the County Championship.Derbyshire resumed on 348 for eight and Ben Aitchison wasted no time in securing their third batting bonus point, clubbing Liam Guthrie’s first delivery of the morning to the cover fence.Aitchison looked on course to reach a first-class half-century for only the second time in his career, but he departed five short of that landmark, chopping Chahal back onto leg stump.The spinner soon wrapped up Derbyshire’s innings as Blair Tickner – having blazed a couple of boundaries off George Scrimshaw – took an ambitious swing and was caught at slip off a thick edge.With ball in hand, Tickner then sent down a fiery opening spell, generating plenty of pace and bounce and earning his reward by removing Ricardo Vasconcelos with a delivery that swung in to hit the left-hander on the pads.Procter and Lewis McManus – who was awarded his county cap prior to the start of play – saw their side through to lunch, not without the odd scare as debutant Joe Hawkins’ first ball found the edge of the skipper’s bat but fell just short of slip.The visitors struck in the first over after the interval, when McManus misjudged the line from Zak Chappell and was caught behind, but James Sales started perkily as he dispatched Hawkins for two cover boundaries.Meanwhile, Procter withstood a barrage of short-pitched bowling from Tickner, emerging unscathed after he ducked into a bouncer and continued to accumulate, guiding Aitchison to the rope at third man to bring up his half-century.Northamptonshire’s third-wicket partnership yielded 74 before Luis Reece achieved the breakthrough, tempting Sales to drive outside off stump and Harry Came clasped the catch at cover.Reece prised out Procter, foxing the batter with a slower ball that trapped him in front and Derbyshire also removed the in-form Saif Zaib on the stroke of tea, caught behind to provide Hawkins with his first senior wicket.Bartlett made a scratchy start but began to open up in the wake of Procter’s exit, lifting Hawkins over the top for four and responding to another pounding by Tickner with a classy straight drive back over the bowler’s head.He was soon overtaken by Broad, whose tendency towards the pull shot almost proved his downfall when he miscued Tickner to leg slip, only for the ball to drop just in front of the stretching Caleb Jewell.However, it was Bartlett who won the race to 50, pummelling Reece for six and four in quick succession and Broad soon followed suit, capitalising on the left-armer’s full toss to find the boundary.

Ligue 1 referee chief Amaury Delerue has defended the controversial decisions made by both the on-field and VAR officials during Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-2 win over Lyon. The last-minute defeat left Lyon players furious but Delerue has explained the process behind the officials' decisions and insisted that each call was made correctly.

Lyon frustrated with calls all in favour of PSG

Lyon were left furious after a series of key moments went against them in their match against PSG. In the 27th minute, Ilia Zabarnyi’s apparent handball inside the penalty area went unpunished. Soon after, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal stood despite Vitinha’s tackle from behind on Tanner Tessmann. Just before half-time, a challenge by Kang-in Lee on Nicolas Tagliafico inside the PSG box was ignored. The controversy deepened when Tagliafico was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Vitinha, leaving Lyon with 10 men. VAR upheld the decision, sparking outrage from the Lyon players and staff.

Lyon’s assistant coach Jorge Maciel launched a scathing post-match rant, claiming that only the four referees on the pitch failed to notice the fouls committed during the game. He said: “I think there are 59,000 people in the stadium, and only four of them didn’t see the fouls we analysed. We don’t even need to watch the replays. When it happens one way, we don’t understand it. When it happens with the arrogance of not even having the opportunity to discuss it, we don’t understand it.”

Maciel went on to accuse the officials of favouring PSG, suggesting that the champions didn’t need to “play with 16 men” as they are already the best team in Europe.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportDelerue defends the referees

In an interview with, Ligue 1 referee association chief Delerue defended the officials appointed for the match and explained the reasoning behind their key decisions.

He clarified why no handball was called on Zabarnyi, saying: “The VAR followed IFAB protocol by reviewing all available angles and images, none of which clearly showed that the decision not to award a penalty was definitely wrong, or whether Zabarnyi actually touched the ball.”

Delerue also justified the decision regarding Lee’s challenge on Tagliafico, stating: “Lee’s intervention is not punishable under the laws of the game. It was natural contact that did not prevent Tagliafico from playing the ball.”

Vitinha finds the loophole

PSG, who were without key players such as Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Nuno Mendes due to injury, took an early lead through Warren Zaire-Emery within the first ten minutes. Lyon quickly equalised through Moreira, but Kvaratskhelia restored PSG’s advantage soon after. Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck again to make it 2-2, and the match appeared to be heading for a draw until Joao Neves rose highest to score from a late corner, sealing the win for Luis Enrique’s side. The result moved PSG back to the top of the table, while Lyon slipped to seventh.

Kvaratskhelia’s goal came right after Vitinha’s foul on Tessman. Delerue admitted that Vitinha took advantage of a loophole in the rules to avoid punishment when he said, “This is a very complex situation on which the DA was unable to reach a 100 percent unanimous decision. The contact affected Tessman’s ability to maintain control of the ball, which is why we would primarily consider it a foul during recovery and disallow the goal. But we are in a grey area, which is why the VAR’s decision not to challenge the central referee is understandable.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty ImagesPSG using the international break to grow stronger

Enrique will use the international break to recover key players from injury and refine his tactical system. The PSG manager aims to learn from their defeat against Bayern Munich, make the necessary adjustments to avoid similar mistakes in future matches, and further strengthen his team’s overall performance.

They sit top of the French top flight with a two-point lead over Marseille and Lens, while Lyon's defeat – winless in four games – are seventh in the table and seven points adrift of the reigning champions.

Shubman Gill went past Sunil Gavaskar’s 221, a record which had stood for nearly 50 years

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill climbed another peak on this England tour•Getty Images

Shubman Gill, 269, Edgbaston, 2025After the first Test, at Headingley, Gill said his 147 was not enough and that he should have gone bigger. At Edgbaston, he did exactly. In friendly batting conditions, he batted with discipline, relying on minimum-risk caresses for most of his boundaries and offering no chances to bring up his maiden Test double-century. In the middle session of the second day, he recorded the highest score by an India batter in England, going past…Sunil Gavaskar, 221, The Oval, 1979In one of the great fourth-innings knocks of all time, Gavaskar almost got India to pull off the unthinkable and chase down 438 on a fourth- and fifth-day pitch. He batted for more than eight hours against an attack that included Ian Botham and Bob Willis. In a gripping finish, India were ten runs short of the target with two wickets in hand when they ran out of time.Rahul Dravid, 217, The Oval, 2002Dravid already had two hundreds in the series by the fourth Test of India’s 2002 tour. With the series tied 1-1, England scored 515 in the first innings. Dravid led the response with a typically patient innings over days three and four that took him past 600 runs for the series. The match petered out into a draw, leaving the series tied.Sachin Tendulkar, 193, Headingley, 2002In one of India’s famous wins in England, Dravid and Sanjay Bangar set the platform for Tendulkar to play a stroke-laden innings. On the second evening, with the light fading, he went on the charge, hitting three sixes. Though he fell short of a double, India got to 628 and ended up winning by an innings.Ravi Shastri, 187, The Oval, 1990With Krishnamachari Srikkanth dropped, Shastri was given the role of opener on India’s 1990 tour. He got a hundred at Lord’s, and at the Oval went bigger, batting 436 balls as India got 606 in the first innings. England had to follow-on but survived to take the series 1-0.

Virgil van Dijk has slammed the “ridiculous” criticism Liverpool faced before they ended their Premier League losing streak against Aston Villa. The Netherlands defender has hit out at the negative “outside noise” which greeted a run of form which saw the Reds lose successive league games against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford.

Salah and Gravenberch help Liverpool end losing streak

Liverpool returned to winning ways as they defeated Unai Emery’s Villa 2-0 on Saturday evening. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch helped Arne Slot’s side breathe a sigh of relief after a testing eight-game stretch in which they also suffered defeats against Galatasaray and Palace in the Champions League and Carabao Cup respectively.

AdvertisementAFPVan Dijk hits back at coverage of Reds' loss of form

Such was Liverpool’s worrying run of form that Van Dijk revealed earlier this month that he called a players’ meeting following the 2-1 reverse against United. However, the Dutchman has since criticised the reaction to what was a difficult period for the club, saying the coverage was akin to a side fighting relegation.

Speaking to after his side’s win over Villa, Van Dijk said: "What I have noticed over the last couple of weeks especially is that there is a lot of noise that you have no control over and that we have to deal with as a team.

"Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous. But you have to deal with that. It's outside noise that can reach certain players, the group. It's about sticking together.

"We're not going out there on the pitch to lose games, we're not going out there to be disappointed after games or leave fans disappointed going home, we want to work our socks off and win games. But there's no guarantee. You play in the Premier League, the highest level, in the biggest league in the world, and it's difficult to stay calm but you have to do if you want to get back to where we want to be. That's up there. But that's something for later in the season to look at.

"Now it's time to keep working, never get too high, never get too low.

"We live in a world now, for footballers at least, because that's the only thing I can speak about, where everyone can have their opinion on so many platforms and everyone knows it better. We have to try to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we've been doing.

"Last season we didn't hear much negative stuff. Everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounded like, by the outside world, we're going to be in the relegation battle, so that's how it works in the world.”

AFPLiverpool boss Slot hails supporters for sticking with team

Acknowledging that both he and his players had been rocked by their recent wobble, Liverpool boss Slot was keen to pay tribute to the Anfield faithful for getting behind the team when they really needed them against Villa.

Asked how much the supporters helped against Villa, Slot said: "A lot, of course. Especially because it happened at 0-0, so not when you are leading and not when you are top of the league but when you are in a difficult situation as a club, as a team and because I'm definitely a part of that, it's also a difficult situation for me.

"And then to get the support the players got but also I got, that is something that makes this club special, I think. They don't forget if you've been part of something special and they help you especially if things are difficult.

"And that's what it was the last few weeks, things were difficult, we were not winning, by the way, we were losing. And so they felt the players, maybe even me, needed a bit of support and that's what you get from these fans.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images SportAlexander-Arnold and Alonso return to Anfield on Tuesday

Liverpool are looking to build on their victory over Villa when they entertain Real Madrid in a mouth-watering Champions League tie on Tuesday. The match will see former defender Trent Alexander-Arnold return to Merseyside for the first time after switching to the Spanish giants in the summer. Real boss Xabi Alonso – who represented the Reds as a player between 2004 and 2009 – also faces a reunion with his former club.

Leeds United picked up their third win of the Premier League campaign on Friday night with a much-needed 2-1 victory over West Ham United at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s side bounced back from their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor last time out thanks to goals from Joe Rodon and Brenden Aaronson early on in the first half.

The Whites owed some of their win to the performance of Rodon at the heart of their defence, as he earned Sky Sports’ official Player of the Match award.

Why Joe Rodon was crucial for Leeds against West Ham

The Wales international produced a solid display at centre-back for the West Yorkshire outfit against the Hammers, without his usual defensive partner in Pascal Struijk next to him.

Rodon, per Sofascore, completed 92% of his attempted passes, showing his composure on the ball, whilst he also completed 100% of his attempted tackles and made nine clearances throughout the game.

On top of his impressive all-around performance at centre-back for the Championship champions, the former Spurs man also scored from Sean Longstaff’s excellent corner.

Rodon was, therefore, crucial to the team’s result with his excellent display. However, it is his centre-back partner, Jaka Bijol, who deserves the applause.

Why Jaka Bijol should be undroppable for Leeds

The £15m summer signing from Udinese made his Premier League bow against West Ham on Friday, having watched on as Struijk played in his position in previous games, and showed why the club splashed so much money on him.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It was as assured a performance as you could get from a centre-back making his Premier League debut, particularly against an experienced campaigner and former England international centre-forward in Callum Wilson for most of the match.

Wherever Wilson was, Bijol was. His marking of the former Newcastle United marksman, who Transfermarkt notes has scored 89 top-flight goals, was immaculate throughout the night. In fact, there was one brilliant clearance when it looked like the striker was about to get a shot away in the box in the right channel in the second half.

Pass accuracy

92%

95%

Clearances

9

11

Interceptions

0

2

Tackle success rate

100% (1/1)

100% (2/2)

Ground duels won

2

3

Aerial duels won

2

3

Ball recoveries

4

5

As you can see in the table above, the Slovenia international made more clearances, more tackles, more interceptions, and more recoveries than Rodon, whilst he also won more duels on the deck and in the air.

This shows that the former Udinese colossus was even better than the Welshman defensively, as he made more defensive interventions to prevent Lucas Perri from being worked more than he was.

Neither centre-back could do too much to prevent the goal that was scored, by Mateus Fernandes, as the midfield failed to track the Portuguese star’s run into the box between the two defenders, who both had other men to mark.

Overall, though, it was a brilliant performance from Bijol and one that may make supporters wonder why he has been an unused substitute in every match before Friday night, because he already looks undroppable after just one game.

Leeds have signed a "difference-maker" who is a bigger talent than Rutter

Leeds United have signed a bigger talent than Georginio Rutter with this summer signing.

2 ByDan Emery Oct 21, 2025

The 26-year-old star will be hoping that Farke now keeps him in the starting XI moving forward and he can string together a run of performances in the Premier League to form a formidable partnership with Rodon, after they both excelled against the Hammers.

“There was a bit of confidence in our group when they only got 200 [203], thinking we’ve dragged them back here,” Hopes said

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-20251:53

Moody: Shreyas identified key moments to go into the fifth gear

The Punjab Kings [PBKS] batting unit, led by Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, will get all the plaudits after they topped Mumbai Indians’ [MI] 203 with an over to spare. But bowling coach James Hopes was also effusive in his praise of the PBKS bowling group, particularly the way they “just hung in there the whole night” on a belter of an Ahmedabad surface in Qualifier 2.Sent into bat, MI had raced to 65 for 1 inside the powerplay and regularly went at better than ten runs an over through the middle phase. But the PBKS bowlers struck at regular intervals to prevent the death-overs assault.”There was a stage where I reckon they [MI] were looking at 220, 225 and we just kept pegging them back at the right time,” Hopes said in a press conference after PBKS qualified for their first IPL final in 11 years. “We never went for that big over of 18, 19. We kept pegging them at 10, 11 knowing that we got Arshdeep [Singh] coming at the end and Azmatullah [Omarzai] bowled beautifully as well.Related

Sensational Shreyas Iyer powers PBKS to second IPL final

Shreyas Iyer on his Qualifier 2 classic: 'I love big occasions'

The night MI felt the full force of Shreyas' ire

Hardik, Santner not completing quota 'an opportunity missed'

“We gave them a few extra runs, yeah, but that’s why I was saying I thought they were going to get 220. There was a bit of confidence in our group when they only got 200 [203], thinking we’ve dragged them back here. You could even tell our first over batting the way the ball came off the bat, it was just skipping off the bat a little more and you could tell there was just a little bit of dew, a little bit of wetness out there, that was going to help us, and it did.”Chasing 204 against five-time champions MI, who had never before lost a game defending a score in excess of 200, was going to be a tough ask. Especially when the bowling group was led by Jasprit Bumrah, who was coming into the game with an economy rate of 6.36.But Josh Inglis was determined to not let Bumrah settle down, crashing him for two sixes and two fours in his opening over – the fifth of the innings – to give the chase the momentum it needed.”The way Josh Inglis attacked Boom [Bumrah] up front to get him off his game a little bit… if you’d told us we were chasing 200 at the start of the day and we were going to take 40 off Jasprit, we would have taken that every day of the week and liked our chances,” Hopes said. “Josh has got a pretty good record against him in short-form cricket. He plays him well.”I don’t think it was a conscious decision to go after [Bumrah in that] over. He just got some balls and he put them away, and on another day, those balls go to the fielder and he’s not taking what he did off that over. So doing that to him in the first over not only has a flow-on effect for his bowling but has a flow-on effect for the rest of their team as well.2:31

‘Such a big over’ – Aaron on Inglis taking 20 off Bumrah in the fifth

“We were having the chats at half-time that if Bumrah bowls four overs for 26, what do we need off the other 16 overs? So there’s just an expectation he’s going to be at a certain level every game, and even tonight he bowled well.”Varun Aaron and Tom Moody agreed that Inglis’ assault on Bumrah formed the base of PBKS’ successful chase. That they were all “cricketing shots” and Inglis was not “trying to just hit the cover of the ball” was the highlight.”Big over, such a big over,” Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out. “It was down to someone to take him [Bumrah] on tonight. These are those big games where somebody has to show up and be like, ‘you know what, I’m going to take the bull by the horns and I’m going to take down their biggest bowler’, and that’s Jasprit Bumrah, and he did that so well. Just played cricketing shots.”Moody pointed to Inglis’ technical acumen against Bumrah.”He [Inglis] has got a really good technique,” Moody said. “So when it comes to playing high-quality bowling, like Jasprit Bumrah, he’s got the ability to play proper cricketing shots that have penetration – whether that be the cover drives, the shot down the ground; the six he hit, it was the slower ball, he was technically in perfect position [to play it].Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings’ chase with a composed half-century•Associated Press”So it’s not like he is trying to just hit the cover of the ball. Just identified it was an off-pace delivery and hit straight through it. And most batters when they are facing Bumrah, they are more in the defensive position. He is still engaged in the contest – ‘okay, you’re bowling it short, I am still comfortable because I back myself to get into that position; if you’re slightly fuller, I’ll take advantage and cover drive; slower ball, I’m hitting you over the top’.”‘Shreyas a sensational captain, a sensational player’While Inglis’ 21-ball 38 put PBKS’ chase in top gear, it was captain Iyer who formed the spine of the innings with a clinical knock. He measured his innings, rotated the strike well, before going on an all-out attack. Hopes, who has worked with Iyer previously at Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020, said that his calmness stood out.”He doesn’t get flustered very easily and he knows his match-ups,” Hopes said. “He knows what he has to do at certain times and he’s prepared to take that risk. When he was a younger player in Delhi, he was a little bit more explosive and gung-ho, but he scores at a high strike rate now strictly because he knows when a bowler comes on that that’s his match-up and he’s going to take it and with his captaincy.”Tonight we kept them to 200 when I reckon they could have got 220, 230 and just because the way he pulls the strings out there and manoeuvres bowlers around. We had [Vijaykumar] Vyshak with one over left. He took his gut call to bowl Azmat. He’s a sensational captain and he’s a sensational player.”

Brendan Rodgers is pleased to see the “strength and power” of Alistair Johnston in training as the Celtic full-back moves closer to a return to action.

The 27-year-old Canada international has been out since the goalless draw in the Champions League play-off at home to Kazakhstan side Kairat Almaty on August 20, missing nine games in all competitions.

Johnston returned to training during the international break and ahead of the trip to Dundee in the William Hill Premiership on Sunday, Rodgers told Celtic TV: “It’s obviously a big blow having someone of that quality out.

“But young Colby Donovan has come in and done very, very well, Tony Ralston is always a very capable player for the club and an international player, so it has given those guys a chance to get games.

“But there’s no doubt Ali’s been a real pivotal part of the team for a number of years now.

“His power and the balance he gives both offensively and defensively is very important for the team.

“So it’s great to have him back on the pitch and seeing that strength and power back in training.”

Rodgers excited by Celtic fixture run

After a “reset” during this international break, Rodgers is looking for his players to embrace the tough tasks they face in the seven games before domestic football takes another rest in November.

Amid a busy upcoming schedule, Celtic, who trail William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts by two points, have Europa League games against Sturm Graz and Midtjylland, a trip to Tynecastle in the league and a Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park.

The former Liverpool and Leicester boss said: “Let’s embrace all the challenges that come our way, both domestically and in Europe.

“It’s a really exciting period. It’s what Celtic is all about, playing these games and playing in the big games. And for us, that collective, being together, is always the attitude that we want to show.

“We’re excited by these games that are coming up and we want to go in and embrace the challenges. Everyone together fighting for the same cause is what Celtic is about.”