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South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis praised Imran Tahir’s control and variations after his side’s three-wicket victory over England, in which the bowler took 4 for 21

Firdose Moonda20-Feb-2016

Imran Tahir’s almost two-year-old son Gibran predicted that his father would end up with a four-for in the first T20I against England but no one can guess what the legspinner would have had done had he taken a fifth, not even the man himself.”I was talking to my wife earlier and she asked my son, ‘How many wickets is daddy going to take today?’ and he said ‘two plus two.’ That’s what he said and I’m really happy I got it,” Tahir stated after the match, which South Africa won off the last ball with three wickets to spare.Tahir’s third and fourth wickets, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, came off successive deliveries and he was inches away from taking a fifth to complete a hat-trick when Chris Jordan missed a googly that carried over the top of the stumps. Had the ball hit, Tahir would have “probably ended up in the crowd but I am not sure.” Faf du Plessis guessed that his bowler may have “run up the mountain” in delight but perhaps Tahir would have instigated a group hug – similar to the one he smothered du Plessis in when Moeen Ali was dismissed.Du Plessis was at cover when Tahir dished up a full delivery to Ali, who picked out the South African captain exactly as the side had planned. “We get excited when stuff we are working on falls into place. That was a big hug between me and Immi because that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” du Plessis said. “I said make him hit the ball to me at cover and he did exactly that.”Tahir final returns of 4 for 21 equalled his career-best effort and ensured England did not get away after Alex Hales and Jason Roy’s blazing start. “His control tonight was great. He bowled one full toss but the rest was exceptional. He spun the ball both ways,” du Plessis said. “He wins games of cricket on his own. As a captain, that’s a huge weapon to have. Even though they had a great start, I knew that on that surface, Immi was going to be a handful.”But South Africa almost bottled the advantage Tahir gave them and had to rely on another individual effort to chase down a small target of 135. Chris Morris scored 15 runs off the final over and two off the last ball to pull South Africa over the line. After his heroics in the Wanderers ODI, Morris has earned the moniker ‘Chuck Morris’, but du Plessis explained there is a trick to bringing out the big-hitter’s destructive best.”The key is to get Morris to the crease not when there are four overs left but when there are one or two overs left. He is very good at clearing the rope. He can hit sixes from ball one,” du Plessis said. “Him and David Wiese can both do it. It just makes your batting line-up so destructive. When it’s going for you, like it is for Morrie, it’s important that you ride the wave and he is doing that. He is winning games and that makes him an x-factor player.”Du Plessis believes that South Africa have collectively improved in do-or-die situations and he hopes this will stand them in good stead at the upcoming World Twenty20. “In the last two years, I think we have made some big strides. That’s all you can do. You can try and get better at pressure moments,” he said. “That’s the only difference between games like these and games in the World Cup. The World Cup is 10-15% more pressure. If we can do well in games like this, like we did tonight, that’s great learning for us.”

Glasgow Rangers enter the international break having suffered confidence-draining defeats to both Celtic and PSV Eindhoven over the previous week which has threatened to derail their season before it really starts.

Michael Beale should have taken advantage of the recent poor form displayed by the Parkhead outfit and claimed a victory which would have allowed the Gers to leapfrog their Old Firm rivals and submit the first major blow of the season.

Out of his nine summer arrivals, Jack Butland is the only one who has really stood out as someone who will make a difference and although it is still early in the season, it speaks volumes for how Beale approached the transfer window.

How much did Rangers spend in the transfer market?

The Gers spent £14m during the summer while they managed to bring in £11.4m in from selling Glen Kamara, Fashion Sakala, and Antonio Colak.

While this may sound like an impressive figure to bring in during one window, the club failed to generate a major fee for just one player, something which looked like it was becoming a recurring theme, especially considering there have been three players who have departed the club for big money since January 2022.

First Nathan Patterson left the Gers for Everton for a deal which could reach up to £16m before Joe Aribo joined Southampton for £10m and Calvin Bassey secured a move to Ajax for a club record fee of just under £23m last summer.

Although it’s disappointing to lose excellent players, the player trading model allows the club to generate a major profit from either academy graduates or those who arrived for a modest fee and gives the manager funds to strengthen the team.

This didn’t happen in the summer transfer window and Beale may regret this as time goes on.

What is Nathan Patterson doing now?

On the surface, receiving a fee of £16m for a player who had made a grand total of 27 appearances for the club, which included just 15 starts is a sensational piece of business, yet there is a lingering thought of what might have been had Patterson remained at Rangers.

The youngster made his debut aged just 18 back in January 2020 against Stranraer in the Scottish Cup and reflected on his maiden appearance, saying: “It was surreal, walking out in front of 40,000 fans for the club I love, it was just a great feeling. I’ve been here for 10 years, I’ve now made my debut and want to keep pushing on.”

He went on to claim a Premiership winners medal during the 2020/21 season while even making his Scotland debut during his spell at Rangers, but the lure of the Premier League, along with the significant transfer fee, proved too much to turn down.

The 21-year-old has since made 27 appearances for the Toffees and has started all five of their matches under Sean Dyche this term.

He has grabbed one assist during his four league matches while currently ranking fourth across the squad for accurate passes per game and ranking first for tackles and sixth for interceptions per match, clearly suggesting that he is finally showcasing the form that saw Rafa Benitez splash out the money to sign him nearly two years ago.

Seeing Patterson really hit his stride in the Premier League will give Beale hope that he can produce players who may follow in his footsteps, generating the Ibrox side a major profit in the process.

Young full-back Adam Devine could be the next one cherry-picked by an English side in the coming years, thus becoming Beale's very own version of Patterson.

How good is Adam Devine?

The 20-year-old is a right-back who is also able to deputise on the left side of defence if required, offering versatility to Beale across his first-team squad which could become crucial as the season progresses.

After spending loan spells at Partick Thistle and Brechin City, Devine made just nine appearances for the B team before Giovanni van Bronckhorst handed him his Rangers debut against Dundee United in May 2022.

He impressed enough to secure his maiden start for the club just two games later during the final match of the 2021/22 season against Hearts and impressed during his 90 minutes on the pitch.

The youngster made one successful dribble attempt while also making six clearances, two tackles and one interception, proving that he wasn’t afraid of getting stuck in against players of a higher quality than he was used to.

Following these performances, he was lauded as “powerful” by Craig Vickers, and went on to sign a long new term contract in October 2022, taking him up to 2025.

It took a while for him to make his first appearance of the 2022/23 campaign, as he was forced to wait until Beale’s first game against Hibs in December, but after that then started the first three matches of his reign.

Beale evidently rated the defender highly, saying: “He’s a young player who has come into the team unexpectedly and is playing out of position. Physically and mentally he’s been challenged but he’s come up trumps."

He also added: "I think he will jump up 25% in his natural position, certainly in attacking areas of the pitch. The captain also needs to look over his shoulder and that’s what I want."

High praise indeed and across six appearances last term, Devine created two big chances, averaged one key pass per game and succeeded with 100% of his attempted dribbles, clearly demonstrating that he is an attacking full-back who looks to create chances whenever possible.

He also made 0.7 tackles per game and won one ground duel per match – a success rate of 67% – which underlines his defensive quality and that he is an all round player who could contribute effectively at both ends of the pitch.

Of course, he isn’t quite at the same level of Patterson, yet the more game time he gets, the better he will become and given the club will be playing twice a week until Christmas due to European commitments, Devine may just be about to secure more minutes in the coming months.

Jurgen Klopp at Bayern Munich “could work”, says Manuel Neuer, with the German coach preparing to sever ties with Liverpool in 2024.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• German coach preparing to leave Anfield
• Plans to take a break from management
• May be tempted back to his homeland

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After close to nine years at Anfield, Klopp has revealed that he will be walking away from a prominent Premier League post at the end of the current campaign. With the stress of elite management taking its toll, the 56-year-old has suggested that he will have a year off.

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  Thomas Tuchel is only tied to a contract at Bayern through to 2025, meaning that Klopp could come into contention to take the reins at the Allianz Arena. He has previously worked with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and has ruled out filling another role in England.

• WHAT NEUER SAID

  Bayern goalkeeper Neuer has said at a fan event when asked about the prospect of Klopp taking charge in Bavaria: “I think it depends on him. I don’t think FC Bayern has anything against that. He’s a renowned, very good, experienced, tactically astute coach who has gained big respect from all footballers and athletes and I believe that he’s definitely a potential candidate who could work for Bayern at some point. Whether he wants to do that is of course his business. Maybe he wants to take a break first. Maybe he no longer wants the day-to-day business – I can imagine him possibly being the national team coach one day. Of course, that mainly depends on him.”

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  Any move to Munich would see Klopp link up with Harry Kane – a former Premier League rival from the striker’s days at Tottenham. He has previously admitted to being a big fan of the England captain, saying: “Harry Kane, what a striker. He is just a fantastic player but I hope we don't see why I like him. I respect how he came up, going out on loan, his career is fantastic. I remember one picture where him and Jamie Vardy are sat together on the bench for Leicester. I wouldn't want to be the coach at that moment. Harry did it the hard way. It's not like he came up at 18 years old as a talent. He had to do it the hard way and he had to improve day-by-day.”

Tier 1Khulna Division completed a hat-trick of National Cricket League titles after crushing Dhaka Division by an innings and 49 runs. They have now become the country’s most successful first-class team having eclipsed five-time champions Rajshahi Divison.Mehidy Hasan set up the victory at the BKSP-3 ground with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings as Dhaka were bowled out for 113 in 38.4 overs. Mehidy’s 7 for 24 was his best bowling figures, and he finished the game with his third 10-for in first-class cricket.Khulna replied with 459 for 8 in only 91 overs with Anamul Haque making his second first-class double-hundred while Mahedi Hasan blasted 177. Anamul struck 23 fours and four sixes in his 251-ball 202. Mahedi hammered 21 fours and two sixes in his 160-ball effort. The pair added 295 runs for the second wicket.Later, Mehidy and Rubel Hossain took three wickets each as Dhaka were bowled out for 297 in their second innings on the fourth morning.Nasir Hossain fell five runs short of a triple-century during Rangpur Division‘s drawn game against Barisal Division in Chittagong. Nasir’s 295, spanning ten hours and 510 balls and including 32 fours and three sixes, is now the second-highest score by a Bangladeshi in a first-class match.His 368-run fifth wicket stand with Ariful Haque, who made 162, is now the fifth highest stand in Bangladesh’s first-class history. Ariful struck 10 fours and two sixes in his 290-ball effort. Their partnership was the cornerstone of Rangpur’s mammoth 614 for 7 in reply to Barisal’s first=innings 335. Sohag Gazi had top-scored for Barisal with 99.Barisal reached 217 for four on the final day and were relegated to Tier 2 alongside Dhaka Division.Milton Ahmed

Tier 2Rajshahi Division were one of two teams to earn promotion for next season’s NCL after they drew their last Tier-2 game against Dhaka Metropolis.Batting first, Dhaka Metro posted 328 with Shadman Islam and Marshall Ayub hitting fifties. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took 5 for 105.Rajshahi’s reply was massive, as they posted 668 in 152.4 overs. Nazmul Hossain Shanto made 194 with 21 fours in seven hours and 42 minutes. He was involved in a record 341-run opening partnership with Mizanur Rahman, who made 175 off 210 balls, which included 30 fours and two sixes. Their partnership is a new high for opening stands in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket.Later, Farhad Reza also chipped in with 106 off 151 balls, an innings included 12 fours and five sixes.The game meandered to a draw as Dhaka Metro reached 118 for five on the final day. Shafiul Islam took three wickets.Sylhet Division also gained promotion to next year’s Tier 1 after a drawn game against Chittagong Division.Chittagong were bowled out for 215 with Abul Hasan and Enamul Haque jnr taking three wickets each. Yasir Ali top-scored with 81.Offspinner Iftekhar Sajjad then took a five-wicket haul as Sylhet were shot out for just 137. Left-arm quick Mehedi Hasan Rana took three wickets.Chittagong then stretched their lead to 458 thanks to more good form from Yasir, who struck an unbeaten century. His 102 came off 176 balls and contained seven fours and a six.Rajin Saleh then played a typical backs-to-the-wall innings to save Sylhet from defeat, his 104 coming in five hours and 36 minutes on the final day. Sylhet reached 309 for 7 in 126 overs. Iftekhar and Rana took three wickets each.

Former Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi has sent a hilarious Tweet to Reece James as his sister Lauren continues to shine at the Women’s World Cup.

Are England in the Women’s World Cup 2023?

So far, the Lioness have impressed during the group stage of the tournament taking place in Australia and New Zealand, with three wins from three.

In the first game, they crept over the line with a 1-0 victory over Haiti. After that result, head coach Sarina Wiegman opted to name James in her starting lineup for the next game and was instantly rewarded.

Indeed, the Chelsea 21-year-old scored after just six minutes with that being the only goal of the match as England beat Denmark 1-0.

The Lionesses truly found their rhythm in their final group match, however, as they beat China 6-1 with James the star of the show.

She netted two fine goals and also claimed three assists, making her only the third player on record – they began in 2011 – to be directly involved in five goals in a Women’s World Cup game (via BBC Sport).

Evidently stunned by James’ display, Batshuayi took to Twitter to send a funny message to her brother and former teammate James.

The Fenerbahce striker said: “Damn Lauren’s got a better finish than me bro, @ReeceJames.”

While he also added that he’s a novice when it comes to women’s football but he can tell just how good Lauren is immediately, noting: “Honestly I’ve seen 2 games only but she’s very very good.”

How many goals has Lauren James scored at the World Cup?

According to Opta, despite not starting the Lionesses’ first game, James has the most goals and assists of any player at this year’s tournament, with three goals and three assists in total. What’s more, with her five-goal contribution against China, she became the first England player to be directly involved in 5+ goals in a game at the Men’s or Women’s World Cup.

Evidently, she has delivered a number of fantastic moments over in Australia already but perhaps the pick of the bunch was her second goal, a stunning volley, in the most recent win.

As you can see from the footage above, she ghosts in late at the far post to arrive with exquisite timing, before displaying immaculate technique to volley the ball into the opposite corner with her weaker left foot.

Unsurprisingly, after the game, Wiegman praised James, telling the press that she did “special things”, while Chloe Kelly, the scorer of England’s fifth goal, added: “She’s a very special player for us and women’s football in general. She’s a special talent and the future is bright” (via The Guardian).

James, who was actually denied a hat-trick by a VAR call for offside, also seemed delighted after the game.

“It’s what dreams are made of. Happy for the team; everyone is buzzing. We are looking forward to the next round,” James told ITV (via TNT Sports).

“I felt free. Whether I’m on the wing or in the middle, I’m happy to be playing and contributing to goals.”

All in all, it appears that Chelsea have a pair of very talented siblings on their books.

Australia’s vice-captain says the side’s problem is not so much about failing to read India’s spinners, but the struggle to cope with the pressure of losing wickets in clumps

Alagappan Muthu in Indore23-Sep-20171:38

No excuse for non-debutants to not perform in India – Warner

Australia vice-captain David Warner has rebuked the notion that Australia are not reading India’s spinners. Instead, he has offered the explanation that at the points they were introduced, the batsmen were already under a lot of pressure and that, more than any other factor, caused the match-losing collapses.In Chennai, the score was 29 for 3 when the first Australian wicket fell to spin, in a match that suddenly took on the nature of a T20 because of rain. Four days later in Kolkata, Bhuvneshwar Kumar toppled the openers during a splendid new-ball spell and just as a partnership was developing between captain Steven Smith and Travis Head, the latter found short midwicket off a full toss to allow Kuldeep Yadav easy access to the lower middle order.Two-down in the series, Australia are faced with a must-win situation in Indore on Sunday to have a chance at the trophy and Warner felt they were not ill-equipped to do that.”I find that the players can read the spinners,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “And that it’s the odd one or two that when they can’t see the seam, then the players react off the wicket and that’s probably the odd one here or there.”At the end of the day, you have to have a game plan against spin – whether or not to hit down the ground or sweep the ball. But when you’re losing wickets in clumps, you become tentative. So you have to apply that pressure [early]. If you get off to a good start and the spinners come on, it’s a different game then. It’s about the tempo of the game, and the situation of the game and I feel if we were in a different position, you’ll see a different mode against the spinners.”There may be good news on that front. Warner felt the pitch looked very good, and noted the boundaries were rather small. The conditions may prove to be conducive to the injured opener Aaron Finch’s style of play, if he is cleared to return. On Saturday, he went through a batting session in the nets and tested the range of movement in his calf by running twos and threes between the wickets as well.”He is a very good batter,” Warner said, “And he has played a lot of cricket for us over the past couple of years. He’s got a lot of experience and, for us at the top of the order, he brings a lot of aggression. It’s good signs to see him back in the nets and he’s doing everything he possibly can to be fit for this game.”Recurrent injury issues have meant that Australia have run through 35 players in the two years since the end of the last World Cup. Matthew Wade, the wicketkeeper, has been their most capped in this period, followed by Smith, Warner and a man now discarded: George Bailey.They went to South Africa last year with an under-strength bowling attack and lost 5-0. In February, they conceded the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand. Rain dogged them in England at the Champions Trophy, where they failed to make it to the semi-finals. The outcome of this run is the record of 10 losses, two no-results, one abandoned fixture and no wins over their last 13 ODIs away from home. Not the best record for the reigning fifty-over world champions.”I think what you have to realise is we were world champions with a different team,” Warner said. “The team that we had when we won the World Cup was totally different. There was a totally different dynamic. The team has probably chopped and changed a little bit since then and it’s about the players putting numbers on the board and playing to the best of their ability.”We’re trying to work towards the next World Cup, we’ve got about 30 games and that was the same lead-up and preparation we had with the previous team so we’ve got to find a stable team and once we work out what’s going to be the best to defend the World Cup. At the moment, it’s a work in progress. Can’t say that teams are better than us or we’re better than other teams.”That job, however, appears a little hard at the moment, with Australia facing a fairly settled Indian line-up. Warner noted the difficulty an overseas batsman faces when he comes to the subcontinent for the first time and was particularly sympathetic to Hilton Cartwright, who has begun his ODI career as an opener in India with 2 runs in two matches, having to bat out of position.”It’s always challenging for a young guy to come into the team and take the bull by the horns. It is very, very difficult. Especially when you come over here and play for the first time on a world stage against one of the best ODI teams in their own backyard – it can be overwhelming. What he brings to us is a lot of energy and, I’ll say, experience in his knowledge of the game as well. He is a workaholic, he loves the game of cricket, he brings a good dynamic for us and we thoroughly love having him here.”Much as Warner was effusive in his praise of the young player, he conceded the seniors could not hide behind such excuses. “You grow up on wickets that are fast and bounce, and then you come up to the subcontinent and it’s your first Test series, it’s very hard to adapt. But when you keep coming back, there’s no excuse,” Warner said.”You should know the conditions very well. In saying that, when you’re out there, you become tentative. The game situation dictates that if you lose a couple of wickets, what do you do? Do you use your feet? Do you play with one stride? They are the things that you have to work out and adapt when you’re here. So as a senior player coming back to these situations you should know your game well enough. Our talk in the one-day format is to get off strike, to hit the guys in the boundaries; you should know that game very well.”

Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven is keen on joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer and manager Ange Postecoglou personally believes Spurs have a great chance of signing him.

Who will Spurs sign?

The Lilywhites are aiming to take this transfer window by storm and back Postecoglou in his attempts to restore exciting, expansive football at Hotspur Way.

Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte before him encouraged a more pragmatic style but Postecoglou appears determined to deploy a much more different approach.

“In terms of how quickly the players embrace it, the new players coming in will help," said the former Celtic boss on his playing style.

"That’s the part I have control over – whether that’s James or Guglielmo in goal.

"They’re players who fit in the direction I want to go in. Then it’s about seeing with the existing group how many of them are able to adjust and embrace the way we’re going to play.”

Spurs have already sealed the signings of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, a deal for James Maddison from Leicester City, the free transfer of Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus.

The aforementioned boost Tottenham's options defensively and going forward, with reports suggesting they're now targeting major additions for their central defensive line.

There are a fair few names attracting Spurs' interest, including van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona's Clement Lenglet and Galatasary star Victor Nelsson.

Van de Ven, though, is at the centre of reports claiming he is closing in on a move to north London – with reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano claiming a deal is close.

As per The Daily Mirror and journalist Darren Lewis, Postecoglou personally thinks the Dutchman will be Tottenham's "fifth summer signing" after Vicario, Maddison, Solomon and Kulusevski.

The Australian is apparently confident he will join Spurs, and much like Romano, the Mirror claim an agreement is nearing. As well as this, van de Ven is thought to be keen on making the move to N17, a factor which could support Daniel Levy's attempts to sign him.

The 22-year-old is thought to command a price tag of around £25 million, a figure which may well be affordable from Tottenham's perspective.

How good is Micky van de Ven?

According to WhoScored, the defender stood out as a real shining light under Wolfsburg boss Niko Kovac last campaign.

Making more blocks per 90 than any of his teammates, van de Ven also ranked among Wolfsburg's top three best players for clearances made on average (WhoScored).

Indeed, it speaks volumes that Kovac selected van de Ven more than any other of his outfield players in the German top flight last year (WhoScored).

Called a "monster" of a player on Voetbal International, the Bundesliga website have described him as a lightning quick player and even compared him to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.

They wrote:

"Much like Liverpool’s Dutch centre-back, Van de Ven can be a nightmare for attacking players with his immense strength, determination and precision tackling scuppering the most promising of forward moves.

"With incredible pace and passing ability among his many assets, the Netherlands U21 international – who captained his country at the 2023 UEFA Europan Under-21 Championship – is on course to become a regular for the senior Oranje in the near future."

It says much for the progress of Bangladesh in recent years that their senior players and coaches keep being asked a very similar question: is this the biggest moment in the history of the team?That a reasonable answer to that question – whether it was asked ahead of the World Cup quarter-final in 2015, when they defeated England in a Test in Dhaka or Sri Lanka in a Test in Colombo, when they won home ODI series against Pakistan, India and South Africa, or now, when they find themselves in the semi-final of a global tournament for the first time – is “yes” confirms the impression that, as their captain Mashrafe Mortaza put it, their “graph is pretty good. We’re coming up.”While most would accept that they have enjoyed a little fortune on the way to the semi-final – rain came to their rescue against Australia – the general impression remains: Bangladesh are a growing force in international cricket. Their future looks bright.There is no doubt that India are favourites in this semi-final, though. Strong favourites. It’s not just that they have a hugely experienced batting and bowling line-up, it’s that they have a huge amount of experience of playing in such high-profile games.But as if Pakistan’s victory over England had not already exposed the folly of presumption, Bangladesh have a record that demands respect. They have produced the two highest partnerships of the tournament to date (Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah added 224 for the fifth wicket against New Zealand, while Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim added 166 for the third wicket against England), they have recorded four of the nine highest individual scores (including three centuries) and they have won two of the last three ODIs between these sides.Most of all, they have a skillful, varied attack that, even on the fine batting surface anticipated at Edgbaston, provides Mashrafe with options.For all those reasons, Bangladesh should be a far more confident side than the one brushed aside by India in the World Cup quarter-final. Now they know they can win big games and fight back from tough positions. Now they know they belong at this level. India, Mashrafe said, are going to find a “changed” opponent.”Winning against England [in the 2015 World Cup] helped us a lot. We lost our next match, against New Zealand in New Zealand, but on a tough wicket we scored almost 300 and the team took a boost from that.”After that, we beat Pakistan, India and South Africa. Yes, it was at home, but we gained more self-respect by beating those sort of teams.”So this team has changed. Over the last two or three years, we’ve changed a lot, especially in the dressing rooms. Now we play with freedom. The coaches support the players and don’t drop them. These sort of things actually change teams.”Mashrafe took particular confidence from the victory over New Zealand. With 20 overs of the New Zealand innings remaining, they were 152 for 2 with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson well set. A total well in excess of 300 looked likely.”That’s the thing,” he explained. “We never give up. They batted really well, but we came back strongly. And once you have played at your best, you know how well you can play and things can change. I know, on our day, we can do anything.”Might the pressure of the occasion prove a burden? Mashrafe accepted his side is in uncharted territory here, but, like his coach the previous day, attempted to alleviate the burden.”It is our first time in our life in a semi-final; that is a fact,” he said. “And if you look at it as a semi-final, the pressure will be very hard. But if you think of it as just another match, the pressure will come a lot easier. And India has more pressure than us as the population is huge there and people love cricket a lot. Both teams have a lot of expectations.”For a Bangladesh team of which very little was expected not so long ago, such hopes are another sign of progress. Few would bet against this being the first of many semi-final appearances over the coming years.

The Australia vice-captain told Channel Nine that players were committed to ensuring that all players shared in the game’s upside, not just an elite few

Daniel Brettig18-Jun-20173:46

The pay dispute at a glance

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner has underlined the willingness of the nation’s top players to go without employment in order to achieve the retention of the fixed revenue percentage model at the heart of the pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.Less than two weeks remain before the expiry of the current MoU, with CA and the ACA making very little progress in talks over how to reach a compromise on the next deal. CA is adamant in its desire to break up the revenue sharing model and fix the wages of all but the top male and female players.Warner, who has been the most outspoken critic of the board in recent weeks after the chief executive James Sutherland threatened they would be left unemployed if the ACA did not agree to CA’s terms, told Channel Nine that the players were committed to ensuring all cricketers shared in the game’s upside, not just an elite few.”We’re prepared as players to give a little bit more in that revenue share [percentage],” he said of the ACA’s proposal to reduce the players share from around 26% to 22.5% with more money to go to grassroots levels. “But that’s what we want. We’re not going to budge from the revenue sharing model, we want equality, and a fair share for domestic and female players. That in a nutshell is what it’s all about.”We’ve been offered contracts and we’ve knocked them back. That’s because we want to make sure the female players and domestic players are in this revenue share model. In the decades that have gone past, the past players that have been in our situation have stood up for us. I was a domestic player, I was a young kid coming through, we’re doing the same as what they did as well.””From where I stand and the position I take on this, I try to take as much heat off [Steven Smith] as possible.” – David Warner•Associated Press

CA last week named a squad for the scheduled Test tour of Bangladesh in August, but Warner stated bluntly that there would be no players boarding the plane for the series if no agreement had been reached. He also reiterated his view that the Ashes, too, would be threatened by a lengthy dispute.”From our point of view I want to play for Australia and so do the other boys,” Warner said. “But if there’s nothing that’s put in place for what we’re trying to achieve here, from both point of views, we’re not going to tour Bangladesh, there might not be an Ashes if we don’t have an MoU.”We want to keep playing cricket for Australia, that’s our goal. If there’s no cricket in summer, what are we going to do? We’re going to be locked out. Where do we train? They can lock us out from all the different training facilities. It’s going to be disappointing if it comes to that, we want to keep playing for Australia. But if we don’t have the MoU done, it’s going to be hard for us to walk on that plane come Bangladesh.”From July 1, we’re unemployed. We’ve been threatened with that. We’re hopeful there’s going to be an agreement done — it’s a sticky situation.”There has been a contrast in Warner’s outspokenness next to the more measured words of the national team captain, Steven Smith. Warner said he was happy to stick his head above the parapet on the issue, though admitted Smith could perhaps also be more vocal as the days tick down to the MoU expiry.”From where I stand and the position I take on this, I try to take as much heat off [Smith] as possible. He does lead us on the field, and rightfully so off the field as well, he does a great job,” Warner said. “In this circumstance I’m willing to go out there into bat for everyone. Yeah sometimes he could probably push a little bit more, but I think he’s doing a great job, as well as the other players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood as well.”Talks between CA and the ACA are expected to continue this week.

Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to completing their first summer signing under Ange Postecogou in the form of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news involving David Raya?

As per Sky Sports, personal terms are not expected to be an issue for Raya as Tottenham look to find a new goalkeeper to replace veteran star Hugo Lloris.

Brentford value the Spain international at around £40 million; however, Spurs are reluctant to shell out such a fee given that he is out-of-contract at the Gtech Community Stadium in 2024.

The Telegraph understand that Manchester United are also in the hunt to sign Raya to compete with or replace David De Gea, though Tottenham are believed to be in 'pole position' to sign the 27-year-old.

Postecoglou is keen to add another figure between the sticks to the ranks and it is believed to be 'one of the most pressing priorities' for the Australian manager in N17.

talkSPORT understand that Raya is open to moving to Spurs and the Lilywhites are trying to convince Brentford to lower their price to sell one of their prize assets.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Romano has indicated that Tottenham are moving closer to signing Raya this summer in north London.

Romano said: "The agreement on personal terms with David Raya is almost done. They are negotiating with Brentford, so I think Tottenham have a good chance of finding a way.

"They will not pay £40million, so the price has to change. But I'm sure the conversation will take place soon."

Would David Raya be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur?

Raya has established himself as a very competent Premier League goalkeeper who has garnered interest in his services due to his composure on the ball and safe handling.

In 2022/23, the 27-year-old made 39 appearances in all competitions for Brentford and managed to keep 12 clean sheets, as per Transfermarkt.

Raya also appeared in WhoScored's top five most-consistent performers for Brentford for his exploits during the campaign, gaining an average match rating of 6.97/10 in the English top flight.

FBRef show that Raya recorded a 77.7% save percentage rate across the season, proving to be a reliable presence between the sticks for his current employers.

Tottenham need a new goalkeeper as they look to refresh their squad under Postecoglou ahead of next term and Raya would be a sensible signing that would excite the Lilywhites' faithful.