Barcelona may be left ruing a transfer decision that saw them decline Lionel Messi's advice to sign one of his Argentina team-mates.

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Lionel Messi wanted Barcelona to sign Cristian RomeroVoted Serie A's best defender in 2021Joined Spurs instead & won Europa LeagueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Xavier Bosch (h/t MundoDeportivo), before Messi joined PSG, he wanted Barcelona president to sign Cristian Romero, who was playing for Atalanta at that time and had been voted Serie A's best defender for the 2020-21 season.

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Messi wanted to bring in the Argentine defender, as he considered him a necessity for the club at a time when the Catalan side was experiencing shortcomings in defence, with Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti both out of action. However, the Barcelona president did not heed Messi's suggestion, and the Argentine star later went on to sign for PSG in 2021.

DID YOU KNOW?

Romero captained Tottenham Hotspur to their first European title in 17 years. The Argentine international was named the tournament's best player by the UEFA Technical Observer Group. Romero was also named as the man of the match in the Europa final against Manchester United in Bilbao.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIAN ROMERO?

The Argentine hero has been a transfer target for Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Reportedly, coach Xabi Alonso is a "big fan" of the Spurs defender. Atletico's Julian Alvarez has openly shown hope and wishes that the Argentine joins Atleti. The Premier League concludes on 25 May, with Spurs set to face Brighton.

Rajasthan scored the first 200-plus total in the IPL in Jaipur to beat CSK for the second time this season

Hemant Brar27-Apr-20232:35

The change in technique that has unlocked Jaiswal

After losing their previous two games, Rajasthan Royals not only returned to winning ways but also the top of the IPL points table with a thumping 32-run win over Chennai Super Kings.After Royals opted to bat, Yashasvi Jaiswal attacked his way to 77 off 43 balls. Super Kings did stage a brief comeback in the middle overs but late hitting from Dhruv Jurel (34 off 15) and Devdutt Padikkal (27* off 13) lifted Royals to 202 for 5, the first 200-plus total by an IPL team in Jaipur.Matheesha Pathirana, despite nailing his yorkers at express pace, was unlucky to concede 48 in his four overs, as 28 of those runs came when batters were not in control of their shots.Super Kings didn’t get the start they were after. Adam Zampa and R Ashwin further stifled them while sharing five wickets. Shivam Dube was the only one to offer resistance but it was too little, too late.Jaiswal leads the way for RoyalsEven if it was an away game for Super Kings, they seemed to have more supporters in the stands than Royals had. It didn’t have any effect on Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, though, as they gave Royals yet another flying start. Jaiswal kicked things off by hitting Akash Singh for two fours off the first two balls of the match, followed by one more in the over. He was even more severe in the seamer’s next over, picking up three fours and a six. In between, Buttler hit Tushar Deshpande for two fours.With seamers going for plenty, MS Dhoni turned to spin, and Maheesh Theekshana bowled a three-run over. Buttler, though, took the spinner for two fours – both times hitting length balls off the back foot over his head – in the sixth over to take Royals to 64 for no loss.Ravindra Jadeja broke the opening stand with Buttler’s wicket but Jaiswal kept marching on. Coming into this game, Jaiswal had scored 81 off 70 in the middle overs. Tonight, there was no slowdown; he smashed 37 off 22 after the field restrictions were lifted.Yashasvi Jaiswal once again took a liking to the Chennai Super Kings bowling•Getty Images

Jurel and Padikkal pick up after a brief lullDeshpande removed Sanju Samson and Jaiswal in the 14th over to briefly put the brakes on the scoring rate. From overs 14 to 17, Royals managed only 28 runs and lost three wickets along the way. It was starting to look like Super Kings might restrict them under 200 but Jurel and Padikkal, who came in at No. 6, threw their bat around. They didn’t always find the middle but the runs came thick and fast. Super Kings’ sloppy fielding also helped Royals, and left Dhoni visibly angry on more than once occasion, as they ransacked 56 in the last four overs.Zampa, Ashwin keep Super Kings on back footWith Trent Boult picking up a niggle, Zampa got an opportunity. And the legspinner made an impact in his very first over. Bowling the last over of the powerplay, he had Devon Conway hitting one to mid-off.Ruturaj Gaikwad was trying to make up for Super Kings’ slow start. He had moved to 47 off 28 balls when he tried to attack Zampa only to be caught at long-on. R Ashwin dragged Super Kings further back in the next over, the 11th of the innings, by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu.Dube, Moeen fight backWith 130 needed from nine overs, Dube and Moeen threatened a fightback. The pair hit four sixes and a four in the next three overs, reducing the equation to 90 needed from the last five. Samson once again turned to Zampa, and he didn’t disappoint his captain. Dube launched him into the stands, and Moeen too picked up a boundary, but with his fifth ball of the over, Zampa had Moeen under-edging one to Samson.Dube, however, kept the fight on. He hit Jason Holder for a six and two fours in the 17th over. In the next, Jadeja took Sandeep Sharma for two fours but scoring 46 in the last two overs was too much of an uphill task.

Who can stop Mumbai Indians in the WPL?At the halfway point of the league stage, the answer is: No one. Yet, at any rate.UP Warriorz were the only team not to have played, and therefore not to have lost, to Mumbai and the set was completed on Sunday at a packed Brabourne Stadium.Mumbai have now played four and won four with the following margins: 143 runs (Gujarat Giants), nine wickets (Royal Challengers Bangalore), eight wickets (Delhi Capitals), and eight wickets (Warriorz). Comprehensive, each of them.But don’t let this latest lopsided-looking result fool you. The win over Warriorz was not as straightforward as it might seem. Harmanpreet Kaur (53 off 33 balls) stood tall and produced a remarkable knock that made a tricky chase look easy, but it could well have been tougher. That it wasn’t, when Mumbai were finally tested, was down to their captain and their other trump card, the purple-cap holder Saika Ishaque.The match, and Mumbai’s prowess, might perhaps be best summed up with the tale of two overs. One bowled by Ishaque, one faced by Harmanpreet.Two overs. Two players who are on the opposite sides of the spectrum of Indian cricket. Two (more) reasons why Mumbai have been unstoppable.Saika Ishaque starred with three wickets•BCCI

Saika Ishaque takes out Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath

In the first innings, Warriorz were cruising at 138 for 2 after 16 overs, and looking good for a big total, with Alyssa Healy past fifty and Tahlia McGrath almost there. Ishaque then came in for her last over, having been at the receiving end of Healy’s aggression a fair bit earlier.”Bowler , wicket (I am a bowler, I am here to take wickets),” she had famously said when she got the purple cap for the first time this season. It’s exactly what she did. On the third ball, she dismissed Healy lbw for 58. Two balls later, she got McGrath stumped for 50. Cool as you please.She finished her spell with figures of 3 for 33, ensuring the purple cap remains firmly with her. Warriorz could only manage 159 in the end, a gettable target.Harmanpreet Kaur upped her scoring rate after a cautious start•BCCI

Harmanpreet Kaur amps it up

Then Mumbai were in a spot of bother at 72 for 2, after an uncharacteristically slow 17-ball 12 from Hayley Mathews and Yastika Bhatia falling after a good start (42 off 27). Warriorz’s spin, which had set up their previous win, was working well on a pitch that had started aiding turn, Harmanpreet and Nat Sciver-Brunt were yet to get off the mark, and the asking rate was climbing.It was still on Mumbai’s side at 88 needed from 60 balls, but Harmanpreet had taken six balls to get off the mark. She then got a stroke of luck when she was on seven. Anjali Sarvani bowled a slower one on leg stump, which seemed to graze the stumps, the bail lit up, but stayed put.Harmanpreet rode this luck to play a knock to remember.It was the 16th over, McGrath’s first. After the first ball, Sciver-Brunt was checked for concussion. One has to wonder what was discussed in the brief break because when Harmanpreet took strike again, she completely changed the game in just four balls with a four, six, four, four sequence, the six over cover such an effortlessly clean hit that it will go down as a shot-of-the-tournament contender.She took six balls to get off the mark, but got to her fifty is 31 balls. She scored 36 runs in the last 12 balls she faced. Sciver-Brunt (45 off 31) and Harmanpreet ensured that Mumbai had yet another big win in the bag, and one foot straight in the final.Just Harmanpreet things. Just Mumbai Indians things.

The Club World Cup has already bent plenty of rules, and should disrupt once again to bring a brash legend to the U.S. this summer

One of the stranger moments in American soccer happened last week. You'll be forgiven if you weren't watching. But there was iShowSpeed, YouTuber, internet personality, Cristiano Ronaldo enthusiast, and, somehow, a representative of soccer in the United States, sitting at his desk, streaming to millions.

He was up to his usual act of screaming, talking, and just sort of saying words in various orders that supposedly mean something to the kids these days.

And then he was interrupted by a bald-headed man, slick polo, nice fitting pants, shoes brandless and suspiciously clean. It was a supposedly impromptu appearance, Gianni Infantino walking in on Speed, who willingly stopped his stream mid game, stood up in a choreographed manner, and watched as the FIFA president reached the exact right spot, so he could be seen by the masses.

The usual stuff followed: a cool bro hug, an exchange of gifts, an excited introduction from Speed, and, finally, the hundredth unveiling of the Club World Cup trophy (because, of course a random man can show up to someone's house unannounced with a massive block of gold hidden underneath black cloth.)

After that the two talked about the Club World Cup. They covered all of the bases: number of teams, big names, how much of a spectacle the United States will be in store for this summer. But somewhere in the jumble of it all, Infantino came up with the most unexpected words he could have uttered: "Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well."

Cue, Internet explosion. Surely this couldn't happen. Cristiano Ronaldo, under contract al Al-Nassr at the time, still under control of a club that wasn't playing in the tournament, could not simply show up to this thing, on loan at a random club, who haven't trained with him, haven't set up their squad for him, and cannot guarantee the same kind of generational wealth that his current club could?

Not a chance, even in a world of make believe, could this transpire.

Well, it turns out that it just might. Ronaldo's contract is up at the end of the month. There have been a smattering of reports of talks on an extension, but nothing official. Meanwhile, chatter about Ronaldo potentially joining a Club World Cup participating team has only grown louder. Another Saudi Pro League side is supposedly interested. He could also, apparently, represent a Moroccan team for a month.

But the logistics don't matter here. Reality doesn't really matter here. Reason is out of the window. The is showing up on YouTube to support this? There will be matches at the Club World Cup, yes, but it's somehow transformed into a marketing event.

And yes, Ronaldo, someway, somehow, in whatever manner possible, simply has to play this summer – whatever it takes from the relevant parties to make it happen.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Why it matters

  In recent months, it has been hard to tell where the soccer ends and showbiz starts with the Club World Cup. Infantino, to his credit, has tapped into popular culture with ease – 90 minutes of league play boring and not enough for the kids? Let's get to them in other ways.

  Everything, from the day he announced the host venues at a music festival in New York's Central Park has felt choreographed. The trophy is simultaneously wondrous and a visceral assault on the senses that requires a bejeweled key to open. The tournament has been pushed by a global tour of soccer superstars old and new. FIFA has made use of TikTok, Instagram, and now internet streaming.

  Put another way: this is no longer a just soccer tournament. Now, it's just as much about America, stardom, and putting on a show, by whatever means possible. And to put on the best show, you need the biggest stars. That's why European clubs have been supposedly gently nudged by the threat of hefty fines to play the big guns.

  It's why you will see Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and now – for the price of €10 million pocketed by Liverpool – Trent Alexander-Arnold.

  Ronaldo, by extension, should be a no brainer. You could make an argument that he and Lionel Messi are not only the famous athletes on earth, but among the most famous people, period.

  No one has more Instagram followers, or career goals, than the Portugal captain. A move to the Saudi Pro League hasn't seen his star decline. Rather, it has only seen kits fly off the shelves. Apparently there are massive Al-Nassr fans around the globe, from the muddy fields of Manchester to the tarmac-topped cages of Chinatown in New York.

  There's a chance that most people who wear Al-Nassr kits couldn't name another Saudi Pro League club. But that doesn't matter – they know who Ronaldo is.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Lionel Messi has made it happen

  In part, Ronaldo can blame his biggest footballing rival for all of this. According to the criteria pieced together by FIFA, Inter Miami should technically not be in the Club World Cup. Their ranking coefficient is far lower than that of other MLS clubs. They have not won MLS Cup.

  But last fall, FIFA saw its chance – after Miami won the Supporters' Shield, they suddenly became specially invited guests to the Club World Cup, information that Messi himself didn't seem to know what to do with.

  Everything since then has felt like a reason to squeeze through a loophole. Transfers can't happen in time before the Club World Cup? No worries lads, here's a new transfer window where you can sign whoever you want. A Liga MX team ruled out to due multi-club ownership? Let's create a one-match play-in between two of the most marketable teams in North America.

  At this point, what is one more disruption? Another slight shift in the footballing matrix? Of course, Ronaldo shouldn't be able to be moved before the end of his contract. But regulations are out of the window here.

  Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream now

• Getty
  

  The money maker

  The merit in this depends on what you view Ronaldo as these days. Certainly, he can still play a bit. He was the Saudi Pro League's top scorer for two years in a row, remains in the Portugal squad, and is, famously, in the hunt to become the first soccer player ever to score 1,000 goals. He is currently at 936, and averaging around 25 per season in his Saudi stint.

  At 40-years-old, another 64 would be a pipe dream for most. But Ronaldo is both a miraculously good athlete and an immensely selfish striker. If he has three years of professional football left in his legs – he probably does – then that mark is attainable.

  More broadly, Ronaldo is a brand. He promotes pretty much everything. His social media, these days, is a slew of deals and personal promotions. A Ronaldo museum is soon to open in Hong Kong. He has a contract with Armani, personal cologne, and, of course, a bumper Nike contract.

  More than 650 million people follow his wonderfully curated Instagram account. He now has a YouTube channel in which he doesn't really do much other than show the world how nice it must be to be Cristiano Ronaldo.

  Right now, he has more fame and more money than he knows what to do with. There is no sense, here, of what post-football Cristiano will look like. The solution? Try everything.

  And FIFA loves this sort of thing. Ronaldo, these days, exists in the realm of Post Malone, Mr Beast and other celebrities who are immensely famous, but – for many people – you're not quite sure what for. This is free interaction, free clicks, and, crucially, millions of fresh eyes. What do you do for a man unimaginably wealthy but lacking in direction? Give him something to compete for – and profit off it as a result.

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  Cristiano in the spotlight?

  It's also vitally important to remember here, that Ronaldo loves the spotlight. He may be 40, past his best, and irrelevant in the scope of the Ballon d'Or race, but Ronaldo still oozes confidence. He is dripping in main character energy.

  A couple years ago, Ronaldo was doing interviews telling the world why Man United had so brutally offended him by realizing that he was a liability. He was celebrating goals that weren't his at the World Cup. He still thinks that he makes Portugal's national team better, despite the fact that they have a wonderful crop of fresh talent, and, with a more fluid system, could be contenders in 2026.

  Ronaldo doesn't care about that. He doesn't really care what you think, either. This is, of course, the duality of it all. Is it annoying to see him still try to keep himself in the picture? Of course. But that is his nature. Ronaldo's origin story is that of the ultimate competitor, the guy who was a really good athlete who trained himself to become of the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen.

  He cannot stop, and likely won't until he is absolutely told he has to.

  The Club World Cup, then, is another platform for him to radiate that energy, to prove, in some way, that he still belongs in the upper echelon, that he can kick it with Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and other world-class strikers. Ronaldo wants to show he can still compete? Here's the perfect setting for him to do it.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has broken his silence on his future as links with Manchester United continue to intensify.

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Martinez linked with move to Man UtdAppeared to bid farewell to Villa fans after Spurs gameSpeaks out on his future Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Martinez has slowly but surely become one of the best shot-stoppers in the game after swapping Arsenal for Aston Villa in 2020, impressing in the Premier League while also helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup. As such, the goalkeeper has often been linked with top clubs; however, the likelihood of the 32-year-old leaving Villa has never been higher than it is heading into this summer transfer window.

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Martinez appeared to bid farewell to Aston Villa fans after their penultimate Premier League game of the season against Tottenham amid links with Manchester United and Barcelona. While the Catalan giants have decided to move for Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, the Red Devils still seem to be mulling a swoop for Martinez, and the Argentine has now broken his silence over his future.

GettyWHAT MARTINEZ SAID

Speaking to the media after reporting for international duty, Martinez said: "My future? I don’t know, I come here to play for the national team, and that’s the only thing that matters to me right now.

"Do I want to move to a new club? The transfer window just opened, so there’s still a long way to go."

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WHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ?

For now, Martinez's focus will be on Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers, despite the defending champions having already confirmed their spot in the 2026 tournament. However, after the two games against Chile and Colombia, Martinez will be free to make a final decision on his future.

Brothers put on 118-run stand to give south Londoners spoils on derby night at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2023The Curran brothers Sam and Tom put Middlesex’s bowlers to the sword as Surrey won the T20 Blast London derby at Lord’s by 77 runs.Sam, who’d hot-footed it back to London from an underwhelming stint at the IPL with Punjab Kings, took out his frustration on the Seaxes with 68 off 47 balls, including two big sixes in Surrey’s total of 199 for 6. Tom, playing these days under a white-ball only contract, was if anything even more belligerent with 50 off 33 balls with eight fours as the siblings added 118 in 11 overs. Will Jacks earlier blasted a quickfire 43.Three wickets in the final over for Tom Helm gave him 3 for 38, while left-arm spinner Nathan Fernandes took 1 for 27 from three overs on debut.Jacks then starred with ball in hand, returning 3 for 17, backed up by Gus Atkinson’s 3 for 20 as the hosts could only muster 126 in reply despite some defiant striking by Max Holden who top scored with 43.Jacks, who had made two swashbuckling half-centuries in his last three innings against Middlesex at Lord’s in the format, came out swinging from ball one and while he played and missed at a few the England man took heavy toll of a full toss from Helm, belting it back past the bowler for four.Teenager Fernandes, thrown on in the powerplay, struck second ball when pinch-hitter Sunil Narine hit him straight to cover, but Jacks sent two drag-downs from legspinner Luke Hollman into the stands, before a brilliant catch by Helm on the fence at long-on ended his revelry.The Currans’ progress was steady initially, but the 12th over bowled by Ryan Higgins changed the complexion as Tom Curran dispatched the allrounder to all parts, hitting five fours in succession. Not to be upstaged Sam Curran then cut loose, denting Fernandes’s excellent figures to that point with consecutive sixes.Blake Cullen, back on Middlesex first-team duty for the first time in more than a year, was rusty and his 11-ball over, including a waist-high full toss and four wides only added to Surrey’s momentum.The 100-stand came in 56 balls, and we were in the penultimate over by the time Tom top-edged a steepling catch back to grateful bowler Higgins. Sam, too, left before the end as the south Londoners finished one shy of 200.For Middlesex much depended on skipper Stephen Eskinazi, but he departed for just 1, run out following a mix-up from the fourth ball of the innings.The exciting Joe Cracknell deposited a short one from Sean Abbot into the second tier of the Mound Stand only to perish trying to repeat the feat meaning both openers were gone with 27 on the board.Pieter Malan, back from injury, also found the stands before departing to Atkinson for a breezy 30, and Jacks then struck twice in his first over, removing the dangerous Higgins, caught at mid-off before bowling Hollman round his legs.Throughout this period Holden had hit bravely, smiting two big sixes at a strike rate approaching 200, but when Narine bowled him for 43 the game was up.

Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, praised the character that his team had shown in digging deep on the third and final day of the Lord’s Test, and forcing England to bat again when an innings defeat had seemed to be on the cards overnight.But, he added, Ireland’s eventual ten-wicket loss had “not been preparation” for the challenge that awaits next week at the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.The smart money had been on a swift denouement on Saturday morning, after Ireland had resumed their second innings on 97 for 3 – effectively four-down, following James McCollum’s match-ending ankle injury – and still 255 runs from asking England to bat again, following their formidable total of 524 for 4 in just 82.4 overs.Related

• Balbirnie: Franchise raids on Ireland players will be 'knock-on effect of good cricket'

• Lord's splendour can't hide the great Test divide

• Tongue claims five-wicket haul on debut as England seal victory

But, after Harry Tector had recovered from his first-day duck to set the tone with an attractive 51, the seventh-wicket pairing of Mark Adair and Andy McBrine combined for a 163-run stand – Ireland’s highest in seven men’s Tests – that took both batters to the brink of a deserved place on the Lord’s honours boards.In the end, neither quite made it. Adair feathered an attempted ramp shot through to Jonny Bairstow for 88, while McBrine, who had insisted that McCollum didn’t risk exacerbating his injury by attempting to help him to three figures, was eventually left high and dry on 86 not out when the No. 11 Graham Hume was bowled by Stuart Broad shortly after tea.”He had the pads on, he had the boot on, it was all a bit chaotic in there,” Balbirnie said of McCollum’s potential late involvement in the innings, when it seemed he might emulate the likes of Graeme Smith and Colin Cowdrey of yesteryear, and come out to bat at nine-down in spite of his serious injury.”Andy actually came in at tea and said he doesn’t want him to bat. They’re good mates and he [McCollum] is really sore. He really didn’t want him to hobble out on the boot, but it was eventually agreed that if it was one hit away, that he would go out, and just hold up an end.”And so it was chaos. He came out on the balcony with the crutches at tea-time and a couple of members looked over and couldn’t really believe what they were seeing. It was quite entertaining.”If the shoe was on the other foot, if you’ll pardon the pun, I think Andy would have gone out for Prince [McCollum],” he continued. “But it wasn’t to be. In the end it didn’t really matter, but it was fairly chaotic at tea-time.”Nevertheless, Ireland’s doughty displays gave another healthy Lord’s crowd an entertaining day in the sun, and continued a trend of tail-end resistance from their Test team, with three of their highest partnerships in Test cricket all coming for the seventh wicket.”[The dressing-room] was a tough place to be yesterday, in the evening particularly, but we showed character today,” Balbirnie said. “We’ve showed in our Test career that we have that character – and that bouncebackability – but unfortunately for us, it’s when our backs are against the wall, that’s almost when we seem to produce our best cricket.Andy McBrine made a determined half-century•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

“We need to find a way to not get so far behind the eight-ball that you need to really scrap it out. But get to 12 ahead, it’s a small win to get them batting again. And certainly, after three days like that, you have to take those small wins.”Much of the build-up to the Test had centred on Ireland’s lack of first-class experience – most of the squad hadn’t played a single first-class game in four years until their three Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in April. And while Balbirnie reiterated his call for more red-ball opportunities, particularly on pitches such as Lord’s that don’t offer much sideways movement, he made it clear that a return to a white-ball focus was now the team’s over-riding priority.”I love being here and I’ve loved playing here, don’t get me wrong, but yesterday was really tough,” Balbirnie said. “You’re looking around in the change-room, wondering what we can do here to get wickets to stop the run-rate. You want to go into a game knowing that, if you play your best cricket, you can be really close to beating them. But I’m not stupid. Everyone saw there was a gap and we have to close that as quick as possible. That’s probably going to come from us playing more red-ball cricket. It’s obvious and hopefully it happens.”For now, though, Ireland have a four-day turnaround back home, before flying out to Bulawayo on Friday to begin the campaign that truly matters. Balbirnie’s men play two warm-up games against USA and Netherlands on June 13 and 15, before their World Cup qualification campaign gets underway against Oman on June 19.They then play further fixtures against Scotland, Sri Lanka and the UAE in the space of the following eight days, with the top three teams progressing to the Super Six stage, and from there a shot at securing one of the two remaining berths at the main event in India this winter.And with that fixture pile-up already on his mind, Balbirnie was blunt on the subject of his Lord’s experience. “I wouldn’t say it’s been preparation,” he said. “I’ve played in these tournaments before. It’s really cut-throat. If you don’t turn up for a couple of games, your qualifying tournament is over. So the guys need to be switched on, and I think they will be by the time we get out there.”It’s 9am starts, very early-morning stuff, the games are thick and fast, in a sporadic sort of a schedule. I’ve struggled over the years to differentiate between our [Test and white-ball] groups because it’s many of the same names, but for the one-day team, next week is huge. I said at the start of my tenure that qualifying for that World Cup will be my greatest achievement as captain, and we’ve got three weeks to try to do that.”For the time being, Balbirnie added, he’d be switching off from cricket in a particularly homely fashion. “My wife has told me I’ve got a crib to paint,” he said. “We have a baby coming in August so that’ll take up most of my week. But it’ll be just enough time to switch the pads and head out.”

Pepper, Lawrence hit rapid fifties but Eagles still need favour from Somerset in late game

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023

Feroze Khushi hit the last ball of the match for six, despite Chris Jordan trying to flick a catch back to Jamie Overton as he went over the boundary rope, as Essex dramatically gave themselves a chance of clinching a Vitality Blast quarter-final place.Their progression was confirmed later in the day when Somerset held off Kent at Taunton, giving extra significance to Khushi’s 35 not out from 26 balls, which ensured they did not waste an Essex T20 record stand between Michael Pepper and Dan Lawrence as they chased down Surrey’s 195 for 6 to win by three wickets in a thrilling finish.Khushi and Shane Snater had taken five singles from the first five balls of Sean Abbott’s final over, to leave Essex needing three to win from the last delivery. Khushi swung hard and high, Jordan sprinted round from long-on to grab the ball as his momentum took him over the ropes but Surrey’s captain could not throw it back infield for Overton to complete the catch – and Essex celebrated.Pepper and Lawrence certainly deserved to be on the winning side, smashing 140 for the second wicket from just 11 overs in a blitz of boundaries that featured nine sixes and 11 fours.Sunil Narine had earlier blasted six sixes and seven fours in a 38-ball unbeaten 78 but then both Pepper and Lawrence produced hitting of similar ferocity to score 75 from 39 balls and 58 off 32 balls respectively.By the 10-over mark Essex were totally in control at 130 for 1 as Pepper, who struck five sixes and six fours, and Lawrence, with four sixes and five fours, entertained a 15,000 crowd in exhilarating fashion.Surrey’s bowlers looked incapable of stopping the carnage, and even West Indies mystery spinner Narine – one of the best T20 bowlers in world cricket – conceded 19 from his first over, the eighth of the innings, as Pepper reverse-swept and straight-drove him for sixes and also swept him conventionally for four.Lawrence, who has signed to play for Surrey from next April, reached his fifty from 26 balls to Pepper’s 24 and launched Narine for one final six from the first ball of the 12th over before falling two balls later to a catch at long-off.But Pepper fell attacking Jordan in the next over, and Surrey fought back as Paul Walter, Matt Critchley – brilliantly run out by Jason Roy – Daniel Sams, who did swing Sam Curran for six, and Simon Harmer all fell cheaply while Khushi kept chipping away at the runs required. Twenty off three overs finally became eight off the last over – and the 24-year-old Khushi, at the last, prevailed.Narine also struck seven fours in his own superb exhibition of clean hitting while Roy made 28 from 24 balls on his return to action after almost two months on the sidelines with a calf injury.Surrey were 57 for 2 after the six-over powerplay, after Essex had chosen to field, with Roy clubbing Sam Cook for a six and two fours – the first an extraordinary scoop past short fine leg – in the fifth over.Laurie Evans went cheaply, flicking Aaron Beard to deep square leg, but Will Jacks drove the same bowler high and wide of mid-off for four and pulled him for six before being yorked by Cook for 23.Sam Curran fell to Harmer for only 3 but Narine warmed to his task by smearing the offspinner over the deep midwicket ropes and then lofting Snater straight for another six.Overton took two sixes in an over off Sams during a quickfire 23, before being caught in the deep, and Narine went on his merry way by thumping Walter’s left-arm seamers straight into the Pavilion and then over wide long-on into the Bedser Stand.Narine finished the innings in style by hitting Sams over the long-on boundary and then clipping the last ball of the 20th over off his stumps to the fine leg ropes.Essex’s reply began badly with Adam Rossington mishitting Sam Curran to mid-on but the England allrounder’s next over, the third of the innings, went for a remarkable 31 runs as Pepper began and ended it with sixes and took two fours besides. With a wide, two free hit no-balls and a Lawrence boundary thrown in, the Eagles were suddenly 41 for 1 after just three overs and flying.Gus Atkinson was then struck for two straight sixes by Lawrence, the second of them from a full toss no ball, as both he and Pepper did as they pleased with the Surrey attack.

Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey expects David Warner will be available to play in three T20Is against West Indies in February despite the series clashing with the ILT20 tournament where he is contracted to captain Dubai Capitals.Warner has retired from Test and ODI cricket for Australia but is committed to playing in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US during June.Warner is planning to play in the ILT20 which begins on January 19, just after the home and away portion of the BBL has concluded with his side Sydney Thunder set to miss finals which avoids a schedule clash. The tournament runs until February 17 but the three T20Is against West Indies start on February 9 and finish on February 13.It was thought that Warner would miss those matches in order to play in the entire ILT20 despite still holding a Cricket Australia contract and that he would return for the following series against New Zealand in New Zealand that starts on February 21.Related

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But Bailey said Warner is set to be selected for the West Indies series and will be expected to play.”He’ll be part of those T20 matches at the back end of the summer and in New Zealand as well,” he said.Bailey confirmed that CA contracted players, which Warner will be until the end of June, are expected to play for Australia when selected and won’t be granted NOCs to play in other leagues at the same time.”I think that’s the same with all our Australian contracted players. If they’re going to be selected in a squad then they’re available,” Bailey said. “If they’re not then it depends on what sort of domestic cricket responsibilities they have. So I think [Warner] had flagged that as potentially one of the reasons why he has made the decision to retire from one-day cricket but we’re still really excited about what he can provide for that T20 team and hoping he can add one more major trophy to his cabinet.”Bailey and CA’s head of national teams Ben Oliver are charged with making decisions on which players are granted NOCs and have been consistent in their policy of treating each individual case differently.Australian T20I-only players who are not centrally contracted, like Matthew Wade and Tim David have been allowed to miss international series in recent times to fulfill franchise contracts that they would potentially lose if they played international cricket. The exceptions were made because they would not receive the same remuneration except for match fees from CA.David has previously skipped an opportunity to play T20Is for Australia in 2022 in order to play in the PSL while Wade was initially rested from Australia’s T20I series in South Africa last year so he could play a full season in the Hundred, although he was flown in at the last minute as cover after Glenn Maxwell was injured.Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis were both cleared to go to the ILT20 last year despite being CA-contracted players, but they were only set to miss a small number of domestic List A games for their state sides while they were awayAustralia coach Andrew McDonald said last month that Australia’s selectors had to be more flexible with their players given the schedule was so cramped.”Every application is different in terms of the circumstances with what cricket they’ve got coming up,” McDonald said. “It’s getting more cramped. It’s tough. It’s difficult. I think it comes down to each individual case. Where the player is at within their career. I think every every case should be considered individually and we go from there.”

They will play three T20Is in Rawalpindi from April 18 to 21 and two in Lahore on April 25 and 27

Danyal Rasool13-Mar-2024

The PCB has confirmed New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan for five T20I matches in April. The visitors will arrive in Islamabad on April 14 and play three matches in Rawalpindi from April 18 to 21, with a further two at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on April 25 and 27.The tour was given the go-ahead after a security delegation arrived in Pakistan in February as part of a routine visit several countries require, in particular Australia and New Zealand. This is New Zealand’s third visit to Pakistan since December 2022. They played two Tests and three ODIs in Pakistan at the turn of that year, before returning in April 2023 to play ten white-ball games – five T20Is and five ODIs.As was the case last April, this series clashes with the Indian Premier League [IPL], which means several of New Zealand’s leading T20 cricketers will likely be unavailable. Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Trent Boult, Glenn Phillips and Lockie Ferguson are all contracted by IPL teams this season.Related

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This will be New Zealand’s last international engagement before the T20 World Cup in June, and the first five of 12 T20Is Pakistan are set to play ahead of the event.”In a testament to the unwavering camaraderie between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), we are delighted to present the schedule for New Zealand men’s team tour to Pakistan 2024,” the PCB’s director of international cricket Usman Wahla said. “This tour symbolises the deep-rooted ties and mutual respect that define the relationship between our two cricketing nations.”Our avid cricket fans and the people of Pakistan will welcome the New Zealand team again and we hope to have yet another competitive series which is a key part of our buildup to this year’s ICC T20 World Cup.”The series takes place shortly after the holy month of Ramzan and the Eid holidays. That means games will begin at their usual time – 7pm local time. The final few games of the PSL have necessitated a late start because of Ramzan, taking place at 9pm.Pak vs NZ T20I series schedule18 April – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi20 April – 2nd T20I, Rawalpindi21 April – 3rd T20I, Rawalpindi25 April – 4th T20I, Lahore27 April – 5th T20I, Lahore