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A dramatic collapse by South Africa Women in their chase of 116 meant that Ireland Women won the second T20I between the two sides by 20 runs and leveled the two-match series in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Clare Shillington gave Ireland Women a strong start with a 41-ball 48 after they were put in to bat•Getty ImagesA dramatic collapse by South Africa Women in their chase of 116 meant that Ireland Women won the second T20I by 20 runs and leveled the two-match series in Dublin. It was also Ireland’s first-ever win over South Africa.South Africa stumbled from 77 for 4 to 95 all out, losing six wickets for 18 runs, all between overs 16 and 20. Trisha Chetty, the only batsman to score more than 20, top-scored with 28, in an innings in which the highest partnership was worth only 19 runs.Four South African batsmen, including Chetty, were run out as Ireland completed a win with three balls left in the match. Kim Garth picked up 2 for 12 in her four overs while every other Ireland bowler, except Amy Kenealy, picked up a wicket apiece.Ireland’s total of 115 for 7, after they were put in to bat, may have seemed below par at the halfway stage given how well their openers, Clare Shillington and Gaby Lewis, began the innings.The pair added 78 in 13 overs before Shillington fell for a 41-ball 48 that included six fours and a six. In the next over, medium-pacer Marcia Letsoalo struck twice in the space of five balls to dismiss Lewis and Jennifer Gray and Ireland slipped further when Isobel Joyce was run out for 1 in the 15th over.Garth and Shauna Kavanagh added 24 for the fifth wicket and took Ireland past the 100-run mark, but their dismissals in the last two overs limited the side’s chances of a few extra runs at the end.The two sides will square off in the first of four ODIs in Dublin on Friday.

Newcastle United have been boosted further in their efforts to sign Kieran Tierney this summer, with Football Insider reporting that the player wants to move closer to home.

Who are Newcastle United signing this summer?

The Toon are on the verge of securing themselves Champions League football this campaign – something that will delight supporters and players alike. Despite having finished in eleventh last season, Eddie Howe's side have stormed to third in the Premier League this year and are three points away from sealing a definite top four berth. With two games left, the job is nearly complete.

The last time the club were in Europe was back in the 2012/13 season and even that was just the Europa League – they have actually been in the Championship more recently than they have bagged a spot in the Champions League. Boss Howe will therefore need to ensure his squad is up to scratch next time around and that they have the depth to compete on all fronts.

That will mean some signings this summer transfer window and one of the players on their radar is Kieran Tierney. The Gunners have reportedly 'green-lit' a deal now and with Howe chasing a left-back as one of his main transfer priorities, he will no doubt be determined to get a deal over the line.

Now, a fresh report from Football Insider suggests their chances have been boosted even more. That's because the Arsenal man – who is seen as their top target according to this report – wants to move closer to his home of Scotland. With other teams also keen to sign him, it's Newcastle who are in the lead in that respect as the closest possible option to his country for the player. That means the side are now in an even better position to get a transfer done.

Is Kieran Tierney joining Newcastle?

If Newcastle did manage to bring in Tierney this summer, then it could be an astute signing for the club. He has impressed at Arsenal in the past, producing a WhoScored rating of 6.77 for the Gunners last season when he was available to play and hasn't been sidelined. This term, that has dropped to just 6.26 but his gametime has also waned and his starting berth is not always guaranteed. Boss Mikel Arteta though has also hailed the defender as "fantastic" and his stats in the past certainly prove that.

Tierney then could be a solid addition to Newcastle's left flank. At just 25-years-old, there is still plenty more to come from the Scotland man and if he can get on the field more regularly, he could produce the same kind of form he previously had with the Gunners that made him a real force.

Vernon Philander, who is eyeing a Test return for South Africa, expressed concern about the pink ball, after using it for the first time against Australia A in Brisbane

Firdose Moonda30-Jul-2016Vernon Philander, who is eyeing a Test return for South Africa, expressed concern about the pink ball after using it for the first time against Australia A in Brisbane. South Africa A are on a recce trip down under, ahead of a Test tour in November, which will include a day-night Test in Adelaide and, so far, their bowlers have found the going tough, even during the day.Australia A racked up 302 for 5 in the 88 overs bowled on the first day, and Philander explained that most of those were bowled with a soft ball. “The pink ball is a bit similar to the Duke, except that when we got past 30 overs, the ball got extremely soft. That’s the only negative about it,” he said, though he did not go so far as to suggest that he will be anti-day-night Test, which some of his team-mates were when the fixtures were being decided. “We are all excited about the pink-ball game, and as long as we can improve the ball, we will have a good future with the pink ball.”Before South Africa agreed to play the Test under lights, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Philander himself had all stressed that they did not want to play a Test with the pink ball because of their inexperience with it. A compromise was reached when Cricket Australia offered South Africa two practice matches during the series and an A-side match on this trip. Since then, South African players have said they are looking forward to the match.Whether Philander will feature in the fixture remains to be seen. He missed seven of South Africa’s eight Tests last summer after tearing ankle ligaments in the warm-ups of the Bangalore Test, and did not recover until the end of the season when he made a comeback in franchise cricket. He has since been on a tour of Zimbabwe with the A team and is part of the current A series in Australia. Philander is hopeful of being picked for South Africa’s Tests against New Zealand in August, but will be competing for a spot against Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn, who also missed a significant part of the previous season with injury but has not been included in the A tour.Philander has already shown signs that he could be back to his best. He took four wickets in the Zimbabwe series, conceded less than two runs to the over, and was similarly miserly on the opening day against Australia A. Philander delivered 17 overs and took 1 for 32 – an economy rate of 1.88. “The ball came out well in patches for me. I bowled really in the morning and this afternoon and let it slip a little towards the back end, but all in all, I am happy with my performance,” he said.Also impressive was 20-year old seamer Andile Phehlukwayo, who took 1 for 44, and Philander expects the attack to get better as the series goes on. “The boys bowled well in patches. There was a lack of preparation coming over here with us having two days of practice and having to turn around,” he said. “Australia played out of their socks, but our focus will be on getting the other five wickets and then letting the batsmen do their thing.”

Stuart Broad is set to play in the Big Bash League if he fails to make England’s limited-overs squad to tour India in January

Melinda Farrell13-Aug-2016Stuart Broad is set to play in the Big Bash League if he fails to make England’s limited-overs squad to tour India in January.ESPNcricinfo understands Broad is close to agreeing terms with a BBL team, most likely the Hobart Hurricanes, as he attempts to reinvigorate his white-ball career and force his way back into contention for England’s ODI squad ahead of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup.On Tuesday the ECB will announce the squad to face Pakistan during the five-match Royal London ODI series and it appears unlikely Broad will be included in the current set-up. He has played just two ODIs – in South Africa in February – since England’s dismal World Cup campaign in 2015, as the selectors have turned to a new crop of limited-overs seamers.But Broad has made it clear he has not given up on an international career with the white ball. When he was omitted from the ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka in June, he indicated he would explore other avenues to prove his merit in limited-overs formats.If he is not named in the squad to face Pakistan he will have few opportunities for Nottinghamshire in the remaining Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures to make his case for selection ahead of England’s tours of Bangladesh and India.With 50-over cricket becoming the focus in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, England won’t play Test cricket between the final match in Chennai and the first Test of the series against South Africa in July.England’s fifth Test against India finishes on December 20 in Chennai and Hobart’s first match in the BBL is an away fixture against the Sydney Sixers three days later, meaning Broad – who has taken 65 wickets in T20 Internationals at an average of 22.93 – could potentially be available for the entire competition, which culminates in the final on January 28.

Arsenal may well be set to lose a fan favourite or two this summer, but they are wasting no time in sorting out a replacement.

What's the latest on Orkun Kokcu to Arsenal?

That's according to the Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness), which details Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar's interest in Feyenoord's outstanding skipper Orkun Kokcu.

The Turkish international has enjoyed a standout year in the engine room of the title winners, having ended Ajax's Eredivisie monopoly in sensational fashion. His midfield exploits have proven key, unsurprisingly attracting interest from some European heavyweights.

Whilst the €40m (£35m) price tag is said to have put off Benfica, the Gunners remain in the race alongside Liverpool and Sevilla.

Given Granit Xhaka seems to be inching closer to an exit, this could represent a fine piece of business, to bid farewell to an ageing star in favour of one with a sparkling future ahead.

How good is Orkun Kokcu?

The Swiss international has earned such widespread praise for his somewhat surprisingly creative role this term, and this adulation could be easily translated onto their new potential midfield general, who too boasts just as much pedigree in front of goal as he does at dictating the play.

Xhaka scored five and assisted seven in the league as his side narrowly missed out on top spot, whilst Kokcu instead boasts 12 goals and five assists in all competitions on his way to the title.

This potency is married with a tireless grit, as he wins possession back once and makes 1.1 tackles per game too, meriting his 7.47 average rating. It remains impossible to look past his astounding 2.7 key passes per game too alongside an 85% pass accuracy, further outlining his level as well above this division, via Sofascore.

For all his benefits, the departing 30-year-old simply cannot compete with these impressive figures. His 1.3 key passes per game feed into his admirable 7.01 average rating, yet it still remains nowhere near that of his possible successor, via Sofascore.

To further emphasise the gulf between them, whilst Arteta was praising Xhaka for being a "really important player" for the Gunners, Mohamed Sissoko has suggested that the 22-year-old is instead "the best in his league".

The former Juventus midfield would continue, likening him to some of the greatest midfielders of this generation: "(Luka) Modric. For me, (Kokcu) has the same quality of play. He has the potential to reach his level."

Such lofty flattery only reinforces Kokcu's position as an upgrade on their current engine room stalwart, who has admittedly done well to revive a career on north London that seemed dead and buried after his altercation with the fanbase many years ago.

However, his triumphant exit could be quickly forgotten, should Edu swoop to secure such a capable replacement with immediacy.

James Anderson will miss England’s Test series in Bangladesh next month, having not yet fully recovered from a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20161:22

Anderson fitness in question for India

James Anderson will miss England’s Test series in Bangladesh next month, as he has not yet fully recovered from the shoulder injury that hindered his performances in the English summer.*Seamer Mark Wood has also been ruled out of England’s tour of Bangladesh following a recurrence of a recent injury to his left ankle. He will miss the three one-dayers starting on Friday, October 7, in Dhaka and the two Tests later in the month.Both players will be reviewed by the ECB’s medical team on a regular basis and further updates will be provided on their progress in due course.Middlesex’s Steven Finn is added to the ODI squad. Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball is added to the Test squad, and selectors will consider a further replacement for the Test squad at a later date.Anderson’s absence may yet have a knock-on effect on the five-Test series against India that begins in November, directly after the Bangladesh leg of the winter.Anderson has not played any cricket since the end of the Pakistan series in August, and at the age of 34, he himself admitted recently that he may need careful handling if he is to survive a gruelling itinerary that will feature seven Tests in the space of two months.”It’s a tough one because as a player, if you’re fit, you want to play, simple as that. No matter what the format, you’re desperate to play,” Anderson said last week.”But there may well come a time when it will get managed. At 34, I probably have to manage myself, or be managed, quite well. You want, if possible, to play every Test but India is going to be five back-to-back and that’s a huge ask for any bowler.”The first Test against Bangladesh starts at Chittagong on October 20, in just over three weeks’ time, and the two-Test series represents the only match practice that England have lined up ahead of the first of their five Tests against India at Rajkot on November 9. If England cannot provide Anderson an opportunity to prove his match fitness before the India tour, he faces coming back to Test cricket in India without having bowled a ball in a competitive situation for nearly three months.Anderson was an integral member of the side that beat India on home soil during England’s last Test tour of the country in 2012-13, claiming 12 wickets at 30.25 in their 2-1 series win, including match figures of 6 for 127 in their decisive victory in the third Test at Kolkata.The ECB is set to name its list of centrally contracted players for the next 12 months on Thursday morning, having delayed the announcement by 24 hours. A new set of deals for one-day players is expected to be unveiled as well.*08.00GMT, September 29: This story was updated after confirmation of Anderson’s unavailability came in.

Old footage of Ange Postecoglou has emerged online amid links to the Tottenham Hotspur job and it looks as though he could be the right man to motivate their underperforming squad.

What’s the latest on Spurs and Ange Postecoglou?

At last, a dreadful season has come to an end as Spurs finish eighth in the Premier League, without a head coach or a director of football with both Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici departing months ago.

Since then, a number of new names have been touted to become the club’s next boss but so far Daniel Levy has been unable or unwilling to pull the trigger and appoint a new manager.

However, at the moment it does look as though Celtic boss Postecoglou is the current favourite. Indeed, Sky Sports News have recently claimed that he is “emerging as the preferred candidate for the vacant Tottenham job”.

If he does arrive in North London, he’ll have a tough time getting the best out of the squad who were accused by Conte of being “selfish” shortly before he was sacked.

Indeed, after conceding two late goals to draw with Southampton, he told The Guardian: “I think it’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team.

“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [into it]. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve.”

Well, if Postecoglou is appointed, he’ll still be dealing with most of those players but it seems as though he might be the sort of manager who knows how to get his message across.

Indeed, in footage which recently emerged on Twitter, the 57-year-old can be seen tearing into the Australian national team after they conceded a soft goal.

He screamed: “That’s just careless. And not only that, stop it there for a second. There’s one, two, three [players]. We cannot f**king concede a goal there.”

He then proceeds to punch the wall behind the projected image, shouting: “There’s f**king got to be a reaction there. Someone! F**cks sake!”

His shouts are so loud they actually echo around the room and there’s little doubt he got his message across to the players.

He was in charge of the Socceroos between 2013 and 2017 and helped lead them to a World Cup as well as winning the Asian Cup, so it seems as though his methods work. While he’s also had plenty of success with Celtic, winning the Scottish League Cup and the SPFL title in each of his two seasons with the club so far.

Plenty of fans seemed hyped about the idea of him laying into the Tottenham squad too. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

Juventus are interested in making a move for Leeds United youngster Wilfried Gnonto this summer, according to a fresh transfer update.

How has Gnonto fared at Leeds?

The 19-year-old joined the Whites during last summer's transfer window, coming in as an exciting young signing with a potentially massive future in the game.

While Leeds' season was generally an awful one, as they suffered relegation from the Premier League after three years in the division, Gnonto was arguably one of the few brights parks. The £20,000-a-week attacker's form wasn't necessarily great every week, but he still scored twice and registered four assists in the league, often looking like one of his side's most dangerous and unpredictable players.

Like so many current Whites players, however, the Italian will now be weighing up his future, with Championship football not something that is likely to appeal to him. It could even be that he leaves in the summer, with a new claim proving to be a worrying one, in that respect.

Could Gnonto make quickfire Whites exit?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Juventus are keen on signing Gnonto before the start of next season, even though an official approach is yet to be made.

The report states that the Serie A giants were frustrated by Leeds' relegation, as it ended their hopes of Weston McKennie joining the Whites permanently, and therefore getting him off their wage bill. They are trying to use that negative as a positive, though, instead turning their attention and making contact with Gnonto.

The idea of Leeds losing the winger so soon after arriving is clearly concerning, considering he is already a 10-cap Italy international, while still being in his teens. He has been lauded as a "special" player by Michael Skubala, and had the Whites not gone down, he looked like he could be a key figure for a number of years to come.

It is hard to persuade any top-class footballer to stay put when the team gets relegated to the second tier, though, so it would be difficult to begrudge Gnonto a move away in the summer transfer window, especially if a club of Juventus' calibre come calling.

There is always the chance that the teenager could remain loyal, trying to help Leeds make a quick return to the Premier League, but the best that the Whites can realistically hope for now is to get good money for the youngster's signature.

Definitions of what constitutes “unfair bowling” should be clarified by cricket’s lawmakers, the New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has heard

Daniel Brettig14-Oct-2016Definitions of what constitutes “unfair bowling” should be clarified by cricket’s lawmakers, the New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has heard on an emotion-charged final day.Counsel assisting the coroner, Kristina Stern SC, submitted that the inquest should conclude that this was a case of “accidental death”, which was not made more likely by the nature of play on the day of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG. Hughes was struck in the side of the neck on day one of the match, November 25, 2014, suffering an arterial injury that resulted in his death at St Vincent’s Hospital two days later.However both Stern and Greg Melick SC, for the Hughes family, recommended that the wording of the laws around unfair bowling should be examined in light of the episode, citing earlier testimony from former umpire and ICC umpires training manager Simon Taufel. Law 42.2.1 of Sheffield Shield playing conditions, adapted from the MCC’s laws of cricket, states as follows:

“A bowler shall be limited to two fast short pitched deliveries per over. A fast short pitched delivery is defined as a ball, which after pitching, passes or would have passed above the shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease. The umpire at the bowler’s end shall advise the bowler and the batsman on strike when each fast short-pitched delivery has been bowled.”

Following his own independent analysis, Taufel had told the inquest that of 23 short balls bowled on the day, 20 had been directed at Hughes. However he also submitted that many of these deliveries did not meet the definition of a “fast short-pitched delivery” because they would not have passed Hughes above shoulder height.The gulf between Hughes’ family and Cricket Australia was starkly illustrated when his father Greg, mother Virginia and sister Megan all left the courtroom in the midst of CA counsel Bruce Hodgkinson’s final submissions, leaving his brother Jason to audibly register his incredulity at proceedings.Hodgkinson had recommended to the coroner, Michael Barnes QC, that the “unsworn and unsubstantiated” statement submitted by the Mosman cricket captain Matthew Day on Wednesday be disregarded when he deliberates over the events of the day and how the game of cricket might be made safer. Hodgkinson also insisted that the players who took the stand this week were honest witnesses.Melick had earlier questioned the veracity of the evidence submitted by players on the field that day: Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Tom Cooper and David Warner. Melick stated that while “words didn’t kill Phillip Hughes”, their denials of any sledging cast doubt on other evidence about the nature of play. Later, Melick clarified his final submission by stating that he didn’t mean to suggest players had “fabricated” evidence.Though Melick acknowledged that the use of short-pitched bowling was a “legitimate tactic”, he contended that the volume of short balls bowled to Hughes, including an estimate of nine in a row in the lead-up to the ball that struck him, was “going too far”. These words followed on from letters from the Hughes family, which formed part of the inquest and were published on Friday in the . In his letter, Greg Hughes wrote:”Their tactics changed after lunch, which started to slow the run rate down, and this was by bowling short at my son for a good majority of the time. This certainly did restrict the run flow and started to change the game… The umpires did not call them ‘no-balls’ under the Sheffield Shield cricket laws. Those laws are different to the MCC rules. By those balls not getting pulled up, of course this kept the bowlers continuing to target my son in an ungentlemanly way.”Among other recommendations made by the Hughes family were a desire to see neck guards on the back of batting helmets made mandatory, and also the removal of any dismissals for “hit wicket”, should a neck guard detach from the helmet and fall onto the stumps.Stern had recommended wider first aid training, and also work towards greater clarity in signalling between players and officials on the field and medical staff off it. The fact that ambulance services had reached the scene only 20 minutes after the incident illustrated the need for this. However she also concluded that Hughes’ death was inevitable from the moment he was hit and should be ruled accidental.”It is abundantly clear that once the tragic accident had occurred, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent Phillip’s death,” Stern said. She also went on to say that neither the number of short balls bowled to Hughes, nor any alleged instances of sledging, had exacerbated the risk to the batsman, and submitted that no recommendations should be made over the nature of play that day.Outside court, CA’s head of team performance, Pat Howard, spoke about events of the week and defended the conduct of the players who spoke at the inquest. He also stated that the game’s governing body would continue to offer whatever support it could to the Hughes family.”This week provided a confronting reminder of the sad reality that Phillip Hughes is no longer with us,” Howard said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the Hughes family during what is a difficult time for them. Our thoughts are also with Phillip’s cricket friends and his team-mates, all of whom have had to deal with the loss of a great mate as well as the ordeal of being on the field at the time of the incident. I’m very proud of the conduct of the players, the officials and staff throughout.”Formal findings from the coronial inquest are set to be handed down on November 4.

Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond remains engaged in efforts to find a replacement for recently-departed head coach Ange Postecoglou.

The 57-year-old completed a move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last week and the Hoops are now in the market to appoint a new manager.

Sky Sports recently reported that Brendan Rodgers, who has already enjoyed one successful stint with the Scottish giants, has held talks with the club. And they are now set to hold further discussions with the Northern Irish coach in the coming days as they attempt to bring him back to Parkhead.

However, if they fail to convince the former Leicester City boss to take the job for a second time, then Desmond could find a dream alternative in Bodo/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen, who is also reportedly on Celtic's radar.

What is Kjetil Knutsen's style of play?

The Norwegian manager plays a "kamikaze" style – as described by his captain Ulrick Saltnes – once explained his own philosophy by saying:

“Dominating doesn’t just mean scoring but also having the possession of the ball and dictating the rules of the game."

These comments show that the 4-3-3 tactician plays an intense brand of attacking football that results in his side being able to dominate the opposition, which has led to terrific results during his time with Bodo/Glimt.

Rodgers won seven trophies in less than three years at Parkhead and would come in as a proven winner, but Knutsen has also achieved great success in Norway and has proven that he knows how to win titles too.

The 54-year-old has won two Eliteserien titles in the last three years, whilst his side have won ten of their 11 league games so far in the division during 2023, which suggests that he is on his way to a third.

Knutsen has also shown signs of promise with his work in European competitions.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the promising coach reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League and won seven of his 11 matches in the tournament, which suggests that the potential is there for him to be a success on the continent.

Whereas, Rodgers failed to reach the last-16 in any European setting during his time in Scotland and, therefore, there are still question marks over his suitability to take the club forward outside of domestic football.

The Bodo/Glimt boss would not come in as a proven quantity in Scottish football as the Northern Irish manager would, but his impressive work in Norway – domestically and in Europe – suggests that the 54-year-old could be an excellent alternative to Rodgers if Desmond is unable to convince the former Liverpool chief to take on the job for a second time.