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Havertz's wife shares threats after Arsenal loss

Published in Soccer
Monday, 13 January 2025 09:23

The wife of Arsenal player Kai Havertz has shared abusive messages she received on social media after Arsenal lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Sophia Havertz shared two posts on her Instagram story on Monday, including one where someone threatens to "slaughter" her unborn baby.

Arsenal were knocked out of the cup after losing on penalties to holder United. Germany striker Havertz missed a chance to win the game at the Emirates Stadium when firing over from close range and then had a penalty saved in the shootout.

Sophia Havertz expressed her disgust at the abuse she received after the match.

"For anyone to think it's okay to write something like this is so shocking to me... I hope you are ashamed of yourself," she posted.

In response to the threat to her baby, she posted: "I'm not sure what to even say but please guys be more respectful. We are better than this..."

Football authorities and the police have tried to counter online abuse toward players.

England's Football Association said last year it was providing funding of around 25,000 ($32,000) to help police clamp down on incidents at the European Championship.

At the previous Euros in 2021, England players Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were subjected to racial abuse on social media after missing penalties in a shootout defeat to Italy in the final.

World governing body FIFA has set up a Social Media Protection Service, which it says protects players, teams and officials from online abuse by keeping their social feeds free from hate.

At the Women's World Cup in 2023, 20% of the players received discriminatory, abusive or threatening messages, SMPS said, about half of which were anti-gay, sexual or sexist.

Maresca feels 'shame' over Chilwell treatment

Published in Soccer
Monday, 13 January 2025 09:30

Enzo Maresca has admitted he feels "shame" about the treatment of Ben Chilwell but has reiterated that the full-back does not fit into his Chelsea plans.

Chilwell, 28, had made 70 Premier League appearances for the west London club in the four years before Maresca's arrival but has only featured once -- in the Carabao Cup -- this season.

Maresca, who took over as Chelsea boss last summer, said on Monday that he sympathises with the England international.

"Because players want to play more so there's probably chances for them to leave," Maresca said. "But Ben has been top. I have to say that, he has been top.

"Very professional, works hard. I feel shame because of that situation but in terms of behaviour, he has been very good."

Asked why Chilwell wasn't featuring, the Argentine coach added: "First of all because it is my choice. And because I can see Malo Gusto, Reece James or Marc Cucurella doing different kind of jobs during the game.

"I think Chilwell is a top full-back, doing that job up and down and given opportunity in past to win titles and be in national team, but I struggle to see Ben doing different kind of things."

Maresca said in the same news conference -- when discussing the fit-again James -- that he was "not a fan of full-backs going up and down."

He also spoke about reports linking young defender Renato Veiga, 21, with a move to Borussia Dortmund. Portugal international Veiga only joined Chelsea from FC Basel last summer but is said to be unhappy with his playing time, and his position -- Chelsea favouring him at left-back rather than centre-back.

"I'm not aware that there is an agreement for Renato," Maresca said. "Yesterday he was here working, today he will be working so he's our player. We'll see if something happens.

"We bought Renato from Basel, he arrived and played well in different positions and allowed him to join the national team for the first time in his life. Even if he was not playing in his position [centre back], probably him playing for international team means the position he is playing he is doing well.

"We are happy all players go to the international team, especially young players who join Chelsea, play in four or five different positions and gets the chance to play in the national team. We're very proud of that."

Chelsea are without a win in five in the Premier League and host Bournemouth on Tuesday night.

What a weekend! European soccer didn't disappoint, per usual, with a ton of talking points to discuss after a captivating slate of games. Barcelona thumped Clasico rivals Real Madrid to win the Spanish Supercopa, but more than the result, it showed how Hansi Flick's side can bridge the gap in LaLiga while Carlo Ancelotti must fix his star-studded team. In the English FA Cup, Man United advanced over Arsenal on penalties to reach the fourth round, but both teams got what they needed from Sunday's fiery, full-blooded clash.

Elsewhere, we have plenty to break down from Milan's wobbly win at Venezia, Trent-Alexander's performance for Liverpool in the FA Cup, João Félix's flashes of brilliance for Chelsea, Bayern Munich's labored win over Borussia Monchengladbach. Oh, and Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and even Jack Grealish.

Let's get to it. Here are musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.


Clasico beatdown must have consequences, more for Real Madrid than for Barcelona

Maybe there's a parallel universe where Rodrygo's shot caroms in off the woodwork early in the second half, Barca don't go up the pitch to score directly afterwards, Wojciech Szczesny still gets sent off, Madrid score another and it's 4-4, and the sponsors/everyone marvels at both the spectacle of Barca's talents and Madrid's never-say-die attitude.

The worst thing Real Madrid could do right now is tell themselves that they have anything whatsoever to do with that parallel universe. Instead, after the 5-2 shellacking, coming on the back of a 4-0 humiliation at the Bernabeu in October and with another Clasico coming up in Barcelona towards the end of the season, the best thing to do is engage in some accountability.

It necessarily starts with Carlo Ancelotti, of course. He sets the team and sends them out; thinking you could cram Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham into some sort of 4-2-4 against this Barcelona side right now was a massive blunder. Having gone more conservative in the prior Clasico, he went out guns blazing in this one and got his backside handed to him from the start -- let's not forget the two huge early Thibaut Courtois saves.

Ancelotti will bear the brunt of the criticism and, to be fair, he's used to it. But let's not forget the elephant in the room: how this team was put together.

We've touched on it before. You're one of the best-resourced clubs in the world and you go into the season with a squad whose three best forwards are all natural left-wingers (and whose main midfield attacking threat, Bellingham, also gravitates to the left). Toni Kroos, your midfield general, retires and you think you can be competitive with a guy who turns 40 in September (Luka Modric) and another guy who is, well, Dani Ceballos. You've got two central defenders coming off season-ending ACL injuries, and it doesn't occur to you to add another centre-back to the squad.

This is classic "Panini sticker" approach: bring in the big names and let the coach figure it out. Mbappe is the most coveted player in the world? Got to have him -- no matter that Vinicius plays the same position. I'm out of central defenders? No sweat: Aurélien Tchouaméni is tallish, so he can play at the back. That Endrick kid who's the next big thing? Bring him in as well, even though he'll never get playing time.

Ancelotti may have solved these tactical conundrums in the past -- sometimes through strokes of genius, sometimes because it's football and you'll beat most opponents if you have better players and a standout keeper -- but it doesn't mean he (or anyone else) can do so in perpetuity. And it certainly doesn't mean it makes sense to continue building squads like this one, even if they do end up with silverware at the end of the campaign.

There's another negative side effect to the superstar-driven approach too. When they struggle, it's harder to make adjustments. That's why, you presume, Vinicius stayed out there for 76 minutes despite enduring one of his worst performances in recent memory. The guy is already banned in LaLiga for the red card he picked up against Valencia; he has been coddled and told the ban was unfair, so what would taking him off earlier have done for his state of mind? I can't say for sure, but I imagine that's precisely what went through Ancelotti's head.

Word from the club is that they won't acquire anyone new in January. If you're a Madrid fan, you hope Sunday changed their mind.

As for Barcelona, Madrid's deficiencies and self-inflicted wounds should not take anything away from their performance. However much Madrid played into their hands, Barca's stars performed. Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and, of course, Lamine Yamal will get the headlines -- righty so, given the technical quality they showed -- but credit has to go to the middle of the park. Marc Casadó, Gavi and Pedri played with an intensity and an intelligence that gave Barca the necessary platform to perform the way they did.

That's about them, sure, but that's also about Hansi Flick. Game-planning for this second Clasico given the circumstances (the Dani Olmo situation, the legacy of the first Clasico meeting this season) could not have been easy and yet he got just about everything right. Barcelona aren't perfect and there are bound to be plenty more bumps along the way. It's still high risk/high reward with Flick, especially because they've struggled against smaller clubs that sit deep, though with Gavi now fully fit that might change. But this Clasico win is a massive confidence boost.

Making up the six-point gap in LaLiga -- especially because it's not just Real Madrid they'd have to catch, but Atletico too -- might be beyond them. Yet after days like this, you'd have to put them among the top two or three favourites for the Champions League.

Boost for Ruben Amorim goes way beyond Man United's place in the FA Cup fourth round

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Burley: Clinical finishing let Arsenal down

Craig Burley believes Arsenal are lacking a clinical edge up front following their FA Cup exit to Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim won on Sunday, and Mikel Arteta lost. That would also have been the case even if the spot kicks had gone the other way, and it was Arsenal who advanced to the next round. Why? Because of what we saw in the preceding 120 minutes, and because the prize -- staying alive in the FA Cup -- is worth less than what happened on the pitch.

I don't mean to gratuitously diss the competition here. Yes, it's a trophy and an important one, but it's not how either one of these managers is going to be judged. Don't believe me? Ask Erik ten Hag. He won it last year and is now unemployed (and largely unloved).

More important, for both these coaches, was to get an emotional boost and provide a sense that their club is moving in the right direction. That part was settled in the 120 minutes before any penalty was taken.

Arsenal might have created more chances and bossed the expected goals (3.22 to 0.27), but most of that came in the nearly one hour of football they played with a man advantage. Oh, and it was in that hour of football that they missed a penalty and failed to capitalise. The upshot? More doubt about what they can achieve with Kai Havertz at centre-forward. It's not a view I share: I'm a Havertz believer, though it would be nice to have another option off the bench -- and without Bukayo Saka on the pitch. Doubt isn't what Arteta needs right now, and a win on penalties wouldn't have changed that.

As for United, yes, they created very little before and after Diogo Dalot's red card, but they stayed in the game and played with intensity and purpose. A bit like the Liverpool game, they looked like a side that was growing into what the manager wanted them to do.

Random moments like the Matthijs De Ligt block achieve outsize significance. It felt as if little lightbulbs were going off up and down the lineup. They punished their opponent's mistakes, kept their tactical shape and grew more disciplined with a man down even as their foe grew more frantic. Confidence in your manager is a thing and once again, they showed it. And just as with Arsenal, the outcome of the spot kicks would not have impacted this.

One more thing on the penalty "won" by Havertz when he collided with Harry Maguire's arm. I accept that some folks hate VAR; well, we got to experience a game without VAR, and we didn't just see a player conning the referee into awarding a penalty (as Havertz did, I'm sorry to say) -- we also saw a full-on melee afterwards with little in the way of disciplinary action. Not because the referee was bad, but because it's simply impossible for one refereeing team to keep track of a 20-man brawl.

Did not having VAR (as is customary in the third round of the FA Cup) really make the game more enjoyable? Or did it offer an incentive for players to get away with stuff?

New coach, same old Milan? Maybe, but it's not necessarily a bad thing

The recent comeback wins against Juventus and Inter en route to the Super Cup were exhilarating, but it was obvious that Milan were going to be judged by how well they do the bread-and-butter of cranking out victories in the league and moving up the table. And that's where things under Sérgio Conceição felt like they did under Paulo Fonseca, which is probably why boos rang out at the end of Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari.

Against an opponent that parked the proverbial bus -- and understandably so, considering that they're fighting to avoid relegation -- Milan had plenty of the ball and the chances, but failed to capitalise. Their 2.75 xG and 24 shots on goal (11 on target) end up meaning little when it's another two points missed. And adding insult to injury, there were no fewer than three distinct individual mistakes on Nadir Zortea's equalizer, from Youssouf Fofana's revolving door defending, to Theo Hernández getting lost, to Mike Maignan fumbling the shot.

It's the sort of stuff that infuriates fans -- and probably Conceicao, too -- the kind of stuff that played a big part of what cost Fonseca his job at the end of December. That said, Milan were aggressive and front-footed, the opportunities were there (think of Christian Pulisic hitting the woodwork or Tammy Abraham's missed one-on-one) and they did more than enough to win. That's a sign the foundation is more solid than the table suggests. And it's OK if this looks like Fonseca's Milan because that team, despite the self-inflicted errors, got a lot of things right.

Conceicao doesn't need to tear it down; he just needs to iron out the kinks.


Quick hits

10. It's now 14 wins in a row for high-flying Atletico: The narrative out of Sunday's 1-0 win over Osasuna was that this was old-school Atletico Madrid: defending staunchly and not dominating, but taking their chances at the other end. I'm not sure I agree, and the xG (2.33) back me up on the attacking end. They weren't overwhelming, and Julián Álvarez's goal felt like a collective brain fart from Osasuna's back line -- despite having three central defenders, Alvarez is somehow left all on his own? -- but the opportunities they did create were high quality and they were stingy in their own box. They remain a point clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga and their confidence is only growing.

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Gab & Juls not convinced Kvaratskhelia is a smart signing for PSG

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens question if Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, another winger, is a smart signing for PSG.

9. Antonio Conte has his game face on as Napoli say goodbye to Kvaratskhelia: Sunday's 2-0 victory over Verona makes it five wins on the bounce for Napoli (in the league, that is, because that's the only competition they have left). It was dominant in a Conte way: an early goal, tight defending and then a second (gorgeous) goal from André-Frank Zambo Anguissa after the break for insurance purposes. More telling were his words on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is officially on his way out. Conte said he was disappointed that he wasn't able to persuade him to stay; Kvaratskhelia would have stayed, of course, if he had been able to get the pay rise everyone agreed he deserved. (What they disagreed on, of course, was the size of the pay bump.)

8. It's not the contract talks, it's Trent Alexander-Arnold: I made the point last week -- as did Arne Slot -- after the horror show against Manchester United, and it's valid this week after his surprise start against Accrington Stanley, in which he was the only holdover from last weekend's XI: you can't blame his contractual situation and the fact that he's a free agent in a few months when things are bad, because that same situation exists when things are good. And they were very good on Saturday as he led the team out as captain and notched a peach of a goal in a 4-0 drubbing. The reality is that Alexander-Arnold is exceptional going forward but sometimes suffers massive lapses defensively. That happened before his contract talks, and it will likely happen again after he signs a new deal, whether with Liverpool or anyone else.

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Did Alexander-Arnold make a statement to Slot with FA Cup performance?

Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop react to Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance in Liverpool's 4-0 win vs. Accrington Stanley.

7. Inter's bounce-back win is important, but so too were the late wobbles: Sunday's 1-0 win at Venezia is significant because it keeps the team within four points of table-topping Napoli: that's manageable with two games in hand. More significant, I think, is the way they bounced back from the gut-punch of the Super Cup defeat to Milan, in which a 2-0 Inter lead turned into a 3-2 defeat. Despite further evidence that they're not the same team without Hakan Calhanoglu, they were largely in charge for much of the game -- at least until the last 15 minutes or so, when they conceded more chances than Simone Inzaghi would have liked. If there is a cause for concern right now, it's probably at the back.

6. Unlocking Joao Felix is a delight for the eyes: Imagine if you could do that. Imagine if you could get Joao Felix to regularly offer what we saw him give Chelsea in the 5-0 drubbing of Morecambe on Saturday. He was facing a side one spot above the bottom of the entire English Football League, but no, your eyes did not deceive you. In the beauty of his two goals, you saw his grace, touch, balance, finishing, creativity -- all the things that are supposed to add up to a superstar. Except in his case, they don't. He might be the most technically gifted player at the club, but 5 years after his absurd 126 million to Atletico Madrid -- that's right, he's still the fourth-costliest player ever -- he still can't find a manager to give him regular playing time. (The most damning Joao Felix stat might be that since turning 21, he has never started more than 18 games in a season). Enzo Maresca would love to change that, but he's not so arrogant that he thinks he will succeed where so many others have failed.

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Leboeuf: Chelsea's win vs. Morecambe almost perfect

Frank Leboeuf reacts to Chelsea's 5-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup third round.

5. Harry Kane's penalty rescues wasteful Bayern Munich: Some in Bayern-land are so concerned about not killing every game early that Saturday's 1-0 win away to Borussia Monchengladbach was seen as a disappointment. Gladbach had a couple of chances after the break and it was 0-0 until Kane's spot kick with just over 20 minutes to go. Could Bayern have dropped points? Sure, but they also put together an xG of 4.28 (to 0.35) and didn't concede a single shot until the second half. That they created so much without Jamal Musiala against a midtable opponent isn't a bad thing. If you're going to worry as a Bayern fan, worry about free agents-to-be Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies, both of whom were typically excellent.

4. Tottenham scrape past nonleague Tamworth, and it could be the end of extra time in the FA Cup: Tiny Tamworth away was exactly what Tottenham didn't want in the FA Cup: small ground, artificial pitch, a fired-up opponent, second-stringers not taking chances (read: Timo Werner), every neutral hoping for an upset in the name of the "Magic of the FA Cup." Tamworth kept it scoreless for 90 minutes, but the floodgates opened in extra time with an own goal paving the way to a 3-0 Spurs win. Maybe it's a coincidence, but The Times reported Monday that the Football Association was considering scrapping extra time and going straight to penalty kicks. With replays having already been eliminated, the traditionalists might be incensed, but the harsh truth is that the less actual football you play, the more chance the smaller club has of an upset, and going direct to spot kicks would have given a team like a Tamworth a better chance. As for the bigger clubs, you suspect the last thing they want to do is play an extra half hour on a frozen pitch in January.

3. Paris Saint-Germain reaping far less than they sow: It has been like this for a while now and theories vary, but Sunday's victory over Saint Etienne felt like peak Luis Enrique. The defending champions took 25 shots on goal and put together an xG of 4.07, but managed only to win 2-1. It's easy to point to the whole "recognised striker" trope, except for the fact that Gonçalo Ramos actually started in this game. (Randal Kolo Muani was elsewhere, presumably waiting to find a new home in the January transfer window.) With rumours that they're close to signing Kvaratskhelia, you wonder how many winger types are enough given that they already have Bradley Barcola, Lee Kang-in, Désiré Doué, Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembélé.

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Why Khusanov is set for a big-money move to Man City

Gab and Juls discuss the deal between Lens and Man City for 20-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov.

2. Let's all pick on Jack Grealish? It rather feels that way. You might have thought that his first goal for Manchester City since December 2023 (in Saturday's 8-0 demolition of Salford City in the FA Cup) would have earned Grealish some respite from the critics. Instead, we got plenty of reminders that it had been 392 days since the 100m man's last goal. (Heck, because it was a penalty, when he next scores from open play -- if he scores from open play -- we'll get a reminder that it's his first goal from open play since 2023. Won't that be droll?) There's no question that Grealish has been a bust and that there were far better ways for City to spend that money, but bringing up his lack of goals kinda feels like punching down. Grealish is what he is: a guy who was vastly overrated by one of the most successful coaches in history, who then couldn't fit him into his system in a productive way and who failed to live up to his transfer fee or massive contract. Plus, he has the look the sort of player opposing fans love to hate. But he can't be the only scapegoat here.

1. Juventus disappoint (again) in derby, but look hard and you'll find two bright spots: As dull as Juve were in the 1-1 draw with Torino, and as angry as Thiago Motta was -- he even got himself sent off, raging afterwards about how unhappy he was with his team's lack of aggression -- there are two points of light. One is Kenan Yildiz, who scored and was a constant thorn in Torino's side. I'll leave it to others to determine whether he's the best Turkish teenager around (or whether it's Arda Güler), but it's wild to me that some were linking him to an exit over doubts about whether he fit Motta's system. The other is Douglas Luiz, who made his first start since October and bossed the midfield. I have no idea how or why he ended up on Motta's naughty step after his big summer move, but it's evident he can contribute to this team. Beyond that, Juve showed all their limitations (Dusan Vlahovic's absence is not an excuse) en route to their 12th league draw in 19 games. Nobody in Europe's Big 5 leagues has drawn more.

Konstas, Green and Andrews put Thunder in BBL playoffs

Published in Cricket
Monday, 13 January 2025 04:13

Sydney Thunder 158 for 7 (Konstas 53, Andrews 37*, Morris 3-43) beat Perth Scorchers 97 (Hardie 22, Green 3-13, McAndrew 2-21) by 61 runs

Sam Konstas smashed a half-century on a tricky Showground surface before Sydney Thunder capitalised on reckless batting from Perth Scorchers to secure their place in the BBL finals.
After being sent in, Konstas produced a fast start for Thunder before they were reeled in by Scorchers' spinners until Tom Andrews blasted an unbeaten 37 off 13 balls at the death.
Chasing 159, Scorchers had a horror show with the bat marked by the disastrous run-outs of Cooper Connolly and Sam Fanning as they were bowled out for 97 in the 18th over.

BBL powerhouse Scorchers require a miracle to reach the finals after slumping to a fourth straight defeat.

Konstas fires, Andrews provides late lift

On a surface known for being sluggish and favouring spin, Konstas and fellow opener David Warner decided to go for broke against the new ball.

They smashed 36 runs in the first three overs with Warner setting the tone with an early blow over the infield before being overtaken by Konstas.

Konstas mixed elegant strokes with trademark inventiveness to race to 28 off 12 balls, but Warner's dismissal in the last over of the powerplay triggered a collapse.

Konstas could not find the strike as Thunder's batters struggled mightily on a surface that started to become difficult to bat on. They didn't score a boundary for almost 10 overs until Konstas cleverly reverse-swept Connolly's left-arm spin for a boundary.

He brought up his half-century off 40 balls with a dismissive boundary off speedster Lance Morris before holing out shortly afterwards. At 114 for 7 after 17 overs, Thunder appeared likely to fall well short of a decent total until Andrews unfurled several mighty strokes at the death.

He finished the innings with a six down the ground in a final over that cost 25 runs - the most expensive of veteran Jason Behrendorff's T20 career.

Beardman debuts, spin takes over

Scorchers' finals hopes received a blow after Jhye Richardson's latest injury setback ended his BBL season.

But it meant an opportunity for 19-year-old quick Mahli Beardman, who has been mentored by Dennis Lillee. A year ago he starred at the Under 19 World Cup and recently played in the Prime Minister's XI two-day match against India in Canberra.

He had a tough BBL initiation, entering the attack in the third over against Konstas and Warner. Beardman hopes to one day emulate Morris and bowl 150 kph, but he can already produce significant pace around 140 kph.

Beardman was under siege against a rampaging Konstas, his Australia Under-19 teammate, who used his feet superbly to whack a slower delivery down the ground for six.

But with the wicket slowing up notably after the powerplay, skipper Ashton Turner turned to his spinners and Connolly, Ashton Agar and Matthew Spoors delivered with three wickets between them.

Connolly, whose bowling is slowly progressing, was extremely accurate and clean-bowled Sam Billings to finish with 1 for 16 off 4 overs. It was a tonic after Connolly was not not named in Australia's Champions Trophy squad.

Having taken 2 for 6 off 4 overs at this ground last season, Agar was again miserly with 1-14 off 4 overs while Spoors claimed his first BBL wicket after dismissing George Garton.

Morris recovered from a tardy start to claim three wickets with fiery bowling touching near 150 kph. But Turner was left to rue not bowling out Spoors, who still had two overs left, with Morris and Behrendorff smashed at the death.

Sangha returns in favourable conditions

Playing just his third BBL game of the season, legspinner Tanveer Sangha had the ideal surface to make his return. He started nervously after a loose delivery was swept by Aaron Hardie to the boundary.
But Sangha had his revenge with a flatter, straighter delivery that clean-bowled Hardie. He bowled tidily through the middle overs to suffocate Scorchers in tandem with offspinner Chris Green to finish with 1 for 18 off 4 overs.

Green claimed a couple of late wickets to finish with 3-13 off 4 overs, while Andrews capped a fine all-round match with the wicket of Nick Hobson.

Hardie's struggles continue

Allrounder Hardie started the day with good news after he was selected for Australia's Champions Trophy squad despite a modest BBL season playing as a specialist batter.

He came to the crease in the second over following the wicket of Finn Allen. Disaster struck when Fanning was run out at the non-striker's end after Hardie had initially called for a single before changing his mind.

The run-out seemed to rattle Hardie, who was edgy at the crease before smashing consecutive sixes on the leg side off quick Nathan McAndrew. But he was soon bowled for 22 - which was Scorchers' top score - to trigger a collapse.

Scorchers' disastrous performance was summed up by Connolly, their leading batter this season, being run out attempting a second run after a direct throw from Hugh Weibgen at midwicket.

Turner, who has rescued his team many times before, holed out tamely as Scorchers appear almost certain to miss finals for just the third time in BBL history.

Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth

Beau Webster, the Australian allrounder, will tune up for the World Test Championship (WTC) final by playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship, after agreeing a three-month deal for the 2025 season.
Webster made 96 runs - including a first-innings half-century - on Test debut this month to help Australia clinch a 3-1 series win over India and a spot in June's final against South Africa at Lord's. He has since been picked for their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka and will be in contention for a place in their side for the final.

His deal with Warwickshire runs from the start of May until the end of July, and he is due to be available in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. If he is named in Australia's squad for the WTC final - as expected - then he will likely miss a handful of Blast fixtures, with the final scheduled for June 11-15.

Webster will likely be competing against Cameron Green for a spot in Australia's final XI, and his inclusion may depend on Green's return to fitness after a significant back injury which has ruled him out since September.

Other members of Australia's Test squad who are not involved in either the IPL or PSL may follow Webster's lead in seeking out county contracts in the build-up to the WTC final. Two South Africa regulars in David Bedingham (Durham) and Kyle Verreynne (Nottinghamshire) have already secured deals.

Webster will be representing his third county in as many years, after recent stints with Essex (in 2023) and Gloucestershire (in 2024). His stock has risen significantly in that time: his deal with Essex came about when he was playing club cricket in the UK, before he joined Gloucestershire for most of their successful T20 Blast campaign last summer.

"I'm really pleased to sign for the Bears for part of the 2025 season," Webster said. "Having played Birmingham League cricket [for Knowle and Dorridge] in the past, I have great memories of the people and the area. I played some Championship cricket last summer with Gloucestershire and loved the challenge of the competition."

Mark Robinson, Warwickshire's head coach, said: "We're delighted Beau has chosen to become a Bear. Since we first approached him he has made his international debut which shows how highly regarded he is thought of by Australia's selectors. As an allrounder he will give us great balance in both the Championship and Blast."

English players want NOC clarity after signing PSL deals

Published in Cricket
Monday, 13 January 2025 08:40

English players are seeking clarity from the ECB over whether they will be granted No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) after they were signed to play in the PSL at Monday's draft in Lahore.

Players reacted furiously in late November when the ECB announced a new policy on NOCs, which chief executive Richard Gould said was designed to "defend our game". The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) were blindsided by the policy and said that their sense of "genuine collaboration" with the ECB had vanished.

The new policy will see players denied NOCs for all overseas leagues that take place during the English summer, including the PSL, the CPL and MLC - with the notable exception of the IPL. Players on white-ball contracts with their counties will be granted NOCs for competitions that do not clash with the T20 Blast or the Hundred.

The ECB initially planned to block players with any provision for red-ball appearances from missing County Championship fixtures to play overseas, but have since softened their stance after pressure from players, their agents and the PCA. At this stage, Billings, Curran, Jordan and Willey are all expected to be granted NOCs for the PSL.

The board's stance is that its NOC "consultation group" will consider all requests against the criteria set out in November. ESPNcricinfo understands that in the case of the PSL, this will mean players will be eligible for NOCs if they are on white-ball contracts, or if they choose to renegotiate existing multi-format deals after the draft.

Kohler-Cadmore and Vince are on all-format contracts with their respective counties - Somerset and Hampshire - and both are understood to be considering their available options. The PSL is due to run from April 8 until May 19, and both players will miss at least the first six Championship games of the season if they fulfil their PSL deals.

ESPNcricinfo understands that six players with England central contracts registered themselves for the draft, but were marked as "unavailable" on a longlist sent to franchises on Sunday after the ECB clarified it would not grant them NOCs. These included Jonny Bairstow - who has not played for England since June - and Adil Rashid, who is a white-ball specialist.

A PCA spokesperson said: "Following the announcement of the NOC policy and its proposed implementation, the PCA has been engaging with its members, legal team and the ECB, collectively representing current players to find solutions on restrictions. Progress has been made across a number of implementation areas, however, each NOC request is on a case-by-case basis and there remains ongoing consultation."

James Anderson will resume his professional playing career and could play his first T20 game in more than a decade after agreeing a one-year contract extension with Lancashire.
Anderson has not played since his farewell Test appearance against West Indies in July, subsequently joining England's backroom staff as a consultant. Having spoken of his desire to continue playing, he entered the IPL auction in December - though went unsold - and has now signed a deal with Lancashire to play in the County Championship and T20 Blast, following the expiry of his ECB central contract.

"I am incredibly excited to sign this contract with Lancashire and resume playing professional cricket again next season," Anderson said. "This club has played a huge part in my life since I was a teenager, so to have the opportunity to wear the Red Rose again and help the side in both red and white ball cricket is one that I am really looking forward to.

"I have been working hard on keeping my fitness levels high and continuing to bowl regularly during my time as a coach with England throughout the winter, with the aim of being able to hit the ground running when the county season starts in April.

"I love playing at Emirates Old Trafford and to have the chance to walk out and bowl in front of our Members and supporters again this summer is going to be really special."

Anderson, who will turn 43 in the summer, made his Lancashire debut a quarter of a century ago, in 2001. He only made one County Championship appearance in 2024, but topped the club's averages after taking 8 for 64 against Nottinghamshire at Southport.

He has been linked with continuing his playing days in various T20 franchise leagues, aside from the IPL, and could now push his case for further opportunities, having last played the format during the 2014 Blast.

Mark Chilton, Lancashire's director of cricket performance, said: "We have been in open dialogue with Jimmy since his international retirement and our position has been clear from the start. It is fantastic news for all connected with the club that he has chosen to continue his playing career with Lancashire.

"From speaking to Jimmy recently, it became clear that his desire to resume playing professional cricket was strengthening every day and he was just desperate to get back out on the park. As it stands, he is fully committed to the county season across both the County Championship and Vitality Blast this summer, and whilst we all recognise he will have other opportunities, he has made it clear playing is his first priority.

"To be able to share a dressing room with England's all-time leading wicket taker, and one of cricket's greatest players, is incredible for our squad and I've no doubt that our Members and supporters, and cricket fans around the world, will be equally as thrilled to watch Jimmy in action for Lancashire again next summer."

Anderson is currently in Abu Dhabi with England's fast bowlers ahead of their white-ball tour to India, and revealed on his Tailenders podcast that he is due to be part of their coaching staff for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next month.

The PSL moved into the IPL window this year, to improve the quality and availability of overseas players they'd be able to sign. On that count, the calculated risk they took appears to have paid off, with the roster for the tenth edition of the PSL including the widest array of high-profile overseas players they have managed in the post-covid era.
David Warner, Daryl Mitchell, Jason Holder, Rassie van der Dussen and Kane Williamson were among the biggest names the PSL signed up at the draft this year, held at the sprawling Hazuri Bagh at Lahore Fort. While the ceremony itself was a stuttering, protracted affair, which, from start to finish, lasted a whopping seven hours, the cack-handed packaging should not detract from what may be a very decent product after all.
For the first time, partial player availability, so often a hindrance during earlier editions, was not a concern. The only other cricket during the time the PSL will be played - between early April and late May - is IPL 2025. The IPL auction has concluded, and any players left over are definitively available, effectively meaning every player in the draft had communicated their complete willingness to participate in the PSL in full.

The decision did not come without trade-offs; Rashid Khan, for example, signed a three-year contract with Lahore Qalandars in 2023, but will instead be at the IPL. But players from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, so often unavailable because the PSL's traditional February-March window clashed with their home international season, were signed in droves.

New Zealanders, in particular were popular; more than half of the platinum picks at the draft were Kiwis: Finn Allen, Mitchell, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell, and Mark Chapman were all picked in the highest category, with all of them first-time PSL participants. They were topped up in the supplementary pick with Williamson and Kyle Jamieson, also first-timers.
Over the years, it has been overseas power-hitting the PSL has relished, each franchise comfortable that there was enough domestic fast bowling to go around without being spread too thin. That changed this time: Milne, Sean Abbott, Jamieson, Nahid Rana, Holder, Corbin Bosch, Alzarri Joseph and Josh Little were among the overseas quicks snapped up.

That may partially be explained by the availability of players who might otherwise not been options for the PSL, but perhaps also hints at the waning confidence in local fast bowling talent among the franchises.

There were departures and farewells for players who have become synonymous with a particular franchise. Faheem Ashraf left Islamabad United having been a one-franchise player until now, winning three titles. If there was a general indication his star was waning, Quetta Gladiators clearly thought otherwise; they used their wildcard on him to pick him in the Platinum category, rather than the Silver he had been assigned.
There was movement out of the Gladiators, too. Sarfaraz Ahmed, their captain for the first eight seasons and player for each of the last nine, was not part of the draft; Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said he would be involved with the franchise in a "new role".
Mohammad Hasnain, meanwhile, also leaves the Gladiators to link up with Multan Sultans. Poignantly, Ihsanullah, Sultans' quickest bowler until 2023, was left unpicked after an independent review found the PCB's botched handling of an elbow injury had done him significant harm. Sultans' owner Ali Tareen said last week medical consensus was he would never hit those speeds again.
Meanwhile, there was a splitting up of one family. Last year, Naseem Shah and both of his younger brothers, Hunain and Ubaid, played for United; Hunain went on to hit the winning runs. This time, Sultans plumped for the youngest, with Ubaid leaving the defending champions to join the 2021 winners.

Last year, the PCB told ESPNcricinfo was to co-exist with the IPL rather than compete with it. The PSL draft this time around may have wanted organisation and production quality, but did offer a little glimpse into what that might look like once April rolls around.

Osaka helper gets birth certificate from L.A. home

Published in Breaking News
Monday, 13 January 2025 09:37

MELBOURNE, Australia -- While Naomi Osaka is busy competing -- and winning -- at the Australian Open, she needed to send someone to retrieve her 1-year-old daughter's birth certificate from their California home in case it got caught up in the wildfires ravaging the greater Los Angeles area.

After a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Caroline Garcia of France in the first round at Melbourne Park on Monday night, Osaka said during an on-court interview at Rod Laver Arena that she had learned that there was a fire burning three blocks from her house.

Osaka said she figured it would be a good idea to keep the birth certificate safe. Her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023 and has traveled with Osaka on the tennis tour.

Osaka announced this month on social media that she and Shai's father, rapper Cordae, had ended their relationship.

"Honestly I don't think I've been doing the greatest keeping focus, but obviously I won, so I think it's an acceptable job," Osaka said about dividing her thoughts between Los Angeles and the tournament where she's competing. "It is really difficult for me ... because I find now my home is more of a home because I have memories with my daughter. There's so many things -- keepsakes and stuff like that."

Osaka wore a black Dodgers hat with "LA" and a red heart stitched on it, along with a purple Lakers jersey to her news conference.

"I'm not there, so I don't know how bad it is or how bad it's going to get," she said. "But I think the biggest thing that I am grateful for is that everyone in my family is safe."

Osaka added that she doesn't think she will head to Los Angeles right after the Australian Open because, she said, "I don't feel like it's safe enough to go back there. It's kind of a little bit in a limbo -- but also motivating me to hopefully stay here as long as I can."

Osaka is a former No. 1-ranked tennis player who has won four Grand Slam titles -- two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open.

Osaka was born in Japan and her family moved to the United States when she was 3. She has been based in Los Angeles for several years.

"Sending all my love to L.A. We hear about fires, but I didn't know how devastating it could be," Osaka said on court. "I hope everyone's doing well."

She then wrote "LA" and drew a heart in blue ink on the lens of a courtside TV camera. Other Australian Open athletes, including Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic, have done similar after their matches.

This was the second year in a row that Osaka and 2022 US Open semifinalist Garcia have played each other in the first round at Melbourne Park. Last year, though, Osaka had only recently returned from maternity leave and she lost that match to Garcia.

"It's a really big coincidence," Osaka said. "It felt a little familiar."

She got off to a good start this season by reaching the final of a hard-court tuneup tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, although she stopped playing after taking the opening set of that title match because of an injury.

Next at the Australian Open for Osaka will be a matchup against 20th-seeded Karolina Muchova, who was the runner-up at the 2023 French Open but later missed about 10 months of action because of wrist surgery. Muchova advanced by eliminating Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-1.

Muchova defeated Osaka in the second round of last year's US Open.

Source: Eagles LB Dean likely out for playoffs

Published in Breaking News
Monday, 13 January 2025 09:37

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles starting linebacker Nakobe Dean is believed to have suffered a serious knee injury in Sunday's wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers and is expected to miss the remainder of the playoffs, a league source confirmed.

Dean was injured in the second quarter after wrangling tight end Tucker Kraft to the ground for a 3-yard loss on a screen play.

After being assisted off the field to the medical tent, Dean was carted inside, offering gestures of encouragement to the fan base on his way to the tunnel.

NFL Network was first to report the seriousness of Dean's injury.

"He's one of the true leaders on this defense," said cornerback Darius Slay. "I know I got the 'C' on my chest but if there is someone I want to give my [captaincy] to, it's him.

"It's hurtful to see him go down like that because he is having an amazing year, playing outstanding, and I'm praying for him for a speedy recovery."

Dean, the former Georgia standout and third-round pick in the 2022 draft, elevated to a starting role for the Eagles last season but was sidelined for all but five games due to multiple foot injuries, including a Lisfranc sprain that landed him on injured reserve in November.

He has been an impact player for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this season, racking up 128 tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and an interception during the regular season. He also was responsible for relaying defensive calls to the group, duties that went to All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun when Dean exited Sunday.

Oren Burks replaced Dean in the lineup and will likely fill in for him moving forward. Burks, who played his first six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Packers, had five tackles Sunday and forced a fumble on special teams on the opening kickoff, resulting in a turnover and a quick score for Philadelphia that set the tone for the game.

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