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How Real Madrid and Spain are reviving the art of long-range shooting
For an art form that is allegedly dying out -- if you believe the statisticians, anyway -- goals scored from distance have played an important part in Spanish football recently.
Think of Rodri's rescuer for Spain against Georgia in their first Euro 2024 knockout game -- and the huge outpouring of relief and joy when the Manchester City man struck home from 21 yards with his left foot. Or Lamine Yamal's spellbinding equaliser against France in the semifinal -- the goal heard across the world. It was the goal of the tournament, curled past goalkeeper Mike Maignan from 26 yards out.
And before we leave the European champions, Martín Zubimendi's 21-yard volley meant three points against a stubborn, defensively organised Denmark at the weekend. It was the defensive midfielder's debut goal for Spain and could prove vital if they're to qualify for the chance to defend their reigning Nations League title.
Domestically, the story is just as strong. LaLiga was lit up by Luka Sucic mimicking one of Lionel Messi's greatest goals (his was against Real Betis) but from far greater range, when he first-time volley-chipped over Jan Oblak from an absolutely outrageous distance in Real Sociedad's 1-1 draw against Atlético Madrid.
Luka Sucic scores an incredible goal from outside of the box to level the score at 1-1 for Real Sociedad.
But the two pearlers from Real Madrid against Villarreal that same weekend catch my focus, as well as Los Blancos' general attitude to shooting from distance while Carlo Ancelotti has been their coach.
The context is that those who produce big-picture stats tell us that both shooting from distance (here, I'm counting anything from outside the opposition penalty area) and scoring from that range are declining in regularity. "More passes, fewer shots" is the blunt, myopic summary. While it's true that the generational move towards playing the ball out and using possession as a weapon have altered how eager many players (and coaches) are to listen to the primeval roar of "Shoooooooooooot!!" from their supporters, Madrid are one of the teams that definitely, and defiantly, buck that trend.
I'll draw your attention back to the thunderbolt from Federico Valverde that put the Spanish and European champions in the lead at home to Villarreal on Matchday 9 of LaLiga. Jude Bellingham dummied Luka Modric's sharply taken corner before Valverde drew back, took aim and unleashed a shot in one gloriously smooth, but viciously dangerous, movement. It brought a breakthrough on the scoreboard, joyful veneration from the Bernabeu faithful, and face-contorted ecstasy from the Uruguay international.
Federico Valverde scores from outside the box to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead over Villarreal.
The second, clinching, goal might be argued to be Vinícius Júnior's best for Madrid (although there are 92 beauties to choose from), but at any rate, it was thunderously glorious and unstoppable for goalkeeper Diego Conde.
Some of you will have forgotten that there was another example of the aim-steady-fire culture at Real Madrid when, in the first half not long after Valverde's goal, Los Blancos recycled a Kylian Mbappé breakaway and the Uruguayan gave a lovely cushioned pass into Bellingham's path for a driving effort from distance that went narrowly wide.
The context is this: Ancelotti views the business of setting up and scoring from long-distance shots as absolutely vital. Speaking personally, I don't think I've ever reported on a squad that puts so much emphasis on the art.
Madrid's reasons are twofold. Firstly, if your team is having a spell, either during a match or across a few games, struggling to break down banked defences, then shooting from distance introduces an element of threat and inventive chaos from which even deep-block defences can't wholly protect themselves. Moreover, the space needed to see and unleash an excellent shot from outside the box is significantly less than the space and excellence of execution needed to string two, three, or perhaps four, one-touch passes around the box in order to open up a close-range scoring chance.
The second reason, certainly for Ancelotti and Madrid, is that while the calendar is as brutally hard as it's been since early August for the champions of Spain and Europe, training unavoidably becomes a process of keeping the players ticking over with little time to teach, correct or demand almost anything physically.
A few days ago, before the international break, I had the luxury of watching Girona train during one of their three-game weeks and the workout would have been something like 35 minutes. It was short, sharp and low impact, aimed at recuperating players' energy levels and speed-of-reaction -- but it was effective. Two days later, they beat Athletic Club in the 99th minute.
You can't build a winning season wholly on 35- or even 45-minute sessions -- but they are a necessity if you're a Champions League side buckling under the physical and mental pressure of more games than you've ever faced before. Time management, energy management, extracting every single possible benefit you can from every minute -- literally every minute -- of contact with your players is now one of the greatest skills a coach can possess. Hence the reason that Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has an "activation training session" on the morning of every possible matchday. He uses matchday mornings to drum in tactical ideas, focus the mind, get players' muscle memory awake -- all designed to "steal" 35 or 45 minutes back out of an overcrowded working week during which all you want is to see your squad's batteries recharging.
Ancelotti has, for large parts of his career, been the coach with the most demands on his coaching timetable. Whether at Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Bayern Munich or, most notably Real Madrid, time is always tight because demands and workloads are high. Things are tighter than ever right now for Los Blancos: they have a helter-skelter LaLiga timetable due to many days in January being lost to the Spanish Supercup staged in Saudi Arabia, and thanks to the introduction of a minimum of two extra matches in the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage.
Ancelotti has always valued the power of having several members of his team able to consistently hit the target from distance and the more that teams decide to block and thwart Madrid by sitting deep in numbers, the more the Italian has tried to ensure that the "joker" up his sleeve is an ability for Cristiano Ronaldo, Modric, Toni Kroos, Valverde, Vinícius, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, or Bellingham to lash one in from long range.
But there's a nuance to this, too. When Ancelotti's training sessions are short and planned to avoid potential injury-inducing tackles or sprints (on those days which are purely for recuperation, not effort) then shooting drills are a great way to keep his players enjoying their work, competing with one another, improving a skill that will often win matches but avoiding anything approaching high-impact on already over-strained bodies and minds. It's a great workout for the 'keepers, too.
Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) August 17, 2024
INSIDE TRAINING #RMCity | #RMPlay
The players work at a wide range of drills: How to cut the ball back in the right way at the right time to the edge of the box; how to do that lovely, deft layoff (like a setter does for a spike in volleyball); how to be ready to snaffle up close-range rebounds off a keeper's save -- it goes on and on.
I watched one of them this season, and it was a joy to behold. Players look happy in their art, almost reverting to what they'd have been doing as kids, deeply competitive in the me-versus-the-keeper element, but also, given that it's usually set up as a small game -- competitive to try and be the guy who hits the net most often. Endrick and Arda Güler will be the newbies who most often do it and of the many things Madrid will miss in Dani Carvajal's injury absence, on the evidence of the training session I witnessed, his shooting ability will be one.
This specialty practice won't pay off every week, and when Mbappé is firing on all cylinders the tactic might become less necessary as a 'get out of jail' card. But bet your bottom dollar that Ancelotti and Madrid will continue to try to buck the statistical trend of teams shooting and scoring from distance less often.
And bet any loose change you have on them pulling it off in regular, glorious fashion.
Goals are not enough: How data created the modern striker
"We don't see goals like that anymore." That was former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher's reaction having just seen Aston Villa striker Jhon Durán unleash a ferocious strike from 35 yards that slammed into the back of the net, sealing a 3-2 win over Everton last month. It's not entirely true, but almost.
In the 2006-07 Premier League season, 22.3% of non-penalty goals were scored from outside the box. By 2023-24, that had nearly halved to 12.4%. However, that former campaign was the lowest-scoring season in Premier League history (931 goals; 2.45 per game), while last season broke the record for the most goals (1,246; 3.28 per game).
A striker's primary role is to focus their efforts inside the penalty area rather than drift into less threatening areas or attempt long-range, goal-of-the-month contenders. However, this statistic highlights how data-driven insights have altered how teams score goals and how the striker's role has evolved.
Tactical changes driven by data have shaped these shifts. To adapt and thrive, strikers now work closely with analysts and specialist coaches who provide guidance on the optimal number of touches in the box before shooting, the direction of these touches, key production zones, and their opponent's weaknesses.
Strikers were once judged by a single metric: goals. Today, they are assessed on much more, and data has been at the heart of this evolution, transforming the way clubs recruit, train, and create chances for their finishers.
Durán, for example, has caught the eye for Villa this season with his spectacular goals against Everton and Bayern Munich, but it's his hunger for close-quarter battles that have made him a crucial part of Unai Emery's team. He averages 0.98 tackles per 90 minutes, placing him third among Premier League forwards this season. He also wins an average of 1.96 aerial duels per 90 minutes in the attacking third, the fourth-highest in England's top flight. Durán has won 16 aerial duels for Villa this season, the most of any player across all competitions for the club, followed by Amadou Onana with 10. Those contributions, in the right areas of the pitch, keep the pressure on opponents and lead to more chances for the team as a whole.
Using data to optimise goal-scoring opportunities is nothing new. In the early 2000s, Bolton manager Sam Allardyce pioneered data use, playing the percentages to get the best out of target man Kevin Davies. But today, data is pervasive in nearly all areas of football operations, including tactical planning and scouting, all geared towards the game's main objective: scoring goals and winning matches.
Since 2012, clubs and analysts have used expected goals (xG), a transformative metric for measuring the quality of goal-scoring chances. It's no surprise that xG reveals the best areas to score are inside the penalty box, particularly near the six-yard box where tap-ins, one-on-one situations, and cutbacks across goal have the highest values.
Clubs and players aim to weaponise this data to create optimal goal-scoring opportunities for their forwards, which is where experts like Allan Russell come in. England's former attacking coach has turned goal scoring into a science through his training programme "Superior Striker." His bespoke drills replicate game situations based on specific data inputs, such as production zones and the types of chances a striker is likely to receive.
"I break down a player's last 50 chances and build a training programme to improve things like finishing or positioning," Russell explains while using his iPad to navigate an interface reminiscent of the film Minority Report.
"They're all coded in a certain way, and I make handwritten notes. They're split into sections: where the move started, the final phase, the action, the production zone, the outcome and the coaching point. Then I take the data and allocate training as follows: 24% on crosses and cutbacks, 17% on one-on-ones with the goalkeeper, 17% on one-on-ones with a goalkeeper and defender, 20% on reactive finishing, and 22% on combination drills that incorporate all elements."
Russell demonstrates how data interpretation provide game-changing guidance.
"If you take a forward touch in production zone three, around the edge of the box, there's an 80% chance your shot will be blocked in a high-level game," he says. "A forward touch exposes the ball to the defender, whereas a parallel safety touch away from pressure keeps me between the defender and the ball while still allowing me to shoot.
"The data -- and your intuition -- will tell you that in certain situations, specific touches or movements won't realistically lead to more goals. Some people are detailed with their training, but not in the right way."
Players like Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, and Danny Welbeck have drawn on Russell's expertise to maximise their efficiency in front of goal. Another player benefiting from his knowledge is Chicago Fire striker Hugo Cuypers, who joined the MLS team from KAA Gent in February for a club-record $12 million fee. Cuypers says Russell's data application has played a critical role in helping him maximise his chances in key areas of the pitch.
"He divided the penalty area into four zones and told me that the more chances I get in the first production zone, the higher my chances of scoring," he says.
This data has influenced Cuypers' off-the-ball movement and positioning. While defenders focus on the ball, he waits for space to open up and attacks it with intent. Russell's analysis also helps Cuypers determine the number of touches he should take before shooting. This has helped the forward score 10 times for a team struggling at the bottom of MLS' Eastern Conference.
Cuypers adds: "I'm 27 now, and seeing how much progress I still need to make in areas I once thought were strengths -- areas I didn't think needed much attention -- has been eye-opening."
Still, the former Belgium U19 international insists that, while data is important, a striker can't ignore their intuition and experience. Whether it's a sixth sense for where the ball will drop or a one-touch finish, instinct remains the weapon that renders goalkeepers helpless. For Cuypers, data-driven training is about forming habits that enhance a striker's natural abilities.
"It's about finding the fine line between being aware of the data but not overthinking during games," he says. "When the play is developing, it's about positioning yourself in the right spot. You have that split second to anticipate what the defender can't. Every one-touch finish is purely instinctive.
"Where training and guidance come in is learning when and how to take that first or second touch, leading to a two-touch finish or two touches that set up a third-touch finish."
Data has expanded the parameters by which strikers are evaluated, analysing their ability to finish, press, assist and create opportunities. Tactical trends, such as the rise of pressing made famous by coaches like Jürgen Klopp, demand a more versatile forward who contributes both defensively and offensively. This has influenced recruitment strategies.
"Most clubs will have some kind of game model they want to recruit for," says Benjamin Torvaney, lead data scientist for Ludonautics, a sports consultancy that specialises in data analysis. "We're now looking at what strikers contribute as a whole to goal scoring, rather than just their individual metric of scoring a goal."
Ludonautics was founded by Ian Graham, the former director of research at Liverpool. Graham is known for pioneering the data revolution in football, particularly during his time at Anfield where he built the Premier League's first in-house analytics department that played a pivotal role in transforming the club's fortunes.
During his 11-year tenure, Liverpool signed Roberto Firmino in 2015. The Brazil forward made 256 Premier League appearances across eight seasons, scoring 82 goals -- an average of 0.32 goals per game. While this may seem modest, Firmino established himself as one of the league's most effective pressing forwards, leading the charge for Klopp's high-intensity team. In Liverpool's 2018-19 season, when they won the Champions League and finished second in the Premier League with 97 points, Firmino's pressing was integral: He ranked fourth in the Premier League for total pressures (771) and second in the Champions League (239).
The use of data continues to evolve, with AI and virtual reality beginning to impact striker training. Russell is developing an app, due for release in November, that uses 3D and 4D animations and data-based drills that could revolutionise training methods. "It will change the way clubs train their strikers," he says.
Data analysis has already transformed how strikers play and how their effectiveness is measured. Their overall contributions to scoring -- whether through direct assists or regaining possession in the opposition's final third -- are now regarded as equally valuable as goals, as long as the team is winning.
Goal-scoring opportunities are increasingly generated not by individual brilliance but through collective efforts that create openings for higher-quality shots. Data has turned strikers into efficient decision-makers driven by goal-scoring intuition.
Durán's goal against Bayern was a perfect example of what the modern striker has become. It began with Pau Torres delivering a precise pass in behind for the 20-year-old to chase. As the Colombian latched onto the ball 30 yards from goal, he noticed Manuel Neuer off his line and sent a shot arcing over the stranded goalkeeper. The finish appeared instinctive, but the execution was no accident.
Postmatch, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez revealed that Villa had spent the morning studying footage focusing on Neuer's tendency to play high. While Durán's strike may have seemed inspired, it was actually a perfect fusion of human instinct and data-driven analysis, transforming a split-second decision into the kind of finish that once felt born purely of intuition.
Katich to continue in charge of Manchester Originals men's team
The decisions over the two coaches' futures were made by the Originals board, which has been restructured to reflect their closer ties with Lancashire from 2025. The county will become majority shareholders in Originals next season, when they are handed a 51% stake by the ECB, with the other 49% set to be sold to a private investor.
Mark Chilton, Lancashire's director of cricket, has been given responsibility to lead the recruitment process for Parry's successor as women's head coach as a result. James Sheridan, who is on the Lancashire board, has also taken over from the broadcaster Mark Chapman as Originals' chair, though Chapman will remain on the board.
Katich, the former Australia batter, has coached Originals men since the Hundred's inaugural season in 2021, and said he had "unfinished business" after agreeing to return in 2025. "I have absolutely loved my time leading the Manchester Originals over the last three years and I'm already looking forward to next year," Katich said.
Originals were runners-up in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the men's Hundred, losing tight finals against Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles. But they failed to overcome the absence of the injured Jos Buttler this year, finishing seventh after winning only one of their eight matches with Phil Salt deputising as captain.
"We were all disappointed with how this season went, particularly after coming as close as we did in 2022 and 2023," Katich said. "I feel we have unfinished business given the events of the last three editions of the Hundred and all of us at the Originals will ensure that we get back on track next year We are determined to win it for Manchester."
Parry, meanwhile, has been replaced after his side finished sixth in the women's Hundred this season. Originals are the only women's team who have not reached the knockout stages in any of the tournament's first four editions, and are hoping to appoint "a world-leading women's short-format head coach" for 2025 and beyond.
"Stephen leaves us with our thanks and best wishes," Sheridan said. "He joined us with our women's team under-strength and still finding its feet at this level of cricket We are in a much better place following two years with Stephen at the helm."
The recruitment process for Parry's successor, which Chilton will oversee, will start immediately. "Our aim now is to recruit a world-leading women's short-format head coach, and we are very excited where this group of players can take Manchester Originals next year and beyond," Chilton said.
Debutant Wellalage, Asalanka stun West Indies as Sri Lanka draw level
Sri Lanka 162 for 5 (Nissanka 54, Kusal Mendis 26, Shepherd 2-23) beat West Indies 89 (Powell 20, Wellalage 3-9, Asalanka 2-6, Theekshana 2-7) by 73 runs
Sri Lanka's spinners ripped through the West Indies batters on a turning Dambulla surface to level the series at one apiece, as they won the second ODI by 73 runs.
Sri Lanka spinners flex their skills
Hasaranga, Sri Lanka's premier spinner, bowled his first delivery of the game in the 11th over of the chase. And the fact that he picked up a wicket with that delivery was perhaps the least remarkable aspect about it.
What was more astounding was that he was the sixth bowler used by Sri Lanka, and West Indies had still managed to collapse to 39 for 6. But who needs Hasaranga when you have the world-renowned offspin stylings of, um, Charith Asalanka. Yes, with two left-hand batters at the crease, the Sri Lanka captain opted to introduce himself and a right-arm variant of Kamindu Mendis ahead of Hasaranga.
And it worked too. Asalanka's two overs brought two wickets for just six runs - and those weren't even the best figures at that stage of the game. No, that honour belonged to Wellalage - though he is by no means new to the international stage - who had grabbed three for himself.
In the lead-up to the game, Asalanka had stated how he had expected more for the spinners in the first T20I, and his wish was granted and then some in the second. Gudakesh Motie turning the ball square in the first innings would have set off West Indies' alarm bells, but not even that could have prepared them for a 100kph sharp-turning offbreak from Theekshana.
WI need to go back to drawing board
The first T20I had seen the West Indies batters execute their plans to perfection and put Sri Lanka's bowlers to the sword. Stepping out, moving around in the crease, using the depth, everything came off, with the last over-finish in reality nowhere close as it looked.
Sri Lanka, though, took their learnings and came back stronger - mainly in that they were prepared for what this surface was set to offer, replacing pace-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe with Wellalage.
West Indies, however, seemed to have missed the memo, and had only two spinners in their line-up. And those two - Motie and Roston Chase - did their part, going for just 37 off their collective eight overs. It will not be a surprise if Fabian Allen gets a go in the final game.
West Indies' batters then seemed at a loss on how to deal with Sri Lanka's array of spin threats, expertly utilising the conditions along with clever variations in pace, line and length. West Indies will need to come up with plans soon if they are to pose a threat in Thursday's decider.
Nissanka shines in hindsight
On the face of it, Nissanka's innings seemed to be more detrimental than anything else - and by the standards of modern T20 cricket, it was not too difficult to understand why. This was an innings that saw 42 runs come in boundaries (9 fours and a six) but also included 27 dot balls.
In fact, it was a microcosm of Sri Lanka's innings as a whole; they played out 58 dots. It meant that in five of the first ten overs less than five runs were scored, and roughly half of their powerplay total of 52 was plundered in one Shamar Joseph over, where a combination of luck and belligerence saw Nissanka plunder 25 runs.
But if that over was meant to signal the start of Sri Lanka's onslaught, Nissanka and Co seemed to have other ideas. That over ensured that the first three overs, in which Sri Lanka scrounged together eight runs, were quickly in the rearview; by the end of the powerplay Sri Lanka's run rate was at a healthy 8.66 - but that was the highest it would reach at any point across their innings.
The rest of Nissanka's time at the crease was spent punctuating periods of dot deliveries and the odd single with an odd boundary. But the time he spent at the crease ensured he was able to do this consistently - and with it keep Sri Lanka's scoring rate ticking above seven an over.
Anchors are largely considered obsolete in T20s, but on a wicket such as this Nissanka - who was named Player of the Match - proved to be invaluable (even if it did not seem so at the time), as he allowed the likes of Perera to take early risks. And then with wickets in hand for the death overs, the middle and lower order hit out freely. As a result, Sri Lanka struck 85 runs in the last ten overs - just four short of West Indies' final total.
West Indies knock England out, join South Africa in semi-finals
West Indies 144 for 4 (Joseph 52, Matthews 50, Glenn 1-20) beat England141 for 7 (Sciver-Brunt 57*, Fletcher 3-21, Matthews 2-25) by six wickets
West Indies pulled off the biggest heist of this T20 World Cup and qualified for the semi-finals, against all expectation, and knocked one of the favourites, England.
Having last beaten England in 2018, West Indies broke a 13-match losing streak and topped Group B to set up a semi-final against New Zealand in Sharjah. That year was also the last time West Indies played in a semi-final of the T20 World Cup.
This is only the second time England have missed out on the knockouts of a T20 World Cup after being eliminated in the group stage in 2010. After wins in their first three matches, they were confident of making the final four this time. Instead, it is South Africa who join West Indies, with England's net run-rate leaving them third in the group.
West Indies' whirlwind start
West Indies' youngsters Zaida James and Ashmini Munisar spoke to ESPNcricinfo a few days ago about their commitment to building a new legacy for West Indies cricket and almost combined to start that today. James, recovered from a blow to the chin, tossed her second ball up to Maia Bouchier, who tossed it up to Munisar at cover point but she shelled a straightforward chance. Bouchier went on to hit the first boundary of the innings and England were up and away until Matthews brought herself on to bowl. Danni Wyatt-Hodge hit her behind point for four but when she tried that a second time, Dottin lunged forward to take a low catch and West Indies had a breakthrough. In the next over, Alice Capsey was run out for one, chancing Dottin's arm at her peril, and immediately after the powerplay, Bouchier skied Afy Fletcher to Qiana Joseph at extra cover. England were 34 for 3 in the seventh over and stunned.
Knight and Nat: steady then surge
Sciver-Brunt survived an lbw review when she was on 2 when Fletcher pitched it outside leg, and went on to open her boundary count with lap over Shemaime Campbelle and that got England going. Knight bisected the extra cover and mid-off fielder for two overs in succession to take England to fifty and beyond. The pair then brought out the sweeps and England were running away with it at 79 for 3 after 12 overs when injury struck. Knight had treatment during that over but then left the field with a calf concern. At the time, the partnership was worth 46 off 36 balls, which was the only stand of more than 30 in the innings. Sciver-Brunt watched Amy Jones hand Dotting a catch at backward point and Charlie Dean pick out Matthews at mid-off as the 17th over started. She played an almost lone hand in scoring 14 runs off the 18th over and 13 off the 20th to register her 14th T20I half-century and taking England over 140.
Most runs in an over and the highest powerplay score
It took until the final group stage match to see some proper aggression upfront and it came from the team with the reputation to hit big, but not always the results. Matthews, who has registered scores of 10, 8 and 34 in the tournament so far and has not been as much of a presence with the bat, hit Lauren Bell over long leg for six off the second ball. She went on to score fours through fine leg and mid-off and the first over cost Bell - the most expensive of the of the tournament so far. Matthew owned opening over and her and Joseph rode their luck to take charge of the rest of the powerplay but not without some nerves.
Joseph got off the mark with a thick outside edge between backward point and short third that went for four, then hit Sciver-Brunt to deep mid-wicket, where the ball went through Sophia Dunkley's hands for four more. She settled in the next over and hit Charlie Dean for six before taking on England's trump card Sophie Ecclestone for back to back boundaries. West Indies were 67 without loss in the powerplay, the highest of the tournament so far.
England's drops add up
Dunkley's drop was the start of one of England's worst fielding performances recently as they put down five catches. In the fifth over, Joseph was on 31 when she skied Sciver-Brunt into the night sky and though Alice Capsey settled herself underneath it at point, she tried to catch it reverse-cup and dropped it. Then, on 35 in the eighth over, Joseph hit Sarah Glenn to mid-wicket, where Bouchier ran to her left but let it slip through her fingers. The ball followed Bouchier for a little while after that, and she did not collect cleanly at mid-wicket when Campbelle called Dottin through for a run. Bouchier berated herself and England were falling apart. According to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, there have been 75 dropped catches in the group stage of the tournament, and England have been responsible for nine, the third most of any side.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent for South Africa and women's cricket
Mithali Raj: Time for 'saturated' India to move on from Harmanpreet as captain
"If the selectors decide to change, I would go for a young captain," Raj told PTI. "This is the time [to change]; if you delay more then we have another [ODI] World Cup on the horizon [October 2025]. If you are not doing it now, then don't do it later. Then it is too close to the World Cup.
"Despite playing those cameo roles, she never could convert her starts, but [she is] someone who really made an effort to build a momentum if there was no momentum; and if there was momentum, she tried to carry that momentum [forward]."
Raj highlighted India's inability to adapt quickly as the main reason for their poor show. India came into this tournament on the back of two months of camps and match simulation in Bengaluru, unlike Australia or New Zealand, who played each other, or South Africa, who scheduled a late tour to Pakistan.
Looking at the bigger picture, Raj lamented the India team's lack of "growth" over the past three years. She felt India had been "content" beating the lower-ranked teams and were "saturated" when it came to tackling big teams like Australia.
"Why does the men's team do well? Immediately after a big series or a big tournament, they try others. If we are talking about depth, then when are we giving them chances?"
Mithali Raj
"I feel that in the last two-three years, I've not really seen any growth in this team," Raj said. "In the sense, like, I mean, beating the best side is what you always prepare for, but it seems like we are saturated in the sense we are beating other teams, and we are pretty happy in that. Every other team has shown growth despite limited depth, a case in point being South Africa. We have not."
Raj questioned some of the team management's tactics in the lead-up to the World Cup too. Like at the Asia Cup, where India chose to field the regulars and did not give opportunities to fringe players.
"I was doing commentary in the Asia Cup. To be very honest, I didn't know what was happening," she said. "I'm sure they were aware that Asia Cup is the last series of matches that they're going to play before the World Cup. When you know that this is the last game time that you're going to have before you enter the big tournament, you do at least 70% of your planning or 80% of your planning. Like who your No. 5 or No. 6 is, these are people who would walk in a particular situation. But there it seemed they were playing only for that tournament.
"It didn't seem like it was anywhere closer to... what we got to see in the World Cup. We could have given more opportunities to the bench against lower-ranked teams in Asia Cup, but we didn't. Why does the men's team do well? Immediately after a big series or a big tournament, they try others. If we are talking about depth, then when are we giving them chances?"
"In terms of fitness, we need to have a benchmark. Honestly, how much can you work in a month? It's something that you do around the year. It's not like just before the tournament, you have a camp and it's just going to really show the difference on the field."
Buffs expect Heisman contender Hunter to play
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, a Heisman Trophy contender, is expected to play Saturday against Arizona, coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday.
"Travis should play for certain," Sanders said.
Hunter exited Saturday's loss to Kansas State with a right shoulder injury in the second quarter and did not return. He played 23 snaps on offense and 21 on defense in the first half against K-State, recording three catches for 26 yards plus one tackle.
Through six games, Hunter leads Colorado with 49 catches for 587 yards and six touchdowns. He's also the team's best defensive player.
Colorado's second-leading receiver, Jimmy Horn, is also expected to play against Arizona, Sanders said. Horn also exited early against the Wildcats, after catching three passes for 20 yards.
A third receiver who was injured against K-State, Omarion Miller, underwent surgery Monday and is not expected to return this season, Sanders said. Miller, who entered Saturday's game with just two catches, had a career day against the Wildcats with eight receptions for 145 yards.
Owners approve Brady's bid to buy into Raiders
ATLANTA -- Tom Brady's purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders was approved by NFL team owners Tuesday.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion, who played 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, takes approximately 5% control of the Raiders. Brady needed to receive 24 of 32 votes at the league's annual fall meetings in Atlanta.
Former Raiders and Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour's purchase of a minority stake in the Raiders also was approved by owners Tuesday.
"I'm deeply grateful -- humbled and honored -- to become a NFL owner," Seymour posted to X. "This is the mission of a lifetime, and I accept it with both purpose and pride. With great opportunity comes great responsibility. And I pledge to be a worthy steward of our game -- and all it makes possible."
Brady's deal was initially agreed upon in May 2023, but it took owners 17 months to give their approval over concerns he was receiving too much of a discount from Raiders majority owner Mark Davis.
Brady's new job as a broadcaster with Fox also was an issue because it could represent a conflict of interest.
The NFL placed restrictions on Brady before the season to limit his access. He is not permitted to attend production meetings in person or virtually and may not have access to team facilities or players and coaching personnel. Brady may broadcast Raiders games. He also has to abide by the league constitution and bylaws that prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs.
Brady also owns a minority stake in the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, whose majority owner is also Davis.
Brady and Seymour are the third and fourth former NFL players to become owners after George Halas Sr. and Jerry Richardson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rodgers' Jets 'going all in,' trade for WR Adams
Determined to save their season from ruin and preserve their hopes of ending a half-century Super Bowl drought, the New York Jets finalized a blockbuster trade for star wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday.
The Las Vegas Raiders received a 2025 conditional third-round draft pick in the trade. That pick could improve to a second-round selection, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, if Adams is a first- or second-team All-Pro this season or is on the Jets' active roster for the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl.
The trade reunites Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers to recreate one of the most dangerous duos in recent NFL history.
"We're back, man," Adams said while briefly joining Rodgers at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, for the quarterback's weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." "We're back."
"Obviously, I'm really excited," Rodgers said, adding: "It's on us now. We're going all in."
Adams restructured his contract to lower his salary cap number this season to $3.21 million, sources told Schefter. Two voidable years were added to the deal, and the two sides now will discuss his future in New York after this season.
Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was noncommittal on whether Adams will make his Jets debut on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adams sounded optimistic about his chances, saying his injured hamstring is "feeling great." He missed the past three games.
"I hope so, but it's too early to assess right now," Ulbrich said of Adams' chances of playing in Pittsburgh.
A source, however, told Schefter that Adams is expected to make his Jets debut against the Steelers on Sunday night.
The Jets (2-4), losers of three straight, made the agreement before Monday night's 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Adams took a red-eye flight to New Jersey, landing early Tuesday morning. He went to the Jets' facility to take a physical, finalizing the trade.
"[He's] not only an elite player, as we all know, but the relationship with him and Aaron just takes his value to a whole other space for us," Ulbrich said.
In a span of seven days, the Jets fired coach Robert Saleh and made one of the splashiest trades in team history amid owner Woody Johnson's go-for-broke edict for 2024. At the NFL league meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday, Johnson was almost incredulous when asked whether the season is salvageable.
"Salvageable? We're going to kick... you can add the words after that," he told reporters. "We're going to do really well."
Adams, who turns 32 on Dec. 24, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection who achieved his greatest success with Rodgers as his quarterback with the Green Bay Packers. From 2014 to 2021, they combined for 615 completions, 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. They were the NFL's second-most prolific tandem over that span, trailing only Matt Ryan and Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
A Rodgers-Adams reunion seemed inevitable, with Rodgers fanning the flames in July. At a celebrity golf tournament, he said, "I love Davante. I can't wait to play with him ... again." Rodgers lobbied for the trade, but claimed he didn't know it was happening until 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, when he was driving home from MetLife Stadium and got a call from Adams.
Adams' two-plus seasons in Las Vegas will come to a tumultuous end, with Adams falling out of favor with coach Antonio Pierce and eventually requesting a trade. He identified the Jets as his No. 1 choice, and he got his wish.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas showed interest in Adams at the 2023 trading deadline but was rebuffed by the Raiders. He never lost interest, sources said, checking periodically on Adams' potential availability. This time, Douglas moved swiftly to get it done.
Adams joins a crowded receiving corps that includes emerging star Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams and Allen Lazard. They also have Xavier Gipson, who handles punt and kickoff returns, and rookie Malachi Corley. It'll be up to passing game coordinator Todd Downing, put in charge of the offense amid last week's coaching shakeup, to make it work.
"I think we'll figure that out in the next couple of days, how all these pieces fit together," Ulbrich said. "It's an exciting and a good problem to have because we've got a lot of different guys with a lot of different skill sets that can do a lot of different things. Todd and his staff will have some sleepless nights with some good problems."
The Jets believe Adams' presence will create opportunities for Wilson, who has been drawing double coverage. Wilson and Rodgers struggled to connect early in the season, but Wilson is coming off his two most productive games -- combining for 21 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He's the most-targeted player in the league, but some of those targets now figure to go to Adams.
"I think it's really going to help Garrett out," Rodgers said of Adams' presence.
Williams (10 catches for 145 yards) has struggled to produce and could be the odd man out. On Monday night, he ran the wrong route on the Jets' final play, according to Rodgers. In his postgame news conference, Rodgers said Williams should've run a vertical route instead of breaking it off, and the result was an interception. It was the second straight game in which Rodgers' final pass was intercepted -- Williams was targeted on both.
The Jets could look to trade Williams, whom they signed to a one-year, $10 million contract in the offseason.
Adams was initially acquired by the Raiders in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers on March 17, 2022, with the Raiders sending first- and second-round draft picks to the Packers so Adams, who grew up in Palo Alto, California, could not only be closer to home after seven seasons in Green Bay, but also reunite with his college quarterback at Fresno State, Derek Carr. But Carr was benched with two games to go in an eventual 6-11 season and was cut that offseason.
Still, Adams was named first-team All-Pro in 2022, catching 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. A year later, with Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and Aidan O'Connell at quarterback, Adams had 103 catches for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns.
With Gardner Minshew at quarterback this season, Adams had 18 receptions for 209 yards and one touchdown in three games.
The Raiders will carry a dead cap charge of $13.67 million in 2024 and $15.7 million in 2025 after trading Adams, according to Spotrac.com.
ESPN's Paul Gutierrez contributed to this report.
Bills land star WR Cooper in trade with Browns
The Buffalo Bills acquired Amari Cooper in a trade Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns, adding a true No. 1 wide receiver for star quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills received Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick for a 2025 third-round pick and a seventh-round selection in 2026.
Cooper, 30, fills the No. 1 receiver void for the Bills that was opened when Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans before the season.
The Bills completed the deal hours after their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets, made their own blockbuster trade for a wide receiver when they acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.
In recent weeks, the Browns had fielded multiple offers on Cooper, who is in the final season of a five-year deal he originally signed as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The fact that Cleveland converted the majority of Cooper's $20 million base salary into a signing bonus made him more attractive as a trade candidate.
After recording a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023, Cooper has struggled along with a Browns offense that has failed to score 20 points in each of its first six games. Cooper leads Cleveland with 250 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but his 4.7 yards per target ranks second worst in the NFL among qualifying pass catchers. His three drops are also tied for the sixth most in the league.
"We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo as he continues his NFL career."
Adding Cooper gives the Bills significant and needed help at receiver. Without Diggs, the team embraced an "everybody eats" mindset with the goal of getting a variety of players involved in the offense at all times, but too often, especially in the past three games, the receivers struggled to get open downfield.
Bills wide receivers rank 25th or worse in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving first downs.
The Bills released wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Tuesday to open a roster spot for Cooper.
Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has 691 receptions for 9,736 yards and 62 touchdowns in his 10-season career. This is the third time he has been traded in his career. The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys in 2018 and Dallas traded him to the Browns in 2022.
ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.