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Since the exit of Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur have failed to welcome another striker to fill the gaping hole left behind by their all-time top goalscorer.

With time running out in the transfer window, however, the Lilywhites could yet strike a deal to secure themselves a player capable of stepping into the shoes left by Kane.

That player may even prove to be Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku.

What's the latest on Romelu Lukaku to Tottenham Hotspur?

With initial reports stating that Spurs have made first contacts with Lukaku over a potential summer switch, a new update has now revealed that the door will open soon for the Belgian to potentially make the move to North London.

The same report also states that Spurs are not willing to splash the cash on a permanent deal for the forward as of right now, but will seek a loan deal, with an option to buy Lukaku, as per TuttoMercatoWeb, via Sport Witness

The Lilywhites are, instead, reportedly looking to invest in a younger prospect, with Gift Orban linked with a move to the Premier League side this summer, so Lukaku could arrive as the immediate reinforcment on a temporary deal while a youngster like Orban gets settled.

As the transfer window comes to a close, Spurs could be one of the most interesting sides to keep an eye on.

Should Tottenham Hotspur sign Romelu Lukaku?

At his best, Lukaku would be an ideal candidate to replace Kane at Spurs. The issue with that is the fact that the Belgium international hasn't been at his best since winning the Scudetto with Inter Milan in the 2020/21 campaign.

In that title-winning season, Lukaku scored 30 goals in all competitions, earning a move back to Chelsea in the process. Since then, however, he has gone on to struggle at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 15 goals, before a controversial interview led things down a frustrating path.

Last season, Lukaku found himself back at Inter Milan on loan, where he scored 14 goals in 37 appearances. All of this culminated in further controversy this summer, as Lukaku reportedly negotiated with Juventus behind Inter's back.

With neither move coming into fruition, the forward has found himself somewhat stuck at Stamford Bridge, potentially allowing Spurs to come swooping in.

If it is to be a loan deal, then Spurs can consider the transfer relatively risk free, and with an option to buy, if they can get Lukaku back to his best, they'd arguably have themselves one of Europe's best strikers.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

When he did impress at Chelsea, Lukaku received plenty of praise, including from Alan Shearer, who said on BBC's Match of the Day, via The Metro: "It [Lukaku coming on] was the game-changer because Aston Villa had it far too easy and were the better team in that first half. Pulisic played as a false nine, didn’t work for them at all.

"The two centre-halves, Konsa and Mings, had nothing really to think about in that first half, balls were going into the box without any pressure.

"But, half-time, all of a sudden that changes. Konsa and Mings have now got a battle, and they weren’t up to it, they got bullied, the both of them, by Lukaku.

"He did that for the whole second half, all of a sudden they’ve got a threat and something to think about in the box."

تحدث طارق دياب لاعب منتخب تونس الأسبق والمحلل الرياضي الحالي، عن مواجهة الأهلي أمام الترجي التونسي، المقرر لها اليوم السبت ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مشيراً إلى أن الأحمر لديه الأفضلية على كل الفرق الإفريقية.

ويحل الأهلي ضيفًا على الترجي بالملعب الأولمبي حمادي العقربي برادس، ضمن مواجهة الذهاب لبطولة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقال طارق دياب في تصريحات عبر قناة “بي إن سبورتس”: “الأهلي لديه أفضلية على كل الفرق الإفريقية، توج بـ 11 لقباً، وهذا يعني أنه فاز على كل الأندية الكبيرة في القارة، لكن اليوم مباراة مختلفة، الترجي حاضر وجاهز ويعتمد على حارس مرمى قوي ودفاع حصين، ووسط ميدان من الأفضل، والهجوم مازال يتحسن”.

طالع أيضاً.. تشكيل الأهلي أمام الترجي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. من يحرس المرمى؟

وأضاف: “الترجي حاضر وجاهز لمعركة اليوم، صحيح أن الترجي يفتقد عناصر الخبرة لأن تقريبا كل اللاعبين لأول مرة يلعبون نهائي إفريقيا عكس الأهلي ولاعبيه”.

وأردف: “صراحة نخاف من الأهلي، فريق قوي وكبير ويعرف كيف يفوز، صحيح بدايته لم تكن جيدة في دور المجموعات، ولكن تحسن، لم يكن يمتلك رقم 10 الآن لديه إمام عاشور، وكان لديه مشكلة في الهجوم والآن يمتلك وسام أبو علي”.

وأتم: “في بطولة إفريقيا عام 2012 أنا سلمت الكأس لوائل جمعة عندما كنت وزير، وكنت سأهرب بالكأس ونجعل الأهلي بدون كأس، لكننا لابد أن نعطي الأهلي حقه”. تصريحات طارق دياب قبل مواجهة الأهلي والترجي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, but they are now at risk of missing out on him, a report has revealed.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Spurs have looked solid at the back in the Premier League so far this season, keeping clean sheets in their last two games, but they are still scouring the market for reinforcements in defence, having recently opened talks over a move for Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo.

In a recent report, it has been revealed that Eric Dier could be used as a makeweight in negotiations for the 25-year-old, given that he has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, with Fulham keen on signing him.

Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba has also been targeted by the Lilywhites, but the Bundesliga club's asking price of £50m is proving to be prohibitive, and they have now cooled their interest, however, Postecoglou still has some other options in mind.

Lenglet has also been a target for Spurs for much of the summer, with it previously being reported the defender had agreed a move to north London, and there has now been an update on whether he could still join.

Is Clement Lenglet signing for Tottenham?

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are at the front of the queue for the Frenchman, following his loan spell last season, although Daniel Levy and co may have to move quickly if they are to get a deal over the line.

Although he is "looking for a way out" of Barcelona, the 28-year-old is growing frustrated by the lack of movement from his potential suitors, and he is now considering Saudi Arabia as a destination.

Barca are desperate to get rid of the centre-back, but his high wage packet has proven to be prohibitive all summer, as he is currently tied down to a £197k-per-week contract at the Camp Nou.

At the moment, Spurs' interest is "pending", but with Saudi Arabia now becoming a serious option, they will have to make their move sooner rather than later.

Read The Latest Tottenham Transfer News HERE

Tottenham still appear to be unwilling to make a concrete move for the France international, perhaps in light of his huge wage demands, but if they are able to get a deal over the line, there is evidence that he could be a solid back-up option for Postecoglou.

During his time on loan in north London last season, the former Lyon man was lauded as "outstanding" by members of the media, and he has a wealth of experience at the highest level, making 160 appearances for Barca, and 50 in the Champions League.

That said, Lenglet was unable to reach the heights expected of him in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging a SofaScore match rating of just 6.65 in the Premier League, the 20th-highest figure in an underachieving squad.

As such, Spurs may be better off instead pursuing a move for Adarabioyo, given that the 25-year-old performed far better in the Premier League last season, and he could be available in a swap deal, which would allow Postecoglou to get Dier off the wage bill in the process.

With New Zealand having won the first Test by a big margin, and with Tim Southee set to return, West Indies are up against it to level the series

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Dec-2017

Big pictureTwo sessions of fortitude – that was about as much as West Indies could summon at the Basin Reserve. Either side of their third-day resistance, however, the visitors appeared outmatched with bat and ball – New Zealand’s batsmen cruising to big scores, and their bowlers more or less running riot. That West Indies will be without captain Jason Holder – suspended due to an over-rate violation – and that the hosts are likely to have Tim Southee back in their XI would seem to make the disparity between these teams even greater.And yet, there is unpredictability about West Indies that suggests New Zealand will not stroll to victory with quite so much ease, at Seddon Park. In August, having been walloped witless by England at Edgbaston, the likes of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite scripted a wonderful comeback win at Headingley. Last year, having been defeated handsomely by Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, West Indies had also triumphed in Sharjah. This young West Indies side has sometimes been overwhelmed in Tests, but over the last year they have also refused to cede trophies without a fight – winning at least one Test in each of their last four series.Such is New Zealand’s confidence at home, however, and so in form are their batsmen, that they will expect to pile on more big scores at Hamilton. The West Indies attack, intense only in short bursts at the Basin Reserve, has major improvements to make if their team is to square the series.Form guideNew Zealand WDLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LDWLWIn the spotlightHe may have crept up on the competition, but over the past three years Neil Wagner has become one of the best quicks in the world. That he has only 139 wickets to his name is a reflection of the scarcity of Test cricket for New Zealand. The figure that makes for more impressive reading, however, is his average of 23.44 since 2015. Among quicks, only James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada have bettered him in that period. The challenge for Wagner is to sustain his success as more and more teams become wise to his unique mode of operation, and devise batting plans specifically to counter him.A number of batsmen did get the better of Wagner in the second innings at Wellington, however – among them: 20-year-old Shimron Hetmyer. Having been dismissed by Wagner in the first innings, Hetmyer scored 21 runs off 18 Wagner deliveries in the second dig, pulling him disdainfully on two occasions, and cracking him for offside boundaries as well. But Wagner was not the only bowler Hetmyer attacked – Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner also went for runs during what was a sparkling maiden half-century. There is talent here for sure, but New Zealand will be more prepared for him in Hamilton.Team newsWith Southee set to come back in, the seamer most likely to make way seems to be Matt Henry, despite Henry’s second innings three-wicket haul in Wellington. As BJ Watling remains unavailable, Tom Blundell will be the home side’s wicketkeeper-batsman again.New Zealand 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tom Blundell (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBrathwaite is set to lead the visitors in Holders’ stead. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph or uncapped left-arm quick Raymon Reifer may come into the side to replace him.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt) 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmeyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Sunil Ambris, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Raymon Reifer, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Shannon GabrielPitch and conditionsThe match will be played on a surface comprising Patumahoe soil, which means there is likely to be pace, bounce and carry right through the Test. There is some rain forecast for Sunday and Monday, with cloudy patches expected for the remainder of the Test. Of bowlers with more than 50 wickets since 2015, Wagner’s strike rate of 46.2 is third best, after Rabada and Mitchell Starc New Zealand have won three of their last four Tests at Seddon Park – one of those victories having come against West Indies in 2013 Shai Hope needs 42 runs to complete 1000 runs in TestsQuotes”Seventeen is the benchmark that Hogan [Martin Crowe] wanted me to get to and beat. But he said, also, carry on and don’t stop there. Hopefully, in time, Kane will probably end up with about 40.”
“The key for us is the first-innings total. If we could get a good first-innings total, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Dyego Coelho, em sua segunda partida como técnico interino do Corinthians nesta temporada, levou o time a vencer a primeira partida e a vítima foi o Bahia, derrotado por 3 a 2. Um dos grandes destaques dessa vitória foi a presença da dupla Roni e Xavier, jovens da base que estrearam no profissional. E esse mérito o treinador divide com os restante do grupo, com o qual ele diz “jogar junto” e que busca fazer voltar a sorrir enquanto estiver no comando.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Roni comemora estreia com gol no Corinthians: ‘Sonho de criança’Vídeo17/09/2020VídeoVÍDEO: Veja os gols da vitória do Corinthians sobre o BahiaVídeo17/09/2020CorinthiansCássio diz que episódio no aeroporto ficou no passado, mas lamenta: ‘Fiquei muito chateado’Corinthians17/09/2020

Em entrevista coletiva virtual após o duelo desta quarta-feira, na Neo Química Arena, Coelho contou como foi o processo de escalação dos meninos e exaltou a participação dos jogadores que saíram do time como Ramiro e Cantillo, que deram força e respaldo aos jovens e entenderam a situação do comandante.

-A escolha do Xavier e do Roni vem muito com a maturidade que o grupo tem quando acontece uma escolha assim. Eu quero primeiramente agradecer os jogadores, por tudo o que eles estão fazendo, principalmente aqueles que saíram para a entrada dos meninos, o moral que esses caras deram para esses meninos. Não vem só do merecimento deles, mas também da galera que está no dia a dia com eles, o moral, a força, e a confiança que esses caras deram para esses meninos, isso nos ajudou muito, preciso agradecê-los, porque não é uma mudança fácil e eu tive o respaldo de todos, dos mais experientes que saíram, então falei com eles, agradeci, e eles aceitaram muito bem.

Durante as partidas, Coelho se mostra sempre muito agitado na beira do campo, sem parar de falar e de orientar a equipe, e isso não foi diferente diante do Bahia. Perguntado sobre essa postura, o treinador afirmou que “joga junto” com seus jogadores e que busca colocar de volta o sorriso no rosto de seus atletas com a confiança que tem tentado passar a todos no dia a dia do clube.

– Tem que passar confiança para os caras, eu jogo junto, estou junto com eles, e o que eu quero passar para eles é confiança, eu quero que eles voltem a sorrir, voltem a ter alegria, o Corinthians é assim, eles mesmos falaram quando acabou o jogo, mas o importante é que eles conquistaram a vitória para a torcida hoje, que por sinal faz muita falta, eu nunca iria imaginar uma situação sem eles aqui. A gente pretende fazer o máximo para dar alegria para eles.

Apesar do bom resultado e da boa resposta que a equipe deu dentro de campo, Coelho evitou falar se vai ou não manter o time que iniciou a partida contra o Bahia. Para o técnico, agora é hora de curtir a vitória, continuar trabalhando e pensar no próximo adversário, já que o importante é valorizar a capacidade de competir que, segundo ele, havia sido perdida nos últimos jogos.

-A gente tem que continuar trabalhando, pegando o que tem de errado, passar confiança para os nosso jogadores, é isso que eles precisam. Estamos caminhando, estamos numa situação de conseguir competir, trazendo isso de volta, vamos continuar trabalhando, hoje é curtir a vitória, mais uma vez agradecê-los pelo empenho, o que eles fizeram dentro de campo, principalmente na parte final do jogo, a dedicação de todos… É trabalhar, pensar no próximo jogo e aí a gente vê quem continua, se tem troca ou não.

O Corinthians volta a campo na próxima quarta-feira, diante do Sport, fora de casa, pela 12ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Com a vitória, o Alvinegro foi a 12 pontos na tabela e subiu para a 11ª posição, longe do perigo do Z4.

continua após a publicidade

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo convive com um surto de Covid-19 entre jogadores, membros da comissão técnica, dirigentes e até do departamento médico. Mas, quando o cenário ainda não possuía mais de 20 casos positivos, o clube entrou em campo e derrotou o Barcelona-EQU por 2 a 1, pela quarta rodada da Libertadores. E, nesta quinta, DomènecTorrent compartilhouum vídeo em que parte de seu discurso motivacional antes do jogo em Guayaquil foi registrado.

Além de exaltar o elenco, explorou as adversidades encontradas desde o início na estadia no Equador para mexer com os brios dos jogadores no vestiário.

– Temos um elenco maravilhoso, um time maravilhoso no campo. Quanto mais f…, mais fortes, quanto mais f… mais junto, e vamos mostrar a todos que o Flamengo nunca desiste.

RelacionadasFlamengoConfiante em adiamento do jogo, VP do Flamengo esclarece os motivos do pedido: ‘É para a garantia de todos’Flamengo24/09/2020PalmeirasAtletas do Palmeiras rebatem Sindicato: ‘Reiteramos interesse em jogar contra o Flamengo’Palmeiras24/09/2020FlamengoFlamengo convoca e jogadores do Sub-20 retornam ao Rio de JaneiroFlamengo24/09/2020

Cabe destacar que, na última quarta-feira, Dome foi diagnosticado com o novo coronavírus. De quarentena, o catalão passou a dar orientações aos auxiliares Jordi Guerrero e Jordi Gris, que aplicam o treino desta tarde, no Ninho do Urubu, repleto de garotos das categoria de base.

O próximo compromisso do Flamengo é neste domingo, contra o Palmeiras, no Allianz Parque e pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. O Rubro-Negro já pediu o adiamento da partida junto à CBF, alegando possíveis novos riscos de contaminação. Ao todo, são 16 desfalques por conta da Covid-19. A aguardaros próximos capítulos, tendo em vista que o Verdão não deseja que o duelo seja postergado.

Assista ao vídeo completo dos bastidores:

تمكن فريق طرابزون سبور من تحقيق الفوز أمام أنقرة جوجو بنتيجة 4/2، في منافسات الدوري التركي.

وواجه نادي طرابزون سبور نظيره أنقرة جوجو، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثامنة والثلاثين من الدوري التركي على ملعب “بابارا”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. تريزيجيه يرد على أنباء عودته لـ الأهلي.. ويوضح علاقته بـ محمد صلاح

هدف أنقرة جوجو الأول جاء عن طريق أناستاسيوس خاتزيغيوفانيس من علامة الجزاء عند الدقيقة 25 من الشوط الأول.

وبحلول الدقيقة 63 من عمر الشوط الثاني، أحرز إدين فيسكا هدف التعادل لصالح طرابزون سبور، بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من محمود حسن تريزيجيه.

ونجح علي سوي في تسجيل ثاني أهداف أنقرة جوجو بحلول الدقيقة 78، من صناعة نهاد موياكيتش.

وأحرز أنيس ديستان الهدف الثاني لصالح طرابزون سبور بالدقيقة 88، بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من عارف بوشلوك.

ووقع أنيس ديستان على ثاني أهدافه وثالث أهداف طرابزون سبور بالدقيقة 91.

ومن علامة الجزاء، تمكن أنيس ديستان من تسجيل رابع أهداف طرابزون سبور بحلول الدقيقة 97.

وبهذه النتيجة، تجمد رصيد أنقرة جوجو إلى النقطة 40 في المركز السابع عشر بترتيب الدوري التركي، بينما ارتقى رصيد طرابزون سبور عند النقطة 67 في المركز الثالث. اهداف مباراة طرابزون سبور وانقرة جوجو 4 2 الدوري التركي

ملخص لمسات تريزيجيه في مباراة طرابزون سبور وانقرة جوجو بالدوري التركي

Aston Villa will head into the first international break of the season off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool as they failed to pick up any points in the Premier League on Sunday.

How did Aston Villa lose to Liverpool?

The hosts opened the scoring through Hungary international Dominik Szoboszlai as he was afforded too much room on the edge of the box and his left-footed strike floated into the far corner.

It did not take long for the Reds to double their lead as Darwin Nunez’s strike from around 12 yards cannoned back off the post and into the net off the unfortunate Matty Cash, who had little time to get out of the way.

Mohamed Salah then made it 3-0 in the 55th minute as he pounced at the back post from Nunez's flick-on to tap into a virtually empty net, with Villa's defenders completely switching off from the corner.

That said, the backline weren't the only members of the Villa squad to underperform, with Ollie Watkins also out of sorts.

How did Ollie Watkins perform against Liverpool?

Whilst there were a number of less-than-impressive performers for Unai Emery's side on Sunday, Watkins stood out as the true villain for the head coach with his display at the top end of the pitch.

Cash did score an own goal to help put Liverpool on their way to a comfortable win but the Poland international was not without his redeeming qualities.

The former Nottingham Forest man won four of his six ground duels and made two clearances alongside four tackles to win possession back for his team, which shows that he was – at least – strong in his physical battles.

Watkins, meanwhile, was worse than Cash as he struggled with both sides of the game, failing to offer enough in and out of possession throughout his 73 minutes on the pitch.

The England international racked up 0.20 xG during the game and the best opportunity came when Lucas Digne's cross found him in the box but he was only able to scuff his effort wide of the post instead of testing Alisson.

As per Sofascore, the £75k-per-week earner only completed seven passes out of nine attempted and no other starter for Villa – including Diego Carlos who came off injured after 19 minutes – made fewer than ten passes.

This shows that Watkins was unable to get himself into the game and was left isolated at the top end of the pitch. He did not do enough to get involved in the match, leading to his lack of effectiveness in the final third.

Whilst you could point to Liverpool's dominance, with 64% possession, as an explanation for his lack of involvement, the 27-year-old did not help himself with a lack of physicality up against Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as he lost three of his four (75%) duels and was pushed aside far too easily.

Indeed, it's clear to see that Watkins produced a disappointing display with his contributions on and off the ball. He did not offer the strength to hold the ball up to be an out ball to relieve pressure for his side and wasted the one presentable chance that did fall his way to get the team back into the match.

The South Africa fast bowler will be reassessed in four to six weeks’ time

Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2018Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the Test series against India, after seeing a foot and ankle specialist on Sunday, the third day of the first Test. Steyn will be reassessed in four to six weeks’ time. He had sustained significant damage on his left heel in Cape Town.Standing on crutches at the end of the Test, which South Africa won by 72 runs on Monday, Steyn told the host broadcaster that he should be ‘up and running in six weeks’. “I’m on the crutches because I’ve got a no bearing weight on the leg for a while, at least two weeks, which makes it seem worse than it actually is,” he said. “But it’s right underneath the heel, so it’s extremely sore to stand on or step on. And as you know, as fast bowlers we land on that front foot pretty often. So I’m going to have to give it time to recover – six weeks, and I’ll be up and running again.”In his first Test in over a year, Steyn bowled with fire to nip out two wickets and move within two scalps of equalling Shaun Pollock’s South Africa record of 421 Test wickets. “I feel incredibly bad for Dale,” Faf du Plessis, the South Africa captain said. “Having been injured myself, I know it takes a lot of time and effort to try and get back. Dale worked for a year. It was great to see him back and it looked like he didn’t go anywhere. Standing at slip, he looked like he could nick off guys at any time. Luckily, it’s not his shoulder again.”Steyn suffered the injury just before tea on the second day, when he landed awkwardly in the footholds, and then pulled out of the last three balls of his over. He was immediately taken for a scan, which showed that the plantar fascia (the tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes) has separated from the bone. He saw a specialist on Sunday, who confirmed the nature and extent of the injury but was unable to provide any means of speeding up his recovery.”I get quite close to the stumps, but that ball, I came a little bit wider and landed on the side of the foothold,” he said. “And I must have slipped on it a little bit. I walked back, stood there for a little bit, went to the top of my mark and tried to run, and I was like, ‘no, this isn’t happening’. I thought it was a bit of a bruised heel and they said, ‘let’s just go get an MRI to be 100 percent sure’. It showed up a little tear in the muscle underneath the heel.”Steyn is currently in a moon boot and will be reassessed as his recovery progresses. South Africa’s selectors have named Duanne Olivier, who played against Bangladesh, and Lungi Ngidi, who has returned to form after a back injury over the winter, as replacements.Given that Steyn’s injury has occurred just over seven weeks before South Africa host Australia in March, he could be doubtful for the start of that series as well. Steyn would probably need some game time before playing international cricket again. South Africa’s franchise four-day competition resumes in February, which could give Steyn an opportunity to play long-format cricket in a bid to make another Test comeback. South Africa will also be playing ODIs and T20s against India in February, which Steyn may target.”Yeah, that (getting ready for the Australia series) is the plan. Next two weeks, nothing on my feet. Stay off my feet. After that, I’ll start walking around, and in about four weeks, I’ll start running and then look to start practicing again in six weeks. That’s a long time. I spent a whole year out, so when someone says to me six weeks, it doesn’t sound too bad,” he said with a laugh.This is the fourth major injury Steyn has suffered since late 2015. A groin problem sustained in India in November that year kept him out of three of the four Tests on that tour, and when he returned on Boxing Day 2015, he suffered the first of his two shoulder injuries. He was unable to play three of the four home Tests against England, but was fit by the time New Zealand played in South Africa in August 2016. He played both Tests before breaking a bone in his shoulder in Australia in November 2016, and was out of the game for 14 months before making a comeback against India.Steyn has now not completed three of the last five Tests he has played. “If it was my shoulder, which I was struggling with over the last year, that would have been extremely disappointing,” he said. “But this is a cricket injury, it’s like a batter getting hit on the hand and breaking a finger. So I’m okay with that, just got to put it away and get on with the job.”

The pair added 98 for the second wicket to set up India’s total of 166, which they defended with aplomb courtesy three wickets each from Shikha Pandey, Rumeli Dhar and Rajeshwari Gayakwad

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Jemimah Rodrigues sports a smile after the practice match•ESPNcricinfo/Annesha Ghosh

A 98-run stand between half-centurion Mithali Raj and Jemimah Rodrigues, followed by an inspired effort by their bowling and fielding units, helped India complete a 54-run win in the fifth T20I and seal a first-ever away-series double. Having won the ODI series 2-1, India clinched the T20I series 3-1, bowling South Africa out for 112 in 18 overs in Cape Town.Having put India in, Marizanne Kapp removed Smriti Mandhana inside the Powerplay. Mandhana’s opening partner Raj, however, pressed on to her third half-century – a 50-ball 62 studded with short-arm pulls, sweeps and cuts that brought her eight fours and three sixes. Keeping her company for 11.3 overs was the 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, whose promotion to No. 3 – which has otherwise been the slot earmarked for captain Harmanpreet Kaur in this series – paid off.Having been reprieved on 15 by wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee, Rodrigues waltzed to a 34-ball 44. Raj and Rodrigues then fell in successive overs, to Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka respectively. India were 134 for 4, with 3.1 overs left. Harmanpreet partnered Veda Krishnamurthy in a brisk 32-run stand, reeling off 27 off 17 balls courtesy a four and two massive sixes that sailed into the leg-side stands. Krishnamurthy pinched eight off the six balls she faced, before being run-out off the final ball of the innings as India finished on 166 for 4.India’s momentum, gathered through the closing overs of their innings, was kept going by their quick-bowling troika of Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey and Rumeli Dhar, who reduced the hosts to 22 for 3 inside six overs. While Vastrakar opened with a maiden over, Dhar accounted for both openers – Dane van Niekerk her first wicket upon returning to international cricket after a six-year hiatus.Pandey subsequently sent back Sune Luus, followed by the wickets of Mignon du Preez and Nadine de Klerk in the space of three balls in the ninth over. Half the South African line-up had been sniped out for 44. Chloe Tryon tried resuscitating the chase, hitting two sixes, but could not go beyond a 17-ball 25 as she holed out off Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Harmanpreet completed a regulation catch at long-off and blew a kiss as a follow-up act.That three of South Africa’s partnerships ended in the twenties, the highest being a seventh-wicket stand of 29 between Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp, underlined their inability to deal with the lack of pace from the Indian attack, aided by some agile fielding. While Harmanpreet and Mandhana prevented at least three fours by throwing themselves around near the rope, Rodrigues pulled off a stunner at the deep-square leg boundary to send back Kapp for a 21-ball 27. Rodriguez’s two-handed back-arch-and-leap act gave Dhar her third wicket before Gayakwad took out the tail; both finished with identical returns of 3 for 26, though Gayakwad bowled one over less.