India Blue needed just 10.4 overs on the fourth day to wrap up an innings-and-187-run victory against India Red in the Duleep Trophy final in Dindigul.Blue had won the toss at the NPR College ground and piled up 541 in 167.3 overs, riding on Nikhil Gangta’s 130 from No. 7 in a remarkable lower-order revival, after they were reduced to 284 for 6. Swapnil Singh then took 5 for 58 with his left-arm spin to shoot out Red for 182. Blue captain Faiz Fazal enforced the follow on, and Red fared just as poorly in their second innings.Resuming from an overnight 128 for 5, still trailing by 231 runs, Red lost three wickets inside the first four overs on day four, and any hope they might have had of mounting a fightback evaporated. Eventually, they were bowled out for 172 in 38.4 overs, with the spin duo of Saurabh Kumar and Deepak Hooda taking five wickets each.Left-arm spinner Saurabh’s 5 for 51 was his second five-wicket haul in two matches and took his tally to 19 wickets, the highest in the tournament. Hooda took 5 for 56 with his part-time offspin, his best innings figures in first-class cricket.When the match began on Tuesday, Blue had a somewhat wobbly start, losing their top four inside 42 overs to be 107 for 4. The first rebuilding effort was undertaken by Ricky Bhui (60) and Anmolpreet Singh, who added 144 before Anmolpreet fell for 96 just before stumps on the first day.Gangta then shepherded the lower order with all of Swapnil (69), Saurabh (36) and Jaydev Unadkat (24) making useful contributions as Blue put up a formidable total.Red then lost their captain Abhinav Mukund, bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni in the ten overs they had to bat on the second day, and unravelled quickly on the third day. B Sandeep’s 57 at No.3 was the only score above 20 among the top seven, with Kulkarni and Hooda taking two wickets apiece to complement Swapnil’s five.Red fared even worse in their second innings. Abhinav’s 46 was the highest score of the innings, and Ishan Kishan made 30 while Sandeep made 22, but no other batsman made more than 15.In addition to the highest wicket-taker in Saurabh, Blue also had the top run-getter of the tournament in Dhruv Shorey, who made 293 runs in five innings at an average of 58.60. Sanjay Ramaswamy, the Red opener, was second with 267 runs in six innings, while no other batsman totalled more than 200 in conditions where spinners thrived.
Premier League clubs fishing for new talent to add to their squads often look to faraway leagues in Europe to buy from, but looking a little closer to home often pays off with the Championship full of exceptional players worthy of a top-flight challenge if purchased. Everton are a club to have found notable success with such a strategy.
Players such as James Maddison, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ivan Toney all flourished into top players in the Premier League after finding their feet in the second tier of English football – Brentford signing Toney for a cheap initial £5m transfer fee from Peterborough United, a bargain looking back with the 27-year-old now an established goalscorer at top-flight level.
The Toffees have more than utilised this method of signing up-and-coming talents from the Championship effectively, acquiring the likes of Tim Cahill from Millwall and Joleon Lescott from Wolves in the past.
But, the standout name is John Stones, who Everton signed from Barnsley in a transfer around the £3m mark in 2013.
A decade on, Stones is now a key player for both Manchester City and England on the international stage.
Everton will hope that they can get their hands on another gem from the Championship, and in Adam Wharton from Blackburn, they could well replicate the Stones success story with the 19-year-old if he swaps Ewood Park for Goodison Park.
Are Everton interested in Adam Wharton?
Branded as an "outstanding talent" by football journalist Josh Bunting, Everton are very much interested in Wharton's services who continue to excel with Blackburn.
The young midfielder has made 33 appearances for his current employers to date, cementing his spot as a first-teamer this season after breaking through into the starting XI at the end of 2022/23 campaign.
Everton aren't the only interested party, with a whole host of top-flight teams from England sniffing around for Wharton's services – TEAMtalk reporting, via Alan Nixon, that Newcastle United, Manchester United, Brighton and four other Premier League clubs are all actively looking at Wharton for a possible January transfer worth around £10m.
But, Sean Dyche's men could have the upper hand. Nixon is reporting that the Toffees are 'preparing to launch a January bid' which proves Everton's interest is concrete for the young Blackburn star.
How good is Adam Wharton?
Adam Wharton is highly thought of in the Blackburn set-up, the Lancashire-born midfielder featuring in all but two of the Riversiders' games this season – dropping out of the side recently owing to injury.
On his first full game for Rovers, Wharton picked up a Man of the Match accolade – the homegrown talent's presence helping Blackburn get over the line in a narrow 1-0 victory, assisting the only strike of the contest versus the Tangerines.
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton.
His overall Sofascore rating for Blackburn sees him come in at a 7.0, his tenacity on the ball a standout attribute – recovering the ball an average of six times a game this season so far from ten matches played.
Everton could well look to Wharton as a useful buy to give the Toffees more energy and doggedness through the centre of the park, a spot freed up in the midfield too after Jean-Phillipe Gbamin was recently released by the Merseysiders.
The Toffees will further hope that they have unearthed a gem to the same level that they managed to obtain when purchasing Stones in 2013, Wharton drawing parallels by coming through at his hometown club and attracting plenty of interest from a whole host of Premier League suitors.
Arsenal are back in action this evening following the international break, and what better way to return than with a London derby at Stamford Bridge, as the Gunners visit Chelsea in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s side remain unbeaten in the 2023/24 league campaign, sitting in second place narrowly behind Tottenham Hotspur on the mere basis of goals scored, contrasting to Mauricio Pochettino’s start to life in west London.
The Blues currently sit in 11th having won three, drawn two and lost three from their opening eight fixtures, yet they have started to build some momentum of late, making this evening's affair just that bit more feisty.
What is the latest Arsenal team news against Chelsea?
Arsenal signed off before the international break with a statement win against Manchester City, beating Pep Guardiola’s side in the league for the first time since 2015 in a well-fought 1-0 win at the Emirates.
Arteta’s side will be hoping to build further from their stellar victory by beating Chelsea this evening, with the motivation there to replicate the win at Stamford Bridge against the Blues last term.
Arsenal beat City without their star man Bukayo Saka, who was sidelined due to injury, with the manager confirming that he can’t determine the Englishman’s fitness up until a pre-match fitness test.
Another scare has since surfaced with Arteta revealing in his pre-match press conference that William Saliba will also require a late fitness check, as he nurses a toe injury that saw him withdraw from international duty, with Leandro Trossard in a similar situation.
There could be some rotation evident from the squad that beat Manchester City 13 days ago, with positive news being the return of midfield enforcer Thomas Partey.
Should Thomas Partey start against Chelsea?
After missing four Premier League games due to a groin injury, Partey re-joined the squad as a second-half substitute against City, where Jorginho was given the nod ahead of him as he eases back into match fitness.
Lauded as a “difference maker” by journalist Eduardo Hagn, Arteta could finally unleash his best midfield combination against Pochettino's men with Declan Rice, Partey and Martin Odegaard theoretically posing to be the strongest trio in contention at the Emirates.
Former Blues forward Kai Havertz had been deployed in the middle of the park in place of Partey during his absence, however the former Atletico Madrid maestro has a presence that cannot be matched in Arsenal’s current options.
Considering the threat that Enzo Fernandez poses in building play from deep in Chelsea’s midfield, starting Partey from the off could be a decisive factor in Arsenal getting the win at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine averages 10.89 progressive passes per 90 this season in the Premier League, the highest of any midfielder, as per FBref, highlighting the influence he can exert on those ahead of him from the engine room.
On the other hand is Partey, who if paired with Rice, could relieve the pressure of defensive duties on the Englishman, suggested by his average of 2.54 tackles per 90 last term, as well as his ball-carrying ability with 50.67 carries per 90, via FBref.
The combination of the Ghana international and Arsenal’s £105m man could smother any pressure hoping to be stemmed from Fernandez, with a pivot that can both be the anchor and progress effortlessly in transition.
Worcestershire’s batsmen are heading to the 2nd XI for recuperation after a third successive defeat extended a dismal return to Division One
Paul Bolton at New Road30-Apr-2018 ScorecardIt is only seven months these sides were promoted together from Division Two of the County Championship but the gulf in class between them was startling in a one-sided affair that was completed in just five sessions.Worcestershire, who went up as Second Division champions, were routed twice in the equivalent of just two sessions by a high quality attack who made expert use of a slow seaming pitch.Stuart Broad, playing his first match of the season, played his part, surviving a mid-pitch collision with Luke Fletcher along the way, but he was not Worcestershire’s chief tormentor. Instead it was Jake Ball, another member of England’s Ashes attack, who wrecked their second innings by taking his second five wicket haul of the season.Worcestershire have now lost all three matches since they were promoted for the sixth time and with a trip to the Oval this week followed by the visit of reigning champions Essex, things are unlikely to get any easier.Kevin Sharp, who was installed as head coach following the sacking of Steve Rhodes during the winter, had some difficult times during his time as Yorkshire’s batting coach but preventing Worcestershire from being relegated after just a season in the top flight for the fifth time may yet prove to be his biggest challenge.”We know that there are some really top sides in this division. Division One sides are more experienced and they have strength in depth but there lies the challenge. If we didn’t know before we certainly do now about what is expected,” Sharp said.After a lengthy post-match team Sharp announced that five of his punch drunk top six – Travis Head is the exception – will play in a Second XI Trophy match against Warwickshire at New Road on Tuesday in an attempt to find form and confidence..Brett D’Oliveira and George Rhodes have scraped together just 35 runs in 12 innings between them and Worcestershire’s only half centuries have come from Ben Cox and Ed Barnard at seven and eight in the order.”It hurts and it’s not nice. Someone asked me the other day if I was enjoying myself. I said sometimes because it’s not easy to enjoy yourself in such circumstances,” Sharp said.”I have been at this club for four years, I have seen these lads grow up and they are fine players but they have not performed as yet. But I have every confidence and belief they will come through and by September things will have turned round.”Jake Ball showed England form at New Road•Getty Images
Nottinghamshire have yet to play at Trent Bridge this season because of building work but they will return there to face Hampshire on Friday having won twice on the road.”We started this little block of five matches thinking of it like a Test series of five. We are 2-1 up at the minute and everyone is excited at going back to Trent Bridge,” Ball said.Ball already 21 wickets this season and with a new National Selector in Ed Smith, he remains hopeful of reclaiming his England place after he was dropped for the two Tests in New Zealand.”It’s nice to have had this start having had the winter I had. It’s something I wanted to do. Hopefully I can kick on again and see where we go from there,” he said.Ball was given the opportunity to pitch the ball up and attack here thanks to the early aggression of Tom Moores and Broad who accelerated Nottinghamshire towards their declaration. They pulled out after the last wicket pair of Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney had scrambled the 12 runs they needed for a third batting point and then set about Worcestershire’s feeble batting.Daryl Mitchell, who has made only five of his 26 championship centuries in the First Division, was bowled by a full length ball for the second time in the match and only Tom Fell, who batted 28 overs for his 37, threatened to delay Nottinghamshire.Fell looked distraught when he was bowled shouldering arms to Gurney and Worcestershire’s version of Kwik Cricket meant it was all over long before a party of 150 schoolchildren arrived hoping to see some cricket before a presentation evening.
Glasgow Rangers returned to winning ways after the first international break of the season as they beat St. Johnstone 2-0 away from Ibrox on Saturday.
It was a much-needed result for Michael Beale as the pressure was reportedly mounting on the English head coach after two disappointing results prior to this win.
The Light Blues had lost 5-1 to PSV as they failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League and were then beaten 1-0 by Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
This win against St. Johnstone may have bought Beale more time to prove himself in the dugout but the match was not without any frustrations, as striker Danilo suffered a concerning injury blow.
What's the latest on Danilo's injury?
Beale confirmed after the match that the Brazilian centre-forward fractured his cheekbone in the collision that led to the opening goal and that it now remains to be seen how long he will be out of action for.
The summer signing from Feyenoord bravely competed for the ball from James Tavernier's cross and guided a fantastic header into the back of the net to put the Gers 1-0 up.
However, in doing so, the 24-year-old collided with the opposition defender and has now suffered a knock that could see him miss out on the clash with Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday night.
It has not been confirmed that Danilo will not be available for selection at Ibrox this week, but it could be difficult for him to make such a speedy recovery after having surgery.
Therefore, this could open the door for another player to be handed an opportunity to catch the eye in the huge clash with Betis.
Rangers will be hoping to kick off their Europa League campaign with a bang after being knocked out of the Champions League and a night under the lights at Ibrox is the perfect place in which to do it.
Who could replace Danilo?
Beale could ease the blow of potentially losing Danilo for the upcoming clash in Glasgow by unleashing electric forward Rabbi Matondo from the start after another impressive showing against St. Johnstone.
The Wales international was named on the bench on Saturday but made the most of his opportunity off the bench as he scored the second and final goal of the game.
As per Sofascore, the former Schalke prospect won three of his four ground duels, completed 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles, created one chance, and scored a goal in just 17 minutes on the pitch. This shows that he dealt with the physicality of the match and was effective with what he did on the ball.
Matondo brilliantly raced onto a superb through ball from compatriot Tom Lawrence, before opening up his body to slot into the bottom corner of the goal as he showcased his pace to get in behind as well as his composure with the calm finish.
How many goals did Matondo score last season?
The 23-year-old has stepped up his game this term after a difficult first season at Ibrox following his move from German side Schalke in the summer of 2022.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst brought him to the Scottish giants after the attacker had scored nine goals in 23 Pro League starts for Cercle Brugge on loan during the 2021/22 campaign.
The Gers winger, who was once lauded as "electrifying" by former manager Ryan Giggs, failed to score a single goal in 28 appearances in all competitions throughout the 2022/23 season for the Dutch head coach and Beale combined.
Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo.
He averaged a disappointing Sofascore rating of 6.74, which placed him 26th within the squad. Matondo registered four assists in 19 Scottish Premiership outings, whilst the Welsh speedster only produced 0.8 key passes per game for his teammates.
12 players provided more key passes per match than Matondo, a number that suggests the 2022 signing did not offer consistent quality as a scorer or a creator out wide.
You could, therefore, forgive any supporters who came into this campaign with the expectation that the youngster would not play a significant role, if any, on the pitch for the club.
How many goals has Matondo scored this season?
However, the £28k-per-week earner has already found the back of the net twice in seven outings so far this term and finally looks to be finding his feet in Scotland.
Matondo has averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.25, which is the seventh-highest within the squad, and contributed with one goal and one assist in four Premiership matches so far.
The Welsh wizard, who also bagged in the 2-2 first-leg Champions League draw with PSV earlier this season, has showcased his ability to provide a threat within the final third after failing to do so throughout his first year at Ibrox.
Rangers forward Rabbi Matondo.
His recent form, and his cameo against St. Johnstone in particular, certainly suggests that he can ease the blow of Danilo's injury by coming into the starting XI.
The Brazilian attacker has scored twice in five Premiership outings so far, meaning that they have both contributed to the same number of league strikes this season.
This does not mean that Matondo would have to start through the middle of the park as a number nine, however. Indeed, he could come in and play in his natural position out wide, which would then allow Kemar Roofe to lead the line as a centre-forward and Sam Lammers could invert from the right into a number ten role to use his physicality.
His pace on the counter-attack could be particularly useful for the Glaswegians, as both of his goals this season have come from him running onto the end of a through ball after a quick counter.
Therefore, Beale must unleash the former Manchester City starlet on Thursday if Danilo is unavailable for selection.
Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has had an excellent start to the new Premier League season under manager Mauricio Pochettino and it appears to be down to three key reasons.
What's the latest on Raheem Sterling and Chelsea?
Last term, after the Englishman arrived from Manchester City in a reported £50m deal, things did not go too well for the winger. After all, he finished the campaign with just six league goals – his lowest tally in seven years.
Already in the early stages of the current season, however, he has shown significant signs of improvement. For instance, in the 3-1 loss at West Ham, despite the defeat he was lauded for his efforts.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
As per the Evening Standard, he was the best performer for Chelsea, with an 8/10 player rating. In the same report, Nizaar Kinsella journalist added: "An incredible all-action dribbling performance in which he was Chelsea’s main creator and threat. Deserved an assist."
Most recently, he stole the show in the home win against Luton Town, scoring twice as the Blues picked up a first competitive victory under Pochettino. Jamie Carragher on commentary for Sky Sports noted the player's change in form.
He said (via Daily Mail): "Dancing feet from Raheem Sterling. He looked back to his best last week and this is more evidence of that.
"We're now seeing the real Raheem Sterling now in a Chelsea shirt."
Evidently, there has been a big change in the way the 28-year-old has performed of late and in a new report in The Athletic, it's noted that three reasons explain this change in form.
Why is Raheem Sterling now playing so well?
Firstly, his diet. Indeed, the article explains: "Key to his renaissance was a conversation with Chelsea personnel over what was going on. The club recommended a nutritionist to him and they have been working together ever since. A list of foods has been provided that help with muscle recovery and refuelling."
It's further explained that Sterling now records his daily meals and has them analysed by a nutritionist who tells him what to add or reduce from his diet – while a personal chef has also been employed to help cater to his needs at home.
Next, as evidenced by the video shared below, the 28-year-old has worked extremely hard in the off-season to help build up his explosive speed as well as his cardio fitness.
He trained hard over the summer, running up steep hills at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey with the Camberley Judo Club. As you can see in the footage, his ability to outrun other athletes on this uncomfortable terrain has helped him blitz past defenders with ease in the Premier League.
Finally, Pochettino's arrival at Stamford Bridge seems to have significantly helped improve Stelings' confidence. Sterling had never even experienced what it is like when a club sacks a manager in the past. And so it would have been difficult when Chelsea went from Thomas Tuchel to Graham Potter to Frank Lampard all in one season.
The article explains too, that the player's "bond with Pochettino is already a very close one" and that they are "very much on the same page". This is already yielding results on the pitch too.
After all, as per WhoScored, Sterling has the highest match rating from within the whole squad so far with a 7.6 rating. In that time, he's started three games, scored twice and picked up one man-of-the-match award.
Clearly, those three changes are making a world of difference.
Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has been gifted a Rolex watch after making his Al-Ittihad debut but then dropped it moments later.
What team did Fabinho go to?
The Saudi Pro League has taken on the European football world this summer, landing a number of shock signings.
It appears Neymar could be the next big name on the list amid reports that the Paris Saint-Germain star has agreed a two-year deal to join Al Hilal.
Many players are already over in the Middle East, though, and Fabinho is one of many to have made a combative debut over the past few days.
Read the latest Saudi Pro League completed Transfers and Rumours HERE
Indeed, the Brazilian – who joined Al-Ittihad from Liverpool last month for a reported £40m – played in a 3-0 win against Al-Raed.
He was partnered in the middle of the park by ex-Chelsea ace N’Golo Kante, with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge as first-team coach.
With Abderrazak Hamdallah scoring and Igor Coronado netting a brace, Al-Ittihad cruised to a comfortable win and this seemed to delight one fan in particular.
Indeed, as you can see in the footage shared on Twitter below, Fabinho was heading out of the stadium after full-time when he stopped to speak to an individual who presented him with a gift.
It wasn’t just any gift, though, as the 29-year-old was handed a Rolex watch which actually then slipped off his wrist and fell to the ground just moments later.
Thankfully, it appears the expensive present wasn’t damaged.
When did Fabinho go to Liverpool?
Liverpool signed Fabinho back in May 2019 from Monaco for a fee reported to be £39.3m, plus £4.4m in add-ons.
It’s safe to say the Reds got their money out of the midfielder as he departs having played 219 games during that time, while winning essentially everything on offer.
Indeed, he lifted the Champions League, the Premier League, the Club World Cup, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup under Jurgen Klopp.
Of course, Fabinho isn’t the only Liverpool midfielder to say goodbye to the Reds this summer as former club captain Jordan Henderson always swapped Anfield for Saudi Arabia.
The Englishman moved to Al-Ettifaq in a deal worth £12m plus add-ons and made his debut for Steven Gerrard’s side this week as well.
However, reports have noted just how intense the Saudi heat has been with Henderson supposedly left “on his haunches” just 30 minutes into his first appearance.
Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote: “It was surely, by far, the hottest football match Henderson had ever played in, but one recovery sprint, and a not entirely full-throttle one at that, had entirely done him in.”
While, in the same report, Gerrard remarked: “You don’t really appreciate that type of heat until you actually come and work in these conditions.
“The climate has definitely been tough and challenging. So I’m going to have to adapt, and so are some of the signings we’ve made from Europe. We don’t want to leave our energy on the training pitch.
Even so, Henderson and co still managed to come away with three points as Al-Ettifaq beat Sadio Mane’s Al-Nassr 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League fixture.
It will certainly be interesting to see how he gets on when he comes up against Fabinho and Al-Ittihad.
Arsenal could still be in the market for reinforcements this summer, with news in Spain giving an intriguing update on a reported target for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta and Edu have worked hard this transfer window, obtaining the signatures of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and David Raya, in four signings that bolster the spine of the squad.
While the activity has been applauded, there could be room for more additions, especially following the damning injury to Timber in the opening day of the season that is suspected to keep him away from the action for the foreseeable future.
It’s not only the defence that has been struck by injury, with striker Gabriel Jesus also out of contention while he nurses a knee injury, making the remainder of the transfer window an interesting prospect for those at the Emirates.
Who could Arsenal sign this summer?
The Gunners have been linked to an abundance of talent throughout the summer window, as expected following their league title challenging campaign last term.
Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…
One name that has appeared in recent reports is Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati, who could leave his boyhood club this window due to ongoing financial pressures.
As initially reported by Spanish outlet Sport, Arsenal were listed as significant admirers of the 20-year-old, claiming that the north Londoners had made a ‘very tempting offer’ to sign the winger.
This week, an update from Radio Barca was relayed by Twitter figure Eduardo Hagn, stating that people should “not rule out” the Gunners making a move for the Spaniard.
How good is Ansu Fati?
Once lauded as being the “difference-maker” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, there were high hopes for Ansu Fati to succeed Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou, with the Spaniard even adorning the number 10.
After a rapid rise to fame from the infamous La Masia set-up to the first team, the 20-year-old has found himself slipping down the pecking order in Catalonia due to injury and the rise in form of those around him.
While the young star’s potential exit from Barcelona is a painful idea for many, it could be the perfect acquisition for Arteta, who could grasp a player with innate ability and his best years ahead of him.
Described as a talent that would “fit Arsenal stylistically” by journalist Ryan Taylor via GIVEMESPORT, the versatile forward could well be the difference between the Gunners challenging for the top four and competing for the title once again this campaign.
Speaking to Sky Sports, pundit and former Arsenal forward Paul Merson slashed Arteta’s squad’s title hopes should they fail to identify more big names this summer, with him focusing on Eddie Nketiah.
Merson said that despite the 24-year-old being reliable when called upon, he isn’t the forward that could be “firing Arsenal to the title”, adding that if the club fail to perform as they did last term, “they won’t even be in the top four”.
While his statements are damning, the club could prove critics wrong in signing a player as lavish as Ansu Fati, who has proved to be an exciting talent playing among some of the world's best.
Likened statistically to Arsenal’s own Gabriel Martinelli by FBref, the explosive £199k-per-week forward could be that added bit of quality to close the gap between the Gunners and Manchester City.
Last season, the north Londoners' market moves proved pivotal to their success in obtaining the likes of Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, suggesting that on top of the talent already secured this summer, further quality additions could well pave the way to the club’s first Premier League title since 2004.
Tasmania captain George Bailey supercharged his side’s batting to push the Tigers to victory over South Australia at North Sydney Oval.Ben Dunk and Alex Doolan provided a platform for Bailey by negotiating the new ball after the Redbacks’ captain Callum Ferguson sent Tasmania in to bat, before the former Australia ODI captain clattered six sixes in a 62-ball stay that was supported by Matthew Wade – playing his first match for the Tigers since relocating from Victoria during the winter.James Faulkner, the Australia allrounder, also provided some late acceleration to the Tasmania innings with a rapid-fire 34, leaving the left-arm paceman Nick Winter, in particular, with bowling figures he would rather forget.SA’s pursuit looked to be on course to make the match close when Alex Carey and Ferguson were purring through the early overs, but the wicketkeeper’s exit heralded a regular fall of wickets shared amongst Riley Meredith, the legspinner Cameron Boyce and the part-timer Dunk. The win was by a wide enough margin to grant Tasmania a bonus point and lift them off the bottom of the table, ahead of the Cricket Australia XI.
Australia beat South Africa by 59 runs and have set up a knockout clash with India, a team they had already beaten in the group stages of the Women’s World Cup
The Report by Annesha Ghosh15-Jul-2017 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEllyse Perry was at the forefront of another Australian victory•ICC/Getty Images
Prior to Saturday’s match, South Africa had never won against Australia in 13 completed ODIs. The closest they had come was in November 2016, when they managed a tie one of the five games of the series. Another had yielded a loss off the penultimate ball. That South Africa were able to bring some of that grit into their last league fixture this World Cup was largely down to legspinner Sune Luus’ fifth five-wicket haul that restricted Australia to 269, and 18-year old Laura Wolvaardt’s solid 71 that they could not capitalise on. South Africa fell 59 runs short in Taunton, allowing the defending champions to turn their attention to a semi-final clash with India on July 20.Ellyse Perry was chiefly responsible for things turning out the way they did as she combined a 58-ball 59 with figures of 2 for 47. She ran Trisha Chetty out for 37 with a sharp throw from deep midwicket, and then removed Luus and Ayabonga Khaka off successive deliveries in the 39th over to clear Australia’s path to victory.Australia’s spinners – Jess Jonassen, Asheligh Gardner and Kristen Beams – had done most of the damage, returning combined figures of 3 for 99 off 30 overs. While left-armer Jonassen took out opener Lizelle Lee in the sixth over of the chase, before adding van Niekerk to her tally of 2 for 40, Gardner and Kristen Beams ensured pressure was kept up from the other end as well.In the absence of Meg Lanning, sidelined for a second time in the tournament with a shoulder injury, stand-in captain Rachael Haynes compounded South Africa’s dismissing Mignon du Preez with her first ball in over four years. Haynes, who had last brandished her left-arm medium pace in the 2013 World Cup, also against the same opponents, dealt the more telling blow to South Africa’s innings in her next over, toppling Wolvaardt on 71. The teenaged opener backed up two half-centuries and two not-outs from five preceding games with a knock full of substance, but she just couldn’t do it alone.That South Africa were able to bring up 100 in under 22 overs was, in part, due to Australia’s sloppy fielding inside the circle. While Perry let an innocuous Wolvaardt drive, off Schutt, roll for four in the third over, Schutt dropped Chetty on 1 off Perry in the eighth, before Haynes joined in the comedy with a dive right over the ball at mid-off. Wolvaardt’s departure, however, robbed the innings of the fluency and worse, triggered a collapse as South Africa lost five wickets for 17 runs. It was only Shabnim Ismail’s 26 off 41 balls that yanked the total from 165 for 8 to 201.Australia could have enjoyed a larger margin of victory if they had been able to capitalise on a 114-run opening stand. But neither of Beth Mooney nor Nicole Bolton could press on to convert their half-centuries beyond 53 and 79 respectively. And even Perry, who struck a fifth-successive fifty – a record in World Cup cricket – was sent back just as she seemed set to dominate. Considering little was going South Africa’s way initially – by the 21st over, Dane van Niekerk had brought on a seventh bowler – Australia’s batsmen would have wanted to make a stronger statement.There was a mitigating factor though – the legspin of Luus. She got rid of Bolton and Elyse Villani in successive deliveries, and then denied Australia the firepower they needed in the slog overs by dismissing Perry in the 40th. She made sure South Africa were feeling good going into the mid-innings break. They just couldn’t hold on to the feeling long enough.