Category Uncategorized

Son Heung-Min shone in his MLS playoff debut, impressing throughout despite no goal contribution, as LAFC opened their pursuit of the MLS Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Austin FC. An own goal from Brendan Hines-Ike and a strike from Nathan Ordaz sealed it for the Black and Gold, who will aim to close out the best-of-three series next Sunday at Q2 Stadium.

Getty Images SportOrdaz seals it

LAFC took a 1-0 lead into halftime of their MLS playoff clash with Austin FC after a largely cagey opening 45 minutes. Clear chances were scarce, but the hosts looked more dangerous and went ahead in the 20th minute when Brendan Hines-Ike diverted a Ryan Hollingshead cross into his own net. Austin stayed compact defensively and showed little urgency to respond, failing to record a single shot while LAFC tallied six attempts, two on target. It was a physical first half, with 17 fouls between the sides.

Austin eventually found a way back in the 63rd minute when Jon Gallagher struck to make it 1-1, their first real threat of the night against Hugo Lloris’ goal.

But LAFC regained control late on. In the 79th minute, the Son–Denis Bouanga partnership helped create the winner, with Nathan Ordaz getting the final touch after Bouanga’s effort to restore the lead. The 2-1 victory gives the Black and Gold the upper hand heading into next Sunday’s return leg at Q2 Stadium.

Son finished the match with two shots on target, one successful dribble and connected on 86 percent of his passes. 

AdvertisementDid you know

Since the current playoff format began, LAFC is 4-0-0 (4 wins, 0 losses) in Game 1 of Round One series. 

Getty Images SportThe MVP

Nathan Ordaz earned MVP honors after scoring the game-winning goal. The young forward came on in the 74th minute and needed just five minutes to find the back of the net, sealing a crucial victory for the Black and Gold. Son Heung-Min also delivered a standout performance, helping create the 2-1 goal and consistently posing the biggest threat for the home side. LAFC will now head to Q2 Stadium next Sunday looking to close out the series and advance to the next round of the playoffs.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportThe big loser

Austin manager Nico Estévez will leave BMO Stadium as the night’s biggest loser. His cautious setup offered little attacking spark, and while Austin FC nearly dragged the match to penalties, their lack of ambition ultimately cost them. Despite briefly finding life through Jon Gallagher’s equalizer, Austin never looked fully in control.

A more assertive LAFC responded well after conceding, with Nathan Ordaz restoring the lead to seal a deserved 2-1 victory for Steve Cherundolo’s side — one that now puts the Black and Gold firmly in command heading into next Sunday’s return leg at Q2 Stadium.

Warwickshire fight back with the ball but face deep fourth-innings chase

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-May-2025

High-class fast bowling from Kyle Abbott put Hampshire in command against Warwickshire in their Rothesay County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.Abbott took five for 47, his second five-for in successive games, as Warwickshire were bowled out for 194 to sustain a first innings deficit of 106. It was superb, pitched up, swing bowling at the head of a strong collective effort from a seam attack against which only Ed Barnard (58, 55 balls) looked comfortable.Hampshire then leaned hard on Fletcha Middleton’s 76 (124 balls) as they reached 159 for six in their second innings. They lead by 265 overall, a significant advantage on a pitch still assisting the seamers.Warwickshire resumed on the second morning on 27 for two and swiftly lost both overnight batters. Nightwatcher Olly Hannon-Dalby edged Abbott to first slip before John Turner struck a crucial blow when Tom Latham, fresh from 184 on his debut last week, fell for just five when he edged to third slip.On a grey morning, against a swinging ball, batting was tricky. Sam Hain and Beau Webster grafted hard to add 62 in 21 overs, but Hampshire’s seamers sustained the pressure and Abbott removed both just before lunch. Hain’s dogged 23 (77 balls) was ended by a perfect outswinger. A nifty inswinger brought Webster’s fluent 41 (66) to a close when he inside-edged a drive on to his middle stump.Barnard, nudging the England selectors in this match with a half-century to follow his four wickets, defied with discipline but without support. Zen Malik was late on a straight ball from Brad Wheal and Ethan Bamber flicked James Fuller to mid-wicket. Barnard reached an accomplished 43-ball 50 but then nicked Abbott to wicketkeeper Ben Brown who collected again when Che Simmons edged Turner.Hampshire’s second innings began in the game’s first sunshine but the ball continued to move around and while Middleton settled, partners came and went. None of the other top six batters passed 15 as Mark Stoneman edged Hannon-Dalby to first slip, Bamber drew fatal edges from Nick Gubbins and Tom Prest and Webster removed Ben Brown, lbw, and Liam Dawson, caught at second slip, in three balls.At 99 for five, Hampshire were in danger of relinquishing their advantage but Middleton and Toby Albert added 52 in 15 overs to reassert their side’s control. Albert (29 not out, 52 balls) made important runs for the second time in the match while Middleton reached 50 (71 balls) for the first time in ten attempts this season. Though he was bowled by Simmons just before the close, on a pitch which examines the batters’ powers of technique and diligence, his work, like Fuller’s in the first innings, was of immense value.

Vinicius Junior’s time at Real Madrid has been full of highs and lows. Now, former teammate Lucas Vazquez has lifted the lid on what life was like for the Brazilian inside the dressing room during his struggle last season on and off the field, revealing how he "didn’t always listen" to advice from senior players.

• Vazquez recalls how Vinicius struggled with outside noise

  In an interview with , the former Real Madrid defender spoke about his time at the club and revealed that Vinicius, who has often faced heavy media and fan scrutiny, sometimes struggled to block out the outside noise, even as his teammates urged him to stay calm and focus on football. The Brazilian winger, who came close to winning his first Ballon d’Or in 2024, has faced constant criticism from Spanish media and fans for his on and off-field behaviour ever since joining Los Blancos in 2018.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'He didn’t always listen' – Vazquez on Brazilian's struggles

  Vazquez, who left the club this summer after 18 years, spoke about how Vinicius struggled to deal with the hostile treatment he often received from rival fans. "It was tough on away match days because you see your teammate and friend not having a good time,” Vazquez said. "You want him to be at his best, and he can’t be in the spotlight for things that aren’t football-related. We told him not to let it affect him, but he didn’t always listen."

• Vinicius stays under spotlight despite strong start

  After struggling to find his rhythm last season, the Brazilian international looks back to his best. The 25-year-old has kicked off the new campaign in fine form, scoring five goals and providing four assists in eight La Liga games. He is linking well with Kylian Mbappe and has helped Real Madrid win seven of their first eight matches to sit at the top of the table. Still, the noise off the pitch hasn’t gone away. Vinicius recently apologised publicly to Brazilian influencer Virginia Fonseca after it was claimed their brief relationship ended over messages he sent to other women.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  What's next for Vinicius?

  While he continues to play a key role in Xabi Alonso’s team, Vinicius continues to find himself in a contract standoff with the Spanish giants. The club are reportedly unwilling to improve their current offer, despite the winger’s demand for a pay rise. The Brazilian's current deal runs until June 2027, but unless an agreement is reached soon, his future at the Bernabeu could once again become a major talking point as the season unfolds.

Former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney banished an 18-year curse by finishing top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard on Saturday. The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder put an end to stereotypes surrounding footballers and their ability to perform on the dance floor with a fantastic performance which has received widespread praise.

• Carney wows spectators with jive to Blondie's 'One Way or Another'

  Performing to Blondie’s classic hit ‘One Way or Another’, Carney and her professional dancing partner Carlos Gu wowed spectators with a brilliant jive during the first live show of the 2025 edition of the popular dancing programme. So good was Carney’s performance that she earned a score of 31 from the judges, meaning her and Gu topped the table for the evening.

Advertisement

• Ex-Lioness was overjoyed after finishing top during an 'amazing' show

  Speaking after her performance, Carney said live on "Everyone did a great job. Honestly, it’s been an amazing show, hasn’t it?"

• Carney joined by fellow ex-footballer Hasselbaink on the night

  Carney was not the only former footballer who performed brilliantly on the night, with ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink finishing third with his professional partner, Lauren Oakley. Dancing to The Fratellis’ tune Chelsea Dagger, Hasselbaink received a score of 27 from the judges, meaning he finished third.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Carney succeeds where other past footballers have failed

  Carney’s efforts in particular finally put to bed claims footballers could only perform on the pitch and not the dance floor. Several footballers have tried and failed to reach the top of the leaderboard over the years, including her former Lionesses team-mate Alex Scott. Other footballers who have appeared in the Strictly ballroom include ex-goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel, Peter Shilton and David James, as well as John Barnes, Robbie Savage and Tony Adams.

Franco Mastantuono is in absolute awe of fellow Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, who made his second substitute appearance after returning from a two-month post-surgery layoff last week in Los Blancos' comfortable 4-1 win over Levante on Tuesday. Mastantuono claimed that he has never seen a player quite like the Englishman, showing eagerness to spend more time with him on the pitch.

• Bellingham easing his way back for unstoppable Madrid

  Madrid continued their flawless start to the 2025-26 season after conjuring their sixth La Liga win in as many games following a hassle-free 4-1 victory over newly-promoted Levante on Tuesday. Bellingham, who underwent shoulder surgery in July and only became available for selection last week, made his second appearance of the season after coming on as a substitute, replacing Mastantuono.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Mastantuono hails 'unique' Bellingham's leadership

  Speaking to reporters after the game, Mastantuono – who got his first Real Madrid goal since his arrival from River Plate – was lavish in his praise for Bellingham, having already expressed his "love" for the 22-year-old in the past.

  “Incredible player! If we can play with 12, even better! Bellingham is incredible, incredible," said the Argentine. "A player who impressed me, a wonderful person, and a unique footballer. Honestly, I've never seen a player like him: such hierarchy, presence on the pitch. I hope he can play as soon as possible, because he'll help us a lot.”

  Mastantuono continued to express his admiration for Bellingham when asked which player had caught his attention the most. “Bellingham, Bellingham. Because of what I just said: he has a presence and a level of authority I've never seen before. His calmness and determination make him a different kind of player," the teenage sensation added.

• Can Mastantuono and Bellingham start together?

  In his 23-minute cameo on Tuesday, Bellingham showed what Madrid had been missing. He provided calm in the middle third, showed incredible press resistance, and crashed the box in search of a goal, which he nearly did. While the likes of Arda Guler and Mastantuono have stepped up in the English international's absence, one of them will have to make way. 

  Aurelien Tchouameni has been labelled by head coach Xabi Alonso as a "pillar", while Fede Valverde is the Steven Gerrard of his Madrid team, in the coach's words. Ahead of the game against Levante, the former Liverpool, Madrid, and Bayern midfielder revealed that Guler – his personal project in central midfield – and Bellingham can co-exist. “They play in a very similar role, but the good thing is they can also play together," Alonso told reporters on Monday. "Arda can link-up from the back, while Jude operates more upfront.”

  That leaves Mastantuono as the most likely player to make way for Bellingham's eventual return to the lineup. In all fairness, the Argentine international has been highly impressive, even notching up his first goal for Madrid on Tuesday. It would be unfortunate if he were to be dropped to the bench, having made five starts in Madrid's seven games of the season so far.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Who are Real Madrid's next opponents?

  The upcoming fixture is perhaps Alonso's toughest challenge yet, as Los Blancos take on the underperforming cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano on Saturday. This game will prove to be a litmus test for Alonso and his players, as the outcome will determine just how much progress this project has made.

Fast bowler is confident England can turn their fortunes around as the games begin to come thick and fast in the Women’s Ashes

Valkerie Baynes13-Jan-2025England are looking for a Melbourne re-set after dropping the first game of their Ashes battle on Sunday with Australia.Faced with defending a below-par 204 after being bowled out inside 44 overs amid poor shot selection and some smart Australian bowling led by Ashleigh Gardner’s 3 for 19, England fell short by four wickets as Gardner and Alyssa Healy mowed down the bulk of the target with 67 balls to spare.Lauren Bell, the England seamer who was economical in taking 1 for 25 in her nine overs, believed her team deserved “a lot of credit” for making Australia’s run chase a little harder than the hosts would have liked in the first ODI at North Sydney Oval. It might have been even tougher were it not for a couple of dropped catches at crucial moments.Alice Capsey put down Ellyse Perry off the bowling of Lauren Filer and was probably relieved to see Bell dismiss the allrounder a short time later. Sophie Ecclestone’s bizarre fumble, meanwhile, when Gardner was on 31 and Australia needed 22 more runs with six wickets down was impossible to quantify.”We got 200 on a pitch that I think the par score batting first was about 250, so putting in an effort to almost defend that was, I think you can take a lot of confidence from it,” an upbeat Bell said. “There are a few things that we could definitely work on moving forward. Obviously Australia caught very well and we dropped a few in at important moments. Moving forward, there’s a few places we can work on and really focus on the next game, but I think as a whole we can take a fair amount of confidence from the game.”Filer started England’s defense well with the early wicket of Phoebe Litchfield for just 4 and had in-form allrounder Annabel Sutherland caught in the deep to end the match with 2 for 58 from eight overs. Ecclestone accounted for the key wickets of Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath to finish with 2 for 38. But England will need an improved performance all-round if they are to avoid going four points down in the second ODI at Junction Oval on Tuesday.”We’re one game into a pretty long series and we’re two-nil down, but we’re going to have to start the next game and imagine it’s nil-nil and go again,” Bell said. That is the beauty of these series. We can come back and we’re just going to have to reset and go with our plan and just go again.”We’ll sit down as a team and review. Our batting group will get together and it will obviously be different conditions over in Melbourne, so we’ll have to adjust to them. But we’ll get together as a group and work out the little bits we can tidy up and hopefully put on a better performance.”With such a tight turnaround between matches a theme throughout the series which consists of three ODIs followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test match in the space of 22 days, any adjustments will need to be made almost on the fly.”It’s definitely tough,” Bell said. “We’re just going to have to adapt really quickly, communicate with the girls that maybe have played at Junction Oval and try and get as much information as we can about the pitch. Then the opening batters, if we bat first, or the opening bowlers, it’s just really important to communicate what the pitch is doing as soon as we get there.”One lesson Bell can take from Sydney is having the courage to stand by her convictions. Her determination that she had trapped Perry directly in front of the stumps was crucial after England had burned a review earlier.Bell managed to convince captain Heather Knight and wicketkeeper Amy Jones to again call upon the DRS, which confirmed that she had Perry plumb.”I was obviously really happy to get her and I had to stand my ground a little bit and tell Heather and Amy that I thought it was out,” Bell said. “It was two v one. I really, really thought it was out. Heather and Amy weren’t sure and I didn’t want to be the one to lose our last review, but yeah, I’m really glad I stood firm.”A batting performance in which Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge top-scored with 39 and 38 respectively combined with a bowling attack that struggled to combat Healy’s smart innings of 70 from 78 balls and needed more support in the field suggests that if England are to overturn the deficit in this campaign, they will need to stand very firm indeed.

A spectacular day’s play in Bengaluru ended with the visitors 134 runs in the lead

Sidharth Monga17-Oct-20244:49

46 all out: decoding India’s batting collapse

It was well worth the wait for New Zealand. On their seventh day of Test cricket in India this year, New Zealand finally got on the field, on day two in Bengaluru, and lost a good toss. Once they were denied their wish to bat first under overcast skies, on a pitch that was covered all week, New Zealand’s seam bowlers were all over India with deadly accurate bowling, bowling them out for 46, their lowest score at home and third-lowest overall.This was the fourth-lowest first-innings score in Test history after a side had chosen to bat. Riding on Devon Conway’s enterprising 91 in conditions that had quietened down a bit, New Zealand had attained a lead of 134 by stumps. They had seven wickets in hand.There is a good chance both sides misread the conditions. India won the toss, picked three spinners and batted first, trusting the dry nature of the pitch more than the overcast conditions and the wet lead-up to the Test. New Zealand had hedged their bets: even though they wanted to bat first, they played three seamers, including the king of these conditions, Matt Henry, who ended up with a five-for that took him to 100 Test wickets.It was apparent as early as the first two overs that the ball was moving more than either of the sides expected. New Zealand started off with just the two slips but reinforced the cordon. India were now reacting instinctively and not via pre-series mental preparation as they showed in challenging conditions in England in 2021.And the instinct was to counterattack. Jaiswal played the first loose drive to just the 12th ball he faced even while Tim Southee had been challenging him. Rohit Sharma survived an extremely close lbw shout off Henry on umpire’s call but soon tried to charge Southee and loft him back over his head. The wobble-seam ball jagged back in to take the top of leg stump.3:32

Did India err in opting to bat?

With Shubman Gill missing because of a stiff neck, Virat Kohli moved up to No. 3 for the first time since 2016. While it was brave of Kohli to move up, the batter perhaps best suited to seaming conditions is the current No. 6, KL Rahul, who is the only Asian opener with centuries in Australia, England and South Africa.As it turned out, Kohli didn’t get a chance to make a mistake or show application as the ninth ball he faced jagged back in and kicked at him thanks to Will O’Rourke’s height. Glenn Phillips at leg slip took the catch off the glove diving forward, his presence there suggesting a plan.Another batting-order surprise followed as Sarfaraz Khan walked in at No. 4, at least one slot higher than the one he takes in domestic cricket. It took him just three balls to attempt an aerial drive on the up, shanking it for a sensational catch by Conway at mid-off, diving to his right and taking it well behind his body. A just reward for Henry, who drew an average seam movement of 1.3 degrees in the first session.Rain brought a brief halt at 13 for 3 in 12.4 overs without a single boundary. India enjoyed some luck after the break with Tom Blundell dropping a sitter from Rishabh Pant and other loose shots not resulting wickets.Eventually the fourth wicket came not off a testing delivery, but a middled cut shot by Jaiswal, who fell for 13 off 63, out of which he was in control of just 42. The luck had turned, and a flurry of wickets followed either side of lunch. Rahul nicked O’Rourke down the leg side six minutes before lunch, and Ravindra Jadeja followed with an extravagant flick that produced a leading edge to what proved to be the last ball of the session.Henry produced a snorter immediately after lunch, taking the shoulder of R Ashwin’s bat from a good length. Pant survived the hat-trick ball, but two balls later he nicked Henry to second slip. Again Henry was on a good length and managed to draw seam movement. Bowling on a good length was New Zealand’s hallmark: they stayed in the 6-8m about half the time, and while they had incentive to go to 5m, they rarely ever went to 4m from where they could be driven.Matt Henry took five in the innings to complete 100 career wickets•BCCIHenry wasn’t done yet, though. He put in a full-speed sprint to his left from fine leg to give O’Rourke his fourth wicket, Jasprit Bumrah not fancying hanging around after one kicked at him and hit him. Henry had substitute Michael Bracewell to thank for completing his five-for as Bracewell dived to his left at gully to get Kuldeep’s wicket.It was the perfect storm for India. The sun was out as they came out, and while the ball still moved, it wasn’t as threatening as in the morning. India’s innings lasted just 31.2 overs with average seam movement of 0.87 degrees. Their bowlers could extract just about 0.65 degrees in the first 31.2 overs, by which time New Zealand had reached 111 for 1. New Zealand played only 36 false shots in that period; India were bowled out to 75.Conway, especially, drew home the advantage during this period. India’s selection meant they had to go to spin early, and Conway attacked Ashwin before the ball had a chance to start helping the spinners. He drove anything too full from the quicks, and swept, reverse-swept and charged at the spinners. It didn’t help that India missed three chances in the slips: Rahul lost the ball once, and Rohit missed one half chance and one to his right off Jadeja. Pant, too, missed two stumpings. None of the beneficiaries survived till stumps.Rohit made up for it with a gully for Jadeja, which drew a big sweep from Will Young, resulting in a catch at short fine leg. Conway had bossed Ashwin with the new ball, but was bowled nine short of a hundred when trying to welcome him back with a reverse-sweep. The ball was now misbehaving enough for the spinners to provide some justification for India selecting three of them.It also underlined the importance of fourth-innings-proofing the lead for New Zealand. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell took the first steps towards that by surviving the last 10.5 overs of the day.

Derby County are now interested in signing an experienced defender to add to their already busy summer window, according to a recent report.

Derby announce the signing of Owen Beck from Liverpool

On Friday afternoon, the Rams announced that Owen Beck had joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool. The left-back becomes Derby’s first loan signing of the summer and their sixth arrival altogether. This is the 22-year-old’s sixth loan spell away from Anfield, after spells at Famalicao, Bolton Wanderers, Dundee on two separate occasions, Blackburn Rovers and now Derby.

Related Derby County fighting to sign 17-goal striker available for £2.2 million

The Rams are looking to recruit a new frontman…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jul 25, 2025

During his time at Ewood Park, Beck worked with John Eustace, and the defender has admitted it was a “no-brainer” to reunite with the Derby boss once again. Beck also went on to add to Derby’s media team that Eustace “got the best out of him” during his time at Blackburn.

“Obviously, I know the gaffer well from last year. I spoke to him with that experience of working with him before in mind. It moved pretty fast and was a no-brainer for me.

“We built a really good connection. I feel like he got the best out of me. When he called up and we had that conversation again where he was looking to bring me in, it was a no-brainer, really!

“I enjoyed playing under him. As I said, I feel like he got the best out of me. I feel like he can get even more out of me this season, and I can push that step further.”

Derby County interested in 32 y/o defender

As the Rams wrap up a deal for Beck, they have now turned their attention to another defensive signing. According to the MailSport, relayed by Football League World, Derby are keen on signing Jake Bidwell from Coventry City.

Bidwell only signed a new contract with the Sky Blues in January of this year, extending his stay until 2027, but the Championship side are open to offers for either Bidwell or Jay Dasilva this summer, after bringing Miguel Angel Brau to the club as their new left-back.

32-year-old Bidwell has been with Coventry since January 2022, when he joined on a free transfer from the Swans. The left-back, who can also play centre-back and left midfield if needed, has been a consistent performer for the Sky Blues. Last season, he started 23 of the 29 Championship games he played, as he featured heavily under Frank Lampard, but it appears as though now he’s fallen down the pecking order.

Jake Bidwell’s 24/25 Championship stats

Apps

29

Minutes per game

72

Goals

1

Assists

1

Big chances created

5

Key passes per game

0.8

Clean sheets

6

Interceptions per game

0.6

Tackles per game

0.7

His potential arrival at Pride Park would be an interesting one, as the Rams have just brought Beck in, and they already have Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth at their disposal.

However, the Rams may hold an advantage in the race to sign Bidwell, as the Englishman is represented by Wasserman, which is the same agency as Andreas Weimann, meaning the club have a familiar path to negotiations on the personal side of things.

England indebted to rookie as Sri Lanka’s bowlers probe away on rain-truncated day

Andrew Miller22-Aug-2024

England 259 for 6 (Smith 72*) lead Sri Lanka 236 by 23 runsAsitha Fernando produced a compelling display of all-purpose seam and swing bowling, while Prabath Jayasuriya chipped in with two bewilderingly brilliant deliveries in an otherwise steady display of left-arm spin, as Sri Lanka fought gamely to stay in touch on a gloomy second day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford.By the close, England were indebted to their rookie keeper, Jamie Smith, who justified his promotion to No. 6 with a hard-earned 72 not out, his third half-century in five innings since taking over from his Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes at the start of the summer. Harry Brook added another fifty of his own as England recovered from a dicey 125 for 4 to close on 259 for 6, with a slender lead of 23 in the bank.As had been the case throughout the West Indies series earlier in the summer, the impression after two days of action is that England should yet close out this contest with some ease, but the quality and spirit of the visitors’ bowling has forced them to graft with rather more diligence than might have been the case in previous incarnations of the Bazball era. Asitha in particular was superb throughout his 14 overs, spread across three key spells, including an incisive mid-innings bout of reverse-swing that belied the dank conditions.After sweating under the covers for several hour during a rainy morning in Manchester, the Old Trafford pitch was ripe for seam bowling when play finally got underway at 1.15pm, and Asitha was primed to cash in. With his bustling approach and a commitment to a full length, he posed problems from the outset, under still-dense cloud cover and with the floodlights in full beam.His performance went into overdrive from the first ball of his second over, when Dan Lawrence was pinned on the pad and given out lbw by umpire Paul Reiffel. Although that decision was successfully overturned, with the ball shown to be skimming over the bails, the information was stored away and perfectly processed by the bowler.Two balls later, and now with Ben Duckett on strike, Asitha fired the ball in a good two feet fuller, and was this time the successful reviewee, with the ball shown to be both pitching on and hitting leg stump as Duckett was turned inside-out on his attempted flick across the line.And in his very next over, Asitha served up the piece de resistance of his new-ball spell, an exceptional wobble-seam delivery, pitching half a foot fuller than the Lawrence ball, and straightening off the pitch to smash into the top of Ollie Pope’s off stump. England’s captain was gone for 6, and at 40 for 2 in the ninth over, England had a bit of a rebuild to undertake.Root is no stranger to skinny top-order scorelines, of course, and as he bedded in for the long haul, it was Lawrence who initiated England’s counterattack, with a brace of forceful whips through the leg side as Asitha strayed in length. But, having scored just four of his 30 runs through the off side, his vulnerability in the channel was superbly exploited by Vishwa Fernando, who nicked him off after a change of ends, using the breeze from the James Anderson End to push a lifter across his bows from his left-arm angle.Jamie Smith gets on top of a pull•Getty Images

Despite the conditions, Sri Lanka were able to find some appreciable reverse-swing off a typically abrasive Old Trafford pitch, meaning that Root and Brook had to be on their mettle even as their 58-run stand clipped along at more than five an over. Milan Rathnayake, Sri Lanka’s first-day hero, was picked off for three fours in an over as he strained for that swinging full length, but it was Asitha’s return to the attack that would prise the most vital wicket of the day.Root had reached 42 from 56 balls in another understated display of touch and timing when he was undone in expert fashion, climbing into a wider line from Asitha while still playing for the inswing that had been the feature of his over to that point. This ball, however, held its line and skidded straight on, and Dinesh Chandimal scooped up the low edge to leave England wobbling at 125 for 4.Brook, however, kept the foot down in his familiarly forceful manner, driving with heavy timing whenever the ball was over-pitched, and working the gaps well, with Sri Lanka’s field still veering towards the defensive given England’s reputation for boundary-hunting. He duly rattled along to a 59-ball half-century, his 14th in just 25 Test innings, and if it was beginning to feel as though something special would be needed to dislodge him, then Jayasuriya obliged shortly after tea.Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner had been diligent without being threatening for much of his day’s work, when out of the blue, he served up something unplayable: a perfectly pitched ripper that gripped and bounced on middle and leg to clip the top of off. Brook could only blink in astonishment – as, indeed, would Chris Woakes, some 18 overs later, when he fell in near-identical fashion, to almost the only other spinning delivery to deviate from the straight all day.Between those two moments, however, there was Smith, with the third fifty of his fledgling career, and unquestionably the hardest-earned yet. He was forced to graft against the swinging ball early in his innings, although one massive straight six off Jayasuriya signalled his refusal to be cowed, but it was the mid-point of his innings that displayed his savvy – in particular a relative grind through the 40s, after Rathnayake had induced two inside-edges in the space of three deliveries with his probing fourth-stump line outside the rookie’s eyeline.Woakes was the ideal ally for a defensively minded rebuild, as England – a batter light in Ben Stokes’ absence – focused on batting long, rather than rushing into a lead. Sri Lanka’s tactics arguably failed to adapt to the dominance that their bowlers were exerting in this period, although in reducing the pair to a run-rate of less than three an over in their 52-run stand, they succeeded in keeping themselves in the game.And when the light began to fail, only minutes after Woakes’ extraction, there was never any thought of Sri Lanka bowling spin in the gloom for the sake of filling out the overs, as had been England’s approach at the same stage on day one. Dhananjaya de Silva marched his players straight off for the pavilion, with six wickets in the bank, and the prospect of a night’s rest for his quicks before they continue their quest to stay in touch with a quietly engrossing contest.

Birmingham romp home in chase after spinners strangle Derbyshire batting effort

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024

Birmingham Bears picked up a second win in three days to keep their place among the North Group contenders with a seven-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Derbyshire Falcons at the Incora County Ground.On a used pitch that yielded runs only reluctantly, the visitors restricted Derbyshire to 133 for 7, left-arm spinner Danny Briggs taking 2 for 23 with David Lloyd scoring 50 and Brooke Guest an unbeaten 38. Richard Gleeson took two wickets in the powerplay but it was the Bears spinners largely responsible for tying down Falcons.Derbyshire’s spinners threatened to do a similar job but Dan Mousley and Sam Hain (43) showed considerable patience and eventually reaped the rewards, their 93-run partnership across 13.3 overs effectively winning the match, Mousley closing it out with his seventh four with seven balls to spare.Having opted to bat first, Derbyshire suffered a setback when the in-form Aneurin Donald fell for just 2 but seemed to be heading for a satisfactory start until Gleeson removed Cam Fletcher and Wayne Madsen in the space of three balls in the last over of the powerplay to give Bears an early advantage.A boundary apiece from Guest and Lloyd off Jake Lintott’s opening over hinted at acceleration but Falcons’ progress was unspectacular at 65 for 3 from 10. Lloyd drove a soaring straight six off Lintott and repeated the blow against Briggs to complete a 36-ball half-century but was then caught aiming to clear the midwicket boundary.Samit Patel perished cheaply, pouched at backward point when he skied one from Briggs as the competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker on 229 dismissed his closest rival. At 103 for 5 from 16, Derbyshire had been properly strangled by Bears’ spinners. Mousley’s offspin was wicketless but conceded only 16 in his allocation.Ross Whiteley lifted Chris Woakes into the car park on the leg side but once the ball had been found Woakes promptly bowled him with a full delivery off an inside edge. The over cost 13 runs but was one of only three across the innings to yield a tally in double figures and, after Zak Chappell was run out in the last over, 133 looked too little.Daryn Dupavillon, the South African quick, angled one in to bowl Rob Yates with his fourth delivery. Mousley picked up three quick boundaries but Alex Davies, having uppercut Dupavillon for four and lifted Pat Brown for an audacious six on the leg side was caught at midwicket as Brown exacted instant revenge. Mousley slog-swept Madsen for six and the Bears were 50 for 2 from six.Patel and fellow spinner Mitch Wagstaff applied the brakes, conceding just 29 in six overs bowling in tandem, but with 55 needed after 12 overs, and eight wickets in hand, the Bears were still favourites, more so after Mousley and Hain plundered 21 from the next two before Mousley swept Patel to go to fifty from 42 balls.The requirement was down to six from 17 balls by the time Brown bowled Hain after a 42-ball innings containing only one boundary. Mousley cut Chappell for his seventh four to complete the win.