After two ducks in the previous two matches, Suzie Bates turned her form around to help New Zealand post the fourth-highest total in Women’s T20 World Cups, and keep their hopes of making the semi-final alive.Bates scored an unbeaten 81 off 61 balls to help New Zealand to 189 for 3 before a strong bowling performance restricted Bangladesh to 118 for 8. In the process, she also became the first player to reach 1000 runs in T20 World Cups.Bates aside, Maddy Green’s 44 not out off 20 balls also propelled New Zealand, who scored 60 in their last five overs.

Bezuidenhout and Bates give New Zealand brisk start

New Zealand were bowled out for 76 and 67 against Australia and South Africa respectively, and Bates had registered first-ball and second-ball blobs in those contests. On Friday, she began watchfully against Bangladesh, with fellow opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout hogging most of the strike in the first three overs.Bezuidenhout, who herself was out on zero in the previous game, hit the first ball of the innings for four before picking up another boundary in the third over. It took a pristinely timed whip through midwicket for Bates to open her boundary count. But it was Bezuidenhout who did the bulk of the scoring as New Zealand finished the powerplay 49 for no loss. More importantly, the pair faced only eight dots in the phase.Bezuidenhout looked primed to score her maiden T20I half-century before she charged down and was stumped off Shorna Akter, bringing an end to the 77-run stand in which she had contributed 44 off 26 balls.

Bates and Green lead final assault

Bates and Amelia Kerr took New Zealand past 100 before legspinner Fahima Khatun dealt a double blow. First, she had Kerr offering a return catch off a full toss and then, on the next delivery, bowled Sophie Devine with a slider.Maddy Green hit some crisp strokes during her unbeaten 44•ICC/Getty Images

But a steady Bates was then joined by a belligerent Green, who found the middle of the bat from the get-go. She used her feet to hit Fahima back over her head before using the depth of the crease and the bowler’s pace to thump seamer Marufa Akter for three fours in an over. She also showed her wares against spin, first reverse-sweeping Salma through short third and then hitting left-arm spinner Nahida Akter down the ground.Bates, meanwhile, passed her seventh fifty-plus score in T20 World Cups and pounced on anything remotely short. She pulled Fahima through midwicket before repeating the drill against Nahida. She also used the reverse sweep to good effect. She was dropped at deep midwicket in the 18th over by Marufa, who parried it for six that brought up Bates’ 1000th run.Bates and Green added 82 in seven overs in an unbroken stand for the fourth wicket, leaving Bangladesh with a mountain to chase.

Shorna sparkles but New Zealand clinical

Shamima Sultana hit Lea Tahuhu for a four and a six in the opening over of the chase to get Bangladesh off to a positive start. But Hannah Rowe trapped her lbw for 14 and then yorked No. 3 Sobhana Mostary for 4, while conceding only three runs from her first two overs.Kerr bowled Nigar Sultana with a googly in the tenth over, but Murshida Khatun and Shorna, who was part of the Under-19 T20 World Cup as well, added 46 for the fourth wicket.Shorna hit Kerr for a couple of fours through the leg side before smashing Rowe for successive fours in the 13th over. Murshida too picked up a couple of boundaries before offspinner Eden Carson had her slicing one to backward point.Once that stand was broken, Bangladesh could manage only 18 in the remaining 32 balls.

Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has broken his silence amid speculation he could leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer transfer window.

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• Rodrygo hasn't featured since Copa del Rey final
• Claims made he has refused to play
• Brazilian attempts to set record straight

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rodrygo has been in the headlines recently amid speculation he has refused to play for the club and has fallen out with team-mates Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian star missed Sunday's Clasico defeat to Barcelona and was spotted leaving training early on Tuesday ahead of Madrid's crucial La Liga clash with Real Mallorca.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The situation has fuelled speculation that Rodrygo could seek to leave Real Madrid in the summer and follow departing boss Carlo Ancelotti out of the club. The 24-year-old has now broken his silence with a post on social media where he has hit back at the current rumours about his situation.

• WHAT RODRYGO SAID

  He posted on X: "Thanks for all the messages and concerns. I'll be back soon. Stop making things up."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RODRYGO

  It still remains to be seen when Rodrygo will return to action for Real Madrid. He's not in the squad for Wednesday's clash against Mallorca, a match Los Blancos must win if they are to keep alive their very faint hopes of retaining the league title.

If his recovery goes to plan, Bumrah should start bowling in August and be ready in time for the ODI World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Mar-2023

Jasprit Bumrah has undergone back surgery as he races against time to be fit for the ODI World Cup, to be played at home in India in October-November this year. The surgery was conducted in New Zealand on Monday.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Bumrah is expected to stay in New Zealand till the end of March. The roadmap for his return, as prepared by the BCCI’s medical staff, is for him to resume training and bowling by August, and his workload will increase gradually after that, with the plan to get him completely fit for the World Cup.Bumrah has not featured in any cricket since late September last year, when he pulled out of the home white-ball series against South Africa – the reason, reportedly, was a stress reaction in his lower back. He attempted a comeback in January this year for the home series against Sri Lanka, but that didn’t happen after he experienced niggles in the back.Related

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Rohit wary about rushing Bumrah back

The latest update ruled him out of the 2023 edition of the IPL and the World Test Championship final at The Oval from June 7 (if India qualify).It is understood that the BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru had been treating Bumrah’s case on an urgent basis, and suggested the surgery as an option. The decision to get the surgery done was taken by the BCCI in coordination with the NCA and Bumrah.It has been a frustrating wait for Bumrah, who has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering the back injury last August, which ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury had not seemed too serious as Bumrah was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad on September 12. To mark his fitness, Bumrah even played in the last two T20Is of the Australia series on September 23 and 25.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

However, three days later, Bumrah did not show up for the first T20I against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram. It was later learnt that he had been taken for scans, which revealed a stress-related injury. The next day, Bumrah was taken to the NCA where further scans confirmed that the injury was serious, and he was subsequently ruled out of the T20 World Cup.Bumrah resumed his rehab in November and started to bowl by mid-December. His progress seemed positive when the selectors belatedly added him for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka more than a week after the Indian squad was originally named.While Bumrah had performed the match-simulation exercises at NCA, he felt discomfort while performing higher workloads during a fitness drill in Mumbai in early January. Scans revealed a fresh problem, which eventually ruled him out of the Australia Tests.The Indian team management as well as the NCA want Bumrah to return only when he is absolutely fit to perform at his peak, with captain Rohit Sharma also warning India against rushing him back into action.

Rony Talukdar, Litton Das and excellent death bowling form Taskin Ahmed helped Bangladesh beat Ireland and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series in Chattogram. The home side won the rain-interrupted game by 22 runs.Talukdar made a rapid 67, adding 91 runs for the opening stand with Litton, who struck 47. The Ireland bowlers struggled to stop the boundary flow on a flat pitch.The play was, however, stopped between 3:37 pm and 5:40 pm local time due to the drizzle. It left the visitors with a revised target of 104 runs to chase in eight overs. They made a fist of it at the start, but Taskin, Hasan Mahmud and Shakib Al Hasan made sure Bangladesh did not let this game slip away from them.Taskin’s triple blowChasing at 13 runs an over, stand-in captain Paul Stirling and Ross Adair got Ireland off to a quick start. They scored 32 runs off the first two overs bowled by Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman. But Bangladesh worked back into the game quickly.Mahmud shot back with three dot balls before yorking Adair for 13. Taskin then doubled down on Bangladesh’s momentum with three wickets in his first over. He cleaned up Lorcan Tucker off the first ball before bowling out Stirling for 17 in the fourth ball. George Dockrell was then caught at third-man for a duck the next ball.Shakib pull things back for BangladeshIreland fought back with 16 runs off Hasan Mahmud in the fifth over. Harry Tector struck three fours in the over, top-edging one delivery and hitting the other two for four cleanly. Shakib followed it up with a superb sixth over, giving away just five runs to bring Bangladesh back into the game.Mustafizur Rahman then bowled a seven-run penultimate over, mixing his cutters with full-length balls that Tector and Gareth Delany couldn’t quite hit. The equation came down to 31 off the last over. Taskin dismissed Tector in the first delivery to complete his four-wicket haul and conceded just nine runs off the final over.Rony Talukdar reached fifty off only 24 balls•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s rapid startLitton signalled his intent in the first over, hitting Tector for a six over long-on in an 11-run over. Talukdar hit Adair for his first six in the 14-run second over, before Graham Hume pulled things back slightly in the third over. Craig Young went for 16 runs in his first over since returning to international cricket after last year’s groin injury. Litton hammered him for a six over midwicket, before picking him over wide long-off for a four.Legspinner Delany conceded just one six in the fifth over, before Adair got hit for 20 runs in the sixth over. After Litton nearly got caught at cover, Talukdar smashed Adair for a six over long-off and three more fours.The big over took Bangladesh to 81 for no loss, their highest score in a powerplay in T20Is. It beat their previous best of 76-4 against New Zealand in Dhaka in 2013. Young removed Litton in the eighth over, when he was caught at mid-off after mistiming a drive, having made 47 off 23 balls with seven boundaries including three sixes. The 91-run partnership is now Bangladesh’s highest first wicket stand.Talukdar hits maiden T20I fiftyLitton’s departure, however, didn’t help Ireland stem the flow of runs for Bangladesh. Talukdar reached his maiden T20I fifty in the ninth over. He took 24 balls with a nicely-timed four through cover-point. Najmul Hossain Shanto struck a six in his 13-ball 14 before Tector had him stumped in the 11th over. Shamim Hossain, promoted to No. 4, smashed Ben White for one of two sixes in the 12th over, which went for 18.Talukdar struck the other six, a massive hit over midwicket. He fell shortly afterwards missing a slog against Hume, having struck three sixes and seven fours in his 38-ball stay. Shamim was caught in the covers for a 20-ball 30 before Tohwid Hridoy was the fifth man out in the penultimate over.The win was largely set up by Bangladesh’s batters, who put up their third-highest total in T20Is.

Sussex have signed New Zealand fast bowler Henry Shipley to bolster their attack for the next block of County Championship games.Currently second in Division Two, Sussex have drawn five of their six matches – which included seeing Glamorgan rack up a record second-innings score of 737 at Hove last month – and Paul Farbrace, the head coach, had spoken of adding firepower for the club’s four fixtures in June and July.With Steven Smith having finished a three-game spell and Cheteshwar Pujara on duty with India for the World Test Championship final and a tour of the Caribbean, Sussex had an overseas spot to fill, enabling Shipley to gain his first taste of county cricket.”Henry is an exciting addition to our squad for the next four County Championship matches,” Farbrace said. “We are really looking forward to Henry adding his high level of skill to our bowling attack and helping us to take 20 wickets.”I’d also like to thank New Zealand Cricket who have been fantastic in their help and support to make this happen.”Shipley, 27, who has been capped in eight ODIs and five T20Is, will be available for Sussex’s home game against Worcestershire staring on Sunday, as well as fixtures against Glamorgan, Derbyshire and Yorkshire.A right-arm seamer who stands 1.96m tall, Shipley averages 27.59 with the ball and is also a useful batter, with six half-centuries to his name.Shipley said: “I am really glad to have signed on with Sussex, the team has been playing really well so far in the Championship and I am looking forward to getting there and contributing for the team.”

Zampa, who was Stars’ stand-in captain last season, requested a trade to Renegades back in February

Alex Malcolm08-Jul-2023

Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades have completed the long-touted BBL trade that will see Australia legspinner Adam Zampa and Victoria wicketkeeper Sam Harper swap clubs for the upcoming season.News had broken back in February that Zampa had requested a trade from Stars to cross-town rivals Renegades, despite being the stand-in captain at Stars last season in the absence of injured skipper Glenn Maxwell.Renegades were prepared to trade Harper, who has been their wicketkeeper since their title-winning season in 2018-19. He had been an inconsistent contributor with the bat having been shuffled around various positions in Renegades’ top-order but he was coming off one his better BBL seasons last year making three half-centuries in 12 innings, striking at 141.17.Related

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Melbourne Stars' Zampa requests trade to crosstown rivals Renegades

The trade couldn’t be completed until after the BBL’s contract embargo ended in June. Zampa’s move is even more interesting given the furore created by his failed attempted non-striker run out of Renegades quick Tom Rogers during last season’s Melbourne derby.”Making a cross-town move is always going to raise some interest, it was a difficult decision, but I felt like it was the right time of my career to make a move,” Zampa said. “One of the things that really attracted me to the Renegades was the fact that two of my best friends play for them in Kane Richardson and Nic Maddinson, it’s not often that you get to my age and you get that opportunity to play with your two best mates.”The Renegades were a pretty natural fit for me, as well as having close friends in the squad and I really enjoy my time in Melbourne over summer and love playing at Marvel Stadium.”The way that they’ve been building up the list has been pretty exciting, there’s a really good blend of experience with some talented young players – hopefully I can play a part in their growth too.\Seb Gotch looks on as Sam Harper cracks a pull•Getty Images

“I’m sure the move will add a little bit more spice to the Melbourne Derby, we had two pretty good games last year and I’m sure it’ll be the same again with a bit of player movement.”Stars were pleased to gain Harper despite losing one of the world’s best T20 legspinners, having struggled to find a local wicketkeeper-batter since Seb Gotch suffered a career-ending finger injury.”We’re thrilled to be able to secure the services of Sam, who is an outstanding person and we’re looking forward to seeing him behind the stumps in BBL13,” general manager Blair Crouch said.”Last year Sam also showed he is more than capable with the bat and was the Renegades second highest run scorer behind Aaron Finch.”This trade has allowed the club to sign a number of quality players, as we saw with Scott Boland last week and we’re looking forward to announcing more of those signings in the coming weeks.”

Avesh Khan struck before stumps on Sunday with Vidarbha still trailing by 69

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2024Wicketkeeper and opening batter Himanshu Mantri struck a patient 126 to help Madhya Pradesh take a crucial 82-run lead on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Vidarbha. He scored exactly half of MP’s total of 252 in response to Vidarbha’s 170 all-out.Vidarbha ended the day on 13 for 1, still trailing by 69, having lost Atharva Taide to Avesh Khan, who picked up a four-for in the first innings.Mantri held one end up firmly even as MP lost 3 for 12 in a middle-order collapse. MP had started day two at 47 for 1, with Mantri and Harsh Gawli as the overnight batters. But Yash Thakur broke the 61-run stand with the score on 81, trapping Gawli lbw for 25 in the 36th over. By the time the 42nd over ended, Umesh Yadav had dismissed captain Shubham Sharma for 1, while Thakur also got Venkatesh Iyer without scoring.Mantri, who got a life when Karun Nair dropped him at slip on 38, calmly got to his half-century off 123 balls before Iyer fell. Alongside Sagar Solanki, he took time to rebuild from 93 for 4. They added 52 together for the fifth wicket before Thakur ran Solanki out for 26 in the 59th over.It was time for a restart again, as Mantri now had Saransh Jain for company. In a rare show of aggression, Mantri smashed offspinner Akshay Wakhare for four and six off successive balls in the 62nd over, even as Jain got off the mark with a six. Jain had taken 15 deliveries to score his first run, but ticked along after that.Mantri then got to his sixth first-class century in the 71st over, as both batters were content in gradually heading ticking past Vidarbha’s first-innings total of 170. But MP lost a cluster of wickets in quick time again, losing their last five for just 38 from 218 or 5. The slide started when Wakhare removed Jain for 30 – the next best score after Mantri’s century – before also getting rid of Mantri to break his resistance.Aditya Sarwate, Thakur and Yadav then got a wicket each to wrap MP’s tail up.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta dropped a hint on the club's pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres as the Premier League giants reached Singapore ahead of their pre-season preparations. The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Swedish striker since the start of the summer transfer window but they are yet to agree on a deal with Sporting CP on the transfer fee.

• Arteta hints on Gyokeres transfer pursuit
• Man Utd could hijack the deal
• Arsenal set to face AC Milan on Wednesday

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arteta refused to provide much information on the club's pursuit of Gyokeres amid rumours that Manchester United could hijack the move at the last moment after agreeing to match Sporting CP's €70 million (£60.6m/$81.4m) demands up front. He did, though, tellingly say the attacker was not part of the squad "yet".

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• WHAT ARTETA SAID ABOUT GYOKERES

  When asked about Gyokeres' arrival, the Spanish coach said: "I cannot comment on any player who is not part of our group yet. When we have something concrete to offer in any case to any player, we will do that."

  Arteta also revealed that the Gunners are still active in the transfer market as he added: "There’s still a long time in the window, and we are still seeking. In terms of numbers, we are short and we have to improve the depth and quality of the squad. We are constantly looking in the market. Until that happens, focus on the players we have and focus on them and I’m very pleased with what I have seen in the last 10-15 days."

• WATCH THE CLIP

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  The English side will play their first pre-season friendly of their Asia tour on Wednesday as they take on Serie A giants AC Milan. After that they have games against domestic rivals Newcastle and Tottenham.

Dele Alli has, after just one forgettable appearance for Como, reportedly been offered to Brazilian side Gremio.

Moved to Serie A as a free agentSent off on only Como appearanceBrazilian clubs cannot afford wagesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The ex-Tottenham and Everton midfielder stepped outside of his comfort zone when agreeing a move to Italy late in 2024. As a free agent, the plan was to get his career back on track in Serie A.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas took a calculated gamble on Dele in his role as Como head coach. He saw enough to suggest that the 29-year-old could rediscover a lost spark.

DID YOU KNOW?

That has not been the case as yet, with Dele’s solitary outing for Como seeing him last less than 10 minutes before collecting a red card against AC Milan – having stepped off the bench in that contest.

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Dele has been working hard in pre-season, but claims that the ex-England international has been offered to teams in South America. His wages are considered to be an issue for clubs in that part of the world.

“I said to the boys after [defeat in the first Test] I think we were good for about 65% of the game”

Firdose Moonda12-Feb-2024With the knowledge that they could become the first South African team to lose a Test series to New Zealand, Neil Brand’s men are “desperate to put in a good performance,” in the Hamilton Test, and believe they are better than what their 281-run defeat in Mount Maunganui suggests.”I don’t think we are miles off. I said to the boys afterwards I think we were good for about 65% of the game,” Brand, South Africa’s stand-in captain said. “Obviously we have to learn pretty quickly at this level and it’s something we are desperate to do and to put it right.”Brand identified South Africa’s batting as the biggest concern after they were dismissed for 162 and 247 and only one of their batters, David Bedingham, crossed 50. For Brand, the top three is a particular focal point. “We have to do the right things for longer and myself, personally, I have to find a way to get through the new ball which has been tricky in these conditions,” he said. “The wickets look like they are getting better for batting the longer you can hang out there. So, it’s just about keeping our confidence high and making sure we keep believing in ourselves.”Between them, Brand, his opening partner Eddie Moore and one-drop Raynard van Tonder, scored 61 runs in six innings in the first Test. They were all making their debuts. Moore was bounced out in the first innings and drove a ball aerially in the second, Brand’s shot selection was uncertain against the moving ball and van Tonder was twice dismissed by Kyle Jamieson, who shaped the ball back in and tested his technique on the front foot. None of those things, especially among players who are new to playing at this level, have quick fixes but it wasn’t all bad. Moore spent 50 minutes in the middle in the first innings, van Tonder was at the crease for an hour and 23 minutes in the second innings and they did some work in protecting the middle-order, who all got starts.Zubayr Hamza, Keegan Petersen and Bedingham all got to double-figures in both innings and with Test experience, are expected to form the backbone of South Africa’s efforts. Bedingham, in particular, comes into the series with a lot of expectation around him after he made his debut against India. “We want him to push on and get a big score for us,” Brand said.On the other side of that coin, South Africa’s attack are searching for ways to be more incisive after conceding 511 runs in the first innings and 179 in 43 overs in the second. Both times, they had New Zealand in early trouble on 39 for 2 and 10 for 1, but could not capitalise. It didn’t help that they dropped chances off Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra, who went on to score 118 and 240 respectively, but that aside, Brand still hopes they can find more ways to take wickets with the older ball. “We were really good with the new ball in both innings. I understand this wicket might be a bit different but we just want a bit more options from over 20 through to the [second] new ball so we can dismantle that middle order. We’ve been building pressure but we haven’t found ways to strike with the old ball.”For variety in attack, South Africa could look to bring in allrounder Mihlali Mpongwana, who may add some pace, or one of their spinners – Dane Piedt or Shaun von Berg. While many will wonder why, with the SA20 completed at the weekend, South Africa can’t call on some of their first-choice players to bolster the stocks, the answer lies in travel time and jet lag. New Zealand is 11 hours ahead of South Africa and the shortest flight route is a little over 19 hours. To counter fatigue and jet lag, players are required to be in the country for at least a week before playing which makes it impossible for anyone else to be added to the touring group.Instead, South Africa have to make do with what they have and most of these players have one more opportunity to show what they can offer at international level. Despite how difficult it has been, Brand hopes some of them will take it.”The Test match was really tough. On day three I was pretty tired. Dane Piedt said Hashim Amla told him that every day feels like a (whole) Test match when you are playing Test cricket,” he said. “But I have enjoyed every moment of it. I have learnt a lot about myself as a person and I really love being in this environment so hopefully I can put in a few good performances.”