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And in Tim Southee, they may have also found a solution for the end-overs issues that plagued them through the first half of the season

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru02-May-20181:27

We were adaptable with our bowling – Southee

“” (This time the cup is ours) is a popular slogan Royal Challengers Bangalore have adopted from Bengaluru Football Club (BFC), their next door neighbours. BFC proudly wore the tag during a stunning debut season in the Indian Super League, which ended in a heartbreaking loss in the final.The slogan has resonated across the city, so much that even AB de Villiers’ son and wife were proudly saying it loud to their autorickshaw driver in Kannada. If RCB are now looking for a new one for the second half of the season, “we can defend totals” won’t be a bad place to start.For five successive games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, going back to the previous season, they had failed to do so. Two nights ago, Virat Kohli went to the extent of calling his team’s bowling “not good enough” and “shocking” after seeing a defence of 175 go cold against Kolkata Knight Riders. Last week, he called the bowling “criminal” as MS Dhoni’s brutal ball-striking took Chennai Super Kings home with four balls to spare in a chase of 206, after needing 71 off the last five overs.Now, against Mumbai Indians, a win was non-negotiable if RCB had to keep their playoff ambitions burning, and Kohli, surprisingly, was at his calmest.At the halfway mark, a sense of calm emanated from his team even as Mitchell McClenaghan sat on his haunches, having conceded 24 off the final over, of which Colin de Grandhomme, his New Zealand team-mate, had smacked 21.At the dugout, two other Kiwis, Brendon McCullum and head coach Daniel Vettori, exchanged fist bumps even as another, their former team-mate and current Mumbai bowling coach Shane Bond, scribbled furiously into his notepad. RCB had put up 167, which Bond later said was “15 above par.”Where Mumbai’s quicks tried to change pace and hit hard lengths, Tim Southee went full. This length allowed him to swerve one back in to clean bowl Ishan Kishan in the first over. It was up to Umesh Yadav to keep up his side of the bargain. For the third time this season, he struck off consecutive balls in the Powerplay, dismissing Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma with good-length deliveries that cut back in sharply.As was the case on Sunday, there was grip and turn off the surface. Yuzvendra Chahal turned it square and bowled out by the 13th over with figures of 4-0-23-0. Umesh was done by the 15th, with 2 for 29.The game wasn’t yet in RCB’s bag, since the offspinner Washington Sundar, who had replaced M Ashwin, had endured an off day, conceding 15 in his first over. Where a bit of air and revs could have helped him extract turn off the surface, he had bowled flat, into Hardik Pandya’s hitting arc.ESPNcricinfo LtdWith Kohli not trusting Sundar with another over, he finally turned to de Grandhomme, who hadn’t bowled a ball in his first two matches of the season – with Corey Anderson trusted at the death ahead of him – and in this game had batted behind Southee. Given de Grandhomme’s international form and T20 record, those moves – especially the latter – might have puzzled Anderson and Southee, his New Zealand team-mates, as much as anyone.Having earlier shown what he could do with the bat, de Grandhomme now conceded only 11 off his first two overs, somewhat making up for a third over, the 16th, that went for 17. The game was now in the balance, with Mumbai needing 45 off four overs with Hardik on 40 off 33 and his brother Krunal on 16 off 10.Kohli had solved one problem, but now had another. Bowling out Umesh by the 15th over meant he had look Mohammed Siraj’s way despite him going at an economy rate of 9.44 in his five games so far. His death bowling may have raised questions over his utility, but he sent down a reasonable 17th, conceding only 10 to set it up for Southee, who was to bowl the 18th and the 20th over.The equation was within the reach of the Pandya brothers, but Southee made it 30 off 12 with an outstanding 18th over, mixing up slower offcutters and two searing full ones, in or around the blockhole. The pressure told on Krunal, who fell trying a scoop over short fine-leg off Siraj in the next over, and RCB could breathe a little easier. Defending 25 off the last over, Southee dismissed Hardik first ball, caught at long-off, and closed out the game with dots off his third, fourth and fifth balls.For the first time, a bowling attack that Kohli had referred to as RCB’s “best ever” before the season had delivered. It was also perhaps the first time this season that Kohli wasn’t constantly in his bowlers’ ears at all times. It was also the first time this season that bowling coach Ashish Nehra sported his trademark wide grin in the dugout. It might be too early for their fans to chant “”, but RCB’s fate was still in their hands.

N’Golo Kante may be set for a return to Ligue 1 as Paris FC and Monaco consider moves for the veteran midfielder after his stint in the Middle East.

Kante offered to Paris FC and MonacoHe started 35 of 39 matches last seasonFrench clubs seeking experienced midfield reinforcementsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Chelsea and Leicester midfielder Kante could be set for a shock return to French football after being offered to Ligue 1 clubs Paris FC and Monaco, according to a report from L'Equipe. The 34-year-old is expected to depart Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad, and neither of the French teams has ruled out a potential deal.

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A move would see Kante return to Ligue 1 ten years after he left Caen. Both interested clubs are in the market for experienced midfielders. Newly-promoted Paris FC are seeking a leader in the middle of the park, while Monaco need cover following several departures and with new signing Paul Pogba not expected to be fit until October. Kante has proven his fitness since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023, making 44 appearances in his first season and 39 in the last campaign.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kante was a notable omission from Didier Deschamps' latest France squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland. A move back to a major European league could bolster the 2018 World Cup winner's chances of an international recall.

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Getty Images WHAT NEXT FOR KANTE?

With his Al-Ittihad career seemingly over, Kante's future now depends on the decisions of Paris and Monaco. The midfielder's representatives will await a final answer from the two clubs, with Kante potentially becoming the latest 2018 World Cup winner to move to Ligue 1 this summer.

Matthew Mott believes it is time his England team “get the mojo back” ahead of the T20 World Cup – and has hired Manchester City’s psychologist to help his players be more emotionally vulnerable if they come under pressure in the Caribbean.David Young, who was previously with England from 2016 to 2020, has worked with City during an unprecedented period of success, with the club recently becoming the first team to win four Premier League titles in a row. He has been brought back as a consultant on a short-term basis ahead of next month’s World Cup, with City’s approval.Jos Buttler was influential in the decision and has previously credited Young for helping him perform in the 2019 World Cup final. Young joined the England squad in Leeds ahead of their washed-out first T20I against Pakistan on Wednesday and will link up with them again in Cardiff on Monday, after helping City prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.”He’s previously been with the team and he’s already been a great ally in messages back to me, making sure my messages are clear,” Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said. “It’s always good to have someone who’s a little bit removed from the squad to make sure you’re landing your messages… He’s still doing other roles but we’ve got him for this series, and the start of the World Cup as well.”Related

• Jofra Archer impresses on comeback as Jos Buttler makes the difference in 23-run win

• Leeds rain denies England, Pakistan valuable preparation

• Hasan Ali released from Pakistan squad to play for Warwickshire

• After 382 days on the sidelines, Archer set to return for England

• Jos Buttler backs England to learn lessons from 50-over World Cup debacle

England’s management are trying to learn from the mistakes they made at last year’s 50-over World Cup, when they were knocked out at the group stage and won three of their nine games – two of which came after their elimination. Mott described the tournament as “death by a thousand cuts” and said: “When you’ve had the kick in the pants like we’ve had, you can’t just go ‘business as usual’. You have to redefine how you go as a team.”As a group, we’ve made a commitment to be a bit more open in and around our training sessions, to help each other out a bit more. In India, all of us were guilty of being a bit insular, and trying to problem-solve ourselves. We’ve made a commitment to open up and be a bit more vulnerable as a group so that we’re helping each other.”Mott has been watching the IPL from afar and said that England could learn from Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s winning streak to qualify for the play-offs. “The way they had nothing to lose and came out and played a different brand of cricket – could we have done that earlier? Maybe, yes. On reflection, we didn’t react as we should have after the start.”Eoin Morgan, Buttler’s predecessor as captain, was sharply critical of England’s performance in India and hinted there was “something else going on” in their dressing-room beyond collective underperformance. Mott – whose first series as coach was Morgan’s last as captain – said the pair have not spoken since, but that he respects Morgan and his opinion.”Family and friends got more upset about it than I did,” he said. “Initially, of course you take it a bit personally but he’s there to have an opinion… All I’ll say is that only the people within the dressing-room can fully understand what’s going on. Once you leave the dressing-room, you might hear titbits of stuff, but you don’t really know how the team’s operating.””It’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves”•Getty Images

Buttler suggested this week that he needs to give certain players more “clarity” than he did in India, and Mott said the squad would drive that change: “My style of coaching has always been more of a cooperative approach – keep asking questions on what does their game look like at its best, and if they’re veering away from that, to drag them back on track.”We feel like it’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves as a team. I think T20, as opposed to ODI, is so much clearer in the way the players can approach it. We’ve seen in the IPL, you have to go out and really take the game on from the start. Most teams are going to go that way, so it’s going to be an exciting World Cup.”England will confirm their World Cup squad to the ICC before Saturday’s second T20I at Edgbaston and will name the same 15 players that formed the provisional squad, despite both Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood carrying niggles. “Probably not for the next game at this stage, but definitely later in the series, they’ll be up for selection,” Mott said.Jofra Archer’s return was delayed by the rain on Wednesday and he is likely to play at least two of the remaining three T20Is. Mott said that England are “pretty confident” that they know their best XI for the Caribbean, and said he would be comfortable taking Tom Hartley to the World Cup even if he does not win his first T20I cap in this series: “He’s played a lot of high-quality cricket in the last 12 months.”

يفتتح فريق ليفربول موسمه في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، 2025/26، مساء يوم الجمعة بمباراته ضد نظيره فريق بورنموث على ملعب أنفيلد.

ويعتقد آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول أنه سيجد منافسة قوية من تشيلسي على تحقيق لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم.

وكان تشيلسي والذي حقق دوري المؤتمر الأوروبي وكأس العالم للأندية قد أنفق ما يقارب من 250 مليون جنيه إسترليني خلال الصيف الحالي.

أقرأ أيضاً.. سلوت يكشف موقف عائلة جوتا من حضور مباراة بورنموث.. واستعدادات خاصة

وقال سلوت في تصريحات ل” talkSport” :”كنت أتوقع فوز تشيلسي الموسم الماضي بالدوري الإنجليزي”.

وأضاف: “بفضل جودة أدائهم، كانوا حاضرين بقوة بالفعل في بداية الموسم، كانوا في سباق اللقب بعد عشر مباريات وبقوا كذلك في ديسمبر”.

وواصل: “يتميز تشيلسي بتشكيلة غنية وجودة عالية، لديهم مدرب ممتاز وقد أثبتوا ذلك بفوزهم بالألقاب التي فازوا بها، لقد واجهوا فترة صعبة في الموسم الماضي، ولهذا السبب لم يتمكنوا من المنافسة حتى النهاية على لقب الدوري”.

وتابع: “تشيلسي الآن يعزز فريقه مجدداً، لذا فهو في رأيي من الفرق التي ستنافس على لقب الدوري”.

وسئل سلوت حول إذا كان يشعر بضغط أكبر هذا الموسم مقارنة ببدايته مع ليفربول بعد تتويجه بالدوري الموسم الماضي: “شعرت بالضغط على نفسي الموسم الماضي أيضاً لأن الجميع ربما لم يتوقع الكثير، كان الجميع بعد يورجن يقول إنه مستحيل”.

وأكمل :”أحياناً بعض الأمور تحتاج لوقت بسبب تغيير المدرب، أسلوبي يختلف عن كلوب، الآن يحتاج اللاعبين للتكيف مع بعضهم البعض وقد قمنا بضم لاعبين مختلفين”.

Butt’s appointment, his first position at the PCB since being banned for spot-fixing, came in for heavy criticism

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2023Salman Butt has withdrawn as the consultant to chief selector Wahab Riaz a day after he was appointed to the position. Pakistan chief selector Wahab called a press conference to say Butt’s name was being withdrawn from the consultancy panel with immediate effect.Wahab accused the media of looking to besmirch the PCB’s name following Butt’s nomination to the advisory panel. He said he had been accused of giving Butt, known to be a close friend of Wahab, preferential treatment, and that he wanted to shield himself against those allegations. Saying his top priority was maintaining the reputation of the PCB and his own integrity, he confirmed Butt would now not be involved with team selection “in any capacity”.On Friday, Butt was appointed as a consultant member alongside Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum “with immediate effect”, and they would be advising Wahab in selecting Pakistan’s team for the five-match series against New Zealand. The selection came in for heavy criticism for a number of reasons, including the provincial composition of the panel. All three members are from Punjab, historically the most influential and dominant region in Pakistan cricket. With Wahab also currently holding a government ministry in the Punjab government, the board instantly came in for allegations of favouritism.But it was Butt’s appointment that caused the greatest uproar. It was the first time Butt was handed a position at the PCB in any capacity since being banned for spot-fixing in 2010. He played domestic cricket and the PSL after returning from his ban, and has taken up a role as an analyst for various media outlets.Related

Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar to assist chief selector Wahab Riaz

But ESPNcricinfo understands Butt’s appointment was met with fierce internal resistance within the PCB too, with at least one employee said to be uncomfortable with it to the extent they threatened to resign. With criticism mounting across the board, Wahab convened a hastily arranged press conference on Saturday evening, withdrawing Butt’s name from the panel.Wahab said a replacement would be announced shortly, pointedly saying he would be from Karachi. Wahab also said Asad Shafiq is likely to be appointed to that position in due course.While Butt was the most high-profile appointment, he was not the only member of that panel to be wholly free from controversy. While Butt was banned and has served time for his role in the 2010 scandal, both Wahab and Akmal were questioned in and around that same episode. Akmal was sent a notice by the ICC after the T20 World Cup in 2010 – much before the spot-fixing incident broke out that year – though he was later cleared to be selected by Pakistan. Akmal did not play another Test after the episode at Lord’s, though he did feature in Pakistan’s white-ball sides.Wahab was also questioned by Scotland Yard in the immediate aftermath of the Lord’s Test that year, but was never charged with any offence. He was appointed the new chief selector of the senior men’s team two weeks back after Inzamam-ul-Haq had stepped down from his position in the wake of conflict-of-interest allegations.

GOAL US presents CWC XI: Key observations from the conclusion of the round of 16, and a look ahead to the quarterfinals

So, we finally got our actual Club World Cup upset. But how significant was it really? Al Hilal beat Man City. Awesome. Cool. We needed that (unless you're a City fan). But are City that mad, considering they get a couple weeks rest and nice chunk of cash? Who knows?

Yet we have content, and this Infantinopalooza of a football tournament is starting to look more and more legit every week. Also, there was a fair amount of controversy. One Bellingham brother is getting sillier yellow cards than the other. Lautaro Martinez doesn't like many of his teammates. Meanwhile, Thomas Muller just really hates Man United (which has nothing to do with the CWC but has somehow wiggled its way into the conversation of late).

GOAL US presents theClub World Cup XI, with key observations heading into the quarterfinals.

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  1Saudi Pro League – legit?

  Now there's one we all should have seen coming, right? OK, a Saudi Pro League side in the last eight might not have been on everyone's bingo card, but all of the pieces were there. Al Hilal have gone about this rather well. They resisted the urge to go for a superstar after Neymar left, hired a truly excellent manager in Simone Inzaghi, and went into their clash with City with a clear game plan. Revolutionary, that.

  Pep Guardiola's whole thing is that he is absolutely terrified of being counter-attacked. Welcome to the perfect storm. Here's a 3-4-3 that to have a go on the break. Yes, it look extra time, but Al Hilal got it exactly right. Does this mean the Saudi Pro League is the best thing ever? Probably not, but it's a very good win.

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  2If you don't like Inter, go home

  Lautaro Martinez didn't pull many punches with his remarks after Inter lost to Fluminense midweek:

  "I want to say that you have to want to be here. We are fighting for certain objectives, those who want to be here, stay, those who don’t can leave. I saw things that I didn’t like. I want to fight to win because we are in an important team, a team that we have brought back to the top and we must continue to do this," he told media after the game.

  Part of that, of course, was the emotions of a captain and competitor who has won trophies for club and country. But it's also not a great look for the Serie A side, who have rather crumbled of late. All aboard the bad vibes train, everyone.

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  3Malcom, the guy you forgot

  Remember Malcom? The Barcelona one? The guy who they blew some of the Neymar cash on, only for him to be an unmitigated disaster at Camp Nou? Well, he's just knocked Man City out of the CWC. Al Hilal's upset was wonderful, and led by a guy chewed up and spat out by the machine of football's global elite.

  Saudi Pro League ball is not the under-appreciated backwaters where you go for love of the game, but it is nice to see a player get one back on an entire federation that panned him off.

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  4Kylian Mbappe = washed

  AGENDA TIME. Right, so that's obviously untrue. There's every chance that Mbappe could score 50 goals next year, Madrid can win three trophies, and he will claim the Ballon d'Or after leading France to the 2026 World Cup.

  BUT the early signs of Mbappe in an Alonso system were, well, rubbish. He didn't move. He didn't get into the box. He made the wrong runs, refused to press, and spent his 30 minutes on the pitch mostly getting mad at everyone around him. Gonzalo Garcia, who cost $0 and is 21, looked more effective, which tells you everything you need to know.

Sidra Ameen’s career-best 61, and Aliya Riaz and Muneeba Ali’s blazing cameos helped Pakistan beat South Africa by seven wickets and clinch the three-match T20I series with one game to go.South Africa’s openers, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, added 74 in 10.4 overs and in all the visitors lost only three wickets, but they could not find a higher gear to hurt Pakistan. Sadiq Iqbal and Nashra Sandhu took a wicket each to help Pakistan restrict South Africa to 150. Fatima Sana was the only Pakistan bowler to concede more than eight runs an over, with Nadine de Klerk hitting her for three fours in the final over of the innings. Even that didn’t loosen Pakistan’s vice-like grip on the game.