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Time and again he has been written off, time and again he proves people wrong

Shashank Kishore12-May-2022″Most of Australia hate me. There’s no doubt that I’ve had a lot of opportunity and haven’t quite nailed it, but hopefully they can respect me for the fact I keep coming back… hopefully I’ll win them over one day.”This was Mitchell Marsh, speaking after picking up his maiden Test five-for in 2019. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but it was overshadowed by a decade of under-performance. After all, Marsh had first made heads turn in 2010, at the Under-19 World Cup, and later that year for the Deccan Chargers as an 18-year-old.At the time, Adam Gilchrist, captain of the defending champions, spoke glowingly of the boy from Perth who could hit a long ball and take big wickets. He was deemed the “perfect package”.Little did Gilchrist, or anyone else, know that Marsh would play all of 27 IPL games over the next 12 years. Or for that matter, no more than 36 T20Is for Australia since his debut in October 2011. But he kept coming back. Not quite as the finisher that everyone expected to be, but as a No. 3 who would go on to win a T20 World Cup.Related

• Marsh ticks the right boxes as an evolved No. 3

• Report: Bowling, Marsh, Warner keep Capitals in mid-table joust

• Scenarios: Capitals have a genuine chance of qualifying for playoffs

On Wednesday, nearly six months after that surreal innings in the final in Dubai, Marsh was at it again. And like then, there was no inkling of this being his night. Covid-19 had pushed him to the sidelines of an IPL season which began while he was nursing a hip flexor injury.When you’ve been as injury prone as Marsh has been, you’re playing as if every game is possibly your last. Remember the opening game of IPL 2020? A hobbling Marsh, who was one of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s big-ticket signings, had to leave the tournament due to a “moderate- to high-grade syndesmosis injury” in his right ankle and saw his season go up in smoke.This wasn’t a final, but the stakes were still high. Delhi Capitals, his third IPL franchise, had outbid Sunrisers, his former team, and new entrants Gujarat Titans to secure his services of INR 6.5 crore (USD 866,000 approx) for precisely magic like this. A chase of 161 a sluggish pitch was no walk in the park for a team that had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.Then, he walked into bat at the fall of the first wicket in the very first over. The scoreboard didn’t move for the next two, as Rajasthan Royals, perhaps the best bowling attack in the competition, kept coming at him. Marsh’s season – not to mention his whole team’s as well – was going to be defined by the passage of play over the next 90 minutes.He was initially at sea when Prasidh Krishna tested him with hard lengths. Inside edges rolled off the pads, out swingers whizzed past the outside edge, cut shots going nowhere, playing and missing at deliveries that reared up – it was all happening. But Marsh didn’t seem agitated, not even after playing out a maiden over.In the third over, he had a massive slice of luck. The ball from Trent Boult swung in late and struck him on the boot right in front of the stumps. Royals appealed but the umpire was unmoved. Everyone thought there had been an inside edge. There wasn’t. Marsh was on 1 off 9 deliveries. As he looked at the replay on the giant screen, there was a grin and a fist bump with Warner.Marsh: Warner opening and me batting at three, we’ve had a lot of great partnerships•BCCI”If you looked at the powerplay tonight for both teams,” Marsh said later, “the ball was swinging around, also nipping around, probably one of the toughest powerplays I’ve batted in since I started playing T20 cricket. We just had to get through that unscathed. If we are two or three down, the game gets really hard. So we assessed that we have got to cut back on our runs and make sure we’re just one down at the end of the power play.”Lot of credit to them [Royals], they bowled exceptionally well in the powerplay to us and made it really tough, but chasing 160, you only need that one big partnership and that was our main focus. The last 18 months, I’ve loved batting with Davey [Warner]. Him opening and me batting at three, we’ve had a lot of great partnerships. Tonight was a memorable one for the Delhi Capitals.”Marsh made the plan sound simple, but it needed a lot of work, starting with a change in stance. Normally, he bats on leg stump and then shuffles across just as the ball is delivered. But that was leaving him wide open to Boult’s inswingers. So, he took guard just a little outside leg stump. Now he could keep his natural trigger movement and not worry about the lbw.R Ashwin came on for the next over. Marsh had seen enough. Length deliveries into the pitch were causing batters some discomfort. He knew that because that had been his earlier in the night – mixed in with cutters and slower ones – to pick up two massive wickets. At the first sign of something full, Marsh opened his shoulders and crunched Ashwin for six over long-off. He had picked the carrom ball off the hand and went inside-out. It came as a massive relief. The fist bump with Warner after the shot, which he stood back and admired on the giant screen, told you how much he enjoyed it. It was the start of superb spell of batting.Marsh was in control even without really imposing himself. He played to his strengths rather than trying to outfox the bowler or second guess what was coming. It was just simple and clean hitting that comes from picking the lengths – and the spin – early. It must have helped that he was batting with a great mate. Warner was with him at the other end on that famous night in Dubai. And he was with him again, just turning the strike over so he could sit back and watch from the best seat in the house.As if to say thank you, Marsh provided a power-hitting exhibition. The two sixes he hit off Kuldeep Sen in the seventh over – dead straight and over the sight screen – were right out of the top drawer, By then he’d raced to 39 off 28 even as Warner was a run-a-ball 12. The six to bring up his fifty as he took on Chahal was a sign of complete mastery over his batting. From there on, it was a cruise.”In terms of the way he goes about it, he’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time now,” Marsh said of Warner. “I’ve been very lucky, over the last 18 months, to have been able to bat with him a lot and form a great partnership and great friendship. The friendship side of things comes out in the middle of the game. His experience, calmness – you can all see how much he loves winning. It feels like he’s back to where it all began for him. He’s been super consistent this year, I love batting with him.”Marsh couldn’t quite finish the job, but by the time he was dismissed in the 18th over, he’d made 89 off 63 and taken the Capitals to the doorstep. As he walked back, soaking in the applause, he had served a quiet reminder, something that he has had to right through the career. That he wasn’t to be counted out. Not now, not for the next few years. At 30, the possibilities are endless.

Evidence suggests a brilliant cricketing mind, but he lacks that one defining triumph people associate great captains with. In Dubai, the chance slipped away again courtesy India’s depth

Sidharth Monga04-Mar-20252:24

Smith: India outplayed us and deserved to win

Steven Smith the Test batter might be the greatest since Bradman, but Smith the captain is an intriguing what-if. There is enough evidence of a brilliant cricketing mind inside that head, but his captaincy career has never had that one defining moment of triumph that people tend to associate great captains with.Home Ashes for Australia stand out only when lost, so the two Ashes wins in Australia don’t really enhance Smith’s stature as captain. He led Australia to Test series leads in India and South Africa, but was denied on both occasions. That intense period left him frazzled, desperate and prone to what happened in Bengaluru and in Cape Town, which unfortunately remain the defining images of his captaincy. It also denied him a chance to lead in an ODI World Cup.With the white ball, Smith led Sydney Sixers to the Big Bash League title way back in 2012, but that is remembered only slightly more than the Major League Cricket title he won with Washington Freedom last year – meaning, very slightly. This is not to say Smith has not been a good captain, but we are talking about what is most popularly remembered.Related

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• Kohli's 84 sends India into Champions Trophy final

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• Shami vs Connolly: A different kind of six and out

The brightest period as captain remains when Smith came within one shot of leading a new, young team to an IPL title. Chosen to lead Rising Pune Supergiant ahead of MS Dhoni in 2017, Smith took them to a top-two finish in the league stage, anchored the final chase on a tricky surface, took it to eight needed off four, but found the fielder in the deep when he pulled the trigger one final time. We all know what winning an IPL can bring to a captain, but it is so cruel that losing the final by one run still makes you forgettable.This Champions Trophy provided Smith an unexpected opportunity to conjure something with a similarly young side. By default, Smith will now lead only a weakened Australia side because his leading means Pat Cummins is not available, but here that was just the start of it: he came in without any of his frontline quicks, with three of his allrounders getting injured or retiring one by one, and a treacherous format that could have knocked them out with two rained-out games.Coming into the semi-final, Smith’s use of his limited bowling resources came in for praise, but he would need to play the perfect game against India to take his captaincy dream further. For long parts, especially with their tactics, Australia did play a flawless game.They selected well for the conditions even if it meant going in with just the two quicks, they chose to bat first on a surface that has kept slowing down, and they batted better than any of the three sides that have lost to India in Dubai. A lot of that batting effort came down to Smith himself.And yet the pivotal moment of Smith’s latest captaincy fling remains his getting bowled to a full toss having pre-meditated a charge when he had done about three-fourths of the work that goes into an all-time great innings. His and Glenn Maxwell’s wickets in the 37th and 38th overs made Alex Carey bat with one arm tied behind his back. Only 59 runs came in the last quarter of their innings, and yet they were able to stretch India’s extremely strong and deep batting.Forget about dropped catches. India’s Player of the Match in the last match dropped a catch off a no-ball and proceeded to kick it into the fence whereas their opponents New Zealand fielded out of their skin. It is much more efficient to produce more chances than to fuss over dropped catches, which can happen to anyone.So the real what-if around Smith is if he needed to pull the trigger that early. Especially when Carey was batting smoothly in that 54-run stand. The answer to it lies in how Australia attained that original position of strength. It didn’t come to them without taking regular risks. It shows in how Australia played 66 false shots, and India only 40.Steven Smith fell at the wrong time for Australia•Associated PressJust look at how calmly India were able to accumulate ones and twos in the middle overs compared to how Australia had to rely on boundaries to stay at a healthy scoring rate. Australia scored 128 runs in boundaries to India’s 106. When the bowling is so good that you are not getting risk-free runs at five an over, you are obligated to take risks.India not only had the superior spinners, they also had almost illegal depth in both departments courtesy Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja coming together efficiently in the same XI. India even have Kuldeep Yadav as a specialist for just after the 40th over, when they get an extra fielder out, to nullify the slog overs to an extent. So Smith had to take the risk at some point, which, given the conditions and India’s depth, meant it had to come against the quickest man to 200 ODI wickets.Having scored ten off the previous 18 balls he had faced, 16 off them from Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, Smith decided he had to target Mohammed Shami, who might at least give him pace on the ball. Five attacking shots in six balls brought him just five runs, and the sixth proved to be fatal. Had they not lost those wickets then, Australia would have had a shot at 30 to 40 more runs, which would have given us a thriller.Who knows if Smith the captain gets another shot at glory, but his latest near-miss was not down to any mistake from him. He just came up against a team with incredible depth for these conditions.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich have reportedly locked horns in a battle to sign Liga de Quito’s 16-year-old sensation Ederson Castillo. The midfielder has attracted serious interest from the European heavyweights after dazzling displays at youth level, though they face stiff competition from Atlético de Madrid and Anderlecht who are also tracking his progress.

European giants circle Ecuadorian wonderkid

According to reports emanating from and , the teenage midfielder has become the primary target for a host of Europe's most prestigious clubs. Castillo, who is currently plying his trade with Liga de Quito (LDU), has seen his stock rise meteorically following a breakthrough campaign with the youth sides.

Despite being just 16 years of age, he was an instrumental figure in LDU’s recent triumph in the Ecuadorian U-19 tournament. His performances were marked by a maturity that belies his years, prompting the club’s hierarchy to invite him to train with the senior squad on multiple occasions. Reports indicate that both United and Bayern have moved to the front of the queue, registering concrete interest in the player as they look to secure his services before his valuation skyrockets. The battle for his signature is expected to be fierce, with European scouts now a regular presence at LDU's Pomasqui training complex, analysing every touch and pass the youngster makes as they prepare their final reports for club directors back in Manchester and Munich.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportUnited and Bayern face stiff competition

While the financial might of United and Bayern often clears the field, this transfer battle is far from a two-horse race. Atlético de Madrid are reportedly monitoring Castillo closely. The Spanish giants, led by Diego Simeone, have a long history of success with South American players who possess the requisite grit and technical quality. 

Furthermore, Belgian outfit Anderlecht are firmly in the mix. While they cannot compete financially with the likes of United or Bayern, they offer a compelling sporting project: a proven pathway to first-team football in a development-friendly league. Anderlecht have already successfully recruited from Liga de Quito in the recent past, signing Nilson Angulo, which could give them a unique advantage in negotiations. The Belgian route is often seen as a smarter intermediate step for South American talents before making the jump to the Premier League or Bundesliga, allowing them to adapt to the European game away from the blinding spotlight of the very top tier.

Ecuador's golden generation spurs interest

This developing transfer saga is emblematic of a wider shift in the transfer market. Ecuador has rapidly established itself as the new "gold mine" for elite talent in South America. The unprecedented success of players like Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie, and Pervis Estupinan in Europe’s top five leagues has convinced top clubs that the region is producing "best-in-class" athletes who can adapt physically and technically to the rigours of European football.

For United, a move for Castillo would be entirely consistent with the club’s revamped recruitment strategy under their new sporting structure. The Red Devils are keen to move away from paying exorbitant fees for established stars, focusing instead on identifying high-ceiling teenagers. Bayern share this philosophy, with their "Bayern Campus" project designed to integrate top international talents into the first team at a young age. Both clubs are desperate to find the "next Caicedo" at source, rather than paying a British record fee for him years later as Chelsea did.

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Getty Images SportFIFA regulations delay potential move

Despite the intense speculation, any potential deal for Castillo comes with a significant logistical caveat: FIFA’s regulations on the international transfer of minors. Under current rules, Castillo cannot officially register and play for a European club until he turns 18. This means that any agreement reached in the coming months would likely mirror the structure of Chelsea’s high-profile deal for Kendry Paez, who is now on loan at Strasbourg.

The fellow Ecuadorian wonderkid agreed to join the Blues at 15 but remained at Independiente del Valle to continue his development until he was old enough to move in June this year. For Castillo, a similar "pre-contract" arrangement is the most likely outcome. He would theoretically sign for a European giant but remain on loan at LDU for the next two years. This period would allow him to gain vital experience in the Ecuadorian Serie A and potentially the Copa Libertadores before crossing the Atlantic, ensuring he arrives in Europe ready to compete for a first-team place immediately. 

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A Copa Libertadores já tem 15 dos 16 clubes classificados às oitavas de final. O sorteio dos duelos será realizado na próxima segunda-feira (2), a partir das 13h (de Brasília).

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Faça as suas apostas na Libertadores 2024: quem será o campeão? Vem pro Lance! Betting!

O último classificado ao mata-mata da competição continental sai do grupo C. Em razão das fortes chuvas que atingiram o estado do Rio Grande do Sul, o Grêmio teve duas partidas da fase de grupos adiadas. Esses confrontos serão disputados no dia 4 de junho, contra o Huachipato, no Chile, e dia 8 do mesmo mês, diente do Estudiantes, no Couto Pereira.

As outras seis equipes brasileiras que disputaram a Libertadores avançaram de fase. Fluminense, São Paulo, Fluminense e Atlético-MG garantiram a primeira colocação de suas respectivas chaves. Botafogo e Flamengo, por sua vez, avançaram na segunda colocação.

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CONFIRA OS POTES

As equipes classificadas para as oitavas de final foram divididas em dois potes. Times do primeiro grupo enfrentam os do segundo, sem qualquer tipo de restrição no sorteio. Equipes do pote 1 decidem a vaga em casa.

POTE 1: Fluminense, São Paulo, primeiro do grupo C (sem definição), Junior Barranquilla, Bolívar, Palmeiras, Atlético-MG e River Plate.

POTE 2: Colo-Colo, Talleres, segundo do grupo C (sem definição), Botafogo, Flamengo, San Lorenzo, Peñarol e Nacional.

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تحدث كريم الدبيس، الظهير الأيسر لنادي سيراميكا كليوباترا، عن فترة تواجده مع النادي الأهلي وكواليس رحيله عن صفوف القلعة الحمراء.

ورحل كريم الدبيس، إلي سيراميكا كليوباترا، لمدة موسم واحد على سبيل الإعارة قادمًا من الأهلي في بداية الموسم الجاري.

وقال الدبيس خلال تصريحات لبرنامج “ملعب أون” عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “رحيلي عن الأهلي، ليس صعبا، لأن في هذه الفترة كنت أريد اللعب ولا أريد الجلوس على مقاعد البدلاء”.

وأضاف: “كنت أرغب في اللعب بأي شكل من الأشكال، وعندما شعر بعدم المشاركة مع المدير الفني ريبيرو، تحدثت معه وأبلغته بالعروض التي وصلت إلي من السويد وروسيا وغيرها من أندية أخرى”.

وتابع: “ريبيرو قال لي، أنا أريدك، العروض كانت رسمية ووصلت للنادي، لكن إدارة النادي الأهلي، لم ترد على العروض، وأبلغت ريبيرو برغبتي في المشاركة، وقولت له إذ كانت فرصة مشاركتي بنسبة 80% مثلًا، أريد الرحيل من أجل المشاركة”.

طالع | كريم الدبيس: لدي تطلعات أسعى لتحقيقها في سيراميكا كليوباترا

وأكمل: “الفرق كبير جداً بين كولر وريبيرو، كولر قد يكون قد قسَا عليَّ كثيرًا، لكن ريبيرو كان واضحا وصريحا، كلامه دائمًا مباشرًا”.

وواصل: “أنا من النوع الذي لا يتحدث أو يعترض، أحترم رؤية المدير الفني، مع كولر كنت أساله عن عدم اللعب أو ماذا ينقصني، كان يقول لي: لا شئ ينقصك، لكن أرى أنك لا زالت صغيرًا، أمامك وقت، هذه كانت كلمات صعبة عليّ”.

وأردف: “في سيراميكا كليوباترا، كابتن علي ماهر، المدير الفني، يطور ويعمل بشكل جيد، توجد فلاشة نشاهد من خلالها المباريات واللقطات التي نحتاج العمل عليها ونراجع بشكل ممتاز جدًا، هي تكون موجودة في كل مكان، في العيادة، في أوضة اللبس، في الفندق لو في معسكر، هذا شيء لم أشاهده في أي مكان في مصر، وهذا الذي يضعنا على القمة في بطولة الدوري حتى الآن، ونريد الاستمرار”.

وعن البكاء، في مباراة الأهلي وباتشوكا في كأس القارات، أوضح: “كنا نلعب في قطر، وقبل المباراة بأسبوع، مستر كولر تحدث معي وقال لي: أنا أشاهدك تخوض المران بشكل جيد، فعندما تأتي أقرب فرصة سأعتمد عليك في مركز الظهير الأيسر، وأبلغته أنني مستعد وجاهز”.

وأتم: “في مباراة باتشوكا، يحيى عطية الله الذي بدأ اللقاء، وعند الدقيقة 80 تعرض لشد بسيط، وطلب التغيير، أنا كنت على مقاعد البدلاء، واللاعبون كانوا يقولون لي أجهز، لكنني لم أكن مطمئنا من كولر، وبالفعل دخل خالد عبد الفتاح مكان يحيى عطية الله وأنا لم أشارك، هذا الموقف كان صعبا علي جدًا، ولم أستطع منع دموعي”.

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Augusto Melo, presidente do Corinthians, voltou a comentar sobre o interesse do clube em Gabigol, e desmentiu Júnior Pedroso, empresário do jogador, que revelou nos últimos dias não ter negociado com a diretoria do Timão.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians

Em entrevista à CNN, o mandatário explicou porque o Alvinegro recuou na tentativa de contratar o camisa 10 rubro-negro e explicou detalhes da negociação.

– Como eu posso desistir de algo se não teve nada? Sem nexo isso. Se eu desisti é porque tinha alguma coisa, né? Ele (empresário de Gabigol) precisa explicar melhor se nunca teve mesmo. Teve, claro que teve. Estava tudo caminhando bem. Só que também tem um limite, o Corinthians é maior do que todo mundo, sempre vou lutar pela minha instituição – explicou o presidente.

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Na sequência, Augusto afastou a possibilidade de Gabigol assinar um pré-contrato na metade da temporada. O atleta tem vínculo com o Flamengo até o fim de 2023 e poderia chegar de graça ao clube do Parque São Jorge.

Teve conversas, foi mandado. A coisa quando começa de uma certa forma, vai perdendo o encanto, e o Corinthians já está procurando outras características, o Corinthians já está se adaptando a outras situações. Foi bom quando começou, passou e acho que o Corinthians tem que partir para outra. O Corinthians jamais vai ser refém de qualquer coisa – finalizou Augusto Melo.

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Uneven contest at The Oval as visitors coast home with whopping 30.5 overs to spare

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Aug-2025

Excellent bowling from veteran seamer James Fuller, inexperienced slow left-armer Andrew Neal and pacy 16-year-old Manny Lumsden proved too much for Surrey at the Kia Oval in what became an embarrassingly one-sided nine-wicket Hampshire victory.The Hawks dismissed Surrey for 160 in 46.3 overs before skipper Nick Gubbins anchored a buccaneering chase with 87 not out from 60 balls. Hampshire’s fourth win in five Group A matches, clinched with a massive 30.5 overs to spare, boosts their ambitions of qualification for the Metro Bank One-Day Cup knockout stages.Gubbins was initially joined in an opening stand of 54 with Ali Orr before Fletcha Middleton arrived to hit an unbeaten 35 from 24 balls in an unbroken second wicket stand of 108 in just 9.3 overs.Fast bowler Nathan Barnwell was thrashed for 50 from his three overs – Gubbins twice hoicking him for six in an opening over costing 21 – and left-arm spinner Yousuf Majid’s three overs went for 31 as Gubbins and Middleton accelerated brutally towards the finish line. Gubbins hit three sixes and 13 fours in all, while Middleton’s contribution was two sixes and four fours.Earlier 35-year-old Fuller finished with 4 for 34 after polishing off a Surrey innings that never got going and was in danger of complete implosion at 89 for 6 before keeper-batter Josh Blake and bowlers James Taylor, Barnwell and Majid provided at least some lower order resistance in front of a near-5,000 crowd.Blake was Surrey’s joint top-scorer with 22 alongside South Asian Cricket Academy graduate Nikhil Gorantla, who was Fuller’s first victim when he was excellently caught low down by Neal diving forward at mid-on in the 18th over.That left Surrey 68 for 3 and rookie tyro Lumsden had already made his mark by then, first forcing Rory Burns to miscue a pull to his fourth ball – to be caught and bowled for 20 – and then seeing Adam Thomas chop on to his stumps for 12 in his third over.At 16 years and 288 days, Lumsden bowled with genuine pace in just his second List A appearance and although there were a number of wild deliveries, including an intended bouncer that flew for four wides, he impressed across two spells in his 2 for 46 from 10 overs.Even more impressive was 25-year-old spinner Neal, who played two first-class matches for Leeds-Bradford MCCU in 2019 but only made the first of his previous four List A appearances earlier this month at the start of Hampshire’s One-Day Cup campaign.His 3 for 33 from 10 nicely-controlled overs now gives him nine wickets in the competition and here he numbered the Surrey middle-order of Ben Foakes, Ollie Sykes and Cameron Steel as his scalps. Foakes mishit to long on for 5, Sykes was brilliantly held by a diving Felix Organ at long on for 7 and Steel drove tamely to short extra cover to go for 5.Blake’s 22 was ended by a fatal nibble at Fuller, Taylor offered a few meaty blows before skying Scotland allrounder Brandon McMullen to long-on and Barnwell departed for 15 miscuing high to keeper Ben Mayes.Majid was left 13 not out when No. 11 Alex French fenced Fuller to slip to go for a fifth-ball duck and all that remained was to see how quickly Hampshire’s top order could knock off the runs. Thanks to Gubbins, Orr and Middleton the match was over by 4.10pm.

Lord Ian Botham, Durham’s honorary president, has slammed his former club Somerset for preparing an “appalling” pitch after 35 wickets fell in five sessions in the County Championship fixture between the two sides.Botham, the legendary England allrounder, spent most of his professional career with Somerset and was a key part of the club’s one-day success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He later joined Worcestershire and then Durham, and became the latter’s honorary president last year after serving a seven-year term as chairman.He accused his old county of reducing the Championship “to a farce” on Wednesday night after their five-wicket win over Durham by preparing a bright-green pitch on which 22 wickets fell to spinners. Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach, described the pitch as “an incredible surface” and said the volume of wickets owed to the quality of his bowlers.”As an ex-Somerset player, I find this appalling,” Botham wrote on X, alongside pictures of the pitch, which were taken before a ball was bowled. “Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started… change is needed… both Somerset and Durham have high quality batsmen… Somerset do not need to do this… reduces the game to a farce.”Related

• Somerset handed points deduction for 'below average' pitch

• Somerset docked 12 points for 'poor' pitch in Championship decider

• Craig Overton leaves Durham overwhelmed on 22-wicket day

• Jack Leach six-for hands Somerset two-day victory

Botham said that the pitch underlined why England have largely opted to ignore county averages in selection in recent years. “These are not first-class cricket conditions in midsummer,” he wrote. “I am not surprised that Rob [Key] and Ben [Stokes] unfortunately have to disregard county performance in assessing players for Test quality appearances.”He also said that the pitch undermined Somerset’s opposition to a proposed cut in the number of Championship fixtures per team from 14 to 12, which Durham support: “At a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for International Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch.”Kerr, the Somerset coach, told the ECB Reporters Network: “There has been a lot of noise surrounding the pitch, but I thought it was an incredible surface. You can’t see 400 runs scored in a day, as happened yesterday, and then complain about the wicket.”We have to find a way of getting results here and, because there has been so much cricket at the ground this year, we had to prepare a used pitch. Craig [Overton] and Jack [Leach] exploited any help in it because they are top quality bowlers.”Somerset’s pitches have often attracted opprobrium. They were docked 12 points for the 2021 Championship season after preparing a pitch marked “poor” for their 2019 title decider against Essex, were warned after a two-day finish against Lancashire in 2018, and in 2017 were branded “a disgrace” by Angus Fraser after a relegation shoot-out against Middlesex.

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O Atlético-MG foi punido em R$ 2,5 mil em decisão dividida pela comissão disciplinar do STJD. O julgamento foi na tarde desta segunda-feira (2). A multa se dá por causa de um drone que paralisou a partida entre Galo e Santos por um minuto. O jogo era a estreia da Arena MRV, pela 21ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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O clube mineiro foi condenado pelo artigo 213, que fala em deixar de tomar providências para evitar desordens na praça esportiva. Os auditores do STJD entenderam que o clube mandante teve responsabilidade no ocorrido e, por 3 votos a 2, o tribunal condenou o Galo.

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Na prova de vídeo apresentada pela Procuradoria do órgão são mostradas imagens da transmissão da partida, que aconteceu em 28 de agosto. Aos 44 minutos do segundo tempo, um drone sobrevoou a Arena MRV. O árbitro paralisou a partida por um minuto, quando o Atlético-MG já vencia o Santos por 2 a 0.

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A mesma prova de vídeo flagrou o diretor de operações do Galo, Rodrigo Messano, conversando com uma pessoa não identificada, mas com permissão de estar na beira do campo. O indivíduo aparece com um controle remoto e o drone em mãos.

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Theotônio Chermont, advogado do clube mineiro, argumentou que o relato da súmula da partida é “parco”, e afirmou:

– Não dá para transferir competência de controle de espaço aéreo para o Clube Atlético Mineiro ou outro clube.

Mesmo com a argumentação do advogado, o relator do processo votou para condenar o Galo:

– Ainda que a desordem tenha sido mínima, influenciou na partida com a paralisação – disse o relator.

O julgamento seguiu, e o auditor seguinte votou pela absolvição do clube:

– Não me parece que tenha sido exatamente uma desordem na praça esportiva – disse o segundo auditor em seu voto.

Depois disso, outros dois auditores votaram a favor do Atlético-MG, até que o presidente da 1ª comissão votou acompanhando o relator.

– Imagina se o drone cai, ou há perda de controle que poderia prejudicar a visão do goleiro – questionou o presidente.

Nessas condições, a votação absolvia o Galo por 3 a 2, porém um auditor modificou seu voto de inocência, mudando para a pena pecuniária, definindo o placar do julgamento em primeira instância e, assim, condenando o alvinegro.

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O Palmeiras finalizou na manhã deste sábado (9), na Academia de Futebol, a primeira semana de trabalho sem jogos oficiais por conta da Data Fifa. O elenco alviverde folgará neste domingo (10) e se reapresentará na segunda (11). O próximo confronto será na sexta-feira (15), contra o Goiás, no Allianz Parque, às 21h30, pela 23ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A novidade foi Luis Guilherme, que se aproxima do retorno.

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No campo, após ativação muscular na parte interna do centro de excelência, os jogadores fizeram atividades técnicas em dimensões reduzidas sob o comando da comissão de Abel Ferreira. Foram duas equipes de 11 componentes com a inclusão de atletas das categorias de base, como o atacante Kevin, de volta depois de ter disputado a final do Campeonato Brasileiro sub-20.

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A novidade do dia foi o meio-campista Luis Guilherme, que começou o período de transição física com o Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. A Cria está recuperada de um estiramento na coxa direita sofrida na vitória sobre o Cruzeiro no dia 14 de agosto. Desde então, o atleta foi desfalque contra Cuiabá, Deportivo Pereira-COL (ida e volta), Vasco da Gama e Corinthians. Ao todo, o jovem de 17 anos soma 18 partidas no profissional, todas na atual temporada.

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Em contrapartida, Abel não conta com quatro selecionáveis que estão fora do time durante a Data Fifa. São eles: Raphael Veiga (Seleção Brasileira), Piquerez (Uruguai), Gustavo Gómez, (Paraguai) e Richard Ríos (Colômbia). Todos eles devem voltar a tempo de estar em campo diante do Goiás, na sexta (15).

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O Verdão é o atual vice-líder do Brasileiro com 41 pontos e está na semifinal da Libertadores. O duelo de ida com o Boca Juniors-ARG, na Argentina, será no dia 28. No primeiro turno, em Goiânia (GO), o Alviverde goleou o Esmeraldino por 5 a 0, com gols de Artur, Sidimar (contra), Raphael Veiga, Endrick e Dudu.

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