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One week, a team scores 481 runs in 50 overs. The next, another loses chasing 189 after being 186 for 3. Clearly, cricket doesn’t do middle ground

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2018One week, a team scores 481 runs in 50 overs. The next, another loses a match chasing 189 . Clearly, cricket doesn’t do middle ground.#Collapzilla – High Wycombe, a club team in England, lost seven wickets in 11 balls•Peterborough Town CCFar removed from the pyrotechnics of Jason Roy and Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, there was a club game in the town of Peterborough in Northamptonshire and the local team was looking beat. After all, there were 12 balls left, only three runs to get and seven wickets in hand. That’s when it happened. #CollapzillaThe unravelling of High Wycombe began with fast bowler Kieran Jones picking up four wickets in four balls to start the penultimate over of the chase, and ending it as a maiden over. Imagine the odds. Experts suggest it is somewhere between finding an Oxford-educated unicorn and owning car keys that never get lost.The final six balls were the responsibility of a 16-year-old offspinner. According to the , Danyaal Malik was the sixth-choice bowler in an under-strength attack.Nathan Hawkes took strike on 57. The first ball was reverse-swept for a single, but that was only the start of another collapse. The next four yielded three wickets and a remarkable victory.And so Peterborough won the regional final of the the ECB National Club Championship, and proceeded to the tournament’s last 16.* Yes, this was no friendly neighbourhood game of cricket, but a fixture right towards the top end of club cricket in England.*

Carlo Ancelotti insists Jude Bellingham's two-match ban was "exaggerated" and confirmed Real Madrid are appealing the suspension.

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Bellingham sent off for dissentReceives two-match La Liga banAncelotti says Madrid appealing suspensionGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham received a red card for dissent after his last-minute winner against Valencia was chalked off as the final whistle had already been blown earlier this month. The England international told the referee, "It's a f*cking goal", was dismissed, and then was hit with a two game-ban – something Ancelotti has confirmed the club are appealing.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

Ancelotti told reporters: "Bellingham's sanction? We have appealed because we think the sanction is exaggerated. It was not an insult, the minutes say it. They have evaluated the aggressive way to approach the referee. Bellingham protested, like everyone else. Many do it more exaggerated than him. And nothing else. We think that the sanction is not correct."

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Madrid have reportedly appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sportafter the Spanish Football Federation rejected an appeal to reduce his suspension. Incidentally, Bellingham is currently set to miss Madrid's La Liga games against Celta Vigo on Saturday evening and Osasuna next weekend. With Barcelona winning on Friday, Los Blancos' lead at the top is down to five points but they have a game in hand. If they can win these two fixtures without Bellingham, they will be in a strong position to win the title.

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WHAT NEXT?

While Madrid and Bellingham await the result from CAS, Ancelotti's side host Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu looking to go eight points clear at the top of the table. They then face Osasuna before the March international break.

Dan Lawrence and Varun Chopra totalled more half-centuries than Essex had managed all season as a hapless Middlesex attack again failed to defend a big total

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2018
ScorecardDan Lawrence struck an outstanding 86 as Essex recorded only their second win of the Vitality Blast campaign against basement boys Middlesex at Lord’s.The 21-year-old, who like his teammates has struggled in T20 this year chose Lord’s to strike his first half-century of the campaign, plundering four sixes and seven fours in a 45-ball effort.His heroics enabled Essex to chase down Middlesex’s 210 for 3 – their record score against Essex – in the format.For Middlesex it was a familiar story of their bowlers having no capacity to defend a big total given them courtesy of superb half-centuries from Paul Stirling (78) and Eoin Morgan (77).It meant a seventh successive defeat for Daniel Vettori’s side, who must now beat Sussex at Hove tomorrow night to have a chance of avoiding the South Group wooden spoon.Stirling responded: “It is pretty gutting. We have put up a few good scores recently and not managed to get over the line with the ball. There have been some signs of improvement in little places here and there, but collectively it has not got us the win.”Talking T20 podcast

Dan Norcross is joined by editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, Phil Walker, to discuss the latest Blast happenings, including Durham’s rise from the ashes and the golden touch of Kieran Noema-Barnett
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Dawid Malan struck boundaries off his first two deliveries, but then edged Sam Cook through to Adam Wheater.Thereafter Stirling dominated the Powerplay with a mixture of craft, ingenuity and brute force, two sixes and seven fours carrying him to fifty off 29 balls. The Irish international and John Simpson added 66 before the latter was caught and bowled by Simon Harmer.Stirling struck another incredible flat six over square cover, but was soon acting as the foil to Morgan’s stunning innings. Morgan began slowly before three sixes in an over off Paul Walter helped catapult him to 50 off 30 balls.Stirling eventually holed out at long off, but Morgan’s response was to strike three maximums in an over for the second time, Matt Coles the bowler on the receiving end.James Fuller, promoted to No 5 then weighed in with 25 off 11 balls as he and Morgan shared a stand of 58 from the final 23 deliveries.Aussie paceman Peter Siddle (1-33) was the pick of the visitors’ attack though many were left to wonder why Ravi Bopara bowled just the one over.Needing 211, Essex soon lost Wheater to a stunning catch by Stevie Eskinazi off Fuller’s first ball. New batsman Walter hit Steven Finn for an enormous straight six, but he extracted almost immediate revenge when another attempted big hit found the safe hands of Malan at mid-off.Despite the wickets runs came quickly, Lawrence hoisting Fuller for six and Varun Chopra too clearing the ropes at long-on, Finn again on the receiving end as the visitors reached 60 by the end of the PowerplayThe 50-stand came in 25 balls and the 100 was up inside 10 overs. Lawrence was the main aggressor and his fifth four coupled with two sixes carried him to 50 in just 24 balls, only the second Essex batsmen to achieve the feat in the 2018 Blast.Then came a huge moment in James Franklin’s first over when Chopra on 35 carved a ball outside off in the air towards the boundary at square cover where young George Scott spilled the chance. Chopra made the most of the reprieve, moving through to his own 50 off 31 balls as the century stand was realised.The hosts needed a breakthrough and James Harris, returned at the Pavilion End to bowl Chopra for 51, leaving Essex 137 for 3 in the 14th.Lawrence though motored on depositing another six into the grandstand off Franklin.At the other end the experienced Bopara was missed off a skier by a combination of Fuller and Franklin and as Middlesex’s out fielding fell apart he was dropped again by Finn in the deep.Lawrence departed before the end, bowled around his legs by Finn, but Bopara (31) and Ashar Zaidi (20) saw Essex home with four balls to spare.

Liverpool see a widely regarded future superstar as a "priority" transfer target moving forward, according to an update from journalist Christian Falk.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds have had some fairly quiet transfer windows in recent years, with the club even coming in for criticism about not giving Jurgen Klopp enough new players to bolster his squad over time.

The recent summer window was different, however, with Liverpool completely revamping their midfield after a season of huge struggles there. Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been the most eye-catching and influential new signing to date, but Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo have all shown their worth to differing extents, too.

It was evidently clear that the Reds' midfield was the only area of the pitch that Klopp was desperate to address, but with that issue now largely sorted – a new No.6 wouldn't go amiss in January – the club could turn to players in different positions, in order to keep things fresh.

Jamal Musiala to Liverpool update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk talked up the idea of Jamal Musiala to Liverpool happening instead of his teammate Leroy Sane, who has also been linked, with the Reds seeing the younger Bayern Munich starlet as a "priority" signing:

"Bayern also has a problem with Leroy Sané, who is playing his best season since he first arrived at Munich. The problem is that the national player only has a contract until 2025.

"Liverpool are also interested in the player. The 27-year-old could replace 31-year-old Mohamed Salah if he leaves the club in the summer. Sane is quick like Salah and just as flexible on offence. But I heard Musiala is Liverpool’s priority – should they fail in their pursuit here, only then will Sane come."

Musiala's progress in the last few years has been rapid, and along with Real Madrid and England sensation Jude Bellingham, there is an argument to say that he is the most exciting young player in Europe at the moment, given the influence he is having at a major club.

At just 20 years of age, the German has already become one of the first names on Bayern's team sheet, and Musiala's stats are hugely impressive, having scored 32 goals and registered 25 assists in 133 appearances for the reigning Bundesliga champions. He has also netted twice for Germany at international level.

The idea of Musiala playing for Liverpool is a mouthwatering prospect for any Reds supporter, considering he is threatening to be one of the leading footballers of his generation, with former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann once describing him as "world-class", even though he was still only a teenager at that point.

The young attacker is someone who Bayern clearly won't want to be losing any time soon, though, so it is difficult to see Liverpool wrestling him away from them, unless they come up with an incredible offer for the former England Under-21 international.

Coventry City "want to go all the way" following their last-gasp FA Cup quarter-final win over Wolves on Saturday, says striker Ellis Simms.

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Coventry beat Wolves 3-2 in FA CupChampionship side off to WembleySimms says they want to "go all the way"Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Championship outfit snatched victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to Haji Wright's 100th-minute winner. The Sky Blues had led until the 83rd minute after Simms' controversial 53rd-minute opener, before Rayan Ait Nouri and Hugo Bueno looked to have secured the Premier League side victory at Molineux. But Simms' second in the 97th minute and United States international Wright's strike at the death left Coventry dreaming of repeating their FA Cup triumph of 1987.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT SIMMS AND WRIGHT SAID

Simms told after the game: "A great occasion, the fans have been amazing and we're just delighted. I'm so proud of the lads, we've dug in and even at 2-1 down we never gave up. It's going to be a great occasion at Wembley. We want to go all the way. The next round will be tough against a top Premier League team, but we will give it our all and go in with all guns blazing."

Wright added: "There's a lot of quality in our side and as long as we believe and keep trying, we can take our chances. It's amazing to make it to Wembley and it will be good fun for all of us."

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Coventry's win over Gary O'Neil's in-form side keeps alive their dreams of becoming the first team outside the English top-flight to win the FA Cup since 1980. On top of this FA Cup run, the Sky Blues are also chasing promotion to the Premier League – with Mark Robins' side currently four points outside the play-offs.

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WHAT NEXT?

Coventry will find out who they face in the semi-finals of the competition on Sunday afternoon. They will then head to Wembley on either April 20 or April 21 for their last-four encounter in a bid to reach the final.

The election for the post of league director ended in a deadlock, with both candidates receiving 12 votes each

Peter Della Penna18-Aug-2018Two rounds of voting were not enough to break the deadlock between ex-USACA president Atul Rai and former USA captain Sushil Nadkarni for the right to serve a three-year term as league director on the new USA Cricket board of directors. So the men decided to shake on it.In an unprecedented move, the two candidates have agreed to a split term according to a USA Cricket press release. In the main election voting that concluded on July 29, Rai and Nadkarni each received 12 votes from the eligible voting leagues. A special runoff vote that ended on August 12 produced the same result. A stipulation was announced that the winner would then be decided by a coin toss with the winner serving the full three-year term.However, both men agreed beforehand to serve half of the term each, an agreement that was unanimously approved by USA Cricket’s four-person nominating and governance committee, which includes ICC chief executive David Richardson. Rai wound up winning the coin toss, meaning he will serve the initial 18 months in the position. Nadkarni will then take over for the final 18 months before a fresh election is held for the league director position in 2021.Now that the seven-person constituent board has been finalised, the final three independent directors will be selected by the nominating and governance committee. The committee is meeting this weekend in Florida to finish their evaluations before putting their three candidates forward to complete the 10-member board of directors.

Nottingham Forest look to have made a decision on one of their signings at the City Ground as Steve Cooper continues to map out the long-term future of the club, as per a fresh report.

Nottingham Forest updates: Andrey Santos news, Liverpool prediction

Speaking in the aftermath of Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw against Luton Town at the City Ground last week, former Reds midfielder Lewis McGugan has expressed his bemusement as to why Willy Boly was withdrawn from proceedings before the visitors struck twice to claim a point from the encounter.

McGugan told the The Garibaldi Red Podcast: "The strange thing for me is the timing. 78 minutes. At that point, if he makes it at 60-65 minutes, there’s a large chunk of the game left. Sometimes, when you change it to become solid, you invite pressure that’s not there. The subs made the midfield a lot more defensive and you sit deeper and deeper and deeper."

He later added: "For me, make one change, stick Boly in the middle of a back three, his legs have gone but he’s 6 foot 5 and a very good defender. You keep him on and make the unit more solid around him."

In an update involving the future of Nottingham Forest ace Andrey Santos meanwhile, 90min report that the Brazilian is a target for Newcastle United in January; however, any deal would be a complex procedure to complete as he would have to terminate his agreement at the City Ground to move to St James' Park.

Newcastle United also have Lewis Hall on loan from Chelsea, meaning they would have to sign him permanently before being allowed to facilitate a loan move for Santos, as Premier League rules state you cannot have more than one player on loan from a particular side at the same time.

Next up for Nottingham Forest is a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield this weekend as Cooper's men look to edge further away from the relegation zone, in what will be an incredibly difficult task as Jurgen Klopp's side look to make it 15 home matches without a defeat in all comeptitions.

Nottingham Forest's next five fixtures

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Liverpool

Anfield

Premier League

Aston Villa

City Ground

Premier League

West Ham United

London Stadium

Premier League

Brighton & Hove Albion

City Ground

Premier League

Everton

City Ground

Nottingham Forest transfer news – Divock Origi

An update on Divock Origi's future at Nottingham Forest has emerged from Italian outlet Calciomercato, who claim that the Belgium international may return to San Siro upon the expiration of his loan deal in the East Midlands after his campaign's frustrating start.

The outlet claim this could be a major financial problem for AC Milan and cost the Italian giants millions of pounds, considering he has a large salary in Italy that they worry they will now have to shell out.

Origi is under contract at the Rossoneri until the summer of 2026 and is scheduled to pocket around €4 million per season at AC Milan for the next two-and-a-half years unless Stefano Pioli can find a buyer for the 28-year-old, which would be a considerable drain on their resources.

Since arriving at the City Ground, Origi has made just four appearances for Nottingham Forest and is yet to get himself on the scoresheet (Origi statistics – Transfermarkt).

Unless Origi can turn his fortunes around under Tricky Trees boss Cooper, it looks exceedingly unlikely he will be around for the long term at Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson has admitted her side were "not good enough" in the damaging WSL title race defeat to Chelsea on Friday night.

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Arsenal lose to ChelseaSix-point gap now openedWilliamson shares reactionWHAT HAPPENED?

The 26-year-old England international played the full 90-minutes during the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea, as she could only watch on as Arsenal collapsed in the first half of play at Stamford Bridge.

Lauren James opened the scoring in the 15th minute, before a quick-fire brace from Sjouke Nusken stretched the lead to 3-0 before the break. An own-goal from Catarina Macario in the 86th minute would reduce the deficit – but it was too little, too late for the Gunners.

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Taking to her personal Instagram account, the Arsenal defender said: "That support deserved a result! Masters of our own downfall today, not good enough! We’ll see you next week!!"

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Chelsea have now opened a six point gap on Arsenal in the Women's Super League following the win. Jonas Eidevall's side are in in third place on 34 points, with the Blues sitting pretty at the top of the table on 40. Manchester City split the two sides in second place on 37 points, with Arsenal's latest loss offering Gareth Taylor's side a huge boost – especially with the game in hand they possess.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Williamson and her Arsenal team-mates will be hoping they can bounce back in their next fixture, as they prepare to face Aston Villa away from home next Sunday (March 24). Villa are currently eighth in the table and suffered a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in their recent meeting earlier in March.

Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams faces court claims he 'inhaled laughing gas from balloons' before a high-speed car crash.

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Williams crashes carFaces claims of 'inhaling laughing gas'Currently out injured while on loanWHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Sun, the 23-year-old defender has been accused of 'inhaling laughing gas' before the car crash unfolded on the A34 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, last year. Prosecutor Katie Johnson stated Williams was involved in the incident which saw his Audi A3 S Line crash at 74mph. Williams appeared in court on Friday.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT JOHNSON SAID

Speaking in court on Friday, Ms Johnson said: “He was seen by witnesses to have taken nitrous oxide from balloons.” Williams denied the claims of dangerous driving and did not accept responsibility for the incident.

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Magistrates have since sent the case for trial at Chester Crown Court after Williams also denied he was impaired during the accident and had no insurance. The trial will take place on April 19 and Williams has been granted unconditional bail.

This isn't the first driving-related incident Williams has encountered, after the United loanee was recently called out by a member of the public for parking his car in disabled spaces. One witness claimed he was either 'arrogant, ignorant or both' after it unfolded.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMS?

Williams is currently on loan at Championship side Ipswich Town for the 2023-24 campaign. He has made 15 appearances, scoring two goals, during the temporary move but has missed the last eight games through injury. The defender is now back at his parent club undergoing further medical assessments.

Williams rose through the Red Devils academy as a boy and has made 51 appearances for the first team.

In detailing the breakdown in their relationship from 1999, the legspinner also tagged his former captain “the most selfish player” he ever played with

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2018Shane Warne has reheated his old feud with Steve Waugh by revealing in a new book that he felt “totally let down” by Australia’s then captain when dropped from the playing XI in the fourth Test against West Indies in 1999. He also described his former Australia captain as “the most selfish player I ever played with, and was only worried about averaging 50”.Heading to the Caribbean, Waugh had just been appointed Test captain with Warne as vice-captain, and Australia had started the series by bowling out West Indies for 51 to win the first Test by 312 runs. However, Brian Lara made two of the finest centuries of his career, 213 in the second Test and 153 not out in the third, as West Indies stormed back. The home side were leading 2-1 heading into the final Test in Antigua, and Warne’s returns in the first three Tests were a poor two wickets at 134.00.’Baggy green worship made me want to puke’ – Warne

“All that worship of the baggy green – some of the guys went with it, like Lang [Justin Langer], Haydos [Matthew Hayden] and Gilly [Adam Gilchrist], but it wasn’t for me,” Warne wrote. “They loved it but, to be honest, they made me want to puke with it half the time. I mean, wearing it at Wimbledon! Who wears a green cricket cap to Wimbledon? It was just embarrassing! Mark Waugh felt the same. I don’t need a baggy green to prove what playing for Australia means to me or to the people who watch us.”

In an extract from his book published in , Warne describes the selection meeting before the final Test.”I was vice-captain and bowling pretty ordinary and Tugga [Waugh] opened the selection meeting between the two of us and Geoff Marsh, the coach, by saying, ‘Warney, I don’t think you should play this next Test.'”Silence. ‘Er, right,’ I said. ‘Why?’ ‘I don’t think you’re bowling very well, mate.’ ‘Yes… fair call,’ I admitted. ‘My shoulder [after surgery] is taking longer than I thought but it’s close now. The feel is slowly coming back and then the rhythm will come, mate. I’m not worried.'”Marsh agreed with Warne but Waugh stuck to his guns, which led to an impasse. Allan Border, a selector at the time who was was off duty but there in Antigua, was asked for his views. Warne writes that Border supported him, saying: “I back Warney every time. The situation is made for him. Anyway, we owe him. Think of what he’s done for Australian cricket. We need to show faith.”However, Warne wrote that Waugh once again asserted his authority as captain: “No, I appreciate your thoughts, AB, but Warney’s not playing. I’m going with my gut here. Sorry, guys.”Australia won the Test to square the series, but Warne felt let down. “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend,” Warne wrote, adding that he didn’t handle his axing from the team that well. “I conducted myself badly, to be honest. I wasn’t that supportive of the team, which I regret.”Looking back, this was probably a combination of the shoulder issue still eating away at me and the pure anger bubbling inside at Steve’s lack of trust. During the first three Tests, at various times some of the bowlers came to me, grumbling about Tugga’s captaincy and field placements and stuff. I said I was backing him to the hilt and if they had a problem with the captain they should go see him direct. Perhaps because of this, I was deeply disappointed that he didn’t back me in return.”Getty ImagesImmediately after the West Indies tour, Australia went to England for the 1999 World Cup, where, after starting slowly, they stormed to the title with both Waugh and Warne playing key roles. However, later in the year, when Australia went to Sri Lanka, Warne writes of another altercation before the second Test. In the first match, Waugh had collided with Jason Gillespie on the field, leaving both men with nasty injuries. However, Waugh was adamant he would play in the second Test, while Warne held the opposite view. “I was being a d******* and looking for a bit of revenge. He hadn’t backed me and now I wasn’t going to back him,” writes Warne of the argument, which he eventually lost when Marsh sided with Waugh.Warne says he “never found it easy” with Waugh after the West Indies and Sri Lanka tours, even though they had started off as good friends, with Waugh present at Warne’s wedding and even almost convincing the legspinner to play club cricket for Bankstown in Sydney, with a view to breaking into the New South Wales team.”He became a completely different person when he took over as captain… It wasn’t that he dropped me. I have no issue about being dropped if I’m not performing; if you don’t perform, out you go. But there was more to it than my performances – I think it was jealousy. He started to niggle away, telling me to look at my diet and spend more time on deciding what sort of person I wanted to be in my life, how to conduct myself – that sort of stuff. I said, ‘Mate – worry about yourself.'”