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O Botafogo firmou um acordo comercial para a realização de exames médicos no retorno dos jogadores para a pré-temporada. O Alvinegro contou com a CMED/Decordis para as avalições para com os atletas no Estádio Nilton Santos, que começaram a retornar aos trabalhos na última segunda-feira.

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+ Um ano de Durcesio Mello no Botafogo: as mudanças e o balanço do presidente em 365 dias de clube

O acordo foi firmado ainda no ano passado. A empresa levou equipamentos para o Estádio Nilton Santos e, ao lado da equipe médica e de fisiologia do Alvinegro, os médicos da CMED auxiliaram esse primeiro processo na reapresentação dos jogadores. Thiago Carminatti, médico do Glorioso, detalhou o processo à “BotafogoTV”.

–A gente procurou alinhar parcerias no ano passado justamente com o intuito de promover um trabalho mais fácil, integrado e ágil nessa pré-temporada. Analisamos várias propostas e entendemos fechar essa parceria. Através deles estamos fazendo exames de pré-participação, avaliação cardiológica, teste ergométrico, ecocardiograma… – numerou.

–Tudo necessário dentro das instalações do clube. É interessante porque facilita para a integração de avaliação multidisciplinares em um mesmo momento, mais fácil do que a gente precisar levar os atletas para uma clínica para fazer o exame “A” depois o “B”… Aqui a gente consegue fazer tudo usando a estrutura do clube para fazer uma análise integrada – completou.

Gustavo Cardozo, diretor técnico e científico do CMED/Decordis, comemorou o acordo com o clube de General Severiano. O profissional ressaltou a importância da realização de exames médicos antes dos atletas iniciarem os trabalhos de campo.

–Para nós é uma honra estar avaliando o Botafogo, esse clube tradicional que subiu para a Série A agora e vem muito forte em diversos aspectos. Tecnicamente é muito importante ter essa avaliação porque identificamos o estado físico para que eles (jogadores) possam continuar a temporada de uma maneira mais segura. Os atletas estão participando e procuramos contribuir de uma maneira importante para o Botafogo. Trabalhar de uma maneira eficaz com um clube de ponta é importante como um todo para a empresa.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a busy summer, bringing in five players so far, as they look to build on an impressive 14th-place finish last season, finishing 20 points above 18th-place Luton who were relegated. They are also close to confirming the signing of Brazilian midfielder Andre from Fluminense.

With the transfer window shutting in a matter of hours, the Old Gold might well look to add another signing to their squad. Recently, they have been linked with one defender who could add experience and quality to a backline which has been depleted this summer.

Wolves target Premier League defender

The player in question here is West Ham United and Morocco centre-back Nayef Aguerd. According to a report from Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, the Molineux club are ‘interested in signing’ the 28-year-old before the deadline on Friday evening.

The Hammers number 27 is believed to be ‘out of favour at the London Stadium’ ahead of the 2024/25 season under new boss Julen Lopetegui. Wolves, who are targeting defensive reinforcements after selling captain Max Kilman to the East London outfit for £40m, want to sign him on a loan deal this summer.

Why Aguerd would be a good signing

Last season under David Moyes, the Morocco international had a sparse role to play at the London Stadium. He played just 28 games in all competitions, which included 21 games in the top flight of English football.

However, at the back end of the season, the 28-year-old did not have as much involvement as he did at the beginning of the campaign. Aguerd was not part of the West Ham squad for the final five games of the Premier League season.

Should the Old Gold get a deal for the Moroccon over the line this summer, they could well be signing a hybrid of former skipper Kilman, and 34-year-old Wolves defender Craig Dawson, who has also spent time playing at the London Stadium.

According to FBref, the West Ham defender is similar to both defenders, and it certainly rings true when comparing the stats of the trio. Like Kilman and Dawson, the West Ham number 27 is a brilliant box defender.

Per 90 minutes as per FBref, Aguerd averages 2.09 tackles and interceptions per game, compared to 1.88 for Wolves’ 34-year-old defender, and the new West Ham centre-back who averages 2.26. Standing at 6 foot 2, the Moroccan is certainly an imposing figure and wins an average of 2.33 aerial duels per game. In contrast, Kilman wins just 2.26 per game, but Dawson does lead the way with 2.57.

The 28-year-old was described as a “superstar” by one journalist following the World Cup in Qatar and that certainly rings true when looking at the stats, which perfectly demonstrate the excellent box defender he is.

There is no doubt that Aguerd is out of favour at the London Stadium this summer, and with Wolves seeking reinforcements at the back, it could provide the dream solution for both parties.

The Old Gold can recruit a top Premier League centre-back to help with depth and quality at the back – even after bringing in 18-year-old Bastien Meupiyou from Nantes – whilst the Moroccan gets regular minutes in the top flight.

Better than Ahmedhodzic: Wolves plot late move for "astounding" Kilman heir

Gary O’Neil could be set to bolster his defence…

By
Ross Kilvington

Aug 28, 2024

Big Picture

Even though all ODIs in the World Cup Super League now carry the importance of points, it is still good to have a series decider and that’s what’s on offer in Barbados. It is also an example of the flexibility needed in these times with the final match of the series pushed back two days after the Covid scare.It shapes as being a battle between two fallible batting line-ups: in the opening match West Indies were 27 for 6 then 123 all out, in the second Australia were 45 for 6 and West Indies 72 for 5 before recovering to take victory. The conditions are not easy for batting, and especially strokeplay, so it may not be a high-scoring encounter.West Indies’ spinners have proved highly effective with Hayden Walsh Jr taking five in the first match and Akeal Hosein three (in the space of six balls) in the second. Australia have largely lent on their fast bowlers, with Mitchell Starc being outstanding, but that will likely have to be altered for the decider which could test the balance of their side.With attention turning back to T20 World Cup preparation after this series it will be a while before the teams return to ODI cricket. West Indies’ next matches in the format are yet to be confirmed while Australia wait until late January when they are due to face New Zealand at home.Related

• Pooran and Holder earn West Indies series-leveling victory

• Pollard frustrated despite victory: 'We don't like to do things the easy way'

• Finch faces knee surgery as uncertainty over World Cup captaincy looms

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
West Indies WLWWW
Australia LWLWW

In the spotlight

Evin Lewis has been given a working over by Starc in the first two games. He’s not the first and won’t be the last to suffer that fate, but it means that West Indies are losing one of their impact players early. He fell first ball in the opening game when he got a leading edge to the bowler and in the second was pinned lbw having already been saved by the DRS from a caught behind.Time might be running out for Moises Henriques to stake a claim for a long-term return to Australia’s white-ball set-up although Aaron Finch’s injury limits options with the batting line-up. He struggled for tempo during the T20Is and has been dismissed cheaply twice by Hosein in the ODIs. It has been surprising not to see him be given a single over on tour, particularly on surfaces where his medium-pace cutters might have been effective.

Team news

There has been some debate around Jason Mohammed’s position, but Kieron Pollard explained that with him currently unable to bowl Mohammed provides useful extra overs – especially in spin-friendly conditions.West Indies (possible) 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Hayden Walsh Jr, 11 Sheldon CottrellAlex Carey gave a strong indication a second frontline spinner would be included with Ashton Agar, now recovered from a hamstring injury, likely to be favoured over legspinner Mitchell Swepson although the latter would be an attacking choice. Josh Hazlewood is available again after he was eventually rested in the delayed second game. Ben McDermott is in some doubt after hurting his ankle crashing through the advertising boards which would further stretch Australia’s batting resources and potentially mean a recall for Dan Christian, who hasn’t played a List A for nearly four years, plus a reshuffle of the order.Australia (possible) 1 Ben McDermott, 2 Josh Philippe, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Moises Henriques, 5 Alex Carey (capt & wk), 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Ashton Agar/Mitchell Swepson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

The same pitch that was used for the second match will be used for the decider which could make things very tricky for the batters. The forecast is fine and sunny.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have not beaten Australia in a bilateral ODI series since 1995
• Mitchell Starc currently has eight wickets in the series. The most he has taken in three matches in a bilateral series is 11, also against West Indies in 2012-13.

Quotes

“We just need to find a way to string partnerships together. It’s clear that the Aussies are really hurting us in the first 10-15 overs so to see off that period and once we string partnerships we’ll set up the game nicely. I definitely think we can get across the line.”
“Ready for the opportunity tomorrow to win a series for Australia. Having just had our team meeting I can see the excitement on the boy’s faces to bounce back from the other night, where we still played some really good cricket and [being] in the game defending 187 is a huge credit to the players. But now very exciting to rock up tomorrow to Kensington Oval with the opportunity to win a final.
Alex Carey

Playing a brilliant one-two in the box, Aaronson tapped home to secure a 1-0 victory and all three points

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• Leeds defeat Derby 1-0
• Aaronson scores winner
• American spearheading promotion campaign

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Leeds United defeated Derby County 1-0 on Sunday, with the securing all three points courtesy of a 79th minute winner from Brenden Aaronson. The American, assisted by Joel Piroe, slotted home in the bottom right corner of the net after a stupendous one-two play with the Dutchman inside the Derby box.

  With the result, Leeds are now unbeaten in their last six matches, with five wins.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The American has been in brilliant form in 2024-25 since returning to the club from his loan at Bundesliga side Union Berlin, scoring seven goals and recording two assists. The club's second leading scorer behind Piroe, he came up clutch in an important victory on Sunday.

  Beyond the goal, Aaronson completed 88 percent of his passes, while creating two big chances based off of 45 touches on the ball.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR AARONSON AND LEEDS?

  Aaronson and Leeds have wrapped the calendar year now, and the end 2024 atop the English Championship standings. Heading into 2025, they will be pushing for promotion to the Premier League, with Aaronson spearheading their campaign.

India’s capital city, affected in a major way by the pandemic, will host matches from next week

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Apr-2021There is no plan to shift the IPL 2021 matches scheduled for Delhi, despite that city being one of the worst affected by the current Covid-19 wave. The city recorded more than 300 deaths and 26,000 new cases on April 22, and currently faces an acute shortage of hospital beds and oxygen supplies.Four IPL teams – defending champions Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings, the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals – are scheduled to play eight matches there from April 28 to May 8. It is understood that Mumbai would be the first team to land in Delhi, on April 24, followed by the other three teams, who are scheduled to reach by April 26.The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), which in charge of the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, is putting its faith in the bio-secure bubble created for the IPL. “It is on schedule,” DDCA president Rohan Jaitley told ESPNcricinfo on Friday. “The bubble is absolutely intact. If I am not part of the bubble, I can’t meet anybody [inside it]. It is absolutely safe.”Related

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van der Dussen lined up as Royals replacement

Jaitley confirmed that all the relevant personnel, including groundspersons, are part of the bubble. “There is a health and safety protocol that is already in place where teams move around in bubbles, they stay in bubbles, practice happens in a bubble, and any and every person who comes in contact is part of the bubble. There is no one who is outside the bubble.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the IPL governing council has not had any discussion internally or with the franchises about having a rethink on the Delhi leg.As of Friday morning, as per the official data released by the Indian government, Delhi had over 91,000 active Covid-19 cases, including 13,193 deaths. That the city is in uncertain waters has been explained in public by its chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who said that almost every third person who has been tested in the capital had returning a positive result. In the past week, Delhi has also been dangerously close to exhausting its oxygen reserves, even as hospitals have run out of space.While the BCCI is confident that the ground situation in Delhi – as in other cities where the pandemic is raging – would not have any bearing on the IPL, the franchises remained wary. It is understood that some of them have been asked by their medical experts to double-mask at all times and travel wearing full PPE kits.The players themselves have not expressed any concerns in public yet, though England allrounder Chris Woakes, who represents the Delhi Capitals, has said that it wasn’t an ideal situation. “It’s a shame with the situation at the moment with the people all around the world having to deal with Covid, which isn’t ideal,” Woakes told . “Within the bubble, we are trying to stay positive. We are very lucky that we still get a chance to play cricket and entertain people on the outside.”

The whole tournament will take place in Karachi, with bio-security outsourced to a UK-based company

Umar Farooq18-Mar-2021

The window for the unfinished 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League is likely to begin on May 23, with at least seven days of quarantine to start. The PCB had chalked out two options, with one involving double-headers every day from June 6 and a final on June 20. But ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchises preferred the other option, to have mostly one game per night from June 2, with a final on June 20.The first option had eight straight double-headers with 16 matches scheduled in 10 days followed by three playoffs in two days with the final on Sunday. The second option covers 16 group matches in 13 days. There was a minor disagreement on the timing and the number of days of quarantine, which is still being worked out, with the final decision to be taken by the PSL management in due course.The year’s edition was suspended only after 14 matches, following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff. It has been decided to resume the season in Karachi in two and a half months’ time with the PCB offering two windows after revamping their coronavirus protocols, which have come under severe fire in the wake of the season stalling in very abrupt fashion. The PCB decided to recruit the services of a UK-based safety and technology company to establish a bio-secure environment this time around.Related

Remainder of PSL 2021 could be postponed further, says PCB

Timeline: How Covid-19 forced PSL 2021 to be suspended

What postponing the PSL means for Pakistan cricket

Independent team of doctors to investigate PSL safety measures

PSL franchise member left bubble despite testing positive

After the postponement, the PCB constituted a two-member independent committee consisting of infectious disease specialists who will both help the PCB get to the bottom of how an outbreak occurred inside a bio-secure bubble and advise the board on stricter safety measures so that it doesn’t happen again. The head of the PCB medical department Dr Sohail Saleem has already handed in his notice in the fallout.The new window will not clash with the Indian Premier League but the English season will coincide with it. It is understood that several English players are likely to miss out due to a clash with the County Championship and the T20 Blast. The PSL will have a round of replacement drafts closer to the event to allow franchises to have new players on their roster.In June, Pakistan doesn’t host much cricket because of the intense heat. There was one exception though, in 2008, when they hosted their first-ever Asia Cup between June 25 and July 6. Karachi has been chosen as the venue because the weather there is considered to be milder during the summer months.

An elite European club has entered talks with Chelsea over signing a £50 million member of Enzo Maresca's squad, and it is believed he's tempted by the possibility of joining them before the summer deadline.

Players who could still be sold by Chelsea this summer

So far, Todd Boehly and BlueCo have given the green light to a host of players leaving Stamford Bridge, with co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Wistanley finding an array of suitors for them.

Fabrizio Romano: 6ft 3 star now agrees to join Chelsea after bid submitted

They have a long-term contract ready for him to sign at Stamford Bridge.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 25, 2024

Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Lewis Hall have all left Chelsea, with the aforementioned quartet bringing in around £89 million to help even out their financial scales after another window of lavish spending.

Boehly and co have also managed to get their wages off the club's books, which will save cash in the long-term and allow the west Londoners to reinvest that money in the salaries of future additions.

Alongside these former Chelsea men, a few more players have been tipped for the exit door this summer. Trevoh Chalobah is now prepared to leave Chelsea after being omitted from their pre-season tour, a move which has drawn criticism from both pundits and supporters.

"The Chalobah situation is an absolute shambles," said Bart Barrett, a life-long Chelsea season ticket holder, to GOAL.

"He was probably our best defender in last 10-15 games last season – no coincidence our form improved massively with him in there instead of Disasi and [Benoit] Badiashile.

"It's a joke they have signed Tosin to replace Chalobah, who is a better player and has been at Chelsea since a kid. But the only way they look at it is Tosin was free and Chalobah will go for £30m – so profit for the same squad role. It just shows a complete lack of understanding of the club."

While treatment of the 24-year-old Cobham graduate has attracted criticism, another player who supporters won't want to see leave is midfielder Conor Gallagher. The England international, who is also a product of the Chelsea academy, has been linked with a high-profile exit which would prove deeply unpopular with the fanbase.

Atletico Madrid open talks to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea

He's entered the final 12 months of his contract, meaning the west Londoners are faced with the difficult decision of either selling this window or letting him go for free next year.

There has been no news in the way of renewed terms, and that is something which clubs are looking to take advantage of. According to TEAMtalk, Atletico Madrid have opened talks with Chelsea over signing Gallagher.

Diego Simeone's side are confident they'll win the race for his services and believe he really fits their mold. TEAMtalk also state that Gallagher is attracted by the possibility of joining up with the La Liga heavyweights, but it will be interesting to see if they're willing to go anywhere near Chelsea's £50 million valuation of the player.

Called a "very underrated" player by commentator Stephen Doyle, Gallagher's exit is a transfer which could be met with uproar.

Despite falling to the third tier last season, Birmingham City look to have no interest in restricting themselves to the League One market as they eye a move for a player with no shortage of European pedigree.

Relegation won't stop Blues spending spree

Seemingly undeterred by the division they now find themselves in, the Blues have been active in the transfer market this summer, making a number of high-profile moves.

Birmingham could forget about Paik Seung-Ho by signing £0 EFL star

Birmingham City can bolster their midfield away from their South Korean talent with this buy.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 27, 2024

A fresh face between the sticks was clearly high on the list of priorities for the higher ups at St Andrews with both Hull City shot stopper Ryan Allsop and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell moving to the Midlands in the early passages of the summer.

The Blues have also been linked with a number of outfield players who could make the move to St Andrews during the window. Sparta Rotterdam centre-back Mike Eerdhuijzen is one name that has been doing the rounds, alongside Brighton want-away Marc Leonard.

With Birmingham clearly far from finished in the transfer window, the Blues are now linked with a move for another player with no shortage of top level experience.

Birmingham set to go for Goldson this summer

As first reported by the Scottish Sun, Birmingham are targeting a move for Rangers defender Connor Goldson this summer. The 31-year-old central defender grew up in nearby Wolverhampton and could be tempted by a move back to the Midlands during the transfer window.

Goldson first arrived at the Ibrox outfit in a £3million transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion back in 2018. Since touching down in Glasgow, the defender has gone on to make 309 appearances for Rangers playing every game of their title winning season back in 2021.

It was during this triumphant campaign that Goldson received the plaudits of then Rangers boss Steven Gerrard who said of the defender: “Connor has been an absolute mountain for this team, a warrior.

“He has had a lot of stick over the years, wrongly in my opinion. But he has continued to improve and strive to improve from a personal point of view."

Signed under Gerrard's tenure, Goldson has struggled for form following the Englishman's departure for Aston Villa in 2021. With current boss Philippe Clement looking to stamp his authority on his side this summer, it is likely that Goldson could be shown the door to make way for new signings.

A report back in June even linked Goldson with a move to Gerrard's current club Al-Ettifaq. The Saudi Arabian outfit were said to be preparing a bid for Goldson alongside his Rangers teammate James Tavernier.

Despite winning league titles and playing in the Champions League, Goldson is also no stranger to putting in the hard yards in the EFL. Across a three season spell with Shrewsbury Town, the defender made 55 appearances in League One, showing that the 31-year-old is no stranger to the third tier.

The potential stumbling block for any deal could be Goldson's wage packet which currently stands at a reported £37,000 per week. Despite this, the Blues have shown that they are not shy of splashing the cash especially for a player of Goldson's pedigree.

Pakistan have had a troublesome start to their New Zealand tour with as many as six members of the 54-member camp testing positive for Covid-19 since arriving in the country last month. As a result, the entire squad and support staff was in managed isolation in Christchurch and wasn’t given any exemption to train in groups. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq believes the lack of training and the unusual lead-up to the series will have affected the players, both “mentally and physically”.”I want to compliment my players and the management team for their patience, sacrifices and the hardships they have endured to ensure they not only lead the safe resumption of international cricket during the Covid-19 pandemic since the series in England but also try to give their best every time they step on the field,” Misbah said in a PCB release.”Top professional athletes require a certain environment to prepare so that they can perform at the minimum expected levels every time they represent their countries. While we completely respect and understand the New Zealand Government Laws, which have been put in place for the health and safety of their public, there is no denying the fact that the implementation of certain regulations has affected our athletes, both mentally and physically prior to an international series.”Nonetheless, when we will leave the isolation facility in the next day or two, we will try to put all this behind us and focus on the challenge of facing New Zealand in both the formats.”The first leg of the tour will comprise three T20Is starting on December 18 in Auckland. Pakistan have brought allrounder Hussain Talat and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed back for that series, They replace Zafar Gohar and Rohail Nazir who were part of the T20I squad against Zimbabwe.Ahmed had been left out of the Zimbabwe series to give youngsters a chance and so that he could instead play first-class cricket to “retain his fitness” and “rediscover” his form. He played three games in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for Sindh and scored an unbeaten century against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Overall, he scored 177 runs from six innings with an average of just over 35.Talat last played international cricket in February 2019 on a tour of South Africa. He recently scored a career-best double-century and a century in five innings in the Quiad-e-Azam Trophy. Before that, he also racked up 319 runs for Southern Punjab in the National T20 Cup in October at a strike rate of nearly 152 with three half-centuries.Pakistan’s T20I squad against New Zealand•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After the T20Is, Imad Wasim will depart for Australia on December 23 to play in the Big Bash League, while Mohammad Hafeez will leave for Pakistan on December 24.Pakistan also announced a 16-man Shaheens squad for the four-day game against New Zealand A starting December 17 in Whangarei. Both squads will depart for Queenstown on December 8 after completing the 14-day isolation in Christchurch. They will stay in separate hotels in Queenstown and will train at different times according to their match requirements, a PCB release said. The Shaheens squad will travel to Whangarei on December 14 whereas the T20I players will head to Auckland on 15 December.Both Gohar and Nazir, who didn’t get a game against Zimbabwe, were named in the Shaheens squad which will be captained by 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Nazir.ALSO READ: How did so many Pakistan players test Covid-positive?The Pakistan Test players will travel with the Shaheens squad to prepare for the two Tests starting December 26. The Shaheens players will also play intra-squad practice matches in Queenstown before their four-day game on December 17.Shaheens squad: Rohail Nazir (capt), Abid Ali, Amad Butt, Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Malik.

Virat Kohli is always up at “110%” when it comes to being motivated, so he will be “ready to go” in Australia before going on paternity leave following the white-ball games and the first Test, according to Marcus Stoinis.Asked at a press interaction if Kohli might be a bit more keyed up than usual to make an impact because he would be missing the last three Tests to be back at home with his wife for the birth of their first child, Stoinis said, “Don’t worry about Virat, he’s up for every single game that he’s playing. Yeah, maybe there will be extra motivation, but I don’t think there’s any extra motivation than 110%. So let’s see. I am sure he will be ready to go. He is getting home for the birth of his kid, which is the right decision in my opinion. So I am sure he will be extra motivated.”We’ve definitely got our strategies, we’ve had things that have worked in the past, and at other times the same plans haven’t worked and he’s made some runs. Obviously he is a great player, and to all these good players, you do what you want to do, you have your plans, and on the day, you get extra competitive and you hope it all falls in your side of the court.”Stoinis is coming into the white-ball games against India – starting with the three-ODI series on November 27, and then the three T20Is – on the back of good form in the IPL, where he was one of the major forces that drove the Delhi Capitals to their maiden final, before they lost to the Mumbai Indians. He averaged 25.14 in scoring 352 runs from 17 innings at a strike rate of 148.52, and also made an impact with the ball, picking up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 9.53 and an excellent strike rate of 13.6.”I will hopefully continue to bring that form into the summer, but there’s nothing really too different (that I have been doing). The break was great – as bad as it was with Covid – it was nice to come back quite fresh into all these competitions. I feel like I was going well in England before leading in as well, so hopefully the results keep coming my way,” he said. “But it also helped that we had a good team, we had a great team; I was very fortunate to be in the same team as Ricky Ponting, who was our coach.”‘Punter wants me to take more responsibility’
Calling himself a “massive fan” of Ponting and sharing credit with the former Australia captain for “whatever personal success I had in the IPL”, Stoinis elaborated on the equation between the two men while at the IPL.”He’s also not someone who will sit there and tell you what to do. He will either show you the way or only sort of speak to you when he thinks he has something that can help,” Stoinis said. “You have to ask him, but I don’t think he is in the business of changing careers; like all those good coaches, you never really know you’re being coached until the end, when you look back and think that was that, bloody important.”With concussion putting Steven Smith out of Australia’s last ODI series in England – shortly before the IPL – Stoinis was moved to No. 3 in the batting order, and he said Ponting had been one among “a big sort of pool of events” that led to the promotion.”I think there’s been a big pool of events that are leading towards me moving up the order a little bit. But I also really enjoy batting in the middle order for Delhi in the IPL,” he said. “Punter [Ponting] wants me to take more responsibility in teams that he has been in charge of. But, at the end of the day, I think I just have to be adaptable about batting in every position, pretty much from one to seven, (as I have) over the last three years. So I just have to keep that mindset, I guess.”I am just happy to be involved wherever they feel (I will have) the most impact on the game, whether that’s in the middle order, whether that’s where my biggest impact is for the team, whether they want to get me up earlier… I know I have had these conversations with Ricky, ‘just let me know when to put the pads on’, ‘let me know when I’m in and I’ll try to do the best job I can’.”