تمكن يوفنتوس من تحقيق فوز صعب وهام على ضيفه بي إس في آيندهوفن الهولندي بهدفين مقابل هدف في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وواجه يوفنتوس نظيره آيندهوفن، في ذهاب ملحق دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، في نظامها الجديد على ملعب “استاد يوفنتوس”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. فيديو | بمشاركة عمر مرموش.. ريال مدريد يقتنص فوزاُ قاتلاً من مانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

أحرز وستون مكيني هدف يوفنتوس الأول بحلول الدقيقة 34 بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من فيدريكو جاتي.

وتمكن إيفان بيريزيتش من تسجيل هدف التعادل للفريق الهولندي عند الدقيقة 56 من عمر الشوط الثاني، ونجح البديل صمويل مبانجولا في تسجيل ثاني أهداف يوفنتوس عند الدقيقة 82.

ويذكر أن لقاء الإياب بين الفريقين سيقام على ملعب فيليبس، يوم الأربعاء المقبل لحسم المتأهل إلى مرحلة دور الـ16. أهداف مباراة يوفنتوس وآيندهوفن 2-1 في دوري أبطال أوروبا

على الجانب الآخر، نجح بوروسيا دورتموند في تحقيق فوز كبير على مضيفه سبورتنج لشبونة بثلاثية نظيفة في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وواجه بوروسيا دورتموند نظيره سبورتنج لشبونة، في ذهاب ملحق دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، في نظامها الجديد على ملعب “جوزيه ألفالادي”.

سيرهو جيراسي تمكن من افتتاح التسجيل لصالح بوروسيا دورتموند عند الدقيقة 60 من عمر الشوط الثاني من ضربة رأسية.

فيما وقع باسكال جروس على ثاني أهداف الفريق الألماني بحلول الدقيقة 68، بينما اختتم كريم أديميي أهداف دورتموند بتسجيله للهدف الثالث بالدقيقة 82.

بذلك يضع بوروسيا دورتموند قدماً في بلوغ المرحلة الأولى من منافسات دور الـ16، في انتظار لقاء الإياب الذي سيجمع بين الفريقين على ملعب “سيجنال إيدونا بارك”. أهداف مباراة بوروسيا دورتموند وسبورتينج لشبونة 0/3 في دوري أبطال أوروبا

Surrey moved to the top of the Vitality Blast South Group after their bowlers successfully defended a target of 147 and kept Hampshire Hawks rooted to the foot of the table.In the first Blast match to be played in front of a crowd at the Ageas Bowl in 22 months, the home side looked to have given themselves a great chance of securing a second win of the season after holding Surrey to 146 for 7 after winning the toss and elected to field.However, a Jamie Overton-inspired Surrey restricted the Hawks to 126 for 8 to seal a 20-run victory with the former Somerset allrounder finishing with figures of 2 for 14 from four outstanding overs and Gus Atkinson pitching in with 3 for 21.Related

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On a sluggish pitch, Hampshire’s attack also bowled magnificently with the visitors scoring just 36 runs in the final seven overs of their innings.A fantastic spell from Scott Currie halted Surrey’s hopes of posting an imposing total when he dismissed Jamie Smith, who top-scored with 59, and England batter Ollie Pope for 22, within three balls.Currie grabbed 3 for 21 from three overs with Brad Wheal taking two wickets and Mason Crane and Chris Wood one apiece.D’Arcy Short and Hawks skipper James Vince got the hosts off to a flying start in their response as they scored 23 off the first three overs. However, Australian opener Short’s struggles with the bat continued when he thumped a full toss straight back at Overton to be caught and bowled for 13.Short’s departure brought 18-year-old Tom Prest to the crease but the talented teenager struggled to get bat on ball against Surrey’s experienced bowling attack as the visitors put the brakes on the Hawks’ run-scoring as they limped to 40 for 1 after the powerplay.Gus Atkinson celebrates a breakthrough•Getty Images

Veteran spinner Gareth Batty then grabbed the crucial wicket of Vince when he rattled the stumps of the England batter, who departed for 19.Overton’s tight bowling in conjunction with Atkinson and giant New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson shut down the Hampshire batters with boundaries hard to come by as Prest departed for 20 and Colin de Grandhomme for six.Joe Weatherley tried manfully to up the run rate with a glorious shot that found the rope only to find himself back in the pavilion after the next ball thanks to a stunning flying catch on the boundary from Pope off Overton.Hampshire scored just one four in the final five overs as wickets continued to fall, leaving them needing 27 runs from the final six balls for victory as Surrey closed out an impressive victory.

Sri Lanka never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack

George Dobell23-Jun-2021England have taken a one-nil lead in the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a comfortable eight-wicket victory in Cardiff achieved with 17 deliveries to spare.A much-changed Sri Lanka side – there were six alterations from their previous T20I in March – never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack or a slightly sluggish surface that rendered strokeplay tricky. At one stage they went 10 overs (from 4.2 to 14.1) without hitting a four and there were just three sixes in their innings.Eoin Morgan, the England captain, appeared to have an almost endless array of options and variations on hand in the field. And with Adil Rashid producing the third most economical four-over spell of his T20I career (he conceded 17) and Chris Woakes (three overs for 14) and Liam Livingstone (two overs for nine) adding equally miserly support in conceding just one boundary between them, Sri Lanka never looked to be on course for a competitive total.While Dasun Shanaka, with his second T20I half-century, helped Sri Lanka plunder 25 off the final two overs of the innings to drag his side to something approaching respectability, only one of his colleagues, Kusal Perera, made 20 and Sri Lanka only took their run-rate above a run-a-ball in their penultimate over.That left England chasing a modest 130 for victory. And even without the injured Ben Stokes, that was unlikely to test the side ranked No. 1 in the world in this format.Related

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Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, took 61 from the powerplay to all but end the game as a contest. If Buttler, timing the ball beautifully both through and over the off side, was the more pleasing on the eye, Roy was no less effective as he thrashed through the leg side. It was some surprise when he was brilliantly caught attempting to flay one over mid-off.By then, though, the openers had added 80 from 55 balls. And while Dawid Malan (seven off 14) was unable to get into his stride, Buttler brought up a 38-ball half-century by taking 10 off two deliveries from Akila Dananjaya – a pulled six followed by a drive for four – and ensured England cruised over the victory line with quite a bit to spare.Perhaps the one-side nature of the contest was no big surprise: this was the No. 1 ranked T20 side playing at home against the No. 8 ranked side, after all. Spare a thought for Sri Lanka, though. In the age of Covid, we have become accustomed to teams performing without the warm-up matches and acclimatisation we once expected. Here, though, Sri Lanka were up against a side who are in the middle of their domestic T20 tournament – the Vitality Blast – and had only had a couple of inter-squad matches to prepare by comparison. It was hardly ideal and it may well have shown.Buttler’s opening statementButtler came into this game having spent the last couple of weeks batting in Lancashire’s middle-order in T20 cricket. And with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes also vying for the opening position in this format, he may have felt he had something to prove. If so, he did a fine job of making his point with an innings that was both controlled and brutal. Early on, it was his shots through the off-side – a lofted drive and a back foot punch, in particular – that caught the eye, but as the ball softened and the sluggish pitch made such strokes less productive, he produced some powerful thumps through the leg side. He gave only one chance, from the final ball of the match, when an outside edge was dropped by Kusal Perera. It was Buttler’s second T20I half-century in succession and his third in four innings. For a man who scores at his rates, that is a remarkable level of consistency. He also scored a century in his final IPL innings.Shanaka’s fightShanaka recorded the second half-century of his T20I career to justify his recall to the Sri Lanka side. Shanaka hadn’t played an international match in this format since March 2020 but here, coming in with his side in some trouble (they were 52 for 4 in the ninth over), he provided the resistance. He looked hurried by Mark Wood initially – he was beaten by his first three deliveries and, after 16 balls, had scored just nine – but, as he settled, he unveiled some powerful strokes and accelerated nicely in hitting 23 from the eight deliveries before his dismissal from the final ball of the innings. Twice in succession, Wood was punished for some width by being cut to the boundary, while he also hit two-thirds of the sixes of the innings: a ferocious drive over long-on off Chris Jordan and a pull off Sam Curran. None of it was enough to take Sri Lanka to victory but he did, at least, give his bowlers something to defend.Like a LivingstoneSome were surprised by England’s decision to prefer Livingstone to Moeen Ali as their spin-bowling allrounder. But Livingstone’s ability to bowl both leg and offspin does give him an edge in being able to adapt to left or right-handed batters. He has been in decent form with the bat in domestic T20 cricket, too, scoring an unbeaten 94 a couple of weeks ago and 45 and 65 in his two most recent games. He didn’t have a chance to bat here but impressed with the ball in delivering two well-controlled overs containing both offbreaks and leggies and without conceding a boundary. It was a performance that provided his captain with a buffer should any of his frontline bowlers have an off day and must have done Livingstone’s T20 World Cup chances no harm at all.Hope in HasarangaSri Lanka’s bowlers weren’t given much of a chance by their batters. But at least Wanindu Hasaranga gave Sri Lanka supporters some cheer with a really well controlled spell of leg-spin that saw him concede just 12 runs and deliver 14 dot balls. With just a little luck he could have had a couple of wickets, too, as England’s batters struggled to predict which deliveries would turn and which would skid on. Malan missed one which slid past his outside edge and Bairstow came within an ace of playing on to another which hurried on to him. The impression was that, given a decent target to defend, he could have caused England quite a lot of trouble.The return of ChrisThe last time Chris Woakes played a T20I, Barack Obama was president of the USA and David Cameron was prime minister in the UK. So a lot has changed since November 2015. But with Jofra Archer missing and Woakes having enjoyed a decent IPL, England recalled him for his first international game since September; a remarkably long time for a player with a central contract who spent much of the winter in the squad’s bio-bubbles. While Woakes didn’t take a wicket, he more than justified his recall in conceding just one boundary in three frugal overs which contained 11 dot balls and cost only 14. With his control, his variations and his experience, he may well have put himself back in contention for a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

Philippe Clement faces arguably his most important five days in charge of Glasgow Rangers between now and the end of the transfer window.

While buoyed by Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Ross County, the start of the season has been underwhelming, to say the least, as the first Old Firm clash of the campaign is fast approaching.

At this moment in time, however, this will be the farthest thing from his mind, especially considering he has days left to make another couple of signings for the Light Blues.

Clement may have to move on a player or two first if he wishes to add to his current first-team squad, and this is proving to be quite a problem for the Gers.

One player who has been linked with a move away from Glasgow is that of yesterday's two-goal star, Rabbi Matondo, who is attracting interest from the English Championship.

Rabbi Matondo’s future at Rangers

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that Leeds United were keen on luring Matondo south of the border in a bid to improve their squad, as the winger emerged as a potential option.

It now appears that fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers could be set to win the race for his signature, according to Football League World.

John Eustace has plenty of money to spend as Sammie Szmodics was sold to Ipswich Town for a fee in the region of £10m, giving the club a boost to their finances.

This could see the Rovers make a concrete move for Matondo before the end of the transfer window, as it looks as though Clement is keen to cash in on the youngster.

Securing a fee would give the Belgian an opportunity to perhaps sign another player for the Ibrox side before the end of the window.

Might the club be chasing a swoop for a Serie A winger?

Rangers chase move for Fiorentina winger

As reported in Italy earlier this week, Rangers are showing interest in luring Fiorentina winger Josip Brekalo to Glasgow before the end of the window.

It was claimed that the Ibrox side have enquired about a potential swoop for the 5 foot 9 dynamo as it looks like he could be on the move from Serie A.

Much will depend on whether Clement can get Matondo off the books in the next few days. Otherwise, it might be tough to sign Brekalo.

If a move did go through, however, the Croatian would be a stunning coup for the Gers, one that would give them a significant boost out wide.

Josip Brekalo’s season in numbers

The 26-year-old endured a difficult first few months of the 2023/24 campaign for the Italian side, as he made just 18 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once in the process.

The left-winger was duly loaned out to Hajduk Split in his homeland for the second half of the season, and it saw the winger at his very best.

He may have only made 16 appearances for the Croatian side, but Brekalo was one of their most effective attacking outlets, scoring twice and grabbing eight assists during his time at the club.

Not only did he finish first among his teammates with regard to overall Sofascore rating in the top flight (7.58), but the winger also ranked fourth for goals and assists (ten), third for shots on target per game (0.6), third for big chances created (four), first for key passes per game (2.6) and for successful dribbles each mate (1.9), showcasing his true talents in his native Croatia.

Despite his underwhelming start to the season for Fiorentina, Brekalo actually ranked in the top 8% when compared to his peers for shot on target percentage per 90 (44.4%), along with ranking in the top 11% for progressive passes received per 90 (9.52) in the top flight.

This suggests that he gets himself into dangerous positions on a regular basis, while also showing a keen eye for goal given how many shots he has on target.

This is exactly the type of player Clement is after as he looks to improve his side’s attacking output. With this in mind, Brekalo could be the player to get Danilo finally firing in a Rangers jersey.

Danilo’s Rangers statistics

The 25-year-old was Michael Beale’s most expensive summer signing in 2023, costing the Light Blues around £6m from Dutch side Feyenoord.

A fee of this size naturally put pressure on the striker to deliver and, despite breaking his cheekbone in September, Danilo scored six goals in his first 21 matches, of which only ten came in the starting XI.

The centre-forward suffered a serious knee injury against Hearts prior to Christmas, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

It wasn’t exactly the debut campaign that Danilo was hoping for, especially considering the size of the fee involved in his transfer.

In the first five games of 2024/25, he played just 45 minutes, in the League Cup clash against St Johnstone, offering little in the way of attacking input, albeit before netting his first of the season in the thumping win against Ross County.

Of course, it will take him weeks to get back up to speed again, but having someone like Brekalo playing out wide could inspire plenty of confidence in the former Ajax striker.

The winger loves to work his way into the opposition box regularly, which indicates his desire to get into the most dangerous positions to not only have a shot at goal, but to also set up chances for his teammates.

Once Danilo scores a couple of goals and gains more minutes in his legs, confidence will start to flow, and a dream partnership could be formed.

Clement must act swiftly, as there are just days remaining of the 2024 summer transfer window. Not only that, but it looks as though a few players will need to leave before any signings are made.

Matondo is the obvious candidate given interest from down south in the winger, but there are a few others in the current squad who must be moved on so the Belgian can sign the talented Brekalo.

Contact made: Rangers in talks to sign young defender seen as future star

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Brett Worthington

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Mithali Raj adds “it’s nice to go in without the baggage” as India Women seek exposure in tour of England

Annesha Ghosh01-Jun-20211:43

Powar: ‘Opportunity for Mithali and I to take team to the next level’

Ten out of the 18-member Test squad haven’t played a Test before. India play two Tests away this year. Could blooding first-timers in the longest format away from home be a challenge?
Raj: It’s good to have Tests, whether it’s at home or away. If there’s continuity, it’s great because it helps the player as well. Sometimes it’s nice to go in without the baggage; you just go and play it, enjoy the atmosphere and it’s good to have girls who have played for the first time and girls who’ve played in the past share their experiences of how it was way back in 2014. But I guess having two back-to-back Test matches, I mean to say touring England and Australia, can give a lot of exposure to the current lot. And If that can be carried forward in the coming years, it will be great for the sport.Powar: I think it’s a great start. As head coach, obviously, I want more Test games all over the world. We have to look at it in a different way. It’s just a start; let’s take it step by step. Don’t push the girls into a zone where you’re demanding too many things in Test cricket. It’s a new format [for them] that has not been played consistently over the last ten years, so let’s wait and watch how they react. We might get surprises. They will perform better [if] given the opportunity.India have only played one full series – at home against South Africa in March – since the T20 World Cup last year. How will quarantines in Mumbai [before departure] and Southampton [upon arrival] affect the team’s pre-series preparations?
Powar: It’s not ideal, worldwide, right now. We are trying to look at the bright side. If you look at it, women’s cricketers are getting opportunities – Test cricket, ODIs and, T20Is. It’s a good, long tour of 45 days, and I think, we as a team are thankful to the BCCI for putting up such a tour. It’s not easy.It’s not physically possible, yes, [to prepare oneself adequately], but mental make-up will make a huge difference and I think in my last assignment we’ve tried that, and it paid dividends. I have done it with the Mumbai [men’s] team, and we had just six sessions, and we managed to react positively to the tournament we played.Ramesh Powar speaks to the India Women players•ICC via Getty

Powar on the key to adapting quickly to English conditions
Powar: There will be balls seaming around for batters as well as bowlers. I think in every part of England the conditions will be different, so we will try and adjust to that. Batsmen will, obviously, play close to the body, they will show more patience. When the sun is out, they will enjoy their batting, when the sun is down, they’ll put in hard work to get over that period.Bowlers also – if there’s a lot of help, they will have to control their swing also. There are a lot of things. We’ll go there and assess and we’ll build on it. We can’t go there with a fixed mind. The sun might be out and you may get flat tracks too. You never know.Related

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How important is workload management of 38-year-old Jhulan Goswami, the senior-most member of the Indian attack?
Raj: It’s important that she gets games because even she needs game-time in the middle but, at the same time, being the senior-most it’s also important to keep her in the thick of things. If she needs rest, it’s up to her completely. Knowing Jhulan, I know for a fact she wants to play every game. As a captain also I would like to have her on the field so that the young fast bowlers in the side will get a lot of help if they have her around.Thoughts on Shafali Verma, the 17-year-old batter, who is making heads turn
Powar: It [guidance she needs in longer formats] depends on the way she handles practice sessions because we’ve done something great with Prithvi Shaw when we played the Vijay Hazare Trophy, so you can wait and watch. You might see a different Shafali when she [takes] the field after one and a half months.

Bruno Fernandes says he is "upset" by Manchester United's inconsistency after a spirited 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Man Utd draw 2-2 at Liverpool
• Bruno "upset" at team's results
• Says United have to perform "everywhere"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils put in one of their best performances of the season as they fought back to claim a point at Anfield on Sunday. Despite this much-improved display, exasperated United captain Fernandes lamented why his side couldn't play this way "every week" and warned that his team-mates need to maintain this "level" going forward.

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  WHAT BRUNO FERNANDES SAID

  He told Sky Sports: "We have been criticised and fairly. Our position in the table says it all, we have lost too many points. Even today we can't be happy with a point. We need the points and we could've won the game at the end, but it's a fair result. Both teams played good football. I'm pretty upset. If we show this level at Liverpool, first in the league, why can't we do this everywhere? It frustrates me. Also, finally I did a proper performance. We said we need much more from ourselves to get more from this season. Being 2-1 [down] then scoring it's good to get a point but we need more. Now we have an FA Cup tie at Arsenal and it is going to be very tough but we want to get to the final again. We know how tough it is to play against Liverpool. Today we put in a real effort to the game, playing with some passion and heart is what is going to give you something from the game. You have to put in effort and that's why we took something from today. It can't stop here, We have to bring this frustration to the next game to understand this has to be the level. If we can do it an Anfield, we have to do it everywhere. It can't stop here, We have to bring this frustration to the next game to understand this has to be the level. If we can do it an Anfield, we have to do it everywhere."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  United are still 13th in the Premier League and they were close to registering a fourth-straight league defeat – something they have not done since 1979. Ruben Amorim's team now need to kick on from this result but if they don't, the new head coach could be under pressure again.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United take a break from league action next weekend when they travel to Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.

أكد دومينيك دا سيلفا لاعب الأهلي والزمالك السابق، أنه سيتابع مباراة القمة المقبلة بين الفريقين، والتي ستجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري، ممتدحًا فترة تواجده مع الناديين.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي والزمالك مساء السبت المقبل، وذلك في إطار لقاءات الجولة الـ15 من الدوري المصري.

وقال دومينيك دا سيلفا في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة اون تايم سبورتس: “أثناء تواجدي في الدوري المصري مع الأهلي والزمالك كانت الفترة الأفضل، وكانت هذه حكاية عظيمة أنني ألعب لأكبر فريقين في مصر”.

وأكمل: “فترتي مع الأهلي قضيت ثلاثة سنوات ونصف وكانت لحظات طيبة وحصلت على بطولات”.

طالع | عماد متعب: أي نتيجة لقمة الأهلي والزمالك في صالح بيراميدز.. وفيستون ماييلي يشبه مهاجم الأحمر

واستطرد: “في الزمالك لعبت 6 أشهر وكانت لحظات طيبة معهم لا أستطيع أن أحدد أي فترة الأفضل، وكان لدي لحظات جميلة في كلا الفريقين”.

وأضاف: “ما زالت متابعا للأهلي والزمالك بعض الأحيان في مباريات الكونفدرالية أو دوري الأبطال أو كأس السوبر الإفريقي، وعندما أشاهد هذه المباريات أتذكر الوقت الطيب الذي قضيته في الفريقين، وسأتابع مباراة الأهلي والزمالك المقبلة”.

وبسؤاله هل ممكن أن نراك في مصر قريبًا؟، أجاب: “أتمنى ذلك، وأتمنى أن أعود إلى مصر وقت ما، وأزور الفريقين”.

Aston Villa have been forced to rely heavily on Ollie Watkins since the start of last season as the Englishman only has Jhon Duran for competition.

It hasn’t exactly hampered his performances, as the Englishman scored 27 times last term, which steered Villa to a top-four finish in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the Champions League.

Duran has stepped up this season despite the continued interest shown in him during the summer transfer window, as the Colombian has netted twice in just three league matches so far.

While the 20-year-old is potentially a player to build around for the future, could Unai Emery have another Watkins brewing in the academy?

Why Rory Wilson could be Ollie Watkins 2.0

The 18-year-old striker has certainly impressed since moving to Villa from Rangers back in the summer of 2022.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

The Scot scored a remarkable tally of 49 goals during the 2021/22 campaign for the Gers youth teams, which naturally led to interest from down south.

James Grady, a Scotland youth coach, even described Wilson as being “obsessed with becoming the best” and it was perhaps no surprise that Steven Gerrard brought Wilson down to the Midlands ahead of his first full season in charge.

Since then, the youngster has exuded similar qualities to that of Watkins, finding the net on a regular basis by showcasing his incredible finishing skills.

During the U18 Premier League campaign, Wilson scored 16 goals in just 13 appearances, before making the move up to the Premier League 2, finding the back of the net three times in 13 games.

He has kickstarted the current campaign off with a goal already. Could he stake a claim for a first team berth in the coming months? Especially with games coming thick and fast for Emery.

Why Wilson could be Villa’s biggest talent since Jack Grealish

Not since Jack Grealish made his breakthrough at Villa nearly ten years ago has there arguably been so much hype over a single youth player, with the teenager currently attracting interest from the likes of Inter Milan and RB Leipzig.

The current Manchester City gem made over 200 appearances for the Midlands side before joining City for £100m in 2021, with the move turning out to be a stunning piece of business conducted by the club.

It's safe to say Grealish hasn’t quite had the best of times under Pep Guardiola, scoring just 14 times for the club and there was even some talk regarding him moving back to his boyhood club during the summer.

Despite only being 18, Wilson has made a couple of appearances for the Scotland U21 side, clearly demonstrating how ahead of the curve he is. If the young talent continues to score for fun for Villa’s own U21 outfit, Emery surely cannot ignore him for much longer.

Indeed, with Watkins and Duran the only senior centre-forwards in the first-team squad, an injury to either could potentially see the Scot given an unlikely opportunity.

Should this happen, Wilson has the ability to make an impression for the first team, without a shadow of a doubt, with the hope that he can follow in Grealish's footsteps before him.

Worth more than Grealish: Aston Villa hit gold on "dangerous" Smith signing

The club have conducted excellent business in recent years.

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Ethan Lamb

Sep 6, 2024

Kent fast bowler’s slower than expected recovery from knee surgery prompts decision

Matt Roller20-Jul-2021Tim Groenewald has called time on a 15-year professional career by announcing that he will retire from professional cricket with immediate effect.Groenewald, 37, had surgery on his knee in April and said that despite “amazing support” from Kent’s medical staff, his recovery has not been sufficient for him to resume his playing career.Born in South Africa – and educated at the Maritzburg College in Natal, the same school as Kevin Pietersen – Groenewald juggled his early county career with winters back home but he made a breakthrough in 2006, making debuts for Warwickshire in all three formats, and played for the club as a non-overseas player thanks to his English mother.He left for Derbyshire at the end of the 2008 season where he quickly became an integral part of their bowling attack across formats, and took 42 wickets in their promotion season in 2012. He led the attack in Division One but turned down the opportunity to extend his contract and joined Somerset on loan in 2014 as a precursor to a permanent move.He became a fan favourite at Taunton, not only for his whole-hearted efforts with the ball but also for his knack of playing match-winning innings with the bat, dragging them to famous one-wicket wins against Surrey in the Championship and Gloucestershire in the Royal London Cup in 2016, with Jack Leach and Jamie Overton for company respectively.Groenewald joined Kent on a permanent deal ahead of the 2020 season and took seven wickets in his nine appearances for the club. Paul Downton, their managing director, confirmed that he would stay with the club in a coaching capacity until the end of the season.”I feel privileged to have played professional cricket for 16 years,” Groenewald said. “I will always be extremely grateful to the clubs I’ve represented and the opportunities they have afforded me. I’ve made some lifelong friends and memories along the way and will cherish those forever.”Groenewald retires with 625 career wickets, 403 of which came in first-class cricket at an average of 29.53, with 16 five-wicket hauls. While England Lions selection eluded him, he was part of the North v South series in the UAE in early 2017 after earning a spot through his performances in the Royal London Cup.

Hayden Walsh Jr will look to cap his memorable series with more wickets

Andrew McGlashan16-Jul-2021

Big PictureThe fourth match of the series was a thoroughly entertaining T20 from start to finish: plenty of thundering strokeplay, some impressive spin bowling, an astonishing late onslaught and then a classy final over as Australia clung on for a win. They will now be looking to take that confidence boost into the final game and then the ODIs which follow in Barbados next week.In many ways, West Indies will feel they should still have won after the foundation laid by Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis. When Fabian Allen’s four sixes in five balls against Riley Meredith brought it down to 11 off 8 deliveries they were favourites again. However, the fact Meredith removed Allen with his last delivery proved critical as it made Andre Russell opt to not take runs on offer in the final over. Was that the right call? It’s an interesting debate.Australia had been placed for a total beyond 200 when they were 126 for 1 in the 12th but the middle order again struggled against Hayden Walsh Jr. Dan Christian’s handy innings ensured a late kick, but the various combinations used at Nos 4-6 in this series have yet to answer many questions. The Bangladesh tour is still to get final sign-off, but if that goes ahead there will be five more games for them next month.West Indies also have another five-match series when they face Pakistan and could look to experiment in one or two slots. Oshane Thomas struggled on Wednesday – his second over costing 25 and including two no-balls – while Akeal Hosein was drafted in as another spin option. The five overs between Thomas, Hosein and Simmons cost 71 as the attack missed the experience of the rested Dwayne Bravo.Watch cricket on ESPN+

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Form guide (last five completed matches)
West Indies LWWWL
Australia WLLLLIn the spotlightAndre Fletcher has not had a great time against Australia with scores of 9, 4 and 6. In the fourth game he slipped down the order to No. 4 in the absence of the injured Shimron Hetymer and his 6 off 14 stifled West Indies’ early momentum and also appeared to impact Simmons’ fluency. If Fletcher is to be a utility batter in the World Cup squad he needs to show a little more adaptability.It had been a long time between outings for Jason Behrendorff who had not played for Australia since the 2019 World Cup. Though his performance did not stand out amid the myriad of other highlights, it was quietly a promising return. His first over inside the Powerplay cost 11 but his second, in the 12th, cost three at the time West Indies lost momentum and then the first four balls of the 17th went for just three runs. “He’s been challenged to get some tricks with his white-ball cricket and he’s done that,” Zampa said.Team newsKieron Pollard, Fidel Edwards, Obed McCoy and Shimron Hetymer have all been nursing injuries at stages during the series which reduces the options available. Bravo could return after being rested which would strengthen all departments.West Indies (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Andre Fletcher, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Fabian Allen, 8 Hayden Walsh Jr, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Oshane Thomas, 11 Sheldon CottrellAJ Tye, Mitchell Swepson, Wes Agar are the three players from the squad who have yet to have any match time. Tye or Agar could be an option to replace Meredith if they want to take him out of the spotlight, but equally he could continue his development in the middle. Ben McDermott and Ashton Agar have been carrying niggles. They could consider giving Josh Philippe another go in the middle order.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Alex Carey, 5 Moises Henrqiues, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Riley Meredith, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Jason BehrendorffPitch and conditionsAside from Starc’s last over, where he got his yorkers in, pace off the ball was the key. Overall, though, the surfaces have been good for batting. There were some brief showers during the previous match which are an increasing chance now the rainy season has arrived.Stats and trivia The most wickets for a bowler who has played five matches in a T20I series is 13 by Ish Sodhi against Australia earlier this year. Hayden Walsh Jr is currently on 11 Mitchell Starc needs two wickets to become the first Australia men’s bowler to reach 50 in T20IsQuotes”Hayden Walsh has bowled really well, we probably haven’t played him as well as we’d like. If we had our time again we’d probably have better game plans to him or hit his bad balls a little better. Something that we’ve spoken about.”
Adam Zampa