Janneman Malan swings during his half-century•MSL

Cape Town Blitz’s bowlers rallied to defend a revised target of 145 against Nelson Mandela Bay Giants to maintain their team’s unbeaten run in the 2018-19 Mzansi Super League. With three wins in as many matches, Blitz are the only undefeated team in the competition, rising to 13 points, eight clear of the second-placed Jozi Stars.Farhaan Behardien, the Blitz captain, had had little hesitation in electing to bat on what he sussed out to be a worn surface. Janneman Malan vindicated that decision, tearing into the Bay Giants attack with a 39-ball 57 that set the base for a competitive 175. In reply, Bay Giants were well behind the mark, at 49 for 2 in 8.4 overs, when floodlight failure resulted in a fifteen-minute break in play. With no provision of extra time to account for stoppages, four overs were slashed from the Bay Giants chase, leaving them with 96 to get in 44 balls.Much of that early struggle by the Bay Giants was down to Dale Steyn, who turned back the clock to produce a fiery spell of fast bowling. Clocking speeds in the range of 85 to 90 miles per hour on a consistent basis, Steyn was incisive, and had the Bay Giants batsmen fretting against his pace. Steyn hit the deck hard, generated substantial bounce, hit razor sharp lines, and managed disconcerting movement off the deck. And the impact was felt immediately.With his second ball, Steyn got Marco Marais into a tangle, and produced a leading edge, with the batsman playing half-heartedly across the line, to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. That over from Steyn ended up being a wicket maiden. In his next, he foxed JJ Smuts with a slower one that the batsman tamely chipped back, with Steyn getting down sharply on the followthrough to snare it low in front. He then followed up with a short ball, fired in at full tilt, that spat up off the deck, and crashed into the helmet grille of Heino Kuhn. At the end of his second spell, Steyn had figures of 2-1-1-2. A top-edge over the slips in his next over resulted in the first boundary of Steyn’s spell, but by the end of that over, the last of the Powerplay, Bay Giants had played out 19 dots.Kuhn did well to ride the early storm, however, and in the first full over after the resumption, laid into Dane Piedt, cracking three fours and a six, making it the most expensive over of the match. Using quick feet and powerful arms, Kuhn scooped, slogged and reverse-swept Piedt to breathe life into the chase for the first time.Thrown a lifeline when he was shelled at third man off Steyn on 42, Kuhn swatted the next ball through midwicket for four, and brought up his half-century off 32 balls. But an unfortunate run out, in another boundary-heavy 13th over, transferred the pressure back on Bay Giants. In the face of a mounting required rate, Hussain Talat’s double-strike in the next over further tilted the scales in the favour of Blitz, who then made sure to avoid any more surprises.As with the bat, Bay Giants struggled with the ball early on, failing to find the right length. They kept pitching it short to Malan, who was in an unrelenting mood and smashed two fours and a six off the first seven balls he faced. Ryan McLaren managed to hit a different length, but a full toss and a half-volley outside the off stump were hardly the need of the hour and were duly put away for boundaries. So dominant was Malan that de Kock had contributed only 6 to the first-wicket partnership when he stepped down and blindly swung to be stumped.Phehlukwayo matched Malan’s aggression, and the two continued to pinch timely boundaries as they settled into the ideal pace in their partnership of 49 in 37 balls. Having settled down courtesy some generous gifts from the Bay Giants bowlers, Malan collected his fifty with a full toss from Tahir that he chipped straight back over for four.Malan and Phehlukwayo fell in successive overs – Malan trapped plumb in front by the left-arm spin of JJ Smuts and Phehlukwayo to a blinder from Aaron Phangiso at midwicket – but the platform laid by them was such that the brief cameos that followed lower down were sufficient to haul Blitz to a match-winning total.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um dos principais nomes do Guarani neste ano, o volante Lucas Abreu, ex-CRB e Juventude, falou sobre o desejo de ver a equipe crescendo de produção em campo nesta sequência de temporada. Segundo o atleta, o objetivo de todos no elenco é fazer o Bugre subir na tabela de classificação da Série B.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão da Série B clicando aqui

GALERIA
> Richarlyson vai jogar o Carioca-2021! Veja onde estão outros 21 andarilhos

– O grupo tem trabalhado muito para melhorar seu rendimento em campo e para crescer de produção nesta reta final de Série B. Vamos continuar nos dedicando ao máximo para encerrarmos o ano com vitórias.

Ainda para Lucas, seu ano no clube tem sido especial.

– Foi um ano especial para mim dentro de campo até aqui e quero encerrar bem ele. Venho trabalhando muito para melhorar ainda mais minha produção em campo – concluiu.

O Guarani volta a campo no dia 2 de janeiro, quando recebe o América-MG, às 21h, pela 32ª rodada da Série B do Brasileirão. Atualmente, o Bugre é o sexto colocado na tabela com 47 pontos, dois atrás do primeiro clube no G4.

RelacionadasGuaraniWaguininho quer boa reta final e o acesso do Guarani na Série BGuarani25/12/2020América MineiroAmérica-MG x CRB. Onde seguir, palpites e prováveis timesAmérica Mineiro25/12/2020FortalezaPrevisão orçamentária do Fortaleza para 2021 chega a quase R$ 114 milhõesFortaleza25/12/2020

With just one defeat to their name all season, which came in controversial fashion against Tottenham Hotspur, it's fair to say that Liverpool are once again flying under Jurgen Klopp, who rebuilt his midfield during the summer transfer window. The Reds suffered the ultimate failure in pursuit of their goals in the last campaign, finishing outside of the Premier League's top four for the first time in a full season under Klopp.

It gave them a much needed wake-up call, however, with players such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Naby Keita shown the exit door in favour of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Despite their improvement, one pundit has predicted that the Reds could suffer one major transfer blow to potentially bring their rebuild to a crashing halt.

Liverpool transfer news

At the start of the summer, those at Anfield may have been concerned by Liverpool's transfer tactic, as they stripped their midfield almost entirely, including club captain Henderson. Two months into the season, however, and any concerns have been shut down with Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and even surprise arrival Wataru Endo all getting off to impressive starts in Merseyside.

When the January window arrives, Klopp will hope to have similar success when it comes to incomings. The German may yet face an uphill battle to keep hold of one of his star players in January or next summer, though. Or at least that's what Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks, who told Football Insider that he believes Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia in 2024.

The former Premier League striker said: "I do see Mo Salah in Saudi Arabia, 100%. He’ll go out there and be the highest-paid player. I do see it happening in the summer. He’ll have a year left on his contract, and Liverpool will know it’s coming and have the chance to find a replacement. I don’t think it’s about money for Liverpool. They’ll get whatever they ask for. It’s inevitable at this point."

Liverpool must keep "phenomenal" Mohamed Salah

Even at 31, Salah remains arguably Liverpool's best player. There has been no sign of the Egyptian slowing down, either, having failed to contribute to a goal in just one appearance this season, which came against Spurs when his assist for Luis Diaz's strike was wrongfully disallowed in one of the most controversial moments of the season so far. Salah's stats even make a strong case that he could be Liverpool's greatest ever Premier League player.

Player

Premier League Goals For Liverpool

Mohamed Salah

145

Robbie Fowler

128

Steven Gerrard

120

Michael Owen

118

Sadio Mane

90

It's no surprise that Salah has received praise all throughout his time at Liverpool as a result of his consistent ability to break records. And that praise includes the words of former Red Emile Heskey, who told The Sport Review: “I think it was Arsene Wenger’s thing that you kind of limit their minutes at a certain age. But you kind of want him [Salah] to keep playing as many minutes as possible. He’s done fantastic, and to hit the targets that he has with 200 league goals, you’re talking about a winger doing phenomenal feats.”

Celtic are considering a move to bring a new goalkeeper to the Scottish Premiership in January, according to a fresh report.

Celtic's season so far

The Hoops have made a remarkable start to the domestic campaign having won 11, drawn three and lost none of their opening 14 games, meaning that they currently find themselves clear at the top of the table ahead of their rivals Rangers.

Whilst Brendan Rodgers doesn’t necessarily need to enter the market to improve his squad given their outstanding form, Joe Hart and Scott Bain will both have reached the expiration of their deals at the end of the season (Celtic contracts), so the manager could do with discovering the availability of goalkeepers.

Related Celtic signal January transfer plans; Rodgers convinced he can land targets

Celtic are keen to strengthen in January to give them an edge in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership title…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Nov 26, 2023

Back in 2018, Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin put pen to paper at the Bernabeu Stadium, but during that time, he’s been sent out on three loans to CD Leganes, Real Valladolid and Real Oviedo, showing how low down in the pecking order he is under Carlo Ancelotti (Transfermarkt – Lunin statistics).

The Ukraine international is typically his manager’s third-choice shot-stopper behind Thibaut Courtois and Kepa Arrizabalaga when all members of the trio are fully fit, and with his terms set to run out upon the conclusion of the current campaign (Real Madrid contracts), the 24-year-old has been highlighted as a target at Parkhead.

Celtic eyeing swoop for Andriy Lunin

According to The Daily Record, Celtic are contemplating a move for Lunin at the start of next year, and there's a chance that he could be made available due to his lack of game time and minutes at Real Madrid.

“Real Madrid's backup keeper Andriy Lunin might just be available in January despite a recent run in the team. Record Sport understands he's one of the keepers under consideration at Celtic and while his recent prominence at Real might suggest he'll be a tricky man to land, Carlo Ancelotti dropped a hint that his stint in the team is coming to an end this weekend.”

Lunin could be a "top goalkeeper" for Rodgers

Since the start of his career, Lunin has kept 37 clean sheets from 112 games. Standing at 6 foot 3, Real Madrid’s colossus has made 15 saves from 17 shots on target against this year, giving him a save percentage of 88.2% (FBRef – Lunin statistics), which is higher than the 72% that Hart has managed so far this season (FBRef – Hart statistics), showing that he’d be an upgrade on the existing number one.

Sponsored by Nike, the Ukrainian additionally ranks in the 98th percentile for penalty saves so he has an excellent record when it comes to spot kicks, making him a really well-rounded player and one who would surely decide the odd cup fixture here and there too.

According to Carlo Ancelotti, Lunin is a “top goalkeeper” between the sticks, so if the right opportunity was to present itself, Celtic have to fully pursue a deal for their target by trying to fend off interest elsewhere and secure his services in January.

Arsenal have enjoyed an encouraging start to the 2023/24 campaign, as Mikel Arteta bids to improve his squad’s second-place Premier League finish of last season.

The Gunners fell just five points short of Manchester City last term after leading the pack for the majority of the calendar, however the highs that the north Londoners achieved existed outside of being crowned champions.

By finishing second, Arsenal re-entered the Champions League for this campaign, marking their first involvement in the competition since 2017 to reinforce their progression under Arteta.

While topping the table for 248 days and failing to bring home the prize set a rather unwanted record for the Gunners, the club ensured that the cracks that led to their downfall were fixed in the summer transfer window.

A lack of squad depth – as club legend Tony Adams noted – heavily contributed to the north Londoners' inability to win the league on the home straight, an element that was addressed through the arrival of four new faces to the Emirates from the transfer market.

Aside from the opening-day injury to Jurrien Timber, the new additions are finding their feet well at Arsenal, however there is still work to be done, with sources claiming that further reinforcements are already being eyed for January.

Arsenal transfer news

Despite spending a club-record fee of £105m to welcome Declan Rice in the summer, it seems as though the midfield could be a focus point in the winter market for Arteta to bolster.

As relayed by journalist Jason Soutar from news speculated in Italy, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey could look to exit the Emirates in January amid concerns over his game time.

Despite his lack of game time relating to his ongoing battles with fitness, the Ghanaian is said to be “increasingly dissatisfied” by his lack of minutes, adding to the pressure of potentially losing a key member of the favoured XI.

Luckily, Arsenal have been named as the potential suitors for two defensive midfielders in particular, with Football Transfers claiming that Real Madrid maestro Aurelien Tchouameni is a player admired by those in north London.

Valued at €100m (£86m) by CIES Football Observatory, the actual likeness of the Frenchman arriving in Islington in January is questionable, however the link highlights the area that Arteta and Edu could aim to strengthen in the future.

Elsewhere, in a more likely transfer, reports in Brazil in recent weeks have placed Arsenal in good stead to battle Liverpool for the signature of Fluminense star, Andre.

The report claims that any talks regarding the availability of the midfielder, who has a release clause valued at £34m, will take place at the end of the season in Brazil, with the Serie A term concluding in December.

The opportunity to capture the 22-year-old could arise in January, but not without a fight as Liverpool came knocking for the Brazilian in the summer in a move that was rejected by Fluminense and Andre.

As relayed by 90min, the 5 foot 9 menace explained how he believes that “every player one day dreams of playing for a big club in Europe”, however his duty was to remain at Fluminense to complete the season.

It’s set to be an interesting saga regarding the future of Andre and which club will be lucky enough to sign him, as the Brazil international continues to impress in his homeland.

Andre's style of play

After rising through the ranks of Fluminense’s academy, Andre has become a key element of the squad, prevailing as one of the best up-coming midfielders in Brazil.

In the summer, the 22-year-old was handed his first international cap as a reward for his high performance levels at club level, with his second cap and second call-up earned earlier this month.

South American football expert Nathan Joyes is a figure who has watched the talent of Andre unfold, describing the defensive midfielder as an “unbelievable ball carrier” and an “advanced forward thinker” for his method of play in the engine room.

Such praise is reinforced by the numbers Andre has accumulated over the past year, averaging 60.37 carries and 6.26 progressive passes per 90 to portray his ability to make a difference in possession, via FBref.

As well as being a highly competent passer of the ball, averaging a mammoth 94.0% pass completion rate per 90, the Brazilian has a combative side to his game in defensive midfield, with the ability to win the ball as well as play it.

As per FBref, over the past year, Andre has averaged 2.32 tackles per 90, and more prominently, recorded an average of tackling 65.7% dribblers he is faced with per 90, supporting his claim to being a defensively impactful presence in the midfield.

The stats that show Andre would be a good signing for Arsenal

Once lauded as “the orchestrator” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Andre could be the ideal acquisition for Arsenal with reference to an element that has been missing from the midfield since the summer.

By losing Granit Xhaka, Arteta was forced to find alternative solutions to fill the roaming void left by the Swiss international, who boasted an expert presence in the final third thanks to his playmaking and passing ability.

Like Xhaka, Andre enjoys seeing a lot of the ball to give himself the space to dictate play ahead of him, supported by his average of 94.4 touches per game in the 2023 Serie A paired with his desire to move upfield.

Last season for Arsenal, Xhaka averaged 5.89 progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League, a figure that has been topped this season by the Brazilian, whose average sits at 6.76 per 90 in Serie A.

Fulfilling the absence of the role previously equipped to Xhaka could give Arteta a further dimension in midfield, replicating a method that served the Gunners so well last term, however it wouldn’t be the only area that Andre could bolster.

How Andre compares to Thomas Partey

As touched upon previously, Partey’s future at Arsenal is speculated to be in jeopardy, which could open the door for a new midfielder to occupy the space left by the Ghanaian.

At 30 years old, it would be suitable for the Gunners to identify an eventual heir to Partey, with a future midfield pairing of 22-year-old Andre and 24-year-old Rice a magnificent prospect for those at the Emirates to consider.

As highlighted in the table above, the Brazilian has a similar range of strengths to Partey, excelling the former Atletico Madrid in some areas to portray just how much of a success he could be in Arteta’s midfield.

In pairing him with Rice, the duo could form a successful pivot based on their similarities in enjoying going forward as well as acting as the anchor, in a move that could ease the blow of potentially losing Partey in the future.

England need to savour the experience of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, says captain

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2018Joe Root insists that England need to savour the experience and expertise of Stuart Broad and James Anderson for as long as they can, despite both of his senior seam bowlers enduring frustrating series in an otherwise triumphant tour of Sri Lanka.Broad is set to make his first appearance of the series in the third Test at Colombo, having missed out in Galle and Pallekele to make room for the extra spinner in Jack Leach.He will replace Anderson, who struck with his second ball at Galle to remove Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck, but subsequently admitted to feeling like a “spare part” as he failed to add to that tally in 40 subsequent overs across four innings.However, with a combined tally of 998 Test wickets in careers that stretch back to 2003 and 2007 respectively, Root was grateful for the wisdom they had been able to impart behind the scenes, and was adamant that both men still had a huge role to play when the conditions return to their favour.”It’s a great luxury to have isn’t it?” Root said. “For that amount of experience to be around the squad and offering so much to the group has been excellent.”We’ve played in conditions where we’ve not needed that much seam bowling in the middle but [Broad’s] been raring to go and doing everything he can. He’s got the opportunity to play this week and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to put in a really strong performance and show he’s very skilful in these conditions.”Of the two veterans, Broad is the one whose long-term future has come under the greater scrutiny in recent months. He endured a lean Ashes series after encountering some issues with his wrist position, and though he rediscovered his form for the English season, his haul of 16 wickets at 29.68 still paled compared to Anderson’s 24 at 18.12.But Root is adamant that Broad remains integral to their Test plans in the coming months, which include a tour of the Caribbean in the new year and a home Ashes campaign in the English summer, in which England hope to keep pressing towards their stated aim of becoming the No.1 Test team in the world.Stuart Broad and James Anderson chat with coach Trevor Bayliss•AFP”You look at the experience he can bring to the team and his record in English conditions, and what he’s capable of there, and he’s invaluable,” said Root. “He’s still one of England’s best bowlers – I genuinely believe that – but we’ve had to be quite cute and smart about exploiting these conditions here and we’ll have to do the same later on in the winter in the West Indies.”I’m very aware how talented the group is and how talented our two senior guys are. We generally get very excited about wishing people into retirement and I think with those two in particular, we have to make the most of them while we can, be smart about managing and see how long they can go for.”They both look on top of their game at the moment, if you ask me. They’re both bowling fantastically well and keep looking to improve and get better. As far as I’m concerned I want to get the most out of them for as long as we can.”In spite of the lack of impact for England’s seamers in this series – a record 38 wickets fell to spin in the Pallekele Test – Root praised their efforts regardless, particularly the manner in which they had held Sri Lanka’s run rates in check to allow their trio of spinners to turn the screw.”Our seamers have done a fantastic job when they’ve had the opportunity to play,” he said. “Look at Jimmy and the spells that he’s bowled: he’s built and created a lot of pressure. And that sometimes has got rewards at the other end.”It can be overlooked on occasions. Stuart is more than capable of doing that and we know if we can take two or three early wickets on unresponsive wickets for seam bowling, it’ll be a massive bonus, which, again, you’d like to think he’ll be able to do. It’s a great opportunity for him to play this game. And hopefully he can do some damage.”Root added that there was a further reason for England to be grateful for the endurance of their veteran quicks. With the twin demands of the Ashes and World Cup next summer, two huge events that are sure to stretch their multi-format players to the limit, having two senior Test specialists waiting in the wings to hit the ground running for the Ashes in August could be invaluable.”I think it’s going to be the case for us and Australia going through that World Cup, making sure the guys are fresh and prepared,” Root said. “It’ll be interesting to see which sides are selected for that World Cup, especially in Australia’s case leading into it. It’s a long time away.”We’ve a lot of cricket to play before then. But look where we’re at in the Test team: there are still some Test specialists in there who will make sure they get some good first-class cricket in and game time under their belts ahead of that series. I feel like we’ve a good handle on things at the moment. And hopefully everyone is in a really good position going into the start of the year.”

Jim Reid, who led USA to the Auty Cup in 1966 and went on to become USACA president, has died at the age of 91

Peter Della Penna08-Nov-2018

Another of USA’s fine generation of cricket stalwarts in southern California is no more. Former USA captain and USACA president Jim Reid, who led USA to their first Auty Cup win in 54 years in 1966, died recently of complications from a stroke in southern California at the age of 91.One of the post-war era’s most noteworthy servants of the game in the USA, Reid was an active member of the cricket community in Los Angeles after migrating there from England in 1957. Aside from captaining USA to the Auty Cup in 1966, Reid was an instrumental figure as an administrator serving as USACA president from 1978 to 1980, helping usher USA into the era of one-day cricket with their maiden appearance at the ICC Trophy in 1979.Reid was born in Blackburn, England on December 26, 1926, the youngest of three children to Scottish immigrants. At the age of 15, he made his debut for East Lancashire CC in 1942 in the Lancashire League and played for 16 years at the club, primarily as an opening batsman.That period was briefly interrupted by World War II, when he enlisted towards the end of the conflict in the British Royal Navy as a fighter pilot. He never saw combat, though his commanding officer during training was Horace Brearley, father of future England captain Mike, who allegedly told Reid he should go back home to focus on cricket rather than re-enlist when his initial service commitment had concluded.Reid wound up playing eight times for the Lancashire Second XI, all as a 21-year-old in 1948, but never made it into the first team. According to his son, Reid was given the chance to play for the first team in a Roses match against Yorkshire, but turned it down because the money he made playing for East Lancs in the Lancashire League was better than what the County was offering.”He had a job at a bank, but didn’t actually work at the bank. The manager was an East Lancashire cricket nut. He got a paycheck as an employee but he just played cricket,” said John Reid, Jim’s oldest son and a former USA batsman like his dad. “The game where he was supposed to play for Lancashire against Yorkshire in the first team, his boss put a bit of pressure on him to play for East Lancs.”They had just as good crowds as Lancashire did and if he could make a century in a big game with a good crowd passing the hat around, he made more money in that game than he did in a whole year for Lancashire. He never played for Lancashire again after that. He never said it but I think he always regretted it.”At the end of the 1957 club season, Reid had grown tired of life in England and started looking abroad for new work and living options with his pregnant wife Doreen. Their first preference was Canada, but their visa application was rejected because Doreen had tuberculosis.The backup plan had been to go to Australia instead, but the Reids stopped off in Los Angeles along the way to visit Doreen’s sister and her husband, a former American GI who got together during the war. Jim fell in love with the place almost from the start and they never made it to Australia. Doreen’s sister and husband sponsored Jim and Doreen to stay in California and the rest is history.”Doc Severn, father of Cliff, contacted my father and they went to a bar to have a drink and Doc was bowling to him in this bar,” John said. “My dad thought he was a nut. He got him to play a game with Britamer CC, the club Doc founded. He played a season with Britamer and after that fell in love with the cricket here. He always told me if he didn’t play cricket here, he would have gone back home. The cricket anchored him here and he loved southern California cricket.”After the first year with Britamer, Reid moved on to Pasadena CC where he spent 15 years and eventually became club captain. The Reid connection to the Brearleys was re-established along the way. According to author P David Sentence in his book , future England captain Mike Brearley played for Pasadena CC under Reid’s captaincy during the 1966 season while Brearley was doing post-graduate research work at University of California-Irvine. John says his dad hosted Mike at the family house in Glendale on several occasions as a way to rekindle the wartime bond between Reid and Brearley’s dad Horace.It was also around that time in September 1966 that Jim Reid captained USA to a 58-run triumph in Los Angeles in the annual two-day Auty Cup match against Canada, the first time the USA had held the trophy since 1912. It was one of five appearances Reid made for the USA men’s team starting in 1963 before his brief international career for his adopted country came to an end in 1967.”My dad told me when he played for the first team in England, he didn’t socialise much. The social aspect of cricket in Los Angeles, he loved it,” John said. “He was just happy being around all these people, a lot of them were Americans that were learning the game. It wasn’t as competitive as it was in England but after the game socialising with everyone, he loved that.”Jim continued playing club cricket with Pasadena CC until 1973 and then afterward at University CC along with Dr. Tony Verity. He tried to balance his cricket with life as a real-estate appraiser in the Los Angeles, though Doreen never warmed to Los Angeles and the pair eventually divorced as she returned to England.Jim remarried and had three more kids as he returned to the national cricket scene in 1978 in an administrative capacity as the president of the USA Cricket Association. It was during his tenure that USA competed for the first time in the ICC Trophy, which is now known as the World Cup Qualifier, in England in 1979.”He would travel the country personally with his wife, my stepmom,” John said. “He would go to each of the four zones in the USA, the east zone, look at the games and the players to see if they were any good. No other president did that. He was never home. He was always flying around the country looking at different players.”He didn’t want anyone on the team if he didn’t know. He had to see them and watch them play. He was very hands on like that. He knew what he wanted and got what he wanted. We only lost one game at that ICC Trophy against Sri Lanka and we should have beaten them. We had them on the ropes.”The inability to get past Sri Lanka left a sour taste in Reid’s mouth. By 1980, he left as president of USACA and disappeared from cricket almost altogether, aside from sporadic appearances at Woodley Park in Los Angeles. In later years he suffered from dementia as well as a series of strokes, the last of which finally took his life on September 27. But his cricketing legacy lives on in southern California through his son John and countless generations of players at Pasadena CC, University CC and the rest of the Southern California Cricket Association.”He loved playing for the US and leading the US,” John said.

Steve Parkin joked about "banning" Wrexham players from promotion talk after seeing a 4-1 win over Crawley put them on the brink of League One.

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Wrexham beat Crawley Town 4-1 on TuesdayParkin remains cautious despite being close to promotionRyan Barnett also trying to 'block out noise'WHAT HAPPENED?

The match against Crawley showcased Wrexham's dominance, with Ryan Barnett breaking the deadlock with his debut goal for the club. Leading scorer Paul Mullin followed with a brace, while Andy Cannon added another strike to secure Wrexham's fourth win in five matches, positioning them favourably in the promotion race.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In the wake of the commanding victory over Crawley, Wrexham find themselves on the cusp of League One promotion, igniting hopes and aspirations among players and fans alike. Nonetheless, assistant manager Parkin tempered excitement with a touch of humour, jesting about "banning" players from promotion talk.

WHAT PARKIN SAID

"It would be very nice. There's not many clubs who've achieved that (promotion)," Parkin told reporters.

"It's difficult to ban people talking about it or not mention it."

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RYAN BARNETT WEIGHS IN

Tuesday's starting lineup boasted seven players from the National League title-winning squad of the previous season, reflecting the team's cohesion and championship pedigree. Wing-back Barnett, pivotal in the victory over Crawley, echoed Parkin's sentiments, stressing the team's ability to thrive under pressure and maintain their focus amid external distraction.

"Sometimes it's hard to block out the noise with what people are saying, how many points you need and all that," he said. "But we're a group that's extremely experienced in high-pressure games and high-pressure moments. We block all that out and focus on how many points we can get as a team and no matter what everyone else is doing, It can be tough with a lot going on around the club but you can only focus on what's going on out on the pitch – and we know if we win our games we get promoted."

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is wasting no time in identifying potential targets for January and is now believed to have a striker on his wishlist at the City Ground, according to reports.

Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion

So far, Nottingham Forest have quietly gone about their business in the Premier League and find themselves in 14th place with 13 points from their opening 12 fixtures in the division.

Of course, Everton's recent controversial 10-point deduction has actually moved Cooper's men up a place in the league table; nevertheless, the important fact for those at the City Ground to bear in mind is that they are eight points above the drop zone, which has to be commended in their second campaign back in the top-flight.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Nottingham Forest face a home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion as the Premier League returns after the conclusion of the international break. Nevertheless, the Tricky Trees are in a sweat over whether key players Taiwo Awonyi and Anthony Elanga will be available for the tie after both players suffered injury concerns on duty with their respective nations, as cited by The Nottingham Post.

Roberto De Zerbi's men are also said to have something of an availability crisis heading into the clash, with Pervis Estupinan, Solly March, Danny Welbeck, James Milner and Mo Dahoud all likely to miss the meeting of the two sides. Republic of Ireland international Evan Ferguson is another doubt for the Seagulls, while Japanese star Kaoru Mitoma is also expected to be absent from proceedings.

Forest fans will undoubtedly be buoyed by their improved chances of recording a victory. According to a fresh report, their excitement could be set to go one step further as boss Cooper reportedly has his eye on a new forward come January.

Nottingham Forest want Marvin Ducksch

According to reports in Germany via Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are believed to be keen on Werder Bremen striker Marvin Ducksch, who could be brought in as a replacement for Divock Origi due to the latter failing to set the heather alight since his move to the City Ground.

Marvin Ducksch in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

12

Goals

6

Assists

4

Nottingham Forest are alert to the fact that Werder Bremen may need to sell players after recording a €3.8 million loss for the financial year and the player himself is attracted to the possibility of moving to the East Midlands, where he could see his €2 million per season wage double in size.

On the other hand, Origi has endured a frustrating spell at the Tricky Trees, making just five appearances and having yet to register a goal or assist for his loan side (Origi statistics – Transfermarkt).

Ducksch, who has previously been labelled "extraordinary" by teammate Mitchell Weiser, could help to provide a physical presence in attack for Nottingham Forest as they look to keep climbing up the table under Cooper in the second half of the campaign.

Back in December 2022, Emiliano Martinez became a hero in Argentina, winning the World Cup after saving two penalties in the shootout, following a six-goal thriller in the final in Qatar.

In the meantime, the Argentine became the first player to ever win football's most prestigious honour while playing for Aston Villa and even picked up the Yashin Trophy during the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony for his troubles.

The former Oxford United loanee has had a late, but rapid rise to prominence and has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world and certainly in the Premier League, proving to be a key player for Villa under Unai Emery since the coach's arrival in the Midlands.

However, there is one former Aston Villa shot-stopper who is currently outperforming the World Cup winner in England's top flight this season.

Sam Johnstone at Aston Villa

Pierluigi Gollini joined recently relegated Aston Villa in the summer of 2016 but quickly fell out of favour within months of being at the club under Steve Bruce. The following January, the Villans acquired the loan services of Manchester United academy product Sam Johnstone.

In the latter half of the 2016/17 campaign, Johnstone kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the Championship as Villa finished in a lowly 13th place.

The keeper had left such a lasting impression at Villa Park that manager Bruce secured his services for another season as the former champions of Europe finished the campaign in a much-improved fourth place, missing out on promotion after a playoff final defeat against Fulham.

During his time at Villa, Bruce called Johnstone a "diamond" for his impressive displays, but the goalkeeper ended up making a permanent switch to bitter rivals West Bromwich Albion for £6.5m after returning to Old Trafford from his loan spell.

Following a four-year term with the Baggies, Johnstone joined Crystal Palace in 2022 and became the club's number '1' between the sticks in the aftermath of Vicente Guaita's departure in the summer.

Sam Johnstone stats this season

The 30-year-old has started all 13 games in the Premier League for Crystal Palace this season. The only game Johnstone didn't start in all competitions was away at his boyhood club Man United in the EFL Cup, having come on early in the first half following an injury to another Old Trafford graduate, Dean Henderson.

The Palace keeper also became the first player in the Premier League this season to keep five clean sheets, including one away at the Theatre of Dreams. Johnstone's excellent form this term even earned him a new long-term deal with the London outfit, keeping him at the club until 2027.

At Selhurst Park, Johnstone has been impressing statistically when compared to all other goalkeepers from Europe's top-five leagues. He is currently sitting in the top 17% for clean sheets per 90 and has kept the ball out of his own net in 38.1% of his games over the last 365 days, according to FBref.

The England international is having a fine campaign so far and has even outperformed Aston Villa's star keeper in the Premier League in a number of key metrics for a goalkeeper.

Sam Johnston vs Emiliano Martinez

Per 90 Metrics

Sam Johnstone

Emiliano Martinez

Goals Against

1.33

1.45

Clean Sheet %

41.7%

18.2%

Saves

2.42

2.73

Save %

68.2%

63.6%

Errors

0

0.09

Crosses Stopped

1.25

1

Post Shot xG

1.05

1.37

Passes To Final 1/3

0.50

0.55

Stats via FBref

While Jordan Pickford has been England manager Gareth Southgate's first-choice between the posts, Johnstone's displays at Palace prove that he deserves consideration ahead of EURO 2024, particularly considering he has performed better this term than the current holder of the Yashin Trophy.