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Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2022

Cheteshwar Pujara, who had been recently dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka, has returned to the squad for the rescheduled fifth Test against England, which will be played in Edgbaston from July 1-5.Ravindra Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the 17-man touring party.Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who were all rested for the home T20I series against South Africa next month, will be in Test action in Birmingham.Related

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However, Ajinkya Rahane will be out of action after sustaining a hamstring injury during his spell with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Along with Pujara, Rahane was also previously dropped for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.From the squad that took on Sri Lanka in the Test series, openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal were left out. Agarwal could instead turn out for his state Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy knockouts, which start from June 6 in Bengaluru.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pujara has worked his way back into the side after piling up 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex – including four centuries – at a stunning average of 120. Only Durham’s Sean Dickson and Derbyshire’s Shan Masood have scored more runs than Pujara in the County Championship Division Two, with both batters having played an extra game.Pujara’s 203 at Hove in April came against a Durham attack that included seamer Matthew Potts who was recently called up to England’s Test squad for their home series against New Zealand.Pujara was also among the runs in the Ranji Trophy, scoring two half-centuries in five innings for Saurashtra.Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, who is uncapped in Test cricket, are part of the seam attack that will be led by Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. At 6′ 2″, Krishna was originally picked as a reserve bowler for the England Test series last year. He has since made rapid strides across formats.Krishna was the highest wicket-taker for Karnataka in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, collecting 15 wickets in two games at an excellent average of 11.60, and then impressed with his hit-the-deck bustle for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL.Jadeja aside, R Ashwin was the only frontline spin option in the squad. Andhra’s KS Bharat was picked as the second wicketkeeper behind Rishabh Pant.India’s Test specialists are likely to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test was pushed back following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp last year. India, who currently lead the series 2-1, will look to seal their first Test series win in the country since 2007.Head coach Rahul Dravid is set to join the tour party after the conclusion of India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 19 in Bengaluru. There will be a clash of dates between India’s T20 warm-up games in England – against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire – and the Edgbaston Test, so there is a possibility of VVS Laxman filling in for Dravid during those T20s.

After destroying Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad a couple of weeks ago, there was a general expectation that Tottenham Hotspur would go on a good run of form and climb up the Premier League table.

Unfortunately, that couldn’t have been any further from the truth.

Instead, Ange Postecoglou’s side drew their subsequent games before losing 1-0 to Bournemouth and blowing a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 at home to Chelsea.

There were poor performances all over the pitch for the host’s during Sunday’s derby defeat, but one player arguably stood out for all the wrong reasons and simply has to be dropped for tonight’s must-win Europa League game against Rangers.

The Spurs star who must be dropped

So, while the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Son Heung-min and Pedro Porro had games to forget on Sunday, the worst offender was undoubtedly Yves Bissouma.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion star put in one of his worst performances in a Spurs shirt to date, failing to add anything in attack or defence and, worse yet, actively contributing to his team’s total capitulation.

For example, in the second half, with the score at 2-1, the Mali international made the “braindead” decision, as Jamie Carragher put it, to wipe out Moises Caicedo in the box, giving away a penalty and completely changing the tide of the match.

The incident saw him receive his fifth yellow card for the league campaign, and now he’ll miss the game against Southampton on the weekend. However, based on his display against the West Londoners, Postecoglou might not have picked him anyway.

Unsurprisingly, football.london’s Alasdair Gold awarded him just a 3/10 at full-time and slammed him for being ‘poor in possession’ and simply ‘daft.’

Overall, it was the sort of display that should see him dropped for the game this evening, especially as the atmosphere will be incredibly intense inside Ibrox.

The Spurs player to replace Bissouma

Now, there are several players Posetcoglou could start in Bissouma’s place tonight, from the more attacking James Maddison to the inexperienced Lucas Bergvall.

Nonetheless, for a game that’s set to be as important and intense as this one, he has to start Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Uruguayan international is, without a doubt, still one of the club’s best midfielders.

Furthermore, as he can currently play in European competition, his inclusion in place of the Malian ace is a no-brainer.

Able to help out in defence and attack at times, we can better understand just how brilliant the 27-year-old “monster”, as dubbed by Statman Dave, really is by looking at his underlying numbers.

Interceptions

2.69

Top 1%

Passes Attempted

65.78

Top 4%

Progressive Passes

6.73

Top 7%

Pass Completion

91.0%

Top 10%

Shots Total

1.85

Top 122%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.17

Top 20%

Aerials Won

1.35

Top 20%

Tackles

3.20

Top 21%

For example, according to FBref, the Nueva Helvecia-born titan sits in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for interceptions, the top 4% for attempted passes, the top 7% for progressive passes, the top 10% for pass completion, the top 12% for total shots and the top 20% for non-penalty goals and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Moreover, with 67 senior caps for Uruguay under his belt and an impressive array of titles from his time with Juventus, he’s not going to wilt or make silly mistakes due to the hostile atmosphere Rangers fans will surely create before a ball is even kicked.

Ultimately, Bissouma simply has to be dropped for tonight, and while there are some other options to replace him, the tenacity and security Bentancur brings to the team make him the obvious candidate.

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Evans will focus on T20 cricket after success on global franchise circuit

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2022

Laurie Evans has quit red-ball cricket after signing a white-ball-only contract extension with Surrey.Evans re-joined Surrey on an all-formats contract in 2020 after three seasons with Sussex and has played five first-class matches in his second stint at The Oval, including two appearances in last summer’s County Championship.He had initially joined Sussex in a bid to play more first-class cricket after struggling for regular first-team opportunities at Warwickshire, but has become a sought-after T20 batter around the world since finishing the Blast as the competition’s leading run-scorer in 2018. Most recently, he was player-of-the-match in the Big Bash final to help Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers to the trophy.Evans leaves the red-ball game at the age of 34 after 73 first-class appearances, in which he made six hundreds and 18 fifties to finish with an average of 29.36.Related

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“I have made the decision to focus the remainder of my career on white-ball cricket for a number of reasons,” Evans said in a statement. “Firstly, I still have a burning ambition to play at international level. The chances of me doing this in Test cricket are gone but I still believe that I could do a job for England in white-ball cricket and by focusing my efforts purely on this, I can best develop my skills further.”Secondly, I believe this is the best way for me to manage myself physically over the coming years. I am loving my time at The Kia Oval and also the experiences I am getting from playing in franchise competitions around the world.”Finally, I believe this is the best decision for Surrey County Cricket Club as it allows younger players to gain experience in red-ball cricket with me stepping aside fully. I would like to thank the club for their continued understanding and support.”Evans’ contract with Surrey was due to expire at the end of the 2022 season but has now been extended for at least one more year with the option of a further season.He will, in theory, be available for Surrey in all white-ball cricket but is almost certain to be signed in the Hundred draft at the end of March, which will mean he misses the Royal London Cup and is only available in the T20 Blast. He has previously played in the Caribbean Premier League and his retirement from red-ball cricket could open up further CPL opportunities.Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “This is not a choice I would advise any younger player to make while there is still plenty of time for them to achieve so much in the game.”However, at this stage of Laurie’s career and after discussing it at length with him, I fully understand and respect the decision he has made. I look forward to seeing him perform in T20 cricket for Surrey over the coming seasons.”Surrey failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the T20 Blast last season but are expected to compete this season. They have re-signed Chris Jordan from Sussex as captain, while Dan Worrall, who has regularly taken the new ball for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, has signed as a local player and several England players – including Tom Curran, Sam Curran and Jason Roy – are expected to be available for most of the group stages.

With plenty of variables at play on Hayes' squad, GOAL looks at how the USWNT could line up against Colombia

The U.S. women's national team are set for their first games of 2025 and, while this group may be a little bit shorthanded, the games are meaningful There's a trophy on the line. Perhaps more importantly, though, there are spots up for grabs and impressions to make as Emma Hayes sorts through a ridiculously young but talented player pool with the 2027 Women's World Cup on the horizon.

There's no Triple Espresso and no Naomi Girma, but this group is loaded with rising stars who may become superstars by the time the World Cup rolls around. This SheBelieves Cup feels like the real start of that process. There were friendlies in the fall, yes, but after a January USWNT camp and Futures camp, Hayes is putting the preparations in place.

On Thursday, the USWNT will open the tournament against Colombia, a familiar foe. These two teams met last March in the Gold Cup in one of the final games before the Hayes era began. So much has changed since then. There are so many new faces in this camp. This USWNT group is almost unrecognizable from the one that won that game 3-0 last March, although all three goalscorers – Lindsey Heaps, Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw – are in this team and all three could start.

But who else should be in Hayes' XI? With multiple players flying over from Europe and NWSL stars in preseason mode, how does Hayes juggle fitness, tactics and a quick run of three games in six days?

GOAL takes a look.

Getty Images SportGK: Jane Campbell

Only two options here and, of the two, Campbell is the highest on the depth chart. Because of that, we'll pick her to start.

It would make sense for Hayes to give Mandy McGlynn at least one of the games during this tournament, but this really is designed to be Campbell's big chance to show why she can be Alyssa Naeher's successor.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLB: Crystal Dunn

As it has been for some time, it's between Dunn and Jenna Nighswonger . The latter played for Arsenal on Sunday, while Dunn played for PSG on Saturday. That extra day does make a difference, so we'll give Dunn the nod.

Nighswonger is coming for this spot, though, and her move to Arsenal might make the difference sooner rather than later. It's a good problem for Hayes to have, though, as she does have two left-backs playing at a high level.

IMAGNCB: Emily Sams

Sams earned her first two caps at the tail end of last year against Iceland and Argentina, and she didn't look out of place. With no Girma in this camp, the centerback positions will likely be heavily rotated as Hayes looks for answers – might Sams be one?

At 25, Sams is at the point in her career where she can take the leap into this player pool, but it all has to start with good performances. These will be her first meaningful games and her first real test.

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GettyCB: Tierna Davidson

With one relative newcomer at one centerback spot, it would make sense to pair them with a familiar face. Davidson or Emily Sonnett? Dealer's choice.

Hayes should feel fine with either, and both will play a big part in this tournament. Sonnett, though, could provide cover at defensive midfield positions, too, so we'll leave her on the bench as a substitute option while letting another veteran in Davidson take the starting role for the opener.

Jack Grealish tops of a list of eight Premier League winners who Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is willing to let sell this summer.

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City could let eight title-winners leaveGrealish among players set for chopGuardiola wants to rehaul his squadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Grealish could be joined by Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson on the chopping block, with Kyle Walker also set to depart the club. It would mean a busy summer of squad churn at the Etihad.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The reported cull comes as Guardiola aims to refresh his squad after a poor defence of their Premier League title and early elimination from the Champions League. City have been the dominant force in English football since Guardiola joined the club in 2016 but the group of players that has achieved unprecedented success looks set to be broken up.

DID YOU KNOW?

All of the players listed to be sold are aged 30 or older bar Grealish, who reaches that age in September. City have already looked to address the issue by bringing in four players aged 26 or less in January, but it appears they believe there is much more work to do.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

It looks set to be a painful final few months of the season for City, who are out of the Premier League title race and only have the FA Cup to play for in terms of silverware. They welcome leaders Liverpool to the Etihad on Sunday.

Sunderland succumbed to a second successive 0-0 draw in Championship action when facing off against Preston North End on Wednesday night.

It was a game that lacked vigour from both sides, with Preston no doubt happier with the stalemate when the full-time whistle sounded, as Paul Heckingbottom’s hosts find themselves just above the relegation spaces in the early second-tier standings.

Sunderland do still occupy top spot for the time being in the unpredictable division, but Le Bris will chalk this down as a missed opportunity to get back to winning ways, as many of his dependable first-teamers struggled to explode into life at Deepdale.

Sunderland underperformers vs Preston

It was very apparent from Sunderland’s goal-shy showing that they lacked the creativity of Jobe Bellingham in the midfield spots, who sat out the contest versus the Lilywhites owing to a suspension.

In his place stepped up ex-Preston man Alan Browne who was arguably poor coming up against his former employers, with the experienced number eight squandering possession 16 times in total across his 90 minutes on the pitch, alongside registering just one off-target effort from deep in a bid to break the deadlock.

Away from the more accomplished faces in Le Bris’ starting line-up, young Tommy Watson was surprisingly given a starting nod at Deepdale, with the 18-year-old homegrown Sunderland product fading in and out of the contest to the disappointment of his manager watching on.

Watson would only amass 27 touches of the ball – alongside only mustering up a single shot on Freddie Woodman’s goal – before Patrick Roberts came on in his place in the second 45 minutes – on a night where Sunderland really lacked anything in the forward areas.

Although Aaron Connolly spoke of his delight after the game of being given his first start for the Black Cats since making a free transfer move possible, he was also a bystander to a lot of the action up top and could be dropped for his team’s game versus Coventry City at the weekend.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Connolly's performance in numbers

Potentially still rusty after only joining Sunderland in late September, the former Hull City man was way off the pace in Lancashire, not helped by the complete lack of service he was getting in attempting to make something happen in the drab contest.

The Black Cats number 24 would only accumulate a sorry nine touches in the game before being substituted off just after the hour mark, with no Bellingham in the side attempting to cut open the Preston defence to play Connolly into space, with Dan Neil also quiet in this regard on the night.

Even stand-in Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Moore would manage more touches, with the temporary shot-stopper amazingly registering 30 more.

Minutes played

62

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

9

Accurate passes

1/2

Shots

1

Big chances missed

1

Duels won

2/6

Even from those limited touches, the Irishman did manage to miss a big opportunity for the visitors – as Woodman denied the 24-year-old from point-blank range after Trai Hume darted forward to play him into space – but other numbers from his 62 minutes on the pitch make for bleak reading, with Connolly only managing to register one accurate pass all night long.

It was a bold call by Le Bris to start Connolly up top, considering his lack of action to date at the Stadium of Light, and it will be a decision that the Frenchman must surely regret even more now based off what he saw against the Lilywhites.

Pushed out to the flanks in Lancashire, it’s likely that Wilson Isidor will be moved back to the lone striker spot for the test of the managerless Sky Blues this Saturday, after firing home four goals from 11 league appearances to date.

Connolly will just be working on getting more up to speed behind the scenes in the build-up to this next league clash, with the 24-year-old no doubt frustrated with himself after this unmemorable display.

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Less than half an hour after Afghanistan announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Rashid Khan stepped down as captain, saying “the selection committee and ACB has not obtained my consent for the team which has been announced by ACB media”. It is understood that the team will now be led by allrounder Mohammad Nabi.Rashid had been named captain in the squad put out by the ACB’s official Twitter handle, but said he was stepping down, effective immediately through his own tweet, posted 22 minutes after the ACB’s.