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Chelsea were dealt a nightmare earlier this week after the news of Levi Colwill’s serious ACL injury, with Enzo Maresca heading into the new season minus one of his star defenders.

The Englishman, in a serious incident of bad luck, suffered his fresh injury blow at the end of his first training session back at Cobham.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Colwill will now be out for the majority of next season after undergoing scans and surgery on the problem, making the potential addition of a new centre-back suddenly all the more important.

Chelsea recently put pen to paper on a deal for Jorrel Hato, who joined in a near-£38 million move from Ajax, but the club view him as more of a left-back and an alternative to Marc Cucurella.

The Blues were apparently still looking at new centre-backs even before Colwill’s injury, so it is safe to say they’ll be at least considering moving for one now as we approach the final weeks of the window.

“Chelsea are still going to be in the market for a new centre back and a new goalkeeper, even after Jorrel Hato coming in, who as we reported is seen as Marc Cucurella competition anyway,” wrote journalist Simon Phillips via his Substack late last month.

There is no guarantee that both positions are signed at this stage or even just one, and it will be dependent on outgoings for centre backs, which I have another article on later today, and opportunities. But Chelsea are still very much exploring both markets for this summer.”

However, those within the club believe Chelsea already have a solid Colwill replacement.

Chelsea coaching staff want Renato Veiga to replace Levi Colwill

According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, that man is 22-year-old centre-back Renato Veiga.

The Portugal international has been widely expected to leave this summer after spending the second half of 2024/2025 on loan at Juventus, with Chelsea even offering Veiga out to various clubs.

However, it is now believed that members of Chelsea’s coaching staff believe that Veiga should be given the chance to replace Colwill and show his worth.

“Chelsea are gutted about Colwill, he is such a popular player and is a key performer for them, and they are fully supporting him,” said Bailey.

“However, they are assessing their options, and I am told there are some voices at Cobham who believe that with Veiga, Anselmino and Hato, they could very well cope without him in the short-term.”

Maresca sent a public message to the 22-year-old last season, amid credible reports at the time that Veiga wanted to be used as a centre-back, not at full-back where the Chelsea boss was often deploying him.

“We brought Renato from Basel and he’s played well in different positions,” said Maresca, via Ben Jacobs.

“This has allowed him to join the [Portugal] national team for the first time in his life. Even if he’s not playing in his [preferred position], he’s playing for his national team in his early 20s since joining Chelsea. We are very proud about that.”

With Colwill out injured, it appears Veiga could well be granted his wish to be used more centrally if push comes to shove.

يستعد اتحاد الكرة المصري، لعقد اجتماع خلال الأيام المقبلة، من أجل حسم أكثر من ملف بخصوص منتخبي مصر الأول والثاني.

ويستعد منتخب مصر الأول، لمواجهة جيبوتي في المغرب، ضمن التصفيات المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم، بينما المنتخب الثاني سيخوض دورة ودية استعدادًا للمشاركة في كأس العرب.

وعلم بطولات من مصادر خاصة، أن اتحاد الكرة سيعقد اجتماعًا الأسبوع المقبل لمشاقشة واعتماد العديد من الأمور.

طالع.. “موقعة الحسم”.. موعد مباراة مصر وجيبوتي في تصفيات كأس العالم والملعب المستضيف

ومن المنتظر أن يتم تحديد رئيس بعثة منتخب مصر للمغرب، والقائمة التي سيتم إرسالها لوزارة الرياضة وكذلك نفس الأمر بخصوص منتخب مصر الثاني المتجه إلى المغرب لخوض دورة ودية.

وسيناقش اتحاد الكرة خلال هذا الاجتماع إقامة دورات ودية لمنتخبي 2007 و2009 واعتماد معسكر منتخب النسائية استعدادًا لمواجهة غانا.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر للكرة النسائية مع غانا ذهابًا أحد أيام 22 أو 23 أو 24 أكتوبر بينما الإياب أحد أيام 27 و28 و29 من نفس الشهر.

After announcing the arrival of Jamie Gittens, Chelsea now reportedly want to hijack Newcastle United’s chase to sign a Serie A defender who’s worth over £50m.

Gittens realises Premier League "dream"

As ever, Chelsea haven’t been afraid to spend big in the summer transfer window. This time around, they’ve splashed out over £60m to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion, £35m to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and, most recently, £52m to welcome Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. But even then, the Blues are unlikely to be done there.

After putting pen to paper to confirm his big-money move, the winger told Chelsea’s official website: “I did watch Chelsea when I was younger. Not in the stadium but on the TV at home in Reading, during the time of the Eden Hazard era.

“Eden was the clear player for me at that time. I liked Willian as well, another attacker. He had that little shimmy he did, I liked that.

“It’s my dream to play in the Premier League. Obviously, watching it from Germany, it’s a really intense league. Every week is a battle, and I feel like I can enter that battle strongly. I’m excited to join this team that have a winning mentality – that’s the main thing.

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“I just want to keep improving, especially as a footballer and a human being. I want to be more consistent and keep learning. It’s a great feeling to join Chelsea, such a big club. I can’t wait to learn from everyone in the team and to push myself to the max here. It’s amazing.”

With Pedro, Delap and now Gittens at their disposal going forward, those in West London have seemingly turned their attention towards handing their backline a similar boost in the form of a Serie A star.

Chelsea eyeing Giorgio Scalvini hijack

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea now want to hijack Newcastle’s move to sign Giorgio Scalvini from Atalanta and face competition from Manchester United to do so. The Magpies have set their sights on the defender, but now face competition from two rivals.

Like Gittens, however, the deal won’t come cheap for Chelsea with the Serie A club reportedly demanding as much as €60m (£52m) to sell their central defender this summer.

It’s clear to see why Chelsea are interested in Scalvini even as he returns from an ACL injury, and it’s not just because of his defensive talents. As analyst Ben Mattinson highlighted last year, the Atalanta man has the “front-footed aggressive style” to push into midfield if needed in the type of versatility that no side would turn down.

Whilst he may need time to get back to his best after a long-term injury, Scalvini remains one to watch this summer.

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has become the second bowler in T20Is and the first at a men’s T20 World Cup to bowl four maiden overs in a spell.On Monday, he finished with magical figures of 4-4-0-3 against Papua New Guinea in New Zealand’s last group-stage match in the T20 World Cup 2024. It’s also New Zealand’s last match in the tournament, as they were knocked out following losses to Afghanistan and West Indies.The only other bowler to have achieved the feat is Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar, who finished with 4-4-0-2 against Panama in a T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier match in Coolidge in 2021.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Coming on to bowl in the fifth over after New Zealand opted to field in Tarouba after a rain delay, Ferguson had PNG captain Assad Vala caught at first slip off the very first ball he bowled. He kept the new batter, Sese Bau, quiet for the rest of the over, and came back in the seventh over to do the same, bowling six dots to Bau.He returned to bowl the 12th over and struck on the second ball, pinning Charles Amini in front for 17 with a length ball that stayed low – it was given not out, but was confirmed to be hitting the stumps after a review. Ferguson then got his third and final wicket off the second ball of his last over, the 14th of the innings, getting Chad Soper to edge one on to his stumps for 1. PNG got two runs off that over but those were leg-byes.”Obviously a tough wicket to bat on, so nice from my point of view to get on a wicket like that,” Ferguson, the Player of the Match, said on the official broadcast after the game. “There was some swing, which was nice today too.”The match started after a spell of rain, following which New Zealand restricted PNG to 78 in 19.4 overs.

Leeds United are already making significant moves in the transfer market as the brand-new Premier League season kicking off in August edges ever closer.

It’s less than two months now until the Whites get their daunting top-flight season underway with a Monday night affair against David Moyes’ Everton, with both Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol – who have joined from Wolfsburg and Udinese respectively – desperate to be in Daniel Farke’s starting lineup when the Toffees come to Elland Road.

They’re unlikely to be the only fresh signings competing for a starting spot, however, with a new central midfielder clearly a priority based on the latest rumours filtering out of West Yorkshire.

Leeds make approach for £13m star

As per a report from Foot en France, Leeds have now made an approach to land Stade Brestois star Madhi Camara this summer, as their ongoing pursuit of a central midfielder drags on.

Indeed, it had previously been reported that the Whites were also chasing after another midfield ace from Ligue 1 in the form of Habib Diarra, with an alleged £24m bid even being made.

Now, however, their attention could shift towards attempting to land Camara instead, with fellow promoted outfit Sunderland also keen on snapping up the 26-year-old at Farke and Co.’s expense.

With the report ending on the fact that Leeds might be able to win the Brest number 45 for around the £13m mark, securing Camara’s signature might well be deemed as an even better purchase to make than solely going after the more expensive Senegal international, before you consider delving deeper into their comparative statistics.

Why Camara would be a better signing than Diarra

With Joe Rothwell heading back to AFC Bournemouth this summer, Leeds do look slightly depleted in the middle of the park, which is where Camara might come to the rescue.

After all, the 26-year-old will feel he’s earned his stripes enough in the top French division now to be a success story in the Premier League, with 182 appearances under his belt in Ligue 1 for both Brest and Saint-Etienne. On the contrary, Diarra has just 94 clashes next to his name.

In addition to his wealth of top-flight experience in France, Camara also has the boost of amassing ten Champions League clashes on the books of Éric Roy’s men, with a goal even coming the 5-foot-10 ace’s way in the illustrious competition this season when facing off against RB Salzburg.

Farke would surely love the “all-action” nature of Camara – as he was once labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – if he were to arrive on English shores shortly, with his ability to pick up 26 goal contributions in total for Brest, which beats out Diarra’s own Strasbourg total by five, backed up by a second side to his wide-ranging game that can also offer up plenty of grit and determination when needed.

Total shots

1.58

0.96

Shot-creating actions

2.33

2.18

Attempted passes

38.23

37.42

Pass completion %

84.9%

83.0%

Successful take-ons

1.02

0.50

Tackles

2.46

0.84

Interceptions

1.12

0.50

Blocks

1.50

0.84

Away from trumping his 21-year-old counterpart in terms of shots averaged and shot-creating actions managed over the last year, the table above also shows off that attritional side to Camara’s game that might well have caught Farke’s eye, with more tackles, interceptions, and blocks also won in favour of the £13m midfielder.

Hailed further by Mattinson as possessing a “nice all-round midfielder profile”, this might well be a smart signing for Leeds to make if a battle against the drop is on the menu, away from gambling on Diarra to come good at a far steeper price tag.

The Whites have shown they’re ready to splash the cash, having forked out £15m on Bijol’s services, with Camara perhaps the next notable pick-up from Europe that can help Leeds stave off relegation.

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Birmingham City are currently putting plans in place to attack the Championship after they were promoted as champions of League One with 111 points.

The Blues wrapped up their 111-point league title success with a 2-1 win against Cambridge United away from home on the final day of the season earlier this month.

Chris Davies and his staff, working alongside the owners, will now be working towards the goal of building a squad that can compete for promotion to the Premier League.

Ipswich Town, albeit they have been relegated from the top-flight this term, have already shown that it is possible to do back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Davies may have to be incredibly ruthless with who he decides should and should not come along for the ride in the Championship, after his players helped him to an incredible season in League One.

One star whose suitability for the second tier is still in question is experienced centre-forward Alfie May, who has just enjoyed a fantastic year in the third tier.

Why Alfie May could be dropped as a starter

The 31-year-old attacker started 27 matches in League One in the 2024/25 campaign, but the step up to the Championship could see him reduced to a cameo role off the bench, or even in need of looking elsewhere for game time.

May turns 32 this summer and has not played a minute of Championship football in his career, playing in League Two or League One throughout his entire professional career to date.

The English centre-forward joined Birmingham from Charlton on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window last year and enjoyed an impressive debut season at St. Andrew’s.

Appearances

44

Goals

16

Big chances missed

13

Big chances created

7

Assists

8

Ground duel success rate

43%

Aerial duel success rate

10%

As you can see in the table above, May racked up 24 goals and assists combined in 44 appearances in League One, and scored more goals than he missed ‘big chances’, which shows that the forward was an effective finisher at the top end of the pitch.

However, his lack of strength in duels, particularly in the air, may be why Championship teams have not taken a chance on him in the past, and why Birmingham could drop him as a starter heading into next season.

The Blues could swoop to sign an upgrade on him in the upcoming summer transfer window, as they have been linked with an interest in an international forward.

Birmingham eyeing deal for Serie A striker

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Birmingham City are eyeing up a deal to sign Che Adams from Serie A side Torino ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Scotland international signed for the Italian club on a free transfer from Southampton last summer, and the Blues are now hoping to tempt him back to England.

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Speaking to EFL Analysis, the journalist said: “I think Che Adams is one who’s on Birmingham’s list. He does tick the boxes. Obviously, he’s been there before. Knows the club. Obviously be very expensive in the Championship. We know that. So let’s see how that one goes. But yeah, they do want another striker.

“I’m not sure how much he wants to drop to Championship. I don’t really think he’s that keen on dropping to the Championship, but there are options there. If it’s a long-term thing for Birmingham, I do think that’s an option for him certainly.”

These comments from Bailey suggest that it will be a difficult deal to do for the striker, who is valued at £13m by FootballTransfers, for financial and footballing reasons.

However, it could be a fantastic signing for Davies and his staff if the club are able to thrash out a transfer that would bring Adams back for a second spell at Birmingham.

Why Che Adams would be an upgrade on Alfie May

The Blues could secure a big upgrade on the aforementioned Alfie May by signing the experienced centre-forward from Torino in the summer transfer window because of his proven quality at Championship level.

Adams has been there and done it in the second tier, including in a Birmingham City shirt, and has scored goals at an even higher level in the Premier League and in the Serie A.

The 28-year-old star, who manager Paolo Vanoli described as the “perfect player”, has scored nine goals in the Italian top-flight this season, and scored 25 times in the Premier League for Southampton earlier in his career.

These statistics show that Adams has already proven himself at a much higher level than the Championship, whilst May is yet to prove himself above League One.

The Torino striker has also proven his quality in the second tier in England in his last two seasons at that level with Southampton and with Birmingham back in the 2018/19 campaign.

Appearances

46

40

Starts

43

25

Goals

22

16

Big chances missed

11

11

Big chances created

6

7

Assists

4

4

As you can see in the table above, Adams proved that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis, without missing many ‘big chances’ in the Championship in those two seasons, scoring as many or more goals than May did in League One this term.

This shows that Adams has the potential to deliver even more quality in the second tier than May did in the third tier of English football, which is why he could come in as a big upgrade on the current Birmingham star.

The Torino ace has also won 36% of his aerial duels in the Serie A this term, and won 38% of them in the Championship for Southampton last season, which suggests that he could provide more physicality in the number nine role than May.

It is now down to the club to wrap up an “expensive” deal for the forward and for Davies and his staff to convince the forward to make the drop back down to the second tier with the hope that he buys into a long-term project.

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Chelsea are now preparing a £60m swoop for an “insane” forward, who has put in some very impressive performances in the Champions League this season, according to a report.

Blues set sights on new striker

With Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku struggling in front of goal since the turn of the year, it has become apparent that Enzo Maresca will need to bring in a new striker in the summer transfer window, and a number of targets have been identified.

Talks have been opened over a deal for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, and there is a feeling the Blues could be willing to fork out a fee of £65m for the Sweden international, although they will face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United.

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Given Gyokeres’ huge price tag, however, it could be wise to consider alternative options, and it has recently emerged that Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap is set to be available for just £30m this summer, should his side be relegated from the Premier League.

Delap has been extremely impressive in front of goal in the Premier League this season, but according to a report from Spain, Chelsea have now set their sights on one of this season’s Champions League revelations, namely Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy.

The west Londoners are preparing a €70m (£60m) offer for Guirassy’s services, given that the striker has shone in the Champions League this season, most recently scoring a hat-trick against FC Barcelona in the quarter-final.

Serie A giants Juventus and Napoli are also interested in signing the Borussia Dortmund star, but Stamford Bridge is said to be his most likely destination this summer, with Maresca looking to bring in a striker who guarantees goals, amid concerns over Jackson.

"Insane" Guirassy could be huge upgrade on Jackson

Despite some promising signs near the start of the season, Jackson has been largely ineffective in front of goal this season, while Guirassy has been extremely impressive in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League throughout the campaign.

The Guinea international has amassed a remarkable 36 goal contributions in 40 appearances in all competitions, having been particularly prolific in front of goal in Europe, prior to his side’s exit at the hands of Barcelona earlier this week.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Bundesliga

25

15

3

Champions League

14

13

5

U23 football scout Antonio Mango has lauded the France-born striker as “insane” in the past, and his performances this season suggest he deserves to be playing in the Champions League next season, which is now extremely unlikely to be the case at Dortmund.

As such, it seems likely that a move to Stamford Bridge could appeal to Guirassy this summer, should the Blues manage to qualify for the Champions League, which underlines the importance of Chelsea having a strong end to the campaign.

Mandhana and Rawal break records with their 233-run opening-wicket stand as India top 400 for the first time in ODIs, on their way to their biggest win

Sampath Bandarupalli15-Jan-2025304 Runs – India’s margin of victory against Ireland in Rajkot on Wednesday, their biggest win in women’s ODIs, bettering a 249-run win against Ireland in 2017. It is also the seventh-biggest win by runs for any team in women’s ODIs.*435 for 5 – India’s total – the first instance of India breaching the 400-run mark in ODIs. Their previous highest was 371 for 5 in the previous match on Sunday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – Number of totals in women’s ODIs, higher than India’s 435 for 5. All three are by New Zealand. Australia are the only other team with a 400-plus total in women’s ODIs. Four of the six 400-plus totals have come against Ireland.70 – Number of balls Smriti Mandhana took to complete her century, the fastest for India in women’s ODIs. Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball century against South Africa last year was the previous quickest.3 – India batters with a 150-plus score in women’s ODIs, including Pratika Rawal’s 154 on Wednesday. Deepti Sharma’s 188 against Ireland and Harmanpreet’s 171* against Australia, both in 2017, were the first two.8.73 – Scoring rate for the partnership between Mandhana and Rawal, the second-highest for 200-plus runs in women’s ODIs (where data is available). The highest is 8.89 by Amelia Kerr and Leigh Kasperek, who added 295 off 199 balls for the third wicket in 2018, also against Ireland.ESPNcricinfo Ltd233 – Mandhana and Rawal’s partnership is the third-highest for India in women’s ODIs. Deepti Sharma and Punam Raut’s 320 in 2017 and the unbeaten 258 by Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj in 1999, both against Ireland for the first wicket, are ahead.57 – Boundaries hit by the India batters on Wednesday – 48 fours and nine sixes. These are the third-highest number of boundaries hit by any team in a women’s ODI, behind New Zealand’s 71 and 59 in consecutive matches against Ireland in 2018.2 – Previous instances of both India openers scoring hundreds in a women’s ODI – Raj and Gandhi did it against Ireland in 1999, while Deepti and Raut replicated it in 2017, also against Ireland.Mandhana and Rawal recorded the 13th instance of both openers scoring hundreds in a women’s ODI innings, of which six have come against Ireland.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7 – Sixes by Mandhana in her 135-run knock, the joint-most by an India batter in a women’s ODI. Harmanpreet also hit seven sixes during her 171* against Australia in 2017.India hit nine sixes in their innings, the most they have in a women’s ODI, going past the eight they hit against South Africa in Bengaluru in 2024.10 – ODI hundreds for Mandhana – the joint-third most by a woman. Meg Lanning (15) and Suzie Bates (13) are ahead, while Tammy Beaumont also has ten ODI tons.Four of Mandhana’s ten hundreds have come in India putting her top of this list, ahead of Charlotte Edwards, Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.444 – Runs scored by Rawal in six ODI innings so far. These are the most runs scored by any batter in their first six innings in women’s ODIs, bettering Charlotte Edwards (434). Only Janneman Malan (483) scored more in the first six ODI innings (across men and women) than Rawal.459 – Partnership runs between Mandhana and Rawal in this series – the most by any pair in a bilateral series in women’s ODIs, surpassing the 412 runs by Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry against West Indies in 2014.4 – Pairs with successive 150-plus stands in women’s ODIs, including Mandhana and Rawal. Denise Emerson and Jill Kennare for Australia in 1985, Rachael Haynes and Alyssa Healy for Australia in the 2022 World Cup, and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu and Nilakshika Silva are the others.Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal smashed a number of records along the way•BCCI13 – Instances of India blanking their opponent in a series of three or more matches in women’s ODIs. They have now gone past England, who whitewashed their opponents 12 times. Australia are well ahead of the chasing pack with 33 such series wins.1046 – Runs aggregated by India in the series – the second-most by any team in a three-match women’s ODI series, behind 1349 by New Zealand against Ireland in 2018.3 – India are only the third team with 350-plus totals in successive women’s ODIs. New Zealand had 400-plus totals in all three matches against Ireland in 2018, while England had consecutive 350-plus totals in the 2016 home series against Pakistan.*

The wicketkeeper-batter scores his maiden Test hundred at a venue where he had impressed Rahul Dravid in 2016

Mohammad Isam06-Apr-2023In his first match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium seven years ago, Lorcan Tucker caught Rahul Dravid’s attention. He made 57 in a losing cause against India at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. Quite impressed, Dravid asked around who the kid was, and why he wasn’t already playing for Ireland’s senior team. Tucker would make his international debut later that year, but his international career, like most of his current Ireland team-mates, was only white-ball cricket.Tucker had played a combined 87 ODIs and T20Is before the Dhaka Test. He is part of the Ireland generation who is mainly focused on white-ball cricket. Tucker played the last of his 14 first-class matches two years ago. But on Thursday, when Ireland really needed their middle order to stand up, he became the country’s second centurion after Kevin O’Brien, and the sixth wicketkeeper overall to do so on debut.”It was a brilliant day,” Tucker said. “It was our first Test in Bangladesh. I didn’t think it would happen today but it is special for me and the team. It is obviously pretty special. It wasn’t something that I thought would happen today. We were under a lot of pressure. We tried to take it ball-by-ball and bat for as long as we could. It was very special to get a personal reward.”Related

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Throughout the innings Tucker was trying to understand how a Test innings works. He figured out that batting out time isn’t a bad thing, as opposed to in T20s where one is supposed to go after every ball.”You are trying to get into a space where you think you can bat for long periods. We are not quite used to the tempo [of Test cricket]. We haven’t played that much multi-day cricket. So just trying to slow down, and not be afraid of dot balls, a maiden or a series of maidens in a row. Just trying to get into the mindset of things happening slowly. I know the temperature is hot but to get into that mindset, you have to forget about the weather.”We were recognising there were different tempos in the innings. You can go up and down in gears. It is not like T20s where you are always trying to go as fast as you can. I think last night was a great example of a period where all you had to do was get through. The runs didn’t matter.”Lorcan Tucker pulls one away during his innings•AFP/Getty ImagesThere were times, however, when the T20 player in Tucker came to the fore. He charged at the spinners from time to time, and even went after the fast bowlers. His charging flicks and pulls off Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain stood out. In fact, Tucker scored at a strike rate of 100 against the fast bowlers.Against spin, he took his time, facing 81 dots and scoring at 52.21. But he never allowed Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to settle down.”Bangladeshi spinners are very accurate,” he said. “It felt like it was going to be hard to score more than two or three runs an over against them. I thought there was an opportunity to score against the seamers with the field up.”When the moment came for him to reach his century, Tucker drove Taijul expansively through the covers. He said that he isn’t an excitable person, but felt that it was an enjoyable day for the team.”I don’t like to be too high or too low. I try to be consistent the whole time with cricket and life. It was a great day, so trying to enjoy for what it is.”The general consensus among the group is that we really enjoyed the last few days. We are so used to ODIs and T20 cricket, which is so much faster. It is a completely different mindset. The last T20 was excellent as well. Today we came back from a really tough position. We are proud as a team. We have had some tough days on this tour so far.”Tucker comes from a family of cricketers. His father, Barry Tucker, is the president of Dublin’s Pembroke Cricket Club. The Tucker senior played for the club back in the day, and his sons Lorcan, Fiachra and Donncha are all from this club. Donncha, a left-arm spinner, is currently touring South Africa with the Ireland Under-19, while Fiachra played alongside Lorcan at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup.Tucker was always regarded as a talented cricketer but he had never scored a hundred at international level. On Thursday, he changed that, against a strong spin attack after coming in at 51 for 5. And at a venue where his talent was first spotted all those years ago.

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Saurabh Somani23-Oct-20202:38

Will Sam Curran be a key part of the Chennai Super Kings revamp?

IPL 2020 began with these two teams. Mumbai Indians were everyone’s favourites, and then the Chennai Super Kings, like they do, upended the script. Since then, there’s been a reversion to the mean. Mumbai haven’t lost a single match in regular time: six wins in eight games, one defeat in a Super Over, one defeat in a double Super Over. The Super Kings are the opposite: two wins in their next nine games, qualification hopes hanging by a thread – a thread that needs other results to go their way too. It’s going to take 37 minutes to kill all those possibilities.7.30pm
Trent Boult to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Boult is on target. Gaikwad is one of three changes for the Super Kings as they look for the “spark” that MS Dhoni said was missing. It’s an important game for him, because he’s getting a chance at the top of the order, where he’s got all his runs for India A. He looked slightly unsure in the middle order, thrown into the deep end in an unfamiliar role in the most competitive, intense T20 tournament in the world.Boult brings the first ball in, but then starts bending it away. Beaten, beaten, defensive push into the offside. Take your time Ruturaj, this could be your chance.7.34pm
It was the set-up. Three balls away, next one curving in. Gaikwad is late. The ball has hit pad. Has it taken an inside edge? Is it going down leg? Boult is pleading for an lbw. The umpire doesn’t listen. Kieron Pollard does. Boult and Pollard are on the money and Gaikwad’s day is over. Ambati Rayudu comes in and has to deal with a ‘perfume ball’ – so called because you can smell it under your nose – first up.ALSO READ: Dhoni: Next three games ‘preparation for next year’7.37pmOh hello, what do we have here? Jasprit Bumrah has taken the new ball just once for Mumbai in this IPL, against the Rajasthan Royals. He got Steven Smith out in the first over then. Pollard, leading in place of an injured Rohit Sharma, has decided to go to Bumrah due to what happened in Boult’s first over.”Jasprit, we weren’t thinking about using with the new ball but after that over from Trent and getting that early wicket… you know Rayudu has batted well against us the last couple of times and over the last couple of years. So we just decided to go for him, and it worked for us,” Pollard will say after the match.”We were thinking of having Trent open the bowling and maybe go either Nathan (Coulter-Nile) or a spinner. But, seeing a couple of balls swing and getting that early wicket, having Rayudu come in. I just thought of using our most experienced bowler and one of our better bowlers against their main batsman.”Rayudu won the Super Kings the opening match of IPL 2020 with 71 off 48. He has a couple of 40s too, one in 2018 and one in 2019.7.39pm
It takes two minutes and two short balls from Bumrah to prove Pollard’s hunch spectacularly right. The first one is back of a length, the second is banged in harder. It starts to home in just below Rayudu’s left shoulder like a heat-seeking missile. It gets too big, too fast, and is too good for him. There’s nowhere near enough room to pull, but Rayudu’s committed to the shot. The ball is committed to tangling him up into a top-edge that floats into Quinton de Kock’s gloves.Pollard and Bumrah exchange smiles while he’s walking back to bowl the next thunderbolt. The plan has worked. Not just the plan to bowl Bumrah first up, but to target Rayudu with the short stuff.The new man is N Jagadeesan. Can he show the spark Dhoni wanted? Not tonight. You feel for him and Gaikwad. They’ve put in the hard yards in domestic cricket. They’ve got their opportunity on the big stage. But they’re up against a pair of bowlers who are too hot to handle for most batsmen. Jagadeesan’s swishing at his first ball, feet not moving – they’ve not had time to move yet, to get the rhythm going yet – and it’s an outside edge to first slip.Another day, another failure with the bat for MS Dhoni•BCCI7.47pm
The Super Kings are under the pump but they have the two men best suited for a rebuilding job in Faf du Plessis and Dhoni. Both like to take their time. Both are capable of big hits later. Both have the evenness of temperament to ride out the storm.
But not tonight. Not tonight.It’s an uncharacteristic du Plessis stroke. It’s a characteristic Boult strike. He’s been doing it regularly for Mumbai upfront. Bowling coach and countryman Shane Bond will say Boult had promised “he was going to peak for this game”. Some peak. Swinging full and across du Plessis, whose normally sure footwork has gone AWOL. Maybe it’s the wickets. Maybe it’s the reality of the Super Kings’ season. Maybe it’s the bowling. Or all three. A waft and another catch behind.The Super Kings have lost more wickets than they have runs on the board: 3 for 4.The dugout looks more shocked than glum. Even in the midst of their worst season ever, they hadn’t quite expected their worst start ever to a game.”We’re pretty stunned really… It was tough watching,” coach Stephen Fleming will say after the match. He’ll repeat ‘it was tough’ three times in the same answer.7.59pm
It’s only an 18-run partnership but after what went before, the fifth-wicket stand between Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja is starting to feel like hope for the Super Kings. Bumrah’s second over has been negotiated. Krunal Pandya replaced Boult. There could yet be a rearguard.Turns out, Boult has not been taken off, he’s merely switching ends. Jadeja’s been in good ball-striking form this tournament. A counter-attack against Boult incoming? Not quite. Jadeja steps down the track, goes for the flat-batted pull. It only comes off the toe-end and into midwicket’s hands.The Super Kings are wrecked. They’re 21 for 5 inside the powerplay. All the power and the play has been enforced by Mumbai’s bowlers.8.07pm
The one glimmer of hope is the captain. Dhoni has just hit Rahul Chahar for a straight six, right out of his 2011 playbook. Maybe he can salvage something?No he can’t.The next ball’s tossed up wider outside off, and Dhoni’s going hard at this too. But it’s not in his hitting arc. It’s, in fact, in his edging arc. Caught behind. It’s 30 for 6 and the dream is officially done for the Super Kings.”It does hurt,” Dhoni will say after the game. “I think all the players are hurting.”

****

Mathematically, the Super Kings retain a ghost of a chance to make the playoffs. Practically, a spotless record of qualifying 10 times in 10 seasons is over. It doesn’t take 37 minutes for a legacy to crumble. But these 37 minutes provided the hammer-blow soundtrack to one of the great records in the IPL ending.