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Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond led his side’s fightback by posting his first red-ball hundred in over a year on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship clash against Middlesex at Lord’s.Bell-Drummond, who averaged single figures this season going into Kent’s second innings, finished unbeaten on 103 as his side progressed to 226 for 4 – a lead of 117 – when bad light ended play.He shared a second-wicket stand of 109 with England’s Zak Crawley, who was dropped at second slip off Dane Paterson on three and recovered to score 68, his third half-century of the season.Middlesex failed to gather any batting bonus points earlier in the day, with Ryan Higgins top-scoring on 54 as they lost their last six wickets for 61 and were bowled out for 238.The home side began the day with a 29-run advantage and Higgins soon advanced to his second successive half-century, swishing George Garrett through the vacant second slip region for four.But, having stretched their overnight partnership to 81, Higgins and Ben Geddes departed within the space of three balls – Joey Evison judging a catch in the deep perfectly to remove Geddes before Garrett castled Higgins with a beauty that hit the top of middle stump.It needed a robust stand of 42 between Jack Davies and Toby Roland-Jones to extend the hosts’ lead into three figures as Davies pulled Evison for the game’s first six and struck Matt Parkinson for successive boundaries.However, the leg-spinner tempted Davies to drive again, pouching a return catch that sandwiched Evison’s dismissals of Roland-Jones and Henry Brookes to wrap up Middlesex’s innings.That left Kent to negotiate five overs before lunch – and Crawley was fortunate to do so, his third delivery looping off a leading edge to fall just short of point before Sam Robson spilled the chance to dismiss him in the next over.Robson made amends by snapping up Ben Compton’s edge at head height off Roland-Jones, but that was Middlesex’s sole success until mid-afternoon as the clouds dispersed and the visitors capitalised on the improved batting conditions.Bell-Drummond gradually settled into the groove, pulling a short ball from Brookes to the rope to raise his 50 partnership with Crawley, who adopted a merciless approach towards anything wide from the seamers.The 27-year-old drove confidently on both sides of the wicket, dispatching a loose delivery from Higgins to the cover fence to reach his third half-century of the campaign from 62 balls as Kent wiped out their first-innings arrears.Paterson finally achieved the breakthrough, bringing one back down the slope to pin Crawley on his back leg shortly before Bell-Drummond passed 50, hammering a Roland-Jones half-volley to the boundary.Tawanda Muyeye fell soon after tea, lbw prodding at Higgins and there was a scratchy start for Jack Leaning, caught on the shoulder by a ball from Roland-Jones that reared up just after his inside edge had zipped narrowly over the stumps for four.Leaning’s innings ended when he skied an attempted pull to mid-on before his successor as Kent captain chalked up a 19th first-class century from 168 balls – albeit in untidy fashion, slicing Paterson just over the slip fielder’s head for four.That boundary came just in time for Bell-Drummond, with umpires Rob Bailey and Anthony Harris taking the teams off the field three balls later.

MatériaMais Notícias

OBotafogo promoveu uma reverência ao seu eterno ídolo. A estátua em homenagem a Garrincha ficou pronta e está exposta na frente de General Severiano, sede social do clube, desde esta quinta-feira (13). O movimento foi organizado pelo presidente do clube associativo, Durcesio Mello, e tem como intuito valorizar a história do Alvinegro no local.

Por enquanto, o monumento está sendo exposto em frente ao casarão de General Severiano. Sua inauguração oficial está prevista para o dia 25 de julho, uma terça-feira.

+ Apresentado no Botafogo, Bruno Lage planeja ‘transição pacífica’ para manter equipe em alto nível na temporada

Além do monumento, o clube também vai mostrar um farol da Estrela Solitária e expor taças do time de futebol. Todos os elementos farão parte do futuro museu.

A estátua feita em ouro traz Garrincha com asas, em referência ao apelido “o Anjo das Pernas Tortas”. No fim de 2022, o Botafogo havia aprovado o projeto da criação de um museu orçado na casa dos R$ 15 milhões.

Os parceiros do Alvinegro são oMude Brasil e o Instituto ISV, ambos do empresário Marcelo Lemos Fernandes. Ele foi escolhido pela diretoria para gerenciar o negócio pelos próximos 10 anos. Ainda estão previstas homenagens a outros ídolos, mas de outras maneiras.

Leeds United recently made an approach for an “elite” player, who has since signed for Premier League rivals Manchester United in a last minute deadline day move.

Farke likely to be disappointed after Leeds' quiet deadline day

Heading into deadline day, Daniel Farke made it clear that he wanted to make two more additions to his squad, with the manager particularly keen to strengthen in attacking areas, having identified Facundo Buonanotte and Harry Wilson as targets.

However, the Whites were unable to get any new signings through the door, with it being widely reported the Cottagers pulled the plug on a deal for Wilson at the last minute, while Buonanotte ended up signing for Chelsea on loan until the end of the campaign.

As such, Farke is likely to be frustrated by the end to the transfer window, but the manager can take some solace in the fact he has managed to improve his squad in a number of key areas this summer, not least between the sticks.

Lucas Perri was signed as a replacement for Illan Meslier, who has been attracting interest from the likes of Rangers and Lorient, but a report has now revealed a different goalkeeper was being considered as a replacement for the Frenchman at one stage.

According to a report from Belgium (via The Daily Mail), Leeds made an approach to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp, but ultimately walked away from a deal when they discovered the hefty asking price.

Scouts from both Sunderland and Leeds decided against bringing in Lammens, given that it would be a risk to throw him straight in as first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League, and he ended up joining Man United for a fee of around £18m instead.

"Elite" Lammens would've been risky signing for Leeds

Despite being described as having “elite potential” by scout Ben Mattinson, signing the former Royal Antwerp man would’ve been a gamble for Leeds, given that he is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues.

The Belgian is just 23-years-old, meaning Perri has far more experience, and barring the trip to Arsenal, the Brazilian has made a solid start to life at Elland Road, keeping two clean sheets in his opening three Premier League games.

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Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca was also left very impressed by the 27-year-old’s performances in Ligue 1 last season, saying in March: “Right now, the best goalkeeper in the world is Lucas Perri.”

As such, Leeds made the correct decision signing the former Lyon man instead of Lammens, who has a daunting season ahead of him, with the young Belgian tasked with trying to establish himself as number one for Man United.

But Hurricanes are yet to re-sign Tim David; Melbourne Stars, meanwhile, bag Liam Hatcher

Alex Malcolm31-Jan-2025Australia Test allrounder Beau Webster has returned to BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes on a three-year deal, having not played for his home state’s team since 2017.Webster, 31, played five matches for Hurricanes in 2016-17, but has spent the past eight seasons in Melbourne: he was there for four seasons with Renegades, before another four with Stars.But having played his entire domestic career for his home state Tasmania, Webster will return to play for Hurricanes in the BBL over the next three seasons.Related

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“I am pumped to return to Hobart next summer for the BBL, and get the opportunity to play on a packed Ninja Stadium in front of our fans, my friends and family,” Webster said.”Vaughany [Jeff Vaughan] and Nelly [Nathan Ellis] have got the group playing a really good brand of cricket, and to see them win a championship makes me hungry to bring another one to ‘Canes fans next season.”Webster signing is an interesting move by Hurricanes given they already have seam-bowling allrounders in Mitchell Owen and Chris Jordan in the top seven of their title-winning team. Despite Webster’s outstanding first-class record, he hasn’t been as dominant in T20 cricket.He has failed to strike at more than 132 in any of his last seven BBL seasons, and it will be interesting to see how he slips into Hurricanes’ high-tempo batting unit. But Hurricanes general manager Salliann Beams was pleased to bring Webster back to Hobart.”We have seen over the past 18 months just how special of a player Beau is, and to have him re-join the Hurricanes is something that will make all Tasmanians proud to hear,” Beams said. “Beau’s skill set in the short form of the game is up there with some of the best in the country, and he can take the game away from the opposition with the bat while also providing another wicket-taking option with the ball.”His leadership will also be a vital aspect of his role at the Hurricanes, and he is great mates with the players we already have on our list, which means he will fit into what we are trying to build seamlessly.”Stars hopeful about David, and sign HatcherHurricanes are still yet to re-sign title-winning power hitter Tim David, but they are hopeful of keeping him after a successful season. But Stars are still hoping of landing him as a free agent.Meanwhile, Stars have signed New South Wales fast bowler Liam Hatcher on a two-year deal after he spent the past two seasons with Sydney Thunder. Hatcher began his BBL at Stars in 2020, playing 17 matches over two seasons before moving to Thunder in 2023. But he played just four games in his first season in 2023-24, and did not feature at all in Thunder’s run to the final in 2024-25.

England gunning for 3-0 whitewash to end up-and-down year on a high

Alan Gardner13-Dec-2024Big picture: Threat of 3-0 overshadows Southee fanfareFrom whitewash to whitewash? It would be quite a humbling for New Zealand, after their exploits in India – though there is still time to salvage some pride. While they have been blanked at home by Australia on several recent occasions, those have tended to be two-Test series. Only twice have they lost three out of three in New Zealand: against Australia in 1999-2000, and England in 1962-63.We are not there yet, but it has been a lacklustre series for Tom Latham’s side, their performance marred by dropped catches in Christchurch and a tentativeness that allowed England to run away with the game in Wellington, despite being inserted in ideal seam-bowling conditions. As is the New Zealand way, the response has been measured ahead of the third Test, with a return for Will Young, not a result of selectorial axe-wielding, but to allow Devon Conway time off for the birth of his first child.Young was Player of the Series in India and perhaps he can help them rediscover their mojo from that tour. While their shock 3-0 win kept alive hopes of another World Test Championship appearance, those have now been extinguished, and the sense of a team in transition is likely to continue. Of the XI that beat India in the 2021 WTC final, only Latham, Conway, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee have been involved against England. Conway may return, despite only averaging 21.44 in Tests this year, but Southee is already in the departure lounge after signalling that this series would be his last.It has not been the farewell Southee would have hoped for, despite the romantic notion of bowing out against the same opposition as when he started. His debut in Napier almost 17 years ago coincided with England’s last Test series win in New Zealand, but there was no doubting that Southee was a talent to watch after claiming a five-for then hammering 77 off 40 in a doomed run-chase. Plenty of neutrals will hope that he can summon something fittingly impactful on his last appearance at his home ground, Seddon Park, where the Pavilion End has been temporarily renamed the Tim Southee End for this match.Tim Southee prepares for his farewell match at Seddon Park•Getty Images

For England, while there may be a sense of “job done”, having taken the series with one to play, there is the clear incentive to finish an up-and-down year in Tests with a 10th win from 17. Much of the discussion around the team has been about rebooting and retooling for the challenges ahead – namely India at home next year followed by the Ashes in Australia – but they go into this game with Ben Stokes emphasising the need to take each challenge as it comes.And with more than five months until their next assignment, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, England’s final outing of 2024 has the potential to linger in the memory. Can Zak Crawley end his bizarre hoodoo against New Zealand? Will Jacob Bethell produce the definitive performance that says he is here to stay in the Test side? Is Chris Woakes quietly becoming a reliable overseas option at the grand old age of 35? This may be a dead rubber in the old sense, where even WTC points will be inconsequential, but there are still points to prove on both sides.Form guideNew Zealand LLWWW
England WWLLWIn the spotlight: Tim Southee and Zak CrawleyTim Southee’s record this year (15 wickets at 61.66) certainly suggests that the time has come, but perhaps the announcement should have been saved for nearer the curtain call. He has been a passenger in the series, repeatedly coming under attack from England’s batters and relegated to batting at No. 11 at Basin Reserve, where he suffered the added ignominy of being the concluding wicket in Gus Atkinson’s hat-trick. Southee’s record for New Zealand speaks for itself but he probably wouldn’t mind his numbers doing the talking (in a good way) one last time.Zak Crawley has experienced more ups and downs than a toaster in an elevator during his time as an England player, and has long since learned to stay level. Whether he is even aware that he averages 10.15 from 10 Tests against New Zealand, across five separate series dating back to his debut at Seddon Park in 2019, is up for debate – and doubtless England won’t factor it into their thinking at all next summer. But just for his own satisfaction, he would surely like to lay a glove on Matt Henry, who has dismissed him four times in 19 deliveries without conceding a run this series.Team news: Young in for ConwayYoung will slot in at opener – having most recently batted at No. 3 – while New Zealand could also opt to bring in Mitchell Santner as a frontline spin option in place of Nathan Smith.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner/Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’RourkeEngland’s players filtered into Hamilton under their own steam on Wednesday and were not due to train until Friday. Woakes has been spared a third Test back to back, with Matt Potts coming in for his second appearance of the winter.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (capt), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Matt Potts, 11 Shoaib BashirPitch and conditions: Green from the outsetThere has been plenty of rain in the build-up – New Zealand’s training was cut short after 30 minutes on Thursday – and the pitch has largely been under covers. But a glorious Friday meant the pitch was opened up to bright blue skies, and with a balmy weekend forecast, the pitch is likely to get baked. Seddon Park has been something of a stronghold for New Zealand, who have won seven of their last nine Tests there. Most recently, against South Africa in February, the ground saw three scores of under 250 before flattening out for the hosts to comfortably chase 267 three down in the fourth innings. The weather could play a part through the Test, with showers forecast on day three.Stats and trivia New Zealand haven’t lost a Test at Seddon Park since South Africa beat them by nine wickets in 2012. Kane Williamson averages 94.26 at the ground, with six hundreds – including a career-best 251 against West Indies in 2020. England have played two Tests in Hamilton: a high-scoring draw in 2019 and defeat by 189 runs in 2008, which precipitated the dropping of Steven Harmison and Matthew Hoggard for James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Having lost 2-0 to Australia earlier in the year, New Zealand could equal their worst losing sequence of five in a row at home, set in 1955-56. Joe Root needs 114 runs to become the fifth man to 13,000 in Tests. Gus Atkinson is two wickets shy of 50.Quotes”Any Test match you play for New Zealand, it’s another opportunity to perform your skills as best you can. We certainly don’t need any motivation for what we’re trying to do. The crowds that we’ve had, we know we haven’t played to our potential the last couple of games, but hopefully we can put a good show on for the fans. We really appreciate their support.”
“Seventeen [Tests] in a year is a lot when you add the other cricket, long tough slog but a really good year. Played some good cricket, found some extraordinarily talented players who have shown they’re capable of delivering big performances on the biggest stage, which is playing for your country. So overall, really happy.”

India 376 (Ashwin 113, Jadeja 86, Mahmud 5-83) and 287 for 4 dec (Gill 119*, Pant 109, Mehidy 2-103) beat Bangladesh 149 (Shakib 32, Bumrah 4-50, Jadeja 2-19) and 234 (Shanto 82, Ashwin 6-88, Jadeja 3-58) by 280 runsR Ashwin completed his fourth double of a hundred and a five-for in the same Test – and his second in successive Tests at Chepauk – to take India to a 1-0 series lead against Bangladesh on the fourth morning in Chennai. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the probing bowling at bay, spending a wicketless first hour with Shakib Al Hasan.But Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja broke down the resistance in the second hour. Ashwin’s 37th five-wicket haul took him level with the great Shane Warne, behind only Muthiah Muralidaran’s 67.India started the day needing six wickets to win, but were denied at the start. The first hour, although wicketless, featured testing spells from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj, in particular, bowled through the hour, kept going past Shanto’s bat, and tried to engage him in verbals, but Shanto kept resisting him. Shakib wore a blow on his fingers, but managed to keep Shanto company.

India retain same squad for second Test

After the win in Chennai, India confirmed that the same 16-man squad would be retained for the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The game begins on September 27. The squad members that didn’t play a part in the first Test were Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yash Dayal.

Just after drinks, though, Chennai boy Ashwin and Chennai Super King Jadeja got together in a reminder of how their batting partnership on day one took the game away from Bangladesh. In his first over, Ashwin’s drift made Shakib play down the wrong line for Yashasvi Jaiswal to take another sharp catch at short leg. This wicket took him past Courtney Walsh’s 519 to No. 8 on the all-time wicket-takers’ table.Jadeja’s quick pace and turn soon drew an edge from Litton Das for an easier catch at first slip. Playing at home, Ashwin then received a gift from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who decided to take the long-on fielder on, and ended up offering Jadeja a simple catch – fitting that Ashwin’s five-wicket haul was completed with a Jadeja catch.Trying to farm the strike, Shanto decided to have a go at Jadeja last ball of an over, but the wily spinner bowled wide to draw a wicket-taking thick edge. It was only a matter of time after that. A minor detail was that what could have been Ashwin’s seventh wicket – not given and not reviewed – ended up becoming Jadeja’s third in the next over.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are pressing on in their hunt for additions and are now advancing as they aim to bolster the forward ranks, according to a report.

Fer Lopez became the Old Gold’s first arrival of the summer window, and Jorgen Strand Larsen has since joined him at Wolves permanently after an excellent loan spell at Molineux.

After putting up a tally of 14 goals and five assists in the Black Country, the Norway international is now fully focused on improving on his exploits next term under Vitor Pereira.

He stated: “It’s been a good first season in the Premier League. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’ve been able to take the steps earlier than I’ve done before. Previously, when I moved to a new country, I needed more time to get into it and score goals.

“As a striker, the team need you to score the goals and be on the end of the crosses, so to score 14 goals – and come back after my injuries and a little dip of form – it was a good season for me in that respect.”

Now prioritising other areas, Wolves are interested in Udinese defender Thomas Kristensen again after making a £12 million bid for the Dane during the January transfer window.

Wolves now closing in on deal to sign £4m+ colossus who "wants" PL move

The Old Gold have made progress in their pursuit of a “highly-rated” player, who is keen on a move to the Premier League.

ByDominic Lund Jul 2, 2025

Another potential solution at the back for the Old Gold is Brighton & Hove Albion star Igor Julio, albeit it remains to be seen whether the Seagulls will entertain selling to a Premier League rival.

However, despite Strand Larsen deciding to extend his stay, Wolves are now keen to land another centre-forward to star in the new campaign.

Wolves make approach for El Bilal Toure

According to Africa Foot, Wolves have made an approach to sign El Bilal Toure from Atalanta, though the 23 year-old is also wanted by Marseille, Stade Rennais, Paris FC, Como, Villarreal, Galatasaray and West Ham United.

In an injury-ridden campaign on loan at Stuttgart, the Mali international, who was previously labelled a “major talent” by Graeme Bailey, registered three goals and one assist in 17 appearances across all competitions, exactly mirroring his debut season for Atalanta in 2023/24.

Five similar players to El Bilal Toure (FBRef)

Mateo Retegui

Atalanta

Marcus Thuram

Inter Milan

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Jonathan David

Juventus (to be finalised)

Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid

Nothing has been determined as yet, but the Serie A outfit are set to decide on Bilal Toure’s next move sooner rather than later as he isn’t expected to be a major part of Ivan Juric’s plans in 2025/26.

Wolves are a little short on forward options after Matheus Cunha’s departure. Besides, there is a suspicion the likes of Hwang Hee-chan, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic could leave Molineux this summer due to their status as peripheral figures.

Bilal Toure has endured mixed fortunes since arriving in Italy. Nevertheless, a move to the Premier League could be the perfect tonic to get his career back on track.