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Mohammad Amir took three wickets in the Powerplay but Royals’ collapse of 6 for 19 cost them

Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2021Kieron Pollard turned what had looked an uncertain run chase into a canter for Trinbago Knight Riders after the defending champions had been set up for their opening victory in this year’s tournament by Isuru Udana’s career-best five-wicket haul.It was a good game for left-arm seamers with Mohammad Amir responding with three wickets in his opening spell, but from 38 for 4 in the eighth over Knight Riders were taken to victory by an unbroken stand of 87 in nine overs between Pollard and Denesh Ramdin. The target was hauled into view with a barrage of sixes – the last of them taking Pollard to a 29-ball fifty.Barbados Royals had made a reasonable start in the powerplay but things then started to go wrong in the space of consecutive overs from Udana. His first wicket was fortuitous as Johnson Charles was given caught behind pulling only for replays to show it came off the shoulder. Then in four balls of his next over, Udana had Jason Holder and Glenn Phillips caught in the deep to leave Royals 42 for 3.There was something of a recovery from Shai Hope and Azam Khan before Hope was brilliantly caught by Darren Bravo running in from long-on against the excellent Akeal Hosein. Udana completed the first five-wicket haul of his T20 career when he returned for his last over and had Khan slicing to short third man and his fellow Sri Lankan Thisara Perera held in the deep.Pollard was also rewarded for aggressive captaincy when Kyle Mayers edged Sunil Narine to slip in the 16th over. In the end Royals were unable to bat out their 20 overs with their last six wickets falling for 19.They hit back strongly in the Powerplay through Amir who removed Narine first ball, miscuing to mid-off, extracted Lendl Simmons’ middle and leg stumps then had Colin Munro taken at slip when he was cramped by a shorter delivery.There was some awkward bounce to contend with while the ball was new with Holder and Oshane Thomas causing a number of uneasy moments. The pressure that was built in the first half of the chase resulted in Tim Seifert’s wicket when he top edged to deep square.At that stage Royals were firmly in the contest, but with such a small target – and Pollard’s ability to change gear – the required rate was never a problem. Royals were also hampered by a loose first over from Hayden Walsh with Holder then not confident to give the legspinner another bowl.Ramdin, who had taken a thudding blow on the arm guard from Thomas, was content to play second fiddle once Pollard was settled. Amir was brought back for his last over in the 13th to try and conjure a wicket but was seen off and from there Knight Riders did not look back.

Woakes has pulled out of the tournament along with a few other England cricketers

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2021Australia bowler Ben Dwarshuis has replaced Chris Woakes in the Delhi Capitals squad for the rest of the 2021 IPL season.Woakes had pulled out of the remainder of the IPL because of personal reasons, joining Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Jonny Bairstow, Punjab Kings’ Dawid Malan and Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler in withdrawing from the tournament. Woakes had taken five wickets for Capitals in three games in the first half of the season.Dwarshuis has a haul of 100 T20 wickets – with a best of 4 for 13 – and a strike rate of 17.30. Dwarshuis, who plays for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 85 wickets in 69 matches.According to a statement from the Capitals, Dwarshuis will be “joining the Delhi Capitals team bio-bubble in the UAE soon”. This will be Dwarshuis’ second stint in the IPL after he was a part of the Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in 2018, though he didn’t get a chance to play.Separately, the Capitals players who were part of the Indian Test squad in England, reached Dubai on Sunday. Rishabh Pant, who had taken over as captain after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer picked up an injury during the first chunk of matches in April this year, R Ashwin, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav all tested negative for Covid-19 upon arrival.The Capitals are currently on top of the IPL points table with 12 points from eight matches. They resume their campaign against the Sunrisers on September 22.

This was Namibia’s highest-successful chase in T20Is and also their maiden win at a World Cup

Firdose Moonda20-Oct-20211:10

David Wiese – ‘We would have never dreamed about playing, let alone winning a World Cup match’

Namibia completed their highest-successful chase in a T20I to keep their Super 12 hopes alive and put Netherlands on the brink of an early exit. The Dutch have now lost two group stage matches, have to beat Sri Lanka and hope Ireland win both their remaining games. Namibia, on the other hand, have their fate in their own hands after completing their maiden World Cup win in senior men’s cricket.After conceding 164 runs, a total which could have been lower after a fielding effort filled with fumbles, Namibia stumbled to 52 for 3 in the ninth over and were facing an uphill battle. But a 93-run fourth wicket stand between Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese, which came in 8.3 overs, put Namibia on the brink of victory before Wiese and JJ Smit saw them home. South African of the match
There were several candidates to choose from in this fixture but this unique award has to go to Wiese. He turned Namibia’s innings around with a vintage performance that involved clearing the rope five times, all in the ‘V.’ Wiese’s first shot in anger came when he charged Roelof van der Merwe and hit the ball over his head for six, which put Namibia on 68 for 3 at the halfway stage, needing 97 runs off the last 10 overs. Namibia scored 52 runs off the next four overs, and Wiese was responsible for 37 of those. He brought up his first fifty for Namibia off 29 balls with a six over cover point and brought their required run-rate down to just over six runs an over in the last three overs, when they needed 19 runs. Wiese only faced one ball in the final over, and Smit hit the winning runs, but he set the victory up and finished on an unbeaten 66 off 40 balls. Wiese also took the Player of the Match award.Bounced out, slowly

Pace off the ball is likely to become the phrase of the tournament, and if you need a visual, look no further than the first two wickets of the Dutch innings. Jan Frylinck delivered a slow-motion bouncer to Stephan Myburgh, who tried to upper-cut him over point, but was earlier on the stroke than he would have liked and lobbed it to Stephan Baard at point. Two overs later, Wiese bowled a short, wide, and slow delivery that van der Merwe tried to cut but ended up slashing high to Bernard Scholtz at third man.Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese shared a 93-run fourth-wicket partnership•ICC via Getty

Max(imum) number of lives
Max O’Dowd brought up a second successive half-century at this tournament, this one laced with leg-side boundaries, but it was not without its fair share of luck. He survived four times against some sloppy Namibian fielding, which could have seen his innings end much earlier. O’Dowd could have been run out in the 11th, when he was on 38, and he pushed a Ruben Trumpelmann delivery to cover and set off for a single, but almost immediately realised it was the wrong decision. He gave up about three-quarters of the way down but the throw missed the stumps. Then, when he was on 46, he hit the ball to extra cover, took off and again realised he was too hasty. O’Dowd was ready to run back to the dug-out but the throw was inaccurate. He brought up his fifty six balls later with an inside-out drive over the covers.O’Dowd entered the last five overs on 65 and sent an aerial shot in the direction of long-off, but the chance fell short. He added two more runs before he got a leading edge off JJ Smit. Baard ran in from the covers and got hands to it but could not hold on. O’Dowd had reached 70 by the last ball of the penultimate over and snuck two byes off a ball that struck him on the leg. He should have been run out at the wicket-keeper’s end but the throw went to the bowler. Eventually O’Dowd was run-out in the last over, chasing a second run but flagging in the heat. He became the first Dutch player to score back-to-back half-centuries at a World Cup.More missed chances, but it doesn’t matter as much

The fielding remained messy when Netherlands began their defence. In the third over, Baard punched a ball into the covers and took a single which appeared completely out of the question. van der Merwe rushed his throw that would have run Baard out at the striker’s end and he escaped an early exit. Two overs later, Namibia’s mini-collapse began, when Zane Green dragged an attempted pull onto his stumps off Frank Klaasen. They went on to lose 3 for 18, with Baard the third of those wickets when he missed a flick and was bowled by the Dutch captain Pieter Seelar. But then came the 93-run stand between Erasmus and Wiese to seize the advantage for Namibia once more, and that was that.

A lot of the DC batters got starts but none of them managed to cross 40, with Axar’s 32-ball 39 the highest of the innings

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2025After a tough couple of days, the Ahmedabad pitch gave a bit of respite for batters on a hot Saturday afternoon. Karun Nair, KL Rahul, and Delhi Capitals’ (DC) middle-order batters got starts, but none of them crossed 39. Gujarat Titans (GT) used only five bowlers for 19 overs of the innings. Prasidh Krishna, who got hold of the purple cap, pulled the visitors back after a great start with a four-wicket haul.DC leaving out Jake Fraser-McGurk created the new opening combination of Abhisek Porel and Nair. Porel’s boundaries in the first over; a drive on the up over mid-off and a help-along flick behind square, showed that the pitch could be trusted.He fell to a full toss from Arshad Khan and Rahul’s shift in approach kept DC ticking. Rahul cut Siraj and was able to pump him down the ground. His start was ominous but an outswinging yorker from Prasidh trapped him lbw for 28 off 14 balls.Nair, too, got boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He was out in a relatively soft manner, ramping a shortish ball straight to deep third.A pristine cover drive from Stubbs off Prasidh brought up DC’s hundred in the ninth over. But he and Axar Patel were relatively sedate after that during the 53-run stand off 36 balls. They were happy to take Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma for ones and twos.Rashid bowled quicker and at the stumps in his first two overs. He slowed the pace down in his third as Stubbs took him for six down the ground but then miscued a swipe across the line. Rashid ran back but couldn’t hold onto the catch close to the ring at mid-on. It led to a slog-swept six from Axar next ball.Ishant was struggling in the heat and went off the pitch after two overs. Siraj returned and removed Stubbs, who reverse swept a yorker and the ball lobbed to short third.GT’s death bowlers included a lot of yorker attempts with short balls peppered in between. It nearly worked first ball, but Rashid dropped Axar at the start of the 17th.The DC skipper could not hit a boundary in his last nine balls and was out caught behind. He charged Prasidh and tried to slap a length ball over cover and got an edge. Prasidh was on a hat-trick a ball later, thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Jos Buttler to dismiss Vipraj Nigam.Ashutosh Sharma was the primary boundary hitter in the final overs. He got a six and a four off Arshad early in his innings and hit two sixes off Prasidh later on. R Sai Kishore, whose only over was the final one of the innings, went for just nine, as GT inched past the 200 mark.

Former Chelmsford academy product makes four-and-a-half hour 92 not out

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Apr-2025Surrey 365 (Foakes 92*, Burns 73, Harmer 4-83) and 9 for 0 trail Essex 582 for 6 dec by 208 runsBen Foakes defied his former county for four hours and 41 minutes but could not prevent Essex asking reigning champions Surrey to follow-on in the Rothesay County Championship at Chelmsford.The one-time England wicketkeeper, an Essex academy graduate, stood resolutely while wickets fell all around him to remain not out 92 as Surrey were dismissed for 365 in their first innings, 217 runs in arrears. Second time around Surrey had reduced the requirement to make Essex bat again by nine runs without loss in six overs at the end of day three.It could have been worse for the visitors. They collapsed from their overnight 109 for 1 to 180 for 6, undone by a spell of three wickets in 15 balls amid pre-lunch mayhem in which five wickets fell and the guts were ripped out of the middle-order.Simon Harmer led the way for Essex with 4 for 83 from a marathon 47 overs, 34 of them bowled in the day. It was a welcome return to form for the South African offspinner, who failed to add to his 35 five-fers and ten 10-wicket hauls for the club during an uncharacteristically disappointing 2024 season.At the start of an eventful day under clear, bright skies, Ollie Pope lasted just seven balls before he was beaten all ends up by a delivery from Porter that flicked his off-bail. It ended a 103-run stand with Burns for the second wicket.Jamie Smith made his presence felt with three quick boundaries off Porter, including a straight drive that brooked no argument. However, five balls after cutting Shane Snater’s first ball decisively to the square-leg boundary, Smith essayed a cover-drive, missed and kept walking as his off stump went cartwheeling.That brought in Foakes, but before he could settle Surrey lost their second wicket in two balls. This time Harmer induced an outside edge off Burns’s bat for a caught-behind for 73. And it became three wickets with just eight runs added as Dan Lawrence’s six-ball stay ended when Harmer got one to jump up with the resultant involuntary edge deviating to slip.Ryan Patel looked completely bamboozled by Harmer. He faced 23 deliveries from the offspinner, barely getting near any of them, let alone scoring a run, before nudging one into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.In addition to his wickets, Harmer was parsimonious in terms of conceding runs, so when Foakes pushed him through the covers it was only the second boundary he had conceded in 26 overs.The scoreboard clicked rapidly when the new-ball was taken with 40 runs coming from the first six overs, moving Surrey to their first of two batting points in the process, before Jordan Clark’s freewheeling 45 from 88 balls was ended by Cook.Foakes reached his fifty when he edged his eighth four just wide of slip off Snater. He had put on 55 for the eighth wicket with Matt Fisher before losing his fifth partner, the recruit from Yorkshire being bowled by one from Harmer that kept low.James Taylor joined Foakes in a time-consuming 22-over stand worth 50 runs before Matt Critchley switched ends for one over and removed Taylor with a googly. He then swapped back to his previous end to account for Kemar Roach lbw and end the innings.

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right,” Virat Kohli says in a note on his social media handle

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20255:48

Kumble: ‘I thought Kohli had a few more years left in him’

Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned 14 years and included 123 Tests – 68 of them as captain – in which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.”It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life,” Kohli said in a social media statement on Monday morning. “There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for. I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude – for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.”As reported on ESPNcricinfo on Saturday, Kohli had communicated his desire to retire from Test cricket to the BCCI ahead of the big five-match series in England starting June 20, for which he was expected to be part of the squad. It was learnt at the time that Kohli had been having conversations on the matter with officials of the BCCI for the past month or so.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

For Kohli, it hadn’t been a particularly fruitful time in the format of late. When he scored 100 not out in the Perth Test in November 2024, it was his first century in Tests since July 2023 (against West Indies in Port of Spain), and his average, 55.10 at its peak after he scored his career best of 254 not out vs South Africa in Pune in 2019, had been 32.56 over the last 24 months.Despite that, it’s understood that the team management and selectors wanted his experience on the England tour, where India will be playing under a new captain – Shubman Gill is the frontrunner to take over from Rohit Sharma following his retirement from Test cricket earlier this week.Related

• Kane Williamson shares the stardust as Middlesex Blast stint begins

• Shastri: Kohli retired from Tests without regret

• Pujara feels India 'need a couple of series' to figure out Kohli's replacement

• Pujara: 'For Virat, Test cricket was the ultimate format'

• Kohli and Test cricket gave each other their best

Apart from Rohit, R Ashwin had also retired from international cricket late last year. With Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav not in the mix at the moment, and Mohammed Shami’s form under scrutiny after his return from a long injury layoff, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah remain the only links to that phase of Indian Test cricket, where they reached two successive World Test Championship (WTC) finals, the first under Kohli’s leadership.Kohli, as well as Rohit, were included in the highest category (A+) in the latest BCCI contracts, which is usually meant for players who play all three international formats. Both Kohli and Rohit had retired from T20Is after India won the World Cup last year, and they will only be available for ODI cricket going forward.BCCI president Roger Binny hailed Kohli for his qualities as a cricketer and leader.”Virat Kohli’s name will be remembered alongside the finest ever to have graced Test cricket,” Binny said in a statement. “What set him apart was not just his hunger for runs, but his commitment to excellence in the toughest format of the game. His leadership marked a shift in how India competed overseas — with aggression, belief, and a refusal to settle for second best. He inspired a generation to take pride in the whites, and his impact on Indian cricket will be felt for decades to come.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kohli made his Test debut on India’s tour of the West Indies in mid-2011, and after a quiet start in Kingston where he scored 4 and 15 – he totaled 76 runs in five innings on that tour – Kohli first showed glimpses of his ability against West Indies at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium later that year, scoring 52 and 63. It was a struggle initially on the subsequent, ill-fated tour of Australia, where India lost 4-0, but Kohli finished the series on a high, scoring his first Test century in the Adelaide Test.Kohli’s first really big Test series was also in Australia, in 2014-15, when he scored twin centuries in Adelaide, and followed it up with centuries in Melbourne and Sydney to aggregate 692 runs for the series at an average of 86.50. By then, he was also India’s Test captain. MS Dhoni was the designated captain, but missed the first Test because of a thumb injury, leading to Kohli’s elevation. Dhoni returned for, and captained in, the second Test in Brisbane and continued in the position for the third Test in Melbourne, but retired from the format altogether after that game. Kohli took over the reins after that.A glorious period ensued, where India won 40 of the 68 games Kohli led in, losing just 17. The 40 wins made Kohli India’s most successful Test captain of all time – Dhoni with 27 from 60 and Sourav Ganguly with 21 from 49 rank below him – and, at the time of his retirement, places him at No. 4 on the overall list of captains with the most Test wins, behind Graeme Smith (53 from 109), Ricky Ponting (48 from 77) and Steve Waugh (41 from 57).The tour of England in 2018 was another high point. He was the top run-getter across the two sides in the five Tests, aggregating 583 at an average of 59.30 with two centuries. That it came after he had scored just 134 runs in ten innings on the previous tour, in 2014, made the performance that much more special. That year, 2018, was also his best in terms of aggregate for a year, when he scored 1322 runs.During his golden run, he averaged 75.93 in 2016, 75.64 in 2017, 55.08 in 2018, and 68.00 in 2019. During that period between 2016 and 2018, Kohli scored 3596 runs in 35 Tests at an average of 66.59, with 14 hundreds and eight fifties in 58 innings.

Boland and Josh Hazlewood are competing for the final bowling spot in Australia’s XI for the WTC final

Alex Malcolm06-Jun-2025Scott Boland says he is pain free for the first time in 18 months and is aiming to cause Australia’s selectors headaches as he vies for a spot in the World Test Championship final next week, ahead of Josh Hazlewood.Boland, 36, is fighting for a spot in the WTC final XI despite being Player of the Match in the last Test he played in Sydney against India in January. He was not selected in Sri Lanka when Australia fielded just one quick and three spinners in each of the two Tests and has not played any cricket since Victoria’s second-last Sheffield Shield fixture of Australia’s domestic season in early March after battling ongoing knee soreness.Boland had a huge impact (21 wickets at an average of 13) in Border-Gavaskar series in the three Tests he played in place of the injured Hazlewood. He was also Australia’s best quick in the 2023 WTC final when he was selected ahead of Hazlewood. But he knows he is no guarantee to play at Lord’s against South Africa as Hazlewood is fully fit again having bowled superbly throughout the IPL (22 wickets at an average of 18) to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru claim a maiden title.Related

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• Hazlewood's successful return likely to leave Boland unlucky for WTC final

Boland said the three months off have been vital to help him get his knee right after playing through soreness over the previous year-and-a-half and he is hoping to make the selectors job as difficult as possible.”I’m really happy with how my body’s feeling at the moment,” Boland said. “Pain free for probably the first time in about 18 months. So it’s feeling really good.”My goal for probably the last two months was just get myself and my body in the position where I can put my hand up and be ready to go if it goes my way. I probably felt like at the back end of the Shield season, my knee was sort of, not wearing away, but wasn’t going how I wanted to go. And I didn’t feel like I was bowling how I wanted. But now I feel like I’m in a really good spot that I can bowl how I want to bowl. It’s pulling up really well, so that’s all I can do, and I just want to make their decision as hard as possible.”The decision between Boland and Hazlewood is one of a few that Australia’s selectors are mulling over, alongside whether to pick a specialist allrounder, where to bat Cameron Green on return from injury as a batter-only and who will open alongside Usman Khawaja given Travis Head will move back to No. 5 after opening in Australia’s last two Tests in Sri Lanka.The decision between Boland and Hazlewood sits independent of the batting order. However, Boland’s chances would increase if the selectors elect not play an allrounder in Beau Webster given concerns over Hazlewood’s durability after breaking down in each of his last two Tests.”I felt like I had a couple of really strong games,” Boland said. “But Josh is obviously a world-class bowler. He’s one of the best bowlers in the world coming off a really good IPL. So I’m sure he’ll be wanting the same thing here. Obviously, we all want to play but there’s probably not room for all of us.”Scott Boland has not played since the end of the Sheffield Shield season in March•Getty Images

Boland being completely pain free will only increase his chances given how reliable and robust he has been in Tests for Australia despite his ongoing knee issues. He said he did not bowl or run for a period of six weeks after the domestic season finished and worked exclusively on strengthening his knee in the gym.”I was able to get it to a spot where it’s really strong, and then it’s just gotten better and better since I’ve started running and bowling, which was seven weeks ago,” he said.The only concern for Boland is that he is not as match-hardened compared to Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. The latter three have all been playing in the IPL and although they have only been bowling four overs per game, bowling at high intensity in games regularly over a two-moth stretch has value for the experienced quicks.Australia opted not play a long-form practice match leading into the WTC final and have instead chosen to do seven days of nets and centre-wicket practice in Beckenham, south of London, as they did before the 2023 WTC final. Boland said his lack of match practice is not a concern.”I think we’re really comfortable with the way that we do it now,” Boland said. “I don’t think we’ve played a practice game since I’ve been in the team. We haven’t had a scheduled tour game. So I think you can get as much out of training if you have the right conditions. And I think the set-up we’ve got at Beckenham is perfect. There’s a really nice centre-wicket, beautiful run ups, all that kind of stuff. So it’s as close you can get to a game without playing a game.”For me personally, I like that the best. You can just get what you need to get done. And then all the other guys have been playing IPL, the other three bowlers, so they’re ready to go. They’re match hardened. And I think the intensity of the IPL helps when you go from format to format. They’ve already been at 100%. The only step up for them is just bowling a few more overs which they’re definitely used to.”One factor not in Boland’s favour is that he has never played at Lord’s. He was not selected for the Lord’s Test during the 2023 Ashes series. Hazlewood has 13 wickets at 26.15 in three Tests at the ground including five crucial scalps across two innings to help Australia win the 2023 Lord’s Test against England.

The winter window closes on Wednesday evening, but there is still plenty of time left for clubs to make some final signings before the deadline

• Arthur – Gremio to Barcelona

  Barcelona have already signed defender Yerry Mina and attacker Philippe Coutinho during January, but could bring in at least one more new face before the window closes on Wednesday. Gremio midfielder Arthur has a release clause of €50 million, but Barca may be willing to initially loan the 21-year-old back to the Brazilian club to get him at a lower price.

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal

  Gabon international striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has long been linked with a transfer to the Premier League, but finally seems to be making the move with Arsenal set to break their transfer record to sign him before the deadline. The Gunners spent over a week negotiating with Dortmund for the 28-year-old who scored 31 Bundesliga goals last season to finish as top scorer ahead of Robert Lewandowski.

• Michy Batshuayi – Chelsea to Borussia Dortmund/Sevilla/Roma

  Even with Alvaro Morata misfiring at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has not given the Belgian a chance to make a claim for a starting role. The 24-year-old has been impressive in the FA Cup, but needs more game time ahead of the 2018 World Cup. He has been linked with numerous clubs during January and is likely to complete a loan move in the coming days.

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  Gerard Deulofeu – Barcelona to Watford

  Many were surprised when Spain international Gerard Deulofeu was re-signed by Barcelona from Everton, but the winger's latest stay at Camp Nou could be coming to an abrupt end following the acquisition of Philippe Coutinho. He played 10 La Liga games this season but is now surplus to requirements with Coutinho joining and Ousmane Dembele back from injury.

The Belgium duo were included in a star-studded XI this week. So who else made the cut?

• 1LEFT WING | Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

  As well as scoring Chelsea's second goal against Bournemouth, Hazard created more chances (five) than any other player in the Premier League this weekend.

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  2STRIKER | Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)

  Lukaku scored his first Premier League double for Manchester United since August 2017, when he did so on his debut in the competition for the Red Devils (against West Ham in a 4-0 win). 

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  3RIGHT WING | Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

  Since the start of last season, only Mohamed Salah (45) and Harry Kane (35) have had a hand in more Premier League goals than Manchester City winger Sterling (31 – 20 goals, 11 assists).

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  4CENTRE MIDFIELD | Joao Moutinho (Wolves)

  Moutinho completed more passes in the final third than any other player in Wolves' win over West Ham (18), as well as creating a joint-high three chances in the game.

England's top flight is full of different styles of play, but where does each club hone their tactics, fitness and technique?

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  AFC Bournemouth – King's Park

  Bournemouth currently train at King's Park, with the training complex adjacent to their Vitality Stadium.

  However, plans for a brand new set-up are currently awaiting approval from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

  The plans are for a complex with nine full-size pitches and three goalkeeper training pitches, on the 57-acre former site of the Canford Magna Golf Club, north of Bournemouth.

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  Arsenal – London Colney

  October 2019 will see Arsenal celebrate their 20th year at the Arsenal Training Complex, usually known as London Colney.

  Part of Arsene Wenger's enduring legacy at the club, the ground also served as a base for the England national team prior to the construction of St George's Park.

  Costing some £10 million to build back in 1999, London Colney was in part funded by the sale of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.

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  Aston Villa – Bodymoor Heath

  Bodymoor Heath, to the north-east of Birmingham, has been Aston Villa's home from home since the 1970s.

  It is currently undergoing redevelopment due in part to the future HS2 railway, which is set to run through part of the current site.

  However, Villa also believe the site is currently too small for their current needs, and are hoping to be granted permission for a considerable expansion.

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  Brighton – AMEX Elite Football Performance Centre

  Brighton's snappily-named training complex is relatively new, and was granted Category One status after its completion in 2014.

  However, the Seagulls are already building it up, with a £22 million ($26.8m) expansion proposal approved earlier this year.

  The complex is notable for the distinctive Y-shaped accomodation, recreation and media building at its centre.