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It was another case of so close yet so far for Arsenal this year, as Mikel Arteta's side fell just short of Manchester City in the Premier League for the second successive campaign.

However, there's no rest for the wicked, and with the transfer window about to open, Edu Gaspar and Co will be hard at work looking to bring in the right players to make it the third time the charm next year.

That said, one of their supposed targets, Martin Zubimendi, is said to be unsure about moving to England, and while that's not ideal, the club already look to have the perfect alternative lined up.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from the Standard, Everton's star midfielder Amadou Onana is one of the options Arsenal have looked at ahead of the summer transfer window.

Alongside the Gunners, the report names Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle United as sides linked to the Belgian and relays an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, in which he proclaimed his desire to play for a "top club."

The story doesn't mention a potential price, but a Football Insider report from late last week claimed the Toffees might be willing to accept a £50m offer for the "dominant" midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, due to concerns over PSR.

It would be an expensive and potentially challenging deal to negotiate for Edu and Co, but with Zubimendi looking likely to stay in Spain, it might be one worth pursuing.

How Onana compares to Zubimendi

Now, with a deal for Zubimendi looking increasingly unlikely, it would be worth seeing how the Spaniard compares to Onana, to determine if the Everton ace would be a good substitute, or even an upgrade.

The first thing to note is that the pair essentially play in the same position, with the Spaniard starting 38 games as a defensive midfielder and five as a central midfielder this season, while the Belgian has started 17 games in both areas of midfield, and as such neither one has registered over four goals this season.

However, the differences between the pair become more apparent when looking at their underlying numbers.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.20

0.14

Progressive Passes

4.61

5.15

Progressive Carries

0.91

1.15

Progressive Passes Received

1.68

0.92

Shots

1.25

0.75

Passing Accuracy

84.1%

85.7%

Shot-Creating Actions

2.41

1.87

Tackles

3.06

1.66

Tackles Won

1.64

0.92

Miscontrols

0.86

0.88

Dispossessed

0.43

0.54

Ball Recoveries

6.90

5.73

Aerial Duels Won

2.24

1.49

For example, the Real Sociedad ace appears to be somewhat more capable with the ball at his feet, registering a higher passing accuracy and producing more progressive passes and carries per 90.

However, the Toffees' "one-man army", as dubbed by Kulig, isn't poor with the ball either, as he produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, receives more progressive passes, produces more shot-creating actions per 90 and takes more shots than his potential competition.

Moreover, he may well be more useful in a deeper role for the Gunners, as he makes and wins more tackles, completes more ball recoveries, wins more aerial duels, miscontrols the ball less often and is dispossessed less frequently as well, all per 90.

Ultimately, while missing out on Zubimendi is far from ideal, Everton's "monster duel-winner," as described by analyst Raj Chohan, looks like he might be the better option anyway.

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His defensive solidity and 6 foot 4 frame could make him the perfect six, thus allowing Declan Rice to become the club's long-term eight simultaneously.

Manchester United have reportedly intensified contacts to sign a "monster" in a £35m transfer, according to a new update.

Man Utd transfer rumours

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing for his first summer transfer window as co-owner at Old Trafford, and all going to plan, will have Omar Berrada as chief executive, Jason Wilcox as technical director and Dan Ashworth as sporting director for the upcoming market.

It remains to be seen who will be in charge of United next season, though, with Erik ten Hag‘s future appearing to be in the balance following heavy rumours of a move for either Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter this week.

Wilcox and Ashworth are thought to be planning to overhaul the “spine” of the United squad, with big earners Raphael Varane and Casemiro potentially just two of 21 players who could leave Old Trafford this summer. As a result, Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite is seen as the “long-term answer” at Old Trafford and is therefore “top target” for United, with confidence over a potential £60-70m transfer being completed by the end of June.

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Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong has been another heavily linked target. Recently, it has been claimed that the Red Devils are keen to trigger the player’s £35m release clause and were in concrete talks over a deal. Now, a new update has emerged.

Man Utd step up Jeremie Frimpong contacts

According to reports from Germany, relayed by Sport Witness, Man Utd have ‘intensified contact’ to sign Frimpong, however, they aren’t the only side to have increased their efforts to land the full-back.

His £35m release clause is only active until the beginning of Euro 2024, though, so the Red Devils may have to make their move relatively quickly once the domestic season reaches its conclusion.

Frimpong, described as a "monster" in the final third by The United Stand's Beth Tucker, has gone from strength to strength with Leverkusen after joining from Celtic back in 2021, helping them to the Bundesliga title this season.

Jeremie Frimpong stats – 2023/24
Games	40
Goals	13
Assists	11
Minutes played	2,824
Yellow cards	7

He’s played a key role in their unbeaten campaign in all competitions so far under Xabi Alonso, mainly turning out as a right midfielder, and has earned praise from Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, who said that the left-back is a "simply incredible footballer, technically great and very intelligent," before adding: "Part of the reason why we dominate games to the extent we do at the moment is to do with him reading situations very quickly and coming forward to create overloads."

Should Frimpong arrive at Old Trafford, he could come straight in as first choice ahead of the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot, or provide a versatile option further forward, and it looks as if the Red Devils are working to get a potential early summer deal done.

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will be forced to sell a player they valued at £50 million for a seismic discount this summer.

Chelsea players up for sale amid PSR concerns

The west Londoners have just over a month to raise £100 million through player sales, or risk being sanctioned by the Premier League.

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That is according to widespread reports, with rival clubs believing Chelsea must source £100 million by June 30 amid their worries surrounding Profit and Sustainability rules. The west Londoners announced a £90.1 million loss in their latest set of financial accounts for 2022/2023, and the Premier League only allows clubs to make a £105 million loss over a rolling three-year period.

After spending over £1 billion on new signings since the summer of 2022, Chelsea are far exceeding the limit, meaning Boehly and co may orchestrate a fire-sale of players to bring in funds.

Moises Caicedo

£115 million

Enzo Fernandez

£107 million

Mykhailo Mudryk

£88 million

Wesley Fofana

£72 million

Marc Cucurella

£58 million

Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling could be sold by Chelsea, with the former's contract expiring next year and the latter reportedly open to offers from other sides (Simon Phillips).

The English duo are by no means Chelsea's only big names who could be up for grabs, though, as the club have a plethora of players out on loan right now. Romelu Lukaku commands a price tag of around £39 million for interested sides, according to Fabrizio Romano, and he's apparently held talks with clubs in Saudi Arabia already (Rudy Galetti).

The Belgian has spent 2023/2024 on loan at Roma in Serie A, with young Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen also reaching the Champions League final on a temporary stint at Borussia Dortmund.

Maatsen is certain to leave Chelsea permanently this summer, according to another report by Romano, coming after his excellent campaign in the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old is flying under Edin Terzic, but the same definitely cannot be said for striker Armando Broja.

Boehly forced to sell Broja for big discount

The Albanian, who was valued at £50 million in January, has endured a torrid time on loan at Fulham – barely playing a minute behind the in-form Rodrigo Muniz.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs says Boehly could now be forced to sell Broja at a seismic Chelsea discount – which could even go as low as 50 per cent off.

"I think Chelsea would bite their hand off if a suitor offered £35 million for Amando Broja," said Jacobs.

"And very possibly now will have to consider offers between £25 and £30 million in order to get a permanent sale.

"Maybe they will consider a loan with an option or an obligation, again to bring in some short-term finances and resolve the situation, but it certainly won't be easy to get even the lower end of their original valuation for Broja just because he's not been playing he's not been scoring."

Erik ten Hag has pleaded with Jadon Sancho to stay patient and wait for his chance to shine for Manchester United.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Manager gives brutal response to winger
• Sancho absent from squad for PL opener
• United visit Brighton next

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The winger was left out of the matchday squad for last week's Premier League opener against Fulham but the Dutchman clarified that his exclusion was not because he was waiting for a transfer to go through and was instead a consequence of the heavy competition for places as well as him having an ear infection. On Thursday, the manager urged the winger to try and stay motivated for when he is eventually called upon.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Sancho was exiled from the United squad last year after calling out Ten Hag on social media after being left out of the trip to Arsenal. He rekindled his career while on loan at Borussia Dortmund but there has been little interest from clubs in a permanent move for the 24-year-old. He was reintegrated into the squad after apparently burying the hatchet with Ten Hag. But hopes of him immediately reviving his Old Trafford career were dashed when he was left out of the starting line-up for the Community Shield and then left out of the squad against Fulham.

• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  "We have to manage it, the attitude of the players is very important. Sometimes they will be disappointed, they have to deal with it, you win as a squad," Ten Hag said. "The prizes are decided next May and until then we need all the players in the squad and highly motivated, that is not an expectation, that is a demand on the squad."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  United sold winger Facundo Pellistri to Panathinaikos this week but Sancho is still competing with four other wide players: Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony. Ten Hag added: "I hope we will have a squad with double positioning and when we go into the season after September 1 [transfer dealine day], that means you can’t select all the players but you need them all throughout the season."

Arsenal's title chances took a hit on Sunday as they were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa at The Emirates in the Premier League, when they had the chance to move to the top of the division.

They are now two points behind reigning champions Manchester City, with six games left to play, and are now in danger of another season without any silverware to show for their domestic efforts.

Despite there being plenty of football left in both the Premier League and the Champions League, Edu and Mikel Arteta are already looking at transfer targets to bolster the squad.

The upcoming summer transfer window provides them with another opportunity to add more quality to the group, and they reportedly have their eye on a current top-flight star.

Arsenal's interest in Premier League attacking midfielder

According to The Mirror, Arsenal are one of the teams interested in a possible swoop to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that the Gunners admire the England U21 international and will have to battle it out with Premier League rivals Newcastle United to secure his signature. Eddie Howe's side have made the attacking midfielder, who is said to be valued at £50m, one of their main transfer targets for the summer as they prepare to potentially lose Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes.

The outlet states, however, that Arsenal number ten Emile Smith-Rowe is also on Newcastle's radar, alongside Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

This means that the Gunners could, in theory, sell Smith-Rowe to the Magpies in order to clear the path for them to swoop in for Gibbs-White, should they decide that they want to go down that particular route.

Why Arsenal should sign Morgan Gibbs-White

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers starlet has been in impressive form in the Premier League so far this season, despite playing for a Forest team battling against relegation from the division.

He has stood out with his performances in the middle of the park, after a return of five goals and eight assists in 37 league games last season, as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

23/24 Premier League

Martin Odegaard

Morgan Gibbs-White

Appearances

29

32

Sofascore rating

7.63

7.24

Goals

7

5

Assists

6

7

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes per game

2.8

1.9

As you can see in the table above, Gibbs-White has provided more assists than Martin Odegaard in the Premier League this season, although the Norway international has created two more 'big chances'. The Forest star's numbers, in terms of both goals and assists, are not too dissimilar from the Gunners captain's, which speaks to how impressive the Englishman has been.

Gibbs-White, who has been described as "underrated" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could be a fantastic alternative to rotate with the skipper when needed. This could help Arsenal to compete on all fronts next season, in order to have more success in domestic and European competitions, without overplaying Odegaard and causing fatigue towards the end of the campaign.

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Therefore, the Tricky Trees magician could be an exciting addition to Arteta's creative midfield ranks, if the Gunners can get a deal over the line this summer.

The series will also be the first big one for both teams in the year of the T20 World Cup later this year, with over 20 matches to go for each

The Preview by Vishal Dikshit23-Jan-20205:39

Bangar: Understanding ground dimensions key in NZ

Big PictureNew Zealand must be hurting and how. The last time they took the field they had been thrashed 3-0 in the Tests in Australia, and the last time they played a T20I, it ended in, well, a Super Over loss to England. New Zealand were leading that five-match T20I series 2-1 and even though they handed England an innings loss in the Test series later, crossing the Tasman Sea after that dented their confidence considerably. Now, New Zealand face a stiff opposition in India to end their home summer before landing in Australia again for three ODIs.ALSO READ: Tim Southee backs New Zealand to bounce back after Australia setbackThe India series will be “huge” for them, as selector Gavin Larsen said, to work out a few things: a best XI with several players injured and how to restore their reputation. First, they will draw confidence from the fact that they had beaten India 2-1 in the T20Is last year, with a similar bowling attack that is to play in the coming series. The hosts have recalled Hamish Bennett, who last played an international in 2017, to join Tim Southee, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn in the pace attack, with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi making up the spin department. Where are the rest? Well, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are all injured. Another worry for them will be Santner’s form, as he picked only one wicket in four Test innings in Australia. A different format, though, could do it for the left-arm spinner who took his best T20I figures – 4 for 11 – against India, in 2016.There’s more experience to fall back on in the batting department, with Kane Williamson, who returns after missing the T20Is against England, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Colin Munro making the top and middle order.The series will also be the first big one for both teams in the year of the T20 World Cup later this year, with over 20 matches to go for each.India are also without a few injured players – Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar – but their depth in reserves has hardly ever been stronger. They will have their tails up after drubbing Sri Lanka 2-0 in T20Is and fighting back formidably against a full-strength Australia to win 2-1 in the ODIs. They have a settled bowling line-up with four quicks, two spinners and three allrounders to choose from. With Samson replacing Dhawan in the 16-man squad, it remains to be seen if he and Pandey will get a chance if Rishabh Pant gets to play as wicketkeeper and KL Rahul plays purely as a batsman.Form guideNew Zealand TLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWLWIn the spotlightHamish Bennett will be in line to make his T20I debut with 17 international games to his name already. In the absence of New Zealand’s main frontline quicks, Bennett now has a big task ahead against India’s batting line-up that doesn’t have as much experience in the lower-middle order. Bennett could use his pace, bounce and variations in the middle or end overs to dent India’s progress towards a big total. Bennett comes on the back of figures of 3 for 34 against Auckland in the Super Smash final, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps from 11 games, and an economy rate of 7.20.ALSO READ: Firebird Hamish Bennett ready for his New Zealand rebirthVirat Kohli and Kane Williamson pose with the T20I series trophy•Blackcapsnz/InstagramWith Pandya not returning to international cricket anytime soon, India need to have his solid back-up for the T20 World Cup. They are carrying three allrounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar – and it will be a good trial for both Dube and Washington in New Zealand conditions after India played their recent games at home. Both Dube and Washington could play in the XI and India need to assess if they will need a batting or a bowling allrounder more in Australia later this year.ALSO READ: India have missed a trick with their allrounder strategy, writes Aakash ChopraTeam newsRoss Taylor said on Tuesday the injuries in their camp has given the fringe players a chance to stake a claim for spots. New Zealand have a fairly stable top half which sees Williamson’s returns. It might mean they will have to pick one of Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell for No. 6.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Kane Williamson (capt), 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Colin de Grandhomme/Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Scott Kuggeleijn, 11 Hamish BennettIndia played only five bowling options in their last T20I against Sri Lanka, but may now have to pick a sixth on a high-scoring Eden Park. Virat Kohli said on the eve of the match that making KL Rahul keep in T20Is too will give them “a lot more balance” to play another batsman. In that case, they can accommodate Manish Pandey at No. 5 and two allrounders at Nos. 6 and 7 out of Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Shivam Dube 7 Washinton Sundar/Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsAuckland is where the Super Over was played against England recently, with both teams scoring at over 13 an over in a rain-curtailed match. A cloud cover and some drizzle is expected in the morning and evening which could affect the 7.50pm local time start. With no heavy rain expected, we should get a game even if with reduced overs.Stats and triviaWith legspinner Adam Zampa coming into focus against Kohli in the recent ODIs, New Zealand will probably want to bowl Ish Sodhi to him early. Sodhi has a decent record against India, having dismissed Kohli and Rohit once each: he has taken 11 wickets in seven innings, averaging 16.18 with an economy rate of 7.73Ross Taylor is batting too low to play an anchor role in this format. He has primarily batted at No. 5 for New Zealand since 2018, but at a strike rate of just 119.40, he is scoring slow for that position. Among 31 batsmen to score 100 or more runs batting at No. 5 or lower in T20Is since 2018, Taylor’s strike rate of 125.80 is 10th worst (there are 21 other batsmen that score faster than he does).Quotes”Honestly, even if you think of revenge, these guys are so nice you can’t get into that. We get along really well with all these guys.”

Fast bowler described abuse as ‘a real shame’ in his newspaper column

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2019Jofra Archer has declared that he is “over” the incident of racial abuse that marred the closing stages of last week’s first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, as England’s thoughts turn towards the challenge of squaring the series in the second Test at Hamilton, which begins on Friday morning.However, writing in his column in the Daily Mail, Archer described the incident as a “real shame”, and made it clear that there is no place for racist abuse “in any walk of life, let alone cricket”.The incident occurred towards the end of England’s second innings on the fifth day of the first Test. Faced with impending defeat, Archer scored 30 from 50 balls from No.9 to give England a glimmer of hope before holing out to deep square leg, whereupon he was accosted by a member of the crowd as he returned to the pavilion.”The first thing I want to say about what happened towards the end of the Test at Mount Maunganui is that I’m over it,” Archer wrote. “I’ve left what happened at the ground and I’ve moved on. I should also say it was just one person who was shouting stuff.”But I found the incident a real shame. When you come to another country, you half expect fans to have a go at your cricket. If someone wants to shout at me and tell me I’m bowling badly, that’s fine. I may not agree but it’s fine. It’s part of the experience of being a touring cricketer.”To hear racism, though — that’s another matter. There is no time or place for it in any walk of life, let alone cricket. It’s just not called for.”In a Twitter post shortly after the close of play, Archer described the incident as “a bit disturbing”, adding in a separate post that was subsequently deleted that the individual concerned had been “yelling bbc and bc from the scoreboard area”.ALSO READ: England urged to look after ‘golden’ ArcherESPNcricinfo understands that the same person is thought to have contacted Archer via Instagram soon afterwards, which may help the authorities to identify him. New Zealand Cricket has pledged to ban the individual for life after reiterating their zero-tolerance attitude to racism.However, Archer himself now wants to move on, even if he remains disappointed that the spectators in the vicinity didn’t do more to address the issue at the time.”I don’t want to go into the details of what was said but I know what I heard,” he wrote. “I thought members of the crowd around the guy might have pulled him up because I could hear him from the pitch as I was walking off.”I guess they didn’t. But I know I wasn’t hearing stuff. I told the security guard what had happened and that was it. Now my only goal is to make sure we finish this series on a high because we were all disappointed with the result in the first Test.”Archer’s returns in that match were below the high standards he set himself during his debut Test series against Australia last summer, and he came in for some criticism as a consequence – not least for his bowling speeds, which rarely touched the 90mph mark of which he is capable..However, Archer insisted he had done his best in trying circumstances, and also defended the tactics used by his captain, Joe Root, in the course of a New Zealand innings that stretched to a marathon 201 overs.”I try not to read the media but I guess there’s been some talk about my bowling,” he wrote. “I did as good as I could: I sent down 42 overs and went at 2.5 in unhelpful conditions. I know I’ve never bowled more than 30 in an innings before but I felt fine. I could have bowled again the next day.”I have to accept people are going to be looking at my speeds. I thought I was bowling quicker than the speedgun suggested.”I pretty much know what speed I usually bowl at and at one point I bowled a normal ball and it came up at 120-something kilometres per hour, which is less than 80mph. That didn’t seem right.””I know Joe used me in short bursts at the start but that was mainly because we were trying to find the right ends for each bowler.”Sure, we didn’t think we’d be in the field for as long as we were but I appreciated what Joe was trying to do.”It’s also not the case that he just wanted me to bowl short. You adapt to conditions and to the batsman. Watling scored 200 and played about two pull shots. Other times the captain asks you to aim for the knee roll. It’s not one gameplan that you stick to whatever happens.”

Reeza Hendricks’ 53-ball 80 kept Stars alive in a chase of 214, but Steyn’s strikes took the fizz out of their innings

The Report by Sreshth Shah08-Nov-2019

Janneman Malan led Cape Town Blitz to a strong total•MSL

The season premiere of MSL 2019 was an evening to remember, as defending champions Jozi Stars nearly went the distance in a steep chase in front of a home crowd, before falling just 15 runs short to Cape Town Blitz’s 213.Opener Reeza Hendricks impressed with a 53-ball 80 for Stars, their new captain Temba Bavuma struck a crisp 15-ball 38, and Rassie van der Dussen hit 31 in 21, but Blitz’s Dale Steyn struck twice in his final spell to take the fizz out of Stars’ chase.In the first innings, the fans at The Wanderers were given a show by Blitz opener Janneman Malan, who struck an unbeaten 99. Fate was in his own hands to reach triple figures, but he failed to get a run off the final ball of the innings. Brisk contributions from the rest of their batting order lifted Blitz to 213 for 3.De Kock, Malan punish wayward bowlersStars had asked Blitz to bat at the toss, and that decision seemed to backfire right away when Malan and Quinton de Kock took 12 off the first over of the season. Malan flicked offspinner Simon Harmer to the fine leg boundary off the game’s first ball, and that set the tone.Kagiso Rabada then conceded 11 at the other end, with Malan hitting him for a four and a six. Malan followed it up by clubbing a flurry of boundaries off Dane Paterson. From 32 for 0 after three overs, Blitz finished the Powerplay on 69 for 0 as de Kock began to find his footing too.Ample support for MalanDe Kock was the first to fall, out for 35 in the seventh over, failing to clear deep midwicket off Harmer. But Blitz didn’t did the tempo drop. Moeen Ali walked in at first drop and tonked three fours and a six to add 25 in 17 balls, and after he was out caught in the deep to Dan Christian’s slower ball, Liam Livingstone emulated his compatriot with 10-ball 21 that included three sixes.Livingstone went hard, in particular, against medium-pacer Nono Pongolo, hitting his slower balls for two consecutive sixes. His dismissal in the 14th over brought in allrounder George Linde, and he added a further 24 in 13 balls to remain unbeaten at the end of 20 overs.From the other end, Malan kept punishing any width that the pacers offered. His proficiency in off-side play was evident as he cut and drove Rabada, Paterson and Duanne Olivier through the innings. He anchored the innings after de Kock’s dismissal while the batsmen at the other end went for riskier shots.Malan entered the nineties in the 18th over by pulling Rabada for a six, but Dane Paterson and Daniel Christian kept him quiet in the last two overs. Needing a single off the final ball of the innings, he failed to connect with Christian’s slower ball.Bavuma, Hendricks return the favourStars opener Chris Gayle engaged in some cat-and-mouse play with Steyn, Anrich Nortje and Vernon Philander in the first three overs of the chase, outfoxing the pacers by making room and carving the short balls square on the off side. He made 17 off 12 before Steyn’s slower ball dismissed him in the fourth over.Bavuma then counterattacked with some nifty footwork, finding boundaries off the pacers to keep the run-rate hovering around ten an over. He lasted only 15 balls, but his strike-rate of 253 kept Stars in the chase, and allowed Hendricks to take a bit of time settling in at the other end. Hendricks was on 12 off 11 before he burst into life by taking 15 off the sixth over, bowled by Mohammad Nawaz. Stars were 68 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay, and needed 99 to win when they reached the halfway mark, having lost Bavuma in the ninth over.Steyn shows his classVan der Dussen was innovative against the spinners. He hit back-to-back fours off Moeen in the 11th over, and brought up Stars’ 150 when he did the same against Linde in the 14th over.That forced Blitz captain de Kock to turn to pace again, and after a tidy over from Magala, Stars needed 54 off 30 balls. Steyn returned to strike almost immediately. Van der Dussen tried to flick a full ball to the leg side but a leading edge sent the ball in the other direction, and Magala ran in from point to complete a diving catch and break the 53-run stand.Hendricks kept Stars in the hunt with three fours in the next over, but he fell in a similar fashion to van der Dussen in the 18th over, miscuing a big hit off Steyn.Stars needed 27 off 13 at that point, but they only managed 12 as Magala and Anrich Nortje closed out the game to earn Blitz a hard-fought opening-night win.

However, it is unclear whether the team still needs the senior batsman with the focus firmly on the T20 World Cup six months away

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2019

Mithali Raj drives through cover•BCCI

Mithali Raj remains committed to playing T20Is for India, making herself available for the home series against South Africa in September. However, it is unclear whether the team still has space for the 36-year-old batsman.Mithali was at the centre of a great deal of controversy at the last T20 World Cup, where she claimed she was unfairly excluded from the XI for the semi-final, which India lost. India’s coach at the time, Ramesh Powar, had said that she had gone as far as to threaten retirement if she wasn’t allowed to open the innings.Things, however, did calm down with time and she was picked for each of India’s last two T20I series, against New Zealand and England. But there is increased focus on her role now with the team looking to groom players for the next T20 World Cup, which is six months from now.”I am definitely available for the T20 series next month but, at the moment, haven’t really thought about the T20 World Cup. I usually take it series by series,” Mithali told when asked about her plans for the shortest format.The selectors are set to meet in Mumbai on September 5 to pick India’s squad to play South Africa. That series, in Surat, will be followed by three ODIs in Baroda.Harmanpreet Kaur led the team to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last year. But since losing that game to England, India have hit a slump, losing each of their last six games.”As a team, we still have a lot to catch up on the T20 format,” Mithali said, “But we do have youngsters coming in and with the exposure of T20 leagues around the world they will get more experience and mature faster.”Genetically we can’t be like other teams [and power hit to victory] but we can be more smart in our planning and shot selection. We worked very hard on our fitness in the recent camp in Bangalore and you can see the girls are much fitter on the ground and that reflects in their drills.”

Sunderland's season in the Championship has been nothing short of up-and-down so far, with many of the highs experienced by the Black Cats often then met with a new low.

Michael Beale's tenure, in truth, has been extremely topsy-turvy ever since he left Scotland behind for a return to EFL management – his Sunderland side now winless in their last two, after previously going on an unbeaten stretch of three matches under his guidance in the dug-out.

It's not just down to the divisive figure of Beale in the managerial hot-seat as to why Sunderland have underperformed at points however, with a number of exciting talents at the Stadium of Light failing to dazzle supporters with sub-par performances becoming commonplace.

That's very much the case with this 21-year-old attacking midfielder, who has struggled to make the breakthrough into the first-team fold after being boldly compared to Zinedine Zidane before signing on the dotted line for the faltering Wearside outfit.

Adil Aouchiche's first impressions

It's fair to say that former Paris St. Germain youth product Adil Aouchiche has been hyped up throughout his career to date before making his move to Sunderland.

Likened to Zidane when first making waves at youth level for France by the Athletic's Jack Lang, Aouchiche was being mooted as potentially being the next big thing – the silky 5 foot 11 midfielder bagging a ridiculous 16 goals from 25 international appearances for the U17s.

It is easy to see why Lang described him as being Zidane-esque back in 2019 when you consider that exceptional return in front of goal for his country at youth level.

Going on to cut his teeth whilst in the Saint-Étienne senior set-up away from setting the world alight at youth level – the dynamic 21-year-old amassing ten assists from 77 first-team appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit – Sunderland were giddy with anticipation as to what Aouchiche could achieve making the move to the Championship.

Unfortunately, the move hasn't quite gone to plan for the ex-PSG wonderkid with his numbers for the Black Cats this season even putting him below Abdoullah Ba who is also notably underperforming at the Stadium of Light.

Adil Aouchiche's numbers this season

Aouchiche hasn't ever really been able to kick into gear for the stuttering second tier promotion hopefuls this campaign, showing brief flashes of his quality before fading back into the background on Wearside.

From 18 Championship appearances this season, Aouchiche has managed to pick up just one goal and an assist, with his last strike coming all the way back in October last year against Birmingham City.

Since then, the 5 foot 11 creator has struggled to hold down a cemented spot in the senior side with Beale only giving the Frenchman one start since coming in as Black Cats boss.

Ba, who has produced three goals and four assists in the league, has even managed to turn around his stuttering career at Sunderland whilst Aouchiche remains on the fringes, helping himself to a goal and two assists against Stoke City in late January whilst the former PSG starlet wasn't even present on the substitutes' bench.

The Black Cats number 22 did have a chance to turn around his underwhelming time in a Sunderland shirt to date against Ipswich Town recently, but awkwardly fluffed his lines on the big occasion.

He would end up dragging an effort wide that could have given Sunderland the lead at 2-1 before Ipswich ended up snatching the three points, cursing his luck in a dismal cameo at Portman Road.

Beale and Co won't throw the £7k per week midfielder to the scrap heap just yet, but there is a long, long, way to go before he can be compared or likened to the legendary Zidane again.

He will need to improve his numbers in front of goal, drastically, to get compared to Ba, let alone the former Real Madrid star, before the end of his career at Sunderland.