The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) 2014 kicks off today, with the tournament set to come closer to the FIFA World Cup™ than ever before. The FIWC is now open to millions of competitors from all over the world who will be battling to secure one of 20 coveted places in the Grand Final of the event, which will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ by FIFA and Presenting Partners EA SPORTS™ and PlayStation®.
This will be the first time ever that the FIWC Grand Final has taken place in the Host Nation of the FIFA World Cup, adding an extra incentive for the eventual winner to be crowned world champion in the same country as the world’s best team in July 2014.
A ceremonial first game of the FIWC 14 tournament was played yesterday at the Maracana by Brazilian FIWC champion Andre Buffo, a past Grand Finalist, and 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Mascot Fuleco. FIFA World Cup Champion and 2014 FIFA World Cup LOC Board Member Ronaldo also sent a good-luck message to all FIWC competitors:
“To be crowned a FIFA World Champion is an incredibly special moment” said Ronaldo, who scored the winning goals in the Final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. “Usually this honour is limited to the very best professional football players. I think it’s fantastic that the FIFA Interactive World Cup makes that dream a possibility for football fans all over the world and I’m looking forward to experiencing the event next year in Rio”.
Last year’s edition of the tournament attracted more than 2.5 million competitors from across the globe, climaxing in Madrid where French star Bruce ‘the machine’ Grannec secured his World Champion title as well as 20,000 USD and the chance to meet the world’s greatest football players as a special guest at the FIFA Ballon d’Or in January.
Qualification for this year’s event will take place over six separate 1-month-long seasons. In keeping with the tradition of previous editions, the top two online players from each season will qualify for the Grand Final. Additionally, for the first time in FIWC history, a third ‘best-placed’ qualification spot will be handed out every season to the player deemed the winner of the Community Qualifier. This new online format ensures that the FIWC Grand Final is more accessible than ever before and emphasizes quality of online games over quantity. FIWC Players are awarded a win/lose ratio based on a minimum of 30 games played over an online season. The player with the best win/lose ratio at the end of a season wins the Community Qualifier seat.
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In addition to the 20 Grand Final participants, FIFA and PlayStation will also be offering other competitors the opportunity to travel to Brazil, experience the FIWC Grand Final and watch one of the FIFA World Cup™ matches live in the stadium. For more information on the FIWC and to become part of the FIWC community please visit www.fifa.com/fiwc andwww.facebook.com/fiwc or follow the event on Twitter @FIWC.
According to The Telegraph, it was evident during Stoke City’s 2-2 draw at Wigan Athletic on Saturday that the introduction of Charlie Adam affected the way the Potters went about their game.
The Scottish international Adam replaced Andy Wilkinson in the 36th minute with Stoke 1-0 down in the match. The 26-year-old would have been keen to make a good impression after a disappointing season at Liverpool where he failed to make a real impact at Anfield at was surplus to requirements by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Adam had said on Friday that he would adapt his technical style of play in order to suit Stoke’s direct style, “the club has been successful in the way that it has played in the last five years and the manager wanted to bring me in to add to the quality that he has. I’m not going to change the way Stoke play. I’m just another part of the jigsaw.”
This piece of the jigsaw appeared evident during the draw at the DW Stadium on Saturday. Adam was at the very core of all the set-pieces and of moments of innovation from Stoke City. Pulis feels that Adam will provide the creative spark that perhaps has been lacking from their play in recent seasons. The Stoke manager will also be hoping that Adam will bring the best out of 6 foot 7 striker Peter Crouch, who, with his aerial ability is the model target man in the Premier League.
Stoke have mustered just one league win in their previous 14 outings. The central midfield area is a position where Pulis has definitely looked to strengthen his squad. As well as signing Adam from Liverpool on transfer deadline day, the Potters also brought in Steven N’Zonzi from Blackburn Rovers and Maurice Edu from Rangers.
In addition, Pulis also signed American defender Geoff Cameron from Houston Dynamo, who is reportedly a long-throw specialist. In an attempt to overturn Stoke’s recent dismal run, the Stoke manager may arguably be looking for upgrades on players such as Glenn Whelan and Rory Delap.
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Adam began his career at Rangers where he never managed to break into the first-team. Subsequently, he had loan spells at Ross County and St. Mirren before coming to England to join Blackpool on loan. It was at the Seasiders where Adam enjoyed the happiest spell of his career, scoring arguably the greatest goal in a play-off final against Cardiff City in May 2010.
Adam almost made the perfect start for his new side, when in the dying embers of the game, a deflected free-kick forced Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi into making what many pundits are already arguing as a contender for save of the season. The Latics manager Roberto Martinez was full of praise for Al-Habsi’s crucial save, “We see him making those saves as something normal. And that’s the best compliment I can give him.”
James Chester played every minute of Aston Villa’s 2017-18 Championship campaign, which is some achievement.
The 29-year-old has really come into his own over the last couple of seasons, and is now widely recognised as one of the best centre-backs outside of the Premier League.
Chester will be hoping to help Villa gain promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs, with Steve Bruce’s side taking on Middlesbrough in the semi-finals.
The centre-back has worn the armband in the absence of John Terry this term, and he will be key to the team’s chances of winning a spot in next season’s Premier League.
If Villa fail to return to the top flight then they will surely face a battle to keep the former Manchester United youngster in this summer’s transfer window.
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The Villa supporters absolutely love the defender, and many have taken to social media to express their views on his form during the 2017-18 campaign.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Man United were forced to battle from 2-0 down at home to Burnley to draw 2-2 on Boxing Day, much to the delight of Man City fans all over the world.
While City enjoy a record winning streak and sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League – currently 12 points clear of second-placed United – Jose Mourinho’s side are struggling for points having had to settle for 2-2 draws twice four days.
It means City can go a huge 15 points clear at the top of the league with a win against Newcastle on Wednesday night and would all but secure them a third Premier League crown.
It really has been a big shift in power in Manchester over the few years and Pep Guardiola’s City are setting a benchmark not many will be able to reach, regardless of how much money is spent on players.
City fans are enjoying the downfall of their once great rivals, as you can tell by the Twitter reaction below…
The scope to criticise the Gunners this summer is becoming so vast that even Tottenham fans are getting bored of the customary once-per-day Arsenal-bashing articles that circulate almost every mainstream newspaper and the World Wide Web.
We are now just a matter of days away from the midpoint of the summer transfer window, and the Arsenal management are yet to fulfill their mid-to-late season promises of serious revamping at the Emirates, as the North London outfit look to reassert themselves in the Premier League title race.
But I would pledge, and prove me wrong if you can, that no squad has ever won the domestic title in England after coming fourth place the year previous, without changing a single member of playing personnel, which is the current situation at the Emirates, assuming that Arsenal’s one purchase of the summer, Yaya Sanogo, brought in on a free transfer from Ligue 2 side Auxerre, very much the human epitome of the Gunners transfer policy for the last decade, will rise from complete obscurity to rock the English top flight with a 30 goal haul next season.
I have my doubts, as do the vast majority of the Arsenal faithful. The £70million transfer kitty, rumoured to exist according to Arsene Wenger, is most likely in a sweaty gymbag, gathering rust and cobwebs somewhere under a desk in the backrooms of the Emirates, and has certainly not been put to good use as of yet this summer, and holes in the first team, most namely up front, in defensive midfield, at the heart of defense and in goal, are yet to be filled.
The Gunners gaffer continues to bear the brunt of the vast majority of criticism thrown Arsenal’s way. Perhaps that’s the ultimate responsibility that comes with the monolithic style of Wenger’s management, but there is little doubt Chief executive and Wenger ally Ivan Gazidis deserves his fair share of the negative limelight.
The South African-born businessman took over from Keith Edelman on January 1st 2009, whilst his new role as Chief Executive also incorporated the former duties of Vice Chairman David Dein, and in that time, the Gunners have failed to finish a Premier League season with more than 75 points, or higher than 3rd. Of course, it would be wrong to suggest Gazidis is the ultimate cause of Arsenal’s recent malaise, considering the last time they bettered such a league standing was 2004, but he has headed up the club’s transfers for the last four years – an area where the Gunners have hardly excelled.
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And in that time period, we’ve seen Arsenal’s three biggest stars leave the club for unsatisfactory fees, only to be replaced by unworthy understudies. Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left the Emirates in the same transfer window, to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, for a combined total of £50million, and last summer, Robin van Persie jumped ship to Manchester United as he stalled over a new contract, for £20million, a miserly sum considering the Dutchman’s efficiency in front of goal, and proven record in the Premier League. All have gone on to claim titles and auxiliary silverware since leaving North London, whilst the Gunners management have replaced them with second-rate counterparts of a similar mould. Every Arsenal acquisition throughout Gazidis’ tenure as Chief Executive has left the club worse off than it was previously, and they now look further off the title race than ever.
Yet again this summer, the Arsenal executive has failed to deliver on explicit promises. In May, coincidentally before the Gunners season tickets – the most expensively priced in the English top flight – came on sale, Gazidis gave his annual rousing speech, giving his word to the Arsenal faithful that the club’s ambitions were not limited to Champions League qualification and as a result, the North London outfit would be spending big this summer.
But the business man has already let ample business opportunities pass him by over the last two months, most notably, his failed pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain. At this point, it’s hard to tell fact from fiction with the Argentine’s transfer saga, but it was only a few weeks ago when it was reported that the Gunners were discussing a £23million deal with Real Madrid, with the striker on his way to London for a medical. Now however, Higuain is on Napoli’s doorstep, with a £32million fee already agreed; it’s not the price Gazidis was looking for, but we’ll never know what could have happened had he been more pro-active, rather than dither and haggle with Los Blancos over whether their for-sale forward was worth £19million, £21million or £25million.
Meanwhile, long-term target David Villa opted for a switch to Atletico Madrid, for just £5million, French prodigy Clement Grenier has signed a new contract with Lyon, despite the Gunners launching a £6million bid earlier in the season, potential stop-gap solution Jeremy Toulalan has joined Monaco for a pittance, and we are yet to see any movement on a host of players previously linked with a move to the Emirates, including Marouane Fellaini, Julio Cesar and Ashley Williams.
Similarly, the slow pace of their hunt for Luis Suarez is becoming tedious. Gazidis has headed bids of £30million, £35million and £40million plus £1, to trigger possibly the most irrelevant contract clause of all time, despite it being common knowledge that Liverpool are reluctant to sell, especially to a divisional rival, and will only be convinced by offers that exceed £50million, with Edinson Cavani’s move to PSG being this summer’s benchmark. Reds owner John W Henry’s twitter response – “What do you think they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?” – was an incredibly fitting reply.
And despite the potential Suarez deal currently being the most pressing matter on Arsenal fans’ minds, the South African couldn’t be further away from his base in London, or Anfield, as he’s currently riding the tour bus with the Gunners roster as they continue their pre-season schedule in Japan. Say what you want about Manchester United’s failed attempts to sign Leighton Baines and Cesc Fabregas so far this summer, but at least Ed Woodward has returned to England in the hope of getting some serious business underway.
Perhaps it’s wrong of me to suggest that the entirety of Arsenal’s transfer woes, this summer and those previous until 2009, can be attributed to the club’s Chief Executive; Arsene Wenger’s spendophobia has undoubtedly played an integral role. But Gazidis’ biggest crime throughout his tenure is his inability to challenge the Frenchman, despite Arsenal’s continual stagnation.
Rather than insisting Wenger’s transfer policy, which is yet to spawn a single purchase that exceeds the £20million mark, is too far adrift from Arsenal’s domestic rivals, or inform the Gunners gaffer that the club are letting numerous transfer targets slip into the hands of other Premier League or European clubs, or even go against the Frenchman and dish out competitive salaries to the club’s biggest stars, Gazidis has disturbingly toed the line throughout, despite the duties of his job tacitly implying that he should be doing otherwise.
My humble opinion on Arsene Wenger is not too kind. The Frenchman’s arrogance and insistence on his own ethos of how Arsenal should be run and play their football has held the club back since their last title win a decade ago. But there is no doubt that those closest to him, those whose purpose it is to keep Wenger accountable, have equally failed, and the biggest area of disappointment at the Emirates has by far and large been the transfer department.
Recently, Ivan Gazidis stated the Gunners board needed fresh blood, as Chairman Peter Hill-Wood stepped down for health reasons. Club legend Tony Adams applied, but instead, the role went to 73 year old Sir Chips Keswick, who has been on the board since 2005. It sums up how the Arsenal Executive talks a good game, but is yet to follow through with his actions.
Arsene Wenger will take the ultimate responsibility for the mess at the Emirates, but there are other guilty parties too, and one of them is Ivan Gazidis.
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Should Ivan Gazidis receive a fairer share of the blame at Arsenal?
Australian opener joins Heather Knight, Sophia Dunkley and Paige Scholfield in top £65,000 salary bracket
Valkerie Baynes12-Mar-2025Georgia Voll has capped a remarkable week by securing a lucrative deal with Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred draft.Young Australian opener Voll will make her debut in the tournament after Oval Invincibles, Welsh Fire and London Spirit were forced to use their right-to-match to thwart the Birmingham franchise’s bids for Paige Scholfield, Sophia Dunkley and Heather Knight respectively. All four were retained in the top women’s salary bracket of £65,000.Voll made an impressive international debut in December standing in for Alyssa Healy in Australia’s home series against India. In the past seven days, Voll has scored 55 and 99 not out as a late call-up to WPL side UP Warriorz after Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu departed for international duty.Related
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Healy, the Australia captain who has been battling foot and knee injuries since late last year and was forced to miss the WPL to manage her recovery, went unclaimed after entering the draft with a reserve price of £50,000.Voll is one of three Australians making up Phoenix’s overseas allocation alongside allrounder Ellyse Perry, who was retained, and bowler Megan Schutt, a direct signing prior to the draft.Departing Birmingham for London Spirit, however, is fast bowler Issy Wong, who has endured a difficult time since making her international debut as a 20-year-old in 2022. She represented Phoenix, her home franchise, for the first four editions of the tournament, although issues with her run-up led her to be dropped in 2023, when she made just five appearances, and she played for them only four times last year, taking one wicket in each of those seasons.The poster girl for the 2023 Ashes despite not playing in the series as she battled for form, Wong made the last of her 17 appearances for England to date on the tour of Ireland last September which featured a number of fringe international players while the majority of the senior squad was preparing for their ill-fated T20 World Cup campaign. Spirit picked up Wong for £16,000, the third-lowest price bracket in the women’s competition.Southern Brave, the 2023 champions and last year’s wooden-spooners, used their first draft pick at £36,000 to secure Sophie Devine, who opted out of this year’s WPL and New Zealand’s current home series against Sri Lanka to take a wellbeing break. Devine last played a competitive match on January 24 for Wellington in the Women’s Super Smash. Joining her at Southern Brave will be South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon, who returned to the franchise for £20,000.How they stack up: The women’s Hundred squads for 2025•ECB
West Indies star Deandra Dottin will be back at Manchester Originals on £50,000 having played for the team in 2022 and 2023 after an initial stint with London Spirit in 2021. Young wicketkeeper-batter Seren Smale joins her from Birmingham Phoenix for £36,000.Scholfield’s bumper deal to stay at Oval Invicibles could signal an upturn after her international career stalled shortly after it began. Scholfield was selected for England’s tour of South Africa late last year but returned home without playing a game after she injured her ankle in training.Called up to add firepower to England’s middle order after making her international debut on the Ireland tour, Scholfield scored 190 runs in the Hundred last year, striking at 137.68 with a highest score of 71 off 40 balls. She was also the fifth-highest run-scorer in the domestic T20 competition with 259 runs at an average of 43.16 and strike rate of 140.00.Invincibles’ overseas contingent of Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning and Amanda-Jade Wellington was already settled before the draft. Leaving the Oval side this year after four seasons is off-spinning allrounder Mady Villiers, who was drafted by Southern Brave for £16,000.After two seasons each with Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix, legspinner Katie Levick heads to Welsh Fire after being snapped up in the £12,500 bracket.Richa Ghosh, the India wicketkeeper-batter, went undrafted after entering with a reserve price of £65,000.In all, 110 overseas and 120 domestic players entered the women’s draft for 29 places on offer, including four overseas spots and 25 for domestic players.Each of the eight teams have two places remaining to be filled by wildcards nearer to the start of the competition on August 5. Those places will be in the lowest salary bracket of £10,000.
Taskin, who suffered a side strain during the recent series against Zimbabwe, will receive treatment for the next few weeks
Mohammad Isam14-May-2024Taskin Ahmed has been named in Bangladesh’s 15-member squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup despite his injury. Taskin, who has also been named vice-captain, suffered a side strain during the recent series against Zimbabwe and will receive treatment for the next few weeks to get fit before the tournament starts next month.Taskin suffered the injury before the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe on May 12 and missed the match as a result. He was named Player of the Series for his eight wickets in four games. Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf said the BCB’s medical team is confident of Taskin’s recovery before the start of the tournament.Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the team that also includes Shakib Al Hasan, who has played every T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007. Litton Das has also found a place in the squad despite his poor form in white-ball cricket this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Bangladesh have also picked young right-arm pacer Tanzim Hasan over Mohammad Saifuddin, with Ashraf saying that the call was taken after assessing the duo’s performances in the Zimbabwe series. Saifuddin had taken 15 wickets in the BPL and eight against Zimbabwe, while Tanzim has 12 wickets in these two competitions. Ashraf said that Saifuddin’s lack of yorkers in the death overs against Zimbabwe was one of the reasons he was left out.”We kept Saifuddin in the squad that we submitted to the ICC on April 30,” Ashraf said. “We wanted to observe and analyse Saifuddin’s performance in the Zimbabwe series. But when we considered what the team needs at the moment, Tanzim was ahead of Saifuddin. It was a close call between the two.”We saw Tanzim against Sri Lanka. His dedication and hunger kept him ahead. He is also a good fielder. We didn’t see enough yorkers in the death overs from Saifuddin. He did it in domestic cricket but didn’t do it in against Zimbabwe. Some of his short-pitched balls went over the batters’ head. He was the only player who got changed from the squad we submitted to ICC on April 30.”Ashraf also backed Litton to return to form after he had scored just 79 runs in six T20Is against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.”We needed a wicketkeeper-batter to replace Litton,” Ashraf said. “We need two wicketkeepers in the squad, also considering the concussion sub situation. We discussed Anamul Haque Bijoy in this equation. But despite his poor form, we put our trust in Litton. He has been working on his batting.”Bangladesh are set to tour USA for a three-match T20I series in May to prepare for the big tournament. Taskin will not be part of the series.Bangladesh open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 8 in Dallas.
Bangladesh squad:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Taskin Ahmed (vice-capt), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Traveling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain
Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of sexual coercion
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2023Scotland’s players refused to shake hands with Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane after their three-wicket loss in Kirtipur on Friday, a silent protest to the spinner’s continued presence and participation in the ICC’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series. The team shook hands with every other Nepal player after the game, but pointedly refused to do so with Lamichhane.Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of sexual coercion. He was cleared to play in the series which also involves Namibia, after CAN (Cricket Association Nepal) lifted a suspension on the granting of his bail. The refusal to shake hands is the culmination of simmering tension among Scotland and Namibia’s players over Lamichhane’s presence. In an earlier game, Namibia’s players had chosen to fist-bump Nepal’s players – including Lamichhane – but refused to shake hands post-game.Related
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Though there is understood to be anger among the players in those two teams, their boards – Cricket Scotland and Cricket Namibia – have only issued generic statements condemning gender-based violence before the tri-series began, also acknowledging that Nepal’s selection was not their concern. The ICC has not commented publicly on his selection.Scotland decided to keep their hands down for Lamichhane, believing that this would be a more powerful statement. It is believed Lamichhane had been made aware of the protest beforehand.Lamichhane took 3 for 27 in the win, as Nepal recovered from 77 for 5 and then 177 for 6 to chase down 275 with three overs to spare. In Tuesday’s opening game against Namibia, Lamichhane took 3 for 66 in a two-wicket win.Lamichhane’s presence at the pre-series training camp drew protests from fans in the country, as well as on social media. He was arrested last October on return to Kathmandu after an arrest warrant had been issued in his name while he was at the Caribbean Premier League. He has denied the allegations in a post on Facebook. Nepal next play against Namibia on Saturday.
With Rachael Haynes back and Tahlia McGrath’s form against India, there’s a battle for batting spots
Andrew McGlashan12-Jan-2022Ellyse Perry faces the prospect of being squeezed out of Australia’s T20I side at the start of the Ashes as the selectors look for continued evolution in the format and a focus on strike rates.Since her T20I debut in 2008, Perry has featured in 126 of Australia’s 144 T20Is but with the bat, her game is starting to feel out of place for the middle-order role she generally takes, and she has been used sparingly with the ball of late, with just three overs in three matches against India earlier this season.The return of Rachael Haynes, who missed the India matches through injury and is seen as Australia’s middle-order safety net in T20Is, and the outstanding performances by Tahlia McGrath mean there may not be a place for Perry against England next week.Related
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With the bat in T20Is over the last two years she has scored 152 runs at 16.88 and a strike rate of 103.40 while in this season’s WBBL, her 358 runs came at a strike rate of 91.32 – the slowest among the top 30 run-scorers – as she was shuffled around Sydney Sixers’ batting order. That followed a 2020 season where her strike rate was 96.53.Her overall bowling figures in T20Is are outstanding, with 115 wickets at 19.45 and an economy rate of 5.87, but she has been sparsely used since returning from the serious hamstring injury suffered at the T20 World Cup in March 2020.”We’ve got to work through that over the next few days and finalise that team,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “We’ve been really clear with the type of cricket we do want to play and what our batters need to be doing in T20 cricket. We want to keep pushing the boat out with our strike rate, so we’ll work through it over the next week.”We’ve got a couple of intrasquad games [in Adelaide] on Tuesday, so if Ellyse does get the opportunity, I’m sure she’ll do well. She’s played for Australia for a long time and is highly experienced, but we always want our players to develop and evolve, and Ellyse is no different.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo before the India series last year, Perry acknowledged that she needed to keep pace with the T20 game.”I think any format of the game, as time goes by it evolves like any sport, but maybe it’s faster-paced in women’s cricket at the moment, just because of how much change and development we’re undergoing,” Perry had said. “That’s not a new thing for me – I reckon that’s something that I’ve gone through for the best part of my career. I think that in sport, you’ve always got to push yourself to develop and get better, otherwise, someone always comes along who is going to jump you.”It has been the return of McGrath to international cricket that has added to the pressure on Perry’s role after she made her T20I debut against India, with scores of 42 off 33 balls and 44 off 31 batting at No. 6 below Perry.”Tahlia has really accelerated in her ability to have an impact on games,” captain Meg Lanning said. “We saw in the India series it wasn’t just easy conditions she was coming into, she was able to dig the team out of trouble a couple of times and that was a really good sign for a player who doesn’t have a lot of experience at international level. Nice to have an extra option in the middle order and with the ball as well she has some pretty good skills.”
Seamer tested for Covid-19 and cleared to fly to England on Saturday
Matt Roller18-Jul-2020Ireland have added seamer Stuart Thompson to their expanded squad that will travel to England on Saturday ahead of their three-match ODI series.The ECB had arranged for four Hampshire academy players to make up the numbers for Ireland’s training camp at the Ageas Bowl and for their intra-squad warm-up game on July 22.ALSO READ: Campher, Garth the new faces in Ireland squadBut one of those four has been ruled out through injury, and due to Covid-19 protocols, Hampshire were unable to provide a replacement. As a result, Thompson, who was a surprise omission from the original 21-man group, has been tested and cleared to join the squad.The three Hampshire academy players who will take part in the camp are Harry Petrie, Ollie Southon and James Trodd. Thompson’s inclusion means that Shane Getkate is the only centrally-contracted men’s player not to be making the trip.The squad will leave Dublin on a charter flight on Saturday, before travelling by bus to the Ageas Bowl where they will stay for two-and-a-half weeks. They will play an intra-squad practice match on July 22 and a warm-up against England Lions on July 26, after which a 14-man squad for the ODI series will be finalised.Ireland squad for England ODIs: Mark Adair, Andy Balbirnie (captain), Curtis Campher, Peter Chase, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Jonathan Garth, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young