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Haydos in the altogether at the MCG: you didn’t hear it here first

Alan Gardner16-Sep-2025The ECB has tried calling it “Super September”, which the Light Roller understands is short for “Super Sopper September” – and South Africa’s autumnal return to England, three months on from winning the World Test Championship, became a predictable shemozzle, with two rain-wrecked T20Is sandwiching a deluge of a different kind, as England pongo-ed their way to 300 in Manchester.South Africa managed to concede 400 during the ODI series too – having achieved the same in Australia last month (though it’s fair to note that they had already won the series on both occasions). At least you could say they are consistent. Such are the convolutions of the schedule that we would forgive the bowlers for not knowing which team jersey they should be wearing, never mind what format they’re playing or what lengths to hit.In England and Wales, getting back to bilateral internationals, as well as the culmination of a host of county competitions, was sort of comforting – dreary weather included – after a month of the Hundred, during which the game’s global T20 overlords descended en masse. Did the Teen Tech Titans have fun playing with their new toys at Lord’s? We can only hope they did, after buying up the prime chunk of summer.On the subject of the calendar, ECB chair, Richard Thompson, tried speaking truth to power (i.e. himself). “Cricket arguably does play too much,” Thompson told the BBC. “We’re the only sport to have a World Cup every year, which I personally think is too much.” Now, that might sound like far too sensible an opinion for a cricket administrator to espouse, but don’t get carried away.Asked about the fact the ECB had squeezed the Hundred into such a small window that it started the day after the conclusion of the Test series against India, and finished less than 48 hours before an ODI against South Africa, Thompson said change would have to wait until the end of the current broadcast deal in 2028. “So we’re only three years away from being able to ensure there is a gap at the beginning and end of that period.” Just three more years, lads, then you can have a proper rest! It’ll still be raining in September, though.

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The Ashes are coming (you may have noticed), and that means all sorts of nonsense leaking into the discourse. But – and we sincerely apologise for bringing this to your attention if you were otherwise unaware – new levels of WT-actual-F were reached by Matthew Hayden’s contribution on the subject of whether Joe Root, now the second-leading Test run-scorer of all time, would get into an Ashes XI. Regarding the absence of a century on Australia soil from his CV, Hayden declared: “I’ll walk nude around the MCG if he doesn’t get a hundred this summer.” And it doesn’t matter if Haydos does eventually do the walk of shame dressed only in his Stetson or not, you now have that image in your head regardless.

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“Wait, eco-warrior means you’re fighting the ecosystem, right? Right?”•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty ImagesAdam Zampa loves the environment. He loves animals (he’s a vegan), he loves sustainability. But he also loves the Hundred, as he said midway through a 34,000 km round trip to play in the men’s final for Oval Invincibles: “I absolutely love this comp, it’s my favourite one. I’ve loved playing for this team over the last couple of years of being involved.” Zampa duly bowled his 20 balls and helped Invincibles lift a third consecutive title, after which he hopped on the plane – presumably returning to his Byron Bay farmhouse, where the focus is on promoting native flora and fauna, growing their own food, and learning about “the ways in which we can help our impact on the eco-system”. Presumably one of those lessons being: if you can’t source your legspinners locally, it’s okay to fly them in from the other side of the world for one game.

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As anyone who has followed the sport for a period of time knows, cricket is more about talking than doing. There’s very little doing at any one time – often only two, maybe three or four, of the 13 people involved on the field – but usually lots of talking about it among those looking on. Or not talking about it, but rather discussing the weather, the food, the pigeons, or the regular appearances of the No. 32 bus over the shoulder of fine leg. So it’s fitting that attempts to refine and reduce the structure of the County Championship, after five months of discussion, look very much like boiling down to: it’s completely unworkable, but too hard to agree on change… so shall we just do the same again next year?

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It was bold, it was risky, it was trying to get ahead of the game… it was precisely none of the things that their opening partnership for Pakistan was famous for. And it probably needed an outsider of the calm, measured character of Mike Hesson to pull the T20I plug on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. It’s not about agendas or personal shortcomings, he said, just a simple question of strike rates. Data, guys. Look at the data. And then, y’know, obviously, he had to sit back and watch his bold, risky, ahead-of-the-game move result in Pakistan scoring at 0.35 above a run-a-ball after choosing to bat first in their defeat to India. Good try, Mike. But Pakistan’s gonna Pakistan.

All the numbers that mattered as Australia defeated India by 79 runs to claim a fourth crown

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Feb-20244 Under-19 World Cup titles for Australia. They lifted the trophy in 1988, 2002, 2010 and 2024. Only India have won more titles – five of them – including the previous edition in 2022.4 The 2024 edition is the fourth instance of India finishing as runners-up in an Under-19 World Cup tournament, which is also the most by a team.253 for 7 Australia’s total against India is the highest by any team in an Under-19 World Cup final. England’s 242 for 3 in a chase against New Zealand to win the 1998 edition was the previous highest.Related

• Saumy Pandey: the cricketer who cried at the thought of being anything else

• Red-hot Australia defend 253 to win fourth Under-19 World Cup

• Saharan bemoans 'rash shots' from India: 'We didn't spend enough time in the middle'

1998 Australia’s win on Sunday was their first against India in an Under-19 World Cup game since 1998. Since then India had won all six outings against Australia between 2000 and 2022, including twice in the finals – 2012 and 2018.2012 The last instance of Australia defeating India in a youth ODI. In ten meetings since then, India got the better of Australia each time before the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final.22 Consecutive youth ODI matches won by India while chasing before their 79-run defeat on Sunday. Their previous defeat in a youth ODI game while chasing came in August 2018 against Sri Lanka.1 Only once has a team defended their Under-19 World Cup crown: Pakistan in 2006, after winning the trophy in 2004. Australia (in 2012) and India (in 2020 and 2024) finished runners-up in pursuit of defending their title.Oliver Peake’s cameo helped Australia go past the 250-mark•ICC/Getty Images3 Previous instances of India conceding 250-plus totals at the Under-19 World Cup. Two of those came in wins when they were defending 300-plus totals. Their only loss was against South Africa in 2002 when they conceded 268 for 5 and went down by 112 runs.397 Runs scored by India’s Uday Saharan, the second-most for a captain in a single edition. Cameron White tops the list with 423 in eight matches which he recorded in Australia’s victorious 2002 campaign.46 India’s opening stand against USA in the group stage game turned out to be their highest of the tournament. The 2024 edition is now the first where India failed to stitch an opening partnership of at least 50.

The India batter smashed 89 off 56 while Sri Lanka’s youngsters had more sedate returns

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Feb-20222:14

Ishan Kishan: Our approach is to attack the bowlers rather than wait for a bad ball

Seven balls into his innings, Ishan Kishan gets a full toss outside his off stump. In a blink, it has scorched its way to the cover boundary. The next ball from Chamika Karunaratne is a shorter, slower delivery. The shoulders swing into action. The elbows are a blur. This ball blazes and takes an even quicker route to the rope. Straight of cover this time.In the late 1990s, when Sanath Jayasuriya reigned over India versus Sri Lanka fixtures, word on the streets in India was that Jayasuriya had springs hidden in his bat. How else did he get the ball to boing off over the infield when the likes of Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad bowled at him?Related

• Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Mendis ruled out of T20I series

• New opening partner for Rohit and lower-order depth among key areas for India to address

• Samson's got talent; Rohit wants him to 'maximise' it, and fast

• Kishan, Shreyas fifties muscle India to huge win

Kishan’s bat functions more like rocket launcher than trampoline. That he is no conventional “timer of the ball” is clear, because he throws every milligram of his body weight into some of his shots. But this is not the same thing as saying he does not have timing. On evenings like these, the force that goes up from his toes, through his hips, chest, shoulders, arms, wrists, seems to be matched by the energy that his bat, of its own accord, is producing. It’s big-effort batting mixed with glorious-timing results. The best of both worlds. It took seven years at the international level for Jayasuriya to mesh his explosive power with batting’s more refined virtues. Kishan is in his ninth T20I.But we know where the refinement came for Kishan, right? He’s hit 1452 runs in the IPL, and commanded a pay packet of more than US$2 million in the most-recent auction. He’s played 56 innings in that competition, and 108 T20 innings overall, and in that time, batted in a host of match situations and positions. On Thursday evening, he had to face two 140kph-plus bowlers up front, and a legspinner and a left-arm spinner, none of whom seriously troubled him. He batted, as on his debut against England last year, and in several internationals since, as if pounding bowlers of every description was a birthright.When Sri Lanka came out to make their response to Kishan’s 89 off 56 and India’s 199 for 2, they had some promising young batters too. Pathum Nissanka, a first-class star who had sort of made the switch to being a decent T20 batter, having top-scored in the recent series in Australia, was opening the innings. Charith Asalanka, who was excellent in last year’s T20 World Cup, was batting lower down.Through the course of this tour, you might notice their better shots. Like Asalanka’s ramp off Jasprit Bumrah at the end of the fourth over. Or his flat, hard, reverse sweep through point off Ravindra Jadeja in the 14th.But you might also notice this. Young India players are largely doing things they’ve done before, going into their memory banks, calling up moments from their past in which they’ve triumphed in similar situations, against oppositions of perhaps somewhat worse but not-dissimilar quality. Sri Lanka’s young players are always reaching. The next level. That big step. This vast chasm they have to somehow bridge.Occasionally, they manage it. But often, they don’t. You see their talent warring with their inexperience when Kamil Mishara, who has all of 15 T20s (of any description) on his ledger, punches the second ball he’s ever faced from Bumrah to the cover fence on the up, before failing to connect with the next three deliveries, as Bumrah mixes it up. You see it in Janith Liyanage’s pained 11 off 17, or even in Nissanka’s fatal first ball, where he failed to account for the low bounce in the Lucknow pitch. Even Asalanka, the Sri Lanka batter who has best transitioned to T20Is in the last few years, was dropped twice on his way to his half-century.We will not tread over SLC’s many sins here, because they have been lavishly documented in these pages. But even if their officials were competent, Sri Lanka will never have the likes of this Indian cricketing machine, of which Kishan is a proud product. There are some harsh judgements on the Sri Lankan system, but also some bald economics. For much of Kishan’s IPL career, he was coached by one of Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketing minds.Sri Lanka have two more T20s, and two Tests, in a country where they have done exceedingly poorly in both those formats. If they are to make something of this tour, they will have to reach for the kinds of performances they have never produced before.India, like Kishan, ferocious at home in any case, need only to do what they’ve been doing.

The Dodgers are World Series champions once again after pulling out a dramatic comeback against the Blue Jays in Game 7 at the Rogers Centre.

Trailing 4–3 heading into the ninth, the script was set for the Dodgers’ entire postseason hopes to come down to Shohei Ohtani, who was set to bat third in the inning. But before Shohei got to the plate, second baseman Miguel Rojas, batting out of the nine-hole, decided he’d rather handle things himself, and smacked a game-tying home run to left.

If you were surprised by this display of power from Rojas, you were not alone. Rojas had just seven dingers through the entire 2025 regular season, and has gone yard just 57 times through 12 seasons in the majors. But in the ninth inning with his team in need of a hero, he stepped up.

Mookie Betts, like Ohtani, is one of the stars on the Dodgers you might have thought would be more likely to turn up as the hero in the ninth. Talking after the game, Betts admitted that even he was stunned by Rojas’s big play.

“No shade to Miggy Rojas, but nobody is really expecting a homer with two outs from Miggy Rojas,” Betts told the Fox postgame desk. “And he did. It was one of those things. We believe in him, but we didn’t know about a homer, right? It’s just fitting. If you’re around a group of guys, you know who the mic guy is. The guy that’s on the mic to get everybody going. He’s our mic guy. For him to come up big, he’s like our glue.”

Baseball is a team sport, and every batter from the top to the bottom of the lineup has a role to play. It turns out that Rojas’s role in the nine-hole was even bigger than expected.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro já começou a se planejar para a sequência da temporada. Após sondar Kaio Jorge e Matheus Henrique, a bola da vez na Toca da Raposa é o zagueiro Yerry Mina, que jogou a última temporada pelo Cagliari.

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Na Itália, ajudou o time se salvar do rebaixamento. Até o fim de semana, o clube terá uma reunião com o atleta. Aos 29 anos, Mina ainda tem mercado na Europa e tem desejo de permanecer no Velho Continente.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Boa relação com Mattos pode ser diferencial para o Cruzeiro

Com a concorrência do futebol europeu e de mais de cinco clubes brasileiros, o Cruzeiro tem em Alexandre Mattos um trunfo. Atual CEO do clube, o dirigente foi o responsável pela contratação de Mina para o Palmeiras, em 2016.

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Mesmo se não for Mina, a Raposa irá contratar mais um zagueiro, com condições de ser titular da equipe, que tem Zé Ivaldo e João Marcelo como titulares. No futebol europeu, o zagueiro ainda atuou por Barcelona, Fiorentina, Everton e, agora, no Cagliari.

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Alexandre MattosCruzeiroFutebol NacionalMina

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been handed a major North London derby boost after an injury update from N5.

Arteta’s side welcome Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday seeking to extend their remarkable dominance over their rivals.

The Gunners boast a formidable recent record in this fixture, even achieving something they had never previously done in the Premier League era earlier this year.

For the very first time since the division’s inception, Arsenal won three straight top-flight games against Tottenham, with victories in January (2-1) and September last year (1-0) following their 3-2 triumph in April 2024. The January win was enough for Arsenal to prolong their unbeaten run against Tottenham to six matches, having also done the double over Spurs in the 2022-23 campaign.

Since 1995, Arsenal have won 30 games to Tottenham’s 16 with 24 draws, highlighting their indisputable superiority in the modern era.

That being said, Spurs have been handed some encouragement by Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal just before the international break — which ended their unbelievable winning run and proved they can in fact be broken down.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Some injury concerns also cloud Arsenal’s preparations.

Gabriel Magalhaes was injured during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal, since returning to London Colney, and it is likely that the centre-back misses at least a short stretch of games, including the North London Derby. The star centre-back is apparently a major doubt to face Tottenham this weekend, and his absence would be a real blow given his undoubted importance to the side.

The injury list extends beyond Gabriel too.

Captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all racing to be in contention to face Spurs after their own lay-offs, but the game comes too soon for Gabriel Jesus, who will be last to return to the field as he continues full recovery from an ACL injury (Simon Collings).

Arteta was also dealt a scare when Riccardo Calafiori nursed a hip problem on international duty with Italy, causing him to miss both of their World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Norway.

Mikel Arteta gifted Riccardo Calafiori boost with Arsenal star set to play against Tottenham

Following his return to London for assessments and checks on the problem, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed some positive news about the left-back.

Indeed, it is believed that Calafiori is set to be available for Arsenal’s clash against Tottenham this weekend, with no injury or overload.

Having the former Bologna star ready for selection is a major boost for Arteta.

He has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season, establishing himself as the undisputed starter at left-back ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly. The £42 million defender has transformed his fortunes after an injury-plagued debut campaign last season, when he was in and out of the starting 11 and struggled to build any consistent momentum.

Calafiori has completely turned around, becoming an absolutely crucial part of Arteta’s system, offering both defensive solidity and attacking threat from the left flank, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games this season.

With Gabriel very likely to miss the derby, losing Calafiori, who’s been called one of their players of the season so far by Ray Parlour, would have left Arsenal dangerously exposed defensively.

However, the 23-year-old will instead return to the side for what is set to be a mouth-watering clash in the capital.

Uruguay's talismanic forward, Luis Suarez, has revealed his plans of making a possible return to his former club, Barcelona, in the near future. The 38-year-old is yet to bid farewell to the sport and could end his career in Catalunya, as he admits he still has connections at the club which he represented from 2014 to 2020 before switching base to metropolitan side Atletico Madrid.

• Suarez currently playing with his former Barca teammate

  During his tenure at Barca, which spanned six seasons, Suarez shared the dressing room with numerous top players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and of course, the Argentine sensation Lionel Messi. After leaving Barcelona, he found himself representing Atletico Madrid, Internacional and Gremio, before shifting base to the USA for the start of a new chapter. There, in Miami, he was signed by David Beckham's co-owned outfit Inter Miami, and shared the pitch with former Barca teammates, out of which only Messi has continued to feature in the sport. Suarez has been an influential figure alongside Messi not only in the Major League Soccer, but also in the Leagues Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, securing 14 goals and 15 assists across 40 appearances. With the MLS season approaching the business end, and Inter Miami confirming their spot in the conference semi-finals, Suarez might be seeking a new adventure at the end of the campaign before he calls it a day.

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  Suarez hints at possible Barca comeback

  In an interaction with Sport, Suarez stated: "Yes, I am always keeping up with Barcelona –  the children too, because you don’t stop being a fan. You don’t stop having admiration for the club, you have affection for the club and you still have contact with people from the club. We still have a house there. Our planned idea is to return to Barcelona for everything that results for us. We have confirmed it because of everything it gave us and because we always feel at home there."

  Suarez, during his tenure at Barcelona, scored 195 goals and registered 113 assists across 283 games. Moreover, throughout his entire career, he has played 857 matches and recorded 515 goals and 278 assists, an immense figure that makes him a revolutionary football icon not only in Uruguay but across the planet. He has also retired from international football after scoring 69 goals in 143 matches for Uruguay.

• Suarez speaks about his relationship with Lionel Messi

  While Suarez and Messi, along with Neymar, have rocked the pitch on numerous occasions, winning major matches and accolades, the Uruguayan also shares a special off-the-pitch bond with the 2022 World Cup winner. 

  He said: "As the years went by, we got to know each other on the pitch. And over the years we also know each other a lot abroad. We each know when one is in a good mood, when the other is in a bad mood. Everyone knows when internal conversations are shared or when one does not feel like talking. We know each other well, and the truth is that children also spend many hours a day here in football. The truth is that it is a beautiful stage that we are living, enjoying… We look at each other sometimes and we start to think that we are fulfilling what we had talked about at that time at Barcelona. To be able to enjoy our last stage as football players together."

  The 38-year-old also expressed his views on how Messi has been helping in the transformation of Inter Miami. “On the pitch he is something unique, something unrepeatable and he continues to do incredible things. He still has that obsession of wanting to continue winning like we all have. But of course, you see him, that spirit he has. There are times when the team wins but he wanted one of his teammates to score and if he didn’t score, Leo gets angry because that player didn’t score. If he sets the objectives, he achieves them and that rubs off on all of us," he highlighted.

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  Semi-finals ahead of Suarez and Inter Miami

  Last season, Inter Miami managed to secure the Supporters' Shield, and this time out, they have a great opportunity to lift their maiden MLS title. On November 23, they will face Cincinnati in the semi-finals, and a win in that fixture will take them a step closer to the coveted accolade.

West Ham are in the midst of a striker crisis as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side fail to impress once again in their latest outing at home to Brentford.

Nuno slammed for West Ham line-up after defeat to Brentford

You’d be hard-pressed to try and remember a more uninspired home performance than West Ham’s 2-0 loss to the Bees on Monday night.

Goals from Igor Thiago and Mathias Jensen sealed the deal for Keith Andrews’ side, who dominated West Ham right from the get-go and were barely troubled all night, with Jarrod Bowen’s brilliant low-drive to the far-post coming as their only real effort of the game.

By contrast, Brentford had a whopping 17 shots, and West Ham’s much-changed defence really struggled to cope.

Olly Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters started as full-backs on their opposing sides, with Andy Irving and Tomas Soucek given the nod by Nuno in West Ham’s engine room.

In the build up, much had been made about a potential West Ham start for youngster Callum Marshall after Niclas Füllkrug picked up a thigh injury just before the international break.

However, Nuno instead opted to play Lucas Paqueta up there instead — which hardly paid dividends as the £150,000-per-week star failed to influence proceedings and lost possession 23 times on a night to forget.

West Ham have now lost all of their opening four home league games for the first time in the club’s history, and Nuno’s team selection has been slammed following the array of questionable calls.

Paqueta’s ineffective display as the number nine, combined with Marshall’s inexperience and Callum Wilson’s torrid injury record, gives Nuno a real striking conundrum to solve.

Fullkrug is expected to be back in the next few weeks, but the German has proved that he cannot be relied upon ever since his move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

The 32-year-old missed 28 games for West Ham and Germany combined last season, and his fitness woes have stretched into 2025/2026 as supporters call on David Sullivan to sign a proven goalscorer.

West Ham 'working' on Ivan Toney deal with striker open to joining in January

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, there’s been some fairly good news on that front.

Nixon writes that Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney is indeed a target for the Hammers, despite reports to the contrary.

The England international has scored for fun in the Saudi Pro League since his £40 million switch from Brentford last year, and Nixon reports that West Ham are already ‘working’ on a deal to sign Toney on loan.

The 29-year-old could also be open to the possibility as he eyes a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Having scored 20 Premier League goals during his best season at Brentford in 2022/2023, Toney is an undeniably proven scorer at this level and has showed no sign of letting up since his move to the Middle East.

It is also believed that West Ham could be prepared to pay a large portion of his estimated £426,000-per-week pay packet, which is a real signal of intent from Sullivan and Brady amid repeated calls for them to leave the London Stadium.

Durham gave their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast a massive boost when they defeated Birmingham Bears by eight runs at the Banks Homes RiversideNeeding 183 to secure their sixth win of their Blast campaign, the Bears were restricted to 174 for 8 with Zak Foulkes taking three catches and two wickets to add to the ex-Bear Will Rhodes’s 51 in his side’s 182 for 7.Having opted to bowl first in a match delayed by 70 minutes by rain, the Bears struck an immediate blow when home skipper, Alex Lees, was caught by Ed Barnard off Hasan Ali for 4 in the second over, the fielder running back from point to take a fine catch.Ollie Robinson was the next batter dismissed when he was caught at mid-off for 7 by George Garton in Hasan’s next over but Durham still got to 58 in their powerplay, thanks partly to Sam Hain dropping Clark at point the ball after the opener had hit Danny Briggs for six.The batter celebrated by smacking Briggs’ next delivery for six too but was caught behind by Alex Davies off Garton for 43 in the eighth over to leave his side three down with 75 runs on the board. Durham became a trifle becalmed after Clark’s departure and reached the midpoint of their innings on 86 for 3.But Colin Ackermann and Will Rhodes wellied 25 runs off the next 11 balls before fine work by Tom Latham and Dan Mousley ran out Ackermann for 27. Mousley then caught Jimmy Neesham on the long-on boundary for 14 when the New Zealander was trying to hit Jake Lintott for a second successive six but Rhodes reached his second T20 fifty of the season and Kasey Aldridge whacked 31 off 19 balls to steer the Bears towards what seemed a par total.Hasan was the most successful Bears bowler with 3 for 32 but Garton was the most miserly with 1 for 25.The Bears reply got off to a grisly start when Alex Davies skied Matty Potts to Zak Foulkes at mid-on and departed for a single in the second over but the next wicket was an all-Kiwi affair when Tom Latham was caught by Foulkes off Jimmy Neesham in the fifth over for 23.With their side on 43 for 2 and therefore 15 runs worse off than Durham after their powerplay, Hain and Mousley sought to accelerate but their efforts were scuppered when both fell to catches to deep square leg, Hain’s being taken by Potts off Parkinson for 20 and Mousley’s by Nathan Sowter off Aldridge for 19.Those wickets reduced the Bears to 65 for 4 in the tenth over and but the visitors never gave up their hopes of victory. Needing 90 off the last seven overs, they lost Rob Yates, caught by Clark at long leg off Foulkes for 17 and a fine juggling catch on the boundary by Sowter in the same over saw Garton on his way for one.But Barnard and Hasan’s onslaught on the Durham bowling saw 52 runs scored in four overs and left the visitors needing 31 off the final 12 balls. Neesham bowled the penultimate over and conceded just seven runs while taking the wicket of Hassan, caught by Lees at extra cover for 22, and Potts had Barnard caught on the deep midwicket boundary by Foulkes for a valiant 49 off the first ball of the final over, a dismissal which effectively ended the contest, despite Lintott smashing 15 off the last four balls of the game. Durham 182-7 beat Birmingham Bears 174-8Durham 4pts Birmingham Bears 0ptsReport filed by Paul Edwards (07962-115171) – Please do not use by-lineDurham gave their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast a massive boost when they defeated Birmingham Bears by eight runs at the Banks Homes RiversideNeeding 183 to secure their sixth win of their Blast campaign, the Bears were restricted to 174 for eight with Zak Foulkes taking three catches and two wickets to add to the ex-Bear Will Rhodes’s 51 in his side’s 182 for sevenHaving opted to bowl first in a match delayed by 70 minutes by rain, the Bears struck an immediate blow when home skipper, Alex Lees, was caught by Ed Barnard off Hassan Ali for four in the second over, the fielder running back from point to take a fine catch.Ollie Robinson was the next batter dismissed when he was caught at mid-off for seven by George Garton in Hassan’s next over but Durham still got to 58 in their powerplay, thanks partly to Sam Hain dropping Clark at point the ball after the opener had hit Danny Briggs for six.The batter celebrated by smacking Briggs’ next delivery for six too but was caught behind by Alex Davies off Garton for 43 in the eighth over to leave his side three down with 75 runs on the board. Durham became a trifle becalmed after Clark’s departure and reached the midpoint of their innings on 86 for three.But Colin Ackermann and Will Rhodes wellied 25 runs off the next 11 balls before fine work by Tom Latham and Dan Mousley ran out Ackermann for 27. Mousley then caught Jimmy Neesham on the long-on boundary for 14 when the New Zealander was trying to hit Jake Lintott for a second successive six but Rhodes reached his second T20 fifty of the season and Kasey Aldridge whacked 31 off 19 balls to steer the Bears towards what seemed a par total.Hassan was the most successful Bears bowler with three for 32 but Garton was the most miserly with one for 25.The Bears reply got off to a grisly start when Alex Davies skied Matty Potts to Zak Foulkes at mid-on and departed for a single in the second over but the next wicket was an all-Kiwi affair when Tom Latham was caught by Foulkes off Jimmy Neesham in the fifth over for 23.With their side on 43 for two and therefore 15 runs worse off than Durham after their powerplay, Hain and Mousley sought to accelerate but their efforts were scuppered when both fell to catches to deep square leg, Hain’s being taken by Potts off Parkinson for 20 and Mousley’s by Nathan Sowter off Aldridge for 19.Those wickets reduced the Bears to 65 for four in the tenth over and but the visitors never gave up their hopes of victory. Needing 90 off the last seven overs, they lost Rob Yates, caught by Clark at long leg off Foulkes for 17 and a fine juggling catch on the boundary by Sowter in the same over saw Garton on his way for one.But Barnard and Hassan’s onslaught on the Durham bowling saw 52 runs scored in four overs and left the visitors needing 31 off the final 12 balls. Neesham bowled the penultimate over and conceded just seven runs while taking the wicket of Hassan, caught by Lees at extra cover for 22, and Potts had Barnard caught on the deep midwicket boundary by Foulkes for a valiant 49 off the first ball of the final over, a dismissal which effectively ended the contest, despite Lintott smashing 15 off the last four balls of the game.

A legendary figure within football has revealed he instructed his agent to get him to Rangers even if a “massive drop in wages” was required to get him to Ibrox.

Rangers manager search rumbles on

The Gers are back to square one in their manager search after Steven Gerrard ruled himself out of contention to return to Ibrox.

The 45-year-old had been the front-runner to replace the sacked Russell Martin as head coach, but it is understood that after holding constructive discussions with the club, he felt the timing was not right for a return to Glasgow.

PA News Agency reports the conversations were positive and both sides agreed to leave the door open for the future, but for now 49ers Enterprises’ first major test in charge at Ibrox just got a whole lot tougher.

Danny Rohl appears to be the front runner for the job at the moment, even if reports suggest one of the Gers’ top transfer targets, Pierce Charles, would be less likely join the club if his former Sheffield Wednesday boss is in situ.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe promised fans a “rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process” which they were both “deeply involved” with and would give their “full attention” to, but the appointment of a young, maverick coach like Rohl would feel eerily similar to the risk that was taken appointing Martin back in June.

While the club struggle to get a managerial candidate who fans can rally behind over the line, one man the Ibrox faithful will never run out of love for has revealed that feeling is mutual.

Gascoigne: I told my agent I'd drop my wages to join Rangers

Speaking to talkSPORT on Monday, former England superstar Paul Gascgoine, who won the league twice during his time at Rangers, said he nearly missed out on his move to Ibrox over a name mix-up, but then jumped at the chance to join up with Walter Smith.

‘Gazza’ is one of Rangers’ greatest players of all time and was already a Ballon d’Or candidate before he joined, finishing fourth in the famous award ceremony back in 1990, proving the allure of both the club and Smith, who himself won 21 major trophies as Rangers boss.

Whether Rohl or anyone else can return the club to that level given the growing financial gap between Scotland and Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues, fans are desperate for Cavenagh and Marathe to find a leader like Smith who can once again turn Ibrox into a stage that appeals to the finest talents in world football.