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Satisfied with his first captaincy stint, Ajinkya Rahane stressed on the fact that the team will be focussing on the upcoming T20s against Zimbabwe and be watchful of the challenge they pose

Liam Brickhill in Harare16-Jul-2015Given the potentially seismic changes currently underway in the IPL, Ajinkya Rahane might be forgiven for being slightly distracted at the moment, but the stand-in Indian captain insisted his focus was entirely on the upcoming Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe.”My only focus is on these two T20s, I’m not thinking about the IPL,” he said. “If you represent your country, your only aim is to give your best for your country and win matches for them. We haven’t discussed anything [about the IPL]. We were completely focused on the third ODI that day, and with the T20s we’ll just focus on the game. We want to give our best against Zimbabwe and win both games.”India’s next major Twenty20 engagement will come at the World Twenty20 in India next March, so every match they play until then is also part of their build-up. But, as Rahane pointed out, there’s still plenty of time to get their combinations right. “The World T20 is in the back of our mind, but we have to perform our best here. We’ve still got time for the World T20.”The Indian camp will have plenty of confidence going into the T20s against Zimbabwe, not least because of the squad’s plentiful experience in the format due to the IPL. Rahane suggested that they would still be wary of the threat that Zimbabwe pose, particularly as one or two good performances from individual Zimbabweans could spark an upset.”Yes we have experience playing IPL, guys are pretty much experienced in T20s, but in international cricket you have to perform on that particular day, even if it’s T20 you have to be at 100% on the field all the time,” he said. “Your commitment has to be up to the mark, attitude has to be very good, so yes we’ve got that experience with us but against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe we have to give our best on the field, as we did in the ODI cricket. We gave our best, our attitude was fantastic, and again in T20 our main point will be to play as a unit.”Every format has a different challenge so we have to start from scratch again in the T20s because we all know that one or two good overs for both the teams can change the momentum for any team. We have to be on our toes the whole time and play good cricket for all the 40 overs and I’m sure the boys are up for this.”With India sending a second-string side to Zimbabwe, this series had been billed as something of an audition for full national honours, but Rahane said that India would look to win games first, and only then worry about making sure players are given a chance to showcase their talent.”As a captain, your only thought is to win the series first. Then obviously giving opportunities,” he said. “But when you represent your country, your aim is to win all the games. It’s important to have trust in your team-mates, and I have trust in all of my players. We were looking to win all the three games, but in the third ODI we wanted to give an opportunity to Manish [Pandey]. [Ambati] Rayudu got injured, so we gave that opportunity to Manish. Dhawal [Kulkarni] had bowled pretty well, and we wanted to give him a rest and play Mohit [Sharma], so we did that pretty well. As a captain I felt I handled all those situations pretty well.”India were put in to bat in all three ODIs, and had to overcome the challenge of the moving ball in the first hour or so. There were still a couple of wobbles, with India losing early wickets in two of the games, but with the Twenty20s starting in the afternoon Rahane felt that batting conditions would be a little easier.”The ODI games started at 9 o’clock and here they’re afternoon games so I feel the wicket will be slightly better, but still on the slow side. We’ve played quite a lot of T20 back home, IPL and domestic cricket, so I’m sure the boys will handle the situation pretty well and are looking forward to the two T20s against Zimbabwe.”

Wrexham midfielder Elliott Lee perfectly summed up the club's emphatic 6-0 win over Morecambe on Saturday.

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Lee assesses Wrexham's win over MorecambeCongratulated Paul MullinMullin netted a hat-trick against former clubWHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham star Paul Mullin netted a hat-trick against his former club Morecambe as the Welsh club registered a thumping 6-0 win on Saturday in a League Two clash.

After the emphatic win, midfielder Lee took to Instagram where he shared the club's full-time post and congratulated his colleague Mullin for scoring a hat-trick and also breathed a sigh of relief for successfully crossing the 19-match mark with four yellow cards to his name.

AdvertisementWHAT ELLIOT LEE SAID

In his story, Lee wrote, "Three points. Hat-trick for my mate Paul Mullin and yellow card threshold completed!

Elliot Lee InstagramGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After missing the start of the season due to a punctured lung – which he suffered during a pre-season match against Manchester United in the US – Mullin is slowly regaining his form from the last season. In the ongoing campaign, the striker has scored nine goals and provided two assists in 14 matches across all competitions.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

After a setback against Accrington Stanley last week, the Red Dragons are back to winning ways and have climbed up to the second position on the league table. They will next face Harrogate Town on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola's side cruised to victory at Old Trafford as the pressure continues to build on Erik ten Hag after another miserable display

Manchester is blue. It has been for some time, and on Sunday's evidence, it will remain so for quite a while yet. City's 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford was even more dominant than the scoreline suggests, as Pep Guardiola's side yet again waltzed their way through a derby without having to really break sweat.

City actually lost on their last visit to 'The Theatre of Dreams', but United have fallen off a cliff since then, as Erik ten Hag struggles to inspire much confidence with the way his team is playing at present. They are already nine points behind City, 11 points off Premier League leaders Tottenham and eight points in arrears to fourth-placed Liverpool with only 10 games of the season played.

Still, many would have expected United to get up for the visit of their neighbours, but despite a couple of exciting counter-attacking moments, they barely laid a glove on City. Instead, the visitors were in cruise control as soon as Erling Haaland fired them ahead from the penalty spot after 26 minutes.

Haaland could have had as many as five goals on the day if not for the saves of Andre Onana, but he did at least find a second shortly after half-time after heading in a floated cross from the brilliant Bernardo Silva. Phil Foden then added a third from a Haaland assist, while the Mancunian on the other side, Marcus Rashford, endured yet another miserable outing in what is quickly becoming a forgettable season for the United forward.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford…

GettyWINNER: Erling Haaland

Just another day at the office for the best striker in world football. Haaland's two goals here take his Premier League tally for the season to 11, and he now has five goals in his first three experiences of the Manchester Derby.

As always, the Norway international wasn't involved much in build-up play, but was on the spot to finish enough chances to ensure that City were in full control of this match well inside the hour mark. His penalty was confidently dispatched while he buried a header for his second after the break.

If not for Andre Onana, he could have had another three goals, and Haaland will probably think that at least two of those opportunities should have been put away given his finishing ability. But nevertheless, he and City just keep on rolling, and while Haaland is fit, they will be the favourites to win every competition they remain in contention for.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Rasmus Hojlund

Hojlund had a paradoxical game in that he was United's most lively attacker by a mile, but when push came to shove – pun intended – he fell short.

The game was goalless when he grappled with Rodri in the box while defending a free-kick, hauling the Spaniard to the floor and conceding the penalty after a VAR review. The decision felt a little harsh, but also spoke of Hojlund's inexperience.

The striker also could have been more streetwise when he hared towards goal in the first half, with John Stones in close pursuit. There was contact from Stones, but Hojlund stayed on his feet, surrendering a potential penalty and red card for Stones. Even after staying on his feet, he could have tried to draw contact from Ederson, but instead teed up Fernandes.

Hojlund should not get too much blame though – it is astounding that a 20-year-old is being asked to carry an entire team on his back.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Bernardo Silva

Manchester United came into this match knowing that they had to keep Bernardo Silva quiet. The Portugal international makes City tick from midfield, and stopping him from creating chances could have been the difference between a win or a loss.

We'll never know if it would have worked, though, as Bernardo made a mockery of United's man-marking scheme to absolutely boss yet another derby. Neither Christian Eriksen in the first half nor Scott McTominay in the second could get anywhere near the ex-Monaco man, and he ran the show as a result.

Those who didn't watch the game will see Bernardo provided the assist for Haaland's second goal, but his game was about far more than that one cross. That said, this was the fifth assist against United of his career – no Premier League player has more since 2017.

It looked for a long time like Bernardo would be leaving the Etihad Stadium last summer, and there's a strong chance that this is his final campaign as a City player. But the fact that they were able to convince him to stay for one more go around could yet prove the difference between success and failure.

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Getty LOSER: Marcus Rashford

The saddest thing is that when Marcus Rashford missed the target from close range after Kyle Walker had fallen to the floor midway through the second half, there was an air of inevitability to it. There were no howls of exasperation from the Old Trafford faithful, instead the air was filled with resigned sighs.

Rashford cut a downtrodden figure throughout the game and barely created a hint of danger. He did not seem to be on the same page as Hojlund, which was summed up when the Denmark striker broke free in the first half and wanted to pass to Rashford, but his team-mate wasn't quick enough to give him a realistic passing option.
Rashford has played 13 games this season, every match in the Premier League and Champions League, but has just one goal and three assists. Perhaps it's time to take him out of the firing line.

Mukhtar Ahmed’s 96 and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 guided Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A to finish the three-match series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2015 ScorecardFile Photo – Mukhtar Ahmed struck 11 fours and two sixes but fell four short of his ton•AFPA 93-ball 96 from Mukhtar Ahmed and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 helped Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A in the third and final unofficial ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.Chasing 278, Israrullah was trapped leg before by Nisala Tharaka in the seventh over. Mukhtar was then involved in two 70-plus partnerships with Khurram Manzoor and captain Fawad Alam, where he struck 11 fours and two sixes before falling to Lakshan Sandakan in the 31st over.With the score at 185 for 3 after Mukhtar’s departure, Ali Waqas put on 54 with Fawad Alam before losing his wicket to Shehan Jayasuriya when Pakistan required a further 37 runs for victory.Fawad then teamed up with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan to guide Pakistan to their first win the in three-match series.Pakistan had put Sri Lanka in, who rode on fifties from openers Jayasuriya (67) and Kusal Perera (87) and a couple of 20-plus scores from their middle order to finish on 277 in 47.2 overs. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim picked up 4 for 29

Kings XI have dropped David Miller as captain for the remainder of the 2016 IPL season and appointed M Vijay in his place

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-20162:49

Cullinan: Miller has paid the price for a team that hasn’t performed

Kings XI have dropped David Miller as captain for the remainder of the 2016 IPL season and appointed M Vijay in his place. The decision came after Kings XI lost five of their first six games of the tournament, with Miller making 76 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 129.”David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad,” Kings XI, last in the league at the moment, said in a statement on the eve of their match against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot.Miller’s appointment as George Bailey’s successor in February was a surprise because he had no significant captaincy experience in South African domestic cricket, having only led KwaZulu Natal in three Africa T20 Cup games in 2015-16 and their Under-19 side once in 2007-08. He has been with Kings XI since 2011, when he joined them as a replacement for England allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, and was one of four players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2016 player auction.Vijay also does not have much captaincy experience. He has led Tamil Nadu in only 13 matches across formats – seven T20s – between 2009 and 2011. His form in the IPL season has also been ordinary – 143 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 113.50.

Phil Parkinson has explained why he did not join Wrexham’s promotion-winning party in Las Vegas that was paid for by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

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Dragons promoted into the Football LeagueRewarded with a trip to the United StatesCoaches headed off to Portugal insteadWHAT HAPPENED?

After seeing the Dragons bring their 15-year exile from the Football League to a close, the club’s Hollywood co-owners funded an all-expenses-paid trip to Nevada for the players that made a record-setting return to the League Two ranks possible.

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The likes of Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Ben Foster made the most of a visit to Sin City as they took in relaxing pool parties and visits to famous nightclubs, but Parkinson and his coaching team made a point of steering well clear of those shenanigans.

WHAT THEY SAID

Parkinson has told of why he avoided the Vegas excursion and where his backroom team headed instead: "I didn't make the Vegas trip. It was by choice. It was by choice only. I thought just let the players go and enjoy it, and all the staff. The owners very kindly paid for the staff to go to Portugal, so we left the players to it."

When asked if he opted out as he did not want to “cramp the players’ style”, Parkinson added: "Exactly. Exactly. I would have done."

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Parkinson has continued to work with Reynolds and McElhenney in building a squad that Wrexham believe is capable of securing back-to-back promotions, with the Welsh outfit currently sat fifth in the fourth tier table after taking in 13 eventful league games during the 2023-24 campaign.

USMNT captain Tyler Adams has announced that he and his partner, Sarah Schmidt, are having their first child together – a baby boy!

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Adams announces he and partner having a baby boyUSMNT midfielder currently sidelined with injuryPotential return to pitch in FebruaryWHAT HAPPENED?

"Baby boy coming in January, beyond grateful👶🏼🩵," Adams posted on Instagram, with USMNT teammates and players from around the world flooding the comment section following the brilliant news. One user even pointed out that 18 years on from his child's birth, the U.S. could find themselves playing in the 2042 FIFA World Cup, with a prodigy in the making potentially forming part of that line up.

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The USMNT midfielder made a big summer move from relegated Leeds United to Bournemouth, but only managed one appearance for the Cherries before returning to the injury table. Last spring, Adams suffered a season-ending injury for the now-Championship side, and returned in September before finding himself sidelined once again. He seemingly cannot catch a break, but the hope is that this latest surgery has permanently fixed the issue that has been bothering him.

DID YOU KNOW

Adams nearly made a move to Premier League giants Chelsea over the summer, even undergoing a medical with the Blues, before talks collapsed. He then agreed a deal with Bournemouth instead.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TYLER ADAMS

The USMNT midfielder is going to be out for at least three more months, with Cherries boss Andoni Iraola saying that he won't take to the pitch until at least February. Until then, he'll be getting ready to welcome his new arrival.

Barcelona boss Xavi made a bizarre claim that his side would be top of the league if 'big data' was to be believed.

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Barcelona steal late winBeat Celta Vigo 2-1 with stoppage-time penaltyBarca sit seven points off MadridGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Xavi spoke after the game and was critical of his side's wasted chances as they stole a narrow 2-1 victory over strugglers Celta Vigo. A resurgent Robert Lewandowski scored a brace, including a 97th minute penalty, to secure the three points. However, perhaps a little frustrated the Polish striker hasn't been able to be at his best all this season, Xavi bemoaned the number of opportunities to score they pass up.

AdvertisementWHAT XAVI SAID

Speaking after their victory, Xavi said: "We dominated. But we struggled to create in the final third. [Celta] worked so hard defensively. It's an agonising triumph, but it's welcome.

"They passed me a stat saying that, according to Big Data, we would be leaders [going] by chances created."

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Xavi's side have a number of players capable of producing special moments out of nothing. No more so than Ilkay Gundogan who has created 67 chances for his team-mates this season, second only to Real Betis' Isco (68). Maybe the Spanish boss has a point.

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WHAT NEXT FOR XAVI AND BARCELONA?

Xavi has made the decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season so will be dreaming of ending his spell in charge on a positive note. They sit seven points off league leaders Madrid, who have a game in hand, and begin their Champions League knockout stage run on Wednesday against Napoli.

Sam Robson’s hundred for Middlesex after a brilliant winter with England Lions moved him inexorably closer to a Test debut against Sri Lanka

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Apr-2014
ScorecardSam Robson is moving inexorably closer to an England Test debut against Sri Lanka•Thusith Wijeduru / ECBIt has been less than a week since Middlesex collapsed twice at the hands of Sussex, but a fine hundred from Sam Robson which moved him ever closer to a potential Test debut and a punchy half-century from Eoin Morgan ensured they would not repeat the blip against Nottinghamshire.Indeed, for all the talk of England’s turmoil and Middlesex’s soft underbelly, today, for one and a half sessions at least, today was a welcome calm that for both parties gave way for quiet optimism.News filtered through to the upper tier of the Compton Stand of hundreds for Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, as Robson and Morgan were well into a 203-run partnership – the highest third innings partnership since Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan put on the same amount at Lord’s, against Lancashire in August 2012.Robson is promising to follow a highly-productive Lions winter with more heavy runs with Middlesex. An England debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, his home ground, is becoming likelier by the day.Idle natter turned to fantasy England XIs; some were balanced, others not. Others wondered if the hosts could take defeat out of the game and push on for the win. At stumps, Morgan felt it was too early to consider being involved in either.It was that pair of 2012 that fell in 10th over of Middlesex’s first innings, Rogers nicking off to third slip and Malan not moving his feet to nick behind, leading to groans from spectators, who feared the worst. At that stage, Peter Siddle had experimented with some hooping outswingers that had Robson groping outside off stump and Luke Fletcher was rewarded, twice, for getting the ball to nibble from his great height.”I loved watching him bat,” said Morgan at stumps, who revealed that the pair had never shared any time before coming together at 19 for 2. It was a baffling fact given they looked so at ease in each other’s company, with styles that complemented each other to exasperate a disciplined Notts attack.While the right-left combination helped push the bowlers back, it was their differing approach to lengths that really had Middlesex ahead on points. Back of a length deliveries which Robson would leave or defend were being drive, square, by Morgan, with his punchier wrists and springy footwork. Where Robson would bound into the full ones, driving crisply straight and through cover, Morgan would defend or pick up singles.The afternoon session represented the crowning glory of this bond as they added 132 runs, with little but one awry shot from Morgan, which landed safely between cover and the boundary rider running in from deep point. It was here that Robson brought up his first Championship century of the season.Very few openers on the county circuit convert toil to grace with as much ease as Robson. Once he got into the groove, he took control of the game and began timing the ball well in front of the wicket. Against Samit Patel, he skipped to the pitch of the ball and placed him expertly through a packed cover region. His return tomorrow on 144 gives Middlesex the edge and, with John Simpson set and Gareth Berg and Ollie Rayner to come, ambitions of a first innings lead.Morgan kept himself in check, manipulating the field as he does in the one day game, while refraining from shots many feel he should leave to that format. There was one over-the-shoulder dink which earned him three runs, but the evidence from the man himself is that new priorities mean a new approach.Over the winter he had discussions with Paul Downton, incoming managing director of the ECB at the time, which touched on “where his head was at” in regards to Test cricket. His withdrawal from the IPL and a quick hefty pay-packet was as clear an indication as any that Morgan was given assurances that he was in the reckoning for Test consideration after two years out of that particular game following a horrendous tour of the UAE.Even with the change of heart towards participating in this year’s edition of the IPL, he needed assistance from the ECB and the BCCI so that he could waive his contractual obligations to participate in the 2014 auction. “They [the ECB and BCCI] were very accommodating,” he reflected.As aware off the field as he is on it, Morgan is not fooled by his knocked today. He will know that it is his highest score in Championship cricket since a century at Leicestershire back in April 2009. He will also know that his last first class hundred was a Test century against India in August 2011.For now, his focus is runs and success for Middlesex. His 86 today has gone some way to ensuring the latter is a very real possibility at the halfway stage of this match.

On a frustrating evening with four rain stoppages, sensational death bowling and a cameo from Naman Ojha set up an eight-wicket win (Duckworth-Lewis method) for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla

The Report by Rachna Shetty10-May-20144:02

Insecurity weighing Delhi down

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOn a frustrating evening with four rain stoppages, sensational death bowling and a cameo from Naman Ojha set up an eight-wicket win (Duckworth-Lewis method) for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla. This was the fourth consecutive loss for Daredevils on their home ground in this IPL.Sunrisers gave away just 22 in the last five overs, restricting Daredevils to 143 for 7, before their own chase was shortened first to 117 off 15 overs, then 97 of 12 overs and finally 43 off five.Daredevils nearly clawed back into the game, as Rahul Shukla dismissed Aaron Finch with Sunrisers still needing 18 off 10 but Naman Ojha and David Warner ensured there were no further hiccups. Warner put away a full toss and Ojha followed it up with a slog over deep midwicket that brought the equation to six off the last over. Ojha’s six off Laxmi Shukla took Sunrisers home with four balls to spare.Daredevils in many ways ended up paying the price for steadfastly pigeon-holing two of their best batsmen this season as finishers. They were a comfortable 87 for 2 in the ninth over when Mayank Agarwal was dismissed but Daredevils held Duminy back and sent Laxmi Shukla in at No. 5. The allrounder added 55 runs with Dinesh Karthik but the innings struggled for impetus, specially after the first, hour-long rain break. Both Karthik and Shukla fell in the 17th over, leaving Duminy and Kedar Jadhav 18 balls between them to give Daredevils some sort of a finish. Unsurprisingly, they floundered against intelligent bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Irfan Pathan and Dale Steyn.Their ending – 11 runs off the last three overs – was in stark contrast to the sprightly start, a result of Kevin Pietersen’s cameo in his first IPL appearance as an opener. Pietersen was hesitant early on and in danger of a being run-out a few times, but looked to be getting his groove back when he punched a square drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his first boundary.After Quinton de Kock fell to Steyn, Pietersen took charge, smacking a six and four each off Karn Sharma and Moises Henriques in successive overs to guide Daredevils to their best Powerplay period of the tournament. Against Mishra, though, he mistimed a drive straight to cover, giving the bowler his 100th IPL wicket.Mayank Agarwal squandered a start leaving the rebuilding to Dinesh Karthik, who scored 39 off 30. Karthik kept the strike turning early on and made the most of a reprieve at fine leg to scoop Steyn for a six over the same region. He swatted Karan Sharma for a six and a four after the resumption of play but fell to a well-judged catch by Steyn at the long-off boundary.