Australia booked themselves into the final of the World Cup with a comprehensive 48-run win against Sri Lanka

Charlie Austin14-May-2020Australia booked themselves into the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup with a comprehensive Duckworth Lewis affected 48 run win against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, another clinical performance that will only enhance the aura of invincibility that now surrounds Ricky Ponting’s side.Sri Lanka had their moments, making Australia’s top order struggle on the sluggish St George’s pitch at Port Elizabeth, but Australia once again wriggled free of trouble, posting a respectable 212 for seven after an unbeaten half-century from Andrew Symonds, before grabbing an iron-like grip on the game with the ball.Mid-innings the match may have looked evenly poised, but that was before the main contest of the day: speedster Brett Lee versus Sri Lanka’s pace-shy top order. Lee won the contest in convincing fashion, shrugging off the handicap of a turgid surface to take three wickets as Sri Lanka slumped to 76 for seven.Kumar Sangakkara (39*) and Chaminda Vaas (21*) provided some resistance, adding 47 runs in 13.5 overs for the eighth wicket, before rain forced the players from the field with Sri Lanka on 123 for seven after 38.1 overs, well behind the run rate according to the Duckworth Lewis machinations.No further play was possible, meaning Australia, who now have a record 16 successive World Cup wins under their belt, will face either India or Kenya in the tournament final at Wanderers on Sunday.The Sri Lanka innings had started brightly enough with the inform Marvan Atapattu (14) stroking three boundaries but Lee was cranking steadily up through the gears. The disappointment of a spilled catch at cover pushed him to full throttle and a thunderbolt yorker, clocked at a staggering 160.1 km per hour, rearranged his stumps.Sanath Jayasuriya (17), a shadow of his former self after being roughed up and maimed by Lee at Centurion, was snared by Lee’s new ball partner Glenn McGrath, swivel-pulling lamely into the hands of Symonds at backward square.Lee quickly mopped up Hashan Tillakaratne (3) and Avishka Gunawardene (1), both of whom wafted edges behind, before Andy Bichel sealed Sri Lanka’s fate with the brilliant run out of Aravinda de Silva, the last man capable of carrying Jayasuriya’s side to victory.De Silva, playing his last international game, had already signaled the threat he posed with two boundaries when Kumar Sangakkara nudged to mid-wicket and called for a quick single. Bichel, the bowler, quickly chased down the ball and threw down the stumps with de Silva yards out of his ground.The out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene, included in the side in place of paceman Dilhara Fernando earlier in the day as Sri Lanka packed their side with batting, extended his World Cup aggregate to 21 in seven innings before being caught off pad and glove.When Russel Arnold, Sri Lanka’s last recognised batsman, top edged a sweep to deep back square, having spent 27 balls scratching out his three runs, Sri Lanka dead and buried on 76 for sevenEarlier, after Australia had won an important toss, Symonds, a controversial selection when Australia’s World Cup squad was first announced, produced his second match-winning performance of the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 91 from 118 balls.The zinc-lipped right-hander, who would have been stumped on 33 had Sangakkara not spilled a straightforward take, rescued the Australian innings with a 93 run partnership for the fourth wicket.Australia had made a galloping start, racing to 34 off the first five overs as Pulasthi Gunaratne was smacked for 20 runs in his first two overs.But de Silva, called into the attack in just the sixth over, broke through with his second off-break of the day as Gilchrist edged an attempted sweep onto his pad to offer Sangakkara a simple catch. Had the 29-year-old stood his ground then he would have been reprieved by a doubting Rudi Koertzen but, in an act of rare Australian chivalry, Gilchrist walked.Vaas, who produced another skillful display, then claimed a brace of wickets as Ricky Ponting (2) mistimed a drive to be caught at mid-off and Matthew Hayden (20) clipped a stinging catch to mid-wicket. The left-armer extended his record World Cup tally to 23 when he had Lee Harvey caught at the wicket with a jagging off-cutter.Symonds and Lehmann then steadied the innings, never scoring easily against Sri Lanka’s quartet of slow bowlers, but preventing a Sri Lankan rout and laying a solid enough foundation for their bowlers later in the day.Eventually, Jayasuriya broke through with a well-flighted delivery that Lehmann chopped onto his stumps. The spinner had a chance of claiming a hat-trick when Michael Bevan (0), the hero during Australia’s previous two matches at Port Elizabeth, edged a catch behind.Brad Hogg (8) survived the hat-trick ball but did not last long before being smartly stumped by Sangakkara. After Harvey’s dismissal Australia were 175 for seven but Sri Lanka could not finish them off as Symonds and Bichel added 37 runs in the final 6.1 overs.

Manuel Ugarte looks increasingly close to joining Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain following an important update in his native Uruguay.

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• Ugarte transfer in final stages
• Report suggests imminent completion
• Set to boost Man Utd midfield

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  An update credited to major Uruguayan newspaper , via , suggests it is only a matter of "hours" before Ugarte completes his transfer to Manchester United. Seemingly "everything is on track" for the midfielder to move to Old Trafford from PSG, with only "minor details" that are not expected to pose any late problems left to be ironed out.

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  More than a month after Ugarte was first reported to have agreed personal terms with United, things have been edging closer to a resolution after the clubs were initially too far apart when it came to negotiating a transfer fee. Erik ten Hag didn't given any details away when he was asked about any outstanding deals in the wake of the weekend's defeat at Brighton, although he did state that United are "always" generally looking to upgrade the squad.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Per , Ugarte led Ligue 1 in total tackles (98) last season, winning 57 of them. That's despite only making 25 appearances in the competition during the campaign. His passing accuracy across those games also came in at just over 91%.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Ugarte looks as though he will be the final new arrival at Old Trafford this summer, with only four days of the transfer window remaining. Scott McTominay could yet leave, with a reported fee agreed with Napoli for the Scotland interational.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians está em busca de reforços para este segundo semestre e um dos desejos da diretoria é Renato Augusto, que atualmente defende o Beijing Guoan, da China. No entanto, o negócio está longe de ser fácil e a concorrência é pesada. Por essas e outras, o clube admite que o retorno é improvável.

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2021 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

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> Jemerson e Otero dão adeus! Veja quem já deixou o Corinthians em 2021

Segundo apurou a reportagem do LANCE!, o Timão buscou informações sobre a situação de Renato, que está tentando a rescisão de seu contrato com o clube chinês. A diretoria alvinegra sabe que os valores de um possível retorno são incompatíveis com a atual realidade financeira, mas como um jogador que marcou época no Parque São Jorge, a sondagem e a tentativa são inevitáveis.

Além disso, não houve proposta, já que o Corinthians não quer se envolver oficialmente enquanto o meio-campista estiver vinculado a outro clube. Se houver a rescisão, é possível que uma oferta seja preparada dentro das possibilidades do clube, mas a crença é de que um acordo seria improvável.

O peso das condições financeiras é grande, mas a concorrência também é um fator que gera pessimismo. Além do Flamengo, que já demonstrou interesse, Renato recebeu uma sondagem do Oriente Médio e uma proposta de um clube europeu, que seria da Holanda, segundo apurou o LANCE!. Ambos os casos oferecem uma condição que o Corinthians não consegue se aproximar.

A questão emocional poderia pesar, já que o jogador tem um carinho grande pelo Timão e veria com bons olhos um retorno em algum momento. No entanto, diante das ofertas do futebol do exterior, essa volta tende a ficar para depois. Aos 33 anos, ele ainda tem mercado para explorar fora do país.

Pelo Corinthians, Renato conquistou dois títulos: a Recopa Sul-Americana-2013 e o Brasileirão-2015. Entre janeiro de 2013 e dezembro de 2015, o meia fez 127 jogos e marcou 15 gols. No início de 2016 ele foi vendido ao Beijing Guoan.

Rangers have been handed a boost in their hunt for a potential free transfer after it emerged that he will definitely not sign a new deal with his current side.

Clement facing tough summer

Rangers and boss Philippe Clement are facing a potentially tough summer after what now seems to be certain Premiership heartbreak, with plenty of movement on the transfer front. Reports suggest that a deal to take veteran defender Borna Barisic to Turkish side Trabzonspor on a free transfer is all but complete, with the Croatian out of contract this summer at Ibrox.

Meanwhile, Clement revealed last week that he feels it is unlikely Saturday's villain John Lundstram stays at the club, with his contract also coming to an end: "There is nothing official around that. I am not naïve, the longer that things last the more possibility that other people step in. But for the moment apparently the water is too deep between the two sides.

Rangers' out of contract stars

Player

SPL Appearances this season

Borna Barisic

20

John Lundstram

34

Ryan Jack

11

Leon Balogun

14

Kemar Roofe

13

Jon McLaughlin

0

“But I see Lunny every day the same way that he was two months ago, three months ago, five months ago. He is fighting for the club. All these players are busy with winning trophies and doing the right things together. Otherwise they would not be in the selection.”

Four more players are out of contract this summer too, which could see Rangers left with a very light squad for the new campaign, and needing to find reinforcements on a budget. Fortunately though, they have been handed a boost in their pursuit of one.

Johnson rejects new deal

That comes in the shape of West Ham defender Ben Johnson, who is approaching the end of his £20,000 per week deal in East London and will become a free agent this summer.

It's not for the want of trying on the Hammers' part though. As per TeamTALK, the Irons have made one last bid to keep him at the club, with the Premier League side "reluctant" to lose the defender for nothing.

Related Rangers chiefs now believe £25k-a-week star will be at Ibrox next season

Huge news for the Gers.

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However, it is added that "Johnson is set to snub their latest offer and will consider his options as a free agent" after being largely overlooked by David Moyes this season.

This comes as a boost to Rangers, who have reportedly held talks over bringing the fullback north of the border to Ibrox this summer. They will have to fight off interest from the Premier League though, with Crystal Palace, Wolves and Everton all thought to be pushing to sign the versatile defender, who can play across the back four and even in midfield.

In a summer where the Glasgow giants will be losing plenty of players for nothing, signing a few for the same fee would be a massive boost to their ranks and their coffers. However, they will have to move fast.

International exemptions to allow an India touring party to arrive in Australia next summer would be seriously considered by the federal government in the event of wider travel bans, strongly suggesting that Cricket Australia will be able to avoid losing up to A$300 million in revenue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.While the vast majority of CA’s staff continue to reel from being asked to stand down on 20% of their regular pay from next week, while executives and a skeleton staff remain on 80% of their salaries, the governing body is understood to have received highly encouraging news about their outlook, at least as far as the lucrative India tour is concerned.On Friday, the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced work on establishing a set of national principles for sport and recreation to assist state governments. “What is a safe way to be able to do that, and to get as much consistency as we possibly can across all the states and territories,” Morrison said. “That was strongly supported today by all the states and territories, having something along those lines they would find very helpful.”In terms of the big codes – AFL, NRL, things like that – they’re both working through states and territories presently. And what we’ll be doing, and particularly what the medical expert panel will be doing, will be drawing their proposals together. My understanding is that they have already had quite a lot of expert advice going into their plans. That will probably present a lot of the homework that needs to be done to support the expert panel in setting out what some of those principles are.”ALSO READ: BCCI suggests deferring World Test ChampionshipGovernments both in Australia and abroad have asserted the importance of finding ways for sport to return, not only as revenue raisers for sporting bodies and broadcasters but also as a means of aiding the morale of the wider public. The ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison, is believed to have hammered home this message to Kevin Roberts and other board chiefs during conference call discussions this week, and it will be especially true if restrictions on large public gatherings mean that sport can only be viewed via television screens for quite some time.Such a scenario would likely leave CA with a hole of around A$50 million in its annual revenue of nearly A$500 million, but nowhere near the sort of blow they could have expected without being able to welcome India for a series of Test and limited overs matches due to pull the organisation out of the low point of its four-year revenue cycle.It will also raise further questions about how and why the CA chief executive Roberts – in moves endorsed by his board – chose drastic measures to stand down his staff a little more than a week ago while also pushing for deep cuts to the money CA distributes to its state association owners and the players represented by the Australian Cricket Association. CA is believed to have been advised by its auditors at PricewaterhouseCoopers that it is likely to qualify for the government’s JobKeeper scheme.On the players’ front, board to board meetings between a CA delegation of chairman Earl Eddings and board directors Michelle Tredenick and Paul Green, and an ACA cohort of its president Greg Dyer, chairman Shane Watson and board member Neil Maxwell, are believed to be imminent.However the states have been frustrated not only by a lack of financial information being provided but also by being asked to deal formally not with Roberts but his chief operating officer, Scott Grant.Information handed over by CA so far is believed to have been heavy on graphics and pictures but light on detail, not recalling a financial document so much as a brochure. Similar handouts were delivered by CA to the ACA during the 2017 pay dispute when Roberts led the governing body’s effort to break the players’ revenue sharing model until he was sidelined late in the process due to time running out, leaving the final dealings to his predecessor James Sutherland and also the former team performance manager Pat Howard.While the ACA is a partner in the game with CA, the state associations’ standing as CA’s structural owners and revenue beneficiaries is contributing to a rapid rise in frustration with the central governing body’s approach. Alienation of the state associations was one of the strongest themes running through the independent cultural review of CA that took place in 2018 in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, an area that Roberts had previously been directly responsible for as CA’s head of people and “One Team”, ostensibly devised to bring all parties closer.

West Ham United have made some clangers in the transfer market over the years, and despite streamlining the strategy under David Moyes, there have been some big misses over the past several years.

The London club have, to be fair, enjoyed three successive seasons in European competition and won the Europa Conference League last year, Jarrod Bowen springing through Fiorentina's high line in the dying embers of the final, latching onto Lucas Paqueta's threaded pass, to score and send a proud club into rapture.

Both players have been signed under Moyes' eye and indeed there have been a wealth of impactful additions over recent years, but punctuated within are several unquestionable clangers.

Perhaps the worst of the lot, Kalvin Phillips' costly loan spell in east London, initially so promising, has devolved into the stuff of nightmares.

Why West Ham signed Kalvin Phillips

This season, West Ham rebounded from a 2022/23 campaign that had seen silverware conquered but domestic results display the true measure of the squad's standing, and when Declan Rice was sold to Arsenal in a record £105m move, there was heightened pressure to bring in influential players.

But Moyes succeeded and West Ham enjoyed some fine early-season form to cement and sustain a position in and around continental-qualifying contention in the Premier League, the likes of Mohammed Kudus, James-Ward Prowse and Edson Alvarez superb after signing.

Phillips didn't join the ranks until January, signed on loan from Manchester City after starting just two top-flight fixtures in a season-and-a-half following his £45m transfer from Leeds United, where he had made his name.

While it hadn't worked out with the champions, the established England international had been described as a "monster" by one-time Crystal Palace star Yannick Bolasie for his feats at Elland Road and, still now, ranks among the top 18% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 11% for passes attempted and the top 8% for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref.

How much Kalvin Phillips has cost West Ham

The Guardian, when covering the news, revealed that the Hammers had agreed to cover the entirety of Phillips' earnings at Manchester City; he earns a pretty penny but his core qualities appeared to have won Moyes over.

But it's not just financial cost that has affected the Irons, with Phillips embroiled in a protracted run of mistake-filled performances that have only lowered his stock, with commentator and host Tom Rennie branding him a "disgrace."

Still, the fact that Phillips earns a pay packet of £150k each week at Manchester City and Moyes' side is covering the scale of it is hardly a depiction of cash well spent, actually marking him as the joint-highest earner at the London Stadium.

West Ham: Highest Earners 23/24
Player	Salary
Kalvin Phillips	£150k-per-week
Lucas Paqueta	£150k-per-week
Danny Ings	£125k-per-week
Kurt Zouma	£125k-per-week
Alphonse Areola	£120k-per-week
Jarrod Bowen	£120k-per-week
Sourced via Capology

When the 5 foot 10 Phillips' time at West Ham wraps up in June, he will have cost the club over £3m in wages. His salary actually sees him take home three times the earnings of Nayef Aguerd, who has had his detractors in recent times but joined from French club Rennes for £30m in 2022 and is one of the highest-profile stars on the books.

Moreover, given that The Guardian reported that the Premier League champions demanded a £7m loan fee, it can be concluded that the total outlay for Phillips' services stands at around £10m. That's after half a year of duty.

It's an abominable loan signing and while Phillips has some high-level latent ability somewhere within, he simply hasn't offered a slice of the skill set that once earned him acclaim and he might just be the worst signing of Moyes' tenure.

Chelsea's fight to secure European football for the 2024/25 campaign continues after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League on Thursday night.

The Blues secured all three points, thanks to goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson, at Stamford Bridge and are now eighth in the division.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino and owner Todd Boehly could look to strengthen the squad to ensure that they have the depth to deal with competing in the Europa Conference League or the Europa League, which would mean dipping into the market.

However, the upcoming summer transfer window does not have to all be about who they sign to make an immediate impact in the first-team squad.

In fact, the club are reportedly attempting to land a signing who would not be able to play for the club until the 2025/26 campaign, as they look to bring in a possible future star.

Chelsea's interest in 17-year-old wonderkid

According to Brazilian outlet UOL, as relayed by Sport Witness, Chelsea are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Palmeiras attacker Estevão Willian, also known as 'Messinho', in the summer transfer window.

The Blues are said to be 'strongly' in the fight to secure the 17-year-old star's signature, although there are no other specific clubs named in the race at this moment in time.

It states that the Premier League giants have been long-time followers of the talented Brazilian dynamo, and have had two approaches turned down by the Serie A side in the past, as they had not been good enough to convince them to part ways with the teenage sensation.

The report reveals that Chelsea are not plotting a bid to snap him up this summer, as Boehly prepares to submit an offer to bring him to England.

UOL claims that the club are preparing to offer a deal that would be worth €30m up front with an additional €25m in add-ons, taking the overall package to a potential peak of €55m (£47m) for a player who only turned 17 last month.

Sport Witness' report adds that 'Messinho' was once treated as a bigger talent than Endrick, who is set to join Real Madrid this summer and scored for Brazil against England at Wembley earlier this year.

They also confirm that the 17-year-old star would not be able to join Chelsea until 2025, when he turns 18 in April of next year, due to his age, which is also the case with Kendry Paez.

Messinho is as exciting as the Ecuador international, who signed for the Blues in 2023 and is poised to arrive at Cobham ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Why Kendry Paez is an exciting talent

In June 2023, Chelsea struck a deal with Independiente del Valle to sign Paez for a reported fee of £17.2m but they were aware that the young gem would not be able to play in England until May 2025.

Under current FIFA rules established in January 2021, due to the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, Premier League teams are not be able to sign players from overseas until their 18th birthday.

This is why both Paez and Messinho would not be able to play for the Blues until next year at the earliest, as neither of them have reached 18 yet.

The Ecuadorian whiz, who turned 17 this weekend, is an exciting talent as he has already showcased his quality at first-team level despite his young age.

He has racked up eight goals and four assists in 20 appearances for Independiente in all competitions since the start of the 2023 campaign.

Paez, who can play as an attacking midfielder or on the right side of the attack, has displayed his attacking instincts in the Serie A so far this year for his club.

Appearances

8

Starts

6

Goals

2

Assists

2

Big chances created

2

Key passes per game

2.0

As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old starlet has caught the eye with goals and assists at senior level, which speaks to his immense potential moving forward given what he has already achieved before his 18th birthday.

The £17.2m signing for Chelsea has also scored one goal in six caps for Ecuador, which shows that the talented maestro has already been deemed to be one of the best in his country as the manager has opted to select him six times before he turned 17 this weekend.

Why Messinho is as exciting as Paez

Messinho is as exciting as Paez as the Brazilian youngster, like the Independiente youngster, has made his first-team breakthrough at a similar age.

The right-sided attacker only turned 17 last month but has already produced two goals and one assist in 13 senior outings for the Serie A side, including a goal against Botafogo in the Copa do Brasil on Friday.

Chelsea's £47m target burst onto the scene for Palmeiras after a return of six goals and three assists in 19 U20 appearances for the club at youth level.

His form for Brazil's U17s at the World Cup last year was also outstanding, as the gem, who was once tipped to be a "future Ballon d'Or winner" by analyst Ben Mattinson, showcased his attacking quality in the tournament.

Appearances

5

Sofascore rating

8.26

Goals

3

Assists

3

Big chances created

6

Key passes per game

5.0

Dribbles completed per game

2.6

As you can see in the table above, Messinho was in phenomenal form throughout the competition with six direct goal contributions in just five matches.

Of course, like Paez, he is yet to prove himself in European football or at first-team level over the course of a number of seasons, but their respective form in South America highlights their exciting potential.

They could both, provided the Blues strike a deal to sign the Brazil U17 international, go on to be future stars for Pochettinho and Boehly if they can eventually translate their potential into consistent quality on the pitch.

Chelsea in contact to sign a bigger wonderkid than Kendry Paez

The Blues are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented teenager this summer.

ByDan Emery May 1, 2024

For example, Messinho's 8.26 Sofascore rating and 5.0 key passes per game at the U17 World Cup would make him the highest-rated player and most prolific creator in the Chelsea squad in the Premier League, with Cole Palmer leading the way in both statistics with a score of 7.69 and 1.9 key passes per match.

This highlights the immense potential that the Brazilian ace has and that is why both him and Paez are exciting talents who could be future stars at Stamford Bridge, if the Blues win the race for the Palmeiras starlet this summer.

Victor Osimhen's relationship with Napoli has been totally destroyed following the club's role in the collapse of his transfer to Al-Ahli.

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Osimhen agreed massive Al-Ahli transferSaudi side walked away amid Napoli demandsStriker won't be brought back into the teamWHAT HAPPENED?

Osimhen had reached an agreement with Al-Ahli over a contract worth a reported €40 million (£34m/$44m) per season over the next four years, totally €160m. However, the transfer fell apart when Napoli demanded an extra €5m (£4m/$5.5m) on top of the €80m (£67m/$88m) the Saudi Pro League side had offered, in Italy reports, causing Al-Ahli to walk away from negotiations.

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After seeing his proposed transfer fall apart, Osimhen and his agent reportedly reacted angrily, with the latter making furious phone calls to club president Aurelio De Laurentiis and sporting director Giovanni Manna, reports.

It seems that the relationship between club and player have become so toxic that he will not be reintegrated to Antonio Conte's team, with Romelu Lukaku already having arrived to take his place at the Serie A side.

DID YOU KNOW?

Osimhen had also been linked with a deadline day transfer to Chelsea, but that deal has also been called off as the parties could not come to an agreement. A move to one of Europe's top five leagues is impossible with the transfer window closing on Friday and, while the Saudi window is open until September 2, Al-Ahli are not likely to return for the Nigeria international.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR OSIMHEN?

Osimhen, 25, is now stuck in limbo with no transfer on the horizon and Conte apparently prepared to leave him frozen out of the team, despite the 76 goals he has scored in 133 appearances for Napoli. He may have to hope another Saudi team will come in with an offer, or else he may be stuck without first-team football until the January window opens.

Chelsea’s dealings in the transfer market in recent seasons have been questionable, to say the least, splashing over £1bn on new players with the majority failing to make an impact.

The club have spent upwards of £120m on Roméo Lavia and Wesley Fofana alone, with the two players only making a combined 21 appearances since their respective moves to Stamford Bridge.

However, despite the erratic dealings, the Blues have conducted some excellent business, especially on Cole Palmer after signing the youngster for £40m from Manchester City last summer.

He’s since excelled from regular game time under Mauricio Pochettino, scoring 23 times for the Blues in all competitions – making him the club’s top scorer this season.

Todd Boehly was able to invest in the 21-year-old after selling a Chelsea academy graduate last summer, with the former Blues man failing to replicate his form from his time at Stamford Bridge.

Mason Mount's stats at Chelsea

Midfielder Mason Mount joined the Blues as a six-year-old, spending the whole of his early years at the club, before rapidly developing through the club’s youth system.

After excelling at U18 level, scoring six times in 31 outings, the youngster secured a loan move to Dutch side Vitesse, a stint that would allow Mount to gain valuable first-team experience.

He would take the Eredivisie by storm, contributing with 18 goal contributions in 29 league matches, before securing a move to join Frank Lampard at Derby County for the 2018/19 campaign.

The stint in the Championship would catapult the midfielder into the Blues’ first team, scoring his first Premier League goal in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City.

Mount would go on to feature 195 times for his boyhood club, even playing a crucial role in the club’s Champions League triumph back in the 2020/21 season – before departing Stamford Bridge during last summer’s transfer window, with the club receiving a brilliant fee for the 25-year-old.

Mason Mount's wage at Chelsea & Man Utd

The attacking talent departed the club in a £60m to join fellow Premier League side Manchester United, however, the move has been a disaster for both parties.

Injuries have plagued his first season at Old Trafford, making just 12 appearances in the league having missed 27 matches via injury. Such an eventuality has seen Mount dubbed “horrendous” by one prominent Chelsea account.

He earned a reported £76k-per-week at Stamford Bridge, as per Salary Sport, with his weekly wage nearly three times more than current star Palmer, who only earns £22k-per-week. He now earns even more at United, a whopping £200k-per-week.

Given his poor start to life in Manchester, the club did the right thing in offloading the midfielder, especially given Palmer’s form after Mount’s departure.

Games played

12

Goals

1

Assists

0

Chances created

5

Dribble success

44%

Duels won

48%

The £60m fee coupled with his yearly wage of £4m represents fantastic business by Boehly and Pochettino, as the club has higher quality players in similar roles to the 25-year-old.

The aforementioned figures will also go a long way in the club’s battle to stay within the Premier League’s FFP and PSR rules after it was announced the club had pre-tax losses of £90m for the previous financial year.

Chelsea could sell £425k-p/w worth of talent to fund Osimhen move

He will cost over £100m.

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 19, 2024

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Nagraj Gollapudi03-Jun-20206:18

Kumble warns against rushing players back into action

The bowling community might be breaking sweat over shining the ball in the absence of saliva, but Anil Kumble, the former India captain and chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, believes cricket should utilise pitches to even up the contest between bat and ball. The former legspinner, who is the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, said that it was time for teams to consider playing two spinners even in Australia and England by roughening up the pitch.”The advantage that cricket has over other sports is that there is an element of adjustable variance in the pitch, which not many sports have,” Kumble said during a webinar, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Wednesday. “You could manage the pitch in such a way that you could bring about a better balance between bat and ball.”Incidentally, Kumble made this suggestion a few hours after Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur told ESPNcricinfo that his bowlers preferred saliva over sweat to shine the ball. Arthur is part of the ICC cricket committee that recently recommended that saliva should not be applied on ball in cricket as Covid-19 is a respiratory infection and rubbing spit could result in spreading the virus, which is highly contagious.However, bowlers remain unconvinced. In a chat with the former fast-bowling pair of Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock recently on the ICC’s video series Inside Out interviews, India quick Jasprit Bumrah said there needed to be an “alternative” to shine the ball other than sweat.ALSO READ: Sweat not as effective as saliva, SL bowlers tell coach Arthur”Based on medical advice, we believe that saliva could be the major contributor to carrying this disease and that’s why we banned the use of saliva, although it’s second nature in cricket,” Kumble said. “That’s something that players will find hard to manage.”According to Kumble, the pandemic offered another opportunity to “bring spinners” back into Test cricket. Outside the Indian subcontinent, especially in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand or Australia) countries, the norm has been to include just one spinner on pitches favouring seam bowling.”You can probably leave grass on the surface or even rough it up and have two spinners,” Kumble said. “Let’s get spinners back in the game in a Test match. Because if it’s a one-day or T20 game, you’re not worried about the ball or shining of the ball. Sweat can certainly take care of that.”It’s [a] Test match that that we’re taking about and in a Test match why not get two spinners? [I] would love to have two spinners playing in Australia, two spinners playing in England, which never happens. Not often do you see that happening. Of course in the subcontinent, you have two spinners playing. So, in cricket you have the surface you can play around with and bring about a balance between bat and ball. All of us are yearning to start the game and not really worried about saliva or sweat or condition of the ball – we just want to play cricket.”AFP

‘They’ve all been injured for the last three months’
According to Kumble, the other key factor team managements would need to pay close attention to is managing the workloads of the bowlers. Last month, while releasing guidelines for players returning to cricket at all levels, the ICC suggested teams would need to exercise extreme caution over bowlers’ workloads to avoid serious injuries like stress fracture of the spine.ALSO READ: ICC sets bowlers’ workload guidelines for resumption of cricketKumble concurred with that. “That’s why I believe that at training, they’ll have to start slowly. Because it’s not just about coming back and playing in a match,” he said. “It’s also about coming back from two-and-a-half months of lockdown. Especially if you are a bowler, you need to have those bowling overs under your belt before you start competing. So it’s important that you slowly and gradually come back into the sort of normalcy that you can.”He also said that a safe way for squads returning to sport would involve training in a “bio-secure zone” followed by playing practice matches between themselves before playing a Test match. “I know England have announced a potential Test series against West Indies, subject to the government allowing them, but there again the players will have to have some sort of a cushion [or] a back-up in terms of loading up their body to be able to sustain a Test match because bowling 30 overs for a fast bowler… 30-40 overs for a spinner is not going to be easy,” Kumble said. “And even for a batsman, the muscles which you use when you’re batting are totally different. In a match situation, you’re doing everything in a split of a second and you’re not training for those, especially in a home condition. So, you need to build it up and probably have a few friendly games before you get into an important Test match.”Kumble also said one good way to build the players’ confidence was to treat the current situation as if the entire team was returning from an injury, and handle the players with care. “It’s like when someone is injured and he’s coming back from injury, how do you monitor him? That’s how you need to look at the entire squad now,” he said. “They’ve all been injured for the last three months and they’re now coming back into training. So, you need to slowly load them up and then start building their skill levels. I think it’s mostly [about] the confidence. Once the players are out and training it comes back very quickly. It doesn’t go away; you’ve been doing this for all your life. It’s just a matter of being out there and training with the team. Within a few weeks, you’ll be back to your usual self.”