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Liverpool have made a number of signings this summer, but none have arrived with the same expectations around them as the club’s record signing, Florian Wirtz.

The 22-year-old joined Liverpool following six seasons and 197 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. During his time at Leverkusen, he won the Bundesliga and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year. Wirtz registered 119 goal involvements for his former employers and was known for his quick dribbling, creative play and ruthless finishing ability.

Wirtz could cost Liverpool up to £116 million if his add-ons are achieved, but he hasn’t had the immediate impact that his fellow Bundesliga recruit, Hugo Ekitiké, has had. Wirtz has only registered one assist, whereas Ekitike has three goals and an assist in his first three appearances.

"Wirtz hasn’t yet fit into the team"

Although he is still in the early stages of his Liverpool career, people have taken notice of his struggles, including Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker. During their “Rest is Football” podcast, Lineker and Shearer discussed Wirtz’s struggles fitting into the squad.

When discussing Liverpool’s second Premier League game against Newcastle, Lineker pointed out that Wirtz hasn’t yet fit into the team: “He likes to play in that role, but has it caused Liverpool a few early issues? I mean, they’ve got six points, so it’s not massive issues at present. But it’s made them look slightly unbalanced to where they were last season.”

Shearer agreed with his colleague, saying: “Their rhythm is nowhere near what it was when they were playing really well last season. They’re finding it difficult to get him into the game; they’re certainly more open.”

The podcast’s third host, Micah Richards, came to the German’s defence: “I think Wirtz will come good. I think he’s just used to playing a different style of football. I think it is a bit physical in this league and they’re still figuring out how they want to play, you know.”

Wirtz's work rate going under the radar

While Wirtz hasn’t scored yet, he has had some bright moments for Liverpool and has been impressing in some surprising metrics.

From the opening two Premier League games, Wirtz is in the top 20% of players for expected assists and is on track to record an assist every four games. This is slightly below his record last season, where he registered an assist every three games.

An area where he has been surprisingly impressive is his pressing and defending. Despite being known for his attacking acumen, Wirtz is currently in the top 30% of players for recoveries per 90 and the top 7% of players for possession won in the final third per 90. While these stats don’t receive direct credit for goals, they’re important in terms of winning possession and have undoubtedly contributed to Liverpool’s back-to-back victories.

Where there has been legitimate concern has been his shooting, averaging one shot a game, whereas last season he registered triple that. Based on the current stats, the assists will come, but the challenge will be working out ways for the team to provide Wirtz with chances so they can bring about the goal threat they signed him for.

MatériaMais Notícias

Philipe Sampaio atuou como titular na vitória do Botafogo diante do Ypiranga por 2 a 0 no Nilton Santos e apresentou uma atuação bem sólida defensivamente. O zagueiro concedeu uma entrevista depois do jogo e afirmou que seguirá trabalhando para alcançar seus objetivos no clube.

– Fico feliz. A maior forma de respeito que tenho por eles é trabalhando, e eles trabalhando igual. Somos um grupo. Passei por algumas coisas esse ano, mas sempre continuei trabalhando calado, sabendo do meu potencial. Nos momentos negativos sabia que não era o pior, e quando cheguei sabia que não era o melhor. Agora é continuar trabalhando, temos muito jogos e entramos forte em todas as competições – declarou Sampaio para “Botafogo TV”.

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O zagueiro apresentou uma síncope atraumática no dia 16 de fevereiro, caiu desacordado no gramado do Maracanã e precisou ser levado de ambulância ao hospital. O jogador aos poucos está readquirindo ritmo de jogo e será uma boa opção para Luís Castro na sequência da temporada.

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O Glorioso entra em campo no domingo, diante do Flamengo, às 16h, no Maracanã, pela terceira rodada do Brasileirão. A equipe alvinegra vai em busca da sétima vitória consecutiva na temporada. Saiba como comprar ingressos.

While it wasn’t a disaster, it’s hard to deny that last season was a disappointment for Arsenal.

Instead of finally getting over the line and winning the Premier League at the third time of asking, Mikel Arteta’s side had to make do with another second-place finish.

However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as the North Londoners made it to the Champions League semi-finals for just the third time in their history, and when fit, Bukayo Saka was once again one of the best players in the country.

Appearances

37

Starts

30

Minutes

2619′

Goals

12

Assists

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.70

Minutes per Goal Involvement

100.73

Even though he missed almost four months of action, the Hale Ender managed to amass a sensational tally of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 games.

Yet, to reach yet another level next year, the 23-year-old may need some more assistance, which is why fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal to a world-class winger who’d be a dream teammate for Saka.

Arsenal's winger search

With the need for attacking reinforcements undeniable, it’s not been much of a surprise to see that, alongside the strikers, Arsenal have been linked with a host of dangerous wingers this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

One of the names that has been heavily linked with the Gunners has been Chelsea ace Noni Madueke.

The Englishman was good enough for the Blues last season, racking up a tally of 16 goal involvements in 41 games, but with a price tag of up to £50m, it’s easy to understand why some fans would be hesitant.

Moreover, it’s hard to see the former PSV Eindhoven ace being a dream winger addition for Saka, which isn’t the case when it comes to Rodrygo.

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal remain very interested in the Real Madrid star.

The report has revealed that even though fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea are also keen on the Brazilian international, the Gunners are in ‘a favourable position’ to secure his services, and have expressed a willingness to meet the financial demands of Los Blancos to make it happen.

According to stories from earlier this summer, the fee needed to bring the winger to North London is likely to be around £78m.

That’s certainly a lot of money to spend on one player, but Rodrygo would be worth it, and Saka’s dream winger signing.

Why Rodrygo would be a dream signing for Saka

As things stand, Saka is the only world-class attacker at Arsenal, and the fact that he was the club’s most productive player despite missing over three months of action last season only reinforces this point.

So, the first reason Rodrygo would be the Hale Ender’s dream winger signing is that the Brazilian’s output would help alleviate some of the immense pressure on him.

For example, since the start of the 23/24 campaign, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 32 goals and provided 20 assists in 106 appearances, totalling 7229 minutes.

That works out to a goal involvement every 2.03 games, or every 139.01 minutes, which is impressive enough in isolation, but is made all the more so when you take into account the fact he was played out of his preferred left-wing position for most of that period.

Moreover, the former Santos gem has shown himself to be capable of scoring massive goals in season-defining games – think back to the game against Manchester City – and so he’d be able to help the Gunners’ number seven realise his ambitions of winning major honours.

However, it’s not all down to what he can do on the pitch alongside the Ealing-born monster.

The second reason he’d be a dream addition for the 23-year-old is that, thanks to his versatility, he’d be able to fill in on the right when needed and, in turn, allow the Englishman to rest when needed.

This could help the talismanic international avoid fatigue-related injuries and prolong his career at the highest level.

Ultimately, from his output and big game experience to the ability to play off the right when needed, Rodrygo would be the dream winger signing for Saka.

Therefore, while it won’t be cheap, Arsenal should do everything possible to bring him to the Emirates this summer.

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New Zealand’s Tim Robinson will act as a temporary replacement for Moeen and then for Gurbaz

Deivarayan Muthu06-Sep-2024

Moeen Ali in action for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred•Getty Images

England allrounder Moeen Ali is set for his maiden CPL stint after having been signed up by defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors for the ongoing season. Moeen, 37, will slot in as a replacement for Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, who is unavailable for the entire season.Ayub’s absence is a significant blow for Amazon Warriors, considering he was the breakout star in their run to their first title in 2023. Ayub was the second-highest run-getter last season, with 478 runs in 13 innings at an average of 43.45 and strike rate of 142.26. Nobody hit more sixes than Ayub’s 28 in CPL 2023.This time, the CPL clashed with Pakistan’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home, where Ayub opened the batting for his team, and will also overlap with the Champions One-Day Cup, a new version of Pakistan’s domestic 50-over competition. Ayub is set to play for Panthers in that tournament.Related

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Moeen’s availability for Amazon Warriors is subject to Birmingham Bears’ progression in the T20 Blast in the UK, which is also clashing with the CPL. If Bears win the quarter-final against Gloucestershire on Friday, they will reach the Finals Day on September 14.Until Moeen arrives for the CPL, New Zealand’s hard-hitting opener Tim Robinson will act as his temporary replacement. Robinson is a bit of a Finn Allen clone who “loves hitting sixes”. In the 2023-24 Super Smash, he was the second-highest run-getter, with 298 runs in six innings at an average of 59.60 and strike rate of 187.42. The tally included 139 off 64 balls, with ten sixes, against Otago, the second-highest score in the history of the Super Smash.Tim Robinson lit up the 2023-24 Super Smash with his big-hitting•Getty Images

Soon after the Super Smash, Robinson made his T20I debut for New Zealand. More recently, during the New Zealand winter, he spent time at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai training against spin, something which could come in handy during the CPL. This will be Robinson’s first T20 tournament outside of the Super Smash.Even after Moeen links up with Amazon Warriors, Robinson will stay with the squad, filling in for Rahmanullah Gurbaz who will leave the CPL after the Barbados leg for international duty. Gurbaz is not part of the Afghanistan squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand next week but is likely to play the three-match ODI series against South Africa in the UAE. The Barbados leg of the CPL ends on September 17, with the ODI series in the UAE set to begin a day after.Gurbaz will return for the last leg of the CPL in Guyana, with Robinson making way for him.In the absence of Ayub, Amazon Warriors had Gudakesh Motie opening the batting in their opening game of the season and then Kevin Sinclair in their second game. Even during the last season, Amazon Warriors had promoted pinch-hitters to the top – Keemo Paul, for example, opened the batting in the final – but the signings of Moeen and Robinson gives them the option of using proper batters at the top.Amazon Warriors have made a bright start to their defence, winning both their games so far.

After making their Marcus Rashford decision, Aston Villa have reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive winger who had 15 goals to his name last season.

Aston Villa make Marcus Rashford decision

With the PSR deadline passed, sales made and UEFA’s decision to hand them a £9.5m fine confirmed, Aston Villa should finally know where they stand this summer. Whether that’s in good standing or a position of panic is the big question. So far, Unai Emery has avoided the sale of top stars after Villa sold Philippe Coutinho and their women’s team but as interest arrives in key man Ollie Watkins, that could yet change.

Meanwhile, when it comes to incomings of their own, those at Villa Park have also reached a decision regarding Rashford. The Manchester United man has been stripped of his number at Old Trafford and has now asked to leave the club, but it doesn’t look as though his next destination will be the Midlands.

Despite enjoying a fairly successful loan spell at the club last season, Aston Villa have decided against securing a permanent deal to sign Rashford, which would cost around £40m.

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Opening the door to alternative targets, it will now be interesting to see which direction Aston Villa head towards. Emery could certainly do with at least one attacking reinforcement after loan deals expired for both Rashford and Marco Asensio. Just who arrives as a result remains to be seen, however.

Names such as Semih Kilicsoy have already threatened to steal the headlines, but another name has now reportedly entered Villa’s radar in what would be a big-money deal.

Aston Villa battling to sign £50m+ Lookman

According to reports in Spain, Aston Villa are now battling to sign Ademola Lookman alongside Atletico Madrid and Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest. The talented winger would cost any NSWE as much as €60m (£52m) this summer, but it could be a price well worth paying if last season’s numbers are anything to go by.

Minutes

2,247

1,422

Goals

15

6

Assists

5

3

Expected Goals

10.3

4.8

With 15 of his 20 goals coming in Serie A last season, Lookman was the star of the show at Atalanta and would be an instant upgrade on Rashford. What’s most impressive about those numbers is how the Nigerian outperformed his XG by almost five goals, highlighting just how clinical he can be in front of goal.

Described as “dymamic” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Aston Villa should go all out to sign Lookman, who could finally become the Premier League star that many believed he was destined to be during spells at Fulham, Everton and Leicester City.

At 27 years old, the winger is at the peak of his powers and ready to return to England with a bang.

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Arsenal and their plans to sign a new striker, amid their widely reported talks for RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal hold talks over signing Benjamin Sesko

Near the end of May, it became evident through reliable media sources that Sesko had emerged as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta’s prime striker target.

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Arsenal entered “concrete” negotiations with Leipzig over a deal for the Slovenia international, who’s fresh off the back of a productive campaign where he scored 21 goals and six assists in all competitions.

Since then, talks have been ongoing and advancing cautiously (Fabrizio Romano), with reliable journalist Ben Jacobs sharing that the major sticking point in this potential transfer is Leipzig’s financial demands.

According to his information, Arsenal want to strike a deal for Sesko at around £60 million, whereas Leipzig want to sell for nearer £70 million.

“They have discussed whether or not there is flexibility beneath the variable release clause, set at the moment around €80 million,” said Jacobs on The Football Terrace last week.

“That’s why that one’s taking time, because Arsenal want to do Sesko for €70 million, or within that ballpark.”

Sesko is also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, even if his priority is to stay in Europe (The Telegraph), but so far, no middle ground appears to have been found on the final price, despite some reports that the 22-year-old has already agreed personal terms.

If they cannot reach an agreement with Leipzig over Sesko, Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres apparently remains on their radar as an alternative.

Viktor Gyokeres on Arsenal list if Benjamin Sesko talks fail

That is according to Romano, who reports in his GiveMeSport newsletter that Gyokeres is on Arsenal’s target list in case talks for Sesko fall through.

“It’s an open race for Gyokeres,” said Romano.

“He remains on Arsenal list in case Sesko deal doesn’t happen, Man United have called his agents again over the weekend.”

The “underrated” and “exciting” 26-year-old bagged an incredible 54 goals and 13 assists last season, spearheading Sporting to their first domestic double win in 20 years, but it is worth noting that he might not be much cheaper than Sesko.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas poured cold water over reports that Gyokeres and the club have an agreement that he can leave for £59 million this summer, telling the Portuguese press that he will indeed cost more.

“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.

“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.”

While this comes as a statement which Arsenal need to be aware of, Varandas does guarantee that Gyokeres will leave for less than his £84 million release clause.

“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.

“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now. For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old, and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m euros or 90m euros.”

Newcastle United have now joined the transfer race to sign an “unbelievable” £100 million star this summer, according to a recent report.

Newcastle go six unbeaten with a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace

The Magpies continued to be without manager Eddie Howe for their game against the Eagles, but that wasn’t a problem for the Premier League side, as they blew Palace away with four goals in the first half. The 5-0 win on Wednesday night means it is 12 goals in their last three league games, and assistant manager Jason Tindall believes that is down to the team being “confident”.

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Tindall told BBC Match of the Day: “We’ve got a fantastic squad, and the balance of the team has been great. We’ve got some players on the bench who can come on the pitch and make a difference. We’re confident; we’ve had a good run of results, and we have to remain level-headed and work hard every day to go out and deliver performances.”

The win against Palace has lifted Newcastle to third place in the Premier League, five clear of sixth-place Chelsea. Tindall has now stated that the Magpies have six cup finals to go and secure Champions League football for next season.

“That’s where we want to get to. Everybody in the Premier League wants to be in the Champions League. We’ve experienced it before, and we want more of it,” he told BBC Match of the Day.

“We’ve got six cup finals now remaining, and we have to stay focused to be able to go out there and deliver the performances we know will help us to get to the Champions League.”

Newcastle join Spurs in race to sign £100m Man City star

So as the Magpies close in on returning to Europe’s biggest competition, Howe and co. are beginning to look at potential transfer targets for this summer. According to a report from Spain, Newcastle are looking to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City but face competition from other Premier League teams.

The report states that the Magpies, as well as Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, have made themselves the main contenders to sign the England international this summer. The 29-year-old is under contract until the summer of 2027, but given he has struggled to become a regular in Pep Guardiola’s team, City are potentially looking to sell him this summer if they receive offers that meet their demands.

This report states that Newcastle see Grealish, who cost City £100 million, as a good player to bolster their options, especially if they secure European football. Both Villa and Spurs have been credited with interest in Grealish before Newcastle, but the Magpies may hope that securing Champions League football can give them the edge in this race, and the fact that he has the same agent as goalkeeper Nick Pope could also help them when securing a transfer.

Apps

189

Goals

27

Assists

29

Grealish, who has been dubbed “unbelievable” by Guardiola, has scored just one goal and grabbed one assist in the Premier League this season, as he’s had to be very patient, starting just seven games in the league so far. Grealish’s potential arrival at St James’ Park would see him compete with the likes of Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy for a starting spot.

With the Premier League still yet to be decided, Liverpool still need to win four games to claim the title after only a second league defeat against Fulham yesterday.

Arne Slot’s men simply weren’t at the races, unable to produce the performance that they have done so many times over the last couple of months, which has led them to the summit of the division.

The Reds will be hoping to make amends against West Ham United next week, aiming to close in on a first league title since Jürgen Klopp’s triumph back in 2019/20.

Despite the heights achieved during the Dutchman’s first year at the helm, the showing against the Cottagers was one of the worst of the campaign with countless players way off the pace.

As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see various players dropped from the starting eleven, with changes needed to prevent such a defeat from occurring in the near future.

Liverpool’s poor performers against Fulham

Curtis Jones has been forced to operate at right-back in recent weeks after the injuries suffered by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley – doing an admirable job against local rivals Everton.

However, the same can’t be said for his showing in the capital yesterday, contributing to an error that led to a goal, whilst also failing to win any of the two tackles he entered.

He wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with Dominik Szoboszlai producing one of his worst displays in recent memories, uncharacteristically so given his rise under Slot.

The Hungarian failed to create a single chance for any of his teammates, whilst also losing 100% of the ground duels he contested, ultimately being a passenger during the loss.

Despite the showings from the aforementioned players, one other star failed to deliver, with the manager needing to offload him when the summer transfer window opens.

The Liverpool player who’s become the new Fabinho

Brazilian midfielder Fabinho was a fan-favourite during his time at Anfield, starring in the heart of the side and making over 200 appearances during his five years as a Red.

However, his last season on Merseyside was one to forget, falling way below the expectations he’d set for himself given the heights he achieved after helping Klopp’s side win the league title.

He would leave in a £40m deal to join Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023, with one player potentially suffering the same fate in the form of left-back Andy Robertson.

The Scottish international will go down as one of the biggest bargains in the club’s history, making over 300 appearances and notching 66 assists after joining for just £8m back in 2017.

Whilst he’s achieved some impressive performances over the years, he’s rapidly declined in recent months, with the club targeting Milos Kerkez as a replacement this summer.

The 31-year-old once again failed to impress against Fulham, also making an error leading to a goal before being replaced with just eight minutes remaining.

He also failed to complete any of his attempted crosses, coming out on top in just 50% of his tackles and being dribbled past once in the process.

Andy Robertson’s stats for Liverpool against Fulham
Statistics	Tally
Minutes played	82
Touches	59
Crosses completed	0/2
Tackles won	1/2
Possession lost	10x
Dribbled past	1x
Errors leading to goals	1
Stats via SofaScore

Robertson also lost possession 10 times during the defeat and was unable to produce the goods as he did during his early days as a player on Merseyside.

As a result of his showing, he was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by The Express’ Jack McEachen, with fellow journalist Lewis Steele labelling his showing as “awful”.

Given his age, it’s likely that he’s going to continue declining over the next couple of years, with Slot needing to offload him this summer to allow for fresh blood in the backline.

He’s been an incredible servant to the club, helping them win countless major honours, but ultimately his showing against the Cottagers was further evidence that he’s unable to cut it at the top level.

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Full-time mom, Cricket Scotland administrator and elite sportsperson. She doesn’t want to have any regrets later

Shashank Kishore06-Oct-2024Abbi Aitken-Drummond has a full-time role as the executive assistant to Cricket Scotland’s CEO in her day job. Away from work, she co-parents her 13-month-old daughter. Between these two demanding roles, she plays cricket, and is now, quite incredibly, part of Scotland’s maiden T20 World Cup 2024 squad.Aitken-Drummond, 33, is one of Scotland’s longest-serving players, having first come into the set-up in 2003-04 at the age of 14. She captained from 2008 to 2015 and was more recently the team manager at the 2023 Women’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa to players she now calls colleagues.”The other day, we were chatting about our journeys and Olivia Bell told me she was one year old when I made my debut,” Aitken-Drummond tells ESPNcricinfo. “I was like, ‘Wow, thanks for making me feel so old’ ().”Related

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For Aitken-Drummond, the World Cup seemed like an afterthought, especially after she had to miss the Qualifiers to be on parental leave. But she made the push when a second shot at being part of a history-making squad presented itself.”I knew it wasn’t a right that I’d be back when available,” she says. “I had to work for it. I played for Scotland A with county teams in England [during the build-up], featured for Scotland in a tri-series with Netherlands and Papua New Guinea. But in my mind, I wasn’t sure I’d done enough.”But upon her return to Edinburgh, when Aitken-Drummond received an unexpected phone call from Cricket Scotland, her heart fluttered. “It was our head of performance to tell me I’d been picked,” she remembers.”When my phone rang, I was actually eager to know which of my phones were ringing: work phone or personal phone. I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t be the work phone () because it would’ve then been some admin-related stuff.”When the phone rang, in my mind I was like ‘this is now or never. Which phone is it?’ And then I saw his name pop up on my personal phone. I kind of knew it was about selection. Had I known we’d get calls that day, I may have been beside the phone, restless all day. It’s a good thing I didn’t know when the squad was being picked.”

“I know just being part of the 15, whether I play or not, I can provide a lot of support. I’ve been team manager to four of them in the past and I’d like to think my door is always open.”Abbi Aitken-Drummond

Aitken-Drummond isn’t privy to sensitive matters, such as selection, despite being a Cricket Scotland employee. It’s a boundary she has learnt to draw having juggled a career as a player and administrator. Having studied Event Management in university, Aitken-Drummond has loved to apply some of her learnings to “this side of the rope as well as the other side.””Most players tend to go down the coaching path, but my passion lies in the administration,” she says. “Our CEO Trudy Lindblade has been in the role for eight months now. She’s my line manager back home, but over here [in the UAE] she’s like, ‘we’re not speaking work. Focus on your game and enjoy it.’ I’ve been away from my laptop, enjoying being on this side of the fence.”Aitken-Drummond had to put in long days – sometimes they stretch 18 hours – to make this journey possible. The motivation for her daughter to say, “my mum played in Scotland’s first World Cup” and for her partner [Annette Drummond, former Scotland player] to “live a dream she missed out on” pushed her.”It has needed a whole new level of organisation skills,” she says. “I’m at work for 10 hours a day, four days a week – Monday to Thursday from 8am to 6pm. Quite often I’m able to work from home, so that helps being around our daughter. Then I head to the nets for my training. No two days are the same. It’s so much easier when you have a routine, but that’s been challenging.”Sometimes, it’s not possible and then I’d feel that guilt of not training enough. But I also recognise if you’re not able to sleep enough, those gym sessions are unlikely to be productive either. So, I’ve learnt to be flexible about these things. So, most days after dinner, when I’ve put my daughter to sleep, I head over to the gym, try sneak in a session or two indoors. It’s tough to juggle everything, but you try and do as best as you can.”I don’t want to look back and regret these small things later on, they grow up quick. But I’m really grateful to my partner for the support. This wouldn’t be possible without her. She pushed me, saying, ‘I don’t want you to regret later, this is your chance, go get it.'”For the moment, Aitken-Drummond is happy being part of the group, irrespective of her role within the set-up. “If you’d told me 20 years ago Scotland would play in a women’s World Cup, I’d have laughed.”The big goal was to make sure I was here. I know just being part of the 15, whether I play or not, I can provide a lot of support. I’ve been team manager to four of them in the past and I’d like to think my door is always open.”I enjoy one-on-one sessions. If girls are struggling, happy or overwhelmed – just be there for them. Any game I play, I play like it’s my last. Life changes quickly, juggling so many priorities, I don’t want to regret that I could’ve potentially played my last game not having known that. So, I tried each day as it comes.”

Australia hope Starc and Green’s return to the XI will “bridge the difference” between them and India

Alex Malcolm21-Feb-2023Australia face an uphill battle trying to find lower-order runs in the third Test in Indore and it may shape their selection.Australia are still picking up the pieces from their second-innings collapse on Sunday in Delhi where they lost 8 for 28 in 74 balls to concede a 2-0 series lead to India. India’s lower-order batting, meanwhile, has been one of the major differences between the two sides in the series so far.But the visitors did have India 139 for 7 on the second day before Axar Patel and R Ashwin added 114 for the eighth wicket to ensure India did not concede a first-innings deficit.Related

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Similarly in the first Test in Nagpur India were 240 for 7, leading by just 63 before Ravindra Jadeja, Axar and Mohammed Shami added 160 for the last three wickets to hand the home side an insurmountable lead of 223.By contrast, Australia were 162 for 6 in the first innings in Nagpur to be all out for 177. They were 227 for 6 in the first innings in Delhi only to be bowled out for 263. Peter Handscomb was set at the other end on both occasions but was unable to garner any support from Australia’s bowlers.Australia batting coach Michael Di Venuto admitted it is difficult to help inexperienced spinners Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann find a way to contribute with the bat in Indian conditions when even Steven Smith is having trouble handling Ashwin and Jadeja.”That’s a hard one especially when two guys are brand new to Test cricket and coming in there,” Di Venuto said. “Nathan [Lyon] has shown some good resolve. It’s encouraging. Potentially changes. Potentially Starcy [Mitchell Starc] comes in who’s done well with the bat here in the past. That adds a little bit more depth to the batting. Patty [Cummins] showed in the first innings a good method of defence and attack, so it is there. The younger ones, that’s a work in progress. That’s a big learning curve for them with the bat and the ball.”There is a clear gap in talent with the bat between Australia’s and India’s bowlers. Axar Patel averages nearly 34 in first-class cricket and 31.80 in Test cricket, while Ashwin is batting at No. 9 in this current India team with five Test centuries to his name. Coach Andrew McDonald noted India’s depth of batting.”They bat right through to nine, and that’s the reality,” McDonald said on Monday. “On the flip side to that, we’ve got to make sure we bridge that difference with our lower order as well. That’s been a clear distinct difference in the two Test matches so far, where you get a team five down and suddenly they creep out. They got 400 in that first game in Nagpur, it wasn’t a 400 wicket.”By contrast, Australia have had Cummins batting at No. 8 with a Test average of just 15.93. Intriguingly, after 17 Tests of their respective careers, Cummins had a higher Test average (20.95) than Jadeja (20.62). Jadeja has become a world-class allrounder, fulfilling his Test batting potential having scored 12 first-class centuries overall, including three triples, while Cummins has regressed.

“Plans certainly weren’t wrong. Our plans were good. Guys under pressure moved away from their plans of what worked and you pay the consequence in this country.”Michael Di Venuto

That gap in talent was part of the reason Ashton Agar was so heavily considered as Australia’s second or third spinner, given he has three first-class hundreds, a Test 98, and averages 28.32 with the bat in first-class cricket. But it is understood he was struggling so much with the ball in training, having taken just 20 wickets in his last 12 first-class games at a cost of 63.45 and a strike rate of 131, that he and the selectors mutually decided he was not in the right place to play in Australia’s four-man attack. The selectors are currently considering whether to fly him home to play some domestic cricket in Australia.Starc’s return from injury would bolster Australia’s batting at No. 8 but it may come at the expense of the third spinner unless Cummins is unable to play given his personal situation.”We need to find runs,” McDonald admitted. “We knew that before we came away, that runs is always the biggest challenge in India. We felt like we’d be able to take 20 wickets but how we find runs is really important. So do we bat a little deeper? Mitchell Starc coming in, he’s had some good success with the bat, albeit he’s a lower-order player. He got 99 in Mohali and 62 in Pune on a spinning wicket as well, so does he come into calculations? Do we play two quicks? All those conversations are happening but the bottom line is we do need to find runs, and that’s our big question.”Cameron Green will return in Indore which will balance the side even more. That could also open the door for Australia to do something radical and play eight batters if they had confidence in taking 20 wickets with playing just three specialist bowlers, Green and Travis Head as support. But that option would probably only be considered if an extreme spinning pitch is presented in Indore.Ultimately Australia’s top order needs to do the heavy lifting with the bat. Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, who is working as commentator on this series, has offered his support and expertise to the Australian team but it remains to be seen whether any players will reach out.Di Venuto believes Australia’s batters aren’t trusting the methods and plans that they have been working on.”Plans certainly weren’t wrong. Our plans were good,” Di Venuto said. “But if people go away from their plans they get in trouble as we saw. I think if we look back at the position we were in at 2 for 85, executing our plans very well in that second innings and ahead of the game and the wheels fell off after that.”Guys under pressure moved away from their plans of what worked and you pay the consequence in this country.”Batting, it’s a pretty simple analogy I think, you’ve got to swim between the flags in this country. If you go outside the flags and your game plan you are going to get in trouble.”Each individual has got their own method which we think can work. But if you’re coming over here and you’re not a sweeper and you’re trying to sweep, that’s not going to work. I think we have some good examples of that and saw that.”