Torcida organizada do São Paulo dá 'prazo' para clube resolver problemas: 'Estamos exigindo demissões'

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Após a eliminação do São Paulo nas quartas do Campeonato Paulista, pelo Água Santa, a torcida organizada Independente – a maior do clube -, está fazendo uma série de manifestações nas redes sociais. Desta vez, a mais recente deu um ‘prazo’ para que alguns problemas sejam resolvidos.

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Fora do Paulista, o Tricolor só volta a campo daqui um mês, na estreia do Campeonato Brasileiro, contra o Botafogo. E foi exatamente esta quantidade de tempo que a agremiação ‘definiu’. Segundo o comunicado, o Brasileirão deve ser tratado como ‘vida ou morte’.

Quem é quem no Água Santa, time que eliminou o São Paulo no Paulistão

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

Além disso, algumas ‘exigências’ foram feitas. Entre elas, a contratação de reforços pontuais, mudanças no departamento médico, demissões, e a definição do futuro de Rogério Ceni – que como o LANCE! adiantou, deve continuar na equipe.

Especificamente sobre Ceni, a Independente afirmou que ‘não pretende demitir treinador’, mas destacou que quer um posicionamento oficial da diretoria sobre seu futuro.

A organizada ressaltou também que, caso o técnico seja demitido no futuro, quer um ‘gringo’ em seu lugar.

O LANCE! também adiantou que, após o resultado negativo, um dos pontos mais discutidos foi sobre a possível vinda de novos reforços. Muito também pela situação do departamento médico tricolor. Na eliminação para o Água Santa, Giuliano Galoppo e Welington se juntaram ao ‘time’ dos lesionados. O argentino deve passar por cirurgia em breve.

Veja o comunicado publicado pela torcida organizada Independente

PSG defender set to end 20-year stay at French giants amid Qatar talks after rejecting Saudi Pro League transfer

Presnel Kimpembe has no future at Paris Saint-Germain and looks set for a late transfer after garnering interest from the Middle East.

  • Kimpembe nearing exit from PSG
  • Injury-prone defender not in Luis Enrique's plans
  • Has attracted interest from Qatar and Saudi
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Kimpembe is living his last hours as a PSG player. Having joined the club aged 10 in 2005, the 2018 World Cup winner is no longer part of Luis Enrique's plans and has only one year left on his contract. With only five appearances last season, the 30-year-old defender's future lies far from the French capital. While the major European leagues have closed their doors, other markets remain open. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are eyeing the player, but he already has a preference.

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    While several Saudi clubs have approached his entourage, the response was not long in coming. The idea of a transfer to the Saudi Pro League does not excite Kimpembe, who prefers another destination. According to , the Beaumont-sur-Oise native is currently in talks with Qatar Sports Club, second in the league after three consecutive victories. While Saudi Arabia could well pay to sign him, Kimpembe has refused, favouring Qatar.

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    further reveal that talks are progressing rapidly between the defender and the Qatari club. Some sources are even categorical: the deal could be concluded before September 16, the closing date of the transfer window in Qatar. On PSG's side, no major obstacles are expected to arise. Les Parisiens have no intention of retaining a player who no longer fits into their plans. The two options on the table are the release of his final year of contract or a transfer for a symbolic fee.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR PRESNEL KIMPEMBE?

    If this departure were to materialise, PSG would be turning an important page. Kimpembe, who came up through the club's youth system, has played 165 Ligue 1 matches for the club and 44 in the Champions League. A part of France's 2018 World Cup-winning squad, he is part of the generation that shaped the modern PSG. But at 30, his adventure is coming to an end, and Qatar could be where his next chapter begins.

    It should be noted that he was approached by AC Milan this summer, but the defender decided not to pursue the Italian club's interest.

Brathwaite: 'Important that we take control of every hour'

West Indies captain wants his team to take the game by each session against South Africa and not get carried away by “the big picture”

Abhimanyu Bose27-Feb-2023 • Updated on 28-Feb-2023

Kraigg Brathwaite stressed on the need for a ‘team effort’ against South Africa•Associated Press

The West Indies Test team arrived in Centurion after a disappointing tour of Australia and then a series win in Zimbabwe, and will now come up against a changed-up South Africa side. But captain Kraigg Brathwaite insists that his team will not be focusing on the past – that of their own or their opponents’ – or look too far ahead into the future, laying emphasis on “controlling every hour”.”I think Australia is obviously history and the Test series in Zimbabwe, obviously a different caliber team, it was good to get a series with them. I think looking here at the South African team, they still have a lot of experience,” Brathwaite said at the press conference before the first Test. “They have got world class bowlers and some quality batsmen, so we have to play some very good Test cricket and it is important that we take control of every hour and we don’t think about the big picture. If we take control of every hour, every session, I think we can do well.”West Indies’ batting was a concern against Australia, but they put up a much better show against Zimbabwe, with Brathwaite himself getting a big century and his new opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul notching his maiden Test ton, which he went on to convert to a double.Related

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Raymon Reifer also hit two half-centuries, and there were fifties from Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase in the series. And in the practice game in Benoni ahead of the South Africa series, Joshua Da Silva and Jason Holder also hit half-centuries.”We are really looking forward to challenging ourselves. Australia not being the best of tours, so we know what we have to do to improve as batsmen. We look forward to this series,” Brathwaite said.”It’s important obviously as openers to set the foundation for the team. We look forward to doing it. Tage [Chanderpaul] had a fantastic start and we want to continue and make West Indies proud,” he said about West Indies’ new opening partnership.”It is important that we have a team effort in South Africa. So it’s good to see the top order getting some scores in Zimbabwe and the middle-order in the practice games before the first Test. It’s great. It’s important we put all the pieces together in this series.”Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul will want to continue their impressive partnership at the top•Associated Press

He said that Reifer, who is looking to lock down the No. 3 spot in the West Indies team, will be wanting to add more big scores to his name after his success against Zimbabwe.”It is great to have him get some scores and I know he will be hungry for more success. Hope he can get to spend some time at the crease and it is important for him to carry on with those starts.”Brathwaite was optimistic about his bowling attack, but said that maintaining discipline with the ball was imperative, brushing away suggestions that South Africa’s batting line-up is a vulnerability they can expose.”I do think we have some very good bowlers. And I think we look forward to bowling at any batting lineup in the world,” he said. “We won’t be focusing on what the teams have done in the past. It’s important that we hit our straps and discipline is very important. Before we go thinking about too many things in terms of their batting lineup, I think we need to stick to our plans and the results will take care of itself.”Brathwaite was also excited about the two new players in West Indies’ squad — allrounder Alick Athanaze and fast bowler Akeem Jordan.”Very exciting to have two guys who have done well in our first class season. It is great to have them and they are also looking forward to the experience,” he said.In the West Indies Championship, their domestic First Class tournament, Athanaze is second on the run-charts with 244 runs in two games, while Jordan leads the wicket tally with 12 scalps in two games.

Ravindra Jadeja to resume playing, set to feature in Ranji Trophy

In a boost for India, premier allrounder Ravindra Jadeja is likely to resume playing and will feature in Saurashtra’s final round of Ranji Trophy starting January 24. The match will be against Tamil Nadu in Chennai.Jadeja had to abort the Asia Cup last September to undergo surgery on his right knee. Currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Jadeja is winding up his rehab and was named by the selectors in the 17-man Test squad for the first half of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy which begins in Nagpur from February 9. The second Test will be played in Delhi followed by the final two Tests in Dharamsala and Ahmedabad.The selectors, though, picked Jadeja on the condition that he was declared fully fit by the NCA. It is learned that Jadeja started to bowl and bat from earlier this week, but will need to take fitness tests before he gets the nod to play competitive cricket. Keeping in mind Jadeja’s rustiness – not only has he not played any cricket since September, but his previous first-class match was the one-off Test at Edgbaston against England last July – the selectors along with the NCA and the Indian team management agreed the allrounder should play in the Ranji game before taking a call on his participation in the Australia Test series.A fit Jadeja has shown he picks himself in the playing XI both at home and overseas. As a left-hand batter and especially in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Jadeja offers balance to middle-order at No. 5 or 6 while playing the lead spinner role alongside R Ashwin.While they are mindful about the risks of rushing Jadeja back, the selectors also do not want to deprive India of his match-winning abilities, which he proved during Australia’s previous Test series in India in 2016-17.One of the most thrilling bilateral series ever played, India overcame Australia 2-1, winning the final Test in Dharamsala thanks in part to Jadeja’s 63 in their first innings as well as a match haul of four wickets. Jadeja was an obstacle Australia kept encountering as he finished the Player of the Series for his 25 wickets and 127 runs. Since 2017, in 19 Tests, Jadeja has taken 82 wickets at 21.46 including three five-fors. Importantly his value as a batter has increased gradually in this period where he has scored 898 runs at an average of 52.82 along with two centuries and seven fifties.The result of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is significant for both India and Australia because both are frontrunners to contest the World Test Championship final in June which is scheduled at The Oval. India need to win the series to make the final, which will make them the first team to feature in the summit clash of both editions of WTC.Both teams will have their own preparatory camps ahead of the first Test with the Australians in Bengaluru while the Indians will be in Nagpur between February 1-5.

'Excuses are for teams who don't win!' – Arne Slot appears to fire shots at Mikel Arteta after Liverpool beat Arsenal to Premier League title

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has appeared to fire shots at Arsenal and head coach Mikel Arteta by claiming that 'excuses are for teams who don't win'.

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Liverpool beat Arsenal to Premier League titleArteta argued over reasons for title lossSlot seems to take shots at Arteta's excusesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal have fallen short of the mark in the Premier League title battle for the third year running as Liverpool ran away with a title win, the Reds' 20th English top-tier title. Arteta has put out a lot of reasons for the Gunners' failure to win the league title this year, indicating that untimely injuries and wrong refereeing decisions hurt his side's chances of properly pressuring Slot's side in the title race.

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Liverpool secured the Premier League title on Matchday 34 with a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur and have since slowed down as they have lost twice and drawn once, against Arsenal. Slot has now opened up on helping the Reds equal Manchester United's record as the club with the most league titles in the English top-tier, as the Dutchman also appeared to take shots at Arteta's 'excuses'.

AFPWHAT SLOT SAID

Speaking to BBC Sport, Slot talked about the challenges of leading Liverpool to the league title after taking over from Jurgen Klopp last summer. The Dutchman said: "All these excuses you could give to Liverpool… with us maybe not spending… or not bringing new players in, or taking over from someone.

"All these things are excuses for teams that don't win the league, and it's nice that if you have all these excuses, that you don't have to use them, but you still just won it."

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WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Slot's side did not fully live up to the hype they had created at the start of the season as they flopped in the FA Cup and the Champions League, and lost to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. The Dutchman will be hoping that he can improve his squad later this summer as they look to battle for all possible titles.

Real Madrid sweat on untimely Vinicius Jr injury as La Liga title hopes hang by a thread after damaging Clasico defeat

Vinicius Junior could miss Real Madrid's upcoming game after suffering an ankle injury in Sunday's El Clasico.

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  • Vini Jr. doubtful for Mallorca clash
  • Suffered ankle injury during El Clasico
  • Madrid's title hopes hang by a thread
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Barcelona moved closer to the La Liga title after a 4-3 win over rivals Real Madrid in Sunday's El Clásico. Raphinha scored a brace, while Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal scored a goal each as the Catalan giants almost ended Los Blancos' title hopes.

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    To make things worse for Carlo Ancelotti's side, whose title hopes now hang by a thread, star winger Vinicius Jr picked up an ankle injury and had to be substituted in the 88th minute as Victor Munoz replaced the Brazilian. Now, journalist reports that the 24-year-old underwent the first set of tests on his injured ankle, and it showed a Grade 2 sprain. Martin further claimed that it is unlikely that the star player would make it to the club's matchday squad against Mallorca on Wednesday.

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    DID YOU KNOW?

    Kylian Mbappe's first-ever El Clasico hat-trick on Sunday took his season's goals tally to 38, the most a Real Madrid player has scored in his debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    While the Mallorca clash remains a must-win for Ancelotti's men to remain in the hunt for the title, the Blaugrana could seal the fate of the league with a win over Espanyol a day later.

Spencer Johnson on Ashes radar after being named in Australia A squad

South Australia left-arm quick Spencer Johnson has vaulted onto Australia’s Ashes radar after being named in a 14-man Australia A squad to tour New Zealand in April alongside a mix of current Test squad members and long-term Test hopefuls with the mid-year England tour in mind.Peter Handscomb, who is currently in Australia’s Test XI in India, as well as India squad members Matt Renshaw and Mitchell Swepson, have been named but there were some notable absentees. Australia’s selectors opted to allow some recent Australia A and Test representatives to go to England to play in the County Championship as part of their Ashes bids rather than be pulled out of county deals to play two four-day games in Lincoln with Dukes balls in the first two weeks of April.Johnson, 26, has burst onto the selectors’ radar since starring in his maiden BBL season for Brisbane Heat. He has since made his Sheffield Shield debut for South Australia and taken bags of 6 for 87 and 7 for 47 in his first two first-class games. Young Victoria seamer Mitchell Perry has also been rewarded for his outstanding form having taken 19 wickets in his last three Shield games.Johnson and Perry are part of a bevy of seam bowlers in the A squad including Wes Agar, Xavier Bartlett, and Joel Paris while Swepson is the only spinner selected having not played a Test on the India tour. Leading Shield wicket-takers Michael Neser and Mark Steketee have not been selected for Australia A as both have extensive experience playing in England already.Related

  • Paris out of Australia A tour after battling back pain in Shield final

  • Australia's WTC final squad – Will David Warner keep his place?

  • Tall, left-arm and fast: Spencer Johnson grasps his second chance

  • Bancroft banking on red-hot Shield form to push Ashes case

  • Sam Whiteman signs season-long deal with Northamptonshire

The same thinking applies to leading Shield runscorer Cameron Bancroft and fringe Test opener Marcus Harris who both played in the 2019 Ashes series and remain in the selectors’ Ashes thinking with discussions to be had over what Australia’s best opening combination could be in England.Bancroft is in career-best form having scored four Shield centuries this season, and six in the last 12 months, as well as plundered runs in limited-overs cricket for WA and Perth Scorchers. But he has already played 34 first-class matches in England over five separate seasons there. Harris has also scored two Shield hundreds this season and is set to head back to Gloucestershire at the start of April having scored seven first-class centuries in England.Another West Australia opener Sam Whiteman, who was player of the match in last year’s Shield final, has also not been selected as he has signed to play the full county season with Northamptonshire.Tasmania left-hander Tim Ward is set to open for Australia A in New Zealand alongside Renshaw with South Australia’s Henry Hunt not selected despite being an Australia A regular in recent years and scoring a century on the tour of Sri Lanka last year. WA allrounder Aaron Hardie has been named having toured with Australia A to Sri Lanka last year.Teague Wyllie’s maiden first-class hundred gave Western Australia a vital lead•Getty Images

The selectors have also taken a long-term view with the batting group with 18-year-old West Australian Teague Wyllie, 20-year-old Victoria left-hander Campbell Kellaway and 24-year-old South Australia batter Nathan McSweeney selected for the tour to learn from alongside the experience of Handscomb and Renshaw.Veteran Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson has been rewarded for his outstanding form at Shield level and for Australia A on last year’s tour of Sri Lanka having been named as the squad’s sole wicketkeeper. Josh Inglis is touring with Australia’s ODI squad to India just prior the A series in New Zealand but is still highly regarded as a Test prospect behind incumbent Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey.Chair of selectors George Bailey noted it was an opportunity to expose a younger group to different conditions.”We are committed to the continued expansion of the Australia A program and these games are specifically designed to expose these players to conditions they may not experience in Australia,” Bailey siad.”With an Ashes this winter and a tour of New Zealand early next year, this is a great opportunity for this group to perform in similar environments to those countries.”Having Pete Handsomb, Matt Renshaw, Mitch Swepson and Jimmy Peirson will add experience as senior players who can impart their knowledge of different conditions.”The Australia A squad will be coached by current Australia assistant Andre Borovec. Former Sri Lanka Test batter Thilan Sameraweera will also tour as the batting consultant with Scott Prestwidge looking after the bowling group having been part of the coaching staff with Australia’s women’s team during their recent World Cup triumph in South Africa.The tour of New Zealand will also be reciprocated with Australia hosting New Zealand A for two four-day games and three 50-over matches to be played in Australia’s northern states in September this year.Australia A squad to tour New Zealand: Wes Agar, Xavier Bartlett, Aaron Hardie, Peter Handscomb, Spencer Johnson, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Joel Paris, Mitch Perry, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward, Teague Wyllie

Marsh scores 108* on Shield return to put Western Australia in strong position

Playing his first Shield match since April 2021, Marsh helped lift WA to a first innings total of 336 and a lead of 157

Tristan Lavalette03-Mar-2023

Mitchell Marsh cuts through point•Getty Images

Captain Mitchell Marsh smashed a belligerent century in his first Sheffield Shield match in almost two years to power Western Australia into a commanding position over Tasmania at the WACA.Marsh, playing as a specialist batter, returned to his best with an unbeaten 108 from 111 balls to lift WA to a first innings total of 336 and a lead of 157.Tasmania reached stumps on day two at 1 for 27 with Caleb Jewell on 21 and Jake Doran on 1.Opener Tim Ward, who top-scored with 44 in the first innings, fell lbw to left-arm quick Joel Paris for five to leave Tasmania facing an uphill battle to keep their final’s hopes alive.Having recently returned from a three-month layoff after ankle surgery, Marsh was in commanding form and hit nine fours and four sixes. He combined with Charlie Stobo in a last-wicket partnership of 113 to thwart Tasmania’s attempts at a comeback.After a subpar opening day, where they were bowled out for 179 in their first innings, Tasmania had clawed back into the contest with regular wickets through the opening two sessions.Offspinner Jarrod Freeman, who had claimed in-form Cameron Bancroft late on day one, dismissed opener Sam Whiteman for 64 to leave WA wobbling at 4 for 132 at lunch.Freeman added another after the long break when allrounder Aaron Hardie smashed a long-hop straight to midwicket with WA still 25 runs behind.Marsh, playing his first Shield match since April 2021, came to the crease looking to step up his preparations ahead of the upcoming ODI series in India.He was run out for a duck in his return against Tasmania in the 50-over Marsh Cup, but Marsh showed little rust as he navigated a short-pitched assault from speedster Riley Meredith who is arguably the fastest quick in the country.After a searing Meredith bouncer sailed over his head for byes, Marsh then counterattacked with a beautiful drive to the boundary followed by a six over midwicket.But Marsh was running out of partners with WA slumping to 9 for 223 with a lead of only 44 runs. He was on 38 when Stobo joined him and then hogged the strike by resisting singles.Marsh quickly sped past his half-century as he targeted Freeman straight down the ground while taking on Meredith’s sustained short-ball line.Tasmania had taken the extra 30 minutes before tea in a bid to claim the final wicket but their flagging attack was left frustrated as Marsh closed in on his century.He smashed a six off Freeman to move to 94 before reaching his ton moments later much to the delight of the smattering of fans in the terraces.Marsh received strong support from Stobo, who made a first-class career-best score of 38 off 84 balls to prove his worth having batted in the top-order for his local club in Perth grade cricket.Stobo finally fell as the shadows crept onto the WACA turf as WA moved closer to securing a home Shield final.

Essex seize initiative if not points, as Westley declaration spooks Notts

One of the least discussed changes to the County Championship this season has been the reduction in points for the draw from eight to five. (Indeed, some sour souls have suggested that Lancashire – played five, drawn five so far – have yet to notice the alteration.) It seems a slight adjustment yet it has encouraged some attacking declarations from skippers who, in previous years, would have settled for the comfort blanket of shared honours. Then again, not every captain has a Simon Harmer or an Alastair Cook in his side.The final day of this drawn game at Trent Bridge suggests such creative tactical thinking might become more common. When the players went in for tea, Essex were 362 for 8 and many home supporters’ chief concern was that their bowlers should take the last two wickets lickety-spit, thus giving themselves a chance of scoring say, 230 to win the game. Imagine, then, the surprise among the good folk of Bilborough and Bulwell when it was announced that Tom Westley had declared and that Nottinghamshire would need to score 219 in 39 over to achieve the victory that would take them second in the Division One table, level on points with Warwickshire and Hampshire.If all this tested the faculties of spectators who were sound of mind and bowel, imagine the confusion it caused among those who had spent the previous evening watching association football some 500 yards away. For this had been the morning after the Forest fiesta on the Meadows and Clifton estates; the morning after their team stayed up and so did everyone else, giving it very large indeed to celebrate the fact with a no-holds-barred knees-up. Johnny Cash outlined the consequences of such indulgence pretty clearly in “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”Well, I woke up Sunday mornin’
With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt…But just after tea, no one was sure where this match was going. In the fifth over of the innings, Haseeb Hameed was caught behind off a fine ball from Sam Cook, but Hameed’s show-reel contains few mad-dog run chases in any case. Ten minutes later, the same bowler crashed one back into Ben Slater’s off pole and the thought grew that Essex could actually bowl Nottinghamshire out. The introduction of the offspinner Harmer, who shambles up to the wicket like an insurance salesman offering a dodgy policy, did nothing to quell such notions. Joe Clarke hit the finest slow bowler in England for three classical boundaries but Harmer was getting bags of rip from the Radcliffe Road End and that proved too much for Matt Montgomery, who was leg before for 22 when deep in his crease.With 17 overs left to be bowled, Nottinghamshire needed 156 runs, an asking rate of 9.1 runs per over, but now Westley had posted six close fielders for Harmer and it was clear which team was in the ten-bob seats. Lyndon James went back to the offspinner when he should have gone forward and had his off stump nudged. Notts were now 70 for 4 with 14 overs left, seven of them Harmer’s.It turned out we had seen our last entertainment of the day. Clarke batted beautifully against type for an unbeaten 42 and Mullaney pulled his guts out as he normally does, his every defensive push breathing green-and-gold defiance. The draw was agreed with five overs left to be bowled but it was beguiling if useless to ponder what might have happened had either Clarke or Mullaney, their side’s last specialist batsmen, been dismissed 20 minutes earlier.Beguiling, as well, to reflect that Essex’s brief victory tilt was created not simply by Westley’s enterprise and Harmer’s skill but by the patience of the Essex skipper during his 157-run stand with Alastair Cook. The pity of that was that neither batter made the century he deserved. Cook had been dismissed for 99 just before midday, playing one of those awkward close-to-the-body steers to third man that look dreadful until you think he’ll have long worked out the risk v reward ratio. Then it still looks dreadful but one concludes that if a chap’s made over 26,000 first-class runs, he might actually know his business. This morning, though, he tried it to a ball from James that jagged back and took the edge en route to Clarke, who took a tumbling catch.Four overs later, the new ball gave Nottinghamshire their best chance of doing serious damage but they claimed only one wicket, that of Westley, who having toughed it out for over four hours and 95 runs was beaten by a good delivery from Stuart Broad that seamed away. By lunch the lead was 114 but there were only a dozen overs on the ball and time enough for Nottinghamshire to win if they could go bang-bang-bang – or any other Eurovision entry – quite early in the afternoon session.They achieved quick breakthroughs but only an hour later, by which time Essex’s lead was becoming so large that Westley fancied a cheeky dart at 16 points rather than settling for five. Having put on 56 with Lawrence, Matt Critchley played on to James for 20 and six runless balls later Adam Rossington chipped a return catch to Calvin Harrison. Restlessly imaginative, Mullaney brought his own medium pace on from the Pavilion End and his seventh ball had Lawrence playing lazily across the line. Tom Lungley didn’t waste time over the decision and Essex were 319 for 6, 175 ahead with 49 overs left in the game.Enter Shane Snater, a cricketer untroubled by regrets and generally unhampered by a defensive technique. In other words, a bloody dangerous one. The No. 8 dispatched his first two balls from Harrison over the deep square-leg boundary. The first of them took a diving Slater with it, the second would have done so only if Slater had come from Brobdingnag rather than Chesterfield. Harmer took his cue from Snater and 24 runs came in just over two overs. “Could Essex be thinking of declaring?” suggested someone. “Rubbish,” came the response. Then Snater was bowled for 18 having another colossal smear at Harrison. The players went in for tea and Westley declared.

MCC clarifies why Mitchell Starc catch of Ben Duckett was given not out

Starc deemed not to have had “complete control of his movement” when he grounded the ball

Andrew McGlashan01-Jul-2023MCC has clarified that Mitchell Starc’s catch late on the fourth day at Lord’s was ruled not out by the third umpire because he did not have full control over his movements.Starc claimed the chance at fine leg when Ben Duckett toe-ended an upper cut shortly before the close of play but replays showed the ball being scraped along the turf as Starc slid around the boundary. Australia were bemused when the catch was overturned and Pat Cummins had a conversation with the on-field umpires.Related

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“Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has ‘complete control over the ball and his/her movement’,” MCC posted on Twitter. “The ball cannot touch the ground before then. In this particular incident, Mitchell Starc, was still sliding as the ball rubbed the ground, therefore he was not in control of his movement.”Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath had termed the decision “ridiculous” on the BBC.”I’m sorry, that is the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever seen,” he said. “He’s got that under control, the ball is under control. That is a disgrace. I’m sorry, that is a disgrace. I’ve seen everything now. I cannot believe that. That is ridiculous. If that ball is not under control, that is ridiculous.”There have been a number of occasions of catches taken close to the ground in Tests over the last few weeks, beginning with Cameron Green’s stunning grab to remove Shubman Gill in the World Test Championship final, where it was ruled out much to the anger of Gill.Earlier in this Test, Steven Smith held a catch to remove Joe Root in the first innings which was checked by the third umpire while at Edgbaston a short leg catch by Marnus Labuschagne was ruled not out in similar circumstances to Starc’s.Mitchell Starc was deemed to have grounded the ball after taking a catch•Getty Images

England’s batting coach Marcus Trescothick conceded that even among players and support staff there can be confusion over the rules.”I first thought it looked good, when you see it from a distance,” he said. “Obviously then the ball slides along the ground. But at the time I don’t really think we understood the rules. I don’t think I understand the rules properly to really tell you whether it’s right or wrong.”But from my understanding and what’s been said by umpires and stuff, you’ve got to have control of the ball and your body until the motion is finished. And obviously, that would be the challenging part to the catch.”Had the catch been clean England would have been 113 for 5 and all-but gone in the contest. Ahough needing 257 with six wickets in hand is a tall order, the presence of Ben Stokes at the crease alongside Duckett gives them belief that another stunning chase is possible.”That’s where we’re sitting at the minute, thinking there’s still an opportunity to win the game,” Trescothick said. “We’ve got key men still to bat and a couple of key men at the crease. The team is a positive team that sees the opportunity to do things that are special and slightly different. No doubt they’ll be coming in tomorrow trying to do their best to make sure that happens.”