Manchester United are now in pole position to complete the signing of a “fantastic” midfielder in the summer transfer window, having also finally agreed a deal Bryan Mbeumo.
Man Utd agree £71m deal for Mbeumo
After the early-summer signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, the Red Devils’ transfer business has stalled a little, with their pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford not going as smoothly as some hoped.
That said, significant progress now appears to have been made in that respect, with United submitting a third offer for the Cameroonian, which was accepted on Friday.
Mbeumo is exactly what Ruben Amorim is crying out for at Old Trafford, in terms of signing a wide attacker who can provide relentless end product, rather than having hit-and-miss figures such as Antony, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho.
United’s summer transfer business needs to continue after they likely get a deal for Mbeumo over the line, though, with more legs needed in midfield, for starters.
Man Utd leading race to sign "fantastic" midfielder
According to a new claim from Stretty News, Manchester United are now leading the race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand this summer.
While the likes of Juventus, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are all name-checked in the report, it is the Red Devils who are the “front-runners” to snap up the 26-year-old.
Morten Hjulmand for Sporting Lisbon
Hjulmand ticks so many boxes for United, not least the fact that Amorim already knows him well, hailing him as “fantastic” during their time working together in Portugal.
Last season, the Dane averaged 2.6 tackles per game in the Champions League, highlighting his tenacity off the ball, but he also completed 90.7% of his passes in the Primeira Liga, showing that he is also a force in possession.
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Hjulmand would add much-needed legs for United in midfield, at a time when there are continued doubts about the ground that Casemiro can cover at this point in his career.
He is now a 19-cap Denmark international, and has won two Portuguese titles with Sporting, so the Red Devils would be signing an experienced winner who is still at a good age.
Rising star slams unbeaten 56 from 16 balls then claims two wickets in rout
ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2024Birmingham Bears 219 for 4 (Bethell 56*, Barnard 48, Mousley 43) beat Northamptonshire 129 for 9 (Bethell 2-18) by 90 runsA scintillating innings from Jake Bethell hoisted Birmingham Bears to a thumping 90-run Vitality Blast victory over Northants Steelbacks at Edgbaston.Twenty-year-old Bethell smashed an unbeaten 56 from just 16 balls, including a 15-ball half-century, the quickest for the Bears in the Blast, to lift his side to 219 for four.Ed Barnard (48, 29), Dan Mousley (43, 26) and Alex Davies (36, 29) had already laid the foundation for a solid total but Bethell turned solid into spectacular with a furious onslaught of seven sixes, including four from Ben Sanderson in the last over.Steelbacks then meandered to 129 for nine (Bethell adding two for 18 to his batting heroics) to suffer their eighth successive T20 defeat to the Bears. The only negative of the night for the home side was an injury to fast bowler Richard Gleeson who limped off the field, apparently with a hamstring injury, after delivering his seventh ball.After the Bears chose to bat, Barnard hungrily seized his first T20 opportunity of the season. He dominated an opening stand of 80 in 52 balls with skipper Davies who was content to play a supporting role.Ravi Bopara did most to shackle the batters with a canny spell of 4-0-21-2 which included the breakthrough wicket when Barnard slogged to deep mid-wicket. Davies chipped to mid-wicket and Hain hammered a return catch to Bopara but Mousley batted with typical brio before slog-sweeping Freddie Heldreich to Sikandar Raza on the mid-wicket fence.That brought in Barbados-born Bethell who thrilled the crowd by thundering to 50 in just 15 minutes. The last five overs of the innings yielded 92 runs.Northants looked shell-shocked and the effects of Bethell’s plundering were evident from the visitors’ early batting. Under massive scoreboard pressure, the top order went for broke and paid the price.David Willey was superbly caught by Barnard at extra cover off Gleeson who was then chipped tamely to mid on by George Bartlett. Gleeson left the field with figures of 1.1-0-2-2 but the Bears charged on towards victory regardless. When Matt Breetzke skied a heave at Craig Miles, it was 20 for three and the Steelbacks had consumed 16 balls and three wickets without erasing what the Bears had scored in the 20th over.Things went from bad to worse for the Steelbacks in the sixth over when George Garton removed Raza and Saif Zaib, caught at extra cover and slip respectively, from successive balls. Bethell’s happy day continued when Miles took a superb catch inches inside the mid-wicket rope to dismiss Lewis McManus.Still there was Bopara and the former England batter has pulled off some highly unlikely rescue acts for his teams over the years, but finding 151 from 67 balls with four wickets intact was beyond even his considerable skills. With his departure, stumped off Jake Lintott, the sun set on the Steelbacks’ hopes of a fightback just as a glorious sunset, a divine fusion of pinks, purples and oranges, settled upon the sylvan Birmingham skyline.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have agreed terms with a new “number 10” who could become Matheus Cunha’s replacement at Molineux.
Wolves aiming to replace Cunha after Man Utd transfer
The Old Gold are in need of a summer rebuild following a disappointing 24/25 Premier League season coupled with the fact they have already lost two of their star players in the transfer market.
The first to leave was Cunha, with Manchester United triggering the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause in the opening days of the window.
Matheus Cunha
Then, just before the first transfer window was set to shut, Manchester City announced a deal for Rayan Ait-Nouri, with the left-back being named in Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Club World Cup.
As a result, Vitor Pereira should have some money to spend, and they have been linked with numerous players in June. In attack, Wolves are thought to be showing an interest in FC St Gallen striker Willem Geubbels, who is valued at just £8.5m.
Meanwhile, when it comes to full-back signings, Wolves are keen on Vladimir Coufal, who has left West Ham United after five seasons and is available on a free transfer.
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Pereira will be hoping the club can get some players through the door before the end of the month ahead of pre-season in July, and it looks as if Wolves have made a breakthrough in regards to an attacking addition.
Wolves agree terms with Celta Vigo’s Fer Lopez
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Wolves have agreed terms with Celta Vigo attacker Fer Lopez. A long-term deal has been agreed between the Old Gold and Lopez, and Wolves now just need to shake hands on a fee with Celta Vigo.
Interestingly, Lopez, who shares the same Gestifute agency as Jose Sa and other Wolves players, was spotted away on holiday with Wolves striker Jorgen Strand-Larsen, with the pair knowing each other from their time with the La Liga side.
Should Lopez join Larsen in the Midlands, Wolves would be getting a versatile left footed attacker. Capable of playing on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, ESPN editor David Cartlidge even described Lopez as a “unicorn”.
After coming through the Celta Vigo academy, Lopez, still just 21 years of age, has only made 20 senior appearances for his current employers, scoring four goals. However, a move to England with Wolves looks like it could be on the cards following the breakthrough on personal terms.
Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin knows that he has an incredibly difficult job ahead of him, as the club have failed to win the Scottish Premiership title in each of the last four seasons.
The Light Blues also failed to win any trophies in the 2024/25 campaign under Philippe Clement or Barry Ferguson, which means that the former Scotland international is tasked with bringing glory back to Ibrox.
Martin may have to do that whilst dealing with some of his key players moving on from the club, though, as multiple stars have been linked with exits from Glasgow.
Both Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande are reportedly being eyed up by teams in England this summer, which puts them at risk of being sold in the coming months.
This means that Martin could need to bring in new midfielders to lead the team forward, if Raskin and Diomande move on this summer, and the domestic market could be the way to go, as it has produced some terrific signings, such as Glen Kamara.
Rangers hit the jackpot with Glen Kamara
The Light Blues swooped to sign the central midfielder for £50k at the start of 2019, before his contract at Dundee expired that summer, in what turned out to be a bargain move by the club.
Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.
In fact, the £50k that the Scottish giants paid for the Finland international was later described as the “steal of the century” by former Rangers midfielder and Kamara’s teammate Scott Arfield.
The Gers hit the jackpot with the midfield maestro because they snapped him up from a Premiership team and he hit the ground running as a player who did not need time to adapt to the league.
Kamara went on to play 193 times in all competitions for the Scottish giants, winning the Premiership in the 2020/21 campaign, and his value soared during his time at Ibrox.
January 2019
Reported £50k move to Rangers
August 2019
£720k
February 2020
£1.3m
January 2021
£3.8m
May 2021
£5m
June 2022
£6.3m
March 2023
£5m
August 2023
Reported £5m move to Leeds
As you can see in the table above, his value had risen from £50k to £5m by the time he left to join Leeds in the summer of 2023, which shows that the Gers hit the jackpot with the Finnish star.
New Rangers boss Russell Martin could, now, land his own version of Kamara amid reported interest in a midfielder from another Premiership side.
Rangers eyeing deal for Premiership midfielder
According to SportsBoom, Rangers have ‘quietly explored’ what it would take to secure a deal to sign Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Celtic and the Gers are both keen on snapping up the Scotland international to bolster their options in the middleof the park ahead of next season.
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It adds, however, that Premier League side Sunderland are preparing an offer of £10m to sign the 18-year-old talent, after they sold Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund this week.
The outlet claims that Celtic and Rangers have both been watching the teenage Premiership starlet, but the Black Cats are quietly confident that they can get a deal done for the Motherwell talent.
Martin and Kevin Thelwell must work hard to convince Miller to remain in Scotland and make the move to Ibrox, over joining Sunderland, as he could be the new manager’s own Kamara signing.
Why Lennon Miller could be Russell Martin's own Glen Kamara
The teenage talent would come in as a similar signing to Kamara as a player who has already proven himself as a central midfielder in the Premiership.
He has already racked up 76 first-team appearances for Motherwell by the age of 18 and showcased his quality on a regular basis in the top-flight, even producing an exceptional assist against Celtic in the clip below.
This means that the 18-year-old star could come in to hit the ground running at Ibrox, given his knowledge of the league, which was also the case for Kamara after he joined from Dundee.
Miller, who has been hailed as “ridiculous” by James McFadden, is also similar to the Finland international when it comes to the strength and athleticism that he provides out of possession.
Former Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.
Kamara won 59% of his duels and made 6.09 ball recoveries per 90 in the 2020/21 title-winning season, which shows that he was strong off the ball, and Miller displayed similar qualities in the 2024/25 campaign for his current club.
Tackle success rate
68%
Top 28%
Duels won
5.84
Top 36%
Duel success rate
53%
Top 31%
Interceptions
1.38
Top 14%
Ball recoveries
6.52
Top 10%
Blocks
0.48
Top 28%
As you can see in the table above, the Scotland international ranked incredibly highly among midfielders in the division in a host of key defensive metrics, including his duel success rate and ball recoveries per 90.
Like Kamara, Miller is a central midfielder who puts him about the park to win possession back for his side on a regular basis, but the Scottish ace also has the quality to provide goals and assists.
The £10m-rated dynamo ended the season with two goals, 12 ‘big chances’ created, and eight assists in the Premiership, whilst Kamara never managed more than four assists in a single league season.
This suggests that Miller could bring the physicality that the Finnish ace brought to Ibrox, but with more quality in possession in the final third to make an impact in front of goal.
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Therefore, Martin could land his own version of Kamara, but with the potential to be even better due to his ability on the ball, by winning the race to land the Premiership starlet this summer.
Chelsea have been in constant contact to discuss the signing of an “unbelievable” Barcelona player who they absolutely love, according to a report.
Blues' summer transfer plans taking shape
The Blues’ form in the second half of the Premier League season has been patchy to say the least, but they have returned to form in recent weeks, securing two wins on the spin to ensure they are firmly in contention for the Champions League places.
As such, Enzo Maresca should be well-positioned to attract some top players this summer, and the manager appears to be especially keen on signing a new striker, with Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap among the targets.
Maresca is also eager to bolster his options at the opposite end of the pitch, with a new centre-back of interest, and the west Londoners are now believed to be the favourites to sign AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, having proposed a seven-year contract.
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Huijsen is attracting widespread interest, however, which means Maresca may have to move on to alternative targets, and a report from The Boot Room has revealed Chelsea absolutely love Barcelona defender Jules Kounde.
The Blues have been in constant contact with Kounde’s agents, such is their level of interest, with the Frenchman’s future now up in the air, given that he is yet to commit to a new contract to extend his stay at the Camp Nou beyond 2027.
FC Barcelona'sInigoMartinezand Jules Kounde celebrate
Barca want to keep hold of the defender, and talks have been held over a new deal, but a move could be possible if the two parties are unable to make any progress, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool also in the picture for his signature.
"Unbelievable" Kounde could upgrade Maresca's backline
It is little wonder the Blues are so keen on signing the France international, given that he has been a vital player for a Barca side on course to win a treble this season, after defeating Real Madrid 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
Kounde scored the winning goal with just minutes left to play in extra time, finding the back of the net for the fourth time this season, while he has also showcased his attacking threat by picking up eight assists.
The 26-year-old has predominantly featured at right-back, but he is also very much capable of playing in the centre of defence, and he has impressed manager Hansi Flick with his fitness levels, which were lauded as “unbelievable” earlier this season.
The £223k-a-week defender could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea this summer, but it looks like it could be difficult to pull off, given that he has been one of Barcelona’s most important players this season, and his recent performance against Real Madrid may make them even more hesitant to sanction a departure.
Fifty-one years ago, one of the very greatest set Lord’s alight
Mark Nicholas08-Jul-2024″- “Windy Town”, Chris ReaAnd I do, pretty much, remember it all. It was Sobers really, Sir Garfield Sobers. He was so good, it was ridiculous. Of course, Keith Miller, Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Jacques Kallis – of course. But I promise, Sobers had them all covered.Lord’s, the summer of 1973. Just a boy. The Grand Stand, in a box, the guest of a senior figure in the British law and cricket hierarchies, Sir Oliver Popplewell; a lovely man, who after my father died when I was ten, invited me to Lord’s for the Easter coaching nets. The next time he invited me was five years later to see my first Test match. His son was a friend of mine – Nigel Popplewell. We go way back to the scene at the time: flared trousers, long-sleeve flannel shirts, sideburns on every bloke in town, and more than a moustache or two. No helmets, and each bareheaded warrior a hero for being just that. We imitated these cricketers in the back garden and Sobers never failed to do something spectacular. In fact, as I also recall, Sobers was in the score book more than anyone else, ever.Related
Facing Holding with a little thin towel
Bomb threat stops play
A Test hundred with a hangover
I went to the first three days of the Test. A lot happened. Sobers made 150 not out in two parts. Rohan Kanhai, who could play more than just a bit, made 150-odd too. Sobers’ two parts came because he had a monster hangover – or so the story goes – and when he got to 130, his tummy couldn’t take anymore, so he asked the umpires for permission to leave the field. Apparently he said to Messrs Bird and Elliott, you can count me retired hurt or hurt, either is good with me! He felt so damn dreadful, he just didn’t mind. Between 100 and 130, he had become unstable on his legs and somewhat breathless. He team-mates are said to have stood on the dressing-room balcony with howls of laughter as runs were notched with only a care for some sleep. Almost certainly Garry was their hero too.
****
– Adapted from a short poem – very short, because that was it – about Len Hutton by the playwright Harold Pinter.Actually I didn’t see Sobers in his prime, not live. I saw him often on the telly, though, because he played for Nottinghamshire as well as West Indies. On this day at Lord’s in 1973, he blitzed the English attack all around the old ground. He hit one straight boundary off Ray Illingworth that none of us saw until it sped up the little hill in front of the pavilion and into the brick wall. Sobers was breathtaking between backward point and bowler, driving and cutting . When he slogged, or pulled for that matter, to the on side, he almost swung himself off his feet. It was all utterly thrilling.Dickie Bird grimly waits out the bomb scare on the pitch, West Indies fans running rampant around him•PA PhotosKanhai was a strong little fellow with surprisingly big and determined strides. When they met in the middle for a yarn, Sobers – by comparison – almost slid across the turf with his short steps and languid gait. Heaven knows what they said to each other. Maybe “This is easy!” Which was exactly as it looked. Arnold, Willis, Greig, Underwood, Illingworth – easy! The five of them bowled more than 30 overs each; as if the captain, Illingworth, was sharing their pain equally. West Indies made 652 for 8 declared.Kanhai went low in his strokes, sometimes square-driving with his right knee on the ground. Sobers stood regal, tall, as if he were above the humdrum, which he was. They hit 40 boundaries between them, laying the English field to waste. It is before me, set steady in my mind’s eye. No helmets, no worries.Oddly, Sobers had not been picked for the tour. The feeling was that age – it was around the time of his 37th birthday – and niggling injuries had got the better of him. Then the youngsters picked up injuries, and given he was in England for Nottinghamshire anyway, they called him in. Must be the greatest substitute sportsman ever.For a start, none of the contestants for that title would have pushed the witching hours so hard. The hangover thing is worth a moment more. The Notts lads used to shove him out at night and try to keep him out. The worse he felt the next morning, the harder he tried, they said: in order not to let them down. He loved a drink and a party and often said that life was for living and that cricket was just a part of that living.West Indies declared on the Friday afternoon and England were three down by the close. Wickets fell regularly the next day and the follow-on seemed inevitable until around about mid-afternoon, quite unannounced, the umpires suddenly whipped the bails off, pulled the stumps from the ground and sent the players from the field. There was pandemonium as the covers were rushed out, just about beating the spectators, who had invaded the playing area, to the pitch itself. Umpire Charlie Elliott had gone with the players but Dickie Bird stayed to guard the pitch. We were all told to leave the stands because there had been a bomb-scare call to the secretariat of MCC. Yikes! So off we all went, except for those out in the middle, the vast majority of whom were West Indian. It became quite funny: Dickie out there for England, surrounded by these Caribbean cricket lovers, who ribbed him rotten and didn’t give a damn about the bomb. There were right not to. Nothing was found and play continued an hour and a half later.Keith Boyce took 4 for 49 in England’s second innings at Lord’s, among them Geoff Boycott caught on the pull at deep square•PA Photos/Getty ImagesThe fun was by no means over, however. Following on, England lost Dennis Amiss and Alan Knott soon enough and still there were 40 minutes or so to bat. Geoff Boycott and Brian Luckhurst coped well, until calamity struck in the last over. Boycott, miffed that Luckhurst had turned down a single, began hooking wildly at bouncers bowled by Keith Boyce. It was if he had lost his mind. Kanhai took his time to rearrange the field and ensure Boycott noticed the deliberate placement of the man at deep square leg. He had read that confused mind perfectly. Next ball, another bouncer and Boycott hooked up and high and straight into the hands of Alvin Kallicharran, who barely had to move a muscle in completing the catch.There was chaos then. We watched in astonishment as the West Indian supporters stormed the ramparts for the second time in the day. This time they came to celebrate with their compadres dressed all in white, and to taunt the Yorkshireman who had fallen foul of the old three-card trick. Boycott admirably resisted slapping any of them with his Slazenger but the sight of him pushing past these ecstatic fans as he ran towards the pavilion was never to be forgotten. In the Popplewell suite, we wondered about the atmosphere in the dressing room. Oh, such delicious asides.Geoffrey talks well of this now, admitting that, for just about the only time in his career, he “lost it” and paid the price. On occasion in the commentary box, when he criticised a poor shot, we would show him this on YouTube and he would laugh with us at his daftness.Over the years Geoffrey talked a lot about Sobers’ bowling: that he could be quick – like, really quick, and swung the ball a lot and late. In general, Boycott found left-arm swing awkward and for a time was persecuted by Ekki Solkar, the Indian left-armer, who also caught anything and everything near the bat. But there is one ball that Sobers bowled to him that can still be found on YouTube and it’s a crackerjack, Wasim Akram-type missile of a ball that would have done for most of those in Boycott’s shoes on the day.This greatest of all Bajans was a five-in-one cricketer, for he began Test match life as an orthodox left-arm spinner, having impressed for Barbados as a youngster; soon he turned himself into a useful left-arm wristspinner; always he caught brilliantly close to the wicket (and swooped elsewhere) as well as batted big and bowled fast. He was, and remains, a god-like figure wherever he treads those toes that once twinkled. To Sir Garry, we simply say thank you for a generation during which you shone as the brightest star and inspired us all – from Battersea to Bridgetown – to play the greatest game with a smile on our face.Party hearty: a fan does a handstand on the Lord’s outfield on day one of the match•PA Photos/Getty ImagesSince then, well, where does one start? In 1976 Clive Lloyd’s burgeoning team shocked the whole of England with its searing pace attack and dynamic batters. What Michael Holding and Andy Roberts did to men such as Brian Close – bareheaded still and previously battered and bruised by Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith in 1963 – beggars belief.And then there was Viv; like Seve, just Viv will do. Enough said. And Roy Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge, and later Dessie Haynes; and Kalli and Larry and Jeffrey; and Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and Bish and Brian Lara. These were incredibly good cricketers and forged together for a period of 20 years or so during which West Indies ruled the world. Many of them Clive Lloyd bound as one, much as Sir Frank Worrell had done some years before. After Lloyd, came the Passion of Richards and all that therein lay.It was, looking back, a remarkable time. A film was made of this era, , which was both thrilling and revealing. It centres on pace like fire, which there was, and the way in which the cricketers united the people of the many different Caribbean territories. The film was financed by two young Englishmen – Ben Goldsmith, brother-in-law to Imran Khan, and Ben Elliott, nephew of the Queen. Why? Because they loved what they saw. As did we all. Most of the players in that period played county cricket and it was our privilege to play with and against them.But that time has moved on. The Caribbean is no longer besotted by cricket and the players of today have to live with the legend of yesterday. There are many reasons for this but they are not for now. Instead, we should think back to Brisbane some seven months ago when the West Indians pulled off a heist for the ages at the Gabba. Oh my, what a sight that was at the moment of victory when the quick bowler Shamar Joseph led a merry dance around much of the ground, having taken 7 for 68. As epic a celebration as we have seen and this from a young team with an enterprising style of play. Anyone good enough to beat the Aussies at the Gabba deserves respect.Interviewed after the match, the gifted and exhilarated Joseph said, “I will always be available to play Test cricket, no matter how much money is out there.” Amen to that and wouldn’t Sir Garry have approved!
Veteran will provide constant presence as Lancashire host Essex in Blast quarter-final
Paul Edwards06-Jul-2022Croft of Lancashire. It has a ring to it; an intimation of loyalty beyond question and certainly beyond contracts. It was the same with Stewart of Surrey (both of them), and one would like to think it will be the same with Fletcher of Nottinghamshire and Abell of Somerset. Some of the very best things in life are non-negotiable and it’s surely absurd to think of Steven Croft representing a county other than Lancashire.It’s hardly likely to happen, of course. Crofty is 37 now – that seems even dafter, by the way – and on Friday evening he will play his 224th T20 game when Lancashire host Essex in the Vitality Blast quarter-final. Those statistics include a record 148 consecutive appearances, the most by any player in English cricket and second in global terms only to Suresh Raina’s 158 appearances for Chennai Super Kings. Since he made his short-form debut for Lancashire in 2006, Croft has scored 4810 runs at a steady average around 30, he has pouched 130 catches and he has taken 78 wickets with his occasional off-spin. (His CV includes eight matches for Auckland in 2008-09 but those games hardly change the overall picture.)This year the off-spin has become very occasional indeed; in fact, there’s only been one over of it and maybe this is not surprising in a team that has often included Matt Parkinson, Liam Livingstone, Tom Hartley and Tim David. But if Croft’s bowling hasn’t been needed as much in 2022, his batting has become ever more valuable. He is Lancashire’s leading scorer with 422 runs at an average of 35.16 and he has notched three fifties, two of them at Blackpool, his old club. Going in at No.3, he has almost had time to build innings and to score important runs, even in a side that has included Livingstone, David, Salt, and Jos Buttler for one game.”My role’s changed a little bit,” Croft said. “I’ve always enjoyed batting at No.3 in the Blast, I’ve done a bit of it in the past and it’s nice to go in when the ball’s a bit harder. It suits my game to bat in the opening overs and I’ve been enjoying it. You think you’ll be in early and I always see that as an opportunity to stay positive. There’s not much of a lull after the Powerplay these days, everyone just keeps going. You might pick your bowlers and your ends but you go hard all the way through.”That reference to going hard runs a little counter to Rob Key’s view, which was expressed a few years ago, that twenty overs is longer than people might think. There is, so Key implied, time to take stock. But Croft’s career can be seen as a prism through which the development of English cricket can be viewed and T20 is now a format in which quiet overs are wasted overs. What’s more, everyone is expected to be able to bat and field and if you can chip in with a couple of cheeky overs of something funky, that’s all the better. And the need for all players to be able to bat was made clear on Sunday evening when Hartley marked the arrival of a new bat by hitting his first sixes in professional cricket, blows which ensured Lancashire bagged a home quarter-final.”It has been coming for Tom,” Croft said. “He’s always had that potential with the bat and he works on it but it was nice to see him get us over the line. But all the lads work on multiple skills and that includes the fielding as well. Even at 9, 10 or 11, you have to find a way to score and it’s the same with the ball. I’ve taken a back seat with that this season but I may need to do a little more on Friday.”Lancashire’s need for Croft’s all-round skills has been heightened by the fact that Livingstone, Salt, Parkinson and Gleeson have all been named in Buttler’s England squad for the three-match T20 series against India. Essex have not been weakened at all by international calls but maybe that balances things out a bit. After all, Lancashire have not lost a home T20 match for two years and Croft is grateful that he won’t be spending a big chunk of two days on a coach down to Chelmsford, a ground where he recalls the atmosphere being “boisterous to say the least” the last time Lancashire played a quarter-final there in 2010. They were hammered by eight wickets on an evening when New Writtle Street bore a passable imitation to Upton Park.”Being unbeaten at home for 14 games is a great feat and I think we’re up there in terms of matches won,” Croft said. “So we can go into this match with a degree of confidence, not just in historical terms but also based on our recent record. We’ve played some really great cricket at Emirates Old Trafford this season.Related
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One of the great county rivalries, stripped of all that's good about the game
Forget Bazball, Adam Hose is leading Edgbaston's Bearsball revolution
“But it’s also useful in terms of preparation because we don’t have to get on the coach again or spend another night away from our beds. It’s saved a lot of miles on the round-trip and we’ll also have a couple of days practice at home. It’s nice to be back at Old Trafford where we all have our own space and our own lockers.”As to the absences, Croft insists Lancashire have coped with such things before but he acknowledges that T20 is such a skittish game that one over or even a couple of balls can transform a match. Just ask Hartley.”If you get out of your group, anyone can have a field day against you in the shorter formats,” Croft added. “All you can do is be on it all the time but even the best teams in the world have a win rate around 60%.”And should Lancashire qualify for their ninth Finals Day, Croft hopes that England’s next white-ball series – a 50-over series against India – will not prevent any county fielding its strongest side.”There’s an England match either side of T20 Finals Day but that Saturday in Edgbaston is one of the biggest occasions in the calendar,” he said. “You want to play with the best against the best and then no one has any excuses. It’ll be disappointing if our England lads aren’t available but we understand that there’s a hectic international schedule. At the same time, I’d love to see everyone available to play in front of a packed house at Edgbaston.”
Some welcome news has come across Major League Baseball ahead of the postseason.
As announced by the league on Tuesday, MLB is set to officially implement an Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) beginning next season. Each team will receive two challenges per game that they can use to dispute calls made by the home plate umpire.
ABS was used by MLB this past Spring Training and received rave reviews. The league will now carry it into the 2026 regular season with the same format, allowing pitchers, catchers, or batters to challenge a call after a pitch is made—with no help from the dugout or other players on the field allowed. If a challenge is ruled successful, the team will then keep said challenge.
While the rule change is likely not a direct correlation, Monday night's game between the Brewers and Padres—one with major playoff implications—saw home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz miss 25 calls as San Diego punched their ticket back to the postseason.
With ABS in place in 2026, we will no longer see such a travesty.
In a bid to upgrade their bullpen, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made one of this season's first splashy trades.
The Dodgers are acquiring pitcher Alexis Diaz from the Cincinnati Reds, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of .
Diaz, 28, has endured a dismal 2025 so far. In six innings pitched, he is 0–0 with three strikeouts and an ERA of 12.00. According to bWAR, he has cost the Reds half a win this year.
Los Angeles made the reported move just a day after a complete bullpen implosion against the Cleveland Guardians, in which a 4–2 lead turned into a 7–4 deficit in the span of one disastrous inning.
Diaz—the brother of New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz—made the National League All-Star team in 2023. That year, he went 9–6 in relief with a 3.07 ERA and 37 saves.
He added 28 saves in 2024 as his numbers slipped a bit before a severe decline to start '25.
Pitcher Mike Villani will reportedly head to Cincinnati in the trade; he was drafted in the 13th round in '24 out of Long Beach State.
The simmering frustration between Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox prior to Devers's stunning trade was one of the worst-kept secrets in the league. Still, no one thought Boston would deal the franchise's homegrown star to the San Francisco Giants in an unexpected June blockbuster, with the slugger set to join former Red Sox players Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts as Fenway Park outcasts in the NL West.
In the hours following the trade, ESPN's Buster Olney provided a few interesting details about why the Red Sox decided to move on from Devers.
Olney said he received messages from teams around the league that had been talking with the Red Sox (he didn't name names), and they knew Devers would be "gone" this past May. What could have so badly soured the franchise's opinion on the three-time All-Star? A telling visit from owner John Henry.
Olney reported on
"[Devers] had reached an impasse with the Red Sox. Getting text messages from executives, other teams been talking with the Red Sox. They basically are saying that after Devers did not respond following John Henry getting on a plane and going out to Kansas City, and he didn't take ground balls after that, the perception of other teams was, ‘Yeah, he was gone.’ Red Sox were going to move him when he didn't respond to the owner who was paying him that contract."
The visit in question occurred in early May, when Henry took a plane to Kansas City for a road game to discuss Devers's recent positional gripes. Devers has only ever played third base and reportedly took issue with the Red Sox asking him to switch positions (designated hitter and first base) twice in the span of a few months.
Henry met with Devers to presumably smooth out the wrinkles, but the meeting didn't seem to go as well as he had hoped, and reportedly served as the breaking point from the Red Sox's perspective.
As for Devers's perspective, Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo shared some insight about what peeved Devers the most about his situation in Boston.
"Devers was frustrated with mixed messaging from 'different voices' in the organization. Felt like a scapegoat. The root was what the player felt was disorganized communication from the jump this year," Cotillo wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
With both sides at a clear impasse this season, the Red Sox's $300-million man got moved. The rest will be history in the making.