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Haaland's debut hat trick sparks BVB comeback

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 18 January 2020 08:29

Erling Haaland continued his incredible season with a hat trick on his Borussia Dortmund debut, which sparked a comeback from 3-1 down to win 5-3 over Augsburg on Saturday.

The 19-year-old replaced Lukasz Piszczek on 56 minutes with Dortmund 3-1 down and had reduced the deficit three minutes later. On 61 minutes, Jadon Sancho equalised for the Bundesliga title hopefuls, and Haaland put Dortmund ahead on 70 minutes.

- ESPN+ obtains Bundesliga rights from 2020

Haaland completed his hat trick on 79 minutes to make a second debut treble in his career, having also scored three on his Molde bow in 2017.

The Norway international, who joined from FC Salzburg earlier this month, has now scored hat tricks in the Austrian Bundesliga, Austrian Cup, Champions League and German Bundesliga, meaning he has netted a treble in all four competitions he has played in this term.

Florian Niederlechner had opened the scoring for the hosts on 34 minutes, before Marco Richter made it 2-0 just after the interval. Julian Brandt pulled one back for Dortmund on 49 minutes but Niederlechner made it 3-1 on 55 minutes.

Dortmund boss Lucien Favre reacted by bringing on Haaland, who changed the game. Dortmund are fourth in the table, four points behind leaders RB Leipzig, who play later on Saturday.

Hudson-Odoi 7/10 in Chelsea's shock defeat

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 18 January 2020 12:28

Chelsea were defeated late on by Newcastle at St. James' Park on Saturday night, after a last-minute Isaac Hayden goal handed the home side a 1-0 win at the death. With Jetro Willems being subbed off early on due to injury, the away side must have felt like favourites to grind out a victory, but despite their best efforts, Newcastle held out and in the end delivered a shock smash and grab win for the joyous home faithful.

The visiting Blues had plenty of opportunities to score, with Tammy Abraham, Willian and N'Golo Kante notably wasteful, but Frank Lampard's side ultimately fell short against a stubborn Magpies defence on a night of costly errors.

Positives

Reece James, once again starting at right-back, continues to show his potential after another eye-catching cameo. His delivery, both in terms of crossing and passing, will have many fans drawing comparisons to Trent Alexander-Arnold and is also a sign of how faith in academy graduates can be rewarded if a manager is patient enough.

Speaking of academy prospects, Callum Hudson-Odoi also impressed, something that his manager in particular will be glad to see, following on from his goals against Nottingham Forest and Burnley in the previous two games.

Negatives

Wayward finishing in the end derailed a dominant away performance, as Lampard's side wasted a number of brilliantly worked chances. On the counterattack, the Blues frequently created good openings, only to be undone by the final ball. In the end, it cost them dearly.

Manager rating (out of 10)

Lampard, 6: Made only one change from the victory over Burnley, with Kante coming back into the side. The all-action France international was in fine form on this occasion, while the inclusion of promising right-back James also proved justifiable. The away side created numerous opportunities in a thoroughly dominant display but somehow still left the North-east empty-handed.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 5 -- A solid display from the Spanish stopper, who was barely troubled in the first half. Yet he should have done much better for Hayden's late goal.

DF Reece James, 7 -- The visitors' most creative outlet throughout, James combined beautifully with Hudson-Odoi and Kante down the right-hand side. The England youth international should have been rewarded with an assist, after some delightful crosses were squandered by teammates.

DF Andreas Christensen, 6 -- With Chelsea seldom troubled defensively, the Danish centre-half had very little of note to deal with.

DF Antonio Rudiger, 5 -- Had a solid game and looked tidy when covering at the back, despite one or two tricky moments early on against the powerful Joelinton. The German international will also be frustrated for his inability to prevent Hayden from getting the match-winning finish in injury time.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 7 -- Hard-working and committed as always, the Spanish veteran did his utmost to shut down the influence of the elusive Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin on the counter. Almost had an assist from a wonderfully improvised header.

MF N'Golo Kante, 7 -- Energetic and involved from the kick-off, he had an impressive performance on his return to the first XI after missing Chelsea's win over Burnley. Won the ball high up the pitch on numerous occasions, while also picking the ball up in dangerous areas, which caused consistent stress for Newcastle's backline.

MF Jorginho, 6 -- The midfielder probed but was unable to make a real impact. He often picked up the ball in deep positions and attempted ambitious through-balls, only to be frequently outmanoeuvred as the home side sat deeper as the game went on.

MF Mason Mount, 6 -- Playing in a deeper midfield role, the academy graduate had a significant influence on the game, driving forward well in transition.

FW Willian, 5 -- The Brazilian found himself in dangerous positions but was all too often wasteful in the final third. Looked indecisive when advancing with the ball, something that will surely annoy his manager.

FW Tammy Abraham, 5 -- A frustrating evening for Abraham, given how he was unable to convert any of his goal-scoring opportunities. The England international did hit the crossbar with an audacious heel shot but will perhaps rue his luck in an otherwise bright display.

FW Callum Hudson-Odoi, 7 -- Following up on a fine goal-scoring performance against Burnley, Saturday's outing was yet another example of the winger's true quality and his potential. In tandem with James down the right flank, the 19-year-old looked lively.

Substitutes

MF Ross Barkley, 6 -- Despite rumours of an impending loan move, the former Everton man replaced Mason Mount with 22 minutes to go and was arguably the away side's most influential player late on, as they pushed for a goal that never came.

FW Michy Batshuayi, NR -- Replaced Abraham but too late to have much of an impact.

DF Emerson Palmieri, NR -- Replaced James but didn't make much of an impression in his 15-minute appearance.

Stones 4/10 as Man City drop points vs. Palace

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 18 January 2020 09:40

MANCHESTER -- Fernandinho scored a 90th-minute own goal as Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace despite Pep Guardiola's side scoring twice in the final eight minutes.

Sergio Aguero thought he had won the game with goals in the 82nd and 87th minutes to cancel out Cenk Tosun's opener -- his first Palace goal following his loan move from Everton. But moments after Aguero's second, Fernandinho turned in Wilfried Zaha's cross to hand Palace a point and see City lose more ground in the title race.

Positives

If you believe Guardiola, his team are playing only for pride and a place in next season's Champions League. Given Liverpool's huge lead at the top, it would be easy for City to roll over having found themselves a goal down, but they didn't. It also helps when you've got a striker as good as Aguero in top form -- he has seven goals in his last four games -- and the Argentinian's late double should have been enough to earn three points.

Negatives

Elements of Saturday's game will have infuriated Guardiola. Palace's first goal came from a set piece that should have been dealt with and having put themselves in front, City managed to concede a last-minute equaliser when they should have been able to see out the rest of the game. If Aguero was a positive, they was plenty to upset the City manager.

Manager rating (out of 10)

6 -- Guardiola picked a strong team despite playing again in midweek, but they struggled to find any rhythm in the first half. His decision to throw on Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez in the second half looked to have to worked before the late own goal.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Ederson, 6 -- Made a good save when Tosun expertly brought down Zaha's pass on the edge of the penalty area.

DF Joao Cancelo, 6 -- Thought he had won a penalty in the second half when his cross cannoned of Jairo Riedewald's foot and hand before the decision was overturned by VAR.

DF Benjamin Mendy, 6 -- His first-half performance prompted praise from Aymeric Laporte on social media and it was his cross from which Aguero headed in City's second.

DF John Stones, 4 -- Got away with a penalty shout in the first half when he bundled over Zaha in the area, was outjumped by Gary Cahill for the Palace opener and couldn't get near Zaha in the buildup to Fernandinho's own goal. Awful afternoon.

DF Fernandinho, 6 -- Terrific covering to stop Tosun scoring after a long punt upfield that caught out Ederson. Unlucky to turn in Zaha's cross in the last minute.

MF Ilkay Gundogan, 6 -- Was left watching at the back post when Tosun headed in to give Palace the lead after 39 minutes.

MF Kevin De Bruyne, 6 -- Hit the crossbar with a stunning free-kick from 30 yards after 14 minutes. Struggled to see much of the ball after that.

MF David Silva, 5 -- The Spaniard's 300th league game for City. His afternoon was over on the hour mark after he slipped and miscontrolled a pass in midfield.

MF Bernardo Silva, 6 -- Almost equalised but saw a fierce drive well saved by Vicente Guaita, and had a close-range effort saved by the Palace goalkeeper after the break.

FW Raheem Sterling, 6 -- Had a quiet afternoon and was sacrificed late when Guardiola tried to close out the game by bringing on Rodri.

FW Sergio Aguero, 7 -- Fantastic movement at the back post to stab in Gabriel Jesus cross for his 250th Man City goal, then thought he had won it with a late header.

Substitutes

FW Gabriel Jesus, 6 (for David Silva, 61) -- Created the equaliser for Aguero.

FW Riyad Mahrez, NR (for Bernardo Silva, 73) -- On too late to make an impact at the attacking end.

MF Rodri, NR (for Raheem Sterling, 89) -- Introduced late on to limit Palace's attacks.

West Indies 180 for 7 (Young 61, Sangha 4-30) beat Australia 179 all out (Fraser-McGurk 84, Seales 4-49, Forde 3-24) by three wickets

Jayden Seales and Matthew Forde shared seven wickets between them to bowl Australia out for 179, after which allrounder Nyeem Young dragged West Indies out of a precarious position to seal a win in the first Group B game of the 2020 U-19 World Cup.

After legspinner Tanveer Sangha took four top-order wickets, West Indies seemed to be in plenty of trouble in their chase, but then Young combined in a 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Forde to stabilise their chase.

The game had begun an hour late after a drizzle delayed the toss. It was reduced to 49 overs a side and West Indies chose to field. While opener Jake Fraser-McGurk was at the crease in the first innings, Australia looked set for a competitive first-innings total despite an early wobble, but his dismissal for a 97-ball 84 triggered a batting collapse that saw them lose their last six wickets for only 21 runs.

There were two freak run-outs in their innings when their captain Mackenzie Harvey and Lachlan Hearne were dismissed at the non-striker's end caught napping outside their crease. Both times, the on-strike batsman's straight drive took a touch off the bowler before crashing into the stumps at the bowlers' end.

At that stage, Australia were 67 for 4, but Fraser-McGurk continued to pile on the runs at a healthy rate and added 91 for the fifth wicket in combination with wicketkeeper Patrick Rowe (40), but the former's dismissal began Australia's rapid slide.

Forde, who bowled without any success in his first spell with the new ball, caused the most damage at the back end, bowling uncomfortable lengths to the Australia lower-order who ended up lobbing soft dismissals towards mid-on and midwicket. His wickets of Todd Murphy and Sangha - the last Australia wicket to fall - left him with figures of 3 for 24.

Seales, who had his family cheering him on from the stands, capped his solitary wicket in his opening spell with three more in his second spell, dismissing the set Fraser-McGurk who holed out at mid-on. After that, his pace in the late 130s troubled the remaining Australian lower-order batsman, finishing with 4 for 49 in his eight overs as the first innings ended in the 36th over.

West Indies' chase began in a swift manner with Leonardo Julien smashing three fours and a six in the first five overs. That pushed West Indies' run-rate beyond six but he couldn't carry on, dismissed for a 22-ball 20. His opening partner and the captain Kimani Melius was out soon too, caught by the wicketkeeper off Sangha's legbreak. Sangha went on to dismiss the next three batsmen as well, bowling out in a single spell with figures of 4 for 30 leaving West Indies at 92 for 5. He found the ball to turn, and Antonio Morris and Matthew Patrick fell.

With Australia no longer having an attacking spin option, West Indies' No. 6 Young saw off Corey Kelly's offspin with not much trouble, occasionally finding the boundary to keep the required run-rate in check. He reached his half-century by drilling a drive through the hands of the fielder at cover and raised his bat towards the tiny West Indian contingent on the grass banks.

With the score at 170 for 5, it looked like Young and Forde would see West Indies through to a five-wicket win, but both their dismissals at the same score briefly brought the game back to life. Unfortunately for Australia, they could not penetrate further, and West Indies' No. 8 Joshua James and No. 9 Kirk McKenzie got the final ten runs needed. McKenzie finished the game off in style, cracking a six over extra cover to seal the win in front of a 1600-plus crowd.

South Africa 208 for 6 (de Kock 63*, Philander 27*) trail England 499 for 9 dec by 291 runs

Dom Bess became the latest of England's young bloods to leave his mark on South Africa but the old foe of bad weather, coupled with some much-needed defiance from the home batsmen (plus a few dropped catches), prevented the tourists from maximising their advantage on day three in Port Elizabeth.

With Bess producing his most impressive display in an England shirt to secure a maiden Test five-for, the threat of the follow-on loomed large for South Africa. But they were able to recover from a position of 109 for 5 thanks to Quinton de Kock's third half-century of the series, as well as 136 balls of dogged resistance from the nightwatchman, Anrich Nortje.

De Kock was unbeaten on 63 at the close, having put on partnerships of 45 with Nortje and a further 54 alongside Vernon Philander. He might have been dismissed three times by spin but on each occasion Ben Stokes was unable to hold on to sharp chances at slip - and with another 26 overs lost due to rain, England's prospects of capturing a series lead before the teams move on to Johannesburg looked to have taken a hit.

South Africa's captain, Faf du Plessis, pronounced before the third Test that his team had made "huge steps in the right direction" against England, following a run of five consecutive defeats. While du Plessis could not extricate himself from his own run of bad form, falling to Bess for the second time in as many innings, the bloody-minded efforts of de Kock and, in particular, Nortje, gave his side something to rally around.

Although there was no doubting England were on top, they seemed likely to find themselves in a battle against time, the elements and an unforgiving pitch - with de Kock's rearguard blocking their path to enforcing the follow-on, and 92 runs still needed for South Africa to take the decision out of Joe Root's hands.

The morning session could scarcely have gone better for England, with Bess striking three more times to claim each of the five South African wickets to have fallen, before a delay of more than three hours began to impinge on hopes of a positive result in this match. When play was able to resume in mid-afternoon, de Kock succeeded in seeing off the fiery Mark Wood as he and Nortje combined to frustrate England further.

South Africa's wicketkeeper produced a number of fine strokes during a counterattacking innings, although at times he lived on the edge. Root might have removed him twice, on 30 and 56, with Stokes the culprit on both occasions. Another chance came late in the day, when de Kock was cramped by Joe Denly's legspin and top-edged a cut low to Stokes' right - but again England's most-reliable catcher could not cling on.

Stokes did have a more familiar impact with the ball, although the fact England waited until the 61st over to turn to his bowling - so galvanic in the victory at Newlands - raised questions about what might have been after the allrounder proceeded to dismiss Nortje with his 10th delivery.

Nortje had already benefited from lapses in the field, Root putting down a simple chance at slip that would have given Bess his five-for. Having demonstrated his ability with the bat in South Africa's victory in Centurion, Nortje dug in manfully in the face of Wood's 150kph/93mph hostility - a half-chance to Ollie Pope at short leg the closest Wood came to getting his man. By the time Stokes drew an edge to slip, Nortje had played by far his longest first-class innings and kept England at bay for more than three hours.

Such fighting spirit seemed to be lacking as South Africa set about their attempts to build a convincing first-innings reply. Resuming on 60 for 2, after Bess had struck twice on the second evening, they lost Dean Elgar in the fourth over of the day, smartly taken by the diving Pope at silly point as the ball ricocheted off bat and pad.

Du Plessis seemed intent on taking the attack to England's rookie offspinner, a 22-year-old playing in just his fourth Test, twice leaving his ground to stroke fours through mid-off. But Bess changed his line of attack to over the wicket, found some drift and grip and another inside edge plopped safely into the hands of Pope, at short leg this time.

South Africa had been left in a mess against Bess, whose fourth wicket ensured career-best figures. He was not to be denied a fifth - becoming the youngest England spinner to take a Test five-for since Pat Pocock in 1968 - as Rassie van der Dussen dragged the ball into his stumps to give the unexpected tourist an unexpected starring role. But the rain and de Kock meant the day was not simply about Bess.

What are the characteristics of a "proper Dutchman", the term of endearment South Africa's bowling coach Charl Langevedlt used to describe Anrich Nortje?

"It's a sense of trying to go out there and fight, and come hard and be aggressive, with a lot of heart," Nortje explained, happy to hear that the nickname that has been attached to him for a "quite a long time" was on air for the first time on day one.

Langeveldt was describing Nortje's back-bending efforts in the field but the man himself would like to apply the terms to all aspects of his game. "It's something I try and pride myself on. When conditions get tough, when it's 40 degrees, I try and be the guy to run and come hard," Nortje said. "I try and make things happen with the ball in hand - not really with the bat but if I get an opportunity, if I have to take a few blows I am willing to do that."

ALSO READ: Cricket is a finite game and du Plessis' finish is in sight

For the second time in the series, Nortje's rearguard as nightwatchman has put South Africa's top-order to shame. At SuperSport Park, he spent two hours and seven minutes in the middle and faced 89 balls for an accomplished 40, which included a match-winning partnership of 91 with Rassie van der Dussen. At St George's, Nortje batted for three hours and 11 minutes and faced 136 balls, more than South Africa's top three combined, to score only 18 runs. When he was dismissed, he sunk to his haunches in disappointment, knowing how close he was to putting in a double shift on overnight watch.

"It's trying to stay there for as long as possible. It's not really about scoring runs for me, it's about facing a few balls, as many as possible," Nortje said.

Nortje faced more balls from Dom Bess than any other South African batsmen in this innings so far - 59 - and four fewer than Dean Elgar did against Mark Wood - 19. He saw Bess outfoxing the top five as they looked to take the English spinner on more than they did at Newlands. Nortje was not privy to the strategy but saw South Africa's eagerness backfire on them.

"I'm not too sure how they (the top order) want to play it. I am not in the batting meeting, I can tell you that," he said. "So I'm not too sure what they want to do but maybe one or two things could have gone differently, whether it's taking him out the attack or just playing him positively and better, I don't know."

What Nortje does know is that it's not helpful to weigh his efforts up against the specialists' because their job descriptions are so different. "There's a little bit of a bigger battle between them and the bowler rather than me. Even if I get a half-volley sometimes, I still block it," Nortje said. " For them, it's about playing naturally as well in stages. You can't really compare."

Instead, what Nortje is interested in is measuring is his performance against Wood's, the fastest bowler in the opposite camp. "I saw they had a comparison on the big screen and I was more interested in that when I was batting than anything else," he said, although evasive action was also on his mind. Wood targeted Nortje's rib-cage and later, his head, giving Nortje first-hand experience of what it must be like facing himself. "I haven't really had to deal with that before in my career. It gives me a bit of confidence that I can do it. But it's not the nicest thing, I am not going to lie," he said.

Asked if the experience of facing Wood has made Nortje more sympathetic to batsmen who have to front up to him, he had a one-word answer: "No."

That's the answer a "proper Dutchman," would give, that embodies the attitude South Africa have to adopt if they are to give themselves a chance of going to the Wanderers all-square. They are 92-runs away from avoiding the following-on and even if they get there, there are still two days left, some of which could be lost to rain. South Africa will be under the pump for most of that time but Nortje is up for it.

"We are positive we can save the game," he said. "If we have to fight and we have to do what we have to do then we do that. We are not going to be worried about if there is weather around. We are going to come out here and focus on the next two days, fighting. Whatever we have to do to draw this Test match we are going to be up for that. We believe that."

At the start of the third day's play, there was an intriguing chat on commentary between Matt Prior and Kevin Pietersen - yes, TalkSPORT has bought the pair together; they'll be pairing Ian Botham and Ian Chappell next - over the future of conventional off-spinners in Test cricket.

The conclusion, to paraphrase only a little, was they are an endangered breed. But, unlike the rhinoceros, Pietersen didn't seem especially concerned with their preservation. Again, to paraphrase only a little, both he and Prior felt that, in the modern game, any off-spinner without some mystery or at least the ability to challenge both edges of the bat was likely to struggle.

But here, for the second Test in succession, Dom Bess supplied the case for the defence. Having admirably performed a holding role in Cape Town, he showed he could also perform a more attacking role here. Taking advantage of a dry surface, he showed the conventional skills - most of all control, but also subtle changes of angle and pace - still had a place in the modern game. Already he has become the first England spinner since Derek Underwood, in 1975, to claim the first five wickets in a Test innings and the third-youngest England spinner (after Pat Pocock and Underwood) to claim a five-for in Test history. If the rain relents, there is a good chance there will be more to come.

ALSO READ: Bess five-for spurs England before de Kock defiance

It's true, Bess does not possess the eye-catching skills of Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine or Saqlain Mushtaq. He cannot turn the ball both ways. There is no doosra. Analysts will not be glued to their screens working out how makes the ball fizz and dip and, the cynics have suggested, he could only take wickets on the helpful surfaces of Taunton where, until today, six of his eight five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket had come. Only a few months ago, he was unable to get into the Somerset team and went on loan to Yorkshire.

But what he can do, at this stage of his career, is maintain his line and length. He has conceded only seven boundaries - and an average of 1.64 runs per over - in his 31 overs to date. As a result, he has kept the batsmen under pressure. And what he can do, at this stage of his career, is apply a series of small variations to lure batsmen into errors and take advantage of helpful surfaces.

The wicket of Faf du Plessis provided a fine example of this. The South Africa captain had just driven him for a couple of fours. Bess responded by dropping his arm a little lower, gaining just a little drift away from the batsman to draw him into a forward prod, only to turn the ball sharply off the pitch and take the inside edge. Ollie Pope, who looks terrific at short-leg, did the rest. Any off-spinner would have been happy with that.

There were other moments which showcased those subtle skills. By changing the seam position - including bowling with a scrambled seam - he manages to gain variation from some balls skidding on and others gripping and turning. Dean Elgar, who was probably the one man in the top five to play Mark Wood with any confidence, was defeated by just such a delivery: coming forward to one he expected to turn, he was slightly late as the ball skidded through a little quicker, taking his inside edge before ballooning off his pad to short-leg. Again, that's fine bowling.

The ECB deserve some credit for Bess' development. At the end of the season, they and Somerset agreed he should be given an extended break to clear his head after a sometimes frustrating few months. As he has previously said, he "lost a lot of confidence within my game" after "falling off the [England] radar a bit" after his brief spell in the England side in 2018.

Having allowed him that time, they identified the ideal coaches or mentors he could learn from - they were after spinners who relied on subtle variations rather than extravagant natural ability - and invited him on a spin bowling camp in Mumbai. Those coaches were Rangana Herath, the Sri Lanka left-arm spinner, and Richard Dawson, who played seven Tests for England as an off-spinner in the early years of this century.

These were wise choices. Herath, in particular, enjoyed an outstanding career as a traditional spinner. And somewhere along the way, Bess has learned that by concentrating on building pressure and by embracing those little variations, he gives himself the best chance of success. In these two Tests, he has looked a better bowler than he did when the Championship season finished in September. He also credited Jeetan Patel, who is with England as a spin bowling consultant, for his advice in helping him gain more bounce and pace.

"That ball to Faf was something I'd been working on with Herath," Bass said. "I started around the wicket and he came at me quite a lot, so I tried to change the angle. I dropped my arm a little and it bit off the surface. It's really nice to work on something and see it work.

"Then with Elgar - who I played with at Somerset - I wanted to make sure I was always challenging him. I looked to go a little under the ball and luckily it kicked on a bit. Some spun and some didn't and Ollie Pope held a great catch.

"I'll cherish this for a long time because I've worked very hard for days like this. Technically I'm getting a lot stronger through repetition. There's still a lot of work to do but hopefully there's a lot more to come."

But before giving the ECB too much praise for their wisdom, it should be acknowledged that Bess was not in the original tour party. And as time goes on the selection of Matt Parkinson, who played four Championship games for Lancashire in 2019, looks ever more odd. It must have been painful to see an injury replacement - called up for the ill Jack Leach - who had not enjoyed the benefit of any warm-up games come into the side ahead of him, but, suffice to say, at this stage of his career, Parkinson looks far better suited to the white-ball game.

"I'm gutted for Leachy, he's had such a tough time these last six weeks," Bess said. "I know he'll be happy for me. He'll be working really hard to get back for the Sri Lanka tour. I'd love to play together. That would be a really nice touch if we could take wickets together for England as well as Somerset."

Equally, the ECB might do well to reflect on the apparent crackdown on the surfaces at Taunton. It is surely no coincidence that England's two first-choice spin bowling options have been developed on turning pitches - just as they were in Northampton, not so long ago - which provide scope for lots of bowling. Yes, there is a distinction to be made between acceptably turning surfaces and ones which offer variable bounce and excessive assistance. But it is also no coincidence that Bess responded to this relatively helpful surface in a calm and constructive manner; something which had not always been the case with Moeen Ali, for example, who sometimes looked more comfortable when expectations were lower. Not for the first time, the thought occurred that Somerset deserve credit not censure for their spin-friendly pitches

Bess had a couple of other factors in his favour here. The first, as was the case in Cape Town, is that this South Africa side is, generally, oddly passive against spin. Other sides - better sides - will surely look to hit Bess off his length. The other factor is that he was bowling when his side had 499 runs on the board. That makes a huge difference in terms of the fields set, the mentality of the batsmen and the time the fielding captain can stick with plans. It won't always be this straightforward.

But everything suggests Bess has the character to cope with adversity. He has shrugged off being unable to get into his own county team, after all, and being called into this tour party without a competitive game since the end of the English season. He made a half-century on Test debut and followed it with 49 as nightwatchman in his second Test. And he's still just 22. Suddenly Moeen's exile does not seem quite as urgent an issue.

Expect a Rashid storm against the Hurricanes

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 18 January 2020 09:37

January 19: Hobart Hurricanes v Adelaide Strikers

Our XI: Mathew Wade, Jake Weatherald, George Bailey, Ben McDermott, Travis Head, Jonathan Wells, Rashid Khan (capt), Qais Ahmed (vice-capt), Nathan Ellis, Micheal Neser, Scott Boland

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant updates)

Captain: Rashid Khan

The Hurricanes have struggled with the bat and have a weakened batting line up. Rashid Khan is coming up against this opposition for the first time this season and would be looking to display his skills. Hurricanes have been the worst team against spin this tournament and one can expect Rashid to add to his 16 wickets.

Vice-captain: Qais Ahmed

Similar to the Hurricanes, the Strikers have also been struggling with the bat in the last few games. Qais Ahmed has 11 wickets at an economy of 7.91 and a best of 4 for 12. He could control the middle overs, which has been a bit of a problem for the Strikers.

Hot picks
Mathew Wade
Hurricanes desperately need a win and Wade is key to that. Wade scored 61 runs against the Heat but has failed in the other two matches. Wade's foundation is vital in ensuring the likes of David Miller, George Bailey and Ben McDermott can regain some form and help the Hurricanes get past the Strikers at home.

Jonathan Wells
With 306 runs from 10 matches, Wells has been the best performer for the Strikers. In the absence of Alex Carey, it is up to Wells to take the Strikers to a good total. His average is 61.20, and his strike rate is 131.89. The strike rate could have been a bit higher, but is also a function of the situations he has come in to bat.

Value picks
Scott Boland
With Riley Meredith injured, the Hurricanes have struggled with the ball. Boland's been the key for them having taken a wicket in every match he has played in. Boland has eight wickets from five matches at an impressive economy of 7.44.

Travis Head
Head is yet to start scoring in this season. The captain has played just two matches but has been dismissed cheaply on both occasions. One could take a punt on Head to lead by example, as the game against the lower ranked Hurricanes is key to the Strikers' chances of qualifying.

Point to note The Match is being played at a venue that has not hosted too many games. Wait for the toss and pitch report before you choose your captain and vice-captain.

Viral star goes from thwarting thief to UFC 246

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 18 January 2020 13:18

LAS VEGAS -- Conor McGregor was on one side. Standing across from him was Donald Cerrone. It was Friday afternoon at Park MGM, the intense, final staredown for the blockbuster UFC 246 main event.

In between the two men and slightly behind them is a spot usually reserved for UFC president Dana White to make sure nothing gets physical before they enter the Octagon. This time, Summer Tapasa-Sataraka was in White's place.

Tapasa has gained worldwide attention as the star of a viral video that shows her physically blocking a would-be thief from taking off with a speaker from Best Buy, her place of employment. White saw the video, found out that Tapasa is no longer with Best Buy and had her flown out to Las Vegas for UFC 246 fight week.

Suddenly, the 24-year-old from Hawaii was front and center for the faceoff between the most popular fighter in UFC history and the winningest fighter in UFC history.

"It was amazing," Tapasa told ESPN. "I was like, I cannot believe I'm here in this moment. In this particular spot -- I can't believe it. It's unbelievable."

On Friday, White officially offered Tapasa a job with the UFC. UFC vice president of communications Lenee Breckenridge said White initially thought Tapasa could work in a security capacity, but after being moved by talking with her, he felt that she could be valuable in an even greater role. No details on a potential position have been hammered out, Breckenridge said, but White plans to discuss it more with Tapasa on Saturday at UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena.

Tapasa has several other job opportunities following the viral video, too, she said. But she is a UFC fan and willing to leave Hawaii and move to Las Vegas if the UFC wants her. Tapasa said her "jaw dropped" when she saw White post on Instagram about her, and she was floored when Breckenridge reached out on Facebook with the offer to come to Las Vegas for UFC 246.

"I'm not gonna let this opportunity slide," Tapasa said. "This is once in a lifetime."

The incident that led to the viral video happened Dec. 23. Tapasa was working in her role as asset protection at Best Buy -- essentially a security job -- when she saw a man moving toward an open exit carrying a speaker he did not pay for. Tapasa ran over, blocked the door, pushed the man back and then plowed over him like a football offensive tackle when he attempted to escape.

"As soon as I seen him running, the first instinct was just to stop him," she said. "... I wasn't about to let that happen. Not on my watch."

Tapasa said she didn't do it for Best Buy, for herself or to go viral on social media. She said she has seen shoplifting far too often and wanted to teach a lesson to the would-be robber -- and anyone else who thinks it's OK to steal. The man left the store without the speaker.

"If I don't stop him now, he's gonna keep coming, he's gonna keep coming," Tapasa said. "He's gonna get more stuff. It's not coming out of my pockets. Yes, the items are insured. But it's the mindset that these people have that they think this is OK. I cannot believe in society now it's like that."

It is against Best Buy policy to get physical with a customer in any way. Tapasa was already going to be leaving her job, but said she would have been fired for stopping the man.

"Our biggest concern is always keeping our employees and customers safe," Best Buy said in a statement to Hawaii News Now, although it did not detail shoplifting protocols for employees. "The reality is simple: Physically engaging with criminals can be dangerous. None of the products we sell is worth putting the safety of our employees at risk."

Last week, after the video went viral, White posted it to Instagram, writing of Tapasa, "I WANT HER TO WORK FOR ME!" in all caps.

Tapasa, who calls Hawaii's Max Holloway her favorite fighter, said she'd be open to any role the UFC sees as suitable for her. Except one, that is.

"I'm definitely not getting in that cage," she said with a laugh. "I've seen some fans say, 'Man, she'd be great in the cage.' No, no, no. I'm perfectly OK. I'm cool with just being a bodyguard or security."

OBJ cop slap case won't be pursued by DA office

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 18 January 2020 08:48

Odell Beckham Jr.'s legal issues in his native Louisiana appear to be over.

The Cleveland Browns wide receiver was potentially facing a misdemeanor charge of simple battery for slapping the buttocks of a Superdome police officer in the LSU locker room after the Tigers' national championship victory over Clemson on Monday in New Orleans.

However, the officer in question signed an affidavit saying he did not want to pursue charges, Beckham's lawyer, Daniel Davillier, said in a statement Saturday.

Later Saturday, a spokesman for the Orleans Parish District Attorney said, "Absent a complaining witness, this is not a case our office intends to pursue." The New Orleans Police Department has not yet commented.

Video surfaced this week showing Beckham slapping the officer during the locker room celebration. According to records obtained by NOLA.com, the officer had been telling LSU players to put out cigars in the locker room.

No case had been instituted against Beckham because no arrest was made. And since it was not a felony charge, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office was not involved in the decision.

"We are aware of the incident and have been in touch with Odell and his representatives on the matter," the Browns said in a statement issued Thursday. "They are cooperating with the proper authorities to appropriately address the situation."

Beckham also was seen on video passing out money to several LSU players immediately after the Tigers' 42-25 victory.

The 27-year-old, is from New Orleans and played for LSU.

The university's athletic department issued a statement Wednesday, saying it was aware of video showing "apparent cash" being given to players by Beckham and that it has been in contact with the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference regarding the matter.

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