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The wicketkeeper-batter says Australia will not rest players just because they have sealed their semi-final slot

Andrew McGlashan20-Mar-2022In an ominous warning to those hoping to stop Australia at the World Cup, Alyssa Healy believes the fact that their performance against India was not without its faults is a good sign after they became the first team to confirm their semi-final slot.Australia chased down 278 with three balls to spare at Eden Park with the finish becoming a little tighter than appeared likely, with eight needed off the final over, but Beth Mooney ensured against any drama. They had been wayward with the ball, giving away 24 runs in wides and Harmanpreet Kaur a life on 33 but even then the eventual total, which meant Australia needed the third-highest successful chase in ODIs, did not daunt them.”It’s something that we pride ourselves on in this group, that ability to potentially win a game from anywhere and any situation,” Healy said. “When our backs are against the wall, we fight our way out of that and that’s exactly what you need in ODI cricket, exactly what you need in World Cup cricket.Related

Healy and Haynes, the fine line between desire and deed, and a date with World Cup destiny

Meg Lanning slices India apart, one cut at a time

Stats: Australia's 17th successful ODI chase in a row

Peerless Lanning leads the way as Australia enter semi-finals

“You just need to find a way to win games. The first half of our game yesterday wasn’t perfect, [it] wasn’t disastrous, I thought potentially they could have put 300 on us – if we had been batting first we would have looked at that score knowing how good the wicket was – so it wasn’t perfect, which is probably a good thing. You don’t want to be playing your perfect cricket now. Just to be able to get the win the way we did was pleasing.”Healy played the key role in laying the platform for the chase with a crunching 72 off 65 balls and even when she and Rachael Haynes fell in consecutive overs after adding 121, it barely knocked Australia off course. Meg Lanning highlighted the majority of what was to come with 97 and Mooney, as she so often does, iced the game with 30 off 20 balls after Ellyse Perry had laboured somewhat in making 28 off 51 balls. It was the latest example of the formidable nature of the Australia batting order with Ashleigh Gardner unused at No. 7.”Having that confidence in what those top seven batters can do is really a free license for the rest of us to play the way we do,” Healy said. “We know that if we all come off on one day, it will be a ridiculous score and if we don’t come off, there are six other players who can come off. We know someone has our back if it doesn’t work, but if it does…we just keep going.”Australia have used 14 of their 15-player squad during their first five matches (Heather Graham was briefly added as a replacement) coping seamlessly with Gardner’s delayed entry into the tournament due to Covid-19. They have also been able to carefully manage the workload of quick Darcie Brown who again proved a point of difference against India with 3 for 30.”That’s probably been the most pleasing thing for me,” Healy said. “We haven’t had to rely solely on one batter or one bowler that’s been doing the heavy lifting. It has been a genuine team effort, and think coming into finals play, it’s going to be crucial that everyone is firing, feeling good about themselves and their cricket and this team is in a really good place in that regard.”While Australia can now have their eyes on that semi-final – “to do it this early is a nice feeling to have,” Healy said – they have their focus firmly on the next match against fellow unbeaten team South Africa in what has the makings of another fantastic contest.”They’ve played some really cricket and knocked off some big teams in this tournament, no doubt they’ll be looking to do the same for us and have their sights set on finishing first,” Healy said. “I hope we don’t take the foot off the pedal, we may as well maintain the momentum while we’ve got it. I would imagine we wouldn’t be looking to rest people purely because we have two games in hand. That’s not the way we look at our cricket.”

Lionel Messi has a new apprentice at Inter Miami, with the Herons adding Argentine starlet Baltasar Rodriguez to their bid for MLS Cup glory.

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Messi seeing workload carefully managedHerons have acquired more creativityRodriguez joins on loan with option to buyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi remains a talismanic presence at Chase Stadium, as he fills the captain’s armband, but he is unable to play every fixture in a packed schedule at 37 years of age. The all-time great has sat out Inter Miami’s last three matches as no risks are taken on his fitness.

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In a bid to ensure that they have enough creativity at their disposal to compete on multiple fronts, the Herons have moved to acquire another playmaking No.10. Rodriguez is that man, with the 21-year-old being snapped up from Argentine giants Racing on loan for the rest of the 2025 campaign. Said deal includes the option for a permanent transfer to be completed later in the year.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rodriguez, who played under Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano when forming part of Argentina’s U23 squad for the pre-Olympic Tournament in 2024, has already won Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana titles in his homeland, while also gracing the prestigious Copa Libertadores.

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WHAT INTER MIAMI SAID

Inter Miami have said in a statement on the club’s : “Rodriguez, 21, joins Inter Miami from Argentine side Racing Club de Avellaneda, where he developed as a youth player prior to debuting for the first team in 2023. The midfielder subsequently established himself as an important player for Racing, racking up 69 appearances across all competitions while contributing seven goals and four assists.

“Notably, he helped the club win the 2024 Copa Sudamericana title, featuring in eight matches and recording a goal and two assists en route to being crowned champions, and the CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana 2025 title. Additionally, during his time with Racing, Rodríguez shared the pitch nine times alongside new Inter Miami teammate Tomas Aviles.

“The Monte Hermoso, Argentina native also boasts international experience in his young career. Rodríguez has represented Argentina at the U-23 level, competing with the team at 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament under the management of Inter Miami head coach Mascherano. Rodriguez made five appearances in the tournament, scoring a goal in the process, as Argentina’s U-23 national team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Notably, Rodriguez featured alongside new Inter Miami teammates Gonzalo Lujan, Federico Redondo and Rocco Rios Novo in Argentina’s squad for CONMEBOL’s Pre-Olympic Tournament.”

Julen Lopetegui seems to be on the brink of losing his job at West Ham, having only won once in their last five games, including their most recent 3-1 loss to Leicester City.

Whilst the Hammers have improved in certain metrics this season, holding more of the ball (46.4% possession), taking more shots (14.7 per match), and conceding fewer shots (15.8 per game), the results have not followed, as they sit 14th in the Premier League.

This has led to the owners drawing up a shortlist of potential managers who could take over if they do pull the trigger and sack Lopetegui, and two favourites seem to have emerged.

West Ham's managerial shortlist

Three main names have emerged on the West Ham shortlist according to journalist Ben Jacobs, with Graham Potter, Sergio Conceicao and Edin Terzić.

Terzic, who made his way to the Champions League final with Dortmund last season, losing 2-0 at the final hurdle against Real Madrid, is said to be on the list, but the other two names seem to be gathering more traction in the media.

Potter, whose last job was with Chelsea in the 2022/23 season, has taken his time off to assess, and wait for the right opportunity to get back into management. In his time at Chelsea, they held the fifth most possession in the division (58.8%), took the eighth most shots per game (12.7), and conceded the seventh fewest shots per match (11.5).

There are many coaching qualities to like about Potter. He is an adaptable manager who will change things in order to give his side the tactical edge, and he has proven himself in the league already, mainly in his time at Brighton.

However, one thing to consider would be his time out of management, and how he struggled with the pressure at Chelsea, and this West Ham job wouldn’t be an easy one to come into with the state it is currently in.

Conceicao, on the other hand, was in a job at Porto from 2017-2024, only leaving the Portuguese giants this summer, after delivering the Portuguese Cup for a third time. In his final season at the club (2023/24), Porto averaged the highest amount of possession in the division (63.6%), averaged the second most shots per game (16.8), and conceded the second-fewest shots per match (8.3).

All of these metrics show how Conceicao would be a brilliant appointment, with an ability to deploy a good defensive strategy, keeping opposition shot totals low (something the Hammers have really struggled to do this season). However, the Portuguese coach has never managed in England, and the risk would be implementing his style at speed in another country, in order to turn things around quickly at the club.

That leads us to possibly the best option for the Hammers, someone not even on this list, and instead an ex-player, who is now showing his class in management, generating the highest xG in the Championship so far this season, with 33.1 in 18 games played.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

West Ham's best option to replace Lopetegui

Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side have been rampant in the Championship this season, currently sitting fifth in the league on 30 points, just eight points off 1st placed Sheffield United. Carrick’s side have scored the second most goals in the Championship, with 32, and are averaging the second most shots per game, with 16.1.

The 43-year-old coach played for West Ham, Tottenham and, of course, Manchester United in his playing days, before starting his coaching journey as the Manchester United assistant manager back in 2018, keeping that role until 2021. He then took over as caretaker manager for three games, winning two of the three, before Erik ten Hag took the reins, leaving Carrick out of a job.

But in 2022, Middlesbrough hired the ex-midfielder, and since then, he has taken charge of 107 matches, averaging a points per match of 1.67, and brandishing a lovely style of play that mirrors that of the elites. This is the type of football West Ham want to play, and Carrick could be the perfect appointment to bring that to the club, whilst also connecting with the fans.

Carrick sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 from the start, often adopting that familiar 3-2-5 shape in possession, and adjusting how he forms that shape on the ball, depending on which players he has on the pitch. The most common rotation includes the left-back providing width, with the left-winger drifting inside, to become that second number ten behind the striker.

And it’s the formation of this exciting attacking triangle (left-winger, number ten, striker) that has seen Carrick’s Middlesbrough side blow teams away this season, so who could fit the bill in these roles for him at West Ham?

The West Ham players who would thrive under Carrick

West Ham’s two key men last season, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, would both thrive in this system, allowing them to get into these central pockets of space closer to goal, and create chances for themselves and one another.

Instead of seeing the left-back overlap to provide width, West Ham could deploy the right-back in this fashion, allowing Bowen to drift infield from the right wing, whilst Kudus could then start at number 10. This would form a triangle of Bowen, Kudus and a striker, which could improve the Hammers’ ability to score goals, getting their best players into dangerous areas.

Goals

0.31

0.23

Assists

0.19

0.12

xG

0.20

0.37

Progressive Carries

3.72

4.63

Progressive Passes

3.80

3.17

Shots Total

2.84

3.60

Key Passes

2.34

1.10

Shot-Creating Actions

4.45

4.02

Carries into Pen Area

1.68

2.07

Touches in Pen Area

4.45

5.61

By getting these higher shot-volume players into these central areas, and allowing them to be the difference makers, it would undoubtedly see an increase in attacking output for the Hammers. Something Carrick has done well with Middlesbrough is platform his best players, in order to get the best from them, which has an overall positive effect on the team.

Not only would Carrick be a young and exciting manager for the fans to get behind, but he is also well-known in England, has managed in the country before, and plays a style which is guaranteed to translate to the Premier League, which could be exactly what the Irons need to get back on track.

Better than Potter: West Ham eyeing up 3x title winner to replace Lopetegui

Lopetegui’s time at West Ham could be up with an appointment even better than Potter

1 ByConnor Holden Dec 5, 2024

Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, drawing 2-2 with Aston Villa, drawing 1-1 with Newcastle, beating Ipswich 1-0, and drawing 2-2 with Manchester City.

If you look at this in regard to points, earning six points from a possible 12 isn’t bad at all when you consider the opposition in these four games, and these results have seen Oliver Glasner’s side climb out of the relegation zone, now sitting 17th.

One man in particular has been key with his performances in recent weeks, scoring two goals and becoming “irreplaceable” in Glasner’s system, per the words of journalist Dom Smith.

Daniel Munoz's performances this season

Daniel Munoz has been in superb form lately, scoring a goal against Manchester City. But, his standout performance in this recent run definitely came against the Magpies.

Alongside scoring a 94th-minute equaliser to grab a point for the Eagles, Munoz also won 12/13 ground duels in the game alongside winning a whopping 11 tackles.

The importance of Munoz is key to Glasner’s system, as he is required to hold the width and operate as a fifth attacker in possession, whilst also tracking back and being part of the compact back five out of possession.

The 50-year-old Austrian coach even labelled Munoz’s goal as “amazing” against Man City, speaking about his ability to affect the game from wingback, overloading that side of the pitch.

Often, this role is considered a specialist one, and can drive the price of top players in these positions, but Palace managed to get a real bargain with Munoz, who has already tripled his value.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Daniel Munoz's transfer value in 2024

The 28-year-old was signed by Palace in January 2024, joining from Genk for a fee of around £6.9m. Since joining the Eagles, Munoz has made 34 appearances for the club, scoring two goals, providing six assists, and totalling 2,965 minutes played.

According to Transfermarkt, Munoz has seen his value soar and he is now worth around £19m, nearly triple the fee he was signed for just 11 months ago.

So, how does he compare to a fellow full-back in the Palace squad?

Goals

0.12

0.00

Assists

0.12

0.06

xG

0.18

0.02

xAG

0.11

0.15

Progressive Carries

1.57

2.01

Progressive Passes

2.43

2.36

Shots Total

1.01

0.34

Key Passes

1.00

1.04

Passes into Pen Area

0.50

0.83

Shot-Creating Actions

2.29

2.50

Tackles

3.79

2.71

Interceptions

1.01

0.40

Glasner has established a good dynamic with his wing-backs, the left side being more geared towards progression, as Tyrick Mitchell demonstrates here with his metrics, averaging more progressive carries, more key passes per 90, and more shot-creating actions.

Munoz, on the other hand, is the more direct attacking threat, getting into goalscoring areas more often, taking more shots, generating more xG, and scoring more goals per 90. Both players are expected to do their part on the defensive end, and their industry to get up and down the pitch is key to their roles.

If Palace are to continue on their four-game unbeaten streak and continue to climb their way up the Premier League table, the performances of their wingbacks will be key, with Munoz and Mitchell impacting both sides of the ball at all times.

Their next Olise: Crystal Palace could have a £100m + star in the making

Crystal Palace could have their next Olise with £100m ace in the making

ByConnor Holden Nov 16, 2024

Former captain praises successor for supreme batting focus but fears his message is getting lost

Andrew Miller04-Apr-2022Alastair Cook says he is in awe of Joe Root’s ability to stay focused on his run-scoring amid intense speculation about his future as Test captain, but has warned his successor that the relentless focus on the “positives” within England’s dressing-room is running the risk of sounding “deluded”.Root is currently taking a break from cricket in the wake of England’s series loss to West Indies, having overseen a run of one Test victory out of 17 since February 2021. And Cook – who is gearing up for his 20th season of county cricket with Essex – knows better than most how his predecessor will currently be feeling, having come through his own torrid year as captain in 2014, when England’s 5-0 whitewash against Australia gave way to the controversial sacking of Kevin Pietersen.However, while Cook acknowledged that his own Test form suffered amid the furore, Root’s own batting standards remain a class apart. Despite a relative lull during the Ashes, in which he was still one of only two England batters to average more than 30, he returned to form with twin hundreds in the Caribbean, making it eight in 20 Tests, and a total of 2066 runs, since the start of 2021.”The amount of runs that Joe Root has scored is an incredible effort,” Cook said. “I really struggled in 2014, scoring runs with that KP stuff going on the background, that really affected me. For him to be able to handle that and not let his personal performance go, that’s an unbelievable sign.”He’s England’s most complete batsman I’ve ever seen, but if [juggling the captaincy] was going to affect him, it would have affected him in the last eight months or so,” Cook added. “To score 1700 runs [in 2021], 1200 more than anyone else, it’s laughable, and normally it’s untenable to do that. But the way he’s scored those runs, and singlehandedly carried England’s batting, is an extraordinary effort, with all the other stuff going on.”Nevertheless, Cook also warned that the singlemindedness that has allowed Root to block out the criticism and concentrate on his run-scoring could also be a double-edged sword when it comes to recognising when and if his tenure as captain has run its course.Writing in his Sunday Times column, Cook had praised Root’s determination to “get England’s sinking ship … floating again”. However, having spent the winter as an at-times outspoken pundit for BT Sport, Cook also admits his concerns that the players will stop listening to their captain’s belief in the team’s progression if – as seemed to be the case in the immediate aftermath of their ten-wicket loss in Grenada – it seems too far removed from the reality of their performances.”I am a bit bored of all the positive chat, because I don’t think it was a sense of reality in that changing room,” Cook said. “All the noise was that ‘we’ve turned a corner and our attitude is brilliant’. Some of that stuff should have been a given.Root speaks to his team during the tour of the Caribbean•Getty Images”And it looked like a dig at the Australia tour, that their attitude there wasn’t great,” Cook added, after a raft of senior players were dropped for the West Indies – most notably James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but also Rory Burns and Dawid Malan.”Actually, from watching, I never saw them throw the towel in. They just weren’t good enough to compete, and their batting under pressure folded, and the same thing happened in Grenada.”I compare it to Toto Wolff and the Mercedes [Formula One] team,” Cook continued. “They’ve been the outstanding team for the last eight years, and they’ve obviously designed a car which isn’t quite as quick as their rivals, and [Wolff] comes out after two races, and says ‘that’s totally unacceptable’.”Now that’s not slagging off his team. It’s just the reality they’re in, and I’m sure he would have said ‘we will be good enough to turn it round’. But some of the stuff coming out [from England], with all this positivity. We’ve just lost again, we’ve won one in 17. That’s the reality, and it hurts. But if you own that, as a side, that could be a step forward.”Cook, however, also recognises there are extraordinary external circumstances dominating England’s current agenda, and that nothing significant can change within the existing set-up until a raft of permanent appointments are made at the ECB.”It’s maddening to think that a company as big as the ECB has got no chairman, no director of cricket and no coach,” Cook said, following the departure of Ian Watmore before Christmas and the sackings of Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood after the Ashes. “How it’s got there shows where English cricket is at this point. It’s an amazing challenge for whoever does get that job to turn it around because there’s been some dark days for English cricket.”Maybe dark isn’t the right word, because actually there’s a huge amount of talent around and I think everyone can see that. But you can’t have no coach, no director of cricket and no chairman – if you’re running a business that doesn’t seem to make much sense. So it’s an exciting time. You’re actually thinking if the next appointment is a good appointment, it’s a total and utter fresh start because that’s what English cricket needs.”With that in mind, there remains an awkward piece of unresolved business for whoever does take over, given that Anderson and Broad, 39 and 35 respectively, have both made it clear they are not ready to accept their time in the England team is over just yet – and that, with the possible exception of Saqib Mahmood, few of the seamers selected for the Caribbean tour enhanced their claims to be long-term replacements.Related

Root insists he wants to remain England captain

Ex-England captains call for Root to step down after Windies defeat

England at rock-bottom but rudderless ECB will struggle to cast Root adrift

Root rested for opening rounds of County Championship

Cook himself bowed out of Test cricket on the ultimate high in 2018, with a matchwinning century in his final Test innings against India. But he recognises that not everyone gets the chance to go out on their own terms, even when their records and reputation merit a perfect send-off.”Absolutely they [deserve it], but professional sport doesn’t always work like you want it to,” Cook said. “We know they are legends of the game. They’re legends of English cricket, they’re right up there with the best bowlers ever to play the game.”Hopefully they do get a chance [for a send-off], but tell that to Jimmy, he’ll slap your hand off and say ‘I’m not thinking about retiring, I’m still playing until I’m 75’. He’s thinking, I want to get back in that Test side and prove that they shouldn’t have left me out.”But it makes it an interesting summer doesn’t it? Do they play or who is the new line-up? Are they good enough? Absolutely. Do they still warrant their places? Yeah, you’d say so with the quality they’ve got. But this is where England need to be clear.”

The Austrian powerhouse has underwhelmed of late, must rally after being outscored 26-5 in Champions League

Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg are set to compete in their first FIFA Club World Cup this summer, looking to upset the rest of the field in the United States. The Red Bull club are not expected to advance out of the Group Stage. However, none of that matters to them. They qualified ahead of many other mighty European teams and are looking to prove they belong on the world's biggest stage at the club level.

Led by manager Thomas Tesch, Salzburg are looking to make history this summer with their young, but talented squad.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT.

Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field. Next up is Salzburg, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the Austrian club ahead of this summer's tournament.

Getty Images SportThe Basics

DOMESTIC LEAGUE: Austrian Bundesliga

CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: This is their first appearance.

GROUP: H (Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg)

OPENING MATCH:  Pachuca – June 18, 6 p.m., Cincinnati

AdvertisementHow they got here

Salzburg clinched a berth through the UEFA Ranking Pathway after Bayern Munich eliminated Arsenal from the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League. That result gave the Austrian side the 12th and final European spot at the Club World Cup based on their performances in the UCL over the past four seasons.

GettyThe player to watch

Salzburg have long been known to develop world-class talents, from Erling Haaland to Sadio Mane and Dominik Szoboszlai. The latest talent to come out of the Austrian side is Oscar Gloukh.

The Israel international, 20, leads the team in scoring in 2024-25 despite playing as a central midfielder/winger. Across all competitions, he's totaled nine goals and recorded two assists while starting in all eight of their UEFA Champions League games this season.

He navigates the pitch with ease, and has brilliant vision on and off the ball in transition. Against top opponents in the U.S. this summer, he is undoubtedly the key player.

AFPRealistic expectations

Paired with Pachuca, Al Hilal and Real Madrid in Group H, honestly, winning one Group Stage match for the Austrian side would seem a massive achievement. Making it out of the Group? That would be surpassing all expectations.

are the heavy favorites to advance, but second will be a toss-up between the rest of the group. Salzburg's most important matches will be against Pachuca and Al Hilal. They'll rely on their European competition experience against some of the best clubs in the world to prepare.

One concern, though, is their 2024-25 form. From 2013-14 to 2022-23, Salzburg won 10 straight domestic titles, but fell short last season and were runners-up to Sturm Graz. Now, in 2024-25, they sit fourth in domestic play just one game out from the start of the March international break.

They've underwhelmed throughout the regular season, even more so in European competition. In this year's UCL, they qualified for the Group Stage through the playoff system in August, but struggled mightily through eight matches. They were outscored 26-5, a dire minus-21 goal differential. Their only win was against Feyenoord on Matchday 4. It will be a true Cinderella run if they find form at the Club World Cup.

Nottinghamshire take control against Midlands rivals, but not without a struggle

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2022Nottinghamshire 334 for 7 (Duckett 86, Conners 3-80) lead Derbyshire 260 (du Plooy 57, Guest 51) by 74 runsNottinghamshire will begin day three of this LV= Insurance County Championship match with a lead of 74 after a day that began with a flurry of boundaries turned at times into an attritional battle that reflected well on an inexperienced Derbyshire attack.Ben Duckett top-scored with 86 but although every other Nottinghamshire batter bar Haseeb Hameed was able to build the foundations of an innings, none was able to make a score of real substance.Although a couple of dismissals could be put down to poor shots, the hard work put in by 23-year-old Sam Conners (3 for 80), 19-year-old Nick Potts (2 for 39) in leading a makeshift seam attack earned its rewards.Off-spinner Alex Thomson also picked up two wickets and the only disappointments for Derbyshire is that three catches went down and there were periods when runs were conceded too easily.Two stoppages for light rain limited the morning session to 21 overs but still saw 99 runs added as Nottinghamshire made rapid progress against a Derbyshire attack forced into late changes by injuries to Suranga Lakmal and Anuj Dal.Ben Slater and Hameed were quickly into their stride, taking it in turn to find the boundary as Liam Hurt and Conners strove to find the right lengths but Nottinghamshire’s progress was jolted as Conners dismissed both openers in the space of 14 deliveries.Hameed fell to a brilliant one-handed catch low to his left by Wayne Madsen at second slip before Slater pushed at a ball that he could only feather through to keeper Brooke Guest.Duckett and Clarke added 84 for the third wicket either side of lunch, Duckett looking in ominously fluent form as he completed a sixth half-century from nine innings this season before Clarke, dropped at short mid-wicket off Alex Hughes on 31, dragged the ball on to his stumps reaching for a wide delivery by Potts to fall for 37.The left-handed Duckett seemed poised for a second hundred of the campaign as he quickly moved into the 80s but after a reverse sweep against Thomson brought him a 12th boundary the off-spinner exacted revenge almost immediately.Going on to the back foot in anticipation of a ball he could cut, Duckett was presented instead with a full delivery that bowled him.Derbyshire’s joy at removing another of their opponents’ most potent batting threats had to be set against another injury setback, with Luis Reece leaving the field after being unable to complete his ninth over, and two more dropped catches, both by Thomson at first slip, sparing Lyndon James first on six and again on 13.Nottinghamshire lost their fifth wicket when Steven Mullaney edged behind to give Potts a second wicket and were only five runs in front when Thomson made some amends for his errors in the field by dismissing James, inducing an edge that Madsen snapped up at slip.Thereafter, Nottinghamshire contented themselves with grinding out whatever advantage they could accrue. When Tom Moores slapped a wide long-hop from Madsen’s off-spin through backward point to secure a third batting point it was a first boundary for 20 overs.Moores made 40 from 79 balls before he was caught behind down the legside as Conners bowled his second over with the second new ball before bad light terminated play with 14.5 of the scheduled overs unbowled.

Andrea Pirlo rolled back the years with a stunning 25-yard free-kick during AC Milan Glorie's thumping defeat to Tottenham Legends in a charity game.

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Tottenham Legends beat AC Milan Glorie 6-2Pirlo scores stunning 25-yard free-kickKeane scores hat-trick for SpursFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On Sunday, iconic former Tottenham and Milan players lined up to face one another in aid of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. With Spurs 6-1 up and cruising at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, ex-Italy international Pirlo stepped up and curled a sumptuous effort into the top corner to make the scoreline a bit more respectable.

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Pirlo has been retired from football for quite a few years now but his effort shows that form is temporary and class is permanent in the 6-2 loss. Football fans enjoyed an entertaining contest where Robbie Keane grabbed a hat-trick for Tottenham and legends such as Dimitar Berbatov, Cafu, Serginho, Jermaine Defoe, and more, featured. Plus, thousands have been raising money for the club's charity.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The current Tottenham team are next in action on April 3 away to local rivals Chelsea in the Premier League, and under-fire head coach Ange Postecoglou will be desperate for a morale-boosting victory.