Bayern Munich’s loan approach for Midtjylland striker Franculino has been turned down, with West Ham, Como and Villarreal also keen on the youngster.

Midtjylland have rejected a loan bid from German sideBayern's proposed deal for Chelsea's Jackson collapsedWest Ham and Villarreal are also interestedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Danish club Midtjylland have rejected a surprise loan bid from Bayern for 21-year-old striker Franculino Dju, according to reports from Danish outlet . The Superliga side promptly turned down the offer, maintaining their stance that the prolific forward is not for sale.

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Bayern's late approach for Franculino comes as the club scrambles for attacking reinforcements after a proposed deal for Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson reportedly collapsed. The Guinea-Bissau international has attracted widespread interest, with West Ham, Como and Villarreal also monitoring the situation. Midtjylland have already turned down a significant permanent offer from Villarreal, reported to be worth around £17 million ($23m).

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Franculino is the current top scorer in the Superliga and has been in sensational form this season, scoring eight goals and registering three assists in just six appearances in the competition.

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Despite Midtjylland's firm position, Franculino and his representatives are reportedly keen on a move to a bigger European league. With the player having signed a contract extension until 2029 late last year, it would likely take a substantial transfer fee to persuade the Danish club to sell. For Bayern, the search for a striker continues after being rebuffed in their attempts to sign both Jackson and Franculino, though their hopes of signing the Chelsea star may have been revived.

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A partida de ida da final do Campeonato Paulista acontece neste domingo (2), às 16h, na Arena Barueri. Em busca do bicampeonato estadual, o Palmeiras disputará a decisão diante do Água Santa. Com isso, o executivo de futebol da equipe de Diadema Júlio Rondinelli, em entrevista ao LANCE!, falou sobre a disparidade entre os clubes, exaltando a campanha do Netuno na competição.

> Palmeiras anuncia o retorno do atacante Artur, ex-Bragantino

O Verdão, multicampeão com Abel Ferreira, fechou seu balanço de 2022 com uma receita de quase R$ 800 milhões e enfrenta na final do Paulistão um adversário que não terá calendário para disputar após o término do estadual. Logo, o executivo elogiou a estrutura geral do Alviverde e revelou a folha de pagamento do Água Santa, uma das menores do Paulistão.

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– O Palmeiras é um gigante, hoje é o clube com melhor estrutura, elenco, tem grandes profissionais trabalhando na sua comissão técnica. É um clube que em qualquer partida tem no mínimo 35 mil torcedores, atrai muito investimento de patrocinador, extremamente organizado, vende muito bem os seus jovens, os seus bons jogadores, contrata muito bem, com muito critério e muito profissionalismo nas ações. O Água Santa é uma equipe modesta, jovem de existência, mas é uma equipe de muita fibra, que dentro do período que nós estamos aqui, a gente pratica todos os atos no mais alto profissionalismo – disse Júlio Rondinelli.

– Eu descrevi o planejamento de renovação, a ampliação que a estrutura física do estádio vai ter agora nesse segundo semestre. A nossa folha de pagamento dos atletas gira em torno de 800, 900 mil reais, é uma folha de pagamento pequena dentre as do Campeonato Paulista. Tem equipes da Série A2 que tem investimento superior ao nosso. A responsabilidade de tudo isso ou mérito de tudo isso são das pessoas que pensam o futebol, da direção, com a nossa participação, da comissão técnica, e principalmente dos atletas que enxergaram no Água Santa uma grande oportunidade de projeção no mercado, disputar um Campeonato Paulista e duelar com todas as equipes de igual pra igual.

Ainda, Júlio relembrou o confronto com o Palmeiras na fase de grupos, que terminou com vitória alviverde por ‘apenas’ 1 a 0, e reafirmou a boa campanha do Netuno na competição, que eliminou clubes da elite do futebol brasileiro como São Paulo e Bragantino.

– Mesmo o jogo contra o Palmeiras na primeira fase que foi um jogo muito duro para o Palmeiras, eles venceram pela contagem mínima. Na eliminatória, vencemos o São Paulo com um público de 40 mil torcedores, foi um ato gigante. Fazer o jogo na Vila contra o Santos também, onde nós empatamos. A vitória contra o Bragantino também, que a gente sabe que é uma equipe de Série A respeitadíssima, profissionais altamente capacitados do outro lado e nos respeitaram. Vencemos o Bragantino em duas oportunidades na competição, na primeira fase e eliminamos ele agora na decisão da semifinal.

> Abel fala das chances do Palmeiras na final do Paulistão: ‘Se não igualarmos na vontade, teremos dificuldades’

Por fim, Júlio Rondinelli afirmou que o Água Santa chega forte para a decisão contra o Palmeiras, enaltecendo tanto os jogadores quanto a direção do clube de Diadema.

– Então, chegamos forte, com os guerreiros que a gente diz, os atletas que realmente buscam sua oportunidade ou buscam um cenário maior e principalmente muito bem comandado, organizado pelo treinador, onde a presidência, a direção proporciona uma condição muito positiva e profissional a todos que representam esse clube.

Na história, a única vitória do Água Santa diante do Verdão foi em 2016 pelo placar elástico de 4 a 1. O jogo marcou uma das goleadas mais icônicas da história recente do clube.

Como teve melhor campanha, o Verdão irá decidir o título do Paulistão em casa em busca do bicampeonato estadual e do seu segundo título em 2023. O primeiro foi o da Supercopa do Brasil contra o Flamengo.

Alexander Isak has explained why he forced a record-setting £125m ($169m) transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool and revealed his targets with the Reds.

• Forced move away from St James' Park
• Has inherited No.9 shirt on Merseyside
• Wants to deliver goals & major silverware

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Sweden international Isak spent the summer pushing for a big-money move away from St James’ Park. He effectively went on strike at one stage, as he stayed away from training and worked by himself, but had to wait until deadline day before seeing a historic switch to Anfield completed.

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• WHAT ISAK SAID

  Discussing why he was so desperate to head for Merseyside, with fans on Tyneside being left frustrated by his behaviour, Isak told Liverpool’s in his first interview: “I think it’s a mixture of what the club is building, but what they’re building on top of what the club already is. The history of the club. Me getting the chance to be a part of this, I want to create history. I want to win trophies. That’s ultimately the biggest motivation for me and I feel like this is the perfect place for me to grow even further and to take my game to the next level and help the team as well.”

  He added on his big ambition: “I feel like this is the next step for me in my career. I’m super-happy that I’ve been given this chance and I’m very motivated to do something well with it.

  “I think I have a lot to give, I think I have a lot to improve. I’m a striker but I always want to give as much as possible to the team, mainly goals but much more than that as well. I want to win everything.”

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  Isak has inherited the legendary No.9 shirt at Liverpool that has previously been worn by the likes of Roger Hunt, John Toshack, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler. He added on that honour: “It means a lot, it’s an iconic number. Obviously it comes with a responsibility as well but I’m delighted to have this chance and to get this number and I’m just motivated to start working and hopefully giving back as well.”

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  Quizzed on whether he will be ready to make his Reds debut against Burnley after the international break, Isak said: “I think that’s the ambition. However, I’ve had a tricky summer where I haven’t played any games and I’ve had restricted training, so I think that’s one to judge and to analyse where I am at and how much I am ready to give. But I certainly want to play as soon as possible.”

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Da várzea ao sucesso repentino no Bragantino, o meia Bruninho vive uma montanha-russa de emoções neste começo de temporada. Ele é uma das esperanças do Massa Bruta para bater o Água Santa nesta segunda-feira (20) e chegar à final do Paulistão.

Com apenas 20 anos de idade, o jovem iniciou esta temporada na reserva, mas, aos poucos, foi ganhando espaço com o técnico Pedro Caixinha. Nas duas últimas partidas pelo Estadual, foram três gols marcados, sendo os dois que garantiram o classificação do Braga à semifinal da competição, ao vencer o Botafogo/SP por 2 a 0, no último fim de semana.

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+Estudo aponta os elencos mais valiosos do mundo; veja as posições dos times brasileiros

Ainda que rápidos, os feitos recentes deixam o atacante com esperanças, de não só conquistar o título paulista, como ser considerado a revelação do torneio.

-Se Deus abençoar, serei eu a revelação do Paulista. Também tenho o sonho de conquistar o Paulista. Agora é buscar, se a gente buscar, trabalhar e lutar, as coisas acontecem – disse o jogador em entrevista exclusiva ao LANCE!.

Natural da zona leste de São Paulo, Bruninho foi pinçado pela empresa que gere o futebol do Massa Bruta quando ainda tinha 12 anos de idade. Com a fusão entre o time de Bragança e o grupo austríaco, ele foi agregado nas categorias de base da ‘nova equipe’.

As primeiras chances como atleta profissional aconteceram em 2021, quando o jogador ainda tinha 18 anos. A promessa entrou no decorrer de quatro partidas, além de ser relacionado, mas ficar somente entre os reservas em outras, entre elas a final da Copa Sul-Americana, contra o Athletico-PR, em que o Massa Bruta foi vice-campeão.

+ Confira quais são os jogos que marcam as semifinais do Paulisão e simule os resultados

O responsável pelas primeiras chances que Bruninho teve no profissional foi o técnico Maurício Barbieri, hoje no Vasco da Gama. Além das oportunidades em 2021, o treinador voltou a relacionar o atacante no ano passado.

No entanto, o atleta não foi promovido definitivamente ao elenco principal. Ele alterava as relações e entradas rápidas no segundo tempo de alguns jogos, como compromissos com o time sub-20. Bruninho, por exemplo, disputou a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior e o Brasileirão Sub-20 em 2021.

Com a saída de Barbieri, o português Pedro Caixinha chegou ao Braga e um dos acertos do treinador português no comando do Massa Bruta foi ter promovido definitivamente Bruno à equipe profissional e ter dado espaço ao atleta.

+ Acompanhe as movimentações do mercado da bola no vaivém do LANCE!

-Só tenho a agradecer ao Barbieri, que me subiu ao profissional, sou muito grato. E o Caixinha realmente me colocou para jogar, peguei confiança e também sou grato, não esperava jogar a quantidade de jogos que venho jogando, estou vivendo um sonho. Com os pés no chão as coisas vão acontecendo – destacou.

Após ficar somente no banco de reservas nos dois primeiros jogos do Bragantino na temporada, Bruninho entrou aos 17 minutos do segundo tempo na derrota do Toro Loko para a Portuguesa, por 3 a 0, na terceira rodada do Paulistão. No compromisso seguinte, contra a Ferroviária, foi titular e, desde então, ganhou vaga cativa na equipe de Caixinha.

O duelo contra o Água Santa, pela nona rodada da primeira fase, foi o único em que Bruninho foi preservado. No mais, ele esteve em 10 jogos da equipe de Bragança neste Paulistão.

Com exceção à derrota do Bragantino para o Ypiranga, pela Copa do Brasil, na última quarta-feira (15), os últimos quatro jogos foram de total afirmação de Bruninho no Massa Bruta. Foram quatro gols marcados e uma assistência.

-Nos treinos o pessoal foi me elogiando e eu acreditava que em algum momento a minha hora ia chegar. E na hora certa ela chegou. Consegui fazer excelentes jogos, como venho fazendo, sou muito grato por isso – disse o jogador.

O grande jogo da carreira de Bruninho acontecerá nesta segunda-feira (20), quando, na Vila Belmiro, em Santos, o Massa Bruta enfrenta o Água Santa, em busca da segunda vaga na decisão do Campeonato Paulista. Seria a primeira vez desde que o clube foi franqueado, em 2020.

After months of speculation, Musah moves from AC Milan and will be back in the Champions League with Atalanta

Musah joins Atalanta on loanDeal has a buy-in clauseOne of 10 Americans in Champions LeagueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Linked to numerous clubs across Europe over recent months, Yunus Musah finally has a landing spot, with the U.S. international joining Atalanta on a full-season loan. The deal has a purchase clause, reported to be at $29.2 million (€25 million). 

Musah gets a much-needed fresh start after two seasons of manager turmoil at AC Milan – playing under four coaches in two seasons. The midfielder never quite found a fit at the storied club, as he made 33 starts and 60 league appearances overall.

Bounced between midfield and defense during his time at the 22-year-old joins a team that might be better suited for his strengths and that will feature in this season's Champions League. 

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Atalanta's interest in Musah had been building over recent weeks and it has been reported that manager Ivan Juric appreciates the American's game. Juric runs a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 formation, and expects his central midfielders to float around and go wide.

That suits Musah's game as he started his professional career as a winger at Valencia before being moved inside. He's also played wing back and full back throughout his career. 

The expectation is that Musah will have a more consistent role and playing time at Atalanta, especially given the number of games the club has between Europe, League and Cup play.

DID YOU KNOW?

Musah was not selected by Mauricio Pochettino for the U.S.'s upcoming September friendlies. 

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With no international duty on the schedule, Musah will now head to Bergamo to adjust to his new club and teammates. 

Man City and Man Utd have completed a sensational swap transfer involving England stars Jess Park and Grace Clinton on WSL deadline day.

Man City & Man Utd complete stunning swap dealPark leaves Cityzens to sign for Red DevilsClinton moves other way in WSL deadline day shockFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The two England stars have swapped clubs in a shocking deadline day transaction which will see both clubs receive a fee, albeit with City to pay more for Clinton than United will for Park, according to . Both have signed four-year deals with their new sides.

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Park's move to Man Utd was announced late on Thursday, an hour before the WSL transfer deadline. She is the club's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Bayern Munich midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme and Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfo. Clinton's switch was then revealed half an hour later, with her the sixth new face through the doors on the blue side of Manchester in this transfer window.

WHAT PARK & CLINTON SAID

Speaking upon the announcement of her move to Man Utd, Park said: "I am really happy to be here and can’t wait to get started. I wanted to break out of the boundaries and push myself to take on a new challenge. I’m the sort of person who wants to keep improving and pushing limits, and I think this is the perfect place for me to do that. I’m a player who wants the ball, and when I get it I like to look up and try and make things happen for my teammates, so I think I can fit in really well here. I know the ambitions are very high and I want to help the team push towards them."

Clinton, meanwhile, said of her transfer to Man City: “City, for me, has always played an amazing style of football. Keeping the ball, it looks lovely, and there are amazing players [here]. I want to get better and grow and learn things in my career and I think there are amazing people here to learn things from. To play this style of football will be really enjoyable.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

Clinton confirmed her exit from Man Utd a couple of hours before her move to Man City was announced, in a statement on social media. Her comments about not being aligned with the future of the club will be sure to frustrate fans of the Red Devils, who will be sad to see her go.

"The club and I have taken the decision to part ways over the past few days," Clinton wrote on Instagram. "To our supporters, from the day I signed as a teenager, I was overwhelmed by your support for me and the team. You are an unbelievable fanbase and always our 12th player. This has been a very difficult decision for me because of the love I have for my teammates and for you, the fans. However, I feel the future of the club and I aren’t on the same page. For me personally, the next step is about growth. I want to continue to develop and learn. Thank you for everything."

MatériaMais Notícias

O segundo e decisivo jogo entreFluminense e Flamengo, valendo o título do Campeonato Carioca, será disputado neste domingo. Entre os muitos atrativos, Marcelo e Ayrton Lucas vão protagonizar um duelo interessante de laterais esquerdos. Crias de Xérem, a dupla consegue ser protagonista em suas respectivas equipes por muitos bastante diferentes.

Enquanto o camisa 12 do Fluminense é a principal contratação do clube para 2023, um retorno muito aguardado pela torcida, o 6 do Flamengo cresceu de produção nos últimos meses e fez valer a confiança de Vítor Pereira. O LANCE! explica mais essa nuance de um dos jogos mais aguardados do fim de semana.

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MARCELO LUTA PARA SER CERTEIRO

BEIJINHO EM ALTA

Carinhosamente apelidado por conta de sua tatuagem, Ayrton Lucas é peça fundamental de um Flamengo que ainda não se encontrou. Se não fossem as atuações do lateral contra Vasco e Fluminense, no Carioca, e Al Hilal, no Mundial de Clubes, o Rubro-Negro acumularia ainda mais resultados negativos em um início de temporada oscilante.

Embora muito criticado, Vítor Pereira tem um dedo importante nessa evolução. Dorival Júnior utilizava um esquema com quatro defensores, ou seja, Ayrton, quando acionado, entrava na lateral esquerda. Com o português, o camisa 6 atua como ala e pode explorar ainda mais suas características ofensivas.

+Flamengo tem novidades nos relacionados para final do Carioca; Vítor Pereira esboça escalação

O resultado dessa equação é o protagonismo no Flamengo em 2023. Ao todo, Ayrton Lucas participou de 14 jogos, marcou dois gols e distribuiu três assistências. Quanto mais se observa os números, mais se vê o tamanho da importância do lateral que é líder em desarmes no elenco e sabe construir chances com 19 passes decisivos.

Flamengo e Fluminense voltam a se enfrentar às 18h (de Brasília), em um Maracanã que promete estar lotado. O Rubro-Negro pode conseguir seu terceiro título em quatro anos, enquanto o Tricolor quer o primeiro bicampeonato desde a década de 1980.

Trent Bridge, the home of men’s reigning champions Trent Rockets, will host the opening fixtures of this year’s Hundred on August 1, with the final once again scheduled for Lord’s, on August 27.As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, this year’s tournament will played in a reduced four-week window, to avoid a clash with the summer’s men’s international schedule that has restricted the availability of many of the tournament’s marquee players in its previous two seasons.To enable this shortened window, all of the rounds will be played as men’s and women’s double-headers – a change from both 2021, when the tournament opened with a standalone women’s fixture at the Kia Oval, and 2022, when the women’s event was delayed by the concurrent Commonwealth Games – while there will be eight “double-double-header” days, on which four matches will be played.In a further change to the 2022 schedule, the eliminator will be played in London – at The Oval – on the eve of the Lord’s final, following criticism from, among others, Manchester Originals’ head coach, Simon Katich, who felt his team was hampered in last year’s event by having to make a late-night journey from Southampton following a thrilling win in their eliminator against London Spirit.The Hundred’s partnership with BBC Music Introducing will be continued for the 2023 event, meaning a diverse range of artists and DJs will once again provide in-game entertainment, while ticket prices are set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.For the first time in the competition’s history, both the men’s and women’s events will be preceded by a draft, which is due to be held on Thursday, March 2. Deadline day – the day on which retained players are confirmed across both competitions – is set to be Thursday, February 16.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Lifting the trophy with my Oval Invincibles team-mates last year was a career highlight that I’ll never forget,” Lauren Winfield-Hill, the England batter, said. “The Hundred is such a thrilling competition to be a part of. The support we had at every game was just phenomenal and I can’t wait to get back into action to defend the title this year.”The first ever women’s draft is definitely going to bring an exciting new element to the game and it will be interesting to see how the teams shape up for another fierce competition.”Dawid Malan, last year’s leading run-maker in the men’s competition, and a reigning champion with Trent Rockets, added: “I have a lot of great memories from the Hundred 2022. The atmosphere in every ground was really enjoyable and winning the title at Lord’s was very special. This summer is shaping up to be massive for cricket in England and Wales and I’m really looking forward to the third year of the Hundred, playing with some of the best players in the world in front of big crowds.”Related

• Simon Katich suggests 24hr turnaround between eliminator and final 'needs to be looked at'

• The Hundred to be played in four-week window in August 2023

Sanjay Patel, the tournament’s managing director, said: “I am incredibly proud of the impact the Hundred has already had on cricket in England and Wales after just two years, providing a new format that has seen more families and a diverse new generation of fans getting into the game.”As we enter year three, we’re looking forward to building on that momentum and putting on another unforgettable summer of world-class cricket action and entertainment that will continue to appeal to new and existing audiences alike.”Beth Barrett-Wild, head of the women’s tournament, and of female engagement at the ECB, added: “We are in the middle of a really special period of time for professional women’s sport, with exponential levels of growth happening across every measure of engagement, from broadcast viewing figures to match day attendances.”Since launching in 2021, the Hundred has had a transformational impact on women’s cricket, propelling the women’s game into the mainstream, and making household names of our brilliant female players.”

Allrounder says he was close to making the XI in Delhi, but “probably having an extra week has helped a lot”

Alex Malcolm24-Feb-2023

Cameron Green has declared himself 100% fit for the third Test against India in Indore as Australia desperately search for a winning combination in the midst of a raft of absences.Australia trained at the Kotla in Delhi on Friday morning having enjoyed a few days off to freshen up since the dramatic collapse that ended the second Test for them last Sunday. But they trained without captain Pat Cummins, who will miss the third Test after deciding to remain home in Sydney to be with his sick mother.While some of Green’s team-mates enjoyed a few rounds of golf earlier in the week and others made a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, he did a solo training session on Tuesday at Arun Jaitley Stadium to keep his bowling loads up having missed the first two Tests because of the broken finger he suffered on December 27.Related

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He revealed he was very close to playing in the Delhi Test but it was his batting that was causing the most issues. Now he was raring to go after giving his troubled right index finger an extra week to heal.”It’s going really well,” Green said. “I was so, so close last game, but I think probably having an extra week has helped a lot. [I’m] 100% ready to go.”Green’s broken finger has caused major headaches for Australia’s selectors. They were desperate for Green to play in Delhi given how important he is to balance the side with both bat and ball. He trained well two days out from the game but there were clear signs he wasn’t quite right.He only caught hard balls while fielding for the first time during that session. He batted for over an hour and looked good but still had not faced a fast bowler in the nets since batting with the broken finger during the Boxing Day Test, and there were instances where he was in obvious pain while batting. It was enough for Green and the selectors to decide he was not ready to go.”We were all on the same page, I reckon,” Green said. “It was just a few instances in the nets where I’d go for a sweep and it just jarred the end of my bat. We probably just thought that we’d sacrifice a game and with obviously the year ahead that we’ve got, it’s probably the right call.”Coach Andrew McDonald revealed on Monday that Australia had even considered Green as the concussion substitute for David Warner during the Delhi Test, although he would not have been able to bowl. Green was able to face Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in the nets and got through that without any drama.The challenge for Green now is getting up to speed halfway through the series with Australia’s batting in a state of panic following two alarming collapses in the second innings of each of the first two Tests.Green has been a notoriously slow starter with the bat coming into Test series after long layoffs and has consistently got better the longer series have gone. Last summer was a prime example where he barely batted between October and December having carried the drinks through the T20 World Cup. He struggled for rhythm in his first two Test innings of the summer before making an unbeaten half-century with the broken finger in Melbourne.But he did play his best Test innings first up off a break in Galle last year on a rank turner to help Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings. He was named Player of the Match for his 77 where he both used his feet and swept the spinners to score fluently on a surface where only three batters passed 50 in the match.Green felt that watching the first two Tests in India from the sidelines had given him some good insight to be able to hit the ground running in Indore.Cameron Green scored an enterprising half-century in Galle•Getty Images

“You get a pretty good look at it from the sideline without having too many emotions of being in the game,” Green said. “You get a pretty good outlook on it. I think maybe in Galle it was a really bouncy wicket. Maybe here, it’s not bouncing as much.”So that’s probably just another bit that I’m trying to learn about my game about trying to read the conditions and what to do in different conditions. That’s what’s been nice about watching the first two games. You can work out what’s probably the best approach.”Both Green and the selectors are extremely wary of his staggering workload coming up this year. Green is not due to return home to Australia until August. Following the Test series, he will remain in India for the three-match ODI series then go straight into the IPL with Mumbai Indians after being the second-highest purchase in last year’s auction for a staggering price given his limited T20 experience.Following the IPL, he is due to travel straight to England where Australia will play six Tests in two months should they qualify for the World Test Championship final ahead of the Ashes. He is then likely to get a short break at home in August before Australia head to South Africa for three ODIs and three T20Is ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in September and October.Green remained very positive about the time away from his partner and his family and was conscious of maintaining his mental outlook over a long period.”I think we’ve all kind of like accepted what’s going to happen,” Green said. “[I’ve tried to] bring a lot of energy to start the trip. That’s been really good. All the guys have been awesome to be around. It’s been a really good start to the trip.”

“A great advert for PSL and T20 cricket. This is the sort of stuff that draws the next generation of players [to the game],” he said of the 483-run match

Umar Farooq09-Mar-2023Jason Roy, the Quetta Gladiators opener, described his PSL-record-breaking unbeaten 145 off 63 balls against Peshawar Zalmi as his “best T20 innings”, and the match itself, where 483 runs were scored in 38.2 overs, “a great advert for T20 cricket”.Roy broke Colin Ingram’s record (127*) for the highest individual score in the PSL, and helped Gladiators chase down 241 with eight wickets and ten balls to spare. He brought up his hundred in just 44 balls, the second-fastest century in the league, and scored nearly 76% of his runs in boundaries, smacking 20 fours and five sixes.”This is my best T20 innings, no doubt about it,” Roy said after the match. “Obviously a great wicket and fast outfield, so it’s just a case of trying to hit as many four and sixes and get close to the total [target] and see where we are at. I am sure this will go down for me as one of the greatest, and it will definitely live for a long time in my memory.Related

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“Anytime you are chasing over 200 and you chase that totally – doesn’t matter what the pitch is – it’s still an incredible feeling,” he said when asked about the pitch. “For me, in T20 cricket, this is my favourite-ever innings because I was there till the end. I think a lot of time when I am batting as an opening batsman, I could score a hundred and get out needing 20 runs but tonight I was there till the end, which is an incredible feeling as an opening batsman.”The Rawalpindi pitch on Wednesday night might have been one of the flattest this season – two wickets fell in either innings and huge totals were posted. But for Roy, it was about the intent and throwing the fear out of the window to win such games.”Chasing 240, we knew that was probably out of reach to win convincingly, and by convincingly, I mean in 13 or 14 overs,” Roy said. “In the change room, there is one of those things when you pad up and all the fear of failure goes out of the window, and you go out and have a lot of fun. Batting with Martin Guptill, who has done it all around the world and got thousands of runs… we walked out there very relaxed. We didn’t feel any pressure on our shoulders at all. On that wicket, with that crowd, it was electrifying and had a really good time.”Numerous records were rewritten in the game.”Incredible, that’s the only kind of word that can sum it up,” Roy said about the match. “It’s a great advert for PSL and T20 cricket. Obviously, bowlers don’t want to be turning up and playing on these wickets every single game, but people watching these sorts of games, kids watching this game, this sort of stuff – I remember when I was a kid watching games like this, that really drew me to the game. So this is the sort of stuff that really draws the next generation of players.”;

“It’s the sort of stuff I watch on TV, loads of time the way Babar plays… To watch Babar first-hand was very special but he could have done with getting a little less to make it a little easier for us”Jason Roy on Babar Azam’s hundred

Roy was full of praise for Babar Azam, who scored 115 off 65 balls for Zalmi. “That was incredible to watch; unfortunately, it was against us,” he said. “It’s the sort of stuff I watch on TV, loads of time the way Babar plays. It was his eighth hundred and to watch it first-hand was extremely special. He is a beautiful player to watch, and he was helped extremely well from the other end by his opening partner [Saim Ayub], a youngster coming through. To watch Babar first-hand was very special but he could have done with getting a little less to make it a little easier for us.”It was Roy’s comeback game as he had left the league after five matches to join the England team in Bangladesh for the ODI series. In his first stint, he had scored 27, 0, 14, 48 and 5; Gladiators lost four of those five games and were languishing at the bottom of the points table. Roy found his form in Bangladesh, scoring 132 in the second ODI, and his innings on Wednesday kept Gladiators’ fading hopes just about alive.”We got one more game left,”; Roy said. “I went out for my international duty and left the guys so I am pleased that I am able to come back, put that performance together and put some smiles on our faces. I love this team, they do a lot for me, the staff means a lot to me, so for me to go out and perform for them was a really special feeling. It has been a very tough season for us, we didn’t put together the performances we wanted to but we got a very great group of people so when wins like this come along, it’s special.”Ruing his lack of runs earlier, he said: “I think it’s just a case of playing without any fear. I had no choice but to go out and smack it. Maybe in other games, I was a bit tentative and worrying too much, putting so much pressure on myself as an opening batsman for this franchise. I didn’t feel it from the franchise, they are very supportive all the way through, and I think it’s my sixth game and I take one hundred every sixth game.”