Tag Futebol

Wolves are one of a number of clubs interested in signing exciting RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: New striker needed

Bruno Lage has been rocked by the news that Raul Jimenez will miss the start of the Premier League season having picked up a knee injury during pre-season, while Fabio Silva has departed on loan.

Wolves will surely at least look at bringing in a new striker in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window, adding some much-needed firepower to the squad.

Now, a fresh rumour claims that Wanderers are in the mix to signing a hugely exciting talent.

The Latest: Wolves keen on Sesko

According to 90min, Wolves are eyeing up a move for Sesko, who has scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 38 appearances for Salzburg, despite only being 19 years of age.

Manchester United and Newcastle United are also credited with interest, however, as are Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

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The Verdict: Big young talent

Sesko looks like a player of immense promise, having scored the only goal in a pre-season win over Liverpool midweek, which led to immense praise from journalist Maxi Angelo.

“Benjamin Šeško has really showcased why top clubs in Europe want him this summer against Liverpool tonight,” he said.

“Incredible strength and size. Nice technique and smart movements. One goal to his name in the first half too. Very impressive, especially for being 19.”

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The teenager is already producing consistent end product and he is someone who could transform Wolves’ attack, with Jimenez not quite the player he used to be after his serious head injury.

That being said, the calibre of clubs also interested in signing Sesko means that Wanderers could find it tough to get their man, with those mentioned likely able to offer higher wages.

According to Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson, Tottenham could allow Antonio Conte to sanction an exit for Sergio Reguilon this summer.

The Lowdown: Increasing speculation

It was confirmed by the club at the start of this month that the Spaniard – alongside team-mates Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks – had been omitted from the travelling squad for Spurs’ pre-season tour of South Korea, being dealt a blow even before the 2022/23 campaign gets underway.

Football Insider reported last week that the 25-year-old was in advanced talks with Sevilla over a potential season-long loan, further fuelling speculation that a Premier League exit was on the cards.

The Latest: Robinson’s support for Conte

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson has backed Conte to take charge of his squad and get rid of players that he doesn’t want in the coming weeks, including Reguilon.

The former Spurs goalkeeper said of the Spaniard: “I think he’s a good player. I think he offered a lot going forward down that left-hand side.

“Listen, if a player has been left out of a pre-season tour for no other reason then he’s clearly not part of the manager’s plans. I’d be sad to see him go.

“It’s a case of allowing manager free rein. You can’t bring in a manager in at that level and not allow him a full overhaul of the squad if he sees fit.

“A manager has been brought in for a reason. I’ve said so many times, allow him freedom, allow him the time to do what he wants.

“You can’t just keep hold of players for the sake of it that he doesn’t want. If Reguilon is one that he doesn’t want and doesn’t see fit going forward then you have to trust the man in charge.

“He’s just a victim of circumstance and the manager in charge. You have to back Conte over a player. You’ve got [Ivan] Perisic so you would imagine Reguilon’s game time would be limited.”

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The Verdict: Writing is on the wall

Conte’s attacking formation requires the full-backs to bomb forward along the flanks, but as Robinson stated, the arrival of Perisic on the left wing could well push Reguilon even closer to the exit door than he already appeared to be.

The Madrid native only made 16 appearances under the Tottenham manager in the top flight last term, and after being left behind in N17 for pre-season, it just goes to show that the 52-year-old doesn’t see him playing any real part in his starting XI over the coming months.

It’s believed that Spurs have put a €30m (£25.7m) price tag on Reguilon’s head, so they could be wish to cash in and use his transfer fee to generate funds to put towards any further incomings before the end of the summer.

Italian football journalist and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now dropped an exciting Arsenal claim on Youri Tielemans.

The Lowdown: Offer expected

As per The Sun, the Gunners have now stepped up their interest in signing the 25-year-old and are ready to make a firm offer for the Leicester City midfielder.

It is claimed that the north Londoners are confident of sealing a £30m deal, despite facing competition from both Newcastle United and Manchester United for his signature.

The Latest: Romano’s claim on Tielemans

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano has now claimed that, ‘in the coming days or weeks’, Mikel Arteta’s side could decide what they want to do for Tielemans.

The Italian outlined: “There is still no proposal, so maybe they will go step by step in the market and decide in the coming days or weeks what they want to do for Tielemans.”

The Verdict: Exciting

It is certainly exciting to hear that the Tielemans saga could be concluded soon, and it seems as if Arsenal could get their man if they play their cards right.

They seem to be the only club readying an offer for the Belgium international, and they have reportedly already agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old.

Hailed as a ‘top class player’ by none other than four-time Premier League title-winner and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Tielemans ranked as the Foxes’ sixth-best performer in the top flight last season, racking up six goals, four assists and three man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

It would be ideal for the Gunners to get this deal over the line before the new campaign starts in four weeks’ time.

Leeds United are reportedly looking to tie down Crysencio Summerville down to a new deal at the Yorkshire club this summer.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had this to say about the current situation regarding the winger and his immediate future at Elland Road.

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He said: “Nottingham Forest and AZ Alkmaar are interested in Crysencio Summerville with many clubs exploring this possibility, but Leeds are busy trying to keep the player at Elland Road by extending his contract. Negotiations ongoing to decide his future as soon as possible.” 

Back in September 2020, the Yorkshire club signed Summerville from Feyenoord’s U19 side. Since then, the 20-year-old has gone on to make 27 appearances for the Whites’ U23 side, scoring 13 goals and delivering eight assists in the process.

The winger has also appeared nine times for the Whites’ first team but has yet to find himself on the scoresheet or delivering an assist for any of his teammates.

All of those senior appearances came during the most recent campaign, with six of them coming in the Premier League, the latest of which came during their 3-0 win over Watford.

In those six appearances, the Dutchman managed to complete 50 passes, recover 16 loose balls, deliver four crosses, make five interceptions and win four tackles.

Leeds fans will be delighted

Even though Summerville has not become a regular figure in the first team as yet, nor has he managed to deliver a goal contribution, the fact that these two clubs that Romano mentions are after him shows how highly thought of the 20-year-old is.

Also, with Leeds looking to keep the player where he is for the foreseeable future, this demonstrates just how much they value him.

This would surely be music to the ears of a lot of Leeds fans that may feel the youngster has what it takes to become an important senior player in the team.

Moving forward, should the winger put pen to paper on a new deal at Elland Road and the club decides to not loan him out, their upcoming pre-season period could be vital for the player and his chances to impress Jesse Marsch and show that he has what it takes to be a useful squad option.

AND in other news: “Leeds are monitoring..”: Romano drops big transfer update, it’s great news for Marsch

Crystal Palace want to sign Conor Gallagher on a permanent deal from Chelsea this summer after his loan spell at Selhurst Park was a major success.

What’s the word?

That’s according to journalist Dean Jones writing for GIVEMESPORT, who claimed that Palace will be remaining in touch with Gallagher over the summer with manager Patrick Vieira in no doubt about wanting him back at the club. It’s said he would be a dream signing for The Eagles.

However, he could get a chance to prove himself at Chelsea, with manager Thomas Tuchel recently confirming that the player will join up with the squad for pre-season where a decision on his future will then be made.

Vieira needs him

Gallagher is vital to Palace’s progression, and his contribution to the team will be hard for Vieira to replace if they can’t land him on a permanent deal.

Of course there is the possibility of another loan, but the player is likely going to want to leave Chelsea permanently if he isn’t guaranteed game time at Stamford Bridge.

If that happens you would fancy Palace to be his first choice, however other clubs will be in the race, with recent reports saying that Everton are interested in the player. For Chelsea, it may be a case of whoever is willing to pay the most.

He is rated at £22.5m, but given his impressive performances over the past season, it wouldn’t be surprising if his parent club want more.

In 39 appearances for The Eagles he had 13 direct goal contributions, scoring the second most in the team, after Wilfried Zaha.

His overall statistics are impressive. When you compare him to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, he ranks in the top 1o% for goal creating actions.

The England international has been described as a “gem” by podcaster Reev who thinks he should be “on the plane to Qatar”.

The 22-year-old also has an incredible work rate. When compared against the same group he ranks in the top 3% for pressures in the attacking third and top 6% for tackles in the attacking third.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that another podcaster in the form of Dan Cook described him as “outrageous”.

If he’s producing numbers on those levels right now, just imagine how good he can become as he develops. Wherever he ends up playing he will be a huge asset to the team.

Palace and Vieira will be hoping he stays with them and helps improve on their solid 12th place finish.

IN other news: Contact made: Vieira now plots CPFC move for £27m-rated gem, he’s a “tackling machine”…

Rangers’ swashbuckling Europa League campaign came to a heart-breaking end last night as they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville.

Joe Aribo put Van Bronckhorst’s side ahead after 57 minutes only for Frankfurt to equalise 12 minutes later.

After 90 minutes followed by extra time, the scoreline stayed the same, leading to the penalty shootout which the German side conquered and ultimately won the trophy.

Despite the valiant efforts from van Bronckhorst’s players, one figure, in particular, failed to show up and deliver when it really mattered and let his manager down as a result.

Starting on the right-wing, 24-year-old Scott Wright failed to deliver the sort of performance that is required to win a top European final.

With just 24 touches of the ball and 11 passes made, the winger ended up having fewer touches than Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor (51).

In those 24 touches, the Scotsman barely had any attacking or defensive input on the game before he was taken off by Van Bronckhorst at the 74th-minute mark to be replaced by Fashion Sakala.

From an attacking point of view, the winger failed to register even one shot at goal as well as failing to make one cross or successful dribble attempt.

In a defensive regard, as well as not making even one tackle or interception in addition to only winning 33% of the duels he was involved in, he arguably could have done more to prevent the cross coming in that led to Frankfurt’s goal.

This display ultimately earned Wright an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Rangers player that started the game.

Sky Sports also picked up on his disappointing performance by saying that he “didn’t overly trouble the Frankfurt defence,” as well as saying that he “had to do better to stop the cross for the equaliser.”

Taking all of this into account, while the blame for the defeat should not solely be laid at Wright’s feet, everyone connected to the club would have undoubtedly been hoping that he could have had more of an impact during his time on the pitch.

With the Ibrox side now having just one more chance to get their hands on some silverware this season when they take on Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday, a big question will have now emerged over whether the Rangers boss decides to start Wright again or not.

In other news: Forget Aribo: “Astonishing” 93-touch Rangers gem who “eats up ground” was the standout

Arsenal are very much a club on the up at present, with Mikel Arteta having enjoyed an incredibly successful transfer window over the summer, adding the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos to his first team squad, as well as moving a number of the Gunners’ deadwood onto pastures new – be that on a temporary or permanent basis.

This hard work in the off-season has seen the north London side start the 2022/23 Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion, with the Spaniard’s side currently sitting at the top of the league table – having won six and lost one of their opening seven fixtures of the season, scoring 17 goals and conceding just seven in the process.

Indeed, the £45m acquisition of Jesus looks to have been a particularly wise move by the 40-year-old manager, with the 25-year-old centre-forward having already scored four goals, registered three assists and created three big chances over his seven Premier League fixtures this season, as well as taking an average of 3.4 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 2.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the former Manchester City striker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.34, not only ranking him as Arsenal’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 21st-best player in the division as a whole – a quite remarkable feat considering the Brazilian has only been at the club for a little over two months.

And, considering his devastating start to life in north London, there is one former Arsenal signing who would arguably have been the perfect addition to Jesus in Arteta’s attacking arsenal at The Emirates Stadium – Thierry Henry.

Indeed, Arsene Wenger’s £11m signing from Juventus back in August of 1999 is already a deal written into the history of the Gunners, with Henry ultimately going on to become one of the greatest forwards the Premier League has ever seen – scoring a quite astonishing 228 goals and providing 103 assists over his 376 appearances for the club.

Aside from his evident ability in the final third and desire to create opportunities for his teammates, the Frenchman’s composure in possession, his raw pace when running at defenders and his Brazilian-esque trickery on the ball are all traits that could easily be attributed to the Gunners’ current attacking star.

Furthermore, with both players being able to operate on the left-wing, a partnership of Henry and Jesus in Arsenal’s front three would have allowed Arteta to rotate the two players as and when he felt it was required – something that would wreak havoc for centre-backs and full-backs of the Gunners’ opponents.

As such, the argument that Henry’s addition would be perfect for Arteta’s current Arsenal side is an extremely easy one to make, as the 45-year-old’s undoubted ability going forwards would very much appear to be the icing on the Spaniard’s already incredibly tantalising attacking cake.

Penalties triumph in Moscow helps lift mood in England dressing-room after first white-ball defeat of the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-20181:04

Feels like playing an away game – Morgan

At the end of a disappointing defeat against India at Old Trafford on Tuesday, Jos Buttler had two consolations to take on with him to Friday’s second T20I in Cardiff: the continuation of a stellar run of personal form which now comprises seven T20 half-centuries in eight innings, and the chance, shortly after the end of India’s run-successful run-chase, to watch England’s footballers prevail in their World Cup penalty shoot-out against Colombia in Moscow.”We’ve had some penalty heartache before haven’t we?” Buttler said, after footage of the cricketers watching the match and launching into their celebrations in the dressing-room had done the rounds on social media. “Watching it with the lads, a lot of football fans, it was incredible. We loved it.”England’s debrief after their first white-ball defeat in seven outings this summer had to be shoehorned into “half-time in extra time”, Buttler added, as the desire to join in the national zeitgeist proved irresistible. “We were very disappointed to lose but with the game on, the lads were keen to watch that and support.”Buttler himself was exempt from much of the post-(cricket) match navel-gazing, after his rollicking innings of 69 from 46 balls had set the platform for what looked likely, until Kuldeep Yadav fired up his left-arm wrist-spin, to be another imposing team total. Nevertheless, it was still Buttler’s seventh 50-plus score in ten England innings this summer, a remarkable run of form across all three formats.”Consistency-wise, it’s probably my best-ever form, and that’s the most pleasing thing,” Buttler said. “To leave performances behind and practice the next day with hunger and desire, not to rest on previous performances. You see guys around the world doing that and it’s been a case of trying to work out how they do that. It’s about accessing the mental side of the game and that’s been pleasing, to work out good routines and staying in the moment in games.”The secret of Buttler’s success, in T20s at least, has been his promotion to the top of the order, first for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and now for England too.”I’m really enjoying it,” Buttler said. “It’s a fantastic place to bat. It’s been another good challenge for me in my career and refreshing. Whether that’s me opening forever, I don’t know, I’d hope to retain the flexibility. But I do think it’s the best place to bat. But it comes down to the make-up of the team.”One potential downside to Buttler’s promotion, however, came in the tumble of wickets in England’s middle order. With Alex Hales enduring a grim struggle to pick the spinners’ variations, and with both Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root being done first-ball by big-turning wrong’uns, it seemed that the man who really needed to be coming out to start his innings cold against such quality mystery-spin was the very man who was already not-out at the non-striker’s end.Jos Buttler celebrates his half-century•Getty Images”It’s about understanding that you shouldn’t get too flustered,” Buttler said. “With spin it can all happen quickly, suddenly you have faced a few balls and aren’t off the mark … so it’s not allowing that to affect you. You have to get used to the action and once you have faced them a bit more it gets easier. You have a bit more trust and might pick up a few cues.”[Left-arm wrist-spin] is very rare and he’s a very good bowler,” he added. “It’s now down to the guys to gain an understanding. You see it a lot in international cricket that guys burst onto the scene and then people get a handle on them. It’s getting used to the angle, wrist-spin is usually right-arm. He’s a good bowler and, as we have seen, wristspinners have been a big weapon in T20. We know we are a lot better than we showed during that little phase of the game. We just didn’t manage to capitalise on the start.”Either way, the Old Trafford match provided a wealth of ominous signs for England at the start of a lengthy India campaign that culminates with five Tests in August and September. With the current English heat-wave showing no sign of abating, and with the vociferous pro-India crowd leading Eoin Morgan to concede that the match felt like an away game, the conditions look likely to get tougher and less “English” as the tour develops.”The weather and the pitches will be dry but it can get this way here,” Buttler said. “Old Trafford has always been good for wrist-spin and reverse too, we see that at Lancs in T20. The pitches will be what they are, so it is down to us to react. We had this in the Champions Trophy last year and 2013 too … we have to deal with it, counteract that and play in all conditions – that is international cricket.”As for the crowds, “it does take a bit of getting used to,” Buttler conceded, “especially coming off the back of an Australian series, which is very pro-England. But we know what to expect, India is a huge cricketing nation with fanatical support. Being a diverse country, we have a lot of Indian supporters and it makes for a great atmosphere. We just have to accept that, and they get that support everywhere in the world. We know our home and conditions but it makes it a challenge against a very good team.””It’s one game. It’s T20. We are confident, we will stick to what has served us well, stay true to ourselves and come back hard at them in the next game.”

Ashwin’s legbreaks, Binny’s horror over and a Dwayne Bravo special also feature in the Plays of the Day from the first T20I between India and West Indies in Florida

Sidharth Monga27-Aug-2016The overStuart Binny is not a regular starter in his IPL side. He wasn’t a part of India’s World T20 squad. Such is the nature of bilateral T20 internationals that sides tend not to make too many changes to their squads. India’s main T20 allrounders are in Australia so India didn’t bother with them, and kept Binny in the squad. We don’t know if Shikhar Dhawan was injured or unwell but it is unlikely India would have dropped him for a sixth bowler, Binny.If they did, though, the folly was brutally exposed by Evin Lewis, who threatened to break the record for most runs in a T20I over, with a wide to boost the five sixes he hit off the first five balls of Binny’s first and only over. This was the 11th over of the innings, West Indies were already 132 for 1 and this was no time or place for length-ball dobblers. Two length balls, a full toss and a short ball all disappeared, but the shot of the day was played off the slower short ball off the third legal ball of the over. This was slow, short and wide, Lewis had to go back and manufacture all his own power. He gave it an almighty whack, over cover-point, and sent it all the way over the man stationed there. Calypso hitters of yore were duly evoked.The legbreaksJohnson Charles likes to hit into the leg side. R Ashwin turns the ball in. The boundaries are small. Charles is already 38 off 16 when Ashwin is asked to bowl, inside the Powerplay. It’s a deck stacked against the bowler. Ashwin, though, tries the legbreak to at least make him hit against the turn. Charles watches one, takes a single, and when he comes back on strike it doesn’t matter which way the ball is turning. He just winds up big and swings hard to send two consecutive legbreaks for sixes, against the turn, over long-on and midwicket.The survivorWe don’t know how possessive Richard Levi is of his record for the fastest Twenty20 international hundred, in 45 balls. If he is, though, he would have had a hard time watching this match. Charles threatened to beat his record with plenty of balls to spare careening to 79 off 32 balls. Levi had some respite when Charles tried to ramp a full ball from Mohammed Shami, missed it and was bowled.The respite was momentary, though, as Lewis, 46 off 24 at the time, got on a roll and raced away to 82 off 32. Squeaky-bum time again for the record-holder, but a tight over from Ashwin when Lewis was in his 90s saved the record, by three balls.If these things indeed matter to Levi, he was in for more than just a squeaky bum. When KL Rahul effortlessly hoicked Andre Russell over midwicket for a six in the 17th over, he reached 94 off 43 balls, and looked capable of hitting a six off any ball he wanted to. Fortunately for Levi, though, Rahul had to deal with two absolute brutes next two balls. First Dwayne Bravo nearly broke his toe and nearly took his wicket with an unplayable yorker, and then Russell came back strongly with a surprise bouncer to leave Rahul at 94 off 45 balls.The non-callLewis is 90 off 40, needs 10 off the next five balls to equal Levi’s record. Ashwin is the bowler. He has famously pronounced that the T20 game is so loaded against the bowlers that a slow, short and wide ball is perhaps the best ball a spinner can bowl. So he tries his hand at the “best” ball. It is only a good ball if it is within the tram lines, though. This one isn’t. Lewis moves a little across to watch out for the swirling delivery that Ashwin bowls in Tests, but this one goes straight on and is a genuine limited-overs wide. The umpire, though, is put off by the batsman’s movement, and lets Ashwin off. Despite a six later in the over, this ball arguably costs Lewis the fastest T20I hundred.The catchWhen 276 runs come in the first 23 overs of the game, you know chances for the bowlers are few and far between. It is imperative that every half chance is converted. One such came West Indies’ way as Ajinkya Rahane ramped Andre Russell’s short ball, minutes after being sconed, to the left of third man. Against any other team you would have arguably marked four the moment the ball flew off the bat, but lurking at third man here was Dwayne Bravo. He ran to his left, cut the angle, then timed his flight of a dive perfectly and pouched the catch low in his left hand. AWOL: “champiyann dance”.

The youngest man to play in this IPL, Sarfaraz Khan displayed his cricketing nous with an unbeaten 45 off 21 balls

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2015At 17 he is the youngest to have played in this IPL. As he walks on to the field Sarfaraz Khan turns eyes. Mainly because of his girth – short, rotund, wobbling around the hips, Sarfaraz makes you wonder what made Royal Challengers Bangalore gamble on this Mumbai talent. His electric cameo against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday evening not only gave Royal Challengers a formidable total, but it also added further wattage to an already charged stadium. Here are five reasons to keep an eye on Sarfaraz.The cunning
James Faulkner’s back-of-the-hand slow ball is a sucker punch delivered at a very slow speed. Many an experienced batsman has been floored. Sarfaraz has already upper cut the Australian for his first boundary. Next ball Faulkner charges in and delivers that slower ball. Far from finding himself in a spot, Sarfaraz has already quickly moved outside the line of the delivery to attempt the reverse sweep. But in the process his bat handle flips and Sarfaraz ends up playing the shot with the back of his bat. He berates himself: not because of his loose grip, but for failing to take advantage of the third man being inside the circle. Even if he got just one run, you realise Sarfaraz’s clever grasp of the field and his cunning motive.The statement
In the next over, Royals’ captain Shane Watson goes for a boundary as Sarfaraz flays wildly at a fuller-length delivery outside off stump. Next ball Watson bangs it in hard short of a length. Sarfaraz nonchalantly takes a step back to play the ramp shot past third man for the second four in a row. Thus he has forced Watson to change his plans. The Australian allrounder now is operating from round the stumps. A fuller ball on the legs is clipped to deep midwicket. Amidst confusion his partner Dinesh Karthik is run out. Sarfaraz is unfazed. He is still wildly swinging even at a wide delivery. He is playing with no fear.The boldness
Royal Challengers are 157 for 5 with three overs to go. This is a phase where teams have taken the game away from their opposition by scoring at minimum ten an over. Sarfaraz is inexperienced. But he is far from wet behind his ears. Instead he is charging one of the best spinners of the IPL: Praveen Tambe. The Royals’ legspinner had already been rendered useless after the initial assault inflicted on him by the raging blade of AB de Villiers. In his return spell he once again is not allowed to settle down as Sarfaraz takes advantage of Tambe’s flatter trajectory and sweeps him for a four off the first ball. Next ball as Tambe tosses it up, Sarfaraz jumps out of his crease to deliver the ball high over long off. Next ball he has once again lofted high over cover for another four. Royals have 18 runs from the over and they are now set for 200.The awareness
Watson had shuffled the field throughout the penultimate over of the Royal Challengers innings which is delivered by Dhawal Kulkarni. A good plan including setting his own field has worked in Kulkarni’s favour as he gets rid of the South African allrounder David Wiese. Next ball, the last ball of the over, Kulkarni pitches down the leg side. Sarfaraz has already read the ball well as he has quickly moved outside the line of the ball to go for the scoop, with which he connects wonderfully to get another four. He is not just seeing gaps, but he is creating them, too.The finish
The Chinnaswamy Stadium is screaming “Sar-fa-raaz, Sar-far-raaz” as Tim Southee runs in to deliver the final over of the innings. Harshal Patel has hit the first ball for a huge six, but the crowd wants Sarfaraz to get his maiden half-century. Sarfaraz cuts a short-pitched delivery on off stump to the right of sweeper cover. But Stuart Binny’s spectacular dive cuts the four to just two runs. An anxious Sarfaraz constantly turns to watch the big screen in the North Stand to ascertain if it was a four. The crowd now wants a six with two balls to go as that would get Sarfaraz to his maiden fifty. He swings and misses a fuller length ball on off stump. He punchs the last ball past Southee and even as Patel turns for a double, Sarfaraz grounds the bat to remain not out. Two balls earlier he had refused a bye even as Patel was halfway down the pitch to take the run. He is bound to learn to be more proactive in future.The crowd, which walked out later disappointed at the rain, had become excited, dazzled by a Sarfaraz special. Such was his dominance that even the Royal Challengers captain Virat Kohli folded both his hands to deliver a (gesture displaying vote of thanks) to Sarfaraz.