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They might not have won anything, but Mauricio Pochettino’s peak Tottenham Hotspur team was packed with talent.

The North Londoners were blessed with some truly sensational players from front to back during that period.

Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dele Alli were scoring for fun, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld created one of the best defensive pairings in Europe, and Hugo Lloris was, more often than not, a rock at the back.

However, perhaps the most underrated player – among non-Spurs fans – of them all from that period was the incredible Mousa Dembélé, and it looks as if Ange Postecoglou may have just uncovered his own version of the Belgian.

Mousa Dembélé's Spurs career

In the summer of 2012, after spending just over two seasons with West London side Fulham, Dembélé completed a £15m move to Spurs.

The former AZ Alkmaar star made an instant impact in North London, scoring on his debut – against Norwich City – and ending his first campaign at the club with 42 appearances across all competitions.

Already an established part of the first team, the Belgian “monster,” as dubbed by Eric Dier, took yet another step forward when Pochettino joined the club in May 2014.

Under the Argentine’s leadership, the Antwerp-born dynamo turned into one of the very best central midfielders in the Premier League, someone capable of winning the ball in his own half and carrying it all the way up the pitch for someone else to finish.

His immense abilities weren’t lost on his teammates or manager either, with Kyle Walker describing him as “the best player I’ve ever seen play football” and Pochettino claiming that he was a footballing “genius.”

In all, the 37-year-old made 249 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring ten goals and providing ten assists, before moving to the Chinese Super League in January 2019 and retiring four years later.

Dembélé was an utterly sublime footballer, and while the club haven’t been able to replace him, Postecoglou may have just stumbled upon the club’s next version of the Belgian.

Dembélé’s Spurs career

Appearances

249

Starts

181

Minutes

16115′

Goals

10

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.08

Minutes per Goal Involvement

805.75

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Spurs' next Dembélé

Now, we are aware that such a label can be both a blessing and a curse for players, but we reckon Lucas Bergvall has more than enough talent to make good on it.

The young midfielder was signed from Swedish outfit Djurgårdens for around £8.5m last winter but didn’t officially join the squad until last summer, and while it took him some time to get up to speed in the first team, he has recently been one of the club’s most impressive players.

Like Dembélé, the young Swede is seemingly a natural in a few positions in midfield, making 34 appearances in central midfield, 16 in attacking midfield and 13 in defensive midfield.

Moreover, while each role requires something a little different from the 19-year-old, be that a dangerous final ball from the ten position or a brilliant interception at the base of midfield, he’s shown one quality that the Belgian star was known for: ball-carrying.

According to FBref, the “generational” talent, as dubbed by journalist Mitch Fretton, sits in the top 3% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for total carrying distance, the top 5% for successful take-ons, the top 7% for progressive carrying distance, the top 10% for carries and more, all per 90.

Finally, while the “uber-complete” teenage phenom, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, certainly has what it takes to play in the number ten position in the future, it does seem like Postecoglu and Co will be able to get more out of his incredible skillset by playing him in the middle of the park, where Dembélé used to boss games.

Ultimately, while he’s still incredibly young, and a lot could happen over the coming years, it looks like Spurs might just have their next genuinely great central midfielder in Bergvall.

Related Leading candidate to replace Ange: Spurs want "special" Iraola alternative

The experienced manager could be just what Spurs need.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 19, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Melhor defesa da Série B, o Grêmio voltou a sair de campo sem levar gols diante da Chapecoense, na última terça-feira.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

O desempenho agradou o técnico Roger Machado, que estava preocupado após os duelos contra o Brusque e Ponte Preta, onde o Tricolor foi vazado.

Outro ponto a ressaltar é que diante da Chape, o Grêmio passou grande parte do tempo com um jogador a menos, já que Bitello foi expulso na etapa inicial.

Com inferioridade numérica, o Tricolor conseguiu segurar o ímpeto do adversário e saiu de campo com um ótimo resultado.

Calendário

Agora, o Tricolor volta a campo no dia 5 de agosto, quando encara o Guarani, no Brinco de Ouro da Princesa.

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أبدى إسلام الشاطر، نجم الأهلي السابق، استياءه من أداء الفريق الأحمر في مباراته الأخيرة أمام بالميراس البرازيلي، مؤكدًا أن هناك أخطاء فنية واضحة كان لها تأثير كبير على النتيجة.

وخسر الأهلي أمام بالميراس بهدفين دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الأولى في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

وقال إسلام الشاطر في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “MBC مصر”: “إدارة النادي الأهلي قامت بعملها، المدير الفني الجديد هناك أمور أخطأ فيها، فلا يصح أن يدفع بلاعب في الناحية اليسرى وهو لا يجيد اللعب في هذا المركز، شعرنا بوجود (فركشة) في الفريق، خاصة بعد الهدف الثاني من بالميراس، وهذه ليست من عادات النادي الأهلي”.

طالع أيضًا | سامي قمصان: هناك هجوم ممنهج على لاعبي الأهلي.. وانظروا إلى ريال مدريد

وتابع: “أنا متأكد أن 90% من كلامي متفق عليه من معظم الناس، لكن هل هناك أحد يتفق على أن هؤلاء اللاعبين لا يستطيعون العودة في المباراة القادمة أمام بورتو البرتغالي؟”.

وأشار: “هناك أربعة لاعبين في الأهلي، الجماهير تنتقدهم، منهم محمد هاني. الأخير يتعرض للانتقاد لأنه سيئ، لا أحد يستطيع أن يقول غير أنه كان سيئًا في المباراة الماضية والتي سبقتها، لكن بشكل عام هو ليس لاعبًا سيئًا”.

وأضاف: “محمد هاني ارتكب أخطاء كبيرة في بعض التغطيات أمام بالميراس، هناك تفاصيل صغيرة أخطأ فيها، لكنه لم يكن موفقًا، وهو بنفسه يعرف أنه لم يكن موفقًا، لكن لو لعب بأسلوبه في المباراة القادمة وصنع هدفًا من عرضية لوسام أبو علي، الأمور ستفرق كثيرًا”.

واختتم: “أنا عندي مشكلة مع المدير الفني، هو يعطيك انطباعًا بأن لديه مشكلة، لكن في نفس الوقت لا تستطيع أن تحكم عليه، تغييراته لا تعجبني”.

Ben Foakes, Matthew Potts, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Harmanpreet Kaur named as Five Cricketers of the Year

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Apr-2023

Ben Stokes has been named men’s Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2023 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, published on Tuesday.Stokes, who achieved the honour in 2020 and 2021 for his performance with bat and ball, has made it three wins in four years primarily off the back of his leadership. Since being appointed as Test captain at the start of last summer, the 31-year-old has overseen a dramatic shift in the team’s fortunes, inspiring them to 10 wins in 12.Wins against New Zealand, India and South Africa, then successes on the tours of Pakistan – England became the first side to win 3-0 – and New Zealand, put Stokes in exalted company. Not only did he achieve 10 wins quicker than any previous England captain – Michael Vaughan was the previous quickest to the mark, from 16 matches – but the feat equalled that of Australia’s Lindsay Hassett, who had previously stood alone with 10 from 12.The revitalisation was much needed after England’s run of one victory in the previous 17 Tests before Stokes’ appointment. The allrounder also averaged 40 with the bat and 25.66 with the ball that summer, going on on to help England to the T20 World Cup in October, dragging the team over the line in a final yet again.Related

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“It’s hard to think of any other cricketer who could have transformed his team’s fortunes so suddenly as Ben Stokes,” Lawrence Booth, Wisden’s editor, said. “When he took over the Test captaincy, England had won one game in their previous 17. By the time they had become the first visiting side to win 3-0 in Pakistan, they had won nine out of ten, and were playing with unprecedented style and verve.”And he was forceful with both bat and ball, scoring a series-turning century against South Africa in Manchester. Later in the year, he steered England to the T20 World Cup with the defining innings of the final against Pakistan in Melbourne – the icing on the cake for a cricketer who has transformed the way the game is played.”The part played by Brendon McCullum, instilled by new men’s director of cricket Rob Key, is also credited by Booth, particularly the “pursuit of fun really did trump fear of failure”. Beyond the results, the shift was clear. They left 2022 having struck 89 sixes (65 under Stokes) – the most of any team in a calendar year. Booth hopes “Bazball” will revive more than a team given the nature of the 2023-27 Future Tours Programme.”More enterprise is needed to maintain interest in Test cricket, after the international fixture list confirmed a hopeless imbalance: between this summer and the end of the 2026-27 winter, England will play 20 of their 43 Tests against Australia or India; and only those three teams will regularly contest meaningful series.”Jonny Bairstow, widely acknowledged as the heartbeat of the Bazball movement with 681 runs last summer, becomes the first recipient of the new Wisden Trophy for outstanding individual Test performance, by a man or woman. Bairstow earned the prize with his performance against India at Edgbaston with hundreds in both innings, the second allowing England to chase down a national record target of 378. The silver trophy was previously given to the winners of England-West Indies Test series from 1963 onwards before it was replaced by the Richards-Botham trophy in 2020.Jonny Bairstow celebrates his second hundred of the match•Getty Images

Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and Durham seamer Matthew Potts are two representatives of that team named among Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year – an honour a player can only win once in their career and which is judged by their performance during the English home season.Foakes’ high standards behind the stumps were matched by his calmness in front of them, coming to England’s rescue twice. The first helped them over the line at Lord’s against New Zealand with an unbroken stand of 120 with Joe Root, before scoring 113 not out as part of a stand with Stokes against South Africa that put them in charge of the Old Trafford Test.Potts, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong start to his international career, taking 20 wickets at 28.00, playing the first five Tests of the summer. He underlined his worth as an incisive seamer by removing Kane Williamson three times and then Virat Kohli in the one-off India Test. Domestically, he was just as relentless, with 58 County Championship wickets at 17.87.New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell are also named among the five as the two batters who were a constant thorn in England’s side, with 538 and 383 runs respectively, in the three-match series. India women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the other overseas representative of the five, having led from the front with 221 runs – including an unbeaten 143 – to lead her country to their first ODI series win in England since 2009. She also led India to a silver-medal in the Commonwealth Games.India were pipped to gold by Australia, adding to their World Cup win earlier that year. Their leading runscorer in both competitions, Beth Mooney, subsequently earned her second women’s Leading Cricketer in the World honour in three years. As well as helping Australia retain the women’s Ashes, she averaged 100 across ODIs last year.Beth Mooney on the drive•Getty Images

There is also recognition for a spectacular 2022 for Suryakumar Yadav as the leading Twenty20 Cricketer in the World. Centuries against England and New Zealand – from 48 balls and 49 balls – saw him become the second international T20 batter to top a thousand runs in a year, eventually finishing with 1,164 at a strike rate of 187.Beyond the field, the life and times of Shane Warne are celebrated throughout the Almanack. The charismatic Australian leg-spinner, who died in March 2022, is given a lengthy obituary and other prose celebrating an enigmatic cricketer and character.”His contribution to leg-spin, cricket’s toughest skill, hardly needs restating,” writes Booth in his Editor’s Notes. “Just as immense was the blow he struck for all bowlers. Three of the Cricketers of the Century – Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs, Viv Richards – were batters, and the all-rounder, Garry Sobers, averaged 57. But Warne drew the gaze to the other end of the pitch. He was a one-man theatre, a walking box office.”The proliferation of T20 franchise tournaments over the last year is put under the microscope. The SA20, ILT20 and Major League Cricket and the ever-expanding IPL has seen the landscape under cricket’s feet shift immeasurably. Booth insists the increased cannibalisation within the game, both from franchise tournaments and international boards, must be addressed.”The question of what cricket wants to be is familiar enough – though has never been more urgent… Now, three power blocs are in a relationship that is part-symbiotic, part-parasitic: the T20 franchises, in it for themselves; the ICC, nominally in charge; and the national boards, keen to placate broadcasters and generate their own revenue.”The battle for time and space is not sustainable, causing chaos on the one hand, ennui on the other. Four days after lifting the T20 World Cup, Jos Buttler led England in an ODI series in Australia. They lost 3-0, but few could tell you much about it: no one watched, and no one – not even Buttler – greatly cared.”

Chelsea are beginning to lay groundwork over signing a “dream” target for manager Enzo Maresca, with new contact made ahead of the summer window.

Chelsea making transfer plans ahead of Club World Cup

This summer, the Premier League has announced that there will be two separate transfer windows.

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The west Londoners are prepared to make an offer.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Mar 28, 2025

To allow both Chelsea and Man City to sign players before the Club World Cup, the first of these transfer windows will open from June 1st and will remain active until June 10th, with Maresca’s side expected to bring in fresh faces during that time.

Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Tottenham (home)

April 3rd

Brentford (away)

April 6th

Ipswich Town (home)

April 13th

Fulham (away)

April 20th

Everton (home)

April 26th

Journalist Simon Phillips previously reported that Chelsea have actively worked on a deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who they could hope to sign before the CWC takes place, but the Englishman isn’t their only forward target in that regard.

The Blues are also rumoured to be after a new winger, and their supposed “dream” target is Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.

The Spain international, who racked up 19 assists in all competitions at Bilbao last season, also played a major role in his country’s Euro 2024 triumph, and he currently stands out as one of Europe’s most exciting young stars.

Williams’ contract contains a £49 million release clause, meaning he is very much obtainable. However, the player is on good wages at Bilbao, rumoured to be around £200,000 per week, and the main obstacle will lie in convincing the player.

“Nico Williams is the dream wing target for top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern and let’s see what happens with Barcelona,” said Fabrizio Romano to GiveMeSport recently.

“More than 1 year ago, Chelsea wanted Nico Williams. For sure, they will add one more winger in the summer window. You have to convince Nico, that’s the main factor for these clubs.”

Chelsea make "fresh contact" to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea haven’t given up hope of landing the 22-year-old, and it is believed they’ve made an approach ahead of the first transfer window in early June.

Chelsea have apparently held “fresh contact” over signing Williams, and are considering a “blockbuster” move for the highly-rated gem, even if they face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Their race for Champions League qualification will be crucial in the race for Williams, as the forward has set his sights on playing in Europe’s biggest competitions. He is considered a top target on their agenda, as Romano previously reported, but there is still work to do for them to convince him to swap Bilbao for England.

This season, Williams boasts nine goals and seven assists from 37 appearances in all competitions, as well as being one of La Liga’s most lethal dribblers when it comes to successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).

He’d be a truly excellent replacement for Mykhailo Mudryk, who’s serving a ban due to his failed drugs test, or Noni Madueke, who’s attracting interest from Aston Villa.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras deu início à pré-venda de ingressos para o duelo direto contra o Flamengo, que acontece no próximo domingo, no Allianz Parque, às 16h, pelo Brasileirão. De acordo com a última atualização divulgada pelo clube, às 12h50 desta terça, 23,3 mil entradas já foram adquiridas por torcedores.

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GALERIA

>Veja as principais contratações dos clubes brasileiros

TABELA

> Clique para conferir a tabela completa e simulador do Brasileirão!

Os sócios-torcedores palmeirenses possuem os descontos previstos em cada plano e terão exclusividade na compra dos ingressos via internet (www.ingressospalmeiras.com.br) até quarta, às 10h, quando começa a comercialização para o público em geral.

Caso ainda haja disponibilidade de ingressos, a venda física no Allianz Parque acontecerá nos dias 19 e 20 de agosto, das 12h às 19h, diretamente no Portão B (Avenida Francisco Matarazzo). Já no dia 21, data do jogo, os palmeirenses poderão adquirir os seus ingressos nas bilheterias dos portões A (Rua Palestra Italia), B e D (Rua Padre Antônio Tomás), das 12h até o intervalo da partida.

Associados e donos de cadeiras cativas terão à disposição o setor de cobrança, localizado no 1º andar do prédio administrativo do clube social, para adquirir as entradas. O atendimento acontecerá nos mesmos dias e horários.

continua após a publicidade

Confira o valor dos ingressos:

Gol Norte – R$ 180
Gol Sul – R$ 300
Central Oeste – R$ 400
Central Leste – R$ 320
Superior Norte e Sul – R$ 230
Superior Leste e Oeste – R$ 250

لا يزال الغموض يكتنف مستقبل نجم فريق إنتر ميامي، ليونيل ميسي، مع اقتراب عقده الحالي من الوصول إلى مرحلة النهاية، مما أدى إلى انتشار الكثير من التكهنات حوله.

ومن المقرر أن ينتهي العقد الحالي للنجم الأرجنتيني مع إنتر ميامي في ديسمبر 2025.

وانتشرت شكوك في الفترة الأخيرة حول مستقبل ميسي في صفوف إنتر ميامي، حيث ارتبط بإمكانية الرحيل والانتقال إلى نادِ جديد في مسيرته المهنية.

من جانبه، نشر الصحفي الشهير فابريزيو رومانو تصريحات على لسان مصادر من نادي إنتر ميامي حول مستقبل ليونيل ميسي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميسي: رباعية باريس سان جيرمان ليست مفاجأة.. وشيء ما كان سيجنبنا ما حدث

وجاء بتلك التصريحات: “ميسي مرتبط بعقد حتى نهاية 2025، والحقيقة أن كلا الطرفين مهتمان بمواصلة العلاقة بينهما، يتم اتخاذ الخطوات اللازمة بعقلية سليمة من أجل تحقيق ذلك”.

وأكد الصحفي أن ممثلي ليونيل ميسي يتفقون مع ما سلف ذكره على لسان مصادر النادي، مما يعني وجود تقارب في وجهة النظر.

وودع إنتر ميامي منافسات كأس العالم للأندية، أمس، على يد باريس سان جيرمان من دور الـ16 بعد الخسارة بأربعة أهداف دون رد.

He is the team’s third coach in as many seasons, and will take over from JP Duminy

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2023

Justin Ontong, the former South Africa batter and most recently national men’s team fielding coach, has been named as the new coach of the Paarl Rocks provincial side.Ontong succeeds JP Duminy, who was in charge for a season and is now the South African men’s white-ball batting coach. This is Ontong’s first position as a head coach.”I am honoured to be given this opportunity to lead the Rocks team. I have worked with several different teams and understand what it takes to build a winning team,” Ontong said. “My focus will be to ensure that all the players are working towards the same goal and remain motivated.”Related

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Ontong is the third Paarl Rocks head coach in as many seasons. Adrian Birrell headed up the province in the 2021-22 summer, when the Paarl Rocks won the T20 Challenge, before Duminy got the job. Duminy was in charge in the 2022-23 season during which time he also held the position of Paarl Royals coach in the SA20. It is not known whether he will continue in that role in the coming season. Paarl are yet to add to their sole trophy but have maintained their position in the top-tier of South Africa’s domestic structure.CSA revamped the domestic cricket system three summers ago in which they did away with the six franchises and introduced two divisions, with eight teams in tier one and seven in tier two, and a promotion-relegation system. The first movements from that came after two complete seasons, and saw Bloemfontein’s Knights drop down to division two, while the Pietermaritzburg-based Tuskers earned promotion. Paarl, who did not have its own franchise in the previous system, achieved a respectable fourth-place finish on the combined log.Paarl Rocks have proven themselves to be strong contenders in white-ball tournaments, but have only won one red-ball match in the new era, something they would like to change. “Having Justin Ontong on board as the head coach of the Rocks is an immense addition to our organisation,” James Fortuin, Paarl Rocks CEO, said.While Ontong is mostly known for his white-ball numbers – he played 42 white-ball internationals for South Africa – he was capped twice in Tests and finished his career with a first-class average of 41.87 which makes him the ideal candidate to turn Paarl’s red-ball form around.When his playing days ended in late 2017, Ontong moved straight into coaching. He was appointed South Africa’s fielding coach under Ottis Gibson in the 2017-8 season and remained in that role when Mark Boucher took over in December 2019. Boucher resigned the post after last year’s T20 World Cup and has been succeeded by Shukri Conrad in Tests and Rob Walter in ODIs and T20Is, each of who has their own support staff. The white-ball fielding job has been given to Lions’ coach Wandile Gwavu.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta segunda-feira, circulou nas redes uma possível decisão do Athletico-PR em não comercializar ingressos para a torcida do Palmeiras, no confronto válido pela semifinal da Libertadores, dia 30 deste mês. Todas as partes envolvidas estiveram em contato com a reportagem do LANCE! e, até o momento, buscaram esclarecer a situação.

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GALERIA
>Os jogadores que retornaram ao Brasil nesta janela

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> Clique e confira a tabela completa e simulador da Libertadores!

A Conmebol, responsável pela competição continental, afirmou que não houve um pedido formal em relação a isso, visto que o expediente estava suspenso por conta de um feriado no Paraguai, local da matriz.

Além disso, a entidade alegou que ‘o regulamento diz uma coisa, pedir para mudá-lo é outra completamente diferente’.

O presidente do Athletico, Mario Celso Petraglia, negou o pedido do clube por torcida única no duelo. Segundo ele, os responsáveis já devem estar iniciando conversas sobre a quantidade de entradas que serão comercializadas.

– Nenhum pedido de torcida única! Este é um problema das autoridades e responsáveis pela competição. Não passa de fake news da imprensa desinformada. Temos diálogo com todos os clubes! Acredito que as áreas já estejam conversando – disse o dirigente ao LANCE!.

Vale lembrar que o regulamento do torneio prevê obrigatoriedade de torcida visitante. O artigo diz que “as equipes são obrigadas a vender aos times visitantes até 2.000 ingressos nas partidas da FASE PRELIMINAR (Fase 1, 2 e 3), FASE DE GRUPOS e até quartas de final disputadas em seus estádios. Além de até 4.000 para a SEMIFINAL”.

Já o Palmeiras, por sua vez, apenas informou que ‘desconhece qualquer proposta’ por parte do clube paranaense.

Os jogos serão disputados em 30 de agosto em Curitiba, na Arena da Baixada, e em 6 de setembro, no Allianz Parque. Ainda não foram divulgadas informações sobre as quantidades de ingressos disponíveis.

The prolific pair made just 35 between them at Edgbaston, but Australia still came out on top

Andrew McGlashan22-Jun-2023Most of Australia’s players will welcome the few days of downtime they have after their stirring Edgbaston victory before starting preparations for Lord’s, but that may not be the case for Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith.Australia’s two-wicket win in the first Test was notable for being achieved without much contribution from the prolific pair as they made 35 runs between them. That’s the fewest they have put together when they have both batted twice and it remains the case even when one of them hasn’t.It is potentially a daunting prospect for England who will rue letting a match slip away when they had kept Labuschagne and Smith quiet, and maybe also for the members of Australia’s coaching staff who will be feeding them balls in the nets when training does resume in London at the weekend.Related

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Switch Hit: Australia win Edg-Baz-ton thriller

Stuart Broad runs and runs even deeper into Ashes folklore

“It’s very rare that Marn and Smudge miss out in the same Test match,” head coach Andrew McDonald said. “It’s an appetising thought.”They will be no doubt a craving for more net sessions from Marn and Smudge. They’re disappointed they missed out in this game, but I think any time the Australian cricket team can win without those two performing at high level is always a positive. We’ve got some areas we can improve, there’s some growth within the team and there’s two obvious ones.”Smith, who scored 774 runs in the 2019 series, was lbw to Ben Stokes in the first innings, a decision that appeared to surprise him, then edged behind off Stuart Broad in the second after being given a challenging time late on the fourth day.However, perhaps most intriguing was Labuschagne’s Test. He edged Broad’s ‘new’ outswinger in the first innings as he pushed well away from his body, collecting a first golden duck of his career, then after briefly attacking Moeen Ali with a pair of reverse sweeps in the second he again nicked Broad behind.The twin low scores mean Labuschagne, who lost his No. 1 Test ranking to Joe Root on Wednesday, has two half-centuries in his last 17 Test innings since filling his boots against West Indies in the previous home summer, and one of those was on the dead final day in Ahmedabad. It is far from being a significant concern, and to put things into context his average is down from 60.82 to 55.14, but his run-scoring feats make it noticeable.Marnus Labuschagne fell for a first-ball duck in the first innings at Edgbaston•Getty Images

There is also a differential emerging between his home and away averages with the latter now 37.13 (one century), albeit he has played some of his away Tests on difficult pitches, compared to 70.50 in Australia (nine hundreds).It is not that Labuschagne lacks experience in English conditions. He has played here extensively and averages 55.52 for Glamorgan from 26 County Championship appearances, while he made four half-centuries in the 2019 Ashes after being Smith’s concussion sub at Lord’s.His contest with Broad now looms as one of the fascinating duels of this series. Given the amount of work he puts into his batting, and his hunger for training, he will no doubt leave no stone unturned to try and find a response for the second Test while the same applies to Smith, although he came into Edgbaston on the back of a superb 121 against India.Usman Khawaja, the player of the match in Birmingham where he batted for more than 13 hours in making 141 and 67, was of little doubt over how the pair would respond.”I genuinely just expect [Labuschagne] to score a hundred next game,” he said. “We had potentially our two best batters not score runs this game. It’s very unlikely, doesn’t happen very often. In my opinion, the greatest batter of my era in Test cricket, Steve Smith, not very often he misses out twice. We’ve still got four Ashes Tests. Might be a good thing for us, they have some runs in the bank.”The coaching staff will be there to offer advice, but McDonald expects they’ll work out their own solutions.”I think there’s always a curiosity to get better, so we’re not going to stall that in any way,” he said. “They’ll come up with different plans, different movements.”They’ve seen what England are going to do and how they’re going to attack them, and they’re probably two of the greatest problem-solvers we’ve had over a period of time so you would expect them to go back to the drawing board.”[Batting coach] Michael Di Venuto will be part of that process. They’ll come out pretty clear what they need to do next innings. But there’s no issue there.”After two days off, Australia will begin their preparation for Lord’s on Saturday. That is expected to largely be a training session for those who didn’t play at Edgbaston, but it would be no surprise if Labuschagne and Smith can’t resist an extra hit.