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ألغت تقنية الفيديو هدفًا للنجم المصري محمد صلاح، لاعب ليفربول، في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد أستون فيلا في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب “فيلا بارك” مباراة الفريقين في خضم منافسات الجولة السابعة والثلاثين من البطولة (لمتابعة اللقاء من هنا).

وأحرز محمد صلاح هدفًا لصالح ليفربول، في الدقيقة 59 من عمر المباراة، معلنًا عن تفوق فريقه بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدف.

ولكن الحكم لم يحتسب الهدف بداعِ وجود حالة تسلل على لويس دياز قبل أن يمرر الكرة إلى محمد صلاح. هدف محمد صلاح الملغي أمام أستون فيلا

وفحصت تقنية الفيديو هدف محمد صلاح، والتي أيدت قرار الحكم وقررت إلغاءه، لتعود النتيجة كما كانت، 3-1.

نجح فريق كرة السلة الأول رجال بالنادي الأهلي في تحقيق فوز مثير على نظيره الجزيرة في كأس مصر موسم 2023-2024 بنتيجة 67-66.

مران الأهلي | كولر يشرح خطة مباراة الإسماعيلي.. وتدريبات بدنية

المباراة التي أقيمت على صالة وزارة الشباب والرياضة (زويل) بالسادس من أكتوبر، ضمن منافسات الدور نصف النهائي.

بتلك النتيجة يتأهل الأهلي إلى الدور النهائي منتظرًا الفائز من مواجهة الزمالك والاتحاد السكندري.

مواعيد مباريات الأهلي والزمالك في نصف نهائي دوري السوبر لكرة السلة

يذكر أن فريق كرة السلة بالنادي الأهلي قد تأهل للدور نصف النهائي بفوزه على حساب فريق طلائع الجيش.

وكان رجال سلة الأهلي قد تأهل للمرحلة الأخيرة لنهائيات بطولة إفريقيا للأندية «BAL» التي تقام رواندا.

Southampton are thought to be in pole position to sign Sunderland forward Ross Stewart this summer, according to reliable reporter Alan Nixon.

What’s the latest Southampton transfer news?

The Saints and new manager Russell Martin have made a start in the transfer market ahead of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, with two new faces already brought in.

Former Swansea left-back Ryan Manning has made the move to St Mary’s on a free transfer to reunite with Martin, whereas young midfielder Shea Charles has arrived from Manchester City. Further new arrivals look to be of interest to the Saints and Martin, though, and a new attacker is seemingly on the cards.

Martin currently has four centre-forward options on the books in Che Adams, Paul Onuachu, Adam Armstrong and Sekou Mara. However, Adams is into the final 12 months of his contract and is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, so the Scotland international could be on the way out before the September 1 deadline.

Should he depart, it appears as if another Scot in Stewart could come in and fill the void left by Adams, with rumours claiming the Sunderland man wants to join the Saints.

The 72 relayed a new update from Nixon’s Patreon page on Sunday regarding Southampton and a move for Stewart.

It is believed that the Saints are in pole position and therefore the front runners to secure the forward’s services this summer, despite his recent injury issues.

Who is Ross Stewart?

Stewart, hailed as "incredible" by Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, began his career in Scotland, representing the likes of St Mirren and Ross County.

He made the move to Sunderland in 2021, though, and has impressed when fit for the Black Cates, helping them win promotion to the Championship during the 2021/22 campaign.

Primarily a centre-forward, Stewart can also play on the wing if required and has scored 40 goals in 80 appearances for his current employers. However, as mentioned, the forward has struggled with injury recently, missing large parts of the previous season with an Achilles issue that required surgery.

Stewart is into the final 12 months of his deal, though, with Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray recently admitting he is unaware if the forward will sign a new deal.

“I don't sit across the table with Ross or his agent and discuss that sort of thing. All I know is we could do with him.

"In an ideal world Ross signs a new contract and the team looks so much stronger."

It looks as if the player is keen on swapping Sunderland for Southampton over the coming weeks, and following Nixon’s update, a move could well be one to keep an eye on heading into the new season.

Worcestershire have dropped Tom Kohler-Cadmore after he told them he planned to join Yorkshire at the end of the season. ESPNcricinfo understands that Kohler-Cadmore, who is out of contract at the end of the current season, has been omitted from the side to play Sussex in a Championship match starting on Friday.It currently remains unclear whether he will be included in the Worcestershire side scheduled to play in the semi-final of the Royal London Cup on June 17 – Worcestershire’s first semi-final appearance in any competition in 13 years – or any other games this season. It is understood that neither Yorkshire nor Kohler-Cadmore have made any request (or have any expectation) that he will be released early from his contract.Kohler-Cadmore is an important player for Worcestershire. Having come through the club’s academy – he was educated from sixth-form level at nearby Malvern College – he has developed into a clean-hitting batsman who scored the fastest century of the English domestic season, off 43 balls, in 2016. Aged just 22, he was a big part of Worcestershire’s plans for the future and the decision to drop him may well be a manifestation of the bitter disappointment Steve Rhodes, the director of cricket, feels at losing a player in whom he had invested such faith and time.Until going to Malvern, however, Kohler-Cadmore had developed through the Yorkshire system. And it seems the lure of home – and playing with those he grew-up with – has had a strong influence. He had been of interest to several other clubs, including Warwickshire, while Worcestershire are understood to have offered him a new deal. There is no suggestion that Yorkshire’s approach was anything other than appropriate: they gave Worcestershire notice of a 28-day approach several weeks ago and have progressed the deal by the book.It may also be relevant that Yorkshire are likely to be one of the host grounds in the new-team T20 competition. As a highly promising white-ball player, Kohler-Cadmore is likely to have one eye on ensuring he is among the lucky few picked to play in an event that may well prove to be lucrative and well-publicised. He might argue that moving to a higher-profile club and rubbing shoulders with more high-profile players might be of benefit. It is understood he informed Worcestershire of his intentions early to help them plan and recruit a replacement if necessary.Worcestershire finished top of the North Group in the Royal London Cup with Kohler-Cadmore making their only century of the campaign to date – a potentially deal-securing innings of 118 against Yorkshire. They have also won all four of their Championship matches this season, with Kohler-Cadmore averaging 48.40 in the campaign to date.

Captain Upul Tharanga said the choice of their openers in the first T20I will depend on the opposition’s plans and involve trying to neutralise the Bangladesh spinners

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo03-Apr-2017

After years of failing to find a partner for Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top of the order, Sri Lanka are currently faced with a logjam over the opening slots. While Niroshan Dickwella is unavailable for the T20I series against Bangladesh, the hosts have in their squad four men – each of them having trodden a different path – who can open the batting in the shortest format.Upul Tharanga – the oldest of the four – has usually been thought of for the longer formats, but has recently unveiled a more explosive avatar to his batting. By contrast, 26-year-old Kusal Perera, the only batsman who has tasted some consistent success as a T20 opener, has not been in the best touch of late. Though he was part of the victorious World T20 campaign in Bangladesh, his form in the recent past has been somewhat shaky.Dilshan Munaweera had an abortive first stint in the team, but has since found his way back into Sri Lankan colours via the global T20 circuit. As for the newest of their opening options, Danushka Gunathilaka has a reputation of being a live wire in the field, and can also double up as a useful part-time bowler. However, at the moment, he is trading more on potential than tangible results.Under normal circumstances, there would be little pressure for Sri Lanka to lock down their best opening combination immediately – considering there is no world T20 tournament on the horizon. However, with both the ODI and Test series having been drawn 1-1, there is little more at stake in this series than usual.Taking into account how the odds stack up against both teams ahead of the T20 series, Captain Tharanga said the issue of choosing the opening combination deserved a little mulling over.”We really haven’t decided on the openers, and we have to take the opposition’s plans into account,” Tharanga said. “They have the offspinner Mehedi Hasan, and he often opens the bowling – as we saw in the ODIs. So, that can affect the combination. And, we might also want a right-hand left-hand combination.”This suggests Munaweera is likely to open the innings, as he is the only right-handed batsman among the quartet, and as such, is best-equipped to neutralise Mehedi.According to Tharanga, the opening combination is not the only area where Sri Lanka have options. Thanks to their recent successes – albeit against depleted opposition – Sri Lanka may head into the T20I series with a little more confidence.”In the last two series, we beat South Africa in South Africa and Australia in Australia, which is never easy to do,” Tharanga said. “They were top teams at the moment in the T20 format. We are in good shape in the T20s, and we have a lot more experience, especially with players like Lasith Malinga coming back, and Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera being there as well.”We have explosive batsmen up the top of the order, but some firepower lower down as well in Seekkuge Prasanna and Chamara Kapugedara.”Though Tharanga revealed on Saturday that he had asked for an offspinner – Dilruwan Perera – to be added to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad after the selectors had initially failed to name one, he did express support for the selectors’ policy of stacking T20I sides with allrounders.”In T20Is, a lot changes with the situation. Sometimes, if you have players that can play a few big shots and contribute with a couple of overs at the right time, it can be an advantage.”As specialist bowlers, we’ve got Malinga and Kulasekara; Lakshan Sandakan as a spinner, and Seekkuge as well, who bowled all four overs in Australia. We’re just looking for one or two overs from the allrounders,” Tharanga said.

Leeds United are still without manager after falling from the Premier League this year, but that has not stopped rumours filtering through of the club's interest in Amad Diallo.

According to The Mirror, the Manchester United winger has emerged as an option for a loan move this summer with Wilfried Gnonto eyeing a departure from Elland Road after relegation from the Premier League.

The Championship outfit's soon-to-be-confirmed owners, the 49ers, will be targetting a swift return to the top-flight, and the Ivorian could hold the formula after a prolific loan spell with defeated Championship play-off semi-finalists Sunderland.

Signing for the Red Devils from Atalanta for a fee potentially rising to £37m in January 2021, the 20-year-old is certainly an unlikely candidate given the historic rivalry between the respective outfits but it could serve as a move to fit the interests of all parties.

How would Amad Diallo perform at Leeds?

The £29k-per-week winger has only made nine appearances for Manchester United since his arrival, scoring one goal and supplying one assist, and after an indifferent loan spell with Scottish giants Rangers, Diallo has found his feet in England's north east.

With Sunderland returning from the obscurity of the third tier last term, a stellar season is the only way to describe the job that Tony Mowbray did in mounting a promotion push, with the one-year deal for Diallo proving a masterstroke as the prodigious talent served as the offensive centrepiece.

Indeed, the three-cap gem scored 14 goals and supplied four assists from 43 matches across all competitions, including a goal against promoted Luton Town in the play-offs – his feats are even more impressive when noting that he blanked across his first eight matches in the Championship.

Earning an average Sofascore rating of 6.98 after complimenting his direct return with an 86% pass completion rate, averaging 1.8 shots and 1.1 key passes per game, Leeds would inject a "wizard" of a winger, as he has been called by journalist James Copley.

He could even emerge as Elland Road's next Raphinha, with the Brazilian "magician" – as he has been hailed by Dan James – departing the club for Barcelona for £55m last summer.

Like Diallo, Raphinha is an electric flanker with the capabilities to conjure up something out of nothing from the right wing, darting inside onto his favoured left foot to wreak havoc.

Indeed, for the Whites, he posted 17 goals and 12 assists across his two Premier League campaigns with the outfit, and given that he averaged 2.2 and 2.5 shots, and 2.1 and 1.9 key passes a game – as per WhoScored -across the two terms, it's clear that Diallo can match his presence in the second tier as Leeds target an instant return.

Perhaps their dynamic nature can be best compared via their dribble success. Both can beat an opponent with ease out wide, with Diallo registering 3.72 progressive carries per 90 in the last year to Raphinha's four per 90.

Blessed with trickery and speed to bamboozle any defender, such a signing would surely have fans at Elland Road standing to attention.

Faf du Plessis has called Kagiso Rabada the “perfect bowler for a captain” following the 282-run domination of Sri Lanka at Newlands

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Newlands05-Jan-2017

Faf du Plessis has called Kagiso Rabada the “perfect bowler for a captain” following the 282-run domination of Sri Lanka at Newlands, which he labelled a “perfect performance”. Rabada had not been at his quickest in Port Elizabeth, where he took four wickets at an average of 35, but was easily the most impressive South Africa seamer on the faster Newlands pitch, where he claimed match figures of 10 for 92, and a Man-of-the-Match award.”It was an amazing bowling performance from Kagiso,” du Plessis said. “Look, even when he’s bowling not so well, as a captain I’m really happy to have in my team. He’s just a guy that tries really hard. He’s never got any dramas. Basically the perfect bowler for a captain, because exactly what I ask him to do, he does. If I say I want him to bowl a thousand short balls in a row, he’ll do it. That’s the kind of bowler he is. That works well with me because I can work on a plan with him. He’s an extreme talent South Africa. He’s going to be very valuable to us in the future – to make sure he plays a lot of cricket for us.”Among the concerns about Rabada, however, is his high workload. Though he only made his international debut in mid-2015, Rabada was a fixture in South Africa’s teams for all three formats last year – in which he played each of South Africa’s nine Tests, 15 of their 17 ODIs and eight of their nine T20Is. Rabada faces the possibility of playing continuously in all three formats as South Africa seek to fulfil their transformation quotas, but du Plessis suggested this this was a workload he can handle, for now. He is not expecting Rabada to be rested for the dead rubber at the Wanderers.”We’ll only leave KG out if there are injury concerns,” he said. “If the medical staff feels he needs it. If he doesn’t need it from an injury point of view, I would say: ‘no’. For me it’s really important to make sure we keep winning Test matches.”I can understand the importance of resting players – yes there is a place for that. But I don’t think KG is there yet. Every fast bowler needs to bowl. As you saw in this Test match KG was double the bowler he was in the previous one just because he started bowling again. He would be the first to say that as well, and will want to play that next Test definitely.”South Africa were never put under pressure while they were in the field, but had briefly been in trouble with the bat, when Sri Lanka had them 66 for 3 on the first morning, and then 169 for 5 that afternoon. They would go on to post 392 in the first innings, however, and du Plessis lauded the mettle of the batsmen who saw South Africa through the minor wobbles.”On a tough wicket Dean Elgar batted excellently. For an opening batsman to get a 100 on a wicket like that was great batting. Our whole batting unit put on a decent total in the first innings. It was great from our batters. From then we were in a dominant position. When there are those moments in the game when we are under pressure, every time we’ve stood up. Every single time it’s somebody different, and for me as a captain, that makes it easy.”Rabada and Vernon Philander shared seventeen wickets between them, while Keshav Maharaj took the remaining three. Though Kyle Abbott did not take a wicket in either innings, in what transpired to be his final Test, he had nevertheless been miserly, conceding runs at 2.39 an over.”It’s pretty much the perfect performance, to be honest. There’s nothing that didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. All the plans – everything worked out perfectly. Even the declaration – we got it spot on. We thought it would take till day four lunch in a perfect world, and it did work out that way. We lost the toss on a green wicket. The plan was to try and be a little bit better than we were in Port Elizabeth, and we did that.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes West Ham star Declan Rice only wants to join the Gunners and a move is "closing in", according to reports.

Who could join Arsenal this summer?

It's set to be a pivotal summer at the Emirates Stadium and one which could well determine whether the north Londoners maintain their place among England's elite next season.

Arsenal narrowly missed out on their first league title in nearly 20 years last season, with Pep Guardiola's treble-winners beating them to the punch, but reports suggest that Arteta is determined to reshape and improve.

Central midfield is of top priority this window, leading to their serious chase for Rice and Brighton star Moises Caicedo among others. Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan, as he nears the end of his contract, is also of serious interest in north London.

Meanwhile, in terms of other positions, it is believed that Arsenal are now targeting Chelsea star Kai Havertz for the forward areas, and there have been links to potential additions at right-back.

Going back to Rice, the pursuit is hotting up, with TEAMtalk sharing what they know on the situation amid advanced negotiations.

It is believed they're on the brink of finalising an agreement for the 24-year-old, who has just won the Europa Conference League and his first major trophy at West Ham. However, there is one final hurdle to clear, which is the compromise on a final fee.

The Irons are hoping for around £100 million plus add-ons for their prized asset, but Arsenal would rather pay closer to the £90m mark. Despite this, Arteta's side are very much "closing in", and the Gunners boss has "never wavered in his belief that Rice wants to only join Arsenal".

Edu and co firmly believe they've won the race for his signature despite serious interest from Bayern Munich, with the latter side apparently now deciding not to advance.

Who is Declan Rice?

David Moyes' star player proved yet again why he is so in demand with his performances last season.

Indeed, the "sensational" midfield enforcer finished 2022/2023 as West Ham's best-performing player by average match rating, all while making more interceptions per 90 than anyone in their side (WhoScored).

Given Arsenal's need to shore up that area of the squad, we could think of few better than Rice to upgrade Arteta's options, especially since he is both homegrown and proven in the Premier League.

It will be interesting to see what fee both sides eventually settle on for the transfer.

She believes her experience in franchise cricket and adaptability will hold her in good stead at the T20 World Cup next month

Daya Sagar30-Sep-2024On settling down in her new batting position at No. 5
I think for me the important thing is what the team needs from me and how I can contribute, be it batting at No. 3, opening, or lower down the order. I think the team believes that me batting at that number [five] will make a massive difference for the team and I am up for it. For me, it is all about adapting to situations and conditions, the mindset is always the same. I think I’m trying to be a little more aggressive and positive, because sometimes situations at No. 5 are different than at No. 3. At No. 3, you build an innings, you build partnerships, you run and you do everything to give your team momentum. At No. 5, you already know the situation and from there you have to take whatever you get. I’ve been working a lot of that, and it starts from the nets, going all out from the first ball because it may be that you need six runs off one ball.Related

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Coming to my power-hitting, the work is still going on. I have to put in a lot more effort, maybe compared to others, because my game is more about timing. But I’ve been working on it. And I’m glad to see it coming. My dad always tells me that you don’t need to be a muscular person to score runs, you just need to have brains and get runs your way. And that is the best advice I have got on this.On the India team’s increased emphasis on fitness and fielding
From the time [Amol Muzumdar] became our coach, he made it very specific. Recently, we had a camp just on fitness and fielding. And we worked a lot there. See, it’s a long process. But we keep at it, and I can assure you that we are getting better, that is for sure. I think we will continue to get better and it’s nice to have specific things that we are focusing on and everyone is aware of it and everyone’s given a plan and we’re working to it. And also our fielding coach [Munish Bali] is very specific about it with each player. So as a team everyone is trying to get that goal.How much has watching Virat Kohli helped?
I feel we have very similar batting styles. Whenever he hits sixes, he hits it in the gaps so that he can get at least a boundary even it’s a mishit. It’s very smart cricket that he plays. That’s what I try to add to my game. And more than anything else, just sticking to my process and what style suits me, I bat like that. He also runs well between the wickets, he builds an innings, he likes working hard through the innings… so I just find a lot of similarities. I take a lot of inspiration from him.

I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad [for the Kia Super League]. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone”Jemimah Rodrigues

Harmanpreet Kaur has talked about wanting to emulate the men’s team…
It’s nice to dream about sitting on the bus and roaming around Marine Drive with the crowd there. But I think more than anything else, even more than that, just to lift the World Cup for India [is the main thing]. It will be the first time for the women ‘s team. The Under-19 girls have done it, but the women ‘s team hasn’t, and I think it will be a crazy feeling just to do that. So yes, we’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the men’s team and it was special watching them do what they did, and hopefully we can do that.Away from international cricket, the Delhi Capitals trio is part of Brisbane Heat in the WBBL now…
Yes, yes, yes! It feels great, honestly. You know, just to play with some Indian cricketers in different-different franchises and travel around the world playing in different conditions… I think, above all, it’s the best way to get experience. Which I can use when I play for India. At the same time, we get to meet amazing people. I’m so glad that our squad is the sam – in the sense Jess [Jonassen], Shikha [Pandey] and I – because we play for Delhi together, we play in the CPL [Trinbago Knight Riders] together, and now we will play in BBL together. It’s crazy and I am looking forward to it.Jemimah Rodrigues played a starring role in putting Trinbago Knight Riders in the WCPL 2024 final•CPL T20/Getty ImagesOn her takeaways from all the franchise-cricket exposure over the years
When I played the Kia Super League, that was the first league I played. I think more than anything else, that was a game-changer for me. I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. Everything I had to manage, the money and everything. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone. Even in the Indian team, I was like the baby of the team, everyone loved and took care of me, and I knew everyone. Then this was a whole new thing, and that changed me a lot as a person, made me more independent and, at the same time, made me stronger. And also, I did really well in the Hundred, the WBBL, the WPL. The more cricket you play with such great team-mates all around the world, the better you get.Most recently, there was a magnificent innings in the WCPL ‘knockout’ for Trinbago Knight Riders…
Yeah, 100%. I think every knock was very important there. That knock [in the last league match] – it was not officially a semi-final, but actually a semi-final for our team – really gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of boost, because nothing like taking your team through and finishing a match, that too helping the team reach the final out of nowhere. I think the conditions in the CPL were a bit challenging, but I think to adapt to it gave me a lot of confidence. We will adapt to the conditions in the UAE too during the World Cup. I know how to play in different conditions, so I think that will be something I’ll be taking into the World Cup.

But, spin under the scanner? These and other takeaways for South Africa from their 2-1 ODI series win against England

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2023South Africa took two steps closer to automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup with a 2-1 win over England in their penultimate series of the ODI Super League. They will play two matches against Netherlands on March 31 and April 2, and must win them both and hope that New Zealand earn at least one victory over Sri Lanka in their home ODI series that will be played around the same time. For the neutral fan, this means what would otherwise have been random matches, played at around the same time as the IPL begins, become the some of the most context-laden of the current Super League cycle.By the time those games come around, South Africa will have a new white-ball coach in Rob Walter, a new support staff and some fresh ideas. Even without Walter’s presence in this England series, where Test coach Shukri Conrad took over in a care-taker role, South Africa already seemed to be showing glimpses of a much-needed evolution in their game and have plenty of positives to take into the new era. They may need to be wary of slow over-rate offences though. It cost them a point in Kimberley.

South Africa can still bat

Phew! After the last six months no one was sure they could. In the second half of 2022, South Africa racked up seven consecutive sub-200 Test scores across matches in England and Australia and failed to chase 159 against Netherlands at the T20 World Cup. There are still significant issues around the batting in the longest and shortest format but as far as the middle-child goes, South Africa seem to have finally stepped up.Related

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They scored over 300 or in the vicinity repeatedly (the latter was enough to win the opening game) and achieved their best run-rate in an ODI series in four-and-a-half years – since August 2018 when they beat Sri Lanka. It’s also only the fourth time in that period that South Africa have achieved a series run-rate of more than six runs an over, a standard that England have made the norm since after the 2015 World Cup.ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa had four batters in the series’ top six and none of them was Quinton de Kock, which suggests the responsibility is being shared around and the previous over-reliance on a few standout stars is decreasing. Best of all for the home side, the leading run-scorer was…

Temba Bavuma

If redemption were a cricketer, it would look like the South Africa captain in the last six days. Temba Bavuma has gone from being under the microscope for his poor scoring rate in T20Is to facing questions around his overall suitability to play white-ball cricket, not least captain the national side. He answered some of these questions with a high-quality innings in the series-winning second match, where he scored his third ODI century in emphatic style. His other contributions of 36 and 35 also came at more than a run-a-ball for an overall strike rate of 114.64, and he enjoyed his best ODI series to date.Add to that his clever captaincy, especially in defending 299 in the first match and what this series has shown us is that ODI cricket is Bavuma’s format and he should be the player to take South Africa to the 2023 World Cup. It also shows us the importance of not conflating performance, or under-performance, in one format with another – so this doesn’t mean South Africa don’t have to think about their T20 strategy, but in fifty-over cricket, Bavuma’s got it.

Heinrich Klaasen could be an asset for the World Cup

David Miller is established as South Africa’s finisher but Heinrich Klaasen’s contributions should not be overlooked, especially given where the World Cup is being held (India). Klaasen has shown himself to be strong against spin and especially in hitting boundaries off spinners. His display in the third ODI, when he kept South Africa in the game until the 40th over chasing 347, included big hits off Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.Heinrich Klaasen kept going at England even in the face of a massive target•AFPKlaasen appears to have mastered the ability to stay deep in the crease and built the confidence to make room to play his shots. He has had an impressive ODI run in general – since the start of 2022, Klaasen averages 45.71 in this format.

Fast bowler rotation will be key

With the volume of cricket showing no sign of slowing down, both South Africa and England had to manage their quicks’ workload through the series. South Africa changed a successful combination, which included Kagiso Rabada and Sisanda Magala, from the first ODI to the second. They won the second with Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen coming in. Anrich Nortje was rested for the third game, while Wayne Parnell played in all three matches.It is understood that South Africa’s new coaching regime plans to have a rotation policy in place for the quicks, which will see those who play in all formats, such as Rabada, Nortje and Ngidi, rested more often. That only means that they need an equally impressive second set of players as stand-ins. Magala proved what he can do in the first match, Parnell has developed into a reliable allrounder and Jansen has already been labelled a superstar by team-mates like Miller, but there’s opportunity for players on the domestic circuit to put themselves in contention too. Six white-ball matches against West Indies in the second half of March (including ODIs that are not part of the Super League) will be the first chance for South Africa to test their bench bowling strength, so expect to see some new names there.

Spin concerns

On fairly flat tracks it may seem harsh to criticise the bowlers who were most likely to be targeted but South Africa’s spinners were disappointingly ineffective in this series. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi took one wicket apiece and delivered South Africa’s worst spin economy in an ODI series – 7.85. Their performances may be the result of a combination of England’s batting strength and placid conditions (though it did turn in Kimberley) but there are also genuine worries about the pair.Shamsi seems down on confidence, and Maharaj appears to be bowling flatter as he spends more time in the white-ball game. With that in mind, it could cause South Africa’s selectors to cast the net wider. The point about different formats notwithstanding, the SA20, where Bjorn Fortuin is the joint-second-highest wicket-taker at the time of writing, could be an ideal catchment area.