Essex opener proves his partnership with Alastair Cook remains a double-act to be reckoned with

David Hopps25-Jul-2022

Nick Browne flashes through the covers•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Essex’s Championship challenge foundered at The Kia Oval a few days ago and as spectators gathered again at Chelmsford, the air was thick with inquests. It was thick with humidity, too, which is about as close as it has got to raining in these parts this summer, and in that atmosphere, Nick Browne reminded everyone of his worth with his second hundred of the season.Somerset, who find themselves part of a West Country bottom two, had imagined they were catching Essex at a good time with their title ambitions over – although an even better time would have been with Simon Harmer absent with South Africa for the upcoming Test series against England. As it was, Browne supervised a successful Essex day, batting the entire day for 129 out of 281 for 3.Chelmsford remains parched. It gets roughly half the annual rain that falls upon the likes of Manchester and Cardiff in an average summer. The outfield at the River End of the ground is in a terrible state, worn and bumpy with drainage ditches clearly visible. Field in this area at your peril.Centuries have tended to come this season from Essex’s more celebrated opener, Alastair Cook, who has made four of their 10 in the Championship this season. Browne, a big, lumbering sort, often guarded in his strokeplay, is not really designed to wrest attention, but he is the most wholehearted of cricketers. They remain an opening partnership to be reckoned with and he played well.Browne told blithely how he and Cook used to keep a tally over the season about who got out first before it was abandoned for his own good. “It is always hard to get out after him,” he said. “We used to have a little competition but I always seemed to lose it because he is too good.”How many England players as distinguished as Cook will remain true to county cricket in the future? Nearly four years have passed since he bowed out of Test cricket against India at The Oval, but he appears to have settled back into Championship life with equanimity and he looked untroubled in making 44 before Peter Siddle cut one back to have him lbw, the third time he has dismissed him in the Championship this season.The extension of Marcus Trescothick’s career in county cricket with Somerset felt like a prolonged farewell tour with the Taunton crowd outpouring its gratitude for every extra season, almost every extra run. Trescothick’s presence at Somerset was heartfelt, of course, because of the mental health issues that had ended his England career prematurely. Essex’s ties with Cook, while just as strong, are perhaps more understated; less emotional. Both, though, might be figures from a different age.Related

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With England now pulling around 30 players out of county cricket from an early age to feed a never-ending international schedule, and with the future county fixture list once again awash with uncertainty, it invites questions whether club loyalties of the best players can possibly remain as strong in a changing landscape. Then you think of Joe Root and imagining him settling back with Yorkshire many years from hence and maybe for some it remains perfectly possible. Perhaps it is not the nature of the competition, but the nature of the man.Essex’s opening pair are easy to tell apart: Cook, willowy and contemplative, accumulating quietly, rarely drawing attention to himself; Browne, more hunched and thick-set and capable of occasional moments of pugnacity, his speciality the sort of punched drive through extra cover, off Siddle that brought him a most diligent hundred. He had sweated it out for 13 balls on 99, including a play-and-miss against Kasey Aldridge, one of the few times his outside edge was beaten. Siddle, who has also played at Essex awarded it a fist-bump of respect.During the morning, Somerset had an injury scare for Craig Overton, who has been released by England to play in this match. He limped away from an over after having problems with the footholes, and also missed part of the morning session after jarring his shoulder in the field.All Somerset’s wickets on an unresponsive pitch came in the afternoon session. Tom Westley drove at Overton, back with no long-term damage, to be caught at slip, and Dan Lawrence slumped in disbelief when he cut the last ball of the afternoon session, a wide long-hop from Matt Renshaw, an occasional offspinner, to slip. Renshaw finished off a wearying day by bowling Browne a bouncer off a few paces which he duly ducked underneath.Paul Walter had his aggressive moments for an unbeaten 57, never more so than when he lofted Jack Leach for a straight six during 27 unrewarding overs for England’s premier spin bowler. Few anticipate that Harmer will be as unproductive as the game progresses.

A Ballon d’Or winner could be available for a bargain price this summer, with Barcelona reportedly demanding €90m for Raphinha.

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• South American starring for Blaugrana
• In contention for prestigious Golden Ball
• May be sold if new deal can't be agreed

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Brazil international does not yet have his hands on a prestigious Golden Ball, but he has become the favourite to land that prize in 2025. That is because the South American has registered 28 goals and an impressive tally of assists this season.

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  Raphinha’s efforts are helping to keep Barcelona in the hunt for La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey titles. His value to the Blaugrana cause is clear for all to see, but exit talk has surfaced in Catalunya.

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  That is because, with two years left on his current deal, contract talks are said to have ground to a halt. Raphinha’s representatives are said to be demanding better terms than those currently being offered.

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  claims that Barca may be willing to cash in this summer if a suitable bid is tabled, with Raphinha valued at between €80m and €90m (£78m/$102m). He is already said to have generated interest in the Saudi Pro League.

Newcastle United’s winning streak is over.

On Saturday, the Magpies suffered a shock 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Bournemouth, falling behind early, only for Bruno Guimarães’ header to level things up mid-way through the second half, but the Cherries hit back on the cusp of half time, before scoring twice more in injury time to rubber stamp an emphatic victory.

Prior to this, the Toon Army had enjoyed nine successive victories across all competitions, achieving this for just the second time in the club’s top-flight history, previously doing so under Kevin Keegan in 1994.

During this period, they’ve moved into the Champions League spots and are on the cusp of the EFL Cup Final, beating Arsenal 2-0 in the semi-final first leg in North London, but Eddie Howe is still seeking reinforcements this month.

Newcastle targeting a new wide-attacker

As reported by Lee Ryder of the Chronicle, Newcastle have “run the rule over” Celtic winger Nicolas Kühn, claiming the Magpies “have sent senior scouts” to Glasgow to examine his performances.

Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland also believes Fulham and Brentford have “enquired” about Kühn, with Celtic valuing him at £30m, according to Mark Pirie of the Daily Record, although his agent Christian Nerlinger claims his client is in no rush to leave.

Kühn joined Celtic from Rapid Vienna for just £3m in January 2024, making little impact during his first half-season in Glasgow, scoring just three goals in 18 appearances, but it later transpired that he was suffering from dental issues, requiring wisdom teeth surgery, unable to eat for almost a fortnight due to the excruciating pain, “resulting in a drastic loss of weight”.

What Nicolas Kühn would bring to Newcastle

Now however, free of any health issues, Kühn has been unstoppable, scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists across all competitions this season, averaging a goal involvement every 71 minutes.

Ryan McGinlay on Twitter described the German as the “best player in Scotland”, with former Everton, Birmingham and Scotland midfielder James McFadden describing him as “absolutely outstanding”.

So, could the former RB Leipzig, Ajax and Bayern Munich winger soon be departing the run-away Scottish Premiership leaders and move to the Premier League?

Given that both Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon have been free-scoring this season, on target 17 and eight times respectively across all competitions, the Magpies are seeking a right-winger to complete their front three, especially considering Miguel Almirón is close to departing.

So, let’s assess how Gordon and Kühn compare.

Appearances

29

32

Minutes

1,994

2,344

Goals

16

9

Assists

12

5

Shots per 90

2.30

2.38

Shot on target %

48.8%

40.3%

Goals – xG

+1.4

-1.2

Attempted take-ons per 90

1.67

3.08

Take on success %

46.7%

41.3%

Progressive carries per 90

0.90

3.31

Touches per 90

13.8

34

The table outlines that Kühn and Gordon are actually stylistically very different players, but for that exact reason, they’d been an excellent wing combination.

Kühn is much more a goal-scoring wide-forward, emphasised by the fact he’s scored more goals, registered more assists and a higher percentage of his shots hit the target, with the obvious caveat that he’s primarily playing at a lower level, albeit six of his outings have come in the Champions League.

Gordon meantime, is much more a dribbler, accumulating an exponentially greater tally of attempted takes-ons and progressive carries, while touching the ball almost three times as often as the German.

The other statistic worth noting is the fact the Celtic man is overperforming his xG, while Gordon is, to an almost identical degree, underperforming his.

So, envisage this: Gordon getting loads of touches on the ball, and Kühn tucking away opportunities.

The pair would form quite a frightening front three, alongside Isak, who former Rangers player and manager Ally McCoist believes to be “the best all-around centre-forward in the league at this moment”.

Sounds good doesn’t it, Newcastle supporters?

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Kyle Mayers’ 73 went in vain for West Indies, with Rohit Sharma’s back injury a matter of concern for the visitors

Sidharth Monga02-Aug-20223:18

Hardik Pandya – ‘When I bowl it gives a lot of balance to the side’

Suryakumar Yadav put on a workshop on how to hit hard lengths after Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin helped India keep West Indies down to 164 in their 20 overs. Riding on Suryakumar’s 76 off 44 balls, India got to their target and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with an over to spare.The only matter of concern for India was the fitness of their captain Rohit Sharma, who retired hurt with a suspected back spasm when batting.Put in on a bouncy track that was hosting its second match in two days, West Indies got off to a quick start in the powerplay, but Pandya and Ashwin dragged them back with their changes of pace. Between them, they conceded just 45 in eight overs.While Kyle Mayers scored a 50-ball 73, run-a-ball 20s from Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran hurt West Indies’ momentum. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell helped them get 80 off the last seven but it wasn’t enough to trouble Suryakumar.Right from the first ball he faced, Suryakumar looked in imperious touch, squeezing out a near-yorker for four through cover. He followed it with scarcely believable shots to perfectly acceptable balls bowled on hard lengths.Five of his 12 boundaries came behind square on the off side, and one behind square on the leg side, but his best shot was an aerial inside-out drive to a short-of-a-length ball on middle stump, getting a six over wide long-off. It was but one of an exhibition put on by Suryakumar, who at one point threatened to score a century in a small chase.By the time he was done, India needed just 30 off 33 balls.Mayers signals intent
India snuck in a quiet over from Deepak Hooda with the new ball, but Mayers got stuck into any pace on offer, especially that of Avesh Khan. If he went over the leg side against Avesh, he made room to slice open the covers when Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled. Arshdeep Singh did well in the final powerplay over, but Mayers and King punished two slight errors of length from Ashwin in the seventh over to make it 56 for 0.1:02

Kyle Mayers – ‘India assessed the conditions better than us’

Pandya, Ashwin choke the middle overs
Pandya, who had been pulled for a six in his first over, got a change of ends, which meant Mayers was hitting into a stiff wind if he pulled. Extra bounce, hard lengths and changes of pace followed in the next three overs, which went for just 11 runs, and also brought the wicket of King, who played on when slogging at Pandya.Ashwin had two left-hand batters in sight, and he stifled them with his guile and variations on a pitch with little turn. Mayers and Pooran managed to hit a four and a six in his remaining three overs, but had to take big risks. By the time the duo was done, West Indies had reached just 84 in 13 overs.Honours even in final exchanges
West Indies managed to successfully target Avesh in the final exchanges, but Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar kept pulling them back, denying them the finishing kick they badly needed after that middle-overs slowdown. Mayers and Rovman Powell played some incredible shots to get them the 80 runs they did in these seven overs, but they were about to pale in comparison.The Suryakumar show
The first ball Suryakumar – opening for the third time this series – faced was a low full-toss with not much room, but he squeezed it out for a four through the covers. He was just warming up those whippy wrists of his. In the fourth over, he played a mix of a ramp and a drive to send Azlarri Joseph for a six over third.India took 56 off the powerplay, which is when West Indies would have hoped to have brought on a slowdown like the one they experienced.However, Suryakumar took Jason Holder on in the eighth over, and then punished Joseph for no fault of his in the tenth. The drive off a short-of-a-length delivery for six over wide long-off was followed by a ramp from around leg stump, with Suryakumar almost on his back as he arched back to make room. It was the halfway mark, and India needed just another 69.Before he signed off, Suryakumar played another outrageous shot, a sweep off left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes from wide outside off and over short fine. When he tried a repeat, Suryakumar fell, leaving India just 30 to get in 33 balls, which they did comfortably thanks to Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 33 off 26 deliveries.

Ex-Argentina and Manchester United star Carlos Tevez has vowed to bring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo together for his farewell game.

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Tevez planning a blockbuster farewellMessi & Ronaldo could unite to bid him goodbye Several ex-Man Utd & Juve stars to feature as wellFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Argentina international has revealed his ambition to bring together two of football’s greatest icons – Messi and Ronaldo – for his proposed farewell match at La Bombonera, a tribute to his extraordinary playing career that spanned nearly two decades.

With Messi, Tevez shared a decade-long partnership on the Argentina national team. Their first major tournament together was the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and they went on to compete at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, as well as three Copa America editions – in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

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His connection with Ronaldo came during a memorable spell at Manchester United between 2007 and 2009. Alongside Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, Tevez helped form a fearsome attacking trio. Together, they brought immense success to Old Trafford, including back-to-back Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League crown, and a FIFA Club World Cup triumph.

WHAT TEVEZ SAID

In an interview with Tevez said of his dream lineup for his farewell match: “Leo Messi, Cristiano… we’re going to bring them. I’ll go get them myself. I have them saved in my WhatsApp.”

Tevez also listed a number of other high-profile players he hopes to reunite with for the occasion. From his United days, he mentioned Rooney, Edwin van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Patrice Evra. On the Italian side, he wants Juventus legends Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Gianluigi Buffon to take part.

"(Edwin) Van der Sar on one side and (Gianluigi) Buffon on the other,” he said, referring to the goalkeepers. “At center back, we’ll probably have Rio Ferdinand, (Nemanja) Vidic… we’ll bring in (Giorgio) Chiellini, (Leonardo) Bonucci. Patrice Evra, my brother, he has to be there. Midfielders… (Andrea) Pirlo, Paul Scholes, Roman (Riquelme) will definitely be there. Rooney."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Despite never mastering English during his time in England, Tevez recalled fond memories of his time at Old Trafford. In particular, he spoke warmly about the bond he shared with Ji-Sung Park and Evra, despite all three coming from vastly different backgrounds.

“Man, the laughs I had at United,” the Argentine reminisced. “There was a Korean guy, Ji-Sung Park, (Patrice) Evra, French, and me—I didn’t understand a word of English. The Korean kind of understood, and Patrice spoke all three languages. The three of us had so many laughs… and everyone else would look at us like, ‘How do those three even understand each other?’ because they’d see us talking.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O presidente do Corinthians, Duilio Monteiro Alves, entregou na última semana uma camisa da campanha “Futebol sem Ódio” ao presidente da CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, durante uma visita à sede da entidade máxima do futebol brasileiro.

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A campanha, iniciada há duas semanas, visa combater a intolerância, violência e desinformação no âmbito esportivo e já contou com outras ações como um “apagão” na comunicação corintiana às vésperas do clássico contra o Palmeiras, no último dia 23 de abril.

De acordo com o Corinthians, as preocupações com os temas destacados na campanha foram levados pelo presidente do Timão ao chefe da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol, que afirmou concordar com a necessidade de conscientização e estuda a tomada de medidas mais amplas.

Liverpool have enjoyed a seamless transition from Jurgen Klopp’s long-lasting dynasty to the new system employed by Arne Slot.

So much hinged on FSG’s success plan, but while they have their flaws, the owners have to be applauded for navigating a critical moment and coming out on top.

Quite literally. Liverpool are first-placed in the Premier League and have also won all seven matches in the Champions League, a trip to PSV Eindhoven away from enjoying a flawless trip through the revamped group phase.

How remarkable that the Reds have only bolstered their first team with Federico Chiesa, signed from Juventus for a bargain £12.5m fee and, so far, making just seven appearances across all competitions.

Plenty of transfer chatter has centred around forwards and full-backs, but Liverpool could actually do with another midfielder. Hear us out.

Why Liverpool need another midfielder

Liverpool have a balanced and dynamic squad, evidently, for they have probably been the best team in Europe this season, certainly fortifying that claim with a glance toward the league standings in domestic and continental areas.

Ryan Gravenberch has been the nucleus of all that’s been good for Slot’s project, starting every single match in the Premier League and Champions League. He’s been hailed as “one of the best midfield players” in the game right now by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.

But he’s been overworked, to be sure. The deep-sitting midfielder has played more minutes (2,510) than any other Liverpool midfielder this term, with Wataru Endo and Tyler Morton unfavoured for starting berths on the big stage.

Liverpool should invest in a new maestro, one who can serve as the Netherlands talent’s foil, providing similar positional value but with their own take on the role.

Xabi Alonso, for example, would be perfect for Slot’s system. Back in his heyday as a player, the iconic Spain star dominated for a number of top European clubs – notably Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – with a supreme range of passing and an erudite tactical mind.

Well, as Liverpool search for a fresh face to ease Gravenberch’s workload, they might look to sign Slot his own version, custom-built for the Dutchman’s specific project.

Liverpool lining up Bayern Munich star

According to Sport BILD reporter Tobi Altschäffl, Liverpool are discussing the idea of signing Joshua Kimmich, though the most likely scenario is that he will extend his contract with Bayern Munich.

Kimmich, 29, becomes a free agent at the end of the campaign and would be the perfect option to complete Liverpool’s rich and balanced midfield, though the Germany skipper would take a significant seat on the wage bill given that he pockets £316k per week right now.

While it’s felt that Kimmich is leaning toward extending his stay at the Allianz Arena, Liverpool will be emboldened by their shifting ahead of Man City, and if he does decide to move abroad, Anfield would only be too happy to oblige his wishes.

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Expand Collapse What Joshua Kimmich would bring to Slot's system

Alonso served dutifully on Merseyside, enjoying four illustrious campaigns under primarily Rafa Benitez’s wing, lifting the Champions League and FA Cup, before joining Real Madrid in August 2009 for £30m.

Kimmich – hailed by Julian Nagelsmann as a “world-class” deep-sitting midfielder – is perhaps cut from a similar cloth from a ball-playing perspective, having achieved an exemplary 90.3% career average for pass completion, as per WhoScored, also averaging 2.1 key passes per game, club and country.

Alonso’s career metrics aren’t comprehensively covered by the stats-focused site, but he did produce an 87.7% pass success rate and averaged 1.6 key passes per game between 2009/20 and 2016/17 when he hung up the boots.

Though Liverpool don’t typically sign players at Kimmich’s age, an exception could surely be made given that he is one of the world’s foremost players in his position, would be available on a free transfer and, crucially, could cohabit the number six position with Gravenberch.

Gravenberch is an excellent player, but he’s not made from the same mould as Alonso, and though Slot’s construction works perfectly, this added dimension would give a coach who’s already earned his stripes something different to play around with.

In other words, it would enrich and layer the Liverpool squad even further.

Ryan Gravenberch vs Joshua Kimmich (24/25)

Match Stats*

Gravenberch (PL)

Kimmich (DFL)

Matches (starts)*

21 (21)

18 (18)

Goals

0

1

Assists

2

5

Touches*

70.1

126.6

Pass completion

89%

93%

Big chances created

3

11

Key passes*

0.9

2.6

Dribble (success)*

1.0 (59%)

0.4 (57%)

Ball recoveries*

5.1

6.5

Tackles + interceptions*

3.5

2.3

Total duels (won)*

5.0 (59%)

3.2 (65%)

Stats via Sofascore (* = per game)

Looking at Gravenberch and Kimmich’s respective league statistics for the current campaign, you can clearly see the differentials in regard to creative numbers, with Liverpool’s man less of an overt playmaker and instead a source of energy and press resistance and control.

Kimmich offers such qualities too, but he makes less than half the amount of dribbles as Gravenberch and instead sits more solidly as the midfield anchor point, pulling strings. Much like Alonso.

Such an able passer would be perfect for the lightning-fast transitional play that became a staple of Klopp’s career and has lingered still on Anfield’s pitch.

Gravenberch is of course one of the best players in Liverpool’s squad, but Slot is eking out every modicum of his quality this season and an experienced head in Kimmich could allow for more depth, ensuring success can be chased across multiple competitions.

With Alonso-esque properties, Kimmich would be a bona fide success on Merseyside.

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