Here's everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season games and how to watch them.
The 2023-24 season saw Barcelona finish second in La Liga, behind arch-rivals Real Madrid. There wasn't even a competition for the title and the Blaugrana will be disappointed with their season.
The 2024-25 season should offer renewed hope of getting back to their best with new players added to the squad over the summer transfer window. They will be desperate to hunt for trophies alongside Real Madrid, but before that hunt begins, they will need to go through a strong pre-season to get the squad ready.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season plans ahead of the 2024-25 season, plus ticket information, where to watch games live and more.
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Barcelona 2024 pre-season fixtures & results
Date
Game
Kick-off time
Venue
July 30
Barcelona 2-2 Man City (4-1 on penalties)
7pm ET / 12am BST (July 31)
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Aug 3
Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid
7pm ET / 12am BST (Aug 4)
MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Aug 6
Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan (3-4 on penalties)
7.30pm ET / 12.30am BST (Aug 7)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Aug 11
Barcelona vs Monaco
2pm ET / 7pm BST
Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona
Barcelona kicked off their pre-season with a win on penalties against Premier League champions Manchester City on July 30. They followed that up with a victory in El Clasico against Real Madrid.
In their third fixture, Barcelona suffered a defeat on penalties against AC Milan.
The Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco on August 11 would also be played as part of Barcelona's preparations for the new season.
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Barcelona 2024 pre-season tour tickets
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How to watch Barcelona pre-season games on TV & livestream online
In the US, all of Barcelona's pre-season games will be available to watch and stream online live through ESPN+. The Man City game will also be on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Fubo (sign up for a free 7-day trial), DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange.
Barcelona's pre-season games will be shown on Premier Sports in the UK. The game against City will also be on the English club's official channel, CITY+.
Highlights of all the club-friendly games and other behind-the-scenes action should be available to watch on Barcelona One, which is the club's official streaming platform.
There is no confirmation on where to watch the Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco yet.
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When does the 2024-25 season start for Barcelona?
The La Liga fixtures for the 2024-25 season have been released. Barcelona will begin their new league campaign with a clash against Valencia away from home on August 17.
Barcelona will be looking to get back to their trophy-hunting ways and will be eager to start the campaign on a winning note.
It's one thing for Manchester United to be outplayed at the Etihad, but to also be overpowered away at a struggling Brentford side is far more alarming, with the Red Devils shipping 31 shots against Thomas Frank's side.
A key concern for Erik ten Hag once again was the midfield department on Saturday evening, with Scott McTominay producing a worryingly abject display to further showcase the need for reinforcement.
With Christian Eriksen also being touted for an exit this summer – as has his midfield partner of last season, Casemiro – the Red Devils need to be plotting to find a suitable, long-term colleague for Kobbie Mainoo in the centre of the park…
Yellow Cards
1
Pass accuracy
70%
Possession lost
14
Duels lost
8
Tackles
1
Interceptions
0
Man Utd's search for a midfielder
According to reports coming out of Portugal – via Record – the Old Trafford outfit are believed to be rivalling Barcelona for the signing of Sporting CP midfielder, Morten Hjulmand, with the Danish star having enjoyed a promising first season in Lisbon.
The report suggests that both United and the LaLiga giants have been keeping a close eye on the former Lecce man with the view to making a summer move, albeit with no suggestion as yet as to whether either side will lodge a concrete offer.
Morten Hjulmand in action.
This follows a prior report from The Sun back in January which claimed that Ten Hag and co were even considering sending Facundo Pellistri in the other direction in order to land the 24-year-old, albeit with the Primeira Liga side instead waiting to see if anyone will trigger his £69m release clause.
How Hjulmand compares to Casemiro
Described as someone who can "play alongside Mainoo for years to come" by journalist Dean Jones, Hjulmand could be the defensive-minded presence that United are craving at the base of the midfield, freeing up the young Englishman to work his magic in a more advanced role.
As Mainoo indicated on his first senior international start against Belgium in midweek, he has the tools to thrive in a more attacking, box-to-box midfield berth, perhaps indicating why he has previously earned comparisons to a certain Paul Pogba by former teammate, Anthony Elanga.
Not the holding midfielder that many – including Sir Jim Ratcliffe – have suggested he is, Mainoo is in need of a dominant force alongside him, hence the interest in an "absolute monster" like Hjulmand, as hailed by writer Zach Lowy.
A player with the "physicality, positional awareness and vision to play as a lone holding midfielder" – according to Lowy – the 6 foot 1 ace could then represent Mainoo's dream partner, with the same source also describing him as an "upgrade on Casemiro" for the Red Devils.
That may be a bold statement to make when comparing the lesser-known Dane with a five-time Champions League winner, although, on current form, it is Hjulmand who would seemingly be the more effective operator for United.
That can be seen by the fact that outside of scoring three times and providing three assists in the league this season, the Sporting ace boasts a pass accuracy rate of 87% and has created four 'big chances', while also illustrating his defensive acumen by winning 54% of his duels and notably averaging 5.1 balls recovered per game, as per Sofascore.
For Casemiro, meanwhile, the ageing Brazilian has scored just once and registered two assists in England's top flight, while also recording a pass accuracy rate of just 83% and creating just two 'big chances' in total.
Defensively, the 32-year-old also falls short largely having won just 49% of his total duels and averaged 4.8 balls recovered per game – albeit while enjoying a superior record for tackles per game (3.1 v 1.9).
Perhaps the most telling difference, however, is just how easily Casemiro is bypassed in the midfield having been dribbled past on average 2.2 times per game in 16 league games, while his younger counterpart has only been dribbled past 0.7 times per game.
That alone should showcase why a change needs to be made this summer, with Hjulmand perhaps the left-field 'upgrade' that United are desperate for.
Ten Hag could boldly start Mount by dropping Man Utd's 10/10 hero
The Red Devils will be seeking to continue their push for Champions League qualification…
Two days before the Delhi T20I between India and Bangladesh, the air quality in Delhi has plummeted to hazardous levels, and led to a public-health emergency. Schools have been shut, construction work stalled, and athletic activity advised against, but the two teams trained out in the middle and continued to shrug off the threat of playing in such poor air quality.This match is the first international fixture in India after Diwali, which raises severe questions over BCCI’s planning because it is well documented that the weeks immediately after Diwali are some of the most hazardous on public health. The BCCI has had first-hand experience with Ranji Trophy matches cancelled and a Test match interrupted in the past.The schedule was announced as early as June 2019. Match allocation in the BCCI works on rotation basis, but exchanging matches is not unheard of. However, the current BCCI office bearers took charge only last week, until when the board had been under the charge of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators, who had been entrusted with ensuring the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s reforms and overseeing the running of the board while that happened. So direct responsibility for this scheduling is hard to pin down.Questions asked of CEO Rahul Johri, who was the chief executive even when the current BCCI was not in charge, went unanswered. New secretary Jay Shah didn’t respond either, but new president Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday that it was not possible to change the venue at such a short notice.The two camps, who are at possibly the biggest risk because they are undertaking strenuous athletic activity, tried to play the issue down. While the Bangladesh players privately complained of burning eyes, sore throats and their struggle to sleep, their coach Russell Domingo said they were not going to moan about it. In what might come across as an insensitive statement, he even said it is not like anybody has died on the field.”It’s not something you’d want, but there is nothing you can do about it,” Domingo said. “It is what it is. We have to make sure that we prepare as well as possible and deal with it as well as possible. Thus far, for sure have some scratchy eyes and some sore throat now and then, but it’s been okay. Nobody’s been sick or dying or anything like that. We’ve been okay with it.”Domingo, who was one of the members of the Bangladesh camp who wore a mask during training, was thankful the team was playing just a T20I and not a Test match or ODI. “Obviously you don’t want to be in it for six or seven hours,” Domingo said. “Three hours we’re playing and three hours practice sessions. It’s probably as long as you would want to be in it at the moment.”Domingo also said conditions back home might have helped the players ready themselves for this game. “There’s a bit of pollution in Bangladesh as well so it’s not a massive shock to the system as maybe some other countries can experience. The players have dealt with it really well – ‘It’s a bit smoky but let’s get on with it and practise.’ They haven’t made too much of an issue out of it. Coaches haven’t either. And we just have to go about our business as well normally would.”Bangladesh spin consultant Daniel Vettori wears an anti-pollution mask at training•PTI
India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour compared it with playing in extreme weather conditions. Rathour himself played a lot of cricket in north Indian winters, so he was asked how much worse the pollution has become over time. “I don’t think you even notice it,” Rathour said. “Playing cricket, you play sometimes in very hot weather… 45-46 degrees [Celsius]. Sometimes you play in extreme cold. Once you are in a game, I don’t think you notice these things. It’s when you are sitting out…”When told of the emergency conditions and the public-health advisory against athletic activity, Rathour said: “I understand that but we are here to play a game and can’t really do much about it. We are here to play and we will play.”That’s what the local hosting body, the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) said too. “As you must be aware that BCCI has said that it’s too late to change the venue at the last moment,” Rajat Sharma, the DDCA president, told ESPNcricinfo. “DDCA, however, is taking all possible measures in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A meeting was held by the representatives of DDCA with various other departments such as DPCC, Traffic Police, SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation), PWD (Public Works Department) and others chaired by member secretary CPCB. The situation was reviewed and departments were advised to take certain measures to help reducing the pollution around Arun Jaitley Stadium.”DDCA was advised to wash the trees inside the stadium so that the dust doesn’t flow. DDCA was also asked to survey the area of about two kilometres around the stadium and if any polluting items such as construction material, burning garbage etc. is found it is to be reported to CPCB. They will ensure immediate action.”With the AQI (air quality index) reaching 471 on the afternoon two days before the match, these measures are not likely to make any significant impact on the air quality.
Tottenham are among the sides "pushing hardest" to sign an "exceptional" forward, after the player himself publicly refused to rule out a north London move.
Spurs eyeing new forward signing for Postecoglou
A few reliable media sources in the last few weeks have reported that Spurs are chasing a winger as one of their major additions this summer.
BBC pundit says "astonishing" forward may decide to join Tottenham
He’s been on fire for his club this season.
ByEmilio Galantini Mar 5, 2024
Indeed, high-profile names like Premier League stars Eberechi Eze and Pedro Neto have been mentioned as Spurs targets, while other reports have refused to rule out the possibility of Club Brugge starlet Antonio Nusa joining Tottenham.
The interest in Nusa falls in line with both Ange Postecoglou's desire for a new wide forward and his wish for the club to attract Europe's most promising rising stars.
Postecoglou wants Tottenham to become a dream landing spot for youngsters, and that is so far coming true. Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall chose to join the club over European heavyweights Barcelona in January, with the Lilywhites completing a heroic hijack attempt on deadline day.
Another player who would both strengthen Postecoglou's wide area, whilst adding more potential to their squad, is FC Copenhagen starlet Roony Bardghji.
Tottenham's next league fixtures
Date
Aston Villa (away)
March 10th
Fulham (away)
March 16th
Luton Town (home)
March 30th
West Ham (away)
April 2nd
The 18-year-old has been linked with a move to north London on more than one occasion and made a name for himself during Copenhagen's 4-3 win over Man United in the Champions League group stages earlier this campaign.
Bardghji, when asked about the prospect of following Bergvall to Spurs, also dropped a teasing suggestion.
"It's fun to think about. You never know, it could happen. Hard to say now," said the winger to Sport Bladet.
Tottenham "pushing" to sign Bardghji
Funnily enough, after this statement, HITC and journalist Graeme Bailey now claim Tottenham have taken their interest in the teenager up a gear. It is believed Spurs are among the sides "pushing hardest" to sign Bardghji, alongside Man United, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
FC Copenhagen midfielderRoony Bardghji.
Copenhagen are said to value the winger at around £20 million, with the race for his signature heating up ahead of this summer window. Talks are apparently ongoing with a number of clubs via intermediaries, and it will be interesting to see if Tottenham hold enough appeal for them to pip the competition.
"He has an understanding of the game, as well as good balance and coordination," said his coach at under-17 level for Sweden, Roger Franzen (via The Mail).
"He has exceptional technique with the ball at his feet. It's incredibly difficult to take the ball off him. He is good one-on-one and has a good shot. He can shoot with both feet, even if he is basically left-footed, he can finish with the right as well."
His £20m price tag is a sure-fire indicator of the player's potential, but perhaps the growing interest could spark a summer auction.
The Mumbai batsman starred for India in the West Indies in 1953, and was instrumental in getting a 14-year-old Sachin Tendulkar into the CCI side
Sreshth Shah23-Sep-2019
Madhav Apte•MiD DAY Infomedia Ltd
Madhav Apte, the former India Test opener, died in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Monday, aged 86. He was the fourth-oldest living Indian Test cricketer, younger only to DK Gaekwad, CD Gopinath and Chandrakant Patankar.In his seven Tests for India in 1952-53, Apte averaged 49.27, the highlight being a match-saving, unbeaten 163 against West Indies in Port of Spain. Five of his seven Tests were played on that tour of the Caribbean, where it seemed he was the next big thing in Indian cricket, averaging over 50 and finishing second on the runs charts for India.But he never played for India again.Chandu Borde, who played one Test with Apte, described him as “a lively person who was involved heavily in the development of the Mumbai Cricket Association”.”Since Madhav was senior to me, we would meet outside the playing field – at parties or functions – but his contribution to Mumbai cricket is enormous,” Borde told ESPNcricinfo. “He had a big role to play in the structure of what we know as Mumbai Cricket Association today. As a cricketer, he was a technically sound batsman and an excellent fielder. Madhav was a lively person, who loved sport, not just cricket. He had an excellent knowledge of badminton too.” “Extremely sad at the passing away of Shri Madhavrao Apte,” former India and Mumbai batsman Sunil Gavaskar said in a statement. “He was a true aficionado of our beloved game and just couldn’t have enough of it. The cricketing get-togethers at his house made for memorable evenings with enlightening cricket talk with the who’s who of cricket. I will miss those evenings, listening to him along with some of the greatest names in Indian cricket.”Shishir Hattangadi, the prolific Mumbai run-getter from the 1980s and early 1990s, said, “I hadn’t met him for a couple of months, he hadn’t been keeping well. There were age-related complications. I was told that he suffered a cardiac arrest this morning. The memories are of a lovely human being, he embraced sports romantics, a lovely man to spend time with.”He would tell you stories of people and events you have only heard of. But he rarely spoke about his own career. Very dignified, he didn’t want to talk about it. He was a senior that you respected, someone you could spend a lot of time with. A very simple man. A great loss, but he lived his life well.”In all, Apte’s first-class career ran 17 years, from 1951-52 to 1967-68. He scored a first-class ton on debut for Mumbai in 1952, and promptly went on to make his Test debut as a 20-year-old during Pakistan’s tour of India later that year. Next up was the tour of the Caribbean.ALSO READ: In conversation with Madhav ApteAgainst a West Indies attack that included Sonny Ramadhin, Alf Valentine and Frank King, Apte struck 64 and 52 in the first Test, 64 again in the second, and followed that up with that unbeaten second-innings 163 in the third Test to secure a draw for India and average 51.11 for the series.Following the tour of the West Indies, India had no Tests scheduled in 1954. He was part of the Silver Jubilee Commonwealth XI match in 1954, playing for India against West Indies to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BCCI. But he wasn’t at his best by the time India’s next Test assignment came about, and was overlooked.Apte, whose younger brother Arvind also played a Test in 1959, had begun his career as a legbreak bowler before intervention from the great Vinoo Mankad – his coach at college – turned him into an opening batsman. Apte later confessed that he learnt the art of batting by observing Vijay Merchant bat in the nets every morning in Mumbai. It was Merchant’s subsequent injury in 1952 that handed Apte a first-class debut for Mumbai.After his first-class retirement, Apte moved to Malaysia on work but continued to turn out in the Kanga League in Mumbai, representing the club side Jolly Cricketers. He played over 50 seasons of the Kanga League, last featuring in a game at the age of 70. Between 1948 and 2002, Apte made more than 5000 runs in the Kanga League.In 1989, Apte became the president of Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, one of the oldest clubs for the sport in the country. He was also instrumental in bringing a 14-year-old Sachin Tendulkar into the CCI side. Recalling what he thought of Tendulkar’s talent back then, Apte once said: “One sees a hell of a lot of talent at the age of 14, 16, and so on. Not all of that talent really matures because the future, no one can predict. [But] at that time, my comment in the dressing room was, ‘If this boy keeps his head on his shoulders, he will play for India sooner than later.’ But even the lord almighty could not have seen that he would go on to get hundred hundreds and so on.”
Lionel Messi suffered a mixed time at Paris Saint-Germain and he revealed it wasn't just fans who were annoyed with him but also his neighbours.
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Messi speaks about his time at PSG
Reveals he had annoyed his neighbours
Did not have the best time personally in Paris
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner made the sensational move to Paris from Barcelona in 2021, after the Catalans failed to register him due to their economic issues. What followed was not what PSG fans were hoping for as Messi struggled with fitness and form at Parc des Princes. He has now revealed that his children playing football in the backyard also annoyed his neighbours who would complain.
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WHAT MESSI SAID
Speaking to ESPN in an interview, Messi said: "In Paris, the [neighbours] knocked on the door at nine or ten o’clock in the evening to say that my kids shouldn’t be playing football. The neighbours bothered us […] it played a lot on my mind and that had an effect on the pitch. In Paris, on a personal level, I wasn’t good."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Messi also made it clear that it was unfortunate that things did not go as well as he would have liked before he left the club at the end of his contract in 2023, joining Major League Soccer's Inter Miami. He said: "I have nothing against them but unfortunately, it didn’t go as I had hoped. Personally, I struggled with the change; it was very difficult for us. It really affected me personally. When I was in Paris, the best thing that happened to me was becoming World Champion (with Argentina)".
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WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
The man who is arguably the greatest footballer of his generation, if not all time, maintains that he has completed everything that he ever wanted to do in football after the World Cup win in Qatar. He will now lead Argentina in the Copa America in the United States in what could be his final international tournament. La Albiceleste begin their campaign with a clash against Canada on June 20.
As it happened How England must wish this was the match report for their meeting with Sri Lanka in Leeds. South Africa, already out of semi-final calculations, restricted Sri Lanka to mediocrity with the bat and then formed a single definitive partnership to run down the target with 11.4 overs to spare at a sun-drenched Chester-le-Street.There was ruefulness as well as proficiency about the 175-run union between the captain Faf du Plessis and the senior pro Hashim Amla, for their class and composure served not only to leave Sri Lanka with only the merest chances of semi-final qualification but also demonstrated that with South Africa will go an awful lot of quality out of this World Cup.WATCH on Hotstar – Sri Lanka’s fall of wickets (India only)At the same time Sri Lanka’s many limitations were re-exposed, once the threat of Lasith Malinga had been neutralised. He had fewer runs to play with due to a superb spell from the recalled Dwaine Pretorius, with patchy support from Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Imran Tahir, but even so was countered with a combination of positive intent and solid defence that will leave Eoin Morgan’s men wondering how they had managed to fall short.For Sri Lanka, qualification would now require two wins from their remaining games plus a collective collapse from England, Pakistan and Bangladesh ahead of them. For South Africa, there will only be regret that a display of this sort could not have been conjured earlier on when it truly mattered.It would be easy to suggest that Rabada’s first-ball dismissal of Dimuth Karunaratne, who seemed not to pick up a rising, cramping delivery that he flinched at and fended off the glove to an exultant du Plessis in the slips, set the tone for the day. But that would be to undersell how well South Africa pulled things back from the subsequent stand of 67 between Kusal Perera and the highly promising Avishka Fernando.WATCH on Hotstar: Faf du Plessis’ fluent 96* (India only)Together they made the most of some loose bowling with ebullient strokeplay, allowing Sri Lanka to place a third entry into the 10 most productive Powerplays of the tournament. South Africa appeared for a moment to be facing a chase well in excess of 300, before Pretorius set out on the spell of medium-fast seam, disciplined in the best traditions of Craig Matthews among others, that was to define the match.Pretorius did not start well, and had gone for three boundaries in seven balls when Avishka flicked him insouciantly over straight midwicket to the boundary. But Avishka’s desire to carry on at a rising rate was to cost him, when he tried to go down the ground and succeeded only in skying to du Plessis at mid-off. From that ball to the finish of his spell, Pretorius’ figures read 7.2-2-8-3, underlining his success in choking up the remainder of the Sri Lankan innings.Avishka Fernando walks off after his dismissal for 30•IDI via Getty Images
The defeat of Kusal, cramped for room and dragging onto the stumps, was vital in pushing Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis into their shells, and both were to perish when they attempted, at last to break out. Take out the pair of 30s for Kusal and Avishka, in fact, and the rest of the innings was tepid stuff. Sixty-seven for 2 from the first 10 overs gave way to a mere 136 for 8 from the remaining 39.3 until Sri Lanka were bowled out.WATCH on Hotstar: Highlights of South Africa’s nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka (US only)Over the course of those overs Rabada and Morris did well to pull back from early expense, while Tahir bowled tidily without giving Chester-le-Street the chance to glimpse one of his vaudevillian wicket celebrations. The only spin victim, Dhananjaya de Silva, premeditating a reverse sweep so poorly as to be comical, fell to JP Duminy. Like Tahir, he is set to make his exit from the South African side at the conclusion of the tournament.Commencing their chase in brilliant sunshine, South Africa were able to capitalise on Malinga’s search for wickets, as Amla was able to pierce the field on both sides of the wicket. Quinton de Kock looked similarly fluent, but his stay was ended by one of those wondrous Malinga wobblers, this time a yorker that swerved from off to leg just too late for the left-hander to adjust, and causing the leg bail to be flicked off.Exultant as Malinga was, he was unable to suppress Amla, and at the other end du Plessis hit through the line of the ball with burgeoning confidence. Their comfort was aided by a surface notably easier for batting than the Headingley pitch on which Sri Lanka had cornered England, and there was also the lack of tension in the limbs from a team that had already been eliminated. Nonetheless, the busy nature of South Africa’s approach should be taken note of, given there will doubtless be more nervy chases to come in this tournament.Amla passed fifty first, followed by du Plessis, and of the bowlers only the legbreaks of Jeevan Mendis caused any real discomfort. On 68, Amla was given lbw on the sweep, and du Plessis encouraged a review. Upon seeing one replay, Amla was happy enough to walk off, but turned on his heels when ball-tracking showed the ball had pitched marginally outside leg stump before turning back. Amla offered a gentle chuckle and resumed; victory arrived soon thereafter. Too late, but no less than South Africa deserved this day.
The omission of Najibullah Zadran, their batsman of the tournament, summed up a team that is not giving the best account of themselves
Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Jun-2019Don’t do this, Afghanistan. There is another way.There are alternatives to letting chaos overwhelm you. There are brighter timelines, waiting to be seized, in which dysfunction does not define your World Cup. Your opponents, South Africa, might be battling demons from their past. Elsewhere, the likes of Sri Lanka are groaning under the weight of their galactic-scale ineptitude – their manager having recently complained to the ICC about pitches, the team bus, hotels, training facilities, and probably about the photo on his official accreditaiton making him look chubby when all the other managers look sharp and handsome. But there is no reason to follow these established sides down the moronic paths they have picked out for themselves. You can be better. You should at least try.In this World Cup so far, though, perhaps you have been the most defective outfit, saved only from more intensive media scrutiny by low expectations. Twice in two matches now, oppositions have shellacked Afghanistan with the ball, then punched the lights out with the bat. A trend has developed – a hopeful opening stand ended by a shot of breathtaking daftness, followed by a middle order that falls over like rows of library shelves crashing into each other, before the lower order looks as if it is rolling up its sleeves and readying itself for a fight, before promptly turning heel and fleeing the moment they see the size of the other guy.WATCH on Hotstar (India only) – Full highlightsBut there can be a universe in which Hazratullah Zazai does not spot a bouncer from the uber-quick Kagiso Rabada, and hole out attempting to clear the one deep fielder on the leg side, at deep square leg. The success percentage of that shot is so poor, it is possibly lower than the number of teams the ICC is planning to admit to their next World Cup. There can be a future match, in which wickets three, four, five, six and seven don’t fall in the space of eight runs, multiple batsmen basically tripping over each other in their race back to the pavilion. Only Rashid Khan, with his 35 off 25, gave the innings some semblance of professionalism.Then there is the selection. Maybe folks who make these decisions feel that normal rules don’t apply to Afghanistan. It’s not hard to see why they might. This team has risen to compete at a 10-team World Cup when 20 years ago, there was really no such thing as Afghan cricket. This is plainly astonishing. That Afghanistan are the only nation at the tournament not to have either borne or applied the yoke of the British empire also makes them exceptional.Afghanistan leave the field after another heavy defeat•Getty ImagesBut not so exceptional, that, you know, basic logic does not apply. You inexplicably drop your tournament top-scorer – a batsman who hit Afghanistan’s only half-century against Australia, and made the team’s best score in another game – and you should expect to weaken your top order. Najibullah Zadran’s replacement in this match was Asghar Afghan, the jilted captain (its own little controversy). Instead of a batsman who has twice given substance to Afghanistan’s innings this tournament, you had one who hit his fifth ball back to bowler Imran Tahir.Captain Gulbadin Naib’s justification was that Asghar was the senior player, and that he commanded a place in the top order the moment he became fit again. Okay, but Afghanistan had failed to make 200 in two matches on the trot. When you have a buffet of misfiring batsmen to choose from, why drop the guy in form? What next from the shooting-yourself-in-the-foot playbook? Batsmen have to hold the bat with their teeth? Bowlers have to do “the worm” to the bowling crease instead of running up? Fielders have to fill their pants with rocks to weigh themselves down?These are not serious suggestions, by the way, Afghanistan. You don’t have to do any of this.On the field, Afghanistan engaged in yet more shambolism. Asghar failed to account for the spin on a ball coming to him at third man, toppled over like grain silo when he tried to correct his course, and ended up not getting a hand on the ball, which dribbled mockingly past him to the boundary. Rahmat Shah misjudged the trajectory of a ball at midwicket, ran in for a catch that he might not have made with five-metre long hands, and ended up letting the ball skid over the rope. There were more misfields, overthrows, on-field gesticulating, and a general air of despair over the performance.After four matches, Afghanistan are now the only team without a victory. Some of this was expected, but their meekness over the last two games was not. In addition to the losses, there has also been a controversy over Mohammad Shahzad’s exit from the World Cup, and rumours that administrative interference is contributing to all this on-field bungling. Their campaign is teetering, but it doesn’t have to be this way. They don’t have to fall spectacularly to pieces on cricket’s biggest stage, like Sri Lanka in 1999, or India and Pakistan in 2007, or England in 2015, 2007, 2003, 1999 and so on.The established cricket world tends toward farce. The bigger nations are either sacking coaches with every new moon, having their boards strung up in the courts for serious breaches, alienating vast swathes of their own populations by embracing elitism, facing serious credibility problems in the aftermath of cheating scandals, or fighting constantly with their own players. Afghanistan don’t have to follow suit. But right now it seems like they are.
The result ended Mumbai’s three-match winning streak while Royals notched just their second win of the season
The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Apr-20191:11
Jos is a special player, he changed the momentum of the game – Kulkarni
Just two matches after recording the best figures in IPL history, Alzarri Joseph found himself on the receiving end of a brutal assault from Jos Buttler, whose 89 off 43 balls spearheaded a successful chase in a four-wicket win for Rajasthan Royals over Mumbai Indians. The result ended Mumbai’s three-match winning streak while Royals notched just their second win of the season.Set a target of 188 on a batting road, Royals coasted to 100 for 1 in 10 overs as Buttler brought up a 30-ball half-century at the halfway point of the innings. The Englishman had already starred in the field taking three sharp catches on the boundary having given up the gloves to Sanju Samson and seemingly had far more energy as a result.Having brought up his third fifty of IPL 2019, Buttler unleashed himself on Joseph in the 13th. With 70 needed off 48 balls, Buttler brought the required rate down to a run a ball by the end of the over. He began lofting a full toss over long-on for six before driving wide of mid-off and cutting behind point for a pair of fours. Joseph tried to counter with a pair of yorkers on the next two balls, but each was stabbed out between the wicketkeeper and short third man for two more fours. Buttler then heaved the final ball over midwicket for six to end a demoralising sequence for Joseph and the hosts.Buttler fell on his next ball in the following over to legspinner Rahul Chahar, but the damage was done by that stage. Despite several hiccups in the final stages of the chase that saw four wickets fall in the space of nine balls, Royals were still far enough in front thanks to Buttler. Shreyas Gopal eventually sealed it with three balls to spare with a four driven off Hardik Pandya just wide of mid-off.Jos Buttler lines up another big hit•BCCI
Ro’s hits The Mumbai XI was boosted by the return of captain Rohit Sharma, who had sat out the last match due to injury. He found his groove in the fourth over against Dhawal Kulkarni with three boundaries, including an exquisite square drive through point. He eventually made 47 off 32 before falling to Jofra Archer in the 11th miscuing a drive to Buttler at long-on.Inconclusive Poll DataKieron Pollard did his best Superman impression in Mumbai’s last-ball win in their previous match against Kings XI Punjab when he smashed 83 off 31 balls including 10 sixes. He was decidedly human against the Royals bowling unit though, struggling to make a 12-ball 6 after entering in the 14th over before skying a short ball from Archer over the circle. Shreyas took a sensational over-the-shoulder catch running back from midwicket in the ring.It was a crucial blow as Mumbai stuttered to the finish without Pollard’s firepower. Despite 16 struck off the final over with some lusty blows from Hardik, who finished with an unbeaten 28 off 11 balls, Mumbai’s 187 appeared well-below par after the start they had. Quinton de Kock top-scored with 81 off 52 balls, but ran out of steam towards the end of his knock. The physio came out to attend to him at one point as he struggled in the afternoon heat and he eventually fell in the 19th over to give Archer his third wicket off a third phenomenal diving catch by Buttler at long-off.7:36
Deep Dasgupta: The team that made less mistakes won
Buttler’s chargeRoyals went into the match without Ben Stokes, who sat out the encounter with an undisclosed injury. Yet Royals still had another Englishman with firepower to call on as Buttler teamed with Ajinkya Rahane in a brisk 60-run opening stand.Rahane was actually given out lbw for 4 to end the first over, but the decision was overturned on DRS after hawkeye showed the good length ball from tall left-armer Jason Behrendorff would have comfortably cleared the stumps. Buttler also survived a tight DRS moment in the fourth when he missed a reverse sweep to Chahar’s legspin. Given out on field, the replay showed the ball crashing into off stump but that impact with the pad took place on the fringe of the off stump line and the decision stayed on field with umpire’s call.Joseph’s first wave of punishment came from Rahane in the fifth when he was driven for four, flicked over midwicket for six, then ramped over the keeper for another boundary. Once Rahane got out top-edging a sweep to deep midwicket off Krunal Pandya’s second ball in the seventh, Buttler took over and put his stamp on the chase. He charged Krunal’s first ball in the ninth to bash him for six over wide long-on and by the end of the next over had brought up his fifty, setting the stage for his scintillating spree against Joseph in the 13th that put Royals firmly on course for a win.
Com a proximidade do duelo decisivo diante do Corinthians, na Neo Química Arena, no domingo, o técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo terá dor de cabeça para escalar o time. Isso porque Martín Benítez sentiu um incômodo muscular em uma das coxas e se tornou dúvida para o jogo. A informação foi inicialmente divulgada pelo canal”Atenção, Vascaínos”.
> Vasco está no Z4: Simule a tabela do Brasileirão
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Com isso, o argentino não participou dos treinamentos realizados no CT do Almirante durante a semana, já que acusou a possível lesão na reapresentação após a derrota para o Internacional, em São Januário. Apesar do problema, o meio-campista viajará com a delegação para São Paulo, segundo informações do site “GE”.
> Confira mais notícias sobre o Vasco da Gama
Diante disso, Luxemburgo tem feito mistério sobre a escalação do Gigante da Colina. A equipe deverá ter a volta do zagueiro Marcelo Alves, que estava suspenso no jogo contra o Colorado. Neste domingo, o confronto diante do time paulista pode definir o rebaixamento do Vasco ou levar a disputa para a última rodada, quando os cariocas enfrentam o Goiás, em casa, e terão a esperança de permanecer na elite do futebol brasileiro.
Para isso, o Cruz-Maltino necessita vencer e torcer por um tropeço do Bahia para deixar o Z4 restando apenas uma rodada para o fim da competição. No entanto, os comandados de Luxa terão que quebrar o jejum de 19 partidas sem vencer o Corinthians. A última vez em que os cariocas derrotaram os paulistas foi em outubro de 2010.
Por fim, a provável escalação do Vasco para o duelo deste domingo é: Fernando Miguel; Léo Matos, Leandro Castan, Marcelo Alves (Ricardo Graça) e Henrique; Bruno Gomes, Leo Gil (Andrey) e Benítez (Carlinhos); Yago Pikachu (Ygor Catatau), Cano e Talles (Juninho).