With Western Australia on the verge of defending their Marsh Cup title successfully, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was back in his element as the rowdy WACA faithful willed him on to take a five-wicket haul in the final against South Australia. He was unable to remove Wes Agar, his brother, but sealed the 181-run win by having Spencer Johnson stumped, to trigger scenes of celebration from the WA players and a strong 2700 crowd.After SA got off to a fast start chasing a daunting 388, Agar showed why he’s Australia’s second-choice white-ball spinner behind Adam Zampa, and looms as an important part of their World Cup plans later in the year. He bowled with trademark accuracy to frustrate the SA batters and finished with 5 for 64 in his best-ever Marsh Cup figures.It was a much-needed boost for Agar after the ignominy of returning from Australia’s Test tour having been overlooked for selection. Having arrived in India as Australia’s second spinner behind Nathan Lyon, Agar struggled in the nets and was quickly leapfrogged by uncapped offspinner Todd Murphy and left-armer Matthew Kuhnemann, who was parachuted into the touring squad.Related

• Rocchiccioli relishes the graft of bowling offspin at the WACA

• The bizarre handling of Ashton Agar

“[They] felt I wasn’t bowling as well as I needed to be,” Agar said after the Marsh Cup final as he reflected on his departure from India. “It’s a very clear direction for me now to just work on it and improve.”I harbour no ill will or ill feeling at all. I’m very well supported in that (Australian) camp and they’ve kept in constant communication with me, so it’s all in a good place.”I’ve been a professional cricketer for ten years now, so I’m far more resilient than when I started. It’s a tough game, it’s a ruthless environment, and that’s how it should be because it’s the pinnacle of the sport.”The 29-year-old Agar has only claimed nine wickets at 52 in five Tests, and went wicketless against South Africa at the SCG Test in January. Due to his international white-ball commitments, Agar has rarely played for WA in the Sheffield Shield in recent years and sports a modest first-class average of 42.There is growing competition within WA’s spin ranks as 25-year-old offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli has enjoyed a breakout Shield season, where he has claimed 24 wickets at 30 from eight matches.There has been some belief that perhaps Agar’s destiny lay with being a short-form specialist, but he was not ready to pull the plug on red-ball cricket. “I’ve always wanted to play as much as I could for Australia in whatever format that is and just take my opportunities when they come,” he said. “Playing for Australia in all forms, of course, I still want to do that. But my focus is just on cricket, you just play what’s in front of you and you try and do as well as you can.”Returning home proved a wise call with a rejuvenated Agar set to head back to India for the ODI leg of the tour with a confidence boost and having spent valuable time out in the middle.Agar was hoping the three-match series could prove a springboard as he set sights on the World Cup, where he should to play an important role alongside Zampa in conditions that should suit him.”Zamps is entrenched as the white-ball spinner. It all depends what we’re doing – playing two spinners or just the one,” Agar said about Australia’s possible makeup at the World Cup. “If I do play, I usually bat at eight and try to get my ten overs out. I’m certainly looking forward to the World Cup.”I don’t have a lot of cricket coming up. I’ve chucked my name in the ring for The Hundred… I would like to play cricket in the winter. But the next big target is the World Cup.”

An exemplary fielding performance and a perfectly executed 19th over help Australia eke out a narrow win

Valkerie Baynes24-Feb-20232:45

Baynes: Australia’s death bowling the difference

India needed 18 runs off nine balls when Ellyse Perry sprinted to her right from deep-backward square leg, threw herself into the air and flicked the ball back before tumbling over the boundary rope to save two runs. That moment epitomised what makes Australia tick. Every piece of effort is given at 100% and forms part of the whole juggernaut, which even when pushed by India in the T20 World Cup semi-final prevails by five runs.At the time, left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen – who hadn’t played since their opening match as Australia opted for legspinner Alana King for the next three games – was in the middle of executing the perfect 19th over, conceding just four runs when India needed 20 from 12 balls, and pegging Sneh Rana’s leg stump back with the last ball.With India left to get 16 off the last over, the eventual Player of the Match Ashleigh Gardner gave away only ten and claimed her second wicket as Perry again held her nerve and settled under a skier, by Radha Yadav, at long-on to allow Australia to snatch a berth in their seventh successive T20 World Cup final.Related

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Harmanpreet rues luck, missed chances after semi-final exit

After the win, Gardner said the victory ranked “pretty high” on Australia’s unmatched list of triumphs.”I think at the ten-over mark in India’s batting innings, everyone had probably written us off, but I think that just shows our character within our side and that’s why the best teams win in those types of positions,” she said.”What we speak about is when our backs are up against the wall, we always try and find a way, and today we probably had no right to win at one point there. They were cruising and then we found a way to get some wickets and ultimately came out on top.”It was similar to last year’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal match, which Australia had won by nine runs. That, combined with Thursday’s performance at Newlands, suggests the gap might be closing somewhat compared to the 85-run thumping they had dished out to India in the final of the T20 World Cup back in 2020.India, on the other hand, squandered their chances with crucial drops of Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning, Australia’s two biggest run-scorers on this occasion, as well as leaking runs through numerous misfields and overthrows.”We showed our class today in the field and we always speak about as a group being the best fielding team in the world, and I think today really showed that,” Gardner said. “Ellyse Perry was elite on the boundary. Whether it’s dropped catches, [or] missed opportunities in the field, those ultimately add up to quite a lot of runs and I think we took those moments when we really needed to.Player-of-the-Match Gardner contributed 31 off 18 balls with the bat and followed that with two wickets•ICC/Getty Images

“I certainly think Pez is probably the blueprint for our side going forward – certainly on the boundary. At the end of the day, that could have been the difference between us and them.”Gardner, who had also contributed an excellent 31 off 18 balls with the bat, revealed it was no accident that Australia are so strong in the field.”We have KPIs and there are markers that show us whether we’re positive or negative in the field,” she said. “So there’s a pretty clear indication of how we’ve fielded. We just know how to push each other. In our training sessions, there are always really high-pressure situations, and as athletes, we all push each other – whether it’s on the field or off the field, whether it’s in the gym, running.”That’s something we really pride ourselves on is being fit, being strong, and ultimately that’s one of the things that has an impact in the field.”India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who overcame illness to put her side in a winning position before being run out when her bat got stuck in the pitch, acknowledged that the difference in fielding was the key.”The Australian side, they always field very well; and from our side, we made some mistakes,” Harmanpreet said. “But again, we have to just learn [from] whatever mistakes we have made. But obviously, the Australian side is better than us. They always field well, and today also, after I got out, their body language completely changed. The way they stopped two-three boundaries, that also made a huge difference.”Jemimah Rodrigues, India’s second-highest run-scorer on the day, agreed: “When you lose, you always find a lot of reasons. You can blame anything… but yeah, that is one aspect. As an Indian team, we know that we need to improve our fielding and our running between wickets. Today the running between was really good but I think there’s so much to learn from.”Gardner, Jonassen and Mooney all said that competing under pressure in franchise tournaments such as their own WBBL and England’s much-newer Hundred had contributed to Australia’s strength, which is encouraging for India ahead of their inaugural WPL season, which starts next month.”It probably comes back to the exposure of those sorts of situations,” Jonassen said. “Having such a quality domestic set-up, having the WBBL, having some of the best international players coming over every year – that plays a significant part. Then we’re almost primed for those same situations on the international stage.”We’ve had a few young players making debuts in different formats this season as well that have come from those competitions, and we’re always looking to try and improve, and try and push each other to that next level and try and get the most out of each and every person because ultimately we know if we can gain an extra one or two percent individually, then the team’s collectively going to be better off.”And such is Australia’s depth that Jonassen jokingly revealed her disbelief when head coach Shelley Nitschke told her after training on match eve that she was back in the side.”I had to get her to repeat it because I had walked about ten laps after training yesterday, sort of getting my head around how I would mentally deal with if I missed out again,” Jonassen said. “I’ve got my partner and my mum who have flown over, so I was pretty disappointed up until today that I wasn’t able to play a game in front of them. Hopefully one more and it’s another successful one.”One more will mean a contest for the trophy against either hosts South Africa or England. Besides India at this World Cup, only England have looked capable of threatening Australia. Whoever it is will need to do more than just threaten, as India found out.

Just when Rajasthan Royals thought they had collected two points by defending 214 and had started to celebrate, their last-ball wicket transformed into a no-ball from Sandeep Sharma (called belatedly by the third umpire), and Abdul Samad smoked a straight six off the free hit to get Sunrisers Hyderabad the four more runs they needed, sparking wild celebrations in the orange camp while the players and home fans in pink were left stunned.Royals were well ahead of Sunrisers almost throughout the chase, with the asking rate rising and wickets falling regularly towards the end. Sunrisers, however, kept fighting back with big hits. The biggest turnaround came when they needed 41 from 12 and Glenn Phillips, in for Harry Brook, blasted three sixes and a four to reduce it to 19 off eight. The chase turned again when he fell on the next ball, and they needed 17 to win from the last over with Samad on strike.Samad was nearly caught twice in two balls, first dropped by Obed McCoy at short third resulting in two runs and then hitting a six just over Joe Root’s fingertips at long-on. Sandeep’s near-yorkers conceded just four off the next three and with five to win off the last ball, Samad found long-on while attempting another straight six, and Sandeep lifted his finger in celebration. But those smiles soon disappeared because Sandeep had overstepped and when he re-bowled the last ball – another attempted yorker, the length off by a few inches – Samad completed Sunrisers’ heist with a successful straight six right over the bowler’s head.Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler put on a rollicking 138-run stand•BCCI

Royals will rue the two dropped catches and a run-out chance in between which meant Jos Buttler’s scintillating return to form with a 95 off 59 and Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 66 off 38 went in vain. Despite their third loss in a row and fifth loss in six games, Royals are still in fourth position on the table, but RCB, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings are level with them on 10 points and all have a game in hand. Sunrisers lifted themselves off the bottom and pushed Delhi Capitals back to the last spot.

Brisk but not the quickest start for SRH

After dropping Mayank Agarwal and Brook, Sunrisers were off to a brisk start with quick knocks from their top three. Anmolpreet Singh opened with the in-form Abhishek Sharma and started finding the boundaries, especially against the experienced Sandeep and R Ashwin. Abhishek joined in as well and with three fours off Sandeep in the fifth over, Sunrisers looked set for a strong powerplay finish except that Yuzvendra Chahal had Anmolpreet caught off a sweep for 33 and the visitors were a middling 52 for 1 after the powerplay.

SRH (seemingly) leave too much too late

Soon after the powerplay ended, the asking rate shot up over 12 but Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek started with the big hits only when they needed 142 from 11 overs. Tripathi started with a six off M Ashwin and Abhishek collected sixes off both Ashwins before edging to short third for 55 when attempting another big shot.With Heinrich Klaasen promoted to No. 4 and the equation at 98 off 42, Samson gave M Ashwin a third over despite his first two going for 23 and despite having other bowling options around, and he leaked another 19 which kept Sunrisers in the game.

Yuzvendra Chahal strikes before Glenn Phillips takes charge

Samson turned to Yuzvendra Chahal, who was taken for a six and a four in the first four balls of his spell before fighting back with wicket of Klaasen for 26 off 12. With 57 to get from 24, Tripathi got a life when Samson dropped him down the leg side off McCoy and he cashed in with a six off the next ball. In his last over, when SRH needed 44 off 18, Chahal landed the big blows when Tripathi found deep midwicket right on the boundary and Markram missed a reverse sweep to be given lbw. Finishing with 4 for 29 after a three-run 18th over, Chahal also went level with Dwayne Bravo for the most IPL wickets and had almost done the job for Royals.The steep equation of 41 from 12 – and having not batted in a match situation for more than a month – didn’t make any difference to Phillips. He belted out three sixes at the start of the 19th when Kuldip Yadav missed his yorkers, and edged one for four before another twist came in the form of Phillips’ wicket when Shimron Hetmyer completed an excellent catch running towards the boundary on the leg side.With Sunrisers needing 17 from the last over, Samad kept going after the straight boundaries and eventually left Royals bewildered.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Another quick start from Yashasvi Jaiswal

Having opted to bat, Royals saw Yashasvi Jaiswal continue his imperious form with a combination of intent and luck. He struck the first ball just over mid-on for four and on the fourth ball he could have been caught at fine leg, but debutant Vivrant Sharma misjudged the catch to concede another four. While Buttler was still searching for rhythm, Jaiswal hit Marco Jansen and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for sixes before collecting back-to-back fours off Jansen in the fifth over.Jaiswal fell for 35 off 18 when his attempt to clear short third off Jansen’s short ball resulted in an easy catch because of the extra bounce.

Jos Buttler flicks the switch on

Buttler was on 20 off 20 at the end of the eighth, but Samson came in and started finding boundaries straightaway. The ninth over, by Mayank Markande, lifted Royals’ scoring rate further and that’s when Buttler got going too. After seeing Samson strike back-to-back sixes, Buttler ended the over with a pulled six to take the over for 21 overall.He brought out straight pulls and flourishing drives off the spinners to bring up a 32-ball fifty and keep the run rate comfortably over 10. Markande came back only to be hit for three more sixes, and Buttler jumped from 78 to 91 with three fours in the cover region, off Bhuvneshwar, in the 17th over.

T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar rein in Royals at the end

Despite the barrage of boundaries, T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar bowled the 18th and 19th overs – peppered with yorkers – for just 12 runs, even as Samson reached his fifty off 33 balls. Their accuracy also accounted for Buttler when he walked across and Bhuvneshwar’s searing yorker trapped him lbw in front.Expecting more yorkers in the last over, Samson ramped and steered two fours, with a straight six in between, in a 17-run over to finish. It would not be enough for Royals in the end.

First-season finalists Gulf Giants and Desert Vipers, as well as MI Emirates have retained bulk of their players

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2023

Gulf Giants, the champions in the inaugural edition of the ILT20 in 2023, and Desert Vipers, the runners-up, have retained the bulk of their players for the second season, starting January 13, 2024. MI Emirates have done the same, while the bottom three from the first season – Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriors and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – have opened up a lot of space in their line-ups.Among the big names to be absent from the list of retained players are Moeen Ali (Warriors last year) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Capitals last year), who have both moved to the SA20, which will run concurrently with the ILT20, with the BBL and Bangladesh Premier League also on at the same time.”We have decided to retain 11 players, while keeping our backend team intact. We firmly believe in the power of continuity and stability, allowing our players to build upon their previous success,” Andy Flower, the Giants head coach, said in a statement. “However, we also recognize the need for evolution and improvement.”To maintain our winning mentality, we will carefully evaluate the performance and fitness of the retained players, ensuring they are still the best fit for our team. Simultaneously, we will actively scout for new talent, seeking individuals who can bring fresh skills and perspectives to the squad. This healthy competition will drive the retained players to continually raise their game.”Tom Moody, the Vipers director of cricket, said, “One of the main objectives in the retention process for 2024 was to retain a strong core of players that helped us reach the final in 2023 in the inaugural year of the ILT20.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“It is always difficult during retention time because ideally you would like to keep all our players from the previous year, but we thought it was important to make sure we had flexibility post the retention deadline for new signings, to continue to grow the squad and develop the squad for bigger and better things moving forward.”There is no change in the maximum total salary cap for the second season, which remains at US$ 2.5 million, with a minimum spend of US$ 1.5 million.The teams – which can have a maximum of 22 and minimum of 18 players in their rosters – can start signing new players right away with the window for overseas players closing on July 31. “There was no restriction on the number of retentions for international players while the franchises could only retain a maximum of two UAE players,” a press statement from the league said.Moeen and Rajapaksa aside, most of the prominent names who were part of the action in the first season have been retained. This list includes Alex Hales, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sikandar Raza, Rovman Powell, Chris Jordan, James Vince, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult and Chris Woakes.ICC to discuss cap on overseas players at T20 leaguesThe ILT20, played under the Emirates Cricket Board, allows the most number of overseas players – nine – in the playing XIs alongside two local (UAE) players. A total of 12 overseas players are allowed in the squads, and they are signed directly by the six franchises.The norm at T20 leagues has been to allow four overseas players in playing XIs. Apart from the ILT20, there are two other leagues that allow more: the CPL (five) and Major League Cricket (six), which will start in the USA on July 13.However, some of the Full Member nations have objected to this player drain caused by the exponential growth of T20 leagues, some of them running parallelly. Examples of players opting out of central contracts with their national cricket boards to be part of these lucrative leagues are many.In response, an ICC working group has recommended no more than four overseas players, including retired internationals, in a playing XI in T20 leagues. That recommendation is a key item at the ICC’s annual general meeting, which began on Monday in Durban. The recommendation will be debated at the ICC’s chief executives’ committee initially before it is taken up by the ICC Board, which will meet on Thursday.Full list of retained and released playersAbu Dhabi Knight RidersRetained: Ali Khan, Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Joe Clarke, Sabir Ali, Sunil Narine, Marchant de Lange, Matiullah Khan
Released: Brandon King, Colin Ingram, Connor Esterhuizen, Kennar Lewis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Fahad Nawaz, Raymon Reifer, Paul Stirling, Brandon Glover, Akeal Hosein, Lahiru Kumara, Ravi Rampaul, Zawar FaridDesert VipersRetained: Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Colin Munro, Dinesh Chandimal, Gus Atkinson, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Rohan Mustafa, Sheldon Cottrell, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga
Released: Sam Billings, Adam Lyth, Benny Howell, Ronak Panoly, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills, Shiraz Ahmed, Ruben Trumpelmann, Mark WattDubai CapitalsRetained: Dushmantha Chameera, Joe Root, Akif Raja, Rovman Powell, Sikandar Raza
Released: Chirag Suri, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazratullah Zazai, Dan Lawrence, George Munsey, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Robin Uthappa, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bopara, Chamika Karunaratne, Yusuf Pathan, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Hazrat Luqman, Fred Klaassen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jash Giyanani, Ollie WhiteGulf GiantsRetained: Aayan Afzal Khan, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Gerhard Erasmus, James Vince, Jamie Overton, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Sanchit Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer
Released: Tom Banton, Ollie Pope, C Rizwan, Ashwanth Valthapa, Liam Dawson, Dominic Drakes, David Wiese, Qais Ahmad, Tom HelmMI EmiratesRetained: Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, McKenny Clarke, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Will Smeed, Zahoor Khan
Released: Vriitya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Najibullah Zadran, Lorcan Tucker, Bas de Leede, Tom Lammonby, Craig Overton, Samit Patel, Imran Tahir, Brad Wheal, Zahir KhanSharjah WarriorsRetained: Chris Woakes, Joe Denly, Junaid Siddique, Mark Deyal, Muhammad Jawadullah, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Released: Chris Benjamin, Evin Lewis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dawid Malan, Alishan Sharafu, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Mohammab Nabi, Paul Walter, Karthik Meiyappan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Bilal Khan, Jamal Todd

The legspinner will miss the remainder of England’s tour after landing heavily in the field

ESPNcricinfo staffUpdated on 02-Apr-2024England legspinner Sarah Glenn has been released from the ODI squad for the remainder of their tour of New Zealand after suffering a concussion during the T20I leg.Glenn picked up the concussion when she landed heavily after dropping a catch in the third T20I in Nelson. She did not immediately leave the field and came on to bowl the next over but then went off. At the change of innings she was subbed out for Holly Armitage.Glenn missed the final two T20Is of England’s 4-1 series win, and could only have been available for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on April 7 after following the ECB Graded Return to Play Protocols.Now, however, it has been confirmed that she will return home early, after it was decided that she would not be fit to feature at any stage of the series. No replacement has been called up.England were able to replace Glenn with leading spinner Sophie Ecclestone in Wellington after the players who had featured in the WPL became available. Alongside Ecclestone, that included Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey, who all played the fourth T20I which saw England wrap up the series with a commanding 47-run victory.Offspinner Charlie Dean claimed four wickets in the fourth T20I, and followed that with an impressive allround display in the first ODI in Wellington, where she and Amy Jones combined in an unbeaten 130-run stand for the seventh wicket to seal a tight four-wicket win.When everyone is available England could field a strong spin attack of Dean, Ecclestone and Glenn, supplemented by captain Heather Knight, which bodes well for their prospects at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.Meanwhile, New Zealand have an injury concern of their own after captain Sophie Devine sustained a quad strain in Wellington which has so far ruled her out of the final T20I and the first ODI as well.This story was updated on April 2, following confirmation of Glenn’s release from England’s squad

Gomez offered a candid assessment of the American’s career trajectory, suggesting Reyna is in danger of becoming irrelevant

• Gomez acknowledges Reyna's undeniable talent
• Emphasizes dramatic fall from projected stardom
• Advises focusing on club career, not World Cup

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Reacting to reports that USMNT midfielder Giovanni Reyna could be on the move from Dortmund to Parma, former national team player Herculez Gomez characterized the potential transfer as a significant gamble for the Italian club.

  “Parma is going to be looking to stay up in the Serie A and Giovanni Reyna is going to be looking to stay afloat with his career,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. “You’re betting on the pedigree, the development of a Borussia Dortmund player. You're betting on the ceiling and talent of a player, that when he has played, briefly, those flashes, they've been very positive throughout the years.

  “That's what keeps U.S. men's national team pundits, and people who have seen Giovanni Reyna, clinging just for a little bit of hope. Hoping that he can get his career back on track. Listen, Giovanni, Reyna is 22 years old. Last time we really saw him play, he was 17 going on 18, World Cup qualifying for Qatar. He got injured versus El Salvador and we didn't see him for months."

  Gomez expressed disbelief at how dramatically Reyna's stock has fallen, stating "nobody believed" such a precipitous decline would happen to a player once considered America's brightest prospect.

  “It's been injuries. It's been coach after coach after coach," he said. "He was either injured or couldn't get on the field. And when he got on the field, couldn't stay on the field. And when it came to the national team, he would still show you those flashes, whether that was with Anthony Hudson, whether it was B.J Callahan.

  “He would show you those flashes. But we've not seen him. We've not seen at the club level, and we've not seen them recently with the U.S men's national team. And he's fallen so far off the cliff with the U.S men's national team, where we didn't think that would happen.”

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• WHAT GOMEZ SAID

  The analyst emphasized that despite possibly having "the highest ceiling in the pool," Reyna currently finds himself completely outside the national team picture. Gomez also believes that Reyna’s focus shouldn’t be the 2026 World Cup, but rather attempting to get his club career back on track again.

  "A player with probably the highest ceiling in the pool is way beyond the outside looking in," he said. "And so it's what are they (Parma) seeing him? They see a player that can hopefully regain that spark. But I'm in line with my colleagues. This is a player that you can't be thinking World Cup right now. You're going to be thinking your career, you got to be thinking, 'I gotta get my life back on track.' ”

  Gomez said Reyna is in danger of wasting an incredible opportunity.

  “You look at your counterparts, you came on board at Dortmund at the same time as the likes of Erling Haaland, as the likes of Jude Bellingham," he said. "And you’ve seen what they’ve been able to achieve and yes, they’re very good talents. But they were your counterparts. Gio puts up a picture and these are the guys, these are his friends, commenting on his Instagram post.

  “The American dream, that’s long gone. We don’t think of Giovanni Reyna as a prospect. He’s not a 16-year-old who broke onto the scene….he’s now bordering this territory of a what could have been."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reyna signed for Borussia Dortmund in 2019 and has since made 147 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals and 10 assists.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Reyna reportedly continues to be in discussions with Parma. He'll also be eyeing a spot in Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT squad for the 2026 World Cup.

West Indies, who had threatened to take a bigger lead at various stages of their second innings, folded for 193 after tea on the third day

Tristan Lavalette27-Jan-20241:53

McGlashan: There could yet be some nervy moments for Australia

Stumps Steven Smith made a positive start to Australia’s chase of 216, but a shorthanded West Indies attack hit back late on day three to breathe life anew into the second Test at the Gabba. Australia reached stumps at 60 for 2 and need a further 156 runs to claim a sweep of the home Test summer. But this unpredictable contest may have more twists and turns with heavy showers forecast on days four and five due to the after-effects of Cyclone Kirrily.New-ball bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph started sluggishly and failed to make the most of favourable conditions under lights. Australia rattled off 24 runs before opener Usman Khawaja tickled Alzarri Joseph down the leg side.West Indies’ hopes of ending a two-decade Test drought against Australia were further raised when Justin Greaves squared up Marnus Labuschagne, whose edge was brilliantly snaffled by Kevin Sinclair in the slips. Sinclair – not for the first time in his debut Test – celebrated by crossing his arms after he rose from the turf.Smith and Cameron Green survived a probing examination before stumps. Green was all at sea and struck on the pads by Greaves, but West Indies were unsuccessful in their review. He then edged the next delivery in front of second slip.In contrast, Smith looked technically sound and hit the ball crisply to finish unbeaten on 33 from 56 balls.Kavem Hodge was brilliantly run out by Travis Head from forward short-leg•AFP/Getty Images

It was a resilient effort from West Indies, who were without quick Shamar Joseph after he was struck on the toe on his right foot by an inswinging yorker from Mitchell Starc. It was initially given out lbw but Starc had overstepped. He had to retire hurt to end a West Indies second innings that fell away.They had moved to 148 for 4, with a lead of 170, when the in-form Kavem Hodge hit to Travis Head at forward short-leg and took a couple of steps forward with the stroke, and Head quickly flicked the ball at the stumps. A desperate Hodge dove back but his bat was in the air when the ball hit the stumps in what might prove a match-turning moment.It followed a trend where West Indies lost wickets almost out of nowhere and were left to rue four of their top six batters scoring between 29 and 41 but not kicking on.No. 3 Kirk McKenzie, who drove well during his stay, top-scored with 41 and along with Alick Athanaze played attractively and threatened substantial scores before they both fell to Nathan Lyon either side of the dinner break.Australia’s attack toiled in oppressive conditions, but managed to conjure breakthroughs at crucial junctures much like they did when challenged against Pakistan earlier in the summer.Nathan Lyon had a big job to do as the quicks suffered in the heat•AFP/Getty Images

With the quicks feeling the effects of the hot and humid weather, Lyon was relied upon and he threatened on a ground he has a terrific record at. Bowling quicker than usual, Lyon produced sharp turn and bounce to finish with 3 for 42 from 22 overs.After a frenetic day two, the match returned to normalcy as the surface settled and West Indies eyed batting long. Resuming at 13 for 1, West Indies needed to survive the new ball onslaught and reached the 25-over mark, after which batting has proven easier, relatively unscathed.But the surface did not offer as much zip as it did late on day two when Australia had declared 22 runs behind and Josh Hazlewood had sent back Tagenarine Chanderpaul.McKenzie motored along to thwart Australia’s pace attack. In contrast, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was anchored to the crease and scored just six runs off his first 33 balls before whacking Starc uppishly through the covers for his first boundary of the innings.The batters defied probing hard-length bowling from Pat Cummins and notched a half-century stand before Brathwaite chipped Green to cover.Kirk McKenzie played a flurry of check-drives down the ground•Getty Images

McKenzie slowed down and on his 50th delivery, he missed an attempted sweep to be trapped lbw on Lyon’s second delivery. McKenzie decided to review, having been hit high on his back leg, but ball tracking showed it to be clipping the off bail and the decision was upheld.Athanaze, who has had limited impact in the series, showed glimpses of why he is highly rated with several attractive strokes and combined well with Hodge after dinner to rattle Australia.Australia’s frustrations boiled over when Mitchell Marsh made a hash of a fielding attempt leading to Lyon, the bowler, gesticulating in annoyance.But Lyon’s mood soon brightened when he dismissed Athanaze on 35 after tossing up a delivery that was edged to slip, where Smith took a sharp catch.It was a relief for Smith, who had earlier in the innings dropped Athanaze and Brathwaite, as West Indies fell away before their late fightback left the match delicately poised.

David Willey will miss the start of IPL 2024, where he was due to play for Lucknow Super Giants, due to personal reasons. The English left-arm seamer spent the last two IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore and was due to play for LSG this year after he was signed at his base price of INR 2 crore (£190,000 approx) in December’s auction in Dubai.But Justin Langer, LSG’s new head coach, revealed on Wednesday that Willey would not be available for the start of the season, after spending the last two months on the road, representing Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Multan Sultans in the ILT20 and the PSL respectively.Related

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ESPNcricinfo understands that Willey has not yet been replaced in the squad and could yet travel to India at some stage in the tournament. But he has been away from home for most of the English winter, having played at the World Cup in India, and he returned to the UK after playing in Monday’s PSL final.Willey is the second Englishman who is unavailable for the start of LSG’s season, after Mark Wood was pulled out by the ECB for the whole campaign to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup. Wood has been replaced by Shamar Joseph, the West Indies fast bowler, while Willey has not yet been replaced.”With Mark Wood pulling out of the tournament and also David Willey won’t be coming now either, that means we lack some experience,” Langer said, when asked about LSG’s pace attack. “But what I’ve also seen in the last couple of days is that we have enormous talent. Some of our guys have had some injuries but they all look very fit at the moment.”They look fit and healthy and they’re very hungry, so we’ll just have to manage them well so that we can get them through and work through the whole tournament, not just the start of the tournament. We’ve got one overseas player up our sleeve if required, where we might be able to add some experience.”Langer also name-checked the 21-year-old Delhi seamer Mayank Yadav as a genuine fast bowler who could provide some pace in Wood’s absence. “Mark Wood is a world-class bowler, isn’t he? And he pulled out after the auction, which is disappointing but this is the world we live in,” Langer said.”We also have Shamar Joseph, we have Mayank who bowls with very good pace. Hopefully we can replace, not [Wood’s] experience, but his pace with Shamar Joseph and Mayank. He’ll be missed – of course he’ll be missed, he’s a world-class bowler – but this is the world we live in and we will adapt and we will be okay.”LSG will travel to Jaipur this week ahead of their opening match of IPL 2024, against Rajasthan Royals in an afternoon game on Sunday.

They play Bangladesh over five matches starting on May 3

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2024

Johnathan Campbell, the son of former Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell, is in line to make his international debut after being picked for the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh starting on May 3.Campbell, 26, is a legspin-bowling allrounder who was part of the country’s emerging team which won the gold medal at the 13th African Games in March 2024. He scored 115 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 126.37 but wasn’t needed to bowl all that much. He did pick up a wicket though, from a total of two overs.Two of Campbell’s team-mates, Clive Madande and Brian Bennett, had already represented Zimbabwe at senior level by the time of the African Games and have retained their place for this tour. Sikandar Raza continues to captain the squad and can draw on the experience of players like Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani.Top-order batter Tadiwanashe Marumani and allrounder Faraz Akram have been recalled to the side after missing the T20Is in Sri Lanka, which Zimbabwe lost 1-2. They will begin the campaign against Bangladesh in Chattogram, which will host the first three games on May 3, 5 and 7 before moving to Dhaka for final two on May 10 and 12.Zimbabwe T20I squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Johnathan Campbell, Craig Ervine, Joylord Gumbie (wk), Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande (wk), Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Ainsley Ndlovu, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams
In: Jonathan Campbell, Tadiwanashe Marumani and allrounder Faraz Akram
Out: Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Milton Shumba, Carl Mumba and Tony Munyonga