Revealed: Why Benjamin Sesko was Manchester United's last outfield player to take a penalty in the Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Grimsby

Benjamin Sesko was the last outfield player to take a penalty for Manchester United in their shootout defeat to Grimsby because of a bout of cramp.

Man Utd lost to Grimsby on penaltiesSesko scored his spot kickHe was suffering from crampFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Eyebrows were raised when Sesko was held back until the tenth penalty during United's hugely embarrassing defeat by Grimsby in the Carabao Cup. But it has now been revealed Sesko, who was starting a match for the first time since mid-April, had suffered cramp on the rain-sodden pitch at Blundell Park, according to the BBC. 

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Sesko has only just joined the Red Devils from RB Leipzig for £74 million ($100m) in early August and has featured in both Premier League games so far, playing a combined 62 minutes. But while his Old Trafford adventure has just begun, it's boss Ruben Amorim's future at the club which is coming under increasing scrutiny after poor results this season off the back of last term's diabolical 15th place finish.

WHAT AMORIM SAID

After the match, a flummoxed Amorim said: "I am shocked because we are in the moment when we make a lot of changes. We try to fight a lot of things but then when we have these moments, we need to show up. If we don't show up, you can feel that something has to change and you are not going to change 22 players again."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Sesko will be monitored and precautionary measures taken to ensure his return to regular first team football isn't rushed. For Amorim it's very simple: his side absolutely must win in the home clash against Burnley. 

Herói da classificação do Caxias sobre o Internacional, atacante exibe fratura sofrida no rosto após confusão

MatériaMais Notícias

O jovem atacante Wesley Pomba, de 20 anos, sofreu uma fratura no nariz durante a confusão generalizada entre torcedores e jogadores de Internacional e Caxias, na noite de domingo, no Beira-Rio.

Pomba converteu a última decisiva cobrança de pênalti da partida entre Internacional e Caxias, confronto válido pela semifinal do Campeonato Gaúcho. Na comemoração, o atacante levou as mãos à orelha, gesto que foi entendido como provocação pelos jogadores e torcedores do time Colorado.

RelacionadasFora de CampoMauro Beting detona torcedor do Internacional e cenas de violência no Beira-Rio: ‘Barbárie’Fora de Campo27/03/2023InternacionalInternacional x Caxias: torcedor que entrou no gramado com criança no colo pode responder criminalmenteInternacional27/03/2023InternacionalPresidente do Internacional reclama de provocações do Caxias e mostra confiança no trabalho de ManoInternacional26/03/2023

+Inter vai seguir na fila: listamos 40 clubes tradicionais com jejuns em estaduais

Através do seu Instagram, Wesley exibiu como ficou o seu rosto após a agressão sofrida dentro do gramado.

-Classificados… seguimos. Um dia da caça outro do caçador – escreveu o jogador na legenda da publicação.

O jogador foi emprestado pelo Grêmio ao clube de Caxias do Sul, no início da temporada.Na equipe principal do Grêmio, Wesley Pomba fez somente três compromissos, todos pelo Campeonato Gaúcho do ano passado.

CONFUSÃO GENERALIZADA

Cenas lamentáveis ocorreram após a última penalidade que definiu a classificação do Caxias diante do Internacional, em confronto válido pela semifinal do Gaúchão. A partida terminou em 1 a 1 no tempo normal e com vitória do Caxias por 5 a 4 nas penalidades.

Depois que o atacante Wesley Pomba comemorou o gol da vaga fazendo sinal como se quisesse ouvir o estádio do Beira-Rio, alguns jogadores do Inter correram em sua direção e a confusão foi iniciada.

+ Presidente do Internacional reclama de provocações do Caxias

Mesmo depois da intervenção buscada pelos seguranças que estavam próximos aos envolvidos na briga, breves momentos de enfrentamento foram vistos envolvendo nomes como Luiz Adriano, Rodrigo Moledo, Alan Patrick, dentre outros.

Tamanha foi a repercussão da confusão que um torcedor chegou a invadir o gramado do Beira-Rio e chutou um jogador do Caxias. O fato se torna ainda mais grave pelo fato do agressor em questão estar com uma criança de colo durante o ato.

Stuttgart ready to bring Brighton attacker back to Bundesliga a year after €32m Premier League transfer

Stuttgart want to sign Brighton's Brajan Gruda on loan with the winger disappointed by a lack of playing time under coach Fabian Hurzeler.

  • Brighton signed Gruda last year from Mainz
  • Player unhappy spending time on the bench
  • Stuttgart interested in a loan-move
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Stuttgart will be parting ways with striker Nick Woltemade after reportedly reaching agreement with Newcastle United. This has prompted the Bundesliga club to get back to the transfer market to fill a few vacancies. The German club are exploring a loan-move for Brighton's Gruda, who moved to the Premier League last year from Mainz for €31.5 million (£27m/$37m), according to .

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    The 21-year-old midfielder played 21 matches for Brighton last year, starting just eight of those as Hurzeler mostly used him as a late-game substitution. Frustrated over his limited playing time, the player is interested in moving back to the Bundesliga to boost his hopes of first. However, Brighton do not want to part ways with the player and will demand a large loan fee if they are to let him go.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Newcastle are expected to sign 23-year-old German striker Woltemade from Stuttgart for €90m (£78m/$105m), after the German club fended off Bayern Munich's interest over the summer. Backed by strong finances, Stuttgart held out until Newcastle, who were seeking a replacement for Alexander Isak, stepped in. 

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    WHAT NEXT FOR STUTTGART?

    Stuttgart will have to accelerate their negotiations should they wish to bring Gruda to Germany this summer as the transfer window shuts this week. Many Bundesliga clubs are interested in Gruda and have been keeping tabs. The German midfielder is bound to Brighton until 2028.

Will Senne Lammens be Man Utd's new No.1? Gary Neville reveals former club's plan for new £18m goalkeeper amid Andre Onana & Altay Bayindir struggles

Gary Neville has revealed whether new signing Senne Lammens will be installed as Manchester United's No.1 following his transfer from Royal Antwerp. The highly-rated Belgian goalkeeper moved to Old Trafford in an £18 million ($24m) deal on deadline day.

Neville reveals United's stance on LammensSigned the Belgian goalkeeper on deadline dayOnana and Bayindir continue to struggleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United showed urgency in their pursuit of a new goalkeeper towards the end of the summer transfer window after Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir endured nightmare starts to the 2025-26 campaign. Bayindir conceded four goals in United's first three Premier League games, making clear errors against Arsenal and Burnley, while Onana's disastrous performance against Grimsby Town led to the Red Devils' exit from the Carabao Cup in the second round.

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United were also linked with a swoop for wantaway Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but they eventually prioritised a deadline day move for 23-year-old Lammens. Now, speculation is rife over whether the young custodian will feature in Ruben Amorim's starting lineup once action resumes after the international break.

WHAT NEVILLE SAID

Speaking to , Red Devils icon Neville said: "I’ve been asking around about that one this morning and spoke to a few people at United. The feeling is the new boy coming in would probably be a No. 2 who would start on the bench, but they absolutely do need a No. 1."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Amorim's side, who finally picked up their maiden win of the season against Burnley last weekend, next face rivals Manchester City on September 14. It remains to be seen if Lammens will make his United debut in the derby.

Com mudanças e joia da base, Corinthians está escalado para encarar o Remo; veja o time e onde assistir

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians está escalado para encarar o Remo, no Mangueirão, nesta quarta-feira (12), às 21h30, pela partida de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Fernando Lázaro preservou alguns titulares e escalou a equipe com: Cássio; Du Queiroz, Bruno Méndez, Gil e Fábio Santos; Maycon, Paulinho, Giuliano e Adson; Pedro e Yuri Alberto. A partida terá transmissão no Sportv e Premiere.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansDe volta ao Mangueirão, Corinthians irá encontrar estádio com modelo internacional de tecnologiaCorinthians12/04/2023CorinthiansCorinthians empresta Léo Santos ao Ceará para disputa da Série BCorinthians11/04/2023CorinthiansEm busca do tetra na Copa do Brasil, Corinthians quer superar frustrações e mira sequência inédita como visitanteCorinthians11/04/2023

+ Com Barletta, Corinthians chega a 19 reforços na gestão de Duílio; relembre todos os reforços

Alguns titulares, como Fábio Santos e Róger Guedes, iniciam a partida no banco de reservas. Além deles, Lázaro tem as seguintes opções: Carlos Miguel, Matheus Donelli, Murillo, Cantillo, Fagner, Roni, Matheus Araújo, Fausto Vera, Barletta e Romero.

+ Guia Corinthians: onde assistir, análise dos adversários e tudo sobre o Timão na Libertadores

Os desfalques do Corinthians são:
– Renato Augusto (lesão meniscal medial no joelho direto)
– Rafael Ramos (dores no músculo posterior da coxa esquerda)
– Balbuena (controle de carga)
– Caetano (transição física)
– Júnior Moraes (transição física)
– Gustavo Mosquito (rompimento ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho direito)

REMO X CORINTHIANS
COPA DO BRASIL – TERCEIRA FASE – IDA
Local: Estádio Mangueirão, em Belém, Pará
Data e hora: 12 de abril de 2023, às 21h30
Árbitro: Ramon Abatti Abel-SC (FIFA)
Assistentes: Kleber Lucio Gil-SC e Eder Alexandre-SC
Quarto Árbitro: Djonaltan Costa de Araujo-PA
Árbitro de vídeo: Rodrigo Carvalhaes de Miranda-RJ
Onde assistir: Sportv, Premiere e no tempo real do LANCE!

+ Veja tabela e todos os confrontos pela terceira fase da Copa do Brasil

continua após a publicidade

Man Utd to sell Andre Onana AND Altay Bayindir?! Red Devils open to offers for goalkeeper duo after Senne Lammens arrival with Saudi Arabian and Turkish transfer windows still open

The Premier League window may have closed but Manchester United are still open for business with Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana both potentially leaving.

  • Onana and Bayindir could leave Utd
  • Saudi and Turkey clubs interested
  • Man United will listen to offers
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The revolving door of transfers at Old Trafford could continue to spin in the coming weeks following the signing of goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp. The new boy's arrival means the club will listen to offers for Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, but it is likely they will only sell one of them, according to The Sun. 

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    Clubs from Saudi Arabia and Turkey are the potential destinations for Onana and Bayindir as their transfer windows remain open. The Saudis have until September 23 to make new signings, while it's September 12 in the Turkish Super Lig. 

  • DID YOU KNOW

    Four goalkeepers is too many, even for Manchester United, who don't have European football to put additional strain on their squad this season. Tom Heaton is expected to remain in reserve with Lammens the No 1. 

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    WHAT NEXT FOR ONANA AND BAYINDIR?

    Both keepers had vowed to stay and fight for their places this season, but high profile mistakes from both so early in the season, has forced Man United boss Ruben Amorim's hand. And both have their international positions to consider, with a World Cup looming large on the horizon. 

Sonia Bompastor drops major update on Lauren James and Mayra Ramirez returns as pair battle back from injury blows

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says two keys stars will remain absent when the defending champions start their WSL campaign against Manchester City.

Ramirez and James remain injuredChelsea boss issues update on return of starsChampions Chelsea begin campaign against Man CityFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues boss has revealed two keys stars – Mayra Ramirez and Lauren James – will be absent for the season curtain-raiser against Manchester City. Ramirez was the big-money signing in January 2024 following the ACL injury to Sam Kerr, but underwent hamstring surgery after picking up an injury in pre-season. And James was injured during England Lionesses' semi-final with Sweden, but was hooked before half-time in the final against Spain during the victorious Euro 2025 campaign.

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For James, her recovery period is being measured in weeks, but the forecast is not so rosy for Ramirez. After hamstring surgery, the Colombia striker will not feature for the Blues again this year and is expected to return in January 2026. 

WHAT BOMPASTOR SAID

Bompastor said about Ramirez: "It's sad for everyone, first of all for her. She had successful surgery, which is something positive, but it's sad for Mayra, it's sad for us because she was a really important player for us in the squad. You never want to be in that situation but, again, it happens. For me now, it's making sure as a staff that we just give her a speedy recovery. It's a big loss for us."

"And on James, she said: "LJ is doing fine. Again, it's difficult to put a timeframe on her because everyone is different. Her rehab is going in the right direction. I'm not expecting to see Lauren for the next few weeks, but hopefully soon because, again, she's an important player and we need her on the pitch."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR JAMES AND RAMIREZ?

Boss Bompastor has a number of headaches heading into the new season. James is likely to miss key clashes against Man City, Aston Villa, Leicester and West Ham. While Ramirez will be focusing on the long slog back to fitness. And Lucy Bronze is absent, too. Plenty to ponder for the defending champions. 

Speedy Richardson inspired by Steyn

The 21-year old has the same wiry frame and is said to be rather slippery off the pitch, even if he doesn’t quite have the same outswinger

Daniel Brettig13-Jan-2018It’s a fair measure of Australia’s investment in bowlers of high pace that the quickest stuff Steven Smith has faced all Ashes summer came in a Sheffield Shield match, from a young West Australian who is now part of the ODI squad to face England. Jhye Richardson clocked in the region of 148kph at Hurstville Oval, faster than Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins in the same fixture.Unlike the New South Wales trio, 21-year-old Richardson is not particularly tall and still building strength around his 178cm frame. But fast-twitch muscle fibres and a rigidly locked front leg at the point of delivery have contributed to a whippy, slippery bowling method that now means Smith will have a different shot in his locker, both for this series and in other assignments for the future.”It is something different, it’s nice to have different bowlers so you don’t get in a rhythm as a batsman, so he does bring something different, but he’s very good as well,” Smith said of Richardson. “He bowls with good pace, he swung the ball both ways in the nets, he’s got some really good skills, and having played a Shield game against him earlier in the year I got to see those skills first-hand, which was really nice. I thought he bowled really well on a pretty flat wicket at Hurstville, so he’s a bright prospect and he’ll get his opportunity at some point throughout this series.”The impression Smith formed at Hurstville was definitely the kind that Richardson was trying to create, sustaining his pace late in the game to demonstrate durability and an appetite for hard work. Managed carefully like all others deemed “super fast” by the Australian set-up, he was equally notable for being able to get through four out of the first five Shield fixtures while scooping 17 wickets at 26.29, the most for his state.”[Hurstville] was a pretty flat wicket, quite a slow wicket, so I think the plan was to try to bowl a few bumpers at him so I started charging in, as you do as a fast bowler, you want to get up someone when you’re trying to run in and bowl short at them, so I ramped it up a little bit,” Richardson said. “I like bowling fast and running in fast.”When it gets hot, bodies are going to get tired, even the main fast bowlers will say they get tired at some point. So that’s the struggle of fast bowling, being out there in 40C heat and you have to bowl a lot of overs at 140kph, it’s a tough trade, but that’s what we train to do, and I think I’ll be quite equipped for it.”We had a plan at the start of the year, which I completely understood. They explained it all to me and said ‘our plan for you is probably to have a rest at some point’ and I was completely okay with that. I understand what has to go on to get you through a Shield season, and I’m happy with how I played, being on the park. Having played the Big Bash last year I didn’t play any Shield games, so to have played four or five already is awesome.”Jhye Richardson celebrates the wicket of Travis Dean•Getty ImagesBatsmen have reported that Richardson’s skid and swing make him an awkward opponent, with the extra pace adding further discomfort. There are certain parallels with a young Dale Steyn, and Richardson was not shy in saying he had been inspired to bowl fast by watching the South African, who has prospered with a similar height and wiry frame.”Early age there was a lot of talk about how tall I was going to be, but I didn’t really think about it too much,” Richardson said. “Someone like Dale Steyn, he’s proved to everyone that you don’t have to be tall and you don’t have to be a solid bloke to be able to run in, bowl fast and bowl well, so I think it just comes down to you being a different fast bowler. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be better or worse, it just means you’ll be a little bit different.”I think [speed] helps, but being in the West Australian set-up quite early I think has been the main one, being able to develop with the coaches that we’ve got in WA, someone like Justin Langer, Adam Griffith when he was there and now Kade Harvey our bowling coach, they’ve been the key guys that have helped me to develop so quickly, I’m becoming more confident with my game, every training session and every game I play. Without those guys I wouldn’t be here.”Bowling fast helps, we have quite good wickets in Australia so that is definitely a help, but it’s more of a development process and for me to be able to stay on the park and bowl good balls. I was still quite quick when I was young but being in the WA squad, being able to get in the gym and strengthen up, I’m still not a big guy, but being able to strengthen the areas that need to be from an early age has helped me to be able to bowl quicker, become stronger and stay on the park for a little bit longer.”With Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc all set to rest at various points of the series, Richardson can expect to play, and to be asked to fulfil numerous roles by Smith. One adjustment he will need to make is from the 24 balls required to bowl in a Twenty20 match rising to 60 in an ODI.”That’s something we have to sum up when we play,” Richardson said of his role. “I could come in and need to play a different role than being the impact bowler. I could have to come in and try to tie up an end during a period where they’re going really well. I’m ready for whatever challenge pops up, if I do get to play and I need to come in and do a particular job then I’m ready for it.”You have to be quite disciplined, you’ve got 60 balls, not 24. In the Big Bash, you can go for a few boundaries but one dot ball out of 24 is [more important] than one out of 60. But having said that, if you go to the boundary more often in a one-day game, you’ve got 60 balls to do that, so you’ve got be quite a lot more disciplined in the sense that you’ve got a lot more balls to bowl, a lot more good balls.”It’s not all about pace, we get told that quite early. Especially at this level, you can bowl as fast as you want but if you’re not bowling well it goes to the boundary just as quick.”Close observers of WA have noted that Richardson’s progress appears to be trending sharply up, and he was one of the players who surprised Marcus Stoinis when he returned home to play for the Warriors between seasons. “He’s really turned it up this year,” Stoinis said. “Can bowl bloody quick and shorter, so it’s quite skiddy. Super-talented, skilful. Looking to take wickets all the time. Then his batting has improved out of sight. I was quite surprised moving back to WA to see how well he was batting. And he’s a jet in the field – so he’s a good all-round package.”

Bangladesh's home record under threat as England eye impressive series win

The hosts will need more from the likes of Shakib and Mushfiqur if they are to force the series into a decider

Mohammad Isam02-Mar-2023

Dawid Malan and Adil Rashid get together after sealing a tricky chase in the first ODI•Associated Press

Big picture – Can the likes of Mushfiqur and Shakib stand up?England know all too well the importance of taking a 1-0 lead against Bangladesh in Dhaka. The last time it happened, in 2016, England ended up winning the series 2-1 despite the home side bouncing back with a win in the second game. In fact, the last time Bangladesh won a bilateral ODI series after losing the first match was nearly eight years ago, against South Africa.This simple fact underlines Bangladesh’s dominance at home in the last decade. They have lost just two bilateral series at home in this period. It also means England’s three-wicket win in the first ODI on Wednesday was a big deal. They broke through Bangladesh’s fort by playing in a very different way than they are used to. Conditions obviously varied, with the Shere Bangla National Stadium offering a lot more to the spinners.Still, England used predominantly their seamers to attack and restrict the home side. They bowled Bangladesh out for 209, before Dawid Malan’s unbeaten century arrested their own batting slide to seal the win. It was a great effort from a batter who had a stealthy local experience: Malan has played more than 50 matches in Bangladesh in the last ten years.Related

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Malan special guides England home in tense chase

Moeen: England 'really looking forward' to thriving in packed Mirpur

But more experienced players of these conditions, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, didn’t quite do justice to their billing. Their dismissals in the middle overs, both out slogging spinners, prompted a readjustment from the rest of Bangladesh’s batting line-up. Najmul Hossain Shanto couldn’t kick on from his maiden ODI fifty, while Mahmudullah got out batting in first gear.Both teams will therefore look for batting improvements. Malan’s knock was the only innings of substance for England while Bangladesh needs their batters to make best use of the starts. What would however encourage both sides is their disciplined bowling. Taskin Ahmed and the Bangladesh spinners bowled their heart out. They couldn’t take the remaining three wickets, but they were defending a pretty low total.England’s bowlers looked to have understood the conditions well too, particularly Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who ensured Bangladesh’s scoring never went too far. The second ODI promises to be another tight affair. The home side wouldn’t want to let go of their Dhaka dominance.Form guideBangladesh LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWWWIn the spotlightIt has taken Najmul Hossain Shanto 16 ODIs to reach his first half-century in the format, the second-slowest Bangladeshi to the mark (Litton Das took 17 matches to reach the milestone). It is an important stepping stone for Shanto, who has been trying to establish himself in internationals for the last two years. Admittedly, it is still early days but even Bangladesh’s all-time best batters have taken time to establish themselves, so Shanto has some company. Still, his dismissal for 58 in the first ODI could have been avoided with a bit more concentration.What Shanto couldn’t do, Dawid Malan did quite well. He didn’t allow the low run-rate or falling wickets at the other end get to him. Instead, Malan picked up crucial boundaries, and formed small but meaningful partnerships to smother Bangladesh’s charge on Wednesday evening. It was his second successive century, and fourth in 16 ODIs, but more importantly, he handed England a difficult win. Malan has done so well in his short ODI career, that he is now close to locking his place in the World Cup squad later in the year.Team newsEbadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud are options if Bangladesh feel the Dhaka pitch isn’t suited to Mustafizur Rahman. The hosts have also drafted Shamim Hossain in to the squad for the second ODI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanEngland started the series with Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Rehan Ahmed and Reece Topley on the bench. Rehan has been ill so appears unlikely to play but they are expected to rotate their seamers throughout the tour.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Saqib Mahmood/Jofra Archer, 11 Reece Topley/Mark WoodShakib Al Hasan reacts to a missed chance•Associated Press

Pitch and conditionsDew could prompt the team winning the toss to bowl first. It won’t be the worst decision in Dhaka as the ball will still have a bit of variable bounce with turn in the day time. The weather remains dry, but it is getting warm.Stats and triviaBangladesh lost the first match of a home bilateral ODI series for the first time in seven years. Coincidentally, England beat them in the previous instance in 2016, which was also the last time they went on to lose an ODI series at home. Malan is now the fifth-oldest England batter to score an ODI hundred, after Geoff Boycott, Alec Stewart, Graham Gooch and Wayne Larkins.Tamim Iqbal’s eleven catches off Shakib’s bowling, the latest of which came in the first ODI, is the most by an outfielder off Shakib’s bowling.Quotes”There was a lot of help for the spinners to be honest. But England possesses a world-class pace attack, which gave them a good combination. It was the same for us, as Taskin bowled well along with the spinners.””I said to Jos at the time that it was close. He said he didn’t think so. The guard that I bat on, I thought it was bit outside the line or sliding on with the angle. It was bit closer than I thought, so thankfully he didn’t give it out.”

Winning a Test series in India is 'bigger than the Ashes' for Australia's stars

A series victory in India is bigger than winning the Ashes, according to Australia players including Steven Smith and David Warner, who are gearing up for the “toughest challenge in Test cricket”. India and Australia go up against each other in a high-profile four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting in Nagpur on February 9.”It [India] is a difficult place to win a Test match let alone a series. So if we are able to do that, it would be huge. I think if you win in India, it is bigger than an Ashes series [win],” Smith told cricket.com.au, in a video featuring several Australia players taking about the challenges of playing in India.Warner said he is looking forward to playing against the best spinners in the world. “Being a part of the last Ashes was fantastic but to go to India and beat India in India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.”I’m looking forward to the tour, it’s always a hard graft. One thing that I’m looking forward to is applying myself against the best spinners in the world.”Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who will miss the Nagpur Test due to an Achilles niggle in his left leg, said: “Probably been long since Australia won there or less frequently we have won. In world cricket that’s everyone’s goal – to try and win in India.”Mitchell Starc, who will also miss the first Test, having not recovered sufficiently as yet from a finger tendon injury, said a series win in India “has always been a crown jewel for Australian touring teams”.”Winning a series in India will be really special for our group,” Starc said. “I think it has always been a crown jewel for Australian touring teams. It’s one of, if not the hardest place to play away… Such foreign conditions and how strong the Indian team are as well.”On one side you’ve got all this history of the Ashes and on the other you have this tour of India, which has been for many Australian teams out of reach.”Captain Pat Cummins mirrored the sentiments of his team-mates, saying: “Winning a series in India is like an Ashes away series [win] but even more rare. It will be a career highlight, an era-defining series if we win out there,” Cummins said.

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