أكد لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، برناردو سيلفا، أن فريقه استطاع تجاوز تشيلسي عقب توديع منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا، الأسبوع الماضي.
وفاز مانشستر سيتي على نظيره تشيلسي بنتيجة 1/0، في إطار منافسات الدور نصف النهائي من مسابقة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي على ملعب “ويمبلي”.
وبهذا الفوز، تأهل مانشستر سيتي إلى المباراة النهائية، في انتظار الفائز من مباراة مانشستر يونايتد وكوفنتري سيتي.
اقرأ ايضاً.. فيديو | برناردو سيلفا يتجاوز آلامه ويقود مانشستر سيتي للتأهل إلى نهائي كأس الاتحاد بهدف قاتل أمام تشيلسي
وقال برناردو سيلفا في تصريحات لشبكة “BBC Sports”: “سعيد للغاية بعد أسبوع محبط بالنسبة لنا جميعًا، بالنسبة لي شخصيًا، الشيء الجيد هو في كرة القدم في مانشستر سيتي، فأنت تلعب كل ثلاثة أيام، كل ثلاثة أيام لديك فرصة لوضع الأمور في نصابها الصحيح والآن لدينا فرصة للفوز بلقب آخر”.
وعن الهدف أكد سيلفا: “إنها حركة كيفين دي بروين المعتادة، الذي يحاول دائمًا وضع الكرة في منطقة الجزاء لزيادة فرصك في التسجيل، أنا محظوظ لأن الكرة سقطت هناك”.
وأشار سيلفا: “على مر السنين أظهرنا شخصيتنا، فعلنا ذلك مرات عديدة واليوم أظهر الفريق الكثير من الشخصية”.
وعن نهائي كأس إنجلترا، أفاد: “المباراة النهائية ستكون صعبة، ننتظر مواجهة جيدة جدًا بين كوفنتري ومانشستر يونايتد في قبل النهائي، ونحن نتطلع إلى الفوز باللقب”.
Leeds United, now that the takeover is officially complete and some semblance of stability has returned to the club, will have one eye on now conquering the market and giving Daniel Farke the best possible chance of orchestrating an instant promotion.
Is Emmanuel Dennis joining Leeds United?
To give himself the finest opportunity to do so, he will hopefully seek to employ a number of players willing to subscribe to his all-action philosophy that could demolish the Championship.
However, to make that as effective as possible, he will still want to secure that selfish star man up front, with enough arrogance to pull them through if the system starts to break down.
Fortunately, in one of the stars linked, they have seemingly identified that perfect player.
Valued at €10.7m (£9m) by Football Transfers, and reportedly a target of the Whites, Nottingham Forest forward Emmanuel Dennis could prove to be a saviour at Elland Road, with speed, power, clinical finishing and that selfishness needed to excel at the top level.
If on form, he alone could propel the Yorkshire outfit to a promotion.
How good is Emmanuel Dennis?
Whilst chances have been limited of late for the Nigerian marksman, having joined as part of the Tricky Trees' ridiculous 22-man overhaul from last summer, it seems his talent got lost amongst all the players forced into the City Ground.
As such, he made just six starts in the Premier League, with 39 minutes per game far from enough to show his true class.
It was the year prior when he truly announced himself as a top talent though, as the 2021/22 season saw him enjoy a debut year in English football at Watford. Despite their relegation, which arguably enhances his outstanding figures from that campaign, he would score ten goals and assist a further six in the league.
Such early-season form even led journalist Josh Bunting to wax lyrical about the 25-year-old, as he noted: "Emmanuel Dennis has been one of the most underrated players outside of Watford fans this season, he’s been a very good addition. Today he was absolutely electric from the start to finish."
His play had merited a return to the top flight, but perhaps his decision to move to Nottingham was an ill-advised one.
daniel-farke
With his stock having taken a hit, and interest in his services nowhere near as fierce as one year earlier, perhaps he could settle on an Elland Road switch, assuming the vacant role as star striker to fire them back into the top flight; a place where both club and player will feel they belong.
His ability to shine for a poor Hornets side back then gives credence to the idea he would now thrive in Yorkshire, where he would likely be surrounded by far more quality in a far weaker division.
That's without mentioning his fine work rate too, which does suggest that his presence would help rather than hinder the system expected to be employed. After all, when compared to other forwards across Europe, the speedster ranks in the top 10% for tackles per 90, the top 4% for blocks per 90, and the top 5% for aerials won per 90, via FBref, which is made more impressive given his 5 foot 9 frame.
All the pieces are in place for him to steamroll this league and make a triumphant top-flight return with a point to prove. Farke will hope to not rely on one sole player for his team's triumphs in the coming season, but should he secure the signing of Dennis, his previous goalscoring feats are indicative that he could fire them up alone.
South Africa’s Global T20 league is the best way to keep players from leaving the country in search of opportunity elsewhere, according to Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis
Firdose Moonda in London19-Jun-2017South Africa’s Global T20 league is the best way to keep players from leaving the country in search of opportunity elsewhere, according to Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis. A former Kolpak player himself, du Plessis returned to South Africa in 2010-11 after two years at Lancashire and has since become a regular across all formats and in T20 leagues around the world. He hopes the new tournament will afford other players similar opportunity.”I spoke about it when the Kolpak thing started happening in South Africa – it was probably important that South Africa looked at different ways to try and keep players in the country. I think this is a huge step towards that,” du Plessis said at league’s formal launch in London. “Players don’t have to look outside anymore, from an opportunity point of view and from a financial point of view – they don’t need to go overseas and look for other stuff. This is going to be really important to keeping most of the players in the country.”Last season, several recently capped internationals including Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Dane Vilas, David Wiese, Simon Harmer, Hardus Viljoen and Stiaan van Zyl signed Kolpak deals, prompting fears of a player exodus. All of them cited financial security as a primary reason for their move, but there were also undertones that the strict transformation targets may have influenced their decision. The new Global League is expected to solve both issues.It is largely foreign-owned – with six of the eight franchises bought by non-South Africans – with players set to be paid in US dollars. CSA have confirmed there will be no targets besides the local-foreign quota imposed on teams, which should provide an incentive for players to stay. But for du Plessis, it’s not just the top tier who will benefit. He explained that South Africa’s domestic players could be the biggest beneficiaries of the new tournament, because it will provide them with exposure to a larger audience and open doors at other competitions.”I feel the domestic have been under-looked at sometimes,” he said. “You always just get your international players getting good opportunities everywhere around the world, but this will be a great opportunity for the domestic players to put their names out there to the world and somehow try and get into the IPLs and those kinds of tournaments. If you look at the Australian system, there is a lot more players that get picked up from there into the IPLs and that is because of the TV exposure from the Big Bash. This will be exactly the same.”AB de Villiers will represent the Pretoria franchise•BCCI
But the biggest attraction of the new South African league will remain the big South African names. For the first time in South African cricket history, the internationals will be available for an entire domestic T20 tournament. Du Plessis believes that will make be crucial for the profile of this tournament. “We’ve always come back from long tours and there was a lot of important cricket coming up so we haven’t always been around to play as much domestic cricket as was needed,” he said. ” For the whole South African team to be available to play in this tournament is the most important thing.”Eight marquee South African players have each been assigned, one to each team, nearest to where they are based. Du Plessis will play for the Stellenbosch/Paarl side following his recent move to Cape Town. Hashim Amla, who has moved domestic franchises from Durban to Cape Town will return to Kingsmead. JP Duminy will play in Cape Town, where he is from, Kagiso Rabada in Johannesburg, AB de Villiers in Pretoria and Quinton de Kock in Benoni, though he lives in Pretoria. David Miller has committed to his new home in Bloemfontein and Imran Tahir, who has played at three different South African franchises, will make his debut for the Warriors in Port Elizabeth.In addition to those players, eight internationals – Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Lasith Malinga and Brendon McCullum – have been confirmed to play, though they’re yet to be allocated to teams. Du Plessis was confident South Africans fans will have their interest piqued by these well-known T20 journeymen.”You are starting to see different T20 leagues taking up different gaps during the year and current international players can’t participate in all of them – it’s just not possible. What that does is bring in your ex-players, as Brendon talked about, your ‘mercenaries’. South Africa is no different to any other place. The fans would love to see Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and all those players,” he said, adding that the foreign ownership will also increase awareness around the event. “It will create much more emphasis on cricket in South Africa especially for domestic players.”
The investment company was one of two local buyers – out of eight – unveiled as franchise owners by Cricket South Africa in June
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2017
Faf du Plessis was named marquee player of the Stellenbosch franchise•Getty Images
Brimstone Investment Corporation Limited, the investment company which had been unveiled as one of the eight franchise owners of South Africa’s T20 Global League in June, has said it will not proceed with the acquisition, according to IOL. The company, headed by Mustaq Brey, was set to run the Stellenbosch franchise that was likely to play out of Boland Park in Paarl.Brey, CEO of Brimstone, was quoted by IOL as saying: “We follow a rigorous investment process. This venture had to undergo the same process and be tested against our standard investment criteria as all other investment proposals. Our investment decisions take cognisance of the risks and benefits to all our stakeholders. We wish Cricket South Africa well with the T20 Global League and will continue to support the development of, and access to, the sport in various other ways.”Brimstone was one of only two South African owners in the league proposed by Cricket South Africa. Osman Osman, the owner of a lifestyle brand, was the other local buyer, while the other six franchises went to two IPL franchises, two PSL franchises, and representatives from Hong Kong and Dubai. These seven franchises will be based out of Durban, Benoni, Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.More than 400 players have registered their interest in playing in the league’s inaugural edition ahead of a player draft in August, and Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s Test and T20 captain, was named the Stellenbosch franchise’s marquee player by the South Africa board.
In many ways, Antony is the perfect example of just how much football’s transfer market has suffered inflation in the last few years.Five or so years ago, £82m would have got you a game-changer; someone who could single-handedly win a side several trophies. Now, however, it gets you a winger who was involved in just six Premier League goals in his debut season.Eyebrows were raised at the time of Antony’s move to Manchester United last summer, given the staggering price tag, and he has since only shown glimpses of what he is truly capable of.Cutting inside and finding the top corner in Robben-like fashion one moment, the winger has the tendency to spurn golden opportunities in the next. And that’s been the issue. Antony has simply lacked consistency.If the former Ajax man was looking to build confidence in pre-season, too, then his open goal miss in United’s 3-2 defeat against Borussia Dortmund wouldn’t have exactly worked wonders.
Antony misses open goal in Borussia Dortmund defeat
The embarrassing miss – in which this footage shows fans reacting with shock – occurred on the rebound of Marcus Rashford’s initial effort, which was palmed into the path of Antony by Dortmund shot-stopper Alexander Meyer.
You can also see it better on the official Manchester United YouTube page highlights (at around 3:39).
With the goalkeeper out of position, the Brazilian had the easy task of side-footing home. Instead of completing that task with ease, however, Antony completely miss-hit his effort, firing wide of the mark, failing to equalise for the Red Devils late on.
Erik ten Hag will be disappointed with the winger, especially given the fact that United went on to lose the game 3-2.
The Premier League giants initially took the lead against their Bundesliga opponents through Diogo Dalot, before Donyell Malen struck twice in as many minutes to flip the game on its head.
Perhaps summing up his inconsistency, Antony managed to get on the scoresheet prior to his open goal miss to level things up at 2-2. Alas, Youssoufa Moukoko sealed victory for Dortmund from the bench in a back-and-forth affair.
Recently speaking to the club website about Antony, United legend Jap Staam said: “You know Antony’s got quality, of course, on the ball.
“He’s got decent pace, even if he’s not lightning. He needs to become, and I know we were talking about being predictable in a way of playing, then he needs to step up a gear to make a change.
“As a winger, you always need to be very decisive. You need to take initiative on the ball. You need to go forward. You need to take on your one-v-ones and you need to make it difficult for your opposition by, one time, going inside and, the other time, going outside.”
How many goals has Antony scored for Manchester United?
Antony isn’t exactly a natural goalscorer, often opting for showmanship more than anything else, epitomised by the impressive nature of the small number of goals that he has scored during his time at Old Trafford.
In total, the Brazilian has found the back of the net eight times in a Manchester United shirt, whilst also recording three assists in his debut season.
He got off to the perfect start in the Premier League, of course, when he scored an incredible curling effort against local rivals Manchester City, as his new side fell to a frustrating 6-3 defeat.
Things haven’t gone quite so well since then, and fans have been reacting to Antony’s open goal miss, some of which you can see below:
يعمل نادي مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي على مواصلة تطوير فريقه تحت قيادة المدير الفني بيب جوارديولا.
وينافس مانشستر سيتي على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وكأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، بعد توديعه دوري أبطال أوروبا من دور ربع النهائي.
ووفقًا لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، يراقب مانشستر سيتي الوضع مع برونو جيماريش لاعب نيوكاسل يونايتد.
ويوضح التقرير أن اللاعب البرازيلي الدولي هو واحد من عدد من لاعبي خط الوسط الذين يراقبهم مانشستر سيتي هذا الموسم.
اقرأ أيضًا | شروط أمام برشلونة لبدء التفاوض مع برناردو سيلفا
ويُعتقد أن اللاعب البالغ من العمر 26 عامًا لديه شرط جزائي بقيمة 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني، ويعد جيماريش هدفًا أيضًا لآرسنال.
وأوضح التقرير أن مانشستر سيتي رغم مراقبته لوضع جيماريش إلا أنه لم يُضفِ أي طابع رسمي على اهتمامه.
وسبق وأشارت تقارير إلى أن جيماريش اشترى مؤخرًا قصرًا بقيمة 4 ملايين جنيه إسترليني في الشمال الشرقي وتستقر عائلته في المنطقة، وهو ما يعد تلميحًا لالتزامه بالبقاء في نيوكاسل.
Brett D’Oliveira batted Worcestershire into a strong position on a used New Road pitch upon which they will look to R Ashwin to capitalise on the second day
ECB Reporters Network28-Aug-2017Brett D’Oliveira batted Worcestershire into a strong position•Getty Images
A dusty, used surface awaits R Ashwin when he finally gets to bowl at New Road on his Worcestershire debut, but on the opening day he had to satisfy himself with a useful supporting role for Brett D’Oliveira, who celebrated a new county contract with a top-score of 93 on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Gloucestershire.Ashwin has started a four-game spell at New Road as Worcestershire strive to reinforce their promotion credentials, with Sussex, Kent and Northants all vying to join runaway leaders Nottinghamshire in the top two, and he looked full of class in making 36 in the middle order on a sun-soaked day.But the main innings of the day came from D’Oliveira who, along with Ed Barnard, has committed his long term future to the County with new deals.The 25-year-old fell just short of his third Championship hundred of the campaign but his efforts were a key component in Worcestershire totalling 338 for 7 from 98 overs on a used pitch.There were useful contributions all down the batting order and now Worcestershire will be hoping Ashwin can work the kind of magic with the ball which has brought him 292 Test wickets.Gloucestershire opted for a toss but lost out as home skipper Joe Leach decided to bat first on a pitch used for the England Under-19 v India Under-19 four-day ‘Test’ and a NatWest T20 Blast fixture.Paceman Liam Norwell struck an early blow as Daryl Mitchell went for a drive and Cameron Bancroft held onto a low chance at first slip. But he then dislocated the little finger on his bowling hand fielding a return shot from new batsman Tom Fell and went for a hospital x-ray and did not return to the attack until after tea when the second new ball was taken.Spin was introduced as early as the 13th over via Tom Smith.Fell has experienced a poor summer with the bat but he looked in good form during a stand of 72 in 26 overs with D’Oliveira. He went past his previous highest Championship score of 35 in 2017 but added only three more before he was lbw to Smith.D’Oliveira was not afraid to use his feet and lofted Jack Taylor for a straight six and repeated the stroke against Smith. Joe Clarke reeled off a series of exquisite drives in making 32 but would have been disappointed with the way a casual flick off his legs from Kieran Noema-Barnett ended up in the hands of short midwicket.Smith enjoyed a second success as George Rhodes played back and nicked to George Hankins at first slip. D’Oliveira continued to score freely but on 93 he played forward to Smith and Hankins completed the catch after Will Tavare had initially got a hand to the ball at second slip. His 188 ball knock contained two sixes and 10 fours.Ashwin was warmly applauded on his way to the wicket in what is arguably Worcestershire’s most high profile overseas player since Glenn McGrath in 2000. He looked full of composure and class and it soon became evident why he often bats in India’s top six.He made 36 off 50 balls with a six and four fours before being undone by a ball of extra bounce with the second new ball from Norwell which was edged to Chris Dent at second slip.But keeper Ben Cox (56 not out) and Barnard ensured Worcestershire remained on top during a partnership of 86 in 15 overs before the former on 46 from 49 balls was run-out after a mix-up.
كشف فيتور بيريرا رئيس لجنة الحكام في الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، عن سبب ومعايير اختيار إبراهيم نور الدين، حكماً لمباراة القمة الأخيرة بين الأهلي والزمالك في الدوري المصري الممتاز.
وقال بيريرا خلال تصريحات عبر قناة أون تايم سبورت لبرنامج “ملعب أون تايم”: “كان لدي إصرار كبير لتولي حكم مصري مباريات كبيرة في الدوري المصري مثل لقاء الأهلي والزمالك”.
وأضاف: “لدي 3 أسباب في التصميم على ذلك، أولاً، مستوي أداء الحكام المصريين وجودتهم وكفائتهم، ثانياً، حكمنا 4 نهائيات من الحكام المصريين وظهروا بمستوى مميز، ثالثاً، الحكام المصريين ظهروا في كأس الأمم الإفريقية الأخيرة بأداء رائع”.
طالع | بيريرا يوضح مدى صحة ركلة جزاء الزمالك أمام البنك الأهلي وموقفه من مقاضاة محمود عاشور
وعن اختيار إبراهيم نور الدين، أوضح: “إذا نظرنا إلى آخر موسمين نجد أن إبراهيم نور الدين أدار 37 مباراة وهذه خبرة كبيرة في التعامل مع المباريات الكبيرة والتحكم في أجواء اللقاء من توتر في المباراة أو بعد نهايتها”.
وأكمل: “أرقام وأحصائيات إبراهيم نور الدين كانت سبباً في تولي مباراة القمة، حكم لديه خبرة طويلة وهي مطلوبة ونقطة هامة في المباريات الكبيرة، قدم أداء متميزًا وكان جيدًا بالنسبة لي في المباراة”.
وأردف: “لم يتدخل أحد في اختيار إبراهيم نور الدين، هو اختياري أنا وللأسباب المذكورة سلفاً”.
وعن هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام الأهلي، أتم بيريرا حديثه: “الهدف صحيح تمامًا، المهاجم لعب الكرة بطريقة سليمة وصحيحة، هذا رأيي”.
يذكر أن الزمالك كان قد حسم لقاء القمة أمام الأهلي، بهدفين لهدف، ضمن مؤجلات الجولة العاشرة لبطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
Liverpool's summer transfer window started with such promise, and despite the exciting acquisitions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, the din of the alarm bells threatens to ring across Anfield with the 23/24 Premier League campaign just one week away.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's Anfield exits were to be expected – the trio concluding their contracts and deemed surplus to requirements – but the Saudi Arabian swoops for Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have left Liverpool light in the holding midfield department.
Romeo Lavia is of a vested interest, though the Reds are unwilling to meet Southampton's £50m fee, and regardless of that particular quandary, Jurgen Klopp must reexamine intrigue in Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze following a recent update on the midfielder's situation.
What's the latest on Eberechi Eze to Liverpool?
According to talkSPORT, Eze has shown a reluctance to enter negotiations for a new contract at Selhurst Park with a host of top European outfits interested; he has two years remaining on his current deal.
Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…
Liverpool were reported to be monitoring the situation for the dynamo in June, and Klopp could now be inclined to revisit a deal for the Eagles star, who is thought to be valued at €30m (£26m).
How good is Eberechi Eze?
The 25-year-old completed a cross-London transfer from Queens Park Rangers to Selhurst Park for £20m in 2020, scoring 15 goals and supplying 11 assists from 93 matches across all competitions.
The fleet-footed phenom is no stranger to adversity, rupturing his Achilles moments before receiving a call-up to England's European Championship squad in May 2021, consequently making just 13 appearances during the 21/22 term.
However, the £30k-per-week ace, who finally made his England debut this summer, scored ten goals and supplied four assists in the English top-flight last season, notably coming into his own toward the business end of the campaign, scoring six goals and providing one assist across the final nine outings as the Eagles constructed a late purple patch under the stewardship of the sagely Roy Hodgson.
After said exploits, Eze now boasts a considerable stature on the European scene, and it is no wonder he is attracting attention from outfits such as Liverpool, now ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Eze typically occupies the attacking role in the midfield, though he has found success across a melange of deployments, and if Klopp choose to utilise him in a way that will allow his box-crashing qualities to be displayed, it could prove to be a masterstroke of a signing.
Especially when considering the dynamic partnership he could forge with Mohamed Salah, whose all-encompassing offensive could allow Eze to find dangerous openings with impressive regularity.
Salah has been sensational since completing a £34m transfer to Liverpool from Roma in 2017, scoring 186 goals and serving 79 assists from 305 displays for the Merseyside outfit, earning acclaim as "one of the greatest of all time" by former Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen.
The £350k-per-week Egyptian ranks among the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers for goals, the top 13% for assists and the top 1% for touches in the attacking box per 90, and given his innate ability to find goals and assists in abundance, a gem like Eze will have no problem getting in on the action by utilising their own skill in darting into promising positions.
Dubbed a "magician" by Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards, Eze would take the next step in his development and then some with a move to Anfield, and Klopp must consider the effect it could have on the overall cohesion and attacking verve of his team, and make his move.
Tammy Beaumont says that England’s women now have a “massive target on their backs”, as the squad prepares to set off for Australia to contest this winter’s Ashes
Andrew Miller05-Oct-20171:13
‘There’s a massive target on our backs’ – Beaumont
Tammy Beaumont says that England’s women now have a “massive target on their backs”, as the squad prepares to set off for Australia to contest this winter’s Ashes, having risen to No. 1 in the ODI world rankings on the back of their thrilling World Cup victory in July.Beaumont was one of the stars of England’s World Cup campaign, scoring 410 runs at 45.55 at the top of the order, including a century against South Africa at Bristol and a vital 49 at the same venue four days later, as England edged out Australia in a gripping three-run win.A run of eight consecutive wins in the World Cup, including another heart-stopper in the final against India (who had beaten them at Derby in the tournament opener), helped to propel England to the top of the latest ODI rankings.And with the squad setting off for Australia on Friday, ahead of the first match of the 50-over leg of their multi-format series on October 22, Beaumont knows that that new-found status will be an extra incentive for their oldest rivals, whom captain Heather Knight last week insisted were still the best team in the world.”We’re only No. 1 in the world in ODIs, we’ve got a way to go in T20s,” Beaumont said. “And beating Australia in Australia, it doesn’t come any harder than that.”They are going to want revenge against us,” she added. “They have a number of match-winners in their team so we can’t hide away from the fact that we’ve just come off winning a World Cup and there’s a massive target on our back now, but it’s not going to be easy by any stretch.”One major boost for England will be the absence of Australia’s captain, Meg Lanning, who has had to withdraw from the series after shoulder surgery.”Meg is an exceptional player, she leads from the front with her batting, and her captaincy, but there’s a number of players in that batting line-up, they have got the batting depth and they don’t necessarily need Meg,” Beaumont said.”She missed a number of games in the World Cup and they still got over the line. It’s a shame that fans can’t come and watch the best batter in the world but there’s still enough firepower in that batting order.”Speaking at the PCA Awards in London, Beaumont reflected on a groundbreaking summer for women’s cricket, one that was lit up by the thrilling World Cup final at Lord’s, where England battled back from the brink of defeat to secure a nine-run win, courtesy of Anya Shrubsole’s 6 for 46.”I always knew we were going to win!” she joked. “That’s the great thing about our team, we always have complete backing in absolutely everyone who grabs the ball or goes to the wicket with the bat. I think a lot of people doubted us when we needed seven wickets for 40 runs but, I might be mad for saying so, but I always thought there was another twist in the game, and luckily it came.”Everyone was exceptional for the whole World Cup and that’s why we won. Everyone in the whole squad contributed in some way or another.””It’s been amazing,” Beaumont added of her new-found acclaim since the final. “I get asked to do commentary and things that weren’t on my radar… and sometimes I even get recognised on the tube which is pretty crazy.”I’m sure the other girls have similar stories. It’s great to be part of women’s cricket, women’s sport in general is massively on the up at the moment. It is proper news these days, and hopefully we can keep engaging with people and make our sport something really special.”