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Against pre-Ashes backdrop, Marnus Labuschagne shares 288-run stand with fellow centurion Kiran Carlson

Alan Gardner20-May-2023Glamorgan 123 and 499 for 5 (Carlson 187*, Labuschagne 138) lead Sussex 481 (Coles 138, Smith 89, Haines 58) by 141 runsFor the second weekend running, fears about the pre-Ashes fitness of an England fast bowler overshadowed on-field events in the LV= Insurance Championship. Ollie Robinson headed for the dressing room after an hour’s bowling during the morning session at Hove and wasn’t seen again, his absence compounding the pain experienced by his Sussex team-mates as a 288-run stand between Marnus Labuschagne and Kiran Carlson turned the day into an unwelcome endurance test for the hosts.Paul Farbrace, Sussex’s head coach, revealed afterwards that Robinson had been suffering from a sore left ankle, and will be sent for a scan on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. With England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland starting in 12 days’ time, and James Anderson already nursing a “minor groin strain” less than a month out from the Ashes, the news of Robinson’s discomfort will be of concern to Ben Stokes, the Test captain, who had previously stated his desire to have eight fit seamers to take on Australia.”He’s got a sore ankle and he’ll be scanned on Monday to see how bad it is,” Farbrace said. “We knew it was sore yesterday and that’s why we got one spell out of him this morning. Once he was off that was it for the day.”It was precautionary, there was no point in making it worse. We knew that he was sore. It’s walking more than anything, it’s not actually the running part that makes him sore. It’s a joint decision between our medical team and the England medical team, we’ve got a good relationship. It’s the right thing to do, we need to find out and Oliver wants to find out what’s going on with the ankle and why it’s so sore.”Related

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Robinson, who required a cortisone injection in his back before his first appearance of the season, has had his workload carefully managed by the ECB. He has featured in three of Sussex’s six games so far, taking career-best match figures of 14 for 117 against Worcestershire two weeks ago.He began this match with 4 for 29, including the wicket of Labuschagne for 1, as Glamorgan were dismantled in their first innings but on Saturday, after completing an eight-over spell during which he saw Carlson dropped, he walked from the field and did not return. On the Sussex YouTube channel, there remained a poll asking how many wickets Robinson would take in the day, with four options: 2, 3, 4 or 5+.Where there was far greater certainty was in the identity of Glamorgan’s saviours. Carlson, stand-in captain for this match in the absence of the hamstrung David Lloyd, produced a mighty, unbeaten 187 and Labuschagne did Labuschagne things to steer their side away from the jaws of a three-day defeat. At the close, Glamorgan’s lead was 141 with five wickets standing: pushing for a first victory at Hove since 1975 will be a stretch but two more sessions of batting on a pitch that has appeared increasingly moribund would almost certainly secure an unlikely draw.Glamorgan began the day 240 runs in arrears with nine wickets standing, and the loss of two in the space of two balls inside the first half an hour suggested they were facing an uphill task. Perhaps, if James Coles had held a low catch at third slip when Carson was on 3, events would have taken a markedly different course. Glamorgan would have been 136 for 4, Robinson would have had a wicket midway through his spell, and Sussex might have been sufficiently buoyed to keep chipping away and then roll through with the second new ball during the afternoon.Carlson gave a much harder chance when he had made 21, advancing to sting the fingertips of Jack Carson with a lofted drive that flew for four, but was more or less impregnable thereafter as he and Labuschagne spent the afternoon assembling a stand of Brobdingnagian proportions – on the way scrubbing the contributions of Viv Richards and Tony Cottey from the records books, for Glamorgan’s highest fourth-wicket stand against Sussex.After a watchful start, which involved seeing off Robinson, the pair set about transferring the pressure back on to the Sussex attack. Carlson was the more fluent, reaching his fifty with a reverse-sweep from 78 deliveries, and then requiring only 49 more to get to his third century of the summer, secured by a tuck into the leg side for three off Tom Haines. His was the more exuberant celebration, too, the bat whirled like a scimitar before the helmet was removed to reveal a satisfied grin beneath Carlson’s bristling moustache.Labuschagne, quite clearly, was not bothered about being outscored and seemed to have only two things on his mind: salvage the match situation for Glamorgan and face as many balls as possible in his final innings before joining up with Australia for their World Test Championship and Ashes campaign.He was struck a blow on the bottom hand by Ari Karvelas, shortly after clubbing Carson into the Cow Corner hospitality section, but shook it off after a brief visit from the physio, and brought up his own fifty off 121 balls with another swipe for six, this time off Coles. The closest he gave to a chance during an innings that spanned more than five hours was when edging Carson wide of the diving Steven Smith when on 73, as Labuschagne also upped the tempo to bring up his hundred from 185 balls with back-to-back boundaries off Fynn Hudson-Prentice.Almost every noteworthy contribution from Labuschagne was met with increasingly raucous chants of “Oh Glammy, Glammy!” – possibly with an Aussie twang – from a knot of supporters in the Sharks Stand. By the time he missed one that skidded on straight from Coles to be lbw for 138 from 244 balls, the Marnus Fan Club were waving their shirts around their heads as their hero walked back to applause from all four corners of the ground.Expectations for the day had been completely reversed by that stage. Carson struck in his fourth over of the morning, Zain-ul-Hassain’s second tidy innings on debut ending when he dragged his back foot out of the crease attempting to sweep. Sam Northeast came and went like Abe Simpson at the Maison Derrière, trapped by one turning into him, but that was Sussex’s last success for almost 65 footslogging overs as Labuschagne and Carlson turned the screw. Coles’ two wickets in the final session kept Sussex interested – in absolute terms – but Glamorgan will return in the morning looking to complete their great escape.

Hampshire 119 for 3 (Middleston 56*) trail Nottinghamshire 185 (Moores 49*, Abbas 6-49) by 66 runsHampshire’s Mohammad Abbas produced his relentless best to help bowl Nottinghamshire out for 185 on their return to the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One. Pakistan fast bowler Abbas claimed 6 for 49 as he ripped out the Notts top order before coming back to deal with the tail.Only Joe Clarke and Tom Moores, with 47 and 49 not out respectively, stood up to Hampshire’s imperious attack, with James Fuller also picking up a pair of wickets.Championship debutant Fletcha Middleton then kept the response in order with an impressive 56 not out as Hampshire ended the day on 119 for 3 – 66 runs shy of Notts’ first innings score.Abbas has been a menace for Championship batters since arriving at Hampshire in 2021 – with wicket tallies of 41 and 50 coming at an average well under 20. But that hasn’t persuaded Pakistan to bring him back into their Test side for the first time since August 2021, with his exile coming after a run of indifferent form.But Pakistan’s loss has been Hampshire’s gain. All his attributes – nibbling the ball around with metronomic precision – are suited to the Ageas Bowl, especially in early April.It was therefore a surprise that Notts captain Steven Mullaney chose to bat first, although less so when Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett eased to 42 without loss before Abbas found his groove.Abbas ground through to his sixth over before Duckett pushed to first slip. Hameed – who has been dropped second ball of the match – prodded behind in the following over. Ben Slater and Steven Mullaney were both victims of Abbas, either side of Kyle Abbott finding Lyndon James’ outside edge to leave Notts 93 for 5.Abbas’ rest allowed Moores and Clarke to rebuild watchfully, although the latter played typically stylishly through the off side. It took 34 overs before James Vince moved away from his strike trio of Abbas, Abbott and Keith Barker, when he brought Fuller into the attack.Fuller had Clarke caught behind in his fourth over before Liam Patterson-White was dropped first ball but caught soon after for a quickfire doubleAbbas returned to complete his five-for as Olly Stone was caught at the wicket and Luke Fletcher chipped to midwicket – it was Abbas’ third six-wicket haul for Hampshire. Moores closed in on a deserved half-century but in trying to come back for a second, last man Dane Paterson was caught short of his ground by a pinpoint throw from Vince on the boundary.In reply, Stone marked his Notts debut with a wicket with his ninth delivery, as Felix Organ was caught at second slip. Nick Gubbins followed in a similar fashion off Fletcher before Vince was bowled by a James snorter to see the hosts slump to 57 for 3.Middleton – son of former Hampshire player and current batting coach Tony – was making his County Championship debut, having impressed in a first-class match, against Sri Lanka Development XI, and the One-Day Cup campaign last season.Middleton had been battling at the other end but unleashed with a trio of boundaries in a Stone over to get over any potential nerves.On a pitch prepared by groundstaff brother Finn he looked in little bother has he was joined in an unbroken 62-run stand with Liam Dawson. He reach his fifty in 88 balls just before bad light pulled the players off seven overs early.

MatériaMais Notícias

O plano do São Paulo era simples: anunciar um grande reforço no início da semana de encerramento da janela de transferências, em que o clube comemora a classificação às quartas de final da Copa Sul-Americana e entra com vantagem na disputa com o rival Palmeiras nas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil. Mas uma negociação que parecia certa e até certo ponto fácil para o Tricolor se mostrou complicada ao ponto do clube estar próximo de desistir de vez de Soteldo, ex-Santos.

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GALERIA
+ Veja16 técnicos estrangeiros que fracassaram no futebol brasileiro

E por um curto período a diretoria tricolor pensou realmente que o negócio seria viável. Soteldo vive um inferno astral no Tigres, despertou a ira da torcida do time mexicano após protagonizar inúmeros casos de indisciplina. E durante a semana o clube norte-americano sinalizou aos brasileiros que aceitaria a oferta de liberar o jogador por empréstimo até o meio do ano que vem.

Mas, segundo o LANCE! apurou, as coisas se complicaram. O estafe do atacante fez uma série de exigências contratuais ao São Paulo que não são comuns. E o próprio Tigres teria voltado atrás do empréstimo após o Tricolor perguntar sobre a possibilidade de ajuda no pagamento de parte dos salários do venezuelano.

Para piorar, neste sábado (9) a imprensa mexicana destaca que o Tigres recebeu sondagens do PAOK, da Grécia, pelo atleta.

A notícia não caiu bem no Morumbi. Os dirigentes entender que o estafe de Soteldo, que até então sempre declarou a vontade de voltar ao Brasil – os cachorros do atacante, por exemplo, continuam morando na casa que ele comprou em Santos (SP) , ‘ganharam tempo’ com as exigências para que desse tempo dos gregos procurarem o Tigres e abrirem negociação. Por conta disso, há a discussão interna no clube de abandonar de vez a negociação de outro nome.

A contratação de Soteldo é um desejo antigo do Tricolor. O próprio Rogério Ceni aprova a chegada do atleta, que preencheria a carência de atacante rápido pelos lados de seu elenco.

Por enquanto, o São Paulo acertou apenas com o atacante Marcos Guilherme para a reabertura da janela. Além do ponta rápido, o clube tem a necessidade de contratar mais um zagueiro.

TABELA
> Confira classificação, jogos e simule resultados do Brasileirão-22
> Confira todos os jogos da Sul-Americana-22
> Conheça o novo aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians chegou a um acordo com o Zenit, da Rússia, pela contratação por empréstimo do atacante Yuri Alberto até junho do ano que vem. Em compensação, o goleiro Ivan e o atacante Gustavo Mantuan serão cedidos ao time russo pelo mesmo período.

continua após a publicidade

+ Saiba quais os atletas da base que mais integram os profissionais do Corinthians com Vítor Pereira

O negócio deve ser anunciado entre as partes ainda neste fim de semana.

Yuri terá o valor fixado em 20 milhões de euros (R$ 110,6 mi, na cotação atual), caso o Timão queira comprá-lo ao fim do vínculo.

Foi discutida a possibilidade de uma compra em definitivo, com o atacante assinando até 2025, mas por questões financeiras essa situação não evoluiu.

+ Confira a tabela do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

Yuri Alberto reduzirá praticamente a metade do seu salário para defender o Corinthians. O jogador aceitou se enquadrar ao teto salarial corintiano, que gira em torno de R$ 1 e 1,5 milhão, por mais. No futebol russo, os vencimentos do atleta eram de cerca de R$ 2 milhões mensais.

Em relação aos atletas que o Corinthians cederá, o clube alvinegro perdeu um braço de ferro com o Zenit, pois o clube alvinegro não gostaria de fixar valor pela sua dupla, pois não consegue prever a situação financeira da Rússia até o ano que vem, por conta da guerra com a Ucrânia. Porém, os russos não aceitaram fazer o negócio sem a fixação dos valores, que foram estipulados em 5 milhões de euros (R$ 27,6 mi na cotação atual) por Ivan, e 15 milhões de euros (R$ 83 mi, na cotação atual)

A informação dos valores pela opção de compra foi publicada inicialmente pela ‘Gazeta Esportiva’ e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

Ivan foi relacionado para o clássico contra o Santos, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, neste sábado (25), ficando na reserva de Cássio. O goleiro será liberado após a partida para se apresentar ao Zenit.

Já Mantuan será utilizado pelo Timão até o dia 13 de julho, quando o clube alvinegro encara o Santos, pelo jogo de volta das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil, também contra o Peixe.

A permanência do atacante no período foi solicitada pelo técnico Vítor Pereira, já que nas duas próximas semanas o Timão encara o Boca Juniors, da Argentina, pelos jogos das oitavas de final da Libertadores. Mesmocom o acerto com Yuri, o Timão não contará com o jogador para os jogos contra o Boca, já que o período de inscrições de atletas no Brasil iniciará no dia 18 de julho.

Vítor não gostaria de perder Mantuan neste momento de evolução que o jogador se encontra, mas deu o aval para a saída do atacante, pois entende a importância de ter um centroavante como Yuri Alberto no elenco.

O Zenit aceitou receber Gustavo Mantuan apenas em duas semanas.

Big picture

The shapeshifting nature of a seven-match T20I series makes it difficult to capture the big picture in words that age well, so the first rule of doing this is accepting that.England, after all, have a seemingly bottomless pit of explosive T20 cricketers, and as Harry Brook and Will Jacks – who debuted on Friday – showed in the series, they’re nowhere near scraping the bottom of that barrel. Pakistan, who will be playing their 200th T20I, have the most consistent opening pair in the world, and a middle order that has so far been unable to live up to its vast potential. We all know this. We knew it three games ago, and we know some combination of these events will continue to define the final four games of this series, because that’s what you get with Pakistan and England. We didn’t need three T20Is on the best batting pitch in the world to figure that out.Related

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But that doesn’t mean there’s no value to be gained from this glut of games. Pakistan have seen the debates that are both furious in their intensity and tiresome in their repetitiveness around the top and middle order rage on, but that has shielded the bowlers from the scrutiny they deserve after two especially uninspiring performances. Shadab Khan’s return to fitness cannot come soon enough, with Usman Qadir having comprehensively failed to take the chances that have come his way. It might have been forgotten in the blur of boundaries that followed, but England hadn’t hit a six in the first half of the innings until Qadir landed a half-volley right in new batter Brook’s hitting arc and found himself dispatched over his head.The seamers, too, have repeatedly failed to find their lines and lengths at crucial points in overs, and evidence of match-up bowling has been scarce. The short-ball at pace was persisted with despite Brook’s prolific ability on the pull and behind the wicket, while rigidity with bowlers’ lines frequently allowed him to back away and open up cover, where deep protection often didn’t exist. The fielding hasn’t helped either, and in the ferocity of the culture war around batting intent, it escapes notice that the best way to limit the need for extreme risk-taking is by making sure you don’t need to chase down any more than necessary.England have problems, too, but of a much different kind. They have been the side happier to treat these games as experiments, tinkering around with both the batting and the bowling, even opting to set a total in one game, a modern T20 anathema. Alex Hales has shone on his England return, and Ben Duckett, Brook and Jacks have all enjoyed impressive starts to the series. Adil Rashid’s landed them with almost metronomic consistency, making him the most useful spinner from either side. And if you thought Luke Wood was a shot in England’s arm, what Mark Wood did on his return from injury on Friday – racking up a top speed in excess of 97 mph – becomes incomprehensible. All of this means there’s little England can complain about so far this tour.

Form guide

Pakistan: LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England: WLWLLMohammad Nawaz has conceded just 7.83 runs this series•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

When the opposition amasses huge scores for fun, don’t expect to get any credit as a bowler. Especially one who doesn’t pick up many wickets. And yet, Mohammad Nawaz, having conceded 94 in three games for just one wicket, is arguably Pakistan’s best T20 bowler. It is a selfless role of sorts he plays, operating as a left-arm spinner with only pace and line variations to rely on. He doesn’t possess the ability to turn it big, but it’s uncanny how often a slight slowing of an England innings tempo coincides with Nawaz’s introduction. He hasn’t been afraid to take on an over or two in the powerplay, either, and against an England side that’s scored 580 runs in just under 60 overs, Nawaz has found a way to concede just 7.83 in his dozen.In an England batting line-up so chock-full of natural power-hitters, Dawid Malan can stick out. He might have been the number one ranked T20I player fairly recently, but the big-hitting that comes so effortlessly to his team-mates is obviously not his forte in the same manner. Despite impressing as opener in the Hundred, it has been a tricky start to the series for him, his penchant for starting slowly offering Pakistan’s bowlers much-needed respite. The slow, low conditions haven’t helped – and, of course, won’t be a feature of surfaces in Australia at the upcoming T20 World Cup. But with his team-mates hitting sixes for fun, Malan might feel it’s about time he showed why he belongs in this glittering batting line-up.

Pitch and conditions

Evening conditions have cooled down slightly in Karachi, though it remains fairly humid. A fresh pitch will be used for this game.

Team news

Naseem Shah might return as Pakistan look to level the series, while the middle order could face a reshuffle as the hosts search for their best combination. Shadab will be expected to come in at some stage, and, if available, would slot straight in for Qadir.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt) 2 Mohammad Rizwan/Mohammad Haris (wk) 3 Haider Ali 4 Shan Masood 5 Iftikhar Ahmed 6 Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali 7 Mohammad Nawaz 8 Shadab Khan/Usman Qadir 9 Mohammad Hasnain 10 Naseem Shah 11 Haris RaufEngland didn’t train on Saturday and would be expected to make a couple of changes for the fourth T20I. Mark Wood will likely be rested after his explosive burst on Friday, with Tom Helm or Olly Stone the likeliest replacements. Hales may also return despite Jacks’ impressive debut. David Willey might come in if Sam Curran gets a rest.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Alex Hales/Will Jacks, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali (capt), 7 Sam Curran/David Willey, 8 Liam Dawson 9 Reece Topley, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Olly Stone

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan will be playing their 200th T20I on Sunday, the first team to this landmark.
• Babar is 97 away from 3,000 T20I career runs. Only four batters – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Martin Guptill and Paul Stirling have reached that mark.
• Malan hasn’t enjoyed playing against Pakistan. In nine T20Is, he averages 18.87 against them, down from a career average of 37.05, and strikes at 106.33, while his career strike rate is 137.61.

Quotes

“You tend to be a bit fresh after seven months out. It’s been a long time, and I felt very tired at the end. I know it’s only a T20, but it’s all the intensity of international cricket.”

Newcastle United have less than a week left to do any business that they would like to do to bolster their squad before the January transfer window officially slams shut.

The Magpies are set to lose a player from their first-team squad, however, as Miguel Almiron is poised to complete a permanent transfer to Atlanta United in the MLS.

Meanwhile, Eddie Howe’s side were recently linked with an interest in Barcelona centre-back Eric Garcia, who previously played for Manchester City in the Premier League.

Newcastle could also have a forward on their agenda before the window slams shut, with a recent report suggesting that they are looking at several attackers.

Newcastle considering Bundesliga striker

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies have internally discussed the prospect of a late swoop for RB Leipzig centre-forward Benjamin Sesko, in their piece on potential transfers before the deadline.

Transfer Focus

The report claims that they have also looked at Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha and Lille marksman Jonathan David, and spoken, internally, about the merits of each option with a view to deciding on who to target.

It states that Premier League rivals Arsenal are also interested in all three players, as well as Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, whose £120m asking price has put off Mikel Arteta’s side for now.

Sesko, who reportedly has a £63m release clause, is among the list of striker targets being considered by the Magpies, per this latest report, and the club could repeat the blinder they played with Papiss Cisse by signing the Slovenia international.

Why Sesko could be Cisse 2.0

In the January transfer window in 2012, Newcastle swooped to sign Cisse from Bundesliga side Freiburg after he had scored nine goals in 17 league matches during the first half of the season.

The Senegal international hit the ground running on Tyneside with a staggering return of 13 goals in his first 14 appearances in the Premier League, going on to end his career at St. James’ Park with 44 goals in 131 outings.

Sesko, 21, could follow in Cisse’s footsteps and arrive at Newcastle as another young marksman from the Bundesliga with the potential to make a big impact in the final third.

The Slovenian ace, who was once described as a “menace” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored 61 goals in 148 matches for Leipzig and Salzburg at first-team level in his career, which shows that he has offered a reliable goal threat over numerous seasons, despite his age.

Startsd

17

xG

4.68

Goals

8

Big chances created

3

Assists

2

As you can see in the table above, Sesko has been incredibly ruthless in front of goal in the German top-flight this term with a return of eight goals from just 4.68 xG, which suggests that he has the ability to score goals at an efficient rate for the Toon Army.

The youngster, who has consistently been available for Leipzig, could come in as a replacement for Callum Wilson, who has made four Premier League appearances this season and missed 112 games through injury since he moved to the club in 2020.

Newcastle now looking to seal £16m signing of "fantastic" ace within days

The transfer could even happen within days.

ByHenry Jackson Jan 26, 2025

It is now down to the board to get a deal over the line for the Bundesliga marksman, who has the quality and potential to be a Cisse repeat for the Magpies.

Sheffield United are reportedly among the clubs who are monitoring an “excellent” Wales international in the January transfer window.

Latest Sheffield United news

The Blades continued their Championship promotion charge of the weekend, winning 2-0 at home to Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

The result means they remain in second place behind leaders Leeds United, who beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0, but most importantly, two points have been gained on third-place Burnley, who could only draw 0-0 against Sunderland at Turf Moor on Friday evening.

The current transfer window affords United the opportunity to bring in new faces, should Chris Wilder want extra depth in his squad between now and May, and they have been linked with a move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 31-year-old is currently plying his trade at Turkish giants Besiktas, but the Blades are ready to offer him a return to English football.

Meanwhile, another report has claimed that United are leading the race to sign young Leicester City striker Tom Cannon, with Sunderland believed to be among the clubs keen on snapping him up on loan from the King Power Stadium. He was recently recalled from a temporary stint at Stoke City.

Sheffield United eyeing "excellent" ace

According to a new report from The Daily Mail, Sheffield United are “monitoring” the situation of Rangers attacker Tom Lawrence this month.

The 23-cap Wales international is available on a free transfer from the Gers in the January window, with Ipswich Town, Burnley and Besiktas all mentioned as potential suitors, too.

Lawrence could be an interesting signing for United in the second half of the season, bringing experience and quality to United’s attack and giving Wilder more options, whether that be from the start of games or from the substitutes’ bench.

At 31, the Englishman isn’t necessarily getting any younger, but he has shown his worth in the Championship so many times down the years, registering 90 goal involvements (50 goals and 40 assists) in 264 appearances in the competition.

David McCallum has heaped praise on him in the past, in terms of helping younger figures during a Rangers B team match: “Tom was excellent around the group, sharing his experience, and we spoke before the game about that. That’s what some of these games are going to be about, when we get the odd occasion where a player, or two, drops down from the first-team squad to get important minutes.”

There are going to be tight games in the coming months, where a moment of class is needed to be the difference, and this is where Lawrence could be such a shrewd addition for United.

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The Rangers man has the ability to stay cool in big moments, given his many years of playing at a high level, and he could ultimately be that extra sprinkling of quality that helps take Wilder’s side back into the Premier League.

Suryakumar had time in the middle while Samson carried on from his maiden T20I half-century from three days ago

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2022Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik enjoyed bowling time, Deepak Hooda continued his rich run of form, Suryakumar Yadav, returning from injury, had time in the middle and Sanju Samson carried on from his maiden T20I half-century from three days ago. All this meant India pocketed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Derbyshire in a warm-up T20 clash on Friday night.Led by Dinesh Karthik in 11 vs 11 contest, the visitors elected to field and rocked Derbyshire by removing openers Shan Masood and Luis Reece inside four overs. This was to be the order of the evening for the hosts, who didn’t have momentum at any stage. As many as four Derbyshire batters got off to starts, none bettering No. 3 Wayne Madsen’s 28.From 88 for 5 in the 13th over, they managed to post 150 thanks largely to Alex Hughes (24 off 17) and Hilton Cartwright (27 off 26). Late blows from Arshdeep and Umran, who picked up two wickets apiece, ensured Derbyshire didn’t get a final kick.Indians lost Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over, but pressed on courtesy two half-century stands. The first, (51 runs) between Samson and Hooda was about laying the foundation of the chase, the second (78 runs), between Hooda and Suryakumar was about building on and completing the job. Hooda fell for a 37-ball 59 with India needing 17, which they polished off in just 16.4 overs.The Indians travel up the road to Northampton for their second warm-up fixture on Sunday ahead of the three-match T20I series starting on July 7.

Masood and Madsen show the way before Middlesex turn up the heat

Paul Edwards13-Jun-2022
“Hominem te memento” whispered the auriga in the ear of Roman generals during their triumphs. Remember that you are a man. Perhaps Mickey Arthur should detail a junior member of staff to say something similar to Shan Masood during these weeks in which he is making batting appear the simplest thing on the planet.Or perhaps not. Masood is enjoying a magnificent season partly because, having experienced failure, he understands the nature of success. The Pakistani opener will only need to recall his uncharacteristically wild slash to a ball from Ethan Bamber in the eighth over of this morning’s play to be freshly aware of his fallibility. Stevie Eskinazi took the catch at first slip and thus ended one of the finest 49s you could ever see. And this match in its tree-ringed paradise may yet hinge on how well Masood bats in the fourth inningsArthur’s achievement in the East Midlands has been rather different and more complex. Rather than remind Derbyshire’s cricketers of their vulnerability, he has encouraged them to make the most of their strengths. The result is that a team which lost half its 14 first-class matches in 2021 has so far been defeated just once this season. The side’s competitive edge, and thereby Arthur’s influence, was apparent in the first half of this day’s play, never more so than when Wayne Madsen and Brooke Guest were putting on 82 for the third wicket.But at that point, Arthur might have asked George Scrimshaw, one of Derbyshire’s 12th men, to go out and murmur words of caution in the batsmen’s lugholes. For once Guest had been gated for 40 by a ball angled in to him from Bamber, very little went well for Godleman’s team. Indeed, Middlesex’s bowlers seized control of the day, their efforts led by a man who needs no reminding of human frailty. For given even a regular helping of luck, Toby Roland-Jones would have gained many more than four England caps; instead, his recent career has been wrecked by injury and he must commit himself to Middlesex. Plainly he does not find it a hardship.Roland-Jones’ devotion to his county’s cause has always been very plain but his spell of 7-4-14-5 this afternoon was extraordinary even by his standards. Maintaining a tight line and using a recently changed ball, he exploited the Derbyshire players’ every weakness – and there was suddenly an abundance of those. The result was that having been well placed on 175 for two and 208 for three, the latter giving a deficit of 43, the home side collapsed like a detonated power station, losing their last seven wickets for 21 runs in exactly 11 overs.Declines of that magnitude and velocity often determine the outcomes of games. By close of play, Middlesex were 95 for 3, giving them a lead of 117 and the opportunity to bat a couple more sessions of the third day before leaving, or even setting, a target on a pitch which is offering the spinners plenty of encouragement. Mark Stoneman is unbeaten on 60 and has hit eight fours and a six, with all but one of his boundaries on the leg side. The visitors’ advantage is nothing like enough but it is difficult to see them subsiding like Derbyshire did and harder still to see the home side chasing more than 240 unless Masood plays an innings from the Gods. And come Wednesday, Thilan Walallawita and Luke Hollman should enjoy bowling on this Queen’s Park pitchBut it was not the twisters who caused havoc this afternoon. Rather, it was Roland-Jones loping in with those lovely long strides who persuaded Madsen to play a little too far from his body and thick-edge a catch to Sam Robson in the gully. For all that Masood is by five furlongs his side’s best batter, Madsen is still the player his colleagues look to when their ship’s listing in rough water. It was almost natural that his dismissal began the submersion.Next over, Leus du Plooy came half-forward to Tim Murtagh but merely edged Eskinazi the second of his three slip catches. Ten minutes later, Anuj Dal missed a straight one from Roland-Jones, who was to bowl similarly probing deliveries to Alex Thomson and Sam Conners before either had scored. The batsmen trusted their pads; it was not a wise move. At one stage, Roland-Jones had taken four wickets for absolutely spit in 21 balls. On the first day of this match the public address system had gone on the blink; this afternoon, some of the locals – flat vowels, warm hearts – probably wondered if someone could smash the bloody thing again. Derbyshire’s innings ended when Luis Reece hoisted Murtagh into the heavens and Max Holden took the catch at deep square leg.Middlesex’s lead was 22. It’s now 117 and feels much larger than that. Beyond a doubt, it does not seem 24 hours since Masood had hit five blissful fours off Murtagh’s new-ball bowlers, the skipper being among the sufferers. Four of those boundaries were conceded by Roland-Jones, though, the man who this afternoon ran through Derbyshire’s batsmen like ten pints of Hook Norton coursing through an Oxonian’s bowels.

Use of the Class A drug has spread across all levels of football in England, with dangerous ramifications for fans

It's a cloudy but warmish August Saturday in Manchester, a couple of hours before Manchester United will host Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. The huge crowds are yet to arrive although plenty of people are approaching the vicinity of the stadium. But one fan, probably in his early 20s and wearing a full replica kit, is behaving rather differently to the rest. He appears to be snorting cocaine through a tube while walking along the street.

It is on one level a shocking thing to witness, blatant drug use in broad daylight early in the afternoon. And yet it is by no means a scene out of the ordinary in modern times. It is no secret that people take cocaine at football matches and nor is it a new phenomenon. But in 2025 it is not just hooligans wearing Stone Island that take cocaine around football matches, or moneyed professionals.

Pay attention to the behaviour of fans at any stadium, from the Premier League and top international tournaments to the lower rungs of English football, and sure enough you will see some clues.

Getty 'No rules' at Wembley

The most obvious example of flagrant cocaine use was around the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy, captured by camera phones and broadcast around social media and then re-purposed for an even bigger audience in the Netflix series 'The final: Attack on Wembley'. And when England reached the Euro 2024 final, fans with glazed eyes were there again to see them take another shot at continental glory against Spain. Well, they got to see some of the game.

"There were just queues of England fans for the cubicles at half-time," the journalist Ken Early said on the podcast. "This was the biggest game England have played in however long and half of them missed the first 15 minutes of the second half because for some reason nobody wanted to use the urinal."

At least they were showing more discretion than some of their fellow England fans back home during the tournament. During a news broadcast of a crowd of revellers in Newcastle celebrating the penalty shootout win over Switzerland, a man could be seen stuffing a white powder up his nose.

GOAL witnessed a similar scene while waiting for the tube home from the Euro 2020 final: a man snorting powder while standing up, getting it all over his clothes. It echoed an image that had gone viral earlier that day: a video of a man wearing a bucket hat doing cocaine while hundreds of people wildly cheered. The man was later named as Charlie Perry and it was not even the most shocking thing he had done that day.

That was when he dropped his trousers in front of a crowd, popped a flare up his bottom then lit it on fire. "There were no rules that day. I was off my face and I loved every minute," Perry told , revealing he had begun drinking at 8.30am, got through 20 cans of cider and "banged a load of powder" before storming into Wembley without a ticket.

AdvertisementGetty Stadiums 'like a launderette'

But it's not just anecdotal evidence or viral videos which point to a surge in the use of the drug at football. Researchers from a 2023 study by the University of Stirling found match-goers and authorities reported a marked increase in supporters taking cocaine. Use of the drug was described by police as "excessive" and a bigger factor in violence at matches than alcohol.

The increase in cocaine use at stadiums was discussed in the UK parliament in 2023,when Peter Houghton from the Football Safety Officers Association told MPs that the toilets at one Cambridge United game "looked like a launderette – there was that much powder everywhere". A 2021 study by International Journal of Drug Policy found that around 30 percent of people polled claimed to have witnessed cocaine being consumed at football stadiums.

The ubiquity of the drug at matches is also putting some people off going to matches altogether. One fan of a Premier League club told GOAL he no longer attends away matches precisely because cocaine use was so prevalent and he did not want to be near it.

Authorities have gotten tougher amid the rise of cocaine use at football. Around 200 people were arrested for possession of cocaine "in and around" British stadiums in the 2022-23 season. As of 2022, anyone convicted of taking or selling Class A drugs at stadiums can be banned from attending matches for up to five years. A Charlton Athletic fan became the first supporter to be punished by the legislation. He was banned from attending matches and barred from travelling within two miles of the team's ground, The Valley. When England play away from home, he has to surrender his passport.

Getty A 30% rise in deaths

Of course, football fans are far from the only ones taking the drug. Cocaine use is so widespread across society that the Office for National Statistics declared it to be the second most-used drug after cannabis in England and Wales over the last decade, with 2.1 percent of adults aged 16 to 59 using it and 3.8% of people aged 16 to 24 years. And the increase is having a deadly effect on the population.

The ONS reported 1,118 deaths involving cocaine in 2023, which was 30.5% higher than the previous year (857 deaths) and nearly 10 times higher than in 2011. Males accounted for 79.2% of the deaths involving cocaine. The ritualistic nature of football and the fact people attend games so regularly, often with the same people, make it a dangerous gateway towards regular use.

"With any drug, if you are using it on the weekends, when you're going to go watch a game, go to a party, or spend some time with friends, you're creating a habit around this. And for a lot of people, this can be quite an expensive habit, and it can be something that leads to addiction as well if you're not careful about it," Andre Gomes, communications lead for drugs information charity Release, tells GOAL.

"You're definitely creating the conditions for dependency and for addiction, you know, partly because it's such a social environment. It's such a social substance. You go and have a couple of lines, and then people get a bag in, and then it just leads to you associating going to watch football or having some drinks with using cocaine as well. And you're just leading to a more and more chaotic environment."

Getty Not just hooligans

Football and cocaine are back in the spotlight right now thanks to the new British film Marching Powder, starring Danny Dyer. He plays a man in his mid 40s whose marriage and life are falling apart due to his addiction to 'dickie' and his tendency to get into fights while following his un-named team. The film features numerous scenes of men sniffing powder on coaches and in the middle of pubs, fuelling their pre-match scraps.

But Dyer told GOAL: "Listen let me tell you something now, we are not glorifying it alright, we are not glorifying it at all. People think from the advertisement we are, but you will need to watch this film and understand how f*cking ridiculous it is. You know geezers pushing 50 still doing that, nutting people. You’ve gotta grow up, you’ve gotta grow up and that's the point of this film.." Dyer has also said cocaine "destroys lives" and he would know, having spent time in rehab for addiction to drugs, among them crack cocaine. Dyer's character in Marching Powder is unemployed, a lousy husband and a terrible role model to his son. Not exactly someone to emulate.

The film might give off the impression that cocaine is something that only thugs are interested in to fuel their fights. The reality is that many typical fans partake in it each week, without indulging in violence or anti-social behaviour. Two fans of the same Premier League club who spoke to GOAL and for obvious reasons asked to be kept anonymous, said the main motive for doing it was to be able to keep drinking throughout a long day going to the match.

"When you're on a European trip the harsh reality is the game doesn't kick off until late in the evening. You're drinking earlier than usual. And when you're in your 30s and 40s that becomes quite tiring," said one fan, who attends the majority of his team’s games. "The reason it's popular among fans is it allows you to drink more and for longer periods. In my experience it's not to get involved in violence or feel any more confident or change in personality, it's more for stamina reasons. It's an adrenaline hit, you feel awake, lively and you can carry on the party. No one wants to be that guy who goes to bed early or can't even get to the game."