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Northamptonshire claimed their opening win of the Natwest T20 Blast campaign with a comfortable six-wicket win over Derbyshire at Wantage Road

ECB/PA11-Jun-2015
ScorecardDay release: David Willey clubbed 60 off 27 balls and also claimed wickets•Getty ImagesNorthamptonshire claimed their opening win of the Natwest T20 Blast campaign with a comfortable six-wicket win over Derbyshire at Wantage Road.David Willey was the star of the North Group contest after being released from England’s national team’s one-day squad, hitting an impressive 60 off 27 balls and two wickets as the Steelbacks overhauled the visitors’ 166 for seven with 13 balls to spare.After losing the toss and bowling first, the home side were encouraged in Willey’s opening over when Derbyshire’s Sri Lankan star Tillekaratne Dilshan tried his scoop shot – only to see middle and leg stump knocked back. It was the Sri Lankan’s final innings before a stint in the Caribbean Premier League.The next four overs yielded 27 runs, with Wes Durston providing most of the momentum. But Chesney Hughes wafted at Steven Crook’s first ball outside the off stump and edged to Ben Duckett which was immediately followed by Wayne Madsen being trapped lbw first ball.That left Derbyshire 37 for 3 but Scott Elstone helped Durston put on 52 for the fourth wicket, with a slog sweep just over midwicket off Shahid Afridi his highlight.As the Falcons tried to up the tempo, Shiv Thakor was run out for 15 when going for a third, although third umpire Mark Benson had to check whether Willey had touched the rope in preventing a boundary before effecting the dismissal.Tom Poynton bludgeoned two sixes off the final over but Durston was left largely alone to keep the attack going. He carried his bat for 77 off 63 balls, with his half-century coming off 41.Northamptonshire lost Richard Levi in the first over, clipping Thakor to Wayne Madsen inside the circle at backward square leg – and Derbyshire sensed they were in the game.But Willey decided to up the rate in exciting fashion, taking 24 off the fourth over – bowled by Dilshan from the Turner Stand End. Two sixes sailed over long-off, followed by a cover drive for four, with the over completed with another huge six down the ground.Willey – who reached his 50 off 21 balls was caught gleefully by Madsen off Palladino – but Afridi picked up where he left off, continuing the frenetic pace.Surviving a tight stumping appeal off Hughes, the Pakistani globetrotter added 34 off 17 before Billy Godleman’s footwork in front of the boundary rope allowed a stunning catch for Thakor’s second wicket.However, Alex Wakely and Steven Crook saw the hosts home, giving them their first win in 2015 and consigning Derbyshire to a fourth defeat in five.

Mitchell Starc has soared to No.1 in the ICC bowlers’ rankings in ODIs following a stellar World Cup campaign, where he was the leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2015Mitchell Starc has soared to No.1 in the ICC bowlers’ rankings in ODIs following a stellar World Cup campaign, where he was the leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament. Australia, with their fifth World Cup title, also retained the ODI shield having finished as the No.1-ranked side at the time of the April 1 cut-off date.Starc came in to the World Cup seventh on the list, but his 22 wickets at 10.18 and an economy of 3.50 earned him 147 rating points and pushed him to the top spot for the first time in his career. He struck at least twice in every game he played, including a majestic six-for against New Zealand in Auckland which nearly helped Australia defend 152.Part of the reason why Australia had failed to win that game was because of the damage done by another left-arm swing bowler Trent Boult. He finished the tournament with 22 wickets as well and vaulted nine places to a career-high sixth position in the rankings.ICC Player Rankings

Top five batsmen
AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli, Tillakaratne Dilshan
Top five bowlers
Mitchell Starc, Imran Tahir, Saed Ajmal, Dale Steyn, Sunil Narine
Top five allrounders
Dilshan, Shakib Al Hasan, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Hafeez, James Faulkner

South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir, India fast bowler Umesh Yadav, and Australia’s James Faulkner made big gains as well. Tahir leapfrogged nine places into second position following his 15 wickets from eight matches, while Yadav broke into the top 20 for the first time after ending his campaign with 18 wickets at 17.83. Faulkner, who took 10 wickets – including three in the final to claim the Man-of-the-Match award – climbed 12 positions to 23rd.AB de Villiers reclaimed the top position among ODI batsmen, and also became only the 11th player in history, and second South African after Hashim Amla, to collect more than 900 rating points. It would be scant consolation though after their tournament ended in heartbreak at the semi-final in Auckland.There was no change in the top five batsmen, but Steven Smith and Martin Guptill, who were both named in the ICC Team of the Tournament, made the biggest moves, jumping to the 12th and 22nd places respectively. Kumar Sangakkara, who ended his ODI career after a highly productive World Cup – 541 runs including four consecutive hundreds – is second on the list.The only change in the top 10 positions for ODI allrounders was the entry of South Africa’s JP Duminy, who moved up four places to ninth. Tillakaratne Dilshan retained top spot, closely followed by Shakib Al Hasan. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi signed off from ODIs as the sixth-ranked allrounder.

Who are the top earning American players in Major League Soccer? Goal breaks down the top 10

The MLS players union released its salary data last week, and the numbers showed some interesting trends. 

Three Americans were in the top 10 in the league in terms of total compensation, while a fourth landed in the top 25. 

Even among Americans Toronto FC dominated the list of high earners, but Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City each placed a pair of players on this list. 

Here's the rundown of the top 10 highest paid Americans in Major League Soccer.

USA Today Sports10Michael Bradley, Toronto FCThe U.S. national team captain and Toronto star is the highest-paid American in the league at $6.5 million per year. AdvertisementGraig Abel9Jozy Altidore, Toronto FCThe former AZ standout returned to MLS to a big payday and will make $5 million in total compensation in 2018. USA Today8Tim Howard, Colorado RapidsThe highest paid goalkeeper in the league is also the Colorado Rapids' highest earner at $2.5 million this season. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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USA Today7Clint Dempsey, Seattle SoundersDempsey took a cut in pay for the 2018 season but still ranks among the five best-paid American players at $1.7 million this season.

Mikel Arteta was in no mood to answer questions about goalkeeper David Raya after his error in Arsenal's 4-3 win against Luton on Tuesday.

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Raya conceded three goals against LutonDisplay will likely revive Ramsdale debateArteta refused to comment on goalkeeperWHAT HAPPENED?

The goalkeeper conceded three times as Luton took a 3-2 lead in the second half, with Ross Barkley's goal a particularly glaring error from the shot stopper. However, Arteta refused to address the Spaniard's performance as he spoke to the media afterwards.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT ARTETA SAID

Asked to comment on Raya's display, Arteta said: "I was so happy for the team. I have spoken to all of them, they are so happy they are jumping around."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Raya's display will likely revive the debate surrounding Raya's place in the team. Many fans have been calling for Aaron Ramsdale to be reinstated as the first choice shot stopper as they feel he is a more reliable option, whereas Raya has faced criticism for his many errors since joining the Gunners on loan from Brentford.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

It seems Arteta will stand by his decision to make Raya his starting goalkeeper when his side meet Aston Villa at the weekend. The north London side will hope to extend their winning run to seven matches in all competitions in Saturday's game.

Alex Morgan has been criticised by fans on social media for a post she shared on social media prior to the USWNT's Gold Cup opener.

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Morgan replaces Fishel in Gold Cup squad Hinted at change before ACL injury confirmed Fans not happy with social media postWHAT HAPPENED?

On Tuesday it was announced that Morgan would be replacing Mia Fishel in the Stars and Stripes' roster for the tournament, after the Chelsea forward suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury in training. However, the San Diego Wave striker actually hinted at the change before confirmation of Fishel's injury came through.

AdvertisementWHAT MORGAN POSTED

Ten minutes prior she quoted a post previewing the USWNT's Gold Cup curtain-raiser against Dominican Republic, adding an 'eyes' emoji. It soon became clear why, but some fans were unhappy at Morgan supposedly celebrating her new-found place in the squad, given the sad circumstances that led to her call up. "Read the room girlie because your TEAMMATE just tore her acl," one user posted. Another wrote: "How about showing some respect for Mia?"

XWHAT MORGAN POSTED AFTERWARDS

The veteran opted to delete her post shortly after it went up, replacing it with another with a caption that read: "Not how I would wish to come into camp but ready to get to work! Praying for a speedy recovery 🙏 @miafishel10."

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The veteran was controversially left out of Twila Kilgore's roster for the tournament initially, along with other high-profile names like Becky Sauerbrunn, Kristie Mewis and Andi Sullivan. However, due to Fishel's injury, she will now have an opportunity to help win the trophy on home soil. Morgan is currently experiencing something of a goal drought at international level, though, having not found the back of the net for the USWNT since February 2023 in the SheBelieves Cup against Brazil.

The BCCI technical committee was in favour of scheduling Ranji Trophy knockout matches at neutral venues, and longer gaps between matches

Amol Karhadkar22-Mar-2013The BCCI technical committee, in its first meeting chaired by Anil Kumble, was in favour of scheduling Ranji Trophy knockout matches at neutral venues, and longer gaps between matches, although no decisions were taken in Mumbai.”Everybody was receptive [to the idea]. More than the neutral venues, what has been recommended is a suggestive list of venues,” said Kumble, who replaced Sourav Ganguly as the head of the technical committee last October. “In the coming season we don’t have much of international cricket in India, [so] it is important to identify the neutral venues.”In the captains and coaches conclave on March 5, the teams had been equivocal in demanding that Ranji league games to be spaced out. They felt a three-day gap between league games was too small to recover. Kumble said the technical committee was also thinking on similar lines.”We felt at the start of the season a three-day break is good enough,” Kumble said. “But in the latter part of the season, we will certainly look at a minimum of a four-day break. There was also a discussion about the weather in various parts of India. Winter in the north, east and certain parts of central; and certain parts of south has little bit of late monsoon. So, that was also discussed.”This was just a preliminary meeting. We did discuss about the outcome of the captains and coaches conclave. We will soon have a meeting in April and at that time we will get into what needs to be recommended to the BCCI for the coming season.”The meeting was attended by all the members of the newly-formed committee, except for chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil, who was in Delhi for India’s fourth Test against Australia. Besides the other committee members, including Kumble, Vinay Lamba, MSK Prasad, Deep Dasgupta, Shashikant Khandkar, Mahendra Rajdev, Debasis Mohanty and VK Ramaswamy, BCCI’s general manager (cricket development) Ratnakar Shetty also attended the meeting.

A round-up of the action from the matches in the Regional Four Day Competition 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2012Jamaica continued their strong four-day form and notched up their fourth consecutive win, beating Guyana by eight wickets in North Sound, Antigua. They took 12 points out of the contest to move to 48, 20 clear of second placed Trinidad & Tobago, while Guyana earned none.Jamaica legspinner Odean Brown took 6 for 100 to limit Guyana to 294 in their first innings. Brown was well supported by his fellow spinner, Nikita Miller, who conceded only 56 runs in 40 overs and took two wickets. Leon Johnson and Narsingh Deonarine scored 72 and 89 for Guyana but the contributions from the other batsmen were paltry.The top three batsmen got starts for Jamaica but failed to kick on, and their innings was held together and steered by Brendan Nash, who made an unbeaten 205. David Bernard contributed 63 and there were useful contributions from the lower order as well. Devendra Bishoo took 5 for 115 for Guyana, but Jamaica piled up 454 for 9, ahead by 160 runs.Guyana fared worse in their second innings, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Brown was wicketless this time but Miller was still economical, taking 2 for 25 in 24 overs. Sheldon Cotterell and Bernard took three wickets each as Guyana were dismissed for 187. Assad Fudadin top scored with 47 and the last four wickets fell for 17 runs.Jamaica needed only 28 in their second innings and they knocked the target off in 9.4 overs with eight wickets in hand.Barbados also claimed 12 points from their match against Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC), beating them by 189 runs at the Kensington Oval.The hosts didn’t do very well after choosing to bat, and were dismissed for 237 in their first innings. Jonathan Carter top scored with 47 while most of his team-mates failed to build on starts. Kevin McLean took 3 for 30 for CCC, while Jason Dawes, Jason Holder and Ryan Austin claimed two wickets each.CCC, however, crumbled for 145 in their first innings, with Barbados’ new-ball attack of Tino Best and Kemar Roach sharing eight wickets between them. Floyd Reifer made 40, and McLean, who scored 28, was the only other batsman to make it past 20.With a first-innings lead of 92, Barbados decided to declare their second innings on 238 for 4. The opener Omar Phillips made 87, and he received support from Kirk Edwards, who made 49.Faced with a target of 331, CCC were shot out again, this time for 141. Roach claimed four more to finish the match with 8 for 84, while Best took three and ended with 7 for 65. Nkrumah Bonner’s 49 was CCC’s top score in the second innings, with extras second with 27. The game was finished inside three days.Trinidad & Tobago survived a small scare during a modest chase to beat Windward Islands by four wickets at Queen’s Park Oval.Pursuing a target of 98 on the final day, T&T were well placed at 79 for 0, when wickets started to tumble. Windward spinners, Shane Shillingford and Liam Sebastien, took three each as six batsmen fell for the addition of five runs. Denesh Ramdin then ensured there were no more stumbles in the chase and stayed not out until the winning runs were scored.Before that blip, though, T&T were in control throughout the match. Ramdin made an unbeaten 151 in their first innings to lead his team to 364 for 9 declared. Darren Bravo contributed 64 to that effort.T&T opened with Sunil Narine’s spin and he took 5 for 49 to skittle Windward for 203 in their reply. Keddy Lesporis made 84 for Windward, their only contribution of note. Shannon Gabriel also took 3 for 61 for T&T as they secured a first-innings lead of 161.Ramdin asked Windward to follow on and they slumped to 166 for 7, only six runs ahead with three wickets intact. The captain Darren Sammy made 88 and the last man Delorn Johnson made 40 to lift them to 258 before they were dismissed. Narine took five more in the follow-on to finish with 10 for 127 in the match.Windward had set a target of 98, but it was too little to stretch T&T.Edited by George Binoy

The decision to cut the funding for the 2025 women's European Championship in Switzerland has been labelled a "catastrophe".

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Federal govt cuts Euro 2025 fundsCompetition to take place in SwitzerlandDecision labelled a 'catastrophe'Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Swiss publication SRF states the country's Federal Council does not want to spend as much money on the women's Euros, where Aston Villa star Alisha Lehmann will be the face of the tournament, as originally planned. The report says 15 million Swiss Francs (£13.5m) were initially earmarked but that has fallen to 4 million Swiss Francs (£3.6m) – something that has been widely criticised.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT CRITICS HAVE SAID

GLP National Councillor Corina Gredig, who is co-president of the parliamentary group “Euro 25”, said there is outrage in parliament. “If you say now that you don’t have any money, then it will turn into a grumpy tournament," she told SRF.

Meanwhile, SP National Councilor Matthias Aebischer, president of the parliamentary sports group, said this was the wrong message for young girls looking to get into the sport.

He commented: "And now the Federal Council comes and says: We are not giving any money for the 2025 Women’s European Championship in Switzerland. This is simply a catastrophe.”

Thun local councilor Katharina Ali-Oesch added: “Pure disappointment. We were expecting something completely different than what has now come from the federal government and that poses major challenges for everyone."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 2025 tournament is taking place in eight Swiss cities: Zurich, Basel, Bern, Thun, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Sion and Geneva. The fact that funds have been significantly slashed is not a good look for promoting women's football in Switzerland and, arguably, sends a negative message about the game, too. Moreover, the less funds a tournament has, the less likely it will be will run smoothly; plus, they beat France, Poland, and a joint Scandinavian bid to stage the competition – one that others desperately wanted to host.

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WHAT NEXT?

The 14th edition of the women's Euros is scheduled to get underway on July 2, 2025, and will be made up of 16 teams. England will be looking to retain their title when the tournament comes round in just under 18 months' time.

Sri Lanka have consistently reached the final stages of world tournaments in recent years but have failed to win one. The expectations this time are huge

Andrew Fernando in Colombo03-Oct-2012Something about major tournaments stokes Sri Lanka’s fire. They have now reached their fifth semi-final in six competitions, second only to Pakistan who have a cleansweep since the 2007 World Cup. In between the major events, they are often underwhelming. Before defeating Pakistan in the home ODIs in June, Sri Lanka had failed to collect silverware in six limited-overs series over 10 months.Yet they have emerged frontrunners once more. The batting that so often seems fragile against quality bowling has grown a steely backbone. The middle order, abounding in youth, has bared its teeth as well. When England muscled past the top three on Monday, they stumbled into an ambush. The youngsters may not yet have acquired the heavy weaponry their seniors deal in, but they have enough switchblades and brass knuckles between them, and the audacity to dare anyone to a fight. Pakistan’s wounds from their last scrap at the Premadasa may not yet have healed.Sri Lanka’s bowling has been their strength, but occasionally it has been made to look brittle by opponents who have cracked its unorthodoxy. With three allrounders now among their ranks, Sri Lanka have stockpiled resources capable of stepping in for ailing front-liners. Thisara Perera has had a career-defining 12 months with the ball, but he has been held in reserve during this tournament in that regard. Others like Akila Dananjaya have emerged to add mettle to an attack that has reclaimed some of the fearsomeness it surrendered since the 2011 World Cup.Sri Lanka also understand they must win the title to appease a fan base that has been spoilt by the team’s consistency in major tournaments. Having come so close so many times, nothing but a victory in the final will do for most. But first Sri Lanka must overcome Pakistan, whose zest for the grand stage may be even keener than their own.”We are still two games away from the title, but we’re extremely proud to be a part of a group that has been consistent throughout these tournaments,” Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene said on the eve of the semi-final. “When you look back, even though we haven’t won, for us to be in those situations and have pushed hard is great. Yes, we haven’t won any of those [tournaments] and it’s a bit of a disappointment, but we have to be in those situations and if we keep getting there we will win.”Sri Lanka arrive at the semi finals as the only team of the remaining four not to have played a match at the Premadasa. They have a poor Twenty20 record in Colombo, having failed to win any of the four matches played here, though each of those results came before the square was re-laid in 2010.Sri Lanka began their campaign on the fastest track of the tournament in Hambantota, and adjusted quickly to a slightly less bouncy track in Pallekele. As the only team that will play at all three venues, they need to adapt once again in Colombo. However, Sri Lanka’s strength in and against spin should assist them at the venue that has produced the driest surfaces of the competition.Given some of the best players of spin in the world are in Sri Lanka’s top six, Pakistan are unlikely to send down 18 overs of slow bowling, as they did against Australia on Wednesday. “They’ve got some quality spinners, but our guys play spin quite well,” Jayawardene said. “We need to look at what kind of wicket we get tomorrow. It looks a fresh wicket, one where the first-round games were played. Depending on how the wicket behaves we need to take a few tactical changes. If we make any plans we have to play accordingly.”Throughout the campaign, Sri Lanka and their captain have worn the desperation of men striving to taste World Cup success. The nation’s cricket identity is inextricably linked to a single World Cup, as any builder, beggar, businessman or priest reminiscing about 1996 will attest. Perhaps for the first time in the last decade, Sri Lanka have no weak links; every facet of their game has roared to life in the Super Eights and those flames will only burn hotter in the belly of a heaving Premadasa.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee will meet with SomersetEntertainment Ventures on Friday to discuss the future of the Sri LankaPremier League

Tariq Engineer and Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jul-2011Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee will meet with SomersetEntertainment Ventures on Friday to discuss the future of the Sri LankaPremier League (SLPL). The previous committee, which created the tournament,was dissolved last week by Sri Lanka’s sports ministry and a new panel wasappointed in its place. ESPNcricinfo understands that the new committee isstill getting up to speed on the tournament and will decide how to go aheadwith it once they have met Somerset.”We have not yet met the SLPL organisers,” Sidath Wettimuny, one of themembers of the new committee, told ESPNcricinfo. “The meeting is scheduled onFriday.” Wettimuny also denied rumours that the tournament had beenpostponed or that it would go ahead with only Sri Lankan players.The change in administration so close to the launch of the tournament is thelatest setback for the SLPL, which has already been hit by the BCCI’srefusal to allow Indian players to take part. The BCCI had withheld itspermission on the grounds that Somerset, which owns the commercial rights,would be handling the contracts for international players and that couldlead to complications should disputes arise over payments. In order toassuage the Indian board, SLC was willing to back the Indian players’contracts so that their financial interests were protected, but that was notenough to satisfy the BCCI. The Indian board has also claimed that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had a hand in the event, but SLC and Somerset have repeatedly deniedthe allegation, as has Modi.The BCCI’s decision means the tournament does not have a broadcaster for thelucrative Indian market, a situation that makes it much more difficult forthe SLPL to find a secure financial footing, something that the newcommittee will have to consider.One potential incentive for holding the tournament as scheduled is theChampions League T20 in September. The winner of the SLPL receives a spot inthat tournament and since Sri Lanka host Australia in August and September,July is the only available window before the CLT20. However, given that theSLPL’s first game is set for July 19th, SLC would have only 11 daysafter Friday’s meeting to organise the event, including putting in place securityfor the players and the anti-corruption measures required by the ICC.