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“People forget I’m still only 21, so hopefully got plenty of cricket to come and the way I see it, I’m just getting started”

Andrew McGlashan10-Oct-2023When you knock AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle off their perch life can become a bit of a blur, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that for Jake Fraser-McGurk his feat in Adelaide a few days ago, where he scorched a 29-ball hundred, was still sinking in.Fraser-McGurk’s astonishing display at Karen Rolton Oval shaved two deliveries off de Villiers’ 31-ball hundred against West Indies in 2015 as the fastest List A century, and also bettered by one Gayle’s 30-ball T20 effort against Pune Warriors in IPL 2015 meaning Fraser-McGurk holds the fastest hundred in the professional game.”I had no idea [about the record]. I was just trying to hit the ball to the boundary,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I came off and a few of the boys said you’ve broken a few records and the one that sticks out is AB against West Indies, I remember watching that innings, it was incredible.”Related

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The onslaught began when Fraser-McGurk took 32 off Sam Rainbird’s second over. He passed fifty off 18 deliveries and needed just 11 more to reach the century. In all, he struck 13 sixes, and 23 off the 38 balls he faced before finding deep midwicket went to the boundary.”I was seeing the ball so clearly and everything felt a lot slower than usual, I was in that zone, that mental state, which is something as a batter you try and be in every single time but it’s rare,” he said. “To finally have that happen is very pleasing.”The mind-boggling display has come early in a new phase of Fraser-McGurk’s career following a winter move from Victoria to South Australia, although he will remain with Melbourne Renegades for the BBL. After making headlines as a 17-year-old when he scored half-centuries on both his List A and first-class debuts, it has been a tricky journey in the early years of his career.”It’s tough leaving your home and all your friends,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of cricket with the Victorian boys throughout my junior career. I’ve got lifelong friendships with those blokes but just felt I needed to be a bit selfish and do what’s best for me, get some more opportunity elsewhere, and South Australia came calling and took that with open arms. They’ve been absolutely brilliant.”He was particularly full of praise for batting coach Steve Stubbings – “up there with one of the best I’ve had, everything is so clear with him” – but he continues to lean heavily on his long-time coach Shannon Young back in Victoria.

“I’ve been around for a while, but some people forget I’m still only 21, so hopefully got plenty of cricket to come and the way I see it, I’m just getting started”

While the innings against Tasmania took things to a different level, Fraser-McGurk had given a hint at his batting mindset this season with a combined tally of 66 off 43 balls in the Sheffield Shield match against the same opposition, which followed two brisk 2nd XI scores against Queensland.”Every time you go out you have to adapt to conditions, but I usually do go out there and bat with some positive intent and try to get the game on my terms,” he said. “It’s a new process I’m working on, still learning and trusting, watching the ball incredibly hard, being calm and having full confidence in myself that I can play the shot I want to each delivery.”Having struggled to kick on from his promising debuts as a 17-year-old, Fraser-McGurk admitted to having doubted himself at various stages but believes that having started so young can make it easy to forget his game is still developing.”You have that thought in the back of your head when you think you aren’t really up to it when you’re not doing well,” he said. “I started pretty well in both debuts and was thinking it could only really go up from there being a naive young kid. I’ve been around for a while, but some people forget I’m still only 21, so hopefully got plenty of cricket to come and the way I see it, I’m just getting started.”I’ve caught myself a few times thinking this is so hard, but then I realise where some other greats of the game were at my age. Steve Smith was a bowler at my age and now he’s one of the best batsmen in the world, so things like that, you have to realise you’ve got plenty of time.”But it never means taking a backward step or stop working as hard, just means you have time to figure out your craft and now hopefully getting that score away, it can be a bit clearer for me.”

Messi and De Paul are friends from their time at Argentina and the reported move comes as Miami are trying to extend their star

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The Herons are reportedly after De PaulAtleti listed midfielder at $17 millionReport says Miami confirmed ownership is MadridGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

With Lionel Messi's future still uncertain, it appears as if his club is taking proactive steps to make an extended stay in Miami potentially more appealing. Inter Miami are reportedly interested in making a transfer offer for Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo De Paul – a close friend of Messi.

Atletico recently listed the box-to-box midfielder with a $17 million price tag, which in part may be due to the reported transfer of USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso. The Miami Herald is reporting the Herons have confirmed team owner Jorge Mas is currently in Madrid.

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De Paul would be a substantial addition for Inter Miami as he's been one of the best midfielders in global football and is still in his prime at 31. Yet, this move would come with a challenges.

Miami have complained about restrictive transfer rules in their pursuit of Neymar and Kevin De Bruyne. Unless there is a creative way to get De Paul on the roster, the team's current roster situation is prohibitive. Also, as seen with both Neymar and De Bruyne, there could be competition from around the world with clubs who have fewer roster restrictions than in MLS. The report mentions Atleti manager Diego Simeone is keen on having De Paul stay through his contract, which ends in 2026.

Then there's roster fit. Inter Miami have several weaknesses, but central midfield is arguably their strongest position group, and they are stacked at that spot with Sergio Busquets and Benjamin Cremaschi. There isn't a natural fit for the midfielder, which could mean Cremaschi or someone else will have to play out of position.

Yet, the report indicates De Paul could be effectively a long-term replacement for Busquets, whose contract expires this season, along with Luis Suarez's deal.

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De Paul and Messi won the 2022 World Cup together in Qatar as members of Argentina. De Paul was also a member of La Liga's 2024-25 Team of the Year – highlighting how potent he could potentially be in MLS.

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Inter Miami, coming off a resounding victory over Montreal, quickly have another game on the schedule with a Wednesday clash against the New England Revolution.

The Argentine manager has led Inter Miami to 17 wins in 31 matches, with the Herons in fifth place in the Eastern Conference

Miami play at FC Cincinnati on WednesdayMessi has never scored against CincinnatiFifth place in the East, Messi eyes another braceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Between April and May, Javier Mascherano went through the most difficult stretch in his first season as Inter Miami head coach, managing just one win over an eight-game span. His future with the Herons was questioned multiple times during that turbulent period, and his position seemed far from secure.

Despite the pressure, Mascherano led the team to a solid performance at the Club World Cup – ultimately falling in the Round of 16 – and since, Miami has bounced back in impressive fashion, with Lionel Messi scoring braces in five consecutive MLS matches.

Miami has won all five of those games, including three since returning from international competition. They are fifth in the Eastern Conference in MLS. Still, the Argentine manager insists he’s not thinking beyond this season

“Personally, as a coach, I don’t look much further than the current season," he said on Tuesday. "Thinking long-term in this job is a mistake because results are what keep you here. You have to stay focused and put all your energy into the present."

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Mascherano joked on Tuesday about Messi’s goal drought against FC Cincinnati – the only MLS team he has yet to score against – and said it would likely serve as extra fuel for his star forward.

“It’s great news, actually… because we all know Leo – every match gives him a new reason to be motivated,” Mascherano said. “Hopefully he can break that streak."

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David Martínez has officially played his final match for the Herons. Mascherano confirmed that the club has opted not to extend the Paraguayan's loan from River Plate.

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Inter Miami visit Cincinnati Wednesday, but they’ll have to do it without Baltasar Rodríguez, who is sidelined once again due to a recurring hamstring injury. There is positive news on the injury front, though: Yannick Bright, Gonzalo Luján, and David Ruiz have all recovered and are back in contention.

He also credits Shamsi and Markram, the SA spinners, for keeping India quiet – “otherwise, we could have reached 200 or 200-plus”

Deivarayan Muthu13-Dec-20233:55

Manjrekar: Would like to see Shreyas Iyer at No. 3

A marked change in conditions after a sharp spell of rain in Gqeberha played its part in India’s defeat to South Africa in the second T20I on Tuesday, in Tilak Varma’s opinion.After being asked to bat first, India lost both their openers for ducks, but quick fifties from Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav, along with Tilak’s 29 off 20 balls, helped them recover to 180 for 7 in 19.3 overs. The rain then forced a premature end to India’s innings and once play resumed, with South Africa chasing a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, the bowlers struggled to grip the ball in soggy conditions. South Africa shaved 67 runs off that target in the first five overs, thanks to Reeza Hendricks’ opening salvo, and eventually sealed the game with seven balls to spare.”I feel in the powerplay, we gave a bit [of] extra runs, but after that we came back strongly,” Tilak said at his post-match press conference. “But due to the wet outfield, the ball was not gripping as we thought. But actually we batted well.Related

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“It’s always good to play in South Africa; it’s quite challenging. We are well-prepared for these conditions, and we have actually batted well in a tough situation. The openers didn’t do too well today but after that Surya, myself and Rinku got good rhythm in the batting side and we scored well. But due to the rain and wet outfield…”Tilak credited South Africa’s spinners Tabraiz Shamsi, who was picked ahead of Keshav Maharaj, and Aiden Markram for keeping India in check, despite Suryakumar and Rinku batting aggressively. In a shortened game, Shamsi proved the most economical bowler, returning 4-0-18-1.”I feel the wicket was a bit on the slower side when we batted, especially with the new ball it was slightly seaming,” Tilak said. “After that, it was gripping a bit and spinning a bit when Markram and Shamsi were bowling. So the spell that Markram and Shamsi bowled went their way. I think it was a good spell from them. Otherwise, we could have reached 200 or 200-plus.”1:09

Tilak: ‘Spells from Shamsi and Markram went their way’

Tuesday’s fixture was Tilak’s 14th T20I this year since he made his debut against West Indies in Tarouba in August. Only Suryakumar has played more T20Is (17) for India among batters this year, but despite the long run, Tilak isn’t a certainty yet in India’s XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup, with Shreyas Iyer also in the running for the No. 3 spot. Plus, the potential return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya could leave Tilak on the sidelines. Tilak, though, drew confidence from having had the exposure to different conditions in his short T20I career.”For every series, I was preparing to the conditions,” Tilak said. “If you see, West Indies was a bit on the slower side, and if you see Ireland, [the pitches] were similar to South Africa wickets, it was a bit bouncy and seaming a bit. We were preparing according to the [conditions] and we are India. So, it has been a great experience and great learning going through.”The third and final T20I, which will be played at the Wanderers on Thursday, is set to present different conditions to India. While the ball doesn’t often travel high and far in coastal regions like Gqeberha or Durban, it tends to fly off the bat in Johannesburg, which means the margin for error is even smaller for the bowlers.

Spain left-back Olga Carmona is confident in her team's chances of overcoming the German challenge in the Euro 2025 semi-final.

Germany and Spain set to lock horns in Euro 2025 semi-finalCarmona speaks on eve of the fixturePromises Spain will go 'all out' against the GermansFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Spain and Germany will renew their rivalry in the semi-final of the Women's Euro 2025 on Wednesday, and La Roja left-back Carmona — while acknowledging that the Frauenteam will pose a "tough" challenge — promised that the world champions will go out all guns blazing in the last-four tie.

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Spain and Germany have faced each other seven times in the past, with the former failing to register a single win. Indeed, Germany have won four games, while the remaining three encounters ended all square. History heavily favours Christian Wuck's troops, as they have an unprecedented eight titles to their name, compared to Spain's zero. However, Montse Tome's side will be feeling super confident, given they carry the world champions label.

WHAT OLGA CARMONA SAID

Speaking to , Carmona said: "We already know them, and they're always tough, but we're a sledgehammer team and we're going to go all out."

Asked if her team are the favourites to win, she added: "We know that now, you either win or you go home. In all the interviews, I say that word isn't even mentioned internally. We're focused on the day-to-day and we prefer not to get ahead of ourselves in order to perform at our best."

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The two sides will clash at Stadion Letzigrund on Wednesday to fight for a place in the final. The winner of this tie will face the winner of the other semi-final between England and Italy, which will be played on Tuesday.

“If you haven’t done it much in your first-class career, it’s going to be very difficult to come up the order”

Alex Malcolm26-Dec-2023Former Australia batter Michael Hussey has cautioned the Australian selectors on picking a makeshift opener as David Warner’s replacement, saying he would prefer a specialist opener who has dominated Sheffield Shield cricket to be rewarded. Hussey, however, stopped short of naming a candidate.Hussey was speaking ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG after he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame alongside former Australia women’s captain Lyn Larsen.Hussey started his Test career as an opener and made a century opening the batting in his second Test match in 2005 as a replacement for the injured Justin Langer, having made his name as an opener in first-class cricket plundering 15313 first-class runs predominantly for Western Australia and Northamptonshire prior to making his Test debut at 30.Related

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The left-hander only opened in one innings in Test cricket after his first two Tests as he was shuffled down the order when Langer returned and played the rest of his 79 Tests as a middle-order batter, scoring 6235 runs at 51.52 in total with 18 of his 19 Test centuries coming at Nos.4-6.But despite being one of Australia’s most adaptable all-format players in the three-format era, Hussey was adamant that Australia’s selectors should pick a specialist opener for the first Test against West Indies in January after Warner retires at the end of the Pakistan series.”Opening is one of the toughest jobs in the game,” Hussey said. “So for me personally, if I was selecting, I’d be going for a traditional, proper opener. Someone who has done it for a long period of time. Because if you haven’t done it much in your first-class career, it’s going to be very difficult to come up the order.”I’m not saying you can’t do it, and maybe someone could evolve into doing that role. But I think it would be difficult for a player like Mitch Marsh or someone – I know there’s been talk about him going up the order – I think he’s probably more suited, much like Travis Head, to be in the middle-order.”I think that’d be the best for the balance of the Australian team.”The debate on who should replace Warner continues to bubble away in the background as Australia’s side remains incredibly settled. Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw are the three main specialist candidates in line for the role. However, Australia coach and selector Andrew McDonald raised some eyebrows prior to the Pakistan series when he raised the possibility of picking Marsh and Cameron Green in the same XI and shuffling the order to have Marnus Labuschagne move up to open.Usman Khawaja said his preference was to have a specialist opener join him at the top and believed that Labuschagne wouldn’t be comfortable filling the role. Both Head and Marsh have publicly said they would prefer not to open the batting.Mike Hussey was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesHarris did no harm to his case for the role with a century for the Victoria XI against Pakistan in the two-day tour match during the week, although he continues to dominate at the batting-friendly Junction Oval while being less prolific at Australia’s main Test venues in Shield cricket. Renshaw has made the most runs for Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI in recent years, including a century against Pakistan batting at No.3 in Canberra earlier this month, while Bancroft has been the dominant opener in Shield cricket scoring 10 centuries since the start of 2021, twice as many as Harris and six more than Renshaw in that time.Hussey stopped short of naming his preferred candidate but said Shield form should be rewarded.”I like whoever’s dominating the level below, who’s been dominating in Sheffield Shield cricket over a period of time, and to be fair, they all have at various stages,” Hussey said.”So it’s a tough job for the selectors. I don’t want to stand here and say it should be this guy or this guy.”I hope that they reward the guy that’s been performing very well at Sheffield Shield cricket. I think that sends a great message to the competition. And it’s great for our pathways that we’re going to reward the guys that are doing well.”Hussey spent two days working with the Australian team in the lead-up to the Perth Test as a coaching consultant while assistant coach Andre Borovec rested at home in Geelong after standing in as interim coach for the five-match T20 series in India following the World Cup.”I really enjoyed it,” Hussey said. “Just watching how they prepared and slowly starting some little conversations to get to know them and their games a little bit more.”It was fun. I really, really enjoyed it. My shoulder is still just recovering.”Hussey has a strong relationship with McDonald having played Test cricket and BBL cricket with him at Sydney Thunder. Hussey worked with England at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year under Matthew Mott when England won the title but he is keen to work with Australia again in the future after his brief stint in Perth.”It just depends on how the schedule sort of line up at this stage but I’ve got a good relationship with Andrew McDonald,” Hussey said. “We played with each other at the Thunder and our paths crossed many times. So I’ve got a good relationship there. I’ve got a good relationship with some of the players as well. So if I can [do more] I’d love to.”

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of spot-fixing charges following a two-year investigation by the Football Association.

Paqueta hit with spot-fixing chargesWest Ham star protested his innocenceBrazilian partially cleared but faces uncertain futureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The FA began their investigation into the Brazilian in August 2023 and in May 2024, the West Ham star was charged for allegedly receiving yellow cards deliberately for the "improper purpose of affecting the betting market". Now, however, the FA have confirmed the misconduct charges against him have "not been proven".

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Paqueta was facing the prospect of a lifetime ban over the four counts of spot-fixing, concerning bookings against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United, and Bournemouth in the Premier League. The 27-year-old, who was also charged with two counts of obstructing an FA investigation, has now been cleared by an independent regulatory commission and is free to continue his playing career. But his West Ham future is up in the air.

WHAT PAQUETA SAID

Paqueta expressed his relief at the verdict and his eagerness to play football again with a "smile on my face".

He told the club website: "Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. I can’t say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face. To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me – thank you for everything."

The club's Vice-Chair Karren Brady added: "We are pleased Lucas has been cleared. He has maintained his innocence from the outset, and as a Club we have resolutely stood by him and supported him throughout the process. Despite the incredible pressure on him, Lucas has performed week in and week out for the Club, always giving everything. It has been a difficult time for Lucas and his family, but he has remained absolutely professional throughout and he is now looking forward to drawing a line under this episode, as is everyone at West Ham United."

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Although Paqueta has been cleared of breaching the FA's E5 rule, the former Manchester City target appears set to receive a punishment for breaking the F3 rule.

The FA said: "Lucas Paqueta was charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in relation to alleged failures to comply with his obligations to answer questions and provide information to The FA's investigation. Lucas Paqueta denied the charges against him, but the Regulatory Commission found them to be proven following the hearing. The Regulatory Commission will decide an appropriate sanction for these breaches at the earliest opportunity. The FA awaits the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons in relation to its decisions on the charges, and will not be commenting further until that time."

Despite returns of 5 for 21, Bumrah “a little disappointed” with his last delivery, which Dinesh Karthik hit for a six

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2024It didn’t end perfectly for Jasprit Bumrah against RCB. His final ball, the last of the 19th over, went sailing over extra cover for six off Dinesh Karthik’s bat. What was 5 for 15 off 3.5 overs became 5 for 21 off four. Anyone would take those figures in a total of 196, but not Bumrah, who went out of his way to say he was “still a little disappointed” with that delivery.That ball was an aberration on a day when almost everything Bumrah dished up after Mumbai Indians opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede was spectacular.”Yeah, it was a good day, you know, one of those days when mostly what I was executing was working,” Bumrah told the broadcaster after RCB’s innings. “And the wicket was a little sticky, so I was trying to look at my options. Still a little disappointed of my last ball, but yeah, that’s the way T20 cricket goes.”RCB’s run rate was 9.80. Bumrah went at 5.25. Mohammad Nabi, who bowled just the one over – the first of the innings – was the second-most economical at 7.00.”So, when the first over was bowled, I saw Nabi ‘s ball was gripping a little bit, so I decided that it might not be a straight, flat type [pitch] in the beginning,” Bumrah said of his plan. “[Once] the dew sets in, I guess the length ball will become better, so I kept that in mind, I wanted to stick to my strengths, I wanted to bowl a good, hard length. That worked today.”

“I’ve been doing this for 11 years here, so I have now been used to being ready whenever the situation demands. You use your experience, you keep an eye on [where] the game is heading, because what happened in the end, dew set in, so the wicket got a little better and the ball started skidding on”Jasprit Bumrah on staying connected to the game despite being off the attack

In his first over, the third of the innings, Virat Kohli tried to swing a length ball away towards midwicket, but only got an edge through to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps. Job done for the moment, Bumrah was taken off, saved for tougher times. He returned in the 11th, with Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar in their 30s, both on the way to half-centuries. He gave away just four runs. Taken off again. Back again in the 17th, Patidar having fallen in the meanwhile, Bumrah sent in a low full-toss that du Plessis could only send to Tim David at long-on, and next ball, a toe-crusher of a yorker had Mahipal Lomror lbw, and in a little discomfort. Just four runs again off that over.”I’ve been doing this for 11 years here, so I have now been used to being ready whenever the situation demands,” Bumrah said asked about going out of the attack for long periods and being expected to pick up wickets whenever asked to. “You use your experience, you keep an eye on [where] the game is heading, because what happened in the end, dew set in, so the wicket got a little better and the ball started skidding on. So all of these things, you try to get involved in the game and you try to help others as well.”Bumrah’s last over, the 19th, only went for nine runs, despite that six. Before that, Bumrah completed his five-for with the wickets of Saurav Chauhan and Vijaykumar Vyshak, off consecutive balls again.Is he at his best at the moment, at the peak of his powers? “I don’t want to get too high or too low with bad days and good days,” Bumrah said. “Yes, it feels very happy. Yes, I’ve been able to contribute and it’s going well. But I want to keep my feet on the ground, stay humble and work hard. Because this game is the greatest leveller. I want to keep working hard and try to focus on the games ahead.”

Kohli and RCB captain Faf du Plessis credit “honest conversations” in the dressing room for their turnaround after six successive losses

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-20241:22

‘Impressive how often Kohli used the sweep against spinners’

The sweep has been a key scoring option for him to counter spin, especially in the middle overs this IPL, Virat Kohli has said.After disrupting Gujarat Titans’ spin trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and R Sai Kishore with the sweep in Ahmedabad earlier this season, Kohli relied on that shot once again to pick off runs against wristspinner Rahul Chahar and all-sorts spinner Liam Livingstone.On Thursday in Dharamsala, the slog-sweep and the slog, according to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, was responsible for 26 of the 92 runs he had scored off 47 balls at a strike rate of 195.74 against Punjab Kings. That shot and its variant opened up other scoring options too for him. He had been dropped on 0 and 10, but Kohli kept batting with high intent to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 241 for 7, which proved 60 too many for PBKS.Related

IPL 2024 live blog – Kohli powers big RCB win

Kohli keeps RCB alive in playoffs race; Punjab Kings knocked out

“I’ve brought out the slog-sweep to the spinners (laughs). I just mentally put myself in that situation and I didn’t practice it at all,” Kohli said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “I know I can hit it because I’ve hit it a lot in the past. So, I just felt like I need to take a bit more risk and for me that shot was something that I used to hit regularly back in the day. And that’s allowing me to hit off the back foot as well because I’m always looking to expose that side of the field against the spin.”For me that has been a massive factor in this IPL. So, I think it just takes a bit more conviction and take out that thought that props up: ‘what if you get out’. I’ve been managing to stay ahead of that thought in this IPL and that’s really helped me in the middle overs in this IPL, keeping my strike rate up and keeping the scoring rate going for the team as well.”Kohli’s knock set RCB for their fourth successive win, which kept them in the race for the playoffs. RCB had been stuck in a rut when they lost six games in a row after having beaten PBKS in their second match of the season and first at home.They’ve changed their personnel and found a winning formula for both home and away games. Kohli said that the one-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, where Lockie Ferguson was run-out off the last ball, was the turning point of their campaign. RCB had almost chased down 223 against one of the form teams of the tournament.2:40

How Kohli and Faf have raised their tempo

“The only way to go through a long tournament is to be absolutely honest with yourself,” Kohli said. “We were just not good enough in the first half of the tournament. [It’s] precisely why we are in a situation again where so many factors have to go our way. We won the second game of the season and then we had those losses on the trot. A couple of close games but still we were outplayed in most of them.””We just had an honest chat in the change room. That’s not good enough. Playing at this level, we need to pull up our socks and be a bit more brave with the ball and bat. The starting point was Kolkata, where we came out and bowled like that in the powerplay and kept hunting for wickets in that game. It went down to the wire and that gave us a belief that this is the cricket we want to play and it came to a point where we said ‘you know what don’t look at the [points] table and play for the self-respect we have as cricketers’. We have gone through so many hardships and such a long journey to be at this level. So, we can’t just go out and play in a way that doesn’t make yourself proud and the fans well. They turn out in huge numbers and we just can’t keep disappointing them like that.”RCB captain Faf du Plessis echoed Kohli’s comments and credited his batters and bowlers for finding a way to keep up with the pace of cricket in this IPL.”I think we’ve scored 200-plus in the last five-six games,” du Plessis said. “Really the method and aggression has been good to see. We had some really good conversations halfway through the season where we felt like we were making the same mistakes over and over again. We changed a bit of the method in the way we approach the game and aggression with the bat was certainly one of them.”You can see the game has changed and the method has changed. You can’t just play normal T20 cricket anymore. Then, with the ball we didn’t get much wickets in the powerplay. So we just spoke about how do we get more wickets in the powerplay, so we changed a few members. So, if you look at our attack, we have six-seven options. So, that has worked really well.”

Liverpool players and fans paid tribute to Diogo Jota during the club's first match at Anfield since the Portuguese's death.

Jota dies in car crashLiverpool honour himTributes at Athletic Club gameFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 28-year-old and his brother Andre Silva, 25, died in a car crash in Spain in early July, something that rocked Liverpool to its very core. On Monday, the Reds played Athletic Club in a double header, and in the first encounter, the club honoured the Portugal international in many ways. Both sets of players, coaches and fans applauded as the game was stopped in the 20th minute as they remembered their No. 20.

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Before the game, Liverpool legend Phil Thomson and Athletic president Jon Uriarte put down wreaths on the pitch, while billboards around Anfield read 'Rest in Peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva – You'll Never Walk Alone'. Fans also constantly sang about the ex-Wolves star as they remembered the Reds forward in touching style. 

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Jota will likely be honoured for a long time yet as Liverpool prepare to face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, followed by their Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 15.