Sussex wrap up emphatic victory with a day to spare in first round of Bob Willis Trophy

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2020Sussex 176 (Salt 68, Garton 54*) and 221 (Salt 80) beat Hampshire 153 (Came 25) and 150 (Robinson 5-29) by 94 runs Ollie Robinson took five wickets, including three in 14 balls, as Sussex beat Hampshire by 94 runs in their Bob Willis Trophy south group opener at Hove.Robinson picked up Joe Weatherley, Felix Organ and Sam Northeast before lunch and claimed Harry Came as his fourth victim early into the afternoon session. He then returned after tea to remove last man Ajeet Singh to finish with 5 for 29 from 13.3 impressive overs.Hampshire lost wickets steadily in their pursuit of a victory target of 245 and were dismissed for 150.Robinson, 26, finished with match figures of 8 for 56 and once again showed the form which brought him 137 Championship wickets in the last two seasons and a place in England’s training squad for the recent Test series against West Indies.He removed both Hampshire openers in near-identical fashion, driving without much foot movement and edging to third slip. George Garton held on at the second attempt to remove Joe Weatherley (2) before taking a low catch offered by Organ for 9.Robinson struck again in his fourth over when Northeast (7), attempting a checked drive, got an inside edge and lost his leg stump and Hampshire had slumped to 38 for four just after lunch when Came was defeated by Robinson’s extra bounce off a good length and edged to Phil Salt at slip for 6. After his new-ball spell Robinson had figures of four for 15 from eight overs.Although Robinson was a handful throughout, there was some poor shot selection by the Hampshire batsmen with no one in either of their innings going past 30.After Robinson had wrecked their top order, debutant off-spinner Jack Carson picked up three wickets as Hampshire’s batsmen continued to show a lack of discipline having seemingly got themselves established.Ian Holland (13) was bowled sweeping as for the second time in the match Carson took a wicket with his second ball before left-hander Tom Alsop, who looked as comfortable as anyone, came down the track and was beaten in the flight, bowled for 27.Lewis McManus was another who got out when seemingly well set, caught off a top-edged pull for 28 the ball after he pulled George Garton over mid-wicket for a flat six.Then James Fuller horribly mis-timed a pull at a short ball from slow left-armer Delray Rawlins which he should have blasted out of the ground and instead gave a catch to Henry Crocombe at wide long-on.Hampshire were 135 for 8 at tea and their resistance lasted for only another 15 minutes after the interval. Mason Crane endured a 14-ball duck, caught off a mis-timed sweep to give Carson his fifth wicket of the match.Fittingly, though, it was left to Robinson – the best bowler on show by some margin – to wrap things up when he had last man Dale caught behind for a duck to claim the 14th five-wicket haul of his first-class career. Keith Barker, who struck some futile blows towards the end, finished unbeaten on 25.Earlier, Sussex had added 66 runs to their overnight 155 for 6 before they were dismissed for 221 in their second innings.Barker made the breakthrough in the second over of the day when Rawlins (11) was caught behind to give the former Warwickshire left-armer his 400th first-class wicket. Off-spinner Organ and leg-spinner Crane combined to finish off the innings.Robinson made a rapid 23 before trying to sweep Organ out of the rough and giving a catch to Holland, running back from slip.Garton (13) was leg before when he missed a sweep off Crane, who finished off the innings when Mitch Claydon (16) slogged across the line after adding 22 runs for the last wicket with Crocombe (10 not out).

MatériaMais Notícias

Um dos destaques da Seleção Brasileira feminina de futebol na estreia dos Jogos Olímpicos, a goleira Bárbara falou sobre o desejo de conquistar a medalha de ouro em sua última participação em Olimpíadas. Segundo a atleta, chegar ao time canarinho “é muito difícil”.

– É minha quarta e última Olimpíada e espero que seja com a medalha de ouro. É muito difícil chegar até a Seleção, mas permanecer é bem pior. Quem já passou por aqui e quem ainda está aqui sabe bem disso. A primeira luta é para estar aqui, e mais uma vez eu estou tendo essa oportunidade de disputar mais uma – disse Bárbara ao site da CBF.

+ Veja a tabela e os jogos das Olimpíadas

RelacionadasOlimpíadasBernardinho se emociona com desfile do filho na Olimpíada e entrega ‘segredo’ de família: ‘samba no pé’Olimpíadas23/07/2021OlimpíadasTiro com arco, remo e cerimônia de abertura… Veja o resumo do dia nos Jogos OlímpicosOlimpíadas23/07/2021OlimpíadasLetícia Bufoni não esconde ansiedade por estreia nos Jogos OlímpicosOlimpíadas23/07/2021

Na goleada sobre as chinesas, Bárbara fechou o gol brasileiro e fez grandes defesas ao longo dos 90 minutos. A goleira também aproveitou para elogiar o trabalho da treinadora Pia Sundhage.

-No decorrer do tempo, a gente vai ganhando experiência. E, com esse novo trabalho que está sendo proposto, estamos renovadas. Acredito que a gente chega com uma metodologia totalmente diferente e tenho certeza que a gente vai em busca dessa medalha de ouro – disse Bárbara, que completou:

-As atletas já se conhecem, temos algumas meninas novas, com pouca experiência, mas um talento enorme, que vieram para agregar. Mas a Pia estar no comando hoje, modificando de forma tão profunda o trabalho que fazíamos, eu tenho certeza que é o nosso grande diferencial nessa Olimpíada.

+Veja as melhores fotos da Cerimônia de Abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos de Tóquio

Aos 33 anos, a goleira relembrou as últimas edições dos Jogos Olímpicos e falou sobre as tristezas que teve ao não conquistar o título. Segundo ela, porém, estas lembranças dão a oportunidade de conquistar o objetivo agora.

-Em 2008, entrei logo no primeiro jogo, quando a Andreia se machucou. Pude jogar, ir até a final e conquistar a medalha de prata. Lembro como se fosse hoje. E, nos últimos Jogos, em 2016, quando não conseguimos chegar à final… isso é uma parte dolorida para mim.

– Ficou um desejo, uma sensação de que podíamos mais, de que podíamos ter chegado à final, e isso deixa uma angústia no peito. Tem esses dois lados. Mas a lembrança que não é tão boa nos dá a oportunidade de retornar em busca daquilo que deixamos para trás – finalizou Bárbara.

Joshua Zirkzee has revealed he hopes to emulate Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• Dutchman hopes to play like Ibrahimovic
• Has already scored his first United goal
• Admits he played poorly against Liverpool

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Zirkzee has revealed that he is aiming to emulate the playing style of Ibrahimovic at United, as he bids to become the reliable No.9 they have long required. The Dutchman scored on his debut for the club against Fulham and was also on target on his full international debut for the Netherlands against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Zirkzee has not scored since his debut for United, though, and endured what he has described as a "shameful" performance against Liverpool, as the Red Devils lost 3-0. But he has set his sights on becoming an elite striker at Old Trafford; just as Ibrahimovic was in his short stint at the club. The Swede scored 29 goals and bagged 10 assists in just 53 games for the club between 2016-17.

• WHAT ZIRKZEE SAID

  Zirkzee said, per the Mirror: “I would love it if, in a few years’ time, people said that my game looks a bit like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The start, with the winning goal against Fulham, was nice. Then we lost twice – and you know that at a big club like Manchester United the attention then comes full on.

  “I believe it will be fine. I've always had that. I never doubted it would still work out with my career. As a player, you gradually discover what you need to do to get to the top level and what you must cut out.

  “The defeat against Liverpool was shameful. But when I see the team training, I do think we are on the right track. I missed chances against Liverpool. Did I get into the right position? Yes, but what is the point when the ball does not end up in the net?

  “I had really good talks with Erik ten Hag. It's unfortunate that the start was disappointing, but we know what we need to work on. Yes, it is about adjusting. Whether it is also tougher than Serie A? Yes, it could be. At Bologna, we had ball possession very often. In England, I feel the game undulates much more. It’s up and down and indeed different.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United – who secured a much-needed 3-0 win at Southampton on Saturday – start their League Cup campaign against Barnsley in midweek. They then face Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park next weekend.

Aston Villa and NSWE have submitted a bid to sign a long-term target for Unai Emery this summer.

Aston Villa transfer rumours

The Villans can now prepare to host Champions League football next season following a terrific first full Premier League campaign under Emery which resulted in a top-four finish.

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He is expected to be sold this summer.

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Monchi and co appear to be laying the groundwork for a busy summer transfer window to bolster Emery’s squad, with Ross Barkley on course to become the first arrival and plenty of links to other signings, namely Mario Hermoso of Atletico Madrid.

Reports have suggested that Aston Villa are in advanced talks with Barkley, who has impressed with Luton Town over the past 10 months. The former loanee could sign a permanent deal in the Midlands in a cut-price transfer. After Barkley, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot appear to be two high-profile targets with Champions League experience.

Monchi and Emery love Araujo and have held initial talks with Barcelona, whereas Rabiot, like Hermoso, could soon be available on a free transfer but has worked under Emery at Paris Saint-Germain.

Aston Villa submit €15m Marcos Acuna bid

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Villa Park in the last 12 months is Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna. In fact, it was claimed in August 2023 that the Argentine was on his way to the Midlands to sign a Villa deal, but as we know, a transfer eventually fell through.

The interest from Villa has remained, though, continuing during the January transfer window and now again ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Reports from Spain have now revealed that Acuna to Villa is ‘emerging as one of the most notable movements on the market’, with the player ‘about to join’ Villa. It is claimed that Aston Villa have made a €15m (£12.8m) to sign Acuna, with Sevilla sporting director Victor Orta already on the hunt for a replacement.

Emery and Villa appear to be closing in on their man, with Acuna capable of playing further forward as a left midfielder or left winger during his career. Striker Lucas Alario hailed Acuna back in 2019, calling him an "animal" who has a "very good delivery".

"Acuna is an animal. The routes he took… He was uncatchable. He runs all the time, he has a very good delivery and as a centre-forward, you have to take advantage of those qualities."

Acuna’s assist record for a left-back makes for good reading, as can be seen below, with the 32-year-old also helping Argentina win the World Cup in 2022.

Appearances

149

135

109

56

Goals

6

9

20

0

Assists

16

25

26

7

He is a full-back who has 21 games under his belt in the Champions League, and by the looks of things, he could rival Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno during the 2024/25 campaign, with a move this time around seemingly looking likely.

Liverpool owners FSG had scouts in South America to watch an in-demand new transfer target in action this week, according to an intriguing update.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds will embark on a new era under Arne Slot this summer, once Jurgen Klopp moves on, and the Dutchman will want to sign players who are ideal for his style of play.

Ousmane Diomande is a player who has been constantly linked with a summer move to Liverpool, following a season that has seen him impress greatly for Sporting CP. The young centre-back is seen as a possible long-term heir for Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence, with the legendary Dutchman turning 33 in the summer and needing to be replacing one day.

Another report has claimed that the Merseysiders are pushing to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window, in what would be an audacious move for the Nigerian. He has a huge £111m release clause in his current deal, but it remains to be seen if anyone will stump up that amount of money for him, especially a Reds leadership who are known for their analytical approach in the market.

Meanwhile, there are also a number of exits that could happen at Liverpool this summer, with Joe Gomez one of the best players who is believed to be contemplating his future currently. He may want to be a regular elsewhere, possibly even at centre-back instead of full-back.

The likes of Joel Matip and Thiago are expected to depart when their contracts expire at the end of the season, while there is no guarantee that Mohamed Salah will definitely stay put currently. Liverpool need to plan for the long-term future when it comes to new signings, and a fresh update suggests that they are focusing on that.

Liverpool send scout to watch in-demand Brazil sensation

According to Scouts in Attendance on X, Liverpool had scouts present to watch Brazilian teenager Lorran in action for Flamengo on Thursday: "17yo Flamengo RW Lorran got his first senior start in 1-0 Copa do Brasil win v Amazonas on Thurs. Believe LFC are watching him now as well."

Lorran is a relatively unknown name, considering his age and the fact that he is playing in South America, but this is still an exciting update, nonetheless. There is always an element of intrigue about young Brazilian talents, considering the manner in which the likes of Pele, Ronaldo and Neymar have burst onto the scene down the years, so seeing Liverpool linked with one whets the appetite.

Lorran has already made 11 appearances for Flamengo, despite still only being 17 years of age, scoring once and assisting twice in that time. He is also a 13-cap Brazil Under-17 international, netting once in the process.

Slot must must immediately ditch Liverpool flop who earns more than Diaz

This bold call could pay dividends for Liverpool next season.

By
Angus Sinclair

May 3, 2024

The teenage attacker would come in as a long-term acquisition who could shine in the youth team at Liverpool to begin with, or be loaned out elsewhere, with the hope being that he matures into a formidable player over time.

أوضح متخصص سوق الانتقالات، فابرزيو رومانو، تطورات جديدة حول سبب تأخر تجديد عقد محمد صلاح مع ليفربول خلال الفترة الحالية من الموسم.

وسينتهي عقد قائد منتخب مصر ونادي ليفربول، محمد صلاح ، مع فريقه بنهاية الموسم الحالي، صيف 2025.

ولا تزال المفاوضات جارية بين إدارة الريدز ومحمد صلاح بشأن مستقبله مع الفريق، ولم يتوصل الطرفان حتى الآن إلى اتفاق نهائي.

ويحتل ليفربول صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 34 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الفريق أيضاً على صدارة ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 15 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. ذا أثلتيك تفجر مفاجأة بشأن مستقبل محمد صلاح وموقف ليفربول

وقال فابريزيو رومانو لموقع “casino.org”: “مصادر ليفربول تؤكد أنهم يريدون مناقشة الأمر مرة أخرى ومحاولة إيجاد طريقة للمضي قدمًا”.

وأضاف رومانو: “في الوقت الحالي، لم يتم التوصل إلى اتفاق مالي بشأن الراتب والمكافآت وجميع تفاصيل العقد الجديد مع صلاح. لا يُنظر إلى طول العقد على أنه مشكلة أو قضية، لكن الراتب هو موضوع رئيسي حيث شهد صلاح بالفعل عرضًا كبيرًا من الدوري السعودي رفضه ليفربول في صيف 2022”.

وأكد رومانو: “الراتب لم يتحدد بعد وهذه هي المشكلة الرئيسية، وهذا هو السبب أيضًا في أننا نرى الكثير من الشائعات بما في ذلك باريس سان جيرمان”.

وأنهى رومانو قائلاً: “لا يوجد أي عرض أو حتى محادثات تجري الآن بين صلاح وباريس سان جيرمان، على عكس التقارير الأخيرة”.

Everton have often struggled within the transfer market, conducting deals that either see the club lose a lot of money or selling a player for well below his value.

Outgoings have been crucial for Sean Dyche’s side as they aim to avoid any further punishment for breaking the Premier League’s strict PSR rules.

He’s done an admirable job leading the club clear of any impending danger and securing their Premier League status for another season despite being hit with an eight-point deduction.

His side ended the 2023/24 campaign 14 points clear of Luton Town, with the club needing to build on their success in recent weeks ahead of their 33rd consecutive Premier League campaign which commences in August.

Whilst they’re not in the clear regarding any further punishments, the Toffees are in a solid place under Dyche, but it could’ve been even better had they kept hold of a couple of players who have gone on to develop into top-quality talents away from Goodison Park.

Ademola Lookman’s stats at Everton

Everton signed forward Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic for a fee in the region of £7.5m in January 2017, with the youngster touted as 'one for the future' by boss Ronald Koeman after he arrived at Goodison.

Arriving at the club as a 19-year-old, Lookman made an instant impact on the first-team, scoring on his debut in a 4-0 rout over Manchester City.

However, the goal against Pep Guardiola's side would be the only time he scored for the Toffees before leaving the club to join RB Leipzig on loan.

Despite his tender age, Lookman excelled in Germany, scoring five times in just 11 Bundesliga appearances – form that saw the youngster receive his maiden England U21 call-up.

Upon his return for the 2018/19 season, the forward was restricted to limited minutes for the Toffees, featuring for a total of 601 minutes throughout the entire campaign. Lookman subsequently rejoined RB Leipzig permanently in the summer of 2019, for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £18m – a deal that still brought a £10m profit for the Blues.

However, nearly five years on from his move away from Merseyside, the 26-year-old forward has taken his game to the next level – scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions this season, which includes a hat-trick in the Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.

Why Everton made a bigger mistake selling Anthony Gordon than Lookman

Despite Lookman’s exploits in the final victory, the club arguably made a bigger mistake allowing fellow winger Anthony Gordon to depart Goodison Park, with the youngster finally starting to flourish following his £45m move to Newcastle United in 2023.

The 23-year-old was expected to leave his boyhood club, in order to bolster the club’s battle against PSR, but that doesn’t take away from the fact he would’ve dramatically improved Dyche’s forward line.

Gordon has bagged 11 goals and ten assists in the Premier League in 2023/24, hitting double figures in both tallies for the first time in his professional career.

Gordon vs Lookman in 2023/24

Statistics

Gordon

Lookman

Games

48

43

Goals

12

15

Assists

11

8

Combined G+A

23

23

Stats via Transfermarkt

As a result of his excellent form, the “phenomenal” talent, as dubbed by Newcastle journalist Thomas Hammond, now boasts a transfer value of £68m, as per CIES Football Observatory Tool – a jump of £23m since his move just less than 18 months ago. Lookman, meanwhile, is said to be worth £42m less at 'just' £26m, according to CIES.

Gordon has also been included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man training squad ahead of the European Championships in Germany this summer, with the attacker staking a claim to be in the final squad given his superb performances for Eddie Howe’s side.

His move away from Goodison didn’t sit well with the supporters, but they simply can’t deny they would’ve loved to have kept hold of the youngster given his rapid progress at St James’ Park.

Related Everton hit gold signing star who'd be worth more than Branthwaite in 2024

He made a huge impact at Goodison despite his short stint at the club.

Posts ByEthan Lamb May 20, 2024

Manchester United could be on the hunt for a new no.1 this summer just 12 months after signing Andre Onana for £50m, it has been reported.

Onana struggling at United

Andre Onana's time at Manchester United has, by his own admission, been poor. The Cameroonian goalkeeper's arrival was heralded as a major upgrade on David de Gea, and while that has proved the case with the ball at his feet, question marks remain about his actual ability to keep the ball out of the net.

"It was a difficult time for me", the goalkeeper explained, "It took me six months or seven months not to play good just to feel good."

But the four goals that flew past him at Selhurst Park meant that he has now conceded 81 times in all competitions this season, which is a Manchester United record since the Premier League era began, and one that neither the squad nor Erik ten Hag can be proud of.

He also made a flurry of mistakes in the Champions League, which ultimately saw his side finish bottom of their group and exit the competition at the first hurdle.

Onana's Premier League season

Appearances

35

Goals conceded

55

Save %

74.6%

Shots faced per 90

17.46

Clean sheets

8

With three games left of the season, and Premier League title-hopefuls Arsenal up next, it is conceivable that Manchester United miss out on European football altogether for next season, while the best case scenario appears to be a spot in the Europa League.

But with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, big changes seem set to happen this summer, and one of them could well be between the posts. It had previously been mooted that Manchester United were once again keeping tabs on long-term target Diogo Costa, but now a new name has entered the fray.

A new no.1 on the way?

Now, reports in Spain have linked Manchester United with a move for a new no.1, in the shape of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. The Spaniard has enjoyed another fruitful season in Sociedad, keeping 13 clean sheets and helping his side to a Europa Conference League spot as things stand, though they will need to hold off in-form Real Betis in the final games of the season to ensure that they keep it.

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And his performances have not gone unnoticed, with Marca claiming that the Red Devils are interested in the 29-year-old and could line up a move for him should they decide to move on from Onana.

The shot-stopper has a release clause set at a massive 70m euros (£60m), but no-one is expecting him to move for anything like that amount should a deal materialise, though it is unclear to what extent United chiefs will be able to haggle that down in negotiations.

With Ten Hag's days at the helm seemingly numbered, the players he has backed could face tough futures at Old Trafford too, with Ratcliffe and Co seemingly plotting immediate replacements for some his underperforming stars.

The wicketkeeper-batter lost her NZC central contract earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2020

New Zealand wicketkeeper Rachel Priest has announced her retirement from international cricket and has signed to play for Tasmania in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).Priest was dropped from New Zealand’s central contracts list earlier this month having been part of the T20 World Cup squad. Overall she played 87 ODIs – including a top score of 157 against Sri Lanka in 2015 during which she scored both her one-day hundreds in the space of four days – and 75 T20Is in a career spanning 13 years.She had returned to the New Zealand set-up in late 2019 after a gap of more than two years.”Having been involved in the White Ferns environment for 13 years, most of it enjoyable, it is with much consideration that I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Priest said. “I am really looking forward to the next chapter of my cricketing journey with Cricket Tasmania and the Tigers program and feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity.”Speaking to the website, she added: “I’m in a position where I’ve played a fair amount of cricket at the age that I’m at around the world, so I’m certainly hoping to add some of that experience and bring a bit of the mongrel that [coach Salliann Briggs] spoke to me about.””Experience is massive but it’s also about trying to bring a positive belief into the team, where the girls can be whoever they want to be and back themselves when they perform.”Priest follows Heather Graham (Western Australia) and Naomi Stalenberg (New South Wales) in moving to Tasmania ahead of the 2020-21 season.Meanwhile, pace bowler Sammy Jo-Johnson has switched to New South Wales after nine years with Queensland. She was part of the Australia A set-up last season and also a key component of the Brisbane Heat’s second consecutive WBBL title. Her WBBL future remains undecided with her currently out of contract but the embargo period remains in place.”The [NSW] Breakers have lost some talented Australia players lately and have an exciting young squad so I hope my experience can help them on their journey,” she said. “I harbour an ambition to play for Australia and believe the Breakers can help me achieve that goal by playing a key role for them.”Cricket Australia confirmed yesterday that the women’s domestic competitions would retain their current format and number of matches having previously been considered under threat from cuts amid cost-savings forced by Covid-19.

Sam Billings and David Willey dragged England to a second victory against Ireland in three days and a series win after a middle-order collapse left them 137 for 6 in pursuit of 213.Curtis Campher, the South African-born allrounder, had added to his unbeaten half-century on debut with a more fluent 68 from No. 7 to lift Ireland up to a respectable total, but one that had looked some way short of par when Jonny Bairstow blitzed a 41-ball 82 to break the back of the chase.After a three-wicket burst in six balls from Josh Little, England were staring at the prospect of only a second ODI defeat to Ireland and a first on home soil, but Billings and Willey – the stars with bat and ball respectively in the first match of the series – added 79 in 14.4 overs to calm any nerves and seal a four-wicket win.Ireland knew they needed early wickets when defending, and Craig Young provided the goods after three balls, as Jason Roy slammed a long half-volley straight to extra cover. But it looked as though it would be a chastening evening for them when Bairstow got up and running. He effortlessly picked off anything short, full, wide or straight in blitzing England’s joint-fastest ODI half-century from only 21 balls, spanking Andy McBrine over long-off for six to bring it up.Campher struck in his first over for the second time in as many games, nipping one back through James Vince’s gate to peg back his middle stump, before trapping Tom Banton for a third time in his career – once for South Africa Under-19s in 2018, two in this series. Bairstow looked utterly unfazed by what was happening at the other end, racing towards his hundred, before Little’s spell changed the game on its head.Little, a bustling left-arm seamer with broad shoulders and a skinhead, had starred on ODI debut against England last year, taking 4 for 45 to rattle England in their World Cup build-up. Things had not gone to plan in between, with one wicket for 217 in his next 28 appearances, and he was wayward in his first spell after being drafted in for the injured Barry McCarthy.But in his second, he nicked off Bairstow with a length ball that he looked to force through the off side before spitting a volley in his direction. Then, he removed England’s captain for a duck, just as he had in Malahide, digging one in short which Eoin Morgan spanked straight to (guess who?) Campher at short cover.Three balls later it was Moeen Ali’s turn to give his wicket away, top-edging a short ball towards short fine leg where Tucker ran round to take the catch. Suddenly, England needed 76 to win with only four wickets in hand. Throughout Little’s spell, England’s stand-in coach Paul Collingwood had been speaking to Sky from their diary room; once Moeen fell, he was running for the dressing room.Before long, though, any nerves had been calmed. Billings was happy to play second fiddle to Willey, who pulled a towering six over long leg before whacking Campher for two boundaries to alleviate any hint of scoring pressure. They continued to rattle along to pick off the remaining runs with ease, Willey crunching Campher through square leg to seal the win with 17.3 overs to spare.Ireland’s 212 for 9 had looked short of par on a good batting wicket, primarily thanks to a middle-over squeeze from Adil Rashid and Moeen. Rashid took 3 for 34 from his 10 overs, ripping out Ireland’s middle order, while Moeen bowled typically tight lines to conceded only 27 from his eight. Reece Topley bowled with good pace in his first appearance since 2016 after a string of serious injuries, taking 1 for 31 from his nine overs.Andy Balbirnie had demanded “more application” from his batsmen at the toss, but there was little sign of that against the new ball. Gareth Delany was trapped plumb in front by a Willey nip-backer for a 12-ball duck, and with the onus on Paul Stirling to make a meaningful total, he only managed to slice the same bowler to Banton at backward point.The low moment for Ireland came when the fielding restrictions were lifted. Balbirnie had hit two sweet boundaries, a straight drive off Willey and a sweep off Rashid, when Morgan sprung a surprise by giving Vince his first bowl in a limited-overs international.He looked perfectly serviceable but totally unthreatening, but with Balbirnie’s mind scrambled, stuck between attack and defence, he pulled out of a cut shot to a back-of-a-length ball, edging tamely through to Bairstow. Vince grinned sheepishly, almost apologetic that he had taken his first international wicket; in the absence of fans, you could just about make out a collective groan from the away dressing room.Rashid then took control, bowling Kevin O’Brien with a googly that completely wrong-footed him. Harry Tector fell tamely, chipping half-heartedly to mid-on, while Lorcan Tucker’s dismissal was no prettier, heaving a legbreak from wide outside the off stump down fine leg’s throat while top-edging a sweep.That left Campher, the shining light on debut on Thursday, with the bulk of the hard work to do from 78 for 5. He dug in for a 60-run stand with Simi Singh, dragging Ireland towards a defendable score, before putting his foot down alongside McBrine. They added 56 in 7.1 overs: McBrine nailed an upper-cut and smacked Willey straight back over his head, while Campher got innovative and proved he had power in his locker as well as poise.He eventually fell swiping at Saqib Mahmood outside off, before Topley bowled a tight last over, ending with a sharp bouncer which McBrine edged behind to give him a first international wicket since the 2016 World T20.The third game may be an opportunity for England to take a look at fringe players like Liam Livingstone and Liam Dawson, while both teams will know that they could do with a win with World Cup Super League points on offer.