Spurs must sell £22m dud who's one of "the worst players at a big six club"

Tottenham Hotspur are adjusting to a more pragmatic tactical style under Thomas Frank. This has caused several contentious talking points to spring up over the past several months.

Yes, Spurs are imperfect, and improvements are needed. But they are also fifth in the Premier League after 11 matches, and have lost only three times.

Goals are being scored, albeit with underlying attacking metrics emphasising the work is needed in creative departments. But then, even this comes with the caveat that Tottenham have been without Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, arguably the two most creative outlets at the club, since before the start of the season.

1. Chelsea

3rd

20.4

2. Crystal Palace

2nd

19.4

3. Man City

10th

19.0

4. Arsenal

1st

18.8

5. Man United

7th

18.2

15. Tottenham

5th

11.0

Yes, more is needed. And Frank will consider across the next two international-break-filled weeks his options across the park, and how he can water the roots of his philosophy while growing his Tottenham garden into something viewed as new and growing, rather than negative and Nuno-esque.

The changes Frank needs to make at Spurs

Tottenham showed spirit and resolve against Manchester United last weekend, and though Richarlison’s late strike was cancelled out at the death by Matthijs de Ligt’s header, the hosts did not crumble but responded after a wretched first half.

That’s a glass-half-full way of looking at it, sure, but Tottenham must take the positives – as Frank did.

However, the Danish tactician needs to iron out the many creases in this squad, and one sure-fire way to start that process is by forgoing the decision to field Djed Spence and Richarlison as a left-sided partnership. Width and dynamism are needed down the flanks, and the out-of-position Spence and technically limited Richarlison don’t work well together.

When Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert connected in the second half, things changed.

Likewise, there must be a wider shift in regard to mentality and confidence. Over the past year, Tottenham have played 20 home games and they have won only three. Much-improved away results and a tougher framework from head to toe have scrubbed away the bitter lower-table position of last year, but there remains a need for more positivity, more fluency and enterprise on the ball.

The forwards need to much do more, yes, but the midfielders have flattered to deceive from this perspective this season, and it’s time for Frank to consider parting with one player who lacks the nuance in his role to thrive and make the system tick.

Frank must drop struggling Spurs star

When Tottenham signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in January 2022, initially on loan and then for a fee just shy of £22m, they knew they had landed a talented and multi-faceted midfielder.

And yet he’s falling by the wayside in Frank’s system. The 28-year-old hasn’t fallen, not yet, but his performances are becoming a concern, with analyst Raj Chohan even describing him as a “candidate for worst centre-midfielder at a big six club”.

The conundrum here is two-fold: Bentancur has just signed a new contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, raising his salary considerably to around £120k per week.

But the other angle here is that the Uruguayan just doesn’t work alongside Joao Palhinha, a player who has been regarded by many as one of the best Lilywhites players so far this season, having arrived on a loan deal from Bayern Munich in the summer.

So, if Palhinha has to play, his tough-tackling, protective presence in the middle, Frank must start playing a deep-lying midfielder beside him who can drive play forward with surgical passes. Instead, two pragmatic midfielders have been yoked together in a midfield lacking creativity under a manager who is facing criticisms for a pragmatic style of play.

It is not that difficult to identify the potential problem here, especially when bringing Xavi Simons into the equation, the playmaker yet to adapt to the rigours of the English game, and then addressing again the duel absence of Kulusevski and Maddison.

25/26

10

659′

24/25

26

1,653′

23/24

23

1,007′

22/23

18

1,506′

21/22

17

1,365′

As per data-led platform FBref, Bentancur actually ranks among the bottom 39% of Premier League midfielders this term for progressive passes per 90, underscoring the issues presented in the build-up. Palhinha, unsurprisingly, does not rank highly himself (bottom 11%).

The decision to start Bentancur from the bench against Man United – ending the South American’s run of six successive Premier League starts – tells of Frank’s awareness about all this, but then Pape Matar Sarr wasn’t at his best on that day in any case, albeit growing into the game after a shaky start, his energy and optimism a nice counterpoint to Palhinha’s ruggedness.

Much to chew on. Lucas Bergvall has the progressiveness to forge a protean partnership with Palhinha in the centre, but the teenager has not yet nailed down a prominent role under Frank.

Bentancur might have signed a new contract recently, but that does not mean he is unsellable. Conversely, this could provide an insight into a longer-term plan; this summer, Atletico Madrid were among those interested in an experienced midfielder whose stock has now risen from a financial vantage.

If Tottenham are to persist with the anchoring presence that is Palhinha, it might not be a bad thing to ship Bentancur and his limitations out. When the injured parties return, the picture will become a whole lot clearer, and Bentancur may well be absent from the view.

Spurs flop who's been "swallowed in the PL" must be dropped for Odobert

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Man Utd now eyeing "exceptional" record-breaking maestro with low release clause

Manchester United are now eyeing Hertha Berlin’s Kennet Eichhorn, with it being revealed the midfielder has an affordable release clause, but there could be rival interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

Gary Neville has suggested that Ruben Amorim may need to upgrade the spine of his team, given that his current options are arguably in the latter stages of their career, saying: “You’ve got the midfield, Casemiro and Bruno have got massive experience.

“Up front, they haven’t got the experience. But to me, that spine of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Maguire and De Ligt is ageing, but should be doing a lot better at holding it all together than they do.”

Casemiro has been proving age is just a number with some of his recent performances, which has led to United contacting his agent about a new contract, but with the Brazilian set to turn 34 in just over three months time, Amorim may need to start thinking about a long-term replacement.

Carlos Baleba was named as the Red Devils’ dream target earlier this week, with Elliot Anderson also of interest, despite Nottingham Forest’s huge asking price, but they have now joined the hectic race for another up-and-coming prospect…

Man Utd eyeing Hertha Berlin's Kennet Eichhorn

According to an update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, Man United are now eyeing Hertha Berlin maestro Eichhorn, who recently broke the record to become the youngest player in the history of the 2. Bundesliga.

Lauded as an “exceptional talent” by Plettenberg, the 16-year-old is already a regular starter for the German second tier side, which has led to interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, including RB Leipzig, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

The teenager has an affordable release clause of just €10m – €12m (£9m – £11m) included in his contract with the German club, and there are plenty of indications he could be a fantastic long-term addition to Amorim’s squad.

Becoming a first-team regular at just 16 is an achievement in and of itself, with the youngster making ten appearances all competitions this season, and he has put in some impressive performances, given his age, in order to keep his place in the side.

Last month, the Hertha starlet showcased his all-round attributes in a 2-1 win against Munster, creating one big chance, while also making a combined four interceptions and tackles to keep the opposition at bay.

Eichhorn is certainly one for the future, but it is also paramount Man United bring in a midfielder capable of immediately slotting into the starting XI in January, given that Casemiro’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and Kobbie Mainoo’s future is still in major doubt…

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A Saka & Madueke hybrid: Arsenal ramp up move to sign £75m "monster"

Arsenal have made a blistering start to this season, and the theme of their success continues to be squad depth.

On Wednesday night, it was substitutes that made all the difference, as the Gunners beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Champions League.

Riccardo Calafiori set up Noni Madueke to score the go-ahead goal, before Gabriel Martinelli raced around Manuel Neuer to stroke home the clincher soon after, all three doing so off the bench.

In recent seasons, most notably last year, Arsenal’s title hopes have been derailed by injuries, simply not possession-requisite deputies, in terms of quality, quantity and sometimes both, to cope with key absentees.

Well, this time round, numerous key figures have been or are currently still sidelined, and this has not hampered the Gunners one bit, so do Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta now have their eyes set on further new recruits in January?

Arsenal target a new attacker

Those who thought Mikel Merino up front had been confined to the past were very much mistaken, the Spaniard forced back into the emergency centre-forward role because, well, in recent weeks there haven’t been any other options.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyökeres remain sidelined, Martin Ødegaard, Madueke and Martinelli have all made their returns this week, but Leandro Trossard is a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge after suffering a knock against Bayern, the severity of which is not yet known.

So, could Arteta request the arrival of a new attacker in January?

Well, according to reports in Spain, Arsenal are interested in signing Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, with Manchester United also in the race to secure his signature.

They add that die Schwarzgelben value the German international at £75m, but could be under pressure to sell, considering that his contract expires in 2027, hence why there is ‘intensifying’ interest from the two Premier League giants.

So, could he become the 13th German to feature for Arsenal, following in the footsteps of Jens Lehmann, Per Mertesacker, Mesut Özil, Bernd Leno, Lukas Podolski and others?

What Karim Adeyemi​​​​​​​ would bring to Arsenal

After beginning his senior career at RB Salzburg, Adeyemi joined Dortmund in the summer of 2022 for €38m (around £33m), scoring 31 goals and registering 22 assists for the club to date.

Analyst Ben Mattinson praises his “electric pace” and labels him a “transitional monster”, which is possibly best demonstrated by this goal he scored in the Champions League against Graham Potter’s Chelsea at the Westfalenstadion​​​​​​​.

Meantime, according to the Bundesliga, he is one of the fastest players in the division’s history, reaching a top speed of 22.77 miles per hour, which would result in an £80 fine if he ran that fast up Holloway Road parallel to the Emirates.

He is very much a key player at Dortmund, as the table below documents.

Goals

5

2nd

Assists

3

2nd

Shots

31

2nd

Key passes

12

3rd

Shot-creating actions

39

2nd

Goal-creating actions

7

2nd

Big chances created

4

2nd

Attempted take-ons

54

1st

Successful take-ons

24

1st

Progressive carries

35

1st

Top speed

32.2 km/h

1st

Touches in box

65

1st

Average rating

7.31

2nd

The table underlines Adeyemi’s importance to Dortmund.

Only Serhou Guirassy has scored more goals, with wing-back Julian Ryerson the only player boasting better creative numbers, but Adeyemi is currently combining the two.

The attacker also leads the way at die Schwarzgelben for all the dribbling statistics as well as top speed, registering the most touches of any Dortmund player in the opposition penalty area.

This emphasises how he is currently able to combine all the things that make both Madueke and Bukayo Saka elite – the two players noted as among the five most stylistically and statistically similar players to Adeyemi among those in their position across Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref.

Madueke is a direct dribbler who is a major goal-threat, underlined by the fact that he ranked third in the Premier League last season for progressive carries and fifth when it came to touches in the attacking penalty box.

Saka meantime is the creator in chief, registering more shot-creating actions and big chances created than any other Arsenal player so far this season, despite a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Well, right now, Adeyemi is able to combine all of these qualities into one, seemingly fulfilling his full potential at the age of 23, suggesting he would be an excellent addition to Arteta’s team and could be the man to fire them to that elusive first Premier League title since 2002.

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Fox Announcers Blown Away By Eugenio Suárez's Pregame Performance Ahead of Game 5

The Tigers and Mariners faced off in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday night on Fox. The winner would move on to the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays. The loser's season would be over.

During the Fox pregame show Eugenio Suárez was highlighted just as he blew a huge bubble. The studio crew of Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter were all very impressed. There were random noises and laughter in the studio with Ortiz noting that he would put that on his head.

How can you not be romantic about baseball? You've got one adult blowing bubbles at work while four other adults watch him in awe and cheer.

Suárez hit 49 home runs this season, including 13 with the Mariners after he was traded from the Diamondbacks at the end of July. Suárez entered Game 5 with just two hits in the postseason, but one of those was a home run in Game 3 against the Tigers.

Yankees Provide Update on Aaron Judge's Recovery From Elbow Injury

From looking at Yankees right fielder and designated hitter Aaron Judge's numbers in 2025, one would hardly know he was injured.

However, even while slashing .331/.457/.688, the future Hall of Famer was affected by a right elbow flexor strain for much of the late season. The injury cost him 10 days, and led to a sharp decrease in time spent playing the field when he returned in early August.

On Thursday, New York manager Aaron Boone offered a glimpse of how Judge plans to rehabilitate his injury in the offseason.

"[Judge] is not [having surgery]. He actually had an MRI after the season, it showed continued improvement in the flexor muscles. He finished the season doing pretty well, so no surgery is going to be needed for Aaron," Boone told reporters via SNY.

Judge slashed .500/.581/.682 with a home run and seven RBIs in the Yankees' seven-game playoff stint. Nonetheless, the Blue Jays knocked the Yankees out of the American League Division Series in four games.

"He'll take some time off and continue to do strengthening things and rehab and stuff. Felt like he finished the season in a pretty good place, as we saw continued improvements with him," Boone said.

New Zealand's Beckham shows how to mend it

While the rest of the New Zealand top order struggled against the Bangladesh attack, it seemed like he was batting on a different surface

Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom06-Feb-2020Ten New Zealand players came out to bat in the semi-final against Bangladesh. Nine of them combined to score 122 runs in 218 deliveries at a strike rate of 55.96. The tenth, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall, scored 75 at a strike rate of 90.36.It seemed like Wheeler-Greenall was batting on a different surface than the rest of his team-mates. While the rest of the New Zealand top order struggled to find the gaps against Bangladesh’s varied and effective bowling attack, Wheeler-Greenall continued to drag New Zealand out of the quicksand they were apparently sinking in.When he walked in to bat after 25.4 overs, New Zealand were at 75 for 4, struggling to even score at three runs per over. It seemed he had a plan, to take the team through the 50 overs. At some point, the runs would come, and they did in the final ten when the team scored at a run rate of more than seven. The way he paced his innings, is what makes him one to watch out for in the future.He took his time at the start. Facing two quality spinners from both ends, he scored only two runs in his first 11 deliveries. He let himself settle in. But as soon as he took strike in the 29th over, he smashed the left-arm spinner, Rakibul Hasan, for consecutive boundaries.Nicholas Lidstone and Wheeler-Greenall added 65 for the fifth wicket, but when the former fell, the New Zealand innings still had 56 balls remaining. When the wicketkeeper Quinn Sunde fell for 1, leaving Wheeler-Greenall with only the tailenders to play with, they had 50 balls left. In those 50 balls, New Zealand made 69.Trusting his skills, he ramped the Bangladesh quick Tanzim Hasan Sakib for a six over fine leg in the 43rd over to begin his charge. He then thumped two fours off left-arm spinner Hasan Murad in the 44th to reach his second fifty of the tournament. It looked like New Zealand’s push for a 200-plus total had begun, but another couple of wickets left them with the very real prospect of being all out without lasting the 50 overs. So Wheeler-Greenall reined himself in once more, knocking the ball around till the end of the 49th over. With six balls left and two wickets still in hand, he unleashed his strokes, clattering 10 runs off the first two legal deliveries of the final over to take New Zealand past 200. A couple of scampered byes in the last three balls of the innings helped New Zealand finish on 211 for 8.This, however, wasn’t the first time Wheeler-Greenall has held New Zealand’s batting together. In the must-win game against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament, it was his 111-ball 80 that had taken New Zealand close to the rather stiff target of 243. He had very nearly taken the team home too, but a search for a quick single had him run-out in the 49th over. That day, his team-mate Kristian Clarke’s two-ball six had saved New Zealand the blushes as they won in the final over, and on Thursday, he hoped to do the same. While his efforts could not take his team through to the final, it at least ensured the much-awaited semi-final wasn’t a damp squib and that his team could leave the field with their heads held high despite their six-wicket defeat.Before he became a serious cricketer in consideration for a spot in the New Zealand Under-19 side, Wheeler-Greenall used to play football regularly in the winter months as three members of his family have played club football for Otago United. It’s not surprising that he gets his first name from former England football captain David Beckham.One of Beckham’s most famous goals is from the halfway line against Wimbledon. Wheeler-Greenall’s most memorable moment from the football pitch, too, is a half-line goal he scored for his Dunedin-based high school during the quarter-final of the country’s youth championships. For New Zealand, Wheeler-Greenall wears jersey No. 23. Beckham had the same digits at Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.After this tournament, Wheeler-Greenall will go back to schools cricket, and a first-class debut is still relatively far away in the pipeline for the 17-year-old. But one thing has been proven. If Beckham could bend it, Wheeler-Greenall has shown he can mend it.

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Who is Sohail Akhtar, the new Lahore Qalandars captain?

The story of a player who was very nearly lost to Pakistan cricket, only to make a stirring comeback

Umar Farooq21-Feb-2020Where did he come from?
Akhtar was born in Haripur, a district in the Hazara divison of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, in the northern part of Pakistan. But he isn’t a , as most locals there are. He speaks Hindko and grew up around the Khanpur Dam and Wah Cantonment area, an hour’s drive from Islamabad.The most popular cricketer from this region was Arshad ur Rehman (popularly known as Arshad ), but he had to settle for playing in grade two for all of his 20-year career. Akhtar, too, could have been lost in the same way. He was in his early 20s when he picked up hard-ball cricket, but with lack of opportunities, he had been stuck playing district-level tournaments until Lahore Qalandars him at age 30.How did he get into competitive cricket?
Akhtar was 24 when he made his debut for Haripur in the PCB’s inter-district senior tournament. That was in 2010. He marked the occasion with an explosive hundred, an early sign that he would end up as his team’s leading run-getter – 307 runs in five games at 51.17. On that form, he might have expected a ticket to the 2011 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with Abbottabad, but it never happened. And then the runs dried up. He did get a shot at first-class cricket, though, but perhaps after he was past his prime.Why did it take so long for him to make the grade?
Akhtar was a victim of inter-district politics. While every district had due representation at the top level in the domestic circuit, players from the ones with stronger lobbies found it easier to break through. As a result, his senior career was restricted to 12 just first-class matches, between 2013 and 2017.With Abbottabad Falcons relegated from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy after finishing bottom in 2014, Akhtar returned to playing in grade two for a private confectionary maker, Candyland, and also for his home district. Finally, after playing for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) team in 2017, he gave up on his first-class dreams and took up a clerk’s job in Pakistan’s atomic energy department.What made him come back?
Well, T20 cricket. He chose to stay active in the shortest format and has been especially productive over the last three years. Between 2017 and 2018, he scored 303 runs for FATA at 33.66 with a strike rate of 126.25. It was around this time that the Qalandars’ player development programme was gaining recognition and PCB coach Ayyaz Akbar Yousafzi recommended his name to Aaqib Javed.Akhtar didn’t make much headway on his first try – actually he wasn’t even given one, largely because he was seen as overweight – but then Fakhar Zaman requested the Qalandars management to reconsider and at least let him play in the trials. Once there, Akhtar put on such a show that he eclipsed Umar Akmal with his big-hitting and was soon admitted into the Qalandars’ ranks.Okay, but how did he become their captain?
Qalandars have long struggled to make a mark in the PSL, never getting past the group stage and often finishing last. In their search for new leaders, they turned to one of their more solid performers, Akhtar, who had taken to the role of middle-order power-hitter quite well over the last two seasons, scoring 556 runs at a solid average of 37.06 and a healthy strike rate. Under his captaincy, the team won the 2018 Abu Dhabi T20 trophy.While one random title win does not herald a new era, the manner in which Akhtar achieved it impressed the Qalandars staff. His hundred in the opening game was a watershed moment. Watching him steer a chase of 184 against Yorkshire gave the management all the confidence they needed to put him in charge for the upcoming PSL season. It helped, as well, that Akhtar emerged as the Qalandars’ highest run-getter in the Abu Dhabi competition, suggesting that he enjoyed the extra responsibility.

The best of Suresh Raina in India colours

From World Cup heroics to spellbinding fielding displays, here is a list of what made Raina so electric

Sruthi Ravindranath16-Aug-2020Cameos in the 2011 World Cup Having spent time on the bench early on, Raina was brought in for the group match against West Indies and the knockout stages. His contributions in the quarter-final and the semi-final of India’s title-winning campaign were hugely significant given the situation the team was in during both those matches.Beating Australia in a World Cup was never an easy task, even for strong teams, and India felt it as Ricky Ponting struck a century on a turning pitch to take his team to a total of 260 in the quarter-final. Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir replied with half-centuries of their own but their dismissals left India needing 74 runs from 75 balls. MS Dhoni’s dismissal in the 38th over had Raina join an on-song Yuvraj Singh at the crease. The duo turned the game around in the very next over with Yuvraj taking control of the chase and Raina giving commendable support. With India needing 22 off 30 balls, Raina walloped Brett Lee’s over long-on which served as a huge turning point in the match.Six days later, Raina would do it once again in the semi-final against Pakistan, with an unbeaten 36 off 39 on a slow pitch in Mohali, taking the total to 260. Tendulkar was the top-scorer with 85 off 115 balls but Raina’s cameo was vital given India’s margin of victory was a very tight 29 runs.Heroics in 2008 Asia CupIt had been almost three years since he had made his ODI debut but Raina had not cemented his place in the XI. But the 2008 Asia Cup changed all that.Raina brought up his first ODI ton against a rather hapless Hong Kong side in Karachi, combining with Dhoni for a 166-run partnership that set up a 256-run victory. Raina followed it up with a 69-ball 85 against Pakistan, where he was also promoted to No. 3, this time partnering with Virender Sehwag as they made short work of their target of 300.Raina’s rich form continued as he brought up another century in the tournament in a chase against Bangladesh a couple of days later. His 116 off 107 balls had 11 fours and three sixes as he, along with Gambhir, overhauled Bangladesh’s 283 with 40 balls to spare. He didn’t stop there – a half-century against Sri Lanka in a 308-run chase put India in the final and at the end of it all he finished as the tournament’s second-best batsman with 372 runs from six innings at an average of 74.40.ALSO READ: Raina, an ace at World Cups and Asia CupsMasterminding chasesSince his early days in the Indian team, Raina has played the role of a finisher in a number of games. Only 19 years old, he rose to the occasion during England’s tour of India in 2006, when he smashed an 89-ball 81 after India were reeling at 92 for 5 in their 226-run chase.After his memorable Asia Cup in 2008, he impressed with half-centuries in chases against Sri Lanka and England later that year. In 2010, he came into India’s home series against Australia with a string of low scores but, faced with a target of 289, in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, he plundered an unbeaten 71 off 47, replete with nine fours and one six, to take India to a win.

Having built a strong reputation as a T20 batsman in the IPL, Raina proved it in India colours, masterminding a 199-run chase to hand India a thrilling last-ball finish in the third T20I in Sydney in 2016. India were under immense pressure after Kohli’s dismissal in the 15th over, leaving them needing 53 off 31 balls. Raina soaked up the pressure, hitting boundaries and making Australia pay for their silly errors on the field. With 18 runs needed off the last over, Yuvraj started off by hitting a six and a four, and with four runs needed off the last ball to win, Raina punched one over point for a boundary and sealed the game. He finished unbeaten on 49 off 25 balls.2010 T20 World Cup century One of Raina’s most memorable knocks is his first and only T20I century at the 2010 World Cup. He started off jittery, struggling against short pitched deliveries, mistiming shots and getting extra lives on his way to the landmark. But he got better as the innings progressed and once the spinners came on, he was unstoppable.Raina bludgeoned 101 off 60 balls, slamming nine fours and five sixes. At the time, he was only the third player to score a T20I international century. Later that year, he would go on to become the first India batsman to score a century in all three formats, with a ton on Test debut.The outstanding fielderWith speed, skill and brilliant reflexes, Raina had one of the safest pair of hands in cricket. A “you remind me of me” compliment to Raina, from Jonty Rhodes, one of the all-time greats, is a testament to that.One memorable moment from his younger days was during the Multan ODI against Pakistan in 2006, when then-captain Rahul Dravid placed him at short point for Kamran Akmal. The very next ball the batsman cut without taking proper caution and Raina was there to gleefully gobble up the catch. Later that year, he impressed with another brilliant move against Australia, when he flew in to catch Simon Katich at point. The diving low catch became something of a Raina trademark.

As a fielder, Raina could sense split-second opportunities. Like the one that resulted in Ross Taylor’s run-out in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Raina had just bowled a ball to Corey Anderson, who had knocked it down the ground to Raina’s left. Taylor thought there was a run in it and was already out of his crease, but before anyone knew what was happening, Raina tumbled after the ball, grabbed it, and still in the middle of regaining his balance, flicked it back onto the stumps at the non-strikers’ end for a direct hit.

Amy Satterthwaite on an 'awesome' path to show 'people can have a family and still play'

The New Zealand batter took a break to have a child, and now returns to the top level to play her 100th T20I

Andrew McGlashan23-Sep-2020For all the players involved, the Australia-New Zealand women’s series which starts in Brisbane on Saturday is important, bringing international sport back to the country for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, but for Amy Satterthwaite there will be added significance as she returns to the game after having her first child with wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu.Grace Marie was born on January 13 and nine months later Satterthwaite will join what remains a select group of sportswomen to return to the top of their field after starting a family. Providing selection goes in her favour, the opening match of the T20I series will also be Satterthwaite’s 100th T20I.”It’s a pretty special story to think I’ve gone away, had a child and my first possible game back will not only be for New Zealand but also be my 100th T20,” Satterthwaite told ESPNcricinfo. “And for Grace to be able to be around and see that, hopefully it will be a special day.”

Grace has been with us on tour and it’s been awesome, think the team has really enjoyed having her around bringing a lot of smiles to faces

While the decision to start a family when playing elite sport was nothing to do with making statements for Satterthwaite, she admitted becoming more aware of what it can stand for and how it can further show that it is no longer an either/or decision.”More people have pointed it out as we’ve gone along and what it means,” she said. “It certainly wasn’t something we set out to do, but you come to realise just the nature of what we are doing, you are setting a bit of trail as people call it.”I’ve played for a while now and I’ve seen people who were playing for New Zealand or Canterbury and they’ve stopped to have a family then not come back. From our point of view, it would be an awesome result to be able to show that people can have a family and still play.”The Covid-world has brought a new set of challenges, especially as Satterthwaite and Tahuhu are at the start of a long stay in Australia with the WBBL for Melbourne Renegades to follow this series. Originally the plan would have been to have family join them to help look after Grace, but quarantine restrictions has meant that isn’t possible so they organised separate nannies, who will be within the biosecure bubbles, for their stays in Brisbane and then Sydney.Amy Satterthwaite sweeps•Getty Images”It threw a bit of a spanner in the works like it did for most people,” Satterthwaite said. “Grace has been with us on tour and it’s been awesome, think the team has really enjoyed having her around bringing a lot of smiles to faces. It’s been a nice distraction while we’ve been in quarantine.”Satterthwaite, who has lost the New Zealand captaincy to Sophie Devine, will resume the role in the WBBL with last year’s Renegades’ skipper, Jess Duffin, having also given birth in June.Both New Zealand Cricket and the Renegades “have been brilliant,” she added. “It takes a lot of stress and pressure off you to able to know that’s all taken care of and that support is there, you and enjoy training and playing.”Satterthwaite returned to training a few months ago in the depths of the New Zealand winter and while she admitted to occasional thoughts about the reality of the challenges the hunger remained.”You start thinking of the road ahead, the fitness that you’ve got involved, you sort of think ‘will I be up for this?’ but for the most part that fire was still in the belly to come back,” she said. “Definitely there was an element of having this new life, and having Grace there I knew it was going to be pretty tough to be able to leave her to train but the more I got into it the more normal it became, that was probably the hardest part leaving her to go and work.

I’ve played for a while now and I’ve seen people who were playing for New Zealand or Canterbury and they’ve stopped to have a family then not come back. From our point of view, it would be an awesome result to be able to show that people can have a family and still play

“That first hit I had with [New Zealand coach] Bob Carter was certainly an interesting one. That feeling of apprehension about whether you’ll be able to hit the ball, but at the same I had low expectations because I hadn’t played cricket for a while. In a roundabout way I was pretty relaxed and it went quite well. After a long break you have that slight nervousness as to whether or not you will really want to come back and for me to enjoy that session reinforced that I was looking forward to it. So that was a nice feeling.”In the three years before her break, from 2016-2019, Satterthwaite had risen to be the No. 1 batter in ODI cricket and she will return to that format in early October still ranked No. 7. In that period she averaged a phenomenal 61.35 and it included four hundreds in consecutive innings which equalled the world record held by Kumar Sangakkara. On the route back she has delved into the archives of that memorable time.”I have certainly had a look at the footage to remind myself of how I played and what worked. When you haven’t played for a while it’s nice to refresh the memory and hopefully take that into when I do get back onto the park, remember the feelings I was having at the time when it was working well. I think too often as cricketers we look at what isn’t going well and it’s very important to look at strengths and what has been successful.”By contrast, her T20I record is less eye-catching with an average of 21.19 and just one half-century in 89 innings. However, she believes her domestic T20 record where she averaged 28.87 in the WBBL and 31.35 in the now defunct Kia Super League is a truer reflect of where her game sits although she continues to strive to expand her batting.”Over the last few years at domestic level my record has certainly been better there than it has been at international level,” she said. “It’s probably taken longer to work out my game in the T20 format where I’ve been relatively comfortable at 50-overs.”In my career I’ve batted in all sorts of positions in T20 and I know trying to score from the get-go has been something I’ve had to work on over the years. When you have the quality of Sophie [Devine] and Suzie [Bates] ahead of you, you have to learn to play your game and not copy how they play.”There are no guarantees for how the comeback will go for Satterthwaite – “the test will be when you get back out into the middle, competing in matches,” she said – but her return is significant beyond just the runs and wickets.

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