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The home side crashed to 4 for 7 in their chase and couldn’t make up the ground

AAP27-Oct-2022Adelaide Strikers fast bowlers Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown have combined to destroy Brisbane’s top order to secure a 31-run win in the WBBL.The duo , both Australian representatives, were on fire at the start of Heat’s run chase and had the home side 4 for 7 in the fourth over with their pace and seam too hot to handle at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field.Heat allrounders Amelia Kerr and Charli Knott promised to cut loose after they had rescued their team with the bat in a thrilling three-run win over Sydney Thunder on Tuesday. The pair impressed again in a 52-run stand before Brown and Schutt came back into the attack to reassert their early dominance.Earlier Strikers’ innings was anchored by opener Katie Mack (35) and South African international Laura Wolvaardt (46) in a 64-run second-wicket stand.The catch of the tournament to date was taken by Knott at cover to dismiss the dangerous Wolvaardt when she made ground swiftly and dived full-stretch to her right to clutch the ball in one hand. Bridget Patterson and Madeline Penna got Strikers to a competitive total.Heat skipper Jess Jonassen was superb with her left-arm spinners to become the season’s leading wicket taker with 10. Fast bowler Nicola Hancock was just as impressive.Strikers moved into the top four on the ladder while Heat remain first despite the loss which brought an end to their four-game winning streak.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola slammed the decision to send off Evanilson during his side's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

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Bournemouth draw with Man UtdEvanilson sent off for Mazraoui foulIraola slams call and plans appealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bournemouth looked to be heading to a hard-fought 1-0 win on Sunday, only for Evanilson's 70th-minute red card for a foul on Noussair Mazraoui to change the complexion of the game, and United scored a last-gasp equaliser to spoil the home team's party. After the match, Cherries coach Iraola felt the wrong decision was made, that they will appeal the call, and that referee Peter Bankes made a big error.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT IRAOLA SAID

He told : "Common sense. Everyone who has played football understands. He slips. He doesn't catch him with the leg that goes high and the consequence is a red card. It is another three games without playing. The repercussions for us are huge. Of course we are going to appeal. It is common sense. In the first half Evanilson gets a kick in the chest by Casemiro. I don't think you should have a red card for this. But the VAR cuts the worst angle, the worst frame."

On suggestions that VAR did not tell the referee that Evanilson slipped, he replied: "If you are telling me that then it is something very, very serious. It is difficult for us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This result is a big blow for Bournemouth in their bid to secure European football for the first time in the club's history. A win would have taken them eighth but as it is they are 10th and sit seven points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa with four games to go.

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It remains to be seen if Bournemouth, who next travel to second-placed Arsenal in the Premier League, will be successful with Evanilson's appeal.

One Rangers man is now closing in on an Ibrox exit this summer in a fresh blow to Philippe Clement, according to a fresh report.

Rangers transfer updates

After a tricky season to date, Rangers could also be facing a difficult summer transfer window ahead too. Philippe Clement’s side sit second in the Scottish Premiership, a massive 13 points behind runaway leaders Celtic despite beating them 3-0 in the most recent Old Firm Derby.

They remain in the Scottish Cup, facing a clash with Queen’s Park in their next outing, and will be hoping to lift at least some silverware come the end of the campaign. That could also come in Europe, with Rangers having impressed and having automatically qualified for the knockout phase of the Europa League after missing out on the Champions League at the beginning of the season.

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ByBen Gray Feb 5, 2025

Whatever the end of the campaign brings, however, change this summer appears inevitable. Cyriel Dessers has long been linked with a Gers exit and could finally depart, while there has also been significant speculation over the future of captain James Tavernier.

Elsewhere, Vaclav Cerny’s loan is set to expire, and though it appears that he wants to remain at Ibrox, there is no option to buy inserted into his deal meaning that Wolfsburg will hold much of the power in any negotiations over the Czech forward.

Additionally, both Hamza Igamane and Jefte have attracted Premier League interest over the course of the campaign to date, something that could see Rangers facing a fight to keep their impressive duo beyond the current campaign. Now, an update has emerged on another member of Clement’s squad, and it is bad news for the Ibrox outfit.

Rangers ace close to summer exit

That comes courtesy of Romanian outlet Pescurt, who claim that compatriot Ianis Hagi is now “one step away” from departing Ibrox this summer.

Frozen out of the squad at the beginning of the season, Hagi has become a key figure for Clement’s side in recent weeks, and scored twice in a man-of-the-match performance in their most recent outing against Ross County.

Appearances

18

Starts

14

Goals

4

Assists

5

Minutes per goal/assist

142

At the turn of the year, Romanian hero Ilie Dumitrescu hailed him as a “sensational” player, but now his future could appear to lie away from Scotland. That is because of his contract situation, whereby his current £26,000 a week deal comes to an end this summer, leaving him free to negotiate with other sides.

In turn, Serie A side Genoa, who are owned by Romanian Dan Țucu, are looking to snap him up on a free transfer, with the report adding that any deal could cost them in excess of £5m when his wages and bonuses are factored in.

As a result, it is claimed that Hagi is “one step away from leaving Rangers for Genoa”, which would come as a massive blow to the Gers given his recent form at Ibrox.

Marc Skinner's side will be playing European football again next season after securing a top-three finish with a huge point against their city rivals

Manchester United held on with 10 players to secure a vital point on Sunday and seal their qualification for next season's Champions League, while also ending Manchester City's hopes of European football. The implications for both in their quest for a top-three finish in the Women's Super League meant it was set to be a cracking derby, and it certainly lived up to that billing, with Melvine Malard's goal from the bench clinching an eventual 2-2 draw that will see United play on the continent again for just the second time.

A red card for Aoife Mannion just moments after that strike could have proved costly, with the Red Devils having to defend stoutly to get over the line. But despite City's fantastic first-half display, in which they raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Laia Aleixandri and Rebecca Knaak, they couldn't make the numerical advantage count and find that winning goal.

Instead, it was a bullet header from Grace Clinton and Malard's cool finish when through on goal that completed a fantastic fight-back for Marc Skinner's side, whose goal for the WSL season is now complete. There's one more big game at Arsenal next week, in which victory would secure United a more desirable entry point to the Champions League, and then the FA Cup final, with the Red Devils hoping to cap a great campaign by defending their title.

GOAL rates United's players from Old Trafford…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (7/10):

Made a superb save to deny Kerolin in the first half. Couldn't do much about the two goals.

Jayde Riviere (6/10):

Was having a decent game until she had to limp off midway through the first half.

Maya Le Tissier (7/10):

Another strong game, with some excellent one-v-one defending to thwart Kerolin a stand-out moment.

Millie Turner (6/10):

Didn't do enough to stop Kerolin in the build-up to City's opener. Made amends with a huge block to prevent Roord scoring a late winner.

Gabby George (4/10):

Battled well generally but was sloppy on the ball and lost Knaak too easily for City's second goal. Off at half-time.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Hinata Miyazawa (7/10):

Was secure on the ball and battled well off it in a competitive midfield.

Grace Clinton (7/10):

Won a lot of duels and was creative in possession. Great run and header to get United back into things.

Ella Toone (5/10):

Couldn't get into the game much at all, though not for a lack of effort.

Getty ImagesAttack

Celin Bizet (5/10):

Moved the ball well but didn't pose much of a threat to City's defence.

Elisabeth Terland (6/10):

The value of her off-ball work was summed up well by the big header she won to put Malard through to equalise.

Leah Galton (7/10):

Struggled to get involved much in attack, but her defensive efforts were absolutely superb, especially when United went down to 10.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Aoife Mannion (3/10):

Was having a good game after being introduced for Riviere midway through the first half, but made a needless foul to get sent off which could have cost her team dearly.

Anna Sandberg (7/10):

Played well after coming on at half-time. Kept the ball tidily and was solid in her defending.

Melvine Malard (7/10):

Made an instant impact with a cool finish just minutes after coming off the bench.

Dominique Janssen (6/10):

Came on in the slightly unfamiliar position of right-back after Mannion's red card. Did well considering it's not her best role.

Marc Skinner (7/10):

There were some eyebrows raised about his team selection given the likes of Malard and Janssen impressed at Chelsea in midweek. However, his subs made a real impact, especially considering some were made in unfavourable circumstances, and helped United get the job done.

Former players reportedly unhappy with decision to break with precedent in interests of transparency

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2022The ECB disciplinary hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire is set to be postponed until the new year, following a series of appeals against a controversial ruling that the case should be heard in public.The Cricket Discipline Commisson (CDC) had been set to convene on November 28, with seven individuals as well as Yorkshire CCC itself all charged with offences, in the wake of allegations made by the club’s former player, Azeem Rafiq.It was Rafiq’s request for greater transparency that led the CDC to break with precedent, with previous cases held behind closed doors before written judgements were handed down.Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, is among those facing charges, following Rafiq’s allegations that he had told a group of Asian Yorkshire players in 2009 that “there are too many of you lot” and “we need to do something about it”.Last week, the Telegraph, the newspaper for which Vaughan writes a column, reported that Vaughan himself was “happy for the proceedings to be held in public”.Others, however, are reportedly less keen, among them, the newspaper added, the former Yorkshire and England fast bowler, Matthew Hoggard. According to Rafiq’s testimony before MPs at the DCMS hearings in November 2021, Hoggard had rung the player to apologise for his behaviour during their shared time at the club, with Rafiq subsequently telling the panel that “all I ever wanted was an apology”.Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s former captain and head coach, and another of the charged players, has already stated that he will take no part in what he described as a “tainted process”, after walking away from the sport earlier this year, while Roger Hutton, the club’s former chairman, also announced this week that he will not attend the hearings.Hutton, who was one of the few Yorkshire administrators, past or present, to attend last year’s DCMS hearings, was similarly critical of the decision to make the proceedings public, stating: “I simply do not have confidence in the ECB, its governance or its agenda and who notably escape all scrutiny themselves.”In a statement, the ECB said: "Appeals have been filed by a number of the respondents in relation to the decisions of the CDC panel following the preliminary issues hearing last month. The appeals now need to be heard and therefore the full CDC hearing into the ECB’s charges against Yorkshire CCC and a number of individuals will no longer start on November 28. That hearing is now expected to take place in early 2023.”;Related

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Yorkshire racism hearings to be held in public following CDC ruling

The prospect of a postponement gives rise to the possibility that Adil Rashid, England’s T20 World Cup-winning legspinner, could now attend the hearings in person, having previously stated that he would be out of the country, at the Abu Dhabi T10s and a subsequent family holiday, during the original hearing date.Rashid, who was in Yorkshire’s team at the time of Vaughan’s alleged comments, at Trent Bridge in 2009, previously corroborated Rafiq’s version of events, as did Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the former Pakistan international who was then one of the club’s overseas players.Rafiq, who is also due to attend a follow-up DCMS select committee hearing on December 13, was this week accused of two counts of indecent exposure during his time at Yorkshire, in court documents relating to a lawsuit from the former club physiotherapist, Wayne Morton, who was sacked last year in a mass purge of the back-room staff.A spokesperson for Rafiq, who has since left the country for an indefinite period following threats against his family, said: “People who have been desperate for the sport to retain its toxic culture have spread numerous variations of these false allegations since Azeem spoke at the select committee last year.”Every time they have been shown to be incorrect and falsified, details always changing. This twisted campaign of lies has been never ending and it has seriously compromised Azeem’s and his family’s safety, which is why he has left the country.”This level of lies and vengeance only proves the sport is not ready to change and why whistle-blowers need proper protection.”

Sunderland missed out on signing an “incredible” attacking talent in the January transfer window, with the player in question reportedly turning down a move to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland preparing for huge Leeds clash

The Black Cats face arguably their biggest test of the season on Monday night, making the trip to Leeds United for a much-anticipated Championship clash.

Regis Le Bris’ side take on the league’s second-place team at Elland Road, in what represents a massive game for both outfits. Sunderland are fourth in the league after the weekend action, and they know that victory would take them level on points with Burnley and just four behind a top-two spot.

Regardless of the result on Monday, the Black Cats know that they are in a wonderful position to at least finish in the playoff places this season, but failure to win would be a big blow to their automatic promotion hopes.

This will be a huge gauge of where Sunderland are at under Le Bris, in terms of genuinely being automatic contenders or a step down from that level, and it promises to be a fascinating evening against Leeds.

It turns out that they could have had a top-quality player in their ranks for this match, had things panned out a little differently.

Sunderland missed out on "incredible" striker

According to Sunderland AFC News, Adam Armstrong “rejected a deadline day move” to Sunderland, instead deciding to join West Brom on loan from Southampton. That’s due to his “Newcastle allegiances”, having been at the Black Cats’ biggest rivals in the past.

The 28-year-old scored on his debut for the Baggies, coming in a 2-1 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday, and could prove to be an influential signing for them between now and the end of the season.

Armstrong would have been a perfect addition for Sunderland until May, proving to be a guaranteed source of goals and assists at this level. The striker has scored 78 times in the Championship, as well as registering 33 assists in the competition, and former Southampton manager Russell Martin waxed lyrical about him earlier in the season.

“He has been incredible. As a person first, and with the goals as well. He is brave and aggressive. He is just like a warrior. Every team meeting we show a clip of him recovering. He is a striker and tackles and wins the ball. He is demanding of himself and his team-mates, which I think is really important. That’s one of the reasons why he has been wearing the armband.”

Armstrong’s pace and finishing would have been such a potent weapon for Sunderland, so it is hard not to rue him not joining, but the Newcastle element of things was always going to make it difficult.

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Hopefully, the Black Cats will still be able to secure promotion back to the Premier League without the Englishman, but he could have been a difference-maker for Le Bris in tight games.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou could see Spurs sign a highly-rated forward at a substantial summer discount, according to a former Lilywhites employee.

Johan Lange shortlisting Tottenham forward targets for this summer

While Spurs sealed an option to buy in their loan deal for Bayern Munich sensation Mathys Tel, which stands at around £45 million, there is no guarantee the 19-year-old will commit his future to N17.

Player now "ready to leave" club with £25 million Tottenham bid tabled

Daniel Levy and the Spurs recruitment team have him “in their sights”.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 25, 2025

A return to Bayern remains possible, while some sources believe that Tel would still like to join Man United instead of Spurs for the 2025/2026 season. The versatile attacker has agreed a six-year contract if he does choose to stay in north London (David Ornstein), but the final decision will rest on his shoulders.

Man City (home)

Today

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

With Timo Werner looking set to return to RB Leipzig and Tottenham open to selling Richarlison (GiveMeSport), not to mention Son Heung-min facing his final season and a half at Spurs, technical director Johan Lange is planning for the future.

Tottenham are shortlisting summer forward targets to bolster Postecolgou’s squad for next campaign, and as per usual, chairman Daniel Levy, Lange and the recruitment team appear set to pull focus on signing world-class young talent.

Spurs are targeting Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens, who has reportedly been told he’s free to find a new club this summer (Graeme Bailey), while it is also believed that Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling remains on their radar.

The 19-year-old has been an impressive ever-present in Southampton’s team throughout this term, bagging four goals and two assists, with clubs taking note of his serious potential.

Spurs are one of the clubs monitoring Dibling ahead of this summer, but reports suggest that the Saints could demand as much as £55 million for him.

Tottenham tipped to sign Tyler Dibling from Southampton for just £25m

However, if Southampton were to be relegated, which is a very distinct possibility, then they could be forced to accept a cut-price offer, especially if the winger pushes for a return to the Premier League.

That is according to former Tottenham chief scout Mick Brown, who told Football Insider that he expects Spurs to sign Dibling for just £25 million.

“Somebody will come along for Dibling at the end of the season,” he said. “I can’t see Southampton doing much about that if they’re relegated. They’re going to have to make sales, and he’s the outstanding candidate for that given his value and the level of interest there is in him.

“I think an offer of around £25million would be enough to get that done. I can see him making the move to Tottenham because they’re aiming to buy that sort of player.

“They’ve got Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Mikey Moore all coming into the team. So there are quite a few young players in that team and I think they’ll want to add Dibling to that group.

“I imagine Tottenham will be preparing to make an offer for him at the end of the season. And I think it’s a certainty that he will leave Southampton, I can’t see him staying there if there are offers coming in for him.”

Marcus Rashford still dreams of moving to Barcelona this summer and has now teamed up with Robert Lewandowski's agent, Pini Zahavi.

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Rashford wants a summer move to BarcelonaHas now teams up with Lewandowski's agent Pini Zahavi Agent also close with Barcelona presidentFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford left United on loan in January for Aston Villa after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim. The 27-year-old had showed improved form under Unai Emery before suffering a potentially season-ending hamstring injury. Rashford is thought to be certain that he does not plan on continuing with United past this summer, and while Aston Villa are said to be keen on signing the England international, the 27-year-old has other plans.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford wants to join Hansi Flick's Barcelona, with the Catalan side in dire need of a right-footed winger with Ansu Fati failing to impress the German coach this season. Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo has now reported that the winger has appointed well-known agent Pini Zahavi, who is also the representative of Blaugrana striker Lewandowski, to help him secure a move to Catalunya.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rashford has made this shift as Zahavi has a very strong relationship with Barcelona. The Israeli agent is also close to club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco. Zahavi has also been closely involved in the talks between the Catalan side and youngster Dani Rodriguez, who Barcelona believe could be a part of their future plans.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

It is still uncertain whether Barcelona will be interested in signing Rashford this summer, as Raphinha, Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal are set to be the outright starters in the front three yet again next season. However, Rashford's ability to play as a number 10 could help Zahavi convince the Catalan side to sign the England international, with Dani Olmo struggling through the season.

Crucial decision goes against Pakistan as umpire’s soft-signal comes under scrutiny again

Danyal Rasool12-Dec-2022Ollie Pope’s diving catch down the leg-side to dismiss Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel cost Pakistan and shouldn’t have been given out, according to Pakistan captain Babar Azam. Speaking after Pakistan succumbed to a 26-run defeat in Multan that confirmed a series loss to England, Babar said it appeared as if the ball had touched the ground”The Shakeel dismissal cost us,” he said. “It looked to us as if the ball had touched the ground. As a professional, you have to respect the umpire’s decision, but we felt the ball had been grounded.”Related

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Pakistan, and the curious case of collapsing on flat tracks

Shakeel’s dismissal came at a vital juncture in the match, with lunch approaching and Pakistan reasonably positioned to pull off their second-highest fourth-innings run-chase. Pakistan required another 64 runs to win when Shakeel – six runs away from a hundred – pulled at a short ball outside leg stump, getting a tickle on it. Pope dived to his right to snare it low off the ground, although the replays suggested significant uncertainty as to whether the catch was clean.Part of the frustration of Shakeel’s dismissal was down to the manner in which the decision was reached, with Aleem Dar sending a soft signal of “out” to third umpire Joel Wilson. Wilson ended up sticking with it to confirm the dismissal.Despite discussions among the ICC Full Members around the protocols surrounding the on-field soft-signal, there has been no change to the playing conditions itself (the IPL has scrapped the soft-signal). The regulations continue to state that in the event of “inconclusive replay evidence, the on-field decision communicated at the start of the consultation process shall stand”.The TV umpire does review the footage and has complete authority to make his/her decision independent of the soft signal. Increasingly the trend among match officials has been to offer clarity to any decision and one way they have agreed to do that is to avoid using language that reflects that – so words such as ‘conclusive’ or ‘inconclusive’ referring to evidence have been removed from the radio communication between the TV and on-field umpires and instead, the former simply conveys his own decision as either out or not out.The issue is likely to be on the agenda of the ICC’s cricket committee when it next meets in March.”I think it’s for the umpires to decide [if the soft signal should be done away with],” Babar said. “Like I said, we felt the ball was grounded.”ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Pakistan dressing-room’s reaction was one of disbelief after Shakeel’s dismissal was upheld, revealing both surprise and a sense of the importance of the moment. Control of the match switched hands once and for all, with England taking the final three wickets with Pakistan still well away from the target.England captain Ben Stokes was more equivocal in his view. Immediately after the match, he said he felt there weren’t any doubts about the ball carrying, but also pointed out those sorts of decisions could end up going either way.”I don’t think [there were any doubts about the catch], personally,” he said. “The only thing where you start worrying is when it gets looked at for a long period of time because that’s when you start having doubt in your own head. I’ve been part of games before where I’ve been on the team who’s been on the receiving end of those decisions and you’re always like, ‘that’s not carried’.”You see a lot of lot of those decisions and those type of catches in cricket. You could say the similar thing was when Rooty got caught at short leg – you could say that might have touched the floor. But you’ve just got to go with what the umpire’s decision is. It went our way but I’ve been involved in a few decisions where stuff like that has gone against us. But you can’t change that.”The man at the centre of the controversy was certain the ball had reached him on the full but admitted that, after that, it was hard to be sure.”I knew it had carried,” Pope said. “I didn’t think it had bounced before. As a keeper when you’ve got the gloves on you honestly can’t tell. I didn’t think it had touched the ground after. When you have gloves on you feel it go in but that’s it.”

Gujarat Giants suffer second loss in two days after final-over drama, heightened by DRS and wides

Abhimanyu Bose05-Mar-20235:37

WPL: A double-header Sunday that did not disappoint

In the first two games of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), the team batting first scored more than 200 and the chasing side failed to challenge the total. On Sunday night, Grace Harris bucked the trend to help deliver the tournament its first proper thriller.Harris starred for UP Warriorz with the kind of devastating knock that has brought her back to the top level and made her a mainstay in the Australian team. A day after going down by 143 runs to Mumbai Indians and losing their captain Beth Mooney to injury, Gujarat Giants recovered from 76 for 4 in ten overs to put up 169 for 6. Then they had Warriorz down at 105 for 7, but not out. With 65 needed off 26 balls, Harris stole Warriorz a win out of nowhere.Related

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Harris predominantly targeted the leg side but was also happy to go down the ground or over the covers, and even played a lap shot as she clobbered 59 off 26 deliveries.But the win didn’t come without its fair share of drama, which peaked in the final over of the game bowled by Annabel Sutherland, and it centred on the new provision that allows teams to use DRS for wide and no-ball decisions.Giants tried to get a wide overturned on review after the first legal ball and failed. Two balls later, the TV umpire upheld Harris’ review for a delivery that was not called a wide on the field. It was a marginal call leading to an equation that could have been 6 off 2 balls, but became 5 off 3.By then, the crowd was entirely in Harris’ corner, and when the wide was awarded, there were loud cheers all around. There were cheers in the UP Warriorz dugout, too, though captain Alyssa Healy said later that it was a lucky break for her team.”What a bizarre rule that’s been brought into WPL but it paid off tonight for us,” Healy said at the press conference after the game. “It felt very dirty cheering a wide. I think our dugout felt a little bit dirty about cheering an opposition wide but, at the end of the day, it helped us, the review system. I guess that’s what it’s there for.””Hopefully it doesn’t come down to the last over a lot so it has to be used. Tonight it fell in our favour but in two nights’ time, it might go in someone else’s favour.”3:15

Player reviews for wides and no-balls: yay or nay?

While the wide was being reviewed, Healy was gesturing to Harris, who was in the zone, from the dugout.”I was just trying to tell her to calm down. She was obviously very excited, in the moment. More than anything, I didn’t want her to get in trouble by the umpires,” Healy said. “I was just trying to keep her calm, keep her in the moment and focus on getting the job done and she did just that.”Harris walked out when Deepti Sharma fell, and having faced just two deliveries, saw Kim Garth dismiss half-centurion Kiran Navgire and Simran Shaikh off consecutive deliveries to complete her five-wicket haul.Just seven deliveries, and Harris was on her way, hitting her first boundary. But two balls after she hit her second, Devika Vaidya fell to Sutherland. With Sophie Ecclestone for company, Harris let loose, hitting left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar for a six off the last ball of the 17th over. When she returned to the strike in the next over, she took down Garth, Gujarat’s best bowler on the night, for three consecutive boundaries.”I can tell you I’ve not seen anyone hit the ball like Grace Harris,” Garth said after the match. “When we were with Australia in the nets, nobody wants to bowl to her because you just have balls flying back at you.”Only one boundary came in the next over – a six from Ecclestone – and left Warriorz needing 19 off the last over. Harris ensured it was achieved.1:27

Knight: Being able to have the option of reviewing wides is a good thing

“A very special cricketer, Grace. I think you saw Grace’s personality out there on the field,” Healy said. “I think she batted through the whole innings in the sidelines, before she even went out there. That’s exactly why she’s in our side, to do something as special as that.””I started poorly and I thought I was fluffing around,” Harris said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award on the official broadcast. “You need to get the conditions of the wicket and I was thankful that Sophie also motored along.”I knew what I wanted to do. I was getting antsy when there were so many breaks in the DRS. I was able to compose myself, but I was psyched to get to bat and score. I love batting with freedom. The coach [Jon Lewis] is supportive and tells me to be free.”Earlier in the day, Giants had put in a much-improved batting display, with Harleen Deol anchoring the innings. She made 46 off 32 deliveries and found support from Ashleigh Gardner (25 off 19) and D Hemalatha (21* off 13). The highlight for Deol was when she hit Vaidya for four consecutive boundaries in the 17th over.Giants had a great start to their defence as well, as Garth took three wickets in her second over to leave UP stuttering at 20 for 3. With Garth generating some away swing, which led to Healy getting a leading edge back to the bowler and Shweta Sehrawat slicing the ball to short third, stand-in captain Sneh Rana brought in a slip for Tahlia McGrath. The move paid immediate dividends as McGrath edged her first legal delivery to Hemalatha at first slip.Navgire and Deepti put on 66 runs for the fourth wicket, with Navgire going on to score a half-century off 40 deliveries. In the same over – the 12th – Mansi Joshi knocked Deepti over with one that tailed back into the left-hander.Garth came back into the attack immediately and had Navgire gloving a short ball behind to Sushma Verma and she then castled Simran Shaikh with a yorker. When Sutherland had Vaidya caught at mid-on in the 16th over, it looked like the end of the contest. It turned out to be a new beginning.