Former Australian cricketer Bob Holland dies aged 70

Bob Holland, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year, died after suffering a brain bleed while in a Newcastle hospital, where he was being treated for broken ribs

Brydon Coverdale17-Sep-2017Bob Holland, the legspinner who in 1984 became Australia’s third-oldest Test debutant of all time, has died at the age of 70. Holland had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in March this year.He died on Sunday after suffering a brain bleed while in a Newcastle hospital, where he was being treated for broken ribs suffered in a fall last week. On Friday night, Holland had attended a function in his honour, hosted by former Test captain Mark Taylor.”He had the best time of his life on Friday where he spent time with a lot of his mates at his dinner,” Holland’s son Craig told the on Sunday evening. “He showed no pain on the night and stayed till the end of the show. My family was amazed as we thought he might stay an hour or two.”A latecomer to first-class cricket, Holland made his debut for New South Wales at the age of 32, but still managed to accumulate 316 first-class wickets at 31.19. His Test debut came at the age of 38, against West Indies at the Gabba in 1984; the only Australians to make their Test debuts older than Holland were 46-year-olds Don Blackie and Bert Ironmonger in 1928.He made his Test debut alongside David Boon in what was to become the memorable final Test as captain for Kim Hughes, who resigned in tears as West Indies dominated. Holland played 11 Tests and two ODIs during the mid-1980s, and twice bowled Australia to victories in SCG Tests with ten-wicket hauls.Against West Indies in his debut series, Holland collected 10 for 144 to set up an innings win against an all-conquering team boasting Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Richie Richardson, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. On an SCG surface offering plenty of turn, Holland was Player of the Match in what was West Indies’ first loss in 28 Tests.”New South Wales had played the West Indies a few weeks before that Test and beaten them,” Holland told the in 2014. “So it wasn’t altogether a surprise result, even though they hadn’t lost for 20-odd Tests. It was fantastic for us to knock over such a great cricket team.”The following summer, Holland took 10 for 174 against New Zealand, again at the SCG. He also picked up an Ashes five-for at Lord’s in 1985, when he claimed 5 for 86 in England’s second innings, in what turned out to be Australia’s only win of the series.In all, Holland took 34 Test wickets at 39.76. He was also part of the New South Wales group that secured three Sheffield Shield titles during the 1980s. With the bat, Holland averaged 3.18 in Test cricket but did once manage to score a half-century in first-class cricket.

Heartbreak for Brenden Aaronson! USMNT misses golden chance minutes before Braga grab stoppage-time winner against Union Berlin in breathless Champions League clash

Brenden Aaronson's late missed header proved costly as Union Berlin fell to Braga in stoppage-time.

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  • Aaronson comes on in 81'
  • Misses golden chance
  • Braga win in stoppage-time
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    WHAT HAPPENED?

    Braga came out on top in a wild 3-2 victory over Union Berlin. The Bundesliga side's Sheraldo Becker notched a brace, but a stoppage-time winner from Braga's Andre Castro stole the show.

    Becker scored twice in minutes 30' and 37' to put the home side up 2-0 up, but Braga capitalized on a defensive mistake four minutes after the double to get one back before the break. Portuguese winger Bruma equalized just after half-time and then set up Castro at the death to take home the glory.

    USMNT midfielder Aaronson was subbed on in the 81st minute, but failed to leave a lasting impact on the match, spurning a headed chance late on. The miss proved costly, as Union lost their second group-stage match of the campaign.

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  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Aaronson's loan has been nothing but disappointing so far, and Tuesday was just an amplification of that. He was benched for the second-straight match and for the second time this UCL campaign. He was their last substitute used in the match and only played a total of 14 minutes, and it appears his confidence is drained.

    He had a great opportunity to put the German side ahead minutes after entering the match, but missed a point-blank header.

    For Union Berlin, it's a second-successive heartbreaking loss in stoppage-time loss in the Champions League. On matchday one, the Bundesliga side fell to Real Madrid 1-0 due to a 94th-minute winner from Jude Bellingham.

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    USMNT IMPACT

    Aaronson not starting nor getting regular minutes for Union Berlin has to be a worry for Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT.

    With upcoming October friendlies against both Ghana and Germany on the horizon, it's important that the 22-year-old finds both his confidence and his shooting boots as the two matches ahead are their toughest international opponents yet.

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  • GOAL'S RATINGS

    Brenden Aaronson (5/10):

    Despite coming on late in the 81st minute, Aaronson nearly set up a goal immediately and then missed a point-blank header late; one would argue he has to score in that moment.

Assam crumble to 195 after Pankaj five-for

A round-up of the first day’s play from the second round of Group B matches in Ranji Trophy 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2016Rajasthan captain Pankaj Singh took 5 for 39 off 21.3 overs to bowl Assam out for 195 on the first day of the second round of Group B matches in Visakhapatnam. Only three Assam batsmen scored in double-figures and the side were propped up by No. 3 batsman Rishav Das’ unbeaten 93, after they had been put in to bat.Assam had made a recovery of sorts, reaching 82 for 1 in the 40th over from a position of 19 for 1 in the 16th before the slide began. The batsmen failed to stitch together partnerships, with nos 4-7 contributing only eight runs between them. Nathu Singh picked up 2 for 40, while left-arm spinner K Ajay Singh and left-arm seamer Aniket Choudhary took one each.R Samarth’s fifth first-class hundred and Karun Nair’s 74 helped Karnataka recover from 32 for 2 in the 13th over to a promising 248 for 3 at stumps against Jharkhand in Greater Noida.Jharkhand seamer Ashish Kumar picked up all three wickets to fall on the day, and struck in successive overs to get rid of Mayank Agarwal and Robin Uthappa soon after Karnataka had opted to bat. Samarth and Nair rallied through a 155-run partnership for the third wicket and Samarth then shared an unbroken 61-run stand with debutant Kaunain Abbas. Samarth was unbeaten at stumps on 118 off 276 balls with 10 fours.Maharashtra dominated proceedings against Delhi in Mumbai as captain Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawne struck centuries to lead the side to a formidable 290 for 2 at stumps. The pair added 249 runs in nearly 82 overs, denying Delhi a breakthrough after the bowling side had taken a couple of early wickets.Navdeep Saini had given Delhi both wickets after Maharashtra chose to bat, but that was about as much advantage as Delhi could muster. Gugale, who opened the batting, finished the day on 152 not out, his third first-class century, while Bawne was unbeaten on 120 off 260 balls.Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took 4 for 67 to help Saurashtra bowl Odisha out for 228 in Hyderabad. The only substantial effort in Odisha’s innings came from 18-year-old opening batsman Sandeep Pattnaik, who struck his maiden first-class century, a 213-ball 123 in his second match.Odisha paid heavily for a middle-order slump which saw them stumble from 122 for 1 to 147 for 5 in 10 overs. Medium-pacer Shaurya Sanandia then added to their troubles, striking off successive deliveries in the 70th over to reduce Odisha to 181 for 8. Odisha were eventually dismissed for 228 in the 81st over. Apart from Jadeja and Sanandia, Chirag Jani and Deepak Punia took two wickets each. Saurashtra then batted out seven overs and reached 4 for 0 at stumps.

'Give me the ball!' – Jadon Sancho begs Niclas Fullkrug to let him take Dortmund penalty to score first goal since MAY but Man Utd loanee swiftly put in his place

Jadon Sancho was seen asking Niclas Fullkrug to let him take a Borussia Dortmund penalty against FC Koln on Saturday.

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  • Sancho asked Fullkrug to let him take the penalty
  • Won the penalty for Dortmund in the 56th minute
  • Dortmund thrashed Koln 4-0
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The Manchester United loanee, who has not scored a goal in a competitive match since May 2023, won a penalty for Borussia Dortmund in the 56th minute after FC Koln defender Rasmus Carstensen brought him down inside the box. The English winger was then seen begging Niclas Fullkrug to let him take the spot-kick but the German forward did not entertain his colleague's request and instead took the penalty himself to double the team's lead.

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  • WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

    According to Sky Sports reporter , the England international was heard saying "Gimme the Ball! Gimme the Ball!" to Fullkrug but his request was turned down. Fullkrug has scored six goals this season, and this was his first since December's defeat to RB Leipzig.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Despite not getting a chance to score his first Dortmund since returning to the club earlier this month on loan, the 23-year-old had impressive outing and was even handed his first start by manager Edin Terzic. He has been impressive since his return to Germany and had even provided an assist for Marco Reus' goal against Darmstadt last week.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?

    The 4-0 win over Koln has helped Die Schwarzgelben to reduce their gap with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to 12 points. Sancho will be next seen in action on January 28 when Dortmund face VFL Bochum in a Bundesliga clash.

Pattinson's pace spices up Nottinghamshire attack

Nottinghamshire have signed the Australia fast bowler James Pattinson for the first half of the English season

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2017Nottinghamshire have signed the Australia fast bowler James Pattinson for the first half of the English season.Pattinson, 26, will be available for both four-day and 50-over cricket until the end of June and replaces fellow Australian Peter Siddle who was forced to withdraw from his deal with a back injury.Pattinson recently asked not to be considered for a call-up to the tour of India following a series of comebacks which have resulted in further lay-offs with back problems. He is currently completing the Sheffield Shield season with Victoria.”James has the ability to swing the ball, he hits good lengths and he does it all at a good speed,” Peter Moores, the Nottinghamshire coach, said. “Pace creates opportunities, so he gives us a wicket taking option in both championship and 50-over matches. We’ve seen that from him when he’s played international cricket.”That ability to open up sides on flat pitches is what we’re really looking at. That’s the kind of thing that wins you games.”Pattinson could form a formidable new-ball attack with Stuart Broad who is currently not part of England’s one-day plans and therefore not set to play international cricket again until the Test series against South Africa in July.

Theresa May shows better moves than Mick Jagger in earning fast-tracked MCC membership

Prime Minister fast-tracked through waiting list ahead of visit to Lord’s

George Dobell at Lord's25-May-2018She may struggle to sell out London Stadium but, in the eyes of MCC, Theresa May has better moves than Jagger.May, the Prime Minister, has been fast-tracked for membership of MCC. While Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones frontman, is also an MCC member, it is understood he was obliged to spend longer on the waiting list. Both, it is understood, were fast-tracked up to a point, but May’s wait was understood to be measured in weeks.May, who is expected at Lord’s on Friday, is a well-known cricket lover. She visited Lord’s for the West Indies Test last summer and mentioned on the BBC’s Test Match Special her admiration for the former England batsman, Geoff Boycott, in particular his determination.It is understood she was nominated for membership by one former Prime Minister John Major and seconded by another, David Cameron. Both also enjoyed an accelerated membership process once they became PM.Neither the former Labour leader Ed Miliband or the current one, Jeremy Corbyn, who are both understood to be cricket lovers, have applied for MCC membership. Miliband, like May, is an admirer of Boycott and famously said that, were he to become PM, he would recommend him for a knighthood.”The Prime Minister’s nomination for membership was considered in accordance with MCC’s Rules, which allow for a limited number of Candidates for membership to be elected out of turn,” an MCC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “The MCC Committee elected Mrs May at its meeting at Lord’s last week.””We are delighted to welcome the Prime Minister as a Member of MCC and look forward to seeing her at the Ground for many years to come,” MCC Club Chairman Gerald Corbett said.Jagger was also at Lord’s on Thursday and was also seen watching Ireland’s maiden Test against Pakistan in Dublin a couple of weeks ago.There are currently more than 230,000 people on the waiting list for MCC membership. It routinely takes around 20 years to quality for full membership.

'Love to have him' – Mason Greenwood offered international return by Jamaica coach who says Man Utd forward 'deserves a second chance'

Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admits he would "love" to have Mason Greenwood on his team amid a possible international allegiance switch.

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  • Jamaica try to recruit Greenwood
  • Getafe loanee played once for England
  • Jamaica coach would "love" to have him
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    WHAT HAPPENED?

    Getafe loanee Greenwood made his sole England cap back in September 2020 – a 12-minute cameo off the bench against Iceland in a Nations League game. FIFA rules state players can switch international allegiance if they have made fewer than three senior appearances for one nation before turning 21; plus, they cannot have played for them for at least three years. Now, head coach Hallgrimsson has set his sights on bringing the Manchester United academy product into the Reggae Boyz's national setup.

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    WHAT HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON SAID

    He told The Athletic: "I really don’t like to talk about ‘what if’, but this, of course, has come to our mind. I would love to have him in my team. Like all coaches, I would like to have the best players in our team, but it’s always up to the player himself if he wants to do it.”

    Greenwood had all charges dropped in a case relating to allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour in February 2023. While the 22-year-old is likely to never play for United again, Hallgrimsson believes the forward deserves a "second chance".

    He added: “That will then be up to the [Jamaican Football] Federation. It’s not the coach who is going to answer for something like that. I’m not an expert in this. I just look at the person. I think what he has gone through in the year and a half since it happened is worse than I can imagine, being in the press and on social media. I can only imagine what he has been going through. The case went through stages and the case was dropped, so it’s not up to me or anyone else to judge him on that.

    “It was no less a person than Jesus Christ who said, those who are without sin should throw the first stone. Whatever happened, everybody at least deserves a second chance. And he knows that all eyes are on him. So it’s a big pressure and I am happy for the player that he is coming back because it is probably a trauma. It’s difficult to come (back) from, so I give him my support at least. He must have a strong mentality to start to play again and start to play so well.”

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Greenwood has some big decisions to make about his future in the coming months. His time at Old Trafford could be over, after he was suspended by the club following his arrest in January 2022, and soon he must decide if he will join Getafe permanently and switch to Jamaica – which he is eligible to play for via his father, Andrew.

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  • WHAT NEXT?

    Greenwood, who has scored seven goals and bagged five assists while on loan at Getafe in La Liga, could next feature for the Spanish outfit on Saturday away to Valencia. Getafe currently sit 11th in the table.

Bairstow's moment of madness

Two long-hops, one legspinner, two pulls: how did Bairstow go against Todd Astle?

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-201870.2 Astle to Bairstow, no run, Boult has put down a sitter. Oh that is terrible cricket. Just awful from everyone involved. Astle drops it halfway down the pitch, Bairstow looks to pull and lobs it straight to Boult at mid-on who grabs at it like he hasn’t seen it at all. It’s a straightforward take, waist height, no real pace on it. Something’s gone wrong with the sight there.Todd Astle is in disbelief after Trent Boult drops a sitter•Getty Images

72.4 Astle to Bairstow, OUT, can you believe it?! Bairstow has played another pull with no control, and this time he’s found Williamson at short midwicket. Another long-hop from Astle, draws a loose shot. This one is turning away a little more than the previous one and he drags it a long way. Williamson leaps high to his right and hangs on.Jonny Bairstow picked out midwicket with a pull•Getty Images

Talat's cameo carries Islamabad home in low-scorer

Islamabad’s seamers did most of the damage under cloudy skies, limiting the Multan Sultans to 113, setting up their first win of the tournament

The Report by Nikhil Kalro25-Feb-2018PCB/PSL

Not often, in T20s, does a Powerplay decide the direction of a game. When it does, it’s almost always solely down to underfoot or overhead conditions. Under atypically overcast skies in Dubai, after a 25-minute delay due to light rain, Islamabad United’s seamers capitalised on swinging conditions to leave Multan Sultans at 24 for 3 after the first six overs.That period set the tone for the rest of the match. Multan weren’t able to recover, eventually slumping to 113 all out in the final over. At one point during the 54-run fifth-wicket partnership between Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard, it seemed like Multan could muster a score they could defend in bowling-friendly conditions.Imran Tahir gave them some hope with 3 for 19, but Hussain Talat snuffed that out with a sparkling innings, first steadying the chase before showing off his range with a 34-ball 48 that gave Islamabad their first win of the tournament.

Where the match was won

Islamabad’s bowlers kept Multan to 24 for 3 in the Powerplay, but the next four overs damaged their hopes of a 120-plus score. Multan’s batsmen took too long looking to consolidate, adding just 18 runs in four overs for the loss of Ahmed Shehzad. With a score at 42 for 4, even a bright cameo wouldn’t have sufficed.

The men that won it

The conditions were skewed towards the fast bowlers so much that legspinner Shadab Khan was given only two overs. Islamabad’s quicks didn’t disappoint. Captain Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami combined for figures of 7.5-0-33-5 to give their team a distinct edge. Steven Finn and Andre Russell also chipped in with three wickets between them.But the most significant contribution was from Talat. At 63 for 5, Multan were buoyant, but Talat soaked up that pressure initially, before expanding his strokeplay to find the gaps. He finished with four fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock.

Moment of the match

In three innings in this season’s PSL, Sohaib Maqsood has scored 26 runs, at an average of 8.67. That lack of confidence may have manifested into hesitation in the field. In the 10th over of Islamabad’s chase, Talat clipped a delivery from Junaid Khan towards midwicket. He called his partner Asif Ali for a run before sending him back too late. Or so everyone thought. Maqsood picked up, ran towards the bowler’s stumps, glanced at the batsman and missed an under-arm throw from a metre away.

Where they stand

Being the only team with two wins in the tournament, Multan retained their position at the top of the table. Islamabad stayed at fifth spot with one win in two games.

'I should've saved three!' – David Raya reveals secret to penalty-stopping success after Arsenal stopper is hero of Champions League shootout win over Porto

David Raya has revealed that Arsenal have worked 'a lot' on penalties on the training ground this season.

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  • Raya the hero as Arsenal beat Porto
  • Gunners stopper reveals secret to success
  • Arteta's side through to UCL quarter-finals
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    WHAT HAPPENED?

    And that practice appears to be paying off, with the Gunners edging out FC Porto on spot kicks to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday night. With the scores level at 1-1 on aggregate after extra time, penalties were required to separate the two sides. And Raya rose to the occasion, keeping out Wendell and Galeno's efforts from 12 yards to send Arsenal through.

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  • WHAT RAYA SAID

    However, when speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Raya was not entirely satisfied. He revealed that he felt he could have kept out Marko Grujic's penalty, which he got a hand to, as well.

    "I should have saved three, but I'm over the moon to save two," he said. "We played a really good game from the start. We dominated, created chances and it went down to penalties. We've worked a lot on penalties this year and all the hard work with the goalie coach and the team has paid off."

    He added: "This means everything. You play football for these kind of things and I'm lucky to be playing for Arsenal, to be in the Champions League and to get through to the quarter-finals. We're just going to enjoy the night."

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Raya's match-winning performance is further vindication of Mikel Arteta's decision to sign him in the summer and make the 28-year-old his No.1 goalkeeper at the expense of Aaron Ramsdale. Aside from his penalty heroics, Raya made three saves in normal time.

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  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Incredibly, Tuesday's game was the first Champions League knockout tie to be settled by penalties since the 2016 final between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

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