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South African returns from Test duty with a bang to reignite Northamptonshire’s Blast hopes

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jul-2025Matt Breetzke blazed 93 off 45 balls, just one short of his highest T20 score, to reignite Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ Vitality Blast campaign by setting up a 13-win over bottom-placed Derbyshire.The victory puts the Steelbacks’ quest for qualification back on track, after they lost their previous five games, following six straight wins at the start of the tournament.Back from Test duty with South Africa, Breetzke adjusted instantly to the change of format, setting the pace with nine fours and five sixes in a partnership of 125 in 10.4 overs with skipper David Willey who made 53 off 33 deliveries (six fours, two sixes).With Saif Zaib also making an unbeaten 53 from 20 balls (three fours, four sixes), Northamptonshire finished with 237 for four, equalling their highest ever T20 score scored away against Yorkshire earlier this season.Derbyshire looked on course to chase down the target and post their highest ever T20 total. In a display of ferocious hitting, Aneurin Donald smashed 71 off just 22 balls (eight fours, six sixes) in a blistering opening stand worth 112 in just 7.4 overs with Caleb Jewell (39). But Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope made the crucial double breakthrough, removing both Donald and Jewell in his opening over. George Scrimshaw then struck twice in his second over to further arrest Derbyshire’s hopes.The match saw the highest aggregate score between these two sides in T20 cricket.Earlier, Allah Ghazanfar trapped Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw and almost picked up Breetzke but shelled a simple return catch. The South African responded by pulling Aitchison for six and taking three consecutive boundaries off Zak Chappell as Northamptonshire finished the powerplay on 51 for one.Breetzke progressed to his half-century off just 24 deliveries, pummelling Alex Thomson through extra cover before dispatching consecutive sixes.Willey got into the groove too, hitting Aitchison over his head before running a single to bring up the Steelbacks’ 100 at the end of the tenth over. Breetzke then flat-batted Ghazanfar straight for six to bring up the 100 partnership off 54 balls. Later in the over, Derbyshire incurred five penalty runs for a Level 2 disciplinary offence when Ghazanfar threw the ball in what was deemed an inappropriate or dangerous manner.Willey hit Samit Patel for consecutive straight sixes before he was caught in the deep. Such was their rate of acceleration, he and Breetzke had added 81 in the previous six overs.Zaib made a blistering start, clubbing Patel down the ground and sweeping for six. Meanwhile Breetzke paddled Aitchison round the corner for a huge six, but fell next ball, edging behind. The 200 came up courtesy of four overthrows, while Zaib continued his assault.Donald struck five boundaries off Willey’s opening over in the chase. He attacked Scrimshaw too, the former Derbyshire man leaking 24 off his opening over, Donald sending one ball sailing over fine leg for six, Derbyshire reaching 50 off just 19 balls.Jewell went after left-arm spinner Zaib too, sweeping him for six. But Northamptonshire missed a tough chance to remove Donald on 41 when keeper Lewis McManus slipped attempting a catch off a skier.Donald pulled Willey for six to close out the powerplay at 85 without loss before bludgeoning consecutive sixes off Luke Procter to reach his half-century and Derbyshire’s 100.But Pope’s double-wicket strike lifted the spirits of the home fans, as first Jewell was trapped lbw before Donald was caught behind chasing a wide one. Scrimshaw then struck twice in the 11th over, having Ross Whiteley caught at mid-on and bowling Martin Andersson.Wayne Masden (29) and Harry Came (35*) continued to attack before Masden holed out in the deep off Procter. While Northamptonshire shelled other chances, McManus made no mistake in the final over, catching Patel off a skier, off Procter’s bowling.

John Mooney joins the Afghanistan team ahead of the UAE tri-series starting August 29

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2025Afghanistan have appointed former Ireland allrounder John Mooney as their new fielding coach, and Nirmalan Thanabalasingam as the new physiotherapist.Both Mooney and Thanabalasingam have joined the Afghanistan set-up for the ongoing training and preparation camp ahead of the T20I tri-series in the UAE (with Pakistan as the third team) starting August 29 and the men’s T20 Asia Cup from September 9.Mooney had previously served as the Afghanistan fielding coach from 2018 to 2019, when they made their Test debut in India. He had also worked with the West Indies men’s team in 2019 and has been a temporary coach for the Ireland women’s team since January this year.Related

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A left-hand batter and right-arm quick during his playing days, 43-year-old Mooney played 64 ODIs and 27 T20Is for Ireland from 2006 to 2015, which included three ODI World Cups (2007, 2011 and 2015) as well as two T20 World Cups (2009 and 2010). He had famously hit the winning runs in Ireland’s historic win over England in the 2011 World Cup in Bengaluru.He retired in 2015 and went on to complete Level 3, 2, and 1 coaching certificates from the England Cricket Board.Thanabalasingam has been the physiotherapist for Desert Vipers in the ILT20 since 2020. Prior to that, he had worked as the high-performance training and rehabilitation manager for Sri Lanka Cricket from March 2017 to June 2018 and has also worked with Cricket New South Wales, Rangpur Riders (BPL), Montreal Tigers (GT20 Canada), ICC World XI, Sydney
Thunder (BBL), and the West Harbour Rugby Union Club.Afghanistan are currently undergoing a training camp in Abu Dhabi.

Draw all but guaranteed after poor weather dogs contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Sep-2025Gloucestershire 158 for 5 (van Buuren 28*, J Taylor 24*) trail Northamptonshire 206 (Zaib 76, McManus 44, van Buuren 3-23, M Taylor 3-48) by 48 runsGloucestershire and Northamptonshire were again frustrated by the elements in their efforts to accrue bonus points on day three of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Resuming on 65 for 3 in reply to Northamptonshire’s first-innings 206, Gloucestershire advanced their score to 158 for 5 for the loss of Ollie Price and James Bracey in the 25 overs that were possible before rain set in just before the lunch interval.Although umpires James Tredwell and Paul Baldwin ordered a mopping up operation to begin at 1.45pm, the Bristol ground-staff had to abandon their efforts when further wet weather arrived. Tea was taken at 2.55pm, after which a further inspection, staged at 4.15pm, led to play to being abandoned for the day with the loss of 79 overs.There was time enough for Graeme van Buuren (28 not out) and Jack Taylor (24 not out) to post an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 51 in the morning and cut the deficit to 48 runs, but it will require a conversation between the captains if a contrived finish is to be rendered a possibility on the final day, when better conditions are forecast.Batting remained a precarious business beneath grey skies and in the face of a moving ball on a pitch that retained the capacity to surprise following overnight rain, and the wily Ben Sanderson and seam sidekick Justin Broad strained every sinew in an attempt to exploit conditions when Gloucestershire resumed their first innings 141 behind. Their powers of concentration tested to the full, Price and Bracey erected a defensive barricade to stifle East Midlands ambition, applying themselves diligently to the task of survival as the floodlights pierced the gloom.There were still sufficient moments of attacking flare to keep the scoreboard operator gainfully employed and the fourth wicket partnership realised 50 via 94 balls, Price driving fluently when Sanderson over-pitched and Bracey pulling and cutting with murderous intent on the occasions Ben Whitehouse proved wayward. Hampered by the injury-enforced absence of skipper Luke Procter, Northants were heavily dependent upon pace spearhead Sanderson, and the batsmen were no doubt relieved to see the back of him.But there was no guarantee of security and, when Whitehouse extracted additional movement off the pitch, Price saw his middle stump uprooted, his defiant innings terminated for 37 from 93 balls. The partnership was worth 64 and Gloucestershire were 104 for 4, still 102 in arrears. When Whitehouse induced Bracey to pursue a ball outside off stump and edge to wicketkeeper Lewis McManus for 36 in his next over, he advanced his wicket tally in first-class cricket to three. The home side were 107-5, with two new batters at the crease, and under pressure.Some of that pressure was eased by the introduction of leg spin, Calvin Harrison going for 14 in a wayward first over from the Ashley Down Road end that served to give van Buuren and Jack Taylor a start. These two needed no second invitation, working Harrison and teenage off spinner Nirvan Ramesh while the seamers were rested, raising a revitalising 50 partnership from 73 balls before rain forced the players off. Lunch was taken at 12.30, but there was no improvement in the weather thereafter.

Shane Burger also joins new coaching set-up at the Utilita Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025Russell Domingo, the former South Africa and Bangladesh coach, has been named Hampshire men’s head coach on a two-year contract. He will be joined in the club’s new coaching set-up by another South African, Shane Burger, who previously coached Scotland before moving on to Somerset.Domingo was in charge of South Africa between 2012 and 2017, followed by a three-year stint with Bangladesh. He has been head coach of Johannesburg-based Lions since 2023, and has also worked in the PSL. ESPNcricinfo understands Domingo will continue in his Lions role, splitting his time between the UK and South Africa.He succeeds his countryman Adrian Birrell at Hampshire, with Birrell stepping down at the end of the 2025 summer after seven seasons on the south coast.Burger joins as assistant coach (bowling), while former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams will continue in his role as assistant coach (batting).Related

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• Timeline: Domingo's stint as head coach of Bangladesh

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• Men's county ins and outs 2025-26

“I’m thrilled to be joining Hampshire Cricket,” Domingo said. “This is a club with incredible history, outstanding facilities at Utilita Bowl, and a clear vision for success both on and off the field.”I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ambition here and the strong cultural values that underpin everything Hampshire does. The combination of developing young talent whilst competing for trophies is exactly the challenge I’m looking for, and I can’t wait to get started.”I’m looking forward to working alongside Jimmy and Shane and getting to know the players as we prepare for what promises to be an exciting season ahead.”Burger said: “I’m really excited to be joining Hampshire Cricket. The quality of young bowlers coming through here is exceptional, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and Scott Currie have already earned England recognition, and I’m looking forward to helping them continue that development.”I love the ambition and vision of the club and the future seems bright. I’m excited to be part of that journey alongside Russell and Jimmy and I can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire endured a turbulent finish to last season, losing in both the final of the Vitality T20 Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They appeared destined for relegation to Division Two of the County Championship, after suffering a points deduction for a substandard pitch, before being reprieved on the final day by Durham’s collapse against Yorkshire.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, added: “We’re delighted to announce our coaching team for next summer. Russell Domingo will serve as head coach, with Jimmy Adams and Shane Burger joining him as assistant coaches. Together, they form a strong and experienced unit that will continue to champion the cultural framework that has underpinned Hampshire cricket over the years.”We exist to win and to develop, and I’m confident this team will continue to drive that ethos as we move into an exciting future. It’s a fantastic place to be at this moment in time, and the season ahead promises great opportunities.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers were hoping to sign Iran star Sardar Azmoun before the January deadline passed, but it appears that they are set to miss out on his signature.

According to a report from Sky Sports, Wolves have failed to come to an agreement with Rubin Kazan over the signing of the player dubbed ‘Iranian Messi’.

The report claims that Rubin Kazan wanted a loan deal to include an obligation to buy clause but Wolves were only willing to include an option to buy.

The 24-year-old’s decent record at club and international level will naturally be lending reason for supporters to feel disappointed, but with Raul Jimenez’s long-term future yet to be secured the club’s hierarchy should turn their attention towards sealing a permanent deal for him instead.

It took Jimenez a short while to get to grips with the demands of the Premier League, but he has slowly begun to establish himself as a top talent at this level.

Wolves opted to sign Jimenez on loan in the summer window in a deal, with a £30 million option to buy clause inserted as part of the deal (as per Express and Star).

The quoted price would, for most supporters at least, have been sniffed at during the early stages of the season, but Jimenez’s development suggests he possesses all of the attributes needed to thrive at the spearhead of Nuno’s attack: he is a fantastic link-up player in the final-third, a strong hold-up man, possesses a commanding aerial presence and, perhaps most importantly, a solid finisher.

There have been times this season when Jimenez’s finishing has been lacking, but a return of 10 goals from 26 appearances, including strikes against Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool, proves that he has the firepower to justify a £30 million price-tag.

Azmoun, on the other hand, represented a much greater risk. The 24-year-old may well have scored 27 goals in 43 for the Iran national team but he has no experience in any of Europe’s top leagues.

He has made a name for himself in Russian football and commands a sensationalist comparison with Messi, but a return of just 17 goals from 77 appearances at Rubin Kazan is hardly the type of return to suggest he could make the step up to Premier League football.

On paper, despite his flashes of brilliance, Azmoun is too lightweight and inexperienced to operate at the spearhead of Nuno’s attack and adapt to the demands of English football, so Wolves’ failure to clinch a deadline day deal should not be viewed as anything more than a minor setback at most.

The key for Wolves now is to invest their financial efforts into concluding a permanent deal for the vastly superior Jimenez.

Considering the relationship the Mexico international has established with Nuno, his teammates and the supporters, along with the reported option to buy clause, it’s fair to say Wolves are in pole position to clinch his signature this summer, even if a rival bidder comes calling.

Wolves fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Sunderland manager Jack Ross has laughed off the idea of playing two strikers at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats have scored in every game this season – they are the only team in the top four divisions to do so – but they have struggled to score more than once in recent outings, doing so just once in their last nine games.

What’s the word?

Sunderland striker Josh Maja left the club for Bordeaux in the January transfer window.

The news was a major blow to Ross, who saw a striker who had scored 15 goals in League One this season head for France.

A deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Kazaiah Sterling on loan was secured in the wake of that move, along with a £4million deal for Will Grigg, signed from Wigan Athletic.

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And Ross says that there is little chance that he will revert to a two-up formation, though he accepts that he must find a way to make the Black Cats less predictable.

“It’s a nonsense statement that is thrown out by some people,” he said, per the Chronicle.

“The whole thing about two strikers makes me laugh whenever I hear it.

“If you’re playing two strikers and four midfielders, is that more attacking than playing a striker and two wingers?

“Because two wingers and a striker, that’s three attackers in total.”

He added: “Earlier in the season we were probably a bit more unpredictable because we had to chop and change so much, whereas now we are more settled.

“We have to assess whether there is now more familiarity with what we do and whether that has made it more comfortable for the opposition.

“So we’re looking at it and searching for ways that we can be a little bit less predictable.”

Grigg to lead the line

It appears that Grigg will lead the line after his move and that may well be the best thing for him to do.

He has genuine League One pedigree, scoring a total of 96 goals in 260 appearances in the competition, compared to just nine in 50 in the Championship.

And throwing him in as something of a wildcard will help Ross overcome the club’s current predictability.

Add into the fact that Sterling, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, has something to prove away from north London and Ross appears to hold all the cards needed to get the Black Cats firing again.

They are currently fourth in League One, nine points behind leaders Luton Town, but they also have three games in hand, and they appear to have brought in the exact reinforcements needed to close that gap.

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Tottenham have opened talks with Sampdoria over a bid for defender Joachim Andersen, per Calciomercato.

Spurs are interested in reinforcing their defence this summer and have targeted a move for the centre-back.

What’s the word?

The aforementioned report claims that Spurs have spoken with Sampdoria about the prospect of securing a deal to sign Andersen this summer.

The 22-year-old has a contract that runs until 2022 but Calciomercato state that he could be sold in the next transfer window.

Spurs are reported to be ready to pay €25million (£21.9m) to sign Andersen, who has been capped at numerous youth levels by Denmark. He has won 16 caps for the Under-21s but is yet to make his senior debut.

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Nevertheless, Andersen has played 90 minutes in every Serie A game this season bar one, a 2-1 loss to Juventus for which he was suspended.

The report claims that there is also interest from Juve and Inter Milan and that Sampdoria will hope to secure a higher bid from Spurs than they would from their compatriots.

Youth is king

Spurs only enter the transfer market for the right player and it appears that youth is central to Mauricio Pochettino’s thinking.

The last centre-back the club signed, Davinson Sanchez, was 21 when he moved to Spurs in 2017 and the club forked out a record fee to secure his signature, paying Ajax £42m.

A similar scenario has emerged with Andersen, as Spurs again look to pick up a youthful centre-back with the potential to become a key player under Pochettino.

Toby Alderweireld has a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave this summer if the club receive a bid worth £25m and that money could well fund their pursuit of Andersen.

It would also allow for a reduction in playing time for Jan Vertonghen, who will turn 32 in April.

Chairman Daniel Levy is likely to see the resale potential in Andersen, too, who could later fetch double what Spurs may pay for him if he takes to the Premier League in the same vein as Sanchez.

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Jan Vertonghen has told tottenhamhotspur.com that the 3-0 win against Borussia Dortmund last week is in his top three results since he has been with Spurs, but he has warned that the team can’t be complacent ahead of the second leg after what has happened in the past.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the north London outfit posted an interview on Sunday with the Belgium international, who was one of the stars of the victory against the Bundesliga leaders after scoring one and assisting another from a left wing-back role, who believes the clash is one of the best he has been involved since he arrived at White Hart Lane back in 2012.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were knocked out of the competition by Juventus at Wembley last season and also suffered a huge scare against Inter Milan back in the 2012/13 campaign, and Vertonghen has told tottenhamhotspur.com that they must not repeat those slips.

The 31-year-old said: “We all know what then happened against Juventus (in the Round of 16, lost 4-3 on aggregate) and we don’t want that to happen again.

“This result is massive for us. We’re still not finished because I can remember the Inter away game where we lost 3-0 (in 2012/13 we won the first leg of our Europa League tie 3-0, went 3-0 down at the San Siro and eventually lost 4-1 to go through on away goals) and that can’t happen again.”

Will they do it?

Given Tottenham are a huge threat away from home, solid at the back and could reportedly have Harry Kane and Dele Alli back and available for the second leg in Germany, it is difficult to look past them reaching the quarter-final stage.

That said, they have shown their weaknesses in Europe previously and if Dortmund get an early goal in the return leg in March and the huge Westfalenstadion crowd get behind their team, then it could be more nervy than it should be.

Spurs will certainly need Vertonghen’s experience to help ensure nothing like that happens, as they look to keep things as tight as possible defensively.

Fulham currently find themselves in a spot of bother in the relegation zone, with Claudio Ranieri’s recent sacking only adding to the disappointment at Craven Cottage. 

Claudio Ranieri won only three of his 17 games as manager after taking over from Slavisa Jokanovic, and he’s now left them 10 points from safety with 10 games left.

The Cottagers have appointed Scott Parker as caretaker manager with former first-team coach Stuart Gray joining as his assistant. But, fans will be more focused on who Shahid Khan will decide to appoint at the end of the season, with relegation to the Championship looking a certainty at this moment in time.

Indeed, the manager who Khan simply has to go all out to secure is former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner.

Of course, relegation hasn’t officially been confirmed, but Fulham will find themselves back in the Premier League by 2020 if Khan appoints David Wagner at the end of the season following potential relegation. He performed miracles last season to first take Huddersfield into the Premier League and then keep them there against all odds.

He also managed to create an extremely tight bond with the players in the Championship, despite bringing in 13 new faces prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Indeed, the Cottagers have failed to get the best out of a number of their summer signings after spending big prior to the start of this season, so he could definitely sort out that mess.

Wagner promotes an attractive, attacking style that could definitely bring excitement back to Craven Cottage, and his experience from securing promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs during his time at Huddersfield could prove invaluable as the Championship is arguably one of the most competitive leagues in Europe.

Fulham fans – Thoughts?

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Regardless of how Tottenham conclude the current campaign, Mauricio Pochettino is facing an uphill battle to keep one of his best players at the club in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

The signing of a new contract is typically greeted with unanimous enthusiasm and a feeling of assurance regarding a player’s long-term future.

Alderweireld’s decision to pen terms on a new deal shortly after the turn of the year, though, provided a rather antithetical feeling: one defined by insecurity and apprehension over his future in north London.

The inclusion of a £25 million release clause this summer, which will be active until the final two weeks of the transfer window, represents daylight robbery for a player of his quality and experience.

With that in mind, Spurs fans have been wondering whether the Belgium international could be inclined to sign a new deal to deter interest from outside the club, and one fan posed that question to football.london’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold on Monday.

The fans asked what it would take for Christian Eriksen and Alderweireld to sign new deals with the club, and his response in regard to the latter pointed towards a summer departure.

‘With Alderweireld it’s a different situation because of that clause in his contract, triggered by the recent extension, which states that he can go for £25m this summer before the final two weeks of the window.

‘For the Belgian it would be a strange move to sign a new deal now when he could have options galore in the summer.’

Alderweireld looking for a new challenge?

As much as it would pain supporters to admit, Gold is spot on his assessment.

At this moment in time the 29-year-old is in an incredibly advantageous position for a player with a genuine desire to leave the club, and his price-tag should draw in a multitude of coveted suitors when the summer window opens for business.

If Alderweireld did not want to weigh up his options and consider other avenues to explore in his career, he would simply sign a new deal without the inclusion of a release clause.

With ‘options galore’ likely to be presented in front of Alderweireld this summer, Pochettino and Tottenham should be preparing for a future without him.

The seeds have been planted for the former Atletico Madrid man to embark on a new challenge this summer.