Continuing their search for their next manager, Celtic have already been hit with a problem in pursuit of Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who has impressed the Bhoys during his time in Belgium.

The last thing Celtic need is a managerial saga, but they may have no choice. The Scottish Premiership champions must get their next appointment right and silencing the noise to do exactly that will be key.

That is, of course, easier said than done with several candidates already shortlisted and the likes of Chris Sutton already having their say on the vacant position.

The former Celtic star believes that Ange Postecoglou is the “obvious” choice and it’s easy to see why. The Australian won five trophies out of a possible six during his last spell at the club and is currently a free agent after lasting just 39 days at Nottingham Forest.

There will be some concerns about his recent performances in the dugout, but the Bhoys know more than anyone just how quickly Postecoglou can create success.

Another name on the reported shortlist is Kieran McKenna. The Ipswich manager took the Tractor Boys from League one all the way to the Premier League in back-to-back promotions, before suffering relegation from England’s top flight last season.

Although he has endured a tough year at Portman Road, his reputation remains intact and managerial ability clear for all to see. Whether Celtic would be able to lure him away from Ipswich remains to be seen, however, and that’s a problem they face with another candidate.

Celtic already facing Nicky Hayen problem

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are now tracking Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who held Brendan Rodgers’ side to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League last November.

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The 45-year-old has impressed in Belgium and would have no trouble convincing those at Celtic Park that he’s the right man for the job after smashing Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers back in August. Alas, there still lies one problem.

Luring Hayen away from Brugge could yet prove to be a difficult task and that instantly hands Celtic an obstacle that they’ll have to overcome if he emerges as their top choice.

Celtic already watched on as Rangers endured managerial chaos and may choose to avoid taking a similar path. If that does prove to be the case, then Hayen could become an unlikely candidate.

It’s clear why Brugge will be so desperate to keep their young manager, too. Speaking to The Guardian in January, the owner of Haverfordwest, Rob Edwards, who worked with Hayen at the Welsh club before he set off for Belgium said: “He’s a workaholic and that rubs off on players, it rubs off on staff and it gets everyone behind you if you lead from the front.

“I always knew he was going to go off somewhere else. We didn’t have him that long, but to see what he’s achieved since then makes us all really proud.”

Celtic readying first move for Ange Postecoglou

يخوض فريق ريال مدريد مباراة في بطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا” لموسم 2025-2026، مساء اليوم الأحد، أمام خصمه رايو فاليكانو.

ويستقبل رايو فالكيانو خصمه ريال مدريد، في مباراة ضمن مباريات الجولة الثانية عشر للدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

طالع | تشكيل ريال مدريد الرسمي أمام رايو فاليكانو في الدوري الإسباني.. مبابي يقود الهجوم

ويدخل ريال مدريد المباراة وهو في صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 30 نقطة، فيما يأتي رايو فاليكانو في المركز الحادي عشر بـ14 نقطة.

وشهدت قائمة ريال مدريد للمباراة أمام رايو فاليكانو، عودة النمساوي ديفيد ألابا، فيما يستمر غياب كل من أنطونيو روديجر وداني كارفاخال وماستانتونو وتشواميني للإصابة. تشكيل ريال مدريد أمام رايو فاليكانو

حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا.

خط الدفاع: ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، إيدير ميليتاو، دين هويسن، ألفارو كاريراس.

خط الوسط: فيدي فالفيردي، إداورد كامافينجا، جود بيلينجهام.

خط الهجوم: أردا جولر، كيليان مبابي، فينيسيوس جونيور.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا.

Are Aston Villa starting to build some serious momentum?

Having failed to win any of their first six matches this season, scoring only two goals, the Villans have since won four on the spin, beating Bologna and Feyenoord in the Europa League, as well as Fulham and Burnley at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, chance creation remains a concern for Unai Emery, considering his team sit second-bottom of the Premier League when it comes to expected goals, above only Burnley, while only Fulham, Sunderland and Burnley have mustered fewer shots on target.

Back in January, the Claret and Blue Army addressed this by signing both Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan; the Spaniard scored eight goals and registered one assist, while the England international netted four times and notched six assists.

However, both moved on to pastures new over the summer, so who could be this season’s Asensio, and why will he help unlock Villa’s primary star attacker?

Ollie Watkins' struggles for confidence

As the graphic documents, ever since he arrived from Brentford, Ollie Watkins has been a reliable goalscorer in a claret and blue shirt.

However, this season, the England international is seemingly struggling for confidence, seeing a very tame penalty saved by Bologna’s Łukasz Skorupski, before, to great relief, getting off the mark three days later against Fulham.

Nevertheless, when compared to last season, pretty much all of his statistics are down, as the table below outlines.

Goals

0.6

0.2

Shots

2.4

1.3

Shots on target

1.4

0.5

Shooting accuracy

59.7%

37.5%

Chances Created

0.9

0.7

Duels Contested

10

8.6

Touches

27.1

25.3

Touches in the box

6.3

4.5

As documented, every available metric for Watkins this season has plateaued, with the decrease in his shooting statistics the most stark drop off.

Of course, seven matches into the Premier League season, it is only a small sample size, while the fact Watkins’ touches as well as touches in the opposition penalty area have both decreased suggests that it is as much a service issue as a Watkins problem.

Last season, Watkins and the aforementioned Asensio formed an effective partnership, the former setting up the latter to score his second goal against Cardiff City in an FA Cup tie in February, but who is most likely candidate to break into the Villa team now and add that much-needed creativity?

Aston Villa's forgotten summer signing

After a summer of very little activity, restricted by Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules, Aston Villa were certainly busy on deadline day.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Victor Lindelöf arrived as a free agent, Harvey Elliott joined from Liverpool, on loan with a £35m option to buy, so the move many missed was Jadon Sancho’s loan move, rescued from the Chelsea bomb squad at the 11th hour.

Still only 25 years old, it is now four years since the England international joined Manchester United for around £73m, and his career certainly has not panned out as hoped since.

Upon his arrival at Old Trafford, then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær praised his “tremendous pace, flair and creativity”, noting that he had “already achieved a great deal” for such a young player.

Well, after scoring only 12 goals in 83 appearances for the Red Devils, he has been loaned back to Borussia Dortmund and then Chelsea, spending last season at Stamford Bridge.

While he may not have been the world-beater he once was, Sancho was effective for the Blues, scoring five goals and accumulating ten assists across all competitions, including netting at Tottenham in the Premier League and then against Real Betis in the Conference League Final in Wrocław.

Given how little he has done since 2021, his most recent England cap coming against Andorra almost exactly four years ago, it is easy to forget just how exciting Sancho was when he first burst onto the scene at the Westfalenstadion.

Raj Chohan of BBC Sport praised his ‘incredibly mature decision-making’ in the final third, while Nick Wright of Sky Sports asserted that the ‘extraordinary talent’ was one of the very best young players in Europe.

During his best season in the Bundesliga, 2019/20, Sancho ranked third for goals, second for assists, first in terms of goals – xG, first for goal-creating actions, second for attempted take-ons and second when it came to carries into the final third.

Put succinctly, the Englishman was truly a phenomenon so, with Emery’s coaching, will Aston Villa get him back to that level?

Well, if they can, during that aforementioned 2019/20 Bundesliga season, Sancho created 19 big chances, thereby ranked behind only Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry.

For comparison, in the Premier League last season, the Villa players who created the most big chances were Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, both reaching 16.

Thus, getting Sancho back to his exhilarating best could be exactly what this team needs to unlock talisman Watkins. Like Asensio – and Rashford – before him, he could be the club’s new loan success story and revive his floundering career.

​​​​​​​

Forget McGinn: Aston Villa's "jewel" looks like the modern day Gareth Barry

Man in the middle of the park is Aston Villa’s modern Gareth Barry, key to their revival

ByWill Miller Oct 5, 2025

Somerset pile on 312 for 6 in 49.2 overs before the match is washed out

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Somerset’s bid for victory against strugglers Essex was thwarted by the rain at Chelmsford.Niamh Holland led the visitors’ run-fest with 76, including eight fours in 76 balls after they were put in while Jess Hazell hit 60 in 56 balls as they raised 312 for 6 off the 49.2 overs possible.The total was the sixth-highest in the competition this season, the top five scores having been made at Beckenham.It was a sobering day for Essex’s bowlers, who, with the exception of Sophia Smale (2 for 56), strayed in both line and length. However, the rain which drove the players off four balls before the end of the Somerset innings refused to abate, meaning the hosts had no opportunity to take on the huge chase.Holland, making a belated debut in the competition because of a back injury sustained playing in Australia over the winter, would prove the mainstay of the visitors’ effort, one four crunched back over the bowler’s head and a sweep among six boundaries as she moved to 50 in 54 balls.The 20-year-old right-hander celebrated with a powerful cut backward of square and there was another boundary over mid-wicket before her first mistake proved costly, skewing one from Kate Coppack to Jodie Grewcock behind point.Holland’s solidity allowed others to play around her. Odgers produced two delightful pick-up shots over mid-wicket, before being dropped in that region by Lissy Macleod on 29, but it wasn’t a costly miss, the opener skying one soon after to Amara Carr behind the stumps.Somerset’s leading scorer Sophie Luff dispatched a head-high full toss from Maddie Penna to the fence at long leg before creaming the resulting free-hit through the covers in a breezy 27 ended by Smale, stumped by Carr.Fran Wilson belted a full toss from Jo Gardner back over the bowler’s head in her cameo performance, though Gardner had the last laugh when Wilson bunted back a caught and bowled.Hazell and Alex Griffiths (29) ran hard to keep the scoreboard moving in their fifth-wicket stand of 57, Hazell reaching 50 from 52 balls with only three fours and Amanda-Jade Wellington and Chloe Skelton cashed in late on before the rain came.

Daniele De Rossi has been officially appointed as Genoa’s new head coach, replacing Patrick Vieira after the club’s difficult start to the Serie A campaign. However, the Roma and Italy legend will not be on the bench for his first match against Fiorentina. A suspension from his final game in charge of Roma, ironically also against Genoa, still needs to be served, meaning his return begins from the stands.

De Rossi appointed to lead Genoa revival

Genoa have confirmed the appointment of De Rossi as their new head coach following the dismissal of Vieira after a winless opening run. The Frenchman’s tenure produced three draws and six defeats, leaving the club rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table. Domenico Criscito and Roberto Murgita oversaw the team’s 2-1 win away to Sassuolo at the weekend, which lifted Genoa to 18th place, level on points with 17th-placed Pisa. But Genoa’s board moved quickly to secure a long-term managerial solution, turning to the former Roma captain for a new direction.

De Rossi has already arrived at the Signorini Sports Centre and has taken his first session with the squad, and he is expected to be presented officially in a joint press conference alongside Chief of Football Diego Lopez, where he will outline his plans to stabilise the club and rebuild confidence. The announcement statement read: "Genoa CFC announces that Daniele De Rossi has been appointed head coach of the first team. The new coach has already met with the players and will lead the afternoon training session scheduled at the Signorini Sports Center.”

AdvertisementTouchline ban from Roma days carries over

Despite being officially unveiled and immediately beginning work, De Rossi will not be physically present on the bench for Genoa’s upcoming match against Fiorentina. The reason traces back to his final match in charge of Roma in September 2024, a 1-1 draw against Genoa at the Ferraris. During that match, De Rossi was sent off for protesting against refereeing decisions and subsequently received a suspension.

Since he was dismissed shortly afterwards and had not taken up another coaching role until now, that suspension was never served. Regulations require him to complete the ban in his next official match as a head coach, which happens to be this weekend. The irony of missing his debut due to an incident that occurred at the same stadium and against the same opponent only deepens the narrative of his return.

De Rossi will still prepare the team, lead training and select the match squad, but assistant staff will handle in-game touchline duties.

New chapter begins following turbulent end at Roma

De Rossi’s appointment marks the start of his second major coaching role. After replacing Jose Mourinho early in 2024, he guided Roma to sixth place and reached the Europa League semi-finals, achievements that initially earned him a contract renewal until 2027. However, a poor start to the 2024-25 season led to his dismissal just months later. That final 1-1 draw at Genoa symbolised the end of his tenure, and now becomes the context of his new beginning.

De Rossi’s managerial career mirrors his identity as a player, emotional, determined, and deeply tied to the fabric of Italian football. Genoa provides him an opportunity to rebuild his reputation at a club with proud tradition but immediate survival priorities.

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Getty Images SportFiorentina clash opens his new era

Genoa’s next match, at home against Fiorentina, will serve as De Rossi’s touchline debut in spirit if not in presence. Fiorentina themselves are in turmoil, having recently dismissed Stefano Pioli after a winless start of their own. Both clubs find themselves desperate for stability as they attempt to climb away from the relegation zone.

Genoa will expect De Rossi to bring structure and identity to a squad that has lacked both, and his experience with Roma in stabilising a troubled dressing room could prove decisive as the team heads into a critical run of fixtures. Beyond survival, the club hopes his long-term leadership will spark steady progress. The official restart is underway, even if the first match begins from the stands.

Although Arsenal sit top of the Premier League and three points clear of their closest challengers, Mikel Arteta has been ranked outside of the top 10 best managers in the world by one pundit.

The numbers behind Arsenal's early dominance

Many have been quick to criticise how Arsenal have reached top spot in the Premier League, but the numbers don’t lie. Whilst champions Liverpool saw their crown slip for a fourth game on the bounce against Manchester United, the Gunners enjoyed the control that Arne Slot has been desperate to grasp all season long.

Arteta’s side never looked in doubt against Fulham – an opponent they’ve struggled against in the past – and the numbers tell the story of a team finally ready to take their turn at the top.

As highlighted by statistician Scott Willis, Arsenal have never conceded such low-quality chances than so far this season. They have suffocated opposition attacks and have conceded just three goals in eight games.

Meanwhile, they’ve not exactly been disappointing going in the other direction. In fact, only three sides have recorded more expected goals than the Gunners in the Premier League this season. Arteta’s side have an XG of 15.73 and have matched that with 15 Premier League goals.

It is all coming together in North London just when Liverpool are beginning to slip and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City continue to have their own defensive fragilities at times. Yet, for all their good work, it’s not enough for one Sky Sports pundit to rank Arteta in his top 10 of current managers.

Arteta doesn't make O'Hara's top 10 managers

Speaking to Sky Sports, former Tottenham Hotspur man Jamie O’Hara said that Arteta is not a top 10 manager in world football, claiming that the likes of Oliver Glasner are better.

In a brutal verdict, O’Hara also went onto name Xabi Alonso, Vincent Kompany, Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti when speaking about managers he believes are better than Arteta.

However, he did also claim that the Arsenal boss is likely to be in that bracket one day, but is still getting there. Whether that verdict changes by the time that May arrives will be interesting to see.

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Mikel Arteta must make some changes to his team ahead of a big week for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 21, 2025

Whilst the likes of Alonso and Kompany have impressed in recent years and have earned their place among the best, Arteta’s complete Arsenal transformation should end any doubters who share O’Hara’s current opinion.

Dickson makes key half-century as leaders bounce back from defeat in style

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Jul-2025

Somerset returned to winning ways in the Men’s Vitality Blast and cemented their place at the top of the South Group with a last-over win over Hampshire Hawks.Sean Dickson led Somerset’s chase of 179 with a sublime 52, having been accompanied by Tom Abell in an 89-run fourth wicket partnership.But a spree of wickets made sure the visitors still required 23 off two overs and then 11 off the last, but Ben Green and Lewis Goldsworthy reached the winning line with a ball to spare.Earlier, James Vince and Joe Weatherley had ravaged 82 and 60 in a massive 141-run stand but it wasn’t enough.Somerset were miserly with the new ball, after stand-in captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore had chosen to bowl first, as they forced the Hawks to flounder in the first eight overs.Ali Orr turned to short leg second ball, and while Toby Albert tried hard to inject some impetus into the innings he was caught and bowled by Riley Meredith for a 19-ball 27.Hampshire were 39 for two at the end of the eighth over, with Vince stumbling to just six runs – having already been one off 10 and five off 16 balls.But from that point Vince and the hosts started scoring runs and barely stopped for the remaining 12 overs.Vince kicked into gear with back-to-back boundaries off Ben Green to start the ninth over before roaring through his repertoire of bat cracking strokes.The tortoise-esque start was long forgotten as sixes became an overly sight off Vince and Weatherley’s bats.Vince reached his fifty in 41 balls, having been one off 10, before further accelerating to end up with a strike rate of almost 144.Weatherley had been equally important to the resuscitation of the innings and ended up with five sixes, to one four, having whacked his half-century in 38 balls – brought up with a huge pulled maximum.In total, the Vince and Weatherley alliance put on 141 in 85 balls, just three runs shy of the all-time record partnership for Hampshire against Somerset. And even though Vince picked out long on with a ball to go, the Hawks reached 178.Somerset were more even paced in their chase, but lost wickets just as batters started to click.Tom Banton flew a six before slapping to mid off next ball, Will Smeed inside-edged behind, and Kohler-Cadmore had his stumps dismantled by Liam Dawson.But they found stickability in Dickson and Abell – who put on 89 in 57 balls.Dickson naturally took the aggressor role with a quartet of square sixes as Abell rotated strike and found boundaries when they were provided.Dickson reached his second fifty of the campaign in 30 balls but within five balls of each other he and Abell had departed. Dickson holing out before Abell was incredibly caught and bowled by Scott Currie with 36 still required.Tom Lammonby picked out cover in the penultimate over but Goldsworthy and Green took it down to 11 from the final six balls.Sonny Baker stood up against his former club but a Green six with the third ball over midwicket turned the tide in Somerset’s favour.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dos seis pontos disputados contra o lanterna do Brasileirão, o Corinthians conquistou apenas um ponto. No empate de domingo (22) com o América-MG, o Timão foi apático dentro de casa e não conseguiu dar a resposta esperada pelo torcedor para mostrar que a equipe é capaz de esboçar uma reação contra o rebaixamento.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansMano reconhece Corinthians abaixo contra América-MG e manda recado à torcida sobre rebaixamentoCorinthians22/10/2023CorinthiansGiuliano admite nervosismo do Corinthians, mas valoriza empate com o América: ‘Dos males o menor’Corinthians22/10/2023CorinthiansNo último lance, Corinthians arranca empate com o América-MG no BrasileirãoCorinthians22/10/2023

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O torcedor corintiano esperava uma equipe ligada e capaz de pressionar o Coelho em Itaquera após boa impressão deixada contra o Fluminense. Contudo, a equipe apresentou o mesmo nível apenas nos dez primeiros minutos.

Mano repetiu o esquema tático usado contra o Flu, mas o Timão não conseguiu furar a retranca da equipe mineira, que explorou com maestria o lado esquerdo da defesa corintiana e abriu o placar após bonito chute de Benítez.

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Ao contrário dos últimos jogos, Mano não foi feliz nas substituições, e o Corinthians seguia jogando de forma displicente, errando muitos passes e sem conseguir conectar uma jogada de perigo no ataque.

O empate caiu do céu, já que o Timão não teve organização e competência durante os 90 minutos para furar a defesa do América-MG. O Corinthians pode não estar dentro da zona do rebaixamento, mas jogou com espírito de equipe rebaixada, sem alma e senso de urgência dentro de casa.

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Para não repetir 2007, o Corinthians precisa vencer ao menos um dos próximos dois jogos (Cuiabá e Santos) e esboçar uma reação na reta final do Brasileirão. Mais do que pontuar, Mano e os jogadores precisam mostrar comprometimento na luta contra o rebaixamento e comprar de uma vez por todas que a ameaça do rebaixamento é real.

Manchester United legend David Beckham has spoken of his pride after being officially knighted by King Charles. The former England captain's long-awaited knighthood was confirmed in the King's Birthday Honours list in June for his services to sport and charity. He received the award at a ceremony on Tuesday in Berkshire, which was attended by his family, including wife Victoria, who will now be known as Lady Beckham.

• Beckham knighted by King Charles

  Beckham's knighthood has been years in the making since becoming arguably the best-known footballer in the world in the 1990s with Manchester United. He increased his international fame by joining Real Madrid in 2003 and later LA Galaxy before becoming a co-owner at Inter Miami. Beckham, who grew up in east London but moved to United's academy as a teenager, made his Red Devils' debut in 1992 and consolidated his place in Sir Alex Ferguson's side in 1996, later becoming one of the most important players in the team's historic treble win in 1999. 

  He became England captain in 2000, two years after becoming a figure of hate for being sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. Beckham quickly redeemed himself in supporters' eyes by qualifying England for the 2002 World Cup with his last-gasp free-kick against Greece. 

  Beckham ended his trophy-laden time with United to join Real Madrid in a £25m ($32m) deal in 2003, winning the La Liga title in his final season in the Spanish capital. He saw out his career with LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer and also played for AC Milan on loan before finally hanging up his boots while with Paris Saint-Germain in 2013. 

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• Getty Images Entertainment
  

  Beckham: Royal family most important institution in world

  "It's a very proud day for us as a family today," Beckham said after being knighted. "I grew up in the east end of London in a very humble family and my dream was always to become a professional footballer to play for Manchester United to play for my country. Everything else that has come with that has been incredible. But today to be honoured by one of the most important institutions in the world and one of the most respected institutions in the world, being an East End boy, it's a very proud day."

• Beckham: People around world want to discuss royal family

  "The monarchy has always been very important in our family, my grandparents, my parents, myself, my kids," Beckham added. "The royal family have always played a huge role. I've always had huge respect for our royal family. Especially when I get to travel around the world, people want to talk to me about our royal family and that shows how much respect people have, and to be here to receive a knighthood by his majesty the King is pretty surreal."

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• AFP
  

  Beckham waited 12 hours to see Queen lying in state

  Off the pitch, Beckham played a key role in London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and has worked with humanitarian aid charity Unicef since 2005. A fiercely proud royalist, Beckham queued for 12 hours to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state following her death in 2022. He was named ambassador for the King's Foundation in 2024, supporting the monarch's education programme.

Take a bit of risks and don’t go after the yorkers for all six balls – that was Matt Henry’s clear plan as he helped New Zealand to the men’s T20I tri-series title in a last-ball thriller in Harare.Henry stood at the top of his mark with South Africa needing seven off the last over with six wickets in hand. ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor gave South Africa a 93.3% chance, with a set Dewald Brevis batting on 31 off just 14. But all Henry conceded were three runs and picked up two wickets.”The thought process was making sure that there were tough options [for the batters]. If you go to yorkers too early and you run two, it’s hard to kind of keep six [balls] out,” Henry said after New Zealand’s three-run win. “So, we just tried to be positive and to take an element of risk of the death that doesn’t always come off but that was good.Related

• Henry the hero as NZ win last-ball thriller to clinch tri-series title

• Conrad: 'Bitterly disappointed but we have got the makings of a great side'

“With not too many to defend, I probably made it a little bit clearer in terms of, having probably taken a few more risks, and making sure that it either was a dot ball or a wicket. Just making sure I was nice and clear at the top of the mark and executing what I wanted to do, and thankfully executed the plans nicely and catches stuck, so that was good.”2:32

Matt Henry: ‘Tried to take an element of risk at the death’

The last over was not devoid of drama. A couple of athletic catches sealed New Zealand’s fate, while the one missed chance did not cost them. On the second ball, Brevis looked to pull a bouncer over the deep midwicket boundary and almost succeeded. But Michael Bracewell timed his jump, held his balance to complete a juggling catch that gave New Zealand the edge. A ball later, he couldn’t hang on to a miscue from Corbin Bosch, grassing the chance after running in from deep midwicket. On the fifth ball, Daryl Mitchell covered good ground to his right from long-on to pull off another excellent catch to convert a certain boundary into a wicket, thus sending back George Linde.”I was hoping he was going to catch it,” Henry said of Bracewell, “it was a really good catch. When you’ve got Bracewell out there on the boundaries, [he is] one of the better fielders going around. So [I had] a lot of confidence, just hoped that one did his job. These guys, they take more catches than they drop, so I wasn’t as worried [about the dropped catch]. I was more just focused on what I could do. [It was a] tough chance, and not many people probably get to that to create a chance. He’s an unbelievable fielder.”Henry finished the tri-series as the leading wicket-taker with ten wickets. Six of those wickets came at the death (overs 17-20), a phase in which he had an economy of 6.69.”The key thing is wanting those overs,” Henry, who was named the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series, said. “It’s never easy, they don’t always go your way either. It’s something we all train at, and I think when you’re talking about death, it’s not just the final over. It’s actually the building up of that.”I think the guys that had some really tough sets there, [Jacob] Duffy and Zakary Foulkes, they’ve done a great job. There was some seriously aggressive striking there [from South Africa] as well. So for us to get to that position was probably the key thing.Henry also praised the tri-series as a means to play high-pressure matches in preparation for the T20 World Cup next year.”We don’t play too many of them, but to come here today and then the final one is great,” he said. “We want to play cricket against great sides and under pressure, that’s why we play the game. Today was one of those games. It was different to all the games we played here. It was a really strong surface, which required a high scoring game – obviously 180 was probably the highest for the tri series – so to come down to the wire was exciting. For us, it was building on what we’ve been talking about. A lot of guys that have stepped up at different times, which is a pleasing thing.”We’ve loved it, we’ve had such a great tour, and we’ve got a big year of T20 cricket with the World Cup to look forward to. For us, [it is about] not getting carried away with the results, more of the style of cricket we’re playing, and how do we keep asking ourselves to grow in our roles and take the game forward. It was a great stepping stone towards where we want to get to.”