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Sunrisers Hyderabad began brightly, but faded in the second half of their innings, allowing Kolkata Knight Riders to ease to a seven-wicket win

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details7:46

Prasad: KKR have got their batting order right

Just past the halfway point of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings, speaking to the TV commentators, Shikhar Dhawan said his team were looking at getting to 180 on what he called a “beautiful batting wicket”. Dhawan’s assessment was probably right, and Sunrisers, at that point, were on course to get to 180, going by their run-rate and by how David Warner was batting.But they had lost three wickets at that point, and they lost two more in the next two overs, including that of Warner, for an 18-ball 34. In the 40 balls that remained after Warner’s dismissal, Sunrisers scored just 38 runs. It left Kolkata Knight Riders chasing a target of 143, and they achieved it without too much of a struggle, losing only three wickets, with four of their five batsmen scoring 25 or more.The one batsman who didn’t was their captain Gautam Gambhir, who was given out caught behind off Dale Steyn, perhaps unluckily. There seemed to be a fairly big gap between Gambhir’s outside edge and the ball, but he made his feelings known in perhaps too vociferous a manner to elude the match referee’s eye.Knight Riders were 8 for 1 then. Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey, both helped along by dropped catches, steadied the chase with a 51-run second-wicket partnership, before Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate struck some important blows at the end to make sure Knight Riders always kept pace with the asking-rate.Towards the end, Sunrisers kept things interesting with a couple of tight overs. The equation went from 40 from 30 to 30 from 18, after Karn Sharma and Irfan Pathan gave away only 10 from the 16th and 17th overs. Yusuf immediately swung the first ball of the next over, from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, over midwicket for six. Dale Steyn gave away just six from the 19th over, to leave Knight Riders needing 10 from the last over. Ten Doeschate coolly sliced the second ball of the over – Bhuvneshwar the bowler once again – over the cover boundary for six. It was a shot that reinforced a simple fact: Knight Riders were only chasing 143.It could have been so much more, but Sunrisers, even though they began brightly from a run-rate point of view, lost far too many wickets far too soon. It was a particularly dangerous thing to do for a line-up as top-heavy as theirs.Knight Riders’ bowlers didn’t contribute too much to the dismissals of Sunrisers’ big-name batsmen. Aaron Finch went hard at an Umesh Yadav outswinger and edged a catch to third man. Dhawan – having been replaced as captain by Sammy – played some sparkling shots through the off side before top-edging a slog sweep – a shot he might not have wanted to attempt in Sunil Narine’s first over.Naman Ojha looked in superb touch, hitting two crisp straight sixes, before slicing a wide, full ball from Shakib Al Hasan straight to point. Warner, after a breezy start, pulled a short ball from Umesh straight to midwicket.All this left Irfan and Sammy batting together in the 14th over. Both batsmen are perfectly suited to coming in towards the end of an innings and launching off immediately, but neither is particularly suited to starting their innings against spin.Sammy, in particular, was an ungainly sight against Narine and Piyush Chawla, heaving at them after a massive wind-up of his bat and timing absolutely nothing. Pathan looked a little better, sweeping and lofting Chawla for two fours in the 17th over, but that over – which brought 12 runs – came completely against the run of play. Those two fours were the only boundaries Sunrisers hit in the last six overs.

Simon Katich scored his first century of the season, and his first for his new club, to guide Lancashire close to Essex’s first innings score with wickets in hand

Les Smith at Chelmsford13-Jun-2013
ScorecardSimon Katich, pictured playing for Hampshire, scored his first century for Lancashire•PA PhotosSimon Katich scored his first century of the season, and his first for his new club, to guide Lancashire close to Essex’s first innings score with wickets in hand.Lancashire have the luxury of two left-handed batsmen who between them have 122 Test caps and just short of 35,000 first class runs. Ashwell Prince and Katich batted together for 33 overs and put on 110 runs just when the Lancashire innings was looking a little wobbly. The value of their partnership was underlined by the fact that after it ended their side lost five wickets for 57 runs as, while Katich continued on his way, there was a mini-collapse at the other end.It took little time for Lancashire to finish off the Essex innings in the morning. Glen Chapple had bowled beautifully on the first day with little reward but he mopped up the remaining two wickets for the addition of just five runs.Luis Reece, making his County Championship debut, lost his opening partner, Luke Procter, early but set off confidently and his 24 runs contained five boundaries. He was undone when Graham Napier entered the attack. He survived a very confident appeal for a catch behind but two balls later there was no doubt when he edged to second slip.This brought Katich and Prince together, men of contrasting physical stature and batting style. Katich stands tall and straight, and was particularly impressive driving through the off side. The shorter Prince was nimble on his feet and, while looking to get on the front foot, was severe on the short ball. He was missed twice off David Masters, first by Ryan ten Doeschate in the gully, then by Tom Westley at second slip on 49. Off the next ball he survived a huge lbw appeal, then a ball later he had his 50. Masters finally got his man when Prince edged to James Foster.Once he had gone the Essex bowlers took their chance to make more inroads into the innings, though they did have some help from a couple of the Lancashire batsmen. Andrea Agathangelou was skittled by a ball that stayed a little low, and Steven Croft edged to the wicketkeeper. Gareth Cross and Wayne White’s wickets were virtual carbon copies of each other: Reece Topley bowls, the batsman top edges the pull, and Saj Mahmood takes the skier at mid-off.Katich has previous first-class scores of 84, 93, 65 and 96 this season and looked determined to convert another good start into a century. He went to tea on 66 and in the first over afterwards lofted a drive narrowly over mid-off; it was the only time he looked remotely like being out. His hundred came up off 166 balls with 12 boundaries.There wasn’t quite a full day’s worth of play; six overs were lost to bad light. But there is still plenty of time for a result in a match that is very intriguingly poised.

Ticket deals for 2024 are being put in place by MLS outfits, but watching Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will come at a serious cost to supporters.

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Argentine icon remains a star attractionPulls in audiences wherever he goesEntrance passes do not come cheapWHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner completed a stunning move to the United States in the summer of 2023. He made an immediate impact in new surroundings, with a historic Leagues Cup title delivered at DRV PNK Stadium – allowing Messi to become the most-decorated player of all-time.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Unsurprisingly, the Argentine icon has become a star attraction in America – with A-list guests flocking to catch a glimpse of him in action. Clubs have also taken advantage of his global appeal by hiking their prices whenever the 2022 World Cup winner is in town.

DID YOU KNOW?

That will remain the case next season, with plans being put in place for the 2024 MLS campaign. Columbus Crew are said to have standard entrance passes available for $40, but will charge between $382 and $679 for a home date with Messi and Miami. The New York Red Bulls have also revealed that they will offering fans a deal that includes merchandise and a ticket to their first home fixture – unless of course that game is against Inter Miami, in which case the offer will roll over to the second home match.

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American supporters should get used to such an approach, with interest in Messi showing no sign of subsiding, and Inter Miami have already announced a price rise of between 46 and 82 percent when it comes to season tickets in Florida – with the cost of said passes now ranging from $800 to $10,000.

ICC chief executive David Richardson has said that profitability of fixtures for broadcasters has been a stumbling block for getting top Associates Ireland and Afghanistan fixtures since their inclusion in the ICC ODI rankings table

Peter Della Penna in Dublin22-Jul-2015ICC chief executive David Richardson has said that profitability of fixtures for broadcasters has been a stumbling block for getting top Associates Ireland and Afghanistan fixtures since their inclusion in the ICC ODI rankings table earlier this year. However, he said that the possible creation of an ODI facilitation fund could help alleviate these obstacles.”It’s a fact that even matches between the lower-ranked Full Members, like Zimbabwe versus Sri Lanka for example, don’t make revenues so that the series are making a profit or if it does it’s making a very small profit,” Richardson said at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Malahide. “You can imagine series between Afghanistan and the West Indies also cost a lot and the revenues might not necessarily be enough to cover those costs.”One of the talking points or suggestions that is being considered, and in October we’re having a joint meeting between our chief executives committee and the board on which there will be six representatives from the Associate members taking part in that discussion, will be trying to make sure that Full Members take some responsibility in scheduling fixtures against Associate members and if finances are a problem that we think of introducing an ODI fund similar to the Test fund that was introduced to help subsidise the costs of those series.”Richardson also said it is possible for Full Member countries to be forced to participate in future World Twenty20 Qualifiers. If Bangladesh or Zimbabwe finish outside the top eight spots on the ODI rankings table by September 2017, they will have to compete in the 50-over World Cup Qualifier with Associates for the final two spots in the 10-team event for 2019. That could be the case in the future for the ICC’s flagship T20 tournament as well.”When we put the package together for this next eight-year cycle, it was envisaged that we raise the profile of these qualifying tournaments, number one by making it crucial for qualification but also involving the Full Members, not excluding them from having to participate in these qualifying tournaments going forward. The objective to that is not only to make them self-sufficient and generate some more revenues for everybody for the development of the game but also just to raise the profile of these countries.”Before, for Holland, if they got to the World Cup they got a bit of profile.  If they just missed out, they lost out on that.  If we can raise the profile of these tournaments, and you’ve seen evenly matched teams provides for good entertainment, it will raise that profile. It is good for cricket in those countries as well, even if they don’t end up going to the tournament itself.”As for the ODI rankings table, if Zimbabwe were to dip below Afghanistan or Ireland, they may still be protected due to their Full Member status while the lower-ranked Associate would have a play-off with the top team in the WCL Championship for promotion into the ODI rankings table. Richardson conceded that this wasn’t meritocratic but that Zimbabwe had earned their status through historical performances, which needed to be taken into consideration.”At this stage the board, all they’ve agreed to do is say that it’s the lowest ranked Associate member who would play-off,” Richardson said. “At this stage we have got this distinction between Full Members and Associate members. I think long term, that distinction will eventually vanish but its really long term and not in the foreseeable future. A proper promotion and relegation would mean that the bottom ranked team would have to play off but that’s not the situation we’ve got. I think it’s a process and we’re working towards something.”Explaining the decision to move the World Twenty20 from a two- to a four-year cycle, Richardson argued it was done so as not to “kill the golden goose”. The increasing popularity of other domestic T20 tournaments such as the IPL, Big Bash and Caribbean Premier League were also factors.”I think the World T20 is valuable and if you play it too often it will become less valuable,” Richardson said. “We also have to recognise that around the world we have these domestic Twenty20 leagues which are high profile, are very attractive to broadcasters and it’s a case of there’s premium content out there and probably less is more.”A reduced tournament cycle means Associate nations will have fewer competitive and funding opportunities in a quadrennial World T20 cycle than the biennial tournament structure that was previously in place. However, Richardson claimed Associates will be better funded in other ways to make up for the loss in playing opportunities.”When it comes to funding for Associate members, it needs to be looked at not only in respect of participation fees,” Richardson said. “The bottom line is that a country like Ireland, with the projected revenues that the ICC is hoping to achieve over the next eight-year cycle, a doubling of the participation fee will be dwarfed by the increased funding Ireland will receive as one of the top Associate members.”Richardson commended the two host countries Ireland and Scotland for the job they have been doing in hosting the World Twenty20 Qualifier over the past two weeks. When asked what it would take to assign the World Twenty20 itself to an emerging market, similar to what World Rugby has done in awarding the 2019 Rugby World Cup to Japan, Richardson said that profitability would be the most important factor both from a gate revenue and television rights standpoint.”I don’t think it’s impossible to imagine. What we have to consider when awarding events is number one, will it at least optimise the revenues. So is it in the correct time zone, will sponsors want to get involved knowing that there’s an event in these particular places in the next four or five years? So that’s a factor that needs to be taken into consideration. At the moment we are too reliant on revenues generated out of India. It’s a problem for the game. Everybody says it.”If we can open up new markets, be it the USA, Europe or whatever, then there’s no reason we can’t take major global events to those regions. The other aspect of course is facilities. Cricket is difficult. We’ve got to have great facilities. We’ve tried Malaysia before for Under-19 events and yes everyone did their best and it wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t really good enough. So when we’re deciding whether to go to Kenya or Ireland, Ireland could probably manage it. But a major global event needs 40,000 to 50,000 seat stadiums. Those factors have to be taken into account.”

Ricky Ponting reflects on his 17-year career after playing his final Test, against South Africa in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2012.Ricky Ponting: “Even out of today, just being at the crease for 20-odd balls, it’s a pretty special time, and anyone who’s retired has felt that as well.”•AFPThe finality sinking in: That it’s [career] over has sunk in. It’s been a pretty long, tough week I guess, I know I’ve been more nervous this game than any other game that I’ve played. Just for the reason how much it means for me to play for Australia and wanting to finish the right way. So it has been a hard week and we haven’t got the result we were after and I haven’t got the result I was after. Looking back it’s been a special week as well, having my whole family here’s been great, unbelievable support from them, and great support from the fans and from my team-mates, so it’s been a special week.Why it was time to finish: Excluding Brisbane and the start of Adelaide, when I got a pretty good ball, I just think I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to perform knowing that I had to, or feeling within myself that I had to. Also knowing where the series was at, it’s always been about big games and big series for me, and getting off the start I did with those two innings just had me under pressure again, and I haven’t been able to deal with it as well of late as I’d have liked to. Normally for me when those big moments come around, I’ve been able to find something within and go out and score runs and make it all go away, but I haven’t been able to do that for a while now, and that was when the alarm bells started to ring.The guard of honour and the final ovation: I got my big ovation today, but Graeme’s gesture and the South African team’s gesture, that sort of stuff will remain with me forever, and I told him that on the field today. So that was special. I was pretty pumped up for the moment, I just felt there was one last big push from me, and the game and the day was set up for it, and it didn’t last long enough. Even out of today, just being at the crease for 20-odd balls, it’s a pretty special time, and anyone who’s retired has felt that as well. It just would’ve been nice to have a few next to my name coming off.On the supreme batsmen of his era: I felt Sachin was the best player I played against, and that’s coming from more of a captain’s point of view as well, knowing he had so much success against us in our conditions and their conditions. But the other way to look at it is, I probably lost more sleep on the eve of games against Lara, because I knew he could singlehandedly win games for his team. The way I judge players has always been on their ability to win games, and win games by themselves. Lara could certainly do that and he did it probably more than what Sachin’s done for India. It’s hard to separate the class of player – you’ve got to put Kallis in that bracket as well. You put his wickets on top of what he’s done with the bat. He came out the other day to bat and I looked at the board and he was averaging 57 in Test cricket. That’s remarkable considering the amount he’s had to bowl and all that sort of stuff. I’ve been pretty blessed to play in the era I’ve played with so many great batsmen, and if my name gets mentioned among them, then that’s great.On the best bowlers he faced: I think Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram were probably the two outstanding quicks that I faced, and for different reasons. Ambrose for his ability to just make you feel like you couldn’t score off him for long periods of time, never felt like he was going to bowl you a bad ball. Akram for the exact opposite, you could get a few runs off him, but you just knew there was an unplayable ball around the corner, be it with an old ball or with a new ball. And thankfully for me I probably got both of those guys towards the end of their careers as well. Those two, and Harbhajan’s probably the other one who caused me as much grief as anything. He got me out a lot of times, and caused me a lot of grief. Those guys through their careers can all put their hand up and say they had my measure.On what he’ll miss: I’ll miss the mateship, I’ll miss the dressing room. That’s the stuff that’s irreplaceable in your life I guess. There’s a lot of guys in there I’m very close to, and a lot of the guys I’ve been closest to over the years are no longer around the dressing room either. I guess that’s the upside, I’ll probably get to spend a bit more time with those guys who I’ve played most of my cricket with, but the get-up attitude and find a way to make yourself better and try to find a way to make your team-mates better is what I’ll miss.

Sri Lanka will anticipate stiffer resistance from Bangladesh in Chittagong, despite the feebleness of their Mirpur loss, batsman Kumar Sangakkara said

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Chittagong02-Feb-2014Sri Lanka will anticipate stiffer resistance from Bangladesh in Chittagong, despite the feebleness of their Mirpur loss, batsman Kumar Sangakkara said. The hosts had failed to exert pressure on Sri Lanka for significant periods in the first Test, and were bowled out cheaply in both innings as they continued to offer rash strokes. The Bangladesh bowlers had only dismissed six Sri Lanka batsmen – one of them a nightwatchman who was slated to come in at No. 11 – as the visitors amassed 730.Bangladesh had been more spirited in the two-match Test series the teams had played in Sri Lanka last year, drawing one match and stringing together impressive periods in the second, which they eventually lost.”We are pretty much used to Bangladesh putting up a pretty good fight usually,” Sangakkara said. “They pushed us in the Test series over there, and we walked away 1-1 in the one-day series. More often than not, they are more competitive in the one-day version of the game, so in the shorter formats of the game, we know we’re in for the fight. We won’t expect anything less than that from them here. The earlier game was easier than we thought it would be, but we expect it to be different here.”Whether we are complacent or not can only be seen when we start playing. The guys usually are very good in their preparation. Complacency is not something we think about or pay much attention to. We just go through our preparation process really well.”Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers had blasted Bangladesh out with the short ball in Mirpur, but a change in tack may be required for a drier Chittagong pitch, Sangakkara suggested.”It’s hard to use the same strategy, because the wicket looks quite different from there to now. But even on this track a short ball can be useful,” he said. “We don’t really know what we will plan for the batsmen, but our job is to do the basics well – put the ball in the right areas. If we have a specific strategy, to make sure the bowlers bowl to that field and that strategy.”There’s not much grass, and not much moisture in the pitch. I’m not that great at predicting exactly what happens on a wicket, but we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out over the five days.”Kithuruwan Vithanage and Kaushal Silva had made maiden hundreds in the first Test, as Angelo Mathews continued his fine stretch of form with 86. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are the towering figures in that top order, but contributions from the younger men do not necessarily ease their burden, Sangakkara said.”Whoever scores runs, it doesn’t take that expectation away from any other player. Pressure is something that’s constant,” he said. “It’s not really something you think about. If you can’t handle pressure, it’s no use walking out there in the middle. There’s no guarantee that you’ll score every time you go out, but chances are every time you walk in, after a good start – whether you’re in form or not, your job is to score runs.”

Afghanistan and Nepal’s progress to the main draw hinges on Bangladesh succumbing to an unlikely defeat against Hong Kong

The Preview by Alan Gardner in Chittagong19-Mar-2014Match FactsDawlat Zadran’s bouncer has been a handful for some batsmen•ICC/Helge SchutzMarch 20, 2014
Start time 1530 local (0930 GMT)Big PictureWhile neither side is officially out of the tournament yet, Afghanistan and Nepal are almost certainly playing only for pride in their final Group A game. Moreover, as their match is the first of the day, they won’t know what would be required in the event of Bangladesh making a colossal mess against Hong Kong (and with Afghanistan’s NRR currently -1.271, even Kabir Khan’s assessment that they have a 1% chance looks a bit generous).Nepal are like everyone’s favourite new band, winning plaudits for their style, resilience and passion for the game. They have recorded a famous win and put on a creditable display against a fired-up Bangladesh. Now, they face one of their bogey sides, the hard nuts of the Associate world who still seem a little sore from falling heavily at the first hurdle in this World T20.Mohammad Nabi knew his side’s best chance of making the Super 10 stage lay in mugging Bangladesh in their own manor for the second time in a month and he has seemed a little deflated since that plan went awry. Victory over Hong Kong was comfortable but nowhere near the crushing margin required, despite Shafiqullah’s disdainful six-hitting at the end. A win over Nepal will confirm their international status, but they are desperate for more.Victory for Nepal would keep them in contention to progress, with their position in second place buoyed by a thumping win over Hong Kong, but they will be facing an opponent who has held the whip-hand in most of their recent encounters. Given Bangladesh’s furious form so far, it is likely to be academic.Form guideAfghanistan WLLLWNepal LWWLWWatch out forDawlat Zadran has already forced Shakib Al Hasan and Mark Chapman into a tangle with his bouncer so far and he has certainly got some wheels, regularly clocking over 140kph. One of Afghanistan’s most confrontational bowlers, it will be interesting to see if he tries to engage with the normally serene Nepal batsmen.With his skip to the crease and low-slung left-arm action, energetic fielding and eye-catching celebrations, Shakti Gauchan has become one of the most recognisable of Nepal’s players. He suffered some punishment against Bangladesh but should find the more spin-wary Afghanistan batsmen an enjoyable challenge to bowl to.Team newsAshgar Stanikzai came in against Hong Kong but his anchoring innings threatened to weigh his side down. Either one of the experienced pair of Nawroz Mangal and Karim Sadiq could return. Mirwais Ashraf provides an option to beef up the seam attack.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Najeeb Tarakai, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 5 Shafiqullah, 6 Karim Sadiq, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Hamza Hotak, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor ZadranNepal have shown faith with their top order. The openers have been asked to attack before patiently building from Nos. 3 to 5. They could not finish off either of their previous two innings in style, and Binod Bhandari could make way after scores of 1 and 0 from 4 balls so far.Nepal (possible): 1 Subash Khakurel (wk), 2 Sagar Pun, 3 Gyanendra Malla, 4 Paras Khadka (capt), 5 Sharad Vesawkar, 6 Binod Bhandari, 7 Naresh Budayair, 8 Basant Regmi, 9 Shakti Gauchan, 10 Sompal Kami, 11 Jitendra MukhiyaPitch and conditionsThere is goodly pace in the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury surface, with a couple of different strips used so far to mitigate against wear. Dew will be less of a factor in the afternoon game.There was a spell of rain on Wednesday afternoon, after a brief period of windy weather. The showers did not affect the ground conditions as the stadium has good drainage facilities.Stats and trivia Afghanistan have won all their recent encounters with Nepal, including nine and seven-wicket wins at the World T20 Qualifier last year. Mohammad Shahzad’s 68 against Hong Kong was his fifth half-century in T20 internationals.Quotes”We have good-quality fast bowlers, we train them like that, they are aggressive and everybody knows that our fast-bowling attack is very good, especially at Associate standard.”
“The only chance for us is for Bangladesh to lose to Hong Kong. We can’t control that but we want to win and end with four points.”

Owais Shah will not take any further part in this season’s Bangladesh Premier League due to personal reasons

Mohammad Isam08-Feb-2013Owais Shah will not take any further part in this season’s Bangladesh Premier League due to personal reasons.Shah, currently in the UK, was supposed to return to Dhaka sometime around February 9 but after a relative died, he decided not to come back.”I will not be able to fly back to Dhaka to take further part in the BPL due to a family emergency. I have to stay at home and support my family in this difficult time. I would like to wish the Dhaka gladiators all the best in the rest of the tournament,” Shah communicated in a statement.He has played seven matches for the Dhaka Gladiators but left the country on February 3. He will miss the Gladiators’ last four games.”He [Owais Shah] was due to return to Dhaka around the 9th but due to a death in the family, this will no longer be possible,” the statement said.”The death in Owais’ family was unrelated to the reasons why he was returning home initially.”Shah was embroiled in a pay dispute with the Bangladesh Cricket Board days before he left. After it transpired that there was an error in the bank details he had provided to the BCB, which caused the delay in payment, Shah had admitted his mistake. But it was made clear in the statement that his pull-out was due to other reasons.”Owais would like to make clear that the reasons for his return home were family related and had been accepted by Dhaka Gladiator’s team management around two weeks before he left.”

The World Cup trophy is not the only thing up for grabs this summer, with the globe's best players also battling it out for the Golden Ball

You can't win a Women's World Cup on your own, but some previous Golden Ball winners have come pretty close. A look back through prior tournaments reveals a long list of players who have dragged their teams – kicking and screaming in some cases – to glory.

Most recently, Megan Rapinoe lit up the 2019 World Cup in France, propelling the United States into the final four with successive braces in the knockout stages, before grabbing the breakthrough in the final against the Netherlands.

Eight years prior, Homare Sawa was honoured with the award after a thrilling campaign which ended with her sending Japan's final against the U.S. to penalties with a 117th-minute strike. And these are just two of the long list of Golden Ball winners who have etched their names in the history books with a game-changing summer performance.

The stars on show at the 2023 Women's World Cup will have been dreaming of having a similarly decisive impact on their team's fortunes, and with the line-up for the final now set, GOAL has taken a look at which players are in the running to be awarded the Golden Ball this time around:

Getty Images12Kadidiatou Diani (France)

France took a while to get going at this World Cup, limping to a goalless draw against Jamaica in their opener. After that though, they burst into life, with Kadidiatou Diani's performances playing a pivotal role.

She created Eugenie Le Sommer's goal against Brazil with a towering header and then helped herself to a hat-trick in a 6-3 mauling of Panama. Diani only got better in the knockout stages, opening the scoring against Morocco with a controlled header before setting up Kenza Dali and Le Sommer again in a 4-0 victory.

Unfortunately for the Lyon forward, she could not prevent Les Bleues crashing out to Australia in the quarter-finals. Diani's numbers – four goals and three assists – are mightily impressive, but you really need to be at least reaching the final four to be considered for the Golden Ball.

AdvertisementGetty Images11Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)

Japan defeated Zambia 5-0 in their opening game, with two of those goals being scored by Miyazawa. Operating in the top-left corner of her side's box midfield, she showed her off-the-ball intelligence throughout, timing her runs into the box perfectly for each of her well-taken goals.

This set the tone for a breakout tournament, with two more goals in Japan's statement demolition of Spain making her the outright World Cup top scorer ahead of some much bigger names. She netted again in the round of 16 against Norway, keeping her one goal clear in the Golden Boot charts.

However, like Diani, Miyazawa's chances of scooping the top individual prize were curtailed by her side's last-eight exit. She could still claim the Golden Boot, though.

Getty10Lauren James (England)

After inexplicably being left out of England's tournament opener against Haiti, James had a point to prove against Denmark. And it took her less than six minutes to find the back of the net. This was nothing compared to her performance against China, though.

During that one James dropped an all-time great World Cup performance, netting two absolute stunners and registering a hat-trick of assists. She should've had three goals too, if not for a controversial offside call.

However, James' tournament threatens to be tainted by her petulant stamp on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie in the last 16. England still made it through, but like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney before her, the moment of madness might have cost her country dearly. She is at least back for the final and James will need to put in another match-winning display in Sydney to get back in contention for the Golden Ball.

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Getty Images9Steph Catley (Australia)

Australia were handed a potential banana skin in their much-anticipated opening game against Ireland, and for a time it seemed like the underdogs might spring a shock. However, the Matildas were gifted a lifeline when Hayley Raso was bundled over in the penalty area, giving captain Steph Catley the chance to put her side ahead. She made no mistake from the spot, putting the cherry on top of a composed defensive display.

It was more of the same against Canada, with the Arsenal star defending stoically and putting the gloss on a 4-0 victory by scoring another penalty in the 94th minute. Catley also breezed through her side's victory over Denmark in the last 16 and was typically solid as Australia vanquished France on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Usually reliable from the 12 yards, Catley missed her spot-kick against Les Bleues, but the Matildas still got the job done. Any realistic notions of her winning the Golden Ball ended with Australia's elimination at the hands of England, though.

Andrew White, Ireland’s most-capped player, has announced his retirement from the game

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2015Andrew White, Ireland’s most-capped player, has announced his retirement from the game. Allrounder White, 34, was a regular in the Ireland side for a decade and played in all but one of their matches at the 2007 World Cup, bowling the final over of their tied match against Zimbabwe.White, who appeared 231 times for his country, missed out on his third World Cup after picking up a finger injury. His last appearance came against Scotland in August.”It is with a heavy heart that I am retiring from representing Ireland on the international stage,” White said. “Over the last 15 years I have poured my heart and soul into Irish cricket and to play a part in undoubtedly one of the great success stories of Irish sport has been an incredible experience.”It had been my ambition to finish my international career at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks, however, suffering a compound fracture of my right index finger in September meant that this was unfortunately not going to be possible.”Particularly strong in first-class cricket, where he averaged 52.80, White was a reliable presence in the middle order who could also bowl tidy offspin. He hit the winning runs when Ireland beat the touring West Indians in 2004 and the following month made 152 not out on first-class debut against Netherlands. As well as contributing to wins over Pakistan and Bangladesh at the 2007 World Cup, he was again part of the squad in 2011.White helped Ireland to four Intercontinental Cup victories, the most recent in 2013. His tally of 1552 runs in the competition puts him fourth on the leading run-scorers’ list. A schoolteacher by profession, White intends to continue playing domestically in Ireland for Instonians and Northern Knights.During White’s time, the sport has grown to the point that Ireland have a roadmap to playing Test cricket and are pushing for regular competition against Full Members. They have qualified for the last four World T20s and three consecutive World Cups.”The memories and stories are plenty,” White said, “to have come through the disappointing failure to qualify for the 2003 World Cup, the introduction of Adi Birrell as coach, changed the sport here forever.”In 2007, we finally realised every cricketer’s dream to play in a World Cup. As players, we lived the dream to the full and shared it with so many wonderful supporters, something that will live long in the memory.”Phil Simmons, Ireland’s head coach, called White a “great ambassador for Irish cricket” and paid tribute to his many years of service.”His longevity in a 15-year career is testament to both his talent and his consistency – he rarely let his team down and it’s no coincidence that he was involved in so many key moments in Ireland’s triumphs over the years,” Simmons said. “I’d like to thank him for his efforts over an illustrious career, and wish him and his family all the very best in the future.”