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The summer transfer window has finally drawn to Âclose and now it’s time to reflect. WhichÂPremier LeagueÂside did the best business? Who did the worst? And what glaring transfer opportunities were surprisingly missed out on?Well, this article takes a look at Manchester United. The Red Devils spent a monumental £150million this summer, with over a third devoted to the record-breaking signing of Angel Di Maria alone.But to suggest allÂnotable gaps in the Old Trafford squad have now been addressed would be a fallacy. In truth, United failed to bring in a number of realistically available top level talents this summer.And with that in mind, here’s the FIVE signings Manchester United should have made.

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON JAN VERTONGHEN TO REVEAL

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JAN VERTONGHEN

Amid a summer in which Manchester United desperately needed to improve the quality of their defence, I find it borderline criminal that they showed next-to-no interest in Tottenham star Jan Vertonghen.

Not only because the Belgium international has already proved his credentials in the Premier League in two seasons at White Hart Lane, but furthermore, he’s tailor-made for a three-man backline.

Capable of playing at centre-half or left-back, as he did to great success for his country at the World Cup, Vertonghen would be perfect for the left-centre-back role. He’s quick, strong, effective in the air and adept in those all-important one-on-one situations out wide.

He’s also a front-footed defender who gained his standing in England by playing out of the back and scoring goals during his first season in north London- earning a place in the 2013 PFA Team of the Year – the vitals of which are detailed below:

Thus, he’s a natural suitor to the central centre-back role too, which requires building from the back and lots of forward runs. Here’s a look at the 27 year-old in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/LVgHB_IGKpk?rel=0

Manchester United have been calling out for ball-playing centre-back ever since Rio Ferdinand’s pace begun to dry up, but alas, the only murmurings we heard about Vertonghen this summer were regarding a new contract with Spurs.

The former Ajax man held out all summer – as if he sensed a bid from a major club, such as United, could be in the offing – but he’s now apparently on the verge of agreeing new terms:

RON VLAAR

Failing that, the Red Devils should have made good on their reported interest in Aston Villa skipper Ron Vlaar.

Concrete Ron may not be the most talented centre-back to ever grace Old Trafford but he’s as tough as, well, concrete, and Manchester United’s defence needs an imposing, dominant figure like Vlaar at the heart of it.

Indeed, with Johnny Evans now United’s oldest defender at the age of 26, their backline has lacked leadership, organisation and direction this season.

Vlaar could have proved an astute solution – he performed an identical role to great success, surrounded by young, inexperienced defenders, for the Netherlands at the World Cup. Here’s a look his stats from the tournament:

And Vlaar in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/KElFlYKBcUY?rel=0

The 29 year-old comes with a proven reputation in the Premier League and Aston Villa are hardly in a position to make audacious demands in regards to Vlaar’s potential transfer fee.

But no move ever materialised and the former Eredivisie star remains at Villa Park for now.

JUAN CUADRADO

The record-breaking signing of Angel Di Maria addresses this issue somewhat but in comparison to previous title-winning United sides, the current one is desperately short of pace going forward.

In my opinion, the strongest realistic signing United could have made this summer to add some penetration to their attack was Fiorentina star Juan Cuadrado, linked with an Old Trafford switch on a multitude of occasions throughout the transfer window:

The road-running Colombian absolutely destroyed Serie A last season and brought his form to the World Cup, as detailed below:

In fact, nobody bettered his four assists at Brazil 2014, including this knock-down to eventual Golden Ball winner, James Rodriguez:

Combining pace, athleticism, trickery and netting prowess, this goal typifies the South American:

//www.youtube.com/embed/DUlRxcSaxZo

And once mooted as Dani Alves’ eventual successor at Barcelona, the versatile winger, who featured in defence, midfield and attack for Fiorentina last season, would have been an inspired choice for the right wing-back role in United’s 3-4-1-2, whilst providing top quality cover for other positions.

Cuadrado claims talks were held with both the Red Devils and Barcelona, but the move never happened and now he’s on the verge of signing a new contract:

TONI KROOS

With Germany World Cup winner Toni Kroos now at Real Madrid, one has to question how legitimate reports were linking him with a Manchester United switch earlier this summer.

According to the Daily Mail however, David Moyes had a deal in place to sign the midfielder, as he refused to extend his Bayer Munich contract past 2015, until Louis van Gaal pulled the plug.

What a monumental error of judgement – Kroos has proved himself to be one of the top central midfielders in world football over the last few years, boasting three Bundesliga titles, a Champions League title and a World Cup medal at the tender age of just 24.

The Mannschaft playmaker was in exceptional form at Brazil 2014 and for the Bavarians last season, as detailed below:

His technical-yet-industrious style would have suited Louis van Gaal’s philosophy perfectly and rectified the lack of creativity and craft in United’s midfield.

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But for whatever reason, the Old Trafford boss shunned the midfielder, leading to a move to the Bernabeu for an incredibly reasonable £20million. Here’s a look at Kroos in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/eb2F_oUpCIs?rel=0

NIGEL DE JONG

Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are decent holding options but Manchester United’s squad still lacks an old-school ball-winner of the Roy Keane variety.

That could eventually arrive in Roma star and Louis van Gaal favourite Kevin Strootman, but if not, and after losing interest in Arturo Vidal due to his recurring knee injuries, United can look back to this summer and ponder why they didn’t bid for AC Milan’s Nigel de Jong.

The 29 year-old may not be pretty but he’s certainly effective; he was essential to the Netherlands’ efforts at the World Cup and despite the Serie A side finishing in ninth last season, showed impressive form throughout, as detailed below:

Furthermore, having spent three-and-a-half years at Manchester City, picking up the English title in 2012, de Jong offers vital experience in the Premier League, as well as being well acquainted with Louis van Gaal’s 3-4-1-2 system.

Here’s a look at the Oranje enforcer in action:

European Champions Chelsea are about to snap up Fluminese wing back Wallace, according to the player’s agent Fernando Moraes.

Wallace was rumoured to be part of the deal taking Deco to Brazil a few years ago, but it seems that now the player has turned 18 he will finally make his move to Stamford Bridge.

Moraes did however claim that despite the deal being nearly done, he doesn’t expect his client to be sent out on loan in the near future.

“There are very advanced negotiations with Chelsea and the signature is almost certain,” Moraes said, according to Italian radio station Centro Suono Sport.

“If Wallace goes to Chelsea, he will be playing there.

“I had contact with Roma and many other Italian clubs, but that was a long time ago.

“I rule out the possibility of a loan [from Chelsea to Roma]. If he joins Chelsea he will play for the Blues.” (Daily Mail)

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Liverpool’s transfer business has been at the forefront of the football news in recent weeks, mainly their failure to get a deal over the line for Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir.

Even though a move collapsed, it shows that Jurgen Klopp is looking to add to his attacking midfield options.

At the moment, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner and Adam Lallana are at the manager’s disposal as far as the middle of the park is concerned.

The club, though, are yet to recruit a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who left Anfield to join Barcelona in January.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255909″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Germany”]

Numerous targets have been churned through the rumour mill, but one who has been rarely been mentioned is Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze.

The Germany international, who scored the winning goal in his nation’s World Cup triumph in 2014, is not a like-for-like replacement for Coutinho as he predominantly plays in the centre of midfield, but he can push further forward.

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Klopp worked with Gotze during his management spell at Dortmund, so with that in mind, we asked you if the club should make a move for the midfielder, and the majority are keen on the idea.

Those who are against the transfer could be concerned by the German’s recent fitness issues.

Former Liverpool defender Phil Babb has claimed that Mohamed Salah is worth ‘well over £100m’ due to his exceptional form during the 2017-18 campaign.

Salah, 25, joined Liverpool from Roma last summer for a figure in the region of £37m.

It was seen as a gamble when considering that the Egypt international struggled to make his mark in the Premier League during a spell at Chelsea.

Salah has scored 21 times in 25 Premier League appearances this season, however, in addition to registering seven assists.

In total, the attacker has managed 28 goals in all competitions during an incredible campaign to date.

As a result, Babb has claimed that interested parties would have to spend well over £100m if they wanted to tempt Liverpool into a sale.

Babb told Premier League Daily:

“It’s well over £100m now. His low centre of gravity and his ability to just waltz past players, it’s just an exceptional goal.

“You’re not walking past kids in a park on a Sunday, he’s going past international, elite footballers like they don’t exist.

“He is one of the hottest properties in world football there is no shadow of a doubt.”

Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been credited with an interest in recent months, although it is understood that Liverpool have no interest in a sale.

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In the 50th minute of Ecuador’s draw with France this evening, Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia saw red for his challenge on full back Lucas Digne. The South Americans needed to win by a two goal margin to qualify from Group E, a task made all but impossible by their captain’s dismissal.

With the performances of referees coming under heavy scrutiny after some questionable decisions in the competition so far, a debate over Valencia’s sending off inevitably ensued on Twitter.

For many, Noumandiez Doue made the correct decision in punishing a potentially leg-breaking challenge.

However, others believed the tackle had no malicious intentions and that Valencia did not deserve to be dismissed.

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Following Northern Ireland’s memorable draw against Portugal on Tuesday, Huddersfield midfielder Oliver Norwood has told the Daily Mail how he used his old connections with Manchester United to obtain an invaluable relic of international football.

After the full time whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo rejected offers to swap shirts with many of the Northern Ireland players. The world-class winger then gave his jersey, worn on his 100th appearance for Portugal, to 21-year-old Norwood.

Norwood has now explained how he became the unlikely recipient of the Portugal No.7 shirt. The midfielder was released by Premier League side Manchester United in the summer, and shares an agent with United star Rio Ferdinand.

“Rio and I have the same agent, and I knew he had kept in touch with Ronaldo from their days together at United,” Norwood explained.

“So I phoned him last week and asked if he could put a word in for me. I just explained how much it would mean to have Ronaldo’s shirt, and could he possibly see what the chances were.

‘I was hoping that might do the trick, but I wanted to make sure, so I went up to Ronaldo before the game and introduced myself. He just said: ‘Yeah, Rio spoke to me. Don’t worry – the shirt’s yours.’

“I will frame it, as soon as I get it home, and keep it. It will have pride of place among all my football possessions. I will show it my kids and grandkids in years to come and tell them that’s the shirt Ronaldo wore in his 100th international appearance. I was on the pitch with him, and there’s the evidence.

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“I’m absolutely thrilled with it, and I owe Rio for setting it up for me. It was so good of him, and I am really grateful.”

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The full list of players retained by IPL franchises ahead of the IPL 2025 auction

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-20241:06

Mumbai Indians make Bumrah their top retention

Mumbai Indians

5 players retained: Jasprit Bumrah (INR 18 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 16.35 crore), Hardik Pandya (INR 16.35 crore), Rohit Sharma (INR 16.30 crore), Tilak Varma (INR 8 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 45 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped player
Big players not retained: Ishan Kishan, Tim David
Top takeaways: Hardik has been named MI captain for IPL 2025, while Jasprit Bumrah has become MI’s top paid retention for the first time. The big challenge for MI was to retain their marquee Indian players within the INR 75 crore and they have managed to do that and keep their core intact heading into the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

5 players retained: Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 crore), Travis Head (INR 14 crore), Nitish Kumar Reddy (INR 6 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 45 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: Only one uncapped player
Big players not retained: Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Top takeaways: Heinrich Klaasen is the most expensive player retained at INR 23 crore, ahead of Virat Kohli and Nicholas Pooran at INR 21 crore each. SRH have retained three overseas players, the most among the ten teams.

Chennai Super Kings

5 players retained: Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), MS Dhoni (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 55 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One capped or uncapped player
Big players not retained: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mahesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande
Top takeaways: Dhoni retained as an uncapped player at a cost of only INR 4 crore from CSK’s purse. This is because the IPL revived a rule, which had been scrapped in 2021, that allows an Indian player who hasn’t played international cricket for five years to be considered as an uncapped player.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

3 players retained: Virat Kohli (INR 21 crore), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore), Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 83 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 3
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped player and two capped players, or three capped players
Big players not retained: Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Green
Top takeaways: RCB have retained only three players, the second fewest among the team teams after Punjab Kings. Virat Kohli is the top retention, which raises the question of whether he will return as captain.

Delhi Capitals

4 players retained: Axar Patel (INR 16.50 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 crore), Abishek Porel (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 73 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 2
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped player and one capped player, or two capped players
Big players not retained: Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Anrich Nortje
Top takeaways: Rishabh Pant was not retained by DC, which means they need a new captain for IPL 2025, unless they buy him back at the auction and make him captain, which appears unlikely. DC are paying their capped retained players – Axar, Kuldeep and Stubbs – a total of INR 43.75 crore, which is less than the aggregate deduction from their purse (INR 47 crore).

Kolkata Knight Riders

6 players retained: Rinku Singh (INR 13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (INR 12 crore), Sunil Narine (INR 12 crore), Andre Russell (INR 12 crore), Harshit Rana (INR 4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 51 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: None
Players eligible for RTM: None
Big players not retained: Shreyas Iyer, Mitchell Starc, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana
Top takeaways: Russell emerged as a late confirmation for KKR, and Rinku Singh has become their top retention for the first time. They have not retained their title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer and the most expensive player ever in IPL history, Mitchell Starc, who bowled match-winning spells in Qualifer 1 and the final last year. KKR are one of two teams – along with Rajasthan Royals – to have retained the maximum of six players, but they have paid only INR 57 crore for them, while the amount deducted from the purse is INR 69 crore.

Rajasthan Royals

6 players retained: Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 18 crore), Riyan Parag (INR 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (INR 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 41 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: None
Players eligible for RTM: NA
Big players not retained: Yuzvendra Chahal, Jos Buttler, R Ashwin
Top takeaways: RR have gone batting heavy with their retentions, keeping five batters and only one bowler. They are one of two teams – KKR being the other – to retain the maximum of six players. Jurel gets a massive boost with a retention price tag of INR 14 crore.

Gujarat Titans

5 players retained: Rashid Khan (INR 18 crore), Shubman Gill (INR 16.50 crore), Sai Sudharsan (INR 8.50 crore), Rahul Tewatia (INR 4 crore), Shahrukh Khan (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 69 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: One
Players eligible for RTM: One capped player
Big players not retained: Mohammed Shami, David Miller
Top takeaways: With Mohammed Shami sidelined by injury for a prolonged period, GT have no fast bowlers among the five players they have retained.

Lucknow Super Giants

5 players retained: Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 crore), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 crore) Mayank Yadav (INR 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 crore), Ayush Badoni (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 69 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One capped player
Big players not retained: KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Quinton de Kock, Krunal Pandya
Top takeaways: LSG will need to name a new captain for IPL 2025 after not retaining KL Rahul. Pooran is the second-most expensive retention along with Kohli, after Klaasen at INR 23 crore.

Punjab Kings

2 players retained: Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 crore), Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 crore)
Purse remaining for auction: INR 110.5 crore (out of INR 120 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 4
Players eligible for RTM: Four capped players
Big players not retained: Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada
Top takeaways: PBKS have retained the fewest players – two, both uncapped – and therefore have the largest purse at the auction. They will need a new captain and pretty much an entire squad for IPL 2025.

England coach asked the allrounder if he would play the India series in early 2024

Matt Roller02-Aug-2023England coach Brendon McCullum asked Moeen Ali if he would consider playing the five-match series in India in early 2024 during their win at The Oval but was told: “That’s me done”.Moeen retired from Test cricket in September 2021 but made himself available for the Ashes after Jack Leach was diagnosed with a stress fracture. Ben Stokes, England’s captain, sent him a text saying, “Ashes?” and Moeen could not resist the temptation to return, but insisted after the fifth Test: “If Stokesy messages me again, I’m going to delete it.”He joked that confirmation of the venues for England’s tour to India – with none of the five Tests due to be held in the bigger cities in the country – had played a part in him recommitting to his retirement, but said that Stokes and McCullum had been fully aware that he never intended to play beyond this summer.”They knew from the start,” Moeen said, laughing. “Especially when those India venues came out! Baz asked me again when I had my day off on the second day. I said no. I’m not going [to India]. There’s no way I’m going. That’s me done. It’s nice to finish like this and be part of an amazing day.”Related

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Moeen suffered a groin strain while batting on the first day of the fifth Test and did not field in Australia’s first innings, but returned to bowl 23 overs in their second, taking 3 for 76 as England squared the series with a 49-run win on the final day.”Test cricket is the best cricket,” Moeen said. “I wish I could rewind time. Although my career has been a bit up and down, I wouldn’t change it. I’ve loved it. I would have regretted it later in life. It was quite daunting, because I’ve never done well against Australia.”I still don’t believe I’ve done that well, but it was great to finish like this. It was daunting, but I had nothing to lose, it was a free hit. I had a call from Baz and Stokesy, I felt like I was bowling alright, but the finger was the only issue. I wasn’t worried about the bowling.”Moeen said his groin strain was “real sore” when he initially pulled the muscle, and it remains to be seen how much of a part he plays in the Hundred over the next four weeks, when he is due to captain Birmingham Phoenix.”It’s something called an adductor. I’d never heard of it before,” he explained. “It’s only when I’m running. It’s great actually, because you can get away with being rubbish in the field. Guys are moving their positions for me to go into the easiest positions.”Apparently it settles down quick. Not bowling in the first innings and having a day off allowed me to bowl today. It was real sore at first and I was quite sore [on Monday]. It crossed my mind that I might not be able to bowl, but I knew it was my last day in Test cricket.”

The former New Zealand batter has emerged as the frontrunner following the first tranche of interviews

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2022Brendon McCullum has emerged as the frontrunner for the vacant role as England’s Test coach following two days of interviews at Lord’s, and may be unveiled in the role this week.McCullum, who is in his third season as Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach at the IPL, has never coached a first-class game and was widely expected to be a candidate for the white-ball job, with the ECB splitting the main coaching roles down format lines due to England’s jam-packed schedule and the growing divergence between their sides.However, several British newspapers reported on Tuesday night that McCullum is now in line for the Test job following the first tranche of interviews at the start of this week. It is possible that an appointment will be ratified before the end of the week, with England’s first Test of the summer against New Zealand – McCullum’s home country – on June 2.McCullum’s coaching experience has come exclusively in the limited-overs game but as a captain, he was a key part of the leadership group that brought about New Zealand’s revival as a Test side along with coach Mike Hesson from 2012 to 2016.Rob Key, the ECB’s new managing director of men’s cricket, has led the interview process and revealed during his first press conference at Lord’s that he had sought opinions on the Test side from Eoin Morgan, McCullum’s close friend and Knight Riders’ captain last year during their run to the final.”I’ve spoken to Eoin about red-ball cricket as well,” Key said. “I asked his opinion. You want good people with good brains around you to work stuff out, so Eoin Morgan is someone I would speak to about so many different things.”McCullum’s attacking style would chime with how both Key and Ben Stokes, England’s new Test captain, play the game. After scoring 145 off 79 balls in his final Test against Australia, McCullum said he wanted to be remembered “as a good team man… a guy who played for the right reasons and who, if in doubt, was prepared to take the positive option”.Key has also previously confirmed that he would be willing to let an England head coach work in the IPL if necessary, saying: “I would much rather have the best person for 10 months of the year than someone not as good for 12.”Whether such logic applies to a Test coach as well as a white-ball coach remains to be seen, while McCullum’s job at Knight Riders may come under scrutiny after a poor season to date in which they seem highly likely to miss out on the playoffs.Other leading candidates for the Test role are understood to include Gary Kirsten, Simon Katich and Graham Ford while Paul Collingwood is among the applicants for the white-ball job.

England name 16-strong squad as fixtures unveiled for ODI, T20I series in February-March

Valkerie Baynes14-Jan-2021Anya Shrubsole will miss England’s upcoming tour of New Zealand because of a knee injury, with Tash Farrant earning a recall to the national women’s squad.The vastly experienced Shrubsole was ruled out of a 16-strong England squad named on Thursday to play three ODIs and three T20Is in February and March, as was fellow seamer Katie George, who has suffered another stress fracture in her back. George, the 21-year-old left-armer, has been troubled by back injuries during her career and has played just two ODIs and three T20Is since making her international debut in 2018.Sophia Dunkley retains her place in the squad, having scored 0 and 3* upon breaking back into the England T20 team after 18 months during the five-match T20 series against West Indies in September.While there was room for another left-arm seamer, Farrant, who impressed during last year’s inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Georgia Adams missed out on selection despite being the domestic 50-over competition’s leading runscorer with 500 runs at an average of 83.33 and including a highest score of 154 not out. Farrant made her solitary ODI appearance back in 2013 and played the last of her 14 T20Is against New Zealand in England in 2018.Related

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Talented 18-year-old pace bowler Issy Wong will travel with the group to New Zealand as part of her on-going development, having spent time around the squad during the series against West Indies. Georgia Elwiss returns after missing that series with a back injury.The England touring party will fly out on January 24 and spend 14 days in quarantine as required by the New Zealand Government. During that time, they will follow Covid-19 testing protocols which will allow them to train ahead of the first one-day match on February 23 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch with two fixtures at the Universtiy of Otago to follow. The T20Is will begin on March 3 at Wellington’s Sky Stadium before moving to Eden Park and then Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.Jonathan Finch, director of England Women’s Cricket, said that despite the challenges posed by a shortened 2020 season and ongoing limitations due to the global coronavirus pandemic, players were already working towards major tournaments in 2022-23.”We’re hugely excited about getting over to New Zealand and maintaining our commitment to play international cricket despite these challenging times” Finch said. “We have a really important 24 months in front of us with two ICC global events, the Women’s Ashes and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Our ambition is to be successful across all these events and this tour is the first step towards achieving that.”The T20 series against West Indies was the only international women’s cricket played in England last year after travel restrictions prevented India and 2023 T20 World Cup hosts South Africa from touring as was planned before the pandemic hit. New Zealand will host the ICC Women’s World Cup, where England will be defending champions, in early 2022 after the event was postponed for a year.England squad: Heather Knight (capt.), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt.FixturesODI series:
Tuesday February 23: 1st ODI, Hagley Oval, 1am GMT
Friday February 26: 2nd ODI, University of Otago Oval, 10pm GMT
Sunday February 28: 3rd ODI, New University of Otago Oval, 10pm GMTT20I series:
Wednesday March 3: 1st T20I, Sky Stadium, 2am GMT
Friday March 5: 2nd T20I, Eden Park, 2am GMT
Sunday March 7: 3rd T20I, Bay Oval, 11pm GMT