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West Indies Women cruised to their third win in a row and moved to the top of the Group B table after bowling Sri Lanka Women out for 84 on their way to an eight-wicket win in Sylhet

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2014
ScorecardWest Indies Women cruised to their third win in a row and moved to the top of the Group B table after bowling Sri Lanka Women out for 84 on their way to an eight-wicket win in Sylhet.Sri Lanka chose to bat and made a good start, their openers putting on 25 in just 3.2 overs. Even when they lost their second wicket, that of Yasoda Mendis who fell for a 17-ball 21, they were in a decent position at 41 in the sixth over. Starting there, though, Sri Lanka collapsed, losing their last nine wickets for 43 runs and ending their innings with 3.1 overs left to play. Medium-pacers Tremayne Smartt and Shanel Daley did the bulk of the damage, sharing seven wickets between them.West Indies went about their chase in steady but decisive manner, reaching their target in 15 overs. Stafanie Taylor did the bulk of the scoring, making an unbeaten 45-ball 56 with seven fours, including the winning hit off Udeshika Prabodhani.

After breaking their transfer record to sign the Brazil attacker, the Blaugrana are set to offload a number of players, either now or in the summer

Getty Images1Javier Mascherano

As reported by Goal, Javier Mascherano's proposed move to Hebei China Fortune is almost a done deal. All that remains now is for the deal to be finalised, meaning the Argentine's eight-year stay at Camp Nou is coming to a close.

The versatile defender will depart with his head held high and with the gratitude of Blaugrana fans the world over, having helped the Catalan club win 17 trophies, including two Champions Leagues, since arriving from Liverpool in August 2010.

AdvertisementAA2Arda Turan

Arda Turan is another player almost certain to leave Camp Nou before this month. The Turkish attacker has not made anything like the same impact as Mascherano, having failed dismally to justify the €34 million fee Barca paid Atletico Madrid for his services in 2015.

Of course, Arda was not eligible for selection until January of the following year due to the Catalans' transfer ban but even when he has played, the winger has severely underwhelmed.

As a result, Barca are now desperate to remove him from their wage bill and the 30-year-old is set to join Istanbul Basaksehir before the week is out.

Getty Images3Gerard Deulofeu

Gerard Deulofeu revitalised his career during a sensational six-month loan spell at AC Milan, prompting Barcelona to enact the buy-back clause they had inserted in the winger's contract when they sold him to Everton in 2015.

The 23-year-old had hoped that his second spell at Camp Nou would turn out differently to his first but, in spite of the considerable void left by Neymar's move to Paris Saint-German and an early-season injury to Ousmane Dembele, Deulofeu has been unable to convince Ernesto Valverde that he is worthy of a regular starting berth. 

A January return to Italy now sees inevitable, with Napoli and Inter leading the chase to sign a player who is desperate to represent Spain at this summer's World Cup in Russia. Barca, though, will not accept anything less than €10m for Deulofeu.

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Getty4Rafinha

After an injury-plagued year, Rafinha is now looking to revitalise his career and Barcelona believe that the versatile midfielder would be well served by a move away from Camp Nou, given the intense competition for places within the Liga leaders' starting 11.

The Catalans are open to offers for their youth academy product but, given suitors such as Serie A side Inter have understandable doubts over his fitness, a January loan deal with the option of a permanent switch at the end of the season seems the more likely outcome.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scored half-centuries once again as Royal Challengers Bangalore defended 185 against Rising Pune Supergiants for a 13-run win

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu22-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:04

O’Brien: Dhoni left too much for too late

Prior to this match, 14 of 15 games in IPL 2016 had been won by the team chasing. Royal Challengers Bangalore bucked the trend again by defending 185 against Rising Pune Supergiants and securing a 13-run victory. They had earlier defended 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Virat Kohli played an un-Virat Kohli innings of 80 and struggled for timing, particularly in the middle overs. AB de Villiers, though, was his usual self, swatting and even reverse-swatting his way to 83 off 46. The pair produced their third 100-plus stand in four matches, adding 155 runs to take the side to 185, a total that Supergiants captain MS Dhoni described as “par-plus”. Thisara Perera blitzed 34 off 13 to give Royal Challengers a late scare, after claiming three wickets with the ball, but Shane Watson dismissed the Sri Lanka allrounder and R Ashwin in the space of three balls to snuff out the chase.Supergiants lost Faf du Plessis in the second over when he stepped out and chipped a catch to mid-off. A ball later, they suffered a bigger jolt. Kevin Pietersen set off for a quick single and seemed to have hurt his calf while turning back. Moments later, he limped off the field. In the next over, Steven Smith slipped near the middle of the pitch and was run out for 4. Ajinkya Rahane went on to make 60 off 46 balls, but his knock was offset by Dhoni’s patchy 41 off 38 balls. This meant that Supergiants limped through a large part of their chase before Perera gave it a leg-up.When Perera came out to bat at 109 for 3, the asking rate was close to 15 an over. He survived a close lbw shout off his first ball and then mowed South African chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi over midwicket for a six. He hit full tilt when he bashed four successive boundaries off Harshal Patel in the 18th over. Perera’s blows reduced the equation from 50 off 18 balls to 25 off 12, but Watson and Kane Richardson combined to seal the deal for their side.Royal Challengers’ batting was once again led by Kohli and de Villiers, after KL Rahul skied a catch to third man in the fourth over. De Villiers marked his arrival with a crunching cut off left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma that pierced the gap between cover and cover point. Kohli, too, began positively, thanks to a steady supply of leg-stump balls from Ishant Sharma. Rajat Bhatia’s assortment of cutters and Ankit’s darters, however, squeezed Royal Challengers. R Ashwin was also economical, though he did not complete his quota again. He could have dismissed Kohli on 50 had Ankit hung on to a catch at mid-off.De Villiers tucked into M Ashwin, hitting the rookie legspinner for two sixes in his first over. He followed it with swept and reverse-swept fours in the bowler’s second over. The South Africa batsman continued to showcase his gallery of shots even as Kohli was tied down. Kohli’s frustration was evident when he whacked himself on the pad with the bat after mistiming a slower ball from Bhatia to deep midwicket and then jammed his bat onto the helmet when he holed out in the last over of the innings. A ball later, De Villiers was undone by Perera’s legcutter. Kohli had played out 17 of Royal Challengers’ 28 dots, which incidentally was the joint-third least in an IPL innings.

India marched into an all sub-continent final with a clinically cold-blooded chase against a South African team that put in one of their better performances in a crunch match but were still not good enough

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 3:53

Cullinan: Du Plessis has a lot of work to do as captain

It has been 14 years, five Champions Trophies, five World Cups and four World T20s since South Africa last won a knockout match at an ICC event and that has not changed. Neither has the fact that India have not lost a semi-final under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. They marched into an all sub-continent final with a clinically cold-blooded chase against a South African team that put in one of their better performances in a crunch match but were still not good enough.South Africa had never lost a T20 match after posting a 170-plus score before today and they would have thought they were halfway to breaking the hoodoo with that total. They were not overawed by India’s spinners, apart from R Ashwin, their captain Faf du Plessis put runs on the board, he was supported by JP Duminy, with whom he shared the biggest partnership of the match, and they had big overs at the end.But India matched them man for man and then outplayed them through one of them. The tournament’s top run-scorer, Virat Kohli, went after the runs ruthlessly. He paced the chase perfectly, put on 56 runs with Yuvraj Singh, brought up his third half-century in four innings and then ushered India over the line with five balls to spare.If India had reservations about how they would fare chasing a higher target than the most they have been presented with so far in this tournament -138 – the start they got would have put those to bed. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane raced to 33 after three overs, against some questionable South African strategies.Faf du Plessis eased India into the task by using JP Duminy and Albie Morkel as his new-ball bowlers. India’s comfort against offspin and the lack of a threat, despite his ability to take pace off the ball, Morkel posed allowed India’s openers to settle. Dale Steyn bowled the third over, by which time Rohit had seen enough to upper-cut a short ball over the boundary.South Africa continued to juggle their bowling with the relatively new left-armer Beuran Hendricks used before Wayne Parnell. Hendricks got the first wicket when Rohit launched him high but the shot had no distance on it and du Plessis took the catch running in from mid-off.India would not have minded losing a man in the Powerplay because they posted 56 in the six-over period; the most they have ever put on against South Africa when the fielding restrictions are in operation. That was an early sign of how India were going to edge ahead of South Africa in every department. South Africa had scored 44 for 2 in their Powerplay, not a statistic worth mentioning except that it was the most runs scored against India in that period in this tournament.Kohli and Rahane played Imran Tahir, the joint highest wicket-taker at this event, with the respect someone of that stature deserves. They milked him without hitting out and went through the next three overs content without boundaries. With a rising required run-rate, Rahane was the man to take the risk. He swung at a Parnell bouncer and was caught at deep mid-wicket by AB de Villiers.With Kohli still out there, India did not have much to worry about. His response to losing his partner was lofting Duminy over long-on to start the second half of the Indian innings. Yuvraj Singh could not get the South Africans away with similar ease but played his part in rotating strike and leaving Kohli to do the big-hitting.Du Plessis kept Steyn back until the last six overs, when India required sixty. Yuvraj had also found his groove by then and when Steyn pitched one up, Yuvraj met it with a pick-up over mid-off. Yuvraj was victim to another de Villiers catch, this time at long-off but for as long as Kohli remained, South Africa would have been uneasy.That would have turned into despair when Parnell bowled the 17th over. India needed a big over, a 17-run over like South Africa had in their innings, and they got it. The runs came streakily – a six off a Suresh Raina top-edge, a four off an edge that went through third man and another off an inside-edge. India only needed 23 off the last three overs, Steyn was blunted and MS Dhoni even had enough time to block the final ball of the 19th over to allow Kohli to hit the winning runs.South Africa could only dream of such luxury. They lacked it all tournament, with tense finishes underlining their campaign, and they lacked it again in the semi. Their innings started with the wicket of Quinton de Kock at the end of the first over and Hashim Amla and du Plessis had to start by rebuilding. Amla had some fortune early on, with an edge off Mohit Sharma flying through the vacant slip cordon, and was out as he found his touch. R Ashwin got one to turn in from outside legstump to peg back off and stun Amla.Ashwin’s first over and the two lbw appeals Ravindra Jadeja had off JP Duminy’s failed attempts to sweep may have hinted at a raging turner but the surface was not that hostile. Duminy and du Plessis worked Raina and Jadeja around and dealt with Amit Mishra effectively. Du Plessis was particularly forceful, chipping Mishra over cover and slapping Raina for a one-handed six before bringing up his fifty with a lob over point.He was eventually also bowled by Ashwin, with the ball coming off his body to hit the stumps. That brought de Villiers to the crease in the 14th over, leaving him with little time to make an impact. De Villiers scored just 10 but David Miller provided the late surge. South Africa took 38 runs off the last three overs of their innings but it was not enough.

Mitchell Johnson used to be an object of ridicule for English fans, but as he took the final Ashes-sealing wicket, his journey from wayward bowler to tyrant was made complete

Brydon Coverdale in Perth18-Dec-2013There have been times in Mitchell Johnson’s past as an erratic Ashes bowler when his emotions might have got the better of him, but not like they did on the final day at the WACA. Johnson was on the verge of tears as he shook the hands of England’s batsmen and umpires in the moments immediately following his Ashes-sealing wicket of James Anderson. It was a cathartic day for several Australians, none more so than Johnson.The subject of Barmy Army taunts in previous Ashes campaigns, Johnson had always struggled to live up to expectations against England, remembered more for his wayward spells than his challenging ones. But at 32, now a husband and father with a greater perspective on life and cricket, Johnson entered this series in a different state of mind. He has been, without question, Australia’s most influential player in the series.It is not just the wickets, although his tally of 23 at 15.47 and a strike-rate of a wicket every 33 balls is remarkable. It has been his pace, accuracy and consistency that has troubled England over the first three Tests. If England were metaphorically on the back foot coming to Perth, it was largely because Johnson had literally forced them on to the back foot in the first two Tests. It was fitting that he took the wicket that confirmed the triumph.It might easily have ended differently for Johnson, for one of the ugliest sights of the whole series came on the final day at the WACA when Johnson tried to do the team thing and cut off a boundary at deep square leg. His awkward slide was vividly reminiscent of Simon Jones’ slide at the Gabba in 2002-03, which resulted in a ruptured cruciate ligament. Johnson’s right knee jolted with such force in the WACA turf that viewers turned away from replays.Johnson was fortunate that a dirty set of whites was the worst that resulted of it and after a few stretches he returned to the top of his mark to bowl the next over. After a change of trousers at the lunch break, Johnson was back on the field to wrap up Australia’s victory.”I think Mitch has known his role from the start of this series,” Michael Clarke, the captain, said. “He’s known what I’ve expected of him in this team at the moment with other bowlers around him. And credit to the other guys, because I think they’ve played a big part to allow Mitch to bowl the way he has bowled.”But this game was a really good example. Mitch’s pace probably wasn’t as high as it was in the first two Test matches, but he executed with skill, and he’s got natural variation. You saw there he got a wicket with the slower ball as well. He was able to bowl good areas. That’s the class of Mitchell Johnson. Through his career he’s been used in different situations. He’s bowled long spells. He’s opened the bowling. He’s bowled first change. He can do all of that.”It’s just about what is best for the team. It’s just another example of players putting the team first. He’s been happy to bowl in short spells and maximise his pace, and then throughout this Test match at times he’s had to bowl longer spells and be more consistent, and he’s able to do that, which is very pleasing.”Johnson finished with match figures of 6 for 140 at the WACA to give him 23 for the series. England’s two main strike bowlers, Anderson and Stuart Broad, haven’t even taken that many between them. England’s captain, Alastair Cook, said his men had always known that Johnson could provide a serious threat when in form, but they had been surprised by his control and lack of loose balls this time around.”We’ve known that when Mitch gets it right, he’s a very good bowler,” Cook said. “Even when he was having that tough series in 2010-11, when he got it right here in Perth he [proved he] was a tough bowler to face. He bowls quickly and swings it, and that’s a pretty good combination. 230-odd wickets suggests he’s done it for a fair period of time. When he gets it right he’s dangerous.”It hasn’t surprised that he’s taken wickets, but I think it’s surprised us the control he’s had. He’s managed to improve his control a lot since the last time we saw him.”

Pakistan are down 0-1 against Sri Lanka and the captain Misbah-ul-Haq hopes to square the series before going into a nine-month Test drought.

Umar Farooq in Sharjah15-Jan-2014Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, wants his side to put in extra effort to win the final Test against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. Pakistan are down 0-1 and are hoping to square the series before going into a nine-month Test drought. This is Pakistan’s fifth series since trouncing England 3-0 almost two years ago, but they are yet to record another series win.”It’s a do or die situation for us,” said Misbah. “We have to put some effort and get the result we want to level the series and there is no other option for us. We really need to be proactive and really need to put a good show.”The pitches have been a concern for Pakistan during the series as Misbah and spinner Saeed Ajmal rued the lack of home advantage. The surface at Sharjah looked flat and once again became the focal point. Though Misbah was reluctant to comment on pitch, he did tip the surface to be result-oriented. A fair assessment considering there has been only one draw in the five matches played here. Pakistan have won two of their three games at Sharjah.”In my opinion this looks a good pitch and I think you get spin on the pitches here and the team which plays better and shows patience will have more chance,” he said. “We get some strange results here but you really need to apply yourself more effectively and play better disciplined cricket. Whatever we need to do in terms of strategies and in terms of our abilities, we have to apply hard.”Pakistan have persisted with the same combination in the first two games despite Rahat Ali’s place under serious question before the Dubai Test. He has bowled more than 100 overs in the series for just two wickets with limited impact.”Nothing can be done if we let pressure take over, if we feel worried and panic, then it will not help,” Misbah said. “We will try to improve in areas where we didn’t do well and we should improve on areas where we struggled so we have worked on them and will try to improve them”Pakistan are struggling for stability in their top order, which has been a major concern. Their line-up is heavily reliant on Misbah along with Younis Khan but the Pakistan captain backed his batsmen to perform. “It happens in Test cricket, if you look at the previous Test, it was a seaming pitch in Abu Dhabi and our top order did well,” he said. “But it happens and you can’t say after one match that there are so many problems, two innings can go bad for anyone and the new ball is always difficult to face. So we are not worried about that very much.””I think they [Sri Lanka] bowled really well, they bowled within their limits and the conditions were like they used to play in Sri Lanka, a bit of movement was there but full credit to them, they bowled good lines and lengths and that was the key for them.”

Yuvraj Singh unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to hit an unbeaten 77 off 35 and haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries to spare

The Report by Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh hunted down the target of 202 with the calm of old•BCCI0:00

Aakash Chopra: ‘Yuvraj, the perennial comeback man’

In his second comeback after recovering from cancer, a leaner and fitter Yuvraj Singh was called upon to do a job he has done numerous times for India in ODIs – revive a floundering chase, with MS Dhoni for company, and only the lower order to follow. Only, this was a T20 and Yuvraj did not have the luxury of building his innings before accelerating. He duly cut out the building part, and unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries remaining. India were facing an asking-rate of nearly 12 at 100 for 4 in the 12th over, but Yuvraj’s response was so forceful, that all Dhoni needed to do was give him the strike. By the end, the partnership was 102 at exactly two runs a ball, Yuvraj’s 77 off 35 showing his dominance.Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli had all failed to kick on from starts and India’s innings was in danger of going Australia’s way, who had lost too many wickets in maintaining a frenetic pace of scoring, and had run out of steam at the death. Aaron Finch seemed set to carry Australia way over 200 but his exit in the 17th over for 89 off 52 helped India keep the visitors to 201, as only 29 came off the final four. India themselves needed 49 off the final four, but Yuvraj was in such flow that the big shot was always at hand.Yuvraj first took 18 off Clint McKay in the 14th over, and then, when the pressure escalated again, carted James Faulkner for successive sixes in the 17th. The timing on the boundaries was vintage Yuvraj, as was the effortlessness and grace. George Bailey’s preferred field of three men in the ring around point worked to Yuvraj’s advantage, as did the fact that Australia bowled too full to him.Dhoni did his bit, constantly scampering twos and ones as he does in ODI chases, and coming up with the crucial boundary, a typical stretch-and-club to cover, when it came down to six needed off four.Yuvraj’s cool assault meant Finch’s innings, and Australia’s electric start, were in vain. After being put in, Finch and debutant Nic Maddinson had kickstarted the innings with a 56-run partnership inside five overs. It was the manner in which the openers attacked the offspin of R Ashwin that stood out. The highly-rated Maddinson, 21, calmly stepped out to Ashwin’s first delivery and lofted it cleanly over extra cover for four. Finch set about cutting and lofting with intent, and Ashwin’s first over cost India 17.Maddinson made 34 before missing a slog to be bowled. Vinay Kumar got both Shane Watson and George Bailey in the eighth over. Finch, meanwhile, kept battering boundaries, generating immense power and finding gaps consistently. He was swift and brutal on the cut, played the lofted drive repeatedly and when he went to cow corner, it was more timing and placement than slogging.Glenn Maxwell showed Australia were in no mood to relent even momentarily, swinging Ashwin for three sixes in the tenth over as the score zoomed to 114 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings. Ashwin’s figures read 2-0-41-0, and Dhoni was forced to turn to Virat Kohli’s mediums for a couple of costly overs.Australia stalled after Finch clubbed a high full toss straight to Vinay. The blow split the webbing on the bowler’s left hand, but did not deter him from sending down a couple of tight overs. A last-ball six from Faulkner took the score past 200, but Yuvraj hunted it down with the calm of old.

Shikhar Dhawan stroked his way to a breathtaking century, its 85-ball duration the swiftest ever by a Test debutant

The Report by Daniel Brettig16-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShikhar Dhawan’s century was the fastest by a Test debutant•BCCIShikhar Dhawan could possibly have been out before he had faced a ball in Test matches. The first delivery of the innings slipped out of Mitchell Starc’s hand and landed on the stumps with the debutant out of his ground at the non-striker’s end. There was no appeal, but if made it would have sent many running for the law book and coming back with varying interpretations of two laws: mankading and dead ball.Dhawan, though, felt he was out, and took full advantage of what he felt was Australian generosity with a breathtaking century, its 85-ball duration the swiftest ever by a Test debutant. By the close he was still there on a commanding 185, looking utterly impassable while gathering runs with the kind of rare ease that invoked memories of Mark Waugh’s debut against England at Adelaide Oval in 1991.*Australia’s tally of 408 had been swelled by Mitchell Starc’s 99, but it was made to look laughably puny by how Dhawan set about his task in the company of the neat and tidy M Vijay. They formed a beautifully balanced union that did not take long to become plainly disdainful of the visiting bowlers, and by the close it was comfortably India’s best opening stand against Australia.On the way to what was also the highest total by an Indian debutant, Dhawan’s stroke range was awe-inspiring, no fewer than 33 fours and two sixes streaming from his bat to all parts of the PCA ground. He was most savage through cover, piercing gaps no matter how many fielders Michael Clarke employed to patrol the region.In doing so, Dhawan laid waste to a touring attack that should have been feeling quite haughty about prolonging Australia’s innings on the third morning. The worst punishment was saved for Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon and most of all Xavier Doherty, who in one over conceded an eye-popping 18, all to Dhawan’s impudent blade.Among the liberties taken in that over was a reverse sweep, conveying just how little Dhawan thought of the visiting spin bowlers. At the age of 27, Dhawan had been made to wait 81 first-class matches, 5679 runs and 16 centuries for this chance, coming in at the expense of Virender Sehwag. The flourish with which Dhawan took it was supreme, and indicated that India have not given up hope of forcing a victory over the remaining two days.Vijay meanwhile constructed another innings entirely suitable to the occasion, settling in quietly and safely in Dhawan’s slipstream but never becoming so tied down as to suggest the Australians had him covered. He too attacked the slow bowlers for a pair of sixes, and it was possible to imagine India have found an opening partnership to last for some time.Clarke exhausted all of the bowling options except his own, though this is at least partly to spare his problematic back. At no point were his bowlers able to deliver spells consistent enough to create pressure, despite the fact that both Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc extracted reverse swing and there was enough bounce and spin for Lyon, Doherty and Steven Smith.Most of all Australia missed James Pattinson, their most dangerous bowler in the first two Tests and an absentee here for punitive disciplinary reasons. Mitchell Johnson, another suspended bowler, has enjoyed success on this ground in the past, and it is difficult to imagine Clarke not wondering who else he might have called upon had team management not chosen to rule out four players for failing to follow the instructions of management.Only once did Dhawan give the ghost of a chance, a thick edge on 94 flying through the hands of Phillip Hughes in the gully from Peter Siddle’s bowling.The Australians might have had some inkling of how swiftly the runs might flow when India batted after watching their own tail wag furiously. Starc assembled a brave 99, Smith managed 92, and in all 157 runs were added for the final three wickets.For most of his innings Starc played nervelessly, hitting with power and pushing through gaps with finesse, while also defending when necessary. But he tightened up noticeably with one run to get for a hundred, beaten twice outside off stump by Ishant Sharma then edging an attempted drive behind after MS Dhoni brought the field in.In that moment Australia were denied their first centurion at No. 9 since Ray Lindwall in 1946-47, and a rare chance to feel a rush of shared jubilation on this tour. So even during a session in which India were dominated, the hosts still managed to deny the tourists a feeling of achievement.Smith’s innings reached a similarly flat conclusion after he had also played with great assurance at No. 5, demonstrating a steadier approach and straighter bat than he had shown in his earlier Test match appearances in 2010 and 2011. It was a chanceless innings, and took a practically perfect ball from Pragyan Ojha to dislodge him.*07.00pm GMT, March 16: The copy has been updated after reviewing the laws of the game.

The Rojiblancos' record signing turned in a match-winning performance to keep Xavi's side within striking distance of the league leaders

It just had to be Joao Felix. On Sunday, the Barcelona loanee showed exactly why he is still rated so highly despite everything that has happened in his up-and-down career. Playing against his parent club Atletico Madrid, Felix turned in his best performance for the Blaugrana to date, and bagged the winning goal in a 1-0 win for Xavi's side.

Barca created a number of chances early, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski missing clear opportunities to put their side ahead. Felix, though, grabbed the much-deserved opener, darting down the left and dinking the ball over Jan Oblak — and he didn't hold back with his celebration, either!

The Portugal international was their primary outlet for the rest of the clash, as he darted at defenders, caused problems down the wing, and tracked back with the kind of vengeance he's been lacking since he arrived in Catalunya.

And although Atleti made things uncomfortable at times, the Blaugrana looked mostly composed in key areas. Their midfield trio — Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong — simply played through the Rojiblancos', and ensured that Barca never really lost their control of the game.

By the 76th minute, Felix was exhausted, grabbing the back of his hamstring, and half-limping off the pitch. For the first time since he arrived late in the transfer window, Barca fans rose to their feet to applaud what had been a special showing.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Inaki Pena (7/10):

Had little to do before making immense saves from a Depay free-kick and a Correa shot from point-blank range late on. Who needs Marc-Andre ter Stegen, eh?

Jules Kounde (6/10):

Moved back to a right-sided role. Didn't have loads to do in a defensive sense, and kept the ball moving when needed.

Ronald Araujo (8/10):

Immense in the air, and put his body on the line with regularity. Loves these kinds of physical contests.

Andreas Christensen (7/10):

A late replacement for Inigo Martinez after the warm-up. Atleti tried to attack his side of the pitch, but he handled things well.

Joao Cancelo (7/10):

Completed a solid percentage of his passes, created one big chance, and got his defensive positioning mostly correct. Doesn't have to be assisting every game to make an impact.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Pedri (7/10):

Silky on the ball, composed in central areas. Still looked tired towards the end. Much improved after a rough run of form.

Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

Immense at the base of midfield. Cut passing lanes, and broke away from pressure. Pedri did the pretty stuff, Gundogan went about the dirty work with aplomb.

Frenkie de Jong (8/10):

Impactful all over the pitch. Covered loads of ground and put in an excellent block to deny Griezmann shortly before half time. Worked well with Gundogan. He makes Barca tick.

Getty ImagesAttack

Raphinha (7/10):

Really raised his level for the big game. Could have scored early on, and was a constant menace on the wing. Looked tired late — which was understandable.

Robert Lewandowski (4/10):

Missed a couple of chances early, and was handled far too easily by the Atleti defence. Should have made it 2-0 towards the end of normal time. Well off it.

Joao Felix (9/10):

Probably his best showing in a Barca shirt. Kicked around from the first minute against his former team-mates but it didn't seem to get to him. Direct, skilful and a joy to watch at times. Took his goal wonderfully — and seemed to enjoy it, too!

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Ferran Torres (6/10):

A good shift on the left to relieve a tired Felix.

Lamine Yamal (6/10):

Didn't shy away from the physicality of things.

Fermin Lopez (N/A):

No time to make an impact

Xavi (8/10):

After a series of poor showings, Barca were excellent from the get-go. They created chances aplenty, got contributions from their main men, and held on at the end. A good day, right after a series of bad ones.

Lionel Cann, one of the most experienced Bermuda players, has refused to travel to Uganda next month for the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament over security concerns following news of a foiled terrorist plot on September 13 in Kampala

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2014Lionel Cann, one of the most experienced Bermuda players, has refused to travel to Uganda next month for the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament over security concerns following news of a foiled terrorist plot on September 13 in Kampala.”I have already told the Bermuda Cricket Board that I will not be travelling if the tournament remains in Uganda,” Cann was quoted as saying in the . “It’s great to play for my country and I think it’s the biggest honour ever, and something I will never turn down. But, in these circumstances, there is no way that I can go to that country.”At least 11 USA players have already said they are likely to pull out of the tour to Uganda, even as the US Embassy in Kampala issued a 24-hour warning for all American citizens in the African country to stay at home or seek shelter in a safe place.A US Embassy spokesperson said the plot was organised by a terror cell from al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based group behind the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya last year. Nineteen people were arrested by Uganda police over the weekend in Kampala in connection with the terror plot, according to an Associated Press report. A police spokesperson stated that the suspects’ intentions “were very, very clear” in what was the planning of an “imminent” attack.”To see that terrorists have been arrested in the same city where we are going to be playing, obviously that is a major concern to me,” Cann said. “Being a family guy and having children, I will definitely not be travelling to that part of the world to play.”In a letter to all competing teams in the tournament, Tim Anderson, the ICC global development manager, said that the governing body was in touch with authorities in Uganda. “I wish to advise you that ICC’s security advisers are continuing to co-ordinate with various authorities on the ground in Kampala to understand the extent of this incident, and to ascertain the impact it may have on staging the event in Uganda.”