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A £209,000-per-week player has set his sights on joining Arsenal with the Emirates Stadium being his ideal landing spot.

Arsenal targeting new striker for Arteta this summer

Edu and Mikel Arteta have set their sights on a natural number nine, as they seek to bolster the forward area among other positions in the squad.

Related Arsenal ready £21 million bid for player after claims he's agreed to join

There’s been a recent whisper he’s eyeing a move to north London.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 23, 2024

The Gunners scored 90-plus goals in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on their first title in 20 years to Pep Guardiola's imperious Man City side. Strikes came from all over the pitch, with Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz scoring a combined 51 between them in all competitions.

Arteta has done very well coping without a guaranteed 20-plus-goals-per-season striker, but it is believed the Spaniard is aiming to change that when the window reopens on June 14.

Arsenal's top scorers in all competitions

Goals (BBC Sport)

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

Many interesting names have been linked, with RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko and Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee attracting Arsenal interest, alongside more marquee options like Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli's Victor Osimhen.

The latter's release clause stands at around £113 million to prise away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradana stadium, but the Nigerian's exceptional goalscoring numbers over the last few years in Serie A indicate he'd be a worthwhile investment. Arsenal are apparently contenders for Osimhen, as explained by journalist Ben Jacobs to GiveMeSport earlier this year.

“We still can't rule out Arsenal in the race for Osimhen," said Jacobs.

"It’s also true that PSG have Osimhen very, very high on their list of targets and can move in the market because they will free up money due to Kylian Mbappe’s departure. I'm still told by sources that Osimhen’s priority is the Premier League, which is encouraging for Chelsea and Arsenal. He would be looking for about £250,000 per week, which Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG would all be happy to pay.”

On a reported £209,000-per-week at the moment, Osimhen would become one of Arsenal's top five highest-paid players in the event he joins, but the real sticking point will of course be his release clause.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is a famously tough negotiator, so Edu will have a lot of work to do if he wishes to negotiate a fee lower than Osimhen's £113 million clause.

Victor Osimhen wants to join Arsenal this summer

Luckily, it doesn't appear like Arsenal will run into trouble on the player's side.

Indeed, according to journalist Valter Di Maggio, speaking on Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, it is believed Osimhen would like to join Arsenal this summer, but has Saudi Arabia as an alternative if a move to north London cannot happen.

"Osimhen wants the Premier League," said Di Maggio.

"If the offer doesn't arrive, he would consider the Arab one. There is no club that pays the clause today. Osimhen would like Arsenal, otherwise he would consider Saudi Arabia."

A favourite of Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou's has been branded one of the worst technical players in the Premier League by a pundit this week.

Spurs lose 4-0 to Newcastle in top four blow

Spurs succumbed to a dismal 4-0 defeat away to Newcastle United at the weekend, and it's a result which deals a hammer blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

Tottenham have now made out-of-window bid to sign £17 million forward

The Lilywhites want a new striker.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 16, 2024

A brace from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon's strike and Fabian Schar's goal rounded off an afternoon to forget for Postecoglou, who is adamant that growth is "painful" and it's something which will happen to Spurs on more than one occasion as they continue to evolve and learn lessons.

“Newcastle were good, credit to them”, said Postecoglou after Tottenham's defeat to Newcastle. “We just didn’t really get a grip of the game at all. We never really wrestled control at any stage and we paid the price for that.

“We allowed them to dictate the way the game was played. We weren’t brave on the ball. A lot of it was self-inflicted. It’s the same as every other game. There’s no point sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. We’ve got another game in two weeks’ time.

“It’s not the first time it [a heavy defeat] has happened to us; it won’t be the last. It’s part of our growth. Sometimes that growth is painful. I was concerned with all of it. There was no one area that cost us today. We never got to any sort of tempo.”

Among the players who failed to have an impact was January arrival Timo Werner. The German, who has attracted praise from Postecoglou for his some of his performances since signing on loan, is being heavily linked with a permanent switch in the summer.

Bothroyd slams Werner as "one of the worst"

Tottenham staff are also said to be impressed by Werner behind-the-scenes. However, pundit Jay Bothroyd has now called Werner one of the worst technical players in England's top flight.

“I can’t help, but I have to be critical of Timo Werner," said Bothroyd to Optus Sport. "I’m sorry, he misses so many good chances. And those chances that he missed, they can change games. Technically, he’s one of the worst players in the Premier League. I’m going to say that, because I honestly believe that.

“He doesn’t cross the ball well, he hits it as hard as he can across the face of the goal all the time. He never picks anybody out. His finishing’s poor. His passing’s poor.

“And yes, you can say that he’s effective. But then I’m saying, okay, he’s an athlete. In this day and age, I look at him and I say he’s effective because of his athleticism. As he gets older and he loses that athleticism, how effective is he going to be then?”

Surrey and Middlesex are set to take the field for the first time this season at the Kia Oval in July, as county cricket inches towards a return in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.The match is scheduled to be a two-day red-ball encounter, on July 26-27, and is intended as a warm-up fixture for the proposed return of the County Championship in August – potentially in a regional format, comprising teams from the North, South and West, and a final at Lord’s.Though the details of the warm-up match are still to be confirmed, the contest is set to take place behind closed doors at the Kia Oval but with a live stream to broadcast the action.Surrey are one of two counties, along with Lancashire, who chose not to furlough their players during the pandemic, albeit the players – like Middlesex’s – have agreed to a salary reduction during the lockdown.”I’m really excited to hopefully see cricket return to the Kia Oval at the end of July and then for the rest of the season,” said Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket.Sussex, meanwhile, have emerged as one of the four counties that are understood to prefer a 50-over competition rather than first-class cricket when the season does get underway.ALSO READ: Counties not to face sanctions if they fall under salary collar – PCA chairmanA final decision on the chosen format is expected by July 7 but, speaking to ESPNcricinfo earlier this week, Daryl Mitchell, the PCA chairman, hoped that the differences of opinion would not undermine the plans for cricket’s resumption.”Everyone is preparing as if we’ll be out there early August,” said Mitchell. “There’s still work to be done around the safety aspects and what hotels look like, and what protocols would be put in place for four-day cricket … [but] it’s a case of getting back into it over the next few weeks and once we get that decision players will be able to focus.””We need all 18 counties to buy into whatever competitions we can for the last couple of months of the season,” he added. “I am confident now. More confident than I would have been three, four, six weeks ago I guess. Things are moving in the right direction.”

They were comfortably beaten in Australia last year, but Atapattu showed what was possible

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-2020OverviewSri Lanka have lost their 10 most-recent T20Is – a sequence that goes back to November 2018. Of their previous nine completed matches, Sri Lanka only won one, which means they have lost 18 of their last 19 games. Although there is a small measure of professionalism about women’s cricket on the island – the board having announced better contracts, and organised longer tournaments, over the course of the past year – the senior side has not quite delivered on the promise of their excellent run in the 2014 World Cup.They are led, however, by Chamari Atapattu, who on her day is as devastating a hitter as can be found in the women’s game, and is in general a fearless and inspirational figure, both on and off the field. But even her very best innings have sometimes failed to haul Sri Lanka to victory. The team’s fortunes at this tournament may largely depend on how much support Atapattu gains from team-mates.SquadChamari Atapattu (capt), Harshitha Madavi, Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunaratne, Shashikala Siriwardene, Nilakshi De Silva, Ama Kanchana, Kavisha Dilhari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Hasini Perera, Sathya Sandeepani, Umesha Thimashini, Sugandika Kumari, Dilani ManodaraGroup fixturesFebruary 22: New Zealand, Perth
February 24: Australia, Perth
February 29: India, Melbourne
March 2: Bangladesh, MelbourneT20 World Cup historySri Lanka have never made it out of the first round, in six attempts. They have only won seven of the 23 matches they have ever played at the T20 World Cup. Of the opponents they will play in the group stages, they have never beaten New Zealand or Australia, and have beaten India and Bangladesh once apiece in this tournament.Form guideOf their 10 consecutive defeats, only one can be considered to be close. Late last year, they received a 3-0 wallopping at the hands of Australia, in Australia. In one of those games, Atapattu hit 113 off 66 balls, but Sri Lanka had been so modest with the ball, they still lost by 41 runs.Key playersAside from Chamari Atapattu, who is clearly the talisman, plenty will be expected of allrounder Shashikala Siriwardene who is a former captain and among their most experienced players in the squad. Siriwardene got starts in the recent tour of Australia, but wasn’t quite able to convert those into substantial scores. Since 2018, though, no Sri Lanka bowler has taken more than her 23 wickets. Anushka Sanjeewani, the only batsman apart from Atapattu to make a T20I fifty since 2018, will also be expected to chip in with the bat.What would be a success at the tournamentTwo victories. That would probably be about as much fans can hope for, given the 24 months this team has had. They will hope to beat Bangladesh in the final group game, but will hope to do so having already upset one of New Zealand, Australia or India.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Projeto de Lei 5516/2019 teve dia decisivo nesta quinta-feira. A proposta de autoria do senador Rodrigo Pacheco (DEM-MG) de viabilizar que os clubes se tornem Sociedades Anônimas de Futebol (SAFs) foi aprovada em votação simbólica no Senado Federal. Seu próximo passo é a apreciação na Câmara dos Deputados.

+ Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro e simule os resultados

RelacionadasVAAo L!, autor do PL do clube-empresa afirma: ‘Intenção é oferecer modelo moderno, atrativo para os clubes’VA09/06/2021VARomário avalia PL do clube-empresa: ‘Alternativa para termos mais segurança e investimento no futebol’VA09/06/2021

Em seu perfil em uma rede social, Pacheco não escondeu seu entusiasmo com a aprovação do projeto, que pretende modernizar a gestão do futebol.

– Sinto-me honrado com a aprovação, pelo Senado, do PL 5516/2019, de minha autoria, relatado pelo senador Carlos Portinho, que dá opção aos clubes de futebol de se transformarem em empresas.A Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) cria uma estrutura societária específica para o futebol para profissionalizar esse segmento que gera emprego e renda no país. No novo modelo, os clubes terão regras modernas de governança, de transparência e de responsabilização dos gestores – escreveu o presidente do Senado, que completou:

– A SAF facilitará a atração de investimentos e a criação de novas formas de captação para o futebol. Como uma empresa, o futebol passará a recolher tributos sem prejudicar a competitividade das equipes. Também estão preservados os direitos dos atletas e dos demais profissionais.

Relator do PL do clube-empresa, o senador Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) destacou durante a sessão que o projeto torna atrativa para os clubes a mudança deassociações sem fins lucrativos paraSociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF).

– Em mais de 25 anos trabalhando com direito desportivo, temos chance de oferecer mais responsabilidade com este Marco Regulatório aos clubes. O projeto original é do senador Rodrigo Pacheco e estabelece a SAF, guarnece o clube-empresa e prevê que seja atrativa a transformação de agremiações associativas para S/As – e detalhou:

– O objetivo é a criação de um novo tipo societário exclusivo do futebol com regras próprias de capitalização que permite uma Sociedade Anônima do Futebol – completou.

Portinho também fez um alerta. Ele diz que o Marco Legal permite uma maior arrecadação e gera mais responsabilidade aos gestores.

– Não será a salvação do futebol, mas estamos mudando a forma como iremos atrair investimentos. Estamos dando responsabilidade aos gestores, de dar maior arrecadação aos gestores, maior arrecadação ao governo, sem dar desequilíbrio com associações civis. Aqueles que não quiserem seguirão associações e isso é liberdade – disse.

O senador Romário (PL-RJ) mostrou confiança durante a deliberação sobre o PL do clube-empresa.

– Sou e serei sempre eternamente grato aos brasileiros e brasileiras. A era do amadorismo tem que acabar. Tivemos cinco títulos marcados pelo talento dos nossos do futebol. Mas hoje a solução não está só no talento e sim na organização. A SAF pode ser uma grande mudança para organizarmos o futebol brasileiro. Tenho esperança que a SAF ajude a retomar o protagonismo do futebol brasileiro. Peço em nome do futebol para que essa lei possa ser aprovada e sairmos dessa situação que estamos – disse.

O sumário executivo da SAF, que esclarece os detalhes da iniciativa, explica que o modelo de Sociedade Anônima foi escolhido porque, uma vez que operado sob instrumentos de controle, dificulta a inserção de “aventureiros” na gestão de futebol. O formato concede aos clubes novas possibilidades de obtenção de recursos. Entre elas está a emissão de ações, debêntures, títulos ou valor mobiliário sob regulação da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM).

Rapper Travis Scott has taken in a visit to Serie A side AC Milan and been presented with a shirt by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

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• Scott meets AC Milan stars in Italy
• Is gifted his own Rossoneri shirt
• Milan heading to US for pre-season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Scott has been in Italy and taken time out to check in on AC Milan. The rapper attended an event in Milan along with club legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Loftus-Cheek and tennis star Serena Williams. Loftus-Cheek took the opportunity to present Scott with his own Rossoneri jersey, complete with his name and the No.5 on the back.

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  Scott is in Italy as part of the European leg of his Circus Maximus Tour. The rapper has gone down a storm in the Italian city with over 80,000 fans coming out to see his show. He shared footage of the crowd on social media with the message: "Last night was a dream. No this isn't a festival. This is a show on the tour. In the words of Stromberg. Milan y'all owe me nothing. Y'all gave y'all all 80k of y'all had the best time ever."

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• WHAT NEXT

  Scott is set to continue his tour, while Milan are set to jet off to the United States for a pre-season tour of their own. The Rossoneri are due to take on Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in North America before heading home to kick off their Serie A campaign on August 17 against Torino at San Siro.

14-year-old wonderkid Cavan Sullivan scored his second-ever professional goal Thursday evening for the Philadelphia Union II.

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• Recently signed pro deal with Union
• Has Man City transfer clause at age 18
• Scored second-ever pro goal

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In MLS NEXT Pro action Thursday evening, Sullivan bagged the second of three goals for Union II en-route to a 3-1 victory over Chattanooga FC.

  It was the second-straight game with a goal for the 14-year-old, who made waves earlier this year after signing the largest Homegrown deal in MLS history with the Philadelphia-based franchise.

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  Sullivan made a brilliant near-post run in the box, being lined up as their attacking midfielder in a 4-3-1-2 formation, slotting past the goalkeeper in tidy fashion.

  He now awaits his MLS debut, with first-team boss Jim Curtin watching as he awaits to call him up to the squad.

  One of the highest-rated youth products in U.S. Soccer's storied history, the 14-year-old will move to Manchester City upon turning 18 in 2027 and City will pay up to $5 million (£4m/€4.6m).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SULLIVAN?

  Union II are back in action on Friday, July 19 against New York City FC II. Sullivan and co. – who sit first in the league standings – will take on an in-form side, who are unbeaten in their last eight matches in league play.

The opener smashed the highest individual score in CPL history to take his team’s unbeaten streak to 11 matches

The Report by Shashank Kishore06-Oct-2019

On a Providence surface where Trinbago Knight Riders just about managed to find enough ammunition to get past a 126-target against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Brandon King alone smashed an unbeaten 132, the highest individual score in CPL history, as Guyana Amazon Warriors beat Barbados Tridents to have a fifth shot at the elusive CPL title. Amazon Warriors also extended their unbeaten streak to 11 matches in the process.King, 24, finished with an incredible ten fours and 11 sixes in his 72-ball knock. Astonishingly, the first game just produced seven sixes combined. While the surface quickened up considerably under lights, Tridents kept losing wickets in their quest for big hits, and while they eventually made 188, their meltdown in the last five overs with the ball, where they conceded 98, proved costly. They will now meet Knight Riders in the second qualifier on Tuesday.Brandon King turns it on
During the course of his maiden T20 ton, King went past Lendl Simmons’ tally for most runs this season. By the end of his knock, he’d opened up a 24-run gap at the top, his tally reading an impressive 453 runs in 11 innings. He completely took the pitch out of the equation, the same one on which most of Knight Riders batsmen struggled just two hours earlier. King’s total was also the fuel for the highest T20 score at Providence.The party started in the third over when he took apart Jason Holder, the Tridents captain, for a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4. The Powerplay produced six fours, two sixes and the Amazon Warriors were well on their way at 48 without loss. Even then, they perhaps wouldn’t have dreamt of the total they ended up with. King’s shot selection and his leg-side hitting stood out. His pulling off the front foot, reminiscent of Ross Taylor, was particularly impressive.Even as he hit runs for fun, his opening partner Chandrapaul Hemraj knocked the ball into the gaps. The opening pair had put on 73 in nine overs until Hayden Walsh Jr’s outstanding return catch – one that had him run back, with mid-off in his peripheral vision, and put out a full-length dive – briefly stemmed the run flow. Holder brought himself back on and struck immediately to dismiss Shimron Hetmyer, who nailed a pull but found deep midwicket. Holder gave him a send-off in jubilation.The Malik hand in the fireworks
Shoaib Malik’s industry didn’t give Tridents much breathing space as he smacked his eighth delivery for a six to signal his intent. The innings truly came to life in the 16th over, off which they walloped 29. Shakib Al Hasan lost his lengths – firing three short balls and a meatball of a full toss – that were all walloped to the boundary. The over went for four sixes and a four, Malik got past 9000 T20 runs, while King, who took 37 balls for his half-century, had raced to 88 off 54 balls.Malik was dismissed in the penultimate over, but by then, he had added 97 with King. But so deflated were Tridents that Nicholas Pooran walked in and smashed two sixes off his first two deliveries. Walsh, who until then had figures of 1 for 23 off three overs, eventually finished with 2 for 42. Respectable, if not outstanding. Harry Gurney too wasn’t spared, his back-of-the-hand slower deliveries proving to be far too predictable as King nailed his pull shots to perfection to surpass Andre Russell’s previous CPL best of 121 to set up a huge chase.Hales provides spark, but Tridents lose steamAlex Hales threatened a riposte as he raced to 36, with Tridents feasting on Chandrapaul’s left-arm spin to get to 56 for 1 in the Powerplay. But one heave too many, off an Imran Tahir googly, that he dragged on brought the brakes. Shakib was dismissed an over later, as Tridents slipped to 59 for 3 in the eighth over. Jonathan Carter served up a reminder of his hitting abilities in a boundary-laden 49, but by then, Tridents were merely reducing the margin of victory. Tahir, the 40-year-old South African legspinner, finished with figures of 2 for 13, with the Amazon Warriors signing off from their home ground with an impeccable record.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer has praised ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino for his influence in transforming him into the player he is now.

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• Palmer praises Pochettino
• Palmer yet to get Euro 2024 chance
• Calls for him to start vs Slovakia

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer explained that he was upset that Pochettino had been shown the exit door at Stamford Bridge after the Argentine had made the attacking midfielder and winger his key man. Palmer scored 22 goals for the Blues in the Premier League and will be expected to replicate those performance levels again next season. However, Palmer will be taking instruction from new boss Enzo Maresca and explained that he is looking forward to working with the Italian once again.

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  WHAT PALMER SAID

  Speaking to , Palmer said: "[Pochettino] just gave me the opportunity and the freedom and said: ‘Do what you do’. I was [sorry to see him go], because he put his trust in me and we built a good relationship. Not just with him but with all his staff who were there. When he left I was gutted.

  “He is probably the main reason [I am in the England squad] because a different manager might not have given me that freedom and opportunity to do what I did at Chelsea.”

  On Maresca, he added: “Enzo was the one who put me at right-wing. From the [under] 18s I was playing [number] 10 and when I went to the 23s Enzo played me on the right. That was my first full season on the right. He’s a good coach, a really good coach. I think tactically he knows what he is doing. He will improve a lot of the players."

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  Maresca was part of the Manchester City coaching staff and will relish the chance to work with Palmer once again. The England forward found enjoyed a sublime first season at Chelsea and was given the freedom to roam the right-wing. His performances for Chelsea prompted Gareth Southgate to include him in his European Championship squad, although, with Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jarrod Bowen occupying similar areas, he is yet to be given much of a chance to impress.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  Palmer will hope to get more of a look in against Slovakia on Sunday as England look to progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. As one of England's most consistent performers in recent years, Saka will likely start once again but Palmer should be one of the first options off the bench for Southgate.

Seamer takes 3 for 4 before Pant and Virat Kohli hit half-centuries to steer the chase in third T20I

The Report by Saurabh Somani06-Aug-20195:16

Dasgupta: The unbeaten 65 could change Pant’s career

West Indies put up an improved performance in the final T20I, with their batsmen having their best day collectively, but it wasn’t enough to deny India a 3-0 sweep, with terrific bowling upfront by Deepak Chahar complemented by a match-winning partnership. Kieron Pollard’s first T20I half-century in more than seven years took West Indies to a competitive 146 for 6, but half-centuries by Virat Kohli (59) and Rishabh Pant (65*) and their century stand for the third wicket meant India hunted down the target in 19.1 overs.The Chahar effect
Deepak Chahar reduced West Indies to 14 for 3 inside four overs, taking out the top three and getting the ball to hoop around corners and jag both ways. It was a magnificent exhibition of swing bowling, yanking batsmen out of position, hands following the ball, feet not in sync. Chahar bowled three overs on the trot, and had figures of 3 for 4 at the end. He wouldn’t complete his quota, but his strangulation at the top meant India could come out of the Powerplay with hardly much against them. On a pitch that offered turn to the spinners and held up a bit, and with short boundaries, that was crucial.Rahul Chahar – Deepak’s double first cousin – was making his international debut and fulfilling a childhood dream of the two playing for India together, but the leggie had to cede the limelight to the seamer.In his first over, with Sunil Narine facing up with the specific mandate of going after the bowling, Deepak kept his lines tight at the start. Then he threw one a bit wider, but it was still nibbling in the air. With leaden feet, Narine could only toe-end a flat-bat hit to Navdeep Saini at mid-on. Both Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer fell in Chahar’s next over, done in by balls that most left-hand batsmen would have fallen to. Both times, Chahar slanted the ball across them, and got it to swerve back into the batsman like a Formula 1 car taking a hard left. Pads were rapped, appeals were belted out, and fingers were raised. Lewis even burned a review for his team, though to be fair to him, he might have thought the ball was missing leg – it wasn’t, because the initial angle had dragged him far enough across.Deepak Chahar removed West Indies’ openers•Associated Press

The Pollard-led revival
The start was rocky, but the depth and power in West Indies’ batting meant they could kick on nonetheless and still end up with an adequate total. Pollard, at No. 4, showed off his power with several clean hits down the ground. He hit six sixes, which meant that even though there were periods of dot balls building up, getting the run rate back into healthy territory was only a hit or two away. Pollard fell to a Saini slower ball, but Rovman Powell – fresh off a power-packed half-century in the second T20I – showed he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with a rollicking finish that took West Indies past 140, and might have also taken him into the wishlists of several IPL franchise owners.The Kohli-Pant stand
With Kohli taking control of the chase and Pant showing his full repertoire, India’s innings never fell in choppy waters. Two shots each by both batsmen stood out. Pant twice drove Keemo Paul inside-out over extra-cover, the ball pinging off the bat and flying over the boundary. The execution of the shot was stunning enough both times, but the fact that Pant could conceive of the shot was extraordinary in itself. Pant would hit his trademark unorthodox shots too, including a reverse-sweep and an audacious flick, but those drives were shots associated more with pitches where the ball comes on nicely and 200 is par.Kohli too had his wow moments. A ball after he had seen a leading edge off Carlos Brathwaite fall in no-man’s land but hang in the air long enough to steal two, he unleashed a cover drive that landed millimetres inside the cover boundary. Two balls later, facing Paul now, Kohli sent the ball whirring to the deep-midwicket fence, whipping through the line with wrists of steel and timing of silk.The two had come together at 27 for 2 in the fifth over, both under a bit of a cloud. Pant had fallen cheaply in the first two T20Is, and while Kohli had managed to stick around longer than Pant, he hadn’t looked fluent. In this game too, they played within themselves at the start, getting used to the pace of the pitch, and then began opening up. They ended up adding 106 in just 12.5 overs, with the last five overs of the stand yielding 55 runs. It was a partnership that finished the match off as a contest, but Pant ensured there was a flourish at the end, driving Brathwaite straight back over his head and into the sightscreen for the winning hit.