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Following Glasgow Rangers’ humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Club Brugge, the 49ers have reportedly opened talks to sign a Premier League forward.

Martin apologises to fans after "painful" defeat

The pressure is increasing on Russell Martin. Some may even say that things have already reached breaking point at Ibrox. The former Southampton boss is yet to win a game in the Scottish Premiership and saw his problems extended by a Club Brugge side in no mood to offer him some kind of mercy in Belgium.

Update shared from Rangers on Russell Martin's Ibrox future before Celtic

The 39-year-old is under huge pressure.

1 ByCharlie Smith Aug 28, 2025

It was a disaster from the off for the Gers, who were instantly a man down when Max Aarons received his marching orders inside 10 minutes. An uphill battle was quickly made an impossible task and Club Brugge took full advantage, scoring five goals in the first half to take an 8-1 lead on aggregate before adding a sixth to hand Rangers an embarrassing 9-1 defeat.

Simply put, it could not have been worse for Martin, who could not hide his humiliation.

It doesn’t get any easier for those at Ibrox, either. A trip to face Old Firm rivals Celtic awaits this weekend in what may only compile Martin’s misery or perhaps even be the final nail in the coffin of what has been a nightmare stint in Scotland.

That said, the transfer window could still act as a crucial turning point for the Englishman amid reports that the 49ers are now “in talks” to sign a Premier League forward.

Rangers "in talks" to sign forward Chermiti

According to The Times’ Paul Joyce, the 49ers and Rangers are now “in talks” to sign Youssef Chermiti on loan from Everton this week with just days remaining of the window.

The young forward could replace Hamza Igamane, who is set to join LOSC Lille not long after refusing to come from the bench in the Gers’ last-gasp draw against St Mirren last weekend.

Replacing a talented forward like Igamane will be no easy task, but it appears that Chermiti has emerged as a leading candidate. Whilst the Everton forward has struggled with injuries during his time in the Premier League, there’s no denying that he’s still a player full of potential at 21 years old.

Praised as “superb” by scout Jacek Kulig during his time at Sporting Club, Chermiti is also represented by the same agent as Rangers’ summer arrival Thelo Aasgaard, which could make any deal far more routine.

Rafael van der Vaart claimed Leroy Sane 'threw his career away' by joining Galatasaray, while hailing Bayern Munich’s new signing Luis Diaz.

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Van der Vaart sparked debate by claiming Sane “threw his career away” after choosing Galatasaray over staying at Bayern. The winger ended his five-year spell at the Allianz Arena this summer, turning down a contract extension after changing agents and opting for a fresh challenge.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Sane, who played over 220 games for Bayern with 61 goals and 55 assists, rejected interest from other European clubs to join the Turkish champions, citing the unforgettable atmosphere at Rams Park as a key factor. Since arriving, he has registered one goal and one assist in four starts. 

  The winger's departure left the Bavarians without one of their most experienced wide men, forcing the Bundesliga champions to splash €75 million (£65m/$87m) to sign Diaz from Liverpool. The Colombian has hit the ground running, with three goals and two assists in his first four matches, quickly easing fears over losing Sane.

• WHAT VAN DER VAART SAID

  In an interview with , ex-Hamburg and Real Madrid star Van der Vaart criticised Sane’s decision to leave Bayern for Turkey, questioning whether the winger had fulfilled his potential. 

  "Yes, definitely. Diaz is a fighter and gives his all every minute. He's very good," he  said. "But I just think Sane's development is a shame. He threw his career away himself."

  The Dutchman feels Bayern will be fine without the Germany international, as he backed Vincent Kompany to lead them to Champions League success: "Why not? I always find comparisons with other teams difficult. All top teams are at a good level. But to win the Champions League, you also have to be mentally top. After the previous season and their Champions League triumph, everyone thought Paris were unbeatable. And then they almost lost the Super Cup to Europa League winners Tottenham. They even suffered a defeat in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SANE AND DIAZ?

  Sane is expected to feature again this weekend when Galatasaray face Eyupspor in the Turkish Super Lig, with the winger hoping to silence his critics. Meanwhile, Bayern will face Hamburg in the Bundesliga, with Diaz looking to continue his electric start and establish himself as the club’s new attacking talisman.

Sky Sports have now provided an important update on Derby County’s pursuit of an “amazing” player during the summer transfer window.

Eustace happy heading into new Championship season

The Rams return to Championship action on Saturday afternoon, making the trip to Stoke City looking to get their campaign off to a flying start, as well as aiming to improve on last term’s 19th-place finish in the competition.

Derby manager John Eustace appears to be in positive spirits heading into the new season, talking optimistically after his side’s 2-0 win against Atromitos over the weekend.

“I thought the performance was professional. We’ve had a tough six weeks and it’s nice to finish off with a win today. The attitude of the boys was very good. It was great to see Ryan Nyambe come back and play his first 45 minutes for us as well. Carlton Morris did well, gaining more minutes in his legs. Young Isaac Gordon did very well coming on, too. It was a really positive day.”

New signings are important for Derby between now and deadline day, however, with Scotland international Max Johnston one player who they are pushing to bring in, already having one bid rejected by Sturm Graz.

New update on Derby's pursuit of "amazing" ace

According to a fresh claim from Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Derby have now seen a second offer for Max Johnston turned down by his current club.

While disappointing to see the Rams again thwarted in their efforts to sign Johnston, it is encouraging that they are continuing not to give up on him, amid much interest in his signature from all over Europe.

Still only 21 years of age, the Scot has already made a combined 81 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga and Championship, with Stuart Kettlewell calling him “amazing” during their time together at Motherwell after he won Scottish Young Player of the Year.

Johnston is also a two-cap Scotland international, with the defender no doubt expecting to add significantly to that tally over the years, so if Derby do end up signing him, it could feel like a massive coup.

Seen as an expert crosser of the ball, as outlined by Concept Scouting above, he would add much-needed quality down the right flank, and the fact that he also has Championship experience can only be a good thing, meaning he would likely fit in seamlessly from the moment he arrives.

أكد آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لنادي ليفربول، على احترامه الكبير لأتلتيكو مدريد، موضحًا أن الأخير من بين أقوى الفرق في أوروبا خلال السنوات العشر الماضية.

وأشار سلوت إلى أنه متحمس كثيرًا لمواجهة اليوم، متمنيًا أن تكون الأجواء مميزة في ملعب آنفيلد في لقاء الليلة.

ليفربول سوف يستضيف نظيره أتلتيكو مدريد مساء اليوم الأربعاء على ملعب آنفيلد، ضمن الجولة الأولى من دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري.

اقرأ أيضًا .. تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام أتلتيكو مدريد اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وقال سلوت لموقع ليفربول الرسمي: “عندما أجريت قرعة دوري الأبطال هذا الموسم، كنا نعلم أننا في مجموعة صعبة وقد تأكد هذا الشعور عندما تم التأكيد على أن مباراتنا الأولى ستكون ضد أتلتيكو، الفريق الذي رسخ مكانته كواحد من أقوى الفرق في إسبانيا وأوروبا على مدار العقد الماضي”.

وأضاف سلوت في حديثه: “أنا متأكد من أن هذا هو نوع المباراة التي كان الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم  يفكر فيها عندما أجرى تغييرات على نظام البطولة قبل فترة وجيزة، حيث نلعب مباراة صعبة، ليس فقط الليلة ولكن أيضًا خلال الفترة المقبلة من دور المجموعات، قد تكون بسهولة ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا أو نصف النهائي أو حتى النهائي”.

وأوضح: “هذا يعني أنه يجب علينا أن نكون مستعدين للقدرات والقوة والتحديات التي نعلم أن أتلتيكو مدريد سيجلبها إلى المباراة”.

وأردف سلوت: “الأهم من كل هذا هو أن أتلتيكو بقيادة دييجو سيميوني فريق تنافسي، دائمًا ينهون الموسم ضمن المراكز الأربعة الأولى في الدوري الإسباني الذي يضم ريال مدريد وبرشلونة”.

وتابع: “في هذا الصدد، يعد أتلتيكو أحد أكثر الفرق ثباتًا في الأداء في أوروبا، وهذا هو الحال منذ فترة ولكي يتحقق ذلك، عليهم تقديم أداء عالي جدًا بانتظام لذا نتوقع بالتأكيد أن يكون هذا هو الحال الليلة”.

واختتم سلوت: “أعلم أن الوقت لا يزال مبكرًا جدًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا الموسم، حيث تتبقى سبع مباريات أخرى في دور المجموعات بعد هذه المباراة لكنني لا أعتقد أنه من المبكر جدًا الاستمتاع بأجواء أوروبية مميزة في آنفيلد، خاصًة وأن جماهيرنا تعرف أكثر من أي جمهور آخر مدى تأثيرها”.

Annabel Sutherland leads the way before England quick bundles out former side for 92

ECB Media04-Aug-2024

Northern Superchargers took the spoils in the northern derby in The Hundred as the home side won their second game on the bounce to give them two wins from their opening four games.In front of a record Headingley crowd of 11,061 Originals won the toss and chose to put the home side into bat first. England international fast bowler Lauren Filer was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors as she took 2 for 16, including two maiden sets.Hollie Armitage and Phoebe Litchfield put on a 47-run partnership for the second wicket. Australian duo Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland – continuing her fine form from The Kia Oval on Friday – both fell short of half-centuries as they top-scored for Superchargers with 43 off 25 and 44 off 26 respectively to take the hosts to 138 for 4.The team in purple had looked set to pass 150 earlier in the chase, and the Originals would have been happy to peg their run rate back in the back end of the innings.In reply, Manchester Originals initially got off to a strong start but went on to lose both openers, Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney, inside the first 30 balls.Superchargers seamer Kate Cross took the key wicket of Wolvaardt, who was imperious for the Originals in their very similar chase of 136 at Utilita Bowl last week.Once Wolvaardt and Mooney were back in the pavilion, the away side struggled. They lost regular wickets, thanks to some fine bowling from the Superchargers attack, with five different wicket-takers. England international Cross finished with the best figures of 4 for 20.For the second game in a row, Annabel Sutherland was the Meerkat Match Hero. She reflected on the win: “It was a complete team performance out there. I thought we did a really good job with the bat. We came out hard on a very good wicket, and the bowlers got the job done.”It felt like a good wicket, you could hit through the line of the ball and trust your swing. Our bowlers also made it look like there was more in it than there was, so I’m really proud of the group.”At half-time I thought we might be a little bit under par, just because it was such a good wicket, but we felt it was defendable with how we usually bowl in the powerplay, which we did well again today.”

Liverpool are making some statement moves this summer as they bid to retain the Premier League title and could now see another young star join the club, according to a report.

Liverpool agree deal to sign Florian Wirtz

The most high-profile story of the transfer window so far has, without doubt, been Florian Wirtz’s impending move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool following a stellar campaign in his homeland.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that all that remains are formalities to be put in place before the Germany international officially pitches up at Anfield for a British record fee if he meets all the add-ons.

Following Jeremie Frimpong through the door, Bradley Barcola and Anthony Gordon could join the Reds as Arne Slot looks to strengthen the wide areas.

Undoubtedly, the Premier League title race is set to be a rollercoaster next season, with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea all bolstering their ranks. Therefore, it makes sense for Liverpool to ensure they have adequate strength in depth to compete on all fronts.

Victor Osimhen could be a statement striking addition from Liverpool should Darwin Nunez move on this summer. Nevertheless, Manchester United remain in pursuit of the Nigeria international after he turned down Saudi Pro League interest.

Plenty of movement is beginning to occur as the Reds plan for the next few years. Immediate first-team level signings will be the priority, though identifying prodigious talent at youth level will also be an important feature.

In light of that statement, Liverpool now have a teen on their radar that could soon officially become the latest in a potential long line of new assets at Anfield.

Liverpool agree fee to sign Sidy Barhama Ndiaye

According to journalist Nabil Djellit, Liverpool are keen to finalise a deal for Sidy Barhama Ndiaye for a fee in the region of £850,000 after agreeing on a price for the Diambars Academy teen.

After scouting the youngster at the Under-17 African Cup of Nations, he impressed officials and now appears to be primed for a dream move to the Premier League.

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Born in 2009, Ndiaye is capable of featuring on either flank and is renowned for his quick feet and rapid acceleration. Nevertheless, not much is known about the rising star in the public domain.

Ultimately, Liverpool have a duty to explore all avenues in order to bring in untapped talent with room to develop, either readying them for first-team action or to sell on for profit. Ndiaye appears to fit that mould and will no doubt be a name that excites supporters, even if he is one for the future.

Looking to celebrate their FA Cup final victory in style this summer, Crystal Palace have now reportedly set their sights on signing a relegated midfielder who will be worth £30m in the coming months.

Crystal Palace set for Europa League campaign

Of course, Palace’s FA Cup win wasn’t just a significant moment for the end of their trophy drought, it also secured their place in the Europa League. The South London club will be going on what they hope to be a lengthy European tour next season and one which could yet be full of shocks. As Oliver Glasner’s side proved at Wembley, they’re more than capable of upsetting the odds.

As the celebrations continued, Glasner shared the pride that he has in his side, telling reporters: “I can’t really believe it. If you play this game ten times, we win it once and that happened today.

“We scored the first time we were in their half and then we defended with every single phase of the body and a great goalkeeper, a great mentality and togetherness. I’m really proud of the team and the staff – congratulations, all the credit goes to them.”

With silverware secured, meanwhile, those in South London look set to turn their attention towards the summer transfer window. With European football to offer, it could be argued that Palace are in their strongest-ever position to attract top players, which could yet see them enjoy quite the summer of recruitment.

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Already, names such as Nadiem Amiri have threatened to steal the headlines on the recruitment front. The Mainz 05 midfielder could leave the Bundesliga club this summer and become one of potentially a few fresh faces at Crystal Palace.

The focus certainly seems the midfield for the Eagles too, who have also been linked with signing a relegated star in the coming months.

Crystal Palace battling to sign Fernandes

According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Crystal Palace are now battling to sign Mateus Fernandes from Southampton this summer, with the Saints set to demand around £30m to sell their midfield star. The 20-year-old only arrived at St Mary’s last summer, but already looks likely to leave after Southampton suffered instant relegation back down to the Championship.

It remains to be seen just where his next destination is, but he certainly has some interesting potential suitors. Alongside Crystal Palace, both Leeds United and Aston Villa are reportedly jostling to sign the relegated star.

A player who analyst Ben Mattinson described as “super complete” during his time at Sporting Club, Fernandes still has plenty of potential to unlock. His time at Southampton will be looked back on with plenty of frustration from all parties, but he was often the standout. Now, Palace could help prove just how talented the midfielder is.

Tottenham Hotspur could only secure a 1-1 draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium this afternoon, with all attention undoubtedly on Thursday night’s Europa League clash.

Wilson Odobert scored his first Premier League goal for the club to open the scoring, but Jarrod Bowen’s effort just 13 minutes later levelled proceedings.

The result leaves Ange Postecoglou’s side in 16th position, a point behind Everton and Manchester United, with all eyes on a potential European showdown with the latter.

Given their lowly league standing, there’s nothing left to play for in the league for the Lilywhites, but such a game does hand Postecoglou the opportunity to assess his first-team squad.

Numerous players failed to deliver in the clash across the capital, with the manager desperately needing to take action during the upcoming summer window.

Spurs’ poor performers against West Ham

Striker Richarlison was handed the responsibility of leading the line for Spurs this afternoon, but struggled with the responsibility at the top end of the pitch.

The Brazilian featured for 68 minutes before being replaced, understandably so, given his tally of just four passes completed – an average of one every 17 minutes.

He wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with centre-back Ben Davies unable to produce his best showing after being recalled to the starting eleven after being benched last Thursday.

The Welsh international only managed to win 50% of the duels he entered and committed two fouls, leading to a booking after a being ajudged to have brought down Niclas Fullkrug.

Ange will undoubtedly be disappointed once again with his side’s display, potentially looking to cash in on the aforementioned duo and one other starter in the coming months.

The player who Ange needs to sell from Spurs this summer

Given the situation where the club have found themselves in the Premier League throughout 2024/25, it’s no surprise that sales will be needed to correct the dismal campaign.

Such funds can be used to allow for new additions to Ange’s squad, hopefully enabling them to mount a serious push for the top four once again next season.

Countless players face the chop, such as Davies and Richarlison, but another first team member in Yves Bissouma needs to be sold after his failures throughout this year.

The Malian was once seen as an important cog in the midfield department, but has struggled to produce his best performances on a consistent basis – a signal of his decline in North London.

He was one of the players to keep his place from Thursday’s first leg win, but failed to deliver, producing an awful outing as seen in the figures he produced.

During his 90-minute showing, he managed a total of 47 touches, but lost possession on ten separate occasions – resulting in him giving the ball away every 4.7 touches he had.

The 28-year-old also only managed to win one of the three tackles he entered, and came out on top in just 50% of the ground duels he entered in East London.

Yves Bissouma’s stats for Spurs against West Ham

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

90

Touches

47

Tackles won

1/3

Ground duels won

3/6 (50%)

Possession lost

10x

Successful dribbles

0/1 (0%)

Fouls committed

1

Stats via SofaScore

His dismal performance saw former footballer Adam Alfi label the midfielder as a “pub league player”, with The Standard’s Dom Smith handing him a measly 6/10 match rating – highlighting how poor he was at the London Stadium.

After such a showing, Ange simply can’t afford to start Bissouma in the second leg against Bodo Glimt next week – needing all of his players to be at the top of their game.

The bigger picture must be that the former Brighton ace is sold this summer, handing the manager the funds he requires to catapult the Lilywhites back up the division in 2025/26.

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The five T20Is in England offer India an early glimpse of the World Cup venues and a chance to narrow down personnel that could do the job for them

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Jun-2025T20Is back in focus for IndiaThis series will be India’s first T20I assignment of the year. Their last series was against West Indies at home in December, which they won, but 2024 was all about heartbreaks: a loss in the Asia Cup final followed by a group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup. Most of the players were, however, in action at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in February.They do have several T20Is lined up after this series before the T20 World Cup next year – they will be playing three home T20Is against Bangladesh, three in Australia in February 2026 followed by a tri-series in New Zealand which will also feature England in May – but this will be their chance to try out new faces. India will also be playing across five venues, all of which will be hosting T20 World Cup matches next year.New (and old) faces in the T20I squadThe returning Shafali Verma is likely to slot straight in as opener, given her superb form in the last few months in domestic cricket and the WPL. In her absence during the West Indies T20Is, Uma Chetry opened with Smriti Mandhana but failed to make an impact.Related

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A few new faces have been added to the bowling department. Left-arm spinner N Shree Charani and seam-bowling allrounders Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare have received their maiden T20I call-ups, while batting allrounder Amanjot Kaur has been recalled into the T20I squad.Sneh Rana has returned to the T20I squad for the first time since February 2023 on the back of her impressive performances with the ball – and on one occasion with the bat – in WPL 2025. She also picked up two wickets in the three overs she bowled in the tour game against ECB XI in Beckenham.There’s a bit of inexperience in the fast-bowling unit with the likes of Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar out of this series. They had not played India’s last assignment – the ODI tri-series with Sri Lanka and South Africa in April and May – due to injuries. India might field a completely new bowling line-up from the West Indies T20Is in December, barring Radha Yadav. With Renuka and Vastrakar expected to be back at some point, India will be looking to build their fast-bowling reserves in this series.Amanjot could be the new-age finisher India are looking for•BCCIThe gaps India will look to fillIndia have persisted with Harmanpreet Kaur as captain in the format despite the criticism she faced after the T20 World Cup exit. Between then and now, she’s proved her capabilities as a T20 leader by taking Mumbai Indians to their second WPL trophy this season. She is also one of India’s best batters in the format, having been their go-to during pressure situations, as she showed during India’s T20 World Cup group-stage game against Australia where she top-scored as the rest of the line-up collapsed around her. Last year, she had spoken about the need for India to develop the “mindset” to deal with nerves. With two global tournaments to be played in the next year, captain Harmanpreet’s focus will be on assembling a squad specifically with players who can handle pressure situations better.The batting department looks solid with Mandhana, Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh making the top five. However, India have been hurt by a lack of contribution from the lower middle order, which also troubled them during the T20 World Cup last year. Their batters from No. 6 and further down strike at just 104.05 and have just hit just four sixes in total in 42 matches since 2023.Spin-bowling allrounder Deepti Sharma, who’s played in the middle order, has a strike rate of just 99.10 since 2023. India will also want to nail down the rest of the line-up, which has seen several changes in the last few years. Amanjot, who showed off her skills as a finisher in the WPL, will be one of India’s options to fill that gap in the middle order, though she played at No. 3 in the tour game in Beckenham, with Rodrigues dropping to five.India have also not been able to nail down their go-to spin option in the format. Deepti aside, they have tried as many as ten spinners since 2023. While Rajeshwari Gayakwad has been out of favour recently, the likes of Saika Ishaque, Shreyanka Patil and S Asha – who were part of the last few series – have not found a place in this squad. One of the three spinners in the squad – Radha, Rana and youngster Charani will want to make the most of their chance to make sure India’s search for a reliable spinner ends.Where India have improvedIndia will also want to define the brand of T20 cricket they want to play, with their batting approach having come under scrutiny over the last few years. While Ghosh has the highest strike rate of 148.80 among all players since 2023 (minimum 200 balls faced), India’s next best is Mandhana’s strike rate of 122.66, which exposes this gap. Ghosh also has the best balls per six ratio of 18.75 since 2023, while Mandhana, who’s hit the most sixes for India in this period, has hit one every 40 balls.India’s overall scoring rate, however, has seen an improvement: they were at their best-ever in 2024, scoring at 7.99 per over compared to 6.93 in 2023. They also posted their highest-ever T20I total of 217 (in the third T20I against West Indies) in 2024. But their run rate at the death since 2023 is 8.86 compared to Australia’s 10.16, the best on this list.

Cornwall smashed a century off 45 balls for Royals, while TKR found a new face in left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil

Rvel Zahid04-Sep-2023 Barbados Royals’ marvelous turnaround after heaviest CPL defeatEarly in the third week of the CPL, Knight Riders chased down 179 against Patriots, as all their big names delivered. Then they waltzed their way to a pulverising 133-run win over Royals, who were bundled for just 61 in pursuit of 195. That turned out to be the heaviest defeat by margin of runs in the history of the tournament.Martin Guptill hogged the limelight with an unbeaten 100 from only 58 balls despite having started with a run-a-ball 20. Earlier this year, Guptill had slammed the first century of this year’s PSL, something which he repeated at the CPL too this season.Related

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CPL week two: Tallawahs' Pakistani flavour; Warriors' WI's flavour

Elbow injury cuts short Faf du Plessis' CPL season

But in just about 24 hours, Rovman Powell galvanised his team into action, as Royals comfortably chased down 161 against defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs.Tallawahs opener Alex Hales failed to create an impact in his first game of season, while on the other hand, Alick Athanaze’s mature knock of 76 for Royals eclipsed Shamarh Brooks’ 78 for Tallawahs. Athanaze stole the show with his pyrotechnics in a crunch situation, as he continues making big strides in the nascent stage of his career. After scoring the joint-fastest fifty on ODI debut against UAE in June, he gave resounding proof of his batting prowess with a match-winning knock against Tallawahs.But at the post-match presentation, Powell urged those concerned to manage Athanaze well: “I think he has a very good future. It’s important that West Indies look at that, and start managing him. We have seen players play all three formats in such quick time. There is a lot of talent in the Caribbean, but the problem is we don’t harness that talent.”Thereon, Royals’ topsy-turvy campaign continued as they suffered a 90-run defeat at the hands of St Lucia Kings. However, they saved their best batting performance for the last game of the Barbados leg, which came against Patriots. Royals beat the bottom-placed Patriots by hunting down 221 with as many as eight wickets and 11 deliveries to spare.Johnson Charles struck 78 off 52 balls against Barbados Royals•CPL T20 via Getty ImagesIt was ‘Cornball’ all the way: Rahkeem Cornwall ruled the roost with a jaw-dropping century that put his team in the driver’s seat before retiring hurt on 102 seemingly because of tiredness. Given how Royals’ top order had been struggling before the final game of week three, not many would have envisaged that they would gun down the mammoth target rather convincingly.Cornwall entertained the home crowd splendidly with his power-hitting, as one of his 12 sixes included a monstrous 110-meter hit which surpassed Kieron Pollard’s 107-meter six earlier in the tournament. Cornwall then bettered his own record by crashing a 111-meter six over backward square. He got to his hundred off 45 balls, and followed that with a bat-drop celebration.St Lucia Kings’ juggernaut rolls on with Raza at the helmStand-in captain Sikandar Raza hasn’t let Kings’ intensity drop a wee bit after regular captain Faf du Plessis’ departure for a surgery for his long-standing tennis-elbow injury. Under Raza, Kings beat Royals by 90 runs, further solidifying their hold at the top of the table after three wins from their last five games, two of which were washed out by rain.Waqar Salamkheil got 2 for 21 in the two-run win over Jamaica Tallawahs•CPL T20 via Getty ImagesSalamkheil helps Trinbago Knight Riders clinch nail-biterKnight Riders edged past Tallawahs by two runs while defending 142, as Waqar Salamkheil followed up his 4 for 14 against Royals with 2 for 21. Royals needed 12 in the final over of the chase, before Imad Wasim’s boundary brought it down to eight off five balls. But Ali Khan bowled three dots in a row, and though Imad hit a four again, he could manage only a leg bye out of the remaining four required off the last delivery.Earlier, during Knight Riders’ innings, Tallawahs’ debutant Kelvin Pitman picked up 3 for 27, including the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Pollard. And though Pitman’s efforts went in vain, Tallawahs will be pleased with his performance as the group stage nears its business end.St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ woeful campaign continuesPatriots’ fortunes couldn’t change either under Evin Lewis or Sherfane Rutherford, as they suffered a massive defeat against Amazon Warriors. Patriots made a forgettable start to the third week, succumbing for 88 in pursuit of 187 after Dwaine Pretorius dented them early with three wickets.That was followed by a big defeat at the hands of Royals despite raking up 220, which included half-centuries from Rutherford, Will Smeed and Andre Fletcher. That meant six losses in a row after their first two matches were washed out, keeping them at only two points from eight matches. With Rutherford leading against Royals, Patriots were let down by the bowlers and he also rued the fielding lapses after the loss.”Nothing is guaranteed, so we just need to keep a good mindset, stick together, and anything can happen,” he said.