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Following Division Five in Jersey, teams have had to navigate through Division Four in Los Angeles and Division Three in Uganda. Now, another hurdle in Namibia in their bid for a World-Cup spot

Peter Della Penna in Windhoek07-Feb-2018The Kenya players enjoy a celebratory jig after their 42-run win•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Kenya

Some of the east African side’s results in the WCL Championship – wins over Hong Kong and tournament champion Netherlands – show they are more than capable of being a strong competitor should they advance to Zimbabwe. However, they are playing in Division Two because of their wild inconsistency.The biggest positive for Kenya is that they swept both matches in Namibia during the WCL Championship, giving them a leg up with their experience in local conditions. Captain Rakep Patel, Collins Obuya and Irfan Karim all scored more than 300 runs in the WCL Championship and are expected to have strong tournaments on the traditionally high-scoring pitches of Windhoek.

UAE

The only side with ODI status in this event, UAE are under heavy pressure to make it to Zimbabwe, failing which they lose their ODI status until 2022 at the earliest. UAE struggled early in the WCL Championship trying to recover from the retirement of Khurram Khan, but found their feet midway through the competition and finished by winning four of their final six matches, including a series split in Namibia, a win over Papua New Guinea and a sweep of Nepal in Abu Dhabi. Most recently, they knocked off a target of 300 against Scotland to pull off their highest successful ODI chase.Shaiman Anwar did the bulk of UAE’s scoring for much of the WCL Championship, finishing sixth overall with 431 runs. Adnan Mufti and Ghulam Shabber lightened the burden by coming through with big scores in the most-recent series against Nepal while Rameez Shahzad propelled the record chase against Scotland with his maiden ODI ton. A balanced bowling unit, featuring the opening pace pair of Mohammad Naveed and Zahoor Khan, makes up for the absence of Amjad Javed. The spin combo of legspinner Imran Haider, left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and captain Rohan Mustafa completes the tournament’s most balanced attack.Sharad Vesawkar and Gyanendra Malla get together•Kaushal Adhikari

Nepal

After scoring two wins at the 2014 World T20 against Afghanistan and Hong Kong, Nepal has struggled to stay afloat in the top tier of Associate cricket. Of their opponents in this event, they can take consolation from the fact that they swept Namibia for half of their four wins in the WCL Championship, though that series win was achieved in Kathmandu. They also have positive memories of the last time they were in Namibia at WCL Division Two in 2015, when they secured a spot in the WCL Championship despite a last-day stumble.While the captain and vice-captain duo of Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla often get most of the plaudits for their batting acumen, middle-order finisher Sharad Vesawkar actually led the team in runs during the WCL Championship, with 415 runs at an average of 51.87. On the bowling side, spin has been Nepal’s strength over the years with the left-arm tandem of Basant Regmi and Shakti Gauchan. However, most of the attention at Division Two will be on teenage legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who garnered global attention last month after being taken by Delhi Daredevils at the IPL auction.

Namibia

The tournament hosts only managed to win three out of 14 games in the WCL Championship, but two of those – over Hong Kong and Scotland – had a significant impact on the final standings at the top of the table. In particular, the win in Edinburgh showcased what Namibia are capable of when operating at full strength. A rare appearance from Otago allrounder Christi Viljoen severely dented Scotland’s hopes of chasing Netherlands down for the title.Viljoen is back again for this tournament in an effort boost Namibia’s seam bowling and middle-order batting. Stephan Baard offers an explosive weapon at the top of the order while Gerhard Erasmus’ coming-of-age against Netherlands in the final round of the WCL Championship – a fluent 52 and 81 in both innings against the champion Dutch side – shows Namibia’s batting nucleus may be hitting form at just the right time.Oman celebrate after being crowned tournament champions•Peter Della Penna

Oman

Oman is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Afghanistan’s rapid ascent up the Associate ladder that began in Jersey at the 2008 WCL Division Five, by taking an identical journey to the World Cup Qualifiers. Oman secured three consecutive promotions beginning in Jersey in 2015 with a myriad of contributors along the way.In Jersey, it was Zeeshan Maqsood’s explosive batting paired with the swing bowling duo of Rajeshkumar Ranpura and Munis Ansari that took them forward. In Los Angeles, legspinning allrounder Khawar Ali’s Player-of-the-Tournament performance, including 74 and a five-wicket haul in a do-or-die showdown with Denmark, secured another promotion. At Division Three in Uganda, Khawar continued his impact with the ball but it was a host of characters led by Aqib Ilyas with the bat and left-arm swing bowler Bilal Khan who rallied them to the title.Entering Division Two, Ranpura and Ansari have faded out of the squad, but the ICC’s revised eligibility guidelines – which allow players to represent a country after just three years of residency – have opened the doors to two key allrounders: former Sialkot player Ahmed Fayyaz and former Saurashtra player Jayesh Odedra. The lifting of the ICC’s other stipulation, a maximum of two four-year residents in a starting XI, has also allowed for the recall of tall medium pacer Kaleemullah, who troubled batsman with his height and bounce last year at the Desert T20 Challenge. The trio may provide Oman with yet more difference-makers in an attempt to vault into the World Cup qualifiers.

Canada

Much like Netherlands and Kenya, Canada is an Associate that may have once taken a place in the World Cup for granted, having qualified four times including thrice from 2003 to 2011. But Canada not only failed to qualify for the 2015 event but lost ODI status through a poor performance at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. However, unlike Kenya and the Dutch, who rebounded at 2015 WCL Division Two to earn a place in the WCL Championship, Canada’s bottom-two finish three years ago dropped them back to Division Three.It took Canada more than two years for the opportunity to climb back up, but they’ve produced a triumphant display in Uganda, propelled by the electric batting and canny medium pace of Rizwan Cheema, who was also named the Player of the Tournament. Teenage opening batsman Bhavindu Adhihetty played a strong support role, finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer with 222 runs. Adhihetty’s value to the senior side is such that he stayed away from the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand – having previously captained Canada Under-19 to victory in the Americas Regional Qualifier – so that he could be with the seniors on their Division Three warm-up tour in South Africa.Like Oman, Canada have – for the moment – moved on from someone who helped get them to this point with Cheema not included in the Namibian touring squad. Yet like Oman, they are bolstered by reinforcements that give them an excellent chance of advancing. The recalled top-order duo of Ruvindu Gunasekera, who has spent most of the last two Canadian winters playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, and Srimantha Wijeratne provide a fire-and-ice combo that bridges the gap up to captain Nitish Kumar’s class in the middle order.

With two-time defending champion Alexia Putellas out of the running after a season decimated by injuries, a new winner will be crowned on October 30

The Women's Ballon d'Or remains a relatively new trophy on the world football scene, but lifting the Golden Ball is quickly becoming a dream for many of the world's best players. And after a memorable 12 months for the women's game, the shortlist of nominees for the 2023 award has been revealed.

The 2022-23 season was one dominated by Spanish football, as Barcelona won both their domestic title and the Champions League, before La Roja sealed the World Cup in thrilling fashion after a superb tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Despite that, two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas is out of the running for this year's award having missed most of the campaign with a knee injury, with her club and international team-mate, Aitana Bonmati, the current favourite to succeed Putellas in lifting the Golden Ball.

We will have to wait until the ceremony on Monday, October 30 to find out whether it is Bonmati or someone else who claims the prize, but for now, here are the players who have been shortlisted for football's ultimate individual honour:

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  Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)

  France Football's French Player of the Season, Diani was the top scorer in the league before scoring four more goals for France at the World Cup.

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  Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)

  The 18-year-old wonderkid has truly broken through, starring for Colombia at the World Cup while scoring the Goal of the Tournament against Germany.

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  Alba Redondo (Levante)

  A vital player for Spain, scoring three times at the World Cup, she also won the Pichichi award for being the top goalscorer in the Liga F season with 28 finishes.

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  Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)

  After moving to Aston Villa in August 2022, Daly scored 30 goals in as many matches before featuring for England in their run to the World Cup final.

A recap of events following Ben Stokes’ arrest in Bristol in September, which led to him being charged with affray

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2017A spectator at a county game reads about Ben Stokes’ arrest in a newspaper•Getty Images

September 24: England win in BristolStokes cracks his way to 73 off 63 balls before Moeen Ali’s barnstorming century takes England to 369 for 9. Despite an onslaught from Chris Gayle it proves more than enough to earn an unbeatable 2-0 series lead. Afterwards, various England players – including Stokes – let their hair down in the city centre with the next match still three days away.September 26: News of Stokes’ arrest emergesWhat was meant to be the preview day to an end-of-season ODI suddenly changes when details of Stokes’ arrest in the early hours of September 25 emerge. An ECB statement said: “Stokes was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning, 25 September, following an incident in Bristol. He was held overnight and released under investigation – without charge – late on Monday and will not join the team in London.” Alex Hales was not arrested but returned to Bristol to help police with inquires.September 27: Ashes squad announcedTwenty-four hours later, the Ashes squad is named as planned but in rather different circumstances to those that the ECB would have hoped. Stokes is included and retains the vice-captaincy while the police begin their investigation into the events in Bristol. It is also confirmed that Stokes suffered a “minor fracture” to his hand during the incident.September 27: Video published, Stokes and Hales made unavailableShortly after England complete victory at The Oval, a video is published in of the Bristol incident which alleges to show Stokes throwing multiple punches. The ECB makes both Stokes and Hales – who is also alleged to be shown in the video – “unavailable for selection until further notice” although the pair remain on full pay while the incident is referred to the Cricket Discipline Commission chaired by Tim O’Gorman.September 28: Police appeal for witnessesAvon and Somerset police put out an appeal for two male witnesses to the events in Bristol to come forward to help with the investigation. “Our enquiries into the disorder in the Queens Road/Clifton Triangle area of Bristol in the early hours of Monday are continuing. We believe there are two specific witnesses, both men, with information about what happened in the moments prior to the disorder who are yet to come forward and we’d appeal for them to do so as soon as possible.”October 6: Finn called into Ashes squad as Stokes replacementStokes’ chances of making the Ashes recede further as he is withdrawn from the Test squad while the police investigation continues. Steven Finn is drafted in instead. “With the Ashes just around the corner, it’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation,” Andrew Strauss said. “This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.” Stokes is retained in the ECB’s central contracts list for 2017-18.October 7: Hales not expecting further actionIan Kelcey, the Professional Cricketers’ Association lawyer who is assisting Alex Hales, tells the Observer that it is “reasonable to expect” that Hales won’t face further action over the incident having been interviewed by police and neither arrested or put on bail.October 11: New Balance withdraw sponsorshipNew Balance, the kit and clothing supplier, end their relationship with Stokes, which is estimated to be worth £200,000. On the same evening, Stokes makes his first public comment since the Bristol incident when he tweets an apology to Katie Price and her son Harvey following a video that emerged of Stokes which appeared to show him mocking Harvey.October 12: Stokes’ agent issues statementNeil Fairbrother, Stokes’ agent at ISM, puts out a statement which says that Stokes will give his full version of events in Bristol when the police investigation allows. There is also an acknowledgement of the impact there has been on his team-mates. “He is also concerned about the impact the widespread publicity has on everyone involved including the ECB, his team mates and the game of cricket itself which he loves.”October 16: Police reissue appeal for witnessesAvon and Somerset Police reissue their appeal for the two key witnesses who “were seen leaving the nightclub at 2.19am, walking in the direction of Queens Road with two other men”. The update added extra details of the men’s appearances, including that both were white, clean-shaven, in their mid-20s and approximately 5ft 9in tall.October 28: Two gay men claim Stokes ‘saved them’Kai Berry and Billy O’Connell tell The Sun that Stokes stepped in to rescue them on the night in question after an alleged homophobic attack. “We were so grateful to Ben for stepping in to help. He was a real hero,” O’Connell told the paper. “Kai feared he could be attacked. If Ben hadn’t intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.”November 27: Stokes heads for New Zealand as Ashes frenzy returnsA sighting of Stokes, with full cricket kit, at Heathrow Airport leads to frenzied speculation on social media that he is about to fly out to Australia to reinforce England’s Ashes squad. It later transpires he was heading to New Zealand to visit family and regain his match fitness with Canterbury, but armed with an NOC from the ECB, it is clear he is being readied for Ashes action if he becomes available.November 29: Police file passed to CPSAvon and Somerset police announce that they have completed their investigation and sent a file to the CPS “seeking charging advice”. It is also revealed that a 27-year-old man suffered a fractured eye socket in the incident.Ben Stokes bowls on his comeback•Getty Images

December 3: Stokes comeback ends in three-wicket defeat Stokes makes 2 from seven balls and fails to take a wicket in an underwhelming return to action for Canterbury against Otago at Rangiora. Though he would later find his form with a powerful innings of 93 from 47 balls against the same opponents a fortnight later, with England sliding to defeat in the Ashes, speculation of a recall ends with his return to England for Christmas.December 4: Hales cleared for return by policeHales, a key witness given his own involvement in the Bristol incident, receives confirmation from Avon and Somerset Police that he is no longer under investigation, and is given clearance to play his playing return in the inaugural T10 tournament in the UAE.December 23: ECB won’t stand in Stokes’ way over IPLTom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, indicates that Stokes will not be denied an NOC for the IPL, and will be free to return to the tournament regardless of both the CPS decision and any subsequent internal disciplinary proceedings. He adds that, should Stokes be charged, it could take between six months and a year to resolve the situation.January 13: Stokes named as top base price for IPL auctionAfter attracting a bid of USD 2.16 million in the 2017 IPL auction, and justifying that sum with the MVP award in that year’s event, Stokes is among the 36 players who have listed their base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx) ahead of the IPL auction on January 27 and 28.January 15: Stokes charged by CPS with affray Stokes vows to clear his name after being charged by the CPS with affray. He will face trial at Bristol Magistrates’ Court at a later date, along with two other men, Ryan Ali, 28, and Ryan Hale, 26.January 17: Stokes cleared for England returnAfter the ECB Board meet following the charge against Stokes, he is made available for an England return and is expected to be part of the squad for the T20 tri-series in New Zealand. “The Board agreed that it would not be fair, reasonable or proportionate for Ben Stokes to remain unavailable for a further indeterminate period,” a statement said. Stokes tweeted: “I’m extremely delighted to be given this opportunity to do this again. I can’t wait to get back out on a pitch with the three Lions on my chest.”January 18: Court date clashLess than 24 hours after being cleared for selection, Stokes’ first court date is set for February 13 – the day of England’s T20 against New Zealand in Wellington which had initially been earmarked for his return.February 13: Stokes pleads not guiltyDuring a brief appearance at Bristol Magistrates Court, Stokes enters a not guilty plea – along with his two co-defendants – and the case is moved to Crown Court with the first hearing set for March 12. However, it is confirmed Stokes does not need to attend in person and the ECB say he will fly to New Zealand to join up with the squad.

Leah Williamson has been lauded for her return from an ACL injury as Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall hailed the "incredibly hard" work behind the scenes.

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• Williamson back in domestic action
• Appeared as a substitute against Reading
• Eidevall impressed with commitment behind the scenes

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England skipper returned to the Arsenal squad for their Women's League Cup clash against Reading on Wednesday after remaining sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury since April 2023. She showed little rust upon her return and even registered an assist, setting up Beth Mead for the fifth goal as the Gunners thrashed Reading 6-0.

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• WHAT EIDEVALL SAID

  Eidevall lavished praise on Williamson for her intense perseverance and dedication during the recovery period and said: "She works incredibly hard. I don't think anyone who hasn't had an ACL injury can understand all the work that goes behind that to be able to return, so I’m really happy for her as an individual and really happy for the team to get such a great player back. It was great to see both her and Kim Little able to return to play today."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Although the focus remained firmly on Williamson's return to action, Stina Blackstenius made the most of a rare opportunity with an incredible hattrick that inspired Arsenal to the quarter-finals.

  Eidevall was fascinated with her performance and added: "I mean, every player wants to start games and every player wants to play most of the games, but the best way to get your way into the starting 11 is the actions you do when you're playing and Stina was one of the players today that that did really really well and that was very pleasing to see."

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Eidevall would be keen to hand Williamson a start when Arsenal take on Liverpool on Sunday in the WSL. She looked sharp enough upon her return to competitive action and the Gunners would hope that the 26-year-old gets back to her usual form in the decisive second phase of the season.

Giovanni Reyna's wait for a first Borussia Dortmund appearance of the season goes on after he was left on the bench for Friday's match at Hoffenheim.

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• Reyna left on Dortmund bench
• Has not featured this season
• Visitors beat Hoffenheim 3-1

The United States international watched on from the sidelines as his side picked up a 3-1 win in the Bundesliga.

It is the third time in a row he has been named among the Dortmund substitutes but overlooked by coach Edin Terzic when it came to making changes.

Despite the 20-year-old's absence, Dortmund picked up another three points to ensure they remain unbeaten after six matches in the German top-flight.

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After missing the first two Bundesliga matches of the season through injury, Reyna has only been called up to take a place on the bench for Dortmund since his return to the squad.

  For the games against Wolfsburg in the league, Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and now the trip to Hoffenheim, coach Terzic has turned to other options when deciding to bring on fresh legs to help his team see out results.

  Reyna could only watch on as the likes of Emre Can, Karim Adeyemi, Marius Wolf, Niklas Sule and Sebastien Haller were brought on as substitutes to help the 10-man Dortmund sealed the win.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dortmund were the dominant force throughout the game and took a well-deserved lead just 18 minutes in when Julian Brandt pounced on a defender's error and fed it through to Niklas Fullkrug to fire home.

  The visitors gave Hoffenheim a way back in less than 10 minutes later, however, as Mats Hummels conceded a penalty and Andre Kramaric blasted it into the net.

  Marco Reus came to Dortmund's rescue just before half-time when Donyell Malen's low cross was knocked into his path by goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and the Germany international seized the opportunity.

  The win was put at risk for the final 20 minutes when Ramy Bensebaini was sent off with a second yellow card but that hardly slowed last season's runners-up down.

  Indeed, Julian Ryerson went on to score the pick of the bunch when he won the ball in his own half and charged forward, eventually smashing it into the net in stoppage time to wrap things up nicely for Dortmund.

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  USMNT IMPACT

  Reyna has little chance of persuading Gregg Berhalter that he is worthy of a spot in the next United States squad, let alone that place in the starting XI that his family feels he deserves.

  Dortmund play just two more games before the next international, in which USMNT take on Germany and Ghana.

  Given he has not featured at all this season, it is unlikely that Terzic will trust him to line up against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, but he could be brought on as a substitute, and he will hope to be given a chance in the subsequent Bundesliga clash against Union Berlin.

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  GOAL'S RATINGS

  Giovanni Reyna (N/A):

  The 20-year-old had to watch on from the bench yet again as his side maintained their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season.

  With Dortmund top of the table – at least until Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen play over the weekend – Terzic may be more hesitant to alter his starting XI over the coming weeks, so it could be some time before the USMNT star gets his first start of the season.

Stats preview to the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane

Mathew Varghese07-Nov-2007Sri Lanka head in to the two-Test series against Australia in quest of
their first win in the country, something that they haven’t achieved
on eight previous attempts. Australia have only lost one Test against
Sri Lanka till date, in Kandy in 1999.

Sri Lanka’s task is even more challenging when one considers this fact:
Australia have not lost a Test in the venues for this series – the Gabba
in Brisbane and the Bellerive Oval in Hobart – in nearly 20 years. The last time Australia lost at the
Gabba was in November 1988, while they have never
lost one at the Bellerive Oval. Incidentally, Sri Lanka were
Australia’s opponents in the inaugural Test at the Bellerive Oval, a match the hosts won by 173 runs.

The consolation Sri Lanka can take is that they have managed a draw in
the solitary Test they have played at the Gabba.Sri Lanka do possess a potent bowling attack – Chaminda Vaas,
Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan – that could
trouble Australia. Since 2005, Sri Lanka’s bowling unit has been the
best in terms of average and strike-rate.

However, the figures are slightly misleading, as Sri Lanka have played seven
Tests in that period against Bangladesh, managing 137 wickets at 18.19
apiece. If you exclude figures against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka average
30.65 per wicket and Australia 27.26.The upcoming Test series will also be the first for Australia after the
retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The impact that McGrath and Warne have made is well reflected in the Australia’s win-loss ratio over the past few years
in matches with and without them.

Of the four series that Australia didn’t manage to win this decade –
against India away in 2001, against New Zealand at home in 2001, against India at home in 2003-04 and the Ashes away in 2005 – Warne and McGrath played in the entire series only twice, in 2001 against India and New Zealand. While both McGrath and Warne missed the home series against India, a freak injury
before the start of the second Ashes Test meant McGrath only played two of the last four Tests.However, if the recent records of the Stuarts – MacGill and Clark, the
two who will take over from Warne and McGrath – are anything to go by,
Ricky Ponting need not panic over the absence of his strike bowlers.

The batsmen have tended to do well at the Gabba, the venue for the first
Test, with both spinners and the pace bowlers not having much success in
Tests of late.

Sri Lanka’s batsmen will need to string together partnerships at the
Gabba, something which the visiting teams have failed to do in recent years.

With the retirement of Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden will have another
left-hander – Phil Jaques – as his partner at the top of the order for
Australia. Hayden has been involved in the two most successful
partnerships in the 2000s – with Langer and Ponting. Sri Lanka’s likely
opening pair – Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya – figure in the top five
while the middle-order pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara
are in sixth place.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has criticised Blues striker Nicolas Jackson, despite him scoring a hat trick against Tottenham on Monday.

• Jackson bagged hat trick in Spurs win
• But Pochettino not happy with striker
• Nkunku likely to take spot when fit

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The London derby was the most chaotic Premier League game of the season so far, with Spurs ending the contest with nine men and VAR creating plenty of controversy. Chelsea eventually triumphed 4-1, with Jackson grabbing a second-half hat trick at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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• WHAT THEY SAID

  Despite scoring three times, Jackson was criticised for his poor finishing in the clash, and these sentiments were echoed by his manager on Friday. Pochettino said: "It's easy to say: okay, scored three goals. It's a process. He's still young, needs to improve. Okay scored three goals, but should have scored six. The most important is to keep calm and relaxed and he is going to improve with time. Nights like Monday help him not to be too much nervous and approach a game in a different way."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Due to Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja being ruled out with injury, Jackson has likely played more minutes than he was expecting during his early Chelsea career. The frontman now boasts five Premier League goals from 10 games, but with Nkunku set to return to full fitness after the international break, he could see his playing time limited.

  Pochettino provided an update on the Frenchman's availability ahead of his side's Premier League clash with Man City. "We had some conversation and he said to me I want to be ready for after the international break, Newcastle. I asked him yesterday and he said 'hmmm', and I said you are liar. It is close and he is really well. We are happy with him."

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Jackson will be in action for Senegal when club football pauses after this weekend, as the Lions of Teranga take on South Sudan and Togo in World Cup qualifying. Before that, Chelsea face a tough test when they entertain Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Wrexham's young star Sam Dalby has signed a two-year contract with the Welsh club, it has been confirmed.

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• Dalby signed new contract with Wrexham
• Tied to League Two club until 2025
• Was named Young Player of the Year

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dalby, 23, joined Wrexham from Southend in August 2022 and has impressed enough to earn a new deal that ties him to the club until the summer of 2025.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The striker scored six goals in 41 National League appearances as Wrexham went on to break the division's points record and earn promotion to League Two. He also struck twice in their run to the fourth round of the FA Cup and was named the club's Young Player of the Season.

  Dalby has already featured 12 times in League Two this season and came off the bench to set up his team's winning goal as they came back from two goals down to beat Salford City 3-2 last week.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  The former Watford and Leyton Orient player says he is delighted to commit his future to the ambitious side, telling their website: "I’m really excited. I love it here. I’ve loved it from the start – everyone was really welcoming. Obviously we’re building something big here, so it’s a pleasure to be a part of. We had a great season last year, and we’re building on it already, and I’m just looking forward to the rest of the season."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Phil Parkinson's team are in action again on Saturday when they face Bradford in League Two.

Chelsea star Lauren James has been named the Women's Super League's Player of the Month for January after scoring five goals in just two games.

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• Chelsea star James named Player of the Month
• Scored five goals in two WSL games in January
• Beats Fox, Shaw and more to award

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  There wasn't much league action in January as cup competitions came to the fore but James made the most of her two WSL outings, scoring a hat-trick against former club Manchester United before following it up with a brace in victory over Brighton. Those performances saw her beat out tough competition for this accolade, winning it ahead of Arsenal's Emily Fox, the Manchester City duo of Bunny Shaw and Laia Aleixandri, Leicester's Janice Cayman and West Ham forward Viviane Asseyi.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  James' goals haven't just resulted in individual glory either, with this her second Player of the Month award of the season after she also picked it up in November. The England star's performances have also helped Chelsea maintain their position at the top of the WSL table, with the reigning champions now three points clear of Man City and six ahead of Arsenal with just nine games to go. The Blues are chasing a fifth successive league triumph.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  There could be another significant individual award coming James' way this season as she is one of the front-runners in the race for the WSL's Golden Boot. The 22-year-old has 12 goals in 12 appearances this season, just one fewer than Man City striker Shaw.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JAMES AND CHELSEA?

  The FA Cup is the focus for James and Chelsea this weekend, as they take on second-tier Crystal Palace in the fifth round of the competition on Sunday. The Blues, the dominant side in English women's football, are looking to lift the trophy for a fourth successive season.

In an age obsessed with speed, Ramesh Powar is charmingly headed the other way. Siddhartha Vaidyanathan met him

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan07-Sep-2007

It’s said that some cricketers belong to a different era. Ramesh Powar belongs to a different century.He is from an age when cricketers came in different shapes and sizes, wore outsized red sunglasses and delectable hair bands, and bowled slow, really slow. We’ve heard about the adrenalin rushes, speed barriers and shoulder-aches that the fastest bowlers experience. Now it’s time to celebrate the slowest among the slow.Over his last five games Powar has defied the modern notion that bowling in one-day cricket is about restriction. In a high-scoring series he has rarely darted the ball in at a flat trajectory, never beaten batsmen with speed. He has wound the clock back to the golden age of cricket, the Edwardian twilight preceding the first World War, and risked conceding runs for wicket-taking rewards. Expectedly he has got wickets (six in five games); surprisingly he has been economical (4.41). Only Andrew Flintoff, who has played two games fewer, has done better.A ten-minute chat with Saqlain Mushtaq, when the Indians played Sussex during the early part of the tour, made a big impact. Powar was fretting over not getting any of the Indian batsmen out in the nets. Saqlain’s advice was simple: “If you succeed in making these guys defend you, then you are bowling very well. Don’t think of getting a Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid out. Even if you are able to bother them in the nets, it’s good enough.”Powar has grown in confidence with every game since, so much so that he has not hesitated in slowing down his pace considerably. He usually operates in the 45-to-55 mph range. Occasionally, especially when he bowls the undercutter that goes straight, he gets slightly faster. More often, when he simply lobs up a moon-ball that goes straight, he gets slower. Once he dropped as low as 41mph. He admits it’s his slowest phase yet but, fascinatingly, thinks he can “easily get slower”.At Edgbaston, in the third game of the series, brought on in the 16th over, with Ian Bell and Alastair Cook at the crease, Powar slipped in a really slow one and nailed Cook on the top-edged sweep.”In the third game it struck me that if I bowl a little slower, they might sweep,” he said. “I knew they wouldn’t try to hit over the fence because they rely on batsmen like KP [Pietersen] and Bell to stay at the wicket. They couldn’t afford to take many chances. So I’ve been taking chances against Cook, Bell, [Paul] Collingwood and Pietersen.”It’s helped that Powar is usually operating with Piyush Chawla, the legspinner, who is comparatively faster. “It always helps with Piyush bowling at the other end, because the batsmen tend to always go after those bowling quicker. So, suddenly when the slower bowlers come on, it becomes difficult for them to work around it. And with my kind of pace, I don’t think they can do that easily.”Does he think he can slow it down further? “For left-handers I might go a lot slower because they play against the spin. For right-handers I think it’s fine. Because I’m an open-chested bowler, I can adjust my action easily. I deliver the ball behind my ear and lose pace since I am a side-arm bowler. And since I’ve been bowling like this for seven-eight years, I know how to lose pace with the same action. Sometimes you don’t tweak the wrist – just let it go. Sometimes you hold the ball in the palm, sometimes you hold it in two fingers rather than three. There are a lot of ways to lose pace and I’ve worked on different methods in the nets.”

Powar’s Headingley dismissal of Ravi Bopara, one of England’s best batsmen against spin, underlined the value of pace variations. Two quick ones, at around the 55mph mark, were followed by a straight dolly, lobbed up at 42.4mph. Bopara, completely deceived, popped a simple return catch.”They had changed the ball just then,” Powar said. “It was a newish ball and I knew that tossing it up may help getting some bounce. Maybe he didn’t expect it to spin or bounce that much. There was not much spin but some extra bounce.”Powar anticipates the batsmen’s intentions much better these days. He has always been a shrewd bowler but thinks his gut feel pays off more often these days. Paul Collingwood’s case is worth mentioning. “Collingwood always played the chip shot against me [lobbing over midwicket]. So I decided not to bowl any offbreaks that will help that chip shot. In ten balls I will probably bowl seven straight balls to him. I’m guessing better right now.”The straight one which he utilises so effectively was mastered by watching a great legspinner on television. “I learned that delivery watching Shane Warne bowl. I used to try it earlier also but it used to spin a bit. That’s maybe because at the Wankhede anything spins. When I tried it here in England at the beginning of the tour, it was going straight really well. I don’t know whether the release has changed slightly but it is working. That’s all that matters.”Powar’s trade requires him to bide his time and wait for success. His philosophy in life – one that has seen its fair share of tribulation – is similar. “I’m not the kind who wants success every day,” he says sombrely. “I’ve seen life in and out. So success and failure in a game shouldn’t be taken too seriously.” It’s a perspective that has made Powar the cricketer he is. It’s also helping him become the bowler he wants to be.