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‘I’ve reached my best level in my career’: Eric Dier targets 50 caps for England after recall

The Tottenham man has been out of the England fold for the past year, but is now back and looking to make an impact. He has targeted a World Cup place and more milestones now that he is in the best form of his career.

 

‘Antonio has done a lot for me in EVERY way… tactically, physically, mentally’: Eric Dier credits Spurs boss Conte for helping him reach the ‘best level of my career’ to earn an England recall as he sets his sights on winning at least 50 caps

Eric Dier has been named in the squad for England’s Nations League matchesDier hasn’t played for England since 4-0 Iceland win in November 2020 He has credited Antonio Conte for his superb form and recall to the sideThe defender’s next target is to win 50 caps for his country starting on Friday

Eric Dier walked through the entrance of St George’s Park for the first time in almost two years yesterday and his eyes immediately fell on the honours boards on the wall.

‘I’ve seen they’ve got a board up now in the reception of all the people who have made 50 and 100 caps,’ said the Tottenham player.

‘It would be a dream to be able to reach that.

‘It’s something that when I wasn’t in the squad was playing on my mind.

‘That did annoy me. I would love to be able to get to that kind of milestone.’

Dier has played for his country 45 times but, crucially, not once since he appeared in a 4-0 win against Iceland in November 2020.

His selection for Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany that represent the last preparation games for the World Cup in Qatar has been well-timed.

There were times over the last two years when Dier did not appear to have a future at Tottenham, never mind with England. Dier attempted to play all that down when he spoke.

‘It is gone and is in the past,’ he said yesterday. ‘It does not affect me in any way.’

Nevertheless, Dier is glad to be back and England should be glad to have him back. Dier brings calmness, intelligence, experience and versatility to Southgate’s squad at a time when form and fitness have deserted some of those who took his team to the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley last year.

Unsurprisingly, Dier attributes his resurgence to Tottenham coach Antonio Conte. The Italian has restored Dier’s confidence and also installed a 3-4-3 system that asks a lot of a central defender who is also comfortable when required to use the ball.

‘I don’t want to sound like a teacher’s pet but Antonio has done a lot for me in every way,’ Dier explained.

‘He has had a great effect on me in every aspect. Tactically, physically, mentally. My whole approach.

‘I have never learnt so much about football and I have really enjoyed it.

‘He is the godfather of that system so I feel you’re constantly learning and evolving within that. I think probably he gave me my belief back a little bit as well.’

Like everybody else in Southgate’s squad for Friday’s game in Milan and Monday’s fixture at Wembley, Dier will hope for time on the field in order to state a case for Qatar.

Southgate’s ideal World Cup central pairing would be Harry Maguire and John Stones but neither can claim to have enjoyed perfect domestic seasons so far. Maguire is currently not even in the Manchester United team.

Dier would also appear suited to the back three system Southgate often uses — and is in emotional credit with his manager too.

A part of Southgate’s team that reached the last four of the last World Cup — he scored the winning penalty in the last sixteen shoot-out against Colombia — Dier’s subsequent decline was sharp.

Only when he was not part of the squad for last year’s Euros did he briefly consider whether he would have a future but even that feeling was fleeting, placed into perspective by events of the tournament’s opening weekend.

‘Not going to the Euros — maybe at that point I did not know what would happen after that,’ he reflected.

‘To be honest, when I think about the Euros, the first thing I think about is what happened to Christian [Eriksen].

‘I have been extremely lucky in my life in that I have never really lost anybody close to me. That was just a very bad day.

‘I was watching on television — I can’t really talk about it, man. It was tough. He was a good friend of mine. He IS a good friend of mine, luckily.’

Dier was informed of his recall to Southgate’s squad via a message from the FA last week. As prospective debutant Ivan Toney told yesterday of an emotional call to his family to pass on the news, Dier’s countenance was rather more measured.

Asked, for example, about his difficult Spurs season under Jose Mourinho in 2020-21, he presented the straightest of bats.

‘I really don’t want to go there,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there’s any benefit for me to go back there for anything.’

Dier is glad to be back at St George’s though. He even poked a little fun at himself over that.

‘I think I’ve reached my best level in my career,’ he said.

‘I think I’m getting better and I think I can get better.

‘And yeah, I’m very happy. I know I don’t seem happy but I’m very happy to be back!

‘I’m very proud. I just don’t like dramatising it too much.

‘I just play football, you know?’

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Gervonta Davis defeats Ryan Garcia with a 7th round knockout

Gervonta drooled Ryan Garcia out in the 7th and dominated the entire contest.
Garcia’s confidence was evident from the start of the fight. ‘King Ryan,’ began brightly by popping his jab out and forcing Davis to fight on the back foot.
In the second round, Garcia was encouraged to let his hands fly and show off his blistering speed, which appeared to worry ‘Tank.’ This success was short lived, however, as Gervonta landed her signature straight left hand which sent Garcia to the floor.
Garcia didn’t seem injured, but from then on he was much more cautious about throwing combinations. Davis was able to win the next three rounds by out-landing his younger, less experienced opponent and out-boxing him.
In round six, Garcia gained confidence and was able land some flush right hand on the chin Davis, who displayed a solid chin.
Garcia’s success continued briefly in the seventh round, until he was caught again by a destructive left hand. Gervonta Davis hit Garcia with a vicious body shot. Ryan Garcia took a knee and retreated before failing to beat referees’ count.
Gervonta was the first to give Garcia a professional loss, and his record of 29 wins with 27 knockouts is now improved to 29 wins. Tank has a 93.1% strike rate and won his last three fights by stoppage or KO.
Gervonta Davies Reflects on Ryan Garcia’s Win
Gervonta remained mum at the post-fight media conference about who he might fight next. Davis, the WBA (Regular Lightweight) champion, has been compared to other world-class fighters like Devin Haney or Shakur Stevenson.
“We’ll have to go back and rethink the best course of action for my career.”
Haney is the undisputed light-weight champion and will face Vasyl Lomiakenko on the 20th of May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Davis could therefore fight the winner of all the belts.
Davis did pay tribute to Ryan Garcia, whom he considers the toughest opponent he has faced in his career.
“I’d say he is the best fighter in my opinion. We were bouncing off each other’s energy. It was fun to talk in there. “I enjoyed every minute of it.”
‘Tank Davis’ maintains, however, that he was in total control of the fight throughout and was never hurt by any of Garcia’s punches.
“It’s boxing. He probably hit me with a good shot. Today, I didn’t get hit by any shots and I thought I was in serious trouble. I stayed calm. I felt he was more nervous than me. You want to be calm when you are dealing with someone like that because you don’t wish to make a mistake.
“He ran into a bullet when he came in. He was rushing. I knew from the start that I didn’t want to act like that. I want to remain calm, stay collective, and stay humble during the fight. “I was picking my shots.”
Gervonta is still only 28 years old. Many consider her to be one of the world’s best boxers based on pound-for -pound. After winning multiple world titles at different weight divisions, Tank has a lot of options for who he can fight next. Although he is currently competing at 135 lbs., he could easily move back down to 130 lbs or go up to 140 lbs.

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KKR vs CSK – Chennai Super Kings top the points table after beating Kolkata Knight Riders 49 runs.

Chennai Super Kings thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday in the 33rd IPL 2023 match. CSK won the match played at KKR’s home ground Eden Gardens by 49 runs. Kolkata won the toss and chose to bowl. Chennai batsmen were unstoppable when they came to bat, as they reached a target of 236, despite being the first team to bat. KKR scored just 186 runs and lost 8 wickets in response. With the win, Team CSK jumped to the top of the table, as they gained two more points.

Chennai has now won three consecutive matches. They have won five matches out of seven games played, and have 10 points. Their NRR is 0.664. They have climbed to the top of the table by surpassing Lucknow Super Giants, and Rajasthan Royals. Currently, no team has 10 points this season. KKR had a bad start as Sunil Narine was unable to open his account. Narayan Jagdeesan was then ejected after scoring just one run.

Venkatesh iyer tried to stabilize his innings, but was dismissed after scoring 20 run. Nitish Rana, the captain, also failed to play a big inning and was dismissed after scoring 27 runs. Jason Roy and Rinku Singh smashed boundaries after Nitish rana was dismissed. Roy, however, scored 61 runs before returning to the pavilion. Rinku, on the other hand remained unbeaten after scoring 53 runs. Andre Russell was out after scoring nine runs, and Umesh Yaddav scored four. The bowlers for CSK bowled very tightly. Tushar Dashpande and Maheesh theekshana each took two wickets. Akash Singh, Moeen, Ravindra, Jadeja and Mateesha each took 1 wicket.

Chennai Super Kings batsmen made a strong first impression against Kolkata Knight Riders. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and others played impressive innings. Conway scored 56 runs, while Gaikwad scored 35 runs. Ajinkya scored 71 runs. Shivam Dube hit 2 fours, 5 sixes and 50 runs in 21 balls. Ravindra Jadeja contributed 18 runs. Kulwant Khejroliya took 2 wickets for KKR. Suyash Sharma and Varunchakraborty each took one wicket.

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Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday: A career of numbers that is awe-inspiring

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 50th birthday today. The man is still at the top of many cricket fans’ lists and the birthday wishes are pouring in. Fans still remember his knocks in India’s cricket despite the fact that he stopped playing almost a decade back. Sachin spent 24 years in Indian cricket, and achieved some incredible numbers.

He also scored a century in the IPL against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Sachin Tendulkar, who played 78 IPL games for Mumbai Indians and scored 2334 runs with an average of 33.83, a strike rate close to 120, and 13 half-centuries, was also a great spinner and took 201 wickets in the Indian jersey. He took 46 wickets in Tests, and 154 in ODIs. In the one T20I match he played for India, he only picked up 1 wicket. He has taken 274 wickets during his professional career.

Sachin Tendulkar has scored 50,192 runs. He has scored 25396 runs for First-class cricket, 21999 runs for List A cricket and 2797 runs so far in T20 cricket. Sachin hit a massive 4076 fours in his international career (2058 in Tests; 2016 in ODIs; and 2 in T20Is). He has so far scored 246 fifties during his professional career. Sachin Tendulkar has won 76 Player-of-the Match awards in his career. He won 20 Player of Series awards during his 24 year career.

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Updated points table, Orange Cap and Purple Cap list in IPL 2023 following KKR vs CSK match

CSKT wo exciting matches took place in the 16th Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday. The afternoon match saw RCB take on RR, while the CSK led by MS Dhoni travelled to Kolkata to play the Knight Riders. Both RCB and CSK won, much to the delight of the fans. CSK even climbed to the top of table with their third straight win. CSK has had a very eventful season despite the constant injuries that have plagued them.

The Men in Yellow have been able to perform despite the injuries. RCB, on the other hand surpassed the Royals by seven runs. This was their second consecutive defeat. RCB defended 189 despite stand-in captain Virat Kohli scoring a golden duck. This was RCB’s fourth win in the season, which has placed them at the fifth spot in the points chart. IPL Points Table 2019Here is the latest points list:Chennai Super Kings – 7 (Matches), 4 (Won), 0.662(Net Run Rate).
Rajasthan Royals – 7 (Matches), 3 (Won), 0.8444 (Net Run Rate).
Lucknow Super Giants: 7 (Matches), 3 (Won), 0.5547 (Net Run Ratio)
Gujarat Titans – 6 (Matches), 4 (Won), 0.212 (Net Run Rate)
Royal Challengers Bangalore- 7 (Matches), 4 (Won), -0.008 (Net Run Rate)
Punjab Kings- 7 (Matches), 4 (Won), -0.162 (Net Run Rate)
Mumbai Indians – 6 (Matches), 3 (Won), -0.254 (Net Run Rate)
Kolkata Knight Riders – 7 (Matches), 2 (Won), 0.186 (Net Run Rate)
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 6 (Matches), 2 (Won), -0.794 (Net Run Rate)
Delhi Capitals – 6 (Matches), -1.183 Net Run Rate (Net Run Rate), 1 (Won).
Who has Orange Cap?RCB’s regular captain Faf du Plessis played the last two games as an Impact player and continues to score runs. He is the most run-scorer in the Orange Cap list, having scored 405 runs over seven matches with a strike rate 165.31. CSK opener Decon conway is in second place with 314 run in seven innings and a strike rate 143.38. David Warner, Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaidwad are the next three players with 285, 279 and respectively 270 runs. Who has Purple Cap? Mohammed Siraj continues to lead the list with 13 wickets in seven matches. Arshdeep of Punjab Kings is in second place with the same number of wickets as Siraj. The battle for the purple cap continues. Yuzvendra Chanal, Rashid Khan, and CSK’s Tushar Dehpande are the next three players with 12 wickets each.
Devon Conway, CSK – 314 Runs (7 Matches)
David Warner of DC (DC) – 285 runs (6 games).
Virat Kohli – 279 Runs (7 matches)
Ruturaj Gaikwad – 270 runs (7 matches)
IPL 2023 Purple Cap Holders (top wicket takers)…Mohammed Siraj, RCB – 13 wickets (7 games).
Arshdeep – 13 wickets (7 games)
Yuzvendrachahal of RR – 12 wickets (7 matches).
Rashid Khan of GT: 12 wickets in 6 matches
Tushar Deshpande – 12 wickets (7 matches)

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Shikhar Dhawan Injury Update: Punjab Kings fielding coaches gives an update on skipper’s recovery

Punjab Kings lost the IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore played on Thursday. Shikhar Dhawan, the regular captain of PBKS, missed the previous two matches due to a shoulder injury he sustained against Gujarat Titans in April. The fielding coach provided an update on Dhawan’s recovery ahead of Saturday’s match. Trevor Gonsalves is the fielding coach for Punjab. He said that it would take two to three more days before regular captain Dhawan will be available.

This makes him a questionable starter for Saturday’s match against Mumbai Indians. Sam Curran will be the stand-in for Dhawan. Gonsalves commented on the match saying, “It was an excellent wicket to bat on.” They were bowled for 150 in 18 and a half overs, while chasing 175. We got them to a good score, but we lost a couple of wickets early on.

“Indian and RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj took 4/21, which did most of the damage in Punjab’s run chase. “He (Siraj), is one of best bowlers in the world right now,” said RCB bowling coach Adam Griffith. He has been bowling very well throughout the tournament and before that. We saw his bowling ability for India. Punjab Kings are currently in 7th place on the points table. They have won three out of six matches.

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