Bryce Harper has been on TikTok since July, but he didn't start posting regularly until two weeks ago when he popped up with a tutorial on how to make an ice vanilla latte. Since then he's taken his followers on vacation and showed them banana bread, bagels and… more ice coffee drinks.

On Thursday Harper was back with another mixed drink. This time showing everyone who to make what he calls "nature's Gatorade." Harper likes to start every day with a mason jar full of his homemade concoction, which keeps him "hydrated at a different rate."

Many people assumed Harper's strong season in 2024 was thanks to "wooder," but maybe not.

Lemon, coconut water, salt and water. Four simple ingredients in a mason jar. Take it from Harper, who as recently as 2020 endorsed Gatorade. It's unclear whether he's still with the company, but either way he can't be giving out trade secrets like this.

Afghanistan lost their group games to Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong and entered the Super Six with no points, but victories over West Indies, UAE and Ireland – as well as helpful results in other games – meant that Friday’s win took them to the 2019 Wo

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare23-Mar-2018

Afghanistan completed a miraculous revival to secure their passage to the World Cup in England next year with a five-wicket win over Ireland in the final Super Six match of the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. Afghanistan lost their group games to Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong and entered the Super Six with no points, but victories over West Indies, UAE and Ireland – as well as helpful results in other games – meant that their World Cup dreams came to rest on their final match against Ireland. Chasing 210 on a slow track, Mohammad Shahzad led the way with a rapid fifty before Asghar Stanikzai, who missed the group stage due to an emergency appendectomy, secured the result with an unbeaten 39.Shahzad, who had been suspended from taking part in Afghanistan’s last two group games after picking up a demerit point in the team’s loss to Zimbabwe, quickly showed what his team had been missing in his absence. Despite the sluggish pitch, he made scoring look easy and his first boundary came from a remarkable pick-up six over long leg off a Barry McCarthy half-volley.In his second match as an opener, Gulbadin Naib was the perfect foil to Shahzad’s more rambunctious style. Having started in Afghanistan’s lower-middle order, Naib has slowly moved upwards and today he wore the responsibility of opener well. Foregoing all but the safest of shots, together with Shahzad he ensured Afghanistan got through the first 15 overs unscathed.At the other end, Shahzad kept the scorecard ticking. Having seen the shine off the ball, he launched the attack on Ireland’s spinners, and moved through the forties with a series of boundaries. Andy McBrine was clubbed to wide long-on, and then onto the roof of the three-storey building at the City End of the ground. Shahzad brought up a 48-ball fifty in the 17th over, but then played one shot too many and was caught in the deep off Simi Singh in the same over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

That dismissal gave Ireland the opening they needed to start working through the middle order, and by the 30th over Afghanistan had added just 31 runs, losing Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin Naib along the way. Simi had his third wicket when Mohammad Nabi dragged a ball to McBrine at deep midwicket, and at 145 for 4 in the 38th over, Afghanistan were wobbling a little.They had been in a very similar position in their match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo earlier this month, but this time around there was one crucial difference: their captain, Stanikzai, was at the crease. With the required rate creeping above seven, Stanikzai helped take 15 off an over from McCarthy, and he responded to Samiullah Shenwari’s dismissal with an ice-cool dab to the third man boundary off a slow bouncer from Tim Murtagh. Stanikzai was clearly in pain all the while, clutching his side after every big shot or every hard-run two.Najibullah Zadran narrowed the gap between Afghanistan and World Cup qualification to single figures with an enormous six that landed at the top of the grand stand, but fittingly it was Stanikzai who brought them home in the last over. Jamming his bat down on a McCarthy yorker, an inside edge sent the ball skidding down to the fine-leg boundary, and Afghanistan’s incredible revival was complete.For Ireland, a tospy-turvy campaign ultimately ended in disapppointment. Having decided to bat , they adopted a slow and steady approach in the morning. Openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling had both scored hundreds in this tournament, but neither was at their most fluent on Friday. Under heavy, grey skies on a slightly tired pitch they managed just 37 from the Powerplay, despite Stirling taking three boundaries off Dawlat Zadran.Mohammad Shahzad leads Afghanistan’s post-match revelry•International Cricket Council

At the other end, Porterfield accumulated his runs with more substance than style, and his dismissal – chipping an attacking stroke in the air to a fielder inside the circle – set the tone as, with the pitch slowing up, catches tended to go to fielders in front of square inside the circle.Stirling brought up a 77-ball fifty in the 28th over while Niall O’Brien, bucking the trend of laboured scoring, raced through the twenties with a flurry of boundaries, including a confident swipe over long-on off Nabi. The pair had put on 44 in under 10 overs when a horrible mix-up resulted in Stirling’s dismissal for 55. Niall O’Brien reverse-swept to backward point, Stirling set off for a stop-start single, but then turned and dived for the crease – but by then the ball had been thrown to Mujeeb, who whipped the bails off with the batsman well short.Three overs later, Niall O’Brien drove Zadran low to Shenwari at extra cover, and Ireland were looking a little rudderless at 130 for 4. Simi struggled to get the ball off the square as Afghanistan’s multi-faceted spin attack circled like sharks, but Kevin O’Brien struck three fours and a six in his 41 to help Ireland take 66 off the last 10 overs. Their total of 209 for 7 was modest on paper, and left Afghanistan with plenty to do in these conditions. But having been living on a prayer throughout the Super Sixes, Afghanistan weren’t about to fall at the final hurdle.

Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has been named as the head coach of the ECB’s Young Lions programme

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2018Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has been named as the head coach of the ECB’s Young Lions programme, following his interim role at the recent Under-19 World Cup.Lewis, who had previously been assistant coach at Sussex, will take up his new position in April, at the start of the English domestic season.He succeeds Andy Hurry, who returned to Somerset in December as Director of Cricket after three years in the U19 role. Lewis’s first engagements will be two youth Tests and three ODIs against South Africa this summer.David Parsons, the ECB’s performance director, said: “After a full and open recruitment process, Jon was an outstanding candidate for the role after his work on our International Pathway over the last couple of years, most recently as head coach at the ICC U19 World Cup in New Zealand. We’ve been impressed by his leadership, his ability to build relationships, and the high standards and expectations he sets.”We should also recognise Sussex’s considerable contribution to English cricket through the development opportunities they have provided to coaches such as Jon, Carl Hopkinson, Mark Robinson and Peter Moores.””I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities given to me by Sussex since I joined in 2013,” said Lewis. “Sussex will always have a special place in heart.”Since taking on the fast-bowling coaching position in 2014, I am very proud of my achievements, from helping grow million-dollar cricketers in [Jofra] Archer and [Tymal] Mills, to developing a youth pathway so our young fast bowlers can see a way to become future Sussex and England cricketers.”Looking ahead, the Young Lions position is a great opportunity for me to lead my own programme and work with the best young cricketers in the country, whilst continuing to develop my fast bowling and head coach skills within the England pathway.”

England coach Trevor Bayliss hopes that Alex Hales is brave enough to reverse his decision to pursue a white-ball-only career if it does not work out for him

Andrew McGlashan in Christchurch09-Mar-2018

England coach Trevor Bayliss hopes that Alex Hales is brave enough to reverse his decision to pursue a white-ball-only career if it does not work out for him.Hales and Adil Rashid halted their first-class careers last month in favour of limited-overs contracts with their counties, in the belief it would allow them to improve in those formats both for the benefit of their international careers and also to make them more attractive to T20 leagues around the world.Rashid remains a first-pick for both England’s white-ball sides, but Hales has been sidelined throughout the one-day series in New Zealand following Ben Stokes’ return, with Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy given the opening roles.Bayliss said that he did not have any involvement in the decisions made by Hales and Rashid, saying it was an individual choice, but he believed there could still be an overall benefit to maintaining a red-call career in order to further a players’ limited-overs game.”I said to him [Hales] when it came out, that not playing red-ball cricket, hopefully that doesn’t affect him,” Bayliss said. “If he plays red-ball cricket you get a quantity of balls, and that helps with any form of the game. He had to weigh that up with going away and having the extra time to work on his white-ball skills. Only time will tell. If it doesn’t work, hopefully he is able to make a decision to come back into red-ball cricket.”Bayliss was aware of the possibility of Rashid making his career move from last year, but he was not at the heart of the players’ discussions.”Rash mightn’t have said anything but he might have mentioned it in passing,” Bayliss said. “We didn’t have a long discussion about it if he did. I certainly can’t remember it. But both those guys have their people they speak to at their counties and other coaches here. With Rash we knew it was a possibility from late last season. It’s totally up to them.”Adil Rashid gets a pat on the back from his captain•Getty Images

Although both players indicated they may reassess their decisions after the 2019 World Cup, any realistic chance of resuming a Test career has likely gone. The door had previously not been closed despite Rashid being overlooked for Mason Crane in the Ashes and Hales not featuring since the end of the Pakistan series in 2016. In the last English season, Hales tried to reinvent himself in first-class cricket by moving into Nottinghamshire’s middle and was briefly talked about as a potential option for the Ashes squad.”From that point of view it is a big decision,” Bayliss said. “Basically taking themselves out of the running for Test cricket. That might give us an idea of how they were personally thinking. We can’t do any more – that’s the decision they have to make and we have to move on.”Hales and Rashid will complete their current stint with England with the deciding ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch before the tour switches to Test mode. An important decision needs to made over the vice-captaincy following Stokes’ return. Stokes officially remains the Test vice-captain, having had the role prior to the incident in Bristol last September; when he was forced to miss the Ashes it was handed to James Anderson.Earlier in the tour, Test captain Joe Root said it was a matter that had still to be discussed and those conversations remain on the to-do list once the one-day series is concluded and tour moves to Hamilton for the warm-ups.”To be honest, that hasn’t been discussed as yet. I’m sure it’ll be something Joe and I will speak about very shortly,” Bayliss said. “[Stokes] was vice-captain because of his knowledge of the game and what he means to the team. But I thought Jimmy Anderson did a pretty good job during that Ashes series.”The next stage of Stokes’ legal case takes place on Monday following his plea of not guilty to a charge of affray – with the first hearing at Crown Court which he was given permission to miss because of the ongoing tour.Stokes has made a solid return to the international stage. He took the Player-of-the-Match award in Mount Maunganui, then battled against his natural instincts to score an important 39 off 73 balls on a tough pitch in Wellington, where he also took a super catch to spark New Zealand’s collapse.”We said before, there are always guys around the world who are able to put those things aside and get stuck back into it,” Bayliss said, “and I think we have seen over these games that he has put it aside and got on with it.”In terms of the reception he has received, New Zealand has offered Stokes a soft landing back into the England fold – a boisterous crowd in Dunedin as lively as it has got – but while it has made managing the situation easier, Bayliss believed he would have been able to cope in Australia.”It’s probably been a bit easier for him to sneak back in. With Ben, I don’t think it would have made any difference, it might have encouraged him even more to do well.”

Worcestershire’s batsmen are heading to the 2nd XI for recuperation after a third successive defeat extended a dismal return to Division One

Paul Bolton at New Road30-Apr-2018
ScorecardIt is only seven months these sides were promoted together from Division Two of the County Championship but the gulf in class between them was startling in a one-sided affair that was completed in just five sessions.Worcestershire, who went up as Second Division champions, were routed twice in the equivalent of just two sessions by a high quality attack who made expert use of a slow seaming pitch.Stuart Broad, playing his first match of the season, played his part, surviving a mid-pitch collision with Luke Fletcher along the way, but he was not Worcestershire’s chief tormentor. Instead it was Jake Ball, another member of England’s Ashes attack, who wrecked their second innings by taking his second five wicket haul of the season.Worcestershire have now lost all three matches since they were promoted for the sixth time and with a trip to the Oval this week followed by the visit of reigning champions Essex, things are unlikely to get any easier.Kevin Sharp, who was installed as head coach following the sacking of Steve Rhodes during the winter, had some difficult times during his time as Yorkshire’s batting coach but preventing Worcestershire from being relegated after just a season in the top flight for the fifth time may yet prove to be his biggest challenge.”We know that there are some really top sides in this division. Division One sides are more experienced and they have strength in depth but there lies the challenge. If we didn’t know before we certainly do now about what is expected,” Sharp said.After a lengthy post-match team Sharp announced that five of his punch drunk top six – Travis Head is the exception – will play in a Second XI Trophy match against Warwickshire at New Road on Tuesday in an attempt to find form and confidence..Brett D’Oliveira and George Rhodes have scraped together just 35 runs in 12 innings between them and Worcestershire’s only half centuries have come from Ben Cox and Ed Barnard at seven and eight in the order.”It hurts and it’s not nice. Someone asked me the other day if I was enjoying myself. I said sometimes because it’s not easy to enjoy yourself in such circumstances,” Sharp said.”I have been at this club for four years, I have seen these lads grow up and they are fine players but they have not performed as yet. But I have every confidence and belief they will come through and by September things will have turned round.”Jake Ball showed England form at New Road•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire have yet to play at Trent Bridge this season because of building work but they will return there to face Hampshire on Friday having won twice on the road.”We started this little block of five matches thinking of it like a Test series of five. We are 2-1 up at the minute and everyone is excited at going back to Trent Bridge,” Ball said.Ball already 21 wickets this season and with a new National Selector in Ed Smith, he remains hopeful of reclaiming his England place after he was dropped for the two Tests in New Zealand.”It’s nice to have had this start having had the winter I had. It’s something I wanted to do. Hopefully I can kick on again and see where we go from there,” he said.Ball was given the opportunity to pitch the ball up and attack here thanks to the early aggression of Tom Moores and Broad who accelerated Nottinghamshire towards their declaration. They pulled out after the last wicket pair of Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney had scrambled the 12 runs they needed for a third batting point and then set about Worcestershire’s feeble batting.Daryl Mitchell, who has made only five of his 26 championship centuries in the First Division, was bowled by a full length ball for the second time in the match and only Tom Fell, who batted 28 overs for his 37, threatened to delay Nottinghamshire.Fell looked distraught when he was bowled shouldering arms to Gurney and Worcestershire’s version of Kwik Cricket meant it was all over long before a party of 150 schoolchildren arrived hoping to see some cricket before a presentation evening.

A look at security arrangements ahead of Karachi’s biggest cricket event in nearly a decade

Umar Farooq in Karachi24-Mar-2018After nine years with no cricket of comparable magnitude, Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, is gearing up to host the Pakistan Super League final. This is the second major venue after Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to host a high-profile game in recent years, and it is considered a crucial step on the long road to reviving international cricket in the country.The final between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi will be played at the National Stadium and the entire route from the hotel to the stadium will be lined with guards from Pakistan’s paramilitary force, the Rangers, and the Sindh police. A full house (around 33,000) is expected, with tickets sold out hours after they were released. There is a three-tier security layer, heavily guarded by security forces. Deputy Inspector General Traffic Imran Yaqoob Minhas, while addressing a press conference, said a total of 8500 police personnel will be deployed around the stadium for the match.The landscape of the city has changed drastically over the last nine years and the law and order situation has improved significantly. Karachi still remains the venue of the last completed Test match in Pakistan, a few days before the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.Karachi is generally viewed as a more challenging city in terms of its law-and-order situation, and providing a complete security plan, what with the nearest hotel being at least 12 km from the National Stadium, is harder than it is in Lahore.The stadium is situated in the centre of the city, and all major routes from all four directions that connect with the stadium will be closed for the general public. The two biggest hospitals of the city, Agha Khan and Liaquat National, are located close to the stadium, but the roads leading to them will be open. A shuttle service will be in place to take fans from the parking area to the stadium gates. The flow of traffic is likely to be reduced, but a strict directive has been issued to follow the day’s plan to avoid congestion. The fact that the game will be held on Sunday will help.”It’s a big occasion for Karachi and the whole country,” said Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper who is now team director at Karachi Kings. “I am very much thankful to the PCB for making this possible. This was a much-needed step because you cannot revive cricket by playing at one venue. It’s important to involve at least three or four cities to get this going. Otherwise, you cannot have a positive impact. Karachi is a huge city and I cannot explain in words how big this would be for us and for this country.”We have played a month in Dubai and Sharjah but we actually felt the intensity when cricket came to Lahore for the playoffs. We realised how people are hungry for cricket and how desperate they are to have cricket back in their stadiums. This is huge for fans; they are really passionate about the game and during isolation we have suffered a lot in world of cricket.”I think the security is somewhat overdone. I don’t want to be critical but I feel security should be given to the foreigners only, not to us. When we were in Lahore for playoffs, even local players and officials were restricted from going out freely. So this shouldn’t be the case because this will give off a bad impression among the overseas players.”The security protocols are being overseen by international security consultant Reg Dickason who has praised the “remarkably thorough” security arrangements for the final, saying they were “as good as I have seen in all my years”.The PCB plans to bring a major chunk of the next edition of the PSL to Pakistan, with at least three venues hosting more than 15 games in total. “We plan to have half of the PSL next year in Pakistan,” Najam Sethi, the PSL chairman, said on Friday. “But for that, we need four stadiums. As of now, we have Lahore, Karachi and Multan ready to host big matches, so now our focus is on preparing the stadiums of Rawalpindi and Peshawar. We’ve been working day and night to bring international cricket back to the country.”

Chief executive spells out players’ union position as negotiations with ECB

George Dobell13-Jun-2018

Daryl Mitchell, the chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has warned that a rise in the salary cap is a “non-negotiable” part of any deal with the ECB.Mitchell, the players’ union boss, is one of the team negotiating a new deal for players for the period from 2020 to 2024, as part of both the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP; which effectively decides the value of central contracts for international players) and the County Partnership Agreement (CPA; which decides how much money each county should receive and guidelines over how it should be spent). The PCA are also negotiating the women’s pay deal, both domestically and internationally.And, with the new broadcast deal injecting more money into the game than ever before, Mitchell expects a “fair share” of that revenue to find its way to the players.So he admits he was “very surprised” to read reports that the ECB had told county chief executives that there would be no rise in the salary cap as part of the CPA.”The salary cap has to rise,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo. “That is non-negotiable.”You can’t have a situation where a huge amount more money comes into the game and the players do not benefit from it. We have made thatvery clear to the ECB and we are going to be very strong on this issue. It really is non-negotiable.”The salary cap – currently set at around GBP2million a year – dictates the total amount that counties can pay their players. While it is notrelevant to a majority of counties – some spend less than half that amount and it is understood that only one, Surrey, argued for a riseat the chief executives’ meeting – there is an expectation that salaries will rise as more money comes into the game. The ECB hasalready promised the counties an extra GBP1.3million a year each from 2020.The PCA are also insisting upon a rise in the salary collar (the minimum amount paid by a county in salaries to players; the current figure is GBP750,000 a year), a rise in the minimum wage – and the means to force counties to stick to it – and assurances that all current players will benefit in a tangible way from the new broadcast deal. At present the PCA recommend a minimum wage (it starts at GBP17,897 for 18-year-olds and rises to GBP25,354 for 24-year-olds) but found widespread abuse of the system as part of a recent survey.”Those are the four principles,” Mitchell confirmed. “The salary collar figure is very low at present and must rise. Some counties are only just above it. And we’ll also be looking for the CPA to have some teeth to compel counties to ensure they respect the minimum wages requirements.”We also want to make sure that all our members – and we have 420 current players to consider – benefit from the new broadcast deal. Not just the England players; not just those involved in The 100 and not just those on minimum wage: all our members in the middle of those groups.”In any negotiation process, you have some wins and you make some concessions. But these four principles are very simple and we won’t be budging from our stance on them.”News of the ECB’s comments at the chief executives’ meeting come at an awkward time in their relationship with the PCA. A few weeks ago, the ECB chairman, Colin Graves, appeared to contradict his chief executive, Tom Harrison, in insisting plans for the new 100-ball tournament were “set in stone.” A few days earlier, Harrison had told the PCA the competition was only at the conceptual stage.And, while there has been much talk of late of the ECB’s need to tighten the purse strings, their recently-published accounts show that on top of the salaries of top executives (and the highest paid executive at the ECB earns GBP605,000 a year before pension contributions), an incentive plan has been set up that will see up to GBP3.2million extra paid to those executives by the end of 2022.”Our relationship with the ECB is still good,” Mitchell said, “but there are times I think their communication could be better. All the conversations we’ve had with them should have left them in no doubt over our views and at no stage have they led us to believe that there will be no more money. We’re still confident this can be resolved amicably.”

Virat Kohli steered his side to 175 in Bengaluru, but the KKR top order fired collectively to win with five balls to spare

The Report by Nikhil Kalro29-Apr-2018
3:11

Agarkar: KKR doing the basic things better than RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders gained two significant advantages even before a ball was bowled in Bengaluru. First, Dinesh Karthik chose to bowl at a favourable chasing ground. Then, Knight Riders found out that AB de Villiers was out with a viral fever. Both those factors had a decisive impact as Knight Riders chased down a target of 176 with relative ease, with five balls to spare, consigning Royal Challengers to their fifth loss in seven games.Without their highest run-scorer of the season, Royal Challengers had to employ a less attacking approach, aiming for par instead of a 200-plus score, like the one they got in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings after losing the toss. All they could manage was 175 – the par score in day-night games at this ground in the IPL since 2015 has been 172 – even with a terrific, 44-ball 68 from Virat Kohli.Even on a pitch that was turning appreciably, Knight Riders had too much firepower. Led by Chris Lynn’s 62, along with rapid cameos from Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, Knight Riders cruised home against a bowling attack that lacked penetration and sufficient defensive skill.Sussing out conditionsBrendon McCullum was brought into the XI due to de Villiers’ sickness. Quinton de Kock, despite coming off a half-century in the previous game, hadn’t quite found his fluency. For Royal Challengers’ batting line-up, already weakened significantly, a strong start was imperative.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

McCullum and de Kock scored 40 runs in the Powerplay, 11 runs below their average score in the period this season. McCullum soon found his hitting rhythm, though, with two fours and two sixes in two overs after the Powerplay, lifting the scoring rate to over eight.Soon after the time-out, however, Royal Challengers lost their way. De Kock holed out to deep cover. McCullum toe-ended a pull to the keeper. Two balls later, Manan Vohra was bowled off the inside edge. A score of 67 for 0 quickly turned to 75 for 3.Kohli owns the deathDe Villiers’ absence also hampered Kohli’s scoring template. Aware that his presence in the death overs could marginally increase the utility of Royal Challengers’ score, Kohli was cautious early in his innings. He took 18 balls to score 20, but with Royal Challengers at 100 for 3 in 14 overs at that point, Kohli couldn’t wait any longer.Royal Challengers hit nine boundaries in six overs thereon; Kohli hit six of them. Royal Challengers scored 75 from there; Kohli hit 48 of them. His innings included three sixes, two of which were a direct result of a strong bottom hand through the line of the ball, hit in the arc between long-on and deep midwicket. Royal Challengers had 175, a score that seemed below par given the ground dimensions.Theatrics of T20sBefore the start of the chase, Knight Riders’ target of 176 – one less than the score Royal Challengers needed to beat Delhi Daredevils earlier this season and one more than the score Knight Riders needed in the reverse fixture against Royal Challengers at the Eden Gardens – seemed insufficient.Lynn and Narine made a strong start before a rain interruption that lasted 30 minutes. Then, with Knight Riders seemingly in control, the game drifted on with the illusion of control. Royal Challengers made a strong comeback in that period, including having Andre Russell caught for a golden duck on his 30th birthday.The equation by then came down to 43 off 24 balls. But just when the game seemed in the balance, Knight Riders broke the chase open, much like those two previous games Royal Challengers were involved in.

Aston Villa are back in action this afternoon, as Unai Emery’s side look to put matters right after their defeat to Liverpool before the international break.

The Villans will welcome Crystal Palace to Villa Park in what is poised to be a thriller, with both teams showing a host of quality in their fixtures already this season.

The Midlands side have registered two wins and two losses, building some form after their embarrassing opening day thrashing at St James’ Park, as Newcastle United slayed Emery’s side 5-1.

After an encouraging summer in the transfer window, there has been an added influx of quality to the squad, with some new arrivals already showing their worth.

What is the latest Aston Villa team news?

Last time out at Anfield, Villa were shocked in the opening minutes, as Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first Liverpool goal after just three minutes.

Things went from bad to worse, and then worse again for Emery’s side, who lost Diego Carlos to injury in the 19th minute, to then concede their second moments later through a Matty Cash own goal.

There was worry over Carlos’ withdrawal following his lengthy time on the sidelines last season due to an achilles rupture, with the manager confirming that he will miss today’s game against Palace.

Placing the defence aside, after the attacking absence at Anfield, Emery could consider making changes to bring additional threat to the front line, with the Midlands side registering just 0.66 expected goals against Liverpool, via Sofascore.

Should Youri Tielemans start against Crystal Palace?

One player that could provide some added danger to the final third is Youri Tielemans, who was signed this summer on a free transfer from Leicester City.

The Belgian is a seasoned Premier League player with 155 appearances in the league already under his belt, however is yet to start for Villa this season.

During a press-conference while on duty with Belgium, the midfielder described the lack of game time as “not pleasant”, as relayed by Football 365, with him playing just 93 minutes over the four appearances he’s made so far.

Following the performance at Anfield, Emery may be inclined to shuffle his side to impose a better threat on Palace, with Tielemans being the ideal figure to generate chances.

Against the Reds, Villa failed to record a single big chance, which the Belgian could resolve with him creating ten big chances last season for Leicester, despite their relegation form.

Lauded as a “baller” by CBS journalist Aaron West for his pre-season form, the £150k-per-week gem could offer a lot to the squad at Villa Park, even more so with the motive of having a point to prove in order to receive more game time.

There’s a positive for Villa going forward, with Hodgson confirming that prized centre-back Marc Guehi will be out of contention due to injury, giving Emery more of an incentive to go full force on what will be a depleted back line for the visitors.

After going public about his disappointment in relation to his game time, the Belgian may be handed a chance to show his worth, which would be a strong point for Villa, with him recording an average of 1.15 key passes and 6.95 progressive passes last term for Leicester, via FBref.

The main priority for Villa will be to get back to winning ways, however giving their summer arrival a chance to flex his ability may be a positive route to claiming three points.

Left-arm spinner Alex Hartley, who played an important role in England’s World Cup final victory over India last year, has been left out of the one-day squad for the first two matches against South Africa.Sophie Ecclestone, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner, has been preferred having taken eight wickets in the three-match series against India in April during which Hartley took one wicket in the three games. Hartley claimed 2 for 58 at Lord’s last year, including the key wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur, when England beat India by nine runs to lift the World Cup.England are able to recall the experienced pair of Katherine Brunt and Sarah Taylor who both missed the tour of India. Brunt was recovering from a back injury while Taylor was left out as part of the management of her anxiety condition.Georgia Elwiss, Laura Marsh and Lauren Winfield also return having missed the trip to India. From the squad that travelled to India, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Tash Farrant, Fran Wilson, Bryony Smith and Katie George have been left out.”It should be a really exciting summer against two of the best teams in the world,” Mark Robinson, the head coach, said. “South Africa are an up-and-coming team with some really dangerous players. They pushed us close the last time we met them and we will have to be at our best to beat them.”It’s obviously great to have Katherine and Sarah back, and Lauren and Laura’s recent form has earned them recalls.”The South Africa series forms part of the ICC Women’s Championship and marks England’s first steps on the way to qualification for the 2021 World Cup. After the one-day series there is a triangular T20I tournament also featuring New Zealand before a one-day series against New Zealand in July.Squad Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt