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The European champions struggled against the Matildas as one of their final warm-up matches for the 2023 World Cup did not go to plan at Brentford

Sarina Wiegman's 30-game unbeaten run as England manager came to an end on Tuesday as the Lionesses lost 2-0 to Australia.

England were second best throughout the friendly clash as the European champions showed that they still have a few issues to iron out before the World Cup this summer.

Leah Williamson put in a woeful performance in the centre of defence as she played Sam Kerr through for the opening goal and then saw the Charlotte Grant's effort bounce off her and in to make it 2-0 among a few more dodgy moments for the captain.

Australia were set up perfectly to restrict the home team, preventing them from getting key midfielder Keira Walsh on the ball to pick out some key passes.

Wiegman said before the match that she wanted a proper challenge for her team and she got exactly that and more as they suffered their first defeat since she took over.

GOAL rates England's players from Brentford Community Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Mary Earps (6/10):

Was let down by a sluggish defence but did not have a great deal of saves to make.

Lucy Bronze (6/10):

Fought hard to win the ball high up the field and put Australia under pressure on the right side. Often too far up and left huge spaces at the back but still made some solid challenges.

Leah Williamson (4/10):

Had a horrid time up against Kerr. Her anticipation was poor and it was the captain's terrible header that made it easy for the Chelsea striker to run onto and get the opening goal. Ended up deflecting the ball in for the second, too.

Esme Morgan (5/10):

Tried to recover after a Walsh error but was beaten too easily and looked rather shaky throughout.

Jess Carter (7/10):

Strong defensively and lined up expertly with James on the left flank.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Georgia Stanway (6/10):

Put in a good fight in midfield and tried to deliver some good balls into the box. Unleashed a rocket of a shot in stoppage time but it went narrowly wide.

Keira Walsh (4/10):

Gifted Australia an early chance with a terrible pass directly to the opposition. Struggled to get on the ball and was pressed into playing passes that had no effect when she did get possession.

Ella Toone (5/10):

Had a quiet game and made a couple of errors before being taken off at the hour mark.

GettyAttack

Lauren Hemp (6/10):

Was one of England's better players before having to go off inside the first 30 minutes.

Alessia Russo (7/10):

England had a hard time finding her in a dangerous position but she made plenty of movement and was a strong presence

Chloe Kelly (7/10):

Sent some inviting crosses in from the wing but could not find a target for them.

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GettySubs & Manager

Lauren James (7/10):

An early replacement for Hemp. A good threat to the Matildas' defence as she dropped back and inside to pick out dangerous passes.

Rachel Daly (6/10):

Was brought on for Toone and had England's best opportunity to pull a goal back but sent her header wide.

Jess Park (N/A):

Came on late in the game but did not have time to impact the match.

Sarina Wiegman (4/10):

Her team made a slow start and although they picked up in spells, they were never truly able to get on top of their opponents. Walsh was marked right out of the game by Australia's excellent tactics and Wiegman was unable to find the solution until it was too late.

Some of Europe's greats could still join a club for free this summer, from Edinson Cavani to Mario Mandzukic

Signing a player on a free transfer is a cost-effective way of recruitment and there will be plenty of bargain players available for no fee in the summer of 2020.

As fans of the popular Football Manager game will know, assessing the players whose contracts are nearly expired is an essential practice ahead of the transfer window opening.

And those whose deals are running down come in all shapes and sizes – from wizened veterans to disgruntled stars entering their prime.

This year, things have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, with FIFA exploring ways to navigate a potential legal, moral and financial quagmire  of contract expiry dates.

Either way, Goal takes a look at the players who will be available to sign for free once their contracts expire.

Getty ImagesEdinson Cavani | FW | PSG

Flanked by Kylian Mbappe and Neymar on either side of him at Paris Saint-Germain, Edinson Cavani was one of the more under-rated forwards in Europe. He bagged 23 goals for the French giants in 2018-19, and was the subject of a bid from Atletico Madrid in January which was rejected by PSG.

"We hoped that he would stay at the club. Today, he asked to leave. We are studying the situation," said PSG sporting director Leonardo. "We had a proposal from Atletico Madrid. We did not have a proposal worthy of the player's worth."

AdvertisementGettyMario Gotze | MF | Borussia Dortmund

Mario Gotze's role at Borussia Dortmund diminished for a couple of years now and, with his contract having expired, he will be seeking a move elsewhere for a fresh challenge in order to reignite his career.

At just 28, the midfielder still has great potential to excel elsewhere (he did score the winning goal in a World Cup final for Germany just six years ago) as he approaches his prime.

Getty ImagesNathaniel Clyne | RB | Liverpool

The defender had a very low-key exit from Liverpool the summer of 2020 following a three-year stint at the club, not present for any of the Premier League trophy celebrations.

Nathaniel Clyne picked up an ACL injury in a 2019 pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund and subsequently made no appearances during the 2019–20 campaign due to further fitness problems.

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AADaniel Sturridge | FW | Trabzonspor

The former Liverpool man was released from Trabzonspor in March after having his contract mutually terminated, the same day that he received a £75,000 for breaching FA betting rules.

He was also banned from playing football starting July 17, with four weeks of the ban suspended until the end of August 2020.

As the Spanish top flight enters its winter break, we look back at the players who have shined throughout this first half of the campaign

Getty1GK: Jan Oblak

Usually so formidable at the back, rotten luck with injuries has seen Atletico Madrid look uncharacteristically vulnerable when out of possession.

Luckily for Diego Simeone's men, they can still count on Oblak, who continues to be near-unbeatable between the posts even without the likes of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez screening him.

The Slovenian boasts the meanest defensive record in La Liga, keeping eight clean sheets to date and conceding a mere 12 goals.

AdvertisementGetty Images2RB: Dani Carvajal

Statistics can be misleading, but Dani Carvajal's importance to Real Madrid is underlined by their woeful record without him.

The right-back has struggled with injury in the 2018-19 season, playing nine of the Merengue's opening 16 Liga games and starting just eight. 

Incredibly, Madrid have not lost any of the games Carvajal has started, while suffering defeat in five of the other eight (including the 3-0 reverse at the hands of Eibar, which saw Carvajal enter as a late substitute.)

Even while seeing his playing time restricted, Dani continues to show he is a cut above the rest.

Getty3CB: Gerard Pique

While there have been a few jitters, particularly during the early stages of the season, Gerard Pique has been Barcelona's defensive rock.

The centre-back has seen a host of players line up alongside him as Barca have suffered badly with injuries.

Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen have missed most of the campaign, leaving newcomer Clement Lenglet to receive a baptism of fire at Camp Nou.

Despite those difficulties and instability, Pique has been an ocean of calm. He has also popped up with three goals in La Liga to help the leaders' cause.

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Getty Images4CB: Marc Bartra

Betis have been one of the revelations of the Liga season so far, combining flashes of exhilarating football with a sturdy base at the back. Marc Bartra, who arrived in Andalusia at the start of 2018, is the cornerstone of that defensive effort.

The former Barcelona and Dortmund centre-half has been ever-present so far in the 2018-19 campaign, marshalling a backline that ranks among Spain's tightest.

Bartra has endured a difficult professional career marked with setbacks – not least the injuries sustained in Dortmund's horrific bombing attack – but, at 27, he is performing at the peak of his powers.

Having been spun out in their opening match, India are under pressure to hit back and immediately lift their World T20 campaign when they face Pakistan in Kolkata on Saturday

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu18-Mar-2016Match factsSaturday, March 19, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)Big pictureThe build-up to the India-Pakistan clash began once Dharamsala was named as the venue on December 11 last year. Political tensions and security concerns in the weeks preceding the World Twenty20, however, left the administrators and fans in a limbo: ‘Will they, won’t they?’On March 9, a day after the start of the tournament, the impasse was finally over and the match was tipped over from Dharamsala to Kolkata. On the eve of the game in Kolkata, R Ashwin revisited clichés and told a horde of reporters that the India-Pakistan rivalry was “probably bigger than the Ashes”.India and Pakistan had provided a precursor during the Asia Cup last month when Mohammad Amir’s fire was countered by Virat Kohli’s ice. India grooved to the Asia Cup title; Pakistan suffered a pre-mature exit and were in chaos, with some barbs even directed at captain Shahid Afridi.Both sides have played just a match in the World T20 so far, but have had vastly different results. The pressure is now on India who had custard pie smashed on their faces by the largely unheralded spin trio of Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, and Nathan McCullum. Currently placed fourth in a group of five, India need to win, or they will have to rely on other results going their way. Things seem to be falling in place for Pakistan at the right moment: the top order delivered on Wednesday against Bangladesh, as did Afridi. Once-upon-a-time finisher, Shoaib Malik is back to slip in to a similar role, and can also bind the innings if there is a (familiar) implosion.The Kolkata pitch has been on the sluggish side, but Pakistan’s penchant for pace is their way of life. India’s middle order, which has been shielded by Kohli’s imperious form, was brutally exposed by New Zealand, and Dhoni conceded the batsmen lacked adaptability. Can the middle order produce a better riposte if Kohli’s bubble is burst again?Form guide(last five completed matches)
India LWWWW
Pakistan WWLWLWatch out forYuvraj Singh had spent 144 minutes in the middle with the bat on considerably green pitches in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Three Saturdays earlier, he had to deal with the high-speed bustle of Amir and Mohammad Irfan. Yuvraj will have to contend with it again, and the stakes will be higher this time.Before the tournament, Rohit Sharma had played down the Amir threat, calling the quick a “normal bowler”. In January, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said: ” I still feel Amir is not at his best… he’s getting there.” He got there, or nearly got there with seven wickets at 11.57 in the Asia Cup. Slow pitch or not, normal or extraordinary, Amir will be Pakistan’s . Rohit v Amir will perhaps set the match up.Team newsMS Dhoni fiddles with the XI only once in a blue moon. Ashwin remained coy on Pawan Negi’s inclusion in a high-pressure game against Pakistan. Ajinkya Rahane is available as a middle-order option, but India are likely to stick to the same XI unless Mohammed Shami comes in for Ashish Nehra.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan 2 Rohit Sharma 3 Virat Kohli 4 Suresh Raina 5 Yuvraj Singh 6 Hardik Pandya 7 MS Dhoni (capt &wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja 9 R Ashwin 10 Ashish Nehra 11 Jasprit BumrahWith the team finding some rhythm and opening its campaign with a big win, Pakistan may not disturb their combination either.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sharjeel Khan 2 Ahmed Shehzad 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Umar Akmal 5 Shoaib Malik 6 Shahid Afridi(capt) 7 Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk) 8 Imad Wasim 9 Wahab Riaz 10 Mohammad Amir 11 Mohammad IrfanPitch and conditionsThe Kolkata track for the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka match offered the spinners grip and slow turn. The quick fizzers and googlies from Rashid Khan, a legspinner in the mould of Afridi, also skidded on and tied down the opposition. A similar pitch is in the offing and the weather is expected to be fine for the duration of the game.Stats and triviaThe last time Pakistan played a T20 international in India, in 2012, Yuvraj clattered 72 off 36 balls. Afridi needs two wickets to surpass Lasith Malinga as the overall leading wicket-taker in the World T20. India have played Pakistan 10 times in the 50-over World Cup and the World T20, and have won nine matches. The Durban T20 in 2007 was tied, after which India prevailed in the bowl-out.Quotes”We felt [the Kolkata crowd’s backing] in the last game. Probably after the statement of Afridi – which was brought into controversy and brought into newspapers and all over – we felt that we were very welcome, the crowd was really behind us against Bangladesh. I know it is not going to be behind us against India, but yes that is the positive we are going to take and we are going to try to play the best cricket.”

Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were quite a few areas of concern after the team’s second defeat in a row at home

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot04-May-2016Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were “quite a few areas of concern” after the team’s second defeat in a row at home. According to Hodge, losing wickets in clumps in the Powerplay – they lost three wickets in eight balls and tottered at 24 for 3 after four overs – for the second successive match was a major factor behind Lions’ eight-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils. They had similarly slipped to 39 for 4 inside seven overs against Kings XI Punjab.”If you are 3 for 20 [sic], losing three of your best batters upfront, you’re going to be in trouble. Same [as] what happened the last game,” Hodge said. “In the last game against Kings, Axar [Patel] took a hat-trick. Couple of balls didn’t even turn. We lost three wickets in an over. And again [today], three wickets in seven [sic] balls with three of our best batters. Wickets in Powerplay… something that we need to look at.”Hodge was also miffed with how no-balls have cost his side crucial wickets in the tournament. When Ravindra Jadeja overstepped to reprieve Sanju Samson, who was stumped in the 16th over, it was the second such let-off in three games. Steven Smith was similarly reprieved in Pune when left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik bowled him off a no-ball for 41. Smith went on to score 60 more runs.”Unforgiveable, unforgivable,” Hodge said. “Who knows what could’ve happened if that was given out for Sanju. Next ball he gets a free hit, the ball goes for a boundary, game over. If you’re just going to let your guard down for a moment, you’re going to be found out. Hopefully, we can dust ourselves off and adjust with the differences and indifferences that we have and come again strongly. I would certainly hope that these last two games hurt very much.”Hodge backed his top order, strengthened further by Aaron Finch’s return from injury, to take the attack to the opposition, but said their shot-selection needed to be more prudent.”They are free spirited players. They are natural stroke-players and I don’t want to certainly take that away from them,” he said. “But we certainly just have to have a little watch at our shot selection and adapt to the conditions a little bit better. They are just little tweaks. I don’t want to rein in those guys when their strike rate is 170, certainly going to encourage that, but more so to adapt to conditions a little bit better.”Hodge was also critical of a pitch, which while a little slow, didn’t appear to be particularly difficult to bat on.”It was not ideal. I must say the surface exactly wasn’t what we were looking for. It is a little disappointing,” he said. “This is your home ground, you expect a little bit better. But having said that, you cannot use that as an excuse. The opportunity was there.”If we could’ve put 170-175 on the board, we could’ve won that game. Again, we were chasing only 155 the other day against Kings and we couldn’t get the job done. We can’t blame any of the surface or the practice. Our skill set was just not good enough on that day. We need to brush that off. We need to address it, step up and come again.”

Peter Moores, England’s former head coach, has joined Nottinghamshire as a coaching consultant until the end of the season

David Hopps30-Jun-2015Peter Moores, England’s former head coach, has been brought in by Nottinghamshire as a coaching consultant until the end of the season. Moores, who was sacked by England last month, has joined the backroom staff at Trent Bridge on a three-month contract.Moores recently spoke of his desire to return to coaching in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, saying that the hunger was “just starting to come back”.The move reunites him with Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, who was made an England selector under Moores. Nottinghamshire have struggled in the Championship so far this season, having won only one match and starting the latest round of matches at the bottom of the table.”We need to improve our four-day performances quickly and Peter, with his vast experience and proven reputation as a coach, can help us do that,” Newell said.”Having such a knowledgeable and respected individual on our doorstep, who is available for the rest of the season, is a fantastic opportunity for us to take. Peter is an excellent one-to-one coach, who will bring fresh ideas and can work with players to improve their form. It also offers our existing coaching team the opportunity to learn from him.”Newell told Nottinghamshire’s players of the decision to appoint Moores after the second day of their Championship match against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge. The decision first took shape for Newell during a comprehensive defeat last week against Yorkshire at Headingley which perhaps for the first time made the threat of relegation a real one.”I’ve been doing this job for 13 years now,” Newell said. “I felt there was a need for fresh ideas and voices in the dressing room. A lot of those players have had to listen to me for a long time. You start to wonder if you’re having a positive influence on the team.”We felt it was a good time to shake it up and bring someone new in. He’s a bloke who lives 20 minutes away and is a very high quality coach. It seemed a no-brainer.”We’ve known each other through the county circuit but we got to know each other well with England. I got more of an insight into him in that time. Building teams and working with players excites him as a coach.”He can come here with no shackles and do what he likes doing. This team is looking for something and we hope it’s the start of something to boost us.”It would be natural to wonder whether if Moores is successful in turning around Nottinghamshire’s season it might be the start of Newell taken a less hands-on role at Trent Bridge. If that conversation ever takes place, it would be a conversation for the end of the season. Newell is honest enough to understand that the future cannot be predicted with certainty, but he certainly will not be stepping back in the months ahead.”I’ll be on the field still and I’m very much in the dressing room,” Newell said. “I’m very much responsible for the selection of the team. Peter doesn’t want anything to do with that. I might not do quite as many throwdowns.”Moores was removed as England coach for the second time in May, after a year in the job. He has previously had great success in the Championship, winning titles with Sussex and Lancashire, as well as coaching at the ECB’s academy in Loughborough. His son, Tom, is currently on the books at Nottinghamshire.”I feel very excited about the opportunity to work as a consultant coach at a club as prestigious as Notts,” Moores said. “My role will be to support Mick and the rest of the coaches and to be there to help the players in whatever way possible.”I’m looking forward to adding something to the group during the business end of the season. Trent Bridge is a great place. I look at it as being one of the great cricket grounds in England and, living only 20 minutes down the road, I know the significance cricket has in the area. “It will be really interesting getting up close with some of the lads, watching them play, seeing where they are at and helping them maximise their talent, because there are some very talented players there.”The job is to help people play some good cricket, working alongside the players and the coaches to help Nottinghamshire win games. League positions look after themselves if you’re playing well.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Akmal is expected to join the CPL franchise on July 3 after finishing his stint with Leicestershire in the ongoing NatWest T20 Blast.If he is picked for the Pakistan limited-overs side, however, Akmal will have to proceed to Sri Lanka on national duty for the five ODIs and two T20Is, with the first ODI on July 11 and the second T20 on August 1. The CPL runs from June 20 to July 26.It will be Akmal’s second appearance in the CPL after he played for Barbados Tridents in 2013. He had a disappointing return of 49 runs from six games before he suffered a seizure on a flight to Jamaica and was called back to Pakistan by the PCB for medical examination.Akmal has been in good form recently. He debuted for Leicestershire three days ago with an unbeaten 76 off 49 against Nottinghamshire. He was also the second-highest run-getter in the Super8 T20 Cup in Pakistan last month with 216 runs from four games at a strike-rate of 151.

James Faulkner said it was a relief to get through a full bowling workload – when he ambushed Sri Lanka’s momentum during a 376 chase – after his side strain

Brydon Coverdale09-Mar-2015James Faulkner’s status as Australia’s premier fast-bowling allrounder in ODIs was clear from the way selector Rod Marsh spoke about him on Wednesday. Having missed Australia’s first three games with a side strain, Faulkner was fit for the match against Afghanistan. “We had to fit James in and someone had to go,” Marsh said.That someone was Shane Watson, former vice-captain and veteran of 182 ODIs and 13 years in the national set-up. But Faulkner, two years and 38 games with the team, was viewed as indispensable, such is his value as a finisher with the bat at No.8 and as a key bowler through the middle overs.On Sunday, against Sri Lanka at the MCG, Watson was back, Mitchell Marsh was left out, and Faulkner showed with the ball why he was seen as such an important player. Sri Lanka threatened to chase down Australia’s 376 with some remarkable top-order batting, but Faulkner’s wrist-spin slower ball trapped Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw for 62, before he also claimed Kumar Sangakkara for 104.Faulkner added the wicket of Upul Tharanga later and finished with 3 for 48 from his nine overs, which was a highly encouraging effort after bowling only four in the big win over Afghanistan. Having spent a full month on the sidelines with his injury, Faulkner was as keen as anyone to see how he would get through a full bowling load.”I’m fortunate the way they’ve looked after me, they’ve given me every chance to get back,” Faulkner said. “Last night, I’d be lying to say it wasn’t a relief to get through nine overs. I was confident I was going to get through my ten overs, but it was nice to ease back in with four overs against Afghanistan and then get a solid performance in yesterday.”Faulkner arrived in Hobart on Monday ahead of Australia’s last pool match before the quarter-finals, a clash with Scotland at Bellerive Oval on Saturday. It continues a busy travel schedule for Australia, who have criss-crossed the country and the Tasman Sea for games in Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Perth, Sydney and now Hobart.Their quarter-final will be in Adelaide, and they have now likely done enough to ensure they will not have to face New Zealand in a semi-final in Auckland, meaning they will again travel to Sydney if they make the semis.”We can’t control the fixture,” Faulkner said. “You can whinge and moan as much as you want to, but it is what it is, and we’ve got to play good cricket every time we get the opportunity to play. I think last night was a really big game for us.”It was a must-win game for us to sit second on the table and have a real crack at this tournament. Hopefully it keeps us in good shape and hopefully we can play good cricket come crunch time.”The Tasmanian contingent of Faulkner, George Bailey and Xavier Doherty have travelled to Hobart, but the players have been given two days off and will not reconvene as a group until Wednesday. Faulkner said he would enjoy some family time this week before switching back into World Cup mode.”I’m going to head down the east coast, I’ve got a bit of family down there,” Faulkner said. “I’ll spend a couple of days down there and then back to training on Wednesday, Thursday.”

An NZC official Greg Barclay has said the board is remaining vigilant about the threat of an alternative cricket structure but that there was no danger of its players being poached

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015A New Zealand Cricket board member Greg Barclay has said NZC is remaining vigilant about the threat of an alternative cricket structure but that there was no danger of its players being poached by another rebel establishment.”I don’t think our players are under threat at the moment,” Barclay, NZC’s representative at the ICC, told . He said the reports were “hype and speculation” at present and he was not aware of any approaches to players or venues in New Zealand to host any matches.”It is quite possible that anyone organised could pick it up and run with it, and if they do it and don’t do it right, it would be particularly damaging to cricket. There is nothing more we can do at the moment. It is business as usual. The real question is what does it all mean? Why are they doing it?”Last week Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards had also described the reports as “highly speculative” and said CA would work with the ICC and other countries to protect the global interests of the game.An ICC committee – comprising its chairman N Srinivasan, ECB’s Giles Clarke, and Edwards – was set up to investigate the apparent new moves made by the Indian billionaire Subhash Chandra, owner of the Essel Group and also Zee TV, whose subsidiary Ten Sports owns home international cricket television rights for numerous Full Member countries including Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Chandra was the driving force behind the Indian Cricket League, a Twenty20 tournament that preceded the IPL but was crushed by the BCCI for being unsanctioned cricket.

Any lingering hopes for the Melbourne Renegades that they would sneak into the Big Bash League semi-finals were extinguished at the Docklands Stadium as they slid to a 22-run defeat at the hands of the Adelaide Strikers, who confirmed their spot at the to

The Report by Freddie Wilde19-Jan-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTravis Head slammed seven fours and four sixes during his 34-ball 71•Getty ImagesAny lingering hopes the Melbourne Renegades had that they would sneak into the Big Bash League semi-finals were extinguished at the Docklands Stadium as they slid to a 22-run defeat at the hands of the Adelaide Strikers, who confirmed their spot at the top of the table.A very special innings of 71 from just 34 balls from Travis Head elevated the Strikers to 5 for 166, which proved too much for the Renegades who never really threatened to hunt down that target.The Strikers’ batting this season has been defined by the aggressive starts provided by Craig Simmons and Tim Ludeman, but today, in a stadium with drop-in pitches that has seen two team-scores of less than 100 in consecutive matches, the Strikers opted for caution in the Powerplay.Such care made little difference to the score as a superb start with the ball and in the field from the Renegades set the Strikers back to 3 for 27. James Pattinson bowled all four of his overs in one spell, conceding just three runs from his first 19 deliveries before leaking two boundaries in his final over to finish with 1 for 12, taking the wicket of Simmons in the fifth over with a delivery that shaped away to find the edge.Ludeman also fell in the Powerplay for a 10-ball 4 when Fawad Ahmed’s direct hit from the deep caught the batsman short of a second run. Two balls later, Ryan ten Doeschate was dismissed, dragging on a delivery from Nathan Rimmington that was angled in and jagged away. The Strikers’ understandable but uncharacteristic caution had left them no better off.Ten Doeschate’s departure brought together 21-year-old Head and the 20 year-old debutant Kelvin Smith, and the young pair consolidated and later accelerated the Strikers innings to forge a record fourth-wicket stand.Head kick-started his innings with fours through mid-on and mid-wicket in the seventh over, but he and Smith both continued with caution and then pro-activity. Head’s innings unfurled after his first 13 deliveries from which he had scored just 15 runs. An all-out assault on Ben Stokes in the 12th over saw the first three balls hit for six; the second an outrageous lofted cover drive. While Smith could do little more than rotate the strike on a tacky pitch, Head transcended the conditions to play one of the innings of the season.More remarkable shots followed, as a slashing cut through point, a clubbed straight six and a clip over the infield took Head to his second fifty of the season. After a sedate start, he had accelerated to score 56 from his last 21 balls. He eventually fell when he failed to clear Stokes at deep mid-wicket, but the match had been turned upside down by his audacious and powerful stroke play.Two further overs of consolidation then followed, as Johan Botha joined Smith for the fifth wicket. Botha clubbed two fours and a six before he was caught attempting another boundary off a reverse sweep in the penultimate delivery of the innings. Smith, though, remained unbeaten, finishing on 41 from 34 balls. More importantly, he expertly anchored the final nine overs of the innings in which the Strikers bludgeoned 104 runs for the loss of just two wickets.The Renegades needed to not only win, but win well to keep their qualification chances alive. They never looked like doing either. A painful innings from Matthew Wade – 22 from 34 deliveries including 16 dot balls – epitomised the Renegades’ struggles as they failed to establish any momentum.They lost both Alex Doolan and Callum Ferguson before the Powerplay was over, and once they were behind the rate when they exited it at 2 for 39, their chances were already slipping away as the Strikers deployed their spinners.Adam Zampa and Botha have both conceded runs at less than six per over during the middle overs this season, and they put the squeeze on again today despite some powerful hitting from Stokes, who made 33 before falling to the leg-spin of Zampa. Wade’s 34-ball innings was ended just two overs later, and there was a sense that the Renegades had already given up real hope. Shakib and Tom Beaton hit some lusty late blows, but the target was always out of reach as they eventually closed their innings with 7 for 144.Defeat for the Renegades completes the semi-final line-up of the Strikers, Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers, with another home semi-final still up for grabs.