A week’s holiday in Dubai gives batter chance to clear his mind after Test series in NZ

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2023

Ben Duckett says that he is committed to taking every available opportunity to represent England across all three formats, after crediting the laissez-faire attitude of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes in the Test team for his successful return to international cricket this winter.By his own admission, Duckett, now 28, “probably wasn’t ready for international cricket” back in 2016-17, when he made his Test and ODI debuts on England’s tours of Bangladesh and India. Seven years later, however, he’s so relaxed about the experience, he was even able to prepare for last week’s return to the white-ball set-up by spending a couple of days “on a sun lounger” in Dubai.That brief stint of R&R came as the Test squad disbanded after their thrilling one-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington, which was also Duckett’s first defeat in five appearances since his recall for the Pakistan tour in December. In that time he has averaged an impressive 56.44 at the top of the order, and was enthusiastic about carrying that same mindset into this week’s first T20I against Bangladesh in Chattogram.”It’s ridiculously different,” Duckett said of his experience in the Test set-up. “The way that they make everyone feel is something that I never thought would be the case in Test cricket. It’s almost like you’re playing a friendly, you’re actually going out and playing a Test match and it’s that relaxed, and that’s how you’re going to get players to perform at their best.”The first thing Baz said to me in Pakistan was: ‘Just enjoy it, you’re going to get a good run’. To hear that as an opening batsman before your first Test back makes you not nervous and you can go out there and play your way rather than looking for a score.”And I think the big thing in that dressing-room is – whatever the noise is outside that dressing room, no one cares. It’s everything in that dressing room and almost you’ve got that backing, it feels like there’s a squad of players now that seems like they’re going to keep for a little while, especially while things are going well. Previously, you’re fearing for every single game, if you get no runs, you might get dropped the next game.”Duckett took a similarly phlegmatic attitude to his innings of 20 from 13 balls in England’s six-wicket loss in the first T20I. “I tried to stick to my strengths. It went all right and then I missed one,” he said.”The one thing I’ve been lucky with is, because of how I play, it doesn’t really change throughout the formats. You see these guys who are whacking the ball out of the ground and then they’ve got to go and play Test cricket and it’s a massive difference, where my mentality in all three formats is to see ball, hit ball. And now against spin, sweeping it both ways in all formats – and I’ve got the full backing from all of the squads.”I’ve matured as a cricketer,” he added. “It’s realising what works for me, understanding what my strengths are. Seven years ago I might have tried to hit Shakib [Al Hasan] for six over long-on, now I know all I have to do is hit the ball in front of square leg and it’s four runs. The small taste I had back then, I was very young and probably wasn’t ready. I think that comes with age and most batters are at their best when they get to the age of 28, 29.”Related

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Duckett is one of only four England players to have featured in all three formats this winter, and it’s been quite the round-the-world trip – encompassing campaigns in Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and now Bangladesh – which is all the more reason why he had no qualms about dropping everything for a week and lying low with his girlfriend in the UAE between red- and white-ball campaigns, rather than fretting about the challenge of switching formats.His long wait for a second chance with England was also a key factor in his decision to opt out of the big-money opportunities on the franchise circuit this winter – including the on-going Pakistan Super League, which caused a number of England’s players, including Alex Hales, to withdraw their availability for the Bangladesh series.”I spoke to someone a month ago about people resting and pulling out of stuff,” he said. “For me, the focus is on the chance to play all three formats for England. And that’s going to be my focus for as long as I’m in the squad.”Don’t get me wrong, if I’ve got a month next winter and I get offered a lot of money, I’m probably going to go and play in it, as most of us would. But you can play all these leagues around the world in a few years’ time, right now I’m solely focused on playing as much for England as I can. That break I had was potentially a good thing for me, and it’s made me so hungry now to take every single chance I get.”

Batter Will Young will be released to play in the Plunket Shield between the Tests

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Mar-2023Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a bulging disc in his back and a torn right hamstring. The recovery time for the injuries is around six weeks.Wagner had left the field late in the third session on day three of the ongoing Test in Christchurch, feeling serious discomfort in his back and leg. He failed a fitness Test before play on day four on Sunday but will be available to bat if required.In December, Wagner signed a deal with Yorkshire to play the first ten games of the County Championship season, though now appears unlikely to be fit for their opening fixture against Leicestershire on April 6.New Zealand, meanwhile, have called up seamer Doug Bracewell into the squad.”We all know how much playing Test cricket for New Zealand means to Neil and we are all disappointed to see him side-lined like this,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “The fact he was still hoping to play on, carrying these injuries shows you just how determined he is to try and give his all for the team.”Doug is a skilful bowler who has been in strong form for the Central Stags across formats this season. We believe his skills will complement the rest of the bowlers we have in the group going into the next Test.”Bracewell, 32, had last played a Test in 2016. In addition to the three fast bowlers still playing the first Test – Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Blair Tickner – New Zealand also have right-armer Scott Kuggeleijn in the squad. Where Kuggeleijn only made his Test debut last month, Bracewell brings substantially more experience, having played 27 Tests where he has bagged 72 wickets.Will Young, who is part of the Test squad, will be released to play in the next round of the Plunket Shield. He will return before the second Test starts on Friday.”We think it’s important for Will to keep getting cricket under his belt,” Stead said. “With the timing of this round and the next Test we thought it was a good opportunity to get him on the park and have time in first-class match conditions.”

Five Real Valladolid fans have been jailed after racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in December 2022.

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• Valladolid fans jailed for racist abuse
• Vini Jr abused in December 2022
• Five sent to prison

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The perpetrators have been sent to prison for one year and fined €1,620 for the attack at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium on December 30 of that year.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The events took place in the 88th minute of the game between Valladolid and Real Madrid, when Vinicius was substituted. He was walking to the bench when he had monkey sounds directed his way and was called a "black sh*t", according to .

• WHAT DID THE COURT SAY?

  The provisional conclusions, which will be validated later this month, said the insults had "the clear intention of humiliating and hurting the player's dignity for obvious racist reasons".

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Vinicius has spoken angrily about racism in La Liga, claiming that the league "belongs to racists". He added: "A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world."

  The Brazilian will hope that the latest convictions will help prevent further attacks.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has admitted that he wasn't always happy with Trent Alexander-Arnold's work rate in training with the Reds.

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Alexander-Arnold to leave LiverpoolSlot reveals unhappiness with TAA's work ethicOffers warning to Real MadridFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool this summer having spent over 21 years with the Merseyside giants, coming through the youth ranks into the first team. The 26-year-old has decided not to renew his contract at Anfield and will leave the Reds as a free agent to join Real Madrid.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool brought in Slot to take over from manager Jurgen Klopp last summer, and he has immediately led the Reds to a Premier League title. Alexander-Arnold did not exactly have a groundbreaking campaign for the Merseyside club this season, but he was a major part of Slot's side through the first half of the season. However, the Dutch coach has now claimed that he wasn't always impressed with the right-back's work ethic on the training pitch.

Getty Images SportWHAT SLOT SAID

Speaking to the media, Slot said: "I talk to most players, not on a daily basis, but a lot. If there are circumstances why I should talk to them, you talk a bit more often to them. It's clear with Trent's situation that those circumstances are there for me to talk to him.

"I am talking to him as a human being. That, combined with winning something together, creates a different bond to the one the fans have with him. When we started pre-season, he was in my office quite a lot as well for similar reasons to what Mo [Salah] has said previously.

"He is going to leave either way, so why not say it? Maybe it is a first gift I can give to Xabi Alonso! I wasn't completely happy with every minute of how he was on the training ground. In certain moments, I felt he could do a bit more, to say it mildly. That is what we talked about.

"I told him, 'You are a much better defender than people tell you, but you don't show it all the time.' I said, 'If you are at it and concentrated, there are not many players who can go around you'. Because he is fast, agile, has a great mentality, but it is about showing that every single game."

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WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?

Liverpool are set to take on Crystal Palace in their final game of the season, and Slot has revealed that he is unsure if Alexander-Arnold will play in the game on Sunday, May 25. The Dutchman said: "I haven't decided yet. I think this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy. It's been 35 years, everybody is waiting for this moment, and I think we've set the example against Tottenham. I've never seen celebrations like that day."

Lucknow Super Giants turned it around in the final few overs as they registered the highest chase of the IPL this season

Himanshu Agrawal10-Apr-2023

It was a rolling ride where the teasing tickle in the stomach never seemed to stop, as the coaster went up and down, left and right, threatening to crash into a pool one moment before soaring high into the clouds the next. That’s what the game felt like.Lucknow Super Giants needed four to win from the remaining five balls with three wickets in hand. Then Mark Wood got bowled. Few balls later, a tumbling Faf du Plessis almost fumbled a catch, but eventually took it.That made it 1 off 1, with one wicket in hand. Harshal Patel, the bowler, then attempted to run the non-striker out backing up, but missed.Still 1 off 1. Dinesh Karthik then juggles and fails to grab the last ball behind the stumps, enough for the last two Super Giants batters to sneak a bye.Game over. The Royal Challengers Bangalore and their fans were left with broke hearts. The Super Giants claimed a humdinger.Highest win contribution % for Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Stoinis starts the partyMarcus Stoinis came out at 23 for 3 after four overs. Not managing to score from his three balls, Stoinis swung across the line. Mohammed Siraj, placed at mid-on, ran back towards midwicket and dropped a difficult catch.After seven overs, Super Giants’ required rate had crossed 13, but Stoinis welcomed Harshal with 6, 4, 4. Next over, Karn Sharma was given the same treatment. In the over after that, Shahbaz Ahmed was creamed for two sixes. The first of that brought up his fifty off 25 balls. Karn got his revenge in the 11th over when Stoinis departed for 65 from 30 deliveries. But only if Royal Challengers knew what was to follow.Pooran pings sixes at willNicholas Pooran arrived when Super Giants needed another 114 from 56 balls in pursuit of 213. The second ball he faced was dispatched over long-on. He was on 10 off five deliveries at one stage. He ended with 62 from 19. Seven of those balls were hit for sixes, and four of them for fours. Carefree, unstoppable T20 batting, with the swag, muscle and calmness of Sir Viv.Pooran’s fifty came up off 15 deliveries. Balls flew over long-on, square leg, extra cover and fine leg. Fielders’ jaws dropped and the bowlers’ spirits were crushed as Pooran was merciless. When he was finally dismissed, he left Super Giants needing only 24 from 18.Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis put on a 115-run stand in quick time•Associated Press

Impact Player StrategyIntroduced in the 12th over, Amit Mishra carried forward the mania from Lucknow to Bangalore, and struck third ball to dismiss Virat Kohli. Two overs later, Glenn Maxwell smashed him for 4, 6 off successive deliveries as Mishra ended at 2 for 18. Despite being brought on quite late, he was subbed by Ayush Badoni. Badoni, to his part, played the ice to Pooran’s fire, guiding Super Giants with a composed 30 in 24 deliveries, before hitting his stumps with the bat in a follow through after scooping the ball for six, a-la Roy Fredericks from the 1975 World Cup final.RCB penalised for slow over-rate

Royal Challengers were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the game. Since it was their first offence of the season, only captain du Plessis was fined Rs 12 lakh.
Avesh Khan, the Super Giants quick, was reprimanded for a Level 1 offence [2.2 of IPL’s Code of Conduct].

Royal Challengers replaced Anuj Rawat, who didn’t get to bat, with legspinner Karn at the start of their defence. Karn ended up conceding 48 in three overs, the most expensive economy for any Royal Challengers bowler (min. three overs) ever.du Plessis, Maxwell and Kohli’s fifties in vainRoyal Challengers’ innings was of three parts: 56 runs in the powerplay, 48 in the next seven, and 108 from the final seven. The start was down to an attacking Kohli, who ended the first six overs on 42, with four fours and three sixes. But his last 19 runs took as many deliveries to come, with the Super Giants’ spinner Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi applying the brakes.Carnage was to follow. In what turned to be a six-fest, du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell smacked 11 sixes until the end of the innings. Du Plessis finished on 79, while Maxwell smashed 59 at double the pace. Royal Challengers soared to 212. In the end, it was all for nothing.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes they “can’t be unluckier” after her run-out led to Australia wresting back control and eking out a five-run win to enter their seventh straight final in the Women’s T20 World Cup.After slipping to 28 for 3 while chasing 173, India clawed back via a 69-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet. Then with 40 needed off 33 balls, India’s captain was run-out for 52 after her bat got stuck outside the crease while completing a second run. Australia swung the game in their favour from there and India fell just short.”We can’t be unluckier than this,” Harmanpreet said at the presentation. “The way we got the momentum back when Jemi and I were batting… and after that losing this game, we were not expecting this today.Related

• The anatomy of India's heartbreak

• Gardner: 'We probably had no right to win at one point'

• Australia clinch thriller to make seventh straight final

“The way I got run-out… can’t be unluckier than that. Putting the effort was more important and I am happy we took this game till the last ball. That is what we discussed in the team meeting, that we want to fight till the last ball. The result was not in our favour but I am happy with the way we played in this tournament.”India won two of their three games in the T20 World Cup chasing and Harmanpreet was happy despite losing the toss on Thursday, when Australia opted to bat. India kept Australia under check despite a 52-run opening stand between Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, although Mooney, Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner powered them to 172 for 4 by amassing 73 runs off the last six overs.”We love to chase and today also we were thinking of chasing only,” Harmanpreet said. “When Australia took batting, we know whatever we were expecting, it is happening the way we want. Even after losing first two wickets we know we have a good batting line-up and have few players who back themselves.”Rodrigues was the first to counterattack for India, by striking back-to-back fours as soon as she came out to bat, and picked gaps against both pace and spin in her knock of 43 off 24.”Specially, I should give credit to Jemimah, the way she batted today. She was the one who gave us the momentum we were looking for. Happy to see some good performances we saw this tournament.”India’s fielding in the semi-final left a lot to be desired. Lanning and Mooney were dropped at least once each while there were a lot of misfields, too, from the first over. Harmanpreet conceded that those cost them.”We again gave some easy catches away,” she said. “When we have to win, we have to take those chances especially, which is 100% in your hands. We did misfield today. We can only learn from these areas and whenever we come next time we should learn from this and should not make these mistakes next time.”We fought in this tournament and we played some really good cricket. Even though we didn’t play according to our strengths, still we were able to make the semi. Today we wanted to play our natural game and a few of us did that. Happy to see that.”

‘Knew we can take a couple of wickets and change the game,’ says Lanning

Meanwhile, Australia captain Lanning termed it as “one of the best wins” she has been involved in. Australia looked to run out of solutions when Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were batting but stuck to their disciplined lines and mostly caught and fielded whatever came their way to maintain their successful streak in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.”That’s one of the best wins I have been involved in,” she said. “To fight back from the position we were in, probably not playing our best game in all three facets was great fighting spirit from the girls, couldn’t be more proud of them.Ashleigh Gardner followed her 31-run cameo with a couple of key wickets•Getty Images

“We probably missed our lengths a little bit, gave a bit of width at times. But India were coming hard at us. They have got some incredible players, so we knew it’s got to be hard to defend and it came right down to the wire as we expected.”Australia defeated India in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and also edged past them to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. They also defeated India 4-1 in India in December last year – the loss coming via a Super Over. So Lanning knew it wouldn’t be easy.”I was a little bit nervous but we do know – and in the past playing against these guys – we take a couple of wickets and things change quickly,” she said. “So we just have to hang in there. We got a little bit of luck with Kaur’s wicket but we stayed in the game. That’s what you have got to do and to be able to get over the line is certainly very special.”I think we are able to stay calm and composed. We didn’t execute as well as we would have liked but there was no panic out there. We knew that a couple of wickets will change it in our favour and we love the big moments. These are the games we want to play in.”

Manchester United icon Paul Scholes' take on Chelsea's Moises Caicedo sparked an online backlash, with fans claiming the opinion was "outrageous".

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• Scholes sparks online backlash
• Criticises Caicedo's Chelsea performances
• Fans claim he "doesn't understand football"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking on the , brought to you by , Scholes said: "A lot of people were talking about Caicedo, saying he played 38 games. Yeah, but was there much quality? Did he create a lot? Did he control loads of games for Chelsea? I don't remember that. I think there's an era now, with midfielders especially, where you can go through seasons and games without really contributing."

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  WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Many fans disagreed with Scholes' comments, with @RhysCarefree posting on X: "This is genuinely one of the worst bits of punditry I’ve ever seen. And if Paul Scholes has said this he quite simply doesn’t watch much football."

  @cfcire added: "Breaks my heart when players as good as Paul Scholes are this f*cking stupid. Like what do you mean one of the most talented English midfielders ever doesn’t understand football."

  @DarkOfTheMovie added: "Paul Scholes’ take on Caicedo is the exact reason why you shouldn’t take any of these United legends punditry serious. It’s actually comical you can think Caicedo had ANY game this year where he contributed nothing."

  In agreement was @ArsenalMediaXI, who added: "Paul Scholes is the worst pundit by a mile! You can't watch Chelsea's games, and do even a 30-second stat check, and think Moises Caicedo that was a star for Brighton and now Chelsea doesn't 'contribute a lot'."

  @Blue_Footy said: "Paul Scholes questioning what Caicedo offers to the team is really funny. I wonder if these ex-Man United players even watch football. It's like asking us what [N'Golo] Kante offers because he doesn't dictate tempo or control games."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Caicedo won the Chelsea players' Player of the Season award and supporters' Player of the Season award at Chelsea, having played 52 matches in all competitions this season. He capped off his campaign by netting in the Europa Conference League final win against Real Betis.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CAICEDO?

  Caicedo's holidays cannot begin yet, with Chelsea set to take part in the Club World Cup this summer. The Blues play Leon, Flamengo and ES Tunis in the group stage.

The USMNT star was one of Chelsea's heroes en route to the first major trophy of his career

There was a time, just a few short years ago, when seeing an American in the Champions League was a novelty. Fans would huddle around illegal streams to catch a glimpse of Europe's top club competition and, hopefully, a glimpse at a U.S. men's national team star taking part of it.

Times have changed. The Champions League is a behemoth, with every game now broadcast and easy to track down. Americans, too, are now commonplace in it. At one point this season, nine Americans took the field on the same Champions League matchday. It's something that felt so, so far away about a decade ago.

Still, only one American has ever taken the pitch in a Champions League final – and he lifted the trophy at the end of it. That player is Christian Pulisic. And make no mistake: he wasn’t just along for the ride. Pulisic played a crucial role in Chelsea’s title run in 2021, scoring one of the club’s biggest goals en route to the final – against one of the biggest teams in world football.

It's worth noting that Jovan Kirovski was technically the first American to win the Champions League, but he didn’t feature in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 victory over Juventus.

So, ahead of this weekend's Champions League final, GOAL looks at Pulisic's Champions League moment and why it mattered so much to those who follow the American game.

AFPWHAT HAPPENED?

When Pulisic arrived at Chelsea, he already had big-game experience. He'd shone at Borussia Dortmund, emerging as the latest starlet to break through in black and yellow. His performances in Germany, where he had 29 goal contributions in four seasons, earned him a big move to Chelsea, a club where he'd have a better chance at European glory.

It came in his second season. After an 11-goal, 10-assist debut with , Pulisic was given Chelsea's No. 10, illustrating just how important the club expected him to be. Hindsight now tells us that it never quite worked out, but that hindsight also minimizes just how important Pulisic was during Chelsea's Champions League-winning season.

No moment was more important than the one he provided on April 27, 2021. On that day, he scored against mighty Real Madrid, earning a draw away from home in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. With that goal, he became the youngest Chelsea player to score in a Champions League semifinal. He also became the first American to do that, too. Chelsea went on to win the second leg, 2-0, and secure their place in the final.

Once there, Pulisic came off the bench as Chelsea won 1-0 against mighty Manchester City at the Estádio do Dragão in Portugal. By featuring as a substitute, he became the first American to play in a Champions League final and the second American to win it after Jovan Kirovski did so in 1997.

Pulisic told : "The end of the season is just a time I'll never forget. I mean, halfway through the season, if you were to tell [the Chelsea squad] that we're winning the Champions League, it would have been hard to believe, but the work that we put in, the change in the team and how we all came together, it meant so much more at the end of the season. It was just something that we'll share with each other forever."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHY IT MATTERED?

Shortly after the final whistle blew, each player got their moment with the trophy. Pulisic got his, raising Ole Big Ears into the night sky with the rest of his Chelsea teammates. Moments later, though, he got to share the moment with his family and, in many ways, the rest of American soccer.

"There's no way to describe this moment. I never in my life thought that I could be here," Pulisic said after the Chelsea triumph. "I hope there's some kids watching back home in America thinking that they can do the same. It's massive, this is the biggest thing you can win in club football, and I'm just so proud of this team. It's a joy to be here."

He then pointed to his sweatshirt, one adorned with U.S. Soccer's logo.

"That's why I'm wearing this," he said. "Like I said, I hope there's kids watching back home in America. You can do anything you want to, man."

In recent years, that belief has ballooned. Of the 24 teams that qualified for the Champions League's knockout stage, seven had Americans in the squad. And, while none went on to make it to this weekend's finale, Pulisic proved that it can be done, both to his international teammates and any other American watching on at home.

"It really just shows what we're representing out there," Pulisic said a few weeks later. "Being an American playing on the national team and then winning the Champions League, I think it's just a cool message."

Getty ImagesFROM THOSE WHO WERE THERE

Just a few short weeks after lifting the trophy, Pulisic was back in USMNT camp. He was ready to go for the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League finals, starting both the semifinal win over Honduras and the finale against Mexico, a match that saw him bury a 114th-minute penalty kick to win another trophy.

Before those games, though, all eyes were on Pulisic. Would he be fit to play? How would the USMNT use him? Most importantly, though, what did his Champions League success mean to the group as a whole?

"He is a player that has gone when no other American player has gone and won the Champions League with this club and played a key role in doing that," then-U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter said of Pulisic. "So, as a group, we're extremely, extremely proud of him."

Added USMNT midfielder and longtime friend Weston McKennie echoed the same sentiments.

“Christian coming back and being fit and coming off the high of winning the Champions League, I think it’s very important. To also be able to bring that mentality over here, because we're all working towards what they accomplished the other night, and we're also working to get better," McKennie said. “When someone wins a trophy, it just helps the group realize that we want to have a winning mentality, that we want to win games, and we want to win titles, we want to win trophies.

"So I think him coming back into the group, we’ll be very happy to have him back, and I think he'll be able to share some of his experiences as well and have it rub off on us.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT CAME NEXT

The hope was that Pulisic's trophy lift would be a watershed moment. It was. American players continue to make waves in Europe, scoring big goals and breaking big records along the way. But winning it? That's still as difficult as ever and, at the moment, that's the big question: who will be the next American to make it to a Champions League final?

It won't be Pulisic next year, as Milan failed to qualify for Europe's premier tournament. Plenty of Americans did, though. Multiple Americans find themselves scattered among some of the world's biggest teams. With a few big games and a whole lot of luck, another American could soon join Pulisic in lifting that trophy.

For now, though, fans of the USMNT can still reflect on what Pulisic accomplished just a few short years ago. He's now one of the best in Serie A, and the frustrations of his Chelsea tenure are well and truly behind him.

That night in Portugal, though, will always remain special, both for Pulisic and for the Americans back home who saw one of their own win it all.

Paul Stirling will join up with Ireland after playing for Birmingham Bears in the Blast on Friday night

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2023Robin Das, a 21-year-old British-Bangladeshi batter, hit 132 off 118 balls in his maiden first-class innings as Essex had the better of the first day against Ireland in their warm-up match at Chelmsford.Ireland play England at Lord’s in a four-day Test on June 1 and this game represents their only match practice before that fixture. They arrived in England on Wednesday evening, though a delay in the arrival of their luggage forced them to cancel a planned training session the following day.With most of Essex’s first team unavailable due to T20 Blast preparations and injuries, four Ireland squad members featured for their opposition – including George Dockrell and Mark Adair, who both made half-centuries from the middle order.George Dockrell played for Essex against his Ireland team-mates•Ray LawrenceBut it was Das, a product of Brentwood School who has already fielded as a substitute for England in Test cricket, who underpinned Essex’s total of 343, reaching a 101-ball hundred before eventually falling to Andy McBrine’s offspin.Thomas Mayes, a 22-year-old seamer, was the pick of the attack on first-class debut, taking 4 for 68 including the big scalp of stand-in Essex captain Nick Browne with his second ball.McBrine came in for some rough treatment, conceding 98 runs in his 14 overs, as Essex scored at a run rate of nearly five an over across their first innings.

Robin Das gets a standing ovation from the Chelmsford crowd, having scored 132 on his first class debut for @EssexCricket against Ireland. pic.twitter.com/sEAKymDrtT

— BBC Sport Essex (@BBCEssexSport) May 26, 2023