Sport

England praised for ‘almost perfect’ win over West Indies as T20 World Cup title defence kicks into gear

They're getting in the mood.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 20th June 2024

England may have made a somewhat shaky start to their T20 World Cup title defence in the group stages but look to have sparked into life following their first Super 8 game, with a convincing win over co-host nation West Indies.

In fact, they were so impressive in the opening game of the divisive phase that their performance was labelled as near perfection by ex-England bowler Steven Finn.

Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special coverage, Finn said simply, “England turned up – the England that everyone has enjoyed watching over the last few years”, claiming that, “barring a couple of overs with the ball, this was almost a perfect performance”.

The former fast bowler went on to insist that this could be a good opportunity for them “to set a marker down” for the rest of the tournament. The star of the show was undeniably Phil Salt – exhibit A:

Salt, who was rightly awarded Player of the Match after opening the batting with 87 from 47 balls not out, produced a commanding display to give England a strong advantage from the off, including a staggering run of 30 runs in just one over.

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Only more quality followed him as Johnny Bairstow stepped up to go unbeaten for 48 from 26 and seal the win over the heavy favourites by 180-4 with 15 balls to spare.

Heaping further praise on the national team set-up, including former Windies captain Kieron Pollard whose work as the new England batting coach is clearly working, Finn added: “They batted with power and bowled with skill.

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“They knew that when they got the bat in hand, once they got the momentum, they could take advantage of it.”

England now find themselves in a very strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, with South Africa and the other joint-host USA left to play in this stage.

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The South Africans only managed a narrow victory over America on the same day, meaning that England seemingly boast the best form in their Super 8 group as they look to take control of the top two.

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Can the reigning T20 World Cup Champions do it two years in a row?

With the Vitality T20 Blast also underway, The Hundred set to kick off next month and the live music lineup for the likes of the Manchester games already out, it’s going to be a summer full of cricket.

You can find out everything you need to know about Manchester Originals fixtures and the rest of this year’s tournament down below.

The Hundred 2024 has nearly arrived – here’s what to expect
We’ll see if England can defend their T20 World Cup at the end of this month and then it’s straight into another fast-paced format.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Phil Salt/England Cricket (via Instagram)

Sport

Pep Guardiola confirms Manchester City star Rodri will be out for the season

Danny Jones Danny Jones Rodri ruled out for the rest of the season with ACL injury

Bad news for Manchester City fans as the club has now confirmed what everyone was dreading: Rodri will be out for the rest of the season.

Things didn’t look good when the Spaniard was substituted during last week’s game against Arsenal after colliding with fellow midfielder Thomas Partey during a corner and given that he hadn’t long come back from his previous injury, supporters were already fearing the worst.

Rodri has been a linchpin in the middle of the park for Man City ever since he joined back in 2019, going on to win the hallowed Treble and four Premier League title wins in a row, not to mention Euro 2024 – safe to say that even for all their quality, the team doesn’t tick over quite the same without him.

Breaking the news during his press conference ahead of City’s trip to Newcastle this weekend, when asked about the exact nature of the previously unconfirmed injury, manager Pep Guardiola simply shook his head and said: “Next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].

Speaking on Friday, 27 September, the Catalan coach explained, “He had surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus” but sadly there looks to be no hope of his returning for the remainder of this campaign.

Pep went on to add: “Unfortunately, he got the worst. It is what it is. We are here to support him – good recovery, step by step and move forward.

This comes after the seasoned CDM suffered a fairly serious hamstring injury during the Euros final which already saw him sidelined for the start of the 24/25 season and while City do have the likes of Gundogan and Kovacic to share those duties, it doesn’t get much worse than a cruciate ligament tear.

Guardiola did insist that they have no other player quite like Rodri in their squad, no matter how healthily stocked, and that they will simply have to try and do their best “to find a way [to replace him]” with other talents in the team.

Even prior to the severity of the ligament injury being fully revealed, his national team and former clubs such as Villareal sent messages of support, with fans, players and everyone in football alike knowing how serious an ACL injury can be, especially for someone at this particular point in his career.

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As if player fitness and well-being weren’t already a pressing concern in recent times, it was only earlier this month that Rodri spoke about the ever-increasing number of games.

In short, the number 16 says “It’s too much” and whether people see it as a sport or a business, someone needs to start looking after the “main characters”.

Fair to say with the overall average number of injuries jumping up each year and with incidents like this now having put an end to his season, he might have a point…

You can watch Pep’s pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Newcastle this Saturday down below:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – pantkiewicz (via Flickr)/Manchester City Youtube (via screenshot)

Sport

Ultimate Performance: the global gym group living up to their name and thriving here in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones is ultimate performance manchester a good gym?

Gyms are ten a penny here in Greater Manchester, but there’s something to be said for a fitness brand that can operate on a global scale whilst still delivering that smaller, more bespoke feel that you only get from personal trainer-focused facilities – say hello to Ultimate Performance.

With a total of 24 locations all over the world, the Ultimate Performance gym group is much more than just another chain; the UP approach is becoming its own fitness phenomenon, with countless high-profile clients, write-ups in health and wellness outlets and consistent results across the board.

Better still, if you’re a Manc looking to get in the best shape of your life, their Manchester location is based right in the heart of the city and of the centre’s most exciting districts, so you’re well-placed to get your transformation underway whenever you ready.

Priding themselves on not only being the “home of the world’s leading personal trainers in Manchester” but also delivering value for money by the time you’ve achieved your fitness goals. So, what exactly is it that sets them apart?

ultimate performance manchester gym
Credit: Supplied

Well, for starters, given the scope of the company and its growing reputation, Ultimate Performance locations are typically much bigger than most and their programmes are more comprehensive than most other gyms where you pay a monthly membership fee.

At the other end of the spectrum, they also promise a much more expansive offering than regular PTs and boutique gyms, both in terms of the facilities and infrastructure as well as in how their clients are looked after.

Rather than just being paired with an available instructor, time is taken to ensure you find the right match when it comes to your trainer and the workouts you take on, with clients being given proper supervision/programming that is geared towards very specific outcomes without being babied.

You only have to hear it from the numerous testimonials taken from their Manchester clients alone to understand the kind of experience you’ll receive at an Ultimate Performance gym.

They’ve had a fair share of famous faces vouch for the quality of coaching too, from the likes of Hollywood A-lister Glen Powell over in the States to Gemma Atkinson here in Manchester.

To put things into perspective when you simply Google ‘best gym Manchester‘ you’ll not only find round-up articles like ours but also several results for Ultimate Performance specifically.

If you Google “best gym Manchester” which is how we found you guys! UP make most of the other lists, if you wanna read a few to get more of a sense this might help – we didn’t pay for these they happened naturally.

From personalised UP free weights, high-end equipment and other little touches that let you know they mean business, they give you everything you need to transform your body or lay the foundations for lifelong health.

The only question left is are you ready and how seriously are you willing to take it?

UP fitness gym manchester reviews
Credit: Ultimate Performance

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Ultimate Performance is the gym in Manchester to join if you want to stick to your plan and achieve whatever goals you set yourself, from fat loss to muscle building to general health, with some of the world’s best personal trainers coaching from here.

The transformation photos of previous and current U.P clients speak for themselves – you will get results here.

You can find out more or enquire HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Ultimate Performance (supplied)

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