England opt to bowl first against West Indies with chance to clinch ODI series
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — England chose to bowl first against the West Indies with a chance to clinch their one-day international series at Sophia Gardens on Sunday.
England named its team earlier and made an enforced change, bringing in seamer Matthew Potts for Jamie Smith, who broke a finger on Thursday as England won the first ODI by 238 runs at Edgbaston.
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The West Indies replaced Amir Jangoo with Shimron Hetmyer in the middle order.
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Lineups:
England: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Matthew Potts, Saqib Mahmood
West Indies: Brandon King, Jewel Andrew, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Justin Greaves, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha: What could the three Brazilians bring to Nottingham Forest?
When Leo Bonatini signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2019, it was a landmark moment for Nottingham Forest — the striker became the first Brazilian to play for the club. It prompted a ripple of excitement among the fanbase, who were excited to see if he would bring a touch of South American magic, just as he had done at Molineux, where he had been part of the Wolves side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2017-18. Advertisement Six years after Bonatini departed under a cloud — having made only two starts and three substitute appearances, without scoring a goal, in his five months in Nottingham — Brazil has become a regular and valuable source of signings at the City Ground. If their current pursuit of Botafogo trio Igor Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha goes to plan, the tally of Brazilians signed by the club since Bonatini will reach 13. 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According to Transfermarkt, there were 33 Brazilians playing in the Premier League last season — more than any other foreign nationality, with France next on 25. At Forest, they will hope their latest trio of new additions have the same impact as men such as Murillo, Danilo, Felipe and Renan Lodi have done in the Garibaldi red shirt — and not the likes of Andrey Santos, Gustavo Scarpa (below) and Rodrigo Ely, who failed to make much of an impression. Botafogo will play their first group game in the Club World Cup a week on Monday, against Seattle Sounders of MLS. After that, they face Paris Saint-Germain, the new European champions, and Champions League regulars Atletico Madrid. Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha are expected to remain with them for the tournament. But, next season, Brazilian players could be at the heart of Forest's squad. Advertisement With defender Morato and goalkeeper Carlos Miguel already on the books, Nuno could, in theory, field an all-Brazil back five, with Cuiabano a flexible left-back, wing-back or winger and Jair Cunha a central defender. The club's research has been enough to convince them that, in Jesus, they will be signing a player who can have a long-term impact at the other end of the pitch. Forest believe the 24-year-old has the potential — as Murillo has done — to grow and evolve with them; to become a better, more valuable player. He has already won four senior caps. In Brazil — and at the City Ground — there is a sense they have got themselves a very good deal overall. But, among the three newcomers, it is Jesus who is regarded as being equipped to make an immediate impact. 'He is a complete striker. When you look at his numbers, you might not understand what a good player he is, because he has only eight (Serie A) goals since joining Botafogo,' says Sergio Santana, who writes about Botafogo for Brazil's biggest newspaper O Globo. 'But the numbers do not show how important he is. He is a player who contributes on and off the ball. He can drift to the left or the right, he will drop deeper to get on the ball, he will fight with the opposition defenders. 'He is an amazing player. He signed on a free transfer, when his contract finished in the UAE. He was a hidden gem.' Jesus scored 34 goals in 66 appearances across four seasons in the UAE Pro League, with that number rising to 46 in 92, across all competitions. In his final season (2023-24) there with Shabab Al Ahli, he netted 17 times in his 26 games. He was a key figure as they finished second to Al Wasl. Botafogo now stand to make a swift £20million profit on him, although they will be losing an important influence. 'Chris Wood has had an amazing season. But Jesus is a different player. He is more of a mobile forward,' says Santana. 'He will get himself into wide areas, he will play off the last man. He works hard off the ball, as well as on it. He will provide a new option; a new kind of character and approach to the team.' Advertisement Artur Jorge led Botafogo to a historic league and Copa Libertadores double last season, before departing to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan. His replacement, Renato Paiva, was appointed in February for the start of the 2025 campaign. 'Botafogo had a very poor start to the season — the coach left and the club took two months to appoint a replacement,' says Santana. 'That time was trouble. All of the team started badly. But Jesus, he has found his feet. In the game against Universidad de Chile (in the Copa Libertadores group stage on May 28) he was amazing after the team had been reduced to 10 men (Cunha was the man sent off). He led the team. He basically said, 'Give the ball to me and I will get the win for you.' He scored, and they won 1-0. 'He can have an instant impact at Forest, because of the character he is, the kind of player he is. He can also become even better.' Forest have been watching Jesus since last season. Conversations were had about a potential move in January. But now they look likely to get their man. They hope he is capable of coping with the intensity of Premier League football and he will be expected to challenge Wood for his place, but he is also a player who can make a difference in other positions when coming off the bench. In Cuiabano, Forest will be signing a player with the physical attributes to thrive in the English top flight. He is regarded primarily as a left-back or wing-back but has been used regularly as a winger during his nine Serie A appearances of the 2025 season so far. The 22-year-old began his career with fellow Brazilians Gremio, joining their youth setup in 2014. MLS sides Orlando City and Charlotte had been keeping an eye on his progress, but it was Botafogo who signed him in April last year. He has subsequently made 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals. 'Cuiabano is a very strong, physical player. He is quick, quick, quick — rapid,' says Santana. 'He is most naturally a left-back, but he has played many games recently further up the pitch. He has done very well there, because it makes the most of his strengths. He is very good offensively. He is very much like (Ecuador international Pervis) Estupinan at Brighton. Advertisement 'He is not always the strongest defensively, but he can deliver a very good cross and his shooting is a strength that he has improved on.' Cuiabano is considered one of the hardest-working players on the training ground; a player who sets the bar with his professionalism. 'Brighton were interested in him, and I understand why,' says Santana. 'It would not be crazy for him to get into the Brazil national team. Carlo Ancelotti is new in the role (he was appointed Brazil coach last month) but Cuiabano must be in contention.' At just 20 years old — and having made only 17 first-team appearances for Botafogo and 20 before that with fellow Brazilians Santos, largely in the second division after coming through their academy — Cunha will very much be a signing for the future. But standing at 6ft 5in (196cm), he is already imposing in the same way as Morato, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo. 'Jair is one of the most promising players in Brazil,' says Santana. 'He is very good on the ball, he can use both feet, even though he is right-footed. He is very strong technically. He does make the kind of mistakes that young players do. But he has explosive talent. If the environment is right for him to grow and learn, he can be very good. I am sure he can learn a lot from Murillo.' Following his arrival from Brazil's Corinthians in August 2023, Forest fans quickly came up with a fond chant for Murillo, which begins 'He's from Sao Paulo, he wears the red and white' before, um, going on to mock local rivals Derby County in less family-friendly fashion. They may soon need to find their musical creativity again if these new arrivals from Brazil have similar impact.
