تحدث الدولي البرتغالي برناردو سيلفا، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي عن أصعب منافس واجهه في بطولتي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ودوري أبطال أوروبا.
واستعاد مانشستر سيتي مستواه شيئًا فشيء وحقق فوزًا كبيرًا على مانشستر يونايتد في ديربي الجولة الرابعة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بثلاثية نظيفة على ملعب “الاتحاد”.
أما في اللقاء الأخير، فقد فاز أيضًا رجال جوارديولا على نابولي الإيطالي بقيادة أنطونيو كونتي، بثنائية نظيفة في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
اقرأ أيضًا | تشكيل ريال مدريد المتوقع أمام إسبانيول اليوم في الدوري الإسباني
وفي مقابلة مع قناة تيليموندو، أجاب برناردو سيلفا عن أصعب منافس واجهه في دوري أبطال أوروبا وقال في تصريجات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “بلا شك ريال مدريد مع فينيسيوس جونيور ورودريجو”.
وعن أصعب منافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أكمل: “في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ليفربول مع صلاح، مواجهة صعبة دائمًا”.
وبشأن الوضع الحالي لفريق جوارديولا، أوضح: “علينا مواصلة العمل والسعي لتحقيق الفوز باستمرار، لا نعرف ما هو هدفنا لا يمكننا التفكير لـ 8 أشهر قادمة”.
وأتم: “علينا أن نخطو خطوة بخطوة ونحاول العودة إلى المستوى الذي كنا عليه لمنافسة أفضل الفرق، حاليًا لسنا في هذا المستوى، علينا أن ندرك الواقع”.
Whether through signing them or bringing them through the academy, Arsenal have a proud history of developing some incredible youngsters.
A few years ago, it was the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka who were breaking through the ranks; now it’s Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and in the next couple of years, it could be Max Dowman.
While Mikel Arteta is sometimes labelled as a manager who doesn’t play youth, the last few years have proven that wrong.
Moreover, the club now have their eyes on another seriously exciting talent, who could be a future Viktor Gyokeres, whom they’re also close to finally signing.
Arsenal close in on the present and future Gyokeres
While the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard, plus the soon-to-be additions of Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera, are certainly exciting, they don’t feel like they’ll be as consequential as Gyokeres.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Arsenal fans have been crying out for a prolific number nine for years now, and with 54 goals and 13 assists in 52 games last season, that is what the Swedish striker is.
Moreover, while it’s not a cheap deal, it’s not going to require a record outlay either, with most reports now claiming that the initial fee will be around £55m, with some easy-to-achieve add-ons still to be decided upon.
Appearances
50
52
Minutes
4169′
4248′
Goals
43
54
Assists
15
13
Goal Involvements per Match
1.16
1.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
71.87′
63.40′
However, to ensure a club the size of the North Londoners can remain successful long into the future, the board also have to invest in the future, which seems to be what they are currently looking to do.
At least that is according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, who suggest the Gunners have agreed a deal to sign Salford City wonderkid Will Wright.
They report that Arsenal have seen a £200k bid accepted by the EFL club, as the Gunners hone in on signing one of the country’s top young talents.
The Londoners are set to fend off competition from Liverpool to secure his signature, with the Reds having lodged their own bid of £100k.
It is a lot of money to spend on someone so young, but it could prove to be a masterstroke in years to come, especially if Wright is a Gyokeres in the making.
Why Wright could be a future Gyokeres
Okay, so the first thing to make clear is that we know it’s quite a leap to suggest that a 17-year-old youth prospect could develop into a player akin to one Arsenal are about to spend big on, but we have our reasons.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrating.
First and foremost, the teenage sensation has already proven that, when given the chance, he can score bags and bags of goals.
In fact, he didn’t just score 20, or even 30 for Salford’s youth side last season; he managed to score a whopping 40 goals, which might not be the same as the Sporting man’s 54, but it’s not far off for a youngster.
On top of his prolific nature in front of goal, the young forward shares the Swede’s raw desire to score goals, as exemplified by the fact that at the start of last season, he was averaging 4.6 shots a game, compared to the 27-year-old’s 4.08 shots a game across the last year.
Moreover, one of the ways the former Coventry City star gets himself into so many goalscoring situations is because he’s excellent at running in behind opposition defences, which, according to Total Football Analysis, is one of Salford City gem’s biggest strengths.
However, he’s not a one-dimensional striker, and like the Stockholm-born ace, he’s also more than capable of playing a quick passing game with his teammates to create space and chances for himself or his teammates.
Finally, despite being just 17, the highly-rated youngster is the same height as the soon-to-be Gunners star, coming in at 6 foot 2, and it’s evident in clips that he’s comfortable using his stature to ride challenges before breaking away with a burst of pace and putting the ball in the back of the net.
Ultimately, there’s still a long way to go until he’s playing in the first team, but as things stand, Wright looks like a serious talent, and someone who could well be spoken about in the same way as Gyokeres is today.
Madueke upgrade: Arsenal set to start talks to sign "world-class" £43m star
Former England allrounder discusses impact of physical and mental injuries sustained in 2022 for new TV documentary
Matt Roller05-Aug-2024
Andrew Flintoff has returned to cricket and currently coaches Northern Superchargers in the men’s Hundred•PA Photos/Getty Images
Andrew Flintoff believed he “should not be here” and that he was given “a second go” at life when he escaped a high-speed car crash alive – though expects he will have to deal with its physical and psychological effects “for the rest of my life”.Flintoff, the former England allrounder, underwent a series of operations on his face after crashing while filming for the British TV show in December 2022. He has rarely spoken publicly since but addresses the crash and its effect on his mental health in the upcoming second season of the BBC show .”I genuinely should not be here, with what happened,” Flintoff said in footage, filmed from his bed in the weeks after the crash, which will be broadcast next week. “It’s going to be a long road back and I’m only just starting. I’ve got to look at the positives, don’t I? I’m still here. I’ve got another chance, I’ve got to go at it. I’m seeing that as how it is: a second go.”Related
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Flintoff kept a low public profile in the months after the incident while his injuries healed. The series shows him speaking to Kyle Hogg, his close friend and former Lancashire team-mate, in July 2023. “I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say ‘here am I, I’m alright’ but it’s not been the case, it’s been a lot harder than I thought,” Flintoff said.”As much as I’ve wanted to go out and do things I’ve just not been able to… Everywhere I go at the moment, I’ve got a full face mask and glasses on. I struggle with anxiety: I have nightmares, I have flashbacks. It’s been so hard to cope with. But I’m thinking if I don’t do something, I’m never going to go. I’ve got to get on with it.”In the first series of , Flintoff and Hogg brought together a disparate group of teenagers in Preston, Flintoff’s hometown, and introduced them to cricket, forming a team which played a series of friendlies in 2022. In the second series, they take them on tour to Kolkata – though the trip was delayed by a year due to Flintoff’s crash.Flintoff was asked by one of the boys, Finn, if he was “feeling 100%” before the trip. “Not really,” he replied. “I don’t know if I will again, to be honest… I don’t know what ‘completely better’ is. I am what I am now. I’m different to what I was. It’s something that I’ll probably have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better? No. Different.”Following his injuries, Flintoff has gradually returned to cricket in a series of different coaching roles. He has worked with England’s white-ball teams as an assistant coach, including at June’s T20 World Cup, and is also head coach of Northern Superchargers in the men’s Hundred, who have won three of their first four games.Flintoff took his team to Kolkata for the second series of •BBC/South Shore
Following Matthew Mott’s sacking as England’s white-ball coach, Flintoff has been touted as an outsider for the job. He was first brought into the England set-up as an unpaid consultant by Rob Key, the team’s managing director, though footage from the series suggests he has been considering a coaching role for some time: “If I do apply for the England coach’s job, I might not put these on my CV,” he joked as his team trained in September 2022.Flintoff has declined to give any interviews to independent outlets since his appointment, though was involved in a Q&A with the producer Clyde Holcroft during a promotional event for . He joked he had fallen into “a TV trap” after his playing career and said he would “love to do more coaching” moving forwards following “a perfect introduction” to it.”I’d always wanted to do something in cricket. I was never quite sure what it was,” Flintoff said. “I’ve done a bit of commentary which I don’t particularly like, or it’s not really me. I’ve always had an ambition to coach, but I’m not quite sure of my route to doing that or who I’d coach – or, let’s be honest, who would have me.”He explained that his ambition with was to alter the perception of cricket as “a posh sport” – and said that was among the reasons he thinks the Hundred has been a success. “It’s not for everyone, the Hundred,” Flintoff said. “But I think that it’s done so many good things. You look at the crowds who go and watch it; it’s on free-to-air [TV] as well as Sky.”It’s still perceived in some areas as being a posh sport, as being elitist, and we just need to break that down but I think we’re going in the right direction. We can always do more, but I think there’s a definite shift in recent times towards it being more popular… We’ve seen how popular it is in India. If you could take 10% of that [in England], we’d be happy.” will be shown on Tuesday August 13 at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer
After the Gers endured a miserable campaign last time round, new manager Russell Martin has a lot of work to do if he is going to dethrone Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Russell Martin watches on whilst in charge of Southampton.
Martin’s first competitive game in charge is little over four weeks away, welcoming Panathinaikos to Ibrox in the Champions League second qualifying round, while the Light Blues will commence their Premiership campaign against Motherwell at Fir Park on 2 August.
Before then, the club are expected to make countless new signings, so are they about to bolster their back-line?
Rangers targeting a new centre-back
According to a report by Hrvoje Tironi in Croatian outlet 24 Sata, Rangers are ‘seriously interested’ in signing Osijek defender Luka Jelenić, facing competition from Portuguese outfit Vitória de Guimarães.
They add that Jelenić only joined Osijek from Varaždin for €800,000 (around £685k) a year ago, but the ‘reliable centre-back’ is likely to be sold for ‘serious money’, following many ‘quality’ performances, despite the fact his team finished down in seventh in last year’s Prva HNL.
Rangers require central defensive reinforcements, especially after it was confirmed on Friday that Leon Balogun had left the club on a free agent for Aris Limassol, where he could partner a familiar face, namely Connor Goldson, in Cyprus next season.
So, could Jelenić prove to be a shrewd addition?
How Jelenić would improve Rangers
As was widely reported, Rangers were strongly interested in signing Harry Darling on a free transfer this summer, given that the Englishman had worked with Martin at both MK Dons and Swansea, but he opted to join Norwich City and Liam Manning instead in the Championship,
This has seemingly seen them step-up their interest in Jelenić, thereby returning to a familiar source of talent, after they failed to convince the now-Canaries star to move to Ibrox.
Back in July 2018, Steven Gerrard’s side dumped NK Osijek out of Europa League qualifying, with Alfredo Morelos the only scorer at Stadion Gradski Vrt, before a 1-1 draw in Glasgow a week later saw them progress.
Gerrard was so impressed with the White and Blues that he swiftly signed two of their players.
The less said about Eros Grezda the better, but the reported £2.2m paid to secure the signature of Borna Barišić proved to be an absolute bargain, considering he would go onto make 236 appearances in a light blue jersey, winning all three domestic trophies, as well as being a key figure in the side that reached the Europa League Final of 2022.
Rangers defender Borna Barisic.
So, could Jelenić have a similar impact?
Well, let’s assess his statistics from this season’s Prva HNL.
Minutes
2,532
32nd
Interceptions
50
1st
Tackles
58
12th
Clearances
144
7th
Passing accuracy %
86.74%
9th
Passes completed
1,204
10th
As the table outlines, despite somewhat limited minutes, Jelenić ranked highly for every defensive metric, as well as passing accuracy too, underlining that he is a well-rounded defender, who is particularly great at reading the game to make interceptions.
For comparison, Darling ranked 233rd in the EFL Championship for tackles (31) and 130th for interceptions (25), while registering a passing accuracy of 87.8%, only marginally higher than Jelenić’s figure, which suggests that the Croatian star could offer considerably more to the team from a defensive perspective.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “crazy talent”, while writer Kai Watson outlines how, at 6 ft 2 in tall, Jelenić is physically imposing and boasts ‘strong’ defensive abilities, while also being good in possession.
Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Molero highlights how he is ‘tough to beat’ in defensive duels, and rarely puts a foot wrong.
So, while top target Darling, who has gone elsewhere, is more of a known quantity, Jelenić is certainly a young defender on the up with enormous potential, so it would be an excellent piece of business if Rangers are able to add him to their squad.
He'd be better than Darling: Rangers open talks to sign "immaculate" star
Having missed out on signing Harry Darling, Rangers have made an approach to land a new defender.
Pakistan won the toss in each Test, rebuilt after one early wicket for a big second-wicket stand, and benefitted from SA’s largesse in the field
Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025The sun was all orange and prepared to turn in for one more day. The supporters had thinned out long ago; having clustered into the Pindi cricket ground to watch Babar Azam bat, most had filtered out when his now-habitually brief stay at the crease came to a tepid conclusion. On the field, it looked as if the Test match was tying up loose ends to leave things in shape for tomorrow. But in the last half hour on day one, Pakistan and South Africa were locked in a battle to claim just enough of the spoils to each declare victory.Kagiso Rabada, second new ball in hand, had brought it in masterfully to trap Mohammad Rizwan, whose review had the jeopardy of appeals to higher courts in an autocracy. Pakistan had demonstrated themselves vulnerable to lower-order collapses in each innings of the first Test, losing their last five wickets in 55 balls in the first innings, and their last six in 36 in the second. With 37 balls still to go following Rizwan’s dismissal, both sides recognised the importance of what would follow.Ultimately, Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel held out for an uneasy stalemate, sending the sun down the sky without further damage, but it illustrated how, initially almost imperceptibly, the tenor of the day had changed. For the best part of it, Pakistan appeared to have stuck day one Gaddafi into a high-quality photocopier for the resemblance between the starts of each Test is uncanny.They won the toss both times, rebuilt after one early wicket for a huge second-wicket stand, and benefitted from South Africa’s largesse in the field, who dropped chances for fun. With the wicket invariably worsening for batting with each passing hour, Pakistan looked to be sealing South Africa’s fate once more.That remains, odds on, the likeliest outcome. Keshav Maharaj spoke of the need to break the sixth-wicket stand in the first session on Monday, which he called, moving session. But, as long as this Test appears to hold faithful to its predecessor, Pakistan did find themselves on wobbly ground at the fall of their fifth wicket in Lahore – on 199 – before a 163-run sixth wicket stand took the game away from the visitors.Related
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But South Africa did learn the value of not going searching from that game. When they took the fifth wicket in Lahore in the 60th over, they went on to concede those 163 in 42.1 overs, just a shade under four runs per over. In that evening session, Agha and Rizwan had fed off South Africa’s urgency, plundering 114 runs before stumps were called. In Pindi, the visitors would not make that mistake, using Maharaj to hold up an end even before the wickets came. The final two sessions cost just 164 at under 2.7 runs, South Africa choosing patience over keenness.It is an approach Pakistan have adopted for their opening batter Abdullah Shafique, whose lack of form for over two years has not been punished with the same alacrity as the PCB can deploy in such matters. Shafique, in turn, chose to return the favour by trying to focus exclusively on time at the crease rather than run-scoring, his strike rate of 39.04 the lowest of any batter on Monday. He finished with a half-century but that did not necessarily mean he has a foundation to build on now. Shafique had three chances put down during a painstaking innings that should have had him back in the first half hour when he inexplicably chose to shoulder arms to Marco Jansen coming around the wicket, the ball tickling the off stump without rousing the bails.”You have to be slightly lucky on the day in international cricket sometimes,” he would later say, somewhat understatedly.Abdullah Shafique rode his luck and also made a half-century•Associated PressThat the day ends even is, in itself, something of a victory for South Africa. Pakistan had the fortune of the toss and their opponent’s generosity in the field all while batting in the best conditions. Shafique said the pitch hadn’t quite slowed up and yet, his team finished the day without having utilised that template to pull clear.It may all not matter in the bigger picture: hot takes on first day tend to be ice cold by the fourth day. Pakistan are within ten runs of the highest total of this series outside their own first innings effort in Lahore; all this may mean is they get there a little later than they might have planned or preferred.But for all that, this purported to be carbon copy of Lahore’s opening salvo could just as easily be seen as an extension to the end of the first Test: South Africa continuing to understand the conditions better, constantly making the tweaks that keep Pakistan reined in for as long as possible. The visitors have refused to give up, and in that sense, perhaps today in Pindi closely resembled not just the first day in Lahore, but every other day on this tour.One year ago, in the second Test against England in Multan and the first Test which kicked off Pakistan’s ongoing experiment with spin-friendly surfaces, they finished with the same slight uncertainty that has characterised on Monday. Pakistan’s score, as the two sides walked off, was 259 for 5, precisely what it was on Monday.Perhaps all days, as Pakistan look to whip every home surface into spin-worthy shape, are rather alike in Pakistan after all.
Bashir Chacha, still hoping to get a ticket for the India vs Pakistan game, could be the only Pakistan fan in the stands
Yash Jha13-Oct-20235:40
‘Once the first ball is bowled, everything is back to normal’
Thursday, 5pm IST. Hundreds of locals have gathered under the Ashram Road flyover in Usmanpura, Ahmedabad. They are there to catch a glimpse of the Pakistan team as they head for training. There’s still 30 minutes to go before the bus leaves the hotel, but two days out from contest of the World Cup, anticipation is heightening and security cover is already at the level you’d see on most match days for other games.But this is a game like no other. India versus Pakistan. In India for the first time in seven years. In front of what could be a record crowd of more than 100,000 people. They played in front of 90,000 at the MCG in last year’s T20 World Cup. Expect this to be louder and far more partisan than anything these Pakistan players would have come up against in their careers.Before the Pakistan team bus leaves the hotel, out walks Mohammad Bashir, known more famously as Bashir . He was a crowd favourite in Hyderabad during Pakistan’s first two World Cup games, and now Ahmedabad locals get their first sighting of him. He could possibly be the only Pakistani fan at the game on Saturday. How’s that for a daunting position to be in?Related
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“,” Bashir asks of the crowd, having scanned the scene for a minute. “India ,” is the instant response, loud in volume but not visceral in tone. The mood is good natured enough for Bashir to counter with a shout of “Pakistan “. The locals gather around him for selfies and the media can’t get enough of the man who moved from Karachi to Chicago four decades ago.Bashir’s attire on the day – a combined Pakistan and India outfit – is in keeping with his life story: his wife is an Indian from Hyderabad and he’s got used to being sledged by her. Remember, India have a proud 7-0 record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups. ” (She told me I’m going to be embarrassed again [by Pakistan losing], I said it doesn’t matter, I have to be there [in Ahmedabad]).”As of Thursday, he didn’t have a ticket to the game yet, but he’s optimistic. In 2011, ahead of the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in Mohali, his plea for tickets was fulfilled by MS Dhoni. He says Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have arranged tickets for him on many occasions.
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World Cup (We’ll take the World Cup away),” Bashir sings to the tune of the Bollywood song as he walks towards the hotel. Everyone around, including the police, has a laugh.But for the officials involved in organising Saturday’s showpiece – and there are many – this is serious business. There is immense security wherever you go: outside team hotels, at the city’s major junctions, and it peaks as you approach the massive stadium.Motera Stadium metro station gives direct access to the entrance of the venue, with gate Nos. 1 and 2 allotted to pedestrians on match days. There are police lined up at these gates. Venture inside and you see police in the hundreds, and that number will swell further as we get closer to the game. Around 5500 police officials, along with 600 private security officials, will be on duty to secure the stadium when the fans walk in through the gates on Saturday.There will be six semi-ICU ambulances deployed in addition to six medical kiosks, and there are two hospitals set up at the stadium: one with six beds, one with two. Thirty-five parking lots have been created outside the venue for the public while there’s space for 600 to 700 cars inside the stadium.Mohammad Bashir with MS Dhoni, who arranged tickets for him for the India-Pakistan match at the 2011 World Cup•Mohammad BashirFor people walking in, golf carts will be available to help the elderly and the differently abled – and thank goodness for that, for it is a seriously long walk from the gates to the seats. There will be more than 120 food stalls inside, and free mineral water supplied through the facility’s 48 RO plants.Taking in those numbers, and the scale of logistics, you wonder if you’re here for a city-wide festival. And indeed you are, for this weekend also marks the start of Navratri, which is massive in Ahmedabad (and much of northern India). Massive enough for the date of this more-than-a-game game to have been changed from October 15 to October 14.India arrived in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon and Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour, their head coach and batting coach respectively, went straight to the venue for a first look at the conditions. ESPNcricinfo has learned that a black-soil pitch has been chosen for the fixture, which might mean less pace for the fast men. There was no training for the Indian team on Thursday, with only Shubman Gill having a half-hour net session as he recovers from a bout of dengue. The Pakistan team had arrived in the city about 24 hours earlier and were walled-in by security during training.The doors will be thrown open on Saturday to what could be the largest crowd ever at a game of cricket. And because of how hard it has been for Pakistani fans to get tickets and visas to travel to India, there could be just a single speck of green among the strong ocean of raucous blue.
Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade help stage reprisal of Australia’s 2010 semi-final heist
Sampath Bandarupalli11-Nov-20212:33
Matthew Wade: Marcus Stoinis’ innings ‘freed me up’ to play the way I did at the end
16 Consecutive T20I wins for Pakistan in the UAE before losing to Australia. This winning streak began in 2016 against West Indies and turned out to be the second-longest for any team in men’s T20Is in a country. Afghanistan holds the record for winning 17 consecutive T20Is in the UAE before losing to Pakistan in the Super 12s.50 Target runs successfully chased by Australia in the last four overs. These are the second-most target runs they successfully chased down at the death (17-20) in a T20I. Their highest is 56 runs against Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2010.
Watch cricket live on ESPN+
Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of the second semi-final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).
21 Runs came off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling in the 19th over of the chase, the most expensive over of his T20 career (where ball-by-ball data is available). Matthew Wade hit a hat-trick of sixes to finish the match, the first instance of Shaheen being hit for three sixes in an over in T20s.177 The target chased by Australia was the third-highest successful chase for any team against Pakistan in T20Is. England chased 196 in Manchester last year, while Australia won chasing 192 in the semis of the 2010 T20 World Cup. The two chases against Pakistan 11 years apart are the only instances of Australia chasing down 160-plus targets at the T20 World Cup.2 Australia’s successful chase of 177 was the second-highest for any team in men’s T20Is in the UAE. The highest was by Afghanistan in 2016 when they chased down the target of 180 against UAE in Dubai. Before the semi-final, the highest target any team had chased down successfully against Pakistan was only 130.81* Partnership between Marcus Stoinis and Wade for the sixth wicket. Only two pairs had higher stands for the sixth wicket or lower in a successful T20I chase. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran put on an unbeaten 86-run stand for the sixth wicket against Ireland in 2019, while Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain added 82 for the seventh wicket against Zimbabwe the same year.1033 T20I runs for Mohammad Rizwan in 2021, the first batter with 1000 or more runs in a calendar year in this format. Babar Azam, with 826 runs this year, takes second place in the list of most T20I runs scored in a calendar year.4 for 26 Shadab Khan’s bowling figures against Australia, only the second four-for in the knockouts of the men’s T20 World Cup. Ajantha Mendis took four wickets for just 12 runs against West Indies in the final of the 2012 edition. However, the efforts of both bowlers went in vain, as they finished on the losing side.6 Matches played by Pakistan in this tournament, all with the same playing XI. Only two teams before them remained unchanged throughout a men’s international series or tournament while playing six or more matches. Papua New Guinea were unchanged across their eight games of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2019, while Netherlands also fielded the same set of 11 players in their seven matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2014.
India’s ODI opening partnership is set to feature neither of them for just the ninth time in the past five years
Graphic by Girish T.S 04-Feb-2020On Wednesday, India’s opening partnership in ODIs will feature neither Rohit Sharma nor Shikhar Dhawan for just the ninth time in the past five years. In that period, India have played 111 games. Rohit and Dhawan have played together in 74, Rohit has opened in another 22 with other partners, and Dhawan has played seven without Rohit. It will feel slightly surreal to India fans when two debutants, Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, open the batting against New Zealand in the three-match ODI series, a testament to how consistent Rohit and Dhawan have been in recent times.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
The Baltimore Orioles and rising star catcher Samuel Basallo have agreed to an eight-year, $67 million contract extension, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Basallo, who is just four games into his major league career, is one of the best prospects in baseball. He is hitting .286 in 14 big league at-bats with five RBI.
The 21-year-old Basallo's contract with Baltimore will begin in the 2026 season, and could max out at $88.5 million. It is the largest pre-arbitration extension for a catcher in major league history.
The Orioles have now locked up their present (and future) catcher for years to come.
Napoli identify West Ham ace as a potential alternative to Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo as the reigning Italian champions eye midfield reinforcements in the January transfer window. Antonio Conte wants a new midfield option in the upcoming window following a devastating injury to their star player, Kevin De Bruyne, which could potentially rule him out of action for the season.
Napoli target midfield signing
Conte did reinforce his midfield despite winning the Serie A title last season, as they secured the blockbuster signing of Manchester City legend De Bruyne on a free transfer. The Belgian midfielder started the season well and had adjusted to the conditions quickly; however, he suffered a terrible injury during the club's 3-1 win over Inter in October. After undergoing tests and scans, it was revealed that the midfielder had sustained a high-grade tear of the biceps femoris in his right thigh.
The timeline for recovery stretches into late February or early March, effectively ruling the Belgian out of the rest of Napoli’s 2025-26 campaign. It’s an injury with worrying precedents as De Bruyne underwent surgery on the same muscle in 2023 and missed a large part of last season for City. The recurrence not only put his season in jeopardy but also forced Napoli to rethink their creative structure.
Amid the injury crisis, Conte wants to sign a new midfielder and has put West Ham's Soungoutou Magassa in his shortlist, alongside out-of-favour United midfielder Mainoo.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMagassa could become a cheaper option for Napoli
While Mainoo remains Napoli's primary target for the January transfer window, they have also kept Magassa in the pipeline as an alternative. According to journalist , Magassa is being eyed as a cheaper option to Mainoo as the youngster could be available for just €15million (£13m/$17m). The former Monaco star only joined the Hammers in the last transfer window and has appeared in eight Premier League matches this season, out of which he has started in only four.
The French midfielder came to the limelight after scoring his maiden goal against Manchester United in midweek as he secured a crucial point for his side with a late equaliser.
Mainoo desperate to leave Man Utd
After falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo had asked to leave the club on loan in the summer but saw his request rejected by the Red Devils. He is once again ready to seek a loan in January. earlier reported that the English midfielder is 'deeply frustrated' with the lack of opportunities Amorim has given him, only starting him in the Carabao Cup tie against Grimsby Town back in August.
The report further claims that Mainoo would prefer a loan move abroad, with Bayern Munich and Napoli having shown interest in signing him in the past. United, however, are expected to wait until the Africa Cup of Nations is over and whether Noussair Mazraoui, Bryan Mbeumo or Amad Diallo sustain injuries during the tournament.
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Getty Images SportScholes slammed Amorim for 'ruining' Mainoo
Amorim recently talked down issues related to Mainoo's situation as he told reporters: "I see him as a starter like the other players. I just have to make a choice and then in the end, it's not been Kobbie. In the future, I don't know. Again, I always think the same thing with Casemiro. (He) was not playing and then he plays. I just want to win games. I don't care who is playing."
In response, however, United legend Paul Scholes hit back at the head coach as he responded: "Bulls***. The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can't control a game of football. Hate seeing homegrown players leave but it's probably best for him now, enough is enough."