Matthews bowled the final over with Heat needing just six to win and conceded only three runs, to break an eight-game losing streak for Renegades

AAP18-Nov-2023

Melbourne Renegades have broken an eight-game losing streak in a thrilling two-run upset win over Brisbane Heat, with skipper Hayley Matthews proving the hero in the final over.The Heat needed six runs to win at the start of the 20th over bowled by Matthews, but the West Indies star conceded just three runs to keep Nicola Hancock and Courtney Sippel quiet at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field.Earlier, Matthews was due a match-winning score and she delivered with her best and most influential innings of the WBBL season, scoring 46 off 28 balls to help Renegades post 169 for 7.Heat opener Grace Harris kept her side in the hunt in the chase with a powerful 65 from just 36 balls before a late flurry by Jess Jonassen and Hancock put them on the brink of victory at the end of the 19th over.Matthews took the early wicket of Georgia Redmayne and two slick catches before her heroics in the final over to restrict the Heat to 167 for 9.With the bat, Matthews played strokes all around the ground. She was looking ominous in the closing overs until she was bowled by seamer Hancock, who finished with her career-best figures of 4 for 20.Opener Emma de Broughe made a classy 42 at the top of the order and supported Matthews well.The Renegades were 134 for 2 in the 16th over before Hancock and part-timer Harris pegged them back. Harris picked up 2 for 16 with her offspin.The loss could be costly for the Heat who stay in third position on the WBBL table on 14 points, two behind leaders Perth Scorchers.

Tottenham Hotspur are now closely monitoring two Premier League players ahead of the summer transfer window, with a “sensational” £60m midfielder on their radar, according to a report.

Spurs struggling amid injury crisis

Tottenham’s season has undoubtedly been hampered by the scale of the injury crisis in N17, and Ange Postecoglou bemoaned the number of players currently sidelined in the wake of his side exiting the EFL Cup at the hands of Liverpool.

“Vicario, Romero, Destiny, Van de Ven, Solanke, Odobert… I could go on and on. We had 10 senior players missing. If you take seven or eight key players from any team and you’re playing the best team in the league at the best, I don’t think you make judgements in these moments.”

After crashing out of the EFL Cup as a result of the 4-0 drubbing at Anfield, Postecoglou is undoubtedly under increasing pressure, with recent performances not good enough, regardless of the number of players currently on the sidelines.

However, the Australian continues to work on potential signings for the summer, with the injuries this season perhaps indicating the manager needs a bigger squad to work with if he is going to continue to play such an intense style of football.

According to reports from Spain, Tottenham are now closely monitoring two Premier League players for the end of the season, namely Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.

The English duo have attracted Spurs’ attention after putting in some impressive performances for their respective clubs, with Dibling enjoying a breakout season at St Mary’s, despite the fact his side are at serious risk of relegation.

The report claims the Lilywhites are looking to sign young players for the future, rather than focusing on big-name signings, and the Premier League duo fit the bill in that regard, with Dibling just 18, while Wharton – valued at £60m in the summer – is 21.

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Dibling and Wharton impressing in the Premier League

It is no wonder Tottenham are looking to sign the talented English youngsters given that they have been in good form this season, with Dibling solidifying his place in the Southampton first team, picking up four goals and two assists in all competitions.

Crystal Palace star Wharton has been impressing for quite some time now, receiving a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2024, and he has been the subject of high praise from members of the media.

Dibling and Wharton are showing signs of great promise, so it is exciting news Tottenham are in the running for their signatures, although it may be difficult to lure them to north London if they fail to qualify for Europe next season, which is looking increasingly likely.

As Wolverhampton Wanderers prepare to square off against Everton in a game which could lift them a huge eight points clear of the drop, Vitor Pereira could welcome back as many as three key men in a major boost for those in the Midlands.

Wolves injury news

As things stand, Wolves are moving closer and closer towards confirmed safety with as many as five points separating themselves and the relegation zone in the final 11 Premier League games of the campaign. Their job is not yet done, however, and their next three games against Everton, Southampton and West Ham United are likely to be season-defining without star man Matheus Cunha.

The Brazilian turned a moment to savour into a moment of madness against Bournemouth last time out, scoring a wonder goal before seeing red and headbutting Milos Kerkez to receive his marching orders.

Following his second suspension of the season, Cunha could even miss further games which may also rule him out of a vital fixture against Ipswich Town.

As Pereira awaits the verdict on his star forward’s ban though, he will at least be relieved to have received a number of injury boosts. As confirmed by the manager, Wolves are set to welcome the returns of Emmanuel Agbadou, Rodrigo Gomes and Goncalo Guedes against Everton this weekend, whilst Marshall Munetsi and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde have also been passed fit.

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Pereira told reporters: “Agbadou is ready to help us. Munetsi is ready, Guedes is ready, Rodrigo is ready, Bellegarde too. I’m very happy and positive for this game.”

Having missed the last three games, the return of January arrival Agbadou should prove to be a particular boost as Wolves look to end Everton’s four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and return to winning ways themselves in doing so.

"Strong" Agbadou is returning at crucial time

With Cunha’s ban likely to stifle Wolves’ frontline, Agbadou’s return certainly comes at a key time for those in the Midlands. More than ever in the next three games or potentially more, they’ll have to fall back on their defensive work if they want to push more than the five points clear they currently find themselves away from the dropzone.

The 28-year-old, meanwhile, has an opportunity in his own right to cement a starting place in Pereira’s strongest side after starting games against Bournemouth and Fulham in the Premier League before an ill-timed injury stopped his momentum in its tracks.

Reims defender Joseph Okumu will certainly back his former teammate to do exactly that after telling GiveMeSport in January: “It was quite interesting to play alongside Emmanuel. We had quite a good time together. We played against each other in Belgium and then together for a while at Reims. He is quite strong and we had a great bond.”

Now at Wolves, Agbadou will be keen to show that strength and play his part in taking the club to safety under Pereira – starting with victory against Everton at Molineux this weekend.

It’s fair to say tonight’s Championship contest between Leeds United and Sheffield United is a hotly anticipated one, as the second tier’s top two do battle at Bramall Lane.

The Blades could well topple the Whites off their perch at the top of the division with a special win, with South Yorkshire also winning itself bragging rights in the process.

Of course, Chris Wilder’s men might find Leeds too difficult of a team to break down, on the contrary, with Daniel Farke and Co potentially five points clear at the summit come full-time.

It will be a fascinating match to take in, with the 57-year-old left with many a selection dilemma too ahead of Leeds’ visit as various injured personnel could be back fit and ready to go.

Sheffield United's selection dilemmas

One face that could be back in contention for this second-tier humdinger is Tom Cannon with the nine-goal striker in the Championship this season nowhere to be seen last time out versus Luton Town owing to injury.

Now, however, he could be fast-tracked back into the first team fold to try and catch a staunch Leeds defence cold, with the ex-Stoke City loanee yet to get off the mark in his new surroundings after a potent stint at the Potters.

It would be quite the dramatic stage for Cannon to start to recapture his Stoke best, with Wilder also potentially boosted by experienced head Kieffer Moore being back fit as another body he can call upon up top.

Amazingly, the Welshman has never scored against Leeds from nine career contests, but unwanted records like that are made to be broken, with the ex-Cardiff City man on five strikes for the season when fit.

But, away from the two named strikers, there is another figure who could make a timely return from the treatment room that would really hurt Leeds, having previously been on their radar as a transfer target.

The Sheffield United star who could really hurt Leeds

Leeds have definitely kept a keen eye on proceedings at Bramall Lane in recent years when it comes to their incoming transfer business, with Jayden Bogle poached from South Yorkshire last summer to defect over to Elland Road.

In the same window, Farke and Co were allegedly interested in snapping up second-tier star Gustavo Hamer, but no such deal came to be, leaving the high-flying Blades with a top talent for the level.

The table-toppers eventually landed Manor Solomon’s signature, who has taken to life in the Championship swimmingly with seven strikes and seven assists in league action, but Hamer feels as if he would’ve been a sterling buy long-term for the Whites especially if promotion is reached.

Indeed, the 27-year-old managed to tally up an impressive four goals and six assists across 36 Premier League appearances last season for Wilder’s men – even as a rock-bottom finish was confirmed in the top-flight – on top of the fact he is only two goal contributions off Solomon in the here and now.

1. Joel Piroe

33

14

6

2. Daniel James

27

10

6

3. Manor Solomon

26

7

7

4. Brenden Aaronson

33

8

2

5. Wilfried Gnonto

30

5

5

Amazingly, his seven goals and five assists would place him among Leeds’ top five performers if he had entered the building, with Farke’s men even more of a terrifying prospect potentially if Hamer was thrown into the side down the left or as an attack-oriented body centrally.

Hamer could have the last laugh later on, however, if he is fit enough to start, as the “beautiful” Blades ace – as he’s been heralded in the past by football journalist Josh Bunting – goes about delivering a reality check to the league leaders

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There will be sweeping changes at San Siro this summer even if the Rossoneri beat Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday

Almost exactly a year ago, Juventus parted company with Massimiliano Allegri in highly acrimonious circumstances just two days after winning the Coppa Italia. If recent reports are to be believed, Sergio Conceicao and AC Milan will also go their separate ways after Wednesday's final against Bologna – no matter the result at the Stadio Olimpico.

Defeat would obviously make the Portuguese's exit inevitable. Conceicao may have a contract until 2026, but Milan reserve the right to cancel the agreement this summer, which would become something of a formality if the Rossoneri fail to take the edge off a calamitous Serie A campaign by winning a major honour. However, it's also been claimed that the former Porto boss will resign even if he adds the Coppa Italia to the Supercoppa Italiana he won just days after replacing Paulo Fonseca as coach in January, having been left bitterly frustrated by constant speculation over his future and numerous reports that Allegri, rather coincidentally, is one of the many coaches being considered as his possible successor.

Unsurprisingly, the man himself is keeping his cards very close to his chest, insisting that he will only speak about his future when the time is right, but it seems highly unlikely that Conceicao will still be in the Milan hotseat for the start of next season – especially with a new sporting director on the way.

Indeed, with the Rossoneri sitting eighth in the Serie A standings and almost certain to miss out on Champions League football next season, this is expected to be a summer of sweeping changes at San Siro. Several high-profile loanees are almost certain to leave, but the big fear among the fans is that some of the club's most valuable assets may also be sold to fund a comprehensive – and expensive – overhaul of a squad that was meant to challenge for the title this year…

• Getty Images
  

  Joao Felix

  Joao Felix's loan spell at San Siro began brightly. The Chelsea-owned forward scored on his debut, in the Coppa Italia win over Roma on February 5, and that prompted a typically bombastic reaction from Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who went public with the club's interest in signing Felix on a permanent basis far too quickly.

  "He has already introduced himself with a magical goal," the Swede told . "He is a great talent, he has experience, but he is young and can still grow a lot. We looked for a player between midfield and attack for blocked matches, against closed teams and here he can make the difference. He is a player of magic and this is something you either have or you don’t. His quality speaks for itself and we are satisfied. We must now put him in a position to do the best he can."

  Unfortunately for Zlatan, Milan and Felix, he hasn't netted a single goal since. Consequently, one of the biggest serial flops in football history will be on the move again this summer just months after expressing his determination to finally find a proper home for himself in Milan.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Kyle Walker

  It has been argued that Ibrahimovic attaches more importance to profile than performances when it comes to recruiting players – and the loan signing of Kyle Walker adds plenty of credence to the claim. Anyone who watched Walker in action for Manchester City during the first half of the season – or even at last summer's European Championship – knew full well that the once-great full-back was finished at the highest level.

  Milan felt the 34-year-old was a risk worth taking, though, and plenty of people at the club have very nice things to say about Walker's versatility, professionalism and the value of his leadership qualities. However, he has failed to lock down a regular starting spot, with Alex Jimenez expected to start ahead of him in the Coppa final, and the word is that Milan will only sign the Englishman on a permanent basis if City reduce the option-to-buy in his contract from €5 million (£4.2m/$5.6m) to €3.5m (£2.9m/$3.9m) – which arguably says a lot about where both the player and the club are at right now.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Tammy Abraham

  Were it not for Tammy Abraham, Milan probably wouldn't be in the Coppa Italia final. The on-loan forward is the tournament's top scorer this season, with four goals, including a double against parent club Roma in the quarter-finals.

  However, there's no guarantee that he'll start in the final against Bologna as Luka Jovic and Santiago Gimenez, in particular, have been in better form in recent weeks.

  Milan could yet end up signing Abraham on a permanent basis. His record of 10 goals from 17 starts in all competitions is not too bad. However, Abraham is believed to be on €6m (£5m/$6.7m) per annum at Roma and there's little chance of Milan paying such a salary to an injury-prone player.

  At this point in time, a reunion with former Roma boss Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce looks a far more likely outcome for the 27-year-old striker.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Fikayo Tomori

  Fikayo Tomori looked certain to leave Milan for Juventus or Tottenham during the winter window, as it was painfully obvious during the first half of the season that former boss Fonseca didn't have much faith in one of the foundations of the 2021-22 title triumph. Tomori insisted in February, though, that he never had any intention of leaving.

  "I feel good here, I feel at home," he told . "In these four years I have won two trophies, and we could have won more. But now we have a stronger team, I feel good here. As long as they don't tell me to leave, I am happy here."

  It was probably only the change of coach that kept Tomori at San Siro, though, as Conceicao holds the Englishman in much higher esteem than Fonseca, and the centre-half should start Wednesday's game at the Olimpico despite being forced to come off against Bologna in Serie A on Friday with a head injury.

  Nonetheless, the 27-year-old is still expected to be sold this summer, as Milan look to take advantage of the fact that there is still plenty of interest in Tomori's services from the Premier League and use the money raised to rebuild a backline that has been breached far too regularly and far too easily this season.

Manchester City are safely through to the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to a 3-1 win at home to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle.

This game had the potential to be a tricky one to navigate for the Citizens given the Pilgrims knocked out Premier League leaders Liverpool in the previous round.

As it happened, the visitors took the lead at the Etihad Stadium. It was a poor goal to concede from City’s point of view, as Argyle centre-back Maksym Talovierov found himself unmarked from a corner and rose highest to head home.

However, City did not have to wait too long for their equaliser. Youngster Nico O’Reilly levelled the game back up in first-half stoppage-time and got himself a second to give City the lead with 15 minutes left.

Pep Guardiola’s men sealed their place in the next round thanks to a goal from Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian, who put in an impressive performance, ran onto a through ball from talismanic striker Erling Haaland and poked home from just inside the six-yard box.

It was a professional performance on the whole from the Citizens, although one player who struggled at times was youngster James McAtee.

James McAtee's stats v Plymouth

Make no mistake, McAtee’s performance was by no means a poor one. However, the City ace, who operated in the No 10 role against the Championship outfit, did not really have a big influence on the game.

That said, this was not through lack of effort. The midfielder, who was substituted on the hour mark for Haaland, worked incredibly hard, but simply struggled to get into the game.

McAtee’s stats from the game on Sofascore show just how tough of a match it was for him. The 22-year-old had just 35 touches, although he did manage to create two chances in that time.

Joe Krishnan, a journalist for The Express, gave the attacking midfielder a post-match rating of 6/10 for his efforts. He explained that he “looked bright in the early stages” and was “recognised with a warm ovation” upon his substitution.

It was certainly a mixed night for McAtee, although the same cannot be said for another City academy star who didn’t just outclass the academy graduate but also the great De Bruyne.

The Man City player who thrived most vs Plymouth

It was an excellent evening for Nico O’Reilly. The youngster has now played nine times for the first team this season following his performance against the Pilgrims, and has impressed with his ability on the ball and versatility.

On Saturday night, the youngster started at left-back, but he has also played at centre-back, across the midfield and even as a No 9 this term, which is certainly handy for Guardiola to rely on.

His goals were impressive, too. Both were headers from set-pieces, with the first a glancing effort from a De Bruyne cross that the goalkeeper got a hand to, but nothing more. O’Reilly’s was teed up by Phil Foden for his second, scoring with a towering effort at the back post from a corner.

The youngster’s stats from the game showed how big his influence was. He had 90 touches and completed 89% of his passes. The City left-back also made one clearance and one interception.

Stat

Total

Touches

90

Pass accuracy

89%

Passes completed

65/73

Shots on target

2

Goals

2

Clearances

1

Interceptions

1

Krishnan highlighted that O’Reilly had to grow into the game, pointing out that he “initially struggled to make the same impact” as Josko Gvardiol in an attacking sense. However, he gave him an 8/10 for what was ultimately a decisive performance.

O’Reilly is certainly an exciting talent and really feels like the future feature of the Citizens team for the coming years.

His ability to play anywhere required of him on the pitch and his capability of finding the net is extremely useful.

The 19-year-old has certainly not done his future first-team chances any harm after Saturday’s showing. Perhaps City will get used to the sight of him donning that famous sky blue shirt with Haaland and co on a more regular basis.

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Fortune Barishal have acquired Mushfiqur Rahim as the most high-profile pick in the BPL draft held in Dhaka on Sunday. Led by Tamim Iqbal, the side that lost in the eliminator last season, also picked Yannic Cariah, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Saifuddin during the draft.But it was defending champions Comilla Victorians who made some big-name signings. They were conservative in the draft because they already had Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Iftikhar Ahmed among their 11 overseas signings before the draft took place. During the draft, they picked the West Indian duo Rahkeem Cornwall and Matthew Forde, apart from bringing back their championship winning captain Imrul Kayes.Sylhet Strikers, who were runners-up last season, retained the talismanic Mashrafe Mortaza, while Najmul Hossain Shanto was their direct signing from among the local players. Mohammad Mithun and Rezaur Rahman Raja were their draft picks.Khulna Tigers went for the Sri Lankan duo of Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha among their overseas picks, having already named Nasum Ahmed and Nahidul Islam as their retentions.Big-spenders Rangpur Riders have Shakib Al Hasan as their main man, and they got Rony Talukdar and Shamim Hossain among their local picks in the draft. They also picked Michael Rippon, who moved from Netherlands to New Zealand recently, and USA allrounder Yasir Mohammad among their overseas names.BPL 2024 is scheduled to begin in mid-January, once again clashing with the BBL, ILT20 and SA20 which will run around the same time. Here are the draft picks, direct signings and retentions for each team:

Comilla Victorians

Retained & direct signings: Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanvir Islam, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Rizwan, Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Zaman Khan, Khushdil Shah, Johnson Charles, Noor Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Rashid KhanDraft picks: Imrul Kayes, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Zaker Ali Anik, Mahidul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Mushfik Hasan, Rahkeem Cornwall, Matthew Forde

Sylhet Strikers

Retained & direct signings: Mashrafe Mortaza, Zakir Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Ryan Burl, Ben Cutting, Harry TectorDraft picks: Mohammad Mithun, Rezaur Rahman Raja, Ariful Haque, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nazmul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Jawad Rowen, George Scrimshaw, Richard Ngarava, Dushan Hemantha, Sameet Patel

Khulna Tigers

Retained & direct signings: Nasum Ahmed, Nahidul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Anamul Haque, Evin Lewis, Faheem Ashraf, Dhananjaya de Silva, Shai Hope, Dasun Shanaka, Mohammad Waseem JrDraft picks: Afif Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Parvez Hossain Emon, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Mukidul Islam Mughdho, Akbar Ali, Kasun Rajitha

Durdanto Dhaka

Retained & direct signings: Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Arafat Sunny, Mosaddek Hossain, Chaturanga de Silva, Sam Aiyub, Usman QadirDraft picks: Mohammad Naim, Saif Hasan, Irfan Sukkur, Sabbir Hossain, Alauddin Babu, SM Mehrob Hossain, Lahiru Samarakoon, Sadeera Samarawickrama

Chattogram Challengers

Retained & direct signings: Shuvagata Hom, Ziaur Rahman, Nihaduzzaman, Shohidul Islam, Mohammad Haris, Nazibullah Zadran, Mohammad Hasnain, Stephen EskinaziDraft picks: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Al-Amin Hossain, Shykat Ali, Imran Uzzaman, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Salahuddin Sakil, Curtis Campher, Bilal Khan

Fortune Barishal

Retained & direct signings: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ibrahim Zadran, Shoaib Malik, Paul Stirling, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Dunith WellalageDraft picks: Mushfiqur Rahim, Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Soumya Sarkar, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Pritom Kumer, Yanik Cariah

Rangpur Riders

Retained & direct signings: Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Brandon King, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ihsanullah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nicholas PooranDraft picks: Rony Talukdar, Shamim Hossain, Ripon Mondal, Hasan Murad, Michael Rippon, Fazle Mahmud, Yasir Mohammad, Abu Hider Rony, Ashikuzzaman

The franchise also parts ways with spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed while bringing back Nathan Leamon as director of strategy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2023Abdul Rehman, a stalwart of the Pakistani domestic coaching circuit, has been promoted to Multan Sultans’ head coach after serving as the team’s assistant coach for the last five years. He replaces former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter Andy Flower at the helm.Rehman, currently the assistant coach of Pakistan men’s team, had joined Multan in 2018. Under Flower and him, the team reached the final of the last three PSL editions and won the tournament in 2021.”The past five years have been a great journey for the Multan Sultans and I am privileged to have been part of it,” Flower said. “When I agreed to join the Sultans, my first request was for Abdul Rehman to be my assistant coach. He is an exceptional coach and a consummate professional, and I am confident the team will benefit with him at the helm.”A month ago, Flower, who is one of the most decorated coaches in the game, was appointed head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL for a three-year term. Till the end of IPL 2023, he was head coach of Lucknow Super Giants and under him, the franchise made back-to-back playoffs in their first two years in the competition.”It is an honour to be carrying forward Andy Flower’s legacy at the Multan Sultans,” Rehman said. “Together with our leadership team, our coaching and support teams, we look forward to taking Multan Sultans forward with passion and innovation.”Multan have also parted ways with Mushtaq Ahmed, who was their spin-bowling coach for the last four years. They have also brought on board Nathan Leamon as Multan’s director of strategy. Leamon had worked closely with England across all three formats from 2009 for more than a decade. He has also worked exclusively with the white-ball teams since 2016, and had spent time with Multan in 2019 and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.Recently, Multan also became the first T20 franchise in Pakistan with a female general manager.

Beuran Hendricks called up as replacement

Firdose Moonda08-Dec-2023Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the T20Is against India with a left ankle sprain and is also in doubt for the two-match Test series.Ngidi was due to play in the first two T20Is and then a domestic four-day match starting on December 14 in preparation for the Tests. But he will now be assessed by Cricket South Africa’s medical team before a decision is made on his availability for that fixture.Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, who has played 19 T20Is for South Africa but none since July 2021, has been called up as a replacement.That leaves South Africa without three first-choice bowlers for the T20Is, after Kagiso Rabada was rested for the series and Anrich Nortje was ruled out for the entire tour as he recovers from a lower-back stress fracture. But they still have a strong selection of quicks to pick from. Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Ottniel Baartman and Hendricks, along with allrounders Nandre Burger and Andile Phehlukwayo, are all in the current squad. However, Jansen and Coetzee will be released after the first two games to play red-ball cricket ahead of the Tests.None of the frontline quicks will play in the ODIs, with Baartman and Williams to lead an attack that includes Burger, Wiaan Mulder and uncapped Mihlali Mpongwana.South Africa’s two experienced spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, have been included in both white-ball squads with Maharaj also part of the Test set-up.

كشف ياري مينا، مدافع نادي برشلونة السابق وكالياري الحالي، أن نادي ريال مدريد حاول التعاقد معه من قبل، وذلك عندما كان الدولي الكولومبي لاعبًا في صفوف بالميراس.

وقدم مينا مستويات جيدة مع بالميراس، قبل أن يتعاقد معه برشلونة خلال عام 2018 مقابل 12 مليون يورو.

لكن مينا لم يستطع تقديم المستوى المطلوب مع برشلونة، ليغادر الفريق الكتالوني في نفس العام وينتقل إلى صفوف إيفرتون مقابل 30 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سبورت: أزمة تسجيل اللاعبين صداع في رأس فليك.. وقلق شديد

وأشار مينا في مقابلة مع صحيفة “لاجازيتا ديلو سبورت” الإيطالية: “كان ريال مدريد مهتمًا أيضًا، لكنني أردت اللعب لبرشلونة”.

وعن سبب رحيله عن صفوف برشلونة: “لم يتحدث معي إرنستو فالفيردي إلا في اليوم الأول، لمدة سبعة أشهر، لم يتحدث معي ولو بكلمة، على الرغم من فوزنا بالدوري الإسباني وكأس الملك، لم ألعب إلا قليلًا، وتعرضت لإصابة في القدم بعد خطأ من راكيتيتش في التدريب”.

وأوضح: “أردت مغادرة برشلونة، رغم حب الجماهير لي، لكنني أردت اللعب، اتصل بي مورينيو، الذي كان يدرب مانشستر يونايتد آنذاك، وقال لي: ‘إذا كنت لائقًا، فستلعب معنا، لكن كان علي التعافي من إصابتي”.

وأتم مينا: ”أقنعني ماركو سيلفا بالانتقال إلى إيفرتون، كانت تلك خمس سنوات رائعة، اعتمد كارلو أنشيلوتي علي، بدأنا الموسم بشكل جيد، لكن بعد ذلك تعرض خمسة لاعبين منا للإصابة وتراجع مستوى الفريق”.