Tag Futebol

The fast bowler, who is currently recovering from injury, also admitted the scale of the controversy took the players by surprise

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2018

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has suggested that a win at all costs mentality played a part in the deterioration of the team’s on-field behaviour which ultimately led to the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.On field antics had already raised eyebrows during the Ashes and earlier in the series against South Africa – Nathan Lyon was fined for a send-off given to AB de Villiers – before the dramatic events unfolded at Newlands which led to captain Steven Smith and David Warner being banned for a year and Cameron Bancroft for nine months.Hazlewood, who is missing the current one-day series in England due to a back injury, said it was only the results on the field which mattered and not how the team or players were portrayed, something that he believes the new coach Justin Langer is trying to change.”It’s a big tour always South Africa, coming off the back of an Ashes as well which was quite stressful,” Hazlewood told . “All big tours are stressful and that added pressure we probably put on ourselves as much as anyone to win.”Where the stress has come from is that we are pretty much measured on our cricket ability, not as people off the field, which we had probably got away from in the past six months, 12 months. A focus only on results I guess drives people to do different things and we are only measured on our cricket success.”I don’t think that’s how it is now, I think that’s changed a little bit, JL has talked a lot about how we are behaving off the field and we are going to be measured on that as well which is a good sign.”Hazlewood admitted that the Australians didn’t grasp the seriousness of the ball-tampering controversy until the following morning when it had started to register back home. Smith was immediately stood down for the remainder of the Cape Town Test before the trio involved were handed their sanctions a few days later.”We went to bed that night and Australia hadn’t woken up yet, when it hit back in Australia and we woke up it was quite surprising how big a reaction it was,” he said. “It wasn’t massive in South Africa, all the Australian writers know it’s going on here and there and around different teams and people have been done in the past, I guess they talked it down a bit if anything but once it hit home the media went the other way and the reaction was massive.”Hazlewood also hinted at agreement with Langer that Smith – who Langer said in an interview with Sky Sports “maybe just wasn’t strong enough in his leadership” – lacked the experience needed to keep the team on track but added that these days players are often required to do all their learning on the international stage.”Cricket-wise I think he was ready, he probably wasn’t ready with everything that came with it I guess,” he said. “It’s a different time now where we’re basically cricketers from the time we leave school and we don’t really experience life outside of cricket and the cricket environment, back in those times they probably got out in the world, had a few jobs, learned a lot of life lessons. Now you go straight from school into a cricket environment and cricket is all you know.”

While England built a 128-run lead, Thorpe confessed to “a little edge of frustration” that every dismissed batsman in the top order reached 20

George Dobell at Headingley02-Jun-20181:23

Bess rewarded for batting work – Thorpe

Graham Thorpe, England’s lead batting coach, admitted it is proving harder than ever to produce Test-quality batsmen.Thorpe, who made 16 centuries in a 100-Test career, believes the increased onus on limited-overs cricket and the scheduling of the County Championship may have contributed to the difficulties in producing players who are accustomed to batting for a long time in varying conditions.And while England built a 128-run lead on the second day at Headingley, Thorpe confessed to “a little edge of frustration” that every batsman in the top seven reached 20 but none have, as yet, gone on to register a half-century. Jos Buttler will resume on Sunday unbeaten on 34.”Yes, without a shadow of a doubt [it is harder to produce Test-quality batsmen],” Thorpe said. “It is a challenge. It is tough [on early season pitches]. It’s that ability to have a game that can work in different conditions.”And there’s the mental side of it. I don’t know if the white-ball game has altered that to an extent, but that ability to apply themselves…Test cricket is longer and more mentally wearing than the one-day game. There’s more thinking time and they have to understand they have to adapt and adjust to different conditions.”Thorpe’s words largely echo those of England’s head coach, Trevor Bayliss. After the first Test defeat, he questioned the value of playing on early-season Championship cricket where seam bowlers are sometimes provided copious levels of assistance. As a result, few batsmen play the long innings that tend to define Test matches. As a result, there is not the competition for places that the England selectors – and coaches – may desire and Wasim Khan, the Leicestershire CEO, is leading a working party looking into a better structure for the domestic game.”We want to create competition for places,” Thorpe said. “As teams often play better when they have that competition. At present, the one-day side has more players available than the Test side.”Perhaps the most impressive batsman on the second day was 20-year-old Dom Bess. Sent in as nightwatchman towards the end of day one, Bess failed by only one run to record a second successive Test half-century. And, so assured did he look, that at one stage Pakistan were bowling with two slips to him and three to Dawid Malan, while at another stage, the crowd mistook him for Joe Root – they chanted “Rooooot” – when Bess produced a perfect back foot force through the covers.”He’s shown some good character and fight,” Thorpe said. “And he’s enjoying the nightwatchman role.”Eighteen months ago his batting wasn’t at this level, so it shows the work he has put in. And, credit to the senior guys in the team, he has come into the dressing room and felt settled. I could say the same for Sam Curran and Keaton Jennings, too. They’re all settled and natural in the dressing room.”Thorpe also admitted there had been some reflection among the batsmen after the first Test and felt there had been more application in Leeds as a result.”After the first Test, which was a huge disappointment, the players have talked and probably had some hard words with themselves,” he said. “But they’ve applied themselves here.”There is a little edge of frustration that all the batters have got past 20 but none have got 50, but we’re pleased with the lead. The game isn’t in the bag, but we have shown some fight, character and application over the past couple of days and that has been pleasing.”

Last season, Luis Arráez became the first hitter in MLB history to win a batting title in the American League and National League in consecutive years. It was always going to be hard for the majors’ best contemporary contact hitter to deliver a follow-up act, but he found a way to over the last 38 days.

Arráez struck out Monday night for the first time in 141 plate appearances. It was the longest any MLB hitter had gone in 23 seasons between punchouts and the fifth-longest streak in the last 40. While it’s not the longest streak in MLB history—Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn owns the longest streak (170 plate appearances) in the expansion era—it may be the most impressive, considering how common strikeouts are in the modern game due to the increased velocity and spin rates hitters must face.

Arráez fittingly went down in a lengthy at-bat, as it took Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti nine pitches to send the San Diego Padres designated hitter back to the dugout (a 3–2 curveball did the trick.) The 27-year-old’s last strikeout before Monday night came during his second at-bat against Miami Marlins starter Roddery Muñoz on August 10, covering a span of 30 full games and parts of two others. In his time between those strikeouts, Arraez hit .386 with a .434 on-base percentage and slugged .455. He had 51 hits in that time, including 44 singles, six doubles and a home run (off of New York Mets hurler Paul Blackburn).

Arráez now leads the National League in batting average at .323. He's 21 points clear of Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (.302) and looks locked in for his third consecutive batting title.

But that's not all that happened in the past month-plus. A lot has changed across baseball and the world. Here's a look at some other things that have happened during Arraez's streak.

On August 10, the Baltimore Orioles were 70–48 and had MLB's best record, leading the New York Yankees in the American League East by one game. They have struggled since, going 14–18 and falling to the seventh-best record in MLB (1). They're now three games behind New York in the AL East.

The Chicago White Sox are having one of the worst seasons in baseball history. During Arraez's streak, they went 8–24 (hilariously, a better win percentage than their season mark) and suffered a 12-game losing streak (2). They were shut out five times and posted a run differential of -56. Oh, and three of those wins occurred since Saturday, giving the White Sox their first three-game win streak since June.

The Seattle Mariners were tied with the Astros for the AL West lead and three games back in the wild-card race. They went on to lose eight of their next 10 games, prompting a manager change from Scott Servais to Dan Wilson (3). They now trail the Astros by four games in the division … but have slightly improved their wild-card standing, sitting two games out of a playoff spot.

Elly De La Cruz enters Tuesday's games leading MLB in strikeouts with 201. During Arraez's streak without a K, the electric Cincinnati Reds shortstop played in 34 games and made 150 plate appearances. He struck out 46 times (4).

Shohei Ohtani continued his inevitable march toward the National League MVP award and continued his pursuit of becoming the sole member of the 50–50 club. During Arraez's streak, Ohtani hit 12 home runs and stole 16 bases (5). He also struck out 36 times.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes took the mound six times in that stretch. He went 4–1 with a 1.59 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and racked up 43 strikeouts against 12 walks in 34 innings (6). He surrendered only six earned runs and one home run in that time.

Baseball wasn't the only sport happening during the last month-plus. The closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympics (7) took place on August 11, the day after Arraez's streak began. Yeah, it was that long ago. Additionally, the entire 2024 Paralympic Games (8) took place. The event began on August 28 in Paris and ended on September 8 after 549 events in 22 sports.

There were four-plus weeks of NFL football between the start of Arraez's streak and the end. The last games from Week 1 of the preseason happened on August 11. Two preseason weeks and two full weeks of regular season football (9) were played between his strikeouts.

Florida State went 0–3 (10), , during the streak.

There have been four full weeks of Premier League action (11), with Manchester City racing to the top of the table. The Citizens are 4-0-0 with an 11–3 goal differential.

San Marino, the last-place team in FIFA's soccer rankings, won its first match in 20 years (12) by beating Liechtenstein.

During Arraez's streak, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2,124.54 points (13) from 39,497.54 to 41,662.08. Is Luis Arraez displaying a keen eye at the plate good for the U.S. economy? It's hard to argue against the evidence.

The Boeing Starliner finally returned to Earth (14) after being stuck in space for three months. It was floating in the stars for 26 days during the streak.

Beetlejuice returned to screens in and racked up more than a quarter billion dollars at the box office.

won 18 Emmys (16), the most ever for a show in a single year.

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey (17) spent the entire length of Arraez's streak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So I guess not everything has changed.

da betsson： This summer is massive for Ruben Amorim if he is to succeed as Manchester United manager, needing to oversee a huge transformation of the first-team squad.

da dobrowin： Their lowly Premier League standing this campaign is evidence that changes are desperately needed if they are to return to their former glory in the years ahead.

Whilst they still have a chance to claim a trophy in the form of the Europa League, it has undoubtedly been a disappointing year for the Red Devils – recording their lowest points tally in the Premier League era.

However, with a couple of weeks left of the season, the hierarchy have wasted no time in targeting reinforcements for Amorim, aiding him in his quest of being a success at Old Trafford.

One area of the pitch in particular has been the subject of keen interest in the last couple of days, with the side in desperate need of reinforcements to take the Red Devils to the next level.

An update on United’s pursuit of new attackers this summer

Matheus Cunha has been the main target for United within the final third, with his move edging closer to completion, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is the latest player to emerge on the club’s shortlist, potentially linking up with the Brazilian at Old Trafford should they both move.

The Frenchman isn’t the only striker currently on their shortlist, with Liam Delap also a key target after his £30m release clause became active after Ipswich Town’s relegation was confirmed.

However, Lyon star man Rayan Cherki has been touted with a summer switch to Manchester, with CaughtOffside reporting Amorim’s men are leading the race for his signature.

The 21-year-old has notched 12 goals and 19 assists across all competitions this season, and could be available for as little as £25m during the upcoming window.

Why Cherki could be even better than Amad

Winger Amad Diallo has become a key player during the Amorim tenure at United, notching 11 combined goals and assists since his arrival, but injuries have massively halted his progress.

The Ivorian has been missing for the last three months with an ankle issue, with the side massively missing his presence within the final third – leading to their lowly league standing.

However, he could be about to provide a huge boost to the side between now and the end of the season, as it’s been confirmed that he’s set to return to training after his lay-off.

Such a situation will undoubtedly improve their chances of claiming the Europa League, but his place in the side could be under huge threat going into the 2025/26 campaign.

A move for Cherki would massively boost the forward line in Amorim’s side, offering an upgrade to Amad and pushing the side closer to success in the near future.

When comparing his stats with those of the Ivorian from the ongoing season, he’s massively outperforming him in numerous key attacking areas – with the £25m fee touted appearing to be a bargain.

The Lyon star, who’s been labelled “one of the best in the world” by one analyst, has registered more combined goals and assists to date, whilst also having a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate – showcasing his clinical nature in the final third.

How Rayan Cherki compares to Amad Diallo in 2024/25

Statistics (per 90)

Cherki

Amad

Games played

27

22

Goals & assists

18

12

Progressive passes

9.3

2.9

Shot-on-target accuracy

44%

32%

Shot-creating actions

6.2

4.5

Take-ons completed

2.1

2

Carries into final third

3.8

2.6

Crosses completed

5.2

2.2

Stats via FBref

He’s also managed to complete way more progressive passes and completed more of the dribbles he’s attempted – having the skillset to provide other players within attacking areas.

Cherki’s talents don’t end there, completing more crosses and managing to achieve more carries into the final third – with the youngster excelling with the ball at his feet.

The United side has been devoid of flair and entertainment within the attacking department in recent years, with a deal for Cherki providing the excitement the supporters have often failed to see in their recent demise.

He could feature alongside Amad at the top end of the pitch under Amorim for many years to come, having the tools to push the club one step closer to the glory days they once endured.

Related Big Garnacho upgrade: Man Utd set to open talks to sign "extraordinary" star

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing a star who would be a big upgrade on Alejandro Garnacho.

Posts ByDan Emery Apr 29, 2025

At his peak, Imran Khan the bowler was easily among the best in the world, while his skilful batting and inspirational captaincy made him the complete package

S Rajesh31-Oct-2010Even among the many great allrounders who have played the game, Imran Khan stands out. He was the complete package: a technically sound batsman who could defend or attack as the situation demanded; an aggressive fast bowler who could swing and seam the new ball and the old one; and an inspirational captain who held the Pakistan team together by the sheer force of his personality and gave Pakistan their proudest moment in international cricket. Apart from Garry Sobers, his stats compare favourably with every other allrounder. Imran finished with a Test batting average of almost 38 and a bowling average of 23, and those numbers didn’t flatter him, for he as good as they suggest.Perhaps where Imran stood out, even when compared to other great allrounders, was that at various times in his career his stats were among the world’s best in both bowling and batting. Over his entire career, bowling was undoubtedly his stronger suit, but when a severe stress fracture in his shin forced him to restrict his bowling, he improved his batting so much that in his last five years in international cricket his batting average was among the highest in the world.Imran began his Test career in England in the summer of 1971, but he established his credentials as a genuine Test player only in late 1976: first, he took 14 wickets in three home Tests against New Zealand, and then, on the tour to Australia later that season, he destroyed the home team in Sydney with a pair of six-wicket hauls, which gave him his first ten-for in Tests. It remains the best match figures by a Pakistan bowler in Australia. Riding on that momentum, Imran picked up 25 wickets in five Tests in the West Indies, and then matched up well against the big boys in two seasons of the World Series, again taking 25 wickets at an excellent average of 20.84. Despite all that success, though, his overall stats in the 1970s were quite modest when compared with what was to follow in the next decade.In the 1980s, Imran was in his pomp, and he was easily among the top five players in the world during this period. Till the end of 1988, both his batting and his bowling were in fine fettle: he averaged almost 40 with the bat and less than 18 with the ball, numbers which indicate quite emphatically just how dominant he was. He was even more lethal in the 14 months between November 1981 and January 1983: in 16 Tests during this period he averaged almost 48 with the bat, and took 104 wickets at an incredible average of 14.87, with eight five-wicket hauls. India and Australia played six Tests each against Pakistan during this period, and both suffered extensively at the hands of Imran: he destroyed India’s much-vaunted batting line-up with 40 wickets at 13.95, while Australia fared only slightly better, conceding 29 wickets to him at 16.65. Of the 11 Man-of-the-Match awards he won in his entire Test career, five came in a six-month period from August 1982 to January 1983. In the third Test of that series against India, Imran scored 117 in Pakistan’s first innings and had match figures of 11 for 117, making him one of only two players – Ian Botham is the other – to score a century and take ten wickets in the same Test.In his last three years in Test cricket Imran didn’t bowl much, averaging only about 25 overs per Test, but his batting went to a new level altogether, as he went past 50 nine times in 20 innings.

In ODIs too, Imran’s career followed a similar pattern: the 80s were his most prolific period with bat and ball, while in the last three years of his career his bowling took a back seat. His biggest ODI exploit was obviously leading Pakistan to the World Cup win in 1992, where his contribution extended beyond his inspirational leadership: his bowling wasn’t a huge force, but with the bat his efforts at No.3 were key in the semi-final and the final, where his 72 was the highest score of the match.While his best period in Test cricket was the 1982-83 season, in ODIs, quite surprisingly, his peak year was 1989. He played 26 matches that year, easily his highest in a calendar year, and shone with both bat and ball, scoring 793 runs at 46.64, and taking 29 wickets at 25.79. Of the 13 Man-of-the-Match awards he won in his entire ODI career, six came in that year alone.

During his peak years in Test cricket, Imran was easily the best allrounder among his peers. In the nine years between 1980 and 1988, his bowling average of 17.77 was almost 22 lesser than his batting average – the difference was clearly the best among those with 1500 runs and 100 wickets during this period. Hadlee’s bowling performances were exceptional during this period, but he couldn’t quite match up to Imran with the bat, while both Botham and Kapil had far lesser success with the ball.

In fact, extending this analysis to all Test cricket, only Sobers had a higher difference between batting and bowling averages (among those with at least 3000 runs and 200 wickets, and two wickets per Test). Jacques Kallis is the other allrounder who has more than 3000 runs and 200 wickets – and a huge difference between batting and bowling averages – but for much of his career Kallis has been a batsman who bowls a bit: his 266 wickets have come from 140 Tests, an average of less than two wickets per match.

In his pomp, not only was Imran the best allrounder, he was also the best bowler in the world. At a time when a connoisseur of fast bowling would have been spoilt for choice, for there were so many great ones going around, Imran was still the best of the lot with an average of 17.77 and a strike rate of less than 44 balls per wicket. Hadlee was next in line, with three West Indians following in their wake. The top six all averaged less than 25, which is also a telling commentary on the balance of power between bat and ball during that period.

What’s more surprising, though, is the sort of numbers Imran racked up as a batsman when his glory days as a bowler were over. He was technically sound and could play with the straightest of bats, and when he worked on his patience and temperament, the result was a batsman who could play long innings and adapt his game according to the needs of the hour. In the last five years of his career, Imran averaged 59.69 in 28 Tests, and four of his six Test hundreds came during this period. Among those who scored at least 1500 runs during this period, only New Zealand’s Martin Crowe had a better average.Admittedly, the average was boosted by the number of not-outs he notched up – 11 in 37 innings – but that further illustrates how difficult he was to dismiss during the last years of his Test career. Even Javed Miandad had a lower average, though he scored almost 1000 more runs than Imran.

One of the highlights of Imran’s career was his battles against the best team of his times, West Indies. As a batsman he wasn’t as effective against them, but as a bowler he was superb, taking 80 wickets at 21.18. Comparing the stats of the four superstar allrounders of that era against West Indies, it’s clear that three of them raised their games against them – Hadlee and Kapil too had terrific numbers against them – but the disappointment was Botham, who struggled with both bat and ball.

Perhaps even more impressive than his individual performances against West Indies was the manner in which Imran inspired his team to raise their level against them. He led them on three occasions versus West Indies between 1985 and 1990, and each series was a classic, with each team winning a Test every time. Imran the bowler was outstanding in two of those series, taking 18 wickets at 11.05 in 1986, and 23 wickets at 18.08 in 1988. During that period Pakistan was the only team to win more than one Test against West Indies. (In complete contrast, England won one and lost 11 Tests against them during this period.)In fact, one of the stand-out aspects of Imran Khan was the manner in which he lifted his performances when he became captain: in the 48 Tests in which he led Pakistan he averaged 52.34 with the bat and 20.26 with the ball; in the 40 Tests in which he wasn’t captain his batting average was 25.43 and his bowling average 25.53. Imran’s batting average of 52.34 is among the highest by captains – only four have led in 40 or more Tests and averaged higher. Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border were among those whose batting average as captain was lower than Imran’s. Under him, Pakistan also won 14 Tests, which remains the joint-highest (along with Miandad) for Pakistan.

Imran’s ODI numbers were pretty impressive too, though his bowling average of almost 27 didn’t do complete justice to his skills. He averaged only slightly more than one wicket per match, but that was also because of the stress fracture, which severely curtailed his bowling. When on song, even the best of batsmen found him difficult to handle: in Sharjah in 1985, he destroyed the Indian batting line-up with figures of 6 for 14, though Pakistan ended up losing by 38 runs.As a batsman, Imran was a terrific matchwinner: in matches that Pakistan won, he averaged almost 47, which was well above his overall batting average of 33.41. Among Pakistan’s batsmen who scored at least 2000 runs in wins, only four have a higher average. Given that he was a man for the big occasions, it’s hardly surprising that his World Cup stats are better than his overall career numbers: his only ODI century came in a World Cup game, against Sri Lanka in 1983, while he is one of only six bowlers to take 25 or more wickets at an average of less than 20.

A day before his expected India Test debut, S Badrinath was put through his paces at the nets

N Hunter05-Feb-2010S Badrinath, on the eve of his Test debut, could only have gained from such tips•AFPIt’s palpable, almost visible. The heavy breathing, the inhaling and exhaling. S Badrinath is restless, nervous on the eve of what should be his Test debut. At 29, it’s a long-awaited moment; a domestic giant, with 6187 runs and counting, he’s played the waiting game for the past two years. Each time the Test door opened, it shut as quickly.Now the door is ajar once again and Badri’s there. He’s not alone; he looks around and sees the competition – Rohit Sharma to one side, long-time friend Murali Vijay to the other. Vijay is skipping to ward off tension. Rohit sits, disinterested, shades turned upside down on the back of his head. Badri, almost a different generation, sits down. Then he stands up, does a spot of vigorous shadow practice.The final net session is on, Harbhajan Singh is hitting audacious strokes. Badri waits, strapped into his pads and with his helmet on. The minutes tick by. He kills time, adjusting and readjusting the protective gear. The gloves go on, then come off. He taps the front of the helmet, hits the pads with his bat, stretches forward and back. Harbhajan hits a straight drive, says “last few”. Badri nods, right foot in front, ready to get off the blocks.Finally he’s out there, taking guard, leg stump. First up, Amit Mishra: A nicely flighted delivery, the perfect legbreak. Badri moves forward a bit, is beaten by the turn. Not the best start to his last nets before what should be his India debut.Then follows a rigorous examination by pace bowling. Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun (the leading wicket-taker this Ranji Trophy season). Mishra and Pragyan Ojha add subtlety to the mix. Badri searches for his groove, the bat starts making the right noises. He’s still a little uncertain, though, and the noise is hollow, edgy. Zaheer is nagging at him with accurate inswingers, Ishant is finding a sharp length that consistently kicks the ball over the off stump.The 15 minutes are over. Zaheer pitches it on the seam, the ball rears up. Badri is unsettled, moves inside the line, turns his hips and jumps. He winces in pain as Zaheer smiles. Harbhajan, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag share a joke and there’s laughter all round. The nerves come rushing back. “Over,” Badri says, seeming slightly embarrassed, and walks out of the nets, rubbing his injured side.A few minutes later, passing Zaheer, Badri makes a shy remark: “[I] like that”. Then he walks up to Sachin Tendulkar. The Master is cheerful. He nods, shakes his head, gestures with his hands, keeping the smile on all the time, making suggestions, obviously trying to calm the newcomer’s nerves.When he walks away, Badri stays put. Well, not really; he’s in one place but in constant motion. Hands on hips. Hands behind hips, fists clenched. Hands crossed in front of his chest. He tries to speak to Gary Kirsten, tries to get his attention. The head coach, busy with throw-downs to Vijay, tells him to move away.Eric Simons, the bowling consultant, is ready to give Badri some throwdowns. The confidence has evidently returned; he starts middling the ball. Simons chips in with a few instructions. He points to the advantage of playing with the full bat face open and straight in line, instead of playing away from the body.The problem isn’t sorted, though, and another expert eye picks it up. Kirsten turns his attention to the new boy. He passes on his instructions – play the ball with the head in line with the ball and the torso forward, not away from the ball – and takes over the throwdowns. Kirsten is relentless, firing in volleys and shorts balls with the tennis racket at Andy Roddick pace. Badri ducks, weaves, moving forward and back. Test cricket beckons.

Liverpool are reportedly stepping up their pursuit of Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim in their bid to find a successor for manager Jurgen Klopp.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Liverpool pursue Sporting manager Amorim
• Club reps watch his side beat Benfica
• Trying to find replacement for Klopp

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Club representatives were in Lisbon on Thursday to watch Amorim's Sporting beat Benfica 2-1 in the first leg of the Taca de Liga semi-finals, writes the The Mirror. The report adds the Reds are carrying out further 'due diligence' on the 39-year-old, despite Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso being installed as the favourite, ahead of German national team boss JulianNagelsmannto replace Klopp this summer.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool have won seven major trophies under Klopp in his Anfield tenure, most recently a Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea last month, and replacing him will be a very difficult task. He will be seen as one of the club's greatest managers and whoever succeeds him has big shoes to fill.

• (C)GettyImages
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Amorim's Sporting side currently sit second in the Portuguese top-flight but can leapfrog rivals Benfica if they beat Farense on Sunday evening. During his time as manager, Sporting have won the league once, the Taca da Liga twice, and they are in the last 16 of the Europa League this season.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT?

  Liverpool will continue to step up their search to find a replacement for Klopp, who is stepping down at the end of the season. Alonso is reportedly the preferred choice but Bayern Munich are also interested in him and he may yet stay at the German outfit.

Clashes with other franchise tournaments and withdrawal of marquee names have taken some sheen off the league, but the local stars are still there

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2024It’s February, which means it must be time for the end of the SA20.
No.The ILT20?
Try again.The Bangladesh Pr…
I’m going to stop you right there. The PSL. It’s time for the PSL, the original showstopper of this window in the calendar.My bad. It’s been around for a while now.
Indeed, this season is the ninth season of the PSL, which makes it a veteran among T20 franchise leagues. The durability is truly worth celebrating given the obstacles it faced in getting off the ground and then, once up and running, not able to play out in Pakistan for the first few seasons.Hurrah! The league must be stronger than ever, then.

Not so much. In large part this is because of the administrative flux within the board over the last few months. Nobody’s been in charge long enough to really take charge of this season. Plus, polarising general elections in the country last week have taken up plenty of the national bandwidth.Ah right. Still, some big-name regulars on the global T20 circuit will perk things up.
All the big local stars are there, of course, from Shaheen Shah Afridi to Babar Azam to Mohammad Rizwan to Shadab Khan. And in Shane Watson (Quetta Gladiators), Mike Hesson (Islamabad United), Phil Simmons (Karach Kings) and Daren Sammy (Peshawar Zalmi) the league has a high-profile head coach roster.Related

• Rashid Khan withdraws from PSL as he continues rehab

• Shamar Joseph lands PSL deal with Peshawar Zalmi

• Mohsin Naqvi elected PCB chairman for three years

• Injured Topley pulls out of Pakistan Super League

• 'A broken sport': Franchise free-for-all compromises players' incentives

I’m sensing a ‘but’…
Well, the star quotient in the foreign player roster seems to have taken a hit this season. A number of high-profile names have either pulled out entirely (Rashid Khan, Lungi Ngidi, Reece Topley, Noor Ahmad and Tom Curran) or have limited availability (Rassie van der Dussen, Tabraiz Shamsi and Wanindu Hasaranga).But there’s also a broader sense that with more money on offer in the ILT20 and SA20, and in more attractive destinations, the PSL might be the league the bigger names choose to skip in this cramped window.Now I’m sensing an ‘although’ here.
, like the CPL, the accent at the PSL has always been towards its local players. Think of the number of established local players it has given a platform to, as well as the frenzy each season as a new kid is unearthed. Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Zaman Khan and so, so many others are inextricably linked with the league.Similarly, this season will be driven by the prospects of Saim Ayub stepping up, the bigger stage for the tall and rising fast bowler Mohammad Zeeshan (both at Peshawar Zalmi); Faisal Akram, a rare (for Pakistan) left-arm wristspinner (Multan Sultans); the allrounder Arafat Minhas at Karachi Kings; or even the long-awaited return from injury of Naseem Shah, now with Islamabad United.Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan are among the key players for Islamabad United•PSLThose are the players – which teams should I be looking out for?
One of the endearing attributes of the PSL is how even the playing field has always felt. Each of the six franchises has won the league at least once but none have yet established a dynasty proper. As defending champions, Lahore Qalandars have a legitimate shot at it, having made the final three out of the last four seasons and won the last two. Without Rashid though, they’re missing a quality spinner, though those pacers (Shaheen, Haris and Zaman) eh?Multan have been the other powerhouse in recent editions (runners-up the last two seasons) and last season were a single run away from forcing a Super Over in last season’s final. They look good again this season though most intriguing might be the step up for Abdul Rehman as head coach; Pakistan don’t often do right by their local coaches but Rehman has worked his way up assiduously.And the others?
Islamabad are the data divas’ dream and roping in Mike Hesson as coach will do nothing to dispel that. The arrival of Naseem Shah alone would be a game-changing upgrade for a pace attack that last season looked a little lightweight (Fazalhaq Farooqi apart). But the other two Shah brothers Ubaid (among the leading wicket-takers at the just-concluded U19 World Cup) and Hunain as well? Your social media timelines are going to be blowing up with highlights.Quetta will be the most interesting. Once the league’s most consistent side, they’ve swiftly become its least successful over the last four seasons. But this feels like a season of change. Shane Watson is in as head coach, Shaun Tait as the bowling coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed is out as captain, PSL legend Rilee Roussow is in, Mohammad Amir’s smarts will be more than handy and Abrar Ahmed should be a focal point in the bowling attack. Suddenly, they’re feeling a lot fresher than they have for years.Karachi and Peshawar are not bringing up the rear exactly, but they do feel somewhat less shiny than the others. Karachi have new leadership in Phil Simmons and Shan Masood; Peshawar have Shamar Joseph. But Peshawar’s attack apart from Joseph feels light and Karachi look like they’ve erred too far on the side of experience.My mouth, it is watering. Hit me with the who, what, when and where.
Kicks off Saturday with Lahore taking on Islamabad, 34 matches over the next 30 days, across four venues in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

نجح مانشستر سيتي في تحقيق فوز كبير على نظيره إيبسويتش تاون، بسداسية نظيفة، في إطار منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وواجه مانشستر سيتي نظيره إيبسويتش تاون، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، على ملعب “بورتمان”.

وشارك الدولي المصري وقائد إيبسويتش تاون، سام مرسي، أساسياً في مباراة اليوم وخاض اللقاء بشكل كامل.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هدف هالاند أمام إيبسويتش تاون وهاتريك كلويفرت ضد نيوكاسل

افتتح فيل فودين التسجيل لصالح مانشستر سيتي في مرمى إيبسويتش تاون بحلول الدقيقة 27.

وضاعف ماتيو كوفاسيتش أهداف مانشستر سيتي بتسجيل الهدف الثاني بطريقة رائعة عند الدقيقة 30، من صناعة فيل فودين.

وبتمريرة حاسمة من دي بروين، تمكن فيل فودين من تسجيل ثنائيته الخاصة وثالث أهداف الضيوف بالدقيقة 42.

ومع بداية الشوط الثاني تحديدا الدقيقة 49، أحرز جيريمي دوكو الهدف الرابع للسيتيزن بصناعة من كيفين دي بروين.

ونجح إيرلينج هالاند في تعميق جراح أصحاب الأرض بتسجيله للهدف الخامس بحلول الدقيقة 57، بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من دوكو.

جيمس ميكاتي استطاع أن يوقع على سادس أهداف مانشستر سيتي برأسية رائعة سكنت شباك إيبسويتش، بصناعة من ماتيو كوفاسيتش.

وبهذه النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد مانشستر سيتي إلى النقطة 38 في المركز الرابع مؤقتاً في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بينما تجمد رصيد إيبسويتش تاون عند النقطة 16 في المركز الثامن عشر. اهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وابسويتش تاون (6-0) الدوري الانجليزي

اعترف أليكيس ماك أليستر، لاعب فريق ليفربول، أنه تفاجأ بالهدف الذي سجله أحد لاعبي مانشستر يونايتد في مباراتهما أمس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة العشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي، على ملعب “الأنفيلد” حيث تعادلا بهدفين لمثليهما.

وتمكن ليساندرو مارتينيز من تسجيل هدف التقدم لصالح مانشستر يونايتد، قبل أن يعود ليفربول بهدفين، ثم يتمكن الضيوف من تسجيل التعادل.

أقرأ أيضًا.. فان دايك يوضح تأثير مستقبل أرنولد بعد أدائه الباهت أمام مانشستر يونايتد

وقال ماك أليستر في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “sportwitness” الإنجليزية: “لدي علاقة جيدة للغاية مع ليتشا (ليساندرو مارتينيز) إنه أمر لا يُصدق، لأنه لا يسجل هدفًا ضد أي فريق، لكنه يسجل هدفًا ضدنا”.

وأضاف: “لذا لا شيء، لقد مازحته قليلاً، ربما أتوقف لألقي التحية وأتحدث معه لفترة، وأتمنى له كل التوفيق”.

وواصل: “كنت أعلم أن زوجته حامل، لذا آمل أن يأتي الطفل مليئًا بالبهجة والصحة الجيدة، وأن يكونوا سعداء للغاية كعائلة”.