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Al-Nassr new signing Joao Felix admits he is loving playing alongside Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo for the Saudi Pro League side. Felix made the switch to the Middle East in the summer and has enjoyed a prolific start to life with his new club. The former Chelsea star says that having Ronaldo on the team helps him as defenders are often focused on the veteran instead.

• Ronaldo and Felix star as Al-Nassr hit five

  Felix only joined Al-Nassr in the summer transfer window but has already scored two hat-tricks for his new club. His second came at the weekend in an impressive 5-1 win over Al-Fateh. Ronaldo was also on target during the game, smashing home a brilliant strike just minutes after missing a penalty, but it was Felix who took home the match ball and the MVP award after stealing the show. Ronaldo now has five goals in five Saudi Pro League games this season for Al-Nassr, but he's been comfortably outscored by Felix who has eight in what's been a prolific start to life with his new club. 

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• Felix says it's 'easy' to play with Ronaldo

  Felix has now opened up on playing with Ronaldo at club level and does feel the 40-year-old's presence on the pitch helps as defenders often leave him with more space as they are preoccupied by the Portugal icon.

  He told Canal GOAT: "Yes, playing with Cristiano… there you go… It's Cristiano. Everyone knows what he's capable of, as we saw. He misses a penalty and the next minute he scores that goal. It's easy to play with him. 

  "Sometimes it even ends up being good, because since it's Cristiano, they end up focusing more on him and then leaving the others with a bit more space. He ends up helping the forwards, both me, Mané, and Coman. And yes, playing with him on the pitch is something else.

  "I always work to give my best; sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. Of course, this context is more favorable, because I'm in my position, which brought me into football, which made a bit of my name in the beginning. And the team, the team is doing very well. The manager's ideas are good; they benefit me, my game, the attackers in general. That's why we've been scoring so many goals, and it's partly due to that, the manager's tactics and ideas."

• Ronaldo says Felix move was a 'wise decision'

  Felix's move to Al-Nassr did attract some criticism, with the 25-year-old forward opting to leave European football after difficult spells with Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea. There was was talk that Felix was wanted back at Benfica, but he opted to link up with Ronaldo in the Middle East instead.

  Ronaldo feels that his Portugal international team-mate made the right decision to come to Al-Nassr even if it does mean missing out on playing in the Champions League.

  "Everyone knows Joao; he's very talented. I think he'll help us a lot in the Saudi league, which is very competitive," he told reporters. "You don't know him; you're not there, you don't show up, but we saw him at the Club World Cup. I think it was a better option for Felix than playing in the Portuguese league; just look at the number of stars there are in Saudi Arabia. Regardless of not playing in the Champions League, it was a very wise decision on his part. Calling him to convince him? I don't do that, I don't pick up the phone. It's not my job. You [journalists] said that, but my job is to train and play."

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  Ronaldo eyeing first trophy with Al-Nassr

  Ronaldo is famously yet to win a trophy with Al-Nassr but, having signed a two-year contract extension in the summer, will be aiming to put an end to that unwanted record in the current campaign. The team's 5-1 win over Al-Fateh last time out means they lead the way in the Saudi Pro League and sit two points clear of Al Qadsiah after the first five games of the new 2025-26 campaign. Next up for Al-Nassr is an AFC Cup clash against Goa on Wednesday. Ronaldo has not travelled with the team for the match but is expected to return to action in the Saudi Pro League against Al-Hazm on Saturday.

Returning from injury, Mayank Yadav is expected to play a pivotal part in LSG’s push for a playoffs spot

Ashish Pant18-Apr-20253:48

Ganga: Mayank Yadav is perfect for the T20 world

Big picture: RR’s problems keep getting biggerThat things haven’t quite gone to plan for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025 is known. Barring Yashasvi Jaiswal, their top order has underperformed, the bowlers have consistently struggled, and they are languishing in the bottom half of the points table. If that isn’t enough, they are sweating over captain Sanju Samson’s fitness as they get ready to host a resurgent Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).Samson was forced to retire after hurting his side in RR’s previous game, against Delhi Capitals (DC). Rahul Dravid confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Samson “experienced a bit of pain in the abdominal area”. He further said that Samson had undergone scans, and his availability would be decided based on the reports.If Samson does not recover in time, Riyan Parag is expected to take over the captaincy reins. Parag led RR in the first three games of the season, with Samson recovering from a finger injury. At the time, Samson had batted as an Impact Player and did not keep wicket.Related

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If he is not fit, then who replaces Samson? There is Shubham Dubey, who has been coming in as an Impact Player for RR, but he isn’t a top-order batter. Then there is Kunal Singh Rathore, the 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter. The other option is for one of Parag or Nitish Rana, or even Dhruv Jurel, to open the batting with Dubey slotting in the middle order.RR do have a readymade opener in Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but he is only 14 and untested. Will RR risk such a young player in a game where a loss could derail their season? They have just two wins in seven games so far and a loss would mean having to do a lot of catching up for the playoffs.For LSG, who started the season without Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav, and Avesh Khan, and lost Mohsin Khan, they have held their own quite brilliantly. After seven games, they have won four and lost three and a win will take them to ten points. With Mayank back in the mix, they now also have an almost full-strength bowling unit to choose from.It didn’t seem that way when the season started, but LSG now have a solid chance to make it to the playoffs. Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh have scored 652 runs between them. The middle order has been dependable, while spinners Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi have been more than a handful.LSG are coming into the game having suffered a defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home. They will want to make amends against a patchy RR side.2:43

Cricinformed: Nicholas Pooran, the unstoppable force

Form guideRajasthan Royals LLLWW
Lucknow Super Giants LWWWLNew loyaltiesYudhvir Singh was part of LSG in IPL 2024 and is now with RR. Avesh, who has been key in LSG’s fast-bowling lineup this season, was part of RR last year.In the spotlight: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mayank YadavYashasvi Jaiswal’s form was always going to be critical in RR’s fortunes but with the top order misfiring, it becomes even more crucial. Jaiswal had a poor start to his season with scores of 1, 29 and 4, but has since scored three fifties in his next four innings and looks fluent.Jaiswal scored 75 the last time he was in Jaipur on what was a tacky surface. He has a handy record here – two fifties and a hundred in 11 IPL innings – and would want to step up.Mayank Yadav had a breakthrough IPL 2024 where he touched the 156.7kph mark on the speed gun and regularly breached 150 clicks. He played just four matches, in which he picked up back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two games, and seven wickets in all. It got Mayank an India debut against Bangladesh in October last year.However, since then, he has been down first with a back injury and then a toe injury. But he is now back and expected to play a pivotal part in LSG’s push for a playoffs spot. He joined the team on Tuesday and his express pace adds a new dimension to what has already shaped up to be a more than handy bowling attack.2:51

Pujara: Parag could open the batting for Royals

Team news and likely XIIsDespite the loss against CSK, LSG are unlikely to make too many changes to their starting XI. Mayank is almost certain to make his IPL 2025 debut. He is likely to come in place of Akash Deep, who has seemed off the mark since returning from a back injury.Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk) , 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Ravi BishnoiRR could bring in Akash Madhwal or Yudhvir in place of Tushar Deshpande, who has hardly inspired any confidence so far this season. If Samson is not fit, Jurel is likely to don the wicketkeeping gloves. Kumar Kartikeya is expected to come in as the impact sub.Rajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt, wk)/Vaibhav Suryavanshi/Shubham Dubey, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Tushar Deshpande/Akash Madhwal, 12 Kumar KartikeyaThe big questionPitch and conditionsThere has been only one game so far this season in Jaipur – a day game – where RR went down by nine wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The pitch felt a touch two-paced but eased out as the evening progressed. The Sawai Man Singh Stadium isn’t historically a high-scoring venue. Since IPL 2023, the average first-innings score here has been 179. There is a warning in Jaipur for excessive heat, but the temperatures should drop by the time the match gets underway. Dew could be a factor later in the evening.Stats and trivia Pooran is just one away from 9000 T20 runsPooran has fallen to Jofra Archer three times in seven T20 innings and averages just 13 with a strike rate of 108 against the quick Nitish Rana has fallen to Avesh twice in five IPL innings Bishnoi has the wood over Shimron Hetmyer in T20s, having dismissed him three times in six innings – Hetmyer has an average of 8.00 and a strike rate of 65 against the legspinner RR have the third-best run rate in the powerplay (9.69) and third-worst run rate in the middle-overs (7.39) in IPL 2025Quotes”We have suffered a little bit with our death bowling. I think that is another area for us that we need to get slightly better with, working with slightly more in execution. I think our plans have been pretty good. It is just more around the execution of some of those skills. A lot of teams are going for runs, but it is those extra 15-16 runs that we seem to go for. Even if, say, for example, a 57-60 is acceptable in the last five overs, it has become almost a norm now. We seem to go for 72-77. “

انتهت مباراة بيراميدز ونهضة بركان، التي أقيمت في بطولة كأس السوبر الإفريقي على ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي منذ قليل.

وتوج بيراميدز ببطولة كأس السوبر الإفريقي 2025 رسميًا، بعدما حقق الفوز على نهضة بركان بهدف نظيف.

طالع.. فيديو | فيستون مايلي يسجل هدف بيراميدز الأول أمام نهضة بركان

ولعب بيراميدز البطولة بصفته بطلًا لدوري أبطال إفريقيا، بينما نهضة بركان بصفته بطلًا لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

وتعد تلك البطولة الرابعة التي يتوج بها بيراميدز في تاريخه بعد كأس مصر ودوري أبطال إفريقيا وكأس المحيط والقارات الثلاث.

ويعود بيراميدز في مباراته المقبلة لاستئناف منافساته المحلية حيث يلتقي مع فاركو ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز. موعد مباراة بيراميدز وفاركو في الدوري المصري

وتقام مباراة بيراميدز مع فاركو، الثلاثاء 21 أكتوبر الجاري، في تمام الخامسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

Cameron Green is hopeful of playing some Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia before the end of the domestic summer and is eyeing off a stint in county cricket to get himself in the selection mix as a batter only for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.Green has not played since having back surgery in October after suffering a fifth stress fracture in his lower back during Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK in September.The 25-year-old underwent the same back surgery that many fast bowlers around the world have had including Jasprit Bumrah and WA and club teammate Jason Behrendorff, who he consulted with both before and after undergoing the procedure in Christchurch. Green also caught up with former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond while recovering in New Zealand, with Bond one of the first to undergo the radical procedure that includes having screws and a wire inserted into the spine.Related

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• Australia 'very hopeful' Green could play World Test Championship final as a batter

• Mitchell Marsh out of Champions Trophy with back injury

Green’s recovery is well ahead of schedule. He was back running in early January and has been batting for a number of weeks. He is not going to return to bowling until later in the year, well after the WTC final and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean, with the long-term aim to have him bowling without restrictions for the 2025-26 Ashes series which starts in late November.From very early in the recovery phase there were hopes in Western Australia that Green could be fit to play a Shield game as a batter in late February or early match. While speaking at the Cricket Australia Awards on Monday night in Melbourne, after winning the Community Impact Award for his work with Kidney Health Australia, Green confirmed that he was eyeing a possible return in WA’s final Shield game of the home and away season against Victoria at the WACA ground on March 15. WA is also in the mix to play in a fourth straight Shield final which begins on March 26.He would need clearance from CA’s medical staff to be approved to play in that game. Green has to have scans on his back at regular intervals post surgery to monitor his progression.Beyond that, Green is understood to be open to a stint in county cricket in England prior to the WTC final. There are eight rounds of championship fixtures scheduled in April and May, the last of which begins on May 23 before the WTC final starts on June 11.CA would only likely approve him for a short stint if a club was keen to sign him under those restrictions given he would not be capable of bowling.Green’s return to fitness will create a squeeze in Australia’s top order. He made 174 not out batting at No.4 in his second last Test against New Zealand in March last year but Steve Smith has returned to No. 4 in style, scoring three centuries in his last four Test matches against India and Sri Lanka.Travis Head is going to move back to No.5 for the WTC final despite opening in the series in Sri Lanka, and Head said he expected Sam Konstas to return to the top of the order for the WTC final after he was squeezed out of the XI in Galle. There will be pressure on Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3 while Australia may not need an allrounder in Beau Webster at No.6 for a one-off final at Lord’s if conditions allow for four specialist bowlers to do all of the bowling.Josh Inglis’ century on debut in Galle has also created a headache for the selectors. He was picked specifically for his prowess against spin but he grew up in England and was Australia’s spare batter for four of the five Tests against India during the home summer before injuring his calf while sub fielding in Melbourne.

Attempting to add a defensive reinforcement to their ranks, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly “closing in” on a £26m deal to sign a new central defender for Vitor Pereira.

Wolves set premium Strand-Larsen price

It’s already been a summer of exit blows for Wolves, who lost both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to both Manchester clubs earlier this summer. Now, they reportedly face a similar battle to keep hold of Jorgen Strand Larsen. And like Cunha and Ait-Nouri, the Midlands club have reportedly set a premium price to sell their forward – reportedly setting a price tag of £60m – with Newcastle United pushing to secure his signature.

The Norwegian spent last season on loan in the Midlands before triggering a permanent deal worth £23m, but could now be on the move once again as Newcastle desperately look to end their striker search.

His departure would be an almighty blow for Pereira, who has already seen his attack blunted by the departure of Cunha earlier this summer. Losing Strand Larsen on top of that would leave Wolves scrambling for reinforcements in a race against time with the transfer window slamming shut in less than two weeks.

Of course, it’s clear to see why Newcastle have turned their focus towards Strand Larsen. The 25-year-old scored 14 goals in his debut Premier League campaign and earned the praise of Pereira, who told reporters after the forward’s brace against Southampton: “[Jorgen] Strand Larsen was fantastic, not only with his two goals but with the way he helped the team.”

Meanwhile, as Wolves scramble to keep hold of one of their key men, they may yet have some good news on the way in the form of an incoming of their own this month.

Wolves "closing in" on Krejci

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Wolves are now “closing in” on a deal to sign Ladislav Krejci from Girona. In a transfer worth around €30m (£26m), those in the Midlands look set to get their man and welcome a much-needed defensive reinforcement for Pereira this month.

The 26-year-old is likely to come straight into the side if he arrives before the end of the month. Pereira was left with little choice but to start Matt Doherty out of position in a back three alongside Toti Gomes and Emmanuel Agbadou against Manchester City last weekend, but the arrival of Krejci would quickly put an end to that experiment.

Wolves now in pole position to sign "wonderful" in-demand Barcelona gem

He would be an instant upgrade…

ByTom Cunningham Aug 21, 2025

Described as “dominant in the air” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Czech Republic international could quickly prove to be an excellent addition, should Wolves get their deal over the line.

Captain backs team to bounce back in stiff multi-format challenge against South Africa

Andrew Miller23-Nov-2024Heather Knight says that England’s women are determined not to “rip up any trees” in the wake of their meek exit from last month’s T20 World Cup, and backed her players to take the criticism in their stride as they enter the first of match of their multi-format series against South Africa, in East London on Sunday.With seven matches across three formats looming in the coming weeks, followed by the women’s Ashes in Australia in January, Knight insisted that now was not the time for “big change” to a team that came through an unbeaten home summer against Pakistan and New Zealand, and had been highly fancied to challenge for their first T20 World Cup title since 2009.That all changed, however, in a catastrophic defeat to West Indies in Dubai, in which a foot injury for Knight exposed her team-mates in the field. Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews capitalised on a spate of dropped catches, striking rapid fifties in an eight-wicket victory that dumped England out of the tournament on net run-rate.Related

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Paige Scholfield ruled out of England's SA tour with ankle injury

“We don’t become a bad side because we played poorly in 10 overs in the World Cup,” Knight said on the eve of the first T20I. “Leading up to that, we played some brilliant cricket, so it’s obviously a bit of a bump in the road. It’s going to keep us quite humble, and keep us motivated to get better, but I think it’s really important that we don’t rip up trees.”Knight, 34 next month, has encountered a fair few ups and downs for England in her 14-year career – including captaining the team to their 50-over World Cup victory in 2017. However, she acknowledged that the reaction to their exit was more vitriolic than anything she had previously encountered, with her former team-mate Alex Hartley leading the inquisition with her suggestion that some of England’s players were letting the side down with their fitness levels.”It’s the biggest response that I’ve seen as a player, for sure, and it’s a good lesson for us,” Knight said. “As the game grows and there’s more eyes on us, and there’s more reward for being an international cricketer, naturally that scrutiny is going to increase, and actually it’s a real good sign of where the game is at.”How we deal with it, and how we move forward from it, is really important,” she added. “It’s about looking at the people around you, and staying strong within the group. Ultimately, the biggest opinions that are important to us as players and staff are in this circle, in the people around us.”That determination to stay the course was shown in England’s squad selection for this tour, with Alice Capsey’s omission from the T20I leg the only significant change, albeit one that has since been over-turned. Knight confirmed that she would remain on the sidelines for now, having continued to struggle for runs throughout her stint with Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash, with Sophia Dunkley set to reclaim her place at No.3.”We’ve been pretty clear with Alice around the reasons behind why we left her out,” Knight said. “That’s probably in terms of consistency of performance. We’re excited to see what Sophia does. She’s obviously gone through being dropped and having to improve, and force her way back into the side. We feel like she’s done that, with the form that she’s shown in the nets. Now it’s for her to transfer those changes to the middle.”Sophia Dunkley will be handed a recall for the T20Is in South Africa•ECB via Getty ImagesAfter recovering from her World Cup injury, Knight proved her fitness is back on track during her recent stint with Sydney Thunder in the WBBL. However, she insisted her presence as captain wasn’t fundamental to the team’s fortunes, as they prepare to face a South Africa side that has now reached each of the last two T20 World Cup finals.”There’s a huge amount of leaders in this group,” Knight said. “That spell [against West Indies] was an unfair representation of the leaders that we do have in the group, and I really do feel like the likes of Nat [Sciver-Brunt], Amy [Jones] and Sophie [Ecclestone] have really grown into that role as more senior players in the last year or two.”I’m still enjoying leading the group, and part of that role is to try and grow the people around me, and put the younger players in a place where they can almost lead themselves. But I don’t think the team’s completely lost without me. That’s not a narrative that I totally agree with.”With the Ashes looming in the new year, Knight admitted it was hard not to have “half an eye” on that challenge down under, but acknowledged that the best possible preparation was to compete well against South Africa – the team who ended Australia’s 14-year reign as T20 World champions with their semi-final victory in Dubai last month.”We’re really excited to play here in South Africa,” Knight said. “It’s a brilliant sporting nation. You know what you’re going to get from South Africa. They’re going to be very passionate, very aggressive, very proud in how they go about their business.”We’re certainly not expecting an easy South African challenge, that’s for sure. The team just made back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, so no-one is expecting anything less than quite a tough challenge.”The South Africans have grown a lot in the last few years, and they’ve really become a little bit more aggressive, particularly the bat. So how we deal with that is going to be really important in this series.”But in terms of proving a point, I think that’s down to the individual. Some people will be driven by that, others will just want to keep getting better and keep doing what they do really well. It’s a good media narrative to write, but we just want to bring our best cricket, keep growing as a side, and adapt to what’s in front of us.”

India are on a 11-match winning streak and one more victory will equal their best-ever T20I run

Ashish Pant09-Nov-20243:23

1st T20I Takeaways: Samson and spinners see India dominate in Durban

Big picture: Two contrasting T20I runsBoth India and South Africa had a sensational T20 World Cup 2024. They sailed through the group stage unbeaten and then topped their respective groups in the Super Eight before registering comfortable wins in the semi-finals. Even in the final, there was little to separate the two teams right till the end.Since then, though, their fortunes have taken different paths, especially in T20Is.Despite losing three big players to retirement after the World Cup triumph, India have enjoyed a seamless transition with Suryakumar Yadav taking over and the youngsters fitting in well. They are currently on a 11-match winning streak, which includes a series victory in Zimbabwe, series sweeps against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and a win in the opening game of the series against South Africa on Friday.Related

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India have played 23 T20Is this year and won 22 with the only loss coming against Zimbabwe in the first T20I in early July. And critically, they have achieved a lot of these wins without their first-choice T20I players. They can equal their best-ever streak of 12 (which they have achieved twice), if they manage to win the second T20I against South Africa in Gqeberha on Sunday.On the other end, South Africa have struggled since that final loss. They lost 3-0 to West Indies in Tarouba, while their series against Ireland in Abu Dhabi finished 1-1. The Durban loss extends that run.One thing that helped South Africa dominate the T20 World Cup was how brilliantly the entire group gelled together. That’s one thing they have lacked in the last few T20Is. Their captain Aiden Markram has struggled with form while they have also missed a crux of their main players in the XI.Now down 1-0 in the four-match series, South Africa will be desperate to get back to winning ways at a venue where they have registered three wins in four outings, including one against India last year. Can they do that?Form guideSouth Africa LLWLL
India WWWWWArshdeep Singh is three strikes away from surpassing Bhuvneshwar Kumar as India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is among fast bowlers•ICC via Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Gerald Coetzee and Arshdeep SinghWhile all the other South Africa bowlers were taken to the cleaners in the first T20I, Gerald Coetzee was the only one who provided a semblance of control. He was fiery, extracted good bounce and had the India batters on their toes. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, 14 of his 24 deliveries were either short or short of a good length and that helped him take wickets. The surface in Gqeberha is likely to assist his hit-the-deck style of bowling.Arshdeep Singh has been one of the key reasons behind India’s glorious T20I run in 2024. He’s played just 15 matches and already has 29 wickets, the second-highest for a player from a Full-Member nation this year. In Gqeberha, too, he has a few records in sight. Currently fourth on the list for most T20I wickets for India with 88, Arshdeep has a chance to go past Jasprit Bumrah (89) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90) and rise to second place behind Yuzvendra Chahal (96). With India scheduled to play three more T20Is this year, he also has a chance to claim the record for the most wickets taken in a calendar year by an India pacer, currently held by Bhuvneshwar who scalped 37 in 2022.Team news: Will India hand Ramandeep a debut? Nqabayomzi Peter looked out of sorts in the opening T20I and could be replaced by fast bowler Ottneil Baartman. Reeza Hendricks missed the opening T20I due to illness, and if fit, is likely to slot back at the top. It remains to be seen if he comes in place of Ryan Rickelton or Patrick Kruger, who had a tough outing in Durban – both with bat and ball.South Africa (probable): 1 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 Partrick Kruger, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Simelane, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Nqabayomzi Peter/Ottneil BaartmanIt was slightly surprising to see India go with three spinners in Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy. In Gqeberha, where the surface is likely to aid more pace, they might look to bring in Ramandeep Singh, who can play the finisher’s role and provide a few overs of medium pace. India are unlikely to make any changes to their batting.India (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel/Ramandeep Singh, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Varun ChakravarthyPitch and conditionsThere is a bit of rain in the air in Gqeberha, but it is unlikely to affect the match. The surface is likely to have plenty for the fast bowlers with good bounce and carry. The temperature is likely to hover around the low to mid 20 degrees on the Celsius scale.Stats and triviaHardik Pandya, currently on 87 T20I wickets, has a chance to leapfrog Arshdeep (88), Bumrah (89) and Bhuvneshwar (90) and move to second on India’s all-time T20I wicket-takers list. Sanju Samson became just the fourth batter to score successive T20I centuries in Durban. No batter has scored three consecutive centuries in T20Is to dateSamson’s strike rate of 180.66 is the highest for any Full Member batter in 2024 with a minimum of 300 runsIndia have a terrific T20I record against South Africa in South Africa: seven wins and three losses in ten matchesQuotes”When you’re playing an opponent like South Africa, we know the energy they bring with them and they have a really great team walking in and they play their cricket really aggressively. We just have to respect them and do what we are known for. We are the world champions at the moment, so I think we have to play like that and we just have to take care of what is in our control and just keep on looking to dominate in this format, which we have been doing for last one year.”
“We were just in the final of a T20 World Cup. Now is a new team. There is a World Cup coming up the year after, so we need new blood. There is plenty of talent, we’ve seen that. It’s just the boys need experience, need to sharpen their skills and we’ll be good to go.”

Last week, there were two separate BCA training camps being run in Patna, one organised by former secretary Amit Kumar and another by president Rakesh Tiwary

Syed Hussain08-Oct-2024After much back and forth, there is finally an official Bihar team that will play the 2024-25 season of the Ranji Trophy. The 20-member squad will travel to Rohtak for Bihar’s opening game against Haryana starting October 11, but it was selected only after a lot of drama of the legal kind.On August 5 this year, the Patna High Court had appointed Justice Shailesh Kumar Sinha as the ombudsman to oversee the affairs of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA). Sinha subsequently re-appointed Amit Kumar – who had taken the matter to the court in the first place after being removed by current president Rakesh Tiwari – as BCA secretary and named a new selection committee. This committee, chaired by Zishan-ul Yaquin, selected a squad on October 7.But on Tuesday, October 8, the Patna High Court stayed its August 5 order, thus making the selection committee’s decision from October 7 null and void. It also meant that Kumar was not the secretary anymore, and the ombudsman was out. The squad, picked by a committee led by Madhusudan Tantubhai, announcement came on the back of these developments.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Kumar said, “I respect the court’s order, but after Dussehra [the Hindu festival on October 12], I will speak to my lawyer and if he agrees, I will take the matter to the Supreme Court.”The latest decision brings some respite to the Bihar cricketers, who were caught in the power struggle between former BCA secretary Kumar and current BCA president Tiwari. Even with under one week to go for the Ranji Trophy, two different training camps were conducted in Patna, similar to the incident in January 2024, when two teams from the two factions arrived for Bihar’s game against Mumbai at Patna’s Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. At the time, it needed intervention from the Patna High Court to put the official stamp on one of the squads.Zishan, the chairman of the previous selection committee that had announced the now-cancelled squad, said, “I respect the court’s decision. I was heading the selection committee only after the Lokpal [ombudsman] had given his order. I am happy that the dilemma of the players of Bihar has gone and finally they are going to Rohtak. I also like that many players from the team I had selected are also in this team. I have said it before and will say it again: I have nothing to do with any group; my aim is to make Bihar cricket better.”Meanwhile, the players who were in both squads have had to inform the BCA via email that they had no contact with Kumar and were not part of the camp organised by him. ESPNcricinfo has seen a copy of this mail.Bihar are part of a tough Group C for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, alongside Bengal, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. They finished last in Group B in 2023-24 with four defeats and three drawn games in seven matches.Bihar squad for Ranji TrophyVeer Pratap Singh (capt), Shakibul Gani (vice-capt), Bipin Sourabh, Akash Raj, Shraman Nigrodh (wk), Babul Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wk), Raghwendra Pratap Singh, Mayank Choudhary, Himanshu Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Abhijeet Saket, Anuj Raj, Shakib Hussain, Shabbir Khan, Rishav Raj, Harsh Vikram Singh, Jitin Kumar Yadav, Yashpal Yadav, Rishi Raj

Fast bowler denied preparation time ahead of Lord’s farewell as rain wrecks day two

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2024

James Anderson’s preparations for his farewell Test, at Lord’s next week, suffered a setback after rain washed out the entire second day of the Vitality County Championship match between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire at Southport.Despite early showers, umpires Martin Saggers and Tom Lungley initially decreed that Lancashire would resume their first innings at 12.30pm, but prolonged rain returned to scupper that plan and the officials finally pulled the plug on the day’s cricket at 4.05pm.The abandonment was a particular disappointment to spectators who had travelled to Trafalgar Road in the hope of seeing Anderson bowl in his first game of the season, and what might yet be his last game for Lancashire.He is due to play his 188th and final Test match against West Indies at Lord’s, starting on July 10, and though he had previously indicated that he would be keen to continue his county career, Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, confirmed on Monday that Anderson is to stay on with the England team after the Lord’s Test, to fulfil a new role as a fast-bowling mentor.Should play be possible on Tuesday, Lancashire will resume on 344 for eight with skipper Keaton Jennings on 188 not out.In the nine games played at Southport since first-class cricket returned to the ground after a 12-year absence in 2011, this is only the second time in 31 days that play has been completely abandoned.

Despite concerns that they may lose their Europa League spot, Crystal Palace are pushing ahead with their transfer business and have now reportedly joined the race to sign a £150,000-a-week midfielder.

Latest on Crystal Palace's Europa League status

Crystal Palace not only sealed history by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, they also sealed their place in next season’s Europa League. Or so they thought. The Eagles could yet have their bubble burst by UEFA, whose rules state that owners cannot have multiple clubs in the same competition.

John Textor is the majority owner of Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League in France, and the solution to the matter is a complicated one. The South London club are also unable to drop into the Europa Conference League after David Blitzer, who owns a stake in both Palace and Danish side Brondby, saw the latter qualify for UEFA’s third competition.

UEFA has reportedly rejected Crystal Palace’s offer to place Textor and Blitzer’s shares into a blind trust – following the route that Manchester City and Manchester United took to avoid the same situation – after those at Selhurst Park missed the deadline to register the trust.

Whether a solution comes to the fore remains to be seen. Chairman Steve Parish and Textor reportedly held a meeting with UEFA on Tuesday in an attempt to reach a resolution but, as things stand, Crystal Palace’s European place is at serious risk.

Crystal Palace hold strong interest in £30m defender also wanted by Bayern

The Eagles have now identified a defensive “phenomenon” as a priority target.

ByDominic Lund Jun 5, 2025

The part that UEFA’s verdict could play both on and off the pitch for Palace is undoubtedly important. Without their Europa League place, the Eagles will undoubtedly struggle to welcome the same calibre of stars and may even lose some of Oliver Glasner’s key men. Whilst the situation rumbles on, however, so is their transfer business.

Crystal Palace battling to sign Kalvin Phillips

According to Caught Offside, Crystal Palace are now battling to sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City this summer. The midfielder is once again on the move – this time potentially permanently – and could finally revive his career following mixed fortunes on loan at West Ham United and Ipswich Town.

Selhurst Park could make perfect sense too. Rumours have been coming thick and fast regarding Adam Wharton’s Crystal Palace future and they’re only likely to intensify if the Eagles lose their Europa League place. The South London club must, therefore, prepare for the worst and that’s where Phillips could prove to be a top candidate to arrive, especially since he reportedly wants to leave The Etihad this summer.

An experienced midfielder who even has two Premier League medals to his name, the main stumbling block for Phillips this summer could be his reported £150,000-a-week salary. What may make those negotiations easier, however, is the fact that Phillips is represented by the same agency as Palace shot-stopper Dean Henderson.