Tag Futebol

Their own Cazorla: Man Utd now eyeing move to sign "fantastic" 10-goal star

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

As Ruben Amorim goes in search of the perfect duo to slot into his two No.10 roles, Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on signing a player who’s been compared to former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla.

Man Utd eyeing 'next Cazorla'

Now in April, Manchester United’s Premier League campaign can be summed up by the fact that they’re yet to win back-to-back games. Defeat against Nottingham Forest was expected, given the contrasting seasons that both are enduring, but Anthony Elanga’s winning goal certainly added salt to the wounds of a United side who will be desperate for matchday 38 to arrive.

It’s become clearer and clearer as Amorim’s reign has progressed that he needs a number of reinforcements if he is to turn things around at Old Trafford and INEOS seem to be well aware of that.

Even as cost-cutting measures continue, the Red Devils have been linked with moves for the likes of Rayan Cherki and now one other attacking midfielder who’d be perfect for Amorim’s system.

Man Utd's £50k-p/w star is in danger of becoming the new Anthony Elanga

Man Utd saw Elanga come back to haunt them on Tuesday evening at the City Ground

ByRobbie Walls Apr 2, 2025

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are now eyeing a move to sign Oscar Gloukh from Red Bull Salzburg if they lose Bruno Fernandes this summer. Their star man has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid in what would be a deserved upgrade, only for Amorim to swiftly slam the exit door shut ahead of the transfer window.

The former Sporting Club boss told reporters: “Bruno Fernandes to Real Madrid? It will NOT happen. He’s going nowhere. One day we want to win the Premier League again. So we want the best players to continue with us… and Bruno won’t leave, I already told him.”

"Special" Gloukh would be perfect for Amorim

Compared to former Arsenal midfielder Cazorla by analyst Ben Mattinson, Gloukh would be perfect for Manchester United even if Fernandes stays put. A Cazorla-type is exactly what Amorim needs in his 3-4-2-1 system. By keeping hold of his captain and then adding Gloukh, Amorim could form the ultimate duo in his two advanced midfield roles.

Starts

16

37

Goals

9

12

Assists

2

11

In less than half the games that Cazorla started in the entirety of Arsenal’s 2012/13 campaign, Gloukh has managed just two less goals this season at Red Bull Salzburg. And whilst he has work to do if he wants to reach the Spaniard’s prime on the assists front, the blueprint is certainly there and Manchester United could yet benefit.

Still just 21 years old, Gloukh’s previous campaign was described as “fantastic” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig and he has only improved even more just one season later, with 10 goals in all competitions.

United have already seen rivals Manchester City benefit from a player who rose through the ranks at Salzburg in Erling Haaland. Now, they could enjoy a player of a similar calibre who may yet become the next Cazorla.

Stats – Gardner's double, Mandhana's milestones, Sutherland's rearguard heroics

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Australia have now recorded 33 ODI series sweeps, 21 ahead of second-placed England

Namooh Shah11-Dec-202433 – Whitewashes in women’s ODI bilateral series (of three or more matches) by Australia , which is the highest by any team. The next best is 12 for England.50 and 5 – Ashleigh Gardner’s 50 and 5 for 30 in the third ODI, played at WACA in Perth on Wednesday is only the fourth such instance in women’s ODIs. The others to achieve it are Heather Knight, Sune Luus and Amelia Kerr.91 – Innings taken by Smriti Mandhana to score nine ODI centuries, making her the third-fastest to reach the mark. She also has the most hundreds for India in the format, and is only behind Meg Lanning (15), Suzie Bates (13) and Tammy Beaumont (10) in the overall list.During her innings of 105 on Wednesday, Mandhana also became the youngest (28y, 146d) to complete 8000 international runs.4 – Number of ODI centuries for Mandhana in 2024 – the most in women’s ODIs in a calendar year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Annabel Sutherland became the first Australia batter to score a century in women’s ODIs from No. 5 or lower. Only eighth players have done it in the format overall.220 – Runs added by Australia’s batters after the fall of the fourth wicket, which is the second-highest in women’s ODIs. The 223 Australia scored against India in Mackay in 2021 is the highest.3 – Sutherland (110), Gardner (50) and Tahlia McGrath (56) hit half-centuries in the third ODI, which is the first instance of three batters scoring at least 50 runs from No. 5 or lower in a women’s ODI.4 – Arundhati Reddy’s 4 for 26 is the third-best by a visiting bowler in Australia against Australia. The top two are by Katrina Keenan (4 for 11) in 1996 and Helen Davies (4 for 23) in 1999.

Finisher Shahrukh embraces T20 attitude as he repays Punjab Kings' faith

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He does not have a remarkable individual record in the role and will want to take this performance as a launching pad for something special

Sidharth Monga16-Apr-20233:38

Bishop: Great to see Indian players like Shahrukh finish matches

During the innings break, M Shahrukh Khan was interviewed by the official broadcaster. He ended the interview by rubbing his hand on the grass and showing the camera “quite a bit” of dew, which had made batting easier as the game progressed. He expected a straightforward chase after the Punjab Kings bowlers – thanks in no small measure to his two-take catches at the boundary – had restricted hosts Lucknow Super Giants to 159.The ground staff must have run the rope and undertaken other dew treatments during that break, which resulted in the pitch retaining some of the difficulty at the start of the chase. Almost an hour and a half later, Shahrukh walked in with 38 runs still required in 4.1 overs and four wickets in hand.Related

  • Raza and Shahrukh deliver for Punjab Kings in Shikhar Dhawan's absence

  • As it happened – Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings

Ravi Bishnoi, for some reason underutilised by Super Giants behind the two fingerspinners Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya, was using the bigger leg-side boundary beautifully with his natural turn in to the right-hand batters.Shahrukh does not make sense if you look at traditional metrics. He has never scored a fifty in T20 cricket. Yet this was his 24th IPL match in two seasons and a bit. He has played 45 other matches. He averages 19.02 and strikes at 130.87. His average innings is a 14-ball 19. Yet he gets picked by his state side and his IPL side regularly as a specialist batter.That is hard data. Visual data of Shahrukh suggests a batter who bats lower down the order, doesn’t get many balls to face and tends to go for it from ball one. Yet, if that doesn’t translate into cold numbers, it points towards execution inefficiency.Ball one on the night for him was from Mark Wood, who at that point had figures of 2.5-0-16-1. He had time to visualise it because the previous wicket had brought on a time-out. Shahrukh’s response was just a natural reaction to the ball. It was in the slot, it deserved to be hit, and he hit it over long-on for six. It is credit to him, and the team management, that Shahrukh had no encumbrance that might come with an unremarkable individual record.Shahrukh Khan’s 10-ball 23 sealed the win for Punjab Kings•BCCIShahrukh told the same commentators later that all he wanted was to be blank and react to the ball, which is what he trains for. “I just wanted to keep my mindset really simple,” Shahrukh said. “I just wanted to react to the ball. I think my practice is paying off. I am reacting properly at practice to each and every ball I play. That’s the reason it’s paying off here.”Shahrukh said his starting point is to hit straight, and if the ball is not there, still try to hit it but adjust accordingly. “[That’s because] I am powerful,” he said. “If I go too cheeky, I don’t think it will work for me. So, I just have one thing on my mind. I look to play straight. If anything is here and there, I try and adjust. It’s good that it’s paying off, though.”To his credit, Bishnoi – bowling the last over because he was not introduced until the 15th over – bowled such a length that Shahrukh could neither hit him down the ground nor go inside-out for five of the six balls he bowled to Shahrukh. It was to what would be the last ball of the match Shahrukh managed to go to wide long-off, the shorter side.Shahrukh’s 23 off 10 drew praise from Player of the Match, Sikandar Raza, who got frustrated with Bishnoi’s bowling and ended up holing out. “When I got out, there were a few demons in my head,” Raza said. “Credit to Shahrukh for the way he finished the game. It would have been nice to get a fifty but had we not won, I don’t think I would have felt this good. Much, much credit goes to Shahrukh for finishing the game the way he did.”It will be a moment of relief for Shahrukh that he has managed to carry his side through to a win. He has won only one Player-of-the-Match award. For an IPL team to be backing him so, Shahrukh surely has the skill and the attitude for this format? He will want to take this performance as a launching pad for something special because this format and IPL teams aren’t really known for patience.

Dan Lawrence lives up to expectations as England's hot-house bears fruit again

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Nurtured like a tropical plant, Lawrence’s maiden innings may herald the start of a long career

Andrew Miller15-Jan-2021″The exciting thing for me is that this is the beginning of a very successful, long international career, where you’ll be winning many, many games for England.”Individual batsmen may still harbour their superstitions, but the England management clearly doesn’t believe in tempting fate these days. For these were the very words uttered by James Foster, the team’s wicketkeeping consultant, in the minutes before the start of the Galle Test, as he presented Dan Lawrence, his former Essex team-mate, with his maiden Test cap.No equivocation, no doubts, and only a fleeting nod to “luck” as Foster walked over to shake the youngster’s hand and confer on him cap No. 697*. And sure enough, it has taken just two days for Lawrence to live up to those eagerly-expressed expectations, with a thrillingly sure-footed maiden fifty that leaves few reasons to doubt there will be much more to follow.

A note of caution is obligatory at this stage. There have been 103 debut half-centuries in England’s 144-year history, and while David Gower and Peter May are notable examples of players who shone as brightly from the outset as they did in their pomp, Paul Allott and Liam Dawson also exist as proof of the old adage about all penguins being birds, but not vice versa.But if you reduce that sample size to the dawn of the millennium onwards – which also happens to be the dawn of England’s central contracts era – then a more focused picture appears. From the moment that England’s 20th century survival-of-the-fittest mentality was ditched in favour of a mutually supportive team ethic, a total of 21 England batsmen, or one a year, have landed on their feet at the first time of asking (as opposed to just three in the whole of the 1990s – the ebullient Darren Gough, whose self-belief could launch armadas, and a pair of more designated allrounders in Dermot Reeve and Mark Ealham, both of whom, you sense, probably benefited from the job security that their second string offered).That post-2000 list does include some curios, not least the current national selector Ed Smith, while likely lads of the future such as Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley are obvious absentees. But more relevantly for Lawrence’s prospects of living up to Foster’s lofty billing, it also features each of England’s six highest run-scorers of the century.There’s Alastair Cook at Nagpur in 2006, of course, parachuted into a chaotic debut after hot-footing it from an A-team tour in the Caribbean. There’s Kevin Pietersen at Lord’s in 2005, whose unfettered assaults on Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath sowed the seeds of a fightback yet to come. In 2004, Andrew Strauss’s Lord’s debut was so unwavering that Nasser Hussain, a fellow century-maker, instantly knew his days were done.ESPNcricinfo LtdBefore that, came Strauss’s long-term opening partner, Marcus Trescothick, whose demons may have curtailed his England career at the age of 30, but not before he’d chalked up 5825 Test runs at 43.79. And if Ian Bell faltered at times on his own path to the upper echelons of England’s run-makers, then his average after three Tests, an unwieldy 297, was a clear sign that his class was worthy of investment.And last but clearly not least, there’s Joe Root, the current England captain, and Lawrence’s partner throughout a fourth-wicket stand of 173 at Galle on Friday. He turned 30 a fortnight ago, he’s likely to reach 8000 Test runs before this match is over, and he’s set to play his 100th Test when the tour moves to India in three weeks’ time. But it feels like only yesterday that Root himself was also making 73 on debut, in the fourth Test at Nagpur at the culmination of England’s epic series win against India in 2012-13. Pietersen and Cook had bossed that campaign for England, but with a draw sufficient to seal the series, Root rocked up with an apprentice’s performance of such mastery that few onlookers had any lingering doubts that they were witnessing the real deal.So… expectations? Yep, there are a few bubbling below the surface for Lawrence. And yes, there will be tougher days in prospect that the one that he has just encountered. While batting in Asia is never an easy challenge, especially when the ball is spinning quite as sharply as it was when Jonny Bairstow was extracted without addition in the opening moments of today’s play, Sri Lanka’s performance with the ball was barely any more continent than their own batting had been on day one. Only the admirable Lasith Embuldeniya posed a consistent wicket-taking threat, until he too got collared as the hardness of the second new-ball backfired on a toiling attack.And yes, there were flaws in Lawrence’s maiden innings – a spilled nudge to gully, and a brace of missed stumpings, one of which drew a grin of amusement from Root as he all but hauled himself off his feet. But the most telling feature of his performance was the poise that he projected, right from the moment of his first two deliveries – a quick-wristed cuff into the covers to hustle off the mark first-ball, then a compact thump through the same region for his first boundary as Dilruwan Perera over-pitched.There’s something about Lawrence which evokes Kevin Pietersen•SLCWhatever nerves may have existed had vanished in a trice, and suddenly Lawrence was batting as an equal partner to his skipper. If Root’s ruthless sweep-shots were the bread-and-butter of their stand, then the cream was provided in no uncertain terms by the new boy, who blatted Embuldeniya for a hold-the-pose six over cow corner, a shot that screeched of the sort of belonging that entire generations of England cricketers never dared to feel in years gone by.It was a familiar brand of audacity, and one that many observers had probably been craning their necks to witness from the moment that Lawrence came to the crease. Comparisons with Pietersen don’t have to be odious (although you wonder if Tom Banton, for one, might wish they weren’t thrown his way quite so frequently) but there’s something about Lawrence’s imposing frame, meaty strokeplay, and preternatural confidence that evokes KP’s arrival in the side in the 2005. There might even be something about his catching too, to judge by his first visible act as an England player, although hopefully he’ll cling onto at least one of the first five chances that come his way.There’s something, too, about the selectors’ eureka moment in the final months before their senior call-ups, when both men produced an acceleration of intent to prove beyond doubt their worthiness. For Pietersen, it was a run of performances on the England A tour of India in 2003-04 that, even to this day, stand out from the scorecards; for Lawrence, it was a match-winning century at the MCG back in February 2020, as England Lions completed their first victory in an unofficial Test in Australia, after seven blank campaigns.Related

  • Stats – Joe Root racks up the milestones, and England's run-rate in Sri Lanka

  • Stats – Lawrence matches Root's debut

  • Lawrence: 'I am a big one for trying to do things my own way'

  • England 'unconcerned' by hotel staff's positive Covid tests

  • Timely Root ton sees England tighten their grip

For that’s the thing about England’s expectations these days. It’s no longer simply that a good player rocks up with a reputation after a handful of county knocks, and gets the cocksuredness knocked out of him by team-mates and opposition alike. As alluded to by Foster in his capping ceremony, Lawrence is a pathway player, identified as a 15-year-old as Essex’s Next Big Thing, and nurtured like a tropical plant thereafter. So too is his likely rival for selection in the short term, and likely sidekick for years to come, Pope – injured at present, but gunning for full fitness in India next month, the team against whom he debuted at Lord’s in 2018.Since then, of course, the world has turned upside-down, and Lawrence is the first England debutant of the Covid era – a player who has been part of the Test bubble since last June, a period of dressing-room hot-housing like no other in Test history. For months at a time, the players have been cooped up like contestants on Big Brother, and behind those closed doors, their characters – good, bad and insidious – will doubtless have been scrutinised by players, management and psychologists alike, and with every bit as much intensity as a high-octane passage of Test cricket.Lawrence’s apprenticeship has encompassed tragedy too, with the death of his mother in August leading to a spell of compassionate leave during the Pakistan Tests. But as Root reiterated at the close – and as frequently mentioned by James Anderson, the last man with a true insight into England’s dog-eat-dog days of yore – the current dressing-room atmosphere is more accommodating and supportive than at any stage in its history.”You just want them to feel as at home as possible,” Root said at the close. “We have got a very good environment. We’ve got some really good senior players, a good group of lads who enable that process of coming into the team to be a smooth one and a nice one. If you feel comfortable in the environment, I do think it probably feeds into your game, but the most important thing is that they see that as a start of something very exciting to build on.”* Alan Jones was retrospectively awarded England cap No. 696 in June 2020 after playing against Rest of the World in one-off Test in 1970

Fastest Pitches Ever Thrown in MLB History

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

In today's baseball, throwing in the upper 90s is much more commonplace than it was even just a decade ago. Bullpens are stacked with fireballers and starters don't throw nearly as many innings as they used to, so there's no need to hold back on the mound.

Add in better training programs, breakthroughs in surgeries and recovery and new nutrition habits and it's no surprise that pitchers are throwing harder than ever.

That's not to say that there weren't incredibly powerful hurlers throughout the years. Nolan Ryan was clocked at 100 mph but was subject the old standard of radar tracking (at home plate). Many believe that if Ryan was clocked using today's standard (about 10 feet before home plate), his fastest pitches would come in somewhere around 108 mph.

And of course Randy Johnson exploded a bird while on the mound. We're not entirely sure how fast that ball was moving, but Johnson and his Diamondbacks catcher at the time (Rod Barajas) estimated it was around 100 mph.

Bob Feller participated in an early speed test where he threw a baseball against a racing motorcycle going 86 mph. Feller didn't release the ball until the motorcycle was already 10 feet or so ahead of him, but his pitch still crossed the finish line first. Early estimates suggested that ball was going over 100 mph. No wonder they called him 'Rapid Robert.'

Then there's Roger Clemens, who earned the nickname "The Rocket" for his 98 mph heater. Clemens maintained his high velocity well into his late 30s and won seven Cy Young awards.

However, these players were anomalies. Not the norm. Go back to just 2007 and you'll see a stark contrast on the mound. For example, in that 2007 season, the fastest average fastball speed was 97.6 mph (it belonged to Jonathan Broxton).

In 2025, Broxton and his 97.6 mph heater would be tied for 28th in MLB. Eight different pitchers currently average at least 99 mph on their fastballs. Three of them (Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran and Seth Halvorsen) average more than 100 mph.

So let's take a look back at the fastest pitches in MLB history, or perhaps more accurately, the fastest pitches of the statcast era.

The Fastest Pitches Ever Thrown in MLB History

Player

Speed (MPH)

Year

Aroldis Chapman

105.8

2010

Aroldis Chapman

105.7

2016

Ben Joyce

105.5

2024

Aroldis Chapman

105.4

2016

Aroldis Chapman

105.2

2016

Aroldis Chapman

105.1

2024

Aroldis Chapman

105.1

2016

Aroldis Chapman

105.1

2016

Aroldis Chapman

105.1

2016

Jordan Hicks

105

2018

Aroldis Chapman

105

2016

Jordan Hicks

105

2018

Aroldis Chapman: Bringing the Heat Since 2010

Nicknamed the "Cuban Missile," Chapman made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 31, 2010. Just one month later, on Sept. 24, 2010, he threw the fastest recorded pitch in MLB history: a 105.8 mph fastball.

Since then, he's thrown nothing but gas for the Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox. Chapman is an eight-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner and a Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award winner.

And he doesn't appear to be slowing down (or losing any velocity) with age. Despite now being 37-years-old, Chapman still routinely throws 100+ mph and is currently the Red Sox's closer.

How Pitch Velocity Is Measured

In the 1940s, there were some efforts to clock pitch speed, mainly due to Feller's incredible fastball. His motorcycle-radar test was a pioneering effort at the time, but it doesn't really hold up today.

This is because the ball speed was measured by timing the ball as it hit a barrier 60 feet away, but this severely underreported velocity as the ball will lose anywhere between five and 10% of its speed from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand to when it crosses the plate.

By the 1970s, radar guns were pretty commonplace in baseball. They provided much more consistent readings of speed, but it all depended on where the ball was being tracked. More often than not, it was at home plate, where the pitch was at its slowest.

MLB implemented PITCHf/x in all ballparks by 2008, which used triangulation to track both pitch speed and break. At this point, all pitch speeds were normalized to the 50-foot release point as well, making all of them comparable.

Now, MLB uses Statcast. Statcast uses Doppler radar and Hawk-Eye to track pitches' speed, exit velocity, spin rate and more.

Every pitch is now measured at release, making Chapman's 105.8 mph pitch truly the fastest verified throw in MLB history.

USMNT told what would be a successful 2026 World Cup as Brad Friedel makes 'no shame' Brazil or England claim

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The USMNT have been told what represents a successful 2026 World Cup, with Brad Friedel looking ahead to the tournament in an exclusive interview with GOAL. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are being challenged to reach the knockout stages on home soil, but there will be “no shame” in falling short if they come unstuck against a heavyweight rival such as England or Brazil.

  • Golden Generation: Who makes USMNT squad?

    Having qualified as co-hosts of FIFA’s flagship event – alongside neighbours Canada and Mexico – the United States have had fewer competitive fixtures to ready them for a shot at global glory. A series of friendlies, Gold Cup games and Nations League ties have, however, allowed Pochettino to experiment and shuffle his pack.

    The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss will be close to settling on a 26-man squad that he believes can be competitive against the very best in the business. He is considered to be working with a ‘Golden Generation’ of talent but can they live up to expectations, or even exceed them?

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  • Knockout blow: How far will USMNT go at 2026 World Cup?

    Asked what success will look like next summer, former USMNT goalkeeper Friedel – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “My expectation is that we get through the group. I think exceeding expectations is past the quarters. It’s really difficult to say what I think will be success or failure, the knockouts etc, until you see the draw and the knockout games. There is no shame in getting knocked out to Brazil or England. It just happens. For me, it’s the manner in which it would happen.

    “Mauricio I know very well and he is going to have a team that is well prepared, that is fit, that is going to fight for everyone, and they are going to compete really well. That’s why I think over a three-game period in the group stages, they can get out of the group – that’s what I expect. After that, unfortunately no matter how hard you compete against some of the teams at the World Cup – that’s why so few have won it over the history of the tournament – it’s difficult to win it. We’ll have to wait and see.

    “I would say that the team is definitely capable of – with the talent that they have and I know how Mauricio works – getting to the quarter-finals. We’ll see after that because then it becomes really hard.

    “Sometimes you are going to need luck or penalties or sendings off, or whatever it is. Look at all the great England teams that have been so close. Talent-wise, playing with them and against them, they have had the talent to win a World Cup. For whatever reason, they haven’t been able to finish it off.”

    Getty Images

  • Avoid Messi: Who will the USMNT want to face?

    The USMNT made it to the last-16 of the 2010, 2014 and 2022 World Cups – having failed to qualify in 2018 – and believe that they can emulate those achievements in their own backyard. They will, however, cross paths with at one least of the favourites at some stage.

    Quizzed on whether Lionel Messi and Argentina would be a dream draw or whether it is best to avoid the elite for as long as possible, Friedel added: “You are going to get at least one of the best in your group. Back in ‘94, we were lucky to get out of the group but really unlucky because we had two European countries. We had Switzerland and Romania and Colombia.

    “You are going to get somebody really good to play against. The European countries are generally of the higher quality, and the South American countries. I would still say avoid everyone at the top for as long as you can! You can lose against those guys any time, with no shame and playing a really good match, so why not play against people that you know you can beat seven out of 10 times.”

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    World Cup draw: When USMNT will discover group stage opponents

    The USMNT will discover their fate – and whether that includes a meeting with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who has helped to guide Inter Miami to the 2025 MLS Cup final – when the group stage draw is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on December 5.

Maxwell named for 50-over return for Victoria despite ODI retirement

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Matt Short also makes his return from injury ahead of Australia’s T20I tour of New Zealand

Alex Malcolm16-Sep-2025Despite retiring from ODIs earlier this year Glenn Maxwell will play 50-over cricket for his state side Victoria in the first two Dean Jones Trophy matches of the new summer to help prepare for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.Maxwell, 36, has been named in Victoria’s 14-player squad for their first two matches against Queensland and Tasmania at Allan Border Field on Wednesday and Friday respectively. Maxwell has played just one List A match for Victoria since March 2022, and that was against New South Wales in October last year.Fellow Australian T20I squad member Matt Short has also been named for his first game of cricket in any form since the MLC in July, after he was ruled out of the five-match T20I tour of the Caribbean then both the T20I and ODI series against South Africa at home in August due to a side injury. Like Maxwell, he has not played a 50-over fixture since the Champions Trophy.Related

Australia's Ashes 'bat-off' begins: Who could open against England?

Hardie ruled out of Australia A tour with shoulder injury

Webster hopes his all-round skills can help push for ODI honours

Captain Will Sutherland will only play in game one before departing to India to join the Australia A tour ahead of the second four-day game in Lucknow. Peter Handscomb will captain in game two.Young batter Oliver Peake, who is yet to make his Victoria 50-over debut despite making his List A debut for Australia A in July against Sri Lanka A, is unavailable as he is already in Lucknow playing in the first four-day match against India A. Todd Murphy is also playing for Australia A in India.Harry Dixon and Sam Elliott will play both games for Victoria before departing for India to play for Australia A in the 50-over matches in Kanpur that start on September 30.Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne will captain Queensland against Victoria on Wednesday and Western Australia on Sunday, also at Allan Border Field. Xavier Bartlett is unavailable due to Australia A duty while Mark Steketee (minor hamstring) and Callum Vidler (stress fracture) are also absent. Test opener Usman Khawaja won’t play either of Queensland’s 50-over matches this week as he continues his preparation for the start of the Sheffield Shield summer ahead of the Ashes.Former New South Wales allrounder Hayden Kerr is in line for a Queensland debut as is former Australian Under-19 World Cup winning captain Hugh Weibgen.Tom Straker and Lachlan Hearne will play both matches against Victoria and WA before departing to India to join the Australia A 50-over squad.Hearne has been called up to his first Australia A squad as an injury replacement for Aaron Hardie. Hearne has only played eight List A matches but the left-hander made an impressive 107 off 91 balls against his former state New South Wales in February.Victoria squad: Will Sutherland, Peter Handscomb, Blake Macdonald, Callum Stow, Cam McClure, David Moody, Glenn Maxwell, Harry Dixon, Marcus Harris, Matt Short, Mitch Perry, Sam Elliott, Sam Harper, Tom RogersQueensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Lachlan Hearne, Hayden Kerr, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

Hampshire target white-ball double as coach Birrell prepares to step down

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Club hope to give long-serving coach “send-off he deserves” after seven years in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2025Hampshire hope to give Adi Birrell “the send-off he deserves” by winning the T20 Blast and Metro Bank Cup double after announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season. Birrell, 64, joined Hampshire ahead of the 2019 season but will complete his tenure later this month and return to his native South Africa to spend time with his family.After a convincing win at Durham in the quarter-finals, Hampshire head to Edgbaston on Saturday targeting a record fourth Blast title ahead of their semi-final against Northamptonshire. They will then face Worcestershire at Trent Bridge in the Metro Bank Cup final the following weekend, eyeing a first List A trophy since 2018.Hampshire have been competitive across formats under Birrell, winning the Blast in 2022 and finishing runners-up in the County Championship on three separate occasions. They have struggled in the Championship this year in the absence of James Vince, but have still thrived in both white-ball formats.Birrell also deputised as Southern Brave coach in the men’s Hundred this year, but is now unlikely to return to that role next summer. Hampshire are expected to lean on the global network developed by the GMR Group – their new Indian owners, who co-own Delhi Capitals – in recruiting his successor.”All good things come to an end, and we are sad to see Adi go,” Giles White, Hampshire’s long-serving director of cricket, said in a club statement. “It’s been a fantastic seven years at the club, during which he has become a hugely popular figure and overseen a successful period across all formats.”Under his leadership, the team has reached numerous finals, come close in Championships, and lifted the Blast title in 2022. His contribution has left a lasting mark, and he will be deeply missed by players, coaches, and fans alike at the Utilita Bowl.”We hope to give him the send-off he deserves, with two pieces of silverware still up for grabs in the next two weeks and important days ahead in the Championship. Everyone at Hampshire Cricket and the Utilita Bowl wishes Adi the very best as he looks forward to spending more time at home on the farm.”

Nightmare for Cristiano Ronaldo! Portugal star sarcastically applauds after being shown straight red card for elbow against Ireland in World Cup qualifier

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a nightmare evening on Thursday as he was shown a straight red card in the second half of Portugal's World Cup qualifier with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. The hosts took a 2-0 lead in the match, thanks to two goals from Troy Parrott, and their hopes of snatching a famous victory were boosted further when the Portugal superstar was handed his marching orders.

  • Ronaldo rages after red card

    Ronaldo saw red just after the hour mark for a petulant elbow on Dara O’Shea. He was originally awarded a yellow card but the decision was upgraded following a VAR review. The decision was met with delight by the home fans who were happy to let the Portugal star know their thoughts. He responded by ironically applauding the fans as he walked off and went straight down the tunnel. Ronaldo's departure left Portugal with a mountain to climb in the match, already two goals down and now a man light for the final half hour. The sending off is Ronaldo's first for the Portugal national team and means he now faces a ban.

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    Portugal star had promised to be a 'good boy'

    Ronaldo had promised to be a "good boy" ahead of the match as he previewed his team's World Cup qualifier. He told reporters: "‘It’s a pleasure to come and play here again. Of course, it will be tough. I hope they don’t boo me too much tomorrow. I swear that I’m going to try to be a good boy. But of course, I do my job. I try to win the game and try to score to help my team. I’m sure that the game will be difficult."

    The Al-Nassr star had also admitted before the game that next year's competition will be his final World Cup. He explained: "Definitely, yes, because I will be 41 years old and I think it will be the moment in the big competition. I'm enjoying the moments, but when I mean soon, it's really soon because I give everything for football. I'm in the game for the last 25 years. I did everything. I have many records in different scenarios for the clubs and the national teams. I’m really proud, let's enjoy the moment, live the moment."

  • Ronaldo now facing ban

    Ronaldo's red card means he will now face a suspension which will be a blow to the superstar and his team. The forward is expected to receive at least a two-match ban, meaning he will miss Portugal's final World Cup qualifier on Sunday against Armenia and, should Roberto Martinez's side qualify automatically, his team's first match of the tournament proper, as reported by BBC Sport's Dale Johnson.

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    What do Portugal need to qualify for World Cup 2026?

    Portugal had flown out to Ireland aiming to secure their place at World Cup 2026 with a win but return home pointless and still with work to do. Martinez's men return to action on Sunday against Armenia in Lisbon and will be hot favourites to take all three points. A win will be enough to secure top spot in the group, regardless of results elsewhere, while Ireland take on Hungary in their final group fixture. A win for either side will secure the runners-up spot in the group.

Marc Guehi prices himself out of Real Madrid move! Crystal Palace captain puts off Spanish giants with wage demands

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Marc Guehi’s dreams of a move to Real Madrid look dead in the water after the Crystal Palace captain’s wage and signing-on demands reportedly forced Los Blancos to walk away. The England international, who is out of contract in 2026 and refusing to extend, is now expected to stay in England, with Liverpool leading the race for his signature next summer, while Bayern Munich remain interested.

Real Madrid priced out of Guehi transfer race

Real Madrid look set to pull out of the race to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Guehi, with Spanish outlet AS reporting that his high wage and signing-on demands have made the transfer “virtually impossible.” The 25-year-old, who has just 18 months left on his current contract, is widely expected to leave Selhurst Park next summer after declining multiple renewal offers. The Eagles have already accepted that their captain intends to move on, but Real Madrid, who were keen to bring in a long-term defensive reinforcement, have been priced out.

Sources close to Los Blancos suggest that Real’s recruitment team were impressed with Guehi’s performances in the Premier League and on the international stage but were unwilling to match his financial expectations. Guehi’s camp had reportedly sought a significant pay rise and a multi-million-pound signing bonus, terms which exceeded the club’s internal wage structure. As a result, Real Madrid have turned their attention elsewhere, leaving Liverpool and Bayern Munich as the frontrunners for the England defender’s signature.

Guehi will be eligible to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs from January 2026, though several Premier League sides are expected to make renewed efforts to sign him before then. Liverpool, who came close to securing his services this past summer, are considered favourites to finalise a deal after Real’s withdrawal. However, Bayern Munich’s growing interest could yet complicate matters in what promises to be a major transfer battle.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReal Madrid planning for the future

Real Madrid’s withdrawal from the race is less about Guehi’s ability and more about their evolving defensive strategy heading into 2026. The club is actively seeking to reinforce its backline amid a mounting injury crisis and long-term uncertainty surrounding key defenders Eder Militao, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger. With all three battling recurring injuries or approaching the final year of their contracts, Madrid are under pressure to secure a new defensive leader for the next cycle.

Militao has endured back-to-back ACL tears across consecutive seasons, while Alaba’s fitness struggles have continued into 2025, limiting his availability. Rudiger remains consistent but turns 33 in 2026, prompting discussions about succession planning at the heart of Xabi Alonso’s defence. Real Madrid have therefore been scouring Europe for top-tier defenders available at reasonable prices or nearing the end of their contracts, a strategy that initially made Guehi appealing.

However, Guehi’s financial demands reportedly exceeded those of any existing Madrid defender, and the club hierarchy, led by Florentino Perez, has no intention of breaking its internal pay balance for a non-Galactico-level signing. With Guehi off the table, Los Blancos are now turning their attention to other long-term targets, including Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano, Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate, and Arsenal’s William Saliba, all of whom have been tracked by Madrid scouts in recent months.

(C)Getty ImagesGuehi's spectacular Liverpool transfer collapse

Guehi’s decision to pursue high wages comes against the backdrop of his failed transfer to Liverpool earlier this year, a saga that dominated the final hours of the 2025 summer window. Liverpool had agreed a £35 million (€40m) fee with Crystal Palace, including a sell-on clause, and the player even underwent parts of his medical ahead of a deadline day move to Anfield. However, the transfer collapsed at the last moment after Palace failed to secure a replacement, reportedly prompting manager Oliver Glasner to threaten resignation if the sale went ahead.

Palace’s first-choice target, Brighton’s Igor Julio, chose to join West Ham instead, leaving the Eagles without adequate cover and forcing chairman Steve Parish to pull the plug despite the deal sheet already being submitted. Guehi, who was said to be “devastated” by the decision, returned to training with the Eagles the following week but made clear his intent to move on when his contract expires. The breakdown of that move not only frustrated Liverpool but also alerted several European giants, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Inter all contacting his representatives soon after.

For Liverpool, the failed transfer represented a rare misstep in an otherwise calculated window, which saw them sign Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, among many others. The Reds have maintained contact with Guehi’s camp since then, with sources suggesting that he remains their “priority target” to eventually succeed Van Dijk.

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What comes next?

With Real Madrid officially stepping away from the deal, the race for Guehi’s signature is now expected to intensify between Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Liverpool’s advantage lies in the player’s long-standing admiration for the club and his desire to remain in the Premier League, while Bayern are prepared to offer him a lucrative deal. Both clubs view Guehi as a leader capable of anchoring their defence for years to come.

For Crystal Palace, the priority is stability until the end of the season. The club remains resigned to losing their captain but are determined to keep him until his contract expires in 2026, believing his leadership and consistency are vital for their Premier League campaign.

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