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Samson’s exclusion comes after KCA decided to include players from the camp

Shashank Kishore18-Dec-2024Sanju Samson has been left out of Kerala’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning December 21. The move comes on the back of an internal decision to include only those players who participated in a preparatory camp in the lead-up to the tournament.Samson had led Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25, where they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the knockouts, winning four out of their six matches. Samson, who had originally been named in the 30-member probable list, now finds himself out of the 19-member long list.ESPNcricinfo understands Samson had written to the association stating his unavailability for the camp, but the KCA has decided to stick to its original decision. With senior batter Sachin Baby also unavailable due to injury he picked up during SMAT, batter Salman Nizar has been named captain for the 50-over competition.Related

• Vijay Hazare Trophy: Agarawal, Tilak, Nair go big as tournament crosses halfway mark

• Shami named in Bengal's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad

• Prithvi Shaw dropped from Mumbai squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy

Samson, fresh off two T20I centuries on the tour of South Africa, played in five of Kerala’s six games at SMAT, scoring 135 runs including one half-century.Kerala squad: Salman Nizar (capt), Rohan Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), Anand Krishnan, Krishna Prasad, Jalaj Saxena, Aditya Sarwate, Sijomon Joseph, Basil Thampi, Basil NP, Nidheesh MD, Eden Apple Tom, Sharafuddeen, Akhil Scaria, Vishweshwar Suresh, Vaishak Chandran, Ajnas M (wk)

Karnataka ‘move on’ from Manish Pandey

Meanwhile, there’s churn elsewhere with Karnataka seemingly having “moved on” – as per KSCA selection committee chair J Abhiram – from a number of senior players in a bid to reset. Among those not considered is senior batter Manish Pandey.The KSCA believes Pandey’s exit at this point is purely on form and the possibility of a comeback seems “tough.” Pandey managed just 117 runs in five innings as Karnataka failed to make the SMAT knockouts; they finished fourth in the eight-team pool, losing out to Baroda and Saurashtra.The last of Karnataka’s white-ball trophies – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018-19 and 2019-20 – came under Manish Pandey’s captaincy•MPCA

The association has also gone to the extent of saying Pandey, who was vice-captain to Mayank Agarwal for the first half of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, won’t be considered for the back end of the competition that will resume in January. Pandey managed a solitary half-century in six innings, with Karnataka needing a miracle to qualify for the knockouts.”We as an association have realised that we need to move on from the players of old and bring in new blood,” Abhiram said. “We cannot live in past glory.”If Pandey has indeed played his last game, it marks the end of a glorious career in which he was part of two Ranji Trophy-winning squads [2013-14 and 2014-15], apart from winning a number of white-ball championships. Interestingly, Karnataka won their most-recent silverware under his leadership – the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy back-to-back in 2018-19 and 2019-20.Pandey has 7973 runs in 118 first-class matches at an average of 50.78, with 25 centuries. Overall, he also has over 13,000 runs across the white-ball formats. He played the most-recent of his 68 white-ball games for India in 2021. Last month, he was re-signed by reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2025 season.Pandey’s ouster from Karnataka comes hot on the heels of a number of high-profile exits. K Gowtham, the allrounder, hasn’t been considered across formats since the end of the 2022-23 season despite compelling performances in club cricket as well as the state-run Maharaja T20 Trophy.R Samarth, the opener, has moved to Uttarakhand to play across formats, something he wasn’t able to at Karnataka with the selectors considering him as a red-ball specialist. Shreyas Gopal, the legspinner, left for Kerala for a season but has since returned to the Karnataka fold.It appears now that senior players, including captain Agarwal, will be under close scrutiny from the selection committee should they continue to flounder. “When we won the double-treble, it was a young Karnataka team,” Abhiram said. “We’re banking on youth once again to get us there.”Karnataka squad: Mayank Agarwal (capt), Shreyas Gopal (vice-capt), S Nikin Jose, KV Aneesh, R Smaran, KL Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vasuki Koushik, Vidyadhar Patil, Kishan Bedare, Abhilash Shetty, Manoj Bhandage, Pravin Dubey, Luvnith Sisodia

Saul Niguez believes Atletico Madrid have no excuse for not challenging for major honours after all the money they have spent in recent years.

Praises Simeone’s honesty in final talksSlams ‘fake’ figures inside the clubDemands trophies after €400m investmentFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Atletico midfielder Saul has hit out at his old club during an interview with , saying they have “no excuse” not to challenge for major silverware this season. The Spaniard officially left the club this summer to complete a move to Brazilian side Flamengo and has reflected on his 13-year spell at the Spanish club.

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Atleti have strengthened over the summer and expectations are rising, with president Enrique Cerezo recently challenging Simeone to deliver Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey crowns. They have already Alex Baena, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso and Matteo Ruggeri among others this summer, and are reportedly working on the signing of Stuttgart's Enzo Millot and Giacomo Raspadori from Napoli.

Having spent big for the second summer in a row, Saul believes it is time for the capital club to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid for domestic silverware and set their sights on delivering European glory at the same time.

WHAT SAUL SAID

He said: "They have fewer and fewer excuses. Last year they spent 200 million and this year they've paid another 200. Now the reality is different. They're already spending the same as other clubs and they have to compete for everything. Last year wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be. It was a year they came close to winning and didn't. As long as Cholo's message continues to resonate with the players, I think he's got a long way to go."

Saul also reflected on his final conversation with Simeone while he was still on loan at Sevilla, saying: "My relationship with Simeone had ups and downs, but he was always direct, he wasn't fake like some others at the club. He may have been a little more distant as a manager, but everything he said to me was always to my face. In my last chat with him at the Sanchez-Pizjuan, he told me that he wasn't counting on me for the following season. I think it was a very good chat because in the end it was thought that I was going to complain about anything, but in the end it was the opposite."

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ATLETICO?

Saul’s remarks shine a light on internal dynamics and raise fresh questions about whether Simeone can evolve tactically and emotionally to meet the moment. It’s now or never if Atleti are to reclaim their place at Europe’s top table.

At 37, in his first full Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) season, R Ashwin is expanding his range as a batter. He has always been good at finding boundaries down the ground, a skill that Rajasthan Royals leverage when they send him up the order in the IPL in order to provide their finishers a more suitable point of entry. But at this year’s TNPL, Ashwin has been working on playing boundary shots square of the wicket, and it’s paying off.In the Qualifier 2, against Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans at Chepauk on Friday, Ashwin dismantled left-arm fingerspinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram with a number of reverse sweeps. He was particularly severe on Sai Kishore, scoring 28 off nine balls at a strike rate of over 300. In all, Ashwin has 200 runs in eight innings in this TNPL at a strike rate of 166.66, with five of those innings coming right at the top or No. 3 for Dindigul Dragons.”Look, everything is work in progress, right?,” he said on the eve of the TNPL final against Shahrukh Khan’s Lyca Kovai Kings in Chennai. “You can even ask Shahrukh Khan about it. How does he do power-hitting… how do you hit the ball through the off side and leg side? It’s all about repetitions, and understanding angles and triggers.”Obviously, in the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game and widen my horizons square of the wicket because I know I can hit the ball down the ground, and I can use my feet. Do I want to explore other options is something I had to ask myself. So if I can ask that question and if I can find an answer, it gives me a new avenue to explore and keep myself interested in the game.”Dindigul’s rookie left-arm fingerspinner P Vignesh had missed the Under-19 World Cup cut for India earlier this year but has been particularly impressive with his accuracy and control in this TNPL. In Qualifier 2 against Tiruppur, he came away with figures of 3 for 8 and the Player-of-the-Match award. Like Vignesh, Tiruppur’s offspin-bowling allrounder Mohamed Ali was excluded from India’s Under-19 World Cup squad but has made a mark in the TNPL. Ashwin has urged the next generation of cricketers to embrace setbacks and keep upgrading their skills.”Look, firstly I think missing the Under-19 cut is not the end of the world. Looking at how fragile our next generation can be, I really urge people to look at this game as a part of life,” Ashwin said. “Failure and success is very, very normal, and people become better only through failures. So I know P Vignesh, he has been coming to the Indian team nets, and I think he has improved every day. And this sort of a tournament gives these guys opportunity to be able to express and expand their game. I really hope that they’re ready to expand it constantly, and find answers to the questions that are going to be asked.”Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan with the TNPL trophy•TNPL/TNCA

Shahrukh: GT helped improve my game against spin

Shahrukh has often struggled against spin, especially at the start of his innings, but he has been working on a technical tweak – a trigger movement where he pushes his weight forward – and he believes this will help him be a more rounded batter.”When I was with the Gujarat Titans, we had a camp for about a couple of months there, so I started working a lot on my spin game because they wanted me to bat up the order,” Shahrukh said. “And when you bat up the order, obviously for a batter like me having my concerns against spin bowling, especially, opponent teams would bring in spin when I come out to bat.”So their role was to help me improve my spin game, and it really helped. The front press I’m doing [in the TNPL] is quite obvious now, and it has helped me to score off the front foot and off the back foot as well.”While Shahrukh’s overall strike rate against pace in the IPL is 161.11, it falls sharply to 112 against spin. But in IPL 2024, he managed to lift his strike rate against spin to 168.75 while maintaining a similarly high strike rate against pace. And when Kovai met Dindigul in the league phase in Tirunelveli, Shahrukh took on mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and left-arm spinner Vignesh on his way to an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls.Having lost that game to Dindigul, Shahrukh has called his team to put together their “best cricket” in their quest for a three-peat in the TNPL.”I really don’t know [about the law of averages]. We’re taking it as just another game,” Shahrukh said. “The law of averages and the hat-trick [of titles]… all these things on social media are there, but we aren’t focusing on that. Out of the eight games we’ve played, only in two games we’ve stepped up to the expectations we have as a unit.”I hope even in this game we try and bring it out. As far as I’m concerned, we still haven’t played our best cricket this year, and we will try and do that.”

It is no understatement to say that Glasgow Rangers require a major overhaul this summer.

Not just in the playing squad or staff members, but in mentality. Since the Ibrox side won the Premiership title in 2021, the Gers have won only two trophies since.

In comparison, Celtic have won every available league title on offer and have clinched a domestic double this season, although they did lose to Aberdeen in the SFA Cup final.

Things have to change at Ibrox, and fast. The 49ers’ involvement should give those at the club a boost, but the priority is a new manager.

The likes of Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti have been linked with a move to Glasgow, while several other candidates have been touted for the vacant role.

Whoever becomes the next permanent manager will have work to do in order to improve the first-team squad this summer.

There are various positions that need urgent improvement, no doubt about that. Furthermore, several players could be sold to raise funds and help reduce the wage bill.

Cyriel Dessers may finish the season as the top scorer in the Premiership, but if a reasonable offer comes in this summer, the club should cash in.

Why Rangers must sell Cyriel Dessers

Never has a Rangers player exuded more Jekyll and Hyde-like qualities than Dessers. One minute, he is simply unplayable, causing chaos for opposition defenders domestically and in Europe.

Next, he struggles with the easiest of chances and offers next to nothing in the final third.

There is no doubt about his record in front of goal for the Light Blues since he joined in a deal worth £4.5m from Cremonese in the summer of 2023. Indeed, the Nigerian striker has scored 51 goals and grabbed 16 assists across 109 games for the club during his first two seasons.

On the surface, this is an impressive record in front of goal. He has shone in Europe, with his display against Fenerbahce one of the finest by a Gers forward in quite a while.

Unfortunately, these performances are few and far between. Throughout the 2023/24 league season, Dessers missed a staggering 27 big chances across 35 matches.

Over the same number of games in 2024/25, he missed 21 big chances, a slight improvement, but still not great.

Metric

2023/24

2024/25

Goals

16

18

Assists

4

2

Shots per game

2.9

2.4

Big chances missed

27

21

Goal conversion percentage

16%

22%

During the winter transfer window, several clubs were linked with making a move for Dessers. Saint-Étienne, Cagliari, and Empoli were all showing interest in securing a move for the 30-year-old.

Much to the disappointment of large sections of the support, the centre-forward remained in Glasgow until the end of the season at least.

He has two years left on his current contract, which suggests now would be the ideal time to cash in and secure a decent fee for the player.

This could be used to fund future signings, especially a couple of younger players with a higher ceiling for growth.

Dessers shouldn’t be the only player to be moved on this summer by the new manager. Nedim Bajrami is reportedly attracting interest from afar, and now might be a good time to part ways with the Albanian.

Nedim Bajrami has offers on the table

According to reports in Albania (as relayed by Glasgow Times), Bajrami has two options on the table with regard to a summer exit away from the Light Blues.

One comes from the Italian top flight, while the other is from the Bundesliga, and the report states that the midfielder is likely to leave Glasgow when the transfer window finally opens.

Much will depend on the price, however, as the 49ers will be keen on recouping much of the £3.4m that was spent on the Albanian last summer.

It’s safe to say he hasn’t exactly enjoyed the most productive of campaigns in Scotland, despite arriving with plenty of hype.

What exactly went wrong with Bajrami?

Why Rangers must sell Nedim Bajrami this summer

The 26-year-old had impressed for his country at Euro 2024, scoring an incredible opener against Italy after just 23 seconds.

A move to Ibrox in the final days of the summer transfer window looked like a real coup for Philippe Clement.

What looked like a potentially transformative signing for the club eventually turned into a waste of money. Across 44 games for Rangers, he only scored five goals and chipped in with four assists, showing that he has rarely made a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Considering the sum of money the club had paid, this was hardly the best of returns, especially following a decent start to life in Glasgow.

The midfielder only started 15 Premiership matches, creating only four big chances, averaging one key pass and succeeding with just one dribble per game in the top flight.

In Europe, Bajrami didn’t fare much better. Indeed, he could only muster a single goal from 11 appearances, winning less than half of his total duels per game and averaging 1.3 key passes per game, which shows how ineffective he has been on the European stage since his move to Ibrox.

The nadir came against Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup back in February. Rangers suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat – arguably one of their worst domestic losses – but Bajrami was subbed at half-time following a dismal display.

Stevie Clifford, who runs Four Lads Had a Dream, criticised the Albanian a month before, saying:

“I’ll highlight it again, it’s not singling him out, but Nedim Bajrami is not offering enough at all.

“We need him to influence games & be involved, largely anonymous so far, again.

“£4m is big money to do it in these type of games & he’s miles off it so far.”

All of these points point towards a likely summer exit when the window opens next month. Should Rangers receive a bid that is deemed acceptable, then they must be ready to cash in.

He didn’t live up to initial expectations, and regardless of who the new manager is, Bajrami’s future already looks settled with the offers that are on the table from other clubs.

Hopefully, he can make better signings this summer.

Gerrard's next Defoe: Rangers could sign PL "living legend" this summer

Rangers must make a move for a current Premier League striker this summer

ByRoss Kilvington May 24, 2025

The duo helped India B finish the day on 150 for 6, leading India A by 240 runs

Shashank Kishore07-Sep-2024Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant, batters who bring daredevilry to the crease, brought a small but festive Saturday crowd to life after tea on the third day in Bengaluru.The trigger for this thrilling counter was an instinctive response to India A’s Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed striking early. Although India B had a 90-run first-innings lead, they were in choppy waters at 22 for 3. A contest was brewing until Pant and Sarfaraz decided to take the counterattacking route.Sarfaraz kickstarted the party by employing a method typical of him, and far different to his brother, Musheer Khan, who had just been strangled down leg for a duck to go with his epic 181 in the first innings. Musheer’s dismissal was down to Dhruv Jurel’s glove work as he dived to his left to grab a one-handed stunner.Related

• Akash Deep uses Shami's advice for impressive Duleep Trophy outing

• One-Test-old Akash Deep determined for more

• Magnificent Musheer revives India B from 94 for 7

• Saini makes a stand for India B, but Rahul helps steer India A ahead

Sarfaraz got his first life on zero when he drilled a half-volley that burst through substitute Tilak Varma’s hands at extra cover. It would be the start of a mini contest between Khaleel, Avesh Khan and Sarfaraz, all India Under-19 batch-mates from 2016.The fast-bowling duo were riling him up with words and friendly jibes even as Pant, also from the same batch, chuckled, perhaps knowing fully well this was probably a contest worth viewing from the other end. The friendly banter certainly seemed to get Sarfaraz’s competitive juices flowing.He would very quickly switch his focus back by hitting Akash for five fours in a row. Out came a booming drive, a rasping cut, a delicate steer, a neat tickle down leg and a wristy whip as he peppered every region of the ground from cover to point to deep third to fine leg and deep square.By this time, it felt silly to assume Pant would buckle down and enjoy the Sarfaraz show. He didn’t and, in the process, lived dangerously to begin with. A reverse scoop off Akash, reminiscent of the audacious reverse to James Anderson, flew between Jurel and KL Rahul at first slip, neither having any time to react.Then a wild heave across the line, as if he was unleashed by a free hit in a T20, went a mile high. Jurel hared all the way back towards fine leg, while yelling and gesturing to Kuldeep Yadav to get out of the way, only for the ball to just elude him. Jurel had miscalculated; the ball would have been straight down Kuldeep’s lap at fine leg.Sarfaraz Khan’s innings was studded with a number of audacious strokes•PTI

Then Pant decided to take on Khaleel’s short ball. This induced more hair-tearing frustration for the bowlers. Pant was so early into the hook shot that the ball ballooned off the gloves over the slip cordon. It left Khaleel incensed so much that you wondered what reprieving Sarfaraz off his own bowling, on 28, would elicit. There was, of course, disbelief and more frustration. Khaleel animatedly exchanged a friendly stare, followed by words and a smile.This, however, wasn’t the last of this thrill-a-minute ride. In the same over, Sarfaraz looked to whack the leather of a ball not full enough to be a half-volley or short enough to be good length. It flew off the bat, over point, for a flat six. There wasn’t much else left to say now for Khaleel.Sarfaraz was eyeing a half-century, perhaps more. In trying to keep at it, he slashed one to Jurel. Avesh, who had bantered with him earlier, leapt past Sarfaraz in celebration and gave him a send-off. Sarfaraz made 46 off 36; he had put on 72 off 55 with Pant; India B’s lead had swelled to 184. The partnership was over, but the party wasn’t.Pant went bonkers, tonking Kuldeep for a sequence of 4, 0, 6, 0, 1 to bring up a 34-ball half-century. The purity of the big hits, the conviction in taking the attack to the bowlers and simply playing without any inhibitions, like he always does, lit up a leaden afternoon. A top edge to a tame sweep off Tanush Kotian got him for 61, but he walked off knowing he had done his job.Rishabh Pant’s half-century took only 34 balls•PTI

The stunning post-tea double-act from Pant and Sarfaraz made one forget all the discussion around India’s imminent Test selection for the Bangladesh series.In any case, six Test regulars: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj aren’t playing the Duleep Trophy. Two others, Rahul and Pant, are expected to make the cut. As is Sarfaraz, most probably as a reserve batter.Until this thrilling ride, the exhibition of outstanding seam and swing bowling from all of India’s prospects who will be looked at later in the year, for India A and the Test tour to Australia, made for compelling viewing.This included those who have already played Test cricket, such as Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Akash, and those who haven’t – Yash Dayal and Khaleel – but are in the conversation because of their ability and the left-arm variety that India have missed.Saini and Mukesh picked up three wickets each to help India B take a lead. Khaleel and Akash struck early, and then, Pant and Sarfaraz happened.

Sunday's battering of Wales allowed the likes of Lauren James, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone to get some rest – they'll all be ready to go again

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It's fair to say that England's group stage at this European Championship was a bit of a rollercoaster. After losing their opener to France, the Lionesses knew any misstep could be fatal in their bid to retain their title and, as such, they were essentially flawless, battering the Netherlands 4-0 while under the highest pressure and then following up with a 6-1 thrashing of Wales to punch their ticket to the quarter-finals.

Next up are Sweden, who England faced in the last four of Euro 2022. Peter Gerhardsson's side are extremely experienced, packed with talent and have reached at least the semi-finals in six of their last seven major tournaments. They know how to navigate these knockout rounds.

But England are well-versed in what it takes, too, and will be confident that they can get the job done on Thursday, having found their groove in their last two outings in particular. So, how will Sarina Wiegman approach the challenge from a team selection perspective? GOAL takes a look at how the Lionesses side should line up in Zurich…

Getty ImagesGK: Hannah Hampton

Hampton hasn't been particularly busy in the England goal so far this tournament, despite only keeping one clean sheet in three games. There was little she could do about any of the three goals conceded and her distribution has been excellent, with there no reason to expect, or demand, a change at this position.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Lucy Bronze

Since starting the tournament with a tough evening out against club-mate Sandy Baltimore, Bronze has been solid. The Chelsea star doesn't have much competition for her place in this England team in truth, but there is no question about her place in this starting XI as the Lionesses prepare to go into the knockout stages, where Bronze's experience could be particularly vital.

Getty ImagesCB: Leah Williamson

No England player has won possession more often than Williamson at this tournament, with the captain settling into her groove nicely after the defensive issues that plagued the Lionesses' first outing. She's shown a good understanding with her new centre-back partner, Carter, and will hope to continue that as she prepares for an individual battle against Arsenal team-mate Stina Blackstenius in the quarter-finals.

Getty ImagesCB: Jess Carter

Since being moved from left-back to centre-back, the role she plays regularly at club level, Carter has looked much more assured. Against France, she was exposed for a lack of pace, allowing Les Bleues to cause chaos down England's left. Wiegman changed things ahead of the clash with the Netherlands, in which Carter was arguably England's best defender, and there is no reason to alter a formula that has made the Lionesses look more secure at the back.

The value of the contracts and other details have not been made public yet

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2024Cricket Namibia has announced professional contracts for ten women’s cricketers, making it the first sports governing body in the country to have contracts for both its men’s and women’s national teams. The contracts were negotiated and signed in February but announced only on Tuesday.”For the first time, we have been able to professionalise the women’s game. This is a significant moment for sports in the country. It’s the first time ladies have been signed on contracts where cricket is their occupation,” Cricket Namibia chief executive Johan Muller said in statement published by the ICC. “Ten ladies now have the opportunity to support their households by pursuing their passion. We want to thank Capricorn Group [the sponsors of the women’s team] and everyone involved.”The value of the contracts and other details have not been made public.The contracted players are: Kayleen Green, Sune Wittmann, Arrasta Diergaardt, Edelle van Zyl, Bianca Manuel, Irene van Zyl, Wilka Mwatile, Mekelaye Mwatile, Naomi Benjamin and Saima Tuhadeleni.The Namibia women’s team, called “Capricorn Eagles”, are currently 17th in the ICC Women’s T20I team rankings, their best position to date. They were most recently in action at the African Games, where they won just one of their group-stage games and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.Since receiving T20I status in 2018, Namibia have participated in 72 international matches, winning 44 of them. In 2019, they represented the Africa region in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier but did not advance to the main event in 2020.

Manchester United are now tracking a “ridiculous” £125 million forward in what could be the signing of the summer at Old Trafford, according to a new report.

Amorim eyes midfield reinforcements this summer

There are a number of positions that United and Ruben Amorim are expected to prioritise in the summer, and it certainly appears that midfield could be one. Christian Eriksen looks set to leave Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of the campaign, while Casemiro is also expected to depart should the Red Devils get their way.

Man Utd lining up "giant" striker for less than half price of £60m Ekitike

INEOS have now turned their attentions to a new centre-forward target.

By
Brett Worthington

Mar 31, 2025

That would leave Amorim’s options light in the middle of the park, and according to a recent report from Italy, United are readying a move to sign Ardon Jashari from Belgian side Club Brugge. They are said to value the midfielder at around £29 million, but don’t have a free run at the player as Juventus, AS Roma and Atalanta are also keen on signing Jashari.

As well as looking at Jashari, Stretty News reports that United and Amorim are serious about signing Morten Hjulmand, who the Man United boss obviously knows very well. Sporting CP are said to value the midfielder at around the £67 million mark, but the Premier League side believe and are hopeful they can secure a deal for around the £50 million mark.

Man Utd join Arsenal in Alexander Isak race

As the Red Devils scour the market for midfield options, they are also in the market for a new centre-forward. According to The Mirror, Man United are now keeping a close eye on Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report states that United, as well as Arsenal and Liverpool, are admirers of the Sweden international, but it us considered unlikely that he will leave Newcastle this summer. He is under contract until the summer of 2028 and the Magpies are not interested in selling, meaning it would take an “astronomical” move to sign Isak.

The 25-year-old, who has been dubbed “ridiculous” by parts of the media in the past 12 months, has been in sensational form for Newcastle this season, scoring 19 goals in 25 league games. Isak has also netted in the FA Cup as well as scoring three times in the Carabao Cup as they went on to lift their first trophy in 70 years.

Isak would be an exceptional addition for United, as he’s already proven how good he is in the Premier League. Amorim is desperate to find a clinical number nine, and Isak is certainly that, but it is nowhere near an easy deal to complete.

It’s been recently reported that it could take a fee in the region of £125 million for the Magpies to even consider selling Isak, which is a sum of money that United are unlikely to be able to afford at this moment in time.

While Afghanistan have a total of nine games ahead of the T20 World Cup, India only have the IPL after these three

Hemant Brar10-Jan-20244:59

Dravid not concerned with lack of T20Is ahead of World Cup

Big picture: Final rehearsal for IndiaIn less than five months, India will face Ireland in their opening game at the 2024 T20 World Cup. While there is the IPL before that, the three-match series against Afghanistan, starting in Mohali on Thursday, is India’s only T20I assignment in between. Incidentally, this is the first time India are playing a bilateral white-ball series against Afghanistan.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in the T20I squad for the first time since India’s semi-final loss to England at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Kohli, though, will miss Thursday’s game because of personal reasons.Rohit’s return also forces a change at the top. Head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal are India’s first-choice openers in T20Is. They also provide the left-right combination. Jaiswal’s ability to attack from the first ball also makes him a better prospect than Shubman Gill, who is the third opener in the squad.Related

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While Gill has improved his six-hitting ability, his powerplay strike rate in all T20s since the start of 2023 is only 138.44 while Jaiswal’s is 163.69. In Kohli’s absence, Gill could slot in at No. 3 on Thursday but may have to sit out for the last two games.Afghanistan will be keen to build on their gains from the 2023 ODI World Cup. They will play nine T20Is between now and the T20 World Cup. So there is time to finalise the first-choice XI, play it together, and fine-tune it if required.With that in mind, they have picked a 19-member squad for this series. Rashid Khan is also part of the roster but will not play in the series as he continues to recover from back surgery. In his absence, Ibrahim Zadran will lead the side once again.Afghanistan had a hiccup last month when Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Ur Rahman wanted to be released from their central contracts and play franchise cricket. But all three are now back in the national team and are expected to play a big role.Rohit Sharma was in good spirits during India’s training session•PTI Form guideIndia WLWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan WLWWWIn the spotlight: Rohit Sharma and Najibullah ZadranRohit Sharma gave India blazing starts at the ODI World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 135.01 in the powerplay. But it needs to be seen if he can translate the same into T20 cricket. In ODIs, a batter can take an over or two to get their eye in and then line up a particular bowler. T20, a different beast, has little breathing room. One-over spells are the norm here with bowlers’ primary goal being to stop runs. That is a challenge India would want Rohit to overcome.Najibullah Zadran rarely gets the recognition he deserves. Among Afghanistan batters with at least 500 T20I runs, he has the highest average (31.85) and the highest strike rate (139.71). And only Mohammad Shahzad has more 50-plus scores for the country. Of late, Najibullah has been struggling with injuries and form. He was left out of the XI after just two games of the ODI World Cup, in which he scored 5 and 2. But he showed signs of a return to form with an unbeaten 13-ball 28 against UAE in the third T20I last week.Team news: Samson or Jitesh?With Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya out with injuries, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh will get another chance to show their wares. The same holds for Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar in the fast-bowling department, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj rested. It will be interesting to see whether India pick Jitesh Sharma or Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Jitesh Sharma/Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mukesh KumarIbrahim Zadran will lead Afghanistan in T20Is for the second successive series•PTI In the absence of Rashid, Afghanistan are likely to continue with fellow legspinner Qais Ahmad. However, Noor Ahmed may have to make way for Mujeeb.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran (capt), 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Gulbadin Naib/Karim Janat, 8 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Qais Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiPitch and conditions: Win the toss and chaseOut of 40 T20s Mohali has hosted in the last two years, the chasing team has won 26. So the team winning the toss will be looking to bowl first, even though Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said he didn’t notice much dew in the past two days. At night, it could get slightly foggy with the temperature dropping below 5°C.Stats and trivia: Will India get lucky with the toss? India have now lost 11 tosses in a row. The probability of that happening is 0.0005. Rohit needs 147 runs to become the second batter after Kohli to reach 4000 T20I runs. Mohammad Nabi needs 123 runs and eight wickets to complete the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is. So far, Shakib Al Hasan is the only one to do so. Axar Patel is five short of 50 T20I wickets.Quotes”Rinku Singh has made a good start in international cricket and he is playing really well. The role we have given him, the finisher’s role, he is fulfilling it. This is another opportunity for him to take his development further. As far as the selection is concerned, that will be decided later but when players perform well, they are always in the selectors’ minds.”
“You see, we have one of the best spinners in the world, and we also have good fast bowlers in Naveen and Fazal. So our aim is to improve our batting skills and we will try to do more in that department.”

Former club captain drops red-ball cricket in attempt to find better balance

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2023Sam Billings has signalled his intention to step back from red-ball cricket after signing a white-ball-only contract with Kent. Billings said that he had “tried juggling all formats” but had found it “very challenging personally” and had taken the decision ahead of the arrival of his first child.The contract extension, which runs until at least the end of the 2025 season, will see Billings captain Kent in the T20 Blast and also allow him to pursue overseas opportunities in franchise cricket, according to a statement by the club.”I’m delighted to remain a Kent cricketer for the foreseeable future,” Billings said. “Kent Cricket means a huge amount to me and I’m very grateful for the club’s openness and understanding during discussions around my future.Related

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“In an ever-changing landscape of our sport, I’ve tried juggling all formats for some time and have found it very challenging personally on and off the field. With the addition of a child on the way it feels like the right time to try and find more balance so I can perform at my best whenever I pull on the Kent shirt.”As always, the support of the members and everyone at the club has been brilliant. I’m always most proud to wear the Kent jersey and represent the club at every opportunity. I’m thrilled to be the Kent Spitfires’ T20 Captain and I’m looking forward to focusing on that format in 2024 and beyond.”Billings has played three Test matches for England, most recently in the summer of 2022, as well as being capped 65 times in limited-overs internationals, but is set to spend an increasing amount of time maximising his opportunities to play in T20 leagues.Despite being Kent club captain, he made himself unavailable for selection in the County Championship during the 2023 season after experiencing a trough of form with the bat that saw him average 9.20 from six matches. He subsequently stood down from captaining the red-ball side, with Daniel Bell-Drummond appointed as his successor.Billings, who led Oval Invincibles to their first Hundred title last summer, is currently in action in the Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat and will be among the English players up for auction in the IPL next week.In first-class cricket, he scored 3628 runs in 88 matches, with six hundreds and an average of 31.27.Simon Cook, Kent’s Director of Cricket, said: “This new agreement reflects a mutual commitment from both Kent Cricket and Sam to navigate a fast-changing cricketing world.”He is a well-travelled and well-respected player that has spent a lot of time overseas, winning the biggest prizes in T20 cricket, and building relationships with players who have in turn become Kent Spitfires off the back of his off-field work.”Sam is an outstanding white-ball cricketer and we’re extremely pleased that he will be a Spitfire for at least another two seasons.”