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Manchester United have now launched a blockbuster move to sign an “absolute genius” who they have been closely monitoring this season, according to a report.

Amorim keen to bolster attacking options

As we approach the summer transfer window, it is clear that Ruben Amorim wants to bolster his attacking options, with Rasmus Hojlund set to be allowed to leave, which means a new striker will be required.

The Red Devils are edging ever closer to sealing a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha, with the Brazilian “keen” on a move to Old Trafford, although he is expected to feature in a number 10 role for Amorim next season.

As such, United could bring in a different option as an out-and-out striker, and they are expecting to win the race for Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, despite interest from Chelsea, while Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta is also on the shortlist.

Related Offer made: Man Utd now make approach to sign "insane" £38m creative genius

The Red Devils have made their first move for a midfielder, who is also being targeted by Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 29, 2025

Not only are Man United keen on an attacking midfielder and striker, but they could also look to strengthen out wide, and a report from Spain has now revealed they are obsessed with Paris Saint-Germain winger Desire Doue.

Amorim’s side are said to have launched a blockbuster move for Doue, as their interest ‘goes beyond casual monitoring’, and they could be willing to make a substantial offer to ensure they win the race amid interest from rival Premier League clubs.

PSG aren’t keen on sanctioning the 19-year-old’s departure, which means it would take a huge bid to prise him away from the French club, and reports from elsewhere have suggested Manchester City are now lining up a stunning £102m offer.

"Absolute genius" Doue could be coup for Man Utd

PSG have already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title, and they now have one foot in the Champions League final after the 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, with the young forward playing a major role in their success.

The France international has amassed 13 goals and 12 assists in 48 matches in all competitions, having established himself as an important player for Luis Enrique.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Ligue 1

28

6

7

Champions League

14

3

3

Coupe de France

5

4

2

The teenager has also caught the eye of football scout Ben Mattinson, who believes he is one of the best attacking midfielders around at the moment.

Doue could be a real coup for Manchester United, but it seems unlikely they will be able to compete for his signature if they don’t manage to qualify for the Champions League.

The incident occurred in the 47th over when Inglis whipped off the bails when the batter ventured out of the crease before the ball was dead

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Feb-2025

Australia captain Steven Smith withdrew an appeal against Noor Ahmad in the 47th over of Afghanistan’s innings, after wicketkeeper Josh Inglis whipped off the bails at the striker’s end to catch Noor out of his ground before the over was called.Noor had not been attempting a run – he had drifted out of his crease to meet batting partner Azmatullah Omarzai mid-pitch, mistakenly believing that the ball was dead. The ball is live until the umpire calls “over”, however, and umpire Alex Wharf had not yet called.Replays showed Noor to be well out of his ground, but Smith was quick to signal to the umpires that the appeal should not be considered, despite some enthusiasm from Inglis. Noor had just completed a single after Omarzai struck Nathan Ellis through midwicket and called Noor – the No. 10 batter – through, in order to keep strike for the next over.Although Afghanistan were not attempting to gain an advantage, the rules of cricket are clear. Run-outs are a viable dismissal until the ball is dead. If Smith had not withdrawn the appeal, Noor would have been ruled out, likely by third umpire Chris Gaffaney.

Noor had been on three off three balls at the time, and went to make six off eight. But of more consequence was the fact that Afghanistan would have been 248 for 9 after 47 overs had Smith not withdrawn the appeal. They were less likely to have hit the further 25 runs they managed if they had only had one wicket in hand. Noor was eventually dismissed off the last ball of the innings.Australia have in the past upheld appeals against batters ambling out of their crease, even if they were not looking to take a run. Most famously, this occurred in a Test at Lord’s against England in 2023, when Alex Carey underarmed the ball into the stumps after Jonny Bairstow had wandered down the pitch before the ball was deemed dead.Muthiah Muralidaran had also been dismissed in similar circumstances in a Test in Christchurch in 2006, when he had wandered out of the crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on completing a century before the ball was dead (though that had not been at the end of an over). Brendon McCullum broke the stumps on that occasion, and captain Stephen Fleming upheld the appeal.In the 2011 Trent Bridge Test, India recalled Ian Bell to the crease after he had been run-out in similar circumstances at the stroke of tea on day three, when he ran a three and proceeded to walk down the pitch and towards the dressing rooms, before the fielder Praveen Kumar had had a chance to throw the ball in from the boundary. India captain MS Dhoni agreed to recall Bell after England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower approached him during the tea interval with this request.

And who took England’s first wicket in ODIs?

Steven Lynch18-Nov-2025Have England ever won a Test in Perth? asked Nicky Harrison from England
England have a pretty poor record in Test matches in Perth, where the Ashes series starts later this week. They haven’t yet played at the new Perth Stadium – Australia won the first four Tests played there before coming a cropper against India last November – but at the traditionally bouncy pitch at the former Test ground, the WACA, England played 14 matches and won only one. That was in 1978-79, when Australia had a weakened team thanks to defections to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.Of the others, Australia won ten, with England escaping with draws in 1970 (the inaugural Test at the WACA), 1982 and 1986. Australia have won the last eight Ashes Tests in Perth, mostly by wide margins.Sam Nogajski gave an lbw decision off the fourth ball of his first Test – was this the earliest decision a debutant umpire has had to make? asked Lachie from Australia
Umpire Sam Nogajski from Tasmania, who was standing in his first Test, gave Ireland’s captain Andy Balbirnie out to the fourth ball of the match against Bangladesh in Sylhet a few days ago.It’s quite early in a Test career to be giving a decision – but it’s not a record: another Aussie, Bill Alley, gave Sunil Gavaskar out caught behind from his very first ball as an umpire in a Test, at Edgbaston in 1974. Alley recalled: “Geoff Arnold thundered in and cut back his first delivery, which Gavaskar tried to avoid but could not. The ball appeared to run along the bat and Alan Knott held the catch about six feet down the leg side. I was still nervously fumbling the coins in my pocket, which I used to count the number of deliveries bowled in each over. There was an appeal and I was lifting my hand from my pocket to give him out, like a gun from a holster, but Gavaskar had decided to take the law into his own hands… he put his bat under his arm and was on his way to the pavilion.” I suppose it’s therefore debatable whether Alley actually had to give a decision!In Brisbane in 1936, England’s Stan Worthington was caught behind trying to hook the first ball of an Ashes series. According to the watching Bruce Harris, “It was the first Test in which Jack Scott, the old South Australian fast bowler, umpired, and he had to make a decision first ball!”And in 1974 again, umpire Har Prasad Sharma gave India’s Sudhir Naik out caught behind from the first ball of the match against West Indies in Calcutta.We don’t have full details of many early Tests, so it’s often not known at which end an umpire was officiating, or whether a decision was even required. Herbert Sutcliffe of England was caught behind against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1933: both umpires, Thomas Burgess and Richard Torrance, were standing in their first Test. In the following cases it seems unlikely a decision was required (and we don’t know at which end the umpires were standing). The West Indian opener Conrad Hunte was caught in the field off the first ball in Port-of-Spain in 1958: George Williams was standing in his first (and only) Test. Keith Stackpole was caught at slip off the first ball in Auckland in 1974: umpire Ralph Gardiner was in his first Test. And South Africa’s Jimmy Cook was caught at third slip to the first ball of the match against India in Durban in 1992: umpire Karl Liebenberg was in his first Test (as was Cook).Bangladesh’s Hannan Sarkar was lbw first ball against West Indies in St Lucia in 2004: Jeremy Lloyds was making his debut as umpire, but was at the other end (Sarkar was lbw to the first ball of the next Test too, and that time Lloyds did give the decision). Chris Gayle of West Indies was lbw to the first ball of the match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2010, but debutant umpire Bruce Oxenford was at the other end. Here’s the full list of those out to the first ball of a Test.Is Jordan Neill the first teenager to play a Test for Ireland? asked Kevin Finucane from Ireland
The Ireland allrounder Jordan Neill was 19 years 245 days old when he made his Test debut last week, against Bangladesh in Sylhet. He was their first Test-playing teenager: their previous-youngest player was Neill’s team-mate Matthew Humphreys, who was 20 years 208 days old when he made his debut, against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2023. Humphreys and Neill were also both making their first-class debuts, joining this list of players who made their first-class debuts in Tests.Neill made his one-day international debut last May, against West Indies at Malahide, aged 19 years 83 days. George Dockrell and Paul Stirling were both 17 when they played their first ODIs for Ireland. Their youngest T20 international is Josh Little, who was only 16 when he played against Hong Kong in Bready in 2016.Ireland have had younger women players, though: Lucy O’Reilly, Elena Tice and Josh Little’s sister Louise were all 13 when they played their first ODIs, while Gaby Lewis was even younger when she made her T20 international debut – 13 years 166 days against South Africa in Solihull in September 2014.Nineteen-year-old Jordan Neil is the first male cricketer to debut as a teenager for Ireland, though among women Gaby Lewis debuted at age 13•ICC/Getty ImagesStan Squires of Surrey once scored 236 out of a team total of 345. Is this the highest percentage at first-class level that includes a double-hundred? asked Phil Carter from Norway
Stan Squires had a long career for Surrey, scoring over 19,000 runs between 1928 and 1949 despite usually wearing glasses. In his last season he made 1785 runs, his second-highest annual return, but sadly died a few months later from what Wisden called “a virus of the blood”. Surrey team-mates Alec and Eric Bedser paid tribute in their book Following On: “His death was a sad blow to us all. Stan had many virtues and no major faults. He was a fine allround cricketer – his ability to play slow bowling was a byword in the game – and his sunny temperament often cheered up the team when depression threatened the dressing-room.”The innings you’re referring to came against Lancashire at The Oval in 1933. Squires’ 236 represented 68.40% of the total of 345 – but, surprisingly perhaps, there have been several higher percentages than that. The highest of all in a completed first-class innings by a double-centurion is 81.56%, by Namibia’s Gerrie Snyman against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup in Sharjah in 2008: Snyman hit 230 of Namibia’s total of 282, with the next-highest contribution being 13.The only higher percentage in any completed first-class innings is 83.43%, by Glenn Turner, with 141 of Worcestershire’s 169 against Glamorgan in Swansea in 1977, when the next-highest contribution was 7, by Norman Gifford. The Test record was set in the very first match of all, in Melbourne in 1877, when Charles Bannerman’s 165 represented 67.34% of Australia’s first innings of 245. The Test record involving an individual score of more than 200 was set by Seymour Nurse, with 258 out of 417 (61.87%) for West Indies vs New Zealand in Christchurch in Match 1969.Who took England’s first wicket in one-day internationals? asked David Cooper from England
What has become recognised as the first one-day international of all was played between Australia and England in Melbourne in January 1971, after the scheduled third Test of the Ashes series was washed out. To the organisers’ surprise, over 46,000 spectators turned up, and a new format was born.England batted first: the first man out was Geoff Boycott, caught by Australia’s captain Bill Lawry off the bowling of Alan “Froggy” Thomson. When Australia batted, needing a modest 191 to win in 40 eight-ball overs, their first casualty was Keith Stackpole, who gave a sharp return catch to the Lancashire fast bowler Ken Shuttleworth, who was playing in what turned out to be his only ODI. You can see this wicket at about 17 minutes in this video clip.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

After Hyderabad were relegated to Plate Group, Rahul knew he needed to do something different to catch the selectors’ eye

Shashank Kishore05-Jan-2024Rahul Singh woke up on Friday morning thinking he needed to do something different. His side, Hyderabad, had been relegated to Plate Group and were taking on Nagaland in their 2023-24 Ranji Trophy opener. The stakes were low and players needed “extra motivation” to push themselves at a level that is a notch below where they aspire to be.Rahul found himself in the thick of things, in the third over of the match, after Nagaland captain Rongsen Jonathan elected to field. Rahul responded by smashing the second-fastest first-class double century by an Indian (where data is available), off 143 balls, behind Ravi Shastri’s 123-ball one against Baroda in 1984-85.Rahul made 214 in all, his highest in first-class cricket. This included century stands with Tanmay Agarwal (80) and captain Tilak Varma (100*). Hyderabad raced to 474 for 5 in 76.4 overs, at a run rate of 6.18 before declaring in the final session.Related

• A 12-year-old makes his first-class debut as two Bihar squads are named for Ranji game in crumbling stadium

• FAQs: Everything you need to know about Ranji Trophy 2023-24

“The mindset was to dominate and not just grind my way in,” Rahul told ESPNcricinfo. “The only way we can attract attention, if at all that is possible at this level, is by doing things differently. By which I mean scoring a quick hundred or a double-hundred, else you are never going to be eye-catching. That was the motivation when I went out to bat. Glad it worked.”It was extra special because this was Rahul’s first first-class outing for Hyderabad. More than a decade ago, he made his List A and T20 debut for them, before a job opportunity with the Indian Army forced him to make a switch to Services, a side comprising players from the armed forces.Rahul, who moved to Hyderabad as a five-year-old, was recommended for a job in the army by Biju Nair, a local coach who led the army’s cricket recruitment process in Hyderabad. And when the lure of job security clubbed with the opportunity to play cricket came up, he jumped at it.In his first first-class season with Services, in 2016-17, Rahul finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer. Only Priyank Panchal (1310), Nitin Saini (989), Prashant Chopra (978) and Rishabh Pant (972) scored more than Rahul’s 945 runs in 15 innings, including two hundreds and seven fifties.Rahul made his return to Hyderabad after representing Services•Courtesy Rahul SinghFor the better part of the next seven seasons, Rahul played for Services. Ahead of 2023-24, when he felt things were not working out, he decided he needed to play for a different team. His first port of call was his old side, Hyderabad. It helped that the team was at its lowest ebb and in dire need of experience to get them back on track.”It wasn’t a tough decision, returning to Hyderabad was my first option since that’s where I grew up playing,” Rahul said. “I was honed here during my age-group days by Vijay Paul [former Hyderabad batter, who has mentored the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Pragyan Ojha]. I also played for AOC, a club owned by the army set-up in Hyderabad. Luckily this year, club cricket was back on the calendar and scoring runs there earned me a chance at selection games where I performed well to get this opportunity.”Along the way, Rahul has also received a lot of backing from MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper. Prasad had noticed a young Rahul playing at the Gymkhana grounds and invited him to play for his employers, Bharat Dynamics Limited, a government organisation under the Ministry of Defence.”MSK sir also bought me my first cricket kit,” Rahul said. “He has been a constant support for me along the way. He was always a call away, his contribution in my cricket journey has been immense, along with my parents’.”At 28, Rahul knows there is a lot of work to be done. He is pragmatic in saying helping the next generation of batters is more realistic than something more far-fetched, like the India cap.”The goal over the next couple of years is to help Hyderabad win at least one of the three domestic tournaments. And mentor the next group of batters,” Rahul said. “If we can do that, we would have taken some steps towards regaining some lost pride and becoming a more competitive team in the domestic circuit again.”

All the interesting numbers from the IPL retentions on Williamson, Narine, Maxwell, and others

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Dec-20215:50

Why were Russell and Narine retained? KKR CEO explains

14 – The amount (in INR crore) Sunrisers Hyderabad will pay for Kane Williamson is the highest-ever retention price for an overseas player. Williamson will now get nearly five times the money he got in the 2018 auction when Sunrisers bought him for INR 3 crore. He joined Sunrisers in 2015 and was paid INR 60 lakh for the first three seasons before he was bought back at the 2018 auction.29 – The percentage fall in Sunil Narine’s earnings compared to the price he was retained at for before the 2018 mega auction. In 2012, Kolkata Knight Riders picked the then unknown mystery spinner, who had impressed during the 2011 Champions League T20, for a whopping USD 700,000. Narine, who had played just three matches for West Indies at the time, had set himself a base price of USD 50,000. In 2014, Knight Riders retained him for INR 9.5 crore, and ahead of the 2018 mega auction, he negotiated a fee of INR 8.5 crore. However, as per the IPL retention slabs, since Narine was the first player Knight Riders have retained this time, their purse was deducted by INR 12.5 crore. This time Narine’s retention fee is INR 6 crore, a 29% dip in the retention price, the biggest for any player between the 2018 and 2021 mega auctions.ESPNcricinfo Ltd40 – Venkatesh Iyer’s IPL salary has shot up 40 times. In the 2021 auction, Knight Riders bought the allrounder for his base price of INR 20 lakh. On Tuesday, Iyer, who made his India debut in November, was retained by Knight Riders for INR 8 crore. Historically, the record in terms of exponential surge from base price to retention fee belongs to Hardik Pandya, who joined Mumbai Indians in 2015 as an uncapped player for the base price of INR 10 lakh but, in 2018, Mumbai retained him at 110 times his 2015 fee, spending INR 11 crore.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – The fewest IPL matches played by someone before he was retained. That honour belongs Umran Malik, who was retained by Sunrisers as an uncapped player for INR 4 crore. Malik was the second uncapped as well as Jammu & Kashmir player, alongside Abdul Samad, to be retained by Sunrisers. Close behind Malik is Iyer, who played just ten matches, in 2021 – his maiden IPL season, the same as Malik. Sanju Samson held that record previously, with Rajasthan Royals retaining him after he had featured in just 11 IPL matches. The same year, another uncapped Indian player, Manan Vohra, was retained by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) after playing 12 matches.Glenn Maxwell’s price drop•ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – In terms of the mega bucks he has earned at IPL auctions in the past, the INR 12 crore that Royal Challengers Bangalore paid Glenn Maxwell is not a head-spinning number. But it is, remarkably, the first time he has been retained by a franchise ahead of a mega auction in his IPL career spanning nine seasons spread across four franchises – starting with Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), Mumbai Indians, Kings and now Royal Challengers.8 – According to IPL retention rules, if a franchise retains four players, a total of INR 42 crore will be deducted from the auction purse, even if the teams are paying the players less than that. Four out of the eight existing teams – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Capitals and Knight Riders – retained four players. Two of those – Super Kings and Mumbai – spent the entire 42 crore while Capitals spent 42.50 crore to retain their four players (if a team pays a player more than the retention slab, the higher amount of the two is deducted from the purse). In contrast, Knight Riders procured their four retentions for just INR 34 crore, which means they have saved INR 8 crore from their actual operations costs even if the auction purse is deducted by 42 crore.

The Mets dropped a critical game on Friday, losing 6–2 to the since-eliminated Marlins on a night where the club's competition for the final National League wild card spot, the Reds, were victorious. The loss evened the clubs in a tie for the last postseason spot in the NL, which effectively meant the Mets were on the outside looking in in terms of the playoff picture due to tiebreakers.

And the night started out well for the Mets, who jumped out to a 2–0 lead, which they held until a disastrous six-run inning for Miami in the bottom of the fifth, a cacophony of errors and mental mistakes for New York. First, there was a Marlins single that glanced off first baseman Pete Alonso's glove. Then, after a two-run triple, another grounder, not fielded cleanly by Alonso, allowed a Miami run to score. Finally, Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez stole second and third without a throw from the Mets, preceding a Marlins RBI single and two-run homer.

In the midst of the fiasco, the Mets broadcast booth had seen enough, as they proceeded to tear into the club.

"The Mets—a lack of attention to detail, which has cropped up repeatedly during this slow-motion backwards march over the last three-and-a-half months," play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen said, "comes up to bite them again."

Color analyst Ron Darling was no kinder.

"You might take your whole travel ball squad off the field if something like that happened," Darling said. "Here's a team that is fighting to get to October. What are you going to do in October with an inning like that?"

Fellow color analyst Keith Hernandez finished up the broadcast booth's skewering.

"And it's not the first time too," Hernandez said. "They've made a lot of mental errors over the past what? Nine, 10 games down the stretch."

New York, through play on June 12, owned the best record in baseball and a 5 1/2-game lead over the Phillies. Since then, the Mets are an incomprehensible 37–54 and its playoff hopes are on the brink.

The Mets need to win the final two games of the regular season and hope for a Reds loss.

No team has lost a Test in India after scoring as many as South Africa’s 489

Sidharth Monga23-Nov-20253:14

Philander: ‘Muthusamy deserves all the accolades coming his way’

A maiden hundred for Senuran Muthusamy and a career-best 93 from Marco Jansen went a long way to take South Africa close to batting India out of the Guwahati Test and the two-match series. No team has lost a Test in India after scoring as many as South Africa’s 489. If South Africa can keep that record intact, they will have pushed India to a second home-series loss in 12 months after they went 12 years without any.At the start of the second day, 489 looked like a million miles away. And while Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne steadied the ship from the overnight 247 for 6, if South Africa had continued at that scoring rate, they would have barely crossed 400 in the 151.1 overs that they batted.Related

India confront the steepest of challenges

Muthusamy comes out of the wilderness and stuns India

However, Jansen’s 93 off 91, including a record seven sixes against India in India, knocked the wind out of India’s sails when they would still have been hopeful despite having bowled 120.1 overs for seven wickets. With Jansen, Muthusamy also upped the intent as the two put together the highest partnership of the series: 97 in 17.4 overs. Muthusamy became the ninth centurion for South Africa this year, but Jansen fell seven short of equalling the world record of ten different centurions in one year.Even before Jansen, Muthusamy and Verreynne had done enough to frustrate India. The pitch, which had kept the bowlers interested on day one, was flatter because the early moisture had completely dried off. Even then, South Africa lost wickets on day one only when they tried to force the pace. On day two, now six down, they seemed to have decided to take time out of the game, not necessarily for a draw in mind but to deny India batting when the pitch was still good.Marco Jansen didn’t let scoring opportunities go•AFP/Getty Images

For nearly 40 overs on the second morning, India weren’t able to build any wicket-taking threat. When they thought they had Muthuswamy lbw on the sweep against Ravindra Jadeja, a faint murmur on UltraEdge reversed the decision. Muthusamy especially looked in complete control, playing only 13 false shots in his 205-ball stay at the wicket. Eventually, it was Verreynne charging at Jadeja too early that allowed India a wicket.Still, it was only mid-afternoon, and South Africa were only 334 for 7. If India could bowl them out for under 400, they were still in with a good chance to force their way back into the match.Out came Jansen and hit a no-look six off Jadeja. Then he slog-swept him for a four and a six. India tried Kuldeep Yadav to look to beat him in the air, but he stepped out of the crease and lofted him nonchalantly over long-on. Muthusamy also grew bold and began to slog-sweep whenever he got a chance.Muthusamy was 67 off 160 when Verreynne got out, but added 43 off 47 after that. India’s frustration grew as they now tried to bounce these batters. Jasprit Bumrah drew a top edge that fell just short of fine leg, resulting in a dirty look from Bumrah to Mohammed Siraj, who was asked to bend his back after Bumrah had done so.It was a tiring and frustrating day for Mohammed Siraj and the other India bowlers•AFP/Getty Images

First ball after tea, Siraj induced the top edge to get rid of Muthusamy, but the strategy didn’t work against Jansen, who lobbed him over mid-on with a pull shot and then hooked him for a six. That the pitch was still good to bat on showed in how Rishabh Pant now asked both his fast bowlers to bowl in tandem. Bumrah hit the top of off of Simon Harmer, but even that didn’t bring much respite.Jansen and Keshav Maharaj added 27 for the last wicket. Jansen’s reach remained the feature of his innings, messing up the idea of a good length, but he batted with the mindset of a specialist batter even though his strike rate of over 100 might suggest a cavalier approach. Finally, he was dismissed as he followed a Kuldeep wrong’un and chopped on, disgusted with himself for getting out so close to a hundred.Kuldeep ended up with four wickets, but this was his first on day two. Jadeja, Bumrah and Siraj got two each. This was only the fourth time since the end of 2016 that India had been kept on the field for 150 overs.Tired bodies and minds were now looking at a long and adventurous route to save the series, but first they had to survive the awkward half an hour before stumps in fading light. While they had to face only 4.1 overs before bad light ended the day’s play, this trend of having time only for 80 overs or so in India’s eastern-most venue only strengthened South Africa’s chances of holding onto the series lead.

Bangladesh government removes Ishfaq Ahsan for his ‘political links’

Mohammad Isam07-Oct-2025

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) landed in controversy immediately after their election results were announced on Monday. Within hours, the government removed one of the newly-elected directors, Ishfaq Ahsan. He was one of two government representatives in the BCB board, but his stay was short-lived.Ahsan’s political links forced the National Sports Council, the organisation that oversees sports in the country, to take this action. “We will appoint a new director [on Tuesday]. We have removed him for his political links,” Kazi Nazrul Islam, NSC’s executive director, told reporters on Monday.ESPNcricinfo understands that the NSC is likely to appoint a female board director in his place.A day-long BCB election, with physical votes as well as e-ballots, was held at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday. Aminul Islam was re-elected president. He will lead the working committee, the grounds committee and the BPL committee. Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud, a first-time director, assumes charge of the High Performance centre.Former Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak, also a first-time director, was handed the post of chairman of women’s wing. Nazmul Abedeen will continue as cricket operations chairman while Ishtiaque Sadeuque will be game development chairman. Bangladesh’s age-group cricket will now be headed by renowned singer Asif Akbar.

يستضيف فريق برشلونة خصمه ديبورتيفو ألافيس، مساء السبت، وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، موسم 2025/26.

تأتي تلك المباراة في خضم منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني لذلك الموسم، على ملعب “كامب نو”.

ويحتل برشلونة في الوقت الحالي، المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري الإسباني برصيد 31 نقطة، في حين أن ألافيس يمتلك 15 نقطة ويحتل المركز الرابع عشر.

ويفتقد برشلونة خدمات اللاعب رونالد أراوخو لإصابته بفيروس في المعدة، بينما يغيب فيرمين لوبيز لإصابة عضلية. تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام ألافيس في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: خوان جارسيا.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، إريك جارسيا، كوبارسي، بالدي.

خط الوسط:  فرينكي دي يونج، مارك كاسادو.

خط الوسط الهجومي: لامين يامال، داني أولمو، ماركوس راشفورد.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a topsy-turvy spell over the last couple of years, with Ange Postecoglou’s reign one that was as turbulent to say the least.

The Aussie achieved a fifth-placed Premier League finish in the 2023/24 campaign, but he was ultimately unable to replicate such levels in his final year in North London.

He could only guide the Lilywhites to a 17th-placed finish last time around, subsequently losing 22 games in the process – the most of any side who haven’t been relegated from England’s top-flight.

However, the 60-year-old did win the Europa League last campaign, ending the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the role in North London.

He was subsequently sacked in the summer, with Thomas Frank taking the reins as a result, with the Dane potentially wanting to offload numerous of the Aussie’s additions in the upcoming window.

The players who could leave Spurs in the January window

During Postecoglou’s tenure at Spurs, he made numerous high-profile additions, with Dominic Solanke arriving in a club-record £65m transfer from Bournemouth in 2024.

Such excitement was generated given the nature of the transfer fee, but ultimately, his move to North London has been a failure, with injuries massively halting his progress of late.

The 28-year-old has only featured for a total of 31 league minutes in 2025/26, with Frank often unable to call upon the Englishman when needed during the early months of his tenure.

As a result, the manager may look to move the centre forward on in January, according to recent reports, which could allow for added investment in a new striker to bolster the attacking department.

He could also be joined in departing the club by numerous other players, with Manor Solomon a player who is seemingly edging closer to the exit door.

Like Solanke, the Israeli international joined under Ange’s guidance, but he’s also struggled to make the impact he would’ve envisaged upon his switch to North London.

He’s only made six senior appearances for the Lilywhites, even being sent on various loan spells – with the 26-year-old currently spending the year on loan at Spanish side Villarreal.

However, his tally of five combined goals and assists in just six games could lead to a permanent exit, which could bring his two and a half year spell at the club to an end.

The Spurs player who may now need to leave

The lowly Premier League finish last season highlights the job Frank has had on his hands since taking over, but the Dane has been unable to fully fix the problems at Spurs.

His side currently sit in fifth place in the Premier League 2025/26, even sitting 10th in the Champions League table, but the underlying problems are still evident.

The Lilywhites have only won one game on home soil in England’s top-flight to date, with such a record placing them second bottom for home form in the division.

However, away from home, the club appear unstoppable, with Frank’s men winning four and drawing one of their five league outings – subsequently boasting the best record in the league.

Other problems are also evident within the first-team squad, with Brennan Johnson a player who has seen his form take a nose-dive over the last couple of months.

The Welshman joined in a £47.5m transfer from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, with many supporters raising eyebrows at the nature of the fee.

Last season was by far and away his best of his career in North London, as the 24-year-old ended 2024/25 on a total of 18 goals across all competitions – the highest of any player in the squad.

However, Mohammed Kudus’ arrival has pushed the Welsh international down the pecking order and highlighted his struggles which were masked by his goalscoring tally last year.

Johnson has only started five times in the league to date, only scoring on two occasions, with his last effort in England’s top-flight coming way back in August.

His underlying figures further suggest he’s underperforming this year, with Frank desperately needing to sell the £100k-per-week star in the upcoming window.

Johnson has only completed 0.5 dribbles per 90 at a success rate of just 42%, which has led to criticism from the supporters over his lack of talent at getting past his opponents.

Brennan Johnson – PL stats (25/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

11

Games started

5

Goals scored

2

Dribbles completed

0.5

Dribble success rate

42%

Shots on target

0.3

Shot on target accuracy

30%

Big chances missed

2

Stats via FotMob

In front of goal, he’s been just as terrible, only achieving a total of 0.3 shots on target per 90, at an accuracy rate of just 30% – with the winger unable to match his goalscoring heights from last year.

In the view of talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan, he’s a “work in progress” and a “speedboat without a brain”.

Given Kudus’ arrival and Johnson’s lack of impact, it would be a surprise to no one if the club decided to cash in on his services to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

It’s clear both parties need a fresh start in the months ahead, which could allow the club to invest needed funds in other areas to help them rise up the Premier League table in the second half of the season.

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