They might not get the same attention as some of their rivals for it, but Tottenham Hotspur have an incredible academy.

In the here and now, Hotspur Way has produced some incredibly exciting talents who will surely be future stars like Mikey Moore and Luca Williams-Barnett.

Moreover, some of the best players in Premier League history have come through the North Londoners’ youth set-up, such as Harry Kane, Ledley King and even he who shan’t be named.

However, as well as the international superstars, the Lilywhites have produced several underrated players currently plying their trade around Europe, including one centre-back who’s one comparison to an incredibly valuable superstar.

Hotspur Way's underrated stars

One of Spurs’ former academy gems, who some might not know played for the club’s academy, is Noni Madueke.

The Barnet-born winger was a part of the club’s youth set-up for quite some time, but despite efforts to keep him in the capital, he decided to take a leap of faith in the summer of 2018 and moved to Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven.

It didn’t take long for the Englishman to establish himself in the Netherlands, and by the time he moved to Chelsea for £30m in January 2023, he had racked up a haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 80 first-team appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.35 games.

Since returning to England, the dynamic attacker has scored 17 goals and provided seven assists in 74 games for the Blues.

However, a hamstring injury he picked up a couple of weeks ago has put a halt to what was looking like a promising campaign.

Another academy gem who left N17 for the Netherlands is Irish striker Troy Parrott, who, after spending last season on loan with Dutch side Excelsior, decided to make his move to the country permanent, signing with AZ Alkmaar.

The former Lilywhites’ gem has already found the back of the net on 17 occasions in just 36 appearances this season and has provided three assists to boot.

So when Ange Postecoglou’s side lineup against him in the Europa League knockout rounds next week, they’ll have to be on top form, even if he failed to score in their league phase encounter.

However, it’s not just attacking talents who have gone on to have brilliant careers since leaving Spurs’ academy, as an international centre-back is thriving north of the border and has been compared to a Premier League titan worth an increible amount of money.

The Spurs academy gem who's a £69m star in the making

It’s been a brilliant campaign for Celtic this season, as they pushed Bayern Munich all the way in the Champions League play-offs and have a commanding lead over Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

One of the Hoops’ most important players this year, and in the seasons prior, has been Cameron Carter-Vickers, who joined Tottenham as an 11-year-old in 2009.

The American international would go out on several loan moves over the years, including one to Celtic in 2021, before agreeing a permanent move to Parkhead a year later for around £6m.

In all, the 27-year-old titan has made 148 appearances for the Glaswegian giants, scoring seven goals, providing two assists, and winning three league titles, three league cups, and two Scottish Cups.

During his time north of the border, the 18-capped international has won plenty of plaudits for his sensational displays, with The Athletic’s Alex Barker going as far as describing him as “the best centre-back outside of the top five leagues” last week.

On top of that, he’s also been likened to Manchester City’s Rúben Dias by FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the Champions League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Portuguese ace is the third most similar centre-back to the American.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, passing accuracy, key passes, carries, dribblers challenged, interceptions and more, all per 90.

On top of the prestige that should come with such a comparison, it could also potentially reflect Carter-Vivkers’ future price tag should he leave Scotland.

For example, according to Football Transfers, the City ace is worth up to €83m, which converts to about £69m, and if the former Lilywhites ace is so statistically similar, why shouldn’t his price tag also increase?

Ultimately, it was probably the right decision for his future at the time to sell Carter-Vickers, but we can’t help imagining just how useful he would have been to Postecoglou this season.

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da cassino： Over the last few years, Manchester City have let plenty of academy players leave who could have made a real name for themselves in the first team. Two of those players have actually scored against them this season, and are a couple of the more prominent examples.

da betsul： The first was Morgan Rogers, now at Aston Villa. He has been sensational under Unai Emery in recent weeks, with one of his highlights a goal against Pep Guardiola’s side in December. He never got the chance to show what he could do in City’s first team.

The other player is Brahim Diaz. The Real Madrid and Morocco international was on the scoresheet at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season in the Champions League after impressing for Los Blancos over the past 18 months in particular.

However, perhaps the most famous example in recent seasons is Cole Palmer.

Cole Palmer's staggering rise since leaving Man City

There might never be a more frustrating sale in City’s recent history than that of Palmer. He joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £42.5m, which has proven to be a bargain for the West Londoners.

Palmer has played 78 times for the club, scoring 39 times and grabbing 21 assists. One of those goals also came against City, in November 2023.

The England international scored a last-minute penalty to earn Chelsea a point, in a game that ended as an extraordinary 4-4 draw.

There is certainly an argument to be said that City never really gave Palmer the chances he deserved for his boyhood club.

He only played 41 times across four full seasons, and his 1,483 minutes for the club only equated to 16 full 90-minute games.

Although his form has been shaky of late – not scoring or assisting across his last ten matches – City must surely regret losing Palmer, who was a treble-winner with Guardiola’s side in 2022/23, his final season at the club. His overall impact at Chelsea has been second to none.

Incredibly, there was arguably an even more talented player than the Wythenshawe-born superstar in his age group.

The Man City academy star who was ahead of Palmer

City can boast a lot of academy talent who have gone on to do great things in professional football, either in the famous Sky Blue shirt or elsewhere.

Sadly, things haven’t quite worked out yet for Ben Knight.

The versatile attacker enjoyed several years in City’s academy and was part of a group filled with “exceptional talents”, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described their U23s side back in 2021.

The Cambridge-born attacker left City in the summer, joining Spanish outfit Real Murcia on a free transfer. However, after playing just five times, he has since left the club and is now available on a free contract.

Knight represented City across age-group sides for several seasons. He arguably played his best football for their U21s, where he scored ten times and grabbed eight assists in 46 games, showing his versatility as an attacker, too. The former City academy star played right across the forward line.

Knight for Man City U21s

Position

Games

Goals

Assists

Right-wing

14

6

3

Centre-forward

7

1

0

Attacking midfield

5

1

0

Left-wing

2

1

1

Stats from Transfermarkt

The attacker played 16 minutes for City’s first team, with his sole appearance coming against Leicester City in the Community Shield in 2021. That was also the final time he was involved in the same matchday squad as Palmer.

The City academy pair played 30 games together in total for City’s academy and England youth sides. Perhaps surprisingly, they never managed to combine for a goal, despite their threat in attack.

While they were in the same age group, it was actually Knight who made his U21s bow first, appearing as a 16-year-old in a Premier League 2 clash in September 2019. Palmer didn’t make his Premier League 2 debut until a year later, aged 17.

Unlike Palmer, things haven’t really worked out for Knight so far since leaving the Etihad Stadium. He has previously impressed on a loan spell with Crewe Alexandra – involved in four goals in ten games – and he will be hoping to reignite that form at his next club and get his career back on track.

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Megan Schutt, Shabnim Ismail and Sophia Dunkley among the big overseas players not retained by their respective teams

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2023Delhi CapitalsDelhi Capitals have retained 15 of their 18 squad members. Among the three released are Tara Norris, who was the only Associate player across teams in the inaugural season, and Jasia Akhtar, the Jammu and Kashmir batter known for her power-hitting in India’s domestic circuit. Capitals will go into the 2024 auction with a purse of INR 2.25 crore to fill up to three slots.Squad: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas SadhuReleased: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhtar, Tara Norris*Gujarat GiantsGujarat Giants, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season, have released more than half of their squad members, including four overseas players: Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth and Sophia Dunkley. Laura Wolvaardt, who was an injury replacement for Beth Mooney, has been retained, as is Mooney.That means they have ten vacancies now, and will have the biggest purse at the mini-auction – INR 5.95 crore – to fill those.Squad: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja KanwarReleased: Annabel Sutherland*, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham*, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth*, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley*, Sushma VermaESPNcricinfo LtdMumbai IndiansDefending champions Mumbai Indians released just four players, out of which only Dhara Gujjar had played any part last season. Since they had only 17 players last time, they have five slots available and a purse of INR 2.1 crore, the smallest among the five franchises.Squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika BhatiaReleased: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham*, Neelam Bisht, Sonam YadavRoyal Challengers BangaloreMegan Schutt, Dane van Niekerk and Erin Burns were the biggest names released by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Schutt played seven out of eight games last season but could pick up just four wickets at an economy of 8.46, while van Niekerk had spent the whole season on the bench. They have seven slots vacant, and INR 3.35 to fill them.Squad: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*Released: Dane van Niekerk*, Erin Burns*, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt*, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana PawarUP WarriorzUP Warriorz retained their core; Shabnim Ismail, who played just three games last season because of the team combination, was the only overseas player released. Among Indians, the franchise let go of Devika Vaidya, Shivali Shinde and Simran Shaikh. Vaidya, who was signed at INR 1.4 crore, managed just 77 runs and one wicket in seven matches. Warriorz will have INR 4 crore at the auction to fill five slots.Squad: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*Released: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail*, Shivali Shinde, Simran Shaikh

Chattogram Challengers were limited to 135 for 9 in the knockout match

Mohammad Isam26-Feb-2024

Fortune Barishal kept themselves in the hunt for a place in the BPL final after they crushed Chattogram Challengers by seven wickets in the Eliminator match in Mirpur. Kyle Mayers starred for Barishal with an all-round show, taking two wickets before hitting a rapid half-century.Barishal lost Soumya Sarkar in the first over of their 136-run chase but Tamim Iqbal and No. 3 Mayers quickly hit back. Tamim struck Al-Amin Hossain for three fours in the second over before Mayers joined in with his first six in the third over. Mayers then blasted Shuvagata Hom for 26 runs in the fifth over, hitting three sixes and two fours.Mayers got out soon after reaching 50, caught behind off Bilal Khan, having faced 26 balls. He struck five sixes and three fours. Tamim kept the chase on track with his unbeaten 52 off 43 balls, including nine fours as Barishal won with 5.1 overs to spare. Barishal’s newcomer David Miller didn’t force the issue, hitting 17 off 13 balls before falling for a simple catch to deep midwicket. Mushfiqur Rahim was there with Tamim to complete the chase.Chattogram earlier had banked heavily on their in-form opener Tanzid Hasan. But he fell in the second over. Saifuddin got the big wicket when he had the left-hander caught behind. Tanzid’s opening partner Josh Brown briefly attacked, hitting three sixes and two fours, before holing out at point to Miller. Brown made 34 off 22 balls.Shuvagata’s 24 off 16 balls took Chattogram past the 100 mark, as the Barishal bowlers grabbed the game firmly for the rest of the innings. Mayers, Saifuddin and Obed McCoy took two wickets each while Taijul Islam and James Fuller picked up one wicket respectively.

انتقد الإعلامي أحمد شوبير أداء لاعبي الزمالك أمام وادي دجلة في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين على استاد السلام، مؤكداً أن الفريق الأبيض فرّط في فرصة ثمينة للانفراد بصدارة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال شوبير عبر إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “مباراة الزمالك ووادي دجلة كانت فرصة لا تعوّض، الأهلي خسر، والزمالك كان أمامه فرصة ذهبية ليتصدر جدول الدوري، كان يمتلك 10 نقاط، والفوز كان سيضعه في الصدارة بـ13 نقطة كاملة، وهو ما كان كفيلاً بمنحه دفعة كبيرة للمنافسة، الفريق مكتمل الصفوف تقريباً باستثناء محمد شحاتة ونبيل عماد ونجا، بل إن بعض العناصر عادت مثل أحمد فتوح وأحمد حمدي ومحمد السيد”.

وأضاف: “الزمالك كان أمام خصم صاعد من الدرجة الثانية، وكل التقدير والاحترام لوادي دجلة، لكنه في النهاية فريق صاعد حديثاً، ومع ذلك قدّم مباراة رائعة، ومدربه محمد الشيخ (32 عاماً) أدار اللقاء بشكل مميز، الزمالك تقدم مبكراً عن طريق ناصر ماهر في الدقيقة العاشرة، لكن الفريق لم يحافظ على أفضليته، واستقبل هدفين عن طريق أحمد فاروق ودياسطي”.

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وتابع شوبير: “محمد صبحي كان نجم الزمالك الأول، أنقذ مرماه من أكثر من فرصة محققة، بينما لاعبو الزمالك لم يقدّروا جمهورهم ولا قيمة المباراة، وسلّموا اللقاء بسهولة، وكأنهم يهْدونه لمنافسيهم سواء الأهلي أو بيراميدز أو المصري”.

وأوضح: “محمود الونش، الذي أحبه كثيراً، ارتكب خطأ لا يُغتفر عندما حصل على بطاقة حمراء بلا داعٍ، الحكم محمود بسيوني كان ممتازاً وأدار اللقاء بحزم، وأكد من جديد أنه من أفضل حكام مصر”.

وأكد شوبير أن تصريحات مدرب الزمالك فيريرا عقب المباراة كانت لافتة: “فيريرا قال بوضوح: (لا نستحق الفوز)، وهو كلام في منتهى الواقعية، في المقابل، مدرب دجلة هنّأه على الأداء وأشاد به، وهذه الروح نفتقدها منذ زمن”.

وختم شوبير: “لاعبو الزمالك أضاعوا على أنفسهم فرصة لا تتكرر كثيراً، الأهلي تعثر، والدنيا كانت مهيأة للانقضاض على الصدارة، لكن الفريق لم يظهر بالشكل المطلوب، حتى إن تغييرات دجلة كانت مؤثرة ومنحتهم الأفضلية حتى النهاية، الدوري مازال طويلاً، لكن الزمالك أضاع فرصة كانت في المتناول”.

When it comes to Arsenal’s best-ever forward, there is only one answer: Thierry Henry.

The French magician joined the club in 1999 and, alongside Arsène Wenger and some other sensational players, helped to define an era of English football.

In all, the former Les Ulis-born phenom racked up a tally of 228 goals and 96 assists in 37 appearances for the Gunners, and while no striker has been able to replace him in the years since, the club have had at least a few stand-out centre-forwards.

However, Arteta might well have had his own version of Henry had Edu Gaspar and Co not sold a highly-rated youngster for what now looks like pennies on the dollar in the summer.

Arsenal's best strikers since Henry

It would be fair to say that the first seriously successful striker Arsenal had in the years after Henry’s departure was Robin Van Persie.

The Dutchman might be persona non grata at the Emirates today because of his transfer to Manchester United in 2012, but during his final two campaigns with the club, he was simply unstoppable, amassing a tally of 22 goals and seven assists in 33 games in 2010/11, and then 37 goals and 11 assists in 48 games the following year.

Following the departure of the Rotterdam-born poacher, Wenger and Co signed Olivier Giroud from Montpellier for just £12m, and while he was never as prolific as RVP, he did enjoy a reasonably successful career in North London.

For example, in 253 appearances, across five and a half seasons, the World Cup winner scored 105 goals, provided 37 assists and won three FA Cups.

However, in January 2018, the Chambéry-born marksman was sold to Chelsea to facilitate the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who for some time was arguably the Gunners’ best forward since Henry.

Appearances

253

Goals

105

Assists

37

Goal Involvements per Match

0.56

The Gabonese international hit the ground running, becoming the fastest player in the club’s history to reach 50 Premier League goals in July 2020 and then playing a pivotal role in the club’s record 14th FA Cup triumph a month later.

However, after signing a blockbuster new deal that September, the wheels started to come off, and following lacklustre form and fallings out with the manager, he was allowed to join Barcelona for free in early 2022.

Since then, Arteta has used Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz up top, and while both players have had their moments, the former has suffered far too many injuries and the latter still hasn’t done enough to quell calls for the club to sign a new striker.

Unfortunately, Arteta might have already had his answer to those calls in a player compared to Henry had Edu and Co not sold him in the summer.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

The former Arsenal gem compared to Henry

Now, comparing a young forward to a player as sensationally gifted as Henry could be seen as unfair, but that was exactly what Sun journalist Jon Boon did with Mika Biereth in July 2021.

It was in the aftermath of Arsenal poaching the young talent from Fulham’s academy that Boon suggested he ‘might just be the next Thierry Henry.’

While that might sound a little ridiculous, he did so because, in just 27 appearances for the Cottagers’ youth sides the season prior, the young Dane had scored 22 goals and provided 13 assists, and at that point, no Arsenal forward had hit double figures for goals and assists since the great Frenchman, until Bukayo Saka did a couple of years later.

The youngster would spend the following season with the Gunners’ youth sides, and then, in the 22/23 campaign, he was sent out on loan for the first time to Dutch side RKC Waalwijk, but with just two goals in 12 appearances, it was not a successful stint.

Fortunately, last season went far better for the young forward, as, across two spells, first with Motherwell and then with Sturm Graz, he racked up a brilliant tally of 15 goals and nine assists in 37 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.54 games, and was enough to convince the Austrian side to spend £4m to make his move permanent.

The “crazy” talent, as dubbed by former GOAL reporter Robin Bairner, picked up where he left off at the start of the campaign and, by January, had already scored 14 goals and provided five assists in just 25 appearances, which tempted AS Monaco to spend £10.8m plus £1.75m in add-ons on the young Dane.

Since moving to the French Riviera, the former Arsenal prospect has gone from strength to strength and now looks like one of the most in-form strikers in European football, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in 12 appearances, totalling 860 minutes, which works out to 1.16 goal involvements every game, or one every 61.42 minutes.

Appearances

25

12

Minutes

1971′

860′

Goals

14

11

Assists

5

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.76

1.16

Minutes per Goal Involvements

103.73′

61.42′

That means the player Edu let go for a pittance in the summer has managed to score 25 goals and provide eight assists in just 37 appearances across two teams, which is a level of output that Arteta could have used this year.

Ultimately, while the club might have felt like Biereth wasn’t going to be good enough to play for Arsenal in the long term, it surely would have been a smart idea to have at least given him a chance this year, as his form at Monaco suggests he has what it takes to thrive in a top five league.

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Liverpool claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over local rivals Everton last night, moving themselves one step closer to claiming the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first campaign.

Diogo Jota’s second-half strike claimed all three points for the Reds, handing them a 12-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal with just eight games remaining.

Controversy struck in the first half with James Tarkowski only receiving a yellow card for an awful tackle on Alexis Mac Allister which was described as a “leg breaker” by Gary Neville.

It wasn’t a vintage display from Slot’s men, but ultimately, it was what was needed after the previous Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park back in February.

However, that being said, numerous players failed to deliver against the Toffees, potentially putting their starting role at risk ahead of the weekend’s clash.

Liverpool’s poor performers against Everton

Virgil van Dijk has been pivotal in Liverpool’s success over the last few months but struggled against the club’s local rivals last night in one of his worst displays of the campaign.

The Dutchman made a mistake in the first half which allowed opposition forward Beto to get one-on-one, with the post bailing the centre-back from an embarrassing mistake.

As for the reliable Mohamed Salah, the winger endured a very quiet night compared to his other outings this season, often with the Egyptian unable to provide the magic he has so often this season.

He lost 11 duels during the encounter – the most of any player in the match – whilst also missing a big chance in front of goal and failing to complete a single dribble of the five he attempted.

However, despite the showings of the aforementioned duo, one other starter failed to deliver, with the manager needing to take action before Sunday’s trip to Fulham.

The Liverpool player who needs to be dropped by Slot

This Premier League season has undoubtedly been a successful one for Liverpool, with the transition phase under Slot being seamless – enabling them to achieve their success.

The Dutchman and his side have excelled beyond all imagination, but that doesn’t mean that numerous players have failed to deliver in recent matches.

Dominik Szoboszlai is one player who’s hit the heights in recent months, notching 12 combined goals and assists across all competitions in 2024/25 to date.

However, his showing last night was certainly one to forget, unable to reach the expectations he’s set for himself given his showings under Slot at Anfield.

The Hungarian international featured for the entirety of the contest, but only managed to win two of the seven duels he entered – often being dominated at the heart of the side.

He managed a total of 67 touches, losing the ball 12 times, and giving the ball away once every five times he had possession – highlighting his wasteful nature when having the opportunity to impress.

Minutes played

90

Touches

67

Possession lost

12x

Duels won

2/7

Shots taken

1

Crosses completed

0/2

Dribbles completed

0

Szoboszlai also only managed one effort on goal and failed to complete any of the crosses he attempted, showcasing the lack of impact he had in the final third.

As a result of his showing on Merseyside, the midfielder was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Alex Turk – further showcasing how poor he was against the Toffees.

Given his display, Slot must drop him from his starting eleven, handing another player the opportunity to showcase their talents in the first-team.

The Reds will look to move one step closer to title glory at the weekend, but if they are to claim another victory, the manager will have a brutal call to make with his selection.

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Spin took 13 out of the 15 wickets that fell on the first day of the Dhaka Test. New Zealand sunk to 46 for five in response to Bangladesh’s 172 all out, and finished the day on 55 for five as Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets and Taijul Islam two. The Bangladesh spinners gave back what their batters suffered at the hand of the New Zealand spinners.Play was called off at 4:16pm, at least 14 minutes before the scheduled end, as bad light took effect on a murky day in Dhaka. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Philips remained unbeaten on 12 and 5 respectively after the visitors ended up losing half their side in 49 minutes.Mehidy removed Devon Conway when the left-hander left an arm ball from the offspinner. Taijul removed Tom Latham in the next over, caught behind to a delivery that kept low, caught well by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan. Taijul struck in his next over too, when Henry Nicholls was caught at mid-on by Shoriful Islam.Related

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• Why Mushfiqur Rahim was out for obstructing the field and not handling the ball

Mehidy then had two in three balls in the 12th over when Shahadat Hossain took a good catch at short-leg, to remove Kane Williamson. One ball later, Tom Blundell was trapped dead in front of the stumps.New Zealand’s spin trio had earlier led the way as Bangladesh folded for 172. Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel took eight wickets between them while Tim Southee took the other one that went to the bowlers. Mushfiqur Rahim, meanwhile, was given out obstructing the field, a dismissal that came at a critical moment for the visitors.Mushfiqur and Shahadat Hossain had only started to resurrect Bangladesh with a 57-run stand after they had fallen to 47 for four, before the 88-Test veteran had a brain-fade moment. Otherwise though, Bangladesh’s batters got out to soft shots as the visitors pounced on the mistakes.Mushfiqur Rahim had steadied Bangladesh before he was out obstructing the field•BCB

Bangladesh lost four wickets each in the day’s first two sessions. The root of the rot was in the sixth over when Bangladesh opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy tried too many things in the day’s first over of spin. Patel started off with deliveries that spun and kept low, to which Joy tried everything including a wild slog.The wicket followed soon after, when Santner had Zakir Hasan top-edging an attempted hoick towards long-on. It took a top-edge, and Williamson took the easy catch at mid-on for eight. Within four balls, Patel had Mahmudul caught at short leg, catching the inside edge with a poke. Mahmadul made 14.Mominul Haque fell caught behind attempting a near-impossible cut shot against Patel. The ball had spun back at him, stayed a tad low, as Mominul, for the second time in this Test series, was caught behind off the inside edge. Glenn Philips had got him in Sylhet, while Patel had him in the first innings in Dhaka.It was clear that batting wasn’t going to be easy on this pitch, so Najmul Hossain Shanto attempted to hit his way out of trouble. It lasted just 14 balls when his third attempt to reverse-sweep ended up in him being pinned lbw by Santner.Mushfiqur and Shahadat batted out the 13 overs before lunch with a little more ease, as Bangladesh went to lunch at 80 for four. Both batters used a bit more commonsense in their approach, which they were also expected to do after lunch.Forty-seven minutes after the break, Mushfiqur did the unthinkable. After he defended a Kyle Jamieson delivery in the 41st over, for reasons best known to him, Mushfiqur tried to pat away the ball that was already a fair distance from his stumps. New Zealand appealed immediately, and the TV umpire obliged with the obstructing the field decision.Mushfiqur made 35 off 83 balls with three fours and a slog-swept six. Shahadat followed him back to the pavilion in another 20 minutes, Phillips having him caught down the leg-side for 31. He struck two fours in his 102-ball stay.Phillips then removed Nurul for seven runs, with the bat turning in his hand as he attempted to hit out at the offspinner. Santner had Mehidy caught at slip for 20, in the over before tea. Phillips added his third when he had Taijul lbw for six, with the batter not attempting a shot.Southee, who didn’t concede a run in his first five overs, took the final wicket in his sixth over, when he had Shoriful Islam caught behind for 10. TV umpire Ahsan Raza decided that Tom Blundell took the catch cleanly after the on-field umpires couldn’t ascertain the legality of the catch.The 15 wickets that fell on Wednesday is the most on the first day of a Test in Bangladesh, while the 13 taken by spinners is the joint-highest along with the India-Australia Indore Test earlier this year.

In their eighth outing of the PSL this season, the two-time champions Qalandars finally got a win

Associated Press07-Mar-2024Two-time defending champion Lahore Qalandars finally recorded their first win in the latest season of the PSL, beating Islamabad United by 17 runs on Wednesday.The Qalandars had lost six straight games before getting one point from a rain-abandoned match against Peshawar Zalmi last Saturday.Data-driven United, who prefers to chase, were bowled out for 145 with fast bowler Zaman Khan claiming 4 for 37 and Qalandars’ fielders making some smart catches in the outfield.Rassie van der Dussen (64) had earlier anchored Lahore to 162 for 7 with his fourth score of 50-plus this season before he was due to return home and will miss Qalandars’ last two league games.Jahandad Khan made a spectacular one-handed running catch at mid-off to dismiss Alex Hales for zero in the first over of Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-32) and the batting powerhouse of United collapsed to 73 for 7 against pace midway through their run chase.Faheem Ashraf hit an unbeaten 41 while Azam Khan (29) and Naseem Shah (27) also played little cameos to narrow down the defeat before Zaman wrapped up the game and had No. 11 Rumman Raees trapped leg before wicket with a yorker in the penultimate over.David Wiese, who sustained a groin injury in the first game, returned to the Qalandars fold and upped the ante in the death overs with a brisk unbeaten 24 off 11 balls as skipper Shadab Khan used seven bowlers and only off-spinner Salman Ali Agha was not among the wickets.United now have seven points from eight games while Qalandars have three with two games in hand.

Manchester City now want to make a move for a “really exciting” forward who is a major target for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, according to a report.

Man City considering new wingers

Amid the speculation building over Jack Grealish’s future at the Etihad Stadium, Man City have identified the need to sign a new winger this summer, and a number of potential targets have been picked out.

Jacob Ramsey, who has exclusively featured on the left wing for Aston Villa this season, has recently emerged as a target for the Sky Blues, but the Englishman will not come cheap, as his current employers value him at over £50m.

SC Braga’s Roger Fernandes is the most recent name to join the list, with City plotting a move for the 19-year-old, who is valued at £34m, however, there could be fierce competition for the youngster’s signature from Manchester United and Liverpool.

Man City secure summer signing of "unbelievable" £66m star, claims report

Pep Guardiola’s side are said to have sealed a move for a midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Mar 11, 2025

Fernandes is not the only winger Man City could be set to battle their rivals for, as a report from The Boot Room has revealed they now want to make a move for Sporting CP’s Trincao, who is a target for Amorim at Man United.

Pep Guardiola’s side are reported to be huge admirers of the winger, who is expected to leave Sporting at the end of the season following an impressive campaign in Portugal.

Aside from Chelsea, the rest of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ have expressed an interest in the Sporting star, so there could be a huge battle for his signature this summer, and it has previously been revealed the Portuguese club could demand £66m.

In the same report, it is detailed that Amorim is personally pushing INEOS to sign his former player, but City could now be set to hijack the move.

"Really exciting" Trincao on fire in Portugal

Despite Amorim’s mid-season departure, Sporting are in a strong position to win the Liga Portugal for the second season on the spin, and Trincao has emerged as one of their key players.

The Portuguese winger has 23 goal contributions to his name in all competitions, having scored nine goals and registered 14 assists, and he previously received high praise from former Wolves technical director Scott Sellars upon signing for the club.

“He’s a really exciting player. It’s an area we’d like more competition, in terms of wide players. I think the fans are going to enjoy watching him play. He drives with the ball well and has good creativity.”

The only concern over the potential signing of Trincao will be the fact he didn’t set the world alight during his previous stint in the Premier League, picking up just two goals and one assist in the 2021-22 campaign, although he has clearly developed since then.