Manchester United are believed to have agreed personal terms with an “unplayable” player and are now willing to pay more than £60m to get a deal done.

Who could Man Utd sign this summer?

Ruben Amorim will know the importance of the Red Devils signing top-quality players this summer, following a dismal 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with exciting names continuing to be linked with moves to Old Trafford.

A new striker is a must for United, and Juventus marksman Dusan Vlahovic has been mentioned as an option before next season gets underway. In fact, they are even reportedly awaiting talks over a transfer.

Meanwhile, Emiliano Martinez continues to be seen as a target for the Red Devils this summer, as Amorim eyes up a summer switch for the Argentine. An upgrade on Andre Onana is required and the World Cup-winning 32-year-old appears to be a leading target between the sticks.

Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo is also a front-runner to join United imminently, joining Matheus Cunha in the process, and now a fresh update has emerged regarding their pursuit of him.

Man Utd agreed personal terms with "unplayable" star

Taking to X, journalist Rudy Galetti claimed that Manchester United have now agreed personal terms with Mbeumo, as a £63m move to Old Trafford edges closer:

At this point, it would be a huge surprise if Mbeumo wasn’t a United player come the beginning of next season, with the winger constantly edging closer to completing a move in recent weeks.

The Cameroonian enjoyed a fantastic 2024/25 season, scoring 20 goals in 38 Premier League appearances, and former Bees manager Thomas Frank is well aware of his ability, saying:

“Bryan Mbeumo today was unplayable. The way he holds the ball up and links play, like today to Kevin Schade [for the fourth goal] was very impressive.”

United are desperately in need of signing a wide player who can bring guaranteed end product to the team, with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony all loaned out in 2024/25, and the Brentford ace could be perfect in that respect.

Granted, Mbeumo takes up the same right-sided role as Amad Diallo, so there is the risk that he could stunt the youngster’s progress, but the Red Devils need to be in a position where they have top-class players battling for minutes all over the pitch.

Man Utd come blistering into race to hijack Arsenal deal to sign £20m star

They could get one over on their rivals.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 22, 2025

The Bees attacker has proven himself in the Premier League, and at 25 years of age, there is still so much more to come from him, so there are few positives to the move happening this summer.

Lalas also pushed back on claims from Pulisic, Tim Weah that ex-USMNT stars criticize players unfairly

Lalas dismisses characterization of criticism as "evil"Questions Pulisic involving his father in public disagreementMeola also hit out at Mark Pulisic for jumping into frayWHAT HAPPENED

Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas questioned Christian Pulisic’s decision to involve his father, Mark, in the back-and-forth between current and ex-national team players, suggesting the forward should handle criticism on his own.

Despite a summer in which he was entangled in controversy and the subject of harsh criticism, Pulisic maintains he made the right decision to withdraw from the 2025 Gold Cup. In the latest episodes the PULISIC docuseries, his father, Mark, echoed his son's comments and challenged previous USMNT stars to reflect on their own accomplishments before calling out the current team for its struggles.

"These guys want clicks and social media," Mark Pulisic said in the documentary. "Don't get me wrong, I respect all of them. I mean, they were players that I looked up to. But quite frankly, the guys before us didn't win anything either. I think they should look in the mirror and look at their last performances for the national team before they start talking sh*t.

"It's jealousy. You know, people want to be in issues, and they'll find any reason to bring him down. But Christian doesn't give a sh*t what anyone says."

That sparked a response from Lalas.

“Don't bring your dad to a fight,” Lalas wrote in a column for FOX Sports. “I get that Mark Pulisic, like other dads out there, has been involved directly in bringing up, in this case, Christian. I get that he's a former coach. But who brings their dad to a fight? If you're angry at me or Landon or anybody else who is being critical of you, that's fine.

“You have a platform, you have a microphone – some would say bigger than anybody else out there – to get that off your chest, but you don't need to bring your dad. Never once has it even occurred to have my father defend me from the slings and arrows that are inevitable, but well done. You got me to watch, and you got exactly what you wanted.”

Lalas also pushed back on accusations from Pulisic and Tim Weah that ex-U.S. stars criticize players unfairly for attention. He argued that their complaints only fueled the very attention they claimed to resent, while rejecting the suggestion that his analysis crossed into something more sinister.

“First and foremost, if you're going to accuse people of doing things for clicks and for attention or to watch a show, well played,” Lalas wrote. “That's exactly what you just did, and it's exactly what happened… We are evil? That's a whole other level. I don't feel evil. I don't think that I am, and I don't think that any of the other guys that you may have been referring to are evil in our criticism. But if they were, I sure as hell wouldn't respect them.”

AdvertisementWHAT TONY MEOLA SAID

Another U.S. legend, Tony Meola, shares a personal history with Mark Pulisic as they played together. Meola advised him to stay out of the media disputes.

"I've been friends with Mark Pulisic for a long time. We played together at the youth level. You gotta stay out, Mark," Meola said on the Call it What You Want podcast. “I know you’re a dad, I know you get emotional, your kid is at the top of the heap, right? I’ve got other friends in other major sports in America that their kids right now are in top of the heap.They listen to this all the time about their kids. 

"You can’t respond. Stay out. Christian is a big boy. He will be able to do this on his own. He will be able to carry this team.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Meola and Lalas’ comments highlight the increasingly tense relationship between current USMNT stars and the previous generation of players who now work in media.

Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

The USMNT will face immediate tests during the next FIFA international window with friendlies against South Korea on Sept. 6 and Japan on Sept. 9.

The champions of Europe may have already been crowned, although there is an even bigger prize on offer this summer, as 32 teams compete to be named the best club side on the planet.

Yes, amid much excitement and intrigue, the revamped FIFA Club World Cup is now finally on the horizon, with things kicking off on Saturday 14 June, ahead of what will be a month-long feast of football in the United States.

Every English club to play at the Club World Cup

Chelsea and Man City are preparing to head to the United States in the summer.

1

By
Brett Worthington

Dec 6, 2024

Among those from across the globe who are bidding to reach the showpiece on 13 July are Premier League giants – and recent Europa Conference League winners – Chelsea, with the Blues set to take on MLS outfit LAFC on Monday (16 June).

The west Londoners have earned their place following their Champions League triumph back in 2021, while for their opponents, the Los Angeles-based hopefuls saw off Club America in a lucrative play-off showdown to secure the final spot in the competition.

• Watch the FIFA Club World Cup live and on-demand here

Ahead of what should be an enthralling opening fixture for two of the four sides in Group D, here’s everything you need to know on how to watch – and who to be looking out for – when Monday rolls around…

Where to watch Chelsea vs LAFC at the Club World Cup

63 games. The world’s best players. All in one place. All without paying a penny. It really doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

Indeed, FIFA revealed back in December 2024 that this bumper Club World Cup edition will be available for free globally, with the world’s current largest sports streaming platform – DAZN – showcasing every game from this footballing extravaganza.

Available worldwide in 14 languages, DAZN really is the go-to place for this summer’s affair, with easy access provided to watch the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland – and many more – strutting their stuff at the highest level.

If you are already a DAZN subscriber, then the Club World Cup action will already become a part of your membership. For those who haven’t yet signed up, all you have to do is use your email address to register a free account on the DAZN website, with no hidden costs or fees added. You will then be able to watch every game on the DAZN app via your TV, computer, phone or even on your games console.

Chelsea vs LAFC (Monday 16 June – Atlanta – 8pm UK time, 3pm local time)

• FIFA Club World Cup

  Current Champions

  Manchester City

  Founded

  2000

  Most Championships

  Real Madrid (5)

• DAZN
  

  Watch all FIFA Club World Cup games free on DAZN. The biggest clubs and the best players in the world compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.

  Watch Every Game Live on DAZN

Chelsea vs LAFC – Who to look out for

Fresh off the back of their recent European success, Enzo Maresca’s youthful side have already bolstered their ranks with a handful of key signings, with Strasbourg’s Mamadou Sarr joining Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap in making the move to Stamford Bridge.

Those two new arrivals will be in line to make their Chelsea debuts against their MLS opponents, while there is further excitement surrounding new man Dario Essugo and the returning Andrey Santos.

Delap, in particular, will strengthen a frontline that already includes the dazzling Cole Palmer, with the Blues talisman seeking to build on his return of 67 goals and assists in just 91 games for the club to date. Behind the Englishman, the South American duo of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will likely prove crucial to the club’s fortunes once again.

As for the side hoping to throw an early spanner in the works, LAFC boast a handful of familiar faces to Premier League audiences at their core, with the World Cup-winning French duo of Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud operating at either end of the pitch.

This meeting will, of course, be something of a reunion for Giroud, following his prior three-and-a-half-year stay in west London, with the veteran striker memorably scoring six goals en route to Chelsea’s Champions League triumph four years ago.

The 38-year-old – who has scored just five goals during his time in the States – is not manager Steve Cherundolo’s danger man, however, with number 99, Denis Bouanga, having hit 20+ MLS goals in each of his last two seasons, prior to netting eight in 15 league games in 2025. One-time Roma and Marseille starlet, Cengiz Under, will be another for Chelsea to keep tabs on down the right flank.

Who else is in Group D?

Chelsea’s Premier League status will make them overwhelming favourites to progress from Group D, although Brazilian outfit, Flamengo, will provide a stern test, having won the Copa Libertadores back in 2022.

Those two sides go head to head in the second round of games, with that fixture providing the chance for another potential reunion, as former Chelsea man Jorginho bids to make his debut for the Serie A side, amid his recent free transfer exit from Arsenal.

Elsewhere, aside from latecomers LAFC, the final place in Group D has been taken by Tunisian outfit, Esperance de Tunis, with the relative outsiders having earned their place as the highest ranking eligible side in the CAF – African football’s governing body.

With the chance for new rivalries to be made, this quartet is not one to be overlooked…

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Qualified teams, format, venues & how to watch

The FIFA Club World Cup takes place this summer, with plenty of teams set to head to the United States in July 2025.

By
Ross Kilvington

Oct 30, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

da esoccer bet： O Corinthians empatou em 1 a 1 com o lanterna América-MG na “bacia das almas” e viu seu objetivo no Campeonato Brasileiro ser escancarado aos olhos dos mais de 37 mil torcedores que acompanharam o duelo na Neo Química Arena: evitar o descenso à Série B.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasDicasCuiabá x Corinthians: odds, estatísticas e informações do jogo pela 29ª rodada do BrasileirãoDicas23/10/2023Fora de CampoApresentador dispara contra Duílio Alves: ‘Você acabou com o Corinthians’Fora de Campo23/10/2023CorinthiansANÁLISE: Empate não esconde displicência, e Corinthians joga com alma de rebaixadoCorinthians23/10/2023

da marjack bet： + Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Buscando vencer ao menos um título em 2023, a equipe focou os esforços na disputa das Copas e abdicou em alguns momentos do Brasileirão. Com o relativo sucesso nos mata-matas – semifinal da Copa do Brasil e da Sul-Americana – a atual diretoria conseguiu mascarar o desempenho irregular na competição nacional e a instabilidade administrativa. Porém, o tropeço em casa fez a Fiel ligar o sinal de alerta.

+ Calando os críticos! Aposte R$100 e fature R$250 com Vinícius Júnior e o Real na Champions

+ Muita fé! Aposte R$100 e receba R$295 com Gabriel Jesus e o Arsenal na Champions

Com o resultado, a equipe do Parque São Jorge perdeu a oportunidade de subir na tabela de classificação e se distanciar da zona de rebaixamento. Hoje, o Timão ocupa a décima quinta posição, com 33 pontos conquistados, apenas três à frente do Vasco, que abre o Z4.

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EMPATES E MAIS EMPATES

Com 11 empates em 28 rodadas disputadas até o momento no Brasileirão, o Corinthians é a única equipe da competição com mais empates do que vitórias ou derrotas. Claro que alguns deles são bem-vindos, como o conquistado no último lance diante do Coelho no domingo (22). Porém, a falta de poder decisão do Timão fez com que o clube deixasse pontos valiosos pelo caminho, que poderão custar caro em dezembro.

DESMONTE

Ao todo, o Timão negociou oito atletas da equipe principal em 2023: Lucas Piton (Vasco), Du Queiroz (Zenit), Robert Renan (Zenit), Pedro (Zenit), Gustavo Mantuan (Zenit), Adson (Nantes), Róger Guedes (Al-Rayyan) e Murillo (Nottingham Forest).

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Apesar de bater a meta de vendas de jogadores da temporada (R$ 90,1 milhões), a diretoria não contratou peças de reposição à altura, principalmente no setor ofensivo, e viu a equipe sofrer sem os gols de Róger Guedes.

CAMPANHA NO RETURNO DO BRASILEIRÃO

Com apenas uma vitória em nove jogos, o Corinthians é a segunda pior equipe do returno do Brasileirão. O único triunfo foi justamente contra o Botafogo, líder da competição. Os 33% de aproveitamento do Timão superam apenas o Coritiba, que totaliza 22%. Ainda sim, a equipe paranaense venceu duas partidas no segundo turno.

Números no período: uma vitória, seis empates e duas derrotas, com 10 gols marcados e 11 sofridos.

+ Mano reconhece Corinthians abaixo contra América-MG e manda recado à torcida sobre rebaixamento

INSTABILIDADE ADMINISTRATIVA

A falta de convicção da direção fez com que o Corinthians mudasse de rota algumas vezes na temporada. Após a saída conturbada de Vítor Pereira, que levou a equipe à final da Copa do Brasil, o Timão contou com quatro treinadores diferentes: Fernando Lázaro, Cuca, Luxemburgo e Mano Menezes, atual comandante.

As trocas evidenciaram um antigo problema que assombra o clube desde a saída de Fábio Carrille, em 2019: a inexistência de um estilo de jogo definido. Cabe ao novo presidente, que será conhecido em dezembro, definir o estilo, para a partir desta decisão, escolher o nome que melhor se encaixe nos pré-requisitos determinados.

ENVELHECIMENTO DO ELENCO

Embora o Corinthians tenha apenas o nono elenco mais envelhecido do Brasileirão (média de 26.3 anos), as lideranças técnicas da equipe se encontram no estágio final de suas carreiras. Cássio, Fagner, Gil, Fábio Santos, Renato Augusto são considerados titulares e pilares do time, mas já passaram dos 30 anos de idade e não conseguem atuar em todas as partidas.

Tudo sobre

Corinthiansrebaixamento

Not every transfer has panned out the way they planned, but Chelsea have built themselves a brilliant squad over the last few years.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro wouldn’t look out of place in any other Premier League side.

Moreover, while it’s still early days, it looks like Enzo Maresca and Co have a genuine world-class superstar in the making with Estêvão.

The Brazilian has been incredible so far this season, so Chelsea fans should be delighted about reports linking them to someone who could end up being another Estêvão.

Chelsea target their next Estêvão

There has long been a lot of hype around Estêvão, so much so, in fact, that respected analyst Ben Mattinson labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner” a few months before Chelsea even signed him.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Now, there is still a long way to go until the teenager reaches that level, but he has already been sensational for the Blues this season.

For example, in 17 appearances, totalling 740 minutes, he has provided one assist and scored five goals, including a stunner against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that the club are now interested in another young star, Assan Ouédraogo, who could potentially emulate the Brazilian.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany, Chelsea are one of a few clubs keen on signing the RB Leipzig gem.

Alongside the West Londoners, Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the 19-year-old, whose contract runs until 2029.

Unfortunately, there is no release clause in that deal, so the fee needed to sign the German could end up being rather significant, as much as £50m according to further reports out of Germany in the last few months.

Even so, given Ouédraogo’s ability and potential, this is a transfer Chelsea should pursue, especially as he could be another Estêvão.

Why Ouédraogo could be another Estêvão for Chelsea

So, the first thing to point out is that, yes, the two youngsters primarily play in different positions.

Ouédraogo has spent this season playing as a central and attacking midfielder, while Estêvão has spent most of this year on the right.

However, while the pair do not necessarily operate in the same areas of the pitch, both are highly rated youngsters who seem destined to reach the top of the game.

For example, while Chelsea fans are more than familiar with the Brazilian’s exploits so far this season, they likely don’t know that the German has been even more productive.

In 12 first-team appearances, totalling 561 minutes, the Leipzig gem has scored three goals and provided four assists, which comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 80.14 minutes.

Moreover, the Mülheim an der Ruhr-born prospect has already made quite the impression at the international level.

After blitzing his way up through the various youth levels, he was handed his first senior cap for Germany earlier this month, and instead of just coming on and focusing on not making a mistake, he scored.

Finally, on top of already producing goal involvements for fun, the £22k-per-week gem has some unreal underlying numbers to back up exactly why content creator Neal Gardner has described him as a “powerhouse.”

Goals

0.48

Top 1%

Assists

0.48

Top 1%

Goals + Assists

0.97

Top 1%

Yellow Cards

0.00

Top 1%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.31

Top 1%

Shots Total

2.90

Top 1%

Shots on Target

1.45

Top 1%

Goal-Creating Actions

1.13

Top 1%

Touches (Att Pen)

4.83

Top 1%

Successful Take-Ons

1.77

Top 1%

Carries into Penalty Area

0.97

Top 1%

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals, assists, shots on target, goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it’s still early in his career, it’s hard to disagree with Mattinson’s assessment that Ouédraogo is a “beast ready to be unleashed” and therefore capable of being another Estêvão for Chelsea.

Chelsea have already signed another exciting star who's "just like Estevao"

Chelsea have already signed another youngster who could become another Estevao for Enzo Maresca.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 26, 2025

In their first time at an ICC world event, PNG are looking to triumph over adversity and a poor run of results

Peter Della Penna16-Oct-2021On the eve of their maiden appearance at a major ICC senior level global tournament, Papua New Guinea appear to be a far cry from the team that in 2019 romped to the final of the qualifiers for the current World Cup to secure one of the six qualifying berths on offer. This September, in their first international matches since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have lost ten straight games, eight ODIs and two T20Is (12 games, if you count two unofficial World Cup warm-up matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka).But if you look at it with the glass-half-full optimism of some members of the team set-up, this is nothing but the best kind of déjà vu. PNG lost eight matches heading into the start of the global qualifier in 2019 before suddenly flipping a switch for the first match of that event and then stringing together five wins in six matches. Head coach Carl Sandri is taking his inspiration from baseball.Related

Well-prepped Oman primed to usher in new era against first-timers PNG

Assad Vala wants PNG to become World Cup regulars

The Barramundis' big break (2014)

Papua New Guinea: How many Aminis?

“You know the doco?” he says, referring to the film chronicling the Boston Red Sox’s historic comeback from 3-0 down to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series in 2004 to win that series, before defeating the St. Louis Cardinals for Boston’s first World Series title since 1918. “This will be our three days in October.”PNG only needs three good days in October to advance to the main phase of the T20 World Cup. But those three days seemed a long way off after they spent 676 days between international matches due to the pandemic.Despite not having any cricket on the field, there was still some activity off of it. Head coach Joe Dawes stepped down last March, saying he wanted to spend more time closer to family in Australia.There has been something of an Australia and New Zealand coaching pipeline to PNG over the years. Andy Bichel, Peter Anderson, Dipak Patel, Jason Gillespie and Dawes have all featured in coaching roles. Cricket PNG CEO Greg Campbell – who has been with the organisation wearing numerous hats since 2009 – is an Australian import too. And the theme continued with the appointment of Sandri, who had a very brief Big Bash career with Sydney Thunder in 2013 but is better known in the Associate scene as a match-winner for Italy, having made his debut at the 2012 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE.Carl Sandri (extreme left) was appointed team coach in March 2021•ICC/Getty ImagesIt was there that he got his first taste of the fighting spirit of PNG’s cricket culture, when Italy wound up on the wrong side of a 12-run loss chasing 119.”We thought we were home and hosed,” Sandri said. “Not enough runs for them and we thought we’d walk that in. Michael Di Venuto was playing that game as well, so we thought we had a team to get the job done. Then as soon as you’re out there in the heat of the battle, the passion and the spirit of them all, you couldn’t hit a ball in a gap without five of them running at it. There was not an easy run to be had out there.”That’s what we’re looking for now in our group. I don’t think I’ve seen as many teams play as well as a team as we do in that circumstance.The majority of the PNG squad is from Hanuabada Village, a conclave on the western side of the capital, Port Moresby. “Having that, growing up together, playing together and spending all that time representing their country, that’s the strength that they have,” Sandri says. “You could feel that at the time [in 2012] and it can still be felt. You can feel it in the opposition [thinking] that when the team is together, they’re gonna be hard to beat. Being involved in that and being part of the Barras family is an amazing experience.”In the rare event that a player is from outside Hanuabada, as is the case with Chad Soper, who was born in Port Moresby but spent a significant chunk of his youth living and playing his developmental cricket in New South Wales, or the captain, Assad Vala, who grew up three and a half hours outside of Port Moresby, committing to a full-time cricket contract means moving to where all the action is. The closeness helps breed a zestful joy for the game that, as Sandri alluded to, most often comes out in their fielding.”Whatever we do, we just smile,” Vala says when asked what he thinks will stand out to people who will be watching PNG play for the first time at a World Cup this Sunday. “We love playing the game. The way we play the game is different. The way we celebrate wickets and the way we run around is something different from all other countries because we love celebrating and we love representing our country.”Hanuabada Village is the spiritual home of PNG cricket. Most members of the national team have emerged from the neighbourhood•Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesPNG pride themselves on their fielding, which has a reputation as the best in the Associate world, and at times could be in the conversation as the best in the world period. But their rustiness has put a dent in that reputation in recent times. While USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra made headlines for hitting six sixes in the 50th over to raise 173 not out against PNG in an ODI in early September, it was partly courtesy of PNG having dropped him four times, including twice before he passed 20. Campbell says that consistency is the one area where PNG have struggled over the years, especially after prolonged layoffs, but he feels he is seeing encouraging signs in their more recent fixtures, to indicate better results are around the corner.”The last couple of weeks I see a difference,” Campbell says. “While we were in Oman, the hotel had an amphitheatre. We went and watched and the boys laughed about it and said it was good motivation.”You just don’t know with this group. They can just turn up and do brilliant things and you think, ‘How did that happen?’ We haven’t seen it quite to that potential yet, but it’s coming.”I’ve seen these guys play for 12 years and deep down, I knew we’d struggle initially. If you’re not playing cricket, you don’t get any better. But they’re getting better and that’s why I’m optimistic. The more they’re playing the game, the more they’re starting to remember and get into gear. It’s a bit like an old steam train that takes a long time to get going but once you play consistent cricket with them, they start picking up. Hopefully it happens in this World Cup.”Regardless of whether or not it comes in the form of victories, Campbell says the country’s maiden appearance in a world event is almost certain to be transformational for the sport in a country of nine million. Their grassroots programmes have become stronger, he says, since a pair of key events in the middle of the last decade. PNG secured ODI status for the first time with a top-four finish at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. The extra ICC funding secured in the wake of that achievement helped put their players on full-time contracts, and currently there are a total of 39 fully contracted players (16 men, 13 women and ten Under-19s).PNG made their first T20 World Cup on the back of a five-win streak in the 2019 Qualifiers, losing only a single match, to Scotland•International Cricket CouncilFollowing their profitable hosting of the 2015 ICC World Cup, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket jointly donated A$200,000 (about US$150,000) to Cricket PNG for infrastructure development. That was matched by another A$200,000 from the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby. It sparked a plan to build 48 synthetic wickets around PNG, in particular for new wickets outside of Port Moresby, where Amini Park holds the only turf wicket in the country. Of the 35 wickets constructed so far, two have been built in Lae, the city with the second biggest population in the country, and a pair in Popondetta, a city of approximately 50,000 people that has been a focal point for women’s recruitment.Campbell says that currently there are 300,000 children playing cricket in the country through PNG’s introductory and school programme initiatives, but that the exposure from the World Cup could see that nearly double in the space of five years. Cricket PNG has negotiated a discounted rate with Digicel, the country’s TV rights holder, to make World Cup viewing access more affordable. Campbell says viewing parties on big-screen TVs are being organised in Hanuabada.All of this offers a contrast to the dark times the team has experienced recently, not just in terms of their results. In the span of less than 48 hours last week, three players on the team had one of their parents die: Nosaina Pokana’s father, and Kiplin Doriga’s and CJ Amini’s mothers. Amini’s mother was herself a former national women’s team captain. If that sounds alarming, sadly it is not entirely unusual in PNG cricket. PNG Women’s squad member Kopi John died at 26 in the summer of 2019 after contracting tuberculosis. Many other players over the last decade have had parents die while on tour.”We actually spoke about this before they left,” Campbell says. “In the current [Covid] climate, that might happen. In my 12 years, it does happen a little bit in PNG. I’ve been away on Under-19 tours where parents have died and you deal with it. So we spoke about that – the possibility that if it happened, they wouldn’t be able to get home. We’re not sure it was Covid. Some of them said their parents had some underlying factors, but it was a big shock, having three in the space of a day and a half.”They’re a close-knit group. Having [former PNG player and current assistant coach] John Ovia on board and a bit of my experience in 12 years, sitting with CJ [Amini] for six or seven hours that night. There wasn’t a lot of conversation but when he wanted to talk, I was there. They watched the funerals last week via Zoom.”The third generation of his family to play cricket for Papua New Guinea, Charles Amini lost his mother, herself a former national team captain, recently•Michael Steele/ICC/Getty ImagesIf the bereavements weren’t enough adversity, their training camp in Oman was disrupted by Tropical Cyclone Shaheen last week, which forced PNG to evacuate their team hotel for 48 hours with nothing but “the clothes on our backs”, according to Campbell.Through it all, they have kept smiles on their faces. You’d never know that this is a team coming off ten straight losses and a trio of family deaths in the squad, judging by the way Vala, Sandri and Campbell have been grinning from ear to ear through their media interactions in the last week, as they tried to find a positive attitude.”If you can harness that in the right way, as they have shown with qualifying for this World Cup, that’s where the challenge is,” Sandri said. “If we can harness that natural ability, the athleticism that they can show, if we can put that and some cricket IQ more consistently, if they can improve that, then their natural athletic ability and talent can match any cricketer I’ve seen.”They’ve had that aura about them. When you’re batting against them, they’re a big family. They’re all over you. The pressure by presence is obvious.”Campbell is hoping the players continue to project that on-field family culture of unity and optimism – not to mention world-class fielding and dynamic skills – to the TV cameras broadcasting the tournament around the world when PNG take the field at Al Amerat against co-hosts Oman this weekend. If they can generate a few wins in the rest of group play, which includes matches against Scotland and Bangladesh, they’ll have a bigger opportunity to show even more viewers what they’re made of, in the next phase of the tournament.”I’d love them to play their flamboyant way,” Campbell says. “To express themselves, show their natural ability, so people sit back at home and say, ‘Maybe we should take more notice of PNG. I’m going to watch these guys moving forward.'”These guys are pretty good from where they come from. They love the game. They play it a different way than what we’ve seen and they play for enjoyment. That’s it. They love the game.”

Samad’s sparkling strokeplay made Jammu & Kashmir dream – until Karnataka came roaring back

Shashank Kishore in Jammu23-Feb-2020Abdul Samad, 18, sat motionless in the dressing room. Staring right through his shell-shocked team-mates who were trying to console him. He had just been dismissed looking to slog sweep. The ease with which he was using his feet to step out and drive forced J Suchith to switch back to over the wicket. Karnataka’s fielders were in a dilemma. Do they stop the boundaries or look to attack? Jammu & Kashmir were just 15 runs behind Karnataka’s first-innings total with three wickers in hand, within touching distance of a lead. Yet Samad slogged.For those who haven’t watched him bat, Samad isn’t an agricultural slogger. He has a stable base and excellent hand-eye coordination. He cuts well, loves to use his feet to spin and has a penchant to make big runs at a furious pace. Both his hundreds this Ranji Trophy season came at better than a run-a-ball. Could he play another defining knock in the quarter-final, against a heavily favoured Karnataka?Samad doesn’t care much about reputations. If the ball is in his zone, he gives it a whack. He had already stepped out to hit Suchith’s left-arm spin into the river bank, way beyond the long-on boundary wall of the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. A good 100-metre hit.This was a classic one-on-one contest. One man, or boy – Samad – whose team depended on him to take them past Karnataka’s 206. The other – Suchith – wanting to prove a point or two, after being brought in as a replacement for an out-of-form Shreyas Gopal.To dismiss Samad, Suchith cleverly held his length back a touch, got the ball to dip and turn sharply from outside leg. Samad went for it, only managing to top edge it a mile. Suchith trembled for a brief second, ran back, took two steps forward. It went that high. There was so much time, and he was literally on his knees by the time the ball descended. But he held on to it superbly in the end. A collective cry of anguish from 1000 fans, who had cheered wildly for every run, every boundary, told a story.The adrenaline was pumping right from the first ball. Not just for the set of 30 players and coaches, but for the fans too. The scorers, generally happy to share a chat while helping out travelling journalists with power sockets and WIFI passwords, suddenly went quiet and wanted as little distraction as possible. The catering staff lined up outside their tents to watch. The policemen on duty, often looking away, were trying to catch a glance every now and then. It was that kind of a morning.

“The scorers, generally happy to share a chat, went quiet. The catering staff lined up outside their tents to watch. The policemen on duty, often looking away, were trying to catch a glance every now and then. It was that kind of a morning.”

Samad had walked in to replace his captain Parvez Rasool, who had just been out nicking to the slips for a duck early in the day. With the score reading 110 for 4, he took strike against a fired up Prasidh Krishna. Off his second ball, he nonchalantly whipped one on a length from outside off to the midwicket boundary. It was a shot reminiscent of VVS Laxman, with whom Samad is likely to spend some time in the summer at Sunrisers Hyderabad, and who had raised the paddle to acquire Samad at the auction for INR 20 lakh.Prasidh worked him over with a series of outswingers. Samad played and missed twice, but didn’t hold back a third time as he tonked a half-volley inside-out, one bounce to the extra cover fence. Then, Prasidh went short and Samad took him on with the pull. The message was clear: he was going to fight fire with fire.This was his biggest moment as a first-class cricketer, and he was showing his full range of shots. Perhaps in his mind, keeping the scorecard ticking along gave J&K the best chance to pocket a lead. Five fours had come off his first 18 balls. Suddenly, the deficit stood at just 62.This is when the game turned again. Shubham Khajuria, J&K’s highest run-getter this season, threw his wicket away. For 154 deliveries, he had played with utmost discipline. Head right over the ball, leaving deliveries outside off, not lulled into a false sense of comfort. He didn’t even raise his bat after getting to a half-century. The J&K dressing room have stopped applauding fifties, according to their coach. “We reserve it for when someone crosses 80.” It told you the seriousness of the situation.Yet, it was like Khajuria rammed into the median on an eight-lane expressway after expertly navigating through narrow terrains and hairpin bends. He was out nicking behind while attempting a flashy drive off Ronit More. J&K were five down, still trailing by 62, and the tension was palpable.Having picked a wicket, Ronit then left his mark by tearing through the lower order in a fabulous spell of late reverse-swing bowling. Every ball, there was chatter from behind the stumps. Srinivas Sharath, Karnataka’s wicketkeeper, was even reprimanded on one occasion for charging towards the umpires while appealing. Encouragement in Kannada soon gave way to Hindi words: they wanted the batsmen to know what they were saying.It was a contest beyond just words. Aquib Nabi, J&K’s No. 9, made a mark as an allrounder in Karnataka’s club scene last year, making a century on debut for Chintamani Club in Division Two of the KSCA League. Here, even a small cameo would’ve sufficed.He needed to just hang in and support Samad. While Nabi held his end of the bargain for a while, the temptation to play his shots in the face of words and attacking fields was too hard to resist. Nabi reverse swept Suchith from outside leg to behind point. As the runs narrowed however, the pressure told, and eventually Samad fell to leave J&K 192 for 8.After Samad’s ill-fated slog sweep, Prasidh returned and dished out some death overs bowling. He went full and straight, needing four balls to take the remaining two wickets. The second ball tailed in late to trap Nabi lbw, and a yorker two balls later finished off J&K’s innings, to complete Karnataka’s great escape. They had snatched a first-innings lead after being on the verge of conceding one, and averted a fate which might have put them out of the semi-final race.

It has taken fewer than four years for Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal to go from a decent pitcher to one of the best in the history of his franchise. Example: after posting 5.1 bWAR combined over his first four seasons, he racked up 6.4 in 2024 and 6.5 in 2025 on the way to back-to-back American League Cy Young awards.

Those accomplishments are incredible, but they're cold comfort to Tigers fans beginning to fret over the potential loss of their ace. Skubal, who turned 29 Thursday, can become a free agent upon the conclusion of the 2026 season.

On Thursday, Skubal responded to trade rumors beginning to swirl around him—telling he had no desire to be traded.

“It’s not like I want to be traded, so it’s kind of like, why am I in these conversations?” Skubal said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really impact what I do day-to-day. I try to just stay out of it and not look at it. That’s how I’ve handled it at the trade deadline in years past.”

More: Top Trade Spots for Tigers Cy Young Award Winner Tarik Skubal

In 2024, Skubal was also the subject of rampant trade speculation. Detroit held on to the pitcher. eventually catching fire and making the playoffs.

“The way social media is it’s hard not to see things about yourself, especially when it's talking about trades and all those hypotheticals,” Skubal said. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.”

Caen's recruitment manager has opened up on Kylian Mbappe's ownership role at the French club, following their recent relegation from Ligue 2.

• Caen has been relegated to the National League
• Fans upset with Kylian Mbappe's involvement
• Recruitment manager speaks on the striker's involvement in club's decisions

• WHAT HAPPENED

  Mbappe became the majority majority shareholder of Caen in 2024 after acquiring 80 per cent of the club through his investment firm, Coalition Capital, in a deal reportedly worth as much as €20 million (£17m/$23m). The Caen supporters were excited to see a rejuvenated side under the new ownership, but things have not gone as expected as the club experienced a decline in form, issues in the dressing room, and fans turning against the Real Madrid star by displaying banners saying: "Mbappe, SMC is not your toy". The recruitment head, Reda Hammache, has now opened up about the striker's role at the club and how much the forward participates in decisions regarding running and operating the club.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Caen have been relegated to the National League for the first time in 41 years. This comes as a major financial setback for the club, with internal dressing room disputes over the selection of players and blaming the approach taken by the new ownership. This has affected the 26-year-old striker as things have declined on a much greater level after his takeover. As per , Mbappe is involved in the decisions but doesn't intervene in the match-to-match selections, with sporting matters mostly falling first on president Zihad Hammoud, general manager Josselin Flamand, technical director Pascal Plancque and the recruitment manager.

• WHAT CAEN SAID

  "He gets updates naturally and regularly, but he's not the type to call. It's a system we've set up for ourselves; he's not intrusive. He stays in his role as a shareholder who wants to enjoy things from a distance, knowing everything but letting people get on with their work. Our discussions are always focused on football, the value of the players, the spirit and the consistency of the team. We stick to technical considerations and never talk about money," Hammache told .

  He also confirms that Mbappe does not remain passive when key decisions are made. "For this kind of big decision [appointing a coach], he is more than informed. When we chose Bruno Baltazar, Michel Der Zakarian or, more recently, Maxime D'Ornano, he was informed and he supported us in our decision. If there are things that really bother him, he'll say so, and we obviously give him that space. But so far, he's trusted us. We've stood by our decisions," he explains.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CAEN?

  According to Hammache, Mbappe does not dictate the team line-up or tactical choices. He finds out the line-up like everyone else, sometimes before kick-off, sometimes even on television. Although he shows concern, he does not interfere where his role ends.

  Caen now face a crucial rebuilding phase in the National League, focusing on stability, youth development and financial restructuring. Head coach d'Ornano leads efforts to restore confidence and aim for promotion back to Ligue 2.

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Thrilling innings confirms that England’s allrounder is back in a matchwinning frame of mind

Andrew Miller17-Mar-2022It was the on-drive that signalled that the old poise was back. Ben Stokes’ innings was just nine deliveries old, with not a run to his name as yet, when Jayden Seales floated an inswinger into his blockhole and, blam, out lashed that signature stroke – a perfectly perpendicular push back down the pitch, with lines so clean you could serve a pint of Red Stripe through them. Nobody moved, nor had time to move. And no stroke that Stokes had played for 18 months felt so effortless and ominous.For it’s often assumed that Stokes, England’s Superman, can just stroll into his mental phonebox whenever the cry goes up, and seize any situation through willpower alone. The truth has proven to be more complex, as his torrid recent experience in the Ashes went to show.And for that reason, there is arguably no player on this tour more likely to have benefitted from the so-called “reset” vibe, given that Stokes needs nothing more than to re-frame those lofty expectations via a ground-floor re-entry to Test cricket, rather than tumbling at the last minute through the top-floor window, as he had done in October with his thrilling, but ultimately self-defeating, declaration that he was ready for the toughest tour of all.Related

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'I'm ready for Australia' – Ben Stokes added to England's Ashes squad

Even before the Ashes campaign had exposed the fallacy of wishing oneself to full match fitness, however, Stokes’ finest performances had long been the product of a surfeit of preparation – be it his unrivalled determination to bust a gut in training, or that uber-cautious calibration at the start of his Headingley epic, during which he eked out seven grimly chiselled runs from his first 80 deliveries.And so, for the first hour of his innings in Barbados, it was as if Stokes was giving each of his highlights-reel contenders a spring clean. Dot … dot … hammer-blow through backward point. Dot … dot … rambunctious drive through the covers. In the Ashes just gone, he had set out his stall for a similar approach, but emerged with an average of 23.60 and a strike-rate of 42.06, as if his thirst for the hard yards had become an end in itself. On this occasion, however, with each of those explosions of pure muscle-memory, Stokes was able to confirm – to the jubilant England fans in the stands but most importantly to himself – that this time the real deal was ready to burst forth.Afterwards Stokes demurred when asked if he was back to his best. “I don’t know,” he said. “It was good to spend time in the middle and get some runs, but you’re only as good as your next knock or your next bowling innings. But it wasn’t frustrating, I don’t really focus on those kind of things. I just want to put in match-winning performances and they aren’t always making hundreds or taking five-fors.”Ironically, it was the least well-timed of Stokes’ 17 boundaries that convinced him he was ready to go loco. After easing along to a sedate 23 from 55 balls, Stokes plinked a drive through mid-off from Alzarri Joseph, looked askance at the inner edge of his blade, and figured, “that’ll do”. In a sudden thrash of willow, he smashed 66 from his next 37 balls, including three sixes in four overs to put the “maul” into Veerasammy Permaul’s figures, and a preposterous one-legged swipe over long-on as Joseph was pounded from the attack in a 20-run over.In truth, after the mental turmoil that devoured his 2021, it had already been apparent that Stokes’ game-brain was back where it belongs. In words and deeds, he had repeatedly laid bare his determination to dig deeper – from his withdrawal from the IPL mega-auction because “Test cricket is the number one priority” to his post-Ashes self-admonishment for “letting people down”, and all the way through to his preposterous workload on a dead deck in Antigua – 28 overs in the first innings, and 41 all told, all while allegedly convalescing after a side strain.Ben Stokes was emotional on reaching 100•Getty ImagesBut this was the performance that assuaged all the doubts. Stokes’ 11th Test century was his first since July 2020, also against West Indies, when he lit up that summer’s second Test at Old Trafford with quite possibly the most remarkable all-round display of his career – an eight-hour 176 in the first innings; 78 not out from 57 balls as a declaration-seeking opener in the second, and a crucial partnership-breaking role across both bowling stints in a hard-fought fifth-day win.At that precise moment, Stokes was at the absolute zenith of his game – a player unsated by his transcendent summer of 2019 and, with five remarkable hundreds in the space of the preceding 12 months, seemingly focused on becoming the best pure batter in Test cricket, let alone the premier allrounder.But then, within the month, Stokes was flying back to New Zealand on an indefinite career break, as his father Ged succumbed to brain cancer, and though he returned to England colours in India the following spring, a subdued display gave way to a badly broken finger in his opening match of the subsequent IPL – an injury so problematic that he genuinely feared he might never play again.His Ashes struggles were just a glimpse into the well – they gave no real hint as to quite how deep Stokes’ despair had run during his months on the sidelines. And so all manner of competing emotions would have tumbled through his mind as he nudged that landmark single into the covers, and after gesturing with that familiar crooked-finger salute to his departed father, he fell into the embrace of his team-mate Jonny Bairstow – a man whose memories of his own father have been such a driving force throughout his own career, not least during his own emotional century at Cape Town in 2016, when he and Stokes had added 399 for the sixth wicket.”He just said ‘take it all in lad’, in his nice Yorkie accent,” Stokes said of his team-mate’s reaction. “Me and Jonny have been with each other quite a lot in the middle, when one of us has got to a milestone, same as Rooty.”In India I got 99 [in the second ODI in Pune] and it was a bit of a dagger in the heart but it was nice to get there and remember him that way. I don’t like to speak selfishly, but it was a nice feeling out there, to look up to the sky.”There are caveats galore to be factored into this England display, of course. This Barbados deck has been grotesquely flat, and the depths to which the team’s Test fortunes have plummeted in the past year cannot be glossed over by a few cheap runs in the sun. That said, England now have five centuries in three innings on this tour – which is just two shy of their tally for the whole of 2021. And their kingpin is back where he belongs, dictating Test agendas as if he’d never been away.