The ICC’s technical committee has awarded full points to Pakistan women for the three-match series against India women that was not played in October

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2016The ICC’s technical committee has awarded full points to Pakistan women for the three-match series against India women that was not played in October. The series and points counted towards the ICC Women’s Championship, and was scheduled to be played by the end of October. This means both India and Pakistan will have to qualify for the 2017 Women’s World Cup, with both teams falling into the bottom four of the championship’s points table.The technical committee felt the BCCI had not been able to establish “acceptable reasons” for not participating in the series, awarding two points to Pakistan for each of the forfeited ODIs. Pakistan was due to host India for this series, and the PCB said it was open to holding the series in the UAE. But cricketing ties between India and Pakistan are currently stalled, given the political tensions between the neighbours. The BCCI had not responded to the PCB’s queries on the series since May with either a confirmation or rejection, and in mid-October a BCCI official said it was up to the Indian government to decide on whether the series would go ahead.Eight teams are part of the ICC Women’s Championship; the top four gain automatic entry into the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England. The bottom four will have to qualify via a ten-team qualification tournament in Colombo in February 2017. A series win against Pakistan would have helped India earn a direct entry to the tournament.”The Technical Committee has ruled that Pakistan will be awarded two points for each of the three games and, in accordance with the ICC Women’s Championship playing conditions, India shall be considered to have scored zero runs in each of the 50 overs in each of the three matches and that its net run rate shall be adjusted accordingly,” an ICC release said.That meant West Indies, who weren’t assured of a direct entry after being whitewashed by India in the recently-concluded ODI series, will join Australia, England and New Zealand as the automatic qualifiers for the World Cup.Even with the six points, Pakistan finish seventh. They and India will be joined by South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe in the qualifying tournament.India and Pakistan, who last played each other at the Women’s World T20 earlier this year, are scheduled to play the Asia Cup in Thailand between November 25 and December 5.

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan made history in the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Sunday at Wembley.

Ilkay Gundogan fired Manchester City to an early lead with the fastest goal ever scored in an FA Cup final on Saturday.

The midfielder blasted past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea from outside the box after just 12 seconds.

That striker broke a record that had lasted for 14 years, so what are the other quickest goals to have been scored in the final of world football's oldest national competition?

GOAL takes a look…

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  1Ilkay Gundogan | 12 seconds | Man City vs Man United | 2023

  Just 12 seconds after City kicked off the final at Wembley, Gundogan fired into the net with a lightning quick goal.

  The ball found its way back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and his long ball was nodded on by Erling Haaland.

  A tussle between City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and United defender Victor Lindelof saw it teed up for Gundogan and he smashed it towards goal, leaving De Gea no choice but to stand back and admire as it went into the net.

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  2Louis Saha | 25 seconds | Chelsea vs Everton | 2009

  Everton were the obvious underdogs heading into their tournament decider against Guus Hiddink's Chelsea.

  The Toffees proved they were well up for the fight, however, when they charged forward immediately.

  Chelsea failed to properly clear Steven Pienaar's cross into the box and Marouane Fellaini beat centre-back Alex to the header, knocking into the path of Louis Saha.

  The French forward unleashed a beauty of a shot to beat Petr Cech and send the Merseyside club into the lead.

  Chelsea managed to fight back, however, and won it 2-1 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

• 3Bob Chatt | 30 seconds | Aston Villa vs West Brom | 1895

  Unsurprisingly for a game from 1895, there is a lot of uncertainty about the goal that went down as the fastest ever to be scored in an FA Cup final.

  The FA states Bob Chatt fired Aston Villa to cup success with a strike just 30 seconds into the clash at Crystal Palace, but some reports list it as late as 39 seconds in.

  That is not the only point of contention, though, as it was claimed that Chatt's half-volley was stopped by a fingertip touch from the goalkeeper, sparking a scramble before it was knocked in via John Devey's knee.

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  4Roberto Di Matteo | 43 seconds | Chelsea vs Middlesbrough | 1997

  Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo sent Chelsea on their way to victory in the 1997 final with a goal just 43 seconds in.

  His shot from distance went in off the crossbar, leaving goalkeeper Ben Roberts no chance of stopping it.

  The club legend's effort went down as the fastest in an FA Cup final at Wembley until Saha popped up 12 years later to break that record.

  Chelsea went on to win 2-0, with Eddie Newton doubling the lead after 83 minutes.

After the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was given a two-week ban by PSG for his trip to Saudi Arabia, GOAL looks back on other similar situations…

Paris Saint-Germain shocked the footballing world on Tuesday when they announced that World Cup winner Lionel Messi would be suspended for two weeks without pay. It was subsequently revealed that the player had ignored his manager and club, missing training in order to take a trip to Saudi Arabia, who he has a lucrative sponsorship deal with.

PSG, determined to make an example of a player who seems increasingly likely to leave this summer, threw their Ligue 1 title hopes into slight jeopardy and banned one of their biggest names for a crucial two-week stretch.

But Messi isn't the only high-profile player to be sidelined by his own club or national team. Indeed, there is a rich history of stars who have been forced to miss time due to disciplinary reasons.

GOAL takes a look back at some of the biggest stars to have been suspended by their own team…

Getty ImagesLionel Messi

Messi jetted off to Saudi Arabia for a few days at the beginning of this week without the permission of PSG, fulfilling responsibilities associated with his lucrative sponsorship deal with the Middle Eastern country.

Messi reportedly let the club know about the trip in advance, and manager Christophe Galtier agreed to sanction his plans if the Parisians either beat or drew with Lorient on Sunday. However, they suffered an embarrassing 3-1 loss, their third in four home games. Messi, though, went to Riyadh anyway.

The club has subsequently banned him from entering any of their facilities, preventing him from both training and making official appearances. It is also expected to be the final straw in a drawn-out contract standoff — Messi will not be at Parc des Princes next season.

AdvertisementAAMesut Ozil

Once one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, Ozil's career declined sharply towards the end of his Arsenal tenure. The Germany international left north London on poor terms, with the club refusing to register him in time for the 2020-21 season.

He would eventually join Fenerbahce that January, but a series of injuries and poor performances derailed his time there, and Ozil was eventually suspended for the final eight league games of the season after getting into a row with his manager, Ismail Kartal.

Ozil, for his part, insisted that he had no problem with the club, though pointed out that he hadn't been paid for the first six months of his contract. He left at the end of the season, and retired in March at just 34.

Getty ImagesPierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang has been something of a troublemaker at various points in his career. In January 2018, Borussia Dortmund suspended and fined him for failing to report for a team meeting after training. His decision not to show up, presumably associated with his desire to join Arsenal before the end of the transfer window, saw his time in Germany come to an end.

His exit from the Gunners around four years later played out in a remarkably similar fashion. Aubameyang visited his mother in France in December 2021, and returned to training a day late. The club swiftly stripped him of the captaincy and dropped him from the squad for their next game against Southampton.

Manager Mikel Arteta explained that he had decided to leave Aubameyang out due to a "disciplinary breach." It culminated with the star striker training alone and being banned from making any first-team appearances. He left for Barcelona within six weeks.

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GettyMario Balotelli

Balotelli's career has been a source of constant entertainment, for the right and wrong reasons. The immensely talented Italian has enjoyed his fair share of impressive moments on a football pitch, but will perhaps be best remembered for his antics off it.

It all started in 2009, when the immensely-gifted but admittedly mercurial Italian clashed with Jose Mourinho while at Inter. The manager publically criticised Balotelli for his lack of effort in training, and dropped him for a whole month in January.

And things didn't get much better when he secured a high-profile transfer to Manchester City. From visiting a women's prison to setting off fireworks in his bathroom, Balotelli became a media sensation during his time in Manchester. He didn't face an official suspension until early 2012, though, when he was banned for four games for stomping on Scott Parker's head during a Premier League clash with Tottenham.

He was at it again for AC Milan a year later, banned for using "intimidating and insulting" language towards the referee after his side lost to Napoli. He rounded it off in late 2014 while at Liverpool, being banned by the FA for posting an anti-Semitic picture on his Instagram.

Referee Artur Soares Dias may have made a big mistake in the Manchester City game last night in the build-up to Kevin De Bruyne’s equaliser.

Why did Man City’s goal not get disallowed vs Real Madrid?

It was a thrilling first-leg encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night as Real Madrid played host to Pep Guardiola and co.

Meeting in the Champions League semi-final, both teams showed flashes of brilliance as the game ended 1-1. Indeed, Vinicius Junior scored a stunner in the first half to fire Madrid into the lead, but City gave their hopes of making the final a massive boost when De Bruyne rifled home an equaliser in the 67th minute of the game.

However, it seems as though that goal should have potentially been disallowed as the ball appeared to have crossed the line shortly before Man City had it in the back of the net.

Indeed, as seen in these images shared on ESPN, it looks as though the ball may have gone out – and so play should have been immediately stopped.

When speaking to the press after the game, Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti seemed furious about the incident as he said: “It was out. It’s not me saying it, the technology does.

“It surprises me. They’re small details, but the referee wasn’t attentive. The players deserved more cards on the pitch, not [me] off the pitch.”

However, it’s since been reasoned that VAR could not actually intervene with this incident as too much time had passed after the incident took place.

Rule expert Christina Unkel explained on CBS Sports: “There’s two points to remember with VAR in the protocol and process on this. Can VAR check for a ball going outside before a goal? The answer is yes. But the most important point here is at what part can VAR become involved?”

“There is no set amount of time before a goal we go back to check. Instead, it’s really predicated by the possession and who has possession of the ball. We can debate, we can have the question to whether the ball left [the field].

The real answer is, this actually would not have been captured in the window and the time frame for when VAR could have gone back to take a look from when De Bruyne scored that goal. Specifically, because there was a turnover in possession.

“Even if this was out, it would not have been reviewed by the VAR leading to the goal.”

And so, while this may not have been an error on behalf of VAR – as Ancelotti suggests – it still doesn’t change the fact that referee Soares Dias and his officials still should have been able to spot the ball going out in the initial passage of play.

With the tie so tight, this mistake could have a huge impact on who makes the Champions League final this year.

Uncapped pace bowler Duanne Olivier has been included in South Africa’ squad for the final Test against Sri Lanka following the axing of Kyle Abbott

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2017

South Africa squad

Faf du Plessis (capt), Duanne Oliver, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stephen Cook, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada

Uncapped pace bowler Duanne Olivier has been included in South Africa’ squad for the final Test against Sri Lanka following the axing of Kyle Abbott, who quit international cricket in favour of a Kolpak deal with Hampshire.Oliver, 24, is the leading first-class wicket-taker for the season with 28 wickets at 21.60 in the Sunfoil Series. Wayne Parnell has retained his place in the squad, and there is a chance South Africa could consider an all-pace attack at the Wanderers, a venue which is likely to further challenge Sri Lanka’s vulnerabilities against pace and movement, after they conceded the series with a 282-run defeat in Cape Town.Uncapped Theunis de Bruyn also keeps his place as the reserve batsman, although there are unlikely to be any changes in that department unless injuries occur. The match will mark Hashim Amla’s 100th Test.Meanwhile, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel will play for Northerns next week with a view to them being available for selection for the final T20 against Sri Lanka ahead of the one-day series.De Villiers, who quit the Test captaincy prior to the Sri Lanka series, has not played since the CPL in July due to an elbow injury. Morkel has been recovering from a back injury which has limited him to one first-class outing this season.

USA’s chances for winning the Auty Cup took another hit with the withdrawal of allrounder Timroy Allen. An ICC Americas official confirmed on Wednesday that the Jamaica Tallawahs-contracted player would be unavailable for the three-match series against Canada, which starts from October 13, due to a “pre-advised commitment”.Allen’s spot in the squad has been taken by batsman Ravi Timbawala, who lives and plays his club cricket at Woodley Park in Los Angeles, the venue for the Auty Cup. Timbawala was second on the list of run-getters at USA’s 30-man squad camp at the start of August in Florida but was a surprise omission from the final 14-man USA squad for ICC WCL Division Four, beginning October 29.Allen is the second CPL-contracted player to withdraw from USA’s original Auty Cup squad and his absence leaves USA without both new-ball pace bowlers for the series. Guyana Amazon Warriors fast bowler Ali Khan was ruled out after he failed to recover in time from a left hamstring injury suffered at the five-day national camp at Indianapolis on September 20.Khan’s spot was taken by medium-pacer Hammad Shahid, who will also provide standby cover for WCL Division Four in case Khan cannot recover in time for the start of the tournament.

Goal takes a look at the top players who played for both Chelsea and Manchester United…

Manchester United are set to take on Chelsea in a crucial Premier League tie at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are coming into this tie on the back of two defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal, conceding seven goals in two matches.

Whenever Manchester and Chelsea meet, there is a lot is at stake. And this time, with just four games to go in the season, it is a must-win tie for Ralf Rangnick's boys if they want to keep their faint top four hopes alive.

The intense rivalry between the two clubs began at the beginning of the 21st century after the Blues became a force to reckon with in England.

While the rivalry is not a traditional one, the two sides have a long list of players who have donned the jerseys of both clubs.

Currently, two Manchester United players Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic started their journey in the Premier League with Chelsea.

Players from yesteryears like Juan Sebastian Veron, Mark Hughes and Ray Wilkins also played for both Manchester United and Chelsea.

Here is a look at the prominent players who have played for Chelsea and Man United.

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  Mason Mount

  Chelsea stint: 2017 – 2023

  Manchester United stint: 2023 – current

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  Romelu Lukaku

  Chelsea stint: 2011-2014, 2021-present

  Manchester United stint: 2017-2019

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  Juan Mata

  Chelsea stint: 2011-2014

  Manchester United stint: 2014-present

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  Nemanja Matic

  Chelsea stint: 2009-2011, 2014-2017

  Manchester United stint: 2017-present

Newcastle United have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Leicester City playmaker James Maddison following the club's relegation from the Premier League.

What's the latest on James Maddison to Newcastle?

According to the Mirror, the 26-year-old England international will lead the mass exodus at the King Power Stadium after City's miserable campaign ended with a slump into the second tier, with a fee of £40m touted.

The Magpies actually failed with a £50m bid for Maddison one year ago, with Leicester holding out for £60m, but it is Newcastle technical director Dan Ashworth who will be able to exert his authority in pursuing a deal, with the Foxes already revealing record £92.5m losses this year.

With London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also vying for a deal, Newcastle must seal the deal swiftly; Maddison will be highly coveted now his club have plummeted from the top flight.

How would James Maddison perform at Newcastle?

The two-cap England international has been a prolific midfield force since signing from Norwich City for £24m in 2018, having chalked up 203 appearances for Leicester, plundering 55 goals and 41 assists – notably winning the FA Cup and Community Shield.

His boss Dean Smith described him as a "football nut" and he is an astute and intelligent playmaker, and his passion for his play is evidenced by his prolific return this season, flourishing despite his club's woes and scoring ten goals and serving nine assists from 30 matches.

He would arrive on Tyneside at a time when his addition could transform the club's offensive impetus from the centre.

Indeed, Newcastle have been sensational under Eddie Howe's stewardship this season and have qualified for the top four with the conviction of a tried and tested squad of winners, and the feeling is that a first-rate addition or two could transcend fortunes to something greater, potentially taking a place alongside the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid at the forefront of Europe.

He could well emulate the success of Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United, who has been the creative catalyst for the Red Devils since his initial £47m signing from Sporting Lison, making 184 appearances, scoring 63 goals, assisting 54 more and winning the Carabao Cup – against Newcastle – this season.

The "monster" – as dubbed by journalist Josh Bunting – that is Maddison certainly bears a semblance to his Portuguese counterpart, with FBref, ranking the aces as similar players.

Fernandes ranks among the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for rate of progressive passes per 90.

The £110k-per-week Maddison, comparatively, ranks among the top 20% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 13% for rate of assists, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 14% for progressive passes per 90, which is not too shabby for a star embroiled in a relegation battle all term.

Hailed as "world-class" by his England manager Gareth Southgate, Maddison would provide the spark and ingenuity to lift Newcastle to new heights, which is an ominous thought for the rest of the Premier League after such an exemplary 22/23 campaign.

West Indies batsman Shai Hope was pleased at having scored a maiden ODI century in only his second game but some off the sheen from that achievement was taken away by the side’s tied match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo19-Nov-2016West Indies’ tie against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo took some of the gloss off what was otherwise an adventurous maiden hundred by West Indies batsman Shai Hope. Playing his second ODI, Hope marshalled West Indies’ chase along with Kraigg Brathwaite, the pair putting on 162 for the third wicket, and reached his ton with a whip through midwicket off the second ball of the 45thover. But two deliveries later a wild swipe resulted in an edge through to the wicketkeeper, opening a window for Zimbabwe to claw their way back into the game.”[Getting the hundred was] a good feeling, but it would be even better with a win,” Hope said. “That’s the main thing: it’s about winning games. So the hundred doesn’t really mean much right now because we didn’t win.”Hope, who also kept wicket today, was at the crease as early as the 12th over in West Indies’ chase after Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis fell in the teens. “It’s a bit tough [keeping wicket and batting up the order], especially if the team loses quick wickets at the beginning,” Hope said. “But it’s about transferring the effort of your wicketkeeping into your batting, and keeping your team on top of things.”After a period of consolidation, during which both batsmen survived confident appeals at the hands of Zimbabwe’s spinners, Hope broke the shackles with 10 runs from consecutive long hops in the 20th over. Thereafter, he was soon outscoring Brathwaite, and rode his luck as West Indies sought to press home their advantage.In the 32nd over, he was caught by Donald Tiripano at long-on, but the fielder stepped on the boundary rope while completing the catch. Three overs later, he slapped a full toss straight to Sikandar Raza but the chance was dropped. In the 39th over, a top-edged slog once again evaded Raza, running towards long-off from cover.Those errors aside, Hope and Brathwaite appeared to be in control, with the latter focusing his efforts on turning the strike over to his more aggressive partner. “We were trying to put the bad balls away, capitalising on those ones and rotating the strike,” Hope said. “We wanted to take it as deep as possible and finish off the game, but it was unfortunate we couldn’t get that done today.”West Indies were 220 for 3 when Hope fell, and still appeared to be on course in their chase. Yet five more wickets fell in the next five overs, and with three needed from five balls in the last over, Carlos Brathwaite swatted a Tiripano legcutter to Sean Williams at long-on to set in motion Zimbabwe’s unlikely comeback.”There’s always nerves, especially in games like this. But I must say it was a bit disappointing not to cross the line. That’s the game of cricket. Sometimes it can go both ways. On another day, that ball Carlos hit would have gone for six. Today he lost his wicket. It’s just about being more aware. It didn’t happen for us today.”

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is looking likely to stay put beyond the summer, according to an update from transfer expert Dean Jones.

How important has Martinez been to Villa?

The Villans hero has enjoyed arguably the most memorable season of his career to date, playing a starring role for both club and country. The £120,000-a-week 'keeper famously tasted 2022 World Cup glory with Argentina, performing plenty of penalty heroics and arguably his country's star player along with Lionel Messi, enhancing his reputation hugely in the process.

For Villa, Martinez made 27 Premier League appearances in 2022/23, playing his part in them qualifying for Europe after a huge resurgence under Unai Emery.

The 30-year-old has been linked with a move away from Villa Park during the summer transfer window, however, with plenty of interest in his services. Granted, his current deal doesn't expire until 2027, but a move to an even bigger club could potentially appeal if an offer arrives.

Is Martinez likely to stay this summer?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones provided an update on Martinez's future, admitting that it is still up in the air, but that the idea of him staying put is far from out of the question:

"I think obviously the Jose Sa one will depend on what happens with Emi Martínez. I keep hearing there is potential for Martínez to go if a big enough offer lands, but whenever Martínez talks at the moment, I kind of get the feeling that he's not going anywhere.

"So a tricky one but if they did lose Martínez, then yes, Sá would be an interesting one to turn to."

This would be a massive boost for Villa, with Martinez one of the most important players at the club these days, having now racked up 112 apparances since arriving from Arsenal back in 2020. He has been lauded as "world-class" by Gary Neville in the recent past, as well as "unbelievable" and "one of the best goalkeepers in the world" by teammate Matty Cash.

The fact that Emery's men have qualified for Europe could certainly sway the Argentine's thought process, and the fact that the club is thriving so much under the current manager, and the hope is that he continues to be a vital performer for many years to come for Villa.

Should he move on, which would clearly be a blow, it is then essential that the money is used wisely to bring in the best possible replacement.