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“We should appreciate the players for throwing themselves in the den without being exposed to these conditions,” Pakistan’s Test captain said

Danyal Rasool27-Jan-2025Pakistan captain Shan Masood said he expected the team to continue their recent experiment of heavily turning tracks at home, and that they would be replicated across domestic cricket as well. After falling to a 120-run defeat at home against West Indies that levelled the series 1-1 and confirmed Pakistan’s position at the bottom of the current World Test Championship cycle, Masood maintained there were “encouraging signs” that Pakistan would seek to build on.”Domestic cricket will be played like this,” he said. “We’ve already talked about this. The more we’ll play the better we’ll get at it. We’ve shown encouraging signs. After the four matches, we’ve won three in these conditions. We dominated the first hour of the first day which could have swung the match in our favour. It’s just about winning those key moments and ensuring we’re consistent with these conditions domestically and internationally.”Since Pakistan lost the first Test against England on a flat wicket in Multan, they have reverted to producing tracks that break up and spin from the first day, rendering fast bowling almost redundant. The last four home Tests have seen Pakistan take 80 wickets, with just one falling to a seam bowler. Fingerspinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali have dominated the bowling attack, taking 70 of the 80 wickets, and frequently opening the bowling attack in each innings. It has turned around Pakistan’s straggling home form, allowing them to beat England 2-1 at home and easing to a victory in the first Test against West Indies. This Test, however, the visiting spinners turned the script around on them, with left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican of West Indies walking away with both the Player-of-the-Match and Series awards.Related

• Shan Masood to continue as Pakistan Test captain for 2025-27 WTC cycle

• Warrican bags five as West Indies win in Pakistan after 34 years

• Warrican dominates a series made for spinners in Multan

• Brathwaite: West Indies had to be 'brave' on pitch where 'you are going to get out'

“It’s a game of all stakeholders. We should appreciate the players for throwing themselves in the den without being exposed to these conditions. We know we haven’t played domestic cricket in these conditions. In some ways, it’s a kind of bravery to expose ourselves to these conditions. We practiced, but this is new for us. But we need to replicate this in domestic cricket, give our batters exposure so we play in these conditions and get runs in them. In the fourth innings, anything over 150 is a competitive score, where spinners will always have the edge.”An unavoidable outcome of such surfaces is the outsized role the toss plays. All four times, the side winning the toss has batted first, walking away with victory three times. While Pakistan were able to flip that script against England in the series-decider, West Indies’ win once more demonstrated the way these pitches can slant a game in favour of the side bowling last.Mohammad Rizwan was bowled by Jomel Warrican, who took the match and series honours•AFP/Getty Images

However, it didn’t appear that way when Pakistan bowled in the first hour, having reduced West Indies to 54 for 8, and letting that situation slip through their fingers frustrated Masood most of all. “We didn’t get the result we wanted. The positive thing was when you field first and you know the fourth innings will be difficult. So you try to restrict the opposition in the first innings. We bowled brilliantly for the first eight wickets. But we’ve talked about the first innings batting and bowling combining to do well, so you have the advantage in the third and fourth innings. If you look at our batting and bowling, and the mistakes we made collectively, that was a crucial time because their last two wickets cost us dear.”Then, with the bat, we went from 119 for 4 to 154 all out. When these collapses happen and the other side puts on partnerships, they can set you back. If we’d got them out early and got a 100-run lead, the Test match would be completely different. With Test matches on these pitches, you can’t wait to make a move, because things are decided on day one, and that is where you can win or lose matches.”This is the end of a cycle, an unhappy one for Pakistan, and for its leader. Pakistan have lost nine of their last 12 matches, all five away from home and four of seven at home. Despite starting off with a crushing away win in Sri Lanka, they have finished bottom of the WTC table, and do not play another Test for nearly nine months.Masood acknowledged Pakistan had fallen short of expectations, but did not believe the side required a complete overhaul, pointing out fine margins made the difference in this Test, and could be worked on.”The tail not getting wickets is an area of concern, and we need to finish off sides quicker,” Masood said, echoing his frustrations in South Africa, where the last two wickets adding too many runs cost them dear in the first Test at Centurion. “Against Australia, who have the best tail in the world, we got them out cheaply, but not here, or against Bangladesh or South Africa.”Batters have been proactive, but we need more contributions. You may not get hundreds here but 30s and 40s contribute to the winning conditions. Kraigg Brathwaite was an ideal example. He took the game on. One batter will need to step up in these conditions especially when the ball is new.”It’s not about holding someone responsible. This isn’t an accountability bureau. This is a team effort. Our mistake as a team was the first two innings. That was what set us back, and gave the opposition a degree of freedom. If we had a 100-run lead, I do not think they’d have been able to play in the way they did. We need to understand the direction of matches will be decided very quickly, as early as day one.”

Northants secure return for Matthew Breetzke in Championship and Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2024Lancashire have signed Australia allrounder Chris Green as one of their overseas players in the Vitality T20 Blast for the next two seasons.Green, 31, was Lancashire’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast this summer with 14, helping the club to qualify for the knockouts – although, due to the lengthy gap after the group stage, he had moved on to the CPL and was unavailable for their quarter-final defeat against Sussex.His contract again includes the provision to play in the County Championship and One-Day Cup, subject to availability. Green, who also turned out for Trent Rockets in the Hundred, made six One-Day Cup games appearances – scoring his maiden hundred – and one in the Championship for Lancashire in 2024.”I absolutely loved my first year with the club and I am even more excited to be coming back for the next two seasons – I can’t wait to join up with the team again next summer,” Green said. “It is a really special group of players at Lancashire. I know that there are big things to come, and I am looking forward to playing my part in that during 2025 and 2026.”I really felt the support from all of the Red Rose Members and supporters this summer and I can’t wait to see you all again next season at Emirates Old Trafford.”Lancahisre’s director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, said: “One of our key priorities heading into the winter was to secure Chris’ services so we are really pleased to get this deal done early and to have his commitment to playing for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast for the next two years.”Chris made a huge impact for us on the field and had a number of options and offers to play around the world, but we are delighted that he has committed to being here at Emirates Old Trafford. Not only did Chris’ performances with bat and ball stand out this season but he also really impressed us with his leadership and his personality had a huge influence on the dressing room. We are all looking forward to welcoming him back to the club next summer.”Breetzke back at NorthantsNorthamptonshire, meanwhile, have re-signed South Africa top-order batter Matthew Breetzke for the first half of the 2025 summer. Breetzke will be available for Northants’ first eight games in the County Championship, as well as the whole of the Blast group stage.The 25-year-old finished as Northants’ leading run-scorer in the 2024 Blast, with 460 at a strike rate of 153.84, helping the club to reach the quarter-finals.”I’m delighted to sign with Northamptonshire for the 2025 season,” Breetzke said. “I really enjoyed my time at the club this year. I think the team has a lot of potential to push for promotion as well as go a few steps further in the Blast and win it. I’m looking forward to helping the team and hopefully achieving many more victories along the way.”

Who should open the batting? Should Sam Curran play ahead of Moeen Ali?

Matt Roller24-Nov-2020The top-order conundrumEngland are overflowing with opening options. Their 50-over opening pair, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, have been separated by the emergence of Jos Buttler as one of the world’s most destructive T20 openers over the last two-and-a-half years. Dawid Malan – the ICC’s No. 1-ranked T20I batsman – is best suited to the top three, while Ben Stokes flourished at the top of the Rajasthan Royals order in the IPL.The likely outcome is that England will try to fit all five into their top six, with captain Eoin Morgan filling the extra spot. Despite Buttler’s success in the middle order for Rajasthan, he looks certain to continue at the top, most likely alongside Roy. In their T20I series in South Africa in February, England went with Bairstow at No. 3 and split the ‘spare’ batting position at No. 4 or No. 5 between Malan and Joe Denly, but Bairstow’s impressive record against spin and Malan’s tendency to start slowly before exploding into gear could see those roles reversed.Stokes, meanwhile, presents a headache: his record in the middle order is underwhelming, and like Malan, he tends to have a few sighters before teeing off. He batted at No. 3 in Monday’s warm-up game, but is more likely to slot into the middle order with Sam Billings left on the bench. Keeping Malan at No. 3 with Bairstow at No. 4 would also avoid England having three right-handers at the top of the order followed by four left-handers in the middle, a situation which would allow top teams to create favourable match-ups by using spinners who turn the ball away from the bat throughout the innings.Moeen Ali or Sam Curran – or both?The area in which England have the least depth is their spin bowling. While Adil Rashid is a lock in the starting XI, his shoulder has presented some level of concern over the last 18 months, and he is the only frontline spinner in the 15-man squad, with Liam Dawson (injured) and Matt Parkinson (omitted) both absent.Moeen Ali has been ever-present in the side this year but after being used in the Powerplay for a match-up against Quinton de Kock in February’s series, he bowled only one over of offspin in each of England’s five bowling innings in their home summer, and his returns with the bat have been sporadic.Sam Curran swings one over the leg side•Getty ImagesEngland have a balancing act to strike between looking to win the series at hand and preparing for the long term, with next year’s T20 World Cup in India likely to present a significantly different set of conditions to Newlands and Paarl. If they lean towards the latter, then Moeen will likely keep his spot at No. 7 and share four overs with Stokes; if they go for the former, his place could well be taken by Sam Curran, whose breakthrough IPL season with Chennai Super Kings demonstrated his game-changing abilities with both bat and ball, as did his match-winning cameo in Monday’s warm-up match.They could, of course, pick both, but it would leave their balance slightly off: that would mean they either had seven bowling options and left out one of their specialist batsmen, or had to split eight overs between Moeen, Curran and Stokes. As a result, Curran may edge Moeen out.Where does Morgan fit in with the bat?Morgan has spent the vast majority of his T20I career at No. 4, and his sparkling recent form in the format – he averages 44.27 with a strike rate of 183.77 since May 2019 – has primarily come in that role. But his particular strength has been hitting at the death: in that timeframe, he has scored at a mind-boggling 230.76 strike rate in all T20s in the final four overs of an innings. And his explosiveness does not seem to be reliant on having set himself in the middle overs, either; his strike rate in the first 10 balls of his innings has shot up in the past couple of years, with the influence of two T10 seasons seemingly rubbing off on him.ESPNcricinfo LtdPerhaps with that in mind, he shuffled down to No. 5 against Australia, and batted at No. 4 only twice in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. Given England’s wealth of top-order options, and their desire to give Stokes sufficient time to set himself, Morgan may push himself as far down as No. 6 in this series, depending on the situation in each innings. While that might mean he faces fewer balls on average than he would at No. 4 or No. 5, it should also give the top order licence to attack even more, in the knowledge that there is no shortage of batting depth.Who are their Powerplay bowlers?England struggled badly with the new ball in February’s series, taking only one Powerplay wicket in three games with Jofra Archer missing through injury. They again lacked new-ball bite in their home series against Pakistan this summer, though Archer’s success up front alongside Mark Wood against Australia in September suggested the issue might simply be down to a lack of depth.Jofra Archer lets one fly•BCCIWood was impressive in the Powerplay in the Australia series, taking two wickets in seven overs, but has only played 11 T20Is and his record in South Africa earlier this year – 4 for 118 across ten overs – might be cause for concern. With Reece Topley, the 6ft 7in left-arm seamer, likely to start on the bench, and the injured David Willey waiting in the wings, Wood will hope that the success of 90mph/145kph bowlers in the IPL extends into this series.England may also be tempted to give Archer three overs in the Powerplay, something that his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals never did due to their reliance on him at the death. With at least one of his death specialists – Tom Curran and Chris Jordan – likely to play, Morgan may opt to attack with Archer early. There is little in the way of previous evidence as to how likely this is – Archer has played only four T20Is due to injuries and rotation – but it is the sort of aggressive move that Morgan will doubtless consider. If he plays, Sam Curran may also be used with the new ball, as he was in New Zealand last winter.How will they cope with Shamsi’s threat?England may well consider it a shame that South Africa have not selected Imran Tahir for this series: they lost wickets regularly when facing Shadab Khan in the summer, and legspin will be a feature in next year’s T20 World Cup. Instead, the left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi is the main spin threat to counter over the next week, though he should not be taken lightly. As the below table shows, only two England batsmen managed to take him down in the high-scoring series earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn particular, it will be interesting to see how England fare immediately after the Powerplay. Buttler raised that phase as a possible area for improvement earlier this month, while Malan, Morgan, Roy and Stokes will all hope to do better against Shamsi than they did last time out.

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.

Russell Martin and his Glasgow Rangers players are already hard at work in pre-season as they prepare for their European qualifier later this month.

The new Gers head coach will be looking to progress through to the next round of Champions League qualifiers, and will want the best possible squad available to him at Ibrox.

Max Aarons and Lyall Cameron have already been added to the team during the summer transfer window so far, but the Light Blues will not stop there.

According to Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam, central midfielder Joe Rothwell turned down LaLiga teams to join Scottish Premiership giants on a permanent deal.

The former Bournemouth star has put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Ibrox and could make his debut against Panathinaikos later this month.

What Joe Rothwell could bring to Rangers

Rothwell will bring an experienced head in the middle of the park that Rangers do not currently have. Nicolas Raskin (24), Mohamed Diomande (23), Bailey Rice (18), and Connor Barron (22) currently make up Martin’s midfield ranks.

This means that the 30-year-old maestro, who has played 204 games in the English Championship, could be a mentor to the younger players in the squad, and give valuable advice to the likes of Barron and Rice, as he has been there and done at a good level in the game.

The midfield whiz, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Leeds United, will also offer quality in possession through his impressive passing range.

Rothwell is a metronomic midfielder who likes to constantly get on the ball to progress play for his team with progressive passes and passes into the final third, helping to create chances for his teammates.

Passes completed

63.74

Top 6%

Long passes completed

6.44

Top 2%

xA

0.22

Top 4%

Key passes

2.44

Top 1%

Progressive passes

6.64

Top 8%

Passes into the final third

7.40

Top 2%

As you can see in the table above, the experienced star provided plenty of quality on the ball in the 2024/25 Championship campaign with Leeds, who won the title to secure promotion to the Premier League.

He played in a ball-dominant title-winning side and showcased his ability to consistently progress play and create chances in the middle of the park, which suggests that he could thrive in a ball-dominant Russell Martin team chasing the Premiership title.

Whilst Rothwell, who is also capable of scoring screamers, looks set to be a terrific addition to the squad, Rangers are eyeing another midfielder who could be an even better signing.

Rangers in the race to sign former Liverpool gem

According to Liverpool-focused outlet DaveOCKOP, Rangers are one of a number of teams in the race to sign RB Salzburg central midfielder Bobby Clark in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Liverpool could be due a sell-on clause fee as a result of the English starlet moving on from the Austrian side this summer, just a year on from his Anfield exit for a fee of £10m.

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It adds that Rangers, Leicester, West Brom, Sunderland, Koln, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hamburg, Birmingham, Leicester, and Southampton are all eyeing up a move for the midfield talent.

DaveOCKOP reveals that the former Newcastle United youth prospect is expected to look for a fresh opportunity to play elsewhere next season, and that there is a concrete chance that he will leave Salzburg.

However, it currently remains to be seen how much of the £10m that was paid for him last summer Rangers would need to pay to secure his services.

Why Rangers should sign Bobby Clark

The Scottish giants should push to win the race for the English midfielder this summer because he could be an even better signing for the club than Rothwell in the long run.

Clark is ten years younger than the signing from Bournemouth, at the age of 20, and this means that he has far more potential, both in terms of development and his viability as a long-term option for Martin in midfield.

If the Gers can land a deal for the Salzburg youngster, he could be a starting option in the middle of the park for the next decade if all goes well, whereas Rothwell is heading into the latter stages of his playing career.

Clark is not the finished article in the present, like Rothwell, though, after he only started seven of his 17 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, but he did show a lot of promise in the OFB Cup, the domestic cup in Austria.

Appearances (starts)

2 (2)

Touches

217

Pass accuracy

85%

Key passes

8

Dribbles completed

12

Dribble success rate

63%

Ball recoveries

22

Duels won

30

As you can see in the table above, the English midfielder thrived as a starter in the cup across two appearances in the competition, creating eight chances and winning a staggering 30 duels.

Whilst it is an incredibly small sample size, it does show the kind of quality that he could provide if Martin is able to help him take the next step in his development after failing to earn regular starts with Salzburg.

Clark, who was hailed as “exciting” by reporter Lee Ryder, also showed a lot of promise during his time at Liverpool, with one goal and two assists in 14 first-team appearances for the Premier League giants, which earned him a £10m move to Austria.

The 20-year-old gem produced 18 goals and 11 assists in 64 games for Liverpool’s U18 and U21 sides combined, further illustrating the kind of attacking quality he can provide at his best.

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Therefore, Clark could be an even better signing than Rothwell because he could be an incredibly exciting midfield talent if Martin can unlock his immense potential as a dynamic, attack-minded, midfielder, who still has many, many, years left ahead of him to develop and improve.

MatériaMais Notícias

da heads bet： O Botafogo inicia a semana lidando com um desafio de olho na caminhada da Copa Sul-Americana. A equipe alvinegra tenta ser incisivo para que seu poderio ofensivo se sobressaia e garanta a vitória no primeiro jogo das quartas de final, contra o Defensa y Justicia, da Argentina.

da betsul： Para isso, a equipe tenta garantir poder de decisão para o o confronto que acontecerá na quarta-feira (23), às 19h (de Brasília), no Nilton Santos. O técnico Bruno Lage tem alternativas para escalar o Glorioso.

+ Confira a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Lage testou Júnior Santos no empate em 0 a 0 com o Guaraní, do Paraguai, na competição. Depois, deu oportunidades aos jovens Janderson e Carlos Alberto. Recentemente, o clube contratou Diego Costa para ampliar seu leque ofensivo.

Prestes a encarar um jogo decisivo pela Sul-Americana, o técnico Bruno Lage tenta encontrar o melhor atalho para dar força ofensiva ao Botafogo. Após o empate em 0 a 0 com o São Paulo, o português traçou um panorama sobre o que tem à sua disposição.

– O Janderson é o exemplo perfeito daquilo que é um jovem valor e que nós não podemos colocar uma pressão tremenda em cima dele. Ele tinha feito no Santos uma boa entrada, depois não me recordo agora o jogo, mas foi a opção. Quis ver outros jogadores naquela posição, optei por ver primeiro o Júnior (Santos), porque o Júnior já tinha jogado naquela posição e o Carlos Alberto também vinha a desempenhar muito bem naquela posição e depois tinha uma entrada muito boa no último jogo internacional. E senti que hoje a equipe poderia iniciar da mesma forma que iniciou a segunda parte, e o Janderson fez um jogo seguro – afirmou, ao fim do empate em 0 a 0 com o São Paulo.

Outra opção testada na reta final, Diego Costa também foi vista com entusiasmo pelo treinador.

– Destes 20 minutos que ele jogou, vamos começar a aumentar para que ele tenha um rendimento mais sustentado e um volume de jogo maior – afirmou.

O Botafogo direciona sua rota para a Copa Sul-Americana.

Nottingham Forest’s sublime season in the Premier League might well have run out of steam towards the back-end – with only one league victory coming their way in May – but Nuno Espirito Santo’s men still have the Conference League to look forward to next campaign after finishing in a fantastic seventh spot.

Espirito Santo’s Tricky Trees won’t just be content with one unbelievable season in isolation, however, with an ambitious approach during this summer transfer window perhaps allowing Forest to upgrade all over the pitch ahead of European football coming to the City Ground.

Already, Forest are flexing their muscles as they aim to finalise a deal for Botafogo attacking sensation Igor Jesus, but they might not be done there when adding in some exciting options up top.

Forest's search for a striker

As per a report by the Athletic, Forest remain keen on a deal for Brentford ace Yoane Wissa, having previously been interested in the Bees sharpshooter back in January.

At that time, the Premier League high-flyers were put off by the 28-year-old’s steep £40m valuation, resulting in a £22m bid for his services falling flat.

Now, a move could be back on the cards, even as Forest edge closer to landing the aforementioned Jesus from Brazil.

Worryingly so for the South American hotshot, Wissa’s arrival in through the door could see Espirito Santo and Co. win themselves an instant upgrade on the one-time Arsenal target, with the Congolese international very much a revered marksman in the Premier League.

Why Wissa would be an upgrade on Jesus

Wissa could soon go down as a fan’s favourite at City Ground, even though the long-standing Brentford servant would score this delightful effort only last month versus Forest to seal a 2-0 away success.

Still, they won’t be turning their noses up at adding Wissa to their attacking arsenal alongside Chris Wood, with that breakaway effort just one of 20 strikes the 28-year-old would fire home last season for Thomas Frank’s regular overachievers – 19 of which came in the top-flight.

To add context, the much-talked-about New Zealand powerhouse would tally up that exact amount last season in all competitions, meaning the pair working together in unison could be a dynamite duo.

But, away from any potential partnerships forming, the electric Bees number 11’s dependable record in the Premier League means he would instantly get the first-team nod over Jesus, with the experienced top-flight presence never looking back after entering the level in 2021.

24/25

39

19

5

23/24

34

12

4

22/23

38

7

3

21/22

30

7

1

Looking at the table above, Wissa has gradually improved by season by season at the daunting level, with that tally of 19 league strikes last season his most lethal return in the top-flight to date.

On the contrary, whilst Jesus is an entertaining watch with a hefty 3.5 total shots averaged on goal in Brazilian top-flight action this year, he doesn’t possess that same potency Wissa has in abundance, with a weaker output of seven goals coming his way from 24 Brasileirão Betano contests.

He does have an additional eight goals next to his name playing for Botafogo from 55 total appearances, but the concern will be that the four-time Brazil international could struggle to immediately make an impact in the English game.

Wissa wouldn’t have any of these issues to contend with, with the clinical number 11 once even labelled as “unbelievable” by his Brentford boss for his blistering goalscoring prowess.

Adding in both strikers could well be the dream scenario here, with Jesus able to bounce off a Premier League-recognised striker to up his standards.

After all, Forest might as well aim to strike up as many golden deals as possible whilst the club is on an all-time high.

Wow: Nottingham Forest could now sign £100m star in Gibbs-White swap deal

The Tricky Trees could look to bring in a forward, as part of a swap deal for Morgan Gibbs-White.

2 ByDominic Lund Jun 1, 2025

Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson has been ruled out of the T20I series against Scotland and England next month after picking up a side strain in the Hundred with Oval Invincibles.He will be replaced by New South Wales allrounder Sean Abbott who had initially only been due to be part of the ODI squad for the five matches against England.Related

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It had been a lean Hundred campaign for Johnson who claimed just two wickets in six matches although he did produce an impressive display against Northern Superchargers with 1 for 10 from his 20 deliveries.Johnson, who emerged quickly through the BBL with Brisbane Heat, has played five T20Is and one ODI since making his debut against South Africa last year. He is viewed as a likely replacement for Mitchell Starc in the T20 side when that opening becomes permanently available.Starc has been rested from the T20Is against Scotland and England but will feature in the ODIs. Pat Cummins will miss the entire tour but Josh Hazlewood is part of both squads.Spencer Johnson has so far had a handful of opportunities with Australia•Getty Images

Abbott, who has appeared in 15 T20Is, has been unfortunate not to play more for Australia. He is the leading wicket-taker in BBL history with 165. Abbott has also featured in the Hundred where he has taken nine wickets in seven matches for Birmingham Phoenix.Xavier Bartlett, who burst into international cricket last season, and Nathan Ellis are the other frontline seamers in the T20I squad alongside allrounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie and Marcus Stoinis.Australia’s selectors have one eye on the next T20 World Cup in 18 months’ time although have not drawn a line through either Starc or Cummins in the format.Johnson’s aim will now be to recover in time for the start of the Australia domestic season where he plays for South Australia. After the UK tour, Australia’s next T20Is are a three-match series against Pakistan in mid-November which could be another opportunity for Johnson as the Test quicks won’t feature due to the proximity of the first Test in Perth.After the Pakistan series, Australia are not scheduled to play T20Is until next July in West Indies.

Australia T20I squad vs Scotland and England

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

حرص الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر، بقيادة حسام حسن، على عقد جلسات مع اللاعبين قبل مباراة غينيا بيساو المقررة اليوم الأحد، ضمن التصفيات المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026.

ويلتقي المنتخب المصري مع غينيا بيساو في الجولة العاشرة والأخيرة من منافسات المجموعة الأولى لتصفيات كأس العالم، على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع.. خاص | حسام حسن يدرس الدفع بثنائي منتخب مصر أمام غينيا بيساو وكان منتخب مصر قد تأهل إلى كأس العالم 2026، المقرر إقامته في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكندا والمكسيك، بعد ضمان صدارة المجموعة.

وعلم بطولات أن جهاز المنتخب حرص على عقد جلسات مع اللاعبين لحثهم على عدم التراخي في مواجهة غينيا بيساو.

ويسعى الجهاز الفني لتجديد دوافع اللاعبين، حيث طالبهم بالتركيز وإنهاء التصفيات بالفوز من أجل تحسين ترتيب مصر في التصنيف العالمي.

وطالب الجهاز اللاعبين بغلق صفحة مواجهة جيبوتي التي حُسم فيها التأهل، والتركيز على مباراة غينيا بيساو، خاصة أن منتخب مصر لم يتمكن من الفوز عليها ذهابًا في المواجهة التي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق.

Crystal Palace have been demoted to the Conference League from the Europa League after UEFA ruled they had breached multi-club ownership rules.

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Palace consigned to Conference League Could be replaced by Nottingham Forest Role of John Textor seen as key Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Palace have been demoted to the Conference League from the Europa League after UEFA ruled the club had breached multi-club ownership rules. Businessman John Textor owns shares in both the Eagles and French side Lyon, who were previously relegated from Ligue 1 due to financial breaches but have since won an appeal to be reinstated to the French top flight, meaning they will take their Europa League spot after finishing sixth.

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understand Palace intend to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They had earned their spot in Europe's secondary club competition after winning last season's FA Cup. Textor and Palace had argued that he does not hold overall control at Selhurst Park and recently sold his shares to Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets. However, UEFA have pushed ahead with its ruling.

DID YOU KNOW?

Regardless of whether it's in the Europa League or Conference League, the 2025-26 season will be the first campaign in their history where Palace will take part in European competition.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PALACE?

Palace's summer transfer business has been hampered somewhat by the uncertainty of their European fate. They will appeal the decision in the hope of it being overturned.