As The Friedkin Group look to kick on with their £150m spending spree, Everton have reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive winger who scored 33 goals last season.
Friedkin planning £150m spending spree
After already signing Thierno Barry, Mark Travers and Carlos Alcaraz, Friedkin are reportedly looking to make further statements this summer by completing a £150m spending spree. As part of that spree, David Moyes wants to sign a new right-back, a new No.6 to replace Abdoulaye Doucoure, a No.8 and a right-winger ahead of next season.
To that end, there are already several targets who could fulfill that quota. James McAtee reportedly remains Everton’s top target this summer and he could solve their No.8 problem. Meanwhile, an offer has reportedly been made to sign Juventus’ defensive midfielder, Douglas Luiz in what would be an excellent addition.
That would instantly be two tasks ticked off the list for the Toffees and two ideal additions. McAtee, in particular, would be one to watch after he showed glimpses of his talent at Manchester City even as he was denied consistent opportunities last season.
Earning the praise of Pep Guardiola when he did feature, the City boss told reporters after the young midfielder scored a hat-trick against Salford City: “I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy. He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”
After potentially ending their midfield search, meanwhile, Friedkin could yet welcome their most impressive signing yet in the form of a clinical winger.
Everton enter race to sign Daizen Maeda
According to TeamTalk, Everton have now entered the race to sign Daizen Maeda from Celtic alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and West Ham United this summer. Whilst the Japan international won’t come cheap at £25m, his numbers suggest that such a fee could quickly prove to be an impressive bargain.
Appearances
51
Goals
33
Assists
12
With 33 goals to his name in all competitions as Celtic strolled towards another Scottish Premiership, it’s no surprise that Maeda found himself at the centre of praise.
Brendan Rodgers told reporters when asked about the winger: “If you are a young player coming through and want to give your honesty to the game, work, intensity and everything. No cheating, no nothing – even away at St Mirren, the penalty we got last week he tried to stay on his feet – he’s so honest to the game. Natural isn’t it? He’s been absolutely brilliant.”
Everton bang in the race to sign "terrific" star who Moyes personally wants
He’s on the move this summer.
ByTom Cunningham Jul 18, 2025
Maeda has the quality for the Premier League, there’s no doubting that, and Everton should do everything to land his signature this summer.
Wrexham are reportedly interested in completing the signing of a “brilliant” England international defender this summer, as they eye some massive pieces of business.
Wrexham linked with some huge signings
Phil Parkinson’s side are preparing for life in the Championship next season, following a third promotion in a row that saw them get out of League One automatically, in an incredible achievement by the club.
Financially, Wrexham appear to be in a healthy position, which is why they are being linked with some exciting players, with a shock move for Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy mooted. While that may not happen, it is a sign of the ambition of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
A new striker appears to be high up on their list of summer options, with former Liverpool ace Danny Ings and Leeds United attacker Joe Gelhardt also both mentioned as choices. Speaking of the Reds, young left-back Owen Beck is believed to be a target, too, with Milos Kerkez’s arrival at Anfield possibly paving the way for him to leave Merseyside.
Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan’s future at Hillsborough is up in the air currently, especially with the club failing to pay players’ wages on time, and the Scot has been mentioned as an eye-catching target for Wrexham who could add so much quality in the middle of the park, even during the autumn of his career.
Wrexham eyeing move for £80k-p/w Premier League defender
Now, according to a fresh claim from Sports Boom, Wrexham want to sign Everton centre-back Michael Keane this summer, with the England international out of contract at the end of this month.
The Welsh outfit are “hoping to entice the experienced centre-back to join their ambitious push for promotion”, although the fact that he may want to remain in the Premier League acts as a potential stumbling block. It is added that Keane ‘could be tempted by a move to Wrexham given the club’s ambition to win promotion straight into the Premier League’.
Everton defender Michael Keane
The £80,000-a-week Keane would be an audacious addition for Wrexham, in a signing that many supporters could only dream of a few years ago.
Granted, he is now 32 years of age and arguably not quite at his peak, but he is a hugely experienced footballer who has now racked up 253 appearances in the Premier League, not to mention winning 12 caps for England.
Keane has been described as “absolutely brilliant” by presenter Jeff Stelling, while David Moyes heaped praise on him last season, saying:
“Michael Keane, who has had some difficult times, played so well today and was immense for the goal off the corner. He’s a great boy and showed his professionalism as we’ve had injuries to (Jake) O’Brien and (James) Tarkowski and we looked different at the back.”
Everton
230
16
10
Burnley
108
7
5
Leicester City
27
3
0
Blackburn Rovers
13
3
0
Derby County
8
0
0
Manchester United
5
0
0
There are few negatives to Wrexham signing Keane, and while it will be hard to pull off, getting a deal over the line would feel like a major statement of intent.
With two defeats in New York and Dallas, Sri Lanka now arrive in Florida to take on Nepal in a game they cannot afford to lose
Madushka Balasuriya11-Jun-2024
With 50 runs in two innings, Nissanka is SL’s highest run-scorer in a tough tournament for batters•Associated Press
Sri Lanka haven’t been great as of late. They know that, and anyone watching them at the T20 World Cup 2024 knows that. But there have also been some mitigating circumstances which become glaringly obvious when you start comparing Sri Lanka’s batting to some of the other sides in their group.South Africa and Bangladesh just played out a low-scoring thriller, which followed South Africa’s low-scoring thriller against Netherlands, which followed Sri Lanka’s low-scoring thriller against Bangladesh, which followed yet another low-scoring affair between Netherlands and Nepal, which itself followed another low scorer between Sri Lanka and South Africa.In fact, in Group D so far, no team has managed to score more than Sri Lanka’s 124 batting first, which isn’t saying much but it does put their performances and results into context.”Now people are realizing how unpredictable the pitches are,” stated Sri Lankan fast bowling coach Aqib Javed ahead of their game against Nepal. “We were the first ones who’d gone through this process. Because I mean, look, as a player, you cannot expect anything like that, which we played the first time in New York on a new pitch. Now the people are realizing what total to place, and what they’re expecting when they’re choosing even a small total.”Even though the Dallas pitch we played was I think one of the best in the country to bat on, still these new conditions are surprising, not just us, but many teams. The batters especially, they’ve gone through a lot. This is not the normal behaviour of the pitches and the conditions. So, I think now the teams will change their strategies, and there will be a little bit of change in the homework as well.”The surprising nature of the wickets has also meant that results have conspired in such a way that despite Sri Lanka’s two defeats to start the tournament, they’re still in with a chance of qualifying for the next stage – provided they win their next two games and Bangladesh and Netherlands both lose at least one of their next two. But Javed is acutely aware that the performance of Sri Lanka’s batters have nevertheless not been up to scratch.”The beauty of this World Cup is that you cannot take easy to anything. We have seen some outstanding results from the associate teams. I think honestly if you look at the pitch, you have to be very careful, especially as a batter. How to adapt, what to leave out, and I think the best plan is to go out there and assess the situation and conditions.”If you ask me, what happened in New York, nobody knew what was going to be the wicket behaviour. [Score of] 77 was never enough. Even in the second game, we could have scored 150 to 160 because if you look at the batting card, we scored like 24 in the last six overs, we didn’t capitalise.”One area Javed doesn’t have any qualms with is in the bowling, with Sri Lanka’s varied attack giving their side a fighting chance in both matches they’ve played so far. Against South Africa, defending a measly 77 they did their best to stifle a strong batting lineup, while against Bangladesh they nearly nipped in at the death to steal it with a late flurry of wickets.”I’m really happy and enjoying the role as a bowling coach because this is one of the bowling sides which can challenge anyone. The ideal combo for any international team. You have the best legspinner in the world, you have a mystery bowler, and you have slingers which is very unique and very effective in T20 cricket.”It’s not easy all the time to defend the low totals, but so far, I think it’s good to see the captain leading from the front and you can see that energy in the field as well. And still, I think we have very good bowling options. I’m really satisfied so far.”
Tottenham Hotspur have had some of the greatest players in Premier League history down the years, from Ballon d’Or winners like Luka Modric to international superstars such as Gareth Bale, but former striker Dimitar Berbatov believes one Spurs star was even better than people realised.
Ending their trophy drought by winning the Europa League against Manchester United, Tottenham’s 2024/25 campaign was one of their worst ever seasons with one of the best ever endings, as Ange Postecoglou made good on his promise that he “always wins things” in his second season at a club.
The Lilywhites had gone 17 years without winning a major honour, seeing legendary players like Harry Kane go their entire careers at the club without ever winning a trophy.
Tottenham's best Premier League players in pictures
One famous player who did manager to secure silverware for the club was defender Ledley King. The Tottenham academy graduate made 268 league appearances for the club to go with 21 caps for England, and was a part of the last Tottenham team to win a trophy before the triumph in Bilbao, winning the League Cup in 2008.
However, his career was largely a case of ‘what if’, as former manager Harry Redknapp once revealed he rarely trained due to his injuries.
Berbatov: Ledley King was as good as Ferdinand and Vidic
One man who was lucky enough to play with several of the best centre-backs in Premier League history was Berbatov, who joined Manchester United in 2008 after two successful seasons with Spurs, and he claimed King may just have been the best of the lot.
20 Best Centre-Backs in Premier League History Ranked
Where does Virgil van Dijk rank?
ByCharlie Smith May 9, 2025
The Bulgaria legend revealed in an interview with TalkSPORT that for all his success at United – winning two Premier League titles – it was King who was right up there as one of his best ever teammates.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is another of King’s admirers, revealing he was the “only defender” in England who could take the ball off him “without you even noticing”.
King spent the 2020/21 season on Jose Mourinho’s first team staff and has since continued his work with the club in an ambassadorial role, while his name can still be heard ringing out around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 26th minute on match days.
Hopefully, he won’t have to wait another 17 years to see his favourite club lift another trophy.
Liverpool’s season may well be over, but that’s only because Arne Slot’s side have wrapped up the Premier League title with plenty of time to spare.
Anfield’s chief decision-makers are bound to be hard at work right now, perhaps finding their transfer plans accelerated after such dominance in the English top flight.
Of course, that’s not the only reason Liverpool’s season is done and dusted, if we’re being candid. The Merseysiders have no FA Cup or Champions League final to prepare for, having been dumped out of both competitions at premature stages.
Jarell Quansah for Liverpool
This isn’t really to the detriment of Slot’s squad, merely a reflection of the unforeseen heights reached this season. Few expected Liverpool to go from strength to strength after Jurgen Klopp left last year, let alone win the league title.
Slot has been stringent in his team rotation, and will need to add depth this summer. Luckily, he’s had an absolute rock of a leader in Virgil van Dijk, unflappable, unmovable.
The importance of Van Dijk to Liverpool
The importance of Van Dijk. It really can’t be overstated how significant a part of Liverpool’s rise and rise he has been. Without this towering Dutchman, Klopp’s dynasty wouldn’t have scaled the mountain between good and greatness.
The art of spending wisely. Sure, Van Dijk cost Liverpool a world-record £75m fee, leaving Southampton on the South Coast in January 2018, but has there ever been a defender in that ballpark, and there are more, who have given their new employers the same bang for their buck?
Van Dijk took the captain’s armband from Jordan Henderson at the end of the 2022/23 season, but he’s been a leader ever since he arrived.
However, that level has been notched up since assuming the new weight of responsibility, for he led the resurgence last year, put Liverpool back in the Champions League and scored the winning goal in the Carabao Cup final. Now, he’s skippered his way toward a second Premier League title, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher saying, “he’s too good for the highest level” of football.
Carabao Cup winner Virgil van Dijk.
Tying the 33-year-old down to a new deal was always going to be imperative, and now he joins Mohamed Salah in devoting two more years of his prime to this wonderful club.
Maybe the final two years of his career at the highest level. Maybe, time works its hands onto every world-class player, and there will come a point when Carragher’s effusions no longer ring true.
Maybe Liverpool would be prudent to find and sign a successor this summer.
Liverpool add new centre-back to their shortlist
Liverpool need someone who’s capable of filling Van Dijk’s boots for years to come. Preferably, they would be a left-footed centre-half.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Dean Huijsen is the talk of the town, but Liverpool might actually be ready to head down a different track and sign Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.
According to DaveOCKOP, 22-year-old Murillo is one of the shortlisted names ahead of the summer window, his blend of meaty athleticism and technical quality making him the perfect option for a team challenging at the top of the European pyramid each year.
However, he wouldn’t come cheap. It was suggested a few months back that Forest will demand £80m for the defender, with Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also considered suitors.
What Murillo would bring to Liverpool
Nuno Espirito Santo has worked wonders at Forest. He’s transformed the club from relegation stragglers to genuine Champions League contenders, with their fate hanging in the balance ahead of the final few matches of the season.
Forest were hit with a points deduction after breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules in the 2022/23 season. The windfall from securing a seat at Europe’s eminent table would ease their worries this summer, but FFP compliance will be a tricky slope to navigate in any case, and Liverpool could take advantage.
Certainly, Murillo still has progress to make in his professional journey, but that’s why Liverpool should act now, adding the Brazilian to a rich backline and allowing him to learn under Van Dijk’s wing before settling into an enhanced role.
Make no mistake, Murillo’s already got enough in his locker to make a marked improvement on Liverpool’s defence. Hailed for his “monstrous” performances by journalist Ryan Taylor, he’s menacing and unflinching in his duties.
The Tricky Trees star isn’t the finished article, but he’s already performing at a level that challenges Van Dijk for his throne.
Matches (starts)
35 (35)
34 (34)
Goals
3
2
Assists
1
0
Clean sheets
14
11
Touches*
90.5
54.9
Pass completion
92%
79%
Key passes*
0.3
0.4
Dribbles*
0.1
0.8
Ball recoveries*
3.1
3.9
Tackles + interceptions*
2.5
2.5
Clearances*
5.1
6.8
Aerial duels won (%)*
3.2 (71%)
1.3 (66%)
In fact, he’s been described as being “easily one of the best defenders in the league” by talent scout Jacek Kulig only a few months ago, not all that far away from Liverpool’s main man.
Murillo is energetic and creative too. While defending his goalkeeper serves as his principal aim, the £xxk-per-week talent has also garnered something of a reputation for his powerful surges forward, thus sparking creative opportunities for his forward-placed teammates.
FBref back it all up: across Europe’s top five leagues this season, Murillo ranks among the top 3% of positional peers for blocks and clearances, while also ranking among the top 2% for successful take-ons and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90.
You can see why Liverpool are so interested in striking a deal this summer, with Murillo ticking all the boxes.
6 foot even, he’s not the tallest of centre-back but Murillo uses his aerial prowess so well, and must be brought to Anfield this summer to begin the next chapter in his career, one building toward a point in which he succeeds Van Dijk as Liverpool star man at the back.
Dream Kerkez alternative: Liverpool plot move for "incredible" £50m star
Liverpool could forget about Milos Kerkez with a summer deal for another left-back.
With Ipswich Town looking set to exit the Premier League at the first time of asking, they will fall back into the second tier knowing their very best players could be cherry-picked.
Having taken a substantial 22 years to return last time they fell out of the elite league, losing their very best players will hardly be ideal.
Who departs remains to be seen but if they do go down, then their hopes of bouncing straight back up will be made a lot harder if Liam Delap departs Portman Road, with the ex-Manchester City star an understandable hot commodity heading into the busy summer.
Delap's future at Ipswich
The battle to keep Delap around was always going to be an uphill one with the former Citizens wonderkid now a fully fledged Premier League ace in Suffolk.
Indeed, the 22-year-old centre-forward has an impressive ten strikes next to his name this season from 31 top-flight encounters, meaning Delap is way out in front as Ipswich’s top scorer as they languish all the way down in 18th spot.
Losing Delap’s services would go down as somewhat of a disaster, therefore, but it’s a move Ipswich will likely have to sign off on.
Indeed, the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all reportedly beginning to circle for the £40m-rated marksman, knowing the fate that presumably awaits McKenna’s men.
Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapapplauds fans after the match
But, instead of feeling compelled to splash the cash – with rumours suggesting Ipswich could be after rising Wycombe Wanderers star Richard Kone – McKenna could opt to remain calm and methodical in hunting down Delap’s replacement.
Ipswich's "unique" Delap replacement
Considering the 22-year-old hotshot is the only figure this season to have reached double figures for goals, with Sammie Szmodics lurking behind the in-demand attacker on a lacklustre four, replacing Delap with someone already in the squad may worry Ipswich supporters.
But, most of the personnel at McKenna’s disposal – if relegation does occur – have been there and done it in the EFL in the past, with George Hirst potentially given a confidence boost if Championship football is served back up.
After all, during Ipswich’s triumphant promotion campaign, Hirst would chip in with a respectable seven goals and six assists in league action, a high amount considering his susceptibility to injuries meant he only featured 26 times up top.
This season, too, despite injury issues troubling him once more – alongside the daunting step-up in ability working against him – the Tractor Boys number seven has still managed to play a worthwhile role at points, with four goals and two assists tallied up from a limited 20 outings.
Chalkboard
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He notably found some form prior to the international break, serving up a reminder of his qualities by scoring two goals in his last three outings at club level.
Hirst’s numbers for Ipswich
Stat
Hirst
Games played
72
Goals scored
18
Assists
11
Games missed through injury
35
Original fee
£1.5m
Value now
£4.1m
Sourced by Transfermarkt
If the £1.5m buy was to sort out his recurring problems in the treatment room, he might well be an apt replacement for the departing Delap, with 29 goal contributions from 72 games at Portman Road to date aiding two promotion efforts already.
Heralded as “unique” by McKenna for his ability to be imposing but also creative, the recently capped senior Scotland international would not need time to get up to speed with things if he was chosen to lead the line next campaign, with an injury-free Hirst perhaps becoming his manager’s starting striker in the very near future.
Ipswich let gem leave for nothing, now he's worth more than Muric & Chaplin
Kieran McKenna would love to have this star back in his Ipswich Town ranks.
And what’s the earliest in their career that a player has scored a hundred and taken a five-for in the same Test?
Steven Lynch15-Jul-2025I heard that KL Rahul was the 100th player to be out for 100 in a Test. Who did it most often?asked Arqam Fazal Mirza from India You heard correctly: KL Rahul’s round 100 at Lord’s last weekend was indeed the 100th time a batter had been dismissed for exactly 100 in a men’s Test. The great England opener Len Hutton managed it four times between 1937 and 1951, while a later Australian opener in Graeme Wood had three round 100s. Four others were out for exactly 100 twice – both Waugh twins, Gordon Greenidge and Kevin Pietersen.There have also been 69 cases of 100 not out, including two by Allan Border, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik (and another one by Steve Waugh). There are also three instances (plus one not-out) in women’s Test matches.England and India tied on the first innings at Lord’s. What are the highest and lowest such instances?asked Ahmedul Kabir from Bangladesh
Both first innings at Lord’s last week ended at 387: this was the ninth time such a tie had happened in all Tests.Twin totals of 387 come in fifth – exactly halfway – on the list. The highest was 593, by West Indies (who declared five down) and England in St John’s in April 1994, in the match in which Brian Lara first claimed the Test record with an innings of 375. The lowest such instance involved two totals of 199, by South Africa and England at the old Lord’s ground in Durban in January 1910 (England were 198 for 7, but lost their last three wickets for one).Corbin Bosch scored a hundred and took a five-for in just his second Test. Has anyone else done this?asked Nelson from South Africa
South Africa’s Corbin Bosch scored 100 not out in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo at the end of June, and then took 5 for 43 in the second innings.He was the fourth man to do this in his second Test, following Jack Gregory, for Australia against England in Melbourne in January 1921, Roston Chase for West Indies vs India in Kingston in August 2016, and one of his opponents in the match in question – Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett, against Afghanistan, also in Bulawayo in December 2024.But there’s one man who achieved this all-round feat on his Test debut: New Zealand’s Bruce Taylor followed 105 with 5 for 86 against India in Calcutta in March 1965. There’s also one woman: Chamani Seneviratna made 105 not out after taking 5 for 31 in Sri Lanka’s only women’s Test to date, against Pakistan in Colombo in April 1998.Bosch was the fourth to do this particular double for South Africa in Tests, following Jimmy Sinclair, Aubrey Faulkner and Jacques Kallis (twice). It was also Bosch’s maiden first-class century: he was the fifth South African to do this in a Test – but the first since 1955, following Sinclair, Percy Sherwell, Tuppy Owen-Smith and Paul Winslow.Corbin Bosch was the fourth man to score a hundred and take a five-for in his second Test•Zimbabwe CricketLhuan-dre Pretorius scored 157 runs in all on his Test debut. What’s the record for this?asked Biraj Bohara from Nepal
The South African left-hander Lhuan-dre Pretorius had scores of 153 and 4 on his Test debut, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo at the end of last month.Rather surprisingly, perhaps, no fewer than 46 men have made more runs in their first Test: the list is headed by Lawrence Rowe, who marked his debut for West Indies – against New Zealand in Kingston in February 1972 – with 214 and 100 not out. The only other batter to score more than 300 runs in his first Test is England’s Reginald “Tip” Foster, who followed his 287 against Australia in Sydney in December 1903 (the highest individual debut score) with 19 in the second innings.The South African record is held by Jacques Rudolph, with 222 not out against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2003.Has anyone ever scored centuries in the second and third innings of a Test?asked Nirmal Mendis from Sri Lanka
This is obviously quite a difficult thing to do, as it requires your team to bat second and then be forced to follow on. But it’s dangerous to say “never” about this sort of thing, because actually it’s happened twice in Tests! The first to do it was India’s Vijay Hazare, who contributed a valiant double of 116 and 145 (his first two Test centuries) as his side slipped to an innings defeat in Adelaide in January 1948. In the opening innings of the match Hazare had bowled Don Bradman – but unfortunately he’d made 201 by then, and Australia were well on their way to a total of 674.The other instance came in a match in Harare in September 2001. After South Africa romped to 600 for 3 declared, Andy Flower made 142 in Zimbabwe’s total of 286. He was soon back at the crease in the follow-on, and this time remained undefeated after almost ten hours with 199 out of 391. His epic resistance forced South Africa to bat again, and extended the match close to tea on the final day before the visitors finally won by nine wickets.Flower was only the second man, after South Africa’s Jimmy Sinclair against England in Cape Town in April 1899, to score more than half his side’s runs in a match in which they were bowled out twice. They were later joined by Brian Lara, with 221 and 130 as West Indies (390 and 262) lost by ten wickets to Sri Lanka in Colombo late in 2001.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
The fielding was awful, preparation and team selection equally bad, and they didn’t really give themselves a fighting chance
Firdose Moonda01-Jul-2023The ‘worst fielding side’ around
Ten catches went down in the group stage, the ground fielding was poor on the whole, and that’s simply not good enough.Not all of the West Indies’ spills carried massive consequences. Even dropping Gajanand Singh when on 0 in the tournament opener, where he went on to score 101*, did not prevent them from securing a win. But some of them did. The five against Zimbabwe might have been the difference between 200 and 268, and cost West Indies points they could have carried over to the Super Six.On that occasion, they put down Sikandar Raza on 1 and then on 3, and he went on to score 68 and share in a match-winning 87-run stand with Ryan Burl, who was also dropped once. Coach Daren Sammy was so frustrated that he labelled West Indies the “worst fielding side” at the qualifier.And then they put down a crucial chance in the Super Six, too. Defending a below-par 181, West Indies took a wicket with their first ball and had an opportunity for a second in the 12th over – Brandon McMullen was on 21 when he drilled Akeal Hosein to Kyle Mayers at midwicket. But Mayers put it down and McMullen went on to score 69 and put Scotland on the doorstep of victory.It was difficult for West Indies to put first-choice playing XIs on the field, and it showed•ICC via Getty ImagesIllness, injury, and iffy playing XIs
With illnesses – most teams have had some form of winter flu affecting their camp – and injuries, it has been difficult for West Indies to always field a first-choice XI.They batted Johnson Charles at No. 3 for the first time in his career in the opening three matches even though he is an opening batter. Their reason was that Shamarh Brooks’ illness had opened up a spot. Would moving Shai Hope to one-drop have made more sense?Yannick Cariah’s injury meant West Indies couldn’t capitalise on his pre-tournament form and also took away their only legspinner. The performances of Wanindu Hasaranga and Chris Greaves suggest it would have been handy for West Indies to have one.The Super Over mess
After Logan van Beek had plundered 28 runs off 14 balls, mostly hitting to the short leg-side boundary at Takashinga Cricket Club, it was inexplicable that West Indies chose to bowl from the Pavilion End to him in the Super Over, where they gave him the same advantage.That’s the decision West Indies made and they tasked Jason Holder with delivering the six balls that would decide the match. He started with two full-tosses, then went short and wide, and could not adjust his lengths to test van Beek’s defence against the yorker at all. The result was 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 and 4, and 31 runs for West Indies to chase. They stopped well short.When asked afterwards who made the decision to bowl Holder in the Super Over, Sammy didn’t comment, but a few breaths later, he said he had “full faith” in the captain’s decisions.There is a lot to talk about when it comes to West Indies cricket, and most of it is likely to be unpleasant•ICC via Getty ImagesPowell’s power reaps no rewards
Rovman Powell, West Indies’ vice-captain, played the opening two group matches, and showed none of the sense of responsibility that comes with his title and failed to provide the lower-order firepower West Indies desperately needed.Coming in at 192 for 5 against USA, Powell picked out long-off with a nothing shot the ball after Nicholas Pooran was caught at sweeper cover to fall for a golden duck. West Indies lost six wickets for 105 in that match and did not make 300.Against Nepal, with West Indies in a strong position at 310 for 5, Powell slugged a waist-high full-toss to long-on, and after being trapped lbw for 1 against Zimbabwe, something needed to be done about him.West Indies acted.They explained that leaving him out of the XI against Netherlands was an effort to balance the side, which was also without a hamstrung Mayers, and needed an extra bowling option. Romario Shepherd was included in Powell’s place and Mayers returned for the Scotland match with Shepherd kept his place and Powell still confined to the bench.Not the ideal preparation
West Indies played a series in the UAE to prepare for the qualifier, but not all of them were there together. Six of the 15 that travelled to Zimbabwe – Mayers, Holder, Powell, Alzarri Joseph, Shepherd and Akeal Hosein – were not involved in those matches.Understandably, they were given a break after the end of the IPL, but it also meant that their first interaction with a new coach (though one they have known as a player for long) came at a crunch tournament and the lack of cohesion showed.When asked to respond to Carl Hooper’s comment that the situation facing West Indies was “distressing”, Holder said he had been shutting out outside noise. Only to be reminded that Hooper was inside the camp, as the new assistant coach.And then there was the choice of warm-up series. Day-night games in the desert did little to help West Indies ready themselves for the chilly, dew-dropped southern African mornings, where the ball moves substantially in the first hour and, when put in, their batters showed a lack of assurance. West Indies were 14 for 2 against USA, 55 for 3 against Nepal, and 81 for 6 against Scotland in the game that saw them cede any chances of going to the World Cup.
What are the peculiarities of the three venues, and what should the teams do, at each of them, if they win the toss?
Gaurav Sundararaman20-Oct-2021Sharjah The pitches in Sharjah were relaid just before the UAE leg of IPL 2021 began, and the venue was no longer the batting paradise of the past. In the 2020 edition, teams hit a six every 12 balls, but in 2021, that number was 23. In all, only 98 sixes were hit in ten IPL matches in 2021. On these slow pitches, the bowlers who varied their pace had more success, and while seamers and spinners registered similar economy rates – 6.92 and 6.79 respectively – the pace bowlers had better strike rates, taking a wicket every 17 balls compared to 22 for spinners.New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and England play two games each in Sharjah in the Super 12s. If the pitches behave the same way as at the IPL, then Pakistan and South Africa have the squads to make the best use of these conditions. Both teams could look to play three spinners, and their batting line-ups, not necessarily brimming with power-hitters, could breathe easy as par scores will be in the range of 140-160 rather than 180-200.ESPNcricinfo LtdDubai The pitches in Dubai have not changed much over the last couple of years. Some pitches have been slow while a few have helped pacers. The average score has been in the range of 150-160 over the last two seasons of the IPL. The seamers have been more successful here, conceding 27 runs per wicket, compared to 32 for the spinners. Teams will likely look to play three fast bowlers in Dubai, including at least one with extreme pace (if they have the luxury of having one in their squad).Another factor that makes a difference in Dubai is the location of the pitch. The pitches on the edge of the square have short boundaries on one side, making it a tactical battle for batters and bowlers. Most of the strategies in Dubai revolve around having a left-right pair at the crease to target the specific boundary, while the bowling teams need to figure out the right end for the spinners to bowl from. India are scheduled to play four matches in Dubai, and their players could benefit from the familiarity of playing here during the IPL. Depending on the pitch, they have multiple options in their squad to leverage what could be good batting and pace-bowling conditions.ESPNcricinfo LtdAbu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the venue that is most likely to witness high scores this World Cup. The conditions are generally excellent for batting, but because the boundaries are the biggest among the three venues, the bowlers are also in play. There isn’t much help for spinners here: they average 33 runs per wicket while the pace bowlers average 29.The presence of a lot of dew in the evening means that the afternoon games could be very different to the evening games here, in terms of the way they play out. There have been several instances of dew in Abu Dhabi making it easier for teams to chase down high totals at night. Australia and West Indies play two games here while Afghanistan play three, out of which two are in the afternoon. Given the conditions, there doesn’t seem to be any major advantage for any team playing here.ESPNcricinfo LtdWin toss, field first, win match The World Cup is being held in the months of October and November when the weather starts cooling down in the UAE. The numbers from IPL 2020 – a tournament that was played from September to November – presents an interesting tale of two halves. In the first half, when conditions were hotter and there was less dew, the teams batting first won 77% of the matches. In the second half – which is when the World Cup is being played this year – the numbers flipped around, with the team chasing winning 77% of the matches. The numbers were more skewed in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah: the teams chasing won 15 out of the 18 matches at those venues.
كشف ديفيد أورنستين، الصحفي الشهير بصحيفة “ذا أثلتيك” البريطانية نوايا إدارة ليفربول بعد معاقبة محمد صلاح بالاستبعاد من المباراة الأخيرة أمام إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.
من المعروف أن الهولندي آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لليفربول قرر استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة إنتر ميلان بعد تصريحاته الأخيرة عقب تعادل الفريق مع ليدز يونايتد ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي.
وحقق ليفربول فوزًا مهمًا على إنتر ميلان بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وقال أورنستين في تصريحات نقلها موقع rousingthekop: “حسنًا، حرص ليفربول على التأكيد أن هذا لم يكن قرارًا تأديبيًا بل اتخذه النادي انطلاقًا من المنطق السليم ولصالح جميع الأطراف، وبالنظر إلى مجريات الأمور فربما كان هذا القرار هو الأفضل”.
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وأكمل: “لكن أعتقد أننا بحاجة إلى تذكر أن محمد صلاح أحد أعظم لاعبي العالم، وقد كان كذلك بالتأكيد في السنوات الأخيرة، وصولاً إلى الموسم الماضي عندما قاد ليفربول للفوز باللقب بأداء استثنائي طوال الموسم”.
وأضاف: “لقد حطم صلاح الأرقام القياسية وأشعل حماس الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لفترة طويلة لذلك يجب الحفاظ على احترام اسمه”.
واستطرد: “ولا ينبغي لنا أن نستبعده لمجرد فوز ليفربول على إنتر وكونهم يمرون بفترة صعبة وتصريحاته المثيرة للجدل هي التي ألقت بظلال من الشك على مستقبله وهو من فعل ذلك”.
وأتم: “ليفربول جدد عقده معه لمدة عامين، الرسالة التي تأتي من آنفيلد هي أنهم يريدونه أن يبقى، لطالما كانت هذه هي نيتهم”.