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Upul Tharanga will have to lead a side shorn of many of its heavyweights. Zimbabwe are exactly the sort of banana skin he won’t want to slip up on

Liam Brickhill in Harare13-Nov-2016Match factsNovember 14, 2016, Harare
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Zimbabwe would welcome the change of format after giving a poor account of themselves in the Test series•Associated Press

Big PictureThe summer rains have arrived in Zimbabwe. Scattered showers have cooled the countryside after October’s oven, and there is a palpable sense of relief in a country where many depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Zimbabwe’s national cricket team doesn’t include quite as many farmers (chicken or otherwise) as it once did, but they will also be somewhat relieved to be out of the unfamiliar cauldron of Test cricket and in the more forgiving climes of the limited-overs game.The scorecards from their Test matches against Sri Lanka will show a pair of huge wins for the visitors, but Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer was happy to own the cliché and take some positives out of that series: his own Test hundred, the unearthing of a new talent in Carl Mumba, and a little more grit.Despite their successes in the Tests, Sri Lanka still have a few concerns. The middle order was a perennial worry in the home series against Australia, which Sri Lanka lost 1-4. Stand-in captain Upul Tharanga only played in one of those games against Australia, but he will now have to lead a side shorn of many of its heavyweights. Zimbabwe are exactly the sort of banana skin he won’t want to slip up on.Zimbabwe might look to Australia’s performance in those one-dayers for some tips: whenever pressure was built, Sri Lanka lost wickets in clusters. While Zimbabwe don’t have bowlers of Australia’s calibre, several times during the Tests they were able to string together disciplined spells, with Chris Mpofu opening the fourth morning of the second Test with six maidens on the trot.Test matches allow the time and space to ease that sort of pressure, but ODIs don’t and Cremer suggested before the tri-series that Zimbabwe’s bowlers would aim to nullify Sri Lanka’s scoring options wherever possible. Or at least, that’s the plan. Despite the inexperience of their squad, Sri Lanka will be fancied as favourites in the opener and this tri-series will allow them to feel out some combinations before their rather more testing assignment against South Africa in similar conditions in the new year.Form guideZimbabwe LLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLWLIn the spotlightPeter Moor’s batting talent and commitment to the national cricket side are beyond doubt, but multiple errors behind the stumps during the two Tests against Sri Lanka mean his glovework will be in the spotlight on Monday. Zimbabwe have not picked another frontline wicketkeeper in their squad, though Brian Chari might be available to fill in if need arises. So Moor will be under some pressure to put in a cleaner performance.Upul Tharanga is closing in on 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka, but he has never captained the country in any format. He made runs in both Tests against Zimbabwe, cracking an unbeaten 110 in the first match, and he will look to continue to lead from the front in the ODIs, both for the benefit of the team and to solidify his own position in the XI.Team newsSeamer Tinashe Panyangara’s return from injury will lend a little more experience to Zimbabwe’s bowling line-up, while at the other end of the spectrum, the hosts have included uncapped 22-year-old batsman Tarisai Musakanda in their squad. Musakanda was also with the team for the Tests, though he did not debut. Now, his chance may come at the expense of an underperforming Hamilton Masakadza. Given his workload in the Tests, Zimbabwe may rest seamer Chris Mpofu ahead of the games at his home ground in Bulawayo.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Brian Chari, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Hamilton Masakadza/Tarisai Musakanda, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 PJ Moor (wk), 8 Graeme Cremer (c), 9 Tendai Chisoro, 10 Carl Mumba, 11 Tinashe PanyangaraVeteran seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who last played an ODI at the beginning of this year, has been recalled to Sri Lanka’s squad, having also played in the final game of Sri Lanka A’s limited overs series against West Indies A at the end of October, taking 2 for 65. Kulasekara will bring a wealth of experience to Sri Lanka’s attack. Sri Lanka have multiple wicketkeeping and spin options to sift through, with Jeffrey Vandersay returning from a finger injury and in good form after his six-for in the series win against West Indies A last month.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 Niroshan Dickwella, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (c), 5 Kusal Perera (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Shehan Jayasuriya, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Nuwan PradeepPitch and conditionsHarare Sports Club’s trend of producing somewhat lifeless pitches means that, while the ball may not be going round corners, batsmen will still have to toil for their runs, and it may not be easy to force the pace first up. There is plenty of rain about at the moment, particularly in the late afternoon, and scattered thunderstorms are expected around Harare on Monday.Stats and trivia This will be Kulasekara’s fourth tour of Zimbabwe. The seaming allrounder has previously visited in 2004, 2008 and 2010, when he was part of the Sri Lankan side that won a tri-series, also featuring India. Sri Lanka have played 47 ODIs against Zimbabwe, winning 39. Zimbabwe’s last win against Sri Lanka came six years ago at Harare Sports Club. Six of the members of that playing XI are part of their current squad.Quotes”We learned a lot about the conditions here and the wickets during the Tests , very different to Sri Lanka! I don’t think the toss is going to make a huge difference. The wicket isn’t going to change that much.”
doesn’t expect the toss to play an important role in the limited-overs matches.”Playing at home, we know these conditions. If we play well on the day, I don’t think we will be an underdog. We also play a lot more white ball cricket than we do red ball cricket.”

Speculation linking N'Golo Kante with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia is gathering pace, meaning Chelsea will likely have to dip into the transfer market to sign a replacement.

Kante only started six games for the Blues last season, though that perhaps plays a small part in explaining just why they endured such a terrible campaign that saw them finish 12th in the Premier League.

Chelsea could do with bringing in a player with similar attributes to Kante, who has made playing in holding midfield sexy again across his eight seasons in the Premier League.

The Blues appear to be honing in on exactly that type of player, with Football Transfers reporting that they are pushing very hard to beat London rivals Arsenal to the signing of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.

It is claimed that Arsenal are stalling on handing over the £70m Brighton are after for Caicedo, possibly allowing Chelsea to pounce for the midfielder – much like they did with Mykhailo Mudryk in January.

Could Caicedo be an upgrade on Kante?

Chelsea and Arsenal's interest in Caicedo is longstanding, with the 21-year-old handing in a transfer request at Brighton in January in an attempt to force through a move, only to then backtrack and instead pen a new contract.

That ensures the ball is very much in Albion's court, even more so after bringing in potentially up to £55m from the sale of Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool last week.

But in the current market, £70m seems like good value for a player who has shown promise right from his early years. Indeed, South American football expert Tim Vickery was spot on when, prior to signing for Brighton, he described Caicedo as a "terrific player" with the potential to keep improving.

As pointed out by Vickery, Caicedo took no time at all to settle at Independiente del Valle as a teenager, and likewise with Ecuador, for whom he now has 30 caps at the age of 21.

The same has been true of his first full season at Brighton in the Premier League. The Ecuadorian was second only to Fulham's Joao Palhinha (147) in terms of tackles (100) last season, which told with the ten yellow cards he received – one of eight players to hit double figures for bookings.

It would be unfair to compare Caicedo's figures to those of Kante from last season given the latter's lack of action, but even in 2021-22, when playing 30 times, Kante only registered 59 tackles.

Kante recorded 1.57 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Premier League that same season, as per FBref, which Caicedo marginally bettered last season with 1.60.

There was little between the players in those respective campaigns in terms of average touches per 90 minutes (74.6 for Caicedo compared to 78.4 for Kante), but the Brighton player – understandably – was much stronger than Kante when it comes to aerial duels won (64.9% v 50%).

The role of a defensive midfielder is about a lot more than simply breaking up play, though – it is also about keeping the ball ticking along and getting attacks going from deep.

That is an area Caicedo particularly thrived, as highlighted by his 64.54 passes completed per 90 minutes over the past 12 months, ranking him in the top 6% among his positional peers. Kante, for comparison, has averaged a far smaller number of 55.03.

Caicedo also comes out on top in terms of the percentage of short passes completed (92.5 v 90.6 for Kante), medium passes (90.5 v 88.2) and long passes (79.2 v 70.5). Whether it is knocking the ball to a team-mate a few yards away, or a pass of more than 30 yards, Caicedo is among the best.

While there are similarities and differences between the pair, Caicedo undoubtedly seems to be the newer breed of midfielder who is capable of doing many different aspects.

Indeed, when taking his statistical profile into account, FBref ranks Declan Rice as the player fourth most like Caicedo. The pair were very alike last season in terms of pass completion per 90 minutes (86.5 and 88.5 respectively) and shot-creating actions (2.75 v 2.52) , while both won 37 aerial duels.

With Rice three years older and valued at around £30m more, Chelsea will be getting value for money in Caicedo should they get there ahead of their rivals.

فاز ليفربول أمام ضيفه ساوثهامبتون بنتيجة 3/0، ضمن منافسات كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

وواجه فريق ليفربول نظيره ساوثهامبتون، في إطار منافسات مسابقة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي “FA CUP” عن مواجهات دور الـ16، على ملعب “أنفيلد”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ليفربول يتخذ أول خطوة للتعاقد مع تشابي ألونسو

في الشوط الأول، وعند الدقيقة الأولي تمكن فريق ساوثهامبتون من تسجيل الهدف الأول لكنه ألغى بداعي التسلل.

وعند الدقيقة 5، حرم القائم الأيمن فريق ساوثهامبتون من تسجيل الهدف الأول عن طريق سوليمانا.

وأنقذ حارس ليفربول كيليهر هدف مؤكد عن طريق مارا بحلول الدقيقة 10.

اول تهديد حقيقي من ليفربول جاء عن طريق كودي جاكبو لكنه فشل في السيطرة على الكرة داخل منطقة جزاء الضيوف.

حاول لاعبو ليفربول فرض سيطرتهم على مجريات الشوط من خلال تمريرات في وسط الملعب بحثاً عن تسجيل الهدف الأول.

وكاد سوليمانا أن يحرز الهدف الأول لصالح ساوثهامبتون بعدما تلاعب بمدافعي ليفربول لكنه تسديدته الأخيرة تصدى لها كيليهر بسهولة.

ونجح المهاجم الشاب كوماس في تسجيل الهدف لفريق ليفربول عند الدقيقة 43 بطريقة رائعة. لينتهي الشوط بتقدم ليفربول بهدف نظيف

في الشوط الثاني، ومع الدقائق الأولى كاد أن يعزز كودي جاكبو تقدم ليفربول بهدف ثان لكن تسديدته جاورت القائم.

وأهدر تشارلز فرصة تعديل النتيجة بتسجيل هدف مؤكد في شباك كيليهر.

وعند الدقيقة 72، نجح دانس في تسجيل الهدف الثاني لفريق ليفربول بطريقة رائعة بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من هارفي إيليوت.

وعاد اللاعب ذاته ووقع على هدفه الشخصي الثاني والثالث للريدز بحلول الدقيقة 87، بعدما تابع تسديدة كونور برادلي الذي تصدى لها حارس ساوثهامبتون ليقوم المهاجم الشاب بوضع الكرة في الشباك.

وبهذا الفوز، تأهل فريق ليفربول إلى الدوري ربع النهائي من كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي ليواجه غريمه التقليدي مانشستر يونايتد.  اهداف مباراة ليفربول وساوثهامبتون (3-0) كاس الاتحاد الانجليزي

بطولات قدم تغطية حية ومباشرة لمباراة ليفربول وساوثهامبتون بالفيديو ويمكنك المتابعة لحظة بلحظة من خلال الرابط.  هدف ساوثهامبتون الملغي امام ليفربول بكاس الاتحاد الانجليزي

القائم ينقذ ليفربول من هدف محقق لـ ساوثهامبتون في كأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

تصدي كيليهر الرائع يحرم ساوثهامبتون من تسجيل هدف محقق امام ليفربول

 اليوت كاد ان يسجل هدف رائع لليفربول امام ساوثهامبتون في كأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

 هدف ليفربول الاول الرائع في مرمي ساوثهامبتون بكأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

جاكبو يهدر فرصة هدف محقق امام ساوثهامبتون بكأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

لاعب ساوثهامبتون يهدر فرصه سهله للغايه امام مرمي ليفربول

هدف ليفربول الثاني في مرمي ساوثهامبتون بكأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

هدف ليفربول الثالث في مرمي ساوثهامبتون بكأس الاتحاد الانجليزي

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale bolstered his attacking options earlier this month as the club officially confirmed the signing of Sam Lammers from Atalanta on a permanent basis.

The Light Blues have now added four players to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with the Dutchman following Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell, and Dujon Sterling in committing to the Scottish giants this summer.

However, the Gers do not appear to be done in the transfer market and are eyeing another striker to compete with Lammers, Antonio Colak, and Kemar Roofe.

Who is Josh Maja?

The Glasgow giants reportedly have a genuine and long-standing interest in signing Bordeaux centre-forward Josh Maja in the coming weeks.

His contract with the Ligue 2 side is set to expire at the end of this month and, as it stands, the Nigerian international is poised to be available for nothing.

Beale could strike gold by signing the 24-year-old striker as current Gers attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell could make him unstoppable next season.

The English maestro arrived at Ibrox in January from Norwich and enjoyed a terrific start to life in Scotland. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.36 and chipped in with six goals and four assists from the middle of the park across 16 league outings.

Cantwell created five 'big chances' and produced 1.3 key passes per game for his teammates, despite having played less than half of the campaign.

The 25-year-old, who completed 89% of his attempted passes in the Scottish Premiership, is able to open up the opposition on a regular basis to create significant chances for his fellow attackers, whilst his goal return last term also suggests that the ex-Norwich magician can make a big impact on his own.

Maja, whose "rare" talent was hailed by former Rangers striker Jermain Defoe, could benefit from Cantwell's creativity after an impressive season with Bordeaux in Ligue 2.

The £10k-per-week finisher averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 across 37 league appearances and contributed with 16 goals and six assists for the French side.

These statistics show that the 5 foot 11 dynamo, who scored 17 goals in 49 games for Sunderland's first-team, has the potential to be a prolific scorer for Rangers if provided with the right service.

Cantwell could be the player to do that for him as the 25-year-old wizard has proven himself to be an excellent creator for the Light Blues and his constant supply line to the forwards could make Maja an unstoppable threat up front for Beale in the 2023/24 campaign.

The Nigerian gem's ability to assist others from a number nine position, which resulted in him being able to create eight 'big chances' in 22/23, also means that opposition defenders would have to deal with his creativity, in potentially assisting Cantwell, as well as his finishing quality in the box.

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن أحد مدربي الأندية الإنجليزية يُعد المفضل لخلافة تشافي هيرنانديز في صفوف برشلونة، بدءًا من الموسم المقبل.

كان تشافي قد أعلن، في وقت سابق، أنه ينوي مغادرة نادي برشلونة نهاية الموسم الحالي.

وارتبط العديد من المدربين بإمكانية خلافة تشافي في برشلونة، من ضمنهم روبرتو دي زيربي المدير الفني لفريق برايتون.

ورغم أن تقارير إسبانية ذكرت، أمس، أن هناك اتجاه داخل أروقة برشلونة للتعاقد مع لويس إنريكي مدرب باريس سان جيرمان (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، إلا أن صحيفة “ماركا” ذكرت أن دي زيربي هو المُفضل لخلافة تشافي.

وأوضحت أن دي زيربي ليس الوحيد الذي يدرسه مسؤولو برشلونة ولكنه في هذه اللحظة يُعد الخيار الأول.

وأفادت بأن المهمة لن تكون سهلة، بالنظر إلى الوضع الخاص بعقد دي زيربي مع برايتون، الذي سينتهي في 2026، كما أن النادي الإنجليزي يسعى إلى التمديد.

وأشارت إلى مسؤولي برايتون لم يتوصلوا إلى اتفاق مع دي زيربي حول تمديد عقده حتى الآن، رغم وجود محادثات منذ نوفمبر الماضي، مع العلم أن النادي يضغط من أجل هذا الأمر.

وأكدت أن دي زيربي لم يمنح رده النهائي بشأن تمديد عقده مع برايتون نظرًا لوجود اهتمام، ليس فقط من برشلونة، ولكن من الأندية الأوروبية الكبرى الأخرى.

ويدرك دي زيربي أن الوضع الذي تسير عليه الأمور الآن ليس هو الوقت المناسب للتسرع وإتمام التجديد.

في حين أن برايتون يرغب في تجديد عقد دي زيربي من أجل رفع الشرط الجزائي، الذي يُقدر حاليًا بـ10 ملايين جنيه إسترليني، وتتطلع الإدارة إلى مضاعفته لمنع تسهيل رحيل المدرب، رغم أن الرقم الحالي يُعد كبيرًا بالفعل.

ويشعر دي زيربي براحة كبيرة في النادي الإنجليزي ويتمتع بعلاقة جيدة جدًا مع اللاعبين والإدارة الرياضية، وبالنسبة له من المهم جدًا أن يكون في مكان يرتاح به.

لكن في الوقت نفسه، لديه أيضًا طموحات في الانتقال إلى نادٍ كبير، وهذا هو الاحتمال المتاح له الآن إذا أكد برشلونة له أنه المُرشح المفضل لخلافة تشافي في الفريق.

The MCC cricket committee spent much time debate four-day Test cricket and could not come to a consensus

Sidharth Monga08-Dec-2016

Test cricket is an anomaly in the modern world; after 30 hours of scheduled play you can still end with a draw. Of late, though, it has been under immense pressure to cut some flab, especially from the broadcasters who practically finance the game.The proposal is to bring it down to four days, allowing them to schedule it to start on Thursday and finish on the weekend. The MCC world cricket committee recognised the pressure on the format in its meeting in Mumbai, but it finished split down the middle when it came to removing a day from Tests.Two of the cricketers on the committee, Ricky Ponting and Ramiz Raja, were personally in favour of keeping the format as it is but they recognised the need for changes. “We have had two days of meetings, and to be fair we spent more time as a committee debating this four-day comparison to five-day Test cricket,” Ponting said.”It is pretty fair to say that the committee was probably split right down the middle as far as understanding and identifying that the Test game does need some changes. Things have to change to try and make the Test game more attractive but also we are trying to protect the fabric of Test match cricket.”Personally, I am very much in favour of five-day Test cricket and we only have to look back at the last 12-18 months and see how many great five-day Test matches there have been. But other guys in the committee would also like to see a trial of four-day Test cricket.”Raja acknowledged he saw the benefits of a shorter Test format, but still favoured the existing model. “It is a difficult debating point,” he said. “One big advantage with a four-day Test match is that it improves the pace of Test cricket, and there will be exciting declarations and something out of the ordinary, which may give new lease of life to Test cricket.”But my biggest grief was that the lesser teams would get away with murder, they would be able to draw a game and in Test matches the best teams should win all the time, so that limited that possibility. Four-day cricket is exciting, it gives ample opportunity to broadcasters to get the peak days…end it on Saturday or Sunday, which could be great watching.”But I was also in favour of five-day cricket because it has a lot of history, it is traditional and we should not tamper with a format, which has been delivering the goods. In the last year and a half, we have seen some exciting cricket.”Ponting touched upon possible complications that might arise from the pressure on the pitches to deliver outright results.”If we ever go to a stage where four-day Test was the way we are going, a lot of it will be down to how the wickets are prepared,” he said. “The one thing we don’t want is more draws. No one wants to see more drawn games. We want to see entertaining Test matches be it over four or five days.”That’s what we have seen of late. Very aggressive cricket when needed, very defensive when needed as well. One of the pros for four-day Tests is every Test potentially starting on Thursday and finishing on Sunday. Maybe it frees up a few more days in the international schedule. But I am all for keeping it as it is. It’s the way I learned playing the game. It’s the game we all enjoy playing over five days.”ProsClear scheduling for all stakeholders (TV, fans, players), with every Test played Thursday to Sunday on a weekly cycle.Greater crowds likely in grounds and more viewers on television for the last two days of the matches.Given that the Boards want guaranteed cricket on both days of a weekend, ideally towards the end of the game, this model makes scheduling easier and will allow tours to be shorter.Shorter tours would mean that less cricket would need to take place out of each country’s regular season, meaning fewer rain interruptions.Players would have to speed up the over rates, with suspensions for captains not meeting the required targets (though DRS does slow things down). Spinners might need to be bowled more.Play would be likely to change to a more attacking style, which might help to arrest the dwindling crowds in many countries.Clearer scheduling for grounds in relation to staffing and operational costs, with most Tests running the full four days.Broadcasters need only to pay for four days’ match costs, rather than five, plus their schedules are more freed up for more lucrative limited overs cricket.Evidence suggests that there would be no loss of revenue from broadcasters or sponsors if the Tests were shortened.ConsLikelihood of more drawn matches, especially those that are rain-affected, given that some matches are played in the rainy season.The dynamic of Tests would change and the statistics would be less comparable with history, particularly if limits were placed on the duration of the teams’ first innings, which has been mooted.There could be more ‘doctored’ pitches to get results within four days, particularly if allied to increased context.It should not need a shift to four-day Tests to speed up the over rates. Many sides struggle to bowl 90 overs in six and a half hours, so it is unrealistic to think they would bowl many more in a longer day. Any additional overs are likely to be bowled by part-time bowlers.It might lead to more ‘manufactured’ games, with declaration bowling and cheap runs on offer.The better team would have less chance of winning; the weaker team would have more chance of escaping with a draw.With people increasingly more time-poor, it is unrealistic to expect spectators to want to see even longer days at a Test match.

Afghanistan cruised to a 64-run win against Namibia in their final group-stage game of the Desert T20 Challenge, after posting 167 for 6

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Dubai19-Jan-2017
Scorecard1:11

It was important for us to top the group – Rashid Khan

The de facto home side Afghanistan sauntered past Namibia by 64 runs for their third win in three games in Group A at the Desert T20 Challenge. Afghanistan, the highest-seeded team, casually accumulated 167 for 6 in their 20 overs against the lowest-ranked side in the competition. Four batsmen crossed 30 but not 35, starting with Mohammad Shahzad (31) and former captain Nawroz Mangal (32) who added 56 for the first wicket in breezy fashion.In the chase, Louis van der Westhuizen, who struck a bruising half-century against Ireland, was out second ball of the innings. By the end of the third over, Namibia were reduced to 7 for 4. Rarely does Afghanistan’s excellence keep the home fans quiet, but about 3000 of them hardly made a peep throughout the rest of the innings as if bored by the ease of the impending victory. Jan Frylinck and Gerrie Snyman added 54 runs for the seventh wicket to lift Namibia from 38 for 6.As he has done so many times this tournament, Rashid Khan roused the fans out of their chairs. Captain Asghar Stanikzai abstained from utilising his biggest wicket threat until the 16th over. Rashid trapped Frylinck in front, playing across the line, to break the stand at the start of the 18th over. Left-arm spinner Amir Hamza, who dismissed van der Westhuizen with the new ball, came back in the 19th to have Snyman stumped off the last ball of the over. Rashid then made it a team hat-trick by snuffing out the tail on the first two balls of the 20th over to end with figures of 3 for 4 in 2.2 overs.Nawroz not done yetNawroz Mangal had reportedly retired at the start of the year to take up a role as Afghanistan’s chief national selector. However, he’d been training and warming up with the squad all week in Abu Dhabi. With Afghanistan already having clinched a semi-final berth, he was inserted into the starting XI against Namibia and walked out with Mohammad Shahzad to open the batting.Nawroz Mangal played an assortment of strokes through the off side in his “farewell series”•Peter Della Penna

It was later communicated by the Afghanistan team management that Nawroz was being given a “farewell series” at this event. Shahzad, usually Afghanistan’s most aggressive player with the bat, let Nawroz take the reins in their stand. In a pressure-free environment, Nawroz played some delightful strokes through the off side among his three fours and a six to please the crowd before exiting to warm applause.Najibullah’s not out streak ends… sort of”Half Man, Half Amazing” Najibullah Zadran had come into this match having been not out in his last six Twenty20 innings. The last time he finished without an asterisk next to his name was against England in the 2016 World T20 when he was run-out by Chris Jordan for 14. In Afghanistan’s next match at the tournament, he scored 48 not out to be named Man of the Match in their victory over West Indies.His spectacular one-handed sliced six against UAE on Tuesday night came as part of a 11 not out, making it 174 runs he’d scored in T20Is since being dismissed. Promoted to no. 4 on Thursday afternoon, he made three before he was deceived by left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz and stumped, ending his scoring streak between dismissals at 177 in Twenty20 matches. However, since Namibia doesn’t have T20I status, this match didn’t either, meaning Najibullah’s not-out streak in T20Is remains alive and kicking at 174 off 101 balls.

Celtic have scouted Gwangju FC’s Eom Ji-sung and Jeong Ho-yeon ahead of possible Parkhead moves, according to reports.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

The Hoops will back new manager Brendan Rodgers in the transfer market this summer and have already done so by securing a move for midfielder Odin Thiago Holm. The Norwegian has signed a five-year deal in Glasgow and could well be the first of many through the door.

According to reports, Celtic are also interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi. Alongside the Nigerian who Rodgers knows well, a significant bid has also been made for Yang Hyun-jun from Gangwon FC.

Yang isn’t the only K League 1 target, though, with a Celtic transfer update emerging on both Eom and Jeong. According to The Daily Record, Rodgers is set to make the most of Celtic’s foothold in the Far East, with Celtic making their first move by scouting both Eom and Jeong from Gwangju.

Who are Eom Ji-sung and Jeong Ho-yeon?

It looks as if Rodgers is keen to continue looking at the Asian market, with former manager Ange Postecoglou bringing in the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Oh Hyeon-gyu from Japan and South Korea, but who are the two new targets in question?

Starting off with Eom – the South Korean is primarily a left-winger but can also play on the right or as an attacking midfielder.

The 21-year-old is valued at a career-high €650,000 by Transfermarkt and has progressed through Gwangju’s academy, making 77 senior appearances for the club, scoring 15 times and providing four assists.

Jeong is one year older than his teammate and is mainly a defensive midfielder who can also turn out slightly further forward if needed. Like Eom, Jeong also came through Gwangju’s youth system and holds a career-high €325,000 Transfermarkt valuation.

The midfielder took time out at Dankook University but has made a total of 55 senior appearances for his current employers, contributing to seven goals, and by the looks of it, they could soon be making their way to Scotland, should Celtic firm up their interest over the coming weeks.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، يورجن كلوب، عن تشكيل اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة سبارتا براج التشيكي في إياب منافسات دور الـ16 من مسابقة الدوري الأوروبي.

وتنطلق مباراة ليفربول وسبارتا براج في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساء اليوم بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “أنفيلد” بصافرة الحكم البرتغالي أرثر دياز.

اقرأ ايضاً.. بيلد: لاعب مصري جديد على رادار ليفربول في الصيف

وانتهت مباراة الذهاب بين الفريقين بفوز ليفربول بنتيجة 5/1، في اللقاء الذي أقيم على ملعب “جنرالي أرينا”.

وشهد تشكيل ليفربول تواجد الدولي المصري، محمد صلاح، أساسيًا. تشكيل ليفربول اليوم أمام سبارتا براج في الدوري الأوروبي

حراسة المرمى: كيليهر.

الدفاع: كونور برادلي – كوانساه – جو جوميز – روبيرتسون.

الوسط: دومينيك سوبوسلاي – بوبي كلارك – إندو.

الهجوم: نونيز – محمد صلاح – كودي جاكبو.

وشهدت مقاعد البدلاء تواجد كل من: أدريان – مورزيك – تسيميكاس – فان دايك – ماكونيل – ماك أليستر – إليوت – جوردون – كوماس – دانس – موسيالوفسكي.

How we line up against Sparta Prague 🫡 #UEL — Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 14, 2024

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans to bolster their defensive options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Theo Hernandez to Newcastle?

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed that the Magpies are "monitoring" AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez as Dan Ashworth plots moves to improve Eddie Howe's squad.

The reporter, however, has added that there are no ongoing negotiations between the two clubs, as it stands, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Premier League side will firm up their interest with an official offer for the defender.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Italian side would demand a fee of at least €60m (£51m) for the defender, who is also in the sights of Manchester United.

Would Theo Hernandez be a good signing for Newcastle?

The France international would be a terrific addition to Howe's side as he would be a huge upgrade on current Magpies left-back Dan Burn.

Hernandez has proven himself to be one of the best defenders in the Serie A in recent seasons. He was named in the league's Team of the Year in the 2021/22, 2020/21 and 2019/20 campaigns and enjoyed a strong 2022/23.

The exciting dynamo, who was hailed as a chance-creation "machine" with "dangerous" crosses by editor Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 32 outings and contributed with four goals and three assists from left-back, whilst he also won 59% of his defensive duels.

This was a step down from the Sofascore rating of 7.24, along with the five goals and six assists the defender produced, he managed in the division in 2021/22.

However, his recent displays still make him a significant upgrade on Burn. The Newcastle defender was a solid and unexciting performer throughout the season just gone and bringing Hernandez in could take the team to the next level in that position.

Burn averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.78 across 38 Premier League matches and contributed with one goal and zero assists, whilst he also won 56% of his duels.

The £55k-per-week titan has averaged 4.25 progressive carries and progressive passes combined per 90 over the last 365 days, which ranks in the bottom 37% or lower among his positional peers in the men's top five leagues and European competitions.

Hernandez, meanwhile, has averaged 7.58 per 90 for Milan over the last 365 days and ranks in the top 11% of full-backs for progressive carries per 90 (3.37), which suggests that the ex-Real Madrid prospect would offer far more in transition to help his team get up the pitch.

These statistics indicate that the Milan ace would be a huge upgrade on Burn as he is capable of delivering higher-quality performances week-in, week-out, whilst also being able to provide a greater threat in the final third and being more efficient in his physical contests.