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Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to trigger an “unbelievable” player’s release clause this summer, according to reports, with chairman Daniel Levy and co apparently eager to make him a Spurs player before 2025/2026.

Tottenham kickstart summer transfer plans regardless of Postecoglou

Right now, the uncertainty surrounding Ange Postecoglou and his long-term future at Spurs is taking centre stage.

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Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini May 20, 2025

Postecoglou’s immediate focus is on ending Spurs’ 17-year wait for a major trophy and guiding them to a place in the Champions League draw for next season, but even if he seals a fairytale ending to an otherwise dismal campaign, the Australian is still expected to part company.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

Pedro Porro

6.98

James Maddison

6.98

Dominic Solanke

6.85

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

David Ornstein and other reliable media sources report that Postecoglou will likely leave Tottenham, even if they win the Europa League, so Levy and the Lilywhites could soon have a managerial conundrum to resolve before next term.

That being said, there are suggestions that the club have still kickstarted summer transfer plans, regardless of who is eventually confirmed as their head coach.

French newspaper Le Parisien recently stated that Tottenham are in talks with Lille star Jonathan David, after the striker confirmed that he’ll be leaving when his contract expires this summer.

The north Londoners could sense a real opportunity here to strengthen their ranks at zero transfer cost, which is made all the more imperative by credible information that Tottenham could be set for a ‘sell to buy’ summer (The Telegraph).

Davie’s potential arrival would also allow Spurs to free up funds for other targets, like Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.

The England international has enjoyed another terrific campaign at Selhurst Park, ending it by scoring the FA Cup final-winning goal for Palace at Wembley on Saturday, which clinched the club’s first ever piece of major silverware at the expense of Man City.

Tottenham ready to trigger Eberechi Eze's release clause

Eze added to his tally of 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions against City, and it seems pretty inevitable that an elite club will make a serious effort to prise him away from south London.

His contract expires in 2027 too, and the attacking midfielder hasn’t committed his long-term future to Palace, indicating that he could be open to another opportunity away from Palace, five years after he joined from QPR.

Tottenham are believed to be contenders for Eze this summer, with one Spanish media source sharing a pretty significant update on the matter.

Indeed, the report from Spain states that Tottenham are ready to pay £68 million for Eze and trigger his release clause, and the £100,000-per-week forward could be living out his “final months” at Palace.

Postecoglou’s side will, of course, have competition for his signature, so it is by no means a certainty that they win the race for Eze, but there is little doubt he’d be a serious upgrade to the squad.

“Who’s a better player than Eze? For me he’s absolutely top, if he was luckier this season he would have five or six goals,” said Oliver Glasner about Eze at the very start of the season.

“He’s always dangerous because he has the quality and ability at 1-1, he’s such an unbelievable finisher. In some situations, he can improve, he’s a guy who can always score, and he’s someone who everyone likes.

“This is why he’s on the pitch, because he’s able to score goals.”

Everton are in the market for signings this summer, with a raft of first-teamers set to depart when their deals at Goodison Park expire in a few months.

Bramley Moore awaits, and the Toffees appear to be ready to use the change of scenery as more than just a symbolic shift: this is a new era, and hopefully, a new Everton.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin may yet renew his deal, but with Armando Broja set to depart after a disappointing loan spell and Beto attracting plenty of attention from overseas in the recent past, signing a new centre-forward is going to be one of David Moyes’ priorities.

Everton chasing new striker

According to iNews’ Mark Douglas, Moyes is to be handed the powers to enforce a series of changes to his squad this summer, with sights set on rising up the Premier League ladder next year.

The Northern correspondent claims that the Toffees are ‘all in’ for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, who is one of the hottest commodities in England at the moment, with a £30m release clause now active following his team’s relegation.

Delap bears a throwback kind of attacking profile with a modern, technical twist, with such an approach suggesting that he could be Moyes’ next version of Louis Saha.

Moyes' next Louis Saha

Saha made 134 appearances for Everton, scoring 34 goals across three-and-a-half seasons, signed from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

Delap, while his own man, bears a similar kind of profile and could thrive under Moyes as the Scotsman’s next version of the dynamic striker.

Having joined Ipswich from Manchester City’s academy in a £20m deal last summer, the number nine has been the biggest success story from a frustrating campaign for the freshly-promoted side.

His commanding displays up top have given Kieran McKenna’s side a focal point, one which, more often than not, will finish the chances provided and indeed gave Ipswich a fighting chance of retaining their top-flight status.

Matches (starts)

33 (30)

Goals

12

Assists

2

Shots (on target)*

1.9 (0.9)

Big chances missed

10

Pass completion

62%

Key passes*

0.6

Dribbles*

1.2

Duels won*

4.5

As per FBref, the Englishman even ranks among the top 15% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his capacity to drive forward with powerful and confident strides.

This is further backed up by Opta Analyst, who described him as a “one-man battering ram” for the Tractor Boys earlier in the season.

His roundedness certainly carries similarities to Saha.

Regarded as the complete striker, Saha’s link-up play, pace and power allowed him to establish himself as one of the most talented forwards in England, only thwarted by recurrent injury problems throughout his career. Wayne Rooney even stated once that the Frenchman was his favourite strike partner.

Delap is endowed with similar athletic and technical properties, and after flourishing for a side fighting relegation all year, he could take his game to the next level as the talisman of an Everton side that, whisper it quietly, is on the rise.

A massive Beto upgrade: Everton enter talks to sign "phenomenal" star

Everton are making moves to land a new striker for David Moyes ahead of the summer.

ByEthan Lamb May 1, 2025

India have staged draws and even wins after conceding big first-innings totals at home. But this team is in transition, with Gill out injured

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Nov-20254:46

How can India bounce back in Guwahati?

Innumerable hurdles remain, but India have crossed the first one. Their openers have survived the 6.1 overs they had to endure in fading light with nothing to gain and everything to lose. It’s the one thing they’ll feel thankful for after a bruising second day in Guwahati.India know how much worse it could be. The last time they played a home series against South Africa, in 2019-20, the shoe had been entirely on the other foot – theirs. They had won three tosses out of three, made three massive first-innings totals, and made South Africa’s top order bat in the same sorts of end-of-day-two situations.South Africa’s scores after those mini-sessions: 39 for 3 in 20 overs in Visakhapatnam, 36 for 3 in 15 overs in Pune, and 9 for 2 in five overs in similarly fading light in Ranchi, another city in the east of the country.At least it isn’t as bad as that.Related

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Regardless, India find themselves at the foot of the steepest of uphill trudges. They are 1-0 down in a two-Test series. Lose or draw from here, they lose the series. They are replying to a South Africa total of 489. No visiting team has posted a first-innings total that big and lost a Test in India.Steep as their task may be, though, it remains within the realms of possibility. The transition from the Virat Kohli era to this one is now almost complete, but India’s dressing room still contains two men, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, who played through the home season of 2016-17. During that season, India – on pitches not dissimilar to this one in Guwahati – lost the toss and conceded 400-plus totals three times to England and once to Australia, and came out of those four Tests with wins in Mumbai and Chennai, and draws in Rajkot and Ranchi. In both drawn Tests, day five began with an India victory still possible.Those results came on the back of marathon efforts from India’s top-order batters: two hundreds from M Vijay, two from Cheteshwar Pujara including a double in Ranchi, a double from Kohli in Mumbai, and, in Chennai, a 199 from Rahul and a triple from Karun Nair.In Guwahati, India will begin day three with all ten wickets in hand and a line-up of serious depth, but most of their batters haven’t faced this sort of situation in a home Test. And India are without Shubman Gill, their regular No. 4 and perhaps their best-equipped middle-order batter for a challenge that involves both batting long and scoring briskly.Conditions, though, most likely will not have changed much from day two, during which South Africa’s last four wickets added 243 runs.”Personally, I felt yesterday [day one], first session, there was a bit of moisture in the wicket, so I got a little bit of turn,” Kuldeep Yadav, who took 4 for 115 in 29.1 overs, said of the conditions. “After that, it was very good to bat on. There wasn’t any turn yesterday as well as today. Today was much better to bat, because I mean I hardly got any turn; even me and Jadeja, we have been talking about it, but the wicket was very good to bat on.”1:10

Kuldeep: ‘We’re not thinking about day four or day five’

For all the partnerships running South Africa’s innings, India’s bowlers kept control of the scoreboard for much of their innings, with South Africa’s run rate still under three an over when they lost their seventh wicket in the 121st over. A 91-ball 93 from No. 9 Marco Jansen, however, ensured South Africa ended up with close to 500 on the board.That Jansen was batting so far down the order was down to South Africa’s selection. When they brought in the spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy – who batted at No. 7 and scored his maiden Test hundred – they had to choose between two seam-bowling allrounders to leave out. They kept the batting allrounder Wiaan Mulder in the side and left out the bowling allrounder Corbin Bosch.That depth contributed not just to the size of South Africa’s total but also the time their first innings took out of the Test match. When India took their seventh wicket in the second session of day two, did they have some sort of number – both in terms of South Africa’s total and when their innings would end – in mind for feeling like they were still in with a good chance of winning?”To be very honest, we knew that this was not a track [where you can roll a team over] very easily,” Kuldeep said. “We have to keep disciplined lines and be patient, and we tried, but yeah, as everyone knows, Marco Jansen and Muthusamy batted well. There wasn’t any number that we thought, okay, we [should] get them all out for 400 or 350.”South Africa’s selection, though, could also leave them lacking bowling depth, with Mulder sharing the new ball and Muthusamy, playing his first Test of the series, as one of two left-arm orthodox spinners against a line-up full of left-hand batters. Muthusamy comes into this Test match on the back of a Player-of-the-Series display in Pakistan, but the pitches he bowled on there were far more helpful than this one in Guwahati is likely to be.5:06

‘Extremely tactical’ hitting from Jansen

If India bat out day three without too many wickets lost, they could put this South Africa attack under pressure. Their batters, albeit with Gill absent, are certainly capable of doing this, as they showed on the recent tour of England.But through that tour and during the home series against England last year – the last time India played a strong opposition on good batting pitches at home – the batters also showed a tendency for dismissals against the run of play, to attacking shots, often close to breaks in play. These dismissals came at a high cost, particularly in Hyderabad, in Leeds, and at Lord’s, where strong India positions quickly turned to parity, and thereafter to England gaining a decisive advantage. These sorts of moments even happened during South Africa’s innings in Guwahati, with Temba Bavuma and Mulder out caught at mid-off on day one.India will have to guard against these lapses, but sometimes they’re par for the course with inexperienced line-ups. Scoring big hundreds is often about finding a rhythm against a particular bowler, sticking to it, and getting comfortable with a certain level of monotony. Gill has certainly learned to bat like this, as he showed while scoring 269 and 161 in his two innings in Birmingham, and will be a particularly big miss in this regard. Of India’s other batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the one proven scorer of big hundreds.As much as India will need to bat time, though, they’ll also need to do it at a good tempo. A draw is of little use to them, while it will suit South Africa perfectly. They can pack the off-side field and bowl wide of off stump if they want, or ask their left-arm spinners to bowl over the wicket and pitch outside the right-handers’ leg stump. Early finishes for bad light won’t hurt them unduly.India will have to do all the running. They’ll need to establish firm foundations, but they’ll also need to find ways of scoring quickly if they are to get close to South Africa’s total, or get beyond it, with enough time still left for their bowlers to force a result. While most of their batters can bat in different gears, Rishabh Pant has an extra gear that’s all his own. More than ever, and on captaincy debut, he could be an utterly key player.This has been a thankless series for India. They lost the first Test after losing the toss on one kind of Indian pitch, and they’re in this unenviable position in the second, after losing the toss on an entirely different kind of pitch. If their long-held belief that tosses matter too much on flat home pitches seemed like paranoia when they were losing on extreme turners, this Test has shown it wasn’t unfounded.The truth, quite simply, is that no pitch can guarantee winning, and that India, as formidable as their record was until last year, have no god-given right to win home Tests. They know this. They know they are in transition. They know their own past successes have contributed to oppositions becoming smarter with selections and preparation for India tours.For all that, this Test match is still alive; India will have to believe this, at any rate, and believe they have the players to pull it off.

From ‘running from cow to cow’ in previous seasons, she has filled the big hole left by McPharlin behind the stumps this season

Andrew McGlashan30-Nov-2023

Bridget Patterson has slotted in expertly behind the stumps this season•Getty Images

Defending champions Adelaide Strikers had a big call to make before this WBBL season. Who would replace long-time wicketkeeper Tegan McPharlin following her retirement? The decision to go with middle-order batter Bridget Patterson raised eyebrows, at least outside the Strikers’ set-up, but it has proved a masterstroke.With a game to go, she has 12 stumpings, one short of equaling the WBBL record, and the move to give her the gloves helped balance the side and give Strikers more flexibility in the draft. It wasn’t, in reality, quite the left-field choice it may have looked given that Patterson has long been Strikers’ back-up keeper and did the job during her youth career. But, still, taking on the role for a full tournament was a big ask.”People were probably like ‘what the hell are the Strikers doing?’ but I knew I’d always been able to do it,” Patterson told ESPNcricinfo ahead of Saturday’s final against Brisbane Heat.Related

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“She’s been so good,” said captain Tahlia McGrath. “When she said she would take the gloves we were stoked because it gave us a bit more freedom that we didn’t have to pick a keeper. We all had belief in her. I saw her all pre-season working on her skills so it’s really no surprise to me how well she’s gone. We had a lot of doubters at the start of the season with her taking the gloves, thinking we might have missed a trick, but she’s certainly proved them wrong.”However, when the prospect of taking the gloves was first raised with Patterson, during pre-season contract talks after her previous deal finished at the end of last season, it did come as a surprise to her.”I was asked what do you reckon about this, what are your thoughts? I was caught off guard a little initially,” she said. “But for the eight seasons previously I’d always been the back-up keeper – whether people knew it or not. Personally, I took a little bit of time to think what I wanted to get out of this next period of time. Then thought, why not.”And while a couple of the stumpings have owed a little bit to good fortune – she gained two from rebounds into the stumps against Melbourne Stars, the second which shouldn’t have been given out – that does not take away from the consistency of her work.

Hopefully we can get more than 15,000 through the gates and break that final record of Optus Stadium [in 2021] where we lost that final. If we were to be able to get 15-20,000 and win in front of a home crowd, don’t think you could ask for more than thatBridget Patterson on the WBBL final

“I guess it’s probably gone better than I expected,” she said. “I didn’t have any personal expectations coming into the season. I’ve said to people that it’s pretty easy when you have the likes Amanda [Jade Wellington] bowling legspin the way she does and the quality of our bowling attack, but guess I still have to take them as well. It’s been good.”Tegan McPharlin [was] an outstanding keeper and basically going into the season I just wanted to be able to catch them, not be a backstop. I’m glad it’s panned out this way.”There were, though, a few nerves before the opening game against Melbourne Stars at Karen Rolton Oval (where the visitors would be bundled out for 29). Patterson had been through a 10-week pre-season programme of working on her keeping – something she had tried to do under the radar to avoid too much attention – with a focus on being up to the stumps, but in Strikers’ final practice match she had struggled to pick the ball up under the lights.”Whether that was the nerves and the fact Wello was ragging them at right angles, I probably did have a few nerves off the back of that,” she admitted. “But having the reassurance of the 10 weeks [preparation], that settled quite quickly.”I just back myself and know I can glove them when they are coming through and just try to get my body in the way if they do go down the leg side.”Strikers have one of the most varied attacks in the league including the twin legspin of Amanda-Jade Wellington and Anesu Mushangwe, the swing of Megan Schutt, pace of the fit-again Darcie Brown and occasional ambidextrous skills of Jemma Barsby. The pairing with Wellington’s sharply-spun legbreaks has been especially profitable.”With Anesu, she targets leg to middle a little more and Amanda is more traditional of spinning it away and trying to find the edge,” Patterson explained. “I’m more likely to get the batter to run past Amanda; I’m still finding it extremely difficult to comprehend the fact that people keep running down past her bowling. Against Anesu, I probably find the batter is getting in the way more and you find yourself more behind the stumps.”Patterson is renowned as one of the best outfielders in Australian cricket, so has she missed it? “For the last eight seasons I’ve been running from cow to cow. Initially when I took this role on, I thought I’d miss it but to be honest I haven’t as much as I thought I would.Patterson’s contribution with the gloves have been as important as her runs•Getty Images”If anything, I kind of feel lazy behind the stumps because all I’m doing is running 22 yards down the other day and walking off, and at times feeling like I’d not done anything. But it’s been cool to be behind the stumps and be more in the action. Just happy I’ve been able to help the bowlers out a little bit.”She is, however, pleased not to have had to make too many DRS calls with the wicketkeeper often a central figure when deciding whether to go upstairs.”The one from Darcie the other day that got Beth Mooney down the leg side, I’m glad the ump gave it out,” she said. “I thought it was out…but if that was put on me I’d have been like, oh s***.”Strikers are now one win away from back-to-back titles and this year will play the decider in front of their home crowd at Adelaide Oval. Contests with Heat have brought some spice in recent seasons, although Patterson is happy to leave the chat to others and just hopes for a special day.”You probably couldn’t ask for a more ideal setting,” she said. “Hopefully we can get more than 15,000 through the gates and break that final record of Optus Stadium [in 2021] where we lost that final. If we were to be able to get 15-20,000 and win in front of a home crowd, don’t think you could ask for more than that.”

To unerring length, she adds the ability to change lines on the delivery, making for an unplayable package

Valkerie Baynes23-Feb-2022There’s a reason good death bowling is so highly prized and that’s because its stock ball, the yorker, is one of the hardest deliveries to nail. But get the line, length and speed – fast or slow – right and a batter is rendered helpless in terms of scoring options. Unless they can sit right back in their crease, it’s nigh on impossible to get underneath the ball and get it away.Marizanne Kapp’s yorker can be lethal, especially given her ability to manipulate the line of the delivery. She is adept at producing the wide yorker but it was her leg-stump yorker at the death to clean up Southern Brave’s Lauren Bell and seal victory for Oval Invincibles in last year’s Women’s Hundred final that placed an emphatic full stop on the competition’s first season.Her fourth wicket in Sydney Sixers’ 17-run victory over Hobart Hurricanes in 2018 was the result of a wide yorker – a perfect example of death bowling done right, coming in the penultimate over as Sixers defended 158, delivered from wide on the crease and tailing in slightly into the base of Brooke Hepburn’s off stump.Kapp’s gem to bowl Deandra Dottin in a spell of three wickets in five balls (on her way to 4 for 14) as South Africa thumped West Indies by ten wickets at the 2017 World Cup was as destructive as the yorker gets: extra pace into the blockhole as Dottin played round her toes and the stumps were rearranged.Lydia Greenway, who made 225 appearances for England between 2003 and 2016 and now works as a coach and commentator, says: “Kappy’s got a really good yorker. One of her features is that she uses the crease quite well, so she would often go wide-line yorkers as well, which makes it then even harder for batters to hit it over the off side because it’s got that pace on it. You can’t get under it and then you also can’t really get across enough to work it onto the leg side. I think that’s also why she’s effective, she’s able to change the line of the yorker that she bowls.”Kapp forms a formidable pair with South Africa and Invincibles team-mate Shabnim Ismail, who can put searing pace on her yorker, which makes her unplayable at times. For Greenway, Australia’s Megan Schutt is “up there” too in terms of the world’s best yorker bowlers. “I remember playing in a T20 World Cup and I was trying everything I could,” she recalls. “I was sitting so far back in my crease, as far as I ever had done, and she just managed to get that length right and it was really challenging. She’s got that skill of getting her lengths right.”Katherine Brunt, England’s veteran seamer, is also among the best in the world at the yorker. In a 2016 instructional video for the ECB, Brunt reveals that while she’s running in, she looks at the top of the stumps despite aiming at the base because it helps her stay tall and, in turn, bowl fuller. The grip – seam up or cross-seam – is down to personal choice. “It’s definitely a mental thing as well as how you execute it,” Brunt says.Who Does it Best?: The cutter | The pull | The googly | The cover drive | The yorker | The cut | The bouncer | The sweep

Things just keep getting better and better for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side remain undefeated in the Champions League going into their game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and, following their 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, are six points clear atop the Premier League table.

The star of their derby win was unquestionably hat-trick hero Eberechi Eze, but there was also another stellar performance from Leandro Trossard, who scored and assisted a goal.

The Belgian has been in sensational form so far this year, but based on recent reports, his long-term place at Arsenal could be in danger.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

Towards the end of last season, it felt like there was a strong chance that Trossard would be one of the players sold by Arsenal in the summer.

A move away seemed even more likely when reports touting him to sides in Turkey and Germany started to pop up in July.

However, the club opted to keep him and hand him a pay rise instead, which, following his return of ten goal involvements in 15 appearances, is a decision that has been more than justified.

With that said, it now looks like the Gunners are looking to sign an upgrade on the former Brighton & Hove Albion gem.

At least that is according to a report from Spain, which claims Arsenal have reignited their intense interest in Rodrygo.

The report has revealed that the North Londoners have held internal talks over the potential move and, according to other sources, are preparing a proposal of €80m, including add-ons, which comes to around £70m.

The good news is that Real Madrid would consider selling the Brazilian international, though the bad news is that Liverpool are also said to be keen.

Therefore, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Rodrugo’s ability, one worth pursuing, especially as he could be an upgrade on Trossard.

How Rodrygo compares to Trossard

Now, it would be fair to say that so far this year, Trossard has been unreal and is arguably performing at a level Arsenal fans have not seen from him before.

At the same time, Rodrygo is struggling for game time and to make any sort of impact at all at Real Madrid.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Belgian is massively outperforming the Brazilian so far this season.

However, that does not mean the former Brighton star is a better player than the multiple Champions League winner, as when looking back over the last few years, it becomes apparent that the opposite is true.

For example, in 54 appearances across all competitions last season, the former Santos gem produced 25 goal involvements, which comes out to an average of one every 2.16 games.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 11 produced 20 goal involvements in 56 appearances, which comes out to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games.

It was the same story the year before as well.

For example, the Real Madrid star produced 26 goal involvements in 51 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.96 games.

Games

54

56

Goals

14

10

Assists

11

10

Games

51

46

Goals

17

17

Assists

9

3

The Waterschei-born gem, on the other hand, produced 20 goal involvements in 46 appearances, which again came out to a less impressive average of one every 2.3 games.

In other words, Los Blancos’ dynamic attacker, whom analyst Spencer Mossman has dubbed “one of the best wingers in the world,” is generally far more of a goal threat than the North Londoners’ £27m man.

Moreover, the 37-capped international also has far more experience in Europe’s top competition, the Champions League, and has played a pivotal role in the Spanish giants winning it twice in recent years.

For example, in 67 games in the competition, he has scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists, and eight of those goals have come in the knockout rounds.

Ultimately, while he’s not in the best of form at the moment, Rodrygo is an undeniably sensational footballer, and if Arsenal have the chance to sign him, they should do so, even if it would be bad news for Trossard’s place in the side.

Gabriel 2.0: Arsenal enter £79m race to sign "one of the best CBs in the PL"

Mikel Arteta and Co could sign Arsenal another defensive monster like Gabriel.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 25, 2025

The pitch for the two-day Ashes Test at Perth Stadium has been given the highest rating by the ICC.The surface, which produced 19 wickets on the opening day and a result late on the second as Travis Head flayed 123 off 83 balls, was graded as “very good” in the official report from the match referee Ranjan Madugalle.Under the ICC’s four-tier ratings system, “very good” reflects a pitch with “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers”.Related

• Khawaja confident of Gabba fitness but slams Perth pitch

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• Two-day Test could cost Cricket Australia millions

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At 847 deliveries it was the second-shortest completed Test in Australia and the shortest Ashes Test by balls bowled since 1888.Pace bowling dominated across the first three innings with Mitchell Starc taking 7 for 58, although England had been 160 for 5 before a late collapse before tea on the first day. The visiting attack was then relentless in reducing Australia 123 for 9 at the close with Ben Stokes claiming five.On the second day, England had extended their lead to 105 with nine wickets in hand before Scott Boland cut through the middle order.Set 205, Australia raced to their target inside 29 overs after Head was promoted to open the batting in place of the injured Usman Khawaja. Indications were that the pitch was approaching its best stage for batting, similar to how last season’s Test against India transpired after a clatter of opening-day wickets.England collapsed twice in Perth•Getty Images

“This wicket, it kind of gets better I think at the end of day two, it’s probably at its best for the game late this evening … we saw similar last year as well,” captain Steven Smith said.The Perth Test came shortly after another rapidly-moving, low-scoring contest between India and South African in Kolkata which had prompted significant debate over the surface. The rating for that pitch has yet to be made public.The early finish in Perth is expected to cost CA somewhere in the region of AU$3-4 million.”The match referee’s “very good” rating justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball,” James Allsopp, Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket, said. “The dominance of some brilliant pace bowling from both sides and the frenetic nature of the contest meant the match lasted only two days.”This was disappointing for fans holding tickets for days three and four, but we saw some incredible moments which captivated huge viewing audiences and will inspire even more kids to pick up a bat and ball this summer.””As always, we want to ensure pitches across Australia have their own characteristics and we’re looking forward to another enthralling contest under lights at the Gabba starting next Thursday.”There will be much intrigue into the pitch in Brisbane for the day-night Test which starts next Thursday although curator Dave Sandurski is confident it will provide a fair balance.”All indications are there is a bit of heat around,” he told AAP earlier this week. “The wicket will dry out a lot quicker so you’ve got to make sure you keep enough moisture in it to last five days.”We try and make our wickets pretty much the same for four and five-day cricket. The aim is to provide a wicket where all players get a chance to perform their skills so hopefully all facets of the game come into the match.”The Gabba staged a two-day Test against South Africa in 2022-23 when too much grass was left on the surface and was rated “below average” under the ICC’s previous ratings system which earned the venue a demerit point. However, there have been no issues with the pitches for the two Tests that have followed against West Indies and India.The West Indies match in 2023-24 is the only day-night contest Australia have lost while last year’s match against India was spoiled by the weather.

أصدر نادي بيراميدز بيانًا بشأن لاعب الفريق رمضان صبحي، في ظل الأزمة الحالية التي تواجهه، مثمنًا فيه بيان الأهلي وموقفه الداعم للاعب.

وشدد بيراميدز في بيانه على أهمية رمضان صبحي بوصفه أحد أفراد منظومة النادي، وأنه مستمر منذ اللحظة الأولى في الدعم القانوني للاعب.

وكان رمضان صبحي قد تم إعلان حبسه على خلفية التزوير بدخول أحد الاشخاص مكانه لأداء الامتحانات في أحد المعاهد المصرية.

طالع | قرار عاجل من محمود الخطيب بشأن أزمة “حبس وإيقاف” رمضان صبحي

كما تم إعلان إيقافه لمدة 4 سنوات بسبب التلاعب في عينة المنشطات الخاصة به من قبل المحكمة الرياضية الدولية.

وكان محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي قد قرر تكليف شادي البرقوقي، المستشار القانوني للأهلي، بالانضمام ـ بعد التنسيق ـ إلى فريق الدفاع عن اللاعب رمضان صبحي، بصفته أحد أبناء الأهلي، في الإجراءات القانونية المتداولة حاليًا.

وقرر تقديم جميع أوجه الدعم القانوني اللازم، جنبًا إلى جنب مع محاميه الخاص، كما كلّف الدكتور عبدالله شحاتة، المستشار القانوني الرياضي للنادي، بتقديم كل المساندة القانونية في قضية المنشطات، وذلك بالتعاون والتنسيق مع الفريق القانوني الخاص باللاعب. بيان بيراميدز بشأن رمضان صبحي

يثمن نادي بيراميدز البيان الصادر من النادي الأهلي فيما يخص دعمه للاعبنا رمضان صبحي، ويتوجه بعظيم شكره لمجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي برئاسة الكابتن محمود الخطيب على دعمهم للاعبنا، ويرحب بانضمام الفريق القانوني للنادي الأهلي لفريق الدفاع لما يمثله ذلك من إضافة ثمينة لجهود النادي لمساندة اللاعب.

ويشدد النادي أن رمضان صبحي هو فرد مهم من أفراد منظومة وعائلة نادي بيراميدز، والفريق القانوني للنادي بالكامل يعكف منذ اليوم الأول للأزمة وبالتنسيق مع محامي النادي الدولي على دراسة وبحث كافة سبل الدعم القانوني وتسخير كافة إمكانيات النادي اللازمة لدعم رمضان صبحي، وذلك استكمالا من النادي لدعمه المستمر للاعب على كافة المستويات.

وفي هذا السياق، يناشد نادي بيراميدز كافة المؤسسات الرياضية بالدولة إلى الوقوف بجانب لاعبنا رمضان صبحي ودعمه في محنته تقديراً لموهبته ولمكانته وتاريخه الكبير في تمثيل منتخب مصر في البطولات الدولية والقارية، ويدعو النادي إلى تنسيق الجهود بين جميع الخبراء القانونيين المعنيين لتحقيق أقصى قدر ممكن من الاستفادة في تقديم الدعم اللازم للاعب في محنته.

ويهيب نادي بيراميدز بجميع المهتمين بالشأن الرياضي وجماهير الكرة المصرية والعربية إلى احترام خصوصية اللاعب وحقه الأصيل في الدفاع عن نفسه وسلوك كافة سبل الطعن المقررة في القوانين واللوائح الرياضية دون استباق أحكام أو قرارات أو تداول غير قانوني للوقائع.

أمّا فيما يتعلق بالقضية المنظورة أمام القضاء المصري، فيود النادي التأكيد على ثقته الكاملة واحترامه الكبير لأحكام وقرارات القضاء المصري الذي قرر حجز القضية للحكم لجلسة ٣٠ ديسمبر القادم.

Left-arm spinner J Suchith, opener Prashant Chopra and batter Bhupen Lalwani have moved to Uttarakhand ahead of the domestic season in 2025-26. The three players will start with their new state by playing in the Uttarakhand Premier League.Suchith, who represented Karnataka before playing for Nagaland, first played domestic cricket in April 2014 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before going on to make his List A and first-class debuts in the coming seasons. He played for Nagaland only for one season, in 2024-25, where picked up 43 wickets in six first-class matches and was the highest wicket-taker in the Plate group.Chopra, meanwhile, made his debut for Himachal Pradesh as an 18-year-old in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2011, and has represented them in his entire domestic career so far. Last season, he made 386 runs in seven first-class matches, which included 171 against Uttarakhand. Overall, he has played 81 first-class matches and scored 5093 runs and hit 14 hundreds. He has also notched up 4012 runs in 103 List A games at an average of 41.79, and 2035 runs in 70 T20s at a strike rate of 114.58.Lalwani has represented Mumbai and Chhattisgarh in a short domestic career so far that started in January 2020. He switched to Chhattisgarh ahead of the 2024-25 season, where he played just two first-class matches for them. Overall, he has played 16 first-class matches and three List A games.The change of teams continue a bunch of transfers ahead of the upcoming domestic season, the most notable among them being Karun Nair returning to Karnataka, Harshal Patel switching back to Gujarat from Haryana, and Jalaj Saxena moving from Kerala to Maharashtra.

خسر نادي الاتحاد السعودي أمام نظيره الدحيل القطري، بنتيجة 4-2، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الإثنين، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة.

والتقى فريقا الاتحاد والدحيل، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الخامسة من عمر مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للموسم الحالي 2025-2025، وذلك على ملعب لخويا الرياضي بدولة قطر.

وسجل رباعية نادي الدحيل القطري، الجزائري عادل بولبينة “هاتريك” 3 أهداف، في الدقائق 5 و33 و53، وأحرز الهدف الرابع اللاعب كرزيستوف بياتيك في الدقيقة 74.

وجاء هدفي نادي الاتحاد السعودي، عن طريق الفرنسي كريم بنزيما في الدقيقتين 76 و 83، لينتهي اللقاء بنتيجة 4-2.

وبذلك، يحتل فريق الدحيل المركز السادس في ترتيب مجموعة أندية غرب آسيا لـ دوري أبطال آسيا برصيد 7 نقاط، بينما يأتي فريق الاتحاد السعودي، في المركز السابع في جدول الترتيب، برصيد 6 نقاط.

طالع | بعد تلميحه بالرحيل.. تقارير توضح موقف الاتحاد السعودي من كريم بنزيما أهداف مباراة الاتحاد والدحيل اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا

بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة، تقام بنظام مرحلة الدوري من 24 فريقًا مقسمة إلى 12 لأندية الشرق ومثلهما لأندية الغرب (التي تمثل المنطقة العربية).

ويخوض كل فريق 4 مباريات على أرضه و4 مباريات خارج ملعبه، في مواجهة ثمانية أندية مختلفة، وتتأهل 8 أندية من كل منطقة (شرق وغرب) إلى دور الـ16، والذي تقام مبارياته من ذهاب وإياب، لتتأهل الأندية الفائزة إلى ربع النهائي.

واعتبارًا من دور الثمانية (ربع النهائي) تلعب مباريات البطولة بنظام التجمع (التأهل من مباراة واحدة) في دولة واحدة تم اختيار دولة السعودية لاستضافة تلك المباريات.