One of Bruno Fernandes' former managers has revealed he wanted to sign the Manchester United captain when an Old Trafford exit was mooted.
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The ECB has made an unsuccessful request to New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to move the dates of England’s upcoming women’s tour, with four players deemed unavailable for the first three T20Is as a result of their Women’s Premier League (WPL) commitments in India and two others pulling out of their franchise contracts.NZC confirmed the fixtures in July for the tour, which comprises five T20Is and three ODIs between March 19 and April 6. The BCCI had only publicly announced the window for the WPL last Wednesday, with the final scheduled for March 17 in Delhi – two days before the opening T20I in Dunedin.ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB asked NZC to consider shifting the series back but were told it would not be possible. “We explored every option available to us to make sure all our players were available during the New Zealand series, but that didn’t quite work out as we would have liked,” Jon Lewis, England’s coach, said.”Yes, there are things that other boards could have done, but they’re things that are totally out of our control to be honest. We’ve had to react to the situation as best we can… it’s quite a unique situation. It’s quite complex… we talk to everyone as individuals and work out what we think is the best plan for them.”Lewis blamed the late release of the WPL’s schedule, which was decided several months after NZC had confirmed the dates of England’s tour. “[The series] was in our diary for a very long period of time,” he said. “The WPL dates came out very late. Moving forward, all the boards around the world will create a window for the WPL similar to the men’s game.”Related
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The ECB told the eight England players with WPL contracts that to be considered for selection in the first three T20Is, they would need to leave India before the knockout stages. Jonathan Finch, the director of England women’s cricket, said: “All players participating in the WPL were given our backing to remain in India for the duration of the tournament.”Lauren Bell (UP Warriorz) and Heather Knight (Royal Challengers Bangalore) both pulled out of their deals last week. “They withdrew once they learnt that the WPL regulations don’t allow for replacements mid-tournament, not wanting their respective WPL teams to be disadvantaged by their early departure,” Finch said.Lewis himself will leave the WPL after UP Warriorz’s final group game on March 11, with assistant coach Ashley Noffke likely to deputise if they reach the knockout stages. “I had good discussions with the franchise,” Lewis said. “Hopefully, we’re in a really strong position. We’ve got a lot of cover in the coaching department and UP have been really accommodating.”Jon Lewis: “Moving forward, all boards around the world will create a window for the WPL similar to the men’s game”•ICC via Getty Images
England named two separate T20I squads on Friday, one for the first three matches and another for the final two. Hollie Armitage and Linsey Smith will be replaced by Alice Capsey (Delhi Capitals), Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz), Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indains) and Danni Wyatt (UP Warriorz) ahead of the fourth T20I. Kate Cross (RCB) will arrive for the ODIs, while Issy Wong (MI) was not selected for either format.”We tried to make sure that all the players that are in New Zealand with us will get a really fair crack, rather than worrying about Nat Sciver-Brunt getting knocked out [of the WPL] on one day, flying in three days later and taking their position in the team,” Lewis said, framing the clash as “a brilliant opportunity” to test England’s depth ahead of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.With Wyatt in India for the full WPL, Tammy Beaumont looks set to open the batting in the first three T20Is and will win her 100th cap in the format. A pedestrian strike rate meant she has spent two years out of the side since her 99th, but she has since shown her dynamism in domestic cricket. “We asked her to go away and improve in certain areas,” Lewis said. “She went away and she did that.”Mahika Gaur, who has played in England’s last two T20I series, is unavailable as she continues to study for her A-Levels, while Freya Kemp has been picked as a specialist batter for the parallel England A tour to New Zealand after a recurrence of a back injury. Kirstie Gordon (T20s) and Grace Scrivens (ODIs) will captain the secondary tour, while Tash Farrant and Emma Lamb both feature after back injuries.England T20I squad vs New Zealand: Hollie Armitage*, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey+, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone+, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight (captain), Nat Sciver-Brunt+, Linsey Smith*, Danni Wyatt+ ()England ODI squad vs New Zealand: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight (capt), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni WyattEngland A squad vs New Zealand: Georgia Adams, Hannah Baker, Alice Davidson-Richards, Tash Farrant, Kirstie Gordon (T20 captain), Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Sophie Munro, Grace Potts, Paige Scholfield, Grace Scrivens (ODI captain), Seren Smale, Rhianna Southby, Mady Villiers
As one campaign unravels, another gathers full steam. It’s a familiar theme for Pakistan and South Africa across much of ICC tournament history. While South Africa have often looked among the most formidable sides in the early stages of these tournaments, Pakistan stutter and stall until they’ve left themselves with no margin for error, and then they roar into life. This fixture, timed to coincide with that point of crossroads in the World Cup group stages, gives that narrative the extra thrust for South Africa to be that little bit warier, and Pakistan slightly more optimistic.But South Africa are looking to make history at this World Cup, while Pakistan are in danger of being consigned to it. The ferocious brilliance of South Africa has combined with clinical effectiveness, lending that side a steel and ruthlessness they have often been accused of lacking. The team might always look a batter light with Marco Jansen in at seven, but with nearly all of the top six in such glistening form, no side bar Netherlands have been able to burrow their way deeper into that line-up until explosive damage has already been done.Related
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South Africa will still look at their bowling and conclude there’s room for improvement, unusual for a side where not a single bowler has ended up wicketless in any of their five games thus far. Though both the pace battery and the spin attack have had few problems blowing top orders out, getting rid of the lower order has proved troublesome in nearly every game. While the batters have offered enough cover for Temba Bavuma’s side not to overly concern themselves, it was arguably responsible for their only defeat, a freak loss against Netherlands when they were allowed to get to 245 for 8 after losing their seventh wicket at 140.Compared to Pakistan, though, these are cricket’s versions of first-world problems. Pakistan have slightly greater worries than complaints that they only beat the defending champions by 229 rather than the 300 runs that they wanted. After a shaky start to the tournament that still saw them post two wins in two, Pakistan have now lost three games on the bounce, the last one a chastening eight-wicket trouncing at Afghanistan’s hands. For a side that prides itself on the lethality of its pace attack, that department has looked almost historically toothless, with each of Sri Lanka, India, Australia and Afghanistan putting them to the sword.While the batting has, at times, fared better, the top order which formed the core of their run-scoring ballast is now a shell of its former self. Abdullah Shafique has produced some substance to go with his style, but with Fakhar Zaman injured and Babar Azam having lost that almost mechanical trait of relentless accumulation, the middle order has been exposed to a greater degree than it is prepared for. Shadab Khan’s woeful form with the ball has led to questions about his place in the side and messed with the batting order, too, and against Australia it effectively stripped them of an extra batter. Add to that the pressure of every game being a knockout, and history, rather than quality, looks increasingly like the only reason Pakistan might have further hopes of progressing.The PCB itself appears to see the writing on the wall by issuing a bizarre statement urging fans to continue to support the team. Somewhat cynically, it indulged in a little self-preservation of its own, firmly pointing the finger at under-fire captain Babar and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq for selecting the team.While ignominy possibly awaits Pakistan, South Africa eye glory. The two sides in resplendent green could not look more different from each other at present.
Pakistan LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLWW
Devoid of form – by his high standards – criticised for his captaincy, likely shunned by his own board, Pakistan’s best batter in a generation finds himself at his lowest point. Babar Azam leads a team that looks like it’s entering its death spiral. But at the moment, Pakistan are alive, and in around the same sort of territory they found themselves in when he delivered his most celebrated innings yet: that century against New Zealand in 2019. Against an attack that’s likely to trouble most of his team-mates, Pakistan’s fate is tied almost inevitably to Babar’s batting form. If he can deliver a knock of similar value as the one against New Zealand four years ago, few will be interested in looking further up his hands to see if that armband’s still on.Marco Jansen has been South Africa’s X-factor•AFP/Getty Images
When everyone knows – as they do about Imam-ul-Haq – you’ve got a problem against the short ball, facing 209cm Marco Jansen does not fill you with joy. A cheat code of a cricketer, the ultimate two-in-one player has had a sparkling World Cup, taking two wickets in each of his five games while keeping the economy rate under check. His ability to swing the new ball and get extra bounce at will belie the high pace and consistency of his bowling, and Pakistan are low on confidence with the bat. If all that wasn’t enough, Jansen is among the most lethal lower-order hitters at the death, as his mullering of England will bear witness to.
Fakhar Zaman has been passed fit, and if he does play, Imam-ul-Haq is likeliest to make way. Perhaps more importantly, Hasan Ali has been ruled out with fever, likely putting Mohammad Wasim Jnr in contention.Pakistan: (likely) 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq/Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Usama Mir, 9 Mohammad Wasim Jnr, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris RaufSouth Africa’s main conundrum surrounded what to do about captain Temba Bavuma, with Reeza Hendricks doing a stellar job as replacement during his enforced absence. But Bavuma will come back in and lead the side, and South Africa have also opted for extra spin, with Tabraiz Shamsi replacing Gerald Coetzee.South Africa: (likely) 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Tabraiz Shamsi, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi/Lizaad Williams
The pitch will be the same as the one used for the Bangladesh-New Zealand game a fortnight ago, which means it’ll be a bit quicker than the usual Chennai surface. There’s a slight chance of a passing shower, though a full game is likely.
“I think we have underperformed, in all three matches. We haven’t underperformed this way before. We know that we are not playing good cricket. But our team has bounced back from this situation before and, hopefully, we will come out of this situation.”
Captain’s 68 and 2 for 36 ensures another chastening day out for Middlesex
ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2023Jack Leaning starred with bat and ball as the Kent Spitfires pummelled Middlesex by 133 runs in the Metro Bank Cup at Beckenham. The Kent skipper top-scored with 68 as the hosts posted 288, before claiming two key wickets as the visitors were all out for 154 with 13.2 overs remaining.Ryan Higgins had earlier taken 4 for 33 and Luke Hollman 3 for 53 as Middlesex bowled the Spitfires out in 49.1 overs, but 60 from Ben Compton and 58 from Daniel Bell-Drummond helped the hosts to a total that Middlesex never seriously threatened. Leaning was one of five Kent bowlers to finish with two wickets.Buoyed by Friday’s rout of Surrey at The Oval, Kent abandoned their usual strategy of bowling first after winning the toss, putting faith in their spinners to defend whatever they posted.Progress was solid but ponderous during an opening stand of 109 and when Compton was dropped on seven by Ryan Higgins off Ishaan Kaushal in the ninth over. Some of the less patient home fans wondered if it might have been deliberate.It was an absolute dolly but Higgins then took a far more difficult chance to break the partnership in the 21st, sprinting in from long on to get Bell-Drummond, after he’d skied a delivery from Hollman, who was then denied a second wicket when Leaning was dropped in the slips on six.It took 79 balls for Compton to hit his first boundary, pulling Ethan Bamber for four to reach 50 but when he was then out, chipping Higgins to Bamber, his contribution took on a different perspective as the Spitfires lurched from 188 for one to 222 for six. Hollman returned to take two wickets in two balls, bowling Alex Blake for 10 and then bowling Harry Finch for a golden duck.Jaydn Denly was bowled by Higgins for six and James Bazley went for a duck when he wafted Hollman to Martin Andersson. The hosts urgently needed a counter-attack and the 45th over went for 24, with Grant Stewart hammering Andersson for three successive sixes, the first of which was parried over the boundary by Jack Davies attempting a catch.After a stand of 51, the momentum swung back towards Middlesex. Leaning hit Kaushal to Joe Cracknell and Stewart was bowled by Higgins for 43. Two balls later Higgins bowled Jas Singh for the third duck of the innings. Matt Parkinson and Hamid Qadri added 12 for the final wicket before the former was caught by Kaushal off Bamber with four balls to spare.Any disappointment Kent felt at having failed to bat their overs melted away as their bowlers swept through the Middlesex top order. Cracknell went in the second over, trying to reverse-sweep Leaning and wafting him to Bell-Drummond at point.Bazley then took wickets from successive deliveries. Sam Robson went for 24, caught by Qadri, and Jack Davies edged him behind. Higgins tried to reverse sweep Parkinson and was lbw for 21 and in the next over, the 18th, Mark Leaning bowled Stoneman for 25.With Middlesex in danger of imploding at 79 for 5, Hollman and John Simpson bedded in for the next ten overs, but their stand of 41 ended when the former was bowled by an unplayable delivery from Qadri. Jas Singh had Josh de Caires caught by a diving Bazley for seven and any realistic hope Middlesex had of making a game of it went when Qadri had Simpson caught behind for 39 with the final ball of the 33rd.Andersson swatted the next ball, from Singh, high into the south London sky before he was taken by Parkinson and an emphatic win was sealed when the same bowler had Kaushal caught on the boundary by Denly.The Spitfires have now won three of their five Metro Bank games while Middlesex are yet to get off the mark after four attempts.
At one stage, Everton’s final-ever season at Goodison Park looked it could end in relegation down to the Championship.
Now, with the trusty figure of David Moyes back at the helm, the new era on the horizon at Bramley-Moore Dock doesn’t look as bleak.
Instead, it looks rather promising, with the Scotsman capable of steering Everton to a top-half finish in the Premier League if positive results don’t suddenly dry up.
Still, there will be some tough decisions for Moyes to wrestle with this approaching summer, including who to keep around for the stadium relocation, as first-team personnel such as Jack Harrison could soon leave the building.
Harrison's future at Everton
The 28-year-old attacker is only present at Goodison at the moment as a loan option, with Harrison simply returning to Leeds United at the end of the season if Moyes and Co don’t want to strike up a permanent switch.
That eventually would seem unlikely, considering there were calls in January for his loan spell to be cut short midway through the campaign. That ultimately didn’t happen, however, with reports at the beginning of March suggesting Leeds are gearing up for his return to Elland Road.
As a consequence, it’s said that the Championship side have held exploratory talks about the winger heading back to MLS where he previously played for New York City.
Helping himself to just one goal this campaign in all competitions, the Toffees number 11 isn’t exactly banging down the door to stay put, with other loan faces in attack such as Jesper Lindstrom also underwhelming with only two assists next to his name from 30 outings.
Harrison could cost around £13m to win permanently – as per Transfermarkt – with Everton perhaps slightly hesitant to fork out that much money for such a hit-and-miss performer.
Amazingly, as much as the Leeds loanee has struggled in large patches this season to get going, there is a former Everton flop worth less than the hot-and-cold attacker right now.
It’s safe to say he struggled in a very similar way to Harrison at Goodison Park.
What happened to Everton's new Lukaku
Whilst Harrison has been prone to an off-day or two donning Everton blue, it’s unlikely he will be categorised entirely as a flop, with the 28-year-old winger at least offering up five goals and three assists across 64 total games.
Another winger, the lesser-spotted Henry Onyekuru, on the other hand, undoubtedly goes down as a big waste of time.
Indeed, the one-time £7m buy never went on to make a single appearance at Goodison, despite being on the club’s books for two whole years and once being heralded as the second coming of Romelu Lukaku for his exploits in Belgium.
It was a particularly troubling transfer window on Everton’s end away from Onyekuru’s cursed arrival, with the summer of 2017 seeing the Farhad Moshiri-backed Toffees splash out excessive wads of cash to land the likes of Davy Klaassen for £24m, who also exited English soil in a swift manner.
At least the Dutchman actually featured for the Merseyside outfit, however, with the Nigerian experiencing constant setbacks involving work permit issues which would result in a number of loan moves away from England occurring, rather than making a name for himself at his parent side.
Games played
0
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Original fee
£7m
Amount sold for
£12m
Value now
£3.3m
Still, there would end up being a happy ending for the forgotten-about forward, with the Lagos-born attacker leaving Everton behind for a hefty £12m in August of 2019 to AS Monaco, a move that would have suited all parties swimmingly.
Everton would end up making a pretty £5m profit to at least salvage something from the whole ordeal, with the deal looking like even more of a masterstroke when you take into account his measly £3m valuation in 2025.
That’s way less than Harrison’s £13m valuation, with time still on Everton’s side to deliberate about keeping the Whites loanee around, whilst Onyekuru – who is goalless while plying his trade at Al-Fayha in Saudi Arabia – has likely put his ill-fated Merseyside stay right to the back of his mind.
Everton's £12m signing is already looking like a £40m star in the making
He could be a real star under David Moyes at Everton.
ByAngus Sinclair Mar 17, 2025
Thomas Muller’s future remains undecided as talks with LAFC hit a standstill and MLS rules prevent other clubs from negotiating with him.
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The Spanish boss will trade one Michele Kang-owned club for another as he joins the French giants
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Bhuvneshwar has led Sunrisers in seven games in the past, winning two and losing five
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2023In the absence of designated captain Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match of IPL 2023, against Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad on April 2.Markram is in South Africa for the two-match ODI series against Netherlands and will arrive in India only on April 3. The series is crucial for South Africa’s direct qualification for the ODI World Cup, to be played in India later this year. They need to win both ODIs against Netherlands (without over-rate penalties) and then hope Ireland lose at least one ODI against Bangladesh in a three-match home series in May.Bhuvneshwar has been with Sunrisers since their inception in 2013, and has led them in the past as well – in six games in 2019 and once in 2022. Sunrisers won two of those seven matches.After finishing eighth on the points table in 2022, Sunrisers revamped their squad ahead of this season. One of the big changes was releasing their then-captain Kane Williamson and handing over the reins to Markram.Markram recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, where he also finished as the tournament’s third-highest run-getter, scoring 369 runs at a strike rate of 127. He also bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 with his offspin.Apart from Markram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen will also be unavailable for the first match. That leaves Sunrisers with only five overseas players – Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein – to choose from for their first match.Sunrisers’ second game is on April 7, against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow.
A rejuvenated Alyssa Healy blasted the Sydney Sixers to a comprehensive 37-run victory over the Melbourne Renegades in Ballarat and to the top of the WBBL points table.Healy thumped three sixes in her 78 off 54 balls while fellow opener Suzie Bates crunched 66 off 47 to steer the Sixers to 3 for 188 at Eastern Oval.Healy, who entered the fixture with just 53 runs at 10.60 this season, combined with Bates for a match-winning 151-run first-wicket stand, before both fell to Renegades captain Sophie Molineux.Bates was grassed twice before finally holing out to Shabnim Ismail on the deep midwicket boundary, before Molineux struck again two balls later, bowling Healy around her legs.But Molineux’s double-strike failed to slow Sixers, who plundered 36 off the last three overs, through Ash Gardner, Erin Burns and captain Ellyse Perry.”It was nice to spend some time out there,” Healy said. “I’ve been waiting seven years to have a really good partnership with Suzie Bates.”The fact we could do that today and get our team off to a good start was really pleasing. I’ve been praying to some sort of higher power for a bit of luck and I got it today.”Renegades’ unlikely pursuit of the imposing target started poorly when English spinner Sophie Ecclestone, the world’s No.1 T20 bowler, sent Hayley Matthews and Courtney Webb packing early.When Lauren Cheatle enticed Molineux to Stella Campbell at mid-off, the hosts were reeling at 5 for 38, before a WBBL record sixth-wicket stand of 81 off 52 balls between Carly Leeson and Rhiann O’Donnell gave them an unlikely sniff.They were aided by a burst of shoddy bowling from Sixers after the drinks break, with Campbell sending down five straight wides to concede 22 off the 11th over and Perry carted for 24 off the 13th.Perry made amends with a spectacular, high-leaping catch at cover to send O’Donnell packing, ending Renegades’ resistance.
كشف طاهر محمد طاهر لاعب فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي، تفاصيل الصعوبات التي واجهها الفريق بالفترة الماضية حتى التتويج بالدوري المصري، عقب الفوز على فاركو بنتيجة 6-0.
واستطاع الأهلي الفوز بسداسية نظيفة على فاركو، ساعدته في التتويج بلقب الدوري المصري للمرة الـ45 في تاريخه والثالثة على التوالي.
وقال طاهر محمد طاهر في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “هذا الموسم هو موسم اللاعبين جميعًا، والجهاز الفني الذي ساندنا في آخر 6 مباريات، وكثيرون لم يكونوا يثقون في قدرتنا على تحقيق البطولة، وكانوا يظنون أنها ستذهب للمنافس، لكن الحمد لله، المنافس أهدر نقاطًا، وبمجرد أن تصدرنا، قلت سنفوز بالدوري”.
طالع | خالد الغندور: لاعب الأهلي سبب التتويج بالدوري “اللي مكنش على البال ولا الخاطر”
وأردف: “أتمنى من الجميع الدعاء لوالدي، وإن شاء الله أرفع رأسه وأحقق له كل أحلامه، وعلي معلول لاعب كبير، وتاريخه كبير، وكلنا كلاعبين نتمنى أن يكون لنا تاريخ مثله”.
وواصل: “معلول ربما تعرض لظلم أو انتقادات في الفترة الأخيرة، وكنا جميعًا ننتظر عودته لكي نساعده، والحمد لله اليوم صنع هدفًا، وسعيد إن الناس تراني بصورة طيبة، وطالما أن عقدي مستمر مع النادي، سأعطي 100%، ولدينا بطولة قادمة، وسنُثبت للعالم من هو الأهلي”.
وينتظر الأهلي مهمة خاصة بالمشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025، التي تستضيفها الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية بنظامها الجديد الموسع، بتواجد 32 فريقًا من حول العالم، خلال الفترة من 14 يونيو 2025 إلى 13 يوليو 2025.
ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الأولى لـ كأس العالم للأندية 2025، بجانب إنتر ميامي وبورتو البرتغالي وبالميراس البرازيلي.