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Tahlia McGrath would lead Australia if Healy was unavailable in Canberra

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2024Australia could be without Alyssa Healy for the opening T20I against South Africa in Canberra on Saturday as she battles an illnessHealy was expected to train with the side on Friday afternoon before a final decision was made on Saturday morning, but vice-captain Tahlia McGrath said the team wouldn’t let performance standards drop if Healy couldn’t get up for the contest.Related

• King remains sidelined from Australia's T20I plans

• Tryon returns to SA white-ball squads for tour of Australia

• Perry: Looking to expand on our T20I gains during 'landmark' tour by South Africa

“We’re pretty lucky, we’re spoilt for choice in the fact we’re not reliant on any one player, and if anyone goes down we’ve got numerous options  to cover,” she said.”Lots of players play different roles for their Big Bash franchise, and we’re a very team-first side, so whatever the team requires on the day, we feel as though we’ve got all options covered.”Australia were expected to take in an almost unchanged team from the side that beat India 2-1 on the subcontinent this month, although they’ll have to finalise their pace line-up after Kim Garth and Darcie Brown alternated in that series.Spin star Alana King has been left out of the T20I squad, although she will join the side for the ODI portion of the tour.South Africa, beaten by 19 runs against Australia in the final of last year’s major tournament, didn’t enjoy a great start to their tour, suffering a four-wicket loss against the Governor-General’s XI on Wednesday.Captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted the task of battling the world’s best side away from home was daunting, but suggested it was part of her  team’s journey to going one better at the 2024 T20 tournament in Bangladesh.”It will be a big challenge, they are the world champions and it’s their own backyard,” she said. “They’ve just been very consistent for a long period of time.”Getting to play in the [WBBL], I see how they work, and they work very hard at their skills. It’s well deserved, they do work very hard and they are very good cricketers…it’ll just be about us playing our best cricket on the day.”The teams are competing across all three formats of the game over the next month, beginning with three T20s in what is a rematch of the decider from last year’s 20-over tournament.

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O técnico Abel Ferreira já deixou claro mais de uma vez: a força do grupo é o principal talento do Palmeiras. De toda forma, o treinador palmeirense admite a necessidade do clube ir ao mercado para, pelo menos, repor as saídas de Danilo e Gustavo Scarpa, que deixaram o clube após a conquista do Brasileirão no ano passado. Para essas chegadas acontecerem, no entanto, elas precisam atender a alguns padrões desejados pelo comandante português.

Sempre que o Verdão pretende ir ao mercado, a comissão técnica é consultada. Dificilmente eles apresentam nomes de jogadores, mas, sim, o perfil desejado para determinada função. Então, o departamento responsável por analisar as opções aponta nomes em potencial e ali se estabelece ordem de prioridade nas procuras. E é nesse ponto o ‘pulo do gato’ que talvez explique o motivo do Palmeiras não ter contratado atleta algum, até aqui na temporada: o critério.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasDestaque do Palmeiras, Veiga tem Europa como ‘objetivo’ e revela ligas preferidasPalmeiras21/03/2023PalmeirasRival do Palmeiras na final do Paulistão, Água Santa já goleou o VerdãoPalmeiras20/03/2023PalmeirasEm dois meses, Palmeiras dobra número de sócios-torcedores e passa dos 150 milPalmeiras20/03/2023

+Jota Júnior abriu o jogo! Veja o seu time de coração e de outros jornalistas esportivos

Se o Palmeiras não conseguir chegar a um acordo com as duas primeiras opções estabelecidas, dificilmente vai atrás de uma terceira. O entendimento de Abel Ferreira é que o ‘plano C e D’ geralmente não atendem ao nível técnico desejado e que ele encontraria dentro do próprio elenco, recuperando atletas em baixa ou garimpando nas categorias inferiores.

+ Acompanhe as movimentações do mercado da bola no vaivém do LANCE!

Foi assim, por exemplo, que Gabriel Menino foi ‘recuperado’ após a saída de Danilo. Abel fez testes com Jaílson e Atuesta antes, mas foi Menino que melhor se saiu e hoje é um dos donos do meio-campo palmeirense, ainda que chegue um reforço para a posição. Além disso, o garoto Fabinho passou a ganhar mais destaque, entrando com mais frequência no segundo tempo das partidas.

Outra situação é quando alguns jogadores são oferecidos ao Palmeiras. Isso é algo constante em todos os clubes, mas como o Verdão é um dos clubes mais vencedores nos últimos anos naturalmente será uma vitrine mais atrativa para que os agentes coloquem os seus atletas.

Uma parcela pequena de profissionais oferecidos são contratados, seja no Palestra ou em qualquer outra instituição pelo Brasil. Porém, recentemente, o empresário Giuliano Bertolucci assumiu o compromisso de que auxiliaria o clube alviverde a encontrar um substituto para o volante Danilo, que deixou o Palestra no início de janeiro. O nome de Allan, do Atlético-MG, foi ventilado. O jogador agrada muito Abel Ferreira, e a partir dali a direção palmeirense trabalhou forte na contratação do atleta do Galo, que faz jogo duro e até mesmo ofereceu uma renovação contratual com valorização salarial.

+ Confira a tabela do Paulistão e simule as finais entre Palmeiras e Água Santa

Allan é um exemplo de ‘plano A’ do Palmeiras. Após a saída de Danilo, o Palmeiras chegou a demonstrar interesse em alguns jogadores, como Jean Lucas, do Mônaco (FRA), Matheus Henrique, do Sassuolo (ITA) e Wallace, da Udinese (ITA), mas em todas as situações de propostas ou até mesmo acenos, o Verdão não se mostrou disposto a investir um valor tão alto quando demonstrou no atleta do Galo.

O Palmeiras tem menos de duas semanas para apresentar reforços que poderiam jogar ainda no primeiro semestre. Isso porque a janela de transferências nacional fecha no dia 4 de abril. A tendência é que o Verdão não anuncie atleta algum no período, mas se esforce em reforçar o elenco no meio do ano, quando abre o espaço para contratações vindas da Europa.

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Manchester United are weighing up a move which they believe will improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford after listening to fans' opinions.

• Red Devils want to raise noise levels at stadium
• Supporters stress importance of generating atmosphere
• Fan survey will dictate whether measure is adopted

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils have written to season ticket holders to inform them of a proposal to play no music in the 15 minutes before the players come out of the tunnel at home games and after full-time. The club have been conducting post-match surveys and done research as part of the move towards building a new 100,000-seater stadium, hoping to understand attitudes on different aspects of the matchday experience. 

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  Their research showed that creating an atmosphere to inspire the players was of utmost importance, which is why fan group The Red Army (TRA) has requested that music is turned off for a period in order to make the stadium as loud as possible. United currently play music during and after the players warm-up, while 'Glory Glory Man United' is played after victories. The club still plan to play unofficial anthem 'This is the One' by the Stone Roses when the players walk out of the tunnel, followed by the Premier League's official anthem – as is standard at all stadiums across the English top-flight – and then 'Take Me Home Country Roads' before kick off.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Roy Keane complained about the declining atmosphere at Old Trafford in 2000 by saying: "Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell football, never mind understand it." Since then, Old Trafford has been known for its poor atmosphere, with Keane's comments leading to rival fans mocking United supporters by calling them 'the prawn sandwich brigade'. 

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  Fans have been asked to respond to a two-minute survey on the proposal by Friday afternoon. If the measure is backed then it could be implemented as soon as Sunday's Premier League match against Arsenal, giving Bruno Fernandes and Co extra encouragement for their blockbuster season opener with the Gunners. And if the move is a success then Old Trafford's previously flat atmosphere could be replaced by a cauldron of noise, as has happened at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. 

After enduring a difficult start to their Euro 2025 campaign, Sarina Wiegman's England bounced back strongly and are now preparing for a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Sweden. The Lionesses boss remains confident in her squad’s trajectory and believes the team is ready to take on the Group C winners.

England gearing up to face SwedenLionesses wary of the Swedish threatWiegman confident ahead of last-eight clashFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following a 2-1 loss to France in their opening Group D match, the Lionesses responded with emphatic victories over the Netherlands and Wales, securing second place in the group and a ticket to the knockout rounds. Sweden sailed through the group stage with three straight victories, as the Scandinavians triumphed over Poland, Denmark, and, most notably, against a resurgent German side.

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With established stars like Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani leading the charge, Sweden now turn their focus to dethroning the current European champions. The fixture also offers them a chance to right the wrongs of their 2022 semi-final exit at the hands of the Lionesses.

WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

Wiegman, who guided England to their historic Euro 2022 title and a World Cup final in 2023, knows the magnitude of the challenge ahead. While Sweden’s consistent group-stage performances have caught attention, she believes England’s recent turnaround has created crucial momentum.

"I expect a very competitive game where it is hard to predict the outcome," she said. "They have had a very good group stage with the three wins they had. But I think we are in a very good place and we are ready to go, so I hope we can show that tomorrow."

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Defender Lucy Bronze, a veteran of England’s backline, believes the squad has grown stronger and insisted that the loss to France served as a wake-up call, sparking unity and improved performances.

Bronze said: "Coming from the French game, it has brought the team a lot closer together and you saw that in the two performances that came from that. We are not focused on the noises around other teams or us, we are only focused on what we do on the training pitch and what we do in-game."

The former Pakistan quick is particularly concerned about the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi

Andrew McGlashan23-Dec-2023Waqar Younis has voiced his alarm at the lack of pace in Pakistan’s Test attack as they search for a way back into their Test series against Australia.During the first Test in Perth, Pakistan’s pace bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khurram Shahzad, Aamer Jamal and Faheem Ashraf – rarely broke the 140kph mark although they did give the Australia batters some uneasy moments in the second innings as cracks emerged on the Optus Stadium surface.Pakistan were comprehensively beaten by 360 runs, bowled out for 89 in their second innings, and to compound their woes have lost Shahzad, who impressed on debut, to a series-ending rib injury. It will mean an enforced change at the MCG with either Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr or Mir Hamza coming into the attack, but Waqar remains unconvinced.Related

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“Another thing that I’m worried about is that always when we come to Australia, one thing that excites is the fast bowling and this time around I’m not seeing that,” he said on ESPN’s show. “I’m seeing medium-pacers or slow-medium-pacers, allrounders, there’s no real pace. People used to come and watch Pakistan pace bowlers really running in hard and bowling 150 clicks [kph], and that’s what I’m not seeing there.”That’s my worry and issue because I have not seen it at the domestic level also. There are a few injured, I can understand, but in the past you would always see a battery of fast bowlers that they could always bring on, but unfortunately that is not there and I’m really worried about that.”Shaheen Afridi was below his best in Perth•Getty Images

Naseem Shah, who was also ruled out of the World Cup with injury, was a big loss while Haris Rauf opted to play the BBL for Melbourne Stars instead of the Test series. Pakistan will need much more from Afridi, who claimed 2 for 172 in Perth, if they are to challenge Australia but Waqar had particular concerns about his loss of pace.”I’m not really sure what’s wrong with him,” he said. “If he’s not fit, if he’s got some issues, he needs to go away from the game and fix that because if you are going to carry on like that you are going to become a medium-pacer. He used to bowl 145-150kph and used to swing that ball. What I’m seeing now, yes there’s a little bit of swing but his pace is way down… and that is not going to get him wickets.”Watching the first Test match was painful. We had moments, we had opportunities where we could have pulled the game back a bit but we didn’t take the opportunities. When Pakistan come to Australia they have to make sure their fielding is spotless… because Australia batsmen, if you give them opportunities, they’ll take it with both hands and make it big and that’s what we saw in Perth.”

Darwin Nunez appears to be edging closer to a move away from Liverpool, with Napoli leading the chase to secure the forward’s services. TalkSPORT have revealed that the Uruguayan international is actively pushing for a transfer to the newly crowned Serie A champions with Napoli boss Antonio Conte also making the 26-year-old his primary target this summer.

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Liverpool eager to offload NunezNapoli are eager to get his servicesReds have set a £59 million price tagFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool, fresh off their 2024/25 Premier League triumph, are understood to be open to offloading Nunez in order to reinvest in a new frontman. While no formal bid has been received from Napoli as of yet, Anfield officials expect an official offer to arrive in the coming days.

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The Reds have set their valuation of the striker at approximately £59 million (€70 million). Should the Italian side meet that asking price, Liverpool are prepared to part ways with Nunez before the close of the transfer window, as they are lining up a move for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nunez arrived on Merseyside in 2022 from Benfica for a club-record fee that could rise to £85 million. Since then, he has registered 40 goals and 26 assists in 143 appearances across all competitions. While many Liverpool fans have admired Nunez for his physicality, work rate, and ability to trouble defenders, frustration has grown over his erratic finishing. During the most recent campaign under new manager Arne Slot, he started only eight league matches and managed just seven goals, hardly the return expected from a marquee centre-forward.

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With Napoli ready to offer him a fresh start under a proven manager, all signs now point toward an imminent exit for the Uruguayan. Though clubs from the Saudi Pro League have reportedly shown interest in luring Nunez away from Anfield, the striker is said to prefer continuing his career in Europe.

“Playing Pakistan, in Sri Lanka, will help our squad further prepare for the Asia Cup,” the ACB chairman said

Danyal Rasool31-Jul-2023

Just before the Asia Cup, Afghanistan will host Pakistan for a series of three ODIs across five days in Sri Lanka. The first two games will be played in Hambantota on August 22 and 24, with the third taking place in Colombo on August 26.Both sides will travel to Pakistan after the series, with the Asia Cup opener in Multan between Pakistan and Nepal taking place on August 30.”Our previous ODI assignment was a 2-1 series victory in our away tour to Bangladesh, which has boosted the team’s morale for the Pakistan series,” Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. “We are satisfied with our preparations for the Asia Cup as we have featured in multiple ODI commitments in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh recently, and playing Pakistan, in Sri Lanka, will help our squad read the conditions and further prepare for the event.”Afghanistan were the official hosts when the two sides played a three-match T20I series in Sharjah in March, which Afghanistan won 2-1. Pakistan have never lost an ODI to Afghanistan, winning all four they have played to date.Pakistan completed a two-Test series in Sri Lanka last week. A number of players, including captain Babar Azam, have remained in Sri Lanka to take part in the Lankan Premier League, which began on July 30 and ends on August 20.

Manchester United fan and presenter Mark Goldbridge has been left “devastated” at an update that has emerged from Old Trafford.

Man Utd announce new 100,000 stadium plan

It has been a busy few days for co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who sat down with the media on Monday to talk all things United.

From managers to players and finances, Ratcliffe, who has injected £300m into the club since coming in last year, worryingly claimed that the money was due to run out at Old Trafford by the end of the year.

“If you think about Manchester United as a business, it’s gone off the rails. It’s gone off the rails a long way, really. If you look at the numbers, the numbers were fairly scary, really. Because they’d sort of lost control, I think, of where the ship was headed. And the costs had got out of control.

“If you think of it in really simple terms, you’ve got the operating costs, which are all the staff and the fixed costs of running the business. And then you’ve got all the squad costs, player salaries and player purchases.

“In super-simple terms, the club has been spending more money than it’s been earning now for the last seven years, and it ends in a very difficult place. And for Manchester United, that place ended at the end of this year, the end of 2025, with the club running out of cash.”

Since then, United have confirmed plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium, which will see the current Old Trafford knocked down. Plans were revealed on Tuesday and the new stadium is set to cost around £2bn.

Referred to as “New Trafford Stadium”

New Stretford End will have a capacity of 23,500

Stadium will be visible from the Peak District

5-10 years to build

Second largest stadium in Europe behind Nou Camp

Will be tallest building in Manchester

Talking on Tuesday, Ratcliffe said: “Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford.

“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home.”

Goldbridge “devastated” at Old Trafford update

On Monday evening, Goldbridge took to X to react to the news he heard of Old Trafford being knocked down and replaced, an update which was confirmed by INEOS the next day.

Then, on Tuesday, Goldbridge had this to say on the images of the new stadium. “I’ve just seen the images of the new stadium… Some will like it, some won’t. Reminds me of the old Olympic stadium in Munich. Spiders web.

“I think it works well. Looks like a circus tent and we’re run like one.”

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With Manchester United planning to leave Old Trafford soon, which sports stadiums will their new home look to emulate?

ByStephan Georgiou Mar 11, 2025

All being well and if United get government backing, it will take around five years to build the new stadium, but it doesn’t look as if Goldbridge is best pleased.

Early this morning, Thomas Tuchel announced his first England squad, and Tottenham Hotspur fans could see the list of who from their team had been called up.

Unfortunately, that list had just a single name: Dominic Solanke.

Now, the former Bournemouth striker’s inclusion is exciting and entirely deserved – especially following his two assists last night – but several others in Ange Postecoglou’s squad deserved a call-up.

One of those is Djed Spence, who’s been spectacular this season, but one of his more valuable teammates can feel just as aggrieved.

Why Spence should have been called up

Truth be told, there are plenty of English stars who will feel as if they should have been included in Tuchel’s initial squad today, but Spence even more so.

The former Middlesbrough star may have been on the outside looking in at the start of the campaign, but since December, he’s been an integral part of Postecoglou’s first team.

Capable of sitting back and defending like an old-school full-back or marauding forward, beating his opposite number and firing in a dangerous cross for his teammates, the 24-year-old really can do it all.

Moreover, while the right-back spot is traditionally an area of the Three Lions squad stacked with talent, the inclusion of Kyle Walker, who couldn’t cope with the pace of the Premier League just a few months ago, suggests space could have been made for the Spurs star.

On top of that, the other side of the defence has often been viewed as one of the team’s weak spots, and that is where the “swashbuckling” dynamo, as dubbed by Ian Wright, has spent most of the campaign.

In short, Spence, whom Football Transfers still value at just €11.2m – about £9m – can feel somewhat slighted by Tuchel’s decision, as can one of his far more valuable teammates.

The Spurs star worth millions more than Spence

While the likes of Mikey Moore and Archie Gray are both tremendously exciting youngsters who could play a big part in any future England teams, the other Tottenham star who should have made it into Tuchel’s squad is James Maddison.

The former Leicester City star, whom Football Transfers still value at just €58.8m, which is about £49m, or £40m more than Spence, could have added some serious creativity and dynamism to the squad.

For example, just last night, he was running the show in a must-win Europa League game, in which he scored a crucial goal and earned a 9/10 match rating from respected journalist Alasdair Gold.

Appearances

37

Minutes

2217′

Goals

11

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.48

Minutes per Goal Involvement

123.16′

On top of that, while the 28-year-old has received plenty of criticism for occasionally disappearing in games, his output for this season is actually quite impressive.

For example, in 37 appearances, totalling 2217 minutes, the “incredible” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists.

That means the Coventry-born “magician,” as dubbed by Statman Dave, is averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 123.16 minutes for a team languishing in the second half of the Premier League table.

Ultimately, while it’s been a poor season overall for Spurs, Spence and Maddison have both played well enough, especially of late, to make it into Tuchel’s first England squad, and the fact the latter is worth so much only further indicates his immense talent.

100% duels, 92% passing: Spurs star just showed why he’s so "generational"

Spurs secured their passage into the next round of the Europa League.

5 ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 14, 2025

Liverpool have approached Bournemouth for Milos Kerkez's transfer as they close in on signing the full-back this summer.

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• Liverpool closing in on Kerkez
• In advanced talks with Bournemouth
• Liverpool have already sealed Frimpong's transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds are acting swiftly to strengthen their backline following Trent Alexander-Arnold's exit in the summer, as they have reportedly approached Bournemouth to sign their full-back Kerkez, according to . The journalist adds that talks between the two Premier League clubs are advancing and are now discussing the player's transfer fee. The Reds have a personal agreement in place with the defender.

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  The Merseyside club have already sealed the signing of Bayer Leverkusen right full-back Jeremie Frimpong, who has completed the first part of his medical with the English champions and will complete the process on Monday. It has also been revealed that the player will wear the shirt number 30.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Liverpool reportedly organised a 'leaving party' for Alexander-Arnold at their training centre, which angered a section of the fans. The player was also booed at Anfield during the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on May 11.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Arne Slot's side will play their final two games of the 2024-25 campaign against Brighton and Fulham on May 19 and 25, respectively.