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Top-order had bailed England out all tournament, but stunning collapse left nowhere to hide

Vishal Dikshit29-Oct-2025

Heather Knight was bowled for a duck as England slumped to 1 for 3•ICC via Getty Images

A round-robin exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a semi-final loss in the 2023 T20 World Cup, a medal-less finish in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at home, and a runners-up medal in the ODI World Cup months before that. Seizing the big moments in pressure situations is one of the aspects England head coach Charlotte Edwards wanted the team to get better at, when she took over in her role in April this year.Edwards doesn’t like losing, after all. Between her playing and coaching careers, she is the winner of five Ashes, two World Cups, five domestic titles, two WPLs and one Hundred. But the margin of this semi-final defeat to South Africa – 125 runs – once again turned the spotlight on their stuttering campaign with the bat, which had its weaknesses exposed right from the start, against some of the lower-ranked teams.The way Amy Jones missed an inducker from Marizanne Kapp for a duck evoked memories of her missing similar deliveries against Bangladesh and Pakistan. When Heather Knight chopped on for a duck with tentative footwork, the struggles of England’s top four against Pakistan’s pace bowlers came rushing back. As much as this would pose questions for Jones, Tammy Beaumont and Knight, who all fell for ducks in a knockout clash, it also served as a reminder of how England’s batters after No. 4 had barely made a mark in this World Cup.If it was the first time that England lost two wickets without a run on the board in an ODI, and when their top three all bagged ducks in a scoreline of 1 for 3 – the joint-lowest for three-down in the history of 1517 women’s ODIs – there was nowhere to hide for their misfiring middle- and lower-order. Until that point, the problems of those batters after Nat Sciver-Brunt at No. 4 had either been masked by five victories in the league stage or been made up for by the bulk of runs that were scored by the reliable hands of Sciver-Brunt and Knight.Bangladesh were the first to make inroads into that batting order, reducing them to 78 for 5, also at Guwahati. A loss there might have given England a harsher reality check, had it not been for Knight’s unbeaten 79 (and her large share of luck). Against Sri Lanka, England went past 250 despite being 168 for 6 after riding on Sciver-Brunt’s century, while no other batter went past 32. When Pakistan restricted England to 133 for 9 in a truncated game, rain saved them from their inevitable blushes as Pakistan were 34 for 0 when it got called off. Against India, England would have hoped to see some contributions at last from the lower order, having moved to a flatter track in Indore, but their Nos. 5 to 7 managed all of 28 runs combined. However, their batting woes were eclipsed in a four-run heist which posed more questions for India than England, who had booked a semis berth.Related

Edwards 'disappointed' but not 'concerned' by England's batting

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Wolvaardt and Kapp sing South Africa's song of ice and fire

By the time the league stage ended, however, England’s Nos. 5 to 7 had the worst average for any team, the second-worst strike rate (61.59) only behind Pakistan, and they had struck the fewest fours and no sixes, which was the same as Pakistan.”We do need to improve our batting, I don’t think it’s been consistent enough at times and equally with our bowling,” Edwards said at the press conference after the semi-final exit. “Our batting has to improve, certainly that middle order and playing against spin, certainly slow spin and obviously bowling across all phases. We’ve not put a whole game together as a team and that’s something we’ll be going away looking at.”Once she gets home, Edwards’ review of the lower-order is bound to put under the microscope the returns of Alice Capsey, who averaged 21 in the World Cup despite a half-century in the semi; Sophia Dunkley, who managed just 68 runs in 133 balls at 11.33, and Emma Lamb, who was dropped for Danni Wyatt-Hodge for the last league game, after she scored just 36 runs in five innings. When Wyatt-Hodge replaced Lamb against New Zealand with nothing for the team on the line, it started to raise questions whether England had drawn on the experience of Wyatt-Hodge a little too late, as it gave her the game-time of just seven balls before the knockouts.”I think Emma Lamb, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey had performed brilliantly coming into this tournament and I’m not the type of coach who’s just going to keep swapping and changing,” Edwards said. “We knew Danni Wyatt has played 300 games for England, so we knew she could fit in and she showed today that she can just zip into that position. I mean, people will look at that and think maybe we should have brought her in earlier. But we got to this point in the tournament, and we’re really comfortable with the selections we’ve made throughout.”Capsey showed some signs of redemption at the end with a knock of 50 while stitching a century stand with Sciver-Brunt, while Wyatt-Hodge’s quick 34 also gave England hope. However, the fact is that it all came a bit too late. On the day their top three had failed to score a single run, Edwards said they weren’t at their “best” on Wednesday. They will need to find their best on home soil next summer, as the focus now shifts to the T20 World Cup which begins in just over six months’ time.

He had only played 23 Tests before Sylhet, and was captaining for the first time in the format, but there was no hint of newbie about his leadership

Mohammad Isam03-Dec-2023There were four players more experienced than Najmul Hossain Shanto in the Bangladesh line-up against New Zealand in Sylhet. The BCB had made him captain after just 23 Tests. It was one of the earliest appointments for a Bangladesh Test captain among those given the job since 2010. Yet, it didn’t seem like the rest of the players found him a surprising element at the top. Nor did Shanto play or lead like a newbie.Shanto has been Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer in the last 12 months in Tests and ODIs. With his century in the second innings in Sylhet, he now has the most hundreds in a calendar year in all formats among Bangladesh’s batters. Most importantly, he has now led Bangladesh to a Test victory against a major team, and dragged the team out of the doom and gloom of their World Cup campaign.Related

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Calm and clinical Shanto brings back Bangladesh's smile

Shanto struck the decisive blow on the third day when he scored his fifth Test hundred at a pivotal time in the game. New Zealand had a seven-run lead, and Bangladesh have often wilted in the second innings. Shanto kept them going with a quickfire start and settled into a nice rhythm, putting together important partnerships and handing Bangladesh an important lead at stumps.Shanto was criticised for his all-out attack in the first innings, when he fell to a Glenn Philips full-toss after making a quick 37. He explained after the Sylhet Test that there was a method to his madness, and he knows when to stop.”It is important to understand that I was batting for my team,” Shanto said. “They set attacking fields so I had boundary options. It is not easy to defend for a long time on this wicket. When they had fielders in front of me, I attacked them. When they had in-and-out fields, I played defensively. I shifted back to my normal gameplan to avoid risky shots. When they attacked again, I went for the runs. Plans change according to the situation. They attacked in the first innings so I batted according to my plan.”I was quite clear about my approach. They set close-in fields so I played low-risk shots. Some may have thought those are high-risk shots. If I didn’t connect those shots, they would still go to the boundary over the fielder’s head. It was my gameplan. It seemed like I batted very responsibly in the second innings. I had similar plans. When they pushed the fielders back, I didn’t think it was necessary to hit fours and sixes over the fielders. I batted in a low-risk manner. A batter has to bat according to the situation. I had to keep my team’s needs in mind.”Najmul Hossain Shanto three Test hundreds in 2023•ESPNcricinfo LtdBefore the Test match, Shanto fired the first shot. He said in the pre-match press conference that Bangladesh expect to beat New Zealand in this Test series. A bold call from a stand-in captain, especially with a team under massive pressure following the World Cup debacle.Shanto explained that he understood the confidence within the playing group, which prompted him to sound out their plans for this Test series. “I was quite clear about my statement that we could win this Test series,” he said. “I didn’t say it just to motivate the players. I meant it. Plus, everyone had the same belief. I got the confidence to say this when I heard it from the players.”We were all on the same page. I considered our bowling attack and batting depth in these conditions before saying it. We have just done half of it though. We have to work hard for five days in Dhaka.”Shanto is slowly revealing himself as a strong character, something many believe is missing among the next crop of Bangladesh cricketers. When asked about the three-spinners-and-one-fast-bowler combination in the Sylhet Test, Shanto said what previous captains have shied away from explaining or even talking about with clarity. Shanto wondered why there’s a lot of fuss whenever Bangladesh play a lot of spinners.”If we played in different conditions and teams, we would have had more pace bowlers,” he said. “I find it strange why this question comes up when we only play more spinners. We don’t ask this question when we play more pacers and fewer spinners. Nobody asks why Taijul [Islam], [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz or Nayeem [Hasan] isn’t playing today. They are all bowlers so there’s need to separate them. It depends on the conditions and situations, which is how we form the team.”His tone was refreshing. He didn’t just defend the team’s tactics, but did it succinctly. He didn’t waste too much energy in being emotional, but articulated exactly why Bangladesh picked a three-man spin attack. Horses for courses, basically. You can debate the wider effects of packing the side with spinners on turning tracks at home. But the way he has said it speaks highly of his confidence and character.

They have endured a bumpy road on the way to the UAE and also haven’t played much T20I cricket due to the pandemic

Peter Della Penna18-Oct-2021

Big picture

In the last few months, Afghanistan – the country – has been beset by the chaos and upheaval triggered by the American military’s complete withdrawal of troops from the country and the return to government rule of the Taliban regime. Afghanistan – the cricket team – has not been immune to turmoil during the same period: the nascent women’s team – which has yet to play an ICC sanctioned match – has been told that for them to take the field would be in violation of Taliban policy. Other countries have taken note and decreed that for the Afghanistan women to be denied the opportunity to play is a violation of their own policies towards women’s equality, and in Australia that has meant the cancelation of the inaugural Test which Australia was due to host against Afghanistan.Though their participation in this World Cup was briefly under a cloud, the ICC gave them the green light to participate in the end. That does not mean that the national team has not endured a bumpy road on the way to the UAE. Government regime change sparked the ousting of the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s chairman. A series with Pakistan wound up being postponed while Rashid Khan resigned as T20I captain in protest – that too, before he even had a chance to lead the team in a game following his appointment to replace Asghar Afghan – after saying he was not consulted before the World Cup squad was picked.The one positive for them is that they no longer have to go through the opening round. Afghanistan’s cricket has improved to the point where they were included in the second round by virtue of being in the top eight on the T20I rankings table at the tournament cutoff date. It’s a sign of their evolution from Associate prey into Full Member predator.Related

• Rashid Khan expects spinners to play 'huge role' at T20 World Cup

• ICC confirms Afghanistan to be part of T20 World Cup

• Rashid steps down as captain protesting against squad selection

• Fazli returns as ACB chairman

Recent form

Afghanistan haven’t played much T20I cricket due to the pandemic, but they have been largely successful when they have been able to get on the field. Afghanistan have won their last three T20I series – a 2-1 win over West Indies in November 2019, another 2-1 win (the only loss came in a Super Over) against Ireland in March 2020, and a three-match sweep of Zimbabwe in March 2021.

Batting

Their inconsistency in this area is what has held them back from toppling higher-ranked teams on a more regular basis. But there are signs that this could be changing with the emergence of Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the top of the order. After being named player of the series against Ireland in March 2020, he blitzed 87 off 45 in the first T20I against Zimbabwe this past March, including seven sixes in Abu Dhabi. Any decent platform from him will give Najibullah Zadran the freedom to maintain his aggression in the middle overs heading into the death overs. Outside of them, the team still leans on Asghar and Mohammad Nabi to contribute runs regularly.Teenager Rahmanullah Gurbaz has a strike-rate of 143•Abu Dhabi Cricket

Bowling

Despite the lack of national-team cricket, their stars have gotten plenty of opportunity to stay in form through the world of franchise cricket. In particular their vaunted spin trio of Rashid, Mujeeb-uh-Rahman and Nabi remain in demand for their match-winning consistency.On the pace side, Naveen-ul-Haq and Karim Janat will likely bowl most of the seam overs. But Afghanistan selectors are pining for a bit of nostalgia with the inclusion of Hamid Hassan in the squad. Even by fast bowling standards, his 34-year-old body has had more wear and tear than most. It’s one reason he hasn’t played a T20I since Afghanistan’s win over West Indies at the 2016 T20 World Cup in Nagpur. But drawing from his inspiring comeback to compete in the 2019 World Cup, he’s giving it one more go to see if he can turn back the clock.Franchise cricket has kept Rashid and Nabi in touch with the sport despite very little cricket for the national side•AFP/Getty Images

Player to watch

He has never had the pace that Afghanistan’s more-heralded fast bowlers like Hamid and Dawlat Zadran were blessed with, but that hasn’t stopped Naveen-ul-Haq from sourcing far greater interest than they ever did on the T20 franchise circuit. His clever array of slower balls and accurate yorkers at the death have added a new dimension to Afghanistan’s bowling in recent times and transformed him from fringe squad member to automatic selection, one who can win matches and lessen the reliance on the mystery spinners to do all the dirty work.

Key question

How will the players perform considering all of the instability at home? Though the ICC confirmed Afghanistan’s participation in this event, that’s not a guarantee going forward if Australia’s decision to cancel a Test match is any indication. The best way to ensure this doesn’t turn into a last hurrah is to score a few victories.Afghanistan have made a swift habit of bullying teams beneath them in the rankings so a pair of victories against both teams who advance out of the opening round is highly likely. But they’ll need to spring at least two upsets against group opponents New Zealand, Pakistan and India to have any realistic chance of progressing to the semifinals and building a case for their continued inclusion in global events regardless of what happens off the field in Kabul.

Likely XI

1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Karim Janat, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Asghar Afghan, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Naveen-ul-Haq, 9 Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmad, 11 Hamid Hassan

Sunderland fans will be hurriedly counting down the days now until their beloved Black Cats do battle again in the Premier League.

In an ideal reality, those of a Wearside persuasion love to have seen their high-flying team continue to play during the international break, instead of having to take an enforced pause.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men find themselves in an uncharted fourth position in the Premier League table at the time of writing, which is some feat, considering the Frenchman has only just guided the Black Cats back up to the big time.

A huge part of their whirlwind success story so far has been Granit Xhaka, who is already being viewed as one of Sunderland’s most cherished figures of recent years.

How Xhaka compares to other Sunderland captains

Before delving deeper into Xhaka becoming an instant fan favourite at the Stadium of Light, he isn’t the only notable recent captain who plied his trade on Wearside.

Just last season, Luke O’Nien would bravely battle for the Black Cats all campaign long, donning the armband, with Sunderland’s former number one goalkeeper in Anthony Patterson, even going out of his way to hail him as a “leader.”

With three goals and 16 clean sheets under his belt, it’s clear why he was described in such glowing terms, with O’Nien arguably as important to his side’s promotion efforts, as Xhaka has proven to be in punching above their weight in the league above.

Other notable faces who have been given the weighty pressure of the Black Cats armband in recent years include John O’Shea, who made 256 appearances for the Wearside outfit, all of which came in the Premier League.

Of course, there was also the no-nonsense approach of Lee Cattermole, but not even his full-bloodedness for the cause, nor his six-goal contributions in the big time, could keep Sunderland from eventually slipping down to League One.

This is where Sunderland has undoubtedly hit the jackpot with Xhaka, with his £13m arrival through the door in the summer raising the standards of everyone around him, so much so that relegation already feels very unlikely.

The Swiss has also singlehandedly been a force to get Sunderland over the line in tense matches, too, with a goal fiercely put away against Everton at the start of November, securing a 1-1 draw, which was also collected off the back of the ex-Arsenal warrior, winning five duels to keep the Toffees at bay.

The concern will be that Xhaka, despite looking like a fine wine now, is 33 years of age, meaning he won’t be a long-term captain option.

Thankfully, Le Bris may already have a future captain on his hands.

Sunderland's future captain

While the majority of the talk so far this season has centred on the number of brand-new signings that have made the step-up to the Premier League look effortless, Le Bris should also be commended for what he’s managed to get out of stars who have been there since the club’s Championship days.

Wilson Isidor is already up to four Premier League goals after bagging 13 in the second tier last season. Moreover, Daniel Ballard has looked formidable in the heart of Le Bris’ defence when handed opportunities to shine, having been noted as a “diamond” for how much he puts his body on the line, early into his Sunderland career by his former Stadium of Light boss in Tony Mowbray.

In the here and now, much like Xhaka, he has become a dependable warrior for Le Bris to trust in, with the Northern Ireland international firing home that effort past David Raya last time out in league action to hand the hosts a shock one-goal advantage over top-of-the-table Arsenal.

His underlying numbers aren’t that far off the 33-year-old’s either, with his similar fight and passion, as Sunderland try to gain as many early-season victories as possible, standing him in good stead to succeed the midfield veteran as the Black Cats’ next dominant and assured captain.

Amazingly, despite starting just six Premier League games this season, owing to injury problems popping up, Ballard has trumped Xhaka notably in terms of duels won per match, with a mighty six won just against Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

He isn’t a million miles away in other areas, either, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley highlighting Ballard’s sharp rise to become a Premier League-calibre defender as “phenomenal”.

For the time being, the Black Cats will continue to rely on the experience and know-how of their Basel-born midfielder.

Still, the commanding number five is definitely a worthy heir to Xhaka’s intimidating throne.

Talks open: Sunderland willing to make record £70m offer for Barcelona star

The Black Cats’ potential record pursuit could hinge on one key factor.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Nov 10, 2025

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Antes marcado para a Arena Barueri, o jogo entre Palmeiras x Vasco, válido pela 8ª rodada do Brasileirão 2024 está confirmado para acontecer no Allianz Parque.

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A mudança se deu pela paralisação de duas semanas que a CBF fez no Campeonato Brasileiro e agora o Verdão poderá ter a sua casa para um importante jogo da competição nacional.

Ainda não se sabe se o palco estará montado atrás do gol norte, o que diminuiria a carga de público em 10 mil pessoas, mas a partida está confirmada para acontecer no novo Palestra Itália, mesmo com uma agenda cheia de shows na arena alviverde prevista para a semana do jogo.

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Na última rodada do Verdão no Brasileiro, o time de Abel Ferreira teve que encarar o Athletico-PR na Arena Barueri, e após a derrota por 2 a 0, Abel Ferreira falou forte na coletiva sobre a chateação de não poder atuar em casa por causa dos shows que são realizados no Allianz Parque e impossibilitam a prática do futebol.

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O jogo entre Palmeiras x Vasco está marcado para o dia 13 de junho, a partir das 21h30 (horário de Brasilia).

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خاض فريق ريال مدريد مباراة أمام خصمه سيلتا فيجو، مساء الأحد، في إطار مواجهات بطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا” لموسم 2025-2026.

واستقبل ريال مدريد خصمه سيلتا فيجو، ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة عشر للدوري الإسباني “الليجا”، وذلك على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وتعرض ريال مدريد للهزيمة أمام سيلتا فيجو بهدفين دون رد، وشهدت المباراة طردين للفريق، فران جارسيا وألفارو كاريراس.

وتجمد رصيد ريال مدريد عند النقطة 36 في المركز الثاني، خلف برشلونة المتصدر الذي يملك 40 نقطة.

ويستعد ريال مدريد لمواجهة قوية في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا للموسم الجاري، وذلك يوم الأربعاء المقبل.

وسيلاقي ريال مدريد خصمه مانشستر سيتي، في خضم مباريات الجولة السادسة لمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وستقام المباراة بدوري أبطال أوروبا أمام مانشستر سيتي، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” معقل فريق ريال مدريد.

وكان مانشستر سيتي قد حقق الفوز في مباراته بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، أمام سندرلاند بثلاثية دون رد. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي

ستقام المباراة يوم الأربعاء القادم الموافق 10 ديسمبر الجاري، وذلك في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، الحادية عشر مساءً بتوقيت السعودية.

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Cristian Malaspina, presidente do Argentinos Juniors, detonou o Corinthians e o Santos e se mostrou arrependido em negociar jogadores com os dois clubes paulistas.

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– Estou totalmente arrependido de ter vendido jogadores a Santos e Corinthians. Eles não cumpriram os acordos. Por isso estão nestas situações – disse Malaspina à Trivela.

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O desentendimento entre Argentinos Juniors e Santos envolve a transferência de Gabriel Carbajal, em 2022. Na terça-feira (30), o Peixe foi notificado pela Fifa em relação à compra do meia. O clube argentino cobra 580 mil dólares (cerca de R$ 3 milhões).

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– O Santos nos deve esse valor mesmo e saiu agora saiu a sentença da FIFA. Por enquanto, ninguém do Santos me procurou para conversar ou avisar quando vão pagar. Queremos o pagamento à vista. O Santos tem que nos pagar já, do contrário ficarão proibidos de registrar novos jogadores. A verdade é que Santos e Corinthians são uma vergonha – comentou Malaspína.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

Já o problema com o Corinthians envolve o atraso nas parcelas de Fausto Vera, que chegou ao Timão em 2022. O clube brasileiro foi condenado na Fifa a pagar US$ 3,45 milhões (R$ 17 milhões) ao Argentinos Juniors.

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O Corinthians recorreu à Corte Arbitral do Esporte e aguarda decisão final. Caso seja condenado e não efetue o pagamento, o clube corre risco de ficar impedido de registrar novos jogadores.

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USA Cricket’s decision to terminate its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), its primary commercial partner, which is also the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC) – has left USA’s players “extremely affected” while dealing with uncertainty about their future. According to USA allrounder Corey Anderson, who is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association (USCA), the players fear that cricket in the country could be derailed if ACE pulls out.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who moved to the USA and became eligible to play for them in 2023, suggested that ACE had been integral to the development of cricket in the USA for the past several years having invested in both Minor League Cricket and the MLC, which is now three seasons old.Related

• ICC suspends USA Cricket board

• ACE takes USA Cricket to court as power struggle intensifies

• MLC parent company calls its agreement termination by USA Cricket 'unlawful' and 'wrongful'

“I guess the termination of this contract between USAC and ACE just leaves players in a limbo and in a scenario where they are now so uncertain of their futures,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo on a call from his home in Dallas. “And this is something that they’re extremely affected by in the way that they earn a living. How long does this last for? What does future seasons of Major League or Minor League or anything like that – what does that start to look like from that regard?”Apart from the significant sums of money it spends to conduct cricket in the country, ACE is also the backbone of cricketing operations in the USA. ACE owns the ground that houses the High Performance Centre at Grand Prairie in Dallas, Texas, holds exclusive license to the ground in Morrisville, has agreements with Broward County in Florida, and owns two drop-in pitches at the Oakland Coliseum, which made its debut during the 2025 MLC.As part of a long-term deal inked in 2019, ACE is contracted to funnel a minimum of USD 1.2 million annually to the USAC to cover the contracts of the national team including support staff. A failure to pay out that money consistently, the USAC has claimed, was one of the breaches that led to the termination of the contract. ACE strongly disputes this, claiming it has actually paid more than the agreed amount.Another thing that bothers Anderson, in case the standoff continues, is its potential impact on several important events leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is set to be played in February-March in India and Sri Lanka with USA among the 20 participating teams. In consultation with USAC, ACE had planned a high-performance camp for 35 top men’s players with trial matches – three 50-over games and three T20s – in Morrisville against West Indies A.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association•Major League Cricket

The objective of this camp was to identify the best players for the T20 World Cup as well as prepare the team for World Cricket League 2 in October, which is USA’s qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup. ACE is also meant to be hosting the USA Women’s team at the HPC in Grand Prairie along with five-match T20 series against West Indies in October-November.”Is that all still taking place or not? These camps have to take place for the players to get ready for those things,” Anderson said. “All of those things are very much in a big question mark at the moment, which again just creates more uncertainty around the players. And effectively anything that goes on regarding those contracts ends up ultimately just affecting the players.”It’s just throwing a question mark on what players don’t know and their uncertainty around even that, which is again so unfortunate, because we’re in a space now with USA [where cricket] is growing and it’s growing very fast, and there’s a lot of money getting put into it and a lot of investment. But again [as things now stand], for what? Because players are now disrupted, unsure of what they need to do, unsure of where they’re going, and what their future looks like.”Has USAC written to the players since the public termination of the ACE contract? Not yet, according to Anderson. He pointed out that while the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) recognizes USACA, USAC doesn’t. “We haven’t heard anything from USAC,” he said. “Again, I do want to establish that we aren’t recognized by USA Cricket, so in terms of being bound by anything, they do not have to say anything to us. But again, it would be very neglectful of them not to inform the players’ association considering we do have majority of the members [players] of Major League Cricket and in fact we have the majority of the USA national team as our members. And so when we speak up and get into bargaining discussions and things like that, we are doing it for them. It’s a players’ union run by the players.”Anderson said he had personally not reached out to any USA players, although there had been several discussions between players during the ongoing Minor League, where he plays for Dallas Kings Eleven. “I have not been in touch with any of the players because at the moment we don’t have any information to provide those players. If they’ve been provided information, that hasn’t been given back to us or given to any other players. This is where things can get pretty messy, because it starts becoming a little bit of the whispers start going around, and the rumour mill starts up, and [nobody knows] what’s actually true and what’s correct. And everyone’s a little bit unsure of what that actually looks like. So again, it’ll be nice to hear from the governing body [USAC] itself and understand what it looks like.”We’re currently in the middle of Minor League at the moment, so there are a lot of players asking what’s happening. Text messages, phone calls, what does this look like for Major League and our World Cup preparation? Minor League is currently running, but what does the future of that look like? Is this going to continue? So again, messages that unfortunately don’t have any answers.”According to USAC chairman Venu Piske, ‘it’s too early to make any assumptions’ about the future of the MLC•Sportzpics for MLC

USAC open to ‘renegotiate’ and ‘sanction’ 2026 MLC

Venu Piske, the USAC chairman, said he understood the concerns raised by Anderson, and added that players would always be the priority. “I certainly can understand the sensitivity and also the players may have some concerns,” Piske said. “It’s understandable, but players are our No. 1 priority without any doubt. We have made sure we take care of players in all situations even when we are getting our funding as per the contract from ACE, or not getting the funding.”Piske said while there remained outstanding issues to sort out with ACE, USAC would not overlook players’ welfare including the financial aspect. Piske said USAC had given out 15 national contracts, which he said were the highest number offered in the board’s history. Piske said he could understand players being concerned about the future of MLC, and whether it would happen next season, but remained optimistic, saying USAC were open to “renegotiate” with ACE and even “sanction” the next season.”I know there may be some concerns around what’s going to happen with MLC, that’s understandable, but it’s too early to make any assumptions. As per our communication to ACE at the time of termination, we are committed to renegotiate on different terms because the current terms they [ACE] have not met; we always had a friction environment for the last six years, but considering their [ACE’s] commitment and investment to MLC, we are open to even sanction MLC while this is going on or we are open to some agreeable terms to resolve this.”MLC CEO Johnny Grave said ACE was not in breach of any terms in the original agreement and said it was focused on continuing to support USA Cricket. “We are fully compliant with our agreement with USAC and we continue to work to build all aspects of cricket in America.”According to Anderson, the best solution ought to involve ACE, without whose support he felt USA Cricket cannot provide a “premium product”. A “resolution sooner rather than later”, Anderson said, would benefit not just the game in the USA, but also reassure players that they have a secure future. “It needs to be anything that’s going to benefit the players in terms of just answers that will give us some suggestion that the future of the game here in the States is going to continue to be invested in and continue to grow, and players understand that they have a way of earning a living and being able to play quality cricket here again,” he said. “With the runway of what the USA team specifically has in terms of a World Cup and then an Olympics in 2028, those are massive markers for USA cricket to be able to hit. And I don’t see a world in which they can provide a premium product or quality of product without funding from ACE.”

أكد أكرم توفيق، لاعب منتخب مصر المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب والمحترف في فريق الشمال القطري، أن جميع اللاعبين جاهزين للبطولة.

ومن المقرر، أن يشارك منتخب مصر، بقيادة الكابتن حلمي طولان، في بطولة كأس العرب المقرر إقامته في قطر، والذي ينطلق في الأول من ديسمبر المقبل.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر، ضمن المجموعة الثالثة في بطولة كأس العرب، والتي تضم أيضًا منتخبات الأردن، الإمارات، والفائز من مباراة الكويت وموريتانيا.

وقال توفيق خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “ختمنا المعسكر بشكل جيد، الجهاز الفني محترم جدًا واللاعبون على أعلى مستوى، إن شاء الله نستعد للبطولة وكلنا نُفكر في التتويج بها”.

وأضاف: “البطولة صعبة جدًا لكن نحن نسطيع التتويج بها، حلمي طولان دائمًا يقول لنا ذاهبون للمنافسة، (مش هنهزر)”.

طالع | أحمد حسن: لاعبون كثيرون يتهربون من الانضمام لمنتخب مصر الثاني.. وسنعلن عن أسمائهم

وتابع: “منتخب مصر الأول حلم لأي لاعب، أنا أسعى، وعندما لا أنضم يكون بسبب عدم توفيق، لا يوجد فرق بين المنتخب الأول والثاني كلنا نمثل مصر”.

وأكمل: “الجهاز الفني بقيادة حلمي طولان استدعاني ولبيت فورًا وأنا سعيد جدًا، وهم على أعلى مستوى من الأخلاق والاحترام، الكل يكون مبسوطا وسعيدا في المنتخب، لأن البطولة القادمة الجميع سيتابعها والكل يريد أن يعلن نفسه أمام الناس”.

وبسؤاله “الأهلي وحشك؟”، أتم حديثه: “أكيد طبعا، النادي الأهلي بيتي، قضيت فيه أفضل 10 سنين في حياتي، لكن الكرة بها متغيرات، لي ذكريات جميلة، ودائمًا هيفضل بيتي”.

وخاض منتخب مصر الثاني، مبارتين وديتين، أمام الجزائر في معسكر نوفمبر الجاري، فاز في الأولى 3-2، وتعادل سلبيًا في المباراة الثانية.

West Indies allrounder Andre Russell will retire from international cricket after the first two T20Is against Australia on his home ground at Sabina Park in Jamaica.Russell, 37, has been a T20I-only player since 2019 and currently has 84 caps. His retirement comes seven months before the next T20 World Cup, which will be staged in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026. He also played one Test and 56 ODIs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Words cannot explain what it meant. To represent the West Indies has been one of the proudest achievements in my life,” Russell said. “When I was a kid, I did not expect to get to this level, but the more you start to play and get to love the sport, you realise what you can achieve. This inspired me to become better because I wanted to leave a mark in the maroon colours and become an inspiration to others.””I love playing for the West Indies and I love playing at home in front of my family and friends where I get to showcase my talent and produce more high-quality performances. I want to finish my international career on a high while being a role model for the next generation of cricketers coming out of the Caribbean.”Russell will become the second high-profile West Indies player, after Nicholas Pooran, to quit international cricket in less than two months. It’s understood West Indies’ selectors were not expecting Russell’s announcement.Russell was a part of the West Indies squads when they won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and then in 2016, when he took the new ball and dismissed Alex Hales in the second over in Kolkata.”Andre has always been the consummate professional and a fierce competitor,” coach Daren Sammy said. “Whether I was captaining him or now coaching him, his hunger to perform and win for West Indies has never wavered. I wish him all the best on his next chapter, and I hope he continues to inspire generations to come.”Matthew Forde will be Russell’s replacement in the squad against Australia for the St Kitts leg of matches.Meanwhile, teenager Jewel Andrew and Jediah Blades, 23, earned their maiden call-ups to the West Indies T20I squad. In CPL 2024, at 17 years and 266 days, Andrew had become the youngest West Indian and second youngest overall to score a fifty in a major T20 league. Andrew is currently part of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ongoing Global Super League (GSL) in Guyana.As for Blades, he has not played the CPL so far but had impressed with the new ball during the inaugural West Indies breakout league, a tournament that was held recently to identify emerging talent from the region. Shai Hope will continue to lead the side, which also includes Rovman Powell, who missed the GSL for Dubai Capitals.”Our goals and strategic plans are aligned to winning the T20 World Cup in 2026,” Sammy said. “We have continuity in the squad from the previous series and as a unit we will continue to fine tune our style and brand ahead of the World Cup.””Our previous two T20 series at home we were on the wrong end of the results but starting against Australia, we want to regain our form at home as we build momentum into next year’s World Cup with our exciting and dynamic group of players.”

West Indies squad

Shai Hope (capt), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd