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تعرضت آمال فريق كولومبوس كرو في التأهل للإدوار الإقصائية في الدوري الأمريكي لانتكاسة كبيرة، حيث أعلن ويلفريد نانسي مدرب الفريق، مدة غياب وسام أبو علي.

ويعاني المهاجم الفلسطيني وسام أبو علي من إصابة بكسر في القدم، حيث سيغيب عن الملاعب لمدة ستة أسابيع مقبلة.

وقد تعرض وسام أبو علي للإصابة يوم السبت بعد تسجيله هدفًا في مباراة فريقه كولومبوس كرو ضد تورونتو إف سي، والتي انتهت بالتعادل بهدف لمثله.

اقرأ أيضاً.. “حزين من أجله”.. مدرب كولومبوس كرو يعلق على إصابة وسام أبو علي ضد تورونتو

ويأتي غياب وسام أبو علي وإصابته في وقت حرج، حيث يدخل كولومبوس كرو المباريات الثلاث الأخيرة من الموسم الحالي، ويملك الفريق فرصة قوية للتأهل لكن خسارة وسام أبو علي قد تعقد مسيرته في التصفيات.

وأكد نانسي أن الفريق سيحتاج للاعتماد على عمقه الهجومي وهدافيه المتبقيين، في سعيه لحجز مكان في التصفيات.

وقال نانسي في تصريحات صحفية نشرتها “كولومبوس ديسباتش”: “من الواضح أن وسام كان متأثراً وبشدة عندما علم أنه لن يتمكن من اللعب، كما رأيتم كان يقدم أداء جيدًا ويتواصل مع الفريق بشكل بالغ الأهمية”.

وكان وسام أبو علي قد بقى في الملعب لما يقرب من 10 دقائق حيث احتاج لرعاية طبية، إذ جاءت الإصابة بعد محاولة اعتراض تمريرة للفريق المنافس.

Southern Brave fall short after three wickets in seven balls derails chase

Matt Roller18-Aug-2024Saqib Mahmood put two years of injury hell behind him at Lord’s, winning the Hundred final for Oval Invincibles with a devastating spell of reverse-swing. With Southern Brave’s chase of 148 in the balance, Mahmood removed Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans to take 3 for 1 in seven balls, a timely reminder of his talents on the biggest stage in English domestic cricket.It meant the Hundred’s best team won their second successive title, as the Invincibles’ men of 2023-24 matched their women’s achievement of 2021-22 by retaining the trophy. That they had retained Mahmood despite him missing consecutive seasons with back stress fractures confirmed their success in building the clearest identity of any side in the men’s competition.They have not quite lived up to their moniker, but the Invincibles have lost only three games across the last two seasons. Sam Billings and Tom Moody, their captain and coach, have built their team around three allrounders – Will Jacks and the Curran brothers – in the top seven, giving them unrivalled balance.”Saqib Mahmood came and changed the game with that set of 10. That was a turning point,” Billings said. “It’s been a real team effort throughout, probably even better than last year… Your career goes past very quickly and these are the nights to really remember and cherish, as a group of mates as much as colleagues. Winning trophies is what it’s all about.”Mahmood’s England reminder
The Invincibles can boast the Hundred’s most prolific spin attack, with 34 wickets between them this season after Adam Zampa, Nathan Sowter and Jacks snared four more in Sunday’s final, in front of a full house at Lord’s.Zampa made a crucial breakthrough in his second set of five, bowling Alex Davies with a googly for 35 off 23 following a bright start in the Powerplay. Having himself set the game up for the Invincibles with 37 off 22 balls, Jacks then roared in celebration after dismissing the season’s leading run-scorer in James Vince, bowled looking to hack leg-side.Will Jacks claimed the wicket of James Vince•Getty ImagesBut after Evans tucked into Zampa, slog-sweeping consecutive balls for four and six, the Brave needed a manageable 53 off 30 with seven wickets in hand. Du Plooy launched Mahmood past Dawid Malan’s sprawling dive at extra cover, but backed away to the following ball and lost his leg stump as Mahmood went full and straight.Mahmood had the old ball moving both ways and stayed on for a second consecutive set of five from the Nursery End after three dots to Pollard. Fresh from a breather at the strategic timeout, Mahmood went full and straight to smash Pollard on the knee roll, then had Evans chipping to short cover to leave the chase in disarray.With Australia touring in September for three T20Is and five ODIs, Mahmood’s impact will have nudged England’s selectors. He has not played international cricket since March 2023 and would not have featured in Sunday’s final if Spencer Johnson had been fit, but looked back towards his brilliant best.Chris Jordan, fresh from a match-winning hand in the ‘Super Five’ which decided Saturday’s eliminator, was the Brave’s final hope. When Zampa, the season’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 19, cleaned him up third-ball, the Invincibles’ name was on the trophy once again.Jordan Cox kept Oval Invincibles pressing towards a big total•Getty ImagesJacks sets Invincibles up
The Invincibles recovered from 34 for 5 during their comeback win over Manchester Originals in last year’s final, but made a serene start this time around thanks to Jacks. He raced to 31 off 14 balls with early sixes off Jofra Archer, Craig Overton and Akeal Hosein, and was then given a reprieve when Pollard dropped a straightforward chance at long-on.Archer, playing at Lord’s for the first time since his Test debut during the 2019 Ashes, looked sharp with the new ball, with Jacks top-edging a short ball into his helmet. He had Malan caught at deep midwicket for 7 and Tymal Mills removed his opening partner Jacks seven balls later for 37, his full toss slipping under the bat and crashing into middle and off stumps.Sam Curran and Jordan Cox added 46 for the third wicket, but Hosein then sparked a mini-collapse during a set of 10 consecutive balls delivered from different ends. Curran skied to cover, Billings played around a straight one, and Donovan Ferreira holed out to Pollard on the long-on boundary. When Cox top-edged Mills’ short ball through to Alex Davies, the Invincibles had lost 4 for 9.Tom Curran, the star of their 2023 triumph, crashed 24 off 11 balls to keep the innings moving – including one outrageous punch for six over extra cover off Archer – before falling to an excellent catch from James Coles at deep square leg, and Tom Lammonby added 16 from No. 8 in only his third innings of the season. Their 147 looked just above par – and so it proved.

Heather Knight got herself into form ahead of England’s series with New Zealand with 66 as Western Storm condemned Sunrisers to the wooden spoon in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.England skipper Knight grabbed her second fifty in a row to average 52 in the competition, to put the disappointing Pakistan T20Is behind her before the White Ferns arrive for three ODIs and five T20s from next Wednesday.Her 74-run stand with 20-year-old Emma Corney – who made a CEC best of 46 – put Storm on track for 142 for seven, with Blaze loanee Sophie Munro picking up four for 23.Despite Grace Scrivens and Jo Gardner’s speedy start, Sunrisers fell 11 runs short to end as the bottom-placed side for the fourth year in a row – with Storm ending their tournament a point and a place better off.Storm chose to bat, and used Corney as a facilitator for Dani Gibson and then Knight to score runs quickly at the other end.Gibson used her feet to good effect as she bashed a trio of boundaries before top-edging to short fine, with the visitors reaching a creditable 44 for one in the powerplay.While Corney confidently ticked the runs along from one end, Knight showed all her experience and skill – with the pair putting on 74 for the second wicket.Devon-raised Corney strode past her previous CEC best of 40 – but fell four runs short of a maiden fifty when she slapped to backward point.It began a Storm collapse, which saw them lose six wickets for 41 runs in the final six overs.Fran Wilson was run out by a sensational direct hit from the boundary from Gardner, Sophie Luff chipped to mid-off, Kate Coppack brilliantly pouched Amanda Jade Wellington at short third before Nat Wraith skied one.But throughout, Knight continued to score at a decent pace, slog-sweeping the only six of the innings, as she brought up back-to-back fifties in 34 balls.She was stumped off the final ball – to hand Munro the fourth of her impressive haul – as Storm reached 142 for seven.In reply, Mady Villiers holed out to deep square in the fourth over, but Grace Scrivens and Gardner blitzed Sunrisers ahead of the rate.But the duo fell within six balls of each other either side of the powerplay to begin a wobble they never recovered from.Scrivens had continued her form from the 42 versus Blaze and unbeaten 62 against Stars to crash a quick-fire 26 – before falling to the last ball of the powerplay – while Gardner distributed three consecutive fours off Gibson.But both offered up simple catches, before Lissy MacLeod was caught and bowled first ball by Chloe Skelton.Amara Carr swept to short fine, Flo Miller was bowled and Amu Surenkumar found deep midwicket as Sunrisers never recovered.Jodi Grewcock held firm with 40 – one of two run outs in the last over – but Storm completed their second win of the competition without further anxiety.

After a deal was completed to land Matheus Cunha last week, it appears as though Manchester United have shown no signs of slowing down in the transfer market.

Ruben Amorim has made a move to land Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, with the Cameroon international choosing Old Trafford as his next move if reports are to be believed.

The 25-year-old has notched 20 goals in the Premier League during 2024/25, finishing as just one of only five players to reach such a tally within the division.

He’s likely to be an expensive addition, costing a fee in the region of £60m over the coming months, which will already take their summer spending to over £120m.

Despite the potential fee, he would be a superb addition, potentially forming a deadly partnership with another target in their attempts to return to their former glory.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

The attacking department has been of huge interest over the last few weeks, with Amorim clearly wanting to bolster that area of his first-team squad.

Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Liam Delap have all been touted with a switch to Old Trafford, but appear to have moved on to different targets – with the latter moving closer to a move to Chelsea.

However, another name has entered the mix over recent days, with PSG attacker Gonçalo Ramos the latest name on the club’s shortlist, according to United In Focus.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are willing to part ways with the Portuguese international this summer, with the Red Devils already in talks with his representatives over a move to Old Trafford.

It also states that the 23-year-old is of interest to multiple Saudi Arabian outfits, with the newly crowned Champions of Europe demanding £50m to part ways with him this summer.

Why United’s £50m target could be the next Cavani & the perfect Mbeumo partner

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani joined United back in the summer of 2020, arriving on a free transfer after his contract with PSG expired a couple of months prior.

He only plied his trade at Old Trafford for two years, but still managed to star within the final third for the Red Devils despite entering the back end of his professional career.

The forward found the net 19 times in his 59 appearances, with 17 of his efforts coming in his first season at the club – helping the side finish second in the Premier League.

However, Cavani would depart at the end of his contract in the summer of 2022, with the club missing such a talisman over the past couple of years – as seen by their efforts for a new one during the off-season.

A move for Ramos would replicate such a deal, landing a talent from the French giants who could fill the void at the top end and lead them back towards a spot in the top four.

He could also partner Mbeumo in the final third, with both of their respective figures aiding Amorim’s ambitions of taking the club back to their former glory.

Ramos, who’s been labelled “outrageous” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has registered 18 goals across all competitions this season, with him and the Brentford star able to add needed goals to the side.

The Portugal international has registered 2.7 shots on target per 90, benefiting from the stats produced by Mbeumo, who’s posting a total of 1.8 chances created per 90 this campaign.

Their respective talents don’t stop there, with the PSG star having won 57% of his aerial battles, able to get on the end of the 25-year-old’s delivery, after he produced a tally of 1.3 successful crosses per game.

The prospect of the pair combining within the final third at Old Trafford is certainly an exciting one, handing Amorim with the attacking ammunition he’s craved since taking the role.

Ramos won’t be a cheap addition this summer, but his goal tally this year is evidence that he can produce the goods when needed, potentially following in Cavani’s footsteps at the Theatre of Dreams.

Better signing than Cunha: Man Utd eye move for PSG Ballon d'Or contender

Manchester United could land a bigger signing than Matheus Cunha by bringing in this PSG star.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 3, 2025

After taking their Premier League throne in dominant fashion, Liverpool are now reportedly plotting a summer hijack to sign a Serie A defender that Manchester City have already agreed personal terms with.

Liverpool looking to use Premier League crown in busy summer

Even when Dominic Solanke headed home to hand Tottenham Hotspur the lead at Anfield on Sunday, not many would have believed that the Lilywhites were there to spoil the part and Liverpool swiftly put any potential upset to bed. Eventually smashing Ange Postecoglou’s side 5-1, it was the afternoon that Arne Slot and his side were dreaming of, as Anfield and the red half of Merseyside erupted into a long-awaited title party.

Liverpool could now be offered instant Robertson heir in stunning swap deal

The Reds would instantly benefit.

ByTom Cunningham Apr 30, 2025

Captain Virgil van Dijk, who will have the honour of lifting the title on the final day of the season, told reporters after securing yet another trophy to add to his collection: “It has been an amazing Premier League season for us, very consistent, well-deserved winners. The reaction we showed after going 1-0 down today was outstanding.

“Obviously it was a very emotional game. The time goes very slow towards the end, by the way! But I’m glad we got the job done and now we – and I speak about obviously everyone who is Liverpool-connected – can enjoy and celebrate because that’s what you should do as well.”

Now, those at Anfield will be looking to put their status as champions to good use when the summer transfer window arrives. Suddenly, names such as Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are not only linked with England’s most successful club in history but also the current Premier League champions. And that could make all the difference in a transfer battle against Manchester City too.

Liverpool looking to hijack Cambiaso deal

According to Calciomercato, Liverpool are now plotting a move to hijack Man City’s deal to sign Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus this summer, despite reports indicating that the Citizens have already agreed personal terms with the defender.

With that in mind, it would be some move from the Reds to beat Man City to Cambiaso’s signature at this stage. Stranger things have happened in the Premier League, however, and as Trent Alexander-Arnold edges closer and closer to Real Madrid, the versatile Cambiaso could emerge as an ideal option.

The Juventus star can play both left and right-back, allowing Slot to add competition for the struggling Andy Robertson as well as welcome a key replacement for Alexander-Arnold should Liverpool make their move.

Praised for his “elite passing ability” by analyst Ben Mattinson at the start of the season, Cambiaso would have little trouble replacing Liverpool’s right-back.

Many Liverpool fans will likely be hoping that Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak will be playing Premier League football in red next season, but it doesn’t look likely.

The Magpies are third in the standings with five games to play, two points ahead of sixth-place Aston Villa, who sit just outside the Champions League-qualifying zone.

26/04/25

Ipswich Town (H)

18th

04/05/25

Brighton (A)

10th

10/05/25

Chelsea (H)

7th

18/05/25

Arsenal (A)

2nd

25/05/25

Everton (H)

13th

Having beaten Arne Slot’s side in the Carabao Cup final and set to restore their place at Europe’s elite table, Newcastle hold all the cards, and they aren’t willing to sell, even listing Isak north of £150m.

FSG, quite rightly, won’t entertain such talk and are gearing up to turn their attention elsewhere.

After all, Liverpool will bring in a new number nine this summer, with Darwin Nunez all but confirmed to have entered the final weeks of his Merseyside career.

Liverpool set to sell Darwin Nunez

It’s been clear for several months, Liverpool having rejected winter approaches from Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League due to the importance of keeping the title-challenging squad together.

Fabrizio Romano has now updated the situation, claiming that Liverpool’s plan is to sell their club-record signing, Nunez having scored just seven goals across 42 matches for Slot’s Reds.

Nunez has only started once in the Premier League since Boxing Day, scoring in a win over bottom club Southampton last month.

Having missed 53 big chances in the Premier League since his 2022 arrival, Nunez hasn’t responded to Klopp and Slot’s tactics and can’t shake the erraticness from his final play, thus consigning him to a bittersweet exit, leaving disappointed but with a winner’s medal around his neck.

Isak may well be out of reach, but Liverpool are open to looking elsewhere. Now, news has emerged that FSG are in for a somewhat left-field forward.

Liverpool lining up Nunez replacement

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are interested in signing Brentford’s star man, Bryan Mbeumo, this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In fact, the Champions Elect have received a boost in their pursuit, with Brentford – who are believed to be open to offers – willing to discuss Mbeumo’s sale for the right price this summer.

Mbeumo, 25, has been one of the Premier League’s standout forwards this season and is also being tracked by Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

The Cameroon international supposedly has a £50m price tag, something that has caused Newcastle United to pull out of the race.

Why Liverpool should sign Bryan Mbeumo

Mbeumo has proved over a number of years his capacity for goals and success in the Premier League, having been involved in 68 goals across 131 divisional outings.

This year alone, the versatile forward has netted 18 goals and laid on six assists across 32 top-flight appearances, a haul bettered only by Salah, Isak, Erling Haaland and Chris Wood.

Right winger

28

14

6

Centre-forward

6

4

1

Attacking midfield

1

0

0

Though he’s principally a right-sided forward, Mbeumo has been known to play as the focal frontman and has done so to a prolific effect.

We’ve seen throughout the campaign Slot’s willingness to reshape typical widemen – like Luis Diaz – into central attackers, and who’s to say it hasn’t worked out? Liverpool are on the cusp of the title, after all.

Affectionately described as a “mini-Salah” by talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy, Mbeumo carries the air of a goalscoring forward who brings much more to the table.

As per FBref, Mbeumo ranks among the top 8% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for goals scored and the top 12% for crosses made per 90.

This takes a step toward underscoring Mbeumo’s dynamism, chiefly a goalscorer but also willing to hang wide and whip crisp deliveries in.

The 32-year-old Salah might be staying put for the next couple of years, but he won’t be around forever. The Bees forward could eventually take the veteran’s berth in the years to come.

But for now, he’s more than capable of taking Nunez’s place as Liverpool’s centre-forward, perhaps sharing the berth with Diaz and Diogo Jota.

Given that Mbeumo has only missed eight big chances in the Premier League this term, having scored a whopping 18 times, fans won’t need to worry about Nunez-esque profligacy to hinder Liverpool in their efforts to retain their expected title.

But like all great forwards, those capable of starring for a top-performing outfit such as Slot’s Liverpool, Mbeumo isn’t a one-trick pony either.

He’s averaged 1.8 key passes per top-flight fixture and has created 16 big chances. He might take his share of set-pieces, but this denotes a ranged approach to his play that very much aligns with the role Salah performs with such matchless aplomb.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has recently dubbed Mbeumo as “one of the most deadly players in transition in the Prem,” further evidence – if you needed it – that he’s perfect for this Reds team.

Slot arrived in the Premier League with a reputation for being more ball-focused than his Anfield predecessor, but title-surging Liverpool only rank third in those standings with a 58% average.

This is, of course, not counter-attacking football, but Slot commands one of the deadliest teams in world football when on the break, making that final statement on the myriad reasons behind why this would be a good deal to end Nunez’s frustrating stay and sign the perfect Salah heir at the same time.

Firmino 2.0: Liverpool make "one of the best STs out there" a top target

FSG are going to reward Arne Slot’s Liverpool with a new centre-forward this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 19, 2025

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

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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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Shanto's century puts Bangladesh in driver's seat

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.

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