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After losing Gabriel Jesus to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Manchester City could be about to lose a second forward to yet another London outfit.

What’s the word?

That is according to an update from super-journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that Raheem Sterling is keen on a move to Chelsea, with Tuchel’s side preparing a new bid for the England international.

Taking to his personal Twitter page to issue the update, Romano said: “Positive feelings around Raheem Sterling deal also tonight. Chelsea have a new bid ready, Man City are prepared to let him go as it was part of the plan – and Raheem is keen on Chelsea move. Personal terms, already discussed. Second bid is coming. More to follow soon.”

Indeed, Romano then Tweeted on Tuesday: “Chelsea will also send new bid to Manchester City for Raheem Sterling – Tuchel wants two wingers.”

Guardiola will be gutted

Despite the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, the loss of Jesus and potentially now Sterling will prove impactful.

In losing such a duo, Guardiola is not only losing experience in his attacking line, but losing two players who hit a combined 34 Premier League goals last season via their respective attacking contributions, with Jesus scoring eight and assisting eight, and Sterling bagging 13 and assisting five times.

At 27-years-old, Sterling is approaching the prime years of his career and already sits as City’s second-highest goalscorer in their history with 131 scored for the club, 129 goals behind Sergio Aguero.

His development under Man City’s Spanish tactician has been exponential and he’s been a regular in a side that have also shown terrific development over the last seven seasons, with Sterling making 30 or more appearances in each campaign he’s played for the Cityzens.

His fitness is yet another underrated component in what, on the whole, is a technical player who often goes under the radar in terms of his natural ability.

The England international’s pace cannot be matched up top and with both player and club said to be keen, Guardiola now faces a very real situation in which his dynamic winger could be turning out in a deeper shade of blue for a big rival, an eventuality that would leave him gutted.

On a personal level, this does not seem like a prosperous opportunity for Sterling and after selling Jesus to Arsenal, it’s less than ideal from a Manchester City and Guardiola perspective.

In other news: Txiki now in advanced talks to seal behind-the-scenes MCFC deal, Pep will be buzzing 

Liverpool are ready to rival Chelsea for the signing of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to a fresh transfer claim from Italy.

The Lowdown: De Ligt on the move?

The 22-year-old has been seen as one of Europe’s leading young centre-backs for several years now, having burst onto the scene with Ajax back in 2018/19, being called ‘world-class’ by Jaap Stam.

De Ligt made 31 appearances in Serie A last season, as well as starting seven Champions League games, averaging 2.9 aerial duel wins per match in the former.

The £63million-rated Dutchman has been tipped for a move away from Juve this summer, with Liverpool thought to be one of the teams in the mix.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on signing

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], the Reds are still interested in signing De Ligt, with the report saying ‘pay attention to Liverpool’.

A move to the Premier League would reportedly be ‘difficult to refuse’, with Chelsea also seen as contenders to snap up the highly-rated Netherlands international.

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The Verdict: Is he needed?

De Ligt is clearly a top-class centre-back with enormous potential – his mentality has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by Edwin van der Sar –  but Liverpool are extremely well-stocked in that area currently.

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In Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, Jurgen Klopp has three wonderful defenders at his disposal and Joe Gomez is also a strong option, should he stay put.

A move for De Ligt could be ideal once the likes of Van Dijk and Matip are past their best – he and Van Dijk both averaged 3.1 clearances per game in the league last season – but for now, their money should be spent on more pressing areas, such as midfield.

In other news, one attacking player is wanted by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer. Read more here.

Manchester City attacker Gabriel Jesus has been linked with a summer move to fellow Premier League club Arsenal.

What’s the news?

According to a clip shared by Sky Sports News on Twitter, the Gunners are in talks with City over a possible deal for the Brazilian, who the Premier League champions value at £50m, this summer. The broadcaster also claimed that the player is apparently looking to leave the Etihad Stadium in search of regular football.

City completed a £27m deal for the Brazil international back in 2016 when he was just 19 years old. Since then, the attacker has gone on to make 236 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions, scoring 95 goals and providing 46 assists along the way.

He has also won four Premier League titles, along with four Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.

Bad news for Guardiola

In 28 league appearances last season, the 25-year-old found the net eight times and delivered nine assists, making more goal contributions than the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish.

To further highlight how deadly he was in front of goal during his latest campaign with Pep Guardiola’s side, no other City player had more goal-creating actions than Jesus (18).

His overall performances earned the Brazilian a solid season rating of 7.2/10 from WhoScored, making him the seventh-highest rated player currently at the Etihad. This not only shows why Arsenal are after the player but why the Citizens have put a rather hefty price tag on him.

It also makes it easy to suggest that Guardiola would be gutted to see Jesus leave the club, given the clear attacking talent that he has and what he has delivered for the Sky Blues during his time in Manchester.

Having previously hailed the Brazilian as the best in the world at providing high pressure and intensity in the forward line, this shows just how much the City manager values the player.

Should the 25-year-old find himself waving goodbye to the club this summer, Guardiola and City supporters will have to hope that their new attacking recruits Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez have what it takes to be suitable replacements for Jesus.

In other news – “Advanced talks”: Fabrizio Romano drops big Man City transfer update, it’s great news for Pep

According to a new report, an interesting Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim has surfaced involving Hull City forward Keane Lewis-Potter.

The Lowdown: Conte set for busy summer…

The Times claim there could be a real summer of change at Spurs with manager Antonio Conte looking to ‘offload’ as many as eight players whilst eyeing ‘at least’ six new signings.

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Among the Premier League coach’s targeted new additions are three defenders and a midfielder, with the likes of Youri Tielemans and Christian Eriksen emerging as targets.

It is also claimed that a forward is firmly on the agenda as The Daily Star now share news on Lewis-Potter.

The Latest: Spurs enter equation…

According to their sources, Spurs, and by extension Conte, have ‘entered the equation’ to sign Hull’s starlet – coming after a behind-the-scenes ‘recommendation’ by former boss David Pleat.

It is claimed they are one of the teams ‘waiting to pounce’ for the services of Lewis-Potter after his fine season in the Championship.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Lavished as an ‘outstanding’ player by pundit Clinton Morrison, we believe the 21-year-old could be a brilliant capture.

Still a young rising star, Lewis-Potter has been integral for Hull this campaign – playing the joint-most minutes for them over 2021/2022 whilst finishing the season as their top goal scorer (WhoScored).

It’s clear why Pleat has urged Spurs to make a move given just how brilliantly he has performed in England’s second tier, not to mention his signing could also help to solve the club’s homegrown quota issue.

In other news: Reliable journalist: Tottenham now aiming to secure deal for ‘fantastic’ target this week…find out more here.

Despite the unquestionable size and stature of the club, it is perhaps no real surprise to see that Everton are currently embroiled in a relegation dogfight, such has been the dire nature of their transfer dealings in recent times.

In truth, while he is not blameless for their failings, new boss Frank Lampard has been left with an unbalanced squad devoid of quality, with far too many figures having failed to hit the ground running as a result of the club’s seemingly scattergun transfer approach.

Expensive mistakes have been commonplace under the Farhad Moshiri regime, with former player Yannick Bolasie one of those who have arrived at Goodison Park for a hefty sum, only to go on to significantly underwhelm thereafter.

After dazzling the Premier League with his pace and trickery during a four-year stint at Crystal Palace, the DR Congo international was signed on a £25m deal from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, as then-boss Ronald Koeman looked to mount an assault on the top six.

Speaking after the player’s arrival, the Dutchman revealed his excitement at having secured the 6 foot 2 speedster’s services: “Yannick is a player who has been a long time on my radar because he’s the type of winger I like – fast, strong and he can play different positions in the forward line.”

In truth, however, the Lyon-born forward – who had also been dubbed “dynamic” by Sam Allardyce – never lived up to that billing, albeit with injury having played a major factor in his struggles for consistency.

The 48-time capped star suffered an ACL injury just months into his Toffees career, with that issue eventually ruling him out for over 12 months.

He subsequently spent the 2018/19 campaign on-loan at both second-tier Aston Villa and Belgian side Anderlecht, before another temporary stint at Sporting CP the following season.

Despite pundit Paul Robinson tipping him for a chance under Carlo Ancelotti at his parent club upon his return from Portugal, he was eventually shipped out again in January 2021 – this time to Middlesbrough – before eventually joining Turkish outfit Caykur Rizespor that summer.

The 32-year-old currently plies his trade for the Super Lig side, although he has scored just two goals and registered just one assist in 24 appearances so far this season, while he has also created only 4 big chances and averaged just 0.6 key passes per game.

The stark nature of his decline is also illustrated by the fact that his current market value rests at just £608k, an almighty drop off from the fee that the Merseysiders paid just under six years ago.

That hefty figure will always remain a head-scratching decision for those of an Everton persuasion, with then-boss Koeman having had a major blunder on a player who eventually played just 32 times for the club in all competitions in his five-year spell.

AND in other news: Talks planned: Moshiri must now finally brutally axe “dangerous” £49k-p/w Everton gem

When people talk only about wickets, Jadeja has instead looked at his control, and it’s brought him rich dividends

Sidharth Monga19-Oct-20231:43

Pujara: Jadeja is more accurate than a bowling machine

At 2.59pm IST on Thursday, it had already been about five minutes of treatment. Normally, you would say “get on with it”, but you were probably too involved. It could be a pivotal moment, you felt. The skills of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are irreplaceable, but Hardik Pandya performs a role for India nobody else can do: a seam-bowling allrounder good enough to hold down his place for batting alone in many other sides. Pandya was down and getting treatment.Pandya tried to run in to bowl again, but eventually went off the field and off for scans, the results of which the whole nation will await. The anxiety around the injury is understandable. There are back-ups for the best of the batters, there are bowling back-ups, and the other allrounder has a like-for-like replacement. However, does anyone have the body of work the other allrounder has?There might be others answering to the job description of Ravindra Jadeja, but there aren’t many that are doing the job as well as him. Looking at his flamboyance, Jadeja will be the last person you’d think of as a banker, but that is what he is for India.Related

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Hardik Pandya suffers injury scare against Bangladesh

In the absence of the allrounder likelier to be missed more, Jadeja finally got to bask in some of the spotlight. He was the one who went on to bowl all ten overs, and not without reason: two wickets and just 38 runs. Seven wickets in four matches in the World Cup so far at a strike rate better than in the recent past, but that is not what has made Jadeja the asset he is.And yet Jadeja is so much of a bank clerk that the day the adjudicators decided he was the Player of the Match, Virat Kohli swooped in, and in the words of an adjudicating commentator, “stole it” with his century.Jadeja made his ODI comeback in July 2022. Since then, he has been the third-most economical bowler among those who have bowled 100 or more overs for and against the teams playing this World Cup. Only Shakib Al Hasan and Keshav Maharaj have done better than Jadeja’s 4.52 an over. In this duration, Jadeja has given India eight overs per bowling innings; only Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have bowled more per match.For all intents and purposes, Jadeja has been as good as any specialist bowler in this phase of his ODI career. His batting, admittedly not needed enough, is a significant second skill. The fielding is a significant bonus.Left by the wayside at the start of the wristspin fad, then making his comeback as an allrounder who didn’t quite nail his place with at least one discipline back in 2019, Jadeja has become this banker by going against the grain of limited-overs cricket: mastering his main deliveries and thinking less about the variations.

Jadeja hardly bowls the parallel-seam under-cutter in ODIs. He is just trying to spin the ball the hardest he can without sacrificing his control, his ability to end on the stumps, which comes naturally to him

At a time when people talk just about the wickets, Jadeja has forgotten about the wickets but instead looked at his control. As Cheteshwar Pujara observed on ESPNcricinfo, he hardly bowls the parallel-seam under-cutter in ODIs. He is just trying to spin the ball the hardest he can without sacrificing his control, his ability to end on the stumps, which comes naturally to him.Despite the extra fielder inside the circle, despite the two new balls that turn less, Jadeja – and indeed Shakib and Maharaj – has remained relevant without any mystery. Most of Jadeja’s bowling has happened in the middle overs, but he has also bowled 13 at the death at 3.74 an over.Pune was no different. On a pitch that had nothing for the spinners, with no big boundaries to play with, Jadeja dragged Bangladesh back along with Kuldeep even as they were looking to go after one or two of the bowlers in Hardik’s absence.One of the reasons behind the team’s trust in Jadeja is that left-hand batters have not been able to line him up. In this period, left-hand batters have only scored at 5.46 an over against him. He has also taken a left-hand batter out for every 24 runs he has conceded to them.Ravindra Jadeja sent back a left-hand batter, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and a right-hand batter, Litton Das, on the day•AFP/Getty ImagesNajmul Hossain Shanto was not the first left-hand batter Jadeja trapped lbw this World Cup. He did the same to Alex Carey in the first match. Around the wicket, bowled into the pitch, on middle and leg, and straightening just enough to beat the bat but not miss the stumps, it has been a lethal delivery from Jadeja.For right-hand batters, who other than Steven Smith to attest to the quality of Jadeja? That dismissal was straight out of Tests: bowling him top of off without letting him come forward, and opening his stance up with the drift. Coming forward is not the prayer you are looking for because he has been hitting the outer half of the bat regularly. No longer can you play him as a left-arm seam bowler angling the old ball in.It leaves batters with no option but to play the sweep, which is high-risk at Jadeja’s pace. Mohammad Rizwan and Mushfiqur Rahim tried that with limited success because they didn’t succeed in pushing Jadeja off his length.One unruly customer served, back to issuing currency notes with a smile. David Steele, the grey-haired, bespectacled and unlikely Ashes hero in the 1970s, was called the bank clerk who went to war. Jadeja is the gladiator who goes to bank.

2021 wooden-spoon winners are optimistic that young squad can make big strides forward

Alan Gardner01-Apr-2022Few things quicken the anticipation ahead of the start of the county season like a trip to Good Old Sussex by the Sea. The sight of Hove’s deckchairs might not cure all the ills which currently beset the English game, but it feels like a decent place to start. The question that might have been asked, however, as a flurry of sleet and snow across the immaculate green acreage caught the attention of those assembled in the pavilion for Sussex’s press day, was: which sea? Perhaps the Baltic.Soon the sun was shining again, and there are hopes for brighter times at Sussex. After finishing bottom of the Championship in 2021, during a season in which they gave as many as nine first-class debuts to young, homegrown players – and at one stage fielded a team with an average age of 19 – the expectation from both management and supporters is for a more competitive summer.Concerns about the club’s direction of travel have simmered under the surface, notably given voice by the former Sussex and England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, with the influx of youth offset by a high number of departures – Phil Salt, Chris Jordan and Ben Brown left over the winter, following the likes of Laurie Evans, Danny Briggs and Luke Wells out through the gates on Eaton Road. But Ian Salisbury, head coach of the Championship and 50-over sides, believes a rebuilding process was needed in order to deliver “sustained success” of the sort Sussex were used to in the 2000s.There have been moves to strengthen a callow squad that might otherwise be considered outside contenders in Division Two. In particular, the arrivals of Steven Finn, the former England seamer signed from Middlesex, and overseas batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan ought to bring a hardened edge to the dressing room; Ollie Robinson, who has a point to prove after fitness issues stalled his progress at Test level over the winter, is also expected to be available for a number of the early rounds – though not next week’s opener against Notts.Related

• Notts left snow-blind amid uncertainty over Championship future

• Bopara named Sussex T20 captain, Haines to lead in Championship

• Alsop signs for Sussex on season-long loan

• Sussex sign Pujara for English summer

• Brown joins Sussex exodus after requesting early contract release

Further international experience has been added to the mix with the arrival of Grant Flower as batting coach, while former club captain Mike Yardy has returned to Hove as academy director. It feel likes there is now greater heft behind the club’s crop of young players, which includes a pair of precociously talented 17-year-olds in Danial Ibrahim and Archie Lenham. What Salisbury refers to as “the project” at Hove might just be coming together.”Do we aim to get promoted? Of course we do,” Salisbury said. “But more importantly, we want to be better than what we were last year. That’s not just as a team, it’s as individuals, as coaches. We just want to keep improving. We know where we want to be in four or five years’ time, which is bringing sustained success back to Sussex, in all competitions. I know the side we have, and the squad we have, once we get to that situation, we can be there for a long time, just because of the age of this side.”That’s why we took the decisions we have done in the past, because we haven’t been in the first division since 2015, we haven’t won a trophy for 13 years. So something had to change, because that’s not acceptable for a club of this standing. So how do you do it? You rebuild, you make decisions – some made around Covid. But we made a decision to go down the route we have, because we want to bring sustained success back to Sussex. But we know when we get there, we’ll hold it there for a long period of time.”One of the players who is expected to play a key role in any Sussex resurgence is 23-year-old opener Tom Haines. No-one in the country scored more than Haines’ 1176 Championship runs at 47.04 in 2021, and he will be aiming to lead from the front after being named interim captain of the red-ball side (“interim” because Sussex still retain the option to bring back Travis Head, the Australia batter who was expected to take charge, next summer). Encouragingly for Sussex, Haines’ average actually rose – to 51.12 – in the four games in which he stood in for Brown last year.It is only a couple of seasons since Haines was looking to establish himself in the first team and he admits it is “weird” to now be considered a senior player. Given the struggles of England’s batters over the winter, it is not too far-fetched to think that further promotions could soon be in order. A strong start to the summer could bring him into discussions for the New Zealand series in June, though Haines will not be looking that far ahead.Tom Haines made a pre-season hundred against Surrey•Getty Images”Right at the front of my mind at the moment is scoring as many runs as I can for Sussex,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m really focused on leading this side, and hopefully leading by example with runs and in the field. I’m not one to get too far ahead of myself, I think when you do that in cricket, it comes back to bite you. So I would never focus on the speculation [around] England selection, I just want to get my head down again, like I did last year, and hopefully back it up.”It’s nice to be mentioned by people but I’m always one to try and stay as level as I can, because as an opener batter failure it always going to happen. I try to stay nice and level headed and focus on the here and now, game by game in the County Championship for Sussex.”Haines describes “trusting my defence, and leaving well” as the two fundamentals of his game. Like Kraigg Brathwaite, whose obduracy at the top of the order helped West Indies to secure a series victory over England last week, he has never played a game of professional T20 – and while Haines says he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself, he has a clear goal in mind.”My dream since I was young is to play Test cricket for England. I don’t like to compare myself to any other players I don’t like to put myself in their shoes and say I’d have done better because that’s just not what I’m about. I try and focus as much as much as I can on myself, improving my own game. We’ve got great coaches here, Grant who’s come in and been brilliant since day one, and we’ve got all the facilities here to really improve as a player.”Salisbury says that the Sussex’s goal remains producing players for England, and Haines pushing for Test selection would be welcome – even if it leaves another hole in the side to be filled. The depth of the squad will be tested anyway, with spinner Jack Carson unlikely to play before May, having had surgery on a knee injury, and long-term absentee Jofra Archer unlikely to be in contention for first-team action until the Blast comes around.No-one is getting carried away at Hove, but with a strong T20 side looking to improve on their Blast Finals Day appearance last year and a zephyr of optimism whispering around the Championship rebuild, there is hope that the members might be able to rest a little more comfily in their deckchairs.”We won one [Championship] game last year, that’s factual,” Salisbury said. “So there’s got to be some realism. To get promoted we might have to win eight games – 800% improvement? Anything’s possible. More than anything, I want us to be better and show that we are actually progressing.”

Shohei Ohtani is like the wild card in the card game Uno in that his play can often dictate how the Dodgers—and entire series as a whole—will fare. As National League Championship Series MVP, Ohtani's two-way prowess was on full display during the Dodgers' Game 4 victory, in which he belted three home runs as a hitter and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings as a pitcher. Ohtani has continued to amaze in the World Series against the Blue Jays, and he is set to take center stage once again in Game 7 on Saturday night.

The Dodgers earlier Saturday announced that Ohtani will start Game 7 against the Blue Jays, meaning he will also reprise his role as the club's designated hitter.

But, keeping the so-called Ohtani Rule in mind, there are a multitude of other ways Los Angeles could utilize Ohtani. First, let's dive into the rulebook.

What is the "Ohtani Rule?"

While the rule technically isn't named after Ohtani, it has become associated with him given that he's the only player—so far—that the rule largely applies to. Beginning in 2022, the MLB introduced a rule that coincided with the implementation of the designated hitter full time in the National League.

The rule states that if the starting pitcher is also in the lineup as the DH, he can remain as the DH even if he is removed as the pitcher. In the past, if the starting pitcher was also in the lineup, the DH was forfeited and a relief pitcher occupied his spot in the lineup. In starting Ohtani in Game 7, the Dodgers will be making use of the Ohtani Rule as they have for much of the regular season and postseason.

But there are other ways, within the rules, that Los Angeles could use the two-way star.

How could the "Ohtani Rule" affect Game 7?

Ohtani starts the game, leaves for a reliever and remains the DH, then returns to close the game

Ohtani entering the game in relief would have been a possibility even if he wasn't named Saturday's starter. Amazingly, it's still a possibility that he could be the game's starting pitcher and come into the game later on as a relief pitcher.

Here's how.

Ohtani could start, be removed from the game in favor of a Dodgers reliever, and remain the team's designated hitter as he always does per the "Ohtani Rule." Here‘s where the twist comes into play. If the Dodgers are clinging to a ninth-inning lead and require his services once more, Ohtani could then re-enter the game as a relief pitcher, but the Dodgers would forfeit the DH spot. Just imagine the peak theater that Ohtani re-entering Game 7 of the World Series as a closer would be. However, this also means that if the game were to continue beyond the ninth inning, a pitcher or pinch hitter would be required to bat in the Dodgers' lineup and Ohtani would not be able to hit again unless…

Ohtani starts the game, leaves for a reliever and remains the DH, then returns to close the game, then becomes an outfielder

This would be the work-around to losing Ohtani's bat after his relief appearance, should the game play out that way. We saw the Dodgers and Blue Jays play an 18-inning contest in Game 3, so another extra innings affair can't be ruled out. Should that happen, Ohtani, after exiting as a reliever, could remain in the lineup as an outfielder. It's a position that Ohtani played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan, appearing in 62 games for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. However, he has not played the outfield since 2021, when he made six appearances for the Angels. It would be pretty amazing to see Ohtani be a starting pitcher, hitter, relief pitcher and outfielder all in the same game.

This scenario would seem to be less likely than the previous, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left all options on the table for Ohtani.

"We’ll talk about everything,” Roberts had said on Ohtani playing outfield. “We’ll talk through whatever’s the best. If we get to that point, we’ll see, but he’s not going to play the outfield [in Game 6], I do know that. But, if we get to Game 7, we’ll have a good discussion about everything."

With a repeat championship on the line in Game 7, everything could indeed be on the table for the Dodgers when it comes to Ohtani.

India’s spinners have started to dominate but the Gabba surface may not be quite as conducive for them

Tristan Lavalette07-Nov-20251:47

Dube: Our plan was to make them hit to the bigger boundaries

Big Picture: Series on the line, with T20 World Cup on the horizonIndia’s brilliant bowling performances, bamboozling Australia with spin, in Hobart and the Gold Coast has turned the series on its head. Josh Hazlewood’s stranglehold of India’s batters earlier in the series feels like a long time ago as a shorthanded Australia – without frontline players turning their focus to the Ashes – stare down the barrel of a series defeat.Australia can’t win the series, but can salvage a draw in the fifth and final T20I at the Gabba. Even though almost all the attention across the country is on the Ashes, meaning scrutiny on this series is minimal, Australia’s hierarchy have a few things to ponder ahead of a fast-approaching T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Related

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Axar's deceptive simplicity dismantles Australia's threat

Australia's power play doused by Indian spin

Australia have a clear plan of all-out attack, which can look spectacular on faster surfaces or against the right match-up. But this high-voltage batting-order failed to execute on a slower Gold Coast surface in game four. Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar completely dominated as Australia collapsed to a sizeable defeat after laying a good platform.With the T20 World Cup to be played in what could be spin-friendly conditions, Australia are facing questions over whether they can combat high-quality spin attacks. A faster Gabba pitch is unlikely to provide answers, but Australia will want a confidence boost and to avoid a third straight T20I defeat – undoing somewhat the team’s rousing form since the last World Cup.After a sluggish start to the series, India have continued their strong record having never lost a T20I series in Australia – bar a one-off match in 2007-08. With their slew of spinners running rampant, India have proven why they are so hard to beat in this format as they eye becoming the first country to successfully defend their T20 World Cup crown.After conditions were to their liking over the past couple of games, India will face a challenge in Brisbane and the spotlight will be on how their top-order can fare even though a Hazlewood-less attack is slightly a less scary prospect.If they seal a series triumph, India will head home feeling well pleased ahead of a T20 World Cup they will start as favourites.Form guideAustralia LLWWW
India WWLWW
Australia have had a strong run in T20Is but won’t want to lose three in a row•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Josh Inglis and Shubman GillIt’s been a frustrating start to the Australian season for Josh Inglis, who suffered a calf injury before the tour of New Zealand and it took longer to recover. Inglis has finally made it back, but his returns with the bat this series have been modest with just 33 runs in three innings. A noted player of spin, Inglis was completely bamboozled by Axar on the Gold Coast in a poor dismissal. At No. 3, Inglis holds a valuable spot in the order and his struggles have contributed to Australia’s indecisiveness this series. He will also be eyeing a good hit-out in the middle before switching to the red ball in the Sheffield Shield having been selected in Australia’s first Test Ashes squad as the reserve wicketkeeper. He is the only member of the 15-player squad playing in this game.It has not been a fruitful tour for Shubman Gill, who could not get going with the bat as India slumped to an ODI series loss to start his captaincy reign in the format. Without the captaincy burden in the T20Is, he has fared slightly better in this series although has still yet to crack a half-century on tour. He came close on the Gold Coast when he top-scored with 46 off 39 balls. Gill, however, lacked fluency in the innings, struggling against the new ball before some of his favoured flat-bat shots started to return. He will be hoping the momentum can carry over as he looks to end a tough tour on a high.Nathan Ellis has been outstanding•AFP/Getty Images

Team news: Philippe’s middle-order role, India to remain unchanged Fringe white-ball player Matt Short was in good touch on the Gold Coast after replacing Travis Head, who is preparing for the Ashes. Short made 25 off 19 balls before the wheels fell off the innings. Josh Philippe made just 10 at No. 5 in his first T20I innings in almost two years and may be battling to hold his spot, with Mitch Owen a chance to return.Australia (possible): 1 Matt Short, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Tim David, 5 Mitch Owen/Josh Philippe, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Adam ZampaIndia are unlikely to tinker with their successful blueprint and should roll out the same XI even though conditions probably won’t be as conducive to turn.India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Jitesh Sharma, 8 Shivam Dube, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsAs is the norm this time of year in Brisbane, there is the threat of thunderstorms later in the day. The Gabba surface traditionally has plenty of pace and bounce to encourage the seamers, but runs can also flow freely with BBL games at the ground often noted for high totals.Stats and triviaJasprit Bumrah is one away from 100 T20I wickets. He would become the first India player to have 100 wickets in all three formats.The last time Australia lost at least three straight T20Is was a four-game skid to West Indies and Bangladesh in July 2021. India have not won three consecutive T20Is against Australia since a clean sweep in January 2016 in Australia. Australia’s four-run victory over India in November 2018 is the only previous T20I match between the teams at the Gabba.Quotes”I find it challenging in bilateral series because you’re bowling to the same batters every second night, every third night. So it becomes a little bit of cat-and-mouse of what did I do to them last time, what are they looking for?”
“The quality bowling we have, the spinners, the fast bowlers, I trust them and the whole team trusts our bowlers.”

شهدت مباراة الأهلي والجيش الملكي المغربي مساء الجمعة الماضية في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، حالة من الفوضى العارمة وقرارات تحكيمية مثيرة للجدل ومقذوفات نارية وكرات ترمى عمداًا على أرض الملعب.

وسلطت “إذاعة مونتي كارلو” الفرنسية الضوء على أحداث مباراة الأهلي والجيش الملكي، حيث اشتكى المصريون من سوء معاملة خصمهم المغربي.

وأفادت أنه قد تعرض أحد اللاعبين لهجوم بأداة حادة خلال مباراة بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، وقد جرى ذلك في أحد الملاعب التي ستستضيف كأس الأمم الأفريقية بعد ما يزيد قليلاً عن ثلاث أسابيع في المغرب.

وقد تحولت مباراة الأهلي المصري والجيش الملكي المغربي مساء الجمعة الماضية والتي انتهت بنتيجة التعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله إلى لقاء كارثي.

وقد ألغى حكم مباراة الفريقين بين الأهلي والجيش الملكي هدفًا للفريق المضيف، حيث ألقيت مقذوفات على أرض ملعب مولاي الحسن بالرباط، وقد أصابت إحداها “أداة معدنية حادة” وهي تشبه مجرفة البناء، المهاجم المصري تريزيجيه، وقد أصاب هذا الحادث لاعبي الأهلي بالصدمة وحاولوا إحضار هذه الأداة لطاقم تحكيم المباراة.

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وحاول لاعبو الجيش الملكي المغربي بذل قصارى جهدهم لمنع هذه الأداة من الوصول لحكم المباراة، ما أدى لاشتباكات حادة بين لاعبي الفريقين على أرض الملعب، كما ظهر في عدة مقاطع فيديو على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي.

وقد اشتكي المصريون من سوء التحكيم، وتصدرت حادثة غريبة أخرى عناوين الصحف حيث ألقى جامع الكرات كرة ثانية على أرض الملعب لإبطاء اللعب، وتكررت هذه الحادثة عدة مرات، ما أجبر الحكم على إيقاف المباراة وفقاً لـ “AfricaFootUnited”.

وما زال الأهلي يتصدر جدول ترتيب مجموعته الثانية في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بعد التعادل الذي أحرز عن طريق محمود حسن تريزيجيه، ويتساوى في النقاط مع يانج أفريكانز التنزاني.

جدير بالذكر أن ملعب مولاي السن سيستضيف مباريات الجزائر الثلاث في دور المجموعات بكأس أمم إفريقيا المقبلة، ابتداءاً من 24 ديسمبر، بجانب مباراة في دور الـ16 في يناير.