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How India bounce back from their T20 World Cup upset at the hands of New Zealand will demonstrate the character of the side, Jemimah Rodrigues says.It will also have a huge bearing on their semi-final prospects with Group A – the tournament’s ‘group of death’ – delicately poised just two days in following New Zealand’s 58-run victory in Dubai on Friday and Pakistan’s fightback against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on the opening day.Australia, the defending champions and title favourites, open their campaign on Saturday against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, South Africa defeated West Indies by 10 wickets in the earlier game on Friday to join Bangladesh at the top of Group B, with Bangladesh to play England on Saturday.And it will require some turnaround from India. Bowled out for 102 chasing 161 for victory, none of their batters passed captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s 15 runs from No.3, and only five reached double-figures, including Rodrigues with 13 batting at No. 4. For New Zealand, seamers Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu took 4 for 19 and 3 for 15 respectively.”Today would be the game we would like to forget, because this is a World Cup,” Rodrigues said. “We need to keep moving on and keep picking ourselves up. We can’t stay stuck at this game. We need to pick ourselves up, and I think that will show the character of this team.”We know every game from here is so crucial for us. We know that, but at the same time, we’re going to go one game at a time and just make sure we stick to our process and do our job well. If we can do that, I think we play our best cricket, I think we can win matches.”New Zealand laid the foundation for victory with a 67-run opening stand between Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, who attacked the powerplay, followed by captain Sophie Devine’s powerful 57 not out from 36 balls.Related

• Rodrigues on batting at No. 5: 'I'm working on going all out from the first ball'

• Harmanpreet set to end India's No. 3 roulette at T20 World Cup

• New Zealand shoot India out for 102 amid high drama to script big win

• Harmanpreet & Co left fuming after Amelia Kerr run-out-that-wasn't drama

It was quite the turnaround for a side whose T20 World Cup in 2023 was over as soon as it had begun with heavy defeats to Australia and South Africa, and who lost all eight games they played – including five T20Is – against England in June and July.But Rodrigues said her side wasn’t necessarily caught off-guard by New Zealand attacking in the powerplay.”They came out with a lot of intent,” she said. “We did create opportunities, but unfortunately we didn’t make the most of them. Then the way we came back after the start was … I mean, not many positives in this game, but still, going forward, we need to have the right approach because the tournament is not over. We need to take some positives from this game and a lot of learnings from this game.”It’s not the easiest of conditions, it’s really hot here in Dubai, but I think we’ve got enough time to get used to the conditions so we don’t give an excuse, like it’s too hot or whatever it is. We just need to do our job and win the match for the team. So when it comes to conditions, I think we are very used to the conditions. It’s got better from the first day we’ve come here. So I think we are very prepared for this and all of us stay in India, so we are very familiar to such conditions.”Rodrigues also said India weren’t rattled by a controversial moment in the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. India thought they had run out Amelia Kerr, who had hit a Deepti Sharma delivery towards long-off and run a single with Devine. As Harmanpreet Kaur gathered the ball, the batters attempted a second run, just as Deepti took her cap back from the umpire. Harmanpreet threw the ball in and Richa Ghosh broke the stumps with Kerr short of her ground but the ball was deemed to have been dead, sparking heated discussions between Harmanpreet and the India team management with the umpires. As it turns out, Kerr was dismissed two balls later.”We know how important Amelia Kerr’s wicket is and yes, at that moment it felt a little, ‘why didn’t it go in our favour?'” Rodrigues said. “But at the same time, I think we did what we could. We spoke to the umpire, then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that and we got her out pretty soon. So that worked for us.”

Birmingham City are looking to put themselves in contention for promotion to the Premier League and have made contact to sign a prolific goalscorer from one of Europe’s top-five leagues, according to a report.

Birmingham City line up summer signings

The Blues are looking forward to returning after claiming promotion to the Championship last time out, and it is fair to say there is plenty of progress being made in their hunt for summer signings.

Recent reports have noted that Birmingham are hotly pursuing Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph and it is said that Real Betis and RC Strasbourg are also competing for his signature.

Intriguingly, Joseph hasn’t closed the door to an exit from Elland Road, citing his need for regular game time in a recent interview while enjoying some downtime during the off-season.

He stated: “We achieved our goal as a team, but I personally want to be more involved in the final stretch of the season. I think I need more participation to continue developing as a player.

“The season has just ended, and we have to stop and evaluate. We’ve been promoted to the Premier League. We’ll see what the club says, but I want to play more to continue growing.”

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Oli McBurnie could also join Birmingham after becoming a free agent following Las Palmas’ relegation from La Liga, albeit competition from all angles exists regarding the Scotland international’s availability.

It does feel like the Blues will arrive into the new campaign with a genuine shot at something more than consolidation. However, if they manage to pull off a deal for their latest target, it could signal they are looking to put themselves in the mix for promotion.

Birmingham City eye ambitious Kyogo Furuhashi swoop

According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Birmingham City have made contact with Rennes over Kyogo Furuhashi’s availability after the Japan international fell out of favour in France.

Despite only joining Habib Beye’s men in January for £10 million, the 30-year-old has barely featured and now appears primed for a quickfire exit.

Labelled “excellent” by Brendan Rodgers, Furuhashi has scored 156 career goals, combining his exploits for club and country and is most revered for his time at Celtic, where he became a pivotal force in helping the Scottish champions claim nine major honours.

The former Yokohama F. Marinos man has endured a difficult few months, but a move to Birmingham could be the perfect tonic to reignite his fortunes as the Blues look to put themselves in contention for a return to the Premier League under Chris Davies.

Is this really Liverpool? Remarkably, FSG are firing on all cylinders in the summer transfer market, acting with the viciousness of the champions that they are.

Indeed, Arne Slot led Liverpool to the Premier League title last season, shouldering the unenviable weight of Jurgen Klopp’s still-warm seat in the dugout. And he did it with minimal investment, only welcoming Federico Chiesa to the fold for £12.5m in August 2024.

FSG have long towed the line between shrewdness and frugality in transfer windows, but with Michael Edwards back in the boardroom, there’s a newfound sense of awareness that Anfield stands atop a mountainous pile of European clubs vying for the ascendancy.

But for all the Florian Wirtz’s, the Jeremie Frimpong’s and Milos Kerkez’s, there are some outgoings in the pipeline too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s already gone, and the 31-year-old Andy Robertson is being chased by Atletico Madrid. And the backline is set for more shake-up, with Jarell Quansah on the brink of a move abroad.

Why Liverpool are selling Jarell Quansah

Quansah, 22, is a fantastic talent. Across the past two campaigns, he has proven himself worthy of a place in Liverpool’s first team, winning the Carabao Cup and the English top flight and appearing 58 times in total.

However, he suffered a setback right at the start of Slot’s tenure, withdrawn at half-time during the season opener against Ipswich Town, Slot later citing his team’s lack of success in the duel as the reason behind the tweak.

Features proved few and far between over the next several months, and though the English ace played a larger role over the later months of the term, he will no doubt be frustrated by his lack of opportunities.

It’s for this reason that negotiations have moved apace with Bayer Leverkusen, who are closing on an agreement for the transfer of Quansah, worth €40m (£34m).

A formal bid has not yet been made, but all parties expect an agreeable resolution, with personal terms not thought to be an issue.

As such, Liverpool will need to sign themselves a replacement – and they’ve got one in mind all right.

Liverpool set to bid for new centre-back

According to The Telegraph, Liverpool are expected to make a ‘significant offer’ for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who helped his side win the FA Cup in May.

Though a formal approach has not yet been made, Scott Wilson of the Northern Echo has reported that the Reds are ‘firm favourites’ to sign the central defender, with Football Insider even stating that he’s told friends he “wants to join Liverpool”.

Guehi is entering the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, so although Tottenham Hotspur tabled a £70m bid in January, Eagles chairman Steve Parish will know that his bargaining chips are diminishing, for the Reds could snap him up on a free next year.

Why Liverpool want Marc Guehi

Guehi’s contract situation means FSG hold the cards (or, at least, more than they would have a year or two ago). And it’s a good thing, for the central defender is one of the most talented and complete defenders in the Premier League.

A strong and secure presence, Oliver Glasner has unlocked a new level of ball-playing quality at Palace that Guehi has latched onto and used to foster his technical skill.

Last season, he was an iron-solid star for his side, instrumental in beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup.

The 24-year-old is entering his prime years and has now acquired a certain taste for silver, but it’s not the Magpies he will be joining; instead, Liverpool could provide this titan with a home to grow into one of the best defenders across Europe, surpassing Quansah in Slot’s ranks.

Quansah’s 2024/25 campaign was perhaps not the best representation of his potential, so instead, see below the Englishmen’s statistics contrasted against each other in the Premier League, Guehi’s from last year, and the Merseyside talent’s from 2023/24, under Klopp’s leadership.

Matches (starts)

17 (13)

34 (34)

Goals

2

3

Assists

0

2

Touches*

76.5

64.9

Pass completion

89%

84%

Key passes*

0.2

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.2

4.3

Dribbles*

0.2

0.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.5

2.6

Clearances*

2.3

4.6

Duels (won)*

4.5 (64%)

4.9 (59%)

Now, it might feel like at a glance the younger Three Lions star (who has been called up but not yet made his official debut) has outperformed Guehi, but the Palace man’s inferior pass completion rate and success in the duel, which is largely down to the 6 foot 3 Liverpool talent’s dominance, is circumstantial.

Last season, Guehi won 63% of his ground duels (Quansah won 60% in 2023/24) in a Palace side which battled adversity near the bottom of the table in the earlier phases of the campaign and still throughout fought on a lower rung of the ladder than Slot’s title-challenging Reds.

It goes without saying that Guehi was in the thick of more defensive action, and a move to Merseyside would see his crispness on the ball developed while adding a progressive, mobile quality which has led one analyst to hail him as “England’s best centre-back.”

The south London centre-half, moreover, ranked among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for goal involvements, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, and the top 18% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

The Premier League perhaps hasn’t yet woken up to this player’s underrated passing game, but they will.

Slot is happy to sell Quansah for a reason. Though the prospect is highly talented and may yet become a player of distinction under Erik ten Hag’s mentorship at Leverkusen, Guehi is simply a cut above, a “monster in defence”, as has been noted by reporter Bobby Manzi.

We’ll hark back to that earlier point: Slot was frustrated by Quansah’s lack of success in the duel last August, later suggesting that he’s “outgrown being a talent” and perhaps needs to play with regularity, something the Dutch boss is not willing to offer him at Anfield.

Liverpool are aiming for the stars this summer, and by bringing in Guehi to rival Van Dijk and Konate in central defence, the club’s lofty ambitions might just be realised.

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ByAngus Sinclair Jun 20, 2025

Leeds United need to have a huge summer transfer window if they are to be successful during their first season back in the Premier League after a two-year absence.

Daniel Farke has led the Whites back to the promised land after securing the Championship title, with the German deserving of the opportunity to try and keep the club in the top-flight.

He’s been subject to a potential change, but the board have come out and publicly backed the 48-year-old to be a success and lead them to survival in 2025/26.

If he is to keep the club in the division, he will need backing in the transfer market, handing him the funds to make the additions he will certainly need to inject further quality into the squad.

With the window opening earlier this week, it presents the manager with the chance to improve various key areas of the side, leading to numerous names already being mentioned over a move to Elland Road.

The latest on Leeds’ hunt for new additions this summer

It’s been reported that Leeds could have a sum in the region of £100m to spend on new additions this summer, with key quality and depth needed all over the pitch.

The likes of James McAtee, Igor Paixao and Callum Wilson have all been key targets this summer, but as of yet, no progress has been made to take any of the trio to Yorkshire during the off-season.

However, a new name has entered the mix over recent days, with Getafe attacking midfielder Christantus Uche firmly on their radar, according to Spanish outlet Marca.

Their report claims that the Nigerian has a €25m (£21m) release clause in his deal, but that the Whites are preparing a move in the region of £17m for his signature.

The 22-year-old, who’s registered four goals and six assists in LaLiga this season, also has interest from Wolves and Brentford ahead of the summer – with Farke’s men needing to act quickly to land his signature.

Why Leeds’ £17m target could be Farke’s own Rodrigo

Back in the summer of 2020, Leeds splashed a fee in the region of £26m on Spanish star Rodrigo, looking to add serious quality to their front line ahead of their return to the top-flight.

He joined from LaLiga outfit Valencia, scoring seven goals in his first year in Yorkshire, helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side register a top-half Premier League finish.

The attacker would end up scoring 28 times in his 99 appearances for the Whites, subsequently departing the club after dropping back into the second tier in 2022/23.

Rodrigo’s contributions within the final third saw him become a fan favourite during his time at Elland Road, something which Uche could replicate if he joins the club this summer.

The Getafe star would follow in the Spaniard’s footsteps, potentially being their marquee signing in their first season back in the Premier League – also joining from another Spanish top-division outfit.

When delving into his stats from the current campaign, the Nigerian international has massively impressed, leading to his maiden call-up with his country this month against Jamaica.

His tally of 10 combined goals and assists will certainly give Farke the added threat in attacking areas he will crave in the top-flight, adding a new dimension to the club’s front line.

Christantus Uche’s stats for Getafe in LaLiga (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

33

Goals & assists

10

Chances created

1.1

Successful dribbles

1.2

Duels won

8.1

Aerials won

3.3

Touches in opposition box

4.1

Stats via FotMob

Uche, who’s been labelled a “monster” by talent scout Antonio Mango, has also created 1.1 chances per 90, along with 1.2 successful dribbles – having the skillset to take the ball into forward areas and cause the opposition havoc.

The youngster’s talents don’t stop there, winning 8.1 duels per 90, 3.3 of which were aerially, handing a serious threat from set pieces which could hand Farke an added dimension to his squad.

Such an all-round skillset showcases the talent that Uche possesses, only improving more over the next couple of years, especially considering his tender age of just 22.

Given the interest from other sides in England’s top-flight, the hierarchy will have to act quickly to avoid missing out on his signature, with the Nigerian having the tools to play a key role in their hopes of survival throughout 2025/26.

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Liverpool are looking to build on their Premier League title triumph under Arne Slot and could now target a world-renowned midfielder to bolster their engine room, per reports.

Liverpool aim to establish dominance over English football

Arne Slot hasn’t taken long to make a lasting impact at Anfield, delivering the Reds their first Premier League title in front of supporters after a thumping 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. Wild celebrations capped what has been a brilliant debut campaign for the Dutchman, but what comes next as Liverpool look to establish domestic dominance?

Conceivably, FSG will be willing to facilitate an exciting summer on Merseyside as Slot’s side aim to retain their top-flight crown in 2025/26.

According to reports, Xavi Simons could join Liverpool’s growing Dutch contingent for a fee of £60 million following an outstanding campaign in RB Leipzig’s engine room.

Similarly, the Reds are set to step up their interest in 33-goal Celtic forward Daizen Maeda. However, Arsenal and Aston Villa are also admirers of the Japan international’s unique profile.

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Truthfully, there has never been a better time to join Liverpool. In addition to their potential transfer dealings, Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have signed contract extensions at Anfield in another major boost to their hopes of further silverware.

Nevertheless, second-season syndrome is a real phenomenon, which is something they will be keen to counteract by enacting a squad refresh to maintain hunger against a rejuvenated set of title competitors.

Heeding that warning, Slot has turned his attention to another compatriot who could add a new dimension in midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Aliister, per recent developments.

Liverpool turn attention to Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool have positioned themselves to sign Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong due to his uncertain contact situation at the La Liga giants.

Earning around £310,000 per week, the Netherlands international is heading into the final year of his deal, and economic issues at his current employers have offered hope to the Reds in their pursuit of a statement midfield signing.

Frenkie de Jong’s La Liga statistics – 2024/25

Chances created

18

Pass completion

95%

Tackles won

9

Duels won

39

Goals

2

Assists

2

Arsenal and Manchester City are also in the mix to sign De Jong, who is now at risk of completing a surprise departure from Barcelona if they aren’t able to agree on fresh terms. Enjoying a fine campaign, the 27-year-old has made 40 appearances across all competitions, registering two goals and two assists as his side close in on the La Liga title.

That said, De Jong is now heading into the prime of his career and may fancy a new challenge, making the Premier League a logical landing point should circumstances align. Liverpool are aiming to keep themselves ahead of the rest in years to come, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to witness some high-profile arrivals at Anfield like the man in question.

Celtic failed to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership when they were beaten 1-0 by St. Johnstone away from home on Sunday.

The Hoops had the chance to move 16 points clear at the top of the division after their city rivals Rangers had been beaten 2-0 on Saturday by Hibernian, but failed to pick up a singe point of their own a day later.

Celtic had 26 shots on goal, nine of which were on target, and did not do enough to beat Andrew Fisher, who saved all nine of those efforts on target, between the sticks for the Saints.

The likes of Nicolas Kuhn, who was substituted at half-time in the match, Daizen Maeda, and Jota all ended the game without helping the team to find the back of the net.

It was an off-colour performance from Jota on the left wing as he played 76 minutes without scoring a goal or creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammates, although he did register a shot on target and two key passes.

Why Jota has been a great signing for Celtic

The Hoops swooped to sign the Portuguese forward on a permanent deal from Rennes in the recent January transfer window for a reported fee of £8m, 18 months on from his £25m move from Parkhead to Al Ittihad.

His performance against St. Johnstone was not reflective of his form since making that return to Glasgow from France at the start of the year, though, as he has been a great signing for Brendan Rodgers so far.

The 26-year-old talent has scored four goals, created three ‘big chances’, and assisted two goals in six starts and three substitute appearances in the Premiership since his £8m switch, which shows that he has been incredibly productive in the final third for the Scottish giants.

24/25 Premiership

Jota (per 90)

Percentile rank vs wingers

Goals

0.71

Top 4%

xG

0.52

Top 4%

xG on target

0.76

Top 1%

Shots on target

1.60

Top 1%

Assists

0.32

Top 16%

Chances created

2.13

Top 20%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, his statistics also place him very highly among his positional peers in the Premiership, as he has been one of the most frequent scorers and creators in the division per 90.

These statistics also show that he is well on his way to replicating the kind of form that earned him his £25m move to Saudi Arabia in 2023 in the first place.

As you can see in the graphic above, Jota consistently provided a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the Premiership during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns under Ange Postecoglou earlier in his Celtic career.

Whilst the Hoops managed to bring the former Benfica man back to the club in January, the Bhoys did lose a talent last summer who could have become Jota 2.0 at Parkhead in Rocco Vata.

Why Rocco Vata deserved more chances at Celtic

The Irish youngster came up through the academy system at Parkhead and only made six appearances in the first-team before he left the club at the end of his contract last summer to sign for Watford.

After four appearances in the Premiership under Postecoglou in the 2022/23 campaign, Vata was not given many chances to impress at senior level by Rodgers last season.

The teenage sensation made two appearances, one in the Premiership and one in the SFA Cup, and played 29 minutes of football in the first-team, scoring against Buckie Thistle in his 26 minutes of cup action.

Vata, who was valued at £43k by Transfermarkt at the end of his Celtic career, scored 12 goals in 15 Lowland League matches in the 2023/24 campaign and scored in his only appearance that lasted more than three minutes for the first-team, but that was not enough to earn him any more outings for Rodgers.

The Ireland international took his chances, limited as they were, when they came and excelled as a goalscorer at youth level, yet still did not get more than three minutes of Premiership football in the entire season, leading to his move to Watford last summer.

Rocco Vata's soaring market value

At the time of writing (07/04/2025), Vata is currently valued at £854k by Transfermarkt and this means that his value has soared by a whopping 1,886% in the 2024/25 campaign from the £43k he was rated at by the end of his time in Glasgow.

His market value has skyrocketed as a result of his exposure to regular first-team football with Watford in the English Championship, as the Hornets have been willing to offer him the senior minutes that his promise at Celtic suggested that he deserved.

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The 19-year-old talent has racked up 31 first-team appearances and 1,282 minutes of action in all competitions so far this season, including 27 outings in the Championship, after his 29 minutes of football for the Hoops this term.

Vata, whose screamer against Premier League side Fulham in the FA Cup is shown above, has shown that he has what it takes to play regular football at senior level, and that he can contribute at the top end of the pitch.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that the Irish whiz, who has been playing on the left wing of late for Watford, had an “exciting” future ahead of him during his time at Parkhead, and his potential is finally starting to shine through.

24/25 Championship

Rocco Vata

Appearances

27

Starts

10

xG

2.35

Goals

3

Big chances created

4

Assists

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Vata has been directly involved in six goals in ten starts in the second tier for Watford so far this season, which shows that he is well on the path to delivering goals and assists on a regular basis.

His return of 23 goals in 34 matches for Celtic’s B team showed that he had the potential to be a Jota-esque figure on the wing, by finding the back of the net on a regular basis, whilst he has now added creativity to his performances with the Hornets.

The Hoops, therefore, messed up when they failed to keep him at Parkhead last summer because they lost a player who could have developed into their next version of Jota on the wing, with the quality that he displayed at youth level in Glasgow and at Watford this season.

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Celtic could have had their own homegrown star, whose value is now soaring at an exceptional rate, but they will now have to watch from afar as his career develops in England.

Akash Deep produced the best match figures by an Indian bowler in England

Sampath Bandarupalli06-Jul-20251:56

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1-7 – India’s win-loss record in Test matches at Edgbaston. They had lost seven of their first eight games (with one draw) before beating England for the first time at the venue on Sunday.India’s win at Edgbaston is also the first time they have levelled a series in England immediately after losing the first Test. They had lost the first Test on 13 previous series in England and went on to lose the second in six and draw it in seven.336 – India’s margin of victory at Edgbaston is their biggest by runs away from home. Their previous biggest was a 318-run victory against West Indies in North Sound in 2019.Related

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10 for 187 – Akash Deep’s match figures at Edgbaston are the best for India in a men’s Test in England. Chetan Sharma, also at Edgbaston in 1986, is the only other India bowler with a ten-for in England.17 – Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj’s tally of wickets at Edgbaston is the joint highest by India’s new-ball bowlers in a Test. Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2005, and Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav against Bangladesh in Kolkata in 2019, also took 17 wickets.272 – Runs scored by Jamie Smith at Edgbaston, the third-highest by a wicketkeeper in a Test. Only Andy Flower is ahead of him with aggregates of 341 against South Africa in 2001 and 287 against India in 2000.1692 – Runs scored by England and India at Edgbaston – the highest for a Test between the two teams, bettering the 1673 in the previous match at Headingley. It is also the fourth-highest aggregate for a Test match not to end in a draw.3365 – Total runs in the first two Tests, the highest for the first two matches in any bilateral Test series. The previous highest was 3230 by Australia and England in the Ashes of 1924-25.India scored 1849 runs at Headingley and Edgbaston, the most by any team across the first two Tests of a series.

The rapidly changing global T20 landscape leaves England’s domestic offering on an uncertain footing

Alan Gardner16-Jul-2023How do you like them apples? Somerset’s cider boys finally ended their Finals Day hoodoo to cap one of the most-dominant seasons in the history of T20 (no team anywhere in the world has won as many as 15 games in a single campaign), providing a feelgood story in the middle of another English summer in which discontent about the schedule is impossible to ignore – even after 12 hours of getting bladdered in the Hollies Stand.The T20 showpiece remains one of the domestic game’s great days out. Where else can you see three thrillingly contested 20-over fixtures and a conga in the crowd led by a fancy-dress giraffe? Saturday at a packed Edgbaston felt like a triumph of elemental proportions, too, as the groundstaff – who began their day at 3.30am following hours of heavy rainfall in Birmingham – kept the show on the road even as stormy weather repeatedly threatened to trigger the use of a reserve day for only the second time in the competition’s 20-year history.T20 is a fickle game, as more than one participant from the four teams involved reflected – except Somerset’s unstoppable form suggested quite the opposite. They were the first team ever to win 12 games (out of 14) in the Blast group stage, and then in all three of their knockout encounters successfully fought back from losing positions.Related

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• Somerset seamers soar as Surrey stumble out in semi-final

Key to their success was a cutting edge with the ball. Somerset had the competition’s two leading wicket-takers – Matt Henry overtaking Ben Green with his four-for in the final to finish on 31 for the season – and claimed an almost unbelievable 151 out of 170 wickets going. Only one team in the South Group avoided being bowled out by Somerset this summer and that was Sussex, who played them once (and made 183 for 8 in a five-wicket defeat). Essex were on the receiving end three times.With the bat, the big guns at the top of the order are all England candidates of varying merit – Tom Banton, Will Smeed and Tom Kohler-Cadmore scored almost 1500 runs between them at strike rates of 150-175 – and yet their hero on Saturday was journeyman pro Sean Dickson, whose 53 in the final was the joint top-score of his nine-year T20 career.Somerset’s head coach, Jason Kerr, has been involved with the club since 2006, a time that encompassed seven fruitless trips to Finals Day. He said afterwards that his overriding emotion had been one of relief.”I genuinely believe you get what you deserve, and I genuinely believe we’ve been the best team in the competition this year,” he said. “But we had to go out there and demonstrate that, and that’s what we managed to go out there and do.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We’ve been building as a side. We’ve been to Finals Day for the last three years, and last year we didn’t turn up at all. We didn’t do ourselves justice, so I was adamant that we were going to do that this year. I think Lewis [Gregory] has led the group immensely well, but it really has been a team performance throughout the campaign, and that has shown with glory today.”Gregory, Somerset’s captain, called the experience “pretty damned good”. This was not, however, the first time he had held a T20 trophy aloft, despite having spent his entire county career at Taunton. That is because Gregory is also the captain of Trent Rockets, the reigning champions in the men’s Hundred, whose campaign to defend their trophy gets underway in just over a fortnight’s time. Another T20 showpiece, anyone?When the counties voted to create a second, city-based short-format competition back in 2017, the inevitable result was the Blast having to live in the shadow of a shinier, better-resourced competitor. But the global T20 landscape has shifted a huge amount in the intervening period and both English tournaments now find themselves hemmed in on all sides – by the behemoth that is the IPL at the start of the season and an increasing number of competitors in the middle of the year: the CPL, Major League Cricket and the Global T20 Canada.Surrey, defeated by Somerset in the second semi-final, felt the knock-on effects directly in the farrago of Sunil Narine’s non-appearance – despite the club believing they had an agreement for the West Indian spinner to fly back for Finals Day between his commitments to LA Knight Riders in the MLC. And speaking on BBC radio at Edgbaston, Glenn Maxwell, the Australia allrounder who joined Birmingham Bears straight from the IPL but recently opted to pull out of a planned stint at the Hundred for workload reasons, underlined the difficulties facing the ECB and the county game.The umbrellas were in regular action on Finals Day but only 10 overs were lost•Getty Images”I think now the Major League Cricket tournament’s come in, that’s going to affect the Blast really badly,” he said. “When you’ve got an opportunity to go over to America for two weeks, compared to 14 games here with a stressful schedule where you’re travelling all over the place. There was one week where we played on a Tuesday in Durham, Thursday in Leeds and then Friday here in Birmingham – that’s three games in four days with a day’s travel in between.”It can really drain you, your body and mentally. I found that very tough this year and I think with the Major League being a lot more attractive, bigger crowds, I think there’s eight [six] overseas players per team, the excitement of a new tournament, it’s only two weeks long. Less of a burden on your schedule. I think it’s going a lot more attractive to some overseas players.”Maxwell also pointed out the absurdity of England running its entire 50-over competition in parallel with the Hundred, with the result that the some of the country’s best white-ball players have barely played any List A cricket (a format which, unlike the Hundred, is played internationally and features a World Cup every four years). “I would say it does the same thing as T20 cricket but it’s not relevant to the international schedule,” he concluded.That is almost a whole other conversation, none of which really helps the Blast. There are signs that the competition has bounced back a little post-Covid, with the ECB reporting a 15% increase in advanced tickets sales and overall attendance expected to be in the region of 800,000 – similar to 2022 but down on the pre-pandemic high of 920,000. Edgbaston can still throw a party like no other in T20 but the logistics are more challenging than ever.Rumours about the Hundred being wound up have persisted, despite public denials from the ECB management and a broadcasting deal that runs until 2028. And even then, as Maxwell alluded to, an 18-team system is hardly the optimum starting point for a competition to achieve cut-through in an ever-more crowded market.Somerset’s success this weekend, after an 18-year gap since winning the third edition of the Twenty20 Cup in 2005, was a story that will resonate with many beyond the heartlands of county cricket. But whether the Blast will look the same in 18 months – let alone 18 years – is at the crux of the challenge for those running the game.

Since the 2019 World Cup, poor selection decisions have seen players drift in and out of limited-overs squads, with few sticking around long enough to show results

Mazher Arshad06-Aug-2021Pakistan’s limited-overs squads have gone through numerous changes in the last couple of years. Since the 2019 World Cup, they have tried 27 players in 11 ODIs and 38 players in 34 T20Is (in the first seven of those game alone, there were 25 different players, and a change in captaincy, though the team was No. 1 in the T20I rankings at the time).Related

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A pattern has emerged of too many players being dropped after too few opportunities or despite producing decent results. Much of this has come during the tenures of Misbah-ul-Haq (September 2019 to December 2020) and Mohammad Wasim (since January 2021) as chief selectors.In that time Pakistan have still won more white-ball games than they’ve lost – their win-loss record is 22-18 – but it has been an uneven, unsettled ride.Below are some of the more difficult-to-explain selectorial decisions Misbah, who is also head coach, and Wasim have taken in that time.Khushdil Shah
Pakistan’s issues with finding a middle-order batter and finisher in white-ball cricket are well-known. They looked at Khushdil as someone who could fix those problems, but he was dropped after a single ODI, in which he scored 33 batting at No. 7 against Zimbabwe in 2020.Khushdil Shah played a solitary ODI, against Zimbabwe, and nine T20Is before he was dropped•AFP via Getty ImagesSince making his debut in 2016, Khushdil has scored 2225 runs in List A cricket at an average of 51.74 and a strike-rate 99.19. No middle-order batter in Pakistan’s domestic one-day game has more centuries than his eight in this period, and no batter from Pakistan has hit more sixes than his 94.He scored a 35-ball 100 in the National T20 Cup last year and is one of the most successful power-hitters from Pakistan in the last couple of seasons – since 2020, only Mohammad Hafeez, with 62, has hit more sixes than his 56 – but he was given only nine T20Is to prove his worth – too small a sample size to judge a batter whose role is to play high-risk cricket.ESPNcricinfo LtdUsman Shinwari
Shinwari is one of those players who, because of poor performances in one format, has been dropped from others – a recurring theme in Pakistan over the last few years. He does not have a great record in T20Is, and an economy of 10.37 in the last two PSLs didn’t help. But his ODI numbers are too good to be ignored – in 17 games he has claimed 34 wickets at an average of 18.61 and an economy of 4.94.Usman Shinwari hasn’t played an ODI since picking up a five-for in the series against Sri Lanka in 2019•AFPThat includes ten wickets in his last three ODIs alone, including 4 for 49 against Australia in Dubai in 2019, and a Player-of-the-Match effort of 5 for 51 against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Earlier that year he took four wickets in Pakistan’s win in Johannesburg. Most players doing this in a World Cup year could rightly dream of playing in the tournament, but Shinwari wasn’t considered.Even when Pakistan decided to drop Faheem Ashraf and Junaid Khan, who played against England in the five-match ODI series right before the World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector at that time, picked Wahab Riaz over Shinwari. Wahab hadn’t played an ODI in two years, while Shinwari had ten wickets in the last five ODIs before the World Cup, and two four-wicket hauls.ESPNcricinfo LtdHe was selected again by Misbah for Pakistan’s first ODI series after the World Cup and his five wickets in that first game back, against Sri Lanka, proved the selection right. After that, however, he played only one more ODI and then wasn’t considered for the next series, against Zimbabwe. That call was made ostensibly on his PSL 2020 performance, where he went wicketless in four T20s and conceded 11.45 per over.No Pakistan bowler has had a better average in ODIs than Shinwari in the last five years. Why he is hardly even in the conversation for a place in the ODI side is anybody’s guess.Despite an average of 50. 54 and a strike of 121.39 in the last three years, Imad Wasim has played only three ODIs since the 2019 World Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesImad Wasim

Although widely seen as a bowler, it is with the bat that Imad has excelled in ODIs. He has averaged 50.54 in the last three years with a strike rate of 121.39 – the third highest in the world after Jos Buttler and Glenn Maxwell (for batters with a minimum of 500 runs in that period).His average may be boosted by not-outs, but that indicates he is a much better batter than a regular No. 7 or 8, the two positions where he has mostly batted. No other player has averaged more at these two positions in ODIs in the last three years.ESPNcricinfo LtdGiven the evidence of an unbeaten 117 off 78 in a warm-up match against Kent before the England series in 2019 and the 49 not out in the World Cup against Afghanistan, there’s an argument that Pakistan could have promoted him to No. 6, considering they still haven’t found anyone for this role. Yet, after the World Cup, he played only three ODIs before being left out.Shan Masood has averaged over 80 in List A cricket for Pakistan in the last five years but has only made five ODI appearances•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesShan Masood
The highest run scorer in List A cricket in the last five years in Pakistan – since 2016, Masood has scored 3376 runs at an average of 80.38, at a strike rate of 86.21, and hit 13 centuries – has played only five ODIs. Masood was picked for the series against Australia in the UAE before the World Cup in 2019 and was never considered again after.It is true that Pakistan’s current ODI openers, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, are doing a decent job (though the latter’s List A average and strike rate are lower than Masood’s) and their back-up, Abid Ali, has also proven his selection. But before the series against Zimbabwe in 2020, Pakistan picked a new opener, Abdullah Shafique, who had not played a single List A match. An uncapped List A player being selected for ODIs ahead of someone who is still only 31 years old and is averaging over 80 in the last five years? There are few better illustrations of the strange ways in which Pakistani selection operates.Abid Ali made a hundred on ODI debut, against Australia, in 2019 but wasn’t considered for the World Cup that year•Getty ImagesAbid Ali
Abid’s case is similar to Masood’s. Though his Test batting does not hint at it, he earned an ODI cap after good performances in domestic cricket. He scored 789 runs at an average of 65.75 in List A cricket in 2017-18, including a double-century. The next season, he scored 562 runs at 56.20 followed by a century against England Lions. Based on these performances he became a candidate to play in the 2019 World Cup and made his case even stronger with a century on ODI debut against Australia.After that century he played two more ODIs before Pakistan decided to leave him out of the World Cup, though he was supposed to be the back-up wicketkeeper to Sarfaraz Ahmed. He returned after the World Cup and was Player of the Match in his first outing, against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Two ODIs later, he was dropped despite his 234 runs in six innings at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 93.60, better than many current Pakistan batters.Danish Aziz played two T20Is and two ODIs before falling out of the reckoning•AFP/Getty ImagesDanish Aziz
While his overall white-ball numbers might not be impressive, Aziz was one of the best finishers in the 2020 National T20 Cup, where, he scored 220 runs for Sindh at an average of 73.33 and a strike rate of 154.92. The highlight was chasing 19 runs in the last over against Khyber Pakhtunwala. In the PSL recently in Abu Dhabi, Aziz was one six away from scoring Pakistan’s fastest fifty in T20s. In between he was given only two T20Is before being discarded from the national squads.It can be argued that it was wrong to pick him in ODIs in the first place but that he was dropped after only two games underlines that players are either getting selected without significant performances in domestic cricket or being dropped after getting too few chances.Muhammad Musa’s performance in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup carried him to the national squad, but he was dropped after two T20Is and two ODIs•Getty ImagesMuhammad Musa
Musa was one of the finest prospects to emerge from the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where he took four wickets in the semi-final against India. He played two ODIs against Zimbabwe and took a wicket in his very first over. It wasn’t that he was only given an opportunity because Pakistan were testing their bench strength; he played against Australia too in T20Is, another format where he was dropped after two games.You could argue that his selection was premature, but three emerging fast bowlers – Shahnawaz Dahani, Arshad Iqbal and Mohammad Wasim Jr – have now suddenly risen above him in the pecking order. It says a lot about the current selection process, where the selectors seem easily swayed by performances in the most recent games they’ve watched, and go on to pick a new player to replace someone tipped for the same role just the previous season. For instance, it is tough to believe that Abdullah Shafique would have been selected had his hundred on debut in the National T20 Cup not been televised.Mohammad Amir: a victim of politicking?•Getty ImagesMohammad Amir
Amir’s current form in T20s – 22 wickets at an average of 44.54 and an economy of 8.27 in the last year – is poor, but that shouldn’t undermine his ODI record, where, in his last ten games, he has 21 wickets at an average of 20.42 and an economy of 4.76. This stretch includes the 2019 World Cup, where he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, with 17 wickets.After the World Cup, he has only played two ODIs, in the home series against Sri Lanka, taking four wickets at an average of 17.75. Pakistan didn’t play another ODI for nearly a year, though Amir was part of Pakistan’s T20 squads that toured Australia in 2019 and England in 2020. He struggled on those trips and by the time of Pakistan’s next ODI series, against Zimbabwe in 2020, was out of favour.Should a player be dropped from ODIs for not performing well in T20Is? Admittedly, an ongoing spat with current management has also led to his continued exclusion. Amir retired from Tests after the 2019 World Cup. For a while that didn’t matter, as Pakistan continued to select him for T20Is. But a change in the team management’s stance has subsequently led to his exclusion from all Pakistan teams, based – according to Misbah – solely on his form. Not, clearly, his ODI form.

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During his recent stint as batting coach, Younis Khan admitted that Pakistan’s selection policy is reactive to criticism on social and mainstream media. Pressure is built through these platforms to select players who are too raw, and expectations of them are so high that when they fail, they are buried. That goes for established players as well, and there are a couple of players who, given Pakistan’s recent selection track record, could be in trouble despite actually not performing that poorly.Despite a recent dip in form, Shadab Khan has been the leading wicket-taker in T20Is among spinners since his debut in 2017•AFP/Getty ImagesShadab Khan
There are two major factors behind Shadab’s dip in bowling form in white-ball cricket. The first is that he has been through a succession of injuries from which he has still not fully recovered. Second, he hasn’t played any international cricket in Pakistan or the UAE in 12 months.Since Shadab has played all his recent international cricket in England, New Zealand and South Africa – arguably the three most difficult places for spinners – he hasn’t been able to meet his initial standards. A case in point is the T20I series in New Zealand last year, where he went wicketless. In that entire series, Pakistan’s and New Zealand’s spinners together took only two wickets, while the seamers took 32. In the 2021 PSL after that, with nine wickets, Shadab was still the leading Pakistani wicket-taking spinner.Someone who is still only 22 and the world’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is among spinners since his debut in 2017, who adds depth to batting, and is the best fielder in the team, deserves some leeway given during a rough patch. Jasprit Bumrah, for instance, has only five wickets in his last nine ODIs at an average of 96.40 in the last couple of years but will still be one of the first names on India’s team sheet.Shadab’s T20I numbers are in line with most of his contemporaries since his debut – Ish Sodhi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adil Rashid and Tabraiz Shamsi. Only Rashid Khan has an exceptional record but he hasn’t played against Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa or Sri Lanka in this period.The same goes for Shadab in ODIs. He had the third best average among spinners in the 2019 World Cup and since then has played only seven ODIs (five of them in England and South Africa) with little success. It’s a small sample size, and because of where he has played, a skewed one, on which to write off a spinner. As an example, check Rashid Khan’s figures in the same World Cup – arguably the greatest spinner of this era, struggling in conditions that didn’t suit him, against a superior quality of opponent.Haris Rauf has 80 T20 wickets since 2020, the most of any fast bowler•Daniel Pockett/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesHaris Rauf
Haris is the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in T20Is and T20s since 2020. In internationals he has 28 wickets at an average of 25.07, while overall in T20s he has 80 wickets at 23.20. That isn’t enough to shield him from severe criticism on Twitter and YouTube.Yes, his economy (8.94) is an issue, but he is only in his second year of international cricket, having been fast-tracked in. Anyone that raw and with the ability to bowl at 90mph is likely to be wayward at the start.ESPNcricinfo LtdHe has also shown that he is among the best bowlers in the death overs in T20Is, and it is the coaches’ job to define his role in the team and work on his areas of weakness, such as his middle-overs effectiveness, where he has only three wickets and an economy of 8.68.Even in ODIs, since the 2019 World Cup, no one has more wickets for Pakistan than him. These are decent numbers for a bowler who started playing professional cricket only three years ago and was picked for international cricket after four List A matches. None among Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan had ten wickets in their first eight ODIs, and Shoaib Akhtar had only 11. Trent Boult, currently the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler, had six wickets at 47.66 in his first eight ODIs.This not to say that Rauf is guaranteed a career like these players have had, but these numbers underscore that success has never come easy, not even for the greatest bowlers, and that you need to back talent to build a successful career.

يستعد فريق مانشستر سيتي، بقيادة المدرب بيب جوارديولا، لخوض مباراة قوية ضد نظيره فريق ريال مدريد مساء يوم الأربعاء، في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة فريقي ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي، اليوم، في خضم لقاءت الجولة السادسة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري، موسم 2025/26.

طالع | تشكيل مانشستر سيتي الرسمي أمام ريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. موقف عمر مرموش

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز الثاني عشر في جدول دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 10 نقاط، في حين أن ريال مدريد لديه 12 نقطة ويحتل المركز السادس.

ويسعى مانشستر سيتي إلى تحقيق الفوز في مباراة اليوم بعدما تعثر في الجولة الماضية وخسر أمام باير ليفركوزن بهدفين دون رد، كما يرغب ريال مدريد في الانتصار حيث يعاني من فترة سيئة على صعيد الدوري الإسباني.

ومن المتوقع تواجد النجم المصري عمر مرموش على دكة بدلاء مانشستر سيتي أمام ريال مدريد، حيث سيدفع به المدرب بيب جوارديولا في وقت لاحق من اللقاء، حسب مجريات اللعب. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي المتوقع أمام ريال مدريد اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: دوناروما.

خط الدفاع: ماتيوس نونيز، روبن دياز، جفارديول، نيكو أوريلي.

خط الوسط: نيكو جونزاليس، ريان شرقي.

خط الوسط الهجومي: تيجاني ريندرز، فيل فودين، جيريمي دوكو.

خط الهجوم: إيرلينج هالاند.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.