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Arthur Okonkwo has completed his deal to return to Wrexham on a permanent basis after departing Arsenal as a free agent.

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Okonkwo signs for WrexhamSpent last season on loan at Red DragonsRed Dragons pre-season USA tour begins in JulyWHAT HAPPENED?

Okonkwo played a key part in the Red Dragons' promotion to League One after joining on loan from the Gunners. The goalkeeper became an integral member of the side and retaining his services became key for Phil Parkinson. When he was released from Arsenal at the end of his contract in north London, a return to Wales appeared inevitable.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT OKONKWO SAID

On returning to Wrexham, Okonkwo told the club: “I’m feeling very good, I’m so happy to have finally signed and I can’t wait to get back to it.

“It was amazing last season. We had so many good memories together with the fans, and knowing they wanted me back was a big reason that I’m back. It’s good to finally be here.

“This is home, it’s felt like that since last season when I came in. The co-chairmen are so good, the manager, the coaches, the players, and obviously the backroom staff that you don’t see. It’s so good to be here.”

WHAT PARKINSON SAID

The Wrexham boss was equally delighted to welcome back the goalkeeper to the squad. He said: "“We’re delighted with the signing. It’s such an important one for us.

“Arthur was outstanding for us last year, and since the season finished we’ve worked really hard to secure the signing.

“It’s great credit to all the work that has gone on behind the scenes, because it’s never straightforward but we’ve always said it’s important to have perseverance to try and get your number one target – and Arthur certainly was that."

“It’s a great first signing of the summer for us.”

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Okonkwo made 36 appearances in League Two last season, conceding just 30 goals in the process. The goalkeeper kept a total of 14 clean sheets and sured up a defence that had initially struggled and saw Ben Foster retire just five games into the season.

De Kock breaks into top ten for batsmen, while Rohit vaults 36 places to a career-high 17th spot

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2019R Ashwin is back in the top ten for Test bowlers in the ICC rankings after his match haul of eight wickets in his first international match in 2019, the first Test against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma, who marked his Test opening debut with twin hundreds, vaulted 36 places to a career-high 17th while his captain Virat Kohli had his points drop below 900. Steven Smith continues to lead the Test batting rankings with 937 points, opening up a 38-point lead over Kohli.Watch cricket on ESPN+

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During the Test, Ashwin also became the joint-fastest to 350 Test wickets along with Muttiah Muralitharan. The triumphant return has helped him move from 14th place to tenth among bowlers.ALSO READ – Krishnaswamy: ‘Elated’ Ashwin conjures magic on Test comebackMuralitharan and Ashwin at the point of reaching 350 Test wickets•ESPNcricinfo LtdRohit also enjoyed a productive Test, setting several records as a Test opener. Notably, he hit 13 sixes, the most by a batsman in a Test match. Mayank Agarwal, Rohit’s opening partner who converted his maiden Test hundred into a double-century, jumped from 63rd place to 25th. Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, dropped three places to tenth.Among the South Africans, Quinton de Kock, who made 111 in the first innings in Visakhapatnam, broke into the top ten, claiming seventh place ahead of openers Tom Latham, Dimuth Karunaratne and Rahane. Opener Dean Elgar also gained five places and made it to 14th, having struck 160 in a big partnership with de Kock in the first innings.ALSO READ – Shami hits his stride to bust subcontinent stereotypesMohammed Shami, who enhanced his reputation as a second-innings specialist, moved up two places to 16th, achieving a career-high 710 points on the table led by Australia’s Pat Cummins.Ashwin broke into the top five among allrounders too, while Ravindra Jadeja has gone past Shakib Al Hasan to the second spot. West Indies’ Jason Holder tops the rankings with 472 points.

Arsenal's record-breaking signing Olivia Smith was named Women's PFA Young Player of the Year at Tuesday's PFA Awards, beating two Lionesses.

Smith named PFA Young Player of the YearForm persuaded Arsenal to pay world-record feeBeats out Lionesses Beever-Jones and ClintonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Smith was superb for Liverpool last season, so superb that Arsenal decided to fork out a £1 million ($1.35m) fee to make the 20-year-old the most expensive female footballer of all-time just last month. Her nine goals for a team that managed just 22 as a whole was enough to earn her recognition at the PFA Awards, too, with her fellow pros voting her the Young Player of the Year.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Smith had stern competition for the accolade as well. Also nominated were Mary Fowler, whose league-leading seven assists were enough to put her in the mix for the main Player of the Year award; Aggie Beever-Jones, the young England star who top-scored for treble-winning Chelsea; Grace Clinton, another promising Lioness who stood out for Manchester United; plus two more talented prospects in the Blues' dominant year, in Wieke Kaptein and Maika Hamano.

DID YOU KNOW?

Making Smith's season all the more impressive was the fact that it was her first in the WSL. Having enjoyed a senior breakthrough at Sporting in Portugal the year prior, Liverpool paid a club-record fee to bring the then-19-year-old over to Merseyside and the way she took to her new challenge had few believing the Reds would be able top keep hold of her for long. Indeed, it was just one season in the end.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SMITH AND ARSENAL?

Now, Smith has a new big task ahead, as she looks to break into the Gunners' first-team on a regular basis this coming season. Her club debut could come on the WSL's opening weekend, with Arsenal to start at the Emirates against newly-promoted London City Lionesses on September 6.

Bengal, Chandigarh, Andhra, UP, Baroda, Delhi, MP, Saurashtra, Mumbai and Vidarbha made it to the knockouts

Shashank Kishore06-Dec-2024On Thursday, that saw the final round of group fixtures at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), as many as 17 teams were in contention for the eight remaining knockouts spots. At the end of an engaging day’s play, this much was certain: Punjab won’t be defending their title this season despite Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, Mohammed Shami will have an opportunity to garner more match time with Bengal and Ajinkya Rahane’s scintillating form for Mumbai may yet keep him in conversations around captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders. Here are the highlights from Thursday:Bhuvneshwar the hat-trick hero as UP enter knockoutsSigned for INR 10.75 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved he is not a spent force just yet. His hat-trick against Jharkhand in a match-winning effort helped Uttar Pradesh seal a pre-quarterfinals berth, where they will take on Andhra on Monday.Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy knockouts:

1st Pre-quarterfinal: Bengal vs Chandigarh (December 9)

2nd Pre-quarterfinal: Andhra v UP(December 9)

1st Quarter-final: Baroda vs winner of 1st PQF (Dec 11)

2nd Quarter-final: Delhi vs winner of 2nd PQF (Dec 11)

3rd Quarter-final: MP vs Saurashtra (Dec 11)

4th Quarter-final: Mumbai vs Vidarbha (Dec 11)

Bhuvneshwar, captaining UP, recorded figures of 4-1-6-3 – all his wickets coming in his final over – as Jharkhand fell short by 10 runs chasing 161. Among the wickets for Bhuvneshwar was the big-hitting Robin Minz. That Jharkhand got that close was because of allrounder Anukul Roy, who smashed a 44-ball 91 at No. 5.Earlier in the tournament, Bhuvneshwar upstaged Jasprit Bumrah to become the first Indian seamer to get 300 T20 wickets. Among Indians, only Yuzvendra Chahal (364), Piyush Chawla (319) and R Ashwin (310) have more T20 wickets than Bhuvneshwar (308).Shami continues pain-free returnShami picked up three wickets in another sure shot sign of him slowly returning to full match fitness, as Bengal stormed into the pre-quarterfinals where they will take on Chandigarh.Playing his seventh straight game of the competition, Shami picked up 3 for 26 as Bengal restricted Rajasthan to153 for 9, before half-centuries from Abishek Porel and Sudip Gharami helped seal a seven-wicket win.Related

Abhishek hits 28-ball century, the joint second-fastest in T20s

Baroda's 349 for 5 breaks world record for highest T20 total

Shami has so far bowled his full quota of overs (27.3 out of a possible 28) in the seven games, while picking up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.67. Prior to SMAT, Shami had returned a match haul of seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy last month, his first competitive outing since last year’s World Cup final.Bengal will take on Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinal on Monday.Rahane 95 helps Mumbai record highest SMAT chaseIn a must-win, Mumbai eclipsed their previous highest chase of 227 to beat Andhra and set up a quarter-final on Wednesday against Vidarbha, the team they beat in last season’s Ranji final. Rahane’s 95 off just 54 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, kept Mumbai in the chase right until the end, before Suryansh Shedge finished it off in a blaze.Set an imposing 230, thanks to KS Bharat’s unbeaten 53-ball 93, Mumbai were fuelled by a rollicking opening stand of 51 in just four overs between Rahane and Prithvi Shaw, who made a 15-ball 34. Then they hit choppy waters with Shreyas Iyer (25) and Suryakumar Yadav (4) falling in quick succession.Rahane then found support from Shivam Dube, with whom he put on 54 in just 31 balls; Dube’s contribution to the partnership an 18-ball 34. At one stage, Mumbai needed 26 off 10, and Shedge, on 2 off 2 at that point, hit two fours and three sixes to finish on an unbeaten eight-ball 30 as Mumbai won with three balls to spare.File photo: Ajinkya Rahane continued his fine form in T20s•AFP/Getty ImagesA win would have helped Andhra qualify directly for the quarter-finals as they would have topped the table. They will now have to play the pre-quarters because Mumbai and Andhra finished on the same points and Mumbai were the table-toppers because of their head-to-head against Andhra earlier in the league stage. Mumbai’s win also knocked Kerala out of the competition.Gujarat knocked out despite six wins in sevenNet run rate cruelly led to Gujarat’s group-stage exit as they lost out to Saurashtra and Baroda, who set the record for the highest T20 score, against Sikkim.When Gujarat blasted 251 for 5 batting first against Karnataka, thanks to opener Aarya Desai’s 73 off 40 and Axar Patel’s unbeaten 20-ball 56, there was no inkling of the heartbreak that was to follow. They managed to restrict Karnataka to 203, with Axar picking 2 for 22 off four overs in their 48-run win.However, Saurashtra managed to edge out Gujarat by chasing down their 137 target against Tripura in just 13.3 overs. In the end, Baroda, Saurashtra and Gujarat all finished on 24 points and Gujarat lost out on a knockout berth because their NRR was lower than Saurashtra’s by 0.335.

Australia now need to beat England on Sunday to qualify for the final of the triangular series

The Report by Daniel Brettig08-Feb-2020A stunning innings by the 16-year-old wunderkind Shafali Verma launched India Women on the way to a dramatic victory over the T20 World Cup favourites Australia. In doing so they announced their genuine candidacy for the global tournament and also ensured the hosts need to beat England at the Junction Oval on Sunday to qualify for the final of the triangular series that is proving to be a bruising warm-up for the event.Verma’s 49 off 28 balls, combined with a calming 55 off 48 from her opening partner Smriti Mandhana, were the difference as India ran down Australia’s 5 for 173 with two balls to spare. The hosts had appeared well-placed at the innings break after Ashleigh Gardner’s powerful 93 off 57 balls with support from Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney, but a halting last few overs proved costly as India went on the charge from the very first over of their chase.With Verma batting fearlessly and Mandhana providing key support, there was further support from Jemimah Rodrigues, before captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma helped India to their highest successful chase in the format. With two losses in three T20Is, this is the first time the Australians have struggled to this extent since 2017 when they lost four out of five.Gardner builds after first over dramasLate-comers to the Junction Oval missed a dramatic start to the afternoon as Alyssa Healy’s survival of a missed stumping cost India precisely one ball. Deepti’s offbreak lured Healy down the pitch out of what seemed idle curiosity as much as intent to score, and a lack of turn saw the ball pass the bat. But Taniya Bhatia was unable to collect the ball cleanly, allowing Healy to scramble back into her crease and reset – for a moment.The very next delivery was dragged down short, only to be tugged straight to midwicket by Healy as India celebrated their good fortune. Gardner walked out to join Beth Mooney, and there were a few more nervy moments as a few lofted shots landed just out of reach of the fielders. These near-misses soon gave way to cleaner blows as Gardner unfurled her power game in the fashion that has prompted Australia to use her at No. 3. Mooney was content to rotate the strike, and when she perished to a Harleen Deol full-toss, Meg Lanning offered similar support, albeit speckled with a few more boundaries.Haynes, Perry splutter at the finishIndia’s fielding display was far from the standard required, exemplified by the missed stumping to start with and several other clear missed chances besides. Gardner made merry as a result, piling up 11 boundaries and three sixes while adding 62 in 47 balls with Mooney and then a whip-cracking 79 in 42 balls with Lanning. That stand meant that the Australians looked ready to launch at 2 for 141 with 29 balls remaining, but the exits of Lanning for 37 and then Gardner, much to her chagrin, for 93, signalled a loss of acceleration.Ashleigh Gardner plays a cut•Getty ImagesEllyse Perry and Rachael Haynes added 22 together but took 19 balls to do it, even with one mighty six from Perry in the final over bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad. They also survived another Indian fielding muck-up, this time a comedy of errors when it appeared easier to run out one of Perry or Haynes than neither. In the end, Perry was lbw when she moved too far across the stumps on the penultimate ball of the innings.Verma’s shots heard round the worldOn what had dried out into a beautiful batting pitch, the tourists had a chance provided they got a swift start. “Swift” proved to be too mild an adjective for the hurricane that was Verma, who took a hyper-aggressive approach from the very first over of the chase and was rewarded with a series of boundaries. The opening overs read like a list of cricket teams and squads: 11, 12, 11, 14 and 14 meaning the powerplay was to be worth 70 and the target drastically reduced.Verma’s fearlessness and sharp eye were complemented perfectly by Mandhana, who found her own occasional boundary in between plenty of singles and alert running between the wickets. Some formidable Australia bowlers – Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt and Perry – were momentarily humbled by Verma, and captain Lanning was left looking far and wide for bowling options. No fewer than seven bowlers were to be tried, but it was Perry who snared Verma for a breathless 49 from 28 balls to pull Australia back into the contest.Tourists hold nerve for victoryIn Verma’s slipstream, Rodrigues kept scoring at the required tempo with her own sparkling contribution, adding 37 with Mandhana with only a slight dip in the run rate after the opening stand of 85 in 50 balls. When Rodrigues did err, offering a thin edge behind to Healy off Schutt, Harmanpreet provided plenty of experience and poise to the pursuit as Mandhana reached a meritorious half-century.With 16 still required off 12 balls, a tight over from Nicola Carey could have turned the game towards Australia. But although she managed to win an lbw verdict against Mandhana, two fours including one swatted between mid-on and midwicket by Deepti off Carey’s final ball meant only four remained to be collected from the final over. Harmanpreet and Deepti kept their heads for a rousing win. The World Cup race is widening by the day.

Canada Women's coach Bev Priestman says she is "absolutely heartbroken" after a drone scandal rocked their Olympics title defense

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Canada spy on New Zealand with drone at OlympicsTeam deducted six points & Priestman suspendedHead coach "absolutely heartbroken" for playersWHAT HAPPENED?

Canada were sanctioned after a drone was used to spy on a New Zealand training session, one of their group stage opponents at the Paris Olympics. Coach Priestman received a one-year ban from FIFA and Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were also suspended for the same period. Now, Priestman has reacted to the fallout of this episode.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT BEV PRIESTMAN SAID

In a statement on Sunday, she said: "I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologise from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them.

"I know how hard they have worked following a very difficult year in 2023, and that they are a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity. As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully co-operate with the (CSA) investigation."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Canada's women's team won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but this is a dark day for them. Canada's government said it would withhold funding for the women's football officials who were banned by FIFA and Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker said there appeared to be "information that could tarnish" their Tokyo gold, too.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Canada beat New Zealand 2-1 in their first group stage match but after their six-point deduction, they are on minus three points. They face France next in a must-win match and then round off their group stage campaign against Colombia.

Chamari Athapaththu explains how her side defended 12 runs off the last two overs to make the women’s Asia Cup final

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2022Nida Dar goes down on her haunches after getting run-out off the last ball. The Sri Lanka players are running towards each other from all directions, arms aloft, screaming loud, smiling. The big screen at the Sylhet International Stadium flashes the result. Those in the stands are open-mouthed. Some have their hands on their head. Whether it happens in front of a few hundred people, or millions, there’s something unpretentious about last-ball finishes.Particularly when the contest was so tilted against the winners even just 15 minutes previously. The first ray of hope for Sri Lanka came when Sugandika Kumari removed Bismah Maroof in the 18th over. She was in two minds and missed the ball. Bowled for 42. Inoka Ranaweera was magnificent in the 19th over, picking up another wicket. Pakistan needed nine off the last six balls. And up stepped Achini Kulasuriya, slinging yorker after yorker until she made history.After the match, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu was beaming, with her deputy Oshadi Ranasinghe in tow, at the press conference. A little while before, Aliya Riaz had expressed just how sad it was to be in the Pakistan dressing room at that point. They were almost there, in the Women’s Asia Cup final, only to be denied off the last ball.Athapaththu said that Kulasuriya followed her directions word for word. It was all about denying the batters Riaz and Dar the room they needed to hit the ball over the 25-yard circle, which became doubly important because, at that moment, Sri Lanka were also dealing with an over-rate penalty. They could have only three fielders (one less than the usual four in women’s cricket) outside the circle in the last over.”After 14 years, we are in the final of the Asia Cup,” Athapaththu said. “So it’s really good for us as a team, as a nation. We are really excited today. And I’m very happy about my team’s performance today. All players doing really well today.”We planned a few things yesterday. We know Nida is a hard-hitter of Pakistan. Achini Kulasuriya is a really good, experienced bowler in our bowling line-up. I always trust her, and I know she can do it.”

#ApeKello celebrating in style

Sri Lanka qualified for the finals of the Women’s #AsiaCup2022 after winning against Pakistan by 1 run. pic.twitter.com/WXHkGcQJdd

— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) October 13, 2022