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تحدث مدرب ليفربول آرني سلوت، في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم الإثنين، قبل مباراة فريقه أمام ريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وعلّق على المواجهات القوية التي تنتظره.

ويلاقي ليفربول خصمه ريال مدريد غدًا الثلاثاء، في مرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا، ثم يواجه مانشستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يوم الأحد القادم.

وعن مواجهات ليفربول القوية أولاً أمام ريال مدريد ثم مانشستر سيتي، قال سلوت: “لا، مباراة الأحد ليست في حساباتي عند اختيار التشكيل، أمامنا بضعة أيام بين المباراتين، بينما في فترات أخرى يكون لدينا فقط يومان بين المباريات، مثل الآن”.

وأضاف: “لكن هذه المرة، ولأول مرة هذا الموسم، سيكون الوضع متساويًا بيننا وبين الخصم من حيث عدد أيام الراحة لذلك، تشكيل الغد لن يكون له أي علاقة بمباراة الأحد”.

وعن جماهير ليفربول، طلب سلوت: “أدعوهم للحضور غدًا كما فعلوا يوم السبت، لقد قدّموا دعمًا كبيرًا، وغدًا نواجه فريقًا يمرّ بفترة رائعة، اللعب على أرضنا دائمًا ممتع، لأننا لم نلعب إلا مباريات خارج أرضنا تقريبًا، وقد أظهر آنفيلد أهميته يوم السبت”.

وحول خصميه ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي، أفاد: “كل مباراة نخوضها تُعدّ اختبارًا حقيقيًا، ليس كالمباريات السابقة، فقد لعبنا المباراتين على أرضنا، لكننا نلعب خارج أرضنا ضد السيتي”.

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وأسترسل :”عانى ريال مدريد من إصابات كثيرة، والآن تحسنت الأمور، نحن فريق مختلف، وقد أجرى السيتي بعض التغييرات مثلنا، كل مباراة نخوضها الآن تُعدّ اختبارًا حقيقيًا لنرى أين نحن، كان ذلك قبل أسبوع، وقبل أسبوعين، وهذا هو الحال هذا الأسبوع”.

وسُئل سلوت عن رأيه في تصريحات ستيفن جيرارد، وأجاب: “أجد صعوبة دائمًا في الرد على ما قاله شخص آخر، لن تكون هذه المرة الأولى في حياتي التي يغير فيها أحدهم كلمة أو كلمتين، لست متأكدًا مما قاله جيرارد، فهو من أشد مشجعي ليفربول”. 

وعلّق: “نواجه فريقًا كبيرًا وناجحًا للغاية، بفريق رائع، ومدرب ولاعبين رائعين، أحترم الجميع، مثل جيرارد، الذي يُقدّر ريال مدريد وليفربول بنفس القدر، لن أعلق على ما قاله”.

وكان جيرارد دافع عن سلوت في تصريحاته، وأشار إلى أن ليفربول سيحقق الفوز أمام ريال مدريد في ملعب “آنفيلد”.

وبشأن ريال مدريد، شدد: “بالنسبة لي، من الصعب مقارنة مباريات الموسم الماضي وهذا الموسم، عانى الفريق من إصابات عديدة الموسم الماضي، بينما قدم أنشيلوتي أداءً رائعًا، وضمّ بعض اللاعبين، وهذا قد يؤثر سلبًا على أسلوب اللعب، رأيتُ ريال مدريد جيدًا جدًا، والآن هو نفسه، لذا لطالما كان قوةً كبيرة، كم مرة وصلوا إلى نصف النهائي في السنوات القليلة الماضية؟ فريقٌ رائع”.

وفيما يتعلق بمدرب ريال مدريد الحالي تشابي ألونسو، أبدى رأيه متابعًا: “اسألوا تشابي، لا أعرف ماذا فعل… لسنوات عديدة، حقق نجاحًا باهرًا تحت قيادة كارلو أنشيلوتي، أربع بطولات دوري أبطال أوروبا! ليس سيئًا، لذا لا يسعنا إلا التحدث باحترام”.

وأتم: “لم يخسر تشابي سوى مباراة واحدة، ما هو تأثيره هنا؟ لقد فاز بدوري الأبطال هنا، ولا يسعني إلا أن أخبركم أن وقت لعبه كان منذ زمن بعيد، وكان له تأثير كبير على أدائه، لكن الجالسين بجانبي متفائلون أيضًا بشأن شخصيته ولاعبه عندما كان هنا في ليفربول”.

Less than 24 hours out from ball one, Shan Masood and his team were still weighing up whether to play a spinner at the expense of a fast bowler in the XI

Danyal Rasool02-Jan-2025There’s a fine line between maximum preparation and cluelessness, and Pakistan are trying to make sure they tread the right side of it. With less than 24 hours to go before the second Test, Pakistan have not yet named a final XI, wanting to glean as much information as possible about what the Newlands surface will do. However, the later, they leave it, the harder it is to make the case the visitors have a side they will be comfortable with heading into the game.The captain Shan Masood admitted balancing the team was “tricky”. “We’d like to have one final look at the pitch,” he said. “Looks a bit different, less grass cover. South Africa have had the luxury of having a training session earlier than us. We’d like to take our time and see what the best possible XI is.”The Newlands surface is under scrutiny following what happened in the previous Test played here. In the first Test for new groundsman Braam Mong, India beat South Africa in a game which lasted barely 100 overs. Fast bowlers dominated the game, with uneven bounce between bat and ball, with no spin bowled; the pitch was given an “unsatisfactory” rating.Related

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With this being the same groundsman’s second Test, interest in the nature of this strip is high on both sides, with Temba Bavuma half-joking he was told he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the pitch”. Over the last couple of days, the strip that will see the Test played has had a significant amount of grass removed from it, with heavy rollers going over the surface multiple times.Either way, South Africa have named their side, with spinner Keshav Maharaj coming in. But it’s a bit more complex for Pakistan. Masood pointed out one of South Africa’s strengths was their seam bowling allrounders and deep batting line-up, saying it went right down to “Rabada at 10″, following his heroics in the fourth innings in Centurion.If Pakistan are to play a specialist spinner, it will invariably come at the expense of a seam bowler. That leaves them with just three seamers, which Masood appeared reluctant to commit to.”South Africa still have four seamers playing,” Masood said. “They have the luxury of quite a lot of allrounders in the squad. Mulder, Jansen, Bosch, so they can afford to make those decisions. For us, it’ll be slightly trickier. We still feel pace will have a large role to play in these conditions. There was a pattern that was successful for us where [Salman] Agha bowled really well in Australia and take that forward with us. We’ll have to see and probably make a decision in the evening.Further complicating matters, Aamer Jamal, who played the least significant role among the quicks in Centurion for Pakistan, is their only allrounder, with Masood effectively confirming his place in the XI.”Aamer links the team together. He’s a very important player in the Test team going forward. That No. 8 position where you can bat as a very decent batter and bowl like a proper fast bowler. Unfortunately, the situation of the match was such apart from his first spell at Centurion he didn’t really get a go. He was brought on at a time where we just took a gamble to have something different, maybe hit the wicket and force Rabada or Jansen to do something else. That was the reason behind that. But we hope he’ll bowl more on this surface.”It means whichever way Pakistan go, there will be compromises one way or another. But Masood said Pakistan had been taking heart from the way they competed against the side that are “No. 1″ in Test cricket. But with Pakistan letting slip a number of dominant positions over the last nine Tests, seven of which Pakistan lost, he understands belief in a side or a system can fall apart if results to prop it up aren’t forthcoming.”You want to compete against the best, and win against the best,” he said. “It’s heartening to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential in that side, and if we’re not crossing the line, we’re not doing our talent and ability justice. That only comes from a place of care, and yes we all make mistakes and sometimes don’t cross this line, but I really believe this side has the ability, and people have seen there is a lot more to this side than the results suggest.”Moments after Pakistan finished training, the pitch was, unconventionally, given another heavy dose of watering under a hot sun. After that, the groundstaff threw a white sheet over the strip, and the two surrounding it. The secrets of this Newlands pitch remain concealed overnight, although, even when it stood exposed, few – especially in the Pakistan camp – seemed to really know what to expect from it.

أعلن اتحاد الكرة، عن طاقم حكام مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي، التي تقام ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز موسم 2025 -2026.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع البنك الأهلي في الثامنة مساء الخميس المقبل، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر من بطولة الدوري المصري.

طالع|خاص | الزمالك يوضح حقيقة التفاوض مع مدرب الأهلي الأسبق.. ومهلة محددة أمام فيريرا

ويدخل الزمالك المباراة محتلا المركز الخامس في جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز برصيد 18 نقطة.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، يتواجد فريق الكرة بنادي البنك الأهلي في المركز الثالث عشر برصيد 14 نقطة. طاقم حكام مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي في الدوري المصري

حكم ساحة: محمود ناجي.

حكم مساعد 1: سامي هلهل.

حكم مساعد 2: سمير جمال.

حكم رابع: عمرو السيد.

VAR حكم: محمود دسوقي.

حكم VAR مساعد: عبدالحكيم ناصر.

They will go into the final on Saturday as the favourites, having topped the league stage and brushed aside Delhi Bulls

Aadam Patel03-Dec-2021For Mushtaq Ahmed, it is a third season in the hot seat at the Deccan Gladiators and perhaps, it is a case of third time lucky for the former Pakistan spinner. In 2019, the Gladiators fell short at the final hurdle, and earlier this year a tame effort saw them eliminated before the play-offs.This time around, things are a little different. They will go into the Abu Dhabi T10 final on Saturday as the favourites, having topped the league stage and brushed aside Delhi Bulls in the first qualifier.Led by the experienced Wahab Riaz and a bowling attack that possesses international quality in Tymal Mills and Wanindu Hasaranga, they have managed to bowl out three sides and taken 61 wickets across the ten-game league stage. Their West Indian allrounders, Andre Russell and Odean Smith have both picked up regular wickets throughout the tournament, as well as starring with the bat.Hasaranga is the joint top wicket-taker this season with a tally of 19 and has resumed exactly where he left off at the T20 World Cup, baffling the opposition with his variations. In a format that strongly favours the batters, the Sri Lankan has had the chance to bowl five hat-trick deliveries thus far. With 5 for 8 against the Bangla Tigers in the league stage, Hasaranga now also has the best bowling figures in T10 history.With the bat, they have had contributions across the order. At the top, the three Toms in Kohler-Cadmore, Moores and Banton have all played match-winning knocks. Kohler-Cadmore’s 96 has undoubtedly been the knock of the tournament and is also the highest score in T10 history.Going into the final, Mushtaq insists that his message will remain simple to the players.Wanindu Hasaranga has picked up where he left off at the T20 World Cup•ICC via Getty”Remember your strengths first of all. We’re lucky to have a very good analyst [Prasanna Agoram] and he gives the team lots of information on the opposition, in terms of bowling variations and the strengths and weaknesses of batters. That’s why analysts are playing a huge role in cricket,” Mushtaq said. “When you prepare to win a tournament like this, a lot of it is very simple – you have to aim for less dot balls and more boundaries with the bat and vice versa with the ball. In this format, you need a bit of a luck too, but that you can’t control. I tell the boys to make sure they control what they can.”In an interview with Ten Sports, Prasanna spoke about how much he has been impressed by Smith, who he believes “has all the ingredients to succeed” and become “the next Andre Russell.” He added how Kohler-Cadmore was one of the first names he recommended to Mushtaq and that given his wide range of shots, an England debut can’t be far off.Mushtaq certainly appreciates and values the role of the analyst in modern-day cricket, yet as part of a generation that grew and developed without such assistance, he insists that players need to trust their own instincts too.”The analyst helps you to execute plans better, but in my time, we used to use our own brain. I was saying to the guys the other day, we didn’t have an analyst but we used to read the opposition ourselves. If you can feed lots of things into that laptop or computer, you can feed your own programme too if you concentrate on the opposition and that’s why cricketers in the 80s and 90s were very very smart. They could read a batsmen while they were fielding and waiting to bowl.””Now, all of the teams rely on analysts to get information, which is rightly so, but at the same time, sometimes young cricketers don’t rely on their own thinking and their own brain and that’s why sometimes the process of becoming a better cricketer comes later.””In my era, I think we were more street-smart, because we didn’t have those sources. We had to assess the conditions very quickly. Using your own brain allows you to make mistakes and that helps you to learn and improve quicker and I think that’s a big difference between now and when I played.”In Hasaranga, Mushtaq believes that the Gladiators possess one of those street-smart players. “He reads batters so quickly, in terms of who is looking to hit him where and he is very proactive with his variations. I’m very impressed.”The Sri Lankan has been the standout bowler of the Abu Dhabi T10 and if the Gladiators again deploy his weaponry well in the final, his two overs could end up being the difference between another final defeat and a first ever T10 title for the franchise.

He’s up there with the likes of Hutton, May, Gooch and Cook. Like his team-mates seem to think, might he be the greatest of them all?

Mark Nicholas07-Jun-2022These past four days the United Kingdom has celebrated the 70-year reign of Her Majesty the Queen with gusto. There have been numerous parties in her name since she ascended to the throne in the cold February of 1952, but this platinum jubilee has been the mother and father of them all. Happily, yesterday’s finale coincided with England’s thrilling Test match victory at Lord’s. It had not been 70 years since England last won but it felt a bit like it – a long ten months let’s say.In the summer of 1952, England played four Test matches against India, winning the first three comprehensively and watching the rain fall for much of the fourth. At the top of the batting order was Len Hutton and at three, four and five in the first two matches were Peter May, Denis Compton and Tom Graveney, each of them wizards in their way. Hutton was technically close to perfect and, typically of Yorkshiremen, resilient. Bowlers used to say that they felt any ball bowled to May could have been hit for four; the only other batter I’ve heard that said of was Viv Richards. Compton had hints of genius in him, created by quicksilver feet, an eager eye, and the most splendid expression. Graveney was elegant beyong imagination and blessed with extraordinary powers of concentration. These were wonderful batters during something of a golden age for English cricket, and the legend of each lives on in the hearts of those for whom cricket is so much more than just a game.None of them, however, were better than Joe Root. The current players like to refer to Root as the best English batter of all time. I don’t know about that, and nor, really, do the players, but they are hugely proud of him. Root is a man of great dignity and no little modesty. He would rather they didn’t fuss but, then again, it is a fine thing to be so appreciated by your peers.Related

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Batting is a craft that has evolved over a couple of centuries. Film of WG Grace in the nets does not tell us much, other than how different the game was back then. The same can be said about grainy footage of Jack Hobbs, though 197 hundreds must count for something. Photographs at the MCG of Walter Hammond and Bill Ponsford remind us that many of the pitches of the day were barely identifiable from the outfields and therefore the balance between bat and ball was far less weighted in favour of batters than it is today. In 1937, the lbw law changed so that bowlers could trap a batter in front by pitching the ball outside off stump and bringing it back into his pads. Previously the ball had to pitch on the stumps and be going on to hit them, which takes some bowling.Tom Graveney was among those who bucked the trend of predominantly playing back on the pitches of his day•Getty ImagesOf course, batting is a subjective skill and has changed considerably even in the relatively short time that I have been involved with the game. On uncovered pitches and before the introduction of helmets, the tendency was to play back. This allowed more time to react to the uncertain bounce of the ball and more time to respond to its speed. The clarion call on uncovered pitches was for “soft hands”, meaning a loose grip and a gentle method of letting the ball come to you before dropping it safely at your feet. If you study footage of Compton against Keith Miller, for example, or of the Australians being bowled out by Jim Laker at Old Trafford in 1956, you will see them play back almost exclusively. Just occasionally a player emerged to buck the trend and foremost among those was Graveney, who was best known for his cover drive but became much admired for his ability to hook and pull off the front foot.Root appears to have all these skills and more. He is, as they say these days, a 360-degree player, and more remarkably in an age when batters come so hard at the ball, he is that player off both feet. Picking a signature shot is difficult, though the cut might be the one. He has the ability to score without being noticed and to change the tempo of a match while doing so. The pitch at Lord’s was tricky, offering swing and seam to the bowlers and suggestions of uneven bounce and pace. Footwork was crucial, as proven by the fall of those who stayed trapped on the crease, as was Root’s ability to play the ball late enough to flow with its movement in his strokes or watch it fly by.For much of the first act in this Root exhibition, he simply hung around at the other end while Ben Stokes went about justifying his pre-match rhetoric. Of the 90 runs they added together the new captain made 54 – a dazzling array of the ridiculous and sublime – and the old one 30-odd. When Stokes went, the second act began as Root upped the ante in a manner that took courage and all of his skill. Far from dropping anchor to ensure that one wicket didn’t bring two, he began to look for scoring opportunities with an increased sense of urgency and purpose. This caught the New Zealand players off guard and whisked away their potential for momentum. Root knew that the sunlit Saturday evening – play had been extended to 7pm after morning rain and a generally slow over rate – with the pitch drying, the ball soft, and the opponents wilting, was England’s moment. All the best players can sense this and most move in for the kill.Which one’s better?•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesWhen stumps were drawn that evening, England needed just 61. Ben Foakes had become to Root what Root had been to Stokes. When cricketers use the phrase “bat in partnerships” this is exactly what they mean. In that final hour’s play on Saturday, Foakes made 9 of the 57 he and Root put on together in 15 overs: runs that negated the likelihood of New Zealand dragging the game to the point at which they could use a second new ball on the fourth morning and, to some degree at least, allowed the England dressing room to sleep easy.For sure, England got lucky when Colin de Grandhomme overstepped the popping crease by less than a centimetre to give Stokes a reprieve early in his innings, but it is said, better to be lucky than good. Or just be Joe Root.As it was, New Zealand bowled poorly on the fourth morning but Root deserves the credit for that. He simply outplayed them. The innings was a masterpiece, one of which any player, from any age, would have been proud. He had rescued the Stokes-McCullum dream start from ignominy, and gave the country a wonderful sidebar across a weekend in which joy and celebration were the national mood.How good is he? Well, the line of exceptional English batting began with Grace and moved through such players as Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, Hammond, Hutton, Compton and May, Ted Dexter, Colin Cowdrey, Ken Barrington, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch (latterly), David Gower, Graham Thorpe, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook. Root is as good as any of them and better than most. You could make a shortlist of five, I reckon, but I’ll leave that to you. Suffice to say that the lad from Sheffield with 10,015 Test match runs to his name is amongst them and that no one is happier about that than his successor as captain.