“Before we came, we were looking to win here. Everyone did their job and we’re very happy,” says captain Shanto after historic 2-0 sweep in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2024There were useful contributions from across the XI, but Bangladesh’s win in the second Test against Pakistan was orchestrated by their youngsters. Especially Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, 24 and 21 respectively, who picked up nine wickets between them in the second innings to set up the 185-run chase. “They wanted to win, that was very important,” Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Bangladesh captain, said after the win when asked about his young pace duo.”As a fast bowler, I was looking for wickets, and the boys, our effort [with the ball], we really deserved it,” Mahmud said. “You have to take advantage [of conditions] as fast bowlers, and you’ve got to keep working hard together, and especially in red-ball cricket, it’s important to get the benefit from your fast bowlers as well as spinners, all together. It was a valiant effort.”Mahmud and Rana set the pulse racing, as fast bowlers do when they get the better of batters, repeatedly, but the match and series awards went to two more experienced men. Litton Das got the match award for his 138 in the first innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz got the series award for his tally of 155 runs and ten wickets. In this Test, the two of them came to the middle in the first innings when Bangladesh were 26 for 6 in reply to Pakistan’s 274. Litton scored 138 from No. 7 and Mehidy 78 from No. 8 to take Bangladesh to 262, keeping the match on an even footing.Related

• 'When we came back from 26 for 6, it was a new dimension': how Bangladesh pulled off their greatest feat

• Bangladesh's small wonders conjure a Rawalpindi miracle

• Pakistan's house of horrors grows bigger with series loss to Bangladesh

• Nahid Rana: A new express finds his fame in Rawalpindi

“It’s a big achievement by the Bangladesh cricket team. I am part of this, so I am very happy,” Litton said. “When me and Miraz [were] batting, the credit actually goes to Miraz, because the way he faced 20 balls, and [if he] hits five or six fours, the game will be easier. We just had conversations like this. They had good momentum. We had to kill that momentum. And let’s see what happens next. And after lunch, we just felt free and just went and batted.”After that stand with Mehidy, Litton had another partnership with Mahmud, of 69 runs, in which Mahmud contributed 13 but faced 51 balls.”When Hasan came, I didn’t have any scoring opportunities, because all the fielders were out,” Litton said. “So I took my time and thought I had to play the over, not the ramp or anything; I just was thinking how many overs I can play.”Mahmud and Rana took over after that. The Bangladesh fast-bowling duo put on perhaps their finest display, as the two young men, with Taskin Ahmed for company, put their team on course for victory, and history.”Very proud. Very young group, in terms of the number of games they have played. Probably not the kind of wickets we were expecting when we were talking about scouting for Pakistan. But this group has improved every Test and showed some good control second innings particularly, so very proud,” Andre Adams, the bowling coach, said.Shanto summed it up when collecting the trophy, and remembered to mention the two opening batters, Shadman Islam, who starred in the first Test, and Zakir Hasan, who gave them a fast start in the chase.”It means a lot, can’t express with words. Really happy. Before we came, we were looking to win here. Everyone did their job. Very happy,” Shanto said. [Mahmud and Rana] were very impressive. Most important was their work ethic. The way they did their work in the recent past. That’s why they got the results. They wanted to win. That was very important for our team.”The way Shadman batted, the 93 innings, and this innings, the way Zakir approached the innings, the momentum came to us.”Litton Das’s century was his second in an away Test•AFP/Getty Images

Mehidy dedicates Player-of-the-Series award to student protestors

This series took place not long after the student protests in Bangladesh, which led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government and widespread violence subsequently, leading to many deaths. The Bangladesh cricket team travelled to Pakistan earlier than scheduled to get in some practice, which they were unable to back home.The shadow of the events back home stayed with the team, with Shakib Al Hasan, their star player and also a member of parliament of Hasina’s Awami League party, being named with 146 others in a political murder case.”You know there have been problems in Bangladesh – I dedicate this award to the student protestors who were martyred,” Mehidy said when accepting his Player-of-the-Series award. “A rickshaw-puller was hurt in the violence, and eventually died. I want to gift this award to his family.”Adams took charge only in February this year, and when asked what the win meant to the people back in Bangladesh, said, “I don’t know what it means to all of Bangladesh, but I know Bangladesh is a very proud nation, so we are incredibly happy with these results given the turmoil over the last couple of months.”We were there at the time, and it was pretty scary. But we’re happy that things are returning to normal.”

The allrounder called Suryakumar’s leadership skills “amazing” for thinking out of the box

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Jul-20241:44

Washington lauds Suryakumar’s ‘amazing leadership skills’

Sri Lanka needed nine to win off the last two overs in the third T20I. India still had the bowling of Mohammed Siraj to call on (Siraj had conceded just 11 off his first three overs). They also had one over from Khaleel Ahmed, who could have bowled the 20th.But with Kusal Perera still at the crease, captain Suryakumar Yadav went to the offspin of Rinku Singh, which had never before been seen in a T20 international. It worked out brilliantly – Perera first top-edging a cross-batted shot so badly, Rinku himself could get under it. Later in the over, Ramesh Mendis also holed out, to deep midwicket.Having watched Rinku concede only three runs and claim two wickets in a pressure over, Suryakumar made the decision to bowl his own offspin in the final over, taking two further wickets himself, and conceding only five to win the match.Related

Washington, Suryakumar, Rinku bowl India to Super Over win

Suryakumar after Super Over heist: I told the team I had seen such games

Sri Lanka's latest collapse a chef's kiss on their incompetence

After the match, Washington Sundar, the frontline offspin bowler in the team described this spell of captaincy as “amazing”. The pitch was taking big turn, and Sri Lanka were struggling hugely against the slow bowlers. Suryakumar gambled on two rank part-timers.”It was amazing from Surya and his leadership skills,” Washington said. “I think he felt given the situation if he bowled more spinners we’d have a good chance to win the game. Given the wicket and the situation, he took one or two options, and it did wonders for us.”There were only 12 balls to go and Kusal Perera was batting. Rinku got him out and Surya himself came on in the last over and almost won the game for us. We all know he has a big heart when he goes out there to bat, but he also has a big heart in leadership as well.”Washington himself then played a key role, bowling a Super Over in which he conceded just two runs, but took two wickets. In regular play he had taken 2 for 23.”Honestly, I had no idea I was going to bowl. It was after the batsmen walked out that Surya turned behind and said: ‘Washy, you’re on.’ I was very happy, to be honest. When the captain wants you to bowl especially in tough situations, in a Super Over. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to step up and win games for my country. Thank God it went well.”Although India didn’t seem capable of defending 137 for the vast majority of the chase, Suryakumar never lost hope, Washington said. Sri Lanka, at one stage, needed 28 runs off 28 balls, with nine wickets in hand. India would then set in motion a huge collapse.”Surya kept teling us that one or two wickets, and the game would definitely change,” Washington said. “In these kinds of wickets, in low-scoring games, even run-a-ball could be a lot of pressure on the batsmen because there’s something for the bowlers in the wicket.”He said one or two wickets in the middle overs would get us in the game, and that’s exactly what happened. I hope the audience enjoyed it because you will only see such games every now and then. To be a part of this game feels great.”

In hindsight, Jurgen Klopp was right.

When he stepped down from his Liverpool post, almost nine years into his tenure, the iconic manager’s decision was met with dismay from the fanbase, whose success over the past decade had been engineered by the German’s brilliance.

But Klopp was right. He was tired, you see, and knew that without that burning ball of energy within, his infectious personality wouldn’t feed into his team, into his tactics, into the club’s far-reaching community.

It was hard to accept – some, perhaps, still haven’t – but Klopp was right, because Arne Slot has taken his place and has taken Liverpool to a higher level, winning the Premier League in his maiden term at a canter.

Such has been the Reds’ dominance that they are currently lapping up the Gulf sunshine, on holiday in Dubai to celebrate triumphs and say farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold as his expected transfer to Real Madrid looms large.

In his place, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes seem set on signing Jeremie Frimpong to replace the vice-captain, strengthening the firm Dutch contingent.

Liverpool's growing Dutch contingent

Liverpool are fortunate to have welcomed Conor Bradley to the first team over the past two seasons, thus easing the onerous task of finding a Trent replacement.

Still, Bradley’s young and injury-prone besides. Frimpong would be a brilliant addition to shore up the right flank and add a new taste of attacking flair. Correspondents have clearly been briefed by the dozen, with numerous reports emerging that Liverpool are in advanced talks to seal the Dutchman’s signature.

Frimpong certainly wouldn’t be short of pals on Merseyside. Slot is a big admirer of the versatile right-sider, a compatriot who has played a defining role in Xabi Alonso’s trophy-filled Leverkusen era.

The boss’ compatriot would find plenty of teammates in the ranks, of course, with Virgil van Dijk both Liverpool and Netherlands captain and Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo good friends with the speedy flanker on the international scene.

The cohesion at Anfield has been a strong thing this term, Liverpool going from strength to strength under Slot’s wing. Gravenberch, especially, has bloomed into a high-class midfielder this season after sitting largely on the periphery last year.

He perhaps doesn’t get the same credit, but Gakpo has also taken bounding strides in his development, with Slot truly having hit the jackpot on his prolific left winger.

Slot has hit the jackpot on Cody Gakpo

When Gakpo reached the end of his first season at Liverpool, having joined at the midpoint, he probably felt a fair measure of frustration that he hadn’t reached the heights surely anticipated when FSG came calling.

The Netherlands international had just put his name on the map at the Qatar World Cup and was terrorising Eredivisie defences with PSV Eindhoven, so when Liverpool moved to hijack Manchester United’s deal and bring Gakpo to Anfield for a £35m base fee in late December 2022, there was plenty of excitement.

He certainly wasn’t poor, but Gakpo entered Liverpool with Klopp’s side in the throes of a collapse, the midfield malfunctioning and experienced heads looking at a dizzying loss.

He still managed to record ten goal involvements across 26 matches, but Gakpo looks a different player at this stage of his career, dovetailing perfectly into Slot’s system. Pundits Joe Cole and Peter Crouch agreed that he has “gone up a level” under new management this year.

24/25

47 (30)

18

6

0.51

23/24

53 (32)

16

7

0.43

22/23

26 (22)

7

3

0.38

The secret in the sauce hasn’t been anything complex, at least on the surface level. Gakpo was ferried about the starting line-up to no end, with Klopp determined to make good use of his player’s obvious technical ability.

Gakpo’s dynamism lent itself to multi-positionality, but this frustrated his prolific senses and left him itching for a more structured role. To be sure, this was a fundamental part of Gakpo’s development, something he stressed himself during Liverpool’s title celebrations, but it’s hard to argue against his new role being one of greater reward for club and player.

That’s why Slot has left him on the left flank, with 40 of his 47 outings this season coming from the wide channel.

That £35m fee now looks to be an absolute bargain. Indeed, as per Transfermarkt, the Dutch forward has seen his market value shoot up to £59m after his exploits across the season, marking an increase of £24m on the investment made just two-and-a-half years ago. Frimpong, for instance, is said to be worth £42m.

Journalist Jacob Schneider claimed Gakpo was “downright ridiculous” before making the move to Liverpool, and that’s now been corroborated and then some.

This is quite the feat for a player who was brushed off by many rival fans after his stop-start beginning on Merseyside. While Gravenberch has taken most of the plaudits for his stunning season, Gakpo has been every bit as brilliant, and it would take quite a feat to eclipse the player.

That is to say, Frimpong might be joining Liverpool with the confidence from Slot and the powers that be that he can make a marked effect on the project, but he’s not going to knock Gakpo off his high perch without some special and sustained performances in red next year.

In any case, it hardly matters for those of a Liverpool persuasion. What matters is that Slot knows what he’s doing and has already showcased his ability to get the very best out of his countrymen.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

There’s no doubt the coach has hit the jackpot on Gakpo and Gravenberch, but he might just have the same impact on Frimpong too next season.

A Salah-esque signing: Liverpool agree personal terms with "insane" target

Liverpool are ready to begin their summer shopping spree.

ByAngus Sinclair May 13, 2025

Opening Day lived up to expectations with more stolen bases, some upset wins, and dominant performances from both pitchers (Gerrit Cole, Dylan Cease) and hitters (Adley Rutschman, C.J. Cron).

We also saw more than a few aces struggle (Jacob deGrom, Corbin Burnes, Alek Manoah) and Aaron Judge pick up right where he left off, hitting a home run in his first at-bat of the season.

So, what will Friday have in store for us? I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to find out.

Here are a couple of game bets and player props that are presenting good value at plus money odds for Friday’s slate.

Dodgers -1.5 (+115) over the Arizona Diamondbacks
Mookie Betts over 1.5 total bases (+155)

We haven’t seen much of Dustin May, and he’s unlikely to go much deeper than five innings in this one.

Dodgers hitters have seen a lot of Merrill Kelly, however, and usually with success. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Will Smith all have had major success vs. the veteran pitcher.

But most specifically, Betts has Kelly’s number. Across 23 career at-bats, he is hitting .304 with three home runs and an OPS of 1.124. Betts had 78 extra-base hits in 2022 (third in MLB), making this total bases prop look like a nice one.

da prosport bet： Rangers’ hierarchy have got plenty of work to do this summer at Ibrox, and not a whole lot of time in which to do it.

da cassino： The club are still searching for a new manager while, following a trophyless campaign, a mass-squad overhaul at Rangers is required.

Well, they need to act fast, because next season will commence early for the Gers, facing off in a Champions League qualifier on 22/23 July; the identity of their opponents will be confirmed on 18 June.

So, could the Light Blues be poised to make a statement signing?

Rangers targeting a new attacker

According to a report by Ola Gustavsson of Fotboll Direkt, Rangers are ‘interested’ in signing Oskar Fallenius, who is also reportedly a target for fierce rivals Celtic.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

He is a 23-year-old winger who plays for Allsvenskan side Djurgardens, a key figure in the Blue Stripes’ side that reached this season’s Conference League semi-finals, ousted by eventual winners Chelsea.

Freddie Arnesson of TuttoSvenskan labels Fallenius’ performances ‘incredible’, but it is difficult to know his valuation, although, having arrived from Brøndby for just two million kronor, around £155k, two years ago, Djurgardens are likely to enjoy a massive return on investment.

So, could the attack soon be swapping Stockholm for Glasgow?

Why Fallenius would be a great Cerny replacement

Following the end of the Premiership season, Rangers announced that Vaclav Cerny will return to his parent club Wolfsburg, with David Irvine of the National inferring that he will not be returning, even though the Czechia has previously stated “every opportunity is still open”.

Well now, some reports now suggest that Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor have “opened talks” with Wolfsburg over a potential £9m move for Cerny, thereby surely pricing Rangers out of any potential deal.

This would be a major blow, with the table below underlining how important the winger was to Rangers last season.

Cerny’s Rangers’ career in numbers

Statistics

Cerny

Rangers rank

Appearances

52

4th

Minutes

3,933

5th

Goals

18

2nd

Assists

9

3rd

Europa League goals

6

1st

Shots per match

2.9

1st

Big chances created

9

5th

Key passes per match

2.5

1st

Successful dribblers per match

1.4

1st

Average SofaScore rating

7.40

2nd

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and SofaScore

Only Cyriel Dessers scored more goals for Rangers throughout the campaign, while Cerny’s tally of six Europa League goals was only eclipsed by Bruno Fernandes, Kasper Høgh and Ayoub El Kaabi across the entire tournament.

So, as it seems he will not be returning to Ibrox, would Fallenius be equipped to be his replacement?

Well, prior to Djurgardens’ extra time victory over Rapid Wien in the Conference League quarter-finals, manager Jani Honkavaara told Fallenius to be “the X-factor”, with Marcus Christenson of the Guardian adding that he is one of the Swedish club’s ‘key’ attackers.

So, how do his statistics compare to those of Cerny?

Cerny vs Fallenius 2024/25 comparison

Stats (per 90)

Cerny

Fallenius

Goals

0.6

0.3

Shot accuracy %

50%

61%

Shots on target

1.5

2.0

Chances created

1.4

0.3

Pass accuracy %

70%

75%

Crossing accuracy %

28%

12%

Take-ons completed

2.6

1.0

Take-on success %

56%

36%

Duels won

3.6

4.7

Ball recoveries

4.8

4.2

Stats via Squawka (European comps only)

As the table outlines, Cerny’s statistics are, unsurprisingly, more impressive, albeit Fallenius’ numbers are largely comparable, coming out on top when it comes to both passing and shooting accuracy while he also more than does his job defensively, winning more duels and averaging a similar number of ball recoveries.

Thus, while it is going to be nigh on impossible for Rangers to find someone out there replicating Cerny’s output, the young Swede could be a low-cost, high-potential option.

Related Better than Martin: Rangers in contact to hire "amazing" 4-3-3 manager

Rangers could land an even better manager than Martin in a move for this reported target.

Posts ByDan Emery May 28, 2025

Mohammad Abbas has carved a superb record in unhelpful conditions – but how will go against the master, Vernon Philander, on his home ground?

Danyal Rasool in Cape Town02-Jan-20196:53

Decoding Mohammad Abbas, the Sialkot not-so-express

Cape Town is Vernon Philander’s home ground, and in more ways than one. It is the place he made his debut, in that surreal game where South Africa bowled Australia out for 47, with Philander registering figures of 5 for 15. That match may have been freakish, a one-off, but Philander’s performances in subsequent years – everywhere in the world but particularly here – have not: 49 wickets in nine Newlands Tests at 16.55 leaves little room for arguments to the contrary.But in the Pakistan dressing room just across, Philander may spot a kindred soul – even if he has previously seen little of him. Newlands will be Mohammad Abbas’ 13th Test, and the first time he has taken to the field in South Africa. Like Philander, he could at best be described as medium-fast, forced instead to draw upon a range of skills most fast bowlers in his country have not needed to perfect because of the pace they were gifted with. Like Philander, he made his debut late (27 to Philander’s 26). Like Philander, he has made an explosive start to Test cricket, and like Philander, he missed the first of this three-Test series nursing an injury.The match-up between these two bowlers is as intriguing as it is unlikely. Who would imagine in the build-up to a Test in South Africa, the most absorbing conversations were to be had comparing two self-effacing medium-pacers in sides brimming with personality, aggression, verve and raw pace?

Abbas has showcased his skill on the dustbowls of Dubai, leaving him little option but to go gun-barrel straight and strip away the batsman’s choice of letting the ball go

It is their world-class talent that drives the interest. Philander’s record is well established but, in his first dozen matches, Abbas isn’t too far removed from the South African’s career trajectory. In his first 12 Tests, Philander had 67 wickets at 17.98 with a strike rate of 37.2. Abbas is hot on his heels, with 61 wickets at 16.62, his strike rate only slightly behind at 42.4.It may well be a premature comparison, and there are a couple of caveats – though perhaps not in the direction you would expect. Philander’s first 12 Tests comprised of four in South Africa, three in New Zealand, three in England, and a pair in Australia. If you were crafting out a wishlist of where you wanted to be while bowling fast, it would be indistinguishable from that schedule. Abbas, on the other hand, has played half of his 12 in the UAE, with a further three in the West Indies, two in England and one in Ireland.Add to that Abbas’ obvious discomfort in the last two matches he played – the Tests against New Zealand before he was sidelined by the shoulder injury that also kept him out at Centurion. If those two Tests were removed from his record, his average improves to 59 wickets at 15.64, with a strike rate of 38. This is not to ignore poor Test performances in order to exaggerate his quality, but simply to provide a clearer picture of how lethal Abbas has been, on mostly unhelpful wickets, so far in his career.The comparison isn’t just about the numbers, engagingly similar as they are; the methods the pair seem to apply as they go searching have an unmistakeable resemblance. Both are, as Faf du Plessis put it, “very similar bowlers who come at you relentlessly all day”. The unerring line and length ball after ball wears batsmen down more often than not, subtle seam movement drawing false shots and taking outside edges. Their tactic of targeting the stumps invariably brings lbw into play in a much more significant way than is the case for most bowlers, a skill that Abbas, in particular, has almost perfected.Mohammad Abbas exults after dismissing Aaron Finch•Getty ImagesThat is because no matter how much they resemble each other, each has had to find a way to evolve and thrive in their respective environments. In South Africa, where seam movement is more plentiful and swing more abundant, Philander is permitted a wider corridor in which to bowl and still leave the batsman uncertain about playing at him. Abbas has been forced to showcase his skill on the dustbowls of Dubai, for the most part, which leaves him little option but to go gun-barrel straight and strip away the batsman’s choice of letting the ball go. You can see it play out in the way the pair have found their wickets; Philander’s 205 scalps have included just 66 lbw and bowled dismissals, while Abbas has taken 32 of his 61 wickets in that fashion.There is another way to look at how Abbas has not let playing on uncooperative wickets become his excuse. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, in the time since Philander made his debut, 22.9% of the balls he has bowled at Newlands have drawn false shots from the batsman. It is the second highest percentage at the ground, with only Kagiso Rabada bettering it at nearly 26% (Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn rank third and fourth, with 22.4% and 20.4% respectively). Abbas, meanwhile, shuffling his way through over after over on spin paradises, still induces batsmen into false shots 18.23% of the time – not a world away from what Philander has done at his ground of choice. That he does so without the luxury of any significant seam movement or real swing is particularly eye-catching. As Sarfraz Ahmed said in the Newlands build-up: “I know this is Vernon’s home town, so he will enjoy bowling here, but there is no reason Abbas will not enjoy it too.”Sarfraz was also cautious not to get carried away by Abbas’ dreamlike start to international cricket, saying he had a long way still to go. “I think you can’t compare Philander and Abbas yet, because Philander has been playing for almost 10 years, and Abbas has only played for Pakistan for 18 months. Abbas is just starting his career, but his bowling looks a lot like Vernon Philander’s. If Abbas plays cricket for Pakistan for a long time, he has the ability to be the same bowler Philander is for South Africa.”It is a fair point, and if Abbas is to be spoken of in those terms all the time, he has many years’ worth of work ahead of him. But if he is indeed fully fit, he could find himself bowling on a surface more receptive to his wiles than he has ever been allowed the opportunity to play on. This may be Philander’s home town, but in Abbas Pakistan have a player set to make the undisputed King of Cape Town hustle to defend his territory.

USA, playing in their first T20 World Cup, have qualified for the Super Eight stages

Sidharth Monga14-Jun-20243:17

O’Brien: USA deserve to be in the Super Eight

It didn’t come around with a final dot ball or a wicket or a final scoring shot. The fans didn’t get to celebrate in the stands. There was no drama. After about five hours of hard work from the ground staff, it was during a fresh shower that it was finally decided there wasn’t going to be a match in Lauderhill on Friday. And with that, amid almost no fanfare, USA qualified for the Super Eight.USA will take it whatever way they get it, but they came wanting to play cricket. “As a cricketer, me coming to the ground today, and the boys coming to the ground today, I think that you don’t want to leave home and not play cricket,” the USA vice-captain Aaron Jones said. “That’s for me personally, I want to play. But at the end of the day, the rain… it’s nothing that we can control. So we are grateful that we got to the Super Eights. But we left the hotel this morning thinking about playing cricket, we wanted to play cricket.”Jones is not one for doing cartwheels. “Yeah, definitely we are celebrating,” he said. “Everybody’s happy right now. Obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is a big thing, so everybody’s happy right now.”Related

Scenarios: How can Bangladesh, Netherlands still qualify?

India and Australia in same Super Eight group

USA qualify automatically for T20 World Cup 2026

Washout in Florida takes USA through to Super Eight

Of course, the qualification didn’t come around just because there was no play on Friday, leaving Pakistan no chance to draw level with USA let alone going past them. They qualified because they beat Pakistan and Canada, something Jones at least had warned the world about when he said USA were not there just to make up the numbers.”Yeah, I definitely believed that earlier this year when I spoke about it,” Jones said when reminded of his comments. “To be honest with you, a lot of people don’t really pay much attention to US cricket. So probably the whole world don’t already know how much talent we have here and how good the players that we have here are. I think that could be a little advantage to us, but definitely I think that on any given day, once we play proper cricket, we believe that we can beat any team in the world for sure.”USA will now get three big matches in the Super Eight, facing West Indies, South Africa and possibly England. Their prize money will jump by at least $150,000. The biggest boost will hopefully be more interest in cricket in the country after such an impressive showing in their first T20 World Cup. Especially given how this automatically qualifies them for the next T20 World Cup too.”It’s a big thing for us to be honest,” Jones said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been speaking about playing in the World Cup, playing more games against the Full Member nations and stuff like that. And here we are doing it right now. And obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is really good. Not only for us right now in the moment but I think we’ll qualify for the 2026 World Cup as well so I think it’s a big thing for us. Not only for us but the fans around America as well. We really appreciate them for sure and not only for the fans but for the younger generation in America as well.”Even their rivals Canada have been rooting for USA because this brings the spotlight on the whole of North America. “I saw them last month in April, those guys were working really hard and I’m happy for them, how they qualified,” Shreyas Movva, the Canada wicketkeeper said. “It’s a motivation for us going into the next tournaments that USA have done it so we can do too.”Jones himself will be going back to the land of his birth, Barbados, to play two of the three matches. “It’s really good for me to go back home,” Jones said. “I’m really happy right now. I think I’ll get a lot of support for sure, especially in Barbados. So definitely looking forward to it.”

Arsenal are now worried that Premier League rivals Chelsea will hijack their deal for a key target by making a near-£85 million bid, according to reports, despite the Gunners already agreeing personal terms and submitting an offer themselves.

Andrea Berta gets busy ahead of first summer transfer window

The first transfer window opens on June 1, so new sporting director Andrea Berta is a matter of weeks away from the commencement of his debut summer at the Emirates.

Berta now personally eyeing ambitious Arsenal move for £148m star

The Gunners sporting director has added him to their shortlist.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

May 10, 2025

He’s already got off to a flying start by sealing a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano dropping his famous ‘here we go’ to the agreement.

Arsenal’s final Premier League games	Date
Liverpool (away)	May 11th
Newcastle United (home)	May 18th
Southampton (away)	May 25th

The Spain international is poised to sign a long-term contract, with Arsenal set to trigger his £51 million release clause (Fabrizio Romano), and all signs point towards Zubimendi becoming Berta’s first major signing as the Gunners’ transfer chief.

Even though some reliable media sources suggest there is still a hint of caution, Arsenal have a full agreement in place with Zubimendi, with former director Edu Gaspar and his interim replacement, Jason Ayto, more than playing their part in a move, according to Ben Jacobs.

Zubimendi will likely replace the exit-bound Jorginho, with attention now turning to who will follow the Sociedad star to Arsenal.

Reports this week have claimed that Arsenal are making serious progress on a move for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, following yet another exceptional campaign in the Primeira Liga for Coventry City’s former star.

Arsenal and Gyokeres are “already aligned” on personal terms, according to Football Transfers, with Portuguese newspaper Corriere de Manha now sharing a very bold update on the saga.

Arsenal fear Viktor Gyokeres to Chelsea hijack despite making "official offer"

As per their information, the 26-year-old and Mikel Arteta’s side have already reached an agreement over his contract, and Arsenal have now submitted their first “official offer” for Gyokeres – which comes in at around £63 million.

However, there is a catch, with Berta and co holding a serious concern over rivals Chelsea.

It is believed that Arsenal fear Chelsea will swoop in with a bid of their own for Gyokeres, and one valued close to his €100m (£85m) release clause, so the north Londoners appear very keen to get him over the line as soon as possible.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas also views Arsenal’s opening proposal as a first bid, holding some hope behind the scenes that they could get even more for one of Europe’s most lethal marksmen in front of goal.

Gyokeres’ goalscoring exploits have piqued major interest from both Chelsea and Arsenal, with the Sweden international seeming almost certain to leave this summer.

MatériaMais Notícias

da 888casino： A Copa do Mundo Feminina da FIFA começou nesta quinta-feira (20) e o Brasil se prepara para fazer a sua estréia na próxima segunda-feira (24), diante do Panamá, em busca do inédito título mundial na competição que marca a despedida da lenda Marta com a amarelinha.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasEntenda por que Wendel não pode acionar a cláusula de guerra da Fifa para jogar no PalmeirasPalmeiras19/07/2023PalmeirasCadê os reforços? Saiba os motivos da postura ‘lenta’ do Palmeiras no mercado de contrataçõesPalmeiras19/07/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras tem reunião com representante de Wendel, do Zenit, para tentar acordoPalmeiras18/07/2023

da betsul： O Brasil está no grupo F, que ainda conta com a forte França e também a Jamaica.

A torcida do Palmeiras, que se acostumou a torcer pelo futebol feminino nos últimos anos, terá alguns bons motivos para torcer pelo time de Pia Sundhage neste Mundial, afinal a Seleção conta com quatro jogadoras que tiveram passagem recente pelo Verdão, incluindo duas titulares que foram importantíssimas para o 2022 histórico que o Verdão teve com a modalidade, quando conquistou a Libertadores e também o Campeonato Paulista.

Além da zagueira Rafaelle e da recém integrada ao grupo Angelina, que tiveram passagens recentes pelo Verdão, o Brasil conta com o brilho de Ary Borges, que fez história na Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras antes de embarcar para os Estados Unidos neste ano, e claro, com a experiência e o talento de Beatriz Zaneratto, principal nome da modalidade atuando no Brasil e que ostenta a camisa 10 e a faixa de capitã do Palmeiras até hoje.

continua após a publicidade

+ Copa do Mundo Feminina: conheça as jogadoras que marcam ‘golaço’ em favor de causas sociais

Bia deve ser a grande esperança de gols do Brasil na competição e a torcida brasileira conta muito com a estrela da Imperatriz para que nossas meninas façam história na Austrália e na Nova Zelândia.

O jogo entre Brasil x Panamá está marcado para a próxima segunda-feira (24) e a bola rola a partir das 8h (horário de Brasília). Todas as partidas do Brasil na Copa terão transmissão da Rede Globo, do Sportv e também da Cazé TV.

continua após a publicidade

Bangladesh haven’t won a game in the last four T20 World Cups, and the skipper wants to end that streak

Mohammad Isam24-Sep-2024Nigar Sultana wants Bangladesh to beat Scotland in their opening match of the women’s T20 World Cup on October 3 and set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Beating Scotland would be a “huge achievement”, she said, since Bangladesh haven’t won a match in their last four World Cup appearances, and have won just one game in five editions.Nigar, however, clarified that Bangladesh were not taking Scotland lightly. “We want to win the first match,” she said. “It will be a huge achievement for the team. The team will get into a flow when that happens. We can then dream of something bigger. We are hungry for it.”Scotland, though, are playing good cricket. Generally teams arrive at the World Cup with a lot of expectations. They won’t let you win easily. They don’t give up without a fight. We are mentally prepared to face those challenges.Related

• Women's T20 WC winners to get big increase in prize money

• Bangladesh drop Rumana Ahmed for Women's T20 World Cup

“I have played four World Cups but we have never won a game in those editions. The last time we won was in the 2014 tournament [against Sri Lanka]. We have played well in previous editions but playing well only means something when you can win.”Nigar and Bangladesh are dreaming big. They want to challenge England, West Indies and South Africa, the others in their group in the first round, and are hoping to get into the semi-finals.”To play in the semi-final, we have to win against those three teams, too,” Nigar said. “We have different plans against each team. If we can execute our game-plan, then it will good for us. We have defeated South Africa in T20Is [twice in 13 completed matches]. We rarely meet England, only in World Cups, so it might be difficult for them, too. We all know that we have a good spin attack.”The tournament was initially supposed to be held in Bangladesh, but following political unrest in the country in July-August, the ICC relocated it to the UAE.”For a long time, we prepared with the understanding that the World Cup will be held at home,” Nigar said. “It is not in our control, so there’s no point thinking about it anymore. We played in Abu Dhabi in 2021, where the wickets were nice. Sharjah is a new venue for us, but we will play two practice matches, which will give us some idea.”Other teams will face similar challenges, so the faster we can adapt to those challenges, it will help us play better in the tournament’s main matches.”Young Rabeya Khan has been a revelation for Bangladesh in recent times•BCB

Batting a concern for Bangladesh

Bangladesh haven’t done well with the bat in their last two home series, against India and Australia, and also lost to India and Sri Lanka in the women’s Asia Cup earlier this year.Giving Nigar confidence, though, are newcomers like Shathi Rani and the uncapped Taj Nehar, who was picked ahead of the more experienced Rumana Ahmed.”Batting is definitely a concern but we saw some improvements among the batters during the ‘A’ team tour [of Sri Lanka],” she said. “We still believe that we can do well as most of our players have also done well in the domestic tournaments. I hope they continue their form in the World Cup.”We included Taj for the middle-order, although she doesn’t have experience. We saw her in the league [Women’s National Cricket League] where she showed good approach and intent. She can play the big shots. If you have followed our recent international matches, we failed in showing intent. Shathi was the highest run-getter in the league. She can go after the bowling, and you can see those in some of her innings. She can use the powerplay quite well. She has proved herself to come at this stage.”Bangladesh have a strong spin attack that includes left-arm spinner Nahida Akter and 19-year-old legspinner Rabeya Khan. Nigar paid a glowing tribute to young Rabeya, who is the team’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is this year [14 wickets in 12 games]. “Rabeya is one of our finest bowlers. She has taken our team to a different level through her contributions in both formats. She is a great fielder. She is good with the bat too but doesn’t take batting seriously. She is maturing slowly. If there’s someone I rely with the ball in tough situations after Nahida, it is definitely Rabeya.”