Fourteen wickets fell on an attritional day two at the Kia Oval as Surrey edged themselves ahead against Essex in a top-of-the-table contest that could have a significant bearing on the destination of this year’s Vitality County Championship title.Division One leaders Surrey, resuming on 248 for eight, at least made sure of a batting bonus point before being bowled out for 262 but second-placed Essex, missing an ill Jordan Cox, were then dismissed for 180 in their own first innings.And, on a well-grassed pitch giving assistance to the quicker bowlers, Surrey then struggled to 44 for three in their second innings but still took their overall lead to an already handy 126.Only Paul Walter, who top-scored with 64, and Matt Critchley, with a determined 48, held up the Surrey seam attack for any length of time – but Jamie Porter, Shane Snater and Eathan Bosch all struck new-ball blows for Essex before bad light lopped 27 overs from the day’s allocation.Cox’s absence was particularly unfortunate for Essex, with the in-form 23-year-old – who has scored 763 championship runs at an average of 69.36 this season – reportedly needing to have an appendix operation after leaving the field yesterday feeling unwell.Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark took 3 for 40 and 3 for 33 respectively for Surrey, with Worrall chiefly responsible for Essex’s initial slide to 113 for five. Clark followed up his crucial early strike to remove former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar for a 19-ball duck by later ending Walter’s combative 64 and finishing off the innings by having Bosch caught at mid on for 12.Walter, who struck Clark for six and also hit eight fours – several of them booming off drives – was eventually eighth out when he miscued a hook to deep square leg.Essex began badly with Nick Browne edging Worrall to third slip on 12 and fellow opener Elgar following in the next over when Jamie Smith held on again in the same position as the probing Clark found reward for his sustained accuracy with the new ball.Tom Westley made 11 before losing his off stump to a magnificent ball from James Taylor but Critchley and Walter then added 52 either side of lunch, with Critchley hooking Tom Lawes for six to go to 32.Worrall returned to remove Critchley with an outswinger prodded to second slip, and Worrall struck again when Michael Pepper (1) slashed straight to square cover.Simon Harmer offered some lower order resistance, pulling Taylor for four and then on-driving him next ball for another boundary, but on 16 was pinned leg-before by the same bowler.And Lawes, in his first appearance for two months due to a heel injury, looked more dangerous in his second spell and had Snater caught by Taylor at long leg for six.Tea was taken immediately after Clark wrapped up the Essex innings but Surrey then lost both openers in quick succession as Dom Sibley was bowled off stump for 11 by an absolute beauty from Porter and Rory Burns edged Snater to second slip to go for eight.Bad light first forced the players off at 5.09pm, with Surrey on 36 for two, and on a resumption at 5.37pm Dan Lawrence was adjudged lbw for 10 to Bosch, playing no stroke to one angled back into him.But only two overs were possible in this mini-session before more bad light drove the players off again at 5.51pm, umpires Peter Hartley and Graham Lloyd then waiting patiently for more than an hour until the light improved enough for a final four overs to be bowled from 7.02pm.At stumps at 7.17pm Smith had moved on to 11 not out, with Ben Foakes unbeaten on four and having already taken a blow on his right hand from a Porter lifter.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca all but confirmed the imminent sale of Noni Madueke to Arsenal ahead of his side's appearance in the Club World Cup final.

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• Madueke will not feature against PSG
• £52m sale agreed
• Maresca: "Nobody told him to leave"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking at a press conference ahead of Chelsea's maruqee matchup against Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca shared that Madueke is in contact with the Gunners. The winger will not be taking part in the game, as he has been given permission to travel back to London to complete a medical with Arsenal. A transfer fee of £52 million ($70m) including add-ons has been agreed between the two clubs.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The switch comes as something of a surprise, as Madueke was a first-team regular for Maresca in the 2024-25 season. He scored 11 times for Chelsea in all competitions, and his club form saw him rewarded with his first senior caps in an England shirt. However, Maresca said the impetus behind the move came from the 23-year-old himself, and that the club did not want him to leave. Reports surrounding Madueke's questionable discipline and poor performances in training have surfaced in the past 24 hours.

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• WHAT MARESCA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, Maresca said: "Noni is in contact with the new club. I guess he is going to be announced in the next hours. I said in the one of the last press conferences, if players want to leave then it is difficult for the club and the manager. Noni decided to leave, nobody told Noni he had to leave. If he is happy, we are happy."

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA AND MADUEKE?

  Maresca's attention will be fully squared on the Club World Cup final. The Blues manager has plenty of options to fill Madueke's spot in the starting XI, with a glut of wide forwards and attacking midfielders to call upon, including the newly-acquired Joao Pedro. The Brazilian scored twice on debut in Chelsea's semi-final win over Fluminense. Madueke presumably now has to wrestle the starting position on Arsenal's left flank away from Gabriel Martinelli, with Leandro Trossard potentially departing for Fenerbahce in the coming days.

Victory secured with 38 balls to spare after Mills’ team is bowled out for 106

Andrew Miller14-Sep-2024

Gloucestershire 109 for 2 (Bracey 49*, Bancroft 39) beat Sussex 106 (Carson 26, M Taylor 3-25, Smith 3-25) by eight wicketsGloucestershire booked themselves a West Country showdown with local rivals Somerset in the Vitality Blast final, to give themselves a shot at their first silverware for close to a decade, as well as their maiden title in this competition, after a crushingly effective eight-wicket victory over Sussex in the second semi-final at Edgbaston.After being asked to bowl first on a drying pitch that was likely to offer increasing grip for the spinners – and having watched Somerset’s bowlers put the squeeze on Surrey in the opening contest – Gloucestershire made sure that the conditions would be academic come the sharp end, by routing their previously high-flying rivals for 106 in 18.1 overs. Matt Taylor and Tom Smith grabbed the lion’s share of the wickets with twin figures of 3 for 25, but David Payne’s 1 for 9 in four overs was the epitome of their performance.After that, the result was never truly in doubt. Despite the early loss of Miles Hammond, Cameron Bancroft and James Bracey broke the back of the chase with a second-wicket stand of 54, and Sussex’s grim day was summed up when Ollie Robinson dropped an utter sitter at mid-on, as Bracey went for broke with just six runs needed. He got it right two balls later, however, with a mighty drill over long-off to wrap up the chase with 38 balls unused.Sussex hadn’t had a prayer with so few runs to play with. Tymal Mills, doubtless ruing his call at the toss, tried to frontload his strike bowling, with Robinson relatively misery but wicketless in his four overs for 23, while the only other successful bowler was James Coles, whose 1 for 17 in three overs will count as further experience banked at the end of a breakthrough campaign.Payne and Taylor boss the powerplay
Payne’s harnessing of swing in the powerplay is his “super-strength”, as he told ESPNcricinfo in the build-up, and with metronomic inevitability he proved true to his word once again. His 21st powerplay wicket of the campaign, and tournament-leading 30th overall, was the whopper that Gloucestershire needed above all others.With 595 runs at 42.50 going into Finals Day, Daniel Hughes had been the rock of Sussex’s batting all season long, but he’d extended his tally by just one more run when Payne outfoxed him in his second over. With a hint of shape from over the wicket, he lured Hughes across his crease then beat his intentions with some extra bounce, the under-edge deflecting into his own stumps.Five balls – and no runs – later, Sussex’s innings was officially in the soup. Matt Taylor’s low full toss wasn’t quite the yorker he was aiming for, but then nor was Harrison Ward’s leading-edged response. Hammond snaffled the low deflection that somehow carried to mid-on, and though James Coles then cracked three of Taylor’s next four balls for four, he too fell to the fifth, as Bancroft intercepted at short midwicket.Taylor’s third and final wicket, however, was a true collector’s item. Round the wicket, perfect line and length, it gripped the dry pitch and ripped and bounced like a legbreak through Tom Alsop’s half-formed defences. His hat-trick ball was too full to trouble John Simpson – “you greedy boy!” joked James Bracey over the stump mic, but at 35 for 4 at the end of the powerplay, Sussex were scrambling for anything competitive.Cameron Bancroft makes a dent in Gloucestershire’s small target•Getty Images

Price is right for middle overs
Ollie Price’s first two balls weren’t the most auspicious. Five wides first-up, then four more byes as a very tight appeal for lbw deceived both batter and keeper. His third ball, however, was bang on the money. Round the wicket to the left-handed Tom Clark, and straightening just enough out of the footholes to peg back his off stump as Clark missed his sweep.And, after a solitary over for his brother Tom, Ollie made it two wickets in as many overs as Fynn Hudson-Prentice, one ball after finding the stands at deep midwicket, found the fielder there instead, as he got too greedy on a dragged-down delivery, and picked out Hammond’s safe hands once more to depart for a run-a-ball 13.No let-up through the back end
Five balls was enough for Tom Smith to prise out Sussex’s last realistic hope of a defendable total. Simpson also succumbed to the sweep as he was nailed on the full, just in line with off stump, leaving Sussex beached on 64 for 7 in the tenth, with little option but to bat out the overs and take whatever they could muster.Robinson and Jack Carson obliged for a time, adding a run-a-ball 37 to drag the total past 100. But back came Smith, tossing it above Robinson’s eyeline to lure a hack to deep mid-off. One ball later, he and Bracey combined for a moment that might have been designed as Jack Russell-Mark Alleyne tribute act, as Smith fired a faster delivery past the pads of the incoming Mills, and the unsighted Bracey whipped off the bails for a stumping that would have graced the club’s trophy-winning glory days at the turn of the 2000s.With options aplenty and only the resolute Carson resisting, Payne bowled out in the 18th over, conceding just nine runs in total in another stellar display, before Josh Shaw – scarcely any less frugal – mopped up the resistance with 11 balls left unused. It had been a performance to match their magnificent defence of 139 on his same ground in the quarter-final against Birmingham Bears. On this evidence, there was little reason to believe Gloucestershire couldn’t make it three Edgbaston wins in a row by the end of cricket’s longest day.

قرر الجهاز الفني لنادي بيراميدز بقيادة كرونسلاف يورنشيتش، خوض مباراة ودية، غدًا الأحد، استعدادًا لمواجهة كأس السوبر الإفريقي أمام نهضة بركان المغربي.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب بيراميدز مع نهضة بركان، يوم السبت 18 أكتوبر، للمنافسة على لقب كأس السوبر الإفريقي، على ملعب الدفاع الجوي بالقاهرة.

طالع | بيراميدز يكشف سبب غياب رمضان صبحي عن المباريات وحقيقة الإصابة المزمنة

ويخوض فريق نادي بيراميدز مباراة ودية غدًا الأحد، أمام نادي (وي) والذي يخوض مباريات دوري المحترفين، وتقام المباراة في تمام الخامسة من مساء الأحد على استاد الدفاع الجوي.

يذكر، أن بيراميدز كان قد تأهل إلي دور الـ 32 من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بعد الفوز على الجيش الرواندي بنتيجة 5-0 في مجموع مبارتي الذهاب والإياب في دور الـ 64.

Alexander Isak will enjoy the off-season knowing two things: Newcastle United will play Champions League football in just a matter of months, and their success in achieving this feat (again) is largely down to his prowess in the final third.

The “intelligent” striker, as he’s been dubbed by reporter Ryan Taylor, will know more than two things, of course, but it’s these two facts which shape his footballing future and it’s this which matters most to the adoring Magpies faithful.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein believes the 25-year-old is staying put after his prolific Premier League campaign, but he’ll want to be rewarded, along with his teammates, after such a historic year, and Eddie Howe is on the same page, hoping to attack the looming transfer window with rapidity.

Here is a complete and balanced team, but it could do with some fine-tuning, for sure. With impressive prudence, Newcastle have planned ahead and are ready to strengthen their frontline.

Newcastle pushing to sign Premier League forward

As per The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, Newcastle are indeed planning for a busy window and are ready to pounce for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, having made a right-sided forward one of their priorities.

Transfer Focus

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

Edwards reveals that the Magpies are ready to lodge bids for both the winger and Crystal Palace star, Marc Guehi, in what he describes as a ‘crucial summer’ for Howe and co.

The Cameroon international has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, and the Bees would be looking for as much as £60m to grant their talisman’s departure.

Manchester United also have a vested interest, but their ongoing efforts to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha have led PIF to believe they can take the lead in the coming days.

What Bryan Mbeumo would bring to Newcastle

Howe’s walked across the breadth of the Premier League terrain, the good and the bad. He’s scrambled out of the pit of the division with Newcastle and he’s led them toward the peak, having now sealed a route into the Champions League across two of the past three seasons.

Though they’ve invested, United haven’t employed a scattergun approach on the level of some direct rivals, and yet they’ve found a formula for fluency, with Isak fronting a slick and coherent system.

Now just imagine Mbeumo in there too. Jacob Murphy has been immense all year, but Mbeumo would bring a different breed of potency, a new focal point which would ease Isak’s responsibilities and, paradoxically, allow him to take even larger strides in his remarkable development.

1)

Mohamed Salah

38

29

2)

Alexander Isak

34

23

3)

Erling Haaland

31

22

4)

Chris Wood

36

20

4=

Bryan Mbeumo

38

20

Mbeumo’s 20-goal haul in the Premier League this season left him behind an exclusive trio of powerhouses, with analyst Ben Mattinson rightly describing him as “one of the most deadly” players in the division.

He would elevate the existing stars, to be sure, and though Murphy and Anthony Gordon would help supply Mbeumo’s quest for goals, Isak could prove the most exciting partner for him, with the Sweden international noted to be the “best all-round forward in the Premier League” by pundit Ally McCoist.

The 23-goal Isak was only outscored by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah this season, but he also finished the 2024/25 campaign ranked among the top 16% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

The complete striker indeed. Isak could turn Mbeumo into a veritable monster, cementing his giddy form at a higher level and ensuring he enters some lofty conversations in the years to come.

The next Trippier: Newcastle express interest in "stupidly good" £29m star

Newcastle are looking to add to their depth at right-back

ByJoe Nuttall May 28, 2025

Aston Villa are in a position where they may need to sell players to meet the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and there is plenty of contention surrounding their situation from fans, pundits and journalists alike.

Aston Villa's PSR situation and who may leave the club this summer

In short, Aston Villa are one of the Premier League’s most at-risk clubs with PSR heading towards the deadline on June 30th. Per The Athletic’s projection, they can only lose £15 million in 2024/25 to remain within regulatory boundaries.

Unai Emery’s men have recorded a pre-tax loss of £206.2 million in the last two years, which is the highest deficit across the top-flight in that time and leaves the Birmingham-based outfit in danger of punishment.

Big money sales such as Jhon Duran leaving for Al Nassr and Leon Bailey’s anticipated move to Saudi Arabian outfit Neom SC have left hope that the Villans can evade any form of penalty.

However, they are teetering on the brink and their failure to qualify for Champions League football ended up being a massive setback, especially when Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio’s expensive loan deals formed part of their bid to secure a place despite already treading water in their efforts to balance the books.

There have been suggestions that Aston Villa could sell stakes in their women’s team to make ends meet, an option that remains active following a failed bill to cancel that practice after Chelsea flipped £90 million in losses to a £128 million profit in 2024.

Aston Villa now seriously interested in signing "aggressive" 13-goal rival

He could be on the move.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 5, 2025

Losing a maximum of £105 million over three rolling years is the limit for Premier League clubs in order to comply. Still, not everyone is happy at the rules that their clubs have to abide by to evade sanctions.

Journalist fumes at Aston Villa PSR latest

Taking to social media platform X, iNews correspondent Mark Douglas vented his frustration at Aston Villa’s need to sell and made the point that Newcastle United have suffered a similar fate in their efforts to progress as a club.

Admittedly, PSR has become a controversial topic among football fans for a number of reasons, with some feeling that the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs are protected more than others due to the ease in making ‘pure profit’ sales or by filing via subsidiaries of their PLC’s entity.

Regulation is critical to promote fairness, though there are clear elements in the current system that leave a lot to be desired. Aston Villa find themselves in a frustrating situation and will need to meticulously ensure they don’t fall foul of the authorities.

Others will argue their wage to revenue ratio is a problem, brought on by decisions such as paying £227,500 of Marcus Rashford’s salary weekly during his stay. Either way, the rise of PSR over the last few years has become a contentious issue and continues to limit the progression of those attempting to challenge the traditional order.

Liverpool are Premier League champions. Champions of England again for a record-equalling 20th time. Nothing should overshadow that remarkable achievement amid a stunning debut campaign for manager, Arne Slot.

And yet, an unwanted distraction or sub-plot has emerged following the circus surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future, with the England international confirming the news last week that he is set to end his lengthy association with the Anfield side at the climax of the campaign.

A boyhood hero and academy graduate, the 26-year-old – now set to enter his prime years – has decided to take on the next chapter of his career at Real Madrid, amid the expectation that he will join the LaLiga giants on a free transfer this summer.

That seemingly inevitable news was met with an understandably mixed reaction from the home crowd during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with Alexander-Arnold the subject of a fair few boos and jeers as he entered the fray late on.

On the evidence of that cameo, it looks as if the right-back’s stunning Merseyside journey is set to end on a sour note. Perhaps, the time may have come to take him out of the firing line for the remaining games of the season.

Trent's cameo in numbers vs Arsenal

There was life after the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane – there will be life after Trent at Anfield.

With Conor Bradley lying in wait to take on that right-back berth, the succession plan is in place for Slot and co, with the runaway champions deserving to end 2024/25 on a high, rather than being overshadowed by talk over their departing star.

The defender with the most assists to his name in Premier League history, the rampaging full-back is an undoubtedly “world-class player”, as per former boss Jurgen Klopp, but – as Sunday showcased – he isn’t irreplaceable.

Indeed, despite a largely positive cameo, in which he enjoyed an 86% pass accuracy rate and won 100% of his total duels, Alexander-Arnold was perhaps culpable for the away side’s equaliser, having failed to track goalscorer Mikel Merino.

That may appear a harsh assessment, although the Liverpool man was level with the Spaniard as Martin Odegaard struck from range, although it was the Euro 2024 winner who reacted far quicker to pounce on the rebound and head home.

Minutes played

23

Touches

20

Pass accuracy

86%

Key passes

0

Long balls completed

1/3

Total duels won

1/1

Interceptions

1

Tackles

1

Possession lost

3

Such a moment perhaps epitomised the ongoing debate surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s defensive prowess, with now the time to hand the reins to young Bradley permanently for the remaining two games.

Trent has been a centre-piece of success on Merseyside in recent times, but now he belongs to the past. The same could also be said of club-record signing, Darwin Nunez.

The Liverpool star who Slot now needs to replace

Despite the lack of a recognised centre-forward alternative to Nunez, it would appear that Slot has gone out of his way to find an alternative solution this season, rather than deploying the £85m man through the middle.

Indeed, the Uruguayan “madman” – as described by club legend Jamie Carragher – has started just eight league games all season under the new regime, with rumours rife that he will be on his way this summer.

Signed by Klopp in the summer of 2022, Nunez looked set to be Liverpool’s equivalent to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, not least after getting the better of the Norwegian after scoring in the Community Shield at the start of that first campaign.

Unfortunately for the now-25-year-old, he has since scored just 40 goals in 141 games in all competitions. In that same time frame, Haaland has netted 120 times from 139 outings for the Citizens.

The forgotten figure is now looking more like Rasmus Hojlund than Haaland, in truth, having actually been outscored by Manchester United’s struggling striker in 2024/25. Hojlund boasts ten goals across all fronts, while Nunez, by contrast, has netted just seven times under Slot’s watch.

For a player with his hefty price tag, that return simply isn’t good enough, with Sunday’s brief cameo having again laid bare his woes, after losing the ball on six occasions from just 11 touches.

Again described as ‘peripheral’ following his arrival from the bench, as per the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle, the misfiring marksman isn’t even providing the chaos these days, with time having come for a permanent upgrade and replacement to be acquired this summer.

And so, while the case of Trent may point to a player whom Liverpool are begrudgingly being forced to lose, for Nunez, this is a man for whom Slot surely can’t wait to be rid of.

With his future looking set to lie elsewhere this summer, perhaps we have now seen the list of the former Benfica man in the red jersey.

Fewer touches than Alisson: Slot must axe 5/10 Liverpool dud after Arsenal

Arne Slot must drop this Liverpool dud who was worse than Conor Bradley against Arsenal.

3 ByDan Emery May 11, 2025

Marcus Rashford's journey to Barcelona was "disrupted" by the Gallagher brothers, as Oasis booked out private travel from Manchester airport.

Forward en route to complete medicalOasis' homecoming shows finished on SundayRashford forced to depart from East Midlands airportFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

reports that the departing Rashford had hoped to travel from Manchester airport by private jet, ahead of his medical in Barcelona. He was unable to book a slot, as Liam Gallagher had a jet on standby, to whisk him back to his home in the south of France. The Gallaghers played the last of their Oasis homecoming gigs in Heaton Park on Sunday night.

AdvertisementGetty Images EntertainmentTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford and his advisors had to drive 80 miles to East Midlands airport. The 27-year-old was eventually able to depart, and arrived in Barcelona shortly after 8 pm on Sunday evening. He is due to undergo a medical on Monday ahead of a season-long loan move from Manchester United, with an option-to-buy clause worth €30m (£26m/$35m).

WHAT SOURCE SAID

A source told : "Marcus’ travel plans were disrupted so it was all a bit stressful but he would have walked to Barcelona to sign for them.

“Noel and Liam can have a laugh that they accidentally put a spanner in the works.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Despite the disruption, Rashford remains on course to sign for La Blaugrana. He will likely be unveiled on Tuesday, pending the result of his medical, and could join Hansi Flick's squad for the club's pre-season tour of Asia.

You can teleport two bowlers from 2020 into a 1998 ODI on a dry Chepauk pitch to have a go at those two in a low-scoring game. Whom do you pick?

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2020 Hot SeatScenario
It’s 1998, and we’ve got ourselves a low-scoring ODI on a cracked up Chepauk pitch in Chennai that is offering turn and uneven bounce. Your Rest of the World XI has scrabbled to 190 against the hosts, India. In the chase, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have the game seemingly locked up at 70 for 0 after 20 overs when you are given a wild card. A portal has been opened to the future, allowing any two bowlers (Indians included) from 2020 to be shipped in for an over each, one to bowl at Tendulkar and one to Ganguly. Whom do you teleport in to break open the game?Sharda Ugra:
You have to get them now. Five more overs and the game is gone. So a gamble is called for. Against a set Tendulkar, you need a left-arm bowler, either a fast bowler or left-arm wristspinner, but not someone of a known pedigree – that puts T on high alert. What we need now is to feed his ego some juicy carrots in the form of an under-the-radar type. Make him look for gimme runs and mistime one into the air. Step up Tabraiz Shamsi, lurking in the shadows of the Imran Tahir spotlight. Against Ganguly, even if this is a breaking Chepauk, no spinners. He knows how to handle that stuff. In the mood, he can extract gimmes from everyone, throw them off their lengths. You need fast, you need fierce, you need both accuracy and variety. Mitchell Starc is the man.Alan Gardner:
In what may seem a counterintuitive move, I’m going to eschew slow-bowling options – despite the turning pitch – on the ground that both batsmen had far better records against spin. It wasn’t such a well-established fact back in 1998, but Ganguly’s weakness against the short ball has to be targeted (even if the young Ganguly might be better able to get himself out of trouble). Who has the meanest bouncer in the game currently? Let’s not look any further than Jofra Archer, who spent the 2019 World Cup pinging helmets for fun. As for Tendulkar, I have a hunch the left-armer’s angle might help unsettle him. With his range of cutters and slower balls that should be perfectly suited to a dry Chepauk, I’m going to bank on Mustafizur Rahman to make the all-important pop for my ROW XI.Karthik Krishnaswamy:
My pick to bowl at Ganguly is a no-brainer: R Ashwin is from Chennai and is lethal against left-hand batsmen. Against Tendulkar, I’d go out of the box and bring on Colin de Grandhomme. He’d be a great option anyway on a pitch with uneven bounce, looking to bowl stump-to-stump, dry up the runs, and force an error, but I’m calling him from the future specifically because Tendulkar disliked facing medium-pacers such as Hansie Cronje, and often got out to them while trying to force the pace when the ball didn’t quite come on.Getty ImagesAndrew Fidel Fernando:
The ball has started to misbehave, jumping at the throat from short of a length at times and shooting into the shins if pitched an inch fuller. Although Ashwin knows Ganguly is uncomfortable against offspin, his eyes are set on Tendulkar. With only 120 runs to defend, World XI have no option but to attack. Slip, point, cover, mid-off and short leg wait in anticipation. Ashwin is sticking to the middle-and-leg line, turning the ball into Tendulkar’s pads. The wicked bounce is troubling Tendulkar, who is also wary of Ashwin’s carom ball. With runs drying up, Tendulkar, who usually likes to dominate, is restless. He is trying to play inside out. Ashwin has gained the upper hand. At the other end, Archer knows what makes Ganguly cringe: the rib-ticklers that dart from short-of-a-good length. Already, Ganguly has had to fold up a few times trying to fend off the short deliveries. Archer has added two slips to show who is dominating. It is a duel of four grandmasters on a checkered pitch. The Chepauk faithful are all eyes.Danyal Rasool:
In seven combined ODI innings that Tendulkar and Ganguly played at Chepuak Stadium, neither ever gave their wicket to a spinner. But since this is a dust bowl, for Tendulkar, I’d throw Kuldeep Yadav the ball. Yadav has begun to hone the wrong’un, and on a turning pitch, the batsman must play at every ball. If Tendulkar feels he could leave a couple alone, just remember the ball Yadav bowled to Babar Azam at the 2019 World Cup. Ganguly is, famously, brilliant against spin, but who could withstand Rashid Khan on such a pitch? Averaging under 19 from 71 ODIs, Khan has raised the bar for legspinners worldwide. A bit of flight, and Ganguly may not be able to resist dancing down the pitch. Should he succumb to that temptation, trouble awaits.

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney will now be known as Rob Mac. What prompted the Always Sunny In Philadelphia star's decision?

Wrexham co-owner changes nameMcElhenney to go by MacWrexham preparing for Championship seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

McElhenney recently announced that he would instead be known as Rob Mac, after legally applying to change his name. The Wrexham co-owner has explained his reasons, with the alteration coming as a result of business considerations.

AdvertisementGetty Images EntertainmentTHE EXPLANATION

McElhenney has explained that the change is to make his name more accessible to potential foreign business partners. As he continues to do business in South America, he believes his multi-syllabic name could cause issues.

He told Variety: “As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I'm just going by Rob Mac.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Wrexham have enjoyed a rapid rise up the English Football League and are now preparing for life in the Championship. Mac and Ryan Reynolds set out a dream to reach the Premier League, and are now just one promotion away from reaching the promised land.

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Wrexham face Southampton on August 9 as they begin their Championship journey.