Jackson Bird returned to Tasmania’s XI for the Shield match and had an impact with a five-for and a crucial 26 that boosted the side’s first-innings total
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2017 ScoreboardGetty ImagesHaving been released from Australia’s Test squad, Jackson Bird skittled South Australia with a five-for that gave Tasmania a 141-run first-innings lead in Adelaide. By stumps, Tasmania had swelled that lead to 220.Bird struck twice in the first three balls of his first over, sniping out Johnathon Dalton and Callum Ferguson for ducks. Travis Head, the South Australia captain, scored 80 and shared a 76-run stand for the third wicket with Jake Weatherald, before Thomas Rogers dismissed Weatherald and started South Australia’s slide. From 2 for 76, South Australia quickly slipped to 6 for 100, and Bird then returned to wipe out the tail-enders and complete his five-for. Earlier in the day, he had made an important contribution with the bat, too.That Tasmania were able to add 54 to their overnight score of 2 for 228 was largely down to a 42-run tenth-wicket stand between Bird and Bell, who made a dogged 16 off 76 balls. A five-wicket haul from Adam Zampa capped South Australia’s bowling efforts in the first innings, and the legspinner returned to dismiss Jordan Silk for 28 in Tasmania’s second innings. Kane Richardson took out Alex Doolan, Silk’s opening partner, before George Bailey shepherded Tasmania through to stumps with an unbeaten 52-ball 32. Jake Doran, who struck a century in the first innings was unbeaten on 1
أعلن نادي آرسنال الإنجليزي تجديد عقد أحد لاعبيه، في بيان رسمي أصدره عبر موقعه اليوم الخميس.
ويعمل آرسنال بقيادة مدربه ميكيل أرتيتا على تحديد أولويات الفريق مع اقتراب نهاية الموسم الحالي وبداية انتقالات الصيف.
وفي بيان رسمي اليوم أفاد آرسنال أنه تم تجديد عقد لاعبه الإيطالي جورجينيو، وتم التمديد لعام إضافي حتى يونيو 2025.
وكان جورجينيو انضم إلى آرسنال من تشيلسي في يناير 2023، حيث شارك في أكثر من 50 مباراة في جميع المسابقات.
وقال جورحينيو في تصريحات لموقع آرسنال الرسمي: “أنا سعيد حقًا بالبقاء، لأنه لشرف كبير أن أكون جزءًا من هذه العائلة، عائلتي سعيدة، نحن مستقرون بشكل جيد حقًا وأشعر أن لدي المزيد لأقوم به”.
اقرأ أيضًا | منهم كلوب.. 5 مدربين مرشحين لجائزة الأفضل في الدوري الإنجليزي
وأضاف: “أحاول أن أقدم كل ما بوسعي من نفسي لكل من حولي، في بعض الأحيان يمكن أن يكون ذلك عناقًا، وأحيانًا يمكن أن يكون كلمات، وأحيانًا أظهر لهم شيئًا ما، لذلك أحاول فقط المساعدة بقدر ما أستطيع في أي موقف، أشعر أن الجميع هنا يمكنهم الاعتماد علي، سأكون هناك دائمًا من أجلهم”.
وقال المدير الفني ميكيل أرتيتا: “يسعدنا أن جورجي وقع عقدًا جديدًا معنا، يعتبر جورجينيو جزءًا مهمًا من فريقنا، وهو نموذج يحتذى به بمهارات قيادية رائعة وقدرة فريدة على أسلوب اللعب مما يجعل الجميع من حوله أفضل على أرض الملعب”.
With the backing of a healthy £105m, West Ham’s midfield pursuit has been one of the most hotly-documented storylines of the summer so far.
The Hammers have reportedly had a £40m offer for Conor Gallagher rejected by Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino stating that the Englishman is in his plans for the upcoming season.
James Ward-Prowse is another player on David Moyes’ agenda, with West Ham preparing to initiate a formal swoop for the Southampton captain.
Scott McTominay is also viewed as a possible Declan Rice replacement, but Manchester United have slapped a £40m price tag on the Scotsman.
However, one man that West Ham are tracking who seems to be going under the radar is Denis Zakaria.
Is Denis Zakaria joining West Ham?
According to Tuttosport (via Football Italia), Zakaria is one of the players Juventus want to sell this summer and West Ham have been in talks with the Old Lady.
But, it is understood that Monaco may now lead the race for the midfielder, who is valued at around £17m.
West Ham have no intention of entering a bidding war for the Swiss.
What is Denis Zakaria's style of play?
Most Premier League fans will simply remember Zakaria for his disastrous loan spell at Chelsea last year.
He joined the Blues on deadline day last summer, and upon his arrival, Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners, said: “Denis brings top-level and international experience, and his mix of tenacity and great distribution.”
Chelsea'sDenisZakariaapplauds fans after the match as he is substituted
However, the move materialised into disappointment, as the 26-year-old became hampered by persistent injury and was caught up in the whirlwind of Chelsea’s worst season in Premier League history.
As a result, he made just 13 appearances in all competitions across the season, and we were unable to witness his full potential.
We shouldn’t judge Zakaria’s most recent past as his definition, as he displayed his glorious athleticism and energy during the 2019/20 season at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
At the start of this campaign, with his side sitting at the summit of the table after nine outings, no other player had covered more distance (99.6km) or won more duels (97), whilst he also accumulated 556 high-intensity runs.
When considering what the 49-cap international can offer, his strength lies in the unknown, whilst McTominay, who would cost double the price has been a consistent let-down for United.
Scott McTominay
Since making his debut in 2017, the 6 foot 4 man has made 219 appearances for the Red Devils and has never proven himself to be a reliable asset.
Last term, he forged just 16 starts in all competitions, as after the two defeats in the first games against Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag was forced into a desperate last-ditch attempt to bring Casemiro to Old Trafford.
The Brazilian, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, and Christian Eriksen were all ahead of him in the pecking order by playing more games, and there have been many question marks over his quality.
The viewpoint has been championed by Roy Keane, who said that McTominay has a lack of “decision-making and football intelligence.”
Despite not playing anywhere near his capabilities, Zakaria outranked McTominay for pass completion per 90 (88.9% vs 81.4%) and progressive carries per 90 (2.22 vs 1.46). His running and ability to dictate games, therefore, are far superior to that of the United midfielder.
Ultimately, the Red Devils youth product has had plenty of time to stamp his authority upon the Premier League but has been unable to shackle his mediocre reputation. Whereas Zakaria, who was described as “talented” by Antonio Mango, can return to English football with a huge point to prove and could recapture the form he expertly displayed in Germany.
Manchester United are reportedly still interested in sealing a move for Monaco defender, Axel Disasi, with manager Erik ten Hag eyeing potential defensive reinforcements ahead of the start of next season.
What's the latest on Disasi to Man United?
Following previous rumours regarding a summer move for the 25-year-old, The Sun are now reporting that the Red Devils remain on 'alert' in case a deal for the Frenchman does become a possibility, despite potential concerns over the player's price tag.
With United seemingly wary of breaching Financial Fair Play regulations – while also enduring a lingering takeover saga – the report suggests that it may prove 'difficult' to land the former Reims ace, despite the fact that Ten Hag 'wants' him.
If the Old Trafford outfit are to snap up the 6 foot 3 rock over the coming weeks the belief is that any deal could cost in the region of £34m, albeit with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea also ready to pounce with an offer of their own.
How good is Axel Disasi?
This search for a new central defender comes amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Harry Maguire's future at the Theatre of Dreams, with the 30-year-old having recently been stripped of the captaincy after starting just eight Premier League games last season.
The former Leicester City man has been heavily linked with a departure following that slide down the pecking order under Ten Hag, hence why the Dutchman is seeking a figure like Disasi to help provide competition for the likes of Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
Hailed as "complete" and "dominant" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Monaco machine could prove to be an "amazing signing for any top Premier League club" as he was simply "born to play in England" – as per Kulig.
William Saliba
If United are to get their man – despite the hefty rival interest – then it could allow Ten Hag to find his answer to another exciting Frenchman in the form of William Saliba, with the latter man currently thriving for the Gunners after also making the transition from life in Ligue 1.
The 22-year-old was initially snapped up by the north Londoners on a £27m deal from Saint-Etienne back in 2019, albeit while only forcing his way into the first-team picture at the Emirates last season, after spending the previous few years back on loan in his homeland.
Despite that delayed start to life in English football, the 6 foot 4 gem has been simply "exceptional" over the past 12 months or so, according to manager Mikel Arteta, having started 27 league games as part of the club's ultimately unsuccessful title charge last term.
Likened to a "young Rio Ferdinand" by United legend, Gary Neville, Saliba is certainly a player that the Red Devils would wish to have on their hands, hence snapping up their own version of the Bondy native with the addition of Disasi.
The two men both seemingly share an innate composure in possession, with Saliba ranking in the top 7% in Europe's top five leagues among those in his position for pass completion, while his compatriot ranks in the top 4% for both progressive passes and progressive carries, proving himself adept at playing out from the back.
In a defensive sense, the pair are also seeming alike, with the Arsenal starlet having averaged two tackles and interceptions per game in the league last term as a sign of his ball-winning prowess, while Disasi is only just ahead after averaging 2.3 in that regard from his 28 Ligue 1 appearances.
That likeness between the two towering titans would suggest that the United target could perhaps adapt to life in England just as smoothly as his international colleague has of late, with it looking as if Disasi could very well prove to be Ten Hag's answer to Saliba next term.
With both teams loaded with power-hitters at the top, the onus is on the bowling units at a venue that favours run scoring
The Preview by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-2017Match factsGujarat Lions v Mumbai Indians Rajkot, April 29, 2017 Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Form guide
Gujarat Lions (sixth): defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets, lost to Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs,defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets
Mumbai Indians (second): lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by three runs, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs, defeated Kings XI by eight wickets
Head to headThis seasonOn a batting-friendly surface at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai chased down Lions’ score of 176 – courtesy a 36-ball 53 from Nitish Rana and useful contributions from Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard – to win with six wickets to spare.OverallLions won both their meetings against Mumbai in the previous season.In the newsDwayne Smith was left out of Lions’ XI during their last match against Royal Challengers. James Faulker – his replacement – was economical and Lions may stick with him. Irfan Pathan, a replacement for Dwayne Bravo, is available for selection.Allrounder Krunal Pandya has recovered from the illness that kept him out of Mumbai’s previous game, but his selection will be subject to a fitness test before the match. Ambati Rayudu announced on Twitter this week that he had fully recovered from a groin injury he suffered early in the tournament. He said he had been “training hard and eagerly awaiting a call up”.The likely XIsGujarat Lions: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Basil Thampi, 10 Nathu Singh, 11 Ankit SoniMumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Rohit Sharma (capt), 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya/Karn Sharma, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Mitchell Johnson/Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit BumrahStrategy PuntLions’ bowlers could attack Nitish Rana with the short ball early. Despite his success against the short ball, Rana has been out in the previous two innings attempting to pull bouncers from Dan Christian and Pat Cummins.Stats that matter Mumbai’s pace-attack has two left-arm quicks in McClenaghan and Johnson, but left-arm pacers struggle at Rajkot. They concede 116 runs in 66 balls with an average of 58 runs per wicket. Off their eight games, Lions have scored 170-plus totals five times. They have also conceded 170-plus total six times. Nathu Singh has bowled four overs in two games but has only gone for 15 runs. His economy of 3.75 is the best in the IPL. Mumbai have not breached the 160-run mark this season when Nitish Rana has made a single-digit score. Brendon McCullum enjoys batting against Jasprit Bumrah. Off 19 balls in four innings, McCullum has hit him for 37 runs. Against Lasith Malinga, though, McCullum has been dismissed four out of seven times. Harbhajan Singh has dismissed Suresh Raina five times, the most by a bowler against Raina in the IPL. Andrew Tye takes a wicket for every 11 runs he concedes in the IPL. Lions have used 16 bowlers, but Tye has taken 12 of the 33 wickets their bowlers have earned. Aaron Finch has a strike rate of less than 100 against three Mumbai bowlers: off Krunal Pandya, he has managed only 7 runs in 12 balls. Against Malinga, he has scored only 13 runs in 18 balls. Against Mitchell Johnson, Finch has scored 32 runs off 35 balls. Johnson has also removed Finch three times, the most by a single bowler to him. Rohit Sharma has hit only three boundaries in 68 balls against Ravindra Jadeja and has been out twice. Dhawal Kulkarni concedes 9.48 runs per over against Rohit – going for 49 runs in 31 balls – but has dismissed him four times.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is now targeting Celtic defender and former Lilywhite Cameron Carter-Vickers, according to a recent report.
Who are Tottenham linked with?
Tottenham's search for a new centre-back is well underway, with a number of potential options having been identified, including Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, who has "decided" to leave Craven Cottage this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Spurs are on the verge of completing a move for Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, with a £25m offer on the table, and the hope is their activity in the transfer market will convince talisman Harry Kane to remain at the club long-tern.
Clement Lenglet spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan in north London, and the Lilywhites are keen to secure the France international on a permanent deal, having recently tabled an offer of €5m (£4.3m) to Barcelona.
With Postecoglou looking to make his mark at N17, Tottenham have also identified Carter-Vickers as a potential target, as reported in the print edition of the Sunday People (via The Scottish Sun).
The 25-year-old centre-back is part of a "posse" of Celtic players that Postecoglou wants to bring with him to north London, with the manager also keen on reunions with Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate.
The Scottish Sun claim Celtic could be made to brace for three bids, with Furuhashi potentially being available in a deal worth between £25m – £30m, although there will be competition for his signature from Burnley.
Will Tottenham sign Cameron Carter-Vickers?
On the face of it, a move for the defender would be a little strange, given that he failed to break into the first team during his previous stint with Spurs, making just five first-team appearances before being sold to Celtic last summer.
That said, the USA international has improved considerably since being given a consistent run in the Celtic starting XI, and transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey lauded him as "outstanding" for his performance against Iran at the World Cup.
Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The Southend-born defender made 29 appearances for the Hoops in the Scottish Premiership last term, averaging 1.1 interceptions per game, the second-highest figure in the squad, as well as a 91.6% pass-success rate.
However, even though the centre-back has looked very solid in the Scottish Premiership, it is a far weaker division than the Premier League, and we feel Postecoglou would be better off targeting other players who have more experience at the top level, despite the obvious connection to Carter-Vickers.
Liverpool target Arda Guler is one of the hottest young prospects in Europe this summer, but Fabrizio Romano believes the young attacking midfielder may extend his contract and stay at the club another season.
Romano told his Youtube channel that the youngster may extend his deal with the Istanbul club out of respect for the platform they have provided for him so they can get a higher transfer fee either this summer or next.
Who is Arda Guler?
The 18-year-old ‘The Turkish Messi” has clubs around Europe circling attempting to gain his signature. Former teammate Mesut Ozil stated the young prospect can become a “world star” and it comes as no surprise that Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up the young talent.
Born in 2005, the youngster can play in central midfield, attacking midfield and on the right wing, per Transfermarkt.
The left-footed playmaker has four Turkish caps to his name already, scoring his first goal for his country with a stunning strike against Wales.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about Arda Guler?
arda-guler-liverpool-transfer-news-premier-league
Romano told his Youtube viewers: “The release clause in the contract of Arda Guler at Fenerbahce is €17.5 million (£15 million) for this fantastic talent.
“Guler is a monster and he's showing his fantastic skills every single week. But what I wanted to tell you is that the feeling at Fenerbahce is that there is a chance for the player to extend the contract.
“The deal would be to respect the club, and so to extend the contract and maybe leave if not the summer, next summer, or in any case, also this summer back for more than €17.5 million because it looks like an incredible fee for a top talent and he's probably worth €40 million (£34 million).
“Guler wants to respect Fenerbahce and he will consider the possibility to extend his contract and allow the club to get more money in the right way."
How good is Arda Guler?
The youngster, who likes to drift out onto the right-hand side of the pitch and use his creativity, shone in the Turkish Super Lig this season, delivering an average match rating of an impressive 7.84 per Sofascore.
Guler provided four goals and four league assists for Fenerbahce and will no doubt improve as he gets older, stronger and more experienced playing first team football.
His development could be helped by staying one more year in Turkey with confirmed first team football, but no doubt Europe’s elite clubs will be after him next summer if he does stay.
While South Africa have asked for the pitches to help fast bowling and offer no or limited turn, some amount of grass was taken off the pitch in Cape Town
Firdose Moonda in Cape Town01-Jan-2017Someone in the know, and we can’t really say which someone in the know, said these words at Newlands on New Year’s Day. They weren’t said quite as robustly as a resolution, nor with as much whimsy as a wish, but with just the right mix of nerves and certainty to be taken seriously.South Africa have asked the groundstaff to leave much more grass on the pitch than usual, as they did in Port Elizabeth. That strip was designed to turn Rangana Herath into Casper the Friendly Ghost and it succeeded. This one is expected to do the same and more. The thick grass covering could aid seam movement, as it did when South Africa played Australia in November 2011 and the ball moved just enough to cause chaos.After South Africa were bowled out for 96 replying to 284, Australia were dismissed for 47. Twenty three wickets fell in the day, the record at a South African ground, as some part of all four innings unfolded. Gary Kirsten, who was South Africa’s coach at the time, left the ground to be with his new-born daughter and when he returned asked if there had been rain because the action had been fast-forwarded so much.The memory of that madness, however, has faded for his successor, Russell Domingo, who was then the assistant. “It was so long ago that I don’t even remember it,” he half-jokingly told journalists on Sunday to play down the prospect of something similar in the next five days. “Those things don’t happen too often. So I can’t see that happening for a while.”Since the beginning of the series against Sri Lanka, Domingo and captain Faf du Plessis have praised South African pitches for providing a fair contest while acknowledging they were also prepared to suit the home side.”I wouldn’t we are say making the most of it [home advantage]. South Africa and Australia are maybe the two places that provide for a fair contest with both bat and ball. It showed in Port Elizabeth, where it did a bit on day one. But then it was really good to bat on and the ball spun a little bit on day three. Our wickets produce good, fair contests,” Domingo said.Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford almost agreed. “I guess home advantage is something you see around the world. Certainly the pitch in Port Elizabeth suited South Africa. It’s exactly what they wanted and not what we wanted,” he said. “This looks pretty similar. Maybe they’ll give it another cut. I think they’ve had pretty dry conditions here for a while. Hopefully there’s not too much moisture in the surface.”Ford was proven right. Despite initial suggestion that no grass would be cut off the pitch, after South Africa’s training session had ended and with Sri Lanka at the ground, there was a bit of trimming going on. It was not known whether the instruction from South Africa had changed, or the threat of a dramatically shortened Test was looming too large.South African administrators would prefer the match went as deep as possible, ideally five days, because Newlands is their best chance of making money on gate-takings. On Friday, over 57,000 tickets had been bought for the match including a capacity 22,000 on the first day and 6,500 for each of the fourth and fifth days.The weather is set to play ball too. Apart from some strong gusts, conditions should be perfect for cricket watching. Depending on which side you are on, perhaps not entirely perfect for playing.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will look to resolve the future of midfielder Matheus Nunes in the near future at Molineux, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
What's the latest transfer news involving Matheus Nunes?
As per The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool have held an interest in Nunes for a period of time; however, their attraction towards the Portugal international has 'cooled' in recent weeks.
The report claims that Liverpool may move on to other targets, with the likes of Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach enforcer Manu Kone being linked with a switch to Anfield.
According to Football Insider, Manchester United are also keen on Nunes and have placed him on a shortlist of potential midfield additions as Erik Ten Hag demands midfield reinforcements.
Barcelona and Newcastle United are two other potential destinations for Nunes this summer, though it is unclear exactly what the future may hold for the £85k-a-week ace in the transfer window, as per Relovo.
Nunes joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon last year for a fee in the region of £42.2 million and became a key player in their eventually Premier League survival bid.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Romano has stated that we won't need to wait too long to find out where Nunes may find himself come the end of the transfer window.
Romano said: “For Matheus Nunes, there's a lot of interest but still nothing advanced or concrete. So, we have to wait on that one. I think this is something for later in the window, towards the end of June or July.”
How did Matheus Nunes fare for Wolverhampton Wanderers during 2022/23?
Nunes enjoyed a decent debut campaign in the English top-flight with Wolves and helped them to maintain their place in the division despite being in a relegation dogfight for large portions of the season.
In 2022/23, the Portuguese midfielder amassed 42 appearances in all competitions for the Old Gold, registering two goals and two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Wolves midfielderMatheus Nunes
WhoScored shows that Nunes is also an effective ball carrier from the centre of the pitch and managed to complete an average of 1.3 dribbles per match in the Premier League.
FBRef also reflect the notion of Nunes being able to drive his side forward from midfield, detailing that he successfully performed 59 shot-creating actions across the season.
Of course, Wolves will be keen to keep hold of Nunes if possible; nevertheless, it looks like it will be a waiting game at Molineux to see if he is still there come the close of play in the market.
Jonathan Carter and Miguel Cummins gave a good account of themselves on the opening day of West Indians’ two-day fixture against Emirates Cricket Board XI in Dubai
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2016 ScorecardFile photo: Miguel Cummins, who made his Test debut against India in July, impressed on the opening day of WICB’s warm-up fixture•Associated PressJonathan Carter and Miguel Cummins gave a good account of themselves on the opening day of West Indians’ two-day fixture against Emirates Cricket Board XI in Dubai.The fast-bowling pair picked up seven wickets between them to reduce their opponents to 56 for 7, after the batsmen, led by Shai Hope and Leon Johnson scored half-centuries in their total of 249 for 6 declared in 70 overs.The West Indians, who have already lost the T20I and ODI series against Pakistan, had each of the top six batsmen getting off to starts after they elected to bat. Apart from Hope and Johnson, Roston Chase, who brought up his maiden Test century against India in Jamaica in July, and Jermaine Blackwood retired on 38 and 45 respectively.An opportunity for some of the fringe players like Johnson, Shane Dowrich and Jonathan Carter, all of whom chipped in with useful contributions, came up as three regulars in the Test squad – Kraigg Brathwaite, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo – are in the midst of the ODI series against Pakistan.Offspinner Rohan Mustafa and medium-pacer Amjad Javed picked up one wicket apiece for the Emirates Cricket Board XI. With the bat, only Shaiman Anwar offered any sort of resistance to end the day unbeaten on 23. He was the only one to reach double figures as five of his team-mates didn’t open their accounts.