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After a promising first day in Port Elizabeth things quickly unravelled for Sri Lanka, and that was meant to be the ground most suited to them. It does not bode well

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Dec-20165:25

Five things we learned in Port Elizabeth

If you are a Sri Lanka fan with plans to come to the picturesque Newlands ground to watch your team play in the New Year Test, perhaps you will think to do something more useful with your money, like feed it to a goat.At Port Elizabeth, Sri Lanka’s five-Test winning streak was punctured. The Australia-series bubble was popped. Reality set in.In place of the optimism of the last few months in which five consecutive Tests were won and promising players bucketed down upon the island, there is now sudden fear the whitewashers could become whitewashees. Before the series, the Port Elizabeth pitch seemed the low-slow promised land. It was thought Sri Lanka could ease themselves into the series with manful batting and Rangana Herath’s sleight of hand. Instead Herath’s fingers took a battering, and the batsmen wound up nursing blows to their outside edges. Perhaps it was inevitable. Watching the edges of your bat blush redder and redder through the course of several weeks has recently become the essence of a Sri Lanka batsman’s away tour.You can see the parallels with the Australia series can’t you? Due to a quirk of scheduling, that tour had begun in Pallekele, where Australia hoped to establish their dominance on one of the most seam-friendly pitches on the continent. Instead they were mugged by Sri Lanka’s trio of spinners, and then were led down an alley and merrily stabbed, at Galle. At the SSC, the corpse was briefly reanimated only for Herath to draw his shiv and waddlingly chase Steven Smith and his men around the field again.If Sri Lanka have failed to score 300 in Port Elizabeth, how will they fare at Newlands, where South Africa have never lost to an Asian team; where Sri Lanka themselves have been defeated soundly thrice (by an innings and infinity on one occasion)? The Wanderers, where the third Test is scheduled, is also spoken about by locals as a bouncy, high-altitude, cricketing abattoir. Will Sri Lanka make it down the hill alive?Perhaps the selectors’ and management’s most pressing question is what they can now do at No. 3. Since Sri Lanka’s greatest Test batsman retired, the best remaining batsmen have been reluctant to bat there, as if the ghost of Kumar Sangakkara still haunts his old spot. Angelo Mathews likes it down there at No. 5, as he also fancies himself as a first-change bowler. Dinesh Chandimal prefers to take the gloves and come in at No. 6. Kusal Mendis’ returns have been so much better at No. 4 that selectors are reluctant to move him. And Dhananjaya de Silva is still so green and goes so purringly at No. 7, there is a strong case for his retention there as well.The No. 3 spot has now chewed up at least three batsmen, and each time a new man plays a bad shot to get himself out, the ghost of Sangakkara can be seen cover-driving the same ball to the boundary. When a stumping chance is missed, as with Chandimal in the second innings, Sangakkara’s ghost has so much time he collects the ball between butt cheeks and backs seductively into the wickets.Strategic problems in the field – which had a long and lavish airing in England – have also re-emerged. Mathews’ Plan A in Port Elizabeth seemed to be to attack conventionally with the seamers; Plan B was to wait endlessly for Plan A to work; while Plan C was to make fans want to throw themselves from tall buildings. Any semblance of energy fled the fielding effort. New batsmen were practically welcomed to the field with garlands and offers of massages. And the (mis)use of Herath was brought into relief by Faf du Plessis’ excellent handling of a much less experienced spinner: Keshav Maharaj.There are brief and brilliant glimpses of potential in this Sri Lanka squad, but on away tours, how atrociously it has been harnessed. If Sri Lanka don’t activate the ability at their disposal, if they fail to prod consistency from batsmen, or fashion coherent tactics for their limited seam attack, they may as well find something more worthwhile to do with all their talented youth. Like feed them to a goat.

Stats highlights from the fourth day’s play in Dubai, where Younis Khan hit yet another Test hundred

Shiva Jayaraman25-Oct-201512 Second-innings centuries by Younis Khan in Tests; only three batsmen – Kumar Sangakkara (14), Alastair Cook (13), and Sachin Tendulkar (13) – have hit more. Younis has taken only 83 innings to hit these 12 hundreds at a frequency of one every 6.9 innings. Among batsmen with at least ten second-innings hundreds, only Don Bradman (one every 3.0 innings) and Hashim Amla (5.90) are ahead in terms of frequency.12 Number of fifty-plus scores by Joe Root in Tests this year – the most by any England batsman in a calendar year. The previous highest was 11, by Keith Fletcher in 1973. Alastair Cook has made 10 such scores this year, which equals the third-highest by any England batsman; Kevin Pietersen also made 10 such scores in 2006.189 Runs made by Misbah-ul-Haq in this Test – the second highest by him in a Test. Misbah followed up his century in the first innings with 87 runs in the second. His highest had come last year, when he made two centuries – one of which equalled the record for the fastest known hundred in Tests – in Abu Dhabi against Australia. This is also the second-highest aggregate by a Pakistan captain in Tests against England. Inzamam-ul-Haq made two centuries in the Faisalabad Test in 2005.11 Test hundreds by Younis after turning 35 – only three other batsmen had hit more centuries after the age of 35. Rahul Dravid, Graham Gooch and Tendulkar each hit 12 Test centuries after 35. Younis has, however, hit a century in every 4.18 innings after turning 35, which is the third-highest frequency among batsmen with at least five hundreds after that age. Only Australia’s Charles Macartney (2.60, 5 hundreds in 13 innings) and Bradman (2.88, 8 hundreds in 23 innings) have better record than Younis.31 Test hundreds by Younis including the one in this innings. He has pulled ahead of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Matthew Hayden, who have 30 each. Younis now has the most hundreds among active Test cricketers. Only nine other batsmen have hit more hundreds than Younis.78.10 Average stand between Misbah and Younis for the fourth wicket in the last ten innings when they have come together with Pakistan losing their third wicket for fewer than 100 runs. Their partnership in this innings, which began with Pakistan at 83 for 3, added 141 runs. Their last ten such stands have been 141, 66, 51, 58, 2, 8, 100, 129, 218, and 8.7 Number of Pakistan batsman who had made at least 1000 runs in Tests against England before Younis who achieved that milestone during his innings of 118. Younis now has 1041 runs against them at an average of 47.31 with three hundreds and four fifties.408 The highest target set by Pakistan in Tests for England to chase before this match, which was in the Lord’s Test in 1996. Pakistan won that Test by 164 runs. The 491-run target for England in this Test is the fifth-highest Pakistan have set any team in Tests.275 Runs by Asad Shafiq in this series including his 79 in this innings – already the third-highest by a Pakistan No. 6 in any Test series. He needs 56 more runs from the next Test to go past Shahid Afridi’s 330 runs at No. 6 against India in the three-match home series in 2005-06. Shafiq averages 68.75 in four innings in this series with one hundred and two fifties.5 Number of instances of Pakistan batsmen making 1000-plus runs at any venue in Tests before Younis who completed 1000 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium during this match. Javed Miandad did it at three different venues – in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. Mohammad Yousuf and Zaheer Abbas did so at Lahore. Younis’ century in this innings was his fifth at this venue making him only the fourth Pakistan batsman to hit as many at any venue. He has made 1024 runs in Dubai at an average of 73.14.5 Number of century stands in the fourth innings of a Test in the UAE before the one between Root and Ian Bell. This is the third such stand in Dubai. The previous one had come between Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva in 2013-14.

Plays of the day from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils

Abhishek Purohit21-Apr-2014The early blow
Delhi Daredevils were hampered as early as the first over of the match. They opened with JP Duminy’s offspin but ended up losing a fast bowler. Nathan Coulter-Nile dived at square leg to stop a clip from Brendon McCullum and immediately felt his hamstring. It was so bad that he immediately hobbled off the field, leaving Dinesh Karthik to ponder over how he would fill in the fast bowler’s quota of four overs.The rebuffed reprieve
Sitters are being dropped regularly this season. McCullum popped one straight and slow to Duminy at short extra cover in the fourth over. It came in around chest height, Duminy reverse-cupped his wrists and put it down. McCullum is not one to get even remotely careful after a reprieve. He promptly jumped out and had a heave at the next ball. The outside edge went straight and slow to a very short third man, who held on.The stunners
The first three Daredevils wickets were down to the brilliance of Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina. Batsman after batsman tried to clear the off-side infield, and their mishits were snapped up by the sharp duo. Raina started the slide when he made ground and tumbled at cover to send back Mayank Agarwal. Vijay and Manoj Tiwary probably managed to put more distance between the ball and the closest fielder, but to their misfortune that man was du Plessis. The South Africa T20 captain ran back from mid-off both times, never letting the ball out of his sight, and dived to pull off two stunners.The footwork
MS Dhoni’s wicketkeeping is anything but conventional. He often has no follow-through when he collects, especially against spin. He also puts uses his legs to good use, bringing his pads together to avoid letting the ball through when it bounces before him. In the 12th over of the chase, Karthik shaped up early to play a reverse paddle against Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni had plenty of time to react. While many keepers would have shuffled to the off side, Dhoni just stood where he was and stuck out his right leg. Sure enough, the ball came off Karthik’s bat, found Dhoni’s leg in the way, and rolled away towards short third man.The first timer
M Vijay is known for his trademark pick-up shot over midwicket in the IPL. He was known for being a familiar figure in Chennai Super Kings yellow, till he went to Daredevils this season. His new franchise, and his Tamil Nadu team-mate Karthik, made him do what Super Kings had never asked for in so many seasons. With Coulter-Nile unavailable, Karthik handed the ball to Vijay in the 12th over. So for the first time in the IPL, Vijay sent down his offbreaks, which cost his side three fours in four balls.

Australia’s careful handling of Phillip Hughes conveys how desperately they need him to bloom into a batsman of quality, and longevity

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2012Reborn. Renewed. Rejuvenated. Ready. Really?Phillip Hughes’ recall to Australia’s Test side to face Sri Lanka has been accompanied by plenty of noise to the effect that it will be a new man who takes guard in Hobart next Friday. To borrow Radiohead’s words, Hughes is fitter, happier, and should be more productive.Since the humiliation of last summer’s corresponding Bellerive Oval match, when Hughes completed a quartet of near identical dismissals at the hands of Chris Martin on the way to being dropped, the 24-year-old has gone on something like a journey of self-discovery.He stood back from the inaugural Twenty20 Big Bash League in order to work on his long-form methods, signed up to play for Worcestershire in England, and worked assiduously with his long-time mentor Neil D’Costa. While at Worcester, Hughes forsook New South Wales to move to South Australia, where Adelaide’s cosiness sat more neatly with his Macksville upbringing.All these moves resulted in runs, though spread across three formats, and what appears a more expansive game that features a better range of scoring strokes right around the ground. He even survived a brief but spicy spell from Dale Steyn when playing for Australia A against the South Africans at the SCG. The national selector John Inverarity feels that Hughes is now “cherry ripe” to play, having made a “compelling” case for Worcestershire and South Australia.But a closer glance at how Hughes has fared in first-class matches – the only truly relevant measure when pondering his readiness for the Test team – reveals a record not so much dominant as mildly presentable. Including the 158 he struck for South Australia against Victoria at the MCG during the Adelaide Test, Hughes’ batting digits are as follows: 1,135 runs at 40.54 in 16 matches, three centuries.They are hardly the sorts of numbers to have international bowlers quaking at the sight of the diminutive Hughes, nor the kinds of figures that suggest a quantum leap in the left-hander’s game. Instead they reflect a gradual improvement over the course of a year, after a dire home summer in 2011-12, both for Australia and NSW.At the time of Hughes’ exit from the Test team, numerous sage observers reckoned that he would need a good two seasons of consistent run-making and re-evaluation of his approach to be ready for a return to the international arena. Inverarity himself appeared to be of that view, and has often stated his preference for young players to be given a consistent run of matches for the one team rather than shunting them up to a higher representative level the moment they show evidence of a spike in batting or bowling form.Nonetheless, Hughes is now back into the Australian squad little more than 12 months after he left it, and in circumstances heavy with meaning. By replacing Ricky Ponting in Australia’s top order, Hughes may be seen as the embodiment of the team’s batting future. Of all the young players vying to be elevated to the national team, Hughes’ desire for runs and long innings is the most fervent, as demonstrated by his notching of 20 first-class centuries before his 24th birthday.But Hughes’ readiness for the major tasks to face Australia in 2013, first a tour to India then dual Ashes series away and at home, will remain open to question until he faces both opponents. The selectors’ curious decision to keep Hughes away from the line of fire during the South Africa series has already stirred plenty of debate, raising as it did questions about how ready they think he is to face the world’s best teams.

There can be little doubt that given the lack of standout batting options around the nation, Inverarity and his panel know they have to give Hughes the very best chance to develop into a Test batsman of quality, and longevity

The use (if not abuse) of Rob Quiney in Hughes’ stead was explained by the coach Mickey Arthur before the first Test in Brisbane with the reasoning that Australia needed a team of men, not boys, to face up to Graeme Smith’s team. “I wouldn’t want to disrespect any nation, but against a nation like South Africa right now, and we’d probably do the same against England and India, you want an experienced head to come in,” Arthur said. “You can’t blood a youngster against a team like South Africa. We want a guy who is very confident in his ability, a guy who knows his game backwards, and a guy that has got a little bit of experience. That gave Rob the nod.”How that reflects on Hughes is a matter for plenty of discussion, but there can be little doubt that given the lack of standout batting options around the nation, Inverarity and his panel know they have to give Hughes the very best chance to develop into a Test batsman of quality, and longevity. By holding him back until Sri Lanka’s arrival they are giving Hughes the chance to settle into the team, much as Ponting helped Michael Clarke to bed down as captain by resigning his commission ahead of tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, before the more difficult assignments against South Africa and India.Ponting’s sense of timing in relinquishing the captaincy proved to be exemplary, and the selectors will hope that they have done similarly right by their new No. 3 batsman. For his part, Hughes must continue the upward curve of the past year under the public gaze of the same television cameras that chronicled his unhappiest of Hobart Tests last year. Australia’s Ashes hopes may depend on it.

Shouldn’t the most anticipated Test series since the 2005 Ashes have been decided over five Tests?

Sidharth Monga in South Africa08-Jan-2011So it has ended without a winner or a loser. After 14 days of action, at times frenetic, at times tense, at times combative, at times confrontational, at times serene, at times so exciting you couldn’t afford to miss a ball, at times extremely skilful, at times strangely defensive, we don’t have a winner. Shouldn’t the most anticipated Test series since the 2005 Ashes have been decided over five Tests?South Africa can feel pleased with the result after effectively having been 128 for 6 in the second innings of the deciding Test. India can feel pleased with the result, having come back from the Centurion defeat and to win in some of the most testing conditions their batsmen have encountered. South Africa can feel disappointed they haven’t won any of their last three home series, that when it came to pressure situations they didn’t look good enough without Jacques Kallis, that this is the third time they have beaten India by an innings to take a 1-0 lead without going on to win the series. India can feel disappointed they have let slip their best chance of winning a series in South Africa, for in all likelihood they won’t have the services of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid the next time they come here.We can feel pleased we got to see Dale Steyn, Laxman, Kallis and Tendulkar at their best, with the side cast not disappointing much either. We can feel disappointed that the defensive captaincy, the spread-out fields, the fear of declaration, the fear of losing, the slow over-rates, didn’t give us a clear winner.It was a fascinating contest between two different cricketing cultures. South Africa, often good starters but not always good when in the lead, came out full of intent in Centurion. India, often poor starters but good when in a corner, came back in a manner few expected them to in Durban.South Africa’s attack was based – aside from Steyn’s swing – on pace and bounce, on hurting the batsmen, on testing their courage. India’s attack relied on skill of wrist, on attacking the stumps and not bodies, on getting just enough movement to get wickets. Even though Zaheer Khan’s comeback was a turning point for an ailing attack, Harbhajan Singh went on to become their most successful bowler, level with Morne Morkel at 15 wickets and behind Steyn (21) on the wicket-taking chart.South Africa’s batsmen showed their better knowledge of the conditions, leaving deliveries better than India did. That South Africa took 16 catches in the slips and gully as opposed to India’s four doesn’t lie. India had to work hard on that aspect, on making batsmen play, and then beating them with the movement, which meant the edges – when earned – went to the wicketkeeper, and not the slips.India drew a Test series for the first time in South Africa but it was also their best opportunity for a maiden victory in the country•AFPThe cultures interchanged too. South Africa, for a change, ran away with the individual honours. Kallis was by far the most consistent batsman in the series, and it seemed only freak run-outs and freak deliveries spitting from a good-length area could get him out. Steyn’s swing bowling was phenomenal. His two spells on the third day in Cape Town, 66 deliveries of pure venom, is one of the best we are likely to see. India, despite their attack’s reliance on Zaheer for direction, went the traditional South African way, getting small contributions from everywhere. Their whole side registered two centuries and two five-fors; Kallis alone scored three centuries, and Steyn alone took two five-wicket hauls.No new stars were found, but Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Cheteshwar Pujara showed promise. The old men in form continued to defy age: Tendulkar scored one of his more challenging centuries to keep India alive in Cape Town, Kallis was again the rescue man for South Africa, and Laxman was just being Laxman in scoring 96 on a pitch where 39 and 38 (Laxman in the first innings) were the next-best scores. The old men under pressure struggled, but both Dravid and Mark Boucher played their part in saving the deciding Test for their team. The setting sun can wait.The last three series between these two top teams in the world have been drawn. Most will find 1-1 a fair result here. However, those greedy for great Test cricket will find it unfair that when it came to the last two days, neither captain showed that his will to win was greater than the fear of losing. India were scared of a South African counterattack that could take their target beyond their reach. Once safe, South Africa never thought of declaring on the fourth evening. Did they over-rate the threat of Virender Sehwag? Did they fear the sacrilege of losing to India at home? Neither of that, though, explained Paul Harris bowling with a deep point in place on the final morning, when it was abundantly clear that India had shut shop, and more importantly when he was constantly getting balls to rear towards Gautam Gambhir’s chest from the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump.Those last two days notwithstanding this series cannot be bad news for the world order. India and South Africa have been the most consistent teams over the last two years, and it shows in the rankings. South Africa’s record of not having won any of their last three home series shows in their being No. 2. England have joined the race with a smashing Ashes win. We’re back to the days before Australia started dominating world cricket. Bring on another year of similar hard-fought Test cricket.

Stats highlights from the second day’s play at Eden Gardens.

HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese01-Dec-2007Stats highlights from the second day’s play at Eden Gardens.

VVS Laxman became the leading run-scorer in Tests at Eden Gardens © AFP
The day surely belonged to Sourav Ganguly, who scored his first Test hundred in Kolkata, his home town. In seven Tests prior to this one at Eden Gardens, Ganguly had only one fifty – a 65 against Australia in 1998. Ganguly has no fifty in four ODIs he’s played at the ground. It was also his first century against Pakistan. VVS Laxman continued his great run in Kolkata, and became the leading Test run-getter at Eden Gardens during the course of his unbeaten 112, going past Mohammad Azharuddin. Laxman now has 898 runs at an average of 81.63 with three hundreds – the same as Rahul Dravid – in Kolkata, but is till two short of Azhar, who had five hundreds in seven Tests. Wasim Jaffer became the third batsman to score a double-hundred at Eden Gardens, after Rohan Kanhai and VVS Laxman. It is Jaffer’s second score over 200, his best being 212 against West Indies in St John’s. India’s total of 616 for 5 declared was their second-highest against Pakistan, after their 675 for 5 declared in Multan in 2004. It was also their third total in excess of 600 at Eden Gardens; India had scored more against Australia in 1998 and in 2001 – when Laxman scored 281. Danish Kaneria finished with figures of 2 for 194 from his 50 overs, the most runs conceded in an innings at Eden Gardens.

Barcelona, Chelsea, Lyon, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among the top European clubs who could lose star players for free this summer

This summer is a big one for women's football. Between the European Championships in Switzerland, the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and Copa America in Ecuador, there's plenty of action taking place over the next few months – and it all comes in the middle of what looks set to be a blockbuster transfer window.

There have already been some big moves. Germany international Jule Brand has swapped Wolfsburg, the two-time European champions, for Lyon, the eight-time winners, with the Lower Saxony club also bidding farewell to another lively winger in Sveindis Jonsdottir, who has signed for Angel City in the NWSL. Other clubs, meanwhile, will be glad to have tied down some of their stars in recent months to avoid their exits, such as Bayern Munich with Klara Buhl, Manchester United with Jayde Riviere and Chelsea with both Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert.

But there is still a lot of top talent in the women's game available for free in this summer's transfer window. Who are the best of those looking for a new club? GOAL picks out 10 big names either already confirmed to be on the move or potentially set for switches…

Getty ImagesMarie-Antoinette Katoto

After a 14-year association with Paris Saint-Germain, Marie-Antoinette Katoto will leave the club this summer. Part of the academy set-up from the age of 12, she has become one of the best strikers on the planet in her 10 years with the first-team and is the women's team's all-time top-scorer. But this season has been marred by a tense relationship with head coach Fabrice Abriel, who left the club after a shock French Cup final defeat to Paris FC last month.

Despite that change in the dugout, Katoto's decision to leave hasn't altered, with her making a decision that was long rumoured official last month. There were initially suggestions that the 26-year-old would take up an opportunity abroad, but all signs now point to her joining Lyon, PSG's biggest rival – a path so many have walked over the years as the Parisians continue to underwhelm in the women's game.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportChloe Kelly

What a turnaround this season has been for Chloe Kelly. Completely out-of-favour at Manchester City under Gareth Taylor, the England international completed a loan switch to former club Arsenal on an eventful January deadline day and would go on to play a key role as the Gunners won the Champions League. Understandably, then, fans of the European champions would love to see her stay in north London.

"Look, if it's my last game for the club, I'll forever be grateful," Kelly said after the final win over Barcelona. "I know I've given my all to Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal Football Club have given their all to me. They gave me an opportunity to step foot on the pitch and find happiness. It's not about football at times. No matter what happened today, the club gave me happiness."

Some City fans will hope Taylor's departure in March could pave the way for Kelly to stay in the north west, but her claims on deadline day that the club was trying to "assassinate my character" and "tried to plant negative stories about me" means it would feel surprising if she didn't move on. There will surely be clubs beyond Arsenal interested in her signature, too, given the quality she's shown since the move.

Getty ImagesLizbeth Ovalle

One of the most exciting and talked about prospects outside of the top European leagues and the U.S. at the moment is Lizbeth Ovalle. According to a report by in Mexico at the end of last year, the following clubs were all interested in the 25-year-old: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

The report said that all seven would prefer to sign her for no cost when her contract expires this summer, but her current club, Tigres, was either aiming to renew Ovalle’s deal or sell her for $100,000 (£80,000) in the winter. If it was the latter, Barca, City and United had all ‘communicated their intention to buy’.

However, while a sale didn't happen, some media outlets have since suggested that Ovalle's contract will expire in December rather than the previously reported June. It's unclear if that is the case, or if it remains that she will be a free agent in the coming weeks. Either way, she is sure to be a figure of interest throughout this summer, with in Mexico understanding that the forward already has an offer on the table from the Washington Spirit.

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Getty ImagesLaia Aleixandri

There are a few players this summer who are out of contract but whom don't appear set for transfer sagas, simply because their next destinations are being so widely reported. Laia Aleixandri is one of those.

After bidding farewell to Man City at the end of the season, it appears that she is set for a Barcelona return, eight years after departing for Atletico Madrid. That has been widely reported in the Spanish and Catalan press, with journalist Rut Vilar understanding that Aleixandri has signed a four-year deal.

After spending five years with Barca as a teenager, albeit without being able to progress beyond the B team, before leaving for the Spanish capital, it will be an emotional return for the 24-year-old, who has carved out a fantastic career elsewhere to date. It's also an important signing for Barca, given the uncertainty at centre-back. Both Irene Paredes and Ingrid Engen are out of contract this summer, after all, while it was recently reported on , on Catalunya Radio, that the club is willing to listen to offers for star defender Mapi Leon, if indeed she wishes to leave.

Manchester United failed with a late attempt to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher on a season-long loan.

• Man Utd fail to sign Gallagher
• Red Devils made late loan swoop
• Atletico swiftly rejected approach

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils made a late enquiry regarding the availability of Gallagher, 25, ahead of the summer transfer window closing at 19:00 BST for Premier League clubs, according to journalist Ben Jacobs. However the report claims that Atletico swiftly rejected United's advances as they were unwilling to allow the England international to leave temporarily.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  United had been keen to strengthen in midfield during the transfer window, with a host of targets being linked with moves to Old Trafford. Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba was believed to be manager Ruben Amorim's preferred target but a deal could not be agreed between the two clubs.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gallagher moved to Atletico from Chelsea for £34 million in the summer of 2024 and has gone on to make 53 appearances for Diego Simeone's side, scoring two goals. He featured in his side's opening three La Liga fixtures this season, starting the 2-1 defeat against Espanyol before coming off the bench in the subsequent 1-1 draws against Elche and Alaves respectively.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD, GALLAGHER AND ATLETICO?

  United will take on rivals Manchester City in the derby on September 14 following the conclusion of the upcoming international break. Meanwhile Gallagher and Atletico play host to Villarreal in their next league outing on September 13.

تترقب جماهير الكرة المصرية اليوم السبت، مواجهة قوية في قمة منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز الموسم الجاري 2025-2026 بين الأهلي وبيراميدز.

ويلتقي الأهلي، مع بيراميدز ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، على ملعب استاد السلام.

الأهلي يدخل اللقاء وهو في المركز الثامن برصيد 5 نقاط بعدما خاض ثلاث مباريات؛ تعادل مع مودرن سبورت 2-2، ثم فاز على فاركو 4-1، قبل أن يكتفي بتعادل سلبي مع غزل المحلة.

طالع.. قائمة الأهلي لمباراة بيراميدز في الدوري.. ظهور أحمد عابدين وموقف بن رمضان

أما بيراميدز فيحتل المركز الثاني عشر بنفس الرصيد من النقاط، حيث تعادل مع وادي دجلة، فاز على الإسماعيلي، تعادل مع المصري 2-2، وخسر أمام مودرن سبورت 2-1.

ويبحث كلا الفريقان عن تعديل المسار في مباراة قوية ستكون حاسمة في بدايات مشوار لقب الدوري، حيث يبحث الأهلي عن الحفاظ على لقبه بينما السماوي يبحث عن لقبه الأول.

المباراة سيديرها طاقم تحكيم إسباني بقيادة خافيير روخارس، ويعاونه كل من ألفريدو رودريجيز موريني وخورخي بونو مايتي، بينما يتولى أليخاندرو مونيز رويس مهمة الحكم الرابع، على أن يتواجد خورخي فيجروا باسكيس على تقنية الفيديو. موعد مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز اليوم

ويلتقي الأهلي مع نظيره بيراميدز في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز اليوم

ومن المقرر أن تنقل المباراة على قناة “أون سبورت 1”. معلق مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز اليوم

وأسندت القناة الناقلة للمباراة مهمة التعليق لـ أيمن الكاشف.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــــا

The Australia captain believes the team can learn a lot from losses such as the ones against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan09-Feb-2024

Australia captain Alyssa Healy believes losses like the one they suffered against South Africa can be good for a team that has gone through some significant changes, but has backed them as still “a really good cricket side” as the multi-format series gets set for a potentially grandstand finish.South Africa’s historic first ODI win over the home side on Wednesday followed their first-ever victory over Australia across formats in the T20I series. If they win again on Saturday and take the ODI series, the multi-format scoreline would be 6-6 heading into next week’s Test at the WACA.Australia have now lost three matches across formats this season after also being turned over by West Indies in a T20I at North Sydney Oval when Hayley Matthews produced one of the all-time great innings in a record chase.Related

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In Wednesday’s ODI they crashed to 71 for 8 on a pitch spiced up by a steady drizzle – having earlier dropped five chances in the field – although Healy insisted they still believed they could win from that position.”It’s plain and simple: you can’t afford to be sloppy and not adapt as quickly as we needed to,” Healy said. “We’ve proven that over the summer, that when we’ve let ourselves down, even a little bit, in all three facets we are getting punished. Tomorrow’s a great opportunity to come out here and be really clinical and perform the way we know we can.”We are still a really good cricket side, we showed in Adelaide how good we can be, just got to turn up tomorrow and do the same thing then do it repeatedly for long periods of time.”South Africa, who missed the chance of a series win in the T20Is, are hopeful of taking their opportunity this time.”It is definitely not done,” allrounder Eliz-Mari Marx said. “There’s one game to play and I think it’s all to play for. If we as a team can stick to what we did the previous match, we can go and win the series.”Australia have undergone significant personnel changes in the last 18 months with Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes retiring and coach Matthew Mott moving on to take the England men’s white-ball job.Plenty of success has continued to follow with the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and another T20 World Cup title in South Africa last year. They retained the Ashes in England, though they had to settle for a points draw across the three formats as they lost both the ODI and T20I series.Despite the shock T20I loss they took both series against West Indies and prevailed in the two white-ball formats on the recent tour of India after losing the Test.”I’ve spoken quite openly about the changes we’ve seen,” Healy, who officially took on the full-time captaincy last December, said. “Yes, we’ve kept winning, we’ve kept being successful, but we’ve had a lot of significant change in and around our group over the last 18 months.The second ODI was really about Australia being beaten by Marizanne Kapp•Getty Images

“So think it’s great for our group, you tend to learn a lot more about yourself individually but also as a team when you lose and lose well, like we did [on Wednesday], so even today the conversations have been had about what will take place tomorrow is already a step in the right direction. Think they are really positive signs.”Healy has also been playing long enough to have gone through previous times when Australia’s dominance has been called into question.”There was a period of time where cricket was really challenging for this group,” Healy said. “We’ve had a lot of success over the last five or six years, yes, but there’s been plenty of times within that that this group has been challenged.”Meanwhile, Healy was hopeful that key allrounder Ash Gardner would be available for the deciding ODI after pulling up with hamstring soreness in the second match although there remains a chance she will be rested with an eye on the Test. Ellyse Perry is recovering well from the illness that struck her during the week.