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Ipswich Town will know that their chances of staying up in the Premier League this campaign are somewhat slim, but Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys have always thrived when being an underdog under the manager’s stellar tenure to date.

Ipswich managed to achieve back-to-back promotions to the top-flight against heavy odds, and minus their humbling 4-1 defeat to West Ham United last time out on the road haven’t looked completely out of their depth dining at the elite table.

It will be a long and gruelling campaign ahead though that will test his side’s resolve, which will be made even harder if McKenna can’t manage to get a tune out of more of his attackers, away from Liam Delap’s heroics up top.

Szmodics and Chaplin's form this season

Whilst Delap has been an instant rip-roaring success in Suffolk, with the £20m summer recruit hammering home an impressive four strikes from seven games for his new relegation-threatened outfit, Sammie Szmodics has struggled to nail down a starting spot since his major move from Blackburn Rovers.

The current Championship golden boot holder has averaged only 44 minutes of action per game in the Premier League, with his showing against Southampton last month a real concern, as the Republic of Ireland international only managed to make a dire seven accurate passes alongside only being able to register one shot on target at Aaron Ramsdale’s shaky goal.

Of course, the ex-Peterborough United star did manage to score away at Manchester City to send the Tractor Boys away faithful into raptures back in August, but it’s been extremely stop-start since with no more goals coming his way.

It’s a similar story for Conor Chaplin too in McKenna’s current ranks, who has only managed to make the first-team from the get-go once this season in the top-flight, despite being crucial to Ipswich’s automatic promotion heroics last campaign.

The ex-Barnsley man does have one goal next to his name like Szmodics, but that was on a far less glamorous stage than his counterpart, with Chaplin firing home a strike in an EFL Cup tie versus League Two outfit AFC Wimbledon.

Registering 13 goals and eight assists in second-tier action throughout 2023/24, the 27-year-old will just pray his campaign this time around is a slow burner and he can eventually acclimatise to the pressures of the Premier League.

McKenna will hope these two can come good over time, with one ex-Tractor Boys player currently outperforming the out-of-sorts duo away from Suffolk.

How Dobra is performing after leaving Ipswich

The player in question is Chesterfield star Armando Dobra, who is a firm fan favourite to those with associations with the Spireites.

Funnily enough, the tricky Albania U21 international has come into his own at Chesterfield under the guidance of ex-Ipswich manager Paul Cook, with Dobra now a top performer for his team all the way down in League Two.

Dobra’s numbers since leaving Ipswich

Season

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

24/25

12

3

0

23/24

46

10

10

22/23

33

11

3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Only managing to make 30 forgettable first-team appearances at Portman Road before exiting in 2022 on a free transfer, there must be some anguish now that Ipswich didn’t persist more with the 23-year-old, who constantly gets fans out of their seats at Chesterfield with entertaining displays.

Last campaign, Dobra amassed a stunning 20 goal contributions as his team finally returned to the EFL, with Spireites coach Danny Webb labelling the explosive number 17 as a “great” talent right after he penned a new deal to stay put with this side on the rise until 2026.

He has taken to being back in the EFL well too, with three strikes managed in all competitions from 12 games this campaign so far, surpassing both Szmodics and Chaplin’s goal tallies in the process.

Of course, the gulf in quality is huge between League Two and the very pinnacle of the English game, but there will still be some regrets at the end of the Tractor Boys all the same about potentially ditching Dobra too prematurely.

McKenna and Co won’t actively lose too much sleep over this situation, however, as Dobra continues to shine in the fourth tier, whilst Ipswich aim to stay put in the top flight.

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Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson Oct 8, 2024

West Bromwich Albion will be glad that tonight’s encounter against Middlesbrough is happening this mid-week, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to bounce back straight after Saturday’s humbling Championship defeat away at Sheffield Wednesday.

That was the first time Carlos Corberan’s Baggies had tasted the bitterness of a defeat in the second tier this season, as the usually dogged and staunch West Brom defence was regularly opened up by Danny Rohl’s men, leading to a shock 3-2 win in favour of the hosts.

Corberan would have been enraged with his side at the final whistle, which could lead to a number of changes taking place for tonight’s tricky showdown with Michael Carrick’s Boro, who are fresh off a 2-0 victory themselves against Stoke City.

Even still, the Hawthorns has been a fortress for West Brom so far this campaign, with zero goals conceded and zero losses registered from three games so far, which will give the West Midlands side an advantage after their confidence was dented in South Yorkshire.

Regardless of West Brom feeling more confident in front of their own masses, some changes could still take place, with Karlan Grant one figure who might be axed…

1 GK – Alex Palmer

West Brom’s usual number one in-between the sticks had a match to forget against Sheffield Wednesday, having to fish three strikes out of his net, but Alex Palmer is unlikely to be sacrificed for a different option tonight against Boro.

The 28-year-old has only conceded five goals all campaign, away from that rare off-day at Hillsborough, with three clean sheets picked up this season on his own patch.

2 RB – Darnell Furlong

Darnell Furlong didn’t cover himself in immense glory either away at the Owls, as his own goal in the first 45 minutes against Rohl’s buoyed-on hosts gifted Wednesday an early two-goal advantage.

Still, much like Palmer, Furlong hasn’t become a bad player overnight and is likely to be retained, having helped his side pick up a clean sheet and a win last match at the Hawthorns in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.

3 CB – Kyle Bartley

Kyle Bartley will also likely remain in the heart of defence for tonight’s game back on home soil, having been everpresent under Corberan this season so far in the second tier.

That’s for good reason too, with Bartley standing out even in the 3-2 loss, with five clearances registered alongside successfully winning eight duels.

4 CB – Semi Ajayi

Semi Ajayi has been Bartley’s main partner in the centre-back spots this season, owing to the departure of Cedric Kipre, but also down to the fact the ex-Rotherham United man has been solid alongside his experienced teammate.

The Nigerian defender is confident playing out from the back, with 48 accurate passes averaged per Championship clash this campaign, whilst also winning 3.9 total duels on average to try and keep opposition attackers at bay.

5 LB – Torbjørn Heggem

Whilst Ajayi stepping up to the mark has made Kipre’s absence feel less noticeable, Torbjørn Heggem has struggled at points in the left-back spot, performing in the arguable shadow of the now departed Conor Townsend.

The 25-year-old full-back did look out of his depth at points away at Wednesday, with just one weak tackle registered, but he has shown signs of his promise down the left in other games away from this disappointing defeat.

In the 1-0 home win over Plymouth, the Nordic defender would only misplace two of his 34 passes, whilst also shining when rolling up his sleeves with three tackles won on top of four successful duels.

6 CDM – Jayson Molumby

Jayson Molumby has been out of the main XI recently due to injury setbacks, but could be thrust back into the lineup for today’s game at the expense of new recruit Uros Racic.

Racic struggled in South Yorkshire, with just 18 accurate passes registered before leaving the field of play, after playing a key role in West Brom beating Plymouth the match before by assisting an on-fire Josh Maja.

It could well be time for West Brom’s number eight to come back into the main team, therefore, if he can pass a late fitness test.

7 CDM – Alex Mowatt

The second change to the XI that lost at Wednesday feels like an obvious tweak, with Alex Mowatt dropped back into the first-team fold, after being demoted to the substitutes bench away at Wednesday owing to his own slight injury concern.

Corberan must have been cursing that decision – regardless of the condition of his star midfielder – with the former Leeds United man managing to get his team back on level terms at 2-2 after a top second half showing.

Ousmane Diakite will be the casualty here, who was hauled off at half-time at Hillsborough for Mowatt to then work his magic.

8 RM – Tom Fellows

Tom Fellows will retain his spot, despite all the changes in the holding midfield positions, with the homegrown Baggies product bright in spurts at Wednesday.

Despite only managing a poor 28 touches of the ball, Fellows would assist Maja’s header that gave the away side a way back into the contest, whilst also registering three efforts of his own on James Beadle’s goal.

9 CAM – John Swift

John Swift was also a nuisance for the Owls defence to contain, with most attacking moves on the day from the Baggies going through the ex-Reading man.

The 29-year-old attacking midfielder – who could have walked away from the West Midlands outfit this summer to their mid-week opponents – amassed a ridiculous 105 touches of the ball at Hillsborough, with four key passes also registered to try and unlock a tetchy Wednesday back four.

Also winning eight duels, Corberan will hope Swift can be instrumental in his side bouncing back with a win tonight over a tricky Boro team.

10 LM – Mikey Johnston

The third and final change to the XI that struggled away at Wednesday could see Mikey Johnston get his first start back at the promotion chasers, with an underperforming Karlan Grant dropped.

Johnston would fire home an mightily impressive seven goals last campaign when on loan at Corberan’s men – with his manager even labelling him as “special” in the process – and will be raring to reach those heights again, but is currently being kept out of the side by the former Huddersfield Town attacker.

His display against the Owls suggests a change could be required, with Grant only managing 19 touches of the ball on a quiet day at the office for the 27-year-old.

MatériaMais Notícias

A torcida do Botafogo está animada com a possível chegada de John Textor, possível investidor da SAF, ao clube. Parece que a recíproca é verdadeira: em entrevista ao site oficial do Alvinegro, André Chame, interlocutor responsável por passar informações sobre as negociações, afirmou que o americano ficou encantado com a torcida nas redes sociais.

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+ John Textor adiciona o Botafogo em ‘bio’, curte tweets de torcedores e causa alvoroço nas redes sociais

– Tivemos um primeiro contato por vídeo com o John Textor. Ouvimos um breve resumo de sua história de sucesso nas mais diversas atividades empresariais que participou, especialmente nos setores de tecnologia, cinema, e mais recentemente, no futebol. É um amante do esporte e o considera o um grande catalisador social. Ele se mostrou bastante impressionado com a paixão da nossa torcida, não só em vídeos e imagens obtidas na internet, mas também por conta das interações em redes sociais, e demonstrou interesse em retribuir todo este carinho utilizando as melhores práticas no desempenho das atividades da Botafogo SAF. Mostrou grande admiração pelas nossas cores, pelo nosso escudo, pela Estrela Solitária e pela história do Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas – afirmou Chame.

A transição para que Textor assuma o comando da SAF, contudo, não vai acontecer do dia para a noite. Por se tratar de um processo detalhado, tudo ainda demanda um tempo para acontecer. Chame, contudo, garante: John Textor é o único investidor que negocia com o Alvinegro.

+ Botafogo está perto de contratar dupla ex-Goiás: saiba as contratações, saídas e sondagens do clube

– Com a aceitação das premissas inseridas pelo Botafogo, o acordo não vinculante foi assinado pelo Presidente Durcesio Mello, o que confere exclusividade de 60 dias ao investidor John Textor para negociar com o Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas. No momento, todas as partes envolvidas estão sob compromisso de confidencialidade, o que também é comum em operações desta natureza, de modo que fui honrosamente designado por todos como único interlocutor da negociação. Esperamos a assinatura do contrato vinculante para as próximas semanas e repito que, durante sessenta dias, John Textor é o único investidor com quem o Botafogo mantém negociações abertas – explicou o advogado.

André fez questão de frisar que os próximos 60 dias serão de muitas conversas, negociações e poucas notícias – até por ter um contrato de confidencialidade entre as partes.

– Todos nós sabemos da ansiedade por informações, mas é importante que se entenda que qualquer notícia que não seja bem veiculada ou comunicada pode gerar um desnecessário desgaste entre as partes, e até mesmo pôr em risco a negociação em curso, especialmente no momento em que os mais sensíveis detalhes da operação estão sendo discutidos pelos profissionais dos dois lados. Desta forma, a fim de evitar qualquer notícia que não corresponda à realidade, o BFR, a XP e a equipe do John decidiram que a comunicação com a imprensa e com a nossa gloriosa torcida será feita por apenas uma pessoa. Tive, como já disse, a honra de ser designado para este papel, que espero cumprir com o maior cuidado e transparência possível, respeitando sempre, e acima de tudo, o dever de confidencialidade de todas as partes envolvidas – completou.

Fulham have been rocked by an approach for manager Marco Silva in recent days as Benfica look to pounce on any uncertainty, it has been claimed.

Mixed start for Fulham

After losing key figure Joao Palhinha this summer when he finally completed a long-overdue move to Bayern Munich, it has been a strange transfer window for Silva's side.

They broke their transfer record to sign wantaway Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, while they also added across their ranks with Sander Berge arriving to fill Palhinha's role in the side and Joachim Andersen rejoining from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in a £25m deal in a bid to replace Tosin Adarabioyo, who left on a free transfer for Chelsea.

Fulham's summer signings 2024

Player

Fee (as per transfermarkt)

Emile Smith Rowe

€31.8m

Joachim Andersen

€29.5m

Sander Berge

€23.55m

Jorge Cuenca

€6.7m

Ryan Sessegnon

Free

Reiss Nelson

Loan

Their window culminated in the signing of Reiss Nelson on loan from Arsenal, with the English winger taking the no.19 shirt at Craven Cottage. And there was a clear desire to bring the average age of their squad down, with Willian (36), Tim Ream (36), Bobby De Cordova Reid (31) and Terence Kongolo (30) all leaving as free agents.

So far, their season has been mixed, with the Cottagers taking four points from their opening three games. They fell to a late 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on the opening day of the season thanks to a debut goal from Joshua Zirkzee, but have since managed to edge past newly promoted Leicester City before holding on for a draw against fellow newly promoted side Ipswich Town. But now news out of Portugal threatens to disrupt any feel-good factor in west London.

Marco Silva wanted by Benfica

That comes as Portuguese outlet Record claims that Benfica have made an approach to try and lure Silva away from Fulham after parting ways with Roger Schmidt. The Portuguese outfit sit seventh in their league after just four games, having finished 10 points off the pace last season, and fired Schmidt over the weekend.

Now on the hunt for a new boss, they have been long term admirers of Silva and have opened talks directly with the Fulham boss to land him as their next manager, reports relayed by Sport Witness claim.

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For now, they appear to have failed though. The report adds that his €15m (£12.5m) release clause at Craven Cottage plus his high salary have given the Portuguese giants pause for thought, while "timing" has also "taken the Fulham man off the table".

Nonetheless, the news will certainly come as a concern for Fulham fans despite Silva penning a new contract last year to keep him at the club until 2026. With the pedigree of Benfica and the Portuguese connection, a future offer may be harder to turn down for the Lisborn-born tactician.

Liverpool start their 2024/25 season on Saturday as they travel down to Suffolk to take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League.

The Reds will have a new manager in the dugout for the first time since Jurgen Klopp's arrival in 2015, with Arne Slot set for his managerial debut in England.

Klopp was replaced by the Dutch head coach, who was at Feyenoord last term, this summer and the supporters will get the chance to watch his style of football in action for the first time in a competitive setting this weekend.

However, at the time of writing, it does not appear as though there will be any new signings for fans to get excited to see against the Tractor Boys.

Liverpool have not made a single addition to their first-team squad during the summer transfer window, which officially slams shut at the end of the month.

That is not through a lack of trying, however, as it has been well-documented that the club have been in the market to add a new defensive midfield option to their ranks this month, with no luck.

Liverpool's failed pursuit of Martin Zubimendi

Sky Sports reported that Liverpool had identified Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi as a player who could have made a big impact in the middle of the park at Anfield.

The outlet added that the Reds believed that the Spain international, who won the European Championship with his country in Germany this summer, was set to move on from his boyhood club before the end of the window.

Instead, the 25-year-old midfielder has opted to remain with Real Sociedad after an offer of a contract extension with increased wages, which has convinced him to extend his stay with the Spanish side.

Sky Sports claimed that Zubimendi, who has a £51m release clause in his current contract, has decided to reject a move to Liverpool, in a blow to Richard Hughes' recruitment plans.

Their failure to tempt the Spaniard into making the move to England does not have to be a major disaster, though, as Slot could forget about him by landing another one of the club's reported targets.

The Mirror recently claimed that the Dutch boss added free agent Adrien Rabiot to his list of possible number six targets, as he believes that the France international could provide his young squad with valuable experience and quality.

He is available on a free transfer after his contract with Juventus expired at the end of last season and that could make him an ideal target for the club now that they have missed out on Zubimendi, as they would not have to negotiate a fee with a selling team.

What Liverpool missed out on with Martin Zubimendi

It is easy to see why the Reds were keen to sign the Euros winner to bolster their midfield options for the 2024/25 campaign when you consider his form for Real Sociedad last term.

The 25-year-old ace made 31 appearances in LaLiga for his club and showcased his quality in and out of possession at the base of the midfield.

His progressive passing from a number six position was one of his biggest strengths. In fact, he ranked within the top 26% of midfielders in LaLiga for progressive passes (5.15) per 90, and the top 21% for pass accuracy (85.7%).

This shows that he was one of the best players in his position in the division when it came to being reliable and progressive on the ball, as the £51m-rated talent rarely gave possession away and constantly looked to play forward.

As you can see in the table above, Zubimendi also caught the eye with his work off the ball, outperforming current Liverpool number six Wataru Endo in a host of key defensive statistics.

The Spanish brute won the majority of his physical battles, notably in the air, and made more tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per match on average.

Whilst, on paper, it appears as though the Sociedad star would have been a fantastic addition to the squad, there are alternatives out there and Rabiot is one who could make Slot forget all about Zubimendi.

Why Liverpool should sign Adrien Rabiot

Firstly, the France international being available as a free agent could make him an ideal target as it would alleviate the need for the club to go out and splash millions on a number six, which could then free up those funds to be used in other positions.

Rabiot's form for the Old Lady in the 2023/24 campaign suggests that he has the quality to make up for the Reds missing out on the Real Sociedad star.

Firstly Zubimendi produced four goals and one assist in LaLiga last term, whilst Rabiot racked up five goals and three assists in 31 outings in the Serie A for Juventus, which suggests that the free agent could make a greater impact in the final third.

The 6 foot 4 Frenchman also ranked within the top 49% of midfielders in the Serie A for progressive passes per 90 (4.07) and the top 13% for progressive carries per 90 (2.44) – illustrating his ability to drive his team forward in possession.

As you can see in the table above, Rabiot and Zubimendi's defensive statistics in their respective leagues were very similar, with the Spanish ace slightly shading it in a few areas.

This suggests that Liverpool would be bringing in a midfielder with similar attributes to the Real Sociedad ace by signing the former Juventus star, who was once hailed as "incredible" and described as a "proper wardrobe" by the legendary Gigi Buffon.

Therefore, Slot could forget all about the club's failure to sign Zubimendi by landing the experienced Rabiot on a free transfer, due to his quality in and out of possession in a number six role.

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Jadeja dominated England’s batters, Axar disrupted their spinners. It added up to a fine match-winning combination in Nagpur, but what if they have to pick between them at the Champions Trophy?

Karthik Krishnaswamy06-Feb-20252:41

Manjrekar: Axar’s promotion could keep Pant out of XI

From a philosophical point of view, umpire’s call is among the most fascinating things in cricket. It lends the same ball a Schrodinger-esque duality: it could, with equal validity, be out or not out.Ravindra Jadeja got Joe Root lbw on Thursday afternoon with one such ball, and this one came with an extra layer of duality.It was a classic Jadeja dismissal, the batter beaten on the back foot by the ball turning less than expected and hurrying onto him, and ball-tracking suggested it would have gone on to clip the top of the bails. At the first level of duality, it could have been out or not out, depending on what umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan thought of it.Related

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At a level beyond that, this was a ball that almost had to be an umpire’s call kind of ball to give Jadeja the chance of beating Root in this way. It was the shortest possible length that could still threaten the stumps, and perhaps the fullest possible length that could make Root go on the back foot. Any shorter, and the ball would likely have bounced over the stumps. Any shorter, and Root may have had more time to adjust to the lack of turn. Any fuller, he might have elected to get on the front foot.This was umpire’s call, and it could have been not out on another day. But in order to be out, it kind of had to be umpire’s call.This was the 15th ball Jadeja had bowled in this match, his first ODI since the World Cup final of 2023. And he was already all over it. This was the fourth time he had dismissed Root in ODIs, and the 12th time across formats. Jadeja has now dismissed Root more often than any other batter. And no spinner has dismissed Root more often.Soon after this lbw, the broadcasters played back footage from the Kochi ODI of 2013. This was the first time Root had ever batted in the format, and he made 36 before being bowled by the curly-mopped, 2013 version of Jadeja. Different hairstyle, same bowler: a skidder sneaking past the inside edge as Root unwisely aimed square of the wicket with an open bat face.

Axar and Jadeja are both allrounders who bowl left-arm orthodox and bat left-handed, but they’re very different in some ways. Jadeja is a more rounded bowler, and he’s scored Test-match runs all over the world, but in any format, in situations where you want one of them facing spin, it’s likely Axar you’d turn to.

All these years later, Root was vigilant enough to try and play him down the ground, but sometimes that makes no difference when Jadeja is hitting his lengths, attacking the stumps, and getting variable turn off the surface.On Thursday in Nagpur, Jadeja put on a masterclass of stump-to-stump bowling and finished with figures of 3 for 26 in nine overs. Bowling from around the wicket to both the right- and left-hand batters, he kept the stumps in play in hypnotically relentless manner, narrowing the batters’ shot choices, giving them a judiciously curated list of scoring options. If they wanted anything beyond that, they’d need to take chances.This was the kind of ODI pitch where there was turn, but you needed to give the ball a rip to find it. The kind of pitch where batters worried about both edges of their bat while facing Jadeja, but not necessarily when they faced Axar Patel.Their respective abilities to extract turn from this pitch, and the specific geometries of their bowling styles, also influenced the lines Jadeja and Axar were able to bowl. Axar also bowled from round the wicket to England’s left-handers, but with his wider arm at release, and with the smaller amounts of turn he was able to generate, he had less of a chance of hitting the stumps with balls pitching in line with the stumps.3:18

Manjrekar: Harshit Rana is a great wicket-taking option

And this opened up more scoring areas for England’s batters. Nowhere was this more apparent than in how often, and how effectively, they were able to sweep India’s spinners. They played variants of the sweep or reverse-sweep 10 times against Axar and scored 15 runs without losing a wicket. They also scored 15 off six such shots against Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin.Against Jadeja, however, it was a different story. They attempted three sweeps, scored one run, and lost two wickets: Jacob Bethell lbw and Adil Rashid bowled. To borrow from : come at the stump-to-stump king, you best not miss.It’s been nearly 16 years since his ODI debut, but Jadeja endures.The remarkableness of this feat became more apparent as the day wore on, and India got into their chase of 249. It became especially apparent when they lost their third wicket with 113 on the board, and sent Axar in.This was precisely the sort of situation that makes Axar so valuable. There was just one left-hand batter in India’s regular top six, and the situation called for a left-hander, with the legspinner Adil Rashid beginning to find generous amounts of turn and the left-arm spinner Bethell having just dismissed a dangerous Shreyas Iyer in Jadeja-esque manner, lbw sweeping a stump-to-stump ball.Axar and Jadeja are both allrounders who bowl left-arm orthodox and bat left-handed, but they’re very different in some ways. Jadeja is a more rounded bowler, and he’s scored Test-match runs all over the world, but in any format, in situations where you want one of them facing spin, it’s likely Axar you’d turn to.Axar Patel did the job with the bat•MB Media/Getty ImagesAnd you soon saw why. The second ball he faced from Rashid was dangled well outside off stump but dropping onto a dangerous sort of length, and Axar took on the invitation. The length made him reach for the ball, but he used his long levers expertly to control his slog-sweep, prioritising placement – there was a deep square leg but no deep midwicket – over power.Soon after, facing his eighth ball, he saw another opportunity for the slog-sweep, with Bethell on this occasion tossing one right up in his arc. This time he went with a full, unfettered bat-swing and cleared the boundary with ease.And just like that, Axar was well into his job of disrupting England’s spin plans. By the time he was bowled by a ripping Rashid legbreak, he had scored 52 off 47, put on 108 with Shubman Gill for the fourth wicket, and taken England’s spinners for 33 off 30 balls.There couldn’t have been a better illustration of the quality, and specific qualities, of India’s two left-arm-spin-bowling allrounders.This, of course, was always set up to be a game for both Jadeja and Axar: a pitch that allowed India to play three spinners, and an opposition line-up, dominated by right-hand batters, that allowed them to play two left-arm orthodox spinners.There will likely be pitches and oppositions during the upcoming Champions Trophy that will allow India to pick this combination again. There may also be times, though, when they might have to leave one of them out: either to pick Washington Sundar (or possibly even Varun Chakravarthy) or an extra fast bowler.Who do India play then? The better bowler or the more versatile batter? To quote once again: it sounds like one of them good problems.

Khulna Tigers, Chattogram Challengers and Dhaka Dominators are out of the tournament with eight matches left in the league phase

Mohammad Isam04-Feb-2023Rangpur take final spot
Following their two-wicket win against Dhaka Dominators, Rangpur Riders became the last team to make it to the BPL’s playoffs. Captain Nurul Hasan played a captain’s knock, promoting himself to No. 4 and scoring 61 off 33, but the side also survived a late batting collapse to get to the win.But Rangpur’s confirmation also means that the other three teams – Khulna Tigers, Chattogram Challengers and Dhaka – are all out of the tournament with eight matches left in the league phase. There’s been a clear gulf between the top four and the bottom three teams this season. The four teams that have qualified – Rangpur, Comilla, Barishal and Sylhet – have shown consistency. They picked the right combination when building their teams, and have followed up with mostly consistent selection calls during the tournament.Chattogram and Khulna, meanwhile, could never replicate the success they had last season. Khulna lost four games in a row to bow out of the competition. Dhaka have won just three out of 11 games.Dearth of newcomers
There have been five debutants in this BPL season. Among those, Ashiqur Zaman (Victorians) is the only player who is part of the top four teams. But he hasn’t made a splash, and neither have the other debutants – Abdullah Al Mamun, Nahid Rana, Khawaja Nafey and Habibur Rahman Sohan.None among the four has played more than three matches, although Rana and Mamun are likely to feature in the remaining matches for Khulna and Dhaka respectively. However, Rana and Ashiqur have impressed Allan Donald, Bangladesh’s fast bowling coach, during a recent camp, while Mamun was the NCL’s Player-of-the-Tournament this season. Nafey is from Pakistan, but he has built a big-hitting reputation in the Karachi circuit.Batter of the week: Johnson CharlesJohnson Charles vs Khulna Tigers lit up the BPL this week. First, he slammed five sixes in his 22-ball 39 on January 28, before laying into them with a 56-ball unbeaten 107. This innings had eleven sixes and five fours as he powered Victorians to a record-breaking highest chase in the BPL. But this wasn’t Charles’ first century in the BPL. Five years ago, he hit his first century, coincidentally against Comilla, when he made 105 off 63 balls.Bowler of the week: Azmatullah Omarzai
It has been a productive week for Azmatullah Omarzai who has become an important player for Riders. The Afghanistan allrounder has been lethal with the new ball. Among all the BPL bowlers this season, he has the most wickets in the powerplay. Omarzai has not broken through yet in the T20 franchise world like his compatriots, but his new-ball chops and big-hitting ability make him a marked man for franchises around the world.

KKR played out 72 dots in all, which is the second-most in an IPL innings

Bharath Seervi21-Oct-20202 – Mohammed Siraj became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match. He bowled his first two overs without conceding a run and picked up three wickets – Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, and Tom Banton – in that period.4 – Four maidens were bowled by the RCB bowlers – two by Siraj and one each by Chris Morris and Washington Sundar – a first in IPL history. Not more than two maidens were bowled in the same innings before this.72 – The number of dot balls played out by the KKR batsmen in this innings, which is the second-most in an IPL innings. The highest is 75 dots, also by KKR against CSK in Chennai last year. The previous most dots by a team in a game this year was also KKR – 57 dots against the Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.ESPNcricinfo Ltd84 – KKR’s total is the lowest non-all-out total for a team batting first in the IPL. The previous lowest in a full 20-over innings was the Mumbai Indians’ 94 for 8 against the Rajasthan Royals in 2011.3-8 – Siraj’s figures in this innings – the most economical figures of IPL 2020 (minimum 12 balls in the spell). Incidentally, before this match, Siraj’s IPL career economy rate was 9.29, the worst among 92 bowlers who had delivered 100-plus overs.2 – Runs scored by KKR’s top-three batsmen, which is the joint second-lowest for a team in the IPL. The lowest is three ducks by the Deccan Charges’ top-three against CSK in 2009.4 – Wickets picked up by RCB in the first four overs of the innings. Only once before had they achieved this – against the Mumbai Indians in 2017.

MatériaMais Notícias

Neymar marcou presença no clássico entre Santos e Palmeiras, pela partida de ida da final do Paulistão, e foi ovacionado pelos torcedores santistas na Vila Belmiro. Com Pepe e Clodoaldo, ídolos do Peixe, o craque brasileiro levou a taça do Campeonato Paulista ao gramado da Vila Belmiro.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasDecisivo contra o Santos na base, Endrick busca ‘gran finale’ como profissional no PalmeirasPalmeiras31/03/2024Onde AssistirSantos x Palmeiras: onde assistir, horário e escalações da final do PaulistãoOnde Assistir31/03/2024SantosRenegado pelo Corinthians, Giuliano vira referência na reformulação do SantosSantos31/03/2024

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Com a taça da final do @Paulistao: @neymarjr, Clodoaldo e Pepe. QUE MOMENTO! 💥🐳 pic.twitter.com/CFBoeMS7gy

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) March 31, 2024

Neymar chegou na Vila Belmiro cerca de uma hora da partida entre Santos e Palmeiras. O atacante do Al-Hilal bateu um papo com os jogadores do elenco santista no vestiário e assistiu ao clássico no camarote da Blaze, casa de apostas que ocupa o patrocínio máster do clube.

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Esta é mais uma ação da atual gestão do Santos na tentativa de aproximação com Neymar, que segue em recuperação de uma grave lesão sofrida no joelho. A última vez que o craque brasileiro assistiu uma partida do Peixe na Vila Belmiro foi no dia 7 de fevereiro de 2024, na vitória do Peixe sobre o Corinthians, pela fase de grupos do Paulistão.

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Everton have now reportedly set their sights on a former Liverpool midfielder who has starred ever since completing a move away from Anfield.

Moyes "thrilled" with scrappy Bournemouth win

After being shoved to one side by Newcastle United last weekend, Everton entered Bournemouth in need of a reaction and David Moyes got exactly that. By his own admission, it wasn’t his side’s prettiest affair, but they did get the job done courtesy of Jack Grealish’s second goal of the season.

Moyes shared his delight with reporters at full-time, saying: “It was a tough performance. It maybe wasn’t our tidiest or the cleanest we’ve had, but I thought we were the better team in the game.

“But could we score a goal, or could they score a goal? I think whoever got the goal first then, it would have probably gone that way. Having said that, after getting the goal, we had a couple of other chances to get a second one.

“But, look, I’m thrilled. Bournemouth is not a place where Everton have had a great record. So for us to go away, two away wins in the road on the bounce at the moment is really good.”

The performances haven’t always been there for Everton this season, but they’ve still managed to get over the line more than once to set up a strong foundation for the rest of the campaign.

It would be a major boost if they managed to secure a top-half finish in their first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and it would no doubt leave them well-placed to welcome reinforcements such as Tyler Morton. The former Liverpool gem could be on his way back to the Premier League and the Toffees may yet pull off a shock move.

Everton keeping tabs on Tyler Morton

As reported by TeamTalk, Everton are now keeping close tabs on Morton following his rise to stardom at Lyon this season. Since swapping the Anfield reserves for first-team football in France, the midfielder has looked likely to become one of Liverpool’s biggest regrets.

Dubbed a “fantastic footballer” by journalist Bence Bocsak back in September, Morton could come back to haunt Liverpool courtesy of one of their biggest rivals.

For Everton, signing the 23-year-old would hand them a direct replacement for James Garner, who is on course to leave the Toffees as a free agent when his contract expires next summer.

Related Everton told to pay record price for Bayern Munich target after sending scouts

The Toffees are eyeing an attacking addition.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Nov 28, 2025

In terms of profile, the young midfielder has showcased his ability to control games with his passing range over in France and could finally hand Moyes the control that he needs to take Everton to that next level. For the right price, the Toffees could get one over on their rivals and land a rising star.

Everton could sign "one of the best left-backs in the world" for just £25m