يتطلع آرني سلوت المدير الفني الجديد لليفربول الإنجليزي، إلى تعزيز الفريق ببعض الصفقات للعب تحت قيادته.

ويتولى سلوت تدريب ليفربول خلفًا للمدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب الذي غادر منصبه بعد تسع سنوات مدربًا في “آنفيلد”.

وأشارت تقارير صحفية إلى أن سلوت يريد من ليفربول التعاقد مع حارس مرمى فينورد الهولندي، جاستن بيلو.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية، آرسنال على استعداد لمنافسة ليفربول، حيث يرغب وصيف الدوري الإنجليزي في التعاقد مع حارس مرمى ويرى أن بيلو صفقة مناسبة له.

ومن المنتظر أن يغادر حارس المرمى آرون رامسديل صفوف آرسنال في سوق الانتقالات الصيفي، لكن نظرًا لأنه لم يتبق له سوى ثلاث سنوات في عقده، فقد يتم إعارته لموسم واحد، على الرغم من أن كلا الطرفين يفضلان الانفصال.

وسيوقع آرسنال بشكل دائم مع حارس المرمى ديفيد رايا الذي يلعب له معارًا من برينتفورد، وقد تألق مع الجانرز وتوج بالقفاز الذهبي هذا الموسم.

ويريد آرسنال تعزيز مركز حراسة المرمى بحارس آخر مع رحيل رامسديل المرتقب، وقد وضع عينه على بيلو.

ولعب بيلو تحت قيادة سلوت في صفوف فينورد، قبل أن يتولى المدرب الهولندي مهمة تدريب ليفربول.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após a derrota para o Sport por 1 a 0, na Ilha do Retiro, pela décima primeira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o técnico Odair Hellmann analisou a atuação do Tricolor em Recife e projetou o confronto decisivo com o Atlético-GO, na próxima quinta, pela Copa do Brasil. O comandante afirmou que o resultado foi injusto, já que a equipe teve mais volume de jogo e construiu várias oportunidades.

– Hoje o que faltou foi a parte final, foi fazer o gol. Acho que o resultado é injusto por tudo que foi feito dentro de campo, mas futebol você precisa colocar a bola para dentro da rede para ter a vitória. O importante é que a equipe no segundo tempo, além de ter posse como teve no primeiro, construiu finalizações importantes, teve chance para fazer o gol. Certamente se tivesse feito um gol, com o volume que a gente estava tendo, dava para buscar até uma virada – disse o treinador.

Além disso, Odair destacou que a equipe sofreu um gol muito cedo por desatenção e necessita corrigir esses erros para a sequência na temporada, sobretudo para a decisão da próxima quinta. Ele também ressaltou que o time precisa converter as chances em gol para sair com a classificação.

– Acho que a gente teve o controle de todo jogo. Só nos primeiros dez minutos, eles eles conseguiram puxar uma saída, que nós pressionamos alto e pressionamos errado. Acabou abrindo um pouco de espaço. Tomamos o primeiro gol muito cedo e a gente precisa corrigir isso. Precisa estar mais concentrado para que a gente não tome esse tipo de gol. Para que o nosso domínio, a nossa posse se traduza em resultado positivo – frisou.

– Agora a gente têm três dias para recuperar os jogadores para essa decisão de quinta-feira. Jogo difícil, o Atlético-GO cresceu em confiança, em jogo nas últimas semanas. Vem de uma derrota no Campeonato Brasileiro. Mas estava fazendo uma sequência boa de vitórias. Nos deu muito trabalho no jogo em casa e com certeza será um jogo difícil. Nós temos que estar muito atentos defensivamente, e mantermos o nosso nível de jogo e sermos efetivos para transformar isso em vitória e classificação – finalizou.

O Fluminense volta a campo na próxima quinta, às 20h, no estádio Olímpico de Goiânia para decidir uma vaga nas oitavas da Copa do Brasil contra o Atlético-GO. Pelo Brasileirão, o Tricolor jogará na segunda, dia 28, no Maracanã, contra o Coritiba.

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An update has emerged on Sunderland and their plans to add another centre-forward to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Sunderland transfer news?

According to the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats are 'pursuing' a swoop to sign Jay Stansfield from Premier League side Fulham.

The report claims that Tony Mowbray and Kristjaan Speakman are eyeing up a loan deal for the number nine to bolster their forward options.

Fellow Championship teams Queens Park Rangers and Millwall have also been named as interested suitors, which means that the club are facing stiff competition to secure the talented youngster's signature.

How good is Jay Stansfield?

Mowbray could land the club's next Ellis Simms by securing a deal for the 20-year-old striker as he could make the step up to Championship football after an impressive spell in League One.

Stansfield went on loan to Exeter in the third tier last term and caught the eye with nine goals and seven assists in 28 starts, which means that he averaged a goal contribution every 1.75 starts.

Simms enjoyed an excellent time on loan at Blackpool in League One prior to his move to Sunderland as he scored ten goals and assisted one in 19 starts – an average of one every 1.73 starts.

After a stint at Hearts in Scotland, the then-Everton finisher moved to the Stadium of Light and impressed last season with seven goals and two assists in 14 Championship starts before being recalled in January.

Stansfield could follow in his footsteps by taking his game to the next level in a move to Wearside after an excellent level of production in League One.

Ross Stewart (ten) is the only current Sunderland player who scored more than nine league goals and only Jack Clarke (12) managed more than seven assists, which shows how impressive the youngster's displays were last term.

Fulham boss Marco Silva claimed that the 6 foot 1 whiz became stronger and developed as a player during his spell at Exeter, which suggests that he could now be ready to take the next leap in his development.

The 20-year-old marksman's form for the Cottagers at youth level suggests that there is a prolific centre-forward to be unearthed there as he racked up a staggering 38 goals and seven assists in 49 U21 and U18 matches combined.

Therefore, the England U20 international has the potential to be a fantastic scorer for Sunderland if he is able to push on and improve upon his performances for Exeter. He now has experience of playing first-team football week-in-week-out and could use that to thrive for the Black Cats.

Stansfield, whose runs were hailed as "powerful" by journalist Josh Bunting, is yet to prove himself at Championship level but neither had Simms when he arrived on Wearside on loan from a Premier League side, which is why he could be the next version of the now-Coventry ace.

It would be a gamble from Mowbray but one that has the potential to result in a huge pay-off for Sunderland if the exciting talent is able to hit top form and make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch.

Shikhar Dhawan’s 72 off 39 balls led India to a total of 203, which they defended comfortably thanks to a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Feb-2018On a flat pitch, in the thin air of the Highveld, India’s batsmen piled up 203 for 5, and that total proved more than adequate against a South African line-up missing a number of its biggest names. A 28-run win, with starring roles for Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, but they may not have left the Wanderers entirely thrilled about their performance, particularly with the bat.India’s batting in T20s often seems more risk-averse than the format demands, built on a platform-setting template borrowed from ODIs. This innings was different. Short and wide bowling from Dane Paterson to Rohit Sharma allowed them to plunder 18 from the first over, but they kept going after the bowling even when it wasn’t so charitable. Suresh Raina took it to an extreme, exposing all his stumps and slogging at everything to score a chancy 15 off 7 at No. 3. Dhawan also kept going hard, his top-edged hoicks over the keeper making the same impact on the scorecard as his pristinely-timed flicks over square leg and slaps either side of point.This approach, aided by the bang-it-in tactics of South Africa’s seamers, who didn’t vary their pace nearly as much as they could have, brought India 78 runs in the Powerplay. By the time a Tabraiz Shamsi skidder trapped Virat Kohli in front in the 10th over, their score had already motored past 100. A pair of leg-side boundaries from Dhawan in the 14th over, off the debutant Junior Dala, moved India to 149 for 3. Getting to 200 seemed like a given now; the question was how much more they could get.BCCIDhawan fell in the 15th over, lap-scooping an Andile Phehlukwayo slower ball to the keeper. From that point, India simply weren’t able to keep their momentum going; they only managed 46 off the last five overs, with Manish Pandey only managing one boundary in an unbeaten 27-ball innings. South Africa’s bowlers, particularly Paterson who nailed his slower balls and yorkers in the 18th and 20th overs, brought the innings back under some sort of control at the death, but Pandey struggled to come up with answers to the questions he was being asked.Still, 203 seemed like a winning total, despite the last four T20Is at this venue going to the chasing side – but how might things have panned out had South Africa fielded a full-strength batting line-up, or even if they had AB de Villiers available?Even without de Villiers and the rest of the big names, there were moments during South Africa’s innings when they seemed capable of chasing down this total. The first 15 balls of their innings, for instance, brought 28 runs, with Reeza Hendricks and JJ Smuts hitting merrily on the up. But, in Bhuvneshwar, India had a bowler who could get the ball to move sideways as well as use imperceptible changes of pace. His knuckle ball brought them the wickets of Smuts and JP Duminy, and put India firmly back on top. When Hardik Pandya followed up with a slower-ball dismissal of his own to send back David Miller, South Africa were 48 for 3 in the seventh over.South Africa weren’t done yet. Hendricks and Farhaan Behardien clattered 81 in 8.4 overs, and at one point during their fourth-wicket partnership the equation was a difficult but doable 86 off 41 balls. With all the risk-taking that task demanded, however, a wicket was always around the corner. It fell to Yuzvendra Chahal, Behardien holing out to long-on for 39. Then Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen took 25 off the next two overs, leaving 50 to get off the last three, with six wickets in hand.It took only six balls for India to wipe out four of those wickets and end the contest abruptly, South Africa crumbling in their desperation for boundaries; Bhuvneshwar grabbed three of them, in the process picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is, and a run-out did for the other.

Journalist Pete O'Rourke's "well-placed source" has shared an interesting update West Ham United manager David Moyes' transfer plans, concerning Jesse Lingard.

Who just signed for West Ham?

The Irons, helped by new technical director Tim Steidten, secured the signings of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus over this summer.

West Ham's brand new quartet come in to replace the departed Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal in a deal worth £105 million, and striker Gianluca Scamacca after his return to Italy with Atalanta.

Moyes' side have started the new Premier League season with aplomb; remaining unbeaten over their opening four matches with three wins and a draw.

Striker Michail Antonio, despite two arguably lacklustre seasons prior to this one so far, has lead the West Ham line brilliantly as Jamaica's international ace seemingly replicates his 2020/2021 form.

However, a potential injury to the 33-year-old is a real possibility given their hectic fixture schedule; including a plethora of Europa League matches from now into the festive period.

Antonio's history of fitness issues are a serious cause for concern at West Ham, and bearing this in mind, there have been reports that the east Londoners could take to the free agent market in search of more attacking options.

Moyes ultimately failed in his attempts to bring in a new striker to replace Scamacca on deadline day, despite their last gasp push for Paris-Saint Germain forward Hugo Ekitike.

One option who could provide forward depth is Lingard, who despite not being an out-and-out centre-forward, has proven in past seasons that he can contribute with both goals and assists at West Ham.

The 30-year-old free agent was training at Rush Green in a bid to maintain his fitness level, and reports claim he has actually impressed on-lookers at the club.

Now, journalist O'Rourke has shared an interesting update on Lingard's potential return to West Ham on a Bosman.

The reporter writes for Football Insider that Moyes and co are now facing a battle with two other clubs from Turkey for the ex-Man United ace, so if they're to sign him, West Ham need a formal offer to table fairly soon.

That is from his "well-placed source"' sharing that Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are likely landing spots if West Ham don't make a move.

What happened to Jesse Lingard?

The ex-Nottingham Forest ace hasn't been able to showcase his rip-roaring 20/21 form at West Ham, where he bagged nine goals and five assists in 16 matches.

Lingard has instead endured being on the periphery at both Man United and Forest since then, perhaps explaining why he is still available for hire.

However, we if the player can replicate his brilliant displays whilst on loan at West Ham two years ago, they could be landing a "sensational" free agent.

“He (Lingard) looked like someone going nowhere but he’s been sensational at West Ham," said Nigel Winterburn to The Sun in the summer of 2021.

"I think there’s a conversation to be had at Man Utd as to whether he’d fit back into their plans,” Winterburn told The Sun. “If not, he’s had this success at West Ham, so I don’t know why he’d want to sign elsewhere. He knows the club, so I think West Ham would be favourites to sign him.”

Aston Villa have plenty of the elements needed for another bright season under Unai Emery, with Ollie Watkins certain to be at the heart of any success earned…

Who else could Aston Villa sign this summer?

The English forward hit a truly rich vein of form last term as the Midlands outfit turned a relegation battle into a European finish, as he most recently hit a midweek hat trick against Hibernian just days before he starred in their win over Burnley.

As he enters the prime years of his career, his Spanish boss will seek to do all he can to ensure the necessary chances are forged for the 27-year-old to thrive.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

Therefore, perhaps he could seek to break the bank for one final big purchase of the summer, reigniting their interest in Joao Felix to tempt another star to Villa Park.

With the Portugal international desperate to depart Atletico Madrid, their bargaining power dwindles with each passing day despite the 23-year-old still having four years left on his £240k-per-week deal.

Is Joao Felix going to Barcelona?

With Emery having already used his impressive pedigree to tempt Mousa Diaby and Pau Torres to join his revolution, there is every reason to believe that he could once again work his magic despite Felix being vocal about where he would prefer to be playing.

"I’d love to play for Barça," he noted. "Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça."

However, the well-documented financial troubles of the Catalan giants could force him into the hands of the Villans, who would surely benefit from the addition of such an exceptional creator.

His last full season in Spain saw him record ten goals and a further six assists across all competitions, having shone in LaLiga with his patented silkiness and ability to forge chances for his teammates.

He easily maintained a 7.15 average rating throughout that 2021/22 term, buoyed by the seven big chances he created and 0.8 key passes he recorded per game, via Sofascore.

With an ability to shine as a deeper midfielder or as a shadow striker, as when compared to other forwards across Europe it becomes clear just how big of an impact he could have on Watkins should he translate his fine form to the English game once again.

Epecially given the fact that he ranks in the top 3% for total shots per 90, the top 4% for both progressive passes and progressive passes per 90, and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, via FBref.

It was no surprise to see him lauded by journalist Nick Emms, who arguably offered the highest praise that a Chelsea fan can offer during his loan spell:

"Joao Felix is the first player to excite me like this since Eden Hazard. World-class."

To place that kind of dynamism beside Watkins, who scored 15 and assisted six times last campaign in the league, and Premier League defences would have an impossible task at quelling this double threat.

With pace and power to pair with his bulky 5 foot 11 frame, there is every reason to believe that the former Brentford star could even seek to emulate Erling Haaland, who cuts a similar physical profile despite having broken so many goalscoring records, and whose 29% goal conversion rate is just not too far from Watkins' 17% from last season.

Last season saw him score 52 across all competitions, setting the benchmark for all other strikers to try and emulate.

Manchester United and England great Wayne Rooney has even suggested that "Erling Haaland is the best footballer in the world right now" – a notion many would struggle to dispute.

However, should the conditions prove to be favourable for Watkins, and they continue their fine form from last season with Felix supporting him, there is every reason to believe that he could emulate the Norwegian goal machine given how similar their physical profiles are.

Shahid Afridi goes through his trademark celebratory routine•PCB/PSL

In a nutshellKarachi Kings completed a day of low-scoring runs and comfortable chases with a five-wicket win against Peshawar Zalmi to maintain their perfect record in PSL 2018. It was tighter than it needed to be, the chase completed with only two balls to spare. However, the defeat was no less than Peshawar deserved after a feckless first innings in which they were out to poor shots. They were even more indolent with their running: three run-outs meaning they gifted wickets to Karachi who bowled well enough to not require assistance anyway.An ephemeral cameo from Kamran Akmal at the top aside, Peshawar struggled to score at a good enough run rate, with the crease becoming a revolving door for batsmen to waltz in and out of. Dwayne Smith was the only one to chip in with an innings of any note, responsible for 71 of Peshawar’s 131. Karachi’s bowlers – particularly Mohammad Amir early on – were magnificent, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.A late surge had given Peshawar hope of eking out a scrappy win, but Karachi were clinical when they came out. They prioritised keeping wickets in hand, knowing the run rate wasn’t going to be an issue. Joe Denly and Babar Azam kept Karachi on course, before Colin Ingram injected some impetus with a 14-ball 23. A pair of late wickets and good bowling at the death meant Peshawar made it tight, but Imad Wasim’s men were never in real danger of blowing this, with the captain himself smashing the last ball for six to secure victory.Where the match was wonKarachi Kings effectively sewed up the contest with a superb effort in the field. Once Kamran was dismissed in the second over, they kept their foot on Peshawar’s throats. No bowler was a weak link as the run rate remained well below six for nearly the entirety of the first innings. Even though Darren Sammy’s men managed 48 in the last four overs, Karachi’s good work in the first 16 meant the target was still well within the Karachi’s reach.The men that won itMohammad Amir sustained an injury which meant he couldn’t bowl any more than two overs. Which was a shame, as he had been majestic in the first two. He swung the ball at pace and extracted every ounce of bounce the surface had to offer. He put an end to Kamran’s barrage at the start, which, if left unchecked, could have taken the game away from Karachi in the first Powerplay, as happened with Islamabad on Saturday. He also accounted for Tamim Iqbal with late swing, thereby setting the tone for an innings that was going to be heavily dominated by the bowlers.Dwayne’s distinctive dayIf you hadn’t watched the game, the scorecard would give you the impressions Dwayne Smith was the only Peshawar batsman who had a good day. After all, he scored an unbeaten 71 off 51 in a low-scoring game, accounting for nearly 55% of his side’s runs. But the other side of the coin is he was atrocious with his running and calling, at fault for at least two of the three run-outs that happened while he was at the crease. There is a case that the batsmen dismissed, Ibtisam Shiekh, Darren Sammy and Wahab Riaz may have been able to make useful contributions that made the difference in what ended up being a tight contest. But Smith’s consistency across the three editions of the PSL is unquestionable, and he once again demonstrated his destructiveness with the bat.Where they standKarachi are the only side with a perfect record in the PSL so far, and move to the top of the table. Zalmi now have one win from three, and are fourth.

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's future is still up in the air this summer, but a new update suggests the forward could have made his mind up.

How old is Mohamed Salah?

The Reds legend, who is now 31 years of age, has been constantly linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad in recent days, with a huge £150m bid for him rejected by the club.

Liverpool's stance is clear at the moment, as they don't even appear to be entertaining the thought of losing him at this point in his career, but the Saudi transfer window doesn't shut until next week, and there is no sign of Al Ittihad's interest going away.

It could be that they return with an even bigger offer, as they look to test the Red's resolves, and there is also the concern that Salah himself could decide that he wants to move there and become one of the stars of the new league.

Now, a new update has emerged regarding the Egyptian's future at Anfield – one that may leave supporters feeling concerned that some late-summer business could still happen.

Will Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool?

According to The Mirror, Salah's head does appear to have been turned by a move to Al Ittihad, telling friends that a move there could appeal to him:

"And although there have been no protests from the player over the club’s stance he has told close friends that he is being tempted by the promise of a stunning wage packet worth £1.5m a week and the chance to become the poster boy of his native Middle East.

"The concern for him is that there is a policy of bringing in younger players with a sell on potential while clearing the decks of players who are 30 plus. It’s why Salah remains vulnerable to a last gasp grab by Al-Ittihad who have money to burn and won’t take no for an answer."

The fact that Salah is potentially interested in moving to Al Ittihad has to be considered a worry for Liverpool, but they simply can't afford to sell him now, considering he is a genuinely world-class talent and they aren't able to bring in a replacement.

Had this interest emerged earlier in the summer window, the Reds may at least have contemplated the financial benefits of letting him go, but this could be a huge blow for them so early in the new Premier League season, hampering their chances of getting back into the Champions League greatly.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

As the report alludes to, there almost seems to be an acceptance that this will be Salah's last season at Liverpool, assuming he does stay, and in truth, few would begrudge him leaving for Saudi Arabia this time next year.

He would be 32 by that point and possibly on the decline, and the Reds could still receive massive money for him and use it to further transform the squad.

انتهت قبل قليل مباراة منتخبي قطر وأفغانستان في خضم منافسات تصفيات قارة آسيا المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس العالم 2026 بالتعادل السلبي بدون أهداف.

المباراة أقيمت على ملعب مدينة الأمير عبدالله بن جلوي الرياضية بالجولة الخامسة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

بتلك النتيجة يواصل منتخب قطر تربعه على عرش صدارة ترتيب المجموعة برصيد 13 نقطة حصدها من 4 انتصارات وتعادل، أما منتخب أفغانستان فيأتي ثالثًا برصيد 5 نقاط.

منتخب سوريا يسقط بهدف قاتل أمام كوريا الشمالية في تصفيات كأس العالم

ويتواجد منتخبا قطر وأفغانستان في المجموعة الأولى التي تضم إلى جوارهما الهند والكويت. 

وتقام منافسات دور المجموعات بـ تصفيات آسيا لكأس العالم بوجود 36 منتخبًا بواقع 11 فريقًا متأهلين من الدور التمهيدي، و25 أصحاب التصنيف الأول في القارة، تم توزيعها إلى 9 مجموعات، تضم كل منها 4 منتخبات.

وتلعب المنافسات بنظام الدوري من مرحلتي الذهاب والإياب، على أن يتأهل متصدر كل مجموعة ووصيفه إلى المرحلة النهائية الحاسمة.

India’s spinners have taken 13 wickets in two matches. The alarm bells are ringing, but South Africa’s newly appointed stand-in captain is not ready to accept that in public yet

Sidharth Monga in Centurion04-Feb-20181:02

‘Kuldeep and I always look to bowl slow’ – Chahal

Aiden Markram knew what he was walking into when he accepted the captaincy of a depleted South Africa side in an ODI series against arguably the best team in the world. He is the second-youngest South Africa captain, his captaincy debut came in only his third ODI, and half way into the day he was sitting in a press conference trying to make sense of South Africa’s lowest score at home. Next to him sat the South Africa batting coach, Dale Benkenstein, as if to protect – where you can – the boy otherwise thrown to the wolves already.”Obviously, the guys are very upset and disappointed,” Markram said. “But the beauty of it is that everyone’s disappointed in themselves, and not in others in the team. That’s where the culture stands out, it stands strong. Each player will look to get better now going forward. It is a quick turnaround but it might fire the guys up going into the remaining four matches, which I think is a great thing for us.”India’s spinners have taken 13 South Africa wickets in two matches, with two of the remaining experienced batsmen in their middle order not looking good against spin. The alarm bells are ringing, but Markram is not ready to accept that in a press conference at least. Before the ODI, he said he saw no problem against spin, and after his side was bowled out for 118 he doesn’t call it a “danger”.”Look, obviously they are two quality bowlers in their own right,” Markram said of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who bagged a five-for and a three-wicket haul respectively. “I don’t think we played them particularly well, and that’s where our downfall was today. Having said that, you are never going to come across a bad attack in international cricket, and you’re never going to come across a bad batting line-up in international cricket either. It’s just one of those things. I don’t think we played spin incredibly well, it’s obviously something we need to work on, but it’s not a massive danger for us, I don’t think.”In an ideal world, Markram would have played out most of the spin without taking too many risks. He would have liked to have taken the innings deep but he pulled a short ball straight to deep midwicket, one ball after Quinton de Kock had done that.”My general game plan is to try and take it quite deep, bat through the innings and let our attacking batsmen sort of play around me,” Markram said. “I obviously didn’t do that today, that’s what happens in cricket. I try to keep it as low-risk as possible, and then as soon as we get partnerships building, we’ll chat between players and identify which bowler we’d like to put some pressure on and which guy we think we should just going low-risk. It all depends on the day as well.”Aiden Markram looks to play a shot•Getty Images

It could be argued some of the batsmen that followed him didn’t really have much of a game plan. Markram was asked if the problem was not in the execution, but, in fact, in the absence of plans. “Look, I don’t think there’s too much of a lack of a game plan,” Markram said. “If you speak to each individual in our top six, top seven, each person has got a clear plan. So it obviously comes down to execution on the day. Like I said, they are two quality wristspinners and we give them credit. But I still think we can execute better, and that’s the nice thing. It’s not that something that’s drastic that has to change. The plans are in place, now we’ve just got to keep working hard to execute, that’s all.”Benkenstein was happy with the team’s intent – “230-240 wouldn’t have been a winning total anyway” – but he was more realistic about the challenge of facing these spinners. South Africa don’t come across such wicket-taking spinners every day, and it is not going to be easy to formulate plans with only two days between all ODIs.”It’s very difficult,” Benkenstein admitted. “Unless we can call them [Kuldeep and Chahal] into our nets for the practice. That’s the beauty of international cricket, you know. You’ve got to come up with a plan obviously. I guess everybody’s got the ability to do it. We’ve had two games and there are no excuses. We’ve got a few net bowlers who are a little bit slow. We saw Justin Ontong come and bowl those offspinners off his knee [to replicate Kedar Jadhav]. So, as management, we try and do everything possible, obviously.”But at the end of the day, the batters have got to work it out. They’ve got to execute their own game plan and obviously got to do their job out in the middle. So there isn’t much more that you can do in the nets. You’re not going to get them to come and bowl at you. That’s the tough thing about international cricket.”Benkenstein didn’t want his batsmen to give up attacking the spinners. “I’d much rather them playing that way than being too scared to hit the ball,” he said. “We can learn a lot a from the way Indian batters play spin. Any loose ball that our spinners bowl, they are looking to hit it for four or six. There is a bit of learning to be done there. The other tough thing is you are playing against two wristspinners, that a not a lot of players have played against. It does take time to get used to their change-ups, their variations.”