Pakistan are favourites chasing 131 for victory, but they were three down at stumps on the fourth day

Danyal Rasool19-Jul-2023

A stirring fightback from Sri Lanka left the home side in with a sniff of stealing a sensational win in the first Test against Pakistan in Galle. On a day where Pakistan looked like shutting the door on Sri Lanka’s chances, their bowlers prised that door back open in a frenetic final hour during which Pakistan stumbled to 48 for 3 in pursuit of 131.Pakistan’s batting approach through much of their first innings suggested they might attempt to polish off this chase without drama in as few overs as possible, but committing to that approach and executing it against Sri Lankan spinners in the fading Galle light were two different things. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis bogged them down right from the outset, finding prodigious turn and combining it with unerring accuracy.It paid off in the seventh over, when Abdullah Shafique was drawn into pushing at one that spun away and kissed the edge. Shortly after Shan Masood succumbed to Jayasuriya’s wiles, sharply adjusting his line as he spotted the batter coming down the track. Masood could only pop one up to short leg, and Sri Lanka moved in for the kill.Pakistan sent in Noman Ali as nightwatcher before losing him in farcical circumstances. Eager to keep Imam-ul-Haq off strike, he hared back for a second that was never on, and a sharp pick-up and throw from Mendis on the midwicket boundary caught him well short of his crease. It dragged Babar Azam out for a shaky final few overs, but though Sri Lanka pushed, Pakistan allowed no further bloodletting.Through much of the day, it was Dhananjaya de Silva that stood between Pakistan and a straightforward victory. A half-century, and crucial partnerships with Dinesh Chandimal and Ramesh Mendis helped Sri Lanka wipe off the deficit, and surge into the lead during the middle session. The Sri Lankan innings though, was hampered throughout by Pakistan picking up wickets at crucial intervals, and never allowing them to extend their lead into truly dangerous territory.While Pakistan relied on their pace bowlers for early breakthroughs in the first innings, Galle’s reputation for spin-friendliness – especially towards the back end of a Test – finally began to become apparent as Noman and Abrar Ahmed shared the wickets.Dhananjaya de Silva brought up a half-century, to go with his first-innings century•AFP/Getty Images

Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka provided Sri Lanka with a solid start, having seen off a few overs in the fading light the previous day. There wasn’t much rotation of the strike; it wasn’t until the 10th over and the 39th run that the first single was taken, but Sri Lanka picked up a boundary each over, and despite some probing lines from Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, looked generally comfortable.But Abrar’s introduction had an immediate impact, as an uncharacteristically loose shot from Karunaratne was caught sensationally by Salman Ali diving low. Madushka and Kusal Mendis returned calm to the innings even though the run rate slowed, seeing off the fast bowlers and looking reasonably assured against spin. But a pair of strikes in the last half hour from Noman turned things around, first trapping Mendis in front of his crease, before a lovely delivery spinning away from Angelo Mathews’ outside edge was pouched smartly by Babar at first slip.Madushka remained solid at the other end but he fell to a careless shot off Noman shortly after getting to his half-century. As in the first innings, though, the fifth wicket partnership was productive for Sri Lanka. De Silva and Dinesh Chandimal attacked Afridi, forcing him out after just four overs. They were more measured against spin, but clever shot selection and regular manipulation of the field kept the runs flowing as they honed in on the lead.They brought up the 50-run partnership, but no sooner had Sri Lanka edged ahead that Chandimal chipped one to midwicket off Agha Salman, where Imam took a sharp catch. Pakistan’s catching across this Test has stood out, and that was more evident in the grab at short leg from Abdullah Shafique that dismissed Sadeera Samarawickrama. Initially wrong-footed by the edge, Shafique adjusted to dive to his right to snare a one-handed diving catch to leave Sri Lanka on the brink.Pakistan hoped for a quick finish, but Mendis and de Silva stood firm for a 76-run partnership across 23 overs. It was slow going at times, but they never looked uncomfortable against the spinners either side of the tea interval until Abrar finally struck, a missed sweep from Mendis catching him plumb in front.Thereafter, Pakistan used Afridi and the new ball to burst through the flickering remnants of Sri Lankan resistance. A bit of extra bounce and seam movement finally dismissed Dhananjaya after a brilliant 82. Shaheen then fooled Jayasuriya with a slower ball before Kasun Rajitha scooped one up to Masood at point.Pakistan had made quick work of the tail, but Sri Lanka made sure the same could not be said of the paltry target. A year to the day after Pakistan chased down 344 at this very venue, pursuit of 131 looks anything but a formality.

Super Giants are quite well placed despite their recent losses, while Sunrisers are at No. 9 but very much in the race too

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2023Sunrisers Hyderabad – #9
Sunrisers Hyderabad are the only team to have played fewer than 11 matches so far – they have played only ten, while five teams have already played 12. That means the last week will be the busiest for them, but it also means they have the best chance of making up lost ground, for they could still potentially double their current points tally of eight.If SRH do win each of their last four matches and finish on 16, they will give themselves a great chance of qualification. It could still come down to net run-rate as five teams could potentially end up on 16 or more, but SRH will very much be in the mix.If they lose this one, though, they will be at the mercy of several other results going their way, for as many as six teams, excluding SRH, can reach 16.The other disadvantage for SRH is their home record: one win in five games this season. They have done better in away matches – three wins out of five – but their remaining away games are against teams which have pretty good home records this season: Mumbai Indians (four out of six) and Gujarat Titans (three out of six).Lucknow Super Giants – #5
Lucknow Super Giants have lost their way after a relatively strong start, collecting only three points from their last five games. However, they are still in charge of their own destiny: three wins in three games will take them to 17 points and assure them of qualification.One loss, however, will put them in tricky territory, as up to five teams can finish on 16 or more points. For that to happen, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings will have to win all their matches; so if LSG don’t maximise the points from their remaining games, they will have to hope that other teams slip up.Curiously, LSG can even make it to the top four with 13 points, but for that to happen, Titans, Chennai Super Kings and MI will have to win most of their games so that the other teams are stuck on 12 or fewer points.

Luke Wood takes three in first 10 balls but visitors recover to pull off narrow defence

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2023

Northern Superchargers made it two wins from their two completed matches as they held off Trent Rockets’ chase to win by three runs at Trent Bridge.Superchargers were defending 142 for 5, having recovered from a devastating burst of 3 for 8 in 10 balls by Luke Wood at the start thanks to David Wiese, who made 54 from 25, and Brydon Carse (33 from 29) adding 72 unbroken from 48 balls, of which 47 came off the last 15 deliveries, including four sixes from the Namibia allrounder.After Alex Hales hit 29 from 22 balls at the top of the Rockets innings, Sam Hain (20 from 12) and Daniel Sams (27 from 14) took them close but ultimately Reece Topley (2 for 20) defended nine off the last five balls to see the Superchargers home. Wayne Parnell (3 for 21) and Callum Parkinson (2 for 27) did the damage earlier.After judging that bowling first was the best option on this pitch, Rockets could not have had a better start, left-armer Wood delivering back-to-back sets from the pavilion end and hitting the stumps three times to dismiss Tom Banton, Harry Brook and Matthew Short, each with full, swinging deliveries that he celebrated spectacularly.After sharing 180 of the Superchargers’ massive 201 for 3 against Southern Brave last time out, the trio’s combined contribution this time was 8 – all to Short. Responsibility sat with Adam Hose to lead a rebuild from 9 for 3 but after finding the boundary three times he shanked one from Joe Root – in his first appearance of the competition – and was caught at wide long-on.With Root’s offbreaks and canny left-arm spinner Imad Wasim both making scoring difficult, Root picked up a second wicket when a Saif Zaib paddle went wrong. Superchargers looked in desperate need of a strong finish at 83 for 5 after 75.Wiese provided it, hammering four sixes and three fours in a 25-ball unbeaten 54 – albeit having been gifted 10 of those runs by drops on the boundary rope by Hales and Hain – alongside a steadier innings from Carse to give themselves and the other Superchargers bowlers something to defend.Rockets lost Dawid Malan to ball 13 when he found Brook at deep square leg off Parkinson but Hales and Munro were quickly into a rhythm, Munro lofting Parkinson over deep midwicket for six before Hales adeptly found the fence four times in five balls against Short’s offspin.However, both were out in the space of four deliveries to bring Superchargers right back into it as Parnell bowled his second set, Munro slicing to deep point and Hales aiming an inelegant swipe at one that kept a tad low and scattered his stumps.It left two new batters at the crease and though Root was one of them, the former England captain lasted only eight deliveries, failing with the reverse sweep as Parkinson grabbed his second wicket. Hain lofted Parkinson beautifully over cover on the short side and Tom Kohler-Cadmore cleared the long-on boundary off Adil Rashid, leaving 51 required from the final 25 balls.Hain and Kohler-Cadmore holed out in the space of four balls. Sams cleared the leg-side boundary twice off Wiese and Lewis Gregory defied Wiese’s brilliant attempted stop to clear the long-on boundary off Parnell, Sams perished off ball 98 as he skied to long-on and the Rockets fell four short of their target.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betano casino： A Seleção Brasileira está se preparando para a Copa do Mundo do Qatar, mas outro assunto que ronda a Amarelinha é a sucessão de Tite, que já avisou que não fica no cargo de técnico independentemente do resultado no Mundial. Vários nomes apareceram como possíveis candidatos, mas um deles parece ganhar força na CBF além de Pep Guardiola: Abel Ferreira, do Palmeiras.

RelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraSeleção Brasileira: Marquinhos explica situação física e tranquiliza: ‘Vou trabalhar para estar 100%’Seleção Brasileira17/11/2022VídeoVÍDEO: Jogadores da Seleção Brasileira celebram aniversário de Bruno GuimarãesVídeo17/11/2022Seleção BrasileiraAlex Telles celebra vaga na Copa do Mundo, explica desenho da infância e diz: ‘Que venha a sexta estrela’Seleção Brasileira16/11/2022

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Pelo menos foi isso que deu a entender Francisco Noveletto, vice-presidente da entidade, em entrevista para a Rádio Grenal, na manhã desta quinta-feira. Segundo o dirigente, o nome de Abel não seria considerado como um estrangeiro pelo tempo que tem no Brasil.

-(Abel Ferreira) Por ser português e estar há muito tempo no Brasil, ele não entraria como estrangeiro, é “abrasileirado”. Não daria o choque de trazer um espanhol, um italiano, um argentino. Pesa muito – declarou Noveletto enquanto debatia com Argel Fucks, que também participava do programa na Rádio Grenal.

> AO VIVO: acompanhe em tempo real os passos da Seleção Brasileira na Copa do Mundo

O treinador gaúcho é partidário da contratação de Abel Ferreira como sucessor de Tite na Seleção, tanto pelo trabalho quanto pelos títulos conquistados. Apesar de enxergar Mano Menezes e Dorival Jr. como fortes candidatos, ele entende que o palmeirense está na frente. Noveletto concordou com a opinião e deu a entender que nomes como Renato Gaúcho e Cuca não fazem parte dos planos da CBF.

-Há uma porta para todo mundo, mas neste momento eu vejo Mano Menezes, Dorival, Renato Gaúcho (Noveletto faz sinal reprovando). Cuca também já teve seu momento, e ele reconhece isso (Noveletto faz sinal reprovando).Mas neste momento o Mano tem uma condição melhor do que Renato e Cuca. Agora o Dorival é a cara da CBF – comentou Argel.

– Uma bola da vez – disse Noveletto sobre Dorival.

– (Dorival) É a bola da vez, digamos assim, mas na minha opinião eu levaria o Abel Ferreira e a sua comissão técnica – completou Argel.

– Fecho contigo – corroborou Noveletto.

+Tite faz testes e esboça times em treino da Seleção em Turim

Em determinado momento da conversa, Francisco Noveletto chegou a citar o salário da comissão técnica de Abel Ferreira no Palmeiras, que, segundo ele, é na casa dos R$ 2,8 milhões, informação que o LANCE! confirmou em conversas com fontes nos bastidores do clube.

TENTATIVA POR GUARDIOLA

Em meio às especulações sobre o próximo técnico da Seleção Brasileira após a saída de Tite, a CBF chegou a procurar Pep Guardiola, do Manchester City, há cerca de três anos para um projeto de assumir a Amarelinha depois da Copa do Mundo do Qatar. No entanto, as conversas travaram com a sinalização dos salários.

Foi o que contou Francisco Noveletto, sem revelar quem teria sido o vice-presidente que intermediou a procura pelo treinador espanhol, que seria o grande sonho da entidade para ocupar esse cargo.

-Há três anos, um colega meu que foi vice-presidente na CBF chegou a ter um contato com o Guardiola. A resposta do empresário foi: “Tudo bem, quem não gostaria de treinar a Seleção Brasileira? Ele aceita, mas ganha 24 milhões de euros aqui”. A pessoa que foi atrás dessa informação, na possibilidade de o Tite sair, quase enfartou… Fez uma continha: dois milhões de euros por mês e viria por mais, porque teria que dar um “plus” para ele sair de lá.

TITE PODERIA FICAR?

Apesar da indefinição sobre o sucessor de Tite e de negar que a CBF esteja tratando disso em meio a uma Copa do Mundo, Francisco Noveletto não descarta tentar manter o atual treinador no cargo em caso de conquistar o hexacampeonato no Qatar. Segundo o dirigente, seria esse o seu desejo pessoal para a Seleção. Ele também descartou, por ora, a informação da contratação de Mano Menezes.

-Foi o que eu disse nessa situação de que já estava contratado o Mano Menezes, eu disse que jamais a CBF iria se envolver em um momento como esse, arrumar tumulto, porque realmente o Tite falou em que coletiva que, ganhando ou não a Copa, encerraria o ciclo na Seleção. Agora, duvido que, se ele ganhar a Copa, ele saia ou nós o deixemos sair. Já estou preparado com um laço para laçar ele e não soltar. Isso (Mano Menezes) não partiu da CBF, para deixar bem claro, CBF está muito focada na Copa – garantiu o cartola gaúcho.

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FOCO NA COPA DO MUNDO

Enquanto esse tema ronda os bastidores da CBF e boa parte do noticiário, a Seleção Brasileira segue treinando em Turim-ITA, onde faz sua preparação para a Copa do Mundo no CT da Juventus. Neste sábado, a delegação embarca em voo fretado para o Qatar. A estreia do Brasil será no dia 24, diante da Sérvia, às 16h (de Brasília).

Ian Wright believes Newcastle United would be an ideal club for Marcus Rashford with his future at Manchester United in doubt.

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• Rashford has shone on loan at Aston Villa
• Villa have £40m option to sign him permanently
• Wright feels Newcastle should be in the mix.

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford has been urged to consider a move to Newcastle come the end of the season, as the ex-Arsenal star believes a link-up with Magpies talisman Isak would make for a frightening combination at St James’ Park.

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  Rashford is on loan at Aston Villa until the end of the season having fallen out of favour under United manager Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.

  The England forward played just six times under Amorim following the Portuguese’s appointment in November. However, he was loaned to Villa in January and has thrived under Unai Emery, scoring four goals and registering six assists in 17 appearances.

  Villa have an option to buy Rashford for £40 million ($53m) but have still decide whether to use it. Rashford is under contract at United until 2028, but there are doubts whether he would be able to force his way back into Amorim’s plans.

• WHAT WRIGHT SAID

  Wright told the podcast of a possible deal for Rashford: “It’s the kind of signing Newcastle should be making.

  “That would be amazing. That would be dangerous. Rashford at Newcastle? Yeah. That would be really good. I really like that for Rashford. Rashford at Newcastle can be dangerous.”

  Asked if there was any possibility of Rashford returning to United, Wright replied: “Nope. No chance.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

  The immediate focus for Rashford is Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace. Neither Villa nor Newcastle will be thinking about the transfer window yet, as they are each involved in a tight battle for Champions League football. Newcastle occupy the fifth and final qualification spot and have two-point lead over Villa in seventh with a game in hand.

  Similarly, United will be concentrated on their quest to reach the Champions League by winning the Europa League. The Red Devils face Athletic Club in the first leg of their semi-final tie next Thursday.

  There could be competition for Rashford’s services from Barcelona, who have been credited with an interest. Newcastle are in need of better strength in depth behind Isak and, like United, have been linked with Ipswich striker Liam Delap.

Sanju Samson has earned a recall to India’s ODI squad for the three-match series in the Caribbean in July. With KL Rahul still in rehab for a thigh injury and Rishabh Pant in recovery after surviving a car crash in December, Samson is one of two wicketkeepers in the 17-member squad alongside Ishan Kishan.Related

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• Shastri wants two left-handers in India's top six for the ODI World Cup

• Yashasvi Jaiswal: 'I just want to go out and express myself'

• Pujara dropped; Jaiswal and Gaikwad in India's Test squad for West Indies

• Six players who could debut for India in the next WTC cycle

Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose only ODI so far came against South Africa in October last year, is also part of the squad along with the uncapped Mukesh Kumar. Most of the regulars in the frame for the ODI World Cup have been included in the Rohit Sharma-led squad. Hardik Pandya is the vice-captain.With Mohammed Shami rested, Mohammed Siraj is expected to spearhead a pace attack that also includes Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur, Mukesh and Umran Malik apart from the allrounder Hardik.Suryakumar Yadav, who occupied one of the middle order slots during the home ODIs against Australia in March, has been retained. Playing in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who was out with a back injury, Suryakumar finished the series with three first-ball ducks, but bounced back with prolific returns in the IPL for Mumbai Indians.Washington Sundar, who was also part of the Australia series, has been left out, with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar preferred as the spin-bowling allrounders. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are the two frontline spinners.Samson will have an opportunity to add to his 11 ODI caps if the team management wants to play a keeper-batter suited to the middle order; Kishan typically bats higher up the order. Samson has so far scored 330 ODI runs in 10 innings at an average of 66.00, with two half-centuries. One of them came in a match-winning chase against West Indies in Port-of-Spain last year. Samson can also play as a specialist batter even if Kishan is picked as keeper.India ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.

Bayern Munich have been told to ditch Leroy Sane after a shock contract U-turn amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

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Sane has not yet signed an extensionBayern have given him 10 days to sign the dealDidi Hamann wants him out of BayernFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern are understood to have given Sane a 10-day deadline to put pen to paper on a proposed new three-year contract. The club has made it clear there will be no further negotiation: the current terms are final, with no room for added bonuses or a larger signing-on fee. Should the 28-year-old fail to comply within the window, Bayern are prepared to allow him to leave on a free transfer at the end of his current deal.

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If Sane does choose to move on, a return to the English Premier League seems highly likely. According to journalist Christian Falk, the former Manchester City star is keen to relocate to England, where he previously enjoyed great success under Pep Guardiola. Sane’s new representative, Pini Zahavi, is expected to approach Arsenal to assess the Gunners’ interest in reigniting talks for the German international. Chelsea are also reportedly watching closely as the Stamford Bridge club is in the midst of rebuilding their attacking line and may see Sane as an ideal option to add proven experience and creativity to their youthful squad.

WHAT DIDI HAMANN SAID

Former Bayern and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann has weighed in on the situation, suggesting the club should not cave in to increasing demands.

In his column for he wroteFor a long time, it looked like a contract extension for Leroy Sane at FC Bayern, but then the player changed his agent and is demanding more money. He's welcome to change agents, but if something has already been negotiated, the club has to stand firm.

"What Bayern are experiencing now are the consequences of the exorbitant sums they have paid in recent months. Utopian demands from their agents were approved. There was a feeling that the club did not have the final say. FC Bayern must take back control! Therefore, now would be a good time to withdraw the offer for Sane."

DID YOU KNOW?

Sane joined Bayern from City in 2020, and during his time with the club, he has amassed an impressive record. In 218 appearances across all competitions, the winger has scored 61 goals and provided 54 assists. Despite his on-field contributions, Bayern now find themselves at a crossroads with Sane. With the club determined to reassert its authority in contract matters, the coming days will be critical in determining whether the player remains in Bavaria or seeks a fresh challenge abroad.

South Africa are looking to rotate the gloves with Quinton de Kock rested for the series, and Matthew Breetzke and Donovan Ferreira might get a go later on

Firdose Moonda29-Aug-2023Tristan Stubbs will keep wicket for South Africa in the opening T20I against Australia in Durban as the hosts look to rotate the gloves in the absence of the rested Quinton de Kock. Stubbs is one of three options for the three-match series and has been chosen to start in the position ahead of Matthew Breetzke and Donovan Ferreira, who have both yet to play an international match.”He has been working really hard over the last couple of weeks and those that know Stubbo well, know he is the kind of guy that will never really leave a stone unturned,” Aiden Markram, South Africa’s T20I captain, said at the pre-match press conference. “He has spent hours and hours practicing his keeping and it’s been great to see.”This will be just the second time that Stubbs is the designated wicketkeeper in an official match after he also did the job in a first-class match between Warriors and Boland last summer. In that encounter, which Warriors won by 168 runs, Stubbs took two catches in the first innings and six in the second. He also scored 52 in Warriors’ second innings to help them set Boland a target of 343.Related

• South Africa ready to shake off the rust and stack up for ODI World Cup

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Add to that the fact that Stubbs also bowls offspin – most regularly in T20 cricket – and South Africa have a “real all-dimension player”, as Markram put it. “From his personal game, it adds another element for him to take forward in his cricketing journey,” Markram said. “We’ve seen him do well with the ball and we all know what he can do with the bat, now all of a sudden he has got the gloves.”But he may not keep them for all three matches. Prior to the series, South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter confirmed the wicketkeeping role will be rotated while de Kock is rested and one or both of Breetzke and Ferreira will also get an opportunity. The first thing would be to get them in the starting XI and Markram could not confirm whether either would debut immediately. “We’ve not finalised our team completely. We will be having our team meeting at 6pm [on Tuesday night] and if there are debutants, we will make it a special ceremony for them, to remember for the rest of their lives.”Also in line for their first T20I caps are Dewald Brevis, who is expected to bat in the middle order, and Gerald Coetzee, who has played at the Test and the ODI level for South Africa.Keshav Maharaj had injured himself earlier in the year•AFP/Getty Images

Not in line for Wednesday’s match is left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who is making a comeback from a ruptured Achilles’ ahead of schedule. Maharaj tore the ligament in a Test against West Indies in March and was expected to be out for the rest of the year but has been included in the South Africa squad for the second and third T20Is and the ODI series that follows.Maharaj spent Tuesday playing his first competitive match since his injury, a warm-up match between Dolphins and Tuskers. “It’s fantastic to see him back on the park,” Markram said. “He has been incredibly committed and motivated to get ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery and today is probably a very special day for him. It’s huge for his career and it’s something he can be incredibly proud of, to get back on the park this soon.”If match fit, South Africa will consider Maharaj for their 50-over World Cup squad, which will be announced on September 5, with alterations permitted until September 28. With those dates in mind, both the T20I and ODI series against Australia are auditions of sorts and though Markram said the squad is focused on results first, there’s no doubt the World Cup is at the back of their minds.South Africa prepared to take on Australia with a two-day camp in Kruger National Park, with all their white-ball hopefuls. “It was fantastic,” Markram said. “Being a bush lover, I was in my element. There are certain guys for whom it was outside their comfort zone. You also have to appreciate that. But all in all, the guys loved it. We camped out, in the middle of the Kruger, had rangers and trackers around us. The camp was a tracking camp, so being able to track animals, follow animals, go on bush walks, things like that, which is quite a rare thing to be able to do in the middle of Kruger. The boys loved it.”

Mason Greenwood scored a stunning individual goal to help secure Marseille a return to the Champions League in style.

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Marseille win 3-1 at Le HavreGreenwood scores stunning goalSecure Champions League qualificationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Marseille looked like they would drop points in the Champions League qualification race on Saturday at Le Havre, but ex-Manchester United man Greenwood rifled in a superb strike from 25 yards to settle the away team's nerves. They went on to win the game 3-1, which meant with one game remaining, they cannot drop out of the top four and the Champions League spots.

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Greenwood has now scored 20 goals in his debut season for Marseille, but this campaign has not been without its troubles. The forward has been criticised for his "nonchalant" attitude, benched by head coach Roberto De Zerbi for a perceived lack of effort, and reports have suggested he could make a Premier League return due to homesickness. But his efforts have secured Marseille their return to Europe's elite competition for the first time since 2021 and that should not be overlooked.

AFPWHAT NEXT?

Marseille, who sit second in Ligue 1, will try to finish the season on a high when they host Rennes next Saturday. They are currently one point ahead of third-placed Monaco.

علق أمير مرتضى منصور المشرف على الكرة بنادي الزمالك السابق، على أزمة أحمد فتوح مع القلعة البيضاء وموقفه من بقاء اللاعب أو رحيله، حال تواجده في منصب المسؤولية.

وقال أمير مرتضى منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “تن”: “لم أتخذ القرار بخوض انتخابات الزمالك، وأرى أن قائمة الأهلي هي الأفضل بين أندية الدوري، وأعتبر أحمد فتوح بمثابة أخي الصغير، فهو طيب القلب ولا يدرك أنه يؤذي نفسه”.

طالع | أمير مرتضى: الأهلي تفادى خطأ الزمالك.. وهذا ما قاله مرتضى منصور عن شيكابالا

وأكمل: “لو كنت مسؤولًا في الزمالك خلال أزمة فتوح لعاقبته، لكن إذا تكررت أخطاءه، لقررت بيعه، ولم أكن سعيدًا برحيل زيزو عن الزمالك وانضمامه إلى الأهلي”.

وتابع: “كان يجب بيع أحمد فتوح إذا رفض تجديد عقده، وهذا لا يعيب الإدارة ولا النادي، بدليل حدوث ذلك مع وسام أبو علي في الأهلي”.

وواصل: “كنت أتمنى أن يستمر زيزو مع الزمالك حتى النهاية وأن يختار وجهة غير الأهلي، زيزو يمتلك مقومات النجاح، لكنه لم ينجح في الزمالك رغم توافر نفس المقومات”.

وأتم: “أنا أعرف جون إدوارد بشكل شخصي، وهو محترف في عمله، متمرس في مجاله، ويمتلك خبرة واسعة في إدارة الأندية”.