England's Lionesses are set to face the Netherlands in a Nations League clash which will see Beth Mead come up against partner Vivianne Miedema.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Liverpool could soon wrap up a deal for Benjamin Pavard according to a report from CalcioMercatoWeb, via Paisley Gates, with the club already having a winning offer for the player.
How many games has Benjamin Pavard played for Bayern Munich?
The 27-year-old has been with Bayern Munich for four seasons now and has helped the German side to win the Bundesliga title in every campaign that he has featured in. In 2022/23, he was still a regular in their first team, playing on 30 occasions in the league and managing his best goal contribution total since he first arrived at the club (four goals and one assist).
He is now a member of the Bayern 100-club, having played in 111 top flight outings in total during his time there.
With the player still impressing at the very top of the Bundesliga, it has led to interest in his services from elsewhere. Most notably, Premier League side Liverpool have been keeping tabs on the situation. A recent report though suggested that Pavard himself is open to a switch to England, with the Reds, Chelsea and Man City all listed as potential landing spots for the defender.
Are Liverpool signing Benjamin Pavard?
However, it looks like the Anfield outfit are leading the way for the player – and may even get a deal done "imminently". According to a report from CalcioMercatoWeb, via Paisley Gates, Liverpool have already got a "winning proposal" ready to go to bring Pavard to the club.
FSG apparently have the ability to match the demands of Bayern Munich and the player himself – meaning a deal could happen very quickly. It doesn't mention any talks over personal terms yet but it seems as though the Reds owners have got a bid ready to go – and that Bayern are happy to accept it.
Pavard is clearly still well capable of producing the goods at the highest level too, so a deal could certainly benefit Liverpool. During a recent international game for France, football journalist Josh Bunting labelled a goal from the defender as "stunning" and "top class," adding that it is what the Bayern Munich man is "capable of".
He has the ability to play at both right-back and centre-back, so one would assume he could be the perfect fit to slot into that hybrid RCB role, which is required if Trent Alexander-Arnold continues pushing forward in the new system we saw towards the end of last season.
Half-centuries from Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad and Muhammad Usman underpinned UAE’s 82-run victory over Papua New Guinea in Abu Dhabi
ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Muhammad Usman struck six fours and a six•Peter Della Penna
Half-centuries from Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad and Muhammad Usman underpinned UAE’s 82-run victory over Papua New Guinea in Abu Dhabi. Mohammad Naveed and captain Rohan Mustafa, meanwhile, made cameos as UAE ran up 292 for 5. Spinners Ahmed Raza and Imran Haider then claimed combined figures of 7 for 79 to dismiss PNG for 210.PNG, though, had started positively in their chase with Tony Ura and Vani Morea adding 82 for the first wicket. Legspinner Haider then claimed three wickets in three overs to jolt PNG. Raza, the left-arm spinner, smothered the middle order further with the lone source of resistance coming from Sese Bau who contributed with 42 off 51 balls. The last five wickets tumbled for six runs as PNG were bowled out in 47.3 overs.Having been inserted, UAE lost Mohammed Qasim early to Chad Soper, but a string of fifty stands from the middle order shaped the innings. Shabber was circumspect, making 50 off 96 balls while Shahzad, Usman and Naveed went at better than a run a ball as UAE threatened the 300 mark. Seamer Alei Nao picked up 2 for 47 on ODI debut.
Supporters in north London have every right to start dreaming of silverware after a near-flawless start to the 2023-24 season
Six months ago, the future looked bleak for Tottenham. A disappointing eighth-place finish in the Premier League reflected a chaotic campaign that saw Antonio Conte and his interim replacement Cristian Stellini both sacked as a number of key players failed to live up to expectations.
Harry Kane was one of the few that could hold his head up high after another 30-goal season, but Bayern Munich quickly made it clear that the England captain was their top summer transfer target and his eventual departure felt inevitable.
It was reported that a number of high-profile managers turned down the chance to replace Conte, including the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, which led Tottenham to instead turn to Ange Postecoglou. The former Celtic boss was a huge success in Scotland, but his initial appointment did little to lift the mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou was not the big name Spurs fans would have expected, and his lack of experience at the very highest level raised alarm bells. But the Australian has since proven to be exactly the right man to lead the club into a bold new era.
An encouraging pre-season campaign showed that Postecoglou was ready to implement a new forward-thinking style designed to get the best out of Spurs' most dangerous players, and he was also able to bring in a host of new signings to fit his philosophy. By the time Kane's move to Bayern was confirmed on the eve of the season, a new wave of optimism had started sweeping across north London.
And now here we are, with Spurs sitting top of the Premier League heading into the second international break of the 2023-24 season. Postecoglou's men are ahead of arch-rivals Arsenal on goals scored, with reigning champions Manchester City two points further back in third, and they have yet to taste defeat.
The general consensus is that Tottenham won't be able to stay the course, but that is more based on their recent history than anything else. Their current position is no accident – Postecoglou has transformed a confidence-stricken outfit into arguably the most well-rounded side in the division, and they deserve to be taken seriously as potential title contenders.
The security risk for foreign players travelling to Pakistan remains “unmanageable” according to independent consultants, the international players’ association FICA has said, after the PCB announced that the 2017 Pakistan Super League final would be held in Lahore.The league stage and the semi-finals of the PSL, the PCB’s T20 tournament along the lines of the IPL and the Big Bash League, is scheduled to be held in the UAE in February and March, with only the finals being played in Pakistan.”The consistent advice we have received from independent security consultants over the last few years is that playing cricket in Pakistan for foreign teams and players constitutes an unacceptably high security risk,” Tony Irish, the FICA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “Although we are sure that PSL and PCB would do their very best to implement security plans, the advice of our consultants is also that this risk is unmanageable in the current environment.”FICA has a duty to relay that advice to players and, given that players are participating as individuals in PSL and they are not participating as part of a touring foreign team, it will be up to each individual player to decide whether or not to take that advice.”Irish said that FICA would seek an update on the security advice nearer to the tournament. “We understand how much people want to see foreign teams and players playing in Pakistan and therefore sympathise with cricket lovers and fans in the country. We hope that normal cricket will return to Pakistan as soon as it is safe to play there.”Zimbabwe is the only Full Member nation to have toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus as the players were travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium during a Test match. However, there was a suicide attack near the Gaddafi Stadium during that tour as well in 2015, but Zimbabwe stayed on to complete the three-match series. Over the last seven years, Pakistan have hosted their home series at neutral venues, predominantly the UAE.Chris Gayle joined Karachi Kings and will be captained by Kumar Sangakkara•AFP
The PSL chairman Najam Sethi had said there was a clause in the PSL player contracts that stated they would need to travel to Lahore if their team made the final. Summarising the nature of the clause, a PSL team official said players would be offered extremely high security and cash incentives if they were willing to go. However, there would also be no repercussions if they did not.Two player agents who manage cricketers from different countries told ESPNcricinfo the clause did not say that travel to Pakistan was mandatory. “There is a clause, but several international players have made their participation subject to security advice at the time and they cannot be compelled to go,” one agent said.Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who were part of the Sri Lankan team that was attacked in Lahore in 2009, are set to play in the PSL, as are England’s Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales, both of whom had pulled out of the ongoing tour of Bangladesh because of security concerns, although they are likely to be on England duty in West Indies when the finals are staged. The Karachi Kings team also announced Sangakkara as captain, and there are several other international players from Australia, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand.During the inaugural season of the PSL in February this year, West Indies allrounder Andre Russell was the first international player to hint at a willingness to travel to Pakistan, though he admitted he would be “scared” too.
Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza reached out to the England players with whom, he said, a deeper bond can be developed if the October tour goes ahead
Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2016Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza reached out to the England players with whom, he said, a deeper bond can be developed if the October tour goes ahead. The three-member ECB delegation, which recently completed a security assessment ahead of England’s tour to Bangladesh and India, are due to brief the one-day team on Thursday. England are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on September 30 for two Tests and three ODIs.”I would tell all the players to come to Bangladesh,” Mashrafe said. “I can assure you that you can play cricket here wholeheartedly. You don’t have to think of anything else. It will be a competitive series. Our friendship will get deeper if we play in this series. It is not just about the game. There are a lot of things connected to this series. We are hoping that they would come here to play. From what I have heard, our security forces are giving it the highest attention. I have confidence in them since we have hosted many big tournaments in the recent past.”As a player I would urge for cricket to continue. These incidents are happening all over the world and if we postpone playing now, there will be a time when we would have to stop the game. We all have to keep our faith on the ECB team that visited recently as well as the two boards.”Last month, after the ECB said it would follow government advice on touring Bangladesh following the terror attack in Dhaka on July 1, Mashrafe had said he was hopeful of the tour going ahead. He didn’t rule out communication initiated by Bangladeshi cricketers to urge their English counterparts. He also said that England’s participation in this year’s Under-19 World Cup gave them confidence that the tour will go ahead.”If some of the players have a friendly relationship, they may knock each other. But these things are mainly dealt by the boards, on whom we have to depend upon,” he said. “I believe that the ECB is taking it very seriously, and they will be satisfied with our security plan.”England has been with us from day one and I believe they will be with us now as well. They sent their team to the U19 World Cup.”Mashrafe also said that the Bangladesh players’ body, the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), could still play a role in discussing player safety with their counterpart, the Professional Cricketers’ Association.”I think steps can be taken through our players association, because it does have an impact. Maybe our players’ body isn’t the strongest but I still feel that if there’s an opportunity, we can venture into that avenue too. A lot is at stake here.”
R Ashwin has said that he believes patience will be the key for him and India’s other bowlers on the slow tracks of the West Indies
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20163:28
‘We are prepared for the long haul’ – Ashwin
Offspinner R Ashwin believes patience will be the key for him and India’s other bowlers on the slow tracks of the West Indies. He would have to be “as boring as possible”, Ashwin said, stubbornly sticking to good lines and lengths to get the better of the batsmen during the four-Test series that begins on July 21.”I’m sure it’s going to be challenging because of the kind of wickets, the kind of heat … From whatever I saw in the last [warm-up] game, the wickets were pretty slow,” Ashwin told . “I’m sure I’ll have to be as boring as possible in terms of trying to plug away all day long.”Ashwin did not play India’s first warm-up game, but said he learnt a lot from watching legspinner Amit Mishra – who picked up four wickets – bowl. “[The pitches are] getting slower. If the wickets are going to be tailor-made for us, if it starts spinning, then we come into our own. But until then, it’s all about patience.”The other day you saw Mishy bowl for about 15-16 overs without any wickets, but once he got a breakthrough, he started breaking through at regular intervals. So that’s what we have to look for – especially the first couple of days or probably even three days of the Test match, there is not going to be a lot in it for the spinners. There might be a little bit of bounce or little bit of slowness in the wicket that you can exploit, but it’s got to be pretty boring lines and lengths and keep teasing with your flight.”Ashwin said watching new head coach Anil Kumble bowl in the nets was already benefitting him. He had spoken to Kumble, he said, and knew what the coach expected of him. “He has brought in a lot of meticulousness among the group. There is some very good discipline in the nets. The batsmen get out to the nets at the perfect time for a start, and that’s not been going around for some time [laughs].”And he [Kumble] has already started bowling in the nets, which is something I pick out notes from. So far, he has provided me with a lot of confidence and a lot of responsibility. It’s been more of giving me the license to try and express myself, which is something I really relish. We’ve had a very open chat and he has already told me what he’s looking forward to from me, and I have already told him what I’m looking forward to him teaching me. “With captain Virat Kohli largely preferring a combination that features five bowlers, Ashwin’s batting could also come into play for India. He had been working on it with batting coach Sanjay Bangar, Ashwin said. “That [batting] is something I work very hard on. I have set some goals with the coaching staff, as to what I want to achieve – not just in terms of numbers, but in terms of how correct I can be, how much more solid I can become as a batter.”And that’s a process, because the first phase is to not give your wicket away and then you can accelerate – I’ve got the shots to do it. Sanjay has worked day in and day out with me, and, at last, he seems to be happy with how it’s shaping up.”India play a second warm-up game in Basseterre from July 14, over three days, before heading to Antigua for the first Test.
A key feature in Celtic's recent rise during the Ange Postecoglou regime has been experienced goalkeeper, Joe Hart, with the veteran gem having enjoyed a real career revival at Parkhead over the last 18 months or so.
Having been cast out by Tottenham Hotspur after enduring a difficult few years following his Manchester City exit in 2018, the former England number one was "down on his luck" prior to joining the Old Firm giants in the summer of 2021, as per pundit Alex McLeish.
As it has proved, however, the Shrewsbury native has proven himself a "really great signing" having been "transformed" in the green and white jersey, as per McLeish, having kept 43 clean sheets in 97 games for the Hoops to date.
Now 36, however, and with just over a year to run on his existing deal in Glasgow, it could well be time for the Scottish champions to consider finding a long-term replacement for Hart this summer, with pundit Frank McAvennie having already predicated that the ageing 'keeper will be a "backup next year".
Postecoglou and co could have potentially identified a dream successor to the 75-cap ace in the form of Liverpool rock, Caoimhin Kelleher, with reports last month having suggested that the Bhoys are among the clubs interested in the Republic of Ireland international.
While the suggestion is that the 24-year-old could cost as much as £30m if a permanent deal is to be agreed, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that a loan exit could be on the cards, with the £10k-per-week man looking for "regular minutes" elsewhere.
Would Kelleher be a good signing for Celtic?
Although Kelleher has been forced to play second fiddle to Brazilian superstar, Alisson, at Anfield in recent years, the Cork native has been handed the chance to impress in cup competitions of late, racking up 20 appearances across all fronts since his debut back in 2019.
The 6 foot 2 ace was notably a vital figure in the Merseysiders' Carabao Cup success last season after featuring four times in the competition, notably starting and starring in the shootout victory over Chelsea in the final, having netted what proved to be the winning penalty.
Although chances have been few and far between for the emerging ace of late, the young stopper has certainly made a strong impression on manager Jurgen Klopp, with the German hailing him as "exceptional" after saving three penalties in the League Cup win over Derby County earlier this season.
The Irishman was also praised as an "exceptional goalkeeper" by national team boss Stephen Kenny, albeit with the ten-cap ace seemingly in need of more regular game time if he is to establish himself as the first-choice pick for his country, ahead of Southampton's Gavin Bazunu.
As such, a move to Paradise could be just what is needed for young Kelleher to finally be able to blossom as the starting pick at a club, with that possible swoop allowing Postecoglou to acquire an ideal replacement for the ageing Hart in his side.
Mumbai captain Aditya Tare wants to build on the team’s success; Naman Ojha thinks he has the personnel to challenge the 41-time Ranji champs
The Preview by Arun Venugopal05-Mar-2016If the nature of the competition in the Irani Cup over the last two editions were to be assessed, it wouldn’t reflect too well on the Rest of India sides. Karnataka swamped them by an innings and 222 runs in 2013-14 and followed it up with a 246-run thrashing last season.It is hard to argue against the logic of Ranji Trophy champions being successful; they are, after all, well-drilled units playing together for a considerable length of time and familiar with the winning habit. The Rest of India team, in contrast, is only an assembly of the best players that season, who have very little time to gel as a unit.However, a larger sample size over a longer period does not conform to such ‘logic’.Consider this: Karnataka’s victories have been the only instances of Ranji Trophy champions winning the Irani Cup in the last ten seasons. Mumbai have 15 Irani Cup titles, including one that was shared in 1965-66, but haven’t won in their last seven attempts. The last time they won the Irani Cup was in 1997-98. It is this anomaly that Mumbai, clearly big on history and legacy, is seeking to rectify.”I think our great history inspires us. It’s not easy for any team to win 41 championships,” Aditya Tare, the Mumbai captain, told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the match. “If you see the 50s, 60s and 70s, that’s the time Mumbai dominated for three-four decades. Obviously the biggest attribute of Mumbai cricket is that hunger to win every season. The teams in the past have done that and we have to learn from that and take that legacy forward.”It will be great if we win because it’s been a long time since Mumbai have won the Irani Trophy, so it’s a big motivation to do something special, do a double in the first-class tournaments. It’s going to be a big challenge for us and I think the boys are pumped up. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our talent against a tough opposition.”Tare said his team drew inspiration as much from Mumbai’s proud past as its own achievements in recent times. This synergy, he felt, gave Mumbai an advantage over other sides. “The style of cricket we play, the grit and determination, we have been groomed with that since childhood,” he said. “Even in the [under-]16s and under-19s we have coaches who talk about what teams in the past have achieved.”Having said that, it’s a young team and it’s important we keep motivating ourselves at every level we reach and keep that hunger going strong. In Mumbai everyone is on the same page, everyone wants to win games and everyone wants to keep that tradition going. That’s the difference. It makes us stand out from the other teams.”I think we have got the momentum and it’s not easy for a team [Rest of India] to quickly gel in a day or a two. That’s one thing that adds to our advantage, but by no means we can take the opposition lightly because there are players who have done well throughout the season. So we are wary about it and we are ready for the challenge.”Naman Ojha, the Rest of India captain, on the other hand, played down the relative disadvantage of not having enough time together as a team. “Playing for Rest of India is a great honour,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “They all want to play one level higher, and it would be good for them if they perform here, so automatically focus comes.”Ojha said he was impressed by Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal, Haryana offspinner Jayant Yadav and Assam seamer Krishna Das, and agreed it was a situation where individuals taking greater ownership for their performances would give the team a better shot at success. “I think that’s the only thing [that changes from a Ranji Trophy environment],” he said. “I think we don’t need to tell them [what their roles are]; they know why they are here. They need to do the same things that they are doing with their respective sides.”Mumbai play in a very disciplined manner; that’s the only thing where they are a little ahead of other teams. I think that [the will to counter Mumbai’s discipline] should come from within; if they want to play one level higher they will have to perform here.”There have been some strange omissions from the Rest of India side, like those of KB Arun Karthik, who scored 802 runs for Assam this season, Madhya Pradesh’s Jalaj Saxena (588 runs and 49 wickets) and Kerala’s Rohan Prem (705 runs).Mumbai, on the other hand, have been strengthened by the addition of young batsman Jay Bista, who scored a double century a few days ago to help Mumbai win the Colonel CK Nayudu under-23 trophy.Both Tare and Ojha agreed that performances in high-profile domestic matches like the Irani Cup carried greater weight. “It’s a game that a lot of people watch and pay a lot of attention [to],” Tare said. “If you take wickets or score runs in a Ranji Trophy final or an Irani Trophy game, there is a lot of impact. That’s one incentive I would say that players from both sides will have in this match.”
A constitution provides cricket with stability and protection; in selection processes, in development of domestic cricket, in nurturing of regional associations
Osman Samiuddin26-Mar-2006
Will Shaharyar Khan’s plan of implementing a new constitution finally come through? © Getty Images
Constitutions are not big in Pakistan. The country didn’t have one until 1956 and the one that governs the nation now only arrived in 1973. And this one can argue that toilet paper is accorded greater respect in some countries around the world, such is the fiddling, chopping, changing, misinterpretation and disregard it has faced by various leaders over the years. Cricket is not much better; it has been waiting on a new constitution now since 1999, when, within the second six months of the year, in turn four different men were heads of Pakistan cricket. To this day, the board is run by an ad-hoc committee in constitutional ambiguity.One of the many tasks in current chairman Shaharyar Khan’s in-tray when he took over on 9 December, 2003 was to devise and implement a new constitution. For two years, deadlines were repeatedly set for the constitution to be put into place. In November 2004, in an interview to this website the chairman said it would take three to four months. A few months earlier, in May, he had told , a national daily, the constitution would definitely be in place in three to four months.A draft, created by a body headed by Justice Karamat Bhandari was finally completed in mid-2005 and handed to President Pervez Musharraf (the head of state in Pakistan is Patron of the PCB and has to approve the constitution) in June. Given that he is president and may have more pressing matters at hand, nothing has happened since, no approval, rejection, only more limbo.”I cannot add much to that I am afraid,” Shaharyar told Cricinfo. “Occasionally, I get the impression that the President’s House has sent the constitution out to legal experts to have it vetted. Beyond that I cannot say anything with any certainty.”Is it likely to emerge any time soon, say before the end of the year? “I am fairly confident that something will emerge in the next two to four months. They are moving on this, it’s not lying around gathering dust.” It’s been said before though and only the foolish would rule out it being said again.Is it disappointing then that over two years after having taken over, one of the primary objectives still hasn’t been achieved? “Frankly I won’t say disappointed but I really would prefer that we had one as soon as possible. In the areas where the old constitution is alive, like district level governance, we have held elections. It is only with the executive committee and electing a general body that we haven’t had elections. But our democratic credentials are still better than many boards in that we have had elections in many districts across the country.”It is a rationalisation Pakistan is familiar with; in 2005, local level elections, although widespread, were widely-disputed and there has only been a referendum for the ultimate head of state – the President – in 2002, the results of which were also disputed. Democracy, it is argued by the government, is not so black and white a concept, or indeed one that, one-size-fits-all, can be applied to every nation. Strands of similar reasoning persist in Pakistan cricket, where it is often argued that the centralised and autocratic functioning of the board allows a smoother administration of affairs nationwide, shred of pesky, dissenting regional voices.”We have spread out the decision-making process with the ad-hoc committee which is a good body with sensible people on it. Look around in India and Sri Lanka and the problems they face in running cricket, particularly in India where it is difficult to make decisions because so many voices are there,” says Shaharyar. But there is of course good reason for its speedy implementation, as Shaharyar reiterates, “I would rather we have a constitution, particularly as the new one has improvements in it and covers loopholes, anomalies and contradictions that the older one didn’t.”The safeguards of accountability and transparency a constitution guarantees is vital, as the current administration, dogged by financial scandals after every big home series may appreciate. And as Imran Khan has pointed out more than once, a constitution provides cricket with stability and protection; in selection processes, in development of domestic cricket, in nurturing of regional associations (which this administration has failed to do) all of which have traditionally been problematic areas for Pakistan. Above all, it makes the chances of something like the administrative shambles of 1999 unlikely to happen so easily.The chairman’s own position is likely to come under review if and when the new constitution is approved. Not only is his three-year term coming to an end in December, the draft constitution has also left the process of finding a chairman in the President’s hands. Traditionally they have been appointed directly by the President. “We have left that to the Patron to decide. He can nominate and have all other positions elected, or he can ask candidates to come in and stand for election. Or a mixture as in he nominates a person and the general body approves or disapproves.”My tenure ends in December. We’ll see after that: if the constitution is there and calls for an elected head I don’t want to run for that. If it is a nomination then I might consider it. Logically if I have been there three years then I should stay another three months for the World Cup. It makes sense to see it through till then. I’m not hankering for it though – I have done a few things and a few still need to be done. The constitution is one of them.” As it has been, unfortunately, since the day he took over.