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Real Madrid strolled past a much-changed Sociedad side as two Bernabeu legends marked their farewells with three points

Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Luka Modric received a wonderful farewell as Real Madrid strolled to a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad that will be remembered more for the occasion than the result. Carlo Ancelotti was also able to deliver a victory in his final game in charge before he leaves the Liga giants and takes over as Brazil head coach.

Indeed, the game felt like a procession from the first minute. Madrid had nothing to play for, and it showed. They had most of the ball, without doing much with it and it was a stroke of luck that gave them the lead after a VAR-aided decision saw Los Blancos handed a very soft penalty. Mbappe stepped up, had his first effort saved but tucked the rebound home with ease – his 30th goal of the league season.

It was otherwise a relatively quiet affair. Madrid probed for opportunities, the excellent Arda Guler finding pockets of space and sharp angles. La Real, who benched some of their main men, occasionally threatened without ever truly looking like they would score.

Mbappe made it two after 84 minutes, smashing one in at the near post after a fine pass from the returning Vinicius Junior but the game will ultimately be remembered for the man who was subbed off late on, a guard of honour greeting Modric as he strolled off the Bernabeu pitch for the final time.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players following their final game of the 2024-25 La Liga season…

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Andriy Lunin (6/10):

Made one good save and pretty much had nothing else to do.

Lucas Vazquez (6/10):

In the XI for what will likely be his last game at the Bernabeu. Enjoyed a nice send-off from the home fans.

Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

A solid shift at centre-back, where he looks more and more comfortable. He will hope he won't have to play there much next season, though.

Raul Asencio (5/10):

Not the best afternoon at the back, as he was rather dragged around. He will have to fight for a spot next year.

Fran Garcia (7/10):

Sprinted up and down the right with ease, and got involved in some creative stuff, too. Is he first choice next year? Time will tell.

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Federico Valverde (7/10):

Sat at the base of midfield in the first half, drove forward a bit more in the second. Spent a lot of his time dumping the ball off to Modric after winning it back.

Luka Modric (7/10):

Completed 106 passes, did some lovely stuff on the ball, and marked his Bernabeau finale with a wonderful send-off.

Dani Ceballos (6/10):

Made 18 passes into the final third but was badly exposed defensively at times.

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Brahim Diaz (6/10):

Had some energetic moments, created a couple of chances, then exited due to injury.

Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

Buzzed around without Vinicius Jr, missed a penalty, but then grabbed his goal. Added a second goal to take his tally to 31 and is now pretty much assured of claiming the European Golden Shoe.

Arda Guler (7/10):

Found all sorts of pockets of space and created chances. He's got real attacking quality.

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Jesus Vallejo (6/10):

Another 40 minutes for the forgotten man.

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

On the ball a lot but did a good job of losing it in his half hour of action. Assisted Mbappe's second.

Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Chema Andres (N/A):

Will be remembered as the guy who replaced Modric on his Madrid farewell.

Carlo Ancelotti (8/10):

Said goodbye to Madrid with three points. An appropriate scoreline for a club legend.

Offspinner Todd Murphy is likely to play the Oval Test after missing out at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan24-Jul-20231:48

Pat Cummins admits it’s a ‘bit of a strange one’

Mitchell Marsh’s fitness could determine whether Cameron Green is dropped for the first time in his Test career for the final Ashes Test at The Oval.Marsh, who helped Australia negotiate 30 overs on Saturday at Old Trafford alongside Marnus Labuschagne, was nursing some soreness during the game and did not bowl on the third day.He and Green, whose absence from the Headingley Test because a minor hamstring injury opened the door for Marsh to flay a century, were both accommodated in Australia’s XI for the Old Trafford Test by the omission of Todd Murphy – the first time Australia had not fielded a specialist spinner in 11 years – but he is likely to return for the last Test.Related

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If Marsh is unable to bowl Green’s position might be safe although Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald said runs were the most important factor for whoever bats No. 6. However, having that extra pace option has been vital in managing the workload of the main quicks.”The team has played three quicks and one spinner and we have gone that way numerous times in the past,” McDonald said. “We have had the luxury of allrounders, or in particular Cameron Green, that’s changed the shape of the team over time. Runs were premium first and foremost.”Green’s challenging AshesGreen has struggled to find fluency with the bat on this tour, where he has averaged 19.14 against India and England and was again tentative at Old Trafford, though he got a borderline lbw decision against Chris Woakes in the first innings.So far in his 24-match Test career, the only games Green has missed have been through injury – a broken finger suffered against South Africa last December which also ruled him out of the start of the India series, then the hamstring niggle on this tour.Mitchell Marsh followed his Headingley hundred with more runs at Old Trafford•Clive Mason/Getty Images Green has only had two nights at home in almost six months, having followed the India tour with a full IPL for Mumbai Indians. It was after that campaign that he squeezed in a brief trip back to Perth and joined Australia’s training camp in the UK a couple of days later than others.”He’s had a different experience,” McDonald said. “He’s had the IPL, and people probably draw some conclusions that that’s affected the way he’s gone about things here. But…I think he’s in a good space. I think you’ll see a lot of our batters are working on the right things, and the way they go about it runs are just around the corner.”IPL adds new layer for all-format GreenIn the last 12 months Green has become an all-format player and secured a huge AUD$3.15 million deal at the IPL, where he went on to score his maiden T20 hundred when he smashed 100 off 47 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.”He’s still young, he’s still learning his trade, this is his first time in these conditions,” Labuschagne said during the Old Trafford Test. “With the IPL there wasn’t heaps of time to adjust but I think he’s doing a good job.”Last year Green spoke about the challenge of switching between formats when he was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad and then had a slow start to his Test season. On that occasion the lack of time in the middle was a factor with him being largely unused during the World Cup, only playing the final game against Afghanistan. He was also unable to play any Sheffield Shield cricket.It’s a situation that may confront him again this year with the ODI World Cup in October and November, though there is a possibility he won’t be selected for the T20 series in India which follows that tournament and may be able to get some Shield cricket for Western Australia ahead of the Test series against Pakistan.However, there is a good chance that Marsh now has the lead in the allrounder pecking order after his impressive return to Test cricket – a thrilling century at Headingley and two important innings at Old Trafford.Neser could come into consideration for The OvalAlongside Marsh, Australia will also assess the fitness of Mitchell Starc after he landed heavily on his shoulder during the second day’s play, though he was able to resume bowling the following morning. What appeared to also be a leg problem has been attributed to cramp.If there was a need to change the pace attack, Michael Neser could play his first match of the series ahead of Scott Boland, who has largely been dominated by England.”[There were] two separate incidents where he dived and landed on the point of his shoulder…then the other one he slipped down on the rope and sort of extended the shoulder joint,” McDonald said of Starc. “So he’s looking worse for wear and a little bit sore. All indications are that he’ll be right to go but that’ll be assessed.”Everyone’s on the table, every selection. And Michael [Neser] knows that. He was a serious consideration here and he was under consideration at Leeds also, so you’re always sort of balancing those who are up and running in the series versus freshness.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da fazobetai： O corpo do ex-jogador e ídolo do futebol mineiro, Jair Bala, foi velado, na manhã e tarde desta quarta-feira (28), no Estádio Independência, em Belo Horizonte. Vários ex-atletas participaram das últimas homenagens.

RelacionadasAmérica MineiroJogadores e dirigentes do América-MG lamentam morte de Jair BalaAmérica Mineiro27/12/2022América MineiroÍdolo do América-MG, Jair Bala será velado na Arena IndependênciaAmérica Mineiro27/12/2022Fora de CampoRevelado no América Mineiro, Richarlison lamenta morte de Jair BalaFora de Campo27/12/2022

da dobrowin： Estiveram no velório no Estádio Independência ex-jogadores conhecidos em Belo Horizonte, como Euller, que jogou no Atlético-MG e América-MG, além de Reinaldo, ídolo alvinegro, e Ronaldo Luiz. O local chegou a ficar cheio em alguns momentos, com cerca de 200 pessoas prestando a última homenagem.

Após o velório, o corpo foi sepultado em cerimônia em local reservado a amigos mais íntimos e familiares.

Jair Bala morreu aos 79 anos, vítima de um Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC). Ele fez história com a camisa do América-MG e foi o responsável por substituir Pelé após o milésimo gol. Ele passou ainda por Flamengo, Ponte Preta, Palmeiras, Bahia e Paysandu. Desde 2000, Bala era um dos defensores do Coelho no programa ‘Alterosa Esporte’.

MCC criticised for hosting annual Eton-Harrow fixture but solitary women’s ODI since 2017

Matt Roller26-Jun-2023The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) were “alarmed” by the “truly appalling” fact that England Women have never played a Test match at Lord’s, making the damning assertion that: “The ‘home of cricket’ is still a home principally for men.”In a 317-page report published on Tuesday, the ICEC highlighted the “public function” of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the private members’ club which owns Lord’s and said that recent decisions made by the club’s members have sent “a very public signal about the club’s values”.Specifically, the ICEC recommended to MCC that the annual Eton-Harrow and Oxford-Cambridge fixtures should no longer be staged at Lord’s after 2023, and that they should be replaced by a national Under-15 state school finals’ day for boys and girls, and a national university finals’ day for men’s and women’s teams.”We respect and value many of the traditions of cricket generally, and Lord’s in particular, but not all,” the commission wrote in its report. “Some no longer have a place in contemporary Britain.”Guaranteeing a tiny number of schoolboys the right to play at Lord’s every year when millions of children are denied that right is completely unacceptable. So too is the fact that the schoolboys of two expensive and elite institutions get to play at Lord’s every year when the England Women’s national team have yet to play a Test Match there.”The Oxford and Cambridge match has also had its time and should no longer be played at Lord’s. It sends a similar message of elitism, entrenching the position of certain institutions to which only a small minority of school pupils will gain access.”Related

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England Women have played at Lord’s only once in any format since they won the 2017 World Cup final there six years ago – though are due to return on July 8 for the third T20I of the ongoing Ashes series.England Men, by contrast, have played two Tests and at least one limited-overs international at Lord’s every year since 2000 – except for the pandemic-affected 2020 summer.Richard Thompson, ECB chair, told BBC Radio 4’s programme: “That’s unacceptable, and we’re going to ensure that there will be a Test match by the England Women in 2026 – and that should have happened sooner. So that has been addressed and will be addressed in 2026 when we also host the Women’s T20 World Cup which is a real moment for women’s sport in this country. Clearly, we hope that will be a celebration of cricket.”The commission highlighted the successful attempt by MCC members to challenge the decision of the club’s committee to move the “historic fixtures” away from Lord’s as “an illustration… of the obstacles placed in the way of those seeking to modernise the game”.It added: “MCC may be a private members’ club, in which some members may resent ‘interference’ with their right to make their own decisions, but it is also a club that benefits from substantial amounts of money from the general public through ticket sales for major matches, with all the accompanying publicity and prestige.”Those who argue for the continuation of the Historic Fixtures do not seem to understand the damage they are doing to the reputation of MCC and Lord’s in the public imagination – compounding a view, whether fair or not, that MCC members are out of touch, elitist and unrepresentative of both the wider population and those who play cricket.”As the game strives to become more inclusive, as it clearly must, decisions such as these at ‘the home of cricket’ do more harm than some people appear to realise.”Lord’s was also singled out as the only major venue in the country that does not permit the use of musical instruments, which the commission gave as an example of “ways in which authorities have sought to sanitise the atmosphere at grounds”, saying the ban “had a disproportionate impact on ethnically diverse communities, particularly those from Caribbean communities”.In a statement, the MCC Chief Executive & Secretary, Guy Lavender said: “Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) received the report published by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) earlier today. We recognise that it will make very difficult reading for everyone involved in cricket in this country. This is a vitally important piece of work and all stakeholders in the game must now reflect on the contents of the report.”MCC is named in the report and we will be analysing the findings in detail. We are committed to playing our part in ensuring cricket is the most inclusive sport in this country and that Lord’s is a place where everyone feels welcome.”

Two 25-year-olds come to watch an MLC game to just knock off a bucket list item, only to return home as cricket fans

Peter Della Penna17-Jul-2023The national anthem had just finished playing at the Grand Prairie Stadium, and night three of Major League Cricket in Texas was moments away from the first ball. As the players took the field, a pair of 25-year-olds with a Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers jersey and a Ronald Acuna Jr. Atlanta Braves jersey walked with cups of beer in their hands toward their seats on the north side of the stadium.”Never been [to a cricket match and we’re] sports guys so I was like we might as well go watch it one time, go watch some ball and stick,” Parker Janse, who played shortstop and second base for the Stephen F Austin University college baseball team in Nacogdoches – known as the Lumberjacks – said. “I live in Dallas, it’s on the way home. We’ll stop by for the cricket for a little bit.”Janse, along with his dad Kevin – a Dallas police officer – and friend Jeremy Rodriguez, a former team-mate at Stephen F. Austin who is now on the coaching staff for the baseball team as the director of analytics and player development, were along for the ride. Earlier in the day, Janse paid US $325 for seats in the fourth row behind home plate as a birthday gift for his dad to watch the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-0. The game ended at 5.35pm, plenty of time to drive seven miles towards Dallas and stop off to buy a $30 ticket at the Grand Prairie Stadium to see San Francisco Unicorns take on Seattle Orcas.Related

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“Before this morning, nothing,” Janse said, when asked what he knew about cricket, other than that he also had an ex-girlfriend whose surname was Cricket. “We watched a few YouTube videos to get us ready for it. Kind of like a bucket list thing. We love all sports. We’re all in with the Orcas. Save the Orcas! They were handing these flags out [at the entrance gates] so it just solidified that we were going for them. We didn’t know who was playing until we walked in.””That’s not true,” Rodriguez cut in. “I texted you and said it was the Unicorns and the Orcas.””I thought that was a joke.””I was being dead serious.””I did not realise that it was actually the Unicorns vs the Orcas.””You wanna know something crazy?” Rodriguez, who is originally from Houston but now lives in Nacogdoches, 180 miles southeast of Grand Prairie, asked. “When we played baseball, we played here at the Airhogs Stadium before it became a cricket place. We used to play here a lot, actually. There used to be a swimming pool over there.” Rodriguez pointed to an area behind what used to be the outfield fence where part of the original entertainment zone, including a pool, had been removed to accommodate the renovation of the facility for cricket.A few minutes into play, Quinton de Kock tried to flick over the leg side and was bowled, drawing the first reaction out of Janse.”Ohhhh! A wicket! He’s out!” Janse shouted.”That’s our guy though,” Rodriguez shouted back. “We’re on the Orcas. So that’s not very exciting… We also know how to read the scoreboard now. Nine runs for one out for Seattle right now. The bowlers get six pitches and then they have to rotate.”A few minutes later, Orcas were back on track as Nauman Anwar hit a four back down the ground off Carmi le Roux straight towards Janse and Rodriguez.MLC staffer Christopher White shows a cricket ball for new fans and former college baseball players Jeremy Rodriguez and Parker Janse to get a feel of•Peter Della Penna”Ohhh, that’s gonna bounce over the fence. That’s gonna be four!” Janse shouted as he grabbed his Orcas flag and started waving it vigorously. “That’s four! How do you make an Orca sound? Arrrrr Arrrr Arrrr!!!” As Tajinder Singh Dhillon went to retrieve the ball near the boundary rope, Janse broke out the baseball fan-style trash talk. “Hey Dhillon! Probably wish you were on the Orcas, huh pal!”After a brisk start though, Anwar got out to a short ball he struggled to fend away, popping it up tamely to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. Rodriguez didn’t hold back with his disappointment while looking at the replay on the stadium’s giant video board.”Oh, look at that checked swing, Jesus Christ,” Rodriguez blurted out before screaming towards Anwar walking off, “Hey! If you’re gonna swing the bat, swing it! Let’s go!””He got jammed!” Janse argued.”I don’t care if he got jammed. Get your bat through the zone and let it rip!”In the eighth over, cricket’s two newest fans were busy heckling Unicorns fielder Chaitanya Bishnoi. He was wearing jersey number 10 and was being shuffled around moving from deep fine leg to being asked to come back to field inside the 30-yard circle at short fine leg. “Ohhh… he is lost! Get this guy a map! Get this guy a map!” Janse shouted.But then Janse and Rodriguez saw something they had never come across on a baseball field. Shehan Jayasuriya walked across his stumps to play a ramped flick wide of the wicketkeeper for four. Initially, Janse and Rodriguez were slightly confused as Janse proclaimed, “I thought it was a foul ball to the backstop, but it’s four runs.” Then the replay of the shot was shown from the stump cam angle, eliciting a greater reaction.”Oh, my god. That was electric! That was electric!” Janse shouted before praising Jayasuriya’s shot selection further. “That’s situational hitting. He knew that number 10 was lost. He heard me tell him to get a map, so he knew that it was open out here.”At the end of the eighth over, Marcus Stoinis, wearing jersey number 17 for Unicorns, arrived nearby to field on the long-off boundary. Janse and Rodriguez didn’t hesitate to engage him.

“It’s quite a personal stadium in terms of like you can interact with the crowd. The crowd feels close, and you can hear what they’re saying and stuff like that, so it’s good to have a chat.”Marcus Stoinis

“Seventeen, I need your bicep curl routine,” Janse shouted. “That’s a hammer curl guy. You do a lot of hammers, a lotta hammer curls.”Stoinis couldn’t help but crack a smile before making the hammer curl motion while looking at Janse and Rodriguez, prompting the latter to scream, “Yeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!””I can tell you’re rippin the hammer curls,” Janse shouted out again before turning to Rodriguez with further analysis. “He’s 100% jacked. He’s humongous. He would eat me.”A short while after this exchange, two MLC employees came by to say hello to these passionate and boisterous first-time fans. They were Christopher White, brother of Unicorns squad member David White, and Zubin Surkari. When Janse and Rodriguez were informed that Surkari’s most famous cricket moment was being hit in the box by a 95 mph full toss from Shaun Tait when Canada played Australia in the 2011 World Cup in India, Janse went straight to his phone to look it up on YouTube.Rodriguez: “Oh my god. You look in agony! You’re in so much pain.”Janse: “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…. Oh my god. I’m so sorry! Ohhhhhhhhh….”Rodriguez: “Are you friends with that guy?”Surkari: “He bought me a beer afterward.”Rodriguez: “How many sixes did you hit off him?”Surkari: “I was out next ball.”

****

A few overs later, new batter Shimron Hetmyer skied a chance over short third where Haris Rauf, wearing jersey number 97 for Unicorns, backpedalled but couldn’t hold on to a chance. As the ball was in the air, Janse could see it was going to be a tough one.”You’re not catching that…. Told you! Ohhhhhhh…. Butterfingers!” Janse shouted. “Lay off the chicken wings there 97!””Ninety-seven in speed, zero in ball skills!” Rodriguez layered on top. “It was a can of corn. All he had to do is lay out.”In the next over, Stoinis was back fielding on the long-off boundary where he ran to his right to make an athletic stop, drawing more praise.”That’s great fielding there, 17,” Janse shouted. “Yes, sir! Way to push through the ball. Yes, sir! Hammer curls! Hammmeerrrrr currrrrrlsssssss!!!”Yo 17! How many sixes you got in you today?! Five, four?””Hopefully a few!” Stoinis shouted back in between a few laughs.”I think that means four in Australian,” Rodriguez said. “He’s gotta be my favorite player. He’s 17. Hammer curls. He’s sick. He’s ripped out of his mind. You know what? I think he just requested a trade to the Orcas. He’ll be on the Orcas by the end of the week. Is there a trade deadline coming up? Don’t worry, he’s gonna be there.”Marcus Stoinis: ‘It’s great that the American crew are getting engaged with cricket’•SportzpicsA quick Google search on the phone revealed that Stoinis was nicknamed “Oil”, allegedly because his Australian team-mates caught him greasing up tanning oil in the mirror. It only endeared him to Janse and Rodriguez even more as they watched him run from long-on to long-off, pulling double-duty fielding on the straight boundary alternating between overs.”I love this guy. I love him so much,” Janse said. “He’s the center fielder, basically. That’s Mike Trout. Their best fielder and hits with some ammo. So, he’s our favourite player. We’re 100% gonna watch his highlights when we get home.”Janse and Rodriguez watched Stoinis bowl the 17th over, cheering on by shouting “Oil! Oilllllll!!” as they got up and walked next to the sightscreen before leaving to go home for the night. After looking to just knock off a bucket list item, they want to come to the stadium and watch more cricket in the future. Stoinis and Unicorns may have lost on the night, but he won two new Texan cricket fans.”It was a few good interactions,” Stoinis told ESPNcricinfo after the game when asked about his particular exchanges with Janse and Rodriguez. “A bit of the usual sort of gym questions, bicep questions and that sort of stuff. So it was good fun, good energy and good supporters. This was much less hostile. This was good banter. Usually, it’s a passionate supporter from the other team in the other country. It’s quite a personal stadium in terms of like you can interact with the crowd. The crowd feels close, and you can hear what they’re saying and stuff like that, so it’s good to have a chat with a few of the fans.”I just think it’s great that the American crew are getting engaged with it, and they obviously understand pretty quickly how the sport is going. Even just talking to a few of the security guys, they were loving it. I asked one of them if their mates would be interested in watching cricket and if they’d come down to these games and they said ‘absolutely’. So it was nice. It feels like it’s being received well. It’s exciting for cricket to be played in the US, so hopefully, more and more people come and check it out.”

Once, there was a future. Now, there is nothing. But still, “cricket can be a life for me”, she hopes

Firdose Moonda27-Apr-20227:07

Roya Samim: I play cricket because I know it’s my future

Roya Samim has finally represented Afghanistan in a cricket match.Virtually, that is.Her avatar, so to say, turned out in an Afghanistan shirt, with her name, a number and the Afghanistan flag on it, for an e-sports contest organised by Global eSports that was an act of protest against the fact that there is no real national Afghanistan women’s team. They played against Australia in a virtual women’s World Cup final, and lost, just like all the teams that played Australia in the actual tournament.But it was not about the result at all.Related

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“Anyone who played that game showed that they stand with us,” 28-year-old Samim told ESPNcricinfo from her home in Canada. “It’s like a candle-light protest, but instead of lighting a candle, it’s playing cricket. And it reminded people that we are here. We exist. I cannot play on the national ground but I played virtually, and when I see that, I am just proud of myself that ‘Yes, I was in the Afghanistan team’.”Samim became interested, and involved, in cricket as an adult, playing with her siblings despite the raised eyebrows of those in their community, who said “cricket is not for you [girls/women]”. Mostly, they played indoors in their home in Afghanistan, but found like-minded enthusiasts, and in 2019, began campaigning for a professional women’s cricket set-up. At the time, Samim was working as a mathematics teacher, but “hoped that cricket could become my career”.By November 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) was convinced enough to roll out contracts for 25 women, with the plan that they would slowly progress to playing competitive fixtures.Though the board indicated it would take time to get a women’s team on the park, given the cultural and traditional norms in Afghanistan, Samim saw attitudes shifting around her.Roya Samim brushes up on her forward defensive•Roya Samim”There were people that accepted us, appreciated us, and said we can do it,” she said. “There were those who allowed their girls to go to the school, to go to cricket, and to go to other sports. It was becoming acceptable.”Spurred on by the pockets of support they got, the group of Afghan women trained as hard as they could. “We had professional coaches – the trainers for the international men’s team, they trained us too,” Samim recalled. “The ACB provided us with camps and three or four days of training in a week. We had two teams and we played against each other. We made ourselves professional.”We spent seven or eight hours a day on cricket. First, we’d go to the ACB headquarters, then we’d go to the [Victory Cricket] academy, then we’d go to the fitness clubs. We wanted to be professional and we developed a lot.”In that time, there was some talk of organising matches against Oman or Bangladesh but that never came to fruition. In fact, nothing did. “Not even six months of our contract was complete when the Taliban came and everything was destroyed.”The Taliban’s political takeover in Afghanistan began in May 2021, and escalated in August. In the space of a week, they claimed territory from Kunduz to Kabul and it was during that period that Samim decided she had to reconsider her options.”At the time, the Taliban had more than two provinces and the big city of Herat. We were just afraid. I went to my cricket manager and said, ‘If you know that cricket can go ahead and there will be peace, I will not leave’, to which she replied, ‘No, I cannot guarantee that, and the situation is not good for girls, so you should leave’. That’s when we left Kabul,” Samim said. “Three days afterwards, the Taliban took [over] Afghanistan. We were in a hotel and my team-mates called me and they cried.”Everything – any dream, any wishes, any hope that me and my team-mates had – was gone. It was such a bad situation. When I remember now, I just want to cry.”While many of Samim’s team-mates remained in Afghanistan, she made it to Canada with “only two pieces of clothing”. Her brother and two sisters joined her, but she had another brother in a different country. She has had to adjust to many things, not least the “completely different weather”, and has just been through a winter with “lots of ice and lots of snow” as well as the loss of both her cricketing and professional career.

“Women’s education is really important for any country. If you want to change the future, you have to have women’s education”Samim on how difficult it has been for women in Afghanistan

“It’s really hard to explain how my life is. In Afghanistan, I had a good career and I had other things. I had friends, and my team,” she said. “When people saw me, they were proud of me. Here, I had to start from zero. But I started because I feel that I am so strong, I can handle anything. I have some friends, I started playing cricket, I started working. I’ve got many friends. Everything is going normal. Well, I want to pretend it’s normal.”Samim has stopped teaching and is now a settlement worker who aims to help other refugees. She laments the loss of learning opportunities for women in Afghanistan but hopes to keep the conversation alive by speaking about it.”When I heard that the Taliban were not going to allow girls to go to school and I wasn’t in Afghanistan to stand against it, I just cried,” she said. “I can’t do anything. It’s so hard, because education – especially women’s education – is really important for any country. If you want to change the future, you have to have women’s education. It is really hard to see that we have completely lost our country. It’s really hard but we can’t do anything. I just raise my voice like this.”Similarly, she is also keeping her cricket ambitions burning and has found a place for it: Fredericton Cricket Club in New Brunswick. She hopes it will open doors for her to play elsewhere – including franchise leagues – and appeals to anyone who has an opportunity to provide it.”Any small chances that are given to us as cricket players, we will be happy,” she said. “Even a trial, if people want to give it to us, we are ready. I play cricket because I know that it’s my future. Sometime in the future maybe I will get into a national team. I am really working for this. I am really training hard. I have lost everything, so cricket can be a life for me.”Samim aims to play for another five to seven years before turning her attention to coaching. With so much invested in cricket, she does not want to see Afghanistan shunned from the world stage. She supports the men’s team in continuing to play rather than face any sanctions, and believes it brings joy to Afghans, wherever they might be.”I would like the men to continue to play. I don’t want the situation to have an effect on them. They are the only team that can bring some happiness in my country. It’s only cricket, not other sports [do that]. It’s good that they continue.”And she hopes one day she will be able to join them in real life in a match for Afghanistan.”To go home now is impossible because the Taliban don’t accept me and I don’t accept them. But if anything changes – for example, maybe they will allow girls to play cricket – [and] if there are matches, I should be there. It’s my country.”

Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie are in both ODI and T20I squads after missing the Test tour of India

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2025Ackeem Auguste has earned a first call-up to West Indies’ ODI squad for the white-ball tour of Bangladesh in the second half of October, as replacement for Evin Lewis who has been ruled out with an injured wrist.Khary Pierre, who made his Test debut in the first match against India earlier this month in Ahmedabad, has earned a recall to the ODI side as the third spinner alongside Gudakesh Motie and allrounder Roston Chase, while Alick Athanaze has also made a return to the squad after playing his 13th and last ODI in December last year.”The selection of Ackeem reflects the pathway Cricket West Indies is creating for our emerging players who have shown the qualities to perform at the international level,” head coach Daren Sammy said in a CWI statement. “He is a player for the future, one who has progressed from Under-15s to the senior level, and another Academy graduate to feature in an international squad this year.”

West Indies tour of Bangladesh

1st ODI – October 18, Dhaka
2nd ODI – October 21, Dhaka
3rd ODI – October 23, Dhaka
1st T20I – October 27, Chattogram
2nd T20I – October 29, Chattogram
3rd T20I – October 31, Chattogram

Also included for both the ODIs and the T20Is is Shamar Joseph, who missed the Test tour of India, along with Alzarri Joseph, because of an injury, the nature of which CWI didn’t disclose at the time. Motie is another player who missed the Test tour of India as West Indies wanted to manage his workload in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup early next year.The Bangladesh series will be the penultimate one of the year for West Indies.”The squad assembled will strive to maintain a winning mentality and strong team cohesion, essential components for long-term success ahead of the World Cup,” Sammy said. “Facing Bangladesh provides another opportunity to earn crucial points in our push for automatic qualification to the showpiece event.”Ramon Simmonds has been on the rise in recent months•CPL T20 via Getty Images

For the T20Is, left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds and Amir Jangoo have been included in the squad. While Jangoo has been picked as the back-up wicketkeeper-batter to captain Shai Hope, it’s a continuation of a steady rise for Simmonds, who picked up 13 wickets for Barbados Royals in the recent CPL 2025 and then returned 4 for 15 in only his second T20I, against Nepal last month.Related

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In what CWI called “a concerted effort to provide players with valuable exposure to subcontinent conditions in advance of the series”, Motie, Keacy Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, Auguste and Jangoo will train at the Chennai Super Kings Academy prior to the Bangladesh series.”With the 2026 T20 World Cup around the corner, it is important for our players to get as much practice as possible in these conditions, with that tournament being held in India and Sri Lanka,” CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe said. “In addition to the important aspect of acclimatisation, the camp will feature skill and tactical training and development specific to those conditions, which is critical to preparing the players ahead of this series as well as next year’s World Cup.”The tour of Bangladesh will start with the three ODIs, on October 18, 21 and 23, all in Dhaka, followed by the three T20Is in Chattogram on October 27, 29 and 31.

West Indies ODI squad for tour of Bangladesh

Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd

West Indies T20I squad for tour of Bangladesh

Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Ramon Simmonds

كشف مورينا راموريبولي، المدير الفني لمنتخب بوتسوانا، عن اختياراته للأفضل في القارة الإفريقية لعام 2025، مشيرًا إلى أن الموسم شهد تألقًا لافتًا لعدد من الأسماء في المنتخبات والأندية الكبرى.

وأكد راموريبولي في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات، أن المنافسة كانت قوية بين لاعبين ومدربين قدموا مستويات مميزة في البطولات القارية والدولية، مشيدًا بتطور الكرة الإفريقية في السنوات الأخيرة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بول بوت مدرب أوغندا يكشف عبر “بطولات” اختياراته لـ الأفضل في إفريقيا 2025 اختيارات مورينا راموريبولي مدرب بوتسوانا للأفضل في إفريقيا 2025

أفضل نادٍ في إفريقيا: بيراميدز (مصر)

قال: “فريق منظم ومتطور، ونجح في فرض نفسه على الساحة القارية خلال وقت قصير”.

أفضل منتخب: جنوب إفريقيا

أوضح: “يمتلك مشروعًا طويل المدى ويقدم كرة جماعية مميزة انعكست في نتائجه الأخيرة”.

أفضل لاعب صاعد: تايلون سميث (جنوب إفريقيا)

علق: “مدافع عصري يجيد التمرير الطويل والقصير، ويتعامل بثقة مع الالتحامات، مستقبل كبير ينتظره”.

أفضل مدرب: محمد وهبي (مدرب منتخب المغرب تحت 20 عامًا)

قال: “قاد منتخب المغرب الشاب إلى كأس العالم، وحقق الفوز على منتخبات قوية بفضل فكر تدريبي متطور”.

أفضل مهاجم: فيستون مايلي

أوضح: “مهاجم شرس وعدواني سجل أهدافًا حاسمة قادت فريقه للتتويج بدوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

أفضل حارس مرمى: رونوين ويليامز

أكد: “قدم أداءً رائعًا مع ناديه ومنتخب بلاده، ويتميز بقدرته على اللعب من الخلف وتوزيع الكرات بدقة”.

أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا: أشرف حكيمي

اختتم قائلاً: “نجم عالمي يجمع بين القوة الدفاعية والفاعلية الهجومية، عنصر أساسي في نجاح فريقه ومنتخب بلاده”.

da doce： Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be keen to use this summer as a chance to bring several high-profile players to the Midlands.

da 888casino： The club won’t play in the Champions League next term, but this will hopefully only be a short-term blip as far as Emery is concerned.

Players such as Jadon Sancho, Tyler Dibling, and Barcelona star Fermin Lopez have been linked with a move to Villa Park this summer.

All three would be excellent signings, but perhaps signing a centre-back should be the main priority so early in the transfer window.

Aston Villa chase move for Barcelona defender

Lopez isn’t the only Barcelona player that Emery is keen to bring to the Premier League this summer.

Indeed, defender Andreas Christensen looks like he could be set to leave the La Liga giants, and Aston Villa are one of the clubs linked with a move for the centre-back, as per The Birmingham Mail.

The Dane has a year left on his current deal, and the Catalan side could be set to accept bids of around €20m (£17m) for the player. This is certainly a far cry from his reported €500m release clause, making it a potential bargain for the Villans.

At the time of writing, Villa have just three senior centre-backs on their books. Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa are certainly at the peak of their powers, but Tyrone Mings is 32 and appears to be on the wane.

Might Christensen be an upgrade on the Englishman?

Why Aston Villa must sign Andreas Christensen

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Mings has featured only 23 times for Villa due to injury.

There is no doubt the 32-year-old is a solid option to call upon, but might his time at the club be coming to an end?

Both Mings and Christensen have suffered their share of injury problems in recent years. To truly compare the two, you have to go back to the 2022/23 season.

Comparing Mings and Christensen in 2022/23 per 90 (domestic stats only)

Metric

Mings

Christensen

Accurate passes

46

61.1

Tackles

0.4

0.9

Total duels won

3

3

Interceptions

1.5

0.9

Clearances

4.5

2

Possession lost

8.6

4.5

Using FBref, Christensen not only registered more shots per 90 (0.51 vs 0.2) than Mings, but the Barcelona star also registered a higher pass completion percentage (94% vs 85.2%), won more tackles (15 vs seven), tackled a higher percentage of dribblers (62.5% vs 45%) and received fewer cautions (two vs seven) in their respective defensive leagues.

Although these stats may be from a couple of seasons ago, it proves that when both are fit and healthy, it is Christensen who is the better player.

Lauded as a “cheat code” by journalist Domagoj Kostanjsak in 2023, the former Chelsea man racked up a total of 93 Premier League appearances during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

Given the fact that he is also three years younger than Mings, bringing Christensen to Villa Park, especially for a fee below £20m, could be an impressive piece of business for Emery.

His qualities would allow Emery to sign a competent defender who knows the top flight inside out. Therefore, it must be a deal he is looking to complete sooner rather than later.

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Posts 1 ByBen Gray Jun 20, 2025

Kusal Mendis is in outstanding form, Pathum Nissanka has had fantastic outings, Avishka Fernando has been spectacular, and Kusal Perera has made a strong comeback. On top of which, Kamindu Mendis seems in good touch too.This is all on based on Lanka Premier League (LPL) performances, that new Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka regards as the gold standard in T20 cricket on the island.The LPL concluded only on Sunday, with Asalanka’s Jaffna Kings side taking home the trophy. Top order batters flourished in that competition. Asalanka has suggested that Kamindu – who also bowled with both arms during the LPL – has sewn up the No. 4 spot, having hit 287 runs at a strike rate of 157 through the tournament.Related

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But then there are still four batters vying for the top three spots. As Asalanka said: “There are four openers in the squad, and the way I’m thinking three of them will make up the top three. One of them will have to miss out.”Those four: