Mayank Markande, who made an impressive IPL debut last year for Mumbai Indians, had played only three matches for the franchise in 2019
ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2019Mumbai Indians, the IPL 2019 champions, have added West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford to their squad, after trading legspinner Mayank Markande to Delhi Capitals.Rutherford is known for his big-hitting abilities. Playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in his debut season of the Caribbean Premier League last year, Rutherford made a mark against Trinbago Knight Riders, smashing a 13-ball 45 with six sixes and a four, in a match-winning partnership with Shimron Hetmyer. His overall run tally in CPL 2018 was 171 runs at a strike rate of 142.5 and he earned a call-up to West Indies’ T20I side on the India tour, going on to make his international debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in December.Capitals bought Rutherford for INR 2 crore from a base price of INR 40 lakh in the December 2018 auction, and one of the most impactful performances from the 20-year-old came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, when he scored a 13-ball 28 and took the wicket of AB de Villiers with his medium pace.Markande played only three matches for Mumbai in IPL 2019, after a solid debut season last year where he finished as the team’s third-highest wicket-taker, with 15 dismissals in 14 matches. He now joins Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane and Rahul Tewatia to form a legspinning quartet for Capitals to choose from.From Mumbai’s point of view, young legspinner Rahul Chahar had a breakthrough season in 2019, picking up 13 wickets in 13 games with an economy rate of 6.55, and Markande ended up picking just one wicket and going for plenty – 59 runs in six overs, perhaps making the second leggie surplus to their requirements.But they will now have to offload at least one overseas player, with Rutherford’s acquisition taking the number up to nine.
اختتم فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي تدريباته مساء اليوم الجمعة على ملعب التتش بالجزيرة، وذلك استعدادًا لمواجهة جورماهيا الكيني غدًا، ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال إفريقيا.
ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة جورماهيا الكيني في إياب دور الـ32 من المسابقة القارية والمحدد لها السابعة مساء غد السبت على استاد القاهرة.
وعقد مارسيل كولر المدير الفني للفريق محاضرة فيديو للاعبين قبل انطلاق فقرات المران الجماعي، وذلك لشرح بعض التحضيرات الفنية لمباراة الغد.
وخاض اللاعبون مرانًا بدنيًّا وفنيًّا متنوعًا شهد التركيز على تنفيذ بعض الجمل الفنية المحددة للاعبين، قبل أن يختتم كولر المران بتقسيمة قوية.
طالع | قبل تسليمه لـ الأهلي.. الكشف عن التصميم الجديد لدرع الدوري المصري
وقاد ميشيل يانكون مدرب الحراس الرباعي، محمد الشناوي ومصطفى شوبير وحمزة علاء ومصطفى مخلوف في مران فني وبدني منفرد.
يذكر، أن الأهلي فاز على جورماهيا في مباراة الذهاب بنتيجة 3-0، سجل بيرسي تاو هدفين وأحرز رامي ربيعة هدفًا.
Nearly a year after retirement, AB de Villiers said his staggered schedule has worked out well
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2019
AB de Villiers screams after taking Royal Challengers Bangalore to a win•BCCI
AB de Villiers’ decision to quit international cricket has made him sharper, the batsman said after putting in a Man-of-the-Match performance during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first win of the season. De Villiers made an unbeaten 59 against Kings XI Punjab, his third fifty in seven games this season. Although that is a decent ratio, de Villiers has failed to get past 20 in four games, a return that has put strain on a Royal Challengers batting order that still depends majorly on his and Virat Kohli’s performances.De Villiers admitted that he had got himself out a couple of times without converting, but said that hadn’t bogged him down.”I’ve got too much respect for the game to be upset about that,” de Villiers said at the post-match presentation in Mohali. “Obviously I want to be there at the end every time, winning games for the team. I’ve hit the ball well, I’ve got in many times, and I just haven’t gotten far on a few occasions. But as I said, I’ve got too much respect for the game of cricket to get ahead of myself and get too hard on myself. You’re always just one knock away of from being in that confidence zone and hopefully I’ll maintain this kind of form throughout the tournament now.”Since his retirement in May 2018, de Villiers has played in four T20 tournaments – the Mzansi Super League, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, and the IPL. These appearances add up to 28 innings, eight of which have featured single-digit scores. Before this IPL season, he had made only four 50-plus scores during this period.De Villiers suggested that these up-and-down performances were not a consequence of his reduced playing time at the top level and that, if anything, the break has energised him.”That’s [being sharp’s] exactly the reason why I decided not to play international cricket, it’s to be as sharp as I can in other forms of the game around the world. I can’t keep playing 10-11 months a year and keep being sharp after 15 years of international cricket. This kind of tournament, I’m playing every now and then, every 2-3 months. [It] really keeps me energetic. I get to work with university guys back home. With some of the local guys and local youngsters, which really gives me the energy and really motivates me to be better for some of the youngsters back home and be an example for them,” he said.International cricket or not, de Villiers was gushing in his approval of Royal Challengers signing his former team-mate Dale Steyn. With the near-impossible task of keeping a perfect win record from here on to stay in contention for the playoffs, de Villiers said Steyn’s presence would boost the team.”I think it was a fantastic move to get Dale involved,” he said. “We all know what he’s capable of. One thing is for sure, you’ll get 200 percent from him. He’ll give his absolute best every single time he bowls for the team and it’s just going to be great to have a guy of that caliber and another great human being in our team.”Yes, we know what we have to do now – we have to win a lot of games of cricket, but the next step is Mumbai, at the Wankhede staium. We love playing cricket there. We’ll have to do our basics and bowl it up like we did today and hopefully more success is around the corner.”
Glasgow Rangers wrapped up their winter break by drawing 2-2 with FC Copenhagen at Ibrox on Tuesday evening, and it is now back to the domestic calendar for the Gers this weekend.
Philippe Clement will be hoping to start the second half of the season with a bang as the Glasgow side face Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup, and it could be a chance to give some fringe players a chance in the starting XI.
With just two weeks left of the January transfer market, the Light Blues have only brought in one player thus far – a loan deal for Fabio Silva until the end of the season.
If Clement wishes to challenge on both European and domestic fronts over the next couple of months, he will need to add another one or two players to his squad, especially as fixture congestion could be a real possibility.
With several positions in desperate need of rejuvenation, could the 49-year-old be targeting a move for another centre-back this month?
Rangers’ search for new signings
During the summer transfer window last year, the Gers were showing interest in highly rated Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell, but no move ever materialised.
Fast-forward a few months, and it appears as though they are still one of the teams interested in the youngster. According to pundit Carlton Palmer, that is.
Speaking to Football League World, the former professional said: “Daniel Farke has repeatedly said Leeds won’t allow Charlie Cresswell to go out on loan.
Charlie Cresswell for Leeds United
“There is plenty of interest for Charlie. Boro, Stoke, Ipswich, Rangers to name a few.”
Recently, Daniel Farke has said that Cresswell won't be part of his first team plans when talking with the media, saying: “He won’t be picked until he is ready, mentally ready. I just want players who want to be there, accept their role and are fully on it.”
Could this perhaps tempt Clement into making a move for the player during the final few weeks of the transfer window in order to bolster his defence?
Clement could sign his next Disasi in Rangers move for 6 foot starlet
Rangers appear to be eyeing a move for a Championship defender this month.
ByRoss Kilvington Jan 5, 2024
The Englishman may be a rough diamond, yet he has shown plenty of promise down south, and he could follow in the footsteps of Calvin Bassey and potentially be the next £23m talent to emerge from the Ibrox side.
How Charlie Creswell compares to Calvin Bassey
Bassey moved to Rangers in the summer of 2020 following a spell at Leicester City, but he failed to make an appearance for the senior side and ended up costing the Gers just £230k as a training compensation fee.
This meant Steven Gerrard was able to sign a promising young talent and give them confidence they could flourish in Scotland.
Despite making only 15 appearances as the Light Blues won their first league title in a decade, the following season saw the Nigerian international rise to prominence.
Calvin Bassey
Due to an injury crisis at the heart of the defence, Bassey moved from his natural left-back slot alongside Connor Goldson at centre-back and the duo forged a formidable partnership as he ended up making 50 appearances in all competitions.
Indeed, Bassey shone as the club reached the Europa League final in 2022 and his performances clearly attracted interest from the continent.
Ajax stumped up a fee of close to £23m in order to prise the defender from the Glasgow side and his sale is the record for the club.
While his spell in the Netherlands was not the most rewarding, he has since joined Fulham and is impressing in the Premier League – starting 12 top-flight games so far this term.
Cresswell, should he move to Rangers, could take notice of Bassey’s career path, as it proves that showcasing your talents in Scotland could ensure a lucrative move after a few years.
The current Leeds defender plays in the same position as Bassey and, even though he has played senior matches down south, finds himself in a position where he is not playing as often as his talents deserve.
How Charlie Cresswell could fit into the Rangers side
Clement currently has five senior centre-backs in his squad, yet four of them are fighting it out to be Goldson’s regular partner.
Leon Balogun’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he will likely depart, while Ben Davies has not endured the best of times under Clement, making just six appearances since the 49-year-old arrived in mid-October, and it looks as though his future lies away from the club.
John Souttar has been plagued with injury issues since joining in 2022, missing 46 games last term, meaning he cannot be relied on to be fit for a full campaign.
Charlie Cresswell
Leon King is still young and could emerge as a future star, but he must be given more opportunities. Cresswell, then, could force his way into the starting XI should he make the move north of the border and his spell at Millwall last season proves that he has what it takes to slot into the Gers side.
The defender not only ranked second among the squad for average Sofascore rating in the Championship during 2022/23 (7.13), but he also ranked second for accurate passes per game (28.1), first for accurate long balls per game (four) and third for interceptions per game (1.3), indicating that his talents were on full show at the Den.
The “unbelievable” 6 foot titan, as dubbed by Leeds presenter Joe Wainman two years ago, even won a staggering 7.6 total duels per game – a success rate of 60% – and this impressive physicality could see him thrive in Scotland.
Clement is going to need to act swiftly if he aims to bring the defender to Ibrox, especially as there are other clubs showing interest in the 21-year-old this winter.
28
4
28.1
27
7.6
3.8
1.5
0.8
1.3
0.8
He may need to move some deadwood on to ensure a permanent deal goes ahead, but this shouldn’t be too difficult.
The next few weeks could be interesting indeed with regard to who potentially arrives at Ibrox and if the Belgian manager can pull off a couple of solid signings, it could prove to be the catalyst which sees the club win another trophy or two this term.
Glenn Maxwell’s brilliance and Sydney Sixers’ total collapse combined to serve up a semi-final berth for Melbourne Stars against Hobart Hurricanes, and a home semi-final for Melbourne Renegades, in an afternoon of high drama at the MCG.In the final qualifying game of the Big Bash League 2018-19, the Stars looked to be struggling to mount a defendable total in the first 15 overs of their innings, before Maxwell did nothing short of detonating as 77 runs were piled up in the final five. Maxwell’s innings, as captain of the Stars, not only pushed the hosts to a total unimaginable with five overs remaining, but appeared also to knock the stuffing out of the Sixers.Their innings was to trigger a series of surrenders in the face of Melbourne pressure, as all the Stars bowlers enjoyed success – none more so than the spin pair of Sandeep Lamichhane and Adam Zampa.Before Maxwell Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques sent the Stars in to bat and, after a shaky opening over by Lloyd Pope, of which Marcus Stoinis took full advantage, the visitors appeared to have much the measure of their hosts on a pitch that offered some variable pace to the bowlers. Merely 1 for 39 from the Powerplay, 2 for 63 from 10 overs and 3 for 91 from 15 overs, the Stars were battling to put up a score that looked capable of being defended even if the surface offered some encouragement to spin.Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe both delivered economical spells, aided also by Sean Abbott. Maxwell, meanwhile, had fashioned his way to 17 from 20 without quite looking at ease. As captain he had witnessed Peter Handscomb depart after building a similar platform, and could not afford to do likewise. The cogs of Maxwell’s brain could be seen almost visibly to be ticking over as he pondered ways of lifting the Stars to higher ground. First, he sized up his erstwhile Test match team-mate Lyon, bowler of the 17th over.After Maxwell Jumping down the track to Lyon’s second ball of the over, Maxwell found sweet contact and the crowd beyond long-on. When Lyon adjusted his length, Maxwell hung back to pull wide of long-on for four more. Sixteen from that over, despite the run out of Dwayne Bravo, had Maxwell and the Stars looking up, and they did not look back. Two fours and a six meant Abbott’s 18th over reaped 15 runs; a six and a four meant 15 more from Tom Curran’s 19th.But the best was saved for last, as Maxwell leapt three times into Ben Dwarshuis in the 20th, taking full advantage of the left-armer missing his ideal yorker length on both full and short sides. At the death, Maxwell had piled up 65 from 22 balls before falling, while the Stars’ tally of 77 between overs 16-20 was the most ever in the closing five overs of a BBL innings. At the end of a summer of some frustrations for Maxwell, he had delivered the kind of innings to underline the rare nature of his talent.Stars win through to semis Left with a far steeper chase than anticipated, the Sixers were soon losing wickets. Bravo pouched a couple of early catches from miscues, before Maxwell chimed in once more to coax a top edged pull shot from his opposite number Henriques and claim wicket No. 3.Daniel Worrall’s bouncer/short of length combo had accounted for James Vince, and he then offered up an offcutter slower ball to have Daniel Hughes pushing tamely to shortish cover. At 4 for 34 inside five overs the Sixers’ chances of winning the game were all but gone, leaving swift recalculations by the visitors as to what they needed to do to retain a home semi-final against Melbourne Renegades. The magic number? 108.Sixers hand Renegades a home semi Maxwell had kept his spin bowlers Zampa and Lamichhane in reserve, and they were to apply the final touches to an enormous Stars victory – enough to in turn ensure their rivals the Renegades found themselves hosting rather than travelling to face the Sixers in the knockouts. Both Zampa and Lamichhane found useful skid, bounce and spin off the surface, the better to flummox a Sixers lower order already one batsman short due to the balance of the selected side.Jordan Silk was stumped artfully by Handscomb off Zampa, Curran was lbw to Lamichhane’s googly, and the allrounder Abbott’s cut at Zampa resulted in a superb reflex catch by Maxwell at slip – this was a day on which he could truly do no wrong. By contrast, the bouncing bat of Lyon precisely at the moment the bails were whipped off by Handscomb for a run-out rather summed up the Sixers’ dirty day. They will now be back in Melbourne for the semis.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) have requested the ICC insist on a first-class warm-up match ahead of every Test series in the World Test Championship.CWI were disappointed that, despite several requests to the ECB, England declined the invitation to play a first-class game ahead of the Test series in the Caribbean. Instead they took part in two, two-day warm-up matches involving 12-players per side.CWI were also disappointed that, having made the effort to provide England with apparently high-quality opposition – something that is not always the case on modern tours, their requests for a first-class game were not met. Without such assurances, it could prove hard to field such experienced sides – six of the squad had played Test cricket – in the future.Several members of the President’s XI side were pulled out of a round of the regional first-class tournament to take part, a move that could alter the end-of-season standings, and looked underwhelmed to be reduced to the role of sparring partners. With no result possible in such matches – 19 wickets fell in the President XI’s first innings with the batsmen simply reappearing in rotation – such games stretch the accepted conventions of the game to breaking point and provide unsatisfactory fare for spectators.As a result, CWI have asked the ICC to schedule a four-day, first-class match ahead of each Test series. It is understood New Zealand are sympathetic to CWI’s request.From an England perspective, however, the two-day games work quite well. It allows them to provide a tailored amount of acclimatisation to the maximum number of players in the minimum number of days. With scheduling demands limiting the length of tours, it is hard to find time for such first-class fixtures without compromising on the opportunities given to squad members. They might also point out that, had the first warm-up game had first-class status, it may have ended in little more than two days anyway.England have, however, been frustrated by the standard of warm-up opposition provided on some previous tours – not least in Australia, where the pitches for the warm-up games bore little comparison with the Test surfaces – so some sort of agreement brokered by the ICC is not impossible. One possibility, previously suggested by Andrew Strauss during his period as managing director of England cricket, was for touring sides to play an A team ahead of each Test series.
Manchester United’s season went from bad to worse during their Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen, as they not only managed to blow a 2-0 lead, but they also failed to protect a 3-2 advantage they had with ten men, eventually losing 4-3 to the Danish side.
It marks yet another low point for Erik ten Hag and if the former Ajax boss wasn’t feeling the pressure beforehand, he most certainly will now, especially with qualification to the knockout stage hanging by a thread.
The feel-good factor that surrounded the club upon the completion of last term has all but gone and with United already knocked out of the EFL Cup, it is beginning to look like the FA Cup is their only chance of glory.
Injury issues haven’t exactly helped the Dutchman in fairness, yet he has a more than able first-team squad to still be challenging towards the top end of the Premier League, while their Champions League group wasn’t particularly daunting either.
A home tie on Saturday against Luton Town represents a perfect chance for Ten Hag to regain some confidence with a big win, but they won't make it easy for themselves.
If the Red Devils don’t pick up three points, Ten Hag’s position might just become untenable and the club could soon be on the search for yet another manager.
Man Utd manager news
Two candidates that have been mentioned as possible replacements are Zinedine Zidane and Ruben Amorim according to the Times, and both would be adequate replacements for the 53-year-old given their respective achievements in the game.
Amorim led Sporting CP to their first league title in over two decades during the 2020/21 campaign, while Zidane led Real Madrid to three Champions League crowns and two La Liga titles over two separate spells.
Could United perhaps go slightly left field, however, and take another look at a coach they were once keen on a few years ago?
Hansi Flick
Back in 2020, Hansi Flick was considered as a perfect replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a shaky start to his first full season in charge of the Red Devils.
The German had been appointed as interim manager at Bayern Munich following the sacking of Niko Kovac and was expected to leave at the end of the season, allowing United to swoop in during the summer.
Nothing materialised for United as Flick went on to win the treble with the club, securing their sixth European Cup title in the August, and it appeared as though United had missed the boat.
With the 58-year-old now without a current role following his sacking as Germany manager in September – and among the favourites to succeed Ten Hag – could this be the right time to make a more concrete offer?
Hansi Flick’s managerial record
The former Bayern player was an assistant in the national team setup under former coach Joachim Löw between 2006 and 2014 and his spell culminated in Germany winning the World Cup for the fourth time.
Having been thrown in the deep end with regard to management in 2020 at Bayern, it proved to be a stunning trophy-laden spell and his credentials were backed up by the former boss of the Bavarian side Jupp Heynckes, who described him as “a gem of a coach” as he backed Flick for a long-term role at the club.
Flick stayed for only one more season before leaving at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, and he was soon announced as the head coach of the German national team, taking over from his old master Low after Euro 2020.
His reign as national team boss didn’t entirely go to plan. He did lead Germany to seven straight wins to secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup, yet just three victories across nine matches leading up to the competition didn’t exactly fill them with confidence.
Ten Hag did praise Flick, however, prior to Germany’s clash with the Netherlands last year, saying the former Bayern coach was “outstanding” while believing that they could go all the way in Qatar and claim another world crown.
For the second tournament in a row, Germany fell at the first hurdle after winning just one game from three and suffering an opening-day defeat to Japan.
Following a run of four defeats in five matches, Flick was sacked after Germany lost once again to Japan, this time 4-1, in September. That means he is now a free agent.
Hansi Flick could be the perfect replacement for Ten Hag at Man Utd
Of course, his record in charge of Germany wasn’t great, yet at club level, Flick was excellent. Indeed, across 86 matches in charge of the club, he lost just eight matches and won a total of 70 across all competitions.
A staggering record and there is no doubt he could get a tune out of some of these underperforming United players. Flick tends to operate with a 4-2-3-1 and his penchant for attacking football is evidenced by the fact Bayern scored 260 goals, which works out as just over three goals a game.
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2.53
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1.59
With talents such as Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony, Flick could bring out the best in them and allow the players some much-needed attacking freedom, which could lead to a lot more goals being scored.
The Old Trafford side have scored just 24 goals across 17 matches this term so far, conceding 30 in the process, and it is evident that both attacking and defensive areas need major work done to them.
Flick could be the ideal person to fix this. He has a winning mentality, having led Bayern to plenty of success during his brief spell in charge, while his tactical system can suit the current United players rather well.
Ten Hag is skating on very thin ice and with a tie against Luton this weekend, only three points will do if he is looking to keep his current role.
Plans to invite foreign dignitaries, including some of India’s greatest cricketers, to Imran Khan’s impending inauguration as Prime Minister of Pakistan have been shelved. Fawad Chaudhry, the spokesperson for the party Imran heads, said Imran had ultimately decided on a “simple ceremony” that would include just a few of his close friends.That was a 24-hour turnaround in which Imran’s party had first floated the tantalising possibility of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev flying in for the inauguration. Chaudhry had confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that enquiries had been made of the Foreign Office to see if foreign delegates could be invited to the oath-taking ceremony. Those in line for invitations to the event included Gavaskar and Kapil, contemporaries of Imran in his cricketing heyday, as well as Navjot Sidhu. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was also in the frame for an invitation, but the change of stance today means those high-profile guests from across the border will not attend.”The PTI chairman [Imran Khan] has directed us to stage the oath-taking event with austerity,” Chaudhry told . “He will take his oath in a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House). It has been decided that no foreign personalities will be invited to the ceremony — it will be a completely national event. Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited. There will be no show of extravagance at the event.”Imran, whose party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats in the country’s general elections last week, is effectively Pakistan’s Prime Minister-elect, with his inauguration likely to be days away. His decision to invite cricketers who were among the biggest rivals of his career appeared to be, prima facie, an extension of the agreeable tone he struck towards India in his unofficial acceptance speech following the elections.Imran has enjoyed convivial relations with most of his contemporaries across the border. When he was an opposition leader in Pakistan’s parliament in 2016, he was a high-profile attendee in Kolkata for the India-Pakistan game at the World T20, and was part of an entertaining evening after-dinner talk on a panel that also included Kapil. The pair were two of the great quartet of allrounders that dominated the game in the 1980s, alongside Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee.Kapil was among the first from the cricketing fraternity to send his congratulations to Imran following his party’s victory, saying it “felt really good” to see a cricketer he had played alongside become Prime Minister of his country. Sidhu was particularly effusive in his praise of Imran following the election, calling him a “pure soul who led from the front”.Long-suffering fans across both sides of the border may have drawn a flicker of hope from this recent outpouring of warmth for the India-Pakistan on-field rivalry, currently on hold by factors unrelated to cricket. Political tensions have meant the two countries haven’t played any bilateral cricket since Pakistan toured India in 2012 for two T20Is and three ODIs, while the last time they clashed in a Test match was back in 2007. Of the Indian side currently playing the first Test against England at Edgbaston, only two players – Dinesh Karthik and Ishant Sharma – have played a Test against Pakistan. India and Pakistan will clash in the Asia Cup in the UAE in September.The last time Gavaskar toured Pakistan as a cricketer also had heavy political overtones. It was the ill-fated tour of 1984, which saw an ODI between Pakistan and India in Sialkot cancelled halfway through after news broke of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, with the tour immediately called off. Gavaskar was never to play in Pakistan again.*Aug 2, 1215 GMT: The piece was edited to reflect the fact that Imran Khan decided against a lavish oath-taking ceremony, effectively ruling out the possibility of Kapil Dev and Sunail Gavaskar’s attendance at his inauguration.