Ben Stokes’s hopes of making his return to Test cricket in the first Test against New Zealand at Auckland next week have received a set-back

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018

Ben Stokes’s hopes of making his return to Test cricket in the first Test against New Zealand at Auckland next week have received a set-back after he was ruled out of England’s opening two-day warm-up match at Hamilton on Wednesday with a back injury.Although the injury is not thought to be serious, the fixture against a New Zealand XI would have been his first outing in long-form cricket since the West Indies Test series in September, after he was omitted from England’s Ashes plans in the wake of his arrest in Bristol later that month.It would also have been Stokes’s one opportunity for match practice with a pink ball, ahead of the day-night first Test which starts on March 22. If he recovers in time, he may yet be able to feature in the second of England’s two-day games, this time with a red ball, which follows on immediately on Friday.Stokes had been a noticeably low-key presence at England training in the past couple of days, as had Chris Woakes, who will also miss the pink-ball fixture, along with Craig Overton, another of England’s seam-bowling options.

They added the Irani Cup to the Ranji Trophy championship to ensure their 2017-18 season was an unprecedented success

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2018
The Vidharbha team pose with the trophy•ESPNcricinfo Ltd/ Vishal DikshitIt was only three months ago that Vidarbha had become Ranji Trophy champions for the first time, but they were thirsty for more silverware, and their batsmen were greedy for more runs. Over the past week in Nagpur, they amassed a total of 800 for 7 – Wasim Jaffer contributed 286 – and then bowled out Rest of India for 390 to win the Irani Cup as well to ensure their 2017-18 season was an unprecedented success.Hanuma Vihari and Jayant Yadav stood in the way for a little while. They came to the crease at 98 for 6 with two days of play still left, plenty of time for Vidarbha to pursue an outright result. But they just couldn’t get the wickets.Vihari made a splendid 183 and right alongside him Jayat contributed 96 in a 216-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate finally broke through and finished with 3 for 97 to provide his team with a trophy-clinching lead of 410 runs.There was still just enough time in the match for a couple of Vidarbha to fill their boots and the game ended with 23-year old opener Akshay Wadkar scoring a half-century. In all, there were 1269 runs scored for the loss of only 17 wickets over five days of play at the VCA stadium.

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho has recently hit the headlines due to a public spat with Erik Ten Hag and it is believed that the Red Devils' stance has now emerged on the matter.

What's the latest news involving Jadon Sancho?

As per The Telegraph, Manchester United boss Ten Hag dropped Sancho from his matchday squad for their 3-1 loss to Arsenal last weekend and cited his "performances in training" as the reason for the former Borussia Dortmund ace's omission.

Sancho has since hit back at claims his level of performance in training hasn't been up to the standard in a statement on social media platform X, which partially read: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!"

Of course, Sancho is not the first player to have a public feud with Ten Hag in the Dutchman's time at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo famously aired his frustrations at Ten Hag in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan last year, which eventually spelled an end to his time in the North West, as per Sky Sports.

Sancho joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million back in 2021 and has since gone on to register 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Now, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has written a fresh update on Sancho's future at Manchester United with Scott Saunders of 90min, giving some behind the scenes insight into the latest developments on the situation.

The 23-year-old is apparently set to meet with Manchester United's management staff behind the scenes to decide how to proceed forward following Sancho's response to Ten Hag and latest criticism. Clubs in Turkey have enquired about Sancho's availability due to their transfer window being open until September 15th. Nevertheless, Manchester United will not facilitate any exit for Sancho that would involve paying a portion of his hefty pay packet, so that likely rules out loan moves to Turkey.

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United were willing to sell Sancho for £45million this summer and he was considered as a potential addition by Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino. Despite this, the Argentinian coach had issues with his 'mindset' and instead opted to bring in Cole Palmer from Manchester City.

What next for Manchester United?

Manchester United sit 11th in the Premier League standings with six points from four matches played and face Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in their first match after the international break.

Long-serving defender Eric Bailly has now departed for Turkish giants Besiktas on a permanent basis after spending seven years of his career at Manchester United.

It has also been revealed by The Athletic that new signing Sofyan Amrabat has a slight back issue that was detected in his medical and it remains to be seen whether he will spend any time on the sidelines.

On the back of a mixed start to the campaign, Manchester United will hope to piece together a consistent run of results and put a tumultuous couple of days behind them.

One of Sunderland's former loan stars would love a return to the Stadium of Light, if he were to leave his current club, according to reports.

Amad Diallo was a fan-favourite at the Black Cats and was recently crowned the PFA Fans’ Championship Player of the Year following a stellar season on Wearside.

Now, trusted Sunderland reporter Michael Graham responded to a fan on Twitter X to confirm Diallo’s preferred destination.

The 21-year-old winger joined Manchester United from Serie A side Atalanta at the start of 2021 for a reported €21m (£19m) with the deal with a potential €20m (£18m) in add-ons according to The Athletic.

However, Diallo failed to break into the Red Devils’ first-team, playing just nine times in all competitions in his first year at Old Trafford according to Transfermarkt.

United loaned the Ivory Coast international to Scottish giants Rangers for the remainder of the 2021/22 season to give the Ivorian more exposure to first-team football. He played 10 times in the Scottish Premiership for the Gers registering three goals to his name.

The following season Diallo joined recently promoted Sunderland in the Championship, where he formed a great connection with the Black Cats’ boss Tony Mowbray.

And the north-east giants were linked with a move for their former loan sensation during the off-season, but reports quickly downplayed that idea with United keen to seal a 'more lucrative' deal if they were to loan him out.

Mowbray has spoken in great admiration about Diallo in the past, which suggests he would be open to working with the Manchester United wonderkid once again.

What has Mowbray said about Diallo?

Speaking after his side's 2-1 win over Birmingham in April, Mowbray said:

"Are you happy just to be a Manchester United player and play six sub appearances and two starts over a 60-game season for them? Or would you want to go and play?

"So are they going to sell him, and if they do they will want to recoup their money which was reportedly €40m or whatever it was? I don't know. I think the reality is that he won't be coming here, unless they think he is going to be one helluva player and he needs another year out playing, and he enjoys it at Sunderland so he can stay there," before further adding:

"But let's hope he is playing for Sunderland next year and banging in the goals. If we did sneak into [the Premier League], there is a much better chance that he could come back."

Under Mowbray, Diallo managed to put the ball in the back of the net 13 times in the Championship as Sunderland finished sixth in the league, securing them a place in the play-offs. Sunderland failed to make it to the Championship play-off final as Luton won 3-2 on aggregate despite Diallo scoring from distance in the first leg.

The 5 foot 8 "absolute wizard" – in the words of reporter James Copley – clearly still shares a deep admiration for Sunderland.

Following the Black Cats’ 5-0 thrashing of Southampton last week, Diallo responded to the full-time result on Twitter X with a mind-blown starstruck emoji, suggesting he was very impressed with how his former teammates played.

The £7m-rated dynamo was left needing stretchers after picking up a leg injury against Arsenal in pre-season for United.

However, Diallo is expected to make a return to full fitness soon, which means he should be able to move to Sunderland if the option is on the table come January.

There is no denying that the former loan sensation would be welcomed back with open arms considering he ended the 2022/23 campaign as the Black Cats' third-best performer in the Championship with an average WhoScored rating of 7.06, having produced 14 goals and three assists in 39 appearances.

Manchester United are tracking an exciting young striker in the Premier League, but a reliable journalist has revealed that he isn’t the only option being considered.

How have Man United started the season?

The Old Trafford outfit haven’t made the best start to the new top-flight campaign as they find themselves sitting 11th in the table having picked up just six points so far from a possible 12, securing two victories but also suffering the same number of defeats.

Despite capturing Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta earlier in the summer, Erik ten Hag will still be looking to bolster his ranks at centre-forward with the future of Anthony Martial looking extremely uncertain, and the boss already seems to have set his sights on a potential candidate he’d like to recruit.

At Brighton and Hove Albion in April, Evan Ferguson signed a new contract which isn’t set to expire until 2028, but having firmly established himself as Roberto De Zerbi’s top-performing offensive player so far this term, he’s caught the eye of the manager in M16.

Back in May, Melissa Reddy credited the Red Devils and Tottenham Hotspur with an interest in the 18-year-old who she claimed had been earmarked as the perfect attacker to lead the line in the long-term future, and a new update has now emerged regarding the club’s pursuit of the Republic of Ireland international.

Are Man United signing Evan Ferguson?

According to The Daily Mail's Mike Keegan during a live Q&A, Man United do hold a concrete interest in Ferguson, but there are also other mystery stars who the hierarchy are looking at. He said:

“United have been watching Ferguson and monitoring his progress but the same could be said of dozens of players. They are already working two windows ahead, which is pretty commonplace across the rest of the Premier League. For each position they ideally have three or more players on a list which they scout and regularly update."

How many goals has Evan Ferguson scored?

For Brighton since getting promoted to their senior fold, Ferguson has posted 18 contributions (14 goals and four assists) in 33 appearances which shows how prolific he is, and the striker poses a constant threat in the final third.

The 6 foot 2 colossus, who pockets £20k-per-week, has recorded a total of 13 shots so far this season which is more than any of his fellow teammates, via FBRef, but he also has strong link-up play with his peers in the opposition’s half, ranking in the 97th percentile for pass completion.

Furthermore, Ferguson, who has been dubbed the “complete package” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a versatile operator with his ability to play in five positions, including all across the frontline and even in attacking midfield, so this is another attractive attribute for Ten Hag and one that will be useful for him to have in the building should any unexpected injuries occur in other roles where cover may need to be provided.

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Trent Copeland’s second straight five wicket-haul has given New South Wales the honours on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland in Wollongong.Copeland ran through the Bulls’ top order, taking five of the first six wickets to leave the visitors struggling at 6 for 117. But Joe Burns stood firm on his return from a serious groin injury.Burns and Michael Neser combined to lift the Bulls out of the mire. Burns was out for 97 while Neser made 55 to help post a first-innings total of 243.Blues openers Nick Larkin and Daniel Hughes took the home side safely through to stumps, giving them a chance to post a big first-innings lead on day two.

Losing Julen Lopetegui just before the season got underway, alongside the earlier departures of Ruben Neves, Adama Traore and Matheus Nunes, the last thing that Wolverhampton Wanderers needed was a slow start. Yet, that's exactly what they've endured under Gary O'Neil.

Truth be told, the Midlands club have been unfortunate at times – they were denied a late penalty against Manchester United and soon received an apology for the incident, before being smashed by Brighton & Hove Albion, and finally getting off the mark with a victory over Everton.

Defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool have since followed, but Wolves can once again look back on their performances with great content, particularly when against the Reds, having taken the lead and largely dominated the first 45 minutes.

Following a game of two halves against Liverpool, however, those at Wolves at least received a much-needed injury boost, as confirmed by O'Neil.

What has Gary O'Neil said?

Watching on as his side eventually collapsed amid the Liverpool pressure, O'Neil would have been left frustrated by his side, who did so well to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Alas, it simply wasn't meant to be, and Wolves, in defeat, may have hoped to avoid any further blows. When Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off through injury, however, it looked as though the Midlands club were set to get exactly that.

O'Neil has since squashed any concerns, saying, via Molinuex News: “Rayan’s injury was just muscle fatigue really. I don’t expect him to have any problems. We won’t know until next weekend, but he’ll probably just need a few days to recover.”

The former Bournemouth manager will be a relieved man, given how important it is that he has a full squad available when the Premier League fixtures start coming thick and fast. Up next, Wolves square off against Luton Town, where they'll be the favourites to pick up all three points.

How has Ait-Nouri performed this season?

So far this season, Ait-Nouri has been one of Wolves' most important players, starting in five of their six games under O'Neil. With that said, it would have been a major blow for the Midlands club, had the fullback suffered a long-term injury. That doesn't seem to be the case, however, with Ait-Nouri seemingly likely to slot straight back into his starting place.

Ait-Nouri's rise came as little surprise, with his early progress under Nuno Espirito Santo only a sign of what was to come. The former Wolves boss said, via The Express and Star: "There is improvement, and he's playing. Regarding the circumstances we have in the squad, he's having game after game now. So, there's no better time for improvement than in the game itself. Of course, we work every day with all the players on the aspects that we feel need improvement."

Now, a key member for his side, Ait-Nouri will likely be looking to kick on even further. Statistically speaking, he's already impressed this season, as per FBref, with his 20 progressive passes in five appearances proving his ability to help Wolves up the pitch when pressurised, and perhaps even towards Premier League safety.

أوضحت تقارير صحفية حقيقة تلقي نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي عرضًا للهولندي فيرجيل فان دايك، من نادي النصر السعودي.

وكشفت تقارير أمس الخميس، أن النصر فتح محادثات مع ممثلي فان دايك لينضم للفريق ويصبح أعلى المدافعين أجرًا في العالم.

ويعمل النصر الذي يلعب له النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو، على تعزيز صفوفه مرة أخرى هذا الصيف مع المواهب الرائدة من أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا | ليفربول يتخذ قرارًا بشأن رحيل محمد صلاح لـ الدوري السعودي في انتقالات الصيف

وبحسب “ليفربول إيكو”، لم يتلق ليفربول أي اتصال من النصر بشأن فان دايك ويخطط النادي لبقاء اللاعب الدولي الهولندي في الفريق.

وينتهي عقد فان دايك الحالي مع ليفربول في يونيو 2025، هو وكل من محمد صلاح وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد.

وقد ألمح فان دايك بالفعل إلى أن مستقبله المباشر هو مع ليفربول بعد أن تم تولى مواطنه آرني سلوت تدريب الفريق خلفًا ليورجن كلوب.

ويتواجد فان دايك حاليًا مع منتخب هولندا استعدادًا لبطولة كأس أمم أوروبا يورو” وسيكون قائدا للمنتخبفي المباراة الافتتاحية بالمجموعة الرابعة أمام بولندا يوم الأحد.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a chegada do técnico Ramon Menezes, o Vasco teve um ótimo início de Campeonato Brasileiro e figurou nas primeiras colocações. No entanto, nos últimos jogos, a equipe perdeu o rumo e o ‘Ramonismo’ deu lugar a questionamentos sobre o trabalho do comandante. São quatro partidas sem vencer com muitos erros defensivos e a chamada ‘Benítez-dependência’.

Na derrota desta quarta, em Salvador, o que se viu foi um time facilmente envolvido pela marcação adversária, preso, carecendo de criatividade no meio-campo. Sem Andrey e Martín Benítez, o Vasco não conseguia oferecer perigo ao adversário e a jogada se perdia em pontas improdutivos e fracas atuações de Talles Magno e Vinícius.

Sem o meio-campista argentino, a bola não chega em Germán Cano, que não marca há cinco partidas, desde a vitória sobre o Botafogo por 3 a 2, com passe de Benítez. Ao longo desse incômodo jejum, pode-se perceber que a bola pouco chegou em condições para centroavante finalizar e Ramon não consegue encontrar soluções para a ausência do meia.

Contra o Bahia, ele escalou um meio-campo comMarcos Jr, Bruno Gomes e Fellipe Bastos. Porém, não foi feliz no que pensou, e o time tornou-se lento e previsível. Faltava o motor do time, o jogador diferenciado, que em um lampejo pode decidir com um passe ou uma bela jogada. Mesmo assim, o técnico não pode ficar refém de apenas uma maneira de jogar e precisa trazer alternativas e variações táticas para adaptá-las de acordo com o seu adversário.

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Na parte defensiva, por sua vez, o Vasco voltou a falhar e cometer deslizes de posicionamento. Mesmo com a trinca do meio-campo, a cobertura dos laterais não foi bem feita e ambos os lados foram desbravados com facilidade pelos adversários. Em noite desastrosa, Pikachu e Henrique estavam totalmente perdidos no jogo, e todos os três gols do Bahia surgiram de falhas dos dois laterais.

No primeiro, Clayson teve liberdade nas costas do camisa 22, e cruzou com tranquilidade para Rossi se antecipar, deixar Henrique para trás e balançar as redes. Vinte minutos depois, o zagueiro Ernando, que atuou na lateral, teve enorme liberdade nas costas de Henrique e sem qualquer marcação só teve o trabalho de recuar para Gilberto chutar forte e ampliar.

Por fim, no terceiro, Yago Pikachu errou o corte e deu a bola no pé de Clayson, que dominou e acertou o canto de Fernando Miguel. Apesar dos erros e dos questionamentos da torcida, Ramon defendeu o lateral-direito e Felipe Bastos, que caiu bastante de produção e não tem tido boas atuações.

– Se você pegar o começo do meu trabalho todo mundo elogiava a recuperação dos atletas. O Yago tem uma história no clube, é o lateral que mais fez gols com a camisa do clube. E eu vejo a importância dele. O Felipe é o vice-artilheiro da equipe, e há algumas rodadas era um jogador elogiado, e é um atleta que nós conseguimos recuperar. Temos que apoiar esses atletas, não adianta fazer as vezes o que tenho visto. O atleta sente também, é um jogador do clube, é importante – disse.

MatériaMais Notícias

Peça importante do São Paulo comandado por Fernando Diniz, o lateral Léo está em alta no clube do Morumbi. Titular contra o Binacional, na última terça, o jogador contou sua história de vida para a SPFCTV, citou um caso de racismo sofrido na infância e se posicionou contra o fim do preconceito racial no país.

Nascido no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Léo teve uma infância pobre e, desde pequeno, apostou no futebol como profissão. Revelado na base do Fluminense, o hoje jogador do São Paulo relembrou do dia em que foi expulso de um shopping center por conta de sua cor. Segundo ele, aquele episódio foi a maior vergonha de toda a sua vida.

-Hoje, está muito nítido. Passei preconceito e partiu o meu coração. Ali eu pensei em desistir. Foi a primeira vez em que eu pensei em desistir e pensei que não dava mais para mim. Eu não aceito e nunca vou aceitar o racismo. Eu entrei em um shopping e eu fui mandado embora por causa da minha cor. Isso não existe. O cara virou e disse: ‘você está aqui para pedir dinheiro?’. Ele começou a me ofender. Eu era menino, cara. Como que você expulsa um menino de um shopping. Eu saí dali e pensei: ‘o que eu estou fazendo aqui? Eu não mereço isso’. O preconceito não é de agora, isso já vem de anos. A cor nunca pode definir o caráter de uma pessoa e uma coisa que meus pais e meus irmãos me ensinaram é ter caráter. Aquilo ali eu não desejo para ninguém. Foi a maior vergonha da minha vida. Você entrar em um local público, as pessoas te olhando e você ser expulso por causa do preconceito – contou o são-paulino.

– Eu mostro a minha indignação porque eu sou negro. Eu tenho que defender aquilo que eu sou. Eu sou negro, eu sou isso e pronto. Se você pegar, um presidente que foi exemplo foi um negro, o melhor jogador de todos os tempos é negro, os jogadores top do basquete são negros. E por que um negro não pode vencer na vida? Por que o negro é nojento? Essas pessoas não valorizam por conta de preconceito. Isso é uma vergonha – completou o lateral.

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Contratado pelo São Paulo no início da temporada 2019 após boa passagem pelo Bahia no ano anterior, Léo demorou para engrenar com a camisa do clube do Morumbi. Competindo com Reinaldo pela posição de titular, o jogador teve poucas chances de demonstrar seu trabalho, mas seguiu trabalhando.

Neste ano, após conversar com Fernando Diniz e a comissão técnica, o jogador foi testado como zagueiro e ganhou a posição de titular durante algumas rodadas do Campeonato Brasileiro. Atualmente, Léo se reveza entre as funções de lateral-esquerdo e de zagueiro, mas vem sendo importante na temporada.

– O São Paulo foi uma escolha. O momento era de ir para o São Paulo. Sempre treinei, sempre trabalhei para estar no São Paulo. Sabia que uma hora o meu momento ia chegar. Fiquei quase dois anos só treinando, foram um ano e dez meses só esperando a minha vez. O mais importante era o grupo. Se eu treino bem, quem estava jogando ia jogar bem porque estaria preparado. Se os 11 estão ganhando, quem está no banco, quem trabalha na cozinha, o roupeiro, quem é o São Paulo também está ganhando. É você fazer o seu melhor porque uma hora ou outra a oportunidade vai surgir.