Nicolás Larcamón’s Cruz Azul were considered one of Liga MX’s top contenders for the tournament

Larcamón apologized to fans after humiliating lossCruz Azul last lost 7-0 to América in 2022First loss for the Argentine coach with La MáquinaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Cruz Azul’s humiliating 7-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup dominated headlines across Mexico, especially since Nicolás Larcamón’s side arrived as one of Liga MX’s top contenders. The club was fresh off a CONCACAF Champions Cup title and a strong summer transfer window ahead of the Apertura 2025.

But what unfolded at Lumen Field Thursday nigt is already being called one of the worst performances in the club’s history.

“Historic embarrassment," ESPN analyst Javier Alarcón on . "Cruz Azul dragged, mopped and humiliated its own legacy. There must be consequences. This is a defeat the club cannot carry. Should Larcamón stay? This can’t happen to any Mexican team, much less Cruz Azul."

Fox Sports Mexico’s Gustavo Mendoza echoed the outrage: “Seven-nil? Seriously? It’s a historic result – the worst ever for a Mexican club in this type of competition. Humiliating, shameful, ridiculous. He should at least resign out of dignity, professionalism, shame.”

Some called for former previous interim manager Vicente Sánchez to return. “They should go apologize to Vicente Sánchez and beg him to come back. I’d get on my knees and say, ‘Vicente, forgive us for everything, for not valuing you. Please come back and coach Sunday’s match against LA Galaxy.’”

On TUDN, the blowout loss sparked broader questions about Liga MX’s standing.

“The reason Mexico’s big clubs are still in this tournament is because of all the poor results,” said former player and analyst Damián Zamogilny. “Cruz Azul is the CONCACAF champion – home field matters, but not enough to explain a 7-0. Today’s result shows we don’t have the league we think we do. Our football is overhyped. Look how Monterrey played against Inter Milan – then look how they played against Cincinnati, who are no better than Monterrey.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT NICOLÁS LARCAMÓN SAID

After the match, the Argentine coach faced the media after the crushing defeat at Lumen Field.

“There’s a lot to take responsibility for," he said, "but explanations are honestly hard to come by, especially considering how everything went so disastrously wrong in just one half. In the end, there aren’t many logical answers I can give our fans. I’m here to face it and to offer our apologies.”

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

This isn’t the first time Cruz Azul has conceded seven goals in a match. The club also endured a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of América in Liga MX back in 2022. That defeat led to the dismissal of Uruguayan manager Diego Aguirre, who had arrived in Mexico with high expectations.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?

Cruz Azul will face LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Manchester United are beginning to motor in the summer transfer window and could now make progress in signing a defensive addition, according to reports.

Manchester United look for arrivals after Matheus Cunha

Ruben Amorim is aware there is alot of work to do this summer at Old Trafford and there is plenty of movement expected to occur in both directions, though he can smile at the thought of having Matheus Cunha to work with at the Red Devils.

Signing a five-year deal, the Brazil international will earn £200,000 per week after his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers and could rise to their second-highest earner if Bruno Fernandes leaves the club for Al Hilal alongside other permutations.

Financially, it may be difficult to secure everyone on Manchester United’s shopping list after missing out on around £100 million by virtue of losing out in the Europa League final.

Regardless, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s swinging cutbacks may have left some room for manouvre alongside the aforementioned news that Al Hilal have set a five-day deadline regarding Red Devils captain Fernandes. If the skipper does leave, his goal contributions could be replaced by Bryan Mbeumo, after David Ornstein revealed on Monday that the Cameroon star wants to join the Red Devils.

Defensively, Amorim wants to strengthen his side and could try to land a bargain £15 million deal for Brighton & Hove Albion star Pervis Estupinan.

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Intriguingly, the Ecuador international has just two years left on his deal at the Amex Stadium, which may force the Seagulls to sell before his value begins to dwindle if he doesn’t sign an extension. Now, the Red Devils could be set to pounce for another defender after opening talks over a swoop for his services.

Manchester United could land Udinese star Oumar Solet

According to reports via TBR, Manchester United could land Udinese centre-back Oumar Solet this summer after agent Claudio Pasqualin noted that the 24-year-old may depart the Serie A outfit following talks between both clubs.

Five similar players to Oumar Solet (FBRef)

Nico Schlotterbeck

Borussia Dortmund

Waldemar Anton

Borussia Dortmund

Alessandro Bastoni

Inter Milan

Matt Doherty

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Marc Guehi

Crystal Palace

Labelled “excellent” by Fabrizio Romano, Solet has notched a solitary goal and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions, but his main sphere of influence exists at the other end of the field. Making 92 recoveries and winning 20 duels on Serie A duty this term, reports claim that the 25-year-old could move for £34 million, fitting Manchester United’s philosphy of finding value for money on the market.

Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three venues proposed by the PCB in the initial draft schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy, sent recently to the ICC. The tournament has been inked in for a mid-February window as the PCB hastens plans to upgrade venues that will host the first ICC event in the country in nearly 30 years.Pakistan are defending champions having won what was thought to be the last edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017. But, in 2022, the ICC brought back the tournament in the new rights cycle (2023-27) and awarded the hosting rights of the 2025 edition to Pakistan.The eight-team tournament is expected to be played over two weeks, though the exact dates are not known yet. The PCB finalised the venues and the schedule after an ICC sent a team to conduct recces.”We’ve sent the schedule for the matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore. “The ICC’s security team came and we had a very good meeting. They looked at arrangements here and we’ll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We’re continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan.”Discussions on the schedule will likely focus now on India’s presence at the event. ESPNcricinfo understands the initial draft has all games, including India’s, being played in Pakistan.Normally, once the host board sends in the draft schedule, it undergoes various iterations which are done by various teams within the ICC, which then shares it with the broadcaster and the other boards before the schedule is finalised. The next official ICC meeting is the global body’s annual conference in July.Ultimately, however, the fate of India’s games will hinge on the political climate between the two countries and whether or not the Indian government grants permission to the BCCI to let its team travel to Pakistan. Frosty relations between the two governments has meant India have not toured Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. Last year, the PCB had to adopt a hybrid model while hosting the Asia Cup, whereby some games were played in Pakistan but all of India’s games and the final were held in Sri Lanka.A month later Pakistan travelled to India to play in the 50-over World Cup but the decision for either country to play in the other is always a politically guided one.Pakistan last held an ICC event back in 1996, when they co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. Since then, they’ve gone through two periods when security concerns have meant teams have been reluctant to tour: in the early 2000s when Australia, England and New Zealand didn’t tour because of the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing war in neighbouring Afghanistan; and from 2009 to 2015 when no teams toured because of the terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team. Pakistan were due to host the Champions Trophy in 2008 but that was postponed and moved to South Africa in 2009. They were also due to co-host the 2011 World Cup but had to pull out as a venue.The Champions Trophy will be the centrepiece of a busy home season for Pakistan. They are also hosting South Africa and New Zealand for an ODI tri-series right before the ICC event (and start the home season this year with visits by Bangladesh and England).The scheduling crunch will also mean finding an appropriate window that year for the PSL’s 10th season. January is an option after Pakistan return from a tour of South Africa, though that puts the league in a direct clash with the SA20, the ILT20 most likely, the BPL, as well as the BBL. Scheduling the PSL after the Champions Trophy, in March, means playing it right through Ramadan, a clash the PCB has generally tried to avoid as it impacts attendances, timings as well as commercial opportunities.There will also be the challenge, as Naqvi acknowledged, of improving the stadiums in the three cities, stadiums that have not had serious upgrades for a number of years now.”If you look at Gaddafi [stadium in Lahore], it is good, but the viewing experience is not great for cricket. Football maybe, not cricket,” Naqvi said. “We need to improve facilities in the stadiums, where there are some old problems. [The National Stadium in] Karachi is in bad shape. So on May 7th, we’ll finalise bids from international companies who will come and help us design. We will work with local consultants as well. We are already late but we need to do these upgrades in four-five months. It will be a very tough test but we can do it.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A confiança em mostrar serviço pelo Botafogo no Campeonato Estadual dita as palavras do goleiro João Fernando e do meia Caio Vitor. Contratados para fazerem parte da equipe alternativa comandada por Lúcio Flávio, os atletas traçaram suas perspectivas para a temporada.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalInédita no Brasil, pré-temporada estendida desafia treinadoresFutebol Nacional27/12/2022BotafogoLuis Henrique projeta evolução no Botafogo: ‘2023 será o meu ano’Botafogo27/12/2022

O elenco que defenderá o Botafogo no Carioca está em pré-temporada desde o dia 15 de dezembro.

O goleiro João Fernando, que foi contratado após uma passagem pelo Flamengo, destacou a tradição alvinegra de formar bons goleiros.

– Estar no Botafogo é um privilégio. Além da tradição, é um clube que possui histórico recente de potencializar excelentes goleiros, como Jefferson, Gatito e agora o Perri. Chego com a expectativa de beber dessa fonte e com a certeza de estar dentro de um elenco qualificado, que está dando duro na pré-temporada e vai chegar em grande forma para iniciar o Estadual – garantiu.

Após ter defendido o Volta Redonda no Estadual passado, Caio Vitor demonstrou sua expectativa por ver seu futebol evoluir no Alvinegro.

-Me sinto extremamente feliz com a oportunidade de vestir a camisa do Botafogo e participar do projeto. Fui muito bem recebido e sinto um grupo forte, em constante evolução e muito focado. A expectativa é a melhor possível para iniciar a temporada e dar alegrias ao torcedor. Espero que seja o início de uma grande jornada – afirmou.

Os botafoguenses estreiam no Carioca dia 15 de janeiro, contra o Audax. O elenco principal, comandado por Luis Castro, inicia sua pré-temporada dias antes, em 9 de janeiro.

Newcastle United’s star striker Alexander Isak is not alone in feeling disillusioned with the club’s current trajectory. Reports have emerged suggesting that several members of the squad are losing faith in the club’s supposedly ambitious plans, many of which were central to the vision laid out by owners, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), after their high-profile takeover in 2021.

• Discontent at St James' Park
• Isak & others have 'doubts' over long-term plans
• Missed transfer targets adding to frustration

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The end of the 2024-25 campaign brought a wave of optimism to Tyneside as Newcastle secured a coveted Champions League spot, while they had also secured their first trophy in generations with victory in the Carabao Cup. That success, however, seems like a distant memory. Instead of building on that progress, the club has stumbled in the transfer market and failed to reinforce key positions, leading to a notable drop in morale.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to the one of PIF’s cornerstone promises after their acquisition of the club was the development of a new training complex designed to host both senior and youth squads. In January, it was widely reported that the owners were preparing to appoint architects for a state-of-the-art facility that would modernise Newcastle’s infrastructure and appeal to future signings.

  However, that vision appears to have been scaled back. In April, the club announced instead that it would upgrade its current training ground, with work expected to finish by next summer. While such redevelopment is still an improvement, it has left many players, including new signings, disappointed after being sold a more ambitious vision.

• TELL ME MORE

  Isak is eager to move on and the 24-year-old Swede is understood to have reached a personal agreement with Premier League champions Liverpool on a five-year deal. Moreover, Newcastle’s inability to land several of their summer transfer targets has only added fuel to the fire. High-profile pursuits of players such as Bryan Mbeumo, Hugo Ekitike and Joao Pedro all ended unsuccessfully.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Several players have quietly questioned the board’s ability to deliver on its promises, raising concerns about transparency and long-term commitment, and Isak is not alone in feeling dejected. Adding to this sense of alienation is a reported incident following Newcastle’s Carabao Cup victory in March. Players were said to be "surprised" and disappointed that no board members made an appearance at the training ground to celebrate the milestone.

KL Rahul is set to miss the fourth Test as well, while his participation in the final Test in Dharamsala is subject to fitness

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2024

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the fourth Test against England beginning on February 23 in Ranchi. KL Rahul, who missed the second and third Tests, is set to miss the fourth Test as well, while his participation in the final Test in Dharamsala is subject to fitness.The decision to give Bumrah a break has been made keeping his workload in mind – he’s bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests – with an IPL season coming up followed closely by the 2024 T20 World Cup beginning on June 1. There was speculation that Bumrah was going to be rested for the third Test in Rajkot but, with the series level at 1-1, he eventually played the fixture.Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot, has joined the squad in Ranchi. He played the Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Bihar after being released, where he picked up a career-best match haul of 10 for 50 in a massive win for Bengal.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India now lead the five-match series 2-1 after a record 434-run victory in Rajkot, and they will have to find a way to make up for Bumrah’s absence: he’s the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17 wickets at 13.64 apiece. He was the Player of the Match in India’s win in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, where he took 9 for 91 across both innings.Mukesh, meanwhile, had played the second Test against England when Mohammed Siraj was rested but bowled only 12 overs in Vishakapatnam for figures of 1 for 70. If India play two fast bowlers in Ranchi, the choice for the second quick will be between Mukesh and the uncapped Akash Deep, who was included in the squad for the last three Tests after topping the wicket charts for India A in the recent first-class games against England Lions.Rahul had made scores of 86 and 22 during the defeat in the first Test in Hyderabad – the highest aggregate for India in the match – before missing the second Test with a quadriceps injury. He was included in the squad for the third Test subject to fitness, but was eventually ruled out with a sore knee.The fourth Test between India and England begins this Friday, just four days after the end of the third Test, while there is an eight-day gap between the end of the fourth Test on February 27 and the start of the fifth and final Test on March 7.India squad for fourth Test: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep

It is the first move made by former NSW and Australia Test bowler Trent Copeland in his new role as Thunder’s General Manager

Alex Malcolm23-Apr-2024Wes Agar has become the first player in the BBL to be traded as part of a pick exchange in the overseas draft. Agar joins Sydney Thunder after leaving Adelaide Strikers, who have improved their draft position in the second round.Agar will head to Thunder after eight seasons with Strikers. He played only four matches last season, having previously been an integral part of their attack. Thunder and Strikers swapped their second-round picks as part of the exchange.Strikers will receive Thunder’s early pick in the second round – the exact pick number will be determined in the draft lottery later in the year – while Thunder will get Strikers’ later pick. Thunder are set to get an earlier draft pick because they finished eighth last season while Strikers get a later pick after finishing third.Related

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It is the first move made by former New South Wales and Australia Test bowler Trent Copeland in his new role as Thunder’s General Manager.”He’s a proven performer in this format, and one of the Big Bash’s most likeable guys,” Copeland said. “We want to bring in players who will ultimately perform and win games for the club, but it’s also vitally important for us to attract good people who want to be a part of what we are building here.”Meanwhile, Strikers’ interim General Manager Shaun Williams was understanding of Agar’s decision to request a move.”We understand Wes’ desire for a fresh opportunity at the Sydney Thunder, and wish him all the best with the move,” he said. “We are pleased we were able to improve our draft position as part of this trade ahead of the BBL 14 draft later this year.”Agar, 27, had been Strikers’ best player in the 2020-21 season, taking 22 wickets at 20.77. He also took 18 wickets in 13 games in 2022-23. But he only managed to play four matches last year as Henry Thornton emerged as a preferred pace-bowling option, even as Strikers opted to play two legspinners.Despite only playing four matches and claiming just two wickets at an economy rate of 10.38, Agar is still highly rated by the Australian selectors and was called up as cover for Australia’s final T20I against West Indies in February. He moves to Sydney hoping for a fresh start as Thunder look to reconfigure their attack after a season where they struggled to strike with the ball.

ينتظر عشاق الكرة العربية، خاصة الجماهير السعودية، مباراة منتظرة تجمع بين ناديي الأهلي والقادسية، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس السوبر السعودي، اليوم الأربعاء.

ويلتقي الأهلي السعودي مع القادسية، في الدور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس السوبر السعودي للموسم الجديد 2025-2026.

طالع| فيديو | جواو فيليكس يقود النصر للفوز على الاتحاد والتأهل إلى نهائي كأس السوبر السعودي

وتقام مباريات بطولة كأس السوبر السعودي للموسم الحالي، في العاصمة الصينية هونج كونج خلال من 19 وحتى 23 من شهر أغسطس.

ويشارك في بطولة كأس السوبر السعودي، كل من الاتحاد بطل الدوري والقادسية وصيف الكأس ويشارك النصر صاحب المركز الثالث في الدوري والأهلي صاحب المركز الرابع، بعد اعتذار الهلال بطل الكأس وثاني الدوري عن المشاركة في المسابقة.

وتمكن فريق النصر من الفوز على الاتحاد بنتيجة 2-1، وينتظر الفائز من مباراة الأهلي والقادسية، في نهائي كأس السوبر السعودي. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي والقادسية في نصف نهائي السوبر السعودي

تقام مباراة الأهلي والقادسية، في تمام الساعة 3 عصرًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، اليوم الأربعاء 20 أغسطس 2025. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي والقادسية اليوم في كأس السوبر السعودي

تنقل مباراة الأهلي والقادسية، عبر القناة الجديدة الحاصلة على مباريات الدوري السعودي في الموسم الجديد، وهي “قناة ثمانية” مفتوحة على النايل سات “Thmanyah HD”. تردد قناة ثمانية الناقلة لمباريات كأس السوبر السعودي

تردد: 12360 عمودي (v)، معدل الترميز 27500 معلقو مباراة الأهلي والقادسية اليوم في كأس السوبر السعودي

فهد العتيبي.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا

Hardik and Chawla took three wickets each to help restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 173 before Suryakumar and Tilak sealed the chase

Ashish Pant06-May-20242:14

Review: Will lack of spin options hurt SRH going forward?

A sensational unbeaten 102 off 51 balls from Suryakumar Yadav on the back of Piyush Chawla and Hardik Pandya’s three-wicket hauls helped Mumbai Indians (MI) to their fourth win of the season as they got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in Mumbai. The win also lifted MI out of the bottom of the table to ninth.A run fest was promised at Wankhede Stadium with SRH visiting. Who would have doubted this considering the last time SRH and MI clashed, record books were rewritten. Instead, the MI bowlers came to the fore as SRH were restricted to 173 for 8. In reply, the SRH bowlers also got the new ball to move around and got three powerplay wickets.But Suryakumar decided to do Suryakumar things as he launched an attack on the SRH bowlers, Marco Jansen in particular, to get things back on track. Tilak Varma played the perfect foil with 37 not out off 32 adding 143 off 79 balls with Suryakumar to help MI seal the win in 17.2 overs.1:14

‘Hardik’s bowling today a positive sign for India with the World Cup coming’

A T20 or a Test?First nine balls: 26 for 0.Next 19 balls: 6 for 3.Chasing 174 at a venue where scores in excess of 180 have been breached in six out of ten innings this season coming into this game did not feel like a daunting ask, but the SRH bowlers made life extremely tough for the batters. There was a lot of swing and seam available and, initially, the bowlers even struggled to control the swing. They bowled 18 extras in the first three overs, but once they found their lengths, batting started to feel arduous. The ball zipped off the surface, the batters were beaten multiple times, and wickets started to fall.It was the Test-match length that got the SRH quicks the wickets. Jansen first struck with a seaming delivery that Ishan Kishan could only edge to first slip. And when it’s Test-match length we are talking about, how can Pat Cummins not come into the picture? Cummins bowled a sensational first over, a wicket-maiden in which Rohit Sharma was dismissed off a big top edge. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then got Naman Dhir for a nine-ball duck, dismissed flashing to first slip.Not a single run was scored off the bat between overs 1.3 and 4.4 with MI all over the place.1:23

Moody: Surya consistently does things very few can

SKY does a SKYAfter three overs in which nine runs were scored, Suryakumar decided enough was enough. He first took on Cummins before reserving special treatment for Jansen. He went 4, 4, 6 in the seventh over before swatting Jansen over fine leg for a flat six as overs six and seven yielded a combined 38 runs. From 4 off 7, Suryakumar moved to 32 off 14 in no time and all the initial momentum that SRH had gained was lost.Tilak played the role of the second fiddle to perfection even as Suryakumar kept on going. In all, Suryakumar walloped Jansen for 32 runs off nine balls, which included four fours and two sixes, and he reached his fifty off 30 balls.Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla took three wickets apiece•AFP/Getty Images

There were a few concerned faces in the MI dugout – and no doubt among people interested in India’s fortunes at the T20 World Cup next month – when Suryakumar was seen limping for a bit, but the big hits didn’t cease. A Bhuvneshwar slower ball was mowed over long-on before Shahbaz Ahmed was swept twice in two balls. Suryakumar then raced from 82 to 96 in three balls going 4, 4, 6 in the 17th over. And then, with six needed to win and four for his century, he backed away and went inside out over the covers off T Natarajan to finish the job.This was Suryakumar’s second IPL hundred, and sixth in T20 cricket.Head rides his luck earlyIt was a strange sort of powerplay with the ball for MI. They didn’t bowl badly but hardly found any luck going their way. Travis Head got going with an inside-edged four past leg stump in the first over off Nuwan Thushara and then one more in the second over off debutant Anshul Kamboj. Kamboj should have had his maiden IPL wicket in the next over when he had Head’s off stump splat on the ground, but he had over-stepped. Head ended up taking him for 19 in the over, and SRH were away.Jasprit Bumrah took out Abhishek Sharma, caught behind for 11 off 16, but SRH still managed to reach 56 for 1 in the powerplay. MI would have been miffed because they drew 18 false shots in the first six overs, but only got one wicket to show for their effort.1:54

Moody: Chawla would have really enjoyed the Klaasen dismissal

Chawla and Hardik turn the tideKamboj had another chance to send back Head, but Thushara failed to hang on to a relatively simple chance at deep third in the eighth over. The 23-year-old Kamboj finally had luck going his way when a bail-trimmer sent Mayank Agarwal packing. Thereon it was the Chawla and Hardik show.At 88 for 2 after ten, SRH were placed comfortably, but Chawla changed things by picking up Head for a 30-ball 48. A slog sweep was smashed straight to deep backward square leg before Hardik took out Nitish Reddy with a short-length ball that was spooned straight up. Chawla then had Heinrich Klassen playing on as SRH slipped from 90 for 2 to 96 for 5 in 11 balls.Jansen and Shahbaz Ahmed resisted for a bit, but Hardik had them back in the 16th over with SRH at 125 for 7 and soon 136 for 8 with Chawla snaring Abdul Samad. That SRH even breached the 170-run mark was down to Cummins’ unbeaten 17-ball 35.Eventually, it wasn’t enough.

Board to continue process of opening up tournament to private investment

Matt Roller10-May-2024The privatisation of the Hundred has moved a step closer after the ECB achieved broad agreement with the 18 first-class counties and MCC over its proposed “direction of travel”.The English game has met regularly across the past nine months to discuss the future of the tournament. ECB chief executive Richard Gould said last month that there was “strong consensus” that the eight teams – which are currently owned by the board – should be opened up to private investment.This would be achieved by creating eight new companies and gifting 51% of the shares in them to the relevant host county: Surrey, for example, would be majority shareholders in Oval Invincibles. The remaining 49% of shares would be sold centrally by the ECB to interested parties.The board asked the counties to agree upon a “direction of travel” by Friday. ESPNcricinfo understands that while there is still some wrangling over how the proceeds from the sale of the ECB’s shares should be split, the counties have given their non-binding approval for the sale process to continue.The 11 non-host counties expressed their concerns to Gould earlier this week and are seeking independent financial advice. “The non-host county position is that, as in any financial arrangement of this type – and you’re talking hundreds of millions of pounds – that we would have our own proper, impartial advice and that’s what we’re now seeking,” Jon Filby, Sussex’s chair, told the BBC this week.But many of them are struggling financially and have business models which depend heavily on central funding from the ECB. A recent study in the Cricketer magazine found that five counties have required emergency financial help from the ECB in the last two years. Gloucestershire posted £1.2m losses last year, Middlesex are under special measures after breaching ECB financial regulations, while Worcestershire’s head of finance said in their last annual report: “Financial sustainability remains a paramount concern”.The Telegraph reported that in the latest model, money raised from selling the ECB’s stake would see 10% given to the recreational game and the rest shared by the counties. The first £275 million would be shared 19 ways – between the 18 counties and MCC. The next £150m would be shared between the 11 non-hosts, and any further proceeds shared 19 ways again.One county chief executive told ESPNcricinfo that the non-hosts – of which his club are one – are generally supportive of a deal but believe its details must be right for all parties to avoid entrenching the divide between richer and poorer counties.The host counties will decide how much of their 51% stake in the teams they wish to keep – if any – and the remainder will be sold centrally by the ECB as part of the sales process. Lancashire and Surrey have both held recent consultations with members to keep them engaged with the latest developments.The ECB has appointed Raine Group, the New York-based investment bank, to manage the sale process, which it hopes to complete later this year after using the 2024 edition as a shop window for the Hundred. IPL franchises have been sounded out, while Gould has also reported interest from investors in the US and from the UK.Additional reporting by Andrew Miller