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تقام اليوم الجمعة 19-9-2025، عدة مباريات هامة ومرتقبة على الصعيد المحلي والقاري بالإضافة إلى الدوريات العالمية والعربية.

ففي الدوري المصري، الجميع ينتظر مباراة الأهلي ضد سيراميكا كليوباترا، التي ستكون مليئة بالإثارة والندية بين الفريقين، والتي يسعي من خلالها المارد الأحمر إلى العودة لطريق الانتصارات ونهاية البداية الأسوأ له في تاريخ الدوري.

وضمن مواجهات دوري أبطال إفريقيا، في النسخة الجديدة لمنافسات دور الـ 64، تقام 3 مواجهات، أهلي طرابلس الليبي ضد ديدجي من بنين، يانج أفريكانز التنزاني يلاقي ويليت إس سي الأنجولي، ونادي أفريكان استار مع فايبرز.

طالع | تشكيل الأهلي المتوقع أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا في الدوري.. بديل زيزو

وفي منافسات بطولة الكونفدرالية، يلعب ولايتا ديشا الإثيوبي ضد الاتحاد الليبي، الفائز من هذه المباراة يلاقي المصري البورسعيدي في دور الـ 32، أولمبيك آسفي المغربي يلعب ضد جمعية نيجيليك ونادي سان بيدرو يلاقي النسر الملكي.

وتنطلق جولة جديدة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني بمباراة ريال بتيس مع ريال سوسيداد، وفي الدوري الإيطالي، ليتشي مع كالياري.

وعربيًا في الدوري السعودي، تلعب 3 مباريات، أبرزها، القمة المرتقبة بين الأهلي والهلال. مواعيد مباريات اليوم الجمعة 19-9-2025 والقنوات الناقلةمواعيد مباريات الدوري المصري اليوم

وادي دجلة ضد طلائع الجيش، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة أون سبورت 1.

سموحة ضد حرس الحدود، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة أون سبورت 2.

الأهلي ضد سيراميكا كليوباترا، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة أون سبورت 1. مواعيد مباريات دوري أبطال إفريقيا اليوم

أهلي طرابلس الليبي ضد ديدجي من بنين، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

يانج أفريكانز التنزاني ضد ويليت إس سي الأنجولي، الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

نادي أفريكان استار ضد فايبرز، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. مواعيد مباريات كأس الكونفدرالية اليوم

ولايتا ديشا الإثيوبي ضد الاتحاد الليبي، الساعة 3 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

أولمبيك آسفي المغربي يلعب ضد جمعية نيجيليك، الساعة 4 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

نادي سان بيدرو ضد النسر الملكي، الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

يو أس سي ضد إس جبهولو سي، الساعة 7 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. مواعيد مباريات الدوري السعودي اليوم

القادسية ضد الخليج، الساعة 6:15 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة ثمانية.

الشباب ضد الفيحاء، الساعة 6:35 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة ثمانية.

الأهلي ضد الهلال، الساعة 9 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة ثمانية. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الإسباني اليوم

ريال بتيس ضد ريال سوسيداد، الساعة 10 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة بي إن سبورت 3. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الإيطالي اليوم

ليتشي ضد كالياري، الساعة 9:45 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على تطبيق ستارز بلاي. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الألماني اليوم

شوتجارت ضد سانت باولي، الساعة 9:30 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة mbc action. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الفرنسي اليوم

أولمبيك ليون ضد آنجيه، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة بي إن سبورت 4. مواعيد الدوري الإماراتي اليوم

الوحدة ضد الظفرة، الساعة 4:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة أبو ظبي الرياضية 1.

بني ياس ضد الجزيرة، الساعة 7:15 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، تنقل على قناة أبو ظبي الرياضية 1.

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

Everton are looking to strike on the market and could now have moved ahead of their rivals in the race to sign a midfielder with Premier League experience, according to a report.

Everton ready to bring in new recruits

The Toffees have added Carlos Alcaraz and Thierno Barry to their ranks as they begin to step up their hunt for reinforcements, and they could now look to fight Manchester United for the signing of Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in a bargain £9 million deal off-set by his relegation release clause.

Shedding some light on the situation, Pete O’Rourke stated: “I think he will leave Leicester this summer. Obviously, this release clause in there makes it easier for clubs to try and sign Ndidi.

“I think it could be one of the bargains of the transfer window due to that £9million release clause. I’m not surprised Everton have been having a look at him. There’s also interest from Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester United as well. There will also be interest from abroad, as Juventus are very much interested in the midfielder.”

In recent weeks, Everton have also made an enquiry to sign Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, though they were rebuffed in their approach despite being willing to pay £30 million for the Scotland international.

Abdoulaye Doucoure and Orel Mangala have left vacancies to be filled within David Moyes’ engine room, and the Friedkin Group have their sights on premium arrivals to replicate their impact at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton’s first five Premier League fixtures

Leeds United (A)

Elland Road

Brighton & Hove Albion (H)

Hill Dickinson Stadium

Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)

Molineux

Aston Villa (H)

Hill Dickinson Stadium

Liverpool (A)

Anfield

With that in mind, the Toffees could now burst ahead of their rivals to bring in a midfielder who has already enjoyed plenty of success in the Premier League.

Everton in active negotiations to sign Douglas Luiz

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are in active negotiations to sign Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, and they could now leap ahead of several rival suitors in the race for the Brazil international.

Moyes views the former Aston Villa man as an ideal addition to solidify his engine room due to his top-flight experience and quality in possession, and he may be available for a bargain fee of £21.6 million after a disappointing campaign in Turin.

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After a return of 27 appearances across all competitions, Olympic gold medallist Luiz is also being tracked by Fulham, Manchester United and Aston Villa. Still, Everton appear to be the ‘most active’ club when it comes to pursuing a transfer with the Toffees ‘serious about making a move’.

Now, it is expected that they will up their bid to bring him to Merseyside in the coming weeks and hope to convince the Rio De Janeiro-born star that his future lies under the guise of Moyes.

Previously, Luiz has been labelled “amazing” by Roy Keane and clearly has a lot left to give at the elite level and a change of clubs could be the perfect tonic to reignite his career.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has shared an exciting update involving Liverpool’s finances for this summer live on the radio.

Liverpool set for busy and expensive summer transfer window

The Premier League champions have already added Netherlands international Jeremie Frimpong to their squad this summer, and his arrival is expected to be the first of many, as Arne Slot looks to put his own stamp on this team despite their successful 2024/25 campaign.

Arriving after Frimpong through the door at Anfield could be AFC Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, as it’s been reported that the Reds are growing increasingly confident of signing Kerkez. The Hungarian is keen on the move to Liverpool and personal terms are not expected to be a problem.

Florian Wirtz is another name that is on every Liverpool fan’s lips at this moment in time, as the Reds continue to try and strike a deal with Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool’s latest bid, worth £109 million, has been turned down by the German club, as they look to hold out for £126 million, which would be a British-record transfer fee. Liverpool are still expected to sign the attacking midfielder.

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The transfer stories don’t stop there for the Reds, as they are also battling Newcastle United to sign Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal from Stade Rennais. Liverpool have reportedly made a concrete offer to sign the teenage defender, but it is unclear how much that offer is worth and if the French side will accept it.

Maguire shares exciting £250m Liverpool finance update

As the Reds continue their assault on the transfer market, finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed that Liverpool are in an excellent financial position, and if they spent £250 million this summer, it would not be a problem.

Speaking live on BBC Radio Merseyside, relayed by Empire of the Kop, Maguire said: “Liverpool are in an excellent financial position. They didn’t spend very much in the 24-25 season, and they have the benefits of Champions League football next season. If they spent £250m, that would not be a problem.”

Ten biggest transfer window spends
1.	Chelsea (summer 2023/24)	£391m
2.	Al-Hilal (summer 2023/24)	£298m
3.	PSG (summer 2023/24)	£295m
4.	Real Madrid (summer 2019/20)	£279m
5.	Chelsea (winter 2022/23)	£278m
6.	Chelsea (summer 2022/23)	£254m
7.	Barcelona (summer 2019/20)	£235m
8.	Juventus (summer 2018/19)	£223m
9.	Real Madrid (summer 2009/10)	£218m
10.	Manchester City (summer 2017/18)	£210m

If Liverpool were to spend £250 million this summer, they would move into seventh for all-time spends in a transfer window and sixth for summer transfer windows only, and it would blow their own club record for a single window out of the water.

While they continue to work hard to try and get deals done for Wirtz, Kerkez and Boudlal, there are other players that could become transfer targets as the transfer window goes on. Newcastle’s Alexander Isak is also on their shortlist and has been described as their number one target in this transfer window. However, the Magpies are said to be holding out for at least £150 million for the Sweden striker.

Isak is not the only Newcastle player that the Reds have an eye on, as it’s been reported that Liverpool are considering an approach to sign Anthony Gordon. The England international is said to be valued at £80 million, so if Isak and Gordon were to move to Anfield, some departures may be needed.

On that note, Federico Chiesa has been linked with a move away, but at this stage it could just be a loan move. Meanwhile, the Reds have turned down Barcelona’s approach for Luis Diaz, as they don’t want to sell the winger for anything less than an astronomical fee.

Club World Cup hopefuls Benfica are set to raid Wolverhampton Wanderers should they be knocked out of the competition earlier than expected, according to a recent report.

2025 Club World Cup gets underway

The FIFA Club World Cup has been given a makeover this year, with 32 teams now qualifying for a competition that will take place every four years, just like the World Cup. Teams such as Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City have qualified from Europe, with many other teams from across the globe also participating in the USA.

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The competition got underway this weekend as Inter Miami and Al Ahly played out a goalless draw. Since then, Bayern Munich have thrashed Auckland City 10-0 and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain have beaten Atlético Madrid 4-0.

Representing England in this competition are Chelsea and Man City, who previously won this competition back in 2023. Chelsea get their tournament underway on Monday as they face Los Angeles Football Club, while City have to wait until Wednesday when they play against Wydad Casablanca.

Benfica eyeing Pereira if booted from Club World Cup

Benfica are participating in the competition and are preparing for their opening match against Boca Juniors on Monday. Ahead of that game, The Sun reports that should Benfica flop in the Club World Cup, they will make a move for Wolves’ Vitor Pereira.

Bruno Lage is currently the manager of the Portuguese side, someone Wolves know well, given his time at Molineux. The 49-year-old is under growing pressure following last season’s performances, and should they be knocked out early, club president Rui Costa is ready to move for Pereira.

This news comes at a time when Wolves have already seen big-name players such as Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri leave to join Manchester United and Manchester City, and now their manager could be on the way out.

Vitor Pereira’s Premier League record

Games

22

Won

10

Drawn

3

Lost

9

Points

33

Points per game

1.50

Pereira arrived at Molineux in December 2024, taking charge of 25 matches, and in that time oversaw an excellent turnaround which saw Wolves go from destined for relegation to a comfortable finish at the end of the season.

The Portuguese has won 10 of his 22 Premier League matches in charge, which led to pundit and former Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer heaping huge praise on Pereira, stating what he has done has been “incredible”.

“He really has done an incredible job, the whole atmosphere on the pitch and off the pitch.

“He’s given everyone belief and confidence, made them more solid at the back. All over the park, they’re better, so he’s done a great job.”

Molineux chiefs are reportedly scrambling to tie the manager down and ward off any interest from Benfica, but fans may have a new team to root for in the revised Club World Cup given the impact it could have in the West Midlands.

Manchester United were left frustrated once again in the Premier League on Sunday when they had to fight to scrape a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

It took a 96th-minute goal from Rasmus Hojlund, who deflected an effort from Manuel Ugarte into the bottom corner, to secure a point against the Cherries, after Antoine Semenyo rifled the home team in front in the first half.

Ruben Amorim’s side created more than enough chances to win the match, though, as they racked up 2.52 xG and failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Bruno Fernandes, in particular, must have been particularly frustrated by the team’s wasteful finishing. The Portugal international created seven chances, including one ‘big chance’, and came off the pitch without an assist to show for his efforts.

Manchester United’s captain has been a shining light in a dim season for the Red Devils, once again, with the quality that he has provided in the middle of the park on a regular basis.

It is now down to the club and Amorim to ensure that they bring in the right players to complement his play in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Why Manchester United have let Bruno Fernandes down

The owners, the previous owners, the manager, and the previous manager, or managers, have all failed to build a squad that is equipped to make the most of Fernandes’ talent in the final third.

Manchester United’s captain has now created 14 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season and has only been rewarded with nine assists for his creative brilliance, which shows that his teammates have not done enough with the opportunities that he has created.

That is the story of Fernandes’ career at Old Trafford, particularly recently, as he has been an exceptional creative talent for the club throughout his time in the English top-flight.

The 30-year-old superstar, who has also scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, needs teammates who can make the most of the ‘big chances’ that he consistently creates.

24/25

14

9.24

9

23/24

21

13.16

8

22/23

32

17.27

8

21/22

15

8.81

6

20/21

20

11.47

12

19/20

4

2.75

7

Total

106

62.7

50

As you can see in the table above, Fernandes’ teammates have only scored 50 goals from 62.7 xA created by the former Sporting star, which shows that they have significantly underperformed in front of goal.

These statistics show that Manchester United have not been able to recruit the quality of centre-forward that the attacking midfielder needs to finish the chances that he creates on a weekly basis for the Reds.

Manchester United are now, reportedly, eyeing up a deal to sign a player who would love to play alongside Fernandes, and who has the quality to thrive alongside him.

Manchester United close in on Premier League star

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Brazilian forward is ‘very close’ to joining the Red Devils from the Premier League side, as Amorim looks to bolster his options at the top end of the pitch.

Revelo adds that the Brazil international has a release clause, worth £53m, in his current contract with the Old Gold, and that United are ready to pay it to bring him to Manchester in the ‘coming weeks’.

It claims that there is already a verbal agreement in place between Cunha and Manchester United to join the club, which suggests that personal terms have already been agreed between the two parties.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

INEOS must, now, pay the release clause to wrap a deal up as early as possible in the summer transfer window, to avoid any other clubs swooping in ahead of them, as the attacker could be a dream signing for Fernandes next season.

Why Matheus Cunha would be a dream signing for Bruno Fernandes

The former Atletico Madrid attacker could be an ideal addition to the squad because he is a proven Premier League performer who could hit the ground running at Old Trafford, in theory.

This is Cunha’s second full season in the top-flight, having also been on loan at Wolves in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, and he has shown himself to be a classy operator at the top end of the pitch for the Old Gold.

The 25-year-old star, who was directly involved in 22 goals as shown in the video above, could come in to provide Amorim’s side with a boost as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

His finishing qualities, in particular, will be of interest to Fernandes because his record in the Premier League since the start of last season suggests that the United captain would love him.

Appearances

32

29

xG

9.49

7.86

Goals

12

15

Big chances missed

6

2

Big chances created

7

12

Assists

7

6

As you can see in the table above, the Wolves superstar has vastly outperformed his xG, scoring 27 goals from 17.35 xG, and delivered 13 assists.

Cunha, dubbed a “special” player by his manager Vitor Pereira, has the quality to take high-quality chances when they come his way, outperforming how many goals the average player would be expected to score from the shots that he takes.

This is why Fernandes, who has consistently been let down by his teammates in that respect, would love the Brazilian ace at Old Trafford, because the forward could provide the finishing quality to make the most of his creativity.

Cunha and Fernandes could be a lethal pairing in the Premier League for United next season because the Portuguese ace could consistently create chances for the ex-Atletico Madrid ace to find the back of the net week-in-week-out, improving Manchester United’s attack.

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This is why INEOS must get a deal done for the Wolves star as quickly as possible because he could be a fantastic signing to bolster Amorim’s squad, improving the team’s chances of success next term.

Two very exciting words have been shared in a report regarding the 49ers’ plans for the next Rangers manager.

Rangers rescue draw at Aberdeen to deny Celtic title

The Gers made several changes to their starting XI on Sunday, as interim manager Barry Ferguson prioritises the Europa League, with a huge second-leg clash away at Athletic Bilbao on Thursday and the tie evenly poised at 0-0.

As bad as McCausland: Ferguson must instantly drop £5m Rangers man

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ByBen Gray Apr 13, 2025

The various changes affected Rangers deeply, as they found themselves 2-0 down and a man down at half-time. But goals from Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi claimed a point for the Gers and put a hold on Celtic’s title celebrations, albeit for just a short time.

Despite the fact there wasn’t much on the game for Rangers, Ferguson was happy with his side’s comeback and the fact they got a point: “After going down to 10 men and 2-0 down, you’ve got to be pretty happy with coming back into the game and getting a point. [Character] is one thing I’ve tried to drill into them. They’ll dig deep for me. They never give in. They kept going until the end. But we don’t help ourselves.”

Games

9

Won

4

Drawn

2

Lost

3

Points per game

1.56

The match on Sunday saw Rangers and Ferguson go up against Jimmy Thelin, who has emerged on Rangers’ radar in recent weeks, but the inconsistent form Aberdeen have shown has now likely ruled him out of the running.

Update shared about the 49ers plans for the next Rangers manager

Thelin being ruled out of the race comes in a report from Football Insider, who also interestingly state that the 49ers are planning on appointing a “big name” to become the new Rangers manager.

Rangers chiefs are planning to cover all areas and look further afield than just Scotland, as they want someone to come in and lead the club forward for years to come. The report doesn’t state who Rangers are actually considering appointing, but several names have been linked to the post in recent weeks, with Ferguson also not out of the running – his best chance of securing the job is of course to win the Europa League.

Since Philippe Clement was sacked by the Gers, several “big names” have been linked – former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was the first name in the ring, while former Gers boss Steven Gerrard has been mentioned with a sensational return to the club. A recent report has also claimed that the 49ers want to use their Red Bull links and hire Marco Rose, who has just left RB Leipzig.

But a big-name manager doesn’t come much bigger than José Mourinho, who before Fenerbahçe’s clash with the Gers last month, claimed that he would be open to managing Rangers one day.

“People can say that the Scottish league is a league of two teams, but it’s a league of passion. It’s a league of passion. And for me, passion in football is everything. And Celtic and Rangers, they are big clubs with big fanbases, with big emotions, big responsibilities, and big expectations. Why not?”

Inspired by Shashank Singh and Amandeep Khare, the two Chhattisgarh batters are aiming to make it big in the upcoming Duleep Trophy

Deivarayan Muthu26-Aug-2025Aayush Pandey and Sanjeet Desai, two emerging players who are motivated by the success of Chhattisgarh’s biggest star Shashank Singh, have made the Central Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, and are hoping to enhance the reputation of their state in Indian domestic cricket.Pandey, 21, is a left-hand opening batter, while Desai, 27, is a right-hand middle-order batter who often uses his long reach to mess with the lengths of bowlers.They were both among the top-ten run-getters in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. They were also among the top-ten run-getters in the 2025 Chhattisgarh Premier League. More recently, their contributions on a Chennai turner helped Chhattisgarh beat a more fancied Maharashtra side, which included Ruturaj Gaikwad, in the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament.Related

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“I’ve learnt a lot from Shashank and he has helped me develop over the last two-three years,” Pandey says. “His advice on mental tactics has helped me build my innings and also support my team-mates.”We have a lot of talent coming through in Chhattisgarh. Our age-group teams are also doing well and we’re also doing well in [senior] state matches and the win against Maharashtra in the Buchi Babu gives us confidence going into the domestic season.”Before Shashank put Chhattisgarh on the Indian cricket map, it was Amandeep Khare, the current captain, who had played at the higher levels, representing India Under-19s as well as Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy.”Shashank has inspired a lot of us and at the same time, Amandeep Khare is a legend from our state,” Desai says. “You see more talent and the results are also coming. It’s been just a few years since we got the affiliation [2016-17], and things will soon come our way.”Pandey’s career has been trending upwards since he toured the UK in 2023 with a Mumbai Indians (MI) development squad. In the 2024-25 Buchi Babu, he won the Player-of-the-Tournament award and in the following Ranji season, he racked up 744 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.63, including a century against Tamil Nadu and a double-century against Assam. He has also attended IPL trials with a number of franchises but is yet to break into the big league.

“There is good bonding and understanding between us. We’ve had some big partnerships for Chhattisgarh. I know which bowlers he is going to target and which bowlers may be difficult [to face] for him. [In] the same way, he tells me how to play the bowlers and go about my batting”Aayush Pandey on batting with Sanjeet Desai

“The MI tour of the UK helped me assess and adapt to different conditions,” Pandey says. “It’s different to playing in India with more swing and seam. The last Buchi Babu and Ranji season has given me a lot of confidence and I hope to carry that through to the Duleep Trophy.”Like Pandey, Desai can bat for long and score big, too. After chalking up four consecutive centuries in the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2023, he showed that he could score a similar volume of runs in the most recent Ranji Trophy. Desai credits his coach Umesh Patwal, who has also worked with Afghanistan as their batting coach, and regular stints in Chennai’s competitive first-division league for his red-ball progress.”Umesh Patwal, who is from Mumbai… I went to him in 2021 and after that my cricketing journey changed and I think I’ve scored 12 centuries in the BCCI seasons after that [including age-group tournaments],” Desai says. “I have also been playing for India Cements for four years in the TNCA [Tamil Nadu Cricket Association] league and playing the league has flourished my game like anything.”Playing in Chennai, you get different kinds of wickets, which you don’t get in the north or central part. By the time I come to the Ranji Trophy, I would have scored 350-400 runs in the league, which has really helped me in the Ranji season.”Desai also has some exposure outside of India, having played as a professional for the Sri Lankan Airforce Sports Club in 2023. He is eager to harness all of those experiences and make an impression in the upcoming Duleep Trophy that starts on August 28.Sanjeet Desai celebrates his double-century against UP in the 2023-24 season•Randhir Dev/Ekana Sportz City”The Duleep Trophy is the gateway to the Indian cricket team,” Desai says. “All the selectors are thoroughly watching the players and monitoring them. So, it is really important for me, and runs in the Buchi Babu will boost my confidence because I think my last Ranji game was in January-February.”Pandey is relishing the prospect of batting together with Desai for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy. “There is good bonding and understanding between us,” he says. “We’ve had some big partnerships for Chhattisgarh. I know which bowlers he is going to target and which bowlers may be difficult [to face] for him. [In] the same way, he tells me how to play the bowlers and go about my batting.”Chhattisgarh had posted five totals of 400 or more in seven Ranji games in the 2024-25 domestic season, but their attack struggled to bowl out oppositions. To remedy that, they have brought in the experienced Aditya Sarwate, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder who has represented Vidarbha and Kerala in the past, and paired him up with seamer Ravi Kiran, another professional.”If you look at the graph, our batters have all scored runs,” Desai says. “Last year we had just one professional [Ravi Kiran]. Other than that, there was some bowler making his debut. In the next game, someone else was making his debut. Now, we have got Aditya Sarwate and there will be support for Ravi Kiran this season.”

“In the first year, I didn’t take the Chhattisgarh Premier League seriously, but when I went for IPL trials, franchises were telling me that they are monitoring our league too. So, I was serious about it and this season was good”Sanjeet Desai

Desai believes that he has the tools to succeed in T20 cricket too. In the 2025 Chhattisgarh Premier League, he struck 166 runs in five innings at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of nearly 160.”I won two games for my team in the Chhattisgarh Premier League,” Desai says. “I think I have the height and power, and it was just about the mindset switch. I want to be a three-format player. I scored a 24-ball 68 in the Chhattisgarh Premier League. At the same time, in the Ranji Trophy, I scored a 200-ball hundred too.”In the first year, I didn’t take the Chhattisgarh Premier League seriously, but when I went for IPL trials, franchises were telling me that they are monitoring our league too. So, I was serious about it and this season was good.”Pandey also delivered a good appraisal of the league, saying it has helped younger players, such as himself, deal with pressure better and press for higher honours.”Playing in the Chhattisgarh league builds composure and it’s helping me build my character under pressure,” Pandey says. “We have to keep getting better and better. We should not be satisfied with just a few wins and look to win big tournaments like Ranji Trophy or Syed Mushtaq Ali or Vijay Hazare.”

It was a tricky day with many close calls testing both him and the umpire, but Lyon thrived on day two

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-20232:04

Tait: Lyon has got his line and length perfect in this Test

Nathan Lyon and Joel Wilson hadn’t seen each other for a little while.This game in Indore is the first time the pair have crossed paths since the famous Headingley Test of 2019 when Wilson gave Ben Stokes not out to a sweep that replays showed was taking leg stump with England needing two runs to win. Australia had no reviews left.Related

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Australia still have their problems with reviews – although so have India in this match – but Lyon will have been grateful they had plenty in the bank on the second day at Holkar Stadium.Twice he roared appeals for lbw, down on his knees, accompanied by the phalanx of close catchers. The first against Ravindra Jadeja and the second against R Ashwin. On the latter occasion, he had barely stopped imploring when he signalled for the review himself, before Steven Smith made it official.The DRS has been busy in this Test, although it should be said that umpiring in conditions such as these – much like batting – is a difficult task. Everything is simpler with replays, although it wasn’t a great look for Wilson.On both occasions, the not-out decisions were reversed. The Ashwin scalp gave Lyon his second five-wicket of the series and his 23rd overall in Tests. It also gave him 50 wickets in India, becoming just the second Australian bowler after Richie Benaud to reach that mark.Having taken 15 wickets at 37.33 on his first tour of India in 2013, Lyon has now bagged 38 wickets at 21.60 in the last two trips. And this time, he will likely have bowled Australia to victory, unless a remarkable game has one more epic twist as they chase 76 on the third day.Nathan Lyon accounted for both India’s openers•BCCI”It’s up there [among my best days], there’s no point lying about it,” he said. “[But] I’m just really proud of the way we’ve gone about it. Personal success is great to have but after Delhi, we had a couple of really good days off as a team, and really good conversations at training. Certainly, it’s up there as one of my career highlights. But I’m more proud of our group.”In Nagpur, he bowled better than his figures would suggest. Since then, like the best players tend to do, he has come to the fore. He bowled Australia into a position of strength in Delhi which they couldn’t take advantage of and in Indore, he has made the most of the conditions on offer.Dealing with the pressure of bowling to win matches in conditions or scenarios where a spinner is expected to dominate has, perhaps unsurprisingly, come more easily to Lyon as his career has developed, although it was back in 2012 that his dad offered some wise words.”It’s been an interesting one,” he said. “I think at the start of my career, I probably felt more the weight of trying to win games in the last couple of innings. But it was actually my dad who sat me down and said ‘there are three or four other bowlers who you’re able to bowl with in partnerships and if you do your role.”‘Some days, you’re going to have success and some days, your mates are going to have success, and that’s more important that you’re able to identify that. When it’s your time, grab it and run with both hands.'”So it was my dad who just simplified it for me and made sure I wasn’t overcomplicating things and putting too much pressure on myself. They can be high-pressure environments, and if we can stay nice and calm and collected, enjoy the battle, enjoy the contest and hopefully some days you’ll have success.”ESPNcricinfo LtdOn this tour, especially in the last two Tests, he has beaten batters on both edges, primarily operating from round the wicket to keep all modes of dismissal in play. After Shubman Gill’s wild hoick in the first over after lunch, he slid one into Rohit Sharma’s pads. Later on, sandwiched between the reviewed lbws, he pushed one past the outside edge of KS Bharat to take off stump.But he wasn’t able to get past Cheteshwar Pujara who played a masterful innings. That was until a moment of brilliance of Smith – dodgy back and all – who pulled off a spectacular catch at leg slip, something they had been bowling for, when Pujara flicked at a delivery outside leg stump. It was most likely a match-winning moment because Pujara could have given Australia a tricky target.Meanwhile, Nathan and Joel weren’t quite done, either. On this occasion, Lyon got the decision on-field when Wilson gave Umesh Yadav lbw only for the review to show that this time the ball was turning past leg stump. Lyon and Wilson shared a few words, all in good spirit.And it didn’t matter much in the end, except to keep the spotlight on Wilson, because Umesh picked out deep midwicket next ball. A wild heave from Mohammed Siraj and Lyon had an eight-wicket haul in India for the second time. Unlike in Bengaluru in 2017, he be able to take on his other role of singing the team song in victory.

It’s 7am, and your telly has already been hijacked for the day. And no, you’re not getting the remote control

Andrew Miller05-Feb-2021If you are old enough to plough your mind back through the mists of time – to the days before WiFi, before dial-up internet connections, before even satellite TV – then you’ll just about be able to remember what it was like to have no say in what you were force-fed on the television.You might remember how each of the UK’s four TV channels (three or fewer if you’re truly ancient) had its own distinctive, and distinctly dysfunctional, personality.The BBCs were a pair of nerdy twins, all preachy and proper, hellbent on telling you everything they thought you ought to know, generally when you least wanted to hear it.Related

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ITV was achingly nouveau, and considered vulgar by your parents, but it was secretly your favourite, mainly because it showed and the on a Saturday night.And as for Channel 4, we’ll come to its original cricket-rights era in a moment but, from inception, it was a strange assemblage of… well, not sure what exactly. Endless episodes of and (the soap that not even your grandmother watched), as well as , a music show that was obviously way cooler than , and considered off-limits for precisely that reason.But the point is, that was your lot. Take it or leave it, and don’t blink or you’ll miss it. There was no streaming, no surfing, no pausing, certainly no second-screening. The TV listings ruled supreme.There was, however, one option for binge-watching, and in a sign of the times for future generations, it’s why so many middle-aged tragics will have fallen out of bed at 3.55am in the UK this morning, to relapse into a few bad old habits.And, with apologies to C4’s cruelly short preparation time, there will have been more than a little Pavlovian slavering when the old guard flicked on the telly to be greeted by the lo-fi witterings of two men in a dimly-lit broom cupboard (one of whom was making his first free-to-air appearance after 12,472 runs and 161 Tests behind a paywall).For there is a tendency in English cricket circles to view the free-to-air era as some sort of long-forgotten land of milk and honey, when the sport was nurtured in the bosom of munificent Auntie Beeb and everybody in the land revelled in shared ownership of their national pastime.The reality was somewhat different – certainly in the BBC days (wait for it, Channel 4, wait for it…) when the unsurpassed glory of theme music was frankly the high point of the coverage.Yes, there was Richie Benaud, but let’s face it, Test cricket on the BBC was grudgingly presented at best, by stuffed-shirts with opinions aplenty but barely an insight between them, and invariably weaved into the schedule with just the right lack of finesse to wind up absolutely everyone.

.@Channel4’s #IndvEng rights coup is genuinely exciting for cricket in this country. Nothing quite like a captive audience for the purposes of indoctrination…

I look forward to scores of early-morning parent-child conversations along these lines in the coming weeks..! pic.twitter.com/upFaVuwH3n

— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) February 3, 2021