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Bangladesh, who swept Afghanistan 3-0 in the T20I series, will go into the ODI series high on confidence

Mohammad Isam07-Oct-2025

Big picture: a rare ODI face-off after deluge of T20Is

Bangladesh and Afghanistan will have to fight the same adversary in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday: rustiness.Afghanistan last played an ODI eight months ago, in the 2025 Champions Trophy, and even that game was washed out, so they have played just two ODIs this year. Bangladesh have played six, but the last one was in July. Not as bad as their opponents, of course, but they have lost four of these games and won just one.This irregularity in playing ODIs affects how the XIs are chosen.Afghanistan have dropped Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmad based on their Asia Cup – in the T20 format – performance. Hashmatullah Shahidi continues to lead, with Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal forming the batting core.Azmatullah Omarzai is their ODI star with bat and ball, so he will have to shoulder a significant workload. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will lead the bowling attack, alongside newcomers like Bashir Ahmad and Abdollah Ahmadzai, who made their T20I debuts earlier this week.Related

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Bangladesh, meanwhile, have a squad that’s based on their big-picture plan for the 2027 ODI World Cup. It means Mehidy Hasan Miraz continues as captain, with Najmul Hossain Shanto back in the picture. There will be hope that some of the batters bring their T20I form into the ODI arena. Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan looked good in the recent 3-0 win against Afghanistan and will be relied upon.The battle will be between Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan for the three middle-order spots. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman will lead the bowling attack, while it will be interesting to see whether Rishad Hossain and Tanvir Islam are both picked in the XI or not.Bangladesh would like to ride on the momentum of the T20I series sweep, while Afghanistan must get out of their five-match losing streak across formats. It is likely to be a closely fought series, but the rustiness could mean a lot of errors – in the planning and in the field – as they go adjusting to the format.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWWW
Bangladesh LWLLLRashid Khan will depend a lot on Azmatullah Omarzai in either innings•Associated Press

In the spotlight: Azmatullah Omarzai and Saif HassanAzmatullah Omarzai has scored 896 runs and taken 31 wickets in the last two years in ODIs. No wonder he is currently No. 2 in the allrounders rankings. Omarzai will bat in the lower-middle order to provide cushion as well the finishing touches, and also play as the second seamer. He was one of the few to show good form in the T20Is against Bangladesh, although he would be disappointed with the way he got out in the third game in Sharjah, a wild swing that ended in a top edge that was taken by the backward point fielder.Saif Hassan will be the most anticipated ODI debutant for Bangladesh in a long time. His scintillating form in T20Is in the last two months has forced the selectors to bring him into an ODI set-up that’s crying out for a fresh approach. Saif’s attacking shots are great to watch, but as he showed in the third T20I on Sunday, he can also be clever: he played out a maiden over from Rashid Khan knowing it was the legspinner’s last and went on to score an unbeaten 38-ball 64 to take Bangladesh home.Darwish Rasooli is likely to get into the playing XI•AFP/Getty Images

Team news: middle-order changes in the offing

Darwish Rasooli is likely to get into the XI while either Nangeyalia Kharote and AM Ghazanfar is expected to join the attack. Bashir could make his ODI debut.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Darwish Rasooli, 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Nangeyalia Kharote, 11 Bashir AhmadSaif is likely to open the innings with Tanzid, while Nurul will fight for a place with Hridoy. Mohammad Naim has not reached UAE yet due to visa issues. Parvez Hossain has been added to the ODI squad as a back-up batter. Nurul Hasan is likely to keep wicket in the first ODI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 6 Nurul Hasan (wk), 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanvir Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanNurul Hasan will have to fight for his spot•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: bat first, win the game?

The side batting first has won four out of the last five day-night ODIs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The average score batting first in these matches is 274. The forecast in Abu Dhabi is of extreme heat, with some breeze expected in the evening.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan and Bangladesh are tied 2-2 in the bilateral series stakes, although it’s the latter that leads 11-8 overall
• Nabi is the only survivor of the first ODI between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, held in 2014 in Fatullah
• Tanvir Islam’s five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka in Bangladesh’s previous ODI series was the first five-for by a Bangladeshi spinner in two-and-a-half years.

In both of his first two MLB seasons, Paul Skenes has posted a sub-2.00 ERA. This is a feat many pitchers dream of and Skenes has already accomplished this twice.

At 23 years old, Skenes is the youngest MLB pitcher since 1985, when 20-year-old Dwight Gooden posted a 1.53 ERA, to come in below 2.00. Skenes's achievement is something that shouldn't go unnoticed.

However, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year was critical of his ERA when speaking after Wednesday night's game. They do say you are your own biggest critic.

"I'm actually worse than I was last year," Skenes said, via ESPN. "It was 1.96 last year. I'm 1.97 this year. Just got to be better. No, it's cool. I don't come into the year with any numerical goals."

Skenes is the top contender for winning the NL Cy Young Award this season, and with the stats he put up this season, it's completely understandable why. Across 187.2 innings pitched in his sophomore season, Skenes threw 216 strikeouts (tied for third-most in the league) and notched a 0.95 WHIP. His ERA and WHIP from this season are numbers the Pirates haven't seen in over 100 years—his ERA is the second-best behind Wilbur Cooper's 1.87 in 1916 and his WHIP is the second-lowest in franchise history behind Babe Adams's 0.90 in 1919.

Arsenal have now joined Real Madrid in the race to sign a “powerful” midfielder from a Champions League club, it has been revealed.

Gunners join race for another new midfielder

Mikel Arteta strengthened his squad considerably in the summer transfer window, with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard arriving to bolster the midfield options, and the Spain international has made a flying start to life in the Premier League.

There have been suggestions that Zubimendi has already established himself as one of the best midfielders in the top flight, having formed a partnership with Declan Rice, with the duo creating three big chances between them in the 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

With the likes of Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard also on the books, Arteta appears to be well-stocked in both defensive and attacking midfield areas, but the north Londoners have now joined the race to sign a Serie A star.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Arsenal are now monitoring Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram, who has an asking price of €70m (£61m), amid interest from a number of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Real Madrid and Liverpool are also in the race for Thuram, who has established himself as an important player since arriving at the Serie A club in the summer of 2024, and it could be difficult to get a deal done.

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Indeed, considering the midfielder has emerged as an important player and remains under contract until 2029, it could be tricky to tempt Juventus into a sale, but there is certainly interest on the Gunners’ behalf.

"Powerful" Thuram impressing in the Serie A

The France international, who Arteta is a huge fan of, has impressed considerably since returning to the country of his birth, catching the eye with his dribbling skills and ability to score goals and create chances for his teammates over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Non-penalty goals

0.15 (83rd percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.34 (95th percentile)

Progressive carries

2.60 (94th percentile)

Assists

0.15 (79th percentile)

Scout Ben Mattinson has also suggested the 24-year-old is a well-rounded midfielder, describing him as “balanced”, while praising the maestro for his “powerful carrying”, “physicality” and “quick feet.”

The Italy-born maestro, who has 13 Champions League appearances to his name, clearly has the talent to succeed at the Emirates Stadium, but there is no pressing need for Arteta to bring in a new midfielder anytime soon.

With Zubimendi showing his class ever since his arrival, Norgaard on the books as a back-up option, and Rice continuing to impress, chipping in with four goal contributions in the Premier League so far this season, the Arsenal boss already has plenty of top-quality options to choose from.

Leeds United moved out of the relegation zone in the Premier League this week with an impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea at Elland Road on Wednesday night, in a game that was underpinned by Daniel Farke’s structural changes.

The German head coach, who has typically deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation during his time at the club, opted to start with a 3-5-2 system against Enzo Maresca’s team.

It worked wonders for the Whites as they went on to claim all three points, thanks to goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Why Leeds United's formation change worked so well

Changing from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 worked so well for the Whites because it allowed Jayden Bogle, who assisted the second goal, and Gabriel Gudmundsson to push higher up the pitch with three centre-backs providing enough cover defensively.

It also meant that the Whites could play with two strikers, instead of leaving one isolated on their own, and that led to Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha causing plenty of problems.

The two centre-forwards combined to win 13 duels against the Chelsea defenders and won four fouls, without committing any, per Sofascore, which shows that they were a nightmare to deal with throughout the game.

Nmecha, in particular, has benefitted from having Calvert-Lewin’s physicality alongside him. The German forward, who has scored four Premier League goals, has lost 69% of his ground duels this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he struggles with the physical side of leading the line on his own.

Having another, more physical, striker alongside him means that he can focus on making runs in behind and pressing opposition defenders, which is what makes it such an effective pairing, or at least what made it so effective against Chelsea.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Whilst Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin got the job done on Wednesday, Harry Gray could be perfect for the new role that Nmecha is now playing for Leeds.

Why Harry Gray should be unleashed in Lukas Nmecha's new role

Bringing young players into the first-team is difficult in any circumstance, but even more so in the Premier League with all that is at stake in a relegation battle.

Academy talents are not used to the physicality of professional football and may need time to adapt, particularly strikers, which is why this new role that Nmecha has could be perfect for Gray.

Farke must finally unleash the 17-year-old centre-forward for his Premier League debut in the coming weeks because playing alongside an experienced striker like Calvert-Lewin could be an ideal introduction to regular football at senior level.

Gray, who was described as the club’s “newest Wonderkid” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and his contributor Joe Blackburn, has scored a whopping ten goals in 11 games in all competitions for the academy this season, per Transfermarkt.

Appearances

3

Goals

2

Conversion rate

50%

Assists

1

Dribbles completed per game

2.0

Ground duel success rate

52%

Aerial duel success rate

38%

As you can see in the table above, the teenage forward has scored two goals in three EFL Trophy games, playing against League One and League Two sides, but has struggled with the aerial duels in those games.

This suggests that he would not be well-suited to playing as a lone striker in the Premier League for Leeds, as he would need to duel with towering top-flight centre-backs and hold the ball up under intense pressure, which is also where Nmecha struggled earlier this season.

Therefore, playing alongside Calvert-Lewin, who won six of his nine aerial duels against Chelsea (Sofascore), could be the perfect way for him to be introduced into the first-team this season.

Gray’s return of 14 goals in 20 U21s games and eight goals in 11 U18s matches for Leeds, per Transfermarkt, shows that he has the technical and goalscoring qualities to potentially make an impact for the Whites, but it is the physicality that is questionable.

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This change in formation from Farke, though, may alleviate those concerns because of how the two-striker system works, and that is why the manager should unleash the teen sensation in Nmecha’s role in the coming weeks.

Reunited with RCB director Mo Bobat after making the switch from Trent Rockets

Matt Roller03-Oct-2025Andy Flower has been appointed men’s coach at London Spirit, reunited with director of cricket Mo Bobat after they took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title earlier this year. Flower takes over from Justin Langer after his side finished seventh out of eight in his first – and only – season in charge.Bobat was appointed director of cricket earlier this year by Spirit’s new owners and opted not to renew Langer’s contract. He has instead convinced Flower to leave Trent Rockets after a five-year association – which featured a title-winning season in 2022 – on a multi-year contract ahead of the 2026 season.MCC and the ‘Tech Titans’, a consortium of high net-worth individuals including the chief executives of Google, YouTube, Microsoft and Adobe, took operational control of the Spirit earlier this week. They will run the franchise as a joint-venture, with MCC retaining a controlling 51% stake and four out of seven board seats.”I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure Andy’s services as our men’s head coach,” Bobat said. “Andy and I have enjoyed a strong working relationship in the past, and I’m looking forward to building something special with him at London Spirit as we enter this new and exciting phase for the franchise.”Related

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Flower said he was “deeply grateful” to have spent the last five years at the Rockets and “hugely excited” to join the Spirit. “It’s a real privilege to be part of such an iconic venue and organisation. I’m also thrilled to be working once again with Mo, and for the first time with both MCC and the Tech Titans.”The Spirit were women’s champions in 2024 but have consistently underperformed in the men’s Hundred. They have won just 12 of their 38 completed matches, with five of those coming in 2022 when Eoin Morgan captained them to the knockout stages for the only time in their short history.Langer brought in Kane Williamson as captain this year and recruited David Warner alongside him at the top of the order, but they only won three out of eight matches to finish second-bottom.MCC have also appointed Donna-Maria Cullen to the Spirit’s board, after she stepped down from her role as an executive director at Tottenham Hotspur FC. Cullen joins Julian Metherell, Rob Lawson and Morgan as MCC’s representatives, with Nikesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks), Satyan Gajwani (Times Internet) and Egon Durban (Silver Lake) taking the Tech Titans’ board seats.The franchise have confirmed that they will play under the same name next year, but are planning a major brand refresh over the winter which could see them incorporate MCC’s egg-and-bacon colours into their kit – most likely as detailing, rather than the primary colour.Six of the eight deals in the Hundred’s new ownership structure were signed off in July, with Nottinghamshire (Cain/Ares) and Surrey (Reliance) expected to confirm their respective deals for Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles next week ahead of a Hundred board meeting later this month.

MatériaMais Notícias

Carlos Miguel novamente foi o nome do jogo no Corinthians. O goleiro salvou o Timão em diversas ocasiões durante a vitória sobre o Nacional-PAR, pela quarta rodada da fase de grupos da Sul-Americana, e foi exaltado pela Fiel.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansSem brilho, Corinthians vence o Nacional-PAR e ‘respira’ na Sul-AmericanaCorinthians07/05/2024Fora de CampoTorcedores do Corinthians detonam opção de António Oliveira por meia: ‘Medo de jogar’Fora de Campo07/05/2024

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Carlos Miguel completou seu quarto jogo como titular na meta do Corinthians, sua maior sequência desde que chegou ao Corinthians.

➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

A tendência é que Carlos Miguel seja mantido como titular no confronto do Corinthians deste sábado (11), contra o Flamengo, pelo Brasileirão.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
NACIONAL-PAR 0 X 2 CORINTHIANS
COPA SUL-AMERICANA – FASE DE GRUPOS – QUARTA RODADA

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos da Sul-Americana

🗓️ Data e horário: terça-feira, 7 de maio de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Estádio Defensores del Chaco, em Assunção, no Paraguai
GOLS: Yuri Alberto e Matheuzinho
🟨 Árbitro: Angel Arteaga (VEN)
🚩 Assistentes: Alberto Ponte (VEN) e Freker Colmemares (VEN)
🖥️ VAR: Carlos Orbe (EQU)

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⚽ESCALAÇÕES
NACIONAL-PAR (Técnico: Victor Bernay)
Antony Silva; Juan Luis Alfaro, Brian Blasi, Alexis Cañete, Leonardo Conge; Leandro Meza, Juan Fernando Alfaro, Gustavo Caballero, Benítez; Diego Duarte e Ignacio Bailone

CORINTHIANS (Técnico: António Oliveira)
Carlos Miguel; Fágner, Cacá, Felix Torres e Hugo; Paulinho, Breno Bidon e Rodrigo Garro; Wesley, Gustavo Mosquito e Romero (Yuri Alberto)

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Tudo sobre

Carlos MiguelCorinthiansSul-Americana

تحدث عصام الحضري، مدرب حراس مرمى منتخب مصر الثاني، عن بعض الأمور داخل المعسكر قبل المشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب 2025، بعد أيام قليلة في قطر.

وقال الحضري في تصريحات لملعب “أون سبورت”، عن سبب ارتداء حراس المرمى نظارات في التدريب: “النظارات التدريبية تستخدم في معظم الأندية والمنتخبات، وهي تهدف لزيادة التركيز، بعضها يسمح بالرؤية من الأمام فقط، وأخرى لها نقاط سوداء وبيضاء تجبر الحارس على التركيز على الكرة”.

وتابع: “استخدامها يشبه حمل وزن إضافي، وعند إزالته يشعر الحارس بالخفة والتركيز، تستعمل في تدريبات العرضيات والتكتيك، وانتشرت خلال آخر عامين تقريبًا مع ظهور نسخ أحدث باستمرار”.

طالع|بيراميدز يوافق على انضمام لاعبه إلى منتخب مصر في كأس العرب

وعن ترتيب حراس مرمى المنتخب، أكد عصام الحضري أنه يعتبر جميع الحراس “رقم واحد”، وأن الفكر القديم بتحديد حارس أساسي انتهى والمهم أن يكون الجميع جاهزًا.

وذكر الحضري تجاربه مع حراس مصر وسوريا، مشيرًا إلى أنه يهتم بأن يكون كل حارس قادرًا على اللعب في أي وقت، مشيدًا بمصطفى شوبير حارس المنتخب الأول لالتزامه في التدريبات حتى عندما لا يشارك أساسيًا.

وعن رأيه في أداء مصطفى شوبير حارس الأهلي أمام الجيش الملكي، أكد أنه تعامل مع كل الكرات بشكل ممتاز، وأن جاهزيته ورغبته في إثبات نفسه واضحة، كما عبر عن سعادته بالمستوى الحالي لشوبير ومحمد صبحي ومحمد الشناوي.

وشدد على ضرورة دعم الحراس قبل كأس العرب وكأس الأمم الإفريقية، والابتعاد عن الجدل الإعلامي حول من يشارك أو من يستبعد.

وطالب الإعلام والجماهير بالتركيز على دعم المنتخب وتجاهل الأخطاء أو الخلافات، مؤكدًا أن الروح في المنتخب جيدة وأن الجميع يعمل لمصلحة مصر.

India have been grouped with Pakistan; Sri Lanka with Australia and Ireland; England with West Indies and Bangladesh; and New Zealand with Afghanistan and South Africa at the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in February and March.The tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on February 7 and ends on March 8, with the marquee India-Pakistan fixture scheduled for February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The ICC revealed the groups and fixtures at an event in Mumbai on Tuesday.The complete first-round groups are as follows:Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
The final of the tournament will be played in Ahmedabad or Colombo on March 8 – if Pakistan qualify it will be in the latter. Similarly the two semi-finals are in Kolkata – or Colombo if Pakistan qualify – on March 4, and Mumbai on March 5.The other venues for the event are Delhi and Chennai in India, and Kandy in Sri Lanka. Both the R Premadasa Stadium and the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo will host games, and all the group matches involving Sri Lanka or Pakistan will be played in Sri Lanka. The other teams in Group B – Australia, Ireland, Oman, Zimbabwe – will also play all their group matches in Sri Lanka. India and Netherlands are the only teams with group matches at four different venues, including one in Colombo. The games start at 11am (0530 GMT), 3pm (0930 GMT) and 7pm IST (1330 GMT).The format for the tournament is the same as the previous edition in 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, where the 20 teams were divided into five groups of four. The group stage runs from February 7 to February 20. The top two teams from each of the groups progress to a Super Eight phase from February 21 to March 1 where they will be further divided into two groups of four each.The Super Eight groups are as follows assuming these teams qualify from the first round; if another team qualifies, they will take the place of the team from their group that failed to make it:Super Eight Group 1: X1 (India), X2 (Australia), X3 (West Indies), X4 (South Africa)
Super Eight Group 2: Y1 (England), Y2 (New Zealand), Y3 (Pakistan), Y4 (Sri Lanka)
Each team will play the other three in their Super Eight group, with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals.Unlike at the 2024 World Cup, where teams like India played two matches in three days including a travel day, in the 2026 tournament teams will have a gap of at least two days between matches if they are at different venues. Also, unlike in 2024 when New York hosted six matches in five days and the pitches became an issue, the ICC has decided not to hold multiple matches at a venue within a short span of time. One exception though is the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where four matches will be played in six days – on February 7,8, 11 and 12.Click here for the full T20 World Cup schedule.