عقد أيمن الرمادي المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، جلسة مع اللاعبين قبل انطلاق التدريبات التي أقيمت مساء اليوم الأحد على ملعب النادي، استعداداً لمواجهة بيراميدز المُقبلة في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة بيراميدز يوم الثلاثاء المقبل في الجولة السادسة للمرحلة النهائية لمسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وأكد المدير الفني للاعبين على أهمية العمل والتركيز والاجتهاد في التدريبات، كما حرص على تحفيز اللاعبين، مؤكداً على ثقته التامة في قدرات الجميع على تنفيذ المطلوب.

طالع أيضاً.. الزمالك يوضح لـ بطولات حقيقة خضوع زيزو لتحقيق جديد في مقر النادي

وشرح المدير الفني للاعبين بعض الأفكار الخططية التي ينوي تنفيذها خلال التدريبات، استعدادًا للمباراة المُقبلة.

وأدى ناصر ماهر لاعب وسط الفريق، تدريبات تأهيلية وعلاجية خاصة داخل صالة الجيمانيزيوم بمقر النادي، على هامش المران. 

يأتي ذلك وفقاً للبرنامج الموضوع للاعب من قبل الجهاز الطبي بقيادة الدكتور محمد أسامة، لتجهيزه بالشكل الأمثل للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية، في ظل الإصابة التي يعاني منها في أربطة مفصل الكاحل.

وحرص الجهاز الطبي للفريق على متابعة حالة اللاعب والبرنامج الموضوع له من أجل تجهيزه للعودة للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية في أقرب وقت ممكن.

Four dropped catches and sloppy ground-fielding hurt Bangladesh in the first ODI against Zimbabwe; it’s been an issue for long, says their captain

Mohammad Isam06-Aug-2022Bangladesh have just lost their first ODI against Zimbabwe in nine years, and a series of lapses in the field, highlighted by four dropped catches, hurt them big time on Friday in Harare. Though Bangladesh scored 303 for 2, Sikandar Raza and Innocent Kaia hit centuries to take Zimbabwe home by five wickets, and the two of them made maximum use of the sloppiness in the field.Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s captain, acknowledged the issue, but pointed out that fielding has been an area of concern all along.”Our total fielding effort hurt us [in the first ODI]. We have given away too many easy runs,” Tamim said. “We could have created a little more pressure through dot balls, instead we conceded easy singles. You can point out a lot of things when we lose. But when we win, I always give the reminder what mistakes we have made. We got away with dropping catches and not fielding well, but today it got back to hurt us.”Related

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Substitute fielder Taijul Islam dropped a simple catch in the covers when Raza was on 43. Raza finished on 135 not out off 109 balls. Kaia was dropped twice in one Shoriful Islam over. He was on 68 when Taskin Ahmed dropped him at deep third, and Shoriful spilt a straightforward return catch at the end of the over with Kaia on 74. Kaia scored 110 in 122 balls. Taskin, who had a poor day in the field, dropped another sitter at fine-leg when Luke Jongwe was on 17. That didn’t cost Bangladesh much, as Jongwe was dismissed for 24, but the match was as good as over by then.”I have been saying that we have been dropping a lot of catches so it had to cost us at some point,” Tamim said. “This was probably the day. Previously, we have got away with it. We won despite dropping a couple of catches. On these types of wickets [which are good for batting], when you drop four catches, you are not going to win the game.”We have to take the chances. When there’s help in the wicket [for bowlers], there are always chances coming even when you have dropped a catch. But on such a good wicket, it becomes very difficult. We couldn’t hold on to any of the four chances. It is the biggest difference [between winning and losing].”Tamim defended the team management’s decision to not play a left-arm spinner, and add an extra batter at No 7, Afif Hossain in this case. But left-arm spin has done well for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe over the years.

“As a group, we should have got those 15-20 runs. Those in the middle really tried hard. They have done it a lot of times, so I am not one to point fingers at my players”Tamim Iqbal

“I won’t call it [not playing a left-arm spinner] a wrong decision,” Tamim said. “The story would have been different had we bowled first. But we have to think about the combination for the next game.”At the same time, though, we have had our opportunities, which we didn’t grab. I am not someone who blames a defeat on other things. We must have made mistakes. We take full responsibility.”Things could also have been different had Bangladesh scored more than the 39 they did in the last five overs despite having wickets in hand. They had the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah in the middle for the last four overs, but couldn’t get a move on.”We should have scored 15-20 runs more when you consider the circumstances,” Tamim said. “We were 250 for 1, so in that kind of situation you can push a little harder to get those 15-20 runs. We had to tackle the first 10-15 overs, which I thought we handled very well with a good partnership [between Tamim and Litton Das]. We didn’t finish well.”It will be very unfair to point out one or two individuals. As a group, we should have got those 15-20 runs. Those in the middle really tried hard. They have done it a lot of times, so I am not one to point fingers at my players.”

Bracewell became only the third New Zealand man to take a T20I hat-trick after Oram and Southee

Sreshth Shah20-Jul-2022

A patient yet effective 55-ball 78* from Dane Cleaver, and a dominating effort from New Zealand’s bowlers handed the visitors a resounding 88-run win over Ireland in the second T20I in Belfast. The victory sealed the three-game series for New Zealand, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead with one game still to go.For the second game in a row, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie’s decision to bowl first proved costly, as New Zealand posted 179 for 4 in 20 overs. Cleaver, playing only his second T20I, hit five fours and four sixes, and stayed right till the end after coming in to bat at No. 3 in the fifth over.Then New Zealand’s well-rounded bowling unit did the rest, helped in part by some unnecessary attacking shots or risky runs from the Ireland batters. If it wasn’t for a 37-run stand for the eighth wicket between Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy, Ireland’s total could’ve been far lesser than their eventual score of 91.The spin twins Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking three wickets each. Sodhi’s scalps of Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell broke Ireland’s back in the middle overs, leaving him with figures of 3 for 21 but Bracewell had the widest smile by the end of the game. Bowling his first over in T20Is, the offspinner cleaned up the Ireland tail with three wickets in three balls, thus making him only the third New Zealand bowler after Jacob Oram and Tim Southee to achieve a T20I hat-trick.Spinners headline Irish collapse
Ireland’s chase of 180 began with some potential as Mitchell Santner was walloped by Paul Stirling for a six and a four in the very first over. Then when Lockie Ferguson was dispatched by Stirling for four more through the covers, it seemed like the Ireland opener could be the big-hitter around whom the rest of Ireland’s batters could rally.However, three balls after the Ferguson four, Stirling fell slicing a catch to mid off, and thereafter the floodgates opened. From the other end, Jacob Duffy had Gareth Delany bowled for a first-ball duck in the fourth over with the batter failing to get forward to a fullish ball, and Harry Tector then paid the price of being impatient, run-out to a direct-hit from Glenn Phillips at cover while trying to take the fielder on for a quick single.Having gone from 23 for no loss to 27 for 3 in the space of eight deliveries, it was up to the prodigy Campher and Balbirnie to stick a partnership together, but the latter was the next to go, becoming Duffy’s second scalp. Duffy went full and wide, got the ball to swing away under cloudy conditions, and all Balbirnie’s drive could do was take an outside edge to Cleaver wearing the gloves. After a quiet – and rare wicketless – over, Sodhi got among the wickets too in his first over of the game.Tucker tried to slog sweep the legspinner, only to lose stock of where the mistimed ball went. It had dribbled past him to the wicketkeeper, and as Tucker tried to pinch a single thinking the ball has gone elsewhere, he was stumped. Next ball, Sodhi brought a slip fielder for the new batter and Dockrell edged it to James Neesham in the cordon.With the score at 45 for 6, and ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster giving Ireland less than 1% chance of a win, the pressure was off the Ireland lower order. Mark Adair, in particular, hit a few lusty blows after Campher became Sodhi’s third (and Ireland’s seventh) wicket. Adair went 4, 4, 6 off Sodhi’s third over to ruin his otherwise tidy bowling figures and then drilled Neesham over his head for another boundary. His partner for the eighth-wicket stand, Barry McCarthy, tonked Neesham and Bracewell for a couple of fours too.But Bracewell’s offbreak had Adair caught at deep midwicket for a 22-ball 27, and with the batters crossing, McCarthy too was out next ball, slogging to the same region. On a hat-trick, Bracewell had better luck than Sodhi, taking his third wicket in three balls as the No. 11 Craig Young tried to clear cover, only to slice a catch behind point, and ending Ireland’s innings at 91.Dane Cleaver attempts a reverse sweep during his highest T20I score•Sportsfile/Getty Images

Cleaver follows his cousin’s footsteps
Having made his T20I debut at the age of 30 only two days ago, it was another chance for Cleaver to make the most of the opportunity of batting at No. 3 for New Zealand with senior batters being rested for the T20Is. Coming in at a position favoured by his first-cousin Kane Williamson – after the fall of Finn Allen’s wicket, Cleaver made a sedate start, but kept upping his gears right until the 20th over.Allen’s blitz at the top had allowed New Zealand to race to 40 for no loss after four overs, but he fell for a 20-ball 35 trying to take McCarthy on in the fifth over. With Martin Guptill struggling with his timing, and Cleaver playing but missing the swinging deliveries offered by the Irish seamers, it seemed like the hosts would provide yet another squeeze to the New Zealand top order like the first T20I.But Cleaver grew in confidence, in particular trusting the bounce on offer to play the pull on numerous occasions to finally get off the blocks. Even with Guptill falling for a 17-ball 11 in the ninth over, Cleaver motored along at a strike-rate of under 110 to move into his twenties in Phillips’ company for the third wicket. Together, they added 53 in 5.2 overs, and as Cleaver’s confidence grew, so did his choice of shots. He scooped McCarthy for an ingenious six over the keeper one time, and then played a sliced drive on purpose to beat the fielder at deep point.However, Cleaver did receive a reprieve on 40 when he skipped down the ground to a Dockrell slider, only to miss it. But the wicketkeeper Tucker failed to grab it, and Cleaver offered no further chances. He picked Adair’s two slower balls in the 16th over well enough to smack them for boundaries, then brought up his maiden half-century in 39 balls with a six over deep midwicket. Daryl Mitchell, the No. 5, contributed just 14 runs in his 48-run stand with Cleaver, letting the man in form enjoy most of the strike.Cleaver would go on to thump Young for a pulled six in the 18th, then tonked Josh Little for three fours in four balls in the 19th, and earned his final boundary off the innings’ penultimate ball by slicing a four behind square on the off side. In all, New Zealand made 50 off the last five and Cleaver finished unbeaten on 78 in 55 balls. His performance eventually eked out the Sodhi-Bracewell efforts in the second innings to also earn him the Player of the Match award.

Manchester City could well have turned a corner, with a horrendous run of five games without a win having been followed by successive victories against Leicester City and West Ham United.

The Citizens were able to end 2024 on a high note, beating the Foxes 2-0 at the King Power Stadium, prior to putting four past the hapless Hammers to kick off 2025 with a bang.

The reigning Premier League champions are now unbeaten in their last three games, having also drawn 1-1 at home to Everton on Boxing Day.

There were changes made for each of those games by Guardiola, with veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan barely featuring in recent weeks.

Gundogan’s 2024/25 season

It has been something of a tough season for German midfielder Gundogan. After a year away from the Etihad Stadium, playing for Barcelona for a season, he returned to the club on a free transfer in the summer.

Upon his return to the club, the treble winner has certainly had a big involvement for the Citizens this term but hasn’t quite made the greatest of impacts in a Sky Blue strip. He has played 25 times in all competitions, scoring twice in the Champions League and grabbing one assist in the top flight.

Indeed, things have not worked out as smoothly as Gundogan may have hoped. At times, the German has not looked like the player he was during his first stint at the club. Earlier in the season, football analyst Umir suggested he “lacks a bit of sharpness” to his game.

The void that Gundogan is having to fill in the absence of Rodri is certainly taking its toll on him, and his teammates. City could do with reinforcements in the middle of the park, and they have been linked with some who is a similar player to the German.

Man City's midfield target

The player in question here is Juventus and Brazil international midfielder Douglas Luiz. The former Aston Villa man has struggled for regular game time at his current club Juventus, and the Mirror reported on New Year’s Day that a move for the midfielder ‘has been discussed as a loan option’.

Indeed, he has not had quite the involvement in Turin he might have thought after a £42m move. Luiz has played 12 times in all competitions, with nine of those games coming in Serie A. Perhaps surprisingly, he has played just 343 minutes across competitions for the Old Lady.

With that being said, there is no doubting the Brazilian’s talent in the middle of the park. His record for Villa is impressive given he played as a deeper-lying midfielder at times. In 204 games for the club, he scored 22 goals and registered 24 assists.

His performances were so good that football statistician Statman Dave described him as the “best box-to-box CM in the Premier League” back in February 2024. Indeed, his final season in Claret and Blue, 2023/24, definitely caught the eye with Luiz scoring nine goals and grabbing five assists in 35 top-flight games.

Similarities can certainly be drawn between Luiz and Gundogan. Firstly, if he were to sign for City, it would also be a return to the club like the German. The Juve man joined the Mancunian side in 2017, although never actually played a game.

You can also draw statistical comparisons between the pair via FBref too. Although the sample size is small, the numbers they are putting up per 90 minutes are similar. For example, Luiz has played 6.06 progressive passes and made 4.24 ball recoveries this term.

In comparison, Gundogan averages 5.65 progressive passes and completes 5.08 ball recoveries in 2024/25. They are alike in many areas of their play styles.

Progressive passes

6.06

5.65

Key passes

2.73

1.69

Tackles and interceptions

2.73

1.94

Progressive carries

3.94

2.5

Ball recoveries

4.24

5.08

This may be a fantastic deal for the Citizens to complete. Not only would they be adding quality depth to their squad in the short term, but also bringing in a similar player to Gundogan. That would reduce workload and perhaps bring out the best version of him, too.

Given it is only a loan, this seems like a smart deal for City to do, and could certainly help them get back to winning ways regularly.

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ByConnor Holden Jan 1, 2025

The BCCI is set to resume the India A programme in early September, with incoming tours from New Zealand, and possibly, Australia. It will be helmed by VVS Laxman and his NCA support staff group of Sairaj Bahutule and Sitanshu Kotak.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that New Zealand A will arrive in India by the end of August for three four-day games and as many List A matches, with all of them likely to be held in Bengaluru. The BCCI is also contemplating the possibility of a pink-ball fixture during the series, but a final nod is awaited.New Zealand A played a pink-ball game on their previous tour to India in 2017-18. That game in Vijayawada, though, was a day fixture despite being played with the pink ball. And if the game in the upcoming series next month does go ahead, it will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.The New Zealand A tour is expected to overlap with the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class competition, which will open India’s domestic calendar for the 2022-23 season. The six-team tournament will be played from September 8 to 25 in Chennai and Coimbatore.The home series against New Zealand will be India A’s first assignment since their tour to South Africa late last year, just prior to the national team’s three-Test series in December.The BCCI is also understood to be in negotiations with Cricket Australia for a tour towards the end of the year – most likely in November – prior to the start of the Ranji Trophy and India’s next Test assignment, which will be in Bangladesh.The Bangladesh tour, consisting of two Tests, will be India’s penultimate World Test Championship (WTC) assignment. They will culminate the current leg of the WTC with a four-Test series at home against Australia in February-March.

Tom Brady and Tom Wagner have been slammed for giving the Birmingham players an "embarrassing" dressing down after their Vertu Trophy final defeat.

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Birmingham were beaten 2-0 by PeterboroughSquandered the chance for a league and cup doubleBrady and Wagner gave post-match team talk on Wembley stepsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Having already secured promotion to the Championship with a 2-1 victory over Peterborough, and later crowned League One champions after Wrexham failed to win at Wigan on Saturday, Birmingham entered the Vertu Trophy final with confidence sky-high. With 47 points more than their opponents and two previous wins over them this season, the Blues were tipped to complete the double.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

However, Peterborough ripped up the script as they emerged 2-0 winners in the showpiece event. First-half goals from Harley Mills and Hector Kyprianou stunned Birmingham, who were unable to find any response during a largely uninspired display at Wembley.

While thousands of Birmingham supporters applauded their team’s efforts during the medal ceremony, footage of minority investor Brady and Birmingham co-owner Wagner speaking directly to the players on the stadium steps stirred heated discussion online. Instead of leaving the debrief to manager Chris Davies, the American duo were seen engaging the entire team with what appeared to be a motivational, or possibly critical, speech – all while the victorious Peterborough squad waited to collect their winners' medals.

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WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

The timing and setting of the impromptu address rubbed many fans the wrong way.

@NathanDrozario1 wrote on X: "What an embarrassment he [Wagner] is."

@_avfcjames said: "Got to be all about him hasn’t it the weird little attention seeker."

@acotswoldvoice added: "Eh, this isn't the NFL Mr Brady, this is the Royal Box at Wembley. A little more decorum please 🏈 🐐"

@karlbenwatson wrote: "Do it in the dressing room. Only doing this because Tom Brady is there and the cameras are out. So self-indulgent to hold them up there whilst the winners are waiting."

@Son_Lyme added: "What a load of performative nonsense."

The Chicago Fire head coach addresses the team's progress, his dual role challenges, and the future of MLS in a wide-ranging interview

Berhalter assesses Fire's performance as "work in progress"Coach discusses balancing head coach and director of football rolesInsights on MLS structure and potential for promotion/relegationGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

After a tough start to the season, Gregg Berhalter’s Chicago Fire have managed to find a decent run of form before their streak was ended by the New York Red Bulls recently. Prior to that, the Fire had been unbeaten in their last five league games, a run that included three wins.

It does have many wondering what the team can really do under the former USMNT head coach and Berhalter admitted that their performance has been okay so far. In an interview on The Overlap US, the Fire head coach added that he’s happy the way the team has responded and is pleased with the attitude of his players.

“I think it’s okay. The group has shown that we can compete, you know we still want to start changing the mindset and for us it’s about doing the small things that are going to help us win games more regularly. It’s been a work in progress with the group but what I could say is that the mindset of the group and the attitude of the players has been fantastic!” Berhalter said on The Overlap US.

The former Columbus Crew boss also opened up about his dual role as director of football and head coach at Chicago Fire and believes he can only do his job properly because he has the right team in place.

“It’s really about time management and umm, getting good people on board. You know we have a great sporting leadership team in place with sporting director, head of recruitment, head of performance, general manager and head of strategy. So it’s really working with those five key members to help with the longer term decisions and then fun part is the day-to-day on the field, coaching the group and preparing for the games,” Berhalter added.

AdvertisementWHAT GREGG BERHALTER SAID

Berhalter also opened up about his thoughts on whether the MLS should get promotion and relegation into the mix and what could potentially stop that from happening.

“Here’s what I would say, is that it’s a completely different structure we have. And if we’re in a vacuum, If we’re in this perfect world scenario, I’d say promotion and relegation is really really exciting for the fans but we’re not in that. There’s some owners that have been carrying this league for a really long time and we’re still trying to grow the league, and they’ve invested a ton of money over a huge amount of time to make MLS work,” Berhalter said. “And to say to them your club could be out of the league permanently is difficult. So I think we just have a different dynamic at play here and because of that, we have to get creative. This is where this playoff structure has gained some traction and it’s gotten exciting for the fans at that time of year."

He also expanded on the fact that he believes that if the MLS improves the basic product they’re offering then the format that they have in place wouldn’t matter all that much.

“I think in general, we need to improve the product and if we really improve the product, I’m not sure the format matters that much. You know for us, it’s about how do we get great players into this league, how do we set up teams to play in a very attractive and competitive way so that the fans will watch it no matter the format is.”

The Chicago Fire head coach then moved on to his side’s weekend clash against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, and Berhalter admitted that there’s no stopping from scoring. However, he added that Javier Mascherano’s side isn’t perfect and his team needs to find that weakness to exploit.

”We’re not going to man to man him [Lionel Messi], but we have to be aware of him. I think he’s still too clever, still too good and you know I don’t think one person could mark him anyway, I just think it’s very difficult." the American revealed. "I’ve been able to speak to a bunch of coaches that have already played Miami and the key is accepting that they’re probably gonna score a goal. It’s really about accepting that they’re gonna do damage, and he’s [Messi] is going to get chances, he may even score,"

“For us, it’s how do we hurt them and I think that’s the real important thing, and going into the mindset that they can show vulnerabilities and you have to really embrace the fact that you can hurt them in some areas but understanding that they have quality and it’s hard to deal with.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Berhalter signed for the Chicago Fire prior to the 2025 MLS season starting and while things didn’t kick off well for the former USMNT boss, his side has found a rhythm lately. That was derailed by the New York Red Bulls recently but the Fire are still in seventh place on the Eastern Conference table with 11 points to their name and are four points behind Conference leaders Columbus Crew.

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Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

Berhalter and his Chicago Fire side face Inter Miami next in the MLS on April 13 at Soldier Field and then host FC Cincinnati on April 19 in back-to-back home games.

“We are not the BCCI – we don’t have a clear calendar for our league and we have to work around that,” CSA CEO Moseki says

Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2022Creating space for their new T20 franchise league is the main reason behind South Africa’s dearth of Test cricket in the next Future Tours Programme. South Africa play 28 Tests from 2023 to 2027 and no three-Test series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle, while overall they will play 113 international matches, the third-fewest after Ireland and Zimbabwe.”We needed to find a balance between the new league and bilateral cricket,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “We needed to create enough space so that we would not have international fixtures clashing with our new league.”Related

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CSA’s league is set to begin in January 2023 and will be played in that month going forward. The six-team, 33-match event will start as soon as the annual New Year’s Test is completed (usually around January 8) and will run until the first Sunday in February. All of South Africa’s premier white-ball players are expected to be available, even at the cost of international fixtures. CSA has already shown its commitment to the league , opting for South Africa to forfeit three World Cup Super League ODIs in Australia in January next year, leaving the national side at risk of not automatically qualifying for the 2023 event.In the new FTP, South Africa have sacrificed Tests to make space for the league, which will be played in the prime summer months and leaves little room for internationals between its conclusion and the start of the IPL in mid-March. CSA has not scheduled any international cricket in the IPL window in keeping with its commitment to make its own players available for the IPL, whose relationship with South Africa has grown closer. All six teams in the yet-to-be-named CSA league have been bought by IPL team owners. It is believed the league will bring millions of Rand into South African cricket, effectively allowing CSA to maintain its longevity as a business.Despite South Africa’s resurgence as a Test team – they are currently on top of the World Test Championship points table and have a good chance of making the 2023 final – the format is viewed as financially unsustainable, which is reflected in the new FTP. “We know that you need to play a minimum of two Tests in a series for the World Test Championship and so that’s what we’ve done. We also have to be honest that hosting Tests costs us money,” Moseki said.Only three teams are scheduled to play less international cricket than South Africa in the 2023-27 men’s FTP cycle•ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa host India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the 2023-2025 cycle, all of which are costly tours, including India. ESPNcricinfo understands that even though an India incoming tour is lucrative for South Africa, CSA earns a tenth of the money on a Test that it will earn for a white-ball match. Hence, the India series in the 2023-24 summer also includes three ODIs and three T20Is. The only Tests in which South Africa are paid a premium by broadcasters are against Australia and England, and they host both countries for three-Test series in 2026-27. They also welcome Bangladesh for two Tests in the 2025-27 cycle.In total, South Africa will play 28 Tests in the 2023-2027 cycle, two fewer than the 30 they were scheduled to play in the 2019-2023 period (they ended up only playing 27 because the three-Test series against Australia was cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation). That’s more Tests than Ireland (12), Zimbabwe (20), Afghanistan (21), Sri Lanka (25), West Indies (26) and Pakistan (27), but the gap between Afghanistan, for example, and South Africa is smaller than the gap between South Africa and India (38), Australia (40) and England (43).Moseki understood that South African Test players and fans may not be entirely happy with the new FTP but explained that CSA had to make a practical decision. “It is sad that we don’t play more Tests, especially for purists. We don’t have enough Tests. But with the congestion of the calendar we had a balance and a schedule that makes sense, especially with the league in mind,” he said. “We are not the BCCI – we don’t have a clear calendar for our league and we have to work around that.”Moseki also said CSA would look to schedule more white-ball matches especially in 2027 as the ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted in South Africa, draws closer. “The FTP is structured around Tests and members have discussions around the number of white-ball games they want to play as add-ons or standalone events,” Moseki said. “We will still have some talks around that and we are hopeful we will have more matches.”

Everton are believed to be considering making an offer for an “amazing” player with a huge amount of Premier League experience, according to a new transfer update.

Everton transfer news

David Moyes will be hoping to improve his squad with the addition of fresh faces this month, in order to alleviate any threat of relegation to the Championship. Former Chelsea and Arsenal ace Willian has reportedly been offered to the Merseysiders, with the veteran available on a free transfer.

Leicester City striker Tom Cannon has also been mentioned as an option for Everton, with the 22-year-old seen as a potential long-term replacement for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack, amid doubts over the Englishman’s future at Goodison Park.

Another striker who has emerged as an option for the Blues is Evan Ferguson, with the young Republic of Ireland international enduring a frustrating season at Brighton. He has started just twice in the Premier League in 2024/25 to date, with Joao Pedro often preferred leading the line.

In a more defensive sense, Southampton ace Kyle Walker-Peters has been backed to seal a move to Everton, with his Saints side looking almost nailed on for relegation this season. Right-back is a key area of the pitch for the Merseysiders to focus on, considering the likes of Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young are ageing figures.

Everton considering bid for "amazing" attacker

According to a new update from The Daily Mail, Everton are considering tabling an offer to Willian, after the reports earlier in the week that they had been informed of his availability.

The 36-year-old is a free agent currently and as many as four Premier League clubs are interested in him, one of whom are the Blues. They are weighing up the idea of “making an approach” for the Brazilian winger, who is described in the report as an “attractive and cost-effective option for club’s near the bottom of the table”.

Willian could be a shrewd short-term addition for Everton this month, with his age meaning he can’t be looked at as a key player for the future. He has a wealth of Premier League experience, winning two titles during his Chelsea days and bagging 93 goal contributions (47 goals and 46 assists) in 317 appearances in the competition.

Jose Mourinho also heaped praise on him back in 2018: “Do you want to talk about Willian? Top, cream of the crop, he’s amazing. In his national team there’s no bad players. The Brazil manager (Tite) is really good with huge club experience. You guys will do great things in Russia.”

At 36, Willian naturally isn’t quite the player he was during that peak, but he could still add that extra sprinkling of attacking magic that Everton badly crave between now and the end of the season.

Concrete interest: Moyes chasing his next Lingard masterclass at Everton

Everton are ready to make an exciting signing this month.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 17, 2025

He still has pace out wide, and an ability to deliver great quality into the box, as well as chipping in with goals himself. He could ultimately be a difference-maker in certain matches, proving key in the relegation fight.

Richelieu Eagles, the Namibia men’s development team, will take on Lahore Qalandars from Pakistan and DP World Lions from South Africa in the Global T20 Namibia tournament from September 1 to 5 at the Wanderers in Windhoek. Bengal, the Indian domestic side, were expected to be the fourth team in the contest, but they withdrew earlier this week.The three teams will play two rounds of league games – six in total – before the top two teams play the final on September 5. Eagles and Qalandars will then stay on to play two 50-over matches on September 7 and 9.

Schedule of matches

Sept 1: Eagles vs Lions
Sept 2: Eagles vs Qalandars
Sept 3: Qalandars vs Lions
Sept 3: Eagles vs Qalandars
Sept 4: Qalandars vs Lions
Sept 4: Eagles vs Lions
Sept 5: Final

Namibia national men’s team captain, Gerhard Erasmus, will lead Eagles, who have a number of Namibia regulars in their line-up, including Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann and JJ Smit. The tournament will act as preparation for Namibia ahead of the men’s T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia”We believe there is value in a team-based tournament creating the platform for future stars to be seen,” Johan Muller, Cricket Namibia chief executive, said. “Inviting top domestic teams from prominent cricket nations will attract high domestic and international interest while delivering quality on-field entertainment.”The purpose of the tournament is to aid our player development, World Cup preparations and player exposure, while creating a commercial product.”Defending PSL champions Qalandars will field a representative side, without their international players, and will be led by Hamza Nazar. Lions are yet to name their side.Squads
Richelieu Eagles: Gerhard Erasmus (capt), Stephen Baard, Karl Birkenstock, Shaun Fouche, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green (wk), Divan La Cock, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Lo-handre Louwrens (wk), Tangeni Lungameni, Mauritius Ngupita, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, Pikkie Ya France
Lahore Qalandars: Hamza Nazar (capt), Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Aitizaz Habib Khan, Dilbar Hussain, Jalat Khan, Jehanzeb Naveed (wk), Mamoon Ur Riaz, Mansoor Saleem (wk), Mehboob Ur Rahman Usmani, Mirza Tahir Baig, Muhammad Naeem, Shane Dadswell, Sudais Khan, Usama Mir, Usman Khalid
DP World Lions: Yet to announce