Defending Women’s Caribbean Premier League [WCPL] champions Barbados Royals have strengthened by adding Sri Lanka superstar Chamari Athapaththu to their side for the 2024 season. Australia wicketkeeper-batter Georgia Redmayne will also turn out for Royals this year.Royals have also retained allrounder Hayley Matthews and legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington from the title-winning squad of last year. Additionally, they are also bringing back Australia batter Laura Harris along with Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne and Qiana Joseph from the 2023 squad for the new season.There are six more spots left to be filled and these players will be selected at the WCPL draft which takes place later in July.Matthews had captained Royals to glory last season and finished with the second-highest runs in the competition: 191 in five matches with a strike rate of 132.63. She was also the joint third-highest wicket-taker with seven at an economy rate of 7.44. Her most telling contribution came in the final against Guyana Amazon Warriors when she scored 82 off 59 balls and picked two wickets.Wellington, meanwhile, finished as the second highest wicket-taker in 2023 with eight in five games at an economy of 4.80.In Athapaththu, Royals have a solid top-order batter and offspinner. In 12 T20Is this year, she has scored 371 runs which includes a 102 against Scotland. Athapaththu has also picked up 13 wickets with a best of 4 for 29 against West Indies last month.The WCPL this year will be staged in Trinidad from August 21 to 29, with the Brian Lara Cricket Academy hosting all seven games. Trinbago Knight Riders, Amazon Warriors and Royals are the three teams taking part.
Barbados Royals squad so far
Hayley Matthews, Chamari Athapaththu , Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Qiana Joseph
Birmingham City showed this time last summer that they are content with punching above their weight when a dramatic transfer window is open.
Indeed, it was somewhat of a shock to see Chris Davies’ men win the services of Jay Stansfield, considering the Blues had just been relegated all the way down to League One. Still, at a price tag of £15m, Birmingham sent shockwaves through the third tier with this statement purchase.
Birmingham will likely try to operate in a similarly flashy fashion moving up a division, with that approach clear for all to see again as Demarai Gray is now tipped to make a dramatic return to St. Andrew’s.
Gray's potential return to Birmingham
Gray isn’t the only former Birmingham player on the club’s radar this summer with Che Adams’ name having also been thrown out as another high-profile face who could soon return to their boyhood employers as Birmingham aim to take their new league by storm.
Gray is the latest rumour in this regard, with journalist Ben Jacobs taking to social media earlier this month to confirm the Blues’ interest and even reveal an enquiry had been made.
It would take around a fee of £8m for Birmingham to win back their former homegrown product, which is a steep amount to fork out, irrespective of his previous blistering eight-goal stint in the West Midlands.
Indeed, the 28-year-old has only tallied up a meagre nine goal contributions from 50 games for current employers Al-Ettifaq.
Off the back of this, Davies and Co might set their sights elsewhere.
The "special" target who is more exciting than Gray
The concern would be that the 28-year-old flounders back on the St. Andrew’s stage and tarnishes his reputation in the process.
On the other hand, an alternate target in attack in the form of NEC Nijimegen ace Sontje Hansen would have nothing to lose on his arrival in Birmingham.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph recently revealed that the newly promoted outfit has expressed an interest in landing the entertaining Dutchman.
Much like Gray, Hansen has been under an intense spotlight most of his senior career, having initially exploded onto the scene as a promising young starlet at Eredivisie behemoth Ajax.
He would only go on to make two first-team appearances in Amsterdam, but he has more than made a name for himself at Nijimegen in the here and now, as seen in the breathtaking solo goal above and when further assessing his standout numbers in the table below.
Games played
33
32
Goals scored
6
6
Assists
4
4
Big chances missed
4
2
Big chances created
7
7
Hansen has been very consistent for his Dutch top division employers over the last two seasons, with a hefty 20 goal contributions picked up across his last two league campaigns.
To add context, despite Gray being able to boast Premier League experience with Everton, he has only been able to collect a flat seven goal contributions over the same period, even whilst plying his trade out in the weaker Saudi Pro League.
Hansen has even been branded as a “special” talent in the past by his former U17 coach in Peter van der Veen, with plenty more to come from the 23-year-old potentially if he uproots to the Blues shortly.
Whereas Gray has arguably had his moment in the sun at St. Andrew’s, with more exciting, up-and-coming stars now needing to be prioritised.
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After taking the reins back in November, Ruben Amorim has injected the feel-good factor back into Manchester United – helping the side qualify for the Europa League final.
However, there’s only so much success the 40-year-old can achieve with the players who were at the club after he took over from former boss Erik ten Hag.
The attacking department is the area in need of desperate attention in the coming months, with the hierarchy needing to back the manager with funds if he is to improve the lack of goals currently plaguing his centre-forwards.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorimbefore the match
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are the two senior options at his disposal, but the pair have only netted a combined tally of seven goals in the Premier League after costing the Red Devils upwards of £100m.
If they are to take the next step under Amorim, a new striker is a must during the upcoming window, potentially ending the spells of either of the aforementioned talents in the process.
An update on United’s pursuit of new strikers this summer
Even though the summer window is yet to be open, United have already wasted no time in targeting new talent to strengthen the current first-team squad.
Liam Delap was once seen as the Red Devils’ main target for the centre-forward role, especially considering his £30m relegation release clause – but look set to face tough competition from Nottingham Forest in the coming months.
Liam Delap
The 22-year-old will certainly remain on the shortlist, but potentially not at the top, with Moise Kean now the club’s main priority, according to one Spanish outlet.
The report claims that Amorim believes he is the perfect option to fit into his 3-4-2-1 system at Old Trafford, having the right profile given positioning, pace and clinical nature.
Kean, who’s netted 23 goals in all competitions this season, is said to cost a fee in the region of £42m, given the release clause in his contract at Serie A outfit Fiorentina.
Why United’s £42m target would be unplayable with Amad
Amad Diallo has been a shining light for United this campaign in what’s been a year to forget in the Premier League, often providing the goods within the final third.
The Ivorian has registered 10 goals and seven assists across all competitions, with his latest coming against Brentford after his recent three-month injury lay-off.
His underlying stats at Old Trafford have been just as impressive, with his output handing other attacking options around him the ammunition to be a success at the club.
Amad has registered 2.2 chances created per 90 this campaign, whilst also completing 2.1 dribbles – often liking to take the ball into attacking areas at any given opportunity.
Such tallies could fall perfectly into the hands of transfer target Kean, who could well turn out to be the attacking saviour the Red Devils have been crying out for over the past few months.
Fiorentina'sMoiseKean
The Italian, who’s been labelled “sensational” by content creator Elliot Hackney, has resurrected his career in the last couple of months after flat-lining following his breakthrough at Juventus.
The 25-year-old currently sits as Serie A’s second top scorer, registering 1.6 shots on target per 90 – benefiting from Amad’s service within the final third should he move to Manchester.
Games played
30
Goals & assists
20
Shots on target
1.6
Pass accuracy
72%
Successful dribbles
1.5
Fouls won
1.8
Aerials won
57%
Touches in opposition box
4.7
He’s also completed 72% of the passes he’s attempted, whilst also completing 1.5 dribbles per 90, having the tools to return the favour to the Ivorian in the final third should he need to.
Kean’s talents don’t stop there, winning 51% of the aerials he’s contested, notching 4.7 touches in the opposition box per game – handing the manager the ‘fox in the box’ style forward he’s lacked since he joined the club.
The £42m fee touted would be an excellent deal for the club, potentially getting themselves a bargain and a player who can provide the goods for the club for many years to come.
The thought of the Italian forming a partnership with Amad is certainly an exciting one, handing the club the platform to recapture their success endured in previous years.
The new Amrabat: Amorim must axe 4/10 Man Utd man who lost the ball 15x
Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League final last night, setting up a clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
Already pursuing deals to sign Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap, Manchester United and INEOS have now reportedly submitted an opening bid to sign another Premier League talent.
Man Utd's attacking rebuild
Attack is often the best form of defence and if Ruben Amorim is to turn his Manchester United spell around before the pressure increases, it seems as though Manchester United must old saying to the test. Already, the Red Devils are reportedly advancing in deals to sign both Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Delap from Ipswich Town, but they may not be done there.
The two forwards should have an immediate impact on a struggling side at Old Trafford, who are set to end the Premier League campaign without back-to-back wins for the first time in the club’s history in a record that Amorim would have been desperate to avoid.
A big reason for that record has been Manchester United’s struggles in front of goal. Both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have struggled to leave their marks when given the opportunity and both could now be heading for departures in ruthless fashion.
When compared with Delap and Cunha throughout the current campaign, it’s clear to see why the Red Devils are eyeing such an attacking overhaul, however.
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Delap, in a relegated Ipswich side, has clawed his way to 12 Premier League goals, whilst Cunha has been the star of the show at Wolves – scoring 15 league goals. Meanwhile, by some contrast, Hojlund and Zirkzee have managed a combined total of seven Premier League goals.
That said, INEOS may not stop after securing two fresh faces. Instead, reports are indicating that they’re pushing on to secure another Premier League star this summer.
Man Utd submit £55m offer to sign Mbeumo
According to reports in Spain, INEOS and Manchester United have now submitted a €65m (£55m) bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo for Amorim. Like Delap and Cunha, the Brentford star would be an instant upgrade on the current options at Old Trafford and could finally form a front three capable of matching Bruno Fernandes’ quality behind them.
Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)
Bryan Mbeumo
Rasmus Hojlund
Joshua Zirkzee
Starts
36
22
14
Goals
18
4
3
Assists
7
0
1
Expected Goals
11
5.2
4.8
Scoring over double Hojlund and Zirkzee’s combined tally this season, it’s no surprise that Mbeumo has found himself at the centre of Thomas Frank’s praise.
The Brentford boss spoke about the form of both the Manchester United target and his strike partner Yoanne Wissa after both scored in an impressive victory against Brighton & Hove Albion last month, telling reporters: “That’s an incredible achievement from the two of them.
Brentford's BryanMbeumoreacts
“All praise due the two of them for the hard work, how much they push, and then of course to my staff, and then I think a little bit to the way we play.”
The last five years or so have been a roller coaster for Tottenham Hotspur.
Since Daniel Levy and Co decided to sack Mauricio Pochettino, the club haven’t been able to find another manager who’s been able to truly deliver.
For example, Ange Postecoglou delivered entertaining football but has made them incredibly easy to play against, while Antonio Conte and José Mourinho turned a club famous for their attacking philosophy into one of the country’s most boring teams to watch.
Yet, the least successful of the lot was Nuno Espírito Santo, who wasn’t even given half a season in the dugout but still managed to bring in a couple of good signings, including one now compared to a Premier League superstar.
Nuno's Spurs signings
So, before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other players Nuno bought in during his time in the Spurs hot seat, starting with one that did not work out: Emerson Royal.
Emerson Royal
The Brazilian full-back joined the North Londoners from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £26m – a fee that reportedly stunned the Catalan board at the time, which perhaps makes how things panned out not that surprising.
In all, the São Paulo-born flop made 101 appearances for the club, in which he scored four goals, provided two assists and was often labelled a “liability” by those in the media like Jamie O’Hara, before being sold to AC Milan for about £13m in the summer of 2024.
Market Movers
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An altogether more successful acquisition made under Nuno’s watch was that of Cristian Romero, who joined the club on a loan with a £46.7m option to buy in early August 2021.
Since then, he has been one of the club’s co-vice captains and made 117 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing one assist.
However, he’s not been the only success story from that summer, as another of Nuno’s limited signings is now a key member of the squad and has even been compared to one of the biggest stars in the Premier League, who is worth around £101m.
Spurs' £101m superstar in the making
Given Nuno’s limited time at Spurs, only one other signing was made under him that could be described as a success: Pape Matar Sarr.
Pape Matar Sarr
The North Londoners paid Ligue 1 side FC Metz about £15m for the midfield “monster,” as dubbed by journalist Mitch Fretton, in the summer of 2021, and it would be fair to say he has since more than proved worth that initial investment.
For example, he’s already made 93 first-team appearances, scoring nine goals and providing six assists, which is seriously impressive for a 22-year-old central midfielder.
On top of this, he’s also been compared to Declan Rice, and while the Spurs faithful don’t like him, it’s a pretty flattering and encouraging comparison, one that stems from Fbref.
They compared players in similar positions in last season’s Premier League and concluded that the Englishman was the second most similar midfielder to the Senegalese ace in the entire competition.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.25
0.24
Shots
1.57
1.62
Shots on Target
0.57
0.56
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.00
1.09
Goal-Creating Actions
0.30
0.33
Passes Blocked
0.70
0.73
Aerial Duels Won
1.04
1.09
The best way to see how this conclusion was reached is by looking at the underlying numbers in which they ranked closely, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, passes into the penalty area, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.
Declan Rice
However, while being statistically similar to one of the division’s leading midfielders is great in and of itself, it’s also encouraging regarding the Lilywhites ace’s future valuation.
For example, Transfermarkt currently values the Arsenal star at a whopping €110m, which, when converted, comes out to £101m, and if Sarr is so similar to him, why couldn’t his price tag reach the same heights in the future?
Ultimately, while he’s not quite on the level of the Englishman just yet, the talent is undeniably there, and with the right coaching, the sky’s the limit.
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Stats highlights from the Women’s World Cup final between India and South Africa
Sampath Bandarupalli02-Nov-2025
Deepti Sharma had an exceptional tournament with bat and ball•ICC/Getty Images
298 for 7 India’s total against South Africa was the second highest in a Women’s World Cup final, behind Australia’s 356 for 5 against England in 2022.They are the fourth team to win the Women’s World Cup, after Australia (seven titles), England (four titles) and New Zealand (one title).58 and 5 for 39 Deepti Sharma’s performance in the World Cup final – she’s the first player with a half-century and a five-wicket haul in an ODI knockout match (men or women). She’s also the first player with a fifty and a five-for in a women’s World Cup match.Deepti is only the second player to take a five-wicket haul in a Women’s World Cup final. England’s Anya Shrubsole was the first, who took 6 for 46 against India in the final of the 2017 edition.22 Wickets for Deepti in the tournament, the joint second highest in a Women’s World Cup. Lyn Fullston took 23 wickets in the 1982 World Cup, while Jackie Lord also took 22 in 1982.Deepti is also the first player to do the double of 200-plus runs and 20-plus wickets in a World Cup, having scored 215 runs, including three fifties, and taken two four-plus wicket hauls.Related
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21 years & 278 days Shafali Verma’s age, making her the youngest to win the Player-of-the-Match award at an ODI World Cup final. The previous youngest was Australia’s Jess Duffin, who was 23 years and 235 days old in the 2013 women’s World Cup final against West Indies.571 Runs scored by Laura Wolvaardt, the most in a Women’s World Cup, surpassing Alyssa Healy’s tally of 509 runs in 2022. Wolvaardt also matched Healy’s feat from the 2022 edition of scoring hundreds in the semi-final and final.ESPNcricinfo Ltd14 Fifty-plus scores for Wolvaardt in Women’s World Cups, the most by any batter. She is also the second highest run-getter in the Women’s World Cup, behind Debbie Hockley (1501).104 Partnership runs between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali for the first wicket – only the second century opening stand in a Women’s World Cup final, after the 160 by Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes against England in 2022.
He was already feeling the pressure of captaincy when a stray question about Virat Kohli, and his non-answer to it, blew up social media
Madushka Balasuriya13-Nov-20232:35
Maharoof: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown
Imagine the scene. You’re the captain. A captain who had been thrust into the role a couple of matches into a World Cup. And your team? They have just lost two games on the bounce. Actually, five of the last seven. The latest one was against India – a perfectly in-sync, cricketing destroyer of worlds. In that, your team was not just routed, but ground into the Wankhede dust.What’s worse, it’s the second straight game against them in which your side has suffered such a humiliation. The memes make themselves, the social-media trolls are on a tear, and even the fans – hesitant to accept the undoubted superiority of this Indian juggernaut – reach the only conclusion they can: your team is rubbish. And they are not afraid to let you know it.With all this swirling between your ears, you tune out the world. Stay away from the socials, as the kids say. Focus on the job at hand. Which, at this point, happens to be a media briefing in front of the world’s cricket media, ahead of a game that is a must-win for your side. Addressing the media isn’t really your thing either, English a very second second-language.Related
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And so you sit, expecting questions about your next opponents, translating the questions from English to Sinhala and the answers from Sinhala to English in your head, just to try and exude a positivity that you’re not even sure you feel. And suddenly, somebody asks you a question… about congratulating Virat Kohli on his 49th ODI century. You’re bemused at first: have they come to the right presser? And then it all comes rushing back – the memes, the trolls, the abuse, the absolute mockery in your mentions tag.And so you blurt out: “Why would I congratulate him?” Laughing all the while. This is a Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh pre-media press briefing after all, why are they asking about Kohli?Well, Kusal Mendis soon found out. Angering Sri Lankan fans is one thing, angering their northern neighbours quite another.”After that I copped a lot of abuse. Everyone knows how good a player Virat Kohli is so, yeah, I probably should have wished him at that time,” a reflective Mendis said on Sunday, as he provided rare insight into the mindset of a player who is often on the verbally economical side.”That day we went first for practice, after which there was the presser. The day after was the Bangladesh game. When I went there I had no idea how much Virat Kohli had scored, all I knew was that there was a game. So when I was asked that question, I was initially confused because this was a media conference with regard to Bangladesh-Sri Lanka game. But looking back I know I was probably wrong in how I reacted, because scoring 49 centuries is no easy feat. As a batter, I know how difficult that is, but at that point I wasn’t really clear on what was being asked.”Kusal Mendis’ form went down after taking on the captaincy•Associated PressMatter closed then? Yeah… for now. See, for Mendis, this isn’t new at all.A Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and Under-19 World Cup captain, fast-tracked into the national side, and one that within a year of debuting for Sri Lanka had struck 176 on the way to a rare Sri Lanka Test series win against Australia. Mendis was living the dream.But this was a Sri Lanka side post-2014 and the batting had already begun its downward trajectory following the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Barely out of his teens, Mendis was hardly the polished final product, but Sri Lankan cricket and its adoring public was crying out for a new hero. And that knock against Australia certainly fuelled the flames of expectation.So when the eventual troughs in form did arrive, Mendis became a lightning rod for criticism – particularly social media, where much of the discourse had begun to shift.”As far [as] the stuff that’s being posted on social media, when we’re doing badly is when we need the most support. If a player is doing badly, if you can post some encouragement that would be better,” Mendis said. “A few years ago, this exact same thing happened to me, where I suffered a lot of abuse online. As a young player, growing in the game, it causes a lot of hurt. And it’s very difficult to recover from that. Sometimes, even when I’m on the road, I’ve heard people say things behind my back.”
“We never go into a match looking to lose, we always play for the country and ourselves. We’re always looking at how to win. So my humble request to the fans is that they support us as much as possible”Kusal Mendis
In the case of Mendis, though, many may find it difficult to feel sympathy. In 2020, he was involved in a motor accident in which a 64-year-old cyclist was killed. The matter was closed after a settlement. A year later, he was one of three cricketers banned for breaching bio-bubble protocols when Sri Lanka toured England.But, upon his return from that ban, Mendis discovered some of the best form of his career, and now has been entrusted with the captaincy – for however long that may be.He has also been refreshingly forthright about the pressures surrounding the role, going into detail about his slump in form since taking over the ODI side – prior to that he had struck 76 and 122 against South Africa and Pakistan respectively.”In the South Africa game, it was hard for me to play my normal game, which is to play a few balls first and get in [because Sri Lanka were chasing 429 for victory]. So what I tried to do was see how I could score quick runs. That made a difference in the first game, so in the second game [against Pakistan], along with the momentum from the first game and the practice matches, I was able to continue in the same vein.Kusal Mendis scored 76 and 122 in his first two World Cup innings, but scored only 96 in seven innings after that•AFP/Getty Images”But that’s not my game. So after that, when I was made captain, I do think the pressure might have gotten to me because I am human. I wasn’t expecting to get the captaincy, so when you look at my game after that, I felt that I couldn’t play in the same manner as the earlier games.”In terms of captaincy alone, I didn’t feel all that much pressure. I only really felt the role once I went on to the field, but there I received a lot of help from my team-mates. When I went out to bat, I didn’t think much about the captaincy initially, but after losing the first two games and then knowing the team needed to win… I think that along with the captaincy perhaps impacted how I approached my game. But I want to clarify I don’t feel a lot of pressure from the captaincy itself.”And now he has used his position to speak out on the epidemic of abuse athletes across sports suffer.”It’s very difficult to get up when you fall,” he said. “We never go into a match looking to lose, we always play for the country and ourselves. We’re always looking at how to win. So my humble request to the fans is that they support us as much as possible. There are videos of our players getting wickets, videos of our batters scoring runs – share those. And just try and spread some positivity in difficult times like this.”With discussion around mental well-being increasing each day, Mendis’ request should be something fans – and others – should try to get behind. It’s not too difficult.
New Zealand pacer talks about his method, and what’s made him successful at the T20 World Cup
Matt Roller12-Nov-2021For four men’s T20 World Cups in a row, Tim Southee had little success. In 2010, he was dropped mid-tournament after Albie Morkel hit four of the eight balls he bowled to him for six. In 2012, he was New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker – but they lost four out of five games. In 2014, he was dropped after two games, conceding 92 runs in eight overs. Two years later, he spent the tournament running the drinks.But in 2021, Southee has been a bowler transformed: he has bowled four overs in all six of New Zealand’s games, taking at least one wicket on every occasion. His most expensive spell cost 26 runs against India and across the World Cup his economy rate is 5.75, despite the majority of his overs being bowled in the powerplay.”You’re always looking to evolve and get better, finding ways to improve your game – especially when you’ve been playing for a while,” Southee tells ESPNcricinfo. “Sides start to work you out after a period of time so you have to keep adapting, keep learning, and keep enjoying it: the willingness to learn and the hunger to keep getting better has always been there for me.”Related
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Southee’s method in this World Cup has been simple. In the powerplay – in which he has conceded only 4.71 runs per over – he has regularly hit the middle of the pitch, only rarely looking to swing the new ball by bowling full. When he has returned in the middle overs and at the death, he has eschewed yorkers – 86.7% of his balls outside of the powerplay have pitched on a good length or shorter – and looked to vary his pace.”We look to swing the new ball,” he explains. “There’s been a little bit there at times but when you play in this part of the world, you go in with the mindset that there’s not going to be a lot so that if it is moving around a bit, it becomes easier. It’s a fine line in the powerplay between getting too full and looking for some swing but at all three venues, hard lengths have been the toughest to hit.”At the death, it’s changed. You have to keep learning: when I first started, the low full toss was considered a half-decent delivery at the end. Now, guys can hit 360 degrees and can hit so well that your margin for error in terms of your yorker is so small. That presents opportunities to come up with new things: I’ve been working on a knuckleball, offcutter and legcutter. To have those options is a really good thing going into that death phase.”Kane Williamson has used his bowlers aggressively throughout the tournament, recognising a fundamental principle of T20 cricket: wickets are more valuable the earlier they are taken. In Wednesday night’s semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi, Adam Milne, Trent Boult and Southee bowled in overs 14-16 in order to break Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan’s partnership, with Ish Sodhi and James Neesham held back until the death.Tim Southee celebrates with his team-mates•AFP/Getty ImagesAfter Milne and Boult had conceded one boundary between them, the first ball of Southee’s final over was hit for six, but the second drew a thin under-edge to remove Malan. “Our mindset is to be aggressive,” Southee says. “If you can keep taking regular wickets, it’s the fastest way to slow a side down and we know that with a batting line-up like England’s, you need to pick up wickets throughout.”Williamson also placed major emphasis on match-ups, giving Mitchell Santner, normally a key cog in his attack, a solitary over. “For him to only bowl one over in a semi-final, going into it, you probably wouldn’t think that would be the case,” Southee says, “but having Moeen Ali there, who matches up pretty well to balls spinning into him? It just didn’t seem like the right option.”The analyst sits down with the bowling and batting coaches who then come up with plans and present them to the group. You take what you can from that meeting and come up with your own plans as well, and Kane is across them all. There’s a lot of information thrown around before the game but a lot of it comes down to Kane and his gut feels out there as well.”
“It’s tough being on the road for three or four months but it’s an absolute honour to represent New Zealand. If you can do that across all formats, it’s a real honour, and you can’t do that forever.”Tim Southee
Southee, 32, speaks with the authority of a senior player and one of four men with over 100 T20I wickets but his involvement in this tournament was hardly guaranteed. Going unsold in the IPL auctions for 2020 and 2021 (he was a late replacement for the UAE leg this year) was a mark of his stock’s decline after six consecutive seasons involved, and after a peripheral role in the 50-over World Cup two years ago, others would have considered giving up white-ball cricket altogether to focus on extending their Test careers.”I remember talking to Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad when we were over in England,” he recalls. “They were saying that at the time it was a tough pill to swallow, not playing white-ball cricket, but looking back now they reckon they might not be playing while trying to juggle all formats. But in New Zealand we don’t have a lot of players: there’s a number of key guys that just between all three formats.”It’s a challenge at times to chop and change – after this we go to India, play three T20s, and then have two days to prepare for a Test match – but we probably don’t play enough Test cricket just to play that. It’s tough, especially with a young family at home, being on the road for three or four months but it’s an absolute honour to represent New Zealand. If you can do that across all formats, it’s a real honour, and you can’t do that forever.”And so to the final. Along with Martin Guptill, Boult and Williamson, Southee is one of four players in New Zealand’s likely XI who also appeared in the 50-over World Cup final against Australia six-and-a-half years ago, and took some punishment from David Warner and Michael Clarke during a comfortable run chase.”There’s a lot of personnel changes since then – a different format, a different part of the world, and a long time ago,” he says. “In any sport, growing up – rugby, cricket, you name it – there’s always that rivalry between New Zealand and Australia. It’s always a great occasion, especially in a final. We’ve been playing some pretty good cricket. Hopefully we can turn out one more performance.”
علق محمود عبدالرازق شيكابالا، لاعب الزمالك السابق، على تعادل منتخب مصر مع الإمارات بهدف لكل فريق، في كأس العرب.
ولعب منتخب مصر مع الإمارات، في الجولة الثانية من مباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس العرب المقامة في قطر.
وقال شيكابالا لقناة “إم بي سي مصر 2”: “لا يوجد شيء يقال، أدخلنا أنفسنا في مشكلة كبيرة، ما أحزنني أن روح منتخب مصر غير متواجدة”.
طالع | موعد مباراة مصر القادمة في كأس العرب بعد التعادل مع الإمارات
وتابع: “حزين لأننا أفضل من ذلك بكثير، وعندما نتحدث عن المشاكل الناس تحزن منا، نحن بعيدون عن الكرة، أتمنى الناس تصالحنا ويتأهلون للدور المقبل من البطولة”.
واختتم: “سأستشهد بهذا الملعب، حيث أقيمت عليه مباراة الأرجنتين والسعودية في كأس العالم 2022 وخسرت الأرجنتين، وفي النهاية الأرجنتين فازت بكأس العالم، سننتظر حتى المباراة الثالثة لنفوز وبعد ذلك نحصل على الكأس”.
كشف ديفيد بيكهام الشريك في ملكية نادي إنتر ميامي، خطة النجم الأرجنتيني ليونيل ميسي، لاعب الفريق بعد الفوز بكأس الدوري الأمريكي لكرة القدم، والمكان الذي يريد أن يعيش به بعد اعتزاله اللعب.
وقال بيكهام وفقاً للصحفي بابلو جيرالت: “أخبرني ميسي أنه لا يفكر إلا في العيش بالقرب من ملعب كامب نو، لا يوجد لاعب يحب برشلونة بقدره، يمكنك رؤية شعار برشلونة على ساقه وحتى على زجاجة الماء الخاصة به”.
وأضاف الأسطورة الإنجليزية: “أخبرت ميسي أنني أرغب في أن يعيش في ميامي بعد اعتزاله، لكنه قال إنه لا يفكر إلا في العيش بالقرب من ملعب كامب نو”.
اقرأ أيضاً.. ميسي: سأفتقد بوسكيتس وألبا.. والفوز ببطولة مع إنتر ميامي أمر رائع
وكان ميسي قد كتب عبر صفحته الرسمية على “إنستجرام” محتفلاً باللقب: “نحن أبطال الدوري الأمريكي، كنت أحلم بهذا اليوم منذ أن وصلت لميامي، شيئاً فشيء بدأنا ننمو ونتطور ونبني حتى وصلنا لتحقيق اللقب، شكراً للجميع، لعائلتي والجماهير والفريق والطاقم وإدارة إنتر ميامي على الطموح والعمل، وشكراً لبوسكيتس وألبا على مرافقتي في هذه المغامرة وإنهائها بأفضل طريقة، وأشعر بالسعادة لتحقيق اللقب معهما”.
وكان ليونيل ميسي قد وصل للقب رقم 47 في مسيرته، وأنهى عام 2025 بتسجيل 43 هدفًا وصنع 26 أسيست في الدوري الأمريكي كأفضل هداف وأكثر من صنع أهداف.
وأصبح ليونيل ميسي نجم إنتر ميامي أول لاعب في تاريخ الدوري الأمريكي يفوز بجائزة أفضل لاعب في الموسم للمرة الثانية على التوالي.