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Kate Cross takes 100th ODI wicket as West Indies succumb in pursuit of unlikely 367

Valkerie Baynes04-Jun-2025

Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont both scored back-to-back centuries to deliver an unassailable 2-0 ODI series lead and put England on the cusp of a complete sweep of West Indies’ tour.Reprising their successful first-wicket partnership from the opening match in Derby, Jones and Beaumont drove the hosts to 366 for 6 against a severely understrength West Indies, who fell 143 runs short in the second game in Leicester despite a bright half-century from ODI debutant Realeanna Grimmond.Thrust into the role of opener with captain Hayley Matthews on the sidelines in a sling after aggravating a shoulder injury in the first ODI, and Qiana Joseph out due to illness, Grimmond scored 53 off 72 balls in just her third match for West Indies.Jannillea Glasgow, making her first appearance of this ODI series after two single-figure innings in the T20Is, added a quick-fire 44 off 24 balls at No.6 but Alice Capsey’s three wickets and two apiece for Linsey Smith and Lauren Filer allowed England to bowl West Indies out for 223 with 4.2 overs to spare.That was after Jones, who scored her maiden international hundred upon returning to the top of the England batting line-up for the first time in five years during the opening match last Friday, once again made the most of her promotion from the middle order.She and Beaumont had put on 222 runs together in Derby and on this occasion they managed 202, becoming only the second pair with two 200-plus partnerships in Women’s ODIs after Australians Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry.Emma Lamb contributed a brisk 55 after Jones bettered her 122 in Derby with 129 off just 98 balls and Beaumont followed her 107 with 106 on Wednesday as West Indies faced a 367 target to secure the first win of their tour, following England’s 3-0 sweep of the T20I leg and a 108-run victory in the first ODI.Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont celebrate their century stand•Getty Images

The tourists’ target, even higher than the 346 they were asked to chase in the previous game, was made to look even more unattainable by the absence of Matthew. Their captain has carried her side throughout the trip, which resulted in her being named player of the T20I series. Her 48 in a 91-run stand with Joseph, who scored 62, were the only highlights for West Indies in the first ODI.Jones and Beaumont picked up where they had left off in Derby. Beaumont found the boundary with a lovely pair of cover drives off Cherry-Ann Fraser in the second and followed up a short time later with back-to-back fours off 19-year-old quick Jahzara Claxton, playing just her second ODI and third international match overall.Jones was also into her work early and took the partnership past the fifty mark with four through fine leg off a wide full toss from Claxton at the start of the seventh over. Claxton should have had Jones out for 43 but Grimmond spilled the chance at point and she brought up her fifty off 41 balls with a single crashed through long-on.Beaumont faced 64 deliveries for her fifty, which she brought up after overturning an lbw decision on 44 when she missed an attempted scoop off Afy Fletcher. The ball rapped her low and in line with off stump but ball-tracking showed it was turning too much.Three consecutive fours off Glasgow took Jones well into the 80s and she raised her second hundred in as many innings off just 76 balls with an authoritative extra cover drive off Karishma Ramharack for her 16th boundary. Ramharack saw Jones put down again on 104 after picking out long-on, but she finally ended Jones’s innings with a sharp return catch.Beaumont brought up her 12th ODI ton with a thunderous six over long-on, bookended by fours through midwicket and cow corner as Ramharack conceded 16 off the 38th over.Legspinner Fletcher could have had Beaumont out off her own bowling next over, although her hands thrust instinctively in front of her face to stop a rocket of a return did well to prevent serious injury, making the missed opportunity a secondary concern. In any event, Ramharack had Beaumont two balls later, holing out to deep midwicket.Claxton suffered a stinging blow to her hand stopping a similarly hard-hit drive back at her from Nat Sciver-Brunt but was fine to play on. Lamb had already brought up a 41-ball fifty at that point and Sciver-Brunt fell cheaply soon after, well caught in the deep by Grimmond off Aaliyah Alleyne. Grimmond took another excellent catch to end Lamb’s knock. A neat cameo of 31 off 19 balls by Sophia Dunkley took England past the 350 mark.Grimmond had run herself out for 4 in the first T20I at Canterbury after losing track of the ball as it was fired in from the field over her head, then scored 15 in the third at Chelmsford, her only other appearances to date for West Indies. But the fact that she took to her sizeable task in Leicester so well suggested there will be many more.Kate Cross took her 100th ODI wicket•Getty Images

Playing with poise and a sense of timing which made up for her slight frame, Grimmond struck six and four off Lauren Bell’s third over and after Zaida James, elevated from No.3, was caught behind by Jones off Bell for 19, Grimmond pulled another maximum away off Bell.Grimmond was struck hard on the right triceps attempting another pull shot off Lauren Filer but recovered quickly and a substantial edge off Filer through a vacant slips cordon took her to the brink of her maiden international milestone. She got there next ball, hammered away towards deep square leg where the fielder stationed just inside the rope restricted her to a single.That was after stand-in captain Shemaine Campbelle, dropped by Sciver-Brunt at third while on 2, added just four more then fell to Smith, the left-arm spinner who was England’s third star in Derby when she took five wickets while making her ODI debut more than six years after playing her first T20I.It was Smith who also accounted for Grimmond, who picked out Kate Cross at long-on, leaving West Indies 90 for 3 and still 277 runs adrift.Stafanie Taylor, playing just her second match of the tour after scoring a duck in the second T20I at Hove as she continues her comeback from injury, had a lot of work to do as the former captain and most experienced player left in the visitors’ line-up. But she fell for a 39-ball 20, chipping a Capsey delivery straight to Cross at mid-on.Cross, playing her 100th game for England across formats, took her 100th ODI wicket when she had Alleyne caught behind for a first-ball duck.Filer bowled with extreme pace into her eighth over. Having seen Fraser dropped by Jones behind the stumps in her seventh, a 77mph delivery that left Claxton and Jones smiling in disbelief was followed immediately by another beauty that sent Claxton’s bails flying and Fletcher went the same way three balls later to leave Filer with a decent reward for her efforts.Fraser offered stubborn resistance with an ODI career-best of 24 off 30 balls but when she skied Capsey to Bell at point it was all over.

Manchester United are continuing to build under Ruben Amorim, and they will look to move in the right direction over the coming weeks, even if the Portuguese boss has shared a little bit of frustration over one matter at Old Trafford.

Roy Keane drops verdict on Ruben Amorim's Man Utd future

Undoubtedly, the future of Amorim has been the main talking point at Manchester United this season, a topic that has gained attention after Sir Jim Ratcliffe made it clear he will have three years to build a legacy at Old Trafford.

In years gone by, the Red Devils have changed managers, but it hasn’t necessarily brought long-term success or stability to the club in their Premier League finishes. For some, it would be only fair for the Portuguese boss to get an extended crack of the whip to craft his system.

Nevertheless, Roy Keane has cast doubt on whether three years will be afforded to Amorim, claiming in the build-up before Manchester United’s win at Liverpool that results will ultimately determine his fate.

He said on Sky Sports: “I’m not so sure about that. It’s all well and good getting the backing off the board, but results have to improve. You hope, of course, any manager is given time. Whether he will get three years to play with depends how they do over the next few months. They have picked up a little bit – with the new attacking players they look more of a goal threat.”

While Manchester United continue to invest in young talent for the future, the here and now is what is important and the stars that are in the building are the ones in control of building consistency on the pitch.

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Despite this, Amorim has let out a little bit of frustration regarding one of his players’ recent exploits, even if his comments come in good faith.

Ruben Amorim opens up on Bruno Fernandes' penalty duties

In comments relayed by GOAL before the win at Liverpool, Amorim expressed frustration at Bruno Fernandes missing penalties for Manchester United against Fulham and Brentford, though confirmed he will remain on duties regardless.

Ultimately, £300,000 per week earner Fernandes has been a big game player for Manchester United over the years and never shirks responsibility, setting up Harry Maguire’s winner at Anfield, and unfortunate events will happen from time to time, given that he is their go-to man.

Nevertheless, nobody will argue that his contribution at Old Trafford isn’t absolutely pivotal to the cause, which is why Amorim retains full trust in his captain to deliver when called upon.

تلقى أحد لاعبي مانشستر يونايتد، إشادة من لاعبي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز السابقين، بيتر كراوتش وأوين هارجريفز خلال استوديو تحليلي لمواجهة فريقه ضد توتنهام التي انتهت بتعادل مثير بهدفين لكل فريق.

وسجل بريان مبيومو، نجم مانشستر يونايتد، هدفًا ضد توتنهام في المباراة، وهو الهدف السادس له في 12 لقاء، منذ انضمامه لأولد ترافورد، مقابل 71 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

ويعد الدولي الكاميروني مبيومو، هداف مانشستر يونايتد هذا الموسم، ويتلقى إشادة كبيرة من لاعبي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز السابقين بفضل مستوياته المتميزة.

وأشاد بيتر كراوتش مهاجم ليفربول السابق بلاعب مانشستر يونايتد في تصريحات لقناة “TNT SPORT”، قائلاً: “لقد أعجبت به لسنوات عديدة”.

وأضاف: “في برينتفورد كان لاعبًا حاسمًا وخطيرًا ودقيقًا في لمساته، عندما تتاح له الفرصة ينهي الهجمة دون تردد ويبقى هادئاً أمام المرمى وشكل إضافة لما يحاول مانشستر يونايتد تحقيقه”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فيديو | التعادل يحسم المواجهة المثيرة بين مانشستر يونايتد وتوتنهام في الدوري الإنجليزي

وقارن أوين هارجريفز لاعب مانشستر يونايتد السابق بين مبيومو ومحمد صلاح الذي سجل 188 هدفًا خلال 298 مباراة في البريميرليج مع ليفربول: “أعتقد أن أهم ما يميزه هو قدرته على تقديم أداء مميز”.

وأضاف: “يذكرني قليلاً بمحمد صلاح داخل وحول منطقة الجزاء، عندما يحصل على الكرة تكون لديه فكرة واضحة لما يريده بالضبط، يكاد لا يظهر أي انفعال أو حماس في هذه المناطق”.

واختتم: “يمكنه اللعب بقدميه وهو بارع في المراوغة ولا أعتقد أنه يحصل على التقدير الكافي فنياً، يتحدث الناس عن قدرته على التسجيل وهذا صحيح لكنه لاعب استثنائي، ويأتي لاعبون لمانشستر يونايتد ويعانون من الضغط لكنه ببساطة هادئ وهداف هذا الموسم”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Júnior Santos não escondeu sua expectativa após o Botafogo  ter retomado o caminho para as vitórias. Em entrevista ao programa “Boleiragem”, do SporTV, o camisa 37 detalhou a maneira como a comissão técnica formada por Lúcio Flávio e Joel Carli vem comandando a equipe.

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Além disso, o jogador contou bastidores do último jogo de Bruno Lage. O então técnico havia barrado Tiquinho Soares no empate em 1 a 1 com o Goiás.

+ Em baixa com Bruno Lage, Júnior Santos é escolhido melhor em campo pelo Botafogo em estreia de Lúcio Flávio

– A gente ficou um pouco surpreso pela escalação (contra o Goiás). Na verdade, ele (Lage) testou várias formações ali, só que ele colocou o Diego (Costa) também, que é um grande jogador, que já ajudou muito também. Só que o Tiquinho tinha um peso. Esse peso fez com que ali, na hora do aquecimento, a torcida já começasse a gritar o nome do Tiquinho e já imaginamos que isso poderia acontecer – disse.

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Em seguida, Júnior Santos foi veemente sobre a dimensão daquela situação.

– Isso foi um divisor de águas naquele momento por tudo que estava envolvido, por ser o Tiquinho e o que ele está fazendo no campeonato. Foi um peso que trouxe uma atmosfera mais fora de campo. Foi algo que mexeu um pouco – afirmou o camisa 37.

O atacante ainda contou outro episódio marcante do período de Lage no Glorioso: quando, após a derrota por 2 a 1 para o Flamengo, o português fez um breve pronunciamento e colocou seu cargo à disposição.

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– Ele chamou a gente para conversar para falar sobre o que tinha dito para dizer que estava fechado com o grupo, que o pensamento dele estava no Botafogo, estava em ficar no Brasil. Não teve nenhuma treta dentro do clube. Não teve nenhuma desavença – explicou, detalhando como foi o fim de trajetória:

– Até quando o Textor decidiu trocar o comando, ele (Lage) foi lá se despedir da gente pessoalmente.Ele falou que a visão foi nos proteger e por isso falou aquilo ali. Foi essa a explicação que ele deu para gente. Seguimos o nosso trabalho até onde deu- completou.

Júnior Santos também demonstrou otimismo em relação ao técnico Lúcio Flávio e à sua parceria com o auxiliar Joel Carli. Aos seus olhos, a busca por continuidade norteará a nova comissão técnica.

– Já tínhamos um estilo de jogo e esse estilo de jogo tinha uma forma de treinar, onde a gente se sentia à vontade, se sentia bem, prazer em fazer os trabalhos para os jogos.O Carli e o Lúcio já conhecem a forma que deu certo. A fórmula eles já sabiam e foi o que fizeram – afirmou.

Júnior Santos ainda refoçou uma torcida:

– Torço para que eles permaneçam no comando. O grupo se sente confortável e confiante com eles. Eu quero que eles fiquem porque queremos dar essa continuidade, e tenho certeza que o grupo vai estar dando essa resposta dentro de campo também – assegurou.

O Botafogo, líder com 55 pontos, encara o América-MG no dia 18, no Independência.

West Indies captain ponders where his batters go from here after being bowled out for 27

Alex Malcolm15-Jul-2025

West Indies captain Roston Chase has described his side’s capitulation against Australia in Jamaica as “heartbreaking” and “embarrassing”.West Indies were bowled out for the second-lowest total in Test history at Sabina Park to lose the third Test and concede the series 3-0 in the process.Chasing 204 to win on the third day, West Indies were bowled out for 27 in 14.3 overs to set a host of new and unwanted records. The total was just one run better than New Zealand’s Test-record low of 26 in 1955 but it was 20 runs short of West Indies’ previous worst total of 47. It was the first time in Test history a team recorded seven ducks in an innings and the six runs made collectively by West Indies top-six batters was the lowest in any innings in Test history.Related

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Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

Mitchell Starc also took the fastest Test five-for ever, claiming the first five wickets of the innings in just 15 balls after picking up three wickets in the first over.Speaking after – at both the post-match presentation and the press conference – Chase was despondent.”It’s disappointing,” Chase said. “We’ve been putting ourselves in positions to win games, and then we just lay down and not put up a fight in the last batting innings. It’s quite heartbreaking, because I think we did it in all three Tests, and we’re not really learning from our mistakes. So that’s something we have to really look at.”Obviously being bowled out for less than 30 is quite embarrassing.”Chase thought the target of 204 was achievable and did not offer any excuses in regards to the surface, despite no batter in the match reaching 50. It was only the seventh time since 1900 and the third time since 1981 that no player had scored a half-century in a Test with at least two completed innings.”I thought it was realistic,” Chase said. “I mean, the wicket was a good wicket, still a good batting wicket. I didn’t think there was too many devils in the wicket, like the last two games where the ball was rolling or bouncing inconsistently. So yeah, we thought 204 was quite gettable. But then, obviously, with the start and stuff being [11 for 6] or something like that, it’s very difficult to really get those runs from there.”It capped off a horror series with the bat for West Indies’ new-look line-up. They posted scores of 190, 141, 253, 143, 143 and 27 across the series. Brandon King was the only West Indies batter to score a half-century, posting the highest individual score on either side with 75 in Grenada. He was also the only West Indies batter to average more than 20 for the series with 21.50, discounting Anderson Phillip making 10 and 11 not out in his only Test in the series in Grenada. Australia had four batters average more than 30, but Travis Head was the only one to score more than 200 runs and average more than 32 thanks to his twin half-centuries in Barbados. Head, Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja were the only players in the series to face more than 300 balls across six innings.Brandon King surveys the wreckage after becoming the third dismissal in Mitchell Starc’s opening over•AFP/Getty Images

Chase did note that the pitches were tough overall for the batters but he did not want to take away too much from the performance of his bowlers.”I think the pitches were very tough,” he said. “I don’t want to say they were too in favour of the bowlers, but they were very tough because, as you can see, this is probably the first series I’ve ever played [where] no batter got a hundred for each side. So that’s something that I’ve never really seen in a Test series. So that just goes to show how dominant the bowlers were.”Chase conceded that West Indies faced a huge challenge to rebuild from here. They do not play Test cricket again until October and face entirely different conditions in India when they do.”We need to really take a deep look at ourselves as batters,” Chase said. “The next series from here is quite a while. So we have time on our side. So I think that’s what we need to really do, really have a look at our batting this series and see where we can improve and how we can put 300 run totals on the board.”Obviously India is going to be different conditions, probably more spinner-friendly. So I think if you can have some batting camps around playing spin bowling and stuff like that, I think that will be ideal for us going into those conditions.”

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman was dubbed “utterly embarrassing” after the role he played in Brentford’s third goal on another afternoon to forget for the Magpies on their travels.

Tierney took centre-stage, the former denying Brentford what looked a clear penalty for a foul by Dan Burn – instead booking Dango Ouattara for a dive – and the latter surprisingly agreeing.

But, lo and behold, a few minutes later when Ouattara went down again under Burn’s challenge, Attwell this time pointed to the spot and showed the hapless Burn a second yellow card.

Igor Thiago rolled in the penalty and added a third in stoppage time to condemn Newcastle to more misery on their travels on the fourth anniversary of Eddie Howe’s appointment as manager.

The big controversy erupted when Ouattara tumbled, Burn protested his innocence and Attwell waved away Brentford claims for a spot-kick and flashed the yellow card instead.

Replays showed Burn had clearly made contact with Ouattara’s foot before he went down but Tierney upheld Attwell’s decision, “minimal contact” was the official explanation.

Then came the reprise; Ouattara brought down again by Burn. This one was maybe less convincing, but Attwell pointed to the spot.

Sven Botman dubbed "utterly embarrassing" in Newcastle defeat

A lot of the blame will be put on Burn for his second yellow card and the penalty that he conceded as a result, but the rest of the Newcastle squad didn’t exactly enjoy excellent outings, either. Nick Woltemade came away with an assist, but largely struggled to make the ball stick for the Magpies going forward and Sven Botman looked a shadow of his best self.

At the centre of criticism, Sky Sports’ commentary team took aim at Botman after Thiago scored his second of the afternoon, saying: “Sven Botman, I don’t think he knows that Thiago is behind him, he thinks Ramsdale is coming, he stops running, it’s going to end a sorry afternoon this for the Geordies.”

The criticism didn’t end there, either. Newcastle reporter Joel Bland dubbed Botman “utterly embarrassing” for Brentford’s third and final goal – a verdict that is hard to dispute.

The Dutchman was all too casual before Thiago took full advantage to leave Newcastle on just three Premier League wins in their opening 10 games. Alan Shearer accused the Newcastle squad of being “lazy” when they lost 3-1 against West Ham United last week. Now, a week later, Botman has been accused of not running.

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MatériaMais Notícias

A Prefeitura do Rio e a Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) anunciaram nesta quarta-feira (29) a criação do Museu do Futebol Brasileiro, que será instalado na antiga sede do Automóvel Club do Brasil, na Rua do Passeio, no Centro. Para a instalação da estrutura, o município vai conceder o imóvel, e a entidade doará todo o seu acervo, atualmente exposto em sua sede na Barra da Tijuca, na Zona Oeste.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

As instalações do histórico prédio do antigo Automóvel Clube, que é tombado pelo Instituto Estadual do Patrimônio Cultural (Inepac) desde 1965 e preservado pela lei 1.139/1987 do Corredor Cultural, serão restauradas e modernizadas. As obras no antigo edifício já começaram, e serão investidos R$ 36,3 milhões.

– O museu hoje é espetacular e está restrito ao prédio da CBF, na Barra, sem muita visitação. Trazê-lo para o Centro vai ampliar o universo de pessoas que podem conhecê-lo e quem irá ganhar com essa mudança é o torcedor brasileiro – destacou o presidente da CBF.

Apesar do acervo já ser exposto na sede da CBF, a mudança não se trata apenas da localidade. A instalação da Barra da Tijuca se chama “Museu da Seleção Brasileira”, e o novo Museu do Futebol Brasileiro será inaugurado no Centro. Além disso, existe o Museu do Futebol, em São Paulo, que não deve ser afetado pela nova estrutura.

With the BBL set to explore privatisation, Smith says SA20 will look to continue to “dominate” in the southern hemisphere

Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2025

The SA20 organisers believe they have established enough of a foothold not to be threatened by the BBL’s aim to become the second-biggest league in the world after the IPL, according to commissioner Graeme Smith.The SA20, which will begin its fourth season on Boxing Day this year and has IPL ownership across all six franchises, has the second-highest salary cap after the IPL of R41 million (US$2.31 million). By that measure, it could be regarded as the next-best league in the global game and with a marquee auction scheduled for September 9, Smith explained they plan to stay that way.”When we started we were built up against the ILT20 and Big Bash and we set ourselves big ambitions upfront,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the closing of player registration for the auction. “In the southern hemisphere window we want to dominate and we want to be the biggest league outside the IPL. Three years in, we’ve set the standard. Every decision we make is around making sure that we uphold those standards. I expect there will be a top number of leagues that will elevate themselves in a calendar cycle and that will be the priority for players, investors and fans. Our ambitions are to remain right at the top of that alongside IPL.Related

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Smith’s comments come less than two weeks after CA CEO Todd Greenberg told that his board would “unashamedly” chase second spot by exploring privatisation. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next,” Greenberg said.The BBL’s move to seek private investment will make it the last of the established leagues to look for funding outside of board structures. The Hundred is the most recent to make the same moves, with deals for six out of their eight teams finalised ahead of next season. While happenings in the Hundred do not affect the SA20 because it is played in a different window, the BBL clashes with the SA20, which could mean a clash over status and crucially, player availability.Again, Smith had reason to be bullish. While the BBL is played at the same time as Australia’s international summer and so does not have Test players fully available, all South Africa’s national and domestically contracted players will prioritise the SA20, even if at the expense of international games. South Africa sent an understrength Test side to New Zealand last year, as an example of this policy in action. At the time, it drew criticism, but with South Africa going on to win the World Test Championship final, Smith sees it as proof that formats can co-exist if the planning is right.”Everyone was worried that we were going to destroy Test cricket but we’ve seen our national team go on a few years later to win the World Test Championship final. We’ve all played our role in the ecosystem,” he said. “We’ve been part of bringing gravitas back to South African cricket, seeing new fans come back to the game and new energy.”Graeme Smith expects a strong England presence in the upcoming SA20 season too•Sportzpics

At the same time, the SA20 also attracts internationals from other countries and last year had several English Test players, who had the winter off, join the tournament. This season, with the Ashes on, could be different but Smith still anticipates a strong contingent.”In the first two seasons we saw a lot of the England white-ball players come through and then with the FTP ebbing and flowing every year that changes,” he said. “So this year with the Ashes, we see some of those white ball players come back and maybe the Test players won’t form part of this season. The Ashes finishes on the ninth (of January, 2026). I don’t know if some of their players will form part of replacement lists but we’ve seen the likes of a Jos Butler come back into the tournament this year as an example.”Buttler, who played for Paarl Royals in the first two seasons, has been pre-signed by Durban’s Super Giants for the fourth season. Each franchise was allowed a maximum of six retentions or pre-signed players ahead of the new season. Of the 36 spots available, only a third (13) have been filled by South African players which Smith believes will create a lively auction. “I expected a lot more top South African players to pre-sign and that didn’t happen,” he said. “From our perspective it’s set up a very exciting auction with a very big purse.”The fourth season of the SA20 will be played over the festive period as South Africa do not host any home Tests this summer. Matches will not be played on any of the new drop-in pitches which are planned for the 2027 ODI World Cup but Smith hopes the lack of cricket this season will result in surfaces with a bit more life in them compared to last year, when they showed signs of wear.”The pitches last year didn’t play as well as we would have liked and it’s something that’s being worked on in terms of revamping stadiums and facilities ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We’re working closely with Cricket South Africa in terms of improving the quality of stadiums, lights and pitches. Everything is a big work in progress behind the scenes.”The SA20 auction will take place in Johannesburg on September 9. Player registration for the auction closes on Monday, August 18.

سجل منتخب الجزائر، الهدف الأول أمام نظيره منتخب مصر الثاني في المباراة الودية الجارية بينهما الآن، استعدادًا للمشاركة في كأس العرب.

ويستضيف منتخب مصر الثاني، نظيره الجزائر على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي ضمن استعدادات المنتخبين للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. حلمي طولان يعلن تشكيل منتخب مصر الثاني أمام الجزائر

وجاء هدف الجزائر الأول في الدقيقة 31 من عمر المباراة عن طريق عادل بولبينة بعد اختراق من الجهة اليمنى للفراعنة ويسجلها في المرمى.

منتخب مصر أوقعته قرعة كأس العرب في المجموعة الثالثة بجانب منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والفائز من المباراة التأهيلية بين الكويت وموريتانيا.

وتقام بطولة كأس العرب 2025 في دولة قطر خلال الفترة من 1 إلى 18 ديسمبر المقبل. هدف الجزائر الأول أمام مصر الثاني

Tottenham Hotspur are poised to be without a big name for their crucial North London derby clash against Arsenal on November 23, with the player’s return from injury up in the air.

Spurs take on Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title frontrunners in a mouth-watering clash at the Emirates Stadium following the conclusion of this latest international break, and the stakes are high for both sides.

Thomas Frank is attempting to guide the Lilywhites to a top four finish and build upon Ange Postecoglou’s final season in charge with another piece of major silverware, but concerns have surrounded their general creativity in open play and plethora of key absentees.

While Arsenal have also struggled to keep their star attackers fit this campaign, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres all racing to be fit for Tottenham, Frank’s extensive injury list is much longer.

Tottenham absentee list

Problem

Estimated return date (subject to change)

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Other

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are among the forwards who’ve been absent with serious injuries, and the latter is not expected to return until midway through 2026.

Summer signing Randal Kolo Muani was the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his jaw in their 2-2 draw with Man United last weekend. While the Frenchman, who only just returned to full fitness after a dead leg, won’t require surgery, it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out for or if he’ll be able to wear a mask and play against Arsenal.

Star winger Mohammed Kudus was ‘touch and go’ to face Man United and ultimately left out by Frank, with the 25-year-old also not selected for Ghana’s upcoming friendlies against Japan and South Korea.

There is every chance that Kudus, who’s stood out as their most in-form attacker this term, will recover from his knock in time to play against Arsenal, but the same cannot be said for striker Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham poised to be without Dominic Solanke for North London derby

The Englishman has yet to start a competitive game since Frank’s arrival at the club, playing just 49 minutes in total across all competitions, and his once minor ankle issue is taking a while to fully recover from.

Solanke was forced to undergo small surgery on his ankle problem and the initial prognosis was that he’d be back fairly soon. However, the 28-year-old still hasn’t played a single minute since Tottenham’s 2-0 win away to Man City right at the start of the season.

Recently, when asked if Solanke would be back on the field before the end of 2025, Frank’s response wasn’t that convincing at all.

Standard Sport have now reported that Solanke returning from injury to face Arsenal is looking “unlikely”, and they could even welcome back defender Radu Dragusin before him.

The Romanian is set to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break, which will be his first piece of action since rupturing his ACL back in January. Some reports suggest that Tottenham could even sell Solanke when the window reopens, with Frank viewing the forward as “expendable” amid repeated links to former Brentford star Ivan Toney.

Right now, Frank has just Mathys Tel, who can’t participate in the Champions League after being left out of their 22-man squad, and Richarlison to select from as their readily available striker options.

If injury were to befall Richarlison, like it did for large periods of last season, Frank would be in serious trouble.

Solanke finished 24/25 as the club’s second top scorer behind Brennan Johnson, and they’ve missed both his poacher’s instinct and general link-up play.