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'I expected to do much more' – Alexander Isak makes stark admission on slow Liverpool start but £125m man insists he still isn't fully fit after Newcastle transfer saga

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Alexander Isak has admitted he expected to do "much more" at Liverpool after a slow start to life at Anfield. The striker joined the Reds from Newcastle United for a Premier League record fee of £125 million ($167m) but so far he has failed to fire. The Swedish international also admits that injuries have hampered his progress, and he has never felt at 100 per cent so far.

Isak and Liverpool struggle

Since his blockbuster £125m move, which entailed a lengthy transfer saga where Isak refused to play for Newcastle and trained alone for much of the summer, the 26-year-old has only scored two goals in all competitions this season. The Swede has struggled with injuries and form since arriving on Merseyside, and so have Arne Slot's team, with the defending Premier League champions currently ninth in the table. As a result, the former Real Sociedad man admits this has not been an "easy" period for him and his new club.

He told : "It's not been easy, of course, individually and also collectively. We've not had the best results lately. Of course, I wish more from me as well, so I think that's pretty obvious. I'm trying to stay positive, we as a team as well, it's a really good group and we're just looking forward and trying to do better as a team."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportIsak not at full tilt

The forward admitted he was his own harshest critic and that he is not happy with his goal-scoring output so far. However, he still stressed that injuries have taken their toll on him.

"I expect to do much more of course, I always do that. Even when I do really well, I want more, so that's not a problem for me. But yeah, I'm trying to stay positive, trying to work to do better and that's what we're looking to do," he said. "Yeah, of course. I think obviously I'm the first one to know and I know best when I'm doing good and when I'm not doing good. So I don't need anyone to tell me how I'm doing, so that's not a problem for me."

When asked if he had felt at 100 per cent at any stage for Liverpool, Isak replied, "I would probably say no, physically. I probably haven't felt at my best. But yeah, that's not really the way I judge myself either. When I'm on the pitch, I want to do well anyway. But yeah, obviously, there's more of me."

Slot defends Isak

Despite scoring just once in the Premier League this season, Liverpool boss Slot said the Reds are not bringing the best out of the Swedish star and must do all they can to maximise his strengths. 

The Dutchman told reporters on Friday: "He is not the only No.9 who suffers in some games from not getting many chances. At this level it’s not like the No.9 is involved in eight, nine, 10 chances every single half. But it is obvious and clear that we want to bring him into more threatening situations. Before we went to only one goal conceded in two games [West Ham and Sunderland] we had a lot of chances. Because we are a little bit more compact and not taking as many risks, we have not been able to create as many chances as all of the games before. It is definitely one of the things on my list of things to improve to get our No.9 more involved in the game and more involved in the final third."

The former Feyenoord manager also said that Isak's match fitness remains an issue and that it is "unrealistic" for him to complete three 90-minute games in a week. 

"That’s not the way you want to start your career at Liverpool. It is far, far from an ideal situation but, again, this club doesn’t buy a player for half a year. We bought him for six years," he added.

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Liverpool?

After playing 68 minutes in the 2-0 win at West Ham and 86 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, it remains to be seen if Isak will start away at Leeds United on Saturday evening. If not, Hugo Ekitike may lead the Reds' attack at Elland Road.

England lean towards three-seamer, two-spinner strategy for first Sri Lanka Test

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Joe Root has hinted that England will opt to field an extra seamer in the first Test of their series in Sri Lanka, rather than adding a third spinner to their attack.Despite playing at Galle, a venue with a long-earned reputation for favouring spin bowling, England are set to select only two specialist spinners in Dom Bess and Jack Leach. They are likely to pick three seamers and turn to the part-time spin of Root and Dan Lawrence as required.Ahead of the tour, it had seemed likely England that would pick three spinners in each Test. Since 2016, spinners have claimed twice as many wickets as seamers in Tests at Galle – the venue for both Tests in this series – and have done so at a lower overall average, strike rate and economy rate.Related

  • Bess and Leach have their work cut out for them in India

  • England mull third spin option with Moeen ruled out

  • Woakes resigned to first-Test absence

  • Moeen faces extended quarantine in SL

  • Bess 'can't wait' to renew Leach partnership

On England’s last tour to Sri Lanka, in late 2018, spin accounted for 100 wickets – the most ever in a three-Test series – while James Anderson and Stuart Broad claimed only one wicket between them. England used a three-man spin attack comprising Moeen Ali, Jack Leach and Adil Rashid in all three Tests, who claimed 48 wickets between them in a 3-0 win (Root’s offspin accounted for a 49th).But illness and absence have reduced their options. Moeen, England’s joint leading wicket-taker with Leach on the last tour, has been ruled out of contention having contracted Covid-19, while Rashid has limited himself to limited-overs cricket as he comes to terms with a long-term shoulder problem. Other options, such as Liam Dawson, are also unavailable through injury.That leaves England with three choices for third spinner. Although none of Matt Parkinson, Mason Crane and Amar Virdi are officially part of the Test squad at present, they are all part of the tour party as reserves and are considered to be available for selection.Only Crane has previously played Test cricket – he took 1 for 193 in Sydney at the start of 2018 – but he underwhelmed in the warm-up match (he conceded 37 from five overs, though he did dismiss Zak Crawley when he attempted to run a short ball to third man). Virdi didn’t bowl at all in that match, while Parkinson’s last first-class appearance was in September 2019. It is a situation which raises familiar questions about the lack of opportunities provided to developing spinners in the county game.England’s options have been diminished further by the likely absence of two seam-bowling allrounders. Ben Stokes has been rested for this tour, while Chris Woakes was obliged to spend the first week of it in quarantine having been deemed a close contact of Moeen. As a result, Woakes was unable to participate in the warm-up game and may be considered a little short of match fitness in conditions which are expected to be hot and humid.Sam Curran is set to play ahead of Chris Woakes or a third spinner•ECB

Those draining conditions – and the lack of the usual preparation time – might persuade England not to place too many demands on individual bowlers. And with Sri Lanka’s batsmen not always looking comfortable against pace, England are likely to want one of their quicker bowlers – Olly Stone or Mark Wood – alongside the allrounder, Sam Curran, and one of Broad or Anderson.That means Root, who took his Test-best figures of 4 for 122 at Port Elizabeth at the start of 2020, may well be obliged to contribute with the ball, while Lawrence and, to a lesser extent, Dom Sibley provide further part-time options.”I’ve readied myself for it [a role with the ball],” Root said. “I’ve prepared for it in practice and it does seem to be coming out OK at the moment. If it is the case that I need to bowl longer spells than previously and take a bigger workload in this series, then I’m looking forward to that challenge. It’s certainly an option and it will come down to the balance of the side.”As you’d expect in Galle, it’s going to spin. It’s just when in the game it’s going to spin – that’s the question.”But the pitch does look very different here from memory to what it did on previous tours. I don’t think it’s going to be miles away from what you’d expect a Galle wicket to play like, but if there’s weather around in the Test match and there’s a tacky nature to the pitch and it sweats with the covers on that probably brings seam into the game a bit more than it might normally do. Everything is pointing towards it being a bowlers’ game.”While Root will wait for another look at the pitch and the weather conditions before confirming his side – Galle has been hit by unseasonable rain in recent days – he did confirm he will bat at No. 4, with Jonny Bairstow at No. 3. He also said that Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley will open, and has previously confirmed that Jos Buttler will keep wicket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While he acknowledged that England’s lack of preparation time – they go into the series having played just one day of warm-up cricket – is far from ideal, he knows they have to start well to have a hope of winning the two-match series. The fact that they’ve lost the first Test in five of their last six series is not lost on him.”The preparations and build-up time is not ideal,” Root said. “There’s no point hiding behind the fact: we haven’t had the ideal lead-up to this series. It’s probably the shortest lead-up we’ve ever had going into an away Test match series. But regardless, it is about making sure we start the game well. So many times in these two-match series, it’s imperative you get off to a good start.”It’s something we’re desperate to keep improving on. We’ve started series poorly, as was mentioned last summer, and if we are to keep improving as a team we can’t be behind the eight ball going into the second Test match of every series.”The way we are going to do that is by scoring big first-innings runs and controlling the game. If we can manage to do that I think we’ll have success here.”

Report: Red Sox Rookie's Offer to Play First Base Upset Rafael Devers Before Trade

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Rafael Devers's discontentment with the Boston Red Sox front office began in the spring, when the club asked him to move from third base to designated hitter in the wake of signing Alex Bregman. Devers acquiesced, and things seemed to be in a better place until May. The club again asked him to take up a new position, first base, following the season-ending injury to Triston Casas.

And as it turns out, the Red Sox' second ask of Devers wasn't the only thing that apparently upset the star slugger before his surprising trade to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell, who has spent most of his time at second base, apparently volunteered to play first base following the injury to Casas, a move that upset Devers, sources told Joon Lee of Yahoo! Sports.

According to Lee, Devers took Campbell's offer not as a team-first move by a young player, but as a "slight to his own stature."

In a series of public comments in which he was openly critical of the Red Sox front office, Devers in May had this to say about Boston's Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.

"I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," Devers said at the time. "It was the GM that I spoke with. I'm not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."

Some veteran Red Sox players reportedly took exception to the way that Devers handled the situation publicly. Clearly, a disconnect between Devers and the front office played a role in the surprising trade. But it seems that there was also a disconnect between Devers and the Red Sox players.

Can Bangladesh stop Sri Lanka's in-form batters?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The visitors need to win in Dambulla on Sunday if they are to keep the T20I series alive

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jul-2025Big picture: Are SL’s batters finally getting it right?For years, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have prevented a full-blown slide into irrelevance in the white-ball format. While there have been the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, and occasionally Dilshan Madushanka putting in good bowling performances over the past few years, there has been a dearth of batting stars, and a shortage of firepower.But it has begun to feel like Sri Lanka are serious of fixing this. From the way players in the camp are talking, the message has gone out from captain Charith Asalanka especially, that bowlers have been carrying the side for too long, and that it’s time for the batters to win matches with their own performances.In the first T20I on Thursday, the bowlers were good, restricting Bangladesh to a total that was perhaps 15 runs short of par. But the batters were exceptional, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis putting on a rollicking opening stand. Right through the tour, at least one batter in the top five has contributed heavily to Sri Lanka’s victories.Bangladesh must now find ways to halt these supremely in-form players. Nissanka and Kusal Mendis are perhaps in the form of their life at the moment, while Asalanka continues to perform consistently. Which of their bowlers can deck the top order? Sri Lanka have had trials against legspinners in the past, so perhaps if Rishad Hossain was deployed earlier in the match, he might have more say on the outcome. Could Mustafizur Rahman prove a greater challenge than Taskin Ahmed, who was expensive in the first match?In the first match, Bangladesh’s batters could also have shown a bit more hustle during the middle overs especially. Captain Litton Das finding some touch with the bat could also make a significant difference.Form guideSri Lanka: WWLLL
Bangladesh: LLLLLIn the spotlight: Dasun Shanaka and Shamim HossainIn domestic cricket, Dasun Shanaka tends to be a big-hitting monster. Although there have been moments in international cricket in which he has showcased his power, he has not done so consistently. He’s back in the team after a while outside it, and in his first game back impressed with the skill and smarts with which he bowled. His bouncers were especially useful. If he can put a couple of good batting performances together this series, he will seriously recommend himself as an option for Sri Lanka’s 2026 World Cup campaign.In cynical terms, Shamim Hossain is a “bits-and-pieces”player. These players are the sorts that captains and selectors like because they allow decision makers to hedge their bets (or so the story goes).. But analysts are increasingly against, because these sorts of players rarely contribute to victories (or so that story goes). So far on tour, Shamim has contributed a tight spell in an ODI win, and in the first T20I, hit two sixes in a five-ball innings, and took a spectacular leaping catch running back from short cover. If he’s a bits-and-pieces player, he’s making plenty of all the bits and pieces at the moment.Taskin Ahmed sweats it out during a training session•AFP/Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsDambulla was a relatively high-scoring venue until mid-2024, when the curators started churning out more spin-friendly tracks. It remains to the seen whether the surface for the second T20I will favour the batters or spinners. Dambulla, a dry-zone venue, is fairly clear of rain this time of year.Team newsDespite the big loss in the T20I series opener, Bangladesh may show faith in the same XI. Jaker Ali may continue to be unavaiable due to his thigh strain.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt, wk), 4 Mohammad Naim, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mehiday Hasan Miraz, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Rishad Hossain, 11 Tanzim Hasan SakibSri Lanka may not change much.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Jeffrey Vandersay, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Binura Fernando 11 Nuwan ThusharaStats and triviaShanaka has never scored a T20I fifty against Bangladesh, but does strike at 145 against this team, compared to a career T20I strike rate of 122. Rishad has more T20I wickets against Sri Lanka (seven) than any other team. His economy rate of 7.05 against them, over 19 career overs, is also impressive.Quotes”I think his confidence is a bit low. We know what we can produce. We are working hard to get him to that stage. Hopefully he can get there in the next match, shows his ability.”
“If you compare since 2023, we have improved our fielding substantially. We analysed where we needed to improve, and worked on our fitness, and increased repetition in training.”
Sri Lanka fielding coach Upul Chandana

The next Lamine Yamal! Geovany Quenda compared to Barcelona ace by Sporting coach as Chelsea win £40m race for teenage winger

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

A Sporting CP coach says he sees "similarities" between Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and incoming Chelsea signing Geovany Quenda.

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Quenda impresses at Sporting CPSet to join Chelsea in 2026Teenager likened to Barca's YamalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Sporting assistant coach Tiago Teixeira, Quenda is treading a similar path to the one Yamal is currently doing. While he didn't say the Sporting youngster was on the Spain international's level, the 17-year-olds have burst onto the scene at a very young age.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT TIAGO TEIXEIRA SAID

He told The Athletic: “I see similarities with Lamine Yamal. Both of them started playing senior football at 16, 17. Yamal is already playing for Spain but Quenda has just been called up by Portugal for the first time and I’m certain he’s going to be a regular in the national team for years to come, and a star of the Champions League. He will get better with age and keep growing in confidence. He has everything he needs.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chelsea won the race to sign Quenda for €48m (£40m/$52m), but the teenager will stay in Lisbon for another year before heading to Stamford Bridge in 2026. The right winger, who can also play at right wing-back, is very highly rated but it remains to be seen if he can have anywhere near as much impact as Yamal.

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT?

Quenda could feature for Sporting in their away trip to Estrela Amadora in Liga Portugal on Saturday evening.

Saif and Hridoy fifties hand Sri Lanka their first Asia Cup defeat

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Shanaka’s unbeaten 64 had taken Sri Lanka to 168 but it wasn’t enough

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-20251:49

Chopra: You look at Saif and go ‘there’s some serious talent there’

Three top order stands, one after the other, led by Saif Hassan, then Towhid Hridoy, propelled Bangladesh to overhaul Sri Lanka’s 168, on a dry Dubai track.Saif’s 59-run stand with Litton Das came off 34 balls. It saw Bangladesh set the platform. Then Saif joined Hridoy for a 54-run stand off 45 balls, that consolidated their innings through the middle overs. Hridoy then took charge in a 45-run partnership off 27 balls with Shamim Hossain that put Bangladesh on the cusp of victory. There were some wobbles very late in the game, but those batters had done enough. Bangladesh only needed five to win going into the final over, and they got there with a ball to spare, even if they’d lost two wickets and almost a third scoring the winning run.Sri Lanka struggled for wickets right through the innings, with Saif especially good at keeping the seamers at bay in the powerplay. By the end of the 15th over, Bangladesh had still only lost three wickets, and needed only 39 more to win. It seemed highly unlikely they would lose from there. In fact, they had looked good for the majority of this chase.In Sri Lanka’s innings, Dasun Shanaka’s promotion to No. 5 had yielded results, as he struck 64 not out off 37 balls, to give Sri Lanka a decent – if not spectacular – finish. But two Bangladesh bowlers had also shone: Mustafizur Rahman took 3 for 20, and Mahedi Hasan claimed 2 for 25.2:07

Maharoof: Shanaka showed up when the chips were down

Saif neutralises Nuwan Thushara

When Nuwan Thushara dismissed Tanzid Hasan in the first over, you wondered if this would be another match which his first spell goes some distance to winning. He has tended to have rich hauls against this opposition. But in Saif, Bangladesh had a beautiful counter to Thushara. Saif was outstanding down the ground as Thushara kept going full (as he often does in the powerplay). Saif hit a four over the bowler’s head first ball of the second over, before running at Thushara next ball and depositing him over the rope. Thushara’s second and third overs would cost 14 runs each, Saif doing the majority of that damage.

Hridoy takes down Kamindu Mendis

Sri Lanka’s general strategy is to have Shanaka and one of the spin-bowling allrounders share four overs between them. Usually Charith Asalanka bowls himself. But in this game he chose not to bowl, and gave the 15th over of the innings to Kamindu Mendis. It would be the one in which the match would swing definitively in Bangladesh’s direction.Hridoy crashed him over cover for four second ball, then when Kamindu fired a shortish ball at the stumps, Hridoy got inside the line and launched it high over the deep square leg boundary. Later in the over, he slashed one between cover point and backward point to fetch another four. At the start of that over Bangladesh had needed 55 off 36 balls. Hridoy’s 16 runs off that over made the equation much simpler.1:55

Chopra impressed with Hridoy’s cricketing smarts

Shanaka’s blitz

Unlike Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Bangladesh kept striking regularly after Sri Lanka’s openers had put on 44 runs together. Shanaka was the only one to make a substantial score through the middle and later overs, crashing six sixes and three fours. He’d been dropped off the bowling of Mustafizur on 38, in a period in which Bangladesh gave at least three batters reprieves. Shanaka’s most productive over was against the spin of Nasum Ahmed, whom he clobbered for two sixes and a four in the 15th over.

Mustafizur and Taskin close well

Arguably the best over Bangladesh bowled was delivered by Mustafizur, who had both Kamindu and Asalanka caught in the 19th over, in which he conceded only five runs. Taskin Ahmed then bowled four dots to a mid-blitz Shanaka in the next over, delivering a clutch of good slower balls. He was hit for a six and a four too, but between them Bangladesh’s senior quicks had conceded only 15 in the last two overs, which Sri Lanka had been well-set to exploit.

Kelly, Boyce provide Blaze base for solid victory

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Kathryn Bryce spearheads bowling as Freeborn-Wraith stand falls short of rescuing Warwickshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025A rain-hit 50-overs match on a club ground might bear little resemblance to a T20 at the Kia Oval but The Blaze will draw some confidence from a 47-run victory over Warwickshire Women in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup as a dress rehearsal of sorts for Sunday’s Vitality Blast semi-final.After Marie Kelly’s List A career-best 66 and opening partner Georgia Boyce’s 46 had laid the foundations for a total of 218 for 6 after opting to bat first in a match reduced to 39 overs-a-side, The Blaze dismissed Warwickshire for 171, despite a determined effort by Abbey Freeborn (56 off 73 balls) and Nat Wraith (75 off 71) to give the visitors a chance after being reduced to 13 for 4.Kathryn Bryce (3-18), Georgia Elwiss (3-26) and Grace Ballinger (3-26) shared the bowling honours for The Blaze, for whom Sarah Bryce had made an unbeaten 32, with two wickets each for Warwickshire’s Georgia Davis and Amu Surenkumar.Winning the toss and electing to bat in a match reduced to 39 overs per side after morning rain at the Lindum Sports Club Ground in Lincoln, The Blaze established a strong foundation as Kelly and Boyce shared an opening stand of 106, Kelly hitting eight fours and a six.Kelly, making her first List A appearance of the season, pulled Surenkumar for her maximum early in the innings, generally driving and pulling strongly. She found the boundary three times in the same over off Davis, completing a 47-ball half-century against her former county when she swept Millie Taylor for her seventh four.Taylor, making her List A debut for Warwickshire and unique in the English county women’s game as a left-arm wrist spinner, broke the stand when she turned one past Kelly’s bat for a stumping. Boyce, back with The Blaze after playing for Yorkshire in the Women’s Vitality Blast, was in sight of a fifty of her own when she miscued to mid-off.Kathryn Bryce – reprieved when given out leg before on 13 on the grounds of being distracted by bowler Hannah Baker’s cap dropping out of her pocket – added another 10 before she was stumped.Elwiss, Heather Graham and Ella Claridge all fell cheaply, but Sarah Bryce (32 off 19) and Sarah Glenn added 37 off the last 18 balls of the innings – 26 at the expense of England seamer Issy Wong.Needing to chase at 5.6 an over, Warwickshire suffered a disastrous start, slumping to 13 for four inside five overs.After Bethan Ellis had been caught at square leg off the next, Ballinger took wickets with the last ball of her second over and the first of her third as Lucy Higham took a fine catch at backward point to remove Davina Perrin and Sarah Bryce an easy one as Sterre Kalis skied a top edge, Kathryn Bryce holding a return catch as Surenkumar departed.An inswinging delivery from Bryce accounted for Katie George, leaving Warwickshire 28 for 5 after 10 overs.Freeborn and Wraith rebuilt well, the former clocking up her third half-century off 60 balls, Wraith her second of the campaign off 50, with three boundaries each and some enterprising running between the stumps, their partnership passing 100 in the 28th over.Yet once the breakthrough came, breaking the stand at 112, the home side made it count. Freeborn, who had survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Kirstie Gordon on 52, fell shortly afterwards, leg before attempting to ramp Elwiss. Wong then came and went quickly, top edging Elwiss into the off side, before catcher Glenn combined with Elwiss again to run out Taylor off the next ball.Ballinger returned to have Davis caught on the legside boundary before Wraith departed as the last wicket to fall, caught at wide mid-off off Elwiss.

Rangers and 49ers eye immediate move to sign "great" free agent for Martin

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

The international break has come at the best time for Russell Martin as tensions are bubbling at Glasgow Rangers due to their lacklustre start to the season. The Gers currently sit in 7th after drawing all four of their opening Scottish Premiership games.

The bigger source of strife for Martin is Rangers’ failure to qualify for the Champions League after being dumped out of the qualification round by Club Brugge 9-1 on aggregate.

The last game before the international break, despite being a 0-0 draw, was the first sign of things potentially improving for Martin. Following the 6-0 second leg defeat to Brugge, managing to be the first Scottish Premiership team to avoid defeat against Celtic looks to be something of an, albeit small, step in the right direction.

Rangers are hoping that the signing of a former Champions League winner may help capitalise on this result and turn around their poor start to the season.

Martin looking to bring in Champions League winner ahead of Europa League campaign

Rangers and the 49ers Enterprises are thought to be eyeing a move to sign ex-Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Liverpool.

The former England midfielder is available as a free agent following his contract being terminated by the Turkish side Besiktas, where he spent the last two seasons, and according to TBR Football, Rangers are considering a move to sign the free agent.

As a free agent, Oxlade-Chamberlain can be signed immediately, but Rangers will face some tough competition to sign him as he has attracted attention from Premier League sides Leeds, Everton, Burnley and Brentford, as well as ambitious Championship side Birmingham City.

Rangers may be able to tempt Oxlade-Chamberlain to join them over these other suitors with European football. Rangers will start their Europa League campaign later this month as they face Genk, and another season in Europe may make Rangers a more appealing destination than the other clubs.

There are reports indicating other interested clubs on the continent, but it is as yet unclear whether or not these are Champions League teams, and it had been previously reported that Oxlade-Chamberlain, a Champions League winner at Anfield, was looking for a move back to the UK.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is a "great player" who can turn round Martin's fortunes

Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal in 2011, and he arrived alongside current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The pair played together on 73 occasions, and after their time together at Arsenal, Arteta had a lot of praise for Oxlade-Chamberlain:

A player with European experience who has a history of being popular among the fans at the clubs he’s served at may be the perfect signing for Martin. Not only would he be a great addition to the squad, but his character and CV might tide unsettled fans over until he can find a way to get some better results.

Shepherd and Livingstone rejoin RCB squad

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

There is no clarity yet if Shepherd will have to exit before the playoffs for West Indies’ ODI series in England

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2025 • Updated on 16-May-20256:13

Chopra: RCB were smart in picking players for right slots

Romario Shepherd has returned to India and will rejoin the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad for the rescheduled last leg of IPL 2025. Shepherd was accompanied by Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) West Indies duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, and their mentor Dwayne Bravo.Shepherd was part of West Indies’ ODI squad for the series against Ireland (May 21-25) and England, that starts on May 29, the day the IPL 2025 playoffs kick off. He has since been replaced by Jediah Blades and will remain with RCB till the end of the season.Related

  • IPL 2025 live updates – Starc and Ferreira opt out

  • IPL 2025 scenarios: GT and RCB one win away from playoffs, MI in control of their fate

  • Buttler, Bethell and Jacks set to miss IPL playoffs

England allrounder Liam Livingstone has also linked up with RCB while Jacob Bethell has already rejoined the team. Bethell is part of England’s white-ball squads for the home series against West Indies, while Livingstone has been dropped from both the ODI and T20I sides. Bethell will be available for RCB’s next two fixtures – against KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad – and fly home before the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).Romario Shepherd scored a 14-ball fifty against Chennai Super Kings•BCCI

RCB are on 16 points from 11 matches and look well-placed to finish in the top four in the IPL 2025 points table and qualify for the playoffs. As reported earlier, Bethell will be among the England players who will miss the playoffs. The ECB granted no-objection certificates (NOCs) to its players until May 25, the original date of the IPL 2025 final. As a result, Bethell was not named in England’s squad for the four-day Test match against Zimbabwe that starts May 29.There is also no clarity yet on the return of Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi. Hazlewood was likely to miss the remainder of the tournament because of a shoulder niggle had the IPL not been suspended.Ngidi made his RCB debut in place of Hazlewood on May 3 against Chennai Super Kings and is part of South Africa’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The WTC final-bound South Africa players are likely to leave the IPL by May 25, meaning he will likely not be available for RCB’s last league-stage fixture against LSG.Phil Salt, whose illness allowed Bethell to make his IPL debut, is set to be available for the remainder of IPL 2025. He is only part of England’s squad for the T20Is against West Indies that start on June 6, three days after the revised IPL final.

When Tendulkar trumped Tamil Nadu

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

No single encounter highlights the extent of Mumbai’s psychological stranglehold over Tamil Nadu better than the Ranji semi-final of the 1999-2000 season

Nitin Sundar09-Jan-2012When Tamil Nadu walk into Wankhede Stadium for their Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Mumbai, they will be weighed low by the burden of history. If there is one side Tamil Nadu would rather not face in the Ranji Trophy – especially in a knockout fixture – it would have to be Mumbai. Twenty-two times, these two sides have clashed in India’s premier first-class tournament. Tamil Nadu have come out on top just twice, whereas Mumbai have won on 13 occasions. Additionally, Mumbai have taken the first-innings lead in five of the seven games that ended in draws. Counting those leads as wins, the head-to-head record stands at a whopping 18-4 in Mumbai’s favour. To say that Tamil Nadu are the underdogs in this particular battle is to grossly understate a fact.Such an overwhelmingly one-sided record cannot be explained by ability, since Tamil Nadu are otherwise among the more consistent first-class sides. Their troubles against Mumbai are clearly mental in nature, as evidenced by the recent knock-out history between the two. After their previous title win in 1987-88, Tamil Nadu have fallen at the final hurdle four times. On two of those occasions, Mumbai were their bugbears. Take away the pressure of a knockout game, and Tamil Nadu’s record begins to look better; for instance, the last two head-to-heads between these sides were in the group stage and Tamil Nadu got the decisive first-innings lead both times.No single encounter highlights the extent of Mumbai’s psychological stranglehold over Tamil Nadu better than the semi-final of the 1999-2000 season, also played at Wankhede. After being asked to bat, Tamil Nadu bossed Mumbai’s bowlers thanks to big centuries from Hemang Badani and Robin Singh. The pair’s free-scoring helped Tamil Nadu race past 400 in only 91 overs – the sort of situation that forces bowling units to throw in the towel. Not Mumbai, though. Ajit Agarkar sliced through the lower order to push Tamil Nadu from 403 for 4 to 485, still a strong position in a knockout game.Once Tamil Nadu removed Wasim Jaffer and Jatin Paranjpe cheaply, Mumbai needed to summon every ounce of their [defiant] mindset to get the first-innings lead. It helped that they had one Sachin Tendulkar, who went on to play the Ranji innings of his life. Mumbai were still 36 shy of Tamil Nadu’s score when they lost their eighth wicket. Nos. 10 and 11 did not add a single run, but hung around to assist Tendulkar who made a masterly, unbeaten 233 to push Mumbai ahead. Their first-innings lead was worth only five runs, but it was enough to break Tamil Nadu’s spirit. The visitors crumbled to 171 in the second innings and Mumbai marched past the target for the loss of just two wickets. Tendulkar would go on to rate the win as the finest moment of his Ranji career.Tamil Nadu have one survivor from that heartbreak – Jayaraman Gokulakrishnan, who was their first-change fast bowler in that match, is now the team’s bowling coach. He remembers the game quite vividly, especially Tendulkar’s masterclass, but he also rues Tendulkar’s early drop that cost Tamil Nadu the game, in hindsight.”Very clearly, Sachin’s knock was the difference in that game,” Gokulakrishnan told ESPNcricinfo. “He has himself gone on to say it was one of his best innings. But that missed opportunity [the fielder was J Madanagopal] cost us dearly.”It was disheartening to fall behind after the fantastic knocks from Badani and Robin. After reaching 400-odd for four, at one point we thought that’s it – we have qualified. But we completely lost momentum to lose the last six wickets cheaply, and that worked in Mumbai’s favour.”One thing different about Mumbai is the self-belief they have. Having won the Ranji Trophy so many times, they don’t give up in any situation. I remember the entire TN team thought the game was over once Tendulkar got them the lead.”Prod Gokulakrishnan further and he recalls another nugget. “I distinctly remember that the match was originally supposed to be played a few days earlier. But Tendulkar was in London where he was playing an ICC game, and requested that it be shifted so that he could play. It was a great experience for us to play against him, but it was equally striking that he was so keen to participate in that match.”Gokulakrishnan will be cautioning his wards against repeating the errors from 12 years back, if Tamil Nadu are to overcome their hoodoo against their most feared opponents. It isn’t over until the last ball is bowled, especially in a Ranji knockout game against Mumbai.