Brendon McCullum, England men’s Test head coach, will face no action from his employers at the ECB after questions were raised about his advertising arrangements with a bookmaker.The board said last week that it was “exploring” McCullum’s relationship with Cyprus-based betting company 22Bet India after appearances in YouTube adverts and posts on social media came under scrutiny in his home country, New Zealand.New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation had filed an official complaint to the country’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), with the DIA confirming that 22Bet’s adverts are misleading because “they are not a registered New Zealand sports bookmaker, nor are they licensed or regulated in New Zealand by the DIA”.The ECB said it had looked at the matter from a “regulatory and employer perspective” and concluded that McCullum had done nothing wrong. It is understood that the anti-corruption code signed up to by players and coaches does not prohibit such brand ambassador roles.However, McCullum is reportedly set to end his association with the bookmaker.An ECB spokesperson said: “Discussions have been ongoing with Brendon over the last few days, and the matter has been considered from an employer and regulator perspective. We can confirm that no further action will be taken.”
It wouldn’t be over the top to suggest that next season is Mikel Arteta’s most important since taking charge of Arsenal in 2019.
The Spaniard has helped to utterly transform the club since he was appointed, but after three second-placed Premier League finishes in a row, the expectation from many is that he will finally lead the team to glory next year.
Fortunately, the board and sporting director Andrea Berta seem intent on giving him the tools to do so this summer, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard already through the door, and a deal for Viktor Gyokeres in the works.
Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace
Furthermore, the links to Eberechi Eze continue to heat up, and now it looks like the Gunners are looking at someone who’d be the midfielder’s dream forward.
Arsenal target Eze's perfect forward
Eze has long been a player on Arsenal’s radar, as stories linking him with a return to the club that released him as a child started to pop up as far back as last summer.
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However, it’s really been in the last couple of weeks that the reports have become far more serious.
It now looks like the 27-year-old, who has a £68m release clause in his contract, has agreed personal terms with the Gunners and that talks between the two clubs are ongoing.
The Englishman would be an expensive but exciting addition to Arteta’s side, and now it looks like Berta and co are interested in adding another attacker who’d be his perfect forward: Ademola Lookman.
Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in the Atalanta star this summer.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Napoli are all keen on the Nigerian international.
On top of having to deal with the competition, the Premier League runners-up will have to stump up a fee of around £50m for the former Everton ace.
Atalanta's Davide Zappacosta celebrates scoring their fifth goal with AdemolaLookman
It’s a lot of money to spend on another attacking player, but Lookman has been incredible for several years now, and would be a dream forward signing for Eze.
Why Lookman would be a dream forward for Eze
There are several reasons why Lookman could end up being a dream teammate for Eze at Arsenal, but the first and most crucial is unsurprisingly related to his output.
Atalanta's AdemolaLookmanin action with Como's Maxence Caqueret
While the former Everton and Fulham ace struggled to show how good he really was during his time in England, he has had no such trouble since making his way to Italy.
Across his 118 games for the Bergamo outfit, totalling 7538 minutes, the “world-class” attacker has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists.
Appearances
33
45
40
Minutes
1858′
2809′
2871′
Goals
15
17
20
Assists
8
10
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.69
0.60
0.67
Minutes per Goal Involvement
80.78′
104.03′
106.33
In other words, the 29-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since joining the Serie A side.
Just imagine the numbers the Palace ace could produce playing behind or alongside someone as dangerous as the Wandsworth-born star.
That brings us to the second reason the former RB Leipzig ace would be a great teammate: his positional versatility.
Due to the 27-year-old’s ability to play across the entire frontline, there will be plenty of minutes available to him at the Emirates next season, and as such, he’d have plenty of time to form a real connection with Eze and learn his game.
Ademola Lookman for Atalanta
Moreover, he’s also able to play in attacking midfield and could therefore offer cover for the Englishman and make sure he is not overplayed.
Finally, Lookman has also proven to be a big game player, someone who can get his team over the line all by himself and is totally unfazed by the big occasion.
You only need to look at the 2024 Europa League final to see this, as he scored a hat-trick and won the final for Atlanta despite them being the clear underdogs.
With one of Eze’s motivations for joining the Gunners likely being the chance to win the biggest competitions, this is especially important.
Ultimately, Arteta and Co need to improve Arsenal’s attacking options ahead of next season, and signing both the Palace and Atalanta stars would be an excellent way to do that.
Saka's dream CAM: Arsenal submit bid for £45m superstar & it's not Madueke
The experienced international could be a game-changer for Arsenal and Bukayo Saka.
Tom Brady has been “so impressed” with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Birmingham spend in a bid to “keep up” with Wrexham in the transfer market.
NFL legend on the Blues' board
A-list co-owners in North Wales
Friendly rivalry has been forged
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Blues will believe that they are in a stronger position at present than ‘Hollywood derby’ rivals from North Wales. It was they who captured the League One title in record-breaking style last season, accumulating 111 points in the process.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
They smashed recruitment records in 2024 and have continued to splash the cash 12 months on, with notable additions at St Andrew’s placing them among the favourites for promotion out of the Championship and into the Premier League.
WHAT BRADY SAID
Wrexham are also hoping to be in that mix, as A-list co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney smash transfer records of their own, and Brady admits that the Blues are looking to stay one step ahead of the Red Dragons on and off the field.
NFL legend Brady told : “We've got to [keep spending]. We've got to keep up with one another. Wrexham have, I'd say, done an incredible job. I mean, you can't be anything but excited about what they've done for that club … I'm so impressed by Wrexham. What they do on the pitch, off the pitch, and again, they're in a great position to succeed as well.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
‘Welcome to Wrexham’ is about to be rivalled in the documentary stakes by ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues’, with “fun theatre” being generated. Brady added on light-hearted banter between A-list ownership groups: "We're going to talk a lot of smack in the meantime between all of us [Birmingham and Wrexham], because it's pretty fun theatre, and I think there's some little friendly side bets going on. But make no mistake, the people who are going to decide the fate of those games are the players wearing those jerseys."
Harry Kane has “no reason to bow out” of the England fold after gracing the 2026 World Cup, says Three Lions legend Stuart Pearce.
The Three Lions' all-time leading scorer
Closing in on appearance record
Expected to play on for some time yet
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Prolific striker Kane is currently captain of his country and continues to rewrite the history books. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for England’s men’s national team, with the target being found on 73 occasions through 107 appearances.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The expectation is that Kane will go on to break Peter Shilton’s cap record, which currently stands at 125. He should get close to that by the time that another major tournament rolls around next summer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Kane, who has suffered defeat in back-to-back European Championship finals, has broken his trophy curse at club level – as a Bundesliga title winner with Bayern Munich – and is determined to end the Three Lions’ long wait for tangible success.
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WHAT PEARCE SAID
Pearce – speaking in association with Freebets.com, home of best casino sites – believes a talismanic performer will continue for some time yet, telling GOAL when asked how much international football the 32-year-old frontman has left in him: “He’s got another World Cup in him next summer, then you are looking two years beyond that. He’ll be a 35-year-old.
“He is incredibly professional. His game is not based on blistering speed. I see no reason at all to bow out. I saw Teddy Sheringham wheeling it out late on in his career. Teddy played with his head and I think Harry Kane does as well. I see no problem going forward. The big question mark will be, who’s coming along to dislodge him? At the moment, I’m not seeing anyone that is consistent enough.”
South Africa’s batter embraces the pressure of series-decider at The Oval
Firdose Moonda05-Sep-2022Batting in England, according to Sarel Erwee, can feel like being at the top of a slide you’ve been down many times before. You know your head will spin when you survey the journey below, your stomach will turn as it begins, your ears will pop somewhere en route and you will scream, probably all the way. Even though intellectually you know to expect all these things, when they’re actually happening they will surprise you. Then you will steel yourself and want to go through it all again.”In these conditions, the ball moves and swings and nips and you know it’s going to do that,” Erwee told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s almost like going to India where the ball turns and you know it’s going to turn. When you see a lot of movement, sometimes that plays on your mind a little bit. The challenge is to stay in the moment and not let the one or two balls that swing a lot play on your mind.”Erwee talks from some experience. Although this is his first tour to England as an international, he has spent several seasons at Weybridge Cricket Club, playing in the Surrey Premier League, where he faced the moving ball. It may have caused him some difficulty then but it’s definitely asking much more of him now. “The English attack – just two of them [James Anderson and Stuart Broad] – have got over 1,000 wickets between them and it’s quite nice to face experienced bowlers in bowler-friendly conditions,” Erwee said.For the record Anderson and Broad together have 1,223 Test wickets and while Erwee is in awe, he is not intimidated. “It’s tricky but you wouldn’t want it any other way as an opening batter,” he added. “This is where you learn your Test cricket and what you’re about. To face these guys in their conditions is tricky but a nice experience. It’s something we will take with us into many more series to come, or even just to franchise cricket when we go back home. It’s all a learning curve really.”The issue is that South Africa’s batters have been in the knowledge-seeking phase for what seems like too long. In the last three years, only West Indies and Bangladesh have a top six that averages lower than their figure of 30.84, and they have only scored seven centuries between them, more than only Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.Erwee is one of those century-makers, and one of only two South African batters to have scored a Test hundred this year – Kyle Verreynne is the other – but he doesn’t see the individual numbers as the most important statistic right now. “The key thing for us is partnerships,” he said. “Everyone wants to score runs and hundreds but when you face tricky conditions it’s all about fighting for the next ball and fighting for your partner. That’s a focus.”Erwee’s partnership with Dean Elgar has been one of the highlights of South Africa’s recent batting•AFPOn that metric, Erwee has had done everything right so far. His partnership with Dean Elgar, though still in its infancy, is South Africa’s most successful in average terms since Graeme Smith and Neil Mckenzie in 2008-09.Smith and McKenzie shared in five hundred and eight fifty stands in 27 innings together; Erwee and Elgar have had two hundred and three fifty stands in 11 innings. They average 47.09, which suggests they are giving the middle-order something to build on. The real dilemma stems from them not always being able to, but Erwee has faith in players he has spent more than a decade playing alongside and against in domestic competitions.”They are excellent,” he said. “Watching them in domestic cricket and watching them train here, facing our bowlers – we’re talking about our four seamers who are world-class – for us to be facing them and watching these guys train against them, they are definitely the future of this batting line-up. I’m sure these guys are close to getting onto a good run and I look forward to watching that in years to come. Once I am done playing, I am sure they’ll still be playing. They are class players.”For someone only six matches into a Test career, and 32 years old, talking about no longer playing seems too soon but it’s part of Erwee’s ideology of not looking too far ahead. “I haven’t really thought of [my] long-term prospects. I just try and play my best game so that I have a good foot to stand on in the following game,” he said. “If I score the runs, I’ll stay.”
You don’t want to run away from pressure. You want to go towards it. If you run towards it, when pressure does hit, it becomes easier to face
So far, so good. Erwee is currently the only South African batter with more than 100 runs in the ongoing series and the only one with a half-century. But the expectation on him in an inexperienced line up – which will only get more inexperienced now that Rassie van der Dussen has been ruled out with a broken finger and one of Ryan Rickelton (two Test caps) or Khaya Zondo (one) will replace him – is immense. Asked how he copes with the scrutiny, Erwee offered a philosophical answer: “It’s Michael Jordan who said something about he has failed so many times but he has still become successful,” he said.The exact Jordan quote is: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games, 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” and the message holds: success is not only measured in numbers but in the someone responds in tough times.”You don’t want to run away from pressure. You want to go towards it. If you run towards it, when pressure does hit, it becomes easier to face,” Erwee said. “I don’t really feel I am under pressure every game. I’ve just got to enjoy and make the most of each game that I have, I try to embrace it as much as possible.”The attitude of in-the-moment living comes from the work Erwee has done on his mental health, which hit a low that almost led him to quit cricket, and has now seen him to commit to having as much fun as he can, while he can.And it shows. When he dropped Ollie Pope at slip in England’s first innings at Lord’s, juggling and then falling as he tried to take what should have been a routine catch, he brushed it off as ‘one of those things’ and then saw the lighter side of juggling and taking the catch that ended Joe Root’s innings in the second Test. “When I dropped the first one, I heard the crowd play up a bit. I was like, ‘oh my word, this is crazy’,” Erwee remembered, with a laugh. “But luckily I held on to the second one because that could have been another interesting reaction from the crowd.”Related
Dean Elgar shrugs off injury scare as Ryan Rickelton prepares to take his chance
Sarel Erwee's maiden Test ton makes it South Africa's day
South Africa on top after Sarel Erwee half-century, Kagiso Rabada five-for
'Freak' injury puts Bairstow out of third Test and T20 World Cup
Charl Langeveldt urges South Africa to join the dots in pursuit of Test series win
In all seriousness, fielding in the slips is not as straightforward as it may seem in these conditions, for exactly the same reason batting is challenging. “It’s quite tricky with the ball that wobbles a bit once it’s past the bat. It’s not something I’ve experienced before,” Erwee said. “We train our slip catching quite intensely. You’ve just got to train it over and over again to get used to the wobble of the ball once it comes past the bat. It’s just about keeping your body as relaxed as possible and your head nice and still so that if something happens you can move quickly.”South Africa routinely do their fielding sessions last in training, when the players are already quite fatigued, to challenge their concentration levels in the same way a Test match might. It’s about forcing them to be as present as possible. “You’ve always got to be switched on. I have really enjoyed the challenge of that,” Erwee said.And that means that, even if he knows exactly what to expect on the field, he is also always ready for a few surprises.
Fonseka adds half-century as Rossouw takes five to keep South Africa in contention
ECB Reporters Network04-Feb-2025England U19s 251 for 8 (Sawant 83*, Fonseka 52, Roussouw 5-62) lead South Africa U19s 224 (James 84, Hansen 63, Jack 3-42) by 27 runsAaryan Sawant guided England Men U19s into a first-innings lead with a patient unbeaten 83 on day two of the second Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Cape Town.The Middlesex right-hander batted for over five hours, with the support of a Kesh Fonseka half-century, as the Young Lions reached 251 for eight at stumps.Left-arm finger spinner Nathan Rossouw impressed with five for 62 on a spin-friendly surface, but Sawant remained to usher his side into a 27-run lead.Sawant joined Foneska at 52 for two after Rossouw, who sent down 36 overs today after opening the bowling last night, removed openers Archie Vaughan (24) and Ben Dawkins (22). The pair added 70 for the third wicket with Fonseka crunching leg-spinner Chad Mason for six over cover before bringing up his fifty with a straight four from the spin of Jason Rowles.Fonseka was run out by a Bandile Mbatha direct hit as he went back for a second – the only wicket of the day not to fall to spin. The Young Lions then lost four for 16 as Rossouw reached his five-wicket haul which threatened to give the hosts a first-innings lead.Sawant steadied matters and reached the close having hit five fours and a six in his 228-ball stay, while Yorkshire debutant Alexander Wade was also unbeaten on seven from 58 balls.
da roleta： Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin gets to have a first look at his players in the flesh this week as some of his stars have returned for pre-season testing.
da pinnacle： The new boss will also have the opportunity to speak with some members of the Ibrox squad in person, whilst the summer transfer window is in full swing.
In fact, journalist Scott Burns claims that the Rangers head coach is due to hold talks with central defender Robin Propper over his future at Ibrox beyond this summer.
FC Twente are eyeing up a move to bring him back to the Netherlands ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, but he has returned to pre-season testing with the Gers for now.
Robin Proppe
Martin must, now, tell the Dutch defender that he is not a part of his plans for the upcoming season, because the Light Blues should be looking to part ways with him in the coming weeks.
Why Rangers must sell Robin Propper
The Gers manager should move on from the 31-year-old flop this summer after he endured a difficult first season in Scottish football after his move from FC Twente last year.
In December, the central defender was hauled off at half-time against St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership and was heavily criticised by pundit Derek Ferguson.
Robin Propper
The former Gers man said: “Propper is struggling. He’s been pretty vocal over the last couple of weeks that he’s finding it tough in our league. He’s been asked the question early on. It’s quite worrying when you see him struggling as bad as that. Look at the body language – he’s looking for a way out already.”
Propper, who was dribbled past 11 times in 22 Premiership starts, failed to deal with the physicality of the league during his debut season, which led to him being a bit-part player by the end of the campaign.
Robin Propper’s last ten squad appearances for Rangers
Opposition
Game time
Fenerbahce
Unused substitute
Celtic
34 mins
Dundee
Unused substitute
Hibernian
Unused substitute
Athletic Club
13 mins
Aberdeen
90 mins
St Mirren
90 mins
Aberdeen
Unused substitute
Dundee United
Unused substitute
Hibernian
80 mins
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the experienced defender was far from a regular fixture in the starting XI for the Scottish giants, as he was an unused substitute in four of his last ten outings in the matchday squad.
Given that he is unlikely to have much room left for development at the age of 31, Rangers should move on from him this summer, amid interest from Twente, and their reported pursuit of an English star could send Propper packing.
Rangers in talks to sign English star
According to the Daily Record, Rangers are in ‘advanced talks’ with Leicester City to strike a deal for former England international Conor Coady this summer.
The report claims that the Light Blues have ‘ramped’ up their efforts to bring the central defender, who previously starred for Wolverhampton Wanderers, up to Scotland for the 2025/26 season.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It states that the Gers are ‘pushing’ to get a deal done quickly for the experienced defender, now that the club are starting to ramp up their pre-season preparations ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos next month.
The Daily Record adds that Coady, who has one year left on his contract at the King Power, is open to a move to Ibrox this summer to secure his long-term future.
Leicester City's Conor Coady.
However, the report does not reveal how much money it will take to agree a deal with Leicester, or if they would be willing to waive a fee for the 32-year-old in order to shave his wages off.
Why Rangers should sign Conor Coady
Rangers should sign Coady from the Championship side, who were relegated from the Premier League this season, because he could send Propper packing this summer.
A deal to sign the former England international in the coming days or weeks would provide Martin with a vastly-experienced right-sided centre-back, which would negate any need to keep hold of Propper, who currently fills that role in the squad.
Coady, who played 22 times in the Premier League this season for the Foxes, would arrive at Ibrox as a hugely experienced player at the very top level, with 198 Premier League appearances and ten caps for England under his belt.
He is, therefore, used to the physicality of British football and can deal with the brute strength and dynamism of attackers in Scotland next season, whereas, Propper had never played domestic football outside of the Netherlands and looked ill-prepared for the task at hand.
Conor Coady
22/23 (Premier League)
23/24 (Championship)
24/25 (Premier League
Appearances
24
12
22
Pass accuracy
85%
93%
91%
Dribbled past per game
0.3x
0.1x
0.1x
Duel success rate
54%
64%
45%
Error led to goal
1
0
1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Coady has largely been reliable as a physical presence in England in recent seasons, particularly when it came to stopping attackers from dribbling past him.
As aforementioned, one of Propper’s biggest problems in the Premiership was that strikers found it too easy to get the better of him, as he was dribbled past 11 times in 22 starts. That would not be a problem for the English titan, who has been dribbled past three times in his last 34 league outings.
The Leicester ace also showcased his quality in possession in the Championship in the 2023/24 season, ranking in the top 1% of his positional peers for progressive passes per 90 (7.20). This suggests that he would also add value in possession as part of a team that dominates the ball and looks to play forward.
Coady, who was described as an “infectious” character by Gareth Southgate, may be approaching the latter stages of his career, at the age of 32, but he appears to have the requisite qualities to take Propper’s place and send him packing back to FC Twente.
A Colak repeat: Club now pushing to sign Rangers star in the next 48 hours
Rangers could repeat their Antonio Colak masterstroke by selling this star this summer.
يخوض النادي الأهلي، مباراة قوية ضد نظيره الاتحاد السكندري، مساء اليوم الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
الأهلي يلاقي الاتحاد السكندري، في إطار الجولة الحادية عشر، من مواجهات بطولة الدوري المصري للموسم الحالي 2025-2026.
طالع | توروب يعلن تشكيل الأهلي أمام الاتحاد السكندري.. جراديشار يقود الهجوم موعد مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد السكندري اليوم في الدوري المصري
وتقام مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد السكندري، في تمام الساعة 5 مساءً من اليوم الأربعاء 22 أكتوبر الجاري، على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.
ويحتل النادي الأهلي، المركز الرابع في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 18 نقطة، بعد خوض 9 مباريات، فاز في 5 وتعادل في 3 وخسر في لقاء.
طالع | حكم مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري المصري
بينما فريق الاتحاد السكندري، يتواجد في المركز السابع عشر بجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 8 نقاط.
ومن خلال التدريبات الختامية للمدرب الدنماركي ييس توروب، وضحت ملامح التشكيل الذي يخوض به الفريق مباراة الاتحاد السكندري.
ويشهد التشكيل، تواجد المهاجم السلوفيني نيجك جراديشار في قيادة الهجوم بسبب غياب محمد شريف للإصابة، ويتواجد القوة الضاربة في خط الوسط بقيادة محمود حسن تريزيجيه ومعه أحمد سيد زيزو وأشرف بن شرقي ومحمد علي بن رمضان. تشكيل الأهلي المتوقع أمام الاتحاد السكندري في الدوري
حراسة المرمى: محمد الشناوي.
خط الدفاع: محمد هاني، ياسر إبراهيم، ياسين مرعي وأحمد نبيل كوكا.
خط الوسط: مروان عطية، محمد على بن رمضان، أشرف بن شرقي، محمود حسن تريزيجيه وأحمد سيد زيزو.
اختتمت منافسات الجولة الخامسة من عمر منافسات بطولة الدوري السعودي، بمواجهة نيوم أمام القادسية، مساء الأحد، حيث فاز الأخير بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.
وبتحقيق فريق القادسية الفوز، أرتقي إلي المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي، برصيد 13 نقطة.
وكان فريق النصر واصل انتصارته في الدوري السعودي هذا الموسم، بالفوز على الفتح، بخماسية مقابل هدف، ليواصل صدراته لترتيب جدول الدوري، بدون خسارة ومحققًا الفوز الخامس على التوالي.
وكان نادي الهلال انتصر على نظيره الاتفاق، بخمسة أهداف دون رد، ضمن منافسات نفس الجولة، من بطولة الدوري السعودي.
طالع | الهلال يسحق الاتفاق بخماسية في الدوري السعودي
وكان الاتحاد بطل الدوري الموسم الماضي، تعادل إيجابيًا مساء الجمعة أمام الفيحاء 1-1، ليتراجع إلي المركز الرابع. جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي
1- النصر، 15 نقطة.
2- القادسة، 13 نقطة.
3- التعاون، 12 نقطة.
4- الهلال، 11 نقطة.
5- الاتحاد، 10 نقاط.
6- الخليج، 9 نقاط.
7- الخلود، 9 نقاط.
8- الأهلي، 9 نقاط.
9- نيوم، 9 نقاط.
10- الفيحاء، 8 نقاط.
11- الاتفاق، 7 نقاط.
12- الحزم، 5 نقاط.
13- الشباب، 5 نقاط.
14- الرياض، 3 نقاط.
15- الفتح، نقطة واحدة.
16- ضمك، نقطة واحدة.
17- الأخدود، بدون نقاط.
18- النجمة، بدون نقاط.
يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري السعودي بشكل محدث باستمرار من هنا.
Khurram Shahzad has not fully recovered from the side injury he picked up during the Bangladesh series
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2024
Shan Masood will be able to call on Aamer Jamal’s services again•Getty Images and Cricket Australia
Pakistan have retained Shan Masood as their captain for the first match of their three-Test series against England, which begins in Multan on October 7. Aamer Jamal has found a place in their 15-member squad following his return from a back issue, while Khurram Shahzad, who took a six-wicket haul in the second Test against Bangladesh, misses out having failed to fully recover from an injury to his left side.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who didn’t feature in the Bangladesh series, returns to the side as a second frontline spin option alongside Abrar Ahmed.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
There was some scrutiny around Masood’s position in the aftermath of the 2-0 home Test series defeat to Bangladesh earlier this month, but he retains the role for now, with Pakistan looking to overturn a run of poor results in the longest format. They have lost each of their last five Test matches, all with Masood in charge, and they are on a 10-match winless streak in home Tests.One piece of positive news for Pakistan is the return of the fast-bowling allrounder Jamal, their most impressive performer on their 2023-24 tour of Australia. Jamal has been dealing with lower-back issues over recent months, and didn’t take part in the series against Bangladesh. He has since returned to 50-overs action in the Champions Cup.This is counterbalanced, however, by the absence of Shahzad. He picked up the side injury during the second Test against Bangladesh, and was expected to be fit in time for the England series when a fracture was ruled out, but he hasn’t yet staged a complete recovery.Top-order batter Kamran Ghulam and fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh series, have been left out. A PCB release said both “remain firmly in the selectors’ plans. However, due to the selection policy’s emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and the President’s Cup, starting on 3 October, to ensure they stay match-ready through competitive cricket.”The players selected in the Test squad have been withdrawn from the Champions Cup playoffs to enable them to rest before the start of the England series. The squad will assemble in Multan on September 30, with their pre-series training camp starting on October 1.Pakistan squad for first Test against EnglandShan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.