It’s set to be all change this year in terms of left-backs at Celtic for Brendan Rodgers.

Neither of the Hoops’ current players in that position are contracted to the club beyond 30 June, more on both shortly, while a local hero is poised to return to Parkhead.

However, did Celtic let go the best left-back of them all for just £39k, after he never made a competitive appearance for the club?

The latest on Greg Taylor's future at Celtic

Following Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Hearts, manager Rodgers admitted that left-back Greg Taylor is likely to leave the club upon the expiration of his contract in June, stating “it’s probably more likely now that Greg will move on than stay”.

Rodgers added “we know we’ll need to have someone else if Greg moves on… which is a big shame for me because I love him”.

Davorin Olivari of Croatian outlet Jutarnji List has previously reported that GNK Dinamo Zagreb have ‘sent an offer’ to Taylor, seeking to snap him up on a free transfer, with this his most-likely destination at the moment.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Schlupp has usurped Taylor in the pecking order, starting the last four Premiership matches, as well as the away leg in Munich, albeit the Ghanian international’s future is up in the air too, given that he’s only on loan from Crystal Palace.

Regardless, Kieran Tierney is set to commence next season as Celtic’s first choice, having reportedly agreed to rejoin his boyhood club on a Bosman from Arsenal.

Of course, Tierney is undeniably a fans’ favourite in Glasgow, and his return will bring with it much fanfare once it is announced, but did Celtic sell an even more impressive left-back for just £39k?

Celtic's forgotten former left-back on fire in MLS

Back in January 2019, Celtic signed a 22-year-old defender by the name of Andrew Gutman from Indiana Hoosiers, after the American had been on trial at fierce rivals Rangers.

Gutman said he was “really honoured” to make the move, adding “I can’t wait to join Celtic and be part of such a storied institution.”

Well, unfortunately for Gutman, he did not play much of a part, never making a competitive appearance in hoops, loaned out to both Charlotte Independence of USL League One and then FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer, before moving permanently to MLS outfit Atlanta United for only $50,000 (£39k) in General Allocation Money in March 2021.

Since then, Gutman has rather bounced around MLS, spending time at both New York Red Bulls and then Colorado Rapids, before joining the Chicago Fire ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

Back in his home state of Illinois, Gutman has really looked at home under Gregg Berhalter this season, scoring during victories over both FC Dallas and Toronto, earning rave reviews, including from Felipe Cárdenas of the Athletic, who labels him ‘incredible’.

So, let’s assess how his statistics compare to Taylor.

As the table outlines, during a similarly sized sample size, Gutman’s performances in MLS are similar to those of Taylor in the Premiership, with the American actually coming out on top when it comes to most defensive metrics.

Also worth noting that, according to Global Football Rankings, Major League Soccer is the ninth strongest division on the planet, with the Premiership down in 34th place.

So, perhaps letting Gutman leave for a small fee was a mistake, as he could’ve been an upgrade on Taylor had he been given an opportunity, especially considering Transfermakt believe his current market value to be around £586k, around 15 times more than he was sold for.

Cost £3m, now worth more than Jota: Celtic hit gold on inspirational star

Celtic have hit the jackpot with this star who is now worth even more than Jota.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 31, 2025

Harry Kane is in danger of losing his England place for the 2026 World Cup if he doesn't improve his Bayern Munich form, claims Dietmar Hamann.

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• Hamann warns Kane over England place
• Says striker scores too many penalties
• Bayern man remains Three Lions captain

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Germany midfielder Hamann has questioned Kane's place in the England team due to his form with Bayern Munich, despite the striker bagging 38 goals in the 2024-25 season so far. The former Tottenham forward finally ended his trophy drought as Bayern regained the Bundesliga title and added to his record-breaking tally of Three Lions goals during the recent international break.

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  Despite being made captain by Gareth Southgate in 2018 – a role he still holds under Thomas Tuchel – Kane's presence in the England team is often called into question by the media before major tournaments. Hamann has added his voice to the discussion, claiming he is concerned by the 31-year-old's form and saying he doesn't score enough from open play.

• WHAT HAMANN SAID

  Hamann told : "Harry Kane has scored a lot of goals for Bayern but a lot of those are penalties, which is a concern. He found it harder from November onwards and I've always said that he is too expensive just to score penalties. He got his goals in the Champions League and missed a big chance against Inter but these things happen.

  "The question is whether he will be leading the line in 12 months time. England will get to the World Cup with or without Kane, but will he be leading the line? The question is a valid one, but he is very close to Thomas Tuchel which may play a part."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Of the 37 goals Kane scored in the Bundesliga and Champions League combined in the 2024-25 season, 13 of them were penalties. Strangely enough, he failed to get on the scoresheet as Bayern smashed Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game at the Club World Cup.

Captain says “sometimes losing is good because it teaches you a lot of things” and was happy with how the youngsters in the squad performed

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-20231:38

What has gone wrong with Hardik’s batting?

Hardik Pandya has accepted responsibility for going off-script as India lost the T20I series decider against West Indies on Sunday. Hardik, the India captain, arrived in the 11th over of the first innings and made just 14 off 18 balls.”If you see, we lost that period post ten overs since I came [in to bat],” he said in the post-match presentation. “I think I was not able to capitalise [on] the situation and took my time and was not able to finish. I think the boys really played well. I think, at that period when I went in, I kind of did not play exactly how it was supposed to be.”India had recovered from the loss of two early wickets at the time their captain arrived at the crease. They were 86 for 3 in the 11th over but were immediately tied down by West Indies. Only 20 runs came off the next 22 deliveries. India finished on 165 for 9 in their 20 overs. West Indies chased it down with eight wickets and two overs to spare.Related

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Of late, Hardik has shown a tendency to bat time. He managed 77 runs at a strike rate of 110 in the T20Is on this tour. He was better in the ODIs, but 70 of the 82 he got from three innings came in one knock. “This has been a concern,” former India batter Wasim Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out. “He hasn’t been the free-flowing batter that he has been where he comes in and strikes it sweetly – doesn’t mean he’s hitting sixes but striking it nicely, rotating the strike.”Apart from that fifty he scored in the third ODI, where also he started very slowly but picked it up in the slog overs. But even then, he looked rusty. The partnership between him and Shubman [Gill] in that third ODI, because he started so slowly, Shubman struggled at the other end and he got out. So, for me, the way he has batted in this series, that’s a big concern because not every time he is going to start slowly and finish very strongly. We could see it in the T20s as well. As soon as he comes, the momentum drops down, the strike rate drops down, and it puts pressure on the other guys in the dugout as well. So something for him to take note and improve when the next opportunity comes.”As captain too, Hardik made some calls that raised debate, such as not bowling Yuzvendra Chahal out in the second T20I, which India lost, even though the legspinner was their best bowler with figures of 3-0-19-2.Hardik was asked about his thought process while deciding bowling changes in Lauderhill and he said, “It is what I feel at that moment. I don’t plan much about it. If I see the situation and if I believe which is a better option, I generally prefer that. It’s not rocket science, it’s just whatever my gut says at that time.”Hardik: Youngsters putting their hands up saying ‘I got you’India came back from 0-2 down in the series to push it to a decider and a lot of their best work was the result of their younger players acquitting well to international cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar, who made their debuts on this tour, showed that they can play roles as important as the agenda-setter at the top of the innings, the middle-overs muscle and the death-overs specialist. That was a big positive for Hardik.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma were two of India’s newbies who gave a good account of themselves•ICC via Getty”It’s very wonderful, they got heart,” he said. “That is something which is very important in international cricket. You mentioned Jaiswal, Tilak and Mukesh but every youngster who is coming up, they are showing character. They have the belief. That is something I’ve seen very often now. Kudos to them, the way they came out and expressed themselves, took the responsibility. I couldn’t be happier as captain that all the youngsters are coming up and putting their hands up and saying, ‘you know what I got you’.”Senior players, including the regular captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have been absent from India’s T20I assignments since the end of the 2022 World Cup. They are building a new bench for the next one coming up in ten months’ time in the West Indies and USA. With that in mind, Hardik highlighted the importance of looking at the bigger picture, even if working towards that goal meant taking in a few losses. It’s also why he chose to bat at the toss on Sunday even though India won the last game at the same ground chasing and did it with nine wickets and three overs to spare.”I believe that as a group we are going to challenge ourselves,” Hardik said. “All these [bilateral] games are the games where we are going to learn. It’s something which we have spoken in the group that anything which is difficult, we are going to try that and make sure that we get better. On hindsight, one series [loss] here and there is fine. It’s a longer process which I don’t think we need to explain much on it. But overall, the boys are committing to the cause which is very exciting.”We have enough time to figure out what is supposed to be done in T20s. Sometimes losing is good because it teaches you a lot of things. It does not cover up the messes which you do but I think, on the positive side, there is a lot of learning which we as a group have learned and special mention to all the boys. To be very honest, they committed themselves, when we were two-down [on Sunday] they kind of took the challenge on themselves and showed character, throughout the series as well. Yeah, it looked like a very one-sided game today, but at the same time, they kept the smile, they kept coming, they kept trying, winning and losing is a part of the process. We just have to focus on learning as well.”

تحدث محمد يوسف، المدير الرياضي للنادي الأهلي، عن فترة تدريبه فريق حرس الحدود، وتفاصيل مكالمته مع محمود الخطيب رئيس القلعة الحمراء.

وقال محمد يوسف، الذي حل ضيفا على قناة الأهلي: “كان يوجد مجهود كبير مع حرس الحدود وكونت فريقاً واخترت 27 صفقة وقدمنا موسمًا مميزًا جدًا، وقدمنا شيئا يشبه المعجزة وكان موسما قويا”.

طالع| خاص | تطورات جديدة في أزمة تمرد وسام أبو علي مع الأهلي

وأضاف: “بعد ذلك وجدت مكالمة من محمود الخطيب، الأهلي بيتنا وعندما ينادينا في أي وقت (منقدرش نرفض طلبه)، البداية كان ترشيح فني وقبلت منصب المدير الرياضي من البداية وكنت أراها خطوة أستطيع القيام بها، عملت كمدير فني مع أكثر من ناد وحققت بطولات ناجحة، أحببت أن أخوض تجربة كبيرة في منصب المدير الرياضي”.

وتابع: “تجربة المدير الرياضي تحد كبير لي ويوجد شغل من عملي فني وإداري وتخطيط للمستقبل، وأحببت أن أخوض هذا التحدي”.

وبسؤاله عن كيف تم ترشيح الجهاز الفني بقيادة عماد النحاس؟، رد: “بالتشاور مع محمود الخطيب وكانت فترة صعبة في الدوري ومتبقي 6 مباريات، كانت فكرتي إننا نختار أحد عمل في الدوري، وتم الاستقرار على عماد النحاس ومحمد شوقي واستمرار باقي الجهاز، وقدرنا نحصد من أصعب الدوريات، الأهلي دائمًا في المواقف الصعبة، متواجد ومميز ويفرض اسمه وكلمته”.

وواصل: “شعرت أننا سنفوز بالدوري منذ أول مباراة، وكان لدي ثقة كبيرة ودائمًا كنت أتحدث مع الجهاز الفني يجب أن نكون إيجابين ونصدر الثقة للمنافسين لأنها ستؤثر عليهم، قدرنا نحصل على دوري صعب وسيظل في ذكرى جماهير النادي الأهلي لفترة طويلة، وجمهور النادي الأهلي لعب دورًا رئيسيًا في التتويج ببطولة الدوري”.

ما حدث في كأس العالم للأندية يسمى عدم توفيق أم إخفاق أم تمثيل جيد في البطولة؟، كشف: “أرى الموضوع من اتجاه آخر، كنت فخوراً جدًا عندما رأيت جماهير الأهلي في أمريكا على بعد 12 ساعة من توقيت قارة أخرى الجماهير تملأ الاستاد في مباراة إنتر ميامي وبورتو، أراها خطوة كبيرة ومكسب كبير أهم من الأموال، شعبية الأهلي تصل لأبعد مكان، أراها نقطة إيجابية جدًا”.

وأردف: “الطقس في أمريكا كان صعباً جدًا، والمباراة نخوضها الساعة 12 ظهرًا والرطوبة كانت عالية جدًا، وكان يوجد عدم توفيق في المباراة الأولى والثالثة، كان ممكن أن نحصد الـ 6 نقاط، بجانب إصابة إمام عاشور في مباراة انتر ميامي، كنت أتمنى نكون موفقين في ترجمة الأهداف، نخوض مباراة الساعة 12 ظهرًا كان موعدا جديدا على اللاعبين، لم نخض مباراة في هذا التوقيت من قبل، أرى التجربة تواجد الأهلي في محفل عالمي مثل كأس العالم للأندية نقدر نبني عليه الفترة المقبلة”.

وعن رد فعل الخطيب وهل بالفعل حدث تطبيق خصومات على اللاعبين بعد البطولة؟، واصل: “لا توجد خصومات، برنامج البطولة كان موضوعا قبل أن نذهب لأمريكا وكل شيء كان مخططًا له”.

وعلق على خروج اللاعبين للتسوق في أمريكا: “الراحة النفسية شيء مهم، اللاعبون ليسوا آلات ويحتاجون إلى راحة نفسية وكنت مع فكرة ريبيرو أن يخرجوا ويفصلوا، وهم خرجوا لمدة 3 أو 4 ساعات وعادوا للفندق”.

وعن ريبيرو مدرب الأهلي: “منظم جدًا ولديه خطة يريد الوصول لها، ولديه مساعدين كل واحد له تخصصه، وتولى المسؤولية قبل البطولة وخاض 3 أو 4 تدريبات وتوجهنا إلى أمريكا، أنا أقدر أنها فترة قليلة قبل بطولة قوية وتوجد فيها فرق قوية وخبرات كبيرة، ريبيرو سعيد جدًا بأداء اللاعبين وبالروح، المدير الفني لكي يوصل فلسفته لفكر اللاعبين تحتاج إلى وقت وتدريبات، ريبيرو قادر على فرض شخصيته وفكره على الفريق”.

هل ريبيرو شديد الطيبة أم صارم جدًا؟، أكمل: “من خلال تعاملنا معه هو شخصية قوية، والمدربون بشر، هو يتحدث مع اللاعبين وتوجد حوارات ولغة، وتعامله النفسي مع اللاعبين مميز جدًا، أتمنى له التوفيق، يوجد تعاون قوي جدًا بين ريبيرو وعماد النحاس، والمدرب عندما اختاره يعلم أن النحاس سيكون مساعدا له، نعطي الحرية للمدير الفني في أمور كثيرة جدًا ولكي نوفر له المناخ والظروف والأسباب من أجل تحقيق النجاح، عماد النحاس يعمل بشكل جيد جدًا ويعرف صلاحياته”. وأشار: “حاليًا نعمل بشكل منظم جدًا ونرى المراكز التي تحتاج إلى تدعيمات بالاتفاق مع المدير الفني، نعمل بشكل جيد جدًا ونعرف النواقص المتواجدة في الفريق، وكل ذلك تحت إدارة محمود الخطيب وتوجد ترتيبات وربط قوي، نحلل اللاعبين بشكل جيد جدًا، ولم أتفاجأ بأي صفقة تعاقد معها الأهلي، الجميع كنت على علم به، يوجد عمل جماعي بين الخطيب ولجنة التخطيط والمدير الرياضي والمدير الفني”. واختتم: “هل زيزو تأقلم بشكل سريع مع الفريق؟ أي أحد يدخل الفريق نكون أسرة واحدة، بالإضافة إلى أنه يوجد 7 أو 8 لاعبين يعرفهم من منتخب مصر، مسألة انضمام زيزو سريعًا هو طبيعي جدًا وأراه أمرا عاديا، زيزو لديه تواضع كبير جدًا، ويدخل وسط اللاعبين بشكل سريع، ما يميز فريق الأهلي أنه يندمج وينصهر بشكل سريع جدًا”.

Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and coach Hansi Flick are set to clear the air over the goalkeeper's future at the club.

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Ter Stegen and Flick to meet before July 13Joan Garcia’s signing has created internal frictionClub want resolution before Asian tour beginsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report from , Barcelona head coach Flick and the shot stopper are set to hold a face-to-face meeting before the club's pre-season starts on July 13. The meeting seeks to clarify Ter Stegen's position amid growing tensions after Joan Garcia's arrival from Espanyol.

Ter Stegen, currently on holiday in Greece, has publicly expressed his intention to stay at Barcelona, but the club’s long-term commitment to Garcia, who has signed until 2031 – puts the German's status as first-choice goalkeeper in doubt.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ter Stegen, who has a contract with Barca until 2028, defferred large portions of his wages in his last renewal. The club are now open to letting him go without a transfer fee, providing he forgives a portion of his pending pay. The 33-year-old is reportedly outraged over the arrival of Joan Garcia, but sporting director Deco recently insisted he does not need to explain the decision with the German, leaving it up to the coach to handle instead.

DID YOU KNOW?

Joan Garcia, 24 has been signed as Barcelona's long-term option in goal. His contract runs until 2031, signalling a major shift in the team's goalkeeping department despite the German being a mainstay since 2014 and 422 appearances for the club so far.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TER STEGEN?

A final decision on Ter Stegen's future will hinge on the outcome of his meeting with Flick. It is still not clear if Ter Stegen will go on the pre-season tour. The club also want to finalise a new deal for Wojciech Szczesny, who would offer experienced cover.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Internacional garantiu sua vaga na final do Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino ao derrotar o São Paulo por 1 a 0 nesta segunda-feira (12), no estádio do Morumbi. Com gol deMaii Maii, as Gurias Coloradas chegam à fase final da competição pela primeira vez em toda a sua história.

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>Com Sul-Americana, São Paulo amplia recorde de time brasileiro finalista em torneios continentais

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> Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino e simule os próximos jogos

A partida já começou movimentada. Logo no primeiro minuto de jogo, o Tricolor aproveitou um erro na saída de bola da equipe adversária e Shásha mandou a bomba para o gol. A bola parou nas mãos da goleira Mayara.

Aos 15 minutos, mais uma chance perdida pelo São Paulo. Micaelly ficou cara a cara com a goleira, finalizou, mas parou em Mayara novamente. Rafa Travalão tentou aproveitar o rebote, sem sucesso.

O Internacional abriu o placar aos 25 minutos do primeiro tempo. Maii Maii aproveitou um desvio dentro da área e tocou direto para o gol. A bola passou por cima da defesa adversária e colocou a equipe de Maurício Salgado em vantagem no placar.

Em reação, na busca por um empate a fim de levar a decisão para os pênaltis, o Tricolor paulista tentou alguns contra-ataques, que não deram em nada.

O segundo tempo voltou com o Internacional oferecendo perigo. Muito pelas chances desperdiçadas pela equipe de Piccinato no primeiro tempo e a desvantagem no placar, as jogadoras do Tricolor pareciam psicologicamente abaladas na volta do intervalo, com muitos erros individuais.

Aos 36 minutos, uma nova luz quase raiou para o São Paulo. Após Benites derrubar Yaya na área, a arbitragem marcou a penalidade em favor ao time da casa.

Micaelly ficou responsável pela cobrança, mas se atrapalhou na hora e facilitou para Mayara fazer a defesa. Aos 47 minutos, arriscou uma chance perigosa em busca de reverter o resultado negativo. Carol acertou uma finalização na trave, Travalão tentou aproveitar o rebote, mas foi marcado toque de mão pela arbitragem. O jogo terminou em 1 a 0 para as Gurias Coloradas.

E agora?
​O primeiro encontro das equipes aconteceu no dia 28 de agosto e terminou empatado por 1 a 1, com gols de Rafa Travalão e Lelê. Com o gol do Internacional nesta segunda-feira (12), a equipe do Sul garantiu sua vaga na final do Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino.

A decisão agora é contra o Corinthians e está prevista para os dias 18 e 25 de setembro. Ainda sem horários detalhados, por conta da campanha do Timão, o jogo de volta será na Neo Química Arena.

Heather Knight says that England’s T20I series against Sri Lanka marks the start of the team’s new cycle, in the wake of a transformative Ashes campaign this summer, and that the aim of the coming weeks will be to create competition for places ahead of next year’s T20 Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh.Speaking on the eve of the first T20I at Hove on Thursday, Knight talked enthusiastically about the “freshness” within a youthful squad, from which several notable names will be missing – among them Sophie Ecclestone (who had been due to sit out the series even prior to her shoulder dislocation last week), Sophia Dunkley and Nat Sciver-Brunt.In their place come two uncapped youngsters: Mahika Gaur, the 17-year-old left-arm seamer who impressed for Manchester Originals having made her international bow for the UAE as a 12-year-old, and Bess Heath, Northern Superchargers’ hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter.Freya Kemp, one of the break-out stars of England’s 2022 season, returns (as a batter only) after a back injury, while Knight promised that one of the main beneficiaries for this series would be Maia Bouchier, the talented 24-year-old whose opportunities at international level have been limited to 19 T20Is since 2021, but whose haul of 268 runs at 38.28 in the Hundred was a key factor in Southern Brave’s maiden title.”We’ve obviously rested a few senior players so that gives us a chance to give opportunities to few youngsters, and try and grow the pool of players that we’re picking from,” Knight said. “Maia deserves an opportunity because we’ve been carrying around for a long time and she’s been amazing in the Hundred as well.Mahika Gaur has been impressive for Manchester Originals•Getty Images

“We want to see how these girls adapt to international cricket, how they are around the group, how they react to things. I think it’s really exciting. The more players that we can have, knocking down the door and keeping everyone on their toes … I think really good teams have that competition.”The most exciting name on the squad-list, however, is Gaur, whose remarkable physical attributes, allied to her extreme youth, mark her out as a potential superstar of the future.”She’s unique, a left-armer that’s actually six foot three, which is pretty mad,” Knight said. “I think she’s had a growth spurt since the first time I met her a couple months ago. She obviously brings that, and she’s got a pretty good action and swings the ball late.”Knight confirmed that Gaur would be handed her England debut at some stage of the campaign, but acknowledged that, as captain, she would be obliged to ease her new recruit into the action and not expect too much, too soon.”She’s obviously very young, so we’ll have to manage her pretty carefully and make sure we’re looking after her as a person and as a cricketer,” Knight said. “Younger players coming in adds that freshness, and tests my skills as a captain.”She’s certainly exciting, but I don’t know her super well, so I’ll just try to keep her calm, really, and do the things she’s done domestically that have been so impressive.Related

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“It always feels different internationally. There’s more pressures, more scrutiny. So it’s about how they cope with that and just trying to play the cricket that we want them to play, that fits in with the team.”The series will be the first in which England’s women will receive equal match fees to their male counterparts, a development which Knight said felt like due “reward” for a remarkable summer in which they matched Australia blow for blow in an 8-8 Ashes campaign, and attracted 110,000 fans across the seven matches.”That [series] felt like a real watershed moment,” Knight said, adding that the challenge for her players now was to keep moving forward, given that Australia’s world-beating team will doubtless be seeking their own improvements ahead of the World Cup, after being run so close this summer.”With the World Cup a year away, Australia and other teams are going to be looking to get better and improve. There’s a lot of areas that we can still get better in, come Bangladesh in October next year, so this is the start of that that post-Ashes cycle.”Despite the absence of some big-name players, Knight insisted that England would not be taking Sri Lanka lightly, especially in light of their impressive display in the last T20 World Cup in February, where they beat the hosts and eventual finalists, South Africa, in their opening match at Newlands.”They’ve just beaten New Zealand for the first time ever too, so they’ll be pretty confident and on a high from that,” Knight added. “They’ve got a world-class better in [Chamari] Athapaththu, who can be really hard to stop when she gets going. And they’ve got some wily spinners in the middle so we’ve certainly been preparing for that as a batting group.”We’ve obviously rested a few players but that’s not because we’re taking Sri Lanka lightly. But that World Cup is our next big focus, and you don’t always get the opportunity to be able to try new players. We saw this, at the back end of a pretty busy summer, as a chance to do that.”

Off-spinner’s 5 for 7 and Sophie Ecclestone’s 4 for 11 snuff out Phoenix for 87 before hosts make hard work of chase

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Aug-2023

Fi Morris picked up the best figures in the Hundred outright as Manchester Originals triumphed over Birmingham Phoenix at Emirates Old Trafford in their first outing of the season.A remarkable 5 for 7 from the off-spinner’s 16 balls, in tandem with Sophie Ecclestone’s 4 for 11, snuffed out the Phoenix for 87, which Originals eventually overcame with a ball to spare. In the process, Morris more than doubled her wicket tally in the competition, having previously taken four for Southern Brave. She did not bowl in either of her two matches for Welsh Fire last summer, but on Originals debut has now bagged the standout Hundred figures for a man or woman. This also tops her best return in Twenty20 cricket.”I knew I’d got the first women’s five-for, but I didn’t know it was the best in either competition,” Morris beamed when informed she had better Josh Little’s 5 for 13, also for Manchester Originals, in the men’s competition. “I’ll take that!””I think it’s probably my best-ever day in cricket, to be honest,” she added. “How the last couple of years have gone, not playing much in last year’s Hundred, to come in and do that first game I’m absolutely buzzing.”I got a bit of help from the pitch. Having Sophie (Ecclestone), Wello (Amanda-Jade Wellington) and Mahika (Gaur) bowl so well up front, I kind of had the easy job. All I needed to do was bowl straight, and I seemed to do it alright.”Victory capped off the individual performance, though it was harder than it should have been. Laura Wolvaardt and Ami Campbell did the brunt of the work with a stand of 69, but a cascade of dot balls and unnecessary dismissals saw the chase go deep into the final set, with the hosts eventually getting over the line by five wickets.After two abandonments, Originals won the toss and set about putting in a near-perfect performance in the field. Maybe there was a hint of pent-up frustration at being one of two teams, along with London Spirit, to have not taken the field this season. But at no point did they clutch or over-stretch. Indeed the key to restricting Phoenix to such a low total was drying things up initially.Gaur sent down all 20 of her deliveries inside the first 30, for just 18 runs. The hype around the tall left-hander is justified, and though she went wicketless, the control assumed, particularly against Sophie Devine, gave a few reasons why England capped her at “A” level this summer.In a patchy Phoenix line-up, Devine either had to do something spectacular, or bat through. But after Ecclestone picked up her first, spinning one between bat and pad and having her stumped by Ellie Threlkeld, the White Ferns legend’s attempt to slog-sweep the left-arm spinner over square leg resulted in a smart catch by Morris on that boundary. Two deliveries later, Erin Burns was caught behind to leave Phoenix 52 for 3 from 53.Morris came on for the next set, and early confirmation this would be her day came when Amy Jones’ was hit on the full in front of middle and leg attempting a reverse sweep. Phoenix unravelled, losing their last six for 30 runs in 40 deliveries, squeezed by Originals as much by Ecclestone’s captaincy as her frugality with the ball.Emily Arlott, trapped on the crease, was the skipper’s fourth wicket, and if anyone was going to get five this afternoon, it would surely be the world’s best white-ball bowler. But Morris had taken three in eight deliveries by the time Ecclestone returned for her final five. And when those passed without incident, Morris needed just one more to bank her five-wicket haul and put Phoenix out of their misery with four of their 100 balls to go.Sophie Ecclestone bagged four wickets•ECB via Getty Images

What jeopardy there was in the chase came first ball when Emma Lamb gloved down the leg side after Tess Flintoff found a bit of lift off the pitch. Jones’ immaculate take had the orange shirts up and about. Had the keeper-batter affected a stumping when Ami Campbell (on seven) advanced down the track and found nothing but air when 77 were needed, or had there been a direct hit at the non-striker’s end when Campbell (13) set off for an ill-judged single, things might have got a bit tastier.Originals, however, wilfully chose a spicy ending by complicating what should have been a bland procession to the finish line. Wolvaardt, responsible for some of the more mouth-watering moments, whether skipping and driving over the top, slapping through point, or working behind square on the leg side, could have seen things home. But in opting for a quick finish, the Proteas opener was trapped lbw by Hannah Baker when she tried to swipe the leg-spinner across the line.Campbell then also passed up that opportunity, skipping down and hitting Katie Levick to midwicket. As Morris arrived, you wondered if this would be her full day out. Alas, a two-ball duck later – to Levick – served as a reminder the game only loves you for so long.The equation of 13 needed from 23 when Ecclestone joined Deandra Dottin should have been a formality, and yet this match somehow ended in the final set of five with two to get. Dottin, by now, had been run out at the non-striker’s end to close out a dire six off 12.Ecclestone then drove down the ground to tie and, after playing out seven dots, Kathryn Bryce squeezed a drive through backward point for four to put everyone out of their respective miseries.

تحدث المدير العام لنادي كولومبوس كرو، عيسى تال، عن تعاقدهم مع النجم الفلسطيني وسام أبو علي، بعد سلسلة طويلة من المفاوضات الشاقة والجادة مع الأهلي المصري، وهو الأمر الذي تكلل بالنجاح في النهاية.

وأعلن الأهلي، في بيان رسمي أمس السبت، رحيل وسام أبو علي عن صفوف بطل الدوري المصري، لينتقل إلى الدوري الأمريكي لكرة القدم من بوابة كولومبوس كرو.

ولم يكن الأمر سهلًا على الإطلاق، حيث انتشرت الكثير من التكهنات حول مستقبل وسام أبو علي في الفترة الأخيرة، وارتبط بأكثر من نادِ، قبل أن ينتقل إلى وجهته الجديدة.

جاء رحيل وسام أبو علي بعد تألقه في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية رفقة الأهلي، رغم الخروج المبكر من دور المجموعات، حيث تمكن من تسجيل هاتريك ضد بورتو في الجولة الأخيرة.

واعترف عيسى تال أن هاتريك وسام أبو علي أثار غضبه، حسبما صرّح لشبكة “givemesport” العالمية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير توجه صدمة قوية لجماهير كولومبوس كرو بشأن وسام أبو علي

وقال تال: “لقد كنت غاضبًا جدًا، لم يكن أحد يعرفه (وسام أبو علي)، ولكن الآن سيعرفه العالم (ضاحكًا)، كنت سعيدًا من أجله بكل تأكيد، كان يستحق ذلك، ولكن ذلك عقّد الأمور”.

وأضاف: “لقد ظل وسام أبو علي على رأس قائمة أهدافنا كلما نظرنا إلى لاعبين آخرين”.

وواصل: “استمرار محاولاتنا لضم وسام أبو علي نالت تقديره، لقد حاولنا ذلك في يناير الماضي، وبذل قصارى جهده من أجل مصلحة نادينا، هو أمر نقدره بشدة، كان يستطيع الانتقال إلى أندية أخرى بعد ما فعله هذا الصيف (أدائه المميز)، ولكنه اختار الانضمام إلينا”.

وأردف: “لم نكن نشعر بالخوف كون وسام أبو علي يلعب مع الأهلي، إذا كان الناس لا يعرفون من هو الأهلي، فهو نادِ عملاق، من المتوقع فوزهم في كل مباراة أسبوعيًا، كان الأمر يتعلق باللاعب، هل هو جيد؟ نقطة، هل هو من نحتاج إليه؟ نقطة”.

وشدد: “لقد ارتبط اسمنا بلاعبين من الدوريات الخمس الكبرى، لكننا كنا نعود دائمًا إلى وسام، إنه اللاعب الذي نريده، هو ليس أنانيًا في طريقة لعبه، كما إنه مهاجم حاسم”.

ويرى تال أن وسام أبو علي قادر على تقديم أداء جيد رفقة مهاجمي كولومبوس كرو، حيث هناك دييجو روسي، دانيال جازداج، جاسين راسل رو، والوافد الجديد هوجو بيكارد.

وعن ذلك، قال: “أعتقد أنهم متكاملون للغاية، أرى وسام مع هؤلاء، أرى جميعهم، الخمسة، في الملعب، بفضل أسلوب لعب مدربنا”.

واختتم: “أرى أننا نقدم موسمًا ممتازًا، هل يمكننا تقديم موسم أفضل؟ سيساعدنا هوجو بيكارد ووسام، سيساعدان زملائهما، سنتمكن من المضي قدمًا”.

Partnerships of 61 with Stevie Eskinazi and and 108 with Jayant Yadav yield three batting bonus points

ECB Reporters Network27-Sep-2023In a match they may need to win to avoid an instant return to Division Two in the LV= Insurance County Championship, Middlesex have at least given themselves a chance after all-rounder Ryan Higgins became only their second player to make a century this season.Higgins held Middlesex’s first innings together with 137 – his first hundred for the county – sharing partnerships of 61 with Stephen Eskinazi and 108 with Jayant Yadav. Their total of 366 gave them three potentially precious batting bonus points, more than doubling their tally for the season, before Nottinghamshire responded with 92 for 2, of which Ben Slater has 49 not out.But Kent, who began the final round of matches one point in front of Middlesex in the battle to avoid the one relegation place still undecided, are all but certain to at least match those three batting points against Lancashire in Canterbury, having already secured three for bowling.That means that unless Kent lose to Lancashire, Middlesex will have to beat Nottinghamshire – the team promoted with them last season – to ensure it is they rather than Kent who stay up.Brett Hutton finished with 5 for 94, taking him to 60 wickets for the season, picking up a wicket with his fourth ball of the day to break the overnight partnership between Higgins and John Simpson, the latter falling leg before getting only half-forward.The dismissal brought immediate confirmation that Eskinazi was none the worse for the blow to the head that had forced his retirement on day one.Eskinazi emerged to resume an innings interrupted on 23, looking purposeful with an early boundary pushed through the covers after Simpson and Higgins had added 70, with another 61 runs accrued before Dane Paterson pinned Eskinazi in front for 58, a first half-century of the season by a batter whose form has been part of a collective malaise afflicting Middlesex.The best ball of a testing second spell by Hutton accounted for Josh De Caires via a thin edge to ‘keeper Tom Moores, leaving Middlesex in danger at 241 for 6. Thankfully for their survival chance, Higgins found an ally who could stick with him in Yadav, who had been out in single figures in the first four innings of his short-term deal but this time played beautifully for his 56.The Indian off-spinner timed his drives and cuts perfectly, throwing in a couple of meaty pulls among his eight boundaries, lightening the burden of responsibility on Higgins just enough to allow the former Gloucestershire right-hander to stay faithful to the tempo that had served him well to that point.It took him to 99 at lunch, from which he returned keen not to linger long on that nervous mark, looking unsuccessfully for a single off each of the first five balls of Dane Paterson’s first over of the afternoon before beating the infield with a push that carried all the way to the boundary at wide mid-on, joining Sam Robson as the only two Middlesex batters to post hundreds in 2023.The sixth over with the second new ball ended the partnership when Yadav played around one from Jake Ball to be leg before. The downfall of Higgins came two overs later with a misjudgement, an attempt to scamper a single into the offside off Ball, who stopped the ball with his boot, causing Higgins to hesitate mid-pitch and not quite recommit to the run. It was long enough for Ball to stoop, gather and throw down the stumps at the bowler’s end with the batter still not home.In between, Toby Roland-Jones had been struck in front trying to work Hutton, who wrapped things up by having Ethan Bamber caught at second slip, thus completing his sixth five-wicket haul in an outstanding season.With ball in hand, Bamber dismissed Haseeb Hameed via a thin edge to Simpson and Steven Mullaney courtesy of a tight leg before call inside his first five overs, but Slater and Joe Clarke have added 57 for the third wicket, despite Slater suffering what looked like a painful blow on the hip.Bad light and rain cost another 25 overs, following 54 on day one.