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Half-centuries from opening batsmen Rob Nicol and Glenn Phillips steered Auckland to a seven-wicket win, chasing 176 in their Super Smash clash against Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Rob Nicol dominated an opening stand of 71 to set up Auckland’s successful chase of 176•Getty Images

Half-centuries from opening batsmen Rob Nicol and Glenn Phillips steered Auckland to a seven-wicket win, as they chased down 176 in their Super Smash clash against Otago. Auckland also benefited from handy cameos by Colin de Grandhomme (30 off 14) and Jeet Raval (21 off 12) as they chased the target with two overs to spare at the University Oval in Dunedin. Otago had put up 175 for 7 after winning the toss, riding on contributions from the middle order.Nicol dominated the opening partnership of of 71, scoring 51 of those himself. He was stumped off Rhys Phillips’ leg spin in the ninth over, having struck three fours and as many sixes in his 36-ball knock. Glenn Phillips then shared partnerships of 51 with Raval for the second wicket and 38 with de Grandhomme for the third. He saw his team through by staying not out on 62 off 44 balls that included five fours and two sixes.Earlier, Otago’s middle order pulled them from 13 for 2 in the second over to 175. Hamish Rutherford, the captain, struck 42 off 27 balls and shared a 36-run fourth-wicket stand with Josh Finnie, who top-scored with an unbeaten 45. A late cameo from Brad Wilson who blitzed 30 off 15 balls gave them a strong finish.Pacers De Grandhomme and Donovan Grobbelaar took two wickets each, while left-arm spinner Ben Horne took one. The win, Auckland’s fifth in nine matches, took them to second place on the points table.

Tottenham Hotspur's chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini is being monitored by a number of other clubs as he impresses at Spurs as he awaits Daniel Levy's director of football decision.

Who is Leonardo Gabbanini?

Certainly not a household name or familiar face, Gabbanini has been at Tottenham for just under a year. Arriving as the club's chief scout from Watford back in the summer of 2022, he was brought to north London by the now banned former Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici.

Despite Paratici's disgraced departure, Gabbanini has been thoroughly involved in building this summer's transfer plans. He has been in direct discussions with chairman Levy and new manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of a busy window.

However, Gabbanini is a "wanted man" and Spurs may have to fend off interest from other clubs in their 43-year-old talent spotter.

Journalist Alasdair Gold, speaking on his YouTube channel, stated: "From my understanding, there are a lot of clubs looking at Gabbanini. He is a wanted man because of his abilities and his network as well, and his scouts that he employs."

"So keep an eye on what happens there. If there is another director of football type brought in and Gabbanini kind of feels overlooked, or feels that he doesn't quite fit with the new director of football, it will not be long before someone comes in for him. I think Lazio were kind of sniffing around him recently as well."

While Spurs look for a new director of football, Gabbanini's responsibilities will increase this summer, with Gold even suggesting that the Italian could be considered for the job himself. However, his lack of experience in a similar role may put Spurs off appointing him.

Tottenham are already facing battles to keep some of their star players this summer, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min linked away, so losing a key member of the recruitment team would be disastrous at this stage of the window.

Gold describes Gabbanini has having a "great eye for talent" and as a "modern" scout that teams data analysis with the classic 'eye test'. Gold also claims that Spurs' chief scout will "quickly evaluate a player and deliver a firm opinion".

Who are Spurs looking to sign?

It promises to be a hectic summer for Gabbanini and his team who are already monitoring a wide variety of players ahead of Postecoglou's debut season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Lilywhites have already made Dejan Kulusevski's loan permanent and are closing in on the acquisition of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for £17.2m.

Tottenham are reported frontrunners for Leicester City's James Maddison, while also taking an interest in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba and a potential reunion between Postecoglou and Kyogo Furuhashi.

It is expected that Postecoglou will be given in excess of £100m to spend in the transfer window this summer as he tries to build this Spurs team in his image.

يلتقي فريق آرسنال الإنجليزي، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، مع خصمه فريق بورتو البرتغالي في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “الإمارات” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات إياب دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2023/24.

كانت مباراة الذهاب بين الفريقين، على ملعب “الدراجاو” قد انتهت بفوز بورتو بهدف دون رد. موعد مباراة آرسنال وبورتو اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة آرسنال وبورتو اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN Sports HD 2. معلق مباراة آرسنال وبورتو اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

سيكون علي محمد علي هو معلق مباراة اليوم.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا

Newcastle United are willing to pay the £80m fee that Real Madrid initially paid AS Monaco last year in order to sign Aurelien Tchouameni this summer, according to reports in Spain.

Newcastle United – are they signing Aurélien Tchouaméni?

Even though reports suggest that the Magpies are willing to pay a hefty fee for Tchouameni, Defensa Central have also suggested that the Spanish giants are not willing to sell the former Monaco man this summer.

Of course, there is still a lot of the summer transfer window to go, however, and a lot can change.

Such is Newcastle's spending power, if the move did become realistic, then the Magpies have the ability to make their move.

Eddie Howe has also been linked with a long-standing pursuit of James Maddison this summer.

Aurélien Tchouaméni would be Newcastle's biggest signing yet

The fact that Newcastle are even being linked with a move for Tchouameni shows just how far they've come in such a short space of time. Better yet, it could be said that they're more than capable of landing such a player.

The Magpies turned heads by splashing out on Alexander Isak back in January, but a move for the Real Madrid man would result in a reaction of jealousy from rivals and awe from the on-watching fans.

After the recent arrival of Jude Bellingham, too, Tchouameni may just begin to worry about his place at the Santiago Bernabeu, having played 2120 minutes in LaLiga last season – the equivalent of 23 games.

Add in the presence of the England international and the Frenchman may just struggle for game time. potentially opening the door for a shock move to St James' Park.

He could be Newcastle's answer to Declan Rice, who looks more and more likely to join Arsenal this summer, according to reports, with Newcastle known to have held an interest in recent months.

As per FBref, when compared, the Real Madrid man has a better pass completion rate, as well as more tackles and interceptions, won per 90 than the West Ham United midfielder.

With Champions League experience under his belt, too, Tchouameni represents the perfect option for clubs all around Europe at just 23-years-old.

His rise to the top has attracted praise from players of a similar calibre, with Paul Pogba speaking about his France teammate back in 2021, telling Ouest France (via the Daily Mail):

"It was a pleasure to play next to him. He brings a lot of energy. A lot of energy, extraordinary technical and physical quality.

"We wish him to play lots of matches and that I am always at his side."

It would be a landmark day for Newcastle if they did manage to sign Tchouameni, who journalist Lucas Navarrete once hailed as a "ball-recovering machine", that's for sure.

This would also be the moment that Howe's side pull up a chair at Europe's forcer expanding top table, where they would sit alongside the likes of Manchester City and co, especially with the Premier League runners-up closing in on a deal for Rice.

Although Real Madrid are currently unwilling to sell the French star, there's a long summer ahead, and anything could yet happen.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق آرسنال، ميكيل أرتيتا، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة فريق شيفيلد يونايتد مساء اليوم في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب “برامول لين” مباراة الفريقين في ختام منافسات الجولة السابعة والعشرين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. وكيل لاعب آرسنال يلمح لاقترابه من الدوري الإيطالي

ويمتلك آرسنال حاليًا 58 نقطة في المركز الثالث، في حين أن شيفيلد يونايتد لديه 13 نقطة في المركز العشرين والأخير.

وحسبما نُشر، فإن المحترف المصري محمد النني لا يتواجد في قائمة آرسنال في مباراة اليوم، سواء في التشكيل الأساسي أو دكة البدلاء. تشكيل آرسنال أمام شيفيلد يونايتد في الدوري الإنجليزي

حراسة المرمى: رايا.

خط الدفاع: بن وايت، ساليبا، جابرييل، كيويرو.

خط الوسط: ديكلان رايس، جورجينيو، أوديجارد.

خط الهجوم: ساكا، مارتينيلي، هافيرتز.

البدلاء: رامسديل، سيدريك، فييرا، بارتي، سميث روي، ويلسون، تروسارد، جيسوس، نكيتياه.

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones said that while he is all for sportsmen being able to say what they want, Glenn Maxwell did not pick the right forum for his comments on Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig05-Dec-2016

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones believes that Glenn Maxwell needs to find a mentor he can trust in order to make better decisions about what he says and also how he bats.Left out of the Australia ODI team that defeated New Zealand in the first ODI in Sydney on Sunday, Maxwell has been fined and publicly criticised by the coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith for his frank words about batting behind Victoria captain Matthew Wade in the Bushrangers’ Sheffield Shield line-up.Jones, no stranger to differences with officialdom, including his Australia coach Bob Simpson, stated that Maxwell’s struggles suggested a lack of good advice around him. He paralleled Maxwell with his earlier days when Jones’ father Barney – a stalwart of the Carlton Cricket Club – and Keith Stackpole, the former Australia opening batsman, served as confidantes.”I think he really needs a mentor,” he said while launching at the MCG. “I don’t want my sportsmen to come out of cookie moulds. I want them to have a personality and be able to say what they want, but I don’t think that was the right forum for him to do it. He’s got enough charisma in the way he plays. At the top of his game, he’s in our team, first pick, and I think he’s going to India.”But the fact remains that I think he needs a mentor, whether that be Chris Rogers, or Michael Hussey or Mark Taylor or someone like that, who he could speak to and vent. I often did with Stacky or my dad, get it off your chest and then say ‘okay, this is what we need to do’.”I don’t think you can be successful in international cricket without having someone you can speak honestly and candidly to. He’s a bit of a repeat offender and that’s hurting people. Now, is he worth working for? Yep, I think he is, he’s got a lot to offer. [R] Ashwin hates bowling to him, that’s a fact… but he needs to get some runs.”Jones expressed his surprise at Maxwell’s absence from the team at the SCG, and questioned the wisdom of batting Mitchell Marsh as high as No. 5, above Travis Head. “I would’ve had him in,” he said. “I can’t for the life of me work out how Mitchell Marsh is batting at No. 5, are you telling me Travis Head’s not as good a batsman as [Marsh]? What Travis Head did was terrific, but he still lacks a bit of polish.”Cricket’s economy now affords handsome wages to international cricketers as well as globetrotting Twenty20 specialists. Jones argued that this now meant players could be taking the opportunity to have their own personal coaches and mentors with them on tours around the world, thereby providing greater consistency of advice. That, in turn, could reduce the need for copious numbers of support staff on a tour.”I’m starting to think now, they get paid so much money, are we getting like golf and tennis where I’d have had Stacky in my hip pocket on a contract and flying around wherever I need him?” Jones said. “The money’s there and it’s a tax deduction for the players.”The selectors pick you because they like you as a player. Then, you go to a different coach, a different batting coach… how many coaches do they go through before they play for Australia? You want consistency in people around you to help get you where you want to go and protect you as much as you can. I think it’s going to get that way.”Can I go to Darren Lehmann as coach and say ‘I can’t hit the ball off the square, I’m struggling’, well, do this, go do that. But then, he takes the coach’s hat off, puts the selector’s on and says, ‘can’t pick him because he’s struggling’. Is that the environment we want? It happened with me.”Looking back at Maxwell’s ill-fated attempt to move from Victoria to New South Wales on the eve of the season, Jones said that it was symptomatic of a system where players were encouraged to think the pathway system – also criticised by former Test batsman Paul Sheahan in launching the book – was there purely to develop them. He wondered how much the current generation was encouraged to have a strong sense of affinity with any one team or state.”What type of player do we want coming through our system?” Jones said. “We’re getting a system now where if you don’t play for Victoria, you’ll play for the CA XI, and you’re just creating a pathway for players worrying about themselves instead of worrying about their state cap.”Guys move from the Stars to the Renegades to the Adelaide Strikers, because of a difference in their pay structure. We’re creating that environment to get players thinking that way instead of worrying about the team enough.”

In the wake of Australia’s defeat to South Africa at the WACA, Steven Smith focused on the side’s need to build bigger first-innings totals

Daniel Brettig07-Nov-2016

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has refused to blame an unusual schedule for his side’s poor display in the first Test of the summer, a defeat that made it four in a row and the first opening loss of a home season for 28 years.In order to cater for a second day-night fixture in the summer in Brisbane, the traditional Gabba opening was swapped for a first Test in Perth, where South Africa have never lost a Test match.Additionally, the early November start meant that Australia’s players had only one Sheffield Shield match, with a pink ball, to prepare for the WACA ground. By contrast, South Africa’s squad had two warm-up matches before the first Test and will have another under lights before the third Test is played under flood lights in Adelaide.”Look I can’t comment on scheduling that is put in place pretty early,” Smith said. “So for me it’s about making sure that the guys prepare as well as they can and I think we all had a Shield game, all the batters who played, most of the batters scored runs in that Shield game and had some valuable time in the middle.”We were in a position to be able to drive the game having bowled South Africa out for 240 and then getting to 0 for 150. We had another big collapse of nine for 100, and we weren’t able to capitalise on what the openers did to put us in a great position.”Smith focused on the way Australia’s first innings unravelled virtually from the moment Dale Steyn was injured, meaning the hosts were unable to place any pressure on the South Africa’s bowling attack, led superbly by the man of the match, Kagiso Rabada. Such collapses have become troublingly commonplace for the Australians.”It has happened a little bit of late, which is disappointing and the batters really have to continue to work hard to try and rectify what they are doing out in the middle there,” Smith said. “We have to form some more partnerships and get big first-innings totals. And if I think if we were able to build quite a big lead on that wicket, it would have been a different story.”I guess for us it was just about trying to spend time out in the middle and I guess grind them down. When you have two fast bowlers, I guess the way they used them and the way we thought they’d use them, to use the quicks from one end and some spin at the other end. So, if you keep them out there for long periods of time they can’t continue to do that for a long period of time.”But we weren’t able to capitalise after Dale went down and we let them get back into the game and run away with it. So, credit to the way South Africa played, I think in their second innings the partnership between Duminy and Elgar really took the game away from us and we ween’t able to come back from there.”Looking ahead to Hobart, Smith said the team needed to find a lot of improvement in a short space of time. “When we get out in the middle we have to do things better. We haven’t been able to do that for a while and if we want to stay in this series we have to turn it around quickly in Hobart.””When you are playing international cricket you are always under some sort of pressure, the guys have prepared well, they were excited for this series, we know South Africa are formidable opponents and they outplayed us in this Test match. We are going to have to play a hell of a lot better if we want to compete with them in the next game.”

أفادت تقارير صحفية، بأن أحد مهاجمي فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، على وشك الرحيل المفاجئ خلال انتقالات الصيف، على خطى المدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب.

وفي يناير الماضي، أعلن كلوب قرار رحيله عن ليفربول بنهاية الموسم الجاري في يونيو 2024.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية، فإن لويس دياز على وشك الخروج المفاجئ من ليفربول هذا الصيف إذا تمكن النادي من إقناع محمد صلاح بالتوقيع على عقد جديد.

وانضم دياز إلى ليفربول قبل عامين ويعد عنصرًا أساسيًا في تشكيل المدرب كلوب، رفقة محمد صلاح وداروين نونيز.

اقرأ أيضًا | ذا أثليتك ترد على تصريحات ميدو بشأن توصل محمد صلاح لاتفاق مع ناد سعودي

ويوضح التقرير أن أولوية ليفربول هي التوقيع مع مدرب بديل لكلوب، وتجديد عقود كل من محمد صلاح وفيرجيل فان دايك وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد.

وأشار التقرير إلى أن احتفاظ ليفربول بمحمد صلاح سيكلفه الكثير، ولذلك قد يخطط النادي للاستفادة من بيع لويس دياز، خاصة وأن هناك اهتمام من أندية إسبانيا بالتعاقد معه.

ويثق ليفربول في لاعبيه الشباب، ويعمل على منحهم فرص الظهور في الفريق الأول، مثل جايدن دانس وهارفي إليوت.

وفي الوقت ذاته ليفربول لن يتسرع في مفاوضات التجديد إلا بعد تعيين مدير رياضي جديد.

Manchester United are reportedly plotting a shock summer swoop for Leeds United defender Robin Koch, as manager Erik ten Hag seeks to strengthen his defensive ranks ahead of next season.

What's the latest on Koch to Man United?

According to Sky Sports Germany reporter, Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils are said to have made contact regarding a move for the 26-year-old, with the German centre-back seemingly set for an exit from Elland Road following the club's recent relegation.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "News #Koch: He‘s on the shortlist of ManUtd! Loose talks took place. Confirmed. #MUFC."

While there has been some suggestion that the former Freiburg man – who has just 12 months to run on his existing deal – could be available on a free transfer due to a possible relegation clause in his contract, further reports have revealed that a fee would be required if a move is to occur.

Would Koch be a good signing for Man United?

There may be those among the Old Trafford faithful who are scratching their heads at that shocking transfer rumour, with it hard to see the benefit in signing a player who was no doubt culpable in Leeds' return to the Championship in 2022/23.

The £40k-per-week dud – who has previously been branded "horrible to watch" by journalist Beren Cross – was part of a backline in Yorkshire that shipped 78 Premier League goals in the most recent campaign, the worst record in the division.

On an individual basis, Koch was no shining light as he racked up an average match rating of just 6.63, as per Sofascore, with that figure ensuring he would rank just 21st among Ten Hag's current squad at the Theatre of Dreams.

There also may be a concern at United at the prospect of snapping up another asset from the Championship, with the Red Devils having perhaps been stung by their signing of Daniel James from Swansea City back in 2019.

While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co did ultimately make a profit on that £15m signing – having moved the Welshman on to Leeds, ironically, for £25m in the summer of 2021 – the wing wizard rarely looked of the quality required to make the grade in Manchester, scoring just nine goals and registering only nine assists in 74 games in all competitions.

Despite possessing something of an "X-Factor" due to his breathtaking speed – according to Solskjaer – James was simply just "not a Manchester United player", as per talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.

Also described as "headless" by pundit Darren Bent, the 25-year-old has hardly set the world alight since his Old Trafford exit after scoring just four times in 40 games for Leeds, before enduring a bit-part role on loan at Fulham in 2022/23 in which he made just 23 outings across all fronts.

While that's not to suggest that any move for a newly-relegated or second-tier player will prove to be a mistake, United must question the wisdom in looking to the Championship to find new recruits – such as Koch – with a Champions League campaign and potential title challenge on the horizon.

With Tottenham Hotspur now plotting to strengthen following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, one transfer rumour that has particularly caught the eye is the links to Manchester United winger, Jadon Sancho.

According to a recent report from the Daily Star, the Lilywhites are said to be interested in making a £50m move for the England international this summer, with the 23-year-old having initially made the switch to Old Trafford on a £73m deal back in 2021.

The former Borussia Dortmund ace looks likely to be moved on by the Red Devils this summer amid claims that Erik ten Hag is willing to cash in on the 5 foot 11 trickster, with an asking price of around £60m having been suggested.

The one-time Manchester City youth product is currently facing such uncertainty at the Theatre of Dreams having provided just 18 goals and assists in 79 games across all fronts over the last two seasons, although those at N17 may well be hoping that they can revive the £350k-per-week forward's fortunes if he is to make the move to the capital over the coming weeks and months.

Should Tottenham sign Jadon Sancho?

There is no denying that Sancho is not looking like the player who previously burst onto the scene at Dortmund, having notably racked up 114 goals and assists in just 137 games for the Bundesliga side, prior to making his return to England.

That stellar form had unsurprisingly earned the wide man rave reviews, with his compatriot and former teammate Jude Bellingham having dubbed him "frightening" and "scary" back in 2021 due to the sheer scale of his talent.

That version of the London-born whiz would no doubt be a real bonus for Spurs if they could wrap up a deal, with there a potential for Sancho to form a devastating attacking partnership with his England colleague, Harry Kane, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With it looking as if Kane will not be sold by chairman Daniel Levy this summer, the club's record scorer is set to lead the line yet again next term, having only recently ended the 2022/23 campaign with a staggering haul of 30 league goals to his name.

As Sancho's assist record in Germany would illustrate – a total of 64 assists in all competitions – the playmaker could well help to provide quality service to the 29-year-old in attack, while the current United man has also shown a willingness to try and make things happen at the top end of the in recent times, as he ranks in the top 8% among his European peers for touches in the attacking penalty area.

Even amid his current woes, the fleet-footed ace still ranks in the top 20% for shot-creating actions as a further marker of his creative ability in the final third, again suggesting that he could be the man to deliver the goods to Kane on a regular basis.

Of course – as the most recent campaign has shown – the latter man is almost able to make the difference on his own, yet having a fit and firing Sancho alongside him in the attack could be a truly mouthwatering proposition.