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Forty-year-old opener Sanath Jayasuriya has been dropped from the 15-member Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup starting in Dambulla next week. Also missing from the line-up is spinner Ajantha Mendis, while fast-bowling allrounder Farveez Maharoof is back in favour after recovering from a side strain which had kept him out of contention since February last year.This was the first squad picked by Sri Lanka’s new selection panel, headed by former captain Aravinda de Silva, who took charge two weeks ago.Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss had warned at the start of the year that Jayasuriya was unlikely to be picked as a specialist opener and that he would have to force his way in as a spinning allrounder if he was to play the 2011 World Cup. He had been left out of Sri Lanka’s side for the tri-series in Bangladesh earlier this year as well, and had been moved out of his favoured opening slot to the middle order late last year. Jayasuriya’s most recent outings for the national side were at the recent World Twenty20 in the West Indies, where he had a miserable time, averaging 3.75 in six matches.There were some surprises in the slow-bowling department with left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who last played an ODI in 2004, chosen ahead of Mendis, who has had a reasonably good tri-series in Zimbabwe. Two offspinners at opposite ends of their careers, 38-year-old Muttiah Muralitharan and newcomer Suraj Randiv, are the other specialist spinners.The Asia Cup will be held in Sri Lanka from June 15-24. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the other participating countries.Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Muttiah Muralitharan (vc), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Farveez Maharoof, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chanaka Welegedara, Lasith Malinga, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Thilina Kandamby.

أعلن نادي برشلونة قائمة الفريق المستدعاة لمواجهة فالنسيا في منافسات الدوري الإسباني والمقرر خوضها غدًا السبت.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على فالنسيا بملعب الميستايا ضمن مباريات الجولة 12 من الليجا.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشافي: هزيمة بايرن ميونخ لن تشتت انتباهنا.. وما زال بإمكاننا تقديم موسم رائع قائمة برشلونة لمباراة فالنسيا

حراسة المرمى: تير شتيجن، أرناو تيناس، بينيا.

خط الدفاع: بيليرين، بيكيه، ماركوس ألونسو، جوردي ألبا، كوندي، إيريك جارسيا، بالدي. 

خط الوسط: بوسكيتس، بيدري، فرينكي دي يونج، فرانك كيسي، جافي، بابلو توري. 

خط الهجوم: عثمان ديمبلي، ليفاندوفسكي، أنسو فاتي، فيران توريس، رافينها. 

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثاني بجدول ترتيب الليجا برصيد 28 نقطة، خلف المتصدر ريال مدريد بفارق  3 نقاط، أما فالنسيا يتواجد في المركز التاسع برصيد 15 نقطة.

Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have filed official appeals against the punishments handed out to them by the PCB last month. That means that five of the seven players punished by the board following the tour to Australia have now lodged official appeals. Afridi lodged his appeal in the morning in person, while Younis’s lawyer sent in the appeal on his behalf.Afridi, Pakistan’s captain for the World Twenty20, was fined Rs. 3 million by the board for tampering with the ball in an ODI against Australia in Perth when he was leading the side. Younis was banned for an indefinite period from playing for Pakistan, on the charge that his presence was harmful to the side.”Shahid Afridi has lodged an official appeal against his punishment and it will now be sent to the governing board, who will then send it to one of the independent arbitrators appointed to handle this case,” the PCB’s legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi told Cricinfo.Rizvi clarified that the appeal process doesn’t in this case employ an appellate tribunal, but that under the PCB constitution, any such appeal goes first to the governing board who then send it to one of a list of independent arbitrators appointed by the PCB. In this case the arbitrators are two retired Supreme court judges – Muneer Sheikh and Jamshed Ali Shah – and a former high court judge, Irfan Qadir.It is believed that Afridi has appealed on the basis that he cannot be punished twice for the same offence. After he was caught on cameras, bizarrely biting the ball in an attempt to tamper it, the ICC immediately banned him from two internationals, which meant he missed Pakistan’s two subsequent T20Is. As he was captain in the Perth ODI, an inquiry committee set up to investigate Pakistan’s losses in Australia decided to fine him for bringing the name of the country into disrepute.Younis’s lawyer, Mohammad Ahmed Qayyum, said he was confident that his client’s appeal would be successful. “On the face of it, there is absolutely no merit to the charges they have laid against him,” Qayyum told Cricinfo. “We have faxed an appeal and sent a copy by hand as well.”Qayyum said there were factual errors in the letter the board sent to Younis informing him of his punishment. “Without going into details, we have a strong case. Younis was never heard out. He was invited to the committee once, where they asked him how he could better Pakistan cricket and that was it. He was shocked to receive the letter telling him of the ban. Also, the committee was only to look at the Australia tour, on which he only went as an ODI player and not even as captain.”There had been talk of Younis taking the case to court but it is believed that he wasn’t willing to engage with the board in a legal battle yet, with the option of an appeal still present. There is still a belief among both punishers and the punished that the appeals may be successful and the bans lifted, thus allowing them to return as soon as the tour to England this summer.The Akmal brothers and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan are the others who have also filed official appeals. Kamran and Umar Akmal were fined Rs. 3 million and Rs. 2 million for incidents and statements they made leading up to the third Test in Hobart, while Rana has been banned from playing for Pakistan for a year on undisclosed charges.Of the remaining two, Mohammad Yousuf, who received an indefinite ban has announced his retirement from the international game. Shoaib Malik, like Rana, has been banned for a year from playing for Pakistan and his appeal is also expected to be filed in the next day or so. The board has received a letter from his counsel indicating that an official appeal is on its way. Malik is currently in India where he has just married Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.

MatériaMais Notícias

Ricardo Oliveira não é mais jogador do Santos. O empresário do atacante, Augusto Castro, se reuniu com o novo presidente do clube, José Carlos Peres, e recusou a proposta de um ano de contrato.

Após o discurso do dirigente, na reunião do Conselho Deliberativo, na última segunda, que afirmou que se Oliveira fechasse o acordo de renovar por mais uma temporada seria negócio feito, a saída do atacante foi dada como certa.

Com as palavras do mandatário, o representante de Ricardo, em contato com o LANCE!, afirmou que o vínculo de um ano não seria aceito. No mesmo dia, Augusto revelou que, caso chegasse oferta do Atlético-MG em sua mesa, estudaria a proposta “com muito carinho”.

O Pastor esperou até o último momento para responder a proposta feita em maio pelo então presidente Modesto Roma. Com a troca de gestão, Peres teria a chance de atender o pedido do atleta, o que não aconteceu.

O atacante se despediu dos santistas por meio de seu Instagram:

“Estou aqui para que todos saibam que meu ciclo no Santos se encerra este ano. Sempre foi minha prioridade permanecer, mas não foi possível.

Tenho que pensar na minha carreira, no meu futuro e na minha família.
Nas duas passagens em que considero vitoriosas (foram 173 jogos, 92 gols (no total) e141 partidas neste retorno e 71 gols).

Conquistamos vitórias, títulos e, mais que isso, uma família. O Santos é o clube pelo qual mais atuei e mais marquei gols… E, sempre juntos, colocamos o Peixe na briga entre os melhores do Brasil nas duas passagens.

Gostaria de agradecer a todos que fizeram parte desse meu segundo ciclo no clube. Jogadores, funcionários, torcida… Espero ter retribuído dentro e fora do campo um pouco desse carinho. Agradeço imensamente o incondicional apoio que vocês sempre tiveram comigo. Obrigado! Em breve espero poder resolver a minha nova casa para poder dividir com todos.”

As they prepared to take their seats for the press conference, Jacques Kallis insisted that Hashim Amla sit in the middle, between him and the media manager. “The man who makes 250 deserves that,” he said with a grin.The other day, Graeme Smith had mentioned that the biggest loss to the Indian batting in the absence of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman would be their calming influence. It wouldn’t have sounded arrogant if the South African captain had gone on to heap similar praise on his own pair of Kallis and Amla. If not for their battle-hardened approach, South Africa might never have raised a 500-plus total having lost their openers with just six runs on the board.Kallis has been the architect of many successful back-to-the-wall efforts in the past, and, hence the cynosure of all eyes on the second morning. But a diffident approach and some smart bowling from the Indian spinners on a pitch increasingly taking sharp turn robbed him of a maiden double-century. Curiously, despite playing such a strong hand in laying a solid foundation, doubts were raised about whether Kallis had succumbed to nerves standing at the doorstep of maiden double. He rubbished such minute introspection by saying he was not going to “lose any sleep” over missing out another opportunity to reach the elusive milestone.But one man who is bound sleep soundly is the soft-spoken Amla, who carried forward the torch for the second successive day admirably. Even the loss of Kallis immediately into the second hour of the morning did not distract him as he took up the cudgels and assisted his partners, first AB de Villiers and then Mark Boucher, in making sure South Africa’s dominance had a firm grip over the Indian bowling.Obviously in an effort spanning more than 11 hours, bumps were meant to be encountered and Amla suffered them early today. In the hour leading up to lunch Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh found ample turn from the pitch, sometimes exaggerated. Amla tried to charge Harbhajan but was not convincing and was repeatedly beaten by Mishra’s legbreaks.A damning stat that highlights one of his struggles came against Mishra: Amla faced 139 balls from the leg spinner for just 34 runs. “There were a few tough parts: the reverse swing and facing the spinners,” said Amla later. “Mishra beat the bat many, many times but in a way you don’t look back and sigh.”The biggest challenge was to extend his vigil as long as possible. On his first tour to the country of his ancestors in 2004-05, Amla flattered to deceive with scores of 24 and 2 on debut, and in the next, in 2008, he had just started to fulfill his promise with 307 runs at 61.40. Back then he was still fighting doubts in his mind and at the same time clearing doubts of the outsiders about his presence in the squad. But now, with his place secure in the South African top order, and his name on the team list solely on merit and not his skin colour, Amla has emerged out the dressing room secure in mind and ability.He had played an influential hand in the drawn series against England at home last month which allowed South Africa to retain the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy. In the first Test in Centurion a rampant England South Africa on the mat at 46 for 4 in the second innings, but Amla stood strong to score a reassuring century and drive the opponents back. Though he failed to reach the three-figure mark again in the series, two handsome fifties made Amla one of he leading batsmen in the series.”He has certainly come in a long way from the last time he toured India,” said Kallis, pointing out how Amla’s presence gave the batting order a solid look. While Kallis spoke, Amla was still, head down – just like when he bats. The silent learner. But he surely would’ve felt satisfied with Kallis’ next compliment. “He is a fantastic guy to bat with. He is a very calming influence on all the players. The way he has developed his game has been fantastic. People wrote him off early on but the tough character he is, he has proved everyone wrong. He is going to score a lot of runs for South Africa in very important situations.”There were more bouquets on the way. One arrived from India’s coach Gary Kirsten, who at one time had been Amla’s coach at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. “I always knew the time was going to come when he would have the ability to get big hundreds for his country. That was evident way back,” said Kirsten, who has played some marathon innings for South Africa. “It was a superb innings, batting with Jacques and coming in at the time they did. He knows how to bat long periods of time. Full credit to him, and well done.”Amla was generous in the acceptance of all the praise but pointed out that his efforts had put his team in a strong position. “Scoring a maiden double-hundred on Indian soil is a momentous occasion. I am really grateful that I’d the opportunity but more important was to get the team in the best position. I’ve been more fortunate and it has been a good learning experience on both occasions, watching it [the triple-century stand with Kallis] from the non-striker’s end.”

Tottenham have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Dusan Vlahovic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Express, The Athletic’s Italian football correspondent James Horncastle revealed that, despite being heavily linked with a move to Juventus, Fiorentina would much rather sell the centre-forward to a Premier League club, with Tottenham believed to be the most likely option for the 21-year-old, for whom La Viola are demanding around £70m.

Speaking about the interest in the Serbia international, the journalist said: “Juventus have been linked with Dusan Vlahovic, the Fiorentina striker, who is the top scorer at the moment with Ciro Immobile. But the kind of money that would take, I think that’s beyond them.

“[His contract is up at the] end of 2023 but Juventus, as we’ve seen, they have been able to do business with Fiorentina. In recent years, Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi for example. Fiorentina’s preference is always not to sell to Juventus because of the rivalry between them. Ultimately, if Vlahovic is to go, Fiorentina would prefer to sell to the Premier League.”

He’d revolutionise Spurs

Considering just how impressive Vlahovic has been in Italy so far this season, coupled with the fact that Harry Kane has scored just one Premier League goal over his 13 league appearances this term, Horncastle’s claim regarding the striker’s potential move will undoubtedly come as major boost to Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici.

Indeed, over his 16 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £45m-rated man has already scored a whopping 13 goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 3.3 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player dubbed a “machine” average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the seventh-best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, considering the fact that Tottenham have scored significantly fewer goals than the remainder of the top six in the league, the signing of the £26k-per-week centre-forward would undoubtedly help to revolutionise Spurs’ attack, as well as providing the club with a major boost to their chances of securing a top-four finish. We believe Levy simply must splash the cash on the 21-year-old in January.

In other news: Paratici heading for Spurs disaster on “colossal” £17m-rated gem who “100%” wants move

Rangers have to be careful that Ryan Jack’s current injury absence doesn’t become a long-term issue, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Jack sidelined by injury

Jack has been an excellent performer for the Gers since joining from Aberdeen in 2017, scoring 11 goals in 133 appearances.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed that the midfielder will be absent until after the winter break, however, having not started a league game since February. Injuries are unfortunately a massive talking point with the talented midfielder, as some fans were even ready to give up on him after this latest blow.

The hope is that Jack will be back on the pitch as soon as possible but a warning has been fired to the Scottish Premiership champions from Dinnery, who runs PremierInjuries.com.

The Latest: Expert fires warning

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery claimed it would be reckless to rush Jack back after such a long absence, risking him being out until near the spring:

“Rangers need to be careful with Ryan Jack. It doesn’t matter how much work you do behind the scenes, you can’t replicate the cut and thrust of playing for the first team competitively.

“Players suffering soft tissue problems are particularly susceptible in the first 28 days when they are reintroduced to the rigours of competitive football.

“So this doesn’t come as any great surprise. It’s very, very frustrating for the player, but it’s just the way it is. You need to manage them so carefully. A setback that can keep you out for two weeks could easily turn into eight.

“So you always have to err on the side of caution when it comes to muscle problems.”

The Verdict: Too important risk

Jack has suffered a hugely frustrating period in his career in 2021, and while there is a need to get him back on the pitch regularly, any rushed thinking now could be a disaster.

The 29-year-old must only return when he is fully fit, hopefully enjoying the same influence he did before his setback earlier in the year, with Steven Gerrard hailing him as ‘fantastic’.

Jack has enjoyed a 90.7% pass completion rate in his rare time on the pitch in the league this season, which bodes well, but another major setback in his recovery as he approaches his thirties could be the end of his time as a consistent option for the Light Blues.

In other news, three Rangers players struggled against St Johnstone. Find out who they are here.

If Younis Khan and his team fail tomorrow, he will front up and explain why they did. If there is success, he will turn up much the same. But turn up he will

Osman Samiuddin in Centurion25-Sep-2009

Running away holds a significant place in Younis Khan’s scheme of things. It is a recurrent theme in his conversation, shirking from challenge, responsibility and difficulty. He has spent his career and life mired in these matters, in making his way into and out of and then back in, in refusing the vice-captaincy in 2002, in refusing the captaincy in 2007 and finally in taking it.There is a school of informed thought in Pakistan that believes when Younis turned down the captaincy after the last World Cup – effectively that he ran away, if you like – he did so because he wanted to take over when things had become even worse and some kind of savior was needed. It is self-indulgent, righteous and hubristic even, the belief that onlyyou can resolve what is a mess and right all wrongs. Democrats will also tut-tut. But the stance is also to be admired, for, potentially, you set yourself up for big falls, bigger than even the rewards. And to go into it knowing that, it is something few men take on.In a recent interview with Cricinfo, talking about taking up the captaincy time Younis said, “I am going to go into this storm, go right to the edge and see how long I can stand there.” To him that is the fun. It is a curious, contrary outlook to have and as he is a true Pathan, we can safely say he is no different from many of his kind. The balls here are untampered.Precisely these things determine his place in the side tomorrow. A finger on his right – and bottom – hand is fractured and the doctors told him he needed four weeks rest. Yesterday morning, a full two days before the India game, barely a week after the injury, the PCB – presumably with Younis’s consent, more likely on his directives – announced he will play against India. Bravado indeed.Given the opponent, it is likely he would’ve turned up had he lost a limb but nothing is ever to be assumed in Pakistan cricket; few people have forgotten just who didn’t turn up for the 1996 World Cup quarter-final against India. “I am playing tomorrow. I was told four weeks rest but I want to take my chance tomorrow, playing against India. Maybe if it wasn’t India I would’ve skipped this match. It’s very easy for me to run away, I have a fracture and I can leave it, not play against India and Australia. But these are big games. If you don’t perform in a big tournament you have to face consequences and it is very easy for me to run away here.”He is a chancer, for he believes that having tried something and failed is much more preferable than not having tried it at all. Not playing tomorrow is worse than playing and failing. And playing and succeeding is the glory of all glories. It is a choice that might dictate the inclusion or otherwise of Mohammad Asif, for example, and it is in these delicate balances of choice and decision that Younis is found.”I am looking at the big picture, who knows I may perform tomorrow and that performance will be remembered because I played with a broken finger. If I score a hundred and become Man of the Match and win the match – that is the big picture. Not playing is no advantage at all. This is manageable, maybe with an injection tomorrow, but I might play in pain tomorrow.”We’re all used to playing in pain, and the motivation has to be there to get up and play for the country. I am not 100%, it will hamper my fielding and if I get hit I will be in pain but the big picture is, why not come out and do something like Sachin did in 2003, something for my country which they will remember me for ages.”He is a fascinating study; a strikingly honest man, hyper, stubborn, proud, sometimes vindictive and much worldlier than many of his team-mates. Currently, he is one of the few really good men in Pakistan cricket’s setup. If he and his team fail tomorrow, he will front up and explain why they did. If there is success, he will turn up much the same. But turn up he will.

After securing a win in their previous League One match at the weekend against Ipswich Town thanks to two late goals from Luke O’Nien and Aiden McGeady, Sunderland are back in action once again with an away clash against Shrewsbury Town this evening.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Black Cats manager Lee Johnson could select to be a part of his starting XI on this occasion, one player that featured in the win at Ipswich that should not be in the starting XI this evening is Nathan Broadhead.

Before being replaced at the 80-minute mark last weekend, Broadhead had just 29 touches of the ball, fewer than goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann who had 33 touches.

In those 29 touches, Broadhead only managed to make 11 passes with no crosses, key passes or even a shot at goal.

The 23-year-old also failed to complete any of the three dribbles he attempted, ultimately earning himself a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.3/10, making him one of Sunderland’s lowest-rated players on the day according to SofaScore.

Despite playing out of his normal centre-forward position against Ipswich where he played in the left-midfield position, it could be in Sunderland’s best interest if Johnson takes him out of the starting XI for the match against Shrewsbury and potentially bring him on as a second-half substitute if they need another attacking option on the pitch depending on what the scoreline is.

Since joining the Wearside club on a loan deal from Premier League side Everton back in August, the Englishman, who has been described as a “unique” player by Johnson, has started just two of the nine league appearances he’s made and has failed to score a goal or provide an assist in the league but has managed to score once for the club in their 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup back in September.

Taking into account his rather unimpressive performance against Ipswich and his lack of goal contributions in the league so far this season, it could cost Sunderland dearly if they start Broadhead and he isn’t able to secure them a win given how the team are five points off the top of the league table.

In other news: McGeady returns, £2.9K-p/w star axed in 2 changes: Predicted Sunderland starting XI – opinion

For the past couple of nights Michael Clarke has tried to remember what it was like going into the final Test at The Oval four years ago. He can’t recall any of the details. Instead of wiping out what happened during the game that sealed Australia’s first Ashes defeat in 16 years, he has blocked out the lead-up.”I’ve tried to relive it, tried to think about how I felt, and I can’t remember too much of it,” he said. “It’s probably a good thing.” That match was a drawn-out stalemate and as it wore on there was nothing the Australians could do to claw back from the 2-1 deficit.This team is no match for the Australian outfit of four years ago, which was full of greats, but all it needs is a draw to retain the urn and help erase the pain of a ground full of Englishman cheering in the explosions of confetti. “It’s motivated me to date,” Clarke said of the previous tour. “Once I arrived in England, in the back of my mind there were memories from 05 that I wish I could forget.”But that’s what makes you a better player, you learn from your mistakes as an individual and a team. The guys that played in 05 will be really keen to make sure the results are a lot different come Monday.”Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich are the only certainties for the decider starting on Thursday, while Brett Lee must hope for an injury or the pitch to deteriorate enough for reverse-swing to be a significant factor. Unless that happens Australia’s only decision will be whether to stick with Stuart Clark and a four-man pace attack or bring in the offspin of Nathan Hauritz.The pitch at The Oval is already relatively bare – and more grass is expected to come off on Wednesday – and the batsmen are the ones who have the most to be excited about. Clarke leads the run-list with 445 at 89.00 and on this tour the vice-captain has grown into Australia’s most consistent performer.”Personally it’s been good to score some runs, but it’s irrelevant now,” Clarke said. “Unless I make runs out here and contribute to the team’s success, being the leading run-scorer but not winning the series is worthless.”The tourists have peaked as the series has continued while England have dropped off since the final day of the third Test. Jonathan Trott will come into the line-up and Ian Bell has been elevated a spot to No. 3, giving the side an even more fragile look than when the hosts were dismissed for 102 on the first day at Headingley.

“[Bell’s] record at three isn’t as good as at four or five,” Clarke said. “But for us it’s important we look at their whole batting line-up. Trott is going to feel the nerves and be under pressure and the sooner we can get him in the better.”Andrew Flintoff remains the main threat, wonky knee and all, but Australia enter the match as the favourites to take the match and the Ashes. “That doesn’t guarantee you are going to win,” Clarke said. “What’s important is the four Tests that are gone are exactly that – gone. It’s 1-1, this is the important Test and this is the one we’re focussed on.”And they are not thinking about grinding out the game. “I don’t think we should start that way, no,” he said. “In the 50-odd Tests I’ve played we’ve never played for a draw, I’m pretty confident we won’t be out there trying for draw.”Some rain is expected during the game, making England’s task harder, and is the only reason Australia will be happy to settle for 1-1. “If we have no choice then we have no choice,” Clarke said. “I’d rather 1-1 than a 2-1 loss, but our attitude won’t be that when we walk out to the ground on Thursday. We’ll be chasing one result, and that’s to win.”Australia’s personnel has changed considerably since 2005, but Clarke has faith in this team to do better than its predecessor and take home the urn. “There’s a lot less experience in our team to 05, but the one thing this side has shown over the last 12 months that we do have the class, the enthusiasm, the desire to be as successful as any team that I’ve played in,” he said.”Yes, we probably don’t have the greats, at this stage of the guys’ careers like we did in 05, but we’ve got everything else that comes from inside you that these players have. Over a period of time you’ll see a lot of the guys in this side become very good cricketers, if not great cricketers.”