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A free-spirited, light-hearted character, Mark Wood could bring some enthusiasm – and genuine pace – to the England side if he debuts at Lord’s.

Andrew McGlashan20-May-20150:38

Jordan pleased with ‘healthy competition’

There have been a few firsts for Mark Wood in the last couple of months. A first England tour, a first international appearance and a first international wicket. There could be a couple more on Thursday: a first Test cap and a first match at Lord’s.For an English cricketer the latter is something of a surprise – your first Lord’s appearance coming for England – although Wood’s domestic career has not been vast so far: 24 first-class matches, 18 List A games and nine T20s. He will, by English standards, be a reasonably inexperienced Test debutant should be become No. 667 to represent his country – the honour, perhaps a dubious one, of being No. 666 will be Adam Lyth’s.So far, Wood’s experiences of Lord’s have been as a drinks carrier for Durham. He joked, during a very relaxed press conference, that it was a role he was accustomed to – a nod to his largely non-playing role in West Indies.”I haven’t played here before, for Durham or anything, so I’m really excited,” he said. “The whole feel of the place is not something I can explain to anyone.”I’ve been here twice as 12th man with Durham. As you all know, I’m used to running drinks, and I’ve enjoyed running them here before. I hope this time I’m here to play – third time lucky.”There is a very good chance it will be third time lucky with Wood favoured to replace Chris Jordan in the starting XI as England search for a cutting edge to their attack. It was clear in the Caribbean that James Anderson was shouldering a dangerously high burden when it came to Alastair Cook needing breakthroughs. It was not that Jordan, and to a lesser extent Ben Stokes, bowled poorly, but wickets were hard to come by.The issue of variety is also something England need to consider and while Wood is another right-armer (for New Zealand, left-armers appear to grow on trees) he is one of the quickest bowlers available at the moment – he nudged towards 90mph on a slow pitch in Dublin during the rain-ruined ODI against Ireland – and is also known as someone who can exploit reverse swing.”Height-wise I’m not as tall as the others, a bit more skiddy, so many I can bring a different dimension to the attack and a bit of enthusiasm around the dressing room,” he said.It was notable that he mentioned enthusiasm in the dressing room. He certainly comes across as a free-spirited, light-hearted character. A cynic may wonder how long until that is snubbed out by the England set-up, but it must be hoped that, as part of building a future, the team moves away from identikit cricketers.Wood’s approach was summed up when he was asked about the potential challenges of bowling in the middle at Lord’s for the first time, with the slope to contend with which has proved a handful for many in the past. “At the end of the day the stumps don’t move, I’ll just try to bowl with good pace and, if I play, try and knock the Kiwis over.”He also has an individual style to his run-up, something he likens to a “sprinter’s start” when he begins as though pushing off the blocks. Again, the Loughborough academy set-up, and its desire to tinker, lurks but Wood is very comfortable in his own skin.”It’s something I did when I was 18 or 19, I used to have a really long run-up and the academy coach at Durham, John Windows, wanted me to change it slightly to be a little more efficient and explosive. It’s worked well since then so I will keep doing it.”Wood is the latest paceman from the impressive Durham system to reach international level following Simon Brown, Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett, Graham Onions and allrounder Stokes, while Mark Davies was also briefly an England tourist.Is there any secret to the county’s success? “We’re used to hard work, I guess, working-class people and all that,” Wood joked before making a serious point about the pitches and a large catchment area which takes in Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria.One of those former Durham quicks is a close friend of Wood’s and remains an inspiration. Harmison hails from the same Ashington village and Wood remembers the days when he was in awe of his fellow fast bowler. The height of that feeling came, appropriately with the 10-year anniversary this summer, during the 2005 Ashes. It is significant that at a time when one of the major challenges for English cricket is winning back public appeal that both Wood, and Jos Buttler who was sat alongside him, picked out 2005 as inspirations in their careers.”I looked up to him massively, he was a family friend – his uncle and my dad were best friends growing up – and he used to come round the local cricket club and I used to be a bit in awe,” Wood said of Harmison. “2005 was probably the greatest Test series I have ever watched, so to see someone I knew do well was great see and he’s still someone I look up to now and go to for advice.”He just said go and enjoy yourself, express yourself. He was someone viewed as being homesick or nervous so it was quite good to hear that from him.”This is, of course, the beginning of another Ashes summer. It is unlikely that English cricket can ever recapture those heady days of 2005, but if Wood can make a mark in this series against New Zealand he will have gone a long way to securing his ticket to face Australia. And the early signs are that he would provide some fun along the way.

Day one of a Dhaka Test? Be warned

Zeeshan Mahmud28-Jan-2014Choice of game
Bangladesh made 638 against Sri Lanka in their previous encounter and drew that Test, with Mushfiqur Rahim making a double-ton. So the anticipation ahead of this game was huge. My heart wants Bangladesh to win, although I knew it would mostly be Sri Lanka having the final say. Also, in the current context of the ICC debacle, Sri Lanka is our strange bedfellow: though we are playing against each other we are both united for the bigger picture.Key performer
Notwithstanding Mushfiqur and Shakib Al Hasan’s role as anchors to resuscitate the innings with a partnership, and Sohag Gazi’s late burst, it was undoubtedly Shaminda Eranga’s day. He removed the openers, while Suranga Lakmal also chipped in with a supporting role.Things I’d have changed
Tamim Iqbal perished to an ugly pull that resulted in a catch at fine leg. It was totally unnecessary. I wanted to change that, as well as go with a three-two pace-spin combination, with Marshall Ayub and/or Robiul Islam dropped. Instead I would have given chances to Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah – the latter could have added more depth to batting as well.But the thing I would definitely have added was a retractable dome over the stadium to regulate the scorching sun that was beating down on us. Yes, the cool breeze helped us survive from being toasted from time to time at the 20-Taka Eastern Stands, but I think it would a be few millions well spent on the infrastructure instead of on the players who are yet to show fight in Test cricket.The interplay I enjoyed
Mushfiqur getting out of “duck zone” was the standout for me. He proceeded to score off his 20th delivery with a boundary. I wished Steven Lynch was around to fill me in on the most deliveries consumed by a batsman before getting off the mark.
It turns out England wicketkeeper John Murray took 79 balls in Sydney in 1962-63 to open his account, and finished with 3 not out in 100 minutes. He was playing with an injured shoulder.Wow moment
I am tempted to pick the six by Gazi but it was actually Tamim’s dismissal. Since they don’t show dismissals on the big screen we had to wait for couple of minutes while the umpire deliberated. Everyone was on their toes and hoping against hope that the flamboyant batsman would not be given out. We wondered anxiously whether the boundary fielder had touched the rope when Tamim pulled, but in the end umpire gave the dreaded signal.Close encounter
At first, it was mostly Lakmal, but after that I couldn’t recognise the fielders at our side of the boundary. During Sri Lanka’s innings when Tamim raised his hand in acknowledgement to the crowd’s support, the spectators gave him a huge cheer.
It was very disappointing to note that our section was constantly mocking Sri Lanka’s players and their names. That’s definitely not part of cricket.Shot of the day
My favourite shot was in the 30th over by Lakmal, and it came off Shakib’s bat. He always plays exquisite drives, so the crowd was naturally impressed. It was effortless. He made contact and the ball where to find the gap and the boundary. It was poetic to watch live.Tests v limited-overs
My cousin warned me not to go for the Test match, but I learned the hard way. It is way more fun to attend an ODI match than the first day of a Test. It drains the energy of even the most ardent aficionado. I think I even lost some weight.Overall
Watching the first day of a Bangladesh Test match is akin to torture. The day was excruciatingly boring and painful, and I felt like dozing off many times. At times I even wanted to leave the match. But I didn’t and I will be back on day three. That’s us. Crazy Bangladeshi fans.Marks out of ten
4.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the second day at Headingley

George Dobell and Firdose Moonda at Headingley03-Aug-2012Wicket of the Day
It took only two deliveries for Kevin Pietersen to show up the folly of England not selecting a specialist spinner for this Test. Pietersen, called into the attack to bowl his part-time offspin in the 111th over of the South African innings, turned his second ball sharply past the bat of Jacques Rudolph allowing Matt Prior to complete a stumping. Any English joy over making the breakthrough would have been tempered by the thought of what Graeme Swann, currently 12th in the ICC Test bowling rankings, might have been able to get out of the surface and the knowledge that South Africa’s legspinner Imran Tahir may find conditions much to his liking. This is first Test since 2003 for which England had not selected a specialist spinner. On that occasion, they lost heavily to South Africa at HeadingleyError of the Day
Another reminder of the benefits of the Decision Review System was provided by Alviro Petersen’s dismissal. Umpire Rod Tucker may well have been the only person on the ground who did not see the thick edge that Petersen got to a delivery from Stuart Broad, but England were able to call for a review and the original decision was overturned. It was – after two lbw decisions from Steve Davis – the third decision of Petersen’s innings to be overturnedReview of the Day
Petersen has been the subject of lbw reviews fairly often recently. In New Zealand, Ross Taylor asked for appeals against him to go upstairs twice (both of which were overturned) and Petersen himself reviewed being given out to Mark Gillespie once but his appeal was struck down. In this match though, Petersen did not allow being hit on the pads to get the better of him. Late on day one, Petersen reviewed when he was given out off Steven Finn and the DRS found the decision was incorrect because it was too high. Early on day two, Petersen reviewed again when given out off James Anderson. The technology showed it was missing leg stump and he survived again. Shot of the Day
With South Africa’s bowlers knowing they would have to pitch it up if they hoped to make early inroads, there was also the chance they would go for a few. Andrew Strauss made some of those few look better than anything this match has seen so far. While Petersen ground out 182 and JP Duminy went to 48 almost unnoticed, Strauss announced himself with two perfect straight drives, at either end of the ground. The first was off Vernon Philander as the England captain leaned into the shot and timed it down past mid-off. The second was even better, drilled past Dale Steyn with pinpoint placement to take Strauss above Len Hutton on the list of England’s top run scorers in Test cricket.

The man who has been a facilitator to the fast bowlers today stepped up and made himself count

N Hunter09-Feb-2010″Maybe there’s a quarter piece of wood on the shoulder,” says Paul Harris when asked if there’s a chip on his shoulder for being perceived as an ordinary slow bowler. Harris is a master at self deprecation so there’s no wonder he cites perception as one of the reasons behind his success.Thus it did not matter to him that, two days into the Indian tour, he was the most expensive South African bowler in the warm-up game in Nagpur – where he condeded 71 runs in 12 wicketless overs – which ended three days prior to the first Test. Considering his returns were thin in the recently concluded home series against England, where he was dropped for the series-levelling victory at the Wanderers, doubts persisted about his place in the team in the crucial Nagpur game.On the eve of the match Harris received a shot of confidence from his captain Graeme Smith, who said he remained his go-to spinner. Harris, a surfer by nature, did not need any further motivation and set himself up to ride an Indian wave.Though Dale Steyn had already swamped the Indians in the first innings, Harris lent an additional heft to crush the hosts’ hopes with the key wicket of MS Dhoni immediately after tea on the third afternoon. That wicket proved a turning point for Harris, who would prove to be a key factor once again to stem India’s fightback on a weary pitch in the second dig.The fast bowlers had left enough footprints to aggravate the rough, and Harris did not waste much time bowling around the stumps. His job for the rest of the afternoon was to pitch the ball on the dented area and keep the Indians shackled. An advantage Harris has is that with his 6’2″ height, he can release the ball confidently and then pitch it accurately. Like a conveyor belt, Harris kept walking back to his bowling mark, returned to the bowling crease few seconds later and kept pitching it into the rough while challenging the batsmen and simultaneously choking the run flow. Even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni did not get enough breathing space to steal runs as Smith set a close ring of fielders around the bat.Throughout his 38-over spell in the second innings Harris’ sole intention was to attack the batsmen with a line that was either leg stump or behind the legs. Normally such a strategy would be termed as negative but in the existing circumstances it was positive intent and nothing else. After Dhoni’s freakish dismissal yesterday, where the delivery jumped after pitching in the rough to take the edge off a limp bat, the Indians today were more circumspect and avoided taking an aggressive route. In the process they only played into the hands of Harris, who had tailored the situation to perfection.Only when Harbhajan Singh came on and used the long handle did Harris have to fall back on plan B to curtail the run flow. Dhoni admitted later that it was really difficult to charge Harris. “He is not a big turner of the ball but some of his deliveries after pitching on the rough go straight. [In Kolkata’,” he said. “We will try to play different strokes, like sweep shots. We can’t just score 50-odd runs off a spinner who is bowling nearly 30 overs.”At one stage Harris had choked the run flow to an extent that he dominated the batsmen. Nearing the end of his second spell, his overall figures read 28-15-36-3 before Harbhajan did some minor damage. Harris had succeeded in what he set about to do: primarily his brief has been to keep the legs of the new ball pair of Steyn and Morne Morkel, who also happen to be his Titans mates, and keep Wayne Parnell fresh.

He allows the guys like Dale, Morne, Wayne and Jacques to perform their own roles they need to – he is the glue between all of them. To see him pick some key wickets today, [which includes] some important names is important to him and important to our side.Graeme Smith on Harris

This was nothing new for Harris, despite being a favourite sandbag of the media. The man from Harare has been a facilitator to the fast bowling department for the last two years. On the victorious journey of Australia in 2008, Harris was the second-best South African bowler behind Steyn. Back home, on the return leg against Ricky Ponting’s revenge-hungry soldiers, Harris once again kept the pressure on at one end to finish the series with 14 victims, just two behind the joint leading pair of Steyn and Mitchell Johnson. Incidentally, he recorded his best innings’ figures of 6 for 127 at Newlands, which played a massive hand in the face-saving win in the final Test of the series that the visitors clinched 2-1. Importantly Harris was the lone South African to bag a five-for in that series.Harris has never had pretensions about his job. What has also helped is being a fighter. When Geoffery Boycott famously called him a “buffet” bowler after a disastrous series in England in the early part of 2008, Harris decided the best way to chuck the pie back at the critics was bake good performances. So when he excelled in the Cape Town Test against the Aussies he made no bones about having “no respect for Boycott the person”. A chirpy guy on the field, Harris had once slapped Steyn hard to just charge up his wilting strike bowler. So when he got Andrew Symonds out twice in the historic 2008 Perth Test, he couldn’t help have a laugh at the Queenslander. “How shit must you be if I got you out twice,” Harris quipped to Symonds.Smith was elaborate in his praise of Harris. “I have got used to guys writing off Paul wherever we travel. No one really gives him a chance,” he said. According to Smith, Harris a really selfless guy who knows his role and performs it well. “He allows the guys like Dale, Morne, Wayne and Jacques to perform their own roles they need to – he is the glue between all of them. To see him pick some key wickets today, [which includes] some important names is important to him and important to our side.”Clearly it was an important moment in Harris’ life as he didn’t waste time in plucking a stump out as souvenir seconds after Steyn had knocked back final India wicket. He had earned it.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee and his predecessor Kane Williamson are set to play their 100th Tests together during the upcoming home series against Australia. March 8 will mark the occasion, the start of the second of two matches in the series, which follows a set of three T20Is.The 14-member Test squad also includes Daryl Mitchell who has been on the sidelines recently tending to a long-term foot injury. Scott Kuggeleijn gets a look in as well, replacing Kyle Jamieson who has picked up a back problem and is looking at a year out of the game.The NZC press release with the squad which arrived on Saturday also said, “Trent Boult, who will feature in the T20I series against Australia, was not considered for Test selection due to minimal recent red ball cricket – his last Test coming in June 2022 against England in Leeds.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Southee and Williamson grew up playing cricket alongside each other, rising up the ranks from the Under-19 levels to become their country’s second-highest wicket-taker and leading run-scorer respectively. The two of them had also played their 50th Test together, against Zimbabwe in 2016, and will join Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor as the only other New Zealand men with 100 Tests to their name.”Their achievements at Test level speak for themselves,” head coach Gary Stead said, “And they are undoubtedly two of the greatest players to have ever worn the New Zealand Test shirt.”Southee will follow Taylor, Virat Kohli and David Warner as just the fourth player in history to have played 100 matches in each format.The first Test will begin on February 29 in Wellington and will signal the return of a vital member of this team. Mitchell has become such a dependable fixture in this Black Caps team that among those who have played 20 Tests, the only person who averages more than his 53.46 is Williamson with 55.90.”[Mitchell] is a key member of the group and has proven, with his performances over the past 12 to 18 months, how much value he adds to the Test team,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said. “Daryl will keep focusing on his rehabilitation over the next week and will be fit and ready for the first Test in Wellington.”Kuggeleijn has been picked on the back of his performances for New Zealand A against Australia A last year, including match figures of 9-113 and an unbeaten 101 to lead the team to victory in the first four-day game. The Northern Districts seamer has continued his form in the Plunket Shield, leading the bowling charts with 22 wickets at 16 from the first four rounds.Will O’Rourke retains his place after leaving one of the more lasting first impressions – the 22-year old quick claimed the best match figures by a debutant for New Zealand when he picked up 9 for 93 against South Africa in Hamilton earlier this week.Mitchell Santner continues as the specialist spin bowling option, while recent Test double-centurion Rachin Ravindra and allrounder Glenn Phillips lending support.Meanwhile, Matt Henry and Tim Seifert have been ruled out of the T20I series. Their replacements will be Ben Sears and Will Young.Henry suffered some hip soreness following the second Test against South Africa and will undergo a short period of rest and strengthening ahead of the Test series. Seifert has been withdrawn due to a torn abductor suffered while training for Northern Districts earlier in the week.”Matt’s understandably disappointed, but a break for the T20s will ensure he’s fully fit and ready to go for the Tests against Australia later this month,” said Stead. “We’re gutted for Tim who has been a strong performer over recent series and is an important part of the squad.We’re hopeful he’ll make a swift recovery ahead of an important period of T20I cricket for the team.”

New Zealand Test squad vs Australia

Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Updated New Zealand T20I squad

Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (games 2 & 3), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (game 1), Will Young

The Premier League's two worst teams this season who haven't been relegated will meet in Bilbao with a place in the Champions League also on the line

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

October 30, 2021. Tottenham hosted Manchester United in a match dubbed by the media as 'El Sackico'. New Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo had made a poor impression after accepting the job that summer, while Red Devils legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had taken the team backwards despite a promising 2020-21 campaign and the additions of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho to his squad.

The premise was simple: If there were to be a loser in north London, they would inevitably be fired and replaced by Italian coach Antonio Conte, who was keen to return to the Premier League. United ran out 3-0 winners and Nuno was given his marching orders.

Nearly four years on, a somewhat similar but completely different scenario is in play. Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham and Ruben Amorim's United will face off in the Europa League final on Wednesday in what has been billed as one of the lowest-quality European showpiece events of all time. They sit 17th and 16th in the Premier League, respectively, heading to the Estadio San Mames in Bilbao and would be facing far more scrutiny had their continental exploits been less fruitful and fortuitous.

Postecoglou, irrespective of what happens in Bilbao, ought to be a dead man walking, while Amorim has minimal excuses left to lean on to keep himself in the Old Trafford job.

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportBounce that never came

Amorim officially took the United gig on November 11 having failed to delay his arrival from Sporting CP until the end of the season. The Portuguese's impressive European form, including a 4-1 thrashing of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, gave the Red Devils hope that his skillset would be transferable into a Premier League setting. Caretaker manager Ruud van Nistelrooy also left the team in a better place after leading them through an unbeaten four-match stint, building some momentum heading into an international break.

A 1-1 draw at a dogged Ipswich Town was Amorim's first taste of English football, and given the Tractor Boys' limp relegation back to the Championship since, it's a result that has not aged particularly well. In their next home league game, United breezed past Everton 4-0, but that remains their most convincing win of the domestic season by miles. They went to Manchester City and won 2-1 with a smash-and-grab comeback late on, while they held both Liverpool and Arsenal to draws and knocked the Gunners out of the FA Cup on penalties, but that's all there's been to shout about from the Stretford End.

There is little to suggest Amorim's methods are effective despite United's European run. They have taken only 24 points from his 26 Premier League games at the helm – extrapolated over a 38-match season, that works out at 35 points, four fewer than their current tally.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportOut of chances

After smashing City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium back in November, Tottenham sat sixth in the Premier League table, but were only three points off the top five and four off second place. Fresh out of the blocks from the final international break until March, the feeling was they had finally discovered the momentum needed to kick on and find some consistency.

Then everything came crashing down. A couple of days later, it emerged goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario played much of that seismic victory with a fractured ankle, which required surgery and around two months of recovery. The bodies started to drop like flies – pretty much no one in the entire first-team squad was spared from injury over the winter, with the most notable absentees being starting centre-back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Spurs failed to win any of their next five games, setting the tone for the long winter ahead. They progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup – knocking out United along the way – but won only one of their 11 league matches after seeing off City, and that came against rock-bottom Southampton.

For the most part, Postecoglou was given grace by supporters, critics and Spurs personnel alike due to an unprecedented injury crisis as he regularly leaned on young players and teenagers to plug gaps in the squad. Tottenham's thrill-a-minute principles didn't wane and the expectation was once key members returned to fitness that results would improve. Alas, that has not happened, and if anything performances have only worsened to the point of no return, even with silverware hanging in the balance.

In the Europa League, Spurs have developed a streetwise savviness that has served them well, yet they look a million miles off the pace domestically. 'Ange-ball' doesn't work on a week-to-week basis, and if they head coach won't change his ways, the head coach must be changed.

AFPToo stubborn for the wrong reasons

"It's just who we are mate," were the unforgettable words uttered by Postecoglou after nine-man Tottenham lost 4-1 at home to Chelsea in one of the craziest and most chaotic London derbies in the Premier League era back in November 2023. Spurs had tried to squeeze the Blues so high at their two-player disadvantage that they played an offside trap on the halfway line, and this gung-ho approach has largely been the story of the Australian's reign.

Meanwhile, Amorim has routinely insisted that he will not change his methodology or practicality of his own approach, despite it barely getting off the ground domestically and often having to fit square peg player profiles into round hole positions.

Both Tottenham and United have been Jekyll and Hyde like this season, however. Postecoglou and Amorim have shown tremendous in-game adaptability during their European runs, only for this to act as a safety blanket over their job security, and they play fast-and-loose football in the Premier League like a testing arena for their mad scientist experiments. If they had shown any sort of desire to tweak tactics domestically, they certainly wouldn't be hovering directly above the drop zone.

The two-sided question hanging over Postecoglou and Amorim then is do you stick with them because they have shown this tactical nous, or get rid because they have actively chosen to ignore that aspect of their coaching?

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Getty Images SportOverplaying the sympathy card

Many of Amorim's press conferences this season have seen him figuratively pulling his hair out. The most infamous came back in January when United were beaten at home by Brighton: "I am not naïve. We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. We have to acknowledge that and change that. In 10 games in the Premier League we won three, I know that. Imagine this for a fan of Man United, imagine this for me. You are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. Imagine that. We need to survive this moment. I know that."

While Amorim hasn't totally stooped to such self-deprecation since, he has not been afraid to make a bleak picture appear even bleaker. He most recently had to walk back on claims he could quit due to bad results, though did admit he is wary he would be sacked instead if there is no uptick in form.

Postecoglou coasted through the middle third of the season in large part thanks to that aforementioned injury crisis, and the majority of Spurs' defeats this season have actually only come by one goal, suggesting in the long run there is scope for these results to be flipped back the other way with a bit more nuance. He hasn't, however, helped himself with his intense approach that didn't lend itself to the scarce resources at his disposal.

What's been difficult for both managers is that the only way to silence doubters and negativity in sports is through results, but they've barely given themselves a chance at success in the Premier League. If they were mid-table, they could be excused, but neither United or Spurs can even luck their way to points anymore.

Hakim Ziyech could join Sevilla as a free agent, but the Andalusian outfit will need to offload an out-of-favour goalkeeper to free up the funds.

Ziyech could join Sevilla for freeLa Liga side eager to offload a player to free up salary spaceMoroccan last played for Al-Duhail in QatarFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite the transfer window being closed, speculation continues at Sevilla, largely due to the lingering possibility of signing former Ajax and Chelsea star Ziyech. The Moroccan winger and playmaker remains a free agent, and his name resurfaced at the end of August as a potential target, reports.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

However, Sevilla’s hands are tied financially, mainly due to their inability to offload goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez. The out-of-favour shot-stopper, renewed by former sporting director Victor Orta shortly before his dismissal, continues to train separately as head coach Matias Almeyda has excluded him from his plans. Efforts to negotiate a transfer or terminate the 27-year-old's contract have stalled, preventing the club from freeing up salary space. A loan to Deportivo La Coruna with an option to buy was on the cards, but the one-cap Spaniard has now been registered in La Liga instead.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ziyech joined Galatasaray on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, before his move was made permanent in May 2024. However, just six months into his second season in Istanbul, he publicly stated that he "didn't want to play here anymore" in a sensational outburst. His contract was terminated on January 29, 2025, which allowed him to sign for Qatari side Al-Duhail on undisclosed terms. Within four months, though, his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Reports indicated that Serie A side Fiorentina expressed interest in signing him on a free transfer over the summer, but a move never materialised.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HAKIM ZIYECH?

Sevilla's new director of football, Antonio Cordon, hinted that Ziyech's arrival was not off the table when providing his thoughts at the end of the transfer window. "We've left a small budget, just in case, at the last minute, some player decides to significantly lower his salary and demands to come to the club. We've left it there," said Cordon. Ziyech has, so far, rejected all offers that have come his way, which could point towards his desire to arrive at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Barcelona will be allowed to register Joan Garcia after receiving La Liga’s approval on the Marc-Andre ter Stegen medical report.

• Barcelona receive approval from La Liga to register Garcia
• Approval after legitimacy of Ter Stegen medical report verified
• Rashford may not be registered on time

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona announced that league officials have confirmed Ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term criteria, allowing the club to register new signing Garcia in his place. According to , doctors from La Liga’s medical commission visited the club’s training ground to assess the goalkeeper's injury five days after the report was submitted, despite the usual protocol of conducting such checks within 48 hours.

  "Barcelona hereby announces that LaLiga’s Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations," a statement from the club read. "The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately formalise the registration of player Joan García."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona’s failure to meet La Liga’s financial regulations initially blocked Garcia’s registration. When Ter Stegen suffered a pre-season injury that would sideline him for four months, the club sought to register Garcia as his replacement. However, Ter Stegen’s insistence he would only be out for three months and his refusal to authorise his medical report sparked a public feud, resulting in him being stripped of the captaincy temporarily. This left Barcelona in a goalkeeping crisis, with Inaki Pena as the only registered keeper and Hansi Flick blocking his sale to Como. After reaching a compromise with Ter Stegen, Barcelona have now been cleared to register Garcia in time for this week's La Liga opener

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Barcelona are also struggling to register Marcus Rashford, who joined on loan from Manchester United. Club president Joan Laporta admitted the forward might not be cleared in time for the league opener.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GARCIA AND BARCELONA ?

  La Liga’s clearance to register Garcia offers Barcelona temporary relief, ensuring they have two fit goalkeepers to start the season. For Garcia, it ends a long wait and allows him to finally feature in a competitive match for the club.

أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لفريق نادي بيراميدز، قائمة مباراة الإسماعيلي في إطار بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز بنسخته الجديدة.

ويحل الإسماعيلي ضيفًا على بيراميدز في التاسعة مساء الخميس على استاد الدفاع الجوي، في إطار الجولة الثانية من بطولة الدوري.

طالع | قائمة الإسماعيلي لمباراة بيراميدز في الدوري المصري

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز السادس عشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد نقطة، بينما الإسماعيلي الرابع عشر بنفس الرصيد.

ويرغب بيراميدز في تحقيق الفوز بعد التعادل مع وادي دجلة، كما يسعى الإسماعيلي لتحقيق أول ثلاث نقاط بعد التعادل مع بتروجيت. قائمة بيراميدز لمباراة الإسماعيلي في الدوري المصري

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي – محمود جاد – زياد هيثم

خط الدفاع: محمود مرعي – أحمد سامي – أسامة جلال – طارق علاء – كريم حافظ – محمد الشيبي

خط الوسط: بلاتي توريه – مصطفى فتحي – أحمد توفيق – محمود عبد العاطي دونجا – مهند لاشين – عبد الرحمن مجدي – أحمد عاطف قطة – مصطفى زيكو – إيفرتون داسيلفا – محمد رضا بوبو – محمود زلاكة.

خط الهجوم: دودو الجباس – يوسف أوباما – فيستون ماييلي – مروان حمدي. غيابات بيراميدز أمام الإسماعيلي في الدوري المصري

ويغيب 4 لاعبين عن المشاركة مع بيراميدز أمام الإسماعيلي، حيث يستمر محمد حمدي خارج الحسابات بسبب الإيقاف، فيما يغيب وليد الكرتي لتنفيذ عقوبة الإيقاف لمدة مباراتين.

كما يواصل عبد الرحمن جودة ورمضان صبحي برنامج التأهيل الخاص بهما، تمهيدًا لعودتهما إلى المشاركة في المباريات.

The laws of the game don’t permit the use of saliva on the ball as per an update last year

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2023Glenn Phillips was shown on TV applying saliva on the ball during the third day’s play of the Sylhet Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand. The incident took place after the first ball of the 34th over, when Phillips appeared to apply saliva on the ball before delivering it. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Paul Reiffel, however, didn’t intervene or take any sort of action at the time.When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, an ICC spokesperson said that it was up to match officials to “deal with on-field incidents, and we don’t give statements”.At the post-match press conference, Bangladesh team manager Nafees Iqbal confirmed that he had seen the footage, and had “informed the fourth umpire”.Law 41.3 of the game, updated and put into effect on October 1, 2022, says: “When cricket resumed following the onset of Covid-19, playing conditions were written in most forms of the game stating that applying saliva to the ball was no longer permitted. MCC’s research found that this had little or no impact on the amount of swing the bowlers were getting. Players were using sweat to polish the ball, and this was equally effective.”The new Laws will not permit the use of saliva on the ball, which also removes any grey areas of fielders eating sugary sweets to alter their saliva to apply to the ball. Using saliva will be treated the same way as any other unfair methods of changing the condition of the ball.”The previous instance of a player applying saliva on the ball, by Alishan Sharafu during a Nepal vs UAE ODI in November 2022, resulted in Nepal being awarded five penalty runs.