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Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has delivered his verdict after the club released their new home kit for the 2025-26 season.

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Wrexham unveil new home kitWill be worn in Championship next seasonMcElhenney shares his thoughtsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham are currently preparing for the coming season which will see Phil Parkinson's side play in the Championship. A new strip has been released ahead of the campaign which has gone down well with supporters. Co-owner McElhenney is also a fan of the new kit and shared his thoughts on social media.

AdvertisementWHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

He posted on Instagram: "Spectacular. Gimme 14 of them right now."

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Wrexham are currently preparing for the new season on tour in Australia. Phil Parkinson's side will then jet home to begin life in the Championship with an opening fixture against Southampton. The Saints are back in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League and will provide stiff opposition.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

Wrexham are due to continue their tour of Australia and New Zealand with a game against Melbourne Victory on Friday. The team then play Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

India’s chief selector said the move will also help them manage Hardik Pandya’s workload better

S Sudarshanan22-Jul-20241:26

Agarkar: Fitness the reason for choosing Suryakumar over Hardik as T20I captain

The decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain and hand the white-ball vice-captaincy to Shubman Gill was because “the captain should be on the park”, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has explained. In other words, Hardik Pandya’s struggles with his fitness had worked against him.”Why Surya was made the captain, because he is one of the deserving candidates,” Agarkar said at a press conference on Monday in Mumbai. “He’s been around the group over the last year, we get feedback from the dressing room a lot. [He has a] good cricket brain, and [is] one of the best T20 batters in the world.”One of the main issues [discussed] was that you want a captain who’s likely to play all the games. We think he is a deserving candidate and hopefully we’ll see over time how he develops into the role.”Related

• Where does the elevation of Gill and Suryakumar leave Hardik?

• Axar: When the team needs someone to stand up, they bank on me to deliver

• What is the road ahead for Jadeja, Shami, Hardik and Rahul?

• 'Trust, freedom, success' – Gambhir lays out his coaching philosophy

• Gambhir on working with Kohli: 'We are going to be on the same page'

Hardik was India’s vice-captain in the shorter formats till the T20 World Cup 2024, stepping up to lead the team whenever Rohit Sharma was unavailable rested or not available. However, since the start of 2022, Hardik has featured in only 46 of the 79 T20Is India played. He suffered an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup in India last year, and was out of action till the start of IPL 2024. The value of a fully fit Hardik was seen at India’s T20 World Cup win, where he scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 151.57 and returned 11 wickets at an average of 17.36.Agarkar said the move to not give him additional leadership responsibility will allow the team management to manage his workload better. “We want him to be the player he can be, because those sorts of skillsets are difficult to find. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years. Then it [appointing Hardik captain and losing him to injury] becomes a bit difficult for the coach as well as the selectors. We have now got a bit more time till the next T20 World Cup where we can look at a few things. He’s an important player and his performances are more important for us.”His fitness is a challenge and we wanted someone who is available more often than not. Surya has the qualities you need to succeed as a captain. Two years is a bit more time to try and look at some things a bit differently. In this way we can manage Hardik better.””Every time you play, your place is on the line. These conversations don’t happen overnight. We’ve discussed them over the last few months, leading up to the World Cup as well. You get feedback from the dressing room as well, and the biggest thing is that the captain should be on the park. It’s a prerequisite really. Hopefully Surya does it and so far, there hasn’t been a concern over his T20 batting anyway.”

Shubman Gill being groomed to be India captain

0:56

Agarkar: ‘Gill shows a lot of qualities that we hear from the dressing room’

Gill got his first taste of top-flight captaincy at IPL 2024 with Gujarat Titans, and then led India on the tour of Zimbabwe earlier this month, where they won the T20I series 4-1. His place in the ODI and Test teams is certain, and, with Rohit’s T20I retirement, he seems to be the preferred opener in the format alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.”Shubman is the guy, we feel. He’s a three-format player, seems to show a lot more qualities over the last year or so that we hear from the dressing room. That’s why we want to have somebody who can learn from the senior guys – Surya in this instance and Rohit, who is still around.”KL [Rahul] hasn’t been part of T20Is now for a little while. You look at some of the feedback that you get, we’ve got a chance to hit the reset button a little bit, we have got a bit more time to plan. When Hardik did get injured, [captaincy] was a challenge at the point when Rohit wasn’t playing. While Rohit was still around, [it] made our life easier – that he could come and lead. We don’t want that situation going forward. We don’t want to face the same challenges where suddenly we have to look around for a captain in case there are injuries or loss of form somewhere.”[Shubman] has shown some decent leadership qualities, and we want to try him to get experiences. There are no guarantees but at this point, that’s the thought.Rishabh Pant made his return to international cricket in the T20 World Cup 2024•Associated Press

Why Pant over Samson for the SL series?

Despite scoring a century in his last ODI – against South Africa – Sanju Samson did not find a spot in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Rahul retained his spot as first-choice wicketkeeper after a successful World Cup last year, Rishabh Pant came in as the back-up gloveman, leaving no room for Samson.”Before his unfortunate [car] accident, [Rishabh] has been a key player for us,” Agarkar explained. “KL has been terrific in one-day cricket and had a great World Cup. Unfortunately, someone had to miss out, and in this instance, it was Sanju. These guys will have to keep getting runs and performing otherwise you know there is a quality player waiting. With a big Test season coming up, we feel these two will have a huge role to play. To get Rishabh playing 50 overs will be a step forward, hopefully he’ll build on what he’s done so far.”With Pant only now making his way back in the longer formats, India did not want to burden him with the responsibility of being the vice-captain.”Rishabh’s been out for a long time, we need to get him back playing,” Agarkar said. “He is a key player, hasn’t had a lot of cricket. We’ve seen what he can do in international cricket, he’s won Test series almost off his own bat. We want him back playing, that’s the first thing. We don’t want to burden somebody again who’s coming back after over a year.”0:38

Gambhir: ‘Our responsibility to have Bumrah fresh for important games’

Jadeja has not been dropped

Agarkar also said that Ravindra Jadeja “was not dropped” from the ODI set-up, but was left out to give opportunities to Axar Patel.”It would have been really pointless to take both him and Axar for this short series. We know what Jaddu has done. He’s had a terrific World Cup. All options are open. But there was [a chance that only] one of them would have played all three games if we had taken both. There’s a big Test season coming up where he’s likely to feature in a lot of the Tests. I don’t think three games would have mattered. So, no, [he is] not at all dropped.”Agarkar also made it clear that with Shreyas Iyer, Rahul and Pant back in ODIs, Suryakumar is being looked at as a T20I player for India.

Some Test players likely to play Duleep Trophy

Agarkar said that some of India’s Test players are likely to play the first Duleep Trophy game this season. The Duleep Trophy this season will be held between September 5 and 22 in Anantpur. India are expected to start their home season with a Test series against Bangladesh in mid-September.”We haven’t discussed with Gautam yet – it’s not always easy – but there will certainly be enough players out of that squad that are likely to play the first [Duleep Trophy] game at least,” Agarkar said. “That’s the only game they can really play. We’ll sit down and discuss which guys really need to play. It’s nice for the competition if all your top players come and play. It is not easy with such a packed and long season, tough for the players if they have a week off somewhere to make them play. There will be some in the squad who will play.”Agarkar said that the goal for Mohammed Shami is to get fit in time for India’s home Tests. The fast bowler has not played any cricket since November 2023 and had to undergo ankle surgery later on. He has just started bowling again at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. “There are so many Tests coming up. In India, you don’t play three seamers in the XI but going forward we’ll need some depth and have conversations around it.”

Premier League coverage is set for a dramatic shift in 2025-26, as broadcasters will gain unprecedented access to players and dressing rooms. Substituted stars will now be interviewed pitch-side during live games, with cameras joining goal celebrations and briefly entering locker rooms in a move inspired by American sports broadcasting.

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Substituted players to give live touchline interviews during matchesCameras allowed on pitch for goal celebrations in new seasonChanging room access granted under tight restrictions for broadcastersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Premier League has confirmed a series of broadcast innovations that will debut in the 2025-26 season, as per The Telegraph, marking a significant evolution in how matches are televised. Among the key changes is the introduction of touchline interviews with substituted players, a first in the league’s history. These interviews will occur after players have cooled down, allowing broadcasters to capture immediate post-performance reactions while live action continues in the background. This comes as part of the league's new domestic TV rights deal, which includes a record £6.7 billion agreement with Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

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Other confirmed elements include camera operators entering the pitch briefly during goal celebrations to provide close-up footage and restricted access to changing rooms, though never during tactical talks or halftime team addresses. These changes reflect the Premier League's increasing emphasis on entertainment value in a saturated global sports market. Broadcasters, particularly Sky and TNT, are demanding more immersive access to justify the soaring costs of TV rights, and the league is responding by adopting US-style innovations long seen in the NFL and NBA.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sky Sports previously trialled touchline interviews with Marcus Tavernier during a Bournemouth match last season. Now, these interviews will become regular after a cooling-off period post-substitution. Cameras will enter the pitch momentarily for goal celebrations, but only momentarily, and while cameras will be present in the dressing room, it will never be done during managerial talks.

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Fans can expect a more immersive experience, but rollout will vary by club and match. The Premier League will monitor feedback from clubs, players, and supporters. Expect gradual expansion of features as cooperation grows, and possible resistance from elite clubs concerned about distractions. But one thing’s clear: TV coverage is entering a bold new era.

Shreyas Iyer will be available for only the last two games

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2023With Hardik Pandya yet to recover from his ankle injury, Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the five-match T20I series against Australia, starting November 23. Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the vice-captain for the first three games before handing over the responsibility to Shreyas Iyer who will join the squad for the last two matches.The series starts just four days after India lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. But with the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA roughly six months away, the focus will now shift to T20Is.From the ODI World Cup squad, Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan and Prasidh Krishna are the only ones named for the whole series, while Axar Patel, who was ruled out of the World Cup with quadriceps strain, is back.ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, there was no room for Sanju Samson and Shahbaz Ahmed, who were part of the squad for the Ireland T20Is in August. Riyan Parag, who almost single-handedly carried Assam to the semi-final of the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Abhishek Sharma, the Player of the Tournament, could not find a place either.Apart from Axar, Washington Sundar is the other allrounder. Shivam Dube, too, is in the mix, but he has bowled only sporadically of late, sending down just four overs in eight games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Ravi Bishnoi is the only wristspinner in the squad.This is the first time Suryakumar will be leading India. Previously, he has led Mumbai in 36 matches across formats in domestic cricket. Earlier this year, he also captained Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.Related

New format, new teams, a bit more India vs Australia

Wade to captain Australia in T20I series against India

Hardik Pandya not fit to play T20Is against Australia

Borovec to coach Australia for India T20Is

VVS Laxman, who had coached the India men’s team to the gold medal at the Asian Games, will be in charge of the team for the five T20Is. The first match will be played in Visakhapatnam before the caravan moves to Thiruvananthapuram (November 26), Guwahati (November 28), Raipur (December 1), and Bengaluru (December 3).India’s squad for Australia T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-capt), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt, available only for last two T20Is)

In a session’s worth of play – 14.1 overs upfront and the last 15 overs – Karnataka lost eight wickets, and with it the initiative in their semi-final against Saurashtra

Saurabh Somani at the Chinnaswamy24-Jan-2019Jaydev Unadkat made the ball dart around both ways, from over the stumps or around them, at the outset. Karnataka’s batsmen flailed and poked, against both pace and spin, at the close. In the middle period, the trio of Manish Pandey, Shreyas Gopal and S Sharath held sway. But despite that middle period being twice as long as the start and the finish, the day was defined by how it began and how it ended.In a session’s worth of play – 14.1 overs first up and the last 15 overs – Karnataka lost eight wickets, and with it the initiative in their semi-final against Saurashtra.ALSO READ: Umesh claims seven as Kerala roll over for 106Unadkat was terrific, keeping the ball in the channel, working the angles to yank bat away from body and pad and into a poke, getting subtle movement and cranking up the pace when needed. But a batting line-up that has Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and Pandey among its first five batsmen but still finds itself at 30 for 4 after choosing to bat must ask itself questions. A lower order that has decent batting chops must also ask itself questions if the score tumbles from 232 for 5 to 258 for 9.When Pandey chose to bat first on Thursday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, he would have known that the first hour presented the most testing phase. The ball was new, the bowlers raring and the pitch fresh. He would have known equally, that if Karnataka could survive the opening hour, there would be runs for the taking. Except, Unadkat had other plans.”Honestly, there was nothing new in the plan,” Unadkat said. “We thought there was some moisture in the wicket. To take the advantage of that it was necessary to bowl in the right areas, on the top of off stump. That’s what we talked about after I bowled a couple of overs, and I told Chetan (Sakariya) as well that we’ll keep the off-stump lines and wait for them to commit errors. Looking at the way the pitch was behaving, it was the only plan that was there in my mind. I’m happy that we actually got those wickets. At times it doesn’t come even if you bowl in good areas and bowl good balls. Later on the spinners also capitalised in the end.”Unadkat’s opening burst brought three wickets in seven uninterrupted overs. He had taken out R Samarth with the third ball of the match. He then got a one to tail in late to account for KV Siddharth, Karnataka’s highest scorer this season. And the most crucial strike came when the plan to stifle Agarwal resulted in a poke that was snaffled by the wicketkeeper. The man who handled Mitchell Starc’s left-arm pace confidently on Test debut was undone by Saurashtra’s captain.”For Mayank I just had a set plan to bowl top of off stump, in the fourth-stump line. There was movement happening at that time, so for me it was just simple,” Unadkat said. “I had to bowl in the right areas and wait for him to commit an error. Because we were bowling in partnerships, and not giving him loose balls, not giving him boundaries – I think that was the reason he didn’t really get his shots and he just pushed at a good ball.”Pandey then took the onus on himself to carry his team out of trouble. Counterattacking from the start, he succeeded in making Unadkat change his plans. Once the spinners came on, the field began to spread, and more importantly, the bowlers couldn’t settle on a length because Pandey was using his feet and the depth of the crease.Unadkat had not bowled in the first session after a seven-over burst. He later explained this was because he knew he would have to spread out his overs across the day. He duly came back after lunch and got his man, setting him up with one that went away, and then bowling a quicker, fuller ball homing in on the stumps. Pandey wasn’t in position to play it, and brought his bat down too late, by when the ball had found its target.”After lunch, it wasn’t really moving much so I was trying to get something out of it,” Unadkat said. “I was bending my back as well. That particular ball, I think if you saw the one before that it was an outswinger and he got beaten. So I just had a feeling that if I bowl this ball up and get it to swing in, which it did, it could get him lbw or bowled and that happened.”What Unadkat started, Karnataka’s batsmen finished. In the final hour, Shreyas tried to swipe Kamlesh Makvana across the line and found that he had played for turn that wasn’t there, the ball merely going with the angle from around the wicket. Shreyas had stayed at the crease for more than four hours with exemplary concentration, so one lapse was understandable. Unfortunately for him, his first mistake was his last. There was no redemption in the other dismissals though. Both K Gowtham and Vinay Kumar have first-class centuries while Abhimanyu Mithun has a highest score of 89. They collectively scored 14 off 35 balls. Gowtham was dropped second ball off Makvana, but he wafted at one lazily outside off to give slip-catching practice. Both Vinay and Mithun played ugly slogs across the line – one was bowled, the other caught off a top edge.The lower order had fallen while copying Pandey’s counterattack but without his skill. This despite, Shreyas and Sharath putting on an exhibition of patience and classical long-format batting, and with Sharath watching from the other end while batting unbeaten on a maiden first-class fifty.Sharath conceded that he and Shreyas “were actually looking at 300” when they were together as a reasonable end-of-day score, so by their own measure 264 for 9 was considerably below par.Karnataka may have had the better of four hours out of six on the first day. But it’s the two hours they conceded that have made the most impact.

da bet7： Arsenal are now very keen on signing an “amazing” Barcelona player this summer, with Mikel Arteta viewing him as the perfect addition to his squad, according to a report.

Gunners eyeing La Liga stars

da bet7： The Gunners have set their sights on a number of La Liga stars ahead of the summer transfer window, given new Sporting Director Andrea Berta’s extensive links to the Spanish league.

Omar El Hilali is the latest player to emerge as a potential target, given that the Espanyol defender has an attractive release clause of just £12.5m, while new options are also being considered in more attacking areas of the pitch.

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, alongside Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, and the north Londoners have recently made contact to discuss a deal for the Spaniard.

Related £42m star now expected to join new club as Arsenal scouts really impressed

Mikel Arteta is keen to breathe new life into his Arsenal squad this summer.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Mar 15, 2025

Amid the Spanish club’s financial struggles, Arsenal have also expressed interest in Barcelona players in recent months, with Raphinha being identified as a target back in December, and they are now very keen on a move for a midfielder.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states the Gunners have shown the most interest in signing Barca’s Marc Casado, who has emerged as a key player for the La Liga title contenders this season.

Arteta views Casado as the ideal addition to his midfield, given his tackling ability, and there is a belief he would be a good fit for the Spaniard’s style of play.

That said, it could be very difficult to get a deal done this summer, considering Barcelona are currently unwilling to sanction a departure, given the midfielder’s importance to the team.

There is also a huge £83m release clause included in the 21-year-old’s contract, which could be another potential stumbling block for Arteta.

"Amazing" Casado emerging as key player for Barca

It has been a real breakthrough season for the youngster at Camp Nou, making 35 appearances in all competitions, having solidified his place as a regular starter for the La Liga giants.

As noted in the report, the Spaniard’s tackling ability is particularly impressive, but he is also capable of making attacking contributions, ranking very highly for assists per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

Statistic

Average per 90

Pass completion %

89.9% (92nd percentile)

Assists

0.21 (93rd percentile)

Tackles

3.12 (90th percentile)

There are now doubts over Thomas Partey’s long-term future at the Emirates Stadium, with the Ghanaian holding talks with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona ahead of a potential free transfer in the summer.

Casado, who has been lauded as “amazing” by Hansi Flick, has proven he could be an excellent replacement for the midfielder, but it does not seem like a deal is particularly likely this summer, given Barcelona’s reluctance to sell the La Masia graduate.

Big picture – Teams look to capitalise on momentum

While this World Cup has only belatedly started offering up some nail-biters, it’s been rather more generous in terms of unexpected results. As a result, despite the sides currently occupying the top-four spots in the points table being the likeliest to make it through to the knockouts, there’s a cluster of teams just below them ready to capitalise on any potential slip-ups.For Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, three wins from their final four games in the league stage will leave them on ten points, which would give them a genuine shot at a semi-final berth. But of those four games, Afghanistan will face Australia and South Africa, while Sri Lanka still have to take on India and New Zealand.This is what makes Monday’s game in Pune all the more spicy; a win for either side leaves a margin for error in at least one of those “tougher” games, lose and those fledgling semi-final hopes become considerably dimmer.Related

• Trott believes his team is inspiring Afghanistan's youth

• The unsung heroes behind India's spectacular stadium atmosphere

• Chameera replaces injured Kumara

Both sides also come into this fixture with some form. Well, as much form as sides that have lost three of their five games can be in.While defeats to India and New Zealand might have been accounted for, an opening loss to Bangladesh hurt Afghanistan. But historic wins against England and Pakistan have rejuvenated Afghanistan’s campaign.As for Sri Lanka, three defeats on the bounce to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia had seemingly left their tournament hopes in tatters, but back-to-back wins over Netherlands and, more impressively, England has injected new vigour into a unit that was badly in need of a jolt.There won’t be many secrets between these two sides, with them having squared off in six ODIs over the past year. Sri Lanka have won four of them, though the last – an Asia Cup thriller in September – is one that would have left a sour taste in Afghanistan’s mouths and will serve as added motivation if needed.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWLL
Sri Lanka WWLLL

In the spotlight – Rashid Khan and Pathum Nissanka

It’s no secret that Rashid Khan‘s effectiveness in ODIs has not quite been at the same level as that in T20Is. So far, across five games, he’s picked up six wickets, not exactly stats to set the world alight, but then again, this has been predominantly a batters’ tournament so far.However his record against Sri Lanka provides more cause for optimism. His 11 wickets across six innings at an average of 18.54 is only bettered by his record against Zimbabwe and Ireland among Full-Member nations; in those six innings, he’s gone wicketless just once. Sri Lanka also have a soft underbelly, one that Afghanistan exploited once already in the warm-ups, and Rashid will be key to testing that brittle middle and lower order once more.Will Rashid Khan make an impact against Sri Lanka?•ICC/Getty Images

Masking those middle-order jitters for Sri Lanka has been a rather more consistent top order, with Pathum Nissanka emerging as an unlikely leader. Indeed, if there was an award for most improved cricketer in the Sri Lankan ranks, you wouldn’t have to look much beyond Nissanka.Having debuted as a Test grafter in 2021, he was fast-tracked into the white-ball setup during a period when SLC was in the midst of a youth-driven overhaul and were taking a more long-term approach to squad building. This meant the selectors stuck with him through his lean start to ODIs – he scored 86 runs across his first nine innings – but he has paid that faith back in spades. It was at the end of that barren run that he was promoted to regular opener, and his 36 innings since have brought 13 fifties and three centuries. His average in ODIs now stands at 39.97, and in this World Cup he’s kicked that up a notch, racking up four consecutive fifties at 60.75. More importantly, he has begun to show signs of developing a more aggressive approach – his strike rate in the tournament is 91.35, up from 83.64 prior to the start.

Team news

Afghanistan have had a six-day break since their last game and are well rested. Fazalhaq Farooqi is likely to come back in for Noor Ahmad.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSri Lanka were dealt yet another injury blow, after Player of the Match against England, Lahiru Kumara, was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury. He has been replaced in the squad by Dushmantha Chameera, himself returning from injury, and it is likely he will come straight into the side. Kusal Perera’s form meanwhile has been a concern of late, and there have been murmurs of Dimuth Karunaratne replacing him at the top of the order.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Angelo Mathews 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka1:46

Bond: Hopefully this win kickstarts Sri Lanka’s campaign

Pitch and conditions

The Pune surface in recent times has shown a propensity for high scores, but there’s also been some assistance for the spinners – something both sides could benefit from. That said, dew might come into play in the evening, so the toss will prove crucial as usual.

Stats and trivia

• Nissanka’s 296 runs is the most by a Sri Lanka batter against Afghanistan. It is also the most he’s scored against a single nation.
• Hashmatullah Shahidi is 57 runs away from reaching 2000 ODI runs
• Sadeera Samarawickrama is 90 short of 1000 ODI runs

Quotes

“I think this break is good for us because we had back-to-back games before that and when you play too many games in short time, so the players get like tired. So that was good – after a good win when you are having rest and think about other games also that give you time and also give rest for the bodies and I can say that was good for us.”

تلقى نادي بيراميدز إخطارا رسمياً اليوم الإثنين من رابطة الأندية المحترفة بشأن مباراة الفريق أمام الأهلي، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع بيراميدز في الجولة الخامسة من الدوري المصري، يوم السبت 30 أغسطس 2025، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

وقررت رابطة الأندية في خطابها نقل مباراة الفريقان الأهلي وبيراميدز إلى استاد السلام بدلا من إقامتها على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وجاء ذلك نظراً لأعمال الصيانة بأرضية استاد القاهرة فإنه تقرر نقل لقاء الأهلي وبيراميدز ليقام على استاد السلام.

طالع أيضاً.. لجنة الحكام تحدد شروط استقدام طاقم أجنبي لمباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز

ويحتل الأهلي المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 4 نقاط، بينما يتواجد بيراميدز بالمركز السابع، ولديه 4 نقاط أيضاً.

يذكر أن الأهلي تعادل في مباراة الجولة الأولى مع مودرن سبورت بنتيجة 2-2، وفاز على فاركو في الجولة الثانية بنتيجة ثقيلة 4-1.

على الجانب الآخر، تعادل فريق بيراميدز في مباراة الجولة الأولى سلبياً مع وادي دجلة، وفاز في مواجهة الجولة الثانية على الإسماعيلي بهدف دون رد.

Manchester United and Ruben Amorim have suffered a new injury scare, as a “monster” player is set to undergo a test following an injury he picked up against Everton on Saturday.

Man Utd fight back to claim a point at Everton

It looked like it was going to be another disappointing weekend for the Red Devils, as they went 2-0 down to Everton in the first half at Goodison Park. United put on a poor showing in the first half, but changes by Amorim transfored the game in the second half and two quick goals from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte meant the points were shared.

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After the game, Amorim claimed his side were “soft” and gave the ball away too many times when not under pressure.

Amorim was also asked what he can do to make his United side more consistent, as that is now no win in their last three league games – the Portuguese is unsure if he can change it.

“I don’t know; if I know, I will change it. Everything we do in the week, we have to do better in the game. In this moment, we need to focus on day by day. We need to survive this season, and then we can think ahead. I don’t want to just say the negative part. In the second half, we were close to win this game.”

Man Utd suffer injury scare as “monster” set to undergo Monday scan

Amorim will have been pleased to see his side fight back to rescue a point on Saturday, but he will now be concerned about one of his key players. According to ESPN reporter Rob Dawson (relayed by mufcmpb on X), Noussair Mazraoui picked up an injury to his knee in the game against the Toffees and is set to undergo tests on Monday.

The 27-year-old went down in the second half of the game but was able to continue a little bit longer before being replaced in the 70th minute by Leny Yoro. It is unclear the severity of Mazraoui’s injury, but he is set to undergo tests before a decision is made on whether he can play against Ipswich Town on Wednesday.

Mazraoui, who has been dubbed a “monster” in the past, has been a key player for United this season, starting 24 Premier League games as well as seven in the Europa League and two in the FA Cup. The defender has failed to appear in just one game this season, and that was in the recent game against Rangers, as he missed the match through injury.

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The versatile defender, who earns £135,000 a week at Old Trafford, would complete what is fast becoming a Tottenham-level injury crisis at United. Amad Diallo is likely out for the season, Kobbie Mainoo will miss several weeks and Lisandro Martinez is facing a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury of his own, and things wil go from bad to worse if the Moroccan’s scans come back with bad news.

Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s Ashes campaign after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Test at Lord’s last week.Pope, who has twice suffered shoulder dislocations in the past, underwent a scan in London on Monday, which revealed the full extent of the injury, He will undergo surgery and will miss the final three Tests against Australia, before beginning his rehabilitation under the guidance of the England and Surrey medical teams.Having damaged the shoulder diving for a ball on day one of the Lord’s Test, Pope aggravated the injury on day three after the umpires insisted he take the field after batting in England’s first innings, scoring 42. It was a situation that left England frustrated, with Jeetan Patel, England’s spin coach, acknowledging that England would have had to field with ten men had he not fronted up.Related

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“It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly bust your shoulder and you’re told it was an external [injury],” Patel said. “It was always going to happen. He’s so committed to this team. He was always going to fall on something. And now he’s back off.”Pope is also England’s designated vice-captain, although that leadership gap is straightforward to fill, with Stuart Broad likely to step up as Ben Stokes’ deputy, having fulfilled the role unofficially last summer. A bigger issue, however, is who now steps into the vacant No. 3 spot at Headingley.Despite averaging 22.50 across four innings against Australia, Pope has averaged 45.25 at first-drop since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took charge at the start of last summer. Now, with England 2-0 down and facing a must-win match to keep the Ashes alive, there is an unwanted problem to solve at the top of the order.Speaking at Headingley on Tuesday, Joe Root lamented the loss of Pope, and did not rule out a return to No.3, a position Root has not assumed since relinquishing the captaincy before the start of last summer.