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With 10 Tests to be played in 15 weeks, India have “laid out some plans” to manage the workload of fast bowlers

Alagappan Muthu17-Sep-20241:56

Are turning pitches a good idea for India against Bangladesh?

India are coming off a break of more than a month without any cricket – “We are starting after a long time actually”, the captain Rohit Sharma said – but they are also aware of the strain that their schedule over the next few months can place on their players, particularly their fast bowlers.India begin the first of 10 Tests in 15 weeks against Bangladesh on Thursday, and they already have plans in place to protect the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who might be needed to take on heavy workloads when they travel to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in November through to January.”We have laid out some plans on how we are going to manage these bowlers,” Rohit said. “But again, it all depends on the workload that has been carried by them in these games. So yeah, we will monitor that. I think we have done that pretty well. Even when we played against England [at home, earlier this year], we managed to get Bumrah one Test match off. We managed to give Siraj one Test match off.Related

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“So it all depends on how the body feels at that particular time, what the [strength and conditioning] is, and what the physios feel about them, when is the right time to give them a break from the game, and then take the call.”India wrap up the two-Test series against Bangladesh on October 1 and have a couple of weeks off from red-ball cricket before they face New Zealand over three games that take them into early November. Then they will leave for Australia where they will play five Tests in eight weeks.”You want your best players to play all the games, but that’s not possible because there is so much cricket that happens,” Rohit said. “It is not only Test cricket, there is T20 cricket happening [against Bangladesh and South Africa] in the middle of the Test series as well. So you [have] got to understand everything, and then see what is best for the team and then manage your bowlers around it.”There has also been an effort made to expand the fast-bowling pool, with left-armer Yash Dayal joining the team for the Bangladesh series. There are several others pushing their case to make the national team with performances in domestic cricket. Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj were all involved in the season-opening Duleep Trophy earlier this month, and Rohit was pleased with what he saw from those matches.”We have got a lot of bowlers who are there for us,” he said. “We saw some exciting prospects in the Duleep Trophy as well. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers that are waiting in the wings for us.”On head coach Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma said: “We have a good understanding”•PTI

Gautam Gambhir takes charge of the Test team for the first time since being appointed the new India head coach. He and his assistant Abhishek Nayar were with the limited-overs team in Sri Lanka in August, and they have been overseeing a training camp in Chennai, leading up to the Bangladesh series.”The staff is new, but I know both Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar,” Rohit said. “I have played quite a bit of cricket against [bowling coach] Morne Morkel; we’ve played some tough cricket against each other. I’ve also played, maybe a couple of games, against [assistant coach] Ryan [ten Doeschate], but the two of us haven’t spoken as much before. From what I experienced with him in Sri Lanka, I think he has a sensible and [an] understanding personality, given the way he quickly started to understand things about the team.”As for Gambhir and Nayar, like I said, I know them well. Sri Lanka was the first series [with them in charge], and now they are going to play their second series with the team. Everyone has their own style. Rahul [Dravid] , Vikram Rathour, [and] Paras Mhambrey – they had a different way of running the team, [while] these guys will have a different style.”So it’s important for you to adjust. So far, there have been no problems or issues as a player. Like I said, if there is understanding between both [coaches and players], that’s the most important thing. And we have a good understanding.”India arrived in Chennai a full week before the start of the first Test against Bangladesh•PTI

India are not seeing their home series as preparation for the challenges they will be facing abroad.”Look, at the end of the day, you are playing for your country,” Rohit said. “So there is no dress rehearsal kind of stuff happening here. Every game that we play is important, and every game becomes important because of what is at stake. [In the] World Test Championship, still the table is quite wide open, and you want to win every game. So it doesn’t matter where we play in two months’ time. We want to win here. We want to win this Test match.”That’s why they arrived in Chennai a full week before the start of the game, to have the best preparation possible.”We assembled here on the 12th, and we’ve had a good time spending hours on the field, [and] getting everything together. So yeah, it is tough. But see, now people are so experienced, they managed themselves pretty well. And guys who have not played a lot of Test cricket, obviously went on to play the Duleep Trophy, which was good.”So in terms of preparation, [and] in terms of readiness, I feel we are quite ready for this game and what lies ahead of us. So it was a good little prep that we had before this Test match. It was important to utilise that time, and I thought we utilised this little camp that we had in Chennai pretty well.”

Everton are embarking on a new era under David Moyes and could now land themselves a summer transfer bargain once the window opens for business.

Everton look to make summer window mark

Survival has been achieved with flying colours by Everton and there is only one match now left at Goodison Park before supporters say goodbye to their home ahead of moving to Bramley Moore Dock.

Emotions are running high and there will be plenty of time for sentimental thoughts over the next few weeks, but fans will feel emboldened that the club are headed in the right direction under David Moyes.

Exciting times are on the horizon under The Friedkin Group and plenty of transfer movement is expected on Merseyside, with Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck cited as an ambitious potential arrival.

Gustavo Hamer could also join the Toffees from Sheffield United if Moyes has his way, as the former Netherlands Under-20 international is viewed as an ideal creative midfield option by the man in charge.

Abdoulaye Doucoure heads up a lengthy list of players that could be set to leave Everton upon the expiry of their contract or loan deals, which could be the signal for a sea change to take place in the dressing room.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young are among other potential departures on free transfers, leaving Moyes with some tough choices to make when considering the future look of his group.

While money is set to be available this summer, PSR regulations will keep clubs in check, meaning Everton could be forced to look for inexpensive pick-ups in certain positions to boost squad depth.

Spying an opportunity to land a bargain, the Toffees are now said to be in pole position to land one of England’s most trustworthy strikers.

Everton looking to seal move for Jamie Vardy

According to reports, Everton are looking to sign Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy once he becomes a free agent at the end of the season and are believed to be at the front of the race. Evaluating his profile, Moyes and TFG are said to value the former Three Lions international’s work ethic and capacity to deliver in pressure moments, citing him as someone who could be a leader in the short-term.

Jamie Vardy’s Premier League statistics – 2024/25

Shots

52

Shots on target

23

Chances created

19

Touches in opposition box

106

Goals

7

Assists

3

Becoming a shining light in a grim season for Leicester, the 38-year-old has been labelled “brilliant” by Gary Lineker and still retains a desire to offer something at the highest level.

Financially, Everton would be able to land the veteran on a free transfer, allowing room for manouvre to spend on other areas in need of surgery. Nevertheless, plenty of other clubs will also be in the hunt for £140,000 per week earner Vardy’s signature due to his potent nature, creating an intriguing few months ahead to see who will eventually land his services once the window opens.

There might still be a chance for Arsenal to end the season with a bang in the Champions League, but that hasn’t stopped the onslaught of transfer rumours in recent weeks.

With the Gunners’ need for attacking reinforcements impossible to ignore, it would be fair to say that Viktor Gyokeres has emerged as one of the most significant links.

It’s not hard to see why the club would be interested in signing the Swedish international, as so far this season, he’s scored a simply sensational 52 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 appearances for Sporting CP.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, another striker from the continent has emerged as a target, a striker who may well be a better signing than Gyokeres.

Arsenal's search for a new striker

A number of strikers, such as Ollie Watkins, have been linked to Arsenal in recent weeks.

The Aston Villa ace was a surprise target for the club towards the end of the winter window and is supposedly available again this summer.

The former Brentford ace may be on the older side of players the club likes to target, but with 16 goals and 13 assists in 50 appearances this term, he’d undoubtedly make the team more dangerous.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

At the other end of the age range, the club continue to be linked with Benjamin Sesko.

The 21-year-old Slovenian international is reportedly available for close to £58m and has bagged 20 goals and provided six assists in 42 appearances this year.

That said, it could be argued that he still lacks enough experience to make it at a club like Arsenal, which couldn’t be said about Jonathan David.

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Gunners are one of several teams interested in the Canadian international.

Alongside the North Londoners, the report has revealed that Liverpool, Newcastle United and West Ham United are all keen on the striker, who’ll be available for free at the end of the season.

However, Inter Milan appear to be leading the race for his signature as things stand.

It’ll likely be a complicated deal to get done, but given his ability, it’d be more than worth fighting for, especially as he could be a better signing than Gyokeres.

Why David would be a better signing than Gyokeres

So, the first thing to say is that if you were to base this solely off their goal tally, then Gyokeres appears to be the better signing.

However, what is incredibly important to remember here is that while his output is out of this world, the Swede is playing in the Portuguese league, which is ranked as the seventh best in Europe, while Ligue 1, where David plays, is in the top five.

Moreover, while the former Coventry City was in the Championship just a couple of years ago, the Canadian ace was still with LOSC Lille and still tearing it up.

Appearances

48

40

47

46

Goals

19

26

26

25

Assists

0

4

9

11

Goal Involvements*

0.39

0.75

0.74

0.78

For example, since the start of the 21/22 campaign, the 61-capped goal machine, whom journalist Tony Marinaro dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world,” has scored 96 goals and provided 24 assists in just 181 club appearances.

That means that across four seasons of top-flight football in a top-five league, the New York-born star has averaged a goal involvement every 1.50 games – talk about consistency.

Finally, on top of having a more extensive track record, the 25-year-old would make far more sense from a financial perspective, as a lack of transfer fee would free up so much money to be spent elsewhere, either on wingers, midfielders or even another defender.

Ultimately, either Gyokeres or David would be a good signing for Arsenal this summer, but from experience to cost, the Canadian international would be a better one.

He's like Saka & Salah: Arsenal plan talks to sign £55m Ballon d'Or nominee

The free-scoring international could be just what Arsenal need.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 28, 2025

Matthew Mott wants players to be “more vulnerable” after becoming “insular” during 50-over World Cup

Matt Roller23-May-2024Matthew Mott believes it is time his England team “get the mojo back” ahead of the T20 World Cup – and has hired Manchester City’s psychologist to help his players be more emotionally vulnerable if they come under pressure in the Caribbean.David Young, who was previously with England from 2016 to 2020, has worked with City during an unprecedented period of success, with the club recently becoming the first team to win four Premier League titles in a row. He has been brought back as a consultant on a short-term basis ahead of next month’s World Cup, with City’s approval.Jos Buttler was influential in the decision and has previously credited Young for helping him perform in the 2019 World Cup final. Young joined the England squad in Leeds ahead of their washed-out first T20I against Pakistan on Wednesday and will link up with them again in Cardiff on Monday, after helping City prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.”He’s previously been with the team and he’s already been a great ally in messages back to me, making sure my messages are clear,” Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said. “It’s always good to have someone who’s a little bit removed from the squad to make sure you’re landing your messages… He’s still doing other roles but we’ve got him for this series, and the start of the World Cup as well.”Related

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• Jos Buttler backs England to learn lessons from 50-over World Cup debacle

England’s management are trying to learn from the mistakes they made at last year’s 50-over World Cup, when they were knocked out at the group stage and won three of their nine games – two of which came after their elimination. Mott described the tournament as “death by a thousand cuts” and said: “When you’ve had the kick in the pants like we’ve had, you can’t just go ‘business as usual’. You have to redefine how you go as a team.”As a group, we’ve made a commitment to be a bit more open in and around our training sessions, to help each other out a bit more. In India, all of us were guilty of being a bit insular, and trying to problem-solve ourselves. We’ve made a commitment to open up and be a bit more vulnerable as a group so that we’re helping each other.”Mott has been watching the IPL from afar and said that England could learn from Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s winning streak to qualify for the play-offs. “The way they had nothing to lose and came out and played a different brand of cricket – could we have done that earlier? Maybe, yes. On reflection, we didn’t react as we should have after the start.”Eoin Morgan, Buttler’s predecessor as captain, was sharply critical of England’s performance in India and hinted there was “something else going on” in their dressing-room beyond collective underperformance. Mott – whose first series as coach was Morgan’s last as captain – said the pair have not spoken since, but that he respects Morgan and his opinion.”Family and friends got more upset about it than I did,” he said. “Initially, of course you take it a bit personally but he’s there to have an opinion… All I’ll say is that only the people within the dressing-room can fully understand what’s going on. Once you leave the dressing-room, you might hear titbits of stuff, but you don’t really know how the team’s operating.””It’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves”•Getty Images

Buttler suggested this week that he needs to give certain players more “clarity” than he did in India, and Mott said the squad would drive that change: “My style of coaching has always been more of a cooperative approach – keep asking questions on what does their game look like at its best, and if they’re veering away from that, to drag them back on track.”We feel like it’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves as a team. I think T20, as opposed to ODI, is so much clearer in the way the players can approach it. We’ve seen in the IPL, you have to go out and really take the game on from the start. Most teams are going to go that way, so it’s going to be an exciting World Cup.”England will confirm their World Cup squad to the ICC before Saturday’s second T20I at Edgbaston and will name the same 15 players that formed the provisional squad, despite both Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood carrying niggles. “Probably not for the next game at this stage, but definitely later in the series, they’ll be up for selection,” Mott said.Jofra Archer’s return was delayed by the rain on Wednesday and he is likely to play at least two of the remaining three T20Is. Mott said that England are “pretty confident” that they know their best XI for the Caribbean, and said he would be comfortable taking Tom Hartley to the World Cup even if he does not win his first T20I cap in this series: “He’s played a lot of high-quality cricket in the last 12 months.”

da brwin： Manchester United have now joined the race to sign an “excellent” goalkeeper, who could be brought in as a replacement for Andre Onana this summer, according to a report.

Major concern over Onana's Man Utd performances

da fazobetai： Onana was the subject of heavy criticism prior to Man United’s recent Europa League clash against Lyon, with Nemanja Matic launching a scathing attack on the goalkeeper.

Unfortunately, the 29-year-old didn’t exactly manage to silence the critics at the Groupama Stadium, making a late blunder to gift Rayan Cherki an equalising goal, which means there is everything still to play for at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

After the poor display against Lyon, Onana was dropped from the squad for the trip to St. James’ Park, but Altay Bayindir didn’t exactly stake a claim for a regular starting spot, with the Red Devils succumbing to a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United.

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As such, Ruben Amorim is now looking to bring in a new goalkeeper this summer, and Man Utd have joined the race for Anders goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, according to a report from The Boot Room.

Fofana’s performances this season have attracted the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brentford and Nottingham Forest also making checks in recent weeks.

Previous reports have detailed that the Angers shot-stopper could be available for just £15m this summer, so Amorim may not have to break the bank if he chooses to pursue a deal.

"Excellent" Fofana could be Onana upgrade

It is clear Amorim is losing faith with Onana, and it is little wonder, given that the Cameroonian’s latest blunder could be costly in United’s Europa League campaign, while Bayindir also failed to impress against Newcastle.

Fofana’s performances this season indicate he could be an upgrade for United between the sticks, having been lauded as “excellent” by members of the media after putting in a solid display against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has also praised the Ivorian, and believes the £15m fee Angers are set to hold out for “could be a bargain”.

The 24-year-old is yet to prove himself at the highest level, but his performances this season indicate he could be capable of making the step-up to a top club, and his availability for a low fee is an added bonus for United.

Forget the rules, just enjoy watching athletes smash balls out of the park, soar and dive to take catches, and live out some of the most dramatic stories in all of sport

Text by Dustin Silgardo and Illustrations by Ishita Mazumder29-May-2019The game is more explosive than ever beforeHave you heard cricket is slow? That a bunch of guys stand around on a field not doing much and then break for tea? Well, this is the new age of cricket, and the game is now all about sixes. That’s when the batsman hits the ball out of the field, like a home run, except you get six runs instead of one. Take that, baseball!ESPNcricinfo LtdSixes used to be a bit of a rarity in cricket, but these days, thanks to a bunch of changes in the game, they’re flying all over the place. And this World Cup is expected to be the World Cup of sixes.The best part about sixes: you can hit them anywhere and in all sorts of ways. You can switch from right-handed to left-handed mid-shot and hit one. You can play something called the ramp shot. You can get down on your knees and hit a six straight over your head, like this guy…Getty ImagesYou can even hit a six while falling over, like this…2:08

WATCH – What happened after Najibullah Zadran lost his footing?

There’s even something called a helicopter shot, which is when the batsman hires a private helicopter to swoop down as the bowler releases the ball and suck it into its vortex. Okay, it’s not. But it’s pretty bloody exciting. So tune in. You don’t even need to know the rules. It’s just fun watching players whack balls into the stands repeatedly.ESPNcricinfo LtdAfghanistanAfghanistan, that’s right, Afghanistan, a team from a country that hasn’t seen anything resembling peace in forty years, are playing at this World Cup. Get this, they’ve only had an official team since 2008, and it was born out of men seeking asylum from war, in Pakistan. And now they’re in the World Cup, for the second time.It’s not like they’ve got in on a sympathy ticket either. Just ten teams have qualified for this World Cup, so Afghanistan have had to beat much more established teams to get in. Have you heard a more romantic story in all of sport? Leicester City, meh. Jamie Vardy never fixed any toilets in refugee camps. So the Chicago Cubs won a World Series after 108 years. Just 30 years ago, the Taliban were insisting no one in Afghanistan play any sport since it might involve breaking the regime’s dress code.Afghanistan have one of the best bowlers in the world, they’ve got big hitters, they play with passion, and, win or lose, they’ll probably perform their famous Attan dance.If you’re not a soulless ghoul, then find out more about Afghanistan’s incredible story through this illustrated story.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia v PakistanEvery sport’s got rivalries. But there’s none quite like cricket’s India-Pakistan. The last time these two teams played in a World Cup, 500 million people tuned in to watch. The finale of Game of Thrones had just 19.3 million viewers. Do you really want to be 25 times less cool than people who don’t watch Game of Thrones?So why is this match such a big deal? These are two neighbouring countries that were basically one before 1947 but have since been in near-constant political conflict, and cricket is the biggest sport in both. Since 2013, tensions between the nations have increased, and the teams no longer play each other unless it’s at a world tournament. And the rarity of the derby match has only increased its popularity. The last two contests between these sides were at the Asia Cup last year in the UAE.Talk to any cricket fan about India-Pakistan and they’ll tell you about crazy matches that went all the way to the last ball, controversial moments that led to stadium riots, heated confrontations between players, ugly taunting by fans on both sides. But they’ll also tell you about touching moments involving fans from both sides of the border showing each other hospitality, and opposing fans putting aside the rivalry to show opposition players respect for incredible performances.ESPNcricinfo LtdCricketers actually look like athletes nowSo one of the things that might have put non-cricket fans off cricket in the past was that a lot of them looked like this:ESPNcricinfo LtdNot that there’s anything wrong with looking like that, and some of those guys were incredible players, by the way, but if you’re used to a sport in which muscles bulge out of jerseys and where players celebrate by baring their chiselled eight-packs, you might have found cricket a little lacking in testosterone.All that’s changed. The modern cricketer looks more like this:ESPNcricinfo LtdAnd it’s not just about the looks. These guys run, jump, slide and dive like real top-level athletes. Watch this World Cup and you’ll see players flinging themselves into the sky to take catches, bowling with javelin-thrower actions, taking catches while nearly falling over the rope but somehow chucking the ball to a team-mate, diving full-length despite wearing a helmet and padding on their legs. Just look at the guy in the photo above. Tell us he couldn’t hit home runs, or tackle running backs, or fight in a cage.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland might actually win at a sport they inventedSo this cricket World Cup is being played in England. It’s an awesome country. Big Ben, London Bridge, One Direction. But when it comes to sport, England have sometimes been, how do we put this, a bit of a laughing stock. See, the country invented a lot of the sports that are played across the world today but have since proceeded to suck at quite a few of them. The last time they reached a big football final was more than 50 years ago, they’ve been overtaken in rugby by a country one-tenth their size, and, in tennis, they’ve been desperately trying to lay claim to a Scotsman just so they can say they have a Grand Slam winner in this century.In cricket, it’s been no different. England have never won a World Cup. They’ve lost three finals. And last time out, they didn’t even make it out of the group stage. But this time, England are actually the No.1 ranked team in the world and are favourites to win on home soil. Even more surprising, they’ve actually become the best by playing what some of them call a “F**k it” brand of cricket. No, seriously, one of their best players actually had that written on his bat during a game. Basically, they’re fearless. They try to hit sixes (remember how exciting those are?) and take risks. What a ride for the country, to watch a team go for the cup while actually playing attractively. They’ll probably mess it up in the end, but it should be a fun ride regardless.

The former USMNT star said he perceives contradictions between the coach's words and actions

• Gomez points to Pochettino's public activities
• Questions lack of recruiting efforts
• Show frustration with incomplete squads

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  After announcing his USMNT squad ahead of the Gold Cup, coach Mauricio Pochettino said veteran and new faces alike should expect a certain tone in this camp. Pochettino sent a warning shot for anyone who shows up lacking focus.

  "If you arrive at the camp and want to spend some nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, see your family, see your friends, that is not the culture we want to create," he said. "No, no, no. What we want to do is go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all focus and energy on the national team because we need to create this culture about winning."

  Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez challenged those comments on ESPN FC, saying he perceives contradictions between the coach's words and actions.

  “He talks about the players coming back to the national team and ‘It’s not about golf, it’s not about not about going out to dinner, it’s not about hanging out with your buddies’ and I agree with him," Gomez said on ESPN’s Futbol Americas. “And he says, ‘Your sole and energy has to be on the US men’s national team’. And I don’t not want to be that guy, but it is so hypocritical from this man when all I’ve seen from him is out in YouTube charity matches, when all I see from him is Newell’s Old Boys, hanging out with his buddies. When all I’ve see from him is talking about how much he would love to go back to Tottenham Hotspur.

  “I don’t see recruiting trips. I don’t see him visiting the leaders of this team in Europe. I don’t see those things… the spirit of what he’s saying, I am here for. I’m just having a hard time buying it from the messenger.”

Advertisement

• WHAT HERCULEZ GOMEZ SAID

  Gomez was critical of Pochettino for having squads at less-than full strength for both the CONCACAF Nations League and now for the Gold Cup.

  "They lack mentality, they lack heart, they were soft in the past and you would have hoped they would have grown up,” Gomez said. “But it looks like they still have some growing up to do and unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, in his first real test – which was the Nations League – he had an incomplete squad, missing a lot of players.

  “And now he’ll have an incomplete squad here. And he’s still yet to get the whole squad to understand what he has at his disposal… A year out from the World Cup, that’s not something you want to see.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On Thursday, Pochettino's roster was unveiled for the upcoming matches. The USMNT, coming off a pair of disappointing CONCACAF Nations League losses in March, will head into the Gold Cup without many of its stars – including Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson – significantly altering the chemistry of a crucial summer.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The USMNT play two friendlies, against Turkey and Switzerland, on June 7 and 10 respectively, before the 2025 Gold Cup begins. That kicks off on June 14 for the USMNT with their first game against Trinidad and Tobago.

Shakib Al Hasan returned to Bangladesh’s World Cup camp in Kolkata on Thursday evening, cutting short his three-day Dhaka trip to two days. Shakib had gone to Dhaka on October 25 to have a nets session with his childhood mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.Bangladesh trained at Eden Gardens on Wednesday under lights, without Shakib of course, who had taken the evening flight from Dhaka. He reached the team hotel around 8.45pm where the team manager Rabeed Imam received him. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, on his way out to dinner, also met Shakib at the reception.According to the team management, Shakib didn’t tell them that he was returning home for cricketing reasons. Team director Khaled Mahmud, who is the head of the Bangladesh delegation in India, said that Shakib had said it was for “personal reasons” that he was going to Dhaka from Mumbai the day after their 149-run defeat to South Africa.”We have no idea about this,” Mahmud had told the Dhaka-based on Wednesday. “He may have gone to Fahim since he is not batting well. But we didn’t know about this. [Wednesday] was travel and rest day. [Thursday] is optional training. That’s why coach gave him the two-day break. He said that he had some personal matters in Dhaka. We know that much only.”Shakib reached Dhaka on Wednesday morning, going straight to the Shere Bangla National Stadium nets where Fahim met him. Shakib batted under his watch for three hours.Shakib has struggled with the bat at this World Cup, having scored just 56 runs in four innings. He has taken six wickets so far.Bangladesh have an afternoon training session in Kolkata on October 27, with the match against Netherlands on the following day.

Former Roma player Nicolo Zaniolo has been accused of hitting two youth players in a Primavera clash between Roma and Fiorentina.

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Fiorentina beat Roma in Primavera play-offNicolo Zaniolo went to Roma dressing room at FTStatement alleges two youth players physically struckFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?

AS Roma have released a formal statement suggesting that Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo barged into the Roma Primavera dressing room, where he allegedly engaged in provocative behaviour that escalated into a physical altercation, leading to two players reportedly being struck.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Zaniola initially emerged as one of Italian football's most highly-rated young players, although injuries have hampered his career. Now under contract at Galatasaray, Atalanta cut short his season-long loan in January, leading to him moving to another Serie A club in Fiorentina. The alleged incident in question occurred after a Primavera (Italian Under-19 competition) play-off game between Fiorentina and one of Zaniolo's former clubs, Roma, with the first-team player having watched the game from the stands.

WHAT ROMA AND ZANIOLO SAID

Roma's statement regarding the incident reads: "AS Roma announces that, following today’s match, a regrettable incident occurred involving player Nicolò Zaniolo. According to initial reconstructions, the player allegedly entered the Primavera team’s dressing room after the match and engaged in provocative behavior towards some of the Giallorossi youth players. During the confrontation, two players from the Primavera squad were reportedly physically struck. AS Roma cannot but firmly condemn any form of aggressive conduct or behavior that does not align with the values of sport."

Zaniolo, meanwhile, gave his side of the story after Fiorentina released an official statement: "At the end of the match I went down to the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina boys and then I went to the Roma locker room to say hello and congratulate them on the season, but at a certain point they started insulting me so, at that point, to avoid the situation degenerating, I preferred to leave."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ZANIOLO

Zaniolo will return to parent club Galatasaray while a thorough investigation into the incident is conducted by Italian authorities and the FIGC. Disciplinary action could be taken against all players involved. It remains to be seen where the midfielder will be playing his football next season, with the 25-year-old under contract with the Turkish champions until 2027.

da bwin： Nottingham Forest host Arsenal at the City Ground this evening, looking to return to winning ways after two defeats in a row against Newcastle United and Fulham in the Premier League.

da betano casino： Nuno Espírito Santo’s side still sit on 47 points before the clash against the Gunners, looking to close the gap to Mikel Arteta’s men, who sit six points ahead of them at present.

The Reds are unbeaten in the last six league clashes at the City Ground, looking to extend such a record tonight as they aim to bolster their Champions League qualification hopes.

The visitors currently have a whole host of injury issues heading into the meeting in the East Midlands, with both outfits desperately needing to get back on track after losing last weekend.

However, if Nuno is to claim three needed points tonight, he simply must drop one player after his poor showing against the Magpies at St James’ Park on Sunday.

Nicolas Dominguez’s stats against Newcastle United

Elliot Anderson was partnered at the heart of the midfield by Nicolas Dominguez for the trip to Newcastle after Danilo was left out of the side as he continues his injury comeback.

However, the Argentine was unable to impress on Tyneside, struggling to impose himself on the clash, with Eddie Howe’s side scoring four times in just 12 first half minutes.

The 26-year-old featured for 76-minutes before his eventual substitution, with his withdrawal warranted given the fact he was dribbled past four times during the contest.

Dominguez also committed two fouls and receiving yet another booking, moving him onto seven yellow cards in 2024/25 – the joint-most of any player in the squad.

As a result of his disappointing afternoon in the North East, Nuno should look to replace him for the clash against Arteta’s side, allowing one player to regain his place in the starting lineup.

The player who should replace Dominguez against Arsenal

Midfielder Ryan Yates hasn’t started a league game for Forest since the 5-0 thrashing against Bournemouth at the end of January, dropping down the order as a result.

However, despite not starting against the Magpies, the 27-year-old came off the bench with just 14 minutes remaining, but he still managed to make an impact on proceedings.

The Reds academy graduate found himself on the scoresheet, providing a nervy finish, and almost completing a comeback after being 4-1 down heading into the break.

Yates, who’s previously been dubbed “superb” by commentator Jamie Martin, won 100% of ground duels after coming off the bench against Howe’s side, also completing 100% of his attempted dribbles.

The £50k-per-week midfielder managed to register two efforts on goal along with two defensive recoveries, having a huge impact at both ends of the pitch as the Reds pushed for an equaliser.

Ryan Yates’ stats against Newcastle on Sunday

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

14

Touches

13

Goals scored

1

Ground duels won

1/1 (100%)

Dribbles completed

1/1 (100%)

Shots taken

2

Recoveries made

2

Stats via SofaScore

His work rate and effort levels have often impressed the fanbase – that, coupled with his academy background, makes it feel like he truly is one of their own.

After such an impact off the substitutes’ bench, he deserves the opportunity to showcase his talents in the centre of the park, with his relentless nature perfect for the clash against a fellow top four side.

The meeting at the City Ground will likely be a nervy affair with both sides needing vital points to secure their place in the top four, with Nuno needing to start Yates if his side are to claim the win tonight.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham Feb 25, 2025