Category Uncategorized

The Afghanistan spin ace had a bad day, but his team-mates Josh Little and Noor Ahmad covered for him beautifully

Sreshth Shah29-Apr-20232:33

Moody: Little is getting better and better with experience

On most days, Rashid Khan’s performance mirrors the performance of the team he represents. But this time it didn’t. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he conceded 54 runs in his four overs – 23 in his first spell and 31 in his second. And still ended up on the winning side. There were two reasons for this, and their names are Noor Ahmad and Josh Little.Knight Riders will be hard pressed to explain how it all happened. Rahmanullah Gurbaz had got on top of Rashid early. He was in the form of his life, actually charging towards a hundred. But the problem was, nobody stuck around to help him, and in the end, after being put in to bat, they could only muster up 179 for 7.Titans were thrilled, and once again they had unheralded talents working incredibly well together. Noor and Little bowled eight overs for 46 runs and four wickets. That combined economy rate of 5.75 and the quality of the Knight Riders batters they dismissed effectively bailed Rashid out, and despite his off day, gave Titans the upper hand at the end of their bowling innings. It was an advantage they held on to right till they hit the winning runs 90 minutes later.It started off with Little frustrating Gurbaz by getting length balls to go across the right-hander. While Gurbaz was timing the other Titans bowlers beautifully, he struggled against the Irish left-arm seamer who did well to mix his cutters and stock deliveries. Little gave away only ten runs in his first two overs, and by the time he came onto bowl his third, he had frustrated the Knight Riders batters enough that they began taking a few risks. A couple of them didn’t come off – Venkatesh Iyer lbw attempting the scoop and Nitish Rana finding the fielder at point – and suddenly he had two wickets in four balls.Even though Little conceded 12 in his final over later on, his match haul of 2 for 25 earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.”I just spoke to Hardik [Pandya] before we played and just talked about keeping it as simple as possible on this pitch, just bowling hard lengths,” Little said after the game. “Just smashing it back of a length and let the ball do the talking.”Noor Ahmad goes up in celebration•AFP/Getty ImagesNoor was having an even better day because everyone, including Gurbaz, struggled for fluency against him. He got length balls to fizz across right-handers’ bodies after pitching on leg stump, and teased left-handers with deliveries that tested both edges.One such delivery even picked off Rinku Singh, but the moment of the innings was when Noor ended Gurbaz’s blitz on 81, caught in the deep by a sliding Rashid in what was an all-Afghan affair. Gurbaz was on his knees, having thrown away a great opportunity to continue hitting, while Noor ran across to Rashid to celebrate.”Noor and Rashid have a very good rapport,” Vijay Shankar told reporters after the game. “They communicate very well in their own language.”Rashid had an off day but Rashid was still communicating with Noor today. And Noor was doing it for the team. The communication that Rashid and Noor had actually helped Noor come out and do well on this type of surface. The best thing about our team is that even last game Abhinav [Manohar] came in and batted brilliantly. That’s the biggest plus point we have. Everyone is stepping up when the game is in a difficult situation. Noor and Little did exactly what the team needed.”Shankar’s own 24-ball unbeaten 51 showed that the pitch offered enough rewards for those willing to play good shots. The rest of the Titans batters – plus Gurbaz and Andre Russell for Knight Riders – showed evidence of that too. But when Iyer, Rana and Rinku faced Little and Noor, they struggled. Even Gurbaz struggled when Little and Noor operated, even though his overall strike rate was 207.”I felt Noor and Little… they bowled really good lengths,” Shankar said. “In any format, especially T20s, good length is a good option. That’s why they call it a good length. It was just an off day for Rash. He has been the No. 1 bowler for whichever team he has played for. This is a great learning for us, to know what lengths to bowl on this kind of pitch. It was good to see someone else – Noor and Little today – step up.”Last season when Titans won the IPL title, eight different squad members picked up Player-of-the-Match awards. This season, in six wins, they have five different award winners already, with three of them bowlers. And when Titans cruise to victory with Rashid having one of his worst days, it only spells trouble for the teams they are up against next.”I feel that’s the biggest strength we have,” Shankar said. “We have five-six regular bowlers who are doing it again and again. If someone is going for runs, there is another guy coming in and getting you wickets. In most games, we are taking at least six wickets. That has been our strength.”It is just about finding ways to come out good in every situation. The amount of practice we do is a lot. We actually do it for hours and hours. We find ways to come out good in difficult situations.”

SG’s marketing director says the Chepauk pitch responsible for the early wear and tear of the seam

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-20211:49

Kohli: ‘The ball’s seam is destroyed in 60 overs’

India captain Virat Kohli has joined R Ashwin in being critical about the “quality” of the SG Test ball used in the first Test of the England series. A day after Ashwin called the ball “bizarre”, Kohli agreed with the sentiment, saying India were not “pleased” with the ball being badly scuffed up well before the second new ball was due, especially in England’s first innings.The seam coming apart after the threads on the hand-stitched SG Test ball started loosening even before the ball was 50 overs old became both a sight as well as an early talking point in the first Test, played on a predominantly flat and slow surface in Chennai.After Kohli lost the toss, the five-man Indian bowling attack was made to toil hard for nearly 191 overs across the first two-and-a-bit days to bowl England out for 578 in their first innings. Yet, despite the visible deterioration the umpires did not change the ball even once in England’s first innings during which India took two further new balls. The first new ball was taken after 81 overs and the second in the 186th over.However, both Kohli and Ashwin remained sceptical. “The quality of the ball, honestly as well, wasn’t something that we were very pleased to see,” Kohli said on Tuesday during the post-match media briefing. “Because that’s been an issue in the past as well – just for the ball’s seam to be completely destroyed in 60 overs is not something that you experience as a Test side and something that any Test side could be prepared for. But that was the reality of the first two days, but having said that, (the ball is) not an excuse – England played better cricket than us and deserved to win.”On Monday, after taking six wickets in England’s second innings, Ashwin said that he had never seen the SG ball get worn out so fast. Just like Kohli, Ashwin, too, felt the pitch might have played a role. “This game, the ball was pretty bizarre for us, because I’ve never seen an SG ball tear through the seam like that before. It could well be a combination of how hard the pitch was the first two days. Even in the second innings after the 35th-40th over, the seam started to peel off. It was quite…it was bizarre. I haven’t seen an SG ball like that in the last so many years. But yeah, maybe it could be due to the pitch and the hardness of it through the centre which is making the ball get scuffed up.”It is not the first time the senior Indian pair has pulled up the SG Test ball’s leather softening very early. During the home Test series against West Indies in 2018, Kohli said he would prefer the Dukes ball over the SG only because the former was more consistent and didn’t get scuffed up as early as “from the fifth over.”Kohli’s remarks came on the back of Ashwin saying he was “disappointed” by the SG Test ball which when he had started playing first-class cricket was “top-notch” and the seam would “be standing up strong and straight” even after the 70th over, which was no more the case.Both R Ashwin and Virat Kohli have been unimpressed with the latest batch of SG Test balls•BCCIParas Anand, the marketing director at SG, pointed out that the Chepauk pitch was mostly responsible for the quick “wear and tear” the ball had endured over the first couple of days. “It is mostly to do with the surface,” Anand told ESPNcricinfo.Anand said the hard nature of the pitch automatically meant the ball would soften quicker. Ishant Sharma, India’s strike bowler, had also pointed out how difficult it was to bowl on the first two days. “First two days, actually I was feeling like were playing on a road to be very honest,” Ishant told the host broadcaster after the fourth day’s play.Anand said the ball had been “still in the game” and remained hard throughout the five days. “At our end we have ensured the quality and performance of the SG Test ball is top notch. The first new ball was changed after 81 overs and the second new ball lasted 104 overs. I did not see the balls being changed. That is a good sign, which means the ball was holding shape.”Because the wicket was really hard, which everybody is accepting, it is very difficult for the leather, a natural substance and not the hardest thing, to naturally wear and tear. So the expectation that a 40-, 50- or a 60-overs old ball to behave like a 10-over old ball is not going to happen.”Incidentally, the ball did remain hard and fast bowlers got the ball to reverse in all four innings in the match. In fact, reverse swing was the basis of James Anderson’s match-turning spell on Tuesday morning. Before the start of play on the final day, Anderson told the host broadcaster that reverse swing would be a significant factor. “The wicket is so abrasive that our second new ball in India’s first innings reversed after about four overs,” Anderson said.According to Anand, the set of SG Test red balls being used in the England Test series is from the same lot used in the India’s last two home series – against South Africa and Bangladesh in 2019. The balls, Anand said, were worked on after receiving feedback from the Indian team in 2018.”The feedback from the Indian team was that they basically wanted more consistency and that has been delivered. They also wanted the seam prominent. This is the same set of balls which we have been using for the last two years. The feedback from first-class cricketers has been very positive: they are saying the shape retention and seam are a lot better now.”Anand said that SG was “open to feedback” and in case the Indian team suggested any further changes, they would work on that.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stoked some flames among baseball fans last week when he admitted he's not sure whether Bryce Harper will ever become an "elite" player again.

Dombrowski's surprising comments gained steam across the Philadelphia sports world, even with some wondering whether that's an indication the franchise could look to move on from the eight-time All-Star. The Phillies president clarified his initial comments in a recent appearance on

"First of all, to me, Bryce Harper's one of the best players in the game of baseball," he said Thursday. "They asked me, 'What type of year do you think he had?' And I said, 'He had a very good year, I don't think he had an elite year.' And when I say that, when I think of Bryce Harper, it's a compliment, because the reality is there are eight, 10 players in the game of baseball every year, when they're not in the MVP consideration. … It's not an elite year for them.

"So the reality is, he's a great player, he's a future Hall of Famer. … Now I've been reading that, . That couldn't be farther from the truth. We love him, we think he's a great player, he's a very important part of our team. I've seen him have better years.”

The unsubstantiated rumors have hit Harper's ears, which caught him by surprise and left him downright disappointed.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper said via Matt Gelb. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Gelb reported in that Harper was hurt by Dombrowski's initial comments at his end of season press conference. The 14-year veteran slashed .261/.357/.487 with 27 homers and RBIs for the Phillies this season. His .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 when he was still with the Nationals, while his .261 batting average was the lowest mark since his first season with Philadelphia in '19.

He missed most of June with a wrist injury, making 132 appearances in total on the year, which he mentioned led to the lower numbers compared to his high standard.

“All players get hurt,” Harper said to . “I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course I don’t have full-year numbers. It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team. Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”

The 33-year-old star has six years left on the massive 13-year, $330 million deal he signed to join the Phillies in '19. There isn't an opt-out clause in his deal, which ties him to the franchise through the '31 season when he'll be 38 years old.

“I wanted these fans to know Philly is my home, so from the start, I made the commitment to stay here for the rest of my career,” he said. “No opt-out, even though I was advised otherwise. I trust [Phillies owner] John [Middleton].”

Harper clearly hopes to remain a Phillie for the foreseeable future. If anything else happens to bring his name into trade rumors, though, he certainly won't be happy.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo vai até a Neo Química Arena para enfrentar o Corinthians na volta do Brasileirão após a tragédia no Rio Grande do Sul. Por lá, o Alvinegro tem um tabu histórico de 10 anos cravados.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasDicasCorinthians x Botafogo: odds, estatísticas e informações para apostar na 7ª rodada do BrasileirãoDicas31/05/2024LibertadoresVeja classificados, potes e data do sorteio das oitavas da LibertadoresLibertadores31/05/2024FinançasQuais clubes mais faturaram com premiação na fase de grupos da Libertadores?Finanças31/05/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance!

Coincidentemente, no dia 1º de junho de 2014, o Botafogo jogou contra o Corinthians pela primeira vez na Arena Corinthians, que hoje se chama Neo Química Arena. De lá para cá, o Alvinegro nunca mais venceu o Timão no estádio.

Ao todo foram oito partidas com seis derrotas do Botafogo e dois empates entre as equipes. Vale lembrar que a última vitória alvinegra sobre o Corinthians, em São Paulo, foi em 2012, por 3 a 1, na 7ª rodada do Brasileirão. Contudo, o confronto foi no Pacaembu.

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⚽ CONFIRA O RETROSPECTO ENTRE BOTAFOGO E CORINTHIANS NA NEO QUÍMICA ARENA:
– Corinthians 1 x 0 Botafogo, 24ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2023
– Corinthians 1 x 0 Botafogo, 20ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2022
– Corinthians 2 x 2 Botafogo, 8ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2020
– Corinthians 2 x 0 Botafogo, 15ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2019
– Corinthians 2 x 0 Botafogo, 13ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2018
– Corinthians 1 x 0 Botafogo, 11ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2017
– Corinthians 3 x 1 Botafogo, 9ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2016
– Corinthians 1 x 1 Botafogo, 9ª rodada do Brasileirão de 2014

Corinthians e Botafogo se enfrentam neste sábado (1º). A bola rola às 21h, na Neo Química Arena.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoBrasileirãoFutebol Nacional

New Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has been thrown in at the deep end ahead of a clash with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday in his first match.

The Hoops boss has taken over from the vastly-experienced interim Martin O’Neill, who won seven of his eight games in the dugout after coming in to steady the ship after Brendan Rodgers resigned.

Nancy is now tasked with implementing his own ideas and tactics in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead, after his move from Columbus Crew in the MLS.

The formation that Wilfried Nancy could play at Celtic

Many Celtic supporters may already be wondering what formation the new manager will line-up with against Hearts, and for matches in the future, after O’Neill played a 4-2-3-1 and Rodgers played a 4-3-3.

Nancy has only had a couple of days on the training ground, having been announced on Wednesday night, so the game against the Jam Tarts may come too soon for radical changes.

With time on the training pitch, though, the French boss may want to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation, which Transfermarkt notes is his favoured system.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Per FBref, Nancy played a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-2-1 in 31 of his 43 games in charge of Columbus Crew this year, and played a back three or a back five in 40 of those matches.

This suggests that the Frenchman may line up with three central defenders for the most part with Celtic, which could make Dane Murray the biggest winner of his appointment at Parkhead.

Why Dane Murray could play a key role for Wilfried Nancy

The Scottish youngster’s last start for Celtic came in Rodgers’ final match against Hearts, as he scored a nightmare own goal in a 3-1 defeat.

It was a poor afternoon for Murray and Celtic, as he struggled at the heart of the defence, and he only played 38 minutes across two substitute appearances in O’Neill’s time in interim charge, as the experienced boss favoured Auston Trusty and Liam Scales as a pairing.

With Cameron Carter-Vickers being a long-term absentee with an Achilles injury, though, there could be a place for the academy graduate to come back into the team as part of a back three or back five, if Nancy decides to stick with his trend of using formations with three centre-backs.

Kieran Tierney could be an option to play as a third centre-back, as he has done for Scotland in the past, but then Celtic would have three left-footed defenders across the back, which is not ideal for playing out under pressure.

Bringing a right-footed centre-back like Murray into the fold could be ideal for Nancy, and he would have more protection than he did in a back four under Rodgers, as there would be two senior defenders alongside him, in Trusty and Scales.

Appearances

3

Starts

2

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.0

Clearances

15

Dribbled past

0x

Ground duel success rate

64%

Aerial duel success rate

80%

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old colossus has shown some positive signs, despite his own goal against Hearts, in his three league appearances, dominating opposition attackers in physical duels.

Back in August, Rodgers claimed that Murray’s “ceiling is so high” and that he will really grow in the next 12 to 18 months. Whilst it may not happen as he envisaged, as another manager is in the dugout, that could play out with Nancy’s preferred system.

The Scottish prospect has been the only centre-back on the bench in recent games, with Carter-Vickers out, and that suggests that he would be the most logical inclusion for the new manager as part of a back three.

Given that a change in shape from a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 to a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3 would essentially mean that a new centre-back position emerges, it seems like Murray has the most to gain and could be the biggest winner from this appointment for the Hoops.

Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy

This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

However, it is then down to the academy graduate to take his chance when it comes and prove that he has what it takes to be a regular starter for Celtic, and that his game against Hearts was a blip rather than a sign of things to come.

Leeds United have their eyes on a tricky January transfer to sign a new forward who has been compared to Crysencio Summerville.

Leeds’ lack of goals in Premier League as 49ers eye forward

The Whites have struggled in front of goal so far following their return to the Premier League, with centre-back Joe Rodon the club’s joint top scorer in the top flight.

Joe Rodon

2

Lukas Nmecha

2

Noah Okafor

2

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

Anton Stach

1

Brenden Aaronson

1

Sean Longstaff

1

Daniel Farke’s side have only scored 10 goals in 11 games, with bottom of the table Wolves the only team to score fewer (7).

Only three attacking additions were made over the summer, two of which were free transfers in Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It is looking like a decision the 49ers Enterprises could live to regret, but they do have their eyes on attacking reinforcements in the New Year.

Brazilian forward Jhon Jhon is one name that has emerged in recent weeks, and he already has Red Bull links at RB Bragantino in the Brazilian Serie A. Journalist Graeme Bailey said:

“He’s a fascinating player. Very interesting. A bit of an attacking midfielder, can play as a forward. His name has come up in conversations with Red Bull, and he’s within the Red Bull name. He’s a good age, good player. Ticks a lot of boxes.

“Leeds aren’t the only ones looking. He’s come up in conversations, and one I’d not heard before until recently.”

Leeds set to make imminent bid for Real Madrid ace after Farke convinces 49ers

The Whites are looking to bring in a new forward, having not scored enough goals so far this season.

ByDominic Lund Nov 21, 2025

Domestically, Coventry City’s Haji Wright is another attacker who has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent months, and there has been a fresh claim regaring the Whites taking the USA international in the New Year.

Update on Leeds’ move for Haji Wright

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds have four attacking targets who they could move for in January, one of which is Wright.

It is stated that the Whites ‘have a genuine interest in signing Wright’ and ‘the club are considering a concrete move for a player they have tracked since the summer’.

A deal is viewed as tricky with Coventry top of the Championship, however, Wright’s contract is set to expire in 2027.

Despite the difference in size, Wright has been compared to former Leeds attacker Summerville due to his ability to play off the left.

Roony Bardghji

Barcelona

Marcus Edwards

Burnley

Crysencio Summerville

West Ham

Sadio Mane

Al-Nassr

Borja Sainz

Porto

Primarily a centre-forward, though, the 27-year-old has scored eight Championship goals in 14 appearances so far this season.

Labelled as a “constant problem” for defenders to keep tabs on by his manager Frank Lampard, it has previously been suggested that an offer of £20m could be required to sign Wright.

How Leeds believe they'll convince Raheem Sterling to join with move in the works

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Ryan Gustavo aproveitou o título do Corinthians na Copinha e cutucou a atitude do Cruzeiro antes da partida na Neo Química Arena.

RelacionadasOnde AssistirSão Bernardo x Corinthians: onde assistir, escalações e horário do jogo do PaulistãoOnde Assistir27/01/2024NotíciasPaulistão: como foram os últimos jogos entre São Bernardo e Corinthians?Notícias27/01/2024Fora de CampoJornalista detona diretoria do Corinthians por confusão em negociações: ‘Show de amadorismo’Fora de Campo25/01/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Ryan Gustavo disse que os jogadores da Raposa entraram com “salto alto” antes da decisão, e isso serviu como motivação extra aos atletas do Timão.

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– Eles (Cruzeiro) entraram dançando, passinho para lá e para cá, mas eles esqueceram que aqui é a nossa casa. Tem que respeitar o maior do Brasil – alfinetou Ryan Gustavo

Ryan Gustavo está no Corinthians desde os oito anos e passou por todas as categorias de base corintiana. O volante estreou no profissional na temporada passada, com Vanderlei Luxemburgo, contra o Liverpool-URU, pela fase de grupos da Libertadores.

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O grande momento do garoto foi diante do Universitario. Ele marcou o gol da vitória sobre os peruanos, tirou a camisa e foi o pivô da confusão no Estádio Monumental, em Lima.

➡️ Veja os grupos e datas dos confrontos no Paulistão

Ryan Gustavo estourou a idade no Sub-20 e deve ser aproveitado por Mano Menezes. Recentemente, o garoto renovou com o Corinthians até julho de 2026.

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+ Corinthians

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansCruzeiro

The Cincinnati Reds now are free agents on the television market, as their former regional sports network partner owned by Diamond Sports Group—currently operating as FanDuel Sports Network Ohio—is in hot water once again.

The Reds and Diamond Sports Group agreed to part ways on Friday after they failed to reach a renegotiated deal. That leaves Cincinnati searching for a new television home for the 2025 season, while FanDuel Sports Network Ohio will continue to broadcast games for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Reds, which owned a slice of the regional sports network, are selling their stake for $1.

"Purchaser shall pay to seller, as consideration for the transferred equity, an aggregate purchase price of U.S. $1," the court filing reads.

Cincinnati now can explore all options to find its next television and streaming home, a list that includes potentially joining the six other MLB teams who will have games broadcast and streamed by MLB next season after leaving Diamond Sports Group.

FanDuel Sports Network Ohio has been the exclusive regional cable television partner with the Reds since 1991 when it originally launched as SportsChannel Ohio. The channel was rebranded to Fox Sports Net Ohio in 2000 and Bally Sports Ohio in '20 after Fox Sports sold the regional networks to Sinclair Broadcast Group in '19. The channel's name was changed once again this fall to FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.

Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz and Abbas Afridi are the newcomers to the side led by Salman Agha

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2025Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, to be played between July 20 and 24.The squad has been trimmed by one from the time Pakistan played their last T20I series – also against Bangladesh – but at home in May-June, when Pakistan won 3-0.Shadab has recently undergone surgery on his right shoulder and is currently recovering. Rauf, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury at the MLC, which has ruled him out of San Francisco Unicorns’ playoff matches. Apart from them, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah have been left out. Hasan, who was the top wicket-taker when Bangladesh toured Pakistan earlier, has been allowed to continue playing in England while selectors try out other options. Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi – also absent – are being considered for ODIs by Pakistan for the moment.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe replacements don’t bring a lot of experience with them. Ahmed Daniyal, the medium pacer, and Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, are uncapped in international cricket, while left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem is just ten T20Is old. Top-order batter Hasan Nawaz made his international debut earlier this year and has played just eight T20Is, although he also did have a stellar PSL season. Abbas Afridi, the medium pacer, is relatively more experienced, having played 21 T20Is since making his debut early last year.Some of them were among the better performers at the PSL earlier this year. Abbas Afridi was the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 wickets from 11 innings for Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza picked up nine wickets from just four games for Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz, meanwhile, was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 399 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators, going at a strike rate of 162.19.This is the second T20I series Pakistan will be playing under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, with the next T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.The squad for the white-ball series against West Indies, to be played in Lauderhill (T20Is) and Tarouba (ODIs) in early August, “will be announced in due course,” the PCB said in a statement. The board’s COO Summer Syed said they were in negotiations with Cricket West Indies to turn the ODIs of that tour into more T20Is, given there is a T20 World Cup next year.Pakistan squad for T20I series against BangladeshSalman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

After getting off to a solid start in the Premier League, newly-promoted Leeds United have reportedly set their sights on signing a Championship star for Daniel Farke.

Where Leeds should prioritise in 2026

Whilst it has been a solid start, there’s still plenty of work for Leeds to do if they want to maintain their Premier League status at the first time of asking, and the January transfer window will play a major part in that.

Having missed out on a number of top targets in the summer, the Whites would be wise to make up for lost time and add the finishing touches to Farke’s squad when the winter window opens.

Who arrives, if any, will be the big question.

Reports have namedropped the likes of Jens Petter Hauge in the last week, and there’s no doubt that the Bodo/Glimt winger would be an interesting addition.

Revealing the news, transfer reporter Graeme Bailey told Leeds United News that those at Elland Road have set their sights on signing the 20-year-old.

If any reinforcements are to arrive, then it’s likely Farke’s attack receives a much-needed boost.

The German made his desire for attacking talent no secret in the summer, but watched on as Leeds failed to get his top targets over the line.

Although Leeds will not be expected to break their transfer record in January, they should look to add some decisive arrivals in pursuit of safety, before splashing the cash in the summer.

Leeds now eye January move to sign "sensational" Champions League winger

His star is growing all the time.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 17, 2025

By securing their Premier League place for a second-consecutive campaign, they’d put themselves in a strong position to finally welcome an attacking midfielder that they’ve been chasing.

Leeds now eyeing 2026 Gustavo Hamer move

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Leeds are eyeing a summer move to sign Gustavo Hamer from Sheffield United, with a January deal unlikely as things stand.

Having been interested in the Sheffield United star in the summer, Leeds could finally get their man one year on.

If the Blades fail to earn promotion to the top flight, then keeping hold of a player as talented as Hamer would prove to be even tougher, especially if Leeds look to take advantage of the fact that he shares an agent with Wilfried Gnonto.

Praised as “perfect” by Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder for how he handled transfer speculation in the past, it will be interesting to see just how much Hamer pushes for an exit if his side continue to struggle in the Championship and Leeds come calling again.

The 28-year-old has been a mainstay of Wilder’s midfield, starting nearly every second tier game for them so far, and he was equally imperative last season.

Hamer bagged an incredible 18 goal contributions in 44 Championship appearances in 24/25, playing a key role as the Blades only just missed out on Premier League promotion, courtesy of a play-off final loss to Sunderland at Wembley.