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The Catalan is already considered among football's best ever coaches, though is yet to try his hand in the international game

When England met Greece in the Nations League last Thursday, they were the odd team out in the contest that had never won a European Championship before. The Three Lions have lost the last two finals, yet that is the closest they have come to continental glory in the men's game.

That famous '30 years of hurt' phrase will have rolled over to 60 by the time the next World Cup comes around – we'll be as far away from Euro 1996 as the release of that Lightning Seeds song from the 1966 World Cup. Sorry for making you feel old and potentially thrusting you into existential crisis, but this is a time for home truths.

England have a managerial vacancy, and a leading candidate for the job is Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City contract expires at the end of the season. He's left a trail of success wherever he's been, and that extends to the countries he's managed in.

Some pundits, such as Roy Keane, have warned the FA they need to "go for the best", which is inarguably the charismatic Catalan. There is a notion that England are at a slight disadvantage in trying to woo Guardiola, yet that isn't the case at all – if anything, he needs such a job more than they need him.

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Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPFoundations for Spain & Germany

It would be quite overeager and presumptuous to claim that Spain and Germany's respective World Cup successes were down to Guardiola's work in those countries at the time of those glories, but it would be equally cynical to suggest he didn't in-part influence the way those sides came and conquered.

Spain, though traditionally a possession-heavy side anyway, leant heavily on relationships and partnerships built within Guardiola's Barcelona – remember when there was a genuine debate over whether Lionel Messi should have chosen to represent La Roja instead? Barca were the idyllic team of that generation, and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque implemented a lower-pace style which mimicked that side but as to suit the different demands of international football.

Of course, Germany are perennial favourites in essentially every match they've ever played too, and Guardiola had only been at Bayern Munich for one season, yet there was a new-found ruthlessness and savviness about their 2014 displays which had evaded them at Euro 2012.

Whether merely coincidental or with underlying intention, Guardiola has built up enough stock for the masses to think it conceivable he had a hand in swinging the pendulum of the international game by footballing osmosis. That should count for something, and this process has extended to his time in England.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportChanging English football

Guardiola didn't simply bring principles such as playing out from the back and dominating the ball to English football, but he did fasten those trends and perfect them. All down the pyramid are teams trying to bait the press or build from deep, which may have happened eventually anyways, though not at such a steep, and sometimes reckless, trajectory.

When City were on the cusp of winning the 2017-18 Premier League title – their first under Guardiola and with a record points tally of 100 – John Stones spoke of the impact his coaching had on the international team and what then-manager Gareth Southgate was benefitting from.

"I think we try to bring all the attributes and what we learn under Pep into the England squad, and are open to learn from Gareth as well," he said. "We work hard on the training pitch under Pep, learn a lot of things, different styles of play, how to play against different formations. I think it gives you that head start coming into England, and we can share our ideas as well."

Southgate went on to oversee the most successful period in the history of the England men's national team since the sixties, with his famed man-management working in tandem with his players' tactical and technical brilliance.

Getty Images SportCarsley's 'world-class' warning

Interim manager Lee Carsley is currently mid-Hokey Cokey on whether he should actually get the job on a full-time basis, but he did have an ominous warning after Sunday's win away at Finland: "This job deserves a world-class coach that has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."

That seems to be the way of the international game at the moment. Julian Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick as Germany boss last year, Mauricio Pochettino is in charge of the USMNT, Luciano Spalletti is beginning to get a tune out of Italy, Luis de la Fuente enjoyed Spanish success at youth level (similarly to Carsley, in fairness) and Thomas Tuchel is another contender to take the England job.

Any fanciful dream the FA had of instilling Jurgen Klopp is dead, leaving Guardiola as the best manager available for hire. The least they can do is ask him about taking over from Carsley.

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AFPThirst for international management

Even before Guardiola's recent comments neither confirming or denying any interest in the England gig, he left the door ajar in the recent past to international management.

When asked back in March 2024 what he has left to achieve, the Catalan replied: "A national team. I would like to train a national team for a World Cup or a European Championship. I would like that.

"I don't know who would want me! To work for a national team they have to want you, just like a club."

Well, you're in luck then, Pep. This vacancy has come at the perfectly opportune time for all parties involved.

Wants country’s coaches to prioritise match-winning performances over individual statistics

Umar Farooq28-Oct-2020Grant Bradburn, the head of high performance coaching in Pakistan wants to see a significant shift in redeveloping approaches for players growing up, emphasising the need for a team-centric approach than a player-centric approach. He was speaking to media on a day he structured a programme for coaches in the country to mentor players, and ingrain a culture that prioritised match-winning performances over those that only served to inflate a player’s individual statistics.Over the last two years, Pakistan has restructured the entire domestic structure and made a major institutional revamp, combining domestic cricket and national academies into one high performance centre. Earlier, the PCB had coach education managers who had been designing the player development program and executing them with relatively little supervision But in the new structure, the PCB changed the title of the role to “head of coaching” giving the job extensive context, making it a programme to reeducate the coaches not only about the technical side of the game but also rethink the approach they took to working with youth and national cricketers.There is a perception in Pakistan cricket and has often been a talking point about players playing in a way that might work well for them in terms of cement their place in the side, even if it happened to the detriment of the team. Bradburn may have seen this first hand, given he was involved with the national side as fielding coach before being given his role at the High Performance Centre. With a broad overview of Pakistani cricket culture, the former New Zealand cricketer reviewed local coaching methods and now targets Bradburn target the coaches’ coaching style as the key to ensuring players develop a keen match sense from a budding age.”One of the very important elements is game sense,” said Bradburn. “Our players have a lot of knowledge and skill but as coaches we must be promoting game sense so the players are versatile when they find themselves in various situations. These are the things we must search for in our selection That’s the complexity of selection and coaching and that is what we are trying to get our coaches to work on. We need to measure results by matches won, not individual statistics.Grant Bradburn stresses strong communication and building relationships with his players•Peter Della Penna”Every player has their strengths but if we look at one very important difference, what we are promoting now is that our selectors and coaches look at winning performances. No longer are we are so interested in runs, wickets, averages and strike rates as we are in match winning performances. How many times does a player move the game in our favour? It’s about playing for the country and for the team and then it’s about playing for me and this needs to adopted as our central approach, and coaches need to reflect it.”Historically, Pakistan hasn’t been a major feeder of coaches to the cricketing world. Rashid Latif, Kabir Khan and Inzamam ul Haq went onto to take the Afghanistan coaching job at the time the country had Associate status in world cricket, but never quite stayed long enough in the job. Aqib Javed was the head coach of the UAE national side for four years, with the spell including the country’s appearances at the 2014 World T20 and the 2015 World Cup.The current setup in the Pakistan coaching staff comprises entirely of Pakistanis, the first time since 2003 that has been the case. Over the years the PCB hired foreign coaches in one role or the other, avoiding an environment it was feared could feed into internal politics, trust deficits, and infighting that plagued the side in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Besides, the lack of professionally qualified coaches in Pakistan meant local options were limited.According to Bradburn, there is enough skill and knowledge about cricket in Pakistan to breed local coaches, but it requires a level of expertise that needs working on. “In Pakistan, we are very lucky to have an amazing wealth of cricket experience, but that doesn’t necessarily relate to coaching knowledge,” he said. “It’s my job to help out that wonderful experience ex-cricketers have, and to turn it into coaching expertise too. Coaches don’t need to spoonfeed players all the time, but enable them to understand the game and make good decisions at crucial times.”These cricketers are valuable and they need to provide inspiration to the next generation of players. There are some very experienced cricketers and very passionate people in our coaching system but we need to continue to develop their coaching skills to provide what our player needs. So it’s the player who needs to be at the forefront so we need coaches who are determined to allow our players to be as good as they can be not to put a ceiling on them to instruct the players to be only good as they themselves were.”Developing good relationships and showing them what good coaching is starts and stop with good communication. All of our coaches from top to bottom must be experts in communicating. Sometimes these communication are difficult, but we must get away from our culture of telling our players exactly how they need to play. Our players know how to play and if we have a player-centric approach we need to allow them flourish and be the best in the world.”

Henry Nicholls and Will Young will also be part of a strong batting order

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2020Devon Conway will get his first representative opportunity since qualifying for New Zealand having been named in the A squad to face West Indies in Queenstown.Conway completed his qualification period in August and has been part of New Zealand training camps during the winter. He has started the Plunket Shield in solid form with two half-centuries in six innings for Wellington.”It’s an exciting time for Devon who’s had to wait for his opportunity at this level after some outstanding form on the domestic scene,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said.Another player recently qualified, Michael Rippon, the allrounder who previously played for Netherlands and bowls left-arm wristspin, has also been included in the squad.Henry Nicholls, an incumbent in the Test side, has been selected following a delayed start to his season due to a calf injury. He is set to return in the Plunket Shield this week before linking up for the New Zealand A matches which will allow him further time in the middle ahead of next month’s Test series.Will Young, who has been on the cusp of international selection previously, will also be part of a strong batting line-up.Canterbury captain Cole McConchie will lead the side with Dane Cleaver taking the gloves.”It’s been a year like no other and we’re very fortunate to be preparing for such an action packed summer,” Stead said. “The complexities of the international schedule, along with the size of the touring squads and the length of time they will spend in the country has enabled us to build a very strong A programme.”The flip-side of this is that pressure will be put on our player pool this season and we need to be smart with how we use our resources, therefore we’ll likely add and subtract from this squad as we go along.”It’s great to get Henry back on the park after what I know has been a frustrating winter with his left calf injury…we’re confident if he comes through both games unscathed he’ll be ready for the first Test in Hamilton”Plenty of eyes will also be on the four Otago bowlers who have been rewarded for their strong performances so far this year and in recent seasons.”New Zealand A will assemble in Queenstown next Wednesday with Bob Carter and Paul Wiseman leading the coaching staff.New Zealand A squad Joe Carter (Northern Districts), Dane Cleaver (Central Districts), Devon Conway (Wellington), Henry Cooper (Northern Districts), Jacob Duffy (Otag), Ken McClure (Canterbury), Cole McConchie (Canterbury, capt), Henry Nicholls (Canterbury), Michael Rae (Otago), Rachin Ravindra (Wellington), Michael Rippon (Otago), Ben Sears (Wellington), Sean Solia (Auckland), Nathan Smith (Otago), Blair Tickner (Central Districts), Will Young (Central Districts)

So, at long last we know that Erik ten Hag will be staying as the Manchester United manager. Finally, the Red Devils can begin preparing for a hugely important transfer window.

It will be the first of the new ownership with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe getting ready to splash the cash.

However, they won't be wildly throwing around their money like in previous regimes. United will likely need to sell a few players before that happens.

As a result, it could well stump their bid to bring in Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite. An offer has already been lodged for his services but it fell someway short of the Toffees' valuation.

Subsequently, shrewd buys could be the order of the day at Old Trafford. Here's one they could make…

Man Utd looking to sign Euro 2024 striker

The primary name doing the rounds at the moment has been Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee. Some reports have even suggested that they're closing in on a move for the Dutchman.

However, if that swoop doesn't progress further then they have another rather surprising ace up their sleeve.

Indeed, according to reports in Turkey, via Sport Witness, the club are looking at signing Alvaro Morata.

The former Chelsea striker is currently captaining a rather impressive-looking Spain side at Euro 2024 and has become an option for a few sides this summer.

The report states that United, alongside Roma, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Fenerbahce are all interested and have held talks with the player's agent over a potential move.

The player earns a considerable wage of £220k-per-week at current outfit Atletico Madrid but does have a bargain release clause of £10m.

How Alvaro Morata compares to Ramus Hojlund

Yes, we know what you're thinking. Surely not? Probably not.

Morata has been one of the most marmite centre forwards of recent times, notably for his Romelu Lukaku-like ability to squander several golden opportunities in front of goal.

He became the subject of much criticism for this during his time in England with Chelsea, a spell where the Spaniard scored just 24 goals in 72 outings.

That has rather been the story of the 31-year-old's career wherever he has been. He's also attracted plenty of criticism when playing for his country.

Speaking during Euro 2020, Gary Neville stated: "He’s got that vulnerable look about him, almost like he needs a cuddle. And he looks like when he misses a chance, he’s fearing what the media and what the press and what his team-mates might say."

Well, Morata has bounced back pretty well. Now the figurehead of Spain at Euro 2024, he has already found the net, cooly sliding the ball home against Croatia.

So, would he actually be a good signing? Well, it's difficult to tell. That said, United need a striker and in the Spanish star, they'd be getting someone with experience of English football and someone who can find the net.

Last season he scored 21 goals in 48 matches for Atleti, 15 of which came in LaLiga. That's certainly not a bad tally and it does better Rasmus Hojlund who scored 16 times in all competitions.

But where else would the improvement lie?

Goals

0.71

0.42

Assists

0.14

0.08

Shots on target

1.56

0.83

Key passes

0.71

1.17

Shot-creating actions

1.89

2.42

Successful take-ons

0.80

0.75

Carries

16.2

14.8

Progressive carries

1.04

1.50

Aerials won

2.08

1.04

So, the bottom line comes down to how United want to play. Amassing more progressive carries and shot-creating actions, it does appear as though Hojlund is the more mobile of the two.

However, Morata at this stage of his career is more prolific. He's also considerably better in the air, something that will no doubt please key creators in the United squad like Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes.

It became evident last term that Hojlund is very much a project striker. As a result, signing another young centre-forward in this instance would perhaps hinder the Dane.

By signing Morata, therefore, it would give him someone to look up to, someone to learn and bounce off of in a bid to improve his own game.

The Spaniard wouldn't play every match, that's not what they need, but the "world-class number 9" – as he was described by journalist Josh Bunting – would bring plenty of qualities. At the end of the day, they need a striker and he has plenty of desirable traits.

Hojlund simply cannot do it all on his own next season.

Sky Sports: Man Utd in contact to sign a player who's as exciting as Mainoo

The star could be an alternative for Jarrad Branthwaite.

ByTom Lever Jun 23, 2024

Gary Neville has questioned the decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as England manager, saying it could be "damaging" to the national team.

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Tuchel to take over England in JanuaryDecision mocked by media, pundits and fansNeville says more suitable options availableFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The German coach has been appointed as the incoming England boss on an 18-month contract, bringing an end to the Football Association's (FA) search for a permanent replacement for Gareth Southgate, who left after the Euro 2024 final.

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The news of the ex-Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach's appointment has sparked an intense reaction, with even the media in his homeland criticising the FA. English fans and pundits have also voiced their anger, and former England full-back Neville believes there were more suitable options available.

WHAT NEVILLE SAID

"It doesn’t feel like a strategic decision it feels like an instinctive one off the back of what's happened in the last two weeks," he said on .

"Thomas Tuchel has been available for months, there was no need to appoint an interim if they wanted him. This to me smacks of it being a recent decision. I don't think Thomas Tuchel should be in any way, shape or form questioned in a difficult way this afternoon when he sits in the press conference because I think that he's a great coach, he's taken a job with a group of talented players and I think everybody in our country including myself will wish him all the best and hope we can get over the line and win a trophy, but I think there are some serious questions for the FA to answer in respect of English coaching.

"I do think we are damaging ourselves accepting Thomas Tuchel is better, he is better than any of the other English coaches. But with the English coaches that have managed in the upper echelons of the league with Eddie Howe at Newcastle and Graham Potter. I do think there are outstanding coaches that could have been appointed that were English."

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Interim manager Lee Carsley will remain at the helm of the England squad for the remainder of the year before Tuchel takes over in January 2025. Carsley will see out the games against Greece and Republic of Ireland next month before he returns to the England Under 21s.

The former cricketer will be NZC’s representative on the ICC board, a role he is familiar with

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2020Martin Snedden has been elected as the new chairman of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), after the post became vacant following Greg Barclay’s election as the ICC chairman.Snedden, who played 25 Tests and 93 ODIs between 1980 and 1990, has played prominent roles at NZC in the past too – as chief executive and a board member of the organisation from 1990 to 1992; 1999 to 2001 and again from 2013 until present.In his new role, Snedden will be NZC’s representative on the board of the ICC, “a task with which he is very familiar, having been seconded to the role in 2013 and 2014 during Stuart Heal’s tenure, as well as being a member of the ICC chief executives committee from 2001-2007″, as an NZC statement put it.”I’d like to thank Greg for the outstanding direction and guidance he’s given the board since being elected as chair in 2016,” Snedden said in the NZC statement. “It is a measure of the success he has overseen in this role that he has now been elected the ICC chair.”Equally, I’d like to thank my fellow NZC directors for their support. I know that, together with chief executive David White and his excellent management team, we’ll help lead the sport out of this global pandemic and embrace a strong and sustainable future.”I look forward to working with the members of NZC, the Major Associations and Districts Associations, as well as the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and the wider cricket family in New Zealand.”Snedden has been in senior positions elsewhere too, including as chief executive of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and as a director of the World Masters Games 2017. He is currently part of the NZC Board’s Women in Governance project sub-committee, member of the board’s High-Performance Advisory Group and director on the board of Women in Sport Aotearoa, and a trustee of the Cricketers’ Hardship Trust.He will, however, have to immediately stand down from his role as consultant lead of One Cricket project, an initiative aimed at reviewing and improving the delivery of cricket in New Zealand.

More than 100 professional women's footballers have signed a letter calling on FIFA to end its partnership with Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco.

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FIFA have partnership with Saudi oil company106 players sign open letter calling arrangement to endGoverning body accused of damaging the gameFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Saudi Aramco, the country's national oil company, was announced as a major worldwide partner with FIFA in April and as a result it will hold sponsorship rights for the 2026 men's World Cup and the 2027 women's World Cup. Now, according to , 106 women's footballers from 24 countries have signed an open letter addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino criticising the partnership with the company.

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The letter, which has been signed by the likes of USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Canada skipper Jessie Fleming and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, draws attention to Saudi's negative record on women's and LGBTQ+ rights. Concerns were also raised about Saudi's apparent disregard for trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

The letter reads: “FIFA’s announcement of Saudi Aramco as its ‘major’ partner has set us so far back that it’s hard to fully take in. The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women, but on the freedom of all other citizens too. Imagine LGBTQ+ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, being expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the national oil company of a regime that criminalises the relationships that they are in and the values they stand for?”

It concludes: “We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet.”

WHAT BECKY SAUERBRUNN SAID

Portland Thorns defender Sauerbrunn said: “The fact that FIFA is aligning itself with a company and regime that treats women in this way is condemnable, and as female players at the top of our sport we’re using our voices to say this is not a partnership we can support. The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money.”

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AFPDID YOU KNOW?

In response, FIFA stated the revenue generated from deals such as the Aramco one is reinvested into the women's game.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners. Sponsorship revenues generated by FIFA are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football continues to increase, including for the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and its groundbreaking new distribution model. FIFA’s updated Women’s Football Strategy for 2023-2027 further highlights how commercial revenues are reinvested back into the development of the women’s game."

Following another disappointing season, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is seemingly feeling ruthless and Manchester United are now reportedly willing to show one star forward the door this summer.

Man Utd transfer news

Ratcliffe, of course, surprisingly kept hold of Erik ten Hag this summer despite initial doubts over the Dutchman's job security even after his side defeated Manchester City to win the FA Cup at the end of the season. The same fate may not be afforded to certain struggling stars, however, with Casemiro already linked to clubs in Saudi Arabia ahead of a potential Old Trafford departure.

Man Utd now ready to double salary of £114,000-p/w star as move intensifies

The Red Devils have reportedly stepped up their efforts.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 27, 2024

The Brazilian midfielder struggled to repeat his debut season form in the last campaign and at 32 years old may well be past his best. If the Red Devils can cash in on the former Real Madrid star, then they may not be able to resist in the coming months. Casemiro would join the likes of Raphael Varane out the door following the Frenchman's exit at the end of the season following a two-year spell often disrupted by injuries.

It's not the exit of Casemiro that would send shockwaves around Old Trafford, however. According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, Manchester United are now willing to sell Marcus Rashford this summer amid incoming interest from Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions are looking to replace Kylian Mbappe, who swapped Paris for Real Madrid, and could turn towards the United academy graduate in pursuit of that.

Earning a reported £300k-a-week at United, Rashford was one of the biggest disappointments under Ten Hag last season after such a strong campaign a year prior. Dropped from Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad as a result, the England international could now leave the Red Devils in pursuit of finding his best form once again. An academy graduate, it's certainly not a decision that either party will make lightly.

"Strong" Rashford is at a career crossroads

Now 26 years old, Rashford should be at the top of his game but found himself at a level below his best standards at Manchester United last season. It represents an all too familiar story regarding the forward's form, who was one of the Premier League's standout players in the previous season before drifting through a campaign to forget last time out.

Appearances

35

33

Goals

17

7

Assists

5

2

Expected Goals

15.4

7.4

As the numbers show, Rashford's overall goals tally significantly dropped off last season and that goes hand in hand with the fact that he underperformed when it comes to expected goals, struggling to finish at times. In some contrast, he outperformed his expected goals in the season prior to score a sensational 17.

The England international showed similar form under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who praised Rashford, via BBC Sport: "That is what the Stretford End wants to see. They love to see forwards play with courage. He was mature and strong against good Premier League players. Today he played like he was in the backyard, the garden or back on the playground with his mates. He is enjoying himself."

The captain blasted 39 off 14 balls while Malik turned in an all-round show in a comprehensive win against Galle Gladiators

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2020How the match played outA strong opening stand, a cool-headed 69-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Dhananjaya de Silva, finishing fireworks from Thisara Perera and an utterly dominant bowling effort – Jaffna Stallions were by a distance the best team in the final; a winning margin of 53 runs was an apt reflection.The only nervous passage of play for Stallions were the early middle overs, after they lost the top three for 26 runs, in the space of four overs. Dhananjaya and Malik – both calm and experienced accumulators – were exactly the right batsmen to rebuild, however, and they played their parts beautifully, unambitiously picking up the singles against Galle Gladiators’ spinners at first, before taking calculated risks as the partnership developed. Dhananjaya made 33 off 20, hitting two sixes and two fours in his innings. Malik went on to 46 off 35, and was out only in the 18th over. Between them, they had given Stallions’ innings its spine.The big death-overs blows were dealt by Thisara, whose thundering 39 not out off 14 required more muscle than usual, as Gladiators’ bowlers delivered plenty of slower balls at him. Unusually for Thisara, more than half of those runs (23) came on the offside. Which suggests that Gladiators didn’t bowl all that badly at him.Gladiators were always going to struggle to get to 189 in a final, but were dealt huge blows inside the first two overs, after which even a competitive chasing effort seemed unlikely. Hazratullah Zazai holed out against the bowling of Dhananjaya first over, and then the hammer blow, and perhaps the most controversial moment of the match – the run-out of Danushka Gunathilaka.As the tournament’s top run-scorer by a distance, Gunathilaka’s performance was always going to be key to Gladiators’ batting effort, but in the second over, he collided with Suranga Lakmal mid-pitch, and what should have been a comfortable leg bye, ended with him being run-out at the non-strikers’ end for 1. Lakmal hadn’t crashed into him intentionally, but had strayed into Gunathilaka’s path while appealing for an lbw (which was rightly turned down). In the ensuing chaos and disorientation, Gunathilaka even ran in the wrong direction for half a second, before making a desperate run at the non-striker’s crease. But Thisara swooped in from midwicket and ran him out. When Lakmal had Ahsan Ali caught behind chasing a wide, seaming delivery, Gladiators had slipped to 7 for 3.Thisara Perera and Johnson Charles rejoice with the LPL trophy•Jaffna StallionsSome valiant blows were struck in desperate hope. Bhanuka Rajapaksa had injured his side in the field, but walloped four sixes in a 17-ball 40 to try and revive Gladiators’ chase. Later, Azam Khan hit 36 off 17, targeting mainly the fast bowlers, even as the required rate climbed to 12. Stallions’ bowling was too good, though. They held back their strike seamer – Usman Shinwari – until the 10th over. The tournament’s best bowlers – Wanindu Hasaranga – didn’t arrive at the bowling crease until half the innings had been completed, and delivered another fine spell taking 1 for 18 off his four overs.Gladiators kept losing wickets and their innings petered out.Stars of the dayMalik not only gave substance to Stallions’ innings, he also claimed two wickets – including that of Rajapaksa, in his three overs that went for only 13.For Gladiators, Dhananjaya Lakshan’s three wickets were a bright spot. Those dismissals took him up to 13 wickets from seven bowling innings – second only to Hasaranga’s tally.Turning pointStallions’ innings momentum had slowed by the end of the 11th over, by which time no boundaries had come off the previous 21 balls. But having played themselves in by now, Malik and Dhananjaya took the innings by the collar, and struck 45 runs off the next three overs. By the time they were parted, the run rate was up near nine again, and a total of more than 180 was in view.

Former BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson believes there is already someone primed to step into Gary Lineker's Match of the Day shoes.

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Candidate for next MOTD host namedEx-pundit has his sayLineker future on hit show uncertainFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Amid uncertainty around Lineker's future with the BBC – there are rumours that his current contract is up at the end of the season, Lawrenson named popular Match of the Day 2 anchor Mark Chapman as the person he sees as being ideal to take on the role next.

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'Chappers' is a veteran and well-respected broadcaster in his own right. He began on Match of the Day 2 and other BBC football programmes as a relief presenter in 2009, before getting the former gig permanently in 2013. The 51-year-old has also fronted BBC coverage of the NFL and rugby league in the past, while he has been Sky Sports' Carabao Cup anchor since 2022. Chapman is currently thought to earn up to £264,999 ($344,000) yearly, compared to Lineker's industry-leading £1.3 million ($1.6m).

WHAT MARK LAWRENSON SAID

"I still tune in regularly [to Match of the Day]. It is still a very good programme, full stop," Lawrenson told . "I know there is a lot of speculation over Gary at the moment. Would it surprise me if he left at the end of the season? Possibly no. But he has earned the right to make his own decision, there is no doubt there whatever. And in Chappers, there is a ready-made replacement if it goes that way. It will be up to Gary."

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Lineker has been the BBC's lead football anchor, which includes Match of the Day hosting duties, since taking over from Des Lynam in 1999. He had turned his hand to media work and punditry with the corporation as soon as he retired from a stellar playing career in 1994. But since 2014, Lineker has had his own production company, while in 2021 he branched out into the entertainment world as the face a short-lived ITV gameshow.