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Mumbai captain also wants points docked for slow over rates instead of just financial penalties

Shashank Kishore28-Jan-2023Ajinkya Rahane has called for games in the group stages of the Ranji Trophy to be played over five days. At the moment, only the quarter-finals onwards are held over five days, with group-stage games lasting four days each.Rahane was speaking after Mumbai’s group-stage exit from the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy. Needing just a first-innings lead to qualify, Mumbai tied their first-innings score with Maharashtra late on the third day. This left them needing to force an outright win on the fourth and final day. Having then bowled out Maharashtra midway through the final day, they needed 253 in 28 overs. Mumbai made a good fist of the target, but were 58 short of victory when they ran out of time.”First-class cricket can become five-day cricket,” Rahane said after Mumbai’s draw against Maharashtra. “We play Test matches over five days and in five days the possibility of a result is almost guaranteed. You will get more results. Every game should be result-oriented.”In four-day games, on flat decks, you don’t really get results. We tried to get as many results as possible, but it becomes challenging. In five-day cricket, that will happen more frequently. I don’t know how it can be fit into the calendar, but five-day cricket will make domestic cricketers get used to the rigours of first-class cricket.”

“If you play out a session, you can save a match in four-day games, but if you are made to slog for three more sessions, it will give them a better opportunity to develop better Test cricketers.”Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane said stretching games by three sessions would sharpen players’ survival instincts, which could make the transition to Test cricket smoother.”If you play out a session, you can save a match in four-day games, but if you are made to slog for three more sessions, it will give them a better opportunity to develop better Test cricketers,” he said. “It can automatically be carried forward into international cricket.”How to survive sessions, how to be disciplined with the ball, all these factors can be taken care of if we play all Ranji Trophy games over five days. Anyway, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final are five-day games. If it’s implemented in the league [stage], nothing like that.”Ajinkya Rahane calls for points penalty for slow over ratesRahane also hoped the BCCI would consider bringing in a points penalty in place of the current fines for over-rate offences, which have seemingly become rampant among teams looking to either sit on first-innings leads or avoid defeat on the final day. Rahane will have an opportunity to bring up these points at the BCCI’s annual captains’ and coaches’ conclave that is held after every season.”Over rates are critical,” he said. “If you don’t fine teams with points for over rate, financial penalty doesn’t really matter. But if you cut a point for slow over rate, the teams will be aware about it because it will be critical for their qualification.”Ajinkya Rahane was Mumbai’s top scorer this Ranji Trophy season•PTI Not currently part of India’s Test plans, Rahane featured in all of Mumbai’s group games. This was his first full Ranji Trophy season since 2010-11, the year he broke through for India in ODIs. He led Mumbai this season, and they finished fourth in their group with three wins, two losses and two draws. He topped the run charts for Mumbai, with 634 runs in 11 innings at an average of 57.63. This included two centuries (191 vs Assam, and 204 vs Hyderabad) and a half-century.Having had a ringside view of the competition, Rahane expressed satisfaction at the quality of cricket on offer, but also called for players across teams to shelve flamboyance for the hard grind when needed.”In four-day cricket, majority of teams have started losing their patience too early,” he observed. “Be it batting or bowling. Everyone wants to score runs quickly or pick up wickets. Instead, you should try and play out sessions or bowl a consistently good spell. A batter should enjoy defending, a bowler should enjoy bowling a maiden.”I have seen all the teams getting desperate for wickets, rather than waiting patiently with a plan. And no one tries to bat out a session, instead they want to score quickly. I feel the basics of playing out sessions is the key in four-day or five-day cricket.”On Mumbai: ‘This bunch definitely takes red-ball cricket seriously’There’s an old adage in Mumbai cricket that says, if the team doesn’t win the Ranji Trophy, it’s been an unsuccessful season. Reminded of this, Rahane expressed disappointment at not making it through to the knockouts but also pointed out that this was a young group of players hungry for first-class success.

“This bunch definitely takes red-ball cricket seriously. And my message to everyone is you should enjoy four-day cricket. Everyone wants instant success but patience, focus and determination is critical for this format.”Rahane on Mumbai after their group-stage exit

Among Mumbai’s batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan have made giant strides in red-ball cricket. Then there’s Prasad Pawar, who made a gritty century against Maharashtra to entertain prospects of a lead. Prithvi Shaw has been scoring runs on and off and was recently rewarded with a T20I call-up.”I am extremely disappointed that we could not qualify for the knockouts,” he said. “This bunch definitely takes red-ball cricket seriously. And my message to everyone is you should enjoy four-day cricket. Everyone wants instant success but patience, focus and determination is critical for this format.”Not only on the field but the daily routine that we follow – getting up early, the warm-ups, going through the rigour even if you haven’t performed, to be disciplined all through four days, backing your team-mates – one has to enjoy all these aspects. Only scoring runs or picking up wickets is not important. That’s temporary but the real fun is when you follow the process day in and day out.”Even if things don’t go your way in two-three games. There are many boys who enjoy going through it in the red-ball format. And I have told all of them that you have to enjoy every moment because this is real cricket.”

Chelsea’s search for an away win in the Premier League continued as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal got the better of Enzo Maresca’s dejected visitors 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues have now lost their last four top-flight outings on the spin, with their last away win coming all the way back in December of last year when a Cole Palmer double helped Maresca’s men to a barnstorming 4-3 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

No such joy was on the menu this time around in North London with Palmer also nowhere to be seen owing to injury, leaving Chelsea hanging onto a top-four position.

Robert Sanchez had a dire afternoon against the Gunners, with the shaky Blues goalkeeper nearly gifting Arsenal some goals away from fishing out Mikel Merino’s crucial winner.

Sanchez's shaky performance vs Arsenal

The ex-Brighton and Hove Albion ‘keeper is often put under the microscope due to his haphazard performances in between the sticks, resulting in a poor return of five clean sheets from 23 league encounters.

Before Arsenal got into their groove courtesy of Merino’s header, Sanchez would horrendously skew a pass straight to Gabriel Martinelli, with his blushes then spared when the Brazilian squandered the subsequent opportunity.

Yet, although no glaring errors would cost his team a goal at the Emirates, the Spanish ‘keeper has been prone to a dicey moment or two all campaign long, with Sanchez guilty of eight errors this season that have then resulted in an opposition shot being fired.

It could well be time for Maresca to hand Filip Jørgensen the first-team gloves on a permanent basis moving forward, but Sanchez isn’t the only dud at the Spaniard’s disposal in danger of losing his starting spot…

7 goalkeepers who could replace Robert Sanchez at Chelsea

Chelsea are in dire need of a new ‘keeper…

1 ByBarney Lane Jan 27, 2025 Not just Sanchez: 3/10 star's Chelsea career must be over

It’s fair to say there was a lot of money on show from Chelsea’s perspective at the Emirates, with Pedro Neto costing £54m to get in through the door, alongside a £106m-rated Enzo Fernandez occupying the middle of the park.

But, it was £52m man Christopher Nkunku who received a lot of pelters at the full-time whistle for his abject performance, with Chelsea’s attack lacking a real bite across the flat 1-0 defeat. So bad was his display that one Blues content creator suggested that the Frenchman’s “body language was a disgrace”.

Minutes played

76

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

39

Accurate passes

21/24 (88%)

Possession lost

8x

Shots

1

On-target shots

0

Successful dribbles

0

Total duels won

4/10

The former RB Leipzig man – unlike some of the aforementioned Arsenal faces in Merino and Martinelli – struggled to strike fear into the opposition defenders when venturing forward, with no successful dribbles pulled off, no shots on target being registered to try and catch David Raya out.

Moreover, Nkunku’s low 39 touches overall means ropey shot-stopper Sanchez actually betters his number of touches by two at 41, as the Frenchman’s bumpy time donning Chelsea blue continues on.

Handed a wretched 3/10 match rating by Daily Express journalist Tom Parsons at the full-time whistle – who lamented the number 18’s failure to stretch the Gunners – his time at Stamford Bridge must soon come to a crashing halt over the summer.

After all, it had been reported that Chelsea had put Nkunku up for sale around the £65m mark back in January, and after this no-show display on the road, Maresca must avoid starting him again.

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ByRobbie Walls Mar 16, 2025

“Everything should be on a reciprocal basis,” says Najam Sethi, suggesting that Pakistan’s ODI World Cup matches be held outside India too

PTI21-Apr-2023The PCB has proposed a “hybrid model” for the upcoming Asia Cup to the Asian Cricket Council, where “Pakistan plays its Asia Cup matches at home and India their matches at a neutral venue,” board chairman Najam Sethi said on Friday.The BCCI has refused to allow the India team to travel to Pakistan for the tournament because of the ongoing political differences between the two nations and demanded the continental tournament be shifted from Pakistan to a neutral venue.But, with Pakistan hoping to host as much of the tournament within the country, Sethi hoped that the visit of his country’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, next month to Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council meeting will help find a solution.Related

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Decision on Asia Cup venue postponed to March 2023

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“We have been told that, maybe, the ice will keep on melting – if this happens when the Champions Trophy is held in Pakistan in 2025, India would consider playing in Pakistan,” Sethi said at a press interaction. “We have been advised to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue and also go to India for the World Cup.” He didn’t specify who the suggestion had come from.Sethi indicated that the public mood in his country was that Pakistan should play cricket with India on level terms.”Our government has imposed no restrictions about playing against India,” Sethi said. “But I can say right now that public mood is: we are not needy and we can stand on our own feet financially and we want to play cricket with India honourably. We are also negotiating with the ACC.”Sethi: ‘Everything should be on a reciprocal basis’Sethi said that if Pakistan decided to shift all India matches in the Asia Cup to a neutral venue, India should also use the same hybrid experiment during the 50-over World Cup, to be held in India in October-November this year.”We feel this hybrid experiment can also be applied when it is time for the World Cup,” Sethi said. “Our stance is that everything should be on a reciprocal basis. In the old times, yes, there were security issues in Pakistan. But now there are no issues, so what is India’s excuse for not playing in Pakistan?”The ACC, led by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, is yet to respond to the PCB about the proposed hybrid model. Reports say that the other ACC members also want the Asia Cup to be held at a neutral venue to cut costs even though Pakistan will remain the tournament host.The Asia Cup will feature six teams, including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and one team that will be identified after the qualifiers, which is currently underway in Nepal.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has revealed that Andy Murray texted him "one second" after Arsenal beat Real Madrid in the Champions League.

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Nadal reveals text from MurrayMessaged after Arsenal beat Real MadridLaughs at "British sense of humour"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Just as Madrid fan Nadal was left reeling after his side's Champions League quarter-final exit to Arsenal in April, the 'King of Clay' received a message from his old tennis rival Murray – who supports the Gunners. The Spaniard felt the Scot's message about "checking in" on him was a sign of compassion, but really, it was the two-time Wimbledon champion just poking fun at him.

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He told reporters: "My good friend Andy, we were not in touch for a while. The day that Arsenal beat Real Madrid, when the match just finished, after one second, he texted me a message. He told me… no I am going to read it: 'Hey Rafa, haven't spoken to you in a while. Just checking in to make sure you are OK.' Honestly, it took me five seconds to realise what I was reading because at the beginning, I said OK, he's such a nice guy, he's asking me how I'm doing, and my family. But after five seconds… always British, British sense of humour. By the way, I didn't text him back when Inter [Milan] beat Arsenal."

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Nadal and Murray were fierce rivals during their glittering tennis careers but it is clear they are now on good terms now that they have hung up their racquets. The former won 22 grand slams and the latter won three of his own, but on this occasion, Murray had the upper hand.

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If Arsenal and Madrid face off against one another next season in the Champions League, perhaps texts will be exchanged between Murray and Nadal again.

Sergio Aguero has explained why Lionel Messi and Inter Miami had to be at the Club World Cup, having received a special invitation from FIFA.

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Herons form part of event in the United StatesMessi of obvious appeal to American audienceFIFA considered to have made the right choiceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

An expanded tournament, which sees a global crown come up for grabs, is heading to the United States. For the first time, 32 teams from across the planet will be competing for the grandest of prizes.

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The majority of sides secured qualification courtesy of major trophy triumphs. Inter Miami have, however, been added to the ranks courtesy of Messi's mass appeal. The eight-time Ballon d'Or has previously won the Club World Cup with Barcelona.

Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowGetty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Some have questioned the decision to absorb Inter Miami into a competition that features the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Al-Hilal, but Aguero believes the right decision has been made by organisers.

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WHAT SERGIO AGUERO SAID

The former Argentina international has told FIFA of Messi being involved in an event that will help to build more interest in soccer across America ahead of the 2026 World Cup: "Well, I think this is something that is quite important for Inter Miami, and especially knowing that Leo is there, and I think that for the world as a whole and for the fans, I think it was quite important that Inter Miami be included, too, because by now, we know that Messi is… Although it may be painful for some, he is one of the players that everyone wants to see.

"So, I think that it will be great to see Inter Miami compete against the other teams, and especially see the Inter Miami version of Messi, who is accomplishing everything now in MLS, and they won a title that for a number of years, or I don't know if they have ever won anything, and I think that for Inter Miami, and Leo most of all, this new challenge, knowing him, he will try to do his very best because he will not want, same as with anything else, to lose at all.

"And, I think that this calls for caution because you know that when you have Leo in the rival team, even if he has a bad 88 minutes, you know that in those last two minutes, he can smash in a goal, he can score from a free-kick, he can make a play you are not expecting because, ultimately, he is the best player in the world and he is the player that can, at any time, hurt you because he is the best."

One area of their squad that Leeds United are rumoured to be looking to upgrade if they get promoted back to the Premier League is their midfield. In truth, the options available to Daniel Farke in the middle of the park are somewhat few and far between.

The main man in the pivot this season has been Ao Tanaka, who has been a key member of Leeds’ promotion charge this term.

Partnering him has often been the experienced Joe Rothwell, with Joshua Guilavogui another player at Farke’s disposal. Ethan Ampadu would likely have played a big role, but has only just made his return from injury.

So, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Whites are looking to bolster their midfield options during the summer transfer window and have already been linked with one player.

Leeds targeting new midfielder

When a homegrown player leaves your football club, it can often be more disappointing than any other sale. Well, Leeds fans surely felt that way about Kalvin Phillips departing the club in 2022 for Manchester City for £45m.

Transfer Focus

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

However, if a report from Pete O’Rourke for Football Insider, is to be believed, the Whites are looking to re-sign their former midfielder this summer.

Whilst the midfielder would ‘seriously consider’ a move to the Championship, promotion this season is ideal for Leeds to be able to truly afford the deal.

If the Yorkshire side are to pull this move off, it will be ‘dependent on City lowering their asking price’. However, it does seem like it will be a straightforward deal.

O’Rourke suggests they are ‘in a transfer race of one’ due to a general lack of interest in Phillips, giving them a potential clear route to completing the signing.

Why Leeds could be signing Tanaka 2.0

What a moment it would be for all parties involved in this deal if Phillips was to return to Elland Road. Things have obviously not worked out for the England international since his departure three summers ago, but his quality is undeniable when at his best.

Despite the high fee City paid for him back in 2022, Phillips made just 31 appearances for the club. He has had two loan spells, one at West Ham United for six months last term, where he played ten times, and the other this term at Ipswich Town, where he has featured in 20 games.

Yet, for Leeds, he was superb. Described as an “exceptional talent” by football scout Antonio Mango, he made 234 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 14 times and assisting 13. Lovingly dubbed the “Yorkshire Pirlo” by those at the club, he was sensational at Leeds.

Arguably, Phillips’ best season came in 2020/21. Not only did he play well in that campaign in the Premier League, but he was also excellent in Euro 2020 for England in the summer of 2021 and won the Player of the Year award as a result.

In fact, the stats of the Leeds-born midfielder from the 2020/21 campaign show just how well he played and are comparable to Tanaka from this term.

Both of them were, or are, pivotal players in the middle of the park at Elland Road, so to potentially see them playing together is exciting for Leeds.

As the stats on FBref show, they are both progressive midfielders, with Phillips in 2020/21 averaging 5.07 progressive passes and Tanaka this term an impressive 7.43 each game.

As for their off-the-ball work, the England international made 7.93 ball recoveries per 90 minutes four seasons ago, compared to Tanaka’s 6.01.

Progressive passes

5.07

7.43

Key passes

1.3

0.91

Blocks

1.81

1.18

Tackles and interceptions

4.41

4.2

Ball recoveries

7.93

6.01

For Leeds fans, potentially seeing their former midfield star and the man currently running the game for them in midfield together in a pivot must be exciting. At their best, they are midfield generals who are excellent progressors of play.

It could be an exceptional signing for Leeds, who seem to be the only side interested in Phillips, who earns £150k per week, as per Capology.

If he can rediscover his old form, then he could form a superb partnership in midfield with Tanaka.

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ByTom Cunningham Mar 28, 2025

The tour, starting July 12, also includes three ODIs and five T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2023India will begin their 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a two-match series in the Caribbean on July 12. Dominica will host the first Test, which will be India’s first at the venue in over a decade. The Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will stage the second – and final – Test from July 20.The Test series will be followed by three ODIs and five T20Is, with the tour set to end on August 13. The final leg of the tour – the last two T20Is – will be hosted at the ground in Lauderhill in Florida, USA. The Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the first two ODIs before the teams move back to Trinidad for the third ODI and the first T20I. Guyana will then stage the second and third T20Is.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We also look forward to hosting India in the white ball fixtures and welcoming fans to attend the matches across the region, as well as in the United States,” Johnny Grave, CWI CEO, said in a media statement. “It will be 18 days of entertainment for cricket lovers to enjoy and savour.”Grave also told ESPNcricinfo: “We are working closely with the ICC T20 World Cup team to improve the temporary infrastructure at the Broward County Cricket Stadium [in Lauderhill] for the August T20Is against India with a view to trialling new stands and hospitality facilities that could be used next June at the T20 World Cup. The two matches in Florida, therefore have greater importance as they will help with our T20 World Cup operational plans”Related

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India had faced West Indies in the first-ever Test in Dominica, at Windsor Park, in July 2011. Local boy Alick Athanaze, who recently struck the joint-fastest half-century on ODI debut, could potentially make his maiden Test appearance against India at his home ground.West Indies’ home series against India is set to begin three days after the end of their ODI World Cup Qualifier campaign in Harare on July 9. Should West Indies make the final, their Test specialists will have a short turnaround before the Test series opener in Dominica. There is also a possibility of the Test players being pulled out of the final leg of the World Cup Qualifier to prepare for the home Test series.West Indies’ recent Test record at home is encouraging: they have won their last two series, against Bangladesh and England. India, too, have a strong Test record in the Caribbean, having won their last four Test series in the country.India’s Test team is facing some questions after their disappointing performance in the WTC final against Australia earlier this week. They have played both finals of the World Test Championship so far but were unable to win silverware. Rohit Sharma, in the aftermath of the defeat at The Oval, has asked for the team to play differently in ICC tournaments. “For the last eight-nine years we have been thinking the same way,” he said, “That this match is important or this event is important, and it’s not happening for us. So we have to think differently and do things differently. Our message and focus will be on trying to do things differently.”

Surrey head coach likens move to asking Premier League football team to play with 10 men

Matt Roller13-Jul-2023Gareth Batty, Surrey’s coach, has compared the County Championship’s two-week trial of the Kookaburra ball to telling teams to play with ten men or changing the shape of a football midway through the Premier League season.The experiment, which saw the Kookaburra ball used instead of the standard Dukes over the last two rounds of county fixtures, was recommended by Andrew Strauss’ High Performance Review, commissioned in the aftermath of England’s 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia in 2021-22.The review said that the trial would give the ECB “a firmer understanding” of the difference between the two balls, suggesting that using the Kookaburra instead of the Dukes could force “the development of a wider range of skills” among English seamers and enhance the role of spinners.Related

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But Batty described the trial as “very silly” and “a kneejerk reaction” to England’s defeat in Australia. “It’s like saying next week, we’ve got to play with 10 men,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “That seems silly to me. We don’t change the shape of the ball in football halfway through; we don’t mess up what is going on.”Speaking after his Surrey side drew with Nottinghamshire at The Oval, Batty said that the timing of the trial was “illogical”, citing the possibility of players being called up for England and using a different ball to the one they had been using in domestic cricket.”If anybody were to be called up from county cricket, bowling with a Kookaburra ball, it makes no sense that they’re having to change to a Dukes ball,” he said. “There are different characteristics to the two balls. I like them both equally. I’m certainly not criticising the fact that we’re using it but the timing of it is questionable.”Peter Moores, Notts’ coach, suggested that the competitive integrity of the Championship was undermined by the trial. “I don’t like the thought of mixing up balls in a season, because it doesn’t feel right,” he said. “If you start with one ball, I’d like to use it [throughout].”Moores added: “I can see exactly why the ECB want to test it out and have a look at it and how it’s reacted… generally, the Dukes ball is a good ball but over the last couple of seasons, it’s tended to have to be changed a bit too much for me and that’s something we want to try and get away from because as a ball gets older and deteriorates, that’s when spinners come into the game.”I think the [Kookaburra] ball has played pretty well on the pitches we’ve played on. We played at Taunton and we played here. Both pitches had a reasonable covering of grass which I think helped movement and kept carry in the ball. The ball didn’t go out of shape, which I think is a good thing because it brings spinners into the game.”But Batty insisted that he was unclear why the trial had been introduced, and that if the intention was to bring spinners into the game, it hadn’t worked. “I wasn’t privy to those meetings,” he said. “Nobody has asked – from what I understand – anybody that is in a position at counties to evolve and create England players [about it]. That seems strange.”Does it bring spinners into it? I don’t think that it looks like it has done across the counties. There’s a few counties who have made pitches very dry to try and bring spin into it because they feel like the ball won’t move laterally, which is absolutely fine and I totally get that. That’s a positive, both for batters and spinners.”Batty cited the decrease in the number of points available for a draw – from eight to five, compared to 16 for a win – as evidence that English cricket wants a “quick fix” when it comes to creating spinners, rather than clear long-term thinking. “The points system has negated spinners this year,” he said.”Let’s say it as it is: everybody is playing for wins and losses now. A draw means less than it did last year. We have changed as current champions how we think about the game because of the points system. Everybody needs a quick fix because you want to win; unfortunately, you don’t get a quick fix with spin.”

There are some notable omissions from the shirt printing list for Manchester United's new home kit ahead of the 2025-26 season.

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Man Utd release new home kitSome players left off squad listSummer shake-up taking placeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils have released their new home kit but two players have been left off the list of first-team stars available to be printed on the shirt at the United Store website, according to the . Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's no sign of either Jadon Sancho or Antony's name on the list when it comes to customising the new jersey. Both players were sent out on loan last season and are expected to be offloaded again this summer. Interestingly, Marcus Rashford's name is on the list, even though he appears to be in the same situation.

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Ruben Amorim is trying to reshape his squad after a dismal season. Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves, while Bryan Mbeumo is also a top target for the Red Devils. A host of players have also been released including Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.

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Alejandro Garnacho is another player who is being tipped to leave United this summer. The Argentine has reportedly attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League and abroad.

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Fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the players in their new kit next month when the Red Devils return for pre-season. Amorim's team take on Leeds United first up in Sweden.

Show-stealing 116* leads reigning champions home with 17 overs to spare and into second place on table

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Lauren Winfield-Hill hit a match-winning century as the Northern Diamonds beat South East Stars by seven wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham on Sunday.The England star produced a show-stealing 116 not out as the reigning champions cruised home with 17 overs to spare, leapfrogging the Stars into second place in the table.Earlier Grace Hall took her best senior figures of 4 for 33 and claimed a run out on her competition debut as the Stars were bowled out for 205 in 46 overs. At one point the hosts looked unlikely to reach three figures, but they were rescued by Chloe Hill, who hit 63 from 80 balls and put on 81 for the seventh wicket with Bethan Miles.Both sides were depleted by international call-ups, but it was Winfield-Hill’s release from the Ashes squad that proved pivotal as she passed 50 for the ninth time in this competition since the start of the 2022 season. Chloe Tryon was the Diamonds’ next-highest scorer with 57 not out as the visitors claimed a bonus point win, closing on 209 for 3.Stars chose to bat in blustery conditions but lost Kira Chathli early when she was caught behind off Jessica Woolston for 11.Alexa Stonehouse then became Woolston’s second victim when she fell to a sharp one-handed catch by Winfield-Hill for 9.The Stars’ new overseas player Tazmin Brits looked comfortable until she was lbw to Katie Levick for 17 and Levick struck again when Jemima Spence edged her to Tryon at first slip for 13.Hall, displaying her Malinga-esque action for the first time in the RHFT, took her first wicket when she had Kalea Moore caught behind for a three-ball duck and when Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones was caught and bowled by Emma Marlow for 10 the Stars were on 91 for 6 with only 24.1 overs bowled.Hill, however, was determined to give them something to defend. She passed 50 when she drove Lizzie Scott through mid-on for four and mounted a salvage operation alongside Miles, who hung around for 28 from 45 balls before an eventful 39th over.Hall bowled 11 deliveries, including five wides and went for 16, but crucially took two wickets. Miles was caught at mid on by Phoebe Turner off the first legitimate delivery and Darcie Carter was then bowled for two.In her next over Hall finally brought Hill’s best innings in regional cricket to an end, getting her caught by Turner at mid-wicket, concluding a spell of three wickets in 15 deliveries.Last-wicket duo Priyanazz Chatterji and Danni Gregory took the score past the 200 mark before the latter was run out by Hall, but the total looked low as soon as the visitors started to bat.The Diamonds’ openers had raced to 33 without loss in the fourth when Sterre Kalis stopped halfway down the wicket in pursuit of a single and was run out by Spence for six.Winfield-Hill took a single from Gregory to reach 50 but lost another partner when Marlow was lbw to Carter for 20.Carter claimed her second wicket when Miles took a brilliant one-handed catch at wide mid-on to remove Turner for two but that was as good as it got for the Stars.Tryon came in and bashed 50 from 52 balls, reaching the landmark in the 32nd over with a six back over Stonehouse’s head. Three balls later Winfield-Hill pulled Stonehouse for four through backward square leg to reach three figures and with the scores level she clinched the win when she hit Gregory for four through third.Winfield-Hill, who was practising with the England squad at Edgbaston minutes before their opening T20I against Australia on Saturday evening, said: “When the England team was discussed on Friday I mentioned to [head coach] John Lewis yesterday if I could leave straight after the game, so I came down late last night and got in this morning.”As soon as I knew I wasn’t in the England XI I thought, ‘Where else can I get some cricket?’ and also the discussion has been that I am away Bess Heath’s away, Holly [Armitage] is away [with England A] so you lose both your keepers and your captains. So I made a conscious effort to come down and captain and try to continue our good run.”I got in about half one last night and hit the pillow at about two a.m. I did actually get a few hours sleep and I’m pretty tired now but it’s all in a good cause, isn’t it?”