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Faisalabad Wolves thrashed Quetta Bears by 51 runs in their opening game at the Gaddafi Stadium. In a game they dominated from start to finish, the openers set the tone with a 70-run stand before Mohammad Hafeez was caught behind. The other opener, 30-year-old Asif Hussain, went on to complete his half-century, which earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, and set up Faisalabad for a competitive total of 147.Quetta’s chase never looked on track after fast bowler Samiullah Khan, who played two ODIs for Pakistan two years ago, nipped out their openers cheaply. The wickets continued to tumble for Quetta – six of their top seven falling in single digits to leave the side at a hopeless 56 for 6. Fast bowler Asad Ali was the most successful of the Faisalabad bowlers, finishing with three wickets including the final two as Quetta folded for 106.In another one-sided match, Gulraiz Sadaf’s unbeaten 71 steered Multan Tigers to a seven-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons. It was Multan’s second win in two days, and Abbottabad’s second loss in two days and put them out of the race for the semi-finals.Abbottabad’s trouble, after being put in to bat, was that their batsmen couldn’t score at a rate demanded by Twenty20s. Forties from opener Mir Azam and Adnan Raees pushed Abbottabad to 147, a total which proved too small to defend. Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, who recently made his debut for Pakistan was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 4-1-11-2.Multan were in a bit of trouble at 23 for 2 after opener Imranullah Aslam’s blasted three fours and a six in his 21. Sadaf and Rameez Alam, though, added 84 for the third wicket to swing the match Multan’s way.Shahzaib Hasan struck a violent 76 off 38 balls, inclusive of 12 fours and a six, to launch Karachi Dolphins to 195, a total they defended easily against Hyderabad Hawks in Lahore.Shahzaib made light of opening partner Khalid Latif’s dismissal for a duck and waded into Hyderabad’s attack with a regal display. Asad Shafiq supported him with 31 off 25 balls in a stand of 106 that came in nine overs and took the game away. The innings lost momentum after Shahzaib’s effort, and a brief spark from Shahid Afridi was the only remaining highlight as Ghumman reined them in with 3 for 29 in four overs.Hyderabad lost Ghumman off the first ball of the chase, but their run-rate stayed within touching distance thanks to Karachi’s generosity with wides and no-balls – 19 in all. Faisal Athar struck 10 fours in his 67, but consumed too many dot balls as Karachi kept the pressure. Lal Kumar weighed in with 40 off 31 balls but it was not enough as Hyderabad fell 20 runs short.

Spanish outlet Sport have provided an update involving Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale. 

The lowdown: Bale in Madrid

Out of contract at the end of the season (Transfermarkt), it now seems inevitable that the 32-year-old will finally leave Spain this summer.

Despite being an integral part of a successful time in the history of the La Liga giants, the Welsh forward has been castigated by fans and media alike in recent years at the Bernabeu due to an ongoing battle with fitness issues.

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Having spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Tottenham – scoring 16 times and providing three assists – a fresh claim has now emerged from Spain…

The latest: Spurs keen

As per the report from Sport, Spurs, and by extension Fabio Paratici, are among the clubs plotting to offer Bale a contract should the Welshman indeed decide to continue with his career.

Hometown club Cardiff City, Newcastle United, Rangers and a move to the MLS are also cited as possible destinations for the man once hailed as ‘one of the best in the world’ by former interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason following a hat-trick against Sheffield United.

However, it’s suggested that the 102-cap ace may yet hang up his boots should Wales fail to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The verdict: Still got it

If there was any doubting whether the enigmatic Welshman still has the quality to perform at the elite level, a recent stunning brace for Wales in the World Cup playoff against Austria put the questions to rest.

Managing Director of Football Paratici will attempt to strengthen the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer and a move for Bale, who Antonio Conte actually tried to sign whilst at Inter Milan, would be an interesting option.

Whilst a return would excite supporters, since moving to Madrid in 2013 Bale has missed an eye-watering 134 matches through injury and fitness woes. Therefore, to make this move a feasible option certain assurances would either need to be in place over fitness or it would need to come at a low financial cost.

In other news: Report makes swap deal claim as Spurs open talks! Find out more here.

ScorecardAfter going neck and neck for much of the first Test, England and Sri Lanka’s Under-19s continued their close-fought contest into the second day of the second match at Scarborough. England managed to keep off-field events in the background as they overcame a decidedly shaky start to their innings thanks to some gritty resistance from their lower middle order, finishing the day 94 runs in arrears on 223 for 6 after Sri Lanka were dismissed for 317 in the morning.Charith Jayampathi had battled gamely for his 31, but when he was dismissed by Jacob Ball Sri Lanka’s innings came to a swift end, David Payne castling Nadeera Rajaguru in the following over. The atmosphere in the England camp will have been far from ideal after their captain for the first Test, Azeem Rafiq, was dropped for “inappropriate conduct” and responded with a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter, and when they lost two wickets in an over to slip to 17 for 2 within the first seven overs it appeared a collapse was imminent.But Luke Wells and Ateeq Javid steadied the innings with a 78-run stand, Wells going to his half-century from 106 balls with eight fours. Chathura Peiris, the left-arm seamer whose wickets played an important role in Sri Lanka’s triumph in the first Test, ensured that England never took the upper hand, however, snapping Wells and Javids’ stand and then returning to dismiss Jack Manuel just before stumps after he had launched another fightback with an attacking 57.Paul Best, the Warwickshire left-arm spinner whose 5 for 53 kept Sri Lanka in check on the first day, chipped in with a stubborn unbeaten 27, and if he can find support from England’s lower order then England will continue to challenge Sri Lanka and hold on to hopes of squaring the series.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Dean Jones of Eurosport has made a promising claim as Tottenham Hotspur eye a move for Juventus star Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Spurs join race…

As reported by multiple sources, the Argentine international is a target for Spurs and manager Antonio Conte as his contract in Turin winds down.

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Indeed, Fichajes say that the Italian has personally requested Dybala’s signing while journalist Xavier Jacobelli told Radio Radio (via Calciomercato.it) that Spurs are ‘at the window’ alongside Inter Milan and Barcelona.

Sharing what he believes, Jones has made what could be a promising claim to GMS.

The Latest: Jones makes Dybala claim…

According to the reporter, while this possible move to Spurs may not happen until the summer, Dybala is ‘definitely interested’ in a move to England if he opts against signing an extension with Juve.

“It’s definitely more of a summer move if it’s going to happen,” he explained to GMS when asked about Tottenham’s links.

“If Dybala was to leave Juve, then he’s definitely interested in coming to England.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

If Spurs can in fact persuade the player to leave Italy for the Premier League, there is little arguing that the £222,000-per-week gem would inject real quality into Conte’s team.

Called ‘world class’ and ‘phenomenal’ by ex-Spurs man Paul Robinson, the playmaker has bagged a brilliant 140 goals and 67 assists over his career (Transfermarkt) with there appearing to be little downside to signing him as a potential free agent in the summer.

While Spurs fans will re-call the infamous image rights saga once preventing his move to N17, with any luck they can avoid a debacle of that nature if they decide to take another punt.

In other news: Spurs ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

Newcastle United were very active in the previous January transfer window in terms of bringing new players to the club.

They were particularly focused on strengthening their defence after bringing in the likes of Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett.

With the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though a clue has emerged over another potential defensive figure coming to St James’ Park, which could finally see one current figure in Eddie Howe’s squad getting his bags packed and moving on.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones was discussing the possibility of Newcastle making a summer move to sign Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, who has been linked with a switch to St James’ Park in the past.

He said: “I think that it’ll be interesting to see if his head is turned by that interest, obviously, not only because of Newcastle’s ambition but because of the Eddie Howe link as well.” 

Since joining the south coast club, who were managed by Howe at the time, back in 2019 from Bristol City in a deal worth a reported £13m, the defender has gone on to make 82 appearances for the Cherries across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing five assists along the way.

Having appeared in 31 of Bournemouth’s Championship games this season and donned the captain’s armband in many of those, it’s safe to say that Kelly – who is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt – is an important figure for the club, who may not be too keen on selling him this summer.

From a Newcastle point of view, with Ciaran Clark having not been included in the Premier League squad after their January shopping spree and being slammed for his “shocking” performances earlier in the season, securing a deal for the 23-year-old could be the final nail in the coffin for the Irishman in terms of his tenure at St James’ Park.

Labelled a “Rolls-Royce” of a player by Jonathan Woodgate, the Bournemouth defender could be an ideal long-term replacement for Clark and give Newcastle the chance to finally get the latter’s £42k-per-week wages off their books once and for all.

In other news: Big twist emerges on £27m-rated Newcastle-linked “golden boy”, PIF will be buzzing

Half centuries from Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell and Gareth Andrew helped Worcestershire edge the honours on the first day of their County Championship game against Leicestershire at Grace Road

04-May-2010
ScorecardHalf centuries from Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell and Gareth Andrew helped Worcestershire edge the honours on the first day of their County Championship game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.Moeen and Mitchell shared a third-wicket stand of 145 to lead the fightback after Worcestershire slumped to 15 for 2 and some late order resistance saw them through to a total of 308. Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard claimed 3 for 69 and 19-year-old Nathan Buck 3 for 64 and the home side then survived two awkward overs to reach stumps on 9 without loss.There was a degree of surprise when Worcestershire captain Vikram Solanki batted first on a green-looking pitch after winning the toss. And when two wickets fell – including Solanki’s – for 15 runs in the first six overs the decision was looking even more questionable.But Solanki, who popped an easy catch off Hoggard, was able to breath much easier after the partnership between Mitchell and Moeen had launched the recovery. The third wicket pair rode their luck at times but also profited from some erratic bowling from the home attack who failed to make the most of the conditions.Moeen was severe on anything loose and raced to 50 by hitting left-arm spinner Claude Henderson for 18 off one over. He struck a six and three fours to reach a half century from 60 balls. Mitchell was more circumspect but he too reached 50 off 93 balls shortly after lunch.But the partnership was broken by Hoggard who trapped Moeen lbw as he tried to work the ball on the leg side after making 80 off 127 balls. His departure triggered a middle-order collapse as Leicestershire regained the initiative. Hoggard snapped up his third wicket by trapping Mitchell lbw, Ben Smith was out in the same fashion to Henderson and Ben Scott edged Andrew McDonald to wicketkeeper Tom New.It meant four wickets had fallen for 39 runs with Hoggard taking 2 for 16 in an impressive nine-over spell. But a fluctuating day swung back in Worcestershire’s favour as Alexei Kervezee and Andrew led another recovery with a stand of 51.It needed a magnificent one-handed slip catch by Will Jefferson to removeKervezee off the bowling of McDonald with the total at 250. Andrew, however, reached his half century with a six off Hoggard before carvinga catch to point. Last man Jack Shantry ended a run of four consecutive ducks with a boundary off Hoggard but then fell lbw to Wayne White at 308.

MatériaMais Notícias

Já classificado na Libertadores, o Cruzeiro garantiu força máximo contra o Botafogo, no jogo do próximo domingo.

No treino desta sexta-feira, Mano Menezes organizou uma atividade de dois toques, seguida de um rachão. Fábio, Léo (suspenso) e Rafael Sobis não treinaram. Nenhum deles viaja para o Rio, mas o treinador enfatizou que tirando os três, o time estará completo.

– Nós vamos cumprir a tabela, como estamos fazendo nos jogos anteriores. Não seria coerente dispensar uns e não outros. Gosto de seguir uma linha de coerência. Sei que tem muitos jogadores que jogaram bastante jogos. Mas estamos inteiros para a última partida. Teremos 30 dias de férias para descansar e tenho certeza que eles vão querer disputar jogos festivos também durante as férias – afirmou o técnico.

Mano comentou também que alguns jogadores das categorias de base serão promovidos, um deles deverá ser Victor Luiz, lateral-esquerdo, que vem treinando com os profissionais esta semana.

– Temos alguns jogadores que estão estourando idade, dentre esses, vamos fazer nossas escolhas. Os jogadores que ainda estão com idade mais abaixo, ainda vão permanecer (na base), achamos importantes eles ficarem lá para jogar. O Victor Luiz está entre os jogadores que estouram idade, o Vitinho (lateral direito) ainda não, é mais novo (tem 18 anos). Vale aquilo que falamos. Vamos analisar o Victor Luiz, dentro das características dele, da necessidade da posição. Se estiver aí, vai ser considerado apto para jogar, como os outros que estão aí – afirmou o comandante.

Sobre o novo reforço do Cruzeiro, o lateral Egídio, Mano Menezes foi só elogios. Com a camisa celeste, entre 2013 e 2014, o jogador fez 107 jogos, marcou quatro gols e contribuiu com 17 assistências.

– O Egídio é um ótimo jogador. Quando perdemos o Diogo, começamos a trabalhar com a possibilidade de tê-lo e eu disse que ele preenchia as características que queríamos. Ótimo acabamento, tem boa finalização. Aquele ajuste de marcação, penso que é fácil fazer, até pelo jogador inteligente que ele é – destacou o técnico.

Aston Villa are set to battle it out with ‘a lot of really big clubs’ for the signing of Boubacar Kamara ahead of the 2022 summer transfer window. 

That’s according to journalist Luke Hatfield, who was speaking to Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported at the beginning of this week that Kamara, who can play as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back, has decided to leave Olympique de Marseille on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Manchester United were said to be monitoring the 22-year-old’s situation, while German giants Bayern Munich and Spanish marquee FC Barcelona were named as strong admirers.

Kamara is yet to make his senior debut for the French national team but has featured nine times for Les Bleus at Under-21 level.

The latest

Hatfield picked out Kamara when he was asked about possible transfer targets for Steven Gerrard, but warned that there is doubt over Villa’s chances of landing the Frenchman.

“There is a lot of talk around Boubacar Kamara and Marseille,” he said.

“He’s going on a free in the summer but I think there’ll be a lot of really big clubs after him”

The verdict

Kamara is a precise passer and an effective shield for a defence, data from FBRef shows. In fact, he boasts a similar profile to Barcelona’s highly-decorated midfielder Sergio Busquets, and perhaps they view him as a successor.

Indeed, former team-mate Rolando has dubbed him a ‘phenomenon’, suggesting he can go right to the very top.

Do Villa have a shot? Well, it’s a matter of convincing the player rather than the club.

A healthy upgrade on his £46,000-per-week salary should be achievable for Villa, and then it’s down to Gerrard to make the project as attractive as possible.

In other news, fans react to this cruel injury blow.

David Obuya hit an unbeaten 115, adding 203 with his brother Collins, to lead a strong Kenya batting effort after Ryan ten Doeschate moved to a double century which lifted Netherlands to 385

Cricinfo staff21-Feb-2010
ScorecardDavid Obuya hit an unbeaten 115, adding 203 with his brother Collins, to lead a strong Kenya batting effort after Ryan ten Doeschate moved to a double century which lifted Netherlands to 385.The combined efforts of the Obuya brothers propelled Kenya to 235 for 2 at the close and they will now sense the opportunity to build a first-innings lead. David Obuya’s second first-class hundred was the ideal response for Kenya and his hundred came from 148 deliveries shortly before Collins Obuya was bowled for 89 late in the day.Netherlands’ bowlers found it tough work after ten Doeshcate had provided an early breakthrough by having Rakep Patel caught behind. They had to wait another 46 overs before Mark Jonkman managed to break the second-wicket stand and the fact the attack managed just five maidens in 56 overs shows how they were dominated.Their batting effort had almost been a one-man display with ten Doeschate providing comfortably more than half the total. He resumed overnight on 129 and added 83 of the 109 runs Netherlands compiled before being bowled out. His double ton arrived off 267 balls during a final-wicket stand of 43 with Pieter Seelaar who didn’t contribute during his 23-ball occupation.Elijah Otieno eventually ended the innings to finish with impressive figures of 4 for 57 from 25.1 overs.

Newcastle United had to settle for a point at home to Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday night after Ciaran Clark was sent off early on.

Callum Wilson actually put the hosts in front from the penalty spot before Teemu Pukki equalised as the score finished 1-1.

While there were some spirited performances from Eddie Howe’s team, a few seemed to struggle, as The Transfer Tavern uses statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the St. James’ Park faithful:

Joe Willock

Although Ciaran Clark (3.0) and Ryan Fraser (6.4) both ranked poorly by SofaScore, they did not play at least 45 minutes, and so Willock comes in third with a 6.4 rating.

The former Arsenal man was hauled off for Isaac Hayden in the 73rd minute, as he lost out on five of his duels, and also failed to record a single shot on goal from midfield, while he lost possession of the ball six times.

Javier Manquillo

Manquillo was also given a 6.4 rating by SofaScore, but comes in second place here because he played the full 90 minutes.

The Spaniard lost three duels, and recorded no successful dribbles, blocked shots, tackles, key passes, crosses or accurate long balls from right-back.

He was also guilty of losing the ball on no fewer than on 20 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any player on the pitch.

Jamal Lewis

Lewis was ranked as the worst player on the night for the North East club to have played at least 45 minutes, as SofaScore gave him a 6.3 rating.

The left-back lost seven of his duels in total, and also failed to record a successful dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, losing possession 10 times.

In other news, find out who could be back for NUFC earlier than expected here!