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Mohamed Salah’s name has dominated the headlines at Liverpool for so many years, but never as intensely, and as negatively, as in recent days.

The Egypt international’s incendiary interview after Arne Slot’s side blew their advantage and drew at Leeds United has torn at fraying fabric and left Liverpool in dangerous and unknown territory.

The iconic forward, an all-time great on Merseyside and in the Premier League, is facing the very real possibility of leaving Liverpool in January. There is a good chance he has played his last game for the club.

This is a painful situation, to be sure, but Salah is ageing and ostensibly past his prime.

Slot does, however, need to get a tune out of the club’s expensive summer signings, with Florian Wirtz’s struggles a stark representation of the dysfunctional tactical set-up.

Why Wirtz has struggled under Slot

It’s fair to say Wirtz has not been good enough this season, far below the standard expected when Liverpool signed the German midfielder for a £116m fee. It’s also fair to say he’s walked into a burning building, making it difficult to shine against the backdrop of the flames.

It is clear that when Liverpool signed Wirtz this summer, they had landed one of the most talented playmakers in the world. It was also clear that Slot planned to reorient Liverpool’s creative supply line after Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid.

So many variables have been at play this season, but there is no excuse for the toothless, spineless performances that Liverpool have laboured through this season. Slot has to take responsibility, and he has to get more out of Wirtz, who won the Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2023/24 after steering Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible title.

Wirtz has what it takes to succeed. Claims that he lacks physicality are simply untrue. Moreover, he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers in the Premier League for progressive passes and shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, so he needs just a little nudge in the right direction, with an uptick from Liverpool’s wider system too.

Liverpool need results, and they need them quickly.

Liverpool lining up Slot replacement

According to Anfield Index, FSG chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have held talks with Como manager Cesc Fabregas as they continue to weigh up Slot’s future.

Fabregas, 38, is one of the brightest young coaches in the world, and he’s enjoyed a stunning start to life in Serie A, his Como side sixth in the standings.

The Spaniard’s expansive, free-flowing brand of football is not too dissimilar from Slot’s own vision, and this suggests he could dovetail into Liverpool’s first team, taking the reins at the season’s midpoint and restoring balance and confidence.

He may also be the perfect coach to give rise to Wirtz’s latent quality.

Why Liverpool should appoint Fabregas

Fabregas is a young and talented coach, but some would understandably have reservations over his youth and inexperience. However, were FSG to make the appointment, they would no doubt reference Arsenal’s meteoric rise under Mikel Arteta’s wing as a yardstick which they could follow.

Fabregas knows the Premier League, having featured 350 times in the division as a player, having scored 50 goals and supplied 117 assists across stints with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Moreover, Fabregas knows a thing or two about playmaking in the Premier League, lauded as a world-class “maestro” by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during his trophy-laden spell at Stamford Bridge.

Truly, he was a “genius” of a footballer, as claimed by former boss Antonio Conte, and he has translated that wealth of footballing knowledge to the coaching scene, with Como playing some slick attacking football this season while maintaining a steely defensive line, for the most part. In the words of one notable analyst on X, he’s “football’s next elite manager.”

This foundation could be perfect for Wirtz, who shares certain tactical tendencies with the rising managerial star. Look at Nico Paz, for example, who has been immense this season ahead of his much-anticipated return to Real Madrid.

Paz, 21, is one of the hottest creative talents in the business, and he has been in fine fettle for Como this season, posting five goals and five assists apiece across 15 matches in all competitions this term.

Like Wirtz, he’s as naturally gifted as they come, but he has also been tasked with defensive responsibilities that have given him a coating of completeness that Fabregas’ tactics would play into Wirtz’s own game.

One thing’s for certain, Liverpool have crumbled under Slot’s wing. After that blistering start at the beginning of last season, the Reds have slowly tapered off, shipping so many goals and losing so many games.

27

Games

52

23

Wins

26

3

Draws

10

1

Losses

16

2.66

PPG

1.69

73

Goals scored

91

27

Goals conceded

69

Liverpool have a whole host of problems that have shown little sign of abating this season, but among the most egregious issues are the woes of Wirtz and Alexander Isak, who look shells of their former selves.

This cannot continue. Changes are needed. While FSG will continue to persist with Slot for the time being, given that Hughes has held preliminary talks with Fabregas (and who knows who else?), we can be sure that the plug will be pulled if improvements are not seen quickly.

Fabregas, with fresh and innovative ideas, could be the shrewd solution.

Sell him before Salah & Konate: FSG must bin Liverpool's "major issue"

Liverpool have collapsed this season, and some tough decisions need to be made.

1 ByAngus Sinclair 6 days ago

The Australia allrounder is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-20254:35

Chatter: What type of players could attract most attention at this WPL auction?

Australian bowling allrounder Jess Jonassen is understood to have pulled out of the WPL auction due to injury. Jonassen’s exit was disclosed to franchises by the WPL at the pre-auction briefing on Wednesday.The WPL has also told franchises that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and seamer VJ Joshitha are all injured though their names are part of the auction pool. However, these three players cannot be part of the mandatory 15-person squad. In case any franchise picks these players, they will not be allowed a replacement.Rawal listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Bhatia at INR 30 lakh. Meanwhile, Joshitha will invite bids from INR 10 lakh.The WPL has also told franchises that India fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar is not fully fit but will be part of the auction. Kashvee Gautam, meanwhile, has been declared fit. Vastrakar has listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Gautam at INR 30 lakh.Related

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Wolvaardt, Healy, Ecclestone – Which WPL team needs which superstar

Deepti, Wolvaardt, Ecclestone, Healy in marquee set

Jonassen, 33, has made a big impact in the WPL, winning five Player-of-the-Match awards. Only Harmanpreet Kaur has won more Player-of-the-Match awards (7) in the WPL. It is understood that Jonassen is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time.Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players in the marquee set.

Liverpool have now reportedly set their sights on hiring a Premier League manager, who Pep Guardiola called “incredible”, in a fresh concern for Arne Slot.

Carragher delivers "honest" Liverpool verdict after PSV defeat

Before the international break, Liverpool could at least fall back on the excuse that much of their bad form came on the road. Anfield, for the most part, remained a fortress. Just weeks later, however, and that fortress has been set ablaze by humiliating defeats at the hands of Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.

Not everyone is ready to call time on Slot’s time at the club, however, and Anfield legend Jamie Carragher sent a timely reminder on punditry duty that Liverpool aren’t a sacking club, historically speaking.

He said: “Liverpool is not a sacking club, Liverpool, I think, are different from almost every club in European football where the manager is the king, you know, the managers get time.

“Liverpool have never sacked a manager who’s won the league, never in the history. They’ve all, you know, after a few years they’ve gone, they’ve resigned.

Slot must drop 3/10 Liverpool flop who was just as bad as Konate vs PSV

Arne Slot must now axe this Liverpool flop after he put in an extremely poor display at Anfield against PSV Eindhoven.

1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 27, 2025

“I couldn’t believe over the weekend that people were talking about the manager’s job when I spoke to Liverpool supporters after losing at home to Nottingham Forest.

“It’s only going to amplify now and I’ve always been in the camp of you stick with the manager because I’m angry with the players if I’m being totally honest, I’m really angry with the players but it does get to a stage with any manager at any club where I always use this word untenable, where it almost feels like it can’t go on any longer.”

Whether Liverpool chiefs share that view is the big question. Recent reports linking them to the likes of Andoni Iraola certainly suggests that they’re at least preparing for life without Slot.

Liverpool eyeing Andoni Iraola move

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are now eyeing a move to hire Iraola from Bournemouth if they decide to sack Slot. The Cherries boss is someone that Richard Hughes knows well, given that the sporting director hired the Spaniard during his time on the South Coast, and could now turn to him for a second time.

Iraola is one of the most well-respected managers in the Premier League these days. He’s taken Bournemouth to new heights and transformed the likes of Antoine Semenyo, who’s attracting interest from Liverpool ahead of the January transfer window.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been one of the many figures around English football to hand the Bournemouth boss praise, telling reporters earlier this season: “Andoni is an incredible, well-respected manager in Spain and did an incredible job in Rayo Vallecano.”

It doesn’t get much better than praise from the Man City boss, and Iraola could yet get the chance to become one of his biggest rivals if Liverpool make their move.

Gravenberch upgrade: Liverpool ready record bid for "best CM in the world"

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is poised to be without a key man for their upcoming Champions League clash against Barcelona, with the Italian facing a selection headache.

Maresca has already been forced into 93 first team rotations this season, the highest number of any team in the Premier League, and it is safe to say his squad depth has been stretched to the bare bones at times.

There were major worries surrounding fitness repercussions after Chelsea’s involvement in the Club World Cup last summer, which saw them play a grand total of 65 matches in a 53-week season.

This was an unprecedented number of matches for the Blues, with Chelsea also reaching the Conference League final beforehand and going on to win Europe’s third-tier tournament.

While they became the first club in history to win all five UEFA club competitions, and took home north of £80 million in prize money from the CWC, their extensive schedule appears to be having a dire effect on the players.

So far, Chelsea have lost Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong to injury or suspension at various points this season, and a few absences have been seriously felt.

This all being said, Maresca deserves praise for navigating this storm of injuries and guiding Chelsea to third in the Premier League table, where they’re just six points off league leaders Arsenal and could be considered outside contenders for the title this season.

One player they will be very eager to welcome back at the earliest opportunity is superstar forward Palmer, who’s been battling a niggling groin injury all campaign.

The England international hasn’t featured at all since he limped off in a 2-1 defeat at Man United nearly two months ago, with Maresca stating back in mid-October that he’d be out for another six weeks.

Optimism then followed that he could actually be back and ready to start against Barcelona next week, but according to journalist Simon Phillips, hopes of a return against the La Liga champions have all but diminished.

Chelsea star Cole Palmer now likely to miss Barcelona through injury

According to Phillips, via his Substack, Palmer is now likely to miss Chelsea’s clash with Barça, and a more realistic timeframe for his return could be their London derby at home to Arsenal at the end of this month.

The 23-year-old has been cut and above their superstar man since joining from Man City for what now feels like an absolute bargain fee.

Gus Poyet and others have even tipped Palmer for an eventual Ballon d’Or, highlighting his meteoric rise since leaving Eastlands.

Palmer spearheaded Chelsea to a double (CWC and Conference League) and Champions League qualification with 18 goals and 14 assists in 52 appearances for the west Londoners last season, and once he returns, the forward will provide Maresca with an almighty boost.

However, it appears they could now have to cope without him for one of their biggest games of the season so far against Hansi Flick’s Spanish giants.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will not be playing pitcher Clayton Kershaw in this postseason as he deals with bone spurs in his big toe, an injury that has kept him out since August 31.

There was speculation that Kershaw might be considering retirement as the 36-year-old barely competed this season. His first start was on July 25 after undergoing shoulder surgery last offseason, and he only played for about a month before landing on the injured list.

But, Kershaw doesn't plan on hanging up his glove for good yet.

Would this next surgery on his toe keep him from returning in 2025, a player option year for him?

“Mentally, I feel great. I had shoulder surgery last offseason, and my shoulder and elbow, everything, my arm, feels great," Kershaw told the Fox pregame show team on Monday. "Obviously, I had some tough luck with my foot this year. But I want to make use of this surgery. I don’t want to have surgery and shut it down. So I’m gonna come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes.”

Kershaw's been with the Dodgers his entire MLB career, which began in 2008. In that span, he's been named a 10-time All-Star, won three NL Cy Young Awards, was the NL MVP in 2014 and won a World Series title in 2020.

Raza’s fifty went in vain for Zimbabwe, who lost their sixth successive T20I against SA

Firdose Moonda14-Jul-2025It’s just not getting any easier for Zimbabwe. After suffering two heavy defeats to South Africa in the Tests, they opened their T20I triangular series, which also includes New Zealand, with a loss. It was Zimbabwe’s sixth successive T20I defeat to South Africa, against whom they are yet to register a win after two other games between the sides produced no results.South Africa, playing in their first T20I this year – and first under Shukri Conrad since he was named all-format coach – will be pleased with their early outing. Chasing 142, they wobbled at 38 for 3, but debutant Rubin Hermann top-scored with 45, and shared in a 72-run fourth-wicket stand with Dewald Brevis, who contributed 41 off just 17 balls. Corbin Bosch finished things off with an unbeaten 23 off 15 deliveries.The Hermann-Brevis partnership will make headlines, but South Africa will be equally satisfied with their bowlers – in particular with the return of Lungi Ngidi. After missing their last seven T20I matches, Ngidi came back with impressive accuracy, and finished with 1 for 15 from four overs. Overall, George Linde (3 for 10) was the standout with the lowest economy (3.33) and most wickets.South Africa’s victorious chase, completed inside 16 overs, overshadowed Sikandar Raza’s 15th T20I fifty, and his first against South Africa. Raza also went past Craig Ervine as Zimbabwe’s most capped T20I captain, with 39 matches. His knock lifted Zimbabwe from 39 for 2 to a total over 140, though they needed far more to be competitive.Sikandar Raza hit his 15th T20I fifty•Zimbabwe CricketZimbabwe equal best start against SAIt may hardly sound like much, but Zimbabwe’s 34 runs in the first six overs was their joint-highest in a T20I against South Africa, and better, in wicket terms, than the 34 for 2 they had got in 2018. With only Wessly Madhevere dismissed – and he has only got past 20 once in his last 11 innings – Zimbabwe would have felt they hadd built a solid base, especially with the way Brian Bennett was playing.His first boundary came when he flayed Ngidi through a vacant slip area, his second when he upper cut Burger to deep third, and his third and fourth off glorious drives over and through the covers off Bosch. What Bennett lacked was a partner as industrious as Zimbabwe’s scoring rate of under six an over needed a massive boost.Raza, Burl provide the runsAt 53 for 2 at the halfway stage, Zimbabwe were going nowhere, but Raza and Ryan Burl gave their innings some urgency. The pair ran well between the wickets, with Burl providing the early aggression. He took advantage of the only bad ball Ngidi bowled, down leg, to help its way for four, and then made Nqakaba Peter pay for poor length. The short ball was swung over fine leg, and the full one hit over long-on for the innings’ first six.Raza began the final onslaught when he picked up a slower ball from Andile Simelane, and hit it back over his head for six. He was dropped on 33 by Brevis at deep cover, and then slammed Simelane for six more in an over that cost 19. The partnership between Raza and Burl was worth 66 from 38 balls when Burl holed out to long-off to give Nandre Burger, on comeback after ten months, his first wicket. Zimbabwe scored 88 runs in the last ten overs to stage a decent fightback.File photo: Richard Ngarava is now Zimbabwe’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is•AP Photo/Eranga JayawardenaLeft-arm spinner Linde makes his caseIt is always going to be difficult for Linde to get past Keshav Maharaj in the South Africa side. But if they ever consider twin left-arm spin, Linde has done his bit to be the other half. Against Zimbabwe on Monday, Linde was brought on immediately after the powerplay, and bowled a tight first over. He then had Bennet out in his second over, and was tasked with the last over. where he took two wickets in two balls.Tashinga Musekiwa tried to force Linde over mid-off but was caught, before Tony Muyonga was caught off a low full toss. Linde almost had a hat-trick, before finishing with figures three wickets. However, there will be questions over why he did not bowl his full quota of overs.Ngarava roars backRichard Ngarava hurt his back during Zimbabwe’s Test in England, and missed the Tests against South Africa. But he showed why he is so crucial to Zimbabwe’s side with an explosive opening spell. Ngarava’s first legitimate ball stuck in the turf, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius toe-ended it back to him for a simple return catch.In his next over, a similar delivery took Reeza Hendricks’ inside edge as he drove loosely, and went on to rock middle stump. South Africa were 17 for 2 in the third over, and Ngarava had given Zimbabwe a solid chance. With Hendricks’ wicket, Ngarava went past Raza as Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, with 82 to his name. Ngarava returned to bowl the 15th over, and added to the tally by getting rid of Hermann with a delivery that kept low and skidded on to take out off stump.Hermann’s hat-trick of fours, and Brevis goes bigHermann announced himself by scoring his first international runs with a six when he stepped inside the line to send Ngarava over fine leg. He very nearly didn’t add to his score when he popped Blessing Muzarabani to cover point, but the ball fell safe. Then Hermann took control of the chase when he thumped back-to-back-to-back fours off Wellington Masakadza to bring the required run rate down to under seven an over.Hermann played the sweep, and showed his power-hitting and ability to use his feet in the three fours he struck. Not to be outdone, Brevis, who only had five runs in his previous two T20Is, then went one better. Two overs after Hermann’s blitz, Brevis sent Burl down the ground three times for a hat-trick of sixes. Burl was guilty of going too short, and Brevis was happy to make room and swing away. He took 24 runs off Burl’s opening over, which cost 25, and effectively ended the contest.South Africa were 103 for 3 after 11 overs, and needed 39 runs from the next nine overs to win. Eventually, they got those runs in less than five overs.

Smriti Mandhana vs Lauren Bell. It’s a contest Bell, spearhead of England’s seam-bowling attack, couldn’t wait to get stuck into on the eve of the opening match of India’s tour, the first of five T20Is at Trent Bridge on Saturday.For Mandhana’s part, she is looking forward to reprising her opening partnership with Shafali Verma, who is making a comeback – in this format at least – having fallen out of favour after India’s group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup last October and lean ODI returns at home against New Zealand later that month.Mandhana stood in for an unwell Harmanpreet Kaur at India’s pre-match press conference on Friday but expected her captain to be fit to play the first match. She was full of praise for Shafali’s efforts to earn her recall through the domestic circuit and the WPL, where she was the fourth-highest run-scorer with 304 runs at a strike rate of 152.76.Related

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• The metamorphosis woman – third time could be a charm for Shafali

“She’s had an amazing year,” Smriti said of Shafali. “Once the setback had come, she went to domestic cricket, scored bucket-loads of runs and had an amazing WPL.”No one had any doubts about her talent, the way she had come into the Indian team and dominated. She is a world-class player and always will be, but for her to go back and do what she did in the last year was amazing to watch. She deserves this comeback and I’m really excited to open with her again.”Shafali was the leading run-scorer in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy (527 runs, 152.31 strike rate, 75.29 average) and the Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy (414 runs, 145.26 strike rate, 82.80 average) – as captain of Haryana.Shafali Verma was the fourth-highest run-scorer at WPL 2025•BCCI

Mandhana and Shafali are second on the list for most partnership runs as an opening pair in women’s T20Is with 2636 runs and a partnership run rate of 7.90.Bell was keen to catch up with Mandhana, her Southern Brave team-mate in the Hundred, albeit on opposing sides.”I’m looking forward to bowling at Smriti,” Bell said. “I’ve obviously played with her, we’ve had a few net battles at the Brave before, so that’ll be a good challenge, playing against her. It’s exciting to be up against some of the best players and that normally brings the best out when you’re playing against the best.”The last time I played India, it’s always been Smriti and Shafali opening the batting, so it’s a challenge we’ve had before and one that is really exciting. They’re both very talented and play differently, so I’m hoping it just brings the best out of us. As an England player, you really look forward to these series and thrive off the challenge and how good the opposition are.”Last summer, as England went unbeaten through their twin white-ball series against New Zealand, Bell was working on changes to her action, which is now more upright and allows her to swing the ball both ways. She is satisfied with where she’s at but by no means feels that she is the finished article.”In terms of that whole chapter, I’d say I’ve got into a really good place and I feel really, really happy,” Bell said. “But I don’t think you can ever say you’re complete as a bowler.0:56

Bell: ‘Looking forward to bowling at Mandhana’

“There’s always stuff that I want to get better, but the big shift and the big change, I’m feeling in a really good place… hopefully we’ve moved on.”Bell was the leading wicket-taker during the T20I leg of West Indies’ visit, which – like the ODI series – England swept 3-0, with seven wickets at an average of 9.72 and economy rate of 5.66.Her series-best figures of 3-28 in the second T20I at Hove were eclipsed by fellow seamer Em Arlott, with a Player-of-the-Match-winning 3 for 14 having made her international debut just two days earlier in encouraging signs as England prepare for a tougher test from India.”They’ll pose us a few more challenges,” Bell said. “We had people making debuts and some people playing different roles, so they can take a lot of confidence from that. It was a really good series to have first up in the summer.”Meanwhile, India have some new faces in their seam attack, handing maiden T20I call-ups to Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare for a squad missing the experienced Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar.Mandhana said: “The WPL has been good in terms of finding new people and of course the domestic system as well, the amount of matches the girls play nowadays. All the girls have rich experience in the domestic format.”I’m really excited to see them. Young talent, whenever they come in, it’s always very exciting. Everyone’s been prepping well and what better place than England to come in as a pacer? Of course, they’ll take a lot of lessons out of it and I’m sure they’ll do the job for the team.”

Grace Potts’ 4 for 37 leads excellent bowling effort against The Blaze before Emma Lamb’s 74 anchors Lancashire pursuit

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-May-2025Lancashire 226 for 6 (Lamb 74, Cross 38*, Threlkeld 35*, Gordon 3-33) beat The Blaze 222 (Claridge 63, Jones 52, Potts 4-37) by four wicketsA half century by Emma Lamb and List A best bowling by Grace Potts helped Lancashire Women complete a Metro Bank Women’s One-Day Cup double over leaders The Blaze at Emirates Old Trafford.Potts’ 4 for 37 led an excellent bowling effort by the Lancashire attack on a slow wicket that restricted the visitors to a below-par 222 all out from 48.2 overs with half-centuries by England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Ella Claridge.Lamb, the leading run-scorer in the competition, boosted her chances of gaining international selection with an excellent 74 in front of the watching England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards but three wickets by The Blaze skipper Kirstie Gordon threatened to swing the game the way of the visitors with Lancashire 155 for 6 after 32 overs.It took a vital partnership of 71 runs in 15.2 overs between captain Ellie Threlkeld and England all-rounder Kate Cross for the seventh wicket to take Lancashire to a four-wicket victory with 16 balls to spare.Lancashire openers Lamb and Eve Jones came into this match averaging 105 for the first wicket in the competition this season and the pair progressed confidently to post their fifty from just 47 balls after taking advantage of some wayward early bowling by The Blaze.Both played some eye-catching drives and pulls with Lamb dancing down the wicket to drive Gordon for six, so it was something of a surprise when Jones tamely drove a return catch to The Blaze skipper for 33 to end the opening stand at 88 in the 15th over.Sarah Glenn trapped Katie Mack for a duck in the following over and Gordon, playing her first match of the campaign after returning from injury, dragged her side back into the game with two further wickets, Seren Smale stumped for six and Fi Morris caught at mid-off for 3 to peg Lancashire back to 111 for 4 midway through the 21st over.An unperturbed Lamb, who had reached her fifty off 55 balls, reined in her attacking instincts as Lancashire attempted to consolidate but The Blaze continued to squeeze with Ailsa Lister falling to an excellent diving catch at deep midwicket by Kathryn Bryce off Josie Groves for 15.The key of Lamb followed when she nicked behind down the leg side off Kathryn Bryce at the end of the 32nd over to offer The Blaze increasing hope with six wickets down and 67 runs still required.But some good steady batting by Threlkeld (35 not out) and Cross (38 not out) chipped away at the remaining runs, the pair posting their 50 stand off 73 balls, before Cross sealed victory with the winning runs in the 48th over.Early pressure applied by Cross and Mahika Gaur after Lancashire had won the toss brought reward with the wicket of Tammy Beaumont for 11 well caught at mid-on by Fi Morris off Cross.Kathryn Bryce upped the tempo hitting four fours, but that good intent also proved to be her downfall when she drove Sophie Morris to Cross at mid-on for 22 and the left arm spinner was celebrating a double success four deliveries later when Sarah Bryce edged behind down the leg side for 2.A crucial double-strike by Potts increased the pressure with Georgia Elwiss playing on for 19 and Georgie Boyce clipping to Fi Morris at midwicket for 4 with The Blaze struggling at 97 for 5 in the 23rd over.Jones found excellent support from Claridge as the pair rebuilt the innings with a 44-run partnership in ten overs, Jones pulling Gaur for six to reach her half century from 74 balls but caught at fine leg for 52 three balls later when repeating the shot.Glenn sliced Lamb to Gaur at backward point for 12 and Potts, having limped off earlier with a knee problem, returned to trap Gordon lbw for a duck.Groves and Claridge then added a useful 32 runs for the ninth wicket with Claridge progressing to a gritty half century from 68 balls with some nice footwork before she was the last wicket to fall in the 49th over after making 63 of the visitor’s 222 all out.

يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، لخوض مواجهة مهمة أمام نظيره ديكاداها الصومالي، اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات ذهاب دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة الزمالك وديكيداها على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي، وسط حضور جماهيري متوقع لمساندة الفارس الأبيض في بداية مشواره الإفريقي هذا الموسم.

ويدخل الزمالك المباراة تحت قيادة مدربه البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا الذي يسعى إلى استعادة نغمة الانتصارات بعد سلسلة من النتائج المتذبذبة في الدوري المصري الممتاز، كان آخرها التعادل أمام غزل المحلة بنتيجة 1-1 في الجولة العاشرة من المسابقة المحلية.

ويأمل فيريرا في تحقيق انطلاقة قوية في البطولة القارية واستعادة الثقة داخل صفوف الفريق، خصوصًا بعد غياب عدد من اللاعبين الأساسيين عن اللقاء لأسباب مختلفة، ما يفرض على الجهاز الفني إيجاد حلول تكتيكية بديلة.

طالع أيضًا.. خاص | سبب استبعاد عبد الله السعيد وبنتايج من قائمة الزمالك لمباراة ديكاداها

ويحمل الزمالك في تاريخه لقبين في بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية، حيث تُوج بالبطولة لأول مرة عام 2019، قبل أن يعيد اللقب إلى خزائنه مجددًا عام 2023، مما يمنحه دفعة معنوية كبيرة في سعيه للمنافسة على اللقب الثالث.

وتنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في أجواء حماسية منتظرة من جماهير القلعة البيضاء. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك وديكاداها اليوم في الكونفدرالية

من المقرر أن تُذاع مباراة الزمالك وديكيداها بشكل حصري عبر شاشة قناة “on sport 1”.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث ونتائج مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

He says he has been able to execute shots he didn’t think he had thanks to the team’s backing

Shashank Kishore09-Apr-20251:30

Bangar: ‘JItesh has shown great improvement from previous years’

Jitesh Sharma credits his T20 resurgence to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik, who believes the wicketkeeper-batter can evolve into a true “360-degree” player.”It’s been a great journey till now because in the off-season, I really worked hard with him [Karthik],” Jitesh said ahead of RCB’s IPL 2025 game at home against Delhi Capitals (DC). “I think whichever shot which I am playing right now is the replica of what he used to play. He is trying to create a new player in me, because he believes that I can play 360 degrees. I am really enjoying myself in this new role.”Among the things Jitesh has been most excited about was being able to execute shots he didn’t think he had. And this, he said, had only been possible because of the team’s backing. On Monday, he hit a high-value unbeaten 19-ball 40 to kick RCB’s innings into top gear in the death overs against Mumbai Indians (MI). It made a massive difference to the end result, with RCB winning by 12 runs.Related

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“While I am playing those shots, I am very happy [with the execution] because I have never tried those shots,” he said “And I am going to execute thanks to all the backing they give me. It’s been a wonderful journey which I am still excited about.”The off-season Jitesh referred to were the two high-performance camps Karthik and RCB’s coaching staff, led by Andy Flower, conducted for their Indian players in January and February. Among the things Jitesh worked on was his tough game, an added dimension to what is typically a robust power game.”My confidence doesn’t rely on the score. It always depends on my process and how I train in my practice,” he said. “Because if I have confidence in the end result, then the variables can go up and down. So I mostly keep my confidence high in the practice only.”Jitesh’s run of form with RCB has been a shot in the arm for his young career. Last season, Jitesh scored just 187 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 131. The lacklustre season also set his India aspirations back a fair bit.”I think last year’s performance was my mental thing,” he said about his slump. “I was not mentally in the game at that moment. I was thinking about future things. But right now, when I met Dinesh , he told me that it’s a human error. It’s not rocket science. It does happen to everyone so it’s fine.Jitesh Sharma has been executing shots he didn’t think he had•BCCI”When he saw my batting, the way I bat, how I try to dominate, how I look to take the game forward… I am someone who always looks for the win. I don’t have the craze to take out runs. I have the craze to win matches. He saw and found out there are some shots that are still lacking, and we’ve started working on that. We are still in the process.”Jitesh has been a massive point of difference as a finisher for RCB, lending muscle to their lower-middle order. Jitesh is among seven batters – colleagues Rajat Patidar and Tim David are also in the list – to average over 40 while striking at more than 150 this season. Asked about this surge, Jitesh underlined how all of it was down to a process they had worked on behind the scenes.”I think we are playing very smart cricket,” he said. “It’s not like we are just going and bashing every bowler [recklessly]. We know everyone’s strengths in the batting line-up and the team management has given a proper role. Like Jitesh Sharma will go after certain bowlers, Phil Salt will go after some. That’s the kind of strategy we have. So we are going very smartly. We are not trying to dominate blindly.”