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Mohit’s poor execution may have cost Kings XI the game, but to say that he did so without any reason wouldn’t be giving him credit for his otherwise pin-point execution all season

Sidharth Monga in Mohali15-May-2016Bluff. Not to be confused with double bluff, which, sometimes, excitable and excited commentators use synonymously. Shane Watson recently used the word bluff in a flash interview. In a joint interview alongside James Faulkner, Dwayne Bravo told the IPL website earlier this season, “Nowadays, batsmen have an idea as to where the bowler will bowl. So a bluff is very important to catch a batsman off guard. Like Jimmy (Faulkner) said earlier, you might look a bit like an idiot when the bluff does not work in your favour.”Watson’s point was you cannot afford to telegraph to the batsman with your field what exactly you are going to bowl and then go ahead and bowl that ball every time.Mohit Sharma can count himself as one of those best finishing bowlers this IPL. He has been using the slower balls to good effect, especially with a yorker added to his arsenal. The game on Sunday was especially made for slower balls. As Kings XI Punjab began to pull Sunrisers Hyderabad back in defense of 179, they kept bowling cutters into the pitch. Starting with the 10th over, the only boundaries hit until the end of the 14th – three of them – came off deliveries bowled at regulation pace. Mind you, even a set David Warner couldn’t hit a single slower ball to the fence, and these overs were predominantly filled with slower deliveries.The asking rate finally crossed 10 at the end of the 14th over. It was clear that slower balls was the way to go now because they were gripping the surface and were impossible to time if the batsmen made any premature movement. In the 15th over, though, Deepak Hooda began to improvise. He shuffled across the stumps, and waited and waited for a slower bouncer from Marcus Stoinis before pulling it over short fine leg, almost like waiting at the net in volleyball before smashing a lob from your team-mate. In the next over, Yuvraj Singh showed he was prepared for the slower balls when he lofted Sandeep Sharma for a huge six over midwicket.Thanks to those two hits, Sunrisers kept with the asking rate of 10 an over for two overs, but Axar Patel bowled a superb 17th over, including three balls at the new batsman Ben Cutting to take it up to 39 off the last three overs.Now Kings XI went to perhaps their best bowler of the tournament, Mohit. Thanks to that Axar over, Mohit had again found some breathing space to bowl those slower balls. The field – both third man and fine leg inside the circle – suggested so. We were now expecting the slower ball too, but that is what messes with the bowler’s mind. How many slower balls before the batsman starts to expect them and is waiting for them? There were already signs that the batsmen had started to find their way around the slower ones. Also the shorter boundary was leg side for Yuvraj, the man on strike at the start of the 18th over. You still have to show him the field for the slower ball, though.Now Mohit’s trademark slower, the back-of-the-hand legcutter, which is usually effective and is his trusted delivery, can be well under 110kmph. This time Mohit tried the other one: the offcutter, at 128kph, barely a drop from his peak pace of mid-130s. Yuvraj wasn’t taken by surprise, the bluff had been called, and a big six was hit. The next ball was at 136kph, just outside off, and Yuvraj steered it in the gap between point and short third man. Now with the pressure gone, Cutting picked the 106kph slower ball later in the over, waited for it, and slugged it between long-on and deep midwicket for four.The game was over with Mohit not bowling to his field, but to say that he did so without any reason would be to not give him enough credit after he has been doing the job for Kings XI all season long. This was in all likelihood a bluff gone wrong. Perhaps he should have bowled another slower ball before the bluff. Perhaps he should have bluffed with a yorker.Death bowling is not a science, there are nights when it leaves you with just perhapses, especially with the heavy bats. Sunday night was one such for Mohit.

Thanks to James Taylor and Jos Buttler, and a place in the tri-nations final against Australia in Perth, England feel like World Cup contenders again

George Dobell30-Jan-20151:07

‘Buttler innings was outstanding’ – Taylor

It’s the hope that hurts.Every four years, with very little evidence to justify it, England supporters – be it in football or cricket – allow themselves just a glimmer of hope going into a the World Cup. They convince themselves that, if the team plays to potential, if the late call-ups work, if they have a bit of luck and the stars collide and the moon aligns, this time it will be different.And then it turns out to be grimly familiar. The hope looks like hubris and we kick ourselves for falling into the trap yet again.And yet… and yet.You can feel the sap rising in this England team by the day. You can see the emergence of a settled XI, you can see a balanced attack and a batting line-up containing enough resilience and fire-power to cope in most circumstances. Most of all, you can see just a little belief seeping back into a team that had been beaten like a snare drum in recent times.While nobody is tipping them as favourites, they look dangerous outsiders in a World Cup in which few would have given them any hope a couple of months ago.Taylor deems battling innings his best for England

James Taylor celebrated England’s demonstration of “character” after they defeated India to secure their place in the final of the tri-series tournament against Australia.
Taylor, who won the man-of-the-match award for his innings of 82, helped England defy a tough pitch and a top-order batting collapse with what he rated his best innings for England. His partnership of 125 with Jos Buttler proved decisive.
“I’m delighted to score runs in a pressure situation,” he said. “It’s what I pride myself on: finishing games and winning games. The way I played wasn’t my best, but considering the situation it was. I was struggling. But I managed to get through that and just knock the ball around. Jos took the pressure off me. He played his natural game and struck the ball as well as anybody.
“That’s what I do: it’s not the prettiest, but it is effective. I wasn’t playing my best cricket, but I did a job. The pitch was tough work and, when you’re 60 for 5, it’s not easy. We decided to run them ragged, as the boundaries were hard to come by. We didn’t play our best cricket. But we showed character to win in the end.”
The final of the tri-series – against Australia on Sunday – will be played on the same cracked wicket. Against an attack that may well include Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, that could present quite a challenge.
“They’ve got some great bowlers who are in great nick, but we’re all looking forward to the challenge,” Taylor said. ” It would make a massive statement if we could win it.”

On the face of it, such claims might seem absurd. Before the victory against India in Brisbane, England had won just three of their last 14 completed ODIs. Their two recent wins have come on the sort of bouncy wickets on which India have often looked uncomfortable and Australia, the opponents in the final of this tournament on Sunday and on the opening day of the World Cup, offer a far tougher proposition.Neither was this a wholly convincing performance. England slipped to 66 for 5 in the early part of their run chase and their bowlers tarnished an otherwise impressive display by dropping short and conceding 35 to India’s tenth-wicket pair.Ravi Bopara provided no defence to those who say he is keeping a specialist batsman out of the side – he is an allrounder with one wicket in his last 11 ODIs and no score of 30 in his last seven – and Stuart Broad is still striving to return to full speed after his knee operation.And, despite the excellence of their partnership, both James Taylor and Jos Buttler will know they should have seen their side home. There will be days where their failure to do so costs their side the match.But there are unmistakable signs of improvement. Chris Woakes, again the quickest member of the England attack, is a much-improved limited-overs bowler who is growing with the extra responsibility the management have given him; Moeen Ali is justifying his selection as a spinner even before his batting is taken into consideration; and, with the likes of Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan producing encouraging innings in recent days, there is a sense of a puzzle that is finally, after much agonising, falling into place.Bell’s return has even improved England’s fielding – it is hard to imagine Alastair Cook taking the outstanding slip catch Bell claimed to dismiss Stuart Binny – and England’s bowlers, after conceding 71 wides in seven ODIs against Sri Lanka, have tightened up to that extent that they have not conceded more than three in any match in this tri-series.And while the England of old would have allowed the pressure to overwhelm them – this is a side that before Brisbane had been bowled out in 10 of their last 13 ODI innings – here they found a pair to bend the game to their will. Taylor and Buttler, aged 25 and 24 respectively, can go on to win many games for their country.In Taylor England have a beautifully ugly batsman. That is, a batsman who relishes the fight to such an extent that, even on difficult pitches like this, even when he is struggling for fluency, relishes the battle. In a line-up not lacking style – is there a more aesthetically pleasing opening partnership than Bell and Moeen at the World Cup? – he adds the substance.Such is Taylor’s unorthodoxy that, when things go wrong, they will look particularly ugly. So he will fall leg before playing across the line, as he did to Mitchell Starc in Sydney, or seem to struggle outside off stump, as he did in the early stages of his innings here.But it is foolish to dismiss him – as some have – on that basis. A man averaging in excess of 52 in List A cricket is a man who has conquered in all scenarios and all surfaces. It is a man who has the ability to survive while pushing on. A man who has found his own way to overcome. There will be many more days when those shots off his legs drive bowlers to distraction and force them into giving him width outside off stump.Most of all, he offers composure. As a teenager at Leicestershire, he became the key man in a struggling batting line-up. And, as a young captain of Nottinghamshire, he has shown himself comfortable with responsibility.He can play the role of calm builder – as he did here – or he can thrash bowlers off their game with surprising power and a wide range of unorthodox shots. His pulls and slog-sweeps will be a feature of his ODI career.County cricket has many critics, but Taylor learned the skills that won this game in that environment. He learned to cope with two-paced pitches, low run-chases and building pressure. He learned to pinch singles and rotate the strike. He learned to back himself, whatever the situation. With four half-centuries in his eight ODI innings since his recall, he has gone a long way to filling the hole left by the absence of Jonathan Trott.While Taylor might not have Trott’s defensive game outside off stump, he also has a couple of weapons that Trott did not. He only struck four boundaries, but his paddle sweep and running between the wickets relieved the pressure just as India appeared to be taking a grip.His job was made far easier by the contribution of Buttler. England’s keeper had been, until now, one of the few men not to have performed in this series. It had been seven ODI innings since he reached 30 and, while he was in no danger of being dropped, he perhaps required a match-turning contribution like this to go into the World Cup with his confidence high.This was a reminder that he possesses outrageous talent. On a pitch on which no other batsman looked fluent, he struck seven sweet fours – as many as the rest of the England batsmen combined – and played a late cut and reverse sweep of unusual quality. It meant Taylor could knock the ball into gaps and was not forced into undue risk. It was mature, intelligent limited-overs cricket.The sense remains that this World Cup will come just a bit early for an England side in a rebuilding phase. But they’re heading in the right direction.

Monty Panesar must rediscover his core values if he is to resurrect his Test career after his embarrassing early-morning escapade in Brighton

David Hopps21-Aug-2013How down in the mouth does Monty Panesar feel now? While he begins his rehabilitation at the Colchester Festival, England are playing two spinners in a home Test for the first time since Cardiff four years ago, the scene of his defiant last-wicket stand against Australia. This should have been Panesar’s Test. Instead, Simon Kerrigan begins an England career he might not easily relinquish.Alastair Cook, England’s captain, has revealed that Panesar rang him full of regrets after 50 stones of bouncer fell upon him in a Brighton pizza restaurant. It is to be hoped that these apologies were based on reality because Panesar has never been too far away from a fantasy world and the qualities that have made him so endearing now threaten, at 31, to end his England career.When the Yorkshire left-arm spinner Bobby Peel famously urinated on the sightscreen at Bramall Lane, such was the wrath of Lord Hawke, one of cricket’s greatest autocrats, that he never played county cricket again. More than a century later, Panesar has been more fortunate. Released by Sussex after treating nightclub bouncers to his own version of the Sprinkler dance in the early hours of the morning, Essex have given him an immediate chance to recover.To see Panesar back in action so quickly, in the delightful setting of Castle Park, was heartwarming, even if he found no immediate rewards. For Essex, who need something special in the last month of the season to win promotion from the Second Division of the LV= Championship, it is a worthwhile gamble, but that does not disguise the fact that he has many challenges ahead.The mobile phone video doing the rounds could hardly be sadder. Panesar’s pleas for help as the bouncers catch up with him are pitiful and it should not pass unnoticed that the calls for help are aimed at Rory Hamilton-Brown, erstwhile Surrey captain, who departed for Sussex to get his life in order. Presumably he just fell upon Panesar while out for an early-morning jog to the Health Food store.Panesar has suggested that the breakup of his marriage has been a contributory factor in his drink-fuelled excesses. To admit, as he now has, to personal pressures, offers potential for recovery, although that break-up actually began two years ago. At least once, he has been heard to deny that his marriage ever existed and, while everybody must deal with such emotional upheaval in their own way, it does reveal his almost childlike reluctance at times to enter the real world.Nearly eight years ago now, Panesar chatted contentedly to this reporter about an India guru who he used to visit at Nanaksar farm near Edmonton in Canada, helping with the harvest and finding inspiration in a sense of community. He called it the defining moment of his life, saying: “I have always believed in my master. He is my guru. He is my maharaji. We did voluntary work on the land, harvesting the wheat and the canola and all united together. There was a feeling of togetherness and passion. There were strong binds and a sense of love.”A few years later, when he had made his England debut and was prematurely involved in a ghosted autobiography, his reluctance to talk about his guru could not have been more apparent. He was an England cricketer now. There was to be no talk of gurus. In fact, the guru did not really exist. His life had moved on.

Trying to live a life to which you are not naturally suited is often a quick route to unhappiness. We can assume that the message from his friends and family in Luton will be that his clubbing days are over.

As abstention from alcohol was one of his guru’s tenets, perhaps Panesar might have been wise to maintain the link. Many of us have succumbed to excessive drinking on long tours, away from family and friends, so if Panesar really did develop such an affinity for whisky on England’s tour of India last year he would not be the first.But it is no surprise to find that alcohol and Panesar do not mix, or that prowling around nightclubs is not a natural place for such an ingénue. He is a private individual, whose occasional bursts of eccentricity and exuberance disguise the fact that he is can be an uneasy socialiser. Trying to live a life to which you are not naturally suited is often a quick route to unhappiness. We can assume that the message from his friends and family in Luton will be that his clubbing days are over.At Essex, too, he will have the invaluable friendship of Ravi Bopara, another England cricketer whose career took a downturn after the break up of a relationship and the second Sikh, after Panesar himself, to play for England. The resumption of his relationship with Neil Burns, a long-standing cricketing mentor whose influence had receded, is another indication of his return to core values.There was something typically tragic-comic about Panesar’s downfall at Sussex. On the field, his bowling talent has often been accompanied by moments of batting or fielding incompetence and this natural clownishness has largely contributed to his popularity. Off the field, though, the disconnect has no sense of comedy but indicates issues that need to be addressed. The image of the sad clown could hardly be more appropriate.Sussex rightly have gained a reputation as a caring county and their release of Panesar should be seen positively, not a punishment as much as a mutual understanding that Panesar now needs his support network of old.They had fretted about his moody behaviour for much of the season. At times, he stopped the ball in the outfield with his foot and threw in underam. He responded aggressively at least once to senior players who questioned his attitude. But Sussex were not entirely sure if his disenchantment arose from something as simple as a shoulder niggle which had affected his form or from some deeper malaise. Eventually they dropped him, a fate also suffered, incidentally, by Hamilton-Brown.As one Sussex insider said about his release: “It was the right and proper thing to do.” He can commute to and from Chelmsford in little more than an hour and, if his Essex loan does not work out, then a substantial salary cut and a return to his first county, Northamptonshire, cannot be discounted.If he needs more support then the PCA, who have been aware of his struggles for some time, are also as willing as ever to play a role. “Our dealings with any cricketer must necessarily remain confidential, but we offer a wide range of support and counselling services to any cricketer who feels they need them,” said Angus Porter, the chief executive. Life is certainly different than in Bobby Peel’s day. After Lord Hawke had sent him on his way, Peel became a pub landlord in Leeds.Panesar might have developed a destructive fondness for whisky, but unlike Peel it is not easily available on his own optics.It would be misleading to depict this as the latest example of a cricketer of Asian extraction failing to reach full potential in the England side. This is a story of individual vulnerability not structural failures, even if the complexities of integration has never been entirely addressed.There is an uneasy sense, all the same, that English cricket has not intercepted Panesar’s problems as quickly as they might or been pro-active enough in explaining how they are seeking to address them. Successive England coaches, Duncan Fletcher, Peter Moores and Andy Flower, have been more comfortable working with conventional, disciplined players far removed from Panesar’s unpredictability.Merely to suggest that Panesar is Sussex’s responsibility is not good enough. England’s tour of India became his greatest triumph as he combined with Graeme Swann last November to take 19 wickets and win the Mumbai Test in one of the finest spin-bowling double acts in England’s history.But without Swann, in New Zealand, as the sole spinner, he had a difficult tour. He sets his own fields these days – he is past 30, he should do – but observing some of Cook’s bewildered responses was like observing a father fearing the worst reluctantly handing over the steering wheel to a son for the first time.And then back to England. Only one spinner needed. Back to the county circuit. Not quite forgotten, but certainly unwanted. Omitted at Old Trafford, where he had hoped to play, he went back to Brighton and hit the town. His dejection is easy to understand. How long his punishment for that lasts now lies in the hands of Simon Kerrigan.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the second day of the second Test between Pakistan and England in Abu Dhabi

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi26-Jan-2012Moment of the day

Jonathan Trott had just 22 and his partnership with Alastair Cook was worth 44, when Saeed Ajmal spun an off-break sharply and caught the batsmen in the crease. The lbw appeal was turned down and, after a quick chat, Pakistan decided not to use one of their reviews. Had they done so, Trott would have been out. To rub salt in the wound, Pakistan later wasted two reviews – also against Trott – for further lbw appeals that were declined. Trott and Cook went on to add 139.Decision of the day

It is not often the most impressive moment of an innings comes in the moment of dismissal. In Cook’s 94, perhaps it did. Make no mistake, Cook was rightly adjudged lbw. But there are many international batsmen – one or two who share the same dressing room – who would have struggled to show the restraint demonstrated by Cook and would have insisted on calling – and wasting – a review. To show such selflessness six short of a century speaks volumes for Cook’s character.Strike of the day

Resuming on 256 for 7, Pakistan still had the opportunity to stretch their first innings score past 300. As it was their last three wickets lasted 16 balls. The key wicket was Misbah-ul-Haq. After his innings the previous day, Misbah was only half forward to another fine delivery from Stuart Broad that nipped back off the seam and would have gone on to hit middle stump. It was the 13th time since his recall to the side that Misbah had passed 50. Only once has he gone on to register a century.Near miss of the day

The first ball Saeed Ajmal bowled to Trott was a perfect
doosra: it spun away sharply and left the batsman groping at fresh air. Put simply it was too good to edge. Perhaps had Ajmal bowled the same delivery in Dubai, where there was less turn and his doosra seemed to skid on, he would have found the edge.Ball of the day

The partnership between Trott and Cook added 139 runs in 50.4 overs in increasing comfort when Abdur Rehman produced a beautiful delivery that drifted into Trott, pitched on middle and turned to clip the top of the off stump. Perhaps Trott might have negated the spin had he played further forward but it was a tremendous ball from an underrated bowler.

He’s done the hard yards and bided his time; his chance may finally have arrived

Brydon Coverdale26-Feb-2009

When Australian cricket fans talk about the twelfth man it’s a fair
bet they’re referring to the comedian Billy Birmingham. Or maybe Andy
Bichel, who carried the drinks a record 19 times in Tests. Over the
past couple of years they might have been speaking of Ben Hilfenhaus,
who has been slowly chipping away at Bichel’s mark. Four times
Hilfenhaus has been called into Australia’s Test squad without getting
a game.The day before the Wanderers Test, Hilfenhaus was nervously waiting to
find out if it would be five from five. He was in the 12 and the
humid, cloudy conditions would suit his swing bowling but the whole
situation was frustratingly familiar. A round of golf – Hilfenhaus has
a useful handicap of seven – with the touring selector David Boon and
the coach Tim Nielsen didn’t shed any light on matters.”I’m really just looking forward to getting the first Test out of the
way and going from there,” Hilfenhaus said, hoping that moment would
come in Johannesburg. “Getting your baggy green is every kid’s dream.
I’d be really excited just to get that and hopefully if I do I’ll just
try and do everything I can to represent it well.”Since he first made it into a Test squad in November 2007 there have
been setbacks, notably back stress fractures that stopped him from
embarking on his first Test tour when Australia set off for the West
Indies last year. There have been disappointments as other fast men
such as Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle overtook him in the pecking
order. Hilfenhaus didn’t complain. He’s not that sort of bloke.He worked as a labourer for a bricklayer when he first moved to Hobart
and then took on a different type of back-breaking toil when he sent
down 509 Sheffield Shield overs two years ago – nearly 200 more than
any other state fast bowler. It was a tally that led to concerns over
his workload and the worries only increased when his injury arrived
the following year to end his Caribbean dream.”In a way it was [frustrating],” Hilfenhaus said. “It’s very
disappointing when you get selected and you find out that you’re
injured. At the end of the season I actually didn’t feel that bad but
general check-up scans revealed otherwise. I probably see myself more
as a bloke who bowls a lot of overs. That’s a role that I enjoy.”Clearly Hilfenhaus knows a thing or two about hard work. He impressed
the coaches during his stay at the Centre of Excellence for being
prepared to tackle any problem head-on. When critics began to question
his ability to take wickets when the ball failed to swing away, he
went off and worked on some new tricks.”If you’ve only got one tool in your bag, you get a bit predictable,”
he said. “I’ve definitely worked on a few different things to counter
for that and hopefully have an answer when blokes start getting on
top. As well as the outswing I’m trying to develop one that goes in a
little bit or straightens. Just to keep them guessing a little bit.
There’s a couple of different slower balls that I’m working on.”

But for Hilfenhaus the outswinger is still king. The conditions in
Hobart usually help him bend the ball in the air and the humidity and
cloud cover in South Africa will do the same. Then of course there is
the Ashes tour later this year. A swing bowler who can hurl the ball
down with genuine speed could be a major weapon in England. If all
goes to plan, 2009 could be the making of Ben Hilfenhaus.If that turns out to be the case, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
The son of a plumber from Ulverstone in country Tasmania, he calls his
father, Hans, “the old man” and would like it if he could be in South
Africa should a debut arise but thinks it’s a bit far to travel.
There’s not a hint of cockiness in Hilfenhaus, who speaks openly but
succinctly, with only the faintest trace of a rural Aussie drawl.”I still see myself as pretty laidback,” he said. “I don’t like to
over-analyse anything. Just enjoy my cricket and when I’m not playing
cricket I enjoy playing golf and spending time with my girlfriend.”That he has a girlfriend no doubt disappoints the women who snapped up
this year’s Men of Cricket calendar. Hilfenhaus, who wouldn’t look out
of place taking over from Hugh Jackman as the drover in the film
, features as Mr September and shows off a set of
muscles that would rival anyone in the Australian set-up.His mother, Lynette, was so happy with the charity production that she
gave the calendar pride of place in the family kitchen. It might have
to be moved aside if a photo of Ben in a baggy green becomes
available.

Jamie O’Hara has launched a scathing attack on Nottingham Forest, calling their behaviour 'a disgrace' and urging Morgan Gibbs-White to sue the club for blocking his move to Tottenham. Despite Spurs triggering the midfielder’s £60 million ($80m) release clause, Forest halted negotiations and labelled the approach 'illegal', prompting widespread confusion and outrage.

• Jamie O’Hara blasts Forest’s treatment of Gibbs-White
• Tottenham's £60m bid sparks legal row with Forest
• Premier League could step in amid transfer stand-off

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to sign Gibbs-White has stalled over the last few days despite the Lilywhites having activated his £60 million ($80m) release clause on Friday of last week. Nottingham Forest have accused the London club of making an 'illegal approach' and are threatening legal action. The player has reportedly held showdown talks with Forest to force through the move this summer before the North London side begin their pre-season.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Nottingham Forest's legal threat has complicated what should have been a straightforward deal. The Premier League is now considering launching an investigation into the matter as Gibbs-White's situation has sparked debate around player rights and contractual transparency. Former Tottenham star O'Hara was the latest to launch a scathing attack on Nottingham.

• WHAT O'HARA SAID

  Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, O'Hara said: “Morgan Gibbs-White should go to the PFA, he should sue Nottingham Forest, and he should refuse to train,” he said. “I think Forest are a disgrace, the way they have dealt with the situation is disgusting.

  “He has signed a contract and there’s a release clause of 60 million pounds in there. He knows it’s in there, his agent knows it’s in there and Nottingham Forest know that it’s in there. He has agreed to that contract on those terms, whether he has become a better player at Forest that is worth more than 60 million, that’s on him.

  “Now when someone finds out about the release clause, which happens every day in football, people find stuff out and agents talk, Nottingham Forest suddenly decide they can’t have that, and the clause is confidential. What do you mean confidential? It's a release clause in a player’s contract; he’s entitled to know about it and tell people about it. What is going on here?

  “Evangelos Marinakis has had an absolute stinker and his club are going to lose Morgan Gibbs-White for 60 million because he’s done better than they expected and someone found out. It’s a disgrace. A player can tell who he wants about his contract, he’s earned it, and they were all happy to sign it at the time. Now suddenly it’s illegal, what on earth are they on about? It’s disgusting.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GIBBS-WHITE?

  The Premier League could intervene if Nottingham Forest officially file a complaint. Gibbs-White remains determined to complete his switch to Tottenham. Legal action may follow if the England international and Spurs both decide to fight back against Forest, if the situation continues to escalate.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na última semana, como o LANCE! adiantou, foi notado o ‘desaparecimento’ de Gabriel Neves de alguns registros de treinos do São Paulo, por conta de uma ‘misteriosa’ lesão. Mas ao que tudo indica, a situação do uruguaio não é nada para se preocupar.

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O volante enfrentou alguns quadros de dores no tornozelo, mas sem uma lesão diagnosticada ou alguma gravidade apresentada. Porém, prezando por evitar problemas maiores no departamento médico, começou a fazer alguns trabalhos de fortalecimento também – o que teria explicado a sua ausência nos registros que o clube geralmente publica sobre os treinamentos.

São Paulo reencontra Tigre; Botafogo enfrentará altitude: veja os grupos da Copa Sul-Americana

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista

Desta forma, Gabriel Neves estaria apto para jogar, descartando a hipótese de ter se juntado à lista de lesionados no departamento médico. O jogador treina normalmente no CT da Barra Funda.

No último ano, Gabriel Neves se lesionou no confronto contra o Atlético-GO, pelas semifinais da Copa Sul-Americana. No caso, o ligamento colateral medial do joelho direito. O atleta vivia uma boa fase no elenco de Rogério Ceni. Ficou afastado até o final do ano e só retornou no Campeonato Paulista, no início desta temporada.

Porém, diferente do cenário que viu em 2022, o volante enfrentou uma situação um pouco diferente neste ano. Com Méndez, Luan e Pablo Maia na disputa de posição, além do limite de estrangeiros que afetou o Tricolor no Paulistão, começou a perder espaço. Nesta temporada, disputou somente dois jogos.

Quanto a este limite, não terá mais este problema nas próximas competições que o São Paulo enfrentará. Muito pela lesão de alguns companheiros gringos, poderá voltar a ganhar espaço na equipe de Rogério Ceni.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has named the "priority" position that his side must strengthen ahead of the summer transfer window shutting.

Chelsea lose player to injuryMaresca wants more coverBeat Leverkusen in friendly winFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea are facing a defensive headache as Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are sidelined and fellow centre-back Levi Colwill will be out for a long time with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Despite reports suggesting the Blues won't try and sign a replacement, Maresca has said otherwise.

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After Chelsea's 2-0 pre-season win over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, he told Channel 5: "It is a priority [signing a new defender] for me. Levi is a fantastic player. What we achieved last season is because of him. He played a lot of games with me, I love him. We are going to miss him. We are also trying to find different solutions."

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Colwill is arguably Chelsea's best centre-back, and even when he was in the team, the Blues looked a bit shaky at the back at times last season. If Maresca's side want to push on this season, they need to sign a quality defender, particularly if they have desires about winning the Premier League.

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As Chelsea try and find a new defender before the transfer window shuts in just over three weeks, the west London outfit take on AC Milan on Sunday in their final pre-season game before kickstarting the new Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.

أعلنت لجنة الحكام في الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، عن طاقم تحكيم مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت، التي تقام بين الفريقين في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلعب الزمالك ضد مودرن سبورت، في إطار الجولة الثالثة من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري، على ملعب ستاد هيئة قناة السويس.

طالع| وزارة الإسكان توضح سبب سحب أرض نادي الزمالك في 6 أكتوبر

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساء يوم الخميس 21 أغسطس.

وكان الزمالك فاز في لقاء الجولة الأولى على سيراميكا كليوباترا بهدفين دون رد، بينما تعادل مع المقاولون العرب سلبيا في الجولة الثانية. حكم مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت في الدوري المصري

حكم ساحة: مصطفى الشهدي.

حكم مساعد أول: سامي هلهل.

حكم مساعد ثاني: عمر فتحي.

حكم رابع: أحمد ناجي.

حكم فيديو: حسام عزب ومعه محمد محمود لطفي.

Galatasaray have fulfilled Napoli's demands for bank guarantees as they await the Serie A side's final decision on their offer to sign Victor Osimhen.

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Galatasaray submitted €75m to NapoliItalians reviewing deal with a final decision expected soonTransfer will break Turkish record by huge marginFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report from , Galatasaray have formally submitted the required bank guarantees to Napoli in a bid to secure the €75 million (£63m/$82m) transfer of Osimhen. Talks between the two clubs resumed over the weekend, with the Turkish champions offering a package that includes €40m (£34m/$44m) upfront and the rest via instalments and add-ons. Napoli are currently reviewing the proposal and are expected to respond within hours.

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Napoli had previously rejected Galatasaray’s earlier offers due to concerns over the payment structure. However, the Serie A side appears more receptive now that bank guarantees have been delivered. Osimhen has already agreed to the move, with Galatasaray pushing to complete what would be a record-breaking deal for Turkish football. Napoli, for their part, are looking to reinvest the proceeds into a major squad overhaul this summer.

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If completed, the move would become the most expensive transfer in Turkish football history by a massive margin – Orkun Kokcu became the most expensive Super Lig signing on Sunday when he joined Besiktas from Benfica for a reported €25m. Galatasaray have made Osimhen their top priority for the window after he scored 37 goals in 41 games for the club in the 2024-25 season during his loan spell.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR GALATASARAY?

Galatasaray are awaiting Napoli’s final response and are preparing documentation to complete the transfer. Further meetings are scheduled this week to align on payment schedules and legal terms. The club is aiming to finalise the deal before their pre-season tour begins, with Osimhen expected to join immediately upon completion.