Suzie Bates’ tournament looked to be over with a recurrence of her shoulder injury in her comeback match as the Melbourne Stars continued their form with a fifth-consecutive victory. Bates was distraught when hurting herself attempting a throw from the boundary having made an encouraging 28 off 23 balls with the bat in her first game since damaging her shoulder against Australia early last month. Mignon du Preez’s 51-ball 61, in a second-wicket stand of 92 with Elyse Villani (46), did most of the work in the chase after a rare low score for Meg Lanning when she drove to cover in the third over. A late cluster of wickets made things a little closer, but Anna Lanning struck the winning runs with three balls to spare. Bates and Laura Wolvaardt had given the Strikers a solid foundation but they couldn’t accelerate during the middle overs. Bridget Patterson used up 16 balls for 6 and when Wolvaardt was bowled giving herself room against Tess Flintoff the innings was withering before Amanda-Jade Wellington struck 29 off 17 balls but it wasn’t enough. Nat Sciver took three wickets in the final over.Chloe Tryon played an important innings for the Hurricanes•Getty Images

The Hurricanes lifted themselves towards mid-table with a hard-fought victory against a Renegades side hit by struggling form and injuries. Their senior players came to the fore as Rachel Priest top-scored while Chloe Tryon added a vital 36 off 23 to counteract the loss of Hayley Matthews and Nicola Carey in consecutive deliveries. Molly Strano removed Tryon in the penultimate over to sit on 99 WBBL wickets, The Renegades, who lost Georgia Wareham for the rest of the season before the game, juggled their tactics with Carly Leeson promoted to open the batting but she was bowled swinging across the line second ball. Molineux and Amy Satterthwaite have both struggled with their strike-rates this season and though both were given lives the trend continued as their innings finished at under a run-a-ball. Lizelle Lee, shifted down to No. 4, kept the Renegades in the chase and when she was caught in the deep Courtney Webb and Josie Dooley kept the pressure on but 17 off the final over was a step too far against Belinda Vakarewa’s skills.

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has explained why Lauren James missed the Blues’ Women’s Champions League clash with FC Twente.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

England forward was named in starting XIFailed to make kick-off & had to be replacedInjury will be assessed over coming daysFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international forward was initially named in Bompastor’s starting XI, but was replaced by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd before a ball was kicked in anger. An untimely injury prevented James from figuring in elite European competition.

AdvertisementWHAT BOMPASTOR SAID

Bompastor has revealed the nature of that ailment, telling reporters when asked for an update on James: "In the last moment of the warm-up she felt something in her foot. At the moment it’s too early for me to say something else about LJ. We will have to assess her in London and see how she feels."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite being without Lionesses star James, Chelsea claimed a 3-1 win over Twente courtesy of goals from Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Guro Reiten. Bompastor said of being able to shuffle her pack and take advantage of squad depth: "I’m really happy with the first half. We started the game strongly. We were efficient being able to score really quickly. We saw some good movement from the players. For me, we just got the three points which is really important. We are top now which is the main goal.

"Also, we had the opportunity to rotate and manage some players. Some players could rest in preparation for the game on Sunday. It just shows how much quality there is in the group, and also how much I trust everyone in the group. Some of them were able to start and play 90 minutes in the Champions League. It’s good to have the quality in the group to make sure we can rotate and play every single game with a lot of competition."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT?

Reigning WSL champions Chelsea – who have been faultless through three domestic fixtures this season, picking up nine points and scoring 10 goals – will be back in action on Sunday when playing host to London neighbours Tottenham.

أكد الكرواتي دراغان تالاييتش، المدير الفني لـ منتخب البحرين، جاهزية لاعبيه لمواجهة عمان، في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس الخليج 2024 “خليجي 26”.

ويلتقي منتخب البحرين مع عمان، في نهائي بطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26” المقامة في الكويت، غدًا السبت.

وتأهل منتخب البحرين إلى نهائي بطولة كأس الخليج 2024 “خليجي 26″، بعد فوزه على منافسه منتخب الكويت، بنتيجة 1-0.

وقال تالسيتش خلال تصريحات في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي أقيم اليوم: “وصلنا الآن إلى نهاية البطولة وكل اللاعبين كانوا في الموعد وأنا فخور بالمجموعة بأكملها”.

طالع | طاقم تحكيم قطري لمباراة عمان والبحرين في نهائي كأس الخليج 2024 “خليجي 26”

وأضاف: “النهائي سيكون مواجهة صعبة أمام منتخب عماني قوي خاصة بعد فوزه على السعودية بعشرة لاعبين في نصف النهائي”.

وتابع: “ما حدث مع مهدي عبد الجبار لاعب منتخب البحرين في المباراة الماضية أحزنني، ولا أريد التحدث عن قرارات الحكم، لكنني أثق بأن لدي مجموعة مميزة لتعويض غيابه”.

وواصل: “سنلعب غداً من أجل مملكة البحرين ورغم إصابات علي حرم وعباس العصفور وعبد الله يوسف الجميع جاهز لتقديم الأفضل لا يوجد “سر خاص” في العمل فقط اجتهاد كبير ولاعبون مميزون وفريق يلعب كأسرة واحدة”.

وأتم: “نسعى لتكرار الإنجاز وحصد اللقب وأقول لمدرب عمان، مبروك الوصول لهذا الدور وقدمتم أداء كبيراً جميع الحراس يقدمون أداء جيدا ويحفزون بعضهم البعض وبقية المجموعة”.

30% of recreational players in England and Wales are British Asian, but only 5% of professionals

George Dobell24-Nov-2020A new scheme which aims to encourage more players of Asian origin into professional cricket in England and Wales has been set up.The South Asian Cricket Association (SACA) will offer bursaries, education opportunities and coaching aimed at helping British Asian cricketers between the ages of 18 and 24 pursue a career in county cricket. Former England seamer Kabir Ali is among the directors, while Wasim Khan, the PCB’s CEO, Isa Guha, the former England swing bowler and current broadcaster, and Preet Kaur Gill MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, are among the patrons. Ambassadors include Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood.While there are already schemes aimed at encouraging players from the South Asian community – most notably, the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan (SAAP) – they are primarily aimed at boosting participation levels. The premise of SACA is built on the understanding that there are few problems at participation level – 30% of recreational cricketers in England and Wales are classified as ‘British Asian’ – but the figure drops alarmingly to around 5% when it comes to men’s professional cricket.

16 – White British players are 16 times more likely to convert to professional status than British South Asian players
22 – Privately-educated students are up to 22 times more likely to convert to professional status than state-educated students (excluding scholarship students)
62% – Percentage of contracted players released before the age of 25
89% – Percentage of regions in England where British South Asians are over-represented at U10-19 level but under-represented at professional level

Research also suggests that, while British Asian cricketers account for 15.5% of the numbers on the ECB’s talent pathway at the Under-10 to Under-15 levels, this figure drops to 12.9% at U16-U19 levels. And the situation is worsening: in 2014, there were 30 British Asian cricketers within the professional county game, but there were only 22 in 2020.ALSO READ: Surrey’s ACE Programme launches as charity after funding boostTo counter this trend, SACA aims to select a squad of around 16 players during the summer of 2021. To do this, they will consult with academy coaches across the land, stage a series of trial games and hold interviews.Those players will then be offered individual training programmes, including strength and conditioning and dietary advice, aimed at helping them find a pathway into the professional game. They will also receive educational opportunities with a view to providing them with employment options once their playing days have ended. The squad will play competitive matches against county second teams and the National Counties (formerly minor counties).By overcoming some of the obstacles which are routinely reported to inhibit their progress, SACA aims to increase the percentage of British Asian players within the professional game to 8% by the end of 2024 and 15% by the end of 2027. The scheme also aims to see 10% of coaches coming from the British Asian community by the end of 2027.The ECB has not yet pledged any funding, though it is understood a presentation was favourably received by Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, in recent days. SACA is understood to be close to naming a partnership with a major university and has some private investment and donations in place.The scheme is based upon the PhD research of Tom Brown, a pathway coach at Warwickshire, at Birmingham City University.

He’s also prepared to push for international selection again after mental health and concussion issues

Alex Malcolm28-Oct-2020

Victoria young gun Will Pucovski says he is in a “really good space” in terms of his mental health and is ready for a full year of professional cricket to push his international credentials after signing with the Melbourne Stars for the upcoming BBL season.Pucovski, 22, came close to a Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2019 and was part of the Australia A set-up ahead of last year’s Ashes series.He was close again to Test selection last summer in the lead-up to the Pakistan series but withdrew from cricket for a short period due to mental health concerns, something he has done on several occasions over the last three seasons.”I have no regrets over it,” Pucovski said on Wednesday. “I didn’t feel like I was quite ready at the time, but I’ve done a mountain of work in the last year to try and get myself that little bit further down the line. And I feel like I’m in a really good space which is awesome, just in everyday life and with my cricket.”It’s been an interesting year or two and it’s probably hard for people to understand that aren’t in the inner sanctum, but I’m very happy with where I’m at and most of the people that matter to me are very happy with where I’m at.”Pucovski will return to domestic cricket on Friday as Victoria face South Australia in their first Sheffield Shield game after being unable to participate in the first two rounds due to Covid-related quarantine.Pucovski has made 1225 runs at 42.24 In 20 first-class matches, with a best of 243 against Western Australia and is ready to put himself back into Test calculations.”I don’t have much control over whether they pick me or not,” Pucovski said. “I’m definitely very keen. It’s been a dream of mine since I can remember basically. So from that perspective, I’m definitely very keen to put my best foot forward.”Mental health has become a critical issue for Australian cricketers in recent seasons with South Australia opener Jake Weatherald becoming the latest to step away from the game to focus on his well-being.ALSO READ: Marcus Harris hopes small tweaks will revive his Australia Test careerPucovski was keen to dispel any suggestion that his issues were linked to the pressures of Test selection or even the game itself. “It’s probably a bit speculative to suggest or say or just assume that it’s just Test selection that might push you to some weird places,” he said.”There’s obviously a lot of different things that have been going on that I’ve wanted to get under control and in that sense, I feel like I’ve done that from a holistic perspective. Having that sort of broader view of understanding who I am as a person and what I want to be doing and how I want to do it is probably the better way to look at it, and I can say I’ve made a lot of progress in that regard.”The Stars’ coach David Hussey approached Pucovski about joining the squad and he jumped at the opportunity having previously opted out of attempting to play in the BBL. Pucovski has not played a professional T20 game and has only played five T20 matches for his club side Melbourne in the Victoria Super Slam.”I think I was just sort of ready to take that next step with the T20 stuff,” Pucovski said. “I’ve played a fair bit with Melbourne over the last couple of years and thought it was a good opportunity to get back into it especially with how this summer is panning out.”Being around a professional environment the whole time was something that I thought would be really beneficial. I’d never ruled out playing T20 cricket, I just thought that across the last couple of years it probably wasn’t the right time and now it sort of feels like it is the right time and I’m very excited to have signed on with the Stars.”He has also had to deal with multiple concussions during his short career – the most recent coming late last season against England Lions when he stumbled taking a run.Having not played any cricket since February, Pucovski believes his concussion issues will not be a problem moving forward.”It’s been one of those things where I have had a few and obviously ideally you wouldn’t want to get concussed,” Pucovski said. “But I’ve been able to bounce back from them in the past so the way I’m looking at is that I’ve bounced back from them before then I’ll continue bouncing back from them.”

Moises Henriques has joined the Test squad as cover for Cameron Green even as Australia’s injury woes continued with Sean Abbott ruled out of the first Test in Adelaide. Abbott had picked up a calf strain in the day-night tour match at the SCG on Saturday. He will remain in Sydney to continue his rehabilitation but is expected to join the squad for the second Test.One good news coming in for Australia was that Green was making steady progress in his recovery from the mild concussion he suffered during the SCG tour game. Green, Henriques and Mitchell Starc were among the Australian players flying into Adelaide together on Monday on the same charter plane that dropped the Indian touring party from Sydney to South Australia.Henriques, Cricket Australia said, recovered from a mild hamstring strain which had ruled him out of the Australia A game against the Indians, at the SCG. He passed a fitness test on Monday to join the injury-hit squad. Henriques had made a comeback during the recent ODIs and T20Is against India after over three years, having last played in 2016.Related

• Justin Langer has 'fingers crossed' that Cameron Green will be available for Test debut

• Concussion rules Pucovski out of Adelaide Test; Harris named replacement

• Green injury scare as allrounder struck on the head

Henriques is also a late addition to the squad. Earlier opener Marcus Harris had replaced the concussed Will Pucovski. Pucovski was struck on the helmet late in the Australia A match against the Indians at Drummoyne Oval.Apart from captain Tim Paine, Australia now have six batting options in their squad – Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Joe Burns and Marcus Harris – along with allrounders Green and Henriques. Among their fast bowlers are Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Michael Neser, with Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson the spin options.Squad for first Test: Tim Paine (capt & wk), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade

The left-handed opener leads the LPL run charts by 173 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Dec-2020Danushka Gunathilaka’s Lanka Premier League form has been astounding. In eight innings, his lowest score was 30 not out off 15 balls, in a rain-shortened match. In the remaining seven innings, he has passed fifty four times, and eclipsed 80 twice. He averages 77 and is the tournament’s highest run-scorer by a mammoth 173 runs, which means his tally of 462 is a 60% improvement on that of the next-best batsman.Captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa was full of praise, ahead of Gladiators’ semi-final against Colombo Kings on Sunday.”I’ve never seen a player being so consistent throughout a T20 tournament. He’s been a big plus point for us. He was the lone fighter from the batting department who took us into the semi-final. He’s also been a finisher for us in the last two games. He’s given the whole batting unit confidence. We have big hopes for him in the semi-final, and may he continue his good work.”Gunathilaka’s flood of runs also hasn’t come at the cost of a strong strike rate. But although his strike rate of 145 is impressive, there is a quirk to these stats – he has struck only eight sixes to his 64 fours. Each of the next three batsmen on the run-scorer’s list have hit 14 or more sixes. Meanwhile, only one batsman in the whole tournament has hit even half of the number of fours Gunathilaka has managed.Gunathilaka is generally an effortless hitter of sixes, but said that he made a conscious effort to keep the ball on the ground through the LPL.”I think from ground to ground you have to change the way you play as a batsman, and everyone must have seen that on this ground, the outfield is incredibly fast – I knew that as soon as I watched the first match,” Gunathilaka said. “The moment you hit the ball in the gap it travels very quickly. So I thought that rather than trying to hit sixes, I can reduce the risks I’m taking by hitting the ball along the ground. There are a lot of fours on offer when the ground is this hard.”While Gunathilaka has almost certainly been the player of the tournament so far, his team had struggled badly for most of it. Gladiators lost each of their first five matches, before finally getting themselves on the points table with a victory over one of the tournament favourites – Colombo. They’ve since been more competitive, sneaking into the semi-final on the back of a strong win over Kandy Tuskers in what was essentially a quarter-final. It had been their fielding that had let them down, before the win against the Kings, Gunathilaka said.”We thought that at some point our middle order will come right, but then I felt that the major problem was our fielding. There was not enough effort. I thought we were giving an extra 20 runs in each of the first four matches. So we thought we had to field well first, before anything. And that’s what changed in the match against Colombo Kings. We took our catches and our ground fielding was good. We won that match with our fielding. I think across the tournament, a few teams have lost matches with their fielding, and we’re trying to catch up.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma frase ecoa entre alguns botafoguenses nas redes sociais diante da sequência de nove vitória em 11 jogos que o clube vive na Série B do Brasileiro: “o Botafogo tá embalado!”. Daniel Borges, contudo, prefere deixar o embalo de lado e focar na competição com calma, aproveitando o clima criado. O lateral-direito explicou, em entrevista exclusiva ao LANCE!.

+ Rafael é o novo camisa 7 do Botafogo! Relembre os últimos jogadores que usaram o mítico número do Glorioso

– Prefiro dizer que nós estamos em uma sequência boa, vivendo um bom momento na Série B. É difícil manter uma sequência de vitórias, quando conseguimos engatar algo assim tem que aproveitar o momento. É um campeonato traiçoeiro e difícil, não podemos baixar a guarda em momento nenhum – afirmou.

Daniel tem sido uma das referências técnicas desta sequência positiva, vivida desde a chegada de Enderson Moreira. O defensor, inclusive, marcou o primeiro gol com pelo Botafogo na vitória sobre o Londrina, no último sábado.

RelacionadasBotafogoDe saída: Diego Cavalieri e Alexander Lecaros não fazem mais parte do elenco do BotafogoBotafogo15/09/2021BotafogoBotafogo convida ‘Gordin do Tiktok’ a conhecer Nilton Santos e elenco: ‘Sonho realizado’Botafogo15/09/2021BotafogoBotafogo exige Certificado de Vacinação para pessoas entrarem nas dependências do clubeBotafogo15/09/2021

– Foi uma alegria imensa porque a gente trabalha a semana toda, são jogos atrás de jogos. Quando marcamos gol é um momento de êxtase muito grande. A gente libera tudo que tem para liberar, de felicidade, força, tudo… Fazer um gol com a camisa do Botafogo dentro de casa foi uma felicidade enorme, só faltou a torcida ali para poder comemorar junto – comemorou.

CHEGADA DE RAFAEL
Daniel vai ganhar uma companhia de peso na lateral-direita. Nessa semana, o Botafogo apresentou oficialmente Rafael, que chega com status de contratação da temporada. O atual titular, contudo, vê a nova contratação para o setor com olhos positivos.

– A concorrência existe todos os dias. Temos o Jonathan e o Warley, que agora vem jogando mais à frente. Pressão existe sempre, isso nunca vai mudar. Ele (Rafael) é um grande jogador, não preciso nem falar da história dele, todos nós conhecemos e sabemos o potencial dele. Espero que ele venha e posso nos ajudar. É bom ter jogadores de alto nível porque isso gera uma disputa sadia e quem ganha é o clube. Tomara que ele nos ajude bastante – analisou.

+ Choro, apresentação e trabalho: o primeiro dia de Rafael como jogador do Botafogo

A primeira impressão ainda foi de pouco contato, mas Daniel Borges afirmou que o elenco do Botafogo vai fazer questão de fazer com que Rafael se sinta em casa em pouco tempo.

– Ele chegou ontem (terça-feira) para fazer os exames, a gente só se cumprimentou, deu bom dia. Tínhamos que fazer os nossos afazeres, então ainda não tivemos muito contato. Mas sei que com o decorrer dos dias vamos nos entrosar cada vez mais – completou.

O QUE VEM POR AÍ?
Enderson chegou com o Botafogo na 14ª colocação no Campeonato Brasileiro. Atualmente, o clube ocupa a 3ª posição, vivendo uma sequência de nove vitórias em 11 jogos e sendo o único time com 100% de aproveitamento no returno. Mas o que vem agora?

+ Sistema defensivo do Botafogo evoluiu muito desde a chegada de Enderson Moreira
​
–Temos que ir passo a passo. A partir do momento que chegarmos na casa dos 50 pontos a gente pode falar sim em acesso. Enquanto isso, temos que pensar jogo a jogo, é pensar em pontuar. O Brasileiro é traiçoeiro, todos os times têm altos e baixos, então o foco tem que sempre na próxima partida. A preocupação de cada semana é o jogo – respondeu Daniel.

– O próprio Enderson fala que somos reféns dos nossos resultados. Se estamos com resultados ruins, o clima geralmente é mais tenso. Como a gente vem nessa sequência acaba facilitando muita coisa, a confiança de todo mundo aumenta, o pessoal começa a apoiar cada vez mais. Isso facilita para nós dentro de campo – completou.

Em entrevistas, seja lá de quem for o personagem principal, pessoas envolvidas no Botafogo destacam que a união do grupo tem sido um diferencial para os resultados obtidos nas últimas semanas. O LANCE! pediu para Daniel Borges definir o elenco do Alvinegro em apenas uma característica.

– A vontade. É a vontade que todo mundo tem de ganhar, a vontade que todo mundo tem de deixar o Botafogo onde não deveria ter saído. Parece clichê falar assim, mas realmente tem clubes com histórias e precisam ficar na Série A. É o comprometimento de todos para fazer com que o clube volte – declarou.

MAIS DECLARAÇÕES DE DANIEL BORGES

Adaptação
– Minha adaptação aqui foi muito boa e rápida. É a oportunidade da minha vida, estou em um gigante do futebol brasileiro. Poder ajudar a equipe fazendo gols e boas partidas é um orgulho imenso e vou continuar dando a minha vida para esse clube.

Clima no elenco
– O fato de ter vindo o Diego e o Oyama junto deixou tudo mais fácil, mas eu já conhecia alguns jogadores aqui. Isso ajudou muito a adaptação e que eu entrosasse eles com a rapaziada. Nem tenho o que falar sobre do nosso grupo, tá louco… A rapaziada está sempre feliz, brincando, acho que isso reflete dentro de campo. Somos um grupo unido e, mais do que tudo, amigos fora de campo.

Participação da torcida nas redes sociais
– Quando saem esses memes você não tem noção de como fica a zoação no vestiário (risos). Isso acaba descontraindo um pouco, vai tirando um pouco a pressão. Essas brincadeiras e alegrias vindas dos memes são muito engraçadas.

Possível retorno de Gatito Fernández
– É bacana. O contato que eu tenho com o Gatito é ali no vestiário, de conversa, brincadeiras e tal. Mas a gente vê um jogador que está há muito tempo parado voltando de contusão já treinando no campo, mesmo que separado, ele já faz exercícios que ele não fazia há dois meses. É triste ver um companheiro no departamento médico porque é muito bom estar em campo. Sempre passamos na fisioterapia e damos um alô para quem está lá, também tem o Ronald que está voltando, sempre damos um apoio moral para os caras voltarem o mais rápido possível.

Pressão pelo acesso à Série A
​- O jogador que vem para o Botafogo tem que saber que está em um clube grande e que vai ter pressão o tempo todo. Se você estiver em um momento ruim, vai ter essa pressão. Se está no bom momento, a pressão é pra manter o ritmo. Nosso grupo é muito unido, então isso acaba facilitando. Nós dividimos essa pressão entre todos, vai facilitando tudo para o dia a dia.

As they gear up to chase their fifth title in a row, Manchester City could be set to suffer a major blow, with Atletico Madrid reportedly preparing to make their first offer to land one of Pep Guardiola's best rising stars.

Man City transfer news

Just how the Cityzens improve their side after the last two seasons, which saw them win the treble and then their fourth consecutive Premier League title on the bounce, is anyone's guess. Instead, they could become the victims of their own success, as certain players contemplate what more they've got left to do in English football and perhaps consider summer exits.

That includes both Ederson and Kevin de Bruyne, who have reportedly attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League. The former has even already been offered a deal, according to recent rumours, in what could leave those at The Etihad desperately searching for a replacement this summer. Meanwhile, if De Bruyne does leave, City will reportedly line up a move for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves.

The veteran duo may not be the only players who need replacing this summer, however. According to the Spanish media, via Football Espana, Atletico Madrid intent to submit an initial loan offer to sign Julian Alvarez this summer, which will include an obligation to buy worth €70m (£59m).

Related Man City close in on £152,000-a-week Spain star who Pep called "incredible"

There have been developments in the last 24 hours.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Jul 15, 2024

The World Cup winner is reportedly keen on the move and, for the right price, those at The Etihad are happy to show him the door this summer, only increasing the chances of his exit. That said, losing a player who is so capable of stepping in for Erling Haaland and more at just 24 years old would undoubtedly be a major blow for City, even if they are clearing his reported £100k-a-week wage in the process.

"Superb" Alvarez an underrated key to Man City's success

Incredible depth has been more important than ever for City in the last two campaigns as they've competed and, at one stage, won on all fronts.

When Haaland struggled on the sidelines in the last campaign, it was Alvarez who stepped up to fill in with the quality that Guardiola has come to expect. And replacing that quality wouldn't exactly be a simple task. So, whilst City are reportedly happy to show the Argentine the door, they should quickly rethink that decision.

Ally McCoist would likely be among those left surprised if Manchester City sanction Alvarez's summer switch in the coming month, having told TNT Sports last season following the forward's two goals against Crvena Zvezda: "I thought he was superb tonight. I said he went under the radar a little bit, what I meant was that when you think of Man City’s key figures you maybe think of the goalkeeper [Ederson], of [Ruben] Dias, Rodri, Haaland.

"Alvarez maybe wouldn’t immediately spring to mind, but on form like that it would be very difficult to keep him out of the side.”

The early end to the England tour could have a major ripple effect for other series

Daniel Brettig09-Dec-2020

Australia’s scheduled Test series in South Africa next year may move to Perth, with early discussions between the two boards already taking place in the wake of the cancellation of the remainder of England’s current tour due to issues around Covid-19.According to the schedule for the World Test Championship, Tim Paine’s Test side are meant to be facing South Africa in three Tests in South Africa between February 14 and March 13, a key assignment leading up to the tournament final in England in mid-2021, but the problems unveiled by England’s visit have made the trip increasingly problematic.The fate of Australia’s visit is one part of what is becoming a complex challenge for Cricket South Africa with uncertainty now also hanging over Sri Lanka’s visit later this month for two Tests.ALSO READ: Bubble bursts for South African cricketWhile neutral venues such as the UAE have been used in recent times, ESPNcricinfo understands there have been talks between CSA and Cricket Australia around playing the series in Australia, given that conditions in the two countries are famously similar in terms of pace and bounce in particular.Equally, Perth’s western time zone makes it quite amenable to South Africa’s given their separation only by the Indian Ocean – a day/night Test at the WACA Ground, for instance, would be likely to start play between 8am and 9am in South Africa.The tour would need to take place on the basis that the broadcast rights and consequent revenue would go to CSA and its partners, meaning it would be broadcast in Australia by Fox Cricket. CSA is under massive pressure to maintain some semblance of its summer schedule and thus hang onto the broadcast rights fees that keep the game afloat.Cricket Australia pulled together a detailed biosecurity plan for Perth and Western Australia earlier this year when it had planned to host a portion of the international season in the west, before the blueprint was ended by WA’s hard border. The situation has eased in recent weeks as WA’s premier Mark McGowan has opened the state’s borders to the rest of the nation, with BBL matches set down for Perth Stadium next month.Unless the series is moved, Perth will spend a season without international cricket for the first time since the 1970s, after the postponement of the scheduled Test against Afghanistan.”We’ve been a little bit bemused and disappointed how we haven’t been scheduled for one of the prime series in the cricket calendar,” the WACA chief executive Christina Matthews said in May when the original summer schedule was announced. “The government invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to make Perth Stadium cricket friendly from the start, so all the facilities for cricket were built into that, and at the time Cricket Australia gave a guarantee to the government that they would absolutely be utilising that stadium to its fullest.”Also, we have over 10,000 members, who year after year invest in cricket. Rusted on fans are here, the crowds are better, the facilities are better, the corporate hospitality has more flexibility and more potential. So to us, it doesn’t quite pass the pub test.”The new multipurpose stadium will likely be commandeered by the AFL’s demands by the time the South Africa tour is due to take place, but the WACA Ground will remain in prime position to host Test matches if required.South Africa boast an enviable record on tours to Australia, having won series down under in 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2016-17, with the same case working the other way during Australian wins in South Africa in 1997, 2002, 2006, 2009 and 2014.Though South Africa were victorious over the Australians in the acrimonious “Sandpapergate” series in 2018, the touring team made a peaceful return for a brief white-ball visit earlier this year in their final overseas assignment before the onset of Covid-19.Cricket South Africa has been contacted for comment.