The three cricketers inducted represent the sport from the 1970s to the 2010s

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2022Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Charlotte Edwards and Abdul Qadir have been inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame. The trio will be honoured ahead of the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the SCG.Chanderpaul, the 107th inductee on the list, had a 21-year career representing West Indies after making his debut in 1994. His unorthodox batting stance would go on to be his trademark while his patience at the crease became his signature. After spending his initial years in and out of the team, Chanderpaul became a rock in West Indies’ middle order, a role he held till his last cap in 2015.When Chanderpaul announced his retirement in 2016, he finished with 20,988 international runs, 41 centuries and 125 half-centuries across formats.”It’s an amazing honour to follow the footsteps of many legends and so many other great cricketers of the past,” Chanderpaul said in an ICC release. “I’m grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately supported me throughout my career.”Edwards, No. 108 in ICC’s Hall of Fame, represented England since the age of 16 for two decades, and by the time she finished her international career had also captained the side to an ODI and T20 World Cup title. Her 5992 runs in women’s ODIs are the second most in the game’s history.In 2021, the domestic women’s T20 competition in England was named the Charlotte Edwards Cup in her honour, and the following year Edwards won the trophy named after herself after coaching Southern Vipers to the title.”It’s a massive honour to be included in the ICC Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted,” Edwards said. “I’d like to thank and share this moment with my family and friends, my teammates and all of the coaches that have supported me throughout.”Qadir, the legendary legspinner from Pakistan who died in 2019 aged 63, was the 109th inductee on the list. Qadir took 236 Test wickets in 67 matches and his 9 for 56 against England in 1987 remains one of the best figures in Test cricket. Qadir made his last international appearance in 1993.”On behalf of the family, I want to say thank you very much to the ICC for nominating my father for induction into the Hall of Fame,” Usman, Abdul Qadir’s son, said. “It is a very big honour for the family to hear of this news, we see it as a huge achievement, and one that my father would be very proud of if he was still with us today.”In November 2021, Janette Brittin, Mahela Jayawardene and Shaun Pollock were inducted while ten others – Bob Willis, Vinoo Mankad, Learie Constantine, Andy Flower among them – were also inducted before the inaugural World Test Championship final last year.

Philippe Clement has been battling to save his job as Rangers manager and now a significant update has emerged regarding his future at Ibrox.

Clement battling to save Rangers job

The Gers’ recent Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park was one of the lowest moments in the club’s recent history, further heaping enormous pressure on Clement, with the fanbase increasingly turning on him.

On Sunday, Rangers faced a must-win game away to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, with the manager knowing that only victory would ease any kind of heat on him.

Fortunately for Clement, the Gers battled their way to a 3-1 triumph, with Jamie McCart scoring two own goals for the hosts and Vaclav Cerny also finding the net. In truth, though, the performance wasn’t wholly convincing for large periods, with Hearts creating plenty of chances.

Rangers’ victory means they are back to being 13 points adrift of Celtic at the top of the table, with some stunning form needed to narrow the gap on their rivals. Whether Clement is still in charge at Ibrox come the end of the season remains to be seen, but now a new update has dropped over his future.

Journalist gives update on Clement's Rangers future

Writing in The Daily Record on Monday [via Ibrox News], reliable journalist Andy Newport dropped a six-word verdict on Clement’s job at Rangers.

He also went on to state that Gers supporters certainly aren’t changing their feelings towards the Belgian, though, adding: “The Ibrox faithful have long since made their minds up on the beleaguered Belgian and this (win at Hearts) won’t change anything.”

At this point, it really is hard to see Clement being the long-term solution at Rangers, with the aforementioned loss to Queen’s Park almost doing too much damage to ever truly save him moving forward.

Former Gers striker Kris Boyd has certainly made it clear what he thinks should happen to the manager, questioning the 50-year-old’s assessment of Sunday’s game: “I don’t know, sometimes I think Philippe Clement has watched a different game.

“Hearts caused Rangers all sorts of problems, Yes Rangers have won the game but I look at big clubs in other countries and Celtic in Scotland and they dominate games of football.

“They’ve got better players, they’re spending a lot more money on wages, they dominate games of football and I never see that from Rangers. I never see it. There’s moments when they’re on top and you think maybe they can score a few goals but all of a sudden they revert to what we see far too often from Rangers.”

"Everyone knows" – Celtic target's Dad's bizarre jab at Rangers and Celtic

His son missed the chance to move to Celtic Park in January.

ByBen Browning Feb 15, 2025

Only a stunning turnaround for Clement will save him now, such as winning the Europa League or going extremely deep in the competition, but at this point, it is extremely difficult to see that happening.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has attracted serious criticism for failing to back manager Ange Postecoglou in the January transfer market so far, but the Lilywhites chief may have a very good opportunity to do so after news this week.

Ange Postecoglou sends transfer warning to Tottenham

Postecoglou, who is under mounting pressure after guiding his injury-ridden team to 13 Premier League defeats already, has sent a warning to the N17 chiefs in regard to their lack of activity this window.

Tottenham hold talks to sign "very skilful" ace with Ange set for backing

He ticks many boxes for Spurs.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 28, 2025

Tottenham sealed a £12.5 million deal for highly-rated young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky at the very start of January, with the Czech going on to make one of the best Spurs debuts in recent memory against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

However, barring that move for the 21-year-old, technical director Johan Lange and the wider recruitment team haven’t exactly been pulling up trees in terms of concrete movement.

Postecoglou sent a subtle warning to the club’s hierarchy that Spurs are “playing with fire” if they don’t finish this transfer window with at least one other major incoming through the door before deadline day on February 3rd.

“I have daily communication with Johan in particular, and he’s trying everything he possibly can to get the help we need,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s January plans.

“I don’t think I’m stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous. This playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that.

“We’re sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in, but the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation.”

January is always a tricky window to navigate for sides, mainly due to inflated price tags and the fact clubs are reluctant to part company with their star players midway through a campaign.

Tottenham "being offered" January deal for Lyon star Rayan Cherki

Reports earlier in the window suggested that Tottenham are one of the possible destinations for Lyon forward Rayan Cherki, who could be available for a cut-price fee due to the club’s provisional relegation to Ligue 2 and financial problems.

The Frenchman, called “absolutely unbelievable” by members of the media, stands out as Lyon’s star attacking player – averaging a higher match rating than any other player in their squad whilst completing their highest rate of key passes per 90 (WhoScored).

According to journalist Dean Jones, speaking on the Ranks FC Ultras podcast (via TBR), Tottenham are being offered Cherki right now, alongside Newcastle United, with the 21-year-old also said to be available for the “very, very low fee” of £20 million.

However, there are concerns surrounding his attitude, which Jones hints could be the reason why Spurs haven’t decided to bite yet.

“I want to talk about Rayan Cherki at Lyon. This guy is being touted around everywhere,” Jones said. “20 million pounds seems like a very, very low fee for a player who has been this creative this season.

“Yeah, I think there’s a reason that nobody’s bitten on it yet. There’s been a lot of talk about his personality fit for a lot of teams, potentially whether he has the right attitude and application to make the step. I’m not sure that Lyon are in as desperate of a financial situation now as people were expecting them. But I think it’s from a Cherki’s representative’s perspective that we’re seeing this one pushed at the moment.

“Spurs and Newcastle are two of the clubs that are being offered him. I’m not convinced that either of them are sure about this one.”

أكد أيمن الرمادي، المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك، جاهزية الفريق لمواجهة بيراميدز، في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس مصر التي تقام بينهما مساء الخميس المقبل.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع بيراميدز، في نهائي بطولة كأس مصر للموسم الحالي 2024-2025، على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وقال الرمادي خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقد اليوم: “مباراة بيراميدز في نهائي كأس مصر هي حدث كبير، ومواجهة مهمة جداً للفريق الأبيض، وصلنا لحالة جيدة قبل المباراة رغم تولي الجهاز الفني المسؤولية الفنية منذ ثلاثة أسابيع وأيام قليلة، وأشكر اللاعبين على تركيزهم، خاصة اللاعبين الكبار أمثال شيكابالا وعمر جابر وعبد الله السعيد الذين ساعدوني كثيراً وسعدت بالعمل معهم، وأستمتع بالعمل معهم وبأفكارهم”.

وأضاف: “بمنتهى الصراحة لم أكن أتخيل أنهم في وقت قصير سيعرفون ملامح أسلوب اللعب الذي اعتمد عليه، وهذا أمر جيد جداً، كل ما أرجوه أن يحالفنا التوفيق في المباراة المقبلة لأن هذه ستكون خطوة كبيرة جداً لإسعاد الملايين من جماهير الزمالك”.

طالع.. خاص | سر اختيار محمود بسيوني حكمًا لنهائي كأس مصر بين الزمالك وبيراميدز

وواصل: “أمتلك فريقاً مجتهداً جداً، وكل ما أُثير في الفترة الماضية كان زوبعة في فنجان، لأن الفريق يضم مجموعة مميزة من اللاعبين، وأنا محظوظ بالعمل مع لاعبي الزمالك، والفريق قد يكون في حاجة إلى 3 أو 4 لاعبين على أقصى تقدير، والزمالك يضم قائمة مميزة وأريد اللاعبين أن يثقوا في أنفسهم، ويلعبون بشجاعة، وكل ما أطلبه منهم هو أن يكون لديهم ثقة في أنفسهم”.

واستكمل: “قبل أن أعمل في الزمالك كان تقديري للاعبي الفريق مختلفاً عن تقديري لهم بعد العمل معهم، بسبب ما يتردد عن الفريق والقائمة، ولكن بعد العمل معهم وجدت أنهم نخبة اللاعبين في مصر، وهم الأفضل وسيُثبتون ذلك يوماً بعد يوم”.

واستمر: “هؤلاء اللاعبون تعرضوا للظلم فيما نُسب إليهم لأنهم ملتزمون جداً ومحترفون ويحبون النادي ويخلصون له، وعملت معهم في ظروف قاسية جداً، وظهر معدنهم الأصلي في كل تدريب، وأريدهم أن يلعبوا بتحرر وبحرية، وأي نتيجة إيجابية بسبب كفاءة اللاعبين وإجادتهم، لأنهم لاعبون رائعون”.

وأردف: “”فضلنا الانتظام في معسكر كي نكون قريبين من بعض ونقرأ أفكار بعض، خاصة أن فترات التدريب قصيرة جداً، والوقت عملية مميتة، والمعسكر بالنسبة لنا مهم جداً”.

وفيما يخص اللاعبين المصابين قال: “إذا بحثنا على جوجل عن أكثر سؤال تم توجيهه لمدير فني في تاريخ الكرة العالمية والمصرية سيكون السؤال الذي تم توجيهه لي عن المصابين في النادي، وهذا السؤال تكرر بصورة كبيرة، والمشكلة تكمن في مدى جاهزية اللاعبين العائدين من الإصابة وقدرتهم على المشاركة في المباريات، وأي لاعب بالفريق قادر على سد الفراغ، وقد يكون اللاعب المصاب تماثل للشفاء من الإصابة لكنه غير جاهز فنياً، وسيتم تقدير مدى جاهزيتهم للقاء المقبل”.

وتابع: “أركز مع فريقي بغض النظر عن المنافس، ومباراة نهائي الكأس ليست مواجهة سهلة، واهتمامي الأكبر مع فريقي، ونحترم فريق بيراميدز وقدراته”.

واختتم: “أتمنى أن يحالفني التوفيق في لقاء بيراميدز في وجود أعداد كبيرة من الجماهير، وكما قلت جمهور الزمالك هم الحلقة الأقوى ونحتاجهم جداً في مباراة بيراميدز المقبلة في نهائي كأس مصر، ونتمنى إسعادهم في اللقاء”.

Everton are looking at a move for a new defender for David Moyes as they look to continue their good form in the Premier League in the second half of the campaign, according to a fresh report.

Everton transfer latest

Despite a third consecutive win and four goals scored in their thrashing of Leicester City, Everton boss Moyes is still keen to add fresh blood to his squad before the transfer window closes, something he made abundantly clear after the game when quizzed on a potential new striker arrival.

The Toffees boss said: “I’m not here to say, if I said to you, name who you think would be suitable, I would probably guarantee that we’ve already gone through that.

“There’s either a reason we can’t get him, too expensive, not for sale, it would be something. It’s sometimes quite an easy question to put out. Everybody would say it, they’d say, no, it’s not easy.”

Imagine him & Beto: Everton looking at last-gasp move for "wonderful" star

Everton could well be busy right until the close of the transfer window.

ByKelan Sarson Feb 3, 2025

“Trying to get one has not been easy. By the way, I’m trying everything we can to add to the squad before the deadline. It’s OK to win a few games, you only need to lose a couple and you can find yourself struggling to get back. So we’ll try.”

One player who does seem close to making the switch to Goodison Park is Charly Alcaraz, who will arrive from Flamengo on an initial loan move with an obligation to make the move permanent in the summer.

The former Southampton midfielder will add more grit to Moyes’ engine room after it emerged that Orel Mangala will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign through injury. Now, another deal that the Toffees are working on has emerged.

Everton chasing loan move for defender

That is according to a report from The Daily Mail, which reveals that Everton are working on a loan move to sign highly-rated Rennes defender Adrien Truffert for the remainder of the campaign.

The defender, whose technique was dubbed “outrageous” by the Europa League account on X, has over 150 senior appearances to his name already plus one cap for France.

Left-back has been a problem position for the Toffees and Moyes is keen to add cover for Vitaliy Mykolenko, who has made that spot his own in recent seasons. Truffert, who is still just 23 years old and was part of the French Olympic side over the summer, has previously been on the radar of Manchester United, but now looks more likely to end up on Merseyside.

Truffert has just 18 months left to run on his £16,000 a week deal with Rennes, who hover just above the relegation zone in Ligue 1, but has been a key part of the French outfit so far this campaign, racking up 19 appearances.

Appearances

19

Starts

17

Goals

1

Assists

0

Yellow Cards

3

Despite this, the report claims that the Toffees are “working on a deal” that would be “a loan deal with option to buy” the defender after they missed out on Ben Chilwell.

With money tight on Merseyside, loan deals are likely to be the order of the day, and should they be able to land the young defender and end the transfer window on a high, it would only add to the growing confidence of Premier League survival this season under Moyes.

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It is fair to say that the season has not gone to plan for Glasgow Rangers so far as they are facing an uphill battle in their pursuit of silverware.

The Light Blues are already 13 points behind Glasgow rivals Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership title, which makes it seem unlikely that they will avoid missing out on the top-flight trophy for the fourth year in succession.

Philippe Clement’s men did have a big chance to lift a piece of silverware in December after they took the Hoops to penalties in the final of the SFA Cup, but they just fell short.

The Gers did not use the January transfer window, however, to massively bolster their chances of success in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Nils Koppen brought in central defender Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille to provide back-up to the likes of Robin Propper, John Souttar, and Clinton Nsiala, and that was the only immediate addition of the window.

The Ibrox giants did, however, announce that they have secured a pre-contract agreement with Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron, who is now set to move to the club in the summer.

Why Lyall Cameron could be a good signing

It was recently reported that the Light Blues may have to pay a compensation fee of around £400k, as the 22-year-old came up through the ranks at Dundee, despite him being out of contract at the end of the season.

This means that Rangers are set to sign the Premiership talent for a bargain fee, particularly when you consider his impressive performances in the division this season.

The Scotland U21 international provided a timely reminder of his quality in the SFA Cup on Saturday, as the midfield whiz scored two goals and provided one assist in a 4-0 win over Airdrieonians for Dundee.

Cameron has, now, racked up a return of ten goals and eight assists in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish side, typically deployed as a central midfielder, but he has also been utilised in a number ten position.

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old dynamo has proven his quality at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership, with nine direct goal contributions in 23 outings.

This form comes after the Dundee academy graduate scored five goals in 32 appearances in the top-flight during the 2023/24 campaign, which came after a return of seven goals in 25 Championship matches for Montrose on loan in the previous season.

Wage Burners

Cameron could come in to provide an attacking threat from midfield, whilst being a relatively cheap option, which is why this could be an excellent piece of business for the club.

The Dundee youngster is reportedly on £340-per-week, per Salary Sport, and that could soar significantly upon his deal at Rangers coming into effect, particularly when you consider the wage bill at Ibrox.

What Rangers' wage bill looks like after signing Cameron

No regular first-team member at Rangers earns less than £1.4k-per-week, per Salary Sport, and this suggests that Cameron is in line for a big wage increase next season, assuming that they put him in line with a first-team wage at Ibrox.

In fact, the highest earner at the club earns almost 100 times more per week than the Dundee youngster, as club captain James Tavernier is reportedly on £30k-per-week.

As you can see in the table above, there are some significant earners within the Gers squad and some of them have not offered enough back on the pitch in return.

The high earner who must leave Rangers after Cameron move

Tom Lawrence is one player whose future at Ibrox should be in doubt after the arrival of Cameron, as his contract is up at the end of the season and he is on a huge £22k-per-week.

To put it simply, the Wales international has been too inconsistent with both his availability and his performance levels on the pitch to justify a contract extension.

Cameron, on £340-per-week, has only missed four squads through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, and has contributed with 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions in that time.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has missed out on 47 matchday squads since the start of last season, and contributed with eight goals and five assists for the Scottish giants in all competitions.

The 31-year-old flop joined the club from Derby County in the summer of 2022 and has only made 57 first-team appearances in more than two-and-a-half years at Ibrox to date.

Rangers are not getting enough back from him, in performances or availability, to justify his wages beyond his current contract, particularly when you consider how well Raskin, who earns less than Lawrence, has performed in midfield this season.

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian dynamo has been available week-in-week-out for the Gers and has contributed with quality at both ends of the pitch, unlike the Welshman.

This suggests that Rangers are not getting value for money out of Lawrence’s contract, as a player earning less than him is contributing far more, and the signing of Cameron will provide Clement and Koppen with a chance to finally ditch the former Rams star.

£6.6m wasted: Koppen must sell Rangers loanee who earns more than Hagi

Rangers must finally sell a player who earns more than Ianis Hagi.

By
Ross Kilvington

Feb 7, 2025

When the Dundee man’s move to Ibrox is officially complete, Rangers will have the options in central and attacking midfield to finally part ways with the flop, shaving a big chunk off the wage bill in the process.

Pakistan struck back in the final thirty minutes to eventually share the day’s honours

Sreshth Shah28-Dec-2022New Zealand’s batters, led by Kane Williamson, made Pakistan toil for most of day three in Karachi. However, the hosts struck back in the final 30 minutes to eventually share the day’s honours.Starting the day on 165 for 0, New Zealand finished on 440 for 6, two runs ahead of Pakistan’s first-innings score. With Pakistan having the momentum at stumps, the game stands in a tantalising position with two days to go and a tricky pitch to deal with.Williamson finished the day unbeaten on 105. He was supported by Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell and though neither man got even as far as a half-century, their aggression allowed Williamson to quietly build on his score. In the morning, Tom Latham added to his overnight score of 78 to post his 13th Test century.Mitchell shellacked 42 runs in 47 balls after walking in at No. 5 in the middle session. He used the reverse-sweep to get his boundary-scoring underway before graduating to playing more conventional shots in the V. Nauman Ali was launched for six and four down the ground while Mohammad Wasim bore the brunt of even more aggression, hit for four boundaries in four deliveries.Blundell, on the other hand, was a much less assured presence at the crease. He rode his luck coming down the track to the Pakistan spinners, Nauman and Abrar Ahmed, who bowled in tandem for long spells through the day. The New Zealand No. 6 was the aggressor after tea, targeting he leg side for most of his boundaries. His battle with Nauman was fascinating, with the left-arm spinner getting the ball to turn across him, leading to innumerable leading edges and sliced shots that went to the off-side instead, including one when he was on 41 that saw two fielders try to take a catch with neither committing to it. Eventually, the missed Blundell chance did not cost Pakistan much with the wicketkeeper-batter falling lbw for 47 to Wasim’s reverse-swing late in the day.Nauman created more chances earlier in the day. Had they been converted, his figures would have looked a lot better than 2 for 137 and Pakistan might well be in control of the whole Test match. He had bowled beautifully to force errors from Williamson when the batter was on 15 and 21, however both times Sarfaraz Ahmed could not pull off the stumping. In fairness to the wicketkeeper, they were moderately tough chances.Nauman Ali bowled better than his figures – 2 for 137 – suggest•AFPWilliamson, batting for the first time since giving up the Test captaincy, made his entry in the day’s sixth over following Devon Conway’s dismissal for 92. After a 183-run opening partnership with Latham, Conway was out lbw to Nauman, trapped inside his crease on the back foot. At first, Conway was deemed not out by umpire Aleem Dar but the decision was overturned on review.While Williamson was still finding his feet, Latham charged to his 13th Test hundred in the morning. His ton broke the New Zealand record for most centuries by a Test opener, going past John Wright’s 12.However, Latham fell before lunch trying to play a reverse sweep off Abrar that popped up to first slip. Abrar’s second wicket of the day – that of Mitchell – also came via a reverse sweep that went wrong.Williamson had a watchful start to his innings, trying to find his feet following a lean recent run with the bat. He relied on the sweep to get his early runs, but as the ball got old, he pounced on Abrar’s inconsistency to hit him for three fours through midwicket in the space of seven balls. That pushed him into the 40s, and soon after reached his fifty by punching to extra cover.After a brief 41-run stand with No. 4 Henry Nicholls ended with the left-hand batter chopping Nauman onto his stumps, Williamson took a back seat with Mitchell leading the run-scoring charge. That allowed him to quietly move into the 70s, which he further added to, once Blundell brought out his strokes. The only time Williamson really went for the big shots was when the spinners pitched it up outside off. Otherwise, he relied on his nudges and nurdles to get the bulk of his runs.It was late in the day when Williamson reached his century – his 25th in Tests, fifth against Pakistan and first since his 238 in January 2021 against the same opponents. He drove Wasim to mid-off in the 123rd over and reached his landmark. However that wasn’t the end of the day’s action. Michael Bracewell fell late in the day leaving Ish Sodhi, the No. 8, to face 20 balls in a tricky spell of play to stay unbeaten on 1 alongside Williamson.While the end of the day provided a zenith for Williamson, the start of the day completed a redemption arc for another former Test captain. Sarfaraz was asked to lead Pakistan in the morning session with Babar Azam one of three players down with viral flu like symptoms. And even though Babar returned after lunch, Sarfaraz’s brief spell in charge completed a full circle for the man who was dropped from captaincy, and the team, since his last Test appearance in January 2019.

Manchester City have been handed a major blow as a pair of their stars are set to miss Newcastle this weekend and possibly the second leg of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid next week, it has been confirmed.

Manchester City fall apart again

With five minutes left to play, it looked as though Pep Guardiola’s side had done enough to take a slender lead out of their Champions League last 32 tie first leg at the Etihad, but the Premier League champions fell apart once again in the dying stages.

First, Ederson’s weak parry from a Vinicius Jr shot allowed Brahim Diaz to slot into an empty net to level the tie, before an awful pass from substitute Mateo Kovacic allowed the Brazilian in once more, with the ball eventually falling to Jude Bellingham who tapped home from five yards out to secure a 3-2 victory for the Spanish giants.

Man City star who Pep sold in 2022 is now outperforming De Bruyne & Savinho

Man City might wish they still had this player at the club

ByJoe Nuttall Feb 13, 2025

It was the latest in a long list of games thrown away by Man City this season, and leaves them facing a massive uphill battle to stay in the Champions League this season, with the Cityzens now needing an iconic result at the Santiago Bernabéu to proceed to the last 16 of the competition.

After the game, Guardiola bemoaned his side’s “bad decisions” which cost his side again.

Real Madrid

Manchester City

Possession

46%

54%

Shots

20

11

Shots on target

8

4

Big Chances

6

2

Expected goals

3.3

1.6

“Many times it happens this season. I know the quality of Real Madrid. We took the game in the second half and tried to attack too quickly. It happens because they are an exceptional team. It happens many times this season. Bad decisions, that’s all. I take it. It’s not about you and me, or just the team, it’s everyone.”

“We are just not stable enough. I’ve been here for many years and we’ve been an extraordinary team, a machine every three days,” he added, and now Guardiola will have to prepare for the trip to Madrid without some of his key men.

"Outstanding" forward joins Akanji on the sidelines

One major concern that City have is over Swiss centre-back Manuel Akanji, who was forced off in the defeat. The defender needed to be withdrawn at half time and was replaced by Rico Lewis for the remainder of the clash, forcing John Stones to move back into defence.

Now, the Times have revealed that the centre-back is set to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury, adding to Guardiola’s problems as he looks for a way back into the tie in the second leg, with Guardiola adding that he is set to miss “8-10 weeks” with the centre-back due for surgery on Saturday.

John Stones, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias have all just returned from recent absences, and will now likely be asked to plug the gaps left by Akanji’s absence, which will affect their games against Newcastle and Liverpool in the Premier League too.

Worse still, Guardiola confirmed that Jack Grealish would also likely miss the clash with Newcastle after he needed to be subsituted in the first half of the defeat.

“It’s not as bad as Manu [Akanji] has done, but I don’t know if tomorrow he will be ready. I don’t think so, but we will see, we will assess”.

Having hailed Grealish “outstanding” just days ago, his absence will be keenly felt by the Spanish coach.

But there is the matter of the lights and the pink ball – Australia have a perfect ten-in-ten record in day-night Tests

Andrew McGlashan07-Dec-2022

Big pictureThe Frank Worrell trophy remains in Australia’s hands, as it has since 1995, and there was hardly any doubt it would be that way although they were made to work for their victory in Perth. It is that fact, the fight West Indies showed, which offers hope that the now traditional day-night Test in Adelaide may not be a walkover for Australia.However, it will only be a contest if West Indies find a way to break through Australia’s batting. Six wickets was the sum total of their efforts at Optus Stadium and a few of those came at times of little consequence. The one glimmer was the spell from Alzarri Joseph to Marnus Labuschagne, but such bursts have to translate into wickets.Related

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Still, the performance of captain Kraigg Brathwaite should be inspiring – his second-innings century was worth a debate about being his best in Test cricket – and the debut of Tagenarine Chanderpaul was highly encouraging. If others can follow their lead then there is the basis of being competitive, although the day-night element of this game throws up new challenges.One byproduct of the fight shown by West Indies in the opening Test is that already eyes are being drawn towards the workload of Australia’s quicks. Pat Cummins has been ruled out with the quad strain he picked up, which means, for the second year running, he misses the Adelaide Test with Steven Smith taking on the captaincy. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood also racked up the overs. For that duo, it’s not so much this outing that is the concern, but the fact that Australia’s entire Test summer is crammed into a little more than five weeks.It would, however, be one of the bigger upsets if West Indies – who themselves have a number of injury concerns – were able to level the series. In a way, though, it’s about the strides they can make in a series such as this. “Stay in the fight as long as possible,” assistant coach Roddy Estwick said. Australia should win, and probably will, but West Indies can make it as tough as possible for them.Recent formAustralia WLWWD
West Indies LWWWDIn the spotlightDavid Warner will feel he missed out in Perth. After dragging on early on the opening day and then watching Labuschagne and Smith pile up 200s, he got himself a base in the second innings before edging Roston Chase to short leg. Barring injury, his 100th Test will arrive against South Africa at the MCG and his future in the format remains very much in his hands, but an average of 22.78 in 2022 is lean. On a ground where he averages 76.86, albeit not all of that against the pink ball, he will hope for a substantial return.Alzarri Joseph raised the pitch in the first Test with a hostile spell on the fourth day•Getty Images

Even if Alzarri Joseph had not overstepped against Labuschagne it would not have been enough to change the game, but his spell on the fourth day did raise the question of what could have been, or what could be. He was said to be under the weather during an underwhelming first-innings display and that it would be unfair to judge him on that, so instead remember the pace and fire of his later spell. His career-best remains 3 for 33 but the belief in the team is that a breakthrough haul is close.Team newsScott Boland returns in place of the injured Cummins as the one change in the Australia XI.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Travis Head, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Scott BolandWest Indies will wait until the morning of the game to give their injured players as much time as possible. Kemar Roach (hamstring) and Jayden Seales (knee) are both concerns, which means Marquino Mindley could debut 48 hours after arriving from Jamaica. Kyle Mayers won’t be able to bowl.West Indies (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Kyle Mayers, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Roston Chase, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach/Anderson Phillip, 11 Jayden Seales/Marquino MindleyPitch and conditionsIt is expected to be a typical Adelaide day-night pitch. Curator Damien Hough said he had left the standard 8mm of grass on the surface. The cool, damp spring has made preparations tricky, so it remains to be seen how much pace is in the pitch – the drop-in was only put into place last week following a Guns N’ Roses concert. The forecast is set fair and the temperature will warm up on Saturday. “This surface offers a bit to everyone,” Smith said. “There’s a bit of seam, if you bat well you can score runs and it offers some spin. Looks no different this year to the last couple of years.”Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were impressive in the first Test•Getty Images

Stats and trivia Jermaine Blackwood will play his 50th Test Australia have a ten-in-ten record in day-night Tests Nathan Lyon needs one wicket to be the leading bowler in Adelaide, overtaking Shane Warne, while he and Smith need to combine one more time to go ahead of Warne and Mark Taylor as the most successful fielder-bowler combination for Australia. Lyon also needs four wickets for 450 in Tests If Smith scores another hundred, he will equal Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Matthew Hayden on 30Quotes”Bit more time to prepare for this game than last year. That was a bit chaotic. We are in a good place, played some good cricket last week, hopefully we can continue it here and continue our pink-ball form.”
“It’s very inspiring. For a long while we are close friends… he really came and showed that he had that hunger and determination to score that century. As a batting unit we have a lot to learn from that.”