A comprehensive all-round performance helped Pakistan clinch the low-scoring encounter

Danyal Rasool02-May-2024

Pakistan secured their first win of the tour, beating West Indies by eight wickets after a comprehensive all-round performance. It came thanks to a clinical all-round performance after the visitors won the toss and batted first, with Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar taking three wickets each to skittle West Indies out for 84. There were no real jitters in the chase despite the manner of Pakistan’s defeat in the third T20I, and, spearheaded by Ayesha Zafar, they eased to victory with 21 balls to spare.A day after Pakistan named a near-unchanged squad for the upcoming tour of England, the players repaid that faith with what was by far the most impressive performance of the tour. Despite the series having slipped out of Pakistan’s reach, they began with a sharpness and urgency that belied how little was truly on the line.Qina Joseph was caught out of her crease off Iqbal and stumped first ball to set the tone. But it was the wicket of Hayley Matthews, West Indies’ talismanic captain and the outstanding performer of the series, that gave Pakistan true belief. After an uncharacteristic struggle, she was caught off Fatima Sana’s bowling after managing just a run in nine balls.Shemaine Campbelle was the only batter who scored runs and pushed the run rate up but was run out at an inopportune time after a 20-ball 26. The dismissal opened the floodgates as Pakistan took complete control thereafter, with four wickets falling for as many runs towards the death overs as West Indies stuttered along to 84 for 9.Pakistan had made hard work of an eminently gettable target late on in the third T20I, but there appeared no such danger today right from the outset. A breezy cameo from Sidra Ameen set the tone early, and when she and Muneeba Ali fell in quick succession, Zafar and Gull Feroza took complete control. Zafar in particular was in great touch finding the gaps and the occasional boundary to keep the score ticking over. Some sloppiness leaked into West Indies’ game as two relatively simple catches were put down off Matthews’ bowling, but in truth, the game was a foregone conclusion by then.Appropriately, the game ended with one of the shots of the day from Zafar, who lofted a half-volley over mid-on for an elegant boundary to make the win official.

Match details

Delhi Capitals (6th place) vs Lucknow Super Giants (7th place)
Delhi, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture: LSG, DC or neither?

Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are in a tough spot ahead of their game on Tuesday. DC need to win big, and then hope an improbable sequence of other results falls in their favour to have a shot at finishing in the top four. It’s unlikely to happen, and their last league game is a chance to finish a disappointing campaign on a high at home.LSG have a better chance than DC of making the playoffs, but the huge defeats in their previous two games have severely damaged their net run rate and their prospects. They need a win in Delhi, and another in Mumbai to get to 16 points, and then hope Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad don’t make it to 16 as well because both those teams have far superior net run rates. Fourteen points will not be enough for LSG.The challenge for LSG in Delhi is two fold. They are the second slowest batting side this season, scoring at 8.35 runs per over, so their batters will have to level up at the venue with the highest run rate (11.06) this season. LSG’s bowlers have also taken the fewest wickets in IPL 2024 – 57 in 12 innings, which is less than six per game on average – and they might have to do better than that to rein in Jake Fraser-Mcgurk and co.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals LWLWW
Lucknow Super Giants LLWLW

Previous meeting

Kuldeep Yadav took 3 for 20 in Lucknow, dismissing KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, as LSG were restricted to 167 for 7. The IPL then had its first sighting of Fraser-McGurk, who top-scored with 55 off 35 balls in DC’s six-wicket victory.Kuldeep Yadav bowled a match-winning spell in Lucknow earlier this season•BCCI

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
Rishabh Pant is available for selection after he was suspended for DC’s previous game against RCB for a third slow over-rate offence. He is likely to replace Kumar Kushagra in the XI. DC had started with three foreign players against RCB, with David Warner coming in as Impact Player for the chase. He is likely to start if they bat first against LSG.Probable XII: , 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abishek Porel, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Shai Hope, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Rasikh Salam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mukesh Kumar, 11 Ishant Sharma, Lucknow Super Giants
LSG didn’t use an Impact Player in their previous game against SRH because they managed to stop the collapse when batting first, before getting blown away in 9.4 overs in the chase. While chasing in the two matches before that, they brought in Arshin Kulkarni to open and subbed out Mayank Yadav and Yash Thakur respectively. Mohsin Khan is fit again after hitting his head on the turf against KKR and missing the next game against SRH and he could come in for Yudhvir SinghProbable XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), , 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Ashton Turner, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Mohsin Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq,

In the spotlight: Fraser-McGurk and Rahul

Jake Fraser-McGurk has 330 runs this season, 296 of which have come in boundaries. His boundary percentage of 89.7 is the highest among batters with at least 300 runs in any T20 series across the world. He’s hit 33 boundaries in his first ten balls across eight innings, giving him the highest first-ten-ball strike rate (228) among batters with at least seven innings in an IPL season. And with a cut-off of 75 runs each against fast bowlers and spinners, he’s the only batter to strike at 200-plus against both type of bowlers in any IPL season. Fraser-McGurk has made a sensational entrance in the IPL, and he will want to end the season in style too.KL Rahul could do with some of that McGurk magic. He’s LSG’s top-scorer this season with 460 runs but his average of 38.33 is his lowest in a full season since 2015, and his strike rate of 136 pales in comparison to the pyrotechnics from several other openers in IPL 2024. The lingering image of Rahul after the drubbing against SRH five days ago was the talking to he received from LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. Rahul led LSG to the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons, but will have to turn his form around to give them the best chance of finishing in the top four once again.

Stats that matter

• DC have beaten LSG only once in four matches so far, but that win was the most recent fixture earlier this season.
• Pant has a strike rate of 184 against the left-arm spin of Krunal Pandya (70 runs off 38 balls) with three dismissals in ten innings. His T20 record isn’t as good against the legspinner Ravi Bishnoi: 54 runs off 47 balls with two dismissals in six innings.
• Axar Patel could be an effective option against Rahul and Stoinis. Rahul has only 30 runs off 39 balls against Axar with two dismissals, while Stoinis’ record is worse: 22 off 38 balls with two dismissals as well. However, DC will want to keep Axar away from Pooran, who scores at a strike rate of 330.76 (43 off 13 balls) with no dismissals against him.

Pitch and conditions

In the four matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium so far, the team batting first has won after scoring 266 for 7, 224 for 4, 257 for 4 and 221 for 8, while the chasing team has responded with 199, 220 for 8, 247 for 9 and 201 for 8. It’s a high-scoring venue with short straight boundaries and shorter square boundaries. The forecast is for a warm evening with temperatures in the mid 30C range.

Quotes

“We would have liked to have been just a bit more consistent. But in saying that, we just need to deal with the fact of where we are now… If we, as a team, want to win the IPL, [we] probably need to win five in a row, which RCB have just done. So that’s proof that for us; it’s absolutely possible. But that’s just the big picture. We need to get over the line tomorrow before we can have any other aspirations.”

Yoane Wissa has rejoined Brentford's pre-season training amid strong transfer interest from Newcastle United. The Magpies have been linked with a move for Wissa, but the Bees had made it clear that they won't sell the forward for less than £40 million. Brentford have already sold Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United are thus reluctant to let another first-team star leave.

Wissa back in Brentford trainingNewcastle dealt another transfer blowMagpies remain interested in SeskoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Brentford shared photographs from a pre-season session, where Wissa can be seen training hard with his team-mates. At one point, the striker had threatened to go on a strike as he was desperate to leave the club in search of Champions League football.

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Newcastle, who are looking to strengthen their attack after returning to the Champions League this year, were strongly interested in signing Wissa, although Brentford made it clear that they were reluctant to part ways with another first-team star after Mbeumo's transfer to Manchester United. The Bees were eyeing a move for Celtic's Daizen Maeda as a possible replacement for Wissa. 

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With the 28-year-old attacker unlikely to leave Brentford, Newcastle are still pursuing a move for Benjamin Sesko, although they face stiff competition from Manchester United for the RB Leipzig striker. 

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Brentford will be next seen in action on August 8 as they host Borussia Monchengladbach in their final pre-season friendly before the new Premier League campaign.

Here’s how the KKR players and coaches reacted after their IPL title win

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-20241:25

Moody: Gambhir has created stability and clarity for KKR

Andre Russell: “No words to explain right now. It means so much with all the fans that have been supporting us throughout the season. We are the players who go game after game and make sure that we get the job done. And it’s the first time we’re actually celebrating our victory and I think it’s the right moment. I’m happy that all of us, we are very disciplined and want the same goal. This franchise has done so much for me, with the fitness and everything. This is a big gift from all of us to them, so I’m happy.”Russell to Star Sports: “It’s my first final for KKR and to get three wickets as well, it means a lot to me and all the bowlers did their job. We keep it as simple as possible. In the first couple of overs we realised the wicket was on the slower side and we used the cutters well, we didn’t overuse it as well. We kind of mixed up the pace. I was happy with a 113 chase any day . I just mentioned to him [Mitchell Starc]. I said, ‘hey, big man, you saved the best for last’. And I’m happy with that because he started on the rough side and I kept feeling that he’s still a world-class bowler, he doesn’t take a few bad games to decide the destiny and I’m happy that he bowled that jaffa to that guy [Abhishek Sharma] and then we’re on our way.Related

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Shreyas Iyer: 'We played like invincibles throughout the season'

Cummins after loss to KKR: 'Old mate Starcy turned it on again'

KKR's bowlers rip through SRH to win third IPL title

“GG [Gautam Gambhir] has not just been a mentor, he’s been a leader in every department for us, and I think that’s what was key to our success. He made sure that every batter and every bowler was playing their part and GG is just an amazing guy to be in any set-up. The support staff always gave us what we wanted, made sure that we were satisfied leaving the nets and everything played a big part leading up to this championship. GG coming back, winning the IPL, amazing support staff, you don’t need anything more than that.”Varun Chakravarthy: “All I can think of right now is the person who’s built this Indian core. Obviously the international players have been doing very well always, but the main guy behind this is Mr Abhishek Nayar.”Varun to Star Sports: “It’s a result of hard work. Credit goes to two main people, Dinesh Karthik and Abhishek Nayar. They are the guys who set the Indian core about five years back and that’s bearing fruits now. You can bowl at any other ground if you’ve bowled at Eden Gardens. It’s such a small ground, smaller than the TNPL grounds.”It went great bowling with Sunil Narine. We spoke a lot. We lost to Punjab Kings earlier in the season. Gautam then told us: ‘This is the loss that’s going to make us win the final’. And that’s what happened now. That Punjab match was the turning point for us. After we gave away 260-plus runs, Shah Rukh Khan [team owner] told me not to expect any magic ball. He said, ‘Just focus on your basics and that’ll bring you magic; don’t run behind the magic’.”Abhishek Nayar, assistant coach: “It means everything. It has taken a very long time. Personally, I started playing IPL in the first season. It’s taken me 16 years before I got my championship, but I’m really happy for the boys. It’s been five-six years. I can’t express how happy I am. Can’t express it, with the big man [Russell] turning up as usual, but it’s the most surreal feeling that I’ve had in a very long time.”1:20

How dominant were KKR this season?

Venkatesh Iyer: “As Varun mentioned, credit has to go to Abhishek Nayar. You know certain things go unnoticed. I’ll make sure that they don’t go because that guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he’s been working for this franchise. And this one is for the fans who turned up in huge numbers year after year, waiting for ten years. We have some superstars in our team still we did not win, but kudos to the fans who came in regularly to cheer and support us, this is for them.”Nitish Rana: “When Gautam Gambhir was signed as our mentor, I had congratulated him on WhatsApp. I wrote a long message to him and he thanked me, but he also said he’ll be the happiest when we’ll lift the trophy at the podium. Today is that day and I’ll remember that message forever.”Bharat Arun, bowling coach: “I think it’s been pretty tough last two years. It was touch and go, we didn’t qualify and there’s been a lot of introspection and we did find out what are the areas we really need to work on. We did exactly that. I think Mitch [Starc] coming into the team boosted the confidence of the other youngsters in the side. Mitch is probably one of the best bowlers in world cricket and he’s been in similar situations many times. I think it’s just about Mitch discovering what his strengths are and how the Indian conditions would suit him. Once he understood that, it’s magic all over.””They [Narine and Varun] have been outstanding. Not often you come across spinners who are experienced. Spinners mature with age and so Sunny [Narine] with his experience and also Varun has been in the IPL for four to five years – both bowling in tandem has worked exceptionally well for us. He [Narine] has brought a totally different dimension to our batting this year. I thought it was Gautam who insisted that Sunny opens and that was a move that really paid off. What Sunny did was outstanding.”

Long-serving South Africa Women head coach Hilton Moreeng’s tenure has ended after a period of 11 years and four months.Moreeng was originally appointed in the role in December 2012, and oversaw South Africa’s transition to professionalism in 2014 and their greatest successes in the decade since. He took them to two ODI World Cup semi-finals, two T20 World Cup semi-finals, and was in charge when they became the first national senior side to reach a World Cup final, at home in the 2023 T20 World Cup. He was South Africa’s first black African national coach.Dillon du Preez, Moreeng’s assistant since September 2020 and a former first-class cricketer, will take over from him in an interim capacity for South Africa’s tour of India in June-July with a permanent coach to be appointed after that.Moreeng’s departure came after a period of short-term extensions to his contract since 2020 – originally for three years until after the 2023 T20 World Cup, and then for periods of time in the months that followed.CSA have confirmed it was Moreeng’s decision to step away.”He opted not to continue. And the timing of it is not great, but we really respect and understand his position,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of cricket, said at a press conference on Friday. “He’s invested a lot, you know, obviously into women’s cricket. He’s taken this team from basically nothing to great heights. He’s reached a point where, and he was completely honest, he needs to allow the next person to take the team to the next level.”In his latest extension, Moreeng was contracted for the 2023-24 season, initially until the end of 2023, and then until the end of the summer, after his contract expired last year. He was also retained in 2020 when CSA first appointed a director of cricket – Graeme Smith – who undertook a major overhaul of the organisation’s coaching structures.Most recently, Moreeng remained in the job despite senior players expressing unhappiness with the length of his tenure. In August last year, six months after South Africa reached the final of the T20 World Cup, a group of players wrote to CSA to express their desire for change, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the process to replace Moreeng was delayed, and he was allowed to continue. As it turned out, CSA changed the captain and replaced Sune Luus, who led at the T20 World Cup and prior to that in Dane van Niekerk’s injury-enforced absence, with Laura Wolvaardt.A process was then put in place to recruit Moreeng’s replacement, who was expected to take over after the home series against Bangladesh last December, but that never happened. In early November, Nkwe told reporters that CSA “had interviews last week and we are still finalising a couple of things”. “As soon as we are done with the post-interview process, we will be able to make an announcement,” he said, and indicated the new support staff would be in place for South Africa’s January-February tour to Australia. He has since said CSA was not satisfied with those who put their hands up for the job. “We did advertise the position and unfortunately we couldn’t find the fitting candidates to take the team forward,” Nkwe said. “We went into the process of headhunting as well and unfortunately we couldn’t find anyone.”Moreeng then took South Africa to Australia, where they beat Australia for the first time in both a T20I and an ODI (though they lost both series) and was in charge for the home series against Sri Lanka. South Africa lost a T20I series to Sri Lanka for the first time and shared the ODI spoils, as Sri Lanka successfully completed the highest chase in women’s ODIs. It was after the Sri Lanka series that Moreeng decided his time was up, Nkwe said.CSA had initially hoped that Moreeng would continue until the 2025 World Cup, during which time they could plan a transition phase for his successor but “the process didn’t work out as planned”. Du Preez will now take the team to India and it is possible a new coach will be in place ahead of the T20 World Cup. Asked if the players are comfortable with du Preez, who has been in his role since September 2020, Nkwe suggested it may take some time for things to settle.”They’re still a little bit shocked because they didn’t expect [Moreeng’s departure] so soon; immediately at the end of the season. A lot of them are still processing what just transpired,” Nkwe said. “We’re going to be engaging with them later in the month, at a camp, to try and gauge, obviously, where they’re feeling and where everybody’s at. We also want to see how we can help Dillion to make sure that the team can pull in one direction, which I have no doubt he’ll be able to do.”Under Hilton Moreeng, South Africa Women became the first national senior side to reach a World Cup final•ICC via Getty Images

Asked if he would consider putting himself up for the job full-time, du Preez stayed on the fence, for now. “I see myself as someone who has to do this at this stage of my life. Whether or not I try to do it going forward, this will allow me to grow. I see it as a positive move, even if it is for a month or two,” he said. “I think I will want to [have the job permanently] but it’s too early to give you a 100% answer. But that’s where you want to be, at the highest level. I would really want to coach there. I enjoy it a lot. But let’s talk after India.”Du Preez also indicated he would not change too much to begin with, having been mentored by Moreeng. “He’s been here for 11 years in this space and to learn from him, meant a lot to me. Whatever you know about cricket, the moment you move into the women’s space, you actually find out that you might know nothing,” du Preez said. “It’s been an emotional week. Hilton has left big shoes for me to fill. What he has done for women’s cricket, it feels like no one is going to match. I couldn’t pick a better guy to learn from.”There is no suggestion that CSA will continue to look for a women’s director of cricket, and that Moreeng could be considered for that. Nkwe said the former coach needs “time” to “continue reflecting and to see what his journey is going to look like moving forward”. But, Nkwe said, CSA would be open to engaging Moreeng in the future. “From our point of view, we would like to retain him in whichever way, because you don’t just let go of such experience, especially in women’s cricket.”In parting, Moreeng offered thanks to everyone he met along the way. “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead such a talented group of athletes over the years,” Moreeng said in a statement. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to all the players and team management who have been instrumental in this journey. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside each of you. I would also like to thank the South African fans and the media for their unwavering support throughout this journey. Your encouragement has been a constant source of motivation. Last but certainly not least, I am deeply grateful to my family and friends who have stood by me through the highs and lows along the way. Your love and support have been my rock.”CSA has also appointed a new batting coach in Baakier Adams, previously with the Warriors provincial team, and Bongani Ndaba as fielding coach alongside a new physiotherapist Neline Hoffman-Kellerman.

Matthew Mott wants players to be “more vulnerable” after becoming “insular” during 50-over World Cup

Matt Roller23-May-2024Matthew Mott believes it is time his England team “get the mojo back” ahead of the T20 World Cup – and has hired Manchester City’s psychologist to help his players be more emotionally vulnerable if they come under pressure in the Caribbean.David Young, who was previously with England from 2016 to 2020, has worked with City during an unprecedented period of success, with the club recently becoming the first team to win four Premier League titles in a row. He has been brought back as a consultant on a short-term basis ahead of next month’s World Cup, with City’s approval.Jos Buttler was influential in the decision and has previously credited Young for helping him perform in the 2019 World Cup final. Young joined the England squad in Leeds ahead of their washed-out first T20I against Pakistan on Wednesday and will link up with them again in Cardiff on Monday, after helping City prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.”He’s previously been with the team and he’s already been a great ally in messages back to me, making sure my messages are clear,” Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said. “It’s always good to have someone who’s a little bit removed from the squad to make sure you’re landing your messages… He’s still doing other roles but we’ve got him for this series, and the start of the World Cup as well.”Related

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Leeds rain denies England, Pakistan valuable preparation

Hasan Ali released from Pakistan squad to play for Warwickshire

After 382 days on the sidelines, Archer set to return for England

Jos Buttler backs England to learn lessons from 50-over World Cup debacle

England’s management are trying to learn from the mistakes they made at last year’s 50-over World Cup, when they were knocked out at the group stage and won three of their nine games – two of which came after their elimination. Mott described the tournament as “death by a thousand cuts” and said: “When you’ve had the kick in the pants like we’ve had, you can’t just go ‘business as usual’. You have to redefine how you go as a team.”As a group, we’ve made a commitment to be a bit more open in and around our training sessions, to help each other out a bit more. In India, all of us were guilty of being a bit insular, and trying to problem-solve ourselves. We’ve made a commitment to open up and be a bit more vulnerable as a group so that we’re helping each other.”Mott has been watching the IPL from afar and said that England could learn from Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s winning streak to qualify for the play-offs. “The way they had nothing to lose and came out and played a different brand of cricket – could we have done that earlier? Maybe, yes. On reflection, we didn’t react as we should have after the start.”Eoin Morgan, Buttler’s predecessor as captain, was sharply critical of England’s performance in India and hinted there was “something else going on” in their dressing-room beyond collective underperformance. Mott – whose first series as coach was Morgan’s last as captain – said the pair have not spoken since, but that he respects Morgan and his opinion.”Family and friends got more upset about it than I did,” he said. “Initially, of course you take it a bit personally but he’s there to have an opinion… All I’ll say is that only the people within the dressing-room can fully understand what’s going on. Once you leave the dressing-room, you might hear titbits of stuff, but you don’t really know how the team’s operating.””It’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves”•Getty ImagesButtler suggested this week that he needs to give certain players more “clarity” than he did in India, and Mott said the squad would drive that change: “My style of coaching has always been more of a cooperative approach – keep asking questions on what does their game look like at its best, and if they’re veering away from that, to drag them back on track.”We feel like it’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves as a team. I think T20, as opposed to ODI, is so much clearer in the way the players can approach it. We’ve seen in the IPL, you have to go out and really take the game on from the start. Most teams are going to go that way, so it’s going to be an exciting World Cup.”England will confirm their World Cup squad to the ICC before Saturday’s second T20I at Edgbaston and will name the same 15 players that formed the provisional squad, despite both Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood carrying niggles. “Probably not for the next game at this stage, but definitely later in the series, they’ll be up for selection,” Mott said.Jofra Archer’s return was delayed by the rain on Wednesday and he is likely to play at least two of the remaining three T20Is. Mott said that England are “pretty confident” that they know their best XI for the Caribbean, and said he would be comfortable taking Tom Hartley to the World Cup even if he does not win his first T20I cap in this series: “He’s played a lot of high-quality cricket in the last 12 months.”

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is in line for a shock return to his boyhood club after emerging as a contender for the vacant U21s head coach position. The Gunners are currently seeking a successor to Mehmet Ali, who departed the club earlier this summer to take on a senior coaching role at Brentford under newly appointed head coach Keith Andrews.

Wilshere linked with Arsenal returnGunners seeking a replacement for Mehmet AliClub prioritising youth and academy growthFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wilshere, who previously worked within Arsenal’s youth setup as U18s head coach, left the Emirates to further his coaching career with Norwich City in the Championship. In April, he was named interim head coach after the departure of Johannes Hoff Thorup. However, his time at the helm ended in June when the club appointed Liam Manning as their permanent manager, and he then left the Canaries' coaching team. The 33-year-old is now contemplating his next move, with a potential Arsenal return on the table, as revealed by the

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While Wilshere is being strongly considered for the U21s job, no concrete decision has yet been made by Arsenal. The former Gunners midfielder did enjoy success in his previous role at the club, guiding the U18s to the 2023 FA Youth Cup final.

DID YOU KNOW?

Wilshere recently interviewed for the managerial position at Plymouth Argyle following Ian Foster’s exit. Though he was among the final candidates, the role ultimately went to former Manchester United and England midfielder Tom Cleverley.

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The Gunners have significantly ramped up their focus on youth development in recent seasons. This commitment has borne fruit, with talents such as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly breaking into the first-team setup.

Returning to the Emirates would mark a homecoming for Wilshere, who came through the club’s famed academy and went on to make over 150 appearances for the senior team.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are not finished in a record-breaking transfer window for Wrexham, with a "number of deals" being worked on.

• Records broken during elaborate spending spree
• Promise of more deals before summer deadline
• Welsh outfit preparing for life in the second tier

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  It has been another busy summer at SToK Racecourse, with the Red Dragons piecing together a squad that they hope will be competitive in the Championship. There have been several comings and goings, with club legend Paul Mullin among those to depart on loan.

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  The likes of Ryan Hardie, Danny Ward, Lewis O’Brien, Conor Coady and Kieffer Moore have passed through the arrivals lounge, with Wales internationals Lewis Koumas and Nathan Broadhead said to still be on Wrexham’s wanted list – along with Ajax midfielder Sivert Mannsverk.

• WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Quizzed on a record-shattering deal for Broadhead, which could be worth over £7 million ($9m), Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson told reporters: "I honestly don't know anything today, whether there's been any developments. He's Ipswich Town's player. Until I'm told different, that's the way it'll stay. There's a number of deals we're looking into at the moment."

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  With Hollywood co-owners helping to make more funds available, expectation is building again in North Wales. Parkinson added on the prospect of overseeing a fourth successive promotion and a step up into the Premier League: "The three in a row is history, people are inevitably going to mention that. But we don't get carried away with ourselves, we never have.

  "Other people on the outside may well talk about that but we're just focused on what we've got to do, remaining grounded as a group and knowing there's a lot of hard work ahead of us. But it's equally very exciting as well. There's an air of anticipation in and around the town and the club."

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Odair Hellmann comandou sua segunda atividade em Atibaia de olho na estreia do Santos no Campeonato Paulista, contra o Mirassol, no dia 14 de janeiro, às 18h30, e também no jogo-treino marcado para o próximo domingo, contra o EC São Bernardo, que será aberto para imprensa.

O meia-atacante Miguel Terceros, o Miguelito, segue em transição física com a fisioterapia. Já o lateral-esquerdo Felipe Jonatan e o volante Rodrigo Fernández ficaram novamente na academia. Ambos ainda não treinaram desde que retornam das férias e são dúvidas para estreia no Paulistão.

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Como costuma fazer nas atividades do Peixe, o treinador santista bateu um papo com todos os jogadores antes da bola rolar e deu orientações. Após isso, o elenco santista fez trabalho de força e, depois, treino de parte técnica. Por fim, o famoso rachão.

Um dos grandes momentos da atividade em Atibaia ficou por conta do atacante Rwan Seco: ele recebeu um cruzamento do colombiano Mendoza e acertou um lindo voleio.

A equipe santista volta aos treinos na manhã desta sexta-feira (6), às 9h30, no Hotel Bourbon Atibaia. Os comandados de Odair retornam para Baixada Santista na parte da tarde de domingo (8), após o jogo-treino.

عقد البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، جلسة مع لاعبي الأبيض قبل انطلاق مران اليوم الجمعة، والذي أُقيم على استاد الكلية الحربية.

ويواصل الزمالك استعداداته لمواجهة وادي دجلة، مساء الأحد المقبل، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتحدث فيريرا خلال الجلسة عن أهمية تحقيق الفوز في اللقاء المرتقب، لمواصلة صدارة جدول الترتيب، مشددًا على ضرورة تلافي الأخطاء التي وقع فيها الفريق خلال المباريات الماضية، ومطالبًا اللاعبين ببذل أقصى جهد والتركيز الكامل لتحقيق الأهداف المنشودة.

طالع | فيريرا عن إهدار الفرص: سعيد بلاعبي الزمالك وانظروا إلى باريس سان جيرمان

وشهد مران اليوم تركيزًا من الجهاز الفني على تخفيف الحمل البدني، خوفًا من تعرض اللاعبين للإرهاق، حيث قاد راؤول لوبيز مدرب الأحمال فقرة بدنية خفيفة، في ظل اقتراب موعد المباراة.

كما خصص المدير الفني عددًا من الفقرات الفنية والخططية، وحرص على توجيه اللاعبين بشكل مستمر، لتنفيذ التعليمات الفنية داخل الملعب، واختتم المران بتقسيمة قوية لتطبيق ما تم التدريب عليه خلال الحصة التدريبية.