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Marsh certain to miss game after testing positive for Covid-19 while there is no official update on Agarwal’s toe injury

Himanshu Agrawal19-Apr-2022

Big pictureThe doughty virus has squeezed through the bio bubble, a player has been hospitalised as a precaution, and the match has been relocated across the expressway from Pune to Mumbai, but the good news is that the match will still be happening. Fingers crossed, for who can forget 2021?Watch IPL live on ESPN+ in USA

Watch Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

Both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have lost three and won two of their last five matches, and will want to weed out the inconsistency they’ve shown with the tournament nearing its halfway stage. Capitals are in further strife, and not just because their camp has been hit by Covid-19.There are as many as 19 names above Prithvi Shaw, their highest run-getter of the tournament; Anrich Nortje, one of their retained picks, first sat out injured, then returned, and got taken off the attack for sending down a pair of high full-tosses. An early drop of Dinesh Karthik by Rishabh Pant then went a long way in deciding Capitals’ fate against Royal Challengers Bangalore the last match.Related

Fantasy Pick: Go with Warner as captain and Livingstone as vice-captain

Delhi Capitals allrounder Mitchell Marsh tests positive for Covid-19

Covid-19: Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals to face off in Mumbai instead of Pune

If they can get their act together and manage two points against Kings, Capitals will climb two steps up to No. 6 on the points table. If not, they can only hope it is not too late.Meanwhile, Kings have alternated between Ws and Ls over their six matches so far. They have lost the toss and batted first in the last five of them, but, thanks to their mantra of all-out-attack, have still posted totals of 198, 189 and 180. This, after they had hunted down 206 to start the season.So the batting’s okay. But the bowling, apart from Rahul Chahar and Kagiso Rabada, has lacked wicket-taking menace. Arshdeep Singh has been superb at keeping the runs down at the death, but he only has two wickets across phases from 21 overs in six matches. And Odean Smith, on top of not scoring enough runs, is leaking them at 11.86 an over.Like Capitals, a win for Kings can help them up two places – and three if Royal Challengers lose big to Lucknow Super Giants – at just the right time.David Warner has been dismissed five times in 13 T20 innings by Kagiso Rabada•BCCI

In the newsWith Mitchell Marsh out of action for at least a week after testing Covid-positive, he is certain to miss Capitals’ fixture against Kings and also against Rajasthan Royals two days later. Meanwhile, Kings’ regular captain Mayank Agarwal missed their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to an injured toe. At the end of that game, Shikhar Dhawan said he was “much better now”, and hoped Agarwal would play “the next game”, although there has been no further updates.Likely XIsDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Sarfaraz Khan/Yash Dhull/Tim Seifert, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Khaleel AhmedPunjab Kings: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Odean Smith/ Benny Howell/Rishi Dhawan/Raj Bawa, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Arshdeep SinghStrategy punt Rabada, who has seven wickets this tournament, will be getting a chance to add to that tally when he takes the new ball against David Warner, whom he has dismissed five times in 13 innings across all T20s. But if Warner can see Rabada off, he will enjoy facing Chahar and Arshdeep, against whom he strikes at 179 and 148 respectively. While Kuldeep Yadav’s resurgence has been encouraging for Capitals, his orthodox spin-bowling colleague Axar Patel has just one wicket to show from 17 overs this season. However, if Agarwal is fit and he opens the batting with Dhawan, then there is a case for Axar to bowl in the powerplay despite his having bowled only three overs in that phase in 2022. This is because he has restricted Agarwal to just 36 runs from 43 balls, does about the same to Dhawan as well (14 off 14).Stats that matter Capitals have beaten Kings in four of their last five meetings. The only time Kings won was in Dubai in 2020, where Dhawan happened to be the Player of the Match for Capitals despite being on the losing side. There have been 103 sixes hit in just six matches in Pune so far, with 129 maximums in eight games at Brabourne. This means the Wednesday’s clash moves from the venue with the highest sixes-per-match ratio to the next one on the list. Three batters that feature in the four best opening partnerships in IPL history will be part of this match. That’s Dhawan and Warner, who have previously combined for a record 2220 runs, and also Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who have put on 1401.

Pakistan batting coach was full of praise for Starc and Cummins’ bowling, but believes the hosts can “fight and try and take it to the end”

Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2022They had been kept out in the heat for 189 overs. Twelve overs into the second innings, they still trailed by more than 530 runs. There were almost nine sessions left in the Test match, and Pakistan’s bowlers were knackered after two draining days in the field. There was, suffice to say, no rush.So when, in Mitchell Swepson’s first over of Test cricket, Imam-ul-Haq took on Pat Cummins by summoning Abdullah Shafique for a tight single, it was a slightly bewildering moment. Cummins hit the stumps, as Imam only just made his ground. Pakistan had only just escaped what would have been the most embarrassing way to lose an early wicket.Three balls later, Imam prodded one behind point, where Swepson stood poised. Babar Azam admitted before the Test they hadn’t seen much of him bowl, so there was little chance of them having a clue how good his arm was. They tried to scurry through once more, but the 28-year picked up and threw side-arm in one whirlwind motion to knock the stumps down, sending Abdullah Shafique on his way. It doesn’t require a conducive pitch to lose a wicket like that.Related

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Mitchell Starc's reverse-swing masterclass rips through Pakistan as Australia dominate

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Imam’s dismissal shortly after, too, had little to do with the surface. Using his feet to an uncharacteristically ineffectual Nathan Lyon, the left-hander never quite got to the pitch, only managing to shovel it to long-on. The bane of Australia’s existence in Rawalpindi was going to have the afternoon off in Karachi.Pakistan’s batting coach Mohammad Yousuf pointed to that passage of play as a key juncture. “They got momentum due to the run-outs,” Yousuf said. “They had experienced bowlers, and once they got momentum, they bowled in the right areas.”Imam scored runs in the last match by using his feet. He hit a six and a four here doing that too. It’s his strength. I feel batters score runs on their strength but can also be dismissed on it. People learn from these mistakes; it shouldn’t mean you abandon your strength.”

“The hard period was when the ball was reversing between 20 and 40 overs or so; they exploited that beautifully. Full credit to them for bowling and fielding so well.”Yousuf on where Pakistan lost the plot

It was an advice Mitchell Starc readily took to heart as the ball began to age. While conventional swing was unavailable, the ball began to offer reverse around the 20th over, and Starc, who had only bowled four overs with the new ball, was immediately brought back in.And as to why that happened became devastatingly clear to Pakistan in a match-defining 26th over. Starc’s intimidating pace and the angle from around the wicket to Azhar Ali harassed him into playing a wide delivery that was shaping away rather than in. But the piece de resistance was reserved for Fawad Alam’s first ball of the series, which had crashed into his pads before he had even appeared to get into position from his extravagantly side-on stance.Australia had seen their opening, and they rammed right through. Between the 26th and 33rd over, Pakistan lost four wickets in 41 balls as the relentlessly brilliant Cummins partnered up with Cameron Green to leave Pakistan reeling. It was a narrow window in which the ball suddenly seemed to come into life, and while Australia on day one saw off that tricky period, Pakistan found themselves blown away.”When such a big score is posted, the other side is under pressure,” Yousuf said. “The bowlers know they have runs on the board and can bowl with almost no pressure. Cummins and Starc bowled in fantastic areas. The hard period was when the ball was reversing between 20 and 40 overs or so; they exploited that beautifully. In that time, we lost five-six wickets.”Full credit to them for bowling and fielding so well. You’ll have seen often that when a side posts a big total on a pitch where there’s a chance of reverse swing or turn, the team batting second faces problems, no matter how good they are.”It’s very easy for me to tell them how to play from the outside, but when the bowling is so good and reverse swing is in play, we were taught to play only for inswing and not to take a big stride out. That’s my message to them, but it’s much easier said than done. It’s tough, because Starc and Cummins were magnificent. But you never know, sometimes a side can bat out two days. We’ll fight and try and take it to the end.”Yousuf understood frustrations around the batters’ failure to learn, both from Australia and past mistakes, offering up a tranquil defence as suited to his game as it is to his persona.”You always have to continue learning,” he smiled. “I try and learn something off my players, too.”On the evidence of today’s showing, Pakistan supporters would rather the learning went the other way, for quite a while yet.

It’s become impossible to ignore: Arsenal’s season is starting to fall apart.

Mikel Arteta’s side have dealt with a number of injuries, unnecessary suspensions and, at best, underwhelming performances on the pitch, which have left them nine points off Liverpool on top of the Premier League.

However, while things look grim for the North Londoners, there is still time to get their campaign back on track, especially if they make the most of the January transfer window.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest that they may well do that, as the latest star touted for a move to N5 is an imposing striker who could be the ideal Kai Havertz replacement and has even been compared to Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report by journalist Rudy Galetti, Arsenal are interested in Juventus’ star striker, Dušan Vlahović.

The respected reporter has revealed that the Serie A giants are “open to letting Dusan go,” and that the Gunners have been “monitoring” his situation and are “expected to meet his agent soon to gather fresh information.”

There is no mention of a potential price in the report, but Transfermarkt values him at €65m, which is about £55m, and with his contract expiring in 19 months, combined with the Old Lady’s willingness to let him go, that seems like a realistic price.

It would still represent a sizeable investment from Arsenal, but given Vlahovic’s ability in front of goal and the comparisons to Haaland and Mbpabbe, it could be one worth making, especially as he could be the dream replacement for Havertz.

Why Vlahović would be an ideal Havertz replacement

Okay, so before we get to the comparison between Vlahović and the man he’d have to displace from Arsenal’s starting lineup, let’s examine this comparison to arguably the best players in the world right now: Mbappé and Haaland.

The comparison stems from an interview with football agent Roberto De Fanti in January 2022, before the Serbian star moved to Turin.

In the interview, De Fanti described the then 22-year-old poacher as possessing “all the attributes to become a big star” and that, due to him being so young and yet so exciting at the time, he was “one of those guys on the list like Mbappé and Halland which all the European clubs will want to buy.”

Now, it would be fair to say that the Belgrad-born marksman has not quite hit the heights of those two just yet, but during his time with Fiorentina, when the comparison was made, it looked like he might, as he left La Viola with an incredible record of 49 goals and eight assists in 108 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.92 games.

With all that said, how does the 31-capped international stack up to the Gunners’ number 29? After all, it’ll be him he needs to surpass to get regular game time in North London.

Appearances

42

47

Goals

14

9

Assists

4

1

Goal + Assists per Match

0.42

0.21

Appearances

38

51

Goals

18

14

Assists

3

7

Goal + Assists per Match

0.55

0.41

Appearances

16

17

Goals

9

7

Assists

1

1

Goal + Assists per Match

0.62

0.47

Fortunately for him, he’s comfortably outperformed the former Chelsea ace over the last few years, as since the start of the 22/23 campaign, the 24-year-old has found the back of the net on 41 occasions and provided eight assists in 96 appearances, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.95 games.

In contrast, the Gunners’ Aachen-born poacher has scored 30 goals and provided nine assists in 115 appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.94 games.

Unfortunately for the German, not even his average of a goal involvement every 2.34 games for the Gunners is better than the man who may soon replace him.

Ultimately, while it won’t be cheap, adding Vlahovic’s goals to the team in January is a no-brainer, even if it impacts Havertz’s game time. Therefore, Arsenal should act on their interest as soon as possible.

Arsenal must finally sell £3m flop who was supposed to be the next Saka

The promising youngster couldn’t make it work since his big move to Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 19, 2024

وصلت بعثة منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، بقيادة المدير الفني حسام حسن، إلى المغرب، فجر اليوم الأربعاء، استعدادًا لخوض المواجهة المرتقبة أمام إثيوبيا، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس العالم 2026.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق تدريبات منتخب مصر، مساء اليوم، في تمام الحادية عشرة، في إطار الاستعدادات المكثفة لهذه المباراة المهمة، التي يسعى خلالها الفراعنة لمواصلة مشوارهم نحو حجز بطاقة التأهل للمونديال.

في حضور اتحاد الكرة.. لاعبو منتخب مصر الأولمبي يشكون تأخر مستحقاتهم لوزير الرياضة

ويترأس بعثة منتخب مصر في المغرب، حمادة الشربيني، عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة، ويرافقه خالد الدرندلي، نائب رئيس الاتحاد، في إطار دعم ومتابعة الفريق خلال هذه المرحلة الحاسمة من التصفيات.

وتضم قائمة المنتخب 24 لاعبًا، بينهم نجوم بارزون مثل محمد صلاح ومحمود حسن تريزيجيه وأحمد سيد زيزو ومصطفى محمد، إلى جانب مجموعة من العناصر الشابة التي يعوّل عليها حسام حسن في تنفيذ خطته وتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية أمام إثيوبيا.

ويأمل الجهاز الفني في استغلال معسكر المغرب لتجهيز اللاعبين فنيًا وبدنيًا، مع التركيز على دراسة نقاط القوة والضعف في منتخب إثيوبيا، خاصة أن المباراة تمثل محطة مهمة في مشوار تصفيات كأس العالم.

ويسعى منتخب مصر لتحقيق فوز جديد يعزز فرصه في التأهل إلى كأس العالم 2026، في ظل دعم جماهيري وإداري كبير للجيل الحالي من اللاعبين.

The Englishman and the former City academy graduate grabbed late goals to produce yet another remarkable European turnaround

A late winner from Jude Bellingham concluded a hectic game that also saw Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz find the net as Real Madrid came from behind twice to beat Manchester City 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie. The England midfielder found the net in the 93rd minute to complete an unlikely – but ever so predictable – comeback.

Los Blancos should have taken the lead inside 10 minutes when Mbappe found Ferland Mendy in front of goal, but the left-back squandered his shot from close range. He was made to pay soon after, too, as Erling Haaland swept a Josko Gvardiol lay-off into the far corner to give City a 1-0 lead. Mbappe had a good chance of his own on the stroke of half-time, but swept his shot over the bar despite being in acres of space in the box.

Bellingham had a good chance early in the second half, heading wide after some individual inspiration from Vinicius Jr, before Mbappe found the equaliser, as he scuffed a volley into the far corner from a Dani Ceballos cross. Bellingham should have made it 2-1 soon after, only to be denied by a save from Ederson.

They were made to pay after 80 minutes, when Ceballos clipped Phil Foden in the box, and Haaland made no mistake from the penalty spot. There was another twist, though, as Brahim steered home a late equaliser after an Ederson blunder before Bellingham latched onto Vinicius' weak effort to score the winner in stoppage time.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Etihad…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Thibaut Courtois (6/10):

  Made a few good saves. Couldn't do anything about either goal.

  Federico Valverde (7/10):

  Put in a shift defensively and was active going forward, too.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):

  Turned in a rather mixed performance at the back. Nowhere for City's opener.

  Raul Asencio (6/10):

  Covered space well at times, but doesn't have the best relationship with Mendy in the channel.

  Ferland Mendy (7/10):

  Squandered a good chance early on, but handled himself well defensively.

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• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Dani Ceballos (5/10):

  Assisted Mbappe's equaliser, but then gave away a penalty with a silly challenge.

  Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

  Full of energy and industry in midfield in his return from injury. Class.

  Jude Bellingham (8/10):

  Defensive work rate couldn't be faulted, and he was good on the ball at times. Didn't offer much at all going forward. That is, until he buried the late winner.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Rodrygo (5/10):

  Lost his composure in the final third at times, and didn't create much. A really poor showing after an excellent run of form.

  Vinicius Jr (7/10):

  Really mixed. Nowhere in the first half but immense in the second. Technically assisted the winner.

  Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

  Got an earful off his manager repeatedly for not tracking back. Bagged the equaliser – even if he entirely mishit his volley. Involved in the other two, too.

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• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Luka Modric (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Brahim Diaz (7/10):

  Came off the bench to grab an equaliser – somehow.

  Fran Garcia (N/A):

  Late legs and not much else.

  Carlo Ancelotti (8/10):

  Injury ravaged at the back, which had knock-on effects everywhere. Madrid were woeful at times, excellent at others, and deadly when it mattered. The Champions League voodoo lives on…

Jamie Carragher says it was "bizarre and ridiculous" of Ruben Amorim to label this Manchester United team the "worst" in the club's history.

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Amorim gave damning assessment of Man UtdCarragher labels comments 'ridiculous' Says they may damage mood in dressing room Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The coach made headlines after he gave a scathing assessment of his squad following their 3-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday. United have won six of the 15 games they have played since Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in November and they currently sit 13th in the Premier League table.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

While Carragher said United have been "a joke" for some time, the former Liverpool defender was baffled by Amorim's comments and argued they were unnecessary and may have a negative impact on a squad already low in confidence.

WHAT CARRAGHER SAID

Carragher said on : "I don't know Man Utd's history as well as Gary Neville but I must say it was one of the most bizarre and ridiculous things I've ever heard a manager say. Why you would make a comment like that… that's the type of comment a pundit would make, someone in my position, and you'd have to defend that. I don't know what he gains from that, what the benefit is. We all know it's a poor Man Utd team. They'd lost another game at home to Brighton, they'd done that in the last couple of years anyway. We know it's a tough season, we know it's a poor team. He has just loosened it up. That will be a quote that follows him for the rest of the season. He said to the journalists there: 'I'll give you your headline'. Why you would like to do that as a manager, I'll never know."

He added: "It doesn't help you confidence-wise going forwards. I've not got much sympathy for the players in the Man Utd dressing room, they've been a joke for a few years now. A few weeks ago, after they played Liverpool, where Lisandro Martinez was talking about the mentality that was different – I nearly couldn't stop laughing when I saw that. The amount of times Man Utd have thrown the towel in with bad performances over the last four or five years. What I would say is how can the manager go into the dressing room between now and the end of the season and continually try to build them up and give them belief to beat the opposition, whoever they come up against, when he has said they're one of the worst teams in Man Utd history? At no point can I see what he'll gain from that."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

United were unbeaten in three matches before losing to Brighton and Amorim will hope his players can shake off his criticism to bounce back with a win against Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday.

Celtic’s defensively perfect start to the Scottish Premiership season came to an end as they finally conceded a goal in their 2-1 win over Ross County.

Ronan Vale got two opportunities to beat Kasper Schmeichel from the penalty spot in the first half, after the Danish titan saved the first effort whilst a yard off his line, and found the bottom corner with his second.

The Hoops rallied in the second half, though, as Alistair Johnston deflected in Callum McGregor’s shot before setting up Nicolas Kuhn for the winner.

It was a mixed afternoon for central defender Liam Scales, who is next to a new centre-back partner in Auston Trusty, against Ross County on Sunday.

Liam Scales' performance in numbers

The Ireland international will be disappointed with himself for his involvement in the penalty for the home side. He left his arm outstretched when trying to block the cross and gave the referee, via VAR, a decision to make.

That left the Bhoys 1-0 down in the first-half but Scales did do a lot of fantastic defensive work to make up for his major error for the opening goal.

The left-footed titan won 11 of his 15 aerial battles and four of his four duels on the ground throughout the 90 minutes, which shows that he was largely dominant defensively and did not allow the County attackers to get the better of him very often.

Scales, who completed 87% of his attempted passes, was not the worst performer on the pitch for Celtic, despite his error for the penalty, though, as Arne Engels endured a frustrating game.

Arne Engels' struggles against Ross County

The Belgian midfielder had registered one goal and three assists in his last four games for the club heading into this clash with Ross County, but failed to build on his superb form.

Engels, who joined from Augsburg in the summer transfer window, did create three chances but none of them were deemed to be ‘big chances’ and he failed with four of his six cross attempts, and all three of his long pass attempts.

Chris Sutton described his play in possession as “careless” during Sky Sports’ live coverage of the game, which is backed up by his pass completion rate of 81% and the fact that he lost possession 14 times.

The 21-year-old dud was withdrawn from the game in the 61st minute, with Celtic 1-0 down, and the Hoops went on to score twice and win the match after his exit from the field.

Engels, who made one tackle and failed to make a clearance, block, or interception, did not do enough to convince Brendan Rodgers that he deserved to remain on the pitch and it turned out to be a great decision by the Northern Irish head coach.

Therefore, the former Bundesliga starlet was even worse than Scales, who played the full 90 minutes and made numerous important defensive interventions, and may now be at risk of losing his place when Celtic come back after the international break.

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Maiden international hundred sets up record run-chase and England 3-0 clean sweep

Valkerie Baynes13-Jul-2021James Vince’s maiden international century led England to a stunning victory and a 3-0 series sweep in their final ODI against Pakistan at Edgbaston.Vince’s 102 off 95 balls came in a 129-run stand for the sixth wicket with the impressive Lewis Gregory, who scored 77 in just his third one-day international as the hosts pulled off the highest successful ODI run-chase at Edgbaston.It came after Babar Azam’s career-best 158 lifted Pakistan to 331 for 9. Azam shared a third-wicket partnership worth 179 with Mohammad Rizwan, whose 74 off 58 balls was pivotal in pushing Pakistan’s total into territory which had previously evaded them on this tour. Imam-ul-Haq also contributed a valuable 56 and put on 92 runs for the second wicket with Azam.Brydon Carse, like Gregory, playing his third ODI after being called into England’s new-look side following a spate of positive Covid tests in the original squad, claimed five wickets, including that of Azam late in the innings.Carse was there at the end too, striking the winning runs – a four off Shaheen Shah Afridi – as he and Craig Overton held the England innings together after the loss of Vince and Gregory.On the eve of England’s second anniversary as World Cup champions, it was a very different side which produced this fairy tale ending.After disappointing returns from the three matches he played in England’s World Cup campaign, Vince’s innings saved his side after Phil Salt, Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes made starts but failed to press on.Exquisite on the drive square of the wicket, his advance to Hasan Ali before crunching him through the covers summed up Vince’s poise. He duly reached his hundred via a blistering four off Ali through the leg side, brandishing his bat and letting out an almighty roar as he watched the ball race to the boundary.Babar Azam swings into a pull during his masterful innings of 158•PA Images via Getty ImagesGregory, who starred with bat and ball in the previous match at Lord’s, backed up his innings of 40 there with another accomplished knock of 77 from 69 balls, including six fours and three sixes.England needed only 62 from the last 10 overs and, so long as he and Vince remained at the crease, they looked in prime position. But when Haris Rauf accounted for both – Vince holing out to mid-off and Gregory skying to silly point, where Shadab Khan took an excellent catch running from the covers – the requirement was 38 off 43.Rauf claimed career-best figures of 4 for 65 but Pakistan were left to rue a rash of costly fielding errors long before Overton and Carse arrived to see England home.England’s pursuit began brightly, thanks to Salt, who clubbed Afridi for four boundaries in five balls during the opening over of England’s innings.Ali had Dawid Malan caught behind by Rizwan for a duck with his second legitimate delivery, having sent down three wides to begin, and while replays raised doubt over whether Malan had laid bat on ball, the batter had already walked.Salt continued in enterprising fashion to reach 37 off just 22 balls, but when Pakistan introduced Rauf in the seventh over, Salt fell to his first ball, clipping off the pads to Fakhar Zaman at midwicket.Related

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Lewis Gregory digs deep with bat and ball as second-string England seal first-class series win

Stats: Babar Azam fastest to 14 ODI tons, hammers career-best 158

Rauf then flattened Crawley’s off stump to bring Stokes to the middle, but England’s stand-in skipper couldn’t stick around for long, despite being handed two extra lives on a platter.Pakistan had been sloppy in the field but when Stokes hit Khan straight to Ali at fine leg, the ball inexplicably slid straight through the fielder’s hands. Khan was the bowler again when Stokes picked out long-on where Shoaib Maqsood got a hand to the ball stretching to his right but failed to cling on as it dribbled away for four.Having seen his long hop mowed over the fence at cow corner, Shadab finally removed Stokes, who attempted a slog-sweep but succeeded only in sending a narrow edge to Rizwan, who ended up having to be replaced by Sarfaraz Ahmed after being struck on the inside of his knee by a ball thrown in from the outfield.Earlier, Pakistan had made an understandably watchful start, given their collapses in Cardiff and Lord’s where they were all out for 141 and 195 respectively.They lost Zaman for just 6, his attempted punch through the off side off Saqib Mahmood stymied by the awkward bounce and finding Crawley at slip. The team fifty took 13.4 overs and after 17 they were 59 for 1.Coming with scores of 0 and 19 from the first two matches, Azam took 15 balls to get off the mark amid consecutive maidens from Player of the Series Mahmood. He crept to 15 off 38 but then he started to find the boundary more regularly.Imam also entered the match in need of runs and, after 11 overs, 24 of his 26 runs had come through boundaries. He passed 2000 ODI runs in the course of his innings.Azam unfurled a beautiful extra cover drive off Carse to bring up their fifty partnership and he punished Gregory’s off-cutter over cow corner before smashing Matt Parkinson over long-off.It was Parkinson who broke their union with a ripper that turned sharply from well outside off and clattered into middle stump.With Pakistan 113 for 2, Rizwan arrived in typically attacking mood and he reached his half-century in 42 balls.Azam, meanwhile, reached his 14th ODI century with a crisp cut to the boundary off Mahmood. He was dropped on 126 when he struck a Parkinson full toss with gusto to midwicket, where Carse was unable to hold what would have been a wonderful catch, and Azam went on to score 13 off the over.Carse had Rizwan out edging an attempted pull to keeper John Simpson and then removed Maqsood and Ali cheaply. Mahmood took two wickets in as many balls when he bowled Faheem Ashraf and had Khan caught behind.Azam finally fell top-edging Carse to Malan at cover with four balls left in the innings and Carse had Afridi caught by Vince two balls later to claim his fifth wicket.

Bayern Munich are desperate to try and tie down star man Jamal Musiala to a new contract amid interest from Liverpool, according to reports, with Arne Slot’s side ready to rival Manchester City for the forward’s signature.

Slot's strong start at Anfield

Though bizzarely overlooked for the Premier League’s manager of the month award, it was a perfect August for Arne Slot in his new role as Liverpool boss. He oversaw three wins from three, scoring seven goals without reply in the process as his side blew away Manchester United after wins against Brentford and newly promoted Ipswich Town.

One of just two sides (the other being Manchester City) to have taken maximum points from the first three games, the Dutchman appears to have rejuvenated a stale-looking Liverpool side even without much summer business, and is finding a way to get the best out of the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the former of whom struggled under Jürgen Klopp in his final season.

Though there will undoubtedly be bumps in the road across the course of the season, but it has been a sensational start from the former Feyenoord coach.

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But the prospect of personnel problems continues to loom amid the contracts of key trio Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk all coming to an end in 2025, something that Slot has done his best to avoid being dragged into.

“It’s again the boring answer you are going to get from me as long as there is no news. We don’t talk about contract situations here”, Slot explained. “Is it a distraction? No, it isn’t because I’m fully focused on the individuals and the team.

“They are part of the team and I’m trying to work with them in the best possible way to get the best out of them. It’s not a distraction for me at all.”

But should any of their stars leave, Liverpool may feel the need to make a marquee signing to replace them, leaving Bayern Munich on red alert.

Bayern keen to tie down Musiala amid Premier League interest

That comes as Caught Offside report that Liverpool are showing “increasing interest” in Bayern Munich talent Jamal Musiala, who is down to the final two years of his contract in Bavaria. The Germany international has emerged as a world-class talent at the Allianz Arena, and Bayern are “confident” of keeping him at the club under fresh terms before his current deal comes to an end, but as of yet have made little progress.

Should they fail to do so there will be no shortage of interest in his services, and the report claims that both Manchester City and Liverpool are among his suitors.

His massive talent comes with a similarly massive fee, with Bayern ready to demand a record £150m for his services should they become resigned to his exit, though both Liverpool and City have shown previously that money is no problem should the right player become available, and neither side spent heavily in the 2024 summer window.

Jamal Musiala at Bayern Munich

Appearances

166

Goals

44

Assists

31

Yellow Cards

8

Minutes per goal/assist

125

European giants PSG and Real Madrid would also likely be interested, but with the star-studded line up already at the Santiago Bernabeu and Jude Bellingham in Musiala’s role, a move to the Spanish capital may be difficult.

While at present it seems likely that Musiala remains at the Allianz Arena, Liverpool are positioning themselves towards the head of the queue should he change his mind.

After missing out on Eddie Nketiah, Nottingham Forest are now reportedly willing to table an offer worth as much as £17m to sign an alternative who scored 17 goals last season.

Nottingham Forest transfer news

Nketiah would have rounded off a solid summer for all involved at the City Ground, who have welcomed the likes of Ramon Sosa, Elliot Anderson and Alex Moreno in recent months. Moreno, the latest to join, adds plenty of experience and arrives from Midlands rivals Aston Villa in quite the summer move.

Forest's Chief Football Officer Ross Wilson welcomed the Spaniard to the club, telling the official website: "Álex is a player we have had a long-standing interest in so we are naturally all very happy to see him arrive at Nottingham Forest today. He has amassed significant experience in La Liga and the Premier League, and he brings all of that quality and experience to our group now.”

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Following Moreno, those in the Midlands turned their attention to Nketiah, even agreeing a deal worth £30m with Arsenal only to see talks break down on the forward's side, who has since closed in on a move to Crystal Palace.

Now searching for alternatives, Forest have looked towards the Bundesliga. According to BILD via Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are willing to offer €20m (£17m) to sign Omar Marmoush, who wants to complete a Premier League switch this summer. Eintracht Frankfurt, however, reportedly want as much as €30m (£25m) to part ways with their star forward.

With just a day left to complete what seems a complicated deal, only time will tell whether Forest land the attacking addition that they've been craving in recent weeks.

"Diligent" Marmoush would replace Wood

As much as Chris Wood's goalscoring expertise is something that Forest have benefitted from, they should turn to alternative options now that the forward is 32 years old and almost ready to pass on the responsibility. That alternative should be Marmoush too, who has become quite the star in the Bundesliga with Frankfurt, enjoying an excellent campaign last time out.

League stats 23/23 (via FBref)

Omar Marmoush

Chris Wood

Goals

12

14

Assists

6

1

Expected Goals

11.6

11.9

Key Passes

40

22

Whilst Wood's finishing ability is something that should not be looked past, his all round play is fairly limited compared to the more creative Marmoush, who still managed to maintain solid goalscoring numbers last time out.

The Egyptian – still just 25 years old – would bring the likes of Hudson-Odoi and Elanga into play far better than Wood manages, with last season's six assists highlighting that ability.

Frankfurt will only sell for the right price, however, after watching on as their forward earned high praise throughout his time in Germany, including from current head coach Dino Toppmöller.

Toppmöller said via the Bundesliga's official website: "He works extremely hard and is hard to defend against. His pace makes him an akward opponent for defenders when he runs in behind them. I like that he is very diligent and always listens. His goals are a reward for his effort."