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Haris Sohail, 28, has been called up to replace Umar Akmal in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad. The left-handed batsman last played for Pakistan in 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-20170:49

Quick facts – Haris Sohail last played ODIs for Pakistan in May 2015

Umar Akmal’s poor fitness has opened the door for Haris Sohail’s return to the Pakistan squad, in the Champions Trophy. The left-hand batsman last played for Pakistan in May 2015, scoring an unbeaten 52 in the side’s win over Zimbabwe in Lahore. He is expected to join the squad before Pakistan’s warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday.Sohail was among three batsmen, alongside Umar Amin and Asif Zakir, who were assessed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) following Umar’s failed fitness tests in England. Based on reports submitted by the NCA trainer, PCB’s selection committee, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, picked Sohail to join Pakistan’s squad for the tournament that begins on June 1.Sohail had picked up a knee injury while sprinting ahead of the second Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo in 2015. That forced Sohail to undergo an extensive rehabilitation program thereafter at NCA and had a surgery in Dubai which reportedly went unsuccessful pushing his career into doubts. The PCB took over his case and sent him to England for yet another rehabilitation program thus allowing him to make a comeback.”I worked really hard for my comeback after battling with the injury for long,” Sohail said. “I have kept myself prepared…as a sportsman my aim is to perform and when I got dropped earlier it because of my injury and not because of my performance. So I am sure selectors have taken that into account while shortlisting my name. So all the hard work i have done is paying off.”Pakistan squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Fahim Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan
In: Haris Sohail
Out: Umar Akmal

The selection marks a welcome return for Sohail, who had started his ODI career brightly. In just his fourth international innings, Sohail had scored an unbeaten 85 to steer Pakistan home in a tense finish against New Zealand in Dubai. His consistency was perhaps the most eye-catching feature about his batting; in 21 ODI innings, he failed to reach double figures on just four occasions, averaging 43 at a strike-rate of 82.86. However, a serious knee injury derailed his career, and there were even concerns that he might have to give up the game.For Sohail, the call-up after two years almost felt like he was receiving his “debut call-up”. He said: “When I got unfit, it was such a situation where I was in top form, runs were flowing, but falling unfit then was disappointing. I hope all my effort and struggle over the years pay off this time.”Sohail has been prolific in List A cricket recently, having scored two fifties and a century in his last five games. Sohail’s left-arm spin might have also helped his cause for selection at a time when Pakistan’s lack of a proper allrounder is conspicuous.

The opening weekend of the new Premier League season will see a London derby showdown between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Here is Football FanCast’s preview ahead of the action…

When is the match and is it on TV?

Kick-off in west London is slated for 2pm on Sunday the 13th of August.

The game will be part of the first Super Sunday doubleheader of the season, and will be the first of two live games shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League on the Sunday.

Who is Brentford’s key player?

Brentford’s key man is Ivan Toney, but the England international striker will be suspended until mid-January after breaching FA betting rules, leaving others to step up to the plate.

In his place, Cameroon forward Bryan Mbuemo is likely to step up to become Brentford’s main threat. Mbuemo finished the 22/23 season strongly, scoring twice against Spurs in the final weeks of the season.

Who is Spurs’ key player?

Despite speculation linking him with a move away, Spurs' record goalscorer and captain Harry Kane is undoubtedly the key man in Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Kane scored 30 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, scoring in 26 individual matches. He will surely be crucial to any success Spurs have on the pitch in the upcoming season – as long as they can hold onto him.

How will Brentford line up?

Brentford recently completed the permanent transfer of German youngster Kevin Schade in June for a fee around £22m. Schade should go straight into the lineup in Toney’s absence, along with new goalkeeper Mark Flekken who looks to replace the departing David Raya:

Flekken; Hickey, Zanka, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Janelt, Onyeka; Mbuemo, Schade

How will Spurs line up?

Spurs are chasing want-away Brentford keeper David Raya this summer, and it is likely they get the transfer done. If they get their man, he should make his debut against his former side on opening weekend. Spurs have also been linked with a double move for Leicester attackers James Maddison and Harvey Barnes who would also go straight into the starting XI:

Raya; Royal, Dier, Sanchez, Porro; Hojberg, Bissouma; Son, Maddison, Barnes; Kane

What were the last league meetings between the two teams?

Brentford and Spurs have only faced off four times in Premier League history following the Bees’ promotion in 2021. No team has managed to get an upper hand in this London rivalry so far:

December 2021 – Spurs 2-0 Brentford April 2022 – Brentford 0-0 Spurs December 2022 – Brentford 2-2 Spurs May 2023 – Spurs 1-3 Brentford

Every Premier League opening day fixture in full

Who is going to win?

It’s a difficult fixture to predict.

Brentford were a difficult test for the top 6 clubs last season, while Spurs will be looking to get off to a fast start under new manager Postecoglou. However, we’re going to back the men in white to get their season off to the perfect start.

FFC predicts: Spurs win.

The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2017The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction. The tenth IPL auction is set to take place in Bangalore on February 20.The Committee of Administrators was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations. The committee named three persons in particular – CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry – and also warned that any other IPL governing council member attending the auction should do so only after they have self-assessed to determine that they do not stand disqualified as per the Lodha recommendations.The release sent out by the BCCI said: “Mr. CK Khanna, Mr. Amitabh Choudhary, Mr. Anirudh Chaudhry and any other persons who claim to be ex-officio members of the IPL GC on account of being office bearers of the BCCI shall not be entitled to attend the IPL Player Auctions since the issue regarding validity of the undertakings filed by such persons pursuant to the order dated 2nd January 2017 is still pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”Amitabh Choudhry had earlier tried to attend an India selection meeting as joint secretary but the Supreme Court had ordered that the meeting be convened by the board CEO Rahul Johri.The committee said it didn’t have the details of all the IPL members so they were expected to assess for themselves if they were disqualified. “The Committee of Administrators does not have complete data to determine whether each of the members of the IPL GC other than the ex-officio members are disqualified or not,” the release said. “In view thereof, the said other members are requested to assess for themselves as to whether they are disqualified or not. Should they attend the IPL Player Auctions, the concerned members would be deemed to have undertaken and represented that they are not disqualified as aforesaid.”The IPL governing council has four members out of which Rajiv Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia and MP Pandove stand disqualified under the Lodha Committee norms. Only Sourav Ganguly can now attend the auction. The committee said it might nominate persons as substitutes if required.The release said: “In the event less than 2 of the members are available to attend the IPL Player Auctions on 20th February 2017, any role that may ordinarily have been performed by the IPL GC in relation to the IPL Player Auctions will be performed by such persons as the Committee of Administrators may separately designate for the purpose, if required.”

The batsman’s availability for the Nagico Super50 will depend on his meeting with the WICB, which has been pending

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2017

Darren Bravo has been omitted by the defending champions Trinidad & Tobago from their squad for the Nagico Super50 tournament starting on January 24. He was served notice by the WICB to meet with them following a breach of contract last November and the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board has said they would rule on Bravo only after he sat down with the WICB.”In furtherance to the team for the Super 50 do note that Darren Bravo’s availability is dependent on the outcome of his pending meeting with the WICB,” TTCB chief executive Suraj Ragoonath said.Bravo’s exclusion from the T&T squad has come after he made “disparaging” comments about board president Dave Cameron on Twitter last year. His match contract was cancelled and he was pulled out of the West Indies ODI team which had been in Zimbabwe at the time for a tri-series with the hosts and Sri Lanka.In November, Cameron told Sports Max TV, a Caribbean television network, that Bravo was offered a grade C contract (the lowest of five grades) because of his declining averages over the last two years. He also questioned how a player would be motivated if he continued getting a grade A contract despite a slip in performances.Bravo responded by tweeting: “You hav been failing 4 d last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51.”In December, the WICB invited Bravo for a meeting to determine the way ahead. However, sources close to Bravo at the time indicated he did not oblige and instead served a legal notice to the WICB for dropping him from the Zimbabwe tour. Neither the WICB nor Bravo have revealed anything on subsequent developments.T&T had won the title in 2015-16 with considerable help from Bravo, who was the top-scorer of the tournament with 274 runs in three matches, including a 97 in the final. His contributions offset the fact that big players like Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons were unavailable last season and remain so in 2016-17 as well.Squad: Denesh Ramdin, Kyle Hope, Evin Lewis, Kjorn Ottley, Jason Mohammed, Nicholas Alexis, Roshon Primus, Ravi Rampaul, Shannon Gabriel, Khary Pierre, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Imran Khan, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit.

Also: Vijay Shankar returns for Tamil Nadu, and Delhi coach KP Bhaskar urges Rishabh Pant to show match awareness

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2016

Karnataka squad unchanged for Assam clashKL Rahul will not feature for Karnataka in their fourth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Assam in Mumbai, starting on Thursday. Rahul, recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up during the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, is undergoing rehabilitation and is yet to go through a fitness test, according to the Karnataka State Cricket Association. With the first Test against England starting on November 9 in Rajkot, the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy was seen as an opportunity for all the members of the Test squad to regain match fitness, after a two-week break.Wriddhiman Saha will turn up for Bengal in their clash against Railways in Dharamsala. M Vijay, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, are all in the midst of a short NCA stint in preparation for the five-Test series against England.Vijay Shankar boost for Tamil NaduAllrounder Vijay Shankar is set to return to competitive cricket after an nine-month layoff. He passed a fitness test and will be available for selection in Tamil Nadu’s fourth match, against Madhya Pradesh in Cuttack. Vijay completed a two-month rehabilitation, following a surgery on his left knee, which he injured in July, before India A’s tour of Australia. He was subsequently withdrawn from both the limited-overs and four-day squads, and was replaced by Hardik Pandya.Delhi coach calls for Pant to temper his gameDelhi coach KP Bhaskar has called for more match awareness from Rishabh Pant, the season’s highest run-scorer so far. Pant, one of three triple centurions this season, made 24 and 9 in Delhi’s innings and 160-run loss to Karnataka last week. “You can’t play the same pattern in every pitch. Sometimes, there will be a pitch which is holding on, there’s a green top, so the shot selection becomes very important,” he said. “That’s the hallmark of a good player. You can’t just play in the same pattern and the same gear, you can’t do that. Sometimes, the situation demands where you need to be a little choosy. As I said, he is a stroke player, that’s the way he plays. Sometimes you connect, and law of averages had to catch up with him.”

Newcastle United supporters might be expecting prominent arrivals this summer, but manager Eddie Howe will be looking to ensure prodigious talents are secured to ensure the newfound success is not fugacious.

What's the latest on Azeem Abdulai to Newcastle?

One such rising starlet who could fit into this strategy is Swansea City's Azeem Abdulai, with the 20-year-old midfielder on the Magpies' radar, according to the Daily Mail, with Aston Villa also interested.

The Scotland U21 international is still within the academy ranks at Swansea, but is impressing with his exploits on the pitch and has been viewed as a perfect project for the aforementioned Premier League outfits, who could nurture him into the limelight.

While a transfer fee is presently unknown, Abdulai could be a shrewd acquisition for Newcastle and one that could prove worthwhile as the ace continues his progress over the next few years.

Who is Azeem Abdulai?

Something of a late bloomer, Abdulai is yet to make his Championship debut with Swansea and has only featured once this term, coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup against Oxford United.

Development in football is not linear, however, and Abdulai is earning plaudits for his robust presence on the pitch and tactical flexibility, capable both in a pivoting midfield role and as a more defensive cog, at the foot of the midfield or in central defence.

Signing a contract extension last year until 2025 is an indication that the Swans wish for him to continue his development in Wales – with the club's senior professional development phase coach, Jon Grey, saying: “Azeem has been a fantastic addition for us since he has come into the club.

“He came in as a defender but has played more in midfield and adapted to it really well. He has done well for us and had time with the first team and made his debut. That is fantastic, it’s just that next step for him now.”

The aforementioned report from the Daily Mail likens his qualities to that of Jude Bellingham, highlighting his 'stature, playing style and ability' is akin to the Borussia Dortmund phenom reportedly closing in on a move to Real Madrid this summer.

Bellingham is one win away from ending Bayern Munich's decade-long dominance in the German Bundesliga, with the Yellow Wall leading the table entering the final day of the campaign.

And the 19-year-old prodigy has unequivocally been a centrepiece to the feats, recording an average divisional Sofascore rating of 7.4, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, completing 83% of his passes, averaging 2.5 tackles and completing 67% of his attempted dribbles.

The all-encompassing gem is listed as a comparable player to Joelinton on FBref, who is thriving at the heart of Howe's Newcastle system, which will bode well for the Magpies when assessing the feasibility of signing Abdulai, who could be a deadly partner alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

Guimaraes signed for Newcastle for £40m in January 2022 and has since made 56 appearances for the Toon, hailed as "world-class" for his impact by teammate Dan Burn.

Abdulai has a long way to go, but by following the template Bellingham exhibits, he could grow into one of English football's more pleasing success stories on Tyneside with a transfer.

Glasgow Rangers will be aiming for nine points from their last three matches of the Scottish Premiership season in order to end the campaign on a high note.

Michael Beale’s side showed exactly what they can do if every member of the squad is pulling in the same direction during their Old Firm triumph at Ibrox last weekend, and an away trip to Easter Road to take on Hibernian this afternoon could allow the manager to experiment with the line-up slightly.

Beale will have to make a few decisions on his starting XI, and one of them should be unleashing Ianis Hagi from the first whistle, and having scored twice and grabbed an assist against Hibs in eight previous matches, he could cause havoc again.

Could Ianis Hagi start for Rangers against Hibs?

The £21k-per-week gem has not long returned to the squad following a year-long layoff due to an injury suffered in the Scottish Cup last year, and Beale has slowly reinstated him into the first team.

If Hagi can return to the form he displayed during the 2020/21 campaign, Beale will have a real star on his hands. Across 45 matches during that title-winning season, the Romanian scored eight goals and registered 15 assists – with 15 of these contributions coming in the league as the Gers strolled to success.

The Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie was full of praise for Hagi, lauding him as “impressive” while praising his ability to “split” teams open with his wide range of passing and creative talents.

Although perhaps not yet at his best since returning to the first-team fold, the 24-year-old has managed to succeed with 83% of his attempted dribbles and win 71% of his total duels across his six league appearances this term, and as his fitness improves, he will continue to get better and hopefully return to the form he showed pre-injury.

Should the manager be looking to take someone out of the firing line then the man Hagi replaced in the win over Celtic, Rabbi Matondo, could be a good bet.

He has shown flashes of brilliance this term, albeit in limited spells, and was dragged off with 20 minutes remaining of that Old Firm tie having made just five passes in the entire game, a damning indictment of his qualities.

Beale must unleash him today in order to allow him to showcase his talents, and he could well run Hibs' defence ragged.

Newcastle United are among the Premier League clubs to have sent scouts to watch OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in action, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

How big a prospect is Todibo?

The Frenchman is a bit of a rising star at Nice currently, proving to be one of their most important players and performing consistently well at centre-back. He made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, 34 of which have been starts, and he has averaged 2.3 tackles per game in Ligue 1.

Todibo was once at Barcelona, but struggled to make the grade there, and he has also enjoyed loan spells at the likes of Schalke, Benfica and Nice, prior to joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2021. At 23, he has increasingly matured in recent years and his reputation appears to be growing all the time.

While Newcastle have been superb defensively all season long, only conceding 29 times in 34 Premier League outings, they could still be looking for centre-back reinforcements in the summer transfer window. That's where Todibo comes into play, with the Magpies seemingly eyeing a move for him.

Are Newcastle interested in Todibo?

Taking to Twitter, Romano reported that Newcastle have sent representatives to watch the Nice defender in action, although they aren't alone in showing an interest in him:

"Understand Newcastle, Manchester Utd and Liverpool scouts were in attendance at Nice-Rennes game to monitor Jean Clair Todibo. French centre back could get top club move in the summer — with price tag understood to be around €45m."

Todibo certainly looks like a massive prospect – football talent scout Jacek Kulig has labelled him as the "complete package" and lauded his "superb build-up and defensive attributes" – and he could be a brilliant signing by Newcastle at the end of the season.

Sven Botman is clearly a huge player for the Magpies, but it could be argued that an upgrade on Fabian Schar as the Dutchman's regular centre-back partner could take them to another level. The Swiss is now 31 years of age, and if Eddie Howe's side are reach that next step in 2023/24 and beyond, he possibly needs to become a squad player moving forward.

In Todibo, Newcastle would be getting a top-quality young prospect with a high ceiling, and while he hasn't yet been capped for France, he has every chance of it on his current trajectory, having made one appearance for his country's Under-21 side, and five for the Under-20s.

Batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has left Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England after sustaining a lower-back strain, which restricted his movement

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jun-2016Batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has left Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England after sustaining a lower-back strain, which restricted his movement. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who was in England already with the A team, has joined the national squad as Thirimanne’s replacement. Thirimanne played all three Tests, but had not played in the ODIs – against Ireland or England – on the tour.Angelo Mathews and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal are nursing hamstring injuries, but have been named in the XI for the third ODI in Bristol. An SLC statement said seam-bowling allrounder Farveez Maharoof is also “sporting an injury to his left hand”, though he too continues to play.Dickwella had been in Sri Lanka’s Test squad, but did not play a game. He has played one ODI – in India in 2014 – four Tests and three T20 internationals.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، عن حكم مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة في نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني.

وحقق ريال مدريد فوزًا هاماً على نظيره أتلتيكو مدريد في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن نصف نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني على ملعب الأول بارك بخماسية مقابل ثلاثة أهداف.

وفاز برشلونة على نظيره أوساسونا بنتيجة 2/0، ضمن منافسات دور نصف النهائي من كأس السوبر الإسباني على ملعب “الأول بارك” في جامعة الملك سعود بالرياض.

وسيلاقي برشلونة غريمه التقليدي ريال مدريد في نهائي البطولة، يوم الأحد المقبل الموافق 14 يناير في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. آس توضح تطورات إصابة رافينها.. وموقفه من المشاركة أمام ريال مدريد في نهائي السوبر الإسباني

وأشارت صحيفة ماركا الإسبانية، إلى أن مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة في نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني ستكون تحت إشراف الحكم الدولي الإسباني، مارتينيز مونويرا.

جدير بالذكر أن، مونويرا، قد أدار 3 مباريات كلاسيكو سابقاً حيث فاز ريال مدريد في مواجهتين، وفاز برشلونة في مرة واحدة.