Unbroken stand of 134 secures eight-wicket win as Kent rearguard goes in vain

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2024

Matt Renshaw hit an unbeaten 82 as Somerset moved into second place in Vitality County Championship Division One with an eight-wicket victory over Kent at Taunton.The visitors battled their way to 564 all out in their second innings from an overnight 409 for 5, Joe Denly leading the fight with 67 off 129 balls before being last man out. Grant Stewart hit six fours in contributing 37, while Josh Davey recovered from illness to take 2 for 40.That left Somerset to make 189 for victory in a minimum of 54 overs. The outcome was never in doubt as opener Renshaw cracked six fours in a 122-ball innings and Andy Umeed made 73 not out to help their side take a maximum 24 points. Kent had to be content with two.The home bowling attack anticipated a tough day under clear skies on a flat pitch. It might have been shorter had Craig Overton not spilled a chance offered to second slip by Harry Finch in the opening over, completed from the previous evening by Migael Pretorius.Finch went on to make 20 and helped Denly take the total to 455 before Davey, who had not bowled on day two because of a sickness bug, took up the attack from the River End and had the wicketkeeper caught behind edging a defensive shot.Having switched ends, Davey struck again with the score on 480, pinning Joey Evison lbw for 17 and leaving Kent 104 ahead with three wickets remaining. Denly batted throughout the morning session with few mishaps, but lost another partner on the stroke of lunch when Beyers Swanepoel edged to Overton at second slip off Pretorius.If Somerset thought the job was almost done, Denly and Stewart proved them wrong with a stand of 59 at the start of the afternoon session, Stewart opting to counterattack and taking three fours off a Davey over.The patient Denly went to a trademark fifty off 110 balls with a nick through the slips for four. It was one of few false shots amid stubborn resistance and Somerset were struggling for another breakthrough when skipper Lewis Gregory took responsibility for wrapping things up.Joe Denly battled his way a half-century•Getty Images

Stewart had faced only 41 balls when playing one big shot too many and getting an inside edge onto his middle stump, having helped Kent extend their lead to 177. With only last man George Garrett left at the other end, Denly was forced to open up and gave wicketkeeper James Rew his sixth catch of the game when advancing down the pitch to a short ball from Gregory.With Garrett still missing from their attack because of a groin injury sustained while bowling in the first innings, Kent faced a huge task to make inroads into Somerset’s top order. But they struck with the score on 24 when Sean Dickson, on 6, chased a wide leg-side delivery from Swanepoel and glanced a catch to wicketkeeper Finch.Tom Lammonby has been in great form this season and moved briskly to 30 off 24 balls before his brimming confidence led to an error, skying offspinner Marcus O’Riordan to deep mid-off where Zak Crawley took a comfortable catch.Tea was taken immediately with Somerset 60 for 2 and Renshaw unbeaten on 24. A further 129 runs were needed with a minimum of 40.2 overs left in the day and, with their Australian left-hander at the crease, the hosts had good cause for optimism.Umeed has settled consistently into the No. 4 batting role in recent games and again looked in good touch as the third-wicket pair blossomed in the final session, Renshaw bringing up the hundred with a square cut for two off O’Riordan.With the sun still shining brightly over the Cooper Associates County Ground, Renshaw’s fourth boundary took him to a 76-ball half-century, his third of the season. Umeed progressed carefully to his second Championship fifty for Somerset and went on to pass his previous best score for the county of 60 before ending the match with a six and extending the unbroken stand to 134.Kent had given their all after a poor first innings batting effort, but could not prevent unbeaten Somerset building on an impressive start to the summer.

بدأ الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر المشارك في كأس العرب، بقيادة حلمي طولان، وضع الخطوط العريضة لمعسكر الفريق المقرر إقامته خلال فترة الأجندة الدولية من 1 إلى 9 سبتمبر المقبل.

ويتضمن برنامج الإعداد لمنتخب مصر، خوض مباراتين وديتين أمام المنتخب التونسي يومي 6 و9 سبتمبر على استاد هيئة قناة السويس.

وعقد حلمي طولان وجهازه المعاون اجتماعًا موسعًا لبحث كافة الترتيبات الفنية والطبية والإدارية، بحضور أحمد حسن مدير الفريق، والدكتور ممدوح المحمدي، والمدرب محمد نور، إلى جانب عصام الحضري مدرب حراس المرمى، وأيمن حافظ المدير الإداري.

طالع أيضًا | خاص | مفاجأة.. لاعب الزمالك يدخل حسابات منتخب مصر لمعسكر سبتمبر رعم الانتقادات

كما ناقش الجهاز الفني نتائج متابعته لمباريات الدوري الممتاز، تمهيدًا لاختيار قائمة اللاعبين الذين سينضمون للمعسكر عقب إعلان منتخب مصر قائمته لمواجهتي إثيوبيا وبوركينا فاسو في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وأكد حلمي طولان أن المعسكر يمثل محطة مهمة للغاية قبل خوض منافسات بطولة كأس العرب المقررة في الدوحة أول ديسمبر المقبل، مشددًا على أن الجهاز الفني سيبذل أقصى ما لديه من جهد لإعداد الفريق بصورة تليق باسم الكرة المصرية.

Antony has reiterated his stance that he will join no other club than Real Betis, and is set to reject Benfica's offer to join from Manchester United.

• Many clubs have enquired about Antony
• He only wants to join Real Betis
• Brazilian to reject latest offer from Portugal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United are having a hard time offloading Antony, who has made it very clear to his camp and the club's that he want to move to Betis and nowhere else. Benfica have enquired about the winger but are set to face rejection from the 25-year-old, according to . United have received many offers this summer for Antony, ranging from Premier League clubs to those in Saudi Arabia, but the player has rejected them all.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Betis are confident that the winger will not be moving anywhere else and were thus able to take a back seat all summer, which kept their finances intact and their strategy in place. With the transfer window nearing closure, the Spanish club are hopeful that they will be able to strike a loan deal again for the Brazilian, as the Red Devils will have no better option than to send him back on loan to Spain. The Spanish club are so confident of getting the deal done on their terms that they have reserved a non-EU registration spot for Antony.

• TELL ME MORE

  United reportedly want €40-50 million (£35m-£43m/$46m-$58m) to offload Antony, but no club is currently willing to match that asking price. Plus, Antony's wages are so high that clubs are hesitant to bring him on board. Even Betis would not be able to match his salary, and this is an issue that Antony will have to resolve himself if he desires to play for Betis. Betis owners, for their part, have made it very clear that no player is bigger than the club's financial stability and their sustainable project.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY?

  Many meetings have taken place between Antony and United's representatives. Reportedly, the groundwork has been laid, but the player's camp still needs to convince United to agree to Antony's terms and accept Betis' deal. Meanwhile, Betis are also scouting options should a deal for Antony fall through.

Nicolas Jackson has been offered to clubs in the Premier League and Serie A by Chelsea but there are no takers so far.

Jackson tipped to leave Chelsea this summerClub have signed Joao Pedro and Liam DelapStriker offered to three clubsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jackson's days at Stamford Bridge could be numbered following the arrival this summer of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. The Blues have offered the Senegal international to Newcastle, Manchester United and AC Milan but are yet to strike a deal, according to talkSPORT. The Blues are also said to have slashed an initial asking price of £100 million ($135m) to £80m ($106m) for Jackson.

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Newcastle and Manchester United appear to have prioritised a move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, rather than Jackson, and are believed to be battling for his signature. The Red Devils have also been linked with Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the start of the new Premier League season. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Jackson has scored 30 goals in 81 appearances since joining Chelsea from Villarreal in 2023 and was first choice last season. However, costly red cards against Newcastle in the Premier League and Flamengo at the Club World Cup may have helped end his career at the club.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON?

Chelsea have friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan lined up before their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace. Manager Enzo Maresca's team selections for those friendlies may well offer clues as to whether Jackson has any future still at Stamford Bridge.

Sangakkara also said RR have to be a “lot more clinical” in run-chases

Deivarayan Muthu25-May-20241:48

‘Tactical blunder’ – Moody on Hetmyer’s batting position

The lack of a proactive batting approach against Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-arm fingerspinners on a dry Chepauk pitch, which offered more purchase to the slower bowlers in the second innings, cost Rajasthan Royals a spot in the IPL 2024 final. This is the assessment of their captain Sanju Samson after they managed only 139 for 7 in their pursuit of 176 in the second qualifier in Chennai on Friday.”I think we were found short of options in the middle overs against spin, and I think that’s where we lost the game,” Samson said after the game. “Against left-arm spin, we had three-four right-handers in the middle and the ball was stopping. But we could’ve tried a bit more [options] – reverse-sweep or use of the crease a bit more – and they [SRH] also bowled really well, actually.”It’s actually very hard to guess – when we can expect dew or not [in Chennai]. So, the wicket started behaving differently in the second innings. The ball started turning a bit and they used the advantage and bowled spin in the middle overs against our right-handers and that’s where they were one-up against us.”Related

Shaky middle order beginning to hurt Rajasthan Royals at crucial stage

Shahbaz and Abhishek spin Sunrisers Hyderabad into IPL final

Abhishek Sharma can be 'a real asset' for India, says Tom Moody

The Chepauk track had offered an average turn of 1.8 degrees in the first innings, but that number jumped up to 3.3 degrees in the second, according to the host broadcaster. SRH had left out their main spinners, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Mayank Markande, for this knockout game. But Shahbaz Ahmed, who was subbed in as an Impact Player more for his batting than bowling, combined with Abhishek Sharma for figures of 8-0-47-5. Aiden Markram also found sharp turn in the only over that he bowled.Once Yashasvi Jaiswal fell, Royals’ batting collapsed•Getty ImagesYashasvi Jaiswal reverse-swept the first ball he faced from Shahbaz to the shorter off-side boundary, but later in the same over, he holed out for 42 off 21 balls. SRH then matched up their left-arm spinners with RR’s right-hander heavy middle-order to damage the chase. Kumar Sangakkara, RR’s director of cricket, echoed Samson’s comments, suggesting their batters should’ve shown more intent and game-awareness to throw Shahbaz and Abhishek off their lengths and lines.”I think we’ve got to be a lot more clinical in our chases and these games are not won quite easily,” Sangakkara said at his post-match press conference. “Jaiswal getting out at that stage brought the left-arm spinners into the game and after that it was a little difficult, but it was a case of just hanging in there and getting the pace of the wicket again and getting the hang of the bowler. As Dhruv Jurel showed, if you show intent and if you play smart shots, you can chase a score, but, unfortunately, we weren’t good enough on the day. I thought the Sunrisers held in, they batted deep, and their bowlers did a great job for them.”Samson: ‘RR have found some great talent for India’Sangakkara, however, was pleased with how the season panned out for them overall. RR were the early pace-setters winning eight of their first nine games before they lost four in a row and somehow scrapped to the second qualifier, despite Jos Buttler leaving the IPL for England duty towards the business end of the tournament. RR also had to contend with an injury to their finisher Shimron Hetmyer midway through the season.”I think it was a great season for us,” Sangakkara said. “We started really well and then we lost a close game to SRH in Hyderabad. And then in Delhi also we put ourselves in winning positions and sometimes you have streaks. RCB lost almost every game at the start and then caught up. That’s how T20 goes.”All we can do is to put ourselves in positions for playoffs and vying for finals, which we did. I think all the guys through the season played really phenomenal cricket and there was a little bit of fatigue, of course, at the back end. But it doesn’t really matter when you’re in games like this – you’ve got to turn up and perform.”1:02

Why didn’t Royals’ spinners have an impact at Chepauk?

Samson was also impressed with how a number of players stepped up for RR through the season. He singled out Riyan Parag and Jurel for special praise, saying they could be match-winners for India too. Parag ended the season with 573 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of just under 150 – only Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli have scored more runs than him this season – while Jurel played some sparkling cameos.”To be very honest, we’ve had some brilliant games not only this season, but the last three years have been a great project for our franchise,” Samson said. “We’ve found some really great talent for the country, I think. Riyan Parag coming out of this season and Dhruv Jurel and a lot of them are looking really exciting, not only for RR but for the Indian cricket team.”Sangakkara: ‘We are just lucky to have Sandeep’On the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma, who was once a powerplay specialist in the IPL, has excelled for RR along with Avesh Khan, who had been traded in from Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2024. Sandeep was also on point with his variations in the second qualifier against SRH, coming away with the big wickets of Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen while giving up just 25 runs in his four overs. Sangakkara heaped praise on Sandeep for refashioning himself into a death bowler.”I think it’s just a case of changing his role. We always knew that a lot of sides used him upfront but with his pace and skill, we identified that he will be very, very effective for us in the middle and at the back end,” Sangakkara said. That’s what we tasked him with.”We didn’t have the services of Prasidh Krishna again. Navdeep Saini was injured, and he was coming back from a big shoulder injury and came [in] halfway through the season. For two seasons now, Sandeep has been absolutely outstanding for us. He’s just a mature cricketer and he knows exactly what he can do and can’t do, and he sticks to the basics. He tries to swing the new ball and once he’s out of it, he changes his pace and he’s got incredible skill and we’re just lucky to have him.”

Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan ripped up the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) attack and the record books to keep Gujarat Titans’ (GT’s) playoff hopes alive. The result, however, punctured CSK’s chances and left them facing a tricky route to the playoffs.Next up, CSK face a super-quick turnaround: they will meet Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday afternoon at Chepauk. They will then run into a resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last league fixture, in Bengaluru, on May 18. The defeat to GT means their qualification for the playoffs might come down to net run-rates – CSK, though, still have the best NRR among the three teams with 12 points – and one more defeat could leave the defending champions teetering on the brink.Related

• All the records that Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan broke

• Stats – Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan take IPL century count past 100

GT captain Gill spent some time off the field in their successful defence of 231 because of cramps. But he had already handsomely contributed with the bat in a 210-run partnership with Sudharsan – the joint-highest opening stand in the history of the IPL. Along the way, Gill and Sudharsan pushed the IPL century count past 100.

The Gill-Sudharsan opening salvo

Gill and Sudharsan are no Travishek. They are more orthodox top-order batters. But on a bouncy, red-soil Ahmedabad pitch on Friday, they showed that they can be just as destructive with their hitting.

GT fined for slow over rate

GT captain Shubman Gill has been fined INR 24 lakhs after his team maintained a slow over rate during the match against CSK in Ahmedabad. As it was his team’s second offence of the season under IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, the rest of the members of the playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 6 lakhs or 25% of their respective match fees.

It was Gill who made the early running when he took left-arm fingerspinner Mitchell Santner for a four and a six in a 14-run opening over. Then, in the final over of the powerplay, Gill played what was arguably the shot of the day. When Simarjeet Singh bowled a blameless back-of-a-length delivery on off, Gill used his gifts to make it look like a bad ball and imperiously swatted it over mid-on for six.Sudharsan, becalmed in the early exchanges, then caught fire, whacking Ravindra Jadeja for 21 off seven balls at a strike rate of 300. The presence of the spin-hitting Sudharsan meant Jadeja could not bowl more than two overs on the night. Ruturaj Gaikwad turned to Daryl Mitchell’s cutters, but he was dispatched for 4-0-52-0.Sudharsan accelerated so quickly that he and his captain had identical scores at the end of the 16th over: 96 off 48 balls. Gill was the first to bring up his hundred with a four, and four balls later, Sudharsan joined him there with a six.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Deshpande, Thakur limit damage at the death

In the next over, however, Tushar Deshpande had both Sudharsan and Gill holing out in the space of five balls.Deshpande could have cut short Gill’s innings on 72 had he not dropped him at the long-off boundary – he ended up parrying it onto the rope for six. But he came back strong at the death with his defensive skills on show, with Shardul Thakur for company.They kept hiding the ball away from the swinging arcs of the GT batters and allowed them to score only 41 runs off the last five overs. Only one boundary was scored off the last three overs, but the chase was always going to be a tall order for CSK.

CSK fail to maximise the powerplay

It became even more difficult for CSK when they were reduced to 2 for 2 within two overs. Rachin Ravindra, who was brought back into the team to beef up the top order, was run out for 1. On the very next ball, Sandeep Warrier bested Ajinkya Rahane in the battle of the Impact Players. Rahane fell for one off five balls.Captain Gaikwad, who had slid down to No. 3, then picked out one of the only two men on the boundary, off Umesh Yadav for a duck. The early strikes prevented CSK from taking more risks and they managed only 43 for 3 in the powerplay.

Mitchell, Moeen turn up the tempo

Mitchell then gave the chase a leg-up by repeatedly pumping the ball over the top. He even went after GT’s ace spinner Rashid Khan, taking him for 18 off seven balls.At the other end, Moeen struggled to pick Rashid’s variations but he lined up Noor Ahmad, the left-arm wristspinner, and tonked him for three successive sixes to start the 11th over.Mohit Sharma removed Daryl Mitchell, and then Moeen Ali•BCCI

Mohit closes it out for GT

At 119 for 3 in 12 overs, CSK were in with a chance until Mohit Sharma’s intervention. Mohit struck with his second ball, a well-disguised knuckle ball, which tricked Mitchell into skying a catch to long-off for 63 off 34 balls. In his next over, he dug an on-pace delivery into the surface and had Moeen holing out for 56 off 36 balls.Mohit also snagged Shivam Dube for 21 off 13 balls and came away with 3 for 31 – the best figures on the day.When GT and CSK last met at this venue, in a three-day IPL final last season, Mohit couldn’t get the job done. On Friday, though, his execution was so good that CSK fell well short, despite MS Dhoni’s cameo at the end.

Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has spoken of his frustrations after being sacked by the BBC following a sexting scandal that also ended his marriage.

• Jenas sacked for inappropriate behaviour
• Apologised for sexting scandal
• Has now taken aim at the BBC

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Jenas was sacked by the BBC in 2024 following a sexting scandal. The former midfielder subsequently apologised for sending "inappropriate" texts to female colleagues and admitted he needed help. The scandal also took a toll on his marriage, with Jenas confirming in March 2025 that he was splitting with wife of two decades Ellie Penfold. Jenas has since returned to work with talkSPORT and vowed to return a "better person".

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  WHAT JENAS SAID

  Jenas has spoken about the situation and revealed his frustration at his treatment by the BBC. He told Reece Mennie on his podcast: "It's been a really difficult moment for myself and my family what happened. I have always held up my hand and taken full responsibility for it, that’s very important to do. You go through a lot of different emotions of anger and blame, but eventually you realise 'take responsibility and you’ll be able to move forward. 

  "Because of their ability to take away my life, in terms of every deal I had, the jobs that I had at that particular time, I said that is never happening to me again. You’re in this kind of media bubble where you work for the BBC, there are so many walls in terms of what they want you to do and what you’re not allowed to do. So I've recently set up my own production company. My agency that I had at the time weren’t that supportive of it.

  "Betting companies want to work with me because I’m in football. BBC hate that because of the issues to do with gambling in general, so they block all of that. So there were a lot of blocks on one side and football was bringing me some stuff, but the reality is that it all got wiped out. It all got taken away."

• THE GOSSIP

  Jenas also spoke about his regrets at the scandal which cost him his career at the BBC, adding: "It was a mistake that is something that me and my wife and my family have to deal with. I worked 10 years post-retirement from being a footballer and I can take it as far back as I want from starting from nothing to becoming a footballer to getting myself in a very fortunate position to work on television. It's a lot of hard work that you put into the job, but at the same time, it can be taken away from you like that. That's one thing that I've recognised."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Former England international Jenas is now aiming to rebuild his career and will no doubt be hoping that setting up his own production company can help him find new opportunities.

أوضح الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي مدرب منتخب البرازيل، سبب استبعاده لأحد لاعبي فريق ريال مدريد من قائمة السليساو خلال فترة التوقف الدولي المقبلة.

ويخوض المنتخب البرازيلي مباراتين أمام تشيلي وبوليفيا، في شهر سبتمبر المقبل، ضمن مباريات تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

وشهدت القائمة استبعاد رباعي ريال مدريد، رودريجو جوس، فينيسيوس جونيور، إندريك، إيدير ميليتاو، بالإضافة لنيمار دا سيلفا (طالع قائمة البرازيل كاملة من هنا).

وقال أنشيلوتي في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “أكنّ لـ رودريجو الكثير من المودة، لقد لعب بشكل رائع مع ريال مدريد (في المباراة أمام ريال أوفييدو بالدوري الإسباني) كانت هذه أول مباراة له منذ فترة طويلة”.

وأضاف: “الآن لديه الوقت الكافي للاستعداد جيدًا والعودة إلى المنتخب الوطني، من أهم المعايير هو لياقته البدنية، يجب أن يكون اللاعب في المنتخب الوطني في كامل لياقته البدنية”.

وفي سؤال لاحق، أكد أنه لم يتحدث معه، وأفاد: “إذا أرادوا توضيحات، يمكنهم الاتصال بي، رودريجو لديه رقمي بالتأكيد، وأعتقد أن نيمار لديه رقمي أيضًا”.

وأوضح المدرب الإيطالي قراره قائلاً: “أريد التعرف عن كثب على اللاعبين الذين لا أعرفهم جيدا على المستوى الشخصي”.

The board has also proposed increasing the gap between matches from three days to four, especially during the first-class tournaments

Shashank Kishore11-May-2024The 2024-25 Indian domestic season is set for an overhaul with the BCCI keen on staging the Ranji Trophy across two phases to minimize weather-related disruptions, particularly in northern India. As per the proposal that will be reviewed by the BCCI’s apex council, the Ranji season could begin in late September or early October.The first five rounds of matches will be followed by the senior men’s white-ball tournaments – the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs). The remainder of the Ranji season, which will include three rounds of group fixtures and the knockouts, will be staged immediately afterwards.Related

Ranji Trophy to be split into two phases, no zonal teams in Duleep Trophy

Mumbai men to get 100% pay raise from 2024-25 domestic season

Indian players stand to earn INR 45-60 lakhs per Test

Shardul Thakur: 'Extremely tough on domestic players to play ten games with three-day gaps'

In 2023-24, the Ranji Trophy began in early January, with several matches during the first half of the competition severely affected by bad weather. Disruptions due to fog also caused logistical nightmares for a number of teams, leading a number of captains and coaches to voice their concerns publicly.The board has also proposed increasing the gap between matches from three days to four, especially during the first-class tournaments. A number of players, Shardul Thakur most notably, had spoken of the need for bigger breaks between matches to facilitate better recovery and preparation for players keeping in mind the length of the competition.Mumbai, for example, played 10 first-class matches in under 10 weeks during their run to the 2023-24 Ranji title. “If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country,” Shardul had said. “Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it and give more breaks. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, [a] good seven to eight years back, the first three games used to have a three-day break, and then it was a four-day break, and knockouts were played with five-day breaks.”There has also been a lot of conjecture around the BCCI looking to further increase the match fees of domestic players, as a follow-up to its increase of match fees for contracted Test cricketers.However, ESPNcricinfo understands there are no immediate plans in the pipeline, even though discussions around the possibility of central contracts at the state level are ongoing. In March, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) agreed to incentivise its senior men’s team with a 100% pay raise from the 2024-25 season.

Gleison Bremer believes Juventus have found their own breakthrough star in Kenan Yildiz, drawing bold parallels to Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

Bremer backs YildizSeen as central to Juventus’ Serie A title hopesJuve continue pre-season preparationsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Juventus defender Bremer has returned to action after a ten-month absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in October 2024 during a Champions League match against RB Leipzig. He featured in a 2-2 friendly draw against Reggiana, marking his comeback for the club. Bremer, in an interview with , hailed teammate Yildiz as "our Lamine Yamal," signalling the Turkish forward's potential to revitalise Juventus at the top of Serie A. 

Bremer stated: "Yildiz dribbles like a Brazilian. Yes, Kenan is a bit like our Lamine Yamal, all of us in the team have to give him the conditions to perform at his best."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Juventus are aiming to reclaim their status as Serie A contenders following a turbulent season marked by injuries and a managerial change to Igor Tudor. Bremer’s return boosts the squad’s defensive solidity, which had been lacking. He believes Juventus will challenge for the Scudetto against Napoli, Inter and Milan, with Yildiz and Federico Gatti also tipped as pivotal to their title push. The club is navigating a squad rebuild and financial pressures, with Bremer expressing optimism about the new campaign and confidence in the evolving squad dynamics.

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Yildiz registered seven goals and four assists in 35 Serie A appearances for Juventus in the 2024-25 season, establishing himself as a key creative force in the squad. He became the club’s youngest foreign goalscorer in Serie A, was awarded the Serie A Goal of the Month award for January and included in the Serie A Team of the Season.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?

Juventus are set to continue their pre-season with three remaining friendlies as Bremer targets full match fitness. The club's transfer business is ongoing, with speculation around potential arrivals, including a push for Neymar and possible departures such as Dusan Vlahovic. Bremer and the squad are focused on building momentum ahead of the Serie A opener, targeting a strong start to challenge for the league title and improved European results.