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Com o fim de sua passagem pelo Al-Ittihad, o goleiro Marcelo Grohe é alvo de interesse de clubes do Brasil e da Arábia Saudita. No entanto, o atleta não tem pressa para definir o futuro.

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A continuidade no país do Oriente Médio é vista com dificuldade caso seja para uma das equipes que pertença a Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Apenas Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al-Ittihad e Al Ahli são beneficiados com investimento público estatal.

Caso venha para o Brasil, Marcelo Grohe só poderá atuar oficialmente a partir do dia 10 de julho por conta do período da janela de transferências. O caso do goleiro se assemelha aos exemplos de Thiago Silva e Felipe Anderson, que sairão da Europa para Fluminense e Palmeiras, respectivamente.

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Aos 37 anos, Marcelo Grohe possui uma longa história com o Grêmio, onde atuou por 15 anos entre 2004 e 2019. O atleta foi eleito por três anos como melhor goleiro do Campeonato Saudita, além de ter sido campeão nacional e da Supercopa Saudita em 2022/2023.

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Can West Bromwich Albion morph into genuine promotion contenders under Ryan Mason?

At the moment, Mason’s Baggies are wildly inconsistent in the Championship, with a middle-of-the-road finish looking likely if they can’t string together a consistent run of victories sooner rather than later.

The jam-packed December fixture schedule to come will be a big test as to whether West Brom can push up the league, or whether they will have to make do with Championship action for yet another season, having now been outside the Premier League since the close of the 2020/21 campaign.

Whatever does happen, West Brom still have several first-team players out of contract come next June, with West Brom veterans such as Jed Wallace and Josh Maja both at risk of walking away for nothing.

This isn’t new ground for the second-tier outfit, though, with Grady Diangana bringing his up-and-down Baggies career to a close this summer, when his deal expired.

Why Diangana was allowed to leave West Brom

Once upon a time, Diangana would cost West Brom a startling £18m to get through the door from West Ham United.

He demanded such a lavish fee back in the summer of 2020, too, having instantly stood out in the Championship for his new West Midlands employers, with his gung-ho performances in attack.

In total, the Congolese forward would chip in with a sturdy 26 goals and 22 assists from 202 appearances, with Carlos Corberan regularly relying on the magic of his former number 11 when his past Baggies sides were challenging for promotion.

Yet, after mustering up a standout 15 goal contributions under Corberan during West Brom’s promotion near-miss season of 2023/24 , it all began to become a bit pear-shaped for the ex-Hammers winger at the Hawthorns.

Indeed, last season saw Diangana bow out from West Brom as a bit-part figure, with only 14 starts coming his way across a campaign that saw the Baggies fall drastically short of the top six.

With the 27-year-old also reluctant to pen a fresh deal, it was, therefore, agreed that Diangana would walk away from his long-established home, bringing his extensive association with the club to a sad end.

In the here and now, with more contract situations up in the air at the Championship outfit, Mason could have a new Diangana situation unfolding.

West Brom star could be another Diangana

In a summer that saw some of the old guard, such as Diangana leave the building, Mason was also given the appropriate tools to instil some fresh blood into his ranks, with Aune Heggebo already up to six Championship goals for the season, after making the move to England from Brann.

While Mason will be impressed with the current goalscoring exploits of his Nordic recruit, he also has many relics from Corberan’s West Brom past still in his starting XI, with Karlan Grant managing to get minutes here and there under the new regime.

Much like Diangana before him, Grant was once seen as an eye-catching capture when the West Midlands outfit were regularly flirting between the Championship and the Premier League, with £15m dropped on his services in 2020.

In a similar fashion to his former attacking teammate, too, Grant became known as an explosive attacking talent in the EFL’s elite league during the early years of his Baggies career, with pundit Carlton Palmer also praising him for his versatile” edge, even when things weren’t always going his way under Corberan.

Games played

12

Games started

6

Average minutes

54 mins

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Yet, even with 31 goals and ten assists under his belt from 158 total contests, it does look as if the plug will be pulled soon on the number ten’s bumper Hawthorns stay, when you consider he has zero goals or assists from 12 outings under Mason.

With his contract also set to expire this approaching June, it does feel as if it’s a move that suits all parties for his deal to run out without a renewal coming his way, as his past best looks to be far beyond him.

He could, of course, still manage to chip in with a goal or assist this season, having collected seven goals across all of last campaign from inconsistent starting opportunities.

But, with Mason now infrequently starting him this campaign amid poor performances, he is unlikely to want to keep him around, whatever division West Brom end up in when contract renewals pop back up.

Mason must now bin West Brom star who earns more than Heggebo & Johnston

Ryan Mason must now axe this West Bromwich Albion high earner for good.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 26, 2025

Amad Diallo’s delightful volley continued Manchester United’s unbeaten run and extended Sean Dyche’s wait for his first Premier League win as Nottingham Forest manager.

United arrived on a run of three straight wins and Diallo’s late volley rescued a 2-2 draw, which was probably a fair result at the end of a helter-skelter encounter that the Red Devils went ahead in, albeit under controversial circumstances.

The City Ground faithful were left furioius at the decision to award the corner from which Casemiro headed home the opening goal, and Dyche also highlighted Bruno Fernandes’ placement of the ball outside the quadrant, speaking to Sky Sports.

“It’s not inconclusive, I’ve seen it back,” the 54 year-old said afer Nicolo Savona was adjudged to have taken the ball out of play.

He continued: “Funny enough I was talking to the powers at be, the referees, about the quadrant. We all watch it, you can see the ball is outside the quadrant from 80 yards away, but they allow it because it’s one millimetre with the ball hanging over the line, a bit like the goal line technology.

“So apparently today the assistant referee can see 70, 80 yards away, it’s got to change.”

Dyche’s men returned after half-time interval with the bit between their teeth and levelled three minutes after the restart. Substitute Yates clipped over a cross from the right and Gibbs-White held off Diallo to get away a header that crept inside the far post.

It looked like Savona would have the last laugh too, coolly scoring in the 50th minute. Another cross from the right took a deflection and looped up, with the ball bundled on as Jesus challenged with United players. The Italian was the beneficiary, taking a touch and finishing from six yards.

United tried to level and Fernandes came closest, seeing a hopeful long-range strike skip off the turf and hit the far post. Casemiro just failed to turn home the rebound.

Manchester United have found their next Amad

Jesus headed into the side-netting and Hudson-Odoi went close as Forest pushed to settle things, only for Diallo’s moment of magic to draw United level in the 81st minute.

Forest failed to effectively clear a corner and the Ivory Coast international unleashed a wonderful left-footed volley from the edge of the box that flew past Sels, sparking bedlam in the away end.

The goal was given after a VAR check and United pushed hardest for a winner, with Murillo stopping Diallo snatching victory in stoppage time.

Midfielder Marc Bernal is reportedly weighing up whether to seek a move away from Barcelona in January as he looks to earn more playing time this season. The 18-year-old has made just four appearances for the Spanish giants following his return from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw him miss the majority of the 2024-25 campaign.

Bernal back after over a year out injured

After emerging through Barcelona’s youth system at the start of last season, Bernal’s campaign was cruelly cut short after he sustained the serious knee injury in his side’s 2-1 La Liga victory over Rayo Vallecano in August 2024.

However, after 382 days on the sidelines, Barcelona declared Bernal was fit once again on 13 September. And the Berga-born prodigy then made the perfect return as he recorded an assist in the Blaugrana’s 6-0 league victory over Valencia a day later, with Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski all scoring braces at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReport claims midfielder is considering January loan move

Keen to ensure he is not rushed back too soon, Bernal has subsequently made just three more appearances for Barcelona this season – against Real Oviedo in the league and both Paris Saint-Germain and Olympiacos in the Champions League.

And in a new report from Spanish publication Bernal is reportedly considering all his options ahead of the January transfer window opening in less than two months’ time. The report claims that while Hansi Flick’s side are not planning on allowing Bernal to leave, the youngster is believed to be considering a loan move in his bid to earn more minutes.

Bernal left out of Spain's Under-21s squad

Bernal has also been left out of Spain’s Under-21 squad ahead of the upcoming international break, with head coach David Gordo citing a lack of playing time for his exclusion.

“Marc is one of our own, but he’s not in a comfortable situation right now,” said Gordo. “He’s getting very little playing time. And we’ve brought the squad we think will best help us get six crucial points for our league position.”

Spain U21s are preparing to take on San Marino and Romania in their next two European Championship qualifiers on Friday, 14 November and Tuesday, 18 November respectively. Gordo’s side are currently unbeaten in qualifying, having won their opening three games in Group A.

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Getty Images SportBarca co-star Yamal returns to Spain squad

One Barcelona player who will represent his country during the international break is Lamine Yamal, who has been called up for Spain’s double-header against Georgia and Turkey. The winger was left out of La Roja’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria in October after Barcelona said his pubalgia injury had resurfaced.

However, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente had no qualms about recalling Yamal, saying: "I think the answer is obvious. I watched his last game [against Club Brugge], and I believe he’s in perfect condition. 

“His coach [Flick] said he was ready to play. He's getting back to being the player he always has been, and we celebrate that. He will stay with us as long as we consider it appropriate.

"Watching the game the other day, Lamine is fit to play. We have two very important games and we need to field our best players. We have two hugely important matches to qualify for the World Cup, the stakes are massive and we want the best players with us.”

تعرض لاعب منتخب مصر تحت 17 عامًا، محمد حمد، إلى الطرد بعدما تلقى البطاقة الحمراء مباشرة، أمام منتخب فنزويلا، في المباراة المقامة حاليًا بينهما ضمن منافسات كأس العالم للناشئين.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع فنزويلا، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثانية من عمر مباريات المجموعة الخامسة لبطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا المقام في قطر.

طالع.. فيديو | حمزة عبد الكريم يسجل هدف تعادل مصر أمام فنزويلا في كأس العالم

وأشهر حكم المباراة، بطاقة حمراء لـ محمد حمد لاعب منتخب مصر في الدقيقة 60 بعد تدخل بشكل قوي مع لاعب منتخب فنزويلا، وذلك بعدما استدعى حكم الفار، حكم الساحة ليستكمل الفراعنة اللقاء بـ 10 لاعبين. طرد محمد حمد في مباراة مصر وفنزويلا في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا

وتشير نتيجة المباراة بين المنتخبين حتى الآن، إلى التعادل الإيجابي 1-1، حيث تقدم منتخب فنزويلا، عن طريق اللاعب ماركوس مايتان، في الدقيقة 18، وتعادل بعد ذلك منتخب مصر بواسطة لاعبه حمزة عبد الكريم.

وكان منتخب مصر افتتح مشواره في بطولة كأس العالم، يوم الثلاثاء الماضي أمام منتخب هايتي، وحقق الفوز بنتيجة 4-1.

منتخب مصر يتواجد في المجموعة الخامسة من بطولة كأس العالم المقامة بدولة قطر، بجانب منتخبات فنزويلا وهايتي وإنجلترا.

Northamptonshire have also signed New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Robinson for two Championship matches and four Blast fixtures

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2025Corey Rocchiccioli, the Western Australia offspinner, has signed a short-term deal to play for Warwickshire in the County Championship. Rocchiccioli will be available for four Championship games over the next six weeks and said he “jumped at the chance” to play overseas during the Australian winter.Rocchiccioli, 27, has thrived in red-ball cricket over the last two years: since the start of the 2023-24 season, he has taken 84 wickets at 27.65 in the Sheffield Shield, second only to South Australia’s Nathan McAndrew. He joins Warwickshire for the Championship rounds this year that will feature the Kookaburra ball, rather than the Dukes.”We are very excited about welcoming Corey into our squad through June and July,” Ian Westwood, Warwickshire’s head coach, said. “He is a proven performer in Sheffield Shield cricket, and with his experience of the Kookaburra ball, we know he will make an impact for us.”Rocchiccioli said: “I’m really excited to play at a prestigious club like Warwickshire. I jumped at the chance to play when Westy and Davo [captain Alex Davies] rang me. I’m really excited to learn and grow in English conditions and hopefully contribute to some strong wins along the way.”Australia’s selectors have signalled their interest in Rocchiccioli, picking him for Australia A teams to face India A and the England Lions last summer. He is one of several potential successors to Nathan Lyon, along with Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, who has agreed a deal with Gloucestershire for the same block of Championship fixtures.Elsewhere, Northamptonshire signed Tim Robinson, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter, on a short-term deal. Robinson, 23, will be available for two Championship matches and four Blast fixtures and replaces Matthew Breetzke after his selection for South Africa’s Test squad to face Zimbabwe.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a semifinal diante do São Paulo se aproximando, o torcedor do Corinthians se agarra em todas as superstições possíveis para acreditar na classificação à final da Copa do Brasil, e Taylor Swift é o “amuleto da sorte” do Timão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians x Palmeiras: onde assistir à semifinal do Brasileirão Sub-20Corinthians15/08/2023CorinthiansCom apoio do elenco e Luxemburgo, Gil contorna críticas e sobe na lista de zagueiros artilheiros do CorinthiansCorinthians14/08/2023BrasileirãoQuem é melhor: Corinthians 2017 ou Botafogo 2023? Veja votação jogador por jogador feita pela redação do LANCE!Brasileirão14/08/2023

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

A cantora pop nunca deu nenhuma declaração dizendo ser fã do Corinthians, mas a relação entre Taylor e o clube paulista surgiu após uma curiosidade tomar conta das redes sociais. O Timão possui um aproveitamento quase perfeito quando a cantora lança um novo álbum.

O Corinthians sofreu apenas duas derrotas antes ou depois da artista anunciar um novo álbum. A primeira aconteceu dois dias antes do “Red (Taylor´s Version), onde o Timão perdeu por 3 a 0 diante do Atlético-MG, em novembro de 2021. A mais recente foi em julho de 2023, na regravação do álbum “Speak Now”, quando a equipe de Luxemburgo perdeu o primeiro jogo para o América-MG, nas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.

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+ Veja datas e horários das semifinais da Copa do Brasil

Segundo dados da página “Timão Dados”, o clube alvinegro venceu ou empatou nas semanas dos lançamentos de de Taylor Swifit (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore e Evermore (ambos de 2020).

Are Bayern Munich the strongest side in Europe right now? They're certainly not far off it. The Germans maintained their flawless start to the 2025-26 season with a 3-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend. Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane was among the goals again, as the free-scoring striker maintained his record-breaking start to the campaign.

Over in Italy, defending Napoli returned to winning ways after last week's loss at San Siro to reclaim top spot in Serie A from Massimiliano Allegri's resurgent AC Milan, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Juventus – primarily because of a missed penalty from Christian Pulisic.

In France, Roberto De Zerbi's wonderfully exciting Marseille moved to within a point of Paris Saint-Germain, meaning we might actually have something resembling a title race this season, while Real Madrid are back on top of LaLiga thanks to a hard-fought win over Villarreal – and Barcelona's shocking loss at Sevilla.

As for Portugal, the big game of the weekend between Jose Mourinho's Benfica and his former club, Porto, ended in a perhaps unsurprisingly dour 0-0 draw.

Below, GOAL runs through all the big winners and losers of the latest round of action across Europe's top leagues…

Getty Images SportWINNER: Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior threw a pathetic hissy-fit after missing out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or and immediately vowed to win this year's award. He didn't get remotely close, of course, the Brazilian finishing 16th after an underwhelming campaign.

However, Vinicius has made a fine start to the new Liga season and his double in Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Villarreal means he now has nine direct goal involvements in eight matches.

"I like it when I see him smiling and enjoying himself," Blancos boss Xabi Alonso told his club's official website. "He came close to scoring a hat-trick and rounding off his game.

"He also had a great game against Levante (on September 23). He's a very important player for the team and the club because of his ability to create mismatches, what he generates and the difficulty he poses for the opposition."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Barcelona

Pedri claimed ahead of last week's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain that Barcelona were the best team in Europe. It wasn't true then and it's certainly not true now.

The Blaugrana are a wonderfully entertaining team, but primarily because they're almost as vulnerable defensively as they are outstanding offensively. Basically, their games guarantee goals because they have such an open style of play, as the past week has underlined.

After being beaten 2-1 at home by an under-strength PSG on Wednesday night, Barca were hammered 4-1 on Sunday afternoon by Sevilla in La Liga – a defeat that saw the Catalans displaced at the top of the table by hated rivals Real Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski missed a second-half penalty at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan that would have drawn the visitors level but midfielder Pedri admitted, "We shouldn't pin the defeat on that alone. Throughout the match, we weren't good enough."

It was a similar story against PSG, which is why Flick's high-risk tactics are now coming under serious scrutiny in Catalonia for the first time.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Ange-Yoan Bonny

Marcus Thuram has been outstanding for Inter this season, winning man of the match in both of their Champions League matches so far, against Ajax and Slavia Prague.

So, the Frenchman's injury-enforced absence from Sunday's Serie A clash with Cremonese looked like a bit of a problem for Christian Chivu. However, Ange-Yoan Bonny did an absolutely sensational job filling in for Thuram.

As well as scoring his first goal for Inter following his summer switch from Parma, the 21-year-old attacker also racked up a hat-trick of assists, making new coach Chivu look like a bit of genius for bringing Bonny with him from Parma during the summer.

"The 'mister' gives me confidence every day," Bonny told reporters after the Nerazzurri's 4-1 win at San Siro. "I know he'll give me my chances if I deserve them: it's always been like this, even at Parma, and I thank him for that and I just want to continue on this path."

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AFPWINNER: Igor Paixao

It was a little surprising that none of Europe's richest clubs made a move for Igor Paixao during the summer. The Brazilian was the best player in the Netherlands last season, scoring 16 goals and creating a further 10 for Feyenoord.

Credit to Marseille, then, for deciding to pay a club-record €35 million (£30m/$41m) for Paixao, who, after an injury-hindered start to his spell at the Stade Velodrome, struck twice in the 4-0 Champions League rout of Ajax in midweek before opening the scoring – and his Ligue 1 account – in the 3-0 win at Metz on Saturday afternoon.

"Sometimes, with certain players," OM coach Roberto De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference, "you have to invest in their physical and mental condition beforehand.

"I try to play Paixao all the time, and when his performance drops, I replace him, but he is getting back to the level we know he's capable of."

Chelsea fans are still very firmly on cloud nine after their beloved side defeated their near-London rivals West Ham United with ease on Friday night.

After experiencing a disappointing stalemate on the Premier League opening day versus Crystal Palace, such a vibrant display was desperately needed, with new personnel such as Joao Pedro instantly settling into his spot up top in Enzo Maresca’s XI by bagging the leveller on the night.

Estevao also shone as a new livewire down the wings at the London Stadium, but while everything is rosy in terms of incomings, it looks as if a whole host of sales will have to be signed off on very soon to appropriately balance the books.

Chelsea's long list of departees

It is to be expected after all, with Chelsea splashing the big bucks to land the likes of Pedro for £60m, before you even consider further deals that saw Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, and many more join Maresca’s growing ranks this summer.

The Blues have got rid of some notable personnel already, with hit-and-miss attacker Noni Madueke defecting over to North London to join Arsenal for a weighty £50m back in July.

Christopher Nkunku could soon rival that amount when he is very likely to depart the building before September’s cut-off point, having now been eyed up by Aston Villa.

It’s a sorry end for the Frenchman who was expected to light up the English top-flight with the Blues after a significant £52m move, only to now be chucked to one side after a turbulent 18-goal stint at Stamford Bridge.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Moreover, despite starring in flashes with 24 Premier League strikes in West London, Nicolas Jackson also looks set to depart before the busy window is out, having further been named as a main target for Unai Emery’s men, on top of Newcastle United hunting him down as an effective way to get over the ongoing Alexander Isak scandal.

Chelsea fans far and wide will see the logic in trying to move on from these outcasts, but they would be bitterly disappointed if their side were to allow a rising star to leave, who could well become the Blues’ next Cole Palmer if given time to blossom.

Chelsea youngster could be Chelsea's next Palmer

Often, Chelsea has been negatively portrayed as a club that can be impatient when it comes to the next generation of talent rising through the ranks, with the likes of Declan Rice, Marc Guehi, and many other Premier League starters discarded by the cutthroat outfit when they were still youth players.

Thankfully, the Blues benefited from Manchester City prematurely getting rid of their own homegrown talents when purchasing Palmer back in 2023 for a modest £42.5m.

The rest is history now, with Palmer worth far more than that amount today, having notched up a ridiculous 43 goals and 29 assists from 98 senior outings.

That amount will no doubt rise and rise, but Chelsea won’t want to be plagued with regret if they were to sell Tyrique George shortly, with a hope surely on their end that the raw, yet exciting Englishman can go on to be Palmer 2.0 down the line.

Like Palmer, George possesses a magical ability to create something out of nothing. He’s quicker but he’s got a dazzling and mazy dribbling ability that can get him out of tight situations. Raw, of course, but there’s a lot to like about a player who is earning first team football at a higher level than Palmer did at the same age.

Sadly, he could be on the move. Fabrizio Romano has taken to X recently to confirm that AS Roma are keen on snapping up the 19-year-old attacking menace this summer, holding talks about the player at the back end of July.

Alongside interest from Serie A, Romano has also stated that there is interest from within the Premier League itself, on top of RB Leipzig further throwing their hat into the ring.

This would be a disastrous set of circumstances to lose George so early into his Blues career, having only just seen him bag his first-ever senior goal for the west London side last season, after being dubbed a “ridiculous” talent for the future previously by content creator Felix Johnston.

George has since backed up his debut effort with a further seven goal contributions in the first team picture, with Chelsea surely better placed to just gift their homegrown prodigy more minutes to get even more out of him, instead of prematurely putting him up for sale.

More consistent senior minutes could be presented to George out in Italy or Germany, however, as he now deliberates on his next step.

For Chelsea’s long-term sake, the hope will be that he remains put, so they can avoid another regret being piled onto their mountain of missteps.

Chelsea now plotting last-ditch move to sign £80m star who Maresca wants

The Blues may be saving their best deal for last.

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By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 23, 2025

Mitchell Owen put his name up in lights with an astonishing display in the BBL final

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2025

A day before the BBL started, Mitch Owen said he wasn’t sure where he’d be batting – or at all – for Hobart Hurricanes this season.After a record-breaking knock to win the competition for his home-town side, Owen, also the top run-scorer for the league, can start to lift his sights higher. The 23-year-old is set to earn life-changing amounts of money in franchise cricket, potentially starting with a replacement deal at the Indian Premier League.Related

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Owen's record-equalling 39-ball hundred seals Hurricanes' maiden BBL title

Stats – Owen's record ton and Hurricanes' unbeaten home run

'It's super special, it's a childhood dream' – Owen on Hurricanes' 'surreal' night

Owen’s manager confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he is available as a replacement player for the IPL, having registered for the auction longlist late last year before failing to make the shortlist. The Pakistan Super League, which virtually runs concurrently with the IPL in April and May, could be another option for him.Owen’s mighty knock of 108 off just 42 balls – the equal-fastest ton in competition history off 39 deliveries – had the sellout crowd chanting his name and won Hobart their first BBL title.”I feel a bit awkward in these situations. I don’t really know how to take it,” Owen said of the adoration. “It’s super special… the most special thing is hearing everyone in the crowd enjoying it. And I’m so grateful, I’m so proud that we could bring this trophy to Tassie.”Owen had played just six matches in the previous two seasons for Hurricanes, for a total of 42 runs. Previously a middle-order hitter, Owen said a decision that he would be batting in the top order came “probably one day, to be honest” out from their tournament opener.Ricky Ponting, Hurricanes’ head of strategy, said he was “amongst that” decision. Declining to elaborate on his role in that move, the Test great happily talked up Owen’s future, saying discussion of him representing Australia in next year’s World Cup was “inevitable”.Mitchell Owen made the equal fastest century in BBL history off 39 balls•Getty Images

“There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” he told AAP of Owen’s heroics in the final. “He’s done it pretty consistently through the tournament… some of his 30s and 40s that he’s got have actually won and set up games for the Hurricanes. And then he ended up getting a hundred in 30-odd balls and the game’s over.”Hurricanes team-mate and 2021 T20 World Cup winner Matthew Wade agreed Owen “would be there or thereabouts” when it came to squad selection for the 2026 tournament.”He can be anything… no stage really worries him too much. It was phenomenal,” Wade told AAP.Owen said he “absolutely” wanted to work towards the squad for the India-Sri Lanka-hosted tournament, which begins in February 2026.However, David Warner suggested such talk was premature. The losing Thunder captain said the Australian team didn’t need a shake-up.”No, no. You’ve got the guys that are there at the moment,” he said. “You can earn your stripes… we can’t be just picking blokes and chopping and changing when the guys that are there have won World Cups.”It will be difficult top order to break into, with Travis Head, Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk and T20 captain Mitch Marsh having claims on those spots.Steven Smith, left out of last year’s underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign, also has to be considered after starring for the Sydney Sixers in the past two seasons when he has played as an opener in between international duties.But Warner was certainly happy to credit Owen with a “phenomenal knock” that meant his side came up short after posting 97 without loss after 10 overs.”We got beat by one player tonight, plain and simple,” he said.0815 GMT – This story was updated to reflect Owen’s availability as an IPL replacement player.