Tag Futebol

The 10 teams, vying for the three World Cup spots, will also include West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2021The opening day of the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier 2021 in Harare will witness eight of the 10 teams in action, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh, the West Indies meeting Papua New Guinea, Thailand facing Zimbabwe and Ireland up against the Netherlands. The tournament will be played between November 21 and December 5, with three spots up for grabs for the ODI World Cup scheduled for next March-April in New Zealand.There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of 10 teams in five each of two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches. Group A consists of the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands while Group B will have teams from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the USA. The Super Six stage begins on December 1.Along with the three qualifiers, the next two teams from the competition will also secure their places in the following ICC Women’s Championship, with the tournament expanding from eight teams to ten in the next cycle. The other five spots will be taken by the automatic qualifiers of the ODI World Cup – Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand – on the back of their top-five finish in the previous ICC Women’s Championship.The tournament commences with a set of warm-up matches on November 19. Overall, four venues will be used for the group stage, with four matches held every day.The qualifiers were originally meant to be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the tournament, as well as the main event in New Zealand.Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands
Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA

The past two summers have been frustrating for Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Old Gold have lost several important players, and whilst they have gained a significant sum of money for each of those departed stars, it has certainly had a negative impact on the Midlands club.

In the summer of 2023, Wolves lost Ruben Neves to Saudi Arabia and Matheus Nunes who joined Manchester City. More recently, in the 2024 summer window, Pedro Neto joined Chelsea and, significantly, Max Kiliman left for West Ham United.

It was the latter departure, for £40m, which has had a big impact on Gary O’Neil’s side this term. Without Kilman at the heart of their defence, the Molineux outfit have been defensively shambolic.

Wolves’ defensive stats 2024/25

It has been a very disappointing campaign so far for the Old Gold, but they have been especially underwhelming at the back. Of course, that is partly due to Kilman’s departure. Not only was he club captain, but an ever-present last term as they kept five Premier League clean sheets.

This term, however, the Old Gold find themselves sitting at rock bottom of the table, conceding the most goals in the English top flight, with 21. In fact, Carlisle United, who are bottom of League Two, are the only side in the 92 who have conceded more goals, letting 23 in so far.

Concerningly for O’Neil, his side are not actually bottom when it comes to expected goals against in the Premier League this term, as per Understat. There are actually three sides ahead of them in that respect; based on the metric, Wolves have just 15.18xGA this term.

They have been equally poor when it comes to their defensive record both at Molineux, and away from home too. They have already conceded ten goals at home this term, and are a third of the way to last season’s tally of 30 already. That included a 6-2 home defeat to Chelsea. It has been a disastrous start.

It has been a desperately disappointing campaign for O’Neil’s team, affected by the loss of Kilman. Whilst they may go searching for a solution to their defensive woes this January, their answer could already lie at the club, in the form of a currently on-loan academy defender.

The Wolves star who could replace Kilman

The man in question here is exciting young defender Nigel Lonwijk. The 21-year-old hails from the Netherlands and has had first-team experience in his native country and in the football league.

Specifically, the youngster has had spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle and is currently on loan at Huddersfield Town.

This term, the young Dutch defender has started six out of seven League 1 games for the Terriers, playing 90 minutes in all but one of those, on his debut against Rotherham United. He has also featured in both EFL trophy games, starting and playing 90 minutes. He has been a crucial player for the Yorkshire outfit so far.

A tall defender who stands at 6 foot 3, he was given a glowing review by former Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher. He called the youngster a “real quality player”, claiming that he has a “bright future” in the game.

In the 2024/25 season so far, the centre-back has been impressive for Huddersfield, with the Terriers currently sitting in ninth in the table.

His Sofascore stats show just how well he has performed, averaging 4.3 ball recoveries per game and winning 71% of his duels.

Stat (per game)

Number

Touches

73.8

Pass accuracy

80%

Tackles + interceptions

4

Ball recoveries

4.3

Clearances

2.3

Duels won

6.5

Duel win rate

71%

It would certainly be a bold call for O’Neil to recall the youngster this winter. However, given his obvious talent and the fact he has experienced the rough and tumble of the football league, it could be a risk worth taking at the Old Gold look to have an uphill battle for Premier League survival.

Perhaps the Midlands side could have the perfect Kilman replacement already on their books.

Wolves could have their new Pedro Neto in "fantastic" Molineux star

O’Neil must replace Neto by unleashing Wolves’ “fantastic” ace.

ByConnor Holden Oct 4, 2024

Worcestershire 228 for 7 (Haynes 59) beat Gloucestershire 82 for 4 (van Buuren 38*) by 11 runs (DLS method)Worcestershire made it two wins from as many Royal London Cup group matches with an 11-run victory over Gloucestershire under DLS in a rain-affected game at Bristol.The visitors posted 228 for 7 from 40.3 overs after losing the toss, opener Jack Haynes leading the way with 59, off 61 balls, with seven fours and a six.After three interruptions, Gloucestershire were finally set a target of 94 from 11 overs and could manage only 82 for 4, Graeme van Buuren making 38 not out.Eighteen-year-old left-arm spinner Josh Baker bowled the penultimate over for just four runs, taking the wicket of Jack Taylor to effectively settle the outcome.Worcestershire began the game brightly, despite losing Brett D’Oliveira, on 14, caught at backward point off Josh Shaw’s second ball of the game with the total on 33.By the end of the ten-over powerplay, the visitors were nicely placed on 66 for one, Haynes having taken advantage of the fielding restrictions with some well-timed shots.But the opening ball of 11th over, the first sent down by left-arm spinner Tom Smith, turned enough to for Tom Fell to edge to wicketkeeper Ben Wells.Haynes went to an impressive half-century off 52 balls, but was caught soon afterwards when miscuing a pull shot off Matt Taylor.Boundaries dried up as Taylor bowled tightly in tandem with the left-arm spin of van Buuren.At the halfway stage of their innings, Worcestershire were 134 for 3. But van Buuren then struck twice in as many balls.Jake Libby, who had played sensibly for his 33, was caught and bowled driving, while Ed Barnard elected to sweep his first delivery and fell lbw.Gareth Roderick, back at his old county, found a positive partner in Josh Dell as they added 55 for the sixth wicket. Roderick then played a loose defensive shot and was bowled by Shaw.It was 194 for 6 off 34 overs when the first rain brought a 90-minute delay. The game was initially educed to 41 overs per side and, on the resumption, Dell quickly fell to Smith for 32, caught at extra cover.Midway through the final over of the innings, heavy rain forced another long delay. Play restarted at 5.35pm, with Gloucestershire’s target then reduced to 115 from 14 overs.Chris Dent, back leading the side after surgery on a hand, struck three boundaries in the first, which cost Charlie Morris 15 runs.Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach responded by having Ben Charlesworth caught at short third-man and Tom Lace taken in the covers as the second over ended with the score 20 for two.Dent was caught behind for 25 looking to force Adam Finch off the back foot before another shower stopped play at 46 for three off 5.5 overs.That led to another revised target and Gloucestershire needed 48 more from 31 balls. The diminutive van Buuren crashed Finch over point for six, but Leach bowled an over for just five runs before Baker’s ice cool contribution.

Liverpool kick off their Carabao Cup title defence at home against struggling West Ham United, having dispatched the Hammers 5-1 in the quarter-final last term.

The Arne Slot era is off to a flyer and there’s hope that the Reds can push Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race while competing for silverware across cup competitions too.

Bournemouth were beaten 3-0 at Anfield in the league last Saturday, and though West Ham’s poor start continued as they were thrashed at home by Chelsea, there’s plenty of talent in the east London squad and Liverpool will need to be wary of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Co.

With the action coming thick and fast, Slot could make wholesale changes for this one, with as many as eight changes from the weekend victory anticipated.

1 GK – Caoimhin Kelleher

Alisson Becker’s enjoying his routine injury layoff and now we see why FSG were so keen to hold onto Caoimhin Kelleher. The Irishman, 25, has been candid about wanting to be a first-choice goalkeeper, but somehow no teams lodged offers for the £25m-rated talent.

He’ll reprise the role he held at the weekend, and though Liverpool’s frontline caught the eye as Bournemouth were brushed aside, Kelleher made seven saves and underscored his credentials.

2 RB – Conor Bradley

Conor Bradley should be handed his first start of the 2024/25 campaign against West Ham, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to rest up before the weekend clash at Molineux.

He should be up to the task. As per FBref, Bradley ranks among the top 17% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 5% for assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons and the top 6% for tackles won per 90. He’s the complete package.

3 CB – Jarell Quansah

It’s time for Jarell Quansah to return to the team. Slot made the bold call to start the 21-year-old over Ibrahima Konate for Liverpool’s opening fixture against Ipswich Town but hooked him at half-time after frustrations around the squad’s lack of success in the duel.

Make no mistake, he’s a top talent, but Konate is one of the finest defenders in the Premier League when he’s fit and firing. Now, though, the academy graduate has an opportunity to impress his new boss.

4 CB – Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of Liverpool’s campaign so far and that isn’t going to change tomorrow evening.

Liverpool will need the skipper’s colossal presence and galvanising leadership to guide them through a potentially tricky cup tie.

5 LB – Kostas Tsimikas

Joe Gomez will be frustrated with the bit-part role that he has played thus far but Kostas Tsimikas will probably receive the nod over him again for this one.

Tsimikas claimed the assist for Van Dijk’s headed goal against AC Milan one week ago, and he’ll be eager to add his creative flair tomorrow.

6 DM – Wataru Endo

Slotting into the heart of midfield, Wataru Endo will have a chance to show what he can do under Slot’s wing.

The experienced Japan international has lost his place to the dynamic Ryan Gravenberch, but the Dutchman has played every minute of the campaign for club and country and deserves to be rested.

7 CM – Curtis Jones

Curtis Jones was one of the standout’s during Liverpool’s pre-season, but, as is often the case with the Scouse technician, injuries disrupted his flow.

Now, Jones has the perfect chance to shine and prove that his crisp ball-playing ability could

8 CM – Tyler Morton

Look, there’s every chance Alexis Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai retain their starting spots, but there’s so much action and Liverpool have some interesting squad picks – Tyler Morton in one of them.

The academy graduate was praised for being able to “do everything as a midfield player” by former Tigers boss Liam Rosenoir, and this completeness could be key against a sturdy and combative Irons engine room.

9 RW – Federico Chiesa

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot revealed that £12.5m summer signing Federico Chiesa could be ready to earn his first starting berth, having featured off the bench across Liverpool’s past two fixtures.

The protean attacker is athletic, creative and cultured, and he deserves a shot for this one, allowing Mohamed Salah to rest up before the weekend.

10 LW – Cody Gakpo

Luis Diaz is the man of the moment after dismantling Bournemouth’s backline, but let’s not forget about the performance of Cody Gakpo at the San Siro one week ago.

Cody Gakpo: Match Stats vs AC Milan

Stats

#

Minutes played

68′

Goals

0

Assists

1

Touches

43

Shots (on target)

3 (2)

Accurate passes

18/22 (82%)

Key passes

2

Dribbles (completed)

7 (4)

Total duels (won)

11 (7)

Stats via Sofascore

He’s just at his best on the left flank, isn’t he? Gakpo was hailed for his “special skillset” by Pep Lijnders last year and the Kop is starting to see exactly how special the Netherlands star is.

Arsenal could be set to wave goodbye to one of their stars as five clubs circle for his signature, according to a recent report.

Arsenal begin season strongly

Mikel Arteta's side sit fourth in the Premier League over the international break as they look to go one better than their back-to-back runner-up finishes this time around.

Taking maximum points from their opening two games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, they held onto a 1-1 draw with Brighton in their most recent outing after Declan Rice was shown a controversial red card with his side leading 1-0 at the time.

Related 92% passing: National media wowed by Arsenal star playing in different role

He played deeper for his country than he does for the Gunners and put in an excellent display.

Posts 1 ByBen Goodwin Sep 8, 2024

Now, they must face Tottenham Hotspur in a fiery north London derby without their record signing, while summer addition Mikel Merino is also sidelined through a shoulder injury, which leaves Arteta short of options in the middle of the pitch.

It is likely to see a pairing of Jorginho and Thomas Partey behind Martin Odegaard, though both Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have shown the technical ability to play in midfield if required. Another option would be to replace Rice with Kai Havertz, and opt for a much more attacking side with just one "defensive" midfielder on the pitch.

But attention in some quarters remains on transfers despite the UK window shutting amid renewed transfer links surrounding Jorginho and Kieran Tierney. And some are already plotting for the summer of 2025.

Five clubs chase Arsenal man

That comes as CaughtOffside report that five clubs are chasing Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey next summer as they look for a cheap move. Partey was linked with a move away from north London over the summer, but stayed despite reports of Saudi interest.

Quizzed on his midfielder at the end of last season, Arteta dubbed him a "top player" and admitted that Arsenal "need him".

“He’d better have his head here, because we are playing for big things. That’s what we expect. We need him. He’s a top player and important for us, you could see the other day on the pitch the impact that he can have for us.”

Asked about a new contract, Arteta added: “He's our player, he's got one more year's contract and I'm really happy with him.”

But no contract has yet been forthcoming, meaning that Partey is down to the final 12 months of his £200,000 a week deal in north London, a deal that puts him among the club's top earners.

Arsenal's top earners 2024

Player

Weekly wage (via Capology)

Kai Havertz

£280,000

Gabriel Jesus

£265,000

Declan Rice

£240,000

Martin Odegaard

£240,000

Thomas Partey

£200,000

And a report claims that "he’s on the radar of some big names in Europe", with Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona all named as potential destinations alongside Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Ahli.

Perhaps crucially, it is added that Juventus hold "the most concrete interest" and are ready to offer him a three-year contract in Turin, an offer he is unlikely to see in north London.

Having yet to string together an injury-free campaign during his four years at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal may well decide they are best cutting their losses on the £45m signing, and his departure could allow them to sign a younger profile in his position.

Celtic have enjoyed a strong start to the 2024/25 campaign with three wins in three matches in all competitions, the latest of which was a 3-1 win over Hibernian in the League Cup.

The Hoops were knocked out of the competition at that stage last season but goals from Daizen Maeda (two) and Nicolas Kuhn secured the win for Brendan Rodgers.

Two wins in two games in the Scottish Premiership so far also has the reigning champions top of the table in the early stages, despite the lack of transfer activity from the Bhoys.

Rodgers has only added four players to his squad – Viljami Sinisalo, Kasper Schmeichel, Paulo Bernardo, and Adam Idah – and two of those were on loan at Parkhead last term.

Idah is the most recent addition to the playing squad after his £9.5m move from Norwich City was confirmed last week, with an £8.5m rising to £9.5m deal agreed for his services.

The Ireland international spent the second half of last season on loan in Glasgow, though, and Hyeon-gyu Oh – who was part of the squad at the same time – has since moved on.

Celtic's Hyeon-gyu Oh masterclass

In January of 2023, Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign the South Korea international from Suwon Bluewings for a reported fee of £2.5m to bolster his attacking options, as Giorgos Giakoumakis was set to move to the MLS with Atlanta United.

The young marksman enjoyed a decent first five months in Scottish football with a return of six goals in 16 Premiership appearances during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

After that promising start to life in Glasgow, the hope should have been for Oh to kick on and become a reliable performer for the Hoops in his first full season with the club.

However, the 23-year-old struggled to step up under Rodgers, who replaced Postecoglou last summer, and did not improve on his six-goal return from the previous campaign.

Instead, the Northern Irish boss opted to bring Idah in during the winter window and that left Oh as the third-choice behind the Irishman and Kyogo Furuhashi in the pecking order.

Appearances

20

Goals

5

Big chances missed

5

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Key passes per game

0.3

As you can see in the table above, the right-footed attacker was handed 20 appearances in the division to stake a claim for his place and found the back of the net five times, but failed to provide much in the way of creativity for his teammates.

Despite his struggles on the pitch for the Scottish giants, Celtic played a masterclass with Oh as they managed to sell him on for a decent profit this summer.

Belgian side Genk swooped in to sign the 23-year-old striker for a reported fee of £4.5m – £2m more than the Hoops paid Suwon Bluewings for his services 18 months prior.

Celtic could now brilliantly replace Oh as a third-choice centre-forward by signing a player they are reportedly considering a move for this month.

Celtic interested in free agent marksman

According to Football Scotland, the Premiership champions are one of a number of clubs keeping an eye on free agent centre-forward Aaron Connolly.

The Ireland international is currently without a club, having left Hull City at the end of last season, and this means that they would not have to pay a penny in transfer fees to snap him up.

Football Scotland claims that the Bhoys are monitoring his situation and considering whether or not to make a move for the former Brighton & Hove Albion attacker.

Connolly, who was hailed as "improving" by journalist Josh Bunting last season, had attracted interest from the MLS but their transfer window has now closed.

The report does not reveal who else is interested in signing the 24-year-old striker, though, and so it remains to be seen how difficult it will be to complete a deal for him.

However, Rodgers must now push to land the talented attacker on a bargain free transfer before the end of the window in order to brilliantly replace Oh as the third-choice striker at Parkhead.

Why Celtic should sign Aaron Connolly

Firstly, it would be a bargain move for the Scottish giants because he is a free agent. The club raked in £4.5m for Oh and could potentially replace him with a better player who is also only one year older than the South Korean gem, at 24.

Another thing that Connolly immediately has over the Genk striker is that he is a versatile forward who can play in a multitude of roles for Rodgers.

He has played on both flanks, as a second striker, and as an attacking midfielder in his career, which means that the manager could select him on the flank either side of Idah or Kyogo, or in the number ten position behind them.

So, while he may come in as a third-choice striker on paper that does not mean that his minutes will be heavily restricted, as the 24-year-old star can play in several positions.

His form for Hull City in the 2023/24 campaign also suggests that Connolly does not need to start games on a regular basis to make an impact.

Appearances

28

Starts

13

Goals

8

xG

6.62

Conversion rate

20%

As you can see in the table above, the Ireland international struck eight times in the Championship despite only starting 13 of his 28 appearances.

This suggests that he is comfortable with a back-up role and has the right mentality to affect matches from the bench, which would make him an ideal signing for Celtic as a rotation option.

The Irish striker, who scored 31 goals in 42 matches for Brighton at U23 level earlier in his career, showcased his clinical nature in front of goal with eight goals from 6.62 xG.

Rodgers could forget about Kelly in record Celtic swoop for £10m star

The Hoops look set to lose the promising central midfield talent this month.

3 ByDan Emery Aug 20, 2024

This shows that he can also make the most of the chances that are created for him and that is another reason why he could brilliantly replace Oh, who struggled in front of goal for the Hoops.

SLC technical committee chairman Aravinda de Silva shares details of future plans

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Apr-2021Sri Lanka is looking to revive inter-provincial cricket in the latest attempt to create a more competitive first-class structure. Although exact details of the new competition have not been announced, chairman of SLC’s technical committee Aravinda de Silva has hinted that the provincial system will become the premier multi-day competition in the country. The present club system will continue to exist with only minor alterations as well.Provincial cricket has been sporadically attempted in Sri Lanka, but such competitions have largely been short in duration, and have done little to connect with a fan base from the provinces each team is supposed to represent. De Silva suggested the existing first-class clubs (of which there are now 26), may be required to band together in clusters to administer each of these provincial teams. This is an idea that had first been floated in 2015, by Mahela Jayawardene, before a change of leadership at SLC did away with the plan for a cluster system.”We are trying to create another tier in domestic cricket through a provincial tournament,” de Silva said. “What we want to do is make that a stronger four-day competition. In that provincial competition, we will have an “A” tier as well, which will give players opportunities to qualify for development squads. But the main provincial competition will be the feeder for the national team.”We’re trying to create a pathway from the bottom to the top by clustering clubs so that we develop players leaving the school system right to the highest level.”De Silva was adamant that although the existing club system may be trimmed down to three-day matches (at present, clubs play a mixture of three and four-day encounters), and although the number of club matches may be reduced to make way for the provincial tournament, the club system would continue to be an integral part of Sri Lanka’s domestic structure. The club tournament also would not lose its first-class status.”The clubs provide the infrastructure for players who are just out of school, because they get facilities, support and opportunities, to give these players a foundation. Without that foundation – if we get rid of the clubs – it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. The club system has been the foundation for us to develop our cricketers thus far. If we get rid of that system, it will be very difficult for us to bridge that gap. You need somewhere for the 3000-odd cricketers leaving the school system to continue playing.”SLC has made no official announcements on the exact nature of the new domestic structure yet. De Silva’s technical committee working closely with Tom Moody – Sri Lanka’s new director of cricket – to finalise tournament details.The clubs, however, may need to be won over by these new proposals. They have typically been resistant to accept additional first-class competitions that threaten the club structure’s status as the top domestic competition in the country.

MatériaMais Notícias

Rafael Navarro foi um dos principais jogadores do Botafogo na vitória sobre o Brusque, na última quarta-feira, pela Série B do Brasileirão. O atacante marcou dois gols e foi fundamental para o triunfo por 3 a 0, no Estádio Nilton Santos.

RelacionadasBotafogoApós protesto, presidente do Botafogo afirma que pagará um mês de imagens ao elenco na segunda-feiraBotafogo22/10/2021BotafogoHugo comemora recuperação de lesão no Botafogo: ‘Não tem sensação melhor do que estar em campo’Botafogo22/10/2021BotafogoCarli vive maior série de jogos pelo Botafogo na Série B; aproveitamento é de 83% com o argentino em campoBotafogo21/10/2021

+ Botafogo aciona Departamento Jurídico por torcedor que urinou em copo e jogou na direção da torcida

O camisa 99 comemorou o resultado positivo mas, acima de tudo, a atuação do Alvinegro dentro de campo. Em entrevista à “BotafogoTV”, Navarro vibrou com o desempenho do time.

– Noite maravilhosa para mim. Muito feliz por fazer dois gols e ajudar o Botafogo como sempre. Feliz pela atuação da equipe, voltamos a jogar o futebol que a gente jogava. Claro que estou feliz da vida por poder dar três pontos para o Botafogo – afirmou.

Navarro foi o primeiro jogador a conseguir 20 participações para gols – bolas na rede e assistências – na Série B do Brasileirão. É o atleta líder neste quesito.

Bangladesh’s management is yet to decide on who will open with Tamim Iqbal against West Indies as one half of Bangladesh’s opening batting continues to be a riddle. The toss-up this time is between Shadman Islam, who has been out for more than a year due to a wrist injury after playing six Tests, and Saif Hassan, the 22-year old who had played Bangladesh’s last Test against Zimbabwe in February 2020.But neither has nailed down the position with any conviction, nor has any of the other opener in the last five years. Tamim has had six different opening partners in the last six years, out of the eleven opening pairs during this period. It is in stark contrast with the rest of the batting order where most of the batsmen have been consistent fixtures.Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said he will discuss the position with the selectors before they take a final decision, but he was certain about the middle-order, with the good news that Shakib Al Hasan is getting close to full fitness after a recent groin niggle.”The batting order needs some discussions,” Domingo said on Monday. “I have got an idea of who is going to bat at No 3, 4, 5 and 6. Obviously we need to have final discussions with the selectors later today, about the opening spot to go with Tamim. We have a few options. Saif played the last Test and before him, Shadman was the man in that position before he broke his finger.”Shakib is an important player for us with his batting and bowling. He is a world-class allrounder who is very difficult to replace in any format. Preparations for him hasn’t been easy after picking up a groin niggle in the last ODI. He has gone through his rehab. He is still not 100 per cent but he has a day or so, but we are pretty confident that he will be ready for the first Test. He has worked really hard on his rehab. He is not feeling too much discomfort, so we are confident that he will be ready to play.”Domingo, however, was slightly more clear about the sort of bowling attack he is about to choose, judging from the pitches that he has seen at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. “We have some exciting new fast bowlers coming through… but looking at the wickets in Chattogram, the pace bowlers don’t seem to be too much of a threat. It is an unfortunate thing. It just seems to be the nature of the wicket. We have to make sure we play to our strengths.”We are very committed to get some fast bowlers through the system. We have showed that in our one-day side where we are trying to develop our fast bowling stock. When we go away from home, they will be crucially important for us.”But we also can’t be stupid to pick out-and-out pace attacks when you are playing on wickets that don’t offer them anything. It is also very difficult for bowlers to make debuts on these type of pitches. We will make a final decision on the make-up of the team, once we have seen the pitch one day before the Test,” he said.Among the pace bowlers, Domingo said that Mustafizur Rahman developing the inswinger to the right-hander gives him a headstart for Test match selection.”I think I have said months ago that Mustafizur will struggle in Tests until he swings the ball back into the right-hander. He has worked really hard with our bowling coach to make sure he gets the shape more consistently. I am sure you can see from his white-ball performances that he has been able to do that. It is still not a 100 per cent consistent but there has been a big improvement in the way he is shaping the ball.”He is an experienced and quality performer. He is a left-armer, which is a variety. He can also create some rough outside the right-hander’s off-stump for our offspinners to come into the game. He is definitely an option going into this Test. I definitely see him as part of our Test team going forward, after the improvement we have seen in the last eight or nine months,” said Domingo.He, however, pointed out that taking the West Indies side lightly would be dangerous for Bangladesh. “I definitely think this will be a closely-contested event. West Indies have some quality cricketers in their side. If we take them lightly, it will be at our own peril. They have some wonderful cricketers in the side.”(Kraigg) Brathwaite has been a consistent performer for them. Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach are world-class bowlers. We are by no means complacent. We know that they are a formidable side under any conditions. We will have to be on our A-game to compete and come out on the right side of the result against them,” said Domingo.

After previous windows were hamstrung by financial sanctions, it now appears that Nottingham Forest can finally open their chequebook this summer.

Forest finally ready to splash the cash

The latest news out of the City Ground has centred around some of the fresh faces linked with a move to Nuno Espírito Santo's side. Indeed, Kelechi Iheanacho is the latest name who could be making his way to Nottingham, with the former Leicester City striker currently a free agent after failing to agree a new contract at the King Power stadium.

Nottingham Forest now set to seal another 7-figure signing after Anderson

Forest have wasted no time…

ByTom Cunningham Jul 3, 2024

If they are to agree a deal for the Nigerian striker they will have to stave off interest from Champions League side Aston Villa.

The big question for the summer however will be whether Morgan Gibbs-White will remain at the club next season. Whilst rumours of the midfielder's departure have cooled off in recent weeks, there is still every chance that the once linked Tottenham Hotspur could reignite their interest in the player.

With Forest finally ready to spend big on new players this summer, it appears that the club have been linked with a big-money move for a new defender.

Forest ready to spend big to get target

As reported by French football news website Foot01, a report in The Athletic on Monday claimed that Forest are very interested in a deal for Lyon defender Jake O'Brien. The outlet goes on to claim that Forest's interest is so great that the club are willing to spend the £30million figure that Lyon owner John Textor wants for the player.

This figure is seen as a "crazy" fee by the French outlet, who describe it as a massive increase on the rumoured £1million figure that Lyon spent to sign O'Brien from Crystal Palace just one year ago.

This news comes just days after the two clubs agreed a £27million transfer for Forest defender Moussa Niakhate to join Lyon. With the two clubs now in communication with one and another, it feels highly likely that they will be able to strike up another deal.

O'Brien has enjoyed something of a meteoric rise since he joined the French outfit from Crystal Palace last summer. In his maiden campaign for Lyon, the Irish defender featured 32 times in all competitions, cementing himself as an important part of the side that finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season.

The 23-year-old's exploits on the domestic stage earned O'Brien his first caps for the Irish national team in June 2024. Speaking on O'Brien's development, Ireland's interim coach John O'Shea spoke highly of the player. telling the press: “As I think Jake mentioned himself, the growth he’s had in terms of his footballing knowledge over the last year to 18 months has been fantastic.

“He has settled in well into the group. The level he is playing at is really high. But obviously the level of competition we have in that area of the pitch is very good, so just carry on with what he is doing, hopefully."

With Niakhate on his way out of the City Ground, signing O'Brien would be an excellent move from Forest ahead of next season.