تحدث أحمد حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الثاني، عن الأزمة التي حدثت مؤخرًا على الساحة الرياضية، بشأن فيديو عصام الحضري معه.
وكان عصام الحضري مدرب حراس منتخب مصر الثاني نشر فيديو عبر صفحته على “فيس بوك”، بصحبة أحمد حسن، واصفًا إياه بـ”العميد الأصلي”، في إشارة فسّرها البعض على أنها مقارنة مع حسام حسن المدير الفني للمنتخب الأول.
وقال حسن خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت” لبرنامج “ملعب أون”: “عصام الحضري من سنة يكرر نفس الكلمة وهذا مزاح، والجميع يعلمه”.
طالع | عصام الحضري يعتذر لـ حسام حسن: لدينا “عميدان”
وأضاف: “نحن في مهمة وطنية ومن وقت أن تولينا مسؤولية المنتخب للمشاركة ببطولة العرب، نتقبل النقد، لكن عندما ياخذ أحد عليك لقطة (ويعيش عليك دور الوطنية) أقول له توقف، ليس أحمد حسن والحضري الذي تقوم بعمل لقطة عليهما، إذا كنت تريد أن تعطي نصيحة تحدث معي، إنما الموضوع يذهب إلي طريق آخر، ويقال إننا نريد الهدم”.
وأردف: “إن شاء الله يمر المعسكر ثم بعد ذلك نرى ماذا سيحدث، في كل من يحاول أن ياخذ لقطة، نحن ليس في معركة”.
واستطرد: “نركز حاليًا مع منتخب مصر المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب، وأشكر اللاعبين على الانضباط والالتزام وهم على قدر المسؤولية، وفي مباراة تونس كانوا جيدين في الشوط الأول والثاني كانت توجد بعض الأخطاء أيضًا”.
وأتم: “اتفاقي مع الكابتن حلمي طولان، إن المنتخب سينافس في بطولة كأس العرب، لكن في النهاية نحن نجهز اللاعبين لـ حسام حسن، الجميع لا بد أن يفهم أن المنتخبين يكملان بعضهما، وإذا حسام حسن طلب أي لاعب فله الأولوية”.
ويستعد منتخب مصر الثاني بقيادة حلمي طولان، للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب المقرر إقامتها في بداية شهر ديسمبر المقبل، في قطر.
Talks are now underway as Aston Villa look to complete the signing of a “world-class” player this summer, according to a new transfer update.
Asensio happy to stay at Aston Villa
Unai Emery’s side ultimately missed out on Champions League qualification this season, but it was still another productive campaign overall, with loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio making a good impression.
The 29-year-old Spaniard added proven quality and end product to Villa’s attack, scoring three goals in the Premier League and Champions League, and he spoke of his admiration for Emery.
“Unai is a coach that I’ve known for a while. He’s had a great career, he’s a top coach, he’s been key in me being able to come here because of his idea of how he wants to play football. I love it, it suits me perfectly and he’s a really important person as to why I’m here right now.”
Thankfully, Asensio is reportedly open to staying put at Villa and signing for good this summer, which will go down well with many supporters, considering the impact former Real Madrid man has made at times. Now, a new update has provided further news on the situation.
New Asensio to Aston Villa update emerges
According to Birmingham World, Aston Villa have held talks with PSG over the permanent signing of Asensio this summer, in a positive update. The Villans are “eager” to snap him up as soon as possible, no doubt to ensure that another team doesn’t get there first, and it is even claimed that Emery is “obsessed with the idea” of retaining his services.
Villa signing Asensio permanently is a no-brainer, with the Spain international still very much in his peak years, and capable of being a talismanic attacking player moving forward.
The £6m-a-year attacker is a match-winning footballer with a winning mentality, having scored in the 2017 Champions League final and won the competition three times during his Madrid days, and Matthew Upson has heaped praise on him.
“Marco Asensio is clever in where he positions himself. It’s a nightmare really. He comes on the pitch, and he has the knack to pick up the right areas. You need to get yourself in a mentality that, when it’s your turn to play your part, you’re at your best, and you’re delivering. That’s what world-class players do. He’s in that bracket. He’s a great signing for Villa, and he’s going to play a big part in the exciting finish to the season they have ahead.”
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Signing Asensio would feel like a statement of intent by Villa, showing that they are capable of tying down world-renowned players on a permanent basis, even without Champions League football.
Hopefully, he can play a huge part in the next three or four years, potentially even becoming one of the Villans’ best attacking players of the Premier League era.
Although their focus has been on finding a new manager, Rangers are now reportedly seriously interested in signing a European talent who they’ve already scouted ahead of the summer transfer window.
Rangers' manager shortlist
Before anything, the Gers must finally find a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, having decided against handing Barry Ferguson the job following a brief interim spell at the end of the season. To that end, a number of candidates have unsurprisingly already emerged in the race to land the vaccant position at Ibrox.
Names such as Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti have stolen the most headlines, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Russell Martin from receiving links to the job in recent weeks. The former Southampton manager has been out of a job since being shown the door at St Mary’s and is now an outside candidate to arrive in Scotland as well as being linked with the Leicester City job.
Plenty have had their say on just who should arrive, including Rangers legend Ally McCoist. He told reporters when quizzed on Gerrard’s next move: “It’s absolutely vital that his next job is the right one, It didn’t quite work out at Villa or in Saudi Arabia. It’s similar to Frank Lampard—his move to Coventry has been crucial in getting his managerial career back on track. Steven’s in that same position. His next step needs to be spot on.”
Whether a return to Rangers is a move that would be “spot on” for Gerrard is a question that those in Scotland may just get an answer to in the coming weeks, as the 49ers ramp up their managerial hunt.
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As soon as they find their next manager, of course, Rangers must turn their attention towards the summer transfer market and that’s when they could make their move to sign an attacking addition who they’ve already scouted.
Rangers seriously interested in Djurgarden winger Fallenius
According to Fotboll Direkt in Sweden, the 49ers are now seriously interested in signing Oskar Fallenius after Rangers completed their scouting mission on the 23-year-old Djurgarden winger. The Swede could be part of a much-needed list of arrivals as those at Ibrox look to turn their side back into true title contenders and bridge the gap on Celtic in the process.
A player who has featured on the European stage and scored in the Europa Conference League, Fallenius has seemingly done enough to earn the attention of Rangers ahead of the summer transfer window.
If the 49ers are looking to improve the Gers whilst maintaining their budget, then the arrival of a player who could be on the verge of bursting into his best form should be the way forward. And Fallenius would fall into that category.
The Scottish giants arguably got it all wrong last summer, but with new owners on the way they have the chance to start fresh and close the gap on Celtic for the first time since 2021. Whether that results in Fallenius’ arrival will certainly be interesting to see.
Ask Arsenal fans what it is they need this summer, and the most common answer you’ll get is a striker.
No players hit double digits for Premier League goals in Mikel Arteta’s squad this season, whereas Arne Slot had three players manage the feat, with Mohamed Salah racking up an unreal 29.
Such an evident weakness in the squad has seen the club linked with a host of incredible strikers over the last few months, and while Alexander Isak is undoubtedly at the top of most supporters’ wishlists, his supposed £150m price tag now looks secure as ever following Newcastle United’s qualification for the Champions League on Sunday.
However, while the Swede may be out of reach, recent reports have linked the Gunners with another exciting centre-forward who has won comparisons to him, a centre-forward who’d be a significant Kai Havertz upgrade.
Arsenal's striker search
While it might not always feel like it, there are quite a few strikers who could be on the market this summer, and plenty of them have been touted for moves to Arsenal, such as Viktor Gyokeres and Joao Pedro.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former has long been linked with the Gunners and could finally be available for close to £63m in the coming weeks, which might just be a steal considering he’s racked up a sublime haul of 54 goals and 13 assists in 52 games for Sporting CP this season.
On the other hand, Pedro might be a harder transfer to justify, as while his tally of ten goals and seven assists in 30 games is impressive, his supposed £100m price tag feels exorbitant.
Brighton & Hove Albion'sJoaoPedroin action with Manchester City's Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov
Fortunately, another striker has now been linked with the North Londoners, someone compared to the incredible Isak: Nick Woltemade.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of a handful of clubs incredibly keen on the German forward.
The report claims that Arsenal and Serie A champions Napoli have already made contact with VfB regarding the talented goalscorer, while the likes of Atlético Madrid and West Ham United are currently keeping tabs on the situation.
On top of getting ahead of the competition, the North Londoners would have to stump up around €50m to secure the 23-year-old’s signature, which is about £42m.
VfB Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade in action with Bayern Munich's JoaoPalhinhaand Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae
It might not be the big-name signing some fans want, but on top of the comparisons to Newcastle’s superstar striker, Woltemade would be an upgrade on Havertz.
How Woltemade compares to Isak & Havertz
Before we take a look at how Woltemade stacks up against Havertz, the man he could replace at Arsenal, it’s worth examining this comparison to Isak and where it has come from.
Newcastle United's AlexanderIsakcelebrates scoring their first goal
In this instance, it stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, before creating a list of the ten most comparable players.
By doing this, it has been concluded that the Swedish international is the second most similar forward to the German across the last 365 days.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.70
0.70
Progressive Passes
2.89
2.88
Shots on Target
1.28
1.34
Switches
0.11
0.10
Goal-Creating Actions
0.55
0.46
Successful Take-Ons %
43.7%
46.2%
The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, switches, progressive passes, goal-taking actions and more, all per 90.
With his similarities to the Toon star cleared up, how does he stack up against the Gunners’ number 29?
Well, when it comes to their raw output, which is ultimately what matters most for a striker, it is the “exceptional” Stuttgart star, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out on top.
For example, in 33 appearances, totalling 2039 minutes this term, the Bremen-born poacher scored 17 goals and provided three assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.65 games, or every 101.95 minutes.
In contrast, the former Chelsea ace has scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 36 appearances, totalling 2809 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 140.45 minutes.
Ultimately, Havertz could still be an incredibly useful player next season, but as things stand, Woltemade looks to the superior striker, and therefore, Arsenal should do what they can to sign him this summer.
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Aston Villa now want to sign an “incredible” Barcelona player this summer, with Unai Emery believed to be a big fan, according to a report.
Villa eyeing new striker amid Watkins uncertainty
Ollie Watkins has been one of Villa’s key players for quite some time, with the England international reaching the 15-goal mark for the third campaign on the spin this season, underlining his importance to the side.
Season
Premier League appearances
Goals
2022-23
37
15
2024-24
37
19
2024-25
37
16
However, given the level of Watkins’ performances, the striker is attracting attention from some rival Premier League clubs ahead of the summer transfer window, with the likes of Chelsea and long-term admirers Arsenal being named as potential suitors.
The 29-year-old has also had issues with Emery at times this season, admitting he was furious about being largely uninvolved in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, saying: “I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn’t playing – I let him [Unai Emery] know that.”
Watkins has since returned to the team, suggesting the pair have settled their differences, but a new report has now revealed that Aston Villa still want to sign a striker this summer, emerging as potential suitors for Barcelona’s Ferran Torres.
FC Barcelona'sFerranTorresin action
Emery is a big fan of Torres, who joined Barca for €55m (£46m) back in 2021, and there has been a long-standing belief that the forward would be a good fit for the Villans’ style of play.
That said, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has suggested the 25-year-old is unlikely to leave the La Liga champions this summer, having featured regularly throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
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ByBrett Worthington May 19, 2025 "Incredible" Torres impressing for Barcelona
It is no surprise the forward may be tempted to remain at the Camp Nou beyond this summer, fresh off the back of winning the La Liga title, as he was very impressive right the way through the 2024-25 season, during which he predominantly featured in the role of striker.
The former Manchester City man picked up 19 goals and seven assists across a total of 45 matches in all competitions, while placing in the top 1% for assists per 90 over the past year, when compared to other forwards.
The Spain international has also impressed at international level in the past, scoring 21 goals for his country, including one en-route to his side’s Euro 2024 triumph last summer.
Once lauded as “incredible” by former manager Pep Guardiola, Torres could be a top signing for almost any Premier League side, but it may be difficult for Villa to prise him away from Barcelona, given his importance to Hansi Flick’s side last season.
Chelsea are now favourites to sign a £148m star ahead of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, despite the latter’s bottomless financial power, and talks have already been over a move for the player.
Chelsea transfer plans amid tight Champions League race
Enzo Maresca and co face off against top-five rivals Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon, knowing a win at St James’ Park will give them an almighty boost in their chase for Champions League qualification.
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Both Chelsea and Newcastle are neck-and-neck in the table, level on both points and goal difference, with nothing separating either side – so this will be a very tough one to call for onlookers.
Eddie Howe’s men boast the home advantage, but Chelsea will be in good spirits after an excellent run of form and their win over English champions Liverpool last weekend. It is a truly mouth-watering clash, and one which even has the power to have an effect on Chelsea’s summer transfer plans this summer.
Newcastle (away)
May 11th
Man United (home)
May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)
May 25th
This is because qualification for the Champions League is intertwined with the club’s recruitment drive, as per Maresca himself in a recent press conference, and a top-five finish is seen as vital when it comes to Chelsea’s aims for the window.
According to reports, Chelsea are aiming to sign a new winger among their chief priorities, and BlueCo already have their eyes on a host of targets.
Talks have already been held over a move for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, while reports this week also indicate that Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho is still a target for Chelsea as well.
As well as the aforementioned duo, links to AC Milan star Rafael Leao continue to be fairly strong.
Chelsea ahead of Al-Nassr in race for Rafael Leao after initial talks
The Portugal international’s contract includes a £148 million release clause, which is active for around 10 days in July, but clubs are likely to negotiate a price lower than this pretty seismic figure.
As per CaughtOffside, Chelsea have held initial talks over signing Leao, and despite interest from Al-Nassr, the Blues have an advantage over them. The outlet reports that Leao wants to stay in Europe, which puts them ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s side, and as things stand, Chelsea are the “most advanced” when it comes to any kind of agreement for his signature.
AC Milan's RafaelLeao
Arsenal are in the mix as well, but they view the winger as more of an alternative to Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.
Leao has been a star player for Milan since joining them from Lille, with former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham branding the forward an “unstoppable” force on his day.
“Leao is a very important player for us,” said Abraham to Italian media.
“I don’t think he knows how good he is. He can win games on his own, on his day, he is unstoppable. We have to fill him with confidence and bring him on our path.”
Liverpool find themselves on the cusp of Premier League glory and have now turned their attention to a prolific striker on the market, per reports.
Liverpool set to cement themselves as champions ahead of busy summer
Since arriving at Anfield, Arne Slot has earned due adulation as his side canter towards a second top-flight title of the modern era, which will undoubtedly raise levels of expectation heading into next season.
Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have committed their futures to Liverpool and have played a major role in upholding standards while on Merseyside. Still, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s uncertain situation threatens to become a sizeable blow should he depart for Real Madrid.
Work has to be done in the market this summer if the Reds want to retain their impending status as Premier League champions next term. Their rivals will likely tool up in the off-season to bolster squad depth in the face of a heavy fixture schedule.
Looking to make a statement, Liverpool are confident they can beat Manchester United to Hugo Ekitike after finding out that a fee of £80 million could secure his signature from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is a known Reds target amid his rapid rise to prominence, and talks have been held with his camp over the last few weeks.
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For now, finishing the season with a flourish will be the priority before celebrations begin after Liverpool win the title. Slot and company will enjoy the moment, though there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes to ensure they aren’t knocked off their perch.
Planning for the future, the Reds boss now has a prolific marksman in his sights who could be the man to spearhead their attack come 2025/26.
Liverpool ready to strike for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins
According to Football Insider, Liverpool are closely monitoring Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins amid fears that they could be priced out of a move for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak. Marcus Rashford moving to Villa Park on a permanent basis could free up the England international, who has dropped to the bench in recent weeks as opposed to being a regular starter.
Ollie Watkins’ key statistics in Premier League – 2024/25
Goals
14
Assists
6
Non-penalty XG
12.68
Chances created
21
Shots on target
35
Touches in opposition box
154
Labelled “terrific” by Phil Jones, Watkins has scored 165 goals in 455 career games and is firmly in his peak, which has also brought Arsenal to the table.
The outlet claim Luiz Diaz could be sold to create room for the former Brentford man on Merseyside. Liverpool may be tempted by a bid north of £60 million, with the Saudi Pro League emerging as the Colombian’s most likely destination.
Either way, there could be sizeable changes on the way at Anfield as the Reds go all out to retain their spot at the top of the English pyramid next campaign.
He has been one of the star performers in the domestic circuit in the recent past, and has done his bit to put Central Zone in pole position to win the Duleep Trophy title
Ashish Pant15-Sep-2025In the last 12 months, no offspinner has more wickets in first-class cricket in India than Saransh Jain’s 44. Add to that his 311 runs, and he is one of just four players with the double of 300-plus runs and 40-plus wickets in the last one year. In a country with an abundance of left-arm orthodox spinners, Jain falls in the rare category of an offspin-bowling allrounder. And often, he’s been the difference in bowling attacks for whichever team he has played for.Think back to the Irani Trophy last year when, playing for Rest of India, he picked up 6 for 121 in Mumbai’s second innings, which included the wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan.Or in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy semi-final, where he beat Ruturaj Gaikwad in flight and had him stumped on 184, finishing with eight wickets for the match.Related
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In the final as well, Jain’s flight and dip, coupled with his high-arm action, troubled the South Zone batters in the first innings as he returned 5 for 49. And then, in the second innings, he added three more to his tally to make it 16 wickets for the tournament, taking Central Zone to the doorstep of a first Duleep Trophy title in 11 years.”I am pleased that I have given a good performance in both these matches because it is very important,” Jain, now 32, told ESPNcricinfo after the fourth day’s play in the final. “The season starts with the Duleep Trophy, so the momentum that you get here carries through the season.”If you remember, I also had a good performance in the Irani tournament last year. See, the thing is, if you want to get highlighted, you need to give back-to-back performances. Only then will the national selectors look at you and select you.”A key feature of Jain’s bowling is adapting to different situations. In the semi-final on the black-soil surface of Ground B of the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he varied his pace and got the ball to skid, apart from deceiving the batters in the air.On the opening day of the final, on realising he was extracting extra bounce, he gave the ball a lot more air, getting it to grip and jump. Then, on the fourth day, when Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth were involved in a 192-run seventh-wicket stand, he was prepared to take a step back and play the containing role, waiting for the batters to make a mistake.
“When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat [Patidar] and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly”Saransh Jain
“I have been playing cricket for a long time, so I have faced such situations,” Jain said of his fourth-day tactics. “We were not panicking. This happens in cricket. We can’t always have all five days going our way. One session, one-odd day, can belong to the opposition as well.”We were fine with them having a few sessions going their way. It is not that tough a wicket where the runs wouldn’t get scored. Our main aim was to not leak too many runs. We just wanted to take the game as deep as possible as we were already on top.”A major reason behind Central Zone’s dominance in the final has been the partnership between Jain and Kumar Kartikeya, the duo – who have played for Madhya Pradesh together for a long time – picking up 16 of the 20 South Zone wickets to fall.”We have a clear mindset,” Jain said. “If he bowls well, I support him. And vice-versa. And if he is having an off day, or I am having an off day, we tell each other where we are going wrong. We give each other a lot of input.”Like Rajat [Patidar] and Shubham [Sharma] are my batting partners, Kartikeya is my bowling partner, and has been for a long time.”Saransh Jain punches the ball away during his half-century in the Duleep Trophy final•PTI While bowling is Jain’s stronger suit, he takes a lot of pride in his batting. He said he talked a lot with his Madhya Pradesh team-mates Patidar and Shubham on how to improve his skills and trained a lot. In the last 12 months, Jain has scored three first-class fifties, including back-to-back half-centuries in the Duleep Trophy semi-final and final.”I have liked batting since childhood. If you want to play cricket as a spinner, you can’t just be a bowler. You have to be a proper batter,” Jain said. “I have opened the batting, played at No. 3 in the Ranji Trophy, in a semi-final [against Bengal in 2022-23], and have scored runs.”When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly.”Jain had won the Lala Amarnath Award for the best allrounder in the Ranji Trophy after the 2022-23 season. With the next Ranji season a month away, it’s a feat he said he wanted to repeat in his quest for the bigger goal, which is “to see the India logo on my jersey”.
His strong presence at the top has allowed his opening partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz to attack, and given the middle order a platform
Firdose Moonda29-Oct-2023At least, there will no net run-rate calculations here, and already it is “the best ever tournament for us in the World Cup history”, as Hashmatullah Shahidi put it. But it can get even better for Afghanistan.With more wins at this World Cup than the previous two combined and on the same number of points as three other teams, the semi-finals are still a possibility – albeit an outside one – and finishing in the top seven is very much within sight. The latter is of increasing importance because, as ESPNcricinfo confirmed on Sunday, it will guarantee a place in the eight-team Champions Trophy 2025. To be among the elite has always been Afghanistan’s goal and so far, they have shown that they are getting closer.Their victories over England and Pakistan were not just a takedown of teams that are bigger and have better resources than them, but were achieved in opposite ways to show that Afghanistan are dangerous in both departments.Related
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Afghanistan jubilant after historic win against Pakistan
Afghanistan and Sri Lanka hope to keep faint semi-final dreams alive
In Delhi, they defended what was considered a below-par score of 284 and kept England to 215; in Chennai, they completed their highest successful chase in ODIs and the highest against Pakistan at a World Cup. What was common to both results was the responsibility Afghanistan have placed on their young opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. The two 21-year-olds shared century stands on both occasions and have settled into a yang and yin style of play that, when it comes off, works.Gurbaz is the natural aggressor and tends to score quicker than Ibrahim, who seems to have moulded his one-day game on the foundations of his Test game, which is the format he made his international debut in. From an early age, Ibrahim was seen as a player with the temperament to bat for long periods of time. Against England, he took an hour and 13 minutes and faced 48 balls for 28 runs but provided steadiness while Gurbaz hit 80 off 57. Against Pakistan, in a tense situation given they were chasing, he scored at a quicker clip but still allowed Gurbaz to dominate with a 53-ball 65. He ended up with a match-winning 87 after spending more than two-and-a-half hours in the middle.Together, they are the only opening pair to have put on two century stands at this tournament and it comes from familiarity and form. “There have been many times Gurbaz and I had a brilliant partnership together. We’ve played a lot together, since Under-16 times, and we have good communication,” Ibrahim said after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award for the Pakistan game. “It was another good start. The Pakistan bowlers gave us some tough times but the way Gurbaz gave me support helped me play well.”All that is not to say Ibrahim doesn’t have an attacking game of his own. He is a strong ball-striker whose standout feature is timing rather than power, and he has only hit one six compared to 22 fours in the tournament so far. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, Ibrahim’s most productive shot is the cover drive – he has scored 46 runs off 43 balls in the tournament playing that stroke – followed by the cut and the square drive, illustrative of his strong off-side play.Against England, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 79 in the first ten overs – the most for Afghanistan in ODI World Cups•ICC/Getty ImagesAll that sets him up well to show off his skills against Sri Lanka, a team that he has (good) history against. Ibrahim was the leading run-scorer in Afghanistan’s recent series against Sri Lanka – and top-scored with 98 in the game they won – and has scored two of his four hundreds against them. It’s an opposition he seems to enjoy playing against and he has shown an aptitude for rising to important occasions in general. Importantly, he has done his bit in providing a platform to a somewhat shaky middle-order that, Shahidi recognised, relies on the young opening pair. “When our team gives us good momentum, we try to take that momentum, move forward and we think about that,” Shahidi said at the pre-match press conference.He gave nothing else away, including how he has re-found his own touch: “I talked with the coach Jonathan [Trott] about my batting and he gave me a good idea. I can’t share it here”; or how he is going to manage his array of spinners: “I will not tell you that”; but he was clear that the consistency in selection Afghanistan have had over the last two years is starting to pay off.Ibrahim was first picked for them in 2019, as a teenager, and with the pandemic pausing fixtures for about two years after that, has spent the last two years cementing his spot at the top. At 21, he has already become the fastest Afghanistan batter to 1000 ODI runs – in 24 innings – and has the best average among all their ODI batters: 49.27. In 2020, he was identified as one of ESPNcricinfo’s 20 players for the 2020s and three years into the decade he is proving to be a good choice.Then, he said his wish was to help the children of his country, through sport or education. He has since displayed both maturity and awareness of the difficulties facing compatriots including the devastation of the recent earthquake and the struggles of many Afghan migrants. His runs won’t materially change their lives but it may provide a sliver of sunshine in otherwise dark times.
Managing his own workload, a team in transition, and finding a refreshed ODI strategy are on the list
Alex Malcolm13-Apr-2022Maintain the Test rage on the road Australia waltzed through the Ashes 4-0 under Justin Langer but their patchy Test form prior to that was part of what made Langer vulnerable to the internal and external criticism that ultimately contributed to his exit. Australia have started brightly under McDonald with a 1-0 away win in Pakistan. It was Australia’s first Test series win in Asia since 2011 and their first away series victory anywhere since 2016. McDonald is keen for this current Test team to be known as Pat Cummins’ team and one that he will simply support. But the strategy that he helped implement paid off in Pakistan, and Australia now have the challenge of replicating it in Sri Lanka in July and India next year if they want to play in the World Test Championship final.Related
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Defend the T20 title The only thing harder than winning a T20 World Cup is defending it and Australia face the unique challenge of needing to do it just 12 months after last year’s triumph in the UAE. The advantage is that it comes in home conditions. The challenge is that Australia will need to improve again. There are questions surrounding the form of captain Aaron Finch, but McDonald is in no doubt he is the man to lead Australia at the World Cup. The emergence of Josh Inglis in the middle order, while the form of Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott in Pakistan, as well as the possibility of using Tim David as a lower-order hitter, creates both options and headaches in terms of what is the best team structure and strategy for Australia to win the title in Australia. Preparation may also be an issue given their best side might not play much together ahead of the tournament. But that wasn’t an issue last year.Finding a 50-over formula ODI cricket was the least prioritised format during Langer’s tenure. Australia struggled in the lead-up to the 2019 ODI World Cup but found a way to be very competitive in the tournament only to be blown away by a far superior England side in the semi-final. From then on it was an afterthought. The ODI team has played well during the pandemic but has largely used second-choice players as Australia’s stars rested for key Test and T20I assignments. But Australia now only have 18 months to prepare for an ODI World Cup in India. They did have an extraordinary ODI series win in India in 2019 courtesy of a magical chase in Mohali. But they have lost four of their last five ODI series there and were bounced out of the 2011 World Cup in the quarter-final. The brand of cricket Australia played in 2019 was behind the times. McDonald and Australia need a refreshed strategy ahead of the 2023 tournament.McDonald has to manage a Test team in transition•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesA team in transition At the end of the 2023 World Cup, even before that, there could be a big turnover of players in all three forms. Finch and David Warner are unlikely to continue after the 2023 World Cup. Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja will be 35 and 36 respectively at the end of the 2023 Ashes. Matthew Wade could also finish his international career at the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup while a host of other players will be heading towards their mid-30s. McDonald and the selectors will need to manage all of the exits carefully while getting younger players up to international level quickly in order to keep producing results heading into the second half of his four-year contract.Managing the coaching workload Langer did rest for three series during his four-year tenure, although one, the 2021 T20I tour of New Zealand, only came about because the simultaneous Test tour to South Africa was cancelled. Australia have a relentless schedule coming up over the next 18 months and it will be impossible for McDonald to coach every assignment. He has already put in place a strategy with CA to rest for certain white-ball series in that period and wants to elevate assistants and consultants during that time to increase the depth in Australian coaching. The idea is a good one, the execution is the challenge.Relinquishing the reins and empowering an assistant to take full control is never an easy thing for any coach to do. McDonald has stressed it is possible provided the right personalities work together towards a common goal of making the team better across all forms. In the age of working remotely, it is also possible for coaches to still be of value to the team environment while working from home for short periods, provided the communication lines are open and the leadership structures are clear.