The allrounder returned a positive result when he was tested upon arrival at the team hotel in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2022Pakistan’s selection frustrations in the Australia series are set to continue after allrounder Faheem Ashraf tested positive for Covid-19, days away from the second Test against Australia in Karachi. That rules out Ashraf for another Test – the second of the three-match series begins on Saturday.Ashraf tested positive on arrival at the team hotel in Karachi on Wednesday. He will now be placed in isolation for the next five days. Pakistan will take a call in due course on whether they need to replace him – give they are already traveling with a couple of replacement players in the squad.Related

Pakistan lose Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf to injury for first Australia Test

Ramiz Raja: Rawalpindi draw 'wasn't a good advertisement for Test cricket'

Ashraf missed the first Test in Rawalpindi – Australia’s first in over 23 years in the country – with a hamstring injury he had picked towards the end of the PSL season with Islamabad United. Ashraf has been one of Pakistan’s star Test performers over the last year, scoring important runs at number seven and providing more than handy support to a four-man attack.Such has been his importance that Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, all but admitted on Wednesday that Ashraf’s absence – as well as that of a couple of other players was one of the reasons the Rawalpindi pitch was made so lifeless.Pakistan called up Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah in the first Test to cover for the absences of Ashraf and Hasan Ali – the latter, a key prong of their pace attack – missed out because of an adductor strain, also picked up during the PSL. Both Iftikhar and Naseem played, though the former – ostensibly a direct replacement for Ashraf – only bowled three overs.Pakistan are confident that Hasan will be fit for the second Test, allowing them to bring back an opening pair that took over 80 Test wickets last year and were the second and third-highest wicket-takers for the year.The rest of Pakistan’s squad returned negative tests, meaning that Haris Rauf is back in contention for selection. Rauf missed the first Test after testing positive for Covid-19.

He also defended Pakistan’s performance at the Women’s World Cup, and called for a stronger domestic women’s structure

Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2022

The Pakistan Super League could ditch the draft system, which it has operated under since its inception, as early as next year, with PCB chairman Ramiz Raja keen to replace it with an auction. At the National Stadium in Karachi, Ramiz said Pakistan needed to “elevate the concept” of the PSL, and an auction system could provide it the financial clout to rival the IPL.”We need to create new properties to be financially independent. We have nothing for now but the PSL and ICC funds. There’s an argument over the model from next year; I want to switch it to an auction model from next year,” he said. “The market forces are conducive, but we’ll sit down with the franchise owners to discuss it.”This is a game of money. When the cricket economy grows in Pakistan, our respect will rise. The main driver of that financial economy is the PSL. If we take the PSL to auction model, increase the purse, then I’ll put it in the IPL bracket. And then we’ll see who goes to play the IPL over the PSL.”The financial health of individual franchises and the willingness of the owners to invest further capital into their sides will go a long way to gauging support for the dramatic shift in the PSL’s model. When the league was launched, the PCB opted for a draft system over an auction to afford similar opportunities to franchises with inferior financial clout, preventing them from being locked out of acquiring the best talent because of an inability to pay for it. The draft was designed to allow every side a chance to assemble as strong a squad as possible, with the egalitarianism allowing more competition.That theory has, so far, worked in practice. It has taken just seven years for all six sides to win the competition at least once. In an auction system, most famously employed by the IPL, it would be up to the individual franchises to compete for the signature of every player, with the side willing to offer the most lucrative salary securing their services. The IPL does have a mechanism to level the playing field, however, with all teams assigned the same spending purse at the auction. Teams were allowed a purse of INR 90 crore (USD 12 million approx) at the 2022 auction.’We want to regularise the women’s cricket calendar. The more they play the better they’ll be’ – Ramiz Raja•Associated Press

Ramiz also said the PCB wanted to host the PSL across more than the two venues it was played at over this season, going so far as to say the league might adopt a home-away structure from next year. “We want the PSL to be on a home and away basis from next year. The gate money will be excellent, and we want to elevate the concept of the PSL.”Every side’s purse will increase, and if they want to improve they’ll have to spend money. When you go from a draft system to this, the world’s talent suddenly becomes available to you. I’ve spoken to a couple of the franchise owners; they’re quite happy to experiment with this. I’ll talk to the others, too. It’s in the embryonic stages, but it’s top of my wish list.”Ramiz bats for first-class matches in women’s domestic calendar
Ramiz, meanwhile, defended Pakistan’s performance at the Women’s World Cup, where they have lost all four of their games so far. He said women’s cricket needed more investment, and reiterated his desire to see Pakistan become the first Asian country to host a women’s T20 league.”We want to regularise the women’s cricket calendar. The more they play the better they’ll be,” Ramiz said. “You can’t just go into hibernation and then expect them to beat Australia. It’s not going to happen. We have our limitations and cultural issues, and to get out of that we have to fix their calendar. They need to play first-class-style three-day matches. Then look at selection and U19 structure.”We want to sign up young girls and develop them. Right now, the excitement is we might launch a T20 league before India, and the world can’t believe that because there’s a particular perception around Pakistan that needs to be broken.”The shape a women’s PSL would take is not immediately clear. Pakistan currently have just 12 centrally contracted women cricketers, with a further eight listed in the emerging category. A league, even if, as ESPNcricinfo understands, it were initially to include just four sides, would require at least 60 cricketers, meaning even if there was a significant international presence, Pakistan would have to dig deep into their reserves of local talent to fill the squads.”In January-February, we’re thinking of the women’s PSL,” Ramiz said. “There’s a lot of traction and a lot of takers for it. Pak women’s cricket needs to improve a lot, and that will only happen when we give them an environment where they can make money and share the dugout with world-class players.”We are also thinking of making first class women’s teams and attaching them with provincial teams. They don’t play much cricket and operate on a trial-and-error basis.”

It is believed a “clinical” Chelsea player is now pushing hard to leave Stamford Bridge in January, with West Ham United and Crystal Palace emerging as real contenders for his signing in the winter.

Chelsea seven points behind Liverpool after 5-1 win over Southampton

Enzo Maresca continues to be asked about the prospect of Chelsea winning a Premier League title this season, with Liverpool dropping points in a 3-3 draw away to Newcastle United and the Blues thumping Southampton 5-1.

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Goals came from all over the field, with Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho all getting on the scoresheet at St. Mary’s Stadium, as Chelsea sealed yet another impressive victory on the road.

It was a blistering night of attacking flair by the away side, who could’ve scored even more than five, but Maresca still had some criticism for his players after getting off to a slow start on Wednesday night.

“I’m very happy with the five we scored, but I’m not happy about the first 10 or 15 minutes when we struggled,” said Maresca after Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Southampton.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

Tottenham (home)

December 8

Brentford (home)

December 15

Everton (away)

December 22

Fulham (home)

December 26

Ipswich Town (away)

December 30

“The reason why we struggled is because we prepared the game to press them man-to-man but in the first 15 or 20 minutes, we were not pressing them man-to-man. This is a team that if you don’t go man-to-man, then you struggle to recover the ball. Then after that, we adjusted that and the game was much better. But we could score more, but five goals is enough.

“We said, if you remember from the beginning of the season, the way we played with the two wingers, the two attacking midfielders and the No.9 are in charge of the goals. You can see the goals from Noni, from Cole, from Jadon, from Nico, Christo – they are all attacking players, and it’s a good feeling that all of them can be involved in the goals.

“I think there are just three or four teams that have conceded less than us. So we are very happy.

One man who didn’t play a role in last night’s stunning victory was midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

Carney Chukwuemeka pushing for Chelsea exit and could join West Ham

The £100,000-per-week midfielder is yet to make a single Premier League appearance, and reports are suggesting that Chukwuemeka is very likely to leave Chelsea in January as a result.

Now, journalist Graeme Bailey says that Chukwuemeka is pushing to leave Chelsea in January via his agents, with both West Ham and Crystal Palace named as contenders to sign the 20-year-old.

The former Aston Villa gem’s best move is clearly to leave at the next opportunity, considering he is clearly down Maresca’s pecking order, despite some praise for his ability in the past.

“I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage,” said former France defender and World Cup winner Marcel Desailly.

“He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do and he is clinical. I love it.”

Mary Earps really is living the dream, with the Euro 2022-winning Lionesses goalkeeper sharing a "crazy" throwback post that proves as much.

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Keeper dreamt of turning out at WembleyHas won major silverware on that pitchA lot has happened in the space of 10 yearsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Back in 2015, Earps was preparing to sever ties with Bristol Academy and could never have imagined how her professional career would take off. A decade ago, she posted an image on social media of Wembley Stadium alongside the message: "I’d love to play here one day."

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Little did she know that her dream would come true. Earps made her senior England debut in 2017 and has passed a half-century of caps for her country. She was a key figure for the Lionesses in their memorable European Championship triumph – which took place at Wembley.

DID YOU KNOW?

Earps – who won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2024 before heading to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent – has graced the home of English football on a number of occasions, at domestic and international level.

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WHAT MARY EARPS SAID

The 32-year-old is still having to pinch herself – as a two-time winner of the FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper award – and said to her Instagram followers when reminiscing about her Wembley post from 10 years ago: "Posted 11th of March 2015. Wow. So grateful for this crazy life."

Instagram

Crystal Palace took a step away from the relegation zone, beating Ipswich 1-0 in a Premier League six-pointer on Tuesday evening.

Despite having slightly less of the ball (46% possession), Palace generated 1.64 xG, taking 13 shots and creating three big chances.

Oliver Glasner was in need of a big result, as his side have been languishing in and around the relegation zone, averaging 44.9% possession. the fifth lowest in the division, taking 14.3 shots per game (10th most), and conceding 12.4 shots per game (12th largest tally).

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the game, making it six goals in 17 appearances this campaign in all competitions.

The 27-year-old talisman is extremely important for the Eagles, not just for the goals he provides, but also for his all-round striker play, and that was on full display against Ipswich last night.

Jean-Philippe Mateta's performance in numbers

Being the spearhead of Oliver Glasner’s side, Mateta is tasked with holding up play to bring the number 10s into the game, as well as providing box threat and looking to apply the finishing touch.

Mateta did all of the above against Ipswich, scoring the winning goal, providing two key passes to bring others into play, and being a nuisance, winning two aerial duels, and three ground duels.

But it wasn’t just the Palace centre forward who impressed for the Eagles last night, as a key man returned from injury, providing the creative spark they’ve been missing and helping them to victory.

Eberechi Eze's performance in numbers

The 26-year-old brought the creativity back to his Palace side, providing the assist for Mateta’s goal, and possibly even saving Glasner’s job in the process.

Eze had 65 touches in the game, completing 79% of his passes, four of which were deemed key passes. While one of those was the assist, he also played a delightful dinked ball into the path of Mateta just after the hour mark that created an opening for the visitors.

Minutes

76

Touches

65

Accurate Passes

30/38

Assists

1

Key Passes

4

Long Balls

2/5

Crosses

2/8

Big Chances Created

2

Shots

3

Successful Dribbles

1/4

Ground Duels Won

3/11

Possession lost

22x

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder is the hub of creation for his side, especially since Michael Olise left the club in the summer, with many looking towards him to make something happen in a game.

Eze has made 14 appearances so far this season, scoring four times, and providing three assists in 1,149 minutes played.

Playing as the left inside forward in Glasner’s system, it allows Eze to roam into central and wide areas to pick up the ball, help link play, but also arrive closer to the box in order to apply the decisive touch either with an assist or a shot of his own. On that evidence, he could well be just the remedy that Mateta needs to return to the form he showcased last term.

It’s not just the Eagles striker who will be glad to see him back in the side, but an under-pressure Glasner will no doubt be delighted to see him back after missing three Premier League games in November.

Now the Eagles await the return of Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Matheus Franca, Rob Holding, and Chadi Riad to build up a fully fit squad, and hopefully continue making strides away from that dreaded relegation zone.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Após deixar a vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Santos, no último domingo (13), contundido, o lateral-direito Mayke viu a possibilidade de ter sofrido uma fratura descartada em exame realizado pelo departamento médico do Palmeiras na manhã desta segunda-feira (14), na Academia de Futebol.

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Mesmo assim, a expectativa para o técnico Abel Ferreira não é das melhores. Isso porque coma entorse no tornozelo direito sofrida, o jogador deve ser desfalque para todo o restante do Campeonato Paulista.

Com isso, Abel tem como opção para o setor além do titular Marcos Rocha apenas Gustavo Garcia, dos juniores, peça fundamental na campanha do inédito título da Copa São Paulo de juniores e que já teve oportunidades anteriores nos profissionais.

Mayke é o quarto caso de contusão no elenco palmeirense nesta reta final de Paulistão. Além dele agora, o clube ainda tem em seu departamento médico o zagueiro Luan (com uma lesão na coxa esquerda), e os meias Gabriel Menino (transição física) e Patrick de Paula (entorse no tornozelo esquerdo). Todos eles já iniciaram atividades no gramado da Academia e devem ser liberados no mata-mata do Estadual.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Yorkshire have announced the appointments of Kabir Ali, Tom Smith and Alastair Maiden to their coaching staff ahead of the start of the 2022 season.The new arrivals come as part of a complete overhaul at Headingley, following the club’s decision to dismiss a number of long-serving staff members in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal. Ottis Gibson was named as Yorkshire’s new head coach last month, following the return of Darren Gough as interim director of cricket.Ali, the former England fast bowler, joins as Yorkshire as an assistant coach with responsibility for bowling, having most recently worked as a bowling consultant at Warwickshire.Related

• Ottis Gibson to take over as Yorkshire's head coach

• Yorkshire Test status restored pending resolution of internal issues

Both Smith, who will take charge of the 2nd XI, and Maiden, who fills the role of assistant coach and batting specialist, have moved from Leicestershire after a compensation package was agreed between the two clubs.”Ottis and I are absolutely delighted to announce these exciting coaching appointments,” Gough said. “Kabir is a fantastic addition to the coaching team and was the outstanding candidate to lead on bowling. Both Ottis and I were particularly taken by Kabir’s energy and passion for the game and, following a brilliant playing career, he already has a huge amount of experience for a young coach.”Alastair is a vastly experienced coach having worked with Durham, England’s Women and Leicestershire. Alastair has great experience leading on batting and will strike a wonderful balance with Kabir.”Tom is another coach who had a brilliant playing career, but one that was unfortunately cut short. Since retiring from the game, Tom has become an outstanding coach in his own right and will impart great technical knowledge and experience on our young players.”It’s great to see how many talented coaches are keen to join what we are doing here at Yorkshire and I’m thrilled with the calibre of talent we are assembling as we shape our backroom staff ahead of the new season.”Ali played one Test and 14 ODIs for England, as well as appearing for Worcestershire, Hampshire and Lancashire during a 15-year playing career. He has since worked in various T20 franchise competitions around the world.Smith, the former Lancashire allrounder who was forced into retirement by a back injury at 31, had been at Grace Road since 2018, initially as 2nd XI coach and then as first-team assistant and bowling coach. Maiden took over as Leicestershire’s head of academy in 2020 after four years with England Women.Last week, the ECB confirmed the return of international cricket to Headingley this summer, subject to the introduction of a number of proposed governance reforms.

Endrick's future at Real Madrid has been put under question as he continues to be linked with a transfer, and Los Blancos have a clear plan in mind.

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• Endrick struggling for playing time at Real Madrid
• Plenty of clubs interested in signing the Brazilian
• Real Madrid rely on the 18-year-old in the long run

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Endrick joined Real Madrid last summer after he turned 18, having already agreed on a move to Santiago Bernabeu from Palmeiras back in 2022 in a €60 million (£51m/$65m) deal. Since joining Los Blancos, minutes have been scarce for the Brazilian wonderkid, however, his performances have impressed other clubs, as a number of sides are said to be interested in signing Endrick in the summer. However, it has been claimed that Real Madrid are backing the 18-year-old in the long run.

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  THE EXPLANATION

  As per Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid are very clear that they trust Endrick in the long run and are not considering selling the Brazilian striker. However, it is said that Los Blancos could be open to sending Endrick out on loan in the summer as they want him to develop further.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As per the report, Real Madrid's decision to not sell Endrick also stems from their belief that there are not a lot of talented strikers coming up in world football, and Los Blancos would prefer to hold onto the Brazilian.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ENDRICK?

  The 18-year-old has only played a total of 23 minutes under Carlo Ancelotti in Real Madrid's last 11 league matches. As such, his playing time may be limited yet again when Los Blancos take on Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, March 12, in the Champions League.

تعرض لاعبو وبعثة نادي بيراميدز لاستفزازات وضرب ألعاب نارية ومقذوفات وزجاجات المياه لحظة دخول الفريق لإجراء عمليات الإحماء استعدادًا لمباراة الجيش الملكي، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويحل بيراميدز ضيفا على الجيش الملكي في التاسعة من مساء اليوم الثلاثاء على الملعب الشرفي بمدينة مكناس في إياب الدور ربع النهائي من دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وكان بيراميدز قد فاز في مباراة الذهاب أمام الجيش الملكي بنتيجة 4-1، مما يرفع أسهمه لحسم بطاقة التأهل إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع | تشكيل بيراميدز أمام الجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. ماييلي يقود الهجوم

واضطر لاعبو بيراميدز للخروج أكثر من مرة خارج الملعب في ظل خروج الجماهير الكبير عن النص، وتعرض أكثر من لاعب من بينهم مهند لاشين للإصابة جراء مقذوف ناري سقط داخل الملعب.

وأثبتت بعثة بيراميدز ما تعرض له الفريق مع مسئولي الكاف والأمن مع تقديم شكوى رسمية فيما حدث وتعرض اللاعبين للإصابات بعد الاعتداء عليهم بالألعاب النارية.

Leeds United are currently top of the Championship table and are on course to secure an automatic promotion to the Premier League this season.

The Whites are ahead of Sunderland and Sheffield United on goal difference after 16 outings in the second tier, having won in Wales against Swansea on Sunday.

Daniel Farke’s side scored in the 91st minute to secure all three points in a dramatic 4-3 victory over Luke Williams’ team, thanks to a strike from Wilfried Gnonto.

The Italian youngster came off the bench to score the winning goal after being selected to start the game on the bench, as Manor Solomon was picked ahead of him and scored two of the team’s first three goals on the day.

Swansea thought they had snatched a late point against the Whites when they made it 3-3 in the 90th minute, only for Gnonto to score within a minute after the restart.

It was the 21-year-old star’s third goal, to go along with five assists, in 16 Championship appearances this season, as he has shown himself to be a difference-maker in the final third.

Leeds United's top earners

Gnonto has the joint-most goal contributions (eight) alongside Joel Piroe in the Leeds squad this season, and the West Yorkshire outfit have got value for their money with respect to his weekly wage.

The Italian winger is reportedly on a wage of £30k-per-week and nine other players in the squad earn more than him, four of which are attackers who have contributed less at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, the likes of Solomon, Dan James, Brenden Aaronson, and Patrick Bamford all reportedly earn more than the attacker.

Leeds may be particularly disappointed with the lack of impact that Bamford, who is the highest earner in the squad, has made so far this season, with zero goals and zero assists in six appearances in the league this season.

The former England international managed eight goals in 33 Championship outings, from an xG of 9.52, in the 2023/24 campaign, and has found himself behind Piroe and Mateo Joseph in the pecking order this time around.

Whilst Gnonto has provided fantastic value for the money he is reportedly on in the second tier so far this season, Max Wober is one player who has not offered much for his reported £35k-per-week.

The Austria international returned to Elland Road in the summer after spending last season on loan with Borussia Monchengladbach, after he had been relegated from the Premier League with Leeds.

Max Wober's poor start to life at Leeds

In the January transfer window in 2023, Jesse Marsch swooped to sign the central defender from RB Salzburg for a reported fee of £11m in an attempt to bolster his defence.

Unfortunately, the Austrian battler came in and failed to do enough to help the team to avoid the drop down to the Championship, as they were eventually relegated under Sam Allardyce, after Marsch and Javi Gracia were both sacked.

He was thrown straight in at the deep end and started 14 of his 16 appearances in the Premier League of the 2022/23 campaign and struggled to adapt to the division.

As you can see in the table above, Wober barely won the majority of his duels with opposition attackers and was incredibly loose with his passes, failing with 29% of them.

The left-footed Leeds flop then went to Monchengladbach on loan in the Bundesliga for the 2023/24 campaign and made 25 appearances in the German top-flight, winning 58% of his duels and completing 84% of his attempted passes.

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He went away with Austria to play at the European Championship in Germany in the summer and had a nightmare start, scoring an own goal in a 1-0 defeat to France, with pundit Roy Keane criticising his “really poor” defending, and went on to start two of their four games.

Wober was then brought back in to be a part of Farke’s squad for this season, but he has failed to earn himself a place in the starting XI ahead of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk.

Why Leeds should cash in on Max Wober

The German head coach must ruthlessly cash in on the Austria international when the January transfer window, as he has not produced enough to warrant his high wages in a Leeds shirt.

Wober has missed ten games, for club and country, with a knee injury, which has disrupted his season, but he was an unused substitute in three Championship matches before his injury, and started in a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.

The 26-year-old flop came on to make his first appearance in the second tier for Leeds in the 2024/25 campaign in the 4-3 win over Swansea, coming on for the final 14 minutes of the game at left-back – with Junior Firpo currently out through suspension.

He had been an unused substitute in six league games before that outing against the Swans, which means that Farke has only elected to use him in one of the seven matches he has been available for.

As a left-footed defender, Struijk is his main competition for a starting spot and the Dutchman has started all 16 league games and won 63% of his duels, which shows that the manager trusts him.

This suggests that it will be very difficult for Wober to now break into the starting XI unless the academy graduate sustains a long-term injury or is suspended.

With this, and his £35k-per-week wages in mind, Farke must allow the club to find a suitor to buy, or loan in, the Austria international in January, ruthlessly ditching him from the squad in the process.

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