Pep Guardiola says he will make a decision on his Manchester City future "as soon as possible" but insists they have "options" if he does depart.
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Not as much as many might think: only a fraction of their white-ball internationals were games of real consequence
Osman Samiuddin12-Jun-2025Nicholas Pooran has retired from international cricket. Heinrich Klaasen beat him to it by a week. Their retirements may not feel as seismic as some recent ones, but as two of the game’s most fearsome and effective middle-order hitters, they’re far from insignificant. Their work has always been valued in very modern currencies. Last year, Pooran broke Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes hit in T20s in a calendar year.Actually, he obliterated it, ending with 170, well past Gayle’s 135 in 2015 (Pooran played 38 more innings, which feels at least as relevant a metric). Klaasen ended the same year with 105 sixes, the sixth-most hit in a calendar year.Between them on that list it is all Gayle, a marker of the esteemed company they are in, as well as a reminder of how far ahead of the game Gayle was back then. Gayle never officially retired from the game; he just kept going until there was nowhere for him to go. But in that too he was presaging.Pooran and Klaasen have retired but they’re not retired because these days cricket retirements are not goodbyes so much as quiet-quitting; that is, finding ways to do less for more – or for at least the same reward as before – and with a better work-life balance.They’re a loss, yes, except we’re not really losing them. Pooran said goodbye on Monday night and on Thursday he’ll be saying hello again, as captain of MI New York in Major League Cricket’s third season. Klaasen will also be there, captaining Seattle Orcas. Ferris Bueller thought life moved pretty fast nearly 40 years ago. He had no idea.Also, if international cricket is your thing, then they’re even less a loss, because international cricket was not – is not – really their thing. International cricket didn’t really see the best of them.Actually, let’s rephrase that: truly meaningful international cricket didn’t see the best of them, or nearly enough of them. Only 23 of Klaasen’s 118 white-ball international matches were in ICC World Cups – games with real meaning and jeopardy. An even smaller proportion of Pooran’s games were at those events: 24 out of 167.In other words, 80% of the international white-ball games Klaasen played, and 86% Pooran played, lacked any real, meaningful context. That is basically what so much bilateral white-ball cricket is now – random matches floating in the ether without rhyme or reason (more so since the end of the short-lived ODI Super League in 2023) and with dwindling commercial returns in most instances.Klaasen walks back after his hundred against England in the last ODI World Cup, one of all too few white-ball internationals of real import he played•PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty ImagesAs such, these retirements don’t say anything about the two players’ commitment to the game, or about their sense of national duty, however nebulous a concept that may be. They don’t, in fact, say as much about Pooran and Klaasen as they do about international cricket. They’re retiring with a pinnacle international event – the T20 World Cup – less than a year away. An event Klaasen made the final of last year and almost won for South Africa. In Klaasen’s case, he is also foregoing the chance to play in a home 50-overs World Cup in 2027.But for him to play in next year’s T20 World Cup would mean he plays in a majority of the 23 bilateral T20Is South Africa have scheduled until then, which will only accrue a scintilla of meaning closer to the event, in the guise of being warm-ups. He’d probably also have to play some of the 12 ODIs scheduled in that time, which serve even less purpose. West Indies have 25 T20Is scheduled for the same period.This is the vicious cycle of international cricket as it stands now. Smaller boards need ever more money to keep their best players, which comes from greater ICC revenue distribution, which come from more ICC events, for which, as preparation, teams need their players for bilateral cricket, which, in turn, compels players to make the kind of choices Pooran and Klaasen have made.Not only will both players be playing games – within the context of T20 league play – with more immediate competitive meaning, they will also earn more playing in franchise leagues between now and then. A lot more. (It’s worth reading this post on the Broken Cricket Dreams blog for an idea of the potential difference in earnings.)Cricket was pretty pleased with itself in the aftermath of the IPL final, when Virat Kohli ranked that triumph – long-awaited as it was – still several rungs below Test cricket. But the messenger was more significant than the message, as Andre Russell was quick to point out to the last week. “Those guys [Kohli and others] get lucrative central contracts to play Test cricket and play on the biggest stages, of course they want to play. West Indians? You might play 50 or 100 Tests and, you know, after you retire, there’s not much to show for it.”There’s even less to show for it if you don’t play red-ball cricket. So a more illuminating ranking would have been of where Kohli placed the IPL triumph in comparison with international white-ball cricket and its trophies. Perhaps he rates the international wins higher. But with these decisions, it’s clear where Pooran and Klaasen place it. The two are not a younger generation as such – Klaasen is only three years younger than Kohli and Pooran is nearly 30. But their tribe is only going to grow.
Glamorgan left to rue dropped chances as Pope, Amla cash in on Oval shirtfront
ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2021Jamie Smith scored a career-best 138 as Surrey dug in on a Kia Oval shirtfront in search of a run-filled draw against Glamorgan to finish the LV= Insurance County Championship season.Surrey, in reply to Glamorgan’s 672 for 6 declared, reached the end of day three on 387 for 2 but, on a bowlers’ graveyard of a pitch, the Welsh county will rue dropping Hashim Amla three times as he reached 87 not out.Ollie Pope is unbeaten on 95, having dominated an unbroken stand of 140 in 40 overs for the third wicket with Amla, while Ryan Patel hit 10 fours in his 62 from 138 balls. Surrey will now aim to bat out the final day.Related
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Pope has faced 135 balls, stroking 12 fours, and this is believed to be the first time a first-class match has featured scores of 35 or more from the first twelve batsmen to take the field. It is also the first time since 1995 in Championship cricket that Surrey’s first three wickets have each put on more than 100.Glamorgan, however, did have a clutch of chances to put Surrey’s top order under more pressure, with Patel dropped on 33, Smith dropped on 53 and Amla on 61, 79 and 87 but, in truth, the soporific nature of the pitch – offering no pace or bounce for the quicker bowlers, nor any real turn for the spinners – made the task of taking wickets extremely difficult.Surrey resumed on 45 without loss, and Smith and Patel were soon accumulating steadily. There were also some pedigree strokes from both openers, with one early Smith clip off his pads for four off Michael Hogan being particularly memorable.At 66, though, Patel was badly missed at first slip by Eddie Byrom and then Smith was put down above his head by Hamish Rutherford at mid off when he miscued a lofted drive at offspinner Callum Taylor.Just before lunch Byrom atoned for his drop, claiming his maiden first-class wicket with his rarely-seen legspin when Patel, pushing forward, edged to David Lloyd at slip.That left Surrey 140 for 1 in the 48th over but Amla then joined Smith in a second wicket stand of 107, with the former South Africa Test great getting under way with lovely extra cover and square cover drives off Hogan that brought him successive fours.Smith, who made 123 against Northants in his previous championship appearance in early September, reached his third hundred of the season, and fourth in first-class cricket, from 189 balls and – at the age of 21 – looks a fine prospect. Tall, powerful and well-balanced at the crease, he now has 656 Championship runs at 43.73 this summer and also captained Surrey in the Royal London Cup.His dismissal was freakish, as Smith managed somehow to get a touch to a short legside ball from Byrom that he was trying to flick away for more runs. Caught by keeper Chris Cooke, he had faced 236 balls, across four and a half hours, hitting 17 fours.Amla survived a sharp caught and bowled chance to left-arm seamer Jamie McIlroy and was later put down by keeper Cooke, off Byrom, and slip Lloyd, off Taylor, in the day’s penultimate over.
Southampton have reportedly reached an agreement with an “incredible” player ahead of a permanent St Mary’s transfer.
The Saints and Russell Martin secured promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking following a Championship playoff final win over Leeds United last month.
Following the victory at Wembley, Martin admitted that he isn’t planning on changing his style for the top flight in 2024/25.
“For me, if you win this way, it’s the best way. There’s no right or wrong way but it’s what I believe in, it’s what we believe in. And we finally won something doing it … so I guess it will be some form of validation for some people. I love what we do and I’m not going to change and I’m sure it will start – it probably already has – that we won’t play this way in the Premier League and all of that stuff, the scrutiny and the intensity that will come with that. It is up to us to prove ourselves right and make sure we embrace it without losing who we are.”
Southampton now eyeing move for "intelligent" £35,000-a-week La Liga ace
He has some Premier League experience…
By
Tom Cunningham
Jun 6, 2024
The club will more than likely be busy in the summer transfer window looking to bolster their squad, with a permanent move for Taylor Harwood-Bellis already secured due to an obligation to buy clause in his loan deal from Manchester City. Meanwhile, there have been rumours about a return to the south coast for Adam Lallana, whereas a bid has been made for teenage forward Jeronimo Domina.
Alongside Harwood-Bellis, the Saints could also look at permanent moves for fellow loan stars Flynn Downes and Ryan Fraser from West Ham and Newcastle United respectively, and it looks as if there has been a development with the latter.
According to The Athletic, Newcastle are looking to offload Fraser this summer and the player ‘has agreed a deal with Southampton’. It is added that ‘there are just details to be finalised with Newcastle’ ahead of a St Mary’s return.
Fraser played his part in the Saints’ promotion-winning campaign, making 44 appearances across the season, scoring eight times and registering three assists. The 30-year-old, on £42,000-a-week, started against Leeds at Wembley and was hailed as “incredible” by Martin following the win.
"Me, him and Matt Ritchie had many an evening in the Scotland squad where we would usually end up wrestling or fighting on some level.
"I know he's strong. I know he's aggressive. People questioned why we signed Wee Man. I knew him so well as a teammate and he has had a really tough couple of seasons. He has been incredible for us. "Not just with his performances but in training every day, the way he is has been amazing."
A permanent move to the south coast appears to be on the cards, and he’ll offer Martin plenty of Premier League experience back in the top flight, looking to add to his 173 games in the division next season.
Following their 15th placed finish in the Premier League last season, Everton now look set to offer a new deal to a player who has been vital to Sean Dyche's side.
Whilst the ownership question will be the most prominent going into the summer, it is clear that Everton are still looking to get new signings through the door during the transfer window.
Everton were rinsed of £27m by Koeman signing who's now a free agent
He endured a torrid time at Goodison Park.
By
Ethan Lamb
Jun 3, 2024
Reinforcements in attack are high on the list of priorities at Goodison Park with recent rumours suggesting that a move for Sheffield United's Daniel Jebbison could be on the cards. The Canadian striker has interest from across the Premier League and Championship meaning that the Toffees will have to move quickly to get a deal done.
Everton are also looking to replace stars that look set to depart Goodison this summer. Jarrad Branthwaite is one name perhaps destined to be playing his football elsewhere next season with Manchester United currently leading the race for the defender's signature. In order to fill the void left by the 21-year-old, the Toffees are reportedly interested in a move for Burnley's Maxime Esteve following the Clarets’ relegation back to the Championship.
Part of Everton's plan this summer will be to also keep some of their key players at the club. One name currently locked in talks over a new deal is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the striker's current deal expiring next summer. With the Toffees clearly eager to keep hold of their key assets, new reports suggest another important player is set to be offered a new contract this summer.
As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Everton are opening talks over a new deal for James Garner. The 23-year-old's current deal at Goodison Park expires in 2026, but the Toffees' higher ups are eager to prolong the midfielder's stay on Merseyside.
Garner joined Everton in a £15million move from Manchester United back in September 2022 and the midfielder has gone on to establish himself as a key player in Dyche's side. The 23-year-old featured in all but one of Everton's league games as the Toffees finished a respectable fifteenth place.
|
James Garner Premier League Stats 2023/24 |
Total |
Everton Rank |
|
Games Played |
37 |
3rd |
|
Tackles |
83 |
1st |
|
Interceptions |
45 |
3rd |
|
Assists |
2 |
=3rd |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
98 |
2nd |
It has been reported that the Everton chiefs are big fans of Garner with Dyche himself singing the midfielder's praises back in November telling the press: “Jimmy Garner was terrific, he’s learning and improving. He’s just a good kid. He’s got that nice little edge about him that he’s a bit of a nark now and again, I like it.
“I think you need that as a footballer. The demands he places upon himself is very pleasing as he works very hard in training and I think he’s getting the rewards with his improvement."
Currently commanding a wage of £30,000 per week per Capology, there is no doubt that Garner's performances on Merseyside have merited a new deal this summer.
Overtakes Kane Williamson; the England captain is at the pinnacle for the first time since December 2015
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2021Joe Root’s unstoppable run-making in the series against India has carried him to No. 1 in the ICC Test batting rankings, displacing Kane Williamson at the top. Root tops the Test batting rankings for the first time since December 2015, and is just one rating point off his career-best aggregate of 917, which he also achieved back in 2015.Three Tests into the India series, Root has three centuries and a fifty to his name, for a tally of 507 at 126.75. Speaking on the eve of The Oval Test, Root said: “It [the news of going to No. 1] is a nice thing to hear. My main focus is on trying to keep scoring runs and get us across the line in this series. As nice as it is, there’s still so much hard work to do and the focus doesn’t change. It’s all about continuing to try and keep getting better, continue scoring runs and hopefully setting up games to win Test matches.”It’s obviously nice but it’s not something I have as a goal or a main focus in what I’m trying to do, but I’m obviously proud to hear that I’ve achieved that. It would be nice to be able to stay there now and continue playing in the way I am.”The series is currently tied 1-1 – Root having carried England’s batting all through so far – with two Tests to play.Other gainers from the series include England’s spearhead James Anderson, who has moved back into the top five of the Test bowling rankings following his match haul of four in England’s win in Headingley. And from the India camp, Rohit Sharma moves up to No. 5 among the batters, pushing Virat Kohli down to No. 6 – Rohit’s numbers in the series currently read 230 runs at 46.00, compared to Kohli’s 124 at 24.80. This is the first time since November 2017 that a batter other than Kohli is the top-ranked Indian on the table.
Decision Day 2024 more than lived up to the hype as the MLS regular season closed on a dramatic note
Christian Benteke's face said it all.
Here was a man who sealed Major League Soccer's Golden Boot, but was covering his eyes to hide the pain he felt from missing the MLS postseason on the final day of the regular season, as D.C. United lost 3-0 to Charlotte FC Saturday night. It was raw. It was emotional. It is what MLS more of.
MLS has grown dramatically, especially over the past decade and a half, and it can certainly make a case that it is a more efficiently run league than some of its European counterparts. But one area in which it struggles to match the old continent's leagues is the week-to-week drama that appears on a consistent basis in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga.
Decision Day is certainly a step in the right direction.
Now the challenge for the league is to find more ways to bottle that energy and excitement and spread it more throughout the season, especially during the times where the season can feel a bit more routine.
Moving forward, there were plenty of storylines to follow on Decision Day.
Here are the top four.
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A revamped squad heavy on Australians and allrounders will look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014
Sruthi Ravindranath18-Mar-20253:17
Chopra: Maxwell, Stoinis could thrive under Ponting
With five wins in 14 games, Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished second last in the league.
PBKS have a new captain in Shreyas Iyer, who won the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders last year, and a new head coach in Ricky Ponting, who worked with Delhi Capitals until last season. From the previous edition, they retained only Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh and bought back fast bowler Arshdeep Singh via the right-to-match card for INR 18 crore at the mega auction.Related
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Iyer: 'I hate losing. That's what has elevated me to where I am right now as a captain'
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Introducing Suryansh Shedge, clear thinker and ace T20 finisher
Another familiar face in the side is Glenn Maxwell, who had previously played for them between 2014 and 2017 and again in 2020. Apart from Maxwell, they signed four more Australians at the auction: Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett.An allrounder-heavy side, they also have overseas options in Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen alongside Maxwell, Stoinis and Hardie in that department. New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is one of their new recruits and they also have experienced India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, as well as Kuldeep Sen and Yash Thakur, who have decent IPL experience.PBKS have perennially underperformed, with their last top-four finish coming in 2014. But with a new-look squad, which has several big names and looks well-rounded in all departments, they will hope to change things.Can Shreyas Iyer take his IPL-winning aura from KKR to PBKS?•BCCI
1 Prabhsimran Singh/Priyansh Arya, 2 Josh Inglis*, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell*, 5 Azmatullah Omarzai/Marcus Stoinis*, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Nehal Wadhera/Suryansh Shedge, 8 Marco Jansen*, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Yash Thakur, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
Full PBKS squad
Priyansh Arya first grabbed eyeballs when he hit six sixes in an over to smash 120 off 50 balls in the Delhi Premier League. That feat led to a bidding war at the auction where PBKS eventually landed him for INR 3.8 crore. The opening batter, who is particularly strong down the ground, showed off his big hits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year, where he also struck 102 off just 43 balls, hitting 10 sixes and five fours, against Uttar Pradesh. He also topped the run-scoring charts for Delhi.Another talent who’s made a name in the domestic circuit, Suryansh Shedge displayed his finishing skills in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Arriving to bat mostly in tricky situations, the 22-year old allrounder helped Mumbai wrap up games, and he did the job for them in the final as well, clattering three sixes and three fours in his 15-ball stay to help them to the title. He could be an Impact Player option and bolster their lower order, a role Ashutosh Sharma performed for PBKS last season.Ricky Ponting will hope Yuzvendra Chahal can solve PBKS’ long-running spin-bowling issues•Punjab Kings
Lockie Ferguson missed the Champions Trophy for New Zealand after picking up a hamstring injury while playing in the ILT20. His availability for the upcoming IPL season is unclear.IPL 2025 will also be Musheer Khan’s first tournament since he sustained a neck injury after a car crash in September 2024. Musheer, who was picked for INR 30 lakh at the auction, had recently started training with the squad.
Toni Kroos has looked back at his time at Real Madrid as he opened up on former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo's 'positive addiction'.
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Bowler has suffered a fractured left thumb in the Indians’ warm-up match against County Select XI
Nikhil Sharma21-Jul-2021Avesh Khan’s tour of England is likely to have come to an end as ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Madhya Pradesh fast bowler has suffered a fracture in his left thumb, which he hurt on the first day of the warm-up match between the Indians and the County Select XI at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday. It is understood that Khan will undergo a couple of scans and tests this week, after which he will return to India to recover in time for the IPL where he represents the Delhi Capitals. Khan was a key part of the Capitals in the first half of IPL 2021, picking up 14 wickets, the joint second-highest in the competition so far.Related
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Injury concerns for India: Kohli has stiff back, Rahane swollen hamstring
Khan was representing the County Select XI, and immediately after lunch on Tuesday, he successfully intercepted a punched drive from Hanuma Vihari, but winced in pain. Minutes later he walked off, alongside the Indian physiotherapist, with a strapped left thumb.The Indians ended the first day’s play on 306 for 9, with KL Rahul having cracked a century (101), and Ravindra Jadeja making 75.On Wednesday, the BCCI’s media team sent an update on Khan, saying he would “not be taking any further part” in the warm-up match and that he “remains under observation”. Khan and Washington Sundar had both been permitted by the Indian team management to turn up for the County Select XI, which had two vacant slots since the pair of James Bracey and Zak Chappell were not available. Bracey had been identified as contact of a Covid-19 positive case and had to be pulled out of the squad, while Chappell suffered an injury on Tuesday morning.Khan had been named as one of the five reserves by the Indian selectors in the 25-man squad which was announced in May. He becomes the second player, after Shubman Gill, to be ruled out of the series. The details of Gill’s injury have not yet been put out by the BCCI, but it is learned that the opening batter had been hampered by a niggle in the lower half of his left leg, which surfaced post the World Test Championship final in June.Virat Kohli bats in the netsA day after the BCCI said that Virat Kohli was being rested for the three-day warm-up match due to a stiff back, the Indian captain turned up to bat in the nets. At lunch on Day 2 in Durham, Kohli took throwdowns from Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour, with India head coach Ravi Shastri observing from a distance. The development is a welcome one for the Indians, who also are concerned by the fitness of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has a swollen hamstring. Also part of the nets was India’s seniormost fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who has bounced back from the hand injury he picked on the final day of the World Test Championshp final. Sharma had received stitches on his bowling hand.