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Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach hustled the New Zealand batsmen with the second new ball, rekindling memories of great West Indian fast bowling

Subash Jayaraman in Antigua27-Jul-2012Amid the hype surrounding Sunil Narine playing his first home Test, West Indies’ fast bowlers were forgotten. Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach did not have much to show for day one either, but they had tested New Zealand with the new ball. On the second day, however, they harried the batsmen and earned richer rewards.When there’s talk of today’s great fast bowlers, the name of Dale Steyn is ever present, but the West Indians hardly feature. In years gone by they would have dominated the conversation. Two of those terrific quicks – Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop – are commentators for the Test series.However, for a brief period with the second new ball before lunch, Roach and Rampaul seemed to turn the clock back to that golden era of West Indian fast bowling. They bowled hostile spells, aimed at causing maximum discomfort for the New Zealand batsmen, who had to duck and weave repeatedly.New Zealand are perhaps used to this. In their previous Test, they faced 80.4 overs from Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Co, and survived to secure a draw. Kane Williamson scored a resolute 102 not out that day, proving why his talent is so highly regarded, but even he did not have answers today.West Indies did not take the second new ball until the 107th over because Darren Sammy wanted to give Narine an extended spell and Rampaul was getting the old one to reverse. In the next 12 overs leading up to the lunch break, New Zealand were attacked by sustained short pitched bowling and lost Williamson and Dean Brownlie. Kruger van Wyk hopped and flopped on his backside and Daniel Vettori barely survived.Roach should have had two in two. After testing Williamson with bounce, pace and movement for five balls of the 108th over, Roach had him prodding on the back foot and playing on. The next ball to the diminutive van Wyk appeared to brush the glove before Denesh Ramdin caught it down the leg side, but the umpire said not out. West Indies had no more reviews to challenge the decision either. An aggrieved Roach decided to channel his displeasure at van Wyk.A sharp rising delivery that hit the glove and looped over the short leg fielder was followed by a mistimed pull that fell perilously close to the man at deep square leg. Roach was now properly enraged. Long follow-throughs and lingering stares ensued.In the meantime, because the second new ball wasn’t swinging as much as the first, Rampaul also followed Roach’s plan of pitching short, pushing the batsmen back and making them play from the crease. After having been pulled for four, Rampaul had the final word in his contest with Brownlie. A fuller ball followed the short one and Brownlie, who had been conditioned to expect the bouncer, nicked to the wicketkeeper.The New Zealand batsmen chanced their arm to accumulate whatever they could after lunch. Doug Bracewell, batting with Chris Martin and aware of how ephemeral the partnership could be, attacked Narine and Sammy for 39 off 30 deliveries. Rampaul ended that cameo as well.In the 11 overs Rampaul and Roach bowled before lunch, they had taken 2 for 23 with five maidens. They finished the innings with combined figures of 46.1-17-99-4. Narine will scoop the accolades for taking a maiden five-for in his first home Test but the control, hostility and backbreaking work from Rampaul and Roach should not be forgotten.For an hour on the second day, the Test cricket was thrilling. For an hour, Bishop and Ambrose probably had smiles on their faces, memories of their glorious past rekindled by Rampaul and Roach.

Refreshed by his time out of top-flight cricket, Chennai’s Aussie powerhouse has been able to fret less and enjoy his batting, secure in the knowledge that he has nothing to lose

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi10-May-2009Matthew Hayden has said he has been able to impose himself as a batsman in the IPL because he has retired from international cricket. “The only reason that I’m playing the way I’m playing now is because I have retired. I have been able to let go of the fact that I don’t want to play international cricket,” Hayden told Cricinfo.Ridiculous as it may sound, it was only a week before the IPL that Hayden first hit a cricket ball since he retired. However, like his former baggy-green mates Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, who post-retirement have managed to summon the same powers in the IPL that allowed them to dominate international contests for more than a decade, Hayden too has easily slipped back into his natural role of dominating the opposition with ease. The Queenslander, who opens the batting for the Chennai Super Kings, has been the proud wearer of the orange cap (for most runs) for virtually the entire length of the tournament.Free of the peripatetic lifestyle of an international cricketer, Hayden says he is now able to completely enjoy his batting. Cricketers rarely acknowledge the pressures of their choc-a-bloc schedules, at least not during their playing days. Hayden says he now finds himself mentally in a space where he is relaxed, where he can walk in with the knowledge that he has nothing to lose and can just play with freedom.”A relaxed mind is a focused mind,” Hayden said. “When you are caught in the cricket tours programme, which is just never-ending, and you are slipping into various formats of the game, it takes away a lot of mental energy. And so in certain scenarios it is difficult to call for the mental energy required in that moment, like it is more difficult to drive a car when you are fatigued.”I know that I’ve only got a very short time playing cricket in this particular period, so I’ve got all my mind, skills and fitness towards the IPL. This is not the case with most other international players, who know they will leave this tournament and head straight to the Twenty20 World Cup, and then another international series, then the domestic cricket next summer – it is just never-ending cricket.”Having been part of various Australian teams for more than a decade, Hayden now says the constant moving around blunts cricketers’ progress. “I don’t think that brings the best out of the athlete. What brings the best out of the athlete is focus, energy and time to commit to something without being burnt out,” he said.Much the same point was recently made by India coach Gary Kirsten, who is wary about the mental fatigue his players are likely to be under when they travel to England immediately after the IPL to defend the World Twenty20 crown.So was it mental exhaustion that forced Hayden to quit the game finally this January, though he started the year in the firm belief that he would be opening in the Ashes in England? “More the circumstance,” Hayden said was what affected his performance.Ironically, his steady slide began in the last IPL, where he picked up an Achilles injury before leaving the tournament after four games for the West Indies Test series. He failed to play a single game on that tour and returned home to recuperate. The comeback did not work out quite as expected: his average dropped to 23.93 in his last nine Tests, including the Sydney match that turned out to be his last.”The series in India [2008-09], especially the first two Tests, was the worst, I reckon, of my Test career,” Hayden said. “Straightaway I was on the back foot, even if the final couple of games were reasonable for me.” He did not agree with the assessment of the critics who thought he was past it, though. “When you average 50 and all of a sudden you average 30 then suddenly questions are asked about your ability and performance, which is absolutely rubbish because your skills and your mindset don’t change much. You don’t lose power, what you do lose is that absolute ability to play it off and that can sometimes lead to poor performances.”

“When you are caught in the cricket tours programme, it takes away a lot. And so in certain scenarios it is difficult to call for the mental energy required in that moment, like it is more difficult to drive a car when you are fatigued”

The dark clouds of those days no longer hang over Hayden’s mind now. In South Africa he has been able to spend plenty of time out at sea, easily the best trick to get him performing. “During this tournament I’ve spent more time on the ocean than I’ve on a cricket field,” he said.”It does give me an edge, because in a tournament which is played over half a day and when you play every other day, there is a lot of time spent on thinking cricket. You need to have a balance in life. Twenty20 cricket actually gives you your life,” Hayden said.Hayden’s form has rubbed off on Chennai, who have bounced back successfully after a few losses in the first half of season two and are once again favourites. Hayden has made over 400 runs this year, and managed to hold together the top order, stitching together valuable partnerships with Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni to set up formidable scores. Surprisingly, in what is known to be a batsman-dominated format, only Hayden has managed to consistently out-think bowling attacks so far in South Africa.”The biggest key is not thinking about the game too much,” Hayden said.Is there any advice he would like to give batsmen? “As an opening batsman, in other forms of cricket you have to take enormous responsibility for setting up the innings. Sometimes that leads to you becoming conservative. In this form you don’t want to be conservative at all: if I want to move down to hit the first ball, I just do that. That is the expectation.”It didn’t come easy, though. Hayden said he had to practise long before he got it down right. “It is up to you the amount of risks you are willing to take. Your foundation needs to be solid. Your footwork, your head position, and your batswing are the three major components necessary to hit powerfully. This is something I’ve worked for a long time in one-day cricket and that is reason I could score consistently, and top-scored in both the World Cups in 2007 – ODI and the Twenty20.”

Those are the fifth best bowling figures in all men’s ODIs

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jan-2024Wanindu Hasaranga wrecked the Zimbabwe batting order with 7 for 19 in his first international in seven months, his googly causing devastation on a major scale, his slider and legbreak not far behind. Through the course of an innings that was twice shortened by rain, Zimbabwe could muster only 96, succumbing after just 22.5 overs, when 27 were on offer.A target of 97 was unlikely to test Sri Lanka, and Kusal Mendis ensured it didn’t, blasting 66 not out off 51 balls. Though Sri Lanka lost both openers, they ambled home with more than 10 overs to spare, closing out the series 2-0.Having won the toss and batted first, Zimbabwe had in fact been traveling smoothly before the first rain interruption, their openers taking them to 40 off the first 7.4 overs. When play resumed, however, Hasaranga began his charge. Bowling the first full over after the break, he had Takudzwanashe Kaitano caught at short fine leg off a top-edged sweep – Hasaranga’s googly claiming its first victim. He took two wickets in his next over, both lbws. Joylord Gumbie missed the googly; Craig Ervine was struck in front by the fast legbreak. By the time the rain fell again, at 11.5 overs, Zimbabwe had slipped to 48 for 3.This interruption caused the major reduction in overs. But Zimbabwe’s slide was not arrested, nor Hasaranga’s rampage tempered by a break of more than two hours. He got Milton Shumba lbw in his first over back, before Zimbabwe had added another run. Janith Liyanage then took his first international wicket, before Maheesh Theekshana somewhat fortuitously claimed the wicket of Sikandar Raza (whose attempted lap sweep came back on to the stumps off wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis’ equipment). Hasaranga resumed his wicket-taking with the bowled dismissal off Clive Madande, it was his fifth of the evening.By this stage, Zimbabwe had plummeted to 67 for 7, having lost those seven wickets for 24 runs. Their tail would do little better. Thanks to a 14 from Luke Jongwe and an 11 from Wellington Masakadza, who had both come into this game after missing the previous matches in the series, they limped to their eventual target. Hasaranga claimed two more to rack up his best-ever ODI figures and the fifth best in history.The chase began shakily, with Richard Ngarava getting Avishka Fernando to feather one behind – the third time Fernando has been out in this fashion this series. But once Mendis was at the crease, Sri Lanka began to speed toward the small target. He was severe square of the wicket, hitting Ngarava for a four and a six in the cover region in the third over, before lofting him for another four, and eventually reaping 16 off that over.Mendis continued to cover drive, cut, and pull viciously, and by the time the eighth over was done, had raced to 39 off 26 balls, soon progressing to a 37-ball fifty. Debutant Shevon Daniel was caught chipping the left-arm spin of Masakadza to deep midwicket for 12, but by this time, Sri Lanka were only 22 runs away from victory. Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama sauntered to the finish.

Also featuring Avesh Khan’s tendency to bowl short, Sunrisers’ gameplan against specific bowlers, and a brief foray into alternate DRS universes

Dustin Silgardo05-May-2018How Sunrisers kept Pant quietRishabh Pant, who had a strike rate 180.28 before this match in IPL 2018, managed just 18 off 19 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Sunrisers fast bowlers repeatedly bowled slower balls at Pant, but they had to do more than that. Before this match, Pant had picked slower balls well and struck at 213.51 against them. Off the 37 slower balls he had faced, he had hit four sixes and eight fours.The mistake bowlers had been making was bowling slower balls in Pant’s swinging arc, either on a length or full, allowing him to hit through the line, which is one of his strengths. The Sunrisers bowlers dragged the length back, so the slower balls died on Pant as he attempted cross-batted shots. They also bowled wide of off stump, making Pant lose his balance while chasing the ball, a habit they may have spotted from his previous innings. Stifling Pant after Daredevils’ quick start was the key to Sunrisers keeping their target down to 164.Why did Avesh Khan keep bowling short?Thirteen of the 18 balls Avesh bowled to Sunrisers were either short or short of a length, and they went for 37 runs. His second over, the sixth of Daredevils’ innings, went for 27 – three short balls were dispatched for six – and turned the game in Sunrisers’ favour. But the short length has been Avesh’s go-to strategy through the tournament. Even before this match, nearly half the deliveries he bowled had been short. The short balls had cost him less than when he overpitched and had given him three of his four wickets.Avesh clearly has trouble landing the yorker. He’s landed just three all season and has bowled 11 full-tosses. He’s been economical when bowling length, but has often overpitched, and when he has done so has gone at 13.33 an over. This is probably what led him to keep trying the short length, and it should be pointed out that before Alex Hales hit him for three sixes in that sixth over, he should have had him out off a short ball, but Glenn Maxwell put down the chance at deep square leg.ESPNcricinfo LtdSunrisers wait for the weak linkNot often does a team chase 160-plus when they let four opposition bowlers go at 7.50 an over or less. But from the start of their chase, Sunrisers were patient against Daredevils’ best bowlers. They played out Trent Boult’s first two and then targetted the young Avesh. When Amit Mishra began to turn the ball and trouble batsmen, they settled for singles against him.Shreyas Iyer was smart with his bowling changes. Knowing he did not have a huge total to defend, he kept attacking with his best bowlers, hoping to build pressure. Avesh was brought back for his third over only in the 16th, and Sunrisers took him for 10 runs. Then, knowing that eventually Avesh or Daniel Christian would have to bowl one more, they did not panic against Trent Boult and Liam Plunkett. The strategy left them with 14 to win off the last over, but it was Christian who had to bowl it, and they got home with a ball to spare.Why Sunrisers did not get a leg-bye after a successful reviewIn the 19th over, Boult struck Yusuf Pathan on the back pad and appealed. Umpire CK Nandan waited a long time before raising his finger, by which time Pathan and Kane Williamson had almost completed a leg-bye. Sunrisers reviewed successfully, but the rules say that the ball is dead the moment the umpire declares a batsman out, and therefore the leg-bye does not stand.There are some who argue this rule should be tweaked so batsmen are granted a run if they cross before the umpire makes his decision. But this would take us down a rabbit hole. In this instance, the single Sunrisers took was a comfortable one. But consider this scenario: The ball hits Yusuf’s pad and trickles to the fielder at short cover; the batsmen set off for a quick single, and the fielder rushes in to effect a run out; he sees the umpire signalling out, and stops; the decision is eventually overturned and Sunrisers are also given a run, but the Daredevils captain is left complaining that his fielder could have effected a run-out had he not stopped.To avoid this, players would have to be told to keep playing on despite an umpire’s signal. Firstly, this would further erode whatever semblance of authority umpires now have on the pitch. And it could also lead to situations like this: The fielder continues rushing in and runs Williamson out, leaving us with a double-play, two batsmen out off the same ball, and we are reviewing to see which one is out. And if you think that would be confusing, think of what would happen if instead of Yusuf and Williamson, the batsman given lbw was Umesh Yadav and the batsman run-out off the same ball was Virat Kohli. Daredevils realise the umpire has actually mistakenly given Umesh out, so can they now, in order to get the fairest result, review their own successful appeal to try to get Kohli out?The other option would be to tell umpires to give their decision only when all the action is complete. But that might look like this: Yusuf and Williamson attempt a single, the fielder throws at the stumps and misses, it goes for four overthrows, Yusuf and Williamson are high-fiving, but the umpire then says, “Sorry, actually Yusuf is out,” and we’re all left thinking we may have to get this game down to 100 balls after all.The bottom line is that without DRS, Sunrisers would not only lose a possible run but also an important wicket. So at least the technology is improving that situation, and we should be grateful that matches are not being ruined by howlers. But then, we invented giant metal contraptions that can fly and now complain we can’t use our cellphones on them, so…

تحدث فابيان هورزلر مدرب برايتون بعد فوز فريقه ضد مانشستر سيتي بهدفين لهدف واحد، على ملعب أميكس ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وكان إرلينج هالاند قد افتتح التسجيل لفريق مانشستر سيتي في الدقيقة 34، وفي الدقيقة 67 تعادل جيمس ميلنر من ركلة جزاء وأضاف جرودا الهدف الثاني للفريق المضيف في الوقت القاتل في الدقيقة 89.

وقال هورزلر في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “بي بي سي” البريطانية: “كرة القدم لا تقتصر فقط على التكتيكات، بل تتعلق أحياناً بالطاقة والروح الجماعية”.

وأضاف :”أظهرنا في الشوط الثاني حماسا كبيرا وبهذا يمكننا الفوز، قمنا بالتغييرات لأننا لم نؤمن بأنفسنا ولم نشعر بأننا في قلب المباراة، على اللاعبين تقديم أداء جيد في الملعب وقدم البدلاء الأربعة أداء جيدا اليوم، أنا ممتن للجميع”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ميلنر عن احتفاله بطريقة جوتا ضد مانشستر سيتي: كان يعني الكثير بالنسبة لنا

وواصل مشيداً بالمخضرم جيمس ميلنر: “إنه ينشر الثقة وهذا ما ينقله للآخرين، كان هناك ضغط بسبب ركلة الجزاء لكنه تعامل معه في الماضي وحقق إنجازات بارزة في مسيرته، لقد أثبت اليوم أنه قادر على مساعدتنا، الفوز دائماً ما يغير المزاج”.

وتابع: “لقد قدمنا طاقتنا وحماسنا وتكاتفنا في الملعب، دخل البدلاء وصنعوا الفارق، يمكنك دائماً بث الطاقة وهذا يمنح زملائك والجمهور طاقة كبيرة، وهذا أمر بالغ الأهمية في كرة القدم”.

وأتم: “ما فعلناه بعد تسجيل الهدف والبدلاء أننا كنا واثقين من أنفسنا، لم نكن سعداء أو راضيين عن نتيجة التعادل، أردنا تسجيل الهدف الثاني واستحققنا ذلك، بيب بالنسبة لي أفضل مدرب في العالم ومواجهته دائماً تشكل تحديا كبيرا”.

وأكمل :”لطالما كان لديه أفكار جديدة وكان علينا التكيف معها، المنافسة دائماً ضده التحدي الأكبر، لكن الأمر لا يقتصر على فرديات بل جماعية، وسعيد جداً بما أظهره اللاعبون والتزامهم ومعاناتهم معاً”.

وختم عن تسجيل ميلنر لركلة الجزاء: “لقد أثبت جدارته في التدريبات ولهذا السبب تم اختياره لتنفيذها اليوم، لذا أنا سعيد جداً من أجله، ليس فقط بسبب الهدف، بل إنه لا يزال شخصية ولاعباً مهماً جداً بالنسبة لنا، لقد دخل الملعب ومنحنا الطاقة ونظم الأمور”.

Opener survives missed chance from older brother Joe but late strikes lift Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network03-May-2024

Glamorgan 109 for 4 (B Root 51) vs Yorkshire Glamorgan opener Billy Root scored a half-century against a Yorkshire side including his older brother Joe during a weather-affected opening day of the Vitality County Championship clash at Headingley.Left-hander Billy, aged 31 and almost two years Joe’s junior, posted a measured 51 off 95 balls before lunch, with Glamorgan going on to close at 109 for four from 41 overs having elected to bat first.Rain forced a three-and-a-half-hour delay from 1.45pm, before Yorkshire struck twice quickly in the delayed and mini evening session. Bad light then meant no play beyond 6pm.Yorkshire are playing two frontline spinners in Dan Moriarty and Dom Bess on the pitch used for last weekend’s draw against Derbyshire. Neither bowler played in that fixture, but both claimed a wicket apiece here.It is actually the first time since 2013 that Yorkshire have played two spinners in the same Championship match at Headingley. Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq played in an August draw against Warwickshire that season, striking once between them.Moriarty and Bess matched that haul in the morning session, the former striking with the last ball before lunch when the left-armer had Root caught at short-leg, leaving Glamorgan 92 for two after 32 overs.This is not a venue known for suiting spin, but the hosts are desperate to secure a first win in their fifth match of the season to give their Division Two promotion bid lift off.Earlier Coad trapped Eddie Byrom lbw – 18 for one. Root drove nicely against seam and swept and reverse swept against spin during a 74-run stand with captain Sam Northeast, who went on to make 29 before being run out in the evening.Root versus Root has happened three times previously in county cricket, be it with Billy playing for either Nottinghamshire or Glamorgan. In the build-up to this game, England’s Joe described the experience of meeting his brother as a “horrible situation”.But both have done well against each other previously.In the two Championship matches they played – both draws between these two counties – in early 2021, Billy scored a century at Headingley and Joe a 99 at Cardiff.The first main piece of action in this fixture saw Joe fail to hold a tough first slip catch going to his right off new ball seamer Coad with Billy on six.Coad then had Byrom lbw stuck on the crease before Root got an inside-edge onto pad against Moriarty and looped a catch up to Fin Bean at short-leg.Off-spinner Bess is playing his first match of the season after some encouraging form in Yorkshire’s second team.When play resumed at 5.30pm following afternoon rain, Northeast was run out backing up two balls into the delayed evening, leaving Glamorgan at 96 for three in the 34th over.Matthew Fisher got a hand on a crisp Kiran Carlson drive and deflected it onto the stumps.Bess then had Carlson caught and bowled off an inside-edge with the first ball of his second over, his first of the session – 97 for four.Moriarty finished with one for 29 from 15 overs and Bess one for 14 from four.Both sides are searching for their first win of 2024.While Yorkshire have drawn three and lost one, Glamorgan have drawn all three and came into this fixture bottom of the embryonic Division Two table.The day’s play was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Worcestershire spinner Josh Baker, whose death at the age of 20 was announced on Thursday.

MatériaMais Notícias

O tropeço do Internacional, que perdeu por 1 a 0 na tarde desta quarta-feira, fez com que o Palmeiras conquistasse antecipadamente seu 11° título do Campeonato Brasileiro. Esta é a décima taça levantada no período de patrocínio máster da Crefisa, encostando no número deixado pela Parmalat.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasListasAbel Ferreira chega ao topo: veja os técnicos com mais títulos nacionais e internacionais pelo PalmeirasListas02/11/2022Fora de CampoJornalistas exaltam título do Palmeiras: ‘Apresenta ao Brasil o hendeca’Fora de Campo02/11/2022PalmeirasÉ Hendeca! Jogadores do Palmeiras comemoram título do BrasileirãoPalmeiras02/11/2022

>Palmeiras chega ao 11º título: veja os maiores campeões da história do Brasileirão

Em sete temporadas desde que a parceria com a empresa de Leila Pereira, atual presidente do clube, iniciou, foram sete títulos. O Verdão conquistou o bicampeonato da Libertadores (2020 e 2021), o Paulistão em 2020 e 2022, a Copa do Brasil em 2015 e 2021, além do Brasileirão em 2016, 2018 e agora neste ano.

Desde 2015, ano de início do patrocínio, a média de títulos conquistados pelo Palmeiras é de 1,42 títulos por temporada. Vale lembrar que o contrato com a entidade ainda está em vigor e tem duração prevista até o fim de 2024.

A quantidade de conquistas supera uma dos momentos mais vitoriosos na história do Verdão, a ‘Era Parmalat’, acordo de cogestão feita entre o clube e a empresa italiana, que durou entre 1991 e 2000. Nas nove temporadas neste período, foram 11 títulos: três Paulistas, dois Rio-São Paulo, dois Brasileiros, uma Copa do Brasil, uma Mercosul e a Libertadores.

> Clique e confira a tabela completa do Brasileirão!

Apesar da Era Crefisa perder para a Era Parmalat por um título de diferença, o grande “X” da questão está no grau de importância das conquistas, já que foram duas Libertadores contra uma dos italianos, essa levantada somente no último ano de gestão. Além disso, o Brasileirão deste ano entrou para a história por ser o que faltava sob o comando do português Abel Ferreira, um dos treinadores mais vitoriosos do Verdão em todos os tempos.

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Confira os títulos conquistados nas Eras Crefisa e Parmalat:

Crefisa (2015 – em andamento): Paulista (2020 e 2022); Copa do Brasil (2015 e 2021); Campeonato Brasileiro (2016, 2018 e 2022), Recopa (2022) e Libertadores (2020 e 2021)

Parmalat (1991-2000): Paulista (1993, 1994 e 1996); Rio-São Paulo (1993 e 2000); Copa do Brasil (1998); Copa dos Campeões (2000); Campeonato Brasileiro (1993 e 1994); Copa Mercosul (1998) e Libertadores (1999)

Manchester United legend Paul Parker has delivered a brutal assessment of "Primark" striker Rasmus Hojlund after his miserable 2024-25 campaign.

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Hojlund ripped to shredsDeemed a failure at Old TraffordMan Utd advised on potential new No.9Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hojlund has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from Atalanta in a £72 million ($98m) deal two years ago. The Denmark international has recorded just 26 goals in 96 appearances for the Red Devils to date, including only four in the Premier League last season, and the 22-year-old's long-term future at Old Trafford is now being called into question.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT PARKER SAID

United have been tipped to sign a new striker this summer, with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins reportedly among those near the top of Ruben Amorim's wishlist. Speaking to GOAL – in association with – former Red Devils defender Parker expressed his belief that Watkins has all the qualities to solve the team's long-standing No.9 woes. "I'd have to say yes. He's honest, he's a workaholic, and I've found it strange how players are playing in front of him at Aston Villa," he said. "I'm a fan of Ollie Watkins, people will talk about his age, but he's someone who is willing to run the line, someone who will try and turn bad into a good and can score goals. He's very strong in the air as well and he can lead the line, which is a massive plus for Man Utd because they never had that last season – a blind man would have done better."

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However, when asked whether United could sell Hojlund if they do agree a deal for Watkins, Parker struck a more uncertain tone. He added: "I think it'll be difficult to move him on. Man Utd go shopping big and end up with Primark stuff. They've spent fortunes on potential that's failed, they have to give them away cheaply or they have to hope he can watch, listen and learn and improve that way. Then all of a sudden your investment might get strong again. But people are going to judge him when he's deemed as failing at Man Utd. I [also] don't think you can sell him without bringing someone else in after Watkins."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR HOJLUND?

Hojlund needs a strong pre-season if he is to convince Amorim he deserves another chance to be United's leading man, or else the club may step up their interest in Watkins. The Red Devils will open their friendly schedule with a clash against Leeds in Stockholm on July 19 before embarking on a tour of the United States, where they are set to face three more Premier League rivals in the form of West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.

Arsenal are now planning to submit a £50m offer for an “incredible” striker who has been compared to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, according to a report.

Gunners stepping up striker pursuit

With Andrea Berta recently officially taking up the role of sporting director, the Gunners appear to be stepping up their pursuit of a new striker, which seems like one of the Italian’s main priorities as we approach the summer transfer window.

A £59m offer has reportedly been submitted for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, who is believed to be the north Londoners’ top target, given that a deal for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak may not be possible.

David Ornstein has also dropped another update on the Viktor Gyokeres transfer saga, suggesting Berta is a big fan of the Sporting CP star.

Arsenal have a wide array of potential targets, with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike becoming the latest player to make the shortlist, according to a report from Caught Offside.

Ekitike is attracting widespread interest from the Premier League, having impressed in the Bundesliga this season, and the German club are looking to hold out for €80m (£67m).

Newcastle United, Liverpool and Chelsea are also in the race for the striker, which is now starting to heat up, and the English clubs – Arsenal included – plan to submit opening bids of about €60m (£50m) to test the waters, with Frankfurt willing to sell if they receive a suitable offer.

Arsenal now in contact to sign "fantastic" £40m star as agent talks held

The Gunners have set their sights on a player who has impressed in the Premier League this season.

By
Dominic Lund

Mar 30, 2025

"Incredible" Ekitike enjoying best season to date

It is clear to see why so many top clubs are taking an interest in the French striker, given that he is having the best season of his career to date in terms of goals, scoring 19 times in all competitions, while also registering eight assists.

Such is the 22-year-old’s level of performance, he has even been compared to Real Madrid’s Mbappe by Wesley Sneijder, who said: “He has the grace of Neymar, but also the movements of Mbappe.

“To suddenly accelerate, that’s something that Mbappé also has. And he’s only 22 years old. There’s really a lot of potential in this boy.”

Having also been dubbed “incredible” by teammate Rasmus Kristensen, the Frankfurt star is showing signs he could be ready for a move to a top Premier League club this summer.

That said, it would be a risk for Arsenal to sign Ekitike, given that this is the first season of his career where he has been prolific in front of goal, and fellow targets Gyokeres and Isak have proven themselves as reliable goalscorers over a sustained period of time.

“We will offer our views to PCB in due course,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Umar Farooq22-Jun-2023Pakistan’s foreign office has confirmed it is evaluating all aspects of Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. This is the first public indication from the Pakistan government about taking up an issue that has been pending for a while and has even resulted in a delay in the ICC announcing the tournament’s fixtures list.Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup is subject to their government’s approval. The PCB had written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries a few days ago, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list and the decision will eventually have to come from their government.”We have received the official invitation from the Indian prime minister to our prime minister for the virtual meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on the 4th of July,” a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad. “Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days.”Regarding cricket, Pakistan is of the view that politics should not be mixed with sports. India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing. We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers and we will offer our views to PCB in due course.”The 2023 World Cup, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is slated to begin on October 5. The India vs Pakistan fixture is set for ten days later in Ahmedabad. It is one of five venues that Pakistan are scheduled to play at during the league phase.Due to strained political relations between the two countries, Pakistan have not toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup, and even back then there was uncertainty around Pakistan coming to India. The PCB had threatened to pull out of the tournament unless they had clear and public assurance from the Indian government about the security to be provided to their players. These negotiations eventually resulted in the India-Pakistan match having to be shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata.The PCB has requested the ICC to swap venues for two of their league matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup based on an internal assessment of the grounds they are due to play at. Pakistan are currently scheduled to play Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, and then Afghanistan in Chennai on October 23 but have asked for a change where they play Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai. The request has been turned down. Normally, security is the primary reason for a venue change at an ICC event. There was no mention of a security threat in the PCB’s internal assessment.Given the already unprecedented delay – World Cup itineraries usually go out a year in advance – the ICC is hoping to finalise the fixture list and provide it to the public by next week. Pakistan have until then to relay their concerns, if any.