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Leeds United have their eyes on a new centre-back signing and one who could come in to replace Pascal Struijk.

Leeds return to top of Championship with win over Middlesbrough

The Whites and Daniel Farke managed to get back to winning ways in the week after a run of just one victory in their previous six Championship games with a 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough.

Dan James’ early goal proved to be the winner, although Ao Tanaka and Patrick Bamford both had goals wrongly ruled out for offside.

Leeds’ win, coupled with both Burnley and Sheffield United dropping points, ensured that they’d return to the top of the table with just five games remaining.

Talking after the game, Farke said: “I’m proud of my boys. It was a tough game, overall an excellent advert for the Championship. Both sides had periods, but in the end we found a way to win this game and it was crucial today to return to our clean sheet behaviour.

“We had to dig in, had to deal with a couple of injuries and had one day less in between games, and Middlesbrough were in red-hot form. “We had to dig in and show steel and togetherness and spirit to bring this over the line in a hard-fought game and a well-deserved win.”

Leeds (85 pts)

Sheffield United (83 pts)

Burnley (85 pts)

Preston North End (h)

Plymouth Argyle (a)

Norwich City (h)

Oxford United (a)

Cardiff City (h)

Watford (a)

Stoke City (h)

Burnley (a)

Sheffield United (h)

Bristol City (h)

Stoke City (a)

QPR (a)

Plymouth Argyle (a)

Blackburn Rovers (h)

Millwall (h)

Leeds won at the Riverside without Pascal Struijk, with the left-footed centre-back suffering an injury against Luton Town. There is a concern that Struijk may have a fracture in his foot and could be out for the season, which resulted in Ethan Ampadu filling in at centre-back.

Now, a transfer target has emerged on the Elland Road radar who could prove to be a replacement for Struijk.

Leeds keen on signing Modibo Sagnan

According to reports in France, relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds and the 49ers are interested in signing Montpellier HSC centre-back Modibo Sagnan.

Like Struijk, Sagnan is a left-footed defender and could be on the move this summer with Montpellier bottom of Ligue 1. Leeds could take advantage of their potential relegation with a move for the Mali international.

Sagnan, 25, can also turn out as a left-back as well as a centre-back and has played for the likes of Real Sociedad, Lens and FC Utrecht before joining Montpellier.

Over the last 12 months, Sagnan has ranked in the top 10 percentiles when compared to centre-backs in the big five European leagues for both goals and take ons – he has scored five times in 39 games for his current employers.

An amazing Solomon alternative: EFL star wants to sign for Leeds this year

Leeds United could be about to land an attacking star to improve their ranks next season.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 8, 2025

Struijk also has an eye for goal with Leeds, but by the looks of things, should Leeds win promotion, a move for Sagnan could be one to watch.

The Kings XI opener’s unbeaten 99 followed an old-fashioned ODI template, featuring a distinct middle-overs slowdown

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Apr-2019Chris Gayle has hit six centuries in the IPL. The slowest of them, in terms of strike rate, was his unbeaten 104 off 63 balls last year, for Kings XI Punjab against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Today, at the same ground, he finished one run short of scoring an even slower hundred. He was far from his most fluent during his unbeaten 99 off 64, and his hitting – which on his best days isn’t fettered by who is bowling or at what stage of the game – was extremely selective. The innings followed an old-fashioned ODI template, featuring a distinct middle-overs slowdown.By the end of the Powerplay, thanks largely to a 24-run sixth over from Mohammed Siraj, Gayle had run away to 48 off 23 balls, with six fours and three sixes. From there until the end of the 16th over, he hit only one more boundary – a leg glance off Yuzvendra Chahal – while adding 20 off 27 balls to his score.A notable feature of his batting in this phase was his caution against the spinners, Chahal and Moeen Ali, whom he was happy to push for strolled singles to the deep fielders. Apart from that one four off Chahal, all his runs against spin came in singles (11) and a solitary two.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the last four overs, he picked up the pace again, even though he didn’t look at his most fluent – Mayank Agarwal later told the commentators that the pitch slowed down considerably through the innings. In the last four overs, Gayle hit 31 off 14 balls, with two sixes and three fours.Overall, the bulk of Gayle’s runs came off two bowlers, Siraj and Umesh Yadav, off whom he hit 70 off 30 balls. Of the other three Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers, he only made 29 off 34.

The 15-year-old became the second-youngest player in Premier League history this past season, putting some of Europe's big hitters on notice

England's prolific conveyor belt of attacking talent is showing no signs of slowing down production, with Leicester City prodigy Jeremy Monga the latest youngster primed to shine on the biggest stage – either on home soil or abroad. Just , the winger has seemingly nailed down a place in the Foxes' first-team squad, and now the sky is the limit.

A fearless, mesmeric and technical dribbler with the end product to match, Monga's exploits across his budding career to date belie his young years – and some of Europe's big hitters are already sitting up and taking notice as his contract ticks down, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Leicester have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of the gems of their academy, but it's one they might just win in the short-term. Here's everything you need to know about England's latest wonderkid…

GettyWhere it all began

Still only 15 years old, suffice to say Monga's rise has been rapid. Born in Coventry in July 2009, he began his football journey at his hometown club before being poached by local rivals Leicester City aged just eight.

Clearly earmarked for his elite potential from a very young age, at 14 Monga was already getting minutes with the Foxes' Under-18s in the 2023-24 season and was part of the team that triumphed in the U16 Premier League Cup at Man City's expense.

Running his peers ragged, a fast start to 2024-25 – including four goal involvements in three games – propelled the teenager into the U21s and subsequently consideration for the first team. His strike against Aston Villa's development squad in early November 2024 saw him become the youngest goal-scorer in the history of the Premier League 2.

AdvertisementAFPThe big break

Ruud van Nistelrooy's appointment later the same month set Monga on course for a first-team debut. "The first thing I did [when I arrived] here was look at the Under-21s, at the Under-18s, getting them into first-team training and seeing them," the Dutchman said previously. "When players are good enough the age doesn't matter to me, and they can help the team."

Although the teenager had only been able to train once or twice a week as he continued to attend school in preparation for his GCSEs, he was included in Leicester's squad for the FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Manchester United in February before being handed his Premier League debut two months later – emerging off the bench against Newcastle aged 15 years and 271 days to become the second-youngest player in the competition's history after Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri.

Such is his youth, he wasn't even allowed to wear the club's gambling sponsor on his shirt per league rules. Despite his side already being 3-0 down, Monga was greeted by a huge roar – a reflection of the excitement his emergence at the East Midlands club has generated.

"Today, we felt it was the moment to bring him on, to let him have his debut," Van Nistelrooy said afterwards. "You could see glimpses of his great qualities. He's a great winger and has speed. He's a fantastic talent, a great boy."

Reflecting on that moment in a club interview, Monga said: "It was crazy. It was a crazy experience. At first, obviously I was nervous and then when I got onto the pitch all the nerves went away. I just had to switch on. I feel like I done alright, could have done better. Obviously, always room for improvement."

Getty Images SportHow it's going

True to his word, Van Nistelrooy continued to afford the young winger minutes in the remainder of the season, with Monga's thrilling cameos a thin silver lining after Leicester's relegation was confirmed by a defeat to Liverpool later in April.

The 15-year-old featured in each of the Foxes' final six games of their doomed Premier League campaign, suggesting he will be a firm part of the first-team picture going forward despite the uncertainty surrounding the current head coach's future, after the former Manchester United striker failed to arrest a long slide towards the Championship trapdoor.

Monga almost bagged a dream first senior goal in the form of a late winner in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in May, but his curling long-range strike was just about palmed away by Matz Sels.

With the season now over, though, Monga's mind will now be on the classroom rather than the football pitch as he attempts to focus on his GCSEs against he backdrop of his career really taking off. At international level, the teen is actually still playing in his age grade, but with seven goal contributions in nine games since his England U16 debut in August, it feels like a matter of time before he is bumped up.

Getty Images SportBiggest strengths

Monga's most significant attribute is undoubtedly his dribbling ability. The winger combines lightning-quick feet and intelligent decision-making with upper-body strength that belies his tender age to leave defenders in his wake.

At just 15, YouTube is already littered with clips of the precocious youngster breezing past his marker and turning full-backs inside-out with footwork and body feints. Monga is also two-footed, meaning he's versatile enough to play on either flank or as a No.10 behind the striker if required.

But he isn't just an elite ball-carrier – he boasts end product, too. The teenager has already demonstrated in his budding career that he can produce in the final third, ending 2024-25 with 10 goal involvements in 28 appearances at club level, not counting the seven he racked up for his country.

Beyond that, he is clearly grounded. After his Premier League bow, his deputy head teacher at Ratcliffe College in Leicester, James Rainer, said: "Jeremy’s debut is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Ratcliffe. Jeremy’s humility makes this achievement all the more deserved."

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is now “working” on a deal to sign an “unbelievable” player permanently, as he is a perfect fit for the club, according to former scout Mick Brown.

Villa making plans for the summer

Villa were active in the January transfer window, bringing in the likes of Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen and Marco Asensio to strengthen in attacking areas, amid the departure of Jhon Duran, who joined Al-Nassr for £65m.

However, Emery remains keen on bringing in a new forward in the summer, with widespread reports suggesting Rashford could still be eyeing a move to Barcelona at the end of the season.

Samuel Chukwueze is of interest to the Villans, and there are suggestions the AC Milan winger could be keen on a reunion with Emery, given that he has previously described his former manager as “amazing”.

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha is also on the shortlist, with reliable reporter Ben Jacobs revealing a deal is “there to be had” in the summer, regardless of whether the Old Gold retain their Premier League status.

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Unai Emery has set his sights on a striker who has already scored 20 league goals this season.

By
Dominic Lund

Feb 16, 2025

While Rashford’s future remains up in the air, there are now suggestions Villa could already be trying to secure the signing of Asensio on a permanent basis, with Brown telling Football Insider: “On the evidence of what I’ve seen in his couple of appearances, he looks perfect for Villa.

“I think Emery and his staff will have been impressed as well, and they’ll already have started working behind the scenes to see if they can make the move permanent.

“A lot will depend on the role he plays while on loan, but at the moment I’d say that’s where they’re leaning.

“PSG want to move him on, he’s keen to leave, and Villa will be better off if they can keep him beyond the end of the season and will be working to make that happen.”

Asensio still yet to prove himself

The Spaniard arrived at Villa Park with a good pedigree, having played for European giants Real Madrid and PSG, however it is too early to say whether he should be signed on a permanent basis.

The former Real Madrid man was lauded as “unbelievable” during his time in La Liga, but he has made just two cameo appearances since arriving at Villa on loan, coming on as a second-half substitute against Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town.

Having amassed 61 goals and 32 assists in 286 games for Madrid, there are clear signs the 29-year-old could go on to be an important player for Villa as we enter the business end of the season.

However, the jury is still out at the moment, and the £116k-per-week attacking midfielder will be hoping he is given the opportunity to prove himself with a start against Liverpool in the Premier League this evening.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s demands for signing a new Al-Nassr contract reportedly include sacking the club’s coach, sporting director and several players.

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• Current deal is set to expire this summer
• Reluctant to pen extension as things stand
• Wants sweeping changes across the board

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The expectation was, having made a trend-setting move to the Middle East in 2023, that CR7 would agree an extension to his record-breaking deal at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – with his current terms set to expire this summer.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  No paperwork has been signed, though, and Ronaldo is said to have grown frustrated and concerned by the lack of success that Al-Nassr have been enjoying. He still has just one trophy to his name across two-and-a-half years in Riyadh.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  With Ronaldo stalling on prolonging his spell with Al-Nassr, claims that the Portuguese GOAT has laid out his demands in order for an agreement to be reached. He is calling for sweeping change.

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT CRISTIANO RONALDO IS DEMANDING

  Ronaldo is said to be keen for Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro to leave his role as sporting director and follow head coach Stefano Pioli through the exits. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is also of the opinion that half of Al-Nassr’s squad are not good enough.

England’s Test tour of India in late January as well as the SA20 and ILT20 will have to be factored in by clubs

Alex Malcolm23-Aug-2023

Ashes stars Harry Brook and Zak Crawley headline a host of English players unveiled as the latest nominations for the upcoming BBL draft but England’s Test tour of India in January, as well as clarity over the ILT20 dates means clubs will have some decisions to make as to whether to recruit the biggest names or those with the most availability.Brook, Crawley, Ollie Pope, Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence have all nominated for the draft which is set for September 3. However it remains to be seen how much of the BBL season they will be available for given all will be in line to tour India with England’s Test team in January 2024 with the first Test of a five-Test series starting on January 25 in Hyderabad.Exciting England tearaway Gus Atkinson has also nominated for the BBL draft. He is yet to be called up to England’s Test side but is poised to make his England limited-overs debut next month and is in their World Cup squad.Related

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Warner to fulfil BBL commitments with Thunder before heading to ILT20

The BBL final will be held on January 24 and the final home and away game of the streamlined 10-game season finishes on January 17. The other key development for BBL clubs came with the announcement of the ILT20 dates for next year with that tournament to begin on January 19 in the UAE.With South Africa’s T20 league starting on January 10 clubs may favour drafting players who have also committed to the ILT20 as opposed to those who will go to South Africa given they are likely to be available for almost all of the home and away season.Englishmen Dawid Malan and Tom Banton and New Zealander Jimmy Neesham were among the latest names who have nominated for the BBL draft but have already committed to South Africa. Clubs are more likely to be interested in the likes of Sam Billings, Joe Clarke, James Vince, Tom Curran, David Willey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Martin Guptill and Atkinson who have all committed to the ILT20.A number of players will be available as retention picks including Crawley (Hurricanes), Billings (Heat), Clarke (Stars), Vince (Sixers), Curran (Sixers), Banton (Heat) and Willey (Thunder) even though he withdrew last year after being drafted. Players who were drafted last year but did not play are eligible to be retained by that club. Willey played 27 games for Perth Scorchers between 2015 and 2019 but is not eligible to be a retention pick for Scorchers as he was drafted by Thunder last year.Brook, Lawrence, Jacks, and Malan have all played in the BBL previously but do not fit the criteria to be retained as they did not play for a minimum of two seasons with a club previously after not playing last season.Marizanne Kapp is eligible to be retained by Perth Scorchers•Getty Images

In the WBBL, South Africa star Marizanne Kapp has confirmed she will return to the WBBL leaving Scorchers with a massive decision to make over their lone WBBL retention pick. Scorchers need to choose between two of the best allrounders in the world in Kapp and Sophie Devine.Kapp was outstanding for Scorchers in her last two seasons but Devine is a two-time WBBL player of the year and Scorchers captain. Devine has also been involved in Western Australia’s WNCL team which is closely linked to the Scorchers program, making the decision even more difficult.Laura Wolvaardt looks destined to be a retention pick for defending champions Adelaide Strikers but Dane van Niekerk is not eligible as a retention pick after missing last year’s tournament, having previously played for Strikers, Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades.WBBL nominationsEngland: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Katie Levick, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Issy Wong, Danielle WyattIndia: Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Hurley Gala, Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Shreyanka Patil, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha YadavNew Zealand: Sophie Devine, Kate Ebrahim, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess KerrPakistan: Fatima SanaSouth Africa: Suné Luus, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Dane van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin BritsSri Lanka: Chamari AthapaththuWest Indies: Hayley Matthews, Karishma RamharackBBL nominationsAfghanistan: Shafiqullah Ghafari, Izharulhaq Naveed, Mujeeb Ur RahmanEngland: Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Harry Brook, Joe Clarke, Zak Crawley, Tom Curran, Laurie Evans, Richard Gleeson, Alex Hales, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Dan Lawrence, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Callum Parkinson, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Pope, David Payne, Matt Potts, Olly Stone, Josh Tongue, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Luke Wood, Dan WorrallIreland: Josh LittleNew Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Jimmy NeeshamSouth Africa: Marchant de Lange, Faf du Plessis, Beuran Hendricks, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran TahirSri Lanka: Lakshan SandakanWest Indies: Joshua Bishop, Sheldon Cottrell, Akeal Hosein, Nicholas Pooran, Jayden Seales, Ramon Simmonds

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham reign was within touching distance of its first piece of silverware, only for Paris Saint-Germain to rip it away in the final moments and twist the knife on penalties. The North Londoners were cruising with an 80-minute stranglehold over their star-laden French rivals in the Super Cup final, but a late implosion saw dreams turn to dust.

Spurs blew a two-goal lead against PSGFrank hailed a dominant 80-minute performanceBurnley clash comes just three days laterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In Udine, Spurs looked like a side reborn under Frank. Micky van de Ven’s opener and Cristian Romero’s thumping header put them two clear and on course for a statement victory to kickstart the Dane's era. For almost the entire night, the Parisians, dripping with attacking firepower, were shackled. The plan was working to perfection: disciplined defending, aggressive pressing, and lethal set-pieces.

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However, in the final quarter, Tottenham succumbed. Lee Kang-in halved the deficit with ten minutes left, and Goncalo Ramos landed the sucker punch in the dying stages. From that moment, the psychological tide turned, and PSG were merciless in the shootout.

WHAT FRANK SAID

Frank, visibly pained yet proud, admitted they had the game in their grip before it all unravelled. 

"I think we played a very good game against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best," Frank told "We had them exactly where we wanted them for 80-somethimg minutes until 2-1. Then it shifted the momentum but I'm so proud of the team, players, club and fans. We showed we can be adaptable and pragmatic. 

"We needed to be that against a team like PSG, with the way we wanted to defend with both high pressure and a low block. The first half was almost perfect and the set-pieces were very dangerous. In one game, I think we have shown we can play against any team in the world. I'm not in doubt about that and that's a positive to take away from this."

DID YOU KNOW?

Spurs’ attacking edge came from the training pitch. Frank had sent his players through an intense warm-up focusing almost entirely on dead-ball situations, and it paid off spectacularly with both goals. 

“It was a special operation,” he explained. “In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died, so not that good in the end. But we worked on a game plan that was a little bit different and very close to succeeding.”

His numbers against top sides are not those you’d expect from such a skilful bowler, and holding him back till the 15th over of a middling chase – as was the case against India – hardly helps

Matt Roller13-Oct-20232:49

Why Rashid isn’t at his best against the big teams in ODIs?

It was an incongruous sight. As Rohit Sharma raced to 76 off 43, making light of Afghanistan’s 272 for 8, Rashid Khan prowled around the outfield under the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. India were cruising to an eight-wicket win, yet the opposition’s best bowler was at deep midwicket.By the time Rashid finally came into the attack to bowl the 15th over, India were 125 for 0. He dismissed both openers, having Ishan Kishan caught at cover and bowling Rohit after being taken for three consecutive boundaries, but those wickets served only to underline the peculiarity: why did Afghanistan use five other bowlers before Rashid?Jonathan Trott, their coach, could only suggest it owed to Hashmatullah Shahidi’s “gut feel”, saying: “That’s a captain’s prerogative. There is a case, when the ball gets a little bit older, for Rash to bowl with it, and it gets a little bit more turn; it doesn’t skid on as much.”And yet, Trott could not help but make his own view clear: “Certainly, you want a guy like Rash in the attack as soon as possible,” he said, conceding that the game was effectively over as a contest by the time Rashid had bowled his first over. “It’s always something we’ll look at.”Related

Trott hopes Rashid & Co bring 'joy and happiness' to post-earthquake Afghanistan

It was the latest installment in Rashid’s unusual and underwhelming World Cup career, which is now 11 matches old. At 25, he already holds elite status as a white-ball bowler: at some stage next year, he will overtake Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker in T20 history. And yet, that success has generally eluded him in 50-over cricket.In aggregate, his ODI record is superb: he has 174 wickets at 19.91 in 96 matches. But over 100 of those wickets have come against Ireland and Zimbabwe; in his dozen appearances against nations in the top six of ICC’s rankings, he has taken only 13 at 44.30 each.In T20, nobody has played Rashid better than Shane Watson. Watson faced 73 balls from Rashid across 11 matches, scored 108 runs and was never dismissed by him, most memorably scoring a match-winning century for Chennai Super Kings against Rashid’s Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 IPL final.Watson believes that Rashid’s struggle to convert his T20 form into 50-over cricket owes to the specifics of the format: with only four fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle in the middle overs of an ODI, he has less protection in the deep. “When batters feel like they need to take Rashid Khan on, that really does bring him into the game,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo.Rashid Khan dismissed Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma after coming on in the 16th over of the chase•ICC/Getty Images”With four people out, batters do not have to take a risk: they find it easy to be able to find the boundary or rotate the strike. Everyone knows that Rashid Khan is the major weapon for Afghanistan, so the game plan will always be around making sure they negate him. And if he gets it slightly wrong, there are low-risk boundary opportunities available with four men out.”When facing Rashid, Watson shifted his stance across so that he covered his off stump. “It was a bit like facing Shahid Afridi,” he recalled, “because they’re a lot faster through the air [than most wristspinners] and more direct… they’re not really trying to get you out through flight, more from the ball skipping off the wicket.”The ball where he gets most of his wickets is his wrong ‘un… so I would set up to be able to hit the ball dead straight or into the leg side, with the ball mainly coming in. He’s not a big turner of his legspinner. I thought, if I was on off stump, I was comfortable knowing that he wasn’t really going to spin the ball past me on the outside of the bat.”Throughout their T20 encounters, Watson noticed that when Rashid went wicketless early in his spell, he would “start chasing wickets” by bowling fuller than his natural length. “He’s going to try and bowl more miracle balls… try to bowl a bit slower, or a bit fuller, which means there are more scoring opportunities for the set batters.”That pattern played out on Wednesday night. After Rashid was cut for four by Rohit, his next ball was a fraction fuller and straighter, and was dispatched over the leg side for four more. His follow-up was a googly, targeting the stumps; Rohit swung it away over the leg side for six.

“The ball where he gets most of his wickets is his wrong ‘un. So I would set up to be able to hit the ball dead straight or into the leg side, with the ball mainly coming in.”Shane Watson spills out his secret of tackling Rashid Khan

On Sunday, Rashid will come up against an England side who will look to put him under pressure. All of their batters have played with or against Rashid in international or franchise cricket; four years ago, they plundered 110 runs off his nine overs in Manchester, including 11 sixes.It seems implausible that Shahidi will hold him back as long as he did against India – even if that decision fitted the general pattern of Rashid’s ODI career, which has seen him bowl only two powerplay overs this year. “Once the ball has stopped swinging, I’d be getting him on,” Watson said.”Afghanistan has to take early wickets to try and get into the middle order, and he’s absolutely their best wicket-taking opportunity. Even if it’s just one or two overs in the powerplay, get him into the game early. You’d prefer to ask a few questions, compared to getting him into the game when it’s nearly too far gone.”Rashid’s schedule has been relentless this year – he has featured in six different franchise leagues – and he has been carrying a back niggle for several months. His status as Afghanistan’s most prominent cricketer means that he cannot simply switch off when he is not playing.This week, he announced that he would donate his match fees for this tournament to the relief effort following the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, and his foundation has launched a fundraising campaign for its victims. Cricket can never be his sole focus – even during a World Cup.And yet there are few sights in the sport that can bring more joy than Rashid at his best, grinning after beating a batter or wheeling away with his arms outstretched in celebration. Afghanistan will hope they prove to be the defining images of his 2023 World Cup.

Southern Brave wristspinner Jake Lintott reflects on two powerhouse innings against champions

Jake Lintott17-Aug-2022We are disappointed with how we’ve played in the first half of the group stages, with one win and three defeats in our first four games. There’s no excuses: we’ve just been a little bit off the pace.We had a week off after our first game and struggled to find our rhythm against Birmingham Phoenix. We played London Spirit two days later, who have gone really well. We did a lot of things right but just left ourselves a bit too much to do. On Sunday, against Oval Invincibles, we were pretty poor.Will Smeed and Will Jacks both scored hundreds against us and played really well, but we’re not naive: that doesn’t just happen randomly. It’s not a case of being unlucky that we’ve had two great innings against us. We tried to stick to plans against them but we probably fed their strengths. We have to be better moving forwards.Injuries don’t help any team. At the draft, the seam attack that was put together featured Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan and Craig Overton. At various stages, all four of them have been unavailable. Clearly, we’ve been a little bit unlucky there but we still feel like we have the players to win games. It’s quite simple from here: we have to have a proper shot at winning every game if we’re going to qualify.As I see it, there’s no reason why we can’t. It only takes one person to play a special innings or bowl a special spell, and things can change really quickly. Our overseas players – Quinton de Kock, Tim David and Marcus Stoinis – haven’t quite fired yet but they are all world-class performers and will come good at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later.We play Manchester Originals on Thursday, who won their first game last night after starting with three defeats. They have a really strong batting line-up on paper and it’s really important that we plan well before then. Joe Maiden, our analyst, sends through all the opposition information a couple of days before a game, which will outline each batter’s strengths, weaknesses, where to bowl, where not to bowl, all of their preferences.Will Jacks walks off after making 108 not out against Southern Brave•Getty ImagesSome people won’t spend long looking at it and others will spend a lot of time on it. I’m quite thorough, just because I came into the professional game late: analysis is such a big thing now, and it’s all I really know. For others, who have played for 10 or 15 years, they are happy to focus on themselves. I’ll go through everything with Graeme Welch, the bowling coach, and then we’ll have a meeting with him, Joe and Mahela Jayawardene to make sure our plans marry up.It’s quite a thorough process, just making sure our plans are ready so that if we execute them on the night, we can really shut batters down. Sometimes you find things out that you didn’t know about batters and that means it’s worth looking into: you might find out that, randomly, a particular batter struggles to score against wide cut-balls.Manchester’s line-up is very strong: Jos Buttler and Phil Salt opening up, plus some quality overseas players like Andre Russell and Tristan Stubbs in the middle order. It’ll be a good test for us, and an opportunity to put things right. Personally, I’m really looking forward to the challenge of bowling against some of the best players in the world.The standard this season has been very high. Every team is star-studded and going up against the world’s best is a great gauge of where you’re at. A lot of the overseas players this year are big names which adds pressure, but I have to try and break the game down so that I’m really clear with my plans.It’s easy when you’re in the flow of the game to end up just bowling without thinking, and that’s when you can make mistakes. I’ve been a little bit disappointed with certain deliveries, but that’s part and parcel of bowling wristspin. I’ve still got a lot of confidence in myself that I can make a big impact on games moving forward.I’m really looking forward to playing against Jos. We trained together at Somerset when we were much younger, and we played a bit of school cricket against each other: he went to King’s College, Taunton, and I was at Queen’s. He was still as formidable then as he is now. I haven’t come across him much since then but Thursday should be a really good challenge, bowling to one of the best batters in the world.

Juventus general manager Damien Comolli was furious with Douglas Luiz's antics as he refused to report for training with his team-mates.

• Luiz skipped pre-season training without permission
• Attempting to force a move after woeful season
• Apologised to team-mates and staff for his behaviour

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Luiz has been desperately trying to leave the Italian club just a year after joining from Aston Villa. In a bid to force a move, the midfielder refused to report to the club's headquarters for training this week. The Serie A club are offended by Luiz's actions and have decided to take disciplinary action against the Brazilian. Comolli clarified that the situation was resolved after Luiz apologised to the club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Brazilian made only 19 Serie A appearances for Juve last season and one appearance as a substitute in the Club World Cup this summer. Marred by injuries as soon as he joined the Italian club, the Brazilian is unable to find a new club. Premier League club Nottingham Forest have reportedly submitted a loan bid with an option to buy for the 26-year-old, but Juve's demand of €40 million (£34m/$46m) may be a hurdle for the English club.

  Comolli, who is aware of the midfielder's plight, empathised with him but asserted that he should apologise to his team-mates and staff. The general manager is very clear that no player is leaving until the club receives a worthy offer.

• WHAT COMOLLI SAID

  When asked about Luiz going AWOL, Comolli said: "The player disrespected his team-mates. Everyone must respect the shirt they wear. He then apologised to everyone, players, coaches, and me.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?

  Luiz will be hoping for a quick resolution to his situation, with a Premier League return a possibility. Juve are also trying to offload Timothy Weah, who rejected a move to Nottingham Forest earlier this summer, but a move to Marseille has emerged as a possibility.