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Cameron Bancroft was speaking to reporters on his return to Perth on Thursday afternoon, following his nine-month ban from international and domestic cricket handed by Cricket Australia

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2018Cameron Bancroft admits he will regret his choice to tamper with the ball in Cape Town for the rest of his life, but has not yet decided whether he will contest the nine-month ban handed to him by Cricket Australia.Arriving at home in Perth, Bancroft spoke for the first time since the press conference in which he and the Australian captain Steven Smith misled the public about the nature of the ball-tampering offence, claiming he had used adhesive tape instead of the sandpaper he later admitted to using, after being instructed as to how to do so by the vice-captain David Warner”Yes, I lied. I lied about the sandpaper and I panicked. I panicked in that situation and I’m very sorry,” he said. “I love the game of cricket and playing for my nation and my state, there is no greater pride for me. I am extremely disappointed and regret my actions. I am sorry to the people who have looked up to me around the world, especially the kids.”I will focus on my actions and my conduct going forward. Not a second has gone by where I haven’t wanted to turn back time. I will regret this for the rest of my life. I just want to show how sorry I am, and at the end of the day, they are my actions that I am accountable for, and they don’t reflect on my values and what I have grown up to be. It is something I am very ashamed of and so sorry for.”Though the WACA chief executive, Christina Matthews, initially said that Bancroft would accept his punishment, his response to a question about contesting the penalty imposed by CA – a nine-month playing ban and a two-year ban from captaincy – told a rather different tale. “At the moment, I have received the paperwork for my sanction,” he said. “I respect the process that is going to come with that and I will work with my manager [Trent Ovens] and we’ll move forward with that.”The cricket cost has been at the forefront of Bancroft’s mind ever since he realised the gravity of the situation. He arrived home just as three players flown from Australia as replacements – Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell – prepared to train on the eve of the fourth Test against South Africa at the Wanderers.”Through the last few days, sitting in my own company, the thing that breaks my heart the most is that I have given up my spot in the team for somebody else for free,” Bancroft said. “People know that I’ve worked so hard to be able to get to this stage in my career, and to know that I have just given somebody an opportunity for free is devastating for me.”I know it is going to be a difficult journey back, but the moment I step outside this room is the moment I take the step forward to earning that respect back. Through this whole experience and whirlwind has been obviously shown how important the game of cricket is to Australia and the public, and we are representations of that.”For me, it has been a very big wake-up call for myself about what that means and how amazing an opportunity it is to wear the baggy green cap. I feel I have let everyone down in Australia and I am not proud of that, and I know it is going to take time to heal and to earn that respect back from everybody.”Among Bancroft’s biggest regrets is that he did not question the suggestion from his opening partner Warner that he attempt to rough up the ball with sandpaper, having never before been involved with ball tampering at any level of the game. “I’ve never, ever been involved in tampering with the ball,” he said. “It completely compromises my values and what I stand for as a player and a person, and for Australian cricket, it is not acceptable.”I had the opportunity to take control of my own values and my actions and I didn’t, and that’s a real embarrassment for me and I am sorry for what has entailed since then for that, and it is just a responsibility I completely take on myself.”It is so big because the action of doing it is completely wrong, and for me to carry out that in front of world cricket and to be seen breaking the laws of the game, not playing within the spirit of the game, it is completely how cricket shouldn’t be played. It is going to be a really long road, especially for myself to earn that respect back, but for me, that’s the important thing.”

The 21-year-old has been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship

Deivarayan Muthu29-Jan-2025Guyana’s Matthew Nandu had a rousing start to his career, scoring a century on first-class debut and almost repeating the feat on List A debut, in 2023. He then suffered a slump in form but is rising again, having topped the run-charts for Guyana in the 2024 Super 50 competition, with 260 runs in six innings at an average of 43.33. The 21-year-old has now been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship, which will kick off on January 29.Guyana will open their campaign against Barbados at Providence. Nandu has fond memories of his 126, spanning over eight hours, against the same opposition on debut in North Sound almost two years ago.”Before making my debut I was nervous but after I got a hundred it was a special feeling,” Nandu recalled, speaking to ESPNcricinfo during a camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai in December 2024. “Yes, not many people can say that they have a hundred on debut, but I think we can now leave that behind and keep moving forward. “I don’t want to look back at the past, I want to continue looking at tomorrow and what it brings.”Nandu prepared for West Indies’ domestic season by facing a variety of spinners on a variety of surfaces, including black and red, in Chennai. He hopes he can incorporate the Chennai lessons against spinners in the Caribbean.”I’ve been able to figure out ways to score off the spinners in the middle, especially against left-arm spin, and the coaches have given me some good pointers,” Nandu says. “I think what the coaches have passed on over this past week and a half, it’s been very helpful towards my game. I came here with an open mind, looking to learn as much as I possibly can and try and incorporate as much as I can towards my game. So, when I get the time to go back home and put in the work, I’ll definitely focus on the things that I learnt here and try and make it more consistent towards my game.”Related

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While Guyana continues to produce new heroes – Shamar Joseph is the latest poster boy of the region – cricket isn’t as popular in Canada, where Nandu grew up. Nandu played a number of sports, including baseball, basketball and ice hockey, when he was young, but he was always hooked to cricket, which is in his blood. Matthew is the son of Arjune, the former West Indies Under-19s and Guyana legspinner, who played four first-class matches before he moved to Canada. His uncle Richard Jodah has also represented Guyana in youth cricket.During the off-season in Canada, Nandu used to travel to Guyana and went onto emulate his father by playing for both West Indies Under-19s and Guyana. Against Papua New Guinea in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup at Diego Martin in Trinidad, he made 128 off 134 balls to go with two wickets with the ball.”I’ve had my dad work with me since I was a kid, so he’s played a big part in my journey as well; I’ve had the support from my mom and my brother and my uncle as well,” Nandu says. “I’ve been working hard towards my game since I was about nine-ten years old, fell in love with the game and found my way in Guyana, playing trials and stuff like that to get to the next level, so just looking to continue moving forward and taking one game and one opportunity at a time.”Matthew Nandu hones his defence at the CSK Academy in Chennai•Super Kings AcademyWhile these are still early days in his first-class career, Nandu has displayed stickability, which was the calling card of his hero and Guyanese great Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Nandu also idolises current West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope, who had handed out his maiden CPL cap at Guyana Amazon Warriors.”He’s not playing now but I looked up to Shiv Chanderpaul growing up,” Nandu says. “I think right now, it’s Shai Hope – the way he goes about his game and his mannerisms on and off the field. I feel special that Shai was the one who gave me the [CPL] cap and hopefully I’m looking forward to that happening in the future.”Shai was very open. He always wanted to share his knowledge with me, and I tried to work as much as I could with him, to learn as much as I can. And he was always open to share his experiences, and I took that with both arms.”You can be fairly certain Nandu wasn’t talking about getting another cap from Hope for any other team in domestic or franchise cricket.”Well, yeah, it [playing for West Indies] is the ultimate goal, but I think it’s one thing, getting to the level is one thing…but staying there and performing every game is another thing,” he says. “So, it comes more so with the mindset and working on that every day, every game. Just want to continue to have that right mindset.”

It was plain from the start of the ODI series that, for some reason, West Indies’ spirit of the Tests had evaporated in the interim. It reflected a general problem of attitude – the one common factor in their desperate decline of the past 15 years or so

Tony Cozier21-Feb-2010Much like his batting, Chris Gayle’s reputation has gone through several phases these past few months. He arrived in Australia in November for the series of three Tests castigated by the Australian media as a villain, a reinstated captain who had openly dissed Test cricket in favour of Twenty20 and a pivotal figure in the disruptive players’ strike that preceded the tour.By the end, he was being widely hailed as a champion, Man of the Series for leading a spirited West Indies revival with two high quality hundreds in the last two Tests and his general leadership.”Gayle has brought some muscle and pride back to West Indies cricket,” Peter Lalor, a previous doubter, wrote in the .Now, just over a month on, at the end of an ill-starred return series of ODIs, Gayle finds himself the butt of the kind of derision usually reserved for clairvoyants who prophesise the end of the world every other Friday.Never shy of expressing an opinion, he proclaimed that his team, even though hamstrung by injuries to several key players, would somehow defeat the most powerful exponents of the 50-overs game–and by 4-to-1, no less.It might just have been another of Gayle’s casual lines to wind up the media. Perhaps he felt it would have given comfort to the new players in his patched-up outfit.Surely he could not have believed his forecast for, through strained backs, damaged fingers, pulled hamstrings and wonky knees, he was without his two most experienced batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, his vice-captain and key allrounder Dwayne Bravo, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, fast bowler Jerome Taylor and the talented young opener Adrian Barath.Possibly, Gayle expected that the same unity and commitment that was obvious in the last two Tests in December would carry them through, in spite of such handicaps.Had the ODIs immediately followed, as they used to, that might have given them the necessary state of mind to be competitive, if hardly earn a 4-1 triumph.Instead, there was a gap of three weeks between the two during which the players went their separate ways.In spite of contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Gayle and Bravo skipped the WICB’s own first-class tournament to remain in Australia for the Twenty20 Bash (during which both were injured).A few sought medical attention for the ailments that would prevent their return. Others went home for a couple of meaningless, sub-standard four-day matches.It was plain from the start of the ODI series that, for some inexplicable reason, the spirit of the Tests had evaporated in the interim.Even from the other side of the planet, the same ‘don’t care’ approach that prevailed during the shameful campaign in England last May was clear through the television coverage.Faces were sullen and shoulders quickly drooped. Straightforward catches were spilled, slack strokes cost wickets.Even David Williams, the always upbeat coach, was moved to say after Friday’s latest humiliation: “It is a blessing for us the ODIs are over. We played terrible in all three departments and to drop five catches in 50 overs tells a lot about our performance.”Reliable, long-standing colleagues in Australia reported that it reflected a general problem of attitude. It is nothing new. It is the one common factor in the West Indies’ desperate decline of the past 15 years or so.The reports of Gayle, Williams and manager Joel Garner, never one known to hold back, should make instructive reading for the WICB. If they correspond to the unofficial accounts out of Australia, it must act on them as it has failed to do in the past.For all Gayle’s braggadocio, no one expected the West Indies, No.8 in the ODI rankings, to win even one match against the No.1 opponents who had just thrashed Pakistan in nine successive matches (three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20).What was not expected was the pathetic capitulation. The margins were overwhelming – 113 runs, eight wickets with 141 balls remaining, 50 runs and 125 runs. In each of the last two matches, Australia amassed 324 (for seven and for five). The West Indies could not bat through 40 overs in three matches and only once raise more than 200.It was mystifying why Kieron Pollard languished down the list at No.6 and 7 until the last ODI•Getty ImagesAustralians once flocked in their hundreds of thousands to watch what was their favourite team. Now the smallest crowds on record turned up for the match.Gayle’s failure at the top (7, 0, 34 and 14), each time to his bogey-man, the strapping left-armer Doug Bollinger, was clearly a significant factor.Without Sarwan and Chanderpaul, it exposed Travis Dowlin, Runako Morton, Lendl Simmons and Narsingh Deonarine for the modest players they are at this level. None seemed interested in buckling down, as Dowlin and Deonarine had done when given the chance in the TestsIn the circumstances, it was mystifying why Kieron Pollard languished down the list at No.6 and 7 until the last match.While he has made his global reputation as Twenty20 hitter, the big Trinidadian has shown at regional level that he is more than just that. He compiled 174 against Barbados last year and averages 37 in first-class cricket, better than most of those previously preferred to him in the longer game.With his controlled batting, stiff medium-pace bowling and sharp fielding he has at least provided one bright spot from this series.Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards are already out of action with hip and spinal injuries. The sore ankle that eliminated Kemar Roach from the last three matches came as another major worry at a time when fast bowling stocks are in short supply.He is an outstanding prospect who has just started his career. A long layoff, such as both Taylor and Edwards had soon after they began, would be a setback for him personally and for the West Indies.There was apparently such a lack of confidence in Gavin Tonge, the third fast bowler in Australia, that he remained on the bench in all five matches, leaving Ravi Rampaul (another with a history of injuries) to carry the attack.That Dwayne Smith shared the new ball with his unthreatening medium-pace prompted disturbing memories of Clive Lloyd doing the same in the early 70s before the arrival of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding et al.A couple of Twenty20 matches remain in Australia until, as Williams might say, it’s a blessing it’s all over. Zimbabwe at home follow immediately. They are even further down the rankings than the West Indies but, if the attitude isn’t right for their Twenty20 and five ODIs, more embarrassment could be on the way.

Everybody hopes that the next three matches go the full distance, but don’t rule out contingency plans for rain intervals being discussed in team meetings

Sidharth Monga in Wellington06-Mar-2009

	Blame it on the rain: The repeated shower interruptions have given the captains plenty to think about © Getty Images

So one-day cricket has become predictable, eh? It’s not the same old formulaic stuff when there’s rain around. With constant rain intervals, as at the Westpac Stadium tonight, teams have to keep thinking on their feet. Equations and circumstances keep changing with every drop that hits the green.Take a look at this scenario. Before the rain arrived the first time, India were 130 for 1 and looking at a 300-plus score. After two brief stints and three rain breaks, if the game had started, India would have had to defend 165 in 20 overs. On a pitch that Daniel Vettori said was much better than the one for the Twenty20 last week, with a wet outfield and ten wickets in hand, New Zealand would have fancied a win. So from being the favourites at one stage, India would be forgiven if they thought they escaped tonight. Such are the shenanigans of the Duckworth-Lewis system.It is always tricky to bat after a rain interval. All of a sudden the overs are reduced, the batsmen have to think of a target that is safe, and they have to change their style. Let’s not forget that they have to play themselves in before they can go for the big hits. Not to take the credit away from Vettori and Kyle Mills, but India came out a little distracted after the first rain break, and lost two wickets for 21 runs in five overs before rain struck again.The strategising for games when rain is forecast – and the forecasts in New Zealand have been fairly good so far – begins at the toss itself. Does a team want the runs on the board? Or does it want to chase a target? It is often tempting to go for the latter, but

Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked at the other side of it before he chose to bat.”If it rains for the amount that you lose eight, 10 or 15 overs, the side which has batted first has a bit of advantage,” said Dhoni said, “but in the same way for the side batting, if they are given a target in 20 overs, it becomes very easy. For New Zealand today, if it was a 20-over game, they would have required around 166-odd runs, but if it was a 28-over game they would have needed about 217-odd runs.”Also the side batting first stands to gain in terms of Powerplays from a situation when the game has been reduced. Today India got 15 overs of Powerplays before the rain interval, and with the game reduced to 34 overs, got three more overs of batting Powerplay. Had the rain not intervened, New Zealand would have got only 13 overs of fielding restrictions as opposed to India’s 18. It will be one complex system that takes all this into account and then reworks the target. In a similar scenario late last year, India got 18 overs of Powerplays as opposed to England’s nine, in the Bangalore ODI that had to be reduced to 22 overs a side.Generally the shorter the match, the more it favours the fielding side. But like Dhoni said, who can predict how much it will rain? It helps, though, to have a Virender Sehwag at the top of the order to take the pressure that the duo of Duckworth and Lewis put on a batting side.India knew it would rain in Napier and they knew it would rain in Wellington. Both times they decided to bat, so it seems like a policy decision. “It’s like a gamble because you don’t know how much it would rain,” said Dhoni. “That’s a gamble you take more often, and we are a good batting side so we back ourselves on that. If we get a good start we can get a decent score if the amount of overs are reduced by 15 or 20. And definitely, in 30 overs the opposition will get a big target to chase.”Vettori would have batted too if he had won the toss, but for a different reason. “The wicket was a lot better than it was for the Twenty20 game, so we wanted to make sure we could put a score on the board,” he said. “And in a way, try and put the pressure back on India because they have done so well with batting at the start.”India’s tour of New Zealand so far has been shorn of mind games and quotable quotes, but the rain breaks have added an interesting twist to both off-field planning and on-field implementation, especially when dealing with factors beyond one’s control. It is not always fair, but like the batting Powerplays they add a whole new dimension.Everybody is hoping that the next three matches will go the full distance, but you can be sure contingency plans for rain intervals will be discussed in team meetings.

History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have made
so many alterations to the accepted version that the past is now
irrelevant

Brydon Coverdale in Perth21-Dec-2008

	The chase was so well calculated that it even allowed de Villiers to reach his century in the dying stages and Duminy to finish with an invaluable unbeaten 50 on debut © PA Photos

History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have made
so many alterations to the accepted version that the past is now
irrelevant. Their brilliant chase of 414, orchestrated by their two
youngest batsmen, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, proved again that no
target is out of reach these days and that despite what Australia
wanted to believe, South Africa hold no demons from past failures.They are two matches from potentially climbing the biggest mountain in
world cricket. Apparently, 2008 is the international year of the frog
and it could well finish with South Africa poised to leap over
Australia and into the top position on the world Test rankings. Wins in
the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney will get them there
and on the evidence displayed at the WACA, and with Australia to visit
South Africa in February, it will be only a matter of time.The key difference in this South African side compared to the older
versions is their self-belief. Australia have daunted South Africa so
much over the years that had Mitchell Johnson’s eight-wicket haul come
in a previous series the team’s confidence would have been shattered.
But the calmness of the captain Graeme Smith and the coach Mickey
Arthur has rubbed off on this unit and the way they fought back to
restrict Australia to 319 in the second innings was the key.”There’s only really one statement that stands out in the game,” Smith
said. “If we didn’t rock up on the day after Mitchell’s spell and bowl
as well as we did, put that statement in place that we’re here and
we’re not going away, then we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”Smith was the hero when his team chased down 281 to win at Edgbaston this year, which gave them their first series victory in England for 43 years. He again made a century in this triumph, the second-highest
chase of all time, which he was still struggling to comprehend after
the match.”We’ve had such an incredible last year and a half,” Smith said.
“Victories in the subcontinent, in England, a really big victory at
Edgbaston, which was very emotional. But I think the emotions that we
felt through this game, where we were and the way we came back,
everyone has contributed so from that perspective it’s got to be a
great Test win for South Africa. It’s got to go up there with my best
wins ever.”Smith was underplaying the significance of the victory slightly. A
visiting South African journalist said the win would rank alongside
any of the nation’s sporting achievements and it’s hard to disagree.
The enormity of the chase was one thing but defying the trend between
the two sides made it all the more exhilarating. South Africa’s most
recent two wins against Australia had come in dead rubbers in Durban in 2001-02 and Centurion in 1996-97. Only once since readmission had
they prevailed in Australia.

	The key difference in this South African side compared to the older versions is their self-belief © Getty Images

It was the perfect chase, every bit as impressive as India’s 387 in
Chennai last week, not the least because it was away from home against
the world’s top-ranked team. It began with Smith and Hashim Amla
building a platform, continued with de Villiers and Jacques Kallis reeling the
target to within sight and culminated in de Villiers and Duminy
completing the order. It was so well calculated that it even allowed
de Villiers to reach his century in the dying stages and Duminy to
finish with an invaluable unbeaten 50 on debut.Both men thoroughly deserved the milestones and it completed their
remarkable journey from the Under-11 tournaments they used to play
against each other. They have taken different paths to the top, de
Villiers being rushed into the side at 20 and being tried in just
about every position over 47 Tests; and Duminy waiting on the fringes and
watching enviously until a thumb injury to Ashwell Prince opened up a
spot in this match.When de Villiers was last seen in Australia in 2005-06 he was being
tested as an opener and made a couple of promising half-centuries but
was still learning on the job. He has matured immensely since then
and, much like the string of brilliant catches he took during the
match, he wasn’t about to let this game slip through his hands. There
was no streakiness and apart from a drive that just cleared mid-on,
barely any half-chances.He had come to the crease with 235 runs still required and but the
target wasn’t weighing on his mind. Small goals were set and
partnerships were built, first with Kallis and then with Duminy. The
century took care of itself and he celebrated enthusiastically when it
came, not so much because of his score but because he had helped his
team set up what by then was a certain victory.”It was never really an issue if I get a hundred or not against the
Aussies,” de Villiers said. “It was just important to get through
today. It’s more important to win a Test match over here than get my
own hundred. But it’s done and it’s great to have gotten a hundred and
win the Test match in one game. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s a
dream come true for me.”At 24, the men are younger than all of Australia’s players bar Peter
Siddle, who was born in the same year. That it has taken South Africa
several years to build this side should not be lost on Australia, who
are battling to balance struggling stars with new men still finding
their feet. Australia have written the script between these sides for
so long that it is hard to imagine a new author. Within the next
fortnight, South Africa could write their own names into the history
books.

Newcastle United are believed to be in talks with an "incredible" player's agent over a move to St James' Park, according to a new transfer update.

Newcastle linked with striker

The Magpies came roaring back into form on Saturday afternoon, securing a fantastic 4-1 win at home to Chelsea in the Premier League, in what was an ideal return after the international break.

While clearly a brilliant result, it doesn't change the fact that Newcastle still need to be looking at making new signings in the January transfer window, with injuries hampering them so much this season.

Newcastle willing to pay £26m for “extremely agile” potential ace

Could he be an ideal Sandro Tonali replacement?

ByHenry Jackson Nov 26, 2023

Strike duo Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have both found themselves in and out of the team with fitness issues in 2023/24, and it looks as though a striker could be high up on Eddie Howe's wishlist.

VfB Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy is one player who has been linked with a move to Newcastle, with the 27-year-old enjoying a remarkable start to the season. The Magpies target has scored 15 goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances, only eight of which have been starts.

Newcastle in talks with Serhou Guirassy

According to an update from TEAMtalk, Newcastle are in talks with Guirassy's agent over a move to the club, as they look to get a deal over the line.

"TEAMtalk can confirm that Newcastle have begun the process of trying to bring Serhou Guirassy to the club and have spoken with the players’ agents and Stuttgart about the structure of a deal.

"Newcastle are set for a busy January as they look to strengthen their squad and cover a multitude of injuries and suspensions. Midfield and forward targets are on the club’s radar and they have already started to make moves on key targets such as Guirassy."

The report also goes on to add that Newcastle are "ready to pay the release clause in full", with £15m the amount needed to trigger it in January.

It really does look as though Guirassy is a genuine target for the Magpies, and his aforementioned record so far this season highlights what a spectacular signing he could be.

Granted, some players can simply go through purple patches and then struggle to replicate their previous brilliance, but Newcastle's potential new signing has 30 goals in 39 games for Stuttgart, as well as 30 in 53 Bundesliga outings in his career.

At 27, Guirassy is someone who has now been around for a long time, but is still young enough that he can still be a force for four or five years at the top level, at least.

Bundesliga

53

30

Ligue 1

109

31

The injury records of Wilson and Isak are problematic for Newcastle, as they look to seal back-to-back top-four finishes in the Premier League, but acquiring the services of the Stuttgart ace could make life easier for Howe, making their absences less of a concern if they keep happening.

A release clause of only £15m is also low for someone currently in such impressive form, so it is difficult to find many negatives when it comes to the Magpies signing him.

On the pitch, Everton are back on track for survival and potentially more after a disastrous start to the season left them fearing for their Premier League status. Sean Dyche has gone from defeats at Luton Town to wins over Bournemouth and West Ham United, as well as a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. In an ideal world, their form at Goodison Park would be matched with success away from the pitch. But that has been anything but the case.

As 777 Partners look to complete their takeover of the club, the Premier League's financial fair play investigation into Everton has brought new fears for the club. The investigation could result in major consequences, be it a 12-point deduction or transfer sanctions, or perhaps even both. That said, the Merseyside club may need to raise funds to pay any punishments and are reportedly open to selling one particular player in the January transfer window.

Everton transfer news

Everton did well in the summer to keep hold of some key players. The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdolaye Doucourse and Jordan Pickford all stayed put, as Beto, Jack Harrison and Ashley Young, among others, came in to reinforce Dyche's side. The result of a successful summer window has been a place five points clear of the Premier League's dropzone.

They are still happy to cut ties with one player, however. According to 90min, Everton are open to the sale of Ben Godfrey amid interest from a number of British clubs. Newcastle United, Rangers, Burnley, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are all reportedly interested in signing the central defender in the January transfer window.

Godfrey, of course, has fallen out-of-favour at Goodison Park and could, therefore, do with a fresh start. So far this season, the England international has featured in just one Premier League game in what has been a fall from grace. Godfrey's price-tag once sat at £20m when Everton landed his signature from Norwich City in 2020.

Everton may regret sale of "fantastic" Godfrey

An England international once worth £20m who is still only 25-years-old, Everton may well regret allowing Godfrey to depart if he does complete a move away in the January transfer window. The former Norwich City man has impressed in the past at Goodison Park and, whilst he remains without a place under Dyche, the defender is an ideal back-up for the former Burnley manager.

Godfrey caught the eye of the legendary Carlo Ancelotti during the Italian's time in charge of Everton. The current Real Madrid manager said, via The Boot Room: "Fantastic. We signed him as a centre-back not a right-back, but he has quality to play in that position, He had a little problem when he went on the pitch at the beginning, but second-half was really good. Congratulations to him, he was ready and he’ll be ready for the future."

When the January transfer window opens, Godfrey certainly looks like one to keep an eye on. Whether Everton regret his potential departure or not remains to be seen, however, as they look to avoid relegation once more.

He took a few wickets with pace. Then a few more with bounce. Even some with lateral movement. Shannon Gabriel was so good in St Lucia that he vaulted into the record books. Only once has a West Indian bowler struck more than the 13 times he did in a single Test match. And that was back in 1976, when Michael Holding wrapped England up and put them in his pocket.”It’s a great feeling,” Gabriel said after the game. “If someone told me, ‘Shannon, you’ll play Tests and take 100 wickets’, I would’ve told him, ‘you’re crazy!’ I’d like to thank family and friends for supporting me.”I was prepared well for this series, getting myself fit. As long as you get wickets, pains and aches go away. I was supported well by Kemar (Roach), he was unlucky. Miguel Cummins kept coming at the batsmen. (Jason) Holder was also very good. Anything other than a loss is good. We can take plenty of positives from this Test.”There was only one clear star though, at least in captain Holder’s eyes. “Shannon was absolutely outstanding. I don’t think words can describe the spell he bowled in both the first and second innings. He was aggressive. His pace was up. He caused trouble with every spell he came in and bowled and he stood up. He put us in a position to draw this Test match.”West Indies had won the first Test of the series and were fighting to protect their 1-0 lead at the Darren Sammy stadium. Gabriel was a key part of that, picking up 5 for 59 and then bettering it with 8 for 62. Only three times in the last 23 years has a West Indies bowler taken five wickets in each innings. On the back of that, Gabriel has leapt 11 places up to No. 12 on the ICC Test bowlers rankings.The other saviour for West Indies was opener Kraigg Brathwaite. He soldiered on for 60.3 overs even as the top order crumbled – they were 64 for 4 chasing 296 – to shut down Sri Lanka’s hopes of levelling the series. The hosts had a little help from a timely spell of rain as well.”Congrats as well to Kemar [Roach] and Kraigg, both reaching milestones in this Test match,” Holder said. “Three-thousand Test match [runs] as an opening batter is remarkable and obviously Kemar getting 150 wickets. Very very pleasing to see our guys getting some landmarks and hopefully they can keep pressing forward.”The other major talking point from the Test match was a ball-tampering issue that broke out on the third day. The umpires laid a complaint against Sri Lanka’s methods at maintaining the red-ball, following which they refused to take the field for two hours. Eventually, their captain Dinesh Chandimal was charged by the ICC for breaking the code of conduct.Holder would not be drawn into talking about the incident, but he did feel aggrieved that there was little communication between the officials and the West Indies team. “To be honest I wasn’t aware of what was going on early in the morning. Then we got some information of what was going on. Obviously we’ve seen what has transpired and what has come of it. I choose not to get involved with it. The game is in the control of the match referee. Just a bit disappointed with how it was handled. We basically sat around for two hours with not much information.”Holder was far more open in talking about the final Test of the series, starting on Saturday. “Its obviously a special occasion, the first day-night Test in the Caribbean. I guess the people of Barbados – I’m from Barbados as well – will come out and support us. They’re really avid cricket fans and it should be a really good spectacle at the Kensington Oval.”

Delhi’s underachieving top order has laid obstacles in their march to the semi-finals

Siddarth Ravindran at the MA Chidambaram Stadium16-Apr-2010Pre-tournament favourites Delhi Daredevils may have broken their three-match losing streak with the win over Chennai Super Kings to move closer to the semi-finals, but the worries over their vaunted top-order remain. A target of 113 should have been a snap, but the loss of three wickets in the first two overs made it a strenuous trek towards victory.It started when offspinner R Ashwin continued his trend of providing early breakthroughs, removing Warner in the first over, after the batsman failed to keep the cut along the ground. In the next over, Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger, who has already won over Chennai hearts with his bustling displays over the past couple of weeks, increased his fan-count by nipping out Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan in the space of four deliveries – Sehwag chasing a wide, full delivery and Dilshan bowled when attempting an extravagant cover drive.Delhi were 6 for 3, and the deafening cries of ‘Bollinger, Bollinger’ ringing round the MA Chidambaram Stadium made it hard to believe the home side had scratched their way to one of the lowest totals of the tournament less than half an hour ago. Sensible batting from Gautam Gambhir and Mithun Manhas, who cut out the big hits and dealt mainly in singles initially, took Delhi to a vital win.However, in a crucial match the feared Delhi hitters at the top had flopped again. Despite the presence of three of the world’s most explosive batsmen (Sehwag, Warner, Dilshan) and two of the most consistent run-getters in recent years (Gambhir and AB de Villiers), the Delhi batting hasn’t clicked as often as one would expect.Sehwag has one half-century in the past ten innings, de Villiers and Dilshan have none this season, while Warner has four single-digit scores in six knocks. There have been too many blazing cameos and not enough starring roles. All of which means Delhi were drawn into a mid-table scrap, jostling with five other teams in the scramble for the semi-finals.Ten days ago, a place in the final four seemed a formality, after thrashing a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore to soar into second spot and 12 points. They are now in the comfort of third spot, but like today’s victory, qualification to the next stage is proving more troublesome than it should have been.With the race remaining tense, captains have lashed out at their teams following shoddy performances. Sourav Ganguly termed his term’s effort “absolutely rubbish” after the loss in Bangalore, and Gambhir didn’t spare his big-name batsmen after the win today.”Chasing 113 was not an easy job and you can’t just bat irresponsibly,” he said at the post-match presentation. “The top order needed to bat with some responsibility. You can’t bat just like that and leave the job for the lower order.”Gambhir himself has had a bit of a lean spell, with three run-outs in his past four innings, and was thrilled to have anchored the side to victory. “We lost the top order without scoring much and I had to ensure that I stayed till the end. I am happy to have led from the front to get a win.”With Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra both recovering from injuries, Delhi had their first-choice new-ball combination together for the first time in the tournament, and the pair delivered by taking out three of the opposition’s batsmen early. Now, Delhi need the duo that faces the new ball to get back on track.

أعلنت شبكة قنوات بي إن سبورت القطرية، عن معلق مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدحان الإيفواري، المقرر إقامتها غدًا السبت، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع استاد أبيدجان، على ملعب الأخير، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات من البطولة القارية.

ويتواجد فريق الأهلي، في المجموعة الثالثة لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بجانب أندية استاد أبيدجان وأورلاندو بايرتس الجنوب إفريقي وشباب بلوزداد الجزائري.

ويتصدر ترتيب المجموعة، فريق أورلاندو برصيد 8 نقاط، ويأتي الأهلي في المركز الثاني برصيد 7 نقاط، وشباب بلوزداد يحتل المركز الثالث بـ 6 نقاط، يتذيل الترتيب استاد أبيدجان، برصيد نقطة واحدة. موعد مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

تقام مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان، السبت 11 يناير 2025، إذ تنطلق في تمام الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية.

طالع | قائمة الأهلي لمباراة استاد أبيدجان في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. عودة محمد هاني القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

من المقرر أن تنقل مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان، على قناة بي إن سبورت “beIN Sports HD 1”. معلق مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

أسندت قناة بي إن سبورت إدارة تعليق مباراة الأهلي واستاد أبيدجان، إلى الجزائري حفيظ دراجي.