On the cusp of claiming the No. 1 Test spot, South Africa have got there by creating moments for themselves

Firdose Moonda at Lord's19-Aug-2012South African sport has seldom sat so close, for so long, to greatness as it does now. Only an inspired rewriting of history by England’s batsmen will prevent them from becoming the No. 1 team in Test cricket. It is an accolade that few will argue is not deserved.Besides dominating all but two days of the series against England – the first day at The Oval and the day Kevin Pietersen tore the attack apart – South Africa’s ascendancy has been gradual. Their summiting has been a long time coming and having inched towards the top only to be thrown back on too many occasions to count, the build-up to their rise has been immense.Calling it the country’s biggest sporting achievement would not be too far off the mark. The 1995 Rugby World Cup was over in a few weeks and victory wrapped up in nationwide euphoria. The subsequent World Cup win in 2007 has resonated as loudly, if not louder, but the 2011 quarterfinal exit stung hard.The 1996 Africa Cup of Nations was similar: too close to democracy for its memories to stick out in isolation and too fleeting for it to leave a lasting effect. Given the performance of the national football team over the years, it is probably the trophy that gets forgotten about first.Olympic have come: Elana Meyer’s silver medal, Josia Thugwane’s gold, the recent haul in London which nobody had expected to be as good as it ended up being. These memories are only brought out once every four years though. Golf majors have come, as recently as Ernie Els in the Open but they have all come in the shadow of Tiger Woods.Cricket is the country’s third most popular sport and it is not the most demographically representative. It sits between rugby, considered the game of the elite with internationals only broadcast on pay television and football, played by the people but often of sub-standard quality as a whole and has recently started to find its place in the wider context of South African society.Cricket is a well-represented schools sport, it piques the interest of people of all races and both genders and its development arms has grown. In some ways, it the perfect balancer and the national team’s progress has been tracked with a close eye.Too close sometimes, like on the eve of a World Cup or after a Test match is lost. On their departure to England, that eye was trained on them in finer focus than usual because years of being patient in waiting for them to achieve major success had come to an end.Sports minister Fikile Mbalula, who does not usually attend cricket events, sent them off with an instruction to “break hearts in the Queen’s Land”. Expectation has always hung over South Africa, as a lace veil, as a cotton sheet and this time as a velvet curtain: heavy, thick and dripping with possibility.

South Africa have taken charge, where before they may have sat back and waited for things to happen and that could prove a sign of the greatness that has eluded them until now.

Gary Kirsten’s new coaching style, which hinges on unorthodox methods, was to be tested in its most rigorous way. Allan Donald’s aggressive approach to bowling was going to see his charges come up against the one pack in the world that people believed would match them. Graeme Smith’s captaincy would face its most stringent examination. Jacques Kallis would be on his last tour to England, along with several other players because of the future schedule which does not see South Africa back in England for four years.What added to the hype is that South Africa would have the chance to take the No.1 ranking off the No.1 side and in so doing, earn a title many have felt they have deserved. In this match, they have had to earn it.England have had South Africa in tight spots – at 54 for 4 while they were batting, at 221for 5 when England were batting and at 282 for 7 when South Africa were setting up the target. Every time, South Africa have found a way out. A lot of the time, that way has been through Vernon Philander.His 61 in the first innings and 35 in the second were definitive bricks in South Africa’s wall of authority. He showed himself as the all-rounder his performances at lower levels of cricket have always labeled him. More than just a bowler who can bludgeon or a seamer who can sustain an end, Philander showed real skill and composure.For the first 14 balls of his second innings, Philander was content to defend. After 24 balls, he had only scored two runs. Then, he outside edged Stuart Broad for some lucky runs but followed it up with a shot that spoke of his ability. A small shuffle forward, a glance down the ground, connection that was well-made and timing that was spot on and Philander had taken South Africa over 300. By the time he was dismissed, 39 balls later, after playing a shot that so disgusted him he stood at the crease for several seconds waiting to be woken up from his nightmare, South Africa lead by 330.With Philander being the unlikely batting hero, JP’s Duminy quiet contributions may be forgotten but they could be ones that see him force his way into the XI ahead of Jacques Rudolph when the specialist wicketkeeper is selected. Duminy acted as the chauffeur to the tail, a role he has not played in the past but that he has shown he is able to do now.Like all the South African batsmen, runs did not come easily for him, neither did they come beautifully. They had to be fought for in all their tough ugliness. The singles had to be scored as though batting in a dusty, construction site with dirt needing to be wiped form eyes and smudged across cheeks just to get the job done. The boundaries came with such rarity that when they did they were either bulldozed for the sheer joy of seeing a full toss or a short and wide ball or squirted, in dangerously flammable fashion to third man.But even batting between the razor wire could not stop South Africa. They got there. They reached a total that would require England to score their highest fourth innings total in pursuit of victory and they dented any hopes of that with Philander’s double strike in the final hour. For a man who has had a quiet series so far, he roared with a spell so destructive, the scent of rubber burning off it could almost be detected.Alistair Cook and Andrew Strauss were both victims of Philander’s skill and their own uncertainty. Their dismissals will add to South Africa’s certainty. The certainty that a history that has been in the making for years is finally just a day away from being written and the certainty that they do not need that history to write itself.South Africa have shown, in this series, that are able of creating things for themselves. They have opened up a batting line-up that was once as tightly packed as terrace houses and made an attack that was talked about as the best in the world look ordinary, bar a few Steven Finn moments. They have taken charge, where before they may have sat back and waited for things to happen and that could prove a sign of the greatness that has eluded them until now.

MatériaMais Notícias

da gbg bet： O Santos venceu o Salgueiro na noite desta quarta-feira por 3 a 0 e classificou-se para a 2ª fase da Copa do Brasil. A vitória chegou para amenizar a crise que o clube vem enfrentando nos últimos dias.

RelacionadasSantosATUAÇÕES: Ângelo é o melhor em campo na vitória do Santos contra o SalgueiroSantos23/02/2022SantosDestaque da classificação na Copa do Brasil, Ângelo diz que o Santos não fez mais que obrigaçãoSantos23/02/2022SantosSantos está por detalhes para anunciar Fabián Bustos como técnicoSantos23/02/2022

da luck： Após o triunfo, o técnico interino Marcelo Fernandes comentou sobre a classificação do Peixe.

– A ansiedade não era tanta, mas sabíamos que era uma final pelo calor do jogo, independente da fase ou não. Resultado ruim no clássico de domingo, não esperávamos. Trabalhamos muito, descanso dos jogadores, da cabeça. Sabíamos que teríamos um jogo difícil. A equipe do Salgueiro não é fácil de se vencer aqui – disse Marcelo, que completou:

– Seria um êxito o Salgueiro conseguir a classificação aqui em cima do Santos. Mas a equipe se comportou bem. Exploramos o que estudamos para conseguir nossa vitória.

Marcelo Fernandes também falou sobre a possibilidade da chegada do técnico Fábian Bustos. O clube e os representantes do treinador discutem agora os termos finais do contrato para a chegada do profissional no Brasil.

– Nós estamos fechados no jogo. Não tivemos contato com treinador. Não soubemos de nada se fechou. Mas assim, vamos deixar claro que sempre estamos de braços abertos para qualquer técnico. Não tive contato, é um assunto que ficou com a direção. O importante foi a vitória. O profissional que chegar vai ser bem recebido – falou Fernandes.

Bangladesh’s batting coach Ashwell Prince found the batters to be “too aggressive” when chasing New Zealand’s 129 target in the third T20I in Dhaka. He said that they could have chased down the total had they been a bit more circumspect, rather than going all guns blazing to get bowled out for 76 in 19.4 overs.”I think we could have been a little bit more composed in our run-chase,” Prince said. “We had a beautiful start. The openers [Mohammad] Naim and Liton [Das] hit about five boundaries, getting us to 20-odd in two overs. We were ahead of the run rate at that stage. But we lost too many wickets too quickly in the next three-four overs.”Possibly we were being too aggressive early on. I don’t think the pitch changed much. I think 129 was a competitive target, which we would have reached if we were a little bit calmer in the run-chase.”Related

• Pocknall: New Zealand 'are going to fight fire with fire'

• Batting in focus as Bangladesh eye another T20I series victory

Prince said that rotating the strike could have got them to a stronger position in the game. Bangladesh struck five fours by 2.3 overs, but then hit just one more four in the rest of the match. Their attempted aggressive shots got them either bowled or ended up in the hands of the New Zealand fielders.”Obviously it is not a fast-scoring pitch,” Prince said. “There won’t be a lot of boundaries. I think when you are chasing 130-140, [you need to] rotate the strike, get a single, get off strike, get a rhythm in the batting line-up [and] getting the team’s run rate up to six an over. It would have made sure the asking run rate didn’t get too far.”Opener Liton also admitted on Monday that he should have played more carefully. He struck three fours quickly, but then got out trying to hit another one off offspinner Cole McConchie in the third over.”Batting has been challenging in these conditions,” Liton said. “The last three matches have been low scoring. Both sets of batters are suffering. The general mindset in T20s is to make big scores, maintain a strike rate.”Since these are not happening, we are having to change our game accordingly. It is tough to make the change, to manage yourself in T20s in these type of wickets. Batsmen are usually in aggressive mode.”Prince said that Bangladesh have all that’s needed in a batting line-up, but they need to assess the conditions properly “There were good run-chases against Zimbabwe and Australia. Particularly, Afif [Hossain] and Sohan against Australia. You need to have a combination of batsmen in the team.”You have guys who can rotate the strike, can hit boundaries, and then you have a group of guys at the end of the innings, who can chase nine-ten runs an over when necessary and pitches are conducive. I think we have a good combination, but it is important to read the pitches on the day, and adapting your game according to the surface.”

The quiet confidence Ryan Harris exudes now is a result of the time he has been able to spend around the Queensland squad.

Daniel Brettig21-Mar-2013A few months ago, still waylaid by shoulder surgery, Ryan Harris was unable to say for sure whether or not he would be able to bowl effectively again. Even accounting for the fact that Harris is typically pessimistic and perfectionist about his art, his doubts were real. A few false starts in January did not help, and even when he did return to the bowling crease for Queensland in a limited-overs match at the MCG, he was blowing hard within a couple of overs.Gradually, however, Harris has regained his former verve. The limited-overs final, also against Victoria, showed his capacity for the striking spell. A first Sheffield Shield appearance against Tasmania reaped wickets if not consistency. He pulled it all together last week against Western Australia in Perth, plucking eight wickets and making critical runs to help the Bulls achieve the win they required to elbow into the final. Now he is in Hobart, limbering up for the competition decider – another wholehearted performance and the Ashes will hove into view.”It’s crucial for me to keep bowling now,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “I bowled a couple of near to 10-over spells in Perth so it’s getting better and better. There’s still some more improvement left, but from that day in Melbourne when I came back I’ve definitely improved. The more I bowl the fitter I get. I’m back to about 75-80%. I’ve narrowed that down from the first game I played. To get back to Test cricket those bad balls have to be almost none per over. So it’s crucial I get back to putting it consistently in the right spot.”Among the country’s best judges of “the right spot” may be found in Tasmania’s batting line-up. Not only does it contain Ricky Ponting, the senior statesman of Australian batting, but also Alex Doolan, George Bailey and Tim Paine. The opening pair of Jordan Silk and Mark Cosgrove has quickly established a reassuringly stable union. As a former club and state teammate of Harris in Adelaide, Cosgrove has battled Harris as often in the nets as in the middle. Whether it be friendly chatter after play, or edgier banter in the middle, there will be plenty of feedback on offer for Harris.”[The final] is going to give me a good test as to where I’m at and give me a good gauge,” Harris said. “I’ll speak to Ricky after the game and get a bit of feedback from him, which he’s always pretty happy to give. That’s a good thing about it, to hear from the batsman’s point of view about how it’s hitting the bat and how it’s going past them.”I’m not worrying about whether I’m going to play or not. I want to play, but it’s out of my control. All I can do is make sure I’m back to being consistent and at the standard I need to be at to go and play Test cricket. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, I know the more I bowl the better I get.”The quiet confidence Harris exudes now is a direct result of the time he has been able to spend around the Bulls’ squad since his return to the crease. Their culture of attacking cricket, mutual responsibility but also plenty of fun is widely admired, and not dissimilar to Tasmania’s. In two seasons under the leadership duo of the captain James Hopes and the coach Darren Lehmann, Queensland have won every trophy on offer.Those looking for a symbol of the triumph for the collective over the individual did not need to look far this week, when Bulls and Brisbane Heat players were absent from every domestic team of the year. This drew outrage from some quarters, but quiet satisfaction from others.”We’ve got really good players and everyone chips in a long the way but we haven’t really had your superstar players that some of the other teams have had,” Harris said. “If it’s not me taking wickets or playing it’s someone else coming in, whether it’s Ben Cutting or Cameron Gannon or Ali McDermott or Luke Feldman or Matthew Gale. Everyone chips in.”Pete Forrest has had a disappointing year but now Joe Burns has stepped up to an extent, and Chris Hartley and Hopesy. Everyone chipping in at the right time. Not that other teams don’t do that but we seem to do it more often. The feeling amongst the group is unbelievable and it has been since I arrived in Queensland but probably more so since Darren’s taken over. He gives guys the belief they can go out and play their way. There are guys who’ve struggled who in most states probably wouldn’t be in the team at this time of the year but he’s backing them.”Something Queensland and Tasmania also share is an ideal blend of youthful players and more seasoned stagers. Their balance is of the kind that Australia benefited from in the first 18 months of Michael Clarke’s captaincy, but that the retirements of Ponting and Michael Hussey has now made damagingly elusive in India. Harris is mindful of the issue as he thinks increasingly of an international return.”You’ve lost two very senior guys with Hussey and Ponting gone over the summer. It’s a very hard thing to replace,” he said. “Those guys are leading the team, they’re around guys at night having dinner with them and talking about cricket or about life and just getting to know them. It’s a big thing to lose out of a team. I’m sure if we lost myself, James Hopes and Chris Hartley all at once this team may struggle for direction and performance.”You take that out of any state, like [David] Hussey, Cameron White and Chris Rogers out of Victoria and they’d struggle. That’s why I hope [Michael] Hussey and Ponting go around again next year because it’s not just the guys who play with them but the guys who play against them learn so much as well. In our game you can’t buy experience, talking to experienced guys and learning the game – we don’t have enough of it. Grade cricket’s suffered because they don’t have enough old guys and hopefully state cricket won’t just yet because those guys hang around.”

South Africa allrounder set to play Championship and Royal London Cup games for Running Foxes

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder will join Leicestershire for the 2022 county season.Mulder, 23, who travelled to the T20 World Cup with the South Africa squad but didn’t play a game, was initially due to sign for Leicestershire ahead of the 2021 campaign, but he ended up being selected to play a further 11 international fixtures across all three formats. He has played six Tests – having taken 14 wickets at an average of 21.07 – as well as 12 ODIs and five T20Is.”I am very excited to join the Foxes family this upcoming season and grateful for the opportunity,” Mulder said. “We have an exciting squad and I hope to contribute a lot on and off the field during my time at the club”.Johannesburg-born Mulder is set to appear as an overseas player in the LV= County Championship and Royal London Cup one-day competition with a combined total of 2,453 runs at domestic level, including five centuries. He has 108 first-class wickets to his name at an average of 24.95 and economy of 3.29. In List A matches, he has 37 wickets at 31.16, with an economy of 5.37.Claude Henderson, Leicetershire’s director of cricket, said: “We are looking forward for our players to have the chance to benefit from working alongside an international cricketer, as well as seeing Wiaan in the colours of Leicestershire.”

Arsenal are now eyeing a move for a £100 million player who Premier League rivals Man United have made an offer to sign.

Edu and Arteta targeting new midfielder for Arsenal this summer

After Mohamed Elneny's departure from London Colney and amid the uncertainty surrounding midfielder Thomas Partey, it is believed that Arsenal could bring in another midfielder this summer.

24-year-old now reaches agreement to leave Arsenal for La Liga giants

The Spaniards are now looking to shake hands on a deal with Edu.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 28, 2024

Partey is attracting serious interest from Saudi Arabia, and with just 12 months remaining on his contract, sporting director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta could give the green light for the 31-year-old to depart north London.

In terms of the Ghanaian's possible replacement, Arsenal have been targeting Everton midfielder Amadou Onana among other options, according to reports. Whoever potentially comes in would also be an alternative/partner for star engine room man Declan Rice.

Benfica starlet Joao Neves would be quite the coup in this regard, with the Portugal international representing his nation at Euro 2024 after a stellar campaign.

Arsenal eyeing move for Neves with Man United bid already placed

Journalist Duncan Castles, speaking on The Transfers Podcast, says Arsenal are eyeing a move for Neves despite United already having placed a bid.

“The Transfers Podcast understands that in addition to interest from the Premier League – Manchester United have already made an offer – we’ve reported on that several weeks ago and Arsenal also have interest in him,” Castles said.

“PSG have also expressed their interest in signing Joao Neves and placing him in a new midfield alongside fellow Portuguese midfielder, Vitinha. PSG are looking for a new midfielder and want a special type of midfielder. The problem of course is whether you can get him out of Benfica. He has a €120m release clause in his contract and the word from Portugal is it will take at least €100m to sign him.

“My understanding is PSG don’t want to go that far. Neves recently rejected a new contract which would have doubled his salary.”

The very highly-rated teenage midfielder made an impressive 55 appearances for Benfica in all competitions last season, scoring three goals and registering two assists. Neves was near-undroppable for Benfica boss Roger Schmidt, with the 19-year-old's former trainer Luis Castro telling O Jogo that he's a "complete" and "very intelligent" player already.

"[He can] play in any championship in the world. [He’s] a complete and very intelligent player," said Castro (via Sport Witness).

"The Premier League is the best league in the world, and not only would he be able to adapt, but he would also play and shine.

"Knowing João, I think he is not worried about the next step but about the next game. He had good training at Benfica, but at family level, he also had a lot of support. He is very focused. I believe that if and when he takes the leap he will be prepared."

أعرب جيمي كاراجر عن دعمه لجناح ليفربول، محمد صلاح، عقب الانتقادات التي تعرض لها بعد أدائه في نهائي كأس الرابطة الإنجليزية (كاراباو) أمام نيوكاسل يونايتد.

وأكد أسطورة ليفربول أن خط هجوم الفريق الحالي يتمتع بالجودة، لكنه لا يرتقي إلى مستوى التميز، مشددًا على ضرورة التعاقد مع مهاجمين مميزين لقيادة الريدز في السنوات المقبلة.

وتبددت آمال آرني سلوت في تحقيق لقبه الأول في إنجلترا بعدما تفوق نيوكاسل يونايتد على فريقه في ويمبلي، ورغم أن فيدريكو كييزا سجل هدفًا متأخرًا، إلا أنه لم يكن كافيًا لتغيير النتيجة، حيث ظهر ليفربول بمستوى متراجع، ما سمح لكتيبة المدرب إيدي هاو بكشف نقاط ضعف الريدز بوضوح.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إيزاك بعد فوز نيوكاسل على ليفربول في نهائي كأس كاراباو: هذه مجرد بداية

وتحدث كاراجر عن الخسارة في تصريحات نقلها موقع “Liverpool.com”، وقال: “من الصعب أن أكون قاسيًا في انتقادي للفريق، لكن لا بد أن أقول إنها واحدة من أسوأ المباريات النهائية التي رأيتها منذ فترة طويلة جدًا من ليفربول”.

وتابع: “الافتقار إلى السرعة في الهجوم واضح جدًا، أشعر ببعض التعاطف مع محمد صلاح، لأنه تعرض للانتقادات بعد مباراتي باريس سان جيرمان، رغم أنه كان يواجه أحد أفضل الأظهرة اليسرى في العالم، نونو مينديز، الذي يعد لاعبًا رائعًا”.

واستمر: “المهاجمون الآخرون في ليفربول لاعبون جيدون، لكنهم ليسوا من الطراز الرفيع، الفريق اعتمد بشكل كبير على محمد صلاح، لقد رأيت الكثير من الانتقادات خلال الأسبوع الماضي ضده، لكنها كشفت بوضوح حاجة الفريق إلى التعاقد مع مهاجمين جدد”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “ليفربول لا يحتاج إلى مهاجمين من أجل مقاعد البدلاء، بل لاعبين قادرين على اللعب إلى جانب محمد صلاح، ونأمل أن يكون ذلك في الموسم المقبل”.

وأتم: “يبدو أن ليفربول في طريقه للفوز ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، لكن هناك العديد من الأمور التي يجب تحسينها، وأعتقد أنهم سيعملون على ذلك في الصيف”.

Manchester City are ready to sign cover for injured Rodri in January, signalling a shift in stance on the mid-season transfer window.

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• Rodri out for entire season
• Manchester City considering alternatives
• Atalanta's Ederson considered a quality option

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  With the Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder set to miss the rest of the 2024-25 season, City are considering replacements to bring to the club in the fast-approaching January transfer window. It remains to be seen if any signing would simply be a stand-in for the Spaniard or a long-term replacement, amid transfer interest from Real Madrid.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rodri has been injured since Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September, where he damaged his ACL, and as a result, City have seen their form falter.

  They have lost their last three competitive games against Tottenham, Bournemouth and Sporting CP respectively, and even in their victories have looked less than convincing in the absence of the world's best defensive midfielder.

  As such, City are considering signing Brazlian midfielder Ederson, according to the – a player with similar traits to the Spaniard, and who currently plays for Italian side Atalanta. Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Samuele Ricci of Torino have also been touted as potential targets recently.

  Should they go after any of them in January, it would represent a shift away from the existing recruitment plan, which in recent years has been to do all their business in the summer.

• WHAT AHSAN NAEEM SAID

  Ahsan Naeem, host of the popular Manchester City podcast '93:20' told the: "(Mateo) Kovacic, Bernardo (Silva), Ilkay Gundogan – they’re not the most mobile and what we’ve seen against Spurs, against Bournemouth and against Sporting is that if you have run directly at City players and have athleticism, pace and physicality you can get into very good goalscoring positions very quickly and that’s probably where Rodri has been missed most acutely because we’re missing his dynamism.”

  He added: "We're basically missing our safety blanket and without the safety blanket there may be a bit of a lack of younger lads. It’s not about one player, it’s about the overall make up and characteristics of the midfield right now.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  Man City travel to Brighton this weekend on their worst run of form in recent memory, and they will need to work hard to pick up a result there, with injuries to John Stones and Ruben Dias further hurting their cause.

Real Madrid have enquired about the possibility of signing Diogo Dalot from Manchester United in the January transfer window, GOAL can confirm.

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Los Blancos considering signing Portuguese full-backCarvajal injury has left Ancelotti shortDalot seen as crucial part of Amorim projectFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Madrid are on the hunt for a new right-back both in the short-term and long-term after Dani Carvajal was ruled out for the rest of the season having torn his cruciate knee ligament in October. Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to play Lucas Vazquez and Federico Valverde out of position in the meantime and there has been plenty of speculation that Los Blancos will make a move for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer as the full-back runs down his contract with Liverpool.

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But Madrid are now looking at another in-form Premier League full-back. GOAL understands that the Spanish champions have enquired about signing Dalot from United and have been informed he would cost around €50 million (£40m) to land in January. Madrid's interest in the Portugal international, first reported by Spanish outlet is believed to have begun when Erik ten Hag was still United boss. But it will not be easy for Madrid to convince United to sell the 25-year-old.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dalot saw off competition from Aaron Wan-Bissaka to win his place back in the United starting XI under Ten Hag and new boss Ruben Amorim has made it clear that the full-back will have a big role in his team. The coach said last week: "He’s very powerful. We have to rotate him sometimes because although he always looks fresh, it’s not like that, he’s not a machine. He’s a very good player. He’s better on the right and we will play him there more [but] nowadays a player who can play on both sides is perfect because you can put him in different positions. I expect the same as you saw last season. A great player who can help the team. He's really a team player, you can feel it in the way he lives the game, so he’s very important for us."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD & REAL MADRID?

The January transfer window is fast approaching, at which point Real's intent will become clearer. In the meantime, United earned an emphatic 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday to climb up the Premier League table and on Wednesday face the first big test of Amorim's tenure when they visit Arsenal. Madrid, who earned a 2-0 win over Getafe on the weekend, visit in-form Athletic Club on the same evening.

Cricket Australia has been urged to commit to governance reform by its most powerful shareholder amid a backdrop of disgruntled and divergent state associations, half of which toppled Earl Eddings.Eddings resigned as CA chair on Wednesday, having lost the support of NSW, Queensland and Western Australia. The power shake-up, on the eve of the governing body’s annual general meeting and a tick under two months out from the men’s Ashes, means the sport is in a state of flux yet again.CA’s interim chairman Richard Freudenstein fronted Thursday’s virtual AGM, insisting his organisation had listened to its states’ concerns and will engage “more consistently and more deeply”.”I will commit that there will be more chair and ACC [Australian Cricket Council] meetings in the near future,” Freudenstein told Cricket NSW equivalent John Knox.Knox, who led the charge to oust Eddings and predecessor David Peever, called for improved consultation and communication, tweaks to CA’s nomination process for new directors and better succession planning.The former Credit Suisse Australia chief executive also requested a review of the role of chair and its responsibilities, noting Eddings’ income created an environment where “the chair needs to act like an executive to justify the compensation”.”It is highly unusual in any business or sporting environment that the chair of any organisation would be paid such a significant multiple of what other directors are,” Knox said.Freudenstein pushed back regarding that issue while speaking with reporters, claiming “there are very good reasons why the chair’s pay is what it is”.”The role of chair is different to the role in many other sports bodies and that’s because of the international aspect that comes with it,” he said. “There are significant responsibilities with the ICC, as well as all the bilateral relationships. As well as managing a complicated federated system in Australia, and you’ve seen the level of complication that can cause.”CA reported a $151,000 loss for 2020-21; a significantly better outcome than what was forecast during last year’s cost-cutting mission that so deeply frustrated NSW and Queensland.The AGM was not nearly as tense as it might have been if Eddings was present, with Freudenstein, CA chief executive Nick Hockley and even Knox thanking the deposed Victorian for his service.But as CA starts searching for its third chair in a tick over three years, the state of its strained relationship with shareholders was clear.”It is crucial the shareholders and board of Cricket Australia work closely together over the next few months to learn from the past and put in place the necessary changes,” Knox said.Cricket Victoria chair David Maddocks lamented the rolling of Eddings, saying many people had expressed “sadness and disappointment” about it and the nature in which it occurred.