بدأ فريق بورتو البرتغالي مشواره في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، نسخة 2025، والتي تستضيفها أمريكا في الوقت الحالي، بمباراته ضد نظيره فريق بالميراس البرازيلي.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الساعات الأولى من صباح يوم الإثنين، في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور مجموعات البطولة، المجموعة الأولى.

واستضاف ملعب “ميتلايف” مباراة بورتو وبالميراس، حيث تعادلا سلبيًا بدون أهداف.

وانتهى الشوط الأول من عمر تلك المباراة بالتعادل السلبي بين الفريقين، حيث لم ينجح أي منهما في هز شباك الآخر طوال الدقائق الـ45 الأولى.

اقرأ أيضًا | “هراء”.. الجماهير تسخر من حصول حارس إنتر ميامي على جائزة أفضل لاعب في مباراة الأهلي

وكاد بورتو أن يستقبل هدفًا قبل نهاية الشوط الأول بلحظات لولا استبسال حارس المرمى، كلاوديو راموس، الذي تصدى لتسديدة ثم ارتدت الكرة لتليها تسديدة أخرى، وتصدى لها، لترتد وتتحول إلى تسديدة جديدة من بالميراس ولكن دفاع الفريق البرتغالي هو من تصدى تلك المرة. 

واستمر الوضع كما هو عليه في الشوط الثاني، حيث لم تتغير نتيجة التعادل السلبي حتى صافرة النهاية.

بتلك النتيجة، تحصل كل فريق على نقطة، في المجموعة الأولى، التي تضم كذلك كل من الأهلي وإنتر ميامي، ويمتلك كل منهما نقطة أيضًا.

كان الأهلي المصري قد افتتح منافسات البطولة، بنظامها الجديد بمشاركة 32 فريقًا، أمس حيث تعادل مع إنتر ميامي الأمريكي سلبيًا بدون أهداف.

ويخوض بالميراس مباراته الثانية في مرحلة المجموعات ضد الأهلي، الخميس المقبل، قبل لقاء بورتو وإنتر ميامي في اليوم نفسه.

Ben Sawyer has been appointed head coach while Malolan Rangarajan and VR Vanitha are also part of the coaching staff

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2023

“Indian women’s cricket has seen a tectonic shift with the Women’s Premier League”•RCB

Sania Mirza has been roped in as mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), to be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26.On Wednesday, the franchise also announced the signing of Australian Ben Sawyer as head coach. Sawyer is the head coach of New Zealand Women and was part of the Women’s World Cup-winning side with Australia last year as the assistant coach.Malolan Rangarajan, the former Tamil Nadu offspinner and lead talent scout, has been named assistant coach, while VR Vanitha, the former India batter, will come onboard as fielding coach.Related

Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants to kick off WPL 2023

WPL – How the five teams stack up after the auction

They have also brought on board RX Murali as a power-hitting coach. Murali has built up an excellent body of work locally in Bengaluru, having helped train several Karnataka players, Mayank Agarwal among the more prominent names in recent times.Sania Mirza ‘excited’ to work on the mental aspects with young Indian talentMirza, the first Indian woman to win a major title – she finished with six across women’s doubles and mixed doubles – is expected to join the squad following the conclusion of the ATP Dubai Open, which is likely to be her last professional tournament. Mirza, 36, announced her decision to retire from professional tennis prior to the Australian Open, where she and her partner Rohan Bopanna finished runners-up in the mixed doubles.”I was a little surprised [at being offered a mentorship role], but I was really excited,” Mirza told RCB TV. “I want to make young girls believe sport can be one of the first career choices for them. I want to help the next generation into believing in themselves no matter how much the odds are against you, you can achieve your goals.”Mirza was particularly enthused about working with the younger Indian players and helping them deal with pressure. “The mental aspect of it is something I look forward to working with the younger girls,” she said. “I feel I can [help] bring in the mental steadiness, the mental belief, I can talk of the experiences I’ve had over 20 years of playing. Being the only [Indian] woman doing it for so many years has been lonely, but the pressure has been high, that kind of stuff is something I can truly help with.”Royal Challengers put together a star-studded line-up at the inaugural auction, headlined by Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Sophie Devine, Dane van Niekerk and Richa Ghosh.The team will open its WPL campaign on March 5, the second day of the tournament, against Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium.

A fresh transfer report has claimed that Newcastle United are keen on completing the signing of a “truly magnificent” attacking player from La Liga, with his current club happy for him to leave.

Latest Newcastle news

The Magpies enjoyed another brilliant Premier League outing on Monday, winning 2-0 away to Manchester United and comprehensively outplaying their opponents at Old Trafford. Alexander Isak and Joelinton got the goals for the visitors, who must be eyeing a top-four finish after an improved run of form of late.

The January transfer window could see Newcastle delve into the market for new signings, should Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe feel that fresh faces are needed to aid their quest to seal a return to the Champions League.

The Magpies are reportedly the front-runners to acquire the signature of AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori, with long-term defensive reinforcements needed, considering Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Jamaal Lascelles are all now in their 30s. A return to the Premier League is thought to appeal to the Englishman, having fallen out of favour a little at times this season.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin also continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle in 2025, although a summer switch looks more likely than a January transfer, allowing him to head to St James’ Park on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Newcastle want to sign "truly magnificent" Barcelona gem

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are “among the clubs” who are keen on signing Barcelona youngster Vitor Roque, with the La Liga giants also willing to allow him to move on.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Real Betis, having struggled to be deemed a key player by Hansi Flick, and Tottenham are also believed to be in the mix to sign him. Barca would rather use him in a swap deal with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, though.

The £55,000-a-week Roque could be an exciting addition for Newcastle, even though his time in Spain hasn’t gone to plan, with only two goals coming his way in 16 Barca appearances to date.

At 19, he is far too young to be written off as a top-level footballer, however, and football talent scout Jacek Kulig has hailed him as both “truly magnificent” and someone with “crazy potential” in the past.

Roque wouldn’t arrive at Newcastle as a regular starter, given his age, but he could be a great backup option to Alexander Isak leading the line, arriving as a young replacement for the likely outgoing Callum Wilson.

11 duels won: 8/10 Newcastle monster was even better than Isak & Bruno

The Newcastle United titan was a wall at the back for Eddie Howe on Monday.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 31, 2024

If the Magpies were able to bring in both the Brazilian and Calvert-Lewin, it could give Howe the attacking depth that he craves moving forward, making his side an even more daunting proposition.

Leeds United are back in Championship action once again this afternoon as they travel to Deepdale to take on Preston North End in one of the early kick-offs.

The Whites have the chance to move back to the top of the table with a win over Paul Heckingbottom’s side before Sheffield United face Plymouth at 3 pm.

Daniel Farke’s men can put pressure on the Blades by securing all three points against Preston and ensuring that their rivals have to win their match to retain their spot in first place.

The West Yorkshire outfit come into this match off the back two wins in the Championship in the last seven days, beating Derby County 2-0 on Saturday and Middlesbrough 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Farke’s side produced a fantastic performance to secure all three points in the win over Boro on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Wilfried Gnonto, Dan James, and Brenden Aaronson.

There were a number of fantastic performances across the pitch for Leeds on the night, as they scored three goals and secured all three points against a promotion-chasing team.

Leeds United's top performers against Middlesbrough

The scorer of the opening goal in the game at Elland Road – Gnonto – was one of the shining lights for the Whites, after he pounced from close range to make the most of an error from Seny Dieng.

He also completed two of his four attempted dribbles and won nine of his 12 ground duels throughout the game, which shows that the Italian gem was strong out of possession and that the forward was looking to put his side on the front foot by taking on opposition defenders.

Joe Rothwell caught the eye with his display in the middle of the park alongside Ao Tanaka. The Bournemouth loanee won six of his seven ground duels and completed 92% of his attempted passes, as he provided security in possession and strength defensively.

Wales international Dan James was one of the top performers for Farke and was involved in all three of the goals for Leeds from the right flank.

It was his cross that caused Dieng to fumble the ball into the path of Gnonto for the opener. James then crashed a brilliant shot into the far top corner from just inside the box for the second goal, before his pass into Tanaka in the box allowed his teammate to provide the assist for Aaronson’s strike.

Whilst there were some superb performers for Leeds, including Gnonto, James, and Rothwell, there was one player who struggled to showcase the best of his abilities for the Whites against Middlesbrough.

The Leeds star who did not take his chance against Middlesbrough

Farke opted to go with Mateo Joseph as his starting centre-forward for the clash with Michael Carrick’s side, with Gnonto, Aaronson, and James as the attacking trio behind him.

It was a big chance for the Spain U21 international to stake a claim for a regular spot in the starting XI moving forward, as it was his first start since the 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road at the start of November.

Unfortunately, it was an opportunity that was not taken by the Leeds academy graduate, who failed to offer much in or out of possession for the Whites on Tuesday night.

Joseph played 69 minutes of the 3-1 win for the West Yorkshire side and ended his time on the pitch without a single shot on goal or chance created for the team, which speaks to how ineffective he was in the final third.

The Spanish youngster also lost 100% of his duels in the game, losing all six of his aerial battles and both of his duels on the deck, and this shows that Middlesbrough players found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical contests.

Appearances

20

Starts

10

Goals

2

Big chances created

4

Assists

3

As you can see in the table above, Joseph has not found it easy in the Championship this season and is yet to prove that he can score goals consistently.

However, that should be expected of a 21-year-old striker who had not started a single league match at first-team level in his career prior to this year.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Farke should drop the lightweight down to the bench for this clash with Preston, but his appearances off the bench will still provide him with invaluable experience as he looks to hone and develop his skills.

The star Leeds should unleash in Mateo Joseph's place

Joseph dropping out of the starting XI would open the door for another centre-forward to come in from the start, and the German head coach should snub Patrick Bamford to unleash Joel Piroe.

Bamford has yet to start a match in the Championship this season and is yet to produce a goal or an assist off the bench, in his seven outings as a substitute so far.

Piroe, on the other hand, has been in impressive form for Leeds in the 2024/25 campaign and produced a vital assist off the bench last time out against Middlesbrough.

It was his through ball for James that allowed the Wales international to burst into the box and score to make it 2-1 at a crucial point in the match, which helped the Whites to secure all three points.

Appearances

20

Starts

11

Goals

7

xG

4.78

Assists

3

As you can see in the table above, that was the Dutch attacker’s tenth direct goal contribution of the Championship season, despite him having only started 11 times.

Piroe, who was once described as “dangerous” by journalist Josh Bunting, is a clinical forward, as shown by his xG to goal ratio, and can be relied upon to finish off chances that come his way.

Whereas, Joseph, who has scored two goals from 3.52 xG, has been wasteful in front of goal and is not as reliable as the former Swansea City marksman.

Leeds could sign a "ridiculous" £5m star to be their next Archie Gray

Leeds United have been linked with an interest in the talented teenage sensation.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 9, 2024

Farke must now take the Spanish youngster out of the line-up, after he struggled in and out of possession, and bring the Dutch forward back into the XI.

Fenerbahce have reacted to the nose-grabbing storm sparked by Jose Mourinho, accusing Galatasaray's coach of going down "as if he had been shot".

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Portuguese generating more controversyTangled with opposition coach after cup defeatCould face more disciplinary actionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Enigmatic Portuguese coach Mourinho finds himself at the centre of another controversy in Turkey having only recently returned to the dugout after serving a touchline ban. He has spoken out against Super Lig match officials on a regular basis.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After taking in another heated derby date with old adversaries Gala, Mourinho was seen tangling with his opposite managerial number. He grabbed at the face of Okan Buruk, leading to the Galatasaray boss writhing on the floor.

DID YOU KNOW?

Further disciplinary action could be on the cards for Mourinho, but Fener have made a point of addressing actions that they believe should never have happened and were ultimately blown out of proportion.

Getty Images SportWHAT FENERBAHCE SAID

A statement from the Istanbul-based giants reads: "This is our statement regarding Okan Buruk, who approached our Technical Director Jose Mourinho, who was meeting with the referees after the match yesterday, under the pretext of shaking their hands, provoked our Technical Director with hand gestures and statements, and had the audacity to make disrespectful hand gestures after crossing the police line.

"After our Technical Director momentarily touched his nose in response to these provocations, the person in question threw himself on the ground in an exaggerated manner.

"The disrespectful words and actions of this person, who professionally threw himself to the ground as if he had been shot as a continuation of his planned and excessive provocations, are recorded with images. The meaninglessness and the acting of a person who jumps to the ground and writhes for seconds when his nose is touched is known to the entire public.

"It is obvious that the images of this person throwing himself to the ground from his football career continued in his career as a coach, and that this attitude is a characteristic stance. It is clear that the evaluation of the ugly provocations and what happened afterwards should not be one-sided, but should be based on a cause-and-effect relationship."

Rachin Ravindra has replaced Bracewell in New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming ODIs against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2023Michael Bracewell, the New Zealand spin-bowling allrounder, has been signed up by Royal Challengers Bangalore as replacement for Will Jacks, who has been forced to give IPL 2023 a miss after picking up an injury while on tour for England in Bangladesh.Jacks, one of Royal Challengers’ big buys at the last auction, had been acquired for a price of INR 3.2 crore (US$ 390,000 approx. at the time). Bracewell, though, will join Royal Challengers for his auction base price of INR 1 crore, the BCCI said in a press statement.Rachin Ravindra, meanwhile, has been called up as Bracewell’s replacement for New Zealand’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will follow the ongoing Test series.Related

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“Michael’s been a key contributor to our white-ball teams since making his debut last year. It’s exciting he’ll get a chance to take up the learning opportunities the IPL provides – particularly as a spin bowling all-rounder,” Gary Stead, the New Zealand head coach, said in a statement. “With a World Cup in India this year it’s great to have players getting more experience in those conditions.”Bracewell, 32, is equally handy with bat and ball, and has played seven Tests, 19 ODIs and 16 T20Is for New Zealand. In a T20 career of 117 matches, he has 2284 runs at a strike rate of 133.48, and 40 wickets with an economy rate of 6.52. He joins captain Faf du Plessis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Reece Topley, David Willey and countrymate Finn Allen as the overseas players at Royal Challengers.Jacks, who, like Bracewell, has never played in the IPL, sustained a muscle injury while fielding in England’s victory in their second ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka. After scans earlier this week and consultation with a specialist, he had to opt out of the IPL.The injury came as a significant blow for Jacks, who had hoped to use the IPL as an opportunity to familiarise himself with Indian conditions and push his case for selection in England’s squad for the 50-over World Cup later this year. He had tweeted “Gutted. I’ll be back,” after news of his exit from the IPL came out on March 15.Royal Challengers play their first game of the season against Mumbai Indians on April 2. It will be their first fixture at their home ground, Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, since May 2019, after which Covid-19 had forced IPL matches to be held in limited centres, even in the UAE.

أنهى منتخب مصر لكرة اليد للشباب تحت 21 عامًا، مبارياته في الدور الرئيسي من بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد، بمواجهته لمنتخب ألمانيا اليوم الثلاثاء.

وتواجه منتخبا مصر وألمانيا، في إطار الجولة الثانية من الدور الرئيسي لمواجهات بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد المقامة في بولندا.

وتلقى منتخب مصر الهزيمة أمام ألمانيا بنتيجة 29-25، لينهي مباريات الدور الرئيسي من بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد للشباب محتلًا المركز الثاني برصيد 4 نقاط.

طالع |منتخب مصر يخسر أمام ألمانيا في الدور الرئيسي لـ كأس العالم لكرة اليد للشباب

وكان منتخب مصر، حسم تأهله إلى دور ربع النهائي من بطولة العالم لكرة اليد، بعد الفوز على سويسرا في الجولة الماضية وتعادل ألمانيا مع إسبانيا.

وحقق منتخب مصر 3 انتصارات في مرحلة الدور التمهيدي لبطولة العالم لكرة اليد، على كل من السعودية والبحرين وإسبانيا. موعد مباراة مصر والبرتغال في ربع نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد للشباب

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر مع البرتغال يوم الخميس المقبل 26 يونيو، في دور ربع النهائي من بطولة العالم لكرة اليد، في تمام الساعة 10 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

MatériaMais Notícias

da poker： Flamengo e Ceará empataram em 1 a 1 no Maracanã, pela 25ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. O Rubro-Negro acabou criticado nas redes sociais, especialmente Dorival Júnior, por conta da escalação inicial. Na coletiva, o treinador do Rubro-Negro não mostrou arrependimento com a decisão.

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da 888casino： Dorival foi contundente ao falar sobre as escolhas para a partida deste domingo. Além de mostrar confiança no grupo, o técnico do Flamengo revelou que o planejamento do Rubro-Negro vai muito além do duelo diante do Ceará.

+ Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

-Não mudamos o nosso comportamento e nem vamos. Quando todos dizem que já temos uma situação definida, eu não concordo. No futebol não se pode ter essa incerteza e consciência acima de tudo. O time que foi campo era capaz de fazer um grande jogo – disse, antes de completar:

-Não me arrependo, eu confio na equipe que eu coloco em campo. Realmente, não tivemos um bom primeiro tempo, mas não podemos colocar na conta dos jogadores. Não quero correr riscos na Libertadores, a precaução tem que fazer parte da nossa vida. Eu não quero que uma surpresa desagradável aconteça, futebol prega peças. Não mudei minha concepção sobre isso e nem vou mudar- analisou.

O comandante rubro-negro também falou sobre a influência do resultado do Palmeiras, na noite sábado. Para Dorival, o empate do Alviverde em Bragança Paulista deixou a equipe mais pressionada por um resultado positivo no Maracanã.

+Eric Faria detona Flamengo após empate com Ceará no Maracanã: ‘Pior atuação do time em tempos’

-Você acaba carregando o resultado (do Palmeiras) para dentro de campo, é normal. Melhoramos no segundo tempo, as oportunidades aparecem, mas não tivemos a mesma sorte. O João Ricardo estava em um excelente dia, é um grande goleiro – finalizou.

Depois de perder a chance de encostar no Palmeiras, o Rubro-Negro volta as atenções para a Copa Libertadores. Nesta quarta-feira, o Flamengo entra em campo para decidir uma vaga na final da competição continental, diante do Vélez, no Maracanã.

+ATUAÇÕES: Com gol e expulsão, Gabigol é protagonista em empate do Flamengo; veja notas

OUTROS PONTOS DA COLETIVA

Mais sobre a escalação
-Enfrentamos uma marcação muito forte e eles foram felizes no primeiro tempo, não tivemos a mesma dinâmica e tivemos que alterar. Mesmo sendo um jogo muito bem detalhado, o gol tomamos em uma jogada complicada. Voltamos com outra postura, pressionamos, mas não conseguimos o resultado. Vamos continuar trabalhando com a mesma busca.

Comportamento da equipe no jogo
– Não altera nada, assim como não alteramos o nosso comportamento. Nós temos que ter a consciência de que cada partida acontece de uma forma. Tivemos boas oportunidades, elas não aconteceram, e não vamos jogar nada fora por isso. Não tenho dúvida de que as coisas vão acontecer da melhor maneira possível.

Arbitragem
-Prefiro não falar nada a respeito de arbitragem. Em um momento pode favorecer, no outro prejudicar. Temos que focar no nosso trabalho e mostrar que as coisas continuam. Não tem porque se desesperar por um resultado, já tiramos uma vantagem considerável e vamos seguir trabalhando.

Lutar pelas três competições
-O Flamengo não abriu mão das três competições em momento nenhum. Estamos nelas com uma atenção muito grande. Às vezes nós temos uma solução de fora pra dentro, mas a nossa realidade é outra internamente. Temos que confirmar a boa vantagem na quarta-feira, estamos totalmente focados nas três competições. Não mudei em relação à Libertadores, Brasileiro e Copa do Brasil. Acontecem problemas ao longo da caminhada, mas não vão nos tirar do rumo principal.

Torcida
-Isso é importante (torcida). O Flamengo é uma equipe que se preparou para lutar por grandes títulos, nunca será diferente. Percalços acontecem, o importante é você continuar acreditando no comprometimento dos jogadores. Nós enfrentamos uma equipe que se defendeu muito bem. Nada mudou, apenas perdemos uma rodada importantíssima. Não podemos perder a consciência.

Having returned to England’s Test side, James Taylor was finally gaining reward for hard work but all of a sudden his cricket dreams have been shattered

George Dobell12-Apr-20164:20

Iain O’Brien: Taylor a genuine fighter

A week ago, James Taylor was approaching the season with a view to consolidating his positions in the England Test and ODI squads.It was the next step in a progression that started long ago. Long before the England debut or the limited-overs captaincy of Nottinghamshire. Long before he was winning awards at Shrewsbury School or setting records at Loughborough Town and Leicestershire. Long before he was having dispensation to miss school to play county cricket or representing England Under-19. He has been playing cricket for as long as he can remember. It has been the constant theme of his life and he was, in his coach’s word, right on the cusp of fulfilling all the dreams of childhood.But now he is lying in hospital, awaiting a major operation and reeling from the knowledge that his life has changed irrevocably and his dream has been dashed. Everything he was building towards – in career terms, anyway – has been swept from under him. Aged just 26, his life as a professional sportsman is over.When he started to feel unwell, during warm-ups ahead of the second day of the match against Cambridge MCCU last Wednesday, he presumed that it was the first signs of a virus that had swept through the Nottinghamshire squad during their pre-season tour of Barbados. As he returned home, driven from Cambridge to Nottingham by his team-mate Jackson Bird, his heart began to race and his light headedness increased. His girlfriend and mother, sensing these was something unusual in this normally phlegmatic character complaining of chest pains, insisted he went to A&E. It was a wise intervention.He was admitted to hospital that evening and, as each test followed, the extent of the problem became apparent. On Monday the final set of scans revealed, as Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, put it “the worst case scenario.” His Nottinghamshire team-mates were informed at around 9am on Tuesday and a statement released an hour later.It is a desperately cruel twist of fate. There are many examples of cricketers forced into retirement through injury: from well-known cases such as Craig Kieswetter to dimly remembered such as Matt Bulbeck or Simon Ecclestone. Each case represents a personal tragedy. But to add to the loss of a career, the acute health anxiety is a doubly cruel development.It is no exaggeration to suggest that England have lost a future captain. Taylor had already led them in one ODI – the rain-ruined match in Dublin last May – and, with Eoin Morgan’s future uncertain and England keen not to overburden Joe Root, it seems highly likely more leadership opportunities would have presented themselves.”Absolutely he was a potential England captain,” Newell, who is also an England selector said. “He captained for us and he batted better when he was captain. With the Champions Trophy and the World Cup coming up in this country there was every chance he could have been a star in those. He was an intelligent batter who finishes games off. He was right on the cusp.”His team-mates, understandably, were shocked and upset. Steven Mullaney, with whom he shared a house for a couple of years, dedicated his century in the on-going match against Surrey to his friend, while Nottinghamshire confirmed that a role could be found for him to “help out” around the club when he has recovered from his operation.”He was a lad who had the world at his feet and unfortunately it has been taken away from him,” Mullaney said. “But we are just glad he is still with us and we will give him our full support.”James Taylor pulled off some stunning grabs at short leg in South Africa•Getty ImagesHis fitness – Newell referred to him as “the original gym bunny” and “the fittest man in the squad” – will be a huge asset now as he battles to recover from heart surgery. “That level of fitness has saved him from a worse fate,” Newell said. “But what he wanted to do since he was a kid has been taken away from him.”In the short term it might be quite painful for him to come and watch cricket and be involved. But there’s no reason he can’t be involved in cricket in the future. In the short term, that may be something that keeps him going through the rest of the summer. There are all sorts of options for him.”As a player, he will be remembered for some stunning catches at short-leg – his fielding during the Test series victory in South Africa was exceptional – a strength that belied his diminutive stature and a maturity that belied his years. His ODI century against Australia at Old Trafford last year was a model in assessing the conditions and batting accordingly. He was robbed of another international century by some poor umpiring during England’s opening match of the 2015 World Cup.’Titch’ as he was known to team-mates and friends, leaves behind him a career that many who played for a decade longer could envy. Almost as soon as he started playing, he broke records: the youngest Leicestershire player to 1,000 Championship runs in a season; the youngest to a List A century and, at the time, the fifth youngest English player to record a first-class double-century.He was the Cricket Writers’ Club’s young player of the year in 2009 and captained Nottinghamshire’s limited-overs side in 2014 and 2015. He had shown, without registering the scores to underline the point, that he had the temperament and quality to prosper at Test level: an innings of 76 at Sharjah demonstrated he could play spin; an innings of 70 in Durban that he could play pace. He was popular, calm and exuded enjoyment for the game and the lifestyle. The future was golden.So there is no way to disguise the fact that this is an innings cut horribly short. Encapsulating the sense that there was so much more to come, his final List A innings – and his final England innings – was a century in Kimberley. He retires from the game younger than Andrew Strauss or Jonathan Trott were when they made their Test debuts. It is, put simply, a damn shame.But this is a case of a career lost and a life saved. This condition often manifests itself only after it is too late (as a statement from the British Heart Foundation put it: “Tragically the first sign that the condition is present can be when someone has a sudden cardiac arrest”) and, at least in Taylor’s case, there is no reason he cannot go on to enjoy a rich and fulfilling life.As Newell put it: “I think the initial devastation of being told he’s not going to play cricket again has been tempered by how grateful he is to be alive.” Such choices provide welcome perspective.The ECB were in the process of reviewing their cardiac screening process anyway, but this incident will no doubt raise questions as to whether his condition might have been picked up sooner. At present, professional players are screened at around the ages of 20 and 23 and, unless any abnormalities are found, not usually after that.Taylor had not undergone a scan since 2013. Such screening probably saved the life of Calum Haggett who was diagnosed with an aortic root dilation and leaking heart valve in 2010. He underwent surgery and continues to play for Kent. Wilf Slack, who died at the crease aged 34, was less fortunate.Though the condition – generally genetic – is incurable, it can be managed. Taylor will undergo surgery on Thursday or Friday. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) will be fitted that detects dangerous heart rhythms and shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm. It may also be some comfort to know that he is insured – both under the terms of his incremental contract with the ECB and personal accident and illness cover through the PCA – so any potential financial worries will, at least, be eased.Sympathy for Taylor will extend far beyond any of his clubs – Worcestershire, where he attended the academy, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire – and far beyond supporters of England cricket. He is bright, well connected – as Taylor was born upstairs, his father was drinking tea with Prince Charles downstairs – and personable. If he shows any interest in moving into coaching or the media, he will find many doors open to him.There will be a period, no doubt, of transition and even mourning for what has been lost. But better to mourn a career than a young man. James Taylor’s playing career may be over, but he has the character and chance to take a fresh guard and build a different sort of successful innings. For that, at least, we can be grateful.

Shakib’s men are under pressure while Ervine’s are eyeing an unlikely tilt at a semi-final spot

Mohammad Isam29-Oct-20222:09

Moody: Zimbabwe going into the contest as a real threat

Big pictureThe joke among Bangladesh fans, particularly in the past eight years, is that their team schedules a series against Zimbabwe whenever they are out of form. But that overlooks the fact that it is the cricket boards – and not the teams themselves – that schedule series against each other. And in that respect, the BCB and ZC have been close friends for a very long time.Zimbabwe have grown to be a fighting side in the last few years, culminating in their ODI and T20I series wins over Bangladesh in July 2022. The wins came around the same time they qualified for the T20 World Cup, where they are now one of the most talked-about teams, having just defeated pre-tournament favourites Pakistan by one run.It has been quite the campaign for Zimbabwe – three wins in four completed matches – especially given how they have been missing World Cups since 2016. It’s almost like they’re making up for lost time.

That winning feeling#PAKvZIM | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7lxwYaHWpA

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) October 27, 2022