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The allrounder had an impressive tour of Bangladesh having returned from lengthy injury layoffs earlier in the year

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Sophie Molineux has returned to Cricket Australia’s central contract list following her successful comeback across formats.Molineux, who was dropped from the list two years ago, has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is over the last two months after an extended period on the sidelines due to a variety of injuries, most recently an ACL. Those appearances had been enough for her to earn an upgrade to a contract before confirmation of the 17 names in 2024-25 group.Related

Molineux stars on her ODI comeback as Australia take 2-0 ODI series lead

How injury forced Sophie Molineux to 'start from the start again'

Healy thrilled with Bangladesh gains ahead of T20 World Cup

Molineux made her comeback in the Test against South Africa in Perth. She was named Player of the Series in the T20Is against Bangladesh which concluded last week having taken six wickets at 8.33. Earlier in the tour she took 3 for 10 on her return to the ODI side.She has recently forced the experienced Jess Jonassen out of the squad but Jonassen, who has not featured since the tour of India last December, has retained her contract.The retired Meg Lanning is the only player to drop off the list from last year. The MoU between CA and the Australia Cricketers’ Association allows for between 15 and 18 contracts.”We’re really pleased to be able to offer Soph a contract after her successful return to the side this summer,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “She’s shown a great deal of resilience to get back to full fitness and she’ll play an important role next summer.”Players not awarded contracts as part of the initial squad can earn upgrades throughout the year by accruing 12 upgrade points. Players receive five points for a Test match, two for an ODI and two for a T20I.Australia face another busy season of action in 2024-25 including the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the multiformat Ashes next January. They will host New Zealand for T20Is before the World Cup followed by a return series in December while they also host India for three ODIs.Australia women’s contract list 2024-25Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Fazalhaq Farooqi moves up to No. 3, to have two Afghanistan bowlers on the podium

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2023

Rashid Khan is the new No. 1 T20I bowler in the world. He has displaced Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga at the top following his three wickets at less than a run a ball in Afghanistan’s historic 2-1 series win over Pakistan in Sharjah.Rashid has team-mate Fazalhaq Farooqi for company on the podium, with the young pacer slotting at No. 3 on the T20I bowlers’ rankings after finishing as top wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the Pakistan series. Farooqi claimed five wickets and conceded just 4.75 runs to the over across the three matches to climb 12 places in the rankings.Rashid was No. 1 as recently as November last year, having consistently been one of the format’s best since first rising to the summit in February 2018.Full rankings

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The 2-1 result was Afghanistan’s first T20I series win over Pakistan, and another bowler to make strides as a result was Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who moved from No. 10 to No. 8 after taking two-fors in the first and third games.For Pakistan, stand-in captain Shadab Khan (who led in place of the rested Babar Azam) moved up eight spots to No. 4 on the T20I allrounder rankings, having finished as the series’ third-highest run-scorer and joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker.In the T20I batting rankings, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw moved up two places to No. 6 courtesy his 42 off 21, albeit in a losing cause against West Indies in the series-deciding third T20I in Johannesburg.Rohit Sharma, Adam Zampa move up in ODI rankingsFollowing Australia’s ODI series winning victory against India in Chennai, legspinner Adam Zampa has moved to a career-best sixth in the one-day bowling rankings, while India captain Rohit Sharma is up one spot to eighth in the batting rankings. Zampa had produced figures of 10-0-45-4 in that game which Australia won by 21 runs to clinch the series 2-1, while Rohit had slammed 30 off 17, sparking his gains.Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza inched his way up the allrounder rankings too this week, going up one spot to fifth after Zimbabwe’s hard-fought series win against Netherlands where he scored 40 and topped the bowling charts for his side with five scalps.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has interest from Portuguese giants Porto as he looks to secure an exit from Arsenal after dropping out of Mikel Arteta's plans.

Porto eyeing ZinchenkoReal Betis and Fenerbahce also interestedUkrainian into final year of Arsenal dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Porto are among the protagonists in the transfer hunt for Arsenal defender Zinchenko, who has fallen out of favour under Arteta at the Emirates Stadium. Fenerbahce and Real Betis are also thought to be keeping an eye on developments, but the Ukraine international is into the final year of his contract and could be content to sit the season out before moving on a free transfer if a suitable offer doesn't arrive in the final few weeks of the summer window.

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Having arrived in north London from Manchester City in 2022 as a versatile player with title-winning experience, Zinchenko has dropped down the pecking order at left-back. Teenage star Myles Lewis-Skelly has made the position his own after a fabulous breakout season in 2024-25, while Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are also more than capable of filling in when required. 

DID YOU KNOW?

The 28-year-old is also unlikely to get back into Arteta's first-choice midfield, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino already options alongside new arrivals Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ZINCHENKO?

Zinchenko recently named his inactivity during 2024-25 as the main reason for what he called the "worst season I ever experienced as a professional". He will surely be keen to move elsewhere soon to ensure he doesn't spend another campaign on the sidelines, but whether that transfer materialises this summer remains to be seen.

The Spanish defender addressed Rayados fans after a rough start to the tournament as Liga MX sides continue to stumble in tournament

• Monterrey have slim chances of advancing
• Only four out of 18 Liga MX teams are moving on
• Rayados face NY Red Bulls on Sunday

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following Monterrey’s defeat in their opening game of Leagues Cup – a 3-2 loss on the road against FC Cincinnati – captain Sergio Ramos delivered a blunt message to fans on social media, suggesting the defeat leaves the Mexican side with slim chances of advancing to the next round of the Leagues Cup.

  “Disappointed to start the Leagues Cup this way. We need to analyze, improve and bounce back with a strong performance on Sunday. Football always gives you new chances. Let’s go all in!” Ramos posted on social media.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The start of the Leagues Cup hasn’t been ideal for Liga MX clubs – especially for heavyweights such as América, Cruz Azul, Chivas, and Monterrey. Despite boasting one of the tournament’s strongest squads, Monterrey fell to Cincinnati, severely denting their hopes of advancing to the next round.

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  WHAT DOMÈNEC TORRENT SAID

  Spanish coach Domènec Torrent strongly criticized the Leagues Cup format following Monterrey’s defeat.

  "Maybe we’re already out – they’ve put together such a strange competition, where you lose one game and you’re practically eliminated," he said. "It’s a tournament where you’re hoping all the other Mexican clubs lose too, because you’re competing against them. I’m not going to complain, but out of 18 teams, only four qualify – 14 get eliminated. One loss punishes you too much."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MONTERREY?

  Monterrey will now have to assert themselves against a New York Red Bulls side that already dealt Chivas a defeat in their Leagues Cup opener. The two teams play Sunday.

يعقد مجلس إدارة الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد، برئاسة الكابتن خالد فتحي، اجتماعًا عاجلًا اليوم الأحد، من أجل مناقشة المستجدات التي طرأت على معسكر منتخب الناشئين مواليد 2006، بعد تعرض المدير الفني طارق محروس لأزمة صحية مفاجئة.

ويأتي ذلك قبل أيام قليلة من انطلاق بطولة العالم للناشئين المقرر إقامتها في مصر خلال الفترة من 6 إلى 17 أغسطس الجاري.

وكان محروس قد نُقل إلى أحد المستشفيات، بعد تعرضه لأزمة في القلب، وخضع لفحوصات طبية دقيقة أظهرت حاجته لتركيب دعامات قلبية، الأمر الذي يستبعده من قيادة المنتخب في البطولة المنتظرة.

طالع أيضًا | القناة الناقلة لمباريات منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد تحت 19 عامًا

وأعرب مجلس إدارة الاتحاد عن خالص تمنياته بالشفاء العاجل للكابتن طارق محروس، مؤكدًا تضامنه الكامل معه وتقديم كل أوجه الدعم اللازم لتجاوز أزمته الصحية والعودة سريعًا لممارسة مهامه الفنية.

ومن المنتظر أن يبحث الاجتماع الطارئ، اليوم، الخيارات البديلة لاختيار مدير فني جديد يتولى قيادة منتخب الناشئين في بطولة العالم، في ظل ضيق الوقت، وحاجة الفريق للاستقرار الفني قبل انطلاق المنافسات.

Bayern Munich have reportedly stepped up their interest in Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.

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• Diaz linked with Liverpool exit
• Barcelona interested in winger
• Bayern Munich make move for him

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to BILD, via Tribuna, discussions between Bayern and Liverpool have progressed to a stage where 'concrete' figures have been exchanged as the German giants prepare a 'formal offer' for the 28-year-old.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Although Diaz still has two years left on his Liverpool contract and recently said he is "very happy" at the Premier League champions, links with Barcelona have not gone away. Bayern are eyeing a replacement for Leroy Sane and now they appear to be keen on the ex-FC Porto ace.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Last season, the Colombian international, who joined the Reds in January 2022, played a big role in Liverpool's league title triumph as he scored 17 goals and added five assists in 50 games in all competitions.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen if Diaz, who has scored 41 goals in 148 appearances for Liverpool over the past three and a half seasons, will still be at Anfield next term – with Arne Slot's side keen to make a big sale to fund their transfer warchest this summer.

There are only two current Tottenham Hotspur players who started Mauricio Pochettino’s final game: Ben Davies and Son Heung-min.

The former has been a reliable if unspectacular servant to the club and will be remembered fondly by the fans, but the latter has been a bonafide star, an icon of the club and the Premier League.

However, the South Korean joined the club a decade ago and will turn 33 in the summer, and while his numbers are still decent, he clearly cannot impact games in the same way anymore.

He is simply a victim of time, with research from The Athletic revealing that wingers see a dramatic decline in their ability to beat defenders when they reach 30 years old.

So, if Ange Postecoglou wants to take the club forward next season, he should be looking at a long-term replacement for the club legend, and based on recent reports, Daniel Levy and Co may have identified just the player.

Tottenham's winger search

According to a recent report out of Spain, Spurs are incredibly keen on Feyenoord’s Brazilian dynamo Igor Paixão.

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In fact, alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that North London rivals Arsenal, as well as Newcastle United, Liverpool and Bournemouth, have made contact and expressed their interest in signing the goalscoring wideman.

Fortunately, while the number of interested parties is far from ideal, the Dutch giants reportedly value the 24-year-old maestro at just €30m, which comes out to about £25m.

It could still be a difficult transfer to get over the line, but with how well Paixão has played this season, it’s one Spurs should fight for, especially as he could be the perfect upgrade on Son.

How Paixão compares to Son

Now, when we get down to it, there are two key areas in which Paixão has an advantage over Son, and the first is longevity.

By this, we mean the simple fact that, at 24 years old, the Brazilian is going to be able to play at the very highest level for far longer than the South Korean will be, especially in the high-intensity system Postecoglou wants to implement.

The second area where the Feyenoord star, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango has described as having a real “eye for goal”, has the edge is raw output.

For example, in 38 appearances this season, totalling 3176 minutes, the “quality” Macapá-born winger, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists.

That means he is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.46 games, or every 122.15 minutes, which is an undeniably impressive level of output.

In contrast, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists in 40 appearances, totalling 2835 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.81 games, or every 128.86 minutes.

While that’s still an impressive level of productivity from the Chuncheon-born icon, it’s still less than his potential competition and, given where he is in his career, we’d be stunned if he was able to match it again next year.

Ultimately, Son is undeniably a modern-day great for both Spurs and the Premier League as a whole, but he is much nearer the end of his career than the start, and while he’s plying his trade in a non-top five league at the moment, Paixão looks to have the raw ingredients to be an effective upgrade on the 32-year-old.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to bring him to N17 before one of their rivals beat them to his signature.

Spurs are brewing a homegrown Kulusevski in 16-year-old "cheat-code"

The unreal prospect could be a superstar for Spurs.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 20, 2025

Manchester City are not short of exciting young talent in their squad. Although Pep Guardiola’s side have struggled this season, they still have plenty of exciting youngsters who could all have a part to play in the first team in the years to come.

Two of those players were signed in January. Brazilian defender Vitor Reis and former Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov are just 19 and 21 respectively. Tricky winger Savinho is just 20 years of age, as is academy graduate Rico Lewis. It has been a breakthrough year for teenager Nico O’Reilly, too.

Another young talent City can get excited about is Claudio Echeverri. He’s only just penned terms with the club but looks like a massive talent for the future.

Claudio Echeverri's move to City

City actually signed Argentine attacking midfielder Echeverri in January 2024, but he has only just made the move to the Etihad Stadium, after an agreement with his former club, River Plate. The youngster cost the Citizens a reported £12.5m.

City’s new number 30, who is capped at U20 level by Argentina, has impressed for River over the last year or so.

He has played 48 times, scoring four goals and grabbing eight assists. However, the 2,499 minutes he has played equate to just 27 full 90-minute games, leaving him with an impressive average of 0.44 goals and assists per game.

The youngster shone at the U17 World Cup back in 2023 for Argentina. He played seven games and managed five goals and one assist in that time, as his side finished fourth. Echeverri notably scored a brilliant hat-trick against Brazil in a 3-0 quarter-final win.

Currently valued at £15m by Transfermarkt, it seems like the teenager will be a brilliant investment for City. He is a player who clearly possesses plenty of talent, notably named among the top ten players in GOAL.com’s NXGN 2025 list this week.

However, City have another talented young star who is valued even higher than the young Argentine…

The Man City wonderkid worth more than Echeverri

Few players in and around the first team at City are as exciting as a certain Oscar Bobb. The 21-year-old Norweigan has sadly had his season tarnished by injury but is getting back to full fitness, which will be a massive boost for Guardiola’s side.

Described as a “pure joy to watch” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the City attacking midfielder has already made a great impression during his short time in the first team at the Etihad Stadium.

In 27 appearances for the Citizens so far, Bobb has two goals and two assists. However, he has only played 909 minutes, the equivalent of just 10.1 full 90-minute games. The youngster has yet to have a proper opportunity for a run of games, and he has already made a big impression.

One of Bobb’s most important goal contributions came last season away against Newcastle United. After being 2-1 down, City managed to pull it back to 2-2. Enter Bobb, who scored a 91st-minute winner after coming on in the 82nd minute.

It is moments like that which suggest the forward could become a star for City. His stats via Sofascore from last season show his quality, too. For example, in the 2023/24 campaign, Bobb averaged 2.3 key passes and two dribbles completed per 90 minutes.

With all that in mind, it might not be a surprise to learn that the Norway international is highly valued. Incredibly, he is worth more than Echeverri according to Transfermarkt, a whooping £21m, which shows his quality given he has not played for several months.

Bobb is without doubt, an exciting talent. He has already shown glimpses of what he can dop at senior level for City, and will be hoping he can continue that form when he returns from injury in the coming weeks.

After Echeverri signing: Man City must cash in on Pep's "special player"

Man City only recently welcome Claudio Echeverri into the fold at the Etihad…

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By
Robbie Walls

Mar 5, 2025

A special century from Prabhsimran Singh knocked Delhi Capitals out of IPL 2023 and pushed Punjab Kings up to sixth place, well within reach of a playoff spot.In demanding batting conditions, the Punjab opener, who had begun the season with a highest IPL score of 16, found ways not just to survive but to keep scoring quick runs in a way nobody else managed to. It felt like a coming-of-age innings.

How it started

When there is pace in the pitch, it’s easy to hit through the line and keep scoring runs steadily. When it is not there, it’s hard to even get the ball off the square. So you get your runs in fits and spurts.Kings suffered 22 balls for no runs in the powerplay, but hit seven others for 32 runs (5×4 and 2×6).A lot of this work was the result of Prabhsimran’s enterprise. His role in the team is to do whatever is necessary to maximise the field restrictions. And he performed admirably, switch-hitting spin for sixes and moving around all over the batting crease, just to throw the bowlers off their plans.But then his role changed. From being the guy who could not place any price on his wicket, he became the guy who simply could not get out. So he settled in. Got used to the pitch. And by around the 11th over or so, he was finding ways to hold his shape and exert complete control over his shots.Prabhsimran was 53 off 44. Then he was dropped on 68. Then he was 102 off 61.Prabhsimran Singh soaks in the applause as he walks back after his ton•BCCI

That’s 49 in 17 balls. On a pitch where none of his team-mates crossed 20, and only two others managed to score at better than run-a-ball. This was a spectacular display of perseverance, even if he did have a tiny bit of help.In conditions where the ball isn’t coming onto the bat, all you have to do is take pace off, hit a hard length and, most importantly, target the stumps. Do not let the batter free his arms.Prabhsimran though was basically invited to free his arms. According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, a majority of the balls he faced (33) were either outside off stump or worse, wide outside off stump. And he took 60 runs from them including seven fours and three sixes.Capitals should have known better. The chance they created – the catch that Rilee Roussouw dropped – was the result of a mis-hit to a ball that arrived in line with this body. They didn’t learn. And they were punished.

How it ended

Capitals had a great start to the chase. They came out knowing 168 was a tricky target, and that they had to knock off a significant portion of it within the powerplay. David Warner helped them accomplish that goal, taking them to 65 for 0 in six overs. He cruised to a 23-ball fifty, scoring 42 of those runs in boundaries. But the thing is, Capitals only faced six balls of spin in that period.It didn’t make sense why Kings would have let any of that happen on a pitch where the ball was both stopping on the batters and turning more than a fair bit.Eventually, Shikhar Dhawan turned to spin and the game changed.Cornered by Harpreet Brar (4 for 30) and Rahul Chahar (2 for 16), Capitals lost three wickets for two runs between the ninth and the 11th overs. ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster quantified this swing in momentum – in a mere eight balls, Kings went from a lowly 20% chance of winning this game to 78% favourites.By the end, Capitals needed seven players to combine just to reach the total they allowed one batter to get. These were not the conditions to give away a century.

In the last Test series in New Zealand, both sides very clearly went all-out for victory, because that is their Test-match identity. Sri Lanka can perhaps have claimed to have pioneered Bazball, before Baz was even a thing – the likes of Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya having blazed through the late 90s.But right now, Sri Lanka are not a particularly attacking side considering what other teams are doing. And yet, in this series, they will likely push for wins, because there is a chance a 2-0 result in their favour will put them in the World Test Championshp final.It’s an outside chance. India will have to either lose or draw their last Test against Australia for Sri Lanka to even be in contention. There is no rain forecast in Ahmedabad, where the pitch tends to be dry. Australia would likely have to pull off another upset.And then you come to Sri Lanka’s own record in New Zealand. In 19 Tests in the country, they’ve only ever won two (in 2006, most recently). The probability seems remote.Related

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• New Zealand name same 13 who faced England for Sri Lanka Tests

• Sri Lanka select uncapped Madushka, Rathnayake for Test tour of NZ

Still, it feels like something of an achievement to even be in contention at this late stage. And it certainly is playing on the cricketers’ minds. Here’s New Zealand captain Tim Southee, two days out from the first Test, in Christchurch.”I think Sri Lanka are still in the hunt to make the final of the World Test Championship and they’ve played some great cricket over the past two years to be in that position. For us, we know Sri Lanka are a very good side, and they’ve shown that – to be sitting near the top of the World Test Championship.”They’ve got plenty to play for over the next two weeks. We’re out of the Test Championship.”Sri Lanka’s players have spoken about it too. In an interview with Michael Appleton, New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, captain Dimuth Karunaratne said this:”It’s must-win games for us, to be in the World Test Championship final. I don’t want to put pressure on the boys, but everyone knows this is a must-win game for us to be in the World Test Championship.”We’re in the top-three right now, so we have one hurdle and everyone knows where we are now. The boys are working hard to win the two Test Championship final and pushing to be in that final.”If there is some chance for Sri Lanka to pull off an unlikely brace of victories, it is perhaps through their experience. Last time they were there, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis batted out an entire day together (the first time a Sri Lankan pair had done this overseas, and the 19th time it had happened overall), to save a Test in Wellington. Both hit hundreds. Karunaratne has a century in Christchurch, and Chandimal has four fifties in nine innings.The attack is much greener, but if the pitches are too, Sri Lanka have bowlers who could potentially trouble New Zealand’s top order, so long as they stay fit through the game (looking at Lahiru Kumara in particular). But it’ll be the batters who will likely have to lead the way. Angelo Mathews, who’s played exactly 100 Tests now, is on his fourth Test tour of New Zealand.”We’ve been playing our brand of cricket and we’ve got quite a lot of experience in New Zealand – myself, Dimuth, and Chandimal,” he said. “We’ve played a few series and know the conditions quite well. It’s a fresh series so we have to start of fresh again.”There will be plenty of balls that will miss the bat, but you have to be positive and look for runs.”