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Young allrounder Shamim Hossain the only new face in multi-format touring party

Mohammad Isam23-Jun-2021Shakib Al Hasan has returned to Bangladesh’s Test and T20I squads, while Nurul Hasan’s hot recent form in the domestic circuit has won him spots in all three squads – numbering 30 – for the tour of Zimbabwe later this month. Only one brand-new face figures in the touring party, 20-year-old Shamim Hossain, who has been named in the squad for the T20Is.Shakib and Nurul are the only inclusions in the 17-man Test squad, named for the one-off game in Harare from July 7. “We are happy to have our best player available in all three formats,” Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, said. “It will boost our team. We are hopeful that it will positively impact their performance.”Shakib’s last Test was against West Indies in February, after which he missed the Tests against Sri Lanka because of his IPL commitment with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He also returned to the T20I squad for the first time since September 2019, as he missed Bangladesh’s New Zealand tour in March because of a thigh injury.Related

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Shamim, who was part of Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup-winning side in 2020, impressed with his batting in the lower-middle order in two domestic T20 tournaments recently, and Abedin said that the youngster possessed the skills needed for success in T20s.”We have been monitoring Shamim Hossain since he joined the high-performance squad after playing in the Under-19s,” Abedin said. “He played well against Ireland A, and then he continued to do the same in the shorter version tournaments. I am hopeful that his skills would help us in the T20Is.”Nurul, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter who played the last of his 14 international matches back in 2018, has made 346 runs for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League T20s, which helped take his team into the Super League stage, his runs coming at a strike rate of 151.75.”You have to look at his recent performance,” Abedin said. “The selection panel is satisfied. He also impressed the team management when he was with the Test squad in Sri Lanka. The team management will take a decision, judging the condition, on whether he plays or not, but we are confident that he will play.”Taijul Islam and Rubel Hossain have also been included in the ODI side, although there was no place for Soumya Sarkar or Mahedi Hasan. Rubel has recovered from a back injury, while Abedin said that Islam had been picked as the team management wanted an additional left-arm spinner in the ODI side.Tamim Iqbal, who took leave during the New Zealand T20Is, has returned to the T20I side alongside Shakib, Nurul and legspinner Aminul Islam. Aminul’s return after more than a year meant that the selectors have turned to a legspinner after a gap.Mushfiqur Rahim has been picked despite suffering a hairline fracture on his finger•Getty ImagesThe BCB, meanwhile, has approved Mushfiqur Rahim’s request to sit out the T20Is, while the selectors have also dropped Mosaddek Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Al Amin Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rubel Hossain from Bangladesh’s previous squad in this format.The tour, starting in July, will take place despite a government directive to suspend all sporting activity in the country as part of measures aimed at containing Covid-19 after Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) gave Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) permission on Tuesday to go ahead with it.The tour will consist of one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. All matches will take place behind closed doors in Harare.This will be the second men’s international series Zimbabwe will host since the pandemic began, after successfully staging two Tests and three T20Is against Pakistan in April. Zimbabwe have also hosted the Pakistan women’s side and the South Africa A side, although both those series were cut short. Pakistan Women left Zimbabwe because of flight restrictions, while the South Africa A team left before completing their second four-day fixture last week when stricter restrictions were introduced. At the time, ZC had petitioned SRC to allow the match to be completed, and they agreed, but South Africa A had already left the country.The Bangladesh contingent will leave for Zimbabwe on June 27.Test squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam.ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Shoriful IslamT20I squad: Mahmudullah (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam

West Ham United could also sign a £100,000-per-week attacker on deadline day as they race to beat the 11pm cut-off, and it is believed technical director Tim Steidten is a real admirer of the player.

West Ham closing in on nine summer signings

With PSG midfielder Carlos Soler travelling for a medical at West Ham right now, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, the Hammers are now closing in on a total of nine major signings for the summer window.

Related West Ham ask Premier League rivals about signing £15m Unai Emery target

The east Londoners could make one more signing on deadline day.

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Before Soler, who will apparently join on a season-long deal with an option to buy set at around £17 million, Steidten and co sealed moves for centre-back Max Kilman, winger Crysencio Summerville, centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, forward Niclas Fullkrug, Brazilian starlet Luis Guillherme, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, midfielder Guido Rodriguez and back-up goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

West Ham summer departures

To

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St. Patrick's Athletic

Free transfer

West Ham have spent a total of £120 million, not including the potential buy option for Soler next summer, with a host of players also departing the London Stadium over what has been a busy last few months for the club.

Many supporters would think that the Irons may be done after Soler puts pen to paper on his east London switch, but they could be wrong, as it is also believed that Chelsea attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is on their radar heading into 11pm.

The £100,000-per-week ace, who can even play on the wing, has been heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge all summer, with AC Milan among the high-profile clubs to have displayed a rumoured interest in the last few months.

West Ham eyeing late deadline day move for Chukwuemeka

As per The Guardian and reliable journalist Jacob Steinberg, writing via their live blog, West Ham are in the running to sign Chukwuemeka as they eye a late move.

Steinberg also writes that Steidten, who has led West Ham's transfer activity this summer, is a huge fan of the 20-year-old who could also bolster Julen Lopetegui's homegrown ranks.

"While they have agreed a deal in principle to sign Soler on loan with an option to buy, they are also in the running for Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka," claims Steinberg.

"The Chelsea youngster is keen for more playing opportunities and a loan move to West Ham would be hugely beneficial to his development.

"It remains to be seen if West Ham would be willing to sign both Soler and Chukwuemeka, who moved to west London from Aston Villa two years ago. Tim Steidten, the club’s sporting director, is a huge fan of the Chelsea player.

"West Ham are making space for incomings by loaning James Ward-Prowse to Nottingham Forest. Nayef Aguerd has interest from multiple clubs but has turned down Wolves."

New Zealand batsman to play three games before Australia’s Cameron Bancroft arrives

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2021

Will Young made his Test debut in December•Getty Images

New Zealand batsman Will Young will join Durham for the early part of the 2021 Championship season.Young, the 28-year-old right-hander, will arrive in the UK ahead of Durham’s second game of the season, at Essex starting on April 15, and will be available for three games before Australian Cameron Bancroft returns to the county he represented for the 2019 season in May, after his Sheffield Shield commitments with Western Australia end.Young, who made his Test debut at home against West Indies in December and scored 43 in his second Test, has scored 5,138 career first-class runs at an average of 42.81, including 10 centuries and 29 fifties with a highest score of 162. A former New Zealand Under-19s captain, having led the side at the 2012 World Cup, Young also played his first two ODIs during the on-going series with Bangladesh.Related

County ins and outs 2020-21

Cameron Bancroft returns to Durham for 2021 county season

“I’m happy to say I’ve signed with them and I’ll be heading over at the conclusion of this season to join Durham up in the cold and play three first-class games for them, which will be an awesome opportunity to get over to England and be exposed to those conditions and face the new Dukes ball, ” Young said.”It will be a fun opportunity to meet a new bunch of guys and experience county cricket, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “We’re delighted to have secured the signing of Will Young for the early part of the season. In the absence of Cameron Bancroft, Will will add further strength to our batting line up, along with a wealth of experience.”He is in a great place with his cricket having just broken into the Test and One Day sides with New Zealand. We look forward to welcoming Will to Durham in a few weeks’ time.”

Fast bowler to fly in from Antigua at conclusion of Test series against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2021

Alzarri Joseph is one of West Indies’ brightest fast bowling prospects•AFP/Getty Images

Alzarri Joseph, the West Indies fast bowler, is to join Worcestershire as their overseas player for the opening weeks of the 2021 season.Joseph, who is currently playing against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Antigua, will fly into the UK from the Caribbean on April 4, and will be available to Worcestershire for their first seven County Championship fixtures.The ongoing Test is Joseph’s 15th, in which he has claimed 34 wickets, in addition to a further 54 in 34 ODIs. He was part of the West Indies squad that toured England during last summer’s bio-secure Test series, claiming three wickets in his two Test appearances at Southampton and Manchester.”I am thrilled to be joining Worcestershire for the early part of the summer,” Joseph said.”When I heard the club was interested in me, I had no hesitation in saying yes. The club has a strong squad with a nice balance of youth and experience, and I’m really looking forward to working with bowling coach Alan Richardson.”I would also like to thank Cricket West Indies for allowing me the opportunity to go and experience county cricket”Joseph, 24, first played for West Indies as a 19-year-old in 2016, having starred at that year’s Under-19 World Cup with 13 wickets in six games.His batting has become an increasingly valuable part of his game, with scores of 86 against New Zealand in Hamilton in December, and 82 versus Bangladesh in Dhaka in February, having been dismissed in single figures in his first 14 Test innings.His most spectacular moment to date, however, came at the IPL in 2019, when he claimed figures of 6 for 12 on debut for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad – the best performance by a bowler in the competition’s history.”He is a quality performer, and we are delighted to have signed him for the best part of two months,” said Paul Pridgeon, Worcestershire Cricket Steering Group Chairman.”With it looking like Josh Tongue and Pat Brown may not be match fit for the start of the season, Alex Gidman [Head Coach] and Joe Leach [Club Captain] both felt they needed another seamer.”Alzarri is going to be available for seven matches and is an exciting prospect.”

Mumbai, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala have filled up the last four automatic qualification spots for the quarter-final stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They join Gujarat, Andhra, and Karnataka, who had sealed qualification on Sunday by topping their respective groups. The eighth quarter-finalist will be decided by a playoff between Delhi, who finished eighth on the combined Elite division points table, and Uttarakhand, who finished as toppers of the Plate group.This season’s format has the top-placed teams of the five Elite division groups qualifying automatically, alongside the top two teams on points from a combined Elite division table. Mumbai won their last Group D game by 200 runs against Himachal Pradesh to finish top with five wins in five games, while Saurashtra stayed on top of Group E with 16 points despite their first loss of the season to Services.For the other two automatic qualification spots, the teams in contention were UP and Kerala (both from Group C with 16 points), Baroda (Group A, 16 points) and Delhi (Group D, 16 points). Baroda lost out to Delhi on net run-rate, while UP’s and Kerala’s vastly superior NRRs ensured they qualified as the sixth- and seventh-placed teams.The Plate division, which plays as one group, had two teams – Uttarakhand and Assam – finish with five wins in five games. But Uttarakhand’s NRR in excess of +3 was far too much for Assam to better on the final day of the league stage. As a result, it will be Uttarakhand who play Delhi for the last quarter-final spot.Group D
Mumbai began the day all-but-qualified, on 16 points with an NRR boosted by their explosiveness against Puducherry last week. They fell to 49 for 4 against HP after electing to bat and it took three of their most senior players – Suryakumar Yadav (91 off 75), Aditya Tare (83 off 98) and Shardul Thakur (92 off 57) – to not only rescue them but put them far beyond the reach of HP, who folded for 121 in a chase of 322. Legspinner Prashant Solanki, in his debut season for the Mumbai senior team, took 4 for 32 to take his tally to 11 wickets in three matches. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani took 3 for 42, including the wicket that ended the game.Delhi‘s bowlers arrested Rajasthan‘s charge in the slog overs and bowled them out for 294, before an unbeaten 117 from Himmat Singh, and his unbroken 183-run stand with Nitish Rana (88 off 75) helped them win by eight wickets with more than five overs to spare. Rajasthan had been on course for bigger runs on the back of Manender Singh’s 73 and Arjit Gupta’s 51-ball 78 before Simarjeet Singh (4 for 36) and Pradeep Sangwan (3 for 62) intervened.In the only other Group D match, Maharashtra‘s Yash Nahar made 119 to end his maiden List A season with 390 runs in five matches. That knock in a big partnership with Ankit Bawne, who made 110, and Rahul Tripathi’s 30-ball 59, combined to help Maharasthra put up 333 for 4 and win by 137 runs. Kedar Jadhav bowled a 10-over spell that went for 34 and got him two wickets.Nitish Rana will hope to continue his form against Uttarakhand in the upcoming knockout match for Delhi•BCCI

Group E
A career-best 158 for Rahul Singh Gahlaut helped Services pick up their second win of the season, and upset of table-toppers Saurashtra. After being put in and falling to 26 for 4, it took a 182-run stand between Gahlaut and wicketkeeper Devender Lochab (64 off 86) to lift Services past 200. They scored at more than ten an over in the last eight overs, a 21-ball 43 from former Delhi allrounder Pulkit Narang helping them get to 301 for 7. Saurashtra’s middle order collapsed in chase, courtesy of left-arm spinner Rahul Khajan Singh’s 4 for 45, and medium-pacer Varun Choudhary’s 3 for 62. They fell short by 68 runs with about seven overs to spare.Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir made light work of chasing down Chandigarh‘s 241. Shubham Khajuria’s 120 off 86 balls, and Henan Nazir’s – playing only his second game – unbeaten 110 off 88 balls formed a partnership of 183 that came in fewer than 24 overs as they won with eight wickets and 16 overs to spare. Umar Nazir, Parvez Rasool, and Auqib Nabi had previously taken three wickets each.Bengal‘s campaign ended with a loss to Haryana at the Eden Gardens. All five of Haryana’s bowlers were among the wickets, led by Sanjay Pahal’s 3 for 32, as the hosts folded for 177. In response, Haryana had fifties from both openers – Chaitanya Bishnoi and Shubham Rohilla – anchoring different parts of their chase as they won by five wickets. They did, however, finish bottom of the table.Plate divisionLeft-handed Kamal Singh made his first ton in senior cricket to help Uttarakhand post 306 against Sikkim. Sikkim’s response never took off, and they ended their campaign with the aim to bat out 50 overs – which they did, finishing on 161 for 6.In the other Plate matches, Assam and Meghalya followed similar templates – putting up scores in excess of 300 and winning by 83 and 182 runs respectively against Manipur and Mizoram.The only match to buck that trend involved Nagaland chasing down 287 with eight wickets and just about as many overs to spare. Captain Rongsen Jonathan and Shrikant Mundhe both made centuries, while allrounder Stuart Binny capped his 100th List A game with a 37-ball 55 to see them home against Arunachal Pradesh, who had been fueled by an unbeaten 138 from Rahul Dalal earlier.

Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has revealed the reasons behind Hansi Flick's failure with Die Mannschaft and why he's working wonders at Barcelona.

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Matthaus sings praises of Barcelona boss FlickBarca have scored 47 goals in 14 gamesFlick impressive after German NT failureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Lothar Matthaus, Germany's all-time leading appearance maker, has explained why Hansi Flick has been able to impress again with Barcelona following a failed stint as the coach of the German national team, with Barcelona leading LaLiga and opening up a six-point gap after beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 4-0 last weekend.

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Flick has revitalised a Barcelona side that seemed to be stuck in an eternal rut. There were positives during Xavi's mixed reign as coach, but he was sacked from the dugout after the Catalans ended the 2023-24 campaign trophyless.

Despite economic constraints and issues with player registrations, Flick instilled a unique mentality in the squad and has made the most of the resources available to him. His strongest XI consists of two 17-year-olds, and a couple more La Masia graduates. Barcelona are arguably the best team in the world on current form.

As such, Matthaus has heaped praise on the former Bayern Munich coach and shared his opinions on why there's a stark contrast in Flick's managerial tenures at Barcelona and Germany.

WHAT LOTHAR MATTHAUS SAID

"It is very important for Hansi to have daily contact with the players. This allows him to build trust in daily conversations. He gets to know what is on the players' minds. This helps him to respond to them and then to work intensively with them in training to determine what he wants them to play. Hansi goes into great detail, he attaches great importance to nuances. With the national team, when you have one or two games every six weeks, that doesn't work," Matthaus told BILD.

"Of course Hansi made mistakes, for example with setups and changes. But Hansi also had to deal with problems that were not his responsibility as a coach. I'm just thinking of the political discussions, such as the rainbow captain's armband. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and Oliver Bierhoff did not protect him. And many of the players with whom he was successful at Bayern had problems with themselves.

"Hansi has Barca play the same 4-2-3-1 system that [Robert] Lewandowski already shone in at Bayern. The many young professionals like [Lamine] Yamal or Pedri listen to a leader like Lewandowski, who is therefore an important factor for Hansi," he added.

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

The Blaugrana are scheduled to face Catalan rivals Espanyol at the Montjuic on Sunday, November 3, with the aim of maintaining a six-point lead atop the LaLiga table.

This summer’s Euro 2024 tournament has been an interesting one from a Chelsea perspective, with numerous of their talents excelling, alongside some of their former talents.

Marc Cucurella has undoubtedly been the biggest surprise, starring at left-back for winners Spain, claiming the assist for Mikel Oyarzabal’s winning goal against England in Sunday's showpiece.

However, the Blues also had one player who excelled in the same fixture, with Cole Palmer scoring a beautiful strike which gave the entire country hope of winning the tournament under Gareth Southgate.

Chelsea have also sold their fair share of talents in the past, including centre-back Marc Guehi, who looked phenomenal at the heart of England’s defence alongside John Stones, with the club undoubtedly regretting their decision to let him depart Stamford Bridge.

Cucurella & Guehi’s stats at Euro 2024

After joining the club for £63m back in the summer of 2022, a lot of expectations were placed on the shoulders of Spaniard full-back Cucurella following his impressive stint at Brighton.

However, he’s struggled at Stamford Bridge, even featuring on the left of a back three in an attempt to find his best position for Chelsea.

His spell for his nation this summer has certainly injected hope into the Blues faithful that he can start to prove why the club forked out such a hefty sum for his services.

In his six appearances at the European Championships, the 25-year-old achieved a pass completion rate of 90% whilst also winning 75% of the tackles that he attempted during the competition.

On the other hand, Guehi, who left Chelsea for £20m back in the summer of 2021, showcased what the Blues are missing with some excellent displays at his first major tournament with England.

The centre-back was Harry Maguire’s replacement for the tournament and looked as though he had featured for his nation for many years, winning 24 duels in his six appearances – an average of four per game.

Games

6

6

Minutes played

546

570

Assists

1

1

Pass accuracy

90%

94%

Tackles won

75%

67%

Duels won

33

24

Recoveries

21

28

He also grabbed the vital assist for Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick equaliser at the round of 16 stage against Slovakia.

However, despite their respective impressive performances for the nations, they’re both still valued lower than one Chelsea player who has struggled with injuries in recent times.

Euro 2024: Football FanCast's Team of the Tournament

FFC’s Feature & Opinion writers crunched the numbers to determine our Team of the Tournament.

ByMatt Dawson Jul 15, 2024 Reece James’ market value in 2024

After coming through the academy, full-back Reece James has cemented himself as one of the best right-backs in the world – totalling 23 goal involvements in the Premier League – but he’s suffered multiple injuries in recent months.

The 24-year-old could only muster 11 Premier League appearances in 2023/24, but he’s still managed to maintain his market value.

The “world-class” James, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is still valued at £34m as per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, big-money addition Cucurella is only valued at £21m, with Guehi worth just £32m despite his excellent tournament for England this summer.

One thing is for sure, the Blues have made their errors when it comes to the transfer market, with allowing Guehi to depart without a buy-back option certainly coming back to bite them.

However, they have a knack for developing elite youngsters, with James one of the players who’s thrived after coming through the Cobham academy, just like Guehi has elsewhere.

His injury problems have been a concern, but should he stay fit for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign, new boss Enzo Maresca would have a sensational talent on his hands who would massively boost their ambitions of returning to Champions League football.

Going from academy talent to the captaincy in the space of a few years certainly isn't bad going, is it? The Blues have hit gold here.

Imagine him & Cucurella: Chelsea in talks to sign £42m talent

Contact has been made but the Blues are yet to present a concrete transfer offer.

ByAngus Sinclair Jul 15, 2024

This goes against the sports minister’s directive and may result in serious consequences

Firdose Moonda12-Nov-2020Cricket South Africa members’ council – the highest-decision making body within the organisation, which consists of the 14 provincial affiliate presidents – will not appoint the interim board imposed on them by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, leaving the game in administrative limbo. The Members’ Council and the interim board, the two bodies that were due to work together to clean up CSA’s governance structures are now, effectively, at an impasse.In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the members’ council revealed that they have written to Mthethwa to raise “material concerns,” over the interim board and stressed that they “are not prepared” to let the interim board do its work. This decision goes squarely against Mthethwa’s directive and may result in the minister intervening in CSA, as he threatened to last month. Mthethwa has the power to withdraw funding from CSA and to strip them of their status as the governing body of cricket in South Africa.The interim board responded shortly after with a statement of their own, confirming that they have received a letter from the members’ council, which raised concerns about how the interim board was constituted and over conflicts of interests in relation to one member, Haroon Lorgat. While the statement from the interim board did not detail Lorgat’s conflicts, as former CEO of Cricket South Africa, Lorgat would have been in charge during the period under review in the forensic report, which was used to fire his successor Thabang Moroe.The interim board have already begun work and indicated their intention to continue, calling the members’ council position “obstructionist.” In a statement the interim board said, “The current situation is untenable and we are thus dismayed to be in receipt of what we can only describe as an obstructionist, legalistic letter from the Members’ Council while we have tried to put structures in place and hold individuals within CSA to account. We are of the view that the conduct of the Members’ Council is an attempt to stymie the work of our Board.”As a result, a saga that began with Moroe’s suspension in December last year (and subsequent dismissal for financial misconduct in August) and came to a head when the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) asked CSA’s board and executive to stand down in September has entered a new stage of standoff. Now, the members’ council and the minister-appointed interim board are in disagreement over who should clean up the mess in South African cricket, with the members’ council insisting they will “take the necessary steps to ensure that the concerns, which Minister Mthethwa and SASCOC have previously raised, are addressed efficiently and professionally.”The members’ council pointed to their role in convincing the previous CSA board to resign en masse following repeated calls from stakeholders including SASCOC and the South African Cricketers’ Association for them to stand down as evidence that they have the game at heart.”The Members Council embarked on a process last month to facilitate the resignation of the then-incumbent board members of CSA, with the intention of appointing an Interim Board that would work collaboratively with all stakeholders,” the members’ council statement read. “The main objective of the new Interim Board was to work closely with the Members Council and CSA executives, to achieve necessary change within the organisation and to take cricket forward until a new board is elected at the annual general meeting.”However, the members’ council and interim board were unable to form a constructive alliance with the members’ council concerned with |unresolved matters including a “conflict of interest relating to a proposed member of the Interim Board; opposition to outlined roles, responsibilities and reporting lines as outlined in the Memorandum of Incorporation; unprofessional conduct; non-cooperation; and misalignment.” The members’ council believe that if they had continued to work with the interim board they would have “failed to ensure that it acts in the public interest at all times.”The interim board disputes this assertion and said the members’ council have been “unwilling to cooperate,” and have “acted in bad faith and contrary to the consensus it reached with Mthethwa.” The interim board said it is “determined to continue our work in the public interest and in the best interests of cricket in South Africa.”

Graham Potter revealed that he turned to Taylor Swift to get over his Chelsea sacking as the ex-Blues boss feels he is ready to return to management.

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• Potter was in charge for 31 games at Chelsea
• Won 12 and lost 11 during his stint at West London
• Swift helped him get over the blues after a humiliating exit

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Potter took the reins at Chelsea in September 2022, replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach. However, his time in charge at Chelsea was fraught with challenges as the club won only 12 matches during his tenure and endured 11 losses. The final straw came in April 2023 when Chelsea suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, prompting the club's hierarchy to relieve him of his duties.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT POTTER SAID

  Reflecting on his time at Chelsea, Potter acknowledged the emotional toll of his sacking. "It’s a bit like a grieving process in a way; it gets better with time," he explained in an interview with . "You have to try not to beat yourself up, but you can’t just blame everything on somebody else. You’ve got to find the right balance. It’s not nice because of the high-profile nature of it. There’s a humiliation that it doesn’t go well. I was sacked after seven months of a five-year contract after being taken from Brighton, so there’s all that on a human level you have to deal with."

  The immediate aftermath of his dismissal was particularly tough for Potter.

  He added: "The first six months were tough because I worked really, really hard to get that type of opportunity. I don’t think it was the only opportunity I was going to get because I left Brighton in a really, really good place. So it was about choosing the right opportunity. And I didn’t choose the wrong one, it just didn’t work out. I don’t have any regrets over doing it, but, at the same time, when anybody loses their job, there’s an element of frustration, anger and maybe bitterness at some point."

• HOW DID TAYLOR SWIFT HELP POTTER

  Potter sought solace in spending time with his family and friends but it was a Taylor Swift concert with his son that lifted his spirits.

  “The most important thing was to be with my family and friends, just connect with them," he said. "Being in the public eye is a by-product of the job, so I chose not to be when I didn’t need to. I spent some time with Steve Borthwick at England Rugby. I went to the US and saw some sports over there, some organisations. I went to the Falklands and did a leadership talk, and, much to the horror of my 14-year-old boy, I went to see Taylor Swift in concert. He’s not as much of a fan as me.”

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  In addition to concert-going, Potter used his leisure to learn Spanish so that he would not be at his wit's end if an opportunity cropped up in Spain.

  "I needed to create routines in my life and when I was off, part of it was the gym and part of it was Spanish lessons," he said.

  “I had a tutor. I’ve had a bit of a break from that now, but I’m doing the apps and studying, and I’ll see how that goes over the next few weeks, or months, and see what happens work-wise. It’s more for the brain and to learn a language.”

Former Tottenham scout Bryan King has hinted that transfer chief Johan Lange could sell Bryan Gil and replace him with a £21 million forward this summer.

Bryan Gil likely to be sold by Spurs this summer

Three years after ex-managing director Fabio Paratici sealed a part-exchange deal to sign Gil from Sevilla, with Erik Lamela going the other way as part of the agreement, the young attacker could depart north London.

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Gil arrived at N17 with a lot of promise, with members of the press even calling him a "very, very exciting talent" and "potential star in the making" (David Cartlidge), however, he has failed to establish himself as a regular first-teamer under multiple head coaches since then.

Out of Tottenham's senior squad members, only the consistently injured Manor Solomon played fewer Premier League minutes than the Spaniard last season, and Gil refused to go out on loan to Brighton in January as he wanted to battle his way into Ange Postecoglou's plans.

Appearances

43

Goals

0

Assists

2

Yellow cards

5

Red cards

0

Minutes played

1,297

Antonio Conte also didn't favour Gil, despite comparing him to Man City star Bernardo Silva and revealing the 23-year-old's burning desire to become an "important" player.

"I'm sure about Gil's future because we're talking about a player who sees football," said Conte to the media in late 2022.

"When I ask him something in the training session, he understands quickly and also his desire is to become an important player. If I have to compare him with someone I can see him like Bernardo Silva at [Man City] in his structure, but, for me, at this moment Silva is physically stronger than him but we are talking about this type of player."

Gil has gone out on loan to spells back to Spain with Valencia and ex-club Sevilla during his time at Spurs, but reports suggest he could leave permanently this summer in search of more game time. Feyenoord are rumoured to have made several offers to sign Gil already, with their club director Dennis te Kloese confirming their interest as well.

A return to his homeland hasn't been ruled out yet, so it will be interesting to see where Gil may end up, as his time with Tottenham looks likely to end soon.

Ex-Tottenham scout hints Lange could swap Gil for Rayan Cherki

If Gil does secure his move away soon, Postecoglou will need a replacement, and Tottenham are believed to be targeting Lyon sensation Rayan Cherki as an option in that regard.

Spurs apparently view Cherki as a "huge talent", amid reports he'd cost around £21 million to prise away from France. Speaking to Tottenham News, former Spurs scout King suggests technical director Lange could replace Gil with Cherki as we approach the summer window's opening.

“He sounds as though he would be an ideal replacement for Gil,” King said.

“If Gil or Giovani Lo Celso are to leave, then Tottenham need to be looking at replacements of a similar or higher level. Cherki is playing for a decent club. Players are going to be leaving so replacements need to be lined up.”