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England has provided by far the biggest group with Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Indies also well represented

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2022The final list of players for the BBL draft on August 28 has been confirmed with 332 names in total. The 12 platinum names were announced on Monday and, overall, there are 28 players eligible for retention by their team of last year.Adelaide Strikers Rashid Khan, Ian Cockbain, George Garton, Daniel Worrall
Brisbane Heat Tom Abell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fakhar Zaman
Hobart Hurricanes Jordan Cox, Sandeep Lamichhane, Tom Lammonby
Melbourne Renegades Unmukt Chand, Zahir Khan, Reece Topley
Melbourne Stars Andre Russell, Qais Ahmed, Joe Clarke, Ahmad Daniyal, Syed Faridoun
Perth Scorchers Lauire Evans, Tymal Mills, Colin Munro
Sydney Sixers Chris Jordan, Shadab Khan, Tom Curran, James Vince
Sydney Thunder Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Mohammad HasnainAnd here is the full list: (bold = Platinum)Afghanistan
Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Zia ur Rehman Akbar, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shafiqullah Ghafari, Usman Ghani, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hamid Hassan, Hamza Hotak, Waqarullah Ishaq, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, Gulbadin Naib, Izharulhaq Naveed, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdul Rahman Rahmani, Waqar Salamkheil, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Naveen Ul Haq Murid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ghamai Zadra, Hazratullah ZazaiBangladesh
Al-amin Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Ripon MondolBermuda
Kamau LeverockCanada
Kairav SharmaEngland
Colin Ackermann, Rehan Ahmed, Toby Albert, Kashif Ali, Tom Alsop, Martin Andersson, Gus Atkinson, Josh Baker, Sonny Baker, Jake Ball, Chris Benjamin, Jacob Bethell, Sam Billings, James Bracey, Henry Brookes, Pat Brown, Brydon Carse, Matthew Carter, Jordan Clark, Joe Clarke, Josh Cobb, Ian Cockbain, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Zak Crawley, Matt Critchley, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Liam Dawson, Joe Denly, Brett D’Oliveira, Leus du Plooy, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Matt Fisher, James Fuller, George Garton, Ben Gibbon, Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory, Sam Hain, Alex Hales, Miles Hammond, Tom Hartley, Jack Haynes, Freddie Heldreich, Tom Helm, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, Adam Hose, Benny Howell, Louis Kimber, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Chris Jordan, Danny Lamb, Tom Lammonby, Jack Leaning, Jake Lintott, Liam Livingstone, Conor McKerr, Lewis McManus, Ben Mike, Tymal Mills, Daniel Mousley, Steven Mullaney, Matthew Quinn, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Callum Parkinson, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Michael Pepper, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Adam Rossington, George Scrimshaw, John Simpson, Prem Sisodiya, Will Smeed, Nathan Sowter, Mitchell Stanley, Cameron Steel, Olly Stone, Callum Taylor, Jack Taylor, Tommy Taylor, Reece Topley, Liam Trevaskis, James Vince, Paul Walter, Joe Weatherley, Ross Whiteley, Chris Wood, Luke Wood, Saif Zaib, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Luc Benkenstein, Alex Blake, Sol Budinger, Tom Curran, Joey Evison, Luke Fletcher, Ben Geddes, Nick Gubbins, Haseeb Hameed, Tom Lawes, David Lloyd, Adam Lyth, Wayne Madsen, Tom Moores, Daniel Moriarty, Samit Patel, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Darren Stevens, David Willey, Daniel Worrall, Rob YatesIreland
Mark Adair, Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Paul Stirling, Harry TectorNamibia
David WieseNepal
Subash Khakurel, Sandeep LamichhaneNetherlands
Shariz Ahmad, Bas de Leede, Brandon Glover, Fred Klaassen, Maxwell O’Dowd, Vikramajit Singh, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Tobias VisseNew Zealand
Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mitch McClenaghan, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, James NeeshamOman
Bilal KhanPakistan
Tayyab Abbas, Abbas Afrifi, Asif Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sohail Akhtar, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Faisal Akram, Qasim Akram, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Adil Amin, Mohammad Amir, Faheem Ashraf, Umaid Asif, Amad Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani, Salman Fayyaz, Zafar Gohar, Kamran Ghulam, Sameen Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Haris, Dilbar Hussain, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Ilyas, Ali Imran, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Irfan Jr, Salman Irshad, Akif Javed, Usman Khalid, Azam Khan, Imran Khan, Junaid Khan, Maaz Khan, Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan, Sohail Khan, Zaman Khan, Ahmad Daniyal Latif, Syed Faridoun Mahmood, Sohaib Maqsood, Shan Masood, Usama Mir, Salman Mirza, Mehran Mumtaz, Saad Naseem, Usman Qadir, Momin Qamar, Rumman Raees, Mamoon Ur Riaz, Wahab Riaz, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Majid Shah, Khushdil Shah, Yasir Shah, Saud Shakeel, Usman Shinwari, Haris Sohail, Hussain Talat, Imam-ul-Haq, Khalid Usman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Yamin, Amir, Mohammad Zahid, Fakhar Zaman, Zeeshan Zameer, Mohammad ZeeshanPNG
Norman VanuaScotland
Michael Jones, Michael Leask, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark WattSouth Africa
Shane Dadswell, Marchant de Lange, Faf du Plessis, Pieter Malan, Migael Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw, Imran TahirSri Lanka
Dinesh Chandimal, Dushan Hemantha, Nisala Gamage, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Ramesh Mendis, Lakshan SandakanUAE
Vriitya Aravind, Rahul Bhatia, Aryan Lakra, Alishan SharafuUSA
Harmeet Singh Baddhan, Unmukt Chand, Karima Gore, Andries Gous, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jaskaran Malhotra, Saurabh Netravalkar, Monank Patel, Smit PatelWest Indies
Joshua Bishop, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Rivaldo Clarke, Sheldon Cottrell, Amrit Dass, Mark Deyal, Dominic Drakes, Fidel Edwards, Matthew Forde, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Joshua James, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Jeavor Royal, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh, Tion Webster, Kesrick Williams, Nyeem YoungZimbabwe
Ryan Burl, Eddie Byrom, Elton Chigumbura, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Muyeye, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

With a deal already edging closer to signing Jorrel Hato from Ajax, Chelsea have also now reportedly made their first contact to sign a fresh attacking reinforcement.

Chelsea closing in on Hato

As ever, Chelsea have welcomed several fresh faces this summer. As Enzo Maresca gears up for his second season in charge, he now has the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens at his disposal in what remains a squad filled to the brim with quality in depth.

The Blues haven’t quite wrapped up their summer business just yet, however. After showing the door to Noni Madueke, who joined London rivals Arsenal, and Saudi-bound Joao Felix, those at Stamford Bridge still have money to spend and have turned towards Hato as a result.

The 19-year-old left-back now looks destined to become the latest young talent to arrive in West London, as Chelsea continue to build one of the youngest squads in the Premier League.

Hato’s tender age is unlikely to stand in the way of first-team opportunities, though. The Dutchman already has plenty of experience on that front and even graced the Europa League for Ajax last season.

One of many to have praised Hato, Statman Dave recently told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Big Transfer Talk: “When you look at his stats over the season, we are starting to see a player who is very composed and creative. He could potentially go on a similar path to Trent Alexander-Arnold – that is the player I would liken him to in Europe.”

Better signing than Simons: Chelsea poised to bid for "electric" £40m star

With Xavi Simons set to sign for Chelsea, are the Blues about to bring in an even better attacker from a PL rival described as “electric”?

ByBen Gray Jul 30, 2025

Alas, it’s not just their backline that Chelsea still want to improve. The Blues have also reportedly made their first move to sign a Serie A star.

Chelsea make first approach to sign Weah

According to SpazioJ, Chelsea have made their first approach to sign Timothy Weah from Juventus, only for the American to turn down a summer switch to Stamford Bridge.

It’s not the first time that the winger has turned down the chance to join a Premier League club, either. Earlier this summer, reports emerged that he had handed Nottingham Forest the same answer that he has now given Chelsea and Tottenham. Just where his future now lies as a result is the big question.

Juventus are still willing to sell Weah for around €20m (£17m) ahead of next season, but it remains to be seen whether the likes of Chelsea come calling with a second attempt to convince the 25-year-old.

After scoring six goals and providing five assists in all competitions last season, former Juventus boss Thiago Motta took the chance to praise Weah – telling reporters: “I see him very well, the first thing for a full-back is to defend, be aggressive, win duels, and he is winning a lot of them. He is aggressive, he can still improve, I am very happy with what I see, and on top of that, he also manages to score goals.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is “in a hurry” to land another trophy, with the all-time great “proud” of Portugal’s early efforts at Euro 2024.

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All-time great won Euros back in 2016Showing no sign of slowing down at 39Preparing for more knockout footballWHAT HAPPENED?

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner became a European champion in 2016 when helping his country – as a player and makeshift coach – to a continental crown. He is now chasing down that title once more, at what is the sixth Euros of his remarkable career.

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Ronaldo is now 39 years of age, but has been showing no sign of slowing down. He hit 50 goals for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in 2023-24 and has already become the all-time leading assist-maker at European Championships through two appearances at another major tournament.

WHAT RONALDO SAID

Back-to-back wins mean that Portugal are already assured of a place in the last-16 of Euro 2024, with a 3-0 victory over Turkey getting them over that line. Ronaldo contributed positively to that result and has said on social media of setting his sights on another trophy: “In a hurry and first place guaranteed. Proud of this team, we are Portugal!”

WHAT NEXT?

Portugal may take the decision to rest Ronaldo for their final group stage fixture against Georgia next Wednesday. They remain keen to keep their talismanic captain as fresh as possible, with CR7 taking record-shattering hauls of caps and goals for his country to 209 and 130 respectively.

Newcastle United appear to have already identified their first signing of the summer after it emerged that one club in Europe are already braced for a Magpies bid for their star man.

Magpies money problems could force sales

There is plenty of speculation surrounding Newcastle United's financial position heading into the summer transfer window, amid pressure to conform with the Premier League's financial fair play and avoid points deductions like those already handed out to Nottingham Forest and Everton.

Eddie Howe's side spent heavily last summer but have gone backwards on the pitch, with injuries stunting growth on Tyneside. As it stands, they sit 10th in the Premier League and are out of every other competition. An outside shot for European football next season, it may be a summer rebuild needed rather than another one of lavish spending.

That is unless they decide to cash in on one of their stars. It is something that Newcastle CEO Darren Eales has already hinted at, and could be an excellent way of continuing their growth as a football club, as unpopular as it may be with some fans.

PIF could sell "exceptional" Newcastle star to fund spending spree – report

It would be a tough decision for the club.

ByBen Browning Mar 19, 2024

"Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club. It's difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that, if we're going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players", Eales explained in January.

"It's just the nature of the beast. If you trade players on it creates more headroom. You have to keep growing that headroom, increasing commercial revenue and player trading."

European club 'expecting' Newcastle bid

This comes as German outfit Eintracht Frankfurt are now 'expecting' a bid from Tyneside for star striker Omar Marmoush this summer. That is according to Sport Bild, who add that the Bundesliga outfit 'won't stand in his way' if the Egyptian striker decides that he wants to move.

Marmoush has been a revelation so far this season, with 12 goals and 3 assists in 23 Bundesliga outings since joining from Wolfsburg on a free transfer last summer.

He has been linked with a move to Newcastle previously, but it is added that any move would likely cost between 50 and 60m euros (£42m- £51m) this summer, something that Eddie Howe's side are unlikely to be able to afford without sales and would prove an expensive replacement for Callum Wilson.

Callum Wilson 23/34 vs Omar Marmoush 23/24

Callum Wilson

Omar Marmoush

Appearances

16

21

Goals

7

10

Expected goals

7.2

7.7

Assists

1

6

Shots on target (per 90)

1.57

2.79

Aerial duels won

33.3%

51.2%

Though he has only burst onto the scene this season, his qualities have been known for a long time. Speaking when he arrived in 2021, Stuttgart's then-Sporting director Sven Mislintat explained: "Omar is a fantastic fit for us. His qualites and versatility make him a great addition to our squad."

Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoller reserved particular praise for his work rate and physical traits: "He works extremely hard and is hard to defend against. His pace makes him an awkward opponent for defenders when he runs in behind them."

That will come as music to the ears of Newcastle fans, but the move may only be possible if they part with one of their crown jewels this summer.

Kylian Mbappe will not earn less money at Real Madrid than at Paris Saint-Germain, despite reports that he was set to take a pay cut.

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Mbappe has joined Real MadridReports suggest he has taken pay cutNot actually the caseWHAT HAPPENED?

Mbappe was announced as a Real Madrid player earlier this week and, despite rumours suggesting that he had taken a pay cut to seal his dream move, it appears that is not quite the case. The World Cup winner, per Mundo Deportivo, was earning €72 million (£61m/$78m) gross at PSG, and will earn €26m (£22m/$28m) at Madrid, with €15m (£13m/$16m) of that being his net earnings. But that is not the full story.

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Mundo have crunched the numbers and assuming that Real paid Mbappe a €125m (£106m/$135m) signing-on bonus – sources claim the number is between €100m (£85m/$108m) and €150m (£127m/$163m) – he would earn €25m (£21m/$27m) from the bonus per season alone. Add that to his €15m net salary and he receives €40m (£34m/£43m) per season, a similar figure to his net earnings at PSG.

DID YOU KNOW?

Real have also made a sacrifice in terms of image rights. When they sign a player, the star's contract usually dictates that they will keep 50 percent of earnings from image rights and Real will keep the other half. That is not the case with Mbappe, as he will continue to earn between 70 and 80 percent from every contract he signs as a Real player.

(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT?

Mbappe is preparing for Euro 2024, as France go in search of continental glory. They will play Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland in the group stages.

Australian’s 78 leads side to 13-run win at Taunton as Babar Azam, tom Banton hit fifties in vain

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2019Alex Carey marked his Sussex Sharks debut with a brilliant 78 to set up a 13-run Vitality Blast victory over Somerset at Taunton.Australian Carey cracked seven fours and four sixes in a 46-ball innings that entertained a crowd of 7,400. Laurie Evans and David Wiese gave good support in a score of 184 for 8 after losing the toss, while Lewis Gregory claimed 3 for 30.In reply, Somerset could make only 171 for 5, despite an opening stand of 96 in less than 12 overs by Babar Azam, who struck 83 off 50 balls, and Tom Banton, who reached 51 off 45. Tymal Mills was the most economical Sussex bowler with 1 for 27 from 4 overs.The Sharks had managed only 34 for 2 in their six-over power play, losing the wickets of Phil Salt, caught at extra cover off the second ball of the innings, sent down by Max Waller, and Luke Wright, bowled off stump by Jerome Taylor, who had dropped him off Gregory two overs earlier.But the arrival of Carey soon changed the tempo of the innings. The left-hander hit the first six of the match over mid-wicket off Roelof van der Merwe in the eighth over. Soon Carey was timing the ball sweetly and he took a particular liking to the left-arm spin of van der Merwe, lofting him for two straight sixes in the 11th over.Evans provided positive support, claiming a maximum off Craig Overton’s bowling before being caught at deep cover off Somerset’s young left-arm seamer Tom Lammonby, having faced 27 balls and added 73 with Carey.The Aussie went to an impressive fifty from 30 deliveries, with four fours and two sixes, in the 14th over. And, with Wiese also striking the ball cleanly, 49 runs came off just four overs before Carey was brilliantly caught by Lammonby at long-off.It had been an eventful week for Carey, who played in the World Cup but missed out on selection in Australia’s final Ashes squad then had to fly to Geneva to renew his visa so that he could play for Sussex.”It was a crazy build-up to the game for me,” Carey said. “Australia’s Ashes camp in Hampshire did not end until Thursday night and on Friday I travelled to Sussex, but could only watch the game because I didn’t have my visa stamped. To get that done, I had to fly to Geneva at 8 o’clock Saturday morning. I flew back last night and travelled to Taunton today.”Although things did not work out for Australia in the World Cup, I really enjoyed the experience and have been loving my time in England. Today has built on that.”Gregory was the successful bowler at the start of the 19th over, which also saw him dismiss Weisse with the next ball after the batsmen had crossed, caught at deep mid-wicket, and clean bowl Delray Rawlins with the fourth delivery.Sussex lost two late batsmen to run outs by Somerset wicketkeeper Tom Banton but still added 15 to their total off the last over.Somerset were given an encouraging start by Banton and Babar, the pair taking the score to 49 after six overs.Both players quickly gauged the pace of the pitch. Banton swept Danny Briggs for a flat six over deep square in the seventh over and soon Babar cleared the ropes too with a big hit over long-on off the same bowler.At the halfway stage, Somerset were well placed at 85 without loss. But Mills stemmed the flow of runs by conceding only three from the 11th over.Banton hit six fours and a six on the way to his fifty, but the next delivery saw him caught at short fine-leg top-edging an attempted pull off Ollie Robinson.Babar then brought up his second Blast half-century in as many home games, having faced 32-balls and hit five fours and a six.Peter Trego smashed Rashid Khan for a maximum over mid-wicket, but with five overs left Somerset still required 67 and when Babar fell to Khan in the 18th over, the home side’s last chance had gone.

Jose Mourinho is set for an awkward reunion with Fred at Fenerbahce following their first encounter at Manchester United.

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Mourinho appointed Fenerbahce bossReunites with former United playerTold him his days were 'numbered'WHAT HAPPENED?

Mourinho, 61, will reunite with Fred at the Turkish club this summer after being confirmed as the new boss of Fenerbahce. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss was in charge at Old Trafford when the Brazilian was signed from Shakhtar and he reportedly told him his days were "numbered" at the club following a poor performance in the Champions League.

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United had high expectations when Fred was signed for £47 million ($59m), however he failed to live up to them. Reports have since emerged via the that Mourinho was against the signing from the beginning. Fred played just 12 times under the Portuguese manager before his exit from the club shortly after the midfielder arrived. He went on to play 213 games for the Red Devils across all competitions before joining Fenerbahce in 2023.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fred is a regular in the Fenerbahce starting line-up, after featuring 25 times for the Turkish giants in the 2023-24 Super Lig campaign. Mourinho might have to get used to Fred being around once again!

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?

Mourinho will now prepare for another pre-season back in management after leaving Roma back in January. Fenerbahce finished second in the top flight of Turkish football in 2023-24, three points off Galatasaray in first place.

After topping the wicket-taking charts in his debut year, Brown hopes hard work will help him stay a step ahead of his competition

Matt Roller17-Jul-2019It happened to Mark Haddon. After his first novel, sold more than two million copies, Haddon was the British author to watch. Remember his follow-up, Me neither.It happened to Michu, the Spanish striker who scored 18 league goals in 2012-13, his debut season for Swansea City; the following campaign brought just two.And it happened to the Kaiser Chiefs, the noughties rock band from Leeds, who followed up their debut album with an effort that Pitchfork described as an “extended dreary hangover from the drunken escapade of the first”.But Pat Brown is determined that it won’t happen to him. After a breakout year in the Vitality Blast last year, in which he came seemingly from nowhere to spearhead Worcestershire’s attack and lead them to a maiden title, the underlying symptoms of sophomore syndrome loom large.Other teams will no longer be taken by surprise. Analysts have prepared footage; coaches have prepared plans. How to deal with Brown is now the first bullet point on the dossier, not a rushed footnote added by hand.Not that any of that fazes him, of course. “At the end of the day if I nail my skills how I did last season and how I can then I’m still going to do alright,” Brown tells ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously I’m prepared maybe not to have as good a year since people are more prepared to face me, but if I stick to focusing on my skills, then I can let them do the talking.”It’s not so much a plan to stop it happening, it’s just a case of looking to keep improving, keep one step ahead of batters. I won’t worry too much about research being done.”After all, Brown’s success was hardly a surprise come the knockouts of a tournament that stretches out over several months. And yet, despite the preparation teams had done to counter his threat, he was the star of Finals Day. He returned 4 for 21 in the semi against Lancashire before Sussex played out his four overs for just 15.”You saw in the final, Sussex didn’t really try to hit me around too much – that was obviously good for my economy. I didn’t take any wickets in the final, but went at under four [an over]. If that happens, I’m just as happy not to take wickets but to try and control the run rate for the team.”Perhaps the most impressive feature of Brown’s season was that all his achievements – most wickets in the tournament, the second-most in an English T20 campaign – came about while he played through a serious injury.