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Also: bowling and batting before lunch, four lefty openers, and Pakistan-born Ashes players

Steven Lynch11-Aug-2015Has anyone other than Jim Laker bettered Stuart Broad’s bowling figures in the Ashes? asked Melanie Hodgson from England

The England offspinner Jim Laker famously took 19 for 90 in the match – 9 for 37 and 10 for 53 – for England against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. But the only other figures statistically better than Stuart Broad’s 8 for 15 in Nottingham the other day were even longer ago: in Melbourne in 1920-21, the Australian legspinner Arthur Mailey took 9 for 121 in England’s second innings. Broad’s remarkable performance was the 20th eight-for in Ashes cricket – England’s first since Bob Willis’ 8 for 43 in that famous match at Headingley in 1981 – but the other 19 all cost more. For the full list of the best Ashes bowling figures, click here.How often has the team that bowled first batted before lunch on the first day of a Test? asked David Charlton from England

England’s achievement in bowling Australia out before lunch on the first day in Nottingham, and having a bat themselves, has happened only three times previously in Test matches. At Lord’s in 1896, England bowled Australia out for 53, and started their own first innings before lunch. Wisden reported that “the Australians failed in a fashion that has seldom been seen on a dry, true pitch, being all got rid of in an hour and a quarter. The bowlers did wonders, but lack of nerve on the part of the Australians must have been largely answerable for such an astounding collapse”. The two more recent instances were both inflicted by South Africa. In Ahmedabad in 2007-08 they shot India out for 76 in 20 overs, Dale Steyn taking 5 for 23; then in Cape Town in 2012-13 South Africa mowed New Zealand down in 19.2 overs for 45, Vernon Philander grabbing 5 for 7 (and Steyn 2 for 18).Ian Bell was out for 1 at Nottingham, for the sixth time this year. Has anyone been out more often for 1? asked Paul Carlton from Australia

No one has been out more often this year for 1 in Tests, if that’s what you mean: after Bell’s six, next in 2015 is actually his team-mate Joe Root, with three dismissals for a single. Overall, Bell has now been out for 1 on 12 occasions in his Test career. Another current England player, James Anderson, leads the way here with 14, ahead of Harbhajan Singh on 13. Both Glenn McGrath and Javagal Srinath were also out a dozen times for 1. Bell is now the leading specialist batsman on this list, having eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar, one of four men with 11 (the others are Curtly Ambrose, Rod Marsh and Courtney Walsh).Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer made up one pair of left-handed openers in the Ashes in 2005 and 2006-07•Getty ImagesFawad Ahmed is in the Australian squad for this Ashes series, but hasn’t played a match yet. Is Usman Khawaja the only Pakistani-born cricketer to play in the Ashes? asked Danish Syed from Pakistan

Usman Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, has played four Tests against England so far: he made his debut in Sydney in 2010-11, and also appeared in three matches in the 2013 series in England. The only other Pakistan-born player to feature in the Ashes is another Usman – the Rawalpindi-born Usman Afzaal, who made his debut for England at Edgbaston in 2001, and played in two further matches in that series, which constituted his entire Test career. Owais Shah was also born in Pakistan (in Karachi): he appeared in six Tests for England, but none of them were against Australia.The four openers in the current Ashes series are all left-handers. When was the last time that this happened in the Ashes, or all Test cricket? asked Savo Ceprnich from South Africa

All four openers being left-handers had never happened in any Ashes series until 2005 – but it’s happened quite a bit since then. Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer opened in all five Tests in 2005, and Hayden, Langer, Strauss and Alastair Cook throughout the 2006-07 series. Cook, Strauss, Phillip Hughes and Simon Katich opened in the first two Tests of the 2009 Ashes (whereupon Hughes was dropped), while Cook, Michael Carberry, Chris Rogers and David Warner opened in all five Tests of 2013-14. So the 2015 series (Rogers, Warner, Cook and Adam Lyth) has really only continued that left-handed trend. It also happened in the Bangladesh-South Africa Tests that took place during this Ashes series. In all there have been 79 Tests now that featured four left-handed openers (some of them thanks to changes of batting order in the second innings), all but one of them since 1996. The only one before that was in Mumbai in 1961-62, when Peter Richardson opened with Geoff Pullar in England’s first innings, and Bob Barber in the second; Nari Contractor opened (with the right-handed ML Jaisimha) for India. The first one to feature just four left-handed openers was the third Test between Australia (Hayden and Langer) and Pakistan (Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar) in Sharjah in 2002-03.There were three centuries in the second ODI between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, but only 471 runs overall. Was this a record? asked Saurav Jain from India

That’s a good spot: there were three centuries – by Sikandar Raza, Martin Guptill and Tom Latham – but only 471 runs in that match in Harare on August 4. And no other one-day international containing three hundreds has had so few runs: the previous mark was 501 by Australia (250 for 3) and India (251 for 3) in Jaipur in 1986-87. Geoff Marsh (104) and David Boon (111) put on 212 for Australia’s first wicket in that game – an ODI record at the time – but they were trumped by Kris Srikkanth’s 102.

England captain not fussed about follow-on tactic gone wrong, says knee will be fine for Ashes in June

Andrew Miller28-Feb-2023Ben Stokes, England’s captain, insisted that his team’s pride at playing a part in one of the most gripping Test matches of all time outweighed their disappointment at the final result, after their run of six Test wins in a row came to an end with an incredible one-run loss against New Zealand in Wellington.A packed crowd at the Basin Reserve had been invited in for free by Cricket New Zealand in expectation of a gripping finale, and the two teams did not disappoint. In a thrillingly fluctuating final day, England lost four quick wickets in the first hour before settling into a seemingly match-turning sixth-wicket stand between Stokes himself and Joe Root, only for Neil Wagner’s short-ball approach to break the game open in a scintillating finale.”It’s right up there,” Stokes said. “Going down to the last day, being in the situation of that last half an hour … it’s everything you wish for. Even though we came out on the wrong side of it, you can’t help but feel blessed that we’ve managed to be a part of that incredible game.”It’s disappointing to not win, obviously. But we look at the bigger picture of what everyone’s enjoyed and seen here today. It’s probably bigger than the disappointment at the moment.”One of Stokes’ stated aims since taking over the England captaincy has been to max out on entertainment, and risk losing games in order to win them. That policy has paid handsome dividends over the past year, most especially in Pakistan before Christmas when England’s attacking instincts broke open the series, most memorably in the first Test at Rawalpindi.”That’s obviously a huge objective of ours,” he added. “I don’t want people to get mixed up, [because] that doesn’t mean that we’re not fussed if we don’t win or lose. Obviously, we always want to win. It’s very disappointing to lose, but you can’t help but be excited that we’ve been a part of a game like that.”Related

• Neil Wagner strikes gold to uphold New Zealand and England's unspoken promise

• From saviour to self-sacrificing leader, Stokes paves England's way to evolve as a collective

• Does Harry Brook have more runs than even Don Bradman in his first nine Test innings?

• New Zealand beat England in one-run thriller, make history by overcoming follow-on

• 'No better game in the world than Test cricket'

Besides being only the second one-run win in Test history, after West Indies’ victory over Australia at Adelaide in 1992-93, this was the fourth time that a side has won a Test match despite being asked to follow-on – and like the most recent occasion, the Kolkata Test in 2000-01, the turning point of the match was arguably Stokes’ decision to enforce the follow-on, after New Zealand had been bowled out for 210 on the third morning.The man himself, however, had no regrets about his call, even though New Zealand’s second innings of 483 – built around a doughty century from the Player of the Match Kane Williamson – meant that his bowlers spent more than 215 consecutive overs in the field.”Imagine captaining in hindsight?” he said. “That’s nothing that I would ever do.”It was always our game to lose once we enforced the follow-on,” he added. “But the logic behind it was that our opening bowlers have ripped through their top-order for three innings in a row. We knew that New Zealand had to pretty much play the perfect game to put us in a situation like this.”In England’s home summer, Stokes’ men had chased consecutive targets of 277, 299 and 296 against New Zealand, followed by a hefty 358 against India, and so despite their tough grind in the field, Stokes insisted that the target this time around, 258, had not left his team daunted.Winning after following on in Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Batting in the last innings, chasing 250 is something that we were never worried about,” he said. “But give huge credit to New Zealand, not only to the way that they played in the second innings, but also the way that they bowled and managed to get very early wickets with not too many runs on the board.”So in terms of looking back and making my decision around the follow-on, No, I don’t regret it. Other teams are allowed to play better than us and New Zealand have played better than us this week.”England’s next Test assignment is the one-off four-day Test against Ireland – starting June 1 – followed by the Ashes and while they are bound to head into the series with confidence after four wins in five this winter, one area of concern is Stokes’ own fitness. His troublesome left knee was causing him visible pain, both during a curtailed two-over spell in the second innings, and for long periods of his own second innings, a dogged 33 from 116 balls that ended with an off-balance pull against a Wagner short ball.Before the series begins in June, Stokes is due to play a season of IPL with Chennai Super Kings – which he may leave early to prep for the Ashes – but he said he had no plans to withdraw at this stage, instead hoping that the less intense workload of T20 cricket would give him more time to get it right off the field.Ben Stokes batted within himself while managing a knee issue•Getty Images

“I’m not sure exactly,” he said, when asked how his knee was feeling. “There’s maybe three or four months before we get to the Ashes and we’ve worked incredibly hard with our physios and medics to get everything right strength-wise.”But it’s been very difficult out here, especially once the Tests have started, because the games came thick and fast. But it’s a good opportunity out in India to get myself into a position that I feel like I don’t have to worry about my knee anymore.”I’m not going to lie. It is very frustrating knowing that I’ve got something holding me back in terms of my body. It’s been around for a while. It is frustrating, but we’re doing everything we possibly can to allow me to fulfil that fourth-seamer role, like I was able to do two or three years ago. Hopefully, come the Ashes, I don’t have to worry about it.”

Stats highlights from the first day of the Investec Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s

Bishen Jeswant21-May-2015100 This is the 100th Test between England and New Zealand. There are six pairs of nations that have been involved in 100-plus Tests, and England are part of five of those. England have played 336 Tests against Australia, 151 against West Indies, 141 against South Africa, 112 against India and now 100 against New Zealand. The only teams to play more than 100 Tests among them are West Indies and Australia (111).7 Number of left-hand batsmen in England line-up in this Test. This is only the second instance of England fielding seven or more left-handed batsmen in a Test match. The only other instance was against Australia in Sydney in 2014, when England had eight left-handed batsmen. However, there have been 18 instances of England fielding six or more left-handed batsmen; all of them have come after 2008.1 Number of times in Tests that Nos. 5 and 6 have been dismissed in the 90s in the same innings – it happened today. Joe Root was dismissed on 98 while Ben Stokes got to 92 before being bowled by Mark Craig. Interestingly, the closest instance of this happening was also at Lord’s, when Marlon Samuels and Shiv Chanderpaul were dismissed for 86 and 91 respectively against England in 2012.0 Runs scored by Stokes in home Test matches prior to this Test. He has previously played two Tests in England, both against India, and scored three ducks from as many innings.161 The fifth-wicket partnership between Root and Stokes, the second-highest for England in all Tests when the first four wickets have fallen for less than 50 runs – Root and Stokes came together when the score was 30 for 4. The highest such partnership for England also came against New Zealand – Tony Grieg and Dennis Amiss posted 210 runs at Trent Bridge (1973) after coming together at 24 for 4.63 Jos Buttler’s batting average, the highest in Test history for any wicketkeeper who has scored at least 300 runs. Even among non-keepers, only five batsmen have a higher average than Buttler.7 Number of times in the last 50 years that a New Zealand fast bowler has taken three or more wickets in an innings when debuting in an away Test – Matt Henry has taken three wickets so far in the first innings. The first two instances of a New Zealand pacer taking three or wickets in an innings when debuting in an away Test were also at Lord’s – Ian Cromb and Jack Cowie in 1931 and 1937 respectively.

The Philadelphia Union II star kicked off his 2025 campaign in style with spectacular goal in their home opener

• Sullivan scored Union II's first goal of the 2025 season
• The 15-year-old continues to impress
• Union II secured a shootout victory after a 1-1 draw

• WHAT HAPPENED

  Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union II's 15-year-old prodigy, opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a stunning left-footed free kick, marking Union II's first goal of the 2025 season. The goal came in Union II's Matchweek 2 contest Monday night against New York Red Bulls II at Subaru Park.

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  WHAT SULLIVAN SAID

  “Obviously it was a a pretty fast start for me, a nice free kick goal," Sullivan said after the match. "I was happy to do that. Obviously it’s not awesome losing a point at home. We’re happy obviously to win penalties, but it would have been nice to get all three.

  "We know what we did wrong, obviously late in the game we had a a few missed opportunities and then some sloppy things on the defensive end, so we know what to fix up and and what to change for these next couple of weeks."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Philadelphia Union II's home opener against New York Red Bulls II ended in a 1-1 draw, with Union II winning the subsequent shootout. After Sullivan opened the scoring, Red Bulls II equalized later in the match after Union II’s Gavin Wetzel was sent off, forcing a shootout.

  Despite challenging weather conditions, Union II displayed resilience to secure the shootout victory.

• Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Philadelphia Union II face Huntsville City on March 29 in an away fixture before returning home at Subaru Park to host Atlanta United 2 on April 11.

With 15 minutes remaining, it looked as though Aston Villa were heading for their fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions.

Ross Barkley saved the day, however, scoring the equaliser against Crystal Palace with just 13 minutes left and this could be the catalyst for the club to put this poor run of form behind them and look forward.

Unai Emery won’t be panicking just yet, but his team need to return to the sort of form which saw them defeat Bayern Munich just a couple of months ago.

Aston Villa’s best and worst performers against Palace

Ollie Watkins looked lively leading the line, scoring Villa’s first goal while also registering five shots in total during the clash.

On the left wing, John McGinn was also impressive, making three key passes, having an 88% pass success rate and creating two big chances before being subbed off for Jhon Duran, who failed to really make much of an impact.

On the opposite flank, Leon Bailey continued his lacklustre form as he failed to deliver a single accurate cross from four attempts, failed with all of his four dribble attempts and lost possession a staggering 18 times during his 82 minutes on the pitch.

It was Diego Carlos who also delivered yet another poor performance for the club and Emery should be looking to drop him to the bench for their next game, no doubt about that.

Diego Carlos’ game in numbers vs Crystal Palace

The Brazilian had started eight games this term prior to the visit of Palace, but Villa conceded nine goals in those matches.

Against the Eagles, Carlos may have looked bright on the ball, completing 90% of his passes while taking 102 touches of the ball throughout the clash. That said, he was susceptible during his one-on-one battles with opposition players.

Indeed, the 31-year-old won just two of the four duels he contested, while the centre-back also managed to lose possession ten times and made zero tackles.

It is no wonder the club conceded twice and Emery was clearly missing the presence of Ezri Konsa, or even Tyrone Mings, against Oliver Glasner’s men.

Journalist John Townley gave the defender a match rating of just 5/10 for his display on Saturday afternoon, not holding back with his criticism of the player, saying ‘Carlos let Mateta wander in the middle of the pitch to collect the ball and play Sarr through on goal. He was booked for fouling Mateta on the hour mark. Villa lack leadership at the back when Ezri Konsa isn’t on the pitch’

With a clash against Juventus coming up in midweek, Emery must get his defence sorted out, otherwise it could be a long evening against the Serie A side.

Chalkboard

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

His first change should be dropping Carlos for someone who is more competent at the heart of the defence and this is an area which the manager must strengthen when the January transfer window opens in a few weeks.

If not, the Midlands side will struggle to crack the top four of the Premier League for the second year in a row. That’s a certainty.

Next Grealish: Aston Villa have found another £100m+ star in the making

He could be Villa’s biggest sale since Grealish

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 22, 2024

Only two overs were bowled before the heavens opened

Srinidhi Ramanujam28-Jan-2023Match Abandoned The T20I tri-series match between South Africa and India was washed out, two overs into the game, due to persistent rain in East London. Both teams share a point each. While it dampens their preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup next month, the washout is inconsequential to the tri-series as India and South Africa had sealed a place in the final.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat. In a big boost, the visitors had seam-bowling allrounder Pooja Vastrakar replacing Amanjot Kaur. This was Vastrakar’s first outing for India since September but rain played spoilsport.India opened with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, who got off the mark with a four over cover, before making way for the covers. The rain never stopped and the match was called off eventually.For South Africa, senior pace bowler Shabnim Ismail returned after missing out on the first three games of the series. Replacing Masabata Klaas, Ismail started off with a maiden over.They had also faced each other in the opening match of the series, where India won by 27 runs.India are unbeaten in the series, with West Indies – the third team – already eliminated with a game left.

Is cricket all about records and glory or is it about the dream of being given a chance to be the best one can be?

Ninad Sakhadev15-May-2015Cricket is about big runs. Cricket is about records. Cricket is about glory. Cricket is about becoming Sachin Tendulkar.Everyday there is a kid in India who picks up a cricket bat or a ball in the quest to become the best cricketer on the planet. Everyday there is a star born in dusty lanes, crowded grounds and in unfavourable conditions.Everyday there is someone falling out of love with the game simply because the game isn’t loving back. Everyday there is someone heartbroken because cricket is not enough to make ends meet. Everyday someone is giving up cricket knowing fully well that their time may never come.Cricket can throw up a lot of inspiring stories but there also exists another side to cricket that is depressing, demoralising and maybe even devastating. For every inspirational story, there are hundreds of others that make you think twice about taking up the game.And so for all the Rohit Sharmas, Virat Kohlis and Suresh Rainas, Indian cricket needed a Pravin Tambe.Rajasthan Royals have had their fair share of legal trouble. For all that, they still represent a platform – a chance for a number of fringe players to showcase their talent and as in the case of Tambe, a last chance to make a name in cricket. It is the place you want to be as an aspiring cricketer. It is a place where opportunity is given to someone considered worthy of it. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that Royals handed a cap to a 41-year-old who hadn’t played a first-class match.Bowling legspin is an art and a legspinner is an artist. This form of art is defined by the grip of your fingers, the flexibility of your wrists and the limits of your imagination. You can be made to look stupid if you get your line or length fractionally wrong, even though you have not been bad. Like all artists, Tambe too was just waiting for a stage to perform in front of a big audience and be recognised for it. Age is just a number. Age is whatever you think it is. Life begins at 40. I had heard it all before and now I saw what it meant.He doesn’t have the advantage of bounce or trajectory that Anil Kumble or Shane Warne enjoyed but a low bending action means he always gives the ball a lot of air. His action, which must have been refined over years of playing club cricket, easily allows him to bowl faster if he needs to without compromising line or length. Smaller grounds and unhelpful pitches in club cricket have also helped him develop the attitude of a legspinner: giving each ball more flight, especially when batsmen are attempting big shots.His golden period was most definitely the Champions League T20 in 2013. He got plenty of wickets without going for many runs. He flummoxed batsmen with flight, spin and cunning variations. Some of the overseas batsmen had no answer. The big question was always how would he fare against the big hitters and international superstars in the IPL. In IPL 2014, he proved that he was good enough there too. He had plenty of variations to make the batsmen unsure of his next delivery. He had the presence of mind to read batsmen’s movements and change his deliveries accordingly. He even got a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders. He broke the back of the cruising Knight Riders with the wickets of quality top-order batsmen. I have never seen Gautam Gambhir more upset than that day.This year he has been bowling as beautifully and skillfully as ever. The way he dismissed Brendon McCullum was particularly heart-warming. In the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, McCullum had smashed a morale-destroying century. It took Tambe two balls to get him out. The first one was flighted. McCullum mishit it but the ball fell short of the fielder. The next one, just a tad fuller and a tad faster, was simply too quick for him to go back and pull. He holed out at mid-on. When a bowler gets a batsman like this, you know he has defeated him in his own game. You know he has played with his ego and has got the better of him.However, this year he hasn’t been as successful as 2014. He has been taken for runs on a few occasions. In a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli got stuck into him. It was just too much for Tambe. You feared this all along. You knew this was coming. But like all good dreams, you wished that it lasted just a little bit longer, that you see the flight and dip once more, that you see the man weave a web of spin one more time.This might be his last IPL. At his age there are no guarantees. And if he is done, we can all cherish a run that may not have shattered records but won many hearts with effort, passion and dedication.Perhaps cricket is about effort and not runs. Perhaps cricket is about passion and not records. Perhaps cricket is about love and not glory. Perhaps cricket is about becoming the best cricketer you can be and not about becoming Sachin Tendulkar.

Preparing for Ruben Amorim’s arrival, INEOS have reportedly set their sights on a new Manchester United target who has earned comparisons to Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler.

Man Utd transfer news

It would be an understatement to suggest that Amorim has a hefty task on his hands at Old Trafford. Several managers have tried and all have failed to awaken a sleeping giant, from Jose Mourinho all the way to Erik ten Hag. This time, as the first coach to arrive with a new sporting director in place in the form of Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils will be desperate to see their latest choice finally succeed.

Saved by Amad: Ruud must instantly axe 4/10 Man Utd star after PAOK

Manchester United secured their first win of the Europa League last night.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 8, 2024

The former Sporting boss is due to arrive on November 11 to take charge of a side that he will hope is fresh from a four-game unbeaten run since Ten Hag’s dismissal, with Leicester City up next for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. If the Dutchman defeats the Foxes for the second time in his short spell then he should consider his four-game tenure quite the success.

United’s recent turnaround doesn’t end the need for reinforcements, however, and those at Old Trafford seem to be well aware of that. According to reports in Spain, INEOS have now set their sights on Yunus Akgun, who has been compared to Turkey teammate and Real Madrid star Arda Guler.

The 24-year-old winger has reportedly emerged to become Manchester United’s latest target for Amorim after scoring six goals and assisting one other in 15 games for Galatasaray this season. On the scoresheet against United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a recent 3-2 victory, Akgun is one to watch.

"Wonderful" Akgun would replace Antony

One of the first problem positions that Amorim must deal with is right-wing. Jadon Sancho tried and failed to star in that role to leave Manchester United spending big once again. Like Sancho, however, splashing the cash on Antony only added to the issue that the Red Devils must now solve once and for all, which could see Akgun arrive.

The 24-year-old is finally bursting into life at Galatasaray and living up to the praise that Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig sent his way in 2022, describing Akgun’s season as “wonderful” at the time.

Following Antony’s failure, Manchester United must spend wisely and Akgun represents an interesting option who has shown plenty of signs that he could be the man to finally solve their problem on the right-hand side.

AC Milan and Inter have submitted a proposal to acquire San Siro and surrounding areas, aiming to complete the process by July 2025.

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• Milan and Inter submit proposal to acquire San Siro
• Process expected to finish by July 2025
• Milan clubs planning to create new stadium

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, AC Milan and Inter have officially submitted a proposal to the Municipality of Milan to acquire full power over the San Siro Stadium and its surrounding areas. San Siro, as we know, could cease to exist, with the two Milan clubs planning to build a new stadium adjacent to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The acquisition process is expected to be completed by July 2025.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Milan and Inter were expected to submit their economic plans last week for a new stadium in San Siro, with Milan Mayor Beppe Sala confirming the move. If approved, reconstruction is slated to begin in 2027, with completion being targeted for 2030. The Italian Tax Office recently valued the stadium and its surrounding area at approximately €200 million. Per reports, the new stadium will have a capacity of around 71,500 seats, including 13,000 dedicated to corporate and hospitality areas, and will require an investment exceeding €1 billion. It will be built in the area currently used as parking lots behind the Stadio Meazza’s west stand.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Inter released an official announcement, confirming that the acquisition proposal had been submitted to the city council.

  The statement read: “FC Internazionale Milano and AC Milan have today submitted the DOCFAP (Documento di Fattibilita delle Alternative Progettual) to the Municipality of Milan. The document contains the proposal for the acquisition of the Giuseppe Meazza stadium and surrounding areas, along with a feasibility plan for constructing a state-of-the-art stadium. The plan is integrated into a broader urban regeneration project that emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and accessibility. The proposal, developed by top professionals and industry experts, reflects the strategic vision of the two Clubs’ ownerships and lays the groundwork for the creation of a landmark project that will serve as an international benchmark and bring significant benefits to the city of Milano and its residents. Over the next few months, the two Clubs will engage with the Municipal Administration to discuss and refine the details and distinctive elements of the proposal, aiming to complete the acquisition process by July 2025. The final concept and executive project may eventually be presented at a later stage and are not part of today’s submission."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN AND INTER?

  Inter booked a berth in the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Feyenoord 4-1 on aggregate. They will take on third-placed Atalanta on Sunday, March 16, with an aim to continue their run at the top of the Serie A table. Meanwhile, AC Milan will host Como on Saturday, March 15. The Rossoneri are currently ninth on the league table.

Trio will interview the candidates in line for a place in the new selection panel for men’s cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2022The BCCI has set up a Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising former India players Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik to interview the candidates in line for a place in the new selection panel for men’s cricket.The old one remains in place but only as a temporary measure. All of its members were effectively sacked by the BCCI in the aftermath of India’s T20 World Cup exit. However, it is learnt that the chief Chetan Sharma has once again put his name up for consideration.Related

• Lots of contenders but little opportunity as India ring in the changes

• Monga: An Indian selector has a crucial role, but few want to do it

• Mongia, Maninder, Ratra, Das apply for India selector post

• BCCI sacks senior men's selection committee

The CAC was last in action to appoint Rahul Dravid as the India head coach a year ago. Madan Lal (chief), Naik and RP Singh had been appointed in that CAC in January 2020 for an initial one year term. Their work began with the appointment of a selection committee as well. But Lal turned 70 last year and had to leave his position because as per the BCCI constitution those over 70 cannot be part of any committee. RP Singh then left the committee because he joined the Mumbai Indians set-up as a talent scout.Malhotra, who will turn 66 in January, was the president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association until October 2022 and was succeeded by Aunshuman Gaekwad. Malhotra, a former middle-order batter, played seven Tests and 20 ODIs from 1982 to 1986 and had coached the Bengal team in domestic cricket from 2013 to 2015.Paranjape, 50, played four ODIs for India in 1998 and was himself in the selection panel which he now has to pick, until early 2017.Naik, 44, was a wicketkeeper-batter who played two Tests, 46 ODIs, and 31 T20Is from 2002 to 2013.The first CAC was appointed in 2015 and had three high-profile names in Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. They were to be consulted on all major decisions in Indian cricket, such as appointing the head coach and team director. In 2019, they were all served notices for alleged conflict of interest for for serving as IPL franchises’ support staff members as well as being on the CAC.Once they quit, Kapil Dev became the next high-profile name to take over the CAC, along with Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy. But those three also stepped down after being served notices for alleged conflict of interest by the BCCI ethics officer.