عقد هاني أبوريدة، رئيس مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة المصري، جلسة مع اللجنة الفنية للجبلاية خلال الفترة الأخيرة لمناقشة ملف التزوير في قطاعات الناشئين.
وعلم “بطولات” بأن هاني أبو ريدة عقد جلسة مع اللجنة الفنية، وكان الحديث فقط عن ملف التزوير في الكرة المصرية حيث طلب وضع خطوات يتم السير عليها للقضاء على التزوير في قطاعات الكرة المصرية.
طالع.. خاص | سبب غياب هاني أبو ريدة عن حضور حفل الإعلان عن استاد الأهلي
وشدد أبو ريدة على ضرورة العمل على هذا الملف والذي بلغ أشده مع منتخبات 2007 و2008 و2009 بعدما تم اكتشاف أكثر من 60 لاعباً مزورين لأعمارهم.
وتضم اللجنة الفنية كلًا من “حسن شحاتة، محسن صالح، علي أبو جريشة، حلمي طولان، حسن فريد، محمد عمر، أحمد حسن، عبد الظاهر السقا”.
وتعمل اللجنة على العديد من الملفات الفنية، والرؤى المتعلقة بتأهيل مدربي منتخبات مصر خلال المرحلة المقبلة.
Also: was Travis Head’s 154 not out the highest score by an Australian in an ODI in England?
Steven Lynch24-Sep-2024Was Travis Head’s 154 not out the highest score by an Australian in an ODI in England? asked Michael Carpenter from Australia That superb innings from Travis Head in the first one-day international at Trent Bridge last week was the highest ODI score by an Australian against England in England, beating Shane Watson’s 143 in Southampton in 2013.But there has been one higher score for Australia in all ODIs in England: David Warner hammered 166 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge during the 2019 World Cup. The only score higher than Head’s for Australia against England in any ODI is 161 not out, by Watson again, in Melbourne in 2011.Marnus Labuschagne had a remarkable all-round game in the first ODI against England – a fifty, three wickets and four catches. Has anyone done this before? asked Kevin Wilson from Scotland Marnus Labuschagne saw Australia to victory at Trent Bridge with 77 not out, having earlier taken three wickets and four catches in England’s innings.Two others have added a half-century to three wickets and three catches in the same ODI: Australia’s Greg Matthews, against New Zealand in Auckland in 1986, and Jacques Kallis of South Africa, against West Indies in Centurion in 1999.It’s been achieved in women’s ODIs only by Suzie Bates, for New Zealand against England in Taunton in 2007.Marnus Labuschagne is the only player to score a half-century, take three wickets and four catches in an ODI•AFPIn a recent CPL match, Roshon Primus bowled an over that lasted 13 balls. Was that a T20 record? asked Chris Dowden from Grenada The ESPNcricinfo database only has ball-by-ball details for about 63% of all T20 matches, but we have unearthed two cases of overs lasting 14 deliveries: by Bhutan’s Thinley Jamtsho against Maldives in Kirtipur (Nepal) in 2019 – the first over of the innings, it contained eight wides – and by Mongolia’s captain Luwsanzundui Erdenebulgan against Japan in Sano (Japan) in 2024. The first over of the match included six wides and two no-balls – and a wicket. In all, Mongolia sent down 21 wides and three no-balls, and were later dismissed for 12.The recent 13-ball over by Roshon Primus came in his only over for Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in their CPL match against Barbados Royals in Bridgetown last week. It was the 12th over of the innings and cost 23: there were four wides and three no-balls – and a wicket, when Quinton de Kock gloved a catch behind.The only other 13-ball over we can find was by Tangeni Lungameni for Namibia v Kenya in East London in 2018. It was his first over, and included seven wides – but he recovered well, sending down no more wides and finishing with 1 for 28 in his four overs.Ravichandran Ashwin has now scored six Test centuries, all from No. 8 or lower, I believe. Is this a record? asked Kiran Mehta from India Although R Ashwin does now have six Test centuries, following his match-turning effort in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai last week, only four of them came from No. 8 – he scored two while up at No. 6: 113 in Antigua and 118 in St Lucia during India’s series in the West Indies in 2016.Ashwin has scored four centuries from No. 8, which puts him level with Daniel Vettori of New Zealand, and one ahead of the Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal. Vettori scored his first hundred from No. 9. He leads the way with five Test centuries from No. 8 or lower in the order.Was Keacy Carty the first Test cricketer to emerge from Sint Maarten? asked Darrell Walcott from Barbados The small Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Netherlands, is probably best known for its scary airport, whose runway adjoins the beach, meaning that incoming planes appear to be worryingly close to the sea before skimming over anxious holidaymakers. But you’re right, it does now have another claim to fame: batter Keacy Carty, who was born there in 1997, made his Test debut against South Africa in Port-of-Spain in August. In the second innings he batted briefly with Mikyle Louis, the first West Indian Test cricketer from the island of St Kitts.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
Unbeaten 205-run stand turns the tables as champions endure frustrating day in the field
Andrew Miller10-Apr-2021Worcestershire 350 for 6 (Libby 141*, Barnard 116*, Wessels 54, Cook 4-77) trail Essex 490 for 9 dec by 140 runsThere’s been a fetching pink beanie sitting on the wall by the traffic lights on New Writtle Street for three days now. It’s nearly new, to judge by its lack of contours, although perhaps a touch too Middlesexy in hue for these parts. But much like Jake Libby and Ed Barnard throughout their indomitable seventh-wicket stand of 205, it seems to have hit upon an unlikely strip of Chelmsford real estate, and decided that – come wind, rain or shine – there’s nowhere else that it would rather be.The beanie was still there at the close – of course it was. More improbably, so too were Worcestershire’s incumbents, as they warmed to their task on the coldest, gloomiest day of the season so far, to turn a position of pre-ordained defeat into one from which Sunday’s probable stalemate will feel like a hugely significant victory. A punch of the gloves as the pair strode off at the close underlined the extent to which they had changed the narrative of this contest, and that there’s only one team left that’s likely to derive any enjoyment from its denouement.For Libby, of course, this was business as usual. Of all the batsmen in last year’s Bob Willis Trophy, only Sir Alastair Cook managed more than his haul of 498 runs at 55.33, and Cook only vaulted that tally with his commanding century in the final. But in battling his way to the close on 141 not out from 369 balls, Libby reaffirmed his credentials by putting Cook himself – for much of his innings a chilly onlooker from the slip cordon – through the sort of ordeal that all the best openers should aspire to inflict on their opponents.Barnard, by contrast, came with rather less warning of what was in store. Despite his youthful promise – not least as a white-ball allrounder – a previous best first-class score of 75, and a grand total of four centuries in any representative format (most recently a Birmingham Premier League knock for Shrewsbury in 2017) did not exactly scream of the sort of durability that Worcestershire were crying out for, especially when he arrived at the crease at a listless 145 for 6.Worcestershire were still almost 200 runs shy of saving the follow-on at that moment, and if Libby’s dour half-century was providing a steadfast imitation of Tom Westley’s first-day efforts, no-one other than the been-and-gone Riki Wessels had shown any intention of doing likewise. Wessels had thumped and ground his way to a punchy 54 in a fifth-wicket stand of 89 to hint that resistance wasn’t futile after all. But it was surely going to have to be the second innings, with the threat of imminent defeat to focus the minds, where Worcestershire made their stand.But this was not to be the day that Essex’s frustrated champions had in mind. Not after their surging finish to the second day’s play, when Sam Cook’s biting seam movement had shredded the top of Worcestershire’s reply; not after Cook’s fourth-ball breakthrough on the most bitter, wintery morning of the match had taken his personal tally to four wickets in the space of 12 balls. And certainly not in the first over after lunch, when Ben Cox dropped to one knee for a wild sweep that gifted Simon Harmer the first of what, presumably, will be another bucketload of first-class wickets this season, and brought the diffident Barnard out to join his senior partner.Jake Libby is congratulated by Ed Barnard after bringing up his century•Andrew Miller
But if there was one clear difference between the approaches of Essex and Worcestershire in their two innings, it was in the willingness of the latter to go from their strokes – the life lessons, no doubt, of 157.4 overs of hard yakka across the first two days. For all of Worcestershire’s seamers – not least Barnard himself, whose 3 for 67 looks even better in hindsight – there had been a distinct lack of April zip off the deck, and what few edges they had found had been falling consistently short of the cordon.So Barnard himself chose the pro-active route, trusting himself to aim through the covers with relative impunity. Sure enough, it wasn’t until late in the afternoon session that Essex chose to plug a third man through which more than 50 runs had whistled in the course of the innings, with not a single catchable opportunity among them, beyond Adam Wheater’s second-ball drop of Daryl Mitchell right at the top of the innings.Essex are not used to being made to toil for their wickets on home soil – in three home fixtures in last season’s Bob Willis Trophy, only one team, Kent, managed to post more than 200 in any of their six innings, and even they were rolled aside for 112 second-time around. And their frustrations were epitomised when Sam Cook, in his penultimate over of the day, attempted a shy at Barnard’s stumps in his followthrough, but shanked his throw so badly that it almost took out Alastair Cook’s shins at slip before streaking to the boundary.Related
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Both men brought up their centuries in near-identical fashions – a pair of flicks off the pads on 98, and a pair of urgent scampers back for the second run that brought a pair of throaty roars from the visiting dressing rooms. Barnard in particular bore a look of wonder in his eyes as he contemplated his achievement. It was, he admitted afterwards, “a monkey off his back” to broach three figures given his obvious talent, and his stated ambition, given his current age of 24, to become a genuine allrounder at 5 or 6 in the order.”When there is someone at the other end who is confident it makes it easier,” he added. “It gives you the calmness and the confidence you can do it as well. It was a case of batting as long as we can and trying to save the game. We saw it was a good pitch and knew it could be done, so we just had to get a head start and get on with it.”For Essex, this likely failure to record their habitual home victory is far from panic stations despite the rejigged format for this season – especially given the ECB’s decision to up the points from five to eight for a draw. But, for all of the resolve shown by Libby and Barnard, the lack of life in the surface is already a concern given the truncated group stage.”We knew leading up to the season that the ground was particularly dry for this time of year,” admitted Anthony McGrath, the head coach.”Firstly, credit to Worcestershire. The partnership between Libby and Bernard was really good. They batted well. But there hasn’t been a lot in the wicket all game. We needed to make in-roads with the new ball, which we managed last night, but as we’ve seen through the three days that if someone has got through that then it is a pretty benign pitch.”People talk about us not scoring enough runs at home but in this match we have scored a lot of runs but haven’t taken the wickets. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”There is still a day left so I wouldn’t be going anywhere yet. As we have seen over the last couple of years anything can happen here. We still have a healthy lead and if we can go bang-bang in the morning then we will be trying to push the game forward.”
Liverpool are now reportedly ready to spend over £100m to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh in an attempt to solve one of Arne Slot’s glaring problems.
Winless in four Premier League games, Liverpool’s title defence has turned into an unexpected nightmare. Slot’s side have looked out on their feet even when clawing victories at the start of the campaign. For the first time in the Dutchman’s time at Anfield, he is under increasing pressure.
Defeat at Brentford was particularly damning. The Red were bullied in West London and a squad built on a £400m+ spending spree were silenced by some old faces in a stark reminder that money doesn’t always equal success.
Alas, what should concern those at Anfield the most is Slot’s recent admission that he’s yet to find a solution to the physical style that sides are implementing against Liverpool. In the era of Premier League football, the champions have simply been unable to compete, with Arsenal epitomising the change taking place in England’s top flight.
Former Anfield star Jamie Carragher recently echoed those struggles, saying: “Losing four games in a row for Brentford would be a disaster. To see the champions do it with the expenditure in the summer means we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now.
“There will be a lot of serious questions asked in the dressing room between the players and the coaching staff and the people above the manager. When they’ve looked at what they’ve spent, they’ll be looking for a lot more.”
The solution may not even come internally for Liverpool either, who are ready to break the bank for Minteh in an attempt to at least fix one problem.
Why Liverpool are ready to break the bank for Minteh
According to FootAfrica, Liverpool are now ready to spend over £100m to sign Minteh from Brighton in 2026. The winger has enjoyed an impressive season so far and with the Reds looking to inject the directness that they lost when selling Luis Diaz in the summer, he has emerged as an ideal option.
Minutes
770
680
803
Goals
1
5
3
Assists
2
4
2
Successful take-ons
23
36
2
Although the goals are yet to come for Minteh, his take-on success is something to take note of when compared to Salah. The Egyptian, in one of his worst starts to a Liverpool season, has completed just two take-ons. Minteh, meanwhile, is already on 23 and still isn’t close to Diaz’s 36 for Bayern Munich.
Simply put, the Reds have not replaced Diaz’s direct ability with the ball which progresses play and maintains possession. Take that away and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ability to progress play with his passing range and Liverpool’s struggles begin to make sense.
The new Thiago: Liverpool "superstar" is becoming a "huge disappointment"
This Liverpool mainstay has flattered to deceive this season.
1 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 29, 2025
Described as “exciting” by scout Jacek Kulig, Minteh represents the type of player that Michael Edwards built his reputation on signing and should do so once again in 2026.
da prosport bet： Tottenham have reportedly entered pole position to sign a “big striker” for manager Thomas Frank in January, coming amid reports that the unfit Dominic Solanke now faces an uncertain future at the club.
Thomas Frank unimpressed by Dominic Solanke at Tottenham
da bet7： Spurs’ club-record signing has played just 49 minutes in all competitions so far this campaign, with a niggling ankle problem keeping him out of action since their 2-0 win at Man City in August.
His ankle issue required minor surgery and Frank has confirmed that the England striker could soon return to the field, having made decent progress in his recovery, but we can still only estimate when he will be fit and available for selection once again.
Tottenham absentee list to face Newcastle
Problem
Estimated return date
Dejan Kulusevski
Knee
22/11/2025
James Maddison
ACL
01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin
Knee
22/11/2025
Ben Davies
Thigh
23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma
Ankle/Foot
08/11/2025
Cristian Romero
Groin
01/11/2025
Destiny Udogie
Knee
08/11/2025
Dominic Solanke
Ankle
08/11/2025
via Premier Injuries
Fitness issues have been commonplace at Spurs since Solanke made the £65 million move from Bournemouth last year, and he hasn’t had a chance to showcase his worth to Frank just yet.
The 28-year-old finished 24/25 as Tottenham’s second-top goalscorer behind Brennan Johnson with 16 goals in all competitions, but a combination of knee, thigh and ankle problems limited his availability.
Interestingly, according to a report from Football Insider this week, Frank has already seen enough.
It is believed that Frank has been left unimpressed by Solanke and a January exit could be on the cards for him, as Tottenham’s manager decides that he wants a new striker to come in.
In the build up to the next transfer window, reports have suggested that Tottenham could bring Ivan Toney back to the Premier League on loan from Al-Ahli, with Frank’s ex-star at Brentford looking to battle his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Some media sources claim that Frank has personally contacted Toney about a temporary move to Spurs, but there are other options.
With his contract expiring in 2026, Spurs have also been touted as suitors for Juventus star Dušan Vlahović.
Tottenham "leading the race" to sign Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović
According to reliable Bundesliga journalist and Bayern Munich expert Christian Falk, there’s been an update, and one which suits the north Londoners down to the ground.
While Bayern were continuously linked, it is actually Tottenham who are “leading the race” to sign Vlahovic, as Falk tells Bayern Insider that Vincent Kompany’s side have now backed off.
The 25-year-old, who reportedly earns a whopping £375,000-per-week in Turin, has managed to score at least 14 goals per season since his magnificent breakout campaign at Fiorentina in 2020/2021.
Vlahovic can be a big-game player as well, with strikes coming in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund and Man City over the last two seasons, as well as in crucial Serie A matches against the likes of Inter Milan.
On a free transfer or for a cut-price in January, Vlahovic could be a real coup, but he’ll almost certainly have to take a massive pay cut.
DETROIT — One game. One pitcher. One legacy. As if using a geodetic coordinate system, the American League division series between the Tigers and Mariners has arrived at a pinpoint of a place. Game 5 Friday in Seattle is about Tarik Skubal.
The Tigers ace has made his case over the past two and a half years that he is the best pitcher on the planet. Great. But it’s not enough.
Now, for the second time in 363 days, he will have the ball in his hands in a winner-take-all game. The last time was a bust.
Given a 1–0 lead in the fifth inning against Cleveland in Game 5 of the 2024 ALDS, Skubal coughed up the game in a horrific six-batter sequence: single, strikeout, single, single, hit by pitch, grand slam. Five runs. Lead and game gone in 18 pitches. Drive home safely.
His teammates rustled up a mulligan for him with a syzygy of a rally in ALDS Game 4 against the Mariners Wednesday. Just when the Tigers appeared dead, looking at a 3–0 deficit and staring at the last 15 outs of their season, they came together as weirdly and powerfully as an alignment of celestial bodies. Out of nowhere, they ran off nine unanswered runs to win, 9–3.
Skubal could join sudden death legends
Game 5 is a career-defining game for Skubal, given his loss last season and that his team is 0–3 this year when he faces Seattle. It’s no longer about “pitching well” or “keeping my team in the game.” It’s about going all Jack Morris on Seattle. On the night Morris’s Twins won Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Morris, the Game 7 starter, walked into the interview room and announced, “In the immortal words of the late, great Marvin Gaye, let’s get it on!” The following night, Morris put the team on his back, throwing 10 shutout innings while refusing to come out of the game.
It was an all-time double elimination pitching performance by a future Hall of Famer. In more recent years, pitching greats who have risen to greater heights in sudden death games include Justin Verlander (2012 and '13 ALDS), Madison Bumgarner ('14 NLWC and World Series, '16 NLWC) and Gerrit Cole ('19 ALDS). This is Skubal’s moment.
Skubal has allowed eight runs in 33 2/3 postseason innings for a sparkling 2.14 ERA—but he allowed five of those runs in the game that sent the Tigers home last year. / David Richard-Imagn Images
Skubal played the preamble to his statement game much differently than did Morris. He walked into the interview room after Game 4 and swatted away a question about personal redemption as if it were an annoying fly.
“I'll let you guys create the narrative,” Skubal said. “I'm just going to do what I do best, and that's play baseball and create pitches. The game is still the game. I'll let you guys write the stories and do your jobs, but you're not going to get anything from me.”
Every game, he said, presents him with an opportunity to compete at his best, no more in Game 5 than it did in the Mariners’ 3–2 win against him in Game 2.
“But the game stays the game, and that’s kind of what you’re going to hear me reiterate,” he said, “[that] is I just need to be focused on pitch by pitch and execute the game plan that we will create. So that’s all I’ve got for you.”
Skubal’s Seattle ties deepen stakes
Another delicious layer to this start is that in happens in Seattle, where a kid from Kingman, Ariz.—a small town in the northwest corner of the state better known for its turquoise lode and its kitschy status as the heart of Route 66 than as a baseball factory—took his 80-something mile per hour fastball to Seattle University, the only school to offer him a scholarship.
“Dad, I'm not going to school there,” he said to his father.
“No, you need to call them, son,” his father replied.
Said Skubal, “And I was like, ‘All right.’ I called them. I committed two weeks later. And the rest is history.”
When he pitched in Seattle in ALDS Game 2, he bought tickets for all 34 players of the Seattle University baseball team and talked to them about following their dreams.
“It’s not a fantasy,” he said. “You can actually accomplish what you put your mind to.”
No, this is not another game, not with what’s at stake and where it is. Skubal may treat it as such from his uber-competitive mind. How, he reasons, can I possibly care or try more than my very best? But the stakes are higher. The venue is more meaningful. The reputation on the line more epic.
“I think it means the world to him,” said pitching coach Chris Fetter. “Especially going back to a place where he went to school and that environment. Yeah, I think it's going to be pretty special. And you're going to see a competitive, fiery guy out there and that’s what we need. And he's going to compete his ass off.”
Said Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson, “I don’t have the words. My vocabulary doesn’t have the words to tell you how much this opportunity means to him. If you have one game to win, there’s nobody I’d rather have than Tarik. And if you asked most guys around baseball, not just in this clubhouse, you’d probably get the same answer.”
The Mariners are the only team to beat the Tigers three times this year in games Skubal has started. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Skubal made two mistakes in Game 2: two center-cut pitches to Jorge Polanco, who blasted both for home runs. It seems unfathomable that the Tigers could lose four games in one year to the same team with Skubal on the mound. But that is what is at stake.
“I think at the end of the day, he's going to be himself,” Fetter said. “You know, most of the time we're going to go to his strengths as opposed to trying to dissect it too much or overthinking too much. Yeah. Go out and be himself.
”And that’s where we talk about not trying to overthink. If you go execute, be yourself, at the end of the day we’re good.”
Skubal wound up at Seattle University only after other schools dropped interest in him after a poor showcase performance on a Saturday morning. They didn’t know that Skubal had played center in a football game Friday night and drove three hours to the Phoenix area the next morning to get on the mound and throw in front of coaches. His velocity dipped to an unappealing 84 mph.
Now Skubal throws a hundred. He has hit 100 mph 43 times this year. Every other lefthanded starter combined has done so eight times. His changeup is the single best pitch in baseball as determined by run value. There is nobody like him. That is not in dispute.
What is in the balance now is whether Skubal can deliver a season-saving, career-defining game. It should require Skubal pushing himself like never before.
Skubal has pitched in 142 major league games, including five in the postseason. Incredibly, he has never thrown more than 108 pitches in a game. His postseason high is 107, in wild-card Game 1 this year. In Game 2 of this series, Skubal threw 97 pitches over seven innings before indicating he was just about done. So, manager A.J. Hinch handed the ball to Kyle Finnegan for the eighth. The Mariners scored three batters later to win, 3–2.
In 1995, in Seattle, a lefthanded, soon-to-be Cy Young Award winner took the ball with his team facing elimination in his first postseason game. Randy Johnson of the Mariners threw 117 pitches over seven innings to beat the Yankees in ALDS Game 3. After one day of rest, he came out of the bullpen in Game 5 to throw three innings and another 44 pitches to win that game, too. It was legendary stuff. They still talk about it today.
Now, 30 years later in the same city, the best lefthander in the game has the ball in his hands for a winner-take-all game. To save the Tigers’ season and to lessen the pain of the last time he found himself at these coordinates, Skubal may have to give more than he’s ever given.
Rio Ferdinand has tipped his former England team-mate Steven Gerrard to return for a second stint as Rangers manager.
The former Liverpool captain has swiftly emerged as the odds-on bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Russell Martin at Ibrox, who was sacked on Sunday evening.
Gerrard remains a hero to many Rangers supporters after leading them to the Scottish Premiership title in 2020-21, which remains the only time they have won the league since their financial implosion in 2012.
Gerrard and Rangers a "perfect match"
In an interview with the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast, released on Tuesday but conducted before Martin’s dismissal, the 45-year-old former Aston Villa boss revealed he had “a bit of unfinished business” in management and wanted “to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better”.
Gerrard said he and Rangers had been “the perfect match” during his spell of just over three years in charge between 2018 and 2021 and Ferdinand senses the former England captain would be open to an Ibrox return almost four years after he left for Villa.
“I have to say when I interviewed him, he left me in no uncertain terms that he wants to be a manager and he’s got full confidence in doing that,” the ex-Manchester United defender told talkSPORT.
“He’s itching to get back in now. He never said this to me, but I personally think just the energy that I felt in that room, that if Rangers came calling he’d go or at least have that conversation.
“What I felt, if I was an owner of a football club and Steven Gerrard was sat in front of me and I felt that energy in the room when I was interviewing him, he’s getting the job.
“Forget what’s gone on before, but also his time before at Rangers, he did great there. I’ve never had so many Rangers fans flood the comments of my social media or the podcast.
Rangers: Positive Ibrox talks held with 4-3-3 manager to replace Martin
The Gers have had positive discussions.
ByCharlie Smith Oct 7, 2025
“They’re all desperate for him to go up and at least have the conversation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Steven Gerrard is managing again very soon and Rangers would be probably one of my big bets.”
Other names touted as potential successors to Martin over the past couple of days include Hearts boss Derek McInnes, former Rangers player Kevin Muscat and ex-Everton boss Sean Dyche.
United States-based chairman Andrew Cavenagh, who on Monday admitted culpability in appointing Martin, is reportedly flying to the UK this week to hold talks with other senior figures, including vice-chairman Paraag Marathe, about the next boss.
Bairstow, Stokes among players who opted out due to workload in 2022
Matt Roller19-Jan-2023
Ben Stokes could be tempted back for the 2023 Hundred after opting out last season•Getty Images
The ECB will make additional funds available to incentivise England’s leading all-format cricketers to take part in the Hundred in 2023, as part of a revamped recruitment system for centrally-contracted men’s players.The Hundred has an exclusive four-week window in England’s men’s international schedule for the first time in 2023, running from August 1-27. It starts immediately after the fifth Ashes Test and ends three days before the first of eleven limited-overs internationals against New Zealand and Ireland, which will serve as preparation for England’s 50-over World Cup defence.While there is an expectation that those involved in the fifth Ashes Test will not immediately return to play in the Hundred, the ECB hope to ensure that all-format players are available for a significant proportion of the competition. Several multi-format players including Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes pulled out of the Hundred altogether in 2022 in order to rest before England’s Test series against South Africa, and the standard suffered as a result.ESPNcricinfo understands that players on all-format central contracts were paid around £50,000 to play three games in 2022, with an additional £5,000 for any further games. In 2023, they will be paid £125,000 to play the full season, or the same fee on a pro rata basis if they make themselves unavailable for a portion of the season.The ECB’s increased investment in the biggest English names mirrors Cricket Australia’s renewed attempts to involve its leading men’s players in the Big Bash League. David Warner made his first appearance for Sydney Thunder since 2013 earlier this month after signing a lucrative deal, the majority of which fell outside of the BBL’s salary cap.The revamped regulations dictate that each team will sign a single ‘all-format’ centrally-contracted player, assuming player and team reach an agreement. The eight players who have that status and the teams who have the option to retain them are: Jofra Archer (Southern Brave), Bairstow (Welsh Fire), Jos Buttler (Manchester Originals), Sam Curran (Oval Invincibles), Joe Root (Trent Rockets), Stokes (Northern Superchargers), Chris Woakes (Birmingham Phoenix) and Mark Wood (London Spirit).Related
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In the unlikely event that two or more teams decide not to retain – or do not reach an agreement with – those players, a mini-draft will be held to determine which player joins which team. England’s other centrally-contracted players, including Moeen Ali, Zak Crawley, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope and Adil Rashid, will be part of the main draft mechanism, and can be retained by their teams if they reach an agreement on a salary for 2023.Intriguingly, Buttler remains on an all-format central contract despite the fact he has not played Test cricket since the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney. Ben Foakes signed his first central contract in October and has impressed in the last year and England are not lacking for attacking middle-order batters, but Buttler’s contract status suggests that his Test career might not be over yet.The Men’s Hundred’s retention window officially opened on January 13 and will close at 11.59pm on February 14. Teams can retain up to 10 players who held a contract with them in 2022, plus a centrally-contracted player.The ECB have also doubled the number of ‘wildcard’ signings from one per team to two, meaning each team will sign two players for £30,000 based on performances in the group stage of the T20 Blast. Overall squad sizes remain unchanged.ESPNcricinfo revealed in November that the ‘overseas wildcard’ spot has been scrapped, meaning teams will have three overseas players in their squad at any one time, rather than four. All three will be available to feature in any given playing XI.Women’s teams have been discussing their ‘marquee’ retentions with players over the last two months, ahead of the inaugural women’s draft in March.
Victory by 89 runs sees Brave make it five from five, as Sophie Devine stars again
ECB Media18-Aug-2025Southern Brave 161 for 6 (Wolvaardt 36, Bouchier 34, Franklin 2-28) beat Oval Invincibles 72 (Villiers 3-17) by 89 runs Southern Brave produced a devastating all-round performance to inflict a record-breaking 89-run defeat on Oval Invincibles at Utilita Bowl to maintain their 100 per cent record and move top of the table.Set 162 for victory, the Invincibles could only muster 72, never recovering from a two-wicket burst by Sophie Devine (2 for 15) in her opening set, the Kiwi castling Meg Lanning with a peach before sending Lauren Winfield-Hill on her way three balls later.When Lauren Bell (2 for 11) struck with consecutive deliveries, utilising the short ball to great effect to induce edges from Alice Capsey and Paige Scholfield, the visitors slumped to 28 for 4 and they were eventually skittled in 83 balls, Mady Villiers picking up 3 for 17 with her off-breaks.Earlier, England duo Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on an opening stand of 59 after Brave were asked to bat, Bouchier the main aggressor in her innings of 34 from 23 before picking out Scholfield at deep mid-wicket to give Tash Farrant the breakthrough.ESPNcricinfo LtdWyatt-Hodge (26 from 24) was clean bowled by a Phoebe Franklin slower delivery but Laura Wolvaardt kept up the momentum, the South African cruising to a 19-ball 36 including a slog-swept six off Amanda-Jade Wellington but the Aussie leg-spinner had her revenge next ball when Lanning held on to a catch at extra-cover.Freya Kemp was involved in a mix-up which saw Devine run out for 19 but the England starlet made amends with a sparky cameo, smashing two sixes in her 11-ball 24 to post a target which was well beyond the Invincibles’ reach and set up a fifth straight victory for the 2023 champions.Meerkat Match Hero Sophie Devine, who picked up the award for a third game straight at Utilita Bowl, said: “I feel a bit embarrassed because today was a great team performance and there were so many people who should be standing here instead of me. Today was exceptional from this group and I’m really proud of everyone.”The great thing about this group is we’ve spoken at length about different plans and having the ability to be able to execute that is something I’ve found incredibly impressive. That should stand us in good stead come the important part of this tournament.”For us there’s a great focus on each and every game. We’ve got some tough games coming up but we’ll celebrate our success here today. It was a comprehensive win but we certainly know we’ve got a big job to finish off this competition strongly.”
There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shreyas Iyer in the 15-member squad
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-20252:39
Chopra: ‘Gill selection has written Samson’s destiny’
Shubman Gill has made a comeback to India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain.The 15-member squad, picked by the selection committee on Tuesday, will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, and includes Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the two other opening candidates. With Gill as vice-captain, however, he is the frontrunner for one of the slots at the top of the order.”We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. [He] exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai.Related
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The middle and lower-order batting options are Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who could be the first-choice wicketkeeper if India decide to open with Gill and Abhishek. There are also three allrounders in Axar, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The specialist bowling options are Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, who provides some extra batting depth too.There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was instead among the five reserve players, along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025 and led Punjab Kings to the final, also did not find a place in the 15.”With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” Agarkar said. “There’s Abhishek Sharma: what he’s done over the last year or so – plus he can bowl a little bit – he gives us that option if required. One of these guys was going to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Gill was vice-captain in the previous T20I series he had played – in Sri Lanka in July 2024 – but he had not been picked in any of the subsequent series as India prioritised his appearances in the Test and ODI formats. Axar was then appointed vice-captain for the home T20Is against England in January. Gill’s return to the T20I format comes on the back of his contributions to India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and his record-breaking run as batter in the five-Test series in England, where he led India to a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He also scored 650 runs for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 155.87.”Last time when he [Gill] played T20 for India, post T20 World Cup when we went to Sri Lanka – not Zimbabwe – when I was leading, he was the vice-captain,” Suryakumar said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “So that’s where we started a new cycle. After that, he got busy with all the Test series, and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing Test cricket and Champions Trophy. So he’s there in the squad, and we’re happy to have him.”The Asia Cup is India’s first T20I assignment since the bilateral series against England at home in January. India are in Group A, along with Pakistan, Oman and UAE. Their first game is against UAE in Dubai on September 10, after which they play Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, and Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.”This is the first big tournament we are playing since the [2024] T20 World Cup,” Suryakumar said. “We have played three-four bilateral series. It’s a good tournament to test ourselves. After this, there are a lot of T20s – close to 20-22 T20s in total – before we play our first game in the [2026] World Cup, so I think the journey starts from the Asia Cup.”India’s squad for the Asia Cup1 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 2 Shubman Gill (vc), 3 Hardik Pandya, 4 Arshdeep Singh, 5 Abhishek Sharma, 6 Tilak Varma, 7 Shivam Dube , 8 Axar Patel, 9 Jitesh Sharma, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy , 12 Kuldeep Yadav, 13 Harshit Rana, 14 Rinku Singh, 15 Sanju SamsonReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal