Chelsea are working on a deal to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli before the transfer window slams shut tonight, but there is a possibility the deal could collapse, with Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli also in hot pursuit.

Osimhen's reported £480k-per-week salary demands proved to be an early roadblock in negotiations – especially since Al Ahli are willing to fork out as much. Chelsea are desperate to sign a striker; if the deal falls through, an alternative has been lined up.

Chelsea ready for last-minute drama

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are ready to move for Brentford centre-forward Ivan Toney, despite making headway in negotiations to sign Osimhen.

Enzo Maresca is hoping to see his club complete several outgoings before the day is done, while a Premier League-proven star like Toney could make a world of difference – for £40m, the Blues might be inclined to make this move.

Why Toney would thrive at Chelsea

Toney is a top-class striker with the brawn and bullish attitude to succeed at the front of Maresca's attacking line, having actually been praised for having the "mindset of a lion" by Thomas Frank in the past.

Toney's well-documented, long-term suspension last season precluded him from taking to the field until January, and while a resounding return saw four goals and an assist plundered across his first five games back, his influence waned as the Bees failed to fly as high as recent seasons.

Injuries were prominent, but Toney showcased his quality the year before upon devastating Premier League defences in 2022/23, scoring 20 times and actually only being outscored by Erling Haaland (36) and Harry Kane (30).

1.

Ivan Toney

83

36

2.

Yoane Wissa

103

27

3.

Bryan Mbeumo

99

22

4.

Mathias Jensen

100

8

4.

Vitaly Janelt

105

8

With such strength in his focal role, lashing goals past hapless goalkeepers and using his physicality to reign supreme in the final third, he could be the perfect addition at Stamford Bridge, perhaps more so than Osimhen, who will need to acclimatise and missed large chunks of the 2023/24 season due to injury.

He could restore Jadon Sancho, who might be joining him on his potential Chelsea venture. The Manchester United winger has flattered to deceive since signing from Borussia Dortmund in a £73m package three years ago, having been ostracised from the team under Erik ten Hag and only having nine top-flight goals to show for his troubles.

Still, there's a player in there, as the England international's short-lived return to the Yellow Wall last year proved, for Sancho's fleet-footed aura, crackling with electricity, was revivified, a glimpse of the once and former prodigy received once more.

As per FBref, he ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Champions League last season for successful take-ons per 90 (4.19), which effectively means that he beat his man, ball pinned to his feet, with frightening constancy.

With Raheem Sterling expected to depart Chelsea today and Arsenal and Man United interested, the way could be paved for Sancho's arrival, for the west Londoners are indeed hoping to complete a merry-go-round scenario and secure Sancho's signature.

His penetrative presence and once potent goalscoring and creative threat speak highly of Sancho's potential to succeed once more, and next to Toney, he could be a menace indeed.

Who knows if either will make their way to Stamford Bridge before the sun sinks this evening, but either would be a credit to Maresca's project and would be an utter menace if bonded into one deadly offensive force.

Their answer to Saka: £40m "phenomenon" now wants late move to Chelsea

The Blues are looking to tie up some loose threads before the deadline…

ByAngus Sinclair Aug 29, 2024

The visitors made a very positive declaration on the final day but the pitch did not deteriorate as expected

Alan Gardner06-Jun-2021New Zealand were left to rue a day lost to rain as their attempts to engineer victory came up short at Lord’s, but captain Kane Williamson praised the “superb cricket” played by his team after they controlled large stretches of the first Test against England.Powered by Devon Conway’s double hundred on debut – described by Williamson as an “amazing innings” – and a Tim Southee six-for, New Zealand came into the fifth day sitting on a 165-run lead but with a tricky calculation about how to set up a contest. An attacking declaration after rain brought about an early lunch left them with potentially 75 overs in which to try and take ten wickets, only for a pitch that had only undergone four days of wear to neuter chances of a result for either side.”As we know in Test cricket you have your ebbs and blow but coming into day [five] and having a bit of work to do in that morning session to give ourselves a chance, I thought the guys played some superb cricket throughout to give us that potential opportunity,” Williamson said. “Unfortunately it wasn’t to be today, losing a day to weather doesn’t help the cause but I thought the efforts were certainly there.”We made the decision based on what gave us potentially the best chance to win the game, or enough overs [to take the wickets]. We knew losing a day was going to be tough but we wanted to give it a crack. Unfortunately towards the end things fizzled out a bit, we were expecting the pitch to deteriorate a bit more and it did show signs on day four in particular that that was going to happen, but it sort of flattened out.”Related

Debut double helps Devon Conway enter Test batters' rankings at No. 77

A Lord's celebration marred by England's lack of will to win

Conway, the oldest man to score a double ton on debut

England hold out for draw with Dom Sibley's unbeaten fifty

Root defends England's final-day approach, says chasing wasn't 'realistic'

England would have needed to score at more than 3.5 runs an over to achieve their chase but they took a safety-first approach and ultimately were content to bat out two sessions for a draw – a measure, perhaps, of how dominant New Zealand had been. And even after an 80-run partnership between Dom Sibley and Joe Root seemed to have made the game safe, Williamson’s bowlers kept the pressure on deep into the final hour.”We declared for a reason and that was to try and push for a victory,” Williamson said. “Although it seemed unlikely for a period, if one spun out of the rough or you were able to open up an end, then things could happen reasonably quickly, and we were holding on to that hope for as long as we could. But clearly things became quite docile out there.”It’s always tough to know how an opposition will look to attack a chase, obviously all three results still possible. If we were in that positon, you do want to get a really good base and try to take the game to a deep stage where you might have a smaller chase of less overs but throw all your resource at it. Clearly there was a lot of work to do to get to that, a lot of overs left and I think both sides were expecting the pitch to deteriorate more.”It kind of ebbed and flowed, and scoring wasn’t quick throughout. We felt if we could pick up wickets throughout that would give us the best opportunity and life could be quite difficult, but that wasn’t the case. Things didn’t perhaps unfold for either side.”In keeping with New Zealand’s respectful off-field demeanour, Williamson played down any suggestion the tourists would carry an advantage with them to Edgbaston, and focused on the need to “start again” and adjust to the conditions in Birmingham.New Zealand, especially Ross Taylor, batted positively on the final morning•PA Photos/Getty ImagesAfter Conway’s stunning introduction to Test cricket, New Zealand have seemingly ticked off another selection issue as they build towards the World Test Championship final against India later this month. The seam attack also functioned well, with Southee producing another performance worthy of the honours board, Kyle Jamieson impressive in adapting to opening the bowling with the Dukes ball – as well as handling the Lord’s slope – and Neil Wagner giving a reminder of his skill as a swing bowler, besides his more muscular qualities.The arrival of Trent Boult in the UK will only strengthen that area of the side, although the focus will be on building up the left-armer’s workload following a break from the game back home, rather than rushing him back into the side for Edgbaston.One area which may be up for discussion is Mitchell Santner’s role, although Williamson described the spinning allrounder as “a really important” in helping to balance the side. Santner has only played two Test matches in the last 18 months and, having had to deal with a cut to his spinning finger sustained during a warm-up match, produced a slightly scattergun showing with the ball on the final day at Lord’s – although, as Williamson noted, had BJ Watling managed to complete a stumping of Rory Burns off Santner’s bowling on the fourth afternoon, it might have been enough to swing the game New Zealand’s way.”It was important for Mitch to get out there and bowl and get comfortable and he created a few opportunities, certainly in that first innings, which were potentially game-changing, and we know he can bat really well as well. It would have been nice if things showed a bit more deterioration on the pitch, and from a straighter line, but it was a pretty good surface with a bit in it for everybody.”

The U.S. international missed the Cherries' last match vs. Ipswich Town due to a knock, but he's back

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• Tyler Adams set to return for Bournemouth
• Was held out of Ipswich match as precaution
• Seeking fifth start of season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. men's national team midfielder Tyler Adams is set to return to the pitch for Bournemouth on Monday when they take on West Ham United in the Premier League, manager Andoni Iraola confirmed. The 25-year-old missed their 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town last week as a result of a minor knock, as Iraola wanted to take no risks.

  Adams had previously played two-straight matches in 90-minute cameos for the club, so the Spaniard said he was not willing to take any chances.

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  Speaking Friday, Iraola confirmed that Adams will be available for selection.

  "I expect Tyler to be available, he's ready," the manager said.

  The news comes after he missed the first two months of the season due to back surgery, and nearly all of the 2023-24 campaign as a result of two-different surgeries and a phase of back spasms. Monday could mark his fifth start of the EPL campaign for his club.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Adams made just five appearances for Bournemouth across all competitions in 2023-24, playing 138 minutes as a result of various injuries. However, in the CONCACAF Nations League finals in March, he was fit enough to feature for the USMNT – and he went on to score a long-range effort in the final vs. Mexico.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ADAMS?

  The and the clash Monday at 3 p.m. ET. Bournemouth will be searching for their fourth-straight victory, looking to climb the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta has explained that Arsenal's injury worries have cost Raheem Sterling minutes this season, but says the winger is "desperate" to play.

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Sterling on loan at Arsenal from ChelseaHas made just two Premier League startsArteta explains continued absenceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Sterling moved to across London in the summer, joining the Gunners from Chelsea on a season-long loan. However, the former Manchester City star has struggled for minutes under Mikel Arteta and has managed just four starts in all competitions, two of which have come against Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.

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Arsenal have struggled with injuries this season and currently have five players out, all of whom are defenders. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori are all receiving medical treatment, and Arteta has explained that he has been forced to react to those setbacks with in-game tactical adjustments that have left Sterling out in the cold. Arteta insists, however, that he hopes to give Sterling more minutes as the season progresses.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

Arteta told reporters: “There’s been moments. It’s been tough and very difficult for me as well to accept that I haven’t given him more.

“When he hasn’t started the games, 90 per cent of the subs that I make is related to saving minutes or because of injuries or avoiding injuries. It’s not tactical reasons. I would like him to play much more as I think he can impact the team in a very good way. He’s very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play.

“He had this very important role, impacting every game, and suddenly you are in this position for a while. Not just here but at Chelsea as well. So it’s always very difficult and I feel a lot of sympathy for players when they are in this moment. Hopefully we can change it.”

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Arsenal, who are currently third in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Liverpool, face Everton at the Emirates on Saturday.

Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi took a four-for each to bowl out Zimbabwe by tea on day one

Danyal Rasool29-Apr-2021

Stumps Zimbabwe may have controlled whether or not to bat after Brendan Taylor called correctly at the toss, but little else was in their control all day. A collapse of the top order left them battling against the tide from the outset, and four wickets apiece for Shaheen Afridi – who reached 50 Test wickets today – and Hasan Ali skittled the hosts out for 176. To hammer home Pakistan’s advantage, their openers, Abid Ali and Imran Butt – both out of form for quite some time – remained unbeaten through the third session, bringing up a century partnership, finishing the opening day of the first Test just 73 runs behind Zimbabwe with all ten wickets still intact.The home side had found themselves outclassed, bullied and overrun in the first session. The absence of Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza, combined with captain Sean Williams being ruled out late yesterday, meant the batting was vulnerable. Those fears were only exacerbated when Hasan struck in his first over to get rid of Kevin Kasuza. There was an element of tragicomedy to that dismissal, with a solid defensive shot trickling back towards the stumps, Kasuza’s bucked kick never really threatening to prevent the ball dislodging the off-stump bail.Afridi at the other end was consistent as ever, suffocating Zimbabwe with unerring accuracy, giving the batters’ techniques regular workings-over. It was inevitable that would bring about a wicket sooner or later, and when Prince Masvaure pushed at one with hard hands, it flew to Butt at second slip. He could have been dismissed off the first ball of the match when a strong appeal for caught behind was turned down by the umpire, but there would be no further chances once Butt grabbed hold of a smart catch.Pakistan handed a debut to offspinner Sajid Khan, but it was his left-arm counterpart Nauman Ali who provided the next breakthrough breaching Tarisai Musakanda’s defences with a ball that went straight on. Zimbabwe’s woes were compounded when Taylor fell to an uncharacteristically irresponsible shot, reaching for a Hasan delivery well wide of off stump to give Faheem Ashraf a gift at third slip. The veteran threw back his head in frustration, clearly feeling his side’s best chances of putting up a respectable first-innings total were behind it.Resistance after lunch might have made him reconsider, with debutant Roy Kaia accumulating a spirited 59-run stand with Milton Shumba for the fifth wicket. It was the only sustained phase of the innings where the batters looked untroubled, and Pakistan slightly bereft of ideas. The partnership continued after lunch in the same vein as it had concluded before, and slowly looked to be digging Zimbabwe out of the pit the top order had left them in.But when Pakistan couldn’t dismiss them, Zimbabwe were kind enough to offer a sacrifice anyway. Shumba set off for a single within the circle there was no need or possibility for, and left himself stranded in the middle of the pitch, with even a dive failing to redeem him. Kaia soldiered on briefly with Regis Chakabva, but a devastatingly effective old-ball spell from Hasan guaranteed that any hopes Zimbabwe harboured of a more substantial revival would be swiftly extinguished. He followed up his two wickets with the new ball by taking another two in the middle, removing top-scorer Kaia two runs shy of a half-century with a pinpoint yorker, and putting paid to Chakabva moments later. After that, it was left to the bowlers to scrape together a total as close to 200 as their abilities and wiles would muster.The tail did provide brief, entertaining resistance, but the carefree approach they took was, by design, short-term, and Afridi joined Hasan’s party, each finishing with four wickets. Afridi’s 50th Test wicket has come in his 16th Test, one quicker than Wasim Akram, with Hasan just three wickets short of the same mark.Donald Tiripano frustrated Pakistan with the reverse sweep for a while, interspersed with some eye-catchingly good conventional shots, ending up as his side’s second-highest scorer. Blessing Muzarabani whacked Shaheen over cow corner en route an entertaining seven-ball 14, and before they were dismissed, the final three wickets added a useful 49 runs.It might have given them a lifeline, but it left the bowlers needing to produce something special on a slow pitch still fairly conducive to batting. The hosts, however, notably lacked the penetration they would need against the attritional abilities of Abid and Butt, each eager for a chance to cement their place at the top of Pakistan’s order. Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava were safely negotiated early on, and with Zimbabwe lacking a quality spinner, batting became easier, and the runs began to flow. Abid brought up his half-century before the day was done, with Butt just seven shy of that mark.Unless something quite special happens overnight, there’s little indication that tide can be stemmed now, with Zimbabwe facing the unwelcome prospect of a huge first-innings deficit to contend with.

Mohamed Salah has made Premier League history by scoring and assisting in eight games across a season.

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Salah scores and assists in West Ham winEgyptian makes more Premier League historyReds extend lead at top of tableFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Salah was on fire again as Liverpool cruised to a 5-0 win against West Ham on Sunday night. The Egyptian forward bagged a goal and two assists in the match, making history in the process. The 32-year-old is now the first player in the Premier League to score and assist in eight separate games across a single campaign.

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Salah's form has been reflective of Liverpool's under Arne Slot, who has transitioned seamlessly into the role once occupied by Jurgen Klopp. His right-winger is doing everything right so far this term and is worth his weight in gold, surely making a new contract at the club a no-brainer. Salah is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2025, unless a new deal can be agreed in Merseyside.

DID YOU KNOW?

With his two assists against West Ham, Salah has now moved to 10th in the all-time assist rankings, with 81. He is now above the legendary David Beckham, quite an achievement for the Liverpool man.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

Salah will have no plans to slow down heading into 2025. With Liverpool in pole position, the veteran winger and the Reds will be on the charge in the New Year, starting with Manchester United on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians chegou a sua oitava partida fora de casa sem vitórias. Na noite desta quinta-feira (25), o Timão foi derrotado por 2 a 1 pelo Ceará, no estádio do Castelão, em Fortaleza, pela 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

O time cearense saiu na frente no início da partida com Vina, em uma falhja do goleiro Cássio na saída de bola, Róger Guedes empatou para o Timão aos 38 minutos do segundo tempo, mas aos 41 a ‘Lei do Ex’ entrou em ação e Yony González garantiu o triunfo para a equipe nordestina.

A partida foi marcado por alguns atrasos. Inicialmente da parte do Corinthians, que foi pego de calças curtas por um congestionamento no entorno do estádio do Castelão, chegou ao local da partida faltando meia-hora para o horário do jogo, fez um aquecimento brevíssimo e nem se perfilou para a execução do hino nacional. Os acontecimento fez com que o apito inicial demorasse cerca de cinco minutos.

Já no intervalo, o Ceará demorou para voltar ao gramado e o intervalo durou mais do que 20 minutos.

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CEARÁ ABRE O PLACAR CEDO

Logo aos cinco minutos de jogo, o Vozão saiu na frente, e muito pelo demérito do Corinthians, na figura do goleiro Cássio. Segundos antes, o Ceará havia finalizado pela primeira vez na partida com Vina, que apareceu do lado direito, mas finalizou sem muita direção e parou em Cássio.

No entanto, o goleiro corintiano falhou feio na saída de bola, quando tentou realiza a sápida rápida, foi interceptado por Lima e a bola sobrou oferecida para Vina acertar um chute baixo no canto esquerdo e abrir o placar.

JOGO MORNO

Aos poucos o Corinthians foi crescendo, buscando o jogo, se impondo, mas tendo muita dificuldade no último terço do gramado. A equipe abusava da velocidade de Gabriel Pereira e Du Queiroz pela direita, mas tinha Luan, disperso, errando alguns passes quebrando a dinâmica ofensiva, deixando o jogo morno.

PRIMEIRA BOA CHEGADA DO TIMÃO

O Timão teve mais a bola durante todo o primeiro tempo, mas finalizou pela primeira vez apenas aos 35 minutos, quando Gabriel Pereira arrancou pela direita, deixou para Róger Guedes que soltou para o próprio GP, que apareceu na altura da marca do pênalti, girou contra a marcação, bateu no canto esquerdo, mas parou em ótima defesa do goleiro João Ricardo.

FIM DO PRIMEIRO TEMPO TENSO

Aos 44 minutos do primeiro tempo, uma falta do Gabriel em cima de Vina desencadeou uma grande discussão entre os atletas de Ceará e Corinthians. O clima manteve tenso até a saída dos jogadores para os vestiários, com alguns bate bocas. Nas arquibancadas, alguns torcedores entraram em conflito com a polícia cearense.

VINA SE MACHUCA

Logo no início do segundo tempo, o autor do gol cearense na partida, Vina, acabou sentindo a posterior da coxa, desabou no gramado e precisou ser substituído.

CORINTHIANS NÃO CRIA

Precisando do resultado, o Timão não voltou com a mesma postura do fim do primeiro tempo, onde buscou o jogo a torto e a direito. O time seguiu lento em suas trocas de passes e tendo muitos problemas de criação, ainda mesmo quando o técnico Sylvinho promoveu a entrada da dupla Renato Augusto e Giuliano, que por questões físicas iniciaram o jogo entre os reseservas, no lugar de Lua e Du Queiroz.

O Ceará se aproveitou, principalmente nos erros de passe corintiano no campo de defesa e criou uma série de contra-ataques, mas foi deficiente em concluir.

CORINTHIANS APERTA E EMPATA

Com as entradas de Renato Augusto e Willian o Timão foi para cima e passou a criar mais oportunidades. Em uma delas, aos 38 minutos do segundo tempo, Willian colocou uma bola na medida para Róger Guedes, que cortou para dentro e encheou o pé no canto esquerdo do goleiro João Ricardo. Foi o primeiro gol de Guedes pelo Corinthians fora de casa e que colocou o atleta na artilharia do clube no Brasileirão, ao lado de Jô, com sete tentos anotados.

RESPOSTA RÁPIDA E LEI DO EX DO CEARÁ

Mas a resposta do Ceará foi rápida e precisa. Três minutos após sofrer o tento, o Vozão se lançou ao ataque e o lateral Igor cruzou na medida para Yony González cabecear e contar com nova ajuda de Cássio, que tocou na bola mas não conseguiu defender. Foi mais um caso de ‘Lei do Ex’, já que o atacante colombiano defendeu o Timão na temporada passada.

FICHA TÉCNICA
CEARÁ X CORINTHIANS – 35ª RODADA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Local: Arena Castelão, Fortaleza (CE)
Data e Hora: 25 de novembro de 2021, às 20h
Árbitro: Paulo Roberto Alves Júnior (PR)
Assistentes: Fabricio Viladinho da Silva (GO) e Sdimar dos Santos Meurer (PR)
Árbitro de Vídeo: Leone Carvalho Costa (GO)
Público e renda:
Cartões amarelos:Fernando Sobral (Ceará); Cássio, Fagner, Gabriel e Du Queiroz (Corinthians)
Cartões vermelhos:
Gols: 1-0 Vina (5’/1T); 1-1 Róger Guedes (38’/2T)/ 2-1 Yony González (41’/2T)

CEARÁ

João RIcardo; Igor, Luis Otávio, Gabriel Lacerda e Bruno Pacheco; Fabinho, Fernando Sobral, Vina (Jorginho, 6’/2T) e Lima (Rick, 18’/2T); Mendoza e Jael (Yonny González, 18’/2T).Técnico Tiago Nunes.

CORINTHIANS

Cássio; Fagner (João Pedro, 37’/2T), João Victor, Gil e Lucas Piton; Gabriel; (Vitinho, 37’/2T) Gabriel Pereira (Gustavo Mosquito, 23’/2T), Du Queiroz (Willian, 12’/2T), Luan (Renato Augusto, 12’/2T) e Róger Guedes; Jô. Técnico: Sylvinho

Spinner claims seven to limit Northants’ lead to 12 as tense contest heads for showdown

David Hopps05-Jul-2021This is a high-pressure match as far as the Championship is concerned, but don’t talk to Dom Bess about pressure. He experienced what pressure really means in India during a deeply unsettling England winter. The sort of pressure that does not just have a cricket match at stake but which tears at your very soul.It is something to celebrate therefore that when expectations focused on him as much as at any time this season, his rehabilitation at Yorkshire looked well underway as he turned in career-best figures of 7 for 43 on a used Northampton pitch, the sort that turned just enough for spin bowlers to take centre stage but demanded resilience if they were to succeed.If there was not much turn for Bess on a surface that had previously been used for three T20 fixtures, he bowled with impressive consistency to make use of what variations there were and held Yorkshire together in the face of a stiff Northants challenge.Bess was contentiously dropped by England after taking 17 wickets at 22 runs apiece in three Tests in Sri Lanka and India. His return for the final Test in Ahmedabad was an unhappy one and, although England called him up as cover for the second Test in New Zealand in the Spring, a restorative season was clearly needed.Progress until now has been solid rather than spectacular, but he had reason for satisfaction after working through the Northants order in methodical fashion. Jeetan Patel, England’s spin bowling coach, was on hand and will have been encouraged by what he saw.Yorkshire sneaked past Northants by one run at Headingley in early May, but they have entered their final two Group 3 matches with Northants and Lancashire also contesting the top-two finish required to qualify for Division One in the climax of the Championship season later this summer. With Yorkshire 147 ahead at the close of the second day, with four second-innings remaining, another tension-wracked finale is eminently possible. They would grab a 200-run lead with open arms.The muse was also with Harry Brook once again as unbeaten 76 followed up Bess’ performance with the ball. The leading run-maker in the Blast, he has also had his best Championship season to date, averaging not far short of 40, but is still to add to his two first-class hundreds.Related

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James Anderson's magnificent seven leaves Kent playing catch-up on historic day

Colin de Grandhomme makes the grand statement with career-best 174 not out

There is a meditative quality to his game, which is based on timing not power, which brings occasional reminders of Michael Vaughan. As he has grown into the season, his little tics and twitches appear to have lessened. Regularly blazing it for four can have that effect.He played with minimal risk, his first half-dozen boundaries coming from deflections or routine punishment of the strayest deliveries. His next boundary, on 57, was his one heartstopping moment as he pulled Ben Sanderson just beyond the dive of Emilio Gay at deep backward square.Yorkshire’s attempt to shore up a weakened batting line-up with a two-match loan deal for Sam Northeast has not paid dividends here at least – he still has next week’s Roses match at Headingley left to make an impression. He has made 3 and 2 here, his second-innings dismissal a frustrating one as Simon Kerrigan turned one past his defensive push and his back foot was deemed not to be behind the line.Kerrigan’s left-arm spin has 4 for 31 in 20 overs to date. George Hill, the main source of resistance in the first innings, and Harry Duke were bowled through the gate, looking for turn, and he then turned one a shade to have Gary Ballance leg before.Spin bowling might be dominating but many wickets have fallen to the one that didn’t turn rather than the one that did, or might have done.Northants, 61 for 2 at the start of the second day, were essentially three down as Luke Procter was absent for a day at least because of a family bereavement. One of those wickets was Kerrigan, a nightwatchman, and Yorkshire’s advantage was only 97.Bess dominated the morning. Brought into the attack for the fifth over, he persisted until the end of the innings, taking six of the seven wickets to fall.For nine overs, Northants’ overnight pair, Ricardo Vasconcelos and nightwatchman Gareth Berg, made Yorkshire sweat and it smacked of unnecessary risk when Berg sought to hit Bess over the top and holed out at mid-on. Bess’ total lack of celebration communicated that, in his mind, this was just the start of a process he felt he had to deliver.He struck twice more in his next three overs. He found Charlie Thurston’s outside edge, pushing forward, for Duke to take the catch, and Yorkshire’s 19-year-old keeper also held on for the prize wicket of Vasconcelos, for 55, clutching the ball to his chest at the second attempt after Vasconcelos had been cramped up, trying to cut.At the Wantage Road End, Duanne Olivier drew occasional inconsistent bounce. That did for Rob Keogh, who fended a lifter to second slip. At 110 for 6, still 48 adrift, Northants needed a partnership and it came from Tom Taylor, the one batter to play with occasional freedom, and Saif Zaib, who laboured for 40 balls over his first three runs before he tried to break Bess’ shackles and just cleared mid-off.The tension was evident when Olivier was refused a catch at the wicket when Zaib was on 2. Adam Lyth, from second slip, provided the histrionics, but presumably Olivier provided the verbals. Certainly, something caused umpires Billy Taylor and Tom Lungley to call up Patterson and Olivier for a dressing-down, enough to take Lyth’s gesticulating into a second act.Bess took a hand immediately after lunch, having Zaib lbw, caught on the crease, and removing the left-handed Wayne Parnell in the same manner in his next over. A few late blows from Taylor took Northants into the lead, but Bess limited the damage to a 12-run advantage on first innings when Ben Sanderson was caught at slip. All is still to play for

عاد فريق برشلونة للتدريبات تحت قيادة مدربه هانز فليك، استعدادًا للمباراة المقبلة أمام رايو فاليكانو في الدوري الإسباني.

وتغلب برشلونة على إشبيلية في المباراة الماضية بنتيجة 4-1 وسيلاقي رايو فاليكانو يوم الإثنين القادم.

ويتواجد برشلونة بالمركز الثالث في ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بفارق نقطة خلف الوصيف أتلتيكو مدريد، ونقطتين خلف المتصدر ريال مدريد.

وبحسب صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، شهدت تدريبات ريال مدريد غياب الثنائي رونالد أراوخو وأندرياس كريستينسن.

اقرأ أيضًا | رسميًا | برشلونة يواصل تحصين نجومه ويعلن تجديد عقد باو كوبارسي

كان أراوخو تعرض لضربة في الكاحل خلال مباراة إشبيلية، ليغادر ملعب المباراة مبكرًا ولم يستكمل اللقاء.

فيما يواصل كريستينسن التعافي من إصابة في عضلة باطن القدم اليمنى تعرض لها أثناء التدريب بنهاية شهر يناير الماضي.

ولم يحسم بعد موقف أراوخو من اللحاق بمباراة برشلونة ورايو فاليكانو حتى الآن، فيما أشارت تقارير في وقت سابق أنه قد يكون جاهزًا لتلك المواجهة.

Bavuma, who missed the Tests with a hip injury and then a dislocated finger, is expected to lead SA

Firdose Moonda24-Jun-2021

South Africa allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has tested positive for Covid-19 and did not travel with the T20I squad to Grenada for their five-match series against the West Indies, which starts on Saturday. Pretorius is asymptomatic and is following stipulated protocols on recovery and eventual return to play. Wiaan Mulder was retained from the Test squad and will replace Pretorius for this series. Mulder has played one T20I for South Africa, against Pakistan in April. South Africa also have another seam-bowling allrounder in Andile Phehlukwayo.The South African contingent has travelled from the Test venue of St Lucia to Grenada and has all returned negative Covid-19 test results.On the injury front, white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, who missed the Test series first with a hip injury and then a dislocated finger, is responding well to treatment and is expected to lead the team from the first match.Related

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One other member of South Africa’s Test squad who was due to return home, left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, has been absorbed into the T20 squad. South Africa’s other pace options are Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala and Lizaad Williams, with rotation to be expected as this group of players will travel to Ireland, for three ODIs and three T20Is. South Africa also welcomed back assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, who missed the Tests on family responsibility leave. Mandla Mashimbyi, the head coach of Northerns, who stood in for Nkwe has returned to South Africa.South Africa T20I squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Sisanda Magala, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi , Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams