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Vice-captain sees the absence of key names as an opportunity for new faces to stake their claim

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-20181:37

‘Need to play as much as we can’ – Finch

Aaron Finch says that the inexperience in Australia’s one-day squad could prove to be a blessing in disguise as they finalise their preparations for next week’s first ODI against England at The Oval, and beyond that, next year’s World Cup.Finch made a solid 78 on Thursday night to set up Australia’s hard-earned 57-run win against Sussex at Hove, which was also their first outing in national colours since the end of their seismic Test tour of South Africa in April.The Australia squad was forced to lie low for a few months after returning home from South Africa, as the ball-tampering scandal erupted around them, but Finch said that he could feel an eagerness to get stuck in in the new-look squad, adding that “there’s only so many laps of ovals you can run before you start to go crazy”.

Australia ready to ‘cop some banter’

Australia’s match against Sussex on Thursday was their first encounter with English crowds since the ball-tampering scandal broke, and Finch admitted that their jibes were something that the team would have to take in its stride as the tour progressed.
“I think anytime you are touring you’re going to cop some great banter,” he said. “The chants and the songs and the stick that they give us in all in good fun, but you’re going to keep copping it if you don’t interact with them, if you don’t get on board with them and have some fun. It’s a part of playing over here, you expect that, and it’s all in good jest most of the time.”

“There’s a lot of excitement around, any time you bring young guys into the squad for their first or second tour, it brings a lot of energy around the group,” Finch said. “A lot of the guys have had time off over the last couple of months, the guys who weren’t in the IPL, so it’s a great chance to get stuck into cricket.”Australia will begin next week’s contest as rank outsiders against England’s No.1-ranked ODI team, but Finch sees the absence of so many first-choice candidates for next year’s World Cup squad as an opportunity for some new faces to stake a claim. In so doing, they may also lift Australia’s standards in a format in which they have lost each of their last three bilateral series, against New Zealand, India and England, as well as suffering an early elimination in the Champions Trophy.”There’s a few guys here that it’s the first time I’ve toured with,” he added, “and I’ve been around a little while now. But our one-day cricket hadn’t been that great over the last 18 months to two years, so who knows, if we give these young guys a few opportunities, they can do some wonderful things. There are some guys in this squad who are going to be great players.”Finch is Australia’s vice-captain on this tour, and will also captain the T20 team in the absence of David Warner, but he didn’t envisage a sea-change to the role that he has played for Ausralia since cementing his spot in the limited-overs team five years ago.Aaron Finch plays into the leg side•Getty Images

“Being vice-captain you lead by example on and off the field, but I think that, being an opening batter, you have the opportunity to set the tone for the team, so that’s not much of a change,” he said. “But with a young group, there’s not a lot of experience, so it’s about helping them as much as I can, along with Tim [Paine], Glenn Maxwell and other guys who’ve been around for a time.”The tour is also Justin Langer’s first as Australia coach, and Finch admitted that, while Langer’s first press conference had been full of smiles and jokes as he set about reframing the debate over sledging, Finch admitted that the new boss had a steely side that few players would want to encounter.”When we got to Brisbane for our training camp. it was the first time that JL had had a chance to address us all together,” said Finch. “He just laid down what he expected of the Australian cricket team, and how he sees the team going forward. There wasn’t anything that you wouldn’t expect a new coach to do.”But you don’t want to be in his glare!” Finch added. “I’ve been there before, not on this tour, but in the past. There were some easy comments you could make to him when he was coach of Western Australia. It was easy to wind him up.”Finch played most of his Australia career to date under the gaze of Darren Lehmann, who resigned from his post on the eve of the Johannesburg Test in March. “They are both great coaches in their own right. We’ve had a lot of success with [Darren] as an Australian coach, and JL I’ve no doubt will have a lot of success. With Perth, he’s done some wonderful things. And at the end of the day, whoever is coach of the side has the opportunity to mould the culture the way they want it.”

The Cincinnati Reds missed the postseason in 2024 for the fourth consecutive season and the 10th time in the last 11 years. The team dismissed manager David Bell on Monday as it looks to turn the corner and get back into contention.

It's been a frustrating past decade for the Reds and their fan base, and perhaps no one knows that better than longtime second baseman Jonathan India.

India has been with the franchise since making his MLB debut in 2021, and the former Rookie of the Year winner voiced his exasperation with the lack of improvement the team has made during his tenure. He also expressed his desire for the team to make the necessary adjustments in order to bring postseason baseball back to Cincinnati.

"We're tired of losing,” India said, via . "It's the same thing every year here. We just float around .500 and try to make the push but we just don’t have enough. We need to make a move. I know what it is, but I just want to say it to the media."

India signed a two-year, $8.8 million deal with the Reds to avoid arbitration during the offseason. He's due to be a free agent in 2027, as '26 is his final year of arbitration. Of his future with the organization, he said this upcoming offseason was a critical one, as he's not sure where he'll be after the '25 season.

"It's got to be (a big offseason). Who knows if I'll be here next year. Who knows if [Tyler] Stephenson will be here. We're running out of time. We were the young core. Then, we added Elly [De La Cruz] and so many guys. They need to make moves. I want to win."

India slashed .247/.353/.395 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 2024, featuring in 146 games throughout the year.

واصل فريق ريال مدريد انفجاره التهديفي خلال مباراته الجارية حاليًا ضد خصمه فريق ديبورتيفا مينيرا، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس ملك إسبانيا 2024/25.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على خصمه ديبورتيفا مينيرا، في إطار منافسات دور الـ32 من كأس ملك إسبانيا (لمتابعة اللقاء من هنا).

وتمكن ريال مدريد من تسجيل الهدف الثالث في شباك ديبوريتفا مينيرا، في الدقيقة 28 من عمر الشوط الأول.

الهدف جاء عن طريق أردا جولر، بعد تمريرة من فيديريكو فالفيردي استلمها التركي ومر من مدافعي فريق ديبورتيفا مينيرا وأطلق صاروخية بالقدم اليسرى في مرمى أصحاب الأرض. هدف جولر في مباراة ريال مدريد وديبورتيفا مينيرا

كان كل من فيدي فالفيردي وإدوارد كامافينجا قد سجلا هدفين لصالح ريال مدريد، الأول والثاني، في الدقيقة 5 و13 من الشوط نفسه.

After a difficult start, Leeds United have finally found their feet under Daniel Farke, and now look on course to challenge for a place at the top of the Championship. Much of the credit for their turnaround deserves to go to the recruitment team, with Joel Piroe's arrival particularly strengthening the Yorkshire side in the final third this season.

That same team could be at the centre of things once more come January, too, when they'll look to find the players capable of making a difference for Leeds in the final stages of the campaign. And that could include the addition of one particular goalkeeper who is a man in demand.

What's the latest Leeds United transfer news?

In total, the Whites welcomed nine reinforcements during the summer transfer window, with Leeds' summer spending reaching around the £36m mark. Proving their ability to spend, the winter transfer window may open the door for further reinforcements for the 49ers Enterprises and Farke at Elland Road.

Player

Price

Joel Piroe

€14m

Ethan Ampadu

€8m

Ilia Gruev

€6.5m

Glen Kamara

€6m

Djed Spence

€1m loan fee

Karl Darlow

€400k

Sam Byram

Free

Jaidon Anthony

Loan

Joe Rodon

Loan

One position that Farke could strengthen is the goalkeeper role, with the latest Noel Tornqvist transfer news reporting that Leeds are interested in the shot-stopper. According to Fotbollskanalen, via Leeds Live, officials of the Yorkshire club actually sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old goalkeeper in action for Mjallby AIF prior to the international break. Mjallby AIF sporting director Hasse Larsson confirmed that scouts were there to watch Tornqvist, saying, via Leeds Live:

"That’s right. There were two more clubs, two Dutch clubs, who were also there to watch. There is an interest, absolutely. We’ll see what happens, we haven’t received anything concrete. We have only received requests.

“I think we have a contract for four more years. It is difficult to answer [of retaining him beyond January], but we are happy to keep him for a while longer. Then we’ll see, it depends on what comes. It’s fairly broad. There were four clubs that looked at him and there have been clubs that looked at him before.”

Who is Noel Tornqvist?

A left-footed goalkeeper, Tornqvist played an important role for Mjallby AIF last season, starting 23 of his side's 25 Allsvenskan games. Tornqvist's clean sheets were also impressive, with the 21-year-old keeping an impressive total of 11 throughout the season in all competitions. With that said, he could provide current Leeds number one Illan Meslier with plenty of competition, perhaps even taking the starting role from the Frenchman, should he end up leaving in the future.

Mjallby coach Anders Torstensson has previously been full of praise for his goalkeeper, saying:

“It was a question mark we had before the season. We know that Noel is a good goalkeeper. Then it’s about defending the shirt as the first-choice goalkeeper. He made a mistake against Varberg and also had back problems in that game, but I think he responded in a fantastic way.”

When the January transfer window swings open, the Whites may well be a club to keep an eye on, with their interest in Tornqvist potentially taking centre stage.

When MS Dhoni’s India arrived at Southampton in 2014, the visitors’ dressing room was brimming with confidence and belief. India were leading 1-0 in the five-match Test series going into the third match. The lead had come at Lord’s in the second Test, a memorable result for India: Ajinkya Rahane cracked a century; Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma grabbed career-best figures in an innings; and Lord’s was entranced by Ravindra Jadeja’s cavalier half-century, which he celebrated with a sword dance.England captain Alastair Cook’s career was on the line when he went to toss at the Ageas Bowl. Early on he edged Pankaj Singh. Unfortunately for India, Jadeja spilled an easy catch in the slips. The story after that is well known: Cook scored a gritty 95, England won that Test and the next two. India were wounded.Four years on, India have returned to Southampton. Although Joe Root’s England lead the series 2-1, Virat Kohli’s India feel they have the momentum after a crushing victory at Trent Bridge achieved with a collective effort similar to that Lord’s win in 2014. And Kohli believes India hold the edge with two Tests to go.That belief comes from the way India have adapted and learned from situations. At Edgbaston and Lord’s all the batsmen, barring Kohli, failed to show any application to survive the conditions and England’s bowling plans. Their slip fielders frustrated the fast bowlers by spilling catches.But at Trent Bridge the openers wiped the sheen off the Dukes ball, the partnerships prospered, the fast bowlers dominated, the debutant wicketkeeper and the slips held onto the catches nicely and the captain continued with his good form with the bat. India entered Nottingham with a series defeat a realistic possibility. They left Nottingham with a series-levelling victory in Southampton a realistic possibility.Kohli picked out the one crucial difference between the India side of 2014 and now is how the players have seized the situation in a match.”Last time around I can’t really pinpoint as to what we did wrong or maybe England played much better than us,” he said. “We probably didn’t have the experience to capitalise on the lead is how I see things four years down the line. Right now we understand that we are in a very exciting position to have gained momentum at the right time in the series, and to have played like that when 2-0 down when everyone thought that it is going to be a clean sweep or we are going to be rolled over. But we understood how we are playing and how we have been playing for the last few months and it was just about capitalising on the big moments during the Test match.”The other significant difference between the two India teams is the current fast bowling attack. Ishant Sharma has bowled and behaved as the captain of the attack. Mohammed Shami has built the pressure with high pace and fuller lengths. Jasprit Bumrah, in his first match of the series, created angles that bamboozled England. Hardik Pandya, too, stepped up his pace and displayed his bowling smartness, wrapping up England’s middle order in a spell of 29 balls in the first innings at Trent Bridge. India’s fast men now have a grip over the England batsmen.”They’ve been bowling well as a unit which is the most exciting thing for me as a captain and for the whole team,” Kohli said. “Be it a spell or bowling in a partnership, we feel happy when we are at the ground, at slips or even outside. It gives us happiness when we see our bowlers rushing the opposite batsmen. The game remains in balance and doesn’t shift completely to one side. We don’t think we are at a disadvantage when it comes to pace bowling. We think we are equal to any team in the world and if we play well, we can win anywhere.”Despite the self-confidence Kohli was well aware that India still can lose the series if they let their focus slip so they cannot afford to sit back now. “As cricketers we understand when the Test match goes away from you and we spoke about recognising that and making sure that we are relentless and ruthless in terms of capitalising on those important moments which we did in Nottingham.”But also to understand that we will have to do that two more times for us to achieve the goal that we want to. And not be satisfied with one victory, because if Nottingham was hard work this is going to be even harder. England would want to come back strongly. We understand that and we will have to be even better with what we did in Nottingham to be able to get results our way.”

The Committee of Administrators has ruled that the BCCI can press criminal charges against players found to be indulging in age fraud

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2018

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has ruled that players submitting false and tampered-with birth certificates as part of the age-verification processes for BCCI tournaments will now be banned for two years and could also face criminal action from the BCCI.At a meeting in Delhi in May, the CoA deliberated on the existing penalties for such an offence and decided that with a due mechanism to identify such fraud, the ban period should be doubled from the existing one-year period. Age-fudging is a prominent feature in India’s domestic system, particularly in age-group cricket, where parents and even coaches encourage the practice despite the risks of being found out. The loss of two years of top-level cricket, along with the danger of legal charges, the CoA hopes, will serve as a deterrent to any such attempts by players.Under the Indian legal system, it is a criminal offence to provide false birth certificates. The BCCI has now decided to adopt the same penalty wherever applicable. “Players who are found [after a proper enquiry] to have submitted false/tampered birth certificates will be banned from all BCCI tournaments for two seasons,” the CoA said as per the minutes of the May 18 meeting. “BCCI may also initiate criminal action against the concerned player and/or any other person responsible for submitting false/tampered birth certificates.”The decision comes almost three years after the current coach of the India Under-19s and A teams, Rahul Dravid, had called for a regulation at the state and academy levels to stop the “scourge of overage players” in his MAK Pataudi lecture, adding that age-fudging was just as bad as fixing.”The truth is that the player who has faked his age might make it at the junior level not necessarily because he is better or more talented, but because he is stronger and bigger. We all know how much of a difference a couple of years can make at that age. That incident will have another ripple effect: an honest player, deprived of his place by an overage player, is disillusioned. We run the risk of losing him forever,” Dravid had said during the lecture.At the time, bone-density tests were the only measure of determining a player’s age. A centralised database of birth certificates, Dravid had said, would be the way to tackle the issue.

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor lands a new contract thanks to an impressive season that has put the club in the WSL title race.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Taylor signs new Manchester City contract
• Deal to run until summer 2027
• Team competing for 2023-24 treble

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City have announced that Taylor has signed a new contract, with his previous deal due to expire at the end of this season. He will now be in charge until the summer of 2027.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Taylor came under presure last season when City, having experienced major player turnover in the summer of 2022, finished outside the WSL top three for the first time since their debut top-flight season in 2014. But he was handed a new one-year deal to cover 2023-24 and that patience from the club has been proven right, with City only being kept off the top of the WSL table with just seven games left by Chelsea's marginally superior goal difference. Overall, Taylor's team have won their last 12 successive games in all competitions.

• WHAT TAYLOR SAID

  Speaking to , Taylor said: "I'm very happy to be able to commit to City for another three seasons. I think what we're doing here and trying to achieve is a build and a long-term project of sustainability and success. Our ambition was always to be right at the top and we’ve done that. It's taken a lot of hard work from a lot of people behind-the-scenes. The players have really bought in to what we're trying to do and achieve."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Taylor was a journeyman striker during his playing career that lasted 20 years from 1991 until 2011. As well as turning out for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Wrexham during that run, he also spent three years at City and appeared as a substitute during the club's iconic 1999 Division Two play-off final victory over Gillingham at Wembley.

تحدث أحمد سليمان، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، عن ملف محمود بنتايج، الظهير الأيسر للفريق الذي أنذر النادي بفسخ التعاقد بسبب مستحقاته المتأخرة.

وكانت الفترة الأخيرة شهدت حديث عن دور سليمان في حل الأزمة خاصة بعد خطوبة اللاعب وابنة عضو مجلس الإداراة.

وقال سليمان عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “مهم أن نفصل الأمور الشخصية عن النادي، فالقصة أنه إنسان مؤدب ومثقف ومحترم ومتعلم، ولم أجد تلك الأخلاق في كثير من الشباب”.

طالع.. بعد أرض أكتوبر.. الزمالك يواجه صدمة جديدة بشأن مصيف مرسى مطروح

وأضاف: “لست مسئولًا عن ملفه مع نادي الزمالك، هناك نظام في النادي ومشرفون وإدارة كرة، وهذا شيء جيد وتم توضيحه من قبل، حاليًا أصحاب القرار باتوا محدودين، وفي وقت سابق كانت الأمور مفتوحة”.

وتابع: “يعيب جون إدوارد عدم حديثه، ولابد كل فترة أن يوضح، ولابد أن يظهر للتوضيح للناس، صحيح أن المال مهم، لكن في الفترة الأولى عملنا حسب الإمكانيات، وتعاقدنا مع عبد الله السعيد وأحمد حمدي وبنتايج وناصر ماهر ومحمد شحاتة”.

وأتم: “المشكلة أن الطموح كان كبيرًا وتم التعاقد مع عدد من اللاعبين بأموال كثيرة، بعدها حدثت أزمة الأرض فأصبح هناك عجز مالي”.

Leeds United have now shown they can compete with the big boys in the Premier League, but can they pick up results against the sides nearer to them in the overall division?

Up next for Daniel Farke’s reinvigorated Whites, after facing off against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool in quickfire succession, is Brentford away, who are only four points better off than the West Yorkshire outfit, sat in 14th spot.

After that, more tough ties flood the calendar for the relegation-threatened side against Crystal Palace and Sunderland, before Arne Slot’s Reds do battle with Farke’s men back at Anfield to see in the New Year.

It will be more obvious by that point in time whether Leeds can go the distance in their survival aims, as plenty of new signings also begin to be linked with a switch to Elland Road, in preparation for the bumper January transfer window swinging open.

Leeds transfer latest

The Premier League newcomers have splashed the cash in January before, having once splurged a club-record £35.5m on Georginio Rutter back in 2022.

The same over-the-top spending is unlikely to be on the menu this time around, but Farke and Co. have been linked with a move for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, who continues to impress in Scotland.

Barcelona’s Roony Bardhji has also reportedly caught the eye, but the most tantalising rumour of them all now has them linked with Chelsea reserve talent Tyrique George, according to a fresh report from TEAMTalk.

Sources have allegedly revealed to the site that George is adamant about a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge, amid concerns about his lack of first-team opportunities.

That has generated interest in his services from the likes of Fulham, Everton and Leeds, with the Whites said to be monitoring the exciting Englishman, as they seek out depth in the attacking areas this January.

With goals such as this one put away in the Champions League earlier in the season, George should be able to come into Farke’s camp and stamp his authority, as another discarded Chelsea youngster potentially comes into his own at Elland Road, much like Ethan Ampadu.

Why George can be the next Ampadu

Ampadu would only go on to make 12 unmemorable senior appearances for the Blues before moving on from West London.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

George, at the time of writing, sits on a far heftier 36, but he will still be itching for more consistent senior minutes.

The Welshman would, ultimately, never look back after swapping Stamford Bridge for Elland Road in the summer of 2023, with Ampadu now a Championship-winning midfield star under Farke.

He even had the last laugh against his ex-employers at the start of the month, when his six duels and two tackles won, as per Sofascore, gave Leeds some much-needed grit in the 3-1 victory over Enzo Maresca’s challengers.

George will look at Ampadu’s sharp rise from reserve fodder at Chelsea to leading star at Leeds with an eagerness to follow in his footsteps, with clear bursts of quality in the Blues’ first team picture, already, standing the 19-year-old in good stead to make waves in Farke’s main team, if a move is sealed.

Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed the London-born winger “explosive” last summer when he was starting to make strides, while scout Jacek Kulig has also noted George as being “special” when chipping in with goal contributions in the FA Cup, Premier League and Conference League for Maresca’s men.

Games played

36

Minutes played

1601 mins

Goals scored

6

Assists

6

Still, despite having 12 goal contributions next to his name in the senior side in West London, George has been restricted to just four Premier League appearances so far this season, with Leeds perhaps the location that can finally hand him the minutes he longs for.

With one goal and one assist in the top-flight from just one start, George would surely be a worthy back-up option at the very least for Leeds.

But, in time, everything looks in place for George to become a dependable first-team presence under the German, with Ampadu’s patience in the reserve ranks at Chelsea, ultimately rewarded by breaking out in style at Elland Road.

Shades of Klich & Dallas: Farke's Leeds "monster" must now start every week

This Leeds star has become a key man in midfield

ByJoe Nuttall 2 days ago

Предыстория: Халява: Ubisoft бесплатно раздает лучшую часть Splinter Cell на ПК

Сегодня в честь своего 35-летия Ubisoft запустила раздачу Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. Как заметил один из пользователей Reddit, для жителей Японии компания приготовила другой подарок — бесплатную копию Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Забрать игру можно в Ubisoft Store по этой ссылке, предварительно включив VPN и выбрав Японию. Акция продлится до 25 ноября.

Напомним о свежих распродажах: в Steam обновились скидки на всю неделю, а в PS Store появились свежие предложения со скидками до 90%.

Следить за скидками на игры и халявой можно также в нашем Telegram-канале.

Обсуждаем эту новость в нашем подкасте:

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