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SACA added its voice of concern for the deteriorating human rights for Afghanistan women under the Taliban rule

Firdose Moonda12-Sep-2024The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has issued a statement in support of promoting the participation of women in cricket as South Africa’s men’s team prepares to play three ODIs against Afghanistan in the UAE.Afghanistan is the only ICC Full Member that does not have a women’s team, with significant restrictions imposed on women in the country under the Taliban government.This is the first bilateral series between the two countries and only the third time South Africa will play 50-over cricket against Afghanistan after meeting them at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. These fixtures are not part of the 2023-2027 Future Tours Programme (FTP) and have been added to the calendar as CSA seeks more competitive opportunities for its teams. SACA welcomed these additions, and said in a statement they “respect the position of CSA in this regard as the national governing body for cricket.”However, SACA, on behalf of the players, wanted to add a voice of concern for the “deteriorating human rights for women under the Taliban rule,” and reiterate their support in promoting women’s cricket everywhere.Related

• Inexperienced SA brace for Afghanistan challenge amid loud backlash

• Temba Bavuma echoes SACA's stand for women's rights in Afghanistan

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• Afghanistan women request ICC to help set up a refugee team in Australia

“World Cricketers’ Association and SACA do not condone any situation in which women’s players are excluded from competing in our sport,” Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO and WCA board member, said. “Every athlete has the right to equality of opportunity which is protected by international law and set out in the Universal Declaration of Player Rights. That means each player has the right to equality of opportunity in the pursuit of sport, free of discrimination, harassment and violence. A player’s right to pursue sport cannot be limited because of his or her gender. We urge CSA to utilise the leverage available to it through this series to highlight that these rights for Afghanistan’s women’s players must be protected and respected.”CSA is not expected to comment on the statement but as an ICC Member has been part of discussions around the Afghanistan situation. Its outgoing chair, Lawson Naidoo, was on the ICC’s Afghanistan working group. Sources have told ESPNcricnfo that the ICC continues to discuss possible solutions around the lack of a women’s team in Afghanistan, including ongoing conversations around a refugee team based in Australia. The ICC is hesitant to ban the men’s team (like it did with South Africa in 1970 in a stand against racial Apartheid). The ACB, because of the Taliban’s position on women, cannot recognise a women’s team. There are fears from various quarters that forcing the issue of a women’s team on the Taliban government would put lives at risk.The ICC continues to include Afghanistan as a Full Member in its international calendar, though some countries have refused to play against them bilaterally. Australia, in consultation with their government, have postponed two series in as many years against Afghanistan. They continue to play against Afghanistan in ICC tournaments. South Africa have only previously met Afghanistan in major events, most recently at the T20 World Cup semi-final, which South Africa won.On Monday, South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter was asked whether there was any consideration not to play against Afghanistan given the current regime. He passed the onus onto Cricket South Africa, without offering any personal opinion. “To be honest, those decisions are not for me to make. Ultimately, the heads of CSA decide whether we do or don’t play and so that’s the extent of it,” he said.South Africa will play Afghanistan in three ODIs in Sharjah from next Wednesday, before facing Ireland in two T20Is and three ODIs in Abu Dhabi.

Blackburn Rovers have now registered their interest in signing an “amazing” striker with 96 career goals and are battling rivals Hull City and QPR, according to a report.

Blackburn set sights on new striker

Blackburn narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs this season, finishing just two points behind sixth-placed Bristol City, who ultimately proved to be no match for Sheffield United, losing 6-0 against Chris Wilder’s side on aggregate.

As such, Valerien Ismael may not have to make too many changes to his squad to turn them into promotion contenders, but one area in which the manager is clearly lacking is striker, with last season’s top scorer, Yuki Ohashi, finishing with nine league goals.

Ohashi enjoyed a solid end to the campaign, picking up goals and two assists in his final six games, but it is clear the Japan international could do with some support up front, and the Rovers have now set their sights on a new striker.

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That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states Blackburn have now registered their interest in signing Swansea City striker Jerry Yates, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at fellow Championship side Derby County.

There could be fierce competition for Yates, however, with two MLS clubs keen, alongside second-tier rivals Queens Park Rangers and Hull City, who have also expressed an interest in the striker.

The forward is set to return to Swansea for pre-season, but he is unlikely to stick around for too long, with a permanent move elsewhere expected this summer, and the Rovers are set to be in the mix for his signature.

"Amazing" Yates could help fuel Blackburn's promotion push

Blackburn have remained outside the Premier League for the last 13 years, having narrowly missed out on the play-offs in three of the last four Championship seasons, and it is clear they could do with some additional attacking firepower to fuel a promotion push.

Not a single Rovers player managed to break into the top 20 Championship scorers last season, with Ismael’s side scoring just 53 league goals, which may have been costly in their pursuit of the top six.

There are some signs the signing of Yates could help fuel a promotion push next season, having been lauded for his “amazing” work-rate by former Derby manager Paul Warne last season.

The 28-year-old has been a consistent source of goals throughout his career, bagging a total of 96 across spells with the likes of Swansea, Derby and Blackpool, and the signing of the Englishman could relieve the goalscoring burden that currently rests on Ohashi.

With 21 runs to get off the final over, Karn nearly pulled off a miracle, but Knight Riders and Phil Salt held their nerve to effect a run-out off the last ball

Alagappan Muthu21-Apr-20241:50

Jaffer: ‘If Narine doesn’t get you, Salt will’

Mitchell Starc had 20 runs to defend and he nearly didn’t. In the course of six balls, he exemplified just how difficult it is to be a bowler in T20 cricket, and how he will always fly in the face of it. Having been hit for three sixes in the final over which reduced the equation down to 3 off 2, he went to his bread and butter. He went pace on. He went yorker. And he produced a wicket. Karn Sharma, who had brought this game back from the dead, was gone. As soon as the catch was taken – Starc himself diving low to his right in his followthrough – RCB knew there were no more miracles.Ramandeep Singh contrived to give them one. His throw from deep point was poor. It didn’t come in quick enough or straight enough. It left the wicketkeeper with a lot to do. Phil Salt, though, was fine with it. He was alert enough to step forward and shrink the distance the ball had to travel and then agile enough to fling his whole body at the stumps and break it before the No. 11 Lockie Ferguson could make his ground and trigger a Super Over. KKR had won, by one run, and maybe five inches.Related

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Plans made, plans fall apartRCB did beautifully to keep Sunil Narine quiet. While most teams do know not to give him any room, they went a step further, dropped all pretense and tried to bowl nothing but leg-stump yorkers. KKR’s biggest hitter this season needed eight balls to get off the mark. Salt came to his rescue though hitting 10 of the first 13 balls to the boundary and flirting with the fastest fifty of IPL 2024. He could have had it too but in going for another six – to a ball that was very hittable – he got caught at deep midwicket. Still, 48 off 14 with seven fours and three sixes is nothing to scoff at.The middle overs slowdownKarn bowled the first boundary-less over in the 10th. Cameron Green was keeping Rinku Singh quiet, their head-to-head for the first six balls yielding three dots and two singles. The Australian had used his height to great effect earlier, leaping up to catch a ball that was 8.1m off the ground and travelling fast, to dismiss Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Now, he was digging off-pace deliveries into the pitch and getting them to soar past Rinku’s bat swing. Even with Shreyas Iyer scoring his first IPL fifty since May 2022, RCB had the better of the middle overs (economy rate 8, from 12.5 in the powerplay). Ferguson, who conceded a boundary with every ball of his first over, gave up only one more after that in the next three. He also took a wicket, a skillful use of the knuckle ball which got big on Rinku and took away his power.Faf du Plessis fined for slow over rate

RCB captain Faf du Plessis was fined for his side maintaining a slow over rate against KKR. As it was his first such offence, he was penalised with a minimum over-rate fine of INR 12 lakh.

Small marginsAndre Russell had walked in during the 14th over. At the time of the 18th, he was still 11 off 13 with only one hit to the fence, and still, he was toying with the bowlers.Yash Dayal was desperate to keep the ball out of his hitting arc, which forced him to spray one too wide outside off and another too wide outside leg, which also beat the keeper and went for four. To make matters worse, he had overstepped.Dayal was only trying to do the right thing but it is so hard in this format. A nine-ball 17th over ended with Shreyas pinging the long-on boundary twice and yielding 22 runs. RCB trusted him to close the innings out but that over went for 16. Once again, he did the right things. Went wide yorker, but missed the mark and got hit. Took pace off, but Muscle Russell found a way. Recovered to string two yorkers and a bouncer that cost only three runs but the last ball was cleverly ramped for four by Ramandeep. KKR 222 for 6.Mohammed Siraj is distraught even as KKR celebrate their dramatic one-run win•BCCIJacks and Patidar step upAngry Virat Kohli made an appearance after a long time, disputing the technology that gave him out off a full toss that he was certain was over waist high. Faf du Plessis couldn’t stick around for long enough. RCB were in familiar dire straits once again when two of their least heralded players decided to shoot their shot.Will Jacks took down Starc in the final over of the powerplay, hitting him for three sixes and a four. The whole over was symptomatic of the way KKR had bowled to him, pace on and in the slot. A tall batter with a strong front foot game loves it there. So did the RCB fans who were sat down the ground or at midwicket.At the other end, Rajat Patidar found his rhythm. He has looked short of confidence ever since he was dropped by India during the Tests against England. A batter who relies on feel more than technique was struggling to get it back, until it all came back, and he was sitting pretty with a 21-ball fifty. He scored 16 off 8 off Narine, with two sixes, and 30 off 9 against Suyash Sharma, with three sixes and two fours.Russell goes slow, Starc goes fastRCB were 77% favourites at this point, needing 86 off 54 balls. Then on came Russell for his first over of the night and knocked over both of RCB’s half-centurions. For a guy who wants to look like a UFC fighter, he keeps sucker-punching people. Running in nice and hard. Properly powering through his action. That tree-trunk like shoulder whipping the ball down the pitch. But then the fingers do their magic, and all of a sudden, a batter prepping for 140kph is caught off guard with 115kph.Starc has not learned that lesson yet. He has found all his success – even here in the IPL when he was wearing the opposition’s colours – by trusting his pace and his accuracy. According to ESPNcricnfo ball-by-ball data, he has attempted a slower ball only 11 times this season. It is part of why he has given up 44 boundaries, the most by any bowler in IPL 2024. The opposition sets up for his thunderbolts, which in India, don’t always kiss the pitch and fly through. They sometimes sit up to be smacked.However, people under pressure trust what has worked for them in the past and the Starc yorker is still money. He went for it. It came out as a low full toss. Karn, who had already carved three sixes off near yorkers, set up to smash it down the ground. But this time he couldn’t get enough power on it. He could only bunt it and Starc was agile enough to dive to his right and come up with a blinder. That was the decisive play in a game full of them. Pace on for the win. Who knew.

Emilio Gay and James Sales both set new landmarks as Northamptonshire continued to dominate on day two of their Vitality County Championship clash with Middlesex at Wantage Road.First-day centurion Gay forged on to post 261 – the highest-ever individual Championship score for the county against Middlesex – while Sales, brought back into the side for this game, made his maiden first-class hundred with his father David and mum Abigail in attendance to mark the moment. The pair set a new fifth-wicket record against the Seaxes of 181 before the hosts declared on 552 for 6.For Middlesex, who conceded 620 in the first innings against Glamorgan last week, it was another case of much leather chasing, Toby-Roland-Jones their only bowler to take more than one wicket (2 for 81).There was still time in the evening session for two young debutants to make an impression, Raphael Weatherall capturing his maiden first-class wicket, while Middlesex teenager Nathan Fernandes reached an impressive half-century before stumps were drawn with the visitors 128 for 1, still 424 in arrears.As they did on the opening day, Middlesex made an early breakthrough, Roland-Jones trapping Rob Keogh, the batter risking censure by taking his time to drag himself away from the crease, shaking his head as he went, a point noted by the two umpires. However, as on day one, the wicket proved a false dawn for Middlesex as Gay and Sales embarked on their record stand.Gay timed the ball exquisitely, straight driving first Ethan Bamber, then Roland-Jones to the fence as he eclipsed Stephen Peters’ record score against Middlesex at Wantage Road, 183 set in 2010.It wasn’t long before he flicked a loose one from Tom Helm to the fine leg fence to reach his first double-hundred and take Peters’ record of the highest-ever score against Middlesex of 199 made in that same summer 14 years ago.Josh De Caires would give him a reprieve almost immediately afterwards, failing to hold onto a tough caught and bowled opportunity. In De Caires’ defence he probably saved four not to mention himself being decapitated by the blow.Sales meanwhile got underway with a four through midwicket and later took heavy toll of a De Caires over, clubbing one just beyond the grasp of mid-on before driving a better shot straight in the same over on his way to 50 from 109 balls. The hundred stand was raised by lunch as Middlesex rattled through 22 overs in the second hour’s play to rectify a previously negative over rate.Gay was granted a second life soon after the resumption when Bamber failed to hold an even tougher caught-and-bowled close to the ground and celebrated the reprieve by hoisting De Caires back over his head for the day’s first six on route to 250.The record fifth wicket stand against Middlesex of 131 between David Capel and Nigel Felton set at Lord’s in 1989 was soon eclipsed and it was a surprise when Gay’s innings was ended via a run-out.Saif Zaib sparkled briefly, striking one six out of the ground, before all eyes fell on Sales. Already having surpassed his career-best, the 21-year-old right-hander banished any thoughts of the nervous 90s with a huge six of his own before a scampered single took him to the century to a great reception from an albeit sparse crowd.The declaration came soon afterwards and while Middlesex openers Mark Stoneman and Fernandes survived a testing 35 minutes before tea, Weatherall’s golden moment came soon afterwards. The youngster, who played in the England U19 Test on this ground last September took just eight balls to find the edge of Stoneman’s bat, the tickle carrying comfortably through to McManus.That one stuck for McManus but he grassed another when Fernandes was on 24, so denying Weatherall a second victim from his opening burst.The left-hander made the most of the reprieve, to reach a 50 including seven fours, while Max Holden survived a drop at short leg on 35 to be 40 not out at the close.

Since taking the job as Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has made his fair share of dire signings.

The likes of Pablo Mari, Willian, Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira are some examples of players who either failed to live up to expectations or were just poor when they played.

However, for all the bad, Arteta has also overseen plenty of sensational signings, with Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and David Raya and perhaps the best of the lot, Declan Rice, joining the club under his stewardship.

The former West Ham United captain has been sensational for the Gunners since his club-record move in the summer of 2023, and now it would probably be fair to say one of the manager’s signings from last summer has proven to be his best since the Englishman.

How Arsenal's summer signings are getting on

So, it would be fair to say that overall, the campaign has been a mixed one for the signings made last summer, so before we get to the player in question, it’s worth going over how the others have fared, starting with the worst of the lot: Raheem Sterling.

The Kingston-born star joined the club on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day, and while he told the fans they would “see the best” of him, the complete opposite has been true so far.

For example, in 24 appearances, the former Manchester City monster has scored just a single goal, which came against League One Bolton Wanderers, and provided five assists, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement every four games.

Appearances

13

6

1

4

Minutes

352′

297′

80′

270′

Goals

0

0

0

1

Assists

2

2

0

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.15

0.33

0.00

0.50

Minutes per Goal Involvement

176′

148.5′

N/A

135′

It’s been a more positive year for fellow summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, who joined the club from Bologna for around £42m, as when he’s played, he’s looked good and has an impressive tally – for a defender – of three goals and two assists in 26 appearances so far.

However, there has been one significant problem, which is his fitness.

So far, the Roma-born international has missed a whopping 24 games for club and country thanks to three knee injuries, one muscle injury and one calf injury, allowing Myles Lewis-Skelly to come in and make the left-back position his own.

Aside from David Raya, who initially joined the club on loan in 2023, and Neto, who barely played, there was one more senior signing made in the summer, a signing that might be Arteta’s best since Rice.

Chalkboard

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

Arsenal's best signing since Rice

So, with all the other signings from last summer covered above, it should be no surprise that Mikel Merino is the addition in question.

The Spanish international joined Arsenal for around £31.6m in late August after what felt like a particularly protracted transfer saga, but things did not start out well.

In cosmically poor luck, the European champion fractured his shoulder in his first training session with the club and remained out of action until the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain on the first of October.

Unfortunately, his luck didn’t improve much over the coming months as he struggled to assert himself in the team and, as a result, found himself constantly in and out of the starting lineup, which understandably made it hard for him to establish any sort of rhythm or consistency.

However, things took a turn for the unexpected in February, as injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus left the Gunners without a recognized number nine, so after a rather paltry first 70 minutes of goalless action away to Leicester City, the Spaniard was thrown on to lead the line.

Somehow, even though he had admitted to never playing there before, the former Real Sociedad ace looked right at home, scoring a brilliant header and then slotting home another to secure the North Londoners all three points.

Since then, the 28-year-old “mentality monster,” as dubbed by podcaster Matt Kendala, has scored another four goals to add to his two assists, and following his exceptional strike against Real Madrid, it’s hard to imagine that the club are still officially without a fit centre-forward in the team.

The Pamplona-born game-changer has been hearing his song sung by the fans more and more in recent weeks, and if he keeps on producing in the way he is, Kendala’s claim that he’s “approaching cult status” will undoubtedly be proven correct.

Ultimately, while he’s not on the same level as the Englishman, it would be hard to deny that, thanks to his performances of late, Merino is unquestionably Arteta’s best signing since Rice in 2023.

He's like Saka & Yamal: Arsenal in talks to sign "world-class" £39m star

The incredible winger would bring so much experience and quality to Arsenal’s squad.

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Indian coach lauds “exceptional leader” Rohit Sharma for “giving so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys”

Yash Jha19-Nov-20235:24

Dravid: ‘We gave it everything we had’

India fell “30-40 runs short” of a good total in the final, but it wasn’t because of a safety-first approach in the middle overs – that’s the line Rahul Dravid took in the wake of his team’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup title bout in Ahmedabad.”I won’t agree that we played with fear. We had 80 runs in ten overs. We had lost wickets, and when you lose wickets you have to change your strategy,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference.Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47 had set India on their way, with the team reaching 80 at the end of the first powerplay. But they only managed four boundaries in the rest of their innings to eventually finish on 240. Dravid attributed the slowdown to the loss of wickets at regular intervals, and not a lack of intent.Related

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“We haven’t played any fearful cricket in this final. In the middle overs, they bowled really well and we had lost three wickets. So a period of consolidation was needed, and every time we thought we could get on the attack, we would lose a wicket,” he said. “If you lose wickets, you have to rebuild. We didn’t set out to play defensively.”While Australia eventually coasted to the target with seven overs to spare and six wickets in hand, Dravid reckoned the game would have played out differently had India got 30-40 more runs on a surface he believed was tougher to bat on in the afternoon.”Just felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening,” he said. “It felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping and we weren’t able to get boundaries. We were able to rotate the strike but we weren’t able to get those boundaries.”If we had got to 280-290 and they were 60 for 3 then it might have been a very different game. But 240, I think they were always one partnership away from getting there.”

“There was a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made. But that’s sport. It can happen”Rahul Dravid

Sunday’s loss extended India’s run of near-misses at global events; in the last 13 months alone, they have faced a semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup, lost the World Test Championship final, and now the ODI World Cup final.”I’ve been involved in three… and I think we haven’t played really well on the day,” Dravid said. “I thought we were a bit short in Adelaide, in the semi-final [of the T20 World Cup, against England]. We lost the first day in the World Test Championship [final]. We didn’t bowl particularly well after Australia were three down. And here we didn’t bat well enough.”There’s not one particular reason you can pin it down to. I didn’t feel at any stage going into this game that there were any nerves or the guys were intimidated by the game. I thought the energy and the mental space the boys were in leading into this particular game was spot on.”Dravid, whose two-year contract as head coach runs out this month, heaped praise on Rohit for his leadership and his batting throughout the World Cup.”I think he has been an exceptional leader, always felt he’s led this team fantastically well,” Dravid said. “He’s given so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of strategy, he’s always committed to those things.2:06

Should one of Kohli or Rahul have taken charge?

“His batting as well, I thought it was fantastic the way he set the tone for us. We knew that we wanted to play a certain way, we wanted to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket, and he was very committed to doing that. He wanted to lead by example, and I thought right throughout the tournament he was superb. Can’t speak more highly of him, as a person and a leader.”Dravid, who had made the walk towards the press-conference room even as Australia were being handed their winners’ medals, admitted that emotions were running high in the Indian dressing room.”There was a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made,” he said. “But that’s sport. That happens. It can happen. And the better team won on the day. I’m sure the sun will come up tomorrow morning.”We’ll learn from it, we’ll reflect, and we’ll move on. That’s what you do as sportsmen. You have some great highs in sport, and you have some lows in sport. And you keep moving on. You don’t stop.”

AC Milan have now submitted a £33m offer for a “fantastic” Chelsea player, having identified him as a major target, and they are confident that a deal will be done, according to a new report.

Chelsea's summer transfer plans

The Blues have developed a reputation for stockpiling talented young players, and they are showing no signs of slowing down, having completed an out-of-window double swoop for Sporting CP’s Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda.

It seems like the west Londoners have no plans to stop there, either, having already made an enquiry over a move for Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, while they are also looking at AFC Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen.

As such, in order to fund their own transfer business, Enzo Maresca’s side may be forced to cash-in on some players during the summer window, and the manager is willing to sanction the permanent departure of Aston Villa loanee Axel Disasi.

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Maresca is also ready to let Arsenal loanee Raheem Sterling leave on a permanent basis, with Juventus eyeing the 30-year-old, and he is not the only winger being targeted by one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

According to a report from Spain, AC Milan have now made a €40m (£33m) bid for Noni Madueke, having identified the 23-year-old as one of their main targets for the summer transfer window.

Milan are eyeing replacements for Rafael Leao, who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, and they believe Madueke could be the perfect candidate.

The Italian giants are confident that a deal will be done for a fee of around £33m, and the huge competition for places at Stamford Bridge could make the move more likely.

"Fantastic" Madueke enjoying impressive campaign

It would be a shame to see the former PSV Eindhoven man leave this summer, given that the current campaign has been his best to date in a Chelsea shirt, picking up seven goals and three assists in the Premier League.

Maresca has also been impressed by the attacker’s contributions going forward, despite admitting there are still plenty of things he could improve.

The Blues are blessed with a lot of attacking options, but the forward was among their most consistent players prior to his recent hamstring injury, and he has admitted striking up a good relationship with Cole Palmer.

“He is cold and I am fire, so it mixes well. He has always got the ability to play the right pass at the right time, so it’s brilliant.”

As such, Chelsea should knock back the alleged bid from AC Milan, given that it doesn’t reflect Madueke’s value to the team.

Rashid is also part of the side but is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from a back surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2024

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series in India. The 22-year-old mystery spinner wasn’t part of the national side for the T20I series in the UAE and was instead in action for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. Mujeeb’s BBL stint, though, was cut short after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revoked his No-Objection Certificate (NoC) for the remainder of the BBL.The ACB had announced on December 25 that Mujeeb, along with seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, would be sanctioned after telling the board they did not intend to sign central contracts for 2024. The three players were told they would be considered “non-eligible” for NOCs for the next two years, and that any current NOCs would be revoked.Farooqi and Naveen have since featured for Afghanistan in their most recent T20I series against the UAE after talks with the board in which they “demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again”, according to the ACB.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The T20Is in India will be Mujeeb’s first since July 2023. Mujeeb is part of a strong spin attack that includes Rashid Khan, Qais Ahmad and Noor Ahmad. Rashid, Afghanistan’s designated T20I captain, has been included in the 19-member squad, but is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from a back surgery that had also put him out of the BBL and the UAE T20I series. It is understood that he will only start bowling again in 10 days. Batter Ibrahim Zadran, who had led Afghanistan to a 2-1 series win over UAE, will captain the side in India as well. Ikram Alikhil is the back-up wicketkeeper to Rahmanullah Gurbaz.Mohammad Ishaq, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli who were all part of the squad for the T20Is in the UAE have been left out for the series in India. Rahmat Shah retains his place in the squad; he is uncapped in T20I cricket and has not played a T20 since July 2022. Gulbadin Naib and Alikhil, who were among the reserves for the UAE series, have now been promoted to the main squad.Related

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Mujeeb's BBL season cut short by Afghanistan Cricket Board

Farooqi, Naveen in Afghanistan squad after 'demonstrating strong desire to represent country'

“We are delighted to be embarking on our maiden tour to India for a three-match series,” Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, said in a statement. “India is the top-ranked side in the world and it’s very pleasing to witness AfghanAtalan competing in a three-match T20I against them. We believe that AfghanAtalan are no longer underdogs & have excelled well in the recent past and we look forward to a highly competitive series against India.”This will be Afghanistan’s first bilateral T20I series against India. The three-match series will begin in Mohali on January 11 before the teams head to Indore and Bangalore for the last two games on January 14 and January 17 respectively.This will also be the last T20I series for both India and Afghanistan before the T20 World Cup gets underway in the West Indies and the USA in June later this year.Afghanistan squadIbrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

Everything you need to know about Luuk de Jong's salary details playing for PSV

Dutch striker Luuk de Jong enjoyed a stellar first spell at PSV, playing five seasons with the club between 2014 and 2019, before moving to Sevilla in Spain.

Although his goal-scoring numbers declined, De Jong played a key role in Sevilla's Europa League triumph, proving instrumental during the campaign.

He was later loaned to Barcelona, where, despite a slow start he became a cult hero. De Jong delivered crucial, clutch goals for the Catalan side during a difficult transitional period marked by Lionel Messi's departure and the club’s participation in the Europa League.

After his loan spell ended, De Jong returned to PSV, where he has since regained his scoring form and remains a constant threat in attack.

His current contract with PSV runs until June 2025, with renewal talks currently underway, though no agreement has been finalized yet.

Under his present deal, De Jong earns a substantial salary, ranking among the top earners in the squad.

So, exactly how much does he earn?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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• Luuk de Jong's wages at PSV in numbers

  Under de Jong's current contract with PSV, the Dutch player receives a weekly salary of €38,077 and an annual salary of nearly €2 million, ranking him as the fifth-highest paid at the club.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Luuk de Jong	Dutch	€38,077	€1,980,000

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  Top earners at PSV

  Sergino Dest is the highest-paid player at PSV, followed by Rick Karsdorp, Ricardo Pepi, Tyrell Malacia, and Luuk de Jong in second, third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Sergino Dest	American	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Rick Karsdorp	Dutch	€56,731	€2,950,000
  Ricardo Pepi	American	€45,192	€2,350,000
  Tyrell Malacia	Dutch	€45,192	€2,350,000
  Luuk de Jong	Dutch	€38,077	€1,980,000

• Top earners in Eredivisie

  Jordan Henderson, formerly of Liverpool, has the highest salary in the Eredivisie. Sergino Dest from PSV is next. Daniele Rugani, an Italian player, is third, with Ajax's Brian Brobbey and Steven Berghuis in fourth and fifth.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Jordan Henderson	Ajax	€90,000	€4,680,000
  Sergino Dest	PSV	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Daniele Rugani	Ajax	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Brian Brobbey	Ajax	€57,692	€3,000,000
  Steven Berghuis	Ajax	€56,731	€2,950,000

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  Highest paid players in the world

  Eredivisie player salaries are significant but lower than those of top global footballers, with none in the highest ranks.

  The top five earners are in the Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr having the highest salary.

  Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, followed by Riyad Mahrez, previously with Manchester City and now at Al-Ahli, in third.

  Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages Euros	Annual wages Euros
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	€3,846,154	€200,000,000
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	€1,923,077	€100,000,000
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	€1,003,846	€52,200,000
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	€769,231	€40,000,000
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	€667,308	€34,700,000

Sean Dyche has revealed he was stunned when he discovered that Everton had been deducted 10 points in the 2021-22 season.

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• Dyche was shocked to discover deduction
• Had no idea it was coming
• Reveals backroom machinations

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dyche has revealed his astonishment at discovering the extent of Everton's points deduction during his time at the club. With no idea a 10-point hit was coming for breaches of financial rules, Dyche recalled receiving a phone call from director of football Kevin Thelwell, whilst out of the country, and initially thinking it was a joke.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Everton eventually had their points deduction reduced from 10 to six on appeal, and they stayed up by a total of four points. They would later be hit with another deduction of two points the following season, and the former Toffees boss has lifted the lid on his tumultuous spell at Goodison Park.

• WHAT SEAN DYCHE SAID

  Dyche told Stick to Football: "It’s no one’s exact fault, there’s a number of people, it’s not just one person’s fault. Mr. (Farhad) Moshiri took a lot of stick, but he wasn’t making every decision – there are 30 people in the offices who have jobs and he’s not running that every day.

  “Some of the people in the offices were still running the business. Me and Kevin Thelwell were trying to pull together things, using common sense, like contracts and who we’d have to sell. The brief is, I’ve got to bring money in, so whether I like him or not [a player], some of them are playing because we’ve got to try and sell them. You’re not going to get the same money for a player if they’re not playing, so you have to try and play them enough to win a game, then you have to win a game to get some money in.

  “The next season, I’m sitting in Dubai, and I get a phone call from Kevin, who asks if I’m sitting down. He goes, ‘We’ve just been deducted 10 points’. I went, ‘Ey?’ I’d never even been told anything about it. I thought, ‘What on earth is going on – where has that snowballed from the day I walked into this. How has that happened without any form of me knowing anything?’”

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Everton currently sit 13th in the Premier League table under the guidance of David Moyes. They face Southampton and Newcastle in their final two games of the season.