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Only the MCG will not be sold to capacity for the Boxing Day Test, although the current lockdowns are a reminder of the challenging situation

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2021

Cricket Australia will sell venues at 100% capacity for next season, with the exception of the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG, in the hope of bumper crowds, although the lockdowns taking place around the country have served as a reminder of the challenges of attending live sport.While cricket has time on its side ahead of the new international season, which will start with the visit of the India women’s side in September, there remains uncertainty over how the summer will play out with late changes to capacity restrictions always a possibility. Sydney, Brisbane and Perth are among the cities currently in lockdown following community outbreaks of Covid-19, which has left the winter codes scrambling to keep their competitions going amid wide-ranging border restrictions.Tickets for the public will go on sale on July 5, after being available for priority members from Wednesday. The MCG will initially have 85% of its capacity available. Crowd sizes were restricted on various levels throughout the 2020-21 season.Related

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Following the multi-format women’s series between Australia and India, Afghanistan are due to tour after the T20 World Cup for a one-off Test ahead of the men’s Ashes, which begins on December 8 in Brisbane. That is followed by the women’s Ashes from late January, while the men’s team is scheduled to face New Zealand and Sri Lanka in white-ball series through February.”We continue to work closely with venues and governments across Australia to ensure that events are held safely and greatly appreciate their support,” CA CEO Nick Hockley said. “In the event that capacities are reduced due to government restrictions associated with the pandemic, we of course guarantee fans full refunds.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo recently, Hockley had said he believed the experiences of last summer, where CA was able to play a full professional season, would stand them in good stead.”At the moment, we are hoping for the best but planning for the worst,” he said. “Planning for a continuation of [international] border closures but we are hopeful come the summer, providing there are no cases in the community, that we will be able to have freedom of movement and players will have more freedom. Equally, we now have the intellectual property and the relationships if we need to move quickly to enact contingency plans.”International teams reaching Australia would continue to have to undertake two weeks’ quarantine on arrival with the borders unlikely to open until the middle of next year, which will also prevent overseas fans from attending matches.There have been concerns expressed from the England men’s team about whether they would be able to bring families with them for the Ashes series, with the multi-format players also involved in the T20 World Cup facing four months overseas. Last season, exemptions were granted for some of the India players to have families with them.

MatériaMais Notícias

A primeira conquista da América não se esquece. E como se esquecer de Zico comandando o time do Flamengo na Libertadores, em 1981, ano do primeiro título continental do clube da Gávea? Vivendo o seu auge, o camisa 10 fez “só” quatro gols nos confrontos decisivos com o Cobreloa (CHL). Na data em que se completam 40 anos do título, o Galinho atendeu a reportagem do LANCE!, relembrou a campanha e cravou: “Foi a vitória do futebol sobre a violência”.

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-Tinha pouca televisão na época. Não tinham as 20 câmeras (de hoje), então muitas coisas aconteciam, ainda mais fora de campo. Na chegada do vestiário, com o ônibus sendo atacado. Dentro de campo, sempre tinha gente dando de valente, tentando mostrar que eram mais homens, que tinham três culhões. A gente conseguiu superar isso com o nosso futebol, com a nossa qualidade. Foi a vitória do futebol sobre a violência. Nós íamos para campo para fazer o que sabíamos fazer: jogar futebol – afirmou Zico ao L!, relembrando a campanha de 81.

Após vencer o Cobreloa no Maracanã por 2 a 1 – com dois gols de Zico -, o Flamengo foi derrota no Estádio Nacional, em Santiago, por 1 a 0, o que forçou a finalíssima em local neutro. O palco escolhido foi o Centenário de Montevidéu, que receberá a decisão entre Flamengo e Palmeiras no próximo sábado. O camisa 10, mais uma vez, brilhou: fez os dois gols da vitória por 2 a 0, e o Rubro-Negro conquistou a América em 23 de novembro de 1981.

Passados 40 anos do título da Libertadores – o primeiro do Flamengo -, Zico guarda bons sentimentos da época. As muitas conquistas vestindo o Manto foram resultado do “trabalho bem feito”, nas palavras do Galinho de Quintino, por ele e os demais companheiros que participaram daquele período do clube.

-A lembrança é do trabalho bem feito, de poder ter dado alegria ao clube de coração, ter ajudado nas conquistas. Foi o título mais importante do Flamengo até aquele momento. É gratificante entrar na história neste sentido, ainda mais sendo torcedor do Flamengo. Sou grato a Deus. Todo esforço que tive durante a minha carreira, o início no Flamengo, as dificuldades, são sempre gratificadas por essas conquistas que aconteceram, principalmente entre 1978 e 1983.

Confira outras respostas de Zico ao LANCE! sobre a Libertadores de 1981:

Qual foi a maior dificuldade daquela campanha? Assim como em 2021, houve uma troca no comando técnico da equipe em 1981…

Na troca de treinador, o Carpegiani já estava trabalhando com a gente. Era auxiliar do Dino, e já tinha noção do que o plantel oferecia, do que ele queria. Na Libertadores, a dificuldade maior era a primeira fase, pois tínhamos um adversário muito forte (o Atlético-MG). Se não fôssemos, eles seriam os campeões. A dificuldade foi passar ali. Foram dois jogaços na primeira fase. Na terceira partida, em Goiás, tiveram todos aqueles problemas, os quais não temos culpa de nada. Mas aquele foi o momento crucial da campanha. Só passava um e enfrentamos um adversário fortíssimo.

Uma geração, ou mais, nasceu e viveu neste intervalo entre as conquistas da Libertadores de 1981 e 2019. Para esse rubro-negro, que não acompanhou a campanha de 1981, como você descreveria aquela equipe em termos de futebol jogado?

Era uma seleção. O único jogador que não foi para Seleção foi o Lico, que chegou bem mais tarde no Flamengo. Os demais, todos foram, e a maioria foi titular. Naquela época, os grandes jogadores do futebol brasileiro estavam todos no Brasil.

The allrounder admits this season has been a challenge but is committed to a spell overseas

Andrew McGlashan10-Apr-2021Sean Abbott admitted that there have been days during a long season when finding the motivation to train has been difficult but after a brief break he is ready to keeping playing in order to push his case for a T20 World Cup spot.Abbott’s Australian season will come to a close over the next 10 days with two finals – the Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield – as he aims to hold all three domestic titles aloft having also been part of the Sydney Sixers side to secure the BBL then he will head to the UK for a spell with Surrey in mid-May.The state campaign is stretching further into April that it normally would due to the impact of Covid-19 on the schedule and Abbott’s season effectively began in mid-August when he travelled to England with Australia’s white-ball squad.After returning from that tour there was two weeks quarantine before he went into the Sheffield hub in Adelaide, then to Australia A duty before returning to the Test squad after a calf strain. He then slotted into the Sixers line-up before resuming duties with New South Wales following the postponement of the South Africa Test tour.Related

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Being selected in that Test squad meant he was unavailable to be part of the T20I team that went to New Zealand and it’s the carrot of the World Cup in India that has been a large driver behind taking up a deal with Surrey which will see him available for the entire T20 Blast tournament.”It’s something I certainly had a few conversations with my girlfriend about. She’s working full time and the times I am home it’s not like I get to spend all day with here,” he said. “Was something we had to talk about seriously then obviously the risks with Covid, but it’s a World Cup year.”I missed out on the trip to New Zealand having been selected in the South Africa squad and with a lot of guys playing really good cricket there’s a lot of competition for those spots for tours at the back end of the year. Weighing up the risks of going away and trying to improve and trying to challenge for those spots.”It’s another heavy workload being away for eight to ten weeks with quarantine on the back of that, it was the risk I was willing to take given the year we have ahead.”There is plenty of motivation for the last two matches of the season with a pair of titles at stake – facing Western Australia for the Marsh Cup on Sunday before defending their Sheffield Shield title against Queensland in Brisbane – but Abbott is actually grateful to have been sidelined for a couple of weeks by injury,”There’s definitely been tough days, rolling out of bed sort of trying to work out where you are and what you are up to that day,” he said. “Splitting my webbing open [against Tasmania] was almost a blessing in disguise even though I hate missing cricket games but it allowed me the chance to visit my family, spend some time with them and my girlfriend.””We’ve had to band together a lot of the time and maybe focus less on training and more on staying mentally fresh this time of the season because there is some fatigue there. But pretty fortunate with the teams I’m involved in surrounded by a great group, both the players and the coaching staff.”Whilst right now there’s been a couple of days where you don’t really want to get up and do your job, the people I’ve been around have made it a lot easier. So pretty lucky.”

يحل فريق ريال مدريد، مساء يوم السبت، ضيفًا على خصمه فريق بلد الوليد وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2024/25.

تأتي تلك المباراة في إطار منافسات الجولة الحادية والعشرين من الدوري الإسباني، على ملعب “نيوفو جوسي زورييلا”.

ويمتلك ريال مدريد في الوقت الحالي، 46 نقطة في صدارة بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وبالنسبة لـ بلد الوليد، فإنه يتذيل جدول الليجا حيث يحتل المركز العشرين والأخير، وذلك برصيد 15 نقطة فقط.

اقرأ أيضًا | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ريال مدريد وبلد الوليد اليوم في الدوري الإسباني.. والمعلق

ويفتقد ريال مدريد خدمات النجم فينيسيوس جونيور للإيقاف، بعد طرده أمام فالنسيا في وقت سابق من شهر يناير الجاري.

بينما شهدت قائمة ريال مدريد عودة أوريلين تشواميني بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي أبعدته عن مباراة سالزبورج يوم الأربعاء الماضي في دوري أبطال أوروبا. تشكيل ريال مدريد المتوقع أمام بلد الوليد في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: كورتوا.

خط الدفاع: فاسكيز، أسينسيو، روديجر، ميندي.

خط الوسط: فالفيردي، تشواميني.

خط الوسط الهجومي: جود بيلينجهام، رودريجو، كيليان مبابي.

خط الهجوم: إبراهيم دياز.

England wicketkeeper Jordan Cox could be a doubt for the start of the Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a blow to his right hand prior to the final day of their tour match against a Prime Minister’s XI.The incident occurred in the nets on Sunday morning in Queenstown, where England have been preparing for the first Test, which begins on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. Cox, primed to make his Test debut with regular keeper Jamie Smith on paternity leave for the tour, was taken to a local hospital for scans to determine the extent of the damage.Cox has once before damaged digits on his right hand too when he sustained a horrific broken finger during the Hundred in 2023. The severity of the injury means he might not assume the gloves for Essex this summer, his first for the club following a move from Kent. Cox’s stint behind the stumps on Saturday was the first time he had donned the gloves for the red-ball side since July 2023.Related

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Ollie Pope deputised in Cox’s absence, while captain Ben Stokes took to the field having chosen to sit out the first day’s play. But it was James Anderson decked out in whites, four months after his enforced retirement, that drew the most attention, drafted in as a substitute fielder after three players opted out of the match for extra time in the nets.England are not currently working with a full deck in New Zealand with Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed due to arrive in Christchurch on Monday having featured on the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which finished last week.If Cox is ruled out of the tour altogether, England are unlikely to burden Pope with more responsibility on top of his duties at No. 3, meaning reinforcements are likely. Phil Salt and Durham’s Ollie Robinson could be in line for maiden Test call-ups, fitting the bill as engaging middle-order batters. Jonny Bairstow could also be an outside shot given he has a year remaining on his central contract. But having not featured for the Test squad since earning his 100th cap at the end of the India tour at the start of the year, it is unlikely he will be recalled at this juncture.

Psychologist to travel with team to Sri Lanka as part of focus on players’ mental wellbeing

Alan Gardner01-Jan-2021

England will have to “manage” the threat of Covid-19 as well as devote extra attention to physical and mental wellbeing on their three-month tour of the subcontinent, according to Test captain Joe Root – and that includes being ready for the possibility of players testing positive.England’s last two trips overseas have been aborted, in differing circumstances, due to issues related to the coronavirus. They will take a charter flight to Sri Lanka on Saturday after the touring party all returned negative Covid-19 tests. It marks the resumption of a tour that was postponed in March, when England returned home early as the pandemic escalated worldwide, ready to fulfil a two-Test commitment that will be followed by four more Tests in India, as well as ODI and T20I series.The resumption of life in biosecure environments comes a matter of weeks after the abandonment of England’s ODI series in South Africa. In Cape Town, what Root described as a “domino effect” of positive cases among the South Africa squad, staff at the team hotel, and then England’s party – albeit they were later determined to be false positives – led to the tour being called off on player welfare grounds.Related

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However, with Covid-19 becoming a fact of life – and amid concerns over more transmissible strains of the virus emerging in both the UK and South Africa – Root said the players would continue to be flexible and adaptable while putting their trust in England’s medical staff.”It’s a really dangerous virus and wherever we will be, we will be in contact with it in some shape or form,” he said. “The reality is, look around the rest of the world, Pakistan in New Zealand, teams have had to deal with cases on tour. That might be the case for us, if so we have to manage it as best as possible.”South Africa was a very unique situation, a different set of circumstances. It will be different again [in Sri Lanka and India], we’re as best prepared as we can for it and we’re fully aware of what we’re getting ourselves into. Fingers crossed everything goes well, we look after each other, adhere to the rules, stay as safe as possible and play some really good hard Test cricket.”I don’t think it [a positive test result] will end in an automatic end of the tour. They are decisions that have to be made by the medical staff and the people entrusted in making those decisions. I don’t think it’s a player decision even though guys have the opportunity to opt out if they don’t feel safe. All we’ve got to do is make sure we follow the guidelines as best as possible, if we do that we’ll give ourselves the best chance of that not being a situation. Albeit we know the protocols if something was to happen.”As part of the ECB’s increased commitment to looking after player wellbeing, which includes plans to appoint a dedicated staff member focused on mental health, the England squad will be accompanied by a psychologist in Sri Lanka. Dr James Bickley has been brought in from Changing Minds, an organisation that aims to “enhance wellbeing and sustain high performance”. His role is distinct from that of the team’s regular sports psychologist, David Young, who is unavailable for the tour.”There’s going to be a little bit of extra support for the players in terms of a psychologist in the ground at all times, making sure there’s someone to speak to,” Root said. “Everyone is very aware that if at any stage it becomes too much they are entitled to get out and that’s an important thing to remember. As players, as well, you have a responsibility to speak up, not just use the staff but the other guys around you as well. As captain that’s a big part of my role, to make sure people are comfortable in the environment, in a position to be at the top of their game and play Test cricket to the best of their ability.”It’s important they can say if they don’t feel they’re in the right space physically or mentally to go out and represent their country. Everyone is very aware of that.”England’s selectors have already signalled that they will look to manage the workload of their multi-format players over the coming months, with Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer rested for Sri Lanka, Rory Burns on paternity leave and Jos Buttler likely to miss a portion of the India tour. With six Tests scheduled in seven-and-a-half weeks, Root said he expected rotation to be a significant factor.”You look at the amount of cricket on this coming tour and it’s unrealistic for everyone to get through the whole thing. Rotation and rest is going to be an integral part of managing this next phase of games. Not only is the mental welfare of the players really important but physically being able to get through, with so many back-to-back games in those conditions, is going to be a big ask. We are going to have to be quite flexible and adaptable in terms of selection – which is going to create opportunities for people to stand up and stake a claim at certain times through this winter. It’s very exciting and another way we can develop as a squad, in terms of strength in depth.”Despite an acknowledgement of the bigger picture, Root added that England have not yet given up on forcing their way into contention for the World Test Championship final. They are currently in fourth, trailing Australia, India and New Zealand.”We know we are not totally best placed at the moment but we have a good opportunity to win games now. All we can do is look after those performances. We almost have to play out of our skin to get into that final but if that is the case then it means we are playing extremely well. Everyone wants to be part of a massive game at Lords against one of the other best teams in the world.”

Manchester United pushed hard to sign Frenkie de Jong in 2022 and made a video montage to convince him of a move, but the Barcelona star never saw it.

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De Jong top target during Erik ten Hag's first summerUnited made montage of De Jong next to club legendsBarca midfielder was unconvinced by approach and never saw videoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Erik ten Hag's sacking from Manchester United this week has uncovered details of his two-year tenure at the club, including the efforts made to sign De Jong upon his arrival in 2022. De Jong was Ten Hag's top target in midfield and United spent the majority of the summer trying to convince the Barcelona star of a move, even going as far as having a video montage of the Dutch international mocked up next to some of their club legends in an attempt to persuade him to join, but the player never saw it, according to .

AdvertisementGetty Images/GoalTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With United not playing in the Champions League during Ten Hag's first season and Barcelona still owing him deferred wages from his contract, De Jong was reluctant to move to Old Trafford and a switch never materialised. United ended up splashing the cash on Casemiro instead but the Brazilian failed to provide the creative spark in midfield that Ten Hag was hoping to gain from De Jong's signing.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite De Jong failing to watch United's video and be convinced of a transfer, the Premier League giants have continued to target the Barcelona midfielder since their initial approach and could try their luck again in January, with the Dutchman continuing to hold out over a contract renewal with the Catalans.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD AND DE JONG?

Although Man Utd still hold an interest in De Jong, the player was largely a Ten Hag target and the Dutch coach's sacking this week could end speculation over a renewed approach. United are in talks to appoint Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's successor, although a formal announcement of the Sporting CP coach's future may be delayed for a number of weeks. De Jong, meanwhile, is continuing to focus on his fitness after returning from a long-term injury this month.

Sunderland fans won't quite know what to expect from the new Frenchman occupying the Black Cats dug-out now, with Regis Le Bris joining from Lorient to put an end to the lack of a permanent boss troubling those on Wearside.

Fresh off relegation in Ligue 1, before walking away to move to England, Le Bris will be judged solely on how he copes with the pressures of Championship football.

Yet, the Sunderland fanbase will be wanting and almost demanding a much improved season ahead, after finishing in a dire 16th spot last campaign.

That will be easier said than done, however, with the pressures of the Sunderland job post proving too much for some in recent memory, but the relative unknown entity in the Black Cats hot-seat could begin to endear himself to his new set of supporters if he was to get rid of a forgotten, injury-prone figure soon.

Dennis Cirkin's time at Sunderland

Once a promising first-team gem at the Stadium of Light, it's fair to say Dennis Cirkin's career for the Wearside outfit is now a sorry state of affairs.

The former Tottenham Hotspur youth product had an extremely productive 22/23 campaign, before becoming plagued with injuries this season just finished, with five goals managed from down the left-flank.

Since then, however, Cirkin has found himself regularly in and out of the treatment room at Sunderland, with only eight games managed in the Championship during the entirety of the 23/24 season.

That caused a whole host of issues for the struggling Black Cats consequently, with a lack of a nailed-down left-back making this a problem area for the various different managers that walked in and out of Sunderland before Les Bris' arrival.

It remains to be seen whether the injury-prone 22-year-old is in Les Bris' plans going forward, with the likes of Leo Hjelde and Aji Alese at his disposal at left-back as well, with Cirkin's excessive wage a potential factor as to why Sunderland could be prepared to offload the ex-Spurs defender soon.

Cirkin's wage at Sunderland

As per Capology, Cirkin's salary at Sunderland currently stands at a handsome £10k-per-week, meaning he earns the same amount as Anthony Patterson in-between the sticks at the Black Cats, despite Patterson being everpresent last season in the league, minus the final day.

Cirkin's hefty pay packet actually remarkably makes him a higher earner than wanted man Jobe Bellingham, who earns just £6.5k-per-week, even with the 18-year-old being fresh off a breakthrough season at the Stadium of Light.

Plenty more will be presumably expected of him under Les Bris' guidance, after picking up seven goals and a solitary assist from 47 appearances during his debut season.

1. Jack Clarke

£16.9k-per-week

2. Daniel Ballard

£15k-per-week

3. Bradley Dack (now released)

£15k-per-week

4. Patrick Roberts

£12.5k-per-week

5. Anthony Patterson

£10k-per-week

= 5. Dennis Cirkin

£10k-per-week

Sunderland have shown they won't hesitate in binning off high earners too, as seen in Bradley Dack being let go of on the club's recent retained list, who earned an excessive £15k-per-week.

Cirkin could be the next for the chop, therefore, with Sunderland hoping that another club would gamble on his services if they were to put him up for sale, hoping that he can become injury-free again and shine.

Le Bris might well see something in Cirkin this pre-season, on the contrary, and pray that he can be a star under his tenure, but the former Tottenham man's spell playing at the Stadium of Light could soon be over, especially if more unfortunate injuries come his way.

Le Bris must instantly ditch Sunderland gem who's worth more than Neil

New Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris could well be cutthroat when it comes to this midfielder.

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