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SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith “would love to have more Indian players” in their T20 league and it’s something they will continue to work on with the BCCI. So far, former India batter Dinesh Karthik is the only Indian to have played in the SA20, having turned out for Paarl Royals in the last season.The BCCI’s current policy is such that no player active in Indian cricket – international, domestic or the IPL – can participate in overseas T20 leagues, which is why Karthik participated in the SA20 only after his retirement from Indian cricket. The league has a strong Indian connect as well, with all six teams owned by IPL team owners.”Firstly, we would love to have more Indian players [in SA20],” Smith said in Mumbai on Wednesday. “I think whenever India play in South Africa, you can see the love for the Indian team. The talent is incredible. I think we will continue to work with the BCCI on these things. And I think if that ever changes with the six IPL franchises, I think we’re perfectly suited to be able to attract Indian players. Those type of contracts with Dinesh signing with Paarl Royals is always a direct deal between the franchise [and the player]. And I think, obviously, with retired players and more retired players coming, it’s a balance between attracting that retired Indian player but still keeping your league competitive. And our franchises really want to win, as you’ve experienced in IPL and in SA20. So they’re always looking for the best players who can perform consistently.”The fourth season of SA20 will go on for a month from December 26, 2025 to January 25, 2026 across six cities. Even though South Africa mostly play the traditional Boxing Day Test from December 26 in their home season, this time that day will mark the start of their marquee T20 league. Last year, they had hosted Pakistan at the time, which saw a thrilling game that South Africa clinched by two wickets to seal their WTC final spot. In 2023, India had played the Boxing Day Test – also in Centurion – which the hosts won a lot more convincingly, by an innings and 32 runs. Barring in 2022, 2012, 2008, 2005 and 2001, South Africa have played the Boxing Day Test at home regularly since the start of this century, and before that too.This time, South Africa will be in India for an all-format tour that begins with two Tests from November 14 and will culminate with the last of the five T20Is on December 19, with only a week’s gap for the SA20 to begin. As Smith pointed out, there was no Boxing Day Test agreed upon in the FTP for this year by Cricket South Africa.Dinesh Karthik became the first Indian player to appear in the SA20•SA20

“Yeah, it’s actually always been the case, though, in this cycle, that Cricket South Africa never had international cricket in this window,” Smith said. “The South African team is here [in India] until 20 December. And then SA20 is now taking place there. And then there’s the T20 World Cup here in India in February. So it was a very small window. And I don’t think South African cricket ever had a tour lined up, never mind being WTC champions. I think this goes back years in terms of the FTP cycle.”Such is the crunch in the cricket calendar that only two days after SA20 ends in Cape Town, South Africa will host West Indies for a T20I series starting from January 27 in Paarl. Soon after that the T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7 in India.Smith also lauded the recent laurels in South African cricket, especially in ICC events over the last few years. The men’s team won their first WTC, in June at Lord’s this year, and recently the women’s team made their first ODI World Cup final, finishing as the runners-up to India earlier this month. In 2024 and 2023 as well, South Africa had made the finals of the women’s T20 World Cups.Does that mean a women’s SA20 is coming soon?”In terms of women’s cricket, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort investing in grassroots with Under-19 camps and schools programmes,” Smith said. “I think Cricket South Africa is working on a domestic programme now. I think the challenge that South African cricket has is that our national women’s team is very good, but the tier below needs to be developed. So we’ll look at it probably from next season, obviously with women’s IPL and national team schedules getting busier and busier. We’ll probably look to start exhibition matches like IPL did.”CSA could take a leaf out of the BCCI’s book, who started with a Women’s T20 Challenge – like a mini women’s IPL – in 2019 with three teams. That T20 tournament was played for two more years – in 2020 and 2022 – before the BCCI launched a five-team Women’s Premier League in 2023.

Directors from USAC called for “immediate and decisive intervention not to punish, but to rebuild what has been broken”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2025

ICC/Getty Images

Directors from an embattled USA Cricket (USAC) board have called for the ICC’s immediate intervention to remove a rival group of directors, including the chair Venu Pisike, as the fallout and divide from the board’s suspension continues to deepen. They have also asked the ICC to conduct an investigation into the organisation’s “collapse.”In a statement issued on Tuesday by two current directors, Arjun Rao Gona and Kuljit Singh Nijjar, and Patricia Whittaker, who was removed by USAC last year as an independent director (she is legally contesting the termination), have also asked the ICC to conduct a forensic audit of USAC dealings and make the findings public. Gona and Nijjar are elected directors.”We call for immediate and decisive intervention not to punish, but to rebuild what has been broken,” the trio said in the statement. “This is no longer a crisis of management; it is a test of integrity and courage.” The directors’ statement follows USAC’s media release last week, where the board complained it could not “comprehend” the ICC’s decision on September 23 to suspend it.Related

USA Cricket calls ICC suspension 'one of the most difficult moments' in its history

USA cricket crisis worsens as USAC files for bankruptcy

ICC suspends USA Cricket board

Pisike chaired a USAC Board meeting on October 1, after which USAC said it was filing for bankruptcy as part of a financial restructure. That decision was taken by five directors, including Pisike, Srini Salver, David Haubert, Pintoo Shah and Anj Balusu (USAC currently has nine directors after Whittaker’s exit). Four directors at that meeting – Gona, Nijjar, Nadia Gruny and Atul Rai – exited in protest.In a statement of his own issued on Tuesday, Rai said USAC’s public statement to its members on Friday was “not authorised by the Board” while alleging it was “clearly an abuse of power and authority.”The ICC Board decided to suspend USAC, citing “repeated and continued breaches of its obligation” as a member. The ICC’s major concern will be if the cycle of events since then could affect USAC securing NGB (National Governing Body) status from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), necessary for all sports that are part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.The ICC’s Normalisation Committee drew up a six-step roadmap for that, starting with an organisational revamp of USAC where three new independent directors replace the existing Board, which would step down and pave the way for fresh elections. The ICC would simultaneously carry out a comprehensive review of the USAC constitution to bring governance and structural reforms to a body enmeshed in controversies since 2019 when it was awarded Associate status.Gona, Nijjar and Whittaker want the Normalisation Committee to take control of USAC immediately and “go beyond administrative control and conduct a full, independent investigation into the root causes of USA Cricket’s collapse, identifying every act of constitutional breach, misuse of authority, and conflict of interest.”The three have also suggested appointing five new independent directors once the USAC constitution has been amended.”Conduct a full forensic audit of all financial transactions, contracts, appointments, and legal decisions taken under the current regime, and publish the findings to the public to restore trust, confidence and transparency.”Safeguard players, competitions, and development programs during this transition, ensuring that athletes and fans do not suffer for failures of leadership.”

استبعد الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لنادي بيراميدز، 3 لاعبين من المشاركة مباراة باور ديناموز الزامبي، التي تقام بين الفريقين، اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلعب بيراميدز ضد باور ديناموز، على ملعب الأخير في زامبيا، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز وباور ديناموز اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وقرر يورتشيتش، استبعاد الدولي المغربي محمد الشيبي الظهير الأيمن، خوفا من تعرض اللاعب للإجهاد خاصة وأنه شارك في العديد من المباريات مؤخرا، وقرر إبعاده على أن يكون جاهزا لمباراتي الدوري أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية وبتروجيت في الدوري.

كما قرر الجهاز الفني استبعاد الدولي البوركيني بلاتي توريه بسبب عدم جاهزيته من آلام العضلة الخلفية، وكذلك أسامة جلال الذي يتم تأهيله من إصابة الخلفية.

بيراميدز يتواجد في المجموعة الأولي من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا بجانب أندية نهضة بركان المغربي وباور ديناموز الزامبي وريفرز النيجيري.

وكان بيراميدز فاز على فريق ريفرز النيجيري، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بالجولة الأولي من مباريات دور المجموعات على ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي.

Chelsea are making transfer plans ahead of the looming January transfer window that opens in just over one month’s time, with Enzo Maresca and co setting their sights on a Real Madrid player who wants out of the Bernabeu.

The Blues have made a respectable start to the 2025-26 season under Maresca, currently sitting third in the Premier League table with 20 points from 11 matches.

Their position represents a solid foundation for Champions League qualification, sitting just six points behind league leaders Arsenal and level on points with Tottenham and Aston Villa. However, the campaign has been significantly hampered by a mini-injury crisis that has tested the depth of Maresca’s squad to its limits.

The injury problems have been particularly concentrated in specific positions, most notably defence, and that has created selection headaches for Maresca whilst forcing him to constantly rotate his lineup.

Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong have all spent time on the sidelines at various points already this term, and some are still a way off recovering.

Roméo Lavia also returned to the treatment table yet again recently and will be out for at least a month after injuring his quadriceps (Fabrizio Romano).

The Belgian launched his water bottle in frustration after being hauled off inside eight minutes away to Qarabag in the Champions League last week, and it’s not hard to see why considering the sheer amount of games he’s already been forced to sit out.

Taking their plethora of absentees from this campaign into account, Maresca has done fairly well to steer them towards a top three place, but reports suggest that he’s still not satisfied with the overall Chelsea squad despite being backed with a near-£300 million warchest last summer.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

20.

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£202.5m

+£65.8m

19.

Brighton

£67.7m

£127.5m

+£59.8m

18.

Brentford

£92.8m

£152m

+£59.2m

17.

Wolves

£105.6m

£126.5m

+£20.9m

16.

Chelsea

£296.5m

£314.4m

+£17.9m

According to TEAMtalk, Maresca wanted Chelsea to sign Real Madrid’s Rodrygo during the last window, and he could now have another chance to bring the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge.

Rodrygo 'on the brink' of Real Madrid exit as Chelsea 'push' for January deal

According to their information, after growing ‘frustrated’ under Xabi Alonso, Rodrygo is now ‘on the brink’ of leaving Real in the winter.

The 24-year-old has started just two La Liga matches so far this term, and with the 2026 World Cup looming, he’s growing increasingly tempted by a move to the Premier League as Chelsea and other top English sides circle.

As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are making a ‘late push’ for Rodrygo despite Man City being the overwhelming favourites for his signature, and Real have slashed his asking price by £35 million.

Once valued at around £88 million by Alonso’s side, Real president Florentino Perez is now prepared to negotiate a fee just above £53 million — which suddenly opens the door for Chelsea and other interested sides to make a move for the ex-Santos sensation.

Rodrygo, who has won La Liga three times and the Champions League twice during his time there, initially seemed out of reach, but a deal could be genuinely possible now given the player’s own frustration and dramatic drop in asking price.

The South American would bring versatility, proven quality and top pedigree to Chelsea’s youthful side.

Rodrygo bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances for Real just last season, including five strikes in the Champions League, but his £283,000-per-week wages could be a sticking point amid Chelsea’s carefully curated wage structure.

Leeds United have started the 2025/26 season better than people may have expected, given the hoodoo surrounding newly promoted sides in recent years.

Their first season back in the top flight, it was predicted that Leeds would go straight back down. ESPN’s Bill Connelly was one of those who predicted them to come 18th, despite explaining that they are “well-suited” to survive the drop.

There is still a lot of football to be played, with 31 games to go this season but Leeds find themselves on eight points, four clear of the drop. It has been a positive start to the campaign for Daniel Farke’s side.

One area they would surely want to improve is how clinical they are in front of goal.

Why Leeds are struggling in the final third

To win football matches, you need to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. That is something that Leeds were good at under Farke last season, bagging 95 times, more than any other Championship team.

It was always going to be tough to replicate in the top flight, but the West Yorkshire outfit have perhaps left a little to be desired in front of goal.

As per Understat, they have found the back of the net seven times this season, but have underachieved on their expected goals tally.

Farke’s side have notched up a total of 8.03 xG so far, and whilst it is not a huge difference, they will be hoping that doesn’t increase as the season goes on. Indeed, he will want more from his strikers, in particular Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Leeds’ summer signing has scored once for his new club. The 28-year-old bagged against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 3-1 win at Molineux, but has failed to bag in any of his other four appearances.

After their last game against Tottenham Hotspur, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth said his “finishing was missing again.”

So, it might be the case that Farke decides to shake things up ahead of their next game against Burnley on Saturday.

Leeds' Calvert-Lewin alternative

Of course, former Everton number nine Calvert-Lewin was not the only centre-forward who moved to Elland Road this summer. They also added Lukas Nmecha to their squad on a free, with the two strikers joining existing forward Joel Piroe in the ranks.

However, Farke might choose to shuffle the pack around and start Noah Okafor up front. The “versatile” forward, as football scout Jacek Kulig called him, has played as a left-winger to great success this term, but is a more than capable striker.

Despite being just six games into his Leeds career, the Switzerland international has already bagged twice, at an average of a goal every 154 Premier League minutes.

Just like Calvert-Lewin, he netted at Molineux and also got Leeds’ goal in their 2-1 home loss to Spurs last time out.

Playing as a number nine would not be a strange concept to the former AC Milan star. Okafor has played that role a great deal in his career, with Transfermarkt showcasing that he’s featured as a centre-forward on 79 different occasions, scoring 26 goals and assisting 16.

It is interesting to compare Okafor and Calvert-Lewin’s key underlying numbers from this season. The Swiss star comes out on top in several metrics, including the average number of goals per shot on target.

The Leeds number 19 averages one per 90 minutes, with the former Everton striker just 0.14, showing far better efficiency in Okafor’s favour.

Goals

0.59

0.25

Goals per shot on target

1

0.14

Expected goals

0.35xG

0.35xG

Goals minus expected goals

0.24

-0.10

Goal-creating actions

0.3

0.25

There is a strong case to be made for Okafor starting at Leeds’ number nine during their next game. He’s got a good goal record and strong underlying numbers from the left wing this season, so Farke might well decide to test him out up front.

It would be a bold call, but one that could really pay dividends for the Whites as they look to become more efficient in front of goal.

Not just Meslier: Leeds star who was "so important" is now on borrowed time

This Leeds United ace could now find he’s on borrowed time under Daniel Farke.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 12, 2025

MINY stretched the game out with quick wickets in the middle overs but Chapman took Freedom home with his unbeaten 45

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2025An exhibition of exhilarating powerplay hitting was followed by a long stutter, but the good work done by Mitchell Owen up top was enough to carry Washington Freedom through to victory over MI New York in their MLC 2025 game in Dallas on Saturday.Chasing 189 for their third win, Freedom ended the powerplay on 74 for 2. Owen had hit 48 of those from 21 balls, with four fours and four sixes, young medium-pacer Rushil Ugarkar the worst hit, conceding 22 in the second over of the innings, when Owen hit three sixes.But Owen fell in the eighth over, Freedom having lost Rachin Ravindra and Andries Gous already by that stage. Worse for Freedom was that Mark Chapman just didn’t seem to be able to get a move on, and his 41-run stand with Jack Edwards for the fourth wicket took 5.5 overs. But, importantly for Freedom, Chapman didn’t throw his wicket away even as wickets fell in a rush at the other end, Sunny Patel and Naveen-ul-Haq doing most of the damage.Then the death overs started, and overs 17 and 18 combined for 3 for 2 – Trent Boult conceded just one run, picked up one wicket, and looked like he would get a wicket with each of the other deliveries in the 18th.Unfortunately for MINY, they had been forced to bowl out all their premier bowlers, and had to turn to Ugarkar for the 19th, and that was the release Freedom and Chapman needed to finish the job in the last over, bowled by Kieron Pollard.Sunny Patel got wickets in back-to-back overs to trigger a collapse•Sportzpics for MLCAfter they were asked to bat, MINY rode on Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel’s big hitting to get to an imposing 70 in the powerplay. The turnaround began off the first ball after the phase, Owen the man doing it with the ball on this occasion, though the full delivery on the pads didn’t deserve a wicket, perhaps. Another day, Monank would have flicked it for six. Here, he sent it to Mark Adair at deep fine leg.With all the firepower MINY have in their ranks, 70 for 1 in 6.1 overs shouldn’t have been much of a bother, but Nicholas Pooran hasn’t been the Nicholas Pooran we know. After a blazing start to the IPL, his form had tapered off, and he hadn’t gotten into double-digits at MLC 2025 before this game. He did here, but his 33 took 30 balls, slowing the innings down, and MINY also lost de Kock for a 34-ball 55 in that period, compounding their woes.It was only Michael Bracewell’s 24-ball 42 not out, studded with five fours and six – one of only four in the entire innings – that gave them a total to bowl with. It almost proved enough.As a comparison, Freedom scored 74 and 95 in the powerplay and middle overs, respectively, much more than MINY’s 70 and 78 in their innings. It’s not like MINY really stepped it up at the death, scoring just 40 more, but Freedom had lost five wickets by the time the death overs started, and two more within eight balls of the death phase for the addition of just three more runs. It almost cost them two points but, thanks to Owen and Chapman, they squeaked through.The win took Freedom to six points from four matches, the same as Texas Super Kings, but Freedom are third on the table because of an inferior net run-rate to Super Kings. MINY, meanwhile, are fourth with one win from four games.

كشف الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي مدرب منتخب البرازيل عن كلماته للبرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور مهاجم ريال مدريد، بشأن واقعة الكلاسيكو مع المدير الفني تشابي ألونسو، ورد الأخير على ذلك.

واستبدل تشابي لاعبه فينيسيوس خلال مباراة ريال مدريد وبرشلونة بكلاسيكو الدوري الإسباني، قبل 20 دقيقة من نهاية اللقاء، وانفعل البرازيلي على مدربه.

وتحدث أنشيلوتي خلال مؤتمر صحفي اليوم، ونشرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية تصريحاته، والتي أعقبت إعلانه عن قائمة منتخب البرازيل للمواجهات الودية أمام السنغال وتونس بفترة التوقف الدولي لنوفمبر الجاري.

وقال أنشيلوتي: “لدينا علاقة جيدة جدًا مع فينيسيوس، كما هو الحال مع جميع اللاعبين، عندما يحدث أمر ما، نُبقي بعضنا البعض على اطلاع ونطلب النصيحة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشابي ألونسو: غيرت تاريخ ليفربول في لحظة.. وقصة أرنولد تختلف عني

وأضاف: “تحدثنا مع فينيسيوس عن رد فعله، أخبرته برأيي، أنه أخطأ، وقد تفهم الخطأ وأعتقد أنه اعتذر، تم حل المسألة”.

وأكد: “فينيسيوس لاعبٌ مهمٌّ للغاية بالنسبة لنا، لاعب قادر على الإسهام بشكلٍ كبير، ونحن نُقدّره كثيرًا، لا أعتقد أن هناك أي مشكلةٍ هنا، لا مع ناديه ولا مع مُدربه، أما بالنسبة لحياته الشخصية، أنا لست والده أو شقيقه، أريد فقط أن أكون مدربه، حياته الشخصية هي شأنه الخاص”.

وحول كلمات أنشيلوتي عن فينيسيوس، رد تشابي في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “بالنسبة لي، كان من المهم أن نتحدث عن الأمر يوم الجمعة، وقد حُسم الأمر، هذه الأمور واردة، ولا نريد أن تتكرر، لقد حُسم الأمر”.

Harry Kane says he is not thinking about a possible return to Tottenham next summer amid reports the north London club are keen to bring him back from Bayern Munich. The England captain left in 2023 and has since hit new heights on the pitch, bagging 21 goals in all competitions already this season.

Kane in the form of his life at Bayern

Having established himself as a Premier League and Tottenham legend, it was inevitable that during his time as a Bayern Munich player, he was going to be continuously subjected to rumours of a return. The 32-year-old does have unfinished business back in England, where he failed to win silverware at his boyhood club and left short of Alan Shearer's goalscoring record in the division. But having moved to one of Europe's giants, Kane will surely find it difficult to depart his current side, where he is leading the charge towards consecutive Bundesliga titles.

So far this term, Kane is scoring at a rate only matched by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in previous years. He already has 18 goals for Bayern across all competitions, alongside three for England. He is averaging a goal or assist every 39 minutes so far – an achievement he will do well to maintain for the remaining months of the season. 

Having lifted the first major silverware of his career last year under Vincent Kompany, the England skipper remains adamant he wants to earn more medals, and can think of no better club to do it at than the current German champions.

AdvertisementGetty Images'They will always be part of my life'

Kane spent the majority of his career at Spurs. He came through the academy, broke into the team under Tim Sherwood, before really kicking on under Mauricio Pochettino. He played in multiple finals with the club he once called home, but never managed to overcome the biggest hurdle of winning a major trophy in England. Despite that, Tottenham are believed to have a buy-back clause in Kane's contract, which is rumoured to become active from January 2026. They may have that option, but the decision will ultimately lie with the player, and as it stands, Bayern remains his priority.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Kane said: "I’m not sure (if I’ll go back), I’m very happy here in Munich. It’s not something I'm thinking about. It’ll always be "we" (with Spurs) because I spent my whole life there. I’m a fan of them and will always watch them and see how they’re getting on. They will always be a part of my life for sure but as for now, I’m loving it here.

"It was great to see (them win a trophy this year). I’ve got a lot of friends there with the players and staff.

"We know how long we waited and how close we’d come in the past so it was big for everyone – the fans, the club and all involved to have that feeling and get that one over the line. That’s always important and hopefully they can push on and win more."

Thriving on the biggest stage

A player of Kane's quality should always be competing in the Champions League, and that in itself presents a stumbling block for Spurs. With competition for the four European places so rife in the Premier League, failure to qualify for next year's competition would surely close the door on Kane returning immediately. The 110-cap international always speaks very passionately about winning Europe's biggest prize, that mindset has not changed.

He added: "Bayern are known around Europe every year as one of the best and one of the favourites to win the Champions League. I wanted to test myself at that level and I’ve loved it on and off the pitch. It feels like my second home now. I’m enjoying every moment of it and hopefully it continues.

"We’ve got a great chance for all the trophies this year. Whenever you start a season with Bayern, you’re favourites. We haven’t had great cup runs since I’ve been here so we want to try and put that right.

"Then in the Champions League, it’s still early stages but ultimately it’s about trying to win the competition. And going into the World Cup, you want to be at your best."

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GettyAn eventual homecoming for England's finest?

It is not surprising to hear Kane constantly repeat himself about his desire to succeed with Bayern. But there will come a moment when he has to make a decision. Should he win the Champions League this season, alongside another Bundesliga title, it would be a fitting way to end his time in Germany. Below all the current desires, Kane may still have a strong desire to make things right with Spurs, and return for one final attempt at lifting silverware with them. 

If that wish does become a reality, Kane would need to bag just 48 goals to become the outright top goalscorer in the Premier League. That achievement in itself may be enough to lure him back to the city he grew up in, although there could be competition from other English sides to sign the most in-form player in Europe right now.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras se prepara para mais uma partida decisiva na temporada. Desta vez o objetivo do time é passar para a semifinal da Copa do Brasil, mas a missão não será fácil, pois precisará reverter um resultado diante de um de seus maiores rivais: o São Paulo. Além disso, para o jogo desta quinta-feira (13), Abel Ferreira não poderá contar com Artur, que não pode atuar pela competição nacional. E agora? Quem vai substituir o atacante palmeirense?

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+ Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui

Artur não pode atuar pelo Verdão no torneio, pois já defendeu o Bragantino em fases anteriores. Dessa forma, é desfalque certo para a comissão técnica até o término da participação alviverde. Como se trata de um titular que encaixou perfeitamente na equipe de Abel, sua substituição passa a não ser algo tão simples, principalmente em uma partida decisiva.

+ Torcedor do Palmeiras, ajude a escolher o nome da área dedicada ao seu time no Lance! 

No jogo de ida, quando também teve o desfalque de Zé Rafael e de Rony, o treinador português optou pela mudança de esquema, escalando três zagueiros. Ríos jogou no meio no lugar de Zé, Endrick entrou na vaga que seria do Rústico e Murilo substituiu Artur.

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Contra o Fortaleza, nas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil, a opção de Abel Ferreira foi por Bruno Tabata, um meia que vinha sendo usado mais pelo lado do campo. O desempenho não foi dos melhores, mas o Palmeiras venceu em casa por 3 a 0 e perdeu fora por 1 a 0, garantindo a vaga pelo placar agregado. O jogador foi emprestado ao Qatar SC por um ano e está mais à disposição da comissão técnica.

Diante do Tombense, pela partida de ida da terceira fase, Dudu e Endrick chegaram a ocupar a faixa de campo que seria de Artur. Já na volta, Abel optou por um time reserva com Giovani pelo lado direito do ataque. O jovem é outro que deixou o clube recentemente rumo ao Al Sadd-QAT. Ou seja, duas peças usadas na função que não estão mais disponíveis.

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+ Zé Rafael treina, e Palmeiras inicia preparação para a decisão pela Copa do Brasil

Se não mudar o esquema, seja colocando mais um zagueiro, seja colocando mais um meio-campista, difícil imaginar quem seria o escolhido por Abel Ferreira. Com Endrick centralizado, Rony talvez fosse deslocado para a esquerda e Dudu para a direita. Com Breno Lopes pela esquerda, Dudu também poderia cair pela direita e Rony ficaria no meio. Já com Luis Guilherme a formação se manteria, mas a característica seria diferente.

De qualquer forma, Abel terá mais três treinos para definir o esquema com o qual tentará reverter a vantagem que o São Paulo conquistou no Morumbi. Nesta quinta (13), às 20h, no Allianz Parque, o Palmeiras precisa vencer por 1 a 0 para levar a decisão para os pênaltis, ou por dois ou mais gols para definir a classificação no tempo normal.

Simmons’ extension was one of several topics discussed during a board meeting in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam03-Mar-2025

Bangladesh exited the Champions Trophy without a single win•ICC via Getty Images

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BCB director, wants Phil Simmons to continue in his role as Bangladesh head coach till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Fahim said the board would have official discussions with Simmons soon, and is hoping to get him for the role on a long-term basis.The contract extension was one of several topics discussed during a board meeting in Dhaka on Monday.Simmons was appointed in October last year on an interim role. During his four-month stint, Bangladesh won just one series, a 3-0 win against West Indies in T20Is. The team made an early exit from the Champions Trophy, too, after losing to India and New Zealand. Their last game, against Pakistan, was washed out.Related

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Despite that, Simmons has won the approval of both the BCB president Faruque Ahmed and director Fahim, the two most influential figures in the current board.”The contracts of our head coach and senior assistant coach was till mid-March,” Fahim said. “We are satisfied with them, so we will get in touch with them for renegotiation. If we can’t get into an understanding with them, we have to think about other options. We are hopeful of reaching a mutual understanding with them. We are thinking of extending their contracts till the 2027 World Cup.”We will speak to him formally very soon. I have seen him from up close. I am convinced he will do well with the Bangladesh team. I have also seen the interpersonal relationships he has with the local coaches and the players. I think he will do well here.”The BCB is also set to renew the contract of senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who was also appointed on a short-term basis last November. One of the reasons that the board has felt encouraged to renew the contracts of both Simmons and Salahuddin is their willingness to work with each other. ESPNcricinfo understands that one of Simmons’ mandates was to give freedom to local coaches.In addition, the board has decided to renew the contract of spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, while also accepting Hannan Sarkar’s resignation as a selector. Fahim said that the BCB is also keen on improving the fielding in the senior team. To achieve that, the board is talking to multiple fielding coaches to join the set-up.