Borussia Dortmund are readying a move for Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is expected to leave north London this month.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Zinchenko poised to make Gunners exitDortmund monitoring Ukraine internationalBehind Lewis-Skelly in pecking orderFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Zinchenko is expected to leave the Gunners this month and Dortmund have placed him at the top of their shortlist, the reports. The Bundesliga giants are keen to sign a left-back this month and had been interested in Chelsea's Renato Veiga, but he is instead set to move to Juventus on loan.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Zinchenko has fallen behind Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order and has been limited to just two Premier League starts. Lewis-Skelly has sustained an injury, however, and Arsenal may wait to see the results of a scan before signing off on Zinchenko's exit.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lewis-Skelly's potential absence is softened by the fact that Arteta also has Riccardo Calafiori as an option, so Zinchenko is still expected to move this month. The Gunners paid £30 million ($37m) to sign him from Manchester City but are unlikely to receive a similar fee. The Ukraine star's contract expires in 2026.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Arsenal play Wolves on Saturday in the Premier League and then face Girona in the Champions League.
A national newspaper has lifted the lid on Chelsea’s multiple approaches to sign a £67 million star quite recently, with BlueCo not exactly afraid to splash the cash on major signings for new head coach Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea spent around £200m on 13 summer signings
Maresca was well and truly backed ahead of his first full season in charge at Stamford Bridge, with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali giving their green light for Chelsea to invest around £200 million on 13 new additions to the squad.
Chelsea already planning January exit for "absolute dream" summer signing
Todd Boehly, BlueCo and Behdad Eghbali will have the final say.
ByEmilio Galantini Sep 27, 2024
Joao Felix, Mike Penders, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, Estevao Willian, Filip Jorgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley, Omari Kellyman, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho all agreed moves to Chelsea before deadline day on August 30, with a couple making serious impressions already.
Sancho is off the mark with two assists in the Premier League, while Neto bagged his first Chelsea goal against Barrow in the EFL Cup earlier this week. While Felix is yet to start a game for Chelsea, he did score off the bench in his second debut for the club – which came in a 6-2 demolition of Wolves at Molineux.
Jorgensen joined the backlog of Chelsea keepers with a glowing reputation as well. The 22-year-old Dane spent the whole of 2023/2024 as Villarreal’s number one shot-stopper, and his performances did enough to impress Chelsea so much that they splashed nearly £21 million on his signing from the La Liga side.
Filip Jorgensen for Villarreal.
He put pen to paper on a long-term seven-year deal at Cobham, and Maresca suggested that Jorgensen could oust current number one Robert Sanchez if he performs better than the Spaniard in training.
“Even if you probably don’t believe me, I judge and I take the first XI depending on how they work every day,” said Maresca. “For all of them, if they are bad in training sessions and they don’t train with intensity, they are not going to play.
Brighton (home)
September 28
Nottingham Forest (home)
October 6
Liverpool (away)
October 20
Newcastle (home)
October 27
Man United (away)
November 3
“And if they don’t play Sunday in the Premier League, and think they are going to play Thursday, but if from Sunday to Thursday they don’t train well, they are not going to play in the Premier League and they are not going to play on Thursday – because Chelsea is a demanding club.
“You need to work hard, to fight until the end to get your place and give 100 per cent. If you think that I am going to give you a chance without working hard, forget about that.”
Newspaper shares multiple Chelsea approaches to sign Maignan
However, according to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea could’ve brought in an alternative.
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Indeed, £67 million AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan was on their radar in the summer, as well as Jorgensen. Chelsea actually made contact over Maignan in 2023 as well, with Corriere explaining that Chelsea wanted him this year too.
The Italian newspaper share that Chelsea made multiple enquiries over signing Maignan, before they presumably settled on Jorgensen. The 29-year-old would’ve been quite the competition for Sanchez considering his form in the last three years, but his hefty price tag was probably a bit much for yet another shot-stopper.
It happens every year. More or less. Everton started poorly in the Premier League once more in 2024/25 but stretched their unbeaten run to three matches in a drab draw against Newcastle United before the October international break.
The series pause is now upon us, and though some Toffees fans might anticipate watching Lee Carsley’s England – and whoever else they support – in action, it’s fair to say that the majority simply wish for Everton to get back in action and continue this budding resurgence.
Many a team’s momentum has been curbed by mid-season pauses, but with an ostensibly favourable run of fixtures up ahead in the English top flight, Sean Dyche will be confident that his team, 16th in the standings after seven games, can make headway.
Everton’s Forthcoming PL Fixtures
Date
Opponent
League Position
19/10/24
Ipswich Town (A)
17th
26/10/24
Fulham (H)
8th
02/11/24
Southampton (H)
19th
09/11/24
West Ham (A)
12th
23/11/24
Brentford (H)
11th
The Blue, however, will be desperate for the return of Jarrad Branthwaite, who has only made one appearance this term as he battles against a groin injury that sidelined him for the opening weeks before a recurrence pegged him back after his sole display, the turning point victory over Crystal Palace.
The importance of Jarrad Branthwaite
Last season, Branthwaite was awarded Everton’s Young Player of the Season after a titanic year in the Everton rear, blending youthful exuberance with the experienced iron of James Tarkowski.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
Hailed as “a monster” by pundit Ian Wright for his performances, Branthwaite, still only 22, was courted by teams such as Manchester United during the off-season, with the Red Devils failing after a series of bids, not meeting Everton’s £75m valuation.
There was just cause. The heavyset defender kept 13 clean sheets across 35 matches in his first full year in the Premier League, also winning an extraordinary 68% of his total duels contested, as per Sofascore, averaging 5.3 per game.
It’s clear that he’s been missed this year, although the fact that he has barely played does count for something: Everton have a real chance of rising to new heights upon his return, which should be imminent – a positive to take from this wretched international break.
Everton have had to make do with Michael Keane, who has long been tagged with negativity, but rightly so, he’s not good enough.
Michael Keane's season in numbers
Keane has entered his eighth campaign on Merseyside, having joined from Burnley for a club-record-equalling fee of £30m in 2017 under the management of Ronald Koeman. The centre-half’s efforts in Lancashire had earned him acclaim, earning a Three Lions call-up to boot.
He’s now completed 224 appearances in all competitions for Everton, scoring 14 goals and adding ten assists, but has fallen down the pecking order over the past several seasons, playing 14 Premier League matches from the outset across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
There’s a reason for this. He’d been noted to be “always struggling”, according to talkSPORT’s Perry Groves, and has continually been culpable for porous performances, lacking the resilience and crispness that is required in a Dyche system, which is ironic, since he starred under the craggy-faced manager at Burnley.
This season, the 31-year-old has obviously been called upon due to the injury issues that have plagued Branthwaite, and although he kept a clean sheet against Newcastle last time out, covering for a struggling Tarkowski in several instances, it’s worth noting that he lost both of his ground duels.
Dyche employs a defence-heavy system and it’s simply not going to work out if he doesn’t get his act together. Indeed, across his six appearances, Keane has actually only won 38% of his ground duels – harking back to Branthwaite’s 68% average last year, and the polarity is stark indeed.
Everton centre-back Michael Keane looks dejected
He’s a fierce and capable competitor in the air but Keane has flattered to deceive on the ground, with FBref even recording that he ranks among the bottom 4% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles won per 90 (0.45), which affirms the contention that he is not fit for purpose in Dyche’s team any longer.
Of course, Branthwaite will supersede him instantly upon being handed the green light, but with Keane out of contract at the end of the campaign, it’s unlikely that he will be rewarded with fresh terms. All told, Everton haven’t got their money’s worth.
Michael Keane's market value in 2024/25
Keane’s once eye-catching market worth has plummeted off a proverbial cliff, with that £30m figure looking some way away at this point.
As per Football Transfers, the veteran is currently worth just £1m on today’s market, and though his imminent contract expiry will have something to do with this, he was worth merely £5m one year ago.
Contextualising this further, teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose deal runs up at the same time, is still worth £9m, emphasising the gap that has seen the centre-back’s value drop by some £29m, or, to put it another way, 97%.
That’s without even addressing the defender’s £80k-per-week salary, something that sees him take home a pay packet worth over double what Branthwaite, for example, earns.
With The Friedkin Group on the cusp of purchasing Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake in the club, some impactful changes are going to be required in 2025 – and getting rid of Keane must be one of the priorities.
Everton can unearth the next Gordon in academy star who's "a born winner"
A semifinal entre São Paulo e Palmeiras, que acontece neste sábado (22), pela Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior terá apenas torcedores do Tricolor em Barueri, onde a bola rola às 19h.
O motivo da torcida única está previsto no regulamento, que determina que clássicos entre os grandes clubes do estado seja disputado sem a presença de visitantes. O São Paulo, em razão da melhor campanha no torneio, terá direito a jogar diante de sua torcida.
Os bilhetes serão vendidos com preço de R$ 30 a R$ 40, exclusivamente na internet, através do site ingressosfpf.soudaliga.com.br.
Os dois times estão invictos, mas o Verdão empatou uma das partidas, enquanto o Tricolor venceu todas. O vencedor disputará a final no dia 25.
RelacionadasSão PauloNikão fala sobre pressão de jogar no São Paulo: ‘Eu me doo 110%, vim preparado’São Paulo20/01/2022São PauloSão Paulo encerra o décimo dia de pré-temporada com coletivo no CTSão Paulo20/01/2022São PauloNovo dono da camisa 10, Nikão fala sobre decisão de jogar no São Paulo: ‘Em poucos minutos eu resolvi’São Paulo20/01/2022
Chelsea are heading into the international break fourth in the Premier League after their disappointing 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were on a five-game win streak, which has now been put to a stop by Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.
Enzo Maresca’s side controlled proceedings, holding 67% possession, taking 22 shots, and generating 2.27 xG in the game. Noni Madueke scored his fifth goal of the season in all competitions, now making it five goals in eight games played.
The biggest negative from the game is that Chelsea defenders Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana will now miss the Liverpool game due to suspension, after both picking up yellow cards against Forest.
Marc Cucurella's start to the season
The 26-year-old defender has started every Premier League game so far this season for the Blues, and will now miss the Liverpool game, after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season already.
Often praised for his aggression on the pitch and ability to win duels, this does come with the caveat of the odd foul and poor challenge.
Against Forest, Cucurella played 90 minutes, was dribbled past twice, only won two of his six ground duels and two of his six aerial duels (losing 67% of his duels in the match), whilst also being booked. This wasn’t his best outing of the season – handed a 5/10 match rating by GOAL – and now Maresca will be forced into a change to his Premier League defensive lineup.
Luckily for Chelsea, this summer, the Blues invested in a new left-sided defender, who can play left-back, left centre-back, and even central midfield, with the signing of Renato Veiga from Basel for around £12m.
The 21-year-old could now be in line for his second Premier League start of the season.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
How Veiga compares to Cucurella
Veiga has already made eight appearances for the Blues this season, scoring one goal, providing one assist, and totalling 487 minutes played.
The Portuguese Swiss-Army knife has started all of their domestic and European cup games, as well as one Premier League game, where he started alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield.
The 21-year-old offers a much more physical frame for Chelsea in defence, Veiga standing at 6 foot 3, compared to the smaller frame of Cucurella, standing at just 5 foot 8. Now with the Spain international suspended, Veiga may well get his chance to stake his claim as the starting left-back.
Progressive Carries
2.40
0.91
Progressive Passes
6.40
2.91
Passes Attempted
71.2
57.6
Pass Completion %
88.2%
87.7%
Passes into Final Third
6.00
4.18
Tackles
3.60
1.27
Blocks
1.60
1.64
Interceptions
1.18
0.81
Aerials Won
0.80
1.27
Aerials Won %
50.0%
35.0%
Ironically, despite their height, one of the metrics Cucurella does beat out Veiga in is aerials won. However, the former Basel defender does win a higher percentage of his headers, winning 50.0% of the aerials he contests, compared to the 35.0% of Cucurella.
The Euro 2024 winner has played nearly double Veiga’s minutes, so the per 90 metrics need to be analysed with this in mind, but they do tell us the level of the Portuguese left-back, who excels in progressive metrics ahead of Cucurella, whilst still providing excellent defensive numbers; more than double the number of tackles per 90.
Veiga clearly has all the tools to be a brilliant modern-day fullback, adding height to the backline, whilst adding technical quality in possession too. Now, with Cucurella out against Liverpool, the 21-year-old will have his chance to secure the left-back spot for the future which could well mean the end for the Spaniard’s time as a regular starter.
Chelsea must rue losing "unstoppable" ace who's now worth more than Sancho
Manchester City are optimistic that they can agree a new contract with manager Pep Guardiola after news broke on Monday that the Blues have been successful in challenging the Premier League’s sponsorship rules. City go into this international break unbeaten in their opening seven league games, with a 3-2 win over Fulham on Saturday putting them within a point of leaders Liverpool.
Rodri replacement: Man City now eyeing move for brand new £60m midfielder
He has completed 92.2% of his passes this season.
By
Henry Jackson
Oct 6, 2024
Man City win legal battle over sponsorship rules
Man City may look to be active in the transfer market in January, and they have been boosted off the pitch by the news that the top flight’s rules over associated party transactions (APT) have been deemed unlawful. This is seperate to the 115 alleged breaches for failing to provide accurate financial information, but could influence that case and will certainly take some pressure off City in the transfer market.
The Blues are obviously missing a key player in Rodri, and while players like Mateo Kovacic, who scored two goals on Saturday, and Rico Lewis are stepping up to the mark, City appear keen to land a long-term replacement for the Spaniard in the market. The latest player to be linked with City as a possible replacement for Rodri is Alan Varela, who currently plays for Porto. Scouts have been sent to watch the 23-year-old in person, and he’s got a release clause in his contract worth £60 million.
Alan Varela for Porto.
As well as looking at Varela, City are looking to open talks about signing Swansea City duo Harlan Perry and Brogan Popham. Manchester United are also interested in the pair, but City haven’t given up signing the youngsters and have meetings scheduled to secure a deal. As Man City have their eye on potential transfers that they can conclude in 2025, the Blues also have another important matter they want to address, and they are taking a different approach to doing so.
Man City chiefs readying unique offer to keep Guardiola at the Etihad
According to TEAMtalk, Manchester City have optimism that they can persuade Pep Guardiola to sign a new deal at the Etihad. The Spaniard is in the final year of his contract with the Premier League side, and the Blues hope a new strategy can help them keep him beyond this campaign.
City’s board have made it clear to the 53-year-old that they are keen for him to stay at the club, and they are willing to play a different approach by offering him a unique rolling one-year deal, which will put the power in his hands for when he decides he wants to leave.
Pep Guardiola’s Man City record
Games
483
Won
357
Drawn
60
Lost
66
Guardiola has been in charge of City since 2016, overseeing countless major trophies. City supporters revealed a banner for their game against Fulham, which said in his native Catalan: ‘We want you to stay’. Guardiola responded on Match of the Day by admitting that he feels the love from the supporters.
“From day one (I felt love from Manchester City’s fans), yeah. Definitely. The gratitude is immense; otherwise, I would not be nine years here; it’s impossible.
“Of course the results help. In modern football, when you don’t win, they sack you; we know that. They were happy to extend because we won. This is a business. It has to be like that.
“But apart from that, there are many, many details, many experiences that I lived in these many years, daily, during games, or not during games that made me feel part of this club deeply, deeply.”
South Africa’s former team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee has called on the national team to take a unified approach when expressing an on-field stance on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.Moosajee was speaking at the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearings where he expressed his disappointment at the divided stance within the team on taking the knee.The men’s national team have given its members the option of taking a knee, raising a fist or standing to attention before matches, Notably, all the players of colour, along with some white players, have opted for taking the knee, while others have selected alternative options. After a decade of culture camps aimed at cultivating inclusion, Moosajee expressed his disappointment that the team could not agree on a single gesture.Related
'I believe de Kock is committed to an antiracist agenda' – CSA chairperson Lawson Naidoo
Temba Bavuma: Team 'surprised and taken aback' at Quinton de Kock's refusal to take a knee
'Would I advertise accommodation like that? I wouldn't'
CSA won't get SJN report before Sept 30 deadline
Zondo reveals anguish at being left out of ODIs in 2015
“Unfortunately, some current players appear to be misinformed and believe taking the knee is supporting the notion that black lives matter more,” he said. “They need to be educated so that they appreciate that taking the knee is all about a stand against racism and discrimination and supporting the notion that Black lives matter as much.”It is a pity that the Proteas Team have not adopted a unified approach to the issue and highlights that even though we have been having discussions for a number of years already, these discussions need to continue, because we still have some way to go to get all our people to fully appreciate the injustices of the past. I would like to see a recommendation from the Ombudsman [Dumisa Ntsebeza] urging the Proteas to adopt a unified approach.”Moosajee was involved with the national team in various roles for 16 years until 2019, first as the doctor and then combining it with the role of team manager.He said he believed greater levels of understanding have been achieved since a camp held in 2010, which he and then-captain Graeme Smith conceptualised. Several allegations of racism during the Smith captaincy era have been made at the SJN.”In 2010, Graeme Smith and I believed that it was necessary to build an inclusive team culture and for members of the squad to have a greater appreciation of people from different backgrounds, races and religions,” Moosajee said.”The objective of building the team culture was to build an authentic, diverse and inclusive sense of identity, with due regard to our fractured past and history. I believed that it was important for the team to talk about race, class and culture, but I was also conscious of the fact that building a team culture would not happen overnight. It required unwavering commitment, strong leadership and continuous reinforcement.”The three-day camp was formed with information gathered from Sporting Edge and Hoko – team culture companies who assisted the New Zealand rugby team – and included expert advice from Ahmed Kathrada, a contemporary of Nelson Mandela. These specialists ran two surveys, including one with members of the public who said they believed the national rugby team, the Springboks, were better ambassadors for the country than the cricket side.Moosajee admitted to being surprised at the survey results, “because at the time even though the Proteas had not won a World Cup, they were the top-ranked Test-playing nation and had more black players (on a percentage basis) than the Springboks.”The outcome of the camp was a four-minute video, which was played at SJN but never released publicly. It featured Smith at the Wanderers, interspersed with a Mandela speech, an interview with rugby world-cup winning captain John Smit, and fans of all races reminding the team: “you represent me.”According to Moosajee, the camp was successful in starting “the journey to get the team more united and in my view had positive outcomes.” Among those were that more players of colour started to be selected for the national side, although Moosajee acknowledged, “the camp was not the sole reason for this.” He credited “more diverse franchise and provincial teams, diversity amongst coaches and administrators in the affiliate members of CSA” and “targets/quotas,” as also playing a role.Kagiso Rabada takes a knee before the start of the warm-up game•ICC via Getty
“In my view, the targets or quotas gave opportunities to people of colour and many of them proved that they could be world-class performers on the international stage. Examples include Makhaya Ntini, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. They were undoubtedly good enough, but they may not have been given the necessary opportunities, if it was not for the quotas or targets.”But he criticised the quota system for having the “unintended consequences,” of relying on elite schools to produce players and leaving underprivileged areas in a state of neglect while also creating a comfort zone for players. “Certain players, who had become “undroppable”, because their inclusion in a team is necessary to meet the quotas / targets. A few of these players allowed their fitness levels to wane and were guilty of disciplinary misdemeanours, but these misdemeanours went unpunished, because there were concerns that the quotas / targets would not be met.”He offered a specific example in Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has also testified at the SJN, and who Moosajee said had never passed any of the 15 skin-folds tests he had with the national team and failed numerous yo-yo fitness tests. “As opposed to being discriminated against for being black, Mr Tsotsobe benefitted from being black. An example of this is when he was initially left out of the Proteas Squad for the 2013 tour to Sri Lanka. At the time, Russell Domingo was quoted in the media as saying he had massive concerns about Lopsy’s form, fitness and possibly his work ethic. The decision to leave Mr Tsotsobe out of the touring squad was reversed by the CSA Board, as there were no other Black African cricketers in the touring squad.”Although Moosajee stressed that he had no role in selection, he answered questions about whether he thought Khaya Zondo’s exclusion from the ODI team in India in 2015 was a result of racism, specifically by then-captain AB de Villiers. Moosajee said he was not aware of de Villiers’ influence in that selection: “From my understanding the final decision sat with the selection committee, and if we are saying that they are racist, I find it difficult because there were more people of colour on that selection committee than not.”When referred to selector Hussein Manack’s testimony about being pressured by de Villiers on selection and asked about white players’ influence on selection, Moosajee said: “In any team culture and environment, the environment is driven by the senior players and at that time, the senior players happened to be white. It’s different now – you’ve got Kagiso, Temba [Bavuma] as the senior players. Whether they influence actual selection is a separate debate. My understanding is that the captain should not have a vote on selection. On the captain, in my 15 years of working with AB de Villiers, I have never found him to be racist. Whether that was an unconscious bias, we can debate. And if the senior players in any team influence selection then there is a big problem in that.”Moosajee maintained that unconscious bias and ingrained prejudice continues to contribute to divides in South African cricket in all sectors. “Some white players and administrators still need to appreciate the value of diversity, the need to level the playing fields and to break down barriers and some black players and administrators also need to recognise that they have contributed to further divisions in our societies and need to be more inclusive and recognise that good people from all our communities are prepared to be sacrificial leaders and contribute to the desperately needed transformation agenda. A fully transformed and successful team will attract sponsors, contribute to more nations wanting to play series against us and increase earnings through broadcast revenue.”
يستضيف فريق ليفربول خصمه فريق باريس سان جيرمان، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2024/25.
تأتي تلك المباراة في خضم لقاءات إياب دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، هذا الموسم، وذلك على ملعب “الأنفيلد”.
اقرأ أيضًا | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وباريس سان جيرمان اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. والمعلق
وانتهت مباراة الذهاب بين ليفربول وباريس سان جيرمان على ملعب “حديقة الأمراء” بفوز صعب وشاق لكتيبة آرني سلوت، بهدف دون رد.
ويسعى ليفربول إلى تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية من أجل الحصول على بطاقة التأهل إلى دور ربع النهائي، حيث سيلتقي آنذاك مع المتأهل من صدام أستون فيلا وكلوب بروج.
ويأمل محمد صلاح التألق في مباراة الليلة، سواء عن طريق التسجيل أو الصناعة، بعدما فشل في فعل ذلك خلال الذهاب.
طالع | تشكيل ليفربول أمام باريس سان جيرمان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. موقف محمد صلاح تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام باريس سان جيرمان اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا
حراسة المرمى: أليسون بيكر.
خط الدفاع: ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، كوناتي، فان دايك، روبرتسون.
خط الوسط: ماك أليستر، جرافنبرخ.
خط الوسط الهجومي: محمد صلاح، هارفي إليوت، جاكبو.
خط الهجو: جوتا.
ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.
Ahmed Shehzad’s 77 off 45 balls went in vain as Central Punjab fell short in the end
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2021
File photo: Sharjeel Khan’s century carried Sindh to a strong total•AFP via Getty Images
Sharjeel Khan hammered a sensational 54-ball century and the Sindh bowlers defended a daunting total of 196 empathically to knock Southern Punjab out with a 45-run victory. SP continue to sit at the bottom of the table while Sindh remain on top with 10 points, ensuring a top four finish.Opting to bowl, SP removed opener Ahsan Ali in the opening over before Shan Masood (22 off 15) and Sharjeel batted carefully for next two overs. The duo, however, didn’t take much time to find their feet, smacking 19 in Naseem Shah’s second over to propel the innings. Saud Shakeel (26 off 19) shared a 56-run stand with Sharjeel, who hit 13 fours and four sixes to complete his fourth T20 hundred.Sindh were looking for a 200-plus total when they went into the final over with a solid footing at 189 for 4 but they stumbled and added only seven runs losing three wickets.SP lost Zeeshan Ashraf early before Tayyab Tahir’s 32 off 23 did some repair work, but not for too long. Azam Khan – who lost his place in the World Cup squad – failed to make an impression and edged back to Sarfaraz Ahmed for 2 off four balls. Mohammad Imran (29 off 20) and Aamer Yamin (27 off 18) tried to pull the game back but regular wickets meant SP never came close to the required run rate and were wrapped up for 151 in 18.5 overs. They are effectively are out of the semi-final race now, losing seven games out of nine, and with only one match remaining.Haider Ali cracks one away to the off side•Pakistan Cricket Board
Northern stunned Central Punjab with a sensational chase of 195, sealing a five-wicket victory, which seemed an unlikely prospect for much of the innings, with three balls to spare.Central Punjab were put in to bat, and the small crowd was treated to a feast of good hitting by Ahmed Shehzad, who rolled back the years to get his side off to a flying start. Muhammad Akhlaq at the other end kept Shehzad stellar company, and inside 12 overs, the openers had taken CP to 124.However, once Aamer Jamal cleaned up Shehzad, the batters that followed struggled to keep up the scoring rate, and Northern gradually began to get a grip on the match. Jamal removed Faheem Ashraf and Shoaib Malik early too, and an innings that at one stage looked like comfortably clearing 200 ended at 194.A 92-run second-wicket partnership between Ali Imran and Haider Ali – freshly called up for the T20 World Cup – saw Northern keep the asking rate hovering around ten runs an over, but three wickets for 23 runs saw them fall behind in the game.It looked as if CP were slowly assuming control of the game, but a stunning onslaught from Rohail Nazir and Jamal kept the game alive. In the end, the pair added 50 in 25 balls, and once Wahab Riaz was taken for 20 in the penultimate over, a couple of boundaries at the expense of Faheem in the final over sealed the win for Northern.
The batter featured in five matches in the National T20 Cup which concluded on Wednesday
Umar Farooq14-Oct-2021Northern batter Zeeshan Malik has been provisionally suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under the provisions of its anti-corruption code.Malik, 24, played five matches for Northern in the recently concluded National T20 Cup where he made 123 runs at an average of 24.60, finishing as his side’s sixth-highest run-getter during their campaign that ended with eventual winners Khyber Pakhtunkhwa knocking them out in the semi-finals.The PCB has opened an investigation against Malik pertaining to article 4.7.1 in its code that covers a wide range of offences, including corruption and breach of a criminal law.Though the PCB has refused to divulge the precise offence for which Malik is being investigated, the board has barred him from participating in any activity related to cricket while the probe is carried out.Malik shot to prominence after becoming Pakistan’s third-highest run-scorer at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, averaging 56.25 for his 225 runs. He hails from Chakwal in Rawalpindi division, made his debut in first-class cricket in 2016 for Rawalpindi, and has played five seasons since. His 2019-20 season for Northern saw him make 780 runs at an average of 52. His 467 List A runs in the 2018-19 season, including three hundreds, kept him in national contention.According to article 4.7.1 of PCB’s anti-corruption code, provisional suspension is effective where the PCB decides to charge an individual with a corruption offence or considers that there are other exceptional circumstances where law enforcement agencies arrest the individual under the criminal law. In cases where it considers that the integrity of the sport could otherwise be seriously undermined, the PCB holds the discretion to suspend a player pending the anti-corruption tribunal investigation of the said offence.