O clássico entre Santos e Botafogo teve um capítulo emblemático neste sábado no Luso-Brasileiro. Na primeira partida entre as equipes da história do Brasileiro Feminino Série A1, as Sereias da Vila venceram o Alvinegro por 3 a 2. A estrela Cristiane marcou duas vezes, enquanto Sole James completou o triunfo. Já Káren e Kélen fizeram os gols das Gloriosas.
O JOGO
Logo no primeiro minuto, Cristiane cobrou falta e Rubi se esticou para espalmar. Pouco depois, Bia Menezes alçou cobrança de falta para a área e a zagueira botafoguense Brenda colocou a mão na bola. Cristiane converteu o pênalti.
As Sereias continuaram a pressionar e tiveram chances com Byanca Brasil e Cristiane. Maria Dias driblou a goleira Rubi e finalizou, mas a zagueira Káren cortou. Aos 38 minutos, veio o segundo gol santista. Rubi se atrapalhou ao sair com os pés e Cristiane bateu forte no fundo das redes.
As Gloriosas voltaram do intervalo com maior ímpeto. Kamilla invadiu a área e foi derrubada por Bruninha. Káren converteu a cobrança com categoria. Pouco depois, o Santos dominou outra vez as ações e chegou a balançar a rede com Sole James, mas o gol foi anulado por impedimento.
De tanto martelar, a equipe santista marcou o terceiro gol. Cristiane lançou com precisão Sole james, que driblou a goleira adversária e estufou a rede. Em contra-ataque engatado pelo Botafogo, Kélen foi lançada, driblou a goleira Camila e definiu o marcador.
As Sereias estão com 24 pontos e atualmente na quarta colocação. Já as Gloriosas, estacionadas nos dez pontos, podem se aproximar da zona de rebaixamento. Na quinta-feira, às 15h, o Santos encara o Cruzeiro na Vila Belmiro. No mesmo horário, o Botafogo vai ao Vieirão, onde duela com o Grêmio.
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Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has his first summer transfer window at Ibrox to look forward to with head of recruitment Nils Koppen at the end of the season.
The Light Blues boss, who lifted the League Cup with the club earlier this term, will have his first opportunity to shape his squad over multiple months, rather than the restricted one month of business at the start of this year.
Players with expiring contracts may be the first thing on his plate as a number of stars, including John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, and Borna Barisic, are currently set to leave for nothing this summer.
Jack Butland
Clement recently claimed that he is confident that Lundstram, despite links to Trabzonspor, will put pen to paper on a new deal. However, the Belgian boss could move on from the Englishman by bringing academy star Bailey Rice into the first-team picture.
John Lundstram's season in numbers
The 30-year-old midfielder has started 27 of the club's matches in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and has been a key figure in the middle of the park.
Lundstram, who has produced zero goals and three assists in the league, has completed 89% of his attempted passes throughout the campaign, which speaks to his reliability and quality in possession of the ball.
23/24 Premiership
John Lundstram
Squad rank
Appearances
29
3rd
Tackles per game
1.7
3rd
Interceptions per game
0.9
5th
Pass accuracy
88.8%
1st
Key passes per game
1.4
6th
Stats via WhoScored
As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo has been one of the club's top performers in various metrics on and off the ball for the Gers.
It would, therefore, be a blow on paper to lose the midfielder on a free and, in an ideal world, hopefully Rangers can pin him down to an extension.
Rangers' homegrown John Lundstram replacement
The Gers could, however, have a dream homegrown replacement for Lundstram and be able to move on from the experienced ace, should he leave this summer, with Rice.
Dubbed a "serious" talent by journalist Jonny McFarlane last year, the 17-year-old academy starlet has already made three first-team appearances for the club in the Premiership – two of which have come this season.
The teenage dynamo completed 86% of his attempted passes and created one chance in just 14 minutes of action across his two league outings this term, with a 100% pass accuracy (5/5) in his only appearance during the 2022/23 campaign.
Rangers'JohnLundstramduring training.
This shows that the midfield enforcer, who provides defensive protection in front of the backline predominantly playing as a number six, may have the composure and quality on the ball to replicate Lundstram's metronomic play in possession.
Rice was a regular for the B team in the Lowland League, with two goals and one assist in 14 outings, to go along with six UEFA Youth League appearances, last season, and his goal should now be to kick on and earn a regular spot in the first-team.
Lundstram leaving on a free transfer, if Rangers do not agree an extension with him, could open the door for the 17-year-old titan to emerge as Clement's homegrown replacement, given the potential he has already shown by making his senior bow at such a young age.
It would then be down to Rice to take his opportunity and kick on by developing alongside more minutes on the pitch at first-team level over the subsequent months and years.
كشف مصدر بالنادي الأهلي عن تقديم أحمد القندوسي لاعب الفريق والمعار إلى صفوف سيراميكا كليوباترا طلبا قبل إتمام رحيله عن القلعة الحمراء.
وكان النادي الأهلي قرر عرض اللاعب الجزائري أحمد القندوسي للبيع بعد تصريحاته الأخيرة بشأن مواطنه زين الدين بلعيد وفشل انتقاله إلى صفوف القلعة الحمراء في بداية الانتقالات الصيفية الماضية.
طالع.. خاص | الأهلي ينهي الاتفاق على بيع لاعبه المعار
وعلم بطولات، أن القندوسي طالب الأهلي بالحصول على 250 ألف دولار باقي قيمة مستحقاته في عقده الحالي.
ويأتي ذلك قبل توقيع عقود انتقال القندوسي إلى صفوف نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا بشكل نهائي.
ويتواجد أحمد القندوسي على سبيل الإعارة بصفوف نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا بعدما قدم أداء مميزًا في الموسم الماضي.
USMNT star Tyler Adams has urged US Soccer to show a Premier League-style approach as they continue their hunt for Gregg Berhalter's successor.
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US Soccer continue search for USMNT boss
Tyler Adams wants PL-esque approach
Says USMNT needs a 'ruthless' coach
WHAT HAPPENED?
Following a rather poor Copa America at home, US Soccer finally made the long-awaited call to fire Berhalter due to the USMNT's dwindling quality. As such, they are now on the hunt for a new head coach and Adams, who is currently plying his trade with Bournemouth, has asked US Soccer to find a ruthless coach similar to those employed in the Premier League.
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WHAT ADAMS SAID
Speaking to Men In Blazers, Adams said: "For myself and the young team and kind of where we're at, I think we need someone that's almost a little bit ruthless coming in and putting everyone in their place and understanding that 'listen, this is what needs to be done and this is the way that we're gonna do it.'
"And there's no really ifs, ands or buts, it's not really a conversation, it has to be more of a decision that's made and this is the way we're gonna play."
With the World Cup in less than two years, Adams believes US Soccer needs to adopt a Premier League-style approach to their next appointment.
"I think that's always the best way when you have a short period of time," he added. "You see it in the Premier League all the time when managers gets sacked after three games, four games, the best way to get results is bringing someone in and having someone that you know what they're going to do before they even come in.
"I don't think we have a huge amount of time if everyone wants to focus on the goal is 2026 World Cup and we want the best result possible then you have to get someone who's gotten results."
(C)Getty Images
THE BIGGER PICTURE
US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has stated that he wishes to select the most qualified coach available, "whether they're from the US or elsewhere." Although Hoffenheim coach Pellegrino Matarazzo and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have both been connected to the position, they have both declared themselves out of the competition.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ADAMS?
The USMNT star has been ruled out of the start of Bournemouth's Premier League campaign due to back surgery this summer, however, he will be hoping to return to the field in a month.
Tottenham Hotspur will not play any football this weekend due to the FA Cup semi-finals, so will have a rest ahead of a crucial home clash against Arsenal in the Premier League in just over one week.
While Champions League qualification is hanging in the balance – Spurs lie three points off fourth-placed Aston Villa with a game in hand, one month of Premier League action remaining – Ange Postecoglou will likely have held some form of internal discussion to map out an initial transfer strategy.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou
Having been one of the busiest clubs in the market since the Australian was selected to lead the revival, Tottenham have improved and the fresh faces have made their presence known, but the canyon that the division's top three sit at the other side may well be narrowed with the right moves in several months.
Daniel Levy is worth his salt and with the streamlined strategy suggestive of success, the club's latest top target might be the one to go for.
Spurs' search for a forward
According to Football Insider, Tottenham have registered a 'concrete' interest in Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry, with the recently-usurped Bundesliga champions open to selling the former Arsenal product.
Gnabry, aged 28, has long been a central figure in a team of trophy specialists but has been afflicted with injuries this season and might welcome the chance for a new chapter.
Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry
His contract isn't up until 2026 but there is a good chance that, if Tottenham can present an exciting package, the versatile forward would be willing to listen to an offer.
Serge Gnabry's season in numbers
Bayern signed Gnabry from divisional rivals Werder Bremen after activating his €8m (£7m) release clause, two years on from his departure from Arsenal, having made 18 appearances for the Gunners, scoring once and supplying two assists.
His move to Bayern has been a stunning success, winning every trophy on offer over six years of service and, in total, scoring 86 goals and supplying 52 assists across 235 fixtures.
Serge Gnabry: Bayern Munich Stats by Season
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
G/A rate
23/24
17
5
1
0.35
22/23
47
17
12
0.62
21/22
45
17
9
0.58
20/21
38
11
7
0.47
19/20
46
23
14
0.80
18/19
42
13
9
0.52
Stats via Transfermarkt
The £310k-per-week winger might have endured an injury-riddled campaign but he has still demonstrated respectable levels in the final third and boasts five goals and one assist from just eight starting appearances in all competitions.
Of course, his overall Bayern record highlights his prowess – only last year, the Germany international posted 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.
In the Bundesliga last season, as per Sofascore, Gnabry clinched 19 goal contributions from just 22 starts, completing 82% of his passes, creating 11 big chances and averaging 1.1 key passes per game.
Serge Gnabry and Eric Dier.
While he's been unfortunate on the injury front this season, Bayern are clearly in need of a reshuffle after losing out in the Bundesliga title race for the first time in a decade, and Gnabry could be one of the long-time servants shown the exit as the soon-to-return Julian Nagelsmann gets to work and competes against a new superpower in Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.
Having been hailed for his "world-class" quality by pundit Rio Ferdinand in the past, Tottenham would only be too happy to relieve Die Roten of his signature…
How Serge Gnabry could fit in at Spurs
Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are express options down the flanks and have found success this season through their speed and directness, while Dejan Kulusevski operates on the other end of the spectrum and focuses on technical quality and ball retention, albeit guilty of slowing proceedings down, thus benched for the past three league matches.
Principally playing from the right, Gnabry could prove to be a massive upgrade on Kulusevski, offering a far more reliable goal threat and offering a level of creativity that ensures he's not serving as a one-dimensional outlet.
Gnabry would offer the closest thing to a complete collection of these aforementioned Lilywhites, having been described as "lightning quick" and "tailor-made for big transition moments" with a "clinical finish with both feet" by former Werder Bremen boss Alexander Nouri.
While he's found a position of lesser importance in Bayern's first-team this season, Gnabry has retained his potency in front of goal and currently ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 12% for total shots and pass completion, the top 10% for tackles and the top 16% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.
Bayern Munich forward Serge Gnabry.
What does this tell us? Well, arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gnabry would likely provide a steady goal threat – possibly the sharpest from any of the current wide options, barring Son – with Kulusevski, by contrast, ranking in just the bottom 42% for goals per 90, as well as the bottom 27% for shots, the top 35% for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles and the bottom 36% for blocks.
He's scoring at an incredible rate despite only ranking in the top 12% for shots taken, meaning that he is excellent at snatching his chances. Moreover, the German is crisp in possession and boasts some impressive defensive metrics; Bayern are not known for their defensive work but are still organised and strong in preventive sequences, and Gnabry seeks to contribute in this regard.
For Postecoglou, whose system is steeping hard-working movements, fluidity and sharp-edged attacking intent, this is a player who would only thrive, and presented with a proposal promising an influential role, he might just be tempted, especially if promised Kulusevski's place as the regular starter on the right.
While some might think that a return to the rigours of the Premier League could weaken Gnabry's constitution, he has hardly struggled to perform against English opposition, bagging against the Gunners in the Champions League this season and, as Spurs supporters will acutely recall, decimating Mauricio Pochettino's side and plundering four goals in a 7-2 demolition in north London back in 2019.
£20m Spurs man could be the latest to prove Ange wrong after Dier revival
Ange Postecoglou’s side could surely make good use of this talented defender’s skill set.
ByAngus Sinclair Apr 19, 2024
Gnabry is still only 28 and has honed his qualities over many illustrious years in Bavaria – just maybe, Tottenham might offer a package that convinces him to try his hand in England once again, taking Postecoglou's project to the next level.
Harry Kane heaped praise on Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany as he also backed new interim England coach Lee Carlsley.
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Kane praised KompanySpoke about Carlsey taking charge of EnglandBayern beat Tottenham 3-2WHAT HAPPENED?
Kane returned to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium after one year as he featured in Bayern Munich's pre-season friendly against the North London club on Saturday. This was also the first time the forward took the pitch since featuring for England in the Euro 2024 final where they went down 2-1 against Spain.
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After the game, the 31-year-old spoke highly of his new manager Vincent Kompany as he praised the Belgian's tactics of high press and keeping the ball on the ground. The Three Lions captain also opened up about Lee Carlsley taking charge of the England team on an interim basis after Gareth Southgate resigned after the Euros loss.
WHAT HARRY KANE SAID
Speaking on Sky Sports, the experienced attacker said, "I really like him. He’s a great personality to have as a leader and a coach. You see the way we want to play: high intensity and high press. Keeping the ball. It’s not always easy against Spurs because they do the same, but it was a back-and-forth game."
When asked about Carlsey's appointment, Kane added, "From my point of view as a captain and a player, we’ll just get behind the coach. We’ve got two important games coming up and after the tournament we’ve had you want to kickstart well and get back to it. That’s all we can do. That decision is out of my hands. All I can do is do my best for him and our country."
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?
The Bavarian club will play their final pre-season friendly against WSG Tirol on Tuesday before appearing in their first competitive match of the 2024/25 campaign against ULM in a DFB Pokal first-round clash.
With a Test comeback imminent, the opener dug deep to bring up Bangladesh’s highest ever first-class score
Mohammad Isam02-Feb-2020When Tamim Iqbal reached 298 while batting for East Zone against Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League, a meeting inside the BCB headquarters broke up. Those attending climbed out of the window, and waited in the balcony overlooking the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s grandstand. In attendance were BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and chief selector Minhajul Abedin.Tamim’s innings breakdown
Day 2 lunch: Tamim on 72* Day 2 tea: 157* (85 runs in the session) Day 2 stumps: 222* (65 runs in the session) Day 3 lunch: 279* (57 runs in the session) Day 3 declaration: 334* (55 runs in the session)
As soon as Tamim scampered to take the single, the loudest cheer came from these three men, as well as from inside their meeting room where Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo and Habibul Bashar, selector and former captain, stood to give him an ovation.At the end of the third day’s play, Chowdhury and other board officials greeted Tamim and cut a cake with him to celebrate the left-hander becoming the holder of the country’s highest individual score, an unbeaten 334 that had 42 fours and three sixes, spanning a gargantuan nine hours and 45 minutes. Tamim’s triple hundred was only the second by a Bangladeshi, after Raqibul Hasan’s 313, nearly thirteen years ago.Raqibul, who played nine Tests between 2008 and 2011, coincidentally was in the opposition when Tamim was batting in this game. Later, he was specially called to cut the cake with Tamim as one of the two triple centurions in Bangladesh’s first-class scene, apart from Tamim’s East Zone teammates and BCB officials.Tamim said that the nine-hour essay will remain an innings that is close to his heart.”It is a special feeling to score a triple hundred,” Tamim said. “I think everyone dreams of such an innings but I didn’t think it would come in this game. The most important thing for me was how I batted. I hope I can continue with the same form. It is a special innings; three hundred runs is tough against any opposition or at any level. If it was easy, you would have seen a 300 every month. It will have a special place in my heart.”What stood out in Tamim’s knock was his perseverance while playing a low-key domestic match. Often in the past he has gotten out after scoring a big hundred, but this time, with the need of getting in the groove ahead of his comeback Test next week in Rawalpindi, Tamim dug deep.”I felt that I was very determined. The wicket was playing well. It wasn’t spinning or doing that much. I kept it simple. After completing the triple-hundred, I took some chances. Otherwise, I kept on playing cricketing shots. I was looking for boundary options, rather than sixes.”When I touched 280 was the first time I started to think about the triple hundred. I felt that if I thought about the milestone for too long, it would change my overall plan which was to bat in a plain and simple manner,” he said.Tamim scored more than fifty runs in each of the sessions since the second day, but he said that as the innings wore on, on the third day, batting became tougher. From being unbeaten on 222 at the start of the third morning, Tamim played patiently to reach 300 after lunch, and only then did he open up to attack the Central Zone bowlers.”Compared to the second day, the wicket was tougher on day three. I had to settle on singles and doubles, rather than boundaries,” he said. “I was always on the lookout for runs just like a Test match where there are many fielders behind the wicket.”We always wondered how Raqibul made that triple hundred all those years ago. It is not easy. Wickets used to be slower and take spin. We always talked about his innings in the Bangladesh dressing room, how he managed to do it. I think he faced around 600 balls too.”
Newcastle United sealed a famous comeback by defeating West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, having trailed 3-1 with just 15 minutes left on the clock.
With the Magpies desperate for a Premier League victory, it looked out of reach. Step forward Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak.
The duo scored three late goals between to seal a stunning win, with Barnes’ second effort arguably the pick of the bunch. While the pair scored all of Newcastle’s goals, it was Anthony Gordon who delivered a wonderful display.
Anthony Gordon’s game in numbers vs West Ham
The former Everton winger claimed the Man of the Match award, despite not scoring any of his side’s four goals against the Irons.
Gordon grabbed one assist, took six shots, and missed a big chance during the match, ensuring he was a positive and threatening presence on the left flank throughout.
Goals
0
Assists
1
Penalties won
2
Key passes
3
Total shots
6
He also won both of their penalties, from which Isak converted, showing his willingness to get into the box often, while he also created a big chance and made three key passes before he received a second yellow card in the dying minutes for time-wasting.
This shouldn’t detract from his sublime performance, which had the West Ham defenders on tenterhooks every time he had the ball.
While Gordon was impressive, Bruno Guimaraes also shone for Newcastle in the heart of the midfield and his display was equally important in sealing all three points.
Bruno Guimaraes’ statistics vs West Ham
The Brazilian midfielder was everywhere during the 4-3 win this afternoon. He took 97 touches which proved how much he was looking to get on the ball, while his passing game was excellent, finishing the match with an 87% pass success rate, controlling things from the middle of the pitch.
Guimaraes also made two key passes, succeeded with one of his two dribble attempts and even hit the woodwork as he looked to get on the scoresheet.
The midfielder was given a match rating of 8/10 by the Chronicle's Lee Ryder – the same rating as Gordon received – who noted that his 'energy and battling spirit was there for all to see in the second half'.
It wasn’t just his passing or attacking skills on show, as the 26-year-old shone defensively too, winning eight of his 15 ground duels, making six tackles while only being dribbled past on one occasion.
It was a solid performance which will have pleased Eddie Howe no doubt and the club could use this as momentum to aim for a European place.
Bruno Guimaraes
The Tynesiders play Everton and Fulham in their next two Premier League matches, which are certainly winnable fixtures for the Magpies.
If the likes of Isak, Barnes, Gordon – who will now be absent for one game due to suspension – and Guimaraes can replicate the form they showed against West Ham over the next few matches, then Newcastle will seal one of the European spots for next term with ease.
Injuries have played their part this season, but Howe will be hoping his side can sprint to the finish line rather than limp over it.
Howe must drop Newcastle star to allow 5ft 10 talent to flourish
He’s come under fire from a lot of supporters this campaign.
Interim coach James Pamment has put down USA’s five-match losing streak to poor administrative handling from the fallout of a drinking incident on the side’s tour of the UAE last December. He also criticised the lack of proper structures put in place by the national board and said recent pay hikes for the players were only part of the overall development of professional cricketers.His comments came on Wednesday, after USA were bowled out for 35 in just 12 overs – the joint-lowest total in ODIs as well as the shortest completed innings in the format.ALSO READ: Career-best 6 for 16 ‘a fantastic feeling’ for Lamichhane“I think it actually goes back to the previous tour when we had an incident that impacted our final performance in the UAE and that wasn’t dealt with properly, administratively or from the team point of view,” Pamment said in reference to an incident in which multiple players, including vice-captain Steven Taylor, showed up drunk to a team meeting on the eve of an ODI loss to Scotland in Dubai at the end of 2019.”People like yourself then get the opportunity to put that in the media, which these players are not professional players so they don’t know how to accept and handle that.”Some of the things are the truth and you can’t hide away from that but some of the things, the innuendo and the lies that are spoken about them, it impacts on them. As you’re starting to prepare to play a game of cricket, sometimes you don’t always have the strong connection that you require to bring your best tactical and technical performance and then that’s party to what I guess has happened here and we found that we haven’t had the connection strong enough.”Though Pamment claimed that USA’s players were not professional enough, USA Cricket has gone through great lengths since July 2019 to emphasise how they had professionalised the players by bringing in high-level coaches including Kiran More, under whom Pamment initially served as an assistant before he took over in October. Part of that professionalisation was putting the majority of USA’s regular players on central contracts.According to a USA Cricket press release dated August 17, up to 20 players were put on central contracts in which “the highest tier contracts are in excess of $90,000 per year.” That figure would make some of USA’s players by far the highest-paid Associate cricketers in the world, with most of the other players on the other six ODI teams in CWC League Two earning less than half of that amount, if they are on a contract at all.Coach James Pamment goes through a fielding drill during pre-game warm-ups•Peter Della Penna
However, Pamment said that there was a lot more to making a player a professional than handing them good money. He claimed that proper structures have not been put in place by USA Cricket administrators in order to ensure continuity of preparation and training in between tours. Pamment was also initially only contracted through the end of 2019, but USA’s search for a permanent head coach has dragged on since September and he said he was only re-contracted 10 days before the Nepal tour to continue in an interim capacity.”From series to series, they just go back to their home base and don’t do any work because the facilities are not there for them, the coaching is not there for them,” Pamment said. “So when they get together prior to the start of a series, it’s almost like you’re starting again.”For this series, in particular, with myself only being engaged 10 days before the start of the series, you’ve got no chance to build up the work that’s required to take on these conditions and two fine teams in these conditions. We’ve been exposed and we have to take the consequence of that, which today is embarrassment but overall is no points from four games.”Pamment, who had previously coached Northern Districts in New Zealand before taking on his full-time role as fielding coach at Mumbai Indians in the IPL, also refused to criticise the pitches in Nepal for USA’s batting meltdowns.”I’ve had the pleasure of working at the Full [Member] level and wherever you go, you find different surfaces and different conditions,”Pamment said. “These conditions here over this last 10 days have been fine. I’m not going to criticise the conditions. They’re different. We had some wickets that turned a little bit down in Florida. In the UAE, the wickets were more conducive to pace bowling.”These conditions here are different, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with them. It just means that you have to bring a different skillset and we saw the Omani guys yesterday play extremely well and get a really good score. We saw them chase down a good score against Nepal on the weekend. So, the conditions are fine.”
Four teams will contest the women’s challenge, and concussion substitutes will make an appearance
Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jan-2020
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni greet each other•BCCI
For the first time, a one-off all-star fixture, comprising players from all the eight franchises, will precede the IPL. The match will be played three days before the tournament’s opening match, which, as reported in December, is will be played on March 29. Both the opening match and the IPL final will be played in Mumbai, the home base of defending champions Mumbai Indians.ESPNcricinfo understands that the two teams for the all-star match are likely to be formed with players from the four franchises in the north and east of India – Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders – and the four teams in the south and west – Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai. No venue has been finalised for the match yet.It appears that the idea of the all-star match came from BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel. Both were present at the governing council meeting on Monday in New Delhi where the decision was made.Timings of evening matches unchangedOne of the key points discussed at the meeting concerned the start timings for the evening matches, an issue both the IPL and host broadcaster Star India have been discussing over the past few years. It is understood that Star wanted an earlier start than 8pm IST, because many matches stretch past midnight. However, several teams pointed out that starting early could hand the advantage to one team because of dew.Consequently, the IPL decided to leave the timing for the evening matches unchanged. Ganguly also said that there would just be four double-headers [days with both an afternoon and an evening match] in the 2020 IPL, continuing with the trend established over the past few years to reduce the number of day matches with the tournament being played in summer.The IPL did not announce the main tournament schedule even though the tournament is starting in two months’ time. BCCI officials did not reveal the reason for the delay, but it is learnt that the schedule is likely to be out later this week. One plausible reason could be to the late arrival of the Australia, England and New Zealand players. As per the availability periods listed pre-IPL auction, players from these three countries will arrive after March 31, as they would be busy with various bilateral series as well as the Sheffield Shield final.Four teams for women’s T20 exhibition matchesTaking another step forward towards a women’s IPL, the BCCI has decided to add another team to the women’s T20 exhibition matches it has been conducting over the last two IPL seasons. In 2018, two teams – Supernovas and Trailblazers – contested a one-off exhibition match, which finished in a last-ball thriller. Last year, a third team – Velocity – was added with four matches hosted in Jaipur, which ran parallel to the main IPL playoffs.For the 2020 season, a fourth team, not named yet, has been added to the mix. It is understood there will be seven matches, including the final, that are likely to be scheduled once again around the IPL playoffs.No-ball umpires get the nodThe IPL has also decided to let an off-field match official to supervise no-balls. The move is bound to be welcomed by the players considering the errors by on-field umpires over the years that have left many captains fuming.Last IPL, Virat Kohli, leading the Royal Challengers in a crucial match against Mumbai, called the umpiring standards “ridiculous” and club standard. Incidentally, the no-ball delivered by Lasith Malinga went undetected by S Ravi, one of the on-field umpires who was removed from the ICC’s Elite Panel last year.Taking cognizance of the players’ complaints, the IPL had discussed the issue last year, with Patel saying that an exclusive match official, separate to the TV and fourth umpire, would be in charge of supervising no-balls. Late last year, the ICC opted to reintroduce the no-ball umpire on a trial basis. The ICC, however, had entrusted the job to the regular TV umpire.Concussion substitutes to be introducedThe IPL governing council also approved the move to allow concussion substitutes from the 2020 edition. The match referee will be the final authority on who could come in as a substitute with the option of disallowing replacements if they are deemed not to be like-for-like.