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Leicestershire have turned to South Africa to bolster their batting strength, signing batsman Colin Ackermann on a two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2016

Leicestershire have turned to South Africa to bolster their batting strength, signing batsman Colin Ackermann on a two-year contract.The signing will encourage the belief that English counties are eager to raid South Africa for players who suspect their chances of progression may be limited in their own country because of stiffened transformation policies.Ackermann, a former South Africa U-19 international, will qualify as a non-overseas player. He has a first-class record approaching 40, the latest of seven hundreds coming for Warriors against Titans last week. He also has 10 half-centuries in the two limited-overs formats.Leicestershire’s head coach Pierre de Bruyn, a fellow South African, said: “Colin is a quality top order batsman who can also bowl some useful off-spin, and he will offer us a good option in all three formats of the game. He will provide us with further competition for places.”Ackermann does have previous knowledge of Leicestershire, having represented Kibworth in 2012. He also played a Second XI match for Leicestershire that year, top-scoring with 73 in a low-scoring match against Northants.Leicestershire have stabilised under the guidance of their chief executive Wasim Khan, a former chief executive of the Chance to Shine charity, which seeks to promote cricket in State schools. However, his specialist knowledge has – perhaps unsurprisingly considering the inevitable time lag – brought no overnight transformation in Leicestershire’s ability to produce players from a wider talent base.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their plans to bolster their attacking midfield options ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

What's the latest on Luis Palma to Rangers?

According to Light Blues insider The 4th Official, the club are keen on a swoop for Honduras international Luis Palma from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki in the summer transfer window.

They Tweeted: "I have only done stories I am confident about, and according to a few people I have spoken with, the Rangers interest in both Cyriel Dessers and Luis Palma is real."

This comes after Football Insider reported, last month, that the Gers are not in talks with Aris over a deal to snap up the forward, who is wanted by multiple unnamed clubs in Europe

Would Luis Palma be a good signing for Rangers?

The 23-year-old has the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad as manager Michael Beale could unearth his next Mason Mount by striking a £4.3m deal for the attacker.

Rangers' head coach worked closely with the Chelsea midfielder during his time at Stamford Bridge working in the academy and is said to have played a key role in the England international's development.

As recently as 2021, it was reported that the player continues to make contact with Beale to pick his brain and ask for advice, which shows how much of an impact the Gers boss had on Mount.

The 24-year-old ace has gone on to become a regular at Chelsea in the first-team and has racked up 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances so far, whilst mainly being deployed as an attacking midfielder but also out wide at times.

Palma could arrive at Ibrox and be Beale's own version of the Blues dynamo as his form for Aris in Greece suggests that he has the potential to make a huge impact in the final third for Rangers.

In the 2022/23 campaign, the Honduras international, who has mainly played as an attacking midfielder and left winger in his career so far, produced 11 goals and four assists in 20 starts in the Greek top flight.

This shows that the attacker is capable of frequently finding the back of the net from a midfield position, much in the same way that Beale taught the now-England star to do.

He created 1.4 chances per game for his teammates in the division, a number not too dissimilar to the creative impact made by Mount, who scored 13 goals in the last two top-flight seasons combined. On top of that, the England international produced 1.8 key passes in 2021/22 and 1.3 in 2022/23.

These statistics suggest that Palma, whose goal contributions were hailed as “brilliant” by agent Paulo Hernandez, has the potential to be a Mount-like figure for Beale at Ibrox.

Michael Klinger scored 87 off 78 to stud Western Australia’s 6 for 190 in 28 overs, before Andrew Tye took three wickets to ensure that Victoria fell 41 short of their revised target in a rain-affected match at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Tye took 3 for 10 in three overs and also effected a run-out•Getty Images

Michael Klinger scored 87 off 78 to stud Western Australia’s 6 for 190 in 28 overs, before Andrew Tye took three wickets to ensure that Victoria fell 41 short of their revised target in a rain-affected match at the WACA ground in Perth.Victoria won the toss and started well, dismissing Shaun Marsh for 15 and Adam Voges for a ten-ball duck, leaving the hosts at 2 for 30. But Klinger and D’Arcy Short then put on 92 off 87 for the third wicket, with Short contributing 52 off 43 before falling to Jon Holland. Klinger batted on, though, hitting three fours and three sixes in his knock as Western Australia added 66 in the last eight overs.With more rain disrupting play, Victoria found themselves chasing a D/L-adjusted target of 140 in 18 overs. But at no point were they able to even approach the required run rate. The opening stand added 25 in 5 overs and was ended by Jason Behrendorff, who got Marcus Harris caught behind. Behrendorff then got Glenn Maxwell for 9 in his next over. By the time Tye dismissed Dan Christian in the ninth over, Victoria had only managed 54 runs.That wicket opened the floodgates – a further six wickets fell for 28 runs in 36 balls to leave the visitors at 9 for 82 in the 15th over. They managed to scrape together 16 more runs and avoid being bowled out, but that would have come as scant consolation.Meanwhile, Western Australia, who tied their first match and lost their second, would be relieved to have their first win on the board.

يعمل نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني من أجل جلب تعاقدات جديدة في السوق الصيفي لتعزيز صفوفه، وارتبط بضم الفرنسي كيليان مبابي مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان، كما ربطت أنباء بينه وبين إيرلينج هالاند مهاجم مانشستر سيتي.

ومن شبه المؤكد تعاقد ريال مدريد مع مبابي في الصيف، حيث ينتهي عقده مع باريس سان جيرمان، ويرتبط النادي كذلك بألفونسو ديفيز لاعب بايرن ميونخ الألماني.

والخيار الثالث المرتبط بريال مدريد هو هالاند، وكشفت تقارير صحفية عن رد فعل المقربين من اللاعب حول تلك الأنباء.

وفقًا لتقارير صحيفة “ذا أثلتيك”، فإن الحاشية المقربة من هالاند تضحك على إمكانية توقيع هالاند مع ريال مدريد، ويرون أن الأمر قريب من المستحيل، خاصة في ظل وصول مبابي إلى النادي.

ولكن حتى لو لم تنجح هذه الخطوة هذا الصيف، فلا يمكن استبعاد انتقال هالاند إلى ريال مدريد في عام 2025.

اقرأ أيضًا | سكاي توضح موقف ريال مدريد من صفقة أندريك بعد اقتراب مبابي

وفي الوقت نفسه، يعمل مانشستر سيتي على محاولة تمديد عقد هالاند لربطه بالفريق الإنجليزي لفترة أطول.

ويوضح التقرير أنه من الناحية المادية، ريال مدريد لديه القدرة لضم هالاند ومبابي، حيث سيضم الفرنسي في صفقة انتقال حر.

أما بالنسبة لوضع هالاند، فإن عقد المهاجم مع مانشستر سيتي يحمل شرطَا جزائيَا خاصَا بالأندية خارج إنجلترا، ويقل الشرط عن 150 مليون يورو، ولذلك الأمر في متناول يد ريال مدريد.

أكد يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، أنه سيتعين عليهم اللعب بدون أحد لاعبيهم لفترة طويلة من الوقت بداعِ الإصابة.

ويعاني ليفربول من كثرة الإصابات في الوقت الحالي، على رأسهم النجم المصري محمد صلاح الذي تعرض لإصابة خلال مشاركته مع منتخب مصر في كأس أمم إفريقيا.

وعاد محمد صلاح إلى الملاعب من جديد خلال مواجهة برينتفورد، ولكن الإصابة تجددت، ليغيب مرة أخرى.

وهناك إصابات أخرى في صفوف ليفربول، من ضمنهم الحارس أليسون بيكر، الذي لن يتواجد في مباراة ليفربول اليوم، وهو الغياب السادس على التوالي له.

وقال كلوب في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “تليجراف” الإنجليزية عن أليسون: “لا يوجد جدول زمني حقيقي بشأن هذه الإصابة، لكنها عضلية، إنها ليست بالبسيطة”.

وأضاف: “إنها إصابة خطيرة إلى حد ما، ولكنها ليست إصابة تنهي الموسم بالنسبة لـ أليسون”.

وفي الوقت نفسه، أبدى كلوب ارتياحه بشأن أداء الحارس الثاني كيليهر، في ظل غياب أليسون، حيث قال: “بالنسبة لي، لم تكن هناك فرصة لرحيله، لذلك لم أكن مهتمًا بمن يسأل عنه”.

اقرأ أيضًا | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي.. والمعلق

واستمر: “كان يجب أن يكون السعر مناسبًا لمنحنا فرصة للقيام بشيء ما في سوق صعبة، الأمر ليس مثل حراس المرمى الآخرين الذين ينتقلون من النقطة A إلى النقطة B مقابل 15 مليون جنيه إسترليني أو 20 مليون جنيه إسترليني، هذا غير واقعي وهراء على الإطلاق”.

وفيما يخص مستقبل كيليهر على المدى الطويل، قال كلوب: “من الطبيعي تمامًا أن تجري هذه المناقشات مع اللاعبين المستعدين”.

وأوضح: “الأمر مختلف قليلًا مع حارس المرمى، لكنه لم يصل أبدًا إلى النقطة التي يكون فيها الأمر مثل (عليك البقاء، واصمت)، لقد كانت مجرد مناقشة عادية حول مستقبله”.

وأكد: “الشيء الأكثر أهمية هو أنه كان علينا مساعدته في الخطوة التالية في تطوره من خلال لعب المزيد من المباريات، لقد رأيت الأمر بنفس الطريقة التي سيقولها اللاعب”.

واختتم: “أعتقد الآن أنه سيكون سعيدًا جدًا بالقرار الذي اتخذه في الصيف (عدم الرحيل عن ليفربول)”.

Former India seamer and Kerala bowling coach Tinu Yohannan has been given the team’s charge, and M Rajagopal, the coach of the state’s Under-23 side, has been named assistant coach

Arun Venugopal11-Nov-2016Kerala coach P Balachandran has been sacked midway through the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season after the state association felt the team’s performances had fallen short of expectations. Former India seamer and Kerala bowling coach Tinu Yohannan has been given the team’s charge, and M Rajagopal, the coach of the state’s Under-23 side, has been named assistant coach.There has also been a major overhaul in the team, with four players – senior batsman Robert Fernandez, wicket-keeper Nikhilesh Surendran, seamers U Manukrishnan and MD Nidheesh – being axed from the squad. Instead, five players from the Under-23 team – Fabid Farooq, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Salman Nizar, Akshay Chandran and KC Akshay – have been picked for Kerala’s remaining matches against Goa, Andhra, Tripura and Services.Kerala are one of two teams in Group C that have not yet registered a win after five rounds of the tournament, despite securing a first-innings lead in four of their five games. With 12 points, they are fifth in the standings and still in contention for a place in the knockouts, but the Kerala Cricket Association felt the time was apt for a change.”It isn’t [a kneejerk reaction]. For the last six or seven seasons, we are coming close but still missing out a place in the knockouts,” a KCA official told ESPNcricinfo. “We cannot spoil one more year.”According to the official, the association’s cricket development committee – which includes the chairman of the senior selection committee, K Jayaraman, and former cricketers KN Ananthapadmanabhan and Sunil Oasis – was not on the same page with Balachandran when it came to team selection. “Balachandran is a good human being, but we need results,” the official said. “When the junior teams are performing creditably, senior teams are not living up to their expectations. We want to reward good performances. That’s why we have brought in five youngsters.”Balachandran, who took over from Sairaj Bahutule as coach, said he was surprised by the decision. “I am not disappointed or upset though,” Balachandran said. “After the Haryana match, I got a message from the secretary [TN Ananthanarayanan] saying that my services were no longer required. I said ‘fine’. I did not ask for the reason.”Last year, our team did well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the association gave good support. I don’t have any grievance, because I have done my work. The association expected more from me which I couldn’t deliver; I keep it as simple as that.”Balachandran also admitted the signing of three professionals – Iqbal Abdulla and Bhavin Thakkar from Mumbai, and Jalaj Saxena from Madhya Pradesh – at the start of the season had possibly raised KCA’s expectations of the team.The KCA official said the decision to rope in professionals indicated the association’s desperation for a better showing this season.”We wanted an aggressive approach, that’s why we brought in some guest players,” the official said. “But, if they are going to be on the losing side all the time, it will affect their morale as well.”

Arsenal will have to accept taking a "major hit" financially on winger Nicolas Pepe as he becomes open to a Saudi Arabia move this summer, according to reports.

Who could leave Arsenal this summer?

After missing out on a first Premier League title in nearly 20 years, it is the task of manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu to revamp the squad as this transfer window officially opens.

Of the players who could come in, the likes of West Ham star Declan Rice and Brighton's Moises Caicedo have been heavily linked, with the Gunners also searching for a new right-back.

However, to make room for these potential additions, certain fringe players must be offloaded as Arsenal look to operate within their means and abide by FFP regulations.

There are a few nominations for the exit door, perhaps most notably Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe, Nuno Tavares, Sambi Lokonga, Folarin Balogun and long-serving star Granit Xhaka (Goal).

January signing Jorginho has also been linked with a return to Italy, just six months after Arsenal signed him from Chelsea, and this could be the last summer for club-record signing Pepe.

According to reliable journalist Chris Wheatley, writing for 3 Added Minutes, the Ivory Coast international is "open" to leaving Arsenal and moving to Saudi Arabia – coming as the north Londoners deem him surplus-to-requirements alongside Cedric Soares.

The full sentence was: "Pepe in particular is open minded to moving to Saudi Arabia, where a flurry of marquee names have arrived in recent weeks."

However, given Pepe has just one year remaining on his contract, Arsenal will have to take a "major hit" financially on the £72.5 million they paid for his services in 2019.

Who is Nicolas Pepe?

Scoring six goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances on loan at Nice last season, Pepe actually impressed in parts going by his attacking statistics.

According to WhoScored, the winger averaged more completed take-ons per 90 than any other player in the Nice squad, all while ranking in their top two for attempts at goal and key passes completed in the final third.

The £140,000-per-week player was even praised by Arteta for his attitude in 2022.

"Obviously he’s not responsible for the price a club paid for him," said Arsenal's manager to the media.

"He’s tried everything. His attitude has been just phenomenal. I think you have to meet the person because you have to love him for the way he is."

Despite this, though, it appears Pepe's time in north London could well be coming to an end – and it's perhaps a regrettable signing overall for the Arsenal board.

Chelsea are reportedly edging closer to a deal for Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson as Mauricio Pochettino looks set to overhaul his squad during the summer transfer window.

What’s the latest on Nicolas Jackson to Chelsea?

According to Jacob Steinberg, journalist at The Guardian, the Blues are showing “progress on Nico Jackson deal” amid their hunt for a new striker this summer.

The Stamford Bridge outfit could make a bid for the 21-year-old as soon as next week as they have already agreed personal terms with the player and his current contract contains a release clause of £30m, a fee that the club could certainly afford given their penchant for lavish spending since Todd Boehly arrived in London.

Could Nicolas Jackson sign for Chelsea?

Chelsea struggled for goals last season, scoring only 38 in the Premier League, this total was even lower than Leicester City and Leeds United, who were both relegated, showing just how poor the club were in front of goal.

No player at the club scored more than ten goals across all competitions, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang particularly underwhelming, only netting three times in 21 games following his move last summer from Barcelona.

Jackson would certainly be an upgrade on the 33-year-old if he moved to Chelsea during the transfer window.

The Senegal international not only registered more goals and assists than Aubameyang last term (17 to four), but also more shot-creating actions (2.69 to 1.58), successful take ons (30 to three) and goal-creating actions (0.66 to 0.09), clearly suggesting that he would be a much stronger option to lead the line at Chelsea next season.

Even at the tender age of 21, Jackson ranked in the top five for goals and assists, total shots per game, big chances created and scoring frequency out of the whole Villarreal squad, evidently showing his maturity and indicating that he can be a positive influence in the first team, despite his lack of experience.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig certainly believes he has potential, dubbing the youngster as “extraordinary” following his stunning 2022/2023 La Liga campaign, which included a goal every 101 minutes and a 29% goal conversation rate, showing that he could become a key figure for Chelsea.

Aubameyang hasn’t exactly set the world alight during his spell at the Blues and with Pochettino looking to assert his own authority on the playing squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him moved on this summer and replaced with a striker such as Jackson.

England have confirmed that Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes will return to their team for the third Test against India starting in Mohali on Saturday

George Dobell in Mohali25-Nov-20162:53

Compton: Buttler may not be a long-term option

England have confirmed that Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes will return to the side for the third Test against India starting in Mohali on Saturday. Buttler comes in for Ben Duckett, who has been dropped, while Woakes replaces the injured Stuart Broad.For Buttler it will be just his second first-class match since being dropped from the Test side against Pakistan in the UAE last year. He played once for Lancashire towards the end of 2016 season, having had plans to play Championship cricket earlier in the summer ended by a broken thumb.”Jos is an extremely talented cricketer and we’ve all seen that in the one-day and Twenty20 format,” Alastair Cook, the England captain, said. “He’s right up there with the best short-form players in the world and he’s earned an opportunity to come and play here.”It’s clearly not ideal because of circumstances and he hasn’t played a lot of red-ball cricket but sometimes when the pressure’s off and you just go out and play you can do something special.Cook also said that using Buttler as wicketkeeper, and Jonny Bairstow as a specialist batsman after what has been a prolific year, was not discussed. “There was no temptation to give Jos the gloves back,” he said. “I think Jonny’s been outstanding and has settled in that role and done very well.”But he had a glint in his eye when I said we’d like you to move up to five. It gives him more chance to bat. He bats at five and keeps at Yorkshire so he’s used to that role.”Virat Kohli, the India captain, said he was surprised it had taken so long for England to bring Buttler back. “I was actually quite surprised to see him being left out after a couple of bad runs. I think he’s a very talented player and can do really well for England.”One advantage that Buttler has over most of his team-mates is in having played at Mohali already this year, during his IPL stint with Mumbai Indians. But the suggestion that Buttler has “earned” his recall will raise some eyebrows. While Buttler’s record in limited-overs cricket is very good – he is rated No. 12 in the official ICC ODI rankings and 20th in the T20I rankings – and his work ethic around the squad is excellent, he has hardly had an opportunity to push for a return in red-ball cricket.He has not been able to prove that he has learned to build an innings or deal with some of the issues that saw him lose form. Buttler hasn’t so much earned his recall as won it by default, with Duckett and Gary Ballance having been dropped.That raises questions about the balance of the squad on this section of the tour. The England camp were not committed to retaining the same squad from Bangladesh here so if they had come to a decision not to pick Ballance – and it appears they had – in India, it might have made sense to call up another player in his place.Quite who that might have been is debatable. While England would love a player of Ian Bell’s talent and experience to have scored enough runs to justify his recall, it is hard to argue that he did.Asked whether reinforcements might be called up before the final two Tests of the series, Cook replied: “I don’t think that will happen.”Cook also had warm words for Broad, who produced an exceptional spell on the fourth morning in Visakhapatnam despite a foot injury. “You wouldn’t know that his foot was as bad as it was,” Cook said. “But the specialist’s advice is that there is a risk of it going totally and he would then be out for a period of time”They were quite surprised how well he got through those four-and-a-half days after doing it in the third or fourth over of the match. If he played here and did more damage to the tendon in the second over then you’d look stupid.”Describing the decision to drop Duckett as “a blip” in a promising young player’s career, Cook expressed confidence in his long-term future.”Ben won’t be the only good player who has been dropped,” he said. “He has an England future, there’s no doubt about it, because he’s a very talented guy with a lot ahead of him.”When I chatted to him he said he thought he was a pretty decent player of spin. And he is. But he just has an issue which unfortunately has been found out quite quickly which can happen in this part of the world in international cricket.”He can go and address that and come again because he’s a very talented and exciting cricketer in all three forms. It’s just a blip in his career. He will have to work at his game, but he isn’t the first person who has to do that and he won’t be the last.”Cook also confirmed that Zafar Ansari was not fit for selection but delayed naming a full side until he had taken the chance to inspect the pitch and decide whether a third spinner or fourth seamer would be more appropriate. On a dry, shaved surface though, it looks likely that Gareth Batty, the offspinner, will come into the side in place of Ansari.Moeen Ali is to be promoted to No. 4 in the batting order and Bairstow to No. 5. Buttler will bat at No. 7. That means Moeen will have batted at every position in the top nine for England in Test cricket except at No. 3, which is where he bats for Worcestershire.

أكد مارسيل كولر المدير الفني للأهلي على جاهزية فريقه لمواجهة الزمالك في مباراة نهائي كأس مصر، مشيرًا إلى استبعاده 3 لاعبين من القائمة قبل اللقاء.

وتقام مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي المسابقة المحلية على أرضية استاد الأول بارك بمدينة الرياض، في نهائي تاريخي بحضور السعة الكاملة للجماهير المصرية في المملكة، وغير المصريين من مشجعي قطبي الكرة المصرية.

وقال كولر في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي: “كان لدينا وقت كاف للاستعداد، وأعدينا أنفسنا تكتيكياً جيداً، وسنواجه فريقًا كبيرًا جدًا لديه لاعبين مميزين، وطموحنا تحقيق البطولة وهذا قدر الأهلي دائمًا”.

طالع | جوزيه جوميز: نستعد لـ الأهلي مثل أي مباراة.. والزمالك معتاد على الفوز بالألقاب

وتابع: “سعداء باللعب في السعودية وسط حضور جماهيري كبير ومتوقع، ونواجه فريقًا كبيرًا، ولن نركز على لاعب بعينه لأن الزمالك لديه لاعبين مميزين، وتركيزنا بتجاوز الخصم وتحقيق اللقب”.

وأكمل: “لدينا الآن 23 لاعباً، وسوف نستبعد 3 لاعبين قبل النهائي، حارس ولاعبين آخرين، لدينا غيابات مؤثرة، هناك أكثر من لاعب مصاب استمر في القاهرة، بينما يوجد أكثر من لاعب بحاجة إلى مزيد من الجاهزية”.

وأردف: “كأس العالم للأندية كان نقطة تحول في مسيرتنا، كان بإمكاننا تحقيق أفضل مما حققناه، والتحضيرات بالسعودية تساعدنا على تحقيق الأفضل”.

وأكمل: “لا توجد (خلطة) للفوز بـ النهائيات، هذه مباراة مثل أي مباراة أخرى، والذي يفرق دوافع اللاعبين من خلال إصرارهم على الفوز في مثل هذه اللقاءات”.

واستطرد: “نستعد للمباريات بشكل شامل، ولا يمكن أن نركز على لاعب بعينه في صفوف الفريق المنافس، تغلبنا على الزمالك 3 مرات وخلالها كان ندًّا قويًّا ولا توجد مواجهات سهلة في كرة القدم”.

وأفاد: “المباراة سوف تكون أمام منافس قوي يضم عناصر مميزة، كما هو حال الأهلي الذي يخوض المباراة بحثًا عن لقب جديد خلال الموسم الجاري، ولدينا غيابات مؤثرة، هناك أكثر من لاعب مصاب استمر في القاهرة، بينما يوجد أكثر من لاعب بحاجة إلى مزيد من الجاهزية”.

وأتم: “أنا أثق بشدة في كل لاعبي الفريق، وأن كل لاعب لديه رغبة وطموح في اللعب حتى لو كان يعاني من الإصابة، وأن جميع اللاعبين لديهم خبرات كبيرة فنية وذهنية”.

وكان الزمالك قد تأهل إلى المباراة النهائية بعد الفوز على بيراميدز بركلات الرجيح في نصف النهائي.

بينما صعد الأهلي إلى النهائي عقب تخطي عقبة إنبي بنتيجة 3-0 بالمواجهة التي أقيمت في شهر أكتوبر الماضي.