كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير آخر التطورات الخاصة بـ موقف لاعبي فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي المصابين، وعلى رأسهم أحمد سيد زيزو وحسين الشحات، موضحًا موعد عودة إمام عاشور بعد تعافيه من المرض.
ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة كهرباء الإسماعيلية مساء السبت المقبل، في المواجهة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن لقاءات الجولة العاشرة بالدوري المصري.
وقال أحمد شوبير في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “حسين الشحات شارك في المران الجماعي اليوم بعد غيابه أمس، أجرى آشعة وفحوصات بعد تعرضه لكدمة في الكتف، لكنها لن تعيقه عن المشاركة في المباراة القادمة”.
وأكمل: “طاهر محمد طاهر بطل وجدع ويموت نفسه مع الفريق، شارك اليوم في التدريبات بعد أن أثبتت الفحوصات سلامته عقب شكوته من تقلصات في العضلتين الأماميتين في مباراة القمة، لكنه بحالة جيدة وعاد للتمرين”.
طالع.. خاص | لاعب الأهلي يقترب من الانضمام لـ منتخب مصر
وأردف: “شارك محمد شكري الظهير الأيسر في التدريبات الجماعية وحالته جيدة، ومن الممكن أن يدخل قائمة الفريق في مباراة الإسماعيلي، وأفشة شارك وزيزو أيضًا، لكن المستمرين في الغياب هم جراديشار وكريم فؤاد وأشرف داري”.
وواصل: “إمام عاشور يستمر غيابه عن المشاركة في التدريبات منذ يوم 14 سبتمبر، تخطينا الأسبوعين ولن يعود قبل شهر بعد تعرضه لفيروس A وكل فترة يخضع لتحاليل، وما زالت التحاليل تؤكد ارتفاع في الأنزيمات، والطبيب يتابعه”.
وأتم: “وبعد أن تصل للمعدل الطبيعي سيعود إمام للتدريبات، وسيخضع لتحليل جديد الأسبوع المُقبل لحسم موقفه من العودة”.
Crystal Palace are making contingency plans behind the scenes, in the event they’re forced to sell Eberechi Eze amid ongoing interest from Arsenal.
Crystal Palace jostling to sign "special" £30m Chelsea ace over AC Milan
The Eagles could land a Chilwell repeat…
ByTom Cunningham Jul 24, 2025
Oliver Glasner hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best summer window after guiding Palace to their first ever major trophy at the end of last season.
The south Londoners are currently in a legal battle with UEFA, Nottingham Forest and Lyon after Palace’s spot in the Europa League was unceremoniously, and perhaps unfairly, revoked due to their alleged breach of multi-club ownership rules.
Daniel Munoz
7.11
Eberechi Eze
7.09
Maxence Lacroix
6.88
Marc Guehi
6.81
Jean-Philippe Mateta
6.80
via WhoScored
John Textor was forced to sell his shares in Palace, agreeing a £190 million deal for his 43% stake with New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, with the American tycoon also resigning from his leadership role at Lyon to try and avoid a demotion to the Conference League.
However, UEFA still followed through with their decision, and Palace have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to get their Europa League spot back.
A decision is expected on August 11 after a hearing three days prior, and whilst the Eagles take on UEFA, Glasner’s side also face the looming threat of losing key players.
Marc Guehi is attracting serious interest from Liverpool and other Premier League rivals ahead of deadline day on September 1, while multiple sources suggest that Arsenal are hot on the heels of star playmaker Eze.
The England international had a £60 million release clause in his contract, but that expired at 11:59pm on Friday night, so Arsenal will need to enter negotiations with Palace if they want to strike a deal.
Arsenal were not planning to trigger Eze’s clause anyway, and the 27-year-old remains very keen on a move across London after talks with both Mikel Arteta and Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta, according to reports.
Crystal Palace could sign Lucas Paqueta and Leandro Trossard to replace Eze
Football Transfers have an update on the ex-QPR star’s future, and it’s claimed that Steve Parish could make a “sensational double swoop” to replace Eze if he does leave.
Crystal Palace's EberechiEzeposes with the player of the match trophy
Indeed, West Ham creator Lucas Paqueta and Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard are of interest to Glasner’s side, and FT sources believe that Palace could bring in the two London stars simultaneously if Eze leaves.
The Brazilian is apparently Palace’s “major target”, but they’re also weighing up a move for Trossard, who could be used as a makeweight by Arsenal to sweeten any deal for Eze.
Lucas Paqueta
In a statement move, Palace may actually end up signing both Paqueta and Trossard, but for that to happen, Parish could need to milk as much cash for Eze as possible.
The Hammers midfielder commands a price tag of around £60 million, according to GiveMeSport, while Arsenal have placed a £17 million valuation on Trossard as he enters the final 11 months of his contract.
The £77 million duo are proven Premier League players, though, and could be worth their wait in gold for Glasner, who’s looking to build upon Palace’s historic FA Cup triumph at Wembley.
The ECB has responded by reassuring SLC and the team about the security arrangements in place
Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Aug-2024The Sri Lanka men’s team has raised concerns about the security situation in England in light of the anti-immigrant riots that have erupted in various cities. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has responded by reassuring Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the team about the security arrangements in place.Players already in England for the pre-series training have also expressed anxiety about the unrest, particularly as they do not have a security plan covering this portion of their trip. This nine-person contingent – seven players and two support staff – have asked SLC to arrange for better security over the next few days, as they travel to and from a ground near London.”Most of the issues seem not to be close to where we are but everyone is still a little concerned,” one player in England told ESPNcricinfo. “We can’t really go out to dinner or do anything like that. Mostly we stay in the hotel. No one wants to run into trouble and get beaten up.”We’ve asked the board to try and ask for some security for us until the main team arrives, but we haven’t heard anything back yet.”Most of the team is set to arrive in England for a three-match Test series on Sunday, at which point the ECB’s security plan kicks in. Sri Lanka’s team manager Mahinda Halangoda, who is still in Sri Lanka, told ESPNcricinfo that he had raised concerns with ECB after seeing news reports from Manchester – where the team play their first Test from August 21 – in particular.”I raised the issue with them, but the ECB responded very quickly and sent us their comprehensive security arrangements,” Halangoda said. “We’ll be having a security liaison on the tour from them as well.”While some far-right protests have been marked by violence, there have, over the last few days, been large counter-protests aimed at protecting immigrant-owned businesses, places of worship, and other places immigrants frequent.The United Kingdom government also assured sporting bodies that the country remained safe for sports, on an emergency call on Wednesday. The UK police has stated unequivocally that it will crack down on and prevent violence.Sri Lanka are set to play three Tests in England which begin on August 21 in Manchester. The teams then head to Lord’s for the second Test from August 29 before finishing off at The Oval on September 6.
Breakthroughs at a premium in follow-on as batter’s fourth century of season thwarts hosts
ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2024
Joe Clarke’s hundred helped salvage a draw for this side•Getty Images
Joe Clarke made his fourth century of the season and blunted the threat posed by Lancashire’s James Anderson to ensure that Nottinghamshire drew their Vitality County Championship match with Lancashire at Southport.Clarke passed fifty for the seventh time in 14 first-class innings this season and had put on an unbroken 136 for the fifth wicket with Lyndon James to steer the visitors to 270 for four when the players shook hands at 4.50 with James unbeaten on 43 and Clarke on 115 not out, bringing his first-class aggregate for the season to 795By contrast to his astonishing spell on Tuesday morning, Anderson had figures of 1 for 25 from eleven overs in two spells on the final day at Southport but the eight points the sides collect for the draw enable both of them to pull a little further away from Division One’s relegation zone.Anderson took his only wicket of the second innings with his 17th ball of the day when Will Young pushed a trifle tentatively forward and edged a catch to Matthew Hurst. The same combination had dismissed Young nearly 24 hours previously but Clarke and Jack Haynes then steadied the ship and Haynes hooked Tom Bailey for a six onto the Southport to Liverpool railway line narrowly missing a fast-moving train by seconds.In the next over, though, Haynes was caught behind off Chris Green, thus giving the Australian offspinner his maiden first-class wicket for Lancashire on his Championship debut.James Anderson only managed one wicket in the second innings•Getty Images
No more wickets fell until lunch by which time home spectators could reflect on a session in which they had been treated to the sight of Nathan Lyon bowling in tandem with Anderson, a combination that has taken 1230 Test wickets. The statisticians believe it is the most ever taken by one first-class team. (The nearest challenger discovered so far is another Lancashire side, one that contained Muthiah Muralidaran, Andrew Flintoff and Dominic Cork.)Regardless of who he was facing though, Clarke continued to bat with careful fluency, lapping Lyon for four to fine leg, pulling him onto the railway line and reaching his fifty in 107 balls. Nottinghamshire lunched on 164 for four and were therefore only 63 runs in arrears. But the prospect of Anderson with the new ball in his hand was enough to have those supporters looking anxiously at the sky and wondering when the forecast rain might arrive.Anderson duly took the new ball two overs into the afternoon session and Clarke prepared to receive it as though he was starting his innings afresh. However, the Lancashire bowler had delivered five wicketless overs for 16 runs when rain swept in from the west at 2.20.Contrary to some expectations, play resumed at 4.00 with a minimum of 33 overs to be bowled. Rather than be unsettled by the resumption of play, though, Clarke and James played with increasing freedom and had taken their side into the lead when Clarke reached his century off 185 balls with a square cut off Luke Wells.
Everton manager David Moyes faces a few challenges this summer, most notably set to lose a number of players, experienced ones at that, with Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin out of contract at the end of this month.
With both looking likely to depart, Moyes will need to bring in replacements to bolster his defensive and attacking options.
Jack Grealish could reportedly head to the Toffees, although his wage demands and asking price may deter the Merseyside club.
Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes.
Another player who Moyes is keen on is Villarreal star Thierno Barry, and he could strengthen Everton’s frontline.
The club are also considering a move for another forward, however, and he could be an even better signing than Barry.
Everton considering move for Barry upgrade
Much will depend on the money that Moyes has available to him this summer. With Profit and Sustainability regulations to be mindful of, the manager will have to spend wisely.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are now considering making a move for Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade in a bid to bolster their attack.
Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade
The Bundesliga striker would be available for a transfer fee of £42m. Whether this is in Moyes’ budget remains to be seen.
He is exactly what the club needs, however. Everton finished the 2024/25 Premier League season with just 42 goals scored, the lowest of any team outside the relegation zone.
As such, a move for Woltemade could be vital if Moyes aims to get his team scoring more next term.
How Nick Woltemade compares to Thierno Barry
Barry scored 16 goals for Villarreal last season, having made the move from FC Basel in the summer. He is also capable of playing out on the right wing, a position which Moyes is desperate to strengthen in the summer.
While the Frenchman would be an excellent signing, pursuing Woltemade is perhaps the better idea.
In their respective domestic leagues last season, the German not only registered a better shots on target percentage (50% vs 36%) than Barry, but he also recorded more shots on target per 90 (1.28 vs 1.09) and registered way more shot-creating actions (4.38 vs 1.78) than the versatile Frenchman.
Woltemade also recorded a 25% goal conversion rate in the Bundesliga last term, whereas Barry’s was only 15% in La Liga.
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The German also created more big chances (eight vs seven) and succeeded with more dribbles (1.1 vs 0.5) domestically.
These statistics point towards Woltemade being the most attractive signing for Moyes this summer.
Metric
Barry
Woltemade
Goals
11
12
Assists
4
2
Big chances created
7
8
Key passes per game
0.7
1.3
Shots per game
2.1
1.8
Scoring frequency (minutes)
211
136
Hailed by U23 scout Antonio Mango as “exceptional” following a stunning season for Stuttgart, Moyes would be signing a player with a bright future indeed.
Everton aren’t his only suitors, however, and this could make life difficult for the manager as he eyes up a swoop.
He could be an incredible signing and would prove that the Toffees mean business next season in the Premier League.
The next few weeks will be interesting to say the least. Watch this space, Everton fans.
Everton willing to pay large fee to sign star with over 100 PL appearances
Manchester City could now sign a £100m attacker in a swap deal, with Matheus Nunes potentially set to be sent in the opposite direction, according to a report.
City eyeing new attackers amid Grealish uncertainty
It was another season to forget for Jack Grealish on a personal level, with the winger picking up just two goal contributions across the entire Premier League season, before being left out of the squad for the trip to Craven Cottage on the final day.
There have been widespread suggestions that Grealish could move on this summer, with Manchester United even emerging as shock contenders for the Englishman, but Pep Guardiola has made it clear the decision not to select him against Fulham wasn’t personal.
That said, having fallen short of expectations last season, Guardiola is planning to rebuild his squad this summer, and City have been linked with moves for a range of different attackers, whose arrivals could spell the end for Grealish.
Player
Current club
Potential cost
Ethan Nwaneri
Arsenal
£84m
Hugo Ekitike
Eintracht Frankfurt
£85m
Francisco Trincao
Sporting CP
£34m
Rodrygo
Real Madrid
£85m
Morgan Gibbs-White
Nottingham Forest
£100m
There has now been a new update on Man City’s pursuit of Gibbs-White, with a report from The Sun revealing they could sign the attacking midfielder in a stunning swap deal, with Nunes potentially heading in the opposite direction to bring down the £100m price tag.
Nottingham Forest's MorganGibbs-Whitereacts after the match
Forest boss Nuno is a big fan of the Portuguese midfielder, with the Blues now prepared to sell the 26-year-old for £35m, should he not be used as a bargaining chip in a deal for the Forest midfielder.
Guardiola admires "exceptional" Gibbs-White
It is no surprise that City are now interested in signing the England international, given that he has received high praise from Guardiola this season, with the 54-year-old describing the Forest star as an “exceptional” player.
Although Forest were ultimately pipped to the Champions League spots, they can still be proud of qualifying for the Europa Conference League, and the 25-year-old was one of the players integral to their success, picking up seven goals and ten assists.
Romano: Man City now prioritising summer move to sign "excellent" defender
He would be an instant upgrade.
ByTom Cunningham May 24, 2025
The idea of getting Nunes off the books may also appeal to Guardiola, considering the City boss has been critical of the Portugal international at times as of late, saying: “He can become a good right-back for the physicality. I think he’s not a player to play in the middle because he’s not clever enough, in composure.”
Having secured Champions League football, a move to Man City is likely to be of great appeal to Gibbs-White this summer, and using Nunes as part of a swap deal could work for all parties.
Chelsea recruitment chief Joe Shields is pushing for a move to sign one marquee Aston Villa star, amid belief Unai Emery’s side could be forced to drop his asking price.
Chelsea set for busy summer as Todd Boehly seeks versatility
With a host of Chelsea players likely to depart Stamford Bridge, and the club currently in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League, Enzo Maresca appears set to witness another busy summer.
Chelsea "ready to negotiate" re-signing £238k-a-week "leader", contact made
The west Londoners are exploring a “shock” move.
ByEmilio Galantini May 8, 2025
The first summer transfer window opens in around four weeks, and will be active from June 1 to June 10 before reopening again on June 16 and ending on September 1.
Chelsea’s final four Premier League fixtures
Date
Newcastle (away)
May 11th
Man United (home)
May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)
May 25th
This hands BlueCo a small chance to sign players before the Club World Cup, and while it is unclear just how many deals they can get done in the space of nine days, Chelsea know exactly which areas they’d like to strengthen.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are most keen to acquire a new centre-back, winger and striker, while the addition of another centre-back/left-back, attacking midfielder and goalkeeper isn’t ruled out either – depending on player sales and Champions League qualification.
Chairman Todd Boehly has also privately expressed his wish for the club to bring in more versatile players to help combat potential injury absences next season, as per Phillips, and one player who fits the bill in this regard is Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.
The Englishman has been one of Emery’s players of the season, bagging 14 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, with a decent number of them coming in the Champions League.
Predictably, Rogers is also attracting attention from rivals as a result, prompting Villa to place a seismic £90 million price tag on the attacker’s head.
The 22-year-old can play as an attacking midfielder, on the wing, and even at centre-forward – like he’s done on two occasions under Emery this season, specifically against Arsenal and Leicester at the beginning of 2024/2025.
Joe Shields driving Chelsea move for Morgan Rogers
The sticking point is obviously his sky-high price tag, but reporter Phillips, via his Substack, says there is an expectation Villa could sell him for a reduced fee given their PSR concerns.
Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers
He also says that Shields is personally driving a Chelsea move for Rogers, so this could be one to keep an eye on.
“Sources say that Chelsea are ‘big’ on Morgan Rogers and are more than monitoring a potential move to bring him in this summer with the PSR situation there,” said Phillips.
“We’ve heard that Joe Shields is a massive fan of Rogers and is driving the interest. There is the Manchester City connection there as well of course, and we know Rogers is close with Cole Palmer.
“Rogers, who will turn 23 in July, can play in a number of positions, including out on the left. Sources believe he would be targeted for the left role as well as being a good option centrally as well.
“Villa at the moment are asking too much for him but the belief is that they might have to drop the asking price if they cannot sell any of their other players as they look to sell in order to comply with PSR.”
Some reports suggest Arsenal are lining up a move for Rogers as well, so it’s likely Chelsea will face competition.
The 2-1 win is the sort of result that they’ve rarely achieved in this country
Danyal Rasool10-Nov-2024If someone told you Australia would bat 99.5 overs in this three-match ODI series, one that produced both a nine- and an eight-wicket win, you would have let out a resigned sigh. Pakistan had lost 26 of their last 28 games across formats in this country, had seen a captain and coach resign within the last month, and played no 50-over cricket for a year. Australia fielded a near-full strength side for each of the first two games, and were, as they often tend to be, reigning world champions in this format. Of course these games were going to be one sided; Australia needed to do little more than turn up wearing yellow.Nobody gave Pakistan a chance. This was the land down under, not the land upside down. They don’t do that kind of thing round here.It is remarkable how simple it was after all. Babar Azam had often tried to hide his side’s weaknesses as leader; Mohammad Rizwan wore them like a war wound. Yes, Pakistan had no answer to Adam Zampa. So they didn’t play a spinner at all. Yes, they didn’t have an allrounder they felt they could trust. So they just played four bowlers. Yes, four express seamers would be an issue for the over-rate. So they made sure they bowled Australia out in 40 overs. Yes, they didn’t have much batting depth either. So they made sure to bowl Australia out modestly enough they didn’t have to chase much.Related
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Pakistan quicks set up famous series win in Australia
There Pakistan stood, their glaring weaknesses in full view, their soft underbelly exposed for Australia to slice through. But Pakistan have spent much too long on the defensive against Australia, and have the scarring to show how that ends. The recent Test series against England had demonstrated the value of bespoke conditions as a route to victory, and so, on these bouncier, seaming surfaces, they burnt their bridges and unleashed their four-pronged pace attack.There was Shaheen Shah Afridi, a man denuded – of both his captaincy and his pace – looking for arrows to add to his quiver. Experimenting with his wrist position and finding sideways movement both ways, he was arguably the bowler of the series. Australia opened with Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, two men with T20 strike rates north of 150. Up against them with the field in, Shaheen’s economy of 3.76 was the lowest of any bowler all series, and he would account for three of the six times they fell, combining for 78 runs in 84 balls across the series.Saim Ayub lived up to his potential•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesThere was Naseem Shah, the most proficient at making the ball talk at pace, perfecting the art of bowling beautiful deliveries that don’t get wickets. Arguably Pakistan’s best bowler in the third game, he made up for his relative expense with menace across all phases of play, especially puncturing Australia early on with new-ball wickets in the final two games.Mohammad Hasnain, whose painfully shy exterior belies the fire that burns underneath, didn’t quite get the number of wickets his team-mates did, but snared the one he really wanted. He would toy with Marcus Stoinis, who once accused him of chucking in the Hundred, before bringing his tortured stay at the crease to a close. There was a brief moment when he considered giving the batter an invective-laden send-off before quickly realising it didn’t come naturally to him, and turned his innocent smile back towards the team-mates who rushed to mob him.Polar opposite, of course, is Haris Rauf, the man this series truly belonged to. Perhaps it is his unapologetic extroversion that has seen him do so well in Australia. His record here is well known, but he hadn’t actually played a one-day game in this country until last week. And yet, his main character energy blazed through every pore as he bent Australia to his will. It was exemplified by his takedown of Australia’s flashiest star in this line-up, Glenn Maxwell dismissed three times in nine balls, a microcosm of a mismatch that told the story of this series.There are glimpses of optimism elsewhere, too. Rizwan’s proactive captaincy may signal a tonal shift for a side that has trudged directionless in the shorter formats for several years now. As Fakhar Zaman approaches the home stretch of his career, there is perhaps also the rustle of large shoes beginning to be filled. Saim Ayub’s nerveless displays in two chases that have historical banana-skin potential for Pakistan justify his gradual induction into ODIs; he is already the second-highest Pakistani run-scorer in successful winning chases against Australia in Australia, six runs behind Javed Miandad.The Pakistan players and support staff celebrate after the series win•AFP/Getty ImagesIt is a mark of how dominant Pakistan have been this series that the middle order hasn’t really been tested but there is possibly a sign Babar hasn’t lost his touch in his favourite format. A respectable 37 in the first game was followed by two brief unbeaten cameos replete with that sumptuous shotmaking repertoire that still sees him ranked the best ODI batter in the world.There will be the usual nitpicking from the type of people one tends to weed out of party invitations that this was just one series. That Australia rested a few players in the first two games, and many more in the third. That their eyes are firmly on the Border-Gavaskar prize over the next couple of months, or that Pakistan still have ODI weaknesses they haven’t really demonstrated an ability to address.They’re often the same people who tend to complain about bilateral series having lost their lustre. But bilateral series, like any other competition, only gain their value through teams caring about them, and Pakistan care about wins in Australia perhaps more than anything else in cricket. It is where their brand was birthed in 1992, where scraps of success make up for tidal waves of heartbreak.Maybe Pakistan are building something here, but maybe they’re not. In 2002, when they last beat Australia in an ODI series, they would go on to have disastrous Champions Trophy and World Cup campaigns. For this side, a series win in Australia is a prize that does not need extraneous context. It is a breath of cool air atop a mountain only few get to scale; when you’re at the top you’re not thinking about the next ascent.Within moments of the winning runs being hit, they took laps of honour around the Optus Stadium, their fans thronging the sidelines to sneak a glimpse or snatch an autograph. The players and coaching staff embraced, emotion writ large on their faces. Rizwan threw himself into the arms of the fitness trainer, Shaheen buried his head in Rauf’s shoulders. There was a warm embrace between Rizwan and Babar, the strains of a friendship that has been tested so severely cast off momentarily.Pakistan will always find time to worry about the future, but living in the present is never easier than days like this.
South African cricket has not exactly been switched on for the past few years, but there is every hope that could slowly change
Firdose Moonda07-Jan-2023When the lights come back on after a power cut in South Africa – and they happen as often as four times a day – people cheer. They don’t do it because they’re particularly pleased (who would be, given that the country is into its 16th year of rolling blackouts?), or even with a sense of irony – they do it because they’re relieved that their two-and-a-half hour outage has ended on time, and in the light.”People feel it’s a dark time right now,” Faf du Plessis, in his role as captain of the Joburg Super Kings said, and he wasn’t talking about the electricity.Just like its power utility, South African cricket has not been switched on over the last few years, and their problems are worsening. The Test team is currently in Australia, facing the possibility of being swept 3-0 there for the first time since 2001. Less than two years ago, du Plessis was the most experienced batter in that side. Now, he is a T20 league specialist and part of the brigade that has promised to bring the light back into the country’s game through the SA20. “We need this competition for the game to grow,” du Plessis said. “Hopefully it will make people very optimistic about the future of South African cricket.”Related
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CSA to conduct review into South Africa's performance at T20 World Cup
To be meaningful, follow-up to SJN process must go beyond Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher
It has already made people more interested in the game. The opening match between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals on Tuesday – which is also the first match with fans at Newlands in the post-Covid-19 era, is a sell-out. More than 20,000 people have bought tickets to the game. Who knows if the same number of South Africans woke up at 1 AM to watch their already-defeated Test team try to save face in Sydney?Ask around and you’ll hear that interest in the national team is lower than ever before. The combined embarrassments of losing to Netherlands and being booted out of the T20 World Cup, teetering on the brink of not being able to automatically qualify for the ODI World Cup and two successive Test series defeats – including seven innings where they could not cobble together 200 – has taken its toll.”That’s been the state of South African cricket for a while now,” Graeme Smith, SA20 league commissioner, told ESPNcricinfo.But Smith and the tournament he is putting together have taken it on themselves to change that.”One of the things we really wanted to do was to re-energise and revive the cricket fan. It’s a hard job in a negative climate,” he said. “Season one and that first week for us around the country is going to be big for us. I’m not sure when last we had a full house for a domestic game.”And for an entire competition? Maybe never.”Trying to sell out 33 games almost back-to-back is different for South Africa but we are seeing a very positive response,” Smith said. “The goal for us is to bring the cricket community together and to revive those dormant fans.”But they’re also looking to lighten the mood, after three heavy years that saw CSA fall into an administrative abyss, grapple with the much-needed Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings, and begin to rebuild, from the ground up. It’s been a time of introspection and angst, two words that were nowhere near the SA20 captain’s press conferences.Instead, there were jokes about du Plessis wearing a normal-sized (not “mannequin-sized”, as he likes to call the rest of his wardrobe) yellow-shirt, and being envious of David Miller in pink. “This feels like a fashion press conference,” du Plessis quipped at one point.There were giggles when Rashid Khan, the only foreign captain in a team, was asked a question about the Stormers (the Cape-Town based domestic rugby team) and whether MI Cape Town could draw on them for inspiration. “What is that?” Rashid asked, as he looked around at the other captains. “A ballerina,” du Plessis told him. Happily, Rashid was not fooled.Quinton de Kock brought his dry humour when he said his only hope for the Durban Super Giants team he will lead is that they “get some game time in,” referring to the rain that often cancels play at Kingsmead at this time of year and revealed his partnership with coach Lance Klusener has not yet involved much talking. As two of the least chatty cricketers about, they will know that that’s probably not likely to change. “We like to keep things relaxed,” he said.South Africa are on the brink of a 3-0 defeat in Australia for the first time since 2001•Getty ImagesWayne Parnell temporarily shed his identity as an out-and-out Cape Town influencer to head up the Pretoria Capital and already understands what’s expected of him.”Centurion is a place where there has been a lot of success. There’s pressure from the people of Pretoria to do well and we hope we can live up to that,” he said. And Aiden Markram admitted to being “refreshed” (and may also slightly relieved) after being dropped from the Test side and is ready to take a new role as the skipper of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Markram has cut a particularly dejected figure in his last few international outings and to see him upbeat was something of a metaphor for the new frame of mind.The six captains and Smith then headed off to the colourful Bo-Kaap, where they posed with the trophy, which has been designed by the same people who made the Test mace. In a video explaining the process by which the SA20 cup was conceptualised, there was an image of Smith, a decade-younger, holding the mace after South Africa became No.1 in the world in England.
“We want to play our role in reviving cricket. We want to get people into the stadium and cheering again.”Graeme Smith hopes the SA20 can do for South Africa what the IPL did for India
For a moment, time stopped.We were taken back to the glory days, when South Africa won series in England and Australia, challenged India at home, and looked as though they were heading towards a World Cup trophy. The 2010-2016 period was a golden age in the country’s game but they missed one massive step. CSA was slow off the blocks to launch a T20 league and then failed in their attempts to do so, twice. That meant the country’s domestic cricketers, in particular, were not exposed to the innovative thinking of league cricket, and the system has stagnated to the point where the players it produces cannot make the step up to the international stage successfully enough. The Test top six is a clear example of this but now, with them at their lowest ebb, that could start to change.”The professionalism that’s going to come from the franchises, who are the most experienced franchise teams in the world, brings huge credibility on and off the field in terms of coaching, management, medical staff, media,” Smith said. “All of that is now coming into South African cricket.”Much like the way the IPL allowed India to deepen and develop its talent pool, Smith hopes the SA20 can do the same for South Africa. “My wish is that there’s one or two great storylines that come from younger players, that they put in great performances and use this platform and make a name for themselves,” Smith said. “We want to play our role in reviving cricket. We want to get people into the stadium and cheering again.”
The young India batter is confident she’s ready for a busy year of international and franchise cricket
Annesha Ghosh31-May-20215:22
‘Looking back, there was a lot of struggle, but I’m happy with where I am today’
Shafali Verma laughs shyly when asked if selfie-hunters come calling when she’s at home in Rohtak, Haryana. “Sometimes,” she says, her nod indicating a young athlete’s growing ease with new-found fame.In the 21 months since her international debut, Verma, 17, has hit more sixes in T20Is than any other female cricketer, helped take India to their maiden T20 World Cup final, and twice topped the women’s T20I batting rankings.Her distinctive power game has helped fetch her deals in the Hundred in the UK, and the WBBL in Australia. She has also been called up to India’s one-day and Test sides for the upcoming tour of England.”My target has been to take lessons from every series and keep improving as a cricketer,” Verma, currently the No. 1-ranked T20I batter, says. “After the T20 World Cup I worked on my skills, fitness, and choosing the right deliveries to play. I felt I did better there in the South Africa series. I could sense some improvement in my fielding as I had focused on working out and strengthening my body during last year’s lockdown.”Verma’s scores of 23, 47, and 60 in the T20Is were one of the few highlights of India’s series against South Africa in March, their first since the T20 World Cup a year ago. They lost the T20Is 2-1 and the ODIs 4-1.”After the T20 World Cup I worked on my skills, fitness, and choosing the right deliveries to play. I felt I did better there in the South Africa series”•Mike Owen/Getty ImagesVerma looked far more at ease against the bouncer in those games than she had previously. She says it was down to the work she put in. “If you try to get better at something and get complacent after trying just once, it never works out. I chalked out a plan and played 150 balls [bouncers] at a time, then rested for a bit and faced more bouncers. I focused on practising the same thing over and over again.”Verma had an opportunity to crank her game up a gear when the Haryana men’s team set up camp ahead of their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign earlier this year.”I feel that I benefited a great deal from that Ranji camp,” she says of the preparatory period ahead of the South Africa series. “My back-foot game was a bit weak earlier, but facing the Ranji bowlers, who would come in at around 140kph, has helped better my technique and confidence on that front.”I interacted with Harshal [Patel], who recently played in the IPL, Mohit [Sharma] , Rahul Tewatia, and picked their brains about dealing with the bouncer. They shared their inputs with me and so did their coach. He gave me his feedback on my batting. I’m very grateful to everyone at the Haryana Cricket Association for the opportunity.”To get around pandemic-related difficulties like lack of access to facilities, Verma’s long-time coach, Ashwini Kumar, a former Haryana first-class player, set up nets and a bowling machine in his backyard for additional batting sessions to supplement her training at Rohtak’s Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club.In the national set-up, too, Verma says, there has been no want of encouragement since she earned her maiden call-up in September 2019.From left: Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav and Verma at the BCCI Awards in January 2020. Verma was named the best woman cricketer (junior domestic) of 2018-19 and won the best international debut award•Vipin Pawar/BCCI”All of my team-mates, coaches and support staff encourage me to bat in my natural style,” she says. “Whenever I don’t play a shot well, Smriti [Mandhana, her opening partner] points out the mistake and suggests how I could have approached the ball better, say, by timing it better or something else. She gives me sound feedback. We discuss a lot about what we think of each other’s batting.” The two put on a 96-run stand inside nine overs in India’s only win in the T20I series against South Africa.The series against South Africa was also head coach WV Raman’s last assignment with India. He has been replaced by Ramesh Powar, who has returned to take charge of the side after being let go from the job in 2018.The T20 World Cup in Australia last year was Verma’s first major tournament and the teenager was the object of a lot of media interest and buzz. If she didn’t blink in the spotlight, it was partly due to Raman and the management, who made sure she didn’t look much beyond the task at hand.”I worked with him [Raman] for two years,” Verma says. “He would back me to the hilt to bat the way I bat. ‘Ball game ,’ [Focus on the ball, focus on your own game] he would say. He motivated me since my debut. Whether or not I did something correctly or did it well, he would encourage me. I will miss him and I want to thank him. It was great playing under him.”The England tour, Verma’s first trip to that country, will kick off a busy season overseas for India, and she has been preparing to embrace the new experiences and challenges that will come along.Verma was among India’s top run scorers in the 2020 T20 World Cup and hit 15 sixes in five innings in the tournament•Paul Kane/Getty Images”I want to remain fit. That’s my primary goal, because if I’m fit, I can carve out a long career for myself. And to simulate skiddy conditions [overseas], I have been training with wet synthetic balls, to allow them to skid more.”I watched the IPL as well. One gets to learn a lot observing and watching the IPL players, their shot selection, especially.”Verma is excited at the prospect of playing a Test. The last time India played one, at Mysore in 2014, she was ten years old. She hasn’t ever had a taste of multi-day cricket at any level, and though she likes watching Steven Smith in Tests, most of her idols in the sport, she says, smiling, are from the shortest format.Already one of the most compelling T20 batters around, Verma will have a shot at learning from some of the best in the business when she teams up with multiple World Cup winner Alyssa Healy at the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL this year soon after India’s bilateral series against Australia.”Healy is a good batter,” Verma says. “I watched her bat in the [T20] World Cup. “If I get to open with her or bat with her in any other position, I would like to pick her brains, speak to her about what it’s like playing at this level and learn from her experience.”A promotion in the central-contracts tiers has also boosted her salary by an additional 20 lakh [US$27,500 approx] this year. The raise is welcome. She grew up in a family with a modest income; her father, Sanjeev, runs a small jewellery shop.”I sense that everyone who has been part of my journey is happy to see that I have found an aim in life. When I look back, I think of my younger self cycling 15km to school and then cycling back [home] and then to my cricket academy…. [Growing up], I would try motivating myself by reminding myself that if I work hard, my name might come up for selection.”There has been some struggle in my journey, but [I’m happy to see how things are going]. As Papa says, if I stay diligent, keep learning and work on my mistakes, I can do better and support the Indian team in every way I can.”