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“It is difficult. The team sacrifices a lot. They sacrifice family time, and there is a lot of alone time”

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2021Zimbabwe are hoping to begin the process of rebuilding their national side, with at least two confirmed Test series in the next two months, and several white-ball fixtures in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup. The windfall of matches, which starts with two Tests and three T20Is against Afghanistan in the UAE, comes after a lean year for Zimbabwe in which they only played six internationals, none of them Tests. This return to the rigours of the longest format is what captain Sean Williams says his team needs to improve across the board.Related

• Rashid Khan set to miss Zimbabwe Test with finger injury

• Afghanistan, Zimbabwe look to flex Test credentials in maiden meeting

• Rashid Khan: Afghanistan need 'more than three to four Tests a year' to become a stronger team

• No Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine in Zimbabwe squad for Afghanistan Tests

“I would love this team to play Tests as often as possible. It’s the ultimate,” Williams said. “And having the opportunity to play in Covid-19 times is massive. It’s character building. The challenges you face in Test cricket are huge and if you can overcome those challenges, it prepares you for ODI and T20 cricket. I am very excited to see the Tests against Pakistan (in April) are on, and the Ireland (white-ball) tour and then the qualifiers next year leading into the 2023 World Cup.”Though looking forward to the opportunity to get on the field again, Zimbabwe, like many other teams, are finding that playing during the pandemic brings challenges of its own.”It is difficult. The team sacrifices a lot. They sacrifice family time, and there is a lot of alone time,” Williams said. “The mental aspect is big. The time you spend in the room, with quarantine and testing, over and over and over – it’s extremely tough. You spend a lot of time on your cellphone and your screen time goes up. You spend a lot of time on social media and social media can play mind games with you, especially when it comes to international sport.”The squad have moved from a biosecure environment in Harare, where they were training, to a bubble in Abu Dhabi, their base for the entire Afghanistan series. Although they are no longer confined to their hotel rooms, there are still restrictions on their movement and how much they can interact with each other.”You’ve got trackers around your neck so you can’t spend too much time with each other. After 15 minutes, the beeper goes off and you’ve got to head off,” Williams said. “We are separated a lot of the time. It’s tough. It’s not for the faint-hearted.”But it’s the only way to ensure they get the game time Williams is so desperate for to prompt an upskilling of their players.Zimbabwe have to go back more than two years to remember their last Test win, against Bangladesh in Sylhet in November 2018, and more than a year for the last respectable performance in the format, when they drew against Sri Lanka in Harare. For that reason, the goal for this series is simple: “I want to win. I just want to win. Simple,” Williams said. “And we need to have team goals hour by hour like we had in the Sri Lanka Test match. And make decisions collectively as a group. There will always be a guy that struggles and someone else will have to step up and carry him along.”Williams has backed Prince Masvaure to step up in the absence of several key players•AFP

The emphasis on the collective is in part a response to the number of players Zimbabwe are missing for this series. Six first-choice players – Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha and PJ Moor – are out of the tour through illness or injury, putting more pressure on Williams and other senior members of the side, like Sikandar Raza.”Missing them is huge. We need them in Test cricket but at the same time, we have a young bunch coming through. We are in a rebuilding process again,” Williams said. “Missing them is huge not only for the juniors but for guys like Raza and myself as well. They are support for the group but they are not here so we have got to get on with it.”The absence of Taylor, Ervine, Chibhabha and Moor, which leaves Zimbabwe with an inexperienced middle-order, will not be used as an excuse for below-par batting. In fact, Williams is specifically targeting improved first-innings scores of “450-500 plus which is what’s expected in a first innings total Test cricket nowadays,” which is much more than Zimbabwe’s recent average of 280 across their last nine Tests.It will be up to Prince Masvaure and Kevin Kasuza, who are established as the top two, to step up and Williams believes they are more than ready for the task. “Their characters speak volumes on them. If I had to pick a team on character and not on talent, they would both be there,” he said. “They have that sacrificial mindset and that makes a big difference when it comes to Test cricket. They are opening doors for themselves and for us. I am extremely happy to have them and I value them massively. The workload that they do and the work ethics they have is massive.”Zimbabwe have several options in the bowling department, particularly when it comes to spinners, but that’s not where Williams’ focus is. Although conditions are expected to favour slower bowling, he wants his quicks to come to the fore against the Afghan line-up. “Pace against them is a big thing so we are hoping our bowlers get an opportunity to have a crack at them,” Williams said.That means Donald Tiripano and Victor Nyauchi will have a big job to do, as will Blessing Muzarabani, who returned to Zimbabwe last year after a Kolpak stint, and will play his first Test since 2018. “It’s a huge thing to have him back. His height, his pace, the bounce that he gets is a big thing for us, especially against a team like Afghanistan,” Williams said. “His leadership skills coming from the county scene is also a big thing for us and our bowling unit.”Both Tests and all three T20Is will be played in Abu Dhabi.

Karnataka, Baroda, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Haryana have qualified for the Super League; four more teams will join them

Saurabh Somani17-Nov-2019The closing stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy’s league phase have been enlivened by a tight race for the Super League and two prominent names making a comeback, Prithvi Shaw and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Sunday was to be the last day of the league stage for all five groups, but reschedules have meant there will be seven matches from Groups C, D and E played on Monday. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super League, to be followed by semi-finals and the final.Shaw smacks half-century on comeback
Having served out his eight-month ban for consuming a banned substance, Shaw returned to action for Mumbai in the familiar environs of the Wankhede Stadium with 63 off 39 balls at the top of the order in a Group D match.Assam had to bear the brunt of a Mumbai side smarting from a shock defeat against Meghalaya in their last match. Mumbai piled up 206 for 5 after being asked to bat, while Assam could muster only 123 for 8.But while Aditya Tare, Shaw’s opening partner, was the game’s top-scorer, smashing 82 off 48, Shaw was the cynosure. It was his first knock at a representative level since the IPL Qualifier for Delhi Capitals against Chennai Super Kings on May 10.He came through the test well, though Assam’s bowling didn’t pose the greatest challenge, hitting six fours and three sixes in his knock. Shaw will now need to build on a successful start to his comeback to challenge for a spot in the Indian team again. In his absence, Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal have established themselves as unquestionably the first-choice openers in the Test team.Bhuvneshwar Kumar in his delivery follow-through•AFP

Bhuvneshwar makes a solid comeback
Injuries, and team dynamics, have meant Bhuvneshwar has slipped from being a three-format India player to one who is looked at primarily for limited-overs cricket. Even with the white ball, Deepak Chahar’s emergence as a swing bowler of considerable skill has meant Bhuvneshwar’s absence hasn’t quite been an unfillable void.Before the T20I series against Bangladesh, chief selector MSK Prasad had said, “Bhuvneshwar Kumar might come in the next series.”Bhuvneshwar took some strides towards an international comeback, making a steady if understated return to competitive cricket. He played his second match in three days for Uttar Pradesh, in Group B. His comeback game was against Manipur on November 15 in Thumba, where he took none for 13 in three overs. Against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, he bowled his full quota of four overs and took 1 for 23.Kerala made 119 for 8 in 20 overs, before Uttar Pradesh, set a revised target of 44 in seven overs, ended on 42 for 4, losing by one run. That result had significant ramifications for who ended up qualifying.Karnataka, Baroda, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Haryana qualify
Karnataka, Baroda, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan have already qualified for the Super League, with Groups A and B having completed all their matches.Some matches remain in Group D, but Mumbai and Haryana have qualified from that group. Mumbai are on an impregnable 24 points. Haryana have 20, with a match against Meghalaya left. Even if they lose, there is no other team on 20 points. Puducherry are on 16 and can equal Haryana on points if they beat Madhya Pradesh, but Haryana had won their head-to-head match against Puducherry.Both Karnataka and Baroda finished on 20 points in Group A, having five wins and one defeat each, and sailed through comfortably. The going was tighter in Group B. Tamil Nadu were the group leaders with 20 points, but Rajasthan, Vidarbha and Kerala all finished on 16 points each. They had all beaten each other once, which meant Rajasthan, with a net run-rate of 1.938, qualified ahead of Vidarbha (0.566) and Kerala (0.503).Two rain-affected matches that were decided by a margin of just one run played a part in deciding the Group B table. Vidarbha had beaten Rajasthan by a single run on November 12 despite Chahar’s heroics, and, on Sunday, Kerala beat Uttar Pradesh by the same margin. If Kerala hadn’t won, there wouldn’t have been a three-way tie and in that case, Vidarbha would have gone through by virtue of having won their head-to-head game against Rajasthan.Meanwhile, Rajasthan did all they could to qualify, destroying Tripura in a nine-wicket win. They first restricted Tripura to just 69 for 7 in 16 overs, and then smashed their way to 74 for 1 in five overs, ensuring their net run-rate would be high enough to take them through in case of a three-way tie – which is exactly what happened.Group C currently has out of eight teams on 16 points each, making the race very right. Two Group C games are still remaining. The winner of Maharashtra v Punjab will straightaway qualify, since they are two of the teams on 16 points. Railways, also on 16, will join in if they can beat Himachal Pradesh in the other game. Himachal have only eight points, though, so if they win, it could leave five teams on 16. Punjab have a net run-rate superior to all others, so if they lose to Maharashtra, they’ll still be in position to qualify – should Railways lose. The team with the second-highest net run-rate right now is an unlikely one: Chandigarh. It will be quite a story if they qualify.Jharkhand are on top of Group E, but both Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir are close behind, and the latter two have matches in hand. The next two teams are Gujarat and Odisha, who will also be in action on the final day, which makes Group E’s scenario uncertain till the end.

Only Kyle Abbott had much of an impact with the ball as Essex made brisk progress after the opening-day washout

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2018
ScorecardDan Lawrence made his first County Championship century in nearly a year to underpin one of Essex’s best days with the bat this summer.The previous of his first-class hundreds also came against Hampshire in the penultimate game of last season but Lawrence has struggled, like most of his team-mates, for runs in Essex’s post-title-winning campaign and had just one half-century to his name previously this summer.He started circumspectly, and was outscored at one point in his first century partnership by Ryan ten Doeschate, who came in two wickets later, but picked up with the return of the confidence that brought him an England Lions call-up in the winter. He was 114 not out from 192 balls at the close.Essex finished the day on 363 for 6, only the fourth time this season they have gone beyond 300 in an innings. The top-order had endured such a parlous season they had accumulated just 11 batting points before Hampshire’s arrival at Chelmsford. But that was advanced by four on a day when nearly everything and everyone clicked and five batsmen surpassed their season’s averages by considerable margins.In addition, Essex posted three century partnerships with Varun Chopra and Tom Westley putting on 101 for the second wicket, Lawrence and ten Doeschate compiling 122 for the fifth, and Lawrence and Adam Wheater 105 for the sixth.It was a day of toil for Hampshire, barring when Kyle Abbott caused a mini-collapse in mid-afternoon as he reduced Essex from 117 for 1 to 124 for 4 with three wickets at a personal cost of four runs in 16 balls.The players spent the entire first day in the changing rooms because of damp areas on the outfield, but play started promptly with eight overs tagged on to the second day’s duration. Hampshire opted for a toss, lost it and Essex made them pay.Nick Browne exited in the fifth over when Fidel Edwards swung a ball in to clip the top of middle stump. That brought together Chopra and Westley for a partnership that embraced 33 overs.Spinner Liam Dawson made a surprise appearance as early as the 11th over, and found some turn off the pitch almost immediately. Westley played down the wrong line and got an involuntary edge for four to third man, then was fortunate to miss one that turned from middle to fly past off stump.Abbott stopped the steady progress. Westley departed for 40 when one nipped back and knocked over off-stump. Chopra followed when he was pinned plumb in front and Ravi Bopara lasted just four balls before edging to Jimmy Adams at slip.ten Doeschate corrected the downturn with three successive fours off Gareth Berg and a straight six off Dawson. Lawrence had eight fours in his 83-ball half-century, achieved on the stroke of tea, including a particularly well-timed boundary off his hip against Holland.The captain was the third player to fifty when he drove Dawson through the covers to reach the milestone from 65 balls, courtesy of six fours and the day’s only six. But he fell, nibbling at an Ian Holland delivery outside off stump to give Adams a second catch.Wheater’s fifty against his old team came with an edge through the slips and had taken 74 balls with 10 fours. In quick succession, the sixth-wicket stand passed 100 in 23 overs and then Lawrence reached his century from 173 balls with 14 fours.Wheater had maintained Essex’s momentum but eventually departed when he was bowled by Dawson for 52.

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has admitted that he "wasn't comfortable" during his brief trial period at Arsenal in 2016.

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Valverde struggled during Gunners trialDid not want to go to EnglandGot homesick while in LondonWHAT HAPPENED?

Valverde also admitted that he never really wanted to play his football in England, despite the temptation of the riches on offer in the Premier League. The 25-year-old claims that several people around him desperately wanted to send him to England just so they could make money through him, and he felt obligated to at least give life with Arsenal a try after being invited for a trial.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Uruguayan had his opportunity to join Arsenal in 2016, but then-manager Arsene Wenger ulitmately decided against adding him to the first-team squad. In the same year, he eventually moved to Europe when Los Blancos secured his signature from Penarol.

WHAT DID FEDE VALVERDE SAY?

In his column for , the midfielder wrote: "If you Google me, you will see stories about how I almost went to Arsenal when I was 16. That’s maybe half-true. It’s nothing against Arsenal, but I never wanted to go to England. At that time, the business side of football took over. Certain people were telling me, 'Who wouldn’t want to go play for Arsenal? You want to stay here in Uruguay? That’s crazy!' What they were really saying under their breath was, “We can all make a lot of money if you go.”

"You realize that your life is not your own in football. Especially at a young age, you feel more like a hostage. Even your family becomes a hostage. Football is an escape to a better life, especially for us in South America, and the vultures know that. They put the pressure on you in a “nice” way. 'Damn, Fede, if you go to Arsenal, you’ll have a nice bed and a shower that stays warm for 30, 40 minutes! Who wouldn’t want that life?' They sent me on trial to London for a week, and I just wasn’t comfortable. If you only think of material things, it sounds great. But we are not robots. The reality was that my family couldn’t come to London with me. I’d have to live alone, not speaking the language, at 16 years old. For every one kid who succeeds in moving overseas, you don’t see the 100 who fail."

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Valverde has gradually established himself as one of the most important players in the Real Madrid squad, winning nine trophies along the way. He will be hoping to add to that tally in 2023-24, but will next be seen in action for Uruguay, who are set to take on Argentina in a 2026 World Cup qualifying game on Friday.

MatériaMais Notícias

A iniciativa “Fiel Solidária”, campanha realizada por um grupo de torcedores do Corinthians, continua dando frutos e mobilizando grandes nomes do clube. Desta vez a página da campanha no Instagram trouxe nomes como Emerson Sheik, Fábio Carille e Willian, do Chelsea, que mostraram seu apoio e convocaram a torcida corintiana para continuar doando para os mais necessitados em época de pandemia do coronavírus.

Segundo divulgado pela página nesta quinta-feira, foram doadas 150 cestas básicas doadas para a Comunidade do Jardim Julieta, na Zona Norte de São Paulo. Anteriormente, em apenas três dias de campanha, a “Fiel Solidária” havia conseguido distribuir 500 refeições no domingo de Páscoa. Nesta sexta-feira serão entregues mais 70 cestas para Comunidade do Pacarana, Zona Leste da capital paulista.

Para doar, basta entrar no site http://vaka.me/986291 e fazer a colaboração via cartão de crédito ou boleto. Atletas, ex-atletas e dirigentes do clube que se identificaram com a campanha estão divulgando a ação. Veja alguns dos depoimentos que foram acrescentados nos últimos dias:

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasAtlético MineiroCazares revela o desejo de vestir a camisa do CorinthiansAtlético Mineiro23/04/2020CorinthiansVÍDEO: Com equipamento novo, Boselli treina nas férias do TimãoCorinthians23/04/2020CorinthiansAndrés avalia trabalho de Tiago Nunes no Corinthians: ‘Treinamento bom, resultados péssimos’Corinthians23/04/2020

EMERSON SHEIK

– Fala galera! Emerson aqui passando para deixar um recadinho importante para a nossa Fiel torcida, galera que faz as arquibancadas tremerem dentro dos estádios, agora é hora de mostrar força fora dos estádios. Vamos contribuir, vamos ajudar, siga aqui todas as informações no link, clique aqui, ajude, tem gente precisando, o momento é difícil por conta da COVID-19. Então você que está em casa, que queira ajudar, todas as informações estão aqui embaixo. Não fique de fora. Forte abraço.

FÁBIO CARILLE

– É hora da Fiel torcida também mostrar sua força fora dos estádios e ajudar pessoas que estão passando por dificuldades por conta da COVID-19. Vamos distribuir cestas básicas e refeitções nas comunidades da Grande São Paulo. Bora ajudar, Fiel! Acesse o link e faça a sua doação. Um grande abraço do amigo Fábio Carille.

WILLIAN

– Olá pessoal, aqui é o Willian, é hora da Fiel mostrar sua força também fora dos estádios, vamos ajudar as pessoas que estão tendo dificuldade por conta da COVID-19. Vamos distribuir cestas básicas e alimentos em comunidades da Grande São Paulo. Bora ajudar, Fiel! Acesse o link e faça sua doação. Deus abençoe!

Veja outros depoimentos no perfil da campanha no Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/fielsolidaria/

SERVIÇO

Como doar:
Vaquinha: http://vaka.me/986291

Pontos de arrecadação de alimentos:

Empório Nova Benta
Rua Santa Maria, 441 – Tatuapé

Equilíbrio Zoo
Rua São Jorge, 185 – Tatuapé

A Poesia Panificadora
Rua São Jorge, 373 – Parque São Jorge

Rede Locus Park
Rua Sampaio Viana 74
Avenida Bernadino de Campos 109
Avenida Brigadeiro Luiz Antônio 2071

Restaurante Praça de Minas
Rua Dr Rafael de Barros 77

Embaixada Mineira 1
Rua Cincinato Braga 540

Embaixada Mineira 2
Rua Silvio Bueno 1660

Informações:
https://www.instagram.com/fielsolidaria/

GOAL previews the nation’s stars expected to feature for their respective clubs around Europe this weekend

Iwobi.Preview of Nigerians in Europe

Having secured Premier League survival, Alex Iwobi will seek a huge success over old side Arsenal.

At Stamford Bridge, Watford’s Nigerian contingent will hope to leave the league on a positive note at Chelsea.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesEberechi Eze

The playmaker ought to play for Crystal Palace when they host a Manchester United side seeking a win to avoid dropping to the Europa Conference League spot.

Eze has been in Patrick Vieira’s recent XIs — assisting his first league goal of the season in the 3-2 loss at Everton on Thursday — and the Palace midfielder could start for a sixth game running on Sunday.

Palace could end in the top half if they win the Red Devils and results elsewhere go their way.

Getty ImagesAlex Iwobi

Everton’s roaring fightback against Palace on Thursday means the Toffees will play in next season’s Premier League.

Iwobi and his teammates head to Champions League-chasing Arsenal looking to scupper any chance the Gunners have of ending in the top four.

The ex-Arsenal man has often suffered defeat back at his old stomping ground and will seek a positive result at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

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Getty.Samuel Kalu

The winger has started two games on the trot and could make it three when Watford visit Chelsea on the final gameweek.

Kalu is likely to remain at the Hornets having only joined in January and he could be involved in his first goal for the Hornets this weekend.

Aside from Kalu, William Troost-Ekong, Peter Etebo and Emmanuel Dennis could all feature at the Bridge for the relegated Hertfordshire outfit.

Gujarat Lions batsman Dwayne Smith said his team had backed itself to chase even a 200-plus total given that the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling line-up was “not that strong.”

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot24-Apr-2016Gujarat Lions batsman Dwayne Smith said his team had backed itself to chase even a 200-plus total given that the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling line-up was “not that strong.””[If] we would have been set 200, we could have made 200 as well,” Smith said after Lions registered a six-wicket victory with three balls to spare for their fourth win in five games. “Having said that, we still have to bat properly, and [I am] glad that we did that to get over the line.”Smith was one of the two changes made to the Lions side, with left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati also coming into the lineup in exchange for Dale Steyn and Akshdeep Nath. Smith reckoned the extra batsman had given them the luxury to launch an all-out attack at the top of the order after a disappointing batting performance in their ten-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad.”We have to play on how the pitch was playing,” Smith said. “The extra batsman was the way to go and I think we missed that in the last game. It’s good to see that we’ve got back to winning ways.”Smith contributed 32 off 21 balls in a first-wicket partnership of 47 with Brendon McCullum. He believed that their experience of playing together for Chennai Super Kings in the past had helped them understand each other’s games. Smith also said McCullum’s takedown of Kane Richardson – he smashed two sixes and as many fours in the sixth over in the four balls immediately after Smith was dismissed – was the turning point of the innings.”It was just natural. Myself and Baz [McCullum] have played for long time,” Smith said. “We know each other. We complement each other well.”Aaron Finch had gone off the field during Royal Challengers’ innings with an injury and didn’t bat. Smith said he wasn’t aware of the nature of the injury but was confident Finch would be fit.Royal Challengers left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi defended the decision to bat first and said his side thought they had an above-par score. It was the bowling, according to him, that needed to be addressed. He also defended Shane Watson from criticism after bowling a wide and a no-ball in the final over, instead saying that the game was lost by the bowling unit long before the 20th over began.”Had we won the game, nobody would have questioned our decision to bat first,” Shamsi said. “We couldn’t bowl well to pull off a victory. Virat [Kohli] is one of the best in the world. He knows what he is doing and if a batsman like him bats through the 20 overs, we were sure to get somewhere close to a decent total on board. We actually thought we had got a little more than par on that ground and on the pitch.”We have got some clear plans from the management which we need to execute and hopefully in the next game we will be able to pull it off. It’s not about the last over but it is about the 20 overs.”

Allrounder Shoaib Malik and fast bowler Mohammad Sami have been recalled to the Pakistan team for the two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe in Lahore. Uncapped 19-year-old opener Nauman Anwar and former under-19 captain Imad Wasim were given call-ups.Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti and Hammad Azam also returned to the squad, while Saad Nasim, Imran Khan and Haris Sohail were dropped from the Pakistan T20 squad that played against Bangladesh in Mirpur last month. Saeed Ajmal, who was ineffective with his new bowling action, was also dropped along with Sohail Tanvir. Both Sohaib Maqsood and Sohail Khan were sidelined over fitness issues, and Junaid Khan was the other notable exclusion for the Zimbabwe series.Sami’s call-up came as a surprise considering he has not played for Pakistan since June 2012, when they toured Sri Lanka. He took six wickets in three matches in the Super8 T20 competition in Faisalabad last week.Anwar, who entered the domestic circuit last year, has only played a handful of first-class matches but caught the attention of the selectors after an extraordinary show in the recently concluded Super8 tournament in Faisalabad, scoring 270 runs at a strike-rate of 162.65 for Sialkot Stallions. Wasim, who led the Pakistan Under-19 World Cup team in 2007, was selected on the basis of his all-round performance for Pakistan A in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka A.The selectors retained Ahmed Shehzad, who was not part of the ODI series in Bangladesh but played the T20. He scored 0, 58*, 8 and 8 in four innings in the Super8 tournament. Umar Akmal, who was also not part of the Pakistan side against Bangladesh, returned to the squad after putting up scores of 35, 1, 95*and 85*.Pakistan will play two T20Is and three ODIs against Zimbabwe – the first international cricket to be played in the country since March 2009. Only six players – Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Sami – in this T20 squad have played an international match in Pakistan.Squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Sarfraz Ahmed (vc), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Nauman Anwar, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, Bilawal Bhatti, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami

Tim Southee bowled seven outswingers in his opening over at the Regional Stadium in Wellington; the extra delivery was because one had been harshly called wide. Ian Bell let six of them go through to the wicketkeeper, and the one he did push at he edged with soft hands well short of the slip cordon. That Southee didn’t make Bell play enough was the only minor fault of that first over. Once he adjusted his line closer to the batsman, he was dynamite.Bell was bowled as he tried to get beside the line to drive through the off side. Southee simply bent it past his outside edge to hit the top of off stump. Moeen Ali was not dismissed by the short ball this time but he was certainly set up by one. He stayed back to the inswinging yorker a couple of deliveries later and was bowled too.Southee then returned with the older ball in the 27th over to break England’s back. This time an outswinging yorker seared past James Taylor’s bat to hit off stump, and then a series of outswingers were simply too good for England’s lower order. The carnage finished with Southee taking 7 for 33, the best ODI figures for a New Zealand bowler, as England were dismissed for 123.Southee had a slightly dazed looked as he was asked about New Zealand’s phenomenal performance. Perhaps the rousing chants of his name by the 30,000-plus crowd reverberating inside the Cake Tin’s silver walls were still ringing his ears.”It was a pretty amazing day when you think back on it. Almost the perfect performance,” he said. “We’ll have a couple of beers in the change room – it will settle in what we have done today. It was a bit of a blur. I think it’s something we’ll all look back on in time and think of how amazing this occasion was. A full house, it an amazing feeling having that many people behind you and I think that’s testament to the brand of cricket we’re playing. It’s getting people through the gates.”I did nothing different. It was just one of those days where you can’t do anything wrong. You just keep going and going. It was a bit of a blur at the time. It will be something I personally look back on in time and probably realise how special it is.”England’s captain Eoin Morgan said he was surprised that the ball had swung right through the innings, and that he wouldn’t have bowled in hindsight. Southee also said that it had been a while since the old white ball moved in New Zealand, and that was the gamechanger.”Myself and Trent [Boult], we do thrive when it does swing and we’ve seen how dangerous we can be when it is swinging,” Southee said. “It hasn’t really swung a hell of a lot in one-day cricket for a while so it was pleasing to swing an old – well not too old [England were dismissed in 33.2 overs] – ball that was past ten overs old. I guess the gift we’ve had is good wrists.”There wasn’t a hell of a lot in the pitch. At the toss it looked a good batting wicket but we managed to get it swinging, and if anyone can get it swinging then it’s a different ball game. We got it in the right areas and we created a lot of pressure throughout the innings.”Right areas is a clichéd term in cricket but the size of that area shrinks when Southee is attacking with several catchers – four slips, a gully and once close either on off or leg side at one point – in place. Err a little in line or length and there are vast empty areas for a batsman to hit the ball through or into.”We went out there – losing the toss – we wanted to be aggressive and I think you saw that in the field Brendon set and to grab those couple of early wickets was important. It kept the pressure on and we kept chipping away as the innings went on.”With attacking fields, if you do stray from your areas you will get hurt. I guess that’s the ability of our bowlers, to have those attacking fields and still deny the batsmen the boundaries and still look to take wickets. It’s a credit to the bowlers.”Southee took the New Zealand ODI record from his bowling coach Shane Bond, whom he credited significantly for the development of the attack. “He takes a lot of pride out of seeing the bowlers do well,” Southee said. “He’s been instrumental in the way the bowlers have performed for a couple of years now. It is going to be sad once he goes, he’s done a great job, we are all better bowlers for his input.”As special as the atmosphere was in Wellington today, the likelihood is that New Zealand will enjoy a larger crowd when they face Australia in Auckland on February 28. It’s an environment that can be daunting for some, but Southee said it was what professional athlete should thrive on.”It’s something you have to embrace,” he said. “It’s a little bit daunting going out there for some people that haven’t played in front of those numbers and the noise, that can get to you. I think you’ve got to enjoy and embrace it. It will go quickly and if you don’t enjoy it, in time you’ll probably kick yourself and look back on something that is so amazing. That atmosphere today is up there with the best we’ve played in front of as a New Zealand team.”Until Australia in Auckland, perhaps, which is shaping up as a clash between the two tournament favourites.

أنهى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي استعداداته لخوض مباراة سيمبا التنزاني المقرر لها مساء غد 1الثلاثاء.

ويستضيف استاد القاهرة الدولي مباراة الأهلي وسيمبا في خضم منافسات جولة الإياب بدور الـ8 لبطولة دوري السوبر الإفريقي (الدوري الإفريقي).

أفشة: الأهلي يخوض دوري السوبر الإفريقي للتتويج به في نسخته الأولى

وعقد مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني للفريق، محاضرة للاعبين، حرص خلالها على مناقشة العديد من الجوانب الفنية المتعلقة بالاستعداد ‏للمباراة.‏

وأدى لاعبو فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، فقرات بدنية تحت إشراف أندرياس إندويا مخطط الأحمال.

وخاض الحراس مرانًا متنوعًا قبل استكمال بقية فقرات المران، ‏الذي اشتمل على العديد من التدريبات الخططية، وتقسيمة كرة قوية بمشاركة اللاعبين.‏

وكانت مباراة الأهلي وسيمبا التي أقيمت على الملعب الوطني بالعاصمة دار السلام قد انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدفين لكل فريق.

ويتأهل الفائز من مباراة الأهلي وسيمبا إلى نصف نهائي دوري السوبر الإفريقي لملاقاة الفائز من صن داونز وبترو أتليتكو الأنجولي.