Auckland kept their unbeaten run in the Super Smash alive by winning their third match in a row, beating Northern Districts by 38 runs in Hamilton to go top of the league by two points

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2016Auckland kept their unbeaten run in the Super Smash alive by winning their third match in a row, beating Northern Districts by 38 runs in Hamiltonto go top of the league by two points.Despite losing the toss, Auckland had solid contributions from their batting line-up, with opener Rob Nicol top-scoring with 55 off 47 balls. There were useful contributions all the way down, and the innings was given a powerful finish by Colin de Grandhomme, who scored 36 off 12 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes. Auckland finished with 186 for 6 in 20 overs.Legspinner Ish Sodhi was the pick of the Northern districts bowlers, taking 2 for 26; allrounder Corey Anderson did not bowl in the innings.Northern Districts made a steady, if not rapid, start to the chase, reaching 27 for 0 before losing both openers to Mitchell McClenaghan in the fifth over. The innings never picked up momentum after that, with fast bowler Tymal Mills conceding only 19 in four overs, while legspinner Tarun Nethula took 2 for 20 in his four. Auckland restricted Northern Districts to 148 for 6.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي برشلونة متفائل بشأن عودة أحد لاعبيه المصابين قبل الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد.

برشلونة تلقى ضربة بإصابة بيدري ودي يونج خلال مباراة أتلتيك بلباو في ملعب سان ماميس يوم الأحد الماضي، والتي انتهت بالتعادل السلبي.

طالع أيضًا | إعلان عقوبة بيلينجهام بعد طرده في مباراة ريال مدريد وفالنسيا.. وتفاصيل تقرير الحكم

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أشارت إلى أن بيدري تحديدًا، قد يلحق بمواجهة الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد أبريل المقبل، على عكس فرينكي دي يونج.

لاعب الوسط الإسباني، إصابته ليست في نفس المنطقة التي أصيبت في المرة قبل الأخيرة، ولكنها في نفس القدم، رغم ذلك فهي لن تعيق مشاركته أمام ريال مدريد ببطولة الدوري الإسباني 21 أبريل المقبل.

وفي حالة وصول برشلونة إلى ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، قد لا يشارك بيدري في مباراتي الذهاب والإياب، لكنه سيكون حاضرًا في حالة التأهل إلى نصف النهائي.

باختصار، فإن بيدري سيكون جاهزًا للشهر الأخير من الموسم مع برشلونة، ويسعى تشافي للاستفادة القصوى منه، آملَا بأن يصل البلوجرانا لذلك الوقت وهو ينافس على جميع البطولات.

برشلونة أمامه مواجهة صعبة ضد نابولي في لويس كارمينيس ملعب الفريق، الأسبوع المقبل، بإياب دور الـ16 من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد التعادل 1-1 ذهابًا.

بينما على مستوى الدوري الإسباني، يحتل برشلونة المركز الثالث، برصيد 58 نقطة بفارق 8 نقاط عن المتصدر ريال مدريد.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:53

Moonda: Still concerns over Amla’s form, but Cook has established himself

Stephen Cook’s third Test hundred moved South Africa into a dominant position on a third day of rain delays and rapid scoring in Port Elizabeth. Sri Lanka caused a brief flutter with four wickets for 56 runs, but that only came after South Africa had moved to 221 for 1. At stumps, South Africa were 351 for 5, their lead 432 with two days remaining.For most of the day, the only force that seemed capable of halting South Africa’s march was the weather: Bad light and rain halted play twice, either side of an early lunch break, for roughly an hour cumulatively. Then, belatedly, Sri Lanka’s bowlers began to find some success.Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Amla with the last ball before tea, making him the 10,000th lbw victim in Test history. Dushmantha Chameera got Cook to nick behind in the sixth over after tea, before Dhananjaya de Silva, bowling his offbreaks from around the wicket to both right- and left-hand batsmen, began turning the ball appreciably. He got JP Duminy to edge to slip, and then had Temba Bavuma caught at short leg – Bavuma walked off without reviewing after being given out, despite replays suggesting there was no bat involved.Rangana Herath could have had Quinton de Kock three overs later, but Dinesh Chandimal, possibly unsighted by the batsman as the ball spun out of the rough and between bat and pad, missed the stumping. De Kock and Faf du Plessis went on to add an unbroken 74 for the sixth wicket, at 4.82 per over, reinforcing South Africa’s hold on the Test match.South Africa dominated right from the start of play, taking only 7.5 overs to wrap up Sri Lanka’s lower order, with Vernon Philander completing his 11th Test-match five-for, and gain an 81-run first-innings lead. Then Cook, courtesy century stands for the first and second wicket with Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla, ensured Sri Lanka remained on the mat.Amla fell two short of a half-century, Pradeep trapping him on the shuffle, spearing one full and straight the ball after that shuffle had brought the batsman a cheeky four, a leg glance off an off-stump delivery. By then, Amla had batted as fluently as he has done at any point this season, delighted his fans with some vintage strokeplay including scorching drives through the covers and down the ground, his balance and timing inch-perfect.After two days dominated by seamers, Sri Lanka may have hoped for continuing assistance from the pitch, but after some early help for the new ball – Cook and Elgar sent three edges streaking through gaps in the slip cordon in the first four overs – conditions seemed to ease out considerably. Given South Africa’s lead, Sri Lanka couldn’t attack for too long, and the innings eventually settled into a pattern of easily available runs against defensive fields.Elgar was the dominant opening partner before lunch – which was taken half an hour early thanks to bad light and later rain – scoring 26 to Cook’s 12 and hitting three fours including a muscular swat over midwicket when Suranga Lakmal dropped marginally short and a crisply timed back-foot drive down the ground off Angelo Mathews.Cook caught up when play resumed, with three fours in two overs – not all of them entirely controlled – when the seamers began bowling short. With singles now plentifully available against the deep-set fields, Cook’s strike rate climbed, and he reached fifty in style, punching Pradeep through the covers to bring up the landmark and slashing the next one backward of point for another four.Elgar soon joined him in the 50s before falling to a miscued pull off Suranga Lakmal. By then, Cook and Elgar had brought up their second century partnership of the match. It was only the tenth time in Test history that an opening pair had achieved this feat.South Africa began scoring even more freely with Amla at the crease: the second-wicket pair scored at 5.57 while the openers had gone at 3.60. Cook, who took 81 balls to score his first fifty, scored his second in 71 balls, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers went through the motions. Cook went from 95 to 99 with the shot of his innings, a straight punch off the front foot against Chameera, before getting to his hundred the next ball with a trademark nurdle into the leg side for two.South Africa’s day began in the best way possible. Philander struck with his very first ball, shaping it away from the fourth-stump channel to induce a poke and an edge from Dhananjaya de Silva, who, on 43 overnight, had held Sri Lanka’s hopes of narrowing South Africa’s lead to manageable proportions. Five balls later, Lakmal realised he wasn’t quite to the pitch of a fullish ball to drive, checked his shot, and popped a low catch to mid-on, giving Philander his fifth wicket.Philander and Kyle Abbott beat the edges of Chameera and Pradeep frequently, but Sri Lanka’s Nos. 9 and 11 managed to stretch their total by 20 runs along the way. There were a couple of audacious shots as well – Pradeep punched Abbott off the back foot to the point boundary, and Chameera hit Philander for a straight-bat scoop over mid-on. Eventually, having just got past the 50-ball mark, Chameera jabbed at an away-swinger from Abbott and nicked to first slip.

Manchester City have tried to snap up Warren Zaire-Emery as part of a potential transfer deal to send Bernardo Silva to PSG, according to a report from reliable journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

Is Bernardo Silva leaving Manchester City?

The Portugal international has once more been a first-team regular for the Premier League outfit, helping his team to not only claim another league title but to win both the FA Cup and Champions League too, completing a historic treble. With 34 games under his belt in the top flight this campaign, he managed four goals and five assists along the way and now has three more winners medals to his name thanks to his efforts.

His showings have led to keen interest in his signature this summer from PSG, who now want to try and secure a deal for the player during the transfer window. The French side have already tried to convince City into doing business with them by offering both players and cash, with the Ligue 1 club prepared to let both Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma leave the club to bring Silva in.

Now, according to a report from Fabrice Hawkins, Pep Guardiola's side were prepared to do a swap deal with PSG – but not the one that the French club wanted. Instead, City "offered" to take Warren Zaire-Emery off their hands as part of a potential deal for their versatile maestro.

The Ligue 1 side though promptly rejected this approach and it seems as though they are not too keen to let go of the youngster. It's unclear how much he would cost to buy outright too, although CIES Football Observatory suggest his value could be around the 20 million Euros (or £17.1m) mark.

How many games has Warren Zaire-Emery played this season?

Despite being just 17-years-old, he has already featured quite frequently for PSG. Over the course of the 2022/23 season for example, the player featured in the league on 26 occasions, with eight starts.

Even though Zaire-Emery is fairly inexperienced, he still managed to score two goals for the side though and the fact he has been selected so often shows how highly he is rated and valued in a squad packed with big money signings. He certainly appears to have the ability to go far in the game too, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig calling the player a "top talent" based on his form over the course of the current season.

It's no surprise then that City were eager to snap him up as part of a potential transfer deal – it appears though that they may have to try something different if they do want to add the youngster to their ranks this summer window.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is reportedly eyeing a reunion with Leicester City defender, Daniel Amartey, with the Ghanaian ace in line for a summer exit from the King Power Stadium.

What's the latest on Amartey to Celtic?

According to TEAMtalk, the Old Firm outfit are considering a move for the 28-year-old following the confirmation that Rodgers has sealed his return to the club, with the versatile asset set to be available on a free transfer amid his expiring contract.

The report suggests that while there is also interest in the 6 foot 1 gem from clubs in Saudi Arabia and in Turkey, there is a 'chance' that the 51-cap ace could seal a move to Glasgow instead, after seven years with the Foxes.

The piece also goes on to add that the Hoops are ready to make contact with the former Copenhagen man's agent, as Rodgers plots to make the first signing of his second spell in charge of the Scottish champions.

Who is Daniel Amartey?

The experienced defender – who can also operate at right-back or in central midfield – has racked up 145 appearances for the newly-relegated outfit since his arrival from Denmark back in 2016, with 80 of those outings having come during Rodgers' time at the helm with the Midlands side.

Previously described as "outstanding" by the Northern Irishman, Amartey appears to have all the attributes to be an astute capture for the Bhoys this summer, particularly on a free transfer, with the returning Celtic boss having also said of his qualities:

"He’s played as a midfield player, as a full-back, and you need your outside centre-halves to be able to have no doubt they can step in and press the game and be aggressive. He’s got all of that. He defends the box really well and then, with the ball, he has a real sufficient level of comfort. He can pass it."

The signing of the all-action machine could well prove bad news for current Hoops man, Stephen Welsh, with Football Insider having reported last month that the club were open to offers for the young Scotsman, provided that a suitable replacement could be found ahead of next season.

The 23-year-old has notably slipped down the pecking order after being restricted to just four Scottish Premiership outings under Ange Postecoglou last season, having notably been "bullied" alongside Moritz Jenz in the shock defeat away to St Mirren back in September, in the words of journalist Josh Bunting.

With Postecoglou favouring Yuki Kobayashi as the third-choice option behind Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, Welsh has become something of a spare part in recent months, with the addition of Amartey potentially set to prove the final nail in the coffin with regard to his time at Celtic Park.

Not only does the soon-to-be free agent have the benefit of having worked closely with Rodgers in recent years, but the £20k-per-week ace also compares favourably to his fellow centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues with regard to playing out from the back, as he ranks in the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 7% for pass completion.

Amartey does appear to offer greater composure in the backline as he lost possession on average just 5.7 times per game from his 20 league outings last term, while Welsh, by contrast, lost the ball 9.5 times per game on average, showcasing the latter man is not quite as adept at building from the back.

As such, if Rodgers is looking to freshen up his defensive unit with the signing of his former Leicester asset, it could prove to be the end of the road for Celtic's 6 foot 3 academy graduate.

Aston Villa choosing to let go of veteran player Ashley Young has 'shocked' journalist Ryan Taylor due to his experience and impact behind the scenes.

What's the latest news involving Ashley Young?

As per the Aston Villa official website, Young will be leaving the club once his contract expires, bringing the curtain down on a long association with the club across two separate spells.

During his two stints at Villa Park, Young became a fan favourite and managed to notch 38 goals and 60 assists across 247 appearances for the West Midlands-based outfit, as per Transfermarkt.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery did speak to the 37-year-old over the prospect of extending his £50k-a-week contract at the Villans, as per The Express and Star; however, no such agreement came to light and the former Manchester United man will be on the lookout for a new club this summer.

Club captain John McGinn posted a fitting tribute to the former England international on Twitter following the announcement of his departure, stating: "Absolutely gutted to lose a top guy and top player. Pleasure to have played with you."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Taylor is 'shocked' that Young has been let go and revealed that the versatile star was keen to extend his stay at Villa Park.

Taylor said: "I was shocked, to be honest, purely because I've done a few matches this season covering Villa and spoken to Young in the mixed zone and the sort of standards he sets and drives…. He was key to that European push behind the scenes.

"He loves Villa and he made it clear he wanted to stay, and I don't think he would have been asking for huge wages either. So I am slightly shocked at that."

Have Aston Villa targeted anyone to replace Ashley Young this summer?

Aston Villa will have a hard job trying to replace Young in the transfer window due to his versatility and presence around the dressing room at Villa Park.

According to The Times, Aston Villa are keen on Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney; however, they will need to fend off competition from Newcastle United to land the Scotland international.

Young predominantly featured in either right-back or left-back functions during his second spell at Aston Villa and Manchester City defender Kyle Walker is another name of interest to the Villans to bolster their defensive depth, as per Football Insider.

Earlier this year, Tuttomercatoweb claimed that Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries was also being eyed in an ambitious swoop by Aston Villa boss Emery, showing that the Spaniard is being proactive in trying to source an alternative to Young ahead of 2023/24.

Aston Villa could add to their summer spree in one of Unai Emery’s former talents, as a La Liga ace has been linked with a move to Villa Park.

Following the signing of Youri Tielemans, who will join the side officially on July 1st at the expiration of his Leicester City contract.

The Spaniard could bolster his attack further by signing the latest player linked to the club, as he aims to strengthen his side ahead of next season.

What’s the latest on Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa?

As reported by GIVEMESPORT when speaking to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, Aston Villa are eyeing Villarreal gem Nicolas Jackson.

The forward is reportedly a player Emery ‘likes’ as per Taylor’s understanding. He almost made the switch to the Premier League in January, had he not failed a medical at Bournemouth.

It was reported by the Southern Daily Echo at the time that the fee was believed to be in the region of £20m.

What could Nicolas Jackson offer Aston Villa?

Hailed as “extraordinary” by manager Quique Setien, the forward has made his mark in La Liga this season after being promoted from the club’s academy by Emery himself.

In 26 league appearances, the Senegalese talent has contributed to a total of 16 goals, scoring 12 himself and assisting four in an explosive individual campaign, via FBref.

The versatile striker, who can play on either flank as well as central, could form a new dangerous partnership at Villa alongside incoming signing Tielemans, who has been lauded as a “phenomenon” for his ability in midfield.

In signing the Belgian, Emery has equipped his side with a new injection of creativity and progressive strengths in the middle of the park, as shown by his statistics in comparison to position rival Emi Buendia.

As per FBref, Tielemans averages 6.95 progressive passes per 90 to the Argentine's 5.15 per 90 over the past year, showing that he can distribute play in a positive light going forward.

This could benefit the likes of Jackson, who is a player that can make a move count in the final third, as shown by him ranking in the top 6% of forwards in Europe in terms of non-penalty goals, averaging a huge 0.68 per 90, via FBref.

Being a player that has strengths in producing key passes as per WhoScored, Tielemans is the ideal player to have playing behind a talent such as Jackson, who is a strong finisher and dribbler.

With an average of 6.59 progressive passes received per 90, the Senegalese ace enjoys getting on the end of through balls, signalling that Emery could get the best out of the young star in his free-flowing system at Villa.

Despite no official contact being reported yet, it’s clear that the Spaniard wants to get business done quickly and with the transfer window fast approaching, only time will tell if the rumours are to be believed.

Australian fast bowler Joe Mennie has been admitted to hospital with a bleed on the brain after being struck on the head by a ball while he was bowling at Sydney Sixers training on Monday.”After being struck on the head by a ball at training on Monday, Joe was transported to a hospital in Brisbane where he underwent a series of check-ups before being discharged later that evening,” Cricket Australia chief medical officer Dr John Orchard said.”Joe was reviewed by a Cricket Australia doctor on Tuesday and had some scans performed that revealed a small fracture and associated minor brain bleed. Whilst this is a serious injury, Joe is feeling well. We believe that this is a stable injury and will not require surgery.”As a precautionary measure, Joe has been admitted to hospital for observation and will continue to be assessed by a neurosurgeon to determine best course of action.”Sixers wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had originally believed Mennie had escaped serious injury, telling on Tuesday that Mennie would be available for selection for Wednesday night’s semi-final against Brisbane Heat. Mennie has since been ruled out of the match.”It was a bit of a scary incident actually,” Haddin said at the time. “He was bowling in the nets and Michael Lumb got hold of one straight back and he’s followed through and got him in the head. It was a bit uncomfortable for a couple of minutes but lucky Joe’s all right.Mennie had played two matches for the Sixers during this BBL campaign. Earlier in the summer, he made his Test debut for Australia in Hobart against South Africa, having also made his ODI debut on the tour of South Africa in October.

عاد فريق البنك الأهلي في النتيجة أمام نظيره الأهلي بتسجيله الهدف الثاني والتعادل لتصبح النتيجة 2-2.

المباراة المقامة حاليًا على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي، في خضم مؤجلات الجولة الـ15 من عمر الدوري المصري.

وأحرز هدف البنك الأهلي الثاني، اللاعب محمد هلال بتسديدة أرضية زاحفة في الدقيقة 63 من عمر اللقاء.

فيديو | رضا سليم يسجل هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام البنك الأهلي

وكان الأهلي قد تقدم بهدف أول عن طريق أنتوني موديست في الدقيقة الرابعة، قبل أن يتعادل كريم بامبو في الدقيقة السابعة.

وأحرز هدف الأهلي الثاني رضا سليم في الدقيقة الثامنة والعشرين من عمر اللقاء، مستغلًا خطأ دفاعيًا من محمد عبد الغني، ليراوغ محمد أبو جبل ويسجل ببراعة.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المركز العاشر بسلم ترتيب بطولة الدوري، وهو أقل الفرق خوضًا للمباريات، إذ لعب 7 مباريات ويتبقى له 9 مواجهات.

فيديو | موديست يسجل هدف الأهلي الأول والبنك الأهلي يتعادل في 3 دقائق

وحقق الأهلي خمس انتصارات وتعادلين فيما لم ينال أي خسارة، وسجل 17 هدفًا واستقبلت شباكه خمسة أهداف ويملك 17 نقطة.

أما البنك الأهلي فيقبع في المركز الخامس عشر برصيد 12 نقطة حصدهم من 15 مباراة، بعد أن فاز في 3 مباريات وتعادل في 3 فيما خسر 9 مواجهات، وسجل لاعبوه 18 هدفًا واستقبلت شباكه 21 هدفًا. هدف البنك الأهلي الثاني أمام الأهلي

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between India and England in Kolkata

The Preview by Alan Gardner21-Jan-2017Match factsSunday, January 22, 2017
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)1:45

Disappointed to be getting out for 70 or 80 – Roy

Big pictureIn the end, the British invasion never quite occurred. England came, they soared, they were conquered. India don’t need to take any lessons from Eoin Morgan’s young bucks, certainly in their own conditions, and were more clinical in the first two matches to seal the series with one to play.The final match in Kolkata will be India’s last ODI before the Champions Trophy. Nos. 3-6 in the batting order all have centuries in this series but a couple of scores for the openers would help Virat Kohli firm up plans for his first title tilt as captain. They have won chasing and defending, though England pushed them hard both times. Kohli will ask for more of the same as he looks to extend his mastery over England captains to 7-0 on tour.Morgan has twice said that England have not played at their best, which says something about how expectation levels have risen. Scores of 350 for 7 and 366 for 8 will win plenty of 50-over matches but England’s bowling has buckled too easily under India’s onslaught. England have not lost a series by a margin of more than one match since the World Cup and Morgan will want to keep it that way.Form guideIndia WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LLWLWIn the spotlightKL Rahul is embarking on one of the most difficult journeys in the modern game: attempting to become a three-format international opener. His talent is abundantly clear, given he has already made Test, ODI and T20 hundreds for India (the latter batting at No. 4), but his two innings in the series so far have failed to reach double-figures. Rohit Sharma might be favoured to return for the Champions Trophy after injury but Rahul would prefer to make the selectors’ decision a little trickier.The focus is starkly on England’s bowlers, after twice conceding 350-plus totals and twice seeing the opposition recover from losing early wickets by raising a double-century partnership. David Willey picked up both India openers in Pune but he has been wicketless in five of his last six ODIs and last bowled a full allocation of ten overs against Sri Lanka in June. His left-arm swing is perhaps a more valuable commodity in home conditions but England need to work out how to best utilise him.Team newsReports said Shikhar Dhawan went to a hospital after landing in Kolkata on Friday to get his left thumb checked. There were no injury concerns though and he was the first to bat in the nets on Saturday. His form could be a worry, however, and Ajinkya Rahane may get a look in if India want to change the opening combination. Manish Pandey will be itching to get game time, too, but a packed middle order will not let him through easily.India: (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 Shikhar Dhawan/Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahSam Billings is likely to open, as he did in his previous appearance in Bangladesh, due to Alex Hales’ forced exclusion. Adil Rashid did not bowl much in the nets and looks like missing consecutive white-ball internationals for the first time since his return in 2015, if England persist with four quicks.England: (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Sam Billings, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 David Willey, 11 Jake BallPitch and conditionsThe last ODI at Eden Gardens witnessed Rohit Sharma’s record 264. This time, though, it could be the only hope for pace bowlers to get purchase in this series. The Ranji season saw teams shot out for 59, 81, 90 and several sub-200 scores. On Saturday, the pitch wore a greener look than the one in Cuttack and bowlers will hope they are not plundered for over 700 runs again.Stats and trivia England have played three one-day internationals at Eden Gardens and lost them all. Their last visit, for the World T20 final, also ended in defeat. In Cuttack, MS Dhoni became the fifth batsman to score 9000 ODI runs for India (he also has 174 for the Asia XI). Yuvraj Singh went almost six years between his 13th and 14th tons – his previous hundred came at the 2011 World Cup. During his 104 in Cuttack, Eoin Morgan went past Marcus Trescothick to become England’s fifth-highest run-scorer. Kevin Pietersen is next on the list, only 16 runs ahead.Quotes”There is no pressure on us that the series has been won. But when you play international cricket you want to win each and every match. One thing is that we will enjoy the match more because the pressure is not there.”
“He’s a fiery batsman, he’s an awesome player. If he gets the role of No. 2, that’ll be great. He’s a great guy to bat with – runs hard, plays strong shots and that’s exactly what we look for at the top of the order, just to set the tone.”