Abhimanyu Easwaran has replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the two-Test series because of an injury

Shashank Kishore22-Dec-2023Virat Kohli has left South Africa for personal reasons, but is likely to rejoin the Test squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. Kohli didn’t take part in the Indians’ three-day intra-squad match, the only red-ball outing for a number of senior players including captain Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, ahead of the two-Test series.Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the two-Test series because of a finger injury. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is currently part of the India A squad that is on a shadow tour of South Africa, has been named* as Gaikwad’s replacement as the reserve opener. Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to continue their partnership at the top of the order, like they did in the Caribbean in July-August, which was India’s most recent Test assignment.Abhimanyu struck an unbeaten 61 on the second day of the practice game in Pretoria before he was retired by the team management. Abhimanyu is expected to feature for India A in the second four-day match against South Africa A, also beginning on December 26, barring any last-minute changes. He will then link up with the national squad ahead of the New Year’s Test in Cape Town.Gaikwad is expected to head back home and to the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He picked up the injury on the ring finger of his right hand while fielding during the second ODI against South Africa in Gqeberha. In his absence, India handed a debut to Rajat Patidar for the series-deciding final ODI in Paarl, which India won.India’s Test squad has been in preparation for the past four days in Pretoria under Rahul Dravid’s coaching staff. KL Rahul, India’s stand-in ODI captain, and Mukesh Kumar are expected to link up with the Test squad after a day’s rest following the ODI series. Shreyas Iyer, who was also part of the ODI mix, had been released from the squad after the first ODI to prepare for the Tests.Iyer and Rahul will be returning to Test cricket after a prolonged absence. Both of them last featured for India during the Border-Gavaskar series at home against Australia in February. Rahul, who opened in the series, lost his place after the second Test. He missed the subsequent WTC final and the Caribbean tour because of a hamstring injury. He is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties for the Tests. Iyer, too, hasn’t played a first-class game since March, and has been on a steady diet of ODI cricket following his comeback from back surgery.The upcoming series is India’s second assignment in the new WTC cycle for 2023-25. They won the first Test in the Caribbean and were denied an opportunity to win the second by rain.

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Presente e vitorioso no prêmio “Bola de Prata”, da ESPN, Abel Ferreira voltou a ser questionado se irá ou não assumir a Seleção Brasileira após a saída de Tite, no término da Copa do Mundo. O técnico do Palmeiras, portanto, preferiu reafirmar seu compromisso com o clube alviverde, descartando qualquer convite no momento.

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>Quais são os maiores hoje? Site antecipa Ranking Nacional de Clubes da CBF 2023

– Eu entendo essa pergunta, mas o futebol me ensinou a não viver com o “se”. “Se” a minha avó, “se” o meu avô, “se” o meu tio, “se” eu tivesse o Cristiano Ronaldo, “se” a Leila contratasse, “se” fôssemos ao Mundial… Eu não vivo com “se”, eu vivo com o aqui e o agora, vivo com o presente, e meu presente é com o Palmeiras. Meu foco está no Palmeiras – respondeu Abel, que prosseguiu:

– Vocês da imprensa já me ouviram dizer isso muitas vezes. O aqui e o agora é o Palmeiras. É só isso que tenho a dizer porque é a realidade, é assim que gosto de viver a minha vida. Não gosto de criar ansiedade pensando em outras coisas. Ponto.

> Vem, Copa do Mundo! Confira a tabela completa do torneio mundial

Por falar em momento, o treinador do Palmeiras também aproveitou para concluir revelando “o segredo” que fez com que a equipe alviverde saísse vitoriosa em um campeonato tão difícil como o Brasileirão.

– Eu e a comissão técnica perguntamos aos jogadores o que precisaríamos fazer para ganhar o Brasileiro. O segredo foi ouvir quem já tinha vencido e perceber o que teríamos que fazer para isso. Quando decidimos perguntar aos jogadores, sinto que ficamos ainda mais fortes – concluiu Abel.

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He played five games with Sylhet Strikers, but was clearly struggling with fitness issues

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2024

Sylhet Strikers captain Mashrafe Mortaza has taken a break from this season’s BPL to concentrate on his political career. Mashrafe is a member of parliament – he was elected for a second time in the country’s general elections earlier this month. His party, the Awami League, has appointed him as the party’s whip in parliament.”Mashrafe will be available to play for the Strikers further in the season if there is an opportunity in between his political commitments and schedule,” a statement from Strikers said on Wednesday. “Sylhet Strikers franchise has extended gratitude to Mashrafe for his commitment to the team in the tournament so far and looks forward to have him back when he is able.”Although he was clearly struggling with an injury, Mashrafe played Sylhet’s first five matches in the competition, all of which they have lost. It was reported that he couldn’t prepare for the tournament as he would have liked, so he bowled off-spin off a few paces, and batted in different positions in the batting order. It led to a lot of hue and cry, including from former captain Mohammad Ashraful, who said that Mashrafe’s presence in this state was “belittling the BPL”.Sylhet has announced that Mohammad Mithun will be the captain in Mashrafe’s absence. It is an interesting choice as Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has led Bangladesh impressively recently, is also in the team. Sylhet play their next match against Durdanto Dhaka on February 2

قاد محمد صلاح النجم المصري فريقه ليفربول الإنجليزي لتحقيق الفوز على بورنموث بأربعة أهدافين لهدفين في افتتاح الدوري الإنجليزي على ملعب أنفيلد.

وكان ليفربول قد افتتح التسجيل في المباراة عن طريق هوجو إيكيتيكي في الدقيقة 37، قبل أن يعزز جاكبو بالهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 49.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هدف محمد صلاح أمام بورنموث

وفي الدقيقتين 64 و76 تلقى ليفربول هدفين متتاليين عن طريق أنتوني سيمينو، وفي الأوقات الحاسمة خطف كييزا البديل الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 88، قبل أن يحرز محمد صلاح أول اهدافه في الموسم الجديد في الدقيقة 94 ويقود فريقه لتحقيق أول ثلاث نقاط في المسابقة.

وفي لفتة رائعة من محمد صلاح، أهدى المصري هدفه لزميله البرتغالي الراحل ديوجو جوتا، والذي توفى في حادث سيارة مأساوي وكانت المباراة بحضور عائلته في المدرجات.

وبحسب شبكة “سكواكا” للإحصائيات أصبح محمد صلاح أول لاعب يحرز 10 أهداف في الدوري الإنجليزي في الجولة الأولى في تاريخ المسابقة.

وقد سجل محمد صلاح هدفًا ضد واتفورد في موسم 2017-2018، وضد وست هام في موسم 2018-2019، وسجل وصنع ضد نورويتش سيتي في موسم 2019-2020 وسجل هاتريك ضد ليدز في موسم 2020-2021.

وكذلك سجل محمد صلاح ضد نورويتش في موسم 2021-2022 وصنع 2، وسجل هدفًا ضد فولهام موسم 2022-2023، وصنع ضد تشيلسي في موسم 2023-2024، وسجل ضد إبسويتش وصنع موسم 2024-2025، وسجل هدفًا ضد بورنموث خلال الموسم الجديد.

وبذلك يكون محمد صلاح سجل أو صنع في الأسبوع الافتتاحي لكل موسم مع ليفربول في الدوري الإنجليزي، ووصل للمساهمة رقم 15 كأكثر من ساهم حيث صنع خمس أهداف وسجل 10.

وأصبح محمد صلاح رابع هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز تاريخياً معادلاً أسطورة مانشستر يونايتد أندي كول، ووصل النجم المصري للهدف رقم 187 خلال 302 مباراة، بينما سجل مهاجم مانشستر يونايتد السابق هذا العدد خلال 414 مباراة.

ووصل محمد صلاح للمساهمة رقم 148 خلال 147 مباراة مع ليفربول في البريميرليج على ملعب آنفيلد.

Kylian Mbappe's generous World Cup gesture has sparked unexpected trouble as five police officers face scrutiny over donations worth over €180,000.

Five officers flagged for accepting fundsMbappe insists donations followed legal ruleWatchdog alerts prosecutors after suspicious transfersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to the French superstar Mbappe is at the centre of an unexpected controversy after reportedly donating €180,300from his World Cup bonus to five police officers who protected the French team during Qatar 2022. Four riot officers received €30,000 each, while their commander was gifted €60,300. Though the Real Madrid forward insists the payments were legal and made out of gratitude, French financial watchdog Tracfin flagged the transfers, prompting an internal police investigation and wider scrutiny over the transaction's legality and tax declarations.

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While Mbappe’s gesture appears rooted in goodwill, the case highlights a legal grey area regarding private donations to public servants. The donations were made from an account in Monaco and were reportedly backed by a signed letter from Mbappe himself. However, the manner in which the officers declared, or failed to declare, the money has raised alarms within France’s financial and judicial authorities. The investigation could pose reputational risks amid his high-profile move to Real Madrid. Mbappe has a history of donating his France match bonuses to charity, but the commander who received the largest sum is also under scrutiny for accompanying the French international on trips to Cameroon and Vaucluse.

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The development centres on Mbappe’s well-known habit of donating his earnings from national team duty to causes or individuals he believes deserve recognition. After the 2022 World Cup, where France finished as runners-up, he pledged to donate his entire tournament bonus as a gesture of appreciation. This included not only charitable organisations like Premiers de Cordee but also the security team that protected the squad in Qatar.

The recent revelation that five police officers received sizeable payments from Mbappe triggered concern from Tracfin, which monitors unusual or potentially suspicious financial activity. As a result, the IGPN (General Inspectorate of the National Police) launched an administrative investigation and informed the public prosecutor, largely due to the unusual nature and amount of money involved.

The officers in question reportedly presented a signed certificate from Mbappe stating his deliberate decision to reward them with a portion of his World Cup bonus. His entourage insists everything was done transparently, in compliance with regulations, and that the star forward is ready to cooperate fully with investigators. For now, the scrutiny appears focused more on whether the recipients declared the money properly than on Mbappe himself.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

While not the target of any criminal probe, Mbappe may face ongoing media and legal attention as the French authorities assess whether the police officers breached ethical or tax protocols. His legal standing appears protected due to clear documentation, but the fallout could influence future regulations around gifting in elite sport. For now, the Madrid hero will aim to refocus on his debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu while keeping a low profile off the pitch.

Glenn Maxwell says he’s trying to ride his career-best form for as long as he can after scoring his fourth international century in nine games, and equalling the record for the most T20I hundreds with a dazzling 120 not out from 55 balls against West Indies in Adelaide on Sunday.Maxwell struck eight sixes and 12 fours in yet another astonishing display of white-ball batting to help set up Australia’s highest T20I score on home soil of 241 for 4, which was enough for the home side to secure a win and series victory over West Indies.In his last nine international innings dating back to the ODI World Cup, Maxwell has scores of 106, 41, 201 not out, 1, 2 not out, 12, 104 not out, 10 and 120 not out. His last two centuries have come in T20Is. He now has five in the format, equalling Rohit Sharma’s record, and he has been not out in all five with Australia winning every game.”I feel really comfortable in this format,” Maxwell told Fox Sports at the post-match presentation. “I think over the last probably 18 months I’ve felt really good about my batting and really good about my game. I feel clear when I’m out in the middle. The game can sometimes feel nice and simple when you’re out there and at other times you nick a couple of early and all of a sudden becomes really difficult. So I think while I’m going well I’m just trying to ride that as much as I possibly can and keep doing the same things.”Related

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Maxwell admitted that he got frustrated early in his innings on Sunday. He was 4 off 6 at one stage having yelled loudly at himself several times after finding fielders with well-struck shots.”I probably just didn’t hit the gaps as well as I would have liked straight away from the outset,” Maxwell said.”I probably expected too much of myself early on. But once I sort of calmed down, I hit a few gaps and gave myself a decent platform. We knew we were going to cash in the back 10 [overs] with a couple of wickets in hand, so it worked out really nicely.”Maxwell got his innings going with a huge slog sweep off Akeal Hosein and then took flight from there. He hit some extraordinary shots including a switch hit off Hosein into the second tier at cover-point. But he said the first blow was the one that proved he was switched on.”I made a good decision against Akeal when he bowled an inswinger,” Maxwell said. “I slog swept that one and I just felt like I was really clear in that moment, as soon as he bowls that swinger, to go to that shot, it just shows that I was watching the ball really hard. I was proud of that and I was able to, sort of, ride through the waves of the innings a little bit. You’re not going to hit everything out of the middle, you’re not going to hit everything for six but to go through the waves and mistime a couple, I was able to lock back in and stay pretty clear.”Maxwell’s score of 120 was the second-highest by a batter coming in at No.4 or below in T20Is. Four of his five T20I centuries have come at No.4, which is a position he loves batting in.”It’s been a nice position for a long period of time but it’s a difficult position as well,” Maxwell said. “I think that’s why I enjoy it so much. There’s so many different scenarios you can come into and you’ve got to think your way through it and change the momentum of the game. I love it.”