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Andy Robertson labelled Liverpool target Florian Wirtz an "exciting talent" as the Reds aim to wrap up a deal for the exciting Germany playmaker.

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Liverpool step up Wirtz pursuitReds ready to shell out club-record feeRobertson spoke out on potential signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old playmaker is on the verge of joining the Reds in what could become the most expensive transfer in British football history. Although negotiations are still ongoing between Liverpool and Leverkusen, reports indicate that a deal has been struck, with only the payment structure left to finalise.

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Should the €150 million (£127m/$171m) deal be completed as expected, Wirtz’s move to Anfield would eclipse the £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo, setting a new benchmark in Premier League transfer spending. He had a sensational campaign in Germany, scoring 16 goals and assisting 15 times, spurring the Merseyside club to break the bank for the Germany international.

WHAT ROBERTSON SAID

Speaking to , Robertson shared his thoughts on the player Liverpool fans hope to soon welcome to Merseyside.

"He was excellent against us (Scotland, at Euro 2024) I do remember that," he said.

"Obviously that game was extremely tough for us, but he was excellent, he was the one causing us problems in the half-space, running in behind, he can mix it up. I haven't seen too much of him but I have played against him and that was enough to see he was going to be a top player. We played Leverkusen in the Champions League this year as well and we dominated that game a bit more as well, so it was probably a bit more difficult for him, but certainly in the German team against us he was excellent.

"We're certainly linked with him, that's for sure! You can't miss it, you can't not see it. But if we get him through then an exciting talent is through the door. We've already got a lot of exciting talent in there. He's a right good player. He'll only help us, and if he does get through the door then we'll be excited to play with him."

DID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool’s triumph in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign took many by surprise. Now, with the club crowned champions once more, Robertson acknowledges the shift in expectations heading into next season.

"I think that [pressure] is something that we're going to need to deal with," Robertson said. "The lads that have been there for a while. Me, Virgil, Mo and Ali, after we won the league the last time, we were kind of used to the pressure.

"For a lot of the lads that won it for the first time this season, and the lads coming in, they'll feel the pressure for the first time. We'll be favourites and there will certainly be more expectation on us than there was at the start of last season. That kind of suited us last season, we could go under the radar, get off to a good start, and by the time people took us seriously we were probably too far ahead!"

Chelsea haven’t been in the same high-flying form they started this Premier League campaign with, losing four of their last eight games in all competitions, including a 1-0 loss against Arsenal, a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa and back-to-back losses against Brighton.

However, despite their poor run of form, Enzo Maresca’s side still find themselves fourth in the Premier League table with nine games left to play as they enter the final stretch for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Chelsea are the Premier League’s joint-fourth top scorers, netting 53 times in 29 games so far, but whilst their defensive numbers have improved this season, Maresca will still be keen to refine this area of the pitch next season, looking to add personnel that fits his tactical ideas both on and off the ball.

Chelsea want to sign Premier League defender

Having kept a clean sheet in three of their last six games in all competitions, signing a new defender may not top Maresca’s bucket list this summer but they are on the lookout for a new centre-back, nonetheless.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Blues have been linked with a move to bring Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge from Crystal Palace but he’s not the only Premier League star on the club’s radar.

Indeed, according to reports from Spain, via SportWitness, Chelsea are in the race for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, and will challenge the likes of Real Madrid for the 19-year-old defender’s signature in the summer transfer window.

The report mentions that Maresca will be a key figure in this deal, with the Italian reportedly being in “direct contact” with the defender’s entourage for “years” after playing for Malaga in Spain, the same academy Huijsen was with from 2015-2021.

Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that the Spanish defender has a £50m release clause, which will become active in the summer, valid for all clubs with no limitations around the deal. Romano also stated, ‘movements around the defender have already started.’

How Dean Huijsen compares to Fofana & Colwill

Bournemouth made the signing of Huijsen for a fee of around just £12.6m, with add-ons potentially taking the deal to a total of £15.2m.

That has proven to be a bargain with the 19-year-old making 27 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring twice and contributing to six clean sheets in his 2,093 minutes played.

The number of minutes he’s played is particularly important here. That’s because no other teenager in the top-flight this term has played more often than him.

So, what could he offer to Maresca’s set-up and how would he improve the make-up of this Chelsea backline?

Well, when comparing Huijsen to both Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana, you can see the Bournemouth defender is a combination of the two.

Goals + Assists

0.12

0.00

0.07

Progressive Carries

1.38

1.46

0.37

Progressive Passes

4.20

2.46

4.04

Pass Completion %

83.5%

90.2%

89.6%

Passes into Final Third

5.80

4.15

4.70

Tackles

1.49

1.00

1.26

Blocks

1.70

1.08

1.07

Interceptions

1.92

1.08

1.04

Aerial Duels Won

2.55

2.08

2.52

Indeed, Huijsen provides the aggressive duel qualities to win aerial and ground battles, make tackles and blocks, but also has the on-ball silk to pick passes, making 5.80 passes into the final third per 90 minutes.

Notable scout Jacek Kulig has labeled the 19-year-old as a “phenomenal” young centre-back who has “maturity far beyond his years” and it is clear to see why he has such a long list of suitors with these qualities.

The Spain international has the ability to partner either one of Colwill or Fofana next season, possessing both the on-ball qualities needed in Maresca’s back line – usually acquired by Colwill’s inclusion – and also having the defensive capability to step up, defend high and win his duels.

Having these three as centre-back options next season could give Chelsea and Maresca a much better chance of taking that next step and eventually challenging for a title.

Maresca can forget Neto & Nkunku by starting Chelsea "genius" in new role

Enzo Maresca could have a solution to his current Chelsea centre-forward issue.

ByEthan Lamb Mar 27, 2025

Jofra Archer is now England’s rising star, but a few years ago he was sleeping on the floor at his friend’s

George Dobell10-May-2019Jofra Archer has, at times, been forced to take the scenic route to international cricket.Not so long ago, he was reduced to sleeping on a friend’s floor as his pursuit of a career in the game was threatened by a series of back injuries. Struggling to make a dent even in club cricket – his team wanted him to bowl them to league success; he could provide only a few overs before the pain became too great – he found himself representing what might best be described as a pub team with team-mates who, let’s put this delicately, probably wouldn’t challenge him in the bleep test.Jon Filby, now chairman of the Sussex Cricket Foundation, takes up the story.”I formed a team in 1985 with my good friend Gavin Bailey,” he says. “We’re called the Two Hopes who, as everyone knows, are ‘Bob’ and ‘No’. It’s social cricket, really, and every couple of years we arrange a tour of the west country. By 2015, I was 55 years old and, while there were some younger guys in the side – some good cricketers – we had no great pretensions.”Anyway, when the fixtures came through for our tour that year we had a bit of a shock. We had been scheduled to play against some pretty strong county league sides and feared a bit of a mismatch. So my son, Tom, asked a team-mate of his from Slinfold Cricket Club – the Bajan allrounder Akeem Jordan – whether he would like to come along and strengthen us. He said yes, but could he bring his friend, Jofra. ‘Great,’ we said. There was no payment, or anything like that, but we said they could stay with us.”The first thing that struck us all about Jofra was his manners. We had hired a big house in West Looe and there were about 20 of us staying there. Anyway, every morning my partner and I would cook breakfast for everyone. Jofra helped out with both the cooking and the washing-up and immediately struck up a good rapport with everyone.”Jofra Archer (front row, middle) poses with his Two Hopes CC team-mates•Jon FilbyArcher had come to England in 2014. Chris Jordan, who he had met in the nets in Barbados, had suggested to Archer that he should try to use his UK passport (his dad, Frank, had been a driver on the London Underground for many years before retiring to Liverpool) and encouraged him to come to Sussex. But while the club monitored his progress, there was no contract and very little income.In those first couple of years, he played for Middleton-on-Sea in the Sussex Cricket League. He was clearly talented, but the back injuries were persistent – as they often are in young, fast bowlers – and there were times he couldn’t bowl. In one game, Archer reduced Cuckfield to 8 for 5, taking all five wickets, but then couldn’t bowl any more. Cuckfield recovered to go on and win and, while Archer was popular, there was just a little frustration about his inability to deliver the overs his side wanted.So he found himself at a loose end and was able to join Akeem and the rest of the Two Hopes in Cornwall. With Filby deciding it probably wouldn’t be in the spirit of things to unleash two Barbadian fast bowlers on their unsuspecting opposition, it was instead decided they would bat at No. 6 and No. 7 “if required”.They were required rather sooner than might have been expected. Their opponents that day, Lanhydrock CC, soon reduced them to 26 for 4 when Archer strode out to join Filby. It soon became apparent that, however quick Archer was between the wickets, there weren’t going to be many threes run.”I have lovely memories of batting with him,” Filby says. “I think we only put on about 25 but, what I really remember is, when I was out, he put his arm round my shoulder and walked me most of the way back to the pavilion. The funny thing is, just over a year later, I saw him do exactly the same thing on Championship debut after he had added 160 for the seventh wicket with CJ [Chris Jordan]. On that occasion, Jofra was out and he and CJ walked most of the way back to the pavilion commiserating with one another.”Jofra Archer and Akeem Jordan take a breather out in the middle•Jon FilbyFilby’s dismissal brought Jordan and Archer together. And together was where they stayed for the next couple of hours, both registering centuries and adding 180 together in increasingly fluent fashion.”It’s a beautiful place to play cricket,” Filby says, “with the pitch in the grounds of a National Trust property. There was a large metal fence at one end of the ground which protects cars visiting the property from cricket balls. But in the later stages of the innings, both of them started to challenge each other to see how many balls they could hit over it. Quite a crowd developed. It was obvious we were watching something a bit special.”Neither man bowled when Lanhydrock batted, but Archer kept wicket and, in Filby’s words “did it beautifully”. The Two Hopes won by ten runs.”I was a bit worried Lanhydrock might feel we had duped them,” he says. “Some clubs might not have liked us turning up with these two young guys who were clearly a class above. But they put on a BBQ for us in the evening and were perfect hosts. Jofra and Akeem impressed everyone with their cricket and their friendliness.”At that time, Jordan was the more successful cricketer. He played as an overseas cricketer for several years in Sussex and Archer, until weeks before his breakthrough in first-class cricket, was sleeping on his floor. Filby noticed that Archer, in particular, had no money to spend and ensured his plate was always full at breakfast and tea. “I used to wonder when else he ate,” he says now. “He had things really tough for a while. It’s lovely to see things work out for him.”Roles are reversed now. Archer is already established as something of a superstar in T20 cricket and would appear to be on the brink of an exciting international career. Really, his future looks golden. Jordan, meanwhile, recently broke into the Combined Campuses and Colleges side in Caribbean regional cricket – he claimed a five-wicket haul in the semi-final of the Super 50 Cup before his side completed a shock by defeating Guyana in the final – but a first-class debut remains elusive. Even after Archer made his own Sussex debut, however, he could be seen going to watch Slinfold CC play to support his old friend.Jofra Archer receives his cap from Jon Filby•Jon FilbyIt is remarkable the role chance has played in Archer’s success, though. Not only was he fortunate to be able to utilise the UK passport he inherited from his father, he was also thankful for something of a fixture disaster which saw him handed a first-class debut that might, possibly, not have happened otherwise.Sussex, you see, were involved in a T20 match in Cardiff on July 7, 2016. There’s nothing unusual in that, you might think. But that game finished at around 10pm and, 13 hours later, they were due to play Pakistan in a first-class match at Hove. Only three men from that T20 side were included in the tour game and Archer, who had by then played a bit for Sussex 2nd XI but was still without a contract, was given his chance. He claimed two wickets in his first spell – Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood – and later added Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali. Within days, he had signed his first county contract, and the rest is history.But let’s get back to Cornwall. The day after the Lanhydrock game, the Two Hopes took on Falmouth. But there was to be no repetition of Archer’s success. Instead he was dismissed second ball but, rather than moping about his failure, he did what every could club man does: he took stints as both scorer and umpire. He remains good friends with many of those with whom he played on the tour and not so long ago turned out to support a Sussex Cricket Foundation event.”He hasn’t changed at all,” Filby says. “He’s as humble and modest as ever; the most unassuming superstar you could hope to meet.”So any chance of a recall for the Two Hopes? “He’d be very welcome,” Filby smiles. “But we think he might have bigger fish to fry these days.”

Atalanta fans are stupefied by the club's decision to sign Southampton flop Ivan Juric to replace Roma bound head coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

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Atalanta sign Juric to replace Gasperini Fans of Atalanta unhappy with the signing Previously sacked by Southampton and RomaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Gasperini left Atalanta this summer after having spent nine years with La Dea, as the legendary Italian coach signed with AS Roma. The latter side had been on the lookout for a replacement for the retiring Claudio Ranieri, and signed Gasperini as head coach on a three-year contract. In the follow-up, Atalanta decided to sign former Roma boss Juric, who had been sacked by Southampton in April after leading the Saints to an early relegation from the Premier League. Atalanta fans are now questioning the 49-year-old's signing despite his last two jobs having ended with a sacking.

AdvertisementWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

X user @LeandroComo wrote: "Percassi and Paglicua intentionally want to find THE WORST manager in Serie A history to destroy the club.. Ivan Juric is an absolute flog. How is this guy still working?? Sacked always. Please go away, Juric."

@VujatovicAlex added: "Football's so odd man, had an absolute stinker with Southampton and then gets a role at a top-five Serie A club."

@SportsTraderIT wrote: "WHY????? He was bad with Roma, relegated in the Premier League, and he is getting hired by Atalanta."

Southampton fan @JustSaints_ joked: "Ivan Juric returning to a top Serie A job after winning one match in the PL, relegating Saints FC, playing Joe Aribo at centre back & smoking a few cigs at the training ground."

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In all fairness, Juric has had to contend with a fair few issues at both Roma and Southampton, as he had to lead both sides without any preseason. He had taken over from Daniele De Rossi just a month into the season at I Giallorossi before he was ultimately sacked as well after less than two months. The same happened during his stint with the Saints, where he took charge of an underwhelming squad from Russell Martin.

WHAT NEXT FOR JURIC?

Despite the move seeming to be a weird decision, Juric has proven to be a very tactical manager during his time with Torino, and Atalanta will be hoping that the stylistic similarities between Juric and Gasperini will make the transition less turbulent than it could have been.

Both sides have struggled with their opening combinations and will be looking to address it sooner than later

Shashank Kishore03-May-2023Big picture – Can Brook rekindle Eden memories?Two misfiring teams that currently make up the bottom half of the points table clash to keep their IPL campaigns alive. Kolkata Knight Riders need to win every game from here on to get to 16 points, which is generally considered a safe number. Sunrisers Hyderabad also have just six points at this stage but they have the cushion of an extra game in hand and the home advantage to boot for Thursday’s game.Another thing that’s common is that both sides have struggled with their opening combinations. KKR have tried six pairs so far, the most among all teams, while Sunrisers have shunted Harry Brook and Abhishek Sharma up and down based on conditions and match-ups.Brook, though, will have happy memories of hitting a hundred against KKR when they met at Eden Gardens earlier in the season. It was a high-scoring game that Sunrisers pulled off. It’s all the more significant for Brook given he has contributed precious little with the bat since. Abhishek came good as an opener in the previous game against Delhi Capitals, so he’s likely to continue there, and Brook in the middle order.Related

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KKR are yearning for a good start from their openers. Jason Roy missed the Gujarat Titans game with a back niggle; his return could inject some positivity as he had scored two sprightly half-centuries in two games before that. Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana have been doing the heavy lifting in the middle order but Andre Russell has shown only glimpses of the destructive force he can is known to be.When two sides that have very little to lose compete, there’s often an inherent sense of freedom. And that could make this a compelling contest.Form guideSunrisers Hyderabad: WLLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: LWLLLTeam news – Shardul available, Umesh to miss out againBoth sides have had players troubled by hamstrings injuries. Umesh Yadav will continue to sit out for KKR. Sunrisers haven’t replaced Washington Sundar, who is off to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to nurse his hamstring injury. But don’t have any other injury concerns. KKR have called up West Indies’ Johnson Charles to replace Litton Das.Impact Player strategySunrisers will possibly stick to what they did in the previous game – using T Natarajan as an additional seamer and swapping him with Abdul Samad in the batting innings.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII): 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 , 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Mayank Markande, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Umran Malik, 12 Jason Roy is set to return for KKR•AFP/Getty ImagesRoy should slot back in to open with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is likely to take over the wicketkeeping gloves from N Jagadeesan. Jagadeesan may be subbed out for either Harshit Rana or Vaibhav Arora when they bowl.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable XII): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 , 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 , 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Vaibhav AroraStats that matter – should Russell bat higher up? Rahul Tripathi once shared the KKR dressing room with him but has now faced the second-most balls (48) without being dismissed by Sunil Narine in T20s. Tripathi has scored 71 runs off those balls at a strike rate of 147.91. Russell vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar in T20s has so far been a no-contest. Russell has walloped him for 72 off 34 balls for two dismissals. His strike rate of 211.76 is the second-best to Rishabh Pant’s 239.39 among those who have faced a minimum of 25 balls from Bhuvneshwar . Bhuvneshwar, however, has had the wood over Roy, having dismissed him three times in 11 innings while conceding just 64 off 70 balls. That could make KKR consider using Roy in the middle order, as they did against Chennai Super Kings when he made a bruising 26-ball 61 in a chase of 236. Since IPL 2022, Russell has performed better when has come in before the 13th over, scoring 348 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 171 with six scores of 30 and above. This is against the 129 he has made in ten innings at 152 when he has walked in after the 13th over. Maybe then, there’s a case to promote him a spot higher?Pitch conditionsHyderabad has been lashed by intermittent showers over the past three days. Cloudy skies are expected on Thursday. That means the surface, which has been under the covers for much of the build-up to the game, may have some moisture that fast bowlers could exploit. As such, spinners have been slightly more successful at this venue this season: an economy of 7.70 and strike rate of 19.3, compared to 8.18 and 19.7 respectively for fast bowlers.The big question

The left-arm wristspinner grew up idolising Rashid Khan. Now the two are team-mates and Noor is forever in Rashid’s ear

Nagraj Gollapudi02-May-2023Noor Ahmad chuckles nervously. The 18-year-old Afghanistan left-arm-wristspinner who plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL is worried about his English-speaking ability as we sit down for a chat. He is learning the language on the fly, on the road, as he travels the world playing in T20 franchise leagues in both hemispheres.Noor went to sleep around 6am the day we met. He did not forget to say his prayers before shutting down, he says, and now he says a quick prayer before our interview begins too.About a minute into the conversation, any concerns he might have had about his English melt away as he settles fluently into talking cricket. His eyes twinkle and his face, which has hints of a beard, lights up with big smiles.Related

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'I'm feeling like the luckiest cricketer in the world' – Noor Ahmad

20 cricketers for the 2020s

The previous evening, playing a home game in Ahmedabad, Noor, along with his mentor and senior Afghanistan and Titans team-mate Rashid Khan, threw a wrench into Mumbai Indians’ plans soon after the powerplay. As they chased a steep 208 to win, Mumbai only managed 29 runs for the loss of opener and captain Rohit Sharma in the first six, and were 58 for 3 at the halfway stage.In the next over Noor took the wickets of Mumbai’s Aussie-made weapons of mass destruction, Cameron Green and Tim David, sending the home crowd into raptures. Mumbai’s last hope lay in Suryakumar Yadav.Though Suryakumar took 15 runs off the 12th over, from Rashid, off the second ball he faced from Noor in the 13th, he attempted to push at one that was turning in, having pitched on good length, and popped a return catch.”That was like a dream wicket,” Noor says. “I wanted to take that kind of batsman’s wicket. I decided to pitch back of length because he is very good at sweeping and slogging.”2:05

Noor Ahmad: ‘My brother broke a door when I took my first IPL wicket!’

Noor managed to take the low catch before, full of excitement, trying to throw the ball up to celebrate, losing hold of it, and catching it more securely.In addition to the three Mumbai wickets, Noor’s tally for the season so far is: Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya (Lucknow Super Giants), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rinku Singh (Kolkata Knight Riders). Having made his debut as an impact player, Noor is now part of Titans’ first XI.

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It was in 2018 that the first turning point of Noor’s career arrived. He participated in an open selection trial in Kabul, organised by the Afghanistan cricket Board to pick grassroots U-19 talent. Former Afghanistan batter Raees Ahmadzai, who headed the board’s Under-19 wing and was a coach-cum-selector, realised Noor was a bowler with the X-factor he was looking for. “I wanted to have a left-arm wristspinner who could offer a different bowling style and different variation,” Ahmadzai says. “The way he bowled, the way he showed confidence in what he did, he impressed me.”About 125 youngsters attended the trial. That group was culled to 75, then 40, and finally a squad of 15 was shortlisted, based on cricketing and physical skillsets. Noor made the cut.In 2019, when he was 14, he threw his name into the hat for the IPL auction the first time. He went unsold that year and again the following year, but he did not stop serving notice of his talent.”I know IPL is a very big stage in cricket. The more I enjoy, the more I will succeed”•Associated PressAt the Under-19 50-over Asia Cup that year, he starred in a thriller against India, who escaped with a narrow win. Defending 125, Noor finished with 4 for 30 in his ten overs – among his victims were India captain Dhruv Jurel (now with Royals) who was trapped lbw, and Tilak Verma (now Mumbai Indians), bowled.Ahmadzai, who was Afghanistan’s head coach for the tournament, speaks of his Indian counterpart, Rahul Dravid, being impressed by Noor at the time. That same year, Noor made his first-class debut.Two years later, early in January of 2021, the day he turned 16, Noor played his second game in his debut BBL season, representing Melbourne Renegades. He had never bowled on such a big stage, against some of most destructive batters around, including Liam Livingstone. Renegades lost that game to Perth Scorchers, but Noor made his birthday special, taking Livingstone’s wicket, stumped. “It was a googly and he didn’t pick it. I bowled a little away from his [batting arc]. There was some bounce in the wicket and that helped me,” he remembers.At the mega auction ahead of the 2022 IPL, Titans picked Noor up for his base price, Rs 30 lakhs ($40,000 approximately). It was a memorable day for the teenager, who had grown up watching the IPL, to be faced with the potential of bowling alongside his idol, Rashid.Noor didn’t play last year, and got his first IPL match, against Royals, a couple of weeks ago, when he was brought in as impact player with six overs to go. Royals needed 77 from 36 deliveries. Sanju Samson smacked the fourth ball of the over, a googly wide outside off stump, for a six. The next ball, a legbreak well outside leg stump, was happily dismissed for an easy four past short fine leg.Noor jumps into captain Hardik Pandya’s arms after taking the wicket of Sanju Samson in his debut IPL game•BCCI”I was sure he will try to hit a six again,” Noor says. “So I thought, if I try bowling a little bit away, there’s a chance he might mistime. And that’s exactly what happened.”There was pressure in the first match, but I just wanted to enjoy it because it was a totally new experience for me. I know IPL is a very big stage in cricket. The more I enjoy, the more I will succeed. I want to bowl to the top players and have got some of them out. I am just enjoying bowling to these guys.”If Noor was nervous and excited on his IPL debut, his family was no less so, back in Afghanistan. “The amazing thing was in the first match when I got the Samson wicket, one of my brothers got up and punched a door and broke it,” Noor says, laughing. “The whole door!” I asked him why. He said, ‘I was not having control over my emotions.'”Noor is the youngest of eight children – four boys and four girls. The family live in Lakhan district in Khost in south-eastern Afghanistan. Noor was good at studies growing up, and his father, Mohammad Amir, wanted him to stick with them rather than take a punt on cricket.”I had topped grade ten in school, and that’s when I started professional cricket. [Dad] said I was in a good position at the school and he was afraid I would not reach a high level in cricket.”Pressure to think twice before embarking on a cricket career came from outside the family too. “Sometimes the school teachers, including the principal, came and spoke to my father and told him, ‘He is a good kid in school, he is talented, so please don’t let him play cricket. Bring him to school.'” It is a common predicament for every talented Afghan athlete, Ahmadzai says.Big match, big wicket: Noor celebrates getting Liam Livingstone in the BBL on his 16th birthday•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesIf Noor has one person to thank for playing a key role in convincing his father to allow him to play cricket, it is his brother Mohammad. “He was trying to convince my dad all the time and he supported me in playing cricket.”These days the family enjoys watching Noor every IPL game. His father, Noor says, is “very happy”. “After the match when we talk, they tell me they don’t have any words to describe their emotion.”

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Like other Afghans, Noor too started out playing tape-ball cricket. That was where he learned the basics of spin bowling. “It was the start of my legspin bowling,” he says. “And by the end I was bowling the ball that goes away,”Noor’s teenage years coincided with the arrival of Rashid onto the global stage. As Rashid mystified batters in T20 leagues around the world, youngsters like Noor watched and grew enamoured of his magic. Though he is a left-arm wristspinner himself, Noor realised he could pick things from Rashid’s bowling to incorporate into his own. “I saw him and wanted to bowl like him.”The legbreak, googly, and a slider that is more of a quick legspinner, are the variations Noor currently uses. The mystery comes from the different grips he uses to deliver them at varying speeds. He has a brisk approach to the crease and a whippy action. His bowling speed is one of his strong points. At the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, where Afghanistan finished fourth, Ahmadzai was head coach and remembers keeping to Noor in training. “He was very quick, like a medium-pacer – he was bowling at 115-120 kph. I felt like that. I knew this guy would not be easy to hit, especially if he doesn’t bowl short or give any width to play the cut or pull. If he bowled in the right areas, it wouldn’t it be easy to hit him.”Noor thinks his pace helps in that it leaves batters short of reaction time. “The batsman won’t have so much time to play the ball. Pace and a bit of turn is a good combination,” he says.Noor bowls in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, in a game against South Africa•Louis Botha/Getty ImagesHe looks to pick up cues from batters to help with his bowling plans. “My aim is, I should be able or at least try to read the batsman’s mind – what is the situation, what the team needs, what the batsman will do. It is all about me staying confident.”If there is one person who is as happy about Noor’s success as his family, it is Rashid. Speaking to the broadcaster after the win against Mumbai, Rashid was effusive about Noor’s performance. “That little kid, he just wants to learn,” he said. And he’s working so hard. Last year he was working, bowling lots in the nets, and kept asking questions.”Even when I was having gym, he was coming to the gym and saying, ‘Let’s just bowl here in the gym.’ At 1am, 2am, he was coming when I was in the gym during Ramzan, and he was bowling with me in the gym. That much he wanted to get better, that much he wanted to perform.”He has got the opportunity now and he has been delivering. I am so, so happy he has been delivering. It’s great news for GT as well as for Afghanistan cricket.”It was Rashid who handed Noor his first IPL cap. Noor looks back at the conversation then. “He [Rashid] said, ‘Finally you get a chance to play at this kind of big level, which is every player’s dream. It is your hard work and your determination which gives you this place.'”With a laugh, Noor confirms what Rashid says about him picking his senior team-mate’s brains about bowling whenever he wants to. “It is true – even when we are eating food together, I am asking questions to him. I always ask questions whenever I am with him. He is like Google for me!Celebrating a wicket with Rashid. “I always ask questions whenever I am with him. He is like Google for me,” Noor says of his team-mate and idol•Associated Press”I have learned so much from Rashid, both on the field as well as off the field, about life. One of the most important is to have the belief in yourself anytime and face the challenge coming in front of you – never give up.”Noor says he now understands that he needs to use a lot of his body to drive the pace and he is learning the nuances of that by talking to more experienced spinners as he plies his trade in the T20 leagues.He has played just the one ODI, against Sri Lanka on the tour there late last year, but Ahmadazai believes it will not surprise him if Noor is picked for the ODI World Cup later this year in India.He has also shown batting smarts in pressure situations. “He is a brave person,” says Ahmadzai. “I remember the way he played against Naseem Shah and other fast bowlers in the Under-19 Asia Cup on a green top in Sri Lanka. He made 17 crucial runs and we won that match.”Noor thinks his IPL experience will strengthen his case for inclusion in Afghanistan’s squad for the World Cup. “It’s always been my dream to play for my country. Win matches for my country. So I am really looking forward if I get a chance. Inshallah.”The IPL started three years after Noor was born. He came to grow fond of Royal Challengers Bangalore over the seasons. His two favourite players were AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, before Rashid came along. These days, he is playing alongside his idol and bowling against the likes of Kohli. What will he like to take back from his maiden IPL season?”I want to see myself become better and have some star players’ wickets,” he says.Star players like Kohli? “Of course, I want,” Noor says.I wish Noor the best for his future. “And best of luck to my future English,” he says with a laugh.

Sajid and Noman shared 19 out of 20 wickets to leave their batters chasing a target of only 36

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Oct-2024Pakistan 344 (Shakeel 134, Sajid 48*, Noman 45, Rehan 4-66, Bashir 3-129) and 37 for 1 (Masood 23*) beat England 267 (Smith 89, Duckett 52, Sajid 6-128, Noman 3-88) and 112 (Root 33, Noman 6-42, Sajid 4-69) by nine wicketsThe wait is finally over. For the first time since 2021, Pakistan have won a Test series at home, coming back from 1-0 down to confirm a 2-1 success over England.A comprehensive nine-wicket win on day three of the third and decisive Test in Rawalpindi arrived before lunch, achieved with so little fuss that England’s victory by an innings in the opening match feels like it belongs in a different series altogether. It is only the second time Pakistan have come from behind in a series and the first time they have done so at home.Just as it was in the first innings, and indeed the victorious second Test at Multan, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran riot, bagging all 10 wickets as England were snuffed out for 112 in a listless second innings performance. It was Noman’s turn to pocket the match ball with 6 for 42, a sixth five-wicket haul, while Sajid’s 4 for 69 registered a second 10-wicket match of his 10-Test career after 6 for 128 on the first day.That left a nominal chase of 36 on the table, which was still enough for beleaguered home skipper Shan Masood to indulge in a cathartic 23 from six deliveries. He clouted four successive fours against Jack Leach upon his arrival to the crease after Saim Ayub was trapped leg before, then sealed victory with a towering six off Shoaib Bashir.Prior to Masood walking off with Abdullah Shafique, Noman and Sajid had done so hand in hand, basking in the glory of instigating England’s day three collapse in which the final seven wickets fell for just 46, and the fact their introductions turned the series on its head. Since being drafted into the squad after the tourists took a 1-0 lead, they have managed 39 wickets between them – Noman’s left-arm spin taking 20 at 13.85, Sajid’s off breaks 19 from 21.01.And yet, things began serenely enough for England. They started Saturday 53 behind on 24 for 3, but in Root and Brook, they had two batters capable of chipping off that deficit, and then some.Related

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When Brook began the 13th over by striking Sajid for back-to-back fours – first through cover, then over mid off on the charge – the more pessimistic Pakistan fans might have been wondering if the Yorkshire pair were about to embark on another match-tilting partnership. After all, it was these two who combined for all of 454 in the first Test at Multan.However, that was before Sajid and Noman entered the series. And after the former adjusted his line to keep Brook honest, the latter followed up a slow delivery with one far quicker that was cut late into the gloves of Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan’s lead had been cut to 11, but the first domino had been toppled. Others duly followed.Stokes’ troubles against spin continued, inexplicably leading a straight delivery from Noman, expecting turn from over the wicket that never came. Jamie Smith’s charge to Sajid was almost as bad, bowled off stump through a wild swing that belied the sensibilities he had displayed with a load-bearing 89 in the first innings.It was only four balls after Smith’s dismissal that England went ahead, and what hopes they had of extending that in a meaningful way ended when Root was snared by a pearler from Noman with a lead of eight. Perfect dip onto a length to drag the right-hander forward from around the wicket, before just enough spin – it was a delivery the 38-year-old had served up a few times but only Root was good enough to nick. ASajid tagged in to lop off the tail, yorking Gus Atkinson before knocking back Rehan Ahmed’s leg stump for his second 10-wicket match haul. And he looked to have bagged a second five-for in the match when Shoaib Bashir was given out LBW on the sweep.A cursory DRS review came back in the No.11’s favour, with the impact onto the pad coming outside off stump. The reprieve only brought an extra two runs, as Noman caught Leach lacking on the charge, firing one wide of the advancing left-hander, stumped smartly by Rizwan.A lead of 35 was always going to be light work on a pitch that was far from demonic, but it was Masood’s introduction that ensured formalities were completed inside 3.1 overs. Ayub began the chase with a brace of fours at the end of the first over before Leach pinned him in front, confirmed via DRS after another erroneous call from umpire Sharfuddoula.But even his dismissal brought some icing to the cake, as Masood took the team charging over the line for his first series win as captain. After starting his tenure with six straight defeats before the second Test of this series, It was hard to begrudge him that honour.

He went from being their top wicket-taker to being benched in the space of two IPL seasons, but the mystery spinner believes this is his year to bounce back

Deivarayan Muthu31-Mar-2023Varun Chakravarthy burst onto the cricketing scene in 2018 as a mystery spinner with a bagful of variations, but his life – and career – has had more twists and turns than there are variations in his repertoire.He started his career as a wicketkeeper-batter who wanted to become the “next Dinesh Karthik”, then had a cameo as an actor in a Tamil movie, , when he was trying to break through as an assistant director. Somewhere along the way he ditched cricket and movies for architecture. He then returned to cricket again as a mystery spinner who could turn the ball both ways at a quick pace.Related

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It was those abilities, a prized and uncommon skill set, that gave Kolkata Knight Riders’ attack a potent point of difference in the 2020 and 2021 IPLs. Soon after, Varun played for India in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. However, in IPL 2022, his form and rhythm plummeted so much that he was benched for three games. The ball wasn’t quite turning both ways or he wasn’t giving it much of a chance to do so by uncharacteristically tossing it up too full, which allowed batters to get underneath the length and pump him over the top. The mystery in his bowling seemed to have disappeared.

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There is one constant theme in Varun’s life: he has bounced back from setbacks – both on and off the field. In 2017, for example, he started his own architecture business, but the floods in Chennai that year damaged his sites, resulting in heavy losses. He managed to find a way to overcome that disappointment. If anything, setbacks have been catalysts for him to bounce back. Just like when he decided to switch his career path to cricket from architecture.Having experienced such lows in life, Varun didn’t allow a few bad games in the IPL last season to send him into a shell. “Yes, obviously, I take the lessons [from life],” he says. “Cricket is part of my life and whatever happens in life also affects cricket. So I try to implement life lessons into my cricket as well and what I have understood is that even during your ups and downs, you should be level, and the only people who will always be with you are your family.Varun went wicketless in the three T20 World Cup matches he played in the UAE in 2021•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images”I know that I’m not foolproof or damage-proof and I was expecting this kind of an [IPL] season at some point. Everyone will go through a low time, but it’s about coming back.”Sriram Krishnamurthy, Varun’s coach at Madurai Panthers in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and a former coach with Northern Brave Men in New Zealand, credits Varun with maintaining an equilibrium in both his cricket and life. “Even though he had that IPL season he had, one good thing about Varun we’ve seen from day one is, he never gets too high and never gets too low,” Sriram says. “While his confidence was dented after the last IPL, he wasn’t broken, and that comes down to the person that he is. He’s very practical and realistic about understanding the game and life per se. That’s a big strength of his because I feel like for someone who has had the life he has – being a late entrant into cricket – and how far he has gone, for anyone else, it could have taken them away from reality. We’ve seen other players get lost after this sort of quick success, whereas I feel with Varun, he is always focused on what he has to do and I feel the mental element of bouncing back from failures is there with him.”

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What went wrong with Varun last season?Having worked his way up from a tennis-ball background, he previously hadn’t played or practised as much as he did in the last five years. As a result, he veered away from his strengths and some undesirable technical changes also crept into his bowling. His run-up became slower, his lengths fuller, and overall his bowling lost some of its fizz.In the UAE, Varun got some of his fuller ones to skid or hold off the pitch, but on fairly easy-paced hit-through-the line Indian tracks last season, batters lined him up easily. According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, he conceded 107 runs off 48 full balls last IPL.Around the time he was relegated to the sidelines by the Knight Riders, he sat down and watched his old videos to remedy his bowling. “After those games, I had a break,” Varun says. I was basically trying to flight the ball, which was not my expertise. I [now] bowl quicker and that has worked for me. It was better sticking to that. Personally, I worked on my run-up as well. I realised it quite late, but I came to know that was a mistake.Sriram Krishnamurthy, Madurai Panthers coach: “If, with his pace, Varun ensures the batsman doesn’t have much time to think, I feel that will set him up well”•BCCI”I [had] just started running slower because… if a cricketer practises for a long time again and again, there are a few basics you might forget, which you usually get right. It was a case of that and then when I watched previous videos of my bowling, I realised I was running slow. Then my run-up was quicker, like what it was before, and I feel that was the difference. The last three matches for KKR went well for me after the break.”Once he returned to action for Knight Riders in the last stretch of IPL 2022, Varun hit the pitch much harder, increased his pace, dragged his length back, and denied batters easy access to the boundary. He stuck to his guns in the TNPL 2022 that followed and he and Sriram tried to recreate what had worked for Varun when he first broke into the IPL.”I remember having a conversation with him about what he was doing well when he was going well, in terms of the pace and length he bowled,” Sriram recalls. “By being slower through the air and bowling fuller, he was also giving batsmen an opportunity to sort of get to the pitch of the ball, and when you’re doing that you take away the element of [doubt about] which way the ball is going to go. From that perspective, we discussed how he was successful by bowling that length or slightly back of a length, which made the batsmen play him pretty much only off the pitch. The quicker pace with which he bowls means batsmen will have slightly less time to react.”He did go towards doing something different in the last IPL. For a player to evolve, he has to constantly keep working, and that was probably the journey Varun was going on as well. On the basis of performance, it didn’t necessarily reflect too well on how he did for KKR in that IPL, which again dented his confidence a little bit. But again, the clarity he had about his own bowling and whatever the conversation we had was not about me telling him what to do, but it was a process of rediscovering what he did well before, and to his credit, he was fully aware of his strengths. So he recreated that confidence. [Also] there is a difference in the quality of batting in TNPL and IPL. So it gives him a bit more space and time to get his confidence back, so to say.”With the IPL returning to the home-and-away format, Varun is set to play for KKR at Eden Gardens for the first time. He is usually not a big turner of the ball and particularly relishes bowling on bouncier or even flatter pitches. With Eden Gardens no longer the turner that it once used to be, Sriram thinks Varun has the tools to be penetrative at the venue.After his three-game break in the IPL last year, Varun returned to take two wickets in two games•BCCI”Varun is slightly taller than most average spinners and the other thing is his high release point,” Sriram says. “That release point helps him get bounce off the wicket. He has to bowl that length to extract that bounce. If he uses his height and release point… like he said, maybe he’s not a massive turner of the ball, but he turns the ball enough. If he ensures that the batsman doesn’t have too much time to sit back and think, which comes down to the pace at which Varun bowls, then I feel that will set him up well.”Varun has tuned up for the new IPL season after getting ample game time with Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Madurai Panthers in the TNPL, and Vijay CC in the Chennai league during the city’s oppressive summer.”At Tamil Nadu and in the TNPL, they’ve been using me as a death bowler, so it’s something that challenges me and hopefully I’ll be able to do the job in the IPL as well,” Varun says. “KKR have shown a lot of faith in me, which is important for any player. The KKR management has always been in constant touch with me on how I’m doing and all those things. I’ll always be grateful to KKR for what they’ve bestowed upon me and the responsibility that they’ve given me.”Right after the end of the IPL, we had another camp at the KKR academy. Normally people have a camp before the IPL, but the same players were part of another camp. You don’t know if you will be retained or not, but still we trained with the same bunch of guys. That’s something I liked about what they did last year, and it basically helped our preparation for Syed Mushtaq Ali [Trophy]. Regardless of whether they’re going to retain that player or not, they called all the Indians for the camp again. Hopefully, I can live up to the expectations this IPL.”As a retained player, the expectations on Varun to deliver are even greater this IPL and whichever way this season goes, it could well add another twist to his career.

“My mind wants to keep going, but my body can no longer endure the pain, the breakdowns, and the strain”

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-20241:58

Pollard: Champion Bravo has given cricket his all

Dwayne Bravo has confirmed his retirement from all cricket after his final season in the CPL was cut short by injury.Bravo, 41 next month, is the leading T20 wicket-taker in history. He had previously called time on his international career in 2021, and stepped away from the IPL last year, as he began to move into coaching – in the last 12 months he has worked with Chennai Super Kings and the Afghanistan men’s team.”My mind wants to keep going, but my body can no longer endure the pain, the breakdowns, and the strain” Bravo said in a post on Instagram. “I can’t put myself in a position where I might let down my teammates, my fans, or the teams I represent.”So, with a heavy heart, I officially announce my retirement from the sport. Today, the Champion bids farewell.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIn an 18-year career, Bravo helped set the benchmark in T20 cricket, winning titles at the IPL, PSL and Big Bash, as well as becoming a two-time world champion with West Indies. He finishes with 631 wickets in the format from 582 appearances – second only to compatriot Kieron Pollard.Bravo announced before the ongoing edition of the CPL that it would be his last. He had been due to play in the third season of the UAE’s ILT20, having been retained by MI Emirates, but has decided to bow out after suffering a groin injury playing against St Lucia Kings in Tarouba on Tuesday.Bravo was the most decorated player in CPL history, having won five titles in all, including three with Trinbago Knight Riders alone. He had led TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 before captaining Patriots to their first title in 2021.Related

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In a number of T20 leagues around the world, especially at the CPL, Bravo has been harnessing his experience to nurture youngsters, settling into a role like MS Dhoni has been fulfilling for CSK for a while. During CPL 2021, for example, he took allrounder Dominic Drakes under his wing and helped transform him into a match-winner. Drakes came away with the Player-of-the-Match award in the CPL 2021 final and continued to work with Bravo in other leagues, including IPL (CSK) and T10 (Delhi Bulls).Bravo has also worked closely with Ali Khan, the USA fast bowler, who also often fronts up to bowl at the death for TKR. Bravo had first spotted Khan in the US Open T20 tournament and signed him on for the Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Canada, before recommending him to TKR.

The success enjoyed by Tom Brady and Ryan Reynolds could lead to Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods exploring takeover options at Manchester United.

Famous faces flocking to British footballNBA & golf legends could be nextMore investment & documentaries mootedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

That is according to Matt Jansen, who spent time on the books at Wrexham during his playing days and once saw a transfer to Old Trafford speculated on. He is now watching on from afar as celebrity investors generate plenty of buzz in British football.

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NFL legend Brady is part of the board at Birmingham, while Hollywood actor Reynolds is working alongside Rob McElhenney in North Wales. A number of other famous faces are involved with EFL clubs, with the promise of more takeovers to come.

DID YOU KNOW?

NBA icon Jordan and golf GOAT Woods boast the personal fortunes required to move into club ownership, and it is claimed that they may be tempted to tread a similar path to Brady and Co – with Jansen talking up deals for United and his former employers at Blackburn.

GettyWHAT JANSEN SAID

Jansen, speaking to , said of more A-list investment and money-spinning documentaries: “I think Tom Brady is a good one. Maybe Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, people who’ve been at the top of their sport. The number one in their sport will always be impressive, and can relate a little bit more to football than the music industry.

“It could be any club, couldn’t it? But the likes of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods would probably be looking at Liverpool, Chelsea or Man United, those kinds of clubs. They’re that big a star. So is Tom Brady, but Birmingham are really putting their money where their mouth is. I think they'll be a force this season.

“They could target clubs in the EFL. Look at what Wrexham started and they've been a success. It'll be other people putting it to the likes of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, rather than them approaching clubs.

“They'll see whether it’s worthwhile investing their time. It’s certainly worked for the two at Wrexham, and it’s worked for Tom Brady at the moment. How far it'll go, who knows?

“I could see them buying Manchester United. The fans are unhappy with Ratcliffe at the minute, and there are protests. You couldn’t put it past somebody like that coming in, and his aura could bring success.

“They'd certainly welcome them at Blackburn. They're in a bit of a mess with the Venky’s at the moment. It's a sorry place compared to the great days from Jack Walker’s era when I was playing. It's fallen quite far, and they’d definitely welcome some positive publicity.

“I’m a big Tiger Woods fan, so for me a documentary of him at Blackburn or Manchester United would beat any before it. Woods is a global superstar and it would certainly be one series I’d be looking forward to. It would be incredible if it happened.”