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The T20I captain said that for a team to succeed, the players needed to spend a lot more time together in the lead-up to every series

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2019There is no set of players that dominate the world of franchise T20 cricket like the West Indians. Every league in the world, from the IPL to the more recently sprouted Euro T20 slam, wants a piece of those larger than life superstars. But when they come together as a West Indies team, they haven’t always had a lot of success. Sure they are the reigning T20 World Champions, but since that heady night in Kolkata three and a half years ago, they’ve played 33 games in the shortest format and lost 20 of them.Carlos Brathwaite had an explanation for this odd turn of events. Addressing the press ahead of a three-match series against India that begins on Saturday, he said that for a team to succeed, the players needed to spend a lot more time together in the lead-up to every series.”I guess in the first part of my tenure [as T20 captain], we had a few one-off games, and those don’t really help the standings much,” he said. “And then when we had series with three games, it was always difficult to get the players together. We didn’t get the right frame of time to properly prepare. Obviously, preparing for a World Cup, you have adequate preparation. Looking back to the last [T20] World Cup, we had a two week camp in Dubai. So we had the team together for a period of time. We had spent time together on and off the field, on and off the training pitch, spent more time together as a team, as a family and then when we headed at the World Cup we had warm-up games as well and then the tournament. So right there and then, we probably had two and a half weeks more together than we have normally.”This lack of team bonding time may have impacted West Indies at the 50-over World Cup as well.”We didn’t think we were doing all the things necessary on and off the field as a team to be successful consistently,” Brathwaite said. “And as a result, as we saw in the World Cup, we had good performances, like in the game against Pakistan, but as a team we did not get it together and we lost some vital moments in key games.”But now, West Indies, who are ranked No. 9 in T20Is by the ICC, are looking to make some corrections. “I guess starting from this series and moving forward,” Brathwaite said. “Looking forward to the World T20s in 2020 and 2021 and the World Cup in 2023, I think we have to put certain protocols and certain standards in place off the field that once we are disciplined enough and follow it off the field, it should translate itself on the field and give us the best chance to win those one percenters and those key moments.”We’re welcoming back Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard into the fold who have a wealth of T20 experience as well. So in our conversations so far, it’s been about us having more informal chats as a team, spending more time together speaking about cricket and for the younger guys to learn off the older guys and as a result the older guys to learn off the yonger guys as well. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t teach an older guy.”So that’s one of the main things we’re looking forward to developing and implementing leading into the next three World Cups, the two T20 and the 50-over World Cup, and just spending more time together and having more informal chats and actually learning off each other. I think once we get those things right on the field, when we get on the field, it’ll be easier for us to band together and have more consistent performances.”

He will be involved in planning and implementing high-performance and Bangladesh Tigers programs

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2023The BCB has appointed David Moore as the head of programs in a two-year deal starting in February. According to the board’s media release, the new role will commit Moore to be responsible for “planning, devising strategies and implementation of the HP (High Performance) and Bangladesh Tigers programs to ensure that these programs directly benefit the national team’s interests”.Jalal Yunus, the cricket operations chairman had talked about this position last month, in an effort to centralise the development of players. He had explained that the position was akin to that of a director of high performance.”We won the ODI series against South Africa but we didn’t do well in the Test series. We won a Test in New Zealand. I don’t think it is enough,” Jalal said at the time. “We want to emphasise on Tests and T20s. We want to have a coordinated effort to strengthen this aspect of our game. We are thinking about bringing in a high-performance director for the overall planning of Bangladesh cricket’s structure. All of these changes will bear fruit in one or two years.”Related

• Hathurusingha returns as Bangladesh men's team head coach

• Hathurusingha set to return as head coach of Bangladesh men's Test and ODI sides

• Mehidy Hasan Miraz promoted to all-format BCB contract

• Bangladesh and England's first ever bilateral T20I series to begin on March 9

• Russell Domingo resigns as Bangladesh head coach

Moore will oversee the development programs for coaches as well. He said he was thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to the development of Bangladesh cricket: “I’m very excited to be commencing my role as Head of Programs at the BCB. I look forward to working with the Head Coach, his coaching and support staff, and players to assist them to unleash their potential.”I am delighted to have been appointed to oversee and develop some very important programs that will provide opportunities for elite cricketers to perform in the international arena.”Moore was the general manager and head coach development of Cricket NSW, before which he was a senior coach at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence. He has worked as an assistant coach of West Indies and became the side’s head coach for the England tour in 2007. He has coached the Bermuda national team as well.

Manchester United will be without teen sensation Chido Obi-Martin when facing Real Sociedad in the last-16 of the Europa League.

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• Youngster has impressed off the bench
• Not registered for continental competition
• Red Devils crying out for attacking spark

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The youngster, who joined the Red Devils from Arsenal in October 2024, has been fast-tracked into the senior ranks of late. He has made three senior appearances for United, with the most recent of those seeing him step off the bench in a FA Cup fifth-round clash with Fulham.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chido Obi looked lively in that contest, coming close to grabbing himself a goal, and the expectation is that he will see more minutes over the coming weeks. He will not, however, be available to Ruben Amorim in continental competition.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  That is because the 17-year-old is ineligible. United did add January signings Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven to their Europa League squad ahead of the knockout rounds, but claims that Chido Obi was overlooked as he “was not considered a first-team player at the time”.

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  TELL ME MORE

  He does not qualify for a place on the B list – which is made up of young professionals – due to having not been with United for a minimum term of two years. That means Amorim, who only named seven substitutes against Fulham, will be relying on others again when facing Sociedad.

Ruben Amorim now wants Manchester United to sign a new striker, and has earmarked a “world-class” alternative to Viktor Gyokeres as the potential man to fit the bill at Old Trafford, according to a shock report.

Manchester United need a striker

Despite having bought a striker in each of the last two summer transfer windows, Manchester United are in desperate need of a new no.9. So far, they have managed just 12 goals in 11 Premier League games, the joint fourth worst in the division alongside newly promoted Ipswich Town.

Of those goals, Rasmus Hojlund has managed just one, while summer addition Joshua Zirkzee also has just one to his name, coming on his debut against Fulham on the opening night of the season.

The lack of chances created for strikers is certainly a problem that Amorim will have to tackle upon his arrival at Old Trafford, but United continue to lack a good striker capable of taking them back towards the European spots, with both Hojlund and Zirkzee long-term projects who the club cannot afford to waste too much time on.

Clearly then, a new striker at Old Trafford is a must, with a reliable goalscorer key to their chances of moving up the division and neither Hojlund nor Zirkzee having proved themselves that during their limited time in Manchester. Now, one report has put forward an audacious option for the Red Devils.

Manchester United linked with shock move for big name striker

With Amorim having joined the club from Sporting CP, and in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres free to leave in the summer after his price dropped to just £63m, all logic points towards the Red Devils moving to sign the Swedish forward at the end of the campaign.

However, one report in Spain claims that Amorim has instead identified England captain and last season’s Bundesliga top goalscorer Harry Kane as the man he wants to bring to Old Trafford, with Manchester United having “made the English international one of their priorities to strengthen their attack”.

Of course, the Red Devils had long been linked with Kane during his time at Tottenham, but he ultimately opted to move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, and has thrived in Bavaria.

As it stands, the England record goalscorer has grabbed 61 goals in 61 games for Vincent Kompany’s side, as well as managing 21 assists. Now 31-years-old, he is in the twilight of his career and unlikely to be a long-term solution to Manchester United’s problems given the price tag it would require to prize him out of Bayern Munich, providing Kane even wanted to return to England.

Add to that Kane’s £400,000 a week salary at Bayern, and a move looks even more unlikely, with the whole endeavour likely to cost hundreds of millions to even try and complete.

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It would be a brutal way to start his Manchester United career.

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Of course, Kane remains a top striker, as some at Manchester United know all too well; England teammate and Red Devils defender Harry Maguire labelled him “world class” just last year.

“He’s a magnificent, world-class player. He proves it year after year”, Maguire explained back in September.

However, a deal looks almost certain not to happen, and with other cheaper strikers on the market, that may well be to United’s benefit.

Glasgow Rangers bounced back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership by narrowly beating Hearts 1-0 at Ibrox on Sunday evening.

The Light Blues opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the match, through a bundled finish by Cyriel Dessers, and that was all it took to secure all three points.

It was far from a perfect performance from the Scottish giants, who tied with Hearts for ‘big chances’ created (2), but it was enough to claim the victory.

One player who caught the eye with his performance for Philippe Clement’s side was central midfielder Nicolas Raskin, who was announced as the Player of the Match in the stadium.

Nicolas Raskin's performance in numbers

The Belgian midfielder has enjoyed a run of games in midfield in recent weeks and his performance on Sunday evening showcased how much he is benefitting from that.

Raskin played the full 90 minutes at Ibrox and was constantly competing all over the park to win duels to help out his team defensively, whilst also making things tick in possession.

As you can see in the table above, the former Standard Liege star was incredibly combative for Rangers and won the majority of his duels in midfield.

He was also relatively reliable in possession of the ball, completing 85% of his attempted passes, but did not create a single chance for his teammates.

Raskin was not the only midfielder to impress in the middle of the park for the Light Blues, however, as Mohamed Diomande was also in fine form.

Mohamed Diomande's performance in numbers

The Ivorian ace was selected in the number ten position, with Tom Lawrence sidelined with a thigh injury, and did enough to justify his place in the side with his display.

It was more industrious than you would typically expect from an attacking midfielder but he is far from a natural in that role, so it was to be expected.

Diomande helped Rangers to grind out the three points with his excellent work out of possession to constantly pressure and close down Hearts players when they had the ball.

The left-footed battler, who recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.4/10, won six of his ten ground duels and both of his aerial contests, which shows that he dominated opposition players on the ground and in the air in duels.

He made two tackles and one interception without being dribbled past a single time, and completed two of his three attempted dribbles, which shows that Diomande was as defensively impressive as Raskin was.

Meanwhile, the Ivorian dynamo completed 86% of his attempted passes and created three chances for his teammates, which shows that he tried to make things happen in the final third and was reliable in his use of the ball, albeit without being rewarded with an assist for his efforts.

Overall, Diomande and Raskin were both as impressive as each other in midfield and Clement will surely be happy with the dynamism his players showed in that area of the pitch.

Morelos 2.0: Rangers let go of a "big talent" who's now scoring for fun

The former Glasgow Rangers centre-forward has thrived since moving on from Ibrox.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 6, 2024

Nathan Ake underwent surgery on his fractured foot as the Manchester City star admitted to having a "frustrating" season.

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• Ake underwent surgery on his foot
• Started in Man City's win over Plymouth
• Man City next face Forest on Saturday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dutch defender started in City's 3-1 win over Plymouth in the FA Cup on Saturday, but he did not return for the second half, with Ruben Dias replacing him. Manager Pep Guardiola later confirmed that the player has been ruled out of action with a long-term injury. On Monday, Ake shared his photograph from the hospital where he successfully underwent surgery on his fractured foot.

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• WHAT NATHAN AKE SAID

  On his Instagram, Ake wrote in the caption: "This has been such a frustrating season for me but I have now had a successful surgery on a fracture in my foot which has been bothering me for months and I am looking positively to the future! Rest and recover now, see you soon Cityzens and thank you for your support."

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  Ake has been plagued with multiple injuries throughout the campaign and has remained on the sidelines for spells of the season. The defender has made only 18 appearances for the club across all competitions and has started in only eight Premier League matches.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The reigning English champions will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they take on Nottingham Forest in a difficult away fixture.

Wojciech Szczesny has recommended the Real Madrid and Barcelona players to practice "meditation and breathing" in the aftermath of last weekend's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu. Tempers flared between the players of the two rivals following the hosts' 2-1 win, with the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, and Lamine Yamal engaging in a tense exchange.

• El Clasico turned into a feisty affair

  Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend to end their four-game losing streak against the reigning La Liga champions, thanks to first-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. 

  However, tempers flared between the two arch-rivals, with Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, and Vinícius Junior engaging in a tense exchange with Lamine Yamal. Madrid players were fired up ahead of the highly-anticipated match after Yamal, during a live stream, implied that Los Blancos “rob, complain, and do things" to win by questionable means.

  After the full-time whistle, Carvajal, the Madrid captain, told Yamal: "You speak too much. Speak now." Yamal reportedly responded by saying: "See you in the tunnel," as he pointed towards the tunnel repetitively.

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  Szczesny urges everyone to meditate

  Speaking in a chat with Polish YouTubers, Szczesny said: “I learned early in my career that emotions don’t help me, so I try to disconnect. For example, after El Clasico, everyone was arguing and fighting, and I just thought, ‘We lost the match, but we have to move on.’ I would recommend that everyone practice meditation and work on their breathing. I do breathing exercises before the match and at halftime. People look at me strangely because I do it right in the middle of the locker room. I recommend working on your breathing in extreme conditions — in both cold and heat.”

• Revealed: What makes Szczesny an expert at saving penalties

  Barcelona had their third-choice goalkeeper Szczesny to thank for ensuring Madrid didn't complete a demolition job of Barcelona at the Bernabeu last weekend. He made nine saves – the most by a goalkeeper in an El Clasico since April 2017 – which also included a second-half save against an Mbappe penalty. It's the first time since the 2015-16 season that a goalkeeper made a successful penalty save in El Clasico. 

  With that, he has now saved the penalties of some of the greatest players in football history, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar. When asked how he prepares for penalties, the Polish goalkeeper said: “I study the penalty takers a lot before matches. I usually watch the last 20 penalties taken by the two or three players responsible for taking them and try to find the pattern in their shots. Sometimes their run-up also gives me information. There are players who shoot differently at important moments in the match or if the team is winning or losing. I try to gather all that information and then go with my instincts. 

  “As for Mbappe, he scored the last penalty against me (in the 4-3 win at home last season). I was feeling confident and knew he would choose the same side. Then you have to hope it happens, and luckily it did."

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  Szczesny saving Barca's blushes amid injury crisis

  It must be remembered that Szczesny was a happily retired professional around a year ago, enjoying life with his family. However, an ACL injury to then first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen forced the club to look for emergency options, and they turned towards the former Arsenal and Juventus custodian. He established himself as a first-choice keeper under Hansi Flick in the second half of the season after coming out of retirement, proving that he still had enough in his tank to deliver at the highest level.

  He agreed to renew his deal by another season over the summer, expressing his happiness at being third-choice behind summer signing Joan Garcia and Ter Stegen. In fact, he has emphasised that he wants to spend the season mentoring Garcia, believing that the 24-year-old has the potential to become the best goalkeeper in the world. 

  Injuries to both goalkeepers above the Warsaw-born player in the pecking order saw him being called into action. He has played six games on the trot and doesn't look out of place. However, both Szczesny and the club will be hoping that Garcia doesn't suffer further setbacks once he recovers. The ex-Espanyol goalkeeper underwent knee operation in late September, but there's optimism within the club that he could return to the lineup before the upcoming international break. 

  In any case, Garcia's return will not be rushed, which means we can expect Szczesny to retain his spot for the next few games, if not more.

The India vice-captain claimed the No. 1 ranking for the fourth time in her career

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025India batter Smriti Mandhana has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC rankings for women’s ODI batters following her half-century in the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.Mandhana’s 63-ball 58 helped her overtake England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt at the top of the charts. Australia’s Beth Mooney also rose three places to fifth, while Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield are joint 25th after their half-centuries.Australia chased down their 282-run target in New Chandigarh with eight wickets and 35 balls to spare. The teams play the second of three ODIs on Wednesday.This is the fourth time Mandhana has achieved the No. 1 ranking for ODI batters. She did it first in January 2019 and most recently in July before Sciver-Brunt overtook her. Harmanpreet Kaur (12th) and Jemimah Rodrigues (15th) are the other India batters in the top 20.In the bowling rankings, Australia’s Kim Garth and Alana King achieved their career-best rankings of fourth and fifth. India offspinner Sneh Rana, who took 1 for 51 moved up five places to 16th.England spinner Sophie Ecclestone continues to lead the ODI bowling rankings with Deepti Sharma at No. 7 being the only Indian in the top ten.

Tottenham Hotspur are now willing to outbid their Premier League rivals to secure the signature of a “pure baller”, as they are determined to win the race.

Spurs looking at Eze alternatives after transfer blow

Eberechi Eze’s move to Arsenal has sparked a furious reaction among the Tottenham fanbase, with many suggesting that Daniel Levy is at fault, although Simon Jordan believes the chairman may not be to blame for the disappointing outcome.

Regardless, Spurs will now be forced to move on to alternative targets, and an offer was submitted for Como’s Nico Paz, which was knocked back, with Fabrizio Romano revealing Real Madrid stepped in to stop a deal going through.

With Spurs’ move for Paz proving unsuccessful, their list of targets has been narrowed down even further, and a report from Spain has now revealed they are determined to win the race for a different attacking midfielder…

Indeed, Tottenham are now prepared to outbid Crystal Palace in order to get a deal for Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss over the line, with the north Londoners intent on stopping the Moroccan signing for their Premier League rivals.

Spurs have ‘made it clear’ they won’t let the Eagles win the race for the attacking midfielder, who could command a fee of £32m, with Levy clearly unwilling to miss out on another key target to a fellow Premier League side.

El Khannouss would be risky signing for Spurs

The Leicester star is clearly thought of very highly by scout Ben Mattinson, who has hailed him as a “pure baller”, but Spurs are playing a risky game by going all out to win the race for the 21-year-old.

Unlike previous targets, such as Gibbs-White and Eze, the youngster is yet to prove himself at the top level, and hasn’t exactly set the world alight in terms of attacking contributions per 90 over the past year.

That said, with Paz no longer an option, the number of options on Spurs’ shortlist is dwindling, and the Belgium-born midfielder could flourish in a better side, having been part of a Leicester team that were relegated without putting up much of a fight last season.

As such, while it would be a gamble for Tottenham to sign El Khannouss, there are no longer many better options available, with a deal for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers deemed unlikely.

Serie B side Juve Stabia has been seized by Italy’s anti-mafia prosecutors after investigators linked the club’s management to the Camorra’s D’Alessandro and Imparato clans. The move places the promotion-chasing team under judicial control, marking the third such intervention in Italian football after Foggia and Crotone, and the most severe to date.

• From dream season to disaster

  Juve Stabia's recent 2-0 derby win over Avellino had lifted the Wasps to seventh in Serie B, tied on points with promotion contenders Venezia, and fans dared to believe in the dream of reaching Serie A within three years. But that ambition has now been shattered. According to Italy’s National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor, Giovanni Melillo, Juve Stabia are “subordinate” to the Camorra, specifically, the D’Alessandro and Imparato clans.

  Following the findings, the club have been placed under receivership under Italy’s Anti-Mafia Code, a law born in the wake of the 1992 assassinations of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. The measure, carried out by the Naples Police Headquarters, is meant to “restore legality and transparency” amid allegations of deep mafia infiltration. This marks the third-ever judicial seizure of a professional football club in Italy, after Foggia and Crotone, but Stabia’s case is reportedly the most severe. Authorities are even considering asking the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to postpone upcoming fixtures, including the high-profile home game against Bari on October 29.

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  Mafia control from tickets to travel

  According to prosecutors, the Camorra’s influence stretched across nearly every operational layer of the club from security, catering, travel logistics, to ticketing. The investigation began in February 2025 when a police audit revealed that a man linked to the Imparato clan was overseeing stadium security. From there, the findings multiplied with banned individuals attending matches under false identities, free tickets distributed to known clan members, and even evidence of falsified entry records at the Menti Stadium.

  Last season alone, 38 Juve Stabia fans were hit with stadium bans, among which 22 persons were suspected of clan affiliation. Investigators allege that these bans were regularly circumvented with internal cooperation. Prosecutors described the infiltration as “comprehensive,” saying, “Players just had to play; the Camorra handled everything else.”

  This systemic control has shaken public trust in Serie B governance and reignited concerns about football’s vulnerability to criminal interference, especially in regions where the Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, and Cosa Nostra remain economically entrenched.

• The wider pattern – Crotone, Foggia and beyond

  Stabia’s case follows a troubling trend. Just last month, Serie C side Crotone was placed under judicial administration for a year after prosecutors found evidence of 'Ndrangheta interference in operations ranging from stadium management to sponsorships. A similar case in Foggia saw local mafia elements control gate receipts and influence matchday security.

  In each case, the aim of judicial intervention has not been punishment, but protection, to “shield clubs and communities from criminal control.” However, Juve Stabia’s seizure stands out for its scope and timing as the club’s recent success and newfound international ownership made it appear modern and clean on the surface.

  The takeover by Brera Holdings, an Irish investment firm that acquired a 52 per cent stake in June 2025, was meant to modernise operations. Yet investigators now allege the new owners “inherited long-standing financial ties already under mafia influence” and failed to sever them. The revelations have turned what was meant to be a financial expansion into a reputational crisis.

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  Italian football’s fight for integrity

  For the FIGC and Serie B authorities, Juve Stabia’s seizure poses urgent questions about how deep-rooted criminal networks still exploit football infrastructure. Italy’s lower leagues, often cash-strapped and locally run, remain particularly exposed to infiltration by clans seeking influence, money laundering opportunities, or social control.

  The judiciary will now appoint administrators to oversee the club’s daily operations, while the FIGC evaluates whether Stabia can safely continue competing. Points deductions or relegation could follow if direct collusion is proven. But for now, the intervention serves as a stark reminder that football in southern Italy remains a battlefield – not just between clubs, but between legality and corruption.

  As Prosecutor Melillo warned: “The goal is not to destroy football in Campania, but to liberate it.” Whether Juve Stabia can ever reclaim its credibility, however, remains to be seen.