Going into the final day, Zimbabwe need another 109 with three wickets in hand
Ekanth09-Feb-2025
Matthew Humphreys registered his career-best figures•Cricket Ireland
Ireland were made to feel at home in Bulawayo, albeit in a slightly devious sense as rain washed out large chunks before bad light ended day four. But by taking four wickets in the 53 overs spread across two sessions, the visitors will come out as favourites on the final day. However, the grim forecast for day five could deny Ireland a win.Hope isn’t lost completely for Zimbabwe, even though they need another 109 with three wickets in hand. Wessly Madhevere, their top scorer, is unbeaten on 61. And as they showed in the first innings, their lower order can make handy contributions.Matthew Humphreys, the left-arm spinner, bowled unchanged for 18 overs – separated by a short rain break in the middle – that yielded 4 for 37. With the pitch assisting spin, he is likely to play an important role tomorrow as well if the weather permits.Sunday was a stop-start day as bad weather delayed the start by 15 minutes. Barry McCarthy needed six balls to make a mess of nightwatcher Trevor Gwandu’s stumps with a full delivery that deviated past the outside edge.Brian Bennett survived a close lbw shout against Mark Adair in the second over of the day. Madhevere’s tactic of shuffling across the line induced a leading edge but it fell safely to Adair’s left.Adair and McCarthy bowled nine of the 12 overs that were possible before the rain halted play for nearly three hours.Zimbabwe resumed from 71 for 4 after the break and Madhevere survived a tough chance off Craig Young in the first one post-resumption and copped a bouncer on the helmet a little later. Meanwhile had a more serene stay before edging Humphreys behind as the spinner began his long spell.Johnathan Campbell was scratchy at the start against spin and survived two near-chop-ons in his first 30 balls, off which he made six. He picked up two fours and two threes on the off side before rain created a small stoppage with Zimbabwe on 146 for 5.Humphreys and Andy McBrine enjoyed the turn offered by the pitch so much that Andy Balbirnie persisted with them despite the thick cloud cover. The decision was rewarded after the break as Humphreys took a sharp return catch to dismiss Campbell and end the 56-run sixth-wicket stand.Humphreys later dismissed Nyasha Mayavo, Paul Stirling at slip grabbing the rebound off Tucker’s gloves.In the meantime, Madhevere reached his maiden Test fifty. He and Newman Nyamhuri took Zimbabwe close to 200 when bad light forced stumps 12 minutes before the scheduled time.
Mais uma Cria do Terrão está a caminho do Zenit, da Rússia. Nesta quinta-feira (29), o Corinthians oficializou a venda de 50% dos direitos econômicos do atacante Pedro por 9 milhões de euros (R$47,5 milhões na cotação atual) ao clube russo.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansConfirmado no Corinthians, Rojas revela carga emocional e diz que gostaria de permanecer no RacingCorinthians29/06/2023CorinthiansMesmo com vitória sobre o Liverpool, Luxemburgo diz que Corinthians não vai priorizar a Sul-AmericanaCorinthians29/06/2023CorinthiansAlessandro admite dinheiro parcelado na venda de Pedro e explica negociação da joia do CorinthiansCorinthians29/06/2023
+ IMPERDÍVEL! Transmissão ao vivo dos jogos do Timão na Liberta por apenas R$1,00!
A diretoria alvinegra não irá receber o valor total à vista, e sim em três parcelas, sendo a maior parte inicialmente. O Timão permanecerá com 30% dos direitos econômicos do atleta, que só irá para a equipe russa após completar 18 anos, no início de 2024.
+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF
Pedro era visto como uma das maiores revelações do Corinthians nos últimos anos, e o presidente Duílio Monteiro Alves justificou a venda pela necessidade do clube em quitar dívidas à curto prazo.
continua após a publicidade
– Não acho uma venda pequena, pode ser que ele valha mais lá na frente, e torcemos para isso, é patrimônio do clube. Infelizmente, o Brasil não vende no valor final, na segunda venda na Europa os valores são mais altos. Isso é mercado, não Corinthians. Então 9 milhões de euros por 50% do jogador é uma excelente venda. Podíamos esperar mais? Não podíamos – disse o mandatário ao programa Os Donos da Bola, da TV Bandeirantes.
Glasgow Rangers suffered their joint-worst defeat in a European match on Wednesday night when they were hammered 6-0 by Club Brugge in their Champions League qualifier.
“Rangers fans deserve a lot better” are the words that left Ally McCoist’s mouth in his post-game analysis on TNT Sports’ coverage of the match, and it was a fair comment to make.
Russell Martin has only won three, drawing four and losing three, of his ten matches in charge of the Ibrox giants he was appointed as the new head coach in the summer.
Why Rangers should sack Russell Martin
The Light Blues have conceded 17 goals, failed to win any of their Scottish Premiership matches, and been knocked out of the Champions League within the first month of the 2025/26 campaign.
Rangers managerRussellMartinapplauds fans after the match
However you want to spin it, whatever mitigation there is to add with signings or red cards, it has not been good enough, and the supporters, as Ally said, deserve better.
The Scottish Sun reports that a section, at least, of supporters were chanting in favour of Martin losing his job. Anyone who tuned in to watch the match or was there in the flesh would have heard some of the choice words that came from the travelling fans.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
There is no getting away from how disastrous the start to the season has been and, with a clash with Celtic at Ibrox on the horizon, the board should make the decision to brutally part ways with him.
The manager Rangers should replace Russell Martin with
Back in April, prior to Rangers appointing Martin, McCoist backed the Scottish giants to pursue a deal for Sean Dyche, who is currently out of a job.
Everton managerSeanDychebefore the match
He said: “I’d take Sean [Dyche at Rangers] all day. I think Sean Dyche is an excellent manager, excellent. His work at Burnley was nothing short of remarkable.”
With this in mind, the board should consider parting ways with Martin to pursue a deal for Dyche, who could solve the woeful defensive shortcomings that have been seen on the pitch this season.
The English tactician has clear principles in place for how he wants his side to be compact and defend spaces in a 4-4-2 formation, as explained in the video above.
A 4-4-2 system that can easily pivot to a 4-4-1-1 out of possession or a 4-2-3-1 in possession provides tactical flexibility without giving up numbers defensively or leaving the team overexposed in transition, as has been the case with Martin’s system.
Sean Dyche’s Premier League career
Season
Matches played
League position
24/25
19
16th
23/24
37
15th
22/23
18
17th
21/22
30
18th
20/21
38
17th
19/20
38
10th
18/19
38
15th
17/18
38
7th
16/17
38
16th
14/15
38
19th
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Dyche has enjoyed a very respectable career in the Premier League with Burnley and Everton, which also speaks to his defensive coaching because he has largely steered his teams clear of relegation with his hard-to-beat set-ups.
However, the out-of-work boss also coached a winning team with Burnley in the past when he racked up 93 points to win the title in the Championship in the 2015/16 campaign, his last season outside of the Premier League.
Everton manager Sean Dyche
Having a manager who has a blend of experience in coaching a winning side, as Rangers need to be in the Premiership, as well as knowing how to organise and structure a defence effectively, could be exactly what is needed at Ibrox.
Therefore, Dyche, despite maybe not being an exciting appointment on paper, could be the silver bullet that the 49ers need to turn to after this horrendous start under Martin, if they decide to sack him.
Release clause triggered for £10m+ Rangers star as 49ers accept permanent transfer
The striker took drastic measures to secure an exit.
The batter is yet to fully recover from the hamstring injury he picked up during the first ODI
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2025
Mark Chapman had scored a hundred in the first ODI•Getty Images
New Zealand batter Mark Chapman, who missed the second ODI against Pakistan in Hamilton with a hamstring injury, will sit out of the third and final ODI at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Saturday as well. Tim Seifert will continue to be his replacement.Chapman had picked up the injury while fielding in the first ODI in Napier. An assessment at training on Friday revealed he had not recovered sufficiently for the final match of New Zealand’s home summer.Before getting injured, Chapman struck a career-best 132 in the ODI series-opener to set up New Zealand’s 73-run win. New Zealand won the second ODI as well, by 84 runs, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Seifert was called up because of his form during the T20I series, which New Zealand won 4-1. He was the leading run-scorer with 249 runs at a strike rate of 207.50 and was named the Player of the Series.However, he has not played an ODI in more than five years. His last 50-over appearance for New Zealand was in 2019, against Sri Lanka in Nelson. In all, he has played just three ODIs.Ben Sears, the quick bowler, had replaced Chapman for the second ODI with Seifert sitting out, and Will Young was left out of the playing XI too, leading to an international debut for 23-year-old Canterbury batter Rhys Mariu, who opened the batting alongside Nick Kelly. New Zealand had lost the services of Tom Latham altogether for the series after he fractured his hand during training prior to the first ODI.
The international break will have come at a welcome time for Rangers and under-fire boss, Russell Martin, with the former Scotland defender having endured a miserable start to life at Ibrox.
Four points from four in the Premiership, alongside a Champions League qualifying embarrassment, has already plunged the ex-Southampton boss into crisis. Can he turn it around?
There’s no hiding from what was a miserable August, although nothing has been decided yet. The season is only in its infancy.
With 14 new signings needing to properly bed in to life in Glasgow, it may still be too soon to properly judge Martin’s tenure, albeit with the pressure on considering the nature of their summer outlay.
Roughly £30m was reportedly spent by the Gers during the most recent window, with the most notable investment having been the £8m that was splashed out on goal-shy Everton youngster, Youssef Chermiti.
That eye-watering fee – which could rise to £10m with add-ons – will bring with it a lefty weight of expectation. Is the Portuguese striker worth the risk?
Youssef Chermiti's record pre-Rangers
Three goals in 22 games for Sporting Lisbon. No goals in 24 senior outings for the Toffees. A record that points to Rangers – and former Everton chief Kevin Thelwell – gambling on potential rather than proven quality.
It is a “heck of a gamble” at that, in the words of club legend Ally McCoist, with there little evidence to suggest that Chermiti will prove to be a success in Scottish football, amid his recent woes on Merseyside.
Signed on a £15m deal by the Premier League side back in the summer of 2023, the 21-year-old has been reduced to bit-part status since then, albeit with then-boss Sean Dyche admitting in 2024 that he was recruited as a “development player” who would have fared better with a loan move.
Rather than a temporary exit, Chermiti has now secured a permanent switch to Scotland, thus marking the club’s most expensive outlay since the £12m capture of Tore Andre Flo back in 2000.
The merits of such a deal can be debated long into the night, with the Portugal youth international – who has scored seven times in 75 recorded games at academy and senior level, as per Transfermarkt – in need of a positive start to try and win over an expectant fanbase.
That said, the Light Blues’ extensive recruitment can help ease the burden on the marquee new addition, with Bojan Miovski likely to be the main man in attack for Martin and co instead.
Bojan Miovski's market value
If Chermiti is the long-term expensive gamble, then Miovski appears to be the perfect alternative, providing an experienced, ‘proven’ option who has already delivered the goods in the Premiership.
Market Movers
Described as a player who “does everything” during his time at Aberdeen by Billy Dodds, due to his impressive scoring rate and link-up play, the Macedonian marksman could prove a real coup following his £2.6m switch.
Indeed, while Chermiti is yet to flourish at first-team level, the 26-year-old has more than proven his worth in recent years, having notably scored 44 times in 98 games during his time at Pittodrie.
That impressive haul included a fine record on the big occasion, with Miovski scoring four times from just nine meetings with Rangers in all competitions, alongside netting three times in eight games against Celtic.
Miovski – Favourite opponents
Club
Games
Goals
Livingston
7
5
Rangers
9
4
Hibs
9
4
Ross County
8
4
St Mirren
7
4
Motherwell
7
4
Celtic
8
3
Via Transfermarkt
While a return of four goals in 23 games for Girona last term is hardly the most eye-catching, the clinical number nine has already been there and done it for the Dons, a fact that pundit Andy Walker believes will make him a “better signing” than his new teammate:
That fact is also reinforced when considering what Miovski’s actual market value is, with the Gers having seemingly secured a bargain when considering their £2.6m investment.
As per the great minds at CIES Football Observatory, the 33-cap international has a peak value of as much as €16m (£14m), eclipsing the figure that was dished out on Chermiti.
While Rangers won’t be looking to cash in on their new addition any time soon, that valuation does point to them striking a significant profit in the years to come.
Better than Chermiti: Rangers must regret selling "rapid" star for just £4m
After signing Youssef Chermiti for an enormous fee of £8m, would Rangers have been better off keeping a “rapid” attacker sold for £4m?
Na última terça-feira (5), a CBF pegou todos de surpresa ao anunciar o técnico Fernando Diniz como novo treinador da Seleção Brasileira, pelo menos até a chegada do italiano Carlo Ancelotti. Diniz conciliará o trabalho na Seleção com o comando do Fluminense em uma temporada.
Diniz dará conta do recado com Seleção e Fluminense? Redação do LANCE! opina
‘Inventividade e criatividade’: saiba como a Seleção Brasileira deve jogar com Fernando Diniz
Essa situação ‘diferente’ não é novidade na CBF. Isso porque, em 1998, Vanderlei Luxemburgo dirigiu a Seleção Brasileira juntamente com o Corinthians. Logo após o vice-campeonato na Copa do França para os anfitriões, Zagallo deixou o comando do Brasil e a CBF tinha dificuldades para acertar com um novo treinador.
+ Galvão elogia Diniz, mas critica CBF por mudança no comando da Seleção: ‘É um erro’
+ Cupom LANCEFUT com 10% OFF para os fanáticos por esporte em compras acima de R$299,90
Então, Ricardo Teixeira, presidente da entidade na época, acertou com Luxemburgo, que estava empregado no Corinthians. Mas o treinador deu uma condição: continuar dirigindo o Alvinegro até o final do ano. A CBF aceitou e Luxa foi campeão brasileiro daquela temporada enquanto comandava a Seleção Brasileira, vencendo o Cruzeiro na decisão.
Apesar da dupla ‘preocupação’, pode se dizer que o seu retrospecto na Seleção foi bom. Luxa dirigiu o Brasil em 34 partidas, entre 1998 e 2000, com um aproveitamento de 69,60%, sendo 21 vitórias, oito empates e cinco derrotas. Ele conquistou a Copa América de 1999, vencendo o Uruguai na decisão por 3 a 0.
Ponting said they were looking at some Indian players as options, and will name replacements in the coming days
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2025
Glenn Maxwell has had a poor run in the tournament so far with the bat but has contributed with his offspin•BCCI
Punjab Kings (PBKS) allrounder Glenn Maxwell has suffered a fractured finger in his right hand and is in danger of missing the remainder of IPL 2025. While PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer said at the toss during the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that they hadn’t “decided about the replacements yet,” head coach Ricky Ponting said in the press conference later that they would do so soon.Maxwell’s PBKS and Australia team-mate Marcus Stoinis also confirmed Maxwell had broken his finger at training before the rained-out encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 26, saying Maxwell is “likely out of the tournament”.In Maxwell’s absence for the match against CSK, PBKS brought in Suryansh Shedge and named only three overseas players in their XI after opting to bowl, and went on to win the game by four wickets.Related
Hat-trickster Chahal is still making batters look silly
Dhoni says CSK 'need to take some catches' after falling 'slightly short'
Stats – Chahal's second IPL hat-trick extends CSK's woes at home
Shreyas, Prabhsimran and Chahal eliminate CSK
“It’s very unfortunate that he’s got a fractured finger,” Shreyas said at the toss. “To be honest, we haven’t decided about the replacements yet so far but we are pretty strong in our team’s mindset and what we have outside of our playing XI. We’ve got varieties of players who can win you matches. So we’re going to stick to that as much as possible.”Stoinis also confirmed Maxwell had gone for scans and the results “weren’t great.””He didn’t think it was too bad, but it ended up getting pretty bad,” Stoinis told the broadcasters before the match in Chennai. “He had scans and, yeah, the results weren’t great. So unfortunately for Maxi, I think it’s likely he’s out for the tournament.”Maxwell has endured a poor run in the tournament so far with the bat but has contributed with his offspin, taking four wickets. He has 48 runs in six innings, including single-digit scores in each of his last four games. In the last match against KKR, he scored 7 off eight balls before being bowled by Varun Chakravarthy. He was bought for INR 4.2 crore at the 2025 mega auction.Ponting: Not a lot of high-quality replacements because of PSL clashMaxwell’s injury means he will likely be the second player PBKS will be without after their fast bowler Lockie Ferguson had sustained a “serious injury ” earlier this month. PBKS have, however, not named a replacement for him yet, but Ponting said they will do so soon.”We will be signing some replacements at some stage,” Ponting said. “We’ve got until our 12th game, so we have a couple of games to go yet. With the squad we’ve got, we’re trying to find players in our squad anyway, we’ve got most basis covered. So we’ve got Azmatullah [Omarzai], Aaron Hardie, who hasn’t played yet, Xavier Bartlett who didn’t play today, it’s conditions based. But when we get to Dharamsala he will come back into the reckoning up there, where the ball might swing and bounce a little bit more.”So we’ve actually been a little bit patient. Maxi’s only been a couple of days, Lockie’s has been two or three weeks. And with the PSL happening at the same time, there’s not a lot of high-quality replacements out there, to be honest. So we’ve just been patient. We’re having a look around at Indian talent as well and we’re looking at what roles we might be able to fill with some younger Indian players. We’ll actually take a couple of guys to Dharamsala with us, a couple of guys trained with us yesterday and they will come with us to Dharamsala, we’ll have a closer look at them and they might find themselves with a Punjab contract going forward. It has to be this week, has to be before the 12th game, so stay tuned.”As Ponting said, they have to name the replacements before their 12th game. They have almost a week to name the replacements, with their 11th game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 4 and 12th match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 8; both those matches will be in Dharamsala.PBKS are currently placed second on the points table, only behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). CSK is the only team right now that has been eliminated from the playoffs race.
كشف البلجيكي بول بوت، المدير الفني لمنتخب أوغندا، عن اختياراته لأفضل نجوم القارة السمراء في عام 2025، عبر بطولات، ضمن استفتاء الموقع السنوي لاختيار الأفضل في إفريقيا.
وأعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” عن أسماء المرشحين لجوائز عام 2025 والتي تواجد بها من منتخب مصر، محمد صلاح، حسام حسن، إمام عاشور والعديد من الأسماء المصرية.
ولكن بوت الذي يستعد للمشاركة مع منتخب أوغندا في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 والتي ستقام في المغرب لديه آراء أخرى بشأن من هو الأفضل في القارة السمراء عن العام الحالي.
اقرأ أيضًا.. جيرنوت روج مدرب بنين يكشف عبر “بطولات” اختياراته لـ الأفضل في إفريقيا 2025 اختيارات بول بوت مدرب أوغندا للأفضل في إفريقيا 2025
أفضل نادٍ: نهضة بركان (المغرب)
أفضل منتخب: المغرب
أفضل لاعب صاعد: أشرف تابسوبا (بوركينا فاسو)
أفضل مدرب: وليد الركراكي (المغرب)
أفضل لاعب داخل إفريقيا: إسماعيل بالقاسمي (الجزائر)
After scoring just 44 times in the Premier League last season, Manchester United desperately needed attacking reinforcements during the summer window, with the hierarchy splashing upwards of £200m on new additions.
Benjamin Sesko was one of the players brought in with such funds, costing a staggering £74m from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig after scoring 21 times in all competitions last campaign.
However, he’s only made one start for Ruben Amorim, unable to nail down a starting role as of yet after his big-money transfer in the latter stages of the window.
The Slovenian international only registered a total of 19 touches in his 80-minute showing at the Etihad last weekend, failing to hold up the play and only registering a 54% pass completion rate.
There’s no denying that the 22-year-old will need time to settle into the role, but one player he’s come in to replace has already hit the ground running after being moved on by the board.
Why United may regret selling Hojlund
Two years ago, United fans found themselves in a similar position, after the hierarchy completed a £72m deal to land Rasmus Hojlund from Italian outfit, Atalanta.
The Dane’s arrival generated huge excitement within the fanbase, with the youngster seen as an immediate and long-term fix for the centre-forward position.
After scoring 16 times in his debut campaign, the signs looked positive for the 22-year-old, but 2024/25 was a year to forget for the player in his quest for success.
He only netted four league goals last campaign, even going 21 games without a goal at one stage, subsequently being loaned out to Napoli for the 2025/26 season.
His temporary deal has an obligation to buy next summer if Antonio Conte’s side qualify for the Champions League at the end of the current campaign – something which should happen given their title triumph in May.
Hojlund has only featured for 73 minutes since making the move to Naples, but has already hit the ground running – scoring on his debut in the 3-1 victory over Fiorentina.
However, despite his immediate impact away from Old Trafford, one other former player has also thrived since departing – with the decision to offload him now looking as though it was a questionable one.
The former United striker who’s an upgrade on Sesko
United’s lack of a clinical goalscorer over the last couple of seasons has massively held them back from matching the expectations placed upon them by the fanbase.
The Red Devils didn’t have a single player who reached double figures in league goals last campaign – highlighting the need to add reinforcements during the off-season.
Sesko was the man they chose to lead the line, but given his lack of immediate impact, it has led to questions being asked by the fanbase about his big-money arrival.
He will need time to settle into English football, but Amorim may not have such luxuries, with the 40-year-old under huge pressure after only winning one of their first four league outings in 2025/26.
An experienced option could well have handed the manager just that, with former Red Devil star Danny Welbeck arguably being able to provide just that, given his form away from Old Trafford in recent times.
The 34-year-old spent seven years at the Theatre of Dreams between 2007 and 2014, racking up 142 appearances for the first-team and finding the back of the net on 29 occasions.
The 2011/12 campaign was his best for the club, scoring 12 times across all competitions, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep hold of his first-team squad – subsequently leaving for Arsenal in a £16m deal two years later.
Fast-forward to the present day, and Welbeck is now plying his trade for Brighton & Hove Albion, racking up over 150 appearances for the Seagulls over a five-year period on the coast.
Last campaign was his best-ever in the Premier League, netting ten goals and reaching double figures for the first time as Fabian Hurzeler’s side ended the year in 8th place.
His underlying stats were also just as impressive, massively outperforming new big-money addition, Sesko, in countless key areas – highlighting why he’d be a better option at present.
Welbeck, who’s been labelled “incredible” by Ryan Adsett, posted a better goal per shot on target rate (0.4), showcasing that he possesses a clinical edge over Sesko in the final third.
How Welbeck & Sesko compared in 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)
Welbeck
Sesko
Games played
30
33
Goals scored
10
13
Goals per shot on target
0.4
0.3
Pass accuracy
85%
67%
Key passes made
1.1
0.7
Shot-creating actions
2.3
1.9
Fouls won
1.1
0.7
Progressive passes
2.1
1.7
Stats via FBref
However, alongside his impressive shooting stats, the Englishman also achieved a better pass completion rate (85%), whilst registering more key passes per 90 – offering a better hold-up option, something which the new addition has struggled with to date.
He also drew more fouls from the opposition, whilst creating more shot-creating actions (2.3), undoubtedly being a better all-round option than the £74m summer addition.
Whilst he may be a 34-year-old, Welbeck has the tools to make an immediate impact back at his boyhood club, given their recent struggles within the final third.
Amorim can save his Man Utd job by using "£100m + footballer" in a 4-3-3
Ruben Amorim may need to drastically change things up at Manchester United to save his job.
ByEthan Lamb Sep 17, 2025
There’s no question Sesko could be a superb talent in the years ahead, but given their current situation, an immediate solution is needed to avoid further failures on the pitch.