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For the 13th time in the Premier League this season, Manchester United played out a full 90-minute match without getting on the scoresheet, having slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.

Pablo Sarabia’s 77th-minute free-kick was a rare moment of quality in a largely lifeless affair at Old Trafford, albeit with the hosts likely to feel they should have walked away with all three points.

Indeed, Rasmus Hojlund notably came agonisingly close to getting on the end of Alejandro Garnacho’s driven cross, while both Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount also produced wayward attempts after being expertly picked out by the Argentine winger.

Even an inch-perfect, outside of the boot cross from Christian Eriksen could not be capitalised on by Mount, with the £55m Englishman still having scored just once since his arrival back in the summer of 2023.

Hojlund too has netted only three league goals in 2024/25 to date, a grim return for any leading number nine, with Ruben Amorim likely to be tearing his hair out at his side’s frustrating profligacy.

Having gone from seeing Viktor Gyokeres dazzle under his watch, the Portuguese coach is now in desperate need of a new attacking figurehead.

Latest on Man Utd's search for a forward

All of the talk at present is centred around United’s apparent progressing interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman, Matheus Cunha, with it looking likely that the club will trigger the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause, amid positive talks over his potential contract in Manchester.

The 14-goal marksman may not be the only Premier League talent to arrive at the Theatre of Dreams this summer, however, with the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones – who outlined that an agreement regarding Cunha is inching closer – also naming a raft of high-profile stars who are under consideration.

Indeed, according to Jones, among those to have made the INEOS shortlist is Bournemouth man, Antoine Semenyo, with the Red Devils already said to have held talks over signing the Ghanaian forward.

Transfer Focus

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

This follows prior reports which outlined that United are actually frontrunners in the race for the 25-year-old’s signature, albeit with it yet to be seen if Amorim and co will be willing or able to match the Cherries’ £70m price tag.

A versatile asset who can operate on the flanks or in a central role, Semenyo could represent the perfect addition to bolster Amorim’s forward line, with the potential their for the 40-year-old to morph him into his new Gyokeres-esque talisman.

Why Man Utd could be targeting Amorim's new Gyokeres

As outlined by journalist Mark Ogden, it has been a remarkable rise for the Sporting CP sensation in recent times, having gone from being sold for just £1m by then-Brighton and Hove Albion director, Dan Ashworth, back in 2021, to now standing aloft as the “hottest striker in Europe”.

Indeed, the 6 foot 2 Swede failed to actually make a league appearance for the Seagulls, while enduring a handful of less than spectacular loan spells away from the Amex – having notably scored just five goals in 2020/21 for the likes of Swansea City and Coventry City.

That steady rise only truly ignited following Gyokeres’ permanent switch to Coventry at the end of that campaign, as he went on to score 38 times in the Championship over the next two seasons.

Since moving to Lisbon on a £17m deal in 2023, the 26-year-old has soared even higher, bagging 90 goals in just 96 games – 66 of which came in just 68 outings under Amorim’s watch.

That journey from EFL struggler to elite-level monster is one which Semenyo certainly knows well, with the London-born ace having started out on the books at Bristol City, while also taking on loan moves at the likes of Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland.

The 6 foot 1 star memorably failed to score during that limp stint at the Stadium of Light, while actually only scoring 21 times in 121 games back at Ashton Gate – albeit while plundering a further 21 assists.

Like Gyokeres, however, it has taken the step up from the second tier for Semenyo to truly flourish, having now scored 16 Premier League goals since the start of 2023/24, while contributing a further eight assists.

Like Gyokeres too, what also stands out regarding the in-demand talent is just what a powerful presence he is in the final third, having been hailed as “almost unplayable” at times by journalist Ed Aarons.

Interestingly too, the pair were deemed to be similar players among their peers during the 2022/23 season in the Championship, as per FBref, with Semenyo having largely been operating in a central role at the time.

That likeness bodes well for the impact that the two-footed Ghana star can make under Amorim, with the £70m man representing the type of ready-made Premier League talent who can breathe new life into United’s misfiring attacking unit.

After years of scouring the Eredivisie, in particular, for new signings, now could well be the time to look a little closer to home…

New Cantona & Berbatov: Man Utd on the verge of signing £90k-p/w "maverick"

Man Utd appear to be closing in on what could prove to be a real marquee move

By
Robbie Walls

Apr 22, 2025

Arsenal transfer chiefs have been told exactly what they need to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Gunners given a “clear” message behind-the-scenes.

Arsenal's shortlist of summer striker targets for Mikel Arteta

Alongside Gyokeres, new sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to be looking at a number of centre-forwards to potentially move for in the summer transfer window.

Arteta has "serious" wish to sign £40m star with Arsenal contact made

The Gunners boss is “huge fan”.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 16, 2025

Newcastle United star Alexander Isak is taking the Premier League by storm yet again this season, racking up 24 goals and six assists in all competitions, and reliable media sources indicate Gyokeres’ international teammate is actually a “dream” target for Arsenal (Ben Jacobs).

However, while Isak is reportedly top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist, a move for the Swede is less viable considering his rumoured price tag stands at a minimum of £150 million.

Arsenal want to bolster the goalkeeping position, full-back area, in midfield and sign further upgrades out wide in the summer (GiveMeSport), so Berta simply cannot afford to splash such a figure on just one signing, no matter the quality.

RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko is another striker target for Arsenal, and one who could leave for just £62 million, due to the value of his current release clause (Sky Sports). The Slovenian boasts 19 goals in all competitions, and Arsenal did attempt to sign Sesko as a top target last summer, so this could still be one to watch.

The competition for his signature will be fierce, as a host of elite Premier League sides, including Chelsea and Man United, are also reportedly looking to bring in a prolific number nine this summer.

The same can be said of Gyokeres, who has been repeatedly linked with a move to N5 recently as interest in the former Coventry City star grows stronger from Arsenal’s side.

There are even reports that Arsenal are ready to offer Gyokeres a £192,000-per-week contract to join Arteta’s side, and now Romano has shared a fresh update on their pursuit of the 26-year-old.

Arsenal told price to sign Viktor Gyokeres "in recent days"

Writing in a column for GiveMeSport, Romano claims Arsenal have been given a “clear” communication over Gyokeres’ price “in recent days/weeks”.

The Primeira Liga sensation can leave for much less than his £86 million release clause, namely a fee of up to £60 million, with add-ons, deal structure and payment terms still to be discussed.

Berta is also said to be a huge fan of his, so the Italian’s stance on a deal is also crystal clear. While Gyokeres has been a pivotal player for the Portuguese heavyweights, racking up a sensational 44 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season, the club are impressed with his conduct since last summer as well.

He’s made no trouble behind-closed-doors over a transfer and has behaved professionally, meaning Sporting are more inclined to help facilitate his dream move, with the Premier League looking more and more like a credible destination.

Gyokeres’ quality is evident for all to see, and often doesn’t get discussed enough, and some around the game are convinced he’s actually a “massively underrated” player for all he’s achieved in terms of a very impressive goalscoring record.

It’s arguably a mystery why no club has invested in the forward’s capture just yet, but it probably won’t be long now.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has taken a fresh swipe at Mohamed Salah ahead of the team's Champions League clash with Inter at San Siro on Tuesday evening. Salah has been left out of the squad for the game in Milan following his critical comments after Saturday's draw with Leeds, and his future at the club remains in doubt. Carragher has already branded Salah a "disgrace" for his outburst and has now followed that up with a fresh post on social media.

• Salah in the spotlight amid Liverpool struggles

  Salah vented his frustrations at Liverpool after being left out of the starting XI by Arne Slot for the third straight match against Leeds last time out. The 33-year-old Egypt international, who has scored 250 goals in 420 Liverpool appearances, claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" at Anfield and alleged someone at the club wants him out. Salah also claimed his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down. His comments shocked the football world and drew a critical response from Carragher who dubbed Salah a "disgrace" and claimed his comments were designed to "cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position." Slot has responded by admitting he has "no clue" if Salah will play for the club again and subsequently left him out of the squad travelling to Italy for their Champions League match.

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• Carragher takes fresh swipe at Salah

  Salah has posted an image on social media on Tuesday of himself training alone in the gym at Liverpool while his team-mates are in Milan preparing for their Champions League match without their talisman. Carragher has reacted to the post by responding: "I'm not sure I've wanted Liverpool to win a game more than tonight for a long time! Come you mighty reds."

• Will Salah play for Liverpool again?

  While Salah will play no part against Inter, it's still not clear if he will feature for the Reds again. Slot's side are in Premier League action on Sunday against Brighton, a fixture which will be Salah's last before he is due to link up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Liverpool boss has been asked if Salah will feature against the Seagulls but was coy in his response. He told : "We are here for the Inter game. And I think you can understand that the last two days were already a lot. A lot of things going on, after conceding in the last minute against Leeds. Not for the first time this season. Then what happened afterwards. So I think you can understand that my full focus is now on Inter Milan, and we will see what the future is."

  Slot was quizzed further on the saga with Salah and added only: "No, far from ideal. Not good for anyone. First of all, not for the club, not for the team, not for him as well. So, far from ideal, but, yeah, we reacted in the way we did not to take him here. And that tells you what we felt about his comments."

  The drama has brought a fresh wave of speculation about Salah's future, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal reportedly willing to sign the forward in the January transfer window if he does decide to move on from Liverpool.

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  Liverpool face tough task in Italy

  Liverpool must now focus on their clash with Inter and what promises to be tough match against the Serie A giants. The Nerazzurri, who reached last season's Champions League final, head into the game with four wins from their opening five matches in the competition and are also currently sitting in third place in the Serie A table. The Reds were humbled 4-1 last time out in the competition at home to PSV and know another poor result will pile more pressure on Slot during what's fast become a nightmare second season at Anfield for the Dutchman.

Fast bowler will stay with the squad and is expected to take full part in the series as required

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2025Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah will stay with the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi despite an attack on his house in Lower Dir. Unknown assailants fired at the gate of his family home; no one at the residence was reported to be injured.The assailants fled immediately after firing at the gate, with an investigation opened by police. It is not known who was at the residence at the time, with the attack taking place in the early hours of Monday morning. reported that Naseem’s father met with a police officer, who assured him the assailants would be brought to justice quickly.ESPNcricinfo understands the incident does not affect Naseem’s plans or schedule for the series, with the fast bowler staying with the squad and expected to take full part in the series as required. Pakistan and Sri Lanka begin a three-match ODI series in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, followed by a T20I tri-series that also involves Zimbabwe later this month. Naseem is part of both squads.It is not known whether any of Naseem’s two younger brothers, who are also professional cricketers, were at the residence. Hunain, who hit the winning runs for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League final, last played a Quaid-e-Azam trophy match last week, where he scored a half-century and took six wickets in a ten-wicket win. Ubaid, who plays for Multan Sultans in the PSL, most recently played a game for his Quaid-e-Azam Trophy side Lahore Whites at the end of last month.

Dylan Cease became the first big free agent to sign this offseason, agreeing with the Blue Jays on a seven-year, $210 million contract Wednesday. The deal makes the former Padre one of the highest-paid pitchers in the sport as he now earns a salary of $30 million per year.

Though Cease has had his share of inconsistencies, starting pitchers are the most valuable position in the sport and there are only so many with his talent level available. As such, he was able to cash in with a huge deal. After Cease, there are a number of pitchers that also could sign big deals in the coming years, including teammate Michael King, Ranger Suarez and most notably, two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Now that Cease has agreed to sign with the Blue Jays, here’s a look at MLB’s highest-paid pitchers.

Who is the highest-paid pitcher in MLB?

The highest-paid pitcher is Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who earns a massive $70 million a year. Ohtani is of course also a designated hitter and four-time MVP, which is why his contract is so much bigger than any other pitcher.

Between pitchers who do not also hit, Phillies’ Zack Wheeler is the highest-paid starter on an annual basis.

Top 10 highest-paid pitchers in MLB

Here are the top-10 highest-paid pitchers in MLB ranked by annual salary.

Cease’s contract with the Blue Jays makes him the seventh-highest paid pitcher annually and tied for the fifth-highest based on total value. Since free agency began last year in 2024, Cease, Snell, Burnes, Crochet and Fried have all signed massive deals that have made them some of the league’s highest-paid pitchers.

Cease is notably the only player on the above list that has not made an All-Star Game. Though he has loads of talent, he has been inconsistent, going 8–12 with a 4.55 ERA in 2025.

How pitcher salaries have changed over time

Salaries for baseball players and pitchers have exponentially grown over time, and especially since the 1970s. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the highest-paid players were making low six figures. In 1979, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan became MLB’s first player to earn at least $1 million in a season when he signed with the Astros on a four-year, $4.5 million deal.

By the late 1990s, pitchers like Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux were commanding upwards of $10 million per year. That number rose to over $20 million a decade later for Johan Santana, and even surpassed $30 million in the 2010s for pitchers like Zach Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. MLB’s top pitchers are primarily making between $30-$40 million per year still.

How pitcher salaries compare to other positions

Top starting pitchers are among the highest-paid players in baseball. Wheeler is MLB’s third-highest paid player on an annual basis, behind only Ohtani and Juan Soto, who makes an average of $51 million per season as part of his 15-year pact with the Mets. Of the 10 highest-paid players in MLB, five are pitchers––not including Ohtani.

Despite not being in the lineup every day, typically only playing once every five to six games, quality starting pitching is hard to come by, and thus top of the line starters are rewarded handsomely. Starters typically appear in a little more than 30 games per season, barring injury, whereas players like Soto, Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Mike Trout, all of whom command huge contracts and rightfully so, are expected to play almost every game.

All the talk at Elland Road at the moment centres on whether Daniel Farke will remain in the Leeds United dug-out, heading into an unforgiving December list of fixtures.

With five defeats from your last six games in the Premier League, the last thing a bruised Whites outfit needs is back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea up next, especially as City will want to immediately respond to their Champions League embarrassment at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

Therefore, an Erling Haaland-led effort could take their frustrations out on the pitiful away side, with the German’s grip on his job post looking even more fragile, if they’re on the receiving end of a drubbing.

The powers that be in West Yorkshire will surely have a plan up their sleeve if they do decide to finally bite the bullet and get rid.

Who could replace Farke at Leeds?

As the 49ers gear up to potentially replace Farke at Elland Road, one man who is unlikely to move to England is former Union Berlin boss Bo Svensson.

Indeed, according to reports from Germany, he is unlikely to return to the managerial game soon, having recently turned down approaches from Rangers and Union Saint-Gilloise. He has also been allegedly on the relegation-threatened side’s radar, but that looks like it will now be stopped in its tracks, before anything serious materialises.

This surely swings the door wide open for Brendan Rodgers to be a prime candidate to oust the ex-Norwich City boss.

TEAMTalk recently revealed this week that the former Celtic manager would be keen on a return to the Premier League with Leeds.

After all, Rodgers has been here before when picking up the pieces post-Claude Puel’s failed stint at Leicester City, with the Northern Irishman even going on to clinch an FA Cup success with the Foxes, before furthering his varied managerial career in Glasgow.

The out-of-work 52-year-old coming in now could well be a masterstroke as Leeds attempt to turn around their hopeless season.

Perhaps Rodgers could have the same impact at the Whites that Regis Le Bris has managed to have at Sunderland, in such a short space of time.

How Rodgers could be Leeds' own Le Bris

Scanning back to just last season, Leeds did finish above the Black Cats in the Championship promotion standings, accumulating 100 points to lift the title, while Le Bris and Co secured promotion via the more adventurous route of the playoffs.

Yet, in the here and now, the Wearside underdogs find themselves all the way up in a dizzy seventh position in the early top-flight standings, while Farke hangs onto his employment, as he drags Leeds into the relegation spaces.

Sunderland fans are rightly singing the praises of their overachieving manager at this moment in time, with Leeds now potentially wanting a Le Bris-style figure of their own in Rodgers, to bring the good times back to Elland Road.

Rodgers, before going on to manage at Liverpool and the King Power Stadium, did manage to show off a similar breakneck transition to the Premier League like Le Bris is experiencing at the Stadium of Light.

His Swansea City side jumped all the way up to 11th in the league standings, right after promotion was sealed come the end of the 2010/11 season.

He would further reinforce his reputation as a capable boss in the tough division with the Reds, as he nearly delivered a Premier League triumph at Anfield. But, it will be his transformative presence at Leicester that will give Leeds fans the most hope that he can push them up the division, much like Le Bris has managed on Wearside.

From four full seasons at the King Power helm, Rodgers would collect 64 league victories, with a fifth-place finish clinched during his first full season at the helm quite the achievement, considering Puel ended his reign with the Foxes on five defeats from his final six games.

Coincidentally, that is the exact form Farke now finds himself deep in at Leeds, with a move for such a “world-class” manager in Rodgers – as Gabriel Agbonlahor once labelled him – perhaps just what the doctor ordered in turning around the Whites’ dismal fortunes.

Le Bris is yet to receive such a wild tag, but it surely won’t be far off if he clinches an unbelievable mid-table finish for the Black Cats.

Yet, with time on Leeds’ side still, they could also mount a surge up the division, too, if they were to gain Rodgers’ services.

49ers can fund Parrott move by finally selling "poor" £11m Leeds dud

Leeds are set to be active in the January transfer window, with Troy Parrott a leading target.

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By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 27, 2025

“I feel that 21-24 is a good age to get a debut for the Indian team and I’m just trying to give my best,” Kumar Kushagra says

Deivarayan Muthu24-Aug-2025After recovering from a back niggle that had prevented him from training during the last month, Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra has returned to action with a fifty and a hundred in the first two rounds of the ongoing Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. Ahead of the Duleep Trophy, which will kick off on August 28 in Bengaluru, Kushagra has declared himself fully fit for the domestic grind.”Last month, I was not practising [my batting] or keeping, but I’m totally fit and good now,” Kushagra said on the sidelines of the Buchi Babu tournament. “While going into the Duleep Trophy, this [Buchi Babu] is a good match for us Jharkhand players and for me as well. The facilities, grounds and environment are a good preparation for the Duleep Trophy.”A separate back injury had earlier forced Kushagra to miss a chunk of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy and the Emerging Asia Cup last October. In the lead-up to a new domestic season, Kushagra has prioritised fitness, having worked hard with his father Shashikant, his de facto trainer, back at home, and with the BCCI’s medical team at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.Related

• After career of 'more lows than highs', Jagadeesan hopes to build on recent gains

• Aayush Pandey and Sanjeet Desai do their bit to put Chhattisgarh on the cricket map

• IPL star Priyansh Arya sets sights on Ranji Trophy

• Rahane steps down as Mumbai's Ranji Trophy captain

• Kishan ruled out of Duleep Trophy opener

“Before this tournament, I was at the NCA [CoE] and before that I was working with my dad,” Kushagra said. “I was going early in the morning at 4.30-5am to work on my fitness and batting and keeping. Being at the NCA also helped because there are good coaches and physios there. I gave my yo-yo test and was ready for the Buchi Babu tournament.”Missing the [Emerging] Asia Cup was a setback because it was important ahead of the IPL auction. The one who helps me is my dad. Even when I’m not with him, like when I’m in Tamil Nadu now, he gives me inputs on the phone and sends batting videos of players who are playing at the international level.”Kushagra, 20, has been part of a wider pool of targeted players shortlisted by the CoE in recent times. He made his India A debut in February 2024, scoring a run-a-ball 40 in the second innings against an England Lions attack that included Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts. That knock gave Kushagra the belief that he could succeed at the top level too.”At that moment, I was sold in the IPL for [INR] 7.2 crore [to Delhi Capitals] and I was a bit confident to play for India A as well because I had scored a [Ranji Trophy] hundred against Services in Delhi. I scored 40-odd against England, so I was confident that I could score runs here also.”Kumar Kushagra has played for India A already, suggesting he is in the wider pool of players the BCCI is looking at•PTI Kushagra, who is set to play for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, sees the tournament as a springboard for higher honours.”Yeah, it definitely helps being in the eyes of the selectors,” he said. “If you perform in these matches like Buchi Babu and Duleep Trophy, it can take you to the Indian team, but you have to be consistent at the same time.”I’m keeping things very simple at the moment and I want to go there and express myself. I feel that 21-24 is a good age to get a debut for the Indian team and I’m just trying to give my best.”With Jos Buttler being Gujarat Titans’ frontline keeper, Kushagra didn’t get a game during IPL 2025 [after moving from DC], but he used the training sessions to pick the brains of Buttler, Matthew Wade (GT’s assistant coach) and Parthiv Patel (who is also part of GT’s backroom staff).”I was not playing matches, but I thought I should keep because in domestic tournaments you bat a lot [during training] but don’t keep much. Parthiv sir, Matthew Wade and Jos Buttler helped me a lot,” he said. “Actually, I was not that comfortable when keeping to fast bowlers when the ball was wobbling too much. I [learnt] how I can tackle that [wobbling ball] in windy conditions like in England and all that.””I’m keeping things very simple at the moment and I want to go there and express myself”•PTI Jharkhand had a poor start to the 2024-25 Ranji season, having no outright win to show for in their first five games. Then they beat both Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu at home to close out the season with back-to-back victories. Kushagra said the team had drawn confidence from toppling a strong Tamil Nadu team.”We were brilliant in the last two matches at the Keenan Stadium [in Jamshedpur],” Kushagra recalled. “Our spinners were all over the batters, and we were performing above the Tamil Nadu team, which was good for us.”The last time Jharkhand’s senior men’s team won a domestic title was back in 2010-11, when their current association secretary Saurabh Tiwary had led them to glory in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.”I just want my team to win a particular format, and we also discuss these things about winning a tournament in my home, also because every day my mom says that you should win because Jharkhand have so many talented players,” he said. “So, in my mind, there is always one thing: I want to win a trophy for my team and do whatever the team wants from me.”

Marnus Labuschagne will captain Queensland as he continues his push for a Test recall to face England

Alex Malcolm30-Sep-2025Test opener Usman Khawaja has been named to play in Queensland’s Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania alongside Marnus Labuschagne who begins his quest to regain his Test place in the Ashes.Khawaja is likely to open alongside with another former Test batter in Matthew Renshaw at Allan Border Field on Saturday, with Queensland captain Labsuchagne likely to bat at No. 3 despite being one of the candidates to open with Khawaja in the Ashes.Related

• Australia's Ashes 'bat-off' begins: Who could open against England?

• Labuschagne launches with a century: 'Nothing else matters but runs'

• CA to trial injury subs with tactical twist in Sheffield Shield with eye to Test cricket use

Elsewhere, fast bowler Brendan Doggett, another Ashes contender, will miss South Australia’s opening round clash with Victoria in Adelaide due to a slight hamstring niggle. They are hopeful he will be available for the second round which starts on October 15. Australia quick Scott Boland is a certain starter for Victoria.Khawaja, 38, has not played any cricket since the third Test of the Caribbean tour in early July. He has a top score of 47 in his last ten Test innings. Heading into last summer he played club cricket for Valley as well as three One-Day Cup matches for Queensland and three Shield games before the first Test.It remains to be seen whether Khawaja plays two or three Shield matches before the first Test in Perth but he is unlikely to play all four. Following the drama of last summer when Khawaja and Queensland high performance manager Joe Dawes traded public barbs late in the season over his hamstring issue and unavailability in the final round of the season, Queensland Cricket stated on Tuesday that they “will work with Cricket Australia and support their plans for Khawaja’s individual playing preparations between now and the opening Test of the Ashes series on 21 November.”Queensland have also named exciting former Australia Under-19 World Cup winning captain Hugh Weibgen in their squad and he looks likely to make his first-class debut following a superb start to the season in the Dean Jones Trophy where he made a stunning 115 not out from 94 balls to chase down 322 against Western Australia.Former New South Wales allrounder Hayden Kerr is also in line to play his first Shield game for his new state having not played first-class cricket since October 2023.Queensland are without Xavier Bartlett who is in New Zealand with Australia’s T20I squad while Tom Staker and Lachlan Hearne are unavailable due to Australia A duty in India. Callum Vidler (back) and Mark Steketee (hamstring) are also unavailable.Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

Victor Robles has apologized for the weekend incident where he threw a bat at a minor league pitcher after he was hit by another pitch while on a rehab assignment with the Seattle Mariners' Triple A Tacoma Rainiers. Robles returned from the IL last week after missing four months because of a dislocated shoulder suffered while crashing into the fence making a catch back in April.

Robles was hit twice in his first game back and again in his second game. By the time a pitch came up and in during the sixth game of the series against the Las Vegas Aviators on Sunday, Robles had had enough.

Late last night he posted an apology on Instagram.

Robles was released by the Washington Nationals in June 2024 and signed with the Mariners and appeared in 77 games for Seattle last season. He had started the first 10 games of the season for Seattle this year before he was injured.

Debutant hailed for seam skills at vital juncture of South Africa’s first innings

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2024Another day, another impressive performance from an England Test debutant in Bloemfontein. This time it was Ryana MacDonald-Gay, the 20-year old seamer, who struck twice even as lightning could not, either side of a 45-minute weather-related interruption, as South Africa’s batting unravelled.Their collapse of 7 for 44 started when MacDonald-Gay, in her second spell and with the old ball, produced a delivery that held its stump-to-stump line, beat Marizanne Kapp’s drive and hit the top of off. It was a dream dismissal for any bowler, nevermind a complete newcomer taking her first wicket and that too, of one of the opposition’s most valuable players and a franchise team-mate. Kapp, who plays alongside MacDonald-Gay at Oval Invincibles, could only accept being undone.”She actually bowled the best out of all their seam bowlers,” Kapp said in the end-of-day press conference. “If you just look at her seam that they keep on showing on TV, that’s a massive standout. And if you are bowling with a seam like that, you’ll always get movement or a bit of nip or something.”Five balls after Kapp was bowled, the players were taken off the field with lightning visible in the distance. They spent 45 minutes waiting for the storm to pass and when they returned, MacDonald-Gay picked up exactly where she left off. New batter Nadine de Klerk had no answers for a back-of-a-length ball that was zoning in on off stump and nicked off.That opened the door to the South African tail with the second new ball still to come. The remaining five wickets fell when England took it, and Lauren Bell was the biggest beneficiary. She picked up three in seven balls and ended with a career-best 4 for 49 but agreed with Kapp that it would not have been possible without “Ree-Mac,” as she called McDonald-Gay.Related

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• Gaur, Filer handed ECB central contracts

• Red-ball fever catches on in South Africa

“I completely agree (that she was the best),” Bell said. “I think (Lauren) Filer and Ree-Mac both bowled unbelievably today. Filer’s pace and Ree-Mac, she presented the seam amazingly and just nipped it around, so she held length. On debut, yeah, she was outstanding today.”Filer’s 2 for 53 included the big wickets of Annerie Dercksen, whom she peppered with short balls, and Sune Luus and proved the value of England including a fourth seamer. With more resources available to her, Heather Knight could use Filer, especially, in short spells. She had only one five-over spell, split by lunch, but was mostly used in three-over bursts, when she could crank the pace up. “That’s the best way to get the best out of our seamers is short spells, go really attacking, and just keep it ticking,” Bell said.She marvelled at Filer’s barrage to Dercksen which ended when the South African No.3 top-edged an attempted cut and sent a chance to Knight at second slip who parried it to Sophie Ecclestone at first. “Filer’s pace is obviously really attacking and she (Dercksen) didn’t look comfortable,” Bell said. “She holds that pace really well throughout her spell and she got her in the end with that team catch.”After lavishing praise on her team-mates, Bell also had the chance to reflect on her own performance and she was happy to call herself a work in progress, both in this innings and overall.Maia Bouchier and MacDonald-Gay pose with their debut Test caps•ECB/Getty Images”The job I had today was to bowl into the wind and I think I wanted to just hold length and hold line as much as possible,” she said. “With the second new ball, I was happier. It took me a while to work out what my best option was in that pitch but by the end I felt really good. At this current moment in time, it’s a process that I am very much going through.”It’s not that I won’t bowl inswing, or that that inswing that I used to bowl is gone. I just have been practising away-swing so much and it’s what I’m most comfortable bowling at this current moment in time. But my game will hopefully get to a point where I’m really comfortable bowling inswing, I’m really comfortable bowling away-swing, I’ve got my wobble ball will obviously make me, I hope, a pretty challenging bowler to face.”Someone Bell may look to emulate is Kapp, who has been South Africa’s best seamer and bowled four especially tough overs to start England’s second innings. The outswinger is Kapp’s poison and she beat Beaumont’s bat several times on the second evening.That may not concern her as much as what happened in the first innings, when Kapp thought she had Beaumont out lbw second ball after pinning her on the pad but umpire Kerrin Klaaste was not interested.In the absence of DRS (due to CSA prioritising it for white-ball women’s matches because of the cost), Kapp could not review. When asked about it, she did not complain.”It’s a new thing that we have DRS available,” she said. “I don’t believe we’ve had it available for T20s and ODI cricket before so it’s really helped in those series. And if I have to be completely honest, I’d probably prefer having it in those two formats.”Laura Wolvaardt also appeared to want to review when she was given out lbw to Sophie Ecclestone when she was on 65 and indicated she had hit it but had to go. South Africa will hope that, if there is another decision they want to go their way, it’s third time lucky.