Rookies Musa, Qadir and Hasnain may have to wait for their chances as experienced bowlers shine

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney31-Oct-2019

It’s dangerous to read too much into one warm-up match against modest opposition, but the early signs are that Pakistan’s attack will provide a much sterner test for Australia than they have faced from Sri Lanka.An experienced bowling unit put in a solid display at Bankstown Oval to restrict the Cricket Australia XI to 6 for 134. Mohammad Irfan struck with the first ball of the tour, a searing yorker to remove Ryan Gibson, and Shadab Khan picked up 3 for 30.Pakistan’s openers, new captain Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, then added 78 for the first wicket as the target was knocked off with ease. Chris Lynn, the Cricket Australia XI captain, was impressed.”Their fast-bowling unit they have guys who can bowl 150kph and batters are world class. They put on a clinical performance today,” he said. “Irfan has an x-factor about him, then at the other end you have Mohammad Amir and we’ve seen for a number of years how class he is. The have a left-arm spinner in Imad [Wasim] and Shadab Khan is a genius with the ball. [Australia’s] batters will have a tougher challenge.”Pakistan left out their two young quicks in Mohammad Musa and Mohammad Hasnain, alongside uncapped legspinner Usman Qadir, in favour of giving all their experienced bowlers a run before the opening T20I in Sydney on Sunday.Irfan, who has not played a T20I for three-and-a-half years, started in fine style as he left just one stumping standing when Gibson got nowhere near the first ball of the match – much to the delight to a healthy gathering of Pakistan supporters.After just two runs came from the first two overs Lynn responded with an onslaught as he crunched four fours and a six before being cleaned up by Wahab Riaz as the CA XI finished the powerplay on 2 for 40.When Imad Wasim trapped Jake Fraser-McGurk lbw, it was 3 for 42 and the innings was threatening to unravel, but the CA XI managed to string together some small partnerships without every breaking loose.Shadab, who claimed Alex Ross via a top edge, added two further scalps in his final over to suggest that Qadir will be warming the bench at least at the start of the T20I series.Pakistan’s top three all looked in decent touch, taking advantage of some enticing boundaries, with Harris Sohail striking three sixes in his 32 from 22 balls before being bowled with four runs needed as Ben Dwarshuis struck twice in three balls as he also had Asif Ali caught behind.The CA XI legspinners, Daniel Fallins and Lloyd Pope, managed a wicket apiece with ending with an encouraging 1 for 25 from his four overs having found enough turn to cause some problems.

Reliable West Ham insider, ExWHUemployee, has shared an update on manager David Moyes and his future as pressure grows on the Scotsman.

Moyes protests as West Ham suffer slump in form

Still winless in 2024 and out of contract in the summer, Moyes' position as Hammers head coach has hardly looked more precarious.

West Ham consider 3-4-2-1 coach with Steidten stance on firing Moyes clear

The Scotsman’s renewal is looking more far fetched by the week.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 21, 2024

After their last defeat, a 2-0 loss away to Nottingham Forest last weekend, Moyes came out swinging in defence of his record and all he's achieved at the club to date – coming amid calls from sections of the fanbase for him to be sacked.

“I don’t think we can ever please everybody, but I think it would be hard to say there have been many better times at West Ham," said Moyes.

“I think they’ll (the fans) honestly have to say that it’s as good a time as there’s been at the club regarding winning a trophy (Conference League) and league positions. Maybe they’ll be managers who excite them more, possibly. But the one who’s sitting here wins more.”

The club's Europa Conference League triumph last May put an end to their near-40 year wait for a major piece of silverware, with West Ham also sealing European qualification in each of Moyes' full seasons in charge.

However, there have been complaints over Moyes' dogmatic style of play, and West Ham's league form has been underwhelming since the summer of 2022. They even flirted with relegation over the course of 2022/2023, with a lot of fans believing Moyes has taken them as far as they can.

As his deal is set to expire this summer, a change could be made at the end of this season or perhaps even before then. West Ham had been planning to extend Moyes' contract, but those talks are now believed to have been postponed.

ExWHUemployee has shared a fresh update on the situation this week, and it's a fairly interesting one.

ExWHUemployee shares Moyes contract update

According to Ex, via the West Ham Way, Moyes will be given until their Europa League last 16 tie "at least" to turn the tide, but the board is very concerned.

“I have spoken to people within the club and it’s clear they are massively concerned,” stated Ex.

“There are question marks surrounding the manager, with the shared view that the team are at present performing like a relegation side.

“The current stance is that there isn’t another manager right now ready and available to step in, so they are hoping at this stage that Moyes will be able to turn things around – I think he’ll be given the Europa League last-16 tie at least, as it currently stands.

“It appears they will stick with Moyes for the short term, in the hope performances and results will improve. Although plans are in being put into place should they decide to dismiss the manager, with alternatives now being looked at.”

Talks between the team management and Moeen will take place in the next couple of weeks to assess his return

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui20-Nov-2019Joe Root has suggested Moeen Ali could be recalled to the England Test squad for the tour of South Africa.Moeen had requested for an indefinite break from Test cricket after a draining summer which ended with him being dropped from the Test side and given only a white-ball central contract.But the England management remains acutely aware of Moeen’s potential value to the team as a spin-bowling allrounder and Root confirmed they were “very open” to his return. As a result, a conversation between the team management and Moeen will take place in the next couple of weeks to assess his readiness to return.”I see Moeen as someone who can offer a huge amount to this team,” Root said ahead of England’s first Test of their New Zealand tour. “He made a decision he wanted a bit of a break from Test cricket and sometimes you do need that. You need to freshen your mind up to keep that hunger and desire.”We’ll have that conversation with him again, probably in the next couple of weeks. If he is in that [good] place he always adds value to our team. When he’s on form and playing well he offers so much and adds a different dimension to our playing group. He’s got to be comfortable and ready to come back to Test cricket but we’re very open to that, for sure.”Moeen’s return would probably be bad news for Jack Leach. But if, as expected, James Anderson returns to the Test team in South Africa, England may be concerned by the length of a tail which could start at No. 8 and consist of Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Anderson and Leach.In the end, it may well depend on how Leach fares in New Zealand. He struggled for penetration in the warm-up matches – he has taken one wicket in 56 overs so far on the tour – but provided good control in conceding just 2.15 runs per over in the first innings and 2.46 in the second of the match against New Zealand A. He also enjoyed a more than respectable Ashes series, claiming 12 wickets at a cost of 25.83 apiece.He has proved a determined lower-order batsman, too. As well as scoring 92 against Ireland at Lord’s, he provided fine support to Ben Stokes as England put on 76 for the final wicket to win the dramatic Test at Headingley.Getty ImagesThe issue with Moeen is the difference, at times, between his potential and his performance. At his best, Moeen, with five Test centuries, is a fine batsman. But in his final months in the side, he was unrecognisable from the player he had been. He has not scored a Test century in 43 innings since 2016 and, since the start of the Sri Lanka tour almost exactly a year ago, has averaged 11.20 in eight Tests. In that time he was dismissed for a duck five times and passed 13 only three times.At the time he was dropped, however, he was the top Test wicket-taker in the world over the previous 12-months having finished both the Sri Lanka and the West Indies tours as England’s leading wicket-taker, though in Sri Lanka Leach took the same number. And while there are times he can be expensive, he has now claimed 181 Test wickets at a better strike rate (60.60) than that achieved by those perceived as England’s former great spinners such as Derek Underwood (73.60), Jim Laker (62.30), Hedley Verity (77.50) or Fred Titmus (98.80). Graeme Swann, by comparison, had a strike rate of 60.10.In recent weeks, Moeen has been playing T20 and T10 cricket in South Africa and the UAE. But it will be his mental state the England management want to assess and, if they are convinced he is refreshed and energised for a return, it may well prove hard to leave him out of the Test squad. With a T20 World Cup in less than a year, Moeen is almost certain to return to the England squads for the limited-overs section of the tour.Root also suggested Mark Wood and Anderson should be in contention for selection for South Africa. Both were ruled out of the New Zealand series due to injuries – they both missed almost the entire Ashes series, too – but they have stepped up their rehabilitation in recent days and are currently bowling outdoors in Spain. Both bowlers are also part of a training squad heading to Potchefstroom at the start of December.”They very much have a chance to push for selection,” Root said. “They are working very hard and getting overs in their legs outside. They’re currently in Spain and they’ll go out to Potch to further that fitness. Hopefully, by the end of this tour when it comes round to selection, we’ll have a lot more information on whether they are fit and available for selection.”In the last couple of years Jimmy has probably been at his peak. He’s still finding ways to exploit conditions, take wickets and lead the attack. His desire and hunger and the way he’s going about his rehab just shows how desperate he is to keep playing.”

Large-scale changes are already underway at Manchester United following the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, particularly behind the scenes.

However, it’s expected that plenty of movement will take place this summer in regards to players joining and leaving, with even Erik ten Hag’s job not being safe.

The aim will be to change the culture at Old Trafford, which has become accustomed to failure over the past decade, and it will start with reducing player wages.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one former United player who rinsed the club of millions during his final season last campaign.

David De Gea’s Man Utd career

There’s no two ways about it: David De Gea was arguably one of United’s best and most consistent performances between now and the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

The Spaniard joined the Red Devils in 2011 for a fee of £18.9m as a 20-year-old, with huge expectations to succeed instantly placed on his shoulders.

Atletico Madrid’s former prospect became the number one for Sir Alex Ferguson, even playing 28 matches during United’s 2012/13 Premier League winning campaign.

Over the following years, De Gea became a vital player for the Red Devils, as evidenced by the fact that he won four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards between 2013/14 and 2017/18.

The number one was supposed to be remembered as a United icon, as many will still believe, but his final season at the club ended in a rather toxic fashion.

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ByTom Lever Mar 14, 2024 David De Gea’s 2022/23 earnings

Going into the season, De Gea was always going to be number one, and even with the arrival of Ten Hag, the Spanish shot-stopper featured in every single Premier League game.

On paper, the season was most definitely a success in terms of numbers, with the 6 foot 4 gloveman keeping 17 clean sheets in the league alone, but as the season went on, his flaws were evident.

This ensured that his extremely high wage began to be questioned, along with his future due to his contract ending in the summer. Last season alone, the goalkeeper earned a whopping £19.5m as per Capology.

When broken down into a weekly wage, this equates to £375- per-week, and as you can see below, this made him the second-highest earner at the club, certainly failing to justify that pay on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo

£515k

David De Gea

£375k

Casemiro

£350k

Raphael Varane

£340k

Anthony Martial

£250k

The problem stems from Ten Hag's philosophy of relying on his goalkeeper being extremely comfortable on the ball, which the 33-year-old couldn’t provide, as shown by his 68% pass accuracy and 19.5 accurate passes per game. For context, new stopper Andre Onana has completed 72% of his passes after arriving.

On top of that, De Gea was also rather “weak” between the sticks, according to football creator Liam Canning, having a goals prevented of -1.55, which is poor compared to Onana’s +4.10 this season.

Towards the end of the campaign, it was quite clear that De Gea’s time at Man United was set to come to an end, and as of today, he’s currently a free agent.

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It has been a strange few years for Chelsea fans as they've watched their side go from lifting the Champions League trophy to struggling to hold onto a mid-table place in the Premier League.

However, while it's only been two and a half seasons since that night in Porto, the team is almost entirely different, with just three of the starting XI still in West London.

While it's fair to say that selling so many of those stars was a mistake, a player who failed to make the squad that night was sold just a few weeks later.

It wasn't a popular decision then, but with his value cratering since and Raheem Sterling now being worth more, the club got this one right.

Tammy Abraham's valuation at Chelsea

Tammy Abraham joined Chelsea's youth setup as a young boy and worked his way up through the myriad of junior teams to become one of several incredibly talented Cobham graduates who came to define the Frank Lampard team for the 2019/20 season.

However, before he had a chance in the Blues' first team, he would spend several seasons on loan, first with Bristol City, then Swansea City, before finally going to Aston Villa, where he would make a name for himself, scoring 26 goals and providing three assists in 40 appearances in the 2018/19 campaign.

The following year, he announced himself to the Chelsea faithful, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists in 47 appearances for Lampard's outfit.

Unfortunately for the Camberwell poacher, a mixture of injuries and the recent arrival of German striker Timo Werner seriously limited his chances in 2020/21, and he finished the campaign with 12 goals and six assists to his name from 32 appearances, of which just 18 were starts.

Worse still, the 6 foot 4 titan played just 231 minutes of Champions League action that season, but not a single minute came after the group stage.

So, with it rather clear that he wasn't in Thomas Tuchel's long-term plans, the England international was sold to Serie A side AS Roma for around £34m in 2021.

Tammy Abraham's valuation since leaving Chelsea

While the "superb centre-forward", as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, struggled during his final season at the Bridge, he excelled during his first season as a Roma player.

Then-manager José Mourinho clearly knew how to get the best out of Abraham, as he finished the season with 27 goals and five assists to his name in 53 appearances and played a crucial role in the club winning the UEFA Conference League, the first bit of European silverware in Roma's history.

At this point, it was starting to look like Chelsea had made a massive mistake in letting their academy gem leave for Italy and that there was no reason why he couldn't repeat or even improve his performances in the 2022/23 season.

Unfortunately, things didn't pan out that way, and in 54 matches, the player who couldn't stop scoring the season before could only manage nine goals and seven assists.

Now, he did suffer from two shoulder injuries, a muscular problem and an eye injury between September and April, but that only caused him to miss seven games in that period.

That said, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in June 2023, which has seen him spend the last 279 days on the sidelines, in which he has missed 39 games.

While he's set to return this month, it's unlikely he'll return to the sort of form he showed two years ago, especially with Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 34 appearances leading the line.

This combination of poor form last season and worrying injury history has seen his value crater since he left Chelsea, with the CIES Football Observatory valuing him at just €15m, which is about £13m, or £21m less than he was sold for.

In comparison, Sterling, who has been mediocre since joining Chelsea, netting 17 times and providing 13 assists in 72 appearances, is still valued at a mighty €60m, or £51m.

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Ultimately, there might still be a talented striker in Abraham, but his lacklustre return last year, combined with his worrying injury record and diminished value, make Chelsea's decision to sell him in 2021 look smart.

Derby County will go into their Good Friday clash against Blackpool keeping their fingers crossed that another win in League One is forthcoming, even after falling to a crushing 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town last time out.

Sam Hoskins ruined the Rams' day out to Sixfields with an instinctive first-half strike, putting a dampener on proceedings after Paul Warne's men were full of confidence after overcoming automatic promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers in the game prior.

The likes of Curtis Nelson and Sonny Bradley didn't cover themselves in the glory in the narrow defeat to the Cobblers, with the latter of the two centre-backs receiving a late red card to add insult to injury from a Derby point of view.

Yet, Warne and Co wouldn't trade either of those underperforming faces in for this Rams flop in return who is now a forgotten figure at Pride Park after once being viewed as a statement purchase.

Raul Albentosa's time at Derby

Derby couldn't quite believe they managed to land Raul Albentosa's services in 2015, with a number of clubs interested in the Spanish defender after starring in his native country for SD Eibar before making the move to England.

Showing a "real desire" to join the ranks in Derbyshire according to then Rams manager Steve McClaren, it was a move that had plenty of intrigue and hype attached to it.

Albentosa would boast a reputation as being an imposing and goalscoring defender from his time with Eibar, bagging four goals over 50 games for the Spanish side alongside helping himself to an additional three assists.

That was never quite translated into his time donning a Rams shirt, however, with the move – which cost what now looks like an excessive £450k – undoubtedly going down as a major flop.

Only making nine appearances in total for his new English employers before jetting back off to sunnier surroundings in Spain once more, the former Derby number 36 would never really acclimatise to the demands or the cut and thrust of EFL football.

1. GK – Kelle Roos

2. RB – Cyrus Christie

3. CB – Raul Albentosa

4. CB – Jake Buxton

5. CB – Richard Keogh

6. LB – Craig Forsyth

7. CM – Will Hughes

8. CM – Omar Mascarell

9. CM – Jeff Hendrick

10. ST – Darren Bent

11. ST – Chris Martin

As can be seen above, Albentosa's full debut for the Rams wouldn't actually come about until December of his debut season owing to recurring hamstring issues plaguing the start of his doomed Derby stint.

Even when he was fully fit to face off against Chesterfield in the FA Cup, he would only be afforded a 45-minute run-out before being hauled off by McClaren who certainly must have felt the Rams weren't getting their money's worth whatsoever out of the ex-Eibar dud.

It would result in Derby offloading Albentosa to Malaga on loan just one season into his two-and-a-half-year contract at Pride Park, with the 6 foot 5 centre-back then leaving for Deportivo de La Coruña permanently after this loan was up.

In the list of all-time Rams' flops, Albentosa's name must be near the top of the pile with so much talk surrounding his capture focusing in on how many high-profile clubs Derby had beaten to get him into the building.

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Now, the one-time Rams man finds himself playing in Europe's 15th-ranked nation, 14 places below England – according to the UEFA coefficients – and he has managed to mend his broken career somewhat after the scathing experience of playing in England must have left some wounds on his ego.

Raul Albentosa's career after Derby

Albentosa has become a well-travelled individual after calling time on his unmemorable Derby stay, moving to far-away Romania and Bulgaria before finding a settled home recently in Denmark with Vejle Boldklub.

The now 35-year-old is captain of the Superliga club, amassing 69 appearances in total since joining in 2022 and firing in goals from the back to recapture his Eibar best even as his career gradually grinds to a halt.

Albentosa has managed to score eight goals for Vejle to prove his worth to his Danish employers, playing as a leader for the Scandinavian side after shirking away from the spotlight time after time at Pride Park.

The revitalised Vejle number six was crucial to his team beating Silkeborg in mid-February, making seven clearances and completing five interceptions to shut out their Superliga opponents whilst scoring late on to ensure his team would win 2-0 on the day.

It's been a great turnaround for a man lost to the Rams' history books, with many Derby fans just focusing on watching their current crop of heroes battle it out for promotion back up to the Championship than ever remembering names such as Albentosa's when recollecting on the past.

Derby will just be raring to go again when Blackpool come to town on Good Friday, with all those associated with the League One giants wanting to return to the Championship and fast.

Whilst the current camp at Derby could etch themselves into the hall-of-fame at Pride Park by finally breaking back through to the second tier, there'll be no bad blood now on the end of the Rams towards Albentosa and his wretched time in Derbyshire nearly ten years on.

Warne will just have to pray that if his Derby side do return to the division above, they don't get caught out with expensive blunders like Albentosa in the here and now.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após comemorar o 37º título de Campeonato Carioca, o Flamengo quer evitar a ressaca que teve ao conquistar recentemente a Supercopa do Brasil, quando foi derrotado no jogo seguinte para o Vasco. Agora, a missão é internacional e diante doVélez Sarsfield, em partida a ser realizada pela sexta e última rodada do Grupo G da Libertadores, às 21h desta quinta-feira, no Maracanã.

> GALERIA: 20 anos na história! Saiba por onde andam os jogadores do Flamengo da final do gol do Pet

> GALERIA: Brasileirão vai começar! Veja datas, onde assistir e estádios dos dez primeiros jogos do Flamengo

+ Veja a tabela completa da Libertadores

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Com 11 pontos somados, o Fla já tem a vaga assegurada às oitavas da Libertadores e brigará com o Vélez,segundo colocado, com nove pontos, pela liderança do grupo, onde o Rubro-Negro está invicto. Para o jogo, Rogério Ceni não poderá contar com dois constantes titulares recentes, Willian Arão e Bruno Henrique, ambos suspensos. Por outro lado, o goleiro Diego Alves voltou a ser relacionado e está à disposição do treinador.

Confira mais informações da partida entre Flamengo e Vélez Sarsfield:

Estádio: Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Data e hora: 27 de maio de 2021, às 21h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Leodan Gonzalez (URU)
Assistentes: Richard Trindad (URU) e Andres Nievas (URU)

Onde assistir: Fox Sports, canal da Conmebol Libertadores no Facebook Watch e Tempo Real do LANCE!.

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Rogério Ceni)
Gabriel Batista (Diego Alves), Isla, Rodrigo Caio, Gustavo Henrique (Bruno Viana) e Filipe Luis; Diego (João Gomes), Gerson, Everton Ribeiro e Arrascaeta; Pedro e Gabigol.

Desfalques: César, Renê e Thiago Maia.
Suspensos: Bruno Henrique e Willian Arão.
Pendurado: Diego.

VÉLEZ SARSFIELD (Técnico: Maurício Pellegrino)
Hoyos, De La Fuente (Guidara), Gianetti, Abram e Ortega; Cáseres, Mancuello, Bouzat, Almada, Janson e Lucero (Tarragona).

Desfalques: Luca Orellano e Ricky Álvarez
Suspensos: Ninguém
Pendurados: Pablo Galdames e Agustín Bouzat

PALPITES:Na redação do LANCE!, 80% das pessoas apostam na vitória do Flamengo, enquanto 10% acreditam no triunfo do Vélez. O restante, 10%, em empate.

West Ham United have a glorious opportunity to secure a third successive Premier League victory against Burnley on Sunday afternoon after falling to a bitter defeat against Freiburg in the Europa League last time out.

David Moyes' side have not been at the races since defeating Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium before the new year, but have rekindled their league form in recent weeks to keep pace in the race for continental qualification, and while the Irons were on top against Freiburg, Michael Gregoritsch leapt off the bench to give his side the first-leg advantage.

Recent Premier League wins over Brentford and Everton have moved West Ham back into seventh place – just two points behind Manchester United – but victory must now be clinched against struggling Burnley to confirm their newfound vein of form.

West Ham team news vs Burnley

While the east London side will be confident of securing victory, injuries to Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri have given Moyes a defensive headache to wrestle with.

That said, the likes of Ben Johnson could fill in for Emerson, while Aguerd has been displaced by Konstantinos Mavropanos in recent weeks anyway, with the latter's pace and energy likely to give him the nod.

Maxwel Cornet remains sidelined, but West Ham are expected to field a strong lineup despite Thursday's looming showdown against Freiburg in London.

Why West Ham must unleash Michail Antonio vs Burnley

Jarrod Bowen has been excellent for West Ham this season and is probably the favourite to win the club's Player of the Year award, having been one of the standout forwards in the Premier League this season.

1

Erling Haaland

18

2

Ollie Watkins

16

3

Mohamed Salah

15

4

Jarrod Bowen

14

4=

Dominic Solanke

14

Principally a right winger, Bowen has excelled up top with Danny Ings flattering to deceive and Michail Antonio spending much of the past several months injured, but the veteran talisman returned in February and has featured in the past three games.

Bowen is just as effective in his natural right-sided position, and this tweak would allow Mohammed Kudus to inject his pace and power from the left side, with Antonio's physicality – the 33-year-old has been described as a "monster" by journalist Paul Brown – perfect for creating holes and allowing the aforementioned wide-men to overlap and cause chaos.

As per FBref, the £85k-per-week Antonio ranks among the top 9% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting how he can penetrate the Clarets.

Moreover, the veteran talisman has plundered six goals and two assists across 14 career appearances against Burnley, with his seven-goal record against Watford the only higher tally.

Ultimately, West Ham should have enough in the tank to defeat Burnley, and while focus will inevitably linger on next week's crunch contest against Freiburg, Moyes must unleash Antonio to shuffle the pack while maintaining a sense of strength in the frontline.

Afghanistan hit back with two wickets late in the day after being bowled out for 187

The Report by Hemant Brar27-Nov-2019

Rahkeem Cornwall picked up a career-best 7 for 75 as Afghanistan squandered a sound start to be dismissed for 187 on the first day of the inaugural Test at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.In response, West Indies lost two early wickets before John Campbell and Shamarh Brooks took them to 68 for 2 at stumps, 119 behind Afghanistan’s first-innings total. With the surface offering sufficient help to the spinners, run-scoring may become even more difficult as the game progresses.On a turning track, the most difficult delivery to negotiate is the one that goes straight, and the newest entrants to Test cricket discovered it first-hand as Cornwall ran through them.Three of his wickets came off balls that spun little, while one turned significantly less than what the batsman expected. Playing only in his second Test, Cornwall showed great control over line and length, especially during his first spell in which he sent down 21 overs either side of lunch.Having been 84 for 1 at one stage, Afghanistan lost six wickets for 27 runs and slipped to 111 for 7. Wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai and debutant Amir Hamza added 54 for the eighth wicket before Cornwall struck again, dismissing Zazai off the last ball before tea. He then picked up the final wicket after the interval.The collapse was triggered by Jomel Warrican, though. Having added 56 for the second wicket with Ihsanullah, Javed Ahmadi holed out to long-off off the left-arm spinner. After that, Cornwall was all over the opposition. In the last over before lunch, Ihsanullah tried to defend one from the offspinner but the ball went on straight and Shai Hope pouched the edge at first slip.After the break, Rahmat Shah fell to a sharp offbreak with Jason Holder taking his second catch at leg slip. Nasir Jamal, the other debutant, looked to work one on the leg side but the ball went with the arm and Hope pouched it at first slip. Lack of turn and extra bounce did for Asghar Afghan, who edged a cut to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich to complete Cornwall’s maiden five-for.Holder got rid of Rashid Khan from the other end before Zazai and Hamza staged their brief recovery. The West Indies captain once again turned to Cornwall for the breakthrough and the offspinner didn’t disappoint. Zazai shouldered arms to one he expected to spin down the leg side only to be trapped in front of the stumps for 32.Hamza and Yamin Ahmadzai added 22 for the ninth wicket before the last two wickets fell on the same score. Afghanistan’s innings ended 30 minutes into the final session, and lasted 68.3 overs in all.Earlier, it had seemed like a mistake from Holder when he opted to bowl, citing moisture in the pitch, on a hazy morning in Lucknow. While a couple of deliveries did seam and bounce – especially from the captain himself – there was hardly any venom in them to trouble the Afghanistan openers.Having scored 21 and 87 on his Test debut against Bangladesh, Ibrahim Zadran once again showed the temperament of a proper Test opener. He was decisive in his footwork, whether defending on the front foot or back, or even while leaving balls outside off. And when the West Indies seamers pitched the ball up in search of movement, he drove them through the covers.With West Indies playing just two seamers, Holder was forced to bring Cornwall on as early as the ninth over, and the offspinner found turn straightaway with the red Kookaburra. In his second over, he got Javed Ahmadi to inside-edge one but the ball hit the pad on its way and went past wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.He wasn’t to be denied for long, though. Ibrahim tried to sweep a sharp offbreak hard and was caught at leg slip, with Holder diving one-handed to his left. The batsman didn’t look happy with the decision and it wasn’t conclusive from replays either if there was any bat or glove involved.Ahmadi and Ihsanullah then took on Warrican, hitting mostly down the ground and towards midwicket. The two added 56 for the second wicket, a partnership that included Ahmadi lofting Cornwall for six and four off successive deliveries. In between, Ahmadi offered another chance off Cornwall, gloving one down the leg side, but Dowrich couldn’t reach it in time.The lofted shot that brought Ahmadi most of his runs also led to his dismissal, and proved to be the turning point of the day.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea considered retirement after Erik ten Hag treated him poorly.

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De Gea contemplated retirement after leaving Man UtdWas mistreated by Ten Hag Linked with a move to MLS WHAT HAPPENED?

De Gea parted ways with Manchester United at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after spending over a decade at Old Trafford. The Red Devils did offer a contract extension to the player but its terms were not acceptable to the Spaniard so he left the club. Since then, he has remained a free agent despite offers from Spain and the Saudi Pro League.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Per The Athletic, the 33-year-old briefly contemplated retirement after leaving the English giants as he felt hurt by Erik ten Hag's mistreatment towards him. In close circles, the player reportedly revealed that the manager and then-football director John Murtough was responsible for him leaving his beloved team and that he would consider returning to the club if and when the duo left.

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However, the goalkeeper soon changed his mind and has been training meticulously to stage a comeback. The former Atletico Madrid star recently shared a cryptic post on social media, keeping his followers guessing and is now being linked with a move to the MLS.

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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DAVID DE GEA?

The experienced player is expected to drop an announcement on his future in the coming weeks amid interest from America, Saudi Arabia and his homeland Spain.