Category Uncategorized

It’s Mr Cool’s 39th birthday. So, time to test whether you’ve been watching closely and taking notes on how to be not just cool but MS cool

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2020

Outgoing Western Australia head coach Adam Voges will take the reins of Seattle Orcas in next season’s Major League Cricket as he furthers his leadership credentials on the T20 franchise circuit.Voges replaces Australian compatriot Matthew Mott, who was fired after Orcas lost their first five games of the 2025 season. Having recently announced that he will step down as WA head coach at the end of the current domestic season, it was widely anticipated that Voges would take up a senior role at an MLC franchise.”I am very excited to be joining the Seattle Orcas for the upcoming season,” Voges said. “The MLC competition continues to grow and I look forward to working with the owners, players and staff to help bring success both on and off the field.”Overseeing an incredible run of success for WA after replacing Justin Langer in 2018, Voges has long been touted as a successor to Australia head coach Andrew McDonald whose current contract runs through to 2027. McDonald has indicated that he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.In the meantime, Voges has decided to further his coaching development through T20 franchise cricket. As flagged by ESPNcricinfo, Voges has joined Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL having led the franchise to back-to-back titles in BBL11 and 12. Voges also twice lifted the trophy as captain of Scorchers.Related

• Seattle Orcas part ways with coach Mott

Assistants Beau Casson and Tim MacDonald will likely be in the mix to replace Voges as WA head coach.Voges, who averaged a remarkable 61.87 from 20 Tests for Australia, will be tasked with lifting Orcas back up the ladder. After making the final in MLC’s debut season, Orcas won just four of 17 games across 2024-25.”We are thrilled to welcome Adam Voges to the Seattle Orcas family,” Orcas chief Hemant Dua said. “He brings a proven pedigree of winning, a distinctive ability to develop world-class talent, and a deep understanding of the nuances of T20 franchise cricket.”His dominant run with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers speaks to his expertise. We believe Adam’s calm demeanor, tactical intelligence, and commitment to building a high-performance culture will be pivotal as we aim for the Major League Cricket title.”We are building something special in Seattle, and Adam is undoubtedly the right person to lead the charge.”Orcas are co-owned, among others, by GMR Group and JSW Sports, who are also co-owners of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and WPL, and their entities in SA20 (Pretoria Capitals) and UAE’s ILT20 (Dubai Capitals).

يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، لمواجهة هامة أمام الجيش الملكي، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويحل الأهلي ضيفًا على الجيش الملكي، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا مساء غد الجمعة في تمام الساعة التاسعة بتوقيت القاهرة على استاد “الأمير مولاي الحسن”

ويسعى الأهلي، تحت قيادة مدربه الدنماركي ييس توروب لمواصلة انتصاراته في البطولة من أجل حسم بطاقة التأهل مبكرًا.

طالع.. اتحاد الكرة لـ”بطولات”: زيزو المنتصر في أزمة مستحقاته.. وموقف الزمالك ضعيف

وشهدت قائمة الأهلي استبعاد محمد الشناوي حارس مرمى الفريق من رحلة المغرب لمواجهة الجيش الملكي، بسبب الإصابة في العضلة الضامة، فيما عاد أشرف داري وأحمد رضا بعد تعافيهما من الإصابة.

 وكان الأهلي، حقق الفوز على شبيبة القبائل الجزائري، في الجولة الأولى برباعية مقابل هدف والتي أقيمت على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

ويتصدر الأهلي المجموعة بالتساوي مع يانج أفريكانز التنزاني بعد فوزه على الجيش الملكي في الجولة الأولى.

Chelsea have now made contact with Ateltico Madrid over signing Pablo Barrios, according to reports, and have been told how much it will take to lure the midfielder away from Spain in 2026.

With the January transfer window less than two months away, the Blues have already got an eye on potential reinforcements. It’s a rare day when those in West London aren’t thinking about the transfer window and Todd Boehly could be about to spend big yet again to help Chelsea bridge the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Having already welcomed the likes of Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro in the summer, those at Stamford Bridge are now reportedly interested in signing Ousmane Diomande.

The Sporting CP defender is one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe and certainly fits the criteria of young stars that Chelsea have been recruiting in recent years. But he’s not the only target in their sights.

The Blues have also been linked with a midfield upgrade in Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. The England international is among the most sought-after talents in the Premier League and will have the biggest decision of his career to make sooner or later. Whether that results in a move to West London remains to be seen.

With Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez at the base of the Blues’ midfield, it would take quite the talent to take a starting spot in the middle of Enzo Maresca’s side, but that may not stand in the way of BlueCo’s spending.

If it’s not Wharton that arrives in 2026, then it could be Atletico Madrid star Barrios, who has entered Chelsea’s radar ahead of the January transfer window.

Chelsea launch contact to sign Pablo Barrios

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea have now made contact over signing Barrios from Atletico Madrid, only to be told that the Spanish club will only be accepting offers in the region of €100m (£88m).

Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" & it's not Estevao

The promising talent could be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer problem.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 22, 2025

Whilst money hasn’t been a problem for Chelsea in the past, they should question whether they actually need another midfielder with Caicedo and Fernandez already performing so well together this season.

Barrios has certainly impressed enough to force Chelsea to ask themselves the question about his potential arrival, but whether they can lure him away from Atletico Madrid is another question entirely.

Diego Simeone is a big fan of the midfielder and told reporters when the 22-year-old was first breaking through: “He has a fantastic game, and I told him that we’re going to work to shape it. Koke is there now (at the ‘5’) and we are trying to bring out Pablo’s full potential. He has to grow, but he’s doing very well. I’m excited. He’s a kid from the academy, and he can play several roles.”

Forget Delap: 18-year-old star is destined to be Chelsea's future number 9

As far as Arne Slot’s Liverpool are concerned, there hasn’t been much to write home about this season.

It’s been difficult, for a great number of reasons, and the Reds have slumped to five defeats from six matches in the Premier League. They say it’s too early to make such calls at this stage of the campaign, but Liverpool simply cannot be considered as title contenders unless something significant shifts in the coming weeks and months.

Physicality and control. Two central tenets of any Premier League midfield worth their salt, and especially so for Liverpool. However, Slot’s side have lacked both in equally concerning measure for much of the term so far.

And with that in mind, we can’t help but recall the days of Gini Wijnaldum in the middle of the park, for the Dutchman is very much missed right now.

Why Gini Wijnaldum left Liverpool

Wijnaldum has plied his trade away from Anfield for four years now, and it’s perhaps fair to say that Liverpool have not replaced his profile in the years since. The 35-year-old was very distinctive in his style for the Reds.

Liverpool signed Wijnaldum from Newcastle United in 2016 after their relegation from the Premier League. Wijnaldum was among the standout Magpies that year.

He was an attacking midfielder and had put four past Norwich City early in the campaign, a bright flicker in a dark year on Tyneside. However, Jurgen Klopp fashioned the Dutchman into an industrious, press-resistent central midfielder, part of an energetic centre that charged Liverpool’s glittering success of the past decade.

Though Wijnaldum didn’t score often for the Merseysiders, he came up trumps on a few occasions, alright, and scribed his name into the record books when bagging a brace off the bench on that night against Barcelona.

So cool and composed and calm on the ball, Gini was the metronome in the middle. To think that he played in advanced roles with consistency during his days with Newcastle and PSV Eindhoven before that is a marker of Klopp’s tactical brain, successfully reshaping into something that produced fewer show-stopping moments but contributed more greatly to the Liverpool project.

Liverpool miss him, for sure, but there’s a member of Slot’s squad who is beginning to show signs of the Netherlands man’s former qualities.

Liverpool's new version of Wijnaldum

Slot’s own ‘version’ of Wijnaldum might not be stylistically the same, but he’s playing a versatile and yet singular role for the Anfield side this season.

Enter Dominik Szoboszlai, the shining light of Liverpool’s dreary campaign so far.

The Hungarian has been hailed by reporter Lewis Steele as being Liverpool’s “player of the season” so far. Admittedly, the bar isn’t high, but Szoboszlai ranks highly across the whole of Europe in regard to individual efforts, having matured into a leader as well as a tireless source of energy and a technically proficient technician.

To say that he’s come on leaps and bounds would be quite the understatement, and this with Liverpool struggling to muster any kind of form.

Klopp oversaw the £60m signing of RB Leipzig’s talented playmaker in 2023, beating Newcastle to his signature. Szoboszlai has ebbed and flowed in a Liverpool shirt, criticised at times for his lack of end product. At the end of Klopp’s reign, Szoboszlai fell out to the fringes, starting only one of the final six Premier League fixtures of the term, and was hooked at half-time during a miserable home defeat to Crystal Palace before that.

Matches (starts)

36 (29)

11 (11)

Goals

6

1

Assists

6

1

Touches*

46.1

82.6

Accurate passes*

29.6 (86%)

52.1 (87%)

Key passes*

1.6

1.5

Dribble (success)*

0.6 (55%)

0.8 (60%)

Recoveries*

3.7

6.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.4

2.7

Clearances*

0.4

2.5

Duels (won)*

2.8 (43%)

4.2 (51%)

Since Slot has taken to the dugout, Szoboszlai’s role has changed some, and that has become crystal clear this season, for he has never been more involved, never more entrusted with a starring role in the side, hailed as a “proper leader” and Liverpool’s star man by content creator Jonathan Morley.

Szoboszlai is a player whose skill and tenacity out of possession, his intelligence and vision and ability to do the right thing at the right time, make him a unique and priceless part of a system. Wijnaldum-esque, perhaps.

Gini was, after all, lauded as being “irreplaceable” for Liverpool by correspondent Richard Jolly. He wasn’t a vocal leader on the field, but the former Netherlands international provided a calming presence, redefined once he settled in on Merseyside and then became a central part of one of the glittering outfits of their age.

Liverpool may not be at the races this season, but there’s a long road still ahead, and with Szoboszlai shaping into an all-action midfielder of the highest class, Slot’s own version of Wijnaldum, there will be hope that the rest of these talented players can recover their levels and match Szoboszlai’s commitment and desire.

His free-kick against Arsenal, sealing victory against Mikel Arteta’s title challengers toward the start of the season, his Man of the Match performances on a number of occasions already, Szoboszlai is the real deal, alright, and when Liverpool do return to form, he might just reach even loftier levels under Slot’s wing.

Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s standout player this season, and though this has been tempered by the otherwise miserable performances, solace can be found in the knowledge that Slot has unearthed the club’s latest superstar.

FSG sold an "incredible" Liverpool talent & it's a bigger mistake than Diaz

Liverpool are already starting to regret this £15m sale.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 14, 2025

Manny Machado has a lot of baseball people questioning what they know.

During Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado pulled a baserunning move that puzzled a lot of observers. Hall of Famer Chipper Jones is the latest to be confused by the play.

In the bottom of the second inning of Tuesday night's contest, Machado was on first base with no outs. Rookie Jackson Merrill grounded a Walker Buehler pitch to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. He made the stop on the infield grass from his knees and attempted to throw to second to get Machado. The Padres' first baseman saw where Freeman was set to field the ball and veered onto the grass on his way to second base. Freeman's throw hit Machado and bounced into the outfield, allowing him to reach third base. That sparked a six-run rally for the Padres who won 6-5.

Here's video of the play:

And here's Jones's reaction:

To answer his question, no this is not illegal. By rule, runners can establish their own running lanes unless an opposing fielder is attempting to make a tag. So on that play, Machado can run wherever he wants to unless he's trying to avoid a tag. The route he took was completely legal and is actually how runners are taught to do things on these types of plays. It's on the fielder to avoid him with the throw.

It's worth noting, that rule is different when players are running to first base since there is an established running lane.

After the game, Freeman was asked about the play and said the ruling was correct and he would have done exactly what Machado did.

After the game, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts was asked about it and had a similar answer. He said, "Manny, you can create your own base path if you're not avoiding a tag. And it was a heady play."

So there's the answer. Machado's play was completely legal which is why he was not called out.

MatériaMais Notícias

Novorizontino e ABC se enfrentamnesta segunda-feira (25), às 21h, no Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi, no encerramento da 29ª rodada doBrasileiro Série B. O Tigre do Vale é 4º colocado, com 48 pontos, enquanto o alvinegro potiguar, com 16, vê sua situação se tornar irreversível a cada resultado negativo.

+Olho no Brasileirão! Assine o Prime Video e acompanhe todos os jogos do seu time do coração!

O Novorizontino chega embalado após a goleada sobre o Ceará, que vinha em ascensão no campeonato: 4 a 1, com grande atuação do atacanteDouglas Baggio. César Martins, Aylon, Geovane e Tiago Pagnussat, contra, marcaram os gols do time paulista, que tem seis dos dez jogos restantes a serem disputados em seu estádio, onde tembom aproveitamento.

O ABC tem 10 rodadas para conseguir omilagre da salvação do rebaixamentoou confiimar as expectativas e disputar aSérie Cem 2024. O alvinegro potiguar está a 14 pontos do primeiro time fora do Z-4 com 30 por disputar. Contra o Sport, Thonny Anderson foi punido com o terceiro amarelo e será desfalque na equipe comandada porArgel Fuchs.

ONDE ASSISTIR/TRANSMISSÃO: SPORTV e PREMIERE

+Confira a classificação do Brasileirão Série B!

NOVORIZONTINO X ABC
29ª RODADA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO SÉRIE B

Data:25 de setembro de 2023
Horário:21h
Local:Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi, em Novo Horizonte, São Paulo.
Onde assistir:SPORTV e PREMIERE

Possível escalação do Novorizontino: Jordi; Ligger, Adriano Martins e Reverson; Willean Lepo, Geovane, Marlon e César Martins; Douglas Baggio, Rodolfo (Ronaldo) e Aylon. Técnico: Eduardo Baptista

Possível escalação do ABC: Michael; Jucimar, Afonso, Fabrício e Jhonnathan; Ramon e Nathan Melo; Anderson Cordeiro; Matheus Anjos e Fábio Lima; Paulo Sérgio. Técnico: Argel Fuchs.

SAIDS confirmed the presence of Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in its findings

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2025

The recreational drug which resulted in South Africa seamer Kagiso Rabada’s one-month suspension from cricket has been confirmed as cocaine by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS). The organisation, which is a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), publishes the findings of adverse drug tests a month after the appeal period for sanctioned athletes lapses.SAIDS published its findings today, June 3, which confirmed the presence of Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in Rabada’s results. Benzoylecgonine is formed in the liver after the ingestion of cocaine, and is excreted in urine.Rabada was tested on January 21, during the SA20. He played in the entirety of that competition, for MI Cape Town, and for South Africa at the Champions Trophy before his results were known. He was informed of his positive test in late March, and served a one-month ban between April 1 and May 1, which kept him out of a significant part of the IPL, though his absence from the tournament was put down to personal reasons.Related

Rabada sorry about drug use but 'won't be Mr-I-Apologise'

SA hope Rabada puts ban behind him as WTC final beckons

Rabada cleared to play again after serving doping suspension

The duration of Rabada’s sanction was determined by the nature of the drug (recreational and not performance enhancing), his commitment to an educational program, and that he ingested the substance on a non-match day, which is classified as out of competition. All that reduced his ban to one month. Rabada did not appeal against the one-month ban.On May 3, Rabada issued a statement through the South African Cricketers Association, in which he admitted use of a recreational drug but did not provide any further details. By then, he had already served his sanction and returned to the IPL, where he played two matches for Gujarat Titans before joining up with the South African squad for the World Test Championship final. Rabada has received support from CSA, national coach Shukri Conrad, and captain Temba Bavuma, who all said they had drawn a line under the issue.Last Friday, when South Africa left for the United Kingdom, Rabada made his first public statement since serving his ban and said he would not be seen as “Mr I apologise” but would discuss it in more detail with his team-mates.Rabada also anticipates a backlash from Australia, whose former captain Tim Paine has already criticised the secrecy around Rabada returning to South Africa from the IPL in early April. Rabada indicated he was ready for whatever they throw at him. “They come at you, and I think that gets the best out of me – and they have been notorious for that over the years, right? So yeah, let’s see.”

CSK handed Urvil Patel a debut, while also bringing Devon Conway and R Ashwin back

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2025Ajinkya Rahane, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, has chosen to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Eden Gardens’ last league game of IPL 2025. KKR are still in the playoffs race with three league games left, but likely need to win all three to stay in contention. CSK are already out.KKR come into this game having won their last two matches. They batted first in both those games, and this, Rahane said, was one of the reasons for his decision at the toss. The pitch at Eden Gardens wore a tacky look before the start of play, with a few loose plates on its top surface – spinners from both sides could come into play as the match goes on.KKR were without Venkatesh Iyer, who picked up an injury while training on the eve of the match, and has stitches in his hand. Manish Pandey came in for him. KKR named a starting XI that bats deep, with Moeen Ali slotted at No. 9. Harshit Rana will be their likely Impact Player, though Anukul Roy or Mayank Markande could also come in if the pitch proves particularly spin-friendly.CSK made three changes, handing Urvil Patel, recently signed as a replacement for the injured Vansh Bedi, a debut and bringing back offspinner R Ashwin and the New Zealand top-order batter Devon Conway. They replaced Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran. Shivam Dube, who starts on the bench, is expected to come in during their chase as their Impact Player.Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Moeen Ali, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Varun ChakravarthyImpact Player list: Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy and Luvnith SisodiaChennai Super Kings: 1 Ayush Mhatre, 2 Urvil Patel, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 R Ashwin, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Anshul Kamboj, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Matheesha PathiranaImpact Player list: Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Ramakrishna Ghosh.

Nuno Espirito Santo has officially been axed at Nottingham Forest. It’s time for a new era at the City Ground.

Despite picking up 30 wins in charge of the Tricky Trees, with Europa League football also on the menu this season, the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss’ fiery relationship with chairman Evangelos Marinakis and Edu has ultimately been his downfall.

Forest have moved swiftly to secure an immediate successor to Nuno, with the Premier League side having announced Ange Postecoglou as their new boss on Tuesday afternoon.

He, of course, guided Spurs to a Europa League triumph just last campaign and is seen as the man to take the Midlanders to the next level.

Known for an exciting brand of attacking football while situated in North London, he could well be a breath of fresh air away from Nuno’s more attritional approach.

That means Morgan Gibbs-White could thrive even more under the Australians’ new methods.

Why Gibbs-White could thrive under Ange

Postecoglou will walk into the dug-out at the City Ground pretty content with the attacking options at his disposal.

Of course, he will have the imposing goal machine of Chris Wood to rely on – who has two Premier League strikes already this season – alongside knowing he also has an enthralling playmaker setting him up with chances galore in the aforementioned Gibbs-White.

Staggeringly, it wasn’t too far back that Forest fans were resigned to the prospect of their star man defecting to Postecoglou’s ex-employers.

Now, however, he could be the 60-year-old’s leading attacking force alongside Wood, with a bumper 15 goal contributions last season from 34 Premier League clashes setting the very high standards.

After all, Postecoglou, when back at Spurs during his up-and-down stint, got the very best out of similarly skilful, but potent presences in attack, as seen in him overseeing Maddison picking up a whirlwind 23 goals and assists last campaign.

The former Celtic boss would even herald Maddison as “loveable little rogue” during their time together at the Lilywhites.

Therefore, you might well expect Gibbs-White’s numbers to rise to these lofty heights shortly.

However, the soon-to-be new Tricky Trees manager might well see even more promise in a rising star at Forest as his next potential Maddison-style project.

Ange's new Maddison at Nottingham Forest

Despite Nuno falling out with Marinakis regularly at the City Ground, it’s fair to say the now jobless 51-year-old was backed in the summer transfer window, before parting ways dramatically.

Indeed, the likes of Dilane Bakwa would join on deadline day for a whopping £35m to bolster the options available on the right wing, on top of plenty of exciting English talent also entering the building in the form of record signing Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee.

In particular, the brand-new Forest number 24 might well have caught the eye of the incoming manager, with McAtee once being noted as being a “special” talent by his former Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, before severing ties with his boyhood side to join Forest.

More first-team opportunities should come the ex-Sheffield United loanee’s way at the City Ground, with a hope on Postecoglou’s end that he can get even more out of another entertaining and captivating number ten who was previously seen as the next best thing, like he did so effortlessly with Maddison at Spurs.

Games played

75

200

Goals scored

16

67

Assists

21

37

Trophies

1x

9x

After all, much like his fellow compatriot who scored and assisted a bumper 96 times for Leicester City, McAtee has shown off his class for the Citizens at both a senior and youth level, as well as starring out on loan at the Blades, with a mammoth 67 goals and 37 assists to shout about for his fledgling career to date.

With Postecoglou managing to extract 16 goals and 21 assists from Maddison in North London, it remains to be seen what magic the Australian can now conjure up with yet another thrilling attacking midfielder.

The up-and-coming 22-year-old will likely have to fight it out with Gibbs-White for a starting spot under Postecoglou.

But, if he can shine when thrown into the action, it could well be that McAtee goes on to be the former Spurs manager’s second coming of Maddison, as he embarks on a daunting new adventure himself in a fresh Premier League dug-out.

Nottingham Forest join race for "intelligent" Man City gem who Pep loves

He’s a wanted man…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 6, 2025