Holder and Mayers have opted out to play T20 franchise cricket while Seales is also unavailable due to a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2023

West Indies have included as many as seven uncapped players in their squad for the daunting challenge of facing Australia in two Tests next month. Batter Zachary McCaskie, wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach, allrounders Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge and Kevin Sinclair along with quick bowlers Akeem Jordan and Shamar Joseph are among the 15 names which will be without Jason Holder who has opted to play T20 franchise cricket.Exciting young quick bowler Jayden Seales is also unavailable due to a shoulder injury while, like Holder, allrounder Kyle Mayers has opted out of the tour to play T20s.The majority of those in line for their maiden Test appearance featured in the recent West Indies A tour of South Africa which included three four-day matches. Offspinning allrounder Sinclair, who has played seven ODIs and six T20Is, impressed on that trip with a batting return of 44.00 alongside 12 wickets at 25.91 having also stood out on the earlier A tour to Bangladesh. In last season’s West Indies four-day championship he averaged 16.61 with the ball and was called up to the Test squad against India earlier this year.Related

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Jason Holder: Test career is 'by no means' over after Australia tour opt-out

Pace bowler Joseph, who only has five first-class games under his belt, was another to return from the A tour with good numbers having taken 12 wickets in two matches. Fellow quick Jordan, who was previously part of the Test squad to tour South Africa earlier this year, took nine wickets for the A side to follow 12 in three games against Bangladesh A.Hodge was the second-highest run-scorer in South Africa with 179 at 29.83 which followed a domestic return of 387 at 38.78 for Windward Islands.With nearly half the squad having no Test experience it will put even more onus on the group of senior players led by captain Kraigg Brathwaite who will have a new vice-captain in Alzarri Joseph. They are among just five players who were part of last season’s Test series in Australia alongside Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva and Kemar Roach.”The squad has been affected by the unavailability of some key players,” Desmond Haynes, West Indies’ lead selector, said. “However, we have had a very strong red-ball program being run over the past year, which has unearthed significant talent throughout the region. The selected players have passed each test given to them and must now be given the opportunity to showcase their skills in the test arena. Australia away is always a challenge, but we are confident in our team.”Darren Bravo, who has not played Test cricket since 2020 but averaged 55.75 in last season’s domestic four-day tournament and made a century in Australia on the 2015-16 tour, recently took time away from the game following his omission from the one-day squad to face England.West Indies have not won a Test in Australia since 1997, losing 14 of the 16 outings since. Due to the vagaries of the World Test Championship draw, they are visiting for the second consecutive summer. Last season they were beaten by 164 runs in Perth and 419 runs in Adelaide – their largest ever runs defeat against Australia.The Test squad will undertake a training camp in Adelaide from January 2-9 before facing a Cricket Australia XI in a four-day game at the Karen Rolton Oval from January 10-13 ahead of the first Test on the 17th.This season Adelaide reverts to a traditional red-ball Test with Brisbane hosting a day-night fixture beginning on January 25.The tour also includes three ODIs and three T20Is in early February with squads for those still to be named.West Indies Test squad for Australia 2023-24 series Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Alzarri Joseph, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

Crystal Palace are hoping to sign Josh Acheampong on loan from Chelsea having had great success recruiting young Blues stars on temporary deals.

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• Palace plot Acheampong loan deal
• Have signed promising Blues youngsters before
• Defender currently at Club World Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Crystal Palace are hoping to strike gold again with another loan move for a Chelsea youngster, with defender Acheampong reportedly of interest. According to , the Eagles want to continue their successful partnership with the Blues from the last few years, having previously given crucial game time to the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah. Ben Chilwell also spent the second half of last season at Selhurst Park.

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  Acheampong is highly rated at Stamford Bridge and is currently part of the squad Enzo Maresca took to the United States for the Club World Cup. He has made just one appearance, completing the whole game in the 3-0 victory over ES Tunis, and his versatility means he can operate both at right-back and in central defence. Coincidentally, the 19-year-old made his first Premier League start against Palace back in January, a few weeks after he had extended his contract until 2029.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Acheampong was a regular feature during Chelsea's Conference League campaign, making seven appearances in the competition, though he was an unused substitute for the 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the final.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ACHEAMPONG?

  Should Acheampong move to Palace, he would be joining a squad that is thriving under manager Oliver Glasner. The Croydon outfit may also be able to offer the teenager Europa League football, but they are still waiting for UEFA to decide whether they will be allowed to compete after qualifying for the competition through their historic victory in the FA Cup.

Dasun Shanaka’s reign as Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain has come to an end as Sri Lanka’s new selection committee appointed Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga to lead the ODI and T20I sides, respectively. With Dimuth Karunaratne currently leading the Test side, this is the first time Sri Lanka have three different captains in the three formats.Shanaka first captained Sri Lanka in 2019, on the team’s first tour to Pakistan since the 2009 Lahore attack, but it was not until 2021 that he became their regular captain. Under him, Sri Lanka won 23 out of 41 ODIs and 22 out of 48 T20Is. The highlight of his tenure was the 2022 T20 Asia Cup victory in the UAE where Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final.Also notable were ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia, and a T20I series win against India, all at home. Shanaka also oversaw Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run through the 2023 World Cup Qualifier. But all these achievements were interspersed with poor showings in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup.However, it was his poor form with the bat, primarily in ODIs, that put him under the most scrutiny and made people question his place in the side. As such, it was widely expected that the new selection committee would look elsewhere in terms of the captaincy.His replacements, Mendis and Hasaranga, both have recent experience in leadership roles. Mendis is a former Under-19 captain and the current skipper of Dambulla Aura in the LPL. Midway through the 2023 ODI World Cup, he took over the reins from Shanaka when the latter got injured. Hasaranga, who is currently recovering from a hamstring surgery, had earlier this year led B-Love Kandy to their inaugural LPL title.Shanaka may still play a role in Sri Lanka’s white-ball set-ups after he was named in the preliminary squads for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe at home in January.

يستعد نادي برشلونة الإسباني لعقد اجتماع مع ثنائي الفريق ووكلاء أعمالهما لحسم مستقبلهما، في ظل الاستعدادات للموسم الجديد 2025-2026، تحت قيادة المدرب الألماني هانز فليك.

وتشهد الأندية تغييرات عديدة هذا الصيف، سواء بإبرام تعاقدات جديدة، أو رحيل لاعبين، أو تجديد عقود اللاعبين الأساسيين للفريق.

وأفادت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية في تقرير لها، أنه من المقرر عقد اجتماع يوم الأربعاء بين مسؤولي برشلونة، وثنائي الفريق هيكتور فورت وإينياكي بينيا ووكلاء أعمالهما، لمناقشة وضعهما في الفريق.

ويوضح التقرير أن بطولة كأس العالم للشباب تحت 20 عامًا تُمثل عائقًا أمام احتمال رحيل هيكتور فورت.

ويدرك فورت أنه سيكون الخيار الثالث في خطط فليك، وفي الوقت ذاته يدرك حاجته للعب باستمرار، من أجل ضمان المشاركة في كأس العالم الذي سيقام في الفترة من 27 سبتمبر إلى 19 أكتوبر بتشيلي.

اقرأ أيضًا | فصل جديد في مسلسل أزمة تير شتيجن.. وصدمة لـ برشلونة

وإذا انتقل فورت إلى نادٍ إسباني، فسيكون مُلزمًا بالسماح له بحضور البطولة؛ أما إذا خاض تجربة احترافية في الخارج فستكون مشاركته مشروطة بموافقة النادي الجديد.

وهناك خيار يتضمن بقاء فورت في برشلونة حتى انتهاء كأس العالم، ثم تقييم مستقبله بناءً على وضعه، لكن النية الأساسية للنادي هي رحيله هذا الصيف مع وضع بنود في عقده تضمن لبرشلونة السيطرة على مستقبله والسماح بعودته لاحقًا.

أما إيناكي بينيا، فهو حارس المرمى الوحيد في الفريق الأول المسجل في الدوري الإسباني، لكن سيتغير كل شيء بمجرد تسجيل خوان جارسيا.

وأحد الخيارات هو السماح له بالرحيل مجانًا، مع الاحتفاظ بنسبة مئوية من أي صفقة بيع مستقبلية، وهناك خيار آخر، وهو تجديد عقده لعام آخر لتخفيف قواعد اللعب المالي النظيف هذا الموسم، ورحيله على سبيل الإعارة للعب بانتظام. 

Boland picked up two key wickets including Khawaja leaving Queensland 106 for 5 at stumps after Victoria declared at 300 for 7 on day two

AAP17-Nov-2023Victoria’s generous declaration has paid dividends as Queensland’s top-order faltered and Usman Khawaja fell late during the Sheffield Shield clash at the MCG.Victoria declared at 300 for 7 soon after lunch on day two. In reply, Queensland slumped to 42 for 3 before limping to 106 for 6 at stumps, with Jimmy Peirson and Jack Wildermuth both unbeaten.Khawaja put up stiff resistance with 31 off 101 balls, but he was out five minutes before stumps when he edged paceman Scott Boland behind. The late scalp has put Queensland well and truly on the back foot in the bottom-of-the-table clash.Boland was the standout bowler with figures of 2 for 25 from 17 overs, while Fergus O’Neill and Will Sutherland also tied down Queensland’s batters.Victoria resumed play on Friday at 201 for 4, but Sutherland only added two runs to his overnight score before shouldering arms to a Gurinder Sandhu delivery that jagged back and struck the top of off stump. Sam Harper fell for a 17-ball duck to reduce Victoria to 213 for 6.Campbell Kellaway dug in to help steady the ship making 48 from 159 balls, but he was sent packing when he was also bowled after shouldering arms.Mitchell Perry and O’Neill both made 33 not out in an important 61-run stand before Victoria declared. Wildermuth was the pick of the Queensland bowlers with 3 for 49 off 27 overs, while Liam Guthrie chipped in with 2 for 72.Queensland’s innings started poorly, with Matt Renshaw edging O’Neill to first slip. The Bulls went from 37 for 1 to 42 for 3 when Joe Burns and Bryce Street failed to capitalise on solid foundations.Jack Clayton became the next batter to waste a steady start when he was trapped LBW by debutant spinner Doug Warren for 21.”It’s pretty much what dreams are made of,” Warren said about his maiden first-class wicket at the MCG. “It’s what everyone wants to do.”Warren was spurred on by a parochial supporter group in the crowd.”They were carrying on like pork chops today,” he said with a smile. “I’ve got a couple of hooligans from school, a couple of uni mates, and then the old man and a couple of his friends – they’ve had a couple in the bar.”They’re a bit intoxicated, but having a bit of fun.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Gatito é um dos grandes nomes da história recente do Botafogo e vem participando de todo processo de evolução da equipe alvinegra. Apesar das oscilações no início do ano, o goleiro acredita que ainda é possível buscar uma vaga para Libertadores.

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+Veja as chances de título, Libertadores e rebaixamento no Brasileirão após o término da rodada com os jogos desta quinta-feira

– Acredito que, em termo de finalizações, no decorrer nessa reta final do campeonato, a gente melhorou bastante. A nossa organização defensiva está muito melhor, está muito firme, em comparação ao que foi no começo do ano. Nosso time vai engrenando, ganhando confiança e todo mundo vai se entendendo – declarou Gatito ao “ge”.

+Lesão de Eduardo vira dor de cabeça para Botafogo nesta reta final de Brasileirão

– Como time grande, a gente chega para buscar uma copa internacional, né? Estamos perto da Copa Libertadores, da pré-Libertadores. A gente gostaria de alcançar, ainda faltam quatro jogos. Acho que a gente tem que encarar cada jogo como uma final, sabendo que não tem jogo fácil – completou.

O Glorioso volta a campo na próxima terça-feira, contra o Cuiabá, às 19h, no Nilton Santos, em partida válida pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. O time de Luís Castro vai em busca da segunda vitória consecutiva da competição.

Galatasaray have reportedly resumed 'direct talks' with Napoli for Victor Osimhen as the Turkish champions push to finalise a €70 million (£60m) deal for the Nigerian striker. An improved offer is on the table as Galatasaray have offered a staggered payment structure which would see them pay €40 million upfront with €35 million in add-ons and installments.

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Galatasaray table €70m bid for OsimhenNapoli demand revised payment structure and firm guaranteesTurkish club confident of record-breaking dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported Galatasaray have submitted a new proposal to Napoli worth €70m, structured as €40m upfront with €17.5m in instalments and another €17.5m in add-ons. The report suggested that talks resumed on Sunday as both clubs aim to find a compromise on payment terms and bank guarantees. The deal would be the most expensive in Turkish football history and a landmark statement by Galatasaray.

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Osimhen has already given the green light to the transfer, prioritising Galatasaray over other interested clubs. Napoli previously rejected a lower offer but are now closer to accepting the Super Lig champions' latest bid. Napoli are open to the deal but want tighter financial security on the deal regarding the instalments.

DID YOU KNOW?

Further reports have suggested that negotiations have accelerated following Galatasaray delivering the bank guarantees Napoli requested. The Turkish giants want to wrap up the deal before pre-season begins and have made Osimhen their primary target. Napoli, meanwhile, are planning to use the funds to plan a summer renovation of the squad.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR GALATASARAY?

Further meetings are scheduled this week to finalise payment schedules and paperwork. Galatasaray are confident of landing Osimhen but face a race against time to seal the deal before the squad departs for their summer tour.

Ashton Agar returned remarkable figures of 2 for 6, while Zak Crawley led the chase for the winners with a 56-ball 58

AAP08-Jan-2024Ricky Ponting has lashed the Sydney Showground pitch after Sydney Thunder’s low-scoring loss to Perth Scorchers on Monday, calling it “substandard” and wondering if Thunder should abandon the stadium for Canberra.Scorchers returned to the BBL’s top two with the seven-wicket win, chasing down Thunder’s 137 for 8 with five balls to spare. The result left Thunder needing results to fall in their favour to reach the finals, sitting in seventh place on the ladder with three games to play.But the major talking point remained the pitch, after Ashton Agar took 2 for 6 from four overs and Cooper Connolly 3 for 25 from his four. Thunder spinner Tanveer Sangha also went for just 14 from his four overs, and Chris Green got 1 for 22 from 3.1.Data from the Seven network showed an average spin of 3.9 degrees in Scorchers’ bowling innings, well in excess of the 2.2-degree average across the BBL.

“The Thunder for years have talked about how much they love playing in Canberra, maybe that’s a solution. They have some good young players in this squad, but they might not have them forever if the wicket continues to be this way”Ricky Ponting

“We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL,” Ponting said in commentary. “That’s unplayable, you can’t hit that.”We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL. As far as I am concerned, this is substandard as far as BBL wickets are concerned.”Scorchers wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman also remarked that it “looked like Chennai”, with Agar’s figures the second-most economical in BBL history.The pitch has become a problem for Cricket Australia, given that the league is viewed as a gateway to the sport for youngsters. In one of the most populated and culturally-diverse regions of Australia, the run rate of 7.76 at the venue throughout the competition’s history is lower than at any other major BBL stadium.Only one score of over 160 has been made in the past two seasons, with spin and off-pace deliveries generally dominating. So slow did things move in the Thunder innings that they scored only 19 runs in a six-over period late in the innings in front of a crowd of 8672.Ponting went on to question if Thunder should move to Canberra permanently given the state of the Showground pitch, with the club already playing two games a season at Manuka Oval.Ashton Agar returned the second-most economical figures in the history of the BBL•Getty Images”The Sydney Thunder have been a struggling team for the last few years,” Ponting said. “And how are you going to attract young players from around the team or overseas, if they’re going to be batting on a wicket like that?”The Thunder for years have talked about how much they love playing in Canberra, maybe that’s a solution. They have some good young players in this squad, but they might not have them forever if the wicket continues to be this way.”Agar, however, defended the groundstaff after play. “I don’t envy the groundsman, with conditions that were dished up. It poured down rain all day,” he said. “Obviously the Big Bash is an entertaining game, and you want to see high scores and balls flying over the fence. But there’s a lot to be learned from games like that. Things to be learned for guys who go overseas.”Alex Hales played a lone hand with the bat for Thunder, whacking three sixes over the leg side in his 72 from 55 balls. But he was also close to being the villain for Thunder, with three men run out at the other end while he batted.In reply, Zak Crawley hit 58 from 56 balls to help steer Scorchers home in the last over.

Wayne Rooney has been warned he could find it difficult to return to management after signing a punditry deal with Match of the Day.

• Rooney signs Match of the Day contract
• Has struggled during management career
• Could find it difficult to return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rooney has already been warned by former Manchester United team-mate Louis Saha that he could find it difficult to return to management having signed a contract with the BBC's flagship football highlights programme, which will also see the former England international give his thoughts at the 2026 World Cup.

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  Rooney has had short head coach stints with Derby, D.C. United, Birmingham and most recently Plymouth since retiring as a player in 2021. However, he could only win five of his 25 matches in charge of Argyle and looks to have shelved those ambitions for the time being to concentrate on punditry work. Former England defender Stuart Pearce has now given his opinion, insisting the 39-year-old's arrival is a big coup for the BBC.

• WHAT PEARCE SAID

  Pearce was speaking to , who offer the latest Premier League odds, and said: “Wayne Rooney is going to be a good asset for the BBC. He's got a wealth of experience. He's been one of the best players ever to grace the Premier League, no doubt about that.

  “The management situation doesn't seem to have worked out for him particularly well for whatever reason. I suppose if you're working in the game at the moment, if you're a chairman looking to recruit, Wayne Rooney wouldn't be on your list of candidates potentially at present.

  “But, you never know, a year away from the game, he might quite enjoy working in the media and from that moment on rekindle the fact that he wants to come and have another go at management again, who knows.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Rooney has been advised alongside Steven Gerrard to take a gamble and develop his coaching skills in a less high-profile environment by former England boss Roy Hodgson, who spent time abroad in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark during his managerial career.

MatériaMais Notícias

Enquanto se concentram para os desafios da Copa do Mundo, os jogadores da Seleção Brasileira recebem folgas para curtirem familiares e amigos em Doha. A estratégia da comissão técnica encabeçada por Tite é fazer com que os atletas consigam se distrair em meio aos treinos e jogos do Mundial do Qatar.

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O tema foi muito debatido logo assim que o Brasil desembarcou no Oriente Médio, quando Lucas Paquetá apareceu junto com os filhos na primeira sessão de treinamento no Estádio Grand Hamad. Enquanto um dos meninos chorava com a mãe do lado de fora, o camisa 7 foi acalmar a criança.

+ Veja a tabela, os jogos e os grupos da Copa do Mundo de 2022

– A comissão técnica já passou para nós os dias que os familiares podem vir assistir ao treino. No estádio nem todos vão, mas é muito bom ter a família junto. A gente tem contato mais por mensagem, mas às vezes é bom estar junto com eles. Você pode falar com eles, relaxar um pouco mais… Nas outras seleções também tem isso, é normal – disse Fabinho em entrevista coletiva na última quarta-feira.

Na Rússia, na Copa do Mundo de 2018, o mesmo também acontecia. Em dias pré-determinados pela comissão técnica os jogadores tinham um momento de folga e podiam aproveitar com amigos e familiares.

Nesta semana, os jogadores puderam aproveitar mais um destes momentos. Na terça-feira, o atacante Gabriel Jesus, por exemplo, encontrou com Ronaldo Fenômeno em um jantar. Vini Jr foi outro que também saiu. O camisa 20 foi a um restaurante e foi flagrado com a influenciadora digitalJulia Rodrigues.

+Seleção Brasileira tem mais um lesionado: relembre desfalques do Brasil com a Copa em andamento na história

NEM TANTO AO CÉU, NEM TANTO À TERRA

A CBF tem a preocupação de não cometer excesso com os jogadores, mas também não quer deixar os atletas presos. Com experiências dos dois lados, os Mundiais da Alemanha e da África do Sul tiveram histórias distintas.

Em 2006, por exemplo, a preparação da Seleção Brasileira emWeggis, na Suíça, foi marcada por um clima de festa que atrapalhou os jogadores. Já em 2010, o time de Dunga ficou completamente isolado, num cenário completamente diferente de quatro anos antes.

Dosando para obter o melhor dos dois lados, a Seleção Brasileira segue a programação em Doha. O próximo desafio da equipe de Tite é na sexta-feira, contra Camarões, no Estádio 974.