Kylian Mbappe is heading to court as his protracted legal dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain continues. Despite severing ties with the Ligue 1 giants in the summer of 2024, the World Cup winner claims to be owed €55 million (£48m/$64m) in unpaid wages. That case is now heading to labour courts in the French capital, with a final ruling being sought.
Southampton have been one of a number of teams with a managerial vacancy in the Championship during the international break, alongside Norwich, Middlesbrough, and Swansea.
Boro are set to appoint Kim Hellberg from Hammarby and Vitor Matos is in talks to take over at Swansea, but it is Norwich who have made the most eyebrow-raising appointment.
The Canaries have hired Belgian coach Philippe Clement, who has won four domestic cups in Belgium and Scotland and four Belgian top-flight titles in his career, per Transfermarkt, working for Club Brugge, Genk, Monaco, and Rangers.
Norwich are 23rd in the Championship table, with half as many points as Southampton, yet they have attracted a head coach who has won 170 of his 287 league games as a manager, averaging 2.00 points per game, per Transfermarkt.
According to Daily Echo reporter Alfie House, as relayed by SaintsExtra, Southampton are set to hand interim head coach Tonda Eckert the next three Championship matches before further assessing the situation.
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Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
The Saints play Charlton, Leicester City, and Millwall in those three games, after Eckert beat QPR 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 in his first two matches in the dugout.
House’s update adds that Southampton have spoken with managerial targets and that they do not have a clear standout candidate at this moment in time, which is why Eckert will be given the next three games to stake his claim for the permanent job.
Instead of appointing the interim on a permanent basis, Sport Republic could hire their answer to Norwich’s ambitious Clement swoop by bringing reported target Brendan Rodgers to St. Mary’s.
If the Canaries are able to attract a manager like Clement, who has won eight trophies and managed some big European clubs, whilst second from bottom in the Championship, Southampton should make a statement of their own with a move for the former Celtic boss.
Described as “world-class” by Gabby Agbonlahor, like the new Norwich manager, Rodgers would come in with an incredible career behind him and a history of winning games and trophies on a consistent basis. In fact, he won the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership title with Celtic ahead of Clement’s Rangers side.
The Northern Irish boss, who was hailed as a “pillar of strength” by Hoops captain Callum McGregor, is an incredibly experienced tactician who has been there and done it in England and Scotland.
|
Stat |
Rodgers |
Clement |
|---|---|---|
|
League games managed |
597 |
287 |
|
League games won |
322 |
170 |
|
League games drawn |
122 |
63 |
|
League games lost |
153 |
54 |
|
Points per league game |
1.82 |
2.00 |
|
Trophies won |
13 |
8 |
|
League titles won |
4 |
4 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is even more experienced than Clement and has won five more trophies in his career, with 11 of those coming at Celtic, and the other two with Leicester.
The Saints target also has experience in getting out of the Championship. He won the play-offs in the 2010/11 campaign after a third-placed finish in the second tier with Swansea, which shows that he also has experience for what Southampton need this season.
Therefore, Rodgers could be a brilliant appointment for the club if they can convince him to make the drop down to the Championship, which is what Norwich were able to do with Clement.
Southampton can end Eckert experiment by hiring "insanely talented" manager
Southampton can replace Tonda Eckert by swooping to hire this experienced former Championship manager.
By
Dan Emery
Nov 18, 2025
Former Southampton manager Russell Martin is “still in contention” for what would be a stunning return to St Mary’s.
Though Southampton endured a dismal 2024/25 Premier League campaign, they were still expected to be strong contenders for an immediate promotion from the Championship. Having established himself with Reims and Lens in Ligue 1, Will Still was appointed as Saints manager in the summer.
Despite his obvious potential as a coach, Still was unable to make things click during what was his first job in English football. After winning just two matches out of 13 in the second tier, Still was sacked by the club who, at the time, were 21st in the league following three successive defeats.
Working as interim boss of the Saints, Tonda Eckert won his first game in charge against Queens Park Rangers. Having been called up temporarily from the Under-21s, Eckert has made a good start to his time in charge as Southampton pursue a permanent successor to Still.
Now, reports have indicated that Southampton, who are eight points adrift of the top six, could look to bring a former manager back to the club.
Martin to return to Southampton?
According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Martin is “still held in high regard at Southampton and has admirers in the boardroom”.
Taking over the Saints in 2023 after managing MK Dons and Swansea City, Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
Wedded to his patient, possession-based brand of football, Martin was sacked by the club in December 2024, in a season that saw the club become the first Premier League side to be condemned to relegation with as many as seven games remaining.
Martin was, in turn, hired by Rangers in the summer of 2025, going onto endure a terrible tenure in charge that lasted for just 123 days. Amongst other reported options, including Frank Lampard and Mark Robins, Martin’s current status as a free agent may mean he is more inclined to take the job.
Football Insider have reported that, whilst Martin being hired by Southampton would be “a surprise, his return has not been ruled out,” as the club do not blame him for the season that they endured in the top flight.
Having been called “unbelievable” by Flynn Downes, who Martin brought to Southampton, the 39-year-old has certainly proven himself at Southampton in the past. Given their current predicament and how badly Martin’s tenure at Rangers went, though, it remains to be seen whether Southampton push further for a reunion.
"Very intelligent" coach interested in Southampton job
Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl lost for the second time in as many matches in charge of the club in the Europa League against Roma on Thursday night.
The Italian giants came to Ibrox and won 2-0 under the lights, thanks to two first-half strikes, to make it three defeats in five matches for the new Light Blues boss.
It is hard to blame the former Sheffield Wednesday tactician for that dismal start to his career at the club, though, as he has had a tough run of fixtures, including this clash with Roma and a League Cup semi-final against Celtic.
Rohl has inherited a team that struggled badly under former manager Russell Martin, who only won five matches in all competitions during his time in Glasgow.
However, the German boss does have a chance to make it three wins out of three in the Scottish Premiership when his side travel to play Dundee away from home on Sunday.
With that match in mind, the Ibrox head coach must ruthlessly ditch centre-forward Youssef Chermiti from the starting line-up after an underwhelming performance on Thursday night.
Why Youssef Chermiti should be dropped by Rangers
The £8m summer signing from Everton has now produced one goal and one assist in 12 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign.
His goal, as shown in the clip above, was aided by some fairly questionable goalkeeping, and his assist was a simple pass to Danilo, who took a brilliant touch and scored from the edge of the box.
The Portugal U21 international has not provided enough quality in the final third to justify his price tag, yet, and his performance against Roma did little to convince supporters that he has been a good addition to the squad.
Roma had Artem Dovbyk leading the line for them at Ibrox and the gulf in class between the Ukraine international and Chermiti in their respective displays was staggering.
Whilst the Serie A marksman, who scored 17 goals for Roma last season (Sofascore), provided the perfect foil for his team to build attacks from, Rangers could not rely on Chermiti to bring others into play.
Minutes
73
86
Big chances missed
1
0
Passes completed
8
19
Pass accuracy
67%
100%
Key passes
0
4
Assists
0
1
Possession lost
8x
5x
As you can see in the table above, Dovbyk was almost perfect in possession and created four chances for his team on the night, including one for the second goal, whilst the Gers striker did not create any chances for his side and was a bit loose with his passes.
The former Everton forward also struggled in the 3-1 loss to Celtic at Hampden Park on Sunday. Pundit Michael Stewart bemoaned his “poor” finishing after the attacker spurned two huge opportunities to find the back of the net in the first half.
Therefore, Rohl should drop him from the starting line-up to take on Dundee in the Premiership on Sunday and unleash Danilo, who has scored in each of his last two appearances in the Premiership under the German head coach.
Chermiti is not the only underperforming Rangers player who should lose his place in the starting XI for that trip to Dundee before the international break, though.
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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The former Bayern Munich and Southampton assistant manager should also ruthlessly ditch left-sided defender Jayden Meghoma from the side, after another disappointing showing.
Why Danny Rohl should drop Jayden Meghoma for Rangers
Rohl should drop the defender from the team after he decided to withdraw him from the game at half-time in order to change formation and move Max Aarons to left-back.
The Rangers head coach opted to move away from a 3-4-2-1 formation to chase the game with a 4-3-3, which meant that Aarons moved from right wing-back to left-back and James Tavernier moved from right centre-back to right-back.
Rohl deciding to move Aarons, who is a right-footed right-back, over to left-back instead of moving Meghoma back into a left-back position in a back four suggests that he was less-than-pleased with the Brentford loanee’s contributions in the first half.
Minutes
45
Pass accuracy
79%
Key passes
0
Successful dribbles
0/1
Tackles won
0
Interceptions
0
Ground duels won
0/2
Aerial duels won
0/0
As you can see in the table above, it is easy to understand why the manager may not have been too impressed by the wing-back’s first-half showing, as the 19-year-old flop failed to win a single duel.
Meghoma offered very little to the team in or out of possession in the opening 45 minutes, with no key passes, dribbles, tackles, interceptions, or duels won for the Scottish giants.
The Scotsman handed the youngster a player rating of 4/10 for his performance against Roma and wrote that he looked ‘out of his depth’ as an ‘untested’ youngster, which is hard to disagree with, given Rohl’s decision to withdraw him at half-time and his dismal statistics.
After the 3-1 loss to Celtic in the League Cup last weekend, Football FanCast suggested that the left-back may be on borrowed time in the starting XI because he was caught out defensively for the opening goal from Johnny Kenny, as shown in the clip below.
Meghoma was also caught out aerially from a set-piece in the 3-0 defeat to Brann in Rohl’s first match in charge, when he allowed Jacob Lungi Sorensen to get the run on him to score from a free-kick.
The teenage defender, who has won 25% of his aerial duels in the Premiership (Sofascore), has not proven that he can be a reliable option for the Light Blues at this moment in time, and the change at half-time on Thursday suggests that the manager trusts Aarons ahead of him in a back four.
Danny Rohl now orders Rangers to make three January signings, priority revealed
The new manager is looking to strengthen his squad considerably this winter.
ByDominic Lund Nov 5, 2025
Therefore, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Meghoma and Chermiti in order to unleash Aarons at left-back in a back four and Danilo up front against Dundee on Sunday.
Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, at the 2022 World Cup
S Sudarshanan06-Oct-20253:40
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England take on Bangladesh in an ODI World Cup match.The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.”This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said on match eve.Related
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As per the new future tours programme which will run from 2025-29, Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in September 2027. That is perhaps when the fixture will stop being an event.On the field, both teams are coming on the back of comfortable wins. England’s multi-pronged attack could pose a tough challenge for Bangladesh, whose batters often struggle to force the pace. Conversely, if the track assists spin, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack led by Nahida Akter could be more than just a handful for England. Their batters were hardly challenged in the opening game.
England WLWLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLWW
She is just 21 ODIs old, but Emma Lamb is already adapting to a second role in England’s batting unit. A natural opener, she scored her only century at the top of the order and was the leading run-scorer in the ECB Women’s One-Day Cup while opening for champions Lancashire. At the start of this English summer, though, Amy Jones was promoted to open, and Lamb was moved to No. 3 when Heather Knight was recovering from a hamstring injury. Now, with Knight back for the World Cup, Lamb is set to take on an altogether different role – batting in the lower-middle order and chipping in with a few overs of offspin. She wasn’t needed with either bat or ball in England’s tournament opener, but could get her first go in this new role against Bangladesh if her team bats first.Marufa Akter will be key for Bangladesh•ICC/Getty Images
Marufa Akter just loves to bowl. After setting the tone in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan, she lit up their first practice session in India. With rain forcing the team indoors, Marufa was full of energy, bowling at full tilt two days out from the contest. She constantly troubled captain Sultana in the nets, eventually bowling her once. With her ability to move the new ball and generate sharp pace, Marufa could be a real handful for England’s openers – Tammy Beaumont tends to struggle against the incoming angle early on, while Jones prefers a cautious start.
Given England’s line-up was hardly tested against South Africa, expect them to go in with an unchanged XI.England (probable XI): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren BellAgainst England’s right-hand heavy line-up, Bangladesh could look to play left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla for an offspinner in Nishita Akter Nishi.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Fargana Hoque, 2 Rubya Haider, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Fahima Khatun, 8 Nahida Akter, 9 Rabeya Khan, 10 Marufa Akter, 11 Nishita Akter Nishi/Sanjida Akter Meghla
A fresh pitch will be used for the game. But it may not behave too differently from the first two tracks. Both the pitches assisted spin as the afternoon wore on but against fast bowling, the ball came nicely onto the bat.As for the weather, there is slight chance of rain. There was rain predicted for the England-South Africa game on Monday, but it stayed dry, while Bangladesh were forced indoors two days before this match due to an unexpected shower.
“With sub-continent conditions comes the offer of extra spin. So, [I am] trying to really make sure that you’re hitting with the spin and going through all your different options. I’ve been sweeping quite a lot, reverse sweeping, which is something that I might not get out in a game straight away, but it’s something that I’ve put a lot of hours into to make sure that when I do, hopefully it goes well.”
“We have a lot of information on them because of our analysts. We want to play our “A” game and don’t want to go by just names. We will try to make lesser mistakes and take confidence from the win over Pakistan.”
Saif Zaib shone again with an undefeated knock of 76 as Northamptonshire’s resilient batting display held up Glamorgan’s Rothesay County Championship promotion charge at Wantage Road.The left-hander, Division Two’s second highest run-scorer this season with five hundreds to his name, shared a fourth-wicket stand of 107 with James Sales to steer their side close to avoiding the follow-on despite four wickets for Glamorgan spinner Mason Crane.Half-centuries by opening pair Ricardo Vasconcelos and Luke Procter laid solid foundations for Northamptonshire’s reply after Glamorgan opener Asa Tribe’s impressive career-best 206 had enabled the visitors to post 467.Seventeen-year-old spinner Nirvan Ramesh picked up the last two Glamorgan wickets to finish with figures of 3 for 42 on his first-class debut.Resuming on 367 for 6, Glamorgan increased their total by exactly 100 during the morning, with Tribe flicking Justin Broad off his hips for four to complete his maiden double hundred from 293 balls.But the 21-year-old was undone in the next over by a ball from Procter (3 for 89) that kept low and careered into his off stump, breaking a seventh-wicket partnership of 83 with Timm van der Gugten.The latter was pinned leg before for 33 by Calvin Harrison two balls later, but Crane went on the offensive, steering both Procter and Liam Guthrie to the fence as he and James Harris added exactly 50.With Crane’s first half-century of the campaign on the horizon, he was left stranded on 41 as Ramesh mopped up the innings, trapping Harris lbw on the back foot before having last man Asitha Fernando caught off a top edge.That left Northamptonshire’s openers with a single over to negotiate prior to lunch and, having ticked off that immediate target, they set about making inroads on their side’s hefty deficit.Although Harris and Fernando beat the bat a couple of times, the opening pair looked largely secure and Vasconcelos lifted Van der Gugten over the short midwicket boundary for six.Outscoring his partner, Vasconcelos banged Fernando through the covers for four and then posted his half-century from 66 balls – only to surrender his wicket in the next over, clipping Zain ul Hassan straight to midwicket.Harrison, back at Wantage Road for his fifth short-term loan from Nottinghamshire this season, upped the tempo by dispatching Ul Hassan for two leg-side sixes and looked strong off the back foot, punching a series of cover boundaries in his brisk 30.Meanwhile Procter took on Crane, sweeping the legspinner for six and then – having survived an appeal for a leg-side catch – danced down the track for a straight-driven four that took him to 50.However, Crane removed both established batters in the run-up to tea, with Harrison well taken at slip off an outside edge before Procter followed in his next over for 67, prodding to short backward square.Timing and placing his shots beautifully, Zaib flayed three consecutive Crane deliveries to the rope and progressed to his fifth half-century of the campaign while Sales capitalised on a chance to slip that Ingram spilled.Returning for a third spell late in the day, Crane got his man when Sales fell for 35, pumping a full toss to cover and added a fourth wicket by having Broad caught behind from the final delivery of the session.
Lancashire needed 303 to win and were 138 for 3 when rain forced the players off, just after Marcus Harris reached 50
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025
Marcus Harris steers reached fifty•Getty Images
Despite some spasmodic pyrotechnics on the final day, the Rothesay County Championship match between Kent and Lancashire ended in a draw, with the weather ruining what might have been a thrilling run chase.Ekansh Singh hit 60, his highest first-class score, as Kent posted 293 aided by a hugely entertaining cameo from Matt Quinn, whose 42 was his best score for Kent.Mitchell Stanley also had a career day, taking 6 for 100 to finish with match figures of 11 for 180.Lancashire needed 303 to win and were 138 for 3 when rain forced the players off, just after Marcus Harris had reached 50. Quinn took 2 for 21, but then limped off with an injury.Some 28 overs were lost due to rain but when play finally began both sides immediately went on the attack.Ekansh hit the second ball of the day from Tom Hartley for six, but Mo Rizvi was lbw to Stanley’s first delivery from the Nackington Road End, getting a pair on his first-class debut.When Stanley then bowled Matt Parkinson for a second-ball duck, in the same over, the lead was only 221, but Quinn joined Ekansh for a partnership worth 71 that steered Kent out of danger.He blazed 22 off Stanley’s next over (including four byes) and left Stanley kicking his crease in frustration. He even improvised a ramp shot off a full toss that somehow ended up at point and by lunch Kent were on for 276 for 7.The final three dismissals were all caught behind. Stanley finally got Quinn and George Balderson got Ekansh after a bouncer caught his raised bat. Ben Compton, playing despite a wrist injury, came in at 11 but only faced one ball before Michael Cohen was out to Stanley for four.This pattern continued in the Lancs’ reply when Keaton Jennings edged Quinn to Harry Finch for 4 and Wells then went to the same combination for 19, but Josh Bohannon and Harris took the heat out of the situation for the visitors with a partnership of 91.Harris reached 1000 runs for the season when he reached 23 and it was 73 for 2 at tea, but Quinn then pulled up injured during a run-up, stumbling at the crease and walking straight off, to be replaced by Rizvi.His first over went for 15 and he was immediately replaced by Evison, whose third ball bowled Bohannon’s off stump for 46. At 16.34 however, the rain returned and this time there was no chance of a resumption.
Quite simply, Liverpool have been a shambles in defence this season. Arne Slot’s side have a slew of problems, mounting by the matchweek, but the crux of it comes down to disorganised, error-strewn defending.
Five defeats from six Premier League games, nine losses from 12 in all competitions, successive Anfield defeats against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, seven goals shipped, this is a crisis for the Reds.
It beggars belief. And right at the struggling heart of it is Ibrahima Konate, whose future on Merseyside is very much up in the air.
Ibrahima Konate's Liverpool future
It really cannot be understated how dismal Konate has been throughout the 2025/26 campaign. He has been indescribably weak in key battles, his resolve far too brittle.
Errors have littered the France international’s campaign, and Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher even suggested that it has been a “sackable offence” on Slot’s part for continuing to field the 26-year-old after such consistent inconsistency.
It’s clear that the centre-back’s contractual conundrum, out of a deal next summer, has been weighing heavily on his mind, especially since Real Madrid have made their vested interest known over the past year.
However, the £70k-per-week defender has been so unconvincing that Los Blancos have ended their pursuit. Liverpool remain committed to renewing their struggling star’s deal, even with interest from further suitors sure to intensify come January.
There is surely a way back to the ascendancy for a player who served so confidently in a title-winning campaign, but with Virgil van Dijk getting old, it’s clear that FSG need to find new defenders regardless.
There’s no doubt that sporting director Richard Hughes will feel rueful after missing out on Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, a deal effectively in place on deadline day and the Three Lions star ready to complete his medical before the Eagles failed to source a replacement.
However, there is another who could end up succeeding Konate, though this Liverpool prospect has endured a tough start to his career at the club.
Liverpool have a teenage Konate upgrade
Liverpool’s dearth of defensive options this season have meant that Slot has been unable to drop Konate and bring in another. However, Giovanni Leoni was slated to be that man.
Leoni, 18, joined Liverpool from Serie A side Parma this summer in a £27m deal, Hughes drawn to his potential to become one of the best in the business. The Italian is powerful, dynamic and prodigiously talented on the ball, with his long and limber frame making him the perfect fit in the Premier League.
However, disaster struck on his debut in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win over Southampton, when Leoni ruptured his ACL, sidelining him until the end of the season.
It was only one fixture – and against second-tier opponents at that – but Leoni showed a lot of promise for his new club, very much at place on the ball and winning four of five contested duels, including each of his three aerial battles.
It was the kind of display that proved Leoni is “one of the best young centre-backs in the world”, something noted by Liverpool reporter James Wathland as the fanbase chews on their frustration over losing such a shrewd defensive solution for the campaign.
Minutes played
81′
Touches
102
Accurate passes
88/91 (97%)
Possession lost
3x
Recoveries
3
Tackles won
0/1
Interceptions
3
Clearances
6
Ground duels
1/2
Aerial duels
3/3
Liverpool’s defenders are often tasked with initiating forward moves from the back, and while Leoni is not refined in this regard, there is undeniable promise that Slot and Liverpool’s coaching team will be developing even in the teenager’s period of convalescence.
Liverpool have a sensational defensive talent in their mix, and while fans won’t be able to witness him in action again until the latter months of 2026, they can rest assured that Leoni has what it takes to reach superstar status down the line.
This may be considered when Hughes and co weigh up Konate’s value and whether they should extend his time on Merseyside for his prime years.
Best signing since Szoboszlai: Liverpool lead race for "world-class" talent
Liverpool’s crisis has amplified noise around the need for new recruits at Anfield.
ByAngus Sinclair Nov 29, 2025
“The BCCI medical team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia says
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2025
Shreyas Iyer clutches his side after taking a tumbling catch•Getty Images
Shreyas Iyer has been discharged from the Sydney hospital he had been admitted to for the spleen laceration, with internal bleeding, he suffered during India’s third ODI against Australia on October 25, and “is now stable and recovering well”, the BCCI said in a statement on Saturday morning.”The injury was promptly identified, and the bleeding was immediately arrested following a minor procedure. He has undergone appropriate medical management for the same,” the statement, quoting secretary Devajit Saikia, said. “He is now stable and recovering well. The BCCI medical team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery, and he has been discharged from the hospital today.”Iyer was treated by Dr Koroush Haghighi and his team in Sydney with help from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala in India. The BCCI added, “Shreyas will continue to stay in Sydney for his follow-up consultations and will return to India once he is deemed fit to fly.”The injury took place when Iyer took a catch running backwards from point to dismiss Alex Carey in the Sydney ODI. He immediately clutched his rib cage and signalled for medical attention. He was taken off the field and did not return for the remainder of Australia’s innings.India won the third ODI by nine wickets, but lost the three-match series 2-1 after going down in the first two games in Perth and Adelaide. They are currently 1-0 down after two matches in the T20I series that has followed the ODIs.
“If you start complaining about these things, it affects your performance on the field,” Rashid Khan says
Shashank Kishore09-Sep-20251:59
Rashid: Not ideal to stay in Dubai and play in Abu Dhabi
“Right now, I’m feeling very sleepy,” Charith Asalanka announced, to peals of laughter around the room. It was a brutally honest opening quip from Sri Lanka’s captain, who had flown into Dubai from Harare via South Africa just hours earlier for the men’s T20 Asia Cup.Asalanka had just played back-to-back T20Is in Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7, wrapped up the series, packed his bags, boarded a long-haul flight, and landed straight into the Dubai heat, only to be whisked off to a pre-tournament photoshoot and a captains’ press conference.”I should answer this question tomorrow, I think,” Asalanka said with a wry smile. “It’s really hard to play back-to-back games and then travel straightaway. I think we actually need a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us [that].Related
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“It’s important to take care of our fitness. And we all know it’s really hot out there. For me, it’s really important to stay fresh and give 100% in the first game.”Luckily for Sri Lanka, they have been given four days off before their tournament opener against Bangladesh. It’s a rare luxury in a competition where Sri Lanka are in the “group of death” with Afghanistan and Hong Kong completing the pool.Afghanistan, meanwhile, had also wrapped up a series but in the same part of the world. And their captain Rashid Khan wasn’t complaining.They finished a hectic tri-series campaign against Pakistan and UAE in Sharjah on Sunday night, and were scheduled to play Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener in Abu Dhabi in less than 48 hours. Then Rashid and his opposite number Yasim Murtaza were at the Dubai International Stadium six hours before the toss for the same media event where Asalanka was nearly dozing off, and Salman Agha, who also played in Sunday’s final, looking fresh.”Well, I don’t think it’s ideal – that’s what we were discussing [with the other captains] before as well,” Rashid said. “To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games… it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things.Rashid Khan is determined to keep the focus on what he and Afghanistan could control•Emirates Cricket Board
“Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straightaway.”Throw in the match-day road trips, later-than-usual finishes – thanks to a deferred start time – and post-match recovery in heat that has constantly hovered over 40 degrees Celsius well into the evening, and the task becomes even trickier. But Rashid was determined to keep the focus on what he and his team could control.”You have to be well-prepared and mentally very strong, that’s why we are professionals,” he said. “If you start complaining about these things, about traveling a lot, it affects your performance on the field. For us, the focus is to put in the effort once we step inside. Wherever we go, we try to forget whatever happens outside and adapt. The most important thing is to give 100% and win the game.”So, while the Asia Cup’s “group of death” promises high-intensity cricket, how fresh the players manage to keep themselves could be a crucial factor, too.