“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.

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.

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

Chelsea have made an approach to sign a former Real Madrid sensation, and it is believed that the west Londoners could even strike a deal in January.

Enzo Maresca’s side, despite some shock defeats at home to Brighton and Sunderland recently, have made a solid start to the season overall — losing just once in their last nine matches and climbing up to third in the Premier League table.

However, even taking into account their form on paper, not to mention Chelsea’s near-£300 million spend in the summer, there are suggestions that Maresca is dissatisfied with his current squad and could look to upgrade key areas in the winter.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

20.

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£202.5m

+£65.8m

19.

Brighton

£67.7m

£127.5m

+£59.8m

18.

Brentford

£92.8m

£152m

+£59.2m

17.

Wolves

£105.6m

£126.5m

+£20.9m

16.

Chelsea

£296.5m

£314.4m

+£17.9m

Chelsea have lost all of Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwil, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo to injury at various points already this season, with Maresca reportedly prioritising the addition of a new centre-back in January.

Now that injury-ridden midfielder Romeo Lavia is also set to be out for “at least” a month with a quadriceps injury (Fabrizio Romano), Chelsea are said to be looking at new midfield options ahead of 2026 as well.

Nico Paz now keen to join Chelsea with approach made to Como

Indeed, it is reported by TEAMtalk that Chelsea have identified Como starlet Nico Paz as their most viable January midfield target, with Maresca looking to strengthen his squad in the engine room as well as further forward.

Chelsea have apparently opened discussions with both the Serie A club and Paz’s representatives through direct enquiries, as they look to address squad depth issues that have been exposed by recent injury problems.

The Blues are actively compiling a shortlist of midfield reinforcements, with Lavia’s latest injury lay-off prompting urgent action.

Paz, who came through Real’s academy system and is valued at around £62 million, has emerged as the leading candidate to arrive at Stamford Bridge in January ahead of both Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton and Man United’s Kobbie Mainoo.

What makes the potential deal particularly encouraging for Chelsea is the player’s own enthusiasm about the move. Paz is understood to be genuinely interested in a transfer to England and sees Chelsea as an ‘ideal’ next career step.

His technical ability on the left foot and creativity is said to have caught the eye of Chelsea’s scouting department, who believe he fits perfectly within their current recruitment philosophy.

The young Spaniard represents exactly the type of signing Chelsea have been targeting under BlueCo’s leadership – a player with high potential who ticks multiple boxes in terms of age profile, quality and future sell-on value.

However, Paz still won’t be an easy signing by any means.

Real Madrid basically own the player in practice if not officially, possessing full matching rights on any deal for him, not to mention a 50 per cent sell-on clause and multiple buy-back options worth just £8 million for the summer of 2026 and £8.5m in 2027.(Football Italia).

This means that Xabi Alonso’s side have a massive say over Paz’s future, so Chelsea may even have to negotiate with the La Liga giants alongside Como to make this deal happen.

Stead has previously coached New Zealand to the WTC title and three limited-overs finals in global events

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2025Gary Stead has replaced Tinu Yohannan as Andhra’s head coach for the 2025-26 domestic season. Stead was the head coach of the New Zealand men’s team from 2018 to June 2025 and oversaw them to the World Test Championship title in 2021. Yohannan moved to the MRF Pace Foundation earlier this year.”Andhra cricket enters a new era under his guidance, aiming for bigger milestones and top-tier performances this season,” the Andhra Cricket Association wrote on social media.Stead, 53, is New Zealand’s most successful coach with three global limited-overs final appearances (2019 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy) and a historic 3-0 Test series win in India. Before that, he had coached New Zealand Women to the final of the 2009 ODI World Cup and the 2010 T20 World Cup. He also coached Canterbury to three titles and a final in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic red-ball competition, from 2013 to 2017.Related

• Stead signs back with NZC as high-performance coach

• Stead calls time on seven-year tenure as New Zealand coach

• Not too high, not too low: Gary Stead did it his steady way

As a player, he made five Test appearances for New Zealand and made 278 runs at an average of 34.75. He also played 101 first-class games and 103 List A games, where he made 4984 and 2173 runs respectively.Andhra had finished sixth in their group in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with just one outright win from seven games. They failed to qualify for the knockouts in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy too, and lost in the preliminary quarter-final in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Andhra will begin the 2025-26 season with a Ranji Trophy game against Uttar Pradesh on October 15.

The lasting consequences of a "disastrous property business" has left former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan on the brink of bankruptcy, having become embroiled in a legal battle with his brother, Sean, in 2016. Finnan, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005, sued his sibling but never saw any money and has since been liable for other legal costs and bills that have not been paid.

• Finnan sues own brother

  The lasting consequences of a "disastrous property business" has left former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan on the brink of bankruptcy, having become embroiled in a legal battle with his brother, Sean, in 2016. Finnan sued his sibling but never saw any money and has since been liable for legal costs and bills that have not been paid.

  After winding down a playing career that 684 appearances for club and country – including spells at Fulham, Espanyol and Portsmouth either side of five years at Anfield, Finnan went into business with his brother. But their property venture failed and the 49-year-old is reported by to have sued Sean some time around 2016 after becoming "concerned about the way the business was being run". That eventually resulted in a High Court settlement awarding the ex-footballer £4 million ($5.3m) in 2018, but Finnan's brother was declared bankrupt a year later without paying up.

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  Series of legal battles

  That was only the start of things, with Finnan going to court multiple times since. The ex-Republic of Ireland international, who played at the 2002 World Cup, launched a £6m ($7.9m) negligence claim against law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, which failed. He subsequently took action against an individual lawyer from the firm over alleged contempt of court. Finnan lost and was lumped with a five-figure bill for the costs. He did not pay and is the subject of a bankruptcy petition at Central London County Court. The former footballer lost another battle when he disputed bills with another firm, Candey, that took over his case and was ordered to pay £120,000 ($158,000).

  Then, a recent trip to the High Court in an effort to appeal aspects of the aforementioned bankruptcy case resulted in a judge telling Finnan that he was simply employing "delaying" tactics. When the bankruptcy petition was transferred to Central London County Court, Finnan had appealed and managed to get the September date for the final hearing cancelled. He argued that complexity warrants a High Court setting, as well as claiming "bias" against him by the judge.

• Finnan's legal challenge have 'no substance'

  When Finnan's appeal against the bankruptcy petition – relating to a costs order less than £50,000 ($66,000) – was refused, Mr Justice Mellor said: "Standing back, it is surprising that Mr Finnan has challenged this directions order… his complaints are largely procedural and have no substance.

  "I refuse permission to appeal and I dismiss the appeal. I also certify this appeal is totally without merit. It was, at all times, completely hopeless. The petition will have to be the subject of further directions. I think they're best given by a judge in the insolvency list."

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  No further court date set

  As it stands, there is no date for the bankruptcy case to return to court. As it stands, there is no date for the bankruptcy case to return to court. It's a temporary victory for Finnan, although given the outcome of his appeal and the judge's comments, it can only be a matter of time before he has to face the consequences.

  Finnan's final game in professional football was for Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. He was believed at one stage to have embarked on obtaining coaching badges, but sought to make his income post-football in property instead and has never held a formal coaching role. In 2020, fans discovered that Finnan had listed many items of his personal memorabilia for auction, including his Champions League medal from 2005, as well as a replica Champions League trophy and signed shirts. His financial troubles may explain why he made that decision to try and cash in.

كشف نادي برشلونة منذ لحظات، عن تفاصيل إصابة لاعبه داني أولمو والتي تعرض لها خلال مباراة البلوجرانا ضد أتلتيكو مدريد بالدوري الإسباني.

أولمو تعرض إلى إصابة قوية خلال مباراة برشلونة ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، في قمة منافسات الجولة الـ15 من عمر الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى، والتي فاز بها البارسا 3-1.

واستطاع أولمو تسجيل هدف برشلونة الثاني، لكن الدولي الإسباني سقط على كتفه مباشرًة ليخرج بعد هذا الهدف مصابًا.

وأكد برشلونة في بيان عبر حسابه الرسمي في “تويتر”، أن أولمو يعاني من خلع في كتفه الأيسر، وتعرض لهذه الإصابة في لقاء الأمس ضد أتلتيكو مدريد.

أقرأ أيضًا .. أول رد من إدارة أتليكو مدريد على برشلونة بشأن ضم ألفاريز

وأشار برشلونة، إلى أن أولمو سوف يخضع إلى علاج طبيعي خلال الفترة المقبلة، بناءً على نتيجة الفحوصات، في حين سوف تستمر هذه الإصابة لمدة شهر.

ويمثل غياب أولمو ضربة موجعة بالنسبة لبرشلونة، حيث لا يوجد لاعب الآن يستطيع اللعب في مركز صانع الألعاب بشكل صريح الآن، في ظل إصابة فيرمين لوبيز كذلك.

ولن يستطيع أولمو المشاركة خلال مباراة برشلونة الأسبوع المقبل ضد ريال بيتيس، والتي ستكون صعبة على الفريق الكتالوني خصوصًا وأنها تقام خارج ملعبه.

ويعتبر أولمو لاعب سيئ الحظ بشكل كبير، حيث دخل اللاعب في سلسلة من الإصابات المتتالية مع برشلونة منعت المدرب هانز فليك من الاستفادة بابن الـ27 عامًا بشكل منتظم.

Sometimes an MLB pitcher delivers a ball to the plate so good there’s simply nothing a batter can do.

Such was the case on Monday night when Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt put away Padres first baseman Luis Arraez.

Pfaadt delivered a changeup that dropped so far off the plate that Arraez nearly lost his footing chasing after it. After his swinging third strike, cameras caught Arraez mouthing “Wow,” simply in awe of his opposition.

Arraez is not an easy guy to make look silly at the plate. As the two-time reigning NL batting title champion, Arraez is used to figuring out a way to get on base. But against Pfaadt on Monday night, he was left looking for answers that never came.

The Diamondbacks would go on to win the game, 6–2.