Category Uncategorized

Daniel Farke had to resort to using his third-choice goalkeeper for Leeds United's last match versus Birmingham City, Kristoffer Klaesson drafted in at the last second and keeping a clean sheet to the relief of the German boss.

The Whites were left with no option but to give the unproven Norwegian shot-stopper a chance owing to Karl Darlow picking up an injury prior to the Blues clash and Illan Meslier still being suspended after petulantly picking up a red card away at Preston North End.

Locking horns with a Lilywhites player and lashing out was always going to result in Leeds' first-choice keeper being given his marching orders at Deepdale, with Farke now wondering whether the Frenchman deserves the status of being the number one in-between the sticks after such an outburst.

Transfer rumours indicate that Leeds could well swoop in for this goalkeeper from Italy amidst growing doubts, sensationally waving goodbye to Meslier in the process.

Leeds transfer latest – Bartomej Dragowski

In recent days, TuttoMercatoWeb have reported on the possibility that Leeds will sign Spezia goalkeeper Bartomej Dragowski this January, with the Polish shot-stopper allegedly eyeing up a move away from the Serie B outfit.

Leeds aren't the only club name-checked in the report from England however, with fellow Championship club Hull City also tempted to test the waters and land the 6 foot 3 keeper this month.

Previously on the books at Fiorentina, Dragowski would aim get to his career back on track if signed by Leeds and become a star at Elland Road ahead of Meslier.

The stats that show Dragowski would be a good signing for Leeds

Capped by the senior Poland side twice, Dragowski has been a reliable shot-stopper throughout his career for many different Italian clubs.

Whilst playing for Empoli out on loan from Fiorentina, Dragowski stole all the headlines when he pulled off a remarkable 17 saves in just one game versus Atalanta towards the tail end of the 2018-19 campaign – Empoli singlehandedly kept in the game by the heroic exploits of their loanee, a 0-0 scoreline somehow the final outcome.

It was a loan spell that saw Dragowski enter Empoli folklore, football talent scout Jacek Kulig even labelling him as a "superman" during his time with the relegation candidates.

In the present, however, Dragowski's game time has been cut in Serie B and so Leeds could offer the one-time Empoli monster a chance at redemption.

Leeds could sign Kamara upgrade in swoop for £9m-rated “war machine”

Leeds United could sign this top talent in January to give Glen Kamara a run for his money.

ByKelan Sarson Jan 4, 2024

When the towering stopper has played for Spezia this campaign, the 26-year-old has shown glimpses of why he was so highly regarded early into his fledging career – impressively pulling off nine saves in November for his Serie B outfit versus Cremonese.

In contrast, Meslier has struggled at points this campaign with Leeds routinely cruising in contests and then the nerves are suddenly ramped up out of nowhere due to an erratic error or lapse in concentration from the 23-year-old – who pundit Jamie Carragher previously criticised for having "no presence" in the sticks.

That was seen in Leeds' slender 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle a few months back, Meslier unable to keep the Pilgrims out all game with Ben Waine scoring late on despite the visitors from Devon only registering three on-target efforts.

It could well be a worthwhile buy adding Dragowski to the Leeds ranks this month therefore, further bringing competition to the goalkeeper positions at Elland Road with Farke then faced with the prospect of using four goalkeepers in just one season.

Arsenal's unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United in the evening kick-off. The Gunners came out the wrong side of the result at St. James' Park as Anthony Gordon's second-half strike was enough to secure all three points for the home side.

However, the winning goal was shrouded in controversy after a lengthy VAR check on three possible infringements that eventually saw the goal awarded to Eddie Howe's team.

There was an initial check to see whether or not the ball had gone out of play before a possible foul on Gabriel, and then a possible offside against Gordon. However, none of those three situations could be fully substantiated into a claim to disallow the goal and Mikel Arteta was incensed after the match.

Arteta's comments after VAR controversy at Newcastle

The Spanish tactician described the incident as "embarrassing" and a "disgrace" before going on to say that he is wasting his time as results are in the hands of other people – referees. Arteta went as far as to say that he feels "embarrassed" and is "ashamed" to be part of how the Premier League is using VAR and the technology available to decide matches, in some instances, with their decisions.

Of course, emotions were running high after a tight match that ended in defeat for the London-based outfit, and the choice of words may have been influenced by that. However, Arsenal then released a statement in support of their manager and added that PGMOL must take action to improve the standard of refereeing, as they believe that the league deserves a higher quality of officiating than it is currently getting.

Stephen Warnock slams Arsenal and Arteta

Whilst speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch segment, pundit Stephen Warnock ripped into the Gunners and Arteta for their reaction to Newcastle's winning goal.

The former Liverpool defender started out by questioning why the Gunners boss did not feel "embarrassed" to be involved in the division after Luis Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed for offside against the Reds earlier this season in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. This point was also raised by The Mirror as they reported his previous comments about that VAR mistake that went against Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Gunners boss said that referees and VAR need to be given support and for people to understand that mistakes happen, which was a calmer and more reasoned response than the one he gave over the weekend after Gordon's goal. Warnock then went on to say that the club's subsequent statement was "distasteful" and that it should have been handled in a different way.

Whether or not any of this will lead to an improvement in refereeing or VAR standards remains to be seen, given that the Arsenal boss thinks that he is wasting his time, and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the next major incident of controversy to take place.

ScorecardAfter they were dismissed for 88 and 85 in their previous championship game at Hove, Glamorgan’s batting woes continued at Sophia Gardens on the opening day of their game against Durham. They were dismissed for 154 from 49 .1 overs with tail ender Rory Smith top scoring with 36.Durham had no problems when they batted, with Alex Lees, who has left Yorkshire and signed a three year contract with his adopted county, leading the way to a chanceless half century. The visitors were 75 for 0 at the close, and trailing by 79 with all their wickets intact.Glamorgan were undone by the visitors’ pace attack, with Chris Rushworth and new signing Matt Salisbury sharing six wickets, as the batsmen struggled in overcast conditions.Nineteen overs were lost at the start of the day due to a persistent drizzle, and after Paul Collingwood had no hesitation in bowling first after an uncontested toss, Glamorgan were soon losing wickets against an accurate visitors pace attack.Jack Murphy was the first to go when, after scoring the opening 17 runs of the innings he was well caught low down at third slip off Rushworth, and after Connor Brown and Nick Selman- who had laboured for 26 balls and 46 minutes over his two runs- were out, Glamorgan were 26 for 3 at lunch.Salisbury, who was initially on a loan deal with Durham before signing a contract until 2020, has also played for Essex and Hampshire, and was the pick of the seamers, ending with 3 for 34 from 13 accurate overs.Kiran Carlson and David Lloyd resisted for 16 overs as they shared a partnership of 51 for the fourth wicket, before Carlson, shouldering arms to Salisbury, was bowled off stump. After Chris Cooke went for a duck, also deceived by Salisbury, much depended on Lloyd , but when Collingwood appeared with his cutters, the former England all rounder induced Lloyd to give him a return catch.Smith played an useful knock towards the end, but after Rushworth had dismissed him , Durham’s latest overseas signing, the Indian spinner Axar Patel, ended the innings by taking the final two wickets in nineteen balls.Durham had 28 overs left to bat, and although conditions might have eased, Cameron Steel and Alex Lees set off purposefully, and were seldom in any trouble against the Glamorgan pace attack. Lees was the dominant partner, driving elegantly through the offside and racing ahead of his partner.Lees reached his half century from 53 balls out of 59, which included a large proportion of boundaries -eleven-, but shortly afterwards the light deteriorated and play was called off for the day with eight overs remaining.

Virat Kohli wants to try different players in different roles as India’s tour of the United Kingdom gathers steam

The Preview by Varun Shetty28-Jun-20181:58

Chopra: Bhuvneshwar, Pandya need to do more

Big pictureThere were two particular things in evidence in the first T20I. The more obvious of them was India’s complete difference in class to their opponents Ireland. At no point, other than when catches were being dropped in both innings, did the match come close to being a contest.The second visible feature was that India were definitely in the game to experiment. The inclusions of Suresh Raina and Manish Pandey, at the expense of Dinesh Karthik – who single-handedly won them their last T20I – was the first sign of that. Sending Raina up at No. 3 (he was the only batsman other than the openers padded up during the national anthem) instead of at No. 4, that big batting void of India’s across limited-overs formats, all but confirmed this. And with only one game before the England series, we might see this experimental trend extend. Virat Kohli said at the toss that India were trying to get used to the “cool winds” in this part of the world, and more of their players might be given a chance to do that, particularly those who will be sticking around for all of India’s tour of the UK.Ireland weren’t above experimenting either. It is, after all, the time for their next generation to take over. James Shannon and Simi Singh were offered significant batting roles and that isn’t likely to change any time soon. With top-quality cricket hard to come by as the cricket world debates inclusion, they’re likely to treat this game like India would – a practice match. Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, expected to be at the game on Friday, will have to settle for that.Form guideIreland LTWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWW
Rohit Sharma works the ball into the leg side•Cricket Ireland

In the spotlightKL Rahul is likely to get a shot at the opening position on Friday and it won’t feel any different than all the other times he’s played for India. There will remain a sense that he has to score big just to keep his place in the XI. At least among his fans. Rahul himself is no longer obsessed with perfection in the shorter formats, a reality brought about by a sensational last IPL season. More assured, more mature, the spotlight may finally be what he uses to make runs, rather than score points.After a superb season playing ODIs in India against Afghanistan last year, Andy Balbirnie’s stature as Ireland’s middle-order mainstay had grown. But he hasn’t been able to bring that reputation to bear in T20Is. Mind you, he did make 74 just a few innings ago in the tri-series in the Netherlands, but in nine other innings, Balbirnie has only 98 runs to his name.Team newsUnless they’re tempted to bring in fast bowler Joshua Little, Ireland are expected to play the same XI.Ireland (probable) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 William Porterfield, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Simi Singh, 5 Gary Wilson (capt), 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Stuart Thompson, 8 Stuart Poynter (wk), 9 George Dockrell, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Joshua LittleKohli made no secret of the fact that India will be looking to rotate their squad around. This could mean wholesale changes in all departments. Rohit Sharma is expected to sit out.India (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Suresh Raina, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Manish Pandey/Dinesh Karthik, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Umesh Yadav, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah/Siddarth KaulPitch conditionsThere is no change expected in the pitch or conditions. It continues to be a high for Ireland, in terms of weather, and the flat pitch is expected to stay as dry as it did throughout the opening game.Stats and trivia Shikhar Dhawan is 42 runs away from becoming the sixth Indian to 1,000 T20I runs. Since June 2010, Suresh Raina has made only international fifty in this format.Quotes’We’ve already announced we will experiment with the middle order a lot. Even in the next few T20 games, even in England, we will look to throw in guys and surprise the opposition. It presents an opportunity for those lower down the order to go in and bat at the top. In the next games, we will play the guys who didn’t play today.’

“We don’t have to get ourselves up for anything. Playing in front of 9000 people in Malahide on days like this against the best T20 side probably in the world – if you cannot get up for that you cannot get up for anything else. We have got ourselves down but we will be back up Friday.”

Tom Kohler-Cadmore struck 81 off 63 balls before Fisher won a rain-reduced match with consecutive boundaries

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2018

Ravi Rampaul took five wickets in defeat•Getty Images

ScorecardMatthew Fisher boosted Yorkshire’s Royal London Cup hopes as they beat Derbyshire by two wickets with a ball to spare in a dramatic North Group game at Derby.Fisher blasted an unbeaten 24 from eight balls to chase down a target of 190 in a game reduced by rain to 24 overs a side despite Ravi Rampaul’s best limited overs figures of 5 for 48.Ben Slater made an unbeaten 109 from 82 balls in Derbyshire’s 189 for 6 with David Willey taking 4 for 47 but Tom Kohler-Cadmore replied with 81 off 63 balls before Fisher won it with consecutive fours off Hardus Viljoen.Yorkshire brought in Willey who only arrived back in England from India on Monday night but his first over went for 21 as Derbyshire got off to a flier.The first five-over Powerplay cost 52 runs with Slater hooking Fisher for six to punish Yorkshire who bowled too short and wide but the introduction of Adil Rashid restored some order with Billy Godleman well caught at deep midwicket as only 20 came from the next four overs.Rashid should have had a second but Adam Lyth put down Wayne Madsen on eight at long off and the batsman celebrated by reverse sweeping the final ball of the 11th over for six.Tim Bresnan removed Madsen for 20 when he miscued a pull but after reaching 50 from 39 balls, Slater hit Liam Plunkett for three fours in the 16th over to get Derbyshire back on track.But some momentum was lost when Luis Reece collapsed in pain with an ankle injury and retired hurt at the end of the 18th over and Willey returned to bowl Gary Wilson and have Matt Critchley caught behind first ball.Willey struck again when Alex Hughes pulled to deep midwicket but Slater completed an excellent hundred off 77 balls before hitting two more fours in the final over.Derbyshire opened with Madsen’s offspin and he responded with a maiden but Adam Lyth pulled Duanne Olivier for consecutive sixes before Kohler-Cadmore did the same in Madsen’s next over.Kohler-Cadmore drove Rampaul for six but Lyth skied the seamer high to mid-on and in the next over, Willey top edged Olivier to short midwicket.Derbyshire struck a big blow in the ninth over when their former batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was lbw trying to work Critchley to midwicket and Ballance should have been caught on 11 by the substitute fielder at deep cover.It threatened to prove costly but Ballance was bowled by Olivier for 27 trying to ramp Olivier to fine leg in the 18th over and Bresnan was caught behind off Rampaul in the next over.Rampaul pinned Tattersall lbw to leave Yorkshire needing 55 off the last five overs and although Kohler-Cadmore swung the West Indian to wide midwicket, Fisher’s late assault saw Yorkshire home in the gloom.

Sri Lanka’s batting woes start from the top and that has troubled them for over a year

Jamie Alter in Colombo25-Aug-2008
All the top order really had to do was to see off India’s four key men and attack the fifth, but by the time Yuvraj Singh came on to bowl his part-time spin, Sri Lanka were already deep in the mire © AFP
If Sri Lanka are to turn this series around and add to their Test triumph, their much-vaunted batting line-up has to come out of its current trough. On Sunday, for the second game running, India’s medium-pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel left the batsmen searching for answers. The script read much the same as in Dambulla, the only difference being that Sri Lanka were chasing under lights.Mahela Jayawardene has been the first to admit Sri Lanka have not batted well in the last three games. One or two players have had good days but, as a unit, the batting has failed to either put runs on the board for the bowlers to defend, or chase targets. The problem starts at the top and runs right through.In 24 innings since the World Cup, Sri Lankan openers average 21.23, with only two fifty-plus stands against non-minnow sides (Bangladesh, Zimbabwe). In the last 20 innings, their best start has been 45. During the first 15 overs of these matches, the average runs per wicket has been 22.89, scored at 4.26 runs an over, which converts into an average 15-over score of 64 runs for 2.8 wickets, or effectively 64 for 3. That is just not good enough against top teams.In this series the preferred openers, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, have put on 18, 4 and 18, not once threatening to bolt out of the stables. Jayasuriya, after his feats in the IPL and Asia Cup, was expected to be a major threat but he has disappointed. Not once has he managed to bat out the Powerplays.Sangakkara’s form has been especially worrying. His scores since being promoted to open the innings in the West Indies earlier this year are 23, 28, 1, 101, 0, 112, 121, 7, 4, 19, 2 and 9. Those three hundreds came in the Asia Cup, two against Bangladesh. The last five scores have come against India. His dismissals by Zaheer Khan in the last two matches were classic examples of failing to cope with precision and subtle inswing. Not a natural opener, Sangakkara has been bumped up to get more time at the crease, and against the Indians it doesn’t seem to be working.When asked, earlier in the series, if Sangakkara was not performing due to the pressure of opening, Jayawardene shot back, “When he is scoring centuries you don’t ask these questions. Every batsman has highs and lows. The idea of playing Sangakkara as an opener is to have some senior batsman get more balls to play”. However, with two other specialist openers in the squad, Mahela Udawatte and Malinda Warnapura, the time may have come to use one of them. Warnapura scored good runs in the Test series and Udawatte has impressive scores of 73 and 67 in his last two ODIs.By sticking in a new opener, Sangakkara could then easily slot back into the No. 3 position. He is a firm believer in orthodoxy and batting for time, and he could be better suited to one-drop, where he has batted for most of his careerSri Lanka’s problem is aggravated because their best batsmen traditionally bat at Nos 1, 2 and 3 – a top-order failure invariably puts immense pressure on a brittle middle order. By sticking in a new opener, Sangakkara could then easily slot back into the No. 3 position. He is a firm believer in orthodoxy and batting for time, and he could be better suited to one-drop, where he has batted for most of his career. Jayawardene could then go back to his preferred No. 4 slot. It makes for a more balanced line-up.Chamara Kapugedera’s promotion to No.3 flopped on Sunday but the bigger concern for Sri Lanka is over Chamara Silva, who some locals consider very lucky to be even carrying a bat. He burst onto the scene before the World Cup last year and scored 878 runs at 46.21. His last 11 innings have one fifty; his last three scores read 0, 0, 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, like Silva, remains a livewire in the field but his batting hasn’t clicked. In the last two matches he has attempted to play his shots in desperation and failed.Given that India only had four specialist bowlers yesterday, a change in strategy could have worked. All the top order really had to do was see off India’s four key men and attack the fifth but, by the time Yuvraj Singh came on to bowl his part-time spin, Sri Lanka were already deep in the mire. Dilshan’s decision to attack hurt his team all the more. There are murmurs that Thilan Samaraweera, who benefited from a change in approach, will be selected, though he’s not in the squad.The Premadasa pitch did a lot more under lights, but that is not an excuse Jayawardene will give for another sloppy batting display, because he batted superbly for his 94. Apart from Jayawardene, there appeared an element of complacency on the part of seniors, who disregarded what they’ve urged the younger team-mates to do – stay out there for as long as possible.Sri Lanka’s ODI fortunes have been sliding after darkness descended on that April evening in Barbados during the World Cup final, and they are still searching for the light. Jayawardene spoke in Dambulla about how much of his team’s slump since the World Cup final was because of the batting. The biggest challenge for Sri Lanka, before the series slips away, is to try and overcome their jitters. Jayawardene will surely lead from the front, but the harder part is getting his team-mates to follow his lead.

كشف مصدر مسؤول في الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة، موقف الإسباني أوجستي بوش المدير الفني لفريق كرة السلة بالنادي الأهلي، من تولى مهمة تدريب منتخب مصر.

وشهدت الساعات الماضية أنباء عن طلب أوجستي بوش الرحيل عن النادي الأهلي بعد قضاء 3 سنوات مع الفريق.

وقال المصدر لـ”بطولات”: “أوجستي بوش رفض تدريب منتخب السلة احترامًا لتعاقده مع الأهلي وأنه يركز مع الفريق في الوقت الحالي ولا يريد أن يشغله أي شيء”.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | منتخب البحرين يقلب الطاولة على عمان بثنائية ويتوج بطلًا لـ كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

وأضاف: “روي رانا أبلغ مسؤولي اتحاد السلة أنه يريد ضعف راتبه السابق مع المنتخب، ولن يكون متفرغًا، وهو ما رفضه اتحاد السلة في ملف المدير الفني”.

ونجح أوجستي في الفوز مع الأهلي في الموسم الحالي ببطولتي دوري المرتبط والسوبر المصري، وخسر 4 ألقاب، وهي، الدوري المصري وكأس مصر والبطولة العربية وبطولة إفريقيا.

Everton could now allow a "really good" player to leave the club during the January transfer window in order to keep the same suitor away from Jarrad Branthwaite, according to a new update from Goodison Park.

Everton's January transfer plans

It isn't long until the Blues will once again be able to enter the transfer market, with the opening of the January window just three weeks away. Sean Dyche and his side have enjoyed a superb week or so in the Premier League, winning three matches in a row without conceding a goal, including against Newcastle United and Chelsea, and jumping out of the relegation zone in the process.

That's not to say that new signings aren't needed, however, and Everton have been linked with a move for Lyon centre-back Jake O'Brien, with the 22-year-old Irishman impressing France. Meanwhile, the Blues have also been backed to complete the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker, seeing him as someone who could add depth in the middle of the park.

It does look as though one Goodison player could be set to head the other way, however, in an effort to keep Branthwaite on the books.

Everton to offer up Godfrey to stave off Branthwaite interest

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Everton are willing to allow Ben Godfrey to leave in January, with Tottenham potentially snapping him up as an alternative to Branthwaite, who they are also interested in but the Toffees will refuse to sell.

"Everton are prepared to sell Ben Godfrey to Tottenham in January if a bid is submitted, sources have told Football Insider. Spurs are in the market for a new centre-back in January after losing both Eric Dier and Micky van de Ven to injury in recent weeks.

"The North London side have shown an interest in Toffees duo Jarrad Branthwaite and Godfrey in recent weeks as they look to bolster their defensive options."

This does feel like the natural time to allow Godfrey to leave, even though the 25-year-old is someone who legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti was a big fan of, describing him as a "really good" talent during his time in charge at Goodison. The Englishman is simply not in the current boss' plans however – he has featured for just one minute of Premier League action in total this season, as well as starting one solitary game in the EFL Cup.

James Tarkowski and Branthwaite have become Everton's undisputed first-choice centre-back pairing, and it is hard to see that changing any time soon, so this feels like the right moment for Godfrey to enjoy a fresh challenge.

European giants eyeing "exciting" Everton star who only joined last summer

This would be a huge blow for Sean Dyche…

ByTom Cunningham Dec 9, 2023

He could even flourish under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, should he be given the chance to prove himself, and he is a powerful player who can enjoy a big influence on his day, whether that be at centre-back or right-back.

Everton could receive good money for him, ahead of his Blues contract expiring in the summer of 2025, and the longer they keep hold of him, the cheaper he will become, further highlighting why January is the best time to move him on.

Sunderland have been having to make do without a “fantastic” player because of injury, but a key update has emerged regarding his return, courtesy of reliable journalist James Hunter.

Sunderland's injury problems

The Black Cats were hoping to return from the international break with a win away to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, but that didn't prove to be the case.

Instead, Tony Mowbray's men slumped to a 2-0 defeat on the south coast, and that result coupled with other scorelines throughout the day means that Sunderland have dropped to ninth place in the Championship table.

3 strikers Sunderland could sign to finally replace Ross Stewart

Sunderland have never replaced the potency Stewart showcased on a regular basis at the Stadium of Light.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 22, 2023

In fairness, injuries aren't necessarily helping Mowbray at the moment, with a number of players unavailable as they tackle respective fitness issues.

Defender Aji Alese is one player who is currently absent, with his return not expected to arrive for another few weeks, while youngster Mason Burstow, who joined on loan from Charlton Athletic in the summer, also missed the loss to Plymouth.

Mason Burstow injury latest

Providing an injury update on X after Saturday's game, Hunter claimed that Sunderland loanee Burstow is expected to return to the fold in the near future.

Tony Mowbray expects Mason Burstow back in action very soon after he missed safc's defeat at Plymouth."

Meanwhile, in his report for The Chronicle, Hunter gave more depth on the matter, explaining that Burstow could even be back for the visit of lowly Huddersfield Town at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening:

"Mason Burstow is expected to be available for Sunderland's midweek game against Huddersfield Town despite missing the trip to Plymouth Argyle through injury. On-loan Chelsea striker Burstow has not been starting games recently, with boss Tony Mowbray giving Nazariy Rusyn a chance instead, he but has been involved from the subs' bench.

[…]

"Mowbray did not give any details of the nature of Burstow's injury but indicated that it was a minor issue, saying he is set to train tomorrow and be in contention when the Terriers visit the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening."

Burstow has done a solid job for Sunderland since arriving on a temporary basis from Sunderland, and while he isn't necessarily one of the first names on Mowbray's team sheet, he is still a handy squad player who it is important to have available.

The 20-year-old has started seven Championship games for the Black Cats this season, also making two substitute appearances in the competition, but no goals have come his way, and only one assist.

Sunderland

9

0

Chelsea

3

0

Charlton Athletic

23

6

England Under-20s

2

0

For Burstow to become a more key figure upon his return from injury, he needs to improve his end product, especially considering he is a forward, with his contribution something that could be vital to Sunderland's promotion chances.

The youngster is clearly a talent, with former Charlton manager Johnnie Jackson once describing his progress as "fantastic" and calling him a "really humble young man", and it's now a case of finding some consistency and delivering goals and assists at a more regular rate.

CSA general manager of cricket Corrie van Zyl says tournament will feature established South Africa stars despite clash with Abu Dhabi T20 League

Liam Brickhill12-Oct-2018Cricket South Africa has unveiled the name of its new T20 league. The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) will take place from 16 November to 16 December.”Mzansi” is an isiXhosa word that translates literally to “south”, but in colloquial usage refers to the country of South Africa. The local spin on the league has been central to CSA’s re-strategising after the failed first launch last year.The six MSL teams will be owned locally, by CSA, and the league will be city-based, with CSA having announced the hosting stadiums on Thursday.”I would like to thank everyone involved in putting this milestone project together,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “We look forward to welcoming, and being entertained by, some of the world’s best cricketers. We are also confident that the MSL will serve the dual objective of becoming a launchpad for our next generation of T20 talent.”The event tagline is ‘FUN. FAST. FOR ALL’, which speaks volumes about the competition’s concept.”CSA has also aimed to maximise local viewership on the games on television, and the matches are set to be broadcast exclusively live by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – South Africa’s public broadcaster – on its television and radio platforms.”Our plans are well under way to make the MSL T20 the hottest sport spectacle this summer,” SABC chief operations officer Chris Maroleng said. “South African audiences deserve the best sport content and this partnership with CSA is at the heart of our commitment to deliver this promise. We are putting together a world-class production that will showcase the expertise of the SABC to the rest of the world.”The names of the six participating sides, the marquee South African players and the international signings will all form part of the competition Player Draft Matrix that will be held on October 15.South Africa’s tour of Australia in November concludes with a T20I at the Carrara Oval on 17 November, the day after the MSL is due to begin, and the MSL will clash with the Abu Dhabi T10 League, which runs from 23 November to 2 December, but CSA general manager of cricket and MSL playing affairs director Corrie van Zyl insisted that established names would be part of the event.”We can assure fans that the talent set to participate in the MSL T20 will be top-class, featuring our established Proteas alongside their international counterparts, while also showcasing our up-and-coming local talent,” van Zyl said.