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Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to cut more costs within the club, this time targetting the Manchester United Foundation.

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• Ratcliffe looking for ways to cut costs
• Set to decrease funding to MU Foundation
• Has already reduced staff in recent months

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ratcliffe and INEOS' latest effort to try and make Manchester United more profitable is to slash funding to the club's charity foundation. A report from Sky News reveals that the Foundation uses around £1 million ($1.25m) per year, which will be curbed from 2025 onwards. The work done by those involved includes raising money for charity, putting on events for groups that include children, as well as providing gifts to those in need. The move from Ratcliffe comes soon after he axed funding for former players, which has earned him the nickname of Scrooge from fans.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It seems Ratcliffe is doing his best to ignore the criticism he is facing from fans and former players. With Manchester United still struggling to perform on the pitch, Ratcliffe's actions are being magnified to reflect the anger inside and out of Old Trafford. If he continues on this path, he may find his popularity so low that it is hard to recover.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Since taking over, Ratcliffe has stamped his authority on the Red Devils, approving mass redundancies, cutting matchday costs, scrapping staff bonuses and parties, and even ending support to Sir Alex Ferguson.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RATCLIFFE?

  It is unknown what Ratcliffe's next move will be but it is very unlikely that the cutting of costs will stop there. With everything the shareholder has changed so far, it is still unlikely to even nearly reach the amount United pays on a weekly basis for their biggest stars.

واصلت قنوات “أون سبورت” تحقيق النجاحات في مجال حقوق البث التلفزيوني، حيث أعلنت الشركة المتحدة للرياضة حصول الشبكة على حقوق بث مباريات كأس فرنسا لكرة اليد 2025، لتقديم تغطية مميزة لعشاق اللعبة في مصر والوطن العربي.

ستبدأ “أون سبورت” بثها الحصري لكأس فرنسا لكرة اليد اليوم السبت 8 فبراير، حيث تنقل مباراة باريس سان جيرمان، الذي يقوده النجم المصري يحيى خالد، أمام فريق نانت، في مواجهة قوية تنطلق في تمام التاسعة و45 دقيقة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة. مواعيد مباريات الأدوار المقبلة في كأس فرنسا لكرة اليد

الدور نصف النهائي: سيتم بث مواجهتي 8 و9 أبريل مباشرة عبر قنوات “أون سبورت”.

النهائي الكبير: سيقام يوم 18 مايو في صالة بيرسي الكبرى بالعاصمة الفرنسية باريس، وسيتم بثه حصريًا على القناة.

طالع أيضًا | رسميًا.. اتحاد اليد يُقرر زيادة عدد أندية دوري المحترفين المحترفون المصريون في كأس فرنسا

تشهد البطولة مشاركة عدد من النجوم المصريين المحترفين في الأندية الفرنسية، وهم:

يحيى خالد – باريس سان جيرمان.

سيف الدرع – ليموج.

محمد سند، مهاب سعيد، يوسف عبدالغني – نيم.

West Brom are reportedly readying a player-plus-cash bid for an "excellent" £2m-rated player in the summer transfer window.

West Brom transfer news

The Baggies have made a solid opening to their Championship season, picking up four points from their opening two games, including a 0-0 draw at home to Leeds United on Saturday afternoon. There is hope that Carlos Corberan's side could go one better than they did last season, in terms of reaching the Premier League instead of being beaten in the playoffs.

In order for that to happen, West Brom could do with sealing more transfer business before the transfer window reaches its conclusion, even though they have already brought in the likes of Torbjorn Heggem, Gianluca Frabotta and Devante Cole this summer, among others.

Juventus youngster Joseph Nonge Boende has been linked with a move to West Brom in the near future, with the 19-year-old an exciting young prospect who already has four appearances to his name for the Serie A giants. In fact, the Baggies are even thought to have tabled a bid for his services.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth attacker Daniel Jebbison is another possible target for the Championship outfit between now and the end of the month, as they look to prise him away from the Premier League club, perhaps being able to offer him more playing time.

West Brom eyeing £2m ace in player-plus-cash deal

According to reliable journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon [via West Brom News], West Brom are preparing a player-plus-cash offer for Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles, including Mo Faal as part of the deal.

No specific figures are mentioned, however, the midfielder has a £2m release clause, with Corberan looking to complete an important piece of transfer business to aid his side's chances of returning to the Premier League.

Styles has been a long-term target for West Brom for a reason, with the 24-year-old not only a proven Championship player, making 136 appearances in the competition, but also winning 23 caps for Hungary.

He has also been praised by former Barnsley manager Neill Collins, who has said of him: "Callum's talent is undoubted and again for me, he has been excellent in pre-season. As long as I have got players like that, I will be delighted. I hope I can just help him continue to improve and become the player he has got the potential to be. He's definitely enjoyable for everyone to watch."

Styles could possess the quality in the centre of midfield to make a difference for West Brom this season and beyond, and his versatility also allows him to play at left-back, even though it is a rare role for him.

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Last season, the Hungarian scored three goals and registered two assists in 16 League One starts, as well as averaging 1.8 tackles per game on loan at Sunderland in the Championship, showing that he is effective both in and out of possession.

As for Faal, this could feel like the right time to sell him, with the youngster loaned out to various clubs in recent years, including Doncaster Rovers and Walsall, and being limited to only three senior appearances for West Brom.

GOAL takes a look at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including key matches in Serie A, Bundesliga and Eredivisie

International breaks are over for the foreseeable future, with the USMNT next set to take on Panama in the CONCACAF Nation's League seminfinals in March at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. As a result, this is not the last-minute frantic effort to impress Mauricio Pochettino time of year.

Instead, it's about individual quality, and surviving the chaos of the Christmas period in European football. It is a good thing, from an American point of view, that there are a number of names well-positioned to do so.

Leading the charge – at this moment – is not Christian Pulisic, but rather Ricardo Pepi. The PSV striker is in a rich vein of form, and should bounce Luuk de Jong from the lineup before too long. There's also Tim Weah, who in brief moments has been an attacking X-factor for Juventus – who look so solid defensively that they sometimes forget that you have to do things at the other end of the pitch. Also, a word for the Dortmund duo – yes, duo – with Gio Reyna returning to form and fitness to complement to exciting flashes shown by U.S. U19 international Cole Campbell.

It will all make for compelling watching, especially in Italy and Germany. The Serie A title race is razor-thin, while both Campbell and Reyna could have an opportunity to shake Bayern Munich's title charge in Der Klassiker on Saturday. GOAL US looks ahead at some of the biggest storylines to follow among Americans Abroad this weekend.

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  Ricardo Pepi, prolific goalscorer?

  Let's make something clear: Ricardo Pepi, in all likelihood, won't be playing for Liverpool next year. Nor will he be suiting up for the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester United. That is neither fair nor realistic. But if he keeps banging in goals at this rate, Pepi might just get a step up.

  The American has always run a bit hot and cold as a forward – it's why he burst onto the scene so quickly for the USMNT before falling out of favor. But the "hot" part has been running for more than just a few weeks now. Pepi hit the ground running to start the campaign, and hasn't really stopped.

  In August, the rhetoric was mostly around where Pepi's minutes would come from. These days, it's a question of why Luuk de Jong, the guy ahead of him in the striker rotation, starts any games at all when Pepi is right there.

  With 10 goals in 16 games, five in his last three, he's a constant threat up front. Pepi is in a fine run of form, and seems poised to continue that. PSV have second-place Utrecht – home to fellow American Paxten Aaronson – to worry about on Sunday. A win and they go eight points clear. Lose, and there's a title race in the Eredivisie. Pepi's inclusion, ideally from the beginning, could quite literally define where PSV's season goes from here.

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  Tim Weah to turn things around?

  We could have all seen this coming, right? Juventus, the team that concedes the fewest goals in Europe, and do everything humanly possible not to get hit on the counter-attack, spent their last two games playing out 0-0 draws against counter-attacking sides. Sure, there was hype leading up to Juventus' games against Milan and Aston Villa, but two scoreless draws were fairly easy to call (and likely won't concern Thiago Motta too much, either.)

  The issue is, those scoreless draws can't keep coming forever, and at some point some attacking intent has to emerge. Dusan Vlahovic, a well-rounded striker, is usually the guy to provide. But he is still recovering from an injury, and might not be fully sharp against Lecce on Sunday. Attention, then, turns to Weah, who has grabbed a few timely goals for Motta's side. The Serie A title race is a deviously packed affair, four points separating the top six teams. Win, and hope results elsewhere go their way, Juventus could finish the day in second.

  It will require, perhaps, just a bit more imagination in the final third. Weah, as he has shown for club and country, could be the man to provide it.

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  Christian Pulisic, superstar?

  Just when you thought Christian Pulisic has scored or assisted every kind of goal this season, he adds another to his locker. The latest addition to his fine collection came against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League. The American saw a gap, waited momentarily for a pass, and darted onto a through ball before finishing into the bottom corner. Pace on the ball, and agility in small spaces, has always been Pulisic's thing. Pure speed? Maybe not so apparent.

  But it showed up all the same midweek. At times, it truly seems as if the American has carried Milan this season. And there's some accuracy to that sentiment. Rafael Leao might be the most overtly talented winger for the Rossonieri, but Pulisic is certainly the most materially impactful.

  Milan, at least in an attacking sense, will go as far as Pulisic can carry them. The next challenge is Empoli, a pesky mid-table side. Milan have won just two of their last five. Their opponents have just three Serie A wins all season. Pulisic needs to step up, again.

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  More minutes for Gio Reyna?

  Finally, Reyna returns. And he made it through 30 agreeable minutes as Dortmund won 3-0 in the Champions League midweek. There wasn't much to his performance, but there really didn't have to be. This is a footballer whose upper leg muscles are so fragile that minutes, not performances, mean more.

  There is also perhaps the harsh reality that with the rise of exciting teenage winger Cole Campbell that Reyna is no longer the most relevant American for the German side.

  Either way, it would appear likely that Reyna will have another chance to impress this weekend. A start in Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich would be an immense surprise. Reyna isn't fit enough for a game of this magnitude. But if there ever was a time for him to come off the bench, impact a game, and perform a bit of casual miracle working, it is this weekend. Expectations should be tamed, but Reyna's return could take a leap on Saturday.

The Community Shield is a common staple of the English football calendar, with the traditional curtain-raiser whetting the appetite ahead of the upcoming season.

The latest clash will see Manchester City and Manchester United prepare for battle once again at Wembley Stadium after the Red Devils' FA Cup victory back in May. The Citizens were on the verge of successive domestic doubles, before Erik ten Hag's side secured a derby victory as well as revenge for the previous season's final defeat. Here are all the details you need to know ahead of the clash in early August.

The Community Shield explained

Once known as the Charity Shield, the Community Shield was first played between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers in 1908. It evolved from the Sheriff of London Shield fixture that had been introduced in 1898 as a cup contested by professionals against amateurs.

As a result of leading amateur clubs falling out with the Football Association, the Community Shield was designed to replace the London Shield.

The original format saw the First Division champions play the Southern League champions, and the competition format continued to vary over the years until it was first played between the league and FA Cup winners in 1921.

The competition is organised by the FA, with all proceeds from the annual fixture sent to charities and community-based initiatives around the country, as well as teams in the lower divisions of the English football pyramid.

Funds are usually raised mostly through ticket sales, match programmes, sponsorships and TV deals. Each team competing in the first round of the FA Cup also receives a lump sum for onward distribution to up to three local charities or community projects of their choice.

For example, in 2006, the FA confirmed the Community Shield that was sponsored by McDonald’s raised £880,000, and each of the 124 clubs in the FA Cup that season received £5,000.

Clubs with the most Community Shield wins

Manchester United have the most wins in the Community Shield, with 21 victories in the 30 finals they have played in – including the very first Community Shield win in 1908.

Reigning champions Arsenal have 17 wins following their 2023 triumph on penalties over Man City, while Liverpool are one behind with 16. Everton have nine Community Shield wins, while Tottenham Hotspur have seven.

Man City, Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Leeds United and Leicester City are the only other teams to have more than one Community Shield win.

Manchester United

21

30

2016

Arsenal

17

24

2023

Liverpool

16

24

2022

Everton

9

11

1995

Tottenham Hotspur

7

9

1991

Manchester City

6

15

2019

Chelsea

4

13

2009

Wolverhampton Wanderers

4

5

1960

West Bromwich Albion

2

4

1954

Burnley

2

3

1973

Leeds United

2

3

1992

Leicester City

2

3

2021

How to qualify for the Community Shield

The Community Shield is essentially England’s own version of a Super Cup, contested between the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup of the previous season.

If one team wins both competitions, the Premier League runners-up automatically qualify for the Community Shield, This most recently occurred last year, when top-flight runners-up Arsenal contested treble winners Manchester City in the 2023 final.

Germany’s DFL-Supercup, Italy’s Suppercoppa Italiana, Spain’s Supercopa de Espana and France’s Trophee des Champions are all equivalents of the Community Shield in Europe. Although, unlike the English version, more recent instalments of the Italian and Spanish tournament have featured four teams, including runners-up from the league and cup.

Community Shield match rules

If the match is all square after normal time, the game will go straight to penalties. Four out of the last seven Community Shield matches have ended level after 90 minutes of play, so it is not unusual for this fixture to go the distance.

Arsenal have won all of their last three penalty shootouts in the Community Shield – in 2023, 2020 and 2017 – though lost on penalties in 2003 before embarking on their unbeaten Premier League season.

2024 Community Shield fixture and date

Saturday 10th August

Man City vs Man Utd

3pm

Deemed as the curtain-raiser of the English football season, Man United will face Man City in this year’s Community Shield. It will be the 194th Manchester derby in all competitions and only the third in Community Shield history.

Man United secured their spot in the 2024 Community Shield following their triumph over Man City in the 2024 FA Cup final. Youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored to deny Man City a second successive domestic double.

Man City secured their spot in the 2024 Community Shield when they lifted the Premier League title for the fourth consecutive year in May 2024.

Pep Guardiola’s side finished on 91 points, having won 28 of their Premier League games while scoring 96 goals. Erling Haaland won his second successive Golden Boot in the top flight after bagging 27 goals in 31 league appearances.

Both Manchester clubs will kick off their competitive season a week earlier compared to their fellow Premier League clubs to contest the 2024 Community Shield.

The fixture will be played on Saturday, 10th August 2024, with kick-off expected to be at 3pm.

How to get Community Shield 2024 tickets

Both clubs will be selling tickets through their respective club channels for the 2024 Community Shield. It is always recommended to buy tickets through official club websites to avoid falling victim to a scam.

Manchester City

City have an allocation of 31,500 tickets for the final, with prices ranging from £30-75. Tickets have been sold on a points-based system to season ticket holders and Cityzens members.

Manchester United

Manchester United have now sold out their 31,500 allocation, meaning any United supporters wishing to attend the game will have to obtain tickets from a third party. As ever, fans in this position are advised to proceed with caution to avoid paying over the odds.

Last year, Arsenal and Manchester City each received north of 30,000 tickets. Prices ranged from £10 to £65 depending on seating area and ticket types such as age-specific bands and those who required accessibility arrangements.

Where to watch the Community Shield final on UK TV

The 2023 Community Shield between Arsenal and Man City was shown live on ITV and ITVX, so it is expected to be the same in 2024. It will cap off a busy summer for the station, which is currently broadcasting Euro 2024 matches alongside the BBC.

International cricket returns to India after more than a year, as Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Virat Kohli are all back in action

Andrew Miller04-Feb-20219:30

Will India play five bowlers? Should both Anderson and Broad feature?

Big Picture The stands may be silent at Chepauk this week, but the crackle of electricity will be visceral all the same. The return of international cricket to India after more than 12 months of Covid-enforced absence will bring a wall of emotion shuddering through the contest, irrespective of the sport’s current haunted state. Is it worth the emotional toil, of quarantine and of extended separations, just for the chance to put bat on ball in an otherwise deserted field? Ask any of Friday’s combatants that question or any of the millions tuning in around the world to one of the true marquee sporting rivalries of the 21st century – including, for the first time in more than 15 years, a terrestrial audience in the UK – and you won’t have to dig deep for your answer.The timing of this contest could scarcely be more fascinating either. In their very different ways and in vastly different conditions, both England and India arrive in this series flushed with form and confidence. India’s achievement last month, battling back through ignominy, injury and insult to turn the tables in Australia with one of the gutsiest team performances ever witnessed, is already the stuff of legend. It cements, too, their status as overwhelming favourites, especially as they return to more familiar surroundings. They have lost just once on home soil in their last 35 Tests, while dating back to England’s triumphant tour in 2012-13 was the last time any visiting side claimed a series. Steve Waugh wasn’t bluffing when he referred, many moons ago, to India as the final frontier. It truly is one of the most daunting challenges in the sport.But England, with a renewed focus on Test cricket since their World Cup triumph in 2019 have arrived with a frisson of momentum that cannot be dismissed as a fluke. After spluttering along in the old format for the best part of four years – including their last visit to India in 2016-17 when they were dispatched 4-0 with barely a whimper – they come into this series with evidence of improvements in all conditions and departments. Five overseas victories in a row include two hard-fought wins in Sri Lanka last month, where they may have been gifted a few golden opportunities to claim the upper hand but still had to dig deep to close out the contests. And in Joe Root, resplendent in Sri Lanka with 426 runs in two Tests and now gearing up for his 100th Test, England bring with them arguably the most accomplished player of spin they have ever produced, not to mention a captain eager to make up for lost time.Related

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The series promises, too, a fascinating amalgam of methods – perhaps never better expressed than by India’s final-day surge at the Gabba last month, where Cheteshwar Pujara’s unyieldingly dour half-century showcased everything that is good and proper about old-school Test-match obduracy. That, only for the scintillating swordsmanship of Shubman Gill in the first instance, and Rishabh Pant at the climax, to hack through Australia’s fading hopes in the best and freshest traditions of modern T20 batting.The manner of that victory also demonstrated that those who fear for Test cricket’s relevance in the T20 age simply haven’t been paying enough attention to the grand old format’s proven ability to shape-shift and assimilate. It has absorbed and adapted to meet changing trends all through its existence, and it is arguably doing so again as we speak, with the lockdown lifestyle turning the sport into more of a mental battle than ever before.This week, a litany of combatants – Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Rory Burns and maybe Moeen Ali too – will emerge blinking into the ferocity of a Test match after weeks in stasis, without so much as a middle practice to whet their whistles. Who knows, the upshot might be a contest more akin to a laboratory experiment than a standard Test match – but who could dare suggest that is a less compelling reason to tune in? After the scenes witnessed in Brisbane, when a team of net bowlers and IPL starlets brought about the end to one of sport’s most storied unbeaten runs, there’s no point in trying to second-guess what the right mental attitude can achieve in these extraordinary times.And when it comes to the mental stakes, England can play that sort of a game too – the template for India’s Gabba run-chase wasn’t that far removed from England’s own victory over Australia at Headingley in 2019, a contest in which Stokes played both the Pujara and the Pant role to perfection. And let’s not overlook the timeless mastery of James Anderson and Stuart Broad either, who have been busy this winter reframing the virtues of line and length for Test cricket’s new age. Relentless pressure, allied to imperceptible variation that can only be honed through experience proved once again that defence can often be the best means of attack in Asian conditions.But where those two veterans are concerned, it may yet be a case of either/or for this contest as England balance the need for a strong start with the danger of burning through their resources too quickly. Besides, England also have in their ranks the not-insignificant figure of Archer, whose MVP-winning exploits at the recent IPL will surely influence the manner in which he is unleashed in the coming days. Root was guilty of over-using him in his early Test days, but his handling of Mark Wood in Sri Lanka – in short bursts for the most part, bar one gut-busting effort in the second Test – was far more sympathetic.Archer’s mindset, in fact, is a tale in itself. Few cricketers have looked quite as fed up by the experience of life in lockdown as he did on a media Zoom call in the lead-up to the Chennai Test, but how he processes that frustration could be a key indicator of where this series can be won and lost. As Jurgen Klopp put it in Liverpool’s run to their Premier League title, you need “mentality giants” in times of duress. And no small measure of skill either, of course.Form guide (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WDWLL
England WWDDWVirat Kohli will slot back in at No. 4 after missing India’s last three Tests in Australia•TNCAIn the spotlightIn a series dripping with sub-plots before a ball has even been bowled, the return of Virat Kohli is one of the juiciest of all. India’s captain missed their historic win in Australia after choosing to fly home for the birth of his first daughter, and though he lived the triumph vicariously through social media – a medium through which he’s also made it abundantly clear he has no regrets – his absence has opened quite the can of worms in the captaincy stakes.There’s no questioning Kohli’s status as the supreme leader in Indian cricket – when England were last in India, he dispatched them with a rampant haul of 655 runs in the five Tests. But nor can it be denied that in Kohli’s absence, India’s patched-up squad of talented youngsters responded with pride and vivacity to Ajinkya Rahane’s more understated guidance. Either way, Kohli has proven adept at filtering out the noise throughout his remarkable career, and the debate – if it is one at all – will surely only redouble his determination to get back to leading from the front.When it comes to England’s batting, there’s no looking beyond Root as the prized scalp in England’s ranks. The prowess he displayed in Sri Lanka was exceptional, and the fact that this will be his 100thTest will shine that spotlight all the more brightly on his endeavours. But if Root’s form can be taken as read, then what of the returning Ben Stokes? He missed the Sri Lanka leg of the winter as well as the last two Tests against Pakistan in August, meaning he’s not played a first-class fixture in six months.Also, he’s had just five days of practice since ending his quarantine period on Sunday. He is sure to hit the ground running, as he knows no other way, but expecting him to touch the heights he was showing against West Indies last summer might be asking too much. That said, it is not so long ago that he was smoking a 57-ball century for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL; he of all people knows how to tap into the mental side of his game. Either way, his sheer presence is invaluable for England, not least because it opens up every possible permutation in their team balance.Team news After the patched-up heroics of Brisbane, it’s the return of the big guns at Chepauk. It will be hard to reconcile the India side that ended Australia’s three-decade-long dominance at the Gabba with the XI which takes the field on Friday, but such were the casualties on that extraordinary campaign that wholesale changes are not only inevitable but welcome for the hosts. Most notably, Kohli will stride back in at No. 4 to complete a daunting middle order bookended by the icy temperament of Pujara and the fiery strokeplay of Pant, who will retain the wicketkeeper’s gloves.Meanwhile, Bumrah and Ishant Sharma are fit and firing to resume their new-ball duties after the superb stand-in performances of Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan in Australia. R Ashwin returns too after the back troubles that kept him out at the Gabba, but his spin sidekick Ravindra Jadeja remains sidelined with a broken thumb. Axar Patel is the likely replacement on that front, while Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin is likely to make it a three-spin attack in spite of Siraj’s worthy claims for a third seamer’s berth.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammad Siraj, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit BumrahEngland had already been planning to make up to six changes to the side that won so commandingly in Galle last month before Zak Crawley’s wrist injury tore up the script even further. Two of those had been enforced, following the resting of Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood from this leg of the winter, with Stokes and Archer returning in their place. Burns is also back from paternity leave and is now guaranteed to resume his opening partnership with Dom Sibley although in Crawley’s absence, the identity of No. 3 is anyone’s guess. Root is the obvious choice, though he is allergic to first drop, but has also acknowledged that “everything’s on the table” in selection terms.Moeen is fit again after his bout of Covid-19 and will challenge strongly for Dom Bess’ offspinner’s berth. Ollie Pope is a likely pick, having been officially added to the squad after recovering from shoulder surgery but Dan Lawrence might yet retain his middle-order berth in light of Crawley’s mishap. And then there’s the thorny issue of Anderson and Broad. Both are worthy of being a first-choice pick, but prudence may get the better of them as England seek to manage their veterans through a tough itinerary. Chris Woakes, scuppered by quarantine in Sri Lanka, might be the most versatile final pick.England (possible): 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Rory Burns, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Ollie Pope, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Stuart BroadPitch and conditions Given the strength of India’s pace attack, and – no doubt – the fragility of England’s spin department, the Chepauk groundsman, V Ramesh Kumar looks set to prepare a surface with an unusually “English look”. In the lead-up to the Test, instead of the usual bald surface, there has been a lush covering of grass on the square. Bumrah won’t mind that, but nor you suspect will Anderson and/or Broad – especially now that it’s been confirmed that the series will be contested using a new variant of the SG ball, which has a more pronounced seam and a harder variety of cork in its interior. And if the lack of usual spin assistance may force Ashwin and Co. to work harder for their breakthroughs, then spare a thought for England’s spinners, who may be in for a torrid time to judge by their struggle to stem the flow when the pitches in Sri Lanka were at their most placid.Stats and trivia Root will play his 100thTest a little over eight years after debuting against the same opponents in Nagpur in December 2012. He announced his arrival with a serene 73 in a series-sealing draw, as England claimed a historic 2-1 win. England and India have contested in nine previous Tests in Chennai, including their most recent encounter in the country, which saw India’s innings-and-75-run win in the fifth Test in 2016, with Karun Nair making 303 not out. The last of England’s three victories at Chepauk came in 1984-85, a match famous for Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler’s double-centuries, and Neil Foster’s 11 wickets in the match. India have won each of their last eight home Tests since 2018 – and by a landslide on each occasion. Six victories have been by an innings, with one ten-wicket margin against West Indies and a 203-run win against South Africa. The Chennai Test will be the first to be broadcast on UK free-to-air television in more than 15 years since the fifth Test of the 2005 Ashes, which was also shown on Channel 4. Following the postponement of Australia’s tour of South Africa, this four-match series will decide which team joins New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The full permutations are here, but suffice to say, India are favourites, England have a slim chance and Australia are hoping for favours. Quotes “A lot of sides around the world will look at that series that just happened in Australia and take a huge amount of confidence from it. Huge credit to India for going there and winning. It’s a very difficult place to play, but teams will see that and see that it is possible to win when away from home.”
“The Chepauk pitch looks good to bat on, but I think it will also have something for the quicks. The combination we have had in the past, where players can bat and bowl, will be our outlook going forward.”

Dhawan, Samson, Chahal, Raina and Sreesanth among prominent names to feature in the domestic T20 tournament this year

Shashank Kishore08-Jan-2021When and where will the matches be played?The tournament – a total of 169 matches – will be played between January 10 and 31 across seven venues. The group phase, to be played till January 19, will be conducted in bio-secure bubbles across Mumbai, Vadodara, Indore, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.The knockouts will be played after a gap, from January 26, in Ahmedabad, at the new Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, the largest cricket ground in the world in terms of capacity. The quarter-finals are on January 26 and 27, followed by the two semi-finals on January 29, and the final two days later.Related

Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Suresh Raina look to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for a boost

SMA 2020-21: Six groups, Ahmedabad to host knockouts

Ranji Trophy not yet ruled out, Ganguly keen

Will spectators be allowed to enter?No, the tournament will be played behind closed doors.How many teams are in action and what will be format?There are 38 teams in action, and they have been divided into six groups: five elite and one plate. The elite groups have six teams each, while eight new teams – barring Puducherry – form the plate group. This is slightly different to 2019-20, where the 38 teams were mixed across five groups.Will the plate sides play more games in the group stage then?No, all teams, irrespective of groups, will play five matches in the league phase. This is a reduction from the six they played in the preliminary phase in 2019-20.Six groups, one of them with eight teams – how do they figure out who qualify for the knockouts?In 2019-20, the top two from each group (ten teams in all) made it to the Super League, where they were divided into two pools. Each side then played the other four in their pool with the top two from each making it to the semi-finals.This season, though, the top team from each of the six groups gets a direct entry into the quarter-finals. The final two spots will then be taken by the two teams from the five elite groups with the most points. This could, for example, mean three teams from a single group qualify. If teams are tied on points, the net run-rate will become the deciding factor.Sreesanth gets his Kerala cap for the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy•Kerala Cricket Association Who are some of the major players in action?While most of the marquee Indian players are either in Australia or on breaks or are sidelined because of injuries, there are a host of big names to keep the selectors and scouts occupied.Heading the list are Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi captain), Sanju Samson (captain of Kerala), Yuzvendra Chahal (who will turn out for Haryana), Dinesh Karthik (Tamil Nadu captain), Suresh Raina (he recently retired from international cricket but is still available for Uttar Pradesh), Suryakumar Yadav (the Mumbai captain), Krunal Pandya (Baroda captain) and Devdutt Paddikal (the Karnataka opener).Then there’s Sreesanth, making a return to representative cricket after seven years following the completion of his ban for spot-fixing. Another old hand, Piyush Chawla, will turn out for Gujarat.Any big-ticket names missing out?Yes. Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey are all back in India after travelling with the national team to Australia, but are not available for their teams for different reasons.Hardik, who returned to India in December after the white-ball leg of the Australia tour, is having his workload managed. Rahul returned to India midway into the ongoing Test series after spraining his wrist while training. Pandey will miss out because of a tennis elbow. And Iyer is not part of the Mumbai squad because of a shoulder niggle he picked up in Australia.Who are the defending champions?Karnataka, led by Pandey, pipped a strong Tamil Nadu, which had Karthik, R Ashwin and Vijay Shankar, in a last-ball thriller to lift the trophy last season. This made them the first team two win both white-ball titles in the same season, having won the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. Incidentally, Tamil Nadu were the losing side there too.

Despite excelling defensively under boss Sean Dyche during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Everton have struggled within the attacking third to produce quality on a regular basis.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure both notched up seven goals in the league, but endured droughts throughout the campaign, with the latter failing to score for over four months – a period that saw the club pick up just one win in 15 outings.

The Toffees only managed a tally of 40 goals in their 38 Premier League matches, with only bottom club Sheffield United producing a total fewer than Dyche’s side.

Outgoings will undoubtedly be the focus this summer to boost their PSR standing, but the club should also target a forward, with the Toffees already eyeing up one player to improve the goalscoring situation at Goodison Park.

Everton interested in signing £20m talent this summer

According to reports in France, Everton have entered the race to sign Marseille forward Iliman Ndiaye this summer, in an attempt to improve their lack of goals in recent months.

The 24-year-old only joined the French side for £20m from Sheffield United last summer after their promotion back to the Premier League, but he could be set for a return to England just one year after leaving.

He scored three goals and registered three assists in Ligue 1 last season, a respectable return, but it may not be enough to secure his future at the club.

The journalist claims that Dyche’s side have already tabled an offer for the Senegalese forward, with the club potentially able to land their target who they’ve eyed for many years.

Ndiaye’s potential move could allow the club to move one forward on, following recent interest from fellow Premier League sides for his signature despite his poor recent form.

Why Ndiaye could allow Dyche to forget about Calvert-Lewin

The Englishman has been a great servant for the Toffees after signing for the Blues for £1.5m back in the summer of 2016, scoring 68 times in 247 appearances for the club.

However, given their recent troubles with PSR, they may be forced to offload him, with Newcastle United now looking likely to acquire his services.

Ndiaye would be a completely different option than the 27-year-old, but one that can take the Toffees to the next level, with his excellent ability with the ball at his feet.

Although the Everton man has contributed with more goals and assists in 2023/24, Ndiaye has dominated with his all-round play, adding a new dimension to the Toffees’ attack.

The youngster has performed much better with the ball at his feet, completing two times the amount of progressive passes to his teammates, whilst also achieving a 27% better pass completion rate.

Games

32

30

Goals + assists

9

6

Progressive passes

31

62

Pass accuracy

56%

83%

Take-on success rate

33%

56%

He’s also completed nearly double the amount of successful take-ons than Calvert-Lewin, an example of the quality the “ridiculously talented” forward, as dubbed by the Second Tier Podcast, possesses in the final third.

Whilst Calvert-Lewin has been an excellent servant for the club, should they receive a bid in the region of their asking price, they must allow him to depart with Ndiaye potentially the perfect replacement.

He’s undoubtedly a different style of centre-forward to the Toffees’ number nine, but he would flourish with the current crop of attacking players at Goodison, allowing the club to pull clear of the drop zone next season.

India’s domestic season will get underway from January 1, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said on Saturday. He also said the BCCI has “elaborate plans” for junior cricket and women’s tournaments.The BCCI’s Apex Council met on Saturday to discuss the domestic calendar, which had been thrown in disarray by the surging Covid-19 cases in India.”We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021,” Ganguly told PTI from Dubai.When asked if it would be a curtailed season or not, the former Indian captain said the board won’t be able to accommodate all domestic tournaments, given the situation with the pandemic.”We will certainly have the full-fledged Ranji Trophy. [But] it will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments,” Ganguly said, hinting that the BCCI was eyeing the January-March period for the Ranji Trophy. “We also have elaborate plans for our age-group and women’s cricket. We will start with the Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April.”To minimise travel, matches are likely to be organised in four different centres, one for each of the four groups (A, B, C and Plate). For example, Puducherry can host all teams in the Plate Group.”Puducherry has six grounds and have offered to host. It can host the Plate Group games while the other Groups can play in three different centres. The main motive is to minimise travel for players,” a BCCI official told PTI. “Bangalore also has a lot of grounds so it can be one option. Another option can be Dharamsala which has Bilaspur and Nadaun in its proximity.”Ganguly’s words are likely to give state associations clarity to prepare for their seasons. Most players have been training on their own due to the covid-19 prevalence in India, though earlier this week, Uttarakhand became the first team to start training under one roof.On the international front, the Indian team is expected to tour Australia in the 2020-21 season, to play three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. Ganguly indicated that players would be allowed to train when they are in Australia during their quarantine phase.”Cricket Australia has sent us an itinerary and we discussed the modalities of that itinerary,” Ganguly said. “We will be playing four Tests and that will end in the third week of January.”After returning from Australia, a home series against England is scheduled, but Ganguly said that no final call could be taken on schedules yet.”The England series is good three-and-a-half to four months away,” he said. “We still have time. We are monitoring the [Covid-19] situation, which is pretty fluid and will take a call accordingly.”Hosting the series against England in India (Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Dharamsala being the likely venues) remains a priority, but the UAE – where IPL 2020 is underway – is a second option for the board.A BCCI official added that holding all the T20Is and ODIs against England at two separate single venues was a possibility. Similarly, the Tests could be held in just two venues at the most to minimise travel.

There has been no sanctioned cricket in India since March, and it remains unclear if the BCCI has given its go-ahead to the latest T20 tournament

Varun Shetty13-Sep-2020

All the matches are expected to be held at Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium•Getty Images

The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) is set to launch its own T20 league – the Jharkhand Premier League – on September 15 this year. In an email accessed by ESPNcricinfo, several cricketers who are affiliated with the association were informed of their selection for the league and sent accompanying forms to register themselves for it. They have been asked to report to the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi – with instructions around Covid-19 testing – which is understood to be the host venue for the entire tournament.The tournament’s proposed format of hosting all matches in one venue is not completely in line with BCCI’s tentative plans for the domestic season, which involves creating groups that would exclusively play on four grounds in two cities. But it could well prove to be an unofficial dry run for the BCCI, in terms of handling a safety bubble with multiple teams. At the same time, it is unclear if the tournament has been approved by the BCCI yet, and ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to reach the association were unsuccessful. That said, it is unusual for such a tournament to take place without official sanction, and the letter sent to the players was on official JSCA stationery, which clearly spells out that it is affiliated with the BCCI.The BCCI is currently dealing with the prospect of a severely truncated domestic season, if one happens at all, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been no sanctioned cricket in India since March, and no clear path laid out for resumption apart from a preliminary fixtures proposal that has not yet been ratified by senior management. The radar is trained firmly on the IPL at the moment, which has run into several challenges of its own, including at least a 20-30% drop in revenue for all its franchises, apart from a 50% drop in title sponsorship.In this climate, the JSCA has reportedly signed on two major sponsors as well as a live-streaming partner.The tournament will, however, be without prominent Jharkhand players like MS Dhoni, Ishan Kishan, Shahbaz Nadeem and Varun Aaron, who are in the UAE to take part in the IPL for their respective teams. But the board sees it as an opportunity to provide a platform for upcoming players and keep a strong pool of players ready should there be a domestic season in the works by the end of the year.MS Dhoni and other prominent Jharkhand cricketers are away in the UAE for the IPL•PTI

“The Association is humbled and offers its deepest gratitude to the state government for its proactive support in these despairing times, to kick-start sporting activities in Jharkhand,” JSCA president Nafees Akhtar Khan was quoted as saying in the .The league will reportedly have six teams representing Jharkhand’s six zones and run for 33 days. The teams will not be franchise-based. “The six teams representing six zones include Ranchi Raiders, Dumka Daredevils, Dhanbad Dynamos, Singhbhum Strikers, Jamshedpur Jugglers and Bokaro Blasters,” JSCA secretary Sanjay Sahay was quoted as saying in the . “The teams shall comprise only of players who are registered with the JSCA from the state of Jharkhand. Nearly 100 players will be part of the tournament. There will be no franchises or team owners.”The email Sahay sent out to the players included a document on Covid-19 protocols, which lays out the ways in which a bio-secure bubble will be created at the stadium. The letter of selection stated that players would only be allowed into the bubble after submitting negative reports for Covid-19 before leaving from their homes. Upon reaching the venue, the guidelines are along expected lines – physical distancing, no saliva on the ball, no sharing of equipment, no exits from the bubble, and so on. The players are going to be provided three sets of “accommodation kits” for the duration of their stay, one set of “dressing room kits” for each match, and two sets of “sports attire”. Players have been told to use personal vehicles or unshared taxis to reach the venue.There is also a provision for those with symptoms: “Any player/support staff suspected of having Covid-19 like symptoms during their stay shall undergo RT-PCR tests for Covid-19. Two tests one day apart (Day 1 & Day 3) shall be done to account for false negatives. If both the test results are negative, only then they shall be allowed to take further part in the league.”