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تلقى نادي الزمالك انفراجة بشأن مستحقات لاعبيه الأجانب، بعد الأزمات الأخيرة المتعلقة بإنذارات بعض النجوم، وسط محاولات الإدارة لتوفير الأجواء المناسبة لاستمرار الفريق في المنافسات المختلفة دون أي عقوبات أو مشاكل قانونية.

وفي خطوة دعم للنادي، تبرع هاني برزي عضو مجلس إدارة الزمالك بمبلغ مالي ضخم، يهدف لسداد مستحقات اللاعبين الأجانب.

اقرأ أيضًا.. اتحاد طنجة عن عبد الحميد معالي بعد فسخ عقده مع الزمالك: حالته النفسية ممتازة

ووفقًا لمصادر بطولات، فإن المبلغ الذي قدمه برزي يصل إلى 25 مليون جنيه حوالي 400 ألف دولار، كقرض حسن للنادي، بحيث يتم الاتفاق لاحقًا على إعادته دون أي فوائد، مما يسهل على النادي التعامل مع مستحقات اللاعبين.

واللاعبون المستفيدون من القرض مثل خوان بيزيرا، محمود بنتايج، شيكو بانزا، عدي الدباغ وآدم كايد، الذين أنذروا النادي رسميًا مع التهديد باللجوء للفيفا حال عدم السداد.

وتسعى إدارة الزمالك عبر هذا الدعم المالي لتفادي أي أزمات قانونية أو خصم نقاط محتملة من الدوري، مع محاولة استعادة الانضباط المالي للفريق قبل انطلاق المنافسات المقبلة.

مصادر مقربة من النادي أكدت أن الاتفاق مع هاني برزي سيضع إطارًا محددًا لإعادة المبلغ في موعد لاحق، مع التأكيد على أن القرض سيكون دون فوائد، لتجنب أي عبء مالي إضافي على خزينة النادي.

الخطوة جاءت بعد تصاعد التوتر داخل الفريق بسبب المستحقات المتأخرة، وتعد بمثابة حل مؤقت يسهم في استقرار الأجواء مع اللاعبين الأجانب.

And how many visiting players have played their one and only Test at Lord’s?

Steven Lynch17-Jun-2025Both No. 1 openers in the WTC final were out for ducks. How often has this happened? asked Kirsty Grosvenor from Australia

You’re right that Usman Khawaja, No. 1 on the Australian scorecard, was out for 0 (from 20 balls) on the first day of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last week, and he was followed later in the day by South Africa’s Aiden Markram (six balls; he did rather better in the second innings).This was only the tenth time in all Tests that the batters at the top of the order for both teams were out for 0 in the first innings of the same match (only considering the man who faced the first ball). There was no such double in the first 100 years of Test cricket: the first instance was in the match between Australia and India in Melbourne in 1977, when the rival No. 1s, Sunil Gavaskar and John Dyson, both fell for 0 in the first innings.The most recent occurrence before last week was in Hobart in the final Ashes Test in 2022, when David Warner and Rory Burns both collected ducks at the top of the order. Here’s the full list, of No. 1s being out for 0 in the first innings of a match.Does Pat Cummins now have the best bowling figures by an Australian captain (or any captain!) in a Test? asked Dane Kristoffer from Australia

Pat Cummins took 6 for 28 in South Africa’s first innings in the World Test Championship final. They were the best figures by a captain in the 147 Tests at Lord’s, beating Bob Willis’ 6 for 101 for England against India in June 1982.Cummins’ figures are the fourth-best by an Australia captain in a Test, behind the 7 for 44 of Ian Johnson against West Indies in Georgetown in 1955, Allan Border’s unlikely 7 for 46 vs West Indies in Sydney in 1989, and Monty Noble’s 7 for 100 against England in Sydney in 1904.The best bowling figures by any captain in a Test match are 9 for 83, by Kapil Dev for India against West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983. Here’s the full list of best bowling performances by Test captains.Apparently Australia had played South Africa at Lord’s in a Test before – when was this? asked Stephen Bashenga from South Africa

Last week’s World Test Championship final was indeed the second time Australia and South Africa had met in an official Test at Lord’s. The first one was in 1912, during an ambitious Triangular Test tournament that was rather spoiled by the weather. In the match between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s – the fifth of the tournament’s nine games – Charlie Kelleway and Warren Bardsley made centuries and the Australians won by ten wickets.Fionn Hand’s only Test to date came at Lord’s two years ago•AFP/Getty ImagesAustralia also played a Test against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, as security concerns at the time precluded playing in Pakistan. Steven Smith made his debut in that one, which means he’s played Tests at Lord’s against three different opponents, a record for an overseas player. He’s also the leading Test run-scorer among visitors to Lord’s.How many people have played their one and only Test at Lord’s? I mean visiting players – I imagine there have been lots of Englishmen… asked Matthew Rowell from South Africa

If you’re only going to play one Test match, it would be special to do it at Lord’s… and, rather to my surprise, there are currently only three overseas players who fit the bill. The first two did it for India: Lall Singh, the Malaysia-born batter (and superb fielder) who played in their inaugural Test, in 1932, and opening batter Ghulam Parkar, who made two single-figure scores in a defeat in 1982. The third man might yet play again: Fionn Hand won his only Test cap for Ireland so far at Lord’s in 2023.A total of 14 England players have won their only Test cap at Lord’s, the most recent being legspinner Matt Parkinson, who stepped in as a concussion substitute against New Zealand in 2022. For the record, the others are Stanley Christopherson (1884), Walter Mead (1899), John King (1909), Alf Dipper, Jack Durston and John Evans (all in 1921), Harry Smith (1928), Johnny Arnold (1931), Jim Parks senior (1937), Frank Smailes (1946), George Pope (1947), Alec Coxon (1948) and Simon Brown (1996).In last week’s question about players who had appeared in every edition of the IPL, did you miss out Ravi Jadeja? asked Brij Mohan Mahagaonkar from India

You worried me there – I knew that Ravindra Jadeja featured in the inaugural IPL, in 2008 – but actually he missed the third one, in 2010, after running into contractual problems. He therefore just failed to emulate MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Rohit Sharma in playing in them all so far.Jadeja is one of five players who have appeared in 17 of the 18 editions of the IPL. Three of the others featured in every season until the most recent one: Shikhar Dhawan, wicketkeeper-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik, and another keeper, Wriddhiman Saha. The other man is Ajinkya Rahane, who did not play in 2010. R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra and Jaydev Unadkat have all appeared in 16 IPLs.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the transfer market in the last few months has been a huge success, with the board completing deals for numerous top-level talents.

Thomas Frank will no doubt have been hoping the hierarchy would have given him the opportunity to improve the options at his disposal ahead of his debut campaign in North London.

The biggest deal came in the form of Mohammed Kudus, with the winger costing a total of £55m from Premier League rivals West Ham United – a fee that already looks to be a bargain.

He’s already registered four assists in his first two league outings for the Lilywhites, with the Ghanaian currently the joint highest goal creator in the entire division.

However, with January rapidly approaching, the Dane will no doubt be eying up further deals to help his side be competitive in England’s top-flight and in the closing stages of the Champions League group stage.

Spurs’ hunt for added attacking reinforcements in January

Over the last couple of days, Spurs have been named as just one Premier League club currently in the race to sign Brentford forward Kevin Schade in January.

The German has caught the eye of Frank once more, after the 51-year-old previously signed the attacker during his stint in charge at the GTEC Community Stadium.

It’s been reported that the Lilywhites are already working on a winter deal for the 23-year-old, with a fee in the region of £48m mooted for his signature at present.

However, he’s not the only forward-minded player on their radar, with the hierarchy also currently considering a move to sign Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo.

The latest report from one Spanish outlet states that the board see the Japanese international as a priority target for the upcoming window, with a £52m price tag, the ballpark figure right now.

It also states that the 24-year-old is keen on a switch to the Premier League in the coming months, seeing such an opportunity as a chance to take his career to the next level.

Why Spurs’ £52m target would be a huge upgrade on Johnson

Spurs haven’t been alien to a big-money attacking signing, as seen by Kudus’ arrival in the summer, but Brennan Johnson is another player who falls into such a category.

The Welsh international cost a staggering £47.5m back in the summer of 2023, joining the Lilywhites from Nottingham Forest in an attempt to improve the right-wing position.

His time in North London over recent years has certainly been topsy-turvy, with numerous highs often being overshadowed by various moments to forget for the 24-year-old.

He’s previously been subject to vile online abuse from his own supporters on social media, but it’s safe to say he proved all of them wrong with his Europa League-winning goal last season.

Frank’s arrival gave the winger the chance to build on his success in 2024/25, but it’s been a couple of months to forget for Johnson, as he’s dropped down the pecking order – whilst being sent off in Kudus’ absence against FC Copenhagen.

It could be about to get a whole lot worse for the forward should Kubo arrive, with the Japanese star certainly pushing last campaign’s top-goalscorer down the order further.

He may be an unknown quantity to many, but when comparing his stats to those of Johnson from 2025/26, they highlight how much of an upgrade he would be on the current winger.

Kubo, who’s been labelled “world-class” by former Barcelona star Xavi, has completed more progressive carries and passes per 90 – numbers which showcase his desire to get balls into dangerous areas whenever possible.

He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst notching more key passes per 90 – which could allow him to add a more creative presence to Frank’s first-team squad.

Other tallies, such as more take-ons completed and more carries into the final third per 9,0 reaffirm his ability with the ball at his feet, which could take some of the responsibility off Kudus in the process.

£52m would be yet another huge statement of intent from the board after the summer deal to land the Ghanaian, but it showcases the ambition they do have to take the Lilywhites to the next level.

As for Johnson, such a deal would all but end his career in North London, with the board desperately needing to offload him to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

Forget Palhinha: Spurs star is fast becoming their best player since Kane

Tottenham Hotspur have hit the jackpot on one player who is becoming as crucial as Harry Kane.

By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 7, 2025

West Indies chased down a paltry target of 123 with 46 balls to spare, and avoided a whitewash

Ekanth30-Sep-2025

Nepal came into Sharjah eyeing a historic whitewash but ran into a revived West Indies side that put on the perfect game. However, that shouldn’t take away too much from their impressive feat of completing their first series win against a Full Member nation.Ramon Simmonds, one of the two changes they made, took a match-winning three-for after West Indies made the right call of bowling first on a pitch that was slow and offered regular sideways movement. Openers Amir Jangoo and Ackeem Auguste capitalised under easing conditions to take West Indies to their first ever ten-wicket win.Nepal’s start was sedate but secure with Kushal Malla and Bhurtel often in control of their shots. Bhurtel even whacked Mayers on the roof in the third over. The first sign of danger was Hosein getting turn and bounce in the third over to beat Bhurtel’s sweep, and the shot did connect the next ball for a six over square leg. Nonetheless, free-flowing strokeplay wasn’t to be seen.The effect of Nepal facing 20 dots in their 37-run powerplay was slightly mitigated by three fours and two sixes.Holder found success right after the powerplay using his high release and bounce. Malla was nearly caught behind trying to drive on the up through cover, Fabian Allen ran back from cover and dropped a tough chance off Bhurtel, and Malla’s edge was found the last ball.The spinners capitalised on the slowness and the sideways movement on offer. Hosein spun the ball away from around the wicket to beat the bat twice in the eighth over.Bhurtel and Paudel tried to break free after two quiet overs. After a first-ball six, both batters could’ve been out. Paudel survived an lbw as Hosein overstepped, but Bhurtel was caught at slip playing the reverse sweep. He wasn’t happy as the ball may have gone off just his forearm.Simmonds had a late introduction with Nepal needing to play within themselves. His lengths were often short or full and he bagged the wickets of Paudel – gloved pull to the keeper – and Aarif Sheikh – upper cut to deep third – in his first two overs. In between, Gulsan Jha was run out after taking a head start too far before running back. Nepal made 62 for 5 in the middle overs despite West Indies dropping two chances.Simmons and Blades took two wickets each in the death overs. A couple of boundaries from Lokesh Bam and Sundeep Jora took Nepal to 122.West Indies’ chase got off to a flier. In the first over, Auguste ensured that West Indies, too, hit a six on the roof. Karan KC was punished upon offering pace and missing his line. The openers peppered the leg-side boundary. With a four in each of the next four overs, West Indies bossed the 47-run powerplay.Paudel dropped a simple chance off Auguste, on 29, at cover. There were no further chances of a Nepal comeback, certainly not after Mohammad Aadil Alam was taken down for 18 in the ninth over. Jangoo losing his bottom hand but still driving over long-off showed just how well he timed the ball.Jangoo then went into top gear, smacking five sixes in his last nine balls. The back-to-back sixes off Paudel, that started the carnage, brought up his 38-ball fifty. Auguste played second fiddle as West Indies reached home with 46 balls to spare.

Chelsea dropped points for the second game in a row, suffering a disappointing 3-1 defeat away to Leeds United at Elland Road. The Blues put in a lacklustre performance in a tough environment, and never really managed to get into the game.

It was a poor start for Enzo Maresca’s side, who went 1-0 down inside the first six minutes after a fast start from the Whites. It was slack defending from a corner, with Jaka Bijol making a darting run from the edge of the penalty box and heading home at the near post.

The home side doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time. It was yet more questionable defending from the West Londoners, who let Ao Tanaka have acres of space just outside the area. The Japanese international unleashed a vicious shot which nestled into the back of the net.

Chelsea did pull a goal back, with just 50 minutes on the clock. Pedro Neto managed to shake off his marker and pull to the back post, firing home Jamie Gittens’ cross.

It was all in vain, though, after a defensive error with 18 minutes to go meant Leeds scored a third and sealed the win.

It was a disappointing night for Chelsea, with some particularly worrying performances across the board.

Chelsea’s worst performers vs. Leeds

There were some notable bad showings from a few of Maresca’s men against Leeds. One of those came from Tosin Adarabioyo. It was his error which led to Leeds’ third goal and all but secured the three points for the West Yorkshire side.

The former Fulham man received the ball inside the penalty area and took a heavy touch before playing a five-yard pass back to Robert Sanchez.

It was a frustrating lack of awareness from the Chelsea number four, who put his goalkeeper under pressure from the Leeds press.

Another member of the Chelsea side who struggled was centre-forward Liam Delap. It was a night where the Blues’ number nine seemed isolated. Aside from a snapshot in the second half, which he fired over the crossbar, he did little to trouble the Leeds defence.

One person who was critical of Delap’s performance at Elland Road was Goal journalist Tom Ritchie. He gave the English striker a 4/10 for his efforts, and described him as a ‘bystander’ during the first half.

Those two Chelsea stars were not the only players to struggle on Wednesday night, though.

Maresca could boldly bench £180k-per-week Chelsea star

It was a night to forget for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine, who captained the Blues at Elland Road, struggled to get any sort of control in midfield.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Perhaps that coincided with the fact that his usual partner in the centre of the park, Moises Caicedo, was suspended.

Chelsea’s number eight was arguably at fault for Tanaka’s goal. He was dispossessed in midfield, facing his own goal, with the ball breaking loose, a situation Leeds capitalised on.

This weighed into the 3/10 rating he got from Ritchie, who said he ‘looked rattled at times’. Indeed, Fernandez’s stats from the game show how much of a tough night it was.

Normally, so good on the ball, the £180k-per-week asset only had a pass accuracy of 77% in the Whites’ half, losing the ball 21 times. He also failed to complete a dribble or a tackle.

Touches

106

Opposition half pass accuracy

77%

Number of times ball lost

21

Unsuccessful touches

5

Ground duels won

1/4

Tackles

0

Dribbles

0

After a showing like that, it will be interesting to see if Maresca keeps Fernandez in the starting lineup for their next game against Bournemouth this Saturday. He certainly struggled without Caicedo next to him, and Reece James inverting from right-back.

There are options at his disposal, too. Cole Palmer is now back from injury and played 30 minutes at Elland Road on Wednesday. Whether or not he can play from the start remains to be seen, but he could slot into the side.

Alternatively, James could be brought back into the starting XI and operate in midfield, as he has done this season to a good degree of success.

Fernandez’s performance at Elland Road was disappointing, and it would not be a surprise if he dropped out of the side, especially with options at Maresca’s disposal.

As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again

Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.

ByRobbie Walls Dec 4, 2025

Phil Foden spared Manchester City's blushes as he struck late to snatch a 3-2 win after his side had chucked away a two-goal advantage at half-time. Foden scored in the very first and last minutes of the game, rescuing all three points for Pep Guardiola's side which could prove vital at the end of the season. Josko Gvardiol bundled in a second goal in a dominant first half from the hosts.

But everything changed after the break as relegation-threatened Leeds put up a fight for their under-pressure boss Daniel Farke. They produced a spirited comeback and even believed in victory themselves but Foden diminished that, deciding the game with a brilliant finish from outside the area in the first of the 10 minutes of additional time. 

The England forward scored the fastest Premier League goal of the season to give City the lead after 59 seconds, firing in first time after a cross from Matheus Nunes. The midfielder was denied a second goal by a brave block from James Justin, who threw himself in front of the ball from close range, and then by a super save from Lucas Perri. 

Leeds could only resist the City dominance for so long, though, and the second eventually arrived from a corner, Gvardiol sliding in to stab home following Nico O'Reilly's knockdown, helped by some abject goalkeeping from Perri.

City had the bit between their teeth and pushed for a third before half-time but to no avail, with Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders having shots blocked and Perri repelling a strike from Nico Gonzalez, while O'Reilly headed wide.

Leeds came out for the second half with a double substitution and a totally different mindset and they immediately pegged City back. They fired out a warning minutes after the restart when Donnarumma patted a free-kick away only for it to land at the feet of Ethan Ampadu, with Reijnders making the block. One minute later Dominic Calvert-Lewin halved the deficit, losing the ball on the turn then snaffling it back off Nunes to strike. City's nerves began to set in and Leeds then won a penalty when Gvardiol rushed into a tackle on Calvert-Lewin and sent him flying.

Donnarumma guessed right to parry Nmecha's penalty but the rebound fell straight back to the German forward for him to tap in the leveller. The Etihad fell silent but when Foden buried the ball in the bottom corner after dribbling across the outside of the box, the stadium erupted and secured a valuable three points for Guardiola and his troops.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma (5/10):

After a placid first half he didn't transmit much confidence under pressure. Flapped at a free-kick, did the hard part saving the penalty but sent the ball to the worst place possible.

Matheus Nunes (4/10):

His bright forward play which led to the lightning-quick opening goal was cancelled out by his clumsy defending gifting Calvert-Lewin the goal that made Leeds believe. His botched clearance gave Leeds possession again and then after tackling Calvert-Lewin he surrendered the ball to him.

Ruben Dias (5/10):

Had a flawless first-half display but couldn't show the necessary leadership when Leeds grew in confidence.

Josko Gvardiol (4/10):

Like Nunes, his poor defending undid his good work in doubling the lead. Couldn't communicate with Nunes for the first goal and then produced an awful tackle for the penalty.

Nico O'Reilly (6/10):

A strong physical display, showing his hunger by attacking Perri from the corner and setting up Gvardiol. 

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Bernardo Silva (5/10):

Didn't really put his usual stamp on the game.

Nico Gonzalez (6/10):

Dominated the first half, barely giving Leeds any glimpses behind him. Struggled to adapt to the visitors' changes.

Tijjani Reijnders (6/10):

Contributed his share in defence and attack although was the first to come off when Guardiola wanted a reaction.

Getty Images SportAttack

Phil Foden (9/10):

Dangerous and decisive from start to finish. Could have had a hat-trick in the first half and when everyone else had lost belief he grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck and won it.

Erling Haaland (5/10):

Failed to score for the third game in a row, barely getting a chance in front of goal. He obediently did his defensive work, though, and was a useful presence nullifying Leeds' ariel threat.

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

Couldn't do his useful damage and struggled to prise Leeds' defence open down his left flank.

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Rayan Cherki (6/10):

Gave City a bit more guile going forward and gave the ball to Foden for the crucial strike.

Omar Marmoush (N/A):

Saw a header saved by Perri one minute after coming on.

John Stones (N/A):

Brought on in the 95th minute to run the clock down.

Pep Guardiola (6/10):

A very strange game for the coach to digest, pure dominance followed by a loss of composure and belief. To his credit, his changes helped swing the game back in City's favour, even though he owes Foden a massive pat on the back for digging him out of the hole.

And does Varun Chakravarthy have the best bowling figures in a losing cause in T20Is?

Steven Lynch05-Feb-2025Sri Lanka used only four bowlers in Australia’s huge total in the first Test. Was this a record? asked Aditya Agarwal from India
Australia’s first innings in Galle last week reached 654 for 6 before Steve Smith declared. You’re right that Sri Lanka used only four bowlers, who sent down 154 overs between them.It was not only the highest Test total in which only four men bowled – previously Australia’s 528 against India in Adelaide in 1981 – but also the highest in all first-class cricket. That mark was previously 533, by South Africa in an unofficial Test against an Australian XI in Port Elizabeth early in 1987.There have been two Test innings longer than 154 overs to feature only four bowlers. In Rawalpindi in 1997, Pakistan used only four in 167.5 overs as South Africa made 402. But the most deliveries came in Sydney in 1951, when England used only four bowlers in 129 eight-ball overs – equivalent to 172 of six balls – as Australia reached 426. One of those England bowlers, Denis Compton, sent down only six overs – but Alec Bedser delivered 43, John Warr 36 and 40-year-old Freddie Brown 44.Three of Sri Lanka’s bowlers last week conceded more than 180 runs: this has happened only once before in a Test innings, in Sri Lanka’s own record total of 952 for 6 declared against India in Colombo in 1997. The bowlers then were Rajesh Chauhan (1 for 276), Anil Kumble (1 for 223) and Nilesh Kulkarni (1 for 195 on debut; his wicket came from the first ball he bowled).Gudakesh Motie top-scored in the match as West Indies beat Pakistan last week. How often has the highest individual innings in a Test come from a No. 9? asked Shane Chintamani from Guyana
It turns out that Gudakesh Motie, who made 55 in the second innings of West Indies’ dramatic series-squaring victory over Pakistan in Multan last week, was only the tenth man to make the highest individual score in a Test match from as low as No. 9 in the order.The list includes Reggie Duff, a batter who usually opened but who went in at No. 10 on his debut for Australia against England in Melbourne in 1902, and scored 104.The other No. 9s who top-scored in an entire Test were Clem Hill (160) for Australia against England in Adelaide in 1908 (he usually batted much higher, but had been ill), Ian Johnson (73) for Australia vs India in Madras in 1956, Asif Iqbal (146) for Pakistan vs England at The Oval in August 1967, Warren Lees (89) for New Zealand vs Sri Lanka in Christchurch in 1983, Wasim Akram (66) for Pakistan vs West Indies in Faisalabad in 1986, Fanie de Villiers (67 not out) for South Africa vs India in Ahmedabad in 1996, Brett Lee (62 not out) for Australia vs West Indies in Brisbane in 2000, and Shaun Pollock (111) for South Africa vs Sri Lanka in Centurion in 2001.Was Usman Khawaja the oldest man to score a maiden Test double-century? asked Emil Chandran from Australia
When he reached his double-century against Sri Lanka in Galle last week, Usman Khawaja was 38 years 43 days old. He was the 12th man to score a Test double-century after turning 38: Don Bradman of Australia and India’s Vinoo Mankad both made two.The oldest man to score a Test double-century remains the South African opener Eric Rowan, who was 42 when he made 236 – his first and only double – against England at Headingley in 1951. Jack Hobbs was 41 when he scored 211 (also rather surprisingly, his maiden Test double-century) for England vs South Africa at Lord’s in 1924. Another Englishman, Patsy Hendren, reached his maiden Test double-century on his 41st birthday, against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1930. Graham Gooch of England and South Africa’s Dudley Nourse both also scored Test doubles after their 40th birthdays. Mankad and England’s Andy Sandham were also older than Khawaja when they reached their maiden Test 200s. For the list, click here (note that the ages given are at the start of the match in question).Varun Chakravarthy is the only bowler to have taken two five-fors in losing causes in T20Is•BCCIVarun Chakravarthy took a five-for in a T20 international against England the other day and lost – and it was the second time he’d done that. What are the best T20I figures by someone who ended up losing? asked Lakshmi Narayanan from India
The Indian legspinner Varun Chakravarthy took 5 for 24 in the second T20I against England in Rajkot last week, but he still finished on the losing side, as he did when he claimed 5 for 17 in Gqeberha last November.In all there are 28 instances of a bowler taking five or more wickets in a losing cause in a men’s T20Is, and Chakravarty is the only one to have done it twice. The best figures in a defeat are 6 for 12, by the Hong Kong seamer Nasrulla Rana against Papua New Guinea in Kuala Lumpur in 2023; Chakravarty’s 5 for 17 are the best figures in vain in a match between two Test-playing nations.There were 53 men’s Test matches in 2024. Was this a record? asked Andrew McKenzie from England
The number of men’s Tests in 2024 has been exceeded only twice before: there were 55 in 2001, and 54 in 2002. What’s noticeable is that there were 12 draws in 2001, and eight in 2002, but only three last year. The last time there were as few as three draws was 2020, when Covid meant there were only 22 Test matches all year.For the list, click here. Note that this is worked out by the start date, which means a few Tests which straddle the new year are not credited to the second year. This does not affect any of the top 25 or so entries, except 2013 and 2014 – one Test started on December 30 and continued into January 2014 (so arguably the totals for those years should be 43.5 and 41.5).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

كشف ليونيل ميسي، أسطورة كرة القدم ونجم نادي إنتر ميامي، عن طموح منتخب الأرجنتين في منافسات بطولة كأس العالم العام المقبل، كاشفًا في الوقت ذاته عن أفضل مدرب في التاريخ من وجهة نظره.

ميسي سبق وأن صنع المجد مع الأرجنتين، حيث قاد منتخب بلده إلى الفوز ببطولة كأس العالم عام 2022، والتي أقيمت في قطر.

ويتطلع ميسي إلى كأس العالم العام المقبل، والتي سوف تلعب في كندا والمكسيك والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بينما يمتلك منتخب الأرجنتين تشكيلة قوية.

وأكد ميسي في مقابلة مع شبكة ”ESPN”، على رغبة لاعبي منتخب الأرجنتين في صنع التاريخ مرة أخرى والحصول على لقب كأس العالم.

وقال ميسي: “الفوز بكأس العالم صعب للغاية، أي فريق يمكنه أن يصعب الأمور عليك ويقصيك، قد تصطدم الكرة بالقائم وتخرج، أو تصطدم بالقائم وتدخل وهكذا تنتهي رحلتك، أو قد تخسر بركلات الترجيح”.

وأوضح ابن الـ38 عامًا: “في كأس العالم الأخيرة، كان الحظ حليفنا، فرغم تفوقنا الكبير في مباراتينا ضد هولندا وفرنسا، انتهى بنا المطاف بالفوز بركلات الترجيح”.

وأردف ميسي: “خلال ركلات الترجيح، كان لدينا إيميليانو مارتينيز الذي قادنا للفوز، لكن من الممكن أن تصل إلى ركلات الترجيح ولا تفوز، من الصعب جدًا الفوز بكأس العالم”.

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وتابع: ”نعم، أعتقد أن هذه المجموعة ستحاول الفوز بكأس العالم مرة أخرى وستبذل قصارى جهدها وتقاتل”.

وأثنى ميسي على مدربه السابق في برشلونة والمدرب الحالي، لمانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، موضحًا أن الأخير هو أفضل مدير فني في التاريخ.

وواصل ميسي: “بالنسبة لي، جوارديولا فريد من نوعه، هناك مدربون ممتازون للغاية لكنه يمتلك شيئًا مختلفًا، بالنسبة لي هو الأفضل بينهم جميعًا”.

واستكمل ميسي في حديثه: “عندما يتعلق الأمر برؤية الأمور، والتحضير للمباريات، والتواصل مع اللاعبين، فهو متكامل للغاية”.

واختتم: “إنه الأفضل، وكنا محظوظين بوجوده في برشلونة، لقد اجتمع مع اللاعبين الذين كانوا لدينا وتشكلت العناصر المناسبة لتحقيق ما أراده، وتحقيق كل ما تم تحقيقه”.

واعترف ميسي بأن عائلته وقفت بجانبه تجاه الانتقادات التي كان يتلقاها من قبل جماهير الأرجنتين، حيث قال: “عائلتي هي كل شيء بالنسبة لي. كانوا دائمًا بجانبي فهناك لحظات صعبة مررنا بها مع المنتخب الوطني”.

وأضاف ميسي في حديثه: ”كنا نتحدث عن كل مباراة قليلًا من قبل، كنت أفكر في المباراة القادمة وكنت أعود من الأرجنتين وألعب بعد ثلاثة أيام مع برشلونة، كنت أعيش واقعين مختلفين”.

وأوضح: ”في برشلونة، كنا نفوز بكل شيء، كنت ألعب بشكل جيد وأسجل الأهداف، ثم أذهب إلى المنتخب الوطني ولا أحقق النتائج المرجوة. كانوا يلعنونني. كانوا يقولون لي أشياءً كثيرة، مثل أنني لم أعد أشعر بالقميص أو أنني لست أرجنتينيًا أو أنني لن ألعب بعد الآن، أو أنه لا ينبغي لي حتى أن أكون هناك”.

وأردف: ”كانت عائلتي تمر بوقت عصيب للغاية، وفي تلك اللحظة بالذات، تقدر أكثر كل الحب الحقيقي الذي يكنّه الناس لك ووقوفهم بجانبك”.

وتابع: ”ولطالما كنت محظوظًا لأن عائلتي قريبة مني جدًا ، نحن متحدون جدًا، تمامًا مثل عائلة زوجتي وهذا يسهل كل شيء لأنهم يتصرفون مثلنا”.

وأشار ميسي إلى رغبته في المشاركة في كأس العالم، حيث قال: “آمل أن أكون هناك، لقد قلت سابقًا إنني أرغب في ذلك”.

وأضاف: “في أسوأ الأحوال، سأكون حاضراً لأشاهدها مباشرة، لكنها ستكون بطولة مميزة. كأس العالم مميزة للجميع، لأي بلد وخاصةً لنا، لأننا نعيشها بطريقة مختلفة تماماً”.

وأشاد ميسي بكثرة المواهب الأرجنتينية خلال السنوات الأخيرة، حيث أوضح: “يستمر ظهور لاعبين جدد، فإلى جانب اللاعبين الحاليين  تستمر الوجوه الجديدة في الظهور، عندما تكون هذه المجموعة كهذه يسهل على اللاعبين الجدد التأقلم”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه ليس مهووسًا بالأرقام القياسية والإحصائيات، إذ أردف: ”يركز الناس اليوم كثيرًا على الإحصائيات وأنا شخصيًا لا أحب الإحصائيات، لا أعتقد أنني مضطر للتسجيل أو التمرير فقط لتحقيق رقم قياسي أو تجاوز لاعب آخر”.

واختتم: ”أعيش اللعبة وأستمتع بها، أحب أن أكون حاسمًا ومنخرطًا في مجرى المباراة لكنني لا ألعب من أجل الإحصائيات ولم أعطها أهمية قط، كل شيء حدث بشكل طبيعي، ليس لأنني كنت أسعى لتحقيق أرقام أو محاولة تجاوز أي لاعب، الأمور حدثت ببساطة لأنها حدثت”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه يرغب دائمًا في تحقيق الانتصارات، حيث قال: “لطالما كنت تنافسيًا، أحب الفوز وأسعى إليه، مررت بفترات صعبة ولحظات صعبة خلال مسيرتي لكنني دائمًا ما أواصل المحاولة وأنهض من جديد، باحثًا دائمًا عن الأفضل”.

وأضاف: “العديد من الأمور التي حدثت لي لا أدركها أو أقدرها إلا الآن، عندما تكون مركزًا أو منغمسًا في روتينك اليومي، يكون الأمر صعبًا للغاية، طوال مسيرتي كنت ألعب كل ثلاثة أيام ودائمًا ما أخوض مباريات مهمة، وأُكافح دائمًا من أجل تحقيق أهداف مهمة”.

وأوضح: “كنا نفوز بمباراة وبعد شهر نخوض مباراة أخرى، أو يبدأ عام جديد ويكون علي الالتزام بالفوز بكل شيء، متطلبات اللعب في نادي كبير مثل برشلونة والأمر نفسه ينطبق على باريس، وكذلك على الأرجنتين حيث عليك دائمًا بذل قصارى جهدك للفوز”.

وأردف: “في معظم الأحيان لا يحدث ذلك أو يكون صعبًا للغاية، ولكن منذ البداية تكون عقليتك هي الفوز بكل شيء، ويمنعك روتينك اليومي من الاستمتاع بالأمور”.

وتابع: “ما هو قادم أهم مما حدث ومع مرور الوقت، تبدأ بتقدير الأمور أكثر بكثير”.

واعترف ميسي بأنه يحلم في العودة مرة أخرى إلى نادي نيولز أولد بويز، والذي بدأ معه مسيرته الكروية، حيث قال: “لطالما قلت إن حلم طفولتي كان اللعب مع الفريق الأول لنادي نيولز، كنت أذهب إلى الملعب وألعب هناك، وحلمت بأن أصبح لاعبًا محترفًا في الدوري الإسباني،  ثم تغيرت حياتي تمامًا لأنني غادرت في الثالثة عشرة من عمري وظهرت لأول مرة مع برشلونة، وكل ما حدث بعد ذلك”.

وقال: “إنه شيء لم أتخيله أبدًا ولا حتى في أفضل أحلامي، عشت تجارب أكبر بكثير مما كنت أحلم به”.

وأضاف: “الحقيقة هي أنني لطالما كنت متهورًا بعض الشيء في الملعب، عندما تدخل الملعب تتغير شخصيتك، خارج الملعب كنت خجولًا ومنطويًا وفي الملعب كنت أتحول ، أصرخ، وأجادل، وأريد أن أفعل كل شيء بشكل صحيح، وما زال هذا يحدث حتى اليوم”.

وأوضح ميسي: ”إنه جزء من اللعبة وكل شيء يبقى فيها، ألعب دائمًا للفوز وأشعر بالغضب، وفي تلك اللحظات لا أستطيع التحكم بمشاعري،  بالنسبة لي كل ما يحدث يبقى في الملعب”.

Arsenal suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, surrendering their five-point lead atop the Premier League table in dramatic fashion.

Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time winner completed a remarkable comeback for Unai Emery’s side, dealing a significant blow to the Gunners’ title aspirations.

Matty Cash gave Villa a deserved first-half lead with a thunderous finish at the back post in the 36th minute, capitalizing on Arsenal’s struggles to contain the hosts’ energetic pressing.

The right-back’s half-volley from a deflected cross caught David Raya off guard, sending Villa Park into raptures and rewarding the home side’s dominant opening period.

Mikel Arteta responded decisively at the interval, introducing Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino.

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The Belgian substitute made an immediate impact just seven minutes into the second half, converting a rebound after Emiliano Martínez could only parry Bukayo Saka’s initial effort. Trossard’s poacher’s instinct at the back post hauled Arsenal level and appeared to shift momentum decisively in the visitors’ favour.

Arsenal dominated possession throughout the second period, creating numerous opportunities to snatch victory. Noni Madueke struck the side netting late on when well-positioned, while Declan Rice orchestrated attacks from deep despite struggling with the calf complaint that troubled him against Brentford midweek.

However, Villa refused to surrender tamely.

Emery’s tactical substitution proved inspired as Buendia replaced Matty Cash in the 85th minute, pushing the hosts into a more aggressive attacking shape with Lamare Bogarde dropping to right-back.

The Argentinian playmaker delivered the decisive intervention deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside Arsenal’s penalty area and firing home to secure all three points.

The defeat represents Arsenal’s second loss of the campaign and ends their 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions. More significantly, it allows Man City the opportunity to reduce the gap at the summit to just two points, should they defeat Sunderland later today.

Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal – best players

Match Rating

Emiliano Martínez

7.8

Declan Rice

7.7

Matty Cash

7.5

Boubacar Kamara

7.5

Martin Odegaard

7.2

via WhoScored

For Villa, the victory extends their remarkable home form to just one defeat in their last 25 league matches at Villa Park, maintaining their challenge for Champions League qualification while sitting third in the table.

It also begs the question, are Emery’s men now genuine title contenders?

Stuart Pearce says Youri Tielemans stole the show against Arsenal

With that debate now set to rumble on, former England defender Stuart Pearce has picked out one Villa star to thank for an absolutely incredible afternoon for Emery in the Midlands.

Commenting on the game for talkSPORT, Pearce named his Player of the Match — £150,000-per-week midfielder Youri Tielemans.

The Belgian international apparently stole the show against Arsenal, with Pearce calling his display in the engine room ‘outstanding’.

Tielemans, who is out of contract in 2027, has just made a firm case to the Villa hierarchy when it comes to his long-term future.

The 28-year-old returned to full fitness fairly recently after missing six league games with a calf problem and was left out of the starting eleven for Villa’s thrilling 4-3 win at Brighton.

Emery’s decision to start Tielemans today was a masterful decision, and that performance will give the player huge confidence ahead of Villa’s trips to FC Basel and West Ham.

England head coach defends opener despite pair as methods come under scrutiny

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Nov-2025

Zak Crawley bagged the first pair by an England opener since Mike Atherton in 1998•Gareth Copley/AFP/Getty Images

Brendon McCullum still believes in Zak Crawley despite his pair in the first Test against Australia, and has called on England bat with more conviction following their two-day defeat in Perth. The visiting head coach even cited Travis Head’s match-winning 123 as an example to follow.Head made light work of what looked a more-than-competitive target of 205, driving Australia most of the way home to an eight-wicket win in just 28.2 overs. With Usman Khawaja yet again suffering from a back injury, Head replaced Marnus Labuschagne (who opened in the first innings) and proceeded to slap 20 boundaries, including four sixes that belied the size of the Optus Stadium boundaries.As well as flaying an England attack that 24 hours earlier had put the frighteners up the home batters, Head was responsible for the first runs for an opening partnership in the Test. The first overs of the previous three innings had brought ducks. Crawley was responsible for two at the hands of Mitchell Starc. Jake Weatherald – knocked off his feet by Jofra Archer on day one – maintained his footing with 23, his first runs in Test cricket.A careless waft outside off stump six balls into the match was followed by a checked-push five balls into his second innings, brilliantly caught by Starc. With that, Crawley became the first English opener dismissed without scoring in both innings of an Ashes Test since Michael Atherton at Melbourne in 1998.Pegged as a batter to thrive on Australian pitches, England have groomed Crawley as an X-factor player ahead of this tour. He has been backed to the hilt by captain Ben Stokes since the start of his tenure.Though Crawley was the leading run-scorer in 2023’s Ashes, and England’s standout run-scorer on the following tour of India, he has averaged just 32.26 since the start of 2022. His career average – 30.96 – is close to dipping under the thirty mark.McCullum has previously insisted Crawley is not picked to be “a consistent player”. Essentially, he is a scorer of great runs rather than a great run-scorer. That point of view remains undimmed, as is his importance in an opening partnership with Ben Duckett that remains the fastest since 1998. Travis Head starred as an opener with an extraordinary 69-ball century•Getty Images

“We believe he is a quality player,” McCullum said, when asked if Crawley was undroppable. “Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.”He’s been around this group for a long time, he’s done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I’d expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn’t. But that’s life. If he can get going, he can do some damage.””If” being the operative word. Crawley is now joint-fourth on England’s duck list from 96 innings – the only member of that top five to have batted fewer than 142 times in Test cricket. And the suggestion he cracks on when he gets a start is not backed up by the statistics. The 27-year-old has 24 fifty-plus scores, but of openers with at least 20, his average of 85.80 is the third lowest.Of course, Crawley is not the sole batter to blame for the fact England are 1-0 down. It was a top-order collapse of 5 for 23 – including Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root across six deliveries for no run – that relinquished what had been a lead of 105 with nine second-innings wickets in hand.It was Scott Boland who thrived during this passage, eventually finishing with 4 for 33, making amends for a difficult 0 for 62 in the first innings.Related

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Having bested the 36-year-old on Friday, England were unable to get a hold of him on Saturday. A mistake, in McCullum’s eyes, which he puts down to batters not wholly committed to their respective methods. Unlike Head.”Maybe just back away and slay it over point, or slog it to cow?!” McCullum said, tongue in cheek, when asked how England might have batted better. “I’m not saying they didn’t go hard enough, but there was a player [Head] who had total conviction in his method and has done it across different formats and on different stages over the last few years.”‘Have conviction’ – that’s been what we’ve said. Choose a method and have conviction in it. If it works then great. But if it doesn’t at least you’ve done it your way.”Despite the early finish, England are set to remain in Perth for the time being before heading straight to Queensland ahead of the second Test, a day-night affair in Brisbane, which begins on December 4.A decision is yet to be made on whether any of the main squad will drop into the England XI – originally the Lions – for the Prime Minister’s XI match in Canberra (November 29), which will offers them pink-ball practice. Most importantly for McCullum is shedding the pain of this whirlwind defeat as quickly as possible.”We will let the dust settle, but we are bitterly disappointed for us, but also all the fans who have turned up here to support us so well here and we know we will be throughout the series.”We can’t carry this one onto the next. We’ve been trying to insulate against things going wrong for a while. For us that connectivity and camaraderie is something we pride ourselves on. We will need it over the next few days.”