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Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United side head into this evening’s Premier League clash with Southampton in a quite remarkable run of form, with the Magpies remaining undefeated in their last seven outings – with five of these results coming as wins.

This form has seen the club establish a healthy cushion between themselves and the relegation zone, with Newcastle currently occupying 14th place in the top-flight standings, seven points above Burnley in 18th.

And, a win at St. Mary’s this evening would take the Magpies to within four points of their ninth-placed opponents – a quite remarkable turnaround considering Newcastle’s situation at the beginning of the year.

As such, with yet another victory all but securing the club’s Premier League status this season, Howe must ensure that his team selection is absolutely spot on against Southampton – with one player who looks to be a prime candidate for the chop being that of Jacob Murphy.

Howe must axe Murphy

Indeed, with Allan Saint-Maximin having been ruled out of two of the Magpies’ last three fixtures with a knock, Murphy was handed a brilliant opportunity to stake a claim as a regular starter within Howe’s side.

However, the £3.6m-rated winger failed to make any real impression in the 1-1 draw with West Ham United – completing just 19 of his 31 attempted passes, losing possession of the ball on 21 occasions and losing six of his nine duels – earning a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.8 at the London Stadium.

It was a similar story for the £35k-per-week forward in the 2-0 win over Brentford – completing a mere 14 of his 21 attempted passes, ceding possession of the ball 13 times and losing six of his nine duels – once again earning a rather abject SofaScore match rating of 6.8.

The player who Noel Whelan claimed has “so much ability” also proved to statistically be one of Newcastle’s worst performers in the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend – completing ten of his 16 passes, giving away possession of the ball 16 times and losing seven of his nine duels – earning a SofaScore match rating of just 6.6.

As such, while there is no doubt that Murphy is a player who can provide a “bright spark” – in the words of Alex Miller – from the bench, with Saint-Maximin appearing to be available for selection from the off in the Southampton clash this evening, it would appear essential for Howe to brutally axe the 27-year-old for the Frenchman – as Saint-Maximin’s spark is certainly much brighter.

AND in other news: Huge boost: NUFC handed early injury lift ahead of Saints clash, Howe will be buzzing

Newcastle United sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, beating Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road in a fantastic performance – with the result seeing the Magpies break into the top half of the table.

Eddie Howe’s team have performed miracles since he joined the club – guiding a side who were rock bottom in the Premier League to being 15 points above the relegation zone, sitting ninth after their latest victory.

Newcastle dominated throughout the game away from home, enjoying 55% possession, hitting the target with seven shots and making more accurate passes than their opponents, which led to the side taking their chances to sail to a comfortable victory.

The scoring was opened in the 35th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin swapped positions with Joelinton only minutes before he assisted the Brazilian to make it 1-0, and the tactical tweak continued to pay off when Joelinton found the back of the net to double the lead just before half-time.

In the second half, Newcastle remained confident and dominant with Bruno Guimaraes killing the game by bagging the third in the 49th minute, and from that moment onwards, Norwich were unable to get back into the match.

And, while goalscorer Joelinton did highly impress in Norfolk, it was undoubtedly Guimaraes who stole the show at Carrow Road – with the Brazilian turning in a complete performance that will be giving the Norwich players and supporters nightmares.

Newcastle’s £120k-per-week midfield maestro – who was recently hailed as “magnificent” by Howe – enjoyed a whopping 72 touches of the ball, completed two key passes and, as previously mentioned, got himself on the scoresheet.

The January signing also made four interceptions and two tackles, in addition to boasting an impressive pass accuracy of 95% in the heart of the Newcastle midfield.

Since joining the club, the 24-year-old has featured in 13 Premier League fixtures, winning nine of those games and drawing one – something which clearly indicates that his arrival has had a massive impact on a side who were looking extremely likely to be relegated just a matter of months ago.

There is no doubt that the Newcastle manager, players, supporters and owners will be absolutely thrilled with the progress the team has made in the second half of the season, and there is definitely credit due to the club for identifying such an impactful player like Guimaraes back in January.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Newcastle handed fresh injury lift that will have Eddie Howe buzzing

Everton have seen a number of their players linked with moves away from Goodison Park following a difficult Premier League campaign this season and now a new update has emerged on a fan favourite.

What’s the latest?

According to Football Insider sources, there has been a development in Everton’s summer transfer plans with recruitment sources at Goodison Park revealing that the club would be willing to accept offers of at least £50m for Richarlison this summer.

The reports claim that Everton are confident they will be able to attract offers over the aforementioned transfer estimation.

Supporters will be fuming

Supporters of the Toffees will surely be infuriated with the news that the club will potentially cash in on one of their best players and prospects this summer, as he has proven he would be integral next season in helping Everton steady the ship if they were to stay in the Premier League.

Richarlison has been a loyal and consistent servant for Everton in the forward line offering up 51 goals and 13 assists in 148 appearances, with some incredibly important strikes, particularly this season. As a result, he’s kept the Toffees’ chances alive to compete for a place in the Premier League during a tough relegation battle.

Recently, the Brazilian forward has made the difference in his team securing four points with a last-minute equaliser against Leicester City two weeks ago, and a winning goal against Chelsea in front of the home fans on Sunday afternoon that has kept the side in contention to make the great escape from the bottom three.

His impact during his time at the club has ultimately attracted interest from other Premier League clubs, with Manchester United reportedly interested in the goal machine, however, the value he adds to Everton’s attacking threat should be priceless to Frank Lampard, and the manager should do all that he can to keep hold of one of his star players next season.

Ultimately, Everton’s future in top-flight football hangs in the balance with the side now two points deep into the relegation zone with just five games to go and the future of many players, including Richarlison, will likely remain undecided until their fate is sealed over the next few weeks.

AND in other news: Bye-bye DCL: Lampard must finally unleash Everton’s 19 y/o “exciting talent”

West Bromwich Albion have finished their first season back in the Championship in tenth, which will surely be hugely disappointing to fans who were hoping for their side to bounce straight back into the Premier League this season.

However, after a change of hands in the managerial role with Valerien Ismael being sacked and replaced by four-time promotion winner Steve Bruce in January big changes are set to happen this summer.

Bruce has made it very clear that the squad needs a “major overhaul” during the transfer window, and has spoken out on what he believes is needed to get the Baggies back where they belong in top-flight football.

When asked about transfers, Bruce stated (via BirminghamLive): “I think we need as many as five or six – a major overhaul is needed.

“The supporters need a new face or two who they can get right behind.”

With that being said, a new name has been put into the West Brom transfer rumour mill and if the Baggies could secure the signing of League One Player of the Season, Scott Twine, it could completely solve one of their biggest problems.

According to TEAMtalk, the MK Dons attacker has a whole host of clubs fighting to secure his signature this summer with West Bromwich Albion named amongst Burnley, Norwich City and Middlesbrough, and it’s no wonder when you consider his output for his League One side this season.

Twine who was hailed “magic” by BBC journalist Sanny Rudravajhala, has scored 20 goals and contributed 13 assists in 46 appearances for his team, with 17 big chances created, 2.7 key passes on average per game and successful in the majority of his duels combined (57%), proving that he has real potential and has made a huge difference in MK Dons push for promotion.

The 22-year-old has been attracting high praise from big voices in football, with former Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson hailing Twine a “talent” during his commentary on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday;

“What a talent this kid looks!” Merson remarked after the youngster scored against Plymouth.

West Brom could be onto a major coup here if they can beat off their competitors to the signing of the goal-machine, as he could fit seamlessly alongside midfielder Alex Mowatt to not only create a deadly attacking partnership but to drastically improve the number of chances converted in the team which has been a major problem this season.

Bruce will need to provide a tempting offer for the in-demand midfielder this summer if he has any chance of competing with Burnley and Norwich City for his signature.

AND in other news: Never mind Grant: WBA’s 104 touch star stole the show on Sat, he’s a Bruce masterclass

Junior Firpo’s struggles in the Premier League continued last weekend after Leeds United were thrashed by defending champions Manchester City.

During the encounter, the former Spain U21 international was lambasted as being “woeful” by commentator Andy Townsend, and his defending was dubbed “schoolboy” by BBC pundit Paul Robinson.

The summer signing has endured a tricky start to life in England and it shows no sign of easing up, particularly against the very best the top flight has to offer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

Back in July, the 6 foot left-back signed a four-year deal following his £12.8m move from Barcelona as a replacement for both Gjanni Alioski and Barry Douglas.

Whilst the former was often erratic, he was a far greater and more consistent option.

Leeds are sitting precariously above the drop zone right now, just two points ahead of Everton, who hold a game in hand, and with tricky matches against Arsenal and Chelsea to come, manager Jesse Marsch cannot afford to persist with the 25-year-old.

However, the American head coach has a lack of alternative options, even more so now after the “devastating” injury blow to Stuart Dallas.

However, there could be a viable alternative in Leo Hjelde, a young centre-back by trade but one equally capable of playing on the left. A recent appearance against Arsenal’s U23 setup saw him in the role. ‘Raided forward well down the left at times,’ claimed LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross.

The 18-year-old, capped by Norway at U21 level, made his senior debut for the Yorkshire giants earlier this season, starting at left-back against West Ham – a performance which earned rave reviews from club legend Jermaine Beckford.

He gushed: “The young boy, Hjelde when he came on as well, what a player he’s looking by the way. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. But that’s twice we’ve seen him, twice we’ve seen him against West Ham, against a very physical, very strong, very quick centre forward in Michail Antonio and a tricky player in Jarrod Bowen. I don’t want to say he had them in his pocket, but I think he did.”

Indeed, shutting out both Antonio and Bowen is no mean feat, and Hjelde could repeat such exploits against the Gunners’ mean attack, whether that’s Bukayo Saka or Emile Smith Rowe on the day.

During his time on loan to Ross County, his former manager John Hughes likened him to Virgil van Dijk and dubbed him a “massive talent”, claiming:

“Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk. Trust me on that. The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo. He’s got massive things in front of him.”

If Marsch wants to change the team’s defensive fortunes against some of the big dogs, in this desperate time of need, then he really ought to unleash Hjelde.

He can finally axe the struggling Firpo by doing so, a decision which will surely benefit the side heading into the final few games of the campaign.

AND in other news, Sources: Orta eyeing Leeds bid for £19.8m-rated ace, he’s like “Messi inside the area”…

Fabrizio Romano has relayed a huge update concerning the future of both Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Harry Kane and Spurs manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the word?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist and transfer insider relayed recent comments made by the 28-year-old regarding his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in which the England captain also went on to suggest that – despite recent reports linking the Italian with a move away from north London this summer – the 52-year-old could also remain at Spurs next season – saying he was looking forward to 2022/23.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

In his tweet, Romano said: “Harry Kane tells Standard Sport: ‘I’m a big fan of Conte, it’d be great if he stays. We really enjoy working with him. We look forward to the next season with a great manager. But it’s Conte’s decision – and I’m sure he will talk to the club and decide on his future’.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how important both Kane and Conte are to Tottenham, the former’s suggestion that both he and the 52-year-old could remain at the club next season is sure to have left the Spurs faithful buzzing.

Despite the centre-forward getting off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the season – scoring just one goal and registering one assist over his first ten Premier League fixtures in 2021/22 – ever since Conte’s appointment in the Tottenham dugout back in November, the 28-year-old has burst into life.

Indeed, over his 27 appearances under the management of the Italian, the £90m-rated forward has scored 15 goals and registered seven assists, with these returns seeing the £200k-per-week hitman average a quite incredible SofaScore match rating of 7.34 – not only ranking him as Spurs’ second-best performer in the league but also as the joint eighth-best player in the division as a whole.

However, it is not only Kane who the former Inter Milan boss has had a positive impact on, as Tottenham’s general level of performance has also drastically increased since the time of the Italian’s arrival at the club – with Spurs climbing from ninth to fourth in the league standings under the 52-year-old, picking up a very impressive 53 points over his 27 league games in charge.

As such, should both men remain in north London heading into 2022/23, the future would appear to be extremely bright for Spurs – something that is undoubtedly fantastic news for everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: Paratici must brutally axe £32m Spurs flop, he’s “nowhere near good enough” for Conte

Sydney Thunder allrounder also believes some of the rules would work well in T20

Andrew McGlashan09-Sep-2021Sammy-Jo Johnson, the Sydney Thunder and New South Wales allrounder, believes the Hundred can benefit the women’s game around the world with the increased exposure it has given players.Johnson, who played for Trent Rockets, finished as the tournament’s joint second-leading wicket-taker with 15 at 10.26 and an economy rate of 1.14 runs per ball. She was one of a group of fringe Australia players who took part following the withdrawal of the main international names although Johnson had been in discussions with clubs before the pull outs.She is still undertaking her two weeks quarantine on return to Australia having had three flights cancelled due to the government cap on the number of arrivals, but was prepared for the potential challenges of the journey and was in no doubt of the benefits for both herself and others players who had the opportunity to make a name for themselves.”I just wanted to go over and mix it with some different people, franchise cricket allows you to mix it with some of the best in the world and I had the opportunity to do that with Trent Rockets,” Johnson told ESPNcricinfo. “I wanted to learn from those sorts of people, play in different conditions and try to advance my skill set. I think it opens up avenues, for someone like me it’s an opportunity on a world-class stage with world-class players.Related

• Heather Graham, Sammy-Jo Johnson star as Rockets flex muscle

• Top-placed WBBL team straight into final under new play-off structure

“Especially with the way the world is at the moment, we are going to miss England players and maybe some other internationals who can’t make it to the WBBL and some may pull out due to the restrictions.”Looking at that tournament and seeing how the second tier players like myself [performed] will only be good for them and [maybe] teams will think get them into the Big Bash. It’s like the men’s franchises, you don’t have to be a nationally contracted player to give yourself a name in this short format circuit so I think it will only be beneficial for women’s cricket around the world.”Johnson was also of the belief that some of the new rules used in the Hundred could easily find a place in T20, picking out the new batter being on strike after a dismissal and bowling consecutive overs from one end as being two particularly successful ones.Sammy-Jo Johnson celebrates a wicket for Trent Rockets•Getty Images

“In T20, you might pick up a couple of wickets at the back end but if you still have an ‘in’ batter and you can’t get the new batter on strike that’s where you struggle,” she said. “Taking wickets and having the new person face up was crucial at swinging momentum. I think it’s a great initiative and they should bring it into T20 cricket because think it can swing the game, especially at the back end.”Another hugely successful part of the tournament, which came about due to Covid-19, was the double-header match days involving both the men’s and women’s teams from the clubs involved. It is a structure the Big Bash has moved away from with the WBBL now a standalone competition, but Johnson said the brevity and timing of the Hundred helped it work.”The difference from when we had WBBL and BBL double-headers in the past, you had such a big gap which is why it never worked for us. With the Hundred being such a short game and the way they time it, I think it’s fantastic for the game over there. That real franchise feel, doesn’t matter if it’s the boys or girls team, people were showing up in droves, they wanted to support the Trent Rockets, for example, as a whole.”When Johnson emerges from quarantine she will begin preparations for Thunder’s title defence in the WBBL with the early-season WNCL matches having been postponed to December. She is prepared for the likelihood of another period in quarantine before the tournament but said that players will do whatever is needed.”That’s the common theme around the traps, everyone wants to play WBBL,” she said. “There’s the prospect that if I go home I have to do a double quarantine to then participate and that’s something girls are willing to do so we can put this competition on and keep putting highly entertaining cricket on TV if Covid is going to be around. I’m all about entertaining and hopefully we can put on another good show this year.”

Summary released by club says there was “insufficient evidence” to support claim of institutional racism

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2021Yorkshire have reiterated their stance that they are unable to publish the independent report into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of racism at the club, due to issues “in relation to privacy law and defamation”, following parliamentary pressure to release its findings.Yorkshire distributed a summary of the report and its recommendations on Friday morning, which detailed seven instances of racial harassment and bullying of Rafiq that were upheld by the investigation. Last month, the club issued an apology to Rafiq, saying he had been “the victim of inappropriate behaviour”.Roger Hutton, the club’s chairman, has now gone further and admitted that there is “no question that Azeem Rafiq, during his first spell as a player at YCCC, was the victim of racial harassment”. However, while apologising to Rafiq once again, Hutton also said that the panel had determined there was “insufficient evidence” to support the claim that Yorkshire were “institutionally racist” as a club.The ECB has previously called on Yorkshire to come up with a timeline for publication, while on Wednesday, the chair of Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee, Julian Knight, wrote to the club saying it was “crucial that the process, the report and its full findings are made public and open to scrutiny”.Related

• Azeem Rafiq was 'on brink of suicide' after experiencing racism at Yorkshire

• Yorkshire apologise to Rafiq for 'inappropriate behaviour'

• Rafiq brands positions of Arthur, Moxon 'untenable'

• 'More harm will be done' if Yorkshire don't publish racism report – MP

• Parliamentary committee demands publication of Rafiq report

A spokesperson for Rafiq criticised Yorkshire’s “atrocious” handling of the investigation and said failure to hand over a copy of the report was “an abuse of process”.”We note that Yorkshire County Cricket Club has confirmed Azeem was the victim of racism and bullying during his two spells at Headingley,” the spokesperson said. “However, we must highlight the atrocious way this process continues to be handled. Azeem was not given any notice of this morning’s statement – he received a copy only a couple of minutes before the media.”Azeem and his team are not in a position to properly understand the club’s conclusions and how they reached them, because Yorkshire has not provided a copy of the report. This is clearly unacceptable and an abuse of process.”What is clear is that Yorkshire County Cricket Club admits racism and bullying has taken place on many occasions, yet won’t accept the obvious – that this is an institutional problem.”We also note that Baroness Morgan, the former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has written to Yorkshire County Cricket Club in recent days demanding that Azeem see a full copy of the report. We further note the letter to Yorkshire from Julian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, on Wednesday. We welcome their interventions. We will provide a fuller statement in the coming days.”Ian Watmore, the ECB chair, said: “No one should have to experience racism or discrimination in cricket, and it is very concerning that the independent panel has upheld a number of allegations and concluded that historically Azeem Rafiq was the victim of racial harassment and of bullying during his time at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.”It is clear that the game owes him an apology and we are happy to offer that apology to him. There is simply no place for racism in cricket, and what Azeem experienced was unacceptable. The ECB has only seen the statement and summary report for the first time today, so we will now examine the contents in detail to decide what further action is required.”Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo understands that Mark Arthur, Yorkshire’s chief executive since 2013, has been placed on furlough.In a lengthy statement attributed to Hutton, Yorkshire said they had been given “clear legal advice” that the report should not be made public.”The report and recommendations were delivered to the board on 13 August 2021 and since then the board and its executives have been considering the report and its recommendations and taking legal advice upon them,” Hutton said. “The club has been advised of its responsibilities in relation to privacy law and defamation and as such, is not able to publish the full report. Although our clear legal advice is that the full report should not be made public, the club has instructed counsel to assist it in producing a summary of the report and recommendations which is attached to this statement.”The report shows that there were in excess of 40 allegations made against the club by Azeem Rafiq. The majority were not upheld, and some were not upheld on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. However, seven of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations were upheld. There is no question that Azeem Rafiq, during his first spell as a player at YCCC, was the victim of racial harassment. He was also subsequently the victim of bullying. On behalf of all at YCCC, I wish to extend my sincere, profound and unreserved apologies to Azeem and to his family.”Of 43 allegations made by Rafiq, the report said seven were upheld and the rest fell into two categories: “not upheld” and “not upheld on the basis of insufficient evidence”.The allegations upheld by the panel were as follows:

• “When Rafiq was playing junior cricket for Yorkshire, he was not provided with halal food at matches. This has now been rectified.
• “Prior to 2010 the panel found that there were three separate incidents of racist language being used by former players which were found to be harassment on the grounds of race.
• “Before 2012 a former coach regularly used racist language.
• “During his second spell at Yorkshire between 2016 and 2018 there were jokes made around religion which made individuals uncomfortable about their religious practices.
• “During his second spell at the club, a former player made references to Rafiq’s weight and fitness that amounted to bullying.
• “In August 2018, when Rafiq raised concerns of racism there was a failure by the club to follow its own policy or investigate these allegations.
• “On a number of occasions prior to 2018 the club could have done more to make Muslims more welcome within their stadiums and should have dealt better with complaints of racist or anti-social behaviour within those stadiums.”

However, despite Rafiq’s claims that the racism he experienced during two spells at the club left him on the brink of suicide, Yorkshire’s statement said that the panel “did not find that YCCC made any cricketing decisions in relation to Azeem Rafiq based on his race or religion”.Hutton said: “In being honest and direct about the clear failings at the club that were highlighted in the report, we must also be honest and direct about what the report did not say. It determined that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Yorkshire County Cricket Club is institutionally racist. It did not find that any decisions by the coaching staff or the club, relating either to Azeem’s inclusion within a team or his ultimate release from the club was for anything other than cricketing reasons.”Yorkshire have also committed to pursuing recommendations made by the panel, which include a review of internal policies, ensuring staff undergo training on equality, diversity and inclusion, increased engagement with minority communities, more rigorous policing of “unacceptable language”, and the production of an annual report detailing the club’s efforts on inclusivity.”Looking to the future, the club will now enthusiastically implement the panel’s recommendations and will look to work with a broader group from diverse communities to further develop and improve our inclusivity, accessibility and sensitivity to the pulse of modern Britain,” Hutton added. “We also commit to giving regular updates on our plans and our progress. We should be judged on this over the coming months and will report on our progress at our Annual General Meeting in the spring.”

Chairman promises to ‘avenge’ cancellations when Pakistan meet England, NZ at World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2021Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, has hit out at cricket’s “western bloc”, as he copes with the second cancellation of a home series in a matter of days. England’s decision to withdraw their men and women’s team tours to Pakistan leaves Pakistan’s busiest home season in many a year in tatters. In a video message released by the PCB, Ramiz said that though the decision was disappointing, it was also expected, and he drew on a bullish message of self-reliance and regeneration in response.The PCB has been bristling at the ECB’s decision, officials saying it has left them feeling betrayed. Since the pandemic began, Pakistan have twice toured England, as well as New Zealand and West Indies, only to now see England cite general Covid bubble fatigue as a reason for withdrawing from the tour.”I am severely disappointed in England’s withdrawal but it was expected because this western bloc gets united unfortunately and tries to back each other,” Ramiz said. “So you can take any decision on the basis of security threat and perception. There was a sense of anger because first New Zealand got away without sharing information about the threat they were facing.”Now, this [England] was expected but this is a lesson for us because we go out of our way to accommodate and pamper these sides when they visit. And when we go there, we undergo strict quarantines and we tolerate their admonishments, but there is a lesson in this. That is, that from now on we will only go as far as is in our interest.”Our interest is that cricket will not stop in our country and if the cricket fraternity will not take care of each other then there’s no point to it. New Zealand, then England, now we have a West Indies series that can also be hit, and Australia who is already reconsidering. This – England, Australia, New Zealand – is all one block. Who can we complain to? We thought they were our own but they haven’t accepted us as theirs.”Related

• Pakistan to procure drop-in pitches to simulate Australian conditions

• Justin Langer has a little apocalypse now and then

• Sohaib Maqsood ruled out of T20 World Cup, Shoaib Malik named replacement

• England players' body did not play a part in Pakistan tour abandonment

• England's withdrawal is a slap to Pakistan's face

Though it is too early to start calculating the financial impact of these two tours not happening, or potentially, other hits being taken in the season, some within the board reckon the losses could range from between USD $15-$25 million. There’s been talk of replacement sides coming in to fill the gap – Zimbabwe, a second-string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have offered – but there are logistical difficulties. Instead Ramiz said the lesson Pakistan needed to learn from this was to strengthen from within, so that teams would not even think about pulling out.”We have to improve and expand our cricket economy so that these countries remain interested in playing us,” he said. “That is in our interests as well so that our players are paid better and we are respected more. They come to the PSL where they don’t get spooked or fatigued but collectively they have a different mindset together toward Pakistan.”Though he did not provide details, Ramiz said that Pakistan had begun a formal communication with New Zealand seeking compensation for losses relating to the abandonment of the tour. And as he did a couple of days ago, he again called on his team to take out the frustrations of their players and fans on the field when they finally play at the T20 World Cup.The team’s preparations have been all but wiped out. Pakistan had scheduled 12 T20Is in the run-up to the tournament but a rain-hit series in the Caribbean and these cancellations now means they’ll go into the tournament having completed a solitary T20I of that schedule. The only cricket their players will have now is the National T20 Cup, which starts from September 23.”We go in the World Cup now and where we had one team in our target – our neighbours [India], they now add two more teams – New Zealand and England. So pick up the strength and develop a mindset that we are not going to lose because you didn’t do right by us with us and we will avenge that in the ground.”

LSG begin their IPL 2025 season without four of their first-choice Indian fast bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-20255:41

Should Pant open the batting for LSG?

Fast bowler Mayank Yadav’s recovery from a back injury has been set back by a new toe injury, but Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer is hopeful he will be available for the “back end” of IPL 2025.Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are going into their season opener against Delhi Capitals without four of their first-choice Indian fast bowlers – Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan and Akash Deep – all of whom are down with varying degrees of injuries.”Yeah, we’re very aware that four of our bowlers are unavailable for the first game and probably a couple of the guys for a few games down the track,” Langer said on the eve of the game in Vizag. “But that’s sport, that’s cricket, fast bowling usually gives you some headaches but you just have to adapt. And we’ve all been in the business long enough to know that the fast-bowling injuries is something that you always have to prepare for. You never hope for it, you never wish for it but you prepare for it. So, we might have to change our game plan a little, but knowing that as the tournament goes on, we’ll have some of these excellent bowlers to come back into our attack for us.”Related

• Akash Deep likely to be available for LSG against MI

• Zaheer wants to get Mayank Yadav to a place where he can 'play longer without breaks'

• Shardul joins LSG as replacement for injured Mohsin

• Spotlight on Rahul and Pant as DC and LSG begin new season with new hope

• Rahul joins DC team but availability for opener not confirmed

Yadav, the fast bowler from Delhi who LSG signed last year, has been plagued by injuries since he hit speeds of 150kph and won Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two IPL matches in 2024.”Mayank, who everyone was very excited about last year, he was going quite well (coming back from a back injury), and he kicked his toe on the bed,” Langer said. “He got an infection in his toe. It’s put his rehab back about a week or two weeks. But he’s up and running. We regularly see videos of him bowling. I saw a video of his yesterday. So, hopefully by the back end of the tournament, Mayank will be up and ready to go for us.”Like Mayank, Mohsin was another fast bowler whom LSG retained, but he’s already been ruled out of the season and replaced by Shardul Thakur. Langer, however, was more hopeful of quick returns for Avesh (knee niggle) and Akash (back injury).”Unfortunately, I think Mohsin sustained a small calf injury in his rehab. So, knowing that we had four guys out, we had to make that tough call on Mohsin. We think Avesh Khan will pass his right to play tomorrow morning through the NCA. So, if that’s the case, then he’ll be back sooner rather than later. Akash Deep is up and running, and bowling at about 90% now. I believe he’s done his yo-yo test. So, he’s really ticking off all the boxes.”LSG are playing under a new captain this season, Rishabh Pant, whom they bought for an all-time IPL record price of INR 27 crore at the mega auction in December. His first game is against his former team – DC.