أعلن الاتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم منذ قليل، عن قائمة المرشحين للفوز بجائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا، والتي يتم منحها عن عام 2025 الحالي، حيث يتواجد عشرة لاعبين مرشحين للحصول عليها.
وكان الحاصل على جائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا العام الماضي هو أديمولا لوكمان، نجم نادي أتالانتا، لكنه غاب عن قائمة المرشحين خلال هذا العام.
وجاء على رأس قائمة المرشحين للحصول على جائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا نجم نادي ليفربول ومنتخب مصر، محمد صلاح، والذي قدم موسمًا رائعًا مع الريدز.
وقاد محمد صلاح ليفربول إلى الفوز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز الموسم الماضي للمرة الـ20 في تاريخه، وحصل على جائزة هداف البطولة أيضًا.
اقرأ أيضًا.. قائمة المرشحين لجائزة أفضل لاعب داخل إفريقيا 2025.. نجم الأهلي ورباعي بيراميدز
كما حجز فيستون مايلي، نجم بيراميدز، موقعه ضمن المرشحين لأفضل لاعب في إفريقيا، بعدما قاد فريقه للفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، للمرة الأولى في تاريخ النادي السماوي.
واستبعد بشكل مفاجئ عمر مرموش، نجم مانشستر سيتي من قائمة المرشحين، بالرغم من المستوى الرائع الذي قدمه خلال الموسم الماضي مع أينتراخت فرانكفورت، ثم مانشستر سيتي.
وتواجد أشرف حكيمي مدافع باريس سان جيرمان، ضمن قائمة المرشحين، بعد مستواه الاستثنائي مع النادي الفرنسي خلال الموسم الماضي وتحقيقه لثلاثية تاريخية مع نادي العاصمة الفرنسية والتتويج بدوري أبطال أوروبا. المرشحين لجائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا 2025
Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Arsenal and their plans to sign a new striker, amid their widely reported talks for RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.
Arsenal hold talks over signing Benjamin Sesko
Near the end of May, it became evident through reliable media sources that Sesko had emerged as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta’s prime striker target.
David Ornstein: Arsenal consider deal for player as "done and signed"
Gunners chiefs are extremely confident.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 11, 2025
Arsenal entered “concrete” negotiations with Leipzig over a deal for the Slovenia international, who’s fresh off the back of a productive campaign where he scored 21 goals and six assists in all competitions.
Since then, talks have been ongoing and advancing cautiously (Fabrizio Romano), with reliable journalist Ben Jacobs sharing that the major sticking point in this potential transfer is Leipzig’s financial demands.
According to his information, Arsenal want to strike a deal for Sesko at around £60 million, whereas Leipzig want to sell for nearer £70 million.
“They have discussed whether or not there is flexibility beneath the variable release clause, set at the moment around €80 million,” said Jacobs on The Football Terrace last week.
“That’s why that one’s taking time, because Arsenal want to do Sesko for €70 million, or within that ballpark.”
Sesko is also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, even if his priority is to stay in Europe (The Telegraph), but so far, no middle ground appears to have been found on the final price, despite some reports that the 22-year-old has already agreed personal terms.
If they cannot reach an agreement with Leipzig over Sesko, Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres apparently remains on their radar as an alternative.
Viktor Gyokeres on Arsenal list if Benjamin Sesko talks fail
That is according to Romano, who reports in his GiveMeSport newsletter that Gyokeres is on Arsenal’s target list in case talks for Sesko fall through.
“It’s an open race for Gyokeres,” said Romano.
“He remains on Arsenal list in case Sesko deal doesn’t happen, Man United have called his agents again over the weekend.”
The “underrated” and “exciting” 26-year-old bagged an incredible 54 goals and 13 assists last season, spearheading Sporting to their first domestic double win in 20 years, but it is worth noting that he might not be much cheaper than Sesko.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas poured cold water over reports that Gyokeres and the club have an agreement that he can leave for £59 million this summer, telling the Portuguese press that he will indeed cost more.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.”
Sporting Club's Viktor Gyokeres.
While this comes as a statement which Arsenal need to be aware of, Varandas does guarantee that Gyokeres will leave for less than his £84 million release clause.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now. For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old, and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m euros or 90m euros.”
da fazobetai： Chamada de “Torneio Mundial de Campeões” ou “Campeonato Mundial de Clubes” pela imprensa brasileira na época, a Copa Rio foi um torneio internacional de clubes de futebol disputada por dois anos seguidos, no Brasil. Em agosto de 2014, o campeonato de 1951 foi reconhecido como mundial pela FIFA. O vencedor naquele ano foi o Palmeiras.
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Com o retorno da Copa do Mundo em 1950, a ideia era realizar uma versão do torneio de seleções entre os melhores clubes do mundo. E foi o que acontreceu já em 1951, também no Brasil, como a Copa do ano anterior. Os idealizadores do torneio convocaram diversos clubes campeões em seus diversos países. A escolha dos países foi baseada no desempenho destes na Copa do Mundo de 1950.
No ano em que o Palmeiras venceu, 1951, também participaram: Vasco da Gama, campeão carioca de 1950; Sporting POR, campeão português da temporada 1950/51; Áustria Viena AUS, campeão austríaco da temporada 1949/50; Nacional URU, campeão uruguaio de 1950. Esses foram os integrantes do grupo “Rio de Janeiro”.
continua após a publicidade
No grupo do Palmeiras, “São Paulo”, participaram: o próprio Palmeiras, campeão paulista de 1950; Juventus ITA, campeã italiana da temporada 1949/50; Estrela Vermelha RSF, campeão da Copa da Iugoslávia de 1950; Nice FRA, campeão francês da temporada 1950/51.
Na final, o Palmeiras venceu a Juventus e foi reconhecido como campeão mundial. A FIFA, no entanto, mudou de ideia diversas vezes sobre o valor dessa conquista do Alviverde. No site oficial da entidade, somente são reconhecidos como mundiais os títulos a partir de 2000. Por isso, considerar ou não o título vai um pouco da opinião de cada torcedor.
It’s safe to say the summer window started slowly for Arsenal, but over the last few days, things have roared into life for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta may not have his elusive centre forward quite yet – Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres will have to wait – but Andrea Berta has been busy nonetheless.
The club’s new sporting director has already wrapped up three deals – pending confirmation – that will see backup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga arrive in a £5m move from Chelsea, Martin Zubimendi sign for over £50m from Real Sociedad and Brentford captain, Christian Norgaard, join.
Still, there could be a fourth deal wrapped up very shortly, with talks reportedly underway to sign 20-year-old centre-back Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia.
As we said, Berta has been a busy beaver but he’s not done yet.
Arsenal in talks to sign Premier League star
Arteta has enjoyed shopping for proven Premier League talent since becoming Arsenal manager.
Some of his most successful deals have seen the Spaniard prise away stars of the English top-flight, most notably Declan Rice.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Rice could have fallen flat under the weight of his £105m price tag but the midfielder has made that price look like a bargain, specifically after those two free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
David Raya – the division’s Golden Glove winner – was also picked up from Brentford, while Leandro Trossard, Arsenal’s second top scorer in 2023/24 with 17 strikes, came in from Brighton.
Arsenal's DavidRaya
That’s not forgetting Gabriel Jesus too. While the Brazilian has fallen by the wayside in the last two seasons, primarily due to injury, the forward was electric in the opening months of his Gunners career.
Signed from Manchester City, the club’s number 9 bagged five goals in his first eight league matches.
Now, in the summer of 2025, Arsenal are turning their attention to the Premier League again with Eberechi Eze in their crosshairs.
Crystal Palace's EberechiEzecelebrates with the trophy after winning the FA Cup
That’s according to the Sun, who reported this week that Berta has already held talks with one of the representatives of Eze.
It’s alleged that the north Londoners are set to go head to head with fierce rivals, Spurs, in order to get a deal across the line.
The Crystal Palace star has a £68m release clause in his contract, which according to a different source, can be paid in three instalments of £20m, plus £8m in add-ons.
That same source reports that Arsenal have actually already agreed personal terms with Eze and his camp.
Why Eze could be Arsenal's new Saka
Bukayo Saka has been the poster boy for the Arteta project at the Emirates Stadium, and in the words of journalist Charles Watts, he is already the “best right winger in the world.”
Despite missing a large part of last season with a hamstring problem, Saka still finished the campaign on 12 goals and 15 assists, topping the tree at the club for that second metric.
Blessed with magical flair, creativity and the ability to produce something out of nothing, Eze is cut from a very similar cloth, not least because he also came through the Hale End academy.
The Arsenal youth system is highly regarded and we’ve seen, particularly in the last five to six years, a whole wealth of talent come through the ranks.
From Saka to Emile Smith Rowe and Ethan Nwaneri to Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arteta certainly has a lot to thank the academy for.
Eze was also part of that same system once upon a time but was released in 2011 when he was just 13 years of age.
After that setback, the Palace superstar headed to Fulham, Reading, Millwall and then QPR, where he finally found a home for himself. His rise since then has been meteoric. He’s now one of the most exciting players in the Premier League, and he’s a full England international too.
That wouldn’t have been possible without an incredible mentality, one that saw him overcome the adversity of being canned by Arsenal at such a young age.
Speaking in an interview back in 2020, Eze commented on the situation, revealing that it left him highly emotional.
In a further interview, the 26-year-old revealed how his mindset helped him to get over the whole ordeal.
“My dream was to play for them [Arsenal] so hearing them say no at 13 was tough and I remember training after I got released and I couldn’t focus. I was crying but I think that helped me so much in the other rejections because if I can get through Arsenal releasing me I can get through any other club releasing me. My mindset was if it was not going to be Arsenal I have to find somewhere else.”
Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace.
Having got over that, Eze has taken the long way around to get to where he is now. It may have been a less glamorous route than Saka’s path to stardom but they certainly share the same mental fortitude and, vitally, similar attributes.
Far too often Arsenal’s talismanic number 7 has been left with everything to do in the final third. Players around him don’t chip in as regularly but in Eze, someone capable of rivalling Martin Odegaard, he’d find his match.
According FBref’s similar players tool, Saka is adjudged to be one of the most like-minded players in the Premier League to Saka, alongside the likes of Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers.
Eze might not have the left foot that Arsenal’s number 7 has but his positional versatility could be key. He primarily features through the middle as more of a no.10, however, he can also shine on the left-hand side.
Saka hasn’t played much behind the striker in his career, but like Eze, he loves to find space in central pockets as he attempts to dance his way through the defence.
So, what does the data say?
Goals
0.28
0.31
Assists
0.28
0.52
Shots
3.47
3.44
Expected goals (xG)
0.36
0.35
Key passes
2.01
3.02
Progressive passes
3.37
3.65
Successful take-ons
2.33
2.14
Carries
29.2
32.7
Progressive carries
2.40
5.00
Carries into final 3rd
1.67
1.67
Well, Saka is certainly the more progressive and more aggressive when it comes to carries and overall assists, but let us remember that Palace are hardly a team that has the ball regularly enough for Eze to create at a similar rate as his international colleague.
Last season, Oliver Glasner’s men sat 17th in the league for average possession, enjoying just 42.4% of the ball. In contrast, Arsenal sat third with 57.1% of possession.
On that evidence, Saka is always going to produce higher numbers in the final third but the fact the two England stars are as close as they are for metrics like successful take-ons, key passes and progressive passes suggests that Eze’s numbers could soar to new heights at a team like Arsenal, a ball dominant side.
The Eagles star may not play in the same position as Saka but he could just be the right-footed version.
£68m is a lot to pay when you also need to get a striker over the line this summer but given it could be paid in instalments, this really does feel like a no-brainer for the Gunners.
He’s like Saka, he’s Premier League proven, and he’s always dreamt of playing for the club. What’s not to like?
Better than Williams: Arsenal open talks to sign ex-Spurs player for £50m
The dynamic winger could provide Arsenal with another avenue of attack next season.
Bangladesh fast bowler Shoriful Islam has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi with a groin injury. He is now in a race against time to be fit for the two Tests in India next month.According to the Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan, Shoriful complained of discomfort in the groin area after the first Test last week, and subsequent tests confirmed the injury.”Shoriful underwent an MRI following the first Test and the results show a Grade 1 left adductor strain,” Bayjedul said. “Recovery usually takes around 10 days in such cases and he has started his rehab.”Shoriful had taken three wickets in Bangladesh’s ten-wicket win in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. He was also handy with the bat, hitting two sixes in a 14-ball 22. Taskin Ahmed replaced him in Bangladesh’s starting XI for the second Test.Shoriful has played 11 Tests but also missed 11 Tests for Bangladesh since his debut three years ago. Taskin, meanwhile, is returning to the format after more than a year.Bangladesh’s next assignment is a tour of India, with the first Test in Chennai from September 19. They play two Tests and three T20Is during the tour that run until October 12.Bangladesh have a busy schedule till the end of 2024: after the tour of India, they have two Tests at home against South Africa in October, and a full tour of West Indies in November and December.
Ramesh Mendis has missed out, while Nishan Peiris has been picked in a slightly different looking Sri Lanka spin department
Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Nov-2024
Lasith Embuldeniya is back in the Test squad•Associated Press
Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the two Tests in South Africa, more than two years after he last played a Test. Offspinner Nishan Peiris, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in September, has also been included.Ramesh Mendis, the offspin-bowling allrounder, misses out on selection, though he claimed six wickets in his only Test appearance this year. Ramesh, additionally, can bat.Though Prabath Jayasuriya leads the spin contingent, this amounts to something of a shake-up in the ranks with Sri Lanka playing in Durban and Gqeberha, where the tracks are expected to take more turn than most South African surfaces, particularly as matches wear on.The squad is largely as expected in the batting and seam-bowling fronts, however. Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and allrounder Milan Rathnayake make up fast-bowling outfit. Top order batter Oshada Fernando makes it in into this squad, but Nishan Madushka – who has made a bright start in ODIs – does not.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Both Embuldeniya and Oshada have partly been picked on account of their good performances in South Africa in 2019, when Sri Lanka had also played in Durban and what was then Port Elizabeth. Embuldeniya took six wickets at 23.83 across three innings on that tour, while Oshada hit a fourth-innings 75 not out alongside Kusal Mendis to see Sri Lanka home in what could have been a tough chase. Neither player, though, has been especially impressive in domestic cricket over the last season, though Embuldeniya did have a decent outing in the four-day National Super League.Several Test specialists are already in Durban for a pre-series training camp, overseen partially by former South Africa batter Neil McKenzie, who serves as Sri Lanka’s consultant on this trip.Kusal Mendis, Asitha, Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka have also been pulled out of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand, after Sri Lanka sealed that series on Sunday. This is so those players can have a couple of extra days to recover and begin preparation for the Tests in South Africa.The first Test is scheduled to start on November 27, in Kingsmead, Durban.Both Sri Lanka and South Africa have a shot at finishing in the top two on the World Test Championship table.Sri Lanka squad for Test series in South AfricaDhananjaya de Silva (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lasith Embuldeniya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
With Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma ruled out of the Perth Test, it remains to be seen at what position Rahul will bat
Tristan Lavalette17-Nov-202416:26
Runorder: Will Australia end up dominating the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
With Shubman Gill set to miss the Perth Test, KL Rahul’s return to training came as a big boost for India on Sunday. He shrugged off injury concerns as he returned to batting during the team’s training session at the WACA in Perth.Rahul left the field early in India’s intra-squad match simulation on Friday after being struck on the elbow by a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna. The blow left him grimacing and he trudged off the ground after seeking medical attention. Rahul did not return to the crease later that day as India’s main batters had another turn at the crease.But Rahul was put through a solid workout during India’s training session on Sunday morning that lasted nearly three hours. After two days of match simulation – featuring effectively India’s main XI against a line-up comprising fringe or India A players – some squad members trained on the WACA centre wicket and nets.Related
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Gill picks up thumb injury a week before Perth Test
Rahul spent about an hour having a hit on the ground before a short workout at the nets. There were no signs of discomfort although Rahul did not look as fluent as before his blow during the match simulation when he opened the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.”Based on the reporting, I was a lot more confident that he should be fine,” Yogesh Parmar, one of India’s physiotherapists who accompanied Rahul for the X-rays and scans, said on a post on X from BCCI. “It was just a matter of controlling the pain and him getting some confidence. From a medical point of view, he is absolutely fine””I’m feeling good and I’ve batted today,” Rahul said, “getting ready for the first game. [I] was happy that I could come here early, get some time to get used to the conditions. I’ve got a lot of time preparing for the series and I’m excited and looking forward to it.”Rahul’s improved fitness status came just hours before Gill’s unavailability for Perth was confirmed. Gill suffered a thumb injury on the second day of India’s intra-squad training match. His position in the batting order, however, remains uncertain following the news that Rohit Sharma will not arrive in Perth in time for the first Test, after he and his wife Ritika Sajdeh had their second child on Friday.Rahul’s availability is key, especially with Gill picking up a thumb injury in the series build up•Getty Images
Gill, who made 28 and an unbeaten 42 on Friday, picked up the injury while fielding in the slips and left the field. He wasn’t sighted at Sunday’s training session which did not feature several of India’s leading batters, including Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.Amid reports that he underwent scans recently, Kohli batted without any sign of discomfort across two innings on the first day of the match simulation. He made 15 and 30 not out, but struggled at times against short-pitched bowling on a relatively sedate WACA surface.India’s frontline bowling attack, led by vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, was unleashed during the match simulation on day two and they also trained on Sunday.After an initial three days at the nets followed by three days of match-simulation practice on the centre wicket, India have completed their block of training at the WACA. Tuesday onwards, they will resume their preparations at the Optus Stadium, where the first Test begins on November 22.While some net sessions and the first day of match simulation were open to the media, the weekend activities took place behind closed doors owing to logistical reasons.Hosts Australia, meanwhiless, start their first Test preparations on Monday with a training session at the WACA.
Captain bats through another innings unbeaten before Mills and Briggs extinguish Fire
ECB Media05-Aug-2024Southern Brave 139 for 5 (Vince 73*) beat Welsh Fire 97 (Mills 4-16, Briggs 3-14) by 42 runsSouthern Brave made it four wins from five in the Hundred this year by thrashing Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens.James Vince’s match-winning 73 from 50 balls in the first innings set Fire 140 to win, and the home side never threatened to reach the target. The Brave ended the night top of the table.Jofra Archer missed his second game of the competition, with the ECB managing his workload closely, but the Brave cruised to victory regardless.”It was nice to get the win,” Vince said. “Batting first, we found it quite tricky. but at halfway you never quite know until both sides have batted. The way we bowled throughout, but particularly up front, was fantastic and proved it was reasonably tough out there.”The Fire won the toss and elected to field first, but the Brave’s batters worked well in partnerships with Alex Davies, Leus du Plooy and Kieron Pollard all supporting the in-form Vince’s superb 73 not out, which included seven fours and three sixes.A Chris Jordan cameo in the final 10 balls featured a 98-metre six, before he fell to the last ball, skying David Payne and being well caught by David Willey.Overseas quicks Haris Rauf (2 for 22) and Matt Henry (1 for 20) were the standout bowlers for Welsh Fire, with the home side hoping conditions under the lights might favour a big chase.Danny Briggs celebrates a breakthrough with his captainBut Luke Wells and Jonny Bairstow struggled to get opening bowlers Akeal Hosein and Craig Overton away, with just 29 scored from the first 30 balls and the bowlers making life difficult with significant swing.Both opening batters then fell in quick succession as the Brave took control, with Tymal Mills (4 for 16), Danny Briggs (3 for 14) and Jordan (2 for 19) running through the Fire’s batting order to seal a very comfortable victory.”Our bowlers have dovetailed really well: Akeal and Craig with the new ball and then CJ and Tymal through the back end,” Vince said. “They’ve done it so many times and we are in nice rhythm at the minute. The bowlers have been fantastic and I think the batters did a good job on that pitch as well.”
The opener has worked out a method to make his starts count, and it seems to be working at Test level too
Varun Shetty in Indore15-Nov-20194:07
Agarwal: When I was let off, I had to make them pay
In a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo, Mayank Agarwal said that, at some point a couple of years ago, he had grown tired of getting 20s and 30s. To get better at converting starts, he worked with his coach to break innings down into phases – the start, for instance, or the period once he’s settled – and developed patterns for each of them. The transformation into a game suited for huge runs stemmed from that simplistic-sounding solution. But perhaps not even he could have imagined he could, once again, come close to batting as dominantly in Tests as he had during the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season, in which he famously made 1000 runs in a month.After just his fifth Test innings at home, Agarwal has three hundreds, two of them double-hundreds, and 583 runs at 116.60. After three fifties overseas without going past the 70s, he’s made centuries each time he’s reached 50 in this home season. The hardwired ability to convert starts has resurfaced.”I think it goes down for me at least, to understanding that there have been times where I’ve not got runs,” Agarwal said at his press conference at the end of the second day’s play in Indore. “So I must respect the game, that I am batting well. When I am doing that I need to make sure that I make it big and put the team in the driver’s seat or put it in such a position that we cannot lose from there.”So I think that becomes key. Knowing that you are batting well, and you’ve got your hundred, you’ve got to make sure – it’s on you to take the team ahead.”Since the start of October, Mayank Agarwal has made 847 runs across formats at an average of 121.00•ESPNcricinfo LtdAcross formats, Agarwal has made 847 runs in nine innings since the start of October, at an average of 121.00, and through that period he’s looked like he’s done exactly as he wants in the middle. His 243 in Indore was scored with a control percentage of 96 – he was in control of 317 balls out of the 330 he faced. At the very least, that indicates an excellent grasp of shot selection.But Agarwal had a moment on the second day that could have left him bitter. In his short career in Tests, he has twice been trapped in an awkward, much-too-upright position while trying to sweep offspinners. On both occasions, he’s been given out lbw. On both occasions, tracking suggested that the ball would have spun past leg stump.On Friday, he reviewed and had the decision overturned. But not before a visible expression of shock, brought on by the memory of the previous dismissal, in Antigua, where he had failed to review.”Initially when I got hit on the pad, I thought I wasn’t out,” he said. “But then when I was given out, I had a quick flashback because I got out the same way to Roston Chase in West Indies. So I said I can’t make that mistake again. I was glad that it was missing. At some point I thought, maybe it might just be umpire’s call and I was doomed.”Doomed seems an apt depiction of what Agarwal thought had happened. When the decision did go in his favour, he knelt down, took a moment to compose himself, got back up, and looked gratefully at the skies before having a long chat with partner Ajinkya Rahane. He was on 82 at the time. In total, he played only five sweeps of any kind in his innings, including the slog-sweep that eventually dismissed him. Even that, he later said, had been an error.Five sweeps in a 330-ball innings in the subcontinent paints a picture of restraint, which is one of the defining factors of Agarwal’s transformation, and possibly one of the reasons he’s been able to take the run-scoring habit from domestic cricket to Test cricket with relative ease.Mayank Agarwal lifts the ball for a six•BCCIIt also tells us Agarwal is a damn good player of spin. Offspinners feature often in the list of bowlers who have dismissed him so far, but until he’s looking to create a boundary opportunity against them – Nathan Lyon at the MCG, Chase, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz today – he is usually dominating them. It’s almost a principle of Agarwal’s batting.After surviving the lbw against Mehidy, he reverted to a more solid approach, with the full face offered, reliant on quick wrists to get him his runs. The next time he looked to manufacture a boundary opportunity off Mehidy, he was in full control, guiding a length ball past slip. Against the left-arm spin of Taijul Islam, he produced one of the shots of the day, getting down to the pitch of the ball and lifting it over extra-cover. It was part of a demonstration of flawless batting every time he stepped down the wicket – 44 runs off nine balls, including the six that brought up his double century. Around those nine balls, it was all finesse.In a nutshell, that has been Agarwal’s career as a Test player so far. Against pace, his technique can sometimes get him in a tangle when he looks to pull. So you barely see the shot; even against Bangladesh’s seamers. And yet, three of his best shots of the day were pulls, all against Ebadot Hussain, and all in front of square.Agarwal’s batting at the moment is a dilution of all that he likes to do with restraint that he built through, in his words, creating monotony by doing laps of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It has brought him a mountain of runs at domestic level, and the volume certainly hasn’t changed so far after he’s made the step up.
Chelsea and Newcastle have been given a boost in their respective pursuits of Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko with both players left out by RB Leipzig.
Simons and Sesko left out of friendly squadChelsea close to signing Dutch midfielderNewcastle make big bid for Slovenian strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The German side are set to face Italian side Atalanta on Saturday afternoon and will be without their two young stars. Simons is edging closer to a move to west London with Chelsea after the Blues entered advanced negotiations and looked willing to match the expected asking price of around £60m ($81m). Meanwhile, Sesko's future has been a topic of discussion throughout the summer and on Saturday morning, Newcastle made their first bid of £70 million (€80m) for the Slovenian forward.
AdvertisementgettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It is beginning to feel as if it is only a matter of time before both Simons and Sesko make permanent switches to the Premier League. The new question will now be how they fit into their respective sides. Chelsea already possesses numerous wingers and wide midfielders, and Cole Palmer occupies the number ten role that would most suit Simons – Enzo Maresca will be having selection headaches every weekend. As for Sesko, his move to Newcastle could spark a transfer domino that sees Alexander Isak move to Liverpool. The Reds' opening bid for the Swedish striker was rejected on Friday.
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After a poor season last year, Leipzig will be frustrated to be losing their key attacking players. Simons has contributed to 36 goals (18 goals, 18 assists) in the past two Bundesliga seasons to complement Sesko's 34 goal contributions (27 goals, 7 assists). They will hope the new signing and Simons' former PSV team-mate, Johan Bakayoko, will be able to replicate similar numbers.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LEIPZIG?
Leipzig have two games of pre-season left – one against Atalanta and then against RC Lens – before the new season starts. They will hope that after Simons and Sesko they do not lose any more of their star players as they look to finish higher than the 7th place they achieved last campaign.