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Leeds United will look to actively add bits here and there to their squad to try and take the West Yorkshire giants to the next level this January, prolonging their push for the automatic promotion places that look slightly out of reach currently.

However, with many twists and turns still to come in the Championship before its finale, Daniel Farke's men are still very much in the reckoning for the top two despite Leicester City and Ipswich Town, at this moment in time, setting the pace.

Farke could look to add this current Premier League defender to his Whites arsenal this month if rumours are correct, with the player in question eager to slot into his new team alongside fellow countryman and ex-teammate Joe Rodon.

Leeds transfer latest – Connor Roberts

Football journalist Darren Witcoop revealed yesterday on social media that Leeds have shown interest in signing Burnley full-back Connor Roberts, with Leeds stalwart Luke Ayling potentially heading out of the club as a result of this development.

Ayling is subject to interest from Middlesbrough, according to Witcoop, the Championship promotion chasers at peace with the 32-year-old defender leaving for the Riverside Stadium if Roberts then follows suit and relocates to Elland Road.

Roberts would be a welcome addition this January, offering Leeds another option down the right-hand side with Djed Spence's loan being terminated recently and other options out injured.

Likewise, it would be a smart bit of business to reunite the 28-year-old with the likes of Rodon, Joel Piroe and Dan James – the quartet all playing alongside each other at Swansea City under Steve Cooper's reign with the Welsh club, Farke wanting to get the band back together.

Connor Roberts' style of play

Roberts would provide Leeds with a calm head at the back, not slaloming forward at every opportunity but patiently allowing his side to tick from the right-back position.

The Welshman's main strength is his creativity playing out from defence, notching up an impressive 15 assists for the Swans in all competitions during a celebrated stay with the club with 14 of those coming in the bread and butter of Championship action.

The experienced 28-year-old played alongside Leeds loanee Joe Rodon many times during this patch of his career where Swansea would routinely challenge for the second tier playoffs, both key components to defensively resilient sides assembled by Cooper.

Roberts' numbers in the Championship (Swansea + Burnley)

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

22/23

43

4

6

20/21

46

5

7

19/20

38

1

5

18/19

45

5

2

Sourced by Transfermarkt

It saw Cooper openly praise his compatriot many a time, with the ex-Nottingham Forest boss going above and beyond to wax lyrical about Roberts after a 2-1 Swansea away win at Stoke City back in 2021.

Roberts helped himself to a goal on the day, with his boss at the time showering the praise post-match when mentioning Roberts' attacking qualities which "caught the eye" whilst his defending was also typically "excellent".

Signing Roberts – who has been praised for his "boundless energy" by The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell – would also allow Farke to play Archie Gray in a more comfortable midfield position if needed, as well as giving the 17-year-old time to breathe on occasion after becoming a fixed first-teamer recently at right-back.

The £30k-per-week machine would be champing at the bit to be reunited with Rodon if a deal got over the line, forming a formidable duo at the back again to help their new side Leeds on their way to more decisive victories in the tense promotion race.

Roberts will also hope he can share his recently attained promotion-winning wisdom in West Yorkshire and it rubs off on his new teammates, after winning the Championship title with Burnley just last campaign.

Kylian Mbappe was reportedly left behind by the Paris Saint-Germain team bus after their Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

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• Mbappe drew blank in PSG's defeat to BVB
• French star left behind at Signal Iduna Park
• Rejoined his teammates at the airport

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The first leg of the semifinal clash saw PSG falter against Dortmund, with Niclas Fullkrug's first-half goal securing a vital win for the German side. Despite the Parisians' concerted efforts in the second half, they failed to break through Dortmund's resilient defence, leaving Mbappe and his teammates frustrated on the pitch.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following the match, Mbappe found himself stranded at the Signal Iduna Park with the rest of his teammates leaving for the airport. According to the forward appeared for a random drug test which delayed his departure from the stadium. However, he later got reunited with his teammates at the airport for the return journey to Paris.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mbappe got several opportunities against Dortmund but was denied by the post which added to his disappointment. However, his manager remains upbeat that his troops can turn around the tie with the decisive leg set to be played in Paris next week.

  "In the last two rounds, they had the home game as their second game, whereas it was the other way round for us," he said. "Now it's a different and new scenario, we'll have the crowd on our side in the second leg. I would have liked to create the chances we have created, but you have to be effective to score. We'll see what version we show in Paris."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  With tensions running high and the pressure mounting, PSG's ability to bounce back from adversity will be put to test next Tuesday by a resurgent Dortmund team who knocked out Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. Enrique has the full week to prepare his men for the clash as they have no domestic commitments over the weekend.

كشف مصدر بـ النادي الأهلي مصير الثنائي محمود كهربا وبيرسي تاو لاعبا فريق الكرة خلال الموسم الجديد.

وأنهى الأهلي موسمه بعد خوضه مباراته الأخيرة أمام مودرن سبورت في الجولة الأخيرة من الدوري المصري.

وكان الأهلي قد فاز ببطولة الدوري المصري بالموسم المنقضي محققا اللقب للمرة الثانية على التوالي والـ44 في تاريخه.

طالع.. خاص | موقف أحمد قندوسي مع الأهلي بعد نهاية إعارته إلى سيراميكا كليوباترا

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ”بطولات”: “بيرسي تاو وكهربا مستمران مع الفريق في الموسم الجديد”.

واختتم: “لا توجد عروض لـ بيرسي تاو حتى الآن واللاعب مستمر مع الفريق، وكذلك كهربا مستمر مع الفريق بالموسم المقبل”.

Pat Cummins claimed Australia’s two wickets in a superbly wholehearted display on a largely docile Melbourne pitch

Andrew McGlashan25-Dec-2018Definitive judgments should wait for another few days, but the early signs are that there has been no magical solution to the MCG’s pitch problem. After the challenges of Adelaide, and especially Perth, this was a more docile affair for the batsmen, and India took advantage, moving to 2 for 215 on the back of a fine debut by Mayank Agarwal, followed up by solid work from Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.There was much interest in the toss, with 10 millimeters of grass left on the surface, enough to urge Tim Paine to consider bowling. But the coin fell India’s way and Kohli opted to bat while noting the dryness underneath the top layer. The talk soon began as a number of deliveries with the new ball barely carried to Paine, Nathan Lyon was on by the eighth over, there were catchers in front of the wicket within the first hour, and a slip cordon of one inside Josh Hazlewood’s first spell.Australia’s slim rewards went to the outstanding Pat Cummins, who transcended the conditions with hostile spells. He gave Hanuma Vihari, promoted to open the innings, a working over, before removing him with a poorly played short delivery, and ended Agarwal’s impressive debut innings with another short ball fended down the leg side.3:00

Laxman: Sometimes Pujara doesn’t get credit for what he does

None of Australia’s was poor – Mitchell Starc hit 150kph, Hazlewood challenged the outside edge and Mitchell Marsh provided 15 tight overs on his recall – and keeping India to a sedate scoring rate meant they were far from out of the contest. Towards the back end of the day, there was a fiery passage as Starc charged in with the second new ball, having Kohli dropped on 47 when an edge carried low to Paine’s right. There are big chances, then there was this. It was a period when Kohli looked as close to being vulnerable as he ever does, and was kept on 47 for 24 balls before the close.It is one thing being given conditions where batsmen should book in for bed and breakfast, and another to make sure you take advantage of them. There was a sense that India could be vulnerable, having completely changed their opening partnership. But while Vihari was not convincing, by the time he fended to slip, the early sting had already been take out of the day.Agarwal, a batsman who has certainly bided his time to earn the chance, shaped up excellently in his first outing. He scored the first 17 runs in the innings that came off the bat, although the first boundary of the day came from an outside edge that just evaded Mitchell Marsh at gully. Like Vihari, he was not entirely comfortable against Cummins’ short stuff, taking one on the back as he tried to duck, but was confident in his scoring options.A brace of boundaries early in the afternoon session off Nathan Lyon took him to his half-century, and he later struck the first six of the match by lofting Lyon over long-on. Thoughts were turning towards the prospect of a century on debut when he gloved a short ball from Cummins down the leg side against what became the last ball before tea.That meant Kohli walked in after the break, greeted by boos (Mitchell Marsh had also been booed by sections of the Melbourne crowd disappointed at Peter Handscomb’s omission), and as is so often, he brought greater intent to the innings. He was at a run-a-ball early in his stay before settling into a pace more akin to the day’s proceedings and becoming becalmed heading into stumps. Australia’s bowlers tried to attack in him outside off, where he can occasionally be vulnerable – Hazlewood found the edge only for it fall well short of slip, and there was the late chance offered against Starc – but Kohli was alert whenever they strayed too straight.Meanwhile, Pujara was Pujara, refusing to be moved out of his bubble. It wasn’t an entirely comfortable innings, however, with the physio twice coming out when he got struck on the gloves. Just six boundaries came during his 200-ball stay, but he remained there to continue Australia’s toil on the second day. Five innings into the series, he is already within touching distance of his most successful overseas tour.

رد نادي ليفربول على العرض الذي تقدم به نادي ساوثهامبتون من أجل الحصول على خدمات لاعبه، فابيو كارفاليو، في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

وانضم اللاعب البرتغالي إلى ليفربول قادمًا من فولهام، في عام 2022.

اقرأ ايضاً.. كورتيس جونز: أعلم ما يريده محمد صلاح.. وتغيرت اللعبة الآن

وأفادت صحيفة “ذا أثليتيك” البريطانية أن ليفربول تلقى عرضًا من فريق ساوثهامبتون للظفر بخدمات، فابيو كارفاليو، هذا الصيف بقيمة 15 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وتابعت أن ليفربول رفض رحيل لاعبه البرتغالي، حيث تعتقد إدارة الريدز أن قيمة اللاعب أعلى بكثير من قيمة العرض المقدم له.

وأبدى المدير الفني الجديد لفريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، إعجابه بقدرات كارفاليو خلال مشاركاته في الفترة التحضيرية ويرى بأنه جزء من فريقه للموسم القادم.

وبحسب ما ورد في الصحف الإنجليزية فإن إدارة ليفربول ستوافق على رحيل اللاعب في حال وصول عرض مادي كبير.

Bangladesh will have to travel to Dubai after the match to meet India in the Super Four on Friday, while Afghanistan will stay put in Abu Dhabi, where they will meet Pakistan

The Preview by Mohammad Isam19-Sep-20182:19

Should Afghanistan and Bangladesh rest key players?

Big PictureHaving already qualified for the Super Four stage after knocking out Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play the last league fixture in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The result of the match is truly inconsequential: no matter who finishes top of their respective groups, the tournament has been scheduled in such a manner that Bangladesh will face India in the first Super Four match on Friday, while Afghanistan will play Pakistan.This means Afghanistan can stay put in Abu Dhabi after the match, while Bangladesh will need to pack their bags after the match and head to Dubai to meet India the next day.Both teams could rest players, but the extra travel puts a greater strain on Bangladesh. They have some injury issues, so resting Shakib Al Hasan (finger) and Mushfiqur Rahim (rib) would make sense. It would also make sense for their captain Mashrafe Mortaza to rest on Thursday, instead of taking on the strain of back-to-back games for what is essentially a dead rubber. The likes of Abu Hider, Nazmul Islam and Ariful Haque will look to gain more exposure ahead of bigger challenges.Afghanistan will focus on a familiar template: bat steadily for much of their 50 overs and look up to their seamers to provide support to their in-form spinners.Rahmat Shah’s 72 off 90 balls against Sri Lanka in the previous match backed up a solid start from the openers and allowed the big-hitters to go after the bowlers in the end overs. Captain Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran, meanwhile, will look to make more substantial contributions with the bat, while Hashmatullah Shahidi, who made 37 against Sri Lanka, will hope to capitalise on such starts.But the key will be the three spinners – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nabi. Bangladesh had a hard time against Rashid in the three T20Is in June this year. Can they find a way past him in the UAE?It might be a dead rubber, but both teams will be keen to build momentum and confidence going in to the business end of the tournament.Form guideAfghanistan: WWLWW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WWLWLIn the spotlightMohammad Mithun made a confident 63 against Sri Lanka and helped Mushfiqur push the total beyond 250. Mithun has plenty of domestic and A team experience, but can he be consistent in international cricket and secure his middle-order position?Rahmat Shah, who top scored with 72 against Sri Lanka, has played the Dhaka Premier League, and will be a familiar opponent for most of the Bangladesh players.Team newsIf Afghanistan look to rotate their squad, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad and seamers Aftab Alam and Guladin Naib might get a break. Munir Ahmed Kakar, Samiullah Shenwari, Sayed Shirzad and Wafadar are options to replace them.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Ihsanullah, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Asghar Afghan (capt), 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Aftab Alam, 11 Mujeeb Ur RahmanNazmul Hossain Shanto could open for Bangladesh in place of the injured Tamim Iqbal while Mominul Haque, Abu Hider, Nazmul Islam and Ariful Haque could get some game-time in place of the seniors.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das 2 Nazmul Hossain Shanto, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mohammad Mithun, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsDew was either not present in Abu Dhabi, or had no effect judging from the evidence of Afghanistan spinners’ total dominance over Sri Lanka.Stats and TriviaMashrafe Mortaza is four wickets away from becoming the first Bangladeshi bowler to 250 ODI wickets. Overall, he will be the 17th fast bowler to the milestone.Bangladesh have won three out of the five ODIs against Afghanistan.Rahmat Shah is one match away from 50 ODIs. He will become the sixth Afghanistan player to the landmark after Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari, Dawlat Zadran and Asghar Afghan.Quotes”It is great to get off to a good start but what’s more important is that middle period; if you lose wickets in that period, then it really does hurt.”

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will not renew the contracts of “almost all” of its staff members when they expire at the end of August as the organisation begins a radical financial restructure. Player contracts will be reviewed and agreed next week.”These are tough times and tough decisions are required to preserve cricket in Zimbabwe,” ZC said in a release.Zimbabwe Cricket remains committed to restarting its domestic season in November, and to hiring a small complement of staff to suit its needs.The drastic measures are a consequence of the drip-feed of funding ZC will receive from the ICC, who offered ZC a lifeline after their annual conference in June. In essence, ZC will no longer receive two annual payouts like other Member Countries, but funds as needed to prevent over-expenditure and help ZC manage its substantial debt; for instance, the ICC approved a release of funds earlier in the month to pay outstanding player salaries, which have been four months overdue.The extended non-payment led to five prominent players – Brendan Taylor, Graeme Cremer, Sikander Raza, Craig Irvine and Sean Williams – sitting out the T20 triangular series against Australia and Pakistan and five-match ODI series against Pakistan. Taylor had committed himself to “getting back to work” once payments are made. Zimbabwe’s next assignment is three ODIs and three T20s against South Africa, starting from the end of September.

Manchester United have various esteemed icons in their hall-of-fame, the likes of George Best, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham remembered from the past as legends in a Red Devils strip.

There are also modern-day examples too, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand sticking out alongside the exploits of a far more youthful Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his first spell at the Theatre of Dreams, Ronaldo showed everyone glimpses of the unstoppable machine he would become in Madrid – scoring 31 goals in 34 league outings during the 2007/08 season with the Red Devils before the Galacticos swooped in.

Ronaldo's return to Manchester United after developing into one of the world's best away from Old Trafford at Real Madrid and Juventus didn't quite go to plan, an infamous TV interview with Piers Morgan his undoing as Erik ten Hag sold the Portuguese superstar thereafter without hesitation.

How much did Man Utd sign Cristiano Ronaldo for?

Considering Manchester United first sold CR7 for £80m back in 2009 to the Bernabeu, the Red Devils managed to re-sign the ageing talent for a cut-price £12.85m 12 years on from his initial exit; not bad business indeed.

It would prove to be a fine deal at the start, Ronaldo picking up from where he left off in a Man United strip by scoring 18 goals from 30 starts during the 2021/22 season.

However, after his first season back at the Theatre of Dreams, his relationship with the club would sour leading to an acrimonious exit.

He would score one more goal for the Red Devils during the 2022/23 season, netting in a 2-1 away victory at Everton.

2003/04

40

6

8

2004/05

50

9

9

2005/06

47

12

8

2006/07

53

23

14

2007/08

49

42

8

2008/09

53

26

12

Stats via Transfermarkt.

For a man who was once undroppable in a Man United shirt, he would have to make do with a spot on the bench under Ten Hag a number of times in his final season with the Dutch head coach not putting up with Ronaldo's ego.

It would lead to the now 38-year-old departing for the Middle East, the megabucks of the Saudi Pro League calling his name with Al-Nassr FC.

How is Ronaldo performing in Saudi?

Playing in a league that boasts talents such as Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Ronaldo is still the stand-out performer at 38 years of age for his new Saudi employers in a star-studded league.

Signing for Al-Nassr on a free transfer, the current 3rd placed Pro League side have exploited his falling out at Manchester United to pull off an unbelievable deal.

He has managed an astounding 25 goals in 30 games in Saudi football to date, scoring 11 from ten this campaign so far – including a devastating hat-trick away at Al-Fateh.

Ronaldo continues to perform to the peak of his powers even in the twilight of his career, the 38-year-old far too good for football in the Middle East.

It raises the question of whether or not Ronaldo could still do a job with Man United at this moment in time if a move away from the club never transpired, the Red Devils toothless in front of goal with only nine goals to their name in the Premier League so far this term.

Whilst strikers fire blanks at Old Trafford, Ronaldo will continue dominating the Saudi Pro League until he decides to call time on his illustrious career.

تلقت الرياضة المصرية صدمة كبيرة صباح اليوم السبت، بعدما أعلن نادي مودرن سبورت وفاة اللاعب، أحمد رفعت، الذي كان قد أصيب بأزمة قلبية خلال مباراة الاتحاد السكندري.

ودخل أحمد رفعت في غيبوبة لفترة طويلة في شهر مارس الماضي لتوقف عضلة القلب ولكنه استعاد الوعي بعد ذلك وظهر عبر شاشة التلفزيون قبل أيام للحديث عما مر به بعدما تم تركيب جهاز تنظيم ضربات القلب.

ولكن بحسب بيان نادي مودرن سبورت فإن اللاعب تعرض إلى تدهور حاد في حالته الصحية خلال الساعات الماضية وتم نقله إلى المستشفى ليتوفاه الله، بعد أشهر من المعاناة.

فاجعة أحمد رفعت أصابت مجتمع الرياضة المصرية بالصدمة خاصة أنه كان هناك حالة من الاطمئنان عليه بعد التعافي الجزئي لحالته.

ولكن ما حدث لأحمد رفعت ليس بجديد على الرياضة خاصة العالمية، ومن خلال هذا التقرير نستعرض قائمة اللاعبين الذين تعرضوا لنفس الأمر ومنهم من عاد إلى المستطيل الأخضر ومنهم من توفي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تأجيل مباراة مودرن سبورت والمقاولون العرب بعد وفاة أحمد رفعت

هناك 7 حالات مشابهة خلال السنوات القليلة الماضية والتي يتذكرها العديد من متابعي كرة القدم حول العالم… مارك فيفيان فوي

كان يتواجد في بطولة كأس العالم للقارات 2003، وشارك في فوز الكاميرون على البرازيل وتركيا في دور المجموعات.

وفي نصف النهائي، كانت مباراة الكاميرون وكولومبيا على ملعب “جيرلاند” في مدينة “ليون”، لكن انهار فوي فجأة في الدقيقة 72.

لم يكن أحد بالقرب من فوي، وكانت هناك محاولات لإنعاشه على أرض الملعب، وتم إخراجه ولكن بعد 45 دقيقة توفي بسبب توقف عضلة القلب. أنطونيو بويرتا

لاعب إشبيلية الذي توفى في أغسطس 2007 بعد إصابته بسكتة قلبية خلال مباراة خيتافي في الدوري الإسباني.

أنهار بويرتا على الأرض بعد مرور 35 دقيقة فقط، وحاول الجهاز الطبي إفاقته ونجحوا وبعدما دخل إلى غرفة الملابس سقط مرة أخرى.

وبعد ذلك تم نقله إلى المستشفى وتوفي بعد 3 أيام بسبب سكتات قلبية لمرض وراثي. دافيدي أستوري

قائد فيورنتينا السابق في الدوري الإيطالي الذي توفى عام 2018 قبل مباراة أودينيزي أثناء نومه في فندق إقامة الفريق.

كانت الوفاة بسبب سكتة قلبية بعد تشريح الجثة. إيكر كاسياس

في 1 مايو 2019، تعرض الحارس إلى نوبة قلبية خلال تدريبات ناديه بورتو وتم نقله إلى المستشفى.

وبعد استقرار حالته الصحية قرر الحارس العودة إلى المستطيل الأخضر ولكن في أغسطس 2020 حسم كاسياس موقفه بالاعتزال النهائي. دالي بليند

تعرض المدافع لأزمة قلبية بسبب خلل في ضربات القلب عام 2019، حيث شعر بدوار خلال مباراة أياكس أمستردام وفالنسيا ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا ثم غادر الملعب.

وشخص الأطباء إصابة اللاعب باضطراب في ضربات القلب وكانوا يرون أن من الأفضل أن يبتعد بليند عن الملاعب مع تركيب جهاز تنظيم ضربات القلب.

ولكن الهولندي لا يزال يلعب حتى الآن وانتقل إلى بايرن ميونخ بعد ذلك وفي الموسم الماضي كان مع جيرونا ويشارك دوليًا ويتواجد مع الطواحين في يورو 2024. كريستيان إريكسن

قائد الدنمارك الذي سقط على أرض الملعب في مباراة فنلندا خلال دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس أمم أوروبا 2020.

وأثار إريكسن الرعب في نفوس الجميع خلال تلك المباراة حيث توقف تمامًا عن الحركة وحاول الجهاز الطبي إفاقته ونجح ونقل إلى المستشفى.

ورغم أن الأطباء أكدوا أن مسيرة إريكسن قد انتهت إلا أن اللاعب الدنماركي لم يتوقف وركب جهاز تنظيم ضربات القلب.

حتى مع رحيله عن إنتر ميلان في ذلك الوقت إلا أنه انتقل إلى برينتفورد في الدوري الإنجليزي ثم مانشستر يونايتد ولا يزال يلعب.

وكان على رأس قائمة منتخب بلاده في يورو 2024 قبل الخروج من البطولة. سيرجيو أجويرو

مهاجم الأرجنتين الذي اعتزل بسبب نوبة قلبية بعد انتقاله إلى برشلونة عقب انتهاء عقده مع مانشستر سيتي.

وفي شهر أكتوبر 2021، تم نقل أجويرو إلى المستشفى بسبب ألم في الصدر تم تشخصيه بأنه يعاني من عدم انتظام في ضربات القلب.

ثم تم إعلان أنه سيغيب عن الملاعب لمدة 3 أشهر على الأقل ولكن في ديسمبر من نفس العام حسم أجويرو موقفه واعتزل بناءً على نصيحة الأطباء.

وبالتالي، انتهت مسيرة أجويرو رغم توقيعه على عقد مع برشلونة لمدة عامين.

The Pakistan coach says Wahab Riaz’s “questionable” work ethic is the reason he has been left out of a list of 25 probables for the England tour

Umar Farooq12-Apr-2018

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Wahab Riaz has become the latest casualty of coach Mickey Arthur’s drive towards a high-performance culture within the Pakistan squad. So low has Wahab’s stock fallen that he was not even part of the 25 probables recently chosen for a training camp, from which a squad will be chosen to tour Ireland and England this summer. Arthur was moved to question Wahab’s training “work ethic” in justifying the decision, as well as providing the scathing assessment that he had not “won us a game in two years”.Pakistan’s selection panel, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, has chosen five fast bowlers – Mohammad Amir, Muhammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza and Rahat Ali – for the camp. The allrounder Faheem Ashraf is also available and the 17-year-old left-arm sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi is in the pool as a developmental pick. Sixteen will be chosen from the 25 in the final squad.”He has not won us a game in two years,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo. “I expect players that have been around for a long time to be winning us games and setting standards. Otherwise we will invest in younger players who have long futures. We have good youngsters around. [Dropping] Wahab is a big decision but we have chosen a squad according to the time of year, country and conditions. The guys need to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones.”Wahab did undergo a fitness test, where he registered a score of 17.4, which qualifies as a passing mark. But Arthur wanted him to touch 19 – an unofficial benchmark set for a fast bowler. He was outdone by the newcomer Afridi, who scored 18.”I cannot fault Wahab when he has a ball in his hand but his work ethic around training is something needs to be looked at,” Arthur said. “I am changing the culture in this Pakistan environment and I am not interested in players doing just the bare minimum. I want players winning us games of cricket and pushing themselves to be the best they can be. This is a high-performance environment, not a environment where mediocrity is accepted. Unless you are winning games consistently, you are under pressure for your position.”At 32, and already out of favour from the white-ball squads, the omission leaves Wahab’s international future very much up in the air. Although he debuted for Pakistan in 2008, it is only since the summer of 2014 when – returning under the tenure of Waqar Younis – Wahab became a fixture in the side. Waqar was understandably keen on the threat of his pace and a slingy action good for reverse.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Since then he has built a career of memorable spells, rather than a memorable career itself. Lead among those is the World Cup 2015 spell in Adelaide, but there was an immense nineteen-over spell in the afternoon heat of Dubai against England, that set up a win; there were key interventions on the Test tour to England in 2016; and in his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Dubai, he blitzed through the top order and nearly turned around a Test that had no business being turned around. Often forgotten is that he was Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker on the disastrous Test tour of Australia in 2016-17.In between there have been plenty of frustrations – ineffective performances, an unchecked no-ball problem, and good-but-wicketless spells. And there were the problems with his run-up in Dubai last year, where he pulled up from delivering five times in a row, the apoplectic reactions of Arthur in the dressing room only adding to the theatre. With white ball in hand he has faded sharply. He last played an ODInearly a year ago against India in the Champions Trophy – his figures that day read 8.4-0-87-0 – and his last T20I came in April last year against West Indies; he returned figures of 4-0-44-1.Since the start of 2016, however, he is Pakistan’s second-highest wicket-taking fast bowler in Tests and, by some metrics, the most effective. And in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League, Wahab was the joint top wicket-taker with Faheem, with a better economy rate (6.90) than Faheem’s (7.75).In Wahab’s place selectors have recalled another left-armer, Rahat Ali, who has been out of national contention since 2016 following a heel injury. He comes back into the mix with Arthur looking to instill some discipline with the ball in English conditions, something he doesn’t trust Wahab to do.