Uncapped offspinner could have been in contention, but Pakistan heritage causes immigration delay

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Jan-2024

Ben Stokes says he is “frustrated” by the ongoing delay with Shoaib Bashir’s visa application for England’s tour of India, which has forced the Somerset offspinner to return to the UK, subsequently ruling him out of the first Test.England arrived in India on Sunday without Bashir, who remained in Abu Dhabi where the squad had been training ahead of the series, along with Stuart Hooper, the ECB’s director of cricket operations. It was initially hoped he would join his teammates in Hyderabad on Tuesday. But after further delays, the 20-year-old has returned home in the hope of facilitating the process.Bashir was born in Surrey and has a British passport. But as someone of Pakistani heritage, he is experiencing all-too familiar issues entering India because of the deep-rooted unrest between the neighbouring countries.In the last year alone, Usman Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, also arrived late for Australia’s tour at the start of 2023 due to a similar visa delay. Pakistan’s visas for the recent ODI World Cup were only issued a day before they were scheduled to fly out, forcing them to cancel a pre-season training camp in Dubai.The application for Bashir, along with the rest of the players and support staff, was submitted soon after the squad was named on December 11. Rehan Ahmed, the other England player on this tour with a similar background, already possessed the necessary paperwork having been on standby for the World Cup.There is optimism that Bashir will be in situ by the weekend. But Stokes remains irked at the ordeal he has been put through, at the start of his maiden England tour.”Especially as captain I find it particularly frustrating,” Stokes said.”We announced that squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here. I am more frustrated for him. I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. I feel for him.Related

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“But he’s not the first cricketer to go through this, I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues. I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues. Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. It’s a frustrating situation to be in, but a lot of people have been trying to get it through. It’s unfortunate and I’m very frustrated for him.”Bashir earned selection through an impressive showing on an England Lions training camp in November. It was there he showcased his wares as a six-foot-four offspinner who could impart a healthy amount of revolutions on the ball, forcing selectors to look beyond the raw numbers of just 10 wickets at an average of 67 from six first-class matches.He was said to have taken the step-up to the Test squad well, bowling impressively throughout the 10-day training camp in the UAE. With a spinning pitch in the offing for the series opener, he would have been under consideration for a debut this week. A lack of visa now makes that prospect redundant, even if he was able to arrive on Wednesday, the day before the start of the Test.”Him not being able to be here rules him out,” Stokes confirmed on Tuesday. “We didn’t come here with preconceived ideas about what we will do with the first team. In India you do like to have a good look at the pitch to see how it might play. With Bash unfortunately not able to be here, it rules him out of this game.”

Switzerland training has been cancelled ahead of their Euro 2025 quarter-final against Spain after ilness spread through the squad.

• Switzerland cancel training
• Alisha Lehmann and Co told 30 minutes prior
• Face Spain on Friday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per Blick, Swiss training was cancelled just 30 minutes before the players were due to begin, as a cold spreads through the camp. Multiple players are reported to have suffered symptoms, and the host nation of Euro 2025 thus decided to cancel their session on Tuesday.

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  Alisha Lehmann and Co face Spain on Friday in their quarter-final, but their preparations have now been disrupted. Julia Stierli and Coumba Sow are both reported to be under the weather and the squad have been given the day off for recovery and recuperation.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Switzerland came through the group stages in dramatic fashion, as Riola Xhemaili's injury-time equaliser sealed qualification against Finland. They have only played at two European Championships previously, in 2017 and 2022, being eliminated at the group stages on both occasions.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Switzerland play Spain on Friday as they attempt to reach the semi-finals. Spain, of course, are ranked as the second-best international team in the world by FIFA.

نفذ النادي الأهلي، قرار الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم بسرعة، ليصبح أول الأندية التي تحصل على كارنيهات الجهاز الفني للموسم الحالي بعد تقديم الرخص التدريبية المطلوبة.

وقام مسؤولو الأهلي بتسليم الرخص التدريبية الخاصة بالجهاز الفني للفريق الأول بقيادة الإسباني خوسيه ريبيرو إلى الاتحاد، تأكيدًا على التزام النادي بالتعليمات الجديدة التي تشترط الحصول على هذه الرخص كشرط أساسي لإصدار الكارنيهات.

طالع أيضًا | عبد الظاهر السقا: الأهلي يذكرني بفريق النجوم في الزمالك.. وأتعجب من اعتذار حسام حسن

وأشار الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم إلى أنه اعتبارًا من الأسبوع الثاني لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز، لن يُسمح لأي فرد من أفراد الأجهزة الفنية بالتواجد في ملعب المباراة دون حيازة بطاقة اعتماد رسمية صادرة عن الاتحاد، بالإضافة إلى الرخص التدريبية المعتمدة من الاتحادين الدولي (FIFA) والإفريقي (CAF).

كما أكد الاتحاد على ضرورة التزام جميع المديرين الفنيين والمساعدين بالحصول على الرخص التدريبية المطلوبة، وعدم التواجد في المنطقة الفنية أثناء المباريات إلا بعد استيفاء هذه المتطلبات أو الحصول على تصريح مؤقت، إضافة إلى بطاقة الاعتماد الرسمية.

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was left “stunned” after seeing a boat crash into the garden of his Sandbanks mansion.

Veteran coach lives in waterfront mansionProperty boasts direct access to Poole Harbour Injuries avoided after accident in strong winds Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The ex-West Ham and Portsmouth boss spent £7 million ($9m) on the south coast property, with reporting on how Redknapp and his wife Sandra are building a “dream home” after demolishing the old property that stood on their plot.

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Their luxury abode sits on the north shore of Millionaire’s Row, in the exclusive waterfront Sandbanks area. Houses there boast gardens running down to the sea, with private jetties providing direct access to Poole Harbour.

DID YOU KNOW?

While that could be considered an idyllic location, Redknapp has seen a £25,000 triple-hulled racing boat swept into his garden by strong winds. The vessel in question, which is named ‘Three Cheers’, is wedged under the pontoon at the end of Redknapp’s property.

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A spokesperson for Poole Lifeboat said: "A 50ft trimaran was passing through Poole Harbour on passage. With no engine at the time, it got into difficulty and ended up aground and wedged under a jetty near North Haven Point. The lifeboat volunteers were swiftly on scene and found that the casualties were all ashore, safe and well and did not require assistance.”

They did not take long on the fifth morning to pick up the remaining three Bangladesh wickets

Madushka Balasuriya03-Apr-2024Despite some dogged resistance from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sri Lanka needed just a little over an hour on the final morning to take the last three Bangladesh wickets and secure a resounding 192-run victory in Chattogram. The result meant Sri Lanka swept the series 2-0, but more importantly, collected vital World Test Championship points that see them go up to joint-third on the table. Bangladesh, meanwhile, dropped to eighth.The visitors went about wrapping up this game much like they had approached the rest of the series – by sticking to their plans. While conditions were still pretty good for batting, the odd ball spitting off the surface along with the uneven bounce on offer meant it was just a matter of being patient. So while Mehidy showed glimpses of enterprising strokeplay mixed with resolute defence, Sri Lanka were always in the hunt at the other end.Taijul Islam was the first to fall, to Kamindu Mendis, driving at one that gripped and spun away from. The edge was snaffled expertly by Nishan Madushka at gully – the latest in a series of great close-in catches by the Sri Lanka opener.Hasan Mahmud showed good defensive aptitude for a short period after that, but once the new ball was taken just before the drinks break, the death knell began to toll. It was here that Lahiru Kumara took over, rifling a sharp bouncer that Mahmud could only fend to Madushka at short leg, before doing in Khaled Mahmud with a searing yorker.Mehidy was stranded at the other end on 81 off 110, wondering what might have been had the rest of Bangladesh’s batters offered a similar fight.For Sri Lanka, Kumara ended with figures of 4 for 50. Kamindu, meanwhile, finished with a career-best 3 for 32 to go along with his unbeaten 92 in the first innings, which saw him take home both Player-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Series awards. As for Sri Lanka’s seamers, they ended the series having taken 33 of the 40 available opposition wickets.

Newcastle have announced the signing of Aaron Ramsdale on a season-long loan from Southampton.

• Ramsdale joins Newcastle
• England goalkeeper relegated with Southampton
• Magpies have option to buy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ramsdale has joined the Magpies for an initial £4 million loan fee, with Eddie Howe's side able to make the deal permanent should they trigger the optional buy-clause. The England international spent just one season at Southampton following a £25 million ($33m) switch from Arsenal in which the Saints were relegated back to the Championship. Despite this, Ramsdale still performed and did enough to persuade another Premier League side to make a move for him.

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  Newcastle have long been admirers of Ramsdale, having considered a move for the goalkeeper when he was at Arsenal. The Magpies instead opted to remain with Nick Pope in between the sticks, but following an injury-plagued, mixed season, decided they required a new shot-stopper. Howe's side had initially moved for Burnley's James Trafford but were gazumped by Manchester City. 

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ramsdale has experienced relegation from the Premier League with three different sides. He was part of Howe's Bournemouth team that fell out of the division, before being signed by Sheffield United – who were subsequently relegated the next campaign. A move to Arsenal meant he remained a top flight keeper for two further seasons before he was relegated with the Saints.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RAMSDALE?

  Hopefully not another relegation for Ramsdale's sake. The goalkeeper will be hoping to become the number one at St James' Park and will be looking forward to playing in the Champions League – a competition he has made just one appearance in.

MatériaMais Notícias

O presidente do Corinthians, Duílio Monteiro Alves, tem lutado contra um problema na região do intestino há pouco mais de um mês. Mesmo assim, ele não quer ficar longe dos assuntos relacionados ao clube, principalmente referentes ao futebol.

O mandatário corintiano tem contado bastante com o diretor de futebol Roberto de Andrade e o gerente Alessandro Nunes, principalmente em situações onde é necessária a presença física, o que Duílio tem evitado, por recomendação médica.Alessandro e Roberto, por exemplo, representaram o presidente na reunião do Conselho Deliberativo que ocorreu na última quarta-feira (14). Na ocasião, foi discutido o orçamento do clube para a próxima temporada.

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No mesmo dia, mas na parte da manhã, Duílio concedeu entrevista coletiva esclarecendo questões como o acerto do técnico Vítor Pereira ao Flamengo – após deixar o Corinthians dizendo que voltaria para Portugal para cuidar da doença da sogra -, a escolha pela efetivação de Fernando Lázaro no comando corintiano e a montagem do elenco para o início de 2023. A ida ao Centro de Treinamento foi uma das raras aparições recentes de Monteiro Alves, que fez questão disso pois entendia ser de grande importância prestar esclarecimentos à Fiel antes do início da preparação da equipe alvinegra para a temporada de 2023.

+ Confira a tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os resultados da competição

Mesmo com restrições e contando com o apoio dos seus ‘fiéis escudeiros’, o presidente corintiano quer ficar com a última palavra nas decisões do clube, seja se esforçando para comparecer em situações consideradas fundamentais para o futebol do Corinthians ou dando os seus pareceres à distância, enquanto se recupera. Ele tem informado à nova comissão técnica sobre as questões administrativas e o quanto elas interferem na montagem do elenco e demais questões que envolvem o futebol.

Duílio e a sua equipe já vinham planejando o esporte desde meados de outubro. Esse planejamento conta com um plano de direção que não passe por cima da política de austeridade financeira, mas sem deixar de reforçar o grupo de jogadores. A tendência será de contratações em posições que tenham carências diagnosticadas, como os atacantes de lado, mas por atletas que se mostrem promissores. Existe a chance e até mesmo uma expectativa de que um atleta diferente desse perfil seja contratado, mas esse ‘medalhão’ só viria se a avaliação é de que a fase atual dele também é boa e as cifras sejam acessíveis.

Ireland will stage a ‘home’ white-ball series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi later this year, a decision their board’s chief executive Warren Deutrom described as a “creative” way to help overcome “current infrastructure constraints”. They will also host a home men’s Test match for the second time in their history in July, when they play Zimbabwe in Stormont.Ireland gained Full Member status in 2017 and staged their first men’s Test at Malahide, near Dublin, in 2018. But they do not have a permanent home stadium and the high costs of temporary infrastructure have meant that their six subsequent men’s Tests have been overseas, including their maiden victory against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.This summer they will stage a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at the Civil Service ground in Stormont, Belfast from July 25-29. But financial and logistical obstacles mean that the six white-ball games in that tour – three ODIs and three T20Is – are “not proceeding as things stand,” a Cricket Ireland spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo.South Africa were initially due to tour Ireland for three ODIs and three T20Is in July, but will instead play two ODIs and three T20Is in Abu Dhabi from late September. It is the second successive away series against Ireland that South Africa will play on neutral ground, after Cricket Ireland moved two T20Is to Bristol in England in 2022.”This fixture schedule attempts to strike a balance of competitive, high-quality cricket across multiple formats whilst addressing the challenges we face with respect to our current infrastructure constraints,” Deutrom said. “While we work on longer-term solutions for some of these challenges – most notably continuing to advocate to Government for the proposed permanent stadium – we know we’ll have to explore ways to creatively increase our capacity to host an ever-increasing schedule in the short term.”Continually reviewing how best to optimise our hosting arrangements for cricket in Ireland and playing a few of our home matches in neutral venues overseas is something we must continue to explore, as we have done with the South Africa series this year.”Deutrom previously confirmed that Australia’s scheduled tour for three ODIs and one T20I had been postponed indefinitely. Of Ireland’s 20 home men’s internationals in the Future Tours Programme for this summer, only four will actually take place in Ireland – the Zimbabwe Test, and three T20Is against Pakistan next month – while 11 have been either cancelled or postponed.Ireland will also host England’s women for the first time since 1995, marking England’s first tour of the country in the professional era. Laura Delany’s side are currently in the UAE ahead of the global qualifier for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October, and will face Sri Lanka in August before they play England in September.”Irish cricket fans are in for a treat in 2024 with more than 40 days of senior international cricket to enjoy between April and October – potentially more if our women can qualify for this year’s T20 World Cup,” Deutrom said. “2024 offers a great array of fixtures for fans of both men’s and women’s cricket. And with the historic nature of the Belfast Test, the possibility of seeing Irish sides in two T20 World Cups, and some of the world’s best sides touring, it should be an unmissable season of Irish cricket.”

Ireland’s new ‘home’ fixtures:

Men’s:July 25-29 – Test match vs Zimbabwe (Stormont)
September 27, 29 – T20Is vs South Africa (Abu Dhabi)
October 2, 4, 7 – ODIs vs South Africa (Abu Dhabi)Women’s:August 11, 13 – T20Is vs Sri Lanka (Pembroke)
August 16, 18, 20 – ICC Women’s Championship ODIs vs Sri Lanka (Stormont)
September 7, 9, 11 – ICC Women’s Championship ODIs vs England (Stormont)
September 14, 16, 17 – T20Is vs England (Clontarf)

Fulham boss Marco Silva confessed that Viktor Gyokeres caught the eye of several mid-table Premier League outfits after his exploits at Coventry City.

Gyokeres joins Arsenal after sensational seasonForward struggled at Coventry before Sporting switchFulham boss says many teams were after himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Fulham head coach shared his thoughts on Gyokeres — who sealed his transfer to Arsenal from Sporting CP over the weekend — and revealed that multiple mid-table sides from the Premier League sides took notice of the Swede following his exploits at Coventry City in the Championship. In what was a major revelation, Fulham, too, were interested in signing him, according to Silva.

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Gyokeres spent two-and-a-half seasons at Coventry City. He was sent on loan by Brighton in the second half of the 2020-21 season, scoring three goals in 19 Championship games. The Sky Blues permanently signed him, and the move paid off handsomely, as Gyokeres scored 40 goals in 97 games across the next two seasons. His 21 goals in the 2022-23 season in the league earned him a place in the EFL Championship Team of the Season and a move to Sporting CP, where he truly emerged as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe. During his two-year stay in Lisbon, the 27-year-old scored an incredible 97 goals in just 102 appearances. He was particularly impressive in the Champions League in the 2024-25 campaign, with his standout performance coming against Manchester City as he scored a breathtaking hat-trick.

WHAT MARCO SILVA SAID

Speaking in an interview with , Silva revealed that Premier League clubs had Gyokeres on their radar, with Fulham also considering signing him at one point. He said: "This story that no one had noticed Gyokeres, that's all talk. The top clubs in England didn't notice, that's obvious. It's not easy for a player to go from Coventry to the top clubs in England, and at that time, he wasn't ready to go there. Now, the mid-table clubs in England had all noticed, and so much so that there were some offers to buy Gyokeres, at least in those two years when he stood out a bit more.

"I ended up speaking to Gyokeres' agent, or the club ended up speaking to Gyokeres' agent, at a time when… but we also had a world-class striker in [Aleksandar] Mitrovic, who wasn't that easy to replace. But we naturally noticed, not just because of the goals he scored, but he was a player who clearly stood out in space… a player with immense power, there's no hiding it. He was a player who already had a good finishing ability, which, in my opinion, greatly improved that aspect of his game. Now he's a player who, even with the way Coventry played at the time, with space and against higher-lying teams, and with that space in behind that he likes so much, between centre-back and wing-back, the way he likes to attack space, was a player who made a huge difference, naturally. That season when he played against Fulham, we normally had 60 to 70 per cent possession, and it was clearly the ideal match for him to play against."

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The Gunners paid £64 million (€74m/$86m) to sign Gyokeres as Mikel Arteta finally acquired the missing piece in his squad. The Swedish international will don the iconic No.14, made famous by Thierry Henry. He was presented to Arsenal fans in Singapore during the team's friendly clash against Newcastle United on Sunday. Arteta did not provide a definitive timeline regarding when Gyokeres could make his first appearance, but also did not entirely rule out the possibility of playing him in the upcoming summer friendlies. Nonetheless, one can expect him to be fit in time for their opening game in the Premier League against rivals Manchester United on August 17.

The Delhi Capitals coach, though, is unsure whether Pant will be able to captain the side or keep wickets

Alex Malcolm07-Feb-20246:27

Pant: ‘I felt my time in this world was up’

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has said Rishabh Pant is “very confident” he will be right to play the full IPL but Ponting is unsure whether he will be able to captain for the whole tournament or keep wicket given he is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in a major car accident.Pant has not played since his car accident in December 2022 when he thought his “time in this world was over.”Ponting, who was speaking on Wednesday in Melbourne after being unveiled as Washington Freedom’s new MLC coach, said Pant was bullish about his availability for the upcoming season but the coach said anything they get from him is a bonus.”Rishabh is very confident that he’s going to be right to play,” Ponting said. “In what capacity we’re not quite sure yet.”You would have seen all the social-media stuff, he’s up and about and running well. But in saying that we’re only six weeks away from the first game as well. So we’re not sure if we’ll get wicketkeeping out of him this year.”But I’ll guarantee if I asked him now he’ll say, ‘I’m playing every game, I’m keeping every game and I’m batting at No.4.’ That’s just what he’s like, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”He’s such a dynamic player. He’s obviously our captain. We missed him incredibly last year.”If you understand the journey he’s been on the last 12-13 months, it was a horrific incident. One that I know he feels very lucky to have even survived, let alone have the chance to play cricket again.”We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he can be out there and play. Even if it’s not all the games, if we can manage him through 10 of the 14 games or whatever that might be then whatever games you can get out of him will be a bonus.”1:31

Pant: ‘Don’t know why I was compared to Dhoni’

Ponting confirmed that David Warner would be captain again if Pant was unavailable to do the job. The coach was happy with the squad the franchise had assembled after the auction in December but acknowledged his squad has underperformed in the last two seasons.”With Harry Brook coming into the set-up as well, so Warner, [Mitch] Marsh, Harry Brook, we’ve got some really good overseas batters,” Ponting said.”Marsh and Warner will bat up the top somewhere and Harry Brook has been finishing off with England, so he’ll probably play a finishing role for us there.”[If] we can get [Anrich] Nortje and Jhye Richardson fit, and with the two spin options we’ve got with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav we’ve got a really good squad that to be fair has probably underperformed the last couple of years, so we’ve got some work to do.”Richardson’s availability will be a major question for Capitals. The Western Australia quick has not played since injuring his side during the BBL and there is no timeline on his return for WA at the back end of the Australian domestic season. He also suffered another shoulder dislocation before the BBL and was unable to throw in the games he played.Related

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But Ponting was more concerned about Capitals’ batting, particularly on their home ground at Arun Jaitley Stadium, where they won just two of their seven home games in IPL 2023.”Our batting was disappointing last year,” Ponting said. “A lot of the guys that we felt would be able to handle difficult conditions in Delhi, a spinning wicket a lot of the time, we weren’t good enough in those conditions.”We’ve got some challenges with our home venue to be honest. We rock up every game, we’re not really sure exactly what sort of wicket we’re going to get.”So you’d go to the auction expecting you’re going to get one [type] of surface and you rock up for five games, seven games there and you get five different pitches so that does make it hard. But we definitely lacked on batting quality last year, which is what we’ve tried to really improve on this year.”We’ve gone to the well with a couple of really highly talented young Indian players that we think that are ready to play straight away. That’s the thing about the IPL, it’s one year to the big auction so it’s not like you can really invest too much in these young blokes and hope to improve them overnight. You’ve got to get the best talent out there that you think’s ready to play. And we’ve got a few of those this year.”