Big Picture: Can Bangladesh spring a surprise?

The defending champions have been upset by Afghanistan. Australia haven’t looked like Australia of World Cups past. Pakistan seem lacking too. And the South African juggernaut fell apart against Netherlands. Of all the pre-tournament favourites, only India and New Zealand have played like favourites. The latter have made it four wins in four, and now India are looking to do the same, against Bangladesh in Pune.Bangladesh may have a favourable 3-1 ODI record against India in the last 12 months – most recently winning their Super Four encounter in the Asia Cup last month – but beating India in India is easier said than done.The hosts have played with plenty of main-character energy in their first three fixtures, scoring convincing victories against Australia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were tested to varying degrees in all those games – reduced to 2 for 3 in the chase against Australia; Afghanistan setting a target of 273; and Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan building a solid platform – but in the end it wasn’t even close.India’s outstanding bowling attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, has taken 28 out of a possible 30 wickets so far, while they have lost only nine wickets in three chases and never more than four in a game. Rohit Sharma’s ultra-aggressive approach has been the highlight of their batting performances and he’s got another batting-friendly surface waiting for him in Pune.Related

• Chandika Hathurusinghe hoping World Cup upsets inspire Bangladesh against 'scary' India

• Rohit Sharma's bold new batting template has changed his ODI game – and India's

Bangladesh’s only win against India in the ODI World Cup was 16 years ago – in Trinidad in 2007. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim were just starting their careers then, and they have played India three times on the biggest stage since, losing quite convincingly on each occasion.This Bangladesh squad has enough experience and young talent in their ranks to stretch India, but their current form isn’t promising. Mushfiqur has scored two fifties in three matches so far but the rest have struggled with consistency. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das had one good knock each. Rookie Tanzid Hasan hasn’t had much impact. Towhid Hridoy, who scored 500 runs before the World Cup this year, is batting lower than his usual No. 5 position. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also hasn’t been effective.Shakib suffered a quadriceps injury last week but could play – as per their coach, Bangladesh are awaiting results of a scan done on match eve before taking the final decision.* With Bangladesh looking to lengthen their batting by having Mahmudullah at No. 8, Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed, both of whom played a part in the Asia Cup win against India, are unlikely to make the XI.Whether Bangladesh runs India close or not could come down to how their fast bowlers fare. Mustafizur Rahman aside, the others have been off-colour. Shoriful Islam has been expensive at times and Taskin Ahmed is not the force he was earlier this year. If these three, or Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan, can fire it will give Bangladesh a stronger foothold in the contest.Kuldeep Yadav took eight wickets in a Test the last time he played Bangladesh•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)Bangladesh LLWLL

In the spotlight: Kuldeep Yadav and Najmul Hossain Shanto

Kuldeep Yadav has five wickets from three games and his economy of 3.9 in 30 overs is testament to the control he’s offered during the middle overs. He revealed recently that increasing his pace has allowed him to bowl better in the last 12 months. Bangladesh’s most recent memory of Kuldeep is his eight-wicket haul in the Chattogram Test late last year – India will be hoping for more of the same from him.After his unbeaten fifty against Afghanistan, Najmul Hossain Shanto‘s low scores against England and New Zealand have had an impact on Bangladesh’s top-order returns. His free-flowing batting has been a huge boost to Bangladesh in 2023 and they desperately need him back among the runs.

Team news: Bangladesh to gamble with extra bowler?

India are unlikely to change their winning combination. The small ground dimensions and flat pitch could mean that Shardul Thakur is likely to keep his spot ahead of R Ashwin.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed SirajIf Bangladesh can play Shakib, they will. They could be tempted to promote Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open with Litton and Mushfiqur could also bat higher in the order. The question is whether Bangladesh will look to strengthen their bowling by sacrificing some batting depth.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions: High scores in Pune?

Since 2017, teams batting first have posted 300-plus totals in three out of five ODIs in Pune, though this will be the first international at this venue in nine months. There was some drizzle on the eve of the match but the forecast is for sunshine on match day.

Stats and trivia: A 25-year wait ends

• This is Bangladesh’s first ODI against India in India in 25 years. From those who played their previous ODI against India at the Wankhede in 1998, Minhajul Abedin is the current chief selector, Khaled Mahmud is the team director, and Athar Ali Khan is a TV commentator.
• Virat Kohli has an average 67.25 and strike rate of 101.25 in 15 ODIs against Bangladesh, with four centuries.
• Shakib, Taskin and Mustafizur all have five-wicket hauls against India in ODIs.

Quotes

“He had a good batting session yesterday. He did a bit of running between the wickets as well. We are waiting for the result of the scan we did today. We haven’t tried his bowling yet. We will assess him tomorrow morning, and make a decision. If he is not ready to play, we won’t risk it. If he is ready, there’s a chance of him playing tomorrow.”

“When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge. So, from our perspective, I don’t think we’ll take anyone lightly.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Enquanto uns jogadores ainda brigam para conseguir uma vaga entre os convocados de Tite para a Copa do Mundo, outros lutam por um espaço entre os onze iniciais. É o caso de Richarlison. Titular em 24 dos 38 jogos que disputou pela Seleção Brasileira, o atacante foi um dos destaques nos amistosos contra Gana e Tunísia, marcando três gols e dando uma assistência. Presença certa na lista, o jogador deu um passo importante para vestir a camisa 9 do Brasil na disputa.

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> GALERIA:Quem vai para a Copa do Mundo? Veja o Termômetro da Seleção Brasileira após a última Data Fifa

Com os tentos anotados nos últimos jogos, Richarlison chegou à marca de 17 bolas na rede em 38 partidas pela Seleção. Apenas Neymar, que também marcou na goleada de 5 a 1 sobre a Tunísia, nesta terça-feira, fez mais gols durante o atual ciclo da Copa do Mundo. O craque do Paris Saint-Germain deixou sua marca 18 vezes neste período.

تلقى المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، هانز فليك، خبرًا سيئًا من إدارة النادي الإسباني خلال فترة الاستعدادات لخوض الموسم الجديد المرتقب 2025/26، حسبما ذكرت تقارير صحفية.

ويواصل برشلونة استعداداته للموسم الجديد تحت قيادة المدرب هانز فليك، من أجل استكمال سلسلة النجاح التي بدأت في الفترة الأولى للألماني مع النادي الكتالوني.

ومن ضمن استعدادات برشلونة للموسم الجديد، تأتي مباراة كأس خوان جامبر السنوية والتي ستُقام ذلك العام يوم 10 أغسطس المقبل ضد كومو الإيطالي.

وتفاجأ الجميع بإعلان برشلونة في بيان رسمي، يوم الجمعة الماضي، أن تلك المباراة لن تُقام على ملعب “كامب نو” لعدم الحصول على رخصة التشغيل الأولى، على العكس مما كان مخططًا له منذ فترة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. برشلونة يحسم موقفه من عودة تياجو ألكانتارا إلى جهاز فليك

ولكن يبدو أن الأمر لا يتوقف عند هذا الحد، حيث ذكرت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية أن فليك تم إبلاغه من جانب إدارة نادي برشلونة بأن الوضع الحالي لا يؤهل الفريق للعودة إلى ملعب “كامب نو” الجديد مع بداية الموسم.

وأفادت أن برشلونة أبلغ فليك بفكرة عدم خوض مباراة كأس خوان جامبر على الملعب الجديد لـ”كامب نو” يوم الخميس، قبل الإعلان الرسمي، ولم يمنح الألماني أهمية كبرى للأمر باعتباره استثنائيًا.

ولكن فليك بدا قلقًا بشأن الأمر الجديد الذي تم إبلاغه إياه من جانب إدارة برشلونة فيما يخص ما هو قادم.

وأوضحت أن هناك اتجاهًا قويًا حاليًا لدى برشلونة فيما يخص العودة إلى ملعب “مونتجويك”، على الأقل حتى شهر يناير المقبل من العام الجديد 2026.

وأشارت إلى أن ذلك القرار ترك فليك في حيرة من أمره بعض الشيء، حيث كان الجميع في غرفة ملابس برشلونة قد تقبلوا بالفعل حقيقة أن المباراة الأخيرة ضد فياريال في الموسم الماضي من الليجا هي الأخيرة على ملعب “مونتجويك” قبل العودة إلى “كامب نو”.

وأكدت أن لاعبي برشلونة لم يتلقوا أي معلومات إضافية في هذا الصدد حتى الآن، مع العلم أن معظمهم أدركوا مسألة عدم العودة إلى الملعب الجديد في مباراة كأس خوان جامبر من خلال البيان الرسمي فقط.

واختتمت الصحيفة بأن مفاجأة الفريق بالتطورات الأخيرة يعكس إلى حد كبير الفوضى المؤسسية داخل أروقة نادي برشلونة.

Joao Pedro has reportedly completed his Chelsea medical in the United States, with the Blues ready to finalise a £60 million ($82.6m) deal with Brighton. The 23-year-old is set to sign a contract until 2032, and could be thrown straight into action at the Club World Cup, as Enzo Maresca accelerates efforts to strengthen his squad during the tournament.

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Joao Pedro set to join Chelsea from BrightonCompletes Chelsea medical in the United StatesCould be a part of Chelsea squad for CWC quartersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea have been on the hunt for attacking reinforcements since the end of the regular season, with a push to secure a forward ahead of the Club World Cup. Although a move for Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund was in the works, it wasn’t finalised in time for the tournament. Instead, the Blues turned to Brighton's Pedro, quickly sealing terms for the in-form Brazilian.

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Pedro has now completed his medical while in the U.S., and is expected to put pen to paper on a long-term deal through to June 2032 as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. The reports stated that Chelsea and Brighton have agreed on a fee of £55 million plus £5 million in add-ons for Pedro. The 23-year-old emerged as a top target for the Blues due to his versatility, Premier League experience, and strong 2023-24 campaign, where he registered 10 goals and 7 assists. His arrival fits the West London side’s long-term project under Maresca, who wants a more dynamic, creative frontline heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

TELL ME MORE…

Pedro's presence in the United States during Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign has opened up the possibility of him being included in the squad for the quarter-final. With registration logistics reportedly being fast-tracked, there’s a real chance the former Watford man could make his Chelsea debut in the tournament, giving fans an early glimpse of what he could bring to Maresca’s system.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PEDRO?

Chelsea are expected to officially announce Pedro’s arrival within the next 24 hours. Attention will then turn to whether he is cleared to feature in the Club World Cup. If not, the Brazilian will be integrated into the first-team setup immediately after the tournament concludes.

Parkinson, Fernando claim three wickets apiece to complete innings victory

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2023

Durham sealed an emphatic victory over Leicestershire by an innings and 141 runs, ensuring the LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two champions ended their magnificent campaign on the highest of notes at Seat Unique Riverside.The home side required 10 wickets to secure their seventh victory of the campaign, and they needed only 42.5 overs to tear through the Leicestershire batting line-up. The Durham bowlers shared the wickets around the attack as Vishwa Fernando and Matt Parkinson claimed three wickets apiece, while Matthew Potts, Ben Raine and Jonathan Bushnell also struck.The Foxes briefly held up the Durham charge in the afternoon session as Will Davis scored his maiden first-class fifty in a stand worth 78 with Ben Cox. But, the hosts closed out a special season with a dominant win, taking 24 points from the contest and ending the term with a mammoth total of 233.Leicestershire resumed the final day 13 without loss, requiring another 301 runs to force the home side to bat again. But, Potts found his line and length immediately to trouble Rishi Patel and Sam Evans.Patel added only six runs to his overnight total before he fended a rising delivery to Ollie Robinson before Evans picked out Matt Parkinson at fine leg handing the England seamer inroads into the Foxes’ line-up.Raine kept up the intensity at the other end and passed the outside edge before he finally prised out Umar Amin, who missed a straight one and lost his off-stump. The strike was Raine’s 60th of the campaign, a new career-best for a single season for the 32-year-old.Fernando followed in the footsteps of his team-mates. He found his rhythm to wrap the pads of Louis Kimber on three occasions as tore in from the Finchale End. After having a good lbw shout turned down, he returned with his next delivery to bowl the right-hander with a beauty. Fernando then skittled Lewis Hill to pave the way into the Leicestershire tail within 90 minutes.In the final game of his loan spell, Parkinson came into the attack and struck twice in his first over. Tom Scriven paid the price for his aggressive approach advancing down the track and was stumped by Robinson before Parkinson turned one through Chris Wright’s gate to put Durham on the brink.However, Leicestershire showed resolve after lunch to halt the Durham victory charge. Davis displayed resilience with the bat to take on Potts and company, scoring his maiden first-class fifty from 58 balls, including six fours and a six. He shared a stand worth 78 for the ninth wicket before Fernando returned with another rocket to uproot his off-stump for 58. The Sri Lanka international ended the game with figures of seven for 80.The end came quickly as Parkinson claimed his third wicket by finding Hull’s outside edge to bowl out Leicestershire for 173, capping a dominant performance from the hosts to win by an innings and 141 runs.

Finlay Bean adds 93, George Hill 51* as Glamorgan’s slim promotion hopes take another hit

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2023Glamorgan’s slim promotion hopes were further diminished as Yorkshire took control on day one of their LV= Division 2 County Championship clash at Sophia Gardens.After defeat at Worcester last week, the Welsh county have to win their penultimate match with a full set of bonus points and hope that other results go their way if they are to remain in the promotion picture.But that looks unlikely after Yorkshire closed on 330 for 3 at stumps with captain Shan Masood unbeaten on 113 and Finlay Bean hitting 11 fours on his way to 93 on a slow pitch that offered little assistance for the bowling side.The White Rose county, who beat Derbyshire at Scarborough last time out, are aiming for a second successive victory as they look to climb off the bottom of the table.The two sides drew at Headingley in May, with Yorkshire clinging on at nine down to frustrate the Welsh county.Adam Lyth hit 174 in that second innings, and, after a delayed start in Cardiff due to rain, he put on 98 for the opening wicket with Bean after Yorkshire won the toss and elected to bat first.Bean survived an lbw appeal from James Harris on 21, but there were few other scares for the visiting side as they made fairly rapid progress in the curtailed first session to walk off on 86 for 0 after 22 overs at lunch with Lyth on 45 and Bean 37.It was a seventh successive half-century stand for the opening pair in Division Two, but the partnership didn’t last long after the interval. Jamie McIlroy was unsuccessful in his appeal for lbw against Lyth in the first over after lunch, but he didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough as Lyth chopped on and departed after hitting six fours in his 49 to leave Yorkshire on 98 for 1 in the 25th over.Yorkshire didn’t let that unfortunate dismissal disrupt their flow as Masood joined Bean in the middle and he picked up the baton from Lyth in fine style as he raced to his half-century in just 58 balls.Bean proceeded in a slightly more sedate fashion. He brought up the 200 in the 45th over and progressed to 88 from 117 balls as Yorkshire cruised to 217 for 1 at tea.The 21-year-old was denied a century as he was caught at slip by Colin Ingram off the bowling of Glamorgan skipper Kiran Carlson on 93 in the third over after tea, ending a stand of 127 with Masood.James Wharton didn’t last long as he was given out lbw for 3, with McIlroy picking up his second wicket of a frustrating day and earning his side their first bowling point.George Hill came in at No. 5 and played a supporting role as Masood closed in on his first century for Yorkshire.The pair secured a first batting point at 253 for 3 in the 59th over, before Masood made it to three figures off 132 balls in the 69th over.And Hill completed his half-century off 76 balls just before 6pm, having danced down the pitch to attack Carlson’s bowling on several occasions, to cap a satisfying day for the visiting side.

SLC comes to an understanding with the country’s sports ministry over a dispute surrounding the restructuring of the domestic tournaments

Madushka Balasuriya21-Sep-2023Sri Lanka Cricket has resumed its domestic cricket season, which was halted nearly three weeks ago, after coming to an understanding with the country’s sports ministry over a dispute surrounding the restructuring of the domestic tournaments. As such the Major Club three-day tournament and the Tier B Club three-day tournament will resume on Friday, September 22.”Consent was given by the Ministry of Sports and Youth, subsequent to a meeting held between Sri Lanka Cricket and the Ministry of Sports,” an SLC media release stated. “Following the meeting, in a letter addressed to Sri Lanka Cricket, the Ministry of Sports and Youth further clarified the direction given by the Director General of Sports pertaining to the ratification of an appeal advisory committee decision by the Hon. Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, which resulted in domestic cricket tournaments being halted, until further clarification was sought on the matter.”While the exact contents of the meeting haven’t been disclosed, ESPNcricinfo understands that the ministry had agreed to abide by the Court of Appeal’s decision to allow the tournament to continue uninterrupted until a decision is taken in the case of Gesto Cricket Club (GCC) versus SLC.The case, which had seen GCC argue against a decision taken at an SLC Emergency General Meeting to change the tournament structure, is due to be taken up again on September 26.Sri Lanka’s sports ministry had become involved in the matter after GCC, unhappy with the court’s decision to allow the tournament to continue while the case was being heard, had appealed to the sports ministry directly.This led to a dispute between SLC and the sports ministry, in which the latter claimed that any change to the structure of a tournament would need to be done via a change to the SLC constitution, itself something that could only be made through with the approval of the sports ministry.SLC however argued that, after it had written to and not received a response from the sports minister regarding the proposed changes, it had gone ahead with it regardless as it had been voted for by the SLC membership. This view was bolstered by the fact that change in structure itself was to one that had been in place for several years prior – as such SLC believed it was reasonable to assume that this would not be an issue. Aside from that, there is also disagreement in some quarters over whether in fact a change to tournament structure requires the explicit approval of the sports ministry.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca ruled out the possibility of adding injury-plagued Wesley Fofana to his Club World Cup squad as he feels the player is still not ready to play. The defender spent the majority of the 2024-25 campaign on the sidelines due to injury and made only 14 appearances for the Blues. He returned to the squad in March but was once again sidelined in April to undergo surgery.

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• Maresca gave his verdict on Fofana
• Won't be added to Chelsea's Club World Cup squad
• Blues face Benfica on Saturday in round of 16

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After a setback against Flamengo in their second Club World Cup group game, where they lost 3-1, the Premier League giants made a solid return to form by beating ES Tunis 3-0 and booked their berth in the round of 16. In the knockout stage, the Blues can add two more players to their registered squad, but manager Maresca clarified that Fofana will not be called up.

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  WHAT MARESCA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the Italian coach said: "Wesley is here because he is trying to be with us and recover with us. There is no chance he can be with us in the squad. At the moment, there is no plan to bring other players."

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  reported in April that Fofana could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge as Ligue 1 giants Marseille have shown interest in the player and were supposed to approach the Blues with an offer. The defender reportedly wants to end his injury-hampered spell with the west London side and move away this summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Maresca's men will be back in action on Saturday as they face Portuguese giants Benfica at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the last 16.

Mark Nicholas, the incoming president of MCC, has called for 50-over cricket to be played exclusively at World Cups, in a bid to preserve the ODI format from what he describes as the “supernatural” power of T20.Nicholas, who succeeded Stephen Fry this weekend as president of cricket’s oldest and most prestigious members’ club, added that his views echoed those of MCC’s World Cricket Committee, which met in July to call for ODI cricket to be “significantly reduced” outside of World Cup years.”We believe strongly that ODIs should be World Cups only,” Nicholas told ESPNcricinfo. “We think it’s difficult bilaterally now to justify them. They’re not filling grounds in a lot of countries. And there is a power at the moment to T20 cricket that is almost supernatural.”It’s more than just ticket sales. It’s the amount of people that want to own franchises, the amount of countries that want to run tournaments, it’s the amount of players that want to be in a market all around the world.”In a free market, the most money wins. And that’s just the end-game. The players can see that bubbling away and they want to be a part of it. So, it is an extraordinary power that T20 has, and I think scheduling 50-over cricket alongside it just continues the story of the death knell of the ODI game.”Nicholas concedes that his comments, on the eve of the 2023 World Cup, are unlikely to hold much sway with the ICC unless they can be crafted into a properly structured proposal, but he believes that the issue could be one of the ways in which MCC makes better use of the “soft power” that the club is still capable of wielding, even if its days of direct involvement in the sport’s administration are long gone.Mark Nicholas, the incoming president of MCC, pictured ringing the five-minute bell during a Test at Lord’s•Getty Images

“How much more relevant can MCC be?” Nicholas added. “Is there a danger we’re losing our relevance in global cricket thinking? Can we use our World Cricket Committee better? Can we use our massive list of Honorary Life members, [which has] the outstanding players of the modern era and the era before on it.”The problem at the moment is that the ICC see us a bit of a threat,” he said. “When we put our head above the parapet, they’re like ‘whoa, settle down, we run the game’. So we need to integrate better with ICC, we need to understand each other better. We need to develop thinking that comes together.”Nicholas’ tenure as president comes at a tricky juncture for the club, particularly in the wake of the recent Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report, which castigated MCC for its elitist tendencies; accusing Lord’s of being a place “predominantly for men”, and calling for an end to its hosting of the traditional Eton-Harrow and Oxford-Cambridge matches to make way for more women’s and state-school cricket at the venue.However, as the founder of Chance to Shine, the charity that has introduced cricket to more than 6 million state-school children in the 18 years since it was established in 2005, Nicholas comes to his MCC role with a proven track record for community engagement, and hopes that his year as president – which coincides with the MCC Foundation being granted a further £1 million to double its number of community hubs from 77 to 150 – can help to highlight the club’s enduring relevance to the grassroots game.Related

• Will this be the last World Cup that is this big a deal?

• Mark Nicholas, cricket romantic

• 'Home of cricket is still a home principally for men': Lord's castigated for lack of Women's Tests

• Ten key recommendations of the ICEC report

• English establishment must listen and learn in wake of ICEC report

“I’ve always felt that MCC could do a better job with the development game and could make more of a point of supporting kids who aren’t as lucky as lots of us who have been to a private school,” Nicholas said. “There is an element of the club that might be elitist but a lot of members involved in the grassroots of the game just get on with their business. I feel that that we’re quite a long way down the road in many of the areas that the ICEC report hammered us for.”But it’s difficult. The bricks and mortar of the club matter too. If you sell out the first two days of a Test here, you can’t then give tickets to 500 kids, because there’s nowhere to sit. We sell out our matches … so do The Oval and Old Trafford too, but MCC always get blamed because of the tag. So, I would love to work away at the tag.”On the specifics of the Eton-Harrow fixture, which will continue to be played at Lord’s for a further five years after an uneasy compromise was agreed with the membership earlier this year, Nicholas predicts that the schools themselves will probably end up making the decision to move the fixture away from Lord’s, where it has been staged since 1805.”You’ve got to remember that tradition has mattered, but it’s not so relevant now,” he said. “The founding fathers of this club came from those schools and wanted to play their matches here. It was a cool thing to do. It’s a different world now. So don’t blame the past.”My guess is that the game will move away from here, probably that the two headmasters won’t want the publicity around it, because attitudes are changing. The world is changing so fast at the moment that it might not suit them to have this issue rear its head all the time. I hope the club can embrace the idea that, in time, common sense will bring change, and crack on in the meantime with really useful things.”We will never solve the problem of ‘what are you?’ Are we a private members’ club, or are we a cricket ground that wants to lead the international game? We’re both. It’s just what it is. So we must sustain both, and we must be the best we can be at both. We need our membership to be as one, united, believing in this place, and actually believing in a lot of the traditions of the club which is a togetherness and a community in the love of the game.”

Liverpool have reportedly drawn up a three-man striker shortlist but Arne Slot's team must sell a key player to fund such a move.

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Liverpool have three-man striker shortlistNeed to sell key player to fund a moveReds eye another statement signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool have added Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to their list of attacking targets, reports The Mirror. The Nigerian, who spent last season on loan at Galatasaray, reportedly joins Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike and Newcastle United's Alexander Isak on the Reds' number nine wishlist.

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Ekitike is understood to be valued at around £85 million ($116.5m), and Osimhen is said to have a £63m ($86.5m) release clause, while Isak could cost upwards of £100m. However, the report states that a new striker signing will only be possible if they sell players, with Darwin Nunez the most likely candidate.

DID YOU KNOW?

Frankfurt chief Markus Krosche has already made it clear the German side will not be bullied in the transfer market when it comes to Ekitike.

The club's CEO said: "If the price isn’t right, then he’ll simply stay with us. We don’t have to sell Hugo.”

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Liverpool have already spent close to £200m on Bayer Leverkusen duo Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong this summer, along with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez. But more big arrivals could be on the way as well for the Premier League champions.