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Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis would appear unlikely to be able to force their way into Australia’s first-choice T20I XI for the start of the series against England despite making a strong impact in the intersquad warm-up matches at the Ageas Bowl.Labuschagne, who only has 10 T20 matches at domestic level under his belt, rattled off a 50-ball century in the second of two matches on Tuesday while Stoinis struck 68 off 37 balls to add to the 87 he made in the 50-over practice game at the weekend.Few would bet against Labuschagne eventually earning a T20I berth given his last 12 months at the international level – coach Justin Langer spoke of the “acceleration of his improvement” – but both he and Stoinis, who had a prolific Big Bash last season opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars, won’t be dislodging the current top three of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steven Smith.”We’ve had a pretty settled T20 side over the last 12 months or so and all we can ask for is that guys bang so hard they are putting pressure on the guys in there,” Langer said. “So, whether Marnus plays this series or not, or certainly the first game on Friday night, time will tell. We haven’t decided that yet. But he’s certainly done, as has always been the way since coming into international cricket, everything he possibly could. He was hitting Pat Cummins, the world’s best, over point for six.”Marcus Stoinis had an impressive showing in the warm-ups•Getty Images

One option for Stoinis, who has not played for Australia since last year’s World Cup, would be to return in the middle order. He also provides a solid bowling option with his medium pace, but Langer believes his best position in the format is opening and labelled the Warner-Finch pairing as the best white-ball first-wicket combination in the world.”He certainly won’t displace them at the moment,” Langer said. “I think he is an outstanding top-order player, it gives him a lot more time, he’s got incredible power. We also know that he is an adaptable player, and he can play anywhere but I feel he is [best] in the top order. When an opportunity comes time will tell. He is doing everything in his powers to be knocking on the door for selection.”While knowing that Australia will lack some match “hardness” heading into the series having not played since March – against an England side that has been in action for two months – Langer was comfortable with the lead-in the squad had managed. However, he acknowledged the challenge the home side will pose, particularly having brought back some first-choice players who had been on Test duty.The T20I series will pitch the top two-ranked sides together, but in ODIs there is a considerable gap from England in top spot to Australia in fifth.”Dangerous, that’s what I made of England,” Langer said having followed the T20Is against Pakistan. “I’ve watched the way Eoin Morgan plays, it’s exciting to watch, he just comes out and smacks it from ball one. They’ve got some good young players, we’ve seen the squad, they’ve brought some of their more experienced players back. They’ve been the best one-day team in the world for a few years now. We know what to expect.”

Liverpool fans have called for more signings after the Reds finally completed a deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili.

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• Liverpool have had a quiet transfer window
• Mamardashvili signed for next season
• Fans grow restless as deadline day draws close

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Merseyside club have agreed to shell out £29 million (€34m/$38m) for Mamardashvili, who will set sail for English shores next summer to provide competition to Alisson Becker. However, barring this deal, it has otherwise been a quiet window for Liverpool and the fans are clamouring for more incomings before the window slams shut on Friday.

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  WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  An X User, @MrBDK_YT wrote: "WE HAVE SIGNED SOMEONE, CHIESA NEXT PLEASE."

  Meanwhile, @Lyvinston wrote: "Now sign some real players."

  Whereas, @mahfxz_ demanded: "Sign branthwaite if you’re bad."

  @LFCUNLOCKED went a step ahead and wrote: "Finally now can we try some first team signings PLEASE 🙏 and whilst your at it draft up the 3 contracts to 3 of our most important players thank you 😊."

  And another fan, @GongR1ght opined: "Finally a signing but not the one required."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool are reported to be working to sign Chiesa before deadline day. Juventus are ready to offload the Italian for around €15 million (£13m/$17m) and the Reds are determined to make the most of the opportunity.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Liverpool have won their first two Premier League matches under Arne Slot against Ipswich Town and Brentford. However, their first real test of the season comes next weekend when they travel to Old Trafford to lock horns with Manchester United.

Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hasnain the others to clear their tests

Danyal Rasool27-Jun-2020Six of the ten Pakistani cricketers who had earlier tested positive for Covid-19 – Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hasnain – have returned negative results when tested again, Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, announced on Saturday. He added that Kashif Bhatti, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Imran Khan had tested positive again, as had team masseur Malang Ali. All the players and support staffers who had tested negative earlier were also retested, and there was no change in their status.However, given players’ need to return two negative tests before being able to enter the UK, the six previously positive players will not be on the ECB-arranged charter plane that takes the rest of the travelling party to Manchester on Sunday. The PCB announced they will be sent as soon as they returned that second negative test.ALSO READ: Pakistan prepare to fly to England without 10 Covid-positive playersThere will be 20 players in the advance group: the 18 who have returned two negative tests, as well as two of the reserve players called up as cover earlier this week, wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir and fast bowler Musa Khan. One of the reserves, Imran Butt, returned a positive result. In addition, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who is already in the UK, will join the side and only be involved in pre-match preparations.Wasim said that Hafeez and Riaz had sought out tests from private laboratories independent of the PCB in the wake of them returning positive results. And though the retest came back negative, the board will not be considering them.”The private test they decided to have carried out was outside the PCB testing process,” Wasim said. “So while they have now had two negative tests, they will have to get tested again to get two negative tests in a row that are in accordance with PCB’s testing process and the protocols we have set up.”Once the 20 players and 11 members of the support staff arrive in Manchester, they will be transported to Worcestershire, where everyone will be tested once more in accordance with the ECB guidelines and testing processes. They will then begin a 14-day quarantine period, during which they will be permitted access to training and practice facilities. Following that, the squad will move to Derbyshire. Although it wasn’t set in stone, an earlier plan would have seen the Pakistan squad quarantined in Derby first.Bowling coach Waqar Younis, who has been in Australia, was tested there and returned a negative result. He will join the squad directly. Shoaib Malik, who was granted leave to spend time with his family and join the team later, will travel to England on July 24.The PCB had briefly entertained the idea of sending players who tested negative once after an earlier positive test, but that idea was swiftly put to bed, as an ECB press release on Friday confirmed that the ten players who had tested positive would not be traveling on Sunday.”The ECB contacted us at first and said since the positive tests were carried out on the 21st, seven days will have lapsed and there may be an opportunity for players to travel on the 28th,” Wasim said. “Because in nine of the 10 players, we found antibodies, which suggested they were coming to the end of it. But we changed it because the ECB have now told us that based on UK regulations, anybody to have tested positive will need to provide evidence that they have had two negative tests before they can travel. We went on the advice they were giving us earlier, but since they told us the regulations had changed, we followed their protocol.”The tour comprises three Test matches and three T20Is in August and September. All six games will be played behind closed doors.

Tournament playing conditions won’t be changed leaving Australia and England hoping the weather clears on Thursday

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-2020

Cricket Australia sought clarification from ICC about whether it was possible to have a reserve day for the T20 World Cup semi-final with the weather threatening to ruin the day, which would send Australia and England out, but were told it was not possible to alter the tournament playing conditions.Kevin Roberts, the CA CEO, revealed the question had been asked but understood why any changes were not possible but added that is an area of the tournament that could be reconsidered in the future.A minimum of 10 overs per side is needed to make each semi-final a match – up from the usual five-over minimum for T20s – meaning that the weather will need to allow 40 overs for the two games to be completed. If either or both semis are abandoned, the teams that topped the group – India and South Africa – would progress to the final. Australia will play the second game of the day against South Africa and there is a suggestion that the weather may have improved a little by then, following the India-England semi in the afternoon.ALSO READ: Explainer: What happens if the semi-finals are washed out?”We’ve asked the question and it’s not part of the playing conditions,” Roberts told SEN Radio. “I respect that because we’ve said the same thing in tournaments that we run in Australia.”It gives you cause to reflect on how you might improve things in the future absolutely, but going into a tournament with a given set of playing conditions and rules I don’t think it’s time to tinker with that as much as with an Australian hat on I might love that.”Earlier this season it was thought there was virtually no chance of staging the Big Bash final at the SCG amid a horrendous forecast, but the weather cleared for long enough to play a 12-over match”We’re optimistic based on the drainage of the SCG, combined with a weather forecast that’s not perfect but not terrible either,” Roberts said. “We’re really hopeful and planning for different scenarios tomorrow night. It reminds me of the lead up to the BBL final a few weeks ago and by way of some miracle we got a 12-over match in. So I think with the drainage of the SCG there’s every chance Australia and South Africa will be playing that semi-final tomorrow night.”It’d be disappointing for any team for that matter, you want the game to be won and lost inside the ropes rather than won or lost based on the weather don’t you.”England captain Heather Knight believes that the ICC will be under pressure to add reserve days for future events – there isn’t one for the men’s T20 World Cup either, although there were for the 50-over semi-finals last year which was needed for the India-New Zealand match at Old Trafford – but conceded that the position they are in was largely of their own making after the loss to South Africa at the start of the competition.”It’s the same for the men’s T20, we did check that this morning, it is strange,” she said. “It will be a shame if it does happen and I’m sure they’ll be a lot of pressure to change that.”It’s frustrating…it would be nice if we could play in Melbourne. It is what it is, there’s nothing we can do about it. The reserve day would be useful in this situation and it’s a shame for the tournament in general because it’s been great and if both semi-finals are lost it will be a sad time for the tournament. We’d be gutted if that did happen but guess it’s our own fault for losing that game against South Africa. We didn’t top our group and only have ourselves to blame.”Australia captain Meg Lanning kept a matter-of-attitude to something which is out of their control despite the fact it could be the weather that prevents them from reaching a home World Cup final.”That’s not the way you want to finish a tournament if that was the way it was to go,” she said. “But they said it was going to rain all day today and it’s sunny out there. Forecasts change all the time. The fact they got a Big Bash game on the other day when it was supposed to rain all day gives us a lot of confidence.”There’s no doubt been a lot of talk about that but that’s not within our control, we need to focus on what we are doing and prepare to play a full game and prepare for a shorter game as well. We need to be ready for whatever is thrown at us, we are not putting a hell of a lot of thought into because we can’t have a lot of control over it.”The captains of the two sides who would progress with washouts – Harmanpreet Kaur and Dane van Niekerk – were firm in their views that there should be reserve days.”Yes, it works in our favour, 100%, but if I was on the other end I’d probably be really upset,” van Niekerk said. “Everybody works really hard to get here, so to lose out with weather is not ideal. It shouldn’t be like that, so I think for semi-finals and finals there should be reserve days.”Kaur said: “As a team I think there should be [a reserve day] because every team is here to play cricket and if we get a reserve day that will be a great idea.”An ICC spokesperson said: “The ICC T20 World Cups are short sharp events where reserve days are factored in for the final. Allowing for any other reserve days would have extended the length of the event, which isn’t feasible. There is a clear and fair alternative should there be no play In any of the semi-finals with the winner of the group progressing.”

Jude Bellingham has been issued a Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo “advertisements” warning, with the Real Madrid star needing to focus on football.

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• England international starring for club & country
• Boasts unwavering belief in his ability
• Needs to avoid distractions in order to join greats

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Serious potential has been unlocked in the midfielder’s game, allowing him to tread a career path from Birmingham to Madrid via Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham, at just 21 years of age, has also become a talismanic presence for England – while claiming La Liga, Champions League, Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy titles.

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• WHAT MILLS SAID

  Unwavering self-belief and confidence has carried Bellingham to the top, but has also led to arrogance claims being levelled at him. Former England international Danny Mills – speaking in association with – has told GOAL when asked about any potential attitude issues: “It’s not a bad thing. He obviously has supreme confidence and self belief, which you need to get to that level – especially at his age, and what he’s done is magnificent. You do have to be careful not to overstep that line at times. You can do anything you like if you are putting in the performances. I know he scored an amazing overhead kick [at Euro 2024]. Actually, I thought the first goal that he scored in the tournament [against Serbia] was a better goal. The overhead kick is a freak goal, it’s something that happens once in a blue moon. The header that he scores is brave, he’s determined, his desire to get across the defender to get that in the back of the net, that’s a proper midfielder running from deep. That’s what Steven Gerrard used to do, knocking the defender out of the way.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mills added on the need to avoid off-field distractions in order to rub shoulders with greats of the game: “I think you have to be careful. By all accounts he is a very grounded lad, but the media have hyped him up to be a Ballon d’Or winner and be magnificent. He has still got improvements to make in his game. Is he as technically good as Phil Foden? Not quite. Foden is technically a better footballer than him at the moment. He has other attributes – his strength, his power, his desire, his ability to get in the box and score goals. He is a very young man, he still has a lot of room for improvement. He just needs to make sure that football comes first. All the adverts and all the sponsorship deals will come as secondary. First and foremost, be a great footballer. Just concentrate on that and worry about everything else afterwards. If not, it will be thrown at him. Ronaldo had it, Messi has had it at times. If you are a top player and you are courting the media and the press and the advertisements, you have to perform.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  While the odd question has been asked of Bellingham’s character on the field, the likes of Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have become poster boys for what can be achieved when refusing to listen to outside noise. Mills added on that mindset: “All of those got there and stayed there and performed. Ronaldo performed in tournaments. Zlatan performed. Jude at this tournament [Euro 2024] scored a couple of goals, but probably hasn’t seen the performances that he expected and everyone else expected from him. When you talk about the greatest of players, first of all you talk about their football performances. I don’t think we are talking about Jude for his football performances in general after this tournament.”

The tournament has already undergone revamps in its first three years, and there are more changes afoot

Barny Read22-Nov-2019In just its third edition of its existence, it is fair to say the Abu Dhabi T10 is still a work in progress. As a result, there are still tweaks to be made, issues to be ironed out and a lot of trials to be carried out.From being a four-day, round-robin format played out between six franchises in its inaugural edition, the tournament went from 13 matches to 29 the following season as it welcomed two new teams into the fold. That second season stretched the competition to 12 days and while the same structure was retained this year, it has found a ten-day slot in its new home in the UAE capital.The Super League stage has remained in place, but with every team playing each other bar their opposite number in the other group (for example, Deccan Gladiators and Maratha Arabians avoided each other in the Super League stage having topped Group A and B respectively and so on), there is little jeopardy as the tournament moves into its second stage.And this existing league structure is something Abu Dhabi T10 owner-cum-chairman Shaji ul Mulk says he and his team plan to address after Sunday’s final.”It’s possible [that the tournament format changes],” Shaji told ESPNcricinfo. “Because we have eight teams, we could be doing seven games a team so that we have a full round-robin. That would probably need us to increase the duration by another two days.”Delhi Bulls captain Eoin Morgan, who has been involved with the tournament since its inception, also sees the potential for adjustments. “There are a couple of things but I don’t have a solution for them yet,” Morgan said. “We’re only in our third year, things will continue to evolve, maybe even more teams still in a shorter space of time.”The group stage has also become a topic for conversation over its lack of tie-breakers, such as a Super Over, to ensure results in every match. They are in place for the knockout matches that begin on Saturday but after two ties this year, their absence has been notable.When you throw in Wednesday’s rain that produced one farce and two no results, the difference between shared points and full points is something that cannot be ignored. And while the rain cannot be helped, other things can be.”We’ve seen two ties already and I think all coaches agree we need to see a result, whatever form that’s in whether it’s a Super Over or how that’s determined,” Team Abu Dhabi coach Trevor Bayliss, whose side was hit by both abandonment and T10’s first-ever tie, told ESPNcricinfo. “A result in every match would be good for everyone involved, not just the players but obviously the fans and the viewers at home as well.”Morgan, like Bayliss, knows the finality of a Super Over more than most after this year’s ODI World Cup final and he would rather a ten-over game had a conclusion. “If we played in a tied game and we ended up a point short the argument is: would you rather have a result than one point each and I’d always err on the side of having a result,” Morgan said.Shaji puts the fast turnaround of games as a reason behind the lack of Super Overs until the qualifiers and final, his argument based on the fact that one of T10’s greatest USP is its 90-minute game-time. When you factor in slots on TV schedules and advertising space, it is no easy thing to balance.”We will be looking at it from next season onwards,” Shaji said. “Now that we’ve had two ties, we will probably consider changing those playing conditions. We want something innovative like two bowlers, three balls each.”One thing the Abu Dhabi T10 will be hoping to sustain is the strong crowds that have turned out so far. The UAE is a notoriously difficult place to pull in supporters despite a cricket-mad diaspora. To combat it this year, organisers invested in buses from across the emirates to provide transport for people that otherwise would have found it difficult to source.The result has been remarkable as evidenced by Friday’s enormous crowd-swell, and Morgan hopes that, in future, the showpiece events are scheduled to tie-in with what is a non-working day for the majority of the country.”You look at the crowd today given that it’s the weekend here and that’s fantastic to see. Probably one of the things would be having the final on a weekend [Friday or Saturday] as opposed to [Sunday]. But it’s still great to see crowds like that today.”

Rangers could reportedly secure the record-breaking signing of an "electric" player during the summer transfer window, but only on one condition.

Rangers transfer news

Philippe Clement's side find themselves at the top of the Scottish Premiership table currently, managing to gain a two-point advantage over rivals Celtic. There is still a long way to go, but supporters will be dreaming of glory this season, not only because of the joy of winning the league, but also due to the players they could attract this summer.

Two players who have been linked with moves to Ibrox at the end of the campaign are Rapid Vienna pair Leopold Querfeld and Matthias Seidl, with the former an imposing young centre-back and the latter an Austria international midfielder.

Meanwhile, Coventry City attacking midifelder Callum O'Hare has also emerged as a target for Rangers, as he continues to shine for the Championship side. This season, he has six goals and three assists to his name in the league, and will become a free agent at the end of the campaign.

Lawrence Shankland was backed to join the Gers during the January window, as he enjoys a superb campaign leading the line for Hearts, and it remains to be seen if they could come back in for him in the coming months.

Rangers will sign "electric" star if they win the league

According to Football Insider, Rangers "will" seal the record-breaking signing of Abdallah Sima in the summer, assuming they clinch Scottish Premiership title glory.

That's because of the "huge transfer kitty" they would receive through qualifying for the Champions League, generating funds for new faces to come in. Sima's current permanent club Brighton value him between £10-15m, meaning Rangers will likely have to break their transfer record of £12m spent on striker Tore Andre Flo way back in 2000.

The Gers should definitely be looking to bring in the 22-year-old on a permanent basis this summer, considering how much he has already caught the eye on loan at Ibrox. He has 10 goals in 20 league outings this season, only 15 of which have been starts, and he is a big miss through injury at the moment.

Given his age, Sima would be viewed as a player who can develop into an even more polished and fearsome prospect over time, and Rangers captain James Tavernier has heaped praise on his teammate.

Rangers and Clement now eyeing double deal for two in-demand talents

The Gers aren’t the only club interested.

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 8, 2024

Granted, the money that Brighton will demand will be a significant amount, but if Clement's side do get Champions League football, the money will be there to spend, ensuring they find another gear next season.

The midfielder's thunderous bicycle kick rescued Gareth Southgate's job and dignity while the captain completed a frantic turnaround

How do England keep getting away with it?! The Three Lions were on the verge of a truly shocking elimination from Euro 2024 to Slovakia, a side ranked 40 places below them in the world and who had never won a knockout game at a major tournament.

The outsiders would have deserved the victory too, Ivan Schranz capitalising on haphazard England defending to put Slovakia in front. England had no answer and had no shots on target until the game entered stoppage time.

But that was when Jude Bellingham remembered he is a Real Madrid star and Ballon d'Or contender, as h saved England with a thumping overhead-kick in the 95th minute. England's tails were then up, and in the first minute of extra-time, Harry Kane – who had produced another abject display – nudged the ragged Three Lions in front.

England reverted to their usual timid selves thereafter, but it was enough to see off Slovakia and book themselves a quarter-final tie with Switzerland. But they will know they will be heading home on Saturday unless things improve as they are running out of lives.

GOAL rates England's players from the Veltins Arena..

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Jordan Pickford (5/10):

  Could do nothing about the Slovakia goal and showed leadership in extra-time, taking crosses confidently.

  Kyle Walker (5/10):

  Huge drop down from his usual level, being caught in Slovakia's pressing trap twice and being too slow to shut down Schranz. But made up for it with his lethal long throw to set up Bellingham and defended well in extra-time.

  Marc Guehi (5/10):

  Made a bad start by getting booked (and suspended for the quarters). Beaten in the air before Slovakia's goal but kept his head and his flick-on helped Bellingham equalise.

  John Stones (4/10):

  Slow and sloppy, almost punished when he gifted the ball to Strelec by the halfway line. Also poor for the goal.

  Kieran Trippier (4/10):

  Unconvincing again. A bad early pass put Guehi in trouble, while he later skied a decent scoring chance. Taken off injured in second half.

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  Midfield

  Declan Rice (4/10):

  Not brave enough with the ball. Came close to equalising with a thumping effort off the post.

  Kobbie Mainoo (7/10):

  The only player to play with courage on the ball. Taken off before full-time despite being England's best performer at the time.

  Jude Bellingham (5/10):

  Put in some wild tackles and looked to have lost his nerve. Went missing for long periods until he remembered he plays for Real Madrid and conjured his stonking overhead-kick.

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  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (5/10):

  A few positive moments but got little support. Shifted to left-back then right wing-back as England chased the game.

  Harry Kane (4/10):

  For 90 minutes he had no impact on the play and wasted his few chances. But he got an ally when Toney came on and finished the job.

  Phil Foden (6/10):

  One of England's better players but unwisely ran offside, ruling out his goal. Taken off while England were on their way out.

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  Subs & Manager

  Cole Palmer (5/10):

  Added more purpose to England's attack although he didn't have a huge impact.

  Eberechi Eze (6/10):

  Did well at wing-back in extra-time before returning to midfield.

  Ivan Toney (6/10):

  Added an element of chaos which made the difference. Set up Kane's goal and his hold-up play helped England get over the line.

  Conor Gallagher (5/10):

  Gave England fresh legs in extra-time.

  Ezri Konsa (5/10):

  Became England's fourth left-back. Did what was required to see the game out.

  Gareth Southgate (4/10):

  Risked ruining his legacy with another stale gameplan and took too long to make changes. His subs made the difference in the end, but he is surely on his last life.

It means the country’s prime minister has no power to dissolve the board or remove the chairman, with that clause being removed completely

Umar Farooq21-Aug-2019

The government of Pakistan formally notified the new PCB constitution with certain amendments, toning down the powers of its own patron-in-chief. This is the fourth time in the last 12 years that the PCB constitution has been redrafted. This latest change means the patron-in-chief, who is also the country’s prime minister, has no power to dissolve the board or remove the chairman, with that clause being removed completely, effectively making the PCB an independent body.According to the new constitution, the prime minister of the country is still a patron of the board, but his power to dictate to it has been curbed. Earlier, his general policy directions were compulsory to implement, but will now, constitutionally at least, only be up for consideration. “The Patron may, from time to time, give to the Board general policy directions for its consideration,” clause 5.3 reads.The patron earlier had the power to dissolve the PCB, with this once igniting an embarrassing crisis for the board when former patron Nawaz Shariff dismissed the then-chairman Zaka Ashraf and dissolved the board of governors. Sharif formed a management committee to pick the new PCB chairman from among its eight members, which ultimately brought Najam Sethi to power.Changes of government have always rung changes at the PCB because the prime minister has held absolute power with the board. This has hindered the PCB’s ability to push through a long-term vision, with the board beholden to the desires of its incoming patron every few years. But the new constitution makes a significant tweak that eradicates the ability of the patron to dissolve the board of governors altogether.When Imran Khan won a general election in 2018, Sethi’s future became the subject of intense speculation, with the two of them having a famously poor relationship. With the prime minister allowed – according to the then PCB constitution – to change the PCB chairman if he so desired, it seemed unlikely Sethi would be able to stay on beyond Imran formally taking charge. In what was widely seen as an anticipation of his impending removal once Imran became prime minister, Sethi tendered his resignation just before Imran was due to take office, leading to Ehsan Mani being ushered in.Until now, chairmen had the authority to act as executives of the board who tried to implement policy they had proposed themselves, which according to Mani was a conflict of interest. The new constitution tackled governance loopholes related to the administration of cricket and the functioning of its governing body, bringing it in line with the best practices of corporate governance.The patron’s role is now more narrowly worded in Clause 32.5, giving them only oversight authority and the ability to launch an audit if they believed financial mismanagement may have taken place at the board. “Notwithstanding anything contained in this clause, the Patron in his exclusive discretion to be exercised, for reasons to be recorded in writing, after being reasonably satisfied that there is sufficient evidence of financial mismanagement within the Board, may direct conducting of a special audit of the Board’s accounts. The audit report shall only be submitted to the Patron for his consideration,” the clause reads.To many, this change might seem a calculated political ploy by the current patron-in-chief, with Imran already having made one intervention which resulted in Mani becoming chairman of the PCB. But whether the constitution, and indeed the institution that is the PCB, is sturdy enough to withstand a future patron-in-chief looking to shake things up at the PCB once more, only time will tell.

Tottenham really want to sign a "world-class" new £34 million transfer target as the club's recruitment team and chairman Daniel Levy's plans take further shape.

Spurs enjoy busy January

It's already been a pretty busy month at Spurs, with the Lilywhites sealing deals for RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner on loan and defender Radu Dragusin in a £25 million transfer from Genoa.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

Coupled with the plethora of outgoings, as a host of Tottenham players secure loan moves away from north London, there have been widespread reports that they were also in talks to sign Club Brugge sensation Antonio Nusa on a buy-to-loan-back deal.

Brentford moved in to hijack that move and agree a deal for Nusa, but in a sensational twist, Nusa'a move to west London unceremoniously stalled after the winger failed a medical – re-opening the door for Spurs to make a potential move if they see fit.

As the Nusa saga drags on, and Spurs' head coach refuses to completely rule out more late activity, Tottenham could potentially still make a late move to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher. This is regardless of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg choosing to stay at Spurs, as confirmed by the player's own lawyer this week.

The north Londoners are also remain in planning for 2024 transfers overall, with manager Ange Postecoglou apparently keen to bolster his defence further after the signing of Dragusin. Tottenham are real admirers of Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite among others in this respect, but another player now turning heads at N17 is Eintracht Frankfurt defender Willian Pacho.

Spurs make approach to sign new target Pacho

Indeed, as per Belgian transfer journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Spurs have made a 2024 approach to sign Pacho and are "strong" in their interest.

They've also scouted him on numerous occasions over 2023/2024, making the Ecuador international a real "one to watch" in terms of potentially joining Postecoglou this year.

Pacho, called "world-class" by manager Dino Toppmoller, has started 19 Bundesliga games as a mainstay for the German side.

The 22-year-old is also still very young with high re-sale value if he performs well, and reports suggest Eintracht are willing to do a deal at around £34 million.