Category Uncategorized

Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has confirmed winger Daniel James’ ankle injury will rule him out for up to six weeks.

James, who has recently struggled with a core muscle injury which kept him out of last week’s home draw against Bournemouth, has turned an ankle in training and will be sidelined until November.

The Wales winger will miss Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Tottenham at Elland Road and both his country’s upcoming matches against England at Wembley and the World Cup qualifier against Belgium.

Farke said: “Daniel James will be out for a few weeks, he’s rolled his ankle sadly in training.

“The doctors say he’s likely out four to six weeks so realistically we expect him back just after the November international break.

“If he would be back before it would be a bonus and a surprise. It’s not great news.”

Gnonto and Gray could also miss Spurs

Farke, whose side currently sit 12th in the Premier League, also revealed Willy Gnonto has not yet recovered from a calf injury which has kept him out of the last two matches.

Teenager Harry Gray will also miss out against older brother Archie’s Tottenham after sustaining a hip flexor injury.

Farke can drop Aaronson by starting "dynamite" Leeds star & it's not Gnonto

Leeds United can take Brenden Aaronson out of the XI by bringing this star into the team.

ByDan Emery Mar 29, 2025

On the plus side, goalkeeper Lucas Perri has returned to training following a thigh problem, although the Brazilian summer signing will not be included in Farke’s squad this weekend.

Tottenham made the long trip to the Arctic circle in the Champions League on Tuesday night, fighting back to draw 2-2 against Bodo/Glimt, but Farke does not think this will have a bearing on Saturday’s encounter at Elland Road.

The German added: “I don’t think so because nowadays you don’t travel with a bicycle or on a ship or a coach. They have their private jets, so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.

“It’s not like in my generation when the travel was horrendous. They have chefs around.

“But it could be tricky sometimes, say if it was a Wednesday night (match) and then early Saturday kick-off.

“From Tuesday, I wouldn’t expect anything (adverse) and I also expect he will bring some fresh legs on the pitch.”

Tottenham are fourth in the table having lost one of their eight league matches this season and head to Leeds after drawing their previous two, against Brighton and Wolves.

أعلن الموقع الرسمي لنادي ليفربول عن اسم اللاعب الفائز بجائزة لاعب شهر سبتمبر المقدمة من الشركة الراعية “Standard Chartered”.

وحقق فيدريكو كييزا جائزة لاعب شهر سبتمبر لأول مرة في مسيرته مع ليفربول، بعد تصدره استطلاع رأي الجماهير على الموقع الرسمي.

Congrats, Fede 🙌

Federico Chiesa is our @StanChart Player of the Month for September 🏆 #Ad pic.twitter.com/9QrZNiwdAg — Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 24, 2025

وتفوق الإيطالي بنسبة أصوات تصل إلى 34% وجاء أليسون بيكر ثانياً ب18% وريان جرافنبيرخ ثالثاً ب18%.

وقال كييزا في تصريحاته بعد الفوز بالجائزة: “أنا سعيد بفوزي بها، شكراً للجماهير على دعمهم وتصويتهم لي”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. ليفربول إيكو: سلوت يواجه معضلة كبرى بسبب محمد صلاح قبل لقاء برينتفورد

وأضاف: “أفضل الفوز بمزيد من المباريات لكن أشكركم مجدداً، لطالما كان الدعم رائعاً، أسعى جاهداً لتقديم أفضل ما لدي في الملعب من أجل الجماهير وليفربول، أحب أن أرى الجماهير تقدر ما أفعله”.

وأكمل :”كنت سعيدًا بعد مباراة ساوثهامبتون لأننا فزنا ولكن لم نتمكن من الفوز ضد بالاس أو حتى التعادل ولم أكن سعيداً لأن هدفي في نهاية المباراة لم يحتسب ونأمل أن تتغير الأمور في المستقبل”.

واختتم: “مهما كانت الدقائق التي سألعبها، أحاول بذل قصارى جهدي وأبقى إيجابياً وأسعى لترك بصمة إيجابية، لهذا السبب أنا هنا وآمل أن أواصل مزيد من الجهد وأواصل رد الجميل للجماهير”.

وسجل فيدريكو كييزا هدفين وصنع 3 أهداف خلال 8 مباريات مع ليفربول موسم 2025-2026.

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal was quick to congratulate Ousmane Dembele after seeing the Paris Saint-Germain star beat him to the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. The teenager finished second in the rankings but didn’t go home empty-handed as he won the Kopa Award for a second year running, and his father is confident that it will be a different story next year.

• Dembele beats Yamal to 2025 Ballon d'Or

  Dembele has been crowned the best male player in the world after winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or award. The PSG star pipped Yamal to top spot after inspiring Luis Enrique's side to a quadruple last season. The campaign also brought a first Champions League title for the French giants after a 5-0 victory over Inter in the final.

Advertisement

• Yamal congratulates Dembele on Ballon d'Or win

  Yamal may have tasted disappointment in Paris but he was spotted congratulating Dembele on his win with a handshake, a warm hug and a few words. The teenager also did not go home empty-handed as he won the Kopa Trophy for the second year in a row.

• Warning fired out by Yamal's father

  Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, was at the ceremony and fired out a warning after seeing Dembele beat his son to the top prize. "Next year is ours," he told COPE after the awards had been handed out in Paris.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Barcelona hoping for Yamal return

  Yamal will now return to Barcelona and hope to return to action with Hansi Flick's side soon. The teenager is currently sidelined with injury and it's not clear yet when he will be available again. Barcelona take on Real Oviedo next in La Liga on Thursday and then face Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Mumbai went from 113 for 2 to 118 for 6 in the space of 11 balls

Shashank Kishore18-Feb-2025

Parth Rekhade picked up three wickets in an over to dent Mumbai•PTI

A full-blown middle order collapse – four wickets in 11 deliveries – has left Mumbai with an uphill battle in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha in Nagpur.Parth Rekhade, the left-arm spin allrounder playing in only his second first-class match, dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube in a single over, the 41st of the innings, as Mumbai went from a comfortable 113 for 2 to 113 for 5.Rahane was the first to go in the triple-wicket over for 18 when the ball rolled back onto the stumps off a defensive push. Suryakumar Yadav was next, out for a two-ball duck when he jabbed at an in-drifter with hard hands. Danish Malewar at silly point held it on the second attampts as it came off the pad after taking the inside edge. Dube then played back to one that skidded across from around the stumps as the thick edge was superbly taken at slip by Atharva Taide.There was more drama in store when Shams Mulani, who orchestrated a stunning turnaround in the quarter-final courtesy a century stand with Tanush Kotian, was trapped lbw by Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner. Originally given not out as he played around a sharp-turning delivery, Akshay Wadkar opted to review the decision and replays confirmed the ball would’ve crashed into the stumps. Mulani had to walk back for 4 as Dubey picked up his 60th wicket – it made him the sixth bowler in Ranji history and the first since Jaydev Unadkat in 2019-20 to pick up 60 or more in a season.Shivam Dube picked 5 for 49 as Vidarbha were bowled out for 383•PTI

As he has often done, Shardul Thakur led a fierce Mumbai fightback as he put on a half-century stand with wicketkeeper Akash Anand, who battled his way to make a half-century from the top of the order. Shardul played his strokes and attacked the bowlers to pick up runs at every available opportunity. Their partnership was worth 60 when Shardul holed out to deep square for a 41-ball 37 while attempting to pull Yash Thakur, which was one of the last acts in an action-packed session.Yash Thakur bounded in full intensity on a hot afternoon, his figures of 2 for 56 in 11 overs doing no justice to his efforts. This included the big wicket of Siddhesh Lad to break a half-century stand when he got one to angle in and hold its line to burst past Lad’s outside edge. He should’ve also had Rahane lbw on 11, but for a no-ball he delivered in trying to hit the deck hard.In the morning session, Vidarbha managed to add just 75 to their overnight 308 for 5 with Yash Rathod, their top run-getter this season, bringing up his half-century before falling to trigger a slide. Dube, who had dismissed Rekhade and Karun Nair on the opening day, picked up three wickets in three overs to finish with figures of 11.5-1-49-5, his third five-for in first-class cricket.

Crystal Palace have started off the campaign with a trophy to their name and could now be set to go toe-to-toe with Nottingham Forest to sign a talented midfield operator, per reports.

Crystal Palace lose CAS appeal after winning Community Shield

Oliver Glasner and his club have been involved in a turbulent couple of days that saw them win the FA Community Shield against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, though the joy of another day in the sun has been blighted by recent developments.

Taking to social media platform X, journalist Ben Jacobs delivered that Crystal Palace have lost their CAS appeal against Europa League expulsion, and they will now have to settle for a place in the Europa Conference League this term.

He said: “Crystal Palace have lost their CAS appeal and will play in the UEFA Conference League this season. Nottingham Forest will replace them in the Europa League. Palace will consider all legal options.”

Nottingham Forest will replace Crystal Palace in the Europa League, igniting more fire between both clubs ahead of their meeting on matchday two of the Premier League season next weekend.

Chelsea await in their opener at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and the Eagles will hope to bring Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss into the fold as soon as possible, even if his arrival depends on Eberechi Eze leaving the club.

Crystal Palace now hold strong interest in "gifted" £17m ace, bid planned

Palace could be set to make an offer for a defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Aug 7, 2025

Veteran Raheem Sterling has held talks over a move to Selhurst Park and may be another option to provide a spark of creativity across the forthcoming season.

However, Glasner also appears to be focused on legs in central areas and could now be set to try and trump Nottingham Forest in the process.

Crystal Palace battle Nottingham Forest for Yunus Musah

According to reports in Italy cited via Area Napoli, Rai Sport journalist Ciro Venerato has confirmed Crystal Palace have joined Nottingham Forest in the race to sign AC Milan midfielder Yunus Musah.

Napoli are also keen on the United States international and although the Rossoneri could ask for just under £26 million, even a fee of £21.6 million may be enough to prize him away from the Serie A giants.

Yunus Musah in 2024/25 – all competitions
Appearances	40
Goals	0
Assists	3

Capable of playing in a variety of central midfield roles or on the right flank, the 22-year-old is a versatile presence who can deputise where needed. It should be noted that Napoli are looking to sell Giacomo Raspadori before accelerating their pursuit.

Labelled a “complete player” by Stefano Pioli, the AC Milan star completed 21 dribbles and won 19 tackles in the Italian top-flight last term, illustrating why he is a competent operator in several positions.

After losing their Europa League place to Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace could make a statement by bringing him to Selhurst Park as they now look forward after kicking the new term off with an encouraging victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield.

Andre Onana has been torn apart on social media after the Manchester United flop cheaply gave away a goal in Cameroon's 1-0 loss to Cape Verde.

Cameroon lose to Cape VerdeOnana meekly concedes goalMan Utd keeper slammed onlineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Cameroon fell to a surprise World Cup qualifying loss thanks to Dailon Livramento's solo effort. The 24-year-old raced through on goal but instead of closing him down, Onana was beaten all too easily on Tuesday. That led some to brand him the "worst goalkeeper alive" on X.

AdvertisementWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

@jboy2442 wrote on the social media platform, "Onana is truly the worst goalkeeper alive. The goal he just conceded for Cameroon is so bad. He doesn’t come off his line and close the angle; he stays in goal until the striker is 2 feet away."

@NaijaBallBoy tweeted, "To me, this speaks of a serious decline in self-confidence. That dive was utterly reactive and had no intent in it beyond 'just getting down'. It would've been smarter to come off his line to close the striker down as much as he could once the last man was beaten."

@cfc_danielss commented, "Sometimes I don't know what's happening to Onana, just come out of your line to narrow the post a bit. This is basic goalkeeping techniques na ha."

@Ben_jiSam put, "Onana socks gimmick after conceding kills me every time," and @Ed_theRed0 mused, "Even a semi-pro keeper will charge at the striker in this situation, this guy just stood there like it was a penalty."

Finally, @OgunodeOluwafe1 quipped, "Water is wet, Onana pulling his socks after conceding a goal."

AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Two years on from Onana swapping Inter for United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, the 29-year-old's career is looking far less rosy. He is surplus to requirements at United after the arrival of Senne Lammens and is set to join Trabzonspor on loan. It seems the Cameroon international is suffering something of a confidence crisis.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT?

Onana looks set to join the Turkish team before the Super Lig's transfer window shuts on Thursday. He will hope he can recapture the form that led United to fork out £47.2 million ($64m) for his signature more than two years ago.

Fair to say, this transfer window has not exactly gone to plan for Newcastle United.

Anthony Elanga has arrived from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £55m, which is certainly an exciting addition.

However, now that James Trafford is poised to re-join Manchester City, the Magpies have now missed out on seven key targets, with Hugo Ekitiké, Liam Delap, João Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Dean Huijsen all choosing to go elsewhere.

There’s also the small matter of their best player, seemingly, going on strike to force through a move, more on that in just a second, hence why Eddie Howe is in the market searching for a striker.

Newcastle's search for a new striker

As you may have pieced together by now, according to a report by Chris Waugh of the Athletic, Alexander Isak has not travelled with the rest of the squad to Asia for pre-season friendlies in Singapore and Korea Republic.

The club statement claims he is nursing a groin injury, but George Caulkin of the Athletic outlines the Sweden international’s desire to leave and join an ‘elite team’, with a move to Liverpool his preference.

Thus, as they commence their striker search, Craig Hope of the Daily Mail reports that Newcastle have added Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson to their list of targets.

The Blues have already signed both Liam Delap and João Pedro for £30m and £55m respectively this summer, so Matt Law of the Telegraph claims Jackson is available for sale, with Chris Burns of Football.London adding that the Senegalese international is valued at around £80m.

So, could Jackson soon swap West London for the North East?

How Nicolas Jackson would improve Newcastle

Despite often being much maligned, Jackson’s scoring record since joining Chelsea two summers ago is pretty impressive, bagging 30 goals in 81 appearances for the club, including netting both times Newcastle have visited Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch praised his “unbelievable” performances, while Liam Twomey and Mark Carey of the Athletic document his ‘excellent’ pressing, making him ‘a big part’ of how the team play.

Similarly, Ed Dove of ESPN outlines how the Blues’ form waned while Jackson was injured, praising the striker’s ‘broader contribution… without the ball’ as well as his ‘self-sacrifice and relentless running’, becoming the first Chelsea player to reach double figures for Premier League goals in successive seasons since Didier Drogba.

Should he move to Newcastle, Jackson would be following in the footsteps of a pair of fellow Senegalese strikers who are certainly remembered fondly on Tyneside.

During the 2011/12 season, spearheaded by Papiss Cissé and Demba Ba, the Magpies finished fifth under Alan Pardew, just two years after being promoted from the Championship, and both strikers were on fire.

Alexander Isak

2024/25

23

Alexander Isak

2023/24

21

Callum Wilson

2022/23

18

Loïc Rémy

2013/14

14

Demba Ba

2012/13

13

Demba Ba

2011/12

16

Papiss Cissé

2011/12

13

Alan Shearer

2003/04

22

Alan Shearer

2002/03

17

Alan Shearer

2001/02

23

Alan Shearer

1999/00

23

Alan Shearer

1998/99

14

Alan Shearer

1996/97

25

Les Ferdinand

1996/97

16

As the table outlines, 2011/12 remains the only season in which two Newcastle players have scored 13 or more Premier League goals since the heady days of 1996/97, a year the Magpies finished second.

Demba Ba, the more prolific of the duo, was ultimately sold to Chelsea for £7.5m in January 2013, so could Jackson become the reverse Ba?

Well, let’s compare the pair to find out.

Games

54

33

65

Minutes

4,399

1,533

5,050

Goals

29

7

24

Mins per goal

152

219

210

Assists

6

1

10

As the table outlines, Ba at Newcastle was marginally more prolific than Jackson has been during his time at Chelsea, scoring five more goals in around 600 fewer minutes, albeit the latter has registered more assists; the former certainly did not continue this scoring spree at Stamford Bridge all those years ago!

Nevertheless, in contrast, Jackson, at 24 years old, would surely be primed to have make immediate impact should he arrive at Newcastle, just as Ba did, hence why he should be amongst their top targets, if Isak does indeed get his wish and depart.

More prolific than Sesko: Newcastle targeting move for £87m "monster"

Newcastle are looking to bring in another striker or two this summer

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 27, 2025

Paarl Royals have added Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their squad for 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2024Ben Stokes is the star signing at MI Cape Town for the upcoming season of the SA20, with Azmatullah Omarzai the other big overseas name joining them as they look to put up a better show after finishing bottom of the table in both the previous editions.They join Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, the pre-signed overseas players for 2025, as well as Nuwan Thushara and Chris Benjamin, who have been retained. The roster of domestic players is as impressive: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton and George Linde are joined by Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen.For Boult, it’s the fourth Mumbai Indians-owned team he is a part of, having previously played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI New York in MLC, and MI Emirates in the ILT20.Related

SA20 2025: What the squads look like ahead of the auction

Sunrisers Eastern Cape sign Bedingham, Crawley and van der Merwe

Jonathan Trott to take over as head coach of Pretoria Capitals

SA20 in 2025 will run from January 9 to February 8

As ESPNcricinfo had reported last month, the SA20 franchises have been targeting top Test players from England for the third edition in 2025 after many of them were busy with the tour of India during the 2024 season. Joe Root has been signed by Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals have Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes have gone to Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants respectively, while Zak Crawley has been acquired by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who have won both editions of the competition.England are down to play both T20I and ODI series in India at the start of next year, but both their winter Test tours – to Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December – will be over before Christmas. Therefore, players not involved in the limited-overs games in India will be available to play full seasons at the ILT20 and SA20. The 2025 edition of the SA20 runs from January 9 to February 8.Stokes’ England contract is due to expire at the end of September, after he turned down a three-year deal last year. He hasn’t played a white-ball game for England since the 2023 ODI World Cup, and hasn’t played a T20I since November 2022, when he scored 52 not out to take England to the World T20 title in the final.He is out of action at the moment, a hamstring tear putting him out of Northern Superchargers’ campaign at The Hundred. The ECB has said in a statement that Stokes is aiming to return for the Test tour of Pakistan, which will start in Multan on October 7.If he takes part in the SA20, it will be a rare appearance for England’s Test captain at a franchise league. His last few appearances at the IPL were disrupted. In 2021, he broke a finger in Rajasthan Royals’ first game of the season and was ruled out for the tournament. Then in 2023, he played just two games for Chennai Super Kings all season, partly because of the long-standing knee condition, which had forced him to start the season as a specialist batter. He subsequently opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload.Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also represented Barbados Royals in the CPL•ICC/Getty ImagesRoyals add Mujeeb to 2025 squadPaarl Royals have added Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their squad for the third season of SA20. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from “representative cricket” in June and was appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach and mentor in July, had been signed earlier, as were the English trio of Root, Jacob Bethell and Sam Hain.”Mujeeb is an impressive young man who has performed in the best leagues around the world. He has the ability to deceive batters with his variety and pick up crucial wickets, and as his stats state, he can be very economical as well,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said in a statement. “He adds a lot of depth and variety to our spin bowling department, and we are all very excited to have him make a real impact at the Paarl Royals.”Mujeeb had earlier represented another of the group’s teams, Barbados Royals, in the CPL.Paarl Royals squad for SA20 2025: David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dinesh Karthik, Joe Root, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Codi Yusuf, John Turner, Jacob Bethell, Sam Hain, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem

From Canada’s point of view, Aaron Johnson’s 44-ball 52 and Dilon Heyliger’s 2 for 18 were impressive efforts

Ashish Pant11-Jun-20241:03

Mumtaz: Amir was brilliant and relentless

There was finally something at the T20 World Cup for Pakistan to be happy about as they produced a strong all-round show to record their first win of tournament, beating Canada by seven wickets in New York.The win was set up by the fast bowlers, who combined to pick up six wickets to restrict Canada for 106 for 7 in their 20 overs despite an Aaron Johnson 44-ball 52 – that score was quick by the standards at the New York venue, and Canada’s total was not insignificant at all.In reply, Pakistan stumbled in the powerplay.They had brought in Saim Ayub in place of Iftikhar Ahmed, and Ayub walked out to open with Mohammad Rizwan, thus splitting the Rizwan-Babar Azam partnership up top. The decision did not pay dividends, though, as Ayub fell for 6 off 12 balls.But Babar and Rizwan brought their experience into play, adding a 63-run stand off 62 balls for the second wicket. Babar fell with victory in sight, but Rizwan stayed put, crafting an unbeaten run-a-ball 53 to give Pakistan victory 15 balls to spare.1:24

O’Brien: ‘Ultra-aggressive’ Johnson perfectly suited for this surface

Johnson smashes, Amir strikesBabar won another crucial toss and had no hesitation in fielding first.He would have hoped for “first-over Shaheen Afridi” to do his magic. But instead, it was first-over Aaron Johnson setting the stage alight. He flicked the first ball of the innings, a shin-high full toss, through mid-on for four, before pumping Afridi straight down the ground for four more next ball.This was the first time the first two balls in a men’s T20 World Cup match had been hit for boundaries. The third ball would also have gone for a straight four if not for the sluggish outfield.Johnson then smashed Naseem Shah over backward point with Pakistan looking off the boil.Mohammad Amir was the only one who got his length spot on from the get-go and he was duly rewarded. Navneet Dhaliwal picked him for a four through point first ball but Amir exacted revenge by sending a searing in-dipper that flattened Dhaliwal’s middle stump.Afridi and Naseem, too found their lengths soon. And though Johnson continued to play his shots, there were plenty of plays and misses. And Afridi changed his bowling end and had Pargat Singh edging to first slip as Canada reached 30 for 2 after six overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdPakistan quicks take controlThe most crucial moment of the Canada innings came in the seventh over, when Nicholas Kirton, their best batter so far in this competition, was run out by a direct throw from Imad Wasim from the covers.Johnson stayed put, but Canada kept losing wickets at the other end after that.Haris Rauf struck twice in three balls when he removed Shreyas Movva to claim his 100th T20I wicket and then had Ravinderpal Singh caught at slip – Canada, after their bright start, had slipped to 55 for 5 after ten overs.Johnson deposited Wasim twice over the ropes in two overs, the second hit fetching him his sixth T20I fifty off 39 balls. But he failed to carry on, falling for 52, his stumps rattled by Naseem.Canada failed to inject any momentum into their innings after that, as Pakistan only conceded 29 runs in their last five overs, which included two fours and a six. In all, Canada faced 76 dot balls, the most in an innings at the men’s T20 World Cup.1:15

Do Pakistan need to improve their batting approach?

Another powerplay struggle for PakistanESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave Pakistan a 93% of winning the game at the halfway stage. But the pitches in New York have often disrupted calculations.Kaleem Sana gave away five wides in the first over, but apart from that, Canada were really tight with their lines. Ayub tried his shots before edging Dilon Heyliger behind. Babar, at No. 3, then had a tense moment when an appeal for a caught behind down leg was sent upstairs. But replays suggested the ball had gone off his pad.The only four off the bat in the powerplay was struck by Rizwan in the sixth over. In comparison, Canada had hit five fours in their first six overs.According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, 31 of the 36 deliveries from Canada in the powerplay were on a length or short of a length. And the Pakistan batters struggled to deal with them.1:35

Mumtaz on Kirsten’s comments: ‘High time someone from the inside spoke’

Pakistan get the ‘W’Junaid Siddiqui and Saad Bin Zafar had the Ireland batters in a spin in Canada’s previous game, but Babar and Rizwan weren’t having any of it.Rizwan first swept Saad’s full delivery through deep-backward square-leg, before Babar walloped Junaid for a six straight down the ground. The two added 31 runs between overs six and ten, and put the chase right back on track.They kept the scoreboard ticking over before Babar fell edging Heyliger behind the stumps. Babar walked off in disgust. But Rizwan ensured he stayed till the end. He reached his 29th T20I fifty off 52 balls. It was the slowest by a Pakistan batter in the format but such were the conditions, and the win was more important.Usman Khan hit the winning runs as Pakistan reached home in 17.3 overs. The win did not lift their NRR above that of USA, but it wasn’t a bad start in trying to turn the qualification race in their favour somewhat after back-to-back losses.

Sticking to the recent trend of targeting Premier League rivals, PIF are now reportedly evaluating a move to sign an impressive attacking midfielder for Newcastle United this summer.

Newcastle still chasing Elanga and Trafford deals

Having already signed Antonio Cordero on a free transfer to get their business underway nice and early, Newcastle are now pushing on in an attempt to make some impressive statements. Chasing deals to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest and James Trafford from Burnley, the Magpies are aiming to swoop in and weaken their Premier League opposition.

Both are long-term targets and both are players that would hand Eddie Howe instant upgrades within his side. Newcastle’s chase to sign a fresh right-wing option has particularly been no secret in the last 12 months and, after missing out on Manchester United-bound Bryan Mbeumo, Elanga’s arrival would make perfect sense.

Starts

38

35

Goals

6

8

Assists

11

12

Successful Take-ons

25

35

The Swede would push Jacob Murphy all the way for a starting place and offer Newcastle instant strength in depth – something they crucially lacked the last time that they featured in the Champions League.

Even if Trafford and Elanga arrive though, Newcastle may not be done there when it comes to shopping in the Premier League. The Magpies are seemingly in a ruthless mood and have now turned their attention back towards Brentford. Having missed out on Mbeumo, PIF are now reportedly eyeing a summer swoop to sign one of the Bees’ star midfielders.

PIF evaluating Damsgaard move for Newcastle

According to Caught Offside, PIF are now evaluating a move to sign Mikkel Damsgaard for Newcastle this summer. The Danish midfielder is not someone Brentford are keen to lose, but every player has a price and the West London club reportedly value the 24-year-old at €50m (£42m).

Tottenham Hotspur are also sniffing around a deal amid their move for Thomas Frank, with the Bees boss hoping to take a couple of his star players with him to the North side of London.

Damsgaard is a talent who took a few years to discover his best form after initially bursting onto the scene at Euro 2020. Described as “brilliant” by scout Jacek Kulig five years on from that tournament, however, he’s finally at the peak of his powers at Brentford.

Only Mohamed Salah, Elanga and Newcastle’s Murphy assisted more goals than the Dane last season, who could join the latter and perhaps even the Forest star as well, forming quite the creative partnership at St James’ Park.

Better fit than Mbeumo: Newcastle open talks to sign "world-class" PL star

Newcastle are pushing to sign new forwards in the transfer market this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Jun 12, 2025

Reportedly earning just £35,000-a-week in West London, Damsgaard would hardly break the bank in Tyneside and represents another target who knows exactly how to navigate the challenges of the Premier League. Like Elanga and Trafford, he ticks every box for Newcastle.