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Heading into her last international series, the great Indian bowler is still giving it her all

Annesha Ghosh17-Sep-2022It’s bedlam at the East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan tents overlooking Eden Gardens. A Kolkata derby in football’s Durand Cup is just two days away and fans, desperate to get their hands on the few tickets still available offline, are jostling for footholds.The queue, skirting the periphery of the maidan grounds overlooking India’s oldest cricket stadium, runs over a kilometre. It starts to drizzle. Tempers fray. The din swells by the second. Passers-by stop in their tracks, necks craning, to watch the chaos, seemingly content to suspend all the pressing business of a late-August weekday morning.My mind drifts to the quiet of Eden Gardens and its vicinity on days when no games are scheduled. Having grown up in the city, I am also acutely aware of how normal it is for people here to go bonkers ahead of, and during, any East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan fixture.Related

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Before long, an SUV rolls into sight from the Esplanade side of Goshto Pal Sarani, named after the former Indian football captain from the city. My reverie is snapped as the sole occupant in the imposing black beast of a vehicle comes into view.The context for Jhulan Goswami’s entrance to the stadium is fitting. She is here for one of her last training sessions at her home ground, a few weeks out from her impending retirement. Football holds an important place in the 39-year-old Goswami’s journey. It was the image of a tearful Maradona after Argentina’s loss in the 1990 World Cup final that first kindled the love of sport in Goswami, who was eight then.It is an improbable genesis to a tale of an even more unlikely rise: of a girl from small-town Bengal who went to the top of the game in women’s international cricket, and who now has a high-profile biopic in the works.That last explains why the guard at Gate 14, noticing the camera around my neck and Goswami’s nod at me from behind the wheel, politely asks if I’m there in connection to the movie about “didi”. I say I’m there to watch her train. Elaboration is not needed, I soon gather. “Lord’s will be her swansong, I know,” the middle-aged guard says, visibly proud he knows where Goswami’s career will end. Her brief stay in the city is sandwiched between visits to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, from where she flies to England for her final bow in international cricket.

Odomos “is a must”, bellows Goswami, half in jest, about the mosquito-repellent cream she swears by, a sentiment echoed by most Bengalis

I follow Goswami into the reception area on the ground floor. No sooner does she arrive than members of the Bengal senior women’s squad magically spill out from the two change rooms nearby, almost as if on cue.Most of these players are about half her age, and none as towering in stature, figurative or literal. Their good mornings come thick and fast, their reverence apparent. You sense that long before she became their team-mate and “Jhulu di”, Goswami was the Pied Piper who drew them, and a number of other young girls in Bengal and beyond, into the sport.

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The clock has just ticked past noon. Goswami, having changed into her training clothes, is smearing her limbs with a substance that has nothing to do with athletic performance. Odomos “is a must”, she bellows, half in jest, about the mosquito-repellent cream she swears by, a sentiment echoed by most Bengalis.More solemn pre-training precautionary measures follow. The team physio goes across to where Goswami waits to have her right elbow taped. This is to cushion her bowling arm against over-exertion and preserve it for India’s tour of England, where the final match of the three-ODI leg on September 24 is set to be her last in India colours.The rest of the 29-member Bengal squad, meanwhile, have begun limbering up inside. Goswami walks in and, away from her team-mates, starts loosening up. Head, arms, feet, back, all of the 5’11” machinery is worked with the precision that has marked her training all these years.Behind her is a large poster marking her 200th ODI wicket, from the 2018 tour of South Africa. It is the only one in the premises of a woman among an otherwise all-male pantheon of Indian cricket legends.Goswami adjusts the posture of one of the U-16 players at the training session•Annesha GhoshAt one end of the indoor facility, the younger lot begin speed-running drills under the watch of Bengal coaches Probal Dutta, Rituparna Roy, and Shiv Sagar Singh. Jogging at the far end in the meantime, Goswami, who has been a mentor to the state’s women’s teams across all age groups since July, keeps an eye on her team-mates.Her warm-up over, she relays notes to the coaching staff. When she links up with the rest of the squad for sprints, the switch from mentor to team-mate is instant, her commitment to presenting her competitive best evident. She hares in during the short-distance dashes, round after round, the envy of her colleagues with legs twice as quick and strong.”That’s Jhulan for you and that’s her discipline,” Roy, a former Bengal team-mate, would later reflect, echoing what India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said ahead of the UK tour. “That is why she’s still out there, playing at the highest level, while we hung up our boots a decade ago.”And it’s not just what you saw at that one training. Between tours or NCA visits, if she happens to be in Kolkata, you’ll either find her at the gym or doing laps at the Jadavpur ground. When no training sessions are scheduled, Jhulan makes her own schedule.”

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On come the retractable nets and the sprawling empty space of the Eden Gardens indoor training arena transforms into a series of cages. Batters and bowlers are split into groups for the rest of the three-hour session. The latter line up at the farthest net at one end for a spot-bowling routine. Three plastic stumps are positioned at one end, a single stump and four markers between the good length and the blockhole regions at the other.Goswami windmills her arms and queues up behind about eight other bowlers, two of whom – left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana and right-arm fast bowler Sukanya Parida – are India internationals. Each time Goswami comes on to bowl, it turns into something of a spectacle, with all eyes, even those of some batters in the adjacent nets, turning to her.

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The total number of active women cricketers in the country has come down to just 45

Umar Farooq24-Sep-2020The abolishing of departments from the domestic circuit, not to forget the Covid-19 pandemic, has hit women’s cricketers harder than their male counterparts in Pakistan, leading to the number of active women cricketers coming down alarmingly in the past few months – only 45 are left now.Until 2017, there were over 200 women cricketers playing in the domestic circuit for regional teams. They were signed up by departments, which allowed them to earn a livelihood from playing the game. Now, of the 45 remaining, nine are centrally contracted with the PCB, and another nine are in the emerging players’ category, for which they receive a monthly retainer of PKR 50,000 (USD 300 approx.).Around 400 male cricketers lost their jobs after the PCB revamped the domestic structure by removing departments from it. The new structure has six regional teams, with 192 cricketers given annual contracts. Replacing the old structure with the new one was a decision driven by the current prime minister Imran Khan, also the patron-in-chief of the PCB. He has long been an advocate for a domestic structure with only regional sides, wanting Pakistan to adopt a structure similar to Australia’s.So far, much of the focus of the new structure has been on the impact on male cricketers. But the impact on women cricketers has been more profound. As many as 17 have lost their jobs with State Bank and more than 12 out of 18 could lose their Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) contracts. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has lost its playing rights, and Omar Associates and Saga Sports shut down their teams a few years ago over management issues.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe women’s game in Pakistan remains by and large in the developmental phase, although over the last few years more and more girls from colleges and universities had started to play as a professional option. Subsequently, the pool grew with regions and corporates stepping in to invest in women cricket. After 2013, there were five departments offering women playing contracts and jobs. By 2017, the PCB had three tournaments for women: one with 12 regional teams – though the number was as high as 16 just a few years prior – playing a preliminary tournament to qualify for a five-team national one-day tournament, and another with four departmental teams playing a one-day tournament. All taken, over 200 cricketers were fielded every season.Presently, there are only two tournaments and only three teams – PCB Blasters, PCB Challengers, PCB Dynamites – and that allows only around 45 cricketers to play; this, even as the PCB has upped the value of the central contracts in the last two years. ZTBL is the only department that has not terminated their contracts with women players, but that arrangement is unlikely to continue for long. The signs are that only a handful of the top players, who have full-time jobs, will retain their positions. But only if they don’t give up their jobs.”We are not really sure about our future,” a woman cricketer who played for HEC told ESPNcricinfo. “Cricket has been our passion and our ambition was to play for the country, but it is all confused now. The system has always been inconsistent and every new head comes with their own plan and never lets one structure run properly. We leave our studies to play cricket but we can’t have a future. They want us to grow but they don’t create the environment and infrastructure for women cricketers.”Unlike the men, we do not have long careers or enough freedom, but so many girls want to play cricket. They don’t know how to make their way. There is no set pathway. There are challenges, and parents need to be convinced: they need to be told that they need to encourage girls to play cricket, and departments offering jobs was a big breakthrough. Even if a girl isn’t able to have an international career, they can play for the departments and earn a decent amount of money to show their parents that they are doing fine. But now there is nothing left. The girls don’t even get an annual contract from the PCB at domestic level.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the last two months, to fight the economic challenges brought about by Covid-19, the PCB has provided a three-month financial support package for 25 unemployed national women cricketers. In this scheme, the players who meet the eligibility criteria and are without a contract for the 2020-21 season as well as a means of earning money, receive a monthly stipend of PKR 25,000 (USD 150 approx.).That will end next month.While all this has been going on, the PCB has continued to look for ways to bring the focus on quality over quantity.”The pipeline is redefined as our focus is on our five basic zones in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Multan, where we have the academies in place. These are the points where we will be growing our pool of players,” Urooj Mumtaz, chief selector for women and a PCB cricket committee member, said. “They are already operating with coaches, working in evening shifts, and we are slowly growing. We have started picking girls from age groups, and admitting them in academies at every centre.”The pathway is changing and women’s cricket is growing, but currently underdeveloped. But it has started to get its due importance. We are increasing the number of tournaments but number of teams (three) will remain intact for now. But we are paying every cricketer in PCB tournament and in fact have doubled the price of match fee at any age group. So there is incentive. We are also adding an Under-19 tournament every year and making it a part of the structure to prepare for the ICC events.”

Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the second Test against England in Brisbane but there is confidence he will be able to play a role later in the Ashes series while Pat Cummins is closing in on a return which could come next week at the Gabba.Hazlewood was ruled out of the opening Test in Perth after picking up a hamstring problem in the Sheffield Shield with an initial scan not showing the injury. It’s understood he will join the squad in Brisbane to continue his rehab with coach Andrew McDonald expecting him to be available later in the series.”He’s working through the first week of his rehab,” McDonald said. “I’m not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and [we] have some rough timelines, then we’ll be in a position to communicate that.Related

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“I know that he’ll be available at some point during the series. We’ve got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series.”The rapid two-day finish to the opening Test has forced a minor change in plans to Cummins’ bowling schedule after he had trained impressively in the lead-up to the first Test. He had been due to bowl on the fourth day of the Test on Monday, but after traveling home to Sydney that has been pushed back a day.However, the signs continue to be encouraging for Australia’s captain although McDonald said it could be a late call whether he plays the day-night Test in Brisbane. If Cummins was to return and the second Test went all five days – and unlikely proposition if Perth is any guide – there would be an eight-day gap to the third in Adelaide.Cummins has previously said that playing back-to-back Tests in the series may be a challenge for him, although short games could work in his favour.”Once we see him again we’ll be able to then join the dots as to what that potentially looks like,” McDonald said. “But for those who saw him in Perth, I did say this a while back that he’ll be up and bowling…and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much.Brendon Doggett took five wickets on debut•Getty Images

“But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match. That may be one that eventuates late for us. A little bit to work through but it’s nearing completion, which is really, really positive.”In the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc led the attack magnificently with a 10-wicket match haul including a career-best 7 for 58 in the first innings. Scott Boland bounced back from a poor opening-day display where England took him at a run-a-ball with a game changing burst in the second innings while debutant Brendan Doggett picked up five for the match. McDonald took the blame for Boland’s opening day performance saying there had been a directive for him to bowl very full before returning to his natural lengths in the second.In Australia’s high-octane run chase, Jake Weatherald put together a valuable hand alongside Travis Head after a first-innings duck to ensure both debutants had played a role in the match”It’s always that unknown when you jump up from Shield level into the Test match arena and they looked right at home, the skill level, the composure, it was a fit,” McDonald said. “It’s always nice to see that in a Test when you’ve got those unknowns.”I thought Brendan Doggett, his ability to execute the bouncer plan when we needed him to and [then] to pitch the ball up get in the right areas. And Jake in the second innings, I thought the way he was able to put pressure back on, we want to be that type of batting unit that has that intent and looks to score, and he most certainly did that.”Australia have retained the option of adding a 15th player to the squad for Brisbane. When Hazlewood and Sean Abbott were ruled out of Perth they only called up Michael Neser as cover.

تمكن فريق اتحاد العاصمة الجزائري، من تحقيق الفوز على أولمبيك أسفي المغربي، في دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية. 

وواجه فريق اتحاد العاصمة الجزائري نظيره أولمبيك أسفي، في التاسعة من مساء اليوم، على ملعب المسيرة بأسفي بالمغرب، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية. 

طالع.. الزمالك يواجه كايزر تشيفز في مهمة صعبة خارج الديار بـ الكونفدرالية

ويقع فريق اتحاد العاصمة في المجموعة الأولى في مجموعات الكونفدرالية رفقة اندية أومبيك أسفي وسان بيدرو ودجوليبا المالي. 

وتمكن فريق اتحاد العاصمة من تحقيق الفوز بهدف دون رد، على فريق أولمبيك أسفي، أحرزه اللاعب زكريا دراوي في الدقيقة 84 من الشوط الثاني والمباراة. 

ويهذه رفع فريق اتحاد العاصمة رصيده إلى 6 نقاط في صدارة المجموعة، بينما تجمد رصيد فريق أولمبيك آسفي عند 3 نقاط في المركز الثالث.

وفاز فريق سان بيدرو الإيفواري على نظيره دجوليبا المالي، 2-0 ليحتل المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة برصيد 3 نقاط. ترتيب مجموعة اتحاد العاصمة الجزائري في الكونفدرالية 

1- اتحاد العاصمة – 6 نقاط 

2- سان بيدرو – 3 نقاط.

3- أومبيك آسفي – 3 نقاط 

4- دجوليبا – بدون نقاط 

December 2024 was a strange month for Joshua Zirkzee. It began with a two-goal salvo against Everton, but ended in humiliation as he was hauled off 33 minutes into United’s defeat by Newcastle, his substitution greeted with mocking applause from his own fans.

Twelve months on, and Zirkzee continues to have a strange status at Manchester United. He had not started a game until the home defeat at the hands of Everton at the end of November, when his abject performance against David Moyes’ 10 men seemed to justify Ruben Amorim using him so little. When United fans subsequently learned that Zirkzee was starting the next game against Crystal Palace, some joked in WhatsApp groups that they no longer wanted to watch. 

But by full-time, the fans in the away end at Selhurst Park were adding Zirkzee’s name to the chorus of Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’ as the hit tune blared out around the stadium after the Dutch striker had played a massive part in turning a certain defeat into victory.

It was not the first time Zirkzee had delivered a show-stopping moment when the least was expected of him, and it was a reminder that United cannot afford to let him leave in the January transfer window despite his overall status in the squad.

AFPFrom zero to hero

Zirkzee's performance against Palace summed up his career at United thus far. He had offered very little in the first half, registering zero shots and losing most of his aerial duels while his opposite number Jean-Philippe Mateta upstaged him. 

But everything changed in the second half. Zirkzee's goal, surely his finest in a United shirt, was the standout moment, but it was also indicative of a much-improved overall display. Zirkzee’s passing accuracy increased from 57 per cent to 77%, and the forward ended the game having played six lay-offs, the most since that win over Everton 12 months previously. 

He was also more combative, winning double the amount of aerial duels in the final half-hour than in the first 60 minutes. One of those duels saw United win the free-kick from which Mason Mount struck the winner.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportShort-lived revival

Zirkzee has previous for turning the narrative, given he managed to do so following that harrowing episode against Newcastle. Two weeks later, he scored the winning penalty in the FA Cup third-round shootout win over Arsenal and was being serenaded by the 9,000 United fans who had crammed into the Emirates Stadium away end, evidently keen to make him feel valued again after the way he had been treated at Old Trafford. 

A few weeks later, Zirkzee completed his journey from being a figure of derision to an almost cult-like figure for supporters when his name was chanted to the tune of the Cranberries smash hit 'Zombie' after scoring against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. He then scored in another Europa League away game when he gave United the lead in Lyon with a late header. 

But in the following game at Newcastle, his season effectively ended when he injured a thigh muscle. He did manage to recover in time to come off the bench in the Europa League final, but it was no triumphant return as he was unable to stop United slumping to a costly defeat to Tottenham. 

It must have been a frustrating summer for him, then, as he watched £200 million worth of new attacking players arrive. Having struggled to hold down a starting berth last season even when Rasmus Hojlund was toiling, Zirkzee wasn't called upon early into the new campaign as Benjamin Sesko settled into the side. 

Getty Images SportHigh risk, low reward

Zirkzee was very clearly the second-choice centre-forward behind Sesko, and fifth-choice for one of the two No.10 roles behind the striker. As early as October, reports began to emerge that he was frustrated with the lack of opportunities and wanted an exit in January.

With a World Cup on the horizon, Zirkzee has not been picked by Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman for more than a year, and no one can blame him for wanting to start afresh.

Everton and West Ham have emerged as potential Premier League destinations, but the strongest interest has come from Italy, where Zirkzee kickstarted his career at Bologna after being let go by Bayern Munich. AC Milan and Como were first suggested, but Roma, who are vying to win a first Serie A title since 2001, are making the biggest push for Zirkzee amid the struggles of Artem Dobvyk and Evan Ferguson up front. 

Roma are, however, only interested in a loan with an option to buy which hinges on them qualifying for the Champions League. In other words, it is a deal with plenty of risk and not much reward for United.

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Getty Images SportLethal touch

United know how hard it is to sign a striker in January, having only managed to get Wout Weghorst in the winter of 2023 when they needed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. And despite Zirkzee's struggles in a stop-start United career, it is clear that he is worth keeping around until the summer at least.

Zirkzee’s goal against Palace was a much-needed reminder of how lethal he can be when he gets in the right positions. For a player who is known much more for bringing others into play than scoring himself, the Dutchman can still pack a mean punch with his right foot.

His Selhurst Park strike was his best in a United shirt, showing impressive composure to take Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick down on his chest and then fire into the net from the narrowest of angles. He had also shown his deadly touch on his debut against Fulham, when Erik ten Hag was in charge, producing a deft first-time finish to decide the game. His goal against Real Sociedad, a thumping strike from outside the area which left goalkeeper Alex Remiro completely flummoxed, was another reminder of his shooting prowess.  

Despite being right-footed, Zirkzee is equally comfortable shooting with his left, using his weaker foot to score against Palace and land a first-time finish from a similar position for Bologna against Cagliari, the first of 12 goals he scored in his final season in Serie A.

Rangers are now on red alert in the transfer race to sign Shea Charles from Southampton, who are set to make their decision on selling the Manchester City graduate, according to reports.

Danny Rohl has settled well at Ibrox, much to the 49ers’ relief, and for the first time this season there is reason to be optimistic at Rangers. Their recent victory over Dundee made it three league wins from three for the new manager, who has already earned more points than predecessor Russell Martin in the Scottish Premiership.

Any talks about a potential title comeback are still incredibly premature, but the Gers are at least up to fourth and now just five points behind Celtic in second. For the first time in forever, both Old Firm sides have the task of catching alternative leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

There will be no one more relieved than Kevin Thelwell after Rohl’s solid start. The transfer chief has come under fire for his decisions over the summer and the role he played in hiring Martin.

There’s no doubt that he’s got plenty of making-up to do and that may well start in the January transfer window. On that front, Rangers are already reportedly interested in signing Lennon Miller from Udinese and Mujaid Sadick.

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A move for Miller would particularly make sense. He’s struggled since leaving Motherwell in the summer and a return to Scotland would certainly help turn his recent fortunes around.

He’s not the only name on Rangers’ reported shortlist, however. The Scottish giants have also set their sights on reuniting Rohl with former Sheffield Wednesday star Charles.

Rangers on red alert in Shea Charles race

According to Sports Boom, Rangers are now on red alert in the race to sign Charles from Southampton, who could look to sell the Man City academy graduate as part of a winter clear-out.

The Northern Ireland international has started 12 of Southampton’s 15 Championship games so far this season, but has failed to prevent a slump which has featured just four wins.

If an exit is now on the cards for the 22-year-old, then Rangers should take full advantage of their Rohl connection. The German manager worked with Charles at Sheffield Wednesday last season as he proved his worth in England’s second tier. Full of praise for his midfielder at the time, the Rangers boss described him as “fantastic”.

If Rangers want to hand Rohl an instant show of confidence in the winter window, then they should go all out to reunite him with a player who he rates so highly and worked so well with just one season ago.

"Huge potential" Rangers star can become the new Sima & Cerny under Rohl

A Paul Skenes card that is out in the wild waiting to be ripped has caused pandemonium among avid collectors and casual observers of the hobby alike. Every rookie player in their first game wears an "MLB Debut" patch on their jersey that is then put in a 1-of-1 card commemorating their debut. It's rookie card of all rookie cards.

Skenes, who made his pitching debut this past season and ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, is already the most sought-after player in this drop, but the Pittsburgh Pirates upped the ante on Friday when they announced they would give away season tickets behind home plate for to anyone who found the card and donated it to the Pirates so it can be enjoyed by the entire fanbase.

Then, Skenes's girlfriend—LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne—said that she would host the person who gives the card up in her suite.

After that, Seth Meyers, the host of and a noted Pittsburgh fan, said he would give away VIP tickets to a taping of his show if someone just let him at the card.

Waiting to see who rips the grail and what decision they make as far as keeping the card versus giving it up will be an exciting chapter in hobbyist baseball card trading.