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In a week of surprising, distressing events – turbulence in the airline industry, the crash of the stock market and the collapse of a flyover in Delhi – the one foreseeable positive was Sachin Tendulkar becoming the world’s leading run-getter in Tests. Yet when he got it the response at the ground was underwhelming – because the stands were largely empty.There are various reasons put forward but IS Bindra, the Punjab Cricket Association chief, conceded the paying public has been “short-changed” in most Indian grounds and he promised to improve conditions in Mohali.The poor turnout had people wondering if Test cricket still retains its popularity, for the same venue was sold out for the IPL and last year’s one-dayer between India and Pakistan. IS Bindra, the Punjab Cricket Association president, said one of the reasons for the disappointing numbers could be the number of matches Mohali hosted last year. “We had 13 matches last year… Mohali, with a population of 1 million, cannot sustain in terms of crowd response,” Bindra said. “That’s what our research says.” Chandigarh, the big city where the teams stay during matches in Mohali, may have a fraction more.Another reason for the poor turnout could be the mental demands of watching Test cricket, which is different to watching ODIs and Twenty20s, offering fewer moments of obvious excitement and requiring far more concentration.Perhaps the most significant factor, and one which Bindra himself conceded, is the poor spectator facilities – ironic, because Mohali’s facilities are unmatched in India – and the stringent security measures. Getting to the ground is hard enough – the police don’t allow anyone other than VIPs to bring their cars within a kilometre of the stadium. One of the most ridiculous security procedures was to force people down a 200-metre path when there was another, more direct route a quarter of the length. “That route is meant only for VIPs,” a security official said.Having reached the ground, the spectator is faced with restrictions on carrying water bottles and umbrellas. The only covered stands are those for members; non-members sit through the day under the sun, on plastic chairs that can get very uncomfortable in temperatures touching 30 degrees Celsius. Why walk a kilometre, then spend seven hours under the sun when you can watch it all on TV?It’s a point Bindra readily concedes. “If you can watch Test-match cricket for five days in the air-conditioned comfort of your own home, here you spend two hours getting into the stadium, going through the police,” Bindra said. “The TRP ratings [for Tests] are very high, but it is essential to have people at the ground. We have to make our grounds spectator-friendly. We have been short-changing the public [in most Indian grounds] so far, the public will start short-changing us unless we improve.”Bindra said the association was “badly affected” by the lack of spectators for the Test. “It’s the pride of the ground, and we take it very seriously. It’s a challenge we must accept, and take it very seriously.” He said the PCA planned two new international centres, in Bathinda and Jalandhar. “So if we rotate the matches, the novelty will still be there. Money is not everything, money is not an end in itself. It’s good so far as it goes into the game. There’s no atmosphere without the people.”There is a photograph of the stadium during the 2004-05 Ranji Trophy final between Railways and Punjab. The wide shot takes in the empty stands, where only two people sit watching the championship match. If the PCA doesn’t want similar photos taken during Tests, it must act fast. Otherwise, as Bindra said, the public will short-change it.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Denis Zakaria.

As per BILD, the Goodison Park faithful, as well as both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, are keen on a move for the Switzerland international before the summer window closes.

He is currently being valued at around €20m (£16.9m), but the Merseyside club may need to sell some players first in order to try and bring him in.

Zakaria would arguably be an upgrade on the current central midfield options at Rafa Benitez’s disposal at the moment, especially from a defensive standpoint, having averaged more clearances (1.2) and a higher pass success percentage (88%) than Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Andre Gomes in their respective domestic leagues in the 2020/21 season (Whoscored).

At just 24 years of age, one would think he also has a lot more potential to develop further than those names.

Everton transfer update on Zakaria

These Toffees supporters buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that he would be a ‘crackers’ signing:

“OMG YES”

Credit: @LouisMeliaEFC

“NOW we are talking. Let’s start a go fund me”

Credit: @owenparkes123

“I beg”

Credit: @JackEFC95

“This is more like it”

Credit: @richythepigeon

“I want this to be true so bad.”

Credit: @benjwinstanley

“Him, Allan and Doucoure in the midfield would be crackers”

Credit: @MaxIngrassia

In other news, find out which transfer update has Evertonians erupting here!

Sunderland fans want to sign Daniel Jebbison after they were linked with a move for the Sheffield United youngster.

The Black Cats are currently preparing for the new campaign, which will start this coming weekend – they will come up against Wigan Athletic in their opening match in League One. At the moment, they find themselves rather short in terms of attacking options, especially with Charlie Wyke leaving the Stadium of Light to join the Latics (wiganathletic.com).

It seems that Lee Johnson may be close to bringing in a new forward, however. According to The Northern Echo, the Black Cats are closing in on 18-year-old Jebbison, who will hopefully make the move to the north-east on loan.

He has a strong record at youth level, scoring six goals in six youth games, while he also netted one in four Premier League matches last term (Transfermarkt).

The Sunderland fans, it appears, are delighted to see Jebbison potentially join the cause, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Jebbison news below

“HAWAY SUNDERLAND ANNOUNCE JEBBISON”

Credit: @KINGMAGUIRE_

“Was at Stadium of Light for our game on Friday and was given a tour of the training ground a few weeks back. Think we are in the queue and perhaps at front of it. Some of our “ITKs” are saying it’s done. Could be cracking signing.”

Credit: @adamguest

“Tbf Dan jebbison wins the league alone”

Credit: @kieranwilson

“So stupid you can’t get excited about signings anymore man haha. Literally didn’t even know Callum Doyle existed before signing him and he’s been our best player pre-season. Jebbison has very impressive stats for his youth level and featured in the premier league too.”

Credit: @FulwellAdam

“I think Jebbison would be a good addition to the squad. We are allowed to invest in quality though so we actually own some decent footballers and not just borrow them”

Credit: @Ridderz86

“To be honest, I think Jebbison could be a real asset. He seems to be a pacy, predatory forward, and that’s what we need. But I agree about the full-back position. It’s an area of glaring weakness at the moment!”

Credit: @Philip_RJ89

In other news, Sunderland fans want this man back at the club.

أشار أرسين فينجر، المدرب الأسطوري السابق لفريق آرسنال، إلى أن فرص كيليان مبابي في كرة القدم ستكون أقل إذا وُلد في إفريقيا.

صرح المدرب الفرنسي الأسطوري المتقاعد والذي يشارك الآن في تطوير كرة القدم تحت مظلة فيفا بهذا، مع الاعتراف بأن كرة القدم الإفريقية تحتاج إلى المساعدة في اكتشاف المواهب وتطويرها.

ووفقًا لـ فينجر، لن يكون كيليان مبابي لاعبًا كبيرًا اليوم إذا كان قد ولد في إفريقيا أو لعب لفريق إفريقي.

قدم اللاعب الفرنسي البالغ من العمر 23 عامًا موسمًا رائعًا مع باريس سان جيرمان، حيث سجل 29 هدفًا وقدم 17 تمريرة حاسمة، ووقع مؤخرًا عقدًا جديدًا يكسبه 22 مليون جنيه إسترليني سنويًا.

قبل العقد، كان مبابي مرتبطًا بشدة بالانتقال إلى ريال مدريد، ومع ذلك قرر البقاء في النادي الباريسي، مع العلم أن بعض التقارير أشارت إلى أن الرئيس الفرنسي إيمانويل ماكرون نصحه بالبقاء في النادي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ريال مدريد يفكر في ضم مهاجم مانشستر سيتي بعد فشل صفقة مبابي

من جانبه، كشف أرسين فينجر أن مبابي من أصول إفريقية لكنه لم يتدرب في إفريقيا، وإنه نتيجة لتدربه في أوروبا، فقد تطور ليصبح أحد أفضل اللاعبين في العالم.

تشير ادعاءاته إلى أن نظام كرة القدم الإفريقي متأخر كثيرًا مقارنة بأوروبا وأجزاء أخرى من العالم المتقدم.

وقال فينجر في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “إسبن” العالمية: “كيليان مبابي له جذور إفريقية لكنه تدرب في أوروبا، لو كان قد وُلد في الكاميرون، لما أصبح المهاجم الذي هو عليه اليوم، هناك أوروبا وهناك بقية العالم”.

واختتم: “إفريقيا بحاجة إلى المساعدة، وإلا فإننا سنفتقد قدرًا كبيرًا من المواهب، هذه دعوة للاستيقاظ لاتحادات كرة القدم الإفريقية لتحسين النظام، لم يتم اكتشاف الكثير من المواهب في إفريقيا بسبب بعض العوامل المقيدة”.

West Bromwich Albion have approached former Liverpool goalkeeper Andy Lonergan over a potential return to the Hawthorns [The Athletic].

The Lowdown: West Brom build ahead of 2021/22

Looking for a fresh start after unfortunately suffering relegation last term, newly appointed Baggies manager Valerien Ismael will be keen to acquire the personnel necessary to initiate a 2021/22 promotion bid.

Making strides in terms of recruitment, the Frenchman has sanctioned moves for free agent Alex Mowatt alongside Brighton and Hove Albion centre-back Matt Clarke [Transfermarkt].

However, West Brom could be about to take the unusual step of releasing and then re-signing a former player owing to recent reports.

The Latest: West Brom approach Lonergan over return to the Hawthorns

Searching for a third-choice goalkeeper, the West Midlands outfit have seemingly turned back to Lonergan to fill the position [The Athletic].

Of course, the 37-year-old is no stranger to the Hawthorns faithful, having spent the second half of 2020/21 on the books of the Baggies before subsequently being released earlier in the window.

Nevertheless, he may now be drafted in to bridge gaps within the West Brom goalkeeping department, in order to allow youngster Josh Griffiths to be farmed out on loan to the EFL to gain experience [Manchester Evening News].

The Verdict: Lonergan return would be sensible move by the Baggies

Low risk to say the least, bringing Lonergan back to the club would be a sensible and presumably inexpensive move for the Sky Bet Championship side.

Having plied his trade at no fewer than 14 clubs across his career, the former England Under-20’s international picked up a Premier League winners medal at Liverpool during his brief stint on Merseyside, but is no stranger to playing a support role.

All in, the Preston-born keeper has completed 409 appearances throughout his time in football, keeping 92 clean sheets [Transfermarkt].

Likely to pass on some of his expertise to younger figures at the club should a deal be formalised, West Brom could do a lot worse than to re-hire Lonergan for another campaign.

In other news, a West Bromwich Albion ace is linked with a Premier League giant.

Many Wolves fans have been left raging as Tim Spiers posted their squad for their pre-season trip to Marbella in Spain.

While Spiers tweeted some names that supporters will surely get excited about, such as new signing Jose Sa and the return of Raul Jimenez, a lot of the squad is made up of youth players and highlights how thin it is going into the new 2021/22 season.

Of course, players such as Adama Traore and Conor Coady will return to the Midlands a little bit later given their exploits in Euro 2020, but nonetheless it does seem like a squad that is in desperate need of new additions.

With the new Premier League campaign a matter of a few weeks away now, it seems as if several members of the Molineux faithful are growing more impatient with the lack of incomings at this moment in time.

Wolves fans on pre-season squad

These WWFC supporters fumed as the pre-season squad was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘awful’:

“We can fit the whole squad in a tweet, we’re actually in trouble”

Credit: @wwfc_bibb

“Our squad is weak need some new faces to be added big time #wwfc #Wolves”

Credit: @Georgewwfc2

“Nuno left us in a right state”
Credit: @Gary_Poynton
“What an awful squad of players that is”Credit: @Macca_Clifton“Seeing it laid out on paper makes us look weak man!!”
Credit: @goldandblack17
“Wow. Concerned by the lack of depth here”
Credit: @StefanF30
In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers fuming here!

أعلن الروماني كوزمين كونترا المدير الفني لنادي اتحاد جدة تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة الهلال اليوم الثلاثاء ضمن منافسات الدوري السعودي.

ويواجه الاتحاد نظيره الهلال على ملعب الملك عبد الله الدولي، وذلك في إطار لقاءات الجولة السابعة والعشرين من الدوري.

ويلعب المحترف المصري أحمد حجازي لاعب اتحاد جدة السعودي للظهور من جديد في تشكيل فريقه الأساسي، بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي تسببت في ابتعاده عن الملاعب لمدة اقتربت من 6 أشهر. تشكيل اتحاد جدة أمام الهلال

حراسة المرمى: مارسيلو غروهي.

خط الدفاع: أحمد حجازي ــ زياد الصحفي ــ  عبدالرحمن العبود ــ  حمدان الشمراني.

خط الوسط:  برونو هنريكي ــ أندريه فيليبي ــ رومارينيو.

خط الهجوم:  عبد الرزاق حمدالله ــ إيجو كورنادو ــ عبد العزيز البيشي.

طالع | إيهاب جلال يضم أحمد حجازي لقائمة المحترفين في منتخب مصر

ويتصدر اتحاد جدة ترتيب الدوري السعودي برصيد 61 نقطة، فيما يحل الهلال في الوصافة بـ55 نقطة.

Alec Stewart will walk out on his favourite ground tomorrow to become England’s most-capped Test cricketer

Stephen Lamb24-Jul-2002
AlecStewart
Photo CricInfo
Alec Stewart will walk out on his favourite ground tomorrow to become England’s most-capped Test cricketer. The first Test against India at Lord’s will be Stewart’s 119th for England, beating the record set by Graham Gooch.At the start of this season few would have backed Stewart to equal Gooch’s record, let alone beat it, after James Foster was named as England’s centrally-contracted wicket-keeper. But Foster’s misfortune in breaking an arm in the nets in April reopened the door to the 39 year-old from Surrey, who has taken full advantage.Stewart is now likely to enjoy a final tilt at the old enemy in this winter’s Ashes series, and the World Cup that follows in South Africa next February.”The first (Test) is always your biggest cap because every schoolboy wants to play for their country,” Stewart said. “I’ve never been as nervous as when I went out to bat in Jamaica on my debut, but once you get that you then want morebecause you enjoy the occasion.”There’s a thrill about playing for England and a thrill about testing yourself against the best from other countries and that almost spurs you on to want more of it.”Some people get intimidated but others seem to thrive on the full houses andthe big occasions and fortunately I put myself in that category – the morepeople watching and the bigger the occasion the more I like to respond.”He rates that debut among the highlights of his career, along with the Test in Barbados in 1994 when he became the first England player ever to score centuries in both innings of a Test against West Indies, and leading England to a series victory over South Africa four years ago.World Cup campaigns feature among the low points, including the final defeat in 1992 and the campaigns in 1996 and 1999, alongside his failure to come even close to winning the Ashes.Stewart’s parents, Micky and Sheila, will be at Lord’s for the occasion, which will be marked by a presentation to him from captain Nasser Hussain before play starts.”I’ll be trying to treat it like any other Test match, but when you see the list of people I’ve gone past like Gooch, Gower, Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham andColin Cowdrey they are England cricket legends and that’s quite an achievementto have done that,” he said.With the squad beset by injuries to Andrew Caddick, Marcus Trescothick, Alex Tudor and Darren Gough, England coach Duncan Fletcher said Glamorgan’s Simon Jones has “a strong chance” of making his Test debut, although Yorkshire’s ChrisSilverwood is on standby in case of further injuries.Meanwhile, the Indian tourists had the day off yesterday, following their win over Hampshire at Southampton, but the touring party attended an award dinner last night in which star batsman Sachin Tendulkar was named as the fans’ choice for Indian cricketer of the century.The official cricketer of the century was named in Wisden Asia’s ceremony asall-rounder Kapil Dev, but Tendulkar, 29, who equalled Sir Donald Bradman’s record of 29 Test centuries earlier this year, came out on top in the voting polls.Tendulkar came out ahead of Sunil Gavaskar, who holds the record number of centuries in Test cricket, 34 in 125 Tests.Tendulkar said: “It’s a great honour to receive this award. Travelling with the team is like a home-from-home for me and they offer me tremendous support in what I try to achieve as a cricketer.”

Fair Oak’s young bowlers conceded a staggering 87 wides on the opening night of the NatWest Bank Under-16 Indoor Development League at the Hampshire Rose Bowl

Mike Vimpany29-Oct-2002Fair Oak’s young bowlers conceded a staggering 87 wides on the opening night of the NatWest Bank Under-16 Indoor Development League at the Hampshire Rose Bowl.It cost last winter’s champions dear against Basingstoke & North Hants and almost wrecked their chances of beating an inexperienced Andover side.Fair Oak fancied their chances of nailing Basingstoke after Richard Featherstone (33) had improved on a sound opening partnership between Ed White (30) and Ed Kemp (27) to post a handy 136-5.But their efforts were wasted as Fair Oak gifted Basingstoke 54 runs in wides alone – and lost the game by two wickets with an over to spare.Hampshire Academy all-rounder Mitchell Stokes hit 25 and then scored 26 in his team’s four-wicket win over Andover.Fair Oak were almost as profligate against Andover, who came within nine runs of overhauling a challenging 137-5.Featherstone (35 not out) again top scored, but Ollie Williams (27) and Chris Hadfield (26) profited from some erratic bowling and took Andover’s reply to 128-2.Results:
Andover 111 (Hadfield 22, Williams 2-14)
Basingstoke & North Hants 112-2 (Stokes 26, Williams 25)Fair Oak 137-5 (Featherstone 35)
Andover 128-2 (Williams 27, Hadfield 26)Fair Oak 136-5 (Featherstone 33, White 30, Kemp 27)
Basingstoke & North Hants 138-2 (Stokes 25)

Graham Roberts has backed boss Steven Gerrard to bolster his Rangers side as they seek back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles.

Rangers stopped arch-rivals Celtic from being crowned champions for a 10th consecutive season by finishing top of the pile last term.

Rather than resting on his laurels, former Liverpool captain Gerrard has made it his mission to ensure his side dominates the Scottish top flight for a second campaign in succession.

Gerrard has been linked with making a move for 23-year-old Vitesse Arnhem defender Danilho Doekhi, while Dutch midfielder Joey Veerman has criticised his current club, Heerenveen, for potentially pricing Rangers out of lodging a bid for his services.

Although Gerrard is keen to strengthen his squad, Rangers’ title win has resulted in clubs taking an interest in their stars.

The Gers have reportedly rejected a bid from Cagliari for Alfredo Morelos and Finland international Glen Kamara is being tracked by West Ham United and Everton.

Roberts, who had a two-year spell at Ibrox during his playing days, insists Rangers are in a strong position ahead of the new season getting underway.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “Rangers proved last year they were the best team and it’s up to everybody to catch up now.

“I’m sure Steven will have a few names on the list to bring in and hopefully he does.”