A forward noted for his assists has made it clear he wants to join Arsenal more than any other side, coming after the Gunners held talks with his agents this week.

Star names linked to Arsenal as Edu targets new winger

One of sporting director Edu Gaspar's main summer priorities is the addition of a new winger, and a possible alternative to Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal are now really looking at signing £323k-per-week ex-Man City star

Arteta’s worked with him at Eastlands.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 18, 2024

Saka was, without a doubt, manager Mikel Arteta's most crucial star last campaign. The England international winger racked up an exceptional 20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions across 2023/2024, helping to propel Arsenal to being within a whisker of winning the Premier League title.

However, the 22-year-old played 47 games in that time and barely got a minute to breathe, so it is believed that Edu and Arteta are scouring the market for a quality back-up option or even a competitor to keep Saka on his toes.

Arsenal view Lille winger Edon Zhegrova as a possible Saka alternative, with reports claiming he'll cost around £17 million to prise away from Ligue 1. The Kosovo forward is just one target, though, and Edu has marquee options in mind from closer to home.

One of them is Wolves winger Pedro Neto, with the Portuguese attracting interest from across the Premier League. The 24-year-old, who's racked up 14 goals and 24 assists in 135 appearances at Molineux since joining from SC Braga, has been widely tipped to leave for around two years.

Arsenal were linked with a move for Neto as far back as 2022, even holding talks, but couldn't quite get him over the line (David Ornstein). Now, the north Londoners are being named as one of the favourites to land him this summer.

Player

Average match rating

Bukayo Saka

7.67

Declan Rice

7.38

Martin Odegaard

7.37

Kai Havertz

7.16

Gabriel Magalhaes

6.99

WhoScored

“I think that Arsenal and Spurs are more likely destinations for Neto, at this point," said reporter Ben Jacobs to GiveMeSport earlier this year.

"We know the Tottenham interest is historical, and I would expect Arsenal to consider Neto this summer as one of a few targets in that position. But both of the north London clubs will also be well aware that Wolves – because he is still well contracted – will be looking for a club-record sale.

“They will be very firm on price. You can understand why, in an inflated market, where many attackers and midfielders have gone for in excess of £70million.”

Pedro Neto now clear he wants to join Arsenal after talks with agents

TEAMtalk have a very promising update on Arsenal's links to the Portugal international winger this week.

According to their information, Neto has made it clear he's prioritising a move to Arsenal, who have held talks with his agents this week. Chelsea are fellow contenders for his signing, but they've now been leapfrogged by Arteta's side, who are seen as favourites.

The winger bagged 11 assists and three goals in all competitions last season, backing Daniel Bentley's verdict that Neto is an "assist king", but his injury record is one sticking point that Arsenal may need to be wary of.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have managed to keep their key assets at the club so far, but with less than a month left of the summer transfer window, might Gary O’Neil be forced to cash in on one?

Pedro Neto is attracting plenty of attention of late, with Wolves reportedly looking to accept bids of around £60m for one of their star players.

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be keen on luring the winger to London, according to Fabrizio Romano, via GIVEMESPORT.

If he moves, O’Neil will need to bring in a replacement. Could he already be closing in on one?

Wolves looking to sign Croatian winger

According to reports in Croatia, via 24Sata, Wolves have made an offer of around €8m (£7m) to secure the signing of Marco Pasalic from Rijeka this summer.

With interest in Neto soaring as the window edges closer to its final weeks, there is no doubt the Old Gold will need to bring in another wide option, and it looks as though Pascalic is high on the list.

For just £7m, O’Neil is certainly not trying to break the bank, which means he could have funds to improve other areas of his team.

Marco Pasalic’s 2023/24 season in numbers

The 23-year-old shone for Rijeka last term. Across 41 games in all competitions, the Croatian gem scored nine goals while grabbing five assists. A solid return for his club.

Among his teammates, Pasalic ranked fourth for goals and assists (eight) in the Croatian top flight, along with ranking second for shots on target per game (0.8), fourth for big chances created (three) and first for successful dribbles per game (1.6), showcasing his talents across a range of attacking metrics.

Goals

2

6

Assists

9

2

Big chances created

7

3

Key passes per game

1.9

1.2

Successful dribbles per game

1.9

1.6

Total duels won per game

3.5

4.1

In comparison, Neto posted 11 goal contributions in the Premier League, while averaging 0.6 shots on target, registering seven big chances and succeeding with 1.9 dribbles per game.

These statistics show that the pair are fairly similar when it comes to attacking output, which means Pasalic could be a perfect replacement for Neto next season.

O’Neil clearly won't want to lose a talent like the Portuguese gem, but for £60m, it would provide a vital cash injection into the club which could allow the manager to bolster several other areas of his first-team squad.

Pasalic has still to enter his peak years but, having made appearances for Borussia Dortmund during the 2022/23 campaign, he clearly has the required ability to shine in a top-five European league.

He could certainly be a surprise addition to the Old Gold this summer, but the Croatian gem has proven he knows where the back of the net is, while also being able to generate chances for others in the final third.

If O’Neil can keep the likes of Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan at the club, then Wolves will most likely finish higher than 14th place next term, no doubt about that.

Dream Kilman replacement: Wolves could sign "incredible" £8.5m titan

Wolves actually agreed personal terms with this player one year ago before a deal fell through…

ByAngus Sinclair Jul 31, 2024

Ex-Tottenham full-back Danny Rose has revealed he sought legal advice after he was seen arguing with Jose Mourinho in a documentary about the club.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Rose confronted Mourinho while at Spurs
• Discussion was recorded for documentary
• Full-back was surprised by camera presence

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A behind-the-scenes Amazon documentary about the London club was filmed during the 2019-20 season, Mourinho's first after his appointment as Spurs manager. Mourinho, who had replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs boss in November 2019, changed the team's formation and playing style, resulting in Rose being dropped.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rose confronted Mourinho in his office about his lack of playing time, but admits he was not prepared for the discussion to be played out in front of cameras as he opened up about his time with the Portuguese manager.

• WHAT ROSE SAID

  "I only really worked under him for eight or 10 weeks so I didn’t really have a relationship with him," he said on Kyle Walker's podcast for . "It was just a normal player/manager relationship: 'Hello, good morning, how are you?' He came in and he had this approach of wanting to build with three centre-backs and having the right back as the outlet. My game was that I enjoyed being offensive and his system was the left-sided player would be a centre-back and not go forward. So my days were numbered at the club when he wanted to adopt that approach.

  "In 10 weeks it wasn’t like there was a huge falling out. That conversation you see on the documentary is a completely normal conversation and any player who is not playing on the Saturday, the first thing you do is knock on the door. When Poch was there, there was no cameras in his office. He didn’t allow that, so when I have gone to knock on the door I was assuming there were no cameras in the office, but they had put one in. I didn’t know that. I didn’t get notified until May that they had got this and were putting it in, so I wasn’t happy. I had to get legal advice."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Rose was loaned to Newcastle the following January and ended up moving to Watford in 2021 before ending his career. Mourinho is currently in charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, though he has been linked with a return to the Premier League after landing himself in trouble after a huge rant against officials in the Super Lig.

خضع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالأهلي، مرانه عصر اليوم على ملعب التتش استعدادًا لمباراة أورلاندو بايرتس الجنوب إفريقي والتي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع أورلاندو بايرتس في المواجهة التي تُقام مساء السبت المقبل على استاد القاهرة ضمن منافسات الجولة الختامية لدور المجموعات بالمسابقة القارية.

وخاض لاعبو الأهلي الذين شاركوا أمس أمام الجونة تدريبات استشفائية للتخلص من الإجهاد العضلي، فيما واصل باق اللاعبين تدريباتهم على ملعب التتش تحت إشراف الجهاز الفني للفريق.

وعقد مارسيل كولر المدير الفني محاضرة مع اللاعبين للحديث عن مواجهة أورلاندو والتأكيد على بعض الجوانب الفنية.

وأدى وسام أبو علي، لاعب الفريق تدريبات منفردة على ملعب التتش قبل انطلاق المران اشتملت على بعض الجوانب البدنية وفقرة للتصويب على المرمى.

طالع | بعد إصابته بكدمة.. الأهلي يعلن موقف إمام عاشور من مباراة أورلاندو

وينتظم وسام أبو علي في تدريبات الفريق الجماعية غدًا بعد الاطمئنان على حالته وانتهائه من البرنامج الذي قام بتنفيذه تحت إشراف الجهاز الطبي وإخصائي التأهيل.

وخضع وسام أبو علي لفحوصات طبية بعد عودة بعثة الأهلي من كوت ديفوار، واطمأن الجهاز الطبي على حالة اللاعب.

بينما شارك عمر كمال لاعب الفريق في المران الجماعي، بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي أبعدته عن التواجد مع الفريق خلال الفترة الأخيرة.

واطمأن الجهاز الطبي على حالته بعد انتهائه من البرنامج التأهيلي الخاص به.

وكان الأهلي قد حسم تأهله إلى ربع النهائي بدوري أبطال إفريقيا بعد الفوز على استاد أبيدجان في المباراة التي أُقيمت بكوت ديفوار ضمن الجولة الخامسة لدور المجموعات.

ويبحث الأهلي عن الفوز على أورلاندو يوم السبت المقبل لتصدر قمة المجموعة الثالثة.

The spinner’s future will be decided in the coming weeks while Christian has added another trophy to his haul

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2021

Steve O’Keefe and Dan Christian have seen and done a lot in their cricket careers, but Saturday’s BBL title triumph at the SCG had extra special meaning.It was a season that only brought Sydney Sixers home at the very end – the final against Perth Scorchers was the first and last match they could play in Sydney due to the Covid-19 border restrictions that have had to be navigated throughout a 61-match season that defied many hurdles to get completed.For O’Keefe, who was a survivor from the Sixers’ first title in BBL01 along with captain Moises Henriques, it may yet prove the final outing of his professional career (although don’t rule him out just yet) with discussions to be had over his future.”It would be hard to top that and we’ve got some great young so spinners so we’ll just wait and see what happens,” he said.Related

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“During the week I said this was already in the top six [achievements] regardless of how the night went so this is No. 1 without a doubt, given the nature of the tournament, the pressure, the way we had to adapt and change, the way things moved around. The way we were able to adapt under those circumstances was unbelievable so this is easily the best in my BBL career.”I’m not getting any younger and my body at times does fail me. So we’ll have a chat, let the dust settle, if they [Sixers] still see some value in me then great, then it will be up to me to whether I want to go round again.”In the final, O’Keefe did what he so often does: tie up batsmen and produced four overs vital to the outcome of the match with 13 of the runs he conceded coming off one over.And the same can be said of Christian as he secured a ninth T20 title. “The guy doesn’t know how to lose,” O’Keefe said, adding that the allrounder spoke to the team on the bus journey to remind every player what part they had played. “He just instills belief in the group.”Dan Christian’s T20 titles•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Christian has played T20 cricket for 17 teams (No. 18 will follow shortly with Karachi Kings in the PSL) but this campaign has meant more. A chance to come home in what is a globetrotting existence.”Having the opportunity to come back and play for my home city was huge,” he said. “It was something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time, so to get that opportunity was really exciting and to go on and win the cup means a hell of a lot. From that perspective it’s probably a bit more [special] than usual when you do start with a new team.”The game was sealed by the time he was given the final over, but he was able to add the finishing touches of a couple of wickets having contributed a handy 20 off 14 balls.He had done the hard yards with the ball earlier, bowling the final over of the Powerplay where he conceded just five to pull back a rapid Scorchers start, the 10th and the second of the Power Surge in the 16th which he kept to six.”That’s why I play these days, to try and win things,” he said. “I’m just really pleased for everyone involved with the team. From our first training session together out at Blacktown then going down to Hobart, we gelled really well.”To play cricket the way we did all through the season, we got off to absolute flyer, top of the table for most of the season, a couple of hiccups at the end, but we fully deserved that result.”Christian is on a two-year deal with the Sixers so will be back for more next summer. “Let’s keep him till he’s 45, he’s never going to get old, is he,” O’Keefe joked as he waits to find out, or decide, whether he’ll be there with him.

Chelsea have made an approach for one of Atletico Madrid's ex-players, with former manager Antonio Conte personally trying to sign him for Napoli.

Chelsea want to sign another senior defender after Tosin

The west Londoners, as backed by Fabrizio Romano, could bring in multiple centre-backs this summer in their bid to back new head coach Enzo Maresca with key additions.

Chelsea hope they can use Trevoh Chalobah in swap deal for £70m defender

The Blues could be plotting a part-exchange bid.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 13, 2024

Veteran centre-back and beloved Chelsea fan favourite Thiago Silva departed Stamford Bridge after four excellent years at the end of last season, making the move back to Brazil with boyhood club Fluminense on a free transfer.

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley sought to seal their own Bosman deal with the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham, who will help to fill the void left by Silva's exit.

However, the 26-year-old may just be one of two new central defensive additions this summer, with reports still linking Chelsea to top-quality new players who could star at the heart of Maresca's new-look backline.

GiveMeSport shared the news last week that Chelsea could use Trevoh Chalobah in a part-exchange bid for Murillo, who played a crucial role for Nottingham Forest last season as they narrowly avoided Premier League relegation.

At one point, Chelsea were involved in a public race with Arsenal to sign Riccardo Calafiori as well, but the Italy international has agreed a five-year contract with the Gunners as they look to agree on a deal with Bologna (Fabrizio Romano).

It remains to be seen if Maresca's side perhaps mount a last-minute hijack to sign the 22-year-old, which has happened in the past where Arsenal are concerned, like with Chelsea's deal for Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023.

In the meantime, Chelsea continue to eye alternatives to Calafiori, with former Real Madrid prodigy Mario Hermoso now on their radar. The 29-year-old recently left Real's arch rivals, Atletico Madrid, on a free after his contract expired – making him up for grabs at zero cost.

Chelsea make approach for Hermoso as Conte tries to sign him for Napoli

The Spaniard, who made 174 appearances in total for Atletico and helped guide them to a La Liga title in 2021, is desperately wanted by ex-Chelsea boss Conte at Napoli.

According to Radio Punto Nuovo, Conte is said to have explained his methods and project to Hermoso personally, and has even asked the versatile centre-back to wait for Napoli as the Serie A side work to make player sales before signing him.

The ex-Espanyol star was apparently impressed by his talks with Conte as well, but Premier League sides are lingering in the background and still offer Napoli a threat.

Chelsea have approached Hermoso's agents over potentially signing him and hijacking Conte's move, tentatively asking for information on a deal. Another one of Conte's former clubs, Tottenham, are also described as a danger to Napoli's move as they display "dormant interest".

Julen Lopetegui and his West Ham United side are gearing up ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. Having finished ninth last season, the Hammers are looking to return to the European qualification spots.

Reinforcements so far include Wolves central defender Max Kilman, who has already played under Lopetegui, and highly-rated Brazilian winger, Luis Guilherme.

But West Ham continue to be linked with more transfer activity, including countless striker rumours, one of which is Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug, who scored 16 goals in 46 appearances last season.

West Ham transfer news

According to a report from Sky Sports, West Ham are interested in Villarreal striker, Alexander Sorloth. This comes in a report that states West Ham are advancing for Dortmund striker Fullkrug, but Sorloth has been mentioned as another forward of interest for the Hammers.

This comes after West Ham were unable to find an agreement with Aston Villa for talented forward Jhon Duran, with their previous proposal being rejected. Interest remains in Duran, but there is currently a big gap in valuation.

Sorloth made 41 appearances in all competitions for Villarreal last season, scoring 26 goals, providing six assists, and totalling 2,954 minutes of football.

Sorloth vs Duran comparison

Duran made 37 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions last season, scoring eight goals in 1,103 minutes. However, Duran of course was playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins, therefore his chances mostly came in the UEFA Conference League.

Sorloth scored more goals than Fullkrug and Duran combined last season, and also beat the record of West Ham's top scorer last campaign, Jarrod Bowen, who scored 20 goals in 44 appearances – the Englishman scoring six fewer goals than Sorloth.

Sorloth vs Duran vs Fullkrug comparison

Stats (per 90 mins)

Sorloth

Duran

Fullkrug

Non-Penalty Goals

0.82

0.95

0.42

Shots Total

2.87

3.79

2.36

Assists

0.19

0.00

0.26

Shot-Creating Actions

2.46

2.27

2.52

Progressive Carries

1.73

1.71

0.76

Touches (Att Pen)

5.58

5.12

4.46

Aerials Won

2.84

3.79

3.49

Stats taken from FBref

The "stellar" Villarreal striker, as dubbed by Zach Lowy, comes out on top for progressive carries per 90, and touches in the penalty area per 90. However, Duran's metrics are slightly misconstrued, due to his limited minutes for Villa.

Duran takes a high volume of shots in the minutes he plays and has converted at a good rate, actually having a 0.25 Goals/Shot metric, which ranks in the top 7% of strikers in the top five leagues in Europe.

However, Sorloth provides a ready-made product, compared to the potential ability of Duran, as Sorloth performed to these metrics over his 2,954 minutes last season. Despite not winning as many aerials per 90 as Duran or Fullkrug, Sorloth standing at 6 foot 4 still wins 2.84 aerials per 90, and is a major box threat.

If West Ham want a ready-made goalscorer, Sorloth could be their man, having 26 goals last season, and having scored 16 the season prior. The 28-year-old would also come with a point to prove, after his failed spell at Crystal Palace, only scoring one goal for the Eagles back in 2018/19.

Related Forget Fullkrug: West Ham to bid for "complete forward" who'd be Tevez 2.0

West Ham are looking to add a sharpshooter up front

Posts ByConnor Holden Jul 30, 2024

There was an air of apology to the naming of South Africa’s T20I squad last month, with head coach Mark Boucher almost forced to justify the inexperience of the men named. He explained that the visitors were prioritising the upcoming visit of Australia to their shores, and were keen to provide their senior players as much rest as possible following the two-match Test series in Pakistan.Double jeopardy would soon strike the luckless visitors though, with Australia calling off the South African tour altogether, meaning South Africa were stuck with a T20I side very different to the one they’d likely have named had that information been known a few weeks earlier. Aside from David Miller, no one in the squad had played over 30 T20Is, and only Tabraiz Shamsi, Reeza Hendricks and Andile Phelukwayo had lined up in more than 20. The captain, Heinrich Klaasen, had been a part of just 13.At that time, South Africa might have been quite content to have known they’d partake in a T20I series that went to the final few overs of the deciding contest, indeed one in which they had serious opportunities to wrap up all three games. It was a point head coach Mark Boucher made just after the third game ended, with Pakistan having edged out the visitors 2-1.”I think you can pretty much analyse any moment in T20 cricket but, in the first T20, overs 6-10 when we were batting, we only got 15 runs,” Boucher told a video press conference. “That was a big issue and we probably did lose the game there. So yes, we probably could have done better there. The second game went to plan and losing three or four wickets so quickly did mean we were chasing the game. The key moments really cost us here, and for me, as a coach, we have spoken about that and we’ll continue to try and get through to guys so they don’t make the same mistakes again. If they can do that, then I think we’ll be going in the right direction, and the series shows where we’re headed with this T20 side.”The guys showed a bit of bravery with the way they played, though I wish we had been a bit smarter in the way we played the game at certain stages. What I’ve seen is encouraging. Even though we ran ourselves into a bit of trouble, we put up a good total. Maybe 15, 20 runs shy, but we were still in the game till the last couple of overs. A lot of positives, some youngsters coming through and Shamsi bowled really well throughout the series. Reeza [Hendricks] played nicely, and David [Miller]’s knock towards the end was great; good to see him back in the runs. The bowling I thought we did really well, there were times with the bat when we perhaps didn’t do that well but enough encouragement overall.”For Boucher, the biggest positive appears to be the opportunities the bench have been given, and the manner they accounted for them. There were calls when Australia pulled out of the tour to retain senior players for the T20I series, but South Africa stuck to their original plans, determined to give players with less experience a chance at the highest level. He pointed out that few outside the camp had given his charges a chance, but was hopeful this group of players would continue to breathe down the necks of the first-choice squad.David Miller revived South Africa in the decider with an outstanding counterattack•AP Photo

“I think the media were writing these guys off a bit, but we’ve got a T20 competition back home and I hope some of these guys stand up and put some pressure on the squad. The nice thing for me is that throughout the next couple of years we’ve got a good group of players together and we’re getting where we’d like to be. For Covid reasons we’ve had quite a large group of players travelling. They are learning some tough lessons, but you’ve got to be winning and unfortunately we didn’t. That doesn’t mean I’m not happy with their efforts though.”Boucher also praised Pakistan as “a fantastic place to play cricket”. This is the first tour South Africa have undertaken a tour of the country since 2007, with the head coach part of the playing squad at the time. With the pitches in Lahore worlds removed from what his side might generally be used to in the Highveld or the Western Cape, Boucher singled out his bowlers for special praise.”I think what we can learn is this is a fantastic place to play cricket. You see the history around the grounds and some of the fantastic talents that have come out of Pakistan. The spin isn’t as bad as it is in India and Sri Lanka, there’s not as much turn, but there’s a special technique that you still have to apply, especially when you’re batting. I’m really proud of the way the guys bowled; the bowling was a standout for me. I think the guys have done well in this particular situation and it can only help them going back to South Africa.”The tough part of being here was losing a series. We don’t go anywhere to lose series so I think that’s tough. The way we played a couple of the big moments was kind of disappointing. We got ourselves into the game and found stupid ways to get ourselves out of the game again.Related

• Tabraiz Shamsi jumps to career-best second in T20I bowling rankings

• David Miller: 'As a senior player, I would like to step up in different areas'

• Dwaine Pretorius' record five-for helps South Africa draw level

• David Miller fireworks can't save South Africa as Pakistan clinch decider

“But I think we played some good cricket throughout the series. We had a very good meeting after the first game that we lost; we got ourselves into strong positions in that game. The second game showed the brand of cricket that we want to play where we showed intent, especially in the batting. We needed to show the right intent especially when we play against spin. We needed to be more proactive rather than react to it, and I think the guys really showed that today.”Boucher and his men might not have to request extra baggage for the rather voluminous trophy they just ended up missing out on, but there certainly need be no apology for the cricket the visitors offered out in Lahore. With Pakistan set to visit South Africa for a limited-overs series in just a few weeks, the departing South Africans may feel confident they’ll end up having the last laugh.

India’s captain was reacting to Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Tewatia failing their fitness tests

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Mar-20212:49

Kohli says no compromise on ‘very high levels of fitness’

Fitness cannot be “compromised”. That is the firm message India captain Virat Kohli has sent to the players who recently failed to clear to the fitness tests put in place by BCCI to be eligible for selection to the national team.Two uncapped spinners – mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and leggie Rahul Tewatia – failed to clear one of the two norms that comprise the fitness test: either matching the 17:1 mark in the yo-yo test or running a two-kilometre time trial in 8 minutes and 15 seconds (for a fast bowler) or 8 minutes 30 seconds (for the rest).Related

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New fitness target for Indian players: yo-yo level raised to 17:1, time trial 2k run

Kohli, who has utilised fitness as a scaffolding to climb greater heights in the game, said that it was the responsibility of the individual player to maintain “high levels” of fitness in order to play for the country.”Individuals have to understand and appreciate the kind of system that’s been created for the Indian cricket team,” Kohli said on Thursday during a media briefing. “We should operate at very high levels of fitness and skills.”Kohli was responding to a query on whether he was disappointed Chakravarthy has failed to work on his fitness ahead of India’s five-match T20I series against England, having already missed out earlier when he was picked for India’s T20I series in Australia but couldn’t travel due to a shoulder injury.There has been a perception in some quarters that players like Chakravarthy, Tewatia and other domestic players who are not part of the Indian set-up all the time could be cut some slack. Some of the players, who recently took the tests at the NCA, told ESPNcricinfo that if they had been informed in advance about the new fitness norms, they could have cleared the hurdles at the first time of asking with enough practice.Virat Kohli says there will be no compromise on fitness levels for Indian players•PTI There is also a school of thought that holds that cricket primarily is a skill-based sport, and players should be given a bit more leeway as long as they have a base level of fitness. Kohli, however, disagreed. “There is a reason why this is the top of the ladder when it comes to playing cricket in our country,” he said. “And, yeah, you would obviously expect players to abide by what’s required to be a part of Team India. There should not be any space for any compromise in that regard.”In terms of fitness, India are still catching up with teams like New Zealand, Australia and England, where the targets are much tougher compared to those set by the BCCI, although the Indian board did recently upgrade its minimum fitness targets by raising the level of the yo-yo test from 16:1 to 17:1, and introducing the 2km time trial, which many other international cricket teams use as global fitness standard. These fitness norms were finalised by the national selectors, the team management and the National Cricket Academy, which is headed by former India captain Rahul Dravid.

@bhogleharsha he has more skills than most we have seen, but may be a few seconds slower in a sprint…I wonder how many greats of yesteryears, cricket would have lost, based on the current “standards”! https://t.co/JHV9nZBO2v

— Venky Mysore (@VenkyMysore) March 11, 2021

Consequently, the BCCI asked the selectors to identify a pool of about 25 players, who would normally in the reckoning to play for India. These players were called by the NCA, which has the authority to conduct the fitness tests. Several of the players in India’s T20I squad, including KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar cleared the tests before they integrated with the Indian squad.However, both Chakravarthy and Tewatia failed to clear the test at the first attempt. While Tewatia travelled to Ahmedabad (the venue for the T20I series), Chakravarthy’s whereabouts could not be confirmed. It is likely that he is currently at the NCA in Bengaluru as ESPNcricinfo understands Chakaravarthy injured his shoulder again, after he was picked in the 19-member T20I squad for the England games.Even T Natarajan, who became the first player to make international debuts across three formats in the same series on the Australian trip, is currently at the NCA doing rehabilitation for a niggle. It is understood the left-arm fast bowler will take the fitness test on March 12.As far as Tewatia is concerned, he is likely to take a second fitness test in Ahmedabad before his fate is decided. In case he is unable to clear it again, it is likely he will stay with the squad as a net bowler, and be replaced by legspinner Rahul Chahar, who played a solitary T20I for India in 2019.The BCCI has not yet officially made any announcement on the fitness status of Chakravarthy, Tewatia and Natarajan, nor named any replacement for the five-match T20I series that starts on Friday.It is worth noting that Kohli’s stress on fitness is not an isolated view in cricket. Recently, the West Indies selectors did not consider four players who had failed to reach the minimum fitness standards for the white-ball segment of their ongoing Sri Lanka series: Shimron Hetmeyer, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas. This is the second time Hetmeyer has failed the fitness test in a year, having missed the ODI series in Sri Lanka last February.

Australia are set to make a belated trip to Bangladesh later this year for their first tour since 2017. Not for the Tests originally scheduled as part of the World Test Championship, but instead for T20Is intended as warm-ups for the T20 World Cup meant to be hosted by India soon afterwards.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed discussions around the brief tour, which are the result of India hosting the global T20I event in 2021 while the 2020 edition, originally to have been hosted by Australia last year, was pushed out to 2022. According to the Future Tours Program, Bangladesh are also to host England for white-ball games ahead of the T20 World Cup, meaning the matches may well be arrayed as a triangular series.However, it has also been established that any prospect of last year’s postponed Test tour of Bangladesh, one of the first scheduled assignments delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has been effectively washed away by the fact it could not be rescheduled during the remaining window for WTC series before the table is finalised in April. Australia are duly set to go nearly 10 months without a Test match between the India series this summer and a rescheduled home Test against Afghanistan next summer, ahead of the Ashes.Related

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Cricket Australia and the BCB have continued lengthy talks ever since the postponement of the series last April, but neither board was able to commit to a window for a Test match tour. CA’s protracted and ultimately fruitless negotiations with Cricket South Africa over their scheduled WTC series in March broke down irreparably last week, ironically leaving a 33-day gap in between the end of Bangladesh’s current home series against West Indies on February 15, and the start of their white-ball tour of New Zealand on March 20 where neither country will play at all.Australia’s Test team have lost control of their WTC destiny due to the decision not to tour South Africa, but could have regained it by playing and winning a Test series with Bangladesh at any stage between last June, when the tour was originally meant to be played, and the April cut-off point for the championship table. This was the case even after the ICC retabulated the WTC table to be ranked according to points won over matches played, accounting for the imbalances deepened by tour cancellations due to Covid-19.The deterioration of relations between CA and CSA around tour talks and biosecurity protocols has led to the South African board writing to the ICC by way of opening a conversation about financial recompense for countries who have their home series cancelled by touring teams unwilling to make the trip.Cricket’s global governing body is understood to be encouraging further, peacemaking dialogue between CA and CSA, while at the same time being wary of the possibility of a formal dispute resolution mechanism being triggered between the two boards.CA has fervently denied allegations of bad faith negotiating from CSA, arguing that the two boards had irreconcilably different attitudes to Covid-19 that made it impossible to find the common ground required for the tour to go ahead. The governing body has also argued that CA’s efforts to reschedule series is proven by the current tour of New Zealand, a makeup for last summer’s cancelled series, and the shift of the Afghanistan Test. A CA spokesman declined to comment on the Bangladesh tour plans.