The 19-year-old becomes the youngest since Ricky Ponting to score two centuries in a Shield game

AAP10-Oct-2024Sam Konstas has continued to flag his strong potential as a superstar of the future, writing his name alongside Ricky Ponting in the history books with another Sheffield Shield century.The teenage opener put New South Wales in control of their clash with South Australia at Cricket Central in Sydney, compiling 105 from 225 balls after making 152 in a breakout first innings.The hosts declared at 282 for 6 late on day three, with South Australia 7 for 1 chasing 389 runs for victory on day four after Nathan Lyon struck early to dismiss Conor McInerney without scoring.Earlier, 19-year-old Konstas became the youngest player since Ponting to record two centuries in the same Shield game. Australia’s most successful Test captain achieved the feat as an 18-year-old playing for Tasmania against Western Australia in 1992-93.Konstas is the third youngest to do so in Shield history behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Konstas beat Sir Donald Bradman who first achieved the feat as a 20-year-old.”Obviously very special,” Konstas said of the feat. “But hopefully we get the job done tomorrow and keep doing our basics well.”Konstas was given an extra life by Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who dropped a sitter before the teenager got off the mark on day three.Having also missed a stumping in the first innings, Carey saved face with a diving catch that dismissed Nic Maddinson and continued the opener’s meagre start to his second stint at NSW.But Konstas nevertheless made the visitors pay. He brought up his half-century off Lloyd Pope in the 37th over with a four that rushed past extra cover so fast that Jordan Buckingham needed to jump to avoid the fence as he chased the ball past the boundary.South Australia managed to slow Konstas down after tea as batting partners fell around him.”They had different plans, they were bowling a wider line,” Konstas said. “I had to be a bit ruthless and cop my medicine a bit.”But the teenager finally brought his century up as the final hour of play approached, smacking a six over deep midwicket from Ben Manenti’s bowling.South Australia finally removed him, with McInerney sprinting to long-on to catch him off Pope.Earlier, Lyon continued an impressive lead-in to the Test summer, finishing his first Shield innings of the summer with a five-for.Lyon ripped through the South Australian tail to ensure they were back in the sheds inside the first hour on day three, all out for 260.Nathan McAndrew skied Lyon to deep square leg before Pope nicked off two balls later and set the stage for NSW to extend their lead, which was already 106 runs at the innings break.Lyon expects to play two more matches for NSW ahead of the five-match Test series against India that begins in Perth late next month.

On a day that many rhythms of Test cricket in India were meddled with, one incontrovertible truth of India’s recent dominant era remained steadfast: teams can compete with the India batters but don’t have the depth to outdo their lower-middle order. Who knows if Chennai boy R Ashwin, who turned 38 two days before the Test, will play another Test in Chennai? Or indeed the Chennai Super King Ravindra Jadeja? If it is their last, they started the first day in style, rescuing India from 144 for 6 with an unbroken 195-run partnership.Among the two nearly inseparable spin twins, Ashwin was the better batter on the day as he scored his sixth Test hundred, leaving his fellow Chennai people in awe at the rasping shots whose sound reverberated in the stands. Jadeja wasn’t much behind, though, ending the day unbeaten on 86.The pain of watching an Indian seventh wicket breaking their hearts might not be something new for Bangladesh but the way they got to the seventh wicket was unlike any other Test day in recent memory. For the first time in seven years, a side chose to bowl in a Test in India involving India. Even India said they would have done the same. And not because the preparation of the pitch had been hampered by rain: this slightly green, damp pitch was created by design during a week in which temperature records have been broken in Chennai.The overcast sky only reassured the sides it was worth risking batting last in India. Then a Vernon Philander-like, wobble-seam line-and-length bowler, Hasan Mahmud, wrecked the top order with gentle seam movement. India recovered briefly from 34 for 3, thanks to some ordinary bowling around Mahmud, but Bangladesh came back in the second session to take three more quick wickets.Then Ashwin started driving, and punching and pulling and slogging. Jadeja joined. And a whole new game unfolded. Until then Mahmud controlled India. Even when Taskin Ahmed and tearaway Nahid Rana wasted the new ball by bowling too short or too full, Mahmud was unerring. Rohit Sharma was tested thoroughly with seam movement either way before he edged one to second slip. Shubman Gill feathered one down the leg side, but he never looked at ease in his eight-ball stay. Virat Kohli came out full of intent, but that carries a big risk, which ended in an edge away from the body.2:12

What’s special Mahmud’s opening spell in Chennai?

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, playing his first Test in nearly 700 days, then added 62 for the fourth wicket against some indifferent bowling. Jaiswal made this his sixth straight home Test in which he has gone past 50. Pant began to look dangerous and by lunch India had wrested the initiative. After lunch, though, Pant fell to an afterthought of a cut shot, a stroke of luck for the persistent Mahmud.Taskin and Rana then chipped in with a much better session. The ball still seamed around, although not as much as the first session, and they presented a sterner test by bowling the good length. Rana eventually did Jaiswal in with extra pace, nicking him off, and the serene-looking KL Rahul fell to a stunning catch by Zakir Hasan at short leg.While Mehidy Hasan Miraz might have got that big wicket of Rahul, the spinners generally failed to provide any control to the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hasan. In effect, he never had a complete attack to operate with. Mahmud kept them in single-handedly in the first session, and when the other quicks got their act together, they didn’t have spinners keeping them fresh.Related

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It is easy to say all that, but at 144 for 6, it takes some doing to expose this lack of depth. Ashwin began that as soon as he walked to huge cheers; in fact the cheers started as soon as Rahul fell, a treatment reserved only for batters preceding Tendulkar and Kohli. He got a single first ball, and then punched the pace of Rana for a four second ball.There have been many rescue acts carried out by Ashwin and Jadeja, but none so emphatic. There was some flair to how Ashwin batted, staying on the back foot, meeting balls at the top of the bounce, and crashing them through covers and square leg. Jadeja played more of an old-fashioned knock, opening up only after getting himself in, but never missing out on a scoring opportunity. Ashwin, though, batted like he had never been out of Chepauk.As the ball got softer, as the runs began to flow, the field had to spread, and the spinners kept providing easy boundaries. At various points, the two had looking at each other in awe. When Ashwin ramped the pace of Rana over slips for four, Jadeja looked like he was fortunate to have the best seat in the house. Ashwin returned the compliment at one flat slog-sweep from Jadeja. If the edge did arrive, Bangladesh had lost any rights to have enough catchers in place.Six minutes before stumps, Ashwin got to his hundred in just 108 balls to send the home crowd into raptures. Jadeja celebrated it with a drilled boundary back over the bowler in the same over to enter the 80s. Just a gentle reminder that it wasn’t all over, and Bangladesh will have to face them again on day two.

علق محمد سلامة، رئيس نادي الاتحاد السكندري، على رحيل أحمد سامي عن تدريب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، وتعيين تامر مصطفى بدلًا منه.

وقال محمد سلامة، عبر برنامج “الكابتن” على قناة “dmc”: “لم تحدث إقالة للكابتن أحمد سامي، الموضوع انتهى بشكل ودي ومحترم، أنا أشكره على الفترة التي قضاها، لأنه جاء في ظروف صعبة”.

طالع| الاتحاد السكندري يعلن تعيين تامر مصطفى مديرًا فنيًا

وتابع: “كانت الصعوبة في الفترة التي توليت فيها مسؤولية رئاسة النادي، حيث كانت قليلة جدًا قبل الموسم الجديد، بعدما قدم محمد مصيلحي استقالته، والذي له تاريخ كبير في النادي، لكن الحمد لله ربنا قدرنا وعملنا، رغم إن الوقت كان ضيقًا والظروف أصعب، مع اختلاف شكل الدوري”.

وكشف: “الدوري المصري صعب للغاية، هذا العام لم يهبط أي فريق، واللاعبون الذين رحلوا عن أنديتهم قليلين جدًا، وصعدت 3 أندية شركات ومؤسسات، فالموضوع أصبح أصعب، والضغط يزيد خصوصًا على الأندية الجماهيرية”.

وأضاف: “الإدارة التنفيذية والمالية لديهما أرقامًا صعبة، أنا في شهرين ونصف صَرَفت مبالغ مهولة جدًا، التزامات كتيرة، خاصة وأن نادي الاتحاد لديه 19 لعبة، وهذا عبء إضافي غير المصري أو الإسماعيلي اللذين لديهما دعم من المحافظات، نحن في إسكندرية لا يوجد أي دعم من المحافظة أو أي جهة”.

وأكمل: “في المجلس الماضي كنا أربعة، الأستاذ محمد (على رأسنا) وأستاذ أحمد مجيد نائب الرئيس وأستاذ محمد خميس، والأستاذ أحمد قدّم استقالته، فاليوم أنا تقريبًا متحمل الموضوع بنسبة 100%، الوضع المادي صعب، لدينا انتخابات يوم 26 ديسمبر، وأعمل على النواحي الإنشائية والرياضية، في كرة السلة مثلاً، الحمد لله تعاقدنا مع جهاز فني إسباني بعد رحيل الكابتن أحمد عمر، وكرة السلة فاكهة الألعاب في إسكندرية، والحمد لله لحد نتصدر حاليًا”.

وعن مصير أنس أسامة لاعب كرة السلة: “هناك جلسة ستجمعني بأنس إن شاء الله الفترة القادمة، كنت أنتظر استقرار المدير الفني الذي من المفترض يصل مساء اليوم، وغدًا يتواجد في المران مع مساعده، أنس كان مع المنتخب وعاد، لم نجلس معه، إن شاء الله يكون موجودًا ويستمر معنا، ولا يوجد لاعب لديه مستحقات متأخرة”.

رسالة تامر مصطفى للاعبي الاتحاد في أول مران: “الكابتن شكر أحمد سامي وقال إنه مدرب كبير، لكن أحيانًا التوفيق يغيب، ممكن يأتي أحسن مدرب في العالم ومع ذلك يغيب الانسجام بينه وبين الفريق، ثم تحدث عن قيمة نادي الاتحاد”.

واختتم: “قال لهم إنكم ترتدون قميص الاتحاد ويجب أن تعلموا قيمته، الرجل تحدث باحترام، وأنا وجّهت رسالة للاعبين وقلت لهم (اللي مش هيقدر يحافظ على قيمة الفانلة ويعرف قيمة النادي ما عنديش مشكلة يمشي)، يجب أن يتحملوا مسؤولياتهم كاملة، لأن الكرة حاليًا أصبحت بزنس، مثلما تأخذ حقك يجب أن تعطيني حقي، والجمهور له حق كبير جدًا”.

Leeds United have added Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, and Sebastiaan Bornauw to their first-team squad ahead of their return to the Premier League next season.

The Whites have quickly moved to bolster their defensive options with Bijol and Bornauw, who are both centre-backs with experience in major European leagues, in Italy and in Germany.

Daniel Farke and the recruitment team are not done with the defence there, though, as the club are also looking to add to their left-back options after Junior Firpo’s exit.

Journalist Graham Smyth claims that the West Yorkshire outfit are closing in on the signing of Sweden international Gabriel Gudmundsson from Lille, although it remains to be seen how much money they will have to spend to bring him to Elland Road.

The Championship champions are in dire need of a left-back, with zero senior players in that position at this moment in time, which is why this is a deal that could make a lot of sense.

Why Gabriel Gudmundsson is a good signing for Leeds

With the caveat that there is no potential transfer fee to judge the deal on at this stage, Gudmundsson could be a very shrewd signing for Leeds to cover the hole at left-back.

The 26-year-old ace would come in as a proven performer at the top level, having played 103 times in Ligue 1 for Lille, which means that he could hit the ground running at the start of the season, as opposed to a young and inexperienced player who may need more time.

This suggests that he will be ready to perform immediately for Leeds and that is what they need after Firpo’s exit from the club was confirmed, as it will allow Farke to slot the defender straight into the team.

His performances in Ligue 1 during the 2024/25 campaign also suggest that Gudmundsson will be a solid, if unspectacular, addition to the squad for next season.

As you can see in the table above, the Swedish brute did not deliver outstanding performances defensively or offensively, but he was incredibly solid, rarely being dribbled past whilst winning the majority of his duels.

This suggests that the Lille full-back could be a dependable and reliable option for Farke at left-back in the club’s bid to avoid relegation, which is why the defender could be a valuable signing, despite not being an exciting one.

If they can get Gudmundsson through the doors at Thorp Arch this week, then it could provide them with a chance to go with a riskier, more exciting, player as competition for him.

Leeds eyeing £22m full-back signing

According to the Sunday Mirror (6 July, page 77), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds United are one of a number of teams interested in signing El Hadji Malick Diouf this summer.

The report claims that the Whites, West Ham United, Atalanta, and Nottingham Forest all want to secure a deal to sign the Slavia Prague full-back in the coming weeks.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It states that the Hammers have already had an opening salvo of £17.25m turned down by the Czechia-based outfit, who are looking for a fee closer to £22m (£21.6m) to allow their star youngster to depart.

However, it now remains to be seen who is leading the race for the versatile full-back, or if West Ham are prepared to go back in with another offer for him.

If Leeds can strike a deal for the Senegal international in the coming weeks, though, they could land an even better signing than Gudmundsson at left-back.

Why Diouf would be an even better signing than Gudmundsson

Diouf could be an even better piece of business for the Championship champions if they can get a move over the line because of his quality, his versatility, and his potential.

Gudmundsson may be a better addition in the short-term, given that he could hit the ground running as an experienced addition, but the Sparta Prague youngster could be a better long-term signing.

At the age of 20, he is six years younger than the Sweden international and has more potential, therefore, to grow and develop as a player, which could lead to his value soaring as well.

Diouf, who analyst Rohit Kumaran described as “physically dominant”, has yet to prove himself in a major European league like Gudmundsson has, which is why it is a riskier signing, but he has shown signs of immense potential, particularly in the Europa League.

As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old starlet showed plenty of attacking and progressive quality in possession in the Europa League last season, whilst the Lille defender only managed two goals and zero assists in Ligue 1.

Diouf also scored seven goals and created ten ‘big chances’ in 27 matches in the Czechia top-flight for Slavia Prague, whilst playing as a left-back, a left wing-back, or as a left winger, which further speaks to the quality he can provide in the final third.

The versatile dynamo clearly offers more of an attacking threat than Gudmundsson, who is more of a solid and steady option, which is why he could be even more exciting for supporters.

If Diouf can translate his performances for Slavia Prague over to the Premier League, the young gem could be an electric player for Leeds for many years to come, as a full-back who can score and create goals on a regular basis.

Farke's new Rutter: Leeds now showing strong interest in £11m star

Leeds United are still in need of attacking reinforcements, ahead of their Premier League return

1

By
Robbie Walls

Jul 6, 2025

However, as aforementioned, he is unproven in a major league, and that is why Gudmundsson could start over him initially, but with a view to Diouf being the superior and more exciting left-back option in the long-term, making him a better signing overall.

Essex power to victory at Edgbaston as Snater’s 69 is followed by another stellar bowling display

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2024

Essex completed a crushing innings-and-40 runs Vitality County Championship win over Warwickshire inside five sessions at Edgbaston.Warwickshire’s top-order was blown away by the visiting seamers on the second morning, just as it had been on the first, to set up the most commanding victory for Tom Westley’s side.After Essex took their first innings to 232, thanks to Shane Snater’s 69 (72 balls), to secure a lead of 154, Warwickshire floundered to three for four and then 38 for six against superb bowling from Jamie Porter (six for 36) and Sam Cook (three for 36). Danny Briggs (51, 48) offered some resistance but Warwickshire, who looked a beaten side from ball one, were all out for 114 to follow their 78 all out in the first innings.Essex will face Division One leaders Surrey in their final game of the next week full of confidence from successive heavy victories. Warwickshire, still looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone, must reboot – and hope seamer Chris Rushworth recovers from injury – before their last game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.The entire match was a tale of Essex domination and Warwickshire disarray and the story was encapsulated by the day’s first 35 minutes. After the visitors resumed on 189 for nine, last-wicket pair Snater and Porter extended their partnership to 60 in 14 overs. On a pitch which brought 19 wickets on the first day, Warwickshire at times deployed nine boundary fielders for Snater while Porter, with a first class batting average of 5.82 was untroubled. Further abetted by loose bowling and misfields, the pair eased Essex’s lead upwards before Craig Miles uprooted Snater’s middle stump.It was a wretched micro-session from Warwickshire which prompted their supporters to offer a few ribald thoughts from the stands – but things then went from bad to worse as their second innings hit three for four after 34 balls.The excellent Cook trapped Rob Yates lbw and plucked out the off-stumps of Will Rhodes (for a duck in his last innings as a Warwickshire player at Edgbaston) and Hamza Shaikh. Porter had Sam Hain caught at second slip from an inside-edge on to his pad.The procession continued when Ed Barnard edged Porter to wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, who kept superbly standing up to the seamers, and captain Alex Davies, having hewn 12 runs from 71 minutes, fell lbw to Snater to make it 38 for six.Briggs and Michael Burgess added 71 in 15 overs either side of lunch, the former striking 11 fours in an attractive half-century, but after Briggs edged Porter behind the end came quickly. Porter completed his five-for when Burgess (28, 66) was caught by Paul Walter at long on and rounded off the rout with the scalp of Rushworth, caught at mid off.

Leeds United are probing the market and have now entered the race to sign an experienced forward who has scored over 250 goals at senior level, according to a report.

Leeds United in the market for goalscorers

Without a striker capable of firing against the elite, it is hard to imagine any newly-promoted side managing to maintain their Premier League status.

Daniel Farke will be aware that his side need to act swiftly on the market, hence why Leeds United are firmly pursuing Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz to help offer a distinguished presence in front of goal.

Furthermore, Patrick Bamford is on the radar of Coventry City after being told that he isn’t part of the plans this season at Elland Road, which has left the door ajar for a new striker to arrive.

Wasting no time, Farke recently stated on his future: “I had a really open and honest conversation with Patrick, which was important, He knows how much I rate him as a player and I would have preferred a fit Patrick Bamford for the last two seasons, but he is a player who needs to be the main man.

“He needs an arm round the shoulder after some difficult seasons. I was not willing to tell him he was the main man at Premier League level. In the second day of pre-season, I got him into my office and told him he is not in my plans for the upcoming season.”

Leeds’ top five scorers in 2024/25

Joel Piroe

19

Daniel James

12

Manor Solomon

10

Wilfried Gnonto

9

Brenden Aaronson

9

Plenty of time remains in the window, but bringing in another forward option after Lukas Nmecha is bound to be on the radar and Leeds could now land themselves a bargain if reports are to be believed.

Leeds United fighting to sign Mehdi Taremi

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Leeds are in the mix to sign Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi, who could soon be subject of a £7.84 million bid from Botafogo. West Ham United and Fulham are also interested in the Iran international, who has netted 255 goals across his career for club and country.

The 33-year-old’s agents are in talks over a move to South America, but there is no mention that they are engaging in discussions over a potential path to Elland Road, yet.

Leeds agree deal and book medical to sign new 6 ft 5 star ahead of Newcastle

He’s been called a top target for the Whites.

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Labelled “excellent” by Rahman Rezaei, Taremi has been given extra time to assess his options in pre-season and hasn’t returned to training after a return of three goals and six assists in 43 appearances last term.

With his time in Italy looking certain to end, Leeds may be the ideal destination for Taremi to reignite his career at a bargain fee, albeit he would need to improve on his tally if a move to Elland Road were indeed to materialise.

An inspired Mohammad Hasnain led Panthers to a rout of Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup final in Faisalabad. Hasnain took three wickets to extend his lead at the top of the wickets charts to 17 – no one else has more than ten – while Arafat Minhas registered remarkable figures of 2.4-1-1-3 to skittle Iftikhar Ahmed’s Markhors for 122.It took Shadab Khan’s men just 18 overs to knock off the runs, as a tournament that had seen all but one game end in victory for the side batting first reversed the script dramatically in the final.Markhors won the toss and batted, but ran into early trouble when Zain Abbas nicked off in the third over, with Kamran Ghulam following cheaply soon after. Fakhar Zaman and Haseebullah Khan appeared to be steering the ship back on course with a 56-run partnership that had the Markhors respectably placed at 82 for 2.Once that stand was broken, though, Markhors imploded. Offspinner Sajid Khan cleaned Haseebullah up with an arm ball before drawing a miscue from Fakhar.Hasnain returned to remove captain Iftikhar and Abdul Samad in quick succession, and the Panthers were into the tail. Minhas and Shadab made short work of them, with the Markhors losing their last eight wickets for 40 runs in 91 deliveries to finish with the smallest first-innings total in the entire competition.Umar Siddiq and Abdul Bangalzai broke the back of the chase early, bringing up the 50-partnership in seven overs. Bangalzai’s 43-ball 41 took the pressure off before Markhors began to chip away with wickets. Shahnawaz Dahani cleaned up Siddiq before Akif Javed and Mohammad Imran split four wickets amongst them, but by that time, the result was little more than a formality.Unbeaten cameos from Shadab and Rizwan Mehmood put together an undefeated 29-run partnership in three overs to finish the game and seal the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup title for Panthers.

Bangladesh are coming off the high of beating Pakistan 2-0 but the wicketkeeper is asking people not to bring it up

Mohammad Isam10-Sep-20243:46

Isam: Bangladesh’s win in Pakistan is ‘mind boggling’

Bangladesh are about to embark on another away tour on the back of their remarkable 2-0 victory over Pakistan earlier this month and are already deep in preparation for it. They will be visiting India for two Tests starting next week and one of their heroes from Rawalpindi, Litton Das, has revealed that the team has been trying to get used to the way SG balls behave.This is a break from the norm. Bangladesh usually play with a Kookaburra ball. That is the brand they use for home internationals and it was the brand used in the Tests against Pakistan as well. India, however, use SG balls for Test cricket and there is significant difference between the two.”The ball will be a different one in India,” Litton said. “It is a little harder to play against the SG ball. The Kookaburra ball is easier to play when it gets old. It is the opposite with the SG ball. It is harder to get away against the old ball when it’s the SG.”Related

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The white-ball players are reportedly training with Kookaburra balls as the T20Is that follow the Tests in India will be played with the Kookaburra.Litton also warned that Bangladesh can’t rest on the laurels from their first-ever series win over Pakistan. Although he played a big part in it, his century rescuing the side from 26 for 6 in the second Test, he asked the media not to remind them of it.”We played good cricket against Pakistan but it is already in the past,” Litton said. “It is important for us to look forward. We will need your (media’s) help. It would be helpful if you don’t talk about the Pakistan series. As a player, it is already in the past for me.”Litton Das will continue backing his aggressive style of play in Test cricket•Associated PressThere is typically a lot of focus from the Bangladesh fans on matches that their team plays against India and Pakistan and these games are coming back-to-back as well. The only previous occasion when Bangladesh played back-to-back series against Pakistan and India was in 2015 but both were at home, unlike this time when both series are taking place overseas. Litton understood that fans will be watching with great expectations but he refused to see it as a burden.”It is inspiring that people will know you if you do well,” he said. “There’s nothing better than that. I don’t think it is pressure. We are improving in Tests, so we have to become more consistent in the format. That’s the main challenge.”Litton’s role in the team as a lower-middle-order batter suits his natural game, where sometimes he ends up with the tail and has no choice but to go for his shots. But he did show he had other gears as well, batting for nearly six hours to dig Bangladesh out of a hole in Rawalpindi.”I have to take responsibility now,” he said. “It is the right time. I have been playing for ten years, so there has been some experience. I try to score off deliveries that I believe are there to hit. Scoring runs is more important these days. I think I bat in the same way that most batters approach the game.Litton realises that the way he plays comes with a bit of risk but it is also how he’s found success. “If it gives me more chance to get out, it also gives me a lot of opportunities to score runs,” he said. “I usually get to bat with (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz. Sometimes I bat with Shakib (Shakib Al Hasan) or Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim). If I don’t play my shots, the team score won’t go anywhere. I want to play like this. I try to play the way I bat in training.”Bangladesh are scheduled to depart for India on September 15 to play two Tests in Chennai (September 19 to 23) and Kanpur (September 27 to October 1), both part of the World Test Championship. The three T20Is that follow will be held in Gwalior (October 6), Delhi (October 9) and Hyderabad (October 12).

واصل ريال مدريد سلسلة انتصاراته بعد أن حقق الفوز على إسبانيول بهدفين نظيفين على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو في إطار منافسات الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وجاء هدفي ريال مدريد في الشوط الأول عن طريق إيدر ميليتاو بتسديدة قوية من خارج منطقة الجزاء في الدقيقة 22، وعزز كيليان مبابي بتسديدة أخرى بصناعة من فينيسيوس جونيور في بداية الشوط الثاني في الدقيقة 47.

وقد ارتفع رصيد ريال مدريد للنقطة 15 في المركز الأول، بعد أن حقق 5 انتصارات متتالية من 5 مباريات، ويأتي خلفه برشلونة ب10 نقاط.

بينما تجمد رصيد إسبانيول عند النقطة العاشرة في المركز الثالث، بعد أن تعرض للهزيمة الأولى إلى جانب ثلاث انتصارات وتعادل واحد.

أاقرأ أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإسباني بعد هدف مبابي في مباراة ريال مدريد وإسبانيول

وكان ألونسو مدرب ريال مدريد قد دخل لقاء اليوم بتشكيل مكون من: كورتوا، كارفاخال، أسينسيو، ميليتاو، كاريراس، ماستانتونو، فيدي فالفيردي، تشواميني، فينيسيوس جونيور، جونزالو جارسيا، كيليان مبابي.

وأشرك تشابي ألونسو في الشوط الثاني كلًا من جود بيلينجهام وإدواردو كامافينجا ورودريجو وأردا جولر وإبراهيم دياز. رجل مباراة ريال مدريد وإسبانيول في الدوري الإسباني

حصل النجم الفرنسي كيليان مبابي على جائزة رجل المباراة بين ريال مدريد وإسبانيول بعد أن قدم مستوى رائعًا وسجل هدفًا عزز به انتصار فريقه ووصل للهدف الخامس ليتربع على صدارة هدافي الليجا.

It’s a rivalry that has dominated football for almost two decades now, with the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo story looking likely to come to a close at next year’s World Cup.

Now well into veteran, yet not necessarily diminished, status, the two men defined a generation during their pomp at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, with the beautiful game arguably having never seen – and might never again – the two best players in the world going head to head on a weekly basis.

While Messi’s contract situation at Inter Miami had sparked speculation regarding a potential switch to Saudi Arabian side, Al Ahli – throwing up the prospect of a renewed battle with Al Nassr’s number seven – it looks unlikely that their paths will cross again on the club scene.

With previous reports of Ronaldo moving to Miami to partner the Argentine having also been shut down by his recent bumper extension in the Middle East, the greatest ‘what if’ question of the modern era is likely to go unanswered.

Just what would have happened if the two men had ever played together in the same side?

Well, with the help of AI tool ChatGPT, we may well have the answers, having taken a deep dive into what Messi’s career, in particular, would have looked like had he ended up partnering the Portuguese sensation:

2017/18

33 G, 22 A

44 G, 8 A

2016/17

37 G, 25 A

42 G, 10 A

2015/16

32 G, 27 A

49 G, 11 A

2014/15

35 G, 30 A

52 G, 9 A

2013/14

34 G, 21 A

51 G, 12 A

2012/13

42 G, 24 A

47 G, 11 A

2011/12

50 G, 29 A

48 G, 9 A

2010/11

40 G, 25 A

45 G, 10 A

2009/10

38 G, 21 A

42 G, 10 A

1 A change in role

The sight of the 38-year-old strolling round the park has become a familiar one for both club and country these days, with Messi, as to be expected considering his age, no longer the balletic, lightning forward who tore defences to shreds in his pomp.

Who can forget the left-footer’s majestic 2012, in which he scored 91 goals in total during a simply staggering calendar year, having made a sublime transition from life on the flanks to a false nine berth. In all for Barcelona, the 5 foot 7 star registered 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games, as per Transfermarkt.

In the view of ChatGPT, a link up with Ronaldo at the Bernabeu might well have led to a different positional path, with it predicted that Messi would have dropped into a deeper role sooner, described as “more orchestrator than finisher”.

That tweak to operate more as a number ten – in a similar vein to Mesut Ozil’s role behind ‘CR7’ for Los Blancos – would perhaps have seen Messi emerge as more of a provider than a clinical goalscorer.

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Indeed, ChatGPT thinks that he would have more likely chipped in with 35-45 goals per season, in contrast to his 50+ average at his pomp, albeit with that counterbalanced by an increase in assists. As the AI tool states, a “season with 30+ assists wouldn’t be impossible.”

2 Increased success at club level

As was seen during Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain, alongside both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, putting the world’s best together doesn’t always prove particularly fruitful, with the Ligue 1 side unable to even get close to securing Champions League glory with that trio onboard.

Would the same have happened with a forward line containing Messi and Ronaldo? Well, ChatGPT doesn’t think so, having predicted that Madrid – with that duo in tow – could have won “seven or eight La Liga titles in a decade”.

In the real world, Messi already boasts ten LaLiga titles, although he could have eclipsed his record on the European stage, having won four Champions League titles during his time in Catalonia.

According to ChatGPT, that return could be enhanced with a haul of six to eight Champions League triumphs, alongside Ronaldo, mirroring the club’s success during the golden period in the 1950s.

Such glittering success both in Spain and on the continent would, in the view of ChatGPT, have led that Madrid side to become recognised as “the greatest in club football history”.

3 The GOAT debate

Everyone has their favoured pick, although it is hard to argue against Messi being the greatest of his generation – if not of all-time – having claimed eight Ballon d’Or awards to date, eclipsing Ronaldo’s return of five.

Would that domination over his long-time foe have continued with the two playing together? Well, ChatGPT thinks not, suggesting that the pair might have claimed six apiece.

They add that their “votes would cannibalise each other’s dominance”, thus potentially opening the door for a player like Neymar or Robert Lewandowski to claim the award themselves.

Equally, a seemingly prosperous joint Ballon d’Or is even floated for the great duo, with the debate predicted to shift away from Messi vs Ronaldo, and instead focus on the pair “versus everyone else”.

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There is the claim that there would be far less of a debate over who is the better of the two, with there a more wider acceptance of just how great they are together.

That said, even in a parallel universe, tribalism exists, with ChatGPT noting that contention would remain over who is the one “carrying the team”.

4 A different legacy?

As a man who has won everything in the game – including the World Cup – the diminutive wizard could hardly have built a greater legacy, with even his recent mixed adventures in Paris and Miami unable to tarnish a truly staggering individual career.

Sharing the limelight with Ronaldo may well have impacted his standing somewhat, however, with ChatGPT suggesting that Messi would have been more widely admired as the “ultimate team player”, rather than simply an individual genius.

With his role as a supplier or a provider, ChatGPT claims that the Argentine would be “seen as the creative force behind an unbeatable duo”, leading to him being “even more respected by coaches and purists” but “less by stat-driven fans”.

Is that a world we would have liked to see? Two figures working in tandem to terrorise the rest of Europe, rather than going head to head with each other?

Much of what has made the 21st Century great in a footballing context has centred on that Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, but were we denied something even more intriguing by not seeing them play together?

Alas, it was not to be. But if ChatGPT is anything to go by, both men would have achieved greatness either way.

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