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Michael Di Venuto, the former Australia batsman, has been named in the Italy squad for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers to be held in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2012

Michael Di Venuto, the former Australia batsman, has been named in the Italy squad for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers to be held in the UAE between March 13-24, 2012. The ICC has finalised all 16 squads for the tournament, from which the top two teams will qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 to be held in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7, 2012. The other notable inclusion is that of Geraint Jones, the former England wicketkeeper, in the Papua New Guinea squad.The Hobart-born Di Venuto, who is of Italian origin, played nine one-dayers for Australia in 1997. When he left the Australian domestic scene he was Tasmania’s leading one-day run-scorer, was second to Jamie Cox on the state’s lists of Pura Cup-Sheffield Shield appearances and runs scored, and owned the most half-centuries in Pura Cup-Sheffield Shield history. He was also a prolific scorer in county cricket, representing Derbyshire and Durham.Afghanistan will be defending the title they had won in 2010, when the qualifying tournament was an eight-team event. They had beaten Ireland in the final in Dubai by eight wickets, and both sides qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies.Ed Joyce, the left-handed batsman who has played limited-overs matches for England, returns to the Ireland squad. The squad also features the uncapped fast bowler Max Sorensen.Notable omissions from the squads include Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate, who has opted out due to ‘other cricket commitments’, and Canada’s Ashish Bagai.Afghanistan – Nawroz Mangal (captain), Javed Ahmadi, Merwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Zamir Khan, Mohammad Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Shabir Ahmed Noori, Karim Khan Sadeq, Samiullah Shinwari, Dollat Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Shapoor ZadranBermuda – David Hemp (captain), Jason Anderson, Lional Cann, Fiqre Crockwell, Terryne Fray, Joshua Gilbert, Stefan Kelly, Kamau Leverock, Stephen Outerbridge, Josclyn Pitcher, Samuel Robinson, Curt Stovell, Rodney Trott, Janeiro TuckerCanada – Jimmy Hansra (captain),Manninder Aulakh, Harvir Baidwan, Rustam Bhatti, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Tyson Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Zahid Hussain, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Raza Rehman, Junaid SiddiqiDenmark – Michael Pedersen (captain), Aftab Ahmed, Shehzad Ahmed, Sair Anjum, Bobby Chawla, Basit Javed, Frederik Klokker, Jacob Larsen, Kamran Mahmood, Rizwan Mahmood, James Moniz, Martin Pedersen, Bashir Shah, Hamid ShahHong Kong – James Atkinson (captain), Irfan Ahmed, Muhammad Moner Ahmed, Nadeen Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Babar Hayat, Asif Khan, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Mohammad Nizakat Khan, Courtney Kruger, Roy Lamsam, Kinchit Shah, Daljeet Singh, Maxwell TuckerIreland – William Porterfield (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary WilsonItaly – Alessandro Bonora (captain), Gareth Berg, Damian Crowley, Gayashan Munasinghe, Luis Di Giglio, Michael Di Venuto, Dilan S. Fernando, Damian C. K. Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Hayden Patrizi, Dell’agnello, Vincenzo Pennazza, Peter Petricola, Stanly H. J. Samaraweera, Carl SandriKenya – Collins Obuya (captain), Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allan, Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Rakep Patel, Hiren VaraiyaNamibia – Craig Williams (captain), Sarel Burger, Merwe Erasmus, Hendrick Geldenhuys, Zhivago Groenwald, Louis Klazinga, Christiaan Opperman, Bernard Scholtz, Nicolaas Scholtz, Gerrie Snyman, Ewald Steenkamp, Louis Van Der Westhuizen, Raymond Van Schoor, Christoffel ViljoenNepal – Paras Khadka (captain), Pradeep Airee, Mahaboob Alam, Prithu Baskota, Amrit Bhattarai, Shakti Gauchan, Krishna Karki, Paresh Prasad Lohani, Gyanendra Malla, Anil Kumar Mandal, Basant Regmi, Sanjam Regmi, Chandra Sawad, Sharad VesawkarNetherlands – Peter Borren (captain), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper, Tom De Grooth, Tim Gruijters, Timm Van Der Gugten, Tom Heggelman, Alexei Kervezee, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Pieter Seelaar, Michael SwartOman – Hemal Mehta (captain), Sultan Ahmed, Qais Bin Khalid Al Said, Syed Amir Ali, Adnan Ilyas,Syed Aamir Kaleem, Awal Khan, Farhan Afzal Khan, Ajay Lalcheta, Sufyan Mehmood, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Zeeshan Ahmed Siddiqi, Jatinder Singh, Vaibhav WategaonkarPapua New Guinea – Rarua Dikana (captain), Geraint Jones, Jack Vare-Kevere, Jason Kila, Willie Gavera, Chris Amini, John Boge Reva, Tony Ura, Assadollah Vala, Chris Kent, Mahuru Dai, Vani Vagi Morea, Joel Tom, Hitolo AreniScotland – Gordon Drummond (captain), Richard Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Joshua Davey, Ryan Flannigan, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Calum Macleod, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Safayaan Sharif, Jan Stander, Craig Wallace, David WattsUganda – Davis Arinaitwe (captain), Arthur Kyobe, Brian Masaba, Deusdedit Muhumuza, Roger Mukasa, Benjamin Musoke, Frank Nsubuga, Jonathan Sebanja, Asadu Seiga, Ronald Semanda, Laurence Sematimba, Henry Ssenyondo, Charles Waiswa, Arthur ZirabaUnited States of America – Sushil Nadkarni (captain), Orlando Baker, Adil Bhatti, Ryan Corns, Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Asif Mehmood Khan, Aditya Mishra, Azrudeen Mohammed, Nauman Mustafa, Abhimanyu Rajp, Gowkaran Roopnarine, Usman Shuja, Steven Taylor

تمكن ناديا الأهلي والزمالك من حجز بطاقة التأهل إلى ربع نهائي كأس مصر لكرة اليد لموسم 2022-2023.

ونجح الأهلي في تحقيق الفوز مساء الأحد أمام الجزيرة، بنتيجة 39-22 في دور الـ16 من كأس مصر.

من جانبه، تمكن الزمالك وصيف البطولة من تحقيق الفوز على الزهور بنتيجة 36-25.

اقرأ أيضا..محمد عصام الطيار: استبعادي من قائمة منتخب مصر في كأس العالم ليس فنيًا

وسيلتقي الزمالك مع الطيران في ربع النهائي، بينما سيلعب الأهلي أمام هليوبوليس في نفس الدور.

وينتظر أن يلعب حامل اللقب سبورتنج أمام طلائع الجيش، كما يلتقي سموحة أمام البنك الأهلي، في إطار مباريات ربع نهائي البطولة.

وستلعب مواجهات دور ربع النهائي يوم 26 مارس 2023 المقبل.

يذكر أن سبورتنج حقق لقب كأس مصر الموسم الماضي على حساب الزمالك بينما توج الزمالك بلقب الموسم الماضي من الدوري المصري لكرة اليد.

At 5.45pm on Friday, when Graeme Swann walks out to toss up with his West Indian counterpart, Darren Sammy, the end of one of the more improbable journeys in English cricket will have been reached.In the winter of 1999-2000, Swann was a brash young upstart on England’s tour of South Africa under Nasser Hussain, and so offended his elders and betters that he was banished from the set-up for the next seven years. Now, 12 years on, he is England captain, and regardless of the circumstances in which the honour has come about, he is ready to embrace the sort of responsibility that no-one ever imagined he was capable of producing.”My mother’s prophecy comes true at last,” Swann told reporters at The Oval. “She always said I would captain England but I am not sure which sport she was thinking of. It’s great. I am delighted. It is a tired old cliché but when you do get asked it is a proud moment and I have surprised myself about how excited I have been about it.”As the fifth England captain of a memorable summer, Swann knows his role is very much a temporary measure that only came about because of injuries to the Twenty20 captain and vice-captain, Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan. Nevertheless, at the age of 32, Swann is the gnarled old veteran in a youthful squad that includes a host of players who are barely out of their teens, and as such, he recognises the need to lead by an example that perhaps doesn’t come entirely naturally to him.Swann first played for England when he was the same age as the likes of Joss Buttler and Alex Hales, and by his own admission, he was far from ready for the big time. However, he believed that series such as the one about to take place could have helped him develop his game.”Graeme Swann the captain would never pick Graeme Swann the kid,” he said. “The one regret I have about being 19 or 20 is that there was not Twenty20 around in those days. I’m sure I would be pretty good at it because I could bat in those days. I would have had a way of staying in the England squad for a few years while I developed my skills in the longer form. That is the only regret I have got about the young, lunatic Graeme Swann. He is still in there but I manage to hide him most of the time.”Now, however, it is time to put on his more serious face. “For all the impression I give about messing around all the time, it is not always like that,” Swann said. “Most of the joshing around is in the Anderson-Bresnan corner, but I have curbed that this week because I can’t be seen to be taking the mickey out of my players. Some of these guys are coming in for the first time, so they are wide eyed and excited about playing. Going in with a group of gnarled old pros, half of whom don’t like you and the other half like you even less, it is nice to have a young and exciting squad to be in charge of.”Swann’s previous captaincy experience is limited in the extreme. At Nottinghamshire, what few opportunities might have existed were limited by the presence of the New Zealand skipper, Stephen Fleming, whom he rated as arguably the best captain in the world, while Fleming’s successor Chris Read cemented his credentials last summer with a memorable victory in the County Championship.”I have always harboured ambitions of captaining at first-class level and it is nice that I have got a chance, if only for a couple of games, to show the inner workings of my mind, that I think are brilliant,” said Swann. “Normally it is a case of if you hang around long enough you might get a chance, so I am delighted. I feel like a senior player in this group now and when I looked at this squad for the matches, I thought it would be exciting to be in charge of that lot.”Aside from providing four tidy overs, Swann admitted that there was only so much he could do to have a direct influence on the tactics in Twenty20 cricket. “It is a reactions game,” he said. “You can start with grandiose plans about how you want to start, and they can change quickly. I like to think I will be attacking, but I am not sure it will be too maverick or out of the box. It is important in this form of the game to take wickets. That is what won us the World Twenty20 [last year]. At any given stage during the game, we will be thinking where is the best chance to take wickets.”With West Indies also set to field a young and inexperienced side, the true value of these two fixtures has been called into question. However, Swann was adamant that, in 12 months’ time in Sri Lanka, the team that takes the field to defend the World Twenty20 is likely to contain a sizeable number of the rookies on show this weekend – among them Jonny Bairstow, whose dynamic debut in the final ODI against India was proof of his hard-hitting abilities.”These are guys who have been brought up on a diet of Twenty20 and they are close [to the first eleven],” said Swann. “I can’t see that team next year being vastly different from this squad. Obviously the odd player will come back in but cricket is a game in which new superstars emerge all the time and this team has got the potential for four or five megastars in it.”The way the likes of Bairstow played the other night was a glimpse into the potential he has got,” Swann added. “We have not seen anything of Stokes but we know what potential he has got, and then there are people like Joss Buttler who does it day in, day out for Somerset and he will come to the party sooner rather than later. We have got the potential for the most exciting top six in world cricket which is great.”With that in mind, the chance to play two extra Twenty20s in the build-up to Sri Lanka was not to be sniffed at, given how few fixtures are allocated in any given tour. “It defies belief that we only have one Twenty20 match [per series],” said Swann. “It is the biggest game in the short format and somewhere down the line we will have to treat it a bit more seriously and play series of Twenty20 games. We are World Champions but going into Sri Lanka we will only play four or five games in this format before that World Cup starts.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Enquanto o presidente do Santos, José Carlos Peres, acompanha a Seleção Brasileira na Inglaterra, o vice, Orlando Rollo, aproveitou o momento de autonomia no Brasil e sinalizou uma aproximação com o elenco. Na última segunda-feira, o dirigente esteve no treino do Peixe no CT Rei Pelé, acompanhado de membros do Comitê de Gestão do clube, para “alinhar ideias” com o plantel e com o técnico Jair Ventura.

– A reunião foi para efetuar esse planejamento em conjunto com comissão técnica e elenco. A hora é de união. O planejamento não pode ser unilateral – disse Rollo, em contato com a reportagem do LANCE!.

E um dos “vários assuntos” debatidos entre a cúpula e a comissão foi a divisão de jogos entre a Vila Belmiro e o Pacaembu. Por enquanto, segue mantida a promessa de campanha de dividir igualmente os jogos entre os dois estádios.

– Cada jogo tem uma especificidade. Tem partida que é melhor mandar na Vila Belmiro, outras no Pacaembu. Estamos avaliando – completou o vice-presidente.

Não está descartada uma alteração do jogo contra o Internacional, marcado para o dia 10 de junho, de São Paulo para a Baixada Santista.. O problema é que antes desse jogo contra o Inter, o time já irá enfrentar o Vitória, no dia 3, na Vila e, pela ordem, o seguinte teria de ser na capital.

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Match facts

Tuesday, April 26, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Virender Sehwag found the quicker surface at the Kotla more to his liking•AFP

Big picture

After lacklustre starts to the tournament, both Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore have taken bold steps to try to improve their fortunes; for each of them, the moves worked in their last games. The newly-prepared green top at the Feroz Shah Kotla allowed Virender Sehwag and David Warner to play their strokes, as the ball came on to the bat, and the Delhi fast bowlers enjoyed the bounce they got from the track.For Bangalore, the shot in the arm came in the form of new signing Chris Gayle, whose century helped turn around a trend that had seen Bangalore not manage an opening stand of more than seven in their previous four matches.The switch from the traditional slow-and-low Kotla wicket to a livelier one makes sense for Delhi, since all their foreign players are either Australian or South African – and therefore used to bouncy tracks – while their most-expensive player, Irfan Pathan, is a seamer. Tuesday’s match will be a test of whether the win against Kings XI Punjab was a one-off or whether their strategy to pack the side with seamers for home games can be a consistently successful one.From Bangalore’s point of view, they will want to make as much use of their new opening partnership before Tillakaratne Dilshan leaves for England, which could be as early as May 10.Adding further interest is the fact that Bangalore snapped up four of Delhi’s foreign stars from last year in the January auction. “Old Delhi v New Delhi,” Delhi coach Greg Shipperd dubbed the contest, though with several players changing teams in the rejigging, former team-mates clashing is not uncommon.Apart from the fluidity of players’ loyalties, the other salient feature of the IPL tomorrow’s match exposes is its innate forgivingness. In many other sporting leagues Delhi and Bangalore’s starts of three losses in their first four games may have seen heads roll at the franchises. But because of the congested nature of the IPL table, both teams find themselves in a position where a single win will put them right back in contention for the knockout stages.

Form guide (most recent first)

Delhi: WLWLL (ninth in points table)
Bangalore: WLLLW (seventh in points table)

Team talk

Bangalore’s batting has a settled look, but the problems in the bowling department are perhaps illustrated by the fact that Virat Kohli, who has an IPL bowling average of 93.00, has been one of their more economical options this season. They might want to include an extra seamer to make use of the Kotla pitch, but with Dirk Nannes injured there aren’t too many options; both S Aravind and Abhimanyu Mithun have gone for more than 10 an over so far, while Johan van der Wath has gone at 9.87. So they may give left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad, who impressed in the last game, another go.Delhi went in with five seamers in their last game, and may stick with that strategy since they don’t have any established international spinners in their squad. Ajit Agarkar went for 47 runs in four overs in the last game, but the man who could replace him, Ashok Dinda, hasn’t exactly set the tournament on fire either.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Aaron Finch entered the tournament with a big reputation, after his match-winning innings in a Twenty20 international against England, and his impressive performance for Victoria in the 2011 Big Bash. However, he has struggled on the slow Indian wickets, only managing 47 runs from five innings. The grass cover at the Kotla makes it a more familiar habitat and Tuesday is a chance for Finch to justify his billing.Bangalore would have been pleased with the 123-run partnership between Gayle and Dilshan against Kolkata Knight Riders, and will now be looking for the middle order to give AB de Villiers some more support. Saurabh Tiwary will be key in achieving that end. He hasn’t had the same impact since joining Bangalore as he did for Mumbai Indians last season, and will be looking to turn things around.

Prime numbers

• Out of all the bowlers who have bowled more than five overs in IPL 2011, Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori has the best economy rate. He has gone at 5.75 in 20 overs so far.
• David Warner has got the joint-highest number of half-centuries in this IPL, with three in five innings. He is fourth in the list of leading run-getters.

The chatter

“I prefer it when there is some bounce and carry on the pitch … and I’m definitely in favour of this wicket.”
“Half of their [Bangalore] side played for Delhi. They were our valued players. We tried to keep them in the auction but at last couldn’t afford them.”

أوضح رئيس نادي برشلونة، خوان لابورتا، مدى القدرة الاقتصادية لعودة جناح باريس سان جيرمان وقائد منتخب الأرجنتين بطل كأس العالم قطر 2022، ليونيل ميسي، في الميركاتو الصيفي المقبل.

وارتبط اسم ميسي بإمكانية العودة مرة أخرى إلى برشلونة بعد رحيله في صيف عام 2021 بدون مقابل إلى باريس سان جيرمان بعد الفشل في تسجيله مرة أخرى بسبب الأزمة المالية الطاحنة منذ فيروس كورونا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. نيوكاسل يستهدف التعاقد مع لاعب برشلونة في الشتاء مقابل 20 مليون يورو

وتحدث لابورتا في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي لنادي برشلونة، وقال: “أنا واحد من أولئك الذين يتطلعون للأمام، لقد عملنا بجد لإحياء برشلونة، مستمرون في ذلك”.

وتابع: “لا يزال جماهير برشلونة تأمل في أن تعود الانتصارات والألقاب، هذا ما نبحث عنه”.

وعما إذا كان سيفعل رافعات جديدة من أجل عودة ميسي: “أريد عودته يومًا ما، لكن لا يمكننا أن نفعل ذلك وفقًا للأرقام والوضع الحالي، فهو لاعب في باريس سان جيرمان وهناك عقد”.

وأضاف: “لقد فاز ميسي ببطولة كأس العالم، نحن سعداء من أجله، لكن الرافعات من أجل إنقاذ النادي من وضع صعب، الآن وضع الدوري الإسباني ضوابط جديدة لتفعيل الرافعات، سيكون من الممكن أن نفعل واحدة، لكن لن يكون ذلك من أجل التعاقد مع لاعب”.

واستمر: “بالنسبة لنا، ميسي هو الأفضل في التاريخ، لقد جاء إلى هنا طفل وأصبح لاعبًا في برشلونة، متأكد من كونه مشجع مجنون ببرشلونة، سيظل اسمه مرتبط بنادينا، نود أن يعود ولكن لنرى ما سيحدث”.

وعن بيع دي يونج: “لم أرغب أبدًا في بيع فرينكي، لأنه أحد أعمدة الفريق”.

وصفقات يناير: “لقد قمنا بالكثير في الصيف، لا أرى أي مؤشرات على ضرورة القيام بأي صفقة بالوقت الحالي”.

وعن موقف بوسكيتس، أردف: “أحد اللاعبين الذين كتبوا تاريخ برشلونة، يريد تشافي استمرار سيرجيو في الفريق، نريده أن يبقى، لا أعلم ما هو قراره، لا أعرف إذا كان سيستمر حتى نهاية الموسم أم يرحل في يناير”.

وتابع: “تشافي بالنسبة لي هو أفضل مدرب في العالم، فهو يفوق التوقعات، يعرف الأجواء جيدًا في برشلونة، دائمًا ما ينقل التفاؤل للجميع، لا يرى أي شيء مستحيل”.

وأتم: “أتفق مع تشافي في رغبتنا بالفوز بالألقاب، يتمتع بالنضوج الكافي، ولديه أفكار واضحة للمستقبل”.

With something of a rebuild on the cards for Jesse Marsch and Leeds United this summer, one would expect a number of the 48-year-old’s first-team players to be moved onto pastures new in the upcoming window – in order for the American to raise funds for his own signings ahead of 2022/23.

One such player who looks certain to depart Elland Road is Helder Costa, the winger currently on loan at Valencia.

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The LaLiga side are reported to have a €20m (£16.5m) option to buy the Angola international, however, disappointing performances coupled with the January arrival of Tottenham Hotspur’s Bryan Gil have seen the £7.2m-rated forward’s minutes become extremely limited, with the latest updates from Spain suggesting that Los Che will not be taking up the purchase clause of the 28-year-old.

And, considering the fact that the player who Noel Whelan dubbed “negative” is reported to be earning a whopping £70k-per-week at Elland Road, in addition to the fact that Costa has ranked as the club’s second-worst and 10th-worst performer in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Premier League campaigns respectively, it is unsurprising that reports are suggesting the Whites could look to move the player on permanently this summer.

Indeed, with an extremely inflated wage and failing to live up to his £16m fee, it would appear a wise move for Marsch to finally call time on the Angolan’s career at Elland Road.

Another player whose head could be on the chopping block at the end of the season is Robin Koch, the £13m 2020 signing from SC Freiburg.

The £15.3m-rated centre-back has struggled with both form and injury in 2021/22, making just 15 Premier League appearances, over which he has averaged a well below-par SofaScore match rating of just 6.54 – ranking him as Marsch’s sixth-worst player in the division.

These returns have seen the Germany international come in for criticism, with Danny Mills stating his belief that the 25-year-old could well find himself on the unwanted list as a result of failing to stake a claim in the starting XI:

“He hasn’t really found a position. He’s OK here, he’s OK there and he’s decent there. You don’t look at it and go, ‘he is playing centre-half’ or ‘he’s playing defensive midfield.’

“That is difficult for a player and also for a manager. Where does he fit in? Can the manager get somebody to do a specific job in that position who is maybe a little bit better?

“Sometimes being a utility player is great but it often means you are on the fringes. You are often second-choice in six or seven different positions.”

“The new manager will be looking to bring in two or three of his own players, players that he wants. If that means you have to get a couple out then so be it.”

And, with Koch also earning a quite considerable £46k-per-week at Elland Road, from his performances this season, it would not appear as if the player who Beren Cross dubbed both “horrible to watch” and “not good enough” is worth this outlay.

As such, it would seem as if moving Koch on – alongside Costa – could also be a smart move by Marsch, as not only would these exits free up room in the 48-year-old’s first-team squad, but it would also save Leeds a colossal £116k-per-week in wages.

AND in other news: Orta now plotting £20m Leeds bid for “unbelievable” talent, he’s better than Aaronson

football.london’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has revealed that the club want at least four new signings over the summer.  

The Lowdown: Late January business

Spurs left it late when it came to transfer activity in January, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski arriving from Juventus.

There were also multiple outgoings in the final days of the transfer window, with Bryan Gil, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso leaving on loan and Dele Alli joining Everton on a permanent deal.

Those incomings and outgoings haven’t exactly revived the club’s fortunes in the second half of the season, though, with Antonio Conte’s side suffering surprise defeats to Burnley and Middlesbrough in recent weeks.

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The Latest: Gold’s transfer claim

Gold ran a Q&A on football.london on Saturday, with one fan asking for information regarding the club’s summer plans.

This is what he had to say in reply, revealing that Spurs chiefs want a striker, right-wing back, centre-back and a creative player:

“There’s been a lot of talk about Tottenham having to spend this summer in order to convince both Conte and Kane of their ambition, while Fabio Paratici also likes a free transfer. I think Spurs will be pretty busy this summer. They need to be. In terms of positions, at this point they want a new striker, a right wing-back, a left-sided centre-back and another creative player. Anyone who leaves will have to be replaced as well. Like I say, it has to be a busy one.”

The Verdict: Crucial few months for Spurs

You’d expect that Tottenham would be able to attract a better calibre of player in the summer if they finish in the top four, making the next few months vital with regards to the club’s long-term project under Conte.

The Italian and Harry Kane may also be more inclined to stay in north London with Champions League football guaranteed next season, with Gold also admitting that possible stadium naming rights may give a boost to the transfer kitty over the summer.

However, if Spurs fail to finish in the top four, it could be difficult for them to bolster the four areas that Gold mentioned with top quality.

In other news: Spurs and Conte gifted another injury boost before Everton clash as ‘team player’ now declared fit

كشف مصدر بنادي الزمالك، موعد عودة البنيني سامسون أكينيولا مهاجم الفريق، إلى القاهرة وانتظامه في تدريبات القلعة البيضاء.

أكينيولا حصل على فترة إجازة قضاها في بلاده خلال فترة التوقف الماضية، وكان من المقرر أن يصل إلى القاهرة للانضمام إلى تدريبات الزمالك، يوم 15 نوفمبر الحالي، ولكن تعذر وصوله.

وقال المصدر لـ”بطولات”: “البنيني سامسون أكينيولا يتجه للقاهرة وهو الآن في طائرة العودة”.

طالع | أمير مرتضى يتغنى بلاعب الزمالك: يركز في التدريبات وسيكون له دورًا كبيرًا

وأضاف: “اللاعب سيتواجد فجر اليوم الأربعاء في مصر وسينتظم في تدريبات الزمالك بداية من اليوم”.

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة المصري يوم 26 من شهر نوفمبر الجاري، في إطار منافسات دور ربع نهائي كأس مصر، وذلك على ملعب استاد الجيش ببرج العرب.

Ireland batsman Paul Stirling is hopeful that his side can defend their Intercontinental Cup title ahead of the game against Canada in Toronto starting on August 31 and believes success in their final two games of the tournament would give Ireland an important boost ahead of the World Cup next year.”Winning the ICC Intercontinental Cup again would definitely increase the confidence even more. It’s going to be tricky to get there but we are going to give it our best shot and hopefully we can go and win,” said Stirling. “It is something I definitely want to do as I missed out on the last one and would love to be able to go and win it in Dubai.”Scotland won the first Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in all three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event and Namibia in 2007-08. Ireland are currently fifth on the competition’s points table, 45 points behind frontrunners Afghanistan, but could still make the final in Dubai if they take maximum points from their final two games against Canada and Zimbabwe XI.”It is a big match and hopefully we will go out there and perform and get the points that we need,” added Stirling. “We go out in every game and play the same way, whether that extra pressure is on or not. We don’t put that pressure on ourselves and we know if we go and perform on each of the four days to the best of our abilities then we will win.”We have a very strong squad and very strong depth in our squad. We have players who can step up and perform at first-class level. If rain hadn’t come and scuppered our chances in a couple of the games then we would have had a better chance of qualifying and it would have been an easier route to the final.”Ireland will be missing Alex Cusack through injury, while William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin and Gary Wilson are all on county duty in England. However, the team will be led by the experienced Trent Johnston, a veteran of 146 games for Ireland, and is bolstered by the return of Andre Botha, who has recovered from a stress fracture, and Phil Eaglestone, who is back to fitness following a side strain.Beaten finalists in 2004 and 2007, it is a different story for Canada this time round as they are languishing at the bottom of the table after four defeats and have little other than pride to play for. The return of captain and leading batsman Ashish Bagai is still good news for them, however, as is middle-order batsman Zubin Surkari’s recovery from a hamstring injury.Although Canada stands no chance of making the final for a third time, opening bowler Umar Bhatti explained that there is still plenty to be gained from playing first-class cricket and is determined that his side returns to winning ways after a disappointing World Cricket League Division One campaign in July which included just two victories against a lacklustre Kenyan side.”I love playing in the Intercontinental Cup as I love playing four-day games,” said Bhatti. “It has certainly made me a stronger player. If you are a bowler you have to bowl 25 to 30 overs in an innings and if you are a batsman you have to bat for a session. It takes your game to a whole new level in terms of the mental aspect of the game.”It has been a disappointing campaign so far, especially as we have been in the finals in the past. We are determined to win this game. In terms of standings we still want to finish as high as we can so that when we start the next campaign we have something to build on. It is a huge game for us and it’s the same for Ireland. They are trying to make the final so we want to make sure they don’t get there.”Canada squad Ashish Bagai (capt), Rizwan Cheema, Umar Bhatti, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Khurram Chohan, Abzal Dean, Parth Desai, Ruvindu Gunasekara, Jimmy Hansra, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Zubin Surkari, Hamza Tariq
Ireland squad Trent Johnston (capt), Andre Botha, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Allan Eastwood, Nigel Jones, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White