Stuart Broad has been rested from the one-day series against South Africa ahead of the World Twenty20 where he will be captain.Broad, whose lack of pace during the Test series was highlighted although he finished as England’s leading wicket-taker, will return to lead the team in the three-match Twenty20 series against South Africa before the squad departs for Sri Lanka.He is the only notable absentee from the one-day squad – Kevin Pietersen’s continued exclusion was not a surprise – which beat Australia 4-0 earlier in the season, a result which helped England to the top of the ODI rankings.Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder who has been around numerous squads this season, will hope that Broad’s absence will open the way for him.Ravi Bopara is back in the England set-up after pulling out of the Test series against South Africa due to personal issues. He returned for Essex at the weekend, making 1 against Netherlands in the CB40, and an agreement has been reached for him to play for Gloucestershire against the South Africans in a 50-over match at Bristol on Wednesday to help him prepare for the series.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “We are grateful to both Essex and Gloucestershire for agreeing to allow Ravi Bopara to play for Gloucestershire against South Africa on Wednesday. Ravi has had some time away from the game and we feel that he will benefit from some extra cricket ahead of the start of the NatWest Series and with no games for Essex before we begin our preparations for the first match this is an ideal opportunity for him.”All players in the 14-man NatWest ODI Series squad were involved in the recent series victory against Australia. We will be looking for this side to build on the recent success we have had and to show further signs of improvement against a strong South Africa side.”Squad Alastair Cook (capt) James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes

In a bid to revive international cricket in Pakistan, a World XI will play two exhibition Twenty20 matches against a Pakistan Star XI, the Sindh sports minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah has announced.The ‘World XI’ team – a name the ICC has objected to*, since, as per an report, it “doesn’t permit the names World or World XI for exhibition matches” – is comprised of former and active professional players from Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan. The two matches will be played on October 20 and 21 at the National Stadium Karachi with former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya slated to lead the World XI against a Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan XI.”World XI team will be arriving in Karachi on October 18 to play a series of two twenty20 matches,” Shah said. “There are some notable player touring and this is a big breakthrough.”I have been working from last one year to make this event possible. We have finalised all the arrangements to hold these matches in a befitting manner under tight security. Both matches will be played under floodlights. The event will give a soft image of Pakistan around the world and would encourage the teams to visit Pakistan.””Around 5,000 policemen will be employed to avoid any lapse and we are sure that these arrangements will put the players at ease,” said Shah. “All the players are excited over the prospect of visiting Pakistan.”The idea to bring a World XI to Pakistan was first lobbied a year ago, but the tour was cancelled twice earlier this year when PCB refused to sanction the tournament. The PCB has issued ‘No Objection Certificates’ to the contracted players due to participate this time and has allowed the use of the National Stadium, but all the logistic arrangements, broadcasting deals and security arrangements were made by Shah with the support of the local government in Karachi.Pakistan has not had international cricket since terrorists ambushed the Sri Lanka team bus during a Test match in Lahore in March 2009. Since then, Pakistan has had to play most of their ‘home’ matches in the UAE. The PCB’s recent attempt to have Bangladesh tour were stymied when the Bangladesh high court set a four-week embargo on the national team’s plans to visit Pakistan, citing concerns over security.World XI: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Ricardo Powell, Steven Taylor, Jermaine Lawson, Adam Sanford (West Indies), Justin Kemp, Loots Bosman, Andre Nel, Andre Seymore, Nantie Hayward (South Africa), Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan). Officials: Alvin Kallicharran (coach cum manager)Pakistan XI: Shahid Afridi (capt), Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Shahzaib Hasan, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Wahab Riaz, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Imran Nazir*04:44pm GMT, October 17: This article has been updated following the ICC’s objection to the team name

أعلن نادي أستون فيلا المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز التعاقد مع حارس مرمى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي آرسنال، إيميليانو مارتينيز.

وقع حارس مرمى منتخب الأرجنتين على عقود انتقاله إلى أستون فيلا وكتيبة المدرب، دين سميث، ليصبح زميلًا للثنائي المصري محمود حسن تريزيجيه وأحمد المحمدي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سكاي: أوباميانج رفض ناديين كبيرين قبل تجديد عقده مع آرسنال

يأتي ذلك بعد قضاء مارتينيز 10 سنوات داخل جدران نادي آرسنال، حيث كان قد أنضم إلى العملاق اللندني في عام 2010 قادمًا من صفوف فريق إندبندينتي في الأرجنتين.

وذكر نادي أستون فيلا أن مدة التعاقد مع مارتينيز حتى 4 مواسم مقبل، لينتهي عقد الأرجنتيني في يونيو 2024.

الجدير بالذكر أن مارتينيز قد ساهم في فوز آرسنال بالموسم الماضي ببطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي بالإضافة إلى بطولة كأس الدرع الخيرية قبل بداية الموسم الحالي.

Leeds United supporters are expecting one deal and one deal only on transfer deadline day: the permanent transfer of Swansea City’s Daniel James.

With the rumour mill refusing to throw up any other reason for Leeds fans to feel expectant on deadline day, all eyes are on James’ potential move from south Wales to Yorkshire.

Can Leeds get a deal over the line? Tell will tell but murmurs emerging from both clubs suggest that it’s one which is set to go right down to the wire.

Interest in James has arrived during a month in which Bielsa has clearly felt the need to strengthen in wide areas following the departure of Samu Saiz, with Pablo Hernandez expected to play a key role at number ten for the remainder of the season.

But the 21-year-old winger was relatively unheard of until just a few months ago, so why exactly did Bielsa decide to put all his eggs in one basket and launch a transfer mission to secure his signature?

Well, Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Phil Hay has shed some light on the matter, citing Leeds scout Craig Dean as the man who introduced James to Bielsa with a series of video clips.

‘James is understood to have been picked out first by Craig Dean, a scout who once worked for Oxford United and is Leeds’ head of emerging talent for players between the age of 17 and 21 (James turned 21 in November).

‘The video clips shown to Bielsa appealed to him. James was quick, direct and minded to go past full-backs, providing crosses for players arriving in the box as Kemar Roofe and Mateusz Klich like to do.’

If Leeds are ultimately successful in their endeavour to sign James, Bielsa will be desperately hoping that his crosses do indeed find their way to the likes of Klich and Roofe in the final months of the season.

Craig Dean, who left Oxford United for Leeds in October 2017, may well have been a focal figure in identifying Polish teenager Mateusz Bogusz as a player for Bielsa to bring in, but his decision to recommend James is the one which could really make or break Leeds’ season.

While football supporters appreciate that scouts are working behind the scenes to identify players worth signing, it’s intriguing to get this level of specific inside information from Hay on a proposed deal which has been in the media spotlight for the best part of 7-10 days.

Dean has done his part; Bielsa has taken the advice and given the green light; now it’s down to Victor Orta to conclude the deal before the 11PM deadline.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Hector Bellerin had a brilliant game against Chelsea, but the Arsenal defender’s time on the pitch came to a very unfortunate end, with the Spaniard stretchered off against the Blues. 

He’d only just returned from injury, and now, as per Unai Emery via the BBC, his latest blow isn’t looking good. It’s hard to spin this positively for Arsenal, as Bellerin is a crucial part of the Gunners’ squad, but perhaps, if nothing else, it could allow Unai Emery to finish a project that Arsene Wenger started.

Young defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been on the fringes of the first team for a while now, with the young Englishman filling in both in midfield and in defence at points over the last few years.

He enjoyed a breakout campaign last term, making nearly 30 appearances under Arsene Wenger, and he’s continued to make an impact, when available, under Unai Emery.

If Bellerin is facing a spell out on the sidelines, Arsenal may be tempted to make a major signing to fill in, however in this case, the Gunners have no reason to do that.

Maitland-Niles was a capable replacement for Bellerin on the day, and he’s been just that for a lot of his time in an Arsenal shirt. He’s a strong tackler, he’s powerful and technical enough to drive forward with purpose, and most importantly, he’s consistent, and so Arsenal wouldn’t be losing out much by including him in the team versus having Bellerin available. Not to mention, including Maitland-Niles will also give the defender the best chance of reaching his potential, and that should bode well for Arsenal long-term.

Thoughts?

The Premier League has ushered in the new year in typically scintillating fashion. Alongside an intriguing if not exactly jaw-dropping transfer window, the games came thick and fast in the first month of 2019 – starting off with a thrilling top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Elsewhere, the race for seventh has really hotted up, while the Champions League qualification battle continues to rumble on. Away from the teams and onto the individuals though, here’s a look at the six players who impressed enough throughout January to earn nominations for the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month award…

David De Gea

David De Gea’s form has come into question at times this season but the Spaniard has performed much closer to his usual impeccably high standards since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the helm. January saw Manchester United go undefeated and their No.1 played an important part in that with two clean sheets, one of which hinged on him making a season-record eleven saves against Tottenham at Wembley.

Troy Deeney

Watford are well in the mix for seventh place and after going goalless from mid-September to mid-December, captain Troy Deeney is really starting to pull his weight again – an incredible performance against Bournemouth seeing him bag two goals and one assist. Even when he’s not scoring or supplying though, the old-school front-man is always contributing; he was first for aerial duels won and second for key passes in the Premier League throughout January.

Paul Pogba

It’s Paul Pogba’s second nomination in consecutive months, but that hardly comes as a surprise. The Frenchman has been a player reborn under Solskjaer’s leadership, with an incredible six goals and four assists in the Premier League since the Norwegian was named United’s interim manager. Three of those goal contributions came in January as the Red Devils fell just two points short of a perfect start to 2019.

Marcus Rashford

Another beneficiary of United’s change of the managerial guard. Trusted to lead the line rather than simply support it, Marcus Rashford notched up three goals in four appearances throughout January, only failing to score in the 2-2 draw with Burnley. The 21-year-old is going from strength to strength under Solskjaer, seemingly growing in confidence by the game – which is great news for both the Red Devils and England.

Mohamed Salah

We’ve become almost desensitised to Mohamed Salah’s excellence, such has been the relentlessness of the Egyptian international’s demolitions of Premier League defences since he moved to Anfield. January was another potent month for Liverpool’s talismanic attacker, albeit ending with a blank drawn against Leicester City. Overall though, three goals in four outings is a typically formidable contribution to the Reds’ title bid.

Leroy Sane

No Premier League star played a direct hand in more top flight goals than Leroy Sane last month, who scored two and assisted two in four outings. In fact, City’s shock defeat to Newcastle in midweek was the only occasion throughout January in which the Germany international failed to contribute to a goal, having previously scored and assisted against Huddersfield, supplied versus Wolves and netted the all-important winner in City’s victory over title rivals Liverpool.

As Liverpool attempt to win a first ever Premier League title, a number of their fans can be forgiven for getting caught up in the excitement and therefore failing to notice the tinier details of their heroic players’ appearance.

No, we’re not talking about haircuts, or anything like that. Instead, we’re talking about boots. There have been a number of rare footwear choices on show at Anfield this season, but let’s take a look at two of the most unique pairs of boots worn by Liverpool players…

Virgil van Dijk – Nike Tiempo Legend VII

Liverpool’s colossal number four has been spotted wearing a blackout version of the Nike Tiempo Legend series, which look pretty amazing in all honesty.

However, the fact he has blacked them out, coupled with images of him training in adidas boots this season suggest that he could be moving away from Nike in the near future.

Rating: 9/10

Daniel Sturridge – Nike Hypervenom 

These boots are almost five years old now, and are almost an antique as Nike have since ditched the Hypervenom boot in order to release the new PhantomVNM range.

Sturridge, however, seems to be a big fan of the boot that he wore and scored in at the 2014 World Cup, as he still laces them up to this very day despite a number of newer versions coming out since.

Rating: 5/10

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There has been a cautious welcome from Scottish football fans to a report suggesting foreign referees could soon be in charge of Scottish matches.

According to a report in The Daily Record, that notion is being pushed strongly by Celtic after a meeting of Premiership clubs and the SFA to discuss the current issues with referees and discipline.

In 2010, during a strike called by referees, match officials were called in from Israel and Luxembourg before the problems were resolved.

This season there has been an unprecedented focus on refereeing decisions with a red card rescinded against Alfredo Morelos on the opening weekend of the season kicking off the mayhem.

A new Compliance Officer, Clare Whyte, at the SFA has complicated the issues through mixed messages and inconsistencies being sent out almost on a weekly basis.

It remains unclear in what circumstances the Compliance Officer can overrule decisions witnessed by match officials with almost all top flight clubs issuing statements of concern at some stage this season.

Celtic are reportedly keen to play a key role in drawing up recommendations for reforms to the current refereeing setup in Scotland, backing a proposal to recruit officials from other countries – similar ideas have already been floated by manager Brendan Rodgers and Tom Boyd.

The mechanics and costs of bringing in foreign referees has still to be assessed. Whether they’d get co-operation from Scottish assistants remains to be seen but the principle seems to be one that has support among fans of many clubs throughout Scotland.

Here’s a look at how they reacted on Twitter…

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Leeds United’s Under-23 side recorded a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers’ Under-23 outfit on Monday afternoon.

The result means that the team have restored a four-point lead at the top of the PDL North table.

One of those to feature for the Whites was 22-year-old defender Hugo Diaz.

Diaz, who arrived at Leeds from Deportivo La Coruna in 2017, appeared in the Championship earlier this season – playing 33 minutes against Preston North End in October.

The Spaniard has been with the Under-23 side since, although he was an unused substitute in the FA Cup loss against Queens Park Rangers last month.

The 6ft ace has been a strong performer for the Under-23s and as a result, many Leeds fans feel that the defender will ultimately be given more chances in the first team.

It remains to be seen whether the Spaniard has a long-term future at Elland Road, but he retains the support of the fans, that is for sure.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

انفعل المدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لنادي ليفربول، على معاونيه ومقاعد بدلاء الريدز، بعد طرد الدنماركي، أندرياس كريستنسن، خلال مباراة تشيلسي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول انتصر على تشيلسي، بهدفي ساديو ماني، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء الأحد، على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج”، بالجولة الثانية من البريميرليج (طالع تقرير المباراة).

وعند اقتراب نهاية الشوط الأول، تدخل كريستنسن على ساديو ماني، ليُشهر حكم المباراة بطاقة صفراء في وجه المدافع الدنماركي، ولكن عاد لتقنية الفيديو، ليلغي البطاقة الصفراء ويقرر طرد كريستنسن.

وبحسب صحيفة “ديلي ستار” البريطانية، فإن أحد الأشخاص الجالسين على مقاعد البدلاء، قام بالتصفيق بعدما قرر الحكم طرد كريستنسن، لينفعل يورجن كلوب عليه.

واستدار كلوب للخلف وقال وهو مُنفعلًا: “هل أنت مجنون؟ نحن لا نفعل ذلك أبدًا؛ حسنًا؟!”. شاهد طرد كريستنسن في مباراة تشيلسي وليفربول