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The allrounder has had immense success in the last month, and Zimbabwe are winning because of it

Mohammad Isam08-Aug-2022Sikandar Raza’s shriek from the middle as soon as Tony Munyonga struck the winning runs in the second ODI on Sunday pierced through the din at the Harare Sports Club. His excitement was understandable. Raza had just led Zimbabwe to their first ODI series win against Bangladesh in nine years, nailing two tough chases in the space of three days. It was Raza’s weekend and his month, as he enjoyed the sort of batting form rarely seen in Zimbabwe.In just four weeks, Raza has scored 607 runs across formats at an average of 101.16, with two centuries and four fifties, coupled with 11 wickets at 22.18 apiece. Along the way, he was part of two record partnerships, bagged figures of 4 for 8 in the final of the T20 World Cup qualifiers, and took some key catches.Simply put, Raza has been the main reason for Zimbabwe’s transformation from a side that suffered shattering defeats against Afghanistan and Namibia earlier this year to one that has beaten Bangladesh in both T20Is and ODIs. He was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, the Player of the Series for the T20Is against Bangladesh, and must be the frontrunner for the award in the ODIs too.When Raza was playing a T20 tournament in Rajshahi, in Bangladesh, this June, little did he know how much his life would change in the coming months. At the time, qualifying for the T20 World Cup was his only concern. He fretted thinking about the heartbreak of 2019. At the age of 36, this was his make-or-break moment. And how he has pulled it off will likely become part of Zimbabwe cricket folklore.After his unbeaten 135 ensured Zimbabwe chased down 304 in the opening ODI against Bangladesh, Raza raised his game in the second match. Along with the new captain Regis Chakabva, he took Zimbabwe from 49 for 4 in the 15th over to a win with 15 balls to spare on Sunday. Raza had earlier taken 3 for 56 to restrict Bangladesh in the death overs.The big crowds in Harare and Bulawayo were witness to Raza’s heroics in the last four weeks. He started with a 40-ball 87 against Singapore in a T20I and his last knock was 117 not out on Sunday. A bowling attack strengthened by left-arm spin couldn’t stop him. He methodically took apart the Bangladesh attack – going after the best bowler of the day Hasan Mahmud – and rotated the strike consistently to ensure his partners never got stuck at one end.Sikandar Raza did another repair job on Sunday, for the second ODI in a row•Associated PressIn all these recent matches, Raza helped Zimbabwe stay ahead in the game, giving the impression that a big over was just around the corner. That threat made opposition captains and bowlers think, rethink, and overthink their plans against him. Luck, too, played its part. Raza survived chances in the 40s in both ODIs against Bangladesh but as the saying goes, fortune favours the brave. And Raza has been brave.What has made this success sweeter for Raza is how it has helped his team, and how he has overcome personal difficulty. Last year, Raza had a bone marrow infection in his right shoulder that was suspected to be cancerous. His return three months later was fraught with doubt because he wasn’t sure whether he could bowl or even throw properly. Raza changed his bowling action to accommodate the problem, and he has recovered to a great degree.Now, he is in line to win his third successive Player-of-the-Series/Tournament award. If he does, he will become only the third Zimbabwean to win four series awards, after Heath Streak and Andy Flower. In a recent interview, Raza said he never compares himself to those legends, including Brendan Taylor, but his performances do warrant some comparison.Flower’s 540 runs against India in the 2000-01 Test series certainly comes to mind. He rose to No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings later that year, and is considered Zimbabwe’s greatest batter of all time. Taylor’s two centuries in the 2015 ODI World Cup, averaging over 72 in the tournament, were celebrated, while Neil Johnson had a dreamy 1999 World Cup campaign. Current coach Dave Houghton played historic knocks, so did Duncan Fletcher way back in 1983.Zimbabwe’s struggles in the last 15 years adds more sheen to Raza’s runs and wickets. They don’t play a lot of high-profile cricket: they haven’t toured England since 2003, and Australia are hosting them for the first time this year since 2004. The ICC had even suspended Zimbabwe briefly. They failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup.Raza is now giving Zimbabwe cricket fans something to cheer about, and his form bodes well ahead of tougher assignments against India and Australia later this month, but breaking Bangladesh’s run of five straight ODI series wins is an achievement too. Raza did it without most of Zimbabwe’s senior players around him but his form helped the other batters: Innocent Kaia and Chakabva both scored their maiden ODI tons in this series.Raza’s personal success is a fine example of perseverance and self-belief shining through. But his success has led to success for Zimbabwe. And that’s perhaps the biggest deal.

Players who discovered that home isn’t where the art is

Mohammad Isam27-May-2020Gehan Mendis
Born in Colombo, Gehan Mendis moved to the UK when he was 12. His prime as a cricketer coincided with Sri Lanka’s ascent as a Test team, but despite his vast first-class experience and his widely regarded skill against fast bowling, Mendis never represented his country of birth. Part of that was because he held out hope of playing for England, but also, he did not want to lose his status as a local player in county cricket. Between 1974 and 1993, he played 366 first-class games and 313 List A games in England, for Sussex and Lancashire, scoring more than 20,000 first-class runs, with 41 centuries.Cardigan Connor
Professional cricket did not pick up in the Caribbean island of Anguilla until late 2007. The first competitive cricket recorded in the island was in 1977, so when an 18-year old Cardigan Connor decided to take his fast-bowling skills to England in 1979, the move made sense. Since Anguilla is a British overseas territory, he was eligible to play county cricket as a local, and he became one of the lesser-known feel-good stories from the 1980s. After making his first-class debut in 1984, Connor took more than 1000 wickets for Hampshire in all competitions, was briefly considered for an England one-day spot and walked away with £147,000 ($180,250) from his benefit year. Connor was much loved in Hove. Later in life, he coached Anguilla before becoming an administrator and politician there.Basil D’Oliveira, seen here batting in a Test against Pakistan in 1967, played 44 Tests for England after moving there from South Africa at the age of 29•Getty ImagesKevin Pietersen
The poster child of modern-day migrant cricketers, Pietersen moved from South Africa to England in 2000, aged 20. When, in December 1999, he bowled 55.5 overs for KwaZulu-Natal against a touring England side, dismissing Michael Vaughan among four wickets, he would not have known what an important figure he would end up becoming for the opposition. Less than a year later, he signed for Nottinghamshire as a Kolpak player, and made his county debut in 2001.Pietersen’s decision was fuelled by worries that he may not get to represent South Africa due to their diversity targets. He found support in mentor Clive Rice, then director of cricket at Notts. His success in England paved the way for many other South Africans – Kyle Abbott, Simon Harmer, Rilee Rossouw and Duanne Olivier among them – to make the move to England in later years.Basil D’Oliveira
Before Kevin Pietersen, there was Basil D’Oliveira, whose journey from Cape Town to England’s West Midlands made him one of the most important figures in cricket history. Being a Cape Coloured, D’Oliveira was not permitted to play for South Africa during apartheid, but on broadcast-writer John Arlott’s insistence, Middleton, a Central Lancashire League club, signed him as a professional in 1960, when he was 29, rescuing his career. Worcestershire contracted him four years later, and in 1966 he made his Test debut for England.The most significant moment in D’Oliveira’s career came when, after scoring a match-saving 158 at the Oval in the 1968 Ashes series, he was expected to be a part of the MCC squad to tour South Africa in 1968-69. His initial omission sparked an outcry in the England, and when he was later picked as a replacement, the South African regime declared it a political move and said they would not admit the team’s entry into their country. The MCC ended up cancelling the tour, and the cricket world boycotted South Africa until the end of apartheid.D’Oliveira, who passed away in 2011, said he never intended to set so many wheels in motion. His on-field performances ensured he would be remembered for more than just the controversy that surrounded him. With nearly 2500 Test runs and 47 Test wickets to go with his 19,490 first-class runs and 551 first-class wickets, he is considered one of cricket’s great allrounders.Billy Ibadulla (left) opened the batting for Warwickshire alongside Bob Barber for long stretches in the 1960s•Getty ImagesKhalid Ibadulla
An opening batsman and offspinner, Khalid “Billy” Ibadulla was born in Lahore but ended up playing more matches against Pakistan than for them. At just 17, he was picked in a Pakistan touring squad, but missed out on the 1954 Pakistan tour of India, which, according to Peter Oborne’s , left him “bitterly disappointed”. He sought a career in England and became Pakistan’s first professional cricketer in the county circuit, debuting for Warwickshire in 1954. After success in England, Ibadulla did make his Test debut for Pakistan, in 1964, and scored 166 against Australia in Karachi. But he played just three more Tests for his home country, owing to first-class commitments in England and New Zealand, where he played for Otago.He played many matches against Pakistan, as part of a Commonwealth XI tour in 1963, and one for Otago in January 1965 in the Plunket Shield. Just a month later, he switched sides and played for Pakistan in a Test against New Zealand. He repeated the feat during Pakistan’s England tour in 1967, when he played for Warwickshire in a tour game and then for Pakistan during the Test series. He ended his career with more than 17,000 first-class runs and 462 wickets.Jofra Archer
One of the hottest young talents in world cricket might have played for West Indies if Barbados-born England seamer Chris Jordan hadn’t alerted Sussex to his abilities in 2013. By then, Archer had played three matches for West Indies Under-19 and seemed on track to play in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. Instead, he moved to England in the spring of 2014 and declared his intention to play for his new country. Within five years, he would become one of the stars of the 2019 World Cup and make his Test debut for England too.

مع اقتراب موعد قرعة كأس العالم 2026 في الولايات المتحدة والمكسيك وكندا، وصل ليونيل سكالوني مدرب منتخب الأرجنتين إلى واشنطن لحضورها وتحدث عن المنتخب الأرجنتيني بطل مونديال 2022 في قطر.

وأكد سكالوني بأن يركز فقط على أن يصل لاعبو المنتخب الأرجنتيني إلى كأس العالم بحالة جيدة، وعلق على موعد مباراة نهائي الفايناليسما أمام منتخب إسبانيا.

وقال سكالوني في تصريحات نشرتها “TYC SPORTS” الأرجنتينية: “بالمقارنة مع القرعة السابقة أشعر براحة أكبر، لم تكن جميع حساباتنا في مصلحتنا في كأس العالم الأخيرة”.

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وأضاف: “الأهم أن ندرك أنه إذا كنت تريد تحقيق أي شيء يجب مواجهة الأفضل وفي كأس العالم ستكون هناك العديد من المنتخبات الجيدة”.

وكان الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم قد قرر أن الفرق الأعلى تصنيفاً قبل القرعة ستتجنب مواجهة بعضها البعض في المراحل الأولى من البطولة ولذا لن تلتقي على سبيل المثال الأرجنتين ضد إسبانيا إلا في نهائي افتراضي بشرط أن يحتل كل منهما المركز الأول في مجموعته، ومع ذلك لم يهتم سكالوني لهذه الميزة: “هناك العديد من الفرق الجيدة، انها غير مقتصرة فقط على المنتخبات الأربعة الأولى، هناك الكثير من المنتخبات القادرة على المنافسة، من ربع النهائي فصاعداً سيكون هناك دائماً خصوم أقوياء”.

وواصل سكالوني عن حالة لاعبيه البدنية: “نحن بخير، إن كان علي أن أقول شيئاً يسعدني، هو أننا مازالنا نكافح كما لو أننا لم نحقق أي فوز بعد، الآن همي الوحيد أن يصل اللاعبون في حالة بدنية جيدة”.

وسئل سكالوني عن قرار ميسي بالمشاركة في كأس العالم 2026: “سيقرر، وسندعم أي قرار يتخذه، في الوقت الحالي كل شئ يسير على ما يرام ولكن لا يزال هناك وقت، على الرغم من أن الأمر أصبح قريباً، إلا أن ستة أشهر في عالم كرة القدم تعتبر فترة طويلة، نأمل أن يكون ميسي بصحة جيدة وأن يتخذ قراره الأمثل، هو يستحق حقه في اتخاذ القرار”.

وأعرب سكالوني عن أسفه لعدم إقامة نهائي الفايناليسما ضد منتخب إسبانيا حتى الآن :”كان من الممكن أن تقام في وقت مبكر، الآن ننتظر ولم نتلق أي اخبار، سافرت مع لويس دي لا فوينتي وهو صديقي والذي منحني دورة تدريبية، ليس لديه تأكيد حتى الآن أيضاً، لذا دعونا ننتظر ونرى”.

The San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 21-0 on Saturday night. With the latest embarrassing loss, the Rockies have fallen to 6-33 on the season. But as bad as things have gotten, at least the social media team can still get a win by dunking on Bill Belichick.

Shortly after the game went final, the Rockies X account posted the screen-grab of Jordon Hudson interrupting Belichick's interview with to say they weren't going to talk about how they met. It's the perfect thing to post after a 21-run loss to a team in your own division.

For Belichick, this should be a moment worth reflecting on. Much like when Martin scored on Bart Simpson, it's the kind of thing that should make him think about how bad things are going. No matter what the official response from work is.

As for Colorado, they remain on pace to have maybe the worst season ever.

If you were to ask Chelsea fans which position of the team is the weakest, a good number would point to the defence.

After all, Enzo Maresca’s side have scored the second most goals in the Premier League this season, but six teams have conceded fewer goals.

However, to be more specific, the issue is not with the club’s world-class full-back options, but at centre-back, where the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah have underwhelmed.

It seems the board are also dissatisfied with the work of their centre-backs, as reports have linked Chelsea with an international icon who could outright replace both of them by next season.

Chelsea target Tosin & Chalobah upgrade

With the transfer window starting to come back into view, more and more reports are linking Chelsea with potential signings.

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The likes of the in-form Marcus Rashford and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton have been touted for moves to West London in the last week or so.

However, while the pair of them would certainly improve Maresca’s squad, they wouldn’t be upgrades on Tosin or Chalobah, unlike Antonio Rüdiger.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Chelsea are interested in signing their former defender, who left the club for Real Madrid in 2022.

More than that, the report has revealed that the Blues have already made an offer of around €8m, which is about £7m.

However, while Los Blancos are open to the German leaving as soon as January, they have turned down the offer, deeming it to be too low.

Fortunately, as the 32-year-old’s contract is set to expire in the summer, there is a good chance the two sides will be able to come to a reasonable agreement.

It would be a surprising move, but one Chelsea should follow through with, even if Rüdiger’s return would likely be bad news for Tosin and Chalobah.

Why Rüdiger would spell the end for Tosin and Chalobah

So the first thing to say is that neither Tosin nor Chalobah is a bad defender. In fact, the pair of them are more than serviceable Premier League players who have the track record to prove it.

However, while that might make them perfect players for sides like Fulham, Crystal Palace or even Everton, it’s not enough to see them start regularly for a club the size of Chelsea.

Playing for the Blues means every little mistake, misplaced pass, lapse in concentration is magnified tenfold and can be particularly costly in the pursuit of titles and trophies.

This is why Maresca needs a player like Rüdiger in his squad and why he would ultimately spell the end for the pair of them, as he is a centre-back who has been there, done it and won practically all there is to win.

During his time in West London, for example, he started ten of the club’s 12 games in their triumphant Champions League campaign in 20/21, and just a few years before that was just as vital in their FA Cup victory.

Since then, he has won another UCL title with Real, a La Liga title and a Copa Del Rey, while being called “the best defender in the world” by former teammate Mesut Özil.

Moreover, while he’s barely played this season, that is mostly down to injury, as across all competitions last year, he made 55 appearances, totalling 4539 minutes.

The Berlin-born titan is also still an important part of the national team, amassing 81 senior caps, in which he’s even scored three goals and provided five assists.

Appearances

55

Starts

50

Minutes

4539′

Goals

3

Assists

1

Points per Game

2.11

Finally, another important reason the 6 foot 3 monster would be an excellent signing for the Blues is that he’d be an incredible mentor for both Levi Colwill and Josh Acheampong.

In other words, the former Chelsea star could come back and help create the club’s future centre-back partnership.

Ultimately, if Rüdiger returns to Stamford Bridge in January, it would be brilliant for the club, but it would likely signal the end of both Chalobah and Tosin’s time getting regular minutes.

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The incredible talent could become a bigger star for Chelsea than Estevao and Palmer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 19, 2025

علق أحمد سيد زيزو، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، على الفوز أمام شبيبة القبائل 4-1، في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ولعب النادي الأهلي مع شبيبة القبائل الجزائري، اليوم السبت، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الأولى من عمر منافسات دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع|موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة في دوري أبطال إفريقيا بعد الفوز على شبيبة القبائل

وقال زيزو في تصريحات لقناة “بي إن سبورتس”: “نتيجة جيدة في أول مباراة بدور المجموعات، الفريق بدأ يتأقلم على طريقة لعب المدرب الجديد، والنتيجة كان من الممكن أن تكون أكثر لو استغلينا الفرص، لكنها إيجابية وسنبني عليها”.

وتابع: “ما زلت أعاني من بعض الآلام لكن لعبت 75 دقيقة بشكل جيد وسأتابع مع الطبيب قبل المباراة القادمة”.

واختتم: “كل المباريات صعبة، ونحن وقعنا في أقوى مجموعة، ولكن سنأخذها خطوة بخطوة وسنغلق صفحة مباراة اليوم ونركز في المباراة القادمة”.

The Arizona Diamondbacks missed out on the postseason despite winning 89 games in 2024. With their fate out of their hands, the D-Backs found themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in after the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves split their doubleheader on Monday, resulting in both NL East teams reaching the postseason.

Speaking candidly during an appearance on Arizona Sports radio's Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick took responsibility for one of the team's failed offseason signings.

When discussing the acquisition of starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, Kendrick admitted that he was responsible for the signing, going as far as to call it a "horrible decision."

"Let me say it the best way I can say it. If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you're talking to the guy that should be blamed. Because, I brought it to their attention. I pushed for it, they agreed to it. It wasn't in our game plan," said Kendrick.

"Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I'm the perpetrator of that," he added.

Montgomery, formerly a client of Scott Boras, signed with Arizona after spring training on a one-year, $25 million deal, which includes an option in 2025. He endured the worst campaign of his career, logging a 6.23 ERA across 25 appearances and eventually getting demoted into a bullpen role.

It certainly wasn't the production the Diamondbacks anticipated when bringing him on board. Rather than shift the blame elsewhere, Kendrick took ownership of what was ultimately a catastrophic acquisition for the franchise.