Major blow to competition as marquee player withdraws citing undisclosed injury

Matt Roller31-Jul-2023The Hundred has lost its most high-profile male overseas player on the eve of the tournament, with Rashid Khan pulling out of a planned three-match stint with Trent Rockets.Rashid has been playing for MI New York in Major League Cricket, taking 3 for 9 in the inaugural final against Seattle Orcas in Dallas on Sunday night, but has officially withdrawn due to an unspecified “injury”.He was due to play for Rockets on the Hundred’s opening night against Southern Brave at Trent Bridge, playing three games before being replaced by New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi. Imad Wasim, the Pakistan allrounder, will deputise for the first three games.”I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from The Hundred through injury,” Rashid said. “It’s been great to play in the competition the first two years, Trent Rockets is a great team, and I hope to be back again next year.”Rashid missed two ODIs for Afghanistan against Sri Lanka earlier this year with a back injury that he conceded was “still to be fully recovered” in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo. He will instead have a brief opportunity to rest before playing a series against Pakistan heading into the Asia Cup and World Cup.Rashid’s 11th-hour withdrawal compounds the Hundred’s existential crisis, casting further doubt on the competition’s ability to attract the biggest names in world cricket. He was retained by Rockets on a top-bracket £125,000 contract and would have earned a pro-rata salary for his three appearances.The Hundred’s viability has been undermined by the inaugural season of MLC, where overseas players were paid up to $175,000 for a minimum of five matches across two-and-a-half weeks. While the competitions do not clash directly, most of the world’s best T20 players have opted to play in the United States instead of England. Earlier this month, Surrey’s Sunil Narine opted out of a proposed trans-Atlantic dash to take part in the Vitality Blast Finals Day, preferring instead to focus on his MLC contract with LA Knight Riders.Related

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There has been speculation in the media throughout this year that the ECB – under new leadership, with Richard Gould and Richard Thompson joining as chief executive and chairman in the last 12 months – will scrap or significantly alter the Hundred after this season.The ECB insist publicly that the competition will continue as planned, at least until the end of their existing broadcast deal with Sky Sports which runs up to the end of the 2028 season. But the dearth of star names involved this season will lead to further uncomfortable questions over the next month.The tournament is due to run from August 1-27, and will be staged in a standalone window for the first time this summer, not clashing with any England men’s or women’s fixtures.Several England men’s players will rest after the conclusion of the Ashes, while Lauren Bell and Sophia Dunkley will both miss their teams’ first two games as part of their workload management during a busy year.

This season continues to go from bad to worse for Arsenal.

After almost four months on the sidelines, Bukayo Saka made his long-awaited return to action in the Premier League game against Fulham on Tuesday night and even scored the Gunners’ winning goal.

However, what should have been a brilliant night was soured by Gabriel Magalhaes coming off early on in proceedings with a hamstring injury that has since needed surgery and has made him the latest player who will miss the rest of the campaign.

However, while the mood around the club is undoubtedly grim at the moment, there were some positive developments about the club’s pursuit of Nico Williams, a player who’d seriously improve their chances of finally getting over the line next season.

That said, he’d have to step up in a big way to see his valuation surpass that of a Unai Emery signing who’s been compared to Thierry Henry.

The latest on Nico Williams and Arsenal

On Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the club’s win over Fulham, the Guardian’s Ed Aarons revealed that Arsenal’s pursuit of Williams was still very much alive and that it was being led by new Sporting Director Andrea Berta.

In fact, he claimed that in “one of his first acts” at the club, the Italian had “held talks” with the player’s representatives in a bid to convince him to come to North London in the summer.

However, while it’s encouraging to hear that talks are happening, it would still require a significant investment from the Gunners, as on top of paying the player’s £48m release clause, they would have to place him “in their highest bracket of earners,” per journalist Sam Dean.

With that said, it would still likely be an investment worth making.

We say this as, since the start of last season, the sensational Spaniard has scored 17 goals and provided 25 assists in 75 appearances, which works out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.78 games, and on top of that, he’s also won the Copa del Rey and European Championships.

Yet, if he does move to Arsenal this summer, he will still be worth considerably less than one of his new teammates, someone signed by former manager Unai Emery.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Williams

While his time in North London was not successful, Emery did at least make a couple of important signings for Arsenal, including one of a teenager in Brazil that practically nobody had heard of at the time: Gabriel Martinelli.

Yes, the former Ituano gem joined Arsenal in a £6m deal in the summer of 2019, and while he barely played under the Gunners’ former boss, he has since developed into an important member of the squad.

In fact, he is deemed to be so crucial that the CIES Football Observatory value him at an astounding €101m, which converts to about £85m, or a whopping £37m more than the North Londoners might pay for Williams in the summer.

Now, we know there will be some of you out there who think this is an absurd valuation – he’s being outperformed by the Spaniard, after all – but there are likely a few reasons why it is as high as it is.

The first is the simple fact that, at 23 years old, he still has a long time left in his career and plenty of time to further develop despite already having so much first-team experience in a top-five league.

The second reason is that while he can sometimes be frustrating, the Brazilian “monster”, as journalist Mark Mann-Bryans described him, has a pretty good record for a winger.

For example, in 213 appearances for the North Londoners, he has scored 48 goals and provided 27 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.84 games, which isn’t bad considering he was 18 years old when he joined the club.

Moreover, the Guarulhos-born ace is somewhat versatile and can play off the right or even down the middle at times, leading talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor to compare him to the iconic Henry.

Ultimately, if Arsenal can sign Williams, then they absolutely should.

Still, as his valuation and track record demonstrates, the fans shouldn’t forget that in Martinelli they already have a brilliant winger and someone who could still get better.

Their best CF since Aubameyang: Arsenal in talks to sign £58m "powerhouse"

The unreal goalscorer would be a game-changer for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 3, 2025

Carlos Cuesta thanked Mikel Arteta in an emotional Arsenal goodbye message as he prepares to take over as manager at Parma.

Article continues below

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• Cuseta set to embark on new journey
• Will take the reins at Parma in Serie A
• Set to become youngest manager in Italy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 29-year-old Spaniard, who served as one of Arteta’s closest coaching aides over the past five seasons, is now set to begin a new chapter in Italy, stepping into a senior managerial role for the first time. With his new job with Parma, Cuseta will become the youngest manager in Serie A history.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Cuseta's move to Parma comes after the Italian side parted ways with Cristian Chivu, who left to take the helm at Inter Milan. The coach is already believed to have landed in Italy and the formal announcement could be made shortly by the Serie A outfit.

• WHAT CUSETA SAID

  Taking to Instagram, Cuesta shared an emotional message to the Arsenal community, expressing gratitude for the experiences and relationships he formed at the club.

  He wrote: "After five beautiful years it’s hard to put this into words, but I can only express how grateful I am for having lived my day-to-day with such special people and feel what it means to represent this football club, with its incredible history and values.

  "The only thing I’ve ever tried to do was give everything I had inside of me every single day. I was inspired by the culture that was created, by the hunger of every person of the organisation and by the unity that we had in any situation that we had to face. It has been a privilege to have had the chance to work with the players, staff, directors and all the employees of the club and at the same time, to receive an extra push from our amazing fans in every match.

  "Because of the quality of its people, I’m convinced that the best moments for this football club are still yet to come. Enjoy the journey, because it is a very exciting one. Thank you @arsenal ❤️."

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• CUSETA'S MESSAGE TO ARTETA

  In a separate post, Cuesta reserved special thanks for Arteta. The departing coach praised the Gunners manager for his unwavering belief in him and for setting an example of leadership and integrity.

  "And then, to the person that made it happen. Thank you. That’s the only thing I can say," he wrote.

  "Thank you for your trust, for giving me the opportunity to be next to you and for showing me with constant facts which is the meaning of the word 'courage'.

  "But more than that, thank you for being an incredible coach, an incredible leader, and an even better human being. It has been a true privilege to learn from you, to feel your support in any circumstance and to share the ups and downs of the journey always seeing the positive side of it. You’ve taught me a lot, and I will carry it always with me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you ❤️."

Worcestershire will need three points from their final game to be sure of going up

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2023

Worcestershire require a maximum of three more points to follow opponents Durham into Division One of the LV=Insurance County Championship next season despite being frustrated by the newly crowned champions on the final day at New Road.Durham captain Scott Borthwick scored a chanceless century and then Ollie Robinson illuminated the afternoon session with some glorious stroke-play.Worcestershire were restricted to adding one bowling point as the game petered out into a draw to bring their run of three successive victories to an end. They spilled a series of chances but the washout of nearest challengers Leicestershire’s game with Yorkshire at the Uptonsteel County Ground leaves them strong favourites to be promoted.Worcestershire remain 21 points ahead of the Foxes heading into next week’s final fixture with Yorkshire at Headingley while Leicestershire take on Durham at the Emirates Riverside. But the fact Worcestershire will have won more games than their nearest rivals whatever the outcome of the remaining matches means three more points will suffice.Durham had achieved their primary objective in sealing the title but no one could accuse them of not having a full focus on proceedings. They resumed on 10 for 0 and Lees had a let off in the opening over of the day from Joe Leach when he survived a sharp chance to fourth slip.But Worcestershire did make a breakthrough in the next over although it was off Durham’s own making. Lees played a delivery from Dillon Pennington to cover but Michael Jones came charging down the wicket looking for a quick single and was run out by Logan van Beek’s throw to Joe Leach at the non-striker’s end as he failed to regain his ground.Strong resistance to Worcestershire’s hopes of acquiring more bowling bonus points came from Lees and Durham captain Borthwick.Lees, the leading run-scorer in Division Two, made Worcestershire pay for his early escape as he completed a 60-ball half-century with six fours. The partnership was worth 77 when Ben Allison, on loan from Essex, accounted for Lees lbw after he attempted to work the ball to leg.Rain brought about the early lunch and when play resumed new batter David Bedingham had a let off on 10 when he was dropped at first slip off Pennington. He made an uncertain start and successive deliveries from Leach wide of third slip for boundaries and also a leading edge just escaped the clutches of bowler van Beek.Borthwick on drove van Beek for his 10th boundary in reaching a 105 ball fifty and his stand with Bedingham was worth 89 before Allison secured the first bowling point. Bedingham (39) went to drive the allrounder and was bowled at 181 for 3.Robinson had scored a magnificent 206 not out of 131 balls against Worcestershire for Kent in last season’s One-Day Cup and he immediately looked in excellent touch with a series of exquisite shots.Borthwick needed only 38 balls to move from fifty to his second Championship century of the season, pulling Pennington for his 19th boundary.Robinson completed a 42-ball fifty and by tea the fourth wicket pair had plundered 143 from 19 overs during a session which yielded 210 runs. A century looked there for the taking for Robinson but on 84 he lofted Kashif Ali to long on to give the spinner his maiden first-class wicket.It left Borthwick unbeaten on 134 when a heavy shower half an hour after tea ended proceedings.

Rhodes completes century to set up 194-run lead, but fighting display gives hosts hope

Andrew Miller21-Sep-2023Middlesex 121 and 96 for 1 (Robson 51*) trail Warwickshire 315 (Rhodes 102, Briggs 99, Murtagh 6-83) by 98 runsThere were four seasons in one day at Lord’s on Thursday, and a send-off to their man for all seasons too, as the soon-to-be-retired Tim Murtagh was celebrated in front of the pavilion during the lunch-break, having been the main source of his team’s current haul of three points in this contest with first-innings figures of 6 for 83.But by the end of a day marked by grey clouds, gleaming sunshine, biblical downpours and improbable batting competence from the home team, the season that mattered was the one that could yet be saved. At 96 for 1 at stumps, with Sam Robson ensconced on 51 not out and with a daunting 194-run deficit halved, Middlesex had pushed themselves into a position from which they ought (ought!) not to lose. And, with Kent struggling to make any headway down in Taunton, a draw would suffice to take their fight for survival down to the wire at Trent Bridge next week.Of course, there’s still time for a reversion to type – and after tumbling to 121 all out on the first morning, no-one with Middlesex’s best interests at heart will be getting ahead of themselves just yet. But, after Warwickshire’s first innings had been wrapped up for 315 – courtesy of Will Rhodes’ first century of the campaign and an agonising 99 for Danny Briggs – Middlesex exuded a confidence with the bat that belied the match situation, let alone their habitually wobbly displays.Robson set the tone with the first ball of their second innings, punching Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s loosener on the up through point for four, to hint at a surface that had lost some of its spice from the opening day. Chris Rushworth then dropped short in his own first over and was hacked away through point as well, and when Mark Stoneman joined the fray with a brace of compact off-side boundaries – the first a firm drive, the second a controlled edge – the pair were well on their way to their highest opening stand of the season, and only their third in excess of fifty all year.At 52 for 0, a downpour interrupted their progress – and quite the deluge it was too: an hour-long onslaught that, had this been, say, Headingley, would almost certainly have left bogging great damp patches in awkward corners of the outfield, and caused the day’s eventual abandonment after hours of interminable inspections.For two decades now, of course, Lord’s has laughed in the face of such local inconveniences – their £1.25 million decision to install state-of-the-art drainage back in 2002 has repaid itself umpteen times over in non-refunded tickets over the years – and sure enough, once the clouds had rolled past, the resumption was inevitable.Robson and Stoneman duly added a further 26 to their stand, briefly batting with a fluency that no Middlesex pairing has matched all season – particularly when Robson leaned on a length ball from Ed Barnard to ping him clean down the ground for four. But, after a lengthy delay for repairs to the bowler’s footholes, Stoneman suffered a crucial loss of concentration. Craig Miles served up a length ball with some extra kick from round the wicket, and Michael Burgess grabbed the inside-edge to prise a hard-worked first opening.Contrary to rumours that Ethan Bamber had been lined up to bat at No. 3, in an (afternoon?)-hawk-style gambit, Jack Davies duly emerged in his ordained position, and nudged Miles down through deep third for his solitary boundary, moments before bad light closed in to further truncate the day’s play. Robson, by this stage, had cracked his eighth four through point to reach an 88-ball fifty. As the only Middlesex man to reach a hundred this season, he’s well placed to double that tally as part of their fourth-day survival fight.

A first hundred of the season for Will Rhodes

Fantastic batting from the @WarwickshireCCC man at Lord's#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/g0VZK9PqKd

— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 21, 2023

أوضح عبد الواحد السيد، مدير الكرة السابق لنادي الزمالك، أن القلعة البيضاء مرت بظروف مالية قاسية خلال فترة عمله، حيث كانت تعاني من أعباء مالية ثقيلة أثرت بشكل مباشر على إدارة الملفات داخل النادي، وفي مقدمتها التعاقدات وسداد المستحقات.

وقال عبد الواحد السيد في تصريحات لبرنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “MBC مصر”: “عندما توليت المسؤولية كان الزمالك مديونًا بنحو مليار و800 مليون جنيه، وخلال فترة عملي تم سداد ما يقرب من مليار و400 مليون جنيه من هذه الديون”.

طالع أيضًا | رئيس اتحاد طنجة يكشف كواليس انتقال عبد الحميد معالي لـ الزمالك: سيكون نجم الفريق

وأوضح أن هذه المديونيات كانت عائقًا كبيرًا أمام قدرة النادي على إبرام صفقات قوية في سوق الانتقالات، مضيفًا: “لو لم تكن هناك ديون بهذا الحجم، لامتلك الزمالك قوة شرائية هائلة في السوق”.

وتحدث عبد الواحد السيد عن مستقبل النادي قائلاً: “الفرع الجديد الذي يتم إنشاؤه حاليًا في مدينة 6 أكتوبر، سيُحدث نقلة كبيرة، وعندما جلست مع القائمين على المشروع وجدت أن هناك استثمارات ضخمة ستدخل الزمالك وتوفر له عائدات مالية لا يمكن تصورها”.

واختتم تصريحاته بالتأكيد على أهمية التخلص من الديون: “عندما تنتهي من سداد المديونيات، كل الأموال التي تأتي للنادي ستتحول إلى قوة شرائية حقيقية، وهذا سيكون له تأثير كبير على مستقبل الزمالك”.