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Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann has opted to stay at the Spanish club, spurning interest from MLS side LAFC

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Antoine Griezmann opted to stay at Atletico MadridPenned a deal to keep him at club until 2027LAFC still expected to make a designated player signingGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

LAFC's transfer hopes have been dealt a significant blow, as Antonie Griezmann elected to pen a two-year deal to stay at Atletico Madrid, the club announced on Monday. The former France international had been linked with a move to MLS for some time, and LAFC was assumed to be among his favored destinations. However, his decision to stay in Spain would appear to delay any potential move.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

LAFC are still expected to be active in the transfer market in the coming months, and will be in the hunt for a designated player, according to . Striker Olivier Giroud's current deal ends in December 2025, although the club has an option to extend his stay for one year. It was assumed that he would be a selling point for Griezmann, as the two enjoyed a successful partnership in the French national team.

WHAT ANTOINE GRIEZMANN SAID

Griezmann released a statement expressing his satisfaction at penning a new deal: "I'm very happy to keep wearing this amazing jersey for many more years, and I hope to bring [the fans] a lot of joy."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR GRIEZMANN?

The attacking midfielder will remain at Atleti for at least another two years. Although his minutes declined slightly last year, he still managed 16 goals and nine assists in all competitions for the Spanish giants.

With 11 games to go this season, Manchester City face a real fight to get into next season’s Champions League.

Having beaten Tottenham last time out, Erling Braut Håland the only scorer in North London, Pep Guardiola’s team sit fourth, but six clubs, down to Aston Villa in tenth, are five points or fewer behind.

Next up, on Saturday lunchtime, the Sky Blues will face the side one place and one point above them, namely Nottingham Forest, and if the Citizens are going to collect three points at the City Ground, it might be time for Guardiola to unleash his relentless attacking star.

Jack Grealish's continued underwhelming form

Jack Grealish started last weekend’s FA Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle, but has not started a Premier League fixture since before Christmas, and his statistics underline why.

Sam Lee of the Athletic has described his performances this season as ‘underwhelming’, caveating that by adding his campaign has been ‘hampered by injuries’.

Nevertheless, it’s now 448 days, and counting, since the 29-year-old’s most recent Premier League goal, having scored twice so far this season, converting a penalty during the 8-0 demolition of Salford, also on target in defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, both in January.

In total, Grealish has scored just 16 goals in 151 appearances for the Sky Blues, an underwhelming return for someone who cost £100m, at the time a British transfer record.

Grealish has himself admitted this has been the “most difficult year of my life”, with Richard Jolly of the Independent believing he is ‘wasting his talent’, while Oliver Kay in the Athletic labels him ‘beyond disappointing’.

Chalkboard

So, instead of starting Grealish, Guardiola should include Man City’s more recent big-money arrival in attack on Saturday.

Manchester City's perfect Grealish replacement

Manchester City signed Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported fee of £63m in January, but the Egyptian striker has already, in only eight appearances for the club, started to prove his worth.

The 26-year-old scored the first-ever senior hat-trick of his career against Newcastle last month, after which strike partner Håland labelled him “something special” and “a fantastic player”.

Prior to his move to Manchester, Marmoush had been on fire for Frankfurt this season, scoring 20 goals in just 26 appearances, averaging a goal every 103 minutes, leading to analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as “relentless”.

So, let’s see how his numbers compare to Grealish.

Statistics

Jack Grealish

Omar Marmoush

Appearances

26

34

Minutes

1,319

2,630

Goals

2

23

Assists

5

14

Goals – xG

-0.8

+7.7

Shots on target per 90

1.92

4.31

Shots on target %

30.8%

44.8%

Take on success %

52%

42.9%

Shot-creating actions per 90

5.9

5.21

Touches per 90

64.56

41.73

Unsurprisingly, Marmoush comes out on top for most attacking metrics, albeit Grealish ranks higher for creative statistics per 90, namely take-on success percentage, touches per 90 and shot-creating actions per 90.

Nevertheless, the Egyptian is far superior in terms of shots, shot accuracy, assists and goals, with Marmoush massively overperforming his xG this season, racking up a figure of +7.7; for comparison, the player in the Premier League this season with the highest figure is Chris Wood on +7.4, who he’ll be facing on Saturday.

So, up against a Forest team who rank fourth in the Premier League this season for both goals conceded and xG allowed, as well as second for clean sheets, goals will not be easy to come by, hence why Guardiola must start his superstar new attacker.

Sold for just £750k: Man City could regret losing the next Morgan Rogers

Man City may have cashed in on another rising English star on the cheap

ByRobbie Walls Mar 6, 2025

DCMS hearing set to go ahead despite suspension of parliamentary committee chair

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2022Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, has acknowledged that the scale of English cricket’s problem with discrimination is likely to prove “challenging for the sport” when the full findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) are published early next year.However, writing in the introduction to the ECB’s 12-month review into its game-wide Action Plan, Thompson insisted that the progress outlined in three of its own equity, diversity and inclusion reports demonstrates the sport’s clear aim to be “more open and inclusive”.”We know cricket at its best is a game for everyone, no matter what their background,” Thompson wrote. “We also know the difficult truth: that for too many people, that hasn’t always been the case. We know we are at the start of the journey and we will continue to work to reach a place where cricket is the most inclusive sport.”Among the findings in the board’s updates are a 32% increase in the number of women’s and girls’ teams across England and Wales in 2022, and a £17.5million investment into more than 1600 facilities projects since 2021.In November 2021, the ECB adopted a 12-point Action Plan at a game-wide meeting at The Oval, in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s explosive testimony at the DCMS select committee hearings in Westminster, at which the extent of English cricket’s institutional racism was laid bare.Rafiq and other figures within English cricket – including Yorkshire’s chairman, Lord Patel – are due to give further evidence to the DCMS committee next week, a process that is set to go ahead in the absence of the committee chair, Julian Knight, who has been suspended from the Conservative Party following an allegation of sexual assault.Responding in a statement on Twitter, Knight insisted that the withdrawal of the whip was “wrong and unjustified”, but added that he would be recusing himself from parliamentary business until the matter is resolved.

India could manage only 168 for 6, before the England openers took charge

Alagappan Muthu10-Nov-20222:41

Moody: ‘India lacked intent in the first half of their innings’

For all of England’s game-breaking talent, this win that takes them into the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup final was all about doing the basics right.They protected the short square boundary in Adelaide, giving away only two sixes until the start of the death overs.They saw a chance to break open a chase of 169 in the powerplay, when the ball was coming on nicely under the lights, and seized it, smashing 10 boundaries while the field was up.A score 63 for 0 in six became 170 for 0 in 16. Jos Buttler became a supernova. Alex Hales became a dream come true. became .The Hales gamble
One horrid rain-soaked night at the MCG, England played the way they swore they never would. The captain then came out and said “let it hurt”.Pain is powerful, but just as well as it disorients, it brings clarity. In that it forces people to do everything possible to never feel it again. And that’s what’s happened.Since that defeat to Ireland, where they kept second-guessing themselves, England have batted and bowled with ultimate clarity. The selection of Hales was one of ultimate clarity. He came with solid experience in Australian conditions. They needed that experience. Buttler made the call. And now here is the payoff.A player who, for a long time, came to be known as a disruptive force within the England team was given a second chance. And he’s repaid their faith with an innings that broke the biggest superpower in the world of cricket.Hales equalled India’s tally of sixes all by himself – seven – reducing their bowlers to rubble. He even backed himself to clear Adelaide’s massive 88-metre straight boundaries.India played a hand in their own undoing as ESPNcricinfo’s Karthik Krishnaswamy notes here. They had batted against a bowling attack that allowed them to score a mere 64 runs off 46 balls square of the wicket in the first 15 overs. England though had no such restrictions. Their batters were given all the room they needed to access the short boundary. Hales and Buttler amassed 98 runs off 54 balls square of the wicket in their first 15 overs.Jos Buttler and Alex Hales soak in their unbroken 170-run stand•Getty ImagesButtler’s brilliance
This is how you break a match-up. Coming into this game, Buttler had fallen to Bhuvneshwar Kumar five times in 32 balls in T20I cricket.He must have known this because first ball he charged out of his crease, intent on negating the India bowler’s biggest strength. His swing.These were the kinds of moves Buttler was making all night as he finished on 80 off 49.He front-loaded Adil Rashid against India’s right-hand heavy top-order. And the legspinner took out Suryakumar Yadav.He reaffirmed Chris Jordan’s faith in his yorkers. One of those toppled Virat Kohli off his feet.Virat Kohli stumbles trying to play a Chris Jordan yorker•AFP via Getty ImagesHe silenced a crowd of 40,094 – getting all revved up thanks to Hardik Pandya – with one single shot. A pull for four off Axar Patel.Buttler was at the centre of a lot of good things – but most of them probably date back to the drawing board.England won this game in the backroom. They contained a 360-degree player by taking pace off, because at least that way, you’re only defending one side of the pitch. The one in front of the batter.Buttler backed Rashid to pull off this heist, and this was even after the legspinner had been punished for a boundary first ball all because he had dared to toss it up.Rashid could easily have protected his figures tonight. Sat back and pointed people to his tournament economy rate (6.25). But no, he didn’t. He bought into the plan and picked up perhaps the most important wicket for England. Just his second of the World Cup.Suryakumar is the man India look to for acceleration through the middle and the death. With him gone for 14 off 10, the game had changed.Hardik rising
There was only one phase of play that England lost in this game. And that was when Hardik decided enough was enough.He was 13 off 15 at the start of the 17th over. India were 110 for 3. They had tried to disrupt England.Rohit Sharma hit one of the shots of the night – a one-bounce four over extra cover off a near Jordan yorker – but he fell three balls later.Suryakumar succumbed after hitting Ben Stokes for a six and a four.All of this prompted Kohli to go into anchor mode, which meant the other guy had to go big.Hardik Pandya hit five sixes in his 33-ball 63•AFP/Getty ImagesAnd Hardik did. He brought out the helicopter shot against Jordan. He escorted a wide yorker for four past short third off Sam Curran. He flat batted short balls all around the park.India made 58 runs in their last four overs. Fifty of them came off Hardik’s bat. This was his scoring sequence from the 18th over: 6, 6, dot, 1, 1, 4, 6, 4, 1, 6, 4, out (having trodden on his stumps while whipping the ball for what would have been another four). Five of those 12 balls were attempted yorkers. Many of them landed pretty close to the perfect spot. But Hardik stands so deep in his crease and brings so much of his wrists into his strokeplay that even they became boundary-scoring opportunities.From looking like they’d be lucky to get to 140, India had 168. India had hope.And then nothing. Or maybe its worse than that because now there will be questions about the way they played their first 10 overs (62 for 2 with only seven boundaries) against a team full of power-hitters.England chasing history
They invented the game. They hosted each of the first three World Cups. They absolutely loved cricket. And there were a few nice moments.A passion-filled night in Karachi. Several glorious weeks in Australia. An unforgettable adventure in India.But there was also, “I intend… to make them grovel”. And, “We’ll have a bowl.”England + Cricket = broken-heart emojiBut then, on a fine summer’s day in 2019, they got their “I love you” back. And It. Meant. Everything.Now they want “I love you more”. Maybe even “I love you most”. Because England, through all the twists and turns and tragicomedy, are now just one win away from being the first men’s team in history to hold both World Cups at the same time.It’s taken a lot of effort to get here. A complete rewiring of DNA, in fact. Seriously, if you take one of Buttler’s cells and put it under a microscope, you’ll just see a scoop over fine leg for six.This is England now. This is the revolution that Eoin Morgan began and Buttler sustains. It got its validation at Lord’s on that fine summer’s day in 2019. But you know the thing with these things. Once is never ever enough.

Bahawalpur Royals carved their name on the inaugural Pakistan Junior League (PJL) trophy by beating Gwadar Sharks by 86 runs in the final, in Lahore on Friday. Shawaiz Irfan smashed 79 off just 32 deliveries and Tayyab Arif hit a quick fifty to set the platform for an imposing total of 225. In the chase, Sharks were bowled out for 139, thanks to Mohammad Zeeshan and Nangeyalia Kharote’ three wicket-hauls.Sharks won the toss and elected to bowl, but the decision backfired. The damage inflicted by Irfan, Arif, Basit Ali and Kharote was massive for Sharks. While Arif made a 34-ball 56, Kharote remained unbeaten on 47 off 30 balls to help the Imran Tahir-mentored side post the highest total of the season.The Lahore-born Shawaiz, who was promoted up the batting order, was crowned Player of the Match after he thumped the fastest half-century of the tournament. His innings had seven fours and six sixes. His glovework has also been impressive throughout the PJL, drawing praise from Rashid Latif as well.Sharks never got a sniff while bowling as Arif and Afghanistani southpaw Kharote teed off and added 87 runs for the third wicket. Arif scored his first fifty of the PJL and his innings was laced with seven fours and one six, while Kharote hammered two sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock.Sharks finished the group stage at the top of the table and beat Royals in the Qualifier 1 but on Friday, they were outclassed in all departments. Royals brought their A game in the all-important final and went in with an attacking mindset right from the start.In reply, Sharks did manage a flying start in the powerplay and got to 103 for 4 in the first ten overs, but the innings nosedived after the dismissal of their captain Shamyl Hussain, who notched up 67 off 34 balls. In the end, the team was skittled for 139 in under 16 overs.Their innings was a story of two halves as Sharks were meeting the asking rate in the first ten overs with Hussain leading the charge. But the moment Zeeshan was introduced into the attack, he removed Hussain and the floodgates were opened. Thereon, the wickets fell at regular intervals as the spinners applied the choke and the equation became tougher with each passing over.Sharks’ overseas signing Luc Martin Benkenstein has been in good nick in this competition and even guided his side to the doorstep of victory with a well-crafted 71 in Qualifier 1, but he couldn’t get going in the final and holed out to long-on off Sajjad Ali’s bowling. Another lynchpin of Sharks’ batting line-up Mohammad Zulfikal was snared by Kharote early on. Eventually, Sharks lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs.Sharks will rue the missed opportunities, overthrows and losing their composure when Arif and Shawaiz went berserk with the bat.Basit Ali, who hails from a remote city of Pakistan – Dera Murad Jamali – finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 379 runs at a strike rate of 150.39. He struck one century and two half-centuries in the PJL and a crucial 35 in the final. Zeeshan ended the tournament as highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an economy of 7.25 from eight matches.

أعلن روبرتو مارتينيز، المدير الفني لمنتخب البرتغال الأول لكرة القدم، قائمة معسكر يونيو، من أجل مواجهة نصف نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية 2024/25.

ويلاقي منتخب البرتغال خصمه منتخب ألمانيا، ضمن منافسات نصف نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية 2024/25، الأربعاء 4 يونيو، على ملعب “أليانز أرينا”.

يذكر أن الفائز من هذه المواجهة، سيضرب موعداُ مع الفائز من مباراة فرنسا وإسبانيا، في نهائي البطولة، والمقرر إقامتها يوم 8 يونيو القادم، في تمام العاشرة إلا ربع مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.

والخاسر من كلا المواجهتين، سيلتقيان في مواجهة حسم المركز الثالث والرابع، في تمام الرابعة عصراً بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة، الأحد الموافق 8 يونيو.

وشهدت قائمة منتخب البرتغال تواجد القائد كرستيانو رونالدو، استعدادًا لمواجهة ألمانيا.

طالع أيضًا | عرض مُغر لـ كريستيانو رونالدو للمشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية قائمة البرتغال لـ نصف نهائي دوري الأمم الأوروبية أمام ألمانيا

حراسة المرمى: ديوجو كوستا، روي سيلفا، خوسيه سا.

خط الدفاع: ديوجو دالوت، نيلسون سيميدو، نونو مينديز، نونو تافاريس، جونسالو إيناسيو، روبن دياز، أنطونيو سيلفا، ريناتو فيجا.

خط الوسط: لاعبو الوسط : جواو بالينيا، روبن نيفيز، جواو نيفيز، فيتينيا، برونو فيرنانديز، بيدرو جونسالفيس، برناردو سيلفا، جواو فيليكس.

خط الهجوم: الهجوم : فرانسيسكو ترينكاو، فرانسيسكو كونسيساو، بيدرو نيتو، رودريجو مورا، رافائيل لياو، ديوجو جوتا، جونزالو راموس، كريستيانو رونالدو.

Os 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗦 para a Final Four da #NationsLeague! 📃✍️

🔗 𝗦𝗔𝗕𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗦 👉 https://t.co/4jTFuCsPX7#FazHistória | @UEFAEURO pic.twitter.com/xCg5akEqj7 — Portugal (@selecaoportugal) May 20, 2025

The NWSL’s custom crystallized soccer ball continues it's tour across the NWSL, amazing various celebrities along the way

Bespoke crystal-encrusted ball travels to major NWSL gamesCelebrities and players pose with the ball to raise awarenessAuction proceeds to benefit Athlete AllyGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

The NWSL's unique, crystal-adorned soccer ball is touring the country, making appearances nationally televised matches. A number of celebrities and athletes, have been photographed with the ball, including Chris Paul, Issa Rae, Aaliyah Edwards, Sam Mewis, Trinity Rodman, Michele Kang and Anthony Hill.

The soccer ball, made with Swarovski crystals, will eventually be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Athlete Ally, an organization dedicated to fostering LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality in sports.

AdvertisementWHAT THE NWSL POSTEDGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The crystal ball tour reflects the NWSL's growing influence and its commitment to social causes. As women's soccer continues to gain popularity in the United States, initiatives like this help to bridge the gap between sports, entertainment, and social advocacy. The involvement of celebrities and athletes from different sports underscores the universal appeal of the NWSL.

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WHAT’S NEXT?

The ball will continue its journey to NWSL matches throughout the remainder of the 2025 season, with more celebrities and influential figures expected to participate. At the season's conclusion, the ball will be auctioned off.

In what could be a repeat of Michael Olise’s departure to Bayern Munich last summer, Barcelona have held talks to sign a Crystal Palace star who’s yet to sign a new deal at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace transfer news

It took a couple of months for the Eagles to adjust to life without Olise, but Oliver Glasner can now say with confidence that their season is well and truly underway, albeit with one cautious eye on the dropzone. The summer transfer window, in the face of such a departure, proved to be a difficult one even as the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Maxence Lacroix arrived.

Now, with the January transfer window approaching and a few too many question marks surrounding their ability to stay afloat in the Premier League, it will be interesting to see if Palace welcome a number of reinforcements. Already, they’ve been linked with the likes of James McAtee and Romain Esse – two midfielders who would add an injection of quality in Glasner’s side.

As reinforcements potentially arrive, however, the exit door could swing open once more to deal those at Selhurst Park another blow in 2025. According to Caught Offside, Barcelona are now plotting a move to sign Tyrick Mitchell alongside the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, having already held talks with the left-back.

With his contract set to come to an end in the summer and reports suggesting that he’s not keen to commit his long-term future in South London, Mitchell’s departure seems an inevitability – handing Palace quite the decision to make.

Crystal Palace chiefs in talks to sign "exceptional" new target in January

He was recently called up by his country for the first-ever time.

ByBarney Lane Dec 23, 2024

If Palace decide to wait until the summer, then they will lose Mitchell for free unless anything changes on the contract front. So if clubs come calling as early as the January transfer window, then the Eagles may well be wise to cash in on their defender.

"Consistent" Mitchell would be a frustrating loss

For Mitchell to reach this point in his contract is a failure in itself for Crystal Palace, who simply did not commence talks early enough to avoid the panic that they now find themselves in. An important player under Glasner and a rising star who the Eagles would usually be guaranteed to at least cash in on, they’ll likely be left with no choice but to watch one of their prized assets leave as a free agent when the summer arrives.

Glasner will be among those most frustrated if that does prove to be the case, having praised Mitchell earlier this month. The Palace manager told reporters as relayed by BBC Sport: “The biggest potential he has is in possession.

“Entering the final third, I think he can be involved more and have quicker solutions. This is what we are working on daily with him. He is very consistent, he is always available and plays to a high level.”

It’s consistency that Barcelona have seemingly taken notice of too and as Mitchell’s contract continues to run down, he looks like a player to watch when 2025 arrives.

Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of extending Ansu Fati's contract by five years, but will still look to sell the La Masia wonderkid this summer.

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• Barca to renew Fati's contract
• Will offer new deal that will run until 2030
• Catalans want to save money by offering lengthy extension

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to a report from SPORT, Barcelona are planning to hand Ansu Fati a fresh five-year deal. Fati is currently among the top earners at Barca with a salary of around €13-14 million, and with no potential suitors ready to buy him yet, it has now been revealed why the player is being offered a new deal.

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• (C)Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona are eager to offload Fati and remove his hefty wages from the wage bill, but the player is unlikely to accept any move, as he wants to succeed at the club. With his current deal running until 2027, the club is considering offering him a new five-year contract until 2030 with a significant pay cut. This would spread the €26m he is set to earn over the next two years across the full term of the new contract, allowing the club to save money in the short term.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  When Hansi Flick arrived as the new Barca boss ahead of the ongoing season, reports from Spain revealed that the German manager was going to count upon the former wonderkid. "I have congratulated Ansu on his return. I have a lot of appreciation for him and he is going to do very well," Flick said in September after Fati marked his return to fitness following a cameo in the Champions League.

  However, the 22-year-old has struggled to turn his fortunes around, with Flick regularly leaving him out of Barcelona's matchday squads. A summer departure seems inevitable, although the player is unwilling to seek pastures new.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  Currently atop the La Liga table with 60 points, same as rivals Real Madrid, Flick and Co. will face a gruelling fixture calendar in the coming weeks as they are set to play nine games over the next four weeks. Their upcoming assignment is a home game against Osasuna on Thursday, March 27.

Series on the line in Gqeberha with the visitors desperate to set the record straight after their collapse in the first Test

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2022Big pictureIt’s Gqeberha, with a hard click at the start and a guttural “gha” at the end, that’s the venue for the last dance of the South African summer. Where, you ask? The place with the oldest cricket ground in the country but the newest name.Formerly known as Port Elizabeth, the city was renamed last year, but not much else has changed. It’s still about life in the slow lane in this part of the country, with the whistling of a strong wind for company. It’s been blowing fiercely in the lead up to the match, almost enough to match the fury within the Bangladesh camp.The visitors are angry with everyone, from the umpires for the eight decisions that needed to be overturned in Durban to the hosts for what they called an unacceptable level of sledging throughout the tour. They’ve lodged an official complaint about both, but have since denied raising any issue about the verbals, which South Africa insist did not cross the line.Related

Elgar: Maharaj and Harmer helped us play a 'style of cricket we're not used to'

Mominul: 'Crime to give wickets to spinners on foreign soil'

Donald says Bangladesh can exploit Gqeberha conditions

Bangladesh lost 14 wickets to spin on a surface that should have reminded them of home and were bowled out for their second-lowest total in Test cricket. This despite being so competitive for four full days of the match. After coups like their win in New Zealand and their ODI series victory here, Bangladesh know they are better than 53 all out and will want to use the second Test to show that.They could ask for no better place to play it than the home of their head coach, Russell Domingo, who successfully coached the Warriors franchise, based at St George’s Park, and never lost a Test here in his time with South Africa. It hasn’t hosted a Test match since January 2020, but it will return with all the usual bells and whistles. The brass band is back after their Covid-19 hiatus and a capacity of 7,500 is allowed. Although attendance is not usually that high, for South Africans who have been deprived of live sport for the last two years, it’s the perfect opportunity to see the national team up close before they head on away assignments over the winter.Bangladesh weren’t very pleased with the umpiring that was on show in Durban•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa can probably already call this Test season a success after a home series win against India and a drawn series in New Zealand but will not want to slip up after seizing the advantage in Durban. Speaking of, they’ve already had one accident this week. Dean Elgar fell when getting out of the shower a few days ago and hit his head badly enough to require stitches. The cut is above his right eye, roughly where his helmet might sit, but he batted on the eve of the match and “seems to be okay”, to lead the side.Even with an under-strength squad – five first-choice South Africa players are at the IPL – Elgar has managed to establish his style of play. “Ruthless,” was how he described it in Durban and he will want nothing less than to seal a series sweep.Form guideSouth Africa WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLWLLIn the spotlightSimon Harmer surged back onto the international scene with a four-for in his first Test innings and showed the progress he has made as an attacking bowler since last playing Tests in 2015. He was humble in his success and said the return did not necessarily prove his worth but after finishing the match with seven wickets may have adjusted that opinion. Still, Harmer remains a support act to Keshav Maharaj, especially as South Africa seldom play two spinners in a Test XI and a big performance on his former home ground could go a long way to ensuring he is part of the squad that tours England this winter, and maybe even stakes a claim for the lone spinner spot, on occasion.Since he last played in South Africa in 2017 where he impressed with a score of 70 in Bloemfontein, Litton Das has become one of Bangladesh’s most dependable batters. He was the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in 2021, with 594 from seven Tests at an average of 49.50 and is the top batter in 2022 so far, with 239 runs from three innings. His 41 at Kingsmead was a good mix of conservative batting and counter-attack and he shared in their most profitable partnership of the match, 82, with Mahmudul Hasan Joy, but will want to push on to bigger things in Gqerberha.Litton Das has been one of Bangladesh’s most dependable players recently•Getty ImagesTeam newsSouth Africa are unlikely to make any changes to the batting line-up but may look at one in the bowling department. Despite being the most experienced member of the pace pack, Duanne Olivier has failed to set the stage alight and could be benched for Lutho Sipamla, who is from this city and played his early years of domestic cricket here.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Sarel Erwee, 3 Keegan Petersen, 4 Ryan Rickleton, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Simon Harmer, 10 Lizaad Williams 11 Lutho SipamlaTamim Iqbal has recovered from the stomach ailment that kept him out of the first Test and is expected to replace Shadman Islam at the top of the other. With both Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam out of the series with injury, either Abu Jayed or Shohidul Islam will play.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Yasir Ali, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Abu Jayed/Shohidul Islam, 10 Khaled Hossain, 11 Ebadot HossainPitch and conditionsNever mind the surface – which had a healthy grass covering two days before the Test match but will get a trim before the first ball – it’s the air that’s a major factor in Gqeberha. Westerly Winds of around 50kph have been blowing in the lead-up to the match. That’s the drying wind, which usually means it will be good for batting, but the direction will change from the first day of the match, bringing moisture but, with autumn temperatures hovering in the low 20 C, there’s unlikely to be the humidity for swing. Rain is forecast for the first three days, with the third day the most likely to be severely affected. There’s an 80% chance of showers on Sunday but by early next week, conditions are expected to clear so this Test could go the distance.Stats and trivia Mushfiqur Rahim needs 127 runs to reach 5,000 Test runs, while Tamim Iqbal needs 212. South Africa have lost their last two matches at St George’s Park, to England and Sri Lanka.Quotes”The wind plays a massive factor here at St George’s. If the wind is coming over the scoreboard, they call it the swing wind. And it might assist the bowlers. If the wind comes through the gap between the change room and the stand, it’s a swirling wind, which plays a massive part with the ball when it goes up in the air and with catching. The wind is also a factor with batters because it tends to blow you a bit over your front foot and gets you to go across the ball a little bit.”