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Hong Kong gave Sri Lanka a scare, but a slew of dropped chances meant they could not pull off the upset

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Sep-20252:54

Maharoof: ‘Theekshana needs to become a wicket-taking option’

A Pathum Nissanka fifty at the top of the innings, and a Wanindu Hasaranga cameo at the end saw Sri Lanka survive a scare from the group’s lowest-ranked team, Hong Kong.In two disciplines, Hong Kong were valiant. Anshy Rath batted with determination to score 48, and Nizakat Khan with verve to make 52 not out off 38, the pair driving Hong Kong to a total of 149 for 4.The bowlers then created chances right through the innings. They never allowed Sri Lanka to truly dominate a phase, then took three quick wickets, Yasim Murtaza and Ehsan Khan striking to have Sri Lanka at 127 for 6, needing more than a run-a-ball to win.But their catching was poor. Nissanka was dropped no fewer than three times – twice by Ehsan, who couldn’t hold sharp return chances. Kusal Perera was also dropped twice in the same Ayush Shukla over, though one of those chances was exceedingly difficult. Had some of those stuck, though, Hong Kong could truly have made Sri Lanka sweat.In the end, Hong Kong’s bowlers made too many mistakes at the death, and Sri Lanka had the depth to capitalise, Hasaranga making his presence felt from No. 8. He made 20 not out off eight balls. Nissanka had struck 68 off 44.

Nissanka sets Sri Lanka up again

Nissanka was dropped on 43, 63, and 68, but outside of those errors played another efficient innings, finding boundaries before the pressure really built on him, and ensuring that Sri Lanka kept ticking even as Kusal Mendis and Kamil Mishara soaked up balls early. He was especially good at the lap-scoop, targeting that area behind short fine leg when Hong Kong strayed into his pads. This was his third T20I fifty in five innings, in what continues to be a rich year across formats.2:13

Maharoof: Sri Lanka played with a ‘fear of failure’ mentality

Three wickets in eight balls

Although it hadn’t been the boundary-fest Sri Lanka would have wanted, owing to some disciplined Hong Kong bowling, they were still traveling swiftly to a comfortable win at the end of the 15th over, when they were two down and needed 32 from 30.Then came a horror sequence. Nissanka was run out at the non-striker’s end, having hesitated on a dodgy second run. Not even a big dive could get him close to the crease. Perera was out lbw having missed a turning delivery from Murtaza next ball. Then second ball of the following over, offspinner Ehsan had Charith Asalanka slicing one to short third.When Kamindu Mendis holed out against Murtaza first ball of the 18th over, Sri Lanka had lost four wickets for nine runs, off 13 deliveries. And they still needed 23 off 17 to win.

Enter Hasaranga…

Hasaranga got a freebie second ball. Murtaza had overstepped the previous delivery, and the batters had taken a single. So Hasaranga had the licence to go big, and he duly pounded the free hit into the sightscreen behind the bowler. Next over he crashed a four through cover – a favourite area – and finished by drilling another boundary down the ground. Hasaranga has played decent innings for Sri Lanka before, but this one came under some pressure.Nizakat Khan became the second Hong Kong batter to score a T20I fifty in the Asia Cup•Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

Nizakat and Rath help put up a defendable score

Long before that late drama, however, Rath and Nizakat had helped Hong Kong make a creditable impression in their last showing of the tournament. Rath played a measured innings, rarely going much faster than a run-a-ball. But it was also an interesting one – only four of his 48 runs came behind the wicket.Nizakat, however, was much more aggressive, using strong wrists to whip the ball to leg, and slice it through the offside. He was dropped twice, but was responsible for Hong Kong’s quicker progress through the final overs. This was his first T20I half cenutry against a full member nation.

Arsenal star Declan Rice has had his say on summer signing Cristhian Mosquera as Mikel Arteta waits to discover the extent of his injury problem.

Arsenal defeat Brentford 2-0 to maintain 18-game unbeaten run

The Gunners restored their five-point advantage at the Premier League summit with a straightforward victory over Brentford on Wednesday evening.

Mikel Merino’s early header and Bukayo Saka’s stoppage-time finish secured all three points to extend the Gunners’ unbeaten streak to 18 matches, but Arteta faces mounting injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.

The manager watched Mosquera hobble off just before halftime after landing awkwardly during an aerial challenge with Kevin Schade.

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The defender immediately signalled discomfort and was unable to continue, with Jurrien Timber entering as his replacement to partner Piero Hincapie in central defence.

Arsenal’s defensive problems have now intensified with both regular starters William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes already sidelined through injury, leaving Arteta with severely limited options at the back during a congested festive fixture schedule.

That being said, the good news is that Saliba is expected to be back in a ‘matter of days’, according to Arteta in his pre-Brentford press conference.

If the Frenchman is fit and available for Villa, Arsenal will have little choice but to thrust Saliba right back into the starting eleven to partner Hincapie, with Gabriel still weeks away from returning.

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The situation worsened against Brentford when Rice gestured toward his right calf before receiving treatment and departing in the 83rd minute. Viktor Gyokeres replaced the influential midfielder as concerns grew about the England international’s availability for crucial upcoming fixtures.

Luckily for Arteta, Rice has managed to avoid a serious injury and is expected to be fit for their upcoming Premier League clash against Unai Emery’s men in-form Villa side.

Supporters can breathe a massive sigh of relief after this news, but they’re still waiting to find out about Mosquera’s condition.

Declan Rice praises Cristhian Mosquera amid Arsenal injury scare

Speaking to Sky Sports before Arsenal’s win over Brentford, Rice explained exactly why the Spaniard could end up being a sore miss — especially with Saliba currently absent and a doubt for this weekend.

The England international, who has been their arguable player of the season so far, told Sky that Mosquera is an “incredible” player with “immense” qualities alongside Hincapie.

This high praise comes as further evidence of what many already know — Mosquera has proved to be one of the bargains of the summer.

Signed for just £13 million from Valencia, the 21-year-old has done exactly what has been required of him whilst barely ever faltering.

Mosquera was handed his Premier League debut in a testing 1-0 defeat at Anfield in August, the club’s last defeat in all competitions, and he performed admirably at a very difficult ground after replacing the injured Saliba.

The youngster has attracted major praise whenever he’s been asked to fill in for one of Arsenal’s first choice pairing, with Martin Keown claiming that Mosquera has ‘the same DNA’ as both Saliba and Gabriel.

Arsenal will now be praying that his development isn’t stifled by a serious long-term injury, and the club are reportedly convinced that Mosquera could become one of the best centre-backs in world football.

Losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona in the summer of 2022 was a bitter blow for Bayern Munich. The Pole had scored 344 goals in just 375 appearances for the club, after all. Replacing him was never going to be easy, but it ended up taking Bayern more than a year to find a worthy successor, as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting rather unsurprisingly didn't exactly prove himself up to the task.

It's funny to think about it now, but there were those that questioned the decision to sign Harry Kane to belatedly fill the considerable hole left by Lewandowski in the Bayern attack. Club legend Lothar Matthaus felt that the €100 million signing from Tottenham, who had just turned 30, was "too old and too expensive". Now, though, the German says he doesn't "see a better striker in the world".

It, therefore, shouldn't come as that much of a shock to learn that Barcelona have come to the same conclusion as Bayern two years ago: that there isn't a better Lewandowski replacement on the market right now than Kane.

Getty Images SportHaaland too costly

Back in 2023, it was rumoured that part of the reason why Lewandowski wanted out of the Allianz Arena was Bayern's alleged attempt to convince Erling Haaland to move to Munich rather than Manchester that same summer. Lewandowski insisted that Norwegian No.9 had absolutely nothing to do with his desire to swap Bavaria for Barcelona, but it's nonetheless amusing to read reports that Blaugrana president Joan Laporta is 'obsessed' with signing Haaland.

It's obviously not going to happen – at least not yet. It's going to take at least another year for lever-pulling Laporta to balance the Blaugrana's books – let alone put them back in a position to sign the most valuable players on the planet. With a little more creative accounting, though, Barca could well be in a position to land Kane at the end of the season.

According to , the England captain has a €65m (£57m/$76m) buyout clause in his contract that can be activated next summer provided the striker notifies Bayern of his desire to leave by the end of January. The Bundesliga champions are, however, reportedly relaxed about the situation for the simple fact that Kane is currently content, on and off the field at the Allianz Arena.

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From a purely sporting perspective, things certainly couldn't be going any better for Kane and his club. Unbeaten Bayern have made a record-breaking start to their 2025-26 campaign and are presently top of both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Kane is the principal reason why, having scored an utterly ludicrous 24 goals in just 18 appearances in all competitions – more than any other player in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

The man himself may have had understandable misgivings about the size of Vincent Kompany's squad at the start of the season – but they've made light of the absence of Jamal Musiala through injury thanks to the exciting emergence of 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl, Luis Diaz's incredible impact since joining from Liverpool and Michael Olise elevating his game to an even higher level after a wonderful debut season in Germany.

The net result is that Bayern are the best team in Europe at the moment – as they underlined by maintaining their 100 percent in the Champions League with a mightily impressive 2-1 victory over titleholders Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes during which they showcased both their attacking prowess and defensive diligence.

Getty Images SportSettled in Munich

Crucially, Kane's family are also loving life right now – and not just because he's enjoying the most prolific spell of his stellar career.

When he first made the move from his native London to Munich, there were external concerns over how Kane and his family would deal with the change of city, country and culture. However, Kane has repeatedly brought up just how "comfortable" he, his wife Kate and their children feel in Germany, where they are reportedly afforded more privacy than they were back in England.

"The way the people here welcomed us was extraordinary," the striker said earlier this year. "It touched us deeply as a family – not just me, but all of us. We love it. We truly appreciate every second."

In that context, one cannot but take Kane at his word when he says that he's even open to extending a contract that expires in 2027.

"We can certainly talk about that," he said in September. "I have almost two years left, so it's not like I'm in the final year of my contract and anyone is panicking. I'm fine. The club is fine. I think they're happy with me, and I'm happy with them. Those discussions can take place."

He doubled down on that when directly questioned about the Barcelona links ahead of his return to north London with Bayern on Wednesday when they face Arsenal in the Champions League, telling : "I haven't had any contact with anyone, nobody has contacted me. I feel very comfortable in the current situation, even though we haven't yet discussed my situation with Bayern. There’s no rush. I'm really happy in Munich. You can see that in the way I'm playing. If there’s contact, then we'll see. But I'm not thinking about the new season yet. First up is the World Cup in the summer. And it’s very unlikely that anything will change after this season."

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Getty Images SportEdging towards the exit

There's no denying, though, that Kane would give serious consideration to a serious bid from Barca, who, for all of their financial troubles, retain an almost mythical status even among elite-level footballers. There are few more attractive destinations on the planet, and what No.9 wouldn't want to play in the same forward line as Lamine Yamal? All things considered, Kane would find an offer from Barca very difficult to turn down, particularly if they resolve their registration problems in 2026.

It's also clear that the Blaugrana are going to have to replace Lewandowski sooner rather than later. The Poland international is still scoring goals – no Barca player has scored more in La Liga this season (eight) – but he's 37 now and he's had three muscular issues since April, suggesting that his body is starting to betray him.

It certainly feels significant that talks have yet to begin over a new deal for Lewandowski, who will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign and free to talk to other clubs from January 1.

When asked about his next move while on Poland duty last week, Lewandowski admitted to reporters, "I still don’t know the answer. That’s why I’m not in a hurry. I’m at peace with myself, and that is the most important thing. Even if, for example, the club contacted me now, I still wouldn’t answer that question, because I also have to feel what’s best for me. But, for now, I’m calm, I’m not in a hurry and, at the moment, I don’t expect anything else."

Leeds United are now racing to sign FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju, but it could take a huge offer to get a deal over the line.

Leeds strengthened their forward line considerably during the summer transfer window, but Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have so far flattered to deceive, having scored just three Premier League goals between them after 11 matches.

Some of Calvert-Lewin’s performances have been particularly concerning, with the former Everton man now on a six-game goal drought, losing his place in the starting line-up after registering an xG of just 0.03 in the 3-0 drubbing at Brighton & Hove Albion.

There is a case to be made that Daniel Farke’s side are not playing to the Englishman’s strengths, with Ross McCormack saying:

“The team has got to be built around him. Your full-backs and your wingers have got to put crosses into the box, and I don’t feel Leeds United do that enough.”

However, a return of just one goal in ten matches across all competitions is still way below par, and the Whites have now set their sights on a new striker ahead of the January transfer window.

Leeds join race to sign Franculino Dju

According to transfer expert Graeme Bailey, in a report for Leeds United News, Leeds have now joined the race for Midtjylland striker Franculino, but they will have to pay a club-record fee to get a deal over the line.

Bailey said: “He’s got a lot of teams looking at him. West Ham like him a lot, they looked at him in the summer. Midtjylland have put a £40m price tag on him.

“Teams will possibly try to soften that by putting in lesser offers. He’s got an awful lot of interest; I’m told over 20 clubs across Europe like him. Leeds have looked at him, he’s on their radar, they’ve watched him.”

With Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin underperforming, it is no surprise the Whites want to bring in some additional attacking firepower, and the 21-year-old is off to a flying start to the campaign, amassing 19 goals in 26 matches in all competitions.

Franculino’s goalscoring record this season

Appearances

Goals

Superliga

14

14

Europa League qualifying

6

1

Europa League

4

3

Oddset Pokalen

2

1

The Guinea-Bissau international has now earned the chance to prove himself at a higher level, having been a consistent goalscorer for the Danish side for quite some time, picking up a total of 52 goals and 13 assists in 99 outings.

Having been prolific in front of goal, the centre-forward was also lauded as “unstoppable” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this season.

With some tricky fixtures on the horizon, Leeds may need someone to come in and save their season in January, and it would certainly be worth taking a gamble on Franculino, although the huge asking price could be a stumbling block.

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The back-to-back wickets in the eighth over of Sri Lanka’s innings swung this Asia Cup Super Four match towards Pakistan – this was how Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, who was the first of the two batters to be dismissed in that passage, saw it.Sri Lanka had been 58 for 3 after 7.1 overs, when Asalanka was caught at deep square-leg off the bowling of Hussain Talat. Next ball, Dasun Shanaka poked at a delivery in the channel and sent a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Sri Lanka were suddenly five down with more than 60% of the overs remaining. The limped to 133 for 8 in the end.”Although we didn’t get a great start from the openers, at the end of the powerplay we still had 53 runs. We’d lost three wickets, but we were still in a good place, because it’s not easy to score that many in the powerplay,” Asalanka said. “But then myself and Dasun got out off successive deliveries, and that was when the biggest damage was done.Related

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“Neither Dasun or I were going for big shots when we got out. I was trying to put the ball into a gap, but ended up top-edging it. Dasun also played a normal shot first up. But we have to take responsibility.”That Sri Lanka managed to have something to bowl at was down to Kamindu Mendis, who hit 50 off 44 balls, with support from Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne.”We lost five wickets in the first half of our innings, and against these kinds of teams it’s really hard to come back from that,” Asalanka said. “Kamindu and the others fought hard, but Wanindu also got out at a bad time, when it had felt like we could get to 150. In the end it was not enough.”Sri Lanka are very nearly out of the tournament now, having suffered two big losses in the Super Four stage. They had strengthened their bowling for this match, dropping Kamil Mishara for Karunaratne. Asalanka identified balancing his team as perhaps the primary problem facing Sri Lanka ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.”We’ve had lots of issues with our combinations, and that’s something we have to get right ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We tried going with an extra bowler today, but we lost a specialist batsman because of that, and didn’t score the runs we needed. Other times we’ve played an extra batsman and couldn’t defend a score with the ball.”We need to figure out how to consistently score 180 to 200, and also how to use the part-time bowlers – myself, Dasun, Kamindu Mendis – better. Those are things we need to improve in the future.”

A manager has now been told to get “ready” by Premier League pundit Rio Ferdinand as Arne Slot remains under pressure to turn things around at Liverpool.

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Relief echoed around the away end when Cody Gakpo slammed home Liverpool’s second of the afternoon against West Ham United on Sunday. It came moments after Jarrod Bowen uncharacteristically struck wide and signalled a much-needed victory for Liverpool. But the pressure is still on.

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The Reds’ 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, which also featured a first Premier League goal for record signing Alexander Isak, cannot be a false dawn. Liverpool must kick on, even if they are set to still be without Conor Bradley and must monitor the fitness of others in their next game against Sunderland.

Bradley could at least make a return when Liverpool square off against Leeds United this weekend, however, after Slot told reporters: “Conor got into a team training session yesterday for the first time. Not everything 100% yet so we have to manage that so don’t get hopes up too soon.

“We expect the same with Jeremie (Frimpong) next week. Unfortunately we play a lot of games, so he’ll miss a few. Hopefully Conor is available for Leeds.”

It’s arguably the biggest month of Slot’s Liverpool tenure. He remains under pressure to turn things around and will watch on as his side play six games in 24 days.

Anything but a convincing month of results could spell the end of the former Feyenoord manager, opening the door for an unemployed manager who Ferdinand has told to get “ready”.

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Whilst in the Middle East attending the Formula 1 Qatar GP, Ferdinand told Steven Gerrard to get “ready” to take the Liverpool job on an interim basis amid the pressure on Slot.

It would certainly be a brave call from Liverpool and from Gerrard if he took the management role. He previously won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, but has since been sacked by Aston Villa and Saudi Pro League side El-Ettifaq.

Take the emotions out of the scenario and the Liverpool legend is simply not the most qualified for the job.

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Bangladesh could look to strengthen their batting in Dhaka, while West Indies, who have embraced the conditions well, will want to add to their good work from the second game

Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2025

Big picture – Another game of patience?

The batting line-up that deals with the spin better on these Dhaka pitches will clinch the ODI series – it’s almost that simple.West Indies pinched a one-run win against Bangladesh in the Super Over after 213 played 213 in the second ODI after 92 overs of spin couldn’t find a result, which speaks of how the batters had it.To West Indies’ credit, they have embraced the Dhaka conditions, many of them showing greater belief than their Bangladesh counterparts. They doubled down on bowling spinners, completing the entire innings in the second ODI with only slow bowlers. They didn’t use Justin Greaves even for one over. Interestingly, it was the part-time offspinner Alick Athanaze, who was West Indies’ best bowler, with 2 for 14 from his ten overs.Related

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Akeal Hosein, Roston Chase and Khary Pierre bowled decent spells, though Gudakesh Motie went for plenty, especially in the death overs. West Indies will expect improvement in the spinners’ economy rate, but they will look for a bit more from their batters too.Shai Hope struck a fifty but several middle- and lower-middle-order batters fell after getting starts. Athanaze and Brandon King will be expected to give them a strong start, with Keacy Carty for support at No. 3. Hope will need help from Sherfane Rutherford and Chase among the more experienced batters too. Ackeem Auguste wasn’t convincing on his ODI debut, so another opportunity beckons for the youngster.Bangladesh would also have to give their batting line-up another go, although they would have initially thought scoring 213 on this pitch was a worthy effort. Crucially, they have a dot-ball percentage of 62.04, which demands better strike rotation from them in the third ODI.It is also high time that Bangladesh’s top three contributed more significantly. Soumya Sarkar top-scored with 46 in the previous game but Saif Hassan and Najmul Hossain Shanto haven’t made a big score. The middle order has contributed but with moderate scores and mini partnerships. Bangladesh needed Rishad Hossain’s big-hitting lower down to boost their run-rates in the death overs.Their bowling attack was slightly better than the visitors’ in the second game, even though a tie doesn’t suggest that.Soumya Sarkar has been the best of the Bangladesh batters on show•BCB

Form guide

Bangladesh LWLLL
West Indies WLWWL

In the spotlight – Soumya Sarkar and Akeal HoseinSoumya Sarkar hung around for nearly two hours on the tricky Dhaka pitch in the second ODI. He fell short of a fifty, but it wasn’t a very convincing effort. This, despite hitting a couple of lovely shots, including one of his signature inside-out strokes. Soumya was sent back in the Super Over, where he couldn’t connect properly. It was a tough ask for the enigmatic batter, who has been in and out of the Bangladesh team for the last ten years. Nothing much has changed, but he could do with a bit of spotlight.Akeal Hosein raced to Dhaka to be part of the second ODI, where he played a big role in West Indies levelling the series. He bowled a couple of wides and a no-ball in the Super Over, but managed to keep the Bangladesh batters tied up. He had earlier bowled economically in his return to the ODI setup after two years. That he was playing an international match after very little sleep wasn’t evident. Hosein will continue to exert influence in the rest of the tour, as he is expected to take the new ball in both ODIs and T20Is.Akeal Hosein has hit the ground running•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Bangladesh could look at Tanzid Hasan, Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain for a shake-up of their batting line-up.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Soumya Sarkar, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mahidul Islam, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Nasum Ahmed, 10 Tanvir Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanWest Indies have Amir Jangoo if they want a change in the top six.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Alick Athanaze, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 5 Ackeem Auguste, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Justin Greaves, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Khary PierreRishad Hossain has been sparkling, with ball and bat•BCB

Pitch and conditions

What the ICC match officials report about the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch will be something to watch out for. It resembles a puzzle-board with different types of turn and different levels of bounce, apart from being two-paced.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh played their first tied game in international cricket in the second ODI.
• Towhid Hridoy and Shai Hope are the only batters to score fifties in the series so far.
• The two sides combined to bowl 92 overs of spin in the second game, the most in any ODI.

Quotes

BCCI secretary says India did not want to receive the trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20252:03

Chopra: Tilak understood the need of the hour

India refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy at the presentation ceremony, which was delayed by more than an hour after they beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final on Sunday in Dubai. They refused because the trophy was to be presented by Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the PCB and the interior minister of Pakistan.”We have decided not to take the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main [political] leaders of Pakistan,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI. “So we decided not to take it from him. But that does not mean that the gentleman will take away the trophy with him along with the medals. So it is very unfortunate and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible.”There is an ICC conference in November in Dubai. In the next conference, we are going to launch a very serious and very strong protest against the act of the ACC chairperson.”Related

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The night Tilak and Dube went from promise to performance

While the match ended at around 10.30pm Dubai time in a thrilling final-over finish, the wait for the presentation went on until close to midnight. It was not initially clear what the delay was down to, though speculation was that India did not want to receive the trophy from Naqvi. A statement on the organisation’s website on Saturday had said that Naqvi intended to hand over the trophy to the winners.Once the presentation ceremony began, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma received their individual awards from other dignitaries on stage, and Pakistan captain Salman Agha accepted the runners-up cheque, after which the ceremony came to an end.”I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight,” Simon Doull, the presenter for the host broadcaster, said at the ceremony. “So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”ACC president Mohsin Naqvi was there for the final•Associated Press

At the press conference after the ceremony, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said, “I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing cricket, started following cricket, that a champion team is denied a trophy, that too a hard-earned one. I feel we deserved it. I can’t say anything more, I’ve summed it up really well. If you tell me about trophies, my trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys with me, the support staff, those are the real trophies throughout this journey in the Asia Cup.”Suryakumar said the team had taken the decision not to receive the trophy and that “no one told us to do it”.Once the game concluded, the Pakistan players walked off the ground into the dressing room while the Indian players stayed on the field. The stage for the presentation ceremony was not set for an extended period of time. In due course, Naqvi appeared, and spent a significant amount of time in animated discussions with officials on the ground while the crowd thinned out, though a large number of Indian spectators remained.After nearly an hour, the stage was set up and Naqvi and other dignitaries took their place. An official then removed the Asia Cup trophy from its place on a raised dais, and walked off the ground with it without explanation. The Pakistan team then emerged before the ceremony, conducted by Doull, commenced.A dejected Pakistan side after the loss in the final•AFP/Getty Images

The India players who received their individual awards did walk up to the stage where Naqvi stood, but did not acknowledge him, and received their awards from other officials. Naqvi did not applaud the India players who came up to receive their individual awards.The Pakistan players came up to receive their medals, with captain Agha accepting the cheque, which he posed with too. After the post-match interviews with Doull were concluded, the dignitaries left the stage. The India team and officials then took their place on the podium, where they celebrated their victory. With no actual trophy in sight, Suryakumar and the rest of the side held up an imaginary trophy as part of their celebrations.India’s stance to not accept a trophy from Naqvi was expected. They had refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team members in any of the three games they played this tournament, either at the toss or after the matches. While Pakistan coach Mike Hesson and captain Agha both criticised India for it, India’s position did not change.Things became heated, especially during the second game in the Super Fours stage, with several verbal spats between the sides. Suryakumar was fined for remarks he made following the first game, and Haris Rauf for his actions in the second.

Danny Röhl has made an encouraging start to life as Rangers manager, but there is still plenty of work to do.

Last Sunday’s 3-0 drubbing of Dundee makes it three Premiership victories out of three for the German, likely to maintain that perfect record when bottom-of-the-table Livingston visit Ibrox after the international break.

However, the Gers remain rock bottom of the Europa League table without a point to their name, beaten by both Sturm Graz and Roma under Röhl, while also dumped out of the League Cup in the semi-finals by Celtic, albeit Thelo Aasgaard’s red card at Hampden did not help their cause.

So, having inherited a complete mess, Röhl is still figuring out which plays he can rely on as well as who he wants to build around for the future.

Jack Butland, James Tavernier, John Souttar and Nicolas Raskin have quickly established themselves as key figures, with the new manager showing faith in expensive new striker Youssef Chermiti too.

However, other players are not seeing as much game time as they may have anticipated, so is one summer signing in danger of becoming the club’s latest Óscar Cortés?

Óscar Cortés: Rangers transfer bust

One of Rangers’ 14 summer signings, officially at least, Cortés was one, albeit he’d been with the club since 1 February 2024 on loan.

Despite making little impact in Glasgow, the Colombian’s move from Lens was made permanent for £4.5m, due to a pre-agreed obligation to buy.

At the time of his arrival, Rangers supporters were very excited, considering Cortés had starred at the 2023 U20 World Cup, scoring four goals and registering two assists for Colombia, awarded the tournament’s Bronze Ball.

Scout António Mango thereby labelled him an “insane talent”, while the Rangers Journal forecast that he would “provide pace, power and… goal contributions” to Rangers’ forward line, which certainly has not been the case thus far.

In just 21 appearances to date, 764 minutes, he has scored only one goal for the Gers, missing 58 matches entirely, the majority of which have been due to injury.

Thus, he was sent out on loan to Sporting Gijón on deadline day, but is yet to do very much in the Segunda División either, as his market value continues to diminish at a rapid rate.

So now, which current Rangers forward could follow a similar path if he continues to be under-utilised by Röhl?

Rangers star becoming Cortés repeat

They say that first impressions are the most important, and Oliver Antman certainly made a good one at Rangers.

The Finnish forward joined from Go Ahead Eagles for a reported fee of £3.5m, thrown straight into Champions League qualifying action.

Less than 24 hours after landing in Glasgow, Antman put in a man of the match performance as Rangers demolished Viktoria Plzeň 3-0, providing two assists and playing a starring role in, by some distance, the club’s best performance of the ill-fated Russell Martin era.

Considering the forward’s performances in the Netherlands last season, his signature was viewed as a major coup, as the table below documents.

Goals

6

38th

Assists

15

1st

Expected assists

9.1

1st

Big chances created

16

1st

Shots

54

22nd

Key passes

50

10th

Big chances missed

11

7th

Goal-creating actions

19

4th

Progressive carries

96

10th

As the table documents, Antman was one of the most creative players in the Eredivisie last season, racking up 15 assists as well as ranking first for expected assists and big chances created.

This is made all the more impressive by the fact he was not playing for one of the Netherlands’ traditional powerhouses, his Go Ahead Eagles team ending up seventh, albeit they did win the KNVB Beker for the very first time, defeating AZ Alkmaar on penalties, with Antman starting the final victory at De Kuip.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout was certainly impressed, labelling him “creative” while, upon his arrival, sporting director Kevin Thelwell described him as an “exciting talent” who boasts “great technical ability”.

However, following that promising start to life at Rangers, Antman has not lived up to expectations, registering just a solitary assist since his blistering debut, yet to score for his new club.

Furthermore, since starting Röhl’s first match as manager against Brann, Antman has been an unused substitute on three occasions, coming off the bench against Celtic and Dundee, but making very little impact.

In the German’s 3-4-3 formation too, there is one fewer attacking position up for grabs, very much currently behind Chermiti, Danilo, Djeidi Gassama, Mikey Moore, all of whom have scored in recent matches, and others in the pecking order.

Antman is clearly a quality player, he’s already shown glimpses of this in a Rangers jersey, and unlike Cortés, availability is not a huge barrier to him featuring in matches.

Nevertheless, the Finn is seemingly currently not in Röhl’s plans, so a January loan is very much not out of the question, and he is in danger of becoming the latest big-money signing to disappear out of Ibrox without a trace.

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