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Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, retain Shan Masood as captain

Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, retain Shan Masood as captain
Pakistani players celebrate wicket during a Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on September 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy: PCB/File)
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Updated 25 September 2024
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Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, retain Shan Masood as captain

Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, retain Shan Masood as captain
  • Masood was retained as captain despite media reports suggesting he had faced an axe after Pakistan’s 2-0 loss to Bangladesh
  • Pakistan had never lost to Bangladesh before the twin defeats took Masood’s record to five losses since replacing Babar Azam
Updated 25 September 2024
KASHIF IMRAN
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ISLAMABAD: Shan Masood will lead Pakistan in the upcoming Test series against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday, despite the national side losing five Tests under his captaincy.
The Pakistan cricket selectors announced a 15-player squad on Tuesday for the first Test against England, set to take place in Multan from 7-11 October.
Masood was retained as captain despite some media reports suggesting the 34-year-old had faced an axe after Pakistan’s shocking 2-0 loss to Bangladesh last month.
“Following the squad announcement and based on the recommendation of head coach Jason Gillespie, the selected players have been withdrawn from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs to allow them some rest ahead of the series,” the PCB said in a statement.
“The squad will assemble in Multan on Monday, 30 September, with the training camp commencing on 1 October.”
Pakistan had never lost to Bangladesh before the twin defeats took Masood’s record to five losses since replacing Babar Azam as skipper in November last year. He lost his first series 3-0 in Australia.
The first of three Tests against England starts in Multan from October 7, the second will be played in the same city from October 15 and the third in Rawalpindi from October 24.
“With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England,” Gillespie was quoted as saying by the PCB.
“We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin. We are excited about playing in front of our wonderful supporters.”
Pakistan squad:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Topics: Pakistan vs England Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood

Coach says Neymar is not ready for an imminent return to Al-Hilal

Coach says Neymar is not ready for an imminent return to Al-Hilal
Updated 12 sec ago
AP
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Coach says Neymar is not ready for an imminent return to Al-Hilal

Coach says Neymar is not ready for an imminent return to Al-Hilal
Updated 12 sec ago
AP

RIYADH: Neymar is not ready for an imminent return to play for Al-Hilal, the club’s head coach has announced.
The Brazilian star signed for the Riyadh team in August 2023 but played just five games when he underwent surgery after rupturing his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee while on international duty in October.
After Neymar, 32, returned to training in July, speculation grew that he was close to a return but coach Jorge Jesus dampened expectations in a post-match media conference.
“Neymar is an important player for Al-Hilal and the league in general,” Jesus, who led Al-Hilal to a 19th league title in May, said on Tuesday. “I can’t, however, specify a date as to when he will return but we will look at the situation in January.”
Neymar will be able to be registered by Al-Hilal in January for the second half of the Saudi Pro League (SPL ) season.
With SPL teams allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players over the age of 21, Neymar’s place in the roster for the first half of the league campaign was taken by Marcos Leonardo, signed from Benfica earlier in September.
Upon return to fitness Neymar, whose two-year contract ends next August, is eligible, however, to appear in Al-Hilal’s ongoing AFC Champions League Elite campaign as the continental competition has no restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed.

Topics: Saudi Arabia al-hilal fc Neymar

Madrid’s Mbappe suffers thigh injury before Atletico derby

Madrid’s Mbappe suffers thigh injury before Atletico derby
Updated 15 min 35 sec ago
AFP
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Madrid’s Mbappe suffers thigh injury before Atletico derby

Madrid’s Mbappe suffers thigh injury before Atletico derby
  • The French superstar was taken off during the 3-2 win over Alaves on Tuesday and appeared to be suffering some discomfort
Updated 15 min 35 sec ago
AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has sustained a thigh injury ahead of this weekend’s La Liga derby with Atletico, his club said on Wednesday.
The French superstar was taken off during the 3-2 win over Alaves on Tuesday and appeared to be suffering some discomfort.
Spanish media suggest Mbappe will miss around three weeks injured.
“Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid’s medical services on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg,” said the Spanish champions in a statement.
Mbappe scored a superb goal in the thriller at the Santiago Bernabeu with Alaves and has netted five times this season in seven league appearances.
Asked about Mbappe’s condition after the game, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said: “He’s fine, he’s fine, a little overloaded, he asked me for the change to avoid problems.”
Madrid, a point behind leaders Barcelona ahead of the Catalans’ match on Wednesday against Getafe, visit the Metropolitano stadium on Sunday to face rivals Atletico.
Los Blancos have not been beaten in La Liga for 39 games, since a defeat at Atletico a year ago.
The striker is also set to miss the visit to Lille in the Champions League next week and potentially October’s Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium with France.
Mbappe joined Real Madrid this summer at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract, fulfilling a long-held dream.
The 25-year-old hit his stride in recent matches after taking a few games to find his footing in the Spanish capital.
Mbappe has seven goals in nine appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions, scoring in the UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta in August and on his Champions League debut.

Topics: Mbappe real madrid

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Former France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces his retirement

Former France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces his retirement
Updated 43 min 16 sec ago
AP
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Former France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces his retirement

Former France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces his retirement
  • The 31-year-old Varane signed with promoted Serie A club Como in July but injured his knee during his only appearance with the Italian club
Updated 43 min 16 sec ago
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COMO: Former France and Real Madrid center back Raphael Varane announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a career that included a World Cup title and a big haul of club trophies.
The 31-year-old Varane signed with promoted Serie A club Como in July but injured his knee during his only appearance with the club — an Italian Cup match against Sampdoria last month.
“In my career I have taken on many challenges, rose to occasion after occasion, almost all of it was supposed to be impossible,” Varane wrote on Instagram. “Reflecting on these moments, it is with immense pride and a feeling of fulfillment that I am announcing my retirement from the game that we all love.”
Varane was arguably the tournament’s standout defender when France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he scored the most important of his five international goals with a header against Uruguay in the quarterfinals.
An elegant, ball-playing defender with excellent positional sense thanks to his quick reading of the game, Varane formed a solid center back pairing with Samuel Umtiti in that tournament.
He also helped Madrid to four Champions League titles and three Spanish league trophies.
He moved to Manchester United in 2021 but was restricted to 95 appearances in his three seasons in England — mainly because of injuries.
Varane began his career at Lens.
“From Lens to Madrid to Manchester, and playing for our national team. I have defended every badge with everything I have, and loved every minute of the journey,” Varane said. “I have no regrets, I wouldn’t change a thing. I have won more than I could have even dreamed of.”
Varane had already retired from France’s national team, a few months after the World Cup final defeat to Argentina in 2022. During that match, his 93rd for Les Bleus after making his debut in 2013, he fell to the ground exhausted deep into extra time.
Over the years he became one of the main leaders in the France team under coach Didier Deschamps, along with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, midfielder Paul Pogba and forward Antoine Griezmann.
“Knowing him, I know that this decision, which is always difficult to take, came after mature reflection,” Deschamps said. “It’s therefore the right decision, which we must respect. Speed, vision, technique, mental strength, Raphaël had all the right qualities to achieve the magnificent career that was his.”
Varane played a total of 22 matches in major tournaments.
“I will remember a player who was focused on others and on the team. He had a perfect rapport with captain Hugo Lloris,” Deschamps said. “In the national team, and wherever he went, he always left the impression of being a great professional.”
Varane said he would remain at Como: “Just without using my boots and shin pads. Something I am looking forward to sharing more about soon.”
Como got its first Serie A victory in more than 21 years when coach Cesc Fabregas’ team won 3-2 at Atalanta on Tuesday.

Topics: France real madrid Raphael Varane

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Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film

Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP
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Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film

Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film
  • Success in the two fields is measured differently, said Cerezo, who has led Atletico Madrid to six European titles and four Spanish
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP

MADRID: Enrique Cerezo is best known in Spain as the longtime president of Atletico Madrid football club, the less glamorous cross-town rivals of Real Madrid.
But he is also a powerful film producer who owns the rights to some 7,000 movies, including around 70 percent of all flicks ever made in Spain, which feed his streaming platform FlixOle — the first to specialize in Spanish cinema.
Success in the two fields is measured differently, said Cerezo, who has led Atletico Madrid to six European titles and four Spanish ones since he took over as president of the Spanish first division side in 2003.
“You release a film on a Friday and on Monday you know whether it’s going to work or not, whereas in football you test yourself every week,” the silver-haired 75-year-old told AFP at the headquarters of his film business near Madrid.
His first experiences with film came during his high school years in Segovia, a town some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Madrid, where he would help screen movies at the school’s cinema on weekends.
“Between studying and having the possibility of being able to manage this whole projection system, I preferred to be there,” Cerezo said.
When he finished high school, Cerezo began working on film shoots with the camera and lighting teams.
He took part in around 100 shoots in Spain, including with top directors such as Richard Lester — who directed the Beatles films “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” — and George Cukor — who won the best director Oscar for the 1964 movie “My Fair Lady.”
“The job of a producer has to start from the bottom, from being an assistant to an assistant to an assistant,” Cerezo said.
In the early 1980s, just as the market for video rentals was taking off, he founded a video distribution company, Video Movies International, which began buying film rights with the aim of restoring them and making them available on video.
It was a lot of work and cost a lot of money because the visual quality of films in “the early years of video was dreadful,” Cerezo said.
“The producers or the heirs of the producers didn’t want to do it, nor were they going to do it, so we had to do it ourselves,” he added.
At the end of the 1980s, Cerezo started producing films and buying practically all the major Spanish production companies, which allowed him to considerably increase his film library.
Among the films in his collection are light, unpretentious comedies made during the 1939-1975 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco which were scorned by critics but which Cerezo defends.
“Cinema, from my point of view, is for the general public, for people to have a good time, a nice time,” he said.
Cerezo joked that you have a better time in both cinema and football “when you win.”
His films are restored in a laboratory belonging to FlixOle and his distribution company Mercury Films, where they are digitised at a rate of one a week, if there are no major problems.
The lab recently completed the restoration of “Furrows,” a 1951 Spanish film classic about a poor family that migrates from rural Spain to Madrid in the hopes of finding a better life, which was very deteriorated.
The restored 4K resolution version of the film was presented on Monday at the San Sebastian film festival, the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world.

Topics: Atletico Madrid

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Alcaraz says ‘a lot of players’ agree after schedule ‘kill us’ comments

Alcaraz says ‘a lot of players’ agree after schedule ‘kill us’ comments
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP
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Alcaraz says ‘a lot of players’ agree after schedule ‘kill us’ comments

Alcaraz says ‘a lot of players’ agree after schedule ‘kill us’ comments
  • The 21-year-old Spaniard is in action this week at the China Open, his 15th tournament of the year
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP

BEIJING: Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday doubled down on his criticism of the demands of the tennis calendar, saying “a lot of players” agree with him and “we have to do something about it.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion last week said at the Laver Cup that the schedule is “going to kill us,” adding his voice to the growing number of players speaking out.
The 21-year-old Spaniard is in action this week at the China Open, his 15th tournament of the year.
“I’ve seen and I’ve heard a lot of players complain about the schedule, about the calendar as well,” he said.
Not among them is world number one Jannik Sinner, who made light of the issue when he spoke to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.
“The schedule is quite long obviously these years. But we players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play,” said the Italian, who this month won the US Open for his second major crown.
Addressing those comments, Alcaraz conceded that “it’s about different feelings in every person,” but added: “So I’m talking about myself, that the schedule, it’s been so tight since the first week of January till the last week of November.
“We have to talk about it ourselves and we have to do something about it.”
Alcaraz, the second seed, faces France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opening match in the Chinese capital.
Top seed and defending champion Sinner plays Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.
Novak Djokovic is not in Beijing while world number two Alexander Zverev pulled out.

Topics: Alcaraz tennis

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