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Khawaja informed Queensland Cricket that he was unavailable to play while Marnus Labuschagne returns as captain

Alex Malcolm13-Mar-2025

Usman Khawaja was in the runs on his return to Shield action•Getty Images

Australia Test opener Usman Khawaja has opted not to play for Queensland in the upcoming Sheffield Shield match against South Australia where a win could hand them a spot in the final, but he could be available for the decider if they get there.Khawaja was not named in Queensland’s 14-man squad after informing Queensland’s selectors that he was unavailable. Queensland Cricket were accepting of Khawaja’s decision with captain Marnus Labuschagne returning to the lead the side being away with Australia’s ODI team at the Champions Trophy.Khawaja isn’t the only Cricket Australia contracted player missing with Xavier Bartlett also unavailable for the remainder of the season as he heads off to play in the IPL for Punjab Kings. Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson are all unavailable for South Australia for the remainder of the season as they are IPL bound but Alex Carey has been named to play against Queensland and will available for the Shield final.Related

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However, Khawaja’s absence is an odd one given he is fully fit and produced match-winning scores of 127 and 33 not out in Queensland’s win over Tasmania to put the Bulls back in contention for the final, as they sit second on the table just 1.41 points ahead of New South Wales. Khawaja has opted to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne to spend the weekend watching the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix instead of playing the Shield game at Karen Rolton Oval.The 38-year-old has managed his schedule carefully in recent years, valuing rest over playing a lot of back-to-back games in order to remain mentally and physically fresh for his Test commitments as he attempts to extend his career as long as possible. That management plan has been supported by Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket.He missed one of Queensland’s first four Shield games to freshen up ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and understandably missed the Shield game against Western Australia that started nine days after the tour of Sri Lanka where he scored a career-best 232 not out in the first Test. Khawaja wasn’t the only Test player to miss that round but Beau Webster did play for Tasmania, having played the three most recent Tests for Australia.Khawaja has already played 11 first-class matches this summer including seven Tests, which is already more games and days than any Australian domestic red-ball only batter would play in a Shield summer in total. He has also already captained Queensland to a Shield title back in 2021. However, Khawaja is likely to have all of April and May to rest after the Shield season finishes in the final week of March before preparing for four Tests in June and July which include the WTC final and a three-Test tour of the Caribbean. He won’t have any international commitments thereafter until the Ashes begin in late November.Meanwhile, Khawaja’s Queensland team-mates travelled to Adelaide early to get an extra day of training in on Thursday ahead of the match starting on Saturday as the squad could not train all week due to the heavy rain that followed Cyclone Alfred.South Australia have rested quick Brendan Doggett for the Queensland clash ahead of the final but Nathan McAndrew returns after he was rested from the win over Victoria last week.Elsewhere, Australia Test quick Scott Boland has been ruled out of Victoria’s must-win match against WA at the WACA ground. Boland suffered some knee soreness in the aftermath of the loss to South Australia and if Victoria are unable to qualify for the Shield final he is set for an extended period of rest before beginning a lengthy build-up towards the WTC final that will feature some bowling in Melbourne and up-to three training camps in Brisbane.Victoria captain Will Sutherland returns after being rested from the loss against South Australia and Peter Siddle has also been included in the 13-man squad. Victoria have also called up former WA quick David Moody after some strong performances for Victoria’s second XI.New South Wales have named Australia Champions Trophy players Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Tanveer Sangha for their day-night pink ball clash with Tasmania at Ninja Stadium (Bellerive Oval) in Hobart. A win and significant bonus points could be enough to get NSW into the final ahead of Queensland even if Queensland beat South Australia.Sheffield Shield squadsQueensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (c), Jack Clayton, Lachlan Hearne, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Jackson Sinfield, Mark Steketee, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Callum Vidler, Jack WildermuthSouth Australia squad: Nathan McSweeney (c), Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Henry Hunt, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry ThorntonWestern Australia squad: Sam Whiteman (c), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Keaton Critchell, Joel Curtis, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, Charlie Stobo, Ashton Turner.Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (c), Scott Boland, ⁠Harry Dixon, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Blake MacDonald, David Moody, Todd Murphy, Fergus ⁠O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Peter SiddleTasmania: Jordan Silk (c), Gabe Bell, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Aidan O’Connor, Mitch Owen, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau WebsterNew South Wales squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards (c), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha

نجح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الاهلي، في تحقيق فوز مستحق على منافسه الزمالك، بهدفين مقابل هدف، خلال المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

والتقى الأهلي مع الزمالك، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي في مباراته القادمة مع كهرباء الإسماعيلية، على استاد المقاولون العرب، ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري المصري.

طالع أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري بعد هدف تريزيجيه أمام الزمالك

وتقدم الزمالك بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 32 عن طريق حسام عبد المجيد، بينما تعادل حسين الشحات للأهلي في الدقيقة 72، وأضاف تريزيجيه الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 78.

بتلك النتيجة، يظل الزمالك متصدراً لجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 17 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الأهلي بالمركز الثالث، ولديه 15 نقطة. موعد مباراة الأهلي وكهرباء الإسماعيلية في الدوري المصري

تقام المباراة يوم السبت الموافق 4 من شهر أكتوبر القادم، في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والإسكندرية.

England captain Harry Kane matched a Wayne Rooney goal record after scoring in his country's 5-0 rout of Serbia.

England beat Serbia 5-0Kane scores in victoryMatches Rooney milestoneFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

The Bayern Munich star opened the scoring as Thomas Tuchel's men romped to a commanding 2026 World Cup qualifier victory in Belgrade on Tuesday. The 32-year-old has now scored an away goal against 16 different opponents for the Three Lions, with the striker drawing level with England legend Rooney.

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Pressure has been mounting on England boss Tuchel following an underwhelming start to his managerial tenure. But this win over 10-man Serbia will be a real shot in the arm for the German and his players ahead of next year's World Cup in North America.

AFPDID YOU KNOW?

Former Tottenham forward has now scored 74 goals in 109 England internationals. The experienced attacker, who is enjoying one of the best years of his career after lifting his first major trophy with Bayern, has now scored five goals in six matches in 2025 for his country. 

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England return to action next month when they host Wales in a friendly and then travel to Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier. Kane will hope the Three Lions can make it six wins from six in these 2026 qualifiers.

Trevor Gwandu returns to the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier B

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2024Zimbabwe have named the uncapped duo – allrounder Tashinga Musekiwa and fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa – for the T20 World Cup regional qualifiers to be played in Kenya this month, to try and earn a spot for the main tournament in 2026. The selectors also recalled fast bowler Trevor Gwandu in the 15-man squad which sees 11 players from the series against India in July.Zimbabwe go into the six-team T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier B under new head coach Justin Sammons with a young squad with an average age of 26, a Zimbabwe Cricket release said. The team will be led by the experienced Sikandar Raza. The qualifier also includes Gambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and the Seychelles. The top two sides from these will progress to the regional final to be joined by Namibia and Uganda.Musekiwa, 24, has just 21 T20s to his name – apart from one first-class game and 29 one-dayers – for Mid West Rhinos. His T20 high score is an unbeaten 38 and his best figures are 3 for 24 out of his total wickets tally of 10. He most recently played for Zimbabwe Emerging against the South Africa Emerging side in two one-dayers, and scored an unbeaten 51 in the second.Maposa, 21, has featured in five first-class games for 14 wickets and is yet to play white-ball games in domestic cricket. His last series was the Logan Cup in which he played four red-ball games for Matabeleland Tuskers in January-February for 12 wickets with one five-for.”We have picked a young squad that is good enough to make us qualify and I am confident they will deliver in Kenya,” convener of selectors David Mutendera said in the release. “If you look at the direction we are taking, with the 2026 T20 World Cup and the future in mind, we have been blooding in youngsters who will definitely do the job like they did in winning single matches against Bangladesh and India in our last two series.”Raza is still there for now, but we had to start the process of building a younger team for the future.”Gwandu makes a return having last played for Zimbabwe in December 2023, against Ireland at home. After playing the domestic T20 competition for Southern Rocks in March this year, he too played for Zimbabwe Emerging, but in the African Games in Accra, Ghana, where Zimbabwe won the tournament.Zimbabwe squadSikandar Raza (capt), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava

Liverpool recently completed what may end up being the biggest transfer of the summer when they confirmed the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Reds have smashed the British transfer record to sign the Germany international in a deal that is worth up to £116.5m, moving above the transfer that took Moises Caicedo from Brighton to Chelsea.

Liverpool, as shown in the graphic above, had never touched the £100m mark for a transfer fee for a player, which shows how much faith they have that Wirtz will be a hugely influential star for the club.

The attacking midfielder is the second signing to come in from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, after Jeremie Frimpong, and the first addition from the Bundesliga has had some very kind words to say about his new, yet old, teammate.

Liverpool’s Dutch full-back described the German star as a “very, very, very special player”, and Reds supporters should be excited by the prospect of watching him play next season.

Why Florian Wirtz is a big signing for Liverpool

The 22-year-old attacker’s form in the Bundesliga in the last two seasons suggests that he has the potential to be a difference-maker for the Premier League champions on a regular basis.

He is a number ten who has the ability to consistently deliver both goals and assists at the top end of the pitch, which means that he could be a joy to watch in the final third.

Wirtz ended the 2024/25 season with a return of 16 goals and 14 assists in 45 matches in all competitions, after a haul of 18 goals and 19 assists in 49 appearances for Leverkusen in the previous campaign.

This means that the Germany international has plundered 34 goals and 33 assists in all competitions in the past two seasons, which shows that he offers a constant threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from an attacking midfield position.

Non-penalty goals

0.59

Top 6%

Expected Assisted Goals

0.20

Top 20%

npxG + xAG

0.60

Top 18%

Shot-creating actions

5.10

Top 11%

Progressive passes

6.28

Top 8%

Passes made

55.26

Top 6%

As you can see in the table above, Wirtz was impressive in the Champions League this season, ranking highly among his positional peers as both a scorer and a creator of goals, which shows that he can perform at the very top level.

Therefore, the £116.5m-rated star could be a big signing as an attacking star who has proven himself in Germany, and they could be about to repeat that move already.

Liverpool eyeing Bundesliga striker

According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are interested in a deal to sign Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward Hugo Ekitike in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Premier League champions are ‘seriously’ eyeing up a move for the France U21 international, as they look at possible replacements for Darwin Nunez.

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Plettenberg reports that Napoli are in talks with Liverpool over a deal to sign the Uruguay international, and that the Reds would not stand in his way if he wants to move to the Serie A champions this summer.

The journalist adds that the Reds believe that they have a “good chance” to sign Ekitike as a possible replacement for Nunez, despite facing competition from both Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for his services.

Eintracht Frankfurt reportedly value the young number nine at a whopping £85m, as they look to keep hold of their star man, and it remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool are willing to go that high for him.

Why Liverpool should sign Hugo Ekitike

The Premier League giants should swoop to sign the French striker from the German club before the end of the window, particularly if Nunez moves on from Anfield, because he could be a Wirtz repeat.

As aforementioned, Liverpool have landed a Bundesliga star who could be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis by signing the Germany international.

Ekitike would arrive on Merseyside as a very similar signing, as a Bundesliga striker who has the potential to make a big impact in the final third next season.

The former Paris Saint-Germain talent ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions for Frankfurt, which meant that he registered four more goal contributions than Wirtz did for Leverkusen.

Ekitike’s performances in the Bundesliga, specifically, suggest that he has the quality to come through the door as a significant upgrade on Nunez, should he complete a transfer to Napoli in the coming weeks.

Appearances

33

30

Goals

15

5

Minutes per goal

172

227

Big chances created

12

3

Key passes per game

1.3

0.5

Assists

8

2

As you can see in the table above, the French talent could offer a bigger threat in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator for Liverpool, based off their respective form in the 2024/25 season.

The Frankfurt star, who was once described as the “next Mbappe” by journalist Graeme Bailey, also still has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop and improve even further, at the age of 23.

Like Wirtz, the young forward could be a staple of Arne Slot’s attack for many years to come. They are both forwards who have proven that they can deliver quality in the here and now, whilst they also both have the potential to get even better in the future.

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It is now down to the club to agree a deal with Frankfurt to bring the promising young centre-forward to Anfield to combine with Wirtz in the final third next season.

Sri Lanka 93 for 5 (Gunaratne 50, Dilhari 28, Ramharack 2-29) beat West Indies 92 (Williams 24, Dilhari 4-20, Athapaththu 2-8, Kulasuriya 2-16)Vishmi Gunaratne’s half century and Kavisha Dilhari’s star turn with bat and ball secured a five-wicket win for Sri Lanka in the second ODI against West Indies in Hambantota, and with it a series victory as they went 2-0 up with a game to go. It is Sri Lanka’s first series win against the West Indies since 2008.After Sri Lanka were set a target of just 93, Gunaratne’s run-a-ball 50 broke the spine of the chase on a sluggish Sooriyawewa surface. It was particularly impressive as it followed the early dismissals of both Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama inside the first 10 overs.With Dilhari (28 off 38) for company, Gunaratne made it seem as if she was batting on a different surface to the rest, plundering nine fours and a six in her innings – West Indies as a whole had hit only 13 boundaries.When Gunaratne fell, mistiming a full-toss to mid-off, Sri Lanka needed just 14 more for victory. Karishma Ramharack grabbed the wickets of Hasini Perera and Dilhari shortly after, to finish with innings best figures of 2 for 29, but there would be no late jitters as Sri Lanka sauntered to victory with 172 balls to spare.It was a win set up by the bowlers, particularly the spinners. Dilhari’s figures of 4 for 20 were the best of the innings, but she was ably supported by the left-arm orthodox pairing of Sachini Nisansala and Sugandika Kumari, who kept up the pressure from the other end.The visitors for their part struggled to turn over the strike effectively, with an alarming number of dots played out through the innings. Of their total, 52 runs came in boundaries and just 40 from running between wickets, despite their batting out 31 overs.Rashada Williams showed patience at the top of the order with a 62-ball 24 but was cleaned up by a Kumari arm ball. The pace pairing of Udeshika Prabodhani and Achini Kulasuriya were also miserly at the start of the innings, with the latter rewarded for a seven-over opening spell with the two wickets – the pinpoint yorker arrowed in on leg stump to Shermaine Campbelle a particular highlight.After West Indies stumbled to 54 for 6, Aaliyah Alleyne and Afy Fletcher opted for an aggressive approach, and it worked briefly. Their 28-run seventh-wicket stand came at better than run-a-ball but was snuffed out when Alleyne missed a straight one from Aththapathu. Fletcher was the penultimate wicket to fall, lbw off Dilhari, who wrapped up the innings a ball later.