There is no ICC requirement that World Cup knockout matches must be played on unused pitches

Matt Roller15-Nov-20233:44

Rohit: I believe toss is not a factor at Wankhede

The first semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, between India and New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, will be played on a used pitch that has already staged two matches in the tournament.ESPNcricinfo understands the semi-final was initially supposed to be played on Pitch 7, the central strip of the Wankhede Stadium’s pitch block. Pitch 7 is a fresh surface that was not used in the league stage of the World Cup.But a decision was made to shift the game to Pitch 6, which is slightly off-centre and has already hosted two matches in the tournament: South Africa’s 229-run win over England on October 21, and India’s 302-run victory over Sri Lanka on November 2.The change represents a late deviation from the pitch allocation devised before the World Cup. A source told ESPNcricinfo: “6-8-6-8-7 was the planned rotation at Wankhede. 6-8-6-8 is what has been used so far.”After the semi-final had begun, the ICC released a statement saying the change was not unusual. “Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times. This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host. The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won’t play well.”According to the ICC’s Playing Conditions for the World Cup, the relevant ‘ground authority’ is “responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch” before any given match – in this case, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The ICC also have an independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, who works alongside local groundstaff.The Daily Mail reported that Atkinson has become frustrated by changes to pre-agreed plans throughout the World Cup, and that he speculated in a leaked email whether the pitch for the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday “will be the first ever ICC CWC final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared to their stipulation at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board.”Should India make the final in Ahmedabad, they would face either Australia or South Africa. Pat Cummins put his faith in the ICC to oversee the pitch process.”Yeah, I saw that [the report]…obviously ICC have an independent pitch curator who manages that so I’m sure they are all over making sure it’s fair for both teams,” he said. “So far this tournament [on pitches] that we’ve played on I’ve not seen any issue.”There is no ICC requirement which states that knockout fixtures must be played on fresh pitches. The only stipulation in their Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process reads: “It is expected that venues that are allocated the responsibility of hosting a match will present the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for that match.”The semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup, in England four years ago, were both played on fresh pitches at Old Trafford and Edgbaston. But last year, both T20 World Cup semi-finals were played on used pitches: one at Adelaide Oval, the other at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Both India and New Zealand players inspected the pitch at the Wankhede from close quarters on Tuesday evening before it was covered by groundstaff early during India’s training session under floodlights.

MatériaMais Notícias

No próximo domingo, o Grêmio terá uma verdadeira decisão ao medir forças diante do Bahia, em jogo que será realizado na Arena.

Perto do acesso, o Tricolor aparece com 57 pontos e precisa de pelo menos duas vitórias para voltar à elite do futebol nacional.

G-4

Apesar do momento estável que o time gaúcho atravessa, encarar rivais do G-4 não tem sido missão fácil para o Grêmio nesta edição da Série B.

Contra Cruzeiro, Bahia e Vasco da Gama, o Grêmio venceu apenas uma vez. Nos outros jogos, o Tricolor perdeu uma e empatou os outros três confrontos.

Veja abaixo o retrospecto:

Cruzeiro 1 x 0 Grêmio

Vasco 0 x 0 Grêmio

Bahia 0 x 0 Grêmio

Grêmio 2 x 2 Cruzeiro

Grêmio 2 x 1 Vasco

Grêmio x Bahia – 16/10/2022

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Real Madrid legend Claude Makelele has picked another top contender for the Ballon d'Or over Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal.

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• Makelele snubs Yamal for Ballon d'Or
• Demands more from the Barca youngster
• Urges everyone to not pressure him

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Legendary Real Madrid midfielder Makelele has become the latest former footballing icon to chime in on the Ballon d'Or discussion. The Frenchman snubbed Yamal — who has been touted to be among the hot favourites to lift the accolade — and instead picked his compatriot Ousmane Dembele to win the award this year.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Yamal had a breathtaking 2024-25 season for both club and country. In 62 games across all competitions, the winger scored 21 goals and contributed as many as 25 assists, helping Barcelona win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. With Spain, he finished runners-up in the Nations League. Overall, it was an outstanding campaign, during which he made a significant impact in the most crucial matches and came agonisingly close to leading Barcelona to their first Champions League final appearance since 2015.

  On the other hand, Dembele produced a historic season in a newfound false nine role under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 33 goals in 49 games and guiding them to an unprecedented quadruple achievement, which included their maiden Champions League glory. The Frenchman, owing to his contributions in all competitions won by PSG, is widely considered to be the frontrunner to win the Ballon d'Or this year.

• WHAT CLAUDE MAKELELE SAID

  Speaking to , Makelele was asked to choose which player he would give the Ballon d'Or to this year. He said: "To Dembele. Lamine still needs to prove himself over a longer period of time. Ousmane started earlier. If we give it to the young one, Lamine… (laughs). He needs to show more. Let him be, he's a kid, he's a talent. Don't beat him up."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Dembele can further rubber-stamp his credentials to win this year's Ballon d'Or by guiding PSG to Club World Cup glory. Luis Enrique's troops will face Real Madrid in the semi-final on Wednesday. Meanwhile, reports claim that Yamal is planning a secret 18th birthday party in Ibiza, right before the Blaugrana return for pre-season duties.

أعلن نادي الزمالك بشكل رسمي، قائمته التي سيخوض بها منافسات الموسم الحالي 2025-2026، بعدما أغلقت فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية، كما كشف عن أرقام قمصان اللاعبين.

وكان الزمالك نجح في التعاقد مع 10 صفقات خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي، المهدي سليمان حارس مرمى فريق الاتحاد السكندري السابق لمدة موسمين في صفقة انتقال حر، والأنجولي شيكو بانزا لمدة أربعة مواسم قادماً من نادي إستريلا دا أمادورا البرتغالي، وعمرو ناصر لمدة خمسة مواسم قادماً من فاركو، وأحمد شريف لمدة خمسة مواسم قادماً من فاركو.

بالإضافة إلي الفلسطيني آدم كايد لمدة ثلاثة مواسم في صفقة انتقال حر، والمغربي عبد الحميد معالي لمدة خمسة مواسم قادماً من نادي اتحاد طنجة، وأحمد ربيع لمدة خمسة مواسم قادماً من نادي البنك الأهلي، ومحمد إسماعيل لمدة خمسة مواسم قادماً من زد والفلسطيني عدي الدباغ لمدة أربعة مواسم، اخيرًا البرازيلي خوان ألفينا بيزيرا لمدة أربعة مواسم قادماً من فريق اوليكساندريا الأوكراني.

طالع | الزمالك يعلن تعيين مستشار قانوني لإدارة كرة القدم.. ولجنة جديدة من جون إدوارد

وجاءت أرقام قمصان 4 لاعبين ضمن الصفقات الجديدة غريبة، حيث يرتدي اللاعب الفلسطيني عدي الدباغ 98 وشيكو بانزا 81 وعمرو ناصر رقم 90، والمغربي عبد الحميد معالي برقم 77.

وتم حجب الرقم 10 الخاص باللاعب المعتزل محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا للموسم الحالي، بعد قرار الإدارة تكريمًا للنجم شيكابالا. قائمة الزمالك في موسم 2025-2026

حراسة المرمي: محمد عواد، محمد صبحي والمهدي سليمان.

خط الدفاع: محمد السيد، عمر جابر، محمود أشرف، أحمد حسام، محمود بنتايج، حسام عبد المجيد، أحمد فتوح، صلاح مصدق، محمود حمدي الونش ومحمد إسماعيل.

خط الوسط: آدم كايد، محمود جهاد، سيف فاروق جعفر، نبيل عماد دونجا، أحمد عبد الرحيم إيشو، أحمد حمدي، محمد شحاتة، عبد الله السعيد، ناصر ماهر وأحمد ربيع.

خط الهجوم: ناصر منسي، سيف الجزيري، عدي الدباغ، عبد الحميد معالي، شيكو بانزا، أحمد شريف، عمرو ناصر وخوان ألفينا.

يذكر، أن الزمالك يستعد لخوض أولي منافسات الموسم الجديد، مساء اليوم الجمعة، ضد فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا، في تمام الساعة 9 مساءً.

Arsenal fans have reacted with frustration to the news that the Gunners are pursuing Chelsea's Noni Madueke rather than more highly-rated wingers.

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Gunners bid £50m for MaduekeLinked with Rodrygo, Gordon & Nico WilliamsChelsea talks ongoingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal have made an opening bid of £50 million ($68m) for the 23-year-old, a fee which includes add-ons, but while Chelsea are open to negotiation, they believe the England international is worth more and are holding out for a higher fee. Meanwhile, some Gunners fans are baffled by the amount of money their club is willing to spend on a relatively unproven Premier League player, leading to the hashtag '#NoToMadueke' trending on social media.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT ARSENAL FANS ARE SAYING

Writing on X, AfcGabeast said: "You have to ask yourself if Madueke was at Arsenal do u think we could sell him for 50m? yeah I thought so, that how insane this business is"

EGTVEgal added: "Nobody wants or needs Noni Madueke at Arsenal stop. £50M for Madueke? Arsenal are shooting themselves in the foot. Sort out Eze or Rodrygo first"

Criticising boss Mikel Arteta, clinicalkai asked how "£50m for Madueke can be easily completed yet £70m for Gyokeres of £60m for Eze somehow cannot".

White_Yardie added: "I don’t believe all these transfer rumours but if Arsenal spend £55m on Madueke and don’t get Eze & Gyokeres then BERTA IS A FRAUD"

Some fans saw it differently, with akarsenalnews writing: "If Madueke was coming from PSG, everyone would see it so differently. Madueke isn't the issue, the fact he's coming from Chelsea is."

THE EXPLANATION

Arsenal's summer search for a left winger has been well documented, with other rumoured options including Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Athletic’s Nico Williams. However, according to , the north Londoners believe all these players would cost more than Madueke, who they are aiming to acquire for roughly £50m. Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is determined not to overspend on transfer fees or wages despite pressure from fans, and he still firmly believes that there are good players available for around £65m ($88m).

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GOALDID YOU KNOW?

Berta is still doing plenty behind the scenes to secure the number one priority for Arsenal this summer: an elite-level striker. The club's pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres has been clear to see, but Berta appeared to make genuine strides earlier this week by flying out to Lisbon to hammer out an agreement with Sporting CP.

MatériaMais Notícias

Rogério Ceni enxergou questão psicológica como um dos grandes agravantes do São Paulo na derrota por 3 a 1 contra o Fluminense, no Maracanã, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.
Embora o Tricolor paulista tenha feito um bom primeiro tempo, com grandes oportunidades e gol de Luciano, aos 30 minutos, o segundo tempo foi extremamente abaixo.

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ATUAÇÕES: Luciano marca golaço, mas defesa não consegue parar Cano em derrota do São Paulo

Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro e simule os próximos jogos

Logo no primeiro minuto, Germán Cano buscou um empate. Em quinze minutos, já havia marcado três gols. Desta forma, o São Paulo segue na oitava colocação da tabela da competição, com 51 pontos, e ainda mais preocupado com a necessidade de conseguir uma vaga na Copa Libertadores.

De acordo com dados do FootStats, na etapa final da partida, foram sete finalizações do Fluminense contra apenas uma do Tricolor. Durante a coletiva de imprensa pós-jogo, Rogério Ceni analisou o resultado e reconheceu este ‘apagão’.

– Temos que jogar até o final, ainda estamos brigando pela classificação. Achei o primeiro tempo bem jogado, fizemos bons contra-ataques, Igor puxando por um lado, Patrick do outro. Tivemos várias oportunidades. No segundo tempo, Fluminense cresceu bastante, deixamos um espaço entre os zagueiros. Achei que o Patrick estava desgastado, não estava conseguindo se recompor. Galoppo entrou para fazer a mesma função – disse.

Ceni, porém, reconheceu um desgaste mental no elenco após o primeiro gol de Cano. Para ele, esse ponto foi o grande responsável pelo resultado negativo fora de casa, destacando que também não foi uma exceção, mas que em outras ocasiões, a força psicológica também pesou.

Segundo o treinador, o elenco precisa se recompor porque a busca pela vaga na Libertadores segue viva. Na terça-feira (8), às 21h30, encontra o Internacional no Morumbi pela penúltima rodada do Brasileirão.

– Tomamos gol no primeiro minuto, acho que quando sofremos um gol, precisamos ficar mais forte psicologicamente. Precisamos de mais força mental. Não era esperado, era um lance que poderíamos ter evitado. Não podemos nos abater tanto, abaixar tanto a cabeça – disse.

– Conversei rápido, vamos treinar amanhã pela manhã. O espaço é curto para terça-feira. Falei para eles que precisamos ter força mental. Viramos jogos no Morumbi, mas fora de casa isso acontece às vezes. Não podemos ceder ao adversário com um baque logo no início do segundo tempo – completou.

Match referee David Boon assessed that the bounce was inconsistent “from the first session onwards”

Mohammad Isam12-Dec-2023The ICC has given an “unsatisfactory” rating to the pitch used for the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. The venue as a result has incurred one demerit point. It is an interesting choice of word to describe the pitch; the ICC has previously used “very good”, “good”, “average”, “below average”, “poor” and “unfit” while rating pitches.New Zealand beat Bangladesh by four wickets in one of the shortest Tests (in terms of overs) in recent memory. It was the third-shortest Test match in which 35 or more wickets have fallen in this century. Spinners took 30 of the 35 wickets that fell to bowlers in the match, which only went into the fourth day due to rain and bad light on the second and third days.Related

Isam: Spin-to-win template could hurt Bangladesh in the long run

Southee pleased to win on 'probably the worst wicket I've come across'

The Shere Bangla National Stadium last received a demerit point in early 2018 for a Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test. In 2021 alone, however, the venue received seven “average” ratings in ODIs and T20Is.Match referee David Boon, after consulting with the captains of both teams, submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials.”The outfield was very good and held up extremely well with the rain,” Boon’s report said. “However, it appeared that the pitch may have been under prepared, as it was not hard and was covered in grass clippings on day one. From the first session onwards, throughout the remainder of the match the bounce was inconsistent with numerous balls bursting the surface. Deliveries from spin bowlers often went over the batter’s shoulder when playing forward and then occasionally stayed very low.”After the match, New Zealand captain Tim Southee described the pitch as “probably the worst wicket” he has played on. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, however, defended the pitch.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits forged a record-breaking partnership to give their side a series victory in Benoni. After losing the first ODI by 119 runs, South Africa bounced back strongly to end 2023 on a high.After opting to bat on Saturday in Benoni, Wolvaardt struck up a 243-run stand for the first wicket with Brits, the highest for South Africa in Women’s ODIs. South Africa finished with 316 for 4 – their third-highest total in Women’s ODIs. In response, Bangladesh folded for 100 in 31.1 overs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Wolvaardt notched up her fifth ODI century – and second this year – while Brits got to her first ton in the format. The pair looked good for more but Marufa Akter separated South Africa’s openers when she bowled Wolvaardt for 126 off 134 balls in the 43rd over. In the next over, Ritu Moni had Brits stumped for 118 off 124 balls, before Anneke Bosch (28* off 19) and Sune Luus (34 off 17) provided the final flourish, powering the hosts to a formidable total.Rabeya was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, coming away with 2 for 49 in her ten overs. Bangladesh, though, never really got going in the chase, with Moni being the only batter to pass 20. She top-scored for them with 33 off 67 balls, including four fours.Marizanne Kapp struck twice in the first powerplay before she injured her ankle in the 11th over. Having stepped on a sprinkler cover at midwicket, she didn’t return to the field. Ayabonga Khaka and Nadine de Klerk shared six wickets between them to hasten Bangladesh’s collapse. Bangladesh left 18.5 overs unused in their innings, suffering a 216-run defeat.

“He has kept really well in one-day cricket. So just a question of transferring that into red-ball cricket,” says the head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-20232:05

Can India conquer the final frontier?

KL Rahul has started only one first-class match as the designated wicketkeeper, but that doesn’t seem like it will hold India back from playing him as a wicketkeeper in the two-Test series in South Africa. Two days before the first Test in Centurion, coach Rahul Dravid spoke at length about the challenge for Rahul but also the opportunities it opens up for both Rahul, who will be making a Test comeback, and India.”I see it as an exciting challenge and an opportunity for him to certainly do something different,” Dravid said. “With Ishan [Kishan] not being available, the opportunity came up. We have a couple of keepers we can choose from. Rahul is certainly one. We have had this discussion with him, we’ve discussed this with him. You know, he is very confident, he is very keen on giving it a go. We do understand that it’s probably something he has not done as often. He has been doing it regularly in 50-overs cricket. So that’s certainly tough, you know, to play 50 overs and then bat as well in a full day. That can take a lot out of your body.”So he has prepared well, I must say, over the last five, six months. He has done a lot of keeping, even though it’s in the white-ball format. But this will be a new and exciting challenge for him as well. I guess one of the things here is that if anything there is not going to be that much of spin bowling. Probably more pace bowling here than there is spin, so it will ease him into that role a little bit if anything.Related

India look to conquer final frontier as South Africa wait at Fortress Centurion

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India's thorny Centurion questions: Rahul vs Bharat, Thakur vs Ashwin

“It’s something that we will see how it goes and how it pans out, but it’s really nice to have someone like him and the options that he provides us. Just having his ability with the bat would be something that would be really useful. And let’s see how he goes with the gloves. I mean, he has kept really well in one-day cricket. So just a question of now transferring that into red-ball cricket for longer.”The window has opened up for Rahul, who scored a century as an opener on India’s last tour of South Africa, in the absence of the injured Rishabh Pant, who scored one in the middle order himself. India are conscious their keeper contribute with the bat.”For us, the big challenge is if we can really put some runs on the board and score those critical, extra 60-70 runs that gives you a great chance. If I go back to the last series that I was here, the one thing we did here [in the first Test] really well was we had a really good first innings. We had a really good first day and got to 327 in the first innings. If you can put up those kinds of scores on challenging wickets, you put yourself ahead in a Test match. But in the next two Test matches, I just felt in our third innings, we could not score those 50, 60 extra runs. You know, we just felt short and they bowled well.”Since the last trip, India have seen the introduction of more attacking batters. Dravid said they weren’t asking the young batters to alter the game but to be aware of match situations.”We encourage the players to play the way they feel most comfortable in,” Dravid said. “In the end, you are judged by the results you produce. The guys know that, they understand that. We want to encourage them to play in the way that they play, but also keeping in view the conditions and keeping certain sort of tactical things that you have to be aware of when you play in South Africa. The nature of the ball and how that behaves over the course of 80 overs and the kind of shots you can play may be in the early part of innings vis-a-vis what you might be able to do later on.”I think there’s a balance between finding that, just having the cricket smarts and to read a game and to understand the situation and play according to the situation. But of course, allowing yourself to express yourself. So certainly, we’ve got guys who do play their shots and we are not going to hold them back, and we are going to allow them to express themselves, and hopefully they’ll make some smart decisions when the situation arrives.”

Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal have joined the race to sign Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, with his €52 million release clause set to expire soon.

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• Al-Hilal ready to activate €52m clause
• Kean offered €20m-a-year contract by Saudi giants
• Fiorentina trying to keep him with contract extension

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Al-Hilal have made direct contact with Kean’s representatives and are prepared to activate his €52m (£44m/$59m) release clause before it expires on July 15. The Saudi club, managed by Simone Inzaghi, want the Italian striker to lead their frontline after securing the signing of Theo Hernandez.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kean has emerged as a top target after Al-Hilal’s efforts to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli hit a roadblock. With negotiations for the Nigerian stalling, Al-Hilal have shifted focus to Kean, who scored heavily last season and remains under contract with Fiorentina. La Viola hope to keep him and has offered a new deal worth €4m-per-year, but without a release clause, while Manchester United are also said to be eyeing him.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 25-year-old was the second-highest scorer in Serie A last season and recently rejected a €15m offer from Al-Qadsiah. He’s been training individually with a personal coach while on holiday to stay in peak condition. If he signs with Al-Hilal, he is set to earn €20m-per-year over a four-year contract.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  With the release clause deadline looming on July 15, clubs including Al-Hilal and Man United must act quickly. Fiorentina remain hopeful of retaining Kean with an improved offer, but a decision is expected within days as negotiations intensify.