Fabrizio Romano: "Top talent" has now accepted offer to sign for Man Utd

A “top talent” has now accepted an offer to join Manchester United, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd transfer rumours

So far this summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have made two marquee signings during their first window as co-owners, with Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro arriving from Bologna and Lille respectively.

The duo have filled the void left by Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane after they left Old Trafford upon the expiry of their contracts, with attention now on further additions to Erik ten Hag’s senior squad.

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Reports in recent days have claimed that sporting director Dan Ashworth has been in contact with the agents of Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who would consider swapping Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford. In midfield, free agent Adrien Rabiot appears to have his heart set on a move to Manchester after the club failed to sign the Frenchman back in 2022.

It isn’t just first-team signings that United have been working on, though. In recent months, a number of teenage gems have made the move to the Red Devils, including Silva Mexes, the son of former Cardiff and West Brom striker Rob Earnshaw, and Australian James Overy.

Camron Mpofu from Reading was also expected to sign alongside Crystal Palace winger Samuel Lusale, but now, United could be closing in on their biggest teenage addition in Arsenal’s Chido Obi Martin.

Chido Obi Martin accepts Man Utd offer

According to Romano, who took to X in the last 24 hours, Obi Martin has accepted an offer from Man Utd, turning down higher proposals from Germany in order to move to Carrington.

Ratcliffe did previously mention how he would rather “find the next Kylian Mbappe”, and who knows, Obi Martin could be that player after scoring an astonishing 32 goals in 18 matches for the Under-18s last season and even netted 10 in a single game against Liverpool.

“The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club. We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.

“I’d rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It’s not that clever to buy Mbappe, anybody could figure that one out.”

Arsenal’s loss looks set to be Man Utd’s gain, and it’ll be interesting to see what the Red Devils have in plan for Obi Martin in the 2024/25 campaign and beyond.

England 2-1 Netherlands: Player ratings as Three Lions reach final

Well, that was all a little bit special, wasn't it? England have had to work hard during this tournament, they've had to dig deep, face questions, face a barrage of quite unnerving criticism at times.

Was that all deserved? It's hard to dispute that question. Yet, here they stand, here we stand as a proud nation on the verge of something remarkable.

For the first time in English football history, they are through to the final of a major tournament on foreign soil. They will face Spain on Sunday, hoping to become Euro 2024 champions. They will have to do it against the competition's best side.

However, very rarely do the best team win in tournament football. It's becoming all the more apparent that knock-out games are about moments. Special moments. Oh so special moments. We have lived and breathed them over the last few games.

Truth be told, Gareth Southgate's men should be back at home. Though, they have Jude Bellingham's overhead kick against Slovakia to thank. They have the heroes of the penalty shootout on Saturday to thank and they now have Ollie Watkins to thank too.

The Aston Villa star had played just 20 minutes at the Euros this summer against Denmark in the group stages but came up with a simply astonishing moment of individual brilliance in the 91st minute.

Turning on a dime, Watkins swivelled and then struck the ball past Bart Verbruggen, sparking euphoria among England's players.

Still, there is one last job to do against Luis de la Fuente's Spain side this weekend. Can they? The nation will hold a collective hope.

Before that, let's attempt to do each player justice after Wednesday night's efforts. Here are our player ratings.

1 Jordan Pickford – 6

The Everton goalkeeper was one of the heroes last weekend, saving Manuel Akanji's penalty against the Swiss. Didn't have much to do on this occasion and was beaten by Xavi Simons' rasping first-half strike.

2 Kyle Walker – 6

Better from the full-back tonight after a few rather inconsistent games at this tournament. Made a fabulously well-timed tackle on Cody Gakpo to stop a run in behind during the second half.

3 John Stones – 6

Another decent performance from one of England's most consistent players at this tournament. Didn't have a huge amount to do but stuck with Wout Weghorst and Co well late in the game.

4 Marc Guehi – 7

Very good again from a man who could well go down as England's Player of the Tournament.

5 Kieran Trippier – 5

Same problems as The Three Lions have had all tournament on the left-hand side. Not high enough and as a result stifled England's attacking threat. Did okay defensively.

6 Kobbie Mainoo – 7

Brilliant. Southgate deserves praise for finally picking him and the Manchester United teen has repaid him excellently. Ended the game having completed 86% of his passes and won 100% of his duels.

7 Declan Rice – 5

Dispossessed for the goal and made a number of lapse passes. Not the Arsenal man's finest performance for his country.

8 Jude Bellingham – 6

Struggled again truth be told and was probably lucky not to be hooked when Cole Palmer came on. Still, you know he's capable of golden moments and he helped England get up the pitch in the second half.

9 Bukayo Saka – 7

Not as bright as he was against the Swiss but still England's best-looking forward player of those who started. Constantly drove at Nathan Ake and was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for offside in the second period.

10 Phil Foden – 7

Much better from Foden on Wednesday. The system change has really helped him pick up more pockets of space in the centre of the pitch. Almost scored a beauty from range that struck the post.

Mikel Arteta reveals how he's taking inspiration from the rugby world & New Zealand's All Blacks in a bid to give his Arsenal side the edge

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed how he's taking inspiration from New Zealand's famous All Blacks rugby team.

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Arteta an admirer of the All BlacksInspired by the team's cultureRugby team visit Arsenal while in LondonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

New Zealand's All Blacks are currently in London ahead of a clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday. Ahead of the game, the team visited Arsenal's training ground and met captains Martin Odegaard and Kim Little. Arteta and his Arsenal team were away in Preston for a Carabao Cup clash, but the Spaniard has revealed he has still learned plenty from the All Blacks, who are known as one of the most successful sports teams in history.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT ARTETA SAID

He told reporters: "I have a good relationship with Razor, their head coach. He’s an inspiration, he’s such a character. It was a shame that the day that we were leaving [to play Preston], they were coming. We tried to set it up at different times. It was difficult to do, but yeah, I know them very well.

“It’s especially about the culture and the importance of clarity, or what it means when you put on a jersey. The sense of belonging to something. When somebody plays with that feeling, I think it elevates his level of commitment, it elevates his capacity to perform and impact the organisation in a different way.”

Arteta may have missed out on the All Blacks' visit but revealed he has still learned much from James Kerr’s book ‘Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life, adding: “I recommend it to everybody. It talks about them and their culture and their winning mentality and how they approach sport, life, and relationships is really inspiring."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Arteta will be hoping for any edge he can find for his team as he aims to once again challenge for the Premier League title. The Gunners have already slipped five points behind leaders Manchester City and four behind Liverpool at the top of the table. Arteta will therefore know his team have little margin for error now and for the rest of the season if they are to finish the campaign on top of the pile.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL

Arsenal return to action on Saturday against Newcastle in the Premier League at St James' Park. The Magpies head into the match after a morale-boosting win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and in the knowledge they have won two of their last three Premier League home games against Arsenal.

Sky Sports: £15m striker asks to leave with Arsenal in race to sign him

A prolific £15 million striker has now informed his club that he wishes to leave this summer, coming as Arsenal enter the hunt for a deal.

Edu and Arteta targeting new goalscorer for Arsenal

Despite being foiled in their attempts to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, the Gunners are very much still in the market for a new goalscoring centre-forward.

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Sesko, who scored 18 goals in all competitions last season, and will feature for Slovenia against England in the Euros tonight, had an offer from Arsenal to join up with Mikel Arteta for the next Premier League campaign.

Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal made a proposal to Sesko, alongside league rivals Chelsea and Man United, but the 21-year-old instead chose to remain at Leipzig and put pen to paper on a brand-new contract.

The north Londoners are now chasing Sesko alternatives, coming as Arteta personally seeks a forward partner to Kai Havertz. Multiple reports from Portugal have made audacious claims that Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres is on the verge of joining Arsenal, but this is yet to be backed by reliable media sources closer to home.

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

Gyokeres would apparently cost Arsenal around £76 million, which is lower than his reported £85 million exit clause but still a hefty price, considering the club also want to bolster other key areas of the squad.

A far cheaper alternative to the Swedish sensation, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, could be Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy. The Guinea international racked up 30 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions last season, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he missed a fair few matches as well.

Stuttgart strikerSerhou Guirassy.

He was absent with a hamstring injury at one point and called up to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations midway through 2023/2024, but still managed to finish the season as one of the Bundesliga's most prolific goalscorers.

Guirassy asks to leave Stuttgart as Arsenal join race for him

Plettenberg, writing via X, claims Guirassy has informed Stuttgart he wants to leave as Arsenal join the race for him. Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan are very much in the picture as well, but the most tantalising aspect of this story is the 28-year-old's rumoured £15 million release clause.

Guirassy has been likened to German legend Mario Gomez for his playing style and called "incredible" by teammate Chris Fuhrich.

Tasmania strike after Tim Paine's hundred builds huge lead

Jake Doran scored his second Shield hundred on a day of remorseless accumulation by Tasmania

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2020

Tim Paine’s century swelled Tasmania’s lead•Getty Images

Tim Paine’s third first-class century pushed Tasmania into a position from where they will hunt a final-day victory against South Australia who are in danger of beginning the Sheffield Shield season with a brace of heavy losses.They negotiated the final session with what was probably the maximum damage if they were to have genuine hope of escaping with a draw. Jake Weatherald was well caught, low at third slip, and Brad Davis paid the price of shouldering arms against Peter Siddle before Henry Hunt and Travis Head, who had earlier dislocated a finger in the field, saw out the day.South Australia were already comfortably ahead at the start of the third day and left hander Jake Doran was the first to register three figures with his second Shield hundred.Paine had waited 13 years to double his century tally when he made a hundred against Western Australia at the WACA last season. He was discomforted for a while here, following a blow on the arm from Wes Agar and was treated to some sustained short-pitched bowling, but his third hundred came from 191 deliveries with a pull off Kane Richardson on a day of remorseless accumulation by South Australia. It set him up nicely for a season that, everyone hopes, will include four Tests against India.By the time Doran was taken at slip, Lloyd Pope finding a touch of extra bounce from round the wicket to take the top edge, the sixth-wicket stand was worth 153 and it had long-since become a match-saving mission for South Australia.For the rest of the afternoon Paine was accompanied by Beau Webster and Tom Andrews to further deflate the Redbacks’ attack. Webster looked aghast to be given caught down the leg side and Pope was able to collect a second wicket, but they came at the considerable cost of 203 – the first bowler to concede a double ton in the Shield since 2015.

Newcastle targeting "monster" signing who’d take Isak to the next level

Newcastle United produced some impressive numbers in front of goal during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring 85 times in the Premier League – a tally only bettered by Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Alexander Isak has been the main talisman for Eddie Howe’s side, scoring 21 goals for the Magpies, with Anthony Gordon the closest player to that tally, but ten behind with his 11 strikes in the league.

The duo have both enjoyed their most successful season in a Newcastle shirt, but unfortunately were unable to catapult the side into a European spot for the second successive term, missing out after Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph.

Howe’s side have scored three or more goals in 14 of their 38 matches in the Premier League last season, demonstrating their ability to find the back of the net on a frequent basis.

Despite their impressive record in attacking areas, the Magpies are looking to strengthen further, with Howe and the board targeting one player to improve their potent threat.

Newcastle interested in £50m star

According to journalist Ignazio Genuardi, Newcastle are targeting Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of the summer transfer window.

Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates for Nottingham Forest

The 24-year-old, who Genuardi claims is a "priority signing" for the Magpies, has enjoyed an excellent season for the Reds under Nuno Espírito Santo, achieving double figures in assists – securing the club’s Premier League survival for another season.

Gibbs-White’s excellent campaign hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Tottenham Hotspur also in the race for his signature, but any deal for the talent would see them potentially fork out at least £50m for his services, with Forest desperate to keep hold of their star player.

However, Howe’s side should go all out to secure a move for Gibbs-White, with the former England U21 captain allowing one player to thrive at St James’ Park.

Why Gibbs-White would take Isak to the next level

Every Newcastle fan would know how key the Swedish striker has been to their success in recent years, but imagine him reaching the next level.

He can easily do so with the addition of Gibbs-White, with his creativity in the final third allowing Isak to add to his already impressive goalscoring tally. Last term he found the net on 21 occasions in 30 league matches; not bad indeed.

Morgan Gibbs-White

The “monster” Forest talent, as dubbed by one analyst, finished the campaign with five goals and ten assists – a superb return for a player leading a club away from any form of relegation threat.

He’s also registered 74 chances created – a tally that is more than double any of his teammates could manage in 2023/24, with Callum Hudson-Odoi taking second spot with just 36.

Gibbs-White's PL stats for Forest 23/24

Statistics

Tally

Rank in Forest squad

Assists

10

1st

Chances created

74

1st

Big chances created

16

1st

Expected assists

6.8

1st

Goals + Assists combined

15

1st

Stats via FotMob

His xG of 6.8 expected assists, which like his chances created, is the highest in the squad, demonstrates that he’s exceeded the tally he should be achieving based on the goals he’s laid off for his teammates.

His ability to create carnage in the final third is out of this world, providing a dynamic in the Newcastle midfield that has often been missing in recent times.

Although he would cost the Magpies a pretty penny this summer, his addition would certainly improve the club’s chances of a return to Champions League football, with Gibbs-White having the potential to provide Isak with endless opportunities in front of goal – allowing him to potential break through the 25-goal mark next season.

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Arsenal in contact to sign £50m "monster" who could see the end of Partey

Arsenal made it abundantly clear to the rest of the Premier League this season that they aren't going away anytime soon.

Despite their title bid spectacularly collapsing at the end of last season, Mikel Arteta's side dusted themselves off and managed to push Manchester City to the final day this year, and while they still came up short, there were improvements across the board from defence to attack.

However, one of the Gunners' stars last season, Thomas Partey, played little to no part in 2023/24, and based on recent reports, the club are in contact with the player who could replace him this summer.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano via GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are interested in signing Everton's star midfielder Amadou Onana and have already made contact to be "informed on the player's situation."

Amadou Onana for Everton

Romano claims that while the contact isn't concrete at present, the North Londoners are fans of the Belgian international, although they may have to be quick if they want to bring him to N5 as he is "appreciated by many, many clubs in England."

The Italian does not mention a potential price for the former LOSC Lille ace, but a Football Insider report from May suggested that he may be available for as little as £50m as the Merseysiders look to stay on the right side of PSR regulations.

Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.

It might be a challenging deal to get over the line, but given his impressive performances for the Toffees and Partey's waning influence, Edu Gaspar and Co should be doing all they can to get it over the line.

How Onana compares to Partey

Now, when comparing Onana to Partey, it makes sense to use the Belgian's performances from this season and the Ghanaian's from 2022/23, as he has played just 882 minutes of first-team football this season, and it wouldn't be an accurate representation of his output when at his best.

With that said, the first thing to note is that neither player is particularly prolific, as in 37 games this season, the Everton ace scored three goals and provided one assist, while in 40 games last season, the Gunners' midfield general scored three goals without providing a single assist.

So, with raw output a poor barometer to compare the two midfielders, how do their underlying numbers stack up against one another? Well, it's a pretty comfortable win for the former Lille "monster", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.20

0.14

Progressive Passes

4.61

8.37

Progressive Carries

0.91

1.23

Progressive Passes Received

1.68

1.27

Shots

1.25

1.01

Shots on Target

0.26

0.14

Passing Accuracy

84.1%

87.2%

Tackles

3.06

2.54

Tackles Won

1.64

1.45

Blocks

1.08

0.94

Clearances

1.34

1.49

Errors Leading to a Shot

0.00

0.04

Miscontrols

0.86

1.20

Dispossessed

0.43

0.69

Ball Recoveries

6.90

8.19

Aerial Duels Won

2.24

1.34

For example, while he comes out second best in some metrics, such as progressive passes and carries, ball recoveries, and passing accuracy, he comes out way ahead in most others, including shots and shots on target, tackles and tackles won, aerial duels won, blocks, errors leading to a shot, miscontrols, and even the number of times he's dispossessed, all per 90.

Another area in which the "complete" 22-year-old, as dubbed by Kulig, comes out on top is availability.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the Dakar-born star has missed just 11 games, whereas the man he could replace has missed a whopping 72 games, which comes to an average of 18 games out per season in that time.

Ultimately, while Partey is an incredibly talented footballer, Onana's more impressive underlying numbers, availability, and age make him the far more appealing prospect at this time, and so Edu and Co must do what they can to bring him to North London this summer.

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Cássio celebra semana de trabalho do Corinthians antes de pegar o Cuiabá

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians passa por um momento raro no apertado calendário do futebol brasileiro, já que terá uma semana inteira de trabalho antes do próximo compromisso, contra o Cuiabá, pela 13ª rodada do Brasileirão-2021, fora de casa. E não é somente a comissão técnica que valoriza esse período, os jogadores também sabem da importância desses dias para a equipe.

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> Jemerson e Otero dão adeus! Veja quem já deixou o Corinthians em 2021

Em entrevista para a TV oficial do clube, após as atividades da última terça-feira, Cássio, um dos líderes do elenco, comemorou o fato de o grupo ter seis dias completos de trabalho antes de pegar o próximo adversário pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. Para ele, isso permite correção de erros e foco total para buscar um grande resultado diante do Cuiabá, na próxima segunda-feira, às 20h.

-Bom começar, semana boa para trabalhar, trabalhar forte, corrigir os erros com o professor Sylvinho. Fazer uma grande semana para a gente buscar um grande resultado, com todo o respeito com o Cuiabá, mas é ir lá na segunda-feira, sair com uma grande vitória e seguir o nosso rumo no campeonato.

Depois de duas derrotas consecutivas no Brasileirão, Cássio sabe da importância de uma vitória neste momento, o que colocaria o Timão de volta aos trilhos em busca de uma melhor posição na tabela. Atualmente, o Alvinegro é o 12º colocado na competição com 14 pontos em 12 rodadas disputadas.

Oman's Yousef Abdulrahim Al Balushi banned for seven years

Admits guilt on four counts of anti-corruption code for trying to influence team members to fix matches

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2020The ICC has banned Oman player Yousuf Al Balushi from all cricket for seven years after he accepted four charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The charges relate to attempting to influence team members to engage in corruption during the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier, played in the UAE.Balushi had been suspended last month for the same offence, and has now been formally slapped with the sanction after he “chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing,” an ICC release said.While Alex Marshall, the ICC’s general manager for Integrity, called Balushi’s offence “very serious”, he also revealed that the ban could have been “significantly longer” had Balushi not cooperated with the investigation and admitted his guilt.”This is a very serious offence where a player attempted but failed to get a team mate to engage in corrupt activity in high profile games and this is reflected in the severity of the sentence,” Marshall said in the ICC statement. “Without Mr Balushi’s admission of guilt and full cooperation throughout our investigation, the ban could have been significantly longer. The player has also indicated that he is willing to contribute to future integrity education programmes on our behalf to help younger players learn from his mistakes.”The ACU had charged Al Balushi for breaching its code on the following four counts:Article 2.1.1: Being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of matches in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers 2019.Article 2.1.4: Attempting to solicit, induce, entice, persuade, encourage or intentionally facilitate a Participant to breach Article 2.1.Article 2.4.4: Failing to report the approaches or invitations that you received from three different individuals to be a party to an agreement or effort to fix matches in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers 2019.Article 2.4.7: Obstructing or delaying an investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code, including by concealing or tampering with information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct under the Code.The ICC’s investigation found that Balushi had been approached in August 2019 by someone he knew from playing in an unsanctioned Arabian Carnival League match in Bahrain. The individual, referred to as Mr X by the ICC, asked Balushi if they could “do some work together”, asking for Balushi’s help to fix matches in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers.Subsequently, Mr X introduced Balushi to two other men (Mr Y and Mr Z) who told him he needed to get a particular Oman player on board. The fix would involve this player getting out for less than a pre-agreed amount of runs. To show that the fix was on, the player would have to use an orange or black coloured grip on his bat, and he would then have to act on a signal from Mr Y and Mr Z, who would be in the stands.Balushi messaged the player and put the offer to him, but the approach was immediately rejected and reported to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit. Balushi learned of the approach being reported, and on being told that the ACU would interview him and also look at his phone messages, he deleted the messages. Balushi did not report the approaches made to him and accepted he had deleted incriminating messages on his phone, which then led to the punishment.

Sana Mir left out of Pakistan squad for Women's T20 World Cup

Bismah Maroof to lead the side, which has three changes from the one that played England recently

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2020

Sana Mir in action•PCB

Sana Mir, the vastly experienced former captain of the Pakistan women’s team, has been left out of the 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.Bismah Maroof will lead the side, which has three changes from the side that lost a T20I series 3-0 against England in Kuala Lumpur in December last year: batsmen Nahida Khan and Ayesha Zafar, and offspiner Rameen Shamim have been dropped, and in their place batsmen Muneeba Ali and Ayesha Naseem, and medium-pacer Aiman Anwar have been brought in.Pakistan squad

Bismah Maroof (capt), Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Ayesha Naseem, Umaima Sohail, Nida Dar, Iram Javed, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Diana Baig, Aiman Anwar, Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Sadia Iqbal, Aroob Shah

Mir, 34, wasn’t a part of that series but played in the 3-0 win over Bangladesh at home in Lahore in November, picking up five wickets with a best of 3 for 49 in the second fixture. Overall, she has turned out in 106 T20Is over the years – the same as Maroof, making them the most experienced Pakistani players in the format – as well as 120 ODIs, the most among Pakistan women players.”Though Sana Mir doesn’t feature in the 15-player line-up, I believe we still have the desired experience in the squad,” Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the national women’s selection committee, said in a statement. “Sana has been a phenomenal servant of Pakistan cricket while being an inspiration to many girls out there. Unfortunately, her recent performances in the T20 format were not on her side.”Captain Maroof said she had wanted Mir in the side, and hoped the veteran would continue to be a part of the set-up going forward. “It was a tough decision to leave out Sana Mir,” Maroof said. “I wanted to have her in the squad over which I, along with the selection committee, had deep deliberations. We had to decide between her and the emerging players who had been impressing on all the stages.”I respect and support the decision of the major group and hope she will continue to serve Pakistan women’s cricket in future with the same passion and energy.”On the make-up of the side, especially the inclusion of the teenaged Zafar and Aroob Shah, Mumtaz said, “Though the players who have been left out will be disappointed and heart-broken, this, however, should act as a motivation for them to come back more strongly. On the other side of the coin, the selection of 15-year-old Ayesha and 16-year-old Aroob Shah should be a motivation and message for all the budding youngsters.”Furthermore, the selectors have also valued our domestic competition, while also taking into consideration the players who have been regularly part of the side since the Bangladesh series. The team has been selected keeping in mind the current form and performances along with the conditions in Australia and, at the same moment, we have come up with the right balance of youth and experience which will complement each other in the mega event.”The Women’s T20 World Cup, to be played in Australia, will start on February 21, with Pakistan playing their first game on February 26, against West Indies in Canberra.As part of the preparation for the event, Pakistan will leave for Australia on January 31 and play three warm-up matches against West Indies in early February. Prior to that, the PCB confirmed, there will be an eight-day camp from January 23 to 30 at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi.

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