Arsenal could hijack a major club's move for one £34 million striker, and they're currently holding talks with super agent Kia Joorabchian over making it happen.

Edu and Arteta looking to sign striker for Arsenal

The Gunners are reliably reported to be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, with manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu looking to add more firepower up front.

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Arteta is keen on bringing in a young partner for Kai Havertz, who really impressed in a makeshift forward role under the Spaniard after a slow start. Arsenal scored 90-plus goals in the Premier League last term, falling just short of clinching a first title in 20 years, but it remains the case that a new striker is firmly on the agenda.

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

Edu unfortunately missed out on a deal for highly-rated young striker Benjamin Sesko, after multiple reports linking Arsenal with a move for the Slovenian. Sesko had an offer from Arsenal to join, but he instead opted to pen a new deal at Leipzig and remain in Germany for the time being.

Arsenal have turned to alternatives, and it is believed that Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee is among the options considered by Edu. The Dutchman, who racked up 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions, helping his side qualify for the Champions League, could leave for the value of his £34 million release clause.

AC Milan are thought to be really pursuing Zirkzee's signature, though. Indeed, Fabrizio Romano claims the Rossoneri have been working on a deal "for months".

"Let me clarify one thing on Joshua Zirkzee. AC Milan are the clear frontrunners for the Dutch striker," said Romano earlier this week.

"AC Milan have been working on this deal for months. They did a very good job in anticipating the market because Milan started working on this deal at the end of 2023.

"In January, February, March, they started building everything around the player. They have an agreement almost done on the salary. Days ago, they communicated to Bologna that they will trigger the buy option clause for Joshua Zirkzee in case they can agree a deal with player and agents."

Arsenal in talks with Joorabchian as they consider Zirkzee hijack

Any club moving in now would be hijacking Milan, and that is apparently what Arsenal could do.

According to HITC, Milan are struggling to reach an agreement with the forward, and Zirkzee's agent Joorabchian is currently holding talks with Arsenal as an alternative destination.

Arsenal and other interested English sides want Zirkzee to wait and think about his next landing spot, but Milan are frantically attempting to get him over the line. The Gunners could have time, as it is believed his £34m clause doesn't actually kick in until 1st July.

Mary Earps admits that Paris Saint-Germain’s Women’s Champions League exit was “gutting”, with “extraordinary” feats now expected from her.

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Left Man Utd for new challenge in FranceSuffered early exit from European competitionOperates under the brightest of spotlightsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The England international is a two-time winner of the FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper award and helped the Lionesses to European Championship glory in Euro 2022 – helping to raise her profile throughout the world. She took the brave decision to leave her homeland at Manchester United in the summer of 2024 and head to France.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT EARPS SAID

PSG suffered elimination from elite continental competition early in Earps’ time with the club, and she has told of suffering a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Juventus in the second round of qualifying: “I can’t really put it any other way than it was gutting. Especially with that being a massive factor into why I made the move to Paris. It was unfortunate, the way it happened. I think, in all honesty, we didn’t play our best and we got what we deserved, but it was just really unfortunate and is really hard to get past.”

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Earps’ efforts in Paris were always going to come under scrutiny, with any supposed wobbles being magnified. She added on operating under the brightest of spotlights: “It is a massive compliment but you do get criticised more and held to a higher standard than what other people do. Then the extraordinary is expected. But, the reality of it is that I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m really grateful for everything that I’ve achieved and the exciting thing for me is that I still feel like I’ve got room for improvement.”

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Earps faces fierce competition for places with PSG and England, meaning that she has to find a way of maintaining impressive individual standards. The 31-year-old will never back down from such a challenge and remains determined to play important roles for club and country.

Hobart Hurricanes’ new recruit Sandeep Lamichhane is on the mend after testing positive for Covid-19 and the Hurricanes are hopeful he will be available to play for his new BBL club in January.Lamichhane is part of the Hurricanes’ new-look squad for BBL10 with coach Adam Griffith and his list management team making a raft of signings this off-season to reshape the squad and fill the holes that left them vulnerable in last season’s Eliminator loss to Sydney Thunder.Lamichhane was poached from the Melbourne Stars and replaces Qais Ahmad as the Hurricanes’ overseas legspinner, but a positive Covid-19 diagnosis has threatened his availability. He tested negative for the first time last Thursday and appears on track to return to the BBL.ALSO READ: Hurricanes preview – Smart recruiting and top-order power provide strong mix“I’ve spoken to him a couple of times via text,” Griffith told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s very upbeat. We just got a message that he tested negative in his most recent test so that’s a good sign.”He’s still got a few more hoops to jump through from a medical perspective to make sure he’s good to go but it’s sounding as positive as it can from our end. We’ve just got to make sure that Cricket Australia is happy, the medical people are happy and he’s in a good space to get out here. Hopefully, it won’t affect our original plan of when we were going to get him out here and have him available.”

New tricks for Nathan Ellis

Hobart Hurricanes death specialist Nathan Ellis has added some new tricks to his trade ahead of his second year in the BBL.

Ellis was one of the finds of the tournament last season and coach Adam Griffith is certain he won’t suffer the second-year blues.

“We’ve added a couple of little tricks for him this year that people haven’t seen and it only takes one ball that they haven’t seen before and then they start thinking about that and that adds to his whole package,” Griffith said.

“We talk a lot about that if he actually executes what he is trying to then it’s still pretty hard to hit. He’s in a really good space. I’m looking forward to seeing him unleash next week.

“He’ll have a pretty tough job in our bowling group, being our best finisher and death bowler, he could potentially have a role in the first Powerplay, the second Powerplay and then a couple at the end.”

Afghan spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine in Australia and had to be hospitalised. But the Hurricanes are confident Lamichhane will be able to get Australia as planned.”We were looking to get him here mid-December, do his two weeks quarantine, and then like all of these guys, when they come out of quarantine, just assessing where they’re at because they’ll have been sitting in their hotel room for a couple of weeks,” Griffith said.”We don’t want to put them in a no-win situation where we are asking them to do something they’re no ready for yet. Again, that’s one of the positives of having five overseas on our books this year. We can manage them to hopefully get the best out of them and hopefully have them ready to go.”Griffith has convinced former Hurricanes player and South African international Johan Botha to come out of retirement as cover for Lamichhane prior to his arrival.The Hurricanes’ recruiting drive has been one of the boldest in the BBL signing Lamichhane, Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, and Will Jacks as part of their overseas contingent, as well as Peter Handscomb from the Stars.Griffith said the club had set themselves up to be aggressive in their recruiting after three consecutive seasons of making the finals without claiming the ultimate prize.”After reviewing the season last year we thought we didn’t quite have the depth we needed in certain areas of our list and with how we managed our list over the last couple of years, we’ve been able to get ourselves in a really good position salary cap wise to be able to sign these guys,” Griffith said.”It’s pretty exciting for us. The options we have in front of us for the coming season, I’m really happy with the guys we’ve brought in. It’s the most even and deep list we’ve had in a while now.”Keemo Paul launches one into the night sky•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

The balance of the top order was the first problem to solve. The Hurricanes have been heavily reliant on their opening pair of D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade over the last three seasons. The pair have made 1085 runs in 20 innings together over the last three seasons, averaging 57.10 with nine 50-plus partnerships including a stand of 203 against Adelaide last season.But Wade’s absence due to Test duty last year tested the depth of the order and the Hurricanes were found wanting. They made a play for Malan from a long way out and were delighted to sign the No.1 T20I batsman in the world, however he will be unavailable for the first four matches due to quarantine.  Handscomb might be an equally important addition given his experience in the competition.”He’s just a very good player, a very skilful, proven performer, and he makes hundreds,” Griffith said. “He’s made a hundred at BBL level which is something that we covet with our top order players.”He’s an excellent player of spin which is probably an area we’ve struggled a little bit at over the last few years. Just his experience, to be able to play different roles as well. We won’t pigeon hole him into a certain role in our batting group.”Jacks may be the surprise packet. The Hurricanes have a history of picking future England players, having had great success with Jofra Archer. Jacks has worked with Hurricanes assistant coach Michael Di Venuto at Surrey and Griffith thinks they might have found another one.ALSO READ: BBL all-time XI“What I love about him is obviously his aggression and his skill with the bat and the ball but he’s just keen to get out here for an opportunity to show what he can do,” Griffith said. “We try to do that most years, give an opportunity to an overseas player who has not necessarily burst onto the international scene yet but we’ve seen plenty of him at the domestic level and we think it’s only a matter of time before he plays for England.”We hope we can be one of those vehicles to help him achieve that and if he helps us win games of cricket along the way then it’s a win-win for both of us.”Keemo Paul was the final piece of the puzzle. James Faulkner is fit and his troublesome knees are as healthy as they have been for many years, but the Hurricanes felt they needed another bowler who could clear the fence in the later overs. Ricky Ponting was the key to getting Paul through working together at Delhi Capitals.”He was glowing in his endorsement of him,” Griffith said.  “Not only from a cricket perspective but also from a character perspective. I got a chance to catch up with Keemo in Dubai and that skill set that he brings is probably something that we don’t necessarily have in our group at the moment. To be able to bat 6-7-8, clear the fence from ball one and then bowl through the middle and at the end, so he brings something that is a little bit different.”

Celtic are believed to have agreed a deal to sign a 22-year-old player with a "great attitude", according to a new update from Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph.

Celtic transfer news

It has to be a slow start to the summer at Parkhead when it comes to transfers, but reinforcements should come in over the next few weeks or even days. In goal, Kasper Schmeichel is on the verge of moving to the Hoops, replacing the similarly experienced Joe Hart following his retirement at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Meanwhile, Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha has emerged as another target, with talks taking place with the 23-year-old's agent over a move. He scored seven goals and registered five assists in the Jupiler Pro League, showing the type of end product he could bring to Brendan Rodgers' squad.

Another report has suggested that Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo is another option to come in as Schmeichel's deputy, as he potentially looks for a chance to enjoy more regular football away from Villa Park.

Talks are also ongoing regarding a permanent move for striker Adam Idah, with the Norwich City man scoring eight goals in 15 appearances in the Scottish Premiership in 2023/24 on loan at Celtic, of which only five were starts. Now, another similar rumour has emerged over the signing of another player.

Celtic agree £3.5m deal to sign player with "great attitude"

Taking to X, Joseph claimed that Celtic have agreed a £3.5m deal with Benfica to sign Paulo Bernardo on a permanent deal, with personal terms hopefully sorted in the near future:

This is brilliant news for Celtic, considering what a popular figure Bernardo proved to be during his temporary stint at Parkhead last season. He made 22 appearances in the league, scoring and assisting three times apiece, and he also averaged 1.3 tackles per game in the competition. Meanwhile, Rodgers has shown his admiration for him in the past, saying:

"For Paulo it was good. He’s such a mature player for a young player. He’s always had a great attitude at training. He’s played in a lot of big games. But he had a wee bit of everything today – he had a wee bit of dig, put his foot in, passed the ball and made runs into the box."

Related Imagine him & Johnston: Celtic continue talks to sign "incredible" star

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At 22, Bernardo represents both a current starter and one for the future, and snapping him up for a number of years to come can only be seen as a positive for Celtic, with the hope being that he grows into an even more formidable player over time.

Arsenal could launch an opening bid to kickstart negotiations over signing a £50 million England star this summer, as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen one key area of his side.

Edu and Arteta planning defensive overhaul at Arsenal

Assisted by the club's sporting director, Edu, Arsenal's manager could oversee a defensive overhaul in the coming weeks – despite the Gunners boasting a better defensive record than any other Premier League team last season.

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No other top flight side conceded fewer goals than Arteta's men over 2023/2024, with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba shining at the heart of Arteta's defence yet again, but a cause for concern is their lack of central defensive depth behind the pair.

Indeed, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Ben White are all capable of playing centre-back, but Arteta seems more inclined to use them as makeshift full-back options at this moment in time.

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Euro 2024 star Ferdi Kadioglu, after his impressive season at Fenerbahce, so perhaps the Turkey international full-back's signing would allow Arteta to deploy one of Tomiyasu, Kiwior or White at centre-half more often.

However, reports suggest that Arsenal are in fact keen on bringing in another central defender, who can provide solid back up to Saliba and Gabriel. Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal are big fans of Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, and Gunners chiefs believe they're in fact frontrunners to seal a potential deal.

"Arsenal are also working on their future, we know they have many wonderkids in the academy, but there is a player they love. He is playing at Ajax, a centre-back and it is Jorrel Hato,” Romano said on the Here We Go podcast last month.

“Hato signed a new deal at Ajax two months ago, but Arsenal are still following him. They believe Hato is a top centre-back in terms of potential. Keep an eye on Arsenal, they are still pushing for Hato, they believe they are frontrunners in the race to sign him. Let’s see if they can make it happen this summer or if it has to be in the future.”

Another defensive acquisition to watch out for, and one who would greatly bolster Arteta's ranks, is Crystal Palace stalwart Marc Guehi.

Arsenal could launch opening Guehi bid to kickstart talks

The Eagles ace, who was rewarded for his excellent form last season with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 England squad, started for the Three Lions against Serbia and earned plaudits for his performance.

Arteta and co are now ready to test Palace's resolve when it comes to selling the 23-year-old. According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal could kickstart talks by making an opening bid for Guehi, but they face competition from Newcastle United in this regard.

He's valued at around £50 million by Selhurst Park chiefs, which Arsenal consider too steep for the time being, but it isn't ruled out that they could try and whittle the price down in negotiations.

It'll also be interesting to see whether Guehi would consider a move to north London, as the presence of Saliba and Gabriel means he'd have to battle much more for regular game time.

كشف الجهاز الفني للنادي الأهلي، موعد السفر إلى كوت ديفوار، لخوض مواجهة استاد أبيدجان، في منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلعب الأهلي مع استاد أبيدجان، يوم السبت المقبل 11 يناير، في إطار الجولة الخامسة من عمر مباريات دور المجموعات لـ دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2024-2025.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الثالثة، بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، مع أندية استاد أبيدجان وأورلاندو بايرتس الجنوب إفريقي وشباب بلوزداد الجزائري.

وقال محمد رمضان، المدير الرياضي للنادي الأهلي، “الفريق يتجه إلى كوت ديفوار يوم الخميس المقبل، لخوض مواجهة استاد أبيدجان.

طالع | الأهلي يكشف سبب غياب كولر عن المران الختامي قبل مباراة سموحة

وكان مجلس إدارة النادي، برئاسة محمود الخطيب، قد قرر تكليف محمد الدماطي، عضو مجلس الإدارة، برئاسة بعثة فريق الكرة في كوت ديفوار.

كما تقرر سفر سمير عدلي، المدير الإداري للفريق الأول لكرة القدم، إلى كوت ديفوار ‏صباح الأربعاء للترتيب لسفر البعثة المحدد له

وتقرر أن يسبق الكابتن سمير عدلي البعثة، لإنهاء الترتيبات الخاصة بالرحلة من إقامة ‏وانتقالات ومعاينة ملعب التدريب، في إطار توفير الأجواء اللازمة للفريق قبل المباراة.‏

ويحتل الأهلي، المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 7 نقاط، بينما يتصدر الترتيب فريق أورلاندو برصيد 8 نقاط.

ويتواجد فريق شباب بلوزداد، في المركز الثالث برصيد 6 نقاط، ويتذيل الترتيب استاد أبيدجان بنقطة واحدة.

Football FanCast brings you the latest Rangers transfer round-up.

The Gers fell short in their pursuit of the Scottish Premiership after falling away during the run-in, which may give Philippe Clement plenty of food for thought as we enter another transfer window, ahead of the Belgian's first full season in charge.

With a potential return to the Champions League ahead, here are who the Ibrox giants have been looking at this summer.

Latest Rangers transfer rumours Transfers in

Bright Osayi-Samuel: Rangers continue to be linked to Fenerbahce winger Bright Osayi-Samuel. The former QPR ace has piqued the interest of the Light Blues, as well as English Premier League duo Southampton and Wolves in the past. Recent reports have claimed that his Turkish outfit are open to allowing him to leave for the right price – described as a potential "bargain" by reporter Alan Nixon.

Bobby Clark: The Gers are in a congested race to sign Liverpool starlet Bobby Clark on loan. Clark is set to sign a new deal at Anfield, with several teams looking to take in the 19-year-old next season. Red Bull duo Salzburg and Leipzig are among those interested, while Norwich City also have their eye on the teenager.

Gonzalo Tapia: Rangers have been mentioned as a potential destination for Chilean ace Gonzalo Tapia. The forward, who plays in his native country for Universidad Catolica, is also of interest to the likes of Anderlecht and CSKA Moscow. Reports claim that he could also be available for a relatively low fee.

Bojan Miovski: A deal for Aberdeen ace Bojan Miovski could be considered a longshot at this stage, with the Dons reportedly not likely to allow the North Macedonian to depart on the cheap. However, Rangers do have an interest in the forward as they seek a replacement for Kemar Roofe up top.

Transfers out

Scott Wright: Rangers have reportedly received an offer from English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday for forward Scott Wright, and they may allow the 26-year-old to leave given his contract is entering its final year.

It is thought that Rangers are seeking a six-figure sum, though at the time of writing, no details have emerged regarding the Owls' offer.

Todd Cantwell: The Gers midfielder has emerged as a transfer target for Saudi Pro League new boys Al-Qadsiah. Former Rangers chief executive James Bisgrove is now working there, and also reportedly has eyes on James Tavernier as well as Cantwell.

Sam Lammers: The Dutchman's move to Rangers has not worked out at all, and Sam Lammers could now be set to finally end his Ibrox nightmare. Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar are thought to have a "serious interest" in the attacker and have already held talks with him over a deal. However, he is not the only name on their shortlist, so it remains to be seen where this one goes.

Latest Rangers transfers 2024/25

Rangers' summer business began with Mohamed Diomande's deal turning permanent following his loan spell from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, with the Gers having an obligation to buy.

He has since been joined by six others to date, including Brazilian full-back Jefte, Milan starlet Clinton Nsiala and 21-year-old Moroccan Hamza Igamane.

Oscar Cortes has also extended his loan spell at Ibrox, though he has signed a deal with an obligation to buy next summer, upon which he will sign a four-year contract.

On the outgoings front, several Rangers servants have seen their deals expire in the past few days, including experienced duo Borna Barisic and Ryan Jack, who amassed over 400 appearances for the club between them. John Lundstram, Jon McLaughlin and striker Kemar Roofe will also be looking for new clubs in 2024/25.​​​​​​

Fee

Fee

Mohamed Diomande (FC Nordsjaelland)

Undisc.

Borna Barisic (Trabzonspor)

Free

Hamza Igamane (FAR Rabat)

Undisc.

John Lundstram (Trabzonspor)

Free

Jefte (Fluminense)

Undisc.

Kieran Wright (Airdrieonians)

Loan

Connor Barron (Aberdeen)

Free

Ryan Jack (Released)

n/a

Liam Kelly (Motherwell)

Free

Jon McLaughlin (Released)

n/a

Clinton Nsiala (Milan)

Free

Kemar Roofe (Released)

n/a

Oscar Cortes (Lens)

Loan

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has reacted to reports of Championship sides Stoke City and Preston North End keeping tabs on midfielder Ryan Barnett.

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• Barnett in top form for Wrexham
• Stoke and Preston monitoring midfielder
• McElhenney responds to transfer reports

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barnett has been in top form this season for Phil Parkinson's Wrexham as the midfielder leads the assists charts in League One so far. The Red Dragons have only lost twice this season of English football and a third-straight promotion is not entirely out of the question. Barnett has been a top performer for Wrexham and naturally has been linked with an early move to the Championship.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Per , Stoke City and Preston North End are keeping an eye on Barnett ahead of the January transfer window. The report also states that the two Championship sides have already sent out scouts to watch the midfielder in action. As such, Wrexham co-owner McElhenney has reacted to the reports with a simple and hilarious response.

• WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

  Replying to a post on X with the report from , McElhenney said: "I hope they have good binoculars."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BARNETT?

  The 25-year-old will hope to extend his lead atop the League One assist table when Wrexham take on Charlton Athletic on Saturday, October 26 in their attempts to keep up with first-place Birmingham City.

Ben McDermott’s outstanding 58-ball 91 goes in vain as Hobart Hurricanes lose by ten runs

Saurabh Somani04-Jan-2021A brilliant innings at the top of the Melbourne Stars order from Marcus Stoinis was matched by an equally astonishing effort from Ben McDermott, but Stoinis’ 55-ball 97* did the job for the Stars in a high-scoring victory over the Hobart Hurricanes.Stoinis batted through the innings for his near-century, while McDermott looked set to also bat through and take the Hurricanes to a barnstorming victory, until he was out for 91 off 58 with six balls to go in the chase. McDermott’s innings ended only because of a superlative catch by Andre Fletcher on the boundary, his second such effort of the evening. Fletcher’s defying of gravity while flying to his right and left was as crucial to securing victory for the Stars as Stoinis’ innings.Related

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The two opposing openers’ efforts mirrored each other. Both began slowly, and then exploded in a cascade of boundaries in the second half of their innings. Both were the lynchpins of their teams’ totals, outscoring all the rest combined. Their pace was the tone-setter for their teams, too, with both sides going sedately at the start and clattering boundaries at the finish.Stoinis moved from 32 off 31 to 97 off 55, hitting 65 runs in the last ten overs from just 24 balls after having gone at just about a run-a-ball before that. McDermott’s acceleration was equally stark: he was on just 26 off 28 after eight overs, and went on to smash 65 off his next 30 balls.A wobbly start for the StarsIt began with a frenetic first over from the pacy Riley Meredith. The first and third balls went to the boundary off outside and inside edges, the second ball was a yorker that almost had Fletcher falling over, and the batsman was given out caught behind off the fourth legal ball. He was driving away from body and the ball was an outswinger that curved away, but on replays it appeared more bat hitting ground than ball.The Hurricanes’ bowlers, led by Meredith, chipped away and the Stars were 49 for 3 in the eighth over, the in-form captain Glenn Maxwell the last wicket to fall at that stage.Stoinis takes chargeThe first ball Stoinis faced was in the second over, and he disdainfully slog-swept Johan Botha for six, hitting it so well that the ball had to be replaced. The wickets at the top and tight bowling early on meant he became more watchful than aggressive, but that was only till he was well set. Stoinis’ step-up was remarkable for how smoothly it was done. He brought out the big shots, punishing seam and spin with an equal hand.The Stars were well served by successive partnerships for the fourth and fifth wickets. Nicholas Pooran joined Stoinis to add 60 runs in six overs, jump-starting the innings after the sedate start. Hilton Cartwright then ensured the momentum wasn’t lost with a sparkling cameo of 36 off 24 balls, taking the lead in a 56-run stand that came off just 5.3 overs.The Hurricanes might have entertained hopes of finishing well when Nathan Ellis got Cartwright and Seb Gotch off successive balls to end the penultimate over, but Stoinis finished with a flourish, hitting four boundaries in the final over as Scott Boland conceded 18.Stoinis had begun the final over needing 21 to get to a century, and his clean hitting almost took him there.He’s got the moves – Andre Fletcher pulled off two gravity-defying catches that were match turning•Getty ImagesNo Bash Boost for the HurricanesThe Hurricanes looked to follow the template the Stars had set, relying on a conservative start and wickets in hand to aim for a big finish. However, they were even more sedate than the Stars had been with fewer wickets lost. They couldn’t get the Bash Boost point either, being 60 for 1 in ten overs: the Stars had been 63 for 3.McDermott turns on the heatMcDermott hadn’t been exactly fluent at the start, a lot of his forcing shots not finding either the middle or the gaps, or both. The floodgates burst in the 12th over, bowled by Cartwright, which yielded 17 runs. In Colin Ingram, McDermott had a partner who could score quickly at the other end and the steeply climbing asking rate – it was over 12 after 11 overs – meant both had to hit out. They did, and started connecting sweetly too. The stand was broken by the first of Fletcher’s superman efforts. Ingram had carved the ball powerfully over extra cover, and Fletcher ran in a bit too hard but then adjusted and pivoted to dive to his right, horizontal to the ground, to pluck the ball.McDermott still threatened to take the game away, while captain Peter Handscomb also began with a rush of boundaries, until Fletcher’s second effort ended McDermott’s stay. He had thumped a full toss over cover and this time Fletcher ran to his left and dived full length, once again emerging with the ball clutched in his hands.McDermott fell on the last ball of the 19th over, and without him, 21 off the last over was too much to get for the Hurricanes.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com dez vitórias nos últimos 12 jogos, o Botafogo vai, finalmente, criando uma vantagem no G4 da Série B do Brasileirão. A equipe comandada por Enderson Moreira abriu “duas rodadas” de gordura para o Guarani, primeiro clube fora da zona de classificação para a próxima Série A.

+ Botafogo: com dívida de R$ 50 milhões, CEO visa Nilton Santos além do futebol para atrair naming rights

O Botafogo, em 3º lugar, em 44 pontos, enquanto o Bugre vem com 38. Com seis pontos de vantagem, o Alvinegro tem três vitórias a mais – principal critério de desempate da competição – em relação à equipe de Campinas. O Alvinegro tem 13 triunfos, enquanto o Alviverde venceu dez vezes.

Ou seja, mesmo que que o Botafogo perca as duas próximas partidas e o Guarani tenha 100% de aproveitamento no período, o Alvinegro não deixaria o G4. As equipes, neste contexto hipotético, ficariam empatadas em pontos, mas o Glorioso mesmo assim teria uma vitória a mais que o rival.

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Único clube com 100% de aproveitamento no segundo turno, o Alvinegro, aos poucos, vai se consolidando no pelotão de frente da Série B. Apesar da boa fase, o treinador Enderson Moreira faz questão de ressaltar que a equipe precisa manter os pés no chão.

O Botafogo volta aos gramados na próxima quinta-feira para enfrentar o CSA, no Estádio Rei Pelé, às 19h30, pela 25ª rodada.