He was also effusive in praise for left-arm spinner Kuhnemann

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Feb-20252:48

Steven Smith: ‘A near-flawless performance’

It was the length Australian spinners bowled that helped them take 20 Sri Lanka wickets so easily. This is what the stand-in captain Steven Smith felt after his team inflicted a record innings-and-242-run victory on Sri Lanka in the first Test.The Sri Lanka batters struggled substantially against the spinners, losing 17 wickets to them in Galle. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann took 9 for 149 in the match, to top the wicket-chart for the series so far.”I just think he bowls nice balls consistently,” Smith said of Kuhnemann. “Left-arm spinners to right-hand batters – it just works in the subcontinent.Related

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“He did a wonderful job when he bowled in India [where he took nine wickets across five innings in early 2023], and he bowled beautifully again in this game. It’s a pretty good effort.”Australia, unusually, played only one frontline seam bowler. Mitchell Starc has an outstanding record in Sri Lanka, but spin nevertheless claimed a bulk of the Sri Lanka wickets to fall in this Test, leaving just three for Starc.”I thought all the spinners worked really well together, and that’s the beauty of having three frontline spin bowlers,” Smith said. “You can sort of chop and change them, and as soon as one’s not looking quite as effective, and the batter gets a bit of a read on them or they get a little bit tired, you put the next one on and wait to see what’s happening.”

“If you can consistently hit a good length, then regardless of what’s going on, you’re going to be in play”Steven Smith

But, while Australia’s spinners took 17 wickets in the Test, Sri Lanka’s spinners managed only the six.”For me, for [the] spinners it’s more length than pace,” Smith said. “If you can consistently hit a good length, then regardless of what’s going on, you’re going to be in play. If you can get the ball to skid or one to rag – the length where they’re lunging forward and can’t get back to it or they can’t drive at that length. If you’re hitting that consistently, your pace is kind of irrelevant, I think.”Australia scored 654 for 6 declared in the first innings. This is generally a position from which teams tend not to lose, and Australia felt especially confident, considering how quickly the pitch was deteriorating.”I think they lost 7 for 17 [7 for 15] across the day today at one point. It was one of those where it was really tough to start on, and as soon as we got a breakthrough, we always felt we could get another one quickly.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Dorival Júnior conseguiu. Alcançou seu 11º jogo inivcto no comando do São Paulo. A marca, inédita neste século entre os treinadores que passaram pelo clube do Morumbi, elevou o Tricolor à terceira posição do Campeonato Brasileiro. Ou seja, na zona de classificação à próxima edição da Copa Libertadores. Posto este ocupado pela equipe pela última vez há exato um ano.

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A última vez que o São Paulo esteve no famigerado G4 foi exatamente em 22 de maio do ano passado, quando se segurou na terceira posição da tabela com 12 pontos após empate em 1 a 1 com o Corinthians, no Morumbi, pela oitava rodada da competição.

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Na ocasição, a equope comandanda pelo então técnico Rogério Ceni ostentava uma campanha de três vitórias e empates e apenas uma derrota.

Situação pior que a deste ano, quando o Tricolor ocupa a mesma terceira colocação, mas com 15 pontos em oito jogos, um jogo a mais, com uma vitória a mais. São 63% de aproveitamento.

A derrocada são-paulina no principal torneio nacional começou pouco depois daquela oitava rodada. Isso porque o clube eliminou o rival Palmeiras nas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil e passou e se classificou na Copa Sul-Americana, passando a privilegiar as disputas de mata-mata, onde julgava ter maior chance de conquista de títulos.

Na reta final do certame, eliminado das copas, o São Paulo não conseguiu se recuperar a tempo de se classificar na Libertadores. Isso mesmo tendo passado parte da disputa lutando contra o rebaixamento.

Neste ano, a equipe só perdeu na estreia do Brasileirão, diante do Botafogo, quando o técnico ainda era Ceni.

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It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say this summer is turning into something of a disaster for Newcastle United.

The Magpies should be looking forward to a season of Champions League football and possibilities for more silverware, but instead are embroiled in a transfer saga involving Alexander Isak.

On top of that, Eddie Howe and Co have had to watch the club seemingly miss out on target after target in recent weeks, with it now not entirely clear what is happening regarding Benjamin Sesko.

However, perhaps it’s not all doom and gloom, as the League Cup champions have done some business, and it now looks like they’re planning to go back in for one international who could be something of another Anthony Elanga.

Newcastle target another Elanga

While there is plenty to be worried about from a Newcastle fan’s perspective this summer, it is worth noting that the club have conducted some promising business, such as getting Aaron Ramsdale in on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

Transfer Focus

The Englishman may have his detractors, but for two years at Arsenal, he was brilliant and played a big part in the Gunners’ surprise title push in the 22/23 season, pulling off some notable saves in games against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

On top of that, the club have also got their hands on Elanga, and while it would be fair to say pre-season has been mixed for the Swedish international, we all saw how effective he could be last season when he ended the campaign with six goals and 12 assists in 43 appearances for Nottingham Forest.

Interestingly, with just under a month until the transfer window slams shut, the Toon look set to go back in for one of their previous targets, someone who could be described as another Elanga.

At least that is according to a recent report from the Times, which claims Newcastle are interested in Marc Guehi again.

The report has revealed that the Crystal Palace star, who is valued at around £50m, is now back on the menu for the Magpies, and that they could finally go in with a fresh bid at any point in the coming weeks – although they do not want to spend more than £40m.

It would be another significant investment from the club, but the Englishman has proven his worth over the years, and there would be an Elanga-esque quality to the deal.

Why Guehi would be an Elanga-esque signing

So, before we get into a few reasons why Guehi would be an excellent signing for Newcastle in his own right, it’s worth going over why his arrival would be reminiscent of Elanga’s.

The first is that, like the Swede, the Englishman would be moving to St James’ Park from another Premier League side, and not just that, but one set to compete in Europe next season.

Moreover, while it’s not entirely clear just how much the Palace ace will cost at the moment, the likelihood is that the final price will not be too far off the £55m the Toon paid for the Malmo-born winger.

Lastly, like former Manchester United prospect, the Eagles star defender had to leave one of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ sides early in his career to really gain a foothold in English football and make a name for himself, and make a name for himslef, he certainly has.

That brings us to arguably the most crucial reason the 25-year-old would be an excellent addition to Howe’s squad, which is his vast experience.

Appearances

216

23

Goals

8

0

Assists

4

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.05

0.08

Despite still being relatively young for a centre-back and around two years off from hitting his peak, according to research carried out by The Athletic, the “exceptional” star, as dubbed by former goalkeeper Joe Hart, has now made 216 senior club appearances across his stints with the Eagles, Swansea and Chelsea.

On top of that, the former Blues gem has also won 23 caps for England and was a key member of the squad that made it to the final of the European Championships last season.

Ultimately, while it won’t be cheap, Newcastle should once again push the boat out to sign a player previously discarded by the ‘big six’ as Guehi looks like he has everything needed to elevate their backline next season.

Newcastle United are in talks over the signing of a towering Scandinavian attacker this summer, who could join alongside one of Yoane Wissa or Nicolas Jackson.

Newcastle watch on as striker dominoes fall

The striker situation at St James’ Park has dominated their summer, with Alexander Isak’s future still in doubt amid continued interest from Liverpool and seemingly every other European rival in the top flight landing their own superstar striker.

If Isak does depart, he would be the second big Swedish striker transfer of the summer aftter Viktor Gyokeres joined Arsenal, with the pair joining the likes of Erling Haaland and Alexander Sørloth in what is a growing crop of Nordic strikers thriving in major European leagues.

Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson have emerged as two of the leading options to arrive at St James’ Park to replace Isak, with both potentially needed if the Magpies lose both Isak and Callum Wilson in the same summer transfer window.

Like Isak, Wissa is refusing to play for his current club, in order to try and force a move away, while Jackson finds himself struggling for a starting berth at Stamford Bridge after the signing of Joao Pedro from Brighton. Now, an update has emerged regarding another Premier League attacker.

Newcastle join teams tapping into Scandinavian striker market

According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein on X, Newcastle are in “talks” over signing Wolves and Norway striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, with the 25-year-old liking the idea of joining the Magpies.

“Newcastle retain firm interest in Jorgen Strand Larsen. Not more advanced than other options but 25yo Wolves forward among small group being considered. Talks via intermediaries + Norway int’l keen on NUFC but not agitating to exit.”

Strand Larsen stands out as another good option for Newcastle, having developed massively in recent years. According to Transfermarkt, the striker was worth just €600k (£500k) at Groningen, a number which has ballooned to €30m (£26m) after moves to Celta Vigo and then Wolves.

The Wolves ace has 14 goals in 39 appearances, which is a good return for a team that struggled in the Premier League last season, and Magpies legend Alan Shearer is a big admirer, hailing his qualities back in April.

“He was a nuisance. His hold-up play was excellent and I thought his touch and his control were superb. “Wolves didn’t play that well in the first half, but they certainly improved in the second. When you’ve got a guy who’s 6’4, you have to get balls into the box, and they certainly did that in the second half.”

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Strand Larsen is arguably a better option than Jackson, considering he scored more league goals than him in a weaker team last season, so he and Wissa could be ideal business to make up for the loss of Isak, if it happens.

Sunderland are reportedly among the “best placed” clubs to complete the signing of an “unbelievable” player in the summer transfer window.

It has been a summer to remember for the Black Cats, with as many as 11 permanent signings coming in, bolstering Regis Le Bris’ squad significantly. Now, a new rumour has claimed that Sunderland have submitted an offer for Leicester City attacker Abdu Fatawu, who is viewed as a primary transfer target in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window.

While the £27m bid has reportedly been rejected, there is still hope that the Black Cats could still complete a move for Fatawu in the coming weeks.

It promises to be a busy period for Sunderland, who will also hope to continue their promising start to the Premier League season, and now another key update has emerged regarding a separate transfer target.

Sunderland’s 11 permanent summer signings

Joined from

Price

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£27.1m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.8m

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£17.2m

Noah Sadiki

Union SG

£14.6m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£12.9m

Nordi Mukiele

Paris Saint-Germain

£10.3m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£9.8m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

free transfer

Arthur Masuaku

Besiktas

free transfer

Sunderland in pole to beat Leeds to Uche signing

According to AS [via Sport Witness], Sunderland are one of the “best placed” clubs to sign Getafe midfielder Christantus Uche this summer. He is available for a cut-price amount of £17.2m, despite having a £21.5m release clause. Leeds United are also in the mix to sign the 22-year-old, while Getafe president Jose Bordalas has offered further encouragement by admitting that certain players may need to be sold.

“We’ll have to release some so we can register all or almost all of them. I wouldn’t like Uche or anyone to leave, but we have to accept the offers we have, and there are several.”

Uche has the potential to be another strong addition for Sunderland before the window closes, as scout Jacek Kulig lauded him as “unbelievable” earlier this year, and if they could pip Premier League rivals Leeds to his signature, it would feel even sweeter.

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The fact that Getafe could be forced to sell the two-cap Nigeria international is an extra bonus for the Black Cats, and he will hopefully like what is going on at the Stadium of Light currently, not least the amount of ambitious transfer business.

Capable of playing as a number 8, 10 or even up front, Uche would add quality and youth to Sunderland’s midfield, with his versatility increasing the depth at the manager’s disposal.

West Ham United manager Graham Potter has now approved the sale of three first-team players after the very disappointing opening day defeat against Sunderland, according to a report.

Potter left frustrated by opening day defeat at Sunderland

West Ham suffered a 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light in their opening Premier League game of the season, and Potter subsequently admitted his side’s performance wasn’t up to par.

The Hammers boss said: “The second half was not good from us in terms of the basics. First half was quite good, we controlled the crowd and were unfortunate not to score. The first goal was always going to be important. Basics of football we have to really improve.

“It is the first day, we know these things can happen as much as we don’t like it to happen. We have a big game on Friday, we have to react and do a lot better.”

Even though we are only one game into the new campaign, pressure is arguably already mounting on Potter, given that the 50-year-old was unable to oversee a major improvement last season either, having averaged just 1.0 points per match during his time at the London Stadium.

As such, the Englishman is now looking to reshuffle his squad before the transfer deadline, and there may be some drastic action, with the West Ham manager now willing to sanction the departure of three first-team players.

That is according to a report from the Sunday Mirror (via West Ham Zone), which states Potter has approved the sales of Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez and Andy Irving, who will all now be allowed to leave for the right fee.

The midfield trio, who rake in a combined £180k-a-week, clearly haven’t done enough to impress the Solihull-born manager, and a number of new central midfielders have been identified as potential replacements.

Target

Current club

League G/A in 24/25

Aleix Garcia

Bayer Leverkusen

7

Eljif Elmas

RB Leipzig

4

Andrey Santos

Chelsea

14

Mateus Fernandes

Southampton

6

Potter needs to make major changes before transfer deadline

It is a good sign that Potter is willing to take radical action to improve his squad, given that there have been very few promising signs ever since the former Chelsea manager’s arrival at the London Stadium, amassing just 43 points last season.

Rodriguez failed to have any impact on the match against Sunderland, with the defensive midfielder not making a single defensive action, while he was also dribbled past on one occasion.

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Irving, on the other hand, came on as a late substitute, having failed to establish himself as a regular starter ever since his arrival, while Alvarez didn’t even make it off the bench, amid well-documented interest from Ajax and Monaco.

As such, West Ham fans are unlikely to be too disappointed to see any of the trio leave the club this summer, and some exciting potential replacements have been identified, with Chelsea’s Santos scoring ten league goals on loan at Strasbourg last term.

In one of the most absorbing days of Test cricket you could wish to see, another remarkable performance from Jasprit Bumrah blew the game wide open. But, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins played their second vital innings of the match before the last-wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland extended Australia’s lead to 333, and potentially out of India’s reach.Having kept themselves in the match for so much of the day, India were frustrated by Lyon and Boland who eked out a precious 55 runs and couldn’t be separated before stumps on day four. Lyon should have become Bumrah’s fifth wicket in the final over of the day when he edged to third slip, where KL Rahul somehow held the ball between his legs, but an exhausted Bumrah had overstepped. Lyon ended up taking 14 off the over to close the day with his joint second-highest Test score.Related

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Whatever India’s final target, it will no doubt spark memories of events at the Gabba in 2021, particularly with the nature of how the lower order kept them in the contest on day three. As on that occasion, they will again have to defy history: no team has ever chased a higher fourth-innings total for a win at the MCG, with the highest being England’s 332 for 7 which they achieved in 1928. A crowd of 299,329 has watched the match across the first four days, the highest-ever attendance for a Boxing Day Test.Nitish Kumar Reddy’s maiden century narrowed Australia’s first-innings advantage to 105. India’s new-ball bowling, with Bumrah well supported by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, made life extremely tough for the top order and the home side progressed at barely two-and-a-half runs an over. But at 80 for 2 – a lead of 185 – more comfortable territory was looming for Australia, only for the picture to change dramatically.Steven Smith’s wicket sparked a collapse of 4 for 11 in three overs in the first part of the afternoon session which included Bumrah’s 200th Test wicket as he removed Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey in an electric passage of play.However, at 99 for 6 came a potentially defining moment when Labuschagne, on 46, was dropped in the gully by Yashasvi Jaiswal when he looked to glide the luckless Deep to third. Jaiswal, who had early shelled Usman Khawaja at leg gully, had a day to forget in the field as he also gave Cummins a life in the final over before tea when he missed a low chance at silly point.Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland walk off at stumps after keeping India at bay for 110 balls•Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Labuschagne and Cummins extended their partnership to 57, every run feeling like gold dust before Labuschagne was lbw to Siraj who had his best day of the series since Perth.Any notion that Australia would add freely to their lead soon vanished in the morning as India bowled excellently with the new ball on a pitch offering more seam movement than previous days. This time Bumrah got the better of Sam Konstas when he seamed one through the gate and didn’t hold back in a celebration that appeared to mimic Konstas’ interactions with the crowd.Bumrah moved the ball so much that it was sometimes impossible to hit, while both Akash and Siraj were challenging, although the former might have wanted to pitch the ball a touch fuller. The benefit of pitching up a fraction more was shown when Siraj seamed a delivery through Khawaja. At one stage during the morning session, the broadcast said that Australia’s batters had been beaten 21 times in 18 overs.Briefly after lunch, it appeared Labuschagne and Smith, who had started the innings within 51 of 10,000 runs, were trying to increase the tempo but any thought of that was soon shut down.Siraj opened the door when Smith chased a wide delivery, then Rohit Sharma sensed a moment and immediately brought back Bumrah who was breathtaking. With his second delivery, he had Head flicking to forward square leg and four deliveries later, he continued Marsh’s lean series with a delivery that climbed and brushed the glove. Marsh was left with 73 runs in seven innings (47 of which came in one knock) and he will likely be at the centre of much debate ahead of the Sydney Test regardless of the result here.Mohammed Siraj had his best day of the series since the Perth Test•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

When Bumrah seamed one back sharply at Alex Carey, the game was threatening to be turned on its head barely 24 hours after India looked likely to concede a lead over 200. Then came Labuschagne’s reprieve and Australia breathed again.Scoring was never free but Labuschagne constructed one of the most important innings of his career although at times could only smile when another delivery would whistle past his edge. Overs such as one from Deep that went for nine – with a boundary apiece to Labuschagne and Cummins – were like small momentum shifts.When the pair survived Bumrah’s first spell after tea that felt like a good result for Australia, but Siraj produced a superb delivery to earn an lbw against Labuschagne that was upheld on umpire’s call.Mitchell Starc fell to a misunderstanding with Cummins and a brilliant piece of work from Rishabh Pant who removed a glove to collect Reddy’s throw from the deep and produced a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Cummins then edged Jadeja to slip having produced his highest runs tally in a Test.The contributions by the lower order have made Australia favourites, although nothing feels certain.

In a move that would solve one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s problems, one Sky Sports writer has been left wowed by reports that Nottingham Forest have opened talks to sign a Champions League-level star.

Nuno outlines Nottingham Forest problems

Just two weeks ago, Espirito Santo wouldn’t have even received a mention in the Premier League’s sack race, let alone be in pole position. But after revealing that his relationship with Evangelos Marinakis isn’t what it once was, the Nottingham Forest boss is suddenly at risk of being shown the door at the City Ground.

Reports even had to reiterate that he would be in charge for Forest’s trip to face Crystal Palace last weekend. That’s how bad things suddenly became. And since then, it has become clearer that Espirito Santo’s main problem lies with the involvement of sporting director Edu Gaspar, who only made the move to work with Marinakis this year.

Given that Espirito Santo recently reaffirmed his position as Nottingham Forest manager, it seems like Marinakis now has a decision to make between two key components at the club. The question that he must face is whether to choose his manager or sporting director.

It should also be said that there is potentially time to solve this problem in a less dramatic way. Speaking to reporters last weekend, Espirito Santo outlined his transfer demands as deadline day approaches, saying: “We need three players – one more goalie and two full-backs because we cannot live with the fear of if something happens to Ola (Aina) and Neco (Williams).”

Now, in a step in the right direction, reports are suggesting that the former Tottenham Hotspur boss could be about to see at least one of those demands met before the deadline.

Nottingham Forest in talks to sign Geertruida

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Nottingham Forest are now in talks to sign Lutsharel Geertruida from RB Leipzig in a late move that has left Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley stunned.

With talks underway between Forest and Leipzig regarding the versatile fullback, Critchley took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “Nottingham Forest going after Lutsharel Geertruida now… wow.

“Capable of playing at right back and centre back, his move to Leipzig hasn’t worked out quite as well as expected… But prior to Bradley’s emergence at Liverpool I always thought he’d be an excellent addition there.

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“For me he’s a Champions League level player. Douglas Luiz, Arnaud Kaliumendo, James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson and now Lutsharel Geertruida… Forest have really gone for it in the last couple of weeks! Nuno can’t complain about not being backed… whether all these signings were his idea rather than Edu’s is another question!”

Aaqib Javed gives his vote of confidence to Pakistan’s quicks, but Urooj Mumtaz and Anil Kumble feel the team, on the whole, lack firepower

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-20251:39

Has Pakistan’s pace unit lost its bite?

Pakistan have won only 14 of the 28 matches – across ODIs and T20Is – they have played with all three of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf in the XI. That could be because, as Sanjay Manjrekar put it, some of the quicks “have seen better days”, even though Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s coach, says the three remind him of “the ’90s troika”.Out of Pakistan’s four losses in ODIs featuring all three of Afridi, Naseem and Rauf, two have come in multi-team events – against India at the Asia Cup 2023 and against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener. In both those matches, Pakistan conceded 300-plus scores bowling first.That begs the obvious question: Has Pakistan’s fast bowling, their biggest strength for years, lost its bite and the ability to intimidate oppositions?Related

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“It was a kind of revelation for us in Sri Lanka when we had an encounter with Pakistan in the Asia Cup before the 2023 World Cup. We saw Shaheen Shah Afridi live up to expectations in the first game, which was rain affected, but as the tournament went on, we also got to see that Shaheen Shah Afridi wasn’t the same bowler that he was before. The speed in the air had completely disappeared,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “”So, all the trickery that he had was not the same without the speed in the air. Haris Rauf had the pace but was not quite able to lead [the attack] like [Jasprit] Bumrah does with his fast bowling. Naseem Shah has emerged as the best bowler on form. Yes, fast bowling is their main strength. There is almost nothing in the spin department. But even in the fast bowling, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have seen better days.”Aaqib, though, expressed confidence in the trio and said they reminded him of the Pakistan attack from the 1990s.”Teams play their game on their own strength,” he said ahead of the match against India in Dubai. “We have three one of the best pace-bowling options in today’s game with Shaheen, Naseem and Haris. It reminds me of the ’90s troika [Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and himself]. They have time to reach that level but have all the ability to repeat those performances.”Pakistan’s loss to New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening Group A fixture has left them precariously placed with a net run-rate of -1.200. A defeat to India could push them out of a tournament they are hosting. Fast bowling aside, lack of leadership has pushed Pakistan cricket back, felt Urooj Mumtaz, former captain of Pakistan’s women’s team.”Even now when you tell them to talk up an India-Pakistan game, it’s a very mellow approach,” Mumtaz said on ESPNcricinfo Runorder. “It is more fan-centric and I don’t feel there’s enough push there. We’ve lacked massive leadership in the past six-seven years. You put Imran Khan in this group of players, and I can vouch for the fact that the attitude on the field would be far different.”Anil Kumble agreed with Mumtaz, saying, “I don’t think this Pakistan line-up has that quality. When it comes to having that, not intimidation, [but] you had that respect of playing Pakistan, knowing that you had the quality. Now it’s the other way round. I don’t see how Pakistan can look India in the eye in terms of their ability to put a batting line-up that can intimidate the Indian bowlers.”

They may have left things late, but Nottingham Forest have finally rediscovered their mood to spend big in recent weeks and Evangelos Marinakis is now reportedly working to complete yet another deal.

Kalimuendo "ready" for Forest challenge

It’s been quite the week for Nottingham Forest. First, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Brentford. Then, their attention turned towards incomings. Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Arnaud Kalimuendo all arrived as the Tricky Trees took their summer spending to the £149m-mark.

Delighted to put pen to paper, Kalimuendo told Forest’s official website after becoming the latest to arrive: “When I heard about the interest from Forest, I was honoured. This is a proud moment for me, joining a team who had a strong season last year and a Club with great history.

“I’m ready for the challenge, and I arrive here with good experience. I had a good season last year with goals and assists but I want more and want to reach a new level here.

“I can’t wait to play in the Premier League, and to play at the City Ground. I watched games from last season and it’s clear the fans create a beautiful atmosphere. I’m excited to see them and impatient to get started.”

Even after welcoming three new faces in the last week, however, those at the City Ground are still not done on the transfer front. Reports are now suggesting that Marinakis is personally working on one more arrival for Espirito Santo.

Marinakis calling to finalise Luiz deal

According to TuttoSport, as relayed by Sport Witness, Marinakis is now personally calling to finalise a move to sign Douglas Luiz for Nottingham Forest. The Greek owner has reportedly held direct talks with Juventus chief Damien Comolli in an attempt to reach an agreement and potentially bring any deal closer to the €30m (£26m) mark.

Perfect for Gibbs-White: Nottingham Forest on verge of signing £42m star

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By
Will Miller

Aug 19, 2025

Marinakis’ hands-on approach to the deal is reportedly proving key for Forest and Luiz is seemingly edging ever closer to returning to the Midlands for the first time since leaving Aston Villa last summer.

Whilst Luiz has struggled at Juventus, it wasn’t so long ago that he was thriving at Villa Park and earning the praise of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who said: “He’s a guy who plays all of the minutes.

“He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy. Today, when he was involved in the game, defensively, offensively, he was good.”

Now, one year on from leaving Villa, he could be about to take the Premier League by storm once again and come back to haunt his former club at a Midlands rival.