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Emi Martinez is ready for a “fight” at Aston Villa, with the World Cup winner reiterating his desire to represent Argentina at the 2024 Olympics.

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Landed global title in 2022Back in the hunt for continental crownWants gold medal bid in ParisGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The enigmatic goalkeeper is already part of his country’s plans for the Copa America, as they seek to defend that continental crown, but has previously told of also turning out at international Games in Paris: “As many players have said, if Javier [Mascherano] is available and wants us, we are available. Obviously, the national team comes before the clubs and, if the clubs let us, we always have the power to say that the national team is always ahead. And for us, it is a source of pride. I want to go. There are a lot of guys who want to go.”

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Mascherano has named a 23-man squad for Olympic warm-up matches, but is yet to add overage players to that list. Martinez could be called upon despite the Copa America final being just 10 days prior to the event in France getting underway and the new Premier League season starting a week after the tournament finishes.

GettyWHAT MARTINEZ SAID

Martinez has now told of battling for the right to form part of Argentina’s plans: “I’ve had the possibility to speak with Marche (Mascherano), it is a wish that I want to play, but it doesn’t obviously just depend on myself. The club has blocked me from going lots of times before but I want to play Copa America and to have a little bit more strength at the end of the Copa America to make a decision. I know that I have to fight a little bit more with the club, it’s not 100 per cent done but from my part, it is a wish that I have, that I want to win the Olympics. It’s not obligatory for the club to let a player leave to play in the Olympics, I know that my club has not let any player go, they blocked everyone. A small chance, but I always put the national team in front and if I have to fight a little more with the club, I will, but first is the Copa America. It’s very difficult to fight with the club now because for us, the most important is to win the Copa America. Then comes the Olympics, and it is a personal wish of mine to win the trophy.”

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WHAT NEXT?

Villa, who will be gracing the Champions League in 2023-24 after securing a top-four finish in the Premier League, have already blocked France coach Thierry Henry from selecting Lucas Digne and Moussa Diaby in his squad for a gold medal bid on home soil.

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has not come to terms with Xavi Simons' disallowed goal against France.

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Koeman left frustrated with Simons' disallowed goalVan Dijk questioned the referee's decisionThe Dutch will next face Austria on TuesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

European giants, France and Netherlands played out a boring goalless draw on Friday in their second group game of Euro 2024. The only talking point from the dull game was a controversially disallowed goal of Xavi Simons around the 70th-minute mark, which according to manager Koeman should have been allowed.

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Speaking to reporters after the game, the former Barcelona coach said, "I think the position of Dumfries is offside but he isn't disturbing the goalkeeper. When that happens it is a legal goal in my opinion. Also, you need five minutes to check it? I don't understand this."

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Liverpool star and Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk also backed his coach's claim as he felt Simons' goal was a fair one. Speaking to Euro 2024's official media channel, he said, "We scored a goal that is a fair goal. He had no chance to get into that corner. But yeah, the English referee decided not to give it."

Premier League referees Anthony Taylor and Stuart Attwell, who ruled out the strike, were savagely trolled on social media for their controversial decision which did not go down well with fans online.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NETHERLANDS?

Koeman's side could seal a knockout berth on Tuesday if they manage to beat Austria in their final group game.

Will the Chahar brothers play together? Will West Indies bat Hetmyer higher up? As such, the match is a dead rubber

Varun Shetty05-Aug-20195:58

Dasgupta: India can afford to rest both Rohit, Kohli

Big PictureWith lightning scares, and the possibility of any series result other than India’s win out of the way, the teams move to Guyana, in the northern mainland of South America for the third and final T20I. Neither team looked keen on making changes during the second match on Sunday, but that will likely change.While next year’s World Cup – 14 months away – is probably still not the focus, West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite did hint towards long-term planning, and as such may be looking to bring even more young talent into the fray before they move to the next series. West Indies have made one change to their squad going into this third match, with the big-hitting Fabian Allen replacing left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Khary Pierre.* There is also a five-match losing streak to snap for West Indies.For India, there is the chance to reward some of IPL’s most consistent players in what is essentially a dead rubber. In a system brimming with competition for places, they will not find a more convenient time.Form guideWest Indies LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLLLIn the spotlightShimron Hetmyer batted at No. 5 for a duck in the first game, and came in at No. 6 before the players went off in the second. At home in Guyana, West Indies could look to push him higher up the order and have the kind of impact he had in the limited-overs leg of the India tour last year. They’ve had two different No. 4s in the first two games, so it is not out of the question.India will be impressed by Krunal Pandya’s integration into the senior team. The last four series he’s played in have all been in different countries and he’s produced notable performances in each of those. However, even within that small sample size, he’s shown the tendency to follow up good performances with middling ones. With the form he showed with both bat and ball on Sunday, he has the opportunity to close out the series on a high.Team newsWest Indies will be fairly happy with their bowling performances over the two matches, and the batting improved vastly from the sub-100 effort in the first match. They’ll be tempted to name a few changes in the top order to build on that.West Indies (probable): 1 John Campbell/Evin Lewis, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Nicholas Pooran/Anthony Bramble (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane ThomasIndia could bring all four of their benched players in and still put out a competitive squad. They are yet to play Rahul Chahar, the only wristspinner in the squad, and Shreyas Iyer, who has long been knocking on the doors.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Manish Pandey/Shreyas Iyer, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, 8 Deepak Chahar/Navdeep Saini, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Rahul ChaharPitch and conditions
Thunderstorms are forecast in Georgetown, Guyana just before start of play. So not much changes in terms of potential sluggishness in the pitch – they got it in Florida, and they could get it again on Tuesday.Stats and trivia Having won five of their first seven completed T20I matches against India, West Indies have failed to win in the last five – dating back to July 2017Rishabh Pant hasn’t made a limited-overs fifty for India across formats in his last six innings

High-ranking Crystal Palace officials are apparently livid following a behind-the-scenes decision by under-fire boss Roy Hodgson.

Pressure mounts on Hodgson after Brighton defeat

Palace endured an afternoon to forget in their last outing, with the Eagles on the receiving end of a 4-1 derby humbling away to Brighton.

Crystal Palace want Hodgson gone as Eagles make contact with praised coach

The former England boss is hanging on by a thread.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 8, 2024

The loss was a bitter one to take for a large section of supporters, who have been in full voice protesting the club's ownership and Hodgson's reign this season. Palace are just a few points outside the drop zone, with just Burnley and Sheffield United scoring less than them so far.

“It was a bad start. That’s the last thing you really want – to be a goal down against Brighton, who are a very good team at home – but I thought in the first-half they outplayed us. We didn’t really get to grips with them in that half, and they were pretty much in control for that half," said Hodgson on Palace's loss to Brighton.

“The two goals which came in quick succession really made life almost impossible for us at half-time – how are we going to get back from this? – but I thought in the second-half the team did make a good effort to try and get back from it."

They face a very real danger of dropping to the Championship for the first time since their ascent around 10 years ago, and there have been many calls for Hodgson to be replaced as head coach.

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Club chairman Steve Parish is said to be keen on succeeding the former England boss in Selhurst Park's dugout, with former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper emerging as a lead contender to take over from Hodgson.

Palace take on Chelsea next Monday, but it remains to be seen whether their boss will even be in charge by that point. To make matters worse, their star player Michael Olise is expected to be out for a minimum of two months with a hamstring injury.

Palace chiefs livid after Hodgson decision

If there wasn't enough tension at Palace, journalist Wayne Veysey has shared what is an interesting report for Football Insider.

Indeed, he claims Hodgson could now be under even more pressure with high-ranking Palace chiefs "furious". This is after the 76-year-old elected to introduce Olise back into the fold too early, which these club officials believe has resulted in the 22-year-old's injury.

This behind-scenes Hodgson decision has apparently sparked fury from inside the club, which will do the former Liverpool boss absolutely no favours given his current standing. Intriguing weeks lie ahead at Palace concerning their manager's future, and whether Parish will indeed part company.

Liverpool managed to triumph 1-0 over Chelsea in Sunday's Carabao Cup final, sealing a stunning victory for Jurgen Klopp's charges.

This is now the third time out of the last four finals that the clubs have met where Liverpool have managed to come out on top.

In each win, Klopp was the manager and instilled a level of confidence among his "mentality monsters" to find their way to the trophy.

Granted, the last three times the sides have met in finals, each game has gone into extra time with either side being in a chance to come away as winners.

However, unlike their prior two meetings, the 2023/24 edition of the Carabao Cup final didn't end via penalties. In fact, this time, it was ended by Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk.

The Netherlands international managed to place a glancing header into the back of the net in the 118th minute.

Liverpool's triumph didn't, however, come as easily as many may have expected. This could've been due to many reasons, however, the fact that Klopp had a total of 11 players absent due to injury.

Despite this major disadvantage, "Klopp's kids," as Gary Neville put it, managed to dig in and find a winner.

The performance of Klopp's kids in the final

Due to the sheer number of injuries which Liverpool managed to sustain in the build-up to the final, many of Liverpool's academy graduates had to step up to the occasion and fill in for their senior team members.

Each of Conor Bradley, Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jarell Quansah all stepped up to the bright lights of the final on Sunday.

In fact, Bradley even started the game to help fill in for the injured Trent Alexander Arnold. In addition to Doak, Bradley has been one of the Reds' best players this season.

Despite just returning from a long-term injury in December, he has managed to show to footballing world what he is capable of.

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As per Transfermarkt, across all competitions this season, the right-back has made a total of 12 appearances and managed to be involved with six goals during that time.

Indeed, the youngster did win all three of Bolton's Player of the Season awards during the 2022/23 campaign, however, nobody expected him to be as good as he has been for the Reds.

Bradley has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, but it goes without saying that, if he was fit, the option of another precocious young talent on the bench could've made all the difference in the final and allowed the game to end in normal time.

Indeed, although the Anfield outfit had a plethora of young talent on the pitch, one brilliant youngster didn't even make the squad.

Liverpool's best academy star

Ben Doak is the player in question and, due to injury, he was unfortunately absent from Sunday's squad.

However, if he had been fit, there is no doubt that we would have seen the 18-year-old at least on the bench.

The winger joined the club in March 2022 and Liverpool reportedly had to spend a total of £600k in compensation to pry him from his boyhood club, Celtic.

Although whilst in Scotland, his then manager, Ange Postecoglou, hailed the youngster as a "fantastic kid," after the winger made his senior debut. Having since joined Liverpool's academy he managed to come on in leaps and bounds.

For example, in the third round of the Carabao Cup, in which the Reds faced Leicester, Doak started the game and managed to maintain a passing accuracy percentage of 96%. To put that into context, the youngster finished the game with more accurate passes than the likes of senior stars Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.

Including the third-round clash against the Foxes, Doak has amassed a total of six senior appearances this season with three even coming in the Europa League. The teenager has been a regular source of goals for the U21s since making the move, finding the net five times in 16 outings, while also supplying two assists.

If this doesn't show the quality which the Scotland U21 international possesses, then the faith Klopp has in him should. It was desperately unfortunate he missed Sunday's showpiece event.

Leeds wonderkid Archie Gray is being backed to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric if he seals a move to Tottenham.

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Gray in demand after impressing at LeedsTottenham hoping to win race for youngsterSpurs 'ideal' club for teenagerWHAT HAPPENED?

Gray has attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs including Brentford, Chelsea and Tottenham after impressing for Leeds. The teenager had a medical with the Bees but is now leaning towards a move to Spurs, as reported by The Athletic. Tottenham have tried to sign Gray previously and are now favourites to win the race for his signature.

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A move to Spurs would offer Gray the chance to showcase his talent in the Premier League with Ange Postecoglou's side. However, former Tottenham star Chris Waddle believes it could also prove to be the springboard for a future move to Real Madrid too, following in the footsteps of club legends Bale and Modric.

WHAT WADDLE SAID

He told Genting Casino: "I’ve seen enough of Archie Gray to say that he is a very good player. He’s a versatile player that can perform in a number of roles: midfield, full-back. That tells you two things about him: his manager trusts him to perform in numerous roles and he has the intelligence to do it. That’s rare for a player of eighteen-years-old. He was ever-present in that Leeds United team last season, so again, that’s a good sign. His best role is in central midfield, and I think that's where he prefers to play.

“He's an ideal Tottenham project. Tottenham have a history of buying young players and giving them an opportunity.  We’ve seen Tottenham make some very canny moves in the transfer market over the years with younger players. They can obviously see the potential that’s there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gray followed the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric by joining Real Madrid for a massive fee if he lives up to his potential. Tottenham can obviously see his potential. He was probably the pick of The Championship players in terms of his age and ability. I think he could easily step up to the level of the Premier League.

 “Whether he gets straight into the Tottenham team is a different question. I’m sure they will have a precise development plan for him which could see him join another Premier League club on loan. He'd be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur because he's only going to get better.”

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Gray made 97 tackles in the Championship last season for Leeds, more than any other player aged 21 and under in the league.

Both teams would be keen to try out fringe players as preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup gets underway

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Aug-2019Big PictureWith the World Cup done and the Test Championship underway, both sides now switch focus to the next big limited-overs prize: the T20 World Cup, which is set to be contested at the end of next year. As with just about everything in these teams’ cricket at present, it is New Zealand who have the more stable platform upon which to build. They are resting regular captain Kane Williamson as well as pace spearhead Trent Boult for this series, and while Sri Lanka have lost eight of their last nine T20 games, the visitors have won three of their last four, including a series against India. They have in their ranks several well-heeled performers – Tim Southee, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, yes, but also the likes of opener Colin Munro, who have had success against Sri Lanka in the past.You suspect that right now, though, both teams are more interested in their fringe cricketers than the established ones, as they attempt to identify talent ahead of next year’s big event. New Zealand want to find out whether players like fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn, and wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert can sustain decent starts to their international careers. They want to know if top-order batsman Tom Bruce or allrounder Daryl Mitchell are worth investing in. Sri Lanka, similarly, will be keen to place several of their own young cricketers on trial – legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, and seam bowler Lahiru Madushanka both named in the squad.Form guideNew Zealand WLWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri LankaLLLLLIn the spotlightAvishka Fernando, the aggressive 21-year-old batsman, had a breakout World Cup, hitting one of Sri Lanka’s two centuries at the tournament, before also making 82 in an ODI against Bangladesh late in July. He has played three T20Is, but so far has a high score of 16. Given the talent he obviously possesses, Sri Lanka will hope he becomes a bankable batsman – something they are in short supply of – over the next year.Few players were more exciting to watch during the World Cup than fast bowler Lockie Ferguson whose wicket haul of 21 at the event was second only to that of Mitchell Starc. He has only played five T20Is so far; in these, he has taken 10 wickets and maintained a good economy rate of 7.1. Almost certain to be the quickest bowler on show through this series, it is Ferguson that Sri Lanka’s batsmen will fear most, as the bowler prepares to play his first overseas matches in the format.Wanindu Hasaranga won his appeal for lbw•AFPTeam newsSri Lanka may toss up whether to put Kusal Mendis – who has been inconsistent across formats lately – into the XI, or whether to give that chance to a batsman coming in fresh. They have a few decisions to make on the bowling front, where they will likely have to pick between wristspinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Shehan Jayasuriya, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lasith Malinga (capt.), 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru KumaraNew Zealand are a little more settled, though they too have decisions to make regarding their attack. Which of the legspinners – Ish Sodhi or Todd Astle – will they pick?New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Tom Bruce, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Todd Astle, 9 Tim Southee (capt.), 10 Seth Rance, 11 Lockie FergusonPitch and conditionsThe Pallekele surface generally has some pace and carry, and also has a reputation for being especially seamer-friendly under lights. At this time of year, you can never count out bad weather blowing through either.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have lost each of their three most-recent games against New Zealand, all of which had been in New Zealand. They have beaten New Zealand in their two previous games in Pallekele that yielded results, however. Lasith Malinga is three wickets away from becoming the first ever bowler to 100 T20 international dismissals. Colin Munro has averaged 39.66 and struck at 180 in four innings against Sri Lanka. One of those knocks was a 14-ball 50 at Eden Park – the second-fastest fifty ever. Quotes”There are about 19 T20 matches before 2020 T20 World Cup. Whoever is captaining the team, we need to have a good, strong squad, so that we can go into that tournament with confidence. Starting with this series, I’m hoping to build a good T20 squad for Sri Lanka.”
“Whenever you come to another country, you’ve got to respect the opposition and their conditions. Sri Lanka’s got some young, talented players.”

Denmark pipped Slovenia to second place in Group C at Euro 2024 after the teams finished level on points and goal difference.

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England top group with five pointsSlovenia & Denmark next on threeDanes grab second place due to better disciplinary recordWHAT HAPPENED?

Denmark have beaten Slovenia to second place in Group C, behind England, despite the two teams finishing level on points and goal difference at Euro 2024. Both Denmark and Slovenia ended the group stage with three points and identical records after achieving three draws, with two goals scored and two conceded. The two teams also played out a 1-1 draw when they met, meaning there was nothing to separate the two sides at the competition.

AdvertisementGetty THE EXPLANATION

Denmark eventually ended up finishing second as it was left to discipline to determine which team finished ahead of the other. Both nations also received the same number of yellow cards on their respective playing squads, but UEFA have now confirmed that Denmark finished second because of a booking given to Slovenia assistant coach Novakovic Milivoje.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Slovenia's third-placed finish is still enough to go through, with the team into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time ever.

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GettyWHAT NEXT AT EURO 2024

Denmark may have gone through in second place but are now set to face hosts Germany in the last 16, while Slovenia will also face a tricky draw and could come up against Portugal or the winners of Group E. England are set to play on Sunday but must wait to discover their next opponents.

Tottenham Hotspur have had numerous forgotten players over the years, with the club experiencing plenty of misses among the hits.

However, that hasn’t been the case under Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs having an impressive summer window, signing the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.

Roberto Soldado, Tanguy Ndombele, and Vincent Janssen are all examples of players who failed to live up to their hype, with the club failing to recoup the costs via their sales.

That said, there is one player who was sold by Mauricio Pochettino that the Lilywhites were able to nearly double their money on.

Nacer Chadli’s time at Spurs

In 2013, Nacer Chadli joined Spurs for £7m from FC Twente in the Netherlands, after scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in all competitions during the 2012/13 campaign.

The Belgian struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League initially, with his first goal coming in February 2014 against Newcastle United in a 4-0 win. That was the attacker's only goal in 24 league appearances that season.

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However, Chadli was fantastic in the following season, playing as a left-winger in 35 top-flight games. Over those matches, the versatile attacker scored 11 goals and created five, his best-ever return in the league.

Unfortunately, in his final season at the club, the number 22 struggled to live up to the standards he set in the previous year, with the attack of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Heung-min Son limiting his starts to just ten.

Nacer Chadli’s career since leaving Spurs

Prior to his exit, Chadli’s performances were beginning to frustrate the Tottenham faithful, with journalist Dominic Booth far from a fan of his, stating: "When he's bad, he's woefully, dreadfully terrible.”

However, in the summer of 2016, the Belgium star moved to West Bromwich Albion for £13m in a club-record deal, which actually somehow saw Spurs profit from the deal.

His first season at West Brom saw Chadli net five goals in 31 matches, but his second campaign was disrupted by injuries, with him missing 28 games via three setbacks.

Luckily, the attacker returned just in time for the 2018 World Cup, where he starred for the Red Devils with a goal and an assist, which ultimately led to Monaco securing his services. His spell in France lasted just one season, with another hamstring strain keeping him out for 11 matches.

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The rest of his career has been completely ruined by injuries, picking up 15 separate problems since 2020, with a move to Belgium and then Turkey following his short stint in Monaco.

However, the 34-year-old is still playing today for KVC Westerlo back in Belgium, where he has failed to score all season and only provided two assists in 17 games.

It’s clear that selling Chadli for £13m all those years ago was a complete masterclass.

High-profile captains named for each association’s team; number of first-class players cut to 96

Umar Farooq03-Sep-2019Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Babar Azam (Central Punjab), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Haris Sohail (Balochistan) will lead six provinces in a new, streamlined domestic season set to begin next week. The welcome prospect of Pakistan’s elite players taking part in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – from September 14 – is partially offset by the reduction in the number of players who can call themselves first-class cricketers this season: 96, down from 256 last season.According to the PCB’s new model, each of the six associations will have a pool of approximately 35 players, split in half between first-class and non-first-class categories. In all 192 players will be offered a year-long contract (in each province Pakistan’s centrally contracted national players such as Sarfaraz, Babar, Haris and others, do not get paid the provincial contract fees), with half playing first-class cricket and the other half playing three-day games, which don’t have first-class status, for their association’s Second XI.The old model, which included 16 regional and departmental teams playing first-class cricket, was officially scrapped by the PCB last week.Given that department sides have long employed the country’s best players – because they can afford to pay more – a large majority of the 192 players selected are those who were playing for department sides last year; many of the players who populated the regional sides last year don’t make the cut. Performances from the last three years of first-class cricket, the last two years from List-A cricket, and the last four years of under-19 cricket were taken into consideration before the squads were named.The scale of the change means, inevitably, there will be questions asked of selections across the squads. For instance, Imad has been made captain of Northern despite not being a regular red-ball cricketer. His last first-class game was two years ago and he’s played just five games since the start of 2015.And though the PCB has found a way to accommodate domestic veterans with little hope for Pakistan call-ups – such as Mohammad Sami and Aizaz Cheema – by putting them in as playing mentors of the province’s Second XI side, it has decided that Sohail Tanvir, another white-ball specialist, warrants a place in the Northern side. Tanvir will be 35 in December and has played eight first-class games since 2014.Both squads – the First XI and the Second XI – for each association was finalised by a three-member panel comprising of Misbah-ul-Haq, Rashid Latif and Nadeem Khan. The provisional squads list was put together earlier by the ex-selection committee members – Tauseef Ahmed, Wajahatullah Wasti and Wasim Haider – and the present junior selection committee – Saleem Jaffer, Arshad Khan, Rao Iftikhar, and Taufeeq Umar – alongside the regional coaches.Explaining the thought process behind the selections, Rashid Latif said emphasis was put on youth, and on legspinners since “we have to start searching for the replacements of Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan from today”. “We preferred players in early 20s who have shown improvement,” Latif said. “Those who have got a bit old and have had their performances go downhill were let go, which was a tough decision.”There might be questions on why there are only four local players in the First XI and ten in the Second XI teams from the Balochistan Cricket Association. The purpose behind making the call is to groom these players. At the moment, there are 44% native players in the side. Nadeem Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and I have recommended the PCB to have 90% local players in the Balochistan sides by developing the game there.”Last year, 69 first-class games were played. Under the new structure, this season there will be 31 first-class games, and 16 T20s and 31 one-dayers. The squad for each of these formats will be selected from within the extended squad. The domestic season starts on September 14, with the first-class teams and Second XIs playing concurrently.The Second XI’s version of the country’s premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, will include 30 three-day group matches, with a four-day final contested at Karachi’s State Bank Stadium from November 26.The squads:
Balochistan Cricket AssociationBalochistan squad•PCBSecond XI: Akbar-ur-Rehman (c), Akhtar Shah, Atif Jabbar, Awais Zia, Dawood Khan, Fahad Iqbal, Gohar Faiz, Gulraiz Sadaf (wk), Haseeb Azam, Jalat Khan, Mohammad Junaid, Nazar Hussain, Rameez Raja (from Pishin), Shehzad Tareen, Taimur Ali, Usama Razzaq
White-ball specialists: Akif Javed, Ibtisam Sheikh, Mohammad Talha
Coaching staff: First XI: Altaf Jaffery (manager), Arshad Khan (head coach), Shoaib Khan (assistant coach); Second XI: Raj Hans (manager and head coach), Aslam Sheikh (assistant coach)
Central Punjab Cricket AssociationCentral Punjab squad•PCBSecond XI: Ali Waqas (c), Abdullah Shafiq, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Aizaz Cheema (mentor), Ali Zaryab, Asad Raza, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Ayaz Tasawar, Bilawal Iqbal, Farhan Khan (wk), Irfan Niazi, Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Ali (from ZTBL), Raza Ali Dar, Suleman Shafqat, Zahid Mansoor
White-ball specialists: Nasir Nawaz, Nauman Anwar, Usman Qadir (subject to availability)
Coaching staff: First XI: Khalid Niazi (manager), Ijaz Ahmed Jr (head coach), Samiullah Khan Niazi (assistant coach); Second XI: Naveed Anjum (manager and head coach), Akram Raza (assistant coach)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cricket AssociationKhyber Pakhtunkhwa squad•PCBSecond XI: Khushdil Shah (c), Ahmed Jamal, Akbar Badshah, Arshad Iqbal, Asad Afridi, Asif Afridi, Atizaz Habib Khan, Azizullah (from Peshawar), Gohar Ali (wk), Irfanullah Shah, Khalid Usman, Mehran Ibrahim, Mohammad Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Naeem (from FATA), Sajid Khan, Samiullah Jr
White-ball specialists: Imran Khan Jr, Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Mohsin
Coaching staff: First XI: Farrukh Zaman (manager), Kabir Khan (head coach), Wasim Haider (assistant coach); Second XI: Riffatullah Mohmand (manager and head coach), Sajid Shah (assistant coach)Northern Cricket AssociationNorthern squad•PCBSecond XI: Faizan Riaz (c), Ali Imran, Hasan Raza, Jamal Anwar (wk), Naved Malik, Raza Hasan, Salman Irshad, Sarmad Bhatti, Shadab Majeed, Shehzad Azam, Shoaib Ahmed Minhas, Syed Tauseeq Shah, Umair Khan, Umair Masood (wc), Usama Mir, Zeeshan Malik
White-ball specialists: Mohammad Amir, Sohail Akhtar, Zaid Alam
Coaching staff: First XI: Shakeel Ahmed (manager), Muhammad Wasim (head coach), Manzoor Elahi (assistant coach); Second XI: Tahir Mahmood (manager and head coach), Saeed Anwar Jr (assistant coach)
Sindh Cricket AssociationSindh squad•PCBSecond XI: Mohammad Sami (captain and mentor), Rameez Raja Jr (vc), Adeel Malik, Ahsan Ali, Ammad Alam, Ashiq Ali, Ashir Qureshi, Danish Aziz, Ghulam Muddasar, Hassan Khan, Jahid Ali, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Waqas, Rumman Raees, Saad Khan, Saifullah Bangash (wk)
White-ball specialists: Abrar Ahmed, Ahsan Jamil Mirza, Shahnawaz Dahani
Coaching staff: First XI: Rashid Khan (manager), Azam Khan (head coach), Umar Rasheed (assistant coach); Second XI: Tauseef Ahmed (manager and head coach), Shaukat Mirza (assistant coach) Southern Punjab Cricket AssociationSouthern Punjab squad•PCBSecond XI: Naved Yasin (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Ali Usman, Anas Mustafa, Ataullah, Maqbool Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Ali Khan, Mohammad Basit, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan Jr, Mohammad Mohsin (from Lahore), Mohammad Umair, Mukhtar Ahmed, Zeeshan Ashraf, Zia-ul-Haq, Zulfiqar Babar (mentor)
White-ball specialists: Ali Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sadaif Mehdi
Coaching staff: First XI: Shahid Butt (manager), Abdul Rehman (head coach), Zahoor Elahi (assistant coach); Second XI: Sajjad Akbar (manager and head coach), Javed Hayat (assistant coach)