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Runners-up to get USD 800,000; the teams will split the prize money in case there isn’t a result

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2021The winners of the India vs New Zealand World Test Championship (WTC) final will take home USD 1.6 million, as well as the Test Championship Mace, while the losing team will get USD 800,000, the ICC has announced. In case there is a stalemate, or weather prevents a winner from being identified despite the reserve day, the two teams will split the total prize money of USD 2.4 million.It will be the first time the sport will have official world champions in the format. “It (the WTC) has come to symbolise the best team in Test cricket, and with the Test championship now being used as the vehicle to identify the best team in Test cricket, the mace is on offer,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC chief executive, said in an interaction with members of the media.Related

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In a statement, the ICC explained that the Test mace, which was earlier awarded every year to the teams topping the Test team rankings, will be given to the WTC winners from now on. In case of a draw or a tie, India and New Zealand will share possession of the mace during the time they remain champions.Watch cricket on ESPN+

The WTC final is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

Australia, who finished third on the points table, England, who were fourth, and Pakistan, the fifth-placed side, will receive USD 450,000, USD 350,000 and USD 200,000 respectively, while the remaining teams that were a part of the competition – West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will get USD 100,000 each.The final between India and New Zealand will be played in Southampton, and will be played from June 18 to 22, with June 23 slotted as a reserve day, to be used only if any time lost during regulation play on each day is not made up on the same day. It will comprise a maximum of 330 minutes or 83 overs plus the actual last hour.

Harry Kane and his fellow Bayern Munich stars were in a festive mood as they sang Jingle Bells to wish their fans a Merry Christmas.

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Bayern break off for Christmas and New YearReleased video of players singing Jingle BellsKane, Muller & Kompany all took partFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Bavarian side brought their players and coach Vincent Kompany together as a chorus as they belted out the Christmas classic. While it will hardly go down as one of the best renditions of the beloved song, the likes of Kompany, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer seemed to have had a fun time singing alongside their team-mates.

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Bayern have much to celebrate during the Christmas period, as they sit four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga heading into the winter break, while they sit 10th in the Champions League and remain in with a chance of finishing in the top-eight to secure a place in the round of 16.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

Kane and his fellow Bayern stars will enjoy some time off before they return to the Bavarian club to start preparing for their next match – against Borussia Monchengladbach on January 11.

A TalkSPORT pundit has suggested that an £89 million Chelsea player should make a move to Arsenal, as he would apparently be "a lot better" under Mikel Arteta.

Sterling awaits imminent Arsenal debut after deadline day loan move

The most headline-grabbing transfer of their summer window came right at the eleventh hour, with Raheem Sterling making a deadline day loan move to Arsenal after being deemed surplus-to-requirements by Enzo Maresca.

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The England international will don Arsenal's number 30 shirt – previously worn by the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Yossi Benayoun – and could make his debut in the north London derby against Tottenham this weekend.

Some reports suggest that Arteta is planning to use Sterling in a false-nine role at Spurs, which would drop fan favourite Kai Havertz back into midfield, but the Gunners head coach has at least confirmed that they've been getting the 29-year-old up to speed over this international break.

“We have to see him, speak to him (about) what he’s been doing and how he’s feeling about it," said Arteta on Sterling's imminent Arsenal debut.

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“And try to find quick wins to get him up to speed as quickly as possible and for him to understand what we are looking for from him in the dynamics of the team. We will use that time to do that and get him involved as soon as possible.”

Arsenal had been chasing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams as a top target for the wide area, but the Spaniard ultimately chose to remain at his current club despite serious interest from the Premier League.

Edu Gaspar and co then turned their attention to Sterling, who is a proven English top flight star, boasting 173 goals across his spells at Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. It has also been claimed that Arsenal are only paying £100,000-per-week of Sterling's £325,000-per-week wages, so this looks like a fantastic deal on paper.

Chelsea has been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal in terms of signings, with Havertz becoming a fan favourite after his multi-million switch from Stamford Bridge last year.

Scott Minto suggests Mykhailo Mudryk should join Arsenal

Speaking on TalkSPORT, pundit Scott Minto has suggested that £89 million Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk should follow in Sterling and Havertz's footsteps.

Indeed, he says that Mudryk would play "a lot better" for Arsenal than he does for Chelsea right now, with the Ukraine international still yet to justify his mammoth price tag from Shakhtar Donetsk.

“You talk about Mykhailo Mudryk, who Arsenal wanted. I am not sure he is (a great footballer). He certainly is not showing it at the moment," said Minto. “I think he would be a lot better in an Arsenal shirt than he would in a Chelsea shirt. That is an indictment of Chelsea.”

The £100,000-per-week winger has racked up seven goals and five assists over 62 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, but is still just 23-years-old, so there is time for him to come good yet.

Before his move to west London, Mudryk won the 2022 Ukranian Footballer of the Year award, and is still regarded as one of the nation's star players.

South Africa-born 22-year-old to act as cover for Michael Burgess

George Dobell01-Jul-2021Warwickshire have signed Chris Benjamin on a Rookie contract until the end of the season.Benjamin, a 22-year-old keeper-batter, has impressed on trial in the 2nd XI and captained the side to victory in the 2nd XI Twenty20 Trophy. He made 149 from just 66 balls against Glamorgan and claimed five catches in the semi-final against Middlesex.South Africa-born, he played two first-class matches for Durham MCCU in 2019.While Michael Burgess, who has just signed a two-year contract extension which will keep him at Edgbaston until at least the end of 2023, is established as the first-team keeper in all formats, Warwickshire have previously not had another regular keeper in the squad. Vikai Kelley, an 18-year-old who kept in one T20 game in 2020, remains a long-term prospect, but the club were keen to have a readymade option should Burgess suffer injury.Benjamin also has the advantage of being an option as a specialist batter.”Chris is a hard-hitting, right-handed batsman capable of providing real power at the top of the order,” Ian Westwood, the Warwickshire 2nd XI coach, said. “He captained the Second XI to the T20 trophy last week and, with Vikai Kelley injured, kept wicket in the last few games of the competition. We will be working hard with him on his keeping in the months ahead.”He has spent a lot of time with us this season and has shown the qualities we look for on and off the field. He has fitted in really well and fully deserves his Rookie contract. He will be with us for the rest of the year so has a chance to push for a longer-term deal.”There was a first view of Che Simmons for many Warwickshire supporters on Wednesday night, too. Simmons, a 17-year-old Barbados-born fast bowler with a UK passport, acted as 12th man at Edgbaston as Birmingham pulled off a 10-wicket victory over Yorkshire.Although Simmons is expected to return to Barbados in the coming days, Warwickshire hope he will be back in a few months having made a positive impression on trial. While it is understood that CWI has not given up on plans to keep him, he is expected to complete his education in Birmingham and looks to have many of the qualities to develop into a professional cricketer.

From the 777 saga to Friedkin Group's failure, Everton's wait for new owners has been one full of twists and turns, but John Textor could finally be the man to break that trend of frustration after he confirmed a major hurdle is close to being cleared.

Everton takeover news

For almost the entirety of last season, 777 Partners looked destined to complete their takeover of Everton, only to eventually be denied Premier League approval. And as things turn out, the Premier League made the correct decision, given the financial troubles that 777's portfolio of clubs have been hit with since the turn of the year.

It was then the turn of Friedkin Group to enter talks that ultimately ended in further failure. After opening discussions, the potential buyers quickly pulled out of any deal and ended talks, citing Everton's debt to 777 as the reason for their hesitance.

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In limbo ever since, Textor has become the latest prospective owner, but must first sell the 45% that he owns in fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace. Textor told Sky Sports that his exclusivity rights last until November 30 with Everton in the hope of getting a deal over the line.

Textor confirms bids for Palace and Everton deadline

Providing an update on both the sale of his percentage in Crystal Palace and takeover of Everton, Textor told Sky Sports: "I'm in an awkward spot but we're working through it. The awkward spot is that I can understand the club's position… the accounting position and I feel it's manageable in terms of the PSR problem.

"I don't quite know the Premier League's perspective on that because there's a bit of a Chinese Wall between me as an owner of Crystal Palace and what I'm really allowed to know as a prospective owner of another team in the same division.

"But I do think we're developing solutions for that information gap and I feel we're in the very last days of getting our comfort around that. We just hope from the moment we arrive, we can start looking up the table, not down it."

Perhaps most importantly, he confirmed two bids for Palace: "We have 14 groups interested in Palace who are very qualified and we have five that went to the next level and now we have two who have made good bids, while there is also the possibility that our partners might still want it as they love the club as much as I do.

"We're into the final week or two of knowing who the buyer will be. The contract I have with Farhad gives us a lot of time for that as November 30 is our deadline set to make sure we can complete it.”

As things stand, those at Goodison Park can take that as a positive update with more good news potentially on the horizon. They will know more than anyone just how quickly things can change in search of new owners, however.

Gio Reyna has been told to take inspiration from fellow USMNT ace Christian Pulisic when it comes to ending injury frustration and finding a “switch”.

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Playmaker made senior debut at 17Fitness issues have held him backStill plenty of potential to be unlockedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Talented playmaker Reyna broke a Bundesliga record held by Pulisic when making his debut for Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 in January 2020. He is still only 22, but has managed just 138 appearances at club level over the course of almost five years.

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Fitness problems have held Reyna back on a regular basis, as they once did Pulisic, but he is considered to still boast the potential that will allow him to flourish somewhere – with one United States international colleague having enjoyed a similar rise to prominence since leaving Chelsea for Serie A giants AC Milan.

Getty/GOALWHAT KELLER SAID

Former USMNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller – speaking in association with – has told GOAL when asked what needs to happen next for Reyna, with regular game time at the very top of that list: “There is no question. When I watched matches last year at [Nottingham] Forest when he came in, I didn’t understand why he wasn’t playing more because he would come in and do certain things that looked like other players on the pitch couldn’t.

“I know it is always a bit different when you’re an attacking player that is going to help score goals and you are shifting goals at the other end, it’s always tricky at that stage when you are trying to infiltrate somebody new into that system. But I think we are back in a similar situation with Christian before – first and foremost stay fit. Stay fit and then the form can find itself.”

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Keller went on to say of Reyna needing to find the same kind of professional spark that has fellow BVB academy graduate Pulisic flying again: “When I see a young player come into a first team for that first run of games, particularly in midfield, the thing I always look for is, when they receive the ball what does the next touch look like? Is it square and back, is it just to say I don’t want to be a liability, I don’t want to lose possession and have my team-mates be mad at me? Or, is it they have the confidence and ability to go past somebody and then move the ball forward and start something dangerous? Gio does that so unbelievably well in comparison to so many players that just come into a side and say ‘give it to somebody else’.

“Obviously Claudio [Reyna] is a good friend of mine and I have known Gio since he was born and it can be so frustrating for us, but imagine what it’s like for the players thinking ‘what’s going on here, how can I keep having these issues?’

“For him, 100 per cent playing time is crucial. But more crucial is having the body that lets you stay fit enough to get the playing time. I think that is where there has been a light switch with Christian, where there is a physical light switch for Gio and it clicks on and he goes ‘okay, now I’m physically ready for the demands’.”

Hasan Ali and debutant Mohammad Wasim impress for Pakistan with the ball

Himanshu Agrawal28-Jul-2021No result Incessant rain first reduced the first West Indies-Pakistan T20I to a nine-over shootout before eventually washing away the match. Pakistan had chosen to bowl first under cloudy skies with rain also predicted, but the teams raced off to the dressing room just after completing their national anthems. It took almost three hours for the rain to stop and the ground to dry, with the umpires then deciding to curtail the contest.But of whatever was played, Kieron Pollard and the Pakistan bowlers combined to ensure there was entertaining cricket while it lasted.Debutant Wasim has instant impact
All it took right-arm pacer Mohammad Wasim to land a blow was five balls, although that was not a wicket. In the second over of the West Indies innings, he pitched one short of a length on middle and off, and got it to angle in with the bounce on to Lendl Simmons, who missed his pull. The ball instead hit him on the right side of his neck, immediately inviting the physio on the ground, who decided to take Simmons off with a sling protecting his right arm.Wasim was taken off after that, but returned to bowl the seventh over. After hurting Simmons, he then had Chris Gayle caught at long-on as the bowler now brought out the slower ball. Gayle, who had come in after Simmons, played away from his body to try and heave that, but only found the fielder in search of rapid runs.Just wickets and sixes
Amidst a flurry of dot balls – which were 30 in total – and a bunch of extras, which contributed 14, there were five wickets claimed with as many sixes slammed from the third over until the eighth. Hasan Ali got two, while Mohammad Hafeez, Usman Qadir and Wasim all grabbed a wicket each. Nicholas Pooran cracked twin sixes off Hafeez, before Gayle deposited Shadab Khan over his head and Andre Russell dispatched Qadir over extra cover – all this, before Pollard got into Ali with a whip.Pollard provides late entertainment, but Hasan delivers too
Pollard arrived at the crease with one ball of the sixth over left, but watched from the other end as Gayle fell in the following over with West Indies’ run rate still under nine. With Pollard on strike, Ali was brought back for the eighth after foxing Evin Lewis off his first ball earlier in the innings. This time, Ali was whacked first ball over deep square leg as Pollard swung his bat to a good length ball on middle and leg, and despite not quite finding the middle of the bat, sent the ball sailing over deep square leg.But that was the only boundary Ali conceded off his two overs, digging the slower balls perfectly on a rain-affected pitch to keep the West Indies batters quiet. Ali then got Shimron Hetmyer three balls later – Mohammad Rizwan completed a good diving catch – with the hosts struggling for momentum amidst the numerous cutters from the visiting bowlers.Pollard was on 10 off 5 deliveries when only four balls remained in the innings, and the West Indies captain ensured they were well taken care of. A dot ball later, Shaheen Afridi pitched one short on middle and leg as Pollard pulled fiercely to bisect deep square leg and deep midwicket for four. After nabbing two more runs, he ended with a maximum by sending the ball crashing over deep square leg when he made room to a length ball on middle and off, and pulled with disdain. Although he got 12 runs off the last three balls, rain would have the final say with Pakistan not having to chase the total.

After nine years at the club, Austin stepped up heroically due to injuries to Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster, earning Man of the Match

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Newcastle defeat Spurs 2-1Ex-USYNT goalkeeper Austin makes club debutEarns MOTM in first competitive start since 2021Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On his senior Tottenham debut, 25-year-old goalkeeper Brandon Austin – a former U.S. youth international – was named Man of the Match as Spurs fell to Newcastle 2-1 in Premier League action on Saturday. An early strike from Dom Solanke was cancelled out by an Anthony Gordon equalizer two minutes later, with Sweden international Alexander Isak scoring the winner in the 38th minute for the .

Austin, meanwhile, represented the U.S. only once at the youth level, but was on the bench for three other matches at the U18 level. In his lone cameo for the U.S., he led the squad to a 5-3 penalty shootout victory over Slovakia where he made a crucial save in the second round of spot kicks.

Saturday marked the goalkeeper's first competitive match at the senior level since 2021 — with the third-string shotstopper stepping up immensely for his club when they needed him most.

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The 25-year-old recorded two important saves on the day, with a performance that saw him recognized postmatch by teammates and fans.

Speaking after the contest, manager Ange Postecoglou praised him for the performance.

"Yeah, he was great. Everyone was great, unbelievable. Considering what we had to put up with…Radu [Dragusin] and Archie [Gray] literally got off sickbeds to play today, and Radu was shattered at half-time," he said. "Brandon, obviously we found out yesterday was playing. I can’t be prouder of the players, I’m just angry and disappointed it wasn’t football that denied them getting the rewards today."

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Austin also represented England at youth international levels, playing for their U20 and U21 squads, but never logged a start for the across U20 and U21 squads, primarily playing as a backup goalkeeper.

In addition, he had a short stint on loan with Orlando City SC – making five league appearances for the MLS club.

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Austin will hope his performance was enough to sway the mind of manager Ange Postecoglou going forward, with the Australian coach potentially viewing him as a option in net once again when Spurs return to the pitch on Wednesday against Liverpool in the EFL Cup.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers lost one of his top players in the recent summer transfer window when Matt O’Riley completed his exit from Parkhead.

Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion reportedly splashed out a Scottish transfer record fee of more than £25m to sign the Denmark international.

O’Riley produced 18 goals and 13 assists in the Scottish Premiership during the 2023//24 campaign, which attracted interest from elsewhere and eventually led to him leaving the club.

Rodgers is no stranger to losing some top talents at Parkhead and one player he struck gold with during his first spell at the club was Moussa Dembele.

How much Celtic sold Moussa Dembele for

In the summer of 2018, French side Lyon swooped in to sign the centre-forward from the Hoops for a reported fee of £20m, after he had joined from Fulham for an undisclosed compensation fee in 2016.

Dembele hit the ground running in Glasgow with a sensational debut season for the club. He plundered an eye-catching 32 goals and nine assists in 49 appearances for Rodgers.

His form did suffer, somewhat, in his second campaign at Paradise, though, with a return of 17 goals and nine assists in 39 outings in all competitions.

The French marksman then scored three goals in six games at the start of the 2018/19 season before Lyon secured his services for a staggering £20m fee.

That deal from Celtic has turned out to be a blinder as the 28-year-old marksman’s market value is now millions less than the fee the Scottish giants raked in for his signature.

Moussa Dembele's current market value

At the time of writing (25/09/2024), Dembele is currently valued at €12m (£10m) by Transfermarkt and this means that his value has halved since his exit from Parkhead.

That is despite his relatively impressive return of 70 goals and 19 assists in 172 matches for Lyon in all competitions during his time with the Ligue 1 club, which included three seasons with at least 15 league goals.

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This shows that the French did get plenty of quality out of the centre-forward, as he scored goals on a regular basis for a number of seasons, but they were never able to cash in on him for more than the £20m they spent in 2018.

Dembele went on to struggle in his final campaign with Lyon, scoring three goals in 23 Ligue 1 games during the 2022/23 season, before joining Al-Ettifaq on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

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As you can see in the table above, Dembele endured a mixed campaign with Al-Ettifaq in his first year in the Saudi Pro League last term, with his wasteful finishing.

He scored 12 goals in 25 matches, less than one every other game, and also missed a staggering 20 ‘big chances’, which shows that the forward did not make the most of the quality opportunities that came his way.

Overall, Celtic struck gold by selling him for £20m as the striker has yet to be sold for more than that since and is now valued at half as much, despite being in what should be the prime years of his career at 28.

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Leeds United could have a “quality” player return from injury against Sunderland on Friday evening in the Championship.

Leeds’ injury list growing

The Whites currently have a plethora of first-team players in the treatment room at Thorp Arch, with midfielder Ilia Gruev the latest concern after he went off injured against Norwich City in midweek.

Daniel Farke was already without Dan James, Manor Solomon, Max Wober, Ethan Ampadu and Isaac Schmidt for the trip to Carrow Road, with Leeds coming away with a point following Largie Ramazani’s equaliser.

Teenagers, Charlie Crew, James Debayo and Sam Chambers were all included in the matchday squad as a result of Leeds’ injury crisis, and should Gruev be out long-term, Farke would have just two senior central midfielders available in Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka. Meanwhile, at the back, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk are the only fit central defenders.

Talking ahead of the trip to the Stadium of Light, Farke was full of praise for the Black Cats, who are yet to concede a goal at home and sit top of the table.

“They have done really well so far. You have to win as many points as possible and they have done that. They have really good shape, good players and they are strong on the counter attack. They are a really dangerous side. I am respectful of their work but we also know we are in good shape. We have to be at our best to give ourselves a chance. When you don’t have all the key players available it is about unity and sticking together.”

Despite a number of injury worries, it looks as if Farke could be handed a welcome boost.

Leeds team news vs Sunderland

Talking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Farke said that full-back Schmidt has looked better and will be given the chance to prove his fitness ahead of making the trip to the north east, however, Leeds have no fresh injury concerns.

“Nobody else is ruled out from the game yesterday. Isaac Schmidt looks a bit better so we will try tomorrow in our last training session, we will try with him tomorrow. Manor Solomon is progressing. We had hoped he would train today but that wasn’t possible, so it’s unlikely for the game Friday, we will have to go with what we have got.”

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Signed on deadline day, Schmidt has played a handful of minutes so far this season, however, he looks set to provide much-needed depth for Junior Firpo at left-back, with Sam Byram rivalling Jayden Bogle on the right.

Firpo’s injury history at Leeds is well documented as well, so having a fit and ready-to-go Schmidt to rotate over the coming months could be handy.

The Swiss full-back, called a “quality ball striker” by Oscar Marrio, complained of glute problems which meant he missed Norwich, but hopefully, he’ll be back in the squad on Friday before the international break.