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Flamengo e Fluminense se manifestaram no processo em que o Vasco pediu para jogar no Maracanã. O Cruz-Maltino utilizar o estádio na partida contra o Palmeiras, que será a primeira do clube como mandante desde que retornou à elite do futebol brasileiro.

Em defesa, o Flamengo alegou que o gramado não suporta jogos em excesso. Inclusive, o fato já foi alvo de diversas reclamações. No documento em que o LANCE! teve acesso, o Rubro-Negro diz que “todo o planejamento estipulado pelos clubes para a partida fica prejudicado”.

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Além disso, o Flamengo apresentou uma tabela expondo o número expressivo de partidas que serão realizadas em abril. O Rubro-Negro diz que a “quantidade supera a quantidade de jogos disputados em outros estádios do Brasil e de países europeus”.

Outro argumento trago pelo Flamengo é de que o Vasco possui São Januário como estádio próprio. Outra solução que o Rubro-Negro deu ao Cruz-Maltino foi utilizar o estádio Nilton Santos para jogar contra o Palmeiras, na segunda rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Vale destacar que a casa do Botafogo também é um equipamento público.

Por fim, o Flamengo sugeriu datas para que o Vasco utilize o Maracanã mesmo com o Termo de Permissão de Uso (TPU) prestes a vencer. Confira abaixo.

– Dia 22 de julho;
– Dias 7, 8 e 9 de setembro;
– Dias 12, 13, 14 e 22 de outubro;
– Dias 8, 16, 17 e 18 de novembro.

O Fluminense, por sua vez, pediu para entrar como parte interessada no processo, uma vez que é intervente anuente no TPU. O Tricolor não se opõe que o Vasco utilize o Maracança, desde que seja “realizada de acordo com critérios técnicos e um cronograma que preserve o gramado”.

Além disso, o Fluminense reforçou o argumento do Flamengo no sentido de que o mês de abril vai ter uma maratona de jogos. Outros pontos ratificados pelo Tricolor é de que São Januário possui condições de receber a partida contra o Palmeiras, que o Nilton Santos poderia ser utilizado pelo Cruz-Maltino como alternativas e as datas disponibilizadas ao clube da Colina Histórica.

Outra alegação feita pelo Fluminense é de que o Vasco quer tumultuar a administração do Maracanã feita em parceira com o Flamengo. O Tricolor também destacou que a 777 Partners tem um projeto de entretenimento para o estádio além do futebol. Ou seja, para o clube das Laranjeiras, a empresa estadunidense deseja usar o local como palco de shows. Por fim, lembrou que o Cruz-Maltinonão possuía “condições financeiras de arcar com os custos de manutenção/conservação de dois estádios” e, por isso, não teve interesse em participar da gestão.

A batalha entre a dupla Fla-Flu e Vasco pelo Maracanã está longe de acabar. Em meio a isso tudo, o prazo do Termo de Permissão de Uso (TPU) se encerra no próximo dia 25.

Sunderland are now reportedly part of a seven-club battle to sign a huge young talent this summer, with six other English clubs also in the mix to snap him up.

Sunderland agree move for Xhaka

The Black Cats are edging closer to their return to the Premier League, with their opening clash at home to West Ham now less than three weeks away, arriving on August 16th.

Regis Le Bris is still eyeing important summer transfer business for Sunderland, with more quality required within his squad, and Granit Xhaka is now on the verge of joining from Bayer Leverkusen, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie. The Swiss will join on a three-year deal, arriving for an initial fee of £13m, with a total of £4.3m in add-ons for the former Arsenal midfielder.

Meanwhile, the Black Cats are also thought to be pushing to sign Galatasaray forward Nicolo Zaniolo, with the Italian earning some Premier League experience on loan at Aston Villa in the past.

New attacking signings appear to be the order of the day for Sunderland after Xhaka is signed, and now a young player with a potentially big future ahead of him has been linked with a switch to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland make contact with England international

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Sunderland have “enquired” about the availability of young Metz striker Idrissa Gueye, who is valued at £17m by his current club.

The Black Cats are far from the only club in the race to bring in the 18-year-old, however, with Liverpool, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Southampton and Ipswich Town all mentioned as potential suitors.

Gueye is described as “one of the hottest properties in Europe” in the report, so Sunderland beating the other six clubs to his signature, among others dotted around Europe, would be a real statement of intent by the Premier League newcomers.

The Metz ace has already scored five goals in 20 appearances for the French outfit at senior level, not to mention already winning one cap for Senegal at international level at a tender age.

Gueye wouldn’t necessarily arrive at Sunderland as a more polished attacking player like Zaniolo, but he would be seen as a footballer with a high ceiling who could grow into something special over time.

Sunderland make £13m bid to sign "goal machine" and want deal done ASAP

The Black Cats have included a buy-back clause.

ByCharlie Smith Jul 28, 2025

Admittedly, £17m is a lot to pay for a player who is still only 18 years of age, but if the Black Cats see him as someone who can become a superstar at the Stadium of Light eventually, he could be worth every penny.

Middlesex claimed a six-wicket victory over Glamorgan in their Vitality Blast match in a rain shortened contest in Cardiff.Luke Hollman’s four wickets and runs from Leus du Plooy and Martin Andersson in a game that was reduced to 10 overs a side were enough for Middlesex to secure the win.Glamorgan lost regular wickets as they managed 88 for 9 from their 10 overs and Middlesex chased that down with three balls to spare to finish on 89 for 4.Glamorgan will likely need to win all of their remaining fixtures and also hope for favourable results elsewhere if they are to progress in this competition. For Middlesex it may already be too late despite this win given that they can finish on a maximum of 13 points.Glamorgan made 27 runs inside the opening three overs of powerplay with the openers Will Smale and Kiran Carlson scoring 17 of those. Smale sliced a catch to third off the bowling of Tom Cullen and Carlson became the first of Hollman’s four wickets when he was caught at long off by Tom Helm.The Glamorgan batters kept going after Hollman but they all found it very hard to time the ball. When Hollman claimed the wickets of the experienced Chris Cooke and Marnus Labuschagne within the space of four balls Glamorgan had stumbled to 51 for 6.That became 52 for 7 when Ben Kellaway skied a ball off Helm and Noah Cornwall took a juggling catch at mid-off. Timm van der Gugten struck some lusty blows to take Glamorgan slightly further towards a target they could defend.As has often been the case for Glamorgan this season, Mason Crane made late-order runs as he made the highest score of the home side’s innings batting at 10. His 18 not out meant that his stand with Jamie McIlroy for the 10th wicket was the highest of the Glamorgan innings.The opening stand of 55 for Middlesex was far higher than any that Glamorgan had managed in their 10 overs and inside the powerplay du Plooy and Andersson went a long way to breaking the back of the chase.Du Plooy gave a stiff chance off the bowling of Crane when he was on 23 but Smale could not hold on to the catch at point. Crane did eventually claim du Plooy’s wicket when he trapped him lbw for 28.Jack Davies and Andersson fell to consecutive balls to leave Middlesex with two batters who had yet to face a ball in the middle. Andersson was brilliantly caught by Carlson in the covers off Labuschagne for 30.Those wickets gave Glamorgan some hope of squeezing out a win but a big six by Hollman of Labuschagne all but secured the win for Middlesex who needed just four runs from the last over. Things were still tense thanks to McIlroy getting Higgins but a four from Joe Cracknell off the first ball he faced gave Middlesex the win.

Tom Alsop top scores for Sharks as Joe Weatherley, James Vince fifties land in losing cause

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2024

Nathan McAndrew was electric with the bat and miserly with the ball as Sussex Sharks went second in the Vitality Blast South Group with a seven-run victory over Hampshire Hawks.Australian all-rounder McAndrew hammered 32 off 11 balls to boost an underwhelming score, with the help of Tom Alsop’s 43 off 27.James Vince bagged his fifth 50-plus score in his last six T20 innings against Sussex and Joe Weatherley picked up 68 not out.But McAndrew returned 1 for 21 – spoiled only by a penultimate ball no ball – before Danny Lamb defended 25 off the last over to give the Sharks a first Utilita Bowl win since 2020 and pull out a six-point buffer on Hampshire.The Sharks were stuck in and despite losing three wickets in the powerplay – all to a rampant Michael Neser – found regular contributors to reach a sizeable total.Neser – on his last Hawks appearance before Ottneil Baartman replaces him for the second half of the competition – had Harrison Ward skying straight up, Daniel Hughes bowled with a beauty which nipped back and John Simpson chipping to cover. The Australian returning 3 for 32.Fynn Hudson-Prentice forced wicketkeeper Ben McDermott to scramble under a high one and James Coles – who had held firm for 39 – was brilliantly caught by a sprawling Benny Howell at long off.At 73 for 5 at the halfway point, Sussex looked in danger but Hampshire old boy Tom Alsop and Danny Lamb settled things down with a 57-run stand.Lamb scooped a six but was otherwise jerky in his 28, but Alsop crescendoed through his innings, going from a sensible run-a-ball to 43 off 27 before he chipped to his former captain Vince at mid-off.If Alsop had been controlled for most his innings, McAndrew was unrestrained in his ball-striking from the moment his second ball disappeared into the square leg crowd.Two more sixes sailed into the stands and although he was dropped – a bizarre moment where Ollie Robinson was subsequently run out – his late innings blasting got Sussex to a defendable position.With 185 to win, Hampshire didn’t attack the challenge with gusto as McDermott and Fletcha Middleton fell in a flaccid 38 for 2 powerplay.A couple of 30s had been the high points of Vince’s Blast campaign but he grew through his innings and found the perfect rotating-the-strike partner in Joe Weatherley – the duo adding 88 for the third wicket.There were glimpses of peak Vince with a glorious cover drive as his 71st T20 fifty came up in 35 balls. But he never managed to explode to the required rate and departed for 53 when he rolled the ball back onto his own stumps.Weatherley converted to a half-century – having scored 48 and 49 earlier in the tournament – but his 68 off 47 was ultimately too slow for the rate.Benny Howell swatted two early sixes but faded, and although Weatherley sweetly struck the first four balls of the final over for four, Hampshire ended up seven runs short.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact over signing an “outrageous” forward as chairman Daniel Levy and the Spurs recruitment team consider a potential bargain summer deal, with his mooted price tag called “too good to be true”.

Tottenham target new forward amid Ange Postecoglou uncertainty

Ange Postecoglou’s full focus is on their looming Europa League final clash against Man United on May 21 – an encounter which could single-handedly rescue Spurs’ season from the depths of despair.

Tottenham hold talks with big-name coach who Benitez thinks is very clever

He’d be an ideal replacement for Postecoglou.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

May 14, 2025

Qualification for next season’s Champions League, not to mention Tottenham’s first major trophy in over 17 years, is on the line against United with both sides looking to end their dismal campaigns in the best possible fashion.

Reports claim Postecoglou is highly likely to leave Spurs regardless of whether they win the final in Bilbao (David Ornstein), but the Australian could still etch his name into history by becoming the first Lilywhites boss to win a trophy in nearly two decades.

He could also fulfill his early-season pledge of ‘always’ winning silverware during his second season in charge, so a lot is personally riding on the line for Postecoglou, even if a departure from N17 seems more and more inevitable.

The 59-year-old’s future will have a knock-on effect when it comes to Levy’s transfer plans for the fast-approaching summer window, and it is believed that Tottenham are targeting a new forward among their recruitment priorities.

Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa is apparently attracting interest from Spurs, while Man City playmaker James McAtee is another attacker admired by Tottenham. Both players are not expected to break the bank in terms of cost, amid claims Tottenham are set for a ‘sell to buy’ summer (The Telegraph).

However, one very highly-rated forward, and one who could be one of the bargains of 2025, is Lyon star Rayan Cherki.

Tottenham make contact over signing Rayan Cherki this summer

The Frenchman has bagged 12 goals and 18 assists across his total appearances in Ligue 1 and the Europa League this term, marking himself out as a star player for Lyon, but his contract is said to include a tantalising £19 million release clause.

That is according to Le Parisien, who also report that Tottenham have made contact over a move for Cherki, alongside some Premier League rivals.

The 21-year-old falls into Spurs’ recruitment policy perfectly, given he’s young with world-class potential at a very reasonable value. Cherki will surely be a player in very high demand this summer, with journalist Dean Jones previously explaining why clubs need to consider swooping for him.

“Rayan Cherki, who is just absolutely unbelievable,” said Jones on the Ranks FC Ultras Podcast (via TBR). “You see figures around Cherki and there’s like 25 million pounds talked about, which just seems like too good to be true. He’s just different, this player.

“If you haven’t seen Cherki play, then just either stop the pod and go and watch him on YouTube for 10 minutes and then come back or just go watch him while we’re talking right now. Because his skill level is outrageous. He feels like he could become one of the best players in the world.”

Given Cherki’s mooted fee has now dropped below £25m to £19m, it makes Jones’ statement all the more relevant, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him emerge as a top target for Levy.

As The Friedkin Group look to send shockwaves throughout the Premier League in their first summer in charge at Everton, the Toffees have reportedly joined the race to sign a young English talent.

Everton transformed under David Moyes

As if those at Goodison Park have gone back in time to the days of Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar, Everton have been a side transformed under David Moyes, who is thriving in his second stint in charge. The experienced manager returned with the club battling relegation once again but, since his arrival, has turned Everton into a side performing at the level needed to qualify for European football if they continue into next term.

After arguably his most impressive victory back in charge of the Toffees yet – a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest – Moyes told reporters: “I have got to say it was a great goal but thoroughly deserved. It certainly merited a win and I thought we played very well, when you come to a team sitting third in the Premier League and the semi-final of the FA Cup. I think if anyone was going to score, it was us.

“I have had a lot of games and sometimes football can go that way for you. I am getting a brilliant response from the supporters and the players but I am also calm enough to know it could change. Today we have put on a good show and I am proud of how the players are performing. We are trying to make small steps every week.”

He won't start again: Everton's £40k-p/w star looks finished under Moyes

Everton are undergoing a series of changes with David Moyes back at the wheel.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 15, 2025

Those in Merseyside will be hoping that their recent run is only the sign of things to come before they potentially launch one of the most unexpected moves of the summer transfer window.

Everton join race to sign Jarell Quansah

According to Caught Offside, Everton have now emerged as shock contenders to sign Jarell Quansah from Merseyside rivals Liverpool this summer. The young defender has endured a tough season under Arne Slot having done plenty to impress Jurgen Klopp in the last campaign. Now, he could be heading for the exit door.

It’s not just Everton interested in his signature either. Joining the Toffees, Newcastle United’s interest has been well-documented and now Brentford, Bournemouth, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen have also reportedly joined the race. Amid such interest, Everton would be landing a major coup by signing the £30k-a-week defender, especialy considering the reputation of the German duo for transforming British talents abroad.

An England international, the 22-year-old earned plenty of praise from Klopp last season, who told reporters after handing the defender his debut: “I have to say he did really well. He was good.

“In possession as well he was calm. It was like we had just met in the car park before the game with the organisation in the first-half. But he played really well. In such a disorganised team like we were in the first half, he was the one who looked alright. It was a statement and he is really happy at the moment.”

Chelsea have now submitted an opening bid of £64m for an “incredible” striker, but they are set to face fierce competition for his signature from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Blues ramping up striker pursuit

The Blues looked toothless in front of goal yesterday afternoon, drawing 0-0 away at Brentford, with Christopher Nkunku once again failing to deliver at striker, having scored just three Premier League goals all season.

The performance at the Gtech Community Stadium underlined the need for Enzo Maresca to bring in a top striker in the summer transfer window, and the west Londoners have been ramping up their pursuit over the past few weeks.

There has been a positive update on the move for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian now setting his sights on a move to Stamford Bridge, while Maresca’s side are also plotting an approach for Lille striker Jonathan David, who is set to be available on a free transfer.

Chelsea now interested in signing £43m Inter Milan star alongside Thuram

The Blues have identified a new target ahead of the summer transfer window…

ByDominic Lund Apr 6, 2025

A number of Europe’s top strikers are on the shortlist, including Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, and a report from Spain has now revealed Chelsea have made their first move for the Swedish striker, submitting a €75m (£64m) bid for his services.

However, there may be fierce competition for Gyokeres’ signature, with Manchester United also submitting an offer of the same value, while recent reports have also detailed the Sporting star could be keen on a move to Arsenal following talks with sporting director Andrea Berta.

The Blues believe the forward will be able to adapt to life in the Premier League quickly, which is why they are willing to make a huge offer, and his goal record in Portugal this season indicates he could make an instant impact in Maresca’s side.

"Incredible" Gyokeres impressing in Portugal

The 26-year-old has been in simply sensational form for Sporting this season, amassing 43 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, showcasing that he is ready for a big move to one of Europe’s top clubs.

Not only that, but the Sweden international, who has been lauded as “incredible”, ranks highly across a number of other key attacking metrics over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

Statistic

Average per 90

Shot-creating actions

3.85 (95th percentile)

Progressive carries

4.29 (96th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.18 (83rd percentile)

Touches (Att pen)

6.07 (86th percentile)

With Nkunku potentially in line to leave this summer, and Nicolas Jackson now without a goal in his last 10 Premier League games, it is clear the Blues will need to bring in a top striker this summer.

Gyokeres’ goal record indicates he could be one of the best options on the market, so it is exciting news that Chelsea have now made the first move by submitting an opening bid.

From the fans in the stands and on the Fort, to the dominance on the pitch, Australians have enjoyed their time in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Feb-2025On the ramparts of the fort that overlooks the ground at Galle, a banner has fluttered all series, reading “Shane Warne Stand”. This is a fitting installation at a venue that Warne had helped get back on its feet following the 2004 tsunami. Another banner -“Cmon Aussie cmon” – has been its companion for much of the series, later replaced by “South Africa you’re next”, a reference to their forthcoming World Test Championship final tilt.Elsewhere in the ground Australia flags have been abundant. The loudest cheers have tended to be for Sri Lanka wickets, or Australia batting milestones.In the fort itself, and the restaurants and bars in the ground’s surrounds, New South Wales verses Victoria rivalries had had their regular airing, Aussie rules and rugby league supremacy have been debated, countless Ois have been yelped into humid air, and Aussie twangs have twanged at their lubricated loudest.Related

• Australia emerge from Test season with flying colours and new options

• As Dimuth Karunaratne bids goodbye, an era begins to end

• Stats – Australia's first triumph in SL since 2011, and captain Smith's success with bat

• Smith's triumph: Australia surge to clinical 2-0 series victory

With only five men’s Tests in the Australia home summer, this tour has felt like an extension of that fun, like the fan-serving epilogue of the novel, in which the protagonists find themselves in a tropical destination sipping cocktails out of coconut shells and frolicking their days away.Australia’s cricketers have frolicked most. Theirs has been a two-week trip of more-or-less relentless excellence. They have been so at ease with Galle’s rhythm’s it felt as if were the side enjoying the benefits of playing at home.”Bat first, bat big, and let the spinners loose,” had been the mode of operation for some of Sri Lanka’s greatest teams in Galle. In the first Test, it was Australia who made spectacular use of good batting conditions, before dealing Sri Lanka their biggest ever Test defeat by running through their batting twice.We know the story, by now. Travis Head attacked at the outset like a modern-day TM Dilshan, and Australia’s experienced batters swept and reverse swept to big scores. Right through the series, it would be Australia’s batters who understood that starting on this surface tends to be difficult, and that converting fifties into triple-figure scores was vital.Only once across the series did an Australia batter get to a half century, and fail to hunt down a ton, and that was Head, whose first-session 57 off 40 was the plough that turned the soil. Australia’s seniors then toiled day long in these fields – Steven Smith hitting 131 and 141, Usman Khawaja making 232, Alex Carey swiping his way to 156, plus the hundred on debut for Josh Inglis.Sri Lanka’s batters crossed fifty as many times but had a top score of 85 not out in the series.Australia’s batters all found their own way to score runs•Getty Images”Those wickets are tough to start on regardless of where you’re batting,” Smith said after they’d wrapped up the series 2-0. “But when you start to get the pace of the wicket and what it’s doing and how it’s responding, and you get into a partnership, things get a little bit easier.”You see so often that when you lose one wicket, the batter that’s in is a little bit unsettled, and the new batter is starting their innings, things can happen really quickly. When you do have those partnerships going, you have to make them count. Uzzie and I in the first Test, and then Alex and I in the second Test were able to do that.”As if to reinforce the point, outside of the 259-run fourth wicket partnership between Smith and Carey, Australia lost 91 for 3, then 64 for 7 in their first innings of the second Test.Australia understood too, that each batter is best off finding methods that work for their own game, rather than setting down a team-wide edict on sweeping more or skipping down the pitch. Each Australia batter who prospered has developed methods through various experiences. Khawaja famously turned around his batting against spin in 2017, Smith has now played 24 Tests in Asia, others have refined their game and added new strokes in IPL net sessions, or through other franchise opportunities. The entire effect is a top order that batted as if they were the unit born to these conditions.”I think back to when we came here in 2016 [where Australia lost 3-0], and now we’re just far better equipped to play in these conditions, and understand them a lot more than we used to,” Smith said. “The way we’ve been able to put pressure on the bowlers through all different ways has been fantastic.Spin twins: Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon shared 30 wickets in two Tests•Getty Images”I come down the wicket or sit back. Alex, Inglis, and Usman use the sweep and the reverse sweep. Marnus uses his feet. A few others are missing there, but everyone’s got different methods. But it’s a method that works for them.”Australia’s bowling returns also have taken roughly the same shape Sri Lanka hope their bowling analyses do at the end of a home series. Between them their two lead spinners have taken 30 of the 40 wickets, at times tripping over themselves to claim the next wicket when Sri Lanka were in one of their especially self-destructive phases. Mitchell Starc has backed them up with six wickets, and the allrounders have made important breakthroughs too.In 2016, Australia were the classic away team trying to force life for their seamers on dusty Sri Lanka tracks – Starc by a distance was their highest wicket-taker across those Tests, while it had been Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera who’d put up Nathan Lyon-Matthew Kuhnemann numbers.There had been little doubt, too, that Australia were going to field only one specialist seamer, and pack their attack with spin. From day one of this series, Australia adopted a style that seemed to be born from the soil they were playing on. Though tens of thousands of kilometres from their shores, they turned Galle into an outpost – a little Aussie festival for two weeks.

Dan Lawrence is expected to be released from England’s Test squad to play for Essex on Thursday

Matt Roller05-Jul-2023

Birmingham Bears vs Essex

Dan Mousley is an injury doubt•Getty ImagesMoeen Ali’s England call-up, Glenn Maxwell’s lack of form and regular injuries to important players all threatened to derail Birmingham Bears’ Blast season – yet they topped the North Group for the second season in a row, this time with 11 wins out of 14.Dan Mousley, the offspinning allrounder who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, is a doubt after splitting the webbing in his bowling hand, while Moeen and Chris Woakes are on Test duty and Hasan Ali has departed on international duty and is replaced by left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes. But the big news is that Sam Hain – averaging 107.25 with a strike rate of 162.50 this season – is fit again after missing nearly half of the group stage through injury.Essex qualified by the skin of their teeth thanks to Feroze Khushi, who hit the last ball of their game at The Oval for six on Sunday to clinch a quarter-final berth. In Daniel Sams, they have the Blast’s 2023 MVP – according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats – while Dan Lawrence is due to be released from England’s Test squad.The Bears have not reached Finals Day – which is played at their home ground – since 2017 but go into this tie as favourites.

Lancashire vs Surrey

Sam Curran is part of a star-studded Surrey line-up•Getty ImagesOn paper, these are the best two teams in the competition, both filled with international quality. Lancashire’s top six contains three of England’s T20 World Cup-winning batting line-up in Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone but it is Daryl Mitchell, the perennially underrated New Zealander, who has led the way with 409 runs at a strike rate 162.30.Luke Wells, frozen out by Sussex three years ago, has become an important cog with both bat and ball: he has reinvented himself as a modern legspinner in the Rashid Khan mould, earning a wildcard deal at Welsh Fire in the Hundred. He has kept Matt Parkinson, who leaves for Kent at the end of the season, out of the side.Surrey lost four of their last five to let a home quarter-final slip and home advantage is a major factor for Lancashire, who have not lost at Old Trafford since 2020. But they should not be underestimated: Jason Roy is fit again and slotted in at No. 3 on Sunday to avoid breaking up the prolific opening partnership between Will Jacks and Laurie Evans.Jacks has also chipped in with the ball and in Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Sunil Narine and Sean Abbott, Surrey have a number of bowlers who have a track record of playing – and performing – in knockout games. This should be a cracker.

Somerset vs Nottinghamshire</h2

Somerset’s attack have taken regular wickets•Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesSomerset became the first team in Blast history to win 12 group-stage games and much of their success owes to their ability to take regular wickets. They have taken 125 wickets in 14 games, 21 more than anyone else in the competition; the record for the most wickets taken by a team in a T20 season anywhere in the world is Lancashire’s 130 in the 2015 Blast.Related

• Dan Lawrence fifty guides Essex to Finals Day berth in thriller at Edgbaston

• Bopara released by Sussex

• Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of Hundred by Cricket Australia

• Injury cuts short Siddle's Somerset stint

• Santner show sees Worcs hold off Derbs for knockout spot

The formula is simple enough: Craig Overton and Matt Henry strike early, Roelof van der Merwe and Lewis Gregory squeeze through the middle and Ben Green mops up at the death. The arrival of Ish Sodhi, replacing the injured Peter Siddle, means they have a wristspin option too – and Sodhi will be playing against one of his old counties.Nottinghamshire are not the T20 force they once were. They remain a dangerous side, with Joe Clarke and Alex Hales opening up and Tom Moores finding some form down the order, but have some availability problems: Colin Munro and Samit Patel missed the end of the group stage with injuries, Olly Stone’s comeback lasted three balls and Shaheen Shah Afridi has left on international duty.With Notts’ attack looking lighter than normal – and Somerset boasting a formidable batting line-up led by a rejuvenated Tom Banton – Somerset should feel confident of reaching a third successive semi-final.

Hampshire vs Worcestershire

Hampshire’s John Turner is the breakout star of the Blast season•Getty ImagesHampshire are defending champions and have strengthened this year: Benny Howell missed the start of the Blast through injury but adds experience, while the South African-born seamer John Turner has been the tournament’s breakout bowler, taking 18 wickets in nine appearances.James Vince, the Blast’s all-time leading run-scorer, has been characteristically dominant and is top of the runs charts for 2023 thanks to eight 50-plus scores in 14 innings. Like Lancashire, Hampshire are very strong at home, winning six out of seven at the Ageas Bowl this season.Worcestershire, the 2018 champions, finished rock-bottom of the North Group last summer but have recruited well, with spin-bowling allrounders Mitchell Santner and Usama Mir – originally signed as a replacement for Michael Bracewell – both thriving with bat as well as ball.Josh Tongue is not expected to be released by England – he will be rested ahead of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford – so Worcestershire’s attack will rely heavily on their three main spinners: Santner, Mir and Brett D’Oliveira. Hampshire should be too strong, but if Worcestershire can get Vince early then anything is possible.

But what can he do when the damn IPL keeps getting in the way?

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Mar-2021Shaz gets vaxxed
In outstanding news for humanity, Ravi Shastri revealed he has had his first vaccination against Covid-19. Which means Covid antibodies developed in Shastri’s body now exist in the world.It’s over for this disease.

Got the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Thank you to the amazing medical professionals & scientists for empowering India against the pandemic.

Extremely impressed with the professionalism shown by Kantaben & her team at Apollo, Ahmedabad in dealing with COVID-19 vaccination pic.twitter.com/EI29kMdoDF

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) March 2, 2021