LONDON: Mohamed Salah sustained a twisted ankle in Liverpool’s late victory over Leicester according to reports on Monday, but the Egyptian could still return for the Premier League leaders’ clash at Manchester United on October 20.
Salah hobbled off in added time during the 2-1 win over the Foxes on Saturday after being caught on the left ankle by a lunge from Hamza Choudhury.
The England under-21 international was booked, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believed he should have seen red for a challenge he branded “dangerous as hell.”
Salah had already been excused from Egypt’s friendly against Botswana on October 14 with Pharaohs head coach Hossam El Badry saying his star player “must rest.”
The Liverpool Echo reported: “Salah suffered a twisted ankle in the challenge, and while there is no timescale set on his return, Liverpool are hopeful there is no long-term damage.”
After Salah had been withdrawn, Liverpool struck late through James Milner’s penalty to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
And next up they can rub more salt into Manchester United wounds with the Red Devils already 15 points behind their rivals down in 12th.
“Salah has not yet been ruled in or out of that fixture, with it being too early in the healing process for the medical staff to make a decision,” added the Echo’s report.
Liverpool’s Salah escapes with twisted ankle — reports
Liverpool’s Salah escapes with twisted ankle — reports
- He could return against Manchester United on October 20
Desert Vipers eliminate Sharjah Warriorz with 5-wicket win to close ILT20 group stage
- The result confirmed the Vipers’ place at the top end of the table, while leaving either Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants to claim the final playoff berth
SHARJAH: Desert Vipers ended the Sharjah Warriorz’ playoff hopes with a five-wicket victory in their final International League T20 group-stage match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, becoming the first team to win eight games in a single group phase.
The result confirmed the Vipers’ place at the top end of the table, while leaving either Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants to claim the final playoff berth when they meet in the last league fixture on Sunday.
The winner of Saturday’s clash between MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals will finish in the top two.
After being sent in the Warriorz were restricted to 140 for seven, with Naseem Shah and Qais Ahmad leading a disciplined bowling effort. Naseem finished with three wickets, while early strikes from David Payne and Khuzaima Tanveer left the hosts reeling at 6 for two.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles rebuilt through the powerplay, adding 61 runs for the third wicket, but the innings lost momentum once Kohler-Cadmore was bowled by Naseem in the 10th over.
Qais then struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Charles for 43 and removing captain Sikandar Raza for a golden duck, reducing the Warriorz to 79 for five.
James Rew and Ryan Burl attempted to stabilize the innings, but the Vipers closed strongly, with Naseem striking again late on to ensure the Warriorz failed to reach a competitive total.
The chase began shakily as Raza and Richard Ngarava reduced the Vipers to 28 for two inside the powerplay, removing Fakhar Zaman and Andries Gous.
Max Holden and Sam Curran steadied the innings with a measured 64-run partnership, absorbing pressure before gradually lifting the run rate.
Harmeet Singh briefly revived the Warriorz’ hopes with wickets in the middle overs, including Curran and later Dan Lawrence and Jason Roy, but Holden remained composed throughout.
His unbeaten 66 from 46 balls anchored the chase, before Hasan Nawaz’s brisk 25 from 14 deliveries ensured the Vipers crossed the line with overs to spare.
Vipers captain Curran said the win was an ideal way to close the group stage.
“It was really pleasing to get a win heading into the qualifier. We adjusted to the conditions very well. Max played a superb innings, and Hasan finished it off nicely with some big strikes at the end. We’ve had a fantastic season overall, winning eight out of ten matches,” he said.
Sharjah Warriorz skipper Raza reflected on a disappointing campaign, saying: “Pretty much everything that could go wrong for us did go wrong this season. Had we played those key moments slightly better in a few of our games, we would have qualified already.
“On these wickets, 150 was a competitive total and we rarely got there, which is the most painful part.”
