Liverpool shine in Champions League, dumping Real Madrid down the table. Dortmund rise to 4th

Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, center, scores his side’s second goal and game clincher during the Champions League opening match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Wednesday. (AP)
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Updated 28 November 2024
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Liverpool shine in Champions League, dumping Real Madrid down the table. Dortmund rise to 4th

  • Only Liverpool have started the new Champions League format with five wins and first-year coach Arne Slot’s team are two points clear of Inter Milan
  • The best comeback was at PSV Eindhoven, where the home team trailed Shakhtar Donetsk by two goals in the 87th minute before a 3-2 win was sealed by US forward Ricardo Pepi’s goal deep in stoppage time

LONDON: Liverpool are 100 percent on top of the Champions League after dumping title holders Real Madrid into an almost unbelievable 24th place in the 36-team standings on Wednesday.

No one felt the embarrassment of Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Anfield more than Kylian Mbappe, the superstar added in the offseason by the storied club that also was European champion against Liverpool in the finals of 2022 and 2018.

Mbappe had a penalty saved in the second half and was earlier dumped on his behind by Conor Bradley’s superb tackle in an instant viral moment.

Only Liverpool have started the new Champions League format with five wins and first-year coach Arne Slot’s team are two points clear of Inter Milan. Barcelona are third, trailing Liverpool by three points.

Madrid are, remarkably, with three rounds left just one place above being eliminated. The top eight teams at the end of January go direct to the round of 16 in March, and teams placed from ninth to 24th enter a round of two-leg playoffs in February.

“(This) doesn’t change much, because even with a win it was going to be tough to secure a top-eight finish,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. ”It was a fair result.”

Monaco missed a chance to go second in the table, giving up a lead playing with 10 men from the 58th minute in a 3-2 loss at home to Benfica. Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni scored the winning goal in the 88th.

Borussia Dortmund, the beaten finalists against Madrid in May, are up to fourth place after beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-0. Champions League standout Jamie Gittens now has four goals in five games, curling a rising shot in the 41st to open the scoring in Croatia.

The best comeback was at PSV Eindhoven, where the home team trailed Shakhtar Donetsk by two goals in the 87th minute before a 3-2 win was sealed by US forward Ricardo Pepi’s goal deep in stoppage time.

US defender Cameron Carter-Vickers scored an embarrassing own goal for Celtic — playing a no-look pass far beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel — in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.

“One of those things,” Schmeichel said. “Cam gets pressed and he hasn’t heard me shout that I’m not in (goal).”

Congo teammates Ngal’Ayel Mukau and Silas impressed in wins for Lille and Red Star Belgrade.

Mukau scored twice in 12th-place Lille’s 2-1 win at Bologna and Silas leveled for Red Star in a 5-1 rout of Stuttgart, though he barely celebrated his goal. Silas is on loan with the Serbian champion from Stuttgart.

Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw with Juventus was preserved by an excellent save by Emiliano Martinez, the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper, diving low to push away a header from Francisco Conceiçao.

Bradley beats Mbappe

Liverpool’s stand-in right back Bradley was a standout Wednesday, denying Mbappe at high speed in a signature defensive play in the 32nd.

The 21-year-old Northern Ireland defender, deputizing for fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold, joined the attack in the 52nd to play a key pass returning the ball to Alexis Mac Allister who scored the opening goal.

After Mbappe’s penalty was pushed away by goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 61st, Liverpool star Mo Salah missed with his spot-kick in the 70th, before substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win with a header in the 77th.

Madrid now have lost three of five games after defeats at Lille and at home to AC Milan. The record 15-time European champions have another tough trip next, at fifth-place Atalanta on Dec. 10. On the same date, Liverpool are at 30th-place Girona and look to be cruising into the round of 16.

“You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times,” Liverpool coach Slot said of Madrid. “They were a pain for Liverpool for many years too.”

First wins, first points

Red Star Belgrade and Sturm Graz ended four-game losing runs to get their first points and wins.

Red Star rallied against Stuttgart after the German team led in the fifth minute. The 1991 European Cup winner’s goal to level the game in the 12th was scored by on-loan Silas. He held up his hands as if in apology as part of a low-key celebration.

Sturm Graz won 1-0 against Girona, the Spanish newcomers to European competitions. It was the Austrian champions’ first Champions League game since coach Christian Ilzer left to join Hoffenheim.


‘Block that noise’: Ex-captain Sarfaraz advises Pakistan to hold nerves during India clash 

Updated 18 min 40 sec ago
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‘Block that noise’: Ex-captain Sarfaraz advises Pakistan to hold nerves during India clash 

  • Pakistan face India on Feb. 23 in Dubai for Champions Trophy 2025 Group A clash 
  • Under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership in 2017, Pakistan beat India to win Champions Trophy

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed advised the green shirts to head into their highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash against India by keeping their nerves in check and avoiding the added pressure, the International Cricket Council (ICC) reported on Thursday. 

India and Pakistan will take the field against each other in Dubai on Feb. 23 for their Champions Trophy Group A clash. One of the fiercest rivalries in sport, cricket matches between the two countries draw thousands to stadiums across the world, and millions to TV sets. 

Pakistan will begin their title defense against New Zealand on Feb. 19 in Karachi. Under Ahmed’s leadership in 2017, Pakistan beat India to lift the Champions Trophy that year in a one-sided clash. 

“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it,” Ahmed wrote in a column for the ICC.

“But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team.”

Ahmed said Pakistan have a strong team and a really good chance of successfully defending the trophy. 

“Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we’re talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s most prolific ODI batter. 

Ahmed noted that Azam was more mature and formidable than he was in 2017. 

“His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s left-handed aggressive opening batter. 

He said left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are both “brilliant bowlers.”

“The captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which worked pretty well for me back in 2017!” he said. 

The green shirts will face New Zealand in the final of an ongoing tri-nation series involving South Africa on Friday in Karachi. 

The tri-nation series is a warm-up before the Champions Trophy kicks off next week. 


Sale of The Hundred hits the jackpot

Updated 13 February 2025
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Sale of The Hundred hits the jackpot

  • Rancor over The Hundred concept mitigated as 8 clubs paid eye-watering sums by investors for stakes in the tournament

It feels like the end of the beginning for The Hundred. Eye-watering sums were paid between Feb. 6 and 12 for shares in the eight “franchises” that constitute the tournament.

There is no denying that it has been a divisive and polarizing concept. However, in what has been described as the Indian Premier League moment for cricket in England and Wales, there is partial closure on this rancor because of the amount of money that has been raised. The next concern is how it will be spent by the beneficiaries.

In first place are the seven County Cricket Clubs, plus the Marylebone Cricket Club, which hold the franchises, the so-called hosts. It has always been something of a misnomer to term them franchisees since the tournament has been owned by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The ECB footed the start-up costs, a significant part of which were payments of £1.3 million ($1.6 million) per year to the 18 counties to secure the necessary two-thirds majority. Eleven of them are non-hosting and were not in favor of The Hundred because it provided them no benefit. The funding, termed a dividend, overcame objections.

In 2024, the counties supported the ECB in its wish to open up The Hundred to private investment. Eight new companies were to be created, with the ECB gifting each one 51 percent of its equity, which the holders can either keep, sell partially or wholly. The balance of 49 percent retained by the ECB would be offered to the market. This process is now complete.

First to be sold was the Oval Invincibles at Surrey, where the Reliance Group paid £60 million for the ECB’s 49 percent stake. Reliance is led by Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, who counts the Mumbai Indians, MI Emirates, MI Cape Town and MI New York within his franchise portfolio. Surrey CCC will retain its 51 percent share.

Similarly, Warwickshire CCC retained its 51 percent share in Birmingham Phoenix, with the ECB’s 49 percent share bought by the American owners of Birmingham City Football Club, Knighthead Capital, for £40 million. This may not please supporters of Aston Villa, the rival soccer club in the city.

Then, the ECB’s 49 percent share in the Welsh Fire was bought by IT entrepreneur Sanjay Govil, founder and chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions, for £40 million, with Glamorgan CCC retaining its 51 percent share.

These sums were eclipsed by the £145 million which was paid by a Silicon Valley consortium for 49 percent of the Lord’s-based London Spirit. It is believed that this stake was the subject of intense bidding between interested parties, including Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group. The attraction of this prestige stake lies in the access that it provides to Lord’s and its owners, the MCC.

Nikesh Arora, CEO of the security firm, Palo Alto Networks, led the consortium, called Cricket Investor Networks Ltd. It is believed to comprise “11 high net-worth individuals,” who profess a shared love of cricket. Amongst them are Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google; Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe; Egon Durban, CEO of Silver Lake Management; and Satyan Gajwani, vice-chairman of Times Internet. He is also co-founder of Major League Cricket in the US and co-owner of the Seattle Orcas team.

Any disappointment experienced by Goenka in losing the battle for the stake in the London Spirit was put to one side, as it acquired a 70 percent stake in Lancashire CCC. The county became the first one to sell a part, 21 percent, of its share in the Manchester Originals. RPSG, owners of the IPL’s Lucknow Super Giants, agreed to pay around £81 million for the 70 percent stake.

Across the Pennines, Yorkshire CCC, Lancashire’s historic and greatest rivals, has well-publicized financial issues. It now has the opportunity to deal with them. The ECB’s 49 percent stake in the Leeds-based Northern Superchargers, plus Yorkshire’s 51 percent stake, has all been sold to Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Group, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape for around £100 million.

A little further south, it was Nottingham-based Trent Rockets’ turn in the spotlight. This sale had originally been scheduled for Feb. 3 but was delayed as the ECB sought to keep investors, who had failed with earlier bids, involved in the process. This may have caused some nervousness in Nottingham CCC, as they watched potentially preferred bidders place their money elsewhere.

Ultimately, Cain International, which had bid for the London Spirit, topped the live auction on Feb. 11, acquiring the ECB’s 49 percent stake for around £40 million in competition with the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders and Indian investor Amit Jain, who was working with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The Cain Group is led by Chelsea FC director Jonathan Goldstein and backed by Chelsea’s co-owner Todd Boehly, who, in addition to Chelsea, has co-ownership of Strasbourg FC and the LA Dodgers baseball team. Nottingham Forest FC may feel uncomfortable seeing Chelsea parked on an adjacent lawn.

The final sale of the ECB’s equity focused on the Southern Brave team of Hampshire CCC. In late September 2024, the company that owns Hampshire CCC announced a takeover by the GMR Group, which co-owns the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, plus franchises in the UAE and South Africa. The £120 million deal was for the control of Hampshire CCC and its infrastructure. Plans to acquire the Brave would wait until the ECB’s sale process was revealed.

A key concern of the ECB was that its equity share should not be acquired by GMR at below-market value. Since that value would only emerge once bidding started, it made sense for the ECB to leave the Hampshire sale until last. On Feb. 12, it was reported that GMR had paid around £48 million for the ECB’s stake, paving the way for GMR to acquire total control of the Southern Brave. The value of Hampshire’s 51 percent share is unclear.

There is more clarity around the funds raised by the sale of the ECB’s equity. Based on data so far released, it appears that almost £500 million has been raised. This will be music to the ears of the second and third groups of potential beneficiaries, the 11 non-hosting counties and grassroots cricket.

Ninety percent of funds from the sale of the ECB’s 49 percent stake will go to the 18 counties and the MCC, with 10 percent going to the recreational game. Eighty percent of funds raised from sales of the 51 percent stakes go to the host county, with 10 percent split between the 18 counties and MCC and 10 percent going to the recreational game.

Over the next eight weeks, the four IPL and four non-IPL owners will finalize their agreements with the host counties. This is too late to have a significant impact on the 2025 season, regarded as a transitional one. No doubt, at the top of discussions, will be re-branding, attracting players, and their salaries, alongside the distribution of responsibilities between the hosts and the new investors.

Whilst not a new beginning, it seems clear that English and Welsh cricket will never be the same again.


Pakistan hopeful Champions Trophy will bring more big events

Updated 13 February 2025
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Pakistan hopeful Champions Trophy will bring more big events

  • Top teams shunned Pakistan after 2009 attack on bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket players in Lahore 
  • Pakistan last hosted ICC event in 1996 when that year’s 50-over-World Cup was played in sub continent 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a first major multi-country cricket tournament in nearly three decades next week and its cricket chief is hopeful that a successful Champions Trophy will bring a flood of other such events.
Top teams shunned Pakistan after the 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, forcing them to relocate home matches, mostly to the United Arab Emirates.
It took the Pakistan Cricket Board years to convince foreign counterparts that it was safe to visit. Touring sides began returning after the board successfully staged its own T20 league, with several foreign players, on home soil in 2017.
“The ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy 2025 is a culmination of those efforts,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told Reuters.
“Our successful hosting of this event will further enhance Pakistan’s credentials, positioning us as a strong contender for more ICC events in the next events cycle.”
Pakistan staged the 1996 World Cup after winning the previous edition of cricket’s marquee event but the country’s fortunes crumbled with the rise of militancy following war in neighboring Afghanistan.

’SECURE AND WELL-MANAGED’
“Security has long ceased to be a concern for visiting teams as we have consistently demonstrated our ability to provide a safe, secure and well-managed environment for international cricket,” said Naqvi, who also doubles as the country’s internal security chief.
“Once we successfully staged home international series and consistently delivered PSL (Pakistan Super League) editions at world-class standards, the ICC accepted and recognized Pakistan’s readiness to host a global event,” he said.
“Since 2019, all major Test-playing nations — except India — have toured Pakistan, some multiple times.”
Naqvi said multiple visits by England and New Zealand and the growing number of international players in the PSL were an endorsement. “As a result, they are already familiar with Pakistan’s world-class playing conditions, operational efficiency and robust security measures.”
But he acknowledged that staging a multi-team event was tougher than hosting a single team.
“The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been a monumental task, requiring extensive preparations in a limited timeframe. Our stadiums last underwent significant renovations for the 1996 World Cup, and since then, the global cricketing landscape has evolved tremendously.”
The PCB has upgraded two main grounds in Karachi and Lahore for the event in an 11th-hour facelift.


Afridi among 3 Pakistan players fined for conduct breaches in win over South Africa

Updated 13 February 2025
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Afridi among 3 Pakistan players fined for conduct breaches in win over South Africa

  • Afridi was fined 25 percent of his match fee by the ICC for deliberately obstructing batter Matthew Breetzke when he ran a single in the 28th over
  • Saud Shakeel and substitute fielder Kamran Ghulam were fined 10 percent of their match fees after they celebrated too closely to South Africa captain

DUBAI: Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was among three Pakistan cricketers fined for breaching the ICC code of conduct during the record run chase against South Africa in Karachi.
Afridi was fined 25 percent of his match fee by the ICC for deliberately obstructing batter Matthew Breetzke when he ran a single in the 28th over, resulting in physical contact and a heated exchange between them in the tri-nations match on Wednesday.
Saud Shakeel and substitute fielder Kamran Ghulam were fined 10 percent of their match fees after they celebrated too closely to South Africa captain Temba Bavuma after he was run out in the 29th over.
In addition, all three players received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, and accepted the sanctions, the ICC said.
Pakistan recorded its highest ever successful one-day international run chase of 355-4 and will play New Zealand on Friday in the final, a warmup for the Champions Trophy.


Desert Vipers back extra opportunities for UAE players in future editions of DP World ILT20

Updated 13 February 2025
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Desert Vipers back extra opportunities for UAE players in future editions of DP World ILT20

  • Team’s CEO Phil Oliver says there is enough local talent to have 2 UAE players in the starting 11s and ‘potentially increase it’

DUBAI: The Desert Vipers’ CEO Phil Oliver says the franchise would support an increase in the number of UAE players from two to three in the starting 11s of sides in future editions of the DP World ILT20.

Speaking during the Vipers Voices podcast, Oliver reflected on the 2025 tournament that ended on Sunday when the Vipers lost to the Dubai Capitals in a thrilling final in front of a capacity crowd at the Dubai International Stadium.

On the status of UAE players, he said: “I think it is very apparent that the talent is there to sustain two players in the starting 11s and potentially increase it.”

He said there were “some nuances around it in the super-sub rule. My view is that the introduction of the super sub, something that usually happens at the end of the first innings of matches, often means an international-quality player coming in.”

This was “something that often seems to reduce the opportunity to contribute for one of the two UAE players so there is a bigger picture for the franchises and the league to discuss.”

He added: “We could go to three UAE players or perhaps a player from one of the other Associate countries instead, as there is the requirement to have two Associates in the 18-man matchday squad.

“So maybe there is something on that Associate angle too, because we are really developing these Associate players, not only UAE players, through them having this exposure to fantastic coaches and players for the period of the tournament.

“I think options could be looking at the super-sub rule and asking could that be a UAE player who has to come in, or perhaps a third UAE player (in the starting 11).

“We would be supportive of any of these sorts of moves to be discussed and properly looked at because it is very apparent that the quality is there.

“We have had a fantastic group of UAE players throughout the first three years of this tournament. And the fact we had Khuzaima bin Tanveer break through this year and become a genuine frontline bowling option for us, I think, says it all, so the talent is there.

“We need to give the pathway for these players to develop so we very much look forward to introducing more opportunities for UAE players.”

The tournament may be over for this year, but the Vipers’ presence in the UAE will continue with a growing number of initiatives, including the franchise’s schools outreach program that began in the second half of 2023.

The program, which combines coaching and an introduction to the Vipers’ sustainability agenda that references recycling, sustainability and the ongoing climate emergency, has exposed more than 12,000 children to the sport.

Oliver said it would continue over the coming months. “It is great that the schools program has been ticking along in the background,” he said.

“During the tournament the coaches were working hard and we were able to get a group of the players to go in and join a couple of sessions, so that was great for the kids to see the heroes up close and for the players to see what we do behind the scenes.”